Ponyville- Shiny Whistle
“It’s her!” Chryssy yelled and was off galloping away before any of us could do more than gasp. I caught sight of a black cloak disappearing behind a nearby building, Chryssy following after.
“Who’s she running after?” Fire asked, ears perked.
“I’m guessing that is the mysterious mare she mentioned,” I said softly. “Come on, we should stick together, we need to catch up with her.” If this mare really had set Hoofville to flame, and those- Umbrum? - were under her control, who knew what she might do to Chryssy!
“We’ll never catch up to them, not with Fire’s injury,” Lucky said looking over to Fire. Fire Stick’s cheeks turned rosy as he blushed.
“I’m sorry you guys,” he said and started forward. “We might not be able to catch up very quickly, but let’s still try to help, okay Lucky?” He turned toward the blue stallion who groaned and shook his head.
“Fine, you two win. Let’s do what we can,” Lucky sighed and followed.
“That’s the spirit!” I said and looked back to the foals still gathered near the table, watching the others and me. “We’ll be back as soon as we can, if not us then surely Cadence or Pinkie. Stay here!” With that, I trotted to catch up with the others.
Fire was giving it his best effort to move quickly, but by the time we reached the first turn into the back alleys, the echo of Chryssy and the other mare’s hooves were long gone. How were we supposed to find them now? I remembered these alleys well, in that I had gotten lost in them for hours years ago when my family had visited Ponyville. The town might be small, but that didn’t make it any easier to not get lost in, especially for a young colt. Sure I was older now, but I doubted anything would have changed much.
I turned back to see how Lucky and Fire were doing and let out a grunt when I ran into something, somepony that is. We collapsed to the ground, legs tangling as we both tried to get up. A small grin appeared on my face at the thought Chryssy wasn’t the only one having this sort of problem.
“Oh, here!” The other pony huffed and wrapped me in her magic, a neon green, picking me up and setting me to the side. She then stood and turned to glare at me. Her mane and tail were a bright pink and her body an ivory color. Her icy blue eyes stared at me as she released me from her magic hold. “Do you always run around not looking where you are going?” she said, poking me in the chest with her hoof.
I shook my head. “No, sorry, my sister ran after a madmare. We were just trying to catch up.”
“A madmare?” she asked and turned to look down the alley. “Figures. Probably the one that started this whole mess,” she pointed a hoof out around her, squinting against the glare of the golden pavement.
“Maybe, we’re not sure yet.” I turned as Fire and Lucky caught up to me, Fire breathing heavily and holding his left rear leg up.
“Who’s your friend Shiny?” Lucky asked, pulling Fire close to him. Fire placed one of his forehooves around Lucky’s back and leaned into him for support.
“Er well… I don’t know,” I said, smiling a little sheepishly. “We sort of… ran into each other.”
“You mean you ran into me,” she snorted, then turned to look at the others. “I’m Twinkleshine. What happened to your friend?”
“Timberwolf attack,” Fire said softly.
“I’m sorry,” Twinkleshine winced, then turned back to me. “Your sister is going to be hard to find unless you are a local. We often find ponies wandering these alleys who are here visiting. They are quite the maze.”
“Will you help us then?” I asked. “I don’t want her to get hurt.”
She let out a sigh and nodded. “Yeah, I could do that. For your friend’s sake though, let’s take it slow.” She looked over at Fire, who gave her a grateful-looking smile. “Follow me!” She turned and walked up the alley. Not much farther along, the gold paving subsided and was replaced with regular dirt and stone.
We walked in silence, my ears twitching as I listened for any sound of Chryssy up ahead. How far ahead of us had she gotten? Twinkleshine led the way in front of us, pausing at each corner and lifting her muzzle into the air. “What are you doing?” I asked as we reached a corner that led down two other paths.
“Sniffing for them, let’s just say I have a good sense of smell?” she grinned and turned down the right path. “They came this way.”
“How do you know?” Lucky asked squinting his eyes at her.
“Nopony else has been down here recently, and the strongest scents lead this way,” she said softly, shrugged, and continued on.
A few turns later I heard laughter above us. Looking up my eyes grew wide, seeing three of those Umbrum slowly flying down toward us, pale moth-like wings folded to their sides as they landed.
“What in the hay are those?” Twinkleshine yelped, jumping away from them.
“You mean you didn’t smell them?” Lucky huffed, stepping in front of Fire and lighting up his horn. “What are you three doing here?” he growled.
“Well, they were in the air, not the ground,” Twinkleshine snorted back at him, turning to face them.
I lit up my horn as well, ears going down as the middle one smiled at us. If these things were here, then that mare Chryssy was chasing must have been the same madmare as before.
“Why we just want to have a little fun,” the middle one crooned, stepping out from her fellows and walking up to me. “I see you all managed to escape from Hoofville, mostly intact,” she chuckled, glancing at Fire.
“With no thanks to you,” I snorted. She gasped, opening her moon-white eyes in mock shock.
“Yes, we didn’t do our jobs well,” she smirked. “Nopony was supposed to escape alive, or well, except for a few pegasi. We had to have somepony to come to tell the Princesses what happened.”
“So you are the ones in charge of the Hoofville fire?” Twinkleshine asked. “Do you know how many injured pegasi we have in our hospital thanks to you?”
“Why did they come here?” Fire asked.
“One of the best hospitals this side of Equestria, other than Canterlot of course,” Twinkleshine said to him before turning back to the Umbrum.
“Yes, little filly,” the Umbrum said, chuckling. “Don’t worry, those others will be taken care of in time. For now though,” she said, spread her wings, and bared her mismatched teeth. “We shall take care of the four of you. You really should take better care of those you choose to fraternize with pony.” She hissed at Twinkleshine. She nodded her head to the two behind her, and they trotted around to circle us.
“So you want to fight?” Lucky growled and shot a bolt of magic at the one in front of us, grazing off her shoulder. “Then let’s fight!” He took up a protective stance in front of Fire, ears lowered and watching the two as they circled.
I moved closer to Twinkleshine, standing between her and the circling Umbrum. “Don’t worry,” I said shooting off a bolt of magic of my own, which hit the smaller of the two other Umbrum, scorching its ear as it tried to sneak up behind us. “We’ve fought these fiends before, I’ll protect you.”
“Protect me?” Twinkleshine snorted. “Do you think me a damsel in distress? Just tell me their weak points and I’ll protect myself.” She shot a bolt of green magic at their leader, which hit her shoulder and made her grimace in pain for a split second.
“Okay,” I said shooting more bolts as any of them came near. “First, physical attacks do not harm them, only magical ones. So don’t try to buck any of them.”
“Point taken, I’ll leave the bucking to Applejack,” she said and came to stand next to me.
“Is that all you got?” Lucky yelled, driving off one of the other Umbrum with a sharp blast to the chest. It growled at him, turning to look at their leader.
“Can I just kill him already Rabia?”
Their leader, Rabia I guess? Looked around for a moment, brow furrowed in concentration, but then turned around and nodded. “Go ahead Kriya.”
Lucky dodged as Kriya pounced at him, shooting a spark of magic at her belly. “You will pay for that,” she hissed, landing awkwardly to the side.
“Watch out!” Twinkleshine yelled just before I felt a hoof punch against my cheek, slicing it open. I gritted my teeth in pain, turning back to Rabia. The Umbrum grinned maliciously at me.
“Oh, did I catch you unawares? Good!” She charged at me again, leaping up and spreading her forehooves wide across my barrel, squeezing tightly before I could throw up a shield. I yelped in pain as her strong hooves crushed the air from my lungs.
Rabia let out a snarl of surprise as another bolt of magic shot at us, from whom I have no idea but it loosened her grip enough I was able to wiggle free to face her again. I breathed heavily, wincing. I don’t think she had broken anything, bruised most definitely though.
“You try my patience ponies!” Rabia growled. “Why don’t you just give up and die? Your deaths will be of good use to my master.”
“As if we would do anything of the sort!” Twinkleshine huffed, stopping beside me. She had a long cut along her flank- thankfully it looked shallow- and was favoring her left rear leg.
“Where is the one you were fight-” I started to ask when I heard a yelp to our side and a loud thump. I turned to look to see Lucky collapsed against the rear wall, eyes closed.
Fire Stick stepped forward, glaring at the two Umbrum that stood cackling in front of him, giving each other a hoof bump. “How DARE you harm my coltfriend!” he yelled, breathing heavily, steam even coming from his nostrils. The alley we were in was quickly heating up, and I could feel sweat dripping down my forehead. The two Umbrum took a step back from Fire as he advanced on them.
Fire Stick’s horn glowed brighter and brighter, until with a crackling sound like a bolt of lightning, flames erupted from it and swirled around between his ears. The air filled with the putrid stench of smoke as with a yell he let the flames go and they whizzed toward the two Umbrum, hitting the smaller Umbrum on its right wing. The flames quickly took to the dry, moth-like wing, crackling along it as the Umbrum just watched in horror, until the pain must have hit it and it screamed.
Kriva jumped away from its smaller companion, while Rabia turned away from Twinkleshine and me and ran toward it. “Ira! What has he done to you?” She moaned, pushing the smaller one down to the ground and kicking dirt onto the flames. She sighed as the last of the flames burned out and turned back to look at Fire Stick, whose horn still glowed, ready to throw more bolts of flame. “You! Nopony hurts my daughter and gets away with it!” She stepped toward him, white eyes glowing before pausing and looking up.
Following her gaze, I saw a red spark of magic explode in the sky above us. Rabia snorted, glaring at Fire. “It seems you shall be spared for now pony,” she spat. “But mark my words, next time we meet, it will be you consumed in flames!” She turned back to look at Kriva.
“Come, help me get Ira back to our master.”
“Yes Rabia,” Kriva said, and the two of them gathered to either side of Ira, putting one of her hooves along each of their necks, and together the three of them flew off.
I took a deep breath and let it out, wincing at the pain in my ribs, and plopped down on the ground. “I really hate those things!” I grumbled. At least none of us had been seriously hurt, or- wait, Lucky! Standing back up quickly, I turned to see Fire had trotted over to Lucky, nuzzling his cheek. Gone were the flames from his horn, his yellow mane scorched near it but otherwise he seemed unharmed, just covered in soot.
“Is he..?” Twinkleshine started but paused as Lucky coughed, groaned, and opened his eyes. “Oh thank Celestia.” Twinkleshine sighed and joined Fire by Lucky’s side, I followed close behind her.
“How are you doing Lucky?” I asked as he turned to look at us.
“Been better,” he muttered, looking over at Fire. “You’ve started bleeding again.”
“That doesn’t matter, as long as you are safe,” Fire sighed, wrapping a hoof around Lucky.
“Remind me never to get on your bad side,” I chuckled turning to Fire. “Why didn’t you use that fire magic in Hoofville?”
“Well the town was already burning, I didn’t want to help it along. That and…” he blushed, rubbing a hoof along his muzzle. “Well, I can’t really control when I use it. I have to be very angry or all that comes out is little sparks.”
“We should all get to the hospital,” Twinkleshine said, turning to go back the way we had come. “Do you need help walking Fire and Lucky?”
“We can’t go yet,” I protested. “We need to find my sister!”
“I don’t think any of us can walk that far,” she said and looked to Fire’s wounds. “And your friend here is bleeding badly. That wound needs to be taken care of.”
I pinned my ears down, stepping in place as I looked farther down the alleys. “But- but what if she is scared or hurt, or worse lying dying in a dirty alley somewhere?”
Twinkleshine sighed, looking to Fire and Lucky. “Do you think you two could make it back the way we came yourselves?”
“Maybe,” Fire said, biting his lip nervously. “Lucky?”
Lucky took in a deep breath and struggled to stand, leaning against Fire as he got his hooves back under him. Letting go a moment later, he tried to put his weight on all his hooves only to gasp as his right foreleg gave out and he almost fell face first back to the ground, if it had not been for Fire wrapping his magic around him. “Nope,” he hissed, “think my leg is broken. Curse those things to Tartarus!”
“Then I’m afraid we have no choice,” Twinkleshine said, frowning at me.
“Just-just give me a minute will you please?” I said, looking around, trying to think of something I could do to keep us moving. There was nothing in the alley though, not even any old boxes or bags of garbage. I put a hoof to my head, trying to think, and turned to Twinkleshine. “You know any spells to heal Fire’s wound?”
“Possibly, but it looks bad enough a professional should be the one to look at it. I wouldn’t want to damage it further.”
“Can you at least staunch it long enough to buy us some more time?”
“I don’t think that will be necessary.” My ears perked up at the sound of that voice. I turned to see Chryssy slowly walking toward us, still in Dew’s form.
“Chry-Dew!” I yelled, running over to her and wrapping my hooves around her neck. “You’re safe!”
“Of course,” she said bluntly. Something was wrong. Her voice sounded… off. What had happened? Did she confront that madmare? “It seems you are not though,” she said, bringing a hoof up to my slashed cheek. “I’m just glad you are all still alive.”
“Even me?” Lucky huffed, leaning against Fire.
Chryssy grinned slightly and nodded. “Yes, even you.” Her nostrils sniffed the air, but quickly scrunched up, probably as she smelt the strong scent of smoke still in the air. She looked to Twinkleshine. “Who is your new friend?”
“This is Twinkleshine,” I said, pointing a hoof her way. “She helped us battle those Umbrum. Probably even saved my life a few times.”
“Well Twinkleshine, I guess that means you have my thanks. I don’t know what I would do without my big brother.” She wrapped a hoof around me and enfolded me in a tight hug.
“Careful,” I yelped, to which she promptly let go. “One of them tried to squeeze the life out of me.”
Twinkleshine grinned and nodded to Chryssy. “You are welcome…?”
“Dew Song,” Chryssy said.
“Right, you are welcome Dew Song. Now that we have found you, we should really get to the hospital.”
“Of course, lead the way,” I said, trotting over to help Lucky and Fire.
Ponyville Hospital- Queen Chrysalis
“They should both be fine, though at least a few days of bed rest is a must.” Helping Heart, a young cyan blue pegasus mare, with chocolate mane and tail, who was helping out at the hospital, said. “As for you,” she said and pointed a hoof at Shiny, “you came very close to breaking some ribs. Bed rest for you would be a good idea as well.”
“I can’t,” he said and sighed. “My sister and I have important business in Canterlot that cannot wait.”
“Canterlot ponies are always in such a rush,” Heart sighed, shaking her head. “But I guess I should be used to that. Well, at least take it easy, and don’t forget to put this salve on your cheek three times a day when you change the bandage. It will keep it from scarring.” She handed him a little bottle, which he placed in his saddlebag.
“If you want to visit your other friend, Twinkleshine was her name right?” Heart asked, and Shiny nodded. “Well, she is in the next room over. Though with her remarkable healing capabilities, she won’t be here for that long, lucky mare.”
“Thanks, we shall pop in before we leave,” Shiny grinned at her.
“As for you Miss Song,” Heart continued, “are you sure you are okay?” I turned to look at her and nodded my head.
“Yes, I’m fine. Just worried about my brother and… friends.” Of course, I couldn’t tell her my real worries. Three days was not a long time. After how Hope’s minions had hurt the others I wasn’t too keen on wanting to join up with her, but what would she do if I didn’t? I felt we had only seen a marginal amount of her power so far. Did we really want to see what she could really do?
“Good,” Heart said and headed toward the door. “At least try to relax for a few hours, please? The Princesses are already hard at work at repairing all that black magic. If you promise to take it easy, I’ll be sure to tell you when the train is ready to leave.”
“Of course,” Shiny said, and sat down in a chair between the two beds Lucky and Fire were in.
“Thank you,” she said and looked at me.
“Yes, we’ll relax,” I sighed and she smiled back at me.
“Good,” she started toward the door again, but then paused. “Oh, and when you get to Canterlot, be wary of changelings. I heard about that mess their Queen got into in Hoofville. As if she hadn’t already killed enough ponies two years ago.”
“Wait what?” Chrys yelped. “Nonono, nopony died at the wedding! Only my changelings!”
“You sure about that?” I asked slowly, turning to look at the others. Even through their weakened states, both Lucky and Fire gazed over at me with wide eyes. Shiny just looked ahead, a shocked look on his face. His mouth pulled into an ‘O’, pupils mere pinpricks, and breathing labored.
“Oh yes, I am sure. I was even there during the wedding, though not actually at the wedding, just at a coffee house nearby. I don’t think any of the royals or guests themselves were killed, but many guards and civilians were drained of their love. You’d have to ask Princess Celestia for a… headcount, but I treated at least twenty as they lay dying. Only was able to save one.”
“No, NO! That is impossible! I gave a direct order, a DIRECT order, not to kill anypony. No changeling can break through a direct order from their queen. She must be lying, or exaggerating or-or something!”
“Well er tha-thank you for letting us know.” I stuttered out.
“Of course, I’m surprised not more ponies know of it. But then the princesses were probably just trying to protect the general public.” She let out a sigh and turned back to the door. “I’ll be back when the train is ready for you!” She pulled open the door with one wing and left, the door staying partially ajar.
“I thought you said nopony died!” Lucky yelled, sitting up in his bed and pointing his right forehoof at me, only to gasp in pain. It might be wrapped and in a cast, but I wasn’t surprised it still hurt. “According to her, at least twenty died because of you.”
“Well, she must be lying,” I snorted. “Like I said before. I gave them all a direct order. What use is a dead pony to us?” I hissed.
“Has any of them ever disobeyed a direct order before?” Fire asked, ears down against his head, “Perhaps they have figured out a way to break through your power?”
“Not that I am aware of,” Chrys said. “Sure we haven’t been as strong of a force since we lost most of the hive mind, but that was almost a century ago. NO! It is not possible.”
“No, that isn’t it,” I sighed and turned to look at Shiny. He was still frozen in his chair. “Shiny, are you okay?” I asked, walking up to him. “You were there, you know she must be lying.”
Shiny shook his head and blinked, looking up at me. He held neither a smile nor a frown on his face, more of just a confused look. “Right, you didn’t kill anypony,” he said softly, then smiled softly up at me. “What you did do was wrong, but you didn’t kill anypony.”
“Well, I guess we shall see then won’t we?” Lucky huffed. “Once Fire and I are healed enough to continue we can ask Princess Celestia ourselves.”
“No!” I yelled, turning to look at him. “I-I can’t afford to wait that long. I’m afraid you and Fire will have to sit out this last leg of the adventure.”
“Oh? And why can’t you wait?”
“You know why Lucky,” Shiny said, stepping over by me. “We need to rescue her friend. He’s survived this long, but he probably won’t survive much longer. A dungeon filled with no love is not a good place for a-” he stopped, then whispered the rest “-a changeling.”
I nodded, even if Shiny was only partially right now. At least we had Cadence on our side.
“So, Fire,” Shiny grinned, and I watched as Fire’s cheeks turned red. “Coltfriends huh? Didn’t see that coming.”
“Good, he’s changing the subject,” Chrys sighed, “talking about who we really are is not safe in a public setting.” She paused, and then both she and I gasped. “Wait, coltfriends? Ha! So I was right! They are more than just friends,” she chuckled. Fire blushed even harder upon hearing our gasp.
“Well… yeah,” Fire said, turning to look at Lucky.
“Fire still hasn’t come out to his parents, so we try to keep it quiet,” Lucky smiled softly over at Fire. “But once we both heal up a bit, we really should tell them. Until then,” he closed his eyes, lit up his horn, and with a little pop teleported over to Fire’s bed. “Do we really need different beds?” he asked and nuzzled Fire’s mane.
“Well as long as you two are happy,” Shiny shrugged, glancing over at me and then back to the two stallions.
“No,” Chrys said and I frowned slightly. “I’ve said it before, we can’t love. No matter how much Shiny seems to care for us. He’ll get over it eventually, you’ll see.”
“I think I’m going to go visit Twinkleshine,” I said, lowering my ears and walking toward the door.
Shiny nodded. “I’ll be over there soon.”
I pushed the door open enough I could step outside, turning to the right only to run right into Princess Cadence. She put a hoof over my mouth before I could say anything, lit up her horn, and before I knew it we appeared in some dark room. I held a hoof to my stomach, feeling a little queasy. So that was teleportation? Ugh, don’t think I wanted to do that again anytime soon.
“Chrysalis,” Cadence hissed. My ears drooped as I turned to look at her. Of course, she had overheard our conversation. A small overhead light came on, and I saw she had teleported us into what looked like an empty closet. What kind of hospital had an empty closet? “What do you think you are doing here?” Cadence growled, and I turned my attention back to her.
“I’m just doing what we already told you, trying to rescue a friend,” I huffed, biting my lip as her glare met me.
“Lies!” Cadence snorted, leaning down until she was nearly muzzle to muzzle with me, staring into my eyes. “You’re trying to take over from Auntie Celestia again aren’t you? Only this time killing as you go along. Do you know how many ponies died in that Hoofville fire? Over three hundred!”
“That wasn’t me!” I protested. “What use is a dead pony to us hmm? We can’t take their love that way.”
“Then who was it? Explain yourself.”
“It was- wait, you're letting me explain?” I lifted a hoof, surprised. Usually, these ponies seemed all about the takedown and ask questions later.
“Would you rather I just take you straight to the Canterlot dungeons?” she snorted.
“No, no, let’s not get too hasty,” I grinned nervously.
“Well, I guess we have no choice,” Chrys said. “Maybe if she knows the truth, she might still help us? Oh who am I kidding,” Chrys snorted. “She’ll likely not believe us. Though, maybe if we get that one pony in here with her…. Applecrack or something? If I recall correctly she is the element of honesty.”
“And where is the real Dew Song?” Cadence asked.
“Well I guess we’ll start with that, as it is an easy one,” I said. “I don’t know. I’ve never met the real Dew Song. I only know her through what Shiny has told me.”
“So Shiny knows who you really are?” I nodded. “And he didn’t turn you in?”
I rubbed a hoof against the back of my head, “well now, that is a long story. Basically, he kind of developed a crush on me back when he first saw me at the wedding, and it seems it has only grown since then.”
Cadence’s ears shot up in surprise, then back down again as she glared at me. “You didn’t put him under the same spell you put my Shining did you?”
“What? NO! I don’t really know why he seems to feel the way he does.”
Cadence pursed her lips for a moment, lost in thought. “And do you love him?” she asked, ears twitching. “Or is this changeling in the dungeons your true lover?”
“Ironhoof-er Leptostales is an old lover, we even had a little filly together. As for Shiny? I-” I bit my lip and closed my eyes, listening to the beating of my heart for a moment. Chrys insisted we couldn’t love, so then what was Shiny to me? “I-I’m not sure just yet. If anything we are at least friends.”
Cadence nodded, rubbing her chin with one hoof as she just stared at me. She took a deep breath, putting one hoof to her chest and then holding it out in front of her, bringing it back in and repeating a few times before she set the hoof back down. “I believe you.”
”Wait, what? Just like that?” Chrys yelped in shock.
“You-you do?” I stuttered, blinking slowly at her.
“Yes,” she said, leaving it at that. “So if it wasn’t you, then who was it?”
“You probably haven’t heard of her, you’re not old enough.”
“Try me,” she said and put a hoof to my shoulder.
“Radiant Hope.”
Cadence sighed and looked down at the ground. “I know of Radiant Hope. Twilight and I found Sombra’s journal a while ago. He was quite fond of her, in love with her even.”
Oh, right. I had forgotten about that comic issue. Now I was even forgetting things I had read about this world? What next?
“Well, she is somehow still alive, and bent on revenge.”
“It must be a different pony by the same name,” Cadence said, “she was a good pony, she wouldn’t harm others.”
“Maybe not of her own free will,” I muttered. “She has Sombra’s Alicorn amulet.”
Cadence’s ears shot upward in shock. “What? That’s impossible! Auntie Celestia entrusted its protection to Shining and me. Only an Alicorn could retrieve it from its hiding place.”
“Well then one of the four of them must be working with Hope then.” Chrys snorted. “My bet is on Luna. She did give over to her darker side for a time after all.”
“I don’t know how she could have retrieved it then, but she does have it.”
“Auntie must know of this, that amulet is dangerous in normal unicorn hooves. In the hooves of a unicorn as powerful as Hope was said to be? It could spell disaster for us all. If she even is who she proclaims.”
“Well, the princesses are not the only ones who have managed to survive a long time. Perhaps she found a way as well? You sure she wasn’t one of the ponies brought back when the empire returned?”
Cadence shook her head. “No, she wouldn’t have been. Sombra even stated in his journal that one of the reasons he made the empire disappear was to punish Hope for going to Auntie Celestia and Luna for help.”
“Then I have no idea,” I sighed, rubbing my forehead.
She removed her hoof from my shoulder. “I’m sure there is more to your story?”
“Of course, but I’d rather not have to repeat it twice. Time is of the essence.”
“You’re right,” Cadence nodded. “I’ll send Shining back to the Crystal Empire to check on the amulet. I don’t want him anywhere near you.”
“Understandable.”
“Ah but I’ll miss seeing that hot flank,” Chrys chuckled. “I really should tell you about the fun we had when I was disguised as Cadence, at least, in more detail than I already have.” I blushed, listening to her cackle.
Cadence glared at me for a moment. “Thinking of what you did to him?”
“What? Oh no uh… well maybe?” I smiled sheepishly.
“Well stop. He’s mine, understand?” She flared her wings out, growling at me. “Our little… truce if you want to call it that, will only last as long as you behave. So no trying to bewitch anypony, or feed off them, or steal them for your own.”
“Right, right,” I said and held up my hooves, taking a step back. “I’ll behave, I promise.”
“Oh really, will we?” Chrys snorted, then let out a sigh. “Guess we have no choice if we don’t want to join Leptostales locked in the dungeons.”
“Are you going to tell Shining who we really are?”
Cadence brought her wings back to her sides and shook her head. “Not if you behave. He’ll know eventually, but if I tell him now he’ll just try to kill you.”
“Yeah and I’d rather continue living thank you very much.” I huffed.
Cadence laughed, surprising me. Had she forgiven me that easily? “Just don’t make me regret deciding to trust you. It seems you have changed since last we met, maybe for the better.”
Chrys snorted. “Seems like she likes the you us, better than the me us. Let that work to our advantage.”
“Yes, I have,” I said carefully. “Two years might be a blink of an eye to those of us who live long lives, but a lot can happen in two years.”
“Shall we return to the others then?” Cadence asked.
I nodded. “Yes, Shiny is probably wondering where I ran off to.” Cadence opened the closet door and led the way out into the hallway.
“See, she didn’t even mention all the deaths that supposedly went on at her wedding,” Chrys said. “That Helping Heart must have been lying. Why she would lie to us I have no idea, but I doubt Cadence would have trusted us if it were the truth.”
I nodded, Chrys was right. She had to be right. I just hoped Princess Celestia would see things her way.