//------------------------------// // Episode 5-2 // Story: Domain of Friendship // by Cold Bolt //------------------------------// "Well, I'll be. Sure is fancy, ain't it?" Applejack's eyes traced over the spacious castle suite she had been assigned, alongside her two temporary roommates. "Nah, this is way past fancy," said Rainbow. "We're getting into fancy-shmancy territory here, easy." Twilight rolled her eyes. "Either way, it was very gracious of Princess Celestia to set aside these rooms for us, even if we do have to share them. Let's be sure to say 'thank you,' right girls?" "Yeah, yeah, sure." Busying herself with testing the bounciness of her bed, Rainbow was clearly only half-listening. Applejack scratched her head. "Well, I reckon if our stuff's already here, there ain't much for it but to offer our help with the wedding." The three emerged back into the hallway. Cadance stood waving at the retreating figures of Rarity, Pinkie, and Fluttershy as they marched off to contribute their portions to the upcoming ceremony. Scarlet, Tank, and Waterwing stood idle nearby. "Ah, there you are." Cadance smiled. "Thank you again so much for your help, girls. I just know things are going to turn out great." "Happy to help, Princess." Applejack tipped her hat briefly. "Just point me to the kitchens, and you'll have more delicious baked goods ready for the reception than you can shake a stick at!" Now beaming, Cadance waved over a guard to escort Applejack on her way. "Now... correct me if I'm wrong, but are you the same Rainbow Dash who won the Young Flyers Competition a while back?" Rainbow puffed out her chest, smirking. "You bet I am, and have I got a deal for you! How would you like a bona fide Sonic Rainboom in the sky for your wedding?" "I'd be honored," said Cadance. "That sounds wonderful." "Yeah!" Rainbow pumped her forehoof and hopped into the air. "Then I've gotta get in loads of practice before that, so I'll see you guys later!" With that, she took off down the hall toward the balcony at the far end. Scarlet stepped forward. "And how might we be of assistance?" Cadance tilted her head. "Well, what are your talents?" "Scarlet and Tank are warriors," said Twilight, trotting over to stand beside them, "and Waterwing is studying medicine. At least one of them is always the first on the scene whenever somepony in Ponyville is in danger." "Oh, wow," said Cadance. "But you're not Royal Guards or law enforcement? Are... are you mercenaries then?" Tank rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean, we all got day jobs when we moved into town, but... sort of, I guess." Cadance glanced up and down the hall for a moment before lowering her head and her voice a bit. "In that case, I think I'd like to speak to you all privately. You too, Twilight," she added. With a tilt of her head, Waterwing pointed a hoof at the suite behind them. Cadance nodded, and the five ponies filed inside. Once she was satisfied the door was fully closed, she turned to address them, her tone much more serious. "Can you be discreet? There's something you can do for me, but what I tell you cannot leave this room." The four of them exchanged glances. "We are prepared to keep any necessary secrets, Princess," said Scarlet. Cadance nodded. "I'm sure you've been wondering about the shield over the city, the one you passed through on the train. The official statement is that it's increased security for the wedding, and that's not a lie... but it's not the whole truth, either." She fixed them with a firm look. "We caught a changeling attempting to infiltrate the castle several days ago." Twilight gasped. "A changeling...!" The other three looked completely lost. "Uh." Tank blinked. "Wait, a what now?" Cadance stared incredulously for a moment. "You've never heard of a changeling before?" A bead of sweat rolled down Twilight's neck. "They're from, um, sorta far away." Cadance blinked, pondering the information. "Well, I suppose you'd have to be, if you used to make a living as mercenaries..." "Anyway." Twilight cleared her throat. "Changelings are a race of sapient predator-parasites that feed on the emotions of other sapient creatures, particularly love. They use powerful illusion magic to disguise themselves as ponies, often replacing existing ponies within a family or community, and feed on the love shared with them." Scarlet's eyes narrowed. "And these creatures mean to invade Canterlot." "The changeling we caught appears to have been a scout, so that's all too likely," said Cadance. "Wait a sec." Tank scratched his head. "So they eat love? How does that work? Is that a term referring to something else, or is love some kind of tangible substance all of a sudden?" Cadance quirked an eyebrow. "...very far away," Twilight continued lamely. "Twilight, can I talk to you for a minute?" A moment later, the length of the castle suite separated Twilight and Cadance from the others. Twilight frowned as she whispered. "Is something wrong, Cadance?" "I don't mean to question your choice of company, Twilight," said Cadance, "but... where exactly did you say these three are from?" "I, um... don't precisely know," admitted Twilight. "But - but they're not changelings, I know that for sure! The filter didn't affect them." Cadance shook her head. "No, I know that too. I just - something about them seems strange, that's all. This situation is delicate, and I need to be absolutely sure we can trust them with it." "We can. I promise." Twilight looked Cadance square in the eye. "I've trusted them with my life more than once already, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat." Cadance took a deep breath. As she did, her expression softened, and she smiled. "That's all I needed, then. Sorry about all this, Twily." Twilight shook her head and nuzzled Cadance's neck. "No, it's okay. I know you're just worried. We'll all do everything we can to help." ... As soon as Twilight and Cadance's backs were turned, Scarlet gave Tank another shoulder punch. "Will you cut that out?!" he hissed. signed Waterwing. Tank raised a hoof to his forehead. "I know, I know, I just..." He sighed. "...ugh, never mind. For as little sense as it makes, I guess it doesn't really matter how this 'eating love' thing works. These things are obviously a threat, and she's probably going to ask us to keep an eye out for anything suspicious." Scarlet nodded. "Most likely. Though it occurs to me to wonder if you are in particular danger due to the nature of your Element," she said to Waterwing. "See, that would've been good information to have," said Tank, barely hiding the irritation in his voice, though it soon faded. "Maybe you should stick with Twilight or something? That way you two can keep an eye on each other." Waterwing nodded her agreement just as the other two returned. "Right, so." Cadance cleared her throat. "I'd like to ask you to be on the lookout for anypony acting suspiciously. That includes not only guests, but guards and castle staff as well. If you see anything that seems out of place, tell me about it immediately, and don't let on to anypony else what you're doing. Can you handle that?" Scarlet nodded. "Affirmative, Princess." After a moment's hesitation, Waterwing trotted forward and stood beside Twilight, earning a curious look from Cadance. she declared, giving her friend a quick nuzzle. Twilight sighed quietly. "Thanks, Waterwing." "Looks like we all know what we're doing then," said Tank, glancing over at Scarlet. "We should get moving." With a nod from Cadance, the two quietly left the room. "Now then. Shining Armor is probably on one of his patrols right now," said Cadance, "but I bet I can get him to take an early break to greet the little sister he hasn't seen in years. What do you think?" Twilight nodded. "Let's go!" The magical glow of Cadance's horn opened a door that led onto the outer wall of Canterlot Castle. A tall white stallion stood looking over the courtyard below, a stern expression on his face. His navy blue mane was covered up by an ornate helm in purple and gold, and his cutie mark featured a blue shield with a lavender six-pointed star all but identical to the one on Twilight's flank. "Oh, Shiny~" came Cadance's singsong voice. "I've got somepony here I think you'll want to see!" Shining Armor turned to give her a look of mild annoyance. "Whatever this is, it really ought to wait until after my patrol is over." "I think you'll disagree once you see who's here," said Cadance with an undaunted smirk. Waterwing gave Twilight a gentle nudge, coaxing her into stepping out from behind Cadance and giving her brother a nervous but hopeful smile. "Hi, Shining." "Twi - !" Shining Armor jumped slightly at the sight of her, his helm askew. As he nudged it back into place, he stared for several seconds, recognition washing over him... but he quickly turned back to Cadance with a glare. "Civilians aren't allowed up on the walls. It's a security hazard." Twilight flinched. Cadance's smile faded. "I don't remember that rule." "It doesn't matter. I don't have time for this right now," said Shining. "We can catch up later - I have work to do." Waterwing stepped forward, fixing Shining Armor with a fierce frown. Shining's lip curled as he stared at the strange pegasus, clearly oblivious to the meaning behind the flapping of her wings. Twilight sighed and patted Waterwing's back. "...Thanks for trying. We'll just have to come back later." Without another glance at her brother, Twilight turned back the way they came, her gaze glued to the floor the entire time. Waterwing gave Shining one last pout before scurrying off to walk beside Twilight. Cadance gave her fiancé a stern look. "What's gotten into you?" "What's gotten into me?" Shining echoed, pointing a hoof at himself. "I'm trying to do my job - which, if you've forgotten, is pretty important! I don't need to tell you how dangerous it is for changelings to be lurking around Canterlot." "No, you don't," said Cadance with a sigh. "But I think this is getting to you more than you realize. I thought you'd be excited to see your sister again after so long, but you just brushed her away like she was nothing. Didn't you two get along well?" "Yeah," said Shining, "when we were foals. And before I enlisted. Things have changed since then, and we've gone our separate ways. That's all there is to it." Cadance frowned. Was there something to their history together that he wasn't telling her? She was tempted to ask Twilight, but the fear of opening old wounds made her think twice. For her part, though, Twilight at least had seemed happy to reconnect as though nothing was wrong. Was a clever application of her love magic the answer? That all depended on how the two truly felt about one another. As long as their hearts were still connected in some way, no matter how faintly, it was a possibility... but she needed to be delicate, or else she ran the risk of making things worse. She shook her head. Whatever was going on, she wouldn't likely be puzzling it out standing here on the wall. Without another word, she turned and marched away.