Legends Meet and Troubles Arise

Everyone back at Ponyville was ready to go as they ride the train towards Canterlot for the wedding of Twilight’s brother. Said pony was still feeling distraught about it but tried her best to keep a positive side to all of this. The Six Heroes catch on to her quickly but decided to let her handle this since it was personal to her. One of the humans looked out the window and saw Canterlot surrounded by a vast shield of sorts. They past the shield with no trouble but this action confused Twilight, “Why is there a shield around Canterlot?”

A smile formed on Vargas seeing that Celestia probably took their conversation to heart when he saw her for a split second back at the hospital, “A precaution perhaps Twilight, you know that today is a special occasion. Weddings are special even in our world; everyone would try to place security measures just to be sure that the wedding goes as smoothly as possible.”

Rarity was looking at Vargas with a sense of curiosity, “Oh? And how can you be certain about that entire thing darling? I can understand precaution but you speaking about it is a bit of a surprise.” She was shuffling through the bag checking if the dresses she made for the five other bearers were still in good condition.

“Because Rarity…” Vargas waved a hand towards his compatriots, “All of us have been in weddings one time or other especially royal weddings. Royalty is very important in our world and since this is a royal wedding with Twilight’s brother…”

“The precaution is needed so the wedding goes smoothly and no outside interference unwarranted for this special occasion… Right...” All eleven were looking at the younger sister of Shining Armor. She was still being antsy about this whole thing as she looked away and saw the train station coming by. Just as the doors opened, Twilight proceeded to run out of the door to the castle. Vargas followed her quickly just in case she gets over her head. The other five originally were going to chase after the fire hero but decided to help the others in their need. They didn’t need five humans to chase after one pony.

The run to the castle was short but she didn’t need to know it anyway as she skidded to a halt, “I wish to speak with Shining Armor right now!” Suddenly, almost all the guards were alert as they hoisted spears towards her direction. One of them accidently hurled his spear towards Twilight. Her eyes widened as the projectile was nearby her face. A sword wreathed in flames was in front of her making her back away one step a bit as she looked towards Vargas who was smiling. The spear in question turned to ashes upon making contact with the sword. She returned him back with her smile, “Thank you Vargas, now I’m beginning to get a little jealous of you and your friends’ ability to react quickly.”

The fire hero chuckled as he sheathed Dandelga back into place. Approaching hoofsteps reached his ears causing him to look past the guards to see a figure coming forward. Said figure greeted Twilight with a sense of joy. It was easy for Vargas to connect the dots that this pony is Twilight’s brother and high rank of the Royal Guard, Shining Armor, “Hey there Twily!”

Vargas raised one eyebrow at the nickname given to Twilight. He was about to ask but was cut off by said pony as she rushed forward. He assumed it was a hugging gesture until it got shattered as he saw her beginning to argue with her own brother, “Don’t Twily me! How dare you not send me a letter telling me that you were getting married Shiny!”

This prompted the fire hero to cover his face with his right hand and let out a sigh. He decided to leave it to his brother since she knew her well enough to not get involved in her affairs for now. Turning around towards the castle, he saw that everyone was already there getting ready for the wedding. With the ponies preparing, that left the six humans to meet Princess Celestia and Luna. He met up with his friends as they were waiting for him, “Took you long enough Vargas! Let me guess, Twilight is being stubborn isn’t she?”

He let out a sigh seeing the two figures from the distance, “Yep Eze, I have to agree with Rainbow on this, she’s more stubborn than Applejack…” He looked to see three lookalike guards were approaching them. He never did bother at first but seeing the same guards over and over made him wonder why the guards always look alike. Shining Armor is probably the only unique case of not suffering lookalikes.

In any case, the guards were here and they knew why they’re here, “You are the six the princesses are referring to?” All of them nodded prompting the center guard that talked with them to remove his helmet. The original white coat slowly wisped away as a brown coat with a blue mane replaced it. A smile was met with the six, “It’s good to finally met you personally. I heard about your achievements back at Canterlot, I must say, being able to hold back a surge of star-spawns is something I’d never imagine coming from you six.”

Lance couldn’t help but whistle seeing the amount of magic involved there, “Nice, a helmet that conceals your identity. Coat, mane, tail, and cutie mark? I have to admit that’s some impressive magic I see. I’m guessing that’s from the two princesses in mind?” A simple smile was his answer.

The center guard dismissed the other two following him. They obeyed and went their own separate ways leaving him to escort them, “Follow me you six, I’ll show you to Princess Celestia and Luna. Both are excited to meet you.” As he made the first step, he momentarily stopped and turned to meet their eyes, “Oh and I almost forgot, Natural Epsilon at your services.” A smile came on all six of them as they followed him. Despite his original task was to bring them to the throne room, Epsilon couldn’t help but give a slight tour of the place while heading there, “There’s the kitchen there if you want to know. Oh and just keep this between you and me, but I heard Princess Celestia loves to eat cakes a lot so she orders them to make a lot of cakes for her when she’s not busy.”

That prompted a few chuckled from the six as they imagine the pony princess eating a whole slew of cakes in front of her, “Is that true? I find that rather intriguing and embarrassing especially for someone who is royalty.”

A chuckle escaped from the guard leading them, “Oh don’t get the wrong idea, she’ll be sophisticated when she needs to be but when around friends and family, Princess Celestia gets to be all kinds of silly just to poke fun at them. I’ve seen it myself since apparently I’m one of those people that fits her criteria of being silly around.” The thought amused Epsilon as he reached the doors that lead towards the throne room, “In any case, we’re here. I’ll be departing but I hope to see you six again okay?” He wore back his helmet and the brown coat he originally had been was now the enchanted white. He said his farewells before he left them and returned to his post.

Seeing the guard leave them, Magress couldn’t help but be amused by the idea, “That Epsilon fellow is a fine stallion… but the idea of Princess Celestia being silly to us? Do you think that could be possible?” He looked towards his compatriots and they shared his thoughts as a quiet laughter escaped them.

Eze was the first to stop his fit of laughter as he looked at the doors, “Those are some massive doors. I wonder how…” Just as he was about to ask, an orange sun-like glow surrounded the doors and was slowly opening for them, “Oh, well never mind then.” All six entered the throne room with a sense of anticipation. Having heard the cake thing from Epsilon made them almost forget that this was royalty they were thinking of. Inside, the throne room was bathed in a mix of warm light and soothing darkness. On the throne sat the two princesses who were chatting with one another. The six could think of any topic but the events of the wedding came to mind. Luna was the first to notice their entry and smiled as she stood up to greet them. Celestia soon joined once she found why she stopped their conversation.

Five of the six proceeded to bow as the royal sisters neared them. Eze was the only one who wasn’t bowing to the both of them and proceeded to somehow ruin their presentation, “Hi there! How goes the day?” That caused three of the heroes to collapse from the sheer stupidity done there while the other two looked at him questionably.

Selena was the first to recover and decided to get rough as she punched Eze on the head once. He was recoiling from the hit while the ice hero was reprimanding him, “You idiot! You aren’t supposed to be so informal to the two princesses here!” Her words only made a small smirk appear prompting another punch to the head.

This elicited a chuckle from Celestia, “Please everyone; there is no need for formalities here. I believe your thunder friend understands quickly right?” A simple nod answered her question although his face contorted into pain with the second punch. The Sun Princess stepped forward and touched his head with horn. Her magic flowed into the horn and slowly, the pain that once lingered on Eze’s head dissipated, “There you go. Does that feel a bit better?”

The thunder hero tapped his head a few times before confirming it with his smile, “Yep, definitely feels a lot better now! Healing magic eh? Can’t say I’m surprised considering the mark on your… um, plot? Is there a pony term that doesn’t sound like I’m saying an innuendo?” He looked towards his companions and unfortunately, none of them had the answer to his question. He let out a sigh before returning his attention to the two princesses, “Well, you get the point right?”

A chuckle from Luna this time escaped as she stepped forward, “Perhaps oh proclaimed great idiot swordsman of your world.” Those words prompted Eze to take it in pride as he puffed his chest and raised his sword high into the air. Luna blinked twice just to be certain if she imagined what she saw correctly, “Huh… and here I thought that would be offensive…”

Vargas stepped forward while elbowing his friend, “Excuse my friend’s behavior, he likes to take that name in pride especially since one of the high commanding generals leading an army said this about him…” The fire hero cleared his throat, “He’s an idiot, but he’s an idiot to be feared. That’s what one of the generals said, thus resulting my friend taking that in stride.” He looked towards Eze who was smiling at Emilia’s words about him.

Luna couldn’t help but smile at the idea, “Tis true? Hmm… your friend does look to be good material to be leading an army…” The thought amused the Night Princess as she imagined armies questioning his leadership but the decimation of enemy forces would put those questions behind their backs for now.

To her surprise, he rebutted the idea, “No thanks, I’d rather not take the lead of a vast army even if I can see myself as one. I’m no good at following or giving out orders anyway, but that doesn’t mean I can’t fight with the army right?” Luna looked towards her sister with a smile. These beings were much more amazing than they expected. Both shared the idea of them possibly wielding the Elements of Harmony if that does come true with time.

For now however, they were prolonging introductions, “Those are noble words to say. You would most be a great leader, but for now let us get started shall we? I shall get started, I am Princess Celestia, and as you noted on my flank, good sir…” Celestia pointed at her cutie mark. Luna rolled her eyes while the others couldn’t help but chuckle a bit, “I have the ability to move the Sun. However, it is not the only thing for I am quite a competent fighter.”

“Yet you always try to negotiate for peace more often…” Luna pointed out that detail. It was something she wished she could do as well, but it was also a case of weakness as well, “Forgive me for being rude sister but I felt it was needed.” She saw Celestia not minding as she gestured her to continue the conversation. Before she could however, she wanted to ask something important, “I know that you said that we do not have to be formal today but why did you act silly to them of all times?” Her only answer was one of Celestia’s signature grins. Luna put a hoof on her face and sigh, “Sometimes I wonder why I have you as a sister…”

“Come now Luna, I wouldn’t be the same if I couldn’t be silly right?” She was still wearing her grin yet ended up having a point in the end anyway. She might end up becoming competition for Discord was he to be released someday on pranks.

The Night Princess let out a sigh as she lowered her hoof, “Tis true… You would never be the same if you didn’t have some of your silliness.” Underneath all her groaning, she was smiling in the inside. She liked her sister’s antics and if she weren’t being silly, life wouldn’t be the same for Luna. She let a quiet chuckle escape before returning back on the introduction at hoof, “Right, well we’ve dragged out long enough. I am Princess Luna and as the opposite of my sister, I can control the movements of the moon but I also do other capabilities such as being able to walk in the realm of dreams.”

Lance let a whistle escape seeing the ability of being able to walk in others dreams and possibly nightmares were interesting. However, the convenience of the name did not escape the Six Heroes unnoticed and Atro was the first to respond to it, “Luna? Well, at least you’re not the foul-mouthed human version of our Luna.”

Although the six humans chuckled at the idea, The Night and the Sun Princess raised an eyebrow, “There is another Luna back in your world?” Both looked at each other a bit caught off by this revelation.

Magress managed to settle down their worries quickly, “Do not worry; you and our Luna are very different from each other. We just saw the name as something of convenience…” Both let out a sigh seeing that there was nothing to crazy, “But there is a reason why we say she’s foul-mouthed.”

“Oh and do tell us why?” Both were getting intrigued by this and couldn’t blame their curiosity. All six humans looked at each other wondering who was going to tell them about the vulgar general. Vargas volunteered and approached the two. He gestured them to come closer and lower their heads so only they can hear. They responded and allowed the fire hero to tell them some of the lines she would say in battle. What resulted was their eyes getting wide and them back away a few steps while looking at them with seemingly red faces, “S-surely you can’t be serious?! I-I can’t believe someone would be that vulgar in their language.”

The fire hero cringed at the words he had to say if only to quote their Luna, “I am very serious Princess Celestia, tell that to historians who would never record her words because of how truly vulgar they are.” He shudder a bit as he tried to forget and not remember her words ever again. Everyone else in tandem was in agreement.

Luna coughed a bit before clearing her throat. “Well um… now I feel small in the vulgarity contest with your Luna. But that does not matter, tell us, what are your names?” Part of it was to forget what Vargas spoke of to them and the other was to end the introductions quickly so they can get the wedding ready for today.

All six shared the Night Princess’s thoughts and introduced themselves starting from Vargas, “I am Vargas, the Hero of Fire reporting or that a bit too much? In any case, I… erm, was a soldier of the Agni army…” Celestia smiled seeing the fire burning strongly within the fire hero. It matched her own both on the power and utilization of the embers, “I came to join it in the hopes of following in my father, Avant, footstep’s and make my dad proud of his own son. I am not so sure if I succeeded what with me presumably dead in our world...”

Both princesses mimicked each other’s movements and thoughts as they step forward and put a hoof on his shoulder, “You are all very well-known back in your world correct?” A simple nod from all of them confirmed their question, “Then let it be known that your friends and family would have been no more proud for all of you. Your father, Avant, could never be more proud of having a son like you Vargas.” A heartfelt thanks from the fire hero and a smile bought back his spirit as he back away and bowed. They returned the gesture as well.

Vargas moved away allowing the next of the six to step forward. The ice hero stepped forward and greeted them with a bow, “Greetings your Majesties, I am Selena, the Hero of Ice.” Though it was not water itself, it was a sub-element to it. Luna could only smile seeing that she was not the only one capable of casting ice-related spells. They bowed in return and rose at the same time, “I’m normally reserved but tradition tells me otherwise. In terms, you could say that I was shoehorned into becoming a leader because of my skills with the sword and that my ancestral sword…” She raised the sword in question, letting it shine with the radiant Sun, “Lexida, saw me befitting as the rightful wielder of it considering that my people’s spirit resides within the blade. While I am elated and joyful, all I wish is the freedom of journeying with my friends to the vast corners of the land. I do not wish to have the burden of being a leader upon my shoulders. True freedom… it’s all I could wish for.”

Her words spoke well to the two as she sheathed her ancestral sword and returned back to her friends with a smile. She looked towards Lance who was the next to step forward and greet them. Though the nature did not bow to them, he still gave a polite gesture to them, “It’s good to meet the two of you personally. I was wondering if words from your student spoke true and I must say, you two do look and speak the part.”

Both smiled in returned for the kind words, “As do all of you…” Celestia leaned closer to Lance and whispered, “Also you can tell your thunderous friend that we already know about him especially after Luna gave it away in the first place…”

To their surprise, he somehow managed to hear her whisper causing him to get a little pouty, “What?! Aw and I had a speech ready to go for this moment! Now I feel empty without saying it now! This sucks on ice!” Despite how rather uncouth it was of his outburst, almost everyone burst into laughter from the suddenness of his speech at all. Only Magress and Atro watched the scene in amusement as everyone was on the floor laughing and pounding away. Even the two princesses could not avoid the laughter for so long.

Some of the guards did show themselves occasionally at the door wondering if the princesses were okay. Seeing them on the floor laughing made them almost chuckle at the sight of it before returning back to their posts. After a few chortles exchanged, all of them stood up from their laughing spree, “Oh goodness, I’ve never had a good laugh like that in forever it seems…”

Atro stepped forward and assisted the Sun Princess while Magress helped the Night Princess. The other four managed to get up with their own strength trying to shake off the last few vestiges of laughter still coming. The light hero couldn’t help but not shake this feeling away, “So about how you already know Eze, am I wrong to assume that you somehow heard his exclamation to the whole world from Ponyville to here?”

A small smile from both princesses all but confirmed Atro his suspicions. The thunder hero picked up on it and let a small cheer for himself escape, “Hoorah! I’m spreading faster than ever! I’m beginning to enjoy this meeting right Atro?”

The light hero let out a sigh, “Yes and now I don’t need to introduce myself now that the princesses know of my name thanks to you.” Eze let out a weak laugh while scratching the back of his head. Atro didn’t mind though because at least this lets things quicken especially since the two princesses have a wedding to prepare for today. He looked towards his armored friend who was the last one to introduce himself, “Well fellow knight?”

Magress looked towards the light hero but thanks to his helmet was hiding a grin, “What? I do not need to introduce myself, they already know now. Is that right your majesties?”

A smile from both answered any questions from all five of his compatriots, “Yes and thank you Magress and Atro for assisting us up.” Both nodded and returned to their friend’s side, “I am pleased to see and chat with the six of you without worries. There was something I wished to discuss with you six but time is not so patient and so I’ll have let it wait until the wedding is over. You are willing to help us right with the wedding right?” The tone almost went into a pleading case but it would be rather silly of her to have to do so now that she had the chance to meet the six better.

Vargas stepped forward as he gestured to all of them, “We’d be happy to do so. We have been in weddings before and this one is no different correct?” For some reason or another, he cannot shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen. It was probably his instincts as a soldier kicking but the timing was most bizarre for him. Looking towards his companions, he saw they shared his timing of his worries.

Thankfully, the princesses did not catch on to it as they continued on with the conversation, “No there is not much difference if your weddings are what I have in mind.” She let a smile form as she remembered something in mind, “We are also thankful for you six helping the citizens in Ponyville. The actions you took in protecting them will likely echo across Equestria.”

A smile formed on all of them as they bowed, and yes, that includes Eze who only did so out of respect for the two princesses. The two bowed as well out of gratitude for the six humans. All eight of them rose together just as the doors open by the guards outside. Having learned everything they wished to know for today, the eight departed from the throne room and went their separate ways.

The princesses departed for the lower levels of the castle to prepare while the Six Heroes went towards the garden hopefully to relax a bit. Luckily, one of the guards gladly escorted them to the garden. Upon arriving there, they begun to feel less tense once they were surrounded by all the fauna and flora. The aroma soothed their tensions and they begun to ponder about the wedding ahead, “So… what should we do for the wedding in mind?”

Everybody attending looked towards Vargas in question. Silence was met as they wondered about the events ahead. Their thoughts were interrupted by a certain unicorn barging through the gates looking very agitated, “Where are they?!” She was looking around frantically in the garden locating whoever she was looking for. When her eyes fell upon the Six Heroes, her frantic look almost seemingly dissipated quickly, “Oh… hi… did I interrupt something?”

Atro let out a sigh having seen this predicament, “Yes you did Twilight, but I’m more concerned about why you are acting this way right now when the wedding is soon to be approaching.” The light hero looked at the bearer of magic expecting a reaction of sorts. Said reaction however, caught not only him but his human friends off guard. Her face contorted from an apologetic expression to one mixed of both anger and worry as she was at the verge of panicking.

Selena stepped forward and tried to calm their hyperventilating compatriot but was pushed away by Twilight’s magic a few feet. Magress caught her just as the unicorn pleaded to them, “I’m sorry for that Selena but please, have you seen my brother?! I need to find him now!”

Vargas stepped up this time wanting to not let his panicking friend get worse, “Calm down… what is it about your brother that’s bothering you now? I had hoped that you two had gotten along well now especially since you two are siblings.”

His words only managed to make her even more panicked and angrier? Something was not right about this and all of them can see it plainly, “I know that! But it’s about Cadance that’s with him! She’s not the real one! The one I know from fillyhood!”

Those words made Lance raise an eyebrow in confusion, “How can you be so certain? All of us haven’t met her yet so I can’t say much about it. Don’t tell me that you harbor a grudge against the soon-to-be wife of your brother?”

Twilight looked at him wide-eyed before teleporting and closing the distance between them all the while having a tone of anger, “How dare you think that?! I know Cadance my whole life; she was my babysitter when I was just a filly! I love her like she was family to me but this one? She’s nothing like the Cadance I know of! My friends won’t believe me but I’ve seen her acting not like her normal self! For all I know, she’s an imposter that wants my brother…” The one word she wished to say was not able to escape her mouth as she backed away. The idea of her brother in that state, it was a nightmare she did not want to become a reality.

Unbeknownst to her, the nature hero had almost hit her with his lance. He managed to stop himself barely from attacking but the teleport and the stare almost made Lance react in instinct. He backed away as he tried to get some breathing room and calm himself. Selena stepped up again, this time being cautious just in case. Being within arms distance prompted the ice hero to lower her guard a bit but still try to comfort the panicking Twilight, “Twilight, we are willing to trust you in your words, but as Lance has spoken, are you certain about it? Perhaps you are just merely stressed out from today’s events occurring?” While she hasn’t seen what she did today, she can’t help but fathom a guess.

To her surprise, Twilight stopped fidgeting and looked towards her and the fire hero. A weary but understanding smile formed, “Were it a normal day, I could agree with you Selena. But this is my brother whose life could be on the line if what I believe is to be true.” She looked down to the ground at first contemplating about her worries before looking back at them with a look of resolution, “I just can’t shake my suspicions about her. I’m sorry you six but I have to face this now.” Before they could make a rebuttal, she immediately teleported leaving the six alone.

Most of them fell silent as they pondered whether to find her or not. Vargas made his call already as he stood up, “I’m going to find her and see whether what she said is true or not. I don’t mind if you all are not willing to participate…”

His sentence was cut off by Selena who joined his side, “I’m coming too as well. I’m very concerned for not only her well-being but her brother’s as well. That and I do not wish to see a family wedding ruined from outside interference.” She looked towards her comrades and all of them stood up and were willing to join the cause. It made the both of them smile to have good friends.

Atro spoke next and his words managed to relieve them of trekking the whole city for her, “If we’re going to find Twilight then consider us lucky that I took some time to learn the magics of this world. It’s not that different from our worlds oddly enough…” He paused a bit wondering the oddity of that before returning back to the subject at hand, “Anyway, I managed to locate where Twilight teleported. I do not know exactly where she teleported but I can confirm she is inside the castle.”

This time Eze spoke and everyone else was in agreement even without his words, “Well, what are we waiting for?! Let’s go and find her now!” They all nodded and were about to depart when one of the guards entered the garden.

They all looked and were met with a familiar face as he removed his helmet and smiled at them, “Hey there!” Epsilon did a small wave and they responded back in return though he can tell that something was bothering the six of them quickly. He decided to cut to the point and asked, “Is something worrying you guys?” He put back on his helmet as his two back-up guards followed behind him.

All of them smiled seeing that his timing could not have been any better. Magress spoke for them since he hasn’t in some time, “Yes in a bit of a way. Do you know where the wedding is being held Epsilon?” A smile and a nod confirmed as he turned around and gestured them to follow them. Though they wished him to hurry a bit, they did not want to cause too much panic. So the followed him and his two back-up guards to where the wedding was being held.

The walk was not the long as they neared their destination. Epsilon disbanded the two that follow him temporarily leaving him with just the six. As soon as he reached the doors he stopped and looked at them in the eye, “Okay, spit it out, what’s really troubling you six? I’ve been in the line of duty long enough to catch onto things only soldiers would do.”

While they were expecting it to come, they didn’t think it would be now. Lance, however, only chuckled a bit causing all eyes upon him. His quiet laughter faded as he looked at the enchanted soldier, “I’m not really a soldier… I’m more of an adventure type that’s not willing to listen to orders sometimes unless they’re people I trust.” His expression went from cheery to a dark expression almost suddenly causing Epsilon who asked to back away a bit in surprise, “But yes, we do have something that troubles us, or more precisely, an impending crisis looming over this city.”

Epsilon was skeptical about his words but the sudden change in expression almost made him change his mind. Still, as much as he wished to trust him in his words, he wanted to be sure about it, “Are you sure about that mister…?”

His expression went soft as he introduced himself, “Lance… we’ll go over name introductions later but yes Epsilon, I’m sure. Call it a hunch or something due to me traveling around my world long enough to develop a sort of sixth sense.” The second sentence caused him to chuckle a bit from the absurdity of the idea yet at the same time he couldn’t help but believe his own words.

Epsilon still questioned it but accepted it anyway for now. The crisis was now his major concern in mind now, “Okay, so what about the crisis in mind? What kind of force would threaten us this time?”

Eze spoke for the nature hero and made on the spot the most outlandish idea of a crisis ever while waving his hands around in a circle with his eyes closed, “Oh I don’t know, maybe some sort of bug or something that can not only transmute themselves into other ponies and imitate them well but also sucks ponies’ dry of their love leaving them an empty husk of their former selves or something to that note.” He opened his eyes to see Epsilon shudder while the five looked at him in bewilderment, “What? I’m just giving him what our current crisis is!”

The soldier shook his head a bit trying to dispel the thought, “If that’s true… I’ll be certain to keep a watchful eye on the citizens and guards in between. I don’t want this special day to be ruined for the two of them.” Looking towards the six, they shared his sentiments as they patted his shoulder. He couldn’t help but not smile with that kind gesture. He moved out of the way and pointed straight where two big doors are, “Just go straight and you’ll find where the wedding would take place. When? I’m not so sure but the location is certain.”

Behind the helmet of Magress was a smile as he patted his fellow soldier of a soon-to-be friend, “Thank you kindly Epsilon, we will take it from here.” A salute from him resulted and he left them to do what they were here for. As soon as he was out of their line of sight, he turned his attention towards the thunder hero who was confused as to why he was looking at him, “Really? That was the best excuse you could come up with Eze? A bunch of succubae type bug ponies?”

Eze looked at his friend clearly not pleased with the question, “Hey, try making something up when a world has many mythological things literally walking around the place. Bug ponies that suck the love out of you don’t seem farfetched now does it?” The dark hero was about to make a rebuttal until he stopped and suddenly realized that it would make sense in Equestria at least. Eze noticed and let a smirk form, “Yeah now you catch on huh? Well, we don’t have all day, are we going in or what?”

Just as they were about to enter the room, they saw Celestia including many ponies leaving the room looking clearly… angry? Pinkie’s mane almost seemingly lost its poofy look while the vibrant color looked liked it lost its color. The sight of her looking a bit distraught comparing to her friends who were angry made them worried. Once Celestia laid her eyes upon the six, her anger dissipated replaced with a look of sorrow as she met them, “I assume you must be wondering why all of us are enraged?”

Initially, they were about to shake their heads since they can fathom a guess as to why all of them were agitated. In the end, one of the heroes decided to ask merely to confirm all of their thoughts. The hero in question was Vargas, “We can assume it must have something to do with Twilight being suspicious of your niece and her babysitter during her youth… Are we correct about this Princess?” The look of surprise dawned upon Celestia as she looked at each one of them. Vargas sighed seeing this to be the expected outcome. Everyone else was in agreement as they looked past Celestia, “We should have expected as much… She’s a fine mare but sometimes overreacts quickly when something doesn’t either go her way, something catches her interest, or in this case…” He joined his friends as he looked past the two doors to see Twilight slumped and crying from the possibility of ruining the family while singing in a melancholic tone, “Something suspicious arises.”

Celestia sighed as well seeing no point in telling them why. She joined them as she saw her own student feeling down. Her anger was understandable, she cannot deny that. But seeing her pupil be reduced to her current state made a crack her immortal heart. As much as she wishes to comfort her, it was best to leave it for now especially because her anger to her still lingers. However, before she left, she looked towards the six humans as a question came into mind, “May I ask you six two questions?” All six of them looked towards her in response and fell silent. Seeing no words being spoken from them, she began to voice her questions, “First… Do you believe in her suspicions? That she believes that my niece and her babysitter, Cadance, is not who she deems herself?” The words from the cloaked being yesterday came into her mind. It echoed deeply in her mind and made her wonder if her being angry towards her pupil was needed when someone she met a day ago, just gave her the same warning.

All of them looked at each other pondering if they shared the same thought. Though they share differing opinions of this situation, they all agreed that if they caught their family members or friends being not who they truly are, they would share Twilight’s suspicions. Atro stepped forward to be the six’s voice of opinion, “While I have been alone during my time as a squire, we can all agree that we would share her suspicions if it were our own family and friends being not themselves.”

The Sun Princess fell silent hearing that they shared each other’s sentiments. A sigh escaped from her before a smile appeared. Sometimes, she could not help but be jealous of them being able to agree with one another despite their differences. She wondered if fighting together and helping each other during a war shaped their very friendship. Celestia looked towards them as she voiced her second question and statement to their unyielding bond, “I always wished that we could share this kind of bond with our little ponies instead of them treating us like ascendants… We rarely have this kind of friendship ever during our rule.”

She felt a hand upon her shoulder. Looked to her right, she saw Magress who looked at her. Despite wearing a helmet, Celestia could tell that beneath it, he was smiling if his tone as he spoke suggests it otherwise, “You may consider us as your friends Princess. We are equal or, not to be rude, above your power but we still treat you as a friend despite you being a royal member. In our world, we have bested evil Gods in fighting for the longing peace we desired. In that time we gained powers beyond our imagining and thus, everyone looked up to us as the saviors of humanity. We did not relish in it but we took it in pride as we all marched to certain death.” Despite them knowing that in their world, they were believed to be deceased, they knew that their legacy would continue on in the hearts of their people.

Another hand on her left shoulder and this time, she was looking in the eyes of the ice hero, “You can treat us as a start Princess. Remember what I said, despite wishing for freedom, I took upon my role as leader of the Savat people because they saw me as a worthy person to lead them to victory. If I were to survive to the end, I would renounce my title and lend it to another worthy person as I depart with my friend Lucina and adventure with her beyond the seas. I will still keep my ancestral sword because it’s a part of who I was before I left on my own journey.” A smile formed upon the idea for young Selena.

Celestia looked towards the other four who smiled with their friends. She smiled with them as well as she let out a small chuckle, “I was about to ask my second question, but you all answered it regardless of the fact that I haven’t voiced it. I guess I can consider you six my true friends despite our differences in appearance.” They all let out a small laugh seeing that they developed rather quickly. Her laughter faded as she looked towards past the two doors seeing Twilight still slumped. Having her anger dissipate, she again wished to comfort her but time again would not allow it for her, “As much as I wish to welcome my own student again, I must attend to important matters. I hope she understands well enough.”

A voice spoke for them as she looked back at the six humans. This time it was Vargas who spoke, “Don’t worry; we’ll comfort her in your stead. We know about royalty enough to have an understanding for the rulers of any kingdom.”

A smile formed as she bowed to them in response, “Thank you very much you six, I am forever in your gratitude as a ruler and as a friend.”

All six bowed to Celestia in return, “You are welcome… Princess Celestia.” All of them rise and went their own ways again. The six looked towards the room and walked to the doors. Just after hearing her song end, they were about to enter when another presence alerted them. A pink alicorn with a regal mane of yellow and purple was in front of Twilight looking… oddly happy.

They knew this as Cadance but the look being given to Twilight was not right even if they haven’t met her personally. All of them noted that as a bad sign and waited outside the doors as they watched the scene. After an apology from the bearer of magic, they would have expected a comforting gesture from the alicorn but the smile suggested otherwise. Sure enough, they were right but what they saw still shocked them. The alicorn’s eyes glowed green and her smile turned into a malevolent smirk as her horn glowed green and green fire surrounded Twilight. She looked at her in surprise before the flames surrounded her and she was gone. She walked past where Twilight originally stood and was walking towards the door still wearing her smirk while mockingly laughing, “That was easy… and now? Nothing is going to stand in my way of marrying Shining Armor and my horde.”

The Six Heroes moved out of the way quickly as the doors opened fully and Cadance left. She turned around a bit to see them looking at her with a smile. Unbeknownst to her, the smile was forced and they saw the ordeal inside. She slipped into her part as she greeted them, “Hello there! I didn’t see you six there…” She pause a bit noticing that these creatures are different. She never saw them before in a book or otherwise, “In fact, I’ve never seen you six before. Who are you?”

Despite their kindness being forced, they were able to do it well without too much trouble as they had practiced this before especially Lance, “Oh we’re just some… Hmm, you can call us interdimensional beings from another world if you could say that. We came here somehow and we have no idea why we’re here. Twilight took us in and well, we are her friends!”

The fake Cadance was skeptical about them being interdimentional beings as the green haired one would say but considering that she never saw them in her life, she was inclined to agree, “Right… Well, I’m just going to leave you six be…” She left them to their own though she did wonder if they witnessed the event. If so, she might have to deal with them but as she noted, she doesn’t what they are so it was best to use precaution against them.

As the fake alicorn was further away until she was out of their line of sight, all six of them collapsed from their nervousness they never thought to have. After some breathing to calm themselves down, they looked at each other contemplating the fact that Twilight’s words ended up spoken true. Looking back where the fake princess left, they realized that an army was gathering and getting ready to invade the city according to her words. They all stood up and looked at each other as Eze spoke their thoughts out loud for them, “So… what the heck are we supposed to do?! I mean for Gods’ sake, Twilight was right!”

They all agreed and wondered about how to handle this situation. Lance was the first to have an idea as he spoke, “Perhaps we can tell Celestia about this?” All looked at him with a look that said you really think she’ll believe us right now? Lance sighed seeing that the idea was shot down, “Yeah, you guys are right… That would be a stupid idea.”

His words got countered by Selena who tried to assure him, “No it’s a wonderful idea Lance and we all would agree but right now, we just got along. I don’t think our words would help her out even if she were to ponder about it.” Despite getting along well with Celestia, they were doubtful that she would believe their words quickly enough. Even if she were to take it into account, the fake Cadance would probably try to subdue them if she were to ask her about her behavior.

This was beginning to irritate them as they were beginning to panic a bit as time was not their side this time. Magress spoke as he thought about what he witnessed, “Well, we know that talking to her would be futile unless she believes us but what if we were to somehow find the real Cadance and put the both of them in the same room?”

All looked at her before Selena was the one to hug him fast, “Great idea Magress!” But she let go of her hug immediately when she realized one problem, “But… where would the real Cadance be?” That put a damper upon their mood as they quickly thought about it.

Atro on the other hand had an idea, “What if she were to be located and trapped in the same location as Twilight? It would be something…” Looking towards the scorch marks where Twilight originally stood; he walked to it and closely looked at it, “I think this is a teleport spell… If I can locate her…” He touched the scorch marks and closed his eyes a bit focusing on where the location of the teleport went. After some time, the scorch marks disappeared somehow and a smile formed, “Found her… she’s in a crystal cave of sorts hidden in the Canterlot Gardens.”

Vargas unsheathed his sword and let it be engulfed in flames, “Alright, looks like we got ourselves a rescue mission for the bride and of course, saving the wedding.” Despite it being a bad time for jokes, they couldn’t help but find it amusing. They left the inner castle and head for the crystal caves. A battle for the city was coming its way.