Prelude to Disaster
(Canterlot Castle: Four hours later)
The evening seemed to drag on for Celestia as she looked upon the mass of ponies crowded before her. Many had gathered in outrage at the preceding events. They demanded to know what she has to say about everything.
“My subjects,” she begins with her royally-amplified voice, “due to unforeseen ‘complications’ the wedding is postponed until matters surrounding this event have been resolved.” Cries of protest from the crowd filled the air.
“This is how you protect us!?” one pony shouted.
“Those monsters can look like us,” another bellows. “What if they are still among us!?”
“How did they even get in!? Somepony said the largest looked like Princess Cadence!” a pony exclaims. Celestia sighs deeply.
“Be still, my little ponies.” As Celestia speaks, her eyes fall upon everypony in attendance. “Thanks to the valiant efforts of Twilight Sparkle and her friends, the false bride was defeated. She and her dark army were sent far away from here.”
She swallows momentarily to get rid of a lump forming in her throat. “There is no longer any changeling among you. But, to be on the safe side, I shall have my guards take patrols around the city limits. They will be armed with spells to counter the changelings’ shape shifting abilities. For now, you should all head home; it has been a greatly stressful day for everypony.”
Seemingly content with this statement, the crowd disperses. Once the last of the crowds disappears, Celestia slumps to her hunches. How could this have gone so wrong? She thinks to herself. After a few moments, the monarch walks back into the throne room. This was going to be a perfect day, a perfect event. She continued thinking to herself while she walked to, and slumped onto her throne.
“Do NOT walk away when I am talking to you!” Celestia’s head snapped up to see the door fling open. Shining Armor enters, followed by a seething Princess Cadence. “I can’t believe you! Twilight is your little sister, my best friend, and you ostracize her from our wedding? Where was your head?”
At that, Shining stopped in his tracks and spun around to face her. “Under control of a damn monster!” he screams.
“That’s your excuse?” she retorts. “She could not have had control over you that entire time! Somepony would have figured it out.”
“I already told you I was sorry,” he shouted, his voice faltering in the slightest.
“It is not me that you need to apologize to,” she snapped.
“Enough!” Celestia stood from her throne and the quarreling couple’s heads snapped in her direction. “Cadence, you have been fighting with your betrothed and Twilight’s… friends this entire train ride back. The fact of the matter is that this mistake cost us a great deal.”
Celestia sighs and her flowing mane began to droop as her ears folded back in sadness. “It has cost me a student,” she mutters. “But the only thing we can do now is hope that she will calm down enough to listen to reason.” She looks back to the couple.
“Reason?” Cadence snorts. “You make it sound as if she made a poor choice to cut her friendship with ponies who abandoned her.” Cadence’s face twists in anger. “Or is it that you just can’t stand the fact that she has spat in your face by denouncing herself as your loyal student?”
Celestia’s wings flare as she is unable to contain her anger. “Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.” Her eyes narrow at the alicorn. “You will leave my sight at once, unless you wish for the guards to escort you out.”
After what seemed like an eternity, Cadence turns from her. “Fine. I’m going to find Twilight and hope she’s willing to talk to somepony.” Shining Armor sighs as his betrothed slams the door behind her.
“You called for me, Your Majesty,” he says, turning his attention back to Celestia. She nods.
“Yes, Captain. Come with me; the situation is dire.” She steps down from her throne pedestal and begins walking down the hall. Shining follows her.
“Now, as you know, the Elements of Harmony have protected Equestria for the past millennia. They have succeeded over Discord twice, and have banished, then redeemed my very own sister.” The two trot past several glass windows depicting these acts. “The Elements have been the guardians for us for so long; it would be difficult to live without them.” They reach a gold vault with the symbol for the Elements of Harmony.
“However, due to the events that have transpired today, we are facing an even greater crisis.” Celestia opens the door and they step inside. They walk up to the box containing the sacred treasures. “Observe.”
Shining Armor’s hair stood on end as the solar alicorn’s ominous words processed in his mind. She slowly opens the box, and Shining steels himself to peer inside. Though, nothing could prepare him for what was inside.
The Tiara of Magic’s once glorious gold color had tarnished to a sickly grey. The once lavender colored jewel has turned near jet black, and seemed to have cracked a small bit. It looked as if some pieces of the ornate object were going to fall right off. However, the Elements of Laughter, Generosity, Kindness, Loyalty, and Honesty seemed perfectly fine.
There are no words to describe the shock on the Captain of the Guard’s face. “What does this mean, Your Majesty?” he asks gravely. Celestia stared at him grimly.
“The Element of Magic has been struck with the heartbreak of its owner brought on by the betrayal of the owners of the other Elements.” Shining’s eyes widened at her words. “The Element of Magic may have been something created by Twilight, but it was an Element of Harmony all the same. Without it, Equestria stands no chance of survival.”
“So what you’re saying is we have no chance?” he asks while lowering his head. Celestia holds his head back up with her hoof.
“No. I have a plan. I am going to give Twilight a few days to think; maybe that is all she needs. Hopefully,” she continues, removing her hoof from Shining Armor’s face, “she will let her friends back into her life. Then the Elements will reunite and will work together once we have need for them.” She sighs.
“But?” Shining says, feeling like there was one coming.
“But if she refuses to forgive her friends, I will have no choice. Though it goes against my morals and integrity as a princess, I will erase her memory of the wedding.” Shining’s eyes squinted to pinpricks.
“Have you gone mad!? That’s my sister you’re speaking of. Your student! We need to give her time-“
“There may not be much time,” she interrupts. “If the Element of Magic fails, everypony’s lives are at stake.” She looked away from him. “There is not a guarantee that the other elements will accept their bearers any longer, after what’s happened today.” They walk back out of the vault after closing the box back.
“On top of that, did you not see the crowds? Words of the wedding have been spreading like wildfire. They will return, and maybe as mobs demanding my throne.” Shining scoffed at that. Celestia continued. “Luna might be able to take my place, but it would be such a heavy burden for her. Anarchy would ensue, and that would allow another creature like Chrysalis to strike with our backs turned. Is that something you want!?” He looked away from her. “Make no mistake, I love Twilight; she is the best student a teacher could ask for. But what are one pony’s memories compared to the safety of Equestria?”
“You’re right,” he manages after a sigh. “But she’s still my sister. Let her make this choice.”
“I pray she makes the right one.” Celestia walks toward one of the stained glass windows. “This is not a conversation that leaves this throne room; any word about it will result in a rank-stripping, and time in the dungeon.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Shining replies, offering a weak salute.
“You are dismissed.” He nods and leaves the throne room. While leaving, he catches a glimpse of a dark blue mane rounding a corner.
Celestia gazes out of a window at the sun. “May Faust have mercy on me,” she says to herself.
(Ponyville)
“I’m sorry,” a purple, scaled, baby dragon says to Twilight. He is following her around with tears streaming down his face as she is packing her belongings.
“I already told you on the train, Spike. I am not mad at you. A little disappointed, but not mad.” Spike hands a few books off to her.
“But that doesn’t make any sense. Why aren’t you mad?”
“Because you are a child, Spike.” Her answer was cold. His jaw dropped. “What could you have done had you believed me? If you had tried to warn them, they would most likely write it off as my having influence over you, or as just a childish fear.” She sighs. “You would not have been much of a help to fight off Chrysalis; she would have fed you to her changelings.”
“Twilight, I can help,” he said, his lip quivering. “I have before.” But she ignores him.
“You’ve only ever been lucky thus far. You are a child, Spike. And you will most likely still be one long after I am gone. Dragons take over a century to go through their juvenile stage unless they give in to their greed.” He was struck silent by the weight of the mare’s words.
“I’m sorry Spike, but it’s the truth. You are, and will be one for a long time. You do help with a lot of things, I’ll give you that, but they’re small things. But at the end of the day you’re still a kid, and it is high time I started treating you like-“
Her words were cut off by the door slamming shut. I’m sorry Spike, but it is better this way, she thought. The room was quiet for some time while Twilight continued to pack. Then there was a knock at the door. Annoyed, she answers the door. “Library is clo-“
“Time is of the utmost urgency, Twilight Sparkle,” the equine at the door says. She removes the brown hood from her head. Twilight’s eyebrows rise in surprise.
“Princess Luna?”
“May we come in, Twilight? We have much to discuss.”