//------------------------------//
// Prologue 
// Story: Old Wounds, New Scars 
// by CoverArt 
//------------------------------//

	This is it. My perfect day. Days of planning, of organizing; days of therapy, all leading up to this, my wedding day. Nothing is going to ruin this for me, not like last time. Aunt Celestia and Luna made sure of that, doubling security around Canterlot and the castle, as well as making sure somepony I trusted was always with me when Shiny wasn’t around. I might have minded the lack of privacy if it wasn’t for my anxiety. If he hadn’t known better, Shiny probably would have left me the day after the whole fiasco, crying and jumping at everything. He acted, and probably still is, so strong for me, but I know he’s having the same issues as me, I see him shaking in his sleep, unfortunately for both of us, there is only so much Aunt Luna can do when the nightmare is as psychological as it is with us. All of this because some damn parasites wanted a little food. 
I bring my hoof down onto the makeup table due to that last thought, though I quickly take a deep breath. Making comments like that is unbecoming of a princess, let alone the Princess of Love. I take a couple more breaths before I finished putting my makeup on. Not too much makeup; I know that I have a very good natural look, though some accents never hurt. I put a little blush on just as I hear a knock from the door.
“Come in,” I call out. I quickly look myself over in the mirror, making sure everything is perfect, as I watch Aunt Luna walk into the room through the reflection.
“You look lovely in that dress Cadence,” the lunar alicorn smiled. I smile back at her via the reflection.
“Thank you Auntie, Rarity, one of Twilight’s friends’ made it for me. The other one was… well…” I shudder. I feel a hoof on my shoulder and relaxed a bit.
“Don’t think about it my niece, bad memories are just that, memories, they can’t hurt you now.”
“Yea, you’re right Auntie, thanks,” I start to check myself over once more when my eyes seem to catch a flash of green. My eyes widen a bit before I come to my senses and shake my head slightly.
‘Calm down Cadence, you’re being too jumpy.’
“Come on Cadence, we shouldn’t keep your audience or, more importantly, your husband waiting,” She walks to the door and holds it open for me. Satisfied with the way I look, I turn away from the mirror and trot out the door with Aunt Luna. We walk down the hall to the Ceremony Hall, Aunt Luna was nice enough to use her magic to make sure my dress trail didn’t drag a lot. I glance at the guards lining the hall, double the normal amount. I wonder if it was just to make me feel safer. The Changelings were gone, sent to the Badlands where they belong. We made huge advances in Changeling detection, thanks in most part to Twilight as well as a couple captured bugs. I don’t know what happened to the parasites after we were done with them but I can only hope they were squashed.
‘Gah, stop thinking like that Cadence.’
We stopped in front of the large double doors as two guards block our path. It’s mandatory for everypony going into an event to be scanned via the Changeling detecting spell. There are a few kinks that need to be worked out, like the fact it’s slightly painful, though it’s tolerable, at least to ponies. 
“Wait one moment your majesties,” The guard says, lighting his horn. He starts the scan and I feel magic wash over me. Hmm, no pain, I guess Twilight managed to work out the kinks. I’ll talk to her about that at the reception. 
The guard nods and steps out of the way, “Thank you your majesties, you’re free to go, and congratulations on the wedding.” 
I smile and thank him as he uses his magic to slowly push the doors open, giving Twilight’s little friend Fluttershy time to start up her bird choir. As I hear the choir start up I slowly stroll in. I see the seats filled to capacity to either side of me but I don’t take my eyes off of the handsome stallion in the tux ahead of me. I step up to the alter and take my place across from Shining Armor, behind him Twilight smiles at us, as I’m sure her friends are doing behind me. I glance up as Aunt Celestia takes her place at the podium, she smiles at me, but something feels off, it isn’t her normal warm smile. It’s different, but I can’t put my hoof on it. I chock it up to anxiety and imagination though. At least until I see another flash of green in my periphery. 
I quickly turn my head to stare at my soon to be husband, who seems to notice my strange behavior.
“What’s wrong Cadence?”
“I-I don’t know, something just feels really wrong, maybe we should have the guards check the room, just in case,” I suggest. Something just feels really off. 
“I’m afraid that won’t work Cadence,” Aunt Celestia says, still smiling that same smile, it’s starting to creep me out actually.
“W-why not?”
“Because, we’re already here,” ‘Celestia’ replies, except in the echoing, unnatural voice I’m unfortunately all too familiar with. My eyes widen and I jump back from the alter as ‘Celestia’ bursts into green flame and is slowly replaced by the source of all of my anxiety and fear, Queen Chrysalis. It takes all of my willpower not to faint or scream on the spot.
“No! Not again! Guards! Get her!” I scream. But I start to notice another, very grim thing, none of the guards, nor anypony was moving, not even Shining, Twilight and her friends, or Luna. I look around frantically, only to see every one of my friends and family start to transform into a changeling.
‘No! They have everypony! I have to get out of here! NOW!’
I spin around and attempt to gallop out of the room, though I don’t get far. Chrysalis stepped on my dress trail, causing me to trip and fall. Within moments she had me hovering in front of her, unable to move a single muscle of my body.
“Oh dear, before you go, don’t you want to hear what happened to all your precious friends and family? It’s quite a thing to hear,” She gives an evil laugh and starts to project Shiny and the other’s voices.
I feel the color drain from my face as I listen. Listen to their scream, their cries of agony. They begged for the Changelings to stop, some even begged for the Changelings to just kill them. 
“No! Stop it! Please, I’ll do whatever you want! Just stop hurting them!” I start to sob, unable to listen to this any longer.
“Oh don’t worry Cady, they’re suffering ended a while ago, these were just recordings,” The monster proclaims, giving another cackle. “I just wanted to get as much love from you as I could before we dispose of you.”
She puts her horn to my neck, the tip is razor sharp. I struggle to get out of her grip, there has to be something I can do, anything. But there is none. Chrysalis won. My family and friends are dead, and I’m about to die. Equestria belongs to her. 
She shoves her head up, and everything turns black.



I wake up with a scream, covered in sweat and tears rolling down my face. It’s only a dream, I know I shouldn’t let it get to me, but it does. Shining jumps up at the sound of the scream, looking around for any intruder. At the same time, two guards burst into the room, looking for the same. I just sit there, sobbing my eyes out. Soon I feel a pair of forelegs wrap around me.
“Was it the dream again, Cadence?” Shining asks me, though he knows the answer already, it’s always the answer.
“Y-yes, I can’t take it anymore Shining! It’s been two years! The same dream every other night,” I cry.
“How far did she get this time?” He asks, knowing that depending on the night I wake up at different sections of the dream, but she never actually killed me in the dream.
“It was worse than ever. She actually k-killed me, she shoved her horn right into my throat,” I state, shuddering.
“Maybe you should talk to Princess Luna again,” He suggests. I don’t expect him to fully understand my problems, he tries to, and I’m glad for that but his problems stemming from the wedding have been taken care of. Mine have been lingering. But, maybe he’s right, this dream was slightly different than normal, maybe it would be worth asking about.
“Yes, maybe you’re right. We can ask her in the morning at breakfast,” I nod as I lean into him more, feeling a bit safer from my own head with him.
“It’ll be ok Cadence, you’ll get through this and I’ll be right here for you the whole time.”
“I know Shiny, thank you, I don’t know what I would have done without you, I love you.”
“I love you too.”
We share a kiss before we lean back into bed to, hopefully, get a dreamless sleep.