Cadence shifted uncomfortably, trying to restrain from adjusting her crown. Twilight, standing next to her, was obviously having a problem with the exact same thing, glancing around even as everypony else chatted happily. Well. Almost everypony, as Cadence glanced over to the rest of the team, finding each of them responding in their own unique ways.

Dash was watching the crowd like a hawk, Rarity was all grace and cool slathered over a core of nerves, Pinkie was utterly her normal self, and Applejack and Fluttershy both looked oddly poised, ready for anything. Each of them concealed their Elements under their individual gowns, expertly hidden thanks to some fast stitching by Rarity. She really is a wonder of a craftspony. We need to make her the royal couturier when this is all over.

The thought made her smile, calming her nerves a smidge. She needed to focus on their little plan, so when the time came she could follow through with all the necessary steps before anything could get out of hoof. It didn’t help that this hall was full of corrupted guards, though. Now that she’d seen them up close and from afar, the signs were all too clear. The discolored eyes, the faint look of distraction, the reek of pheromones and barely restrained lust.

In fact, now that she had a chance to see them without having to worry about suspicion, she was beginning to see how the whole process had been done. A sick, twisted perversion of the spell she herself used to improve and repair relationships used instead to focus a kind of lustful adulation on the spellcaster. It was brilliant, in the kind of way that made Cadence feel ill, and with every passing moment she felt her anger flare at the thought of someone using her arts for something like this.

“Cadence, are you feeling better?” Celestia’s voice was quiet and calm, and Cadence just nodded. It hurt to put on the false smile, but it was enough to reassure her aunt, who returned it. “I am sorry I insisted you undertake your traditional duties today, niece. I should have know how important it would be for you to spend time with your beloved, and I understand how you got flustered over it." She bowed her head and whispered, sounding actually chastised. “Can you forgive an old mare?”

Cadence wanted nothing more in that moment than to turn and tell Princess Celestia everything and be damned the consequences. The problem was, she had nothing to give Celestia as proof beyond her own word, and given what had already happened today… She’d think I’d cracked and I don’t think I could blame her. So she just smiled, nodding. “Don’t worry about it, Auntie. We’ll have plenty of time to unwind tonight, all of us." Or at least, she hoped they would… “Would you mind if I gave Luna and Shiny my blessing before the ceremony? I think that might make things go a little more smoothly."

Celestia regarded her with surprise, but smiled warmly. “Of course not. I think that’d be a lovely gesture." And she grinned. “And Lulu will be less inclined to interrupt me if she’s too busy thinking about getting into Shining’s armor." She giggled, a little naughtily, and Cadence couldn’t help but titter a bit in return… even if she knew that this was probably not the time for that joke.

Celestia turned to her assistant, Miss Inkwell, giving time for Cadence to touch Twilight’s shoulder. “Ready?” she asked softly, her marefriend fortunately taking all this stress very well.

Twilight took a deep breath and exhaled. “No, but does it matter?” She turned to face Cadence, her smile strained. “We’re going to have to play this heavily by ear, and I hate that. Every other time there was a crisis, there was no time to think and this waiting is killing me." She giggled faintly, but not quite hysterically. “Imagine. Me, complaining about having time to think."

Cadence laughed a little at that. “It is sort of ridiculous, isn’t it?” She shook her head. “Just be ready to… do whatever it is you do when you fire those things up." She looked up, huffing. “Once things get started, there won’t be time for dramatics." A brief fanfare of horns interrupted her next words, signalling the approach of the bride and groom. Cadence blew a sigh. “Showtime.”

Twilight nodded, and Cadence hurried back to her place next to Celestia, unfurling her wings. Ugh. I hate having to do this. Keeping them stiff is so… embarrassing. But the thought was quickly banished as the bright lights of the hall dimmed, then were snuffed out. An instant later, the hall was bathed in pale white moonlight, pouring through the clerestory windows above, a faint misty fog rolling through the crowd of nobleponies, tickling at their hooves.

Four of the cutest little batpony fillies Cadence had ever seen bounced down the aisle, scattering luminescent blue flower petals. She felt a strange coolness settle over her. The danger was at hoof, and for once she was absolutely certain of what had to be done. It made everything seem so much simpler. Deep-voiced instruments began to play their music, a strong and brooding melody that thrummed in her chest.

Cadence had to admit the atmosphere was chillingly beautiful. Bright stars glittered overhead and reflected off the petals below. The doors swung open with a startling bang. Standing four-by-two, eight batpony night guards marched up the aisle, peeling off in pairs to take up positions along the aisle. Though she’d never been particularly good at reading them, none of them seemed to be showing the same signs of corruption as the royal guards had. It was a small relief… but a relief nonetheless.

And then they entered.

They swept up the aisle in matching colors of deep blue and white, with moonstone accents present in every decorative capacity. Shining Armor’s eyes tracked warily across the crowd, and there was nothing in his decorum or manner that suggested he was here to get married. Cadence took a deep breath, stepping forward as the music rose to a crescendo, Luna smiling beautifully and Shining staring at her in mute surprise.

“Blessed be the couple who has come to join one another in the bonds of Love,” she intoned to the crowd, and her eyes caught the rest of the Element bearers moving up to the sides of the aisles. Rarity nodded minutely at her, and she continued. “To celebrate this occasion, I give unto you my blessing as the Princess of Love. May you bring one another happiness from now unto all eternity!”

Love magic was one of the very few magics one could directly imbue into a pony. That had always bestowed upon her a certain responsibility to use her power with… well, responsibility. Not that I’ve always been great about that. She winced away from the thoughts. Now wasn’t the time for self-doubt. She’d deal with her indiscretions later on, when Equestria wasn’t in danger.

Cadence called her magic into her horn, Shining’s mouth opening almost in slow motion. She knew he was going to try to stop her, but it was far too late for that. I saw you and your big appetite, you vile creature… she thought with a savage glee. Now lets see how you like it when I give you a meal bigger than anything you’ve ever had before! She drew upon the strength and power of Twilight behind her, upon the love they shared and had vowed to give to one another. She drew upon her innermost strengths and pulled them all to the surface.

The glow from her horn lit up the room for a moment, bathing all of those present in a vibrant pink light before she released the wave of power into ‘Shining Armor’. At first, he simply glowed a bright pink as was normal, doing so for just long enough she began to worry that she’d been terribly wrong…

Until a green crack appeared down his right side, the crowd gasping in an appropriately dramatic manner. “Wait… Cadence, what are you-?!” Celestia cried out, only to be interrupted as the deepened, before releasing a shattering sound. A blast of green flames nearly blinded her, clouding the area with a burst of thick smoke. She was forced a step back as Celestia’s words turned into a yelp, the crowd screaming in fear.

”Bitch…” came an angry hiss from within the smoke, and Cadence shook away the afterimages of the bright flames in her eyes. “I will not be denied. NOT THIS TIME!” its raw voice thundered, rasping insect-like against her ears, nearly driving her back to the edge of the dais. Its head came up, black and sleek and menacing, mouth seemingly full of fangs, and its eyes blazing and sickly green. It had the body of an alicorn and the wings of an insect, and every inch of the creature radiated anger and rage. “I am going to kill you little princess,” it - she growled at her, “but before you die, you will get to watch everything you love perish!”

Cadence opened her mouth, only for that rasping voice to fully overwhelm her own, “LET JUDGEMENT BE DONE!” The words blew past her like a gust of wind, and the hall transformed from full of gasps to screams and the sounds of blunt impacts. Cadence’s eyes darted around the room to see the corrupted guards doing battle with the Lunar Guard while their comrades began to strike down the fleeing guests.

“Lulu!” Celestia’s voice cut through the turmoil, Cadence’s gaze whipping around to Luna, who still stood in her gorgeous dress, heaving, her eyes almost a pure emerald green as fangs slowly extending from her upper teeth. Celestia was the very picture of pure, unrestrained terror for a single instant… until a blast of blue energy from Luna’s horn went soaring past her head and blew out the windows at the back end of the hall.

The strange, black creature cackled in laughter as Luna hurled herself at her sister, firing off blasts of absurdly powerful magic, shattering stone columns left and right. “Luna, stop this!” Celestia screamed, dodging and weaving away from the magic, but her pleas seemed to have no effect. “Cadence, get Twilight and run!” Celestia yelled out before diving out of the windows of the hall, Luna in hot pursuit.

Cadence wheeled to where Twilight still stood rigid in shock, quickly beating her wings to scramble over to her. She was already putting on her golden crown, and the gem began to glow… “Using your little toys? I think not!” The sinister voice was smooth, and a green blast of power soared over Cadence’s shoulder… and struck Twilight with full force.

The world went cold around her, as Twilight’s eyes widened for a moment before she crumpled into a heap. There were other ponies yelling. Their voices were familiar, but ultimately didn’t matter. The smug, bug-like voice cackled in triumph. Cadence felt the chill turn to anger, and anger became hatred. She spun in midair, the icy creep of dark power flowing through her veins.

Her beloved was imperiled.

This creature was harming that which belonged to her.

That could not be allowed.

“TWILIGHT!”

This was bad. This was very very very very very bad. She owed Cadence an apology too, which only made this way worse. But Twilight was down and that was super bad and And I need to get myself together before everything goes to pieces! There were royal guards knocking out guests all over the hall. Lunar guards fighting Royal guards. Luna fighting Celestia. And Twilight was down.

Applejack, good old reliable Applejack, had already decided to lead the charge, and Rainbow Dash was right behind her. Get your head in the game, Dashie! she mentally screamed at herself, diving into the fray with both hooves. She didn’t have AJ’s insane physical strength, but she was still the fastest thing on four legs. So she punched and kicked and bowled over anypony that got in their way.

Rarity was on the scene first, Fluttershy right behind her. “She’s taken a bad hit…” Fluttershy murmured, then glared up at Rarity. “Help me hold her head steady, Rarity. I’ve got an idea, but it’s going to take a minute... Dashie, Applejack, keep us safe.” She pulled out a cloth pouch from… somewhere in her dress. “Good thing I brought these,” she muttered.

Dash nodded once, recognizing Fluttershy’s medicine pouch before turning on her hooves to watch the chaos unfolding around her and keep an eye out for- “DUCK!” she yelled, forcing Fluttershy’s head down with a hoof as a blast of green magic careened past them. She turned to identify the source, only to have her blood run cold.

Twilight had told them all about what had happened to Cadence when Discord had come around… and how they shouldn’t bring it up unless they had to. Cadence had somehow become clad in a suit of inky black crystalline armor that hugged her every curve, and the ground all around her was littered with shards of the same sharp crystal. She looked angry and cold, her eyes smoking with some kind of dark magic for Celestia’s sake! She was unlike the Cadence she knew, had ragged on and futzed around with these past few years.

If she had been really honest with herself, Cadence had become… well, kinda like the friend Gilda had been. They sassed each other, got under each others feathers, gave each other shit. But it was always in good fun, and Cadence had never become the bully Gilda had turned into. Seeing her like this was… frightening. The weird black creature she was fighting was scarier, though, so Dash wasn’t sure what to think-

Two burly guards loomed out of the crowd, their eyes crazed with green magic, breathing so heavily it was creepy. She spun and aimed a mighty fine applebuck at their faces, easily connecting and sending them staggering back… about a foot. Which left her bare flank staring them in the face, and the two of them were leering at it in a way that made her think they had other ideas than just smacking her.

Then her vision was filled with orange coat and blonde mane, a howling voice proclaiming, “YEEEHAW!” Suddenly, two massively-muscled hind legs drove themselves into the guards’ chests, sending them catapulting across the room like ragdolls. “Ya’ll need to work out more, Dashie!” Applejack smirked and went back to guarding the other side of Twilight with a flick of her tail.

If the situation was any different, she’d have sassed Applejack something fierce, but she needed to keep an eye on Cadence. The weird black creature and she were trading energy blows and bucks while they buzzed around the room on their wings. There were no words between them, just dagger-glares of hatred and menace that made Dash want to find someplace really really small to hide in and wait for everything to be over.

But that wasn’t doable, so she had to keep her gumption up. The black creature hissed at Cadence, her eyes glowing in the dim light of the hall. “Well… It seems the little pink princess isn’t such a goodie-two-hooves after all,” she smirked, and Dash couldn’t help but notice that much of the chaos in the hall was moving away from it. “Tell me, do you miss your little lover?” she cooed softly.

Cadence seethed, her horn flashing without so much as a sparkle of warning, sending a wave of razor-sharp spikes driving up through the hall tile toward the black alicorn in a wave. The creature leapt aside nimbly, cackling. “Oh, you’re so delicious… I can’t wait to tie you down and make you into my little feeding-mare.” The words came out in a threatening purr that only seemed to enrage Cadence more.

The princess launched herself forward with another flurry of attacks, Dash turning away so she wouldn’t have to feel so chilled by the sight of that crystal. “Shy, you’d better hurry up, or Cadence is going to go completely insane!” she half-yelled, hoping Fluttershy could hear her over the din.

Whatever words Shy had to say were lost, though. A sudden flash of light and a blast of energy consumed one of the hall’s walls, and a swarm of smaller and more vicious versions of the strange black creature began to pour in through the hole. “Fuck!” Dash growled, taking off and speeding toward the swarming creatures. They were little, light looking things. Sure, big teeth, but she’d fought lots of things with big teeth!

She spun midair and impacted the foremost of the creatures with a sick smack right into its jaw, sending it careening back through the hole. “C’mon! You’ll need better than that to beat the five of us!” Flashing a fierce grin, she did a little spin-and-buck just to show off, taking out two more of the bugs before they could so much as blink at her. Then they really started coming.

It was hard to concentrate on what was going on around her as the bug-things swarmed. There was the high-pitched whine of energy blasts and the crash of crumbling rock. Ponies screamed. Soldiers grunted and weapons clashed with each other. Applejack hooted and hollered and the invaders went flying. The world was a whirlwind of chaos and fighting, and as invigorating as it was to stomp all over these bugs, she was worried about Twilight.

Not that she should have worried.

“Cadence, NO!”

Twilight felt herself coming back to consciousness slowly, wishing that whatever incredibly stinky thing Fluttershy was waving under her nose would make her feel like less of a moron. Ugh… I should’ve been able to put up a shield for that. She shook it off and brushed Fluttershy’s hoof away. “I’m okay, I’m okay…” She muttered with a slur in her speech, and nearly grit her teeth in frustration. “Urgh… what did she hit me with?”

“I don’t know, but we need to get you out of here.” Fluttershy’s voice was surprisingly firm as the world swam back into sense. The hall was strewn with unconscious bodies and- Oh Goddess, no. Cadence was clad in that sinister black crystal, trading blows and blasts with the strange bug-like pony. “Twilight, we have to go,” Fluttershy tried insisting, but Twilight was already shoving herself to her hooves.

“Cadence, NO!” she screamed out, the sound cutting through the din like a hot knife through cheese. It even managed to startle the bug creature long enough to interrupt her attack pattern. Twilight scrambled across the ground between them, just as Cadence turned her head to regard her with cold, frightened eyes. Eyes she had seen before, when Discord had filled them with madness…

Twilight did not hesitate. She threw herself across the distance, and Cadences’ forelegs came up to catch her instinctually. “This is not you, Mi Amore Cadenza!” Twilight yelled as loudly as she could, grabbing onto Cadence’s middle and holding on with all the tightness of a vise. “So you stop this foolishness right now!”

“She… hurt you,” Cadence’s voice wheezed, scratchy and quiet and not at all like herself. “Cannot… let her… hurt my love…”

“I’m fine, you idiot!” Without hesitation, Twilight reached up and thwacked Cadence across the back of the head. “So get rid of this… stuff… so I can hug you!” She imbued as much of her concern and love as she could into her voice, hoping it would find a way through.

The black crystal slowly fell away from her body, and Cadence closed her eyes with a painful grimace before opening them up again. “I’m… I’m sorry, Twilight,” she half-whispered. “I just… I thought she… she killed you.” Burying her face in Twilight’s shoulder, she held on as tightly as she could, and Twilight returned the embrace.

“Well if I didn’t the first time,” the creature snarled behind her. “This time I will!” With a primal scream, she loosed a torrent of vibrant green energy as thick and wide as Twilight was tall... Her howl was angry in a way nothing Twilight had heard before, but underneath that fury... there was unquestionable desperation. But there was too little time to counter it. Twilight threw up the best shield she could and poured all her power into it, hoping it would be enough to protect them.

The sound of shattering glass. A whirlwind of white and gold light, and the beam of power deflected straight up, burrowing a hole right through the ceiling of the hall and leaving it open to reveal the pale moonlight above. The sweet soft smells of the evening were swept away by the scent of warmed earth and sun-drenched grass. Twilight stared as wings clad in golden magic flared out and the power dispersed, revealing the familiar white plumes of… “Celestia!”

Warmth surged into her heart, even as she felt horror at the sight of a battered and bruised Princess Luna being daintily lowered to the ground. “Her heart was not in it, foul creature.” Celestia’s voice was hard as a diamond, and the black-chitinous creature took a step back in surprise. “Perhaps you think it is so easy to make her my enemy… but we have loved one another for far longer than a creature like you could possibly understand.” Celestia advanced, the chitinous creature giving ground again.. “Cadence. Twilight. To me,” Celestia growled. Cadence nodded above her, and Twilight felt her resolve harden.

She turned and fell into step alongside Celestia, their forehooves coming down together in concert. Seconds later, her friends fell into line alongside them, and Rarity tossed the Element of Magic onto her head. Twilight grinned at them, and turned her hard gaze onto the black creature…. who was giggling madly. “You really think you can destroy me?” she sneered, her eyes narrowed. ”I have the power of a goddess at my disposal! You foals have no hope of challenging me!”

Cadence stepped forward, shaking her head. “I think you underestimate us.” Her voice was a growl, but there was no coldness there. She was warm and vibrant, and exactly as the Cadence she knew and loved should be.

The creature scoffered. “You are powerless without your precious love, little princess. Your anger can only sustain you so far before it will rot you from within. You have nothing like the power of the love I possess!” Her gaze dashed to Luna. Twilight puzzled at that…. until it clicked a moment later.

She powers herself through the love she consumes. That’s why she was entrancing all of those guards, and why she had to hide her control over Luna! It wasn’t to just control them, it’s the entire source of her power! Twilight’s mind reeled at this revelation… and then a devilish smile crossed her lips. Of course. Who else did we know whose power became only greater when he corrupted those around him? And if we break her power over them…

“Cadence! Girls! I’ve got an idea!” Twilight proclaimed, and began to march forward. Cadence quickly fell in step, her friends joining them. The creature glared and hissed, but Twilight just smiled back. “You don’t have any idea of the kind of power we’ve got when we’re together, bitch.”

“Twilight, I-” Cadence began, only to have her mouth stuffed full of hoof.

Twilight grinned, tapping her nose. “Just follow my lead, Cadey.” She turned back and took a deep breath. “See, maybe our love alone isn’t power enough…” She gestured to Cadence with a faint smile, feeling something… something powerful inside of her. “But our love isn’t the only thing we have.” She stomped her hoof, and for the first time the creature looked nervous. “We’ve got the love shared between friends. The love for each other, and for the ponies we all care about. And sometimes, we call that love Friendship.”

There was a sparkle of power, and Twilight felt the magic surge into her through the crown she wore. The rainbow of power that connected them all began to stream from the elements to one another, the creature screaming. “YOU WILL NOT! BEAT! ME!” Another blast of emerald power emitted from her horn, shattering the ground around it with its strength as it lanced towards them. ”NOT THIS TIME!”

The power impacted three feet before them, right into a massive bulwark of golden light that shimmered and shone in the darkness. Celestia. Twilight thought, the warmth powerfully pulsing in her chest. Always there when I need you. She closed her eyes, and when they opened the world was bathed in white light. Her friends were rising into the air on the power of Harmony, Cadence with them, wearing a look of confusion.

Twilight giggled faintly as she turned to her. “I love you, Cadence.” She half-whispered, and kissed her with all of the passion and love she could muster. Cadence’s eyes went wide at first, then closed as their horns touched, the power around them pulsing with redoubled strength.

The world was a whirl of power and magic, colored in all the hues of the rainbow… but instead of a single beam of power, something new happened. The power pulsed around them like a restrained Sonic Rainboom for several long seconds before exploding outwards in every direction. Seven rainboom circles, each connected to one another, all expanded outwards in different directions, carrying a wave of purifying magic with them.

The windows shattered, columns of stone and marble battered by the wave. The walls of the castle and the very mountain it stood upon shook with the impact… and a breath later it was over. Twilight felt the power slowly seep from her as the cacophony of the chaos and conflict came to a conclusion, and exhaustion sweeping over her. She had used every ounce of her power for that spell, but…

Where the creature had stood, a massive shell of black chitin had appeared. It too had been battered, but it remained. It slowly fell apart, revealing the triumphant grin of the creature. “That will not work a second time,” she growled, advancing, “and now I am going to slaughter every last one-” Her power flared… then shorted out in a spray of sparkles that left her dumbfounded. “What?! This… It can’t be!” She turned, clearly intending to flee...

Only to be utterly blindsided by a solid bar of gold energy, striking her right in the gut, staggering her with a pained groan. Celestia soared over their heads, and a second blow took the black creature right across the face, leaving a nasty bruise. “You enter my castle,” Celestia snarled, unleashing a mighty buck that caught the creature dead in the chest, sending her flying through the air. “Threaten my sister,” Celestia’s horn shone, seizing the creature in midair and slamming upon the shattered marble floor. “And try to kill my MOST FAITHFUL STUDENT!” Her voice took on an edge of raw, seething power and anger, her appearance shifting....

Her mane and tail were blue-white flames, her body radiating a heat that made Twilight wince away. The creature was crawling away from her, trying to get to its hooves, but another blow of power slammed her down. “And you dare to presume I will allow you to do anything ever again.” Celestia’s merest whisper was enough to make Twilight cover her ears with its sheer power.

Then - like a miracle - a voice cried out. “Sister, you need to STOP!” Celestia’s head whipped up to stare, and Twilight turned to see Princess Luna slowly rising to her feet. She looked shaken and unsteady, but her voice was firm. “This isn’t you, Celestia.” She advanced a few steps, putting on her best smile. “I should know, better than anypony.” Reaching out, she gently tried to tug Celestia away from the creature. “She is not worth it.”

Celestia, for a single instant, looked ready to dismiss her…. and then the flames died, and the monarch Twilight knew and loved returned. The black, chitinous creature lay battered but alive, her chest heaving. “You… are right,” she whispered, turning and walking away with a resolve in her step that Twilight had never seen before. “You should thank my sister, foul thing. Were it not for her, you would be answering to the creator right now.”

Celestia crossed the hall and embraced her sister suddenly and firmly, which Luna returned with a pat on her back. “Do not weep, sister,” Luna muttered, softly nuzzling her cheek to Celestia’s. “There was naught you could have done.” She sighed... and her head came up like a whip. “Shining Armor! We must find him!”

Twilight looked to the dark creature, staring at them with fear, doubt, and despair in her eyes. They all turned to face her as Luna stalked over, her voice lowering to a growl. “You will speak, changeling.” She leaned in, menace and anger thick in her demand: “Where is my mate?”

It would take several hours of work and the assistance of both princesses to fully undo the seal upon the strange crystal mines beneath Canterlot. It was time well spent, as the now-cleansed Royal Guard were rooting out and removing any presence of the ‘changelings’ in the city. While most of Canterlot remained unharmed, the Royal Palace had been turned into a veritable warzone. The grand hall was utterly ruined, and apparently Celestia and Luna’s ‘battle’ had scarred much of the rest of the exterior with broken windows and shattered stone.

So it was a good thing they all had something good to distract themselves with. The desperate creature, identifying itself as ‘Chryssalis’ had told them where to find Shining Armor. Once Celestia had interred her... somewhere, they had all gone down to help with the search effort. Fortunately, once the mines were open, the princesses had all gone into the caves and forbidden anyone else to enter with them. “Too many dark magics still linger down here,” Princess Luna had cautioned.

For once, despite her inner student’s desire to balk, she would not complain. Instead, she sank against Rainbow Dash’s chest and finally let out the tears she’d had to hold back since Cadence had come to her this morning. They came slow at first, and turned into some pretty serious sobs by the time Rarity held her hoof and Applejack provided her solid presence. She wasn’t making a lot of noise, but… but she was still heaving and tearing up.

And they stood there the whole time. Silent, because what could be said? They were simply there for her, as it ought to be. Her friends, and more than that. Her comrades, her heart, her soul… they were as much a part of her as Cadence was. The Elements of Harmony had proven that, and… And… Her head came up, and she blinked away some of the tears. “We… We bonded our magic with hers,” she whispered, feeling a sense of awe wash over her. “That’s… I don’t think I’ve ever read about something like that happening.”

“That’s because it hasn’t ever happened before.” Celestia’s smooth, happy voice lit up Twilight’s ears, and all five of her friends looked up as the princess exited the caves. “But that’s a subject for later.” She turned, and Shining Armor half-limped, half-strode through the cave exit, his head held high.

He was battered, bruised, and a good deal thinner than she’d seen him before. But the fiery spark of courage in his eye was undiminished, as he grinned broadly at them all. “Hey Twily,” was all he said, all too softly.

Twilight awkwardly scrambled to her hooves and stumbled over to embrace him. “OOF!” he proclaimed as forelegs seized him around the middle, and Twilight burying her snout into his coat. “Easy there, little sis… I’m a little sore,” he chuckled richly, running a gentle hoof down her back. “I’m alright, I promise. Training in Stalliongrad was tougher on me than this.”

“Don’t care,” she sniffled, and smacked his chest half-heartedly. “You’re my BBBFF, and I’m going to hug you, so shut up!” And so she did. She hugged him hard and fiercely and didn’t let go until Celestia herself started giggling. Okay, not until Luna herself started to chuckle, and that was just a little too much, even for Twilight.

So she let go, and Shining smiling patiently at her before turning to Luna. His mouth opened, and every inch of him looked like he was preparing himself to get yelled at, until Luna closed his mouth with a band of bright blue magic. “Do not even start, Aegis Armor,” Luna said in a mockingly serene voice. “Thou art marrying me. Thou did not fail me, and the only punishment I will be visiting upon thy body I promise you will thoroughly enjoy as much as I do.” She released the magic… and Shining looked stunned. Happy, but stunned. He opened his mouth again, and Luna smacked it shut. “Not. A. Further. Word. Are we clear?”

Shining Armor, her brother, the Captain of Luna’s personal guard, all around great stallion, just burst into a huge grin and nodded silently. And he kept doing so like one of those bobblehead dolls, with Cadence dissolving into fits of giggles. It was a sign of just how much they’d gotten used to all this that the only pony blushing was Rainbow Dash. “I really, really didn’t need that mental image,” Dash groaned, hiding her face in Twilight’s shoulder.

Everyone burst into sudden laughter at that, and hugs were exchanged all around. For just a few moments, it felt like things were finally going to get back to normal in her life. Wait, Twilight thought, halting herself. I really, really did NOT Just think that. Did I?

As if in reply, the Element of Magic upon her head began to buzz with a powerful energy. Celestia’s head whipped around, and her eyes went wide. “No. It can’t be happening already. That’s impossible!” she blurted, as utterly informal as she’d ever spoken before.

“What’s impossible Princes- WHOA NELLY!” Applejack cried out, as her own element began to glow and pulse rapidly with a bright power of its own. The world felt like a massive pressure wave of magic was bearing down onto Twilight, and she spun about.

Sure enough, each of her friend’s elements were beginning to pulse with the same magic, each of them slowly being pulled to six cardinal points around her. “TWILIGHT!” Cadence screamed, making to dive forward…

Only to be grabbed by Celestia and wrenched back. “No! Stay back! You can’t interfere!” Celestia looked on, confusion and disbelief written into every facet of her being. “This has to happen but… Why now? Something is… Different. This… this isn’t right.”

Twilight wanted to speak, but a pure beam of energy shot out from Applejack’s element, followed by one from each of her other friends. “Twilight, it’s going to be okay!” Pinkie Pie yelled, grabbing at her torque and trying to pull it off. “Stoppit you stupid little gemstone!” she snarled at the thing.

“Sister, we must hurry!” Luna was yelling, her voice firm. “Cadence, get into the ritual circle, NOW!” Her voice thundered in full Royal Canterlot Fury, but Twilight could not see anything past the sparkling magic of the Elements. Wait, ritual circle? The Elements can’t do that! Am I doing it?

“Twilight, hang on! I’m not going to let you- ” Cadence’s voice was the last thing she heard as magic whirled around her into a sphere of pure white, and the whole world went dark.

Author's Notes:

Sorry this one took so long guys.

It's a long story.