"You sure you ready?" Lone asked Cadence, who had on the guise of her old form, as the two, along with an escort of guards, made their way to where Shining was held.

Yeah, I am," Cadence replied with a nod. "I want to see him as soon as I can. Even if the disguise fails and he freaks out, I'd rather be glad I tried."

"Fair enough, I guess," Lone replied. "Remember what I told you about those sudden sex urges, or whatever I called them?"

"Yeah, and I'll cast a spell to block out the sounds if it starts so you all don't need to hear it," the princess of love said.

"Just make sure it's on a quick cancel," the black and red unicorn said. "Queen Chrysalis would kill us if anything happened."

"He's not wrong," a changeling said. "She may have a long fuse, but you wouldn't want to be in the same town as her if someone pisses her majesty off enough."

"I'll keep that in mind," Cadence said as the group entered the dungeons. "You know, I never liked coming down here."

"Yeah, same here," Lone said. "Why I never volunteered to come down here before. Only reason I am now is because Queen Chrysalis made me your personal guard."

"Really?" Cadence said. "She didn't tell me."

"She didn't want to risk any of the ponies who were always purists, even before the changeling became public, attacking and killing a guard, so most of us that are with them willingly try to act like we've been mind raped," Lone explained. "Keeps us safe to a degree, and lures out any terrorists. . .well, hopefully, anyway."

"Well, I just hope nopony gets hurt," Cadence said. "So, which cell is Shiny in?"

"Should be the one at the end of the hall," Lone commented as the group passed rusted doors, the only reason they hadn't been replaced being magic cast upon them by Celestia and, more recently, Chrysalis. Eventually, the last cell door for the corridor came into view, with two changeling guards outside. "There it is," he said. Upon reaching it, and the guards crossing spears, Lone brought out a scroll, unrolled it, and presented it to the guards, revealing a symbol of insect like wings spreadout with a changeling horn between them and pointing skyward, with two, emerald, curved points going halfway up the horn from its sides. "She has Her Majesty's permission to see him."

"Sorry, sir," one guard said as they uncrossed their spears.

"Don't apologize," Lone ordered. "It's standard protocol to do what you did."

"Thank you, sir," the guard on the left said as he opened the door with his magic. "I assume you are aware she can not stay longer than an hour?"

"Yeah," the unicorn replied. He then turned to Cadence. "It starts as soon as you enter, Cadence. Make it count. Chrysalis won't let him out until she's certain he won't do anything."

She nodded. "Thanks, Lone."

"Hey, don't thank me," he said. "I'm just a guard. Tell the former captain I say hi."

"I will," she said, and she entered the cell door.

As she entered, the door closed with a loud thud, and the magic torches inside the cell lit, revealing it's surprisingly modern interior, given the castle's age. Only thing missing was a radio, and that only because there were few and they were too expensive for any prison. Cadence did a quick and nervous scan of the room, and saw Shining, a magic nullification ring at the base of his horn and wearing the smae outfit he wanted to wear on the wedding day-only with all the straps across the shoulders gone., sitting on a bunk, his back turned to Cadence. "So, has the bitch finally sent something to kill me?" he asked, not turning to look at Cadence. "And I'm not an idiot, so don't try to pretend to be my wife. Only reason I didn't say anything earlier was because your queen was mind raping me."

Cadence was speechless. Sure, she had expected him to be angry-hostile, even-towards changelings, but to expect them to kill him? Then again, Chrysalis did impersonate his wife. I don't care if I'm in a sex crazed state after this, Cadence mentally growled. I'm going to talk with her to see why she impersonated me specifically. "Shining, it's actually me," she said.

"Yeah, sure," Shining replied, sarcasm evident in his voice. "How about you just do what you wanted to and leave? Tell your queen I'll make her pay once Princess Celestia and my sister get free."

"S-Shining," Cadence said as she felt despair at the prospect of not being able to be with Shining. "It's me, Cadence."

"Didn't you hear me?" Shining said as he finally turned back to look. "Do what you came here to do, and get out." The princess saw his eye scan her. "And your queen did a better job on the disguise. Cadence wasn't that well off up there. Believe me, I would know." A few seconds of silence. "What, did you just come here to make me even angrier?" Shining asked, a growl in his voice now. "It's working. And trust me, I'm already near my breaking point without you here. I just know how to hide it." He then turned around. "And your the only other thing here. So I would suggest you leave. Now."

Cadence had only once seen Shining mad-and she was glad it was after Twilight went to Ponyville-and, well, the memory was enough to make her nod fearfully, and move to leave the room.

Upon exiting it, sealing the door behind her, Lone, leaning on a wall said, "Judging form you face, Cadence, I'm guessing he thought you were just a random changeling trying something?"

"Yeah," Cadence said, distraught, as she went to her new changeling form. "Can you guys take me to Chrysalis? I need to talk to her out. . . something."

Lone raised an eyebrow, but didn't question it. "Yeah. She's got time before court anyways, and she hates having to fill out paperwork."

"That's something she and my aunts have in common," Cadence muttered as they left the cells, and towards the throne room.