“Why are you so shocked, hero?” Sabrina asked, grinning. “You believed it was me in your dreams, what’s so different now that I’m here in the flesh?”
Nick’s willpower wavered, causing his transformation to flickr. He didn’t want to believe that she too had influence over him. Not only that, but this monster, had stooped so low and used someone he loved dearly against him.
“Why?” was all Nick could ask, feeling his anger welling up inside him.
“Ooh, you’re tapping into your anger, that’s always more interesting and fun!” his former lover taunted. “So you want to know why I entered your dream and pretended to be Sabrina? I would have figured you are smart enough to see why. This is the best part!”
She paused, leaning in close to Nick. “I used your relationship with the princesses to regain my power. It was slow since I wasn’t directly receiving your love, but by siphoning it, I built up my strength to launch another assault on Equestria. However, you moved faster than I was anticipating, I could sense your emotions fluctuating ever since you stepped foot in the Badlands. So instead of replacing all the important ponies of Equestria, I just need to replace you. Directly absorbing two alicorn’s love will make me unstoppable.”
“Twilight and Luna would never fall for it!” Nick barked. “They know me well enough to catch any of your mistakes. They also know I was coming after you so if I just came back that’d raise suspicion.”
Sabrina just laughed. “You look adorable when you’re angry, you know that? I don’t need to trick your marefriends, I already have the power. No, what I need you for is leverage. That they won’t use the Elements of Harmony against me if they want you safe.”
“I’m strong enough to beat you, even in this changeling form. You’re just wasting your breath!”
“Oh ho, confident are we? That’s what I always liked about you, Nicky, not afraid to get what he wants. Too bad we never took things to the ‘next level’. We could always pick up where we left off, I can make your captivity pleasureable,” she hissed, returning to her original form.
Nick was repulsed by the idea. “I’m no one's captive. No matter what you, Tirek or Sombra think, I still have control. And if you think I’m going to be beat by you this far into my journey, you’re dead wrong.”
Chrysalis just grinned. “Well then hero, show me what you got.”
Instead of rushing the queen, Nick flew towards the throne, hoping that it wasn’t too sturdy and would only need a few hits. The queen, however knew exactly what he was up to and intercepted him, tackling him into the wall. She wasn’t lying when she said she had gained her strength back.
“Ah ah ah,” she tsked. “I rather like my throne and wouldn’t want anything to happen to it. You should focus your attention on me. I am your future.”
Nick was able to push her off and punched her in the chest, sending her reeling. Thankfully Luna focused on non magic combat as well. He tried to close the distance distance between the bug queen and himself, but she was faster thanks to her wing size. After several failed attempts to land hits on her, she knocked him back with her magic.
“One thing you’ll learn quick about me, Nick,” Chrysalis laughed. “Is that I love playing with my food, especially their emotions.”
Nick decided maybe he needed to try his own changeling magic. Getting into melee range of the queen wasn’t helping. Everytime he tried to rush the throne she was there to block or knock him back. It also seemed that the more frustrated he got, the stronger she became.
Chrysalis just seemed amused at Nick’s struggle. “Did you seriously just barge in here without some sort of plan? That’d you somehow got lucky and managed to infiltrate my home without my knowledge? You’re good sweetie, but not that good. You should save yourself the humiliation and just give up now, I’m sure your marefriends would understand. There’s little hope that you can beat me!”
The hardest part for Nick was channeling his magic through his horn, he had become accustomed to using his paws. He still based it on his emotions, feeling his anger towards the queen swell. But then it finally seemed to click and Nick grinned.
“It’s funny you should mention hope, Chrysalis,” he calmly said, feeling his magic building up. “Because I am the Element of Hope!” He released a beam of magic, aiming at the queen herself. She was able to dodge it since she knew what he was planning. It impacted the wall, with what looked like enough force to destroy the throne.
“About time you figured that out,” Chrysalis kept her smug demeanour. “Now we can have a real battle.”
Nick had been battered for a good half hour trying to get the upper hoof on the queen. There was no more time for games, he needed to end this. He started charging up his magic, aiming at the queen.
“You’re gonna try hitting me again? Your reputation for making smart decisions is being tarnished here. Just give up now and I’ll be merciful.”
He just smiled and turned his body towards the throne. He closed his eyes and released. However he felt resistance, which was weird. When he opened his eyes, he saw the reason.
“Almost caught me off guard there, Nick,” the queen was smiling as her own horn was aglow. Their magic clashed, hers a darker green than his. “But is this really the best you got? I’m barely putting in any effort here.”
Nick tried to bolster his magic, but he seemed to have reached his limit. His changeling magic couldn’t possibly rival Chrysalis’.
“Now that’s just sad,” she started slowly applying more power, forcing Nick’s beam back inch by inch. “Here we have Equestria’s only hope, her ‘hero’, and you can’t even match my power. Pathetic. Would make sense for Twilight and Luna to choose such a weak mate, they never cared for power. Sabrina was lucky to have left such a defenseless fool.”
Time seemed to freeze for Nick. How dare she, stealing his emotions to give herself power and call him the weakling. She wanted his emotions, he’d damn well give them to her. He tried to avoid using what helped him defeat the manticore, but it seemed that Sombra was right. In order to defeat the darkness, he’d have to use darkness and hate himself.
The gem started to glow, not green, but red. It had become a “part” of his transformation, appearing to be lodged in his chest. His magic followed suit, turning a blood thirsty red. Chrysalis quirked her brow at the transformation.
“So you’re deciding to play dirty now? I like it.”
Nick was tired of her talking and unleashed his emotions. The beam grew stronger and Chrysalis started to strain against its power. He continued to relive memories, painful ones: Sabrina leaving him, Alex and his parent’s deaths, having to hurt two mares he loved. Each memory significantly pushed the queen back. Then he thought about how she used him.
A wave of red magic blasted from his horn, knocking the queen off her feet and into her throne. It was enough to crack it, but not completely destroy it. Nick at that point didn’t care. The only thing on his mind was making Chrysalis pay.
His magic engulfed the queen, and he slammed her into a wall. He lifted her up and charged into her dazed body, pinning her down. He brought his hoof back and connected with her abdomen, her chitin doing its job of protecting her. Even more frustrated, he brought another hoof down, this one knocking the breath out of her.
“Am I weak now?!” Smack. “Not enough power to match yours?!?” Jab. “Don’t deserve-”
“N-nick p-please,” Sabrina weakly moaned, bruises adorning her body. “Y-you’re h-h-hurting me.”
Even though he knew it was a lie, Nick hesitated. She just looked too much like her.
The queen wasted no time and blasted Nick away from her, directly into a pillar, an audible pop resounding throughout the cavern.
“Nick!” Thorax called out, but the guards restrained him.
“I’ll deal with you later,” Chrysalis sneered, focusing on the semi unconscious wolf. “I had really planned on keeping you alive. Cultivating your marefriends and your love forever. However from that display, it’s too risky to keep you alive.” She reared her head back, horn acting as a sword. “Time to die, Warrior of Hope!” She swung down.
“Noooooo!” Thorax found the strength to break the guards’ grip and threw himself in front of Nick. He closed his eyes preparing for the worst, but some unknown force stopped her magic. Not only did it stop the queen, but it created a shockwave that knocked her and Thorax away from each other. Chrysalis went flying into her throne, the aftershocks dealing the final blow to the already weakened base, causing it to topple over her. Thorax was thrown into a wall, a light thud made as he hit the ground.
Nick could immediately feel his magic returning to him, every broken bone and wound slowly starting to heal. Thorax couldn’t have timed his rescue any better. He was starting to see white. He slowly picked himself up, looking over to his friend who remained motionless. He’d have to check on him later, right now he needed to end the immediate threat.
The changelings that were caught in the blast were also trying to recover as well, wanting to know how this was going to end. Nick floated away the debris from his fallen opponent. He wasn’t surprised to see the queen had changed herself back into Sabrina’s form. As he continued removing debris, he found her horn, shattered into a blade. Without it, she probably wasn’t able to change back.
“Who’s pathetic now?” Nick asked rhetorically, looking over her broken body. She’d live if he let her. “You know, your son wanted me to give you a second chance. And even after what you put me through, he risked his life to stop you, so that’s the least I could do for him.”
“H-he’s not my son,” the queen spat, blood trickling down the corner of her mouth. “What second chance could you offer me?”
“Let go of all this hatred. Try another way to gain love from ponies other than just taking it. Thorax learned that by befriending me, he wasn’t as hungry anymore. It’ll be difficult, but if you help me stop the darkness, I’m sure all of Equestria will be willing to give you another chance as well.”
“Why should I help you? After you took everything away from me? You’re trying to justify your killing, that’s all you’re really doing. Trying to convince yourself you’re not as evil as we are, but it won’t work. Sombra can possess you, but any action you take is truly your own.”
“So does that mean your answer is no?”
“I’ll see you in Tartarus! You’re dead just like the rest of us!”
Nick just sighed and picked up the horn in his paw. He walked over to Sabrina, standing over her body. He took one last look. Her body was mangled, her beautiful blonde hair matted with her own blood. Her eyes glared into his own. This was not the woman he loved.
“Goodbye Sabrina,” he calmly spoke, thrusting the horn directly into her chest. Chrysalis let out a painful gasp, and looked down to where she had been stabbed. She then looked back at the wolf, trying to get one last word in, but her mouth was rapidly filling with blood. With a final gurgle, her head fell limp.
It felt like hours passed before her corpse was engulfed in darkness and absorbed by Nick. Once he adjusted to the extra magic and darkness in him, he ran over to Thorax.
“Thorax!” he gently moved his body to assess the damage. “Come on buddy! You can’t just die on me. Not again.”
The changeling slowly opened his eyes. Despite the pain he was currently feeling, he smiled. “Nick, you’re ok.”
“But you aren’t,” he shook his head, hoping his healing magic could save his friend. “Why do you have to go saving me all the time?”
“Because that’s what friends do,” Thorax coughed. “Thank you for giving her another chance. It was a long shot, but I was really hoping it could’ve ended another way.”
“Best friends,” Nick reminded him. “No, more than that. There’s no relationship that can describe what you’ve done for me. But it’s not over yet, we’re gonna make it through this Thorax.”
The changeling put his hoof into Nick’s paw. “It’s alright Nick. I was able to be a part of history, now the changelings can be more than just evil. With you to guide them, they can hopefully make amends for the damage we’ve done.” He started to close his eyes.
“No Thorax, buddy. Stay with me. You will guide them. You’re the best leader for them.” Light started to engulf Thorax. “NO! I am not absorbing your soul. I don’t deserve that honor. Thorax!”
The ball of light started floating up and Nick began to run. The orb followed suit, but stopped in the center of the room. It then exploded, knocking over everything once again, this time taking out the roof above them as well. Nick quickly got up to his feet and was speechless at what he saw.
A changeling stood where Chrysalis’ throne was, however this was a dramatic difference than the usual black variety. It’s body was an array of colors, atop its head orange antlers. It looked at Nick and smiled.
“Thorax?”
“Right?” Thorax grinned. He inspected himself again. “I think this is all thanks to you! Feeding off our friendship must have caused the change.”
The only thing Nick could process was that his friend was not dead. He ran up to Thorax and hugged him tightly.
“As touching a reunion as I could imagine,” Discord stepped out of the shadows.”Well, it’ll probably be even more emotional when you and your marefriends are reunited.”
“It’s about time you showed up,” Nick stuck his tongue out. “Enjoy playing captive?”
“Well I knew you would do it, so I decided to take a little break.”
“I didn’t do it, Thorax did,” Nick lowered his head. “I-I wasn’t strong enough. If Thorax hadn’t sacrificed himself, you’d have to go to another dimension. Wait how would-”
“Aaand now I believe it’s Thorax’s time to take his place as leader of the changelings.”
“What?! How could I lead them?”
“You defeated Chrysalis, they’re bound to respect you or fear you,” Nick reassured him. “Just give them a choice. They can either follow you or lead their own lives. Without the queen bullying them, they can choose how they actually want to be. Here I’ll help you.”
He turned towards the crowd of changelings, surprisingly still interested in what was going to happen to them. Some had fled when Thorax changed, but there was a sizeable amount left. Maybe it was how strongly they could sense the love between Nick and their brother.
“Changelings! This is what happens when you choose to share love instead of taking it. Chrysalis could only see one side of how it worked. I’m not sure how leaders are chosen in your culture or if they’re born, but I know Thorax has the qualities to show you what he’s learned from our time together. You do have a choice though. He won’t be like her and force you to follow him.”
He then motioned for Thorax to take over. “Nick is right. We don’t have to continue being the way we are. Hated, despised, always wondering where and when our next meal will come. When I first met Nick, I was only focused on all the love he had for the princesses that radiated off him. But he gave me a second chance, he became my friend, and I’ve never been so full in all my life. I know I was an outcast among you, but look at what happened. Mom is gone because she chose to cling to our ways. Do you want to share the same fate, always hungry and being hunted by ponies?”
There was a silence, not sure what the changelings would do. With three combined powers, Nick was sure they could handle an attack, but would they join their side? One changeling, female by her voice, answered that.
“You’re not hungry?” she asked cautiously, stepping forward.
“Nope,” Thorax smiled. “In fact, I may have put on a little weight.”
“How hard was it to befriend each other?” a male asked.
“Well since he was helping me use changeling magic, it wasn’t too hard,” Nick answered. “He saved my life before and that helped a lot. I know the ponies don’t have much trust in your race, but I’m sure with Thorax acting as a diplomat, to assure you all want to change your ways, they’d be willing to give you a second chance. Does that mean you’ll side with us?”
The changelings looked at one another and nodded. They all stepped forward and bowed to their new king. “If it means we won’t have to starve anymore, then I’m willing to give it a try.”
A few left, claiming Chrysalis would be their one and only queen. But that was expected. Changing, even for a changeling, could be a scary thing.
“Alright, now that that’s settled, I suggest we make haste to the Crystal Empire,” Discord announced. “Sombra is growing restless. As for you changelings that remain, I’d suggest you all get battle ready. War is coming.”
“What are you getting at now Discord?” Nick asked. “What 4th wall are you breaking now?”
“Ah ah ah, that would just lead to spoilers. Besides, we should introduce Thorax to Cadance. She’s the Princess of Love afterall. If an alliance between the Crystal ponies and the changelings could be formed, it could speed up their transformation.”
“Thorax can meet with Cadance. I’m sure I’m the last wolf Shining wants to see after hurting Twilight. I’ll get some supplies, but I’m out of there.”
“Nick, I can’t face them without you,” Thorax pleaded. “Sure physically I changed, but that doesn’t mean they’re gonna trust me with a song or something.”
“Chrysalis wasn’t defeated by a speech,” Nick placed a paw on his shoulder. “She was defeated by you. You sacrificed yourself to save me. I’m sure Cadance will be able to sense that. She knew I loved Twilight and Luna the moment we walked in the same room. Besides you’re the leader of your race now, you have to show them you can be independent. I won’t always be around, remember?”
Thorax nodded, a wavering smile on his face. “You’re right. But I’m not ready for you to leave yet.” He hugged the wolf.
The changelings could feel the love radiating from them, more than any they had stolen over their lives. Seemed they made the right decision.
“We’ll protect the castle while you’re gone sire,” a few guards saluted. “We’ll also follow the misshapen snake’s advice and start getting battle ready. Would need to anyway if those loyal to Chrysalis decide to take back the hive.”
“Enough talk, more adventuring,” Discord tapped his hoof. He summoned a flying pig and mounted up. “Onward to the Crystal Empire!” He rode his pig out of the roof.
Thorax laughing at his silliness and Nick just rolling his eyes, they took off as well. It would take hours instead of days to reach the Empire thanks to their flight capabilities. Thorax and Nick discussed what he had planned for the changelings, maybe getting Twilight involved in teaching them about friendship.
Night was steadily approaching, and they were about halfway to their destination. Mt. Canterlot was coming into view and they decided to stay the night there. To make sure they didn’t get caught so close to home, Discord created a bubble that blocked anything from coming in.
They all settled in, each retelling their account of what happened in the hive. Nick’s close defeat still hung over him like a rain cloud, at least that’s what Discord was doing at the moment.
“Oh cheer up Nick,” Discord tried to comfort the wet wolf. “Yeah it was a close call, but you had Thorax to help you. A win’s a win, no matter how close the score.”
“But close isn’t good enough!” Nick scolded himself. “Is that what Equestria’s future is depending on? If I just get close? I was a rag doll in there without my rage! But that just proves Sombra’s and Tirek’s point! I’m as evil as them. I need to be if I want to defeat them. I shouldn’t need anyone’s help! Not yours, not Thorax’s, Twilight’s, Luna’s or Celestia’s! I am the Hero of Equestria, not any of you. I’ve made it by myself on Earth, I don’t need anyone now.”
It didn’t take a changeling to see that the darkness was taking a hold of him, but Thorax could find the source of the darkness. Nick was scared and was starting to feel useless. Tirek was too easy to kill and Chrysalis could’ve killed Nick if he hadn’t helped. These words weren’t his, just the dark souls he had absorbed. He placed a hoof on Nick’s shoulder.
“Nick, you don’t mean any of that,” he looked into his friend’s eyes. They were red, something he wasn’t expecting. He was also snarling. “Nick, stay with me buddy. This is not you, this is Tirek, Chrysalis and Sombra. You are my best friend, and I would gladly give my life for you.”
His words seemed to have the intended effect, the red from Nick’s eyes were fading into his normal hazel irises. He could feel the dark energy also lulling, until Nick looked back at him in worry.
“Thorax, I-I’m sorry. I d-didn’t mean-”
Thorax hugged his friend. “I know. You’re stronger than you believe Nick. You could’ve attacked Discord or I, but you kept it to words. I couldn’t handle that amount of energy. I guess that’s why you’re the hero, right?” he joked.
“Actually it’s mostly thanks to that gem,” Discord pointed. “The Tree is brilliant when she wants to be. She used most of her magic to craft that as a vessel that could contain the darkness. If she hadn’t, the Everfree would be just as serene as the rest of Equestria.”
“So, the Tree told the truth about that? That the gem is bonded to me, and once I die, all the darkness does too?”
“Well simply just killing yourself won’t do anything other than leave us with your corpse. In order to destroy the gem and the darkness, you need to overcharge it with magical energy. Preferably the Elements, one blast from them is all you need.”
“So I need Twilight and her friends to attack me? Easier said than done,” Nick thought aloud.
“You and your violence,” Discord scoffed. “You could always ask them nicely to attack you. It’s not like they are savages like the villains you faced.”
Nick deadpanned.
“You’ll come up with something Nick,” Thorax encouraged. “Right now, Sombra is still alive, so we need to focus on him. And I suggest we do that by going to sleep.”
There was no arguing with that. Nick hit his bedroll and was instantly out. He was still recuperating from his wounds. Without his regenerative magic, some of the wounds were able to reach deep. He had slightly troubled dreams, the repeat death of “Sabrina”, but he eventually convinced himself that wasn’t her. That was just Chrysalis trying to get into his head.
Another day came, Discord’s magic doing its job of leaving the trio off the radar, especially with the spike in Nick’s magical energy levels. There was the usual banter, Thorax having good dreams of his own. Some quick breakfast later and they took off. Nick looked back and waved goodbye to Canterlot and Ponyville. This was really happening.
He turned his head forward, Cloudsdale was coming into sight. It truly was a sight to behold, rainbows pouring like waterfalls into the clouds. Too bad there wasn’t time to sightsee, there were a lot of amazing places to visit according to Twilight and her friends when they came back from Cutie Map missions. Neighagra Falls was to their right, the pristine, crystal clear water and low rumble was audible from where they were.
Cloudsdale and the Falls came and went, and they were treated to a sight of rolling plains and clear skies. In the distance they could see the snow capped mountains surrounding the empire. A magnificent spire was centered at the city, catching a few rays of sunlight.
“I think Cadance got the best deal of all the princesses,” Nick remarked.
“Yeah, now that we’re flying towards it, I can still feel a strong sense of love coming from the city,” Thorax nodded. A few minutes later and they were in the outskirts.
“What’s the plan?” Thorax asked Nick.
“Well first we need some disguises. I wonder how strong my changeling magic is now that I have Chrysalis’ power?”
“Only one way to find out. If you have her power, you should be able to change into any pony you want.”
Nick closed his eyes. He didn’t think about what he looked like, just that he was a pony. This time he could feel the changes. His bushy tail turned into fine hairs, his legs rearranging and he felt himself get taller. His face tingled, probably changes to his muzzle and eyes. A small pop signified the end of the transformation.
“Whoa, that’s a pretty dramatic change,” Thorax gasped.
Nick opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was his new mane, long and black with blue highlights. He brushed his mane away with a white tipped hoof. He was now eye level with the changeling, confirming his suspicions he had grown. He looked back and saw that while his tail was now hair, it still looked full and fluffy, the colors matching his mane.
“Discord you not going to comment?” Nick looked around, but again the draconequus had disappeared. “Well at least we don’t have to worry about his disguise.”
“I’ll go for a normal earth pony,” Thorax decided, using his own magic. He turned into a blue pony with a hat. “Lead the way.”
“Where do you think he could be?” Shining asked his wife as they looked at a strategic map.
“I don’t know sweetie,” Cadance sighed. She believed that Nick was doing this because he was concerned about Twilight’s and Luna’s safety. She knew what she felt - wait.
“Honey, what’s wrong?” her weary husband noticed. Looking for the wolf that broke his sister’s heart along with being a father had taken its toll.
“Let’s take a walk Shiny.”
“What?”
“We’ve been cramped up in the castle this entire time. Some good fresh air and a bit of exercise will do us well. Sunburst is watching Flurry. It’s not like we’re leaving the empire.”
“Alright,” he smiled. “You have a good point. Plus it’s been awhile since we’ve done anything together. Let me go get freshened up.”
When her husband was out of the room, Cadance grinned. “I didn’t think he’d be this bold to come here, but maybe Sombra is now the last villain. Something with a lot of love just stepped into our kingdom.”
The marketplace was huge, but surprisingly didn’t have much of a selection of climbing or winter gear. Then again, it was late summer, the snows wouldn’t cover most of the empire until mid fall.
“So how are you going to get me into the castle and meet Princess Cadance,” Thorax asked as they moved to another vendor.
“I still need to think of that,” Nick frowned. He just realized that Cadance could sense love. But they were far from the castle, she couldn’t have sensed his love from that far. “I probably can’t go with you. She knows what my love feels like.”
“She can sense love as well? I thought she only helped ponies fall in love.”
“Nope, she knew Twilight, Luna and I were in love the minute we walked in. On that note you probably have nothing to worry about. You may be a changeling, but you’re a reformed changeling. She’d be terrible at her job if she couldn’t feel our friendship.”
“You mean love?”
Nick just blinked at him. “Between guys, it’s just bromance.”
“That still doesn’t help us with getting into the castle,” Thorax replied.
“I’m sure they allow visitors, Celestia holds a public forum, Cadance probably does as well.”
“Look! It’s Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor!”
“Or they can come to us,” Nick thought then realized what this meant. “I gotta go. You’ll be fine.”
I can sense Nick’s love, but there’s one just as strong and appears to be linked to him as well. Trying to escape Nick? That’s cute.
“H-honey, where are you going?!” the confused stallion worried.
“Love trouble!” she lied. “Don’t worry, I’ll be right back!”
The unicorn just stood there, blinking. All the years he knew his wife, there was never a “love crisis” that required her urgent attention. He followed suit.
Thorax, despite Nick’s wishes, chased after him. Cadance was hot on their hooves, Shining not too far behind. While this was the most fun she had had in awhile, she decided she teased the wolf enough. Extending her wings she took off, flying quickly over the two sources of love. One was a blue earth pony, a hat on their head. Further ahead a … pony. She quirked an eyebrow at the revelation, but knew her sense was never wrong.
She dove to intercept the first pony, gracefully landing in front of him. If this was Nick, he certainly had done a good job on disguise. Without her “love sense” no pony would have thought he was a wolf.
“Why, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a pony like you around here,” Cadance appraised her target.
“I-I just arrived, wanted to do some sightseeing,” Nick mentally cursed himself for dropping his guard.
“Then why did you run? It’s awfully hard to see the sights when you’re going so fast,” she circled around him.
He didn’t have a response to that. Thorax and Shining were able to catch up to the two.
“Hi darling!” Cadance sang out. “These two are the one with the love trouble.”
“I’m not gay!” Nick yelled out, causing everypony to stare at him.
Cadance smirked and leaned in. “I know you’re not, Nick. But if you want to get out of here with your secret safe, you and your friend will come with Shining and I.”
Seeing as he was cornered, he nodded.
“Good,” Cadance looked to her bemused lover. “Ok Shining, we’re going to give these two the grand tour of the kingdom, starting with the castle.”
She started trotting off, humming happily to herself, her poor husband just following along. Thorax looked to Nick.
“Well, that’s one way to get a meeting with Cadance,” he sighed, following the couple.