//------------------------------//
// A Canterlot Wedding PT1 
// Story: Flash Sentry, Defender of the Peace S2 
// by Banshee531 
//------------------------------//

It had been an hour or two since Springer had left with Princess Luna.

Thanks to the princess calling the two out for fighting for no reason in the morning, Flash and Iron decided to train separately. Now, Flash was doing his theta state training while Iron continued his daily workout. The orange pegasus was in a meditative stance, his eyes closed as he let out a long sigh.

"Calm...focus..." Flash muttered to himself, air repeatedly coming out of his nostrils. "Have to stay...calm. Have to be....focused." As he let out another sigh, his mind starting to calm down. The thoughts in his head slowed down, his brain trying to stop every thought.

That is, till a certain thought entered his head. It was the idea of Springer meeting another jakhowl. Then, he started to see Springer staying with the other jakhowl, leaving and-

"Grrr...AUGH!" Flash moaned as he fell back, his body now laying in the grass. "Darn it! Why can't I focus?!"

Iron stopped and turned to the defender, raising an eyebrow. "Hey! Get up lazy bones! You'll never master the theta state doing that!"

Flash waved a hoof, looking away. "At this point, I'm starting to think I'm wasting my time. Besides, I...I can't stop thinking about Springer."

Iron rolled his eyes, rubbing his head in frustration. "Oh please, the furball's fine. So he's gonna go meet one of his own kind, what's so bad about that? You scared he's gonna leave you or something?"

That thought repeatedly appeared in Flash's head, causing him to sigh again. What if this new jakhowl knew how to find others and asked Springer to go with him, leaving Flash forever? What would Flash do? The pegasus felt his stomach churn at that thought, making him frown.

Iron facehoofed. "Oh jeez, I can't handle this. I'm out of here."

"Hey!" Flash yelped as he hopped up, glaring at him. "Don't just leave! I'm having a heart-wrenching emotional conflict here, so come comfort me!"

"No," Iron deadpanned, turning around and waving his hoof goodbye. "You've got a whole bunch of female friends, go have one of them comfort you."

"Fine! I'll go do that then!" Flash yelled as Iron started to disappear into the distance. "At least they know how to make a pony feel better, ya stinking metalhead!" He growled as he got up and grabbed Lightbringer, grumbling as he did. He then remembered that his friends were going to do a picnic later today, which caused him to spread his wings. "Maybe they'll be able to help. I sure hope so..."

A few minutes later, he was in sky, making his way to his friends. There, he saw his friends in a meadow, unfolding a picnic basket. Everypony except Pinkie was already there, though Iron was also walking up to the picnic. This made Flash guess that Fluttershy had invited him.

Landing nearby, he walked up to them and asked, "Hey girls! How's it going?"

"Hey Flash!" Twilight waved to him, patting her side to signal him to sit by her.

As he sat down, he asked, "Say, where's Pinkie? She's not one too be late."

Twilight shook her head and shrugged. "No idea. I hope she didn't forget or got the wrong time."

"I doubt Pinkie would forget. Maybe she's-"

"We're here!" They all turned to see Pinkie rushing towards them, a big pink cake balanced on her head with Wild Smile by her side. "Sorry we're late!" she said as she put the cake down. "Hope you don't mind, but I invited Wild."

Rarity gave them a smug wave of the hoof. "Of course not darling. Considering he'll be spending more time in Ponyville, we'll need to get used to him being around more."

"Gee thanks," Wild deadpanned as he sat down. Apparently, Rarity was still leery of him after The Battle of Canterlot, especially since he knocked her out back then.

"Thanks, thanks," his puppets repeated.

With this, the picnic began. The friends all began to eat, talking about their past few days in Ponyville. However, a few minutes in, Rainbow Dash noticed a certain missing member. She tapped Flash's shoulder, "Hey Flash, where's Springer?"

The question made Flash shiver. A small frown appeared on his face as he replied, "Yeah...about that..." He started the scratch the back of his head, doing a slight gulp. He then saw everyone's expectant looks, wanting an explanation. A sigh later, he began to tell the tale of this morning with Princess Luna.

"Wow..." Twilight gasped as Flash ended the explanation. She began rubbing her in chin in thought. "I can't believe there's another jakhowl. I mean, there was always the possibility, but to think Princess Luna would be able to find one." She shined a small smile before patting Flash's back. "Isn't that great Flash? Now Springer won't be alone."

"Yeah...great." Flash groaned, looking away.

"You okay partner?" Applejack asked.

"He's just being a drama queen," Iron chimed in with a roll of his eyes, getting a glare from Flash. "He thinks Springer's gonna leave him forever."

Fluttershy put her hooves over her mouth. "Oh dear. Surely you can't think that Flash. I'm sure he won't leave you."

Twilight nodded in agreement. "After everything the two of you have been through, there's no way he would leave you."

Flash turned to her, the frown deepening. "You think?"

"I'm sure of it," Twilight assured him, half-hugging him with her hoof. "You two share a bond that some of us wish we could have."

The others all nodded at this, causing Flash's frown to shrink a little. "Yeah...I guess. Thanks girls."

"No problem," Twilight said as she magically put one of the hay sandwiches into her mouth. "Now come on, eat your meal Flash."

"Yeah yeah, whatever." Flash grumbled as he put the sandwich in his gullet.

As they continued to eat, Rarity leaned back with a huge smile on her face. "Ahhh...it is gorgeous out. Just gorgeous."

"And the food doesn't look half bad either," Iron mumbled as he looked at the cake Pinkie had brought. "Its the only thing that's worth looking at in this place."

Iron felt a smack from Fluttershy's wing. "Iron, the cake is the last thing we eat." She glared at him before showing him a sandwich. "Here. Eat."

Iron opened his mouth to reply, but Fluttershy's stare was enough to stop his retort. Instead, he took the sandwich and ate it with a grumble. He then glared at Flash, who was chuckling at him. Iron gave him a death glare, only for the two defenders to pick up a new sound of someone running towards them.

"What's up?" Twilight asked as she saw them looking at the distance.

"I think...Spike's rushing towards us."

They turned to see the little purple dragon baby rushing towards them. "Twi...light!" He cried once he had eventually gotten close to them. He stopped right in front of her, panting heavily as if he had just run all the way from the library. "I...have...I was uh...lemme just-" He didn't finish as he then burped out a puff of smoke, which quickly reformed into a scroll. Twilight clapped at the sight, taking it in her magic and unfurling it.

"Dear Twilight," She started. "I am sure you are as excited as I am about the upcoming wedding in Canterlot. Wedding?!" She stopped for a moment, looking at the others in a confused manner. She started reading again, "I will be presiding over the ceremony, but would very much like you and your friends to help with the preparations for this wonderful occasion. Fluttershy, I would like you and your songbird choir to provide the music."

The buttercream pegasus let out a gasp. "Oh my goodness! What an honor!"

"Pinkie Pie," Twilight continued. "I can think of no one more qualified than you to host the reception."

"Yay!" Pinkie cried before turning to Wild Smile, a knowing smirk on her face. "You'll help, right?"

"Just try and stop me." Wild replied with a stuck-out tongue.

"Applejack, you will be in charge of the catering for the reception."

"Well, color me pleased as punch!" Applejack said with a tip of her hat.

"Rainbow Dash." The said mare let out a yawn, expecting to be given some boring job. "I would very much appreciate it if you could perform a sonic rainboom as the bride and groom complete their 'I do's'."

Rainbow's body shot up like a rocket, leaping into the air. "Yes!"

"Rarity, you will be responsible for designing the dresses for the bride and her bridesmaids."

Rarity's eyes went wide in shock. "Princess Celestia wants me to–" She suddenly spoke in an unintelligent manner as her eyes twitched and she started to look wobbly on her hooves. "Wedding dress? For a Canterlot wedding...I, ah, oooh!" Finally, she collapsed on the ground with a big goofy grin on her face.

"Flash and Iron, the two of you will be helping with security. Grand Hoof along with Heather Bloom and First Aid will also be there."

"Seriously?" Flash said with a raised eyebrow. "Whoever's getting married must be important."

Iron nodded. "No kidding. Having three Royal Knights and two apprentices is almost like having a complete army there."

"And as for you Twilight, you will be playing the most important role of all: Making sure that everything goes as planned. See you all very soon. Yours, Princess Celestia." Twilight looked through the letter again, still confused. "But...I don't understand. Who's getting married?"

"Oh, wait!" Spike yelped nervously as he pulled out another piece of paper. "Uh, I was probably supposed to give you this one first."

Twilight rolled her eyes as she took the paper in her magic before reading it aloud. "Princess Celestia cordially invites you to the wedding of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and-" She suddenly let out a loud gasp before screaming, "MY BROTHER?!"

Everypony gasped at hearing this. Well, all except Flash, who wanted to say 'Called it!'. Instead, he just put another spring roll in his mouth, slightly staring at Twilight with a smug smirk. He had a feeling he knew exactly what Twilight's reaction was about to be.

"Your brother's getting married?" Applejack asked before shaking the purple unicorn's hoof. "Congratulations Twilight, that's great news!"

Twilight's eyes shrunk as steam blew out of her nostrils, pure anger on her face. "Yeah sure, great news...that I just got from a wedding invitation! Not from my brother, but from a piece of paper! Thanks a lot, Shining Armor! I mean, really?! He couldn't tell me personally?!" She raised a sandwich in her magic and started mimicking her brother. "Hey, Twilight, just thought you should know I'm making a really big decision that changes everything. Oh, never mind, you'll hear about it when you get the invitation." She slowed the sandwich and started talking normally. "Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, who in the hoof is that?!"

Flash snickered at this, knowing from the start that Twilight would not know the name since she had never heard anypony say it. Well actually, the name had been said around her, but always when she was in a book or something else. As he snickered, Iron and Wild leaned over, whispering to the stallion.

"Hey Sentry, what's going on here? I thought she knew Princess Cadenza?" Iron asked.

Wild nodded in agreement. "Yeah. I thought she liked her."

Flash shined a cheeky grin. "She only knows her by her shortened name. I've considering telling her for like...I don't know how long. Maybe I'll tell her when this stops being fun."

Iron and Wild actually chuckled at that, getting the mare's attention. "What are you three snickering at?" Twilight asked as she walked up to them. "Flash, aren't you upset about this?! You know, about the stallion that is also technically your older brother, is getting married and you're not angry?!"

Flash gave her a deadpan stare. "No Twilight, I'm not."

"WHAT?!" Twilight shrieked, her horn about to lit up and grab his ear.

Flash however, laid back with his hooves behind his head. "Twilight, I saw it coming years ago. I mean, the two of them were always making goo-goo eyes at one another. I'm surprised it took them this long to decide to tie the knot."

"What are you talking about?" Twilight growled as her horn lit up, causing Flash to put his hoof over his ear. "Are you saying you know who this Mi Amore Cadenza is?"

"Yes, I know. And please don't pull my ear." Flash replied with a smirk, "In fact, we've all met her. Heck, you've known her for years."

"No I haven't!" Twilight almost yelled, grabbing Flash's neck with her hoof. "I've never met this mare before. I don't know any Mi Amore Cadenza!!!"

Unfortunately for Flash, all he could do is snicker. He then started laughing, making Twilight's horn light up. The following chuckle made a magic aura pull his ear. "Ow! Stop it Twilight!"

"Then stop laughing at me!"

"Okay okay!" Flash waved his hooves around in a panic. "Just stop. I'll give you a hint about who she is, okay?"

"I DON'T WANT A HINT FLASH! TELL ME WHO IT IS!!!" Twilight exclaimed, pulling Flash up to her face. "TELL ME NOW!"

Flash let out a low sigh, giving her another deadpan stare. "Calm down Twilight. All you need to do is sound out her whole name and you'll get it."

Twilight raised her eyebrow at this, but Flash just gave her a 'go on' motion. "Me-A-more-ray-K-dense...ah." Flash could see the gears turning in her head. "Mi Amore...Cadance?!"

The other girls realised who she was talking about and suddenly looked at one another in amazement.

"Princess Cadance?!" Pinkie asked, repeating Twilight's words.

Flash nodded. "That's right."

"I can't believe it," Rarity gasped, putting her hoof over her chest.

"She was so nice back at the festival," Fluttershy added with a happy smile. "To think she's the one getting married."

Twilight on the other hoof, looked like she had just been hit by a buffalo. "Cadance...and my brother...together? But when did...how did that...HUH?!"

Flash patted her shoulder, winking. "Like I said, I'm surprised it took them this long."

"B-b-but how?" Twilight asked in amazement. "How long have they been...romantically involved?"

"Since before I met you," Flash deadpanned as he put another spring roll in his mouth. "Thought apparently they had just started dating like...a month before that."

"WHAT?!"

"Eeyup." Flash replied as he started chewing his food. He raised his left eyebrow. "You can't seriously tell me you never figured it out? It was so obvious."

"No, I didn't!" Twilight hissed as she lit up her horn again, ready to pull Flash's ear. "Are you telling me that you knew about this for years, but never told me?!"

Flash gave her a shrug, gulping down the treat. "I honestly thought you would have at least figured it out. I mean, I get that you didn't know about Cadance's real name but..." Flash let out a sigh. "Up until a few years ago, when you suggested the Shining try dating somepony and when he didn't tell you anything, I figured he was keeping it a secret. Though I don't know why, since everypony knew about them."

"Everypony?! You're kidding, right?" Twilight growled.

Flash started counting on his hoof. "Well there's me, your parents, Princess Celestia, Donut Joe-"

"Donut Joe knew before me?!" Twilight shrieked, her horn flaring again.

"Yes. Donut Joe knew." Flash replied sheepishly, almost backpedaling. "Please don't hurt me Twilight. Okay?"

Twilight continued to frown, only to let out a long sigh and look away. The others watched as she stared off into the distance, a sad expression on her face.

Applejack called out to her. "Twilight? Um...you okay pardner?"

"I thought I knew him," Twilight replied in a sad, low tone. "Before I came here and learned the importance of friendship, there were only two ponies I ever really accepted as a friend." She let out a long sigh. "And Shining Armor was the first one of them. But now I realise that I knew so little about him."

"That's not true Twilight," Flash told her as they all gathered around her. "So you didn't know one thing about him, that doesn't change the fact that you two are the closest siblings I've ever met. You two have the kind of relationship I want me and Scootaloo to have."

"Then why didn't he tell me he was getting married?!" Twilight asked as she glared at him again.

This time though, Flash wasn't intimidated. He just gave her a shrug. "No clue. But you can ask him yourself if you want to go to the wedding."

Twilight levitated up the wedding invitation and scrunched it up in anger. "Oh, I'm going alright. I'm going to give him a piece of my mind...before making sure he and Cadance have the best wedding Equestria has ever seen!"

The others all smiled at this, knowing what to do next. With this, the ended the picnic and began to pack up for Canterlot.





Two hours later...

The train to Canterlot was in full steam ahead as it chugged along the tracks. Inside one of the carriages was our heroes, all of them talking about the wedding in excitement. The CMC were just as excited, having also been invited to the festivities as well.

Sweetie Belle had a huge grin on her face, her whole form shivering in excitement. "This is gonna be so awesome! I've never been to a wedding before."

Scootaloo nodded in agreement before glancing at her older brother. "Same here. Though uh...does this mean I'll be related to a princess?"

Flash wasn't sure how to respond to that. He rubbed his chin in thought, "I guess it would be an...honorary relation. I've always considered Shining and Cadance my brother and sister, so I guess it counts."

"Awesome!" Scootaloo exclaimed with a hoof pump. Flash chuckled at this as he turned to look out the window and saw Canterlot in the distance. The others joined in, all admiring the massive city.

Fluttershy clapped her hooves "Ohhh, I can't wait. This is gonna be amazing."

"Yeah it will!" Rainbow bragged, hovering in place as she put her hooves behind her back. "A sonic rainboom? At a wedding?! Can you say "best wedding ever?"

Pinkie nodded as they went through a tunnel. "BEST WEDDING EVER!"

"So you all get to help with the big fancy wedding," Spike grumbled as they exited the tunnel, giving them all a glare. "But I'm the one who gets to host the bachelor party! And I have no idea what a bachelor party is!"

They all chuckled at this, only for everyone to notice Twilight sitting alone, staring out the window with a glum look on her face. Applejack and Flash moved over to her, the earth pony speaking first, "Why the long face sugarcube?"

"I'm just thinking about Shining Armor," Twilight moaned, her ears flopping down. "Ever since I moved to Ponyville, we've been seeing each other less and less. And now that he and Cadance are starting a new family together, we'll probably never see each other."

Flash rolled his eyes at this, putting his wing over his friend. "Don't be like that Twilight. Do you honestly think Cadance would do that to you? If anything, this'll just bring you guys closer together."

Twilight stared back at him. "You think so?"

"We do," Applejack nodded, patting her friend's soulder. "You're his sister. He'll always make time for you."

Twilight just frowned. "Couldn't seem to make time to tell me he was getting married."

Flash was about to reply, only for his ears to pick up a certain pink pony's voice. "We're here!"

"We're here! We're here!" several floating puppets repeated.

They all looked out the window and saw she was right. The city of Canterlot had come into view and when it did, they saw it was actually engulfed by a purple energy field like bubble.

"What's that?" Wild Smile asked.

Flash crossed his hooves at the sight. "It must be the Canterlot Defense Grid. Princess Celestia told us about it during the Battle of Canterlot. My guess is that Shining Armor's the one powering it."

"Whoa," the others all said as they watched the train get closer to the bubble. At the train's entrance to the city, they saw several guards standing there with their spears crossed. When the train arrived at the entrance, they uncrossed their spears and it chugged past and through the field. As they did, the purple energy passed through the train car and hit everypony in it.

"That was weird," Applebloom shivered, rubbing her hooves in slight digust.

The train soon pulled up to the station and came to a stop, the train doors opening for the metal machine. The group all nodded to each other, all grabbing their stuff before hopping onto the platform. There, they saw a plethora of royal guards.

Rainbow leaned slightly back at the sight. "Whoa. What's with all the guards?"

"I'm sure they're just taking the necessary precautions," Rarity explained with a wave of the hoof. "Royal weddings do bring out the strangest ponies."

In that moment, Flash and Iron stepped onto the platform and the guards saw their Celestic Gears. Faster than Rainbow in cider season, the guards surrounded the two with their spears pointed at them.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Flash yelped with his hooves raised. "Easy guys! We're Flash Sentry and Iron Core, the apprentice knights!"

"We're here to help with security," Iron added.

The guards did not look convinced. This was evident as their spears got closer to the duo's necks. That is, till-

"At ease stallions!"

The guards suddenly pulled back and moved aside, allowing them to see a familiar green earth pony mare. Flash let out a long sigh as he called out to the mare. "Heather! Great to see you!"

She gave the two stallions a nod before motioning her hoof. "Its good to see you as well. Now come on, there's a lot of work that needs doing."

"Are you gonna be attending the royal wedding too?" Scootaloo asked as she rushed up to her, happy to see one of the doctors that helped her a while back.

Heather patted the filly's head. "I wish I could, but me and First will be on perimeter duty."

"Seriously? All these precautions just for a wedding?" Spike asked.

"It's not just for the wedding," Heather explained, rubbing the side of her head in frustration. "A threat has been made against Canterlot. We don't know who's responsible for it, but Princess Celestia has upped security to the max."

"Tch, that explains the force field." Flash commented as he looked back at the purple bubble.

"Exactly," Heather grumbled as they arrived at the outskirts of the castle. "Since Princess Luna is away on some mission, it falls to use to keep Canterlot safe during the night." It was then that they saw First and Grand Hoof standing with a bunch of guards.

When they turned to see the others, the two stallion knights smirked. "Good to see you kids," Grand called out before turning to Twilight. "And congrats on getting a new sister-in-law Twi."

Twilight gave the old stallion a death glare, causing him to almost lean back. "Thanks. You wouldn't happen to know where my brother is, would you?" she hissed, her eye twitching.

First nodded, ignoring her glare. "Last I saw him, he was on the battlements."

"Thank you." Twilight growled as she turned around, her eyes narrowing at her new destination.

Grand nudged his apprentice. "You go too Flash. I expect you'll want to talk to him as well. That and that glare she was giving is...yeah."

"Got it." Flash replied as he took to the skies after Twilight, turning to call over his shoulder. "Scootaloo, stick with Applejack and give her a hoof."

"Okay," he heard her reply before she was out of earshot. It didn't take him long to catch up to Twilight, as he saw that she was talking to a few guards for directions.

That is, till she turned and walked up to a certain white stallion. She sucked up a breath before yelling. "SHINING ARMOR! I've got something to say to you mister!"

Shining turned around and smiled as he pulled off his helmet. "Twily, Flash!" He started to rush over to his sister, only for Flash to land in front of him.

Flash gave him wavering hooves, "Careful bro. Twilight's not in the best of moods with you."

"Huh? Why?" Shining asked, only to feel a certain magic tug on his ear. "Ow! What the-"

"How dare you not tell me in person that you were getting married! I'm your sister, for pony's sake!" Twilight screamed as she twisted his ear. "Who do you think you are?!"

Shining let out a small whine as he covered his ear with his hooves. "Ow ow ow! Stop that! It's not my fault! Princess Celestia has requested a major increase in security."

Flash walked inbetween the two. "Heather told us. Canterlot's being targeted, right?"

Shining nodded. "Exactly. Princess Celestia asked that I help provide additional protection." He then gave his sister a sympathetic look, causing her magic to leave his ear. Shining turned and pointed to the bubble over the city. "Here, you need to see this." He stepped back and closed his eyes, his horn beginning to glow brighter and brighter. Eventually, a purple burst of energy shot out and into the sky, striking the top of the shield and causing the entire thing to glow even brighter.

Flash covered his eyes from the shine. "Whoa. I knew you were good with shield spells, but I didn't think you were that good."

Shining gave them a cheeky grin. "You underestimate me." He said, though by the way he was holding his head, the spell was giving obviously him a headache. He then turned back to Twilight. "The burden of keeping Canterlot safe and secure rests squarely on my shoulders. Staying focused on the task at hoof has been my top priority."

"I know how that feels," Flash agreed as he tapped Twilight's shoulder. "Heck, think back to the time travel incident Twilight. You were so focused on stopping a disaster that you couldn't think of anything else. When you're in a position of authority to protect others, you'll-OW!"

"Shut up Flash." Twilight grumbled, pulling his ear now. She looked back at her brother, letting out a long snort. A second later, she facehoofed before saying, "Okay, okay, I get it. You've got a really important job protecting all of Canterlot with a force field that only you can conjure up. But still...how could you not tell me about something as big as your wedding?" She looked at Shining with tears in her eyes. "Am I not that important to you any more?! WELL?!"

Shining placed a hoof on her shoulder, "Hey, you're my little sister. Of course you're important to me. But I'd understand if you didn't want to be my best mare now."

This got Twilight and Flash's attention, enough for Twilight's grip on Flash's ear to disappear. "You want me to be your best mare?!"

Shining gave her a comforting shrug. "Well yeah. I thought about asking Flash, but with all the security I heard Grand had planned for him-"

"Say no more." Flash grumbled as he rubbed his ear in slight pain. "I think Twilight will be a much better choice."

"Thanks," Shining chuckled as he turned back to his sister. "So, what do you say?"

Twilight paused for a second, only to then shine a huge smile. "I'd be honored."

Seeing this, Shining pulled his little sister into a hug. "Thanks Twily! I know Cadance will be happy to hear that."

Flash smirked at this, his eyebrows hopping up and down as he leaned over to Twilight. "So when are you gonna tell your brother that you didn't know he was even dating Cadance?"

Twilight gave him a death glare, while Shining stared at her in confusion. "You didn't know? Its not like we kept it secret or anything."

"Well..." Twilight twiddled her hooves before blushing. "I uh..."

"Typical Twily," Shining guffawed, tapping his hoof on the bridge. "Smartest unicorn in Equestria, but can't see things that are right in front of her." This made Flash laugh and Twilight blush even harder.

That is, till Twilight let out a low hiss. "Well, I might not have been happy about not being told but...." she let out a long sigh. "If you had to marry somepony, I'm glad it's Cadance."

Flash nodded in agreement. "Same here." he then leaned his hoof on Shining's shoulder. "And here I thought I could boss you around when I became a Royal Knight. I guess this'll put us on equal hoofing."

"Very funny," Shining deadpanned, pushing off Flash's hoof.

"I just can't believe it," Twilight said, shaking her head in amazement. "You're marrying Cadance. Now that I think about it, I just can't stop thinking about how amazing this is. You're marrying Cadance!" She started dancing around happily, causing Flash and Shining to wink at each other. This is, until a familiar pink alicorn walked up to them.

It was Princess Cadance, who now stood there with a disapproving look on her face. "Hope I'm not interrupting anything important?" She asked.

"Cadance!" Twilight cried happily before leaping in front of the alicorn, crouching down to do their special dance. "Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!"

Cadance just stared at Twilight, looking perplexed by her actions. "What are you doing?"

This made both Twilight and Flash raise an eyebrow. Since when did Cadance not do their special dance? Flash blinked as he asked, "Uh...Cadance? You okay?"

"I'm fine," Cadance replied as she trotted past them and over to Shining Armor. She placed her hoof on Shining, giving him a small, calm smile.

Seeing this, the captain of the royal guard grinned before turning to the younger ponies. "Welp, I've gotta get back to my station, but Cadance will be checking in with all of you to see how things are going. I think I speak for both of us when I say we couldn't be more excited to have you here. Right, dear?"

Cadance gave the two an unusual glare. "Absolutely."

Shining hugged his finance as he said, "Well, we'll let you get to it." With that, he and Cadance turned to head off, leaving Flash and Twilight on the bridge.

"Did something seem...off about Cadance to you?" Twilight asked.

Flash nodded, scratching the side of his head. He turned to Twilight with a perplexed look. "Maybe it's wedding jitters?"

"Maybe...maybe not." Twilight commented, crossing her hooves.

Looking back at the leaving couple, Flash flexed his wings. "I'd better go report to Grand. You gonna be alright on your own?"

"I'll be fine," Twilight said as she walked off, leaving Flash alone.

The young pegasus sighed, hating seeing Twilight like this, but knew he had other duties to attend to. Once again, he flexed his wings and took to the sky, flying over the castle towards the usual training ground. Grand was there, directing a bunch of guards to where they were meant to patrol. Flash also noticed he now had a large war-hammer by his side, Grand Hoof's Celestic Gear named Grand Slammer.

The older pony looked up and saw Flash coming in for a landing. "Hey kiddo, ready to get to work?"

Flash nodded to his mentor. "Sure am. Where's Iron and the other knights?"

"Already on their assignment," Grand replied, letting out a long snort from his nostril's. "We need to be vigilant, especially with the recent breech we had a few days ago. That's why we had Shining Armor create this force field."

"Breech?" Flash asked, not liking the sound of that.

Grand nodded back. "Yup. Last week, a group of guards patrolling the gardens were ambushed by a unicorn with yellow fur and a green mane. The unicorn tried to knock them out with a sneak attack but failed. When the guards chased the unicorn through the gardens, they lost him, only finding the gardener who hadn't seen anypony come by. Then there was another incident that night, this time a silver pegasus was seen flying near the throne room tower. They disappeared when they heard the guard yelling at them."

"That's not good..."

"And it gets weirder," Grand went on. "The gardener those guards spoke to was found in her supply shed the next morning. She said she had been in there all day, after somepony knocked her out and tied her up with a gag.

"That is weird." Flash commented as he gripped Lightbringer. "Alright, I'll be sure to keep an eye out for anything strange."

"Good lad," Grand said as he handed him a sheet of paper. "This is your schedule. You're to be at these spots during these times."

"Got it," Flash replied as he took the sheet and saluted his mentor. He then took back to the sky, quickly heading over to the first location on his list, the sculpture garden. He soon arrived there and began his patrol, not daring to overlook a single thing. That is, till about twenty minutes of patrol, in which Flash was starting to get bored. He was used to patrolling a much larger area, not a fairly small statue garden. As Flash landed on the ground and walked through the place, he came up to a corner, only to not notice somepony turning the same corner.

"Ow!" He yelped as he rubbed his head from the collison that soon happened. As he did, he glanced at the pony he had bumped into. He saw it was a unicorn mare that had dark green fur with an orange mane and tail. She wore thin glasses and her Cutie Mark was a stone mason chisel. "Gorgenia?"

Gorgenia blinked, her surprise quickly fading to a deadpan stare. "Oh, hello Flash Sentry."

"It's just Flash," the pegasus replied at an almost similar deadpan tone.

Gorgenia raised an eyebrow. "Okay....What are you doing here Flash?"

"Patrolling for the wedding. What about you?"

"Making sure none of the statues need any work," Gorgenia grumbled as she now walked past him, going to a statue just behind Flash. "Its my job after all."

"Right....yeah. Sorry." Flash gulped as he leaned against the tree and watched her do her thing. He blinked at the sight, seeing a sad look in Gorgenia's eyes. Seeing this, he spoke up, "So uh....how have you been lately?"

"I've been okay," Gorgenia replied in a still deadpan tone.

"How's work?" That made Gorgenia pause, making Flash stop leaning against the tree. "You okay?"

"I'm fine. Let me do my work Flash." the mare huffed as she spun a brush in her hoof.

Unfortunately for her, Flash was going to listen. Instead, he walked up to her and said, "Gorgenia, I...look, I know we don't have a good history with you and...Lightning. But, despite our past, I'd like us to be friends."

Gorgenia paused again, not looking back at the defender. Instead, she resumed cleaning the statue. "Go away Flash. I don't have anything to say to you."

Flash crossed his hooves. "Unfortunately for you, I'm not leaving. This is where I've been assigned to patrol and I'm patrolling it." Gorgenia let out a sigh and turned to the pegasi, both of them now staring at each other before Flash said, "And considering your attitude, something's obviously wrong Gorgenia. Even if you don't want to be friends, I need to know what's wrong." He uncrossed his hooves, giving a pleading expression. "Please...just tell me."

Gorgenia gave him a long, cold stare. She then took her glasses in her magic and began wiping them as she let out a sigh. "Alright, you win. I can see why Lightning had a problem with you...and why you're a friend to that harpy."

Flash smirked at this, though he didn't like the last word she said. He waved his hoof with his grin, "So, what's wrong Gorgenia?"

"Here," she said as she levitated a folded up piece of paper out of her saddle bag. "A few weeks ago, Cadance came to me, asking me to commission a statue to commemorate her wedding."

"A few weeks ago?" Flash asked as he grabbed the paper, unwrapping it. "How long have those two been engaged?"

Gorgenia rolled her eyes. "Since the Battle of Canterlot apparently. Anyways, a few days ago, I went to her to show her my sketch idea." Flash finished unfolding the piece of paper, seeing it depict both Cadance and Shining's cutie marks intertwined.

Flash could only blink at the sketch, "Whoa...this looks amazing."

"She thought so too," Gorgenia hissed, taking the sketch away from Flash. "But I noticed she looked a little concerned. When I asked her about it, she said she was thinking of putting the wedding on hold due to the security breech. I managed to talk her into sleeping on it, but then the next morning when I went to see how she was doing..."

"Yeah?" Flash asked, tilting his head in curiosity.

"I...I don't know," Gorgenia huffed, stuffing the paper back in the bag. "She was like a completely different pony. She didn't seem to remember our conversation about putting the wedding on hold and what's worse..." her voice began to rise in volume. "She told me that she had chosen to cancel her commission!"

"What!?" Flash yelped, his eyes going wide. That wasn't the Cadance he knew.

"I thought we were friends." Gorgenia hissed as she turned around, pulling out the brush again. "After what happened in the Battle of Canterlot, she's been supporting me, helping me after everypony went against me after The Battle of Canterlot and..." A stray tear appeared under her right eye. "But no! I was right all along! She's just a blasted harpy like I've always said she was and over these last few days, she's-" She stopped when she felt Flash put his wing on her back.

"Stop. Please." Flash told her, causing her to look at him, more tears going down her face. He then gave her an even stare, showing he truly meant business. "That's not the Cadance I know and I know that's not the one you've come to know. Am I right?" Gorgenia stared at him for a few seconds, only to give a weak nod. Flash gave her a soft smile. "Good. I'm gonna find out what's wrong with her, so stop beating yourself up, okay?"

"I....okay." Gorgenia nodded again as she replied, "Just uh...thanks. Sorry about the cold shoulder. I'm just....I miss Lightning and the past few days haven't been the best for me."

"Its cool." Flash flexed his wings, only to look back at Gorgenia as a new thought popped into his head. "Oh and uh, Wild Smile is here in Canterlot. He came with us from Ponyville."

"Got it. I'll make sure to run into that troublemaker later."

With that, Flash made his way out of the sculpture garden. It was here that he looked at his schedule, only to see he now needed to go somewhere else in Canterlot for the next patrol round. He soon head over, two hours passing by as he continued his job. All while doing this, he was thinking about what Gorgenia had told him, a look of pure concern on his face. That is, till his ears picked up something new.

"Well somepony's looking down."

The pegasi looked around for the voice's owner, only for his vision to be suddenly occupied by a light blue unicorn with platinum hair. "Trixie?" He asked.

"The one and only," Trixie Lulamoon waved her hoof, showing off her old selfish persona. That is till she shined a huge smile and pulled the pegasi into a hug. "Its so great to see you!"

"Same here," Flash replied as he hugged her back. "So how's the student of the night doing?"

Trixie just shrugged. "Pretty well. Princess Celestia has put me in charge of the fireworks for the wedding after party. Though I'm also helping with the security..." Trixie let out a long huff as she scratched the side of her head in frustration. "My mentor Princess Luna apparently decided to go on some errand that she said was of up most importance."

"Yeah, it is." Flash replied, interrupting her rant.

"You know what it is?" Trixie asked with a raised eyebrow, almost backpedaling. "She wouldn't even tell me."

Flash just rubbed the side of his chin. "It uh...it involves Springer. I shouldn't say anymore until I have more information."

Trixie crossed her hooves in slight irritation of no answers, but shrugged a second later. "If you say so. But even so, I've been put in charge of night watch so Celestia can rest for tomorrow. It's...a bit intimidating."

Flash waved his hoof. "You'll do fine. You've come a long way from when we first met."

Trixie nodded at this. "And I owe it all to you and Twilight." In that moment, she looked out the window and saw Celestia was beginning to set the sun. "Ooh, I'd better get going." She started to rush down the corridor, only stopping for a second to look back at him. "See you tomorrow."

"See ya later."

Once she was gone, Flash headed out of the castle and back over to the training ground. There, he saw Grand, Iron, Heather and First standing with glum looks on their faces.

"My sections were clear," Iron started.

"Same with ours," First adding, motioning to Heather. "Whoever caused that breech has not shown themselves once."

"You think they might have left when they saw the heightened security?" Flash asked.

Heather shook her head. "As much as I'd like to think that, we can't afford to let our guard down. I can't help but think that this is even worse sign of what's to come."

Grand let out a low growl as he nodded. "I'm starting to think you're right." He gave the four a hard glare as he crossed his hooves. "However, until then, the four of you should get some rest. We'll all need to be at full attention tomorrow." They all nodded, heading off into different directions. As they did, Flash stayed with Grand, a glum look on his face. "You okay there kiddo?"

Flash let out a low sigh. "Yeah...I'm fine."

Grand rolled his eyes. "Flash, I've known you far too long not to know when you're feeling upset. What's wrong?"

"I don't know." Flash grumbled as he rubbed his chin in thought. "It's just...something doesn't feel right. Like something in my gut is telling me there's danger, but I can't put my hoof on it."

"I'm sure you're just feeling nervous due to all this extra security," Grand replied as he tapped his student's back. "Don't let it get to ya or you'll be seeing conspiracies all over the place. Try and relax kiddo, or you won't be able to enjoy the big day tomorrow."

"If you say so," Flash shrugged.

"Good. Now go get some rest." He began to walk off, only to stop and turn around. "Oh yeah, your friend Pinkie was here earlier and asked me to tell you that they were all meeting up at Jazzy Juice."

"Got it. Thanks Grand." With that, he flew into the sky.





"Which way is it again?" Flash asked as he flew around the city. It had been so long since he had been to Jazzy Juice, apparent as he took six wrong turns. On the seventh, he found what he was looking for, quickly descending. "Sorry I'm late girls." Flash said as he landed right by the table. "Security detail ran longer than expected."

"That's fine Flash," Rarity replied with a wave of her hoof. "Its how it works here in Canterlot."

Flash nodded before turning to his sister. "How's your day been sis?"

"Exhausting," Scootaloo groaned, kissing the table with the side of her face. "I had no idea the castle's kitchen staff worked so hard."

Flash chuckled at this. "Yeah...before meeting the Apples, I thought they were the hardest working ponies in Equestria."

Applejack almost blushed, waving her hoof. "Aww shucks, none of that."

"Okay," Flash said with a cheeky grin, causing the earth pony to almost glare at him. He then looked at his friends with a curious glance. "Hey, where's Twilight?"

Applejack gave him a glum look. "She rushed out ta here few minutes ago after havin a hissy fit about Cadance."

"Hissy fit?" Flash asked.

"She's just being over sensitive," Rarity replied with a slight huff. "Cadance is making a few high priority wedding demands, like how she wanted her dress."

"And how my birds were out of tune," Fluttershy continued.

"And it seems I'll need to take my apple fritters off the menu," Applejack finished.

Flash's eyes went hide at this, confusion all over his face. "Why?! Cadance loves apple fritters. I know, we used to make them all the time....though mostly Cadance since Twilight can't cook anything that concerns heat, at least back when we were foals."

"Well according to Twilight, she threw away a bag of them that I gave her."

Now Flash was really confused. Cadance was not the kind of pony that would do that, he knew that for sure. He had spent years with her and Twilight, the three of them being especially close back then. But now, Flash knew something was wrong. With that, he lifted himself from the table, flexing his wings.

"Where are you going?" Rainbow asked, knowing the wing movements with ease.

"I'm gonna go talk to Cadance, just to see if she's really okay."

"Suit yourself," Applejack said with a roll of her eyes.

Flash flapped his wings and took to the sky, heading back towards the castle. If he remembered correctly, Cadance's room was just above the gardens, near the throne room. He soon arrived outside the room and knocked, not getting an answer. He knocked again, only for the door to go slightly ajar. Flash glanced inside, seeing nopony there, "Cadance?" He asked as he stepped in.

Flash looked around, but nothing seemed out of place. Nothing to explain on why Cadance would be acting so different from usual. Flash blinked at the room before spinning around, only to see Cadance standing with a frown on her face. "What are you doing in here?!" She asked in a low, almost harsh tone.

"I came to see how you were doing, but you weren't in here."

"So that gives you the right to snoop through my belongings?" Cadance hissed, walking up and glaring at the pegasi. Her horn began to flare as she was about to open her mouth again.

"Sorry," Flash interrupted, raising his hooves with a weak frown.

"Just go. I have to prepare for my dress rehearsal." Cadance grumbled as she pointed to the door.

"Sure," Flash began to make his way to the door, only to turn and ask, "But before I go, how are you feeling Cadance?"

"I'm fine," Cadance replied, not looking back at him.

"Are you sure?" Flash asked as he now stood there, unmoving. "Because I was talking to Gorgenia earlier and she said you were thinking of postponing the wedding until the security threat died down."

Cadance let out a small snort. "I was just being silly. I'm not ruining my special day because somepony wants to pick a fight."

"I...see." Flash commented, his voice starting to go deadpan. "And the reason you decided cancel Gorgenia's statue was..."

"I realized that I didn't need a pathetic statue to commemorate my wedding," Cadance huffed as she waved her hoof at him, trying to show pure disinterest. "Besides, everypony should be focusing on me, a true princess, and not a hunk of rock."

That was it. Cadance would definitely never say something like that.

Suddenly, something sparked in Flash's brain. What Grand Hoof had told him earlier replayed, with him going over every little detail. It didn't make any sense unless you add Flash's idea into it. It was that it made perfect sense....but there was only one way to be sure.

"Hey Cadance."

"Yes?" the pink alicorn slightly growled, Flash hearing how strained her voice was. Obviously, she was trying to stay calm.

"Do you remember when you first taught me how to fly?"

"Of course I do.".

"And how I crashed into that carrot dog stand and spent the next few weeks having to hand out carrot dog flyers to pay for it?"

Cadance let out a small chuckle at that. "Oh I remember that. I could tell you hated every minute of it." As she finished her chuckle, she turned to see a bright light at her neck. It was Flash pointing his Celestic Gear at her.

"I never crashed into a carrot dog stand," Flash said with a stern look on his face. "Instead, I crashed in your 'finance's' backyard with him and his little sister watching. You'd know that, if you were the real Cadance."

Cadance froze. She gave him a look of pure shock, only to quickly morph into one of dark humor. "I guess you're more than just a pretty face. And here I thought I had everypony fooled."

"You got the look and voice down, I'll give you that." Flash said with a slight shrug, his blade still at her throat. "But I know Cadance better than anypony. There's no way she'd do all the things I've heard you've been doing."

"I guess I should have made more of an effort," the fake Cadance grumbled, giving a look of pure disinterest despite the sword at her neck. "I thought Celestia was the only one I needed to really fool, but I guess I was wrong. Though to be fair, I'm betting its because you lot want me to suck up to all of you like the real Cadance would."

Flash didn't move, his pose like a statue as he asked, "I'd like to know how you managed to fool Shining Armor. He's the one pony I can think of that would be able to tell the difference more than me."

"Oh, he did." she replied, a low dark chuckle coming out of her throat. "But before he could act, I...persuaded him to not sound an alarm."

"Persuaded? What are you talking about?!"

The fake Cadance didn't respond. Instead, her horn began to glow a dark green aura. Before Flash could react, she unleashed a green burst of magic that struck him and sent him flying into the far wall. He slammed into the ground with a thud, his weapon flying out of his hooves. Seeing this, he tried to recover, only for a pink hoof to come down and step on the blade. Flash looked up to see the fake Cadance staring down at him.

"You could be a nuisance, though not much of one. After all, you're about to be under my control." She unleashed another green blast, which struck Flash in the head. "Obey me."

Flash's head felt like somepony was hitting it with a hammer, as the fake Cadance's voice began to echo in his mind. "No...no!"

"Don't fight it," she said, her voice starting to morph. It sounded like the sound of pure happiness, as if joy and goodness was warped into her voice. "Embrace me."

"No...I..."

"EMBRACE ME!" the fake Cadance yelled, her horn flaring. "Did you not hear me, I said-"

"NO!" Flash screamed, only for his eyes to shoot open and flash a light of vibrant gold. The light shot out his eyes, seemingly infecting the green magic before hitting the fake Cadance's horn. A small explosion followed as it sent her flying back, her body crashing through her makeup table.

Flash groaned as he rubbed his head. "What was that? What just...my head..." He started to get up, only to look at where the fake Cadance had landed. There, his eyes went wide, as a flurry of green fire consumed the pink alicorn. As the flames grew, the pony was replaced by a black creature that looked like the cross between a pony and an insect. She was the same height as Celestia and had a dark blue mane and tail, while her horn and legs had holes in them. A pair of hole ridden wings were on her back.

The insect creature picked herself up, looking down at herself before turning to Flash. "What are you?"

Flash just smirked as he stood up, lifting his weapon. "I don't know, but it seems I'm immune to your mind control. The question is, what are you?"

The creature just gave him a low, sinister smile. "I am a queen," her horn glowed again.

Suddenly, a circle of fire appeared around Flash, quickly changing into an orb of magic. The insect stepped up to the orb, her grin still shining. "Since I can't control you, I'll just keep you someplace so you won't be a bother."

The orb began to sink into the ground, taking Flash along with it. "You won't get away with this!" Flash cried in anger. "I'm not the only one who thinks something's wrong!"

"Like that matters," she replied in a low, uncaring tone. She watched as the last remnants of Flash and the orb disappear, only to start laughing as she transformed back into Cadance. "Pitiful pony trash. You have no right to stand against me."





Flash moaned as he regained consciousness, slowly opening his eyes to look around.

However, all he could see was darkness. Even his well trained eyes couldn't make anything out. As he picked himself up, his hoof touched something hard and cold. He flinched back, only for him to stare at his hoof. The touch felt...familiar. He touched the cold object again, only to grin as he grabbed the object. It was Lightbringer.

Grasping one end of the sword and focusing, Flash watched as Lightbringer's blade began to glow. He raised it above his head and illuminated the place he was in, revealing it to be a cave of some kind. The walls were made out of a purple crystal, which refracted the light of Flash's Celestic Gear.

"Where am I?" He asked as he flexed his wings and flew around, trying to find a way out. However, after a few different paths in the caves, Flash found no exit. he even increased the light of his blade, only to find nothing. Seeing this, he looked back at his sword and said to himself, "Alrighty, time for plan B. If there isn't an exit, I'll just have to make one." He leaned against the wall and started tapping it, but the sound he heard meant there was nothing but solid wall. He moved a few feet and did it again, only getting the same result. This continued for a few minutes, until he heard a slightly different sound. "Perfect." he stated as he leapt back and pointed Lightbringer at the wall of rock. "FLASH FORCE!"

A laser of light magic soon followed, blasting away an entire wall section. "Yes!" He cheered, spinning the blade in his hoof. "Who's awesome? I am! I am the-" he stopped his self-complimenting as his ears picked up something new. It sounded like...coughing. He tensed his grip on his weapon as he yelled, "Who's there?!"

Receiving no response except another cough, the pegasi walked into the hole he had created. He kept his hoof on his blade, ready to respond to any danger. That is, till he stopped at a new sight. There, at the end of another dead end in the cave, was a very familiar pink alicorn, who looked a little worse for wear.

The alicorn looked up and when she saw him, her eyes went wide before a smile appeared on her lips. "Flash? Is that you?"

"Cadance?" Flash asked with a suspicious look. He watched her get up to move over to him, but he kept his sword raised. "Don't make another move. I'm not-"

She flashed her hooves, interrupting him. "It's me! I'm the real Cadance."

Flash's eyes narrowed, his grip tightening on his weapon. "Prove it. Now."

Cadance let out a small gulp before saying, "On my birthday the first year you were staying with Twilight, you got me a blue card with lightning bolts because you didn't know that was a boy's card. You kept apologizing for it after Twilight explained your mistake. Every year afterwards, you would make sure to get me the girliest card you could find."

The pegasi blinked for a second, his blade still dangling in the air. Cadance did another gulp as he stood there, only to see the sword slowly lower. As it did, Flash shined a big smile as he shot over and wrapped his hooves around her. "Cadance! It really is you!"

"Flash!" Cadance hugged back, her eyes beginning to tear up. "I'm so happy that you're here."

"How did you get down here?" Flash asked her as stopped the hug, leaning back. "And why is there some weird fake version of you in Canterlot?!"

Cadance frowned at this, letting out a low sigh. "That faker snuck into my room several nights ago and surprise attacked me. She used her magic to create some kind of slime that hardened around my body so I couldn't fight back. Then she transformed into me and sent me down into these crystal caves. The slime finally dissolved, but...it was too late. I was trapped down here."

"Why didn't you try to escape?" Flash asked as he looked over at where he had entered from his make-shift hole. There, he saw a long winding tunnel behind the alicorn.

"I tried, but-" Cadance tried to explain, only for the two to hear the sound of hoofsteps.

Flash quickly unsheathed his sword, putting his right wing in front of her. He turned around, hearing the sound coming from his hole from earlier. "Stay behind me Cadance, I'll-" Flash didn't finish as well, as the hoofstep's owner walked through the hole, causing him to go wide-eyed. "Twilight?"

The purple unicorn turned and blinked. "Flash?"

"Not you too," Flash muttered as he lowered his weapon. That is, till Twilight's eyes saw the alicorn behind him, causing her to flare her horn. Seeing this, Flash quickly moved in front of the princess. "Whoa there Twilight, stop! The one behind me is the good Cadance! I promise!"

"Out of my way Flash! She hypnotized Shining Armor!" Twilight cried as her horn continued to glow.

"That wasn't me," Cadance told her as she pushed Flash aside, walking towards her while crouching down. "Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake. Clap your hooves..."

"And do a little shake," Twilight ended, her horn calming down. She then smiled as she rushed up and threw her hooves around the alicorn. "It really is you."

"I'm so happy to see you Twilight," Cadance said as she hugged her back. "I'm so glad you two are here..."

The hug continued for another minute till Flash let out a small cough. Twilight tried to glare at him, while Cadance broke the hug as Flash said, "Don't mean to spoil the reunion, but we've kinda got a situation on our hooves."

Cadance nodded as she patted Twilight's shoulder. "He's right. We have to get out of here."

"That won't happen!" yelled a sudden voice. The three got into a fighting stance as they looked around for the source, only for an image of the fake Cadance to appear on the crystal walls.

"You!" Cadance growled.

"Well looky here," the fake guffawed. "Three little nuisances, all trapped together."

"Why are you doing this!?" Twilight barked back. "Tell us now!"

"She won't need to." Cadance said, causing the duo to glance at her. "She's trying to force Shining to drop the protection barrier."

"What?! Why?!"

"Because she's a changeling. They have the power to takes the form of somepony you love and gain power by feeding off your love for them. She has a whole swarm waiting outside the city, preparing to attack. But if they did, Shining's barrier would be able to send them all flying."

"Unless she weakens him too much to use it," Twilight finished before turning back to the image. "Is that what you're planning to do to my brother?!"

The changeling gave a huge grin. "Correct. Soon the barrier will be so weak that my army will be able to conquer Canterlot and devour all the love it has."

"Not if we stop you! We'll get the real Cadance out of here and reveal you for the fraud that you are!"

"That's very unlikely, you pony trash. There's a reason she hasn't already escaped. After all, my pet will keep you entertained." She laughed as her face vanished from the crystal.

"What did she mean by pet?" Twilight asked with a slight gulp.

"I'll show you," Cadance explained as she rushed back through the hole and into the chamber she had been trapped in. Following her, Flash and Twilight soon found the end of the tunnel, discovering a fifteen meter drop into a large chamber filled with cone like stalactites that were about twenty meters in height.

As they looked down, Flash looked up and saw a tiny, almost microscopic, light on the far side of the chamber. "There!" He yelled as he took to the sky and rushed towards it.

"FLASH WAIT!" He heard Cadance cry out, but it was too late.

WHAM!

Something suddenly shot out of the darkness and smashed into Flash, sending him flying into the far wall with such force that he actually dented it. "AUGH!" Flash moaned as he hit the rocks, his wings stinging in pain. He then looked at the perpetrator of his wound, only to gulp at the sight. It a giant creature that was red in appearance and had a snake like body with pincer-like claws half way down its body and a sharp stinger at the end of its tail. "Ah shoot...its a stinking Scorpentine." the pegasus whispered.

The monster looked down at Flash, its tail wrapped around one of the stalactites as it let out an angry hiss. It raised its pincer and shot it forwards, trying to strike the pegasi again. However, the defender shrugged off the rock and leapt out of the way, almost splitting fur as he dodged the claw. With this, he took to the air again, flying back into the tunnel where the girls were. The Scorpentine slivered up to the hole and peered into it. It was too large to do anything else, unable to fit into the tiny space.

Flash panted as he and the Scorpentine stared at one another, "So I'm guessing that that's what she meant by pet?"

Cadance nodded. "When I tried to escape, it attacked me as well. In my weakened state, I couldn't put up a good enough fight and was forced back in here."

"But we have to get past it!" Twilight yelled as she pointed at the monster. "Heck, how did a Scorpentine even get down here, especially at that size?"

Flash also wondered that, until he noticed the Scorpentine was actually looking at him alone. He moved from side to side and so did the Scorpentine's gaze, making him wonder why...unless.

"No way..."

"What? What is it Flash?"

"I think...I think this is the same Scorpentine that stung Scootaloo."

"That's impossible," Twilight told him as she tempted to slap his head at his logic. "Who could it get from the Everfree Forest into the undergrounds of Canterlot?"

Cadance shook her head. "Unless the changeling put it here Twilight. She must have grown it to this size and used the Everfree Forest to test it."

"Then she brought it down here to be a guard dog." Flash finished, crossing his hooves. "That's why it's focusing on me. It remembers me beating it..." Then, a smirk popped onto the stallion's face. "That's just...perfect."

"What are you planning?" Twilight asked him, gritting her teeth as she knew that look. That was the bad idea look.

Flash's smirk grew. "If it's gotta a bone to pick with me, I can distract it long enough for your two to get out of here."

Twilight let out a low groan. "Oh that is the dumbest thing I have-that's crazy Flash! We can't leave you to fight that thing alone!"

Flash turned to the duo, his smirk gone. Instead, a new expression showed itself, one of pure seriousness. "You have to. We have to stop that wedding and Cadance is the only one who can do that."

"But-"

"We don't have time to argue! This is our best option and you know it!" Flash saw the concerned look on Twilight's face, putting a hoof under her chin and making her look him in the eye. "I'll be fine. I'll take this thing down and be right on your tail."

"Promise?" Twilight asked, blinking at the pegasi in front of her.

"Promise." Flash nodded as he turned towards the Scorpentine and readied his Celestic Gear. "Give me ten seconds to get it away from you, then rush out."

"Got it," the two mares said in unison.

"Good. I'm counting on you two." Flash told them, his sword beginning to glow. "Flash Force!" He unleashed a beam of light, striking the Scorpentine's face. The beast yelped and moved away from the tunnel, allowing Flash to take to the air. "Come and get me ugly!"

The Scorpentine quickly recovered and turned to him, hissing as it started following after him. Flash looked back at the tunnel, only to see the girls starting to sneak away. He switched his focus back to the monster, only to see a tail come flying at him. "Whoa!" He cried as he dodged it, unleashing a Flash Cutter into the Scorpentine's tail.

Flash looked back at the girls, seeing they were now out of the tunnel. Smirking, he turned back to the beast with sword in hoof. As much as he would like to go with them, he knew the Scorpentine would just follow and put them all in danger. If he wanted to keep them safe, he needed to defeat the creature. Spinning the Celestic Gear in his hoof, he gave the monster a 'come on' stance with his hoof.

"Alright you overgrown garden snake, let's dance!"