//------------------------------// // 20 This day is going to be perfect... // Story: For science - Book two // by Znegil //------------------------------// I was riding on the train to Canterlot with Lyra, the crystal camera in a bag with us. Twilight had taken a much earlier train since she had a lot to prepare, but she promised me we would have more time together once the ceremony had started. Bon Bon, Luna and the rest of our friends would meet with us at the wedding as well. We had gone ahead to make some test recordings before everything started, we wanted to be sure the actual recording would be good. “Have you thought about marrying Twilight?”, Lyra asked out of the blue. “Why do you ask so suddenly?”, I asked back. “I'm thinking about proposing to Bon Bon, but I'm not sure about the best way of doing it.” “I have thought about asking her.”, I told Lyra. “But we have been together for such a short time, I don't want to pressure her into something she isn't ready for. How long have you two been a couple?” “Three wonderful years. I can't even remember how life had been without her. But I don’t think it matters how long you have been together if you both want it.” “That sounds lovely. I guess after so much time, it would be a good idea to take the next step… not that it would change much to your situation.”, I told her. “You're right, but I know Bon Bon would love to have a big ceremony with all of our friends. I’m sure it would be a lot of fun having a great party to celebrate our relationship.” “Well, you can look for inspirations soon, we’re just about to arrive in Canterlot.”, I replied and picked up the camera bag and started moving toward the doors. … We walked up to Canterlot Castle and were overwhelmed by all the decorations throughout the city and the castle itself, lots of banners and ribbons in the colors representing the couple. “I hadn’t expected it would be such a fuss.”, I remarked while we got closer to the polished castle gates. It was still about two hours before the ceremony would start, but some guests which had arrived early already stood before the gates chatting and waiting to get into the castle. “It’s so incredibly rare to have a royal wedding, of course this would happen.”, Lyra explained to me. “I guess my perspective is screwed up because a fourth of my best friends are princesses.”, I answered smiling. “That's not representative of our population.”, she answered laughing. “Zero percent princesses within your friends are much more typical.” Of course the guards quickly recognized me and we were allowed to enter early, it had its benefits to sleep with the wedding planner. … We entered the main hall, it was filled with ponies putting final touches into the decorations. I assembled the simple tripod I had ordered at our local carpenter and attached the camera to it. Lyra had gone for a bathroom break, so I looked for someone else to make a few test shots. A unicorn mare with pearl colored coat and lavender mane, who was arranging flowers, caught my eye. “Sorry, would you have a moment?”, I asked her. She turned towards me and seemed to be only mildly surprised to see me. “Oh, you are Stella, the human. My name is Lavender Dust, so nice to meet you. What can I do for you?” I was surprised, most ponies didn't react that openly when they met me for the first time. “Would it be possible for you to pose for a few test recordings, so I can check the camera?” “That's an interesting camera you have there, what kind is it?”, she asked. “It records moving pictures in a very real way. It's hard to explain but I can show you after the recording.” “Sure.”, she answered smiling. “I finished the last of the flower arrangements anyway. Where should I stand for you?” I gave her a few simple orders and did the test recordings. When I showed her the results she was astonished by it. “That's incredible. Something like this will be great for remembering ponies you… can't… see anymore.”, her mood dropped as she seemed to remember somepony. “Will you attend the wedding as well?”, I tried to change the topic. She started to smile again. “Yeah, kind of. I will attend but won't have any free time because I will run around making sure the flowers stay in top condition once everypony is here.” Lyra came back again from her bathroom break. “You have no idea how hard it is to find toilets in here.” “My assistant is back, so thanks for your help again.” “It was a pleasure.”, she replied and walked away waving goodbye. … The hall was filled with ponies as Twilight walked up to me, taking the seat I kept clear for her. AJ and Dashie waved from the other side of the aisle and we waved back at them. “It will start in a minute.”, she told me and looked so happy. “Everything is working just as I had planned.” “I wouldn't expect anything else.”, I replied and kissed her. I nodded towards Lyra who stood close to Celestia and Luna, waiting for bride and groom. She waved back, everything seemed to work as planned. We had planned four crystals, one for the entrance of the couple, one for them speaking their vows and exchanging their rings, and two for the party afterward. The doors opened and Shining Armor entered the hall first while the organ started to play. He wore a gala uniform and walked down the aisle clearly nervous. As soon as he reached the front all eyes turned to the doors again waiting for the bride. The music intensified as Cadence entered, she wore a rather simple white dress with golden accents. I had expected something more complex, but it suited her well and went nicely with the colors of her mane and coat. It looked like Lyra had everything under control. As Celestia started her speech, I looked at Twilight and my mind drifted, thinking about how our wedding would be. She must have felt my love though our connection, she turned towards me and we sunk into each other's eyes for a while. “You may now kiss the bride.” ‘Wait what?’ It seemed like I missed most of the ceremony dreaming about our future together, good thing Lyra was recording it. The rings on their horns glistened in the light while they kissed, everypony was enchanted by this beautiful scene. Waiters walked through the crowd giving out glasses with sparkling wine while all attendees cheered for the couple. “They look so pretty together.”, Twilight told me. “I can't believe Cadence is my sister-in-law now.” Finally bride and groom lifted their glasses for a toast. “Thanks everypony for celebrating this wedding with us”, Cadence said. “We are so happy having you all with us right now.” “To the lovely couple!”, Celestia shouted and all emptied their glasses cheering afterward. Almost instantly a line formed for the ponies who wanted to congratulate the couple. We decided to check with Lyra instead and walked over to her, we could congratulate them later. “Has everything worked out so far?”, I asked her. “It's all fine, I recorded nearly the whole ceremony and switching the crystals was a matter of seconds.” “This will make a great present for them.”, my marefriend remarked. “I can’t wait to tell them about it.” A waitress approached us with a big grin. “Is there anything else you would like to have? Maybe a pillow?” “What, why should we want something like…”, Twilight started. “Wait… I’m starting to feel sleepy.” She started to get shaky and within seconds she sank to the ground, Lyra followed right after. I heard surprised screams as more and more ponies fell to the ground sleeping. I looked around and saw even the princesses on the ground. I tried to wake my marefriend while I shouted her name, but nothing I did seemed to work. When there was only a few ponies left standing beside the service ponies, the image of the waitress changed before my eyes and grew in size, suddenly Chrysalis stood before me. “What did you do to them?!”, I shouted. “They just fell into a peaceful slumber, I experimented for quite some time to get the dosage just right and to have this time delay.”, she answered and sounded actually proud of the fact. More than half of the remaining ponies changed into changelings as well. A few guards stormed into the room alarmed by the screams, but they sank to the ground after a few moments as well. “Guard the room from outside, don't let anyone enter.”, she ordered the other changelings and these did as she told them and left the room. “Remind me to thank Twilight for her idea to serve the guards sparkling wine as well.”, she addressed me. “My original idea was to poison their dinner with an even slower working sleep poison, but that wouldn't have been this precise.” She walked through the mostly sleeping crowd. “I even personally served the princesses since they needed a drink with more sleep poison in it.” She pushed Celestia a bit and her body rolled on its side, then she turned towards me again. “You have been the only one I wasn’t sure how you would react, but I think you will be slumbering within a few minutes as well.” “Why are you doing this? Celestia told us your kind is living among ponies for hundreds of years, why are you attacking now?”, I asked her. “We can continue to live side by side.” “Because I don’t want to disguise myself anymore to get love!”, she shouted. One of the remaining service ponies got closer to us. I remembered her, Lavender Dust, the pony who helped me testing our camera. “This voice… Night Star? Is it you?”, she asked confused. Suddenly Chrysalis looked nervous and took a few steps back. “I… I have no idea what you are talking about.”, her voice sounded distorted now and she used her magic to push Lavender back a few feet. “Stay back or you will regret it.” It was possibly only a matter of minutes before I would pass out too, so I tried to use Chrysalis distraction to get close to her. After only a few steps green magic surrounded me and held me in place. “What do you think you’re doing?”, she shouted and looked at me again. ‘It’s just a matter of minutes now… I have to do something… everything will be lost…’ These thoughts ran through my head as I looked to my marefriend laying on the ground, helpless… “No…”, I mumbled. I felt my connection to Twilight, felt the need to defend her. There was an energy inside me, burning hot like the sun. I was out of options, so I decided to tap into it… My vision brightened and my mouth tasted like vanilla, I felt my hair started to stand on end. “NO! I won't allow it!”, I shouted. I heard Chrysalis cursing as she lost her magic grip on me and wasn't able to use her magic on me again. “What in Tartarus is happening here?” I moved towards her while she moved back erecting a forcefield with her magic. “Well, what could you do? You will fall into slumber any moment. I win anyway.”, she taunted. ‘Dammit, she is right. I have to act right now or everything will be over.’ I felt anger wash through my body and it changed the energy inside me. I tasted bitter in my mouth while this anger searched for a way out of my body. Something pushed my prosthesis from my stump and I heard it fall to the ground. As I lifted my arm I saw a red glowing blade of light emerging from the stump of my arm. I was running out of time… “You must have an antidote for this sleeping poison, maybe to bargain with one the captured princesses.”, I told her. “Hand it over right now and surrender.” She laughed, which angered me even more. “I have one, but why should I hand it over, I will have won any moment.” I advanced my arm, the red glowing blade pierced her forcefield and entered it without resistance. She stepped a few steps back to bring distance between us again. I saw some doubt creeping into her expression. “Surrender, or I'll kill you.”, I said with a voice cold as ice. She took another step back. “Nopony would do such a thing… Capturing me, sure, trying to knock me unconscious, of course, but not killing me in cold blood.”, she said but sounded less sure then she tried to look. “Well, I got news for you. I'M NOT A PONY! Humans killed time and time again for their own advantage.” “You're bluffing!”, she shouted. “Am I?”, I asked. Of course I was bluffing, there was no way I could kill another intelligent being. “Well, go ahead. Kill me.”, she said grinning, obviously not buying my bluff. I screamed inside in despair. ‘Time is running out, I have to do something. I will fake an attack but stop before her body, if she shows fear I may have a chance to bargain.’ I took two steps toward her, jousting my blade towards her. “No, don't kill her!”, Lavender shouted and jumped in front of her. Time seemed to slow down to a crawl as my blade entered her body and I hadn't time to stop my forward motion. There was an unified scream of horror from me and Chrysalis mixed within Lavender’s scream of pain. Both of us stared at the blade in her body and at the blood that started to spill to the ground. The blade disappeared as I fell on my knees in disbelief of what I had done. Chrysalis held the bleeding mare in her hooves, looking at her in shock. “No. Lavi, why did you do this? Can't you see what I am?” “So it really is you.”, she replied. “Do you think it's important to me what you are or how you look? I have felt what is inside you and what you are, you are my true love.” A small trail of blood started to escape her mouth and ran down her cheek. “I'm so sorry, I love you too.”, Chrysalis answered crying. “Do something, save her!”, she shouted directed at me. “I can't control the little magic I have. Celestia is her only chance, hand over the antidote.”, I replied. She hesitated for just a second, then a small bottle materialized in front of me. “Take it, I surrender. Please don't let her die, I don't care for anything else!”, she screamed while tears ran down her face. I grabbed the bottle and ran over to Celestia. I lifted her head and drained the liquid down her throat. The princess awoke coughing and looked around confused. “No time to explain.”, I said out of breath. “Save this pony from dying.” Only a moment later my vision got blurry and I fell to the ground. … I woke up in a bed, Twilight waiting by my side. “Is the flower pony alright?”, I asked her. She smiled back at me. “Lavender is alright, Celestia was able to stabilize her, the cut will heal without a trace within the next days.” She kissed me. “I heard you're our new hero.” “I can't see any heroism in nearly killing an innocent pony.”, I replied. “That was an accident and you know that, even Chrysalis told us so. You have stopped an invasion.”, she softly stroked my face. “What happened with Chrysalis?”, I asked. “She has surrendered under the condition we would let the rest of the changelings go, Celestia agreed to this. She is now in one of the guest rooms in the castle, guarded by two royal guards. Celestia had attached a magical clamp to her horn, suppressing her magic abilities. For the first time, we are able to learn about their race and have the possibility to establish a diplomatic relationship. Celestia is certain we can find a solution that benefits all of us.” “I should talk to her as well.”, I said. “I would like to learn more about her and the changelings as well.” “That will be quite easy for you.”, my marefriend replied. “Celestia decided, after a brief questioning by the princesses, she will accompany us to Ponyville so I can write a scientific paper about her. The clamp will remain attached to her horn as long as we deem fit. She can be visited by Lavender Dust anytime she wants.” Her grin nearly exceeded her face. I knew this grin very well. “And again you're able to research a race no one ever was able to, this must be like Christm… Hearth's Warming Eve for you.” Energetic nodding with still the same grin was the answer. "This is even more interesting and important than the crystal camera or Indigo Nightshade.", she continued. "I can't believe we have to put these on hold because we have something more important." The happiness beaming from her was almost blinding. I looked out of the window and saw some snowflakes. "It seems this will be quite an interesting winter," I said, kissing her. - - - End of book two - - -