"So..... What's the deal with you and Chrysi?" I asked after putting everyone down and picking up the snoozing changeling queen. It would be far easier to move her this way.

However the moment the Octavia was free of carrying duty, she vanished again. Figures.

Now, the four (Not counting Octavia because she could literally be anywhere right now.) of us followed the happy pink alicorn.

"Is Shining Armor involved in this relationship? Is this some kind of threeway thing?"

"Snnkt.... Threeway." Lyra giggled under her breath. I gave her a look and she puffed out her chest a bit. "What? Bonnie and I haven't banged in a while and I'm a little repressed."

"Oh... sorry.... I thought you were just being childish..." I wilted a little. "My bad."

"Normally I'd be the childish one," Vinyl spoke up, sounding somewhat tired. "However, I need to make sure Octy doesn't kill anypony."

"And I'm sorry for you too." I reached out a tentacle and patted the mare. I returned my attention to Cadence, who was calmly waiting for me to finish with the others. She gestured a wing for me to go on.

"Oooookay. Sooooo, What's the deal? Does Shining Armor even exist in this Universe?" I asked the mare. I was somewhat confused as to what she was waiting for.

"Alright so this- Oop, hold up guard patrol." Cadence said pointing a hoof ahead. "I wanna see what happens."

We'd come to a threeway stop and a pair of gold armored guards we walking towards us. They appeared to be lost in some conversation with each other.

Then I saw what sat in the middle of the hall, smack dab in the middle of the crossroads.

An ordinary cardboard box.

"No." I said flatly as I stared at the box. "No way."

"What?" Derpy asked trotting up to stand next to me. "It's just a box."

"Derpy, who just leaves a box here?" I glanced down at the mare.

The guards reached the box, somehow oblivious of the small party not five feet from them. They looked confused. Why was a box here, I could almost feel them wonder.

"No." I said flatly.

That happened to get the guard's attention. The one on the left froze, looking at me with a stare of abject horror. The one on the right had more of a spine, and took a few steps forward. "Princess." He stated professionally with a bow. He have us all a quick glance. "Is there a reason you're with these.... ponies?"

"Yes, I'm taking them to see Auntie Luna." Cadence said with a smile.

My attention had immediately shifted back to the box the moment it moved. The box flipped as an Octavia popped out silently. Somewhere she'd found a black bandana and had wrapped it around her forehead. The guard that was still staring at me in shock didn't notice a thing as Octavia loomed behind him. His eyes bugged out as the admittedly frightening Octy caught him in a choke hold. The guard flailed silently as the mare dragged him into the box. Seconds later she emerged, flipped the box into an upright position, proceeded to close it, and pushed it off to the side of the hallway.

The other guard hadn't noticed a thing. "Oh, are you going to ask her to quiet down?"

"Something like that." Cadence was having a hard time stifling her giggles.

The guard got a very confused look on his face as Octavia silently walked up behind him. She seemed to have a swagger in her steps. There was a quiet clink as the mare tapped the guard on the back of his armor. As he turned his head, a hoof slammed into his jaw. The guard dropped like a ragdoll. Octavia caught him before he could hit the floor and proceeded to drag him over to the box. She propped him up next to it so he looked like he was just taking a nap.

I heard Cadence quietly giggling. Looking over at her showed that Cadence was having the time of her life. Out of the corner of my eye I caught Lyra giggling, Vinyl sighing and facehoofing, and Derpy patting Vinyls back with a wing.

"You're okay with the Royal Guards getting taken out by..." I looked over to find that Octavia had disappeared, as had the box, though the guard that had been put in it was propped up like his companion. ".... Of course..."

"What, This just goes to show that the Guard needs to be better trained and prepared." Cadence giggled. "They're all being shamed by a one mare army."

"I can't fault you there, I guess." I shrugged.

"Shall we?" She asked, gesturing a wing down the hallway.

"Sure." I sighed. As I followed the pink alicorn, I glanced back at Vinyl. "Doing okay there Vinyl?"

"Not particularly." Vinyl said with a frown.

"So... What did Octavia used to do?" I asked somewhat awkwardly. "Is she really a cellist?"

"Yes, she is now." Vinyl groaned. "It used to be a cover. She used to be in Guard Infiltration. Before that she was some kind of Monster Hunter."

"Are you allowed to share that information?" Lyra asked, looking curious.

"At this point I don't care." Vinyl shot a blank glare at the Eldritch Mare.

"That answers that question." I shrugged, mulling over the fact that Octavia pretty much was Solid Snake in pony form. "So, Cadence."

The mare in question slowed her pace to mirror mine. "Hmmm?"

"About Shining and Chrysalis." I gestured to the changeling mare held in my tentacle. "Shining exists here right? Because until I got here I assumed most everything was as I'd seen it."

Cadence giggled. "Yes, yes Shining exists." She said with a nod. "He staying at his parents because he's sick with the flu. He works himself so hard that he usually ends up this way."

"So... Chrysi's just filling in for him?" I asked with a blink.

"Yep." Cadence nodded. "She does the same for me if I've got something else going."

"Kay... and how's the relationship thing work?" I asked with a twitch of my facial tentacles.

"Oh I love Shining as much as I love Chrys." She said with a happy sigh.

"Good to know, so you got a threeway love triangle thing between Shining, Chrysi, and yourself."

"You got it." Cadence said as she leaned and and nuzzled the Changeling queen. This nudge however woke the aforementioned changeling.

"Huh... Wha..." The queen looked around and struggled a little bit in confusion until she came face to face with me. Her eyes widened immediately.

"Afternoon." I nodded at her.

Chrysi immediately started to hyperventilate. "W-what- Why- Caddy! Caddy! Help! There's- There's a thing!" She began to struggle more, to no effect.

"Put her down." Cadence said with a warm smile at the queen. I set Chrysi down and she bolted into Cadence's forelegs.

"What- What the fuck is that!? What is that!?" The changeling queen babbled while staring at me.

"Hon," Cadence said consolingly, "this is Eldritch. You weren't there when Aunty Tia told Shining and I. Though I'm sure I told you last night."

Chrysi blinked and looked at Cadence, then looked at me. "I don't remember much of last night. Feels foggy."

"Well you were getting double-teamed hon." Cadence giggled with a small smile. "Also, it probably would have been better if we didn't mention Eldritch while we were busy with you."

"Canterlot's weird." Lyra stated.

"Preach." Vinyl said with a groan.

"How far is it to Luna's room?" I asked rubbing my eye with a hand. "I think you need to console your lovebug."

"Awwwww, that's cute!" Cadence cooed, nuzzling her changeling. "Why haven't I thought of that?" She looked back at me. "It's not far. Wanna walk with us hon, I promise Eldritch isn't scary."

Chrysi shakilly nodded. "O-okay..."

Cadence got up and Chrysi did her best to hide herself behind the mare, though the queen was taller than the princess.

"You sure?" I asked with a looked at Chrysi. The queen tried even harder to hide behind her marefriend.

"We'll be fine." Cadence nuzzled the frightened queen.

"Gotta say, that's cute." Derpy commented.

"True." Lyra nodded.

Cadence started walking again, making the rest of the group simply follow her. Chrysi stayed right on her. "So, while we walk, who wants to hear the story of how Shining and I properly met Chrysi?"

I sighed. "This story's going to end in sex isn't it?"