Twilight stood rooted in place as she gazed up at Hermaeus Mora, his tentacles weaving through the air. She did not know what to expect now, but something told her things were going to move forward from here. And seeing Hermaeus Mora appear made her certain of that fact.

"Forgive the trek, child, said Hermaeus Mora quietly. "I wanted to test your skill."

" Test? All that was a test?" asked Twilight, slightly surprised.

"Yes," said Hermaeus Mora. "It was say, a demonstration for what lies a heads and a way for me to determine where we should begin."

Twilight almost buckled at that moment, images of that creature impaled coming to her mind. But she steeled her nerves, thinking about the wellbeing of her friends. Taking a deep breath, Twilight sat down and glared at the sky.

"I am ready, ready for whatever lies ahead," said Twilight with conviction. "And I'm ready to take on the role as your champion, as long as I can protect my friends with what you offer."

"Fret not, child," said Hermaeus Mora. "In time you will have all that you need to achieve what you desire."

"I must ask something first," said Twilight, her expression becoming slightly desperate. "Please."

"By all means, child," replied Hermaeus Mora. "I am always eager to share knowledge."

"Can I do it?" asked Twilight. "Even if the lessons ahead are as dangerous as the trials you just put me through, will it be enough?"

"Very intuitive, child," complemented Hermaeus Mora. "Yes, be wary of any possibility of any unfavourable outcomes."

"Please," moaned Twilight, despair creeping into her voice. "Will I be strong enough?"

"I'm afraid I can not fully answer, child," replied Hermaeus Mora, Twilight throwing him a look of misunderstanding. "Its true, I can see into the future, but in your world I don't have enough influences to get a clear reading of the stars. Truth is, my influence in your realm is rather weak. As I told you, that Black Book is my only link to your world...and it is insufficient at best."

Twilight cast her head down, disappointed that her new teacher could not give her any insight on what was to come.

"Have faith in knowledge, child," continued Hermaeus Mora. "The outcome of the upcoming events maybe shrouded even from me, but I can perceive that with my guidance, you will have a chance."

"Very well," said Twilight, her resolve to defend those whom she loves still burning strong within her. "And when the time come, I will face Cadance with whatever I need to."

"Turn your sight forward, young Twilight," said Hermaeus Mora. "The time has come for you to be enlightened to the truth of what is really transpiring."

Twilight did as instructed, looking forward to see the large square object's front sink into the floor and out of sight, exposing it's hollow interior. And her face contorted in rage as she saw the form of Cadance within. Screaming madly, Twilight rushed forward, but was intercepted when one of Hermaeus Mora's tendrils yanked her up by the waist.

"Let go of me," yelled Twilight, flailing her legs in an attempt to get loose. "I'm going to beat her smug muzzle into the ground."

"Calm yourself, and look,"instructed Hermaeus Mora. "All is not as it seems."

Taking his advice,Twilight calmed herself, but still looked at Cadence with a glare. She was suspended in what appeared to be a round blue force field within the metal cube, and unlike the last time Twilight had seen her, she looked terrible. Multiple scrapes and bruises marred her prestigious pink coat.

"What your angle?" asked Twilight, looking up to Hermaeus Mora's writhing mass of tendrils above her. "You bring me here, tell me you seek to help me confront Cadance, only to beat her senseless yourself?"

"As I have said before, young Twilight, things are not as they seem," said Hermaeus Mora as he touched a tendril to Cadance's head under her horn, then extended one to Twilight as well.

"What are you doing? asked Twilight, eyeing the approaching tendril warily.

"Revealing the truth," replied Hermaeus Mora, his tendril touching Twilight under her horn, her mind getting flooded with memories not her own.
---
Cadance sat in her favourite café, sipping a cup of her favourite tea, chamomile, with a pinch of mint and stirred with a cinnamon stick, her heart giddy with excitement. last night, her beloved boyfriend Shining Armour finally proposed. Her heart felt light as a feather when she remembers finding the ring in her wine glass on their date last night.

A bit cliche, but Cadance was a sucker for the classics.

She did not know how either of them were going to put together the wedding, they were both so busy. Shining Armour had to lead the royal guard, and she had been busy with her duties as Princess of Love. Especially since that fiasco that went down during Hearts and Hooves day, when that elderly florist had botched all those bouquet orders by putting the wrong names on them.

If the early stages of cataracts start setting in, its probably time to consider retiring.

But it would seem things had finally settled back to normal in Canterlot, for she no longer saw a fighting couple every time she turned a corner. Eager to at least start the preparation's, Cadance finished her tea, left a tip, and headed out the door, holding it open for a trio of elderly mares before her. Walking down the busy Canterlot street, Cadance marvelled over her upcoming engagement.

She was almost just as eager to break the news to Twilight, as she was at the wedding itself. She had so many fond memories of that little filly when she would foalsit her, and even though they had not been seeing much of each other lately, she could not wait to be an official part of her family. They were practically sisters already.

"Who is Happy Flower? " Cadance heard someone shout from across the street, looking to see a red earth pony mare with a pink mane and tail, plus a mathematics cutie mark pressing a hoof to the chest of a black pegasus stallion with a red mane and fancy shoe cutie mark. "The card said Happy Flower, Shoe Sole."

"I don't know why it said that, Calculated Formula, but those flowers were for you, " argued Shoe Sole.

"You're lying," accused Calculated Formula, turning around and walking down a nearby ally, flicking her tail. "You stallions are all the same, out to get as much rump as you can."

"You're one to talk," shouted Shoe Sole, chasing after her. "You're never happy unless someone is kissing your rump."

Cadance rolled her eyes with a smile as she changed direction to follow the arguing couple down the ally, it seems like their were still some breeches she needs to patch. The couple was only a few feet from her when Cadance prepared her spell. Once it was ready, she cast the small heart forward.

Only to see Calculated Formula lunge and snap up her spell in a fang filled mouth and chew on it like candy.

Cadance gasped in terror, backing up from the horrible scene, only to notice three shadow's being cast from behind her. Turning around to see the three elderly mares she had held the door for at the café blocking her way, Cadance stiffened up in terror. What was going on?

"So it is true, " Cadance heard someone say behind her, turning around to see Calculated Formula approach, licking her lips with a barbed tongue. " You are the Princess of Love."

"What is this? " Cadance asked, shaking in terror. "What are you doing?"

Cadance saw a flash of green flames, Shoe Sole and the elderly mares turned into chitin encased pony shaped creatures, gossamer wings buzzing on their backs. They hissed before scraping the ground with their hole riddled hooves. Cadance stiffened up as they glared at her with large pupiless eyes, flashing their fangs.

She knew these creatures.

As the Princess of Love, Cadance had to know every aspect of it, including its enemies. And there was no greater enemy to love than the creatures that sucked it from others like leeches suck blood. And then Calculated Formula changed, becoming a creature that stood at least two heads taller than her.

"Who are you?" asked Cadence, shaking in terror.

"The last being you will ever see," said the tall abomination, then turning into the spitting image of Cadance. "Other than yourself."

Before Cadance could react, a ring of green flames circled around her, the ground climbing up her terrified eyes as she sank below the surface. The next thing she knew she was sliding down a steep incline, her body screaming in pain as rocks and debris struck her from multiple angles. Then she landed on steady ground, rolling forward to come to rest on an even surface.

Her vision was blurred as she struggled to stand up, but she was in so much pain that she quickly lost her strength, falling back to the floor, never noticing the black tendrils reaching towards her from a black pool sitting under a book stand.

---

Twilight snapped back to reality as the tendril on her forehead retracted, the one on Cadance doing the same. She slumped, her breath leaving her as she tried to calm down. She looked up at Cadance, suspended in the blue force field a few feet from her, realization crossing her features.

" Sh...she's was...?" Twilight stammered, unable to find her voice.

"She was imprisoned," Hermaeus Mora said. "Same as you."

"Then...the Cadance that sent me beneath Canterlot...,"Twilight gasped, unable to fully grasp what had happened.

"Was an imposter," said Hermaeus Mora, his tone soft and calm.

Guilt wormed its way into Twilight's conscious as she recalled all she had planned to do to Cadance up to this point, when in truth, she was just as big as a victim as Twilight. More so actually, it was her wedding that creature had ruined, and at least Twilight wasn't hurt so bad. Tears fell from Twilight's eyes as she realized that she had blamed the wrong person.

"Oh Cadance," sobbed Twilight, burying her face in her hooves. "How could I have doubted you?"

Twilight felt a warm body press against her, looking up to see that Hermaeus Mora had moved her up against Cadance. Looking back to the swirling mass of tentacles, Twilight nodded her head in thanks and buried her head in her old foalsitters chest, wetting the fur with her tears. After gaining some mental strength, Twilight lifted her head and stared into Cadance's face, watching her as she slumbered peacefully.

"Is she okay? " Twilight asked quietly.

"She is not in pain at the moment, child said Hermaeus Mora.

"Can I speak with her?" asked Twilight quietly.

"That would be unwise, " said Hermaeus Mora, Twilight throwing him a look of misunderstanding. "I have placed her in a special sleep that will protect her psyche from the influence of Apocrypha."

"Influence? " Twilight inquired, slightly surprised. "What influence?"

"It is a matter you need not be concerned about, young Twilight," Hermaeus Mora said. "Unless someone has a deep intimacy with the way of knowledge, my realm can have...an averse effect on the mind. If she were to wake, she would only last a few days... before going mad."

"She is hurt though," pointed out Twilight, looking over Cadance's frazzled mane. "Why didn't you take her to the hospital?"

"It would be...unwise, as well," stated Hermaeus Mora simply. "With the imposter still out there."

Twilight snapped out of her misery upon hearing that. The imposter was still out there, planning who knows what. And she was the only one who knew the truth now.

"Hermaeus Mora," said Twilight, teleporting out of the force field with Cadance to under the writhing mass of tentacles and eyes behind her. "Tell me everything, everything you know about that imposter and her plans."

"My information is incomplete, due to my weak influence in your realm, but I have managed to get a basis, through information I could decipher from your realms stars as well as the knowledge I gained from Cadance as well."

"I understand," said Twilight, guessing that Hermaeus Mora had probably read Cadance's mind more time than when he showed her. "Cadance seems to know they are called Changeling, but I have never heard of them."

"From what I can see, Cadance is one of the only people who knows they exist," explained Hermaeus Mora. "And she also makes sure to keep it that way, for she fears that love would be more vulnerable if they ever became known to ponies. They are a sub-Equestrian species from the distant bad lands, struck with an appetite for love."

"Appetite for love?" inquired Twilight, tilting her head in confusion.

"I find it most intriguing, they somehow have an inherent ability to convert the emotion of love into a nourishing substance that they can ingest."

Twilight cast her head down, pondering on what she had learned. So these things feed on love. It would make sense that thy would target Cadance in that regard, but why now?

"And their purpose in Equestria?" Twilight asked, dreading the answer.

"Conquest," Hermaeus Mora stated. "They intend to drain all the love from Equestria, and after the wedding, they will be stronger than ever before."

Twilight pupils shrunk in terror, "And my brother?"

"The one who took Princess Cadance's place was their leader, Queen Chrysalis. And she plans to feed on Shining Armour's love for Cadance until she is strong enough to break his force field, letting her minions conquer Canterlot, and from there, spread to every corner of your realm."

Twilight now understood what Hermaeus Mora had meant about the situation being more pressing then she realized. This was not just about a wedding any more, this was about all of Equestria. Now Twilight, new what she had to do, whatever it takes.

"I'm ready Hermaeus Mora."

---

They had begun immediately.

Twilight was expecting she would need to learn how to read the books first, but that was not the case. Hermaeus Mora could choose who could read what within Apocrypha, it was why she could read those four books and no others at first. Now she was resting in a room Hermaeus Mora had provided for her, saying she needed to rest as well as focus on her studying.

But alone in a strange room, even though it was a lavish, fully equipped room with regular looking furniture, Twilight was once again plagued with loneliness without her friends. Her friends meant everything to her, and though she was dedicated to obtaining the power Hermaeus Mora said she would need to defend them, without their comforting presence, she was to cry face down in her pillow on the bed. Movement caught her eye, and Twilight looked up just in time to see a black tendril place a picture frame on her night stand, before sinking back into its black portal.

"Thank you," she whispered, her tear stained face reflecting the photo of her, her friends surrounding her.