//------------------------------// // The Canterlot Wedding...is Cancelled Pt.3 // Story: Twilight's Realm: Advanced Generation // by CosmicAlchemist24 //------------------------------// Location: Canterlot Castle. With Luna and Cadance As soon as Luna, Cadance and everypony else attending the wedding went through Arceus’s portal, they appeared in the large, imposing, throne room, scattering around as the filed out from the glowing circle. And almost immediately Luna took charge. “Everypony! Do not panic!” She began in her Royal Canterlot voice, gaining the attention of all the room’s occupants, before, clearing her throat and continuing. “The creature you saw a few moments ago was a very powerful friend of my sister and I. I promise you with great certainty that he will not let our land fall to that Changeling!” Luna said in a confident tone. Everypony in the room looked at one another, quietly hoping that the moon princess was right and beginning to calm down a bit. Meanwhile, Cadence was doing her best to wake up her fiance, with little success. Shining Armor, while technically ‘awake’, was just standing there, a blank, lifeless look on his face. She sighed, looking into his baren eyes. “Sigh, Even after what happened...not even you deserve this right now.” Cadence said under her breath. Off  to the side of the room, the remaining Elements, along with Spike, were contemplating the day’s events and revelations, the situation with Twilight weighing heavily on their minds, excluding Rainbow Dash, who would be if she wasn’t still KO’d on the floor. “I-I still can’t believe what we-” “You don’t have to say it, sugarcube….we bucked up. We bucked up bad.” Applejack said solemnly, with a hint of self directed anger, cutting a now deflated and visibly worn out Pinkie Pie off. “Applejack! Language!” Rarity scolded. Applejack just turned toward the mare, still grimacing “Y'all think I care about language at a time like this?” Applejack asked in an spiteful and sharp tone. Rarity flinched a bit and looked down. Fluttershy stayed silent, sitting on the floor and staying close to Rainbow Dash incase she woke up. “I...I just don’t want to talk about it right now.” AJ said, shaking her head before similarly looking towards the ground. Once everything was under control and all of the attendees were accounted for and assessed as safe and sound,  Luna went over to her unconcious sister. “Celestia...Celestia…..*sigh* Tia, wake up...wake up!” She commanded, shaking Celestia with her magic, not taking the time to be gentle. The solar princess slowly opened her eyes, quickly recognizing her sister in her hazy vision. “L..Luna?” She asked groggily, trying to get up. “I’m here, sister. Are you alright?” Luna asked as she helped her sister up ,trying to be courteous to her ailing sibling. Celestia shook her head and sat up. “To be honest..I’ve been better. I feel like I was zapped by a dozen thunder clouds.” She replied, rubbing her head. “Well, you got the equivalent of that...probably more. The Queen’s magic was more powerful than we anticipated. Even Cadance and myself together couldn’t defeat her.” Luna explained lowering her head. Celestia took in that information and her eyes widened. “That means she’s still out there in Canterlot. Summon the royal guard! We must-” Celestia was quickly silenced as her sister put a hoof on her mouth. “Don’t worry sister, It’s being taken care of as we speak.” Luna said with a small smile. The Solar princess raised an eyebrow at her little sister. “What do you mean?” She asked. Luna was about to answer before… KA-BOOM!! Suddenly, a huge explosion coming from outside rang throughout the ears of everypony gathered in that room, causing another wave of incoherent, panic-induced reactions from the wedding-goers all grouped together. After the initial reaction, everypony had jettisoned from solemn, melancholic, and quiet, to worried chatter, wondering where the sound had come from, while one Princess Luna immediately turned toward the nearest large window, quickly flying toward it. Celestia, getting on her hooves again, stumbled slowly over to her sister, while Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Spike helped a trembling Fluttershy off the ground, currently reassuring her friend that she was fine. Luna, swiftly arriving at the window, scoured the city below her, as the throne room was rather high above the streets of Canterlot. She rather quickly found her target, adopting another small grin as she looked upon the object of interest. “And it appears the situation has been thoroughly taken care of.” Luna said with resolution and relief in her voice. Celestia, now next to her sister at the window, followed the younger princesses gaze to find a most disturbing site. There, below the princess, sat the smoking remains of Canterlot’s illustrious chapel. The roof was riddled with holes, the structural integrity of the whole building clearly no longer in tact,  and a huge charred mark had been signed through the main door, staining the stone outside it. She stood there, eyes widened in disbelief at the damage. “How....what happened to....what is going on?” She asked weakly, turning toward her sister. “Wh-what happened to the chapel!” A pony rang out, looking down at the destroyed chapel, garnering the attention of all in the room and attracting everypony towards the windows, evenly spaced all across the wall. Ponies rang out, scared, confused, shocked, and all across the board, generally panicked and disturbed. “What’s going on down there?!” “Did that changeling win?!” “What is going on?!” Ponies wailed, combining into a mess of panicked rambling. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity had also made their way toward the window, staring toward the chapel as well. They were, however, the only ones in the mass of ponies that were completely silent, just staring at the wreckage, confused and pained expressions on each of them. “How did all of this happen?” was all that was said between the three of them, when Applejack, without looking away from the scene, compared this view to the happy wedding they were just partaking in, blissfully unaware of their deceit. All the while, Fluttershy and Spike stayed by Rainbow’s side, Fluttershy looking toward the crowd while sprawled out on the ground next to Dash looking concerned and worried. “Oh, how did it all come to this?” she asked herself turning back toward her unconscious and injured friend. “I don’t know. It was all too perfect.” Spike said in a sad tone. Celestia quickly composed herself and turned to her sister. “Luna, What in Equestria is exactly going on here!?” She asked in a frantic tone as the ponies began to get more and more riled. Luna looked at her sister with that smile still on her face. “Be calm sister, everything is alright, I believe our problems have been solved.” She reassured her dear sibling. “I don’t-” “Princess! What’s happening!” The celestial sisters turned to see the crowd of frightened ponies. “Everypony please stay calm, everything is-” “Just fine.” everypony in the room jumped as they heard a familiar voice all around the room. Luna and Cadence, who upon hearing the voice turned from her frozen fiance and smiled, while Celestia’s eyes widened. “It can’t be.” She whispered to herself. Soon another golden portal opened and out of it came the Alpha Pokemon himself. “It’s good to see everypony is still safe.” Arceus said in a happy tone. “Lord Arceus!” Arceus looked over to see the Solar Princess up and moving, if a little worn. “I see you’re awake, Celestia. Very good.” He said in a neutral tone, Luna and Cadence, noting said attitude. “Lord Arceus, is Chrysalis-” “Not to worry Cadance, she won’t be bothering you anymore.” He answered prematurely. Once those words escaped the Alpha Pokemon’s mouth, everypony except the Elements and Spike began to cheer, those mentioned, looking around as the ponies celebrated a victory they held no part of. “WE’RE SAVED!” They all cheered. Pokemon: Advanced Arceus didn’t care for the cheers though, a silent rage still settled within him. And he didn’t want to unleash it until everypony who wasn’t involved was gone. He quickly turned and identified Shining’s immobile status and Rainbow’s unconsciousness. Without a second thought, a quick light shone in his eyes, and Rainbow Dash and Shining Armor came back to the land of the living, both immediately opening their eyes. “Uh...I..is the wedding over?” Shining asked rubbing his head, clearly a little loopy due to whatever spell he was under. “Hrrrgh….What...the wedding’s over…...what about my Rainboom?” Rainbow said also rubbing her head as Fluttershy dropped down to the ground to make sure Dash was ok. Arceus merely rolled his eyes and suppressed the urge to growl. “Ponies of Equestria, I understand you all have been through alot today, but you need not worry anymore. The Changeling Queen and her subjects have been dealt with and will no longer be a threat to you.” Arceus announced, causing the ponies to once again cheer and praise the Alpha Pokemon. Celestia, still trying to get over her shock, stood flabbergasted at first, but still eventually smiled and nodded at Arceus who in turn just looked at her with silent stare. “Now, I understand you all were expecting a wedding today, but I feel that the Princesses, as well as Shining Armor and the ‘Bearers of Harmony’ need to rest for a while before they can continue with the proceedings. So I’d like everypony except for those mentioned to calmy exit the throne room, go home, and relax.” Arceus said in a gentle tone. Everypony in the room looked at one another and then to the Solar Princess, who in turn smiled at them and nodded. With that, the wedding guests, except for the Princesses, Shining Armor, the Elements, and Spike, all left the throne room not knowing what was going to happen when the large doors close. Once everypony was out of the room, Arceus turned around and sighed. “First off, is everypony alright?” He said in a calm tone. Celestia stood up and walked over to the Alpha Pokemon. “Yes, and thank you, Lord Arceus. You’ve saved our lives. No, you saved Canterlot and Equestria. We couldn't be anymore grateful.” She said with a smile. “Anything for an old friend. I couldn’t leave you all to such a horrible fate.” Arceus said in a neutral tone. Celestia continued to smile as she nodded. “Why didn’t you tell me you were here? It’s obvious Luna and Cadence knew, and I would’ve been more than happy to accommodate you.” The Solar Princess said with a smile, glad to see an old, friendly face  in a stressful time like this. Arceus, however, then fully turned toward Celestia, and while his expression remained the same as usual, his tone carried all the emotion his face couldn’t convey. “Well, it appeared to me that you were all too concerned with your precious wedding. I didn’t think you had time for an ‘old friend’.” Celestia went to reply quickly to the Pokemon’s words, but stopped herself, recoiling slightly from his implication. She put on a reluctant smile, trying to defuse what she hoped wouldn’t become a bigger issue. “I...Of course I would make time. Why wouldn’t I take the time to see someone I owe so much to.” She answered, trying to understand what Arceus was trying to convey with his tone. “Hmph. Well I suppose the Element of Magic hasn’t done enough to gain your favor, even after all these years, Well, you are a busy pony though, it's understandable.” Arceus responded, garnering an immediate reaction from the princess at the mention of Twilight, combined with his razor sharp delivery. “How...how did you…” She asked, baffled by how much he was aware of, even after centuries of knowing the being. “Hm? Something wrong? I didn’t touch a nerve mentioning your prized pupil, did I?” Arceus was getting rather forward in his approach, Celestia taking a step back and looking down to compose herself before looking back up at the Alpha Pokemon. “I don’t know what you think you’re insinuating, but after what I’ve been through today, I’m not in the mood to play games Arceus. I appreciate what you did today, as much as what you did back then, but keep your muzzle out of the affairs of my ponies. Especially, Twilight.” Celestia was calm and stern in her retort, but Arceus could see through her resolve, and after a quick raise of the eyebrow, he continued. “Always straight to the point. I see. So it appears I’m not allowed to ‘intervene’ as it were, when an injustice against the truth and what's right appears before my eyes. Noble to the core, Princess.” Celestia, now scowling, stepped forward again. “A little over dramatic, aren’t we? What does this have to do with Twilight? You can’t-” “You know exactly how this concerns Twilight Sparkle!” Arceus interjected with glowing eyes and billowing voice. Celestia drew back, once again, uncharacteristically intimidated, as were the other ponies in the room. “Ms. Sparkle did everything in her power to convince you all of the dangers present in this city, whether she knew their origins or not. She gave you every opportunity to stop this and you turned your back on her.” Arceus continued, voice significantly lowered, the Elements winced at the mention of Twilight and what happened. Celestia, did her best to keep her composure, but she was failing miserably. “Wait...turned our backs on her...what are you talking about?” Everyone’s attention was now on Shining Armor, who had almost sheepishly stepped forward.  “That’s not how I remember it at all.” He said in a serious tone, gaining resolve. Arceus looked to the young captain and decided to humor him. “OH really now. Then go on and tell us what happened and be sure to go into extreme detail.” He requested, knowing full well what his reply would be. Celestia winced at what Shining was about to say, but she didn’t know the whole story since she was unconscious, meaning intervening now wouldn’t help in the slightest. The Mane 5 (minus Rainbow Dash), Spike, Luna and Cadance on the other hoof knew the whole truth and knew why Arceus was doing this. Cadence was the one who wanted to hear this the most, she just wanted to confirm what the Chrysalis said to her and if her story matched up with his. She looked on at her fiance, knowing in her heart that after all the time she spent with her and Shining over the years, he could never turn his back on Twily. Never. At least, that is what she truly believed “From...what I remember...Twilight had been speaking nonsense before and during the wedding rehearsal. She kept going on and on about how….Cadance shouldn’t be the one I marry...or something like that and...and  then she not only insulted Cadance she called her evil an- and chased her out of the room. As far as I was concerned, Twilight went too far. So...I did the one thing I thought was appropriate…” Cadance gritted her teeth, but waited for Shining to say his final word. “I told her she wasn’t welcome at the wedding and that she wasn’t my best mare anym-ARGH!” Shining was then cut off by a very hard punch to the face that sent him face first onto the floor. Everypony in the room except for Luna and Arceus gasped at what just happened, while Shining was nursing his cheek. “OW! Wh-what was that-uh?” Shining quickly looked up to identify his attacker with an angry glare, only to see the princess of love standing over him with a rattled and shaken, look on her face, heavily breathing and slightly shaking. Not even she was sure what she just did, But when she heard him say those words, her eyes widened and she instinctively sent her hoof flying forward. Shining, upon seeing his fiance like this, immediately gained an equally rattled expresion. For a few moments, the only sounds in the throne room were Cadence’s heavy breathes, as the two just looked at each other, and everyone else looked at them. “How could you….HOW DARE YOU!” She screamed causing Shining and everypony in the room Even Arceus to flinch. “SHE’S YOUR SISTER, YOUR FAMILY! HOW DARE YOU KICK HER OUT LIKE SHE WAS NOTHING!!!!” Cadance yelled with tears streaming down her face. Shining Armor was overwhelmed. Not only did his fiance punch him, but now she was yelling as him at the top of her lungs. His brain was on overdrive, trying to process it all at once. Celestia had finally had enough and got in front of her niece. “That’s enough Cadenza, You are out of li-” “Sister, you have no right intervening here.” Celestia then turned to see her sister walking up with the same glare that Cadance wore. “What are you talking about Luna, You weren’t even there. How could you possibly-” “Know that you turned your back on Lady Sparkle, I think that answer is pretty obvious.” Luna said in a cold tone. Celestia stared bewildered at her sister, only for a lightbulb to go off in her head. She then turned to Arceus who she could swear was smirking at her had it not been for his emotionless face. “Arceus, how long have you been here?” She asked in a quiet tone. Arceus stared at the Solar Princess for a good minute before answering. “Since the Bearers of Harmony arrived in Canterlot, I wanted to see you and Luna after all this time. So I decided to pay you both a visit, but to come back here after all this time and see what you and the so call Bearers of Harmony have done to one of your own, one such as young Twilight. I must say I was very disappointed.” Arceus said shaking his head. The Mane 5 and Spike all lowered their heads in shame after hearing that. Shining through all that, didn’t once break eye contact with Cadence, who was still glaring at him. “What happened….why are you so angry with me, she made you-” “That wasn’t me you idiot!” Cadence said with a growl. Shining flinched once again closed his mouth. “And even if it was me, you don’t ever, EVER, turn your back on your family!” Cadence said. Celestia then spoke up again. “Cadance you need to calm down you-” “No Sister, She has as much of a right to speak up as you or I do.” Luna interjected again, hoof firmly in front of her sister. Celestia, not happy the way this has played out, pushed Luna’s hoof out of the way, turning toward the princess of the night. “Luna, what has gotten into you! I understand your concern but Cadence has taken it too far.” “Don’t try and intervene and mediate a problem you caused yourself, Sister. Cadence speaks the truth.” Luna replied, now eyeing her sister down as well. Celestia scoffed. “That I caused? Luna, you expect me to-” “I expect you to realize when you’ve made a fatal error before things get out of hoof. If you had just listened to-” “Listened to what, sister? The words of an overly emotional, overprotective, and momentarily delusional filly?!”  Celestia snapped back, finally reaching her limit, battling ponies from all sides, still drained physically and emotionally after her encounter with Chrysalis. She was breathing heavy, and for those brief few moments, despite staring at her sister, she didn’t register anything. It was only after a couple of seconds that she realized the look her sister was giving her. One not of rage or anger, but shock, with an undertone of disappointment. And soon after, Celestia realised the deafening silence that permeated throughout the throne, Cadence and Shining’s argument had gone quiet and everypony in the room looked at Celestia with either shock, some select few more closely resembling disgust. However, there was one pony whose expression was nothing short of indescribable.  She had turned toward Celestia, eyes widened, and expression plain. She just sat there looking almost confused at her aunt. “Delusional?” A single word, shattering the silence, paired with a tone that could only be described as quietly baffled. And after that, her expression changed to one of vexation. And with that glare, she began to walk toward the princess. “Overly emotional? Overprotective?” She repeated, continuing to walk toward Celestia, whose face had turned from anger, to one close to fear. “Cadence...I….I didn’t-” “The only pony here acting like filly here, quite honestly, is you, Celestia!” She interrupted with an outstretched hoof, causing Celestia to flinch back at her nieces anger. “Too caught up in a stupid wedding to see what was right in front of you this whole time. I was rotting in a cave for weeks. Weeks!” Cadence cried out, tears forming in her eyes as she remembered how cold and lonely she was across those torturous days and nights. All the while, Celestia, who has heard nothing of this, looked at the ragged alicorn, not knowing all the hardship she had been put through over these weeks. She went to bring a hoof to Cadence’s face, to wipe off the tears that were now spilling down her face, only to be met with a firm “smack” as Cadence brought her hoof up to block Celestia’s advances. “No! Don’t act sorry! After all of that time, not a single pony, not even you, recognized that something was wrong, that I wasn’t myself.” she yelled, not wanting her aunt’s pity. Celestia looked away, still unable to believe she had been deceived for weeks, especially the identity of her own niece. “Until Twilight came.” Cadence continued, causing Celestia’s eyes to widen, quickly turning back toward the pink alicorn. “Until Twilight came and realised something was wrong in, what? All of two seconds? A pony I hadn’t seen in years realised something was wrong faster than my own aunt.” She said, eyes going back to their deadpan glare, hurting Celestia even more then she had during her battle with Chrysalis. Cadence then closed her eyes with strain, slowly turning around toward Shining Armor. “A pony I hadn’t seen me in years knew me better then my own fiance.” She continued, tears now streaming down her face. Shining couldn’t do anything, except watch as the pony he had been dreaming of for all of those years, cry over his failure as a fiance. “And what did you do.” Cadence, continued, eyes now closed again with tears still coating her face, she then quickly turned around the room, yelling at everypony at once. “Dismissed her!” She yelled as she turned toward the Elements. “Degrade her!” She yelled as she turned back toward Celestia. “And punished her for trying to convince you wedding obsessed ponies, that maybe something was off, which there most certainly was!” She finished, stomping toward Shining Armor, now thoroughly in his face. “She is your sister. You mean the world to her as much now, as you did when she was just a filly. And after she shows concern for not just your safety, but the safety of everypony attending our wedding, you turn around and abandon her, because what? She was an embarrassment? A burden? A ‘momentarily delusional filly?’” She asked, turning back toward Celestia for the last part. She then lowered her head and slowly turned back toward Shining. “She's as much family to me as you are. But no matter what anypony else says or thinks, you have to be there for her, when nopony else will. Even if those ponies are her ‘best friends’ orr ‘wise princesses.’ I thought you understood that. I thought you understood what it meant to be loyal to those you care about. I thought...I thought you were loyal to those who care about you. Everypony in the room stayed silent as they waited for the Princess of Love to finish her rant. Cadence then, through gritted teeth and heavy heart, said four simple words “This wedding is off.” Cadence said it quietly and calmly, although every cell in her heart was splitting apart at the realization of what all this meant. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.” She thought to herself. There was a moment of silence after Cadance spoke and surprisingly it was Arceus who broke the silence. “I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect her to say that.” He said in a neutral tone. “I don’t think any of us did.” Luna said slightly shocked at her niece’s decision. Celestia, the Mane 5, Spike, and especially Shining Armor, just kept staring at The Princess of Love who at this very moment was looking like she was about to explode. “Cadance...you...you can’t be serious, we...we’ve been through-” “I know what we’ve been through Shining and you have meant, and you do still mean the world to me….I just….I can’t go through with this anymore. Not after all of this.” Cadance said looking away from her ‘Fiance’. Shining felt as if his entire world had fallen apart, he wanted nothing more than to be with the mare standing in front of him, and now that very mare was saying that the wedding was over. “But...but…” Shining was at a loss for words. “Cadence...Please...Don't you think that’s a bit extreme?” Celestia asked in a concerned tone. “No...no I don’t.” Cadance said in a somber tone. The Elements couldn’t believe what they were hearing, the wedding that all of them have helped plan was being cancelled, after everything that happened.. Rarity then stepped forward, although very begrudgingly. “Princess Cadenza, I know I’m speaking out of turn….but….Princess Celestia's right. This is going too far.” Rarity stated, trying to sound as less offensive as possible. Despite her attempts, hearing this Cadance to grit her teeth. “She’s right Princess, after everything we put into getting this wedding ready, you can’t just call it off like that. It ain’t fair to your families. It ain’t fair to Shining. It ain’t fair to...well, anypony.” Applejack said. Pinkie, Spike, Fluttershy and surprisingly Rainbow Dash kept quiet knowing what Rarity and Applejack’s words were doing to the princess. Cadence then turned to the Element Bearers and Spike with a glare. “I can do whatever the Tartarus I want because it’s my choice, and my life. Fair or not!” She loudly retorted. “And you’re right Rarity, you are speaking out of turn and neither you, nor any of Twilight’s ‘friends’ have any room to talk to me about this matter. You all are just as much at fault here as Shining Armor and Celestia.” Cadance said. The Element Bearers and Spike lowered their heads. Cadence turned away, preparing to once again address Celestia about her comment toward Twilight, however... “Maybe we did mess up…” “Huh?” Cadence reacted, slowly turning back toward the group, to find one Rainbow Dash with her head held low, and a solemn look in her eyes. “I’m the Element of Loyalty, and I still cared more about a dumb wedding just because it gave me the opportunity to show off…” She then looked up toward Cadence, her eyes fueled with adrenaline and strong emotion. “But don’t go prancing around like you know Twilight better than us!” “Excuse me!” Cadence responded, stepping toward the pegasus. “You may have known her back then, but us and Twilight have risked our lives for each other. We know Twilight! When she’s upset, when she’s keeping a secret, and especially when she goes in over her head and starts to go off the deep end! And if you don’t know that side of Twilight, then you don’t know Twilight!” Cadence was now muzzle to muzzle with Rainbow, and they were staring each other down. But as Rainbow Dash spoke, she did remember all of Twilight’s over the top and over dramatic moments. She remained silent, not having anything to say. “And yeah, we bucked up. We bucked up bad. But I know that I would always be there for Twilight when she needs me. So does everypony else you just berated!” “Yeah!” They all said replied. Rarity in particular stepped forward. “I know these ponies care for Twilight just as much as you do, Princess. I would bet my life on that. But after everything we’ve gone through, I know that after what we did today, Twilight has every right to be absolutely furious. But we are willing to fight for our friendship. Twilight showed me that, she fought for our friendship. And a proper lady never lets a deed like that go unrepaid. So while you may be willing to give up on your marriage, I’m not going to allow you to tell me that I have to give up on my friend.” Rarity responded with confidence and poise, getting a look from Cadence that showed she wanted to speak, but could not. Rainbow and Rarity stood side by side, looking at Cadence while the entire room looked on at the three in silence. Cadence stayed quiet for several minutes, before she began again. “You think you’re noble.” Cadence said quietly Rarity and Rainbow lost their confident looks and just stared at the princess. “You think that because you are willing to right your wrongs, that everything will be ok. That because you were the closest of friends, that as long as you consider yourself the closest of friends, that she’ll be ok.” Cadence took another step forward, prompting the two in front of her to flinch back. “You think you know what she feels!” Cadence raised her voice. “Just because you are willing to fight for something doesn’t mean you should. You think I don’t want to marry Shining Armor? You think I’m not commited? No! I just know that after what happened today, I can’t justify fighting for him anymore, that there will be something missing, that I will remember what happened forever. I want to fight so bad....but I know I shouldn’t.” The ponies around the room all had their mouths agape, and their eyes were widening as Cadence released what she was only letting out earlier as pent up aggression. The two of them, who were just the same as everypony else in the room at this point, had triggered something in Cadence’s complex web of emotions, a web that had never been so tangled before in her life. “Twilight...I know she feels the same. She just wants to feel loved. She wants to feel whole. But if you keep fighting for her...the same thing that happened to me will happen to her. She will always remember this betrayal. She will always want things to go back the way they were. But she will always remember today, and that will….tear...her apart...on the inside.” Cadence ended with strained words, her hoof to her chest as she let everything out. She looked up at the two mares. “The fact that you are so ready to make amends is exactly why she doesn’t deserve you right now. I didn’t see you running before now. You weren’t desperate to make sure she was ok. You just knew it would be better later. That's why I need to find her. That's why you failed her. You were friends that ignored her, pretended you knew what she was like, and didn’t care about the consequences. She doesn’t need any of you right now!: Cadence concluded with heavy breath as the two in front of her scrambled to find the right words to comeback with. All Rainbow could muster after dangling her mouth open for a few moments was… “And why does she need you so much.” She knew those were a conceited and petty choice of words, that made it look like Dash valuing herself as a higher friend and stronger confidant than Cadence, which was a bad thing to insinuate after what had happened. She expected to hear another round of “Because I didn’t betray her.” But instead… “...” Momentary silence, Rarity and Dash, who were wincing in anticipation, rose their heads to find Cadence looking to the side, toward the window, gazing at the smoke rising from the chapal, she just turned and replied. “Because I can bring things back to the way they were.” She began running, swift and determined, toward the door. She was going to find Twilight, and Celestia save anyone who got in her way. However,Celestia herself saw this and quickly made a move to go after her niece. “Cadence wait!” Celestia called out only to be cut off by her sister. “I think you’ve done enough sister.” Luna said in a cold tone. Celestia stared down her sister and gritted her teeth. “Get out of my way Luna!” She said trying to push Luna away. “No!” Luna yelled before pushing her sister back. “Leave her be, the last thing she or even Twilight needs right now is to see you, her brother, or those six. She needs somepony...who needs her just as much. And right now...that's Cadence.” She said. Arceus nodded in agreement while Celestia gave a pained expression. Luna then turned and began walking away. “Lady Sparkle has done so much for me, and I owe her everything in return” She turned to the Elements, Rarity and Rainbow unmoving at the front of the group. “I equally am in your debt, but after what happened today, I am afraid you have lost my respect.” Luna then turned to Shining Armor. “And you, Captain. I hope you’re proud of yourself.” With that Luna walked out of the throne room to Find Twilight and Cadance leaving everypony in the room except Arceus to let Luna’s words linger in their minds. With Cadence… Cadence ran down the castle hallway to the one place Twilight might be. “If I know Twilight, she’ll be in the castles library. She would always go there when she feels like sulking.” Cadance said. Once she got to the doors of the library, she paused before taking a deep breath and quickly opening them. She looked around and saw that it was completely empty, probably on account of the wedding attracting all of castle’s personnel. Twilight!” Cadance called out, but there was no reply. “Twily it’s Cadence…. It’s really me! Please come out!” Cadance said walking through the library. “It’s possible she’s in her room.” A voice from behind her echoed throughout the large, empty room, causing Cadance to jump up and turn to see Luna standing in the the doorway. “But..but I-” “I understand...From the short amount of time I’ve known Lady Sp...Twilight, this would be the first place I would look for her as well.” Luna said cutting Cadance off. Cadence put a hoof on her head and sighed. “I need to find her.” She said to herself mainly. Her head pounded as she took a second to breathe. To think. To think mainly about the events that had just transpired. And as she did, her breathing got quicker and rougher, her eyes bolting shut in an attempt to hold in the tears. She had just run away from her fiance after yelling at him and hitting him. She had just had her dream day ruined for her, and had her love life crumble around her. And to top it off, nopony even noticed she had been replaced. Aside from one pony. One pony who not only saw the truth, but tried to stop something terrible for happening. And now, they both were hurting. Once she heard that, all she could do was yell and run. She needed to find Twilight, to comfort her. Twilight needed her. But the more she thought about, and conversely the more tears that flowed from her eyes while she thought about it, the more she realized that right now, she needed Twilight just as much. Cadence looked up to Luna, who had been watching Cadence’s internal struggle with a hoof on her back and a look of love on her face. Upon seeing her, Cadence cringed once again, eyes snapping shut as she quietly wept, looking up at her with her head down once more, beginimh to speak with a strained and almost lost voice “Luna, I... *sniff*...I’m sorry, I....I’m confused, a-and I’m...angry...and I just need...I just need to find Twilight right now. I just need to hear her voice and...I just need to know….need for her to know….that there is someone who cares and…*sniff*...I just need to find her.” Luna just kept her hoof on her back, nodding with a small smile, knowing that Cadence would rise past this phase. She knew she wasn’t the type of pony to let this kind of situation control her... at least not for long. “I understand, Cadence, and we will. Now come, we’ll head to her room.” Luna said patting her niece on the back. Cadence nodded and the two walked out of the library. The two mares walked in silence, Luna curiously looking over to Cadence, not being able to read her niece’s expression. After a while, Luna broken the quiet. “Are you alright?” She asked, hoping to see some improvement after what had happened in the library. “I’ll be fine once we find Twilight.” Cadence said in a serious tone. Luna squinted, giving her niece a concerned look. She had hoped for a recovery, but one so sudden could be problematic. “Cadence, you can talk to me dear niece. If something is amiss, please do-” Luna began, before Cadence turned toward her aunt with a dismissive hoof raise. “I know that Aunt Luna, I know. I don’t feel like talking right now, I just need...I just need to think.” Cadence replied weakly before turning around and walking on. Luna watched as Cadence walked forward through the hall, expression still as impossible to read as before. She wanted to worry, she wanted to ask her niece to talk more. But if she had gotten to know Cadence, its that she knew how to handle her emotions. She knew how to not let her feelings keep her from doing the right thing. She has made her own choices, and now all Luna could do was hope Cadence could keep herself from making the same mistake she did all those years ago...and that Celestia wouldn’t allow those feelings to fester. “Come on.” Cadance said, finally arriving at Twilight’s room, and swiftly opening the door. The two mares shuffled in and began looking around the room. As it was one of the castle’s many suites, they searched all of the rooms, calling out her name and looking everywhere that Twilight could feasibly be. “Oh, where in Tartarus is she!?” Cadence said in an irritated tone. “Cadence, we must remain-” “Calm, calm, I know. Always remain calm.” Cadence interupted almost mockingly. Without even having to look at the young alicorn, Cadence turned toward Luna after a brief moment with a look of resignation of her face. “I'm sorry.” Cadance said looking down, closing her eyes as she tried to calm herself down. Luna gave the younger Alicorn a smile and put a hoof on her head. “It's alright dear niece, now come we still need to find Lady-” Before Luna could finish her sentence, a golden portal opened up in front of them. “Lord Arceus?” Cadance asked. “It appears he’s summoning us.” Luna said. Cadence nodded and both alicorns walked through the portal. With Arceus, A Few Minutes Ago…. Arceus watched as both Cadance and Luna took their leave and looked back at Celestia, Shining Armor, The Elements and Spike who all had mixed looks of guilt and shock. “You all are lucky, you know. This could have gone a lot worse.” He said in a neutral tone. Celestia then looked to the Alpha Pokemon and growled. “You must be joking? My niece hates me, so does my sister probably, Shining Armor was walked out on by the mare he loved on the day of his wedding, and we’ve….we’ve abandoned the Element of Magic! So tell me, How could things possibly get worse!” Celestia asked getting into the Alpha Pokemons face. Arceus didn’t flinch, he just stared at the angry alicorn and answered her question, noting her notice of Twilight’s abandonment. “Things can always get worse, Celestia, and this day is a perfect example of that.” He said. Celestia had nothing to say, the Alpha Pokemon was right. This day has been nothing but a disaster, but it had started out so, so beautifully. Arceus looked around the room again and saw that everypony else was still experiencing the same shame Celestia was. And upon seeing that, he felt thoroughly satisfied “Well, I think this is a good time for me to take my leave.” Arceus then opened up a golden portal before turning to Celestia again. “I wish it were under better circumstances Celestia, but it was good to see you again.” Arceus then turned his back and began to walk away. Celestia, stunned at first that Arceus would have been just as blunt about leaving as everything else he done today, quickly shook that off and began to call to Arceus, before she was quickly silenced. “So that’s it?” Arceus stopped moving and turned his head to Shining Armor who had tears in his eyes, and a look of turmoil on his face. “You just come along, save us, give us a brutal lecture and then leave?” Shining asked not looking the Alpha Pokemon in the eyes, not wanting to give the Pokemon that decency. “That was the plan.” Arceus said harshly. Shining Armor, in a moment of brief rage, instantly turned to face at the Alpha Pokemon, tears being flung as he looked. . “Then why can’t you help us make this right?” He asked with a sob. Arceus kept looking at Shining Armor for a moment, silence permeating around the room,  before slowly shaking his head. “Because you don’t deserve it.” Arceus said in a cold tone. Shining’s eyes widened at the Alpha Pokemon’s words, but before he could add anything Arceus continued. “None of you deserve my help and even if you did, I highly doubt you could fix what has happened these past few days. This was brought on by your own carelessness, short-sightedness, and ignorance. And most of all, it was brought on my the neglect of one you all claim to respect and admire so much. As an entity admired and respected from my own world, it's easy to tell when those who claim to idolize you, turn out to know nothing of who you truly are.” Arceus took a deep breath. “Perhaps some of this could have been prevented if I was less cautious. I was watching young Twilight, hoping you would side with her in her time of need, somepony at least. Poor judgement, it seems, on my part. If I had done something sooner, maybe I could have stopped this, at least maybe have lessened the damage.” Arceus lamented, turning toward the large window, looking down at the ruined chapel. He quickly turned back toward the ponies. “But this isn’t my world. I can’t just attack those spontaneously and without warning. From past experience I know things tend to go smoother when I refrain from involving.” Arceus said. The Elements and Spike looked at the Alpha Pokemon with wide eyes upon deciphering his words. “You were...you were watching us this whole time?” Rarity asked. “YOU MEAN YOU COULD HAVE-” “Rainbow Dash, that’s enough!” Rainbow flinched and looked to Shining Armor, who had glanced back toward the pegasus. “But he-” “I said enough!” Rainbow shrunk and closed her mouth. Shining Armor then looked back to Arceus. “This is my fault and only I can fix it. I...I can worry about my marriage...later. But I can possibly help my sister.” Shining said standing up. “I need to find her,” He said. “She won’t want to-” “I DON’T CARE!” Shining yelled cutting Arceus off. “You don’t get to decide what she wants and doesn’t want! She needs to know I’m sorry and even if she doesn't forgive me at least she’ll know.” He said. Celestia saw the determination in Shining’s eyes and she nodded. “He’s right, we’ve made a mistake and she needs to know we’re sorry.” She said. The Elements and Spike took in the princess’s words, looked amongst themselves, and stepped forward with a nod. “She’s right, we have to find her!” Rainbow said in  a confident tone. Arceus looked around and shook his head once again, as the ponies went off into their own little world once again. “Ok, if we were Twilight, where would we be right now?” Applejack asked. “Probably the-” DON’T...waste your time.” Everypony in the room turned to the golden portal that was still opened and saw Luna and Cadence walking out of it. “She’s not in the castle library or in her room.” Luna clarified, looking forward toward the group. Celestia, still ashamed, couldn’t look her sister in the eyes and Shining Armor couldn’t look at Cadence directly either. “She must have gone back to Ponyville.” Pinkie suggested. “I can check.” Celestia said before closing her eyes, Her horn then began to glow, and she quickly began using her magic to find Twilight’s exact location. After a few minutes, Celestia opened her eyes with a sharp intake of air, as she stumbled forward, now breathing heavy with a confused and slightly terrified look on her face. “Sister, what is it?” Luna asked, bewildered by her sister’s intense reaction. “I...I can’t find her! By the sun, I can’t find her!” Celestia said in a panic. Everypony, with the exception of Arceus, looked at Celestia with worry in their eyes. “What do you mean you can’t find her!?” Cadence asked loudly. “I’ve checked everywhere, Ponyville, Fillydelphia, Manehattan, everywhere! It’s like she’s not in Equestria anymore.” Celestia explained. Everypony gasped, not sure what to even say. “What in the...Come on now! She can’t just be gone!” Applejack said. “Princess, please! You have to keep looking!” Fluttershy pleaded. “Yeah! She couldn’t have just vanished into thin air.” Pinkie said in an uncharacteristically worried tone. Celestia just shook her head. “She’s just...not here. I don’t understand.” She said putting a hoof on her head. Arceus watched the scene unfold in front of him and her sighed. “I said I wouldn’t help you fix this, but I’ll at least put your minds at ease.” Everypony looked at the Alpha Pokemon in confusion. “Twilight is safe. That I can guarantee” He said in a calm tone. Everypony looked at Arceus in shock. “Ho...how do you know this?” Celestia asked curiously. “Because I know where she is.” Arceus explained. The group all had a faint glimmer of hope in their eyes, and Celestia gave Arceus a small smile. “Thank the heavens, I was so scared. Please, please Arceus, tell us where she is.” She said in a hopeful tone. Arceus looked into the rounds of Celestia’s eyes and said a single word. “No!” He answered. “Excuse me?” “I said no.” Arceus repeated. Celestia, The Elements, Spike, Shining Armor, Luna,and Cadance all looked at the Alpha Pokemon in shock once again. “Wh-why not!?” Rainbow asked in a angry tone. “What part of ‘you all don’t deserve my help’ do you not understand?” Arceus asked. The ponies all looked at him with either glares or wide eyes, Rainbow Dash falling under the former. “You can’t be serious! Tell us where she is!?” Rainbow demanded. “Watch your tone little mare, lest you want the same treatment as that Changeling.” Arceus said in a dark tone. Celestia then stepped up to Arceus. “Enough! Lord Arceus please, just tell us where she is. Who knows what could happening to her as we speak.” She pleaded. “Believe me Celestia, she’s far better off where she is now than with all of you.” Arceus said. “THAT’S IT!” Before anyone could blink, Rainbow charged the Alpha pokemon at full speed. Arceus rolled his eyes before making the pegasus stop in mid-air, a shining blue aura surrounding her still figure. Psychic! Rainbow had instantly stopped in mid air inches away from the Alpha Pokemon’s face. “This must feel very familiar, hm?” Arceus said before quickly launching Rainbow into the throne across the room, the impact causing her to bounce off and land on her side with a ‘thud’. “Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy yelled before running over to the cyan mare, currently on the ground, rubbing her head. “Awww.” She groaned in pain. “Are you alright, Dashie?” Fluttershy asked, concerned for her childhood friend, as the rest of her friends ran over to surround the two. “I’m fine Shy.” She answered before looking toward the Alpha Pokemon with utter rage. “If you’d like another go, I’ll be happy to send you through the window this time.” Arceus said. “Arceus that’s enough! I won’t have you hurting my subjects.” Celestia said with a glare. “You seem to have no problem hurting Twilight but when it’s somepony else who gets hurt, you’re suddenly the flawless princess once again.” Arceus said. Celestia wanted to make a comeback, but knew that she couldn’t. It would just be more of the same belittling points he had already made, and Celestia couldn’t handle anymore talk of her failure’s as a mentor and princess. Arceus then felt a tap on his leg, causing him to quickly turn around and allowing him to see Cadence. “Where is she?” She asked calmly and politely. Arceus kept looking at the pink Alicorn and then to the Elements, Celestia, Shining, and Spike, and then back to Cadance. “They-” “I don’t care, I just want to see her. Please Lord Arceus, I’m begging you.” Cadence begged, tears running down her muzzle. Arceus kept looking at the pink Alicorn and eventually sighed. “I try to be serious and you do this to me. Alright, I’ll tell you where she is.” Everypony in the room gave a small smile, but Arceus glared at Celestia, Shining, the Mane 5 and Spike. “Your jubilation sickens me.” “Just tell me where my sister is.” Shining asked coldly “If that is what you so desire.” Arceus then closed his eyes, his body glowing brightly, causing the ponies in the room to squint and cover their eyes. Soon, the bright onslaught on their retinas stopped, and only a dim glow remained. As the ponies looked back, a circular glowing hole had appeared, floating right next to the Alpha Pokemon. It was similar to all of the wormholes Arceus had used to go from place to place before. However, this one showed the ponies in the throne room a sight far more interesting. Through the hole, showed a view of two….creatures. They were sitting down under a tree in what appeared to be some kind of forest. One appeared to be male, while the other was clearly female. Nopony in that room had any idea what they were looking at, or why for that matter. These creatures were unfamiliar to them, even the princesses looked with moderate confusion. They seemed rather tall, and wore strange clothes as well. They appeared bipedal, although it was hard to tell since they were sitting. And all the while the ponies were thinking these things to themselves in their head, they watched motionlessly with no understanding. The creatures were just talking. They couldn’t hear anything through the hole, but their mouths were moving, indicating a conversation between the two of them. The ponies just stared at these two for some time, before somepony broke the deafening silence. “What in the hay are we looking at right now! You said you were showing us where Twi is not….whatever those are.” AJ interjected, clearly confused as she turned back toward the two beings he was showing them. “Hmph. You would think the saviors of this realm would have even the most commonest of sense.” “And what exactly does that mean?” Rarity asked, not appreciating the Pokemon’s hostile tone. “I was just assuming that those who claim to be ‘best friends’ with the Element of Magic would recognise her upon a moment’s glance.” Arceus answered, lightening his tone as he saw the expressions of the ponies go from confused and angered to perplexed as they stared at each other, and back to the portal. There was a brief moment of this advanced confusion before Celestia took one good look at the female being sitting under the tree. She was laughing, looking toward the one next to her. Celestia took a good look at her purple hair with highlights. Her purple eyes as she reopened them after the laughter. And the purple gem that was placed upon her hat. Celestia eyes widened, and her mouth unhinged, falling down as she stared speechless. It was impossible. It was unthinkable. And yet, the evidence was right in front of her. “Is...is that..Twilight!?” The solar Princess asked in shock. Everypony in the room looked to Celestia with wide eyes and then back to the portal. “Oh...my!” Cadance said putting a hoof on her muzzle. “It can’t be.” Applejack said. Shining Armor walked up to the portal and stared at the purple haired female. “Twily?” He said in a soft tone. Princess Luna, the rest of the Mane 5 and Spike all just stared at the portal and saw the girl they assumed was Twilight, who was now looking quite angry at the  male next to her. “As you can see, Ms. Sparkle is fine.” Arceus said. Celestia slowly got over her shock and looked over to Arceus. “But...how...why is she...What happened to her!?” Celestia asked in a frantic tone. “After you and Ms. Sparkle’s friends left her, I decided to intervene. She was hurting, very much so, and I...I couldn’t watch it any longer. Let’s just say I...know the feeling, as you would say. So, I offered her a chance to start anew in the world I come from, and accepted said offer.” Arceus explained. Everypony in the room took in the Alpha pokemons words and after about a minute Cadence spoke up. “What...what is she? She’s obviously not a pony.” She asked, desperately curious for an answer. “You see, my world is inhabited by creatures called ‘humans’ and that’s what Twilight is right now. The human next to her is...well let me say he is a worthy partner for her.” Arceus explained to the group. The group had so many questions for the Alpha pokemon, but he spoke up again before they started. “You see the two of them are on a journey through one of my world’s many regions. I won’t go into too much detail, but she is...growing. She is with good company and making great strides.” He said in a proud tone. However, Shining didn’t take too kindly to some random stranger watching over his sister. “Well we know where she is, let’s go get her!” Rainbow said in a confident tone. “Yes, we must bring her home.” Celestia said with a nod. Arceus quickly closed the portal and shook his head. “I can’t allow that” He bellowed. “Excuse me!?” Celestia said her anger returning. “She is going nowhere with you! Young Twilight is finally starting to heal and the last thing she needs is for you to reopen old wounds.” Arceus said before he felt Cadence tap him again. “Listen, Young Cadence, I know you’re worried, but-” “Is she safe?” Cadance asked cutting Arceus off. Arceus was unprepared, to say the least, for the question, but answered quickly. “With her current company, yes, yes she is.” He said. “Is she happy?” Cadance asked. Arceus quickly nodded “Yes.” He answered honestly. Cadence looked down for a brief moment and closed her eyes, straining the keep them shut as she tried to hold everything in. Luna looked over to her, her eyes hopeful and full of assurance. Assurance that Cadence, despite all that she wanted, would make the right choice. Cadence opened her eyes, and took a deep breath. She cleared her mind and looked up toward Arceus, before nodding at Alpha pokemon with a small smile. “Then everything's alright, all I ask is that you watch over her.” She said. Arceus nodded at the pink alicorn. Luna looked at Cadence still, a smile on her face as well. “She always knows when to let go of her emotions.” the princess thought to herself. “Of course.” He said. Cadance’s smile got bigger as she turned to Luna with a nod, but everypony else's faces weren’t nearly as cheery. “Hold it! You can’t just say it’s alright and be done with it! That’s my sister! And I’d rather have her home with us!” Shining said walking up to the Alpha Pokemon. “You act as if I care about what you want. And I highly doubt Twilight cares at this very moment either.” Arceus said with a growl. Shining glared at the Alpha pokemon. “You can’t just keep her-” “I’m not keeping her anywhere, she chose to leave!” Arceus said cutting Shining Armor off. “What about our parents!? They’ll be worried sick about her.” Shining said trying to get control of the argument. “If she wishes to see them and put their fears to rest, then I will do so. As I said, this was her choice and I would think you would respect that after all that’s happened.” Arceus said. Shining opened his mouth, but this time no words came out. Arceus knew there was nothing else to say and he turned around. “I believe I’m done here.” He then looked to Luna and Cadance. “I’ll be taking my leave you two, I’m sorry my visit wasn’t under the best circumstances.” Arceus said with a slight bow. “We understand, it was good to see you and thank you.” Luna said as she and Cadance bowed their heads. Arceus nodded and took a slight glance at Shining who was glaring at him, Celestia who looked like she was waiting for something and  the Elements, plus Spike, who just looked plain miserable and ancy. “I wonder what the future holds for them all after this.” He thought before opening up a golden portal and leaving. There was a few moments of silence before Luna spoke up. “Well, I suppose that is as they say, that.” She said. “*Sigh* I guess it is.” Cadence replied, her head lowered as she took a long breath and pieced together all that had happened, wondering where to go from here. Before Luna could continue, or Cadence could finish her though, everypony was blinded by a  bright, golden light. It shone for a few moments, eventually dimming itself Once the light died down, everypony saw a new golden portal had opened. “What the- where did that come from?” Applejack asked in confusion. “Did that Arceus jerk come back?” Rainbow asked, wings outstretched. “No.” Everypony turned to see a staggering Celestia. “I made it.” She said. “What do you mean you made it, sister? W...where does this portal lead?” Luna asked having a pretty good idea on the answer as she widened her stance and looked towards her sister wearily “Before he left I used a spell to track Lord Arceus and this portal should be able to take me to his world. I’m going to find Twilight and bring her home.” Celestia declared. Luna and Cadance looked at her as if she had lost her mind. “Are you insane, sister! You can’t just leave for another realm. Lady Sparkle has made her choice, I thought by now you would have learned you can’t make them for her” Luna said in both concern and anger. “She’s right princess you can’t go.” Shining said before walking over to the Solar Princess. “Not alone anyway.” He said with determination in his voice. Luna and Cadance both couldn’t believe what they were hearing, but before the two Alicorns could interject, Rainbow Dash flew to the two of them with blinding speed. “I’m going to, no matter what anypony has to say about it!” She said. Hovering above the two of them with a serious expression.. “Us to!” The group turned to the all the Elements, minus Fluttershy who were walking up as well. “We can’t just sit here and feel sorry for ourselves we have to find her and beg for her forgiveness.” Rarity said in a confident tone. “I meant what I said. I will fight for our friendship, no matter the chasms I must leap!” Rarity started with a determined posture. She noticed Dash looking at her with almost a proud smile. They nodded to each other, knowing that no matter what Cadence had said, they would make it up to Twilight. “She’s right we have to go.” Applejack said. Pinkie Pie gave a nod as well, her mane slightly reinflating, before Celestia spoke up. “Alright, let’s hurry and-” “You all will do no such thing!” The group turned to a very angry looking Cadance and Luna. “Who do you all think you are?! You can’t just force her to come home! She doesn’t need this! Why can’t you understand that” Cadence cried out. Luna continued “Not only that, Lord Arceus said-” “YOU THINK I GIVE TWO FLYING FEATHERS WHAT HE SAYS!” Celestia said in the Royal Canterlot voice causing everypony to flinch. “This is a personal matter and he had no reason to interfere. While I’m grateful to him for saving us, I refuse to have him tell me what I can and can’t do. I take responsibility for Twilight leaving and I owe it to her and this kingdom to make it up to her.” Celestia said with a single tear sliding down her face. Cadance and Luna saw this, but knew that deep down, Celestia was still misguided in her attempts “Listen sister, I understand you don't want to leave things the way they are, but Twilight needs space right now. As odd as this seems, it is what’s best for her” Luna said trying to reason with her sister. “She’s right. We need to leave her be. Arceus said she’s fine and happy! She can...she can make it out of this mess ok. Her seeing us now would only make things worse. She needs to stay away...from all of us” Cadence said. Luna quickly turned to look at her niece, a hint of concern briefly adorned in her gaze. “I know what he said...but I don’t care, I have to do this and you won’t stop me.” Celestia said before walking toward the golden portal. Luna scowled and stepped forward. “Celestia you coward! You are only doing this for yourself!” Celestia briefly stopped, and looked down, before taking a deep breath and continuing her march forward with Shining and the Elements, minus Fluttershy and Spike. “Welp, into the unknown I guess” Applejack said to nopony in particular as she walked through the portal, Pinkie Pie right behind us. “Oh boy, this is gonna get the super weird kinda weird.” She commented as she through fully stepped through. Rarity and Dash were a few steps behind the others, and as they walked forward, they turned to each other. “Any idea what we are getting ourselves into?” Rarity asked her prismatic partner. “No clue. All I know is that Twilight is on the other side.” Dash answered “I suppose that’s all that matters.” They both continued their last few steps before crossing the threshold. “Time to fight for our friendship.” Rainbow stated, gaining a look from Rarity at the use of her line. “Time indeed.” She answered as they both fully went through. “By the stars, I can’t believe that they- Lady Fluttershy?” Luna spaced out, now seeing the pegasus was still sitting with her mane covering her eyes. Luna and Cadance walked up to her. “I’m honestly surprised you didn’t follow them, what’s keeping you here?” Luna asked. Fluttershy looked up at the two princesses, her eyes red and stained with tears. “Becau...Because you’re right!” She said before breaking down again. “We...we...we left her alone! Mr. Arceus is right! We have not right to see her after what we did.” Fluttershy said putting her hooves over her face. Luna and Cadance just stared at the Element of Kindness and knew that she was hurting. Cadence looked at the mare’s emotions, sadness and guilt in their purest forms. Emotions she had unearthed. In her mind, she felt as if she should feel justified or joyful from this reaction. But her heart told her that those emotions are an infectious disease. After some deliberation, she put a hoof on Fluttershy’s head. “I...may have been speaking from a dark place. I truly didn’t mean to...antagonize you like I did, I just...wanted you to understand. I wanted to make you feel my pain at first...but that would make me no better than Chrysalis. Now I can...I can see that you really care about Twilight, don’t you?” Cadance asked. “I do, I really do! I don’t know why I left her on her own *sob* when I did I just...I just assumed, I...I don’t know…*sob* sob*.” Fluttershy continued to ball, her eyes still running and Cadence’s hoof still on her mane. “But just like the other I want to make it up to her.” Fluttershy said firmly, but still reeling from the tears. Cadence heard the sincerity in her voice and she gave the young pegasus a small smile. She didn’t want to think about how apparently mean she was to this sweet young pegasus, despite justified or not it truly was. She instead chose to focus on helping her out now. “I can see why the Element of Kindness chose you.” She said. Fluttershy shook her head. “I’m not worthy to wear my Element anymore.” She said in a lamenting tone. Luna then walked up to Fluttershy. “If you truly believe that, then I think it’s time you earned the right back.” She said helping Fluttershy up off the ground. Fluttershy looked at Princess Luna with wide eyes. “What do you mean?” She asked. “Lady Fluttershy it may not be now, but I believe you will win back Lady Sparkle’s trust. I have faith in such. It may take work and perseverance, but I believe you can. For now I suggest you think about what you’ve done and think about what can be done for when you see her again.” Luna explained. Fluttershy took the Moon Princess’s words to heart and nodded. “Which might be sooner than you think.” Cadence added, turning toward the still active portal. “We have to go after the others and bring them back. I will not let them do this to Twilight.” Cadance said walking over to the golden portal. Luna nodded and looked back to Fluttershy. “I know you’re not as outgoing as your friends, so I understand if you-” “I’ll help you!” Fluttershy said without hesitation. Luna smiled at the pegasus and the two walked over to Cadance. “Spike, despite how much I know you would love to reconcile with Twilight, we need at least one pony to stay here and guard the portal from this side. Can you do that?” Luna asked calmly. Spike looked up to the Princess of the Night and gave a determined salute, garnering a small chuckle from her. “Well, this is going to be a new experience.” Cadance said getting butterflies in her stomach. “I know what you mean Cadenza, venturing in a new world wasn’t what I expected to happen when I returned.” Luna said getting nervous as well. “I just hope we can get back in one piece.” Fluttershy said, after the pep talk somehow the most brazen of the three, yet still nervous in her own ways as well.. “Don’t worry Lady Fluttershy, we shall.” Luna said reassuring the young pegasus. “*Sigh* Here we go.” Cadence said before starting to walk towards the portal with Luna and Fluttershy following close behind. “For Twilight” She thought as everything went quiet as she passed through the glowing circle. Present “I SAID GO AWAY!!!” Twilight yelled. The first sound Cadence heard upon stepping out of the portal was shockingly Twilight’s violent scream, alarming the princess immediately, setting off every alarm in her head and stopping her breathing on the spot. “This was worse than I thought.” She said in a worried tone.