______*Mana's journal*______
'Ok, so maybe more than two were interesting, but hey, I wasn't in a position to ask.....I was mostly busy.
Doing what you may ask? I'll get to that, but first, let me tell you a little about Rarity, particularly one of her more unpleasant visits to Canterlot.
Apparently when she met Blueblood, he was rude as could be and Rarity quickly ended up hating him, so when she found out that I had a pleasant conversation with him, she was ballistic.
_____*Canterlot Castle, the next day, 9:00 AM.*_____
Mana looked herself in the mirror, her more canine appearance was very apparent now, especially with her ears and teeth, her Timberwolf side was very obvious because of the green mist that was in place of her eyes.
She was glad she trimmed her hair, because it wasn't fun having hair in your eyes at all, even if your eyes are just green mist.
Mana opened her mouth and saw that her teeth were as sharp as ever, she grinned and walked to the door. 'You know, this isn't such a bad look, give me my old eyes back, and I won't really mind it.' She thought to herself.
As she walked out of the bathroom, she saw Twilight angrily pacing again. "Still angry at your brother?" Mana asked out of concern.
Twilight looked at Mana and sighed. "No......I got over it, it's Cadence." She replied.
Mana walked over and sat down on the couch opposite Twilight. "Talk to me, I'll hear you out." She said.
Twilight paused for a moment, she then nodded. "Ok, look, Cadence and me have a special greeting, I went to greet her with it, and she didn't even react!" She stated.
Mana shrugged. "That can be explained by exhaustion." She countered. "What else?" She asked.
Twilight then went on and on about how yesterday went, and about everything Cadence did. "It's like she doesn't care!" The mare shouted.
Mana blinked and rubbed her eyes. "Twilight, listen I.....I don't know Cadence, I didn't see her at all yesterday, but you haven't been wrong about things yet, so If it helps, I'll keep an eye out for you." She replied.
Twilight seemed to visibly calm down some. "Thank you Mana." She said happily.
Mana crossed her arms. "What about your friends?" She asked.
Twilight sighed and returned to pacing. "They are too busy with wedding preparations." She replied in an annoyed tone.
Mana watched as Onyx ran up to her shoulder and sat down. "Good morning Onyx." She said.
Onyx looked at her sleepily. "Morning." He muttered quietly.
Mana looked at Twilight who had her jaw hanging open as she looked at Onyx. "I told you he can talk, he just doesn't like doing it." She said as she stood up.
Twilight watched as Mana and Onyx walked out of the room, she was still standing there with her mouth hanging open until she shook her head. "Maybe I should.....just get Spike up and go on out." She muttered to herself.
______*The castle interior.*______
Mana walked around the castle and looked at Onyx. "You think she's overreacting?" She asked quietly.
Onyx nodded silently.
Mana soon found Twilight's friends around a table in the massive dining room, she walked over and spoke. "Morning." She said.
A round of greeting later, Onyx simply grumbled. "Too much noise." He whispered.
Mana nodded and walked over to the food, she grabbed some stuff for herself and Onyx, she then walked over to a more distant table and began eating. "Got a headache bud?" She asked quietly.
Onyx simply looked at her as he grabbed his food. "Yes." He whispered.
Mana took a bite out of her food, it wasn't to her tastes, but it was food, and she was hungry.
Onyx's voice was quiet and soothing, he wasn't high pitched or deep voiced, but it was in between, leaning towards a whisper in volume.
After Mana and Onyx were done eating, they walked over to the mares and Mana spoke. "Hey......what are your thoughts on Twilight's recent behavior." She asked curiously.
It was worrying to say the least, especially since Twilight's friends pretty much all said that she was overreacting.
Mana held her right and left arms. "Don't you girls find Cadence's behavior strange......at all?" She asked.
The mares simply shrugged, as though they didn't notice anything wrong. "She's just trying to make sure the wedding is perfect, she's just stressed." Rarity commented.
______*later*______
Mana was confused, for some reason, she was asked by Twilight to come to the rehearsal a few minutes early, she had no problem with this, as the wedding didn't truly matter to her one way or another, it also gave her some time alone with Onyx. "You know bud, if we find this shrine or whatever it is, I'll never be the same." She said grimly.
"You are Mana, you are my friend no matter what you look like." Onyx said quietly as he sat on Mana's leg.
Mana smiled and and rubbed Onyx's back. "Thanks Onyx, that means a lot." She replied.
"You must be Mana." Said a calm voice.
Mana looked over we shoulder and saw none other than Princess Celestia standing in the isle. "Princess Celestia." She said, nodding to her before looking at Onyx.
Footsteps.....hoofsteps?....whatever, footsteps approached Mana and Celestia continued to speak. "I have heard much about you Mana, Twilight is very fond of you." The Alicorn stated.
Mana looked at Celestia and shrugged. "I'm grateful to her, she took me in, I owe her a lot." She said as she rubbed Onyx's back slowly.
"I see it is true, your eyes are that of a Timberwolf." Celestia said.
Mana chuckled. "Yea, I can't switch them back, but I have my mind, so that's good enough for me." She replied.
Celestia took a seat near the altar. "I would have thought that you would be trying to change yourself, so that you would not be changing into a Timberwolf, so why are you Canterlot then I wonder?" She said idly.
Mana shrugged. "I was bored of translating that book, and Twilight needs someone to support her, sad as it is, I don't think Spike can do that." She replied.
Celestia nodded. "I know Twilight has had concerns, but I believe she is being overprotective of her brother." She said calmly.
Mana leaned back against the wooden seat. "Personally? I couldn't care less about this wedding, it has nothing to do with me, and it probably never will, heck, the only thing I'm here for is to cure my boredom." She replied as Onyx ran up and sat on her shoulder.
Celestia sighed and stood up. "While it is disheartening to hear you say that, I would ask that you not mention that around Shining Armor or Cadence, they are very stressed because of this wedding." She said.
Mana nodded. "Sure.....speaking of which." She looked at the door and it opened, she looked at Onyx. "Wanna watch?" She asked.
Onyx looked at her and nodded.
With that, Mana sat back and watched as the wedding rehearsal took place, everything was going well......until Twilight showed up and spoke out, saying how Cadence was manipulating Shining Armor with a spell and that she wasnt who she said she was.
After Cadence fled in tears, both Shining Armor and Celestia expressed how disappointed they were in Twilight.
Mana watched as Twilight sadly and wordlessly walked to the altar and cried in defeat, she wanted to go over and comfort her, but something was telling her she had something better to do.
Mana looked at Onyx. "Hey, keep her company bud, I need to handle something." She said as she lowered him to the ground.
"Are you sure about this? you aren't good with people on your own." Onyx asked out of concern.
Mana nodded. "Yea, I'll be fine." She said as she headed for the door.
Onyx ran over to Twilight and sat next to her. "Twilight?" He asked quietly
Twilight looked at Onyx, her fur was already stained from the tears. "I guess even Mana left.....everypony must think I'm horrible.
Onyx walked over and patted her cheek. "Don't be like that, you made a good argument back there, Mana wanted me to keep you company." He said as he sat with Twilight. "You can confide in me Twilight, i will not judge." He added.
______*meanwhile*_______
Mana exited the room and looked around, she spotted Twilight's friends and walked over with a frown, she did not see Shining Armor, Cadence or Celestia anywhere.
Mana approached the five mares, with a fake neutral expression. "Never saw Twilight have an outburst like that." She said.
The mares agreed. "I don't know what's gotten into her, Cadence may have done some rude things, but that isn't an excuse for the things Twilight said." Rainbow Dash said.
"I agree, she was out of line, I didn't even act that way when I was angry at Blueblood." Rarity said with a scowl.
Mana listened to the mares ramble, but after a while, she got fed up. "You know what I think?" She said as she crossed her arms.
The mares looked at Mana out of curiosity. "What?" Pinkie Pie asked.
Mana narrowed her eyes. "Twilight was counting on you, she wanted your support and what do you do? you get caught up in your own little worlds because you get to make preparations for a 'Royal wedding!" Mana snapped angrily, startling the mares.
"You say your Twilight's friends?.....all I see is a bunch of selfish mares." And with that, Mana walked away, heading back to her apartment, leaving five mares behind with mixed emotions.
Mana was interrupted as Rainbow Dash flew in front of her. "Hey!.....you don't have any right to call us selfish!" The mare angrily said, flaring her nostrils.
Mana's left arm turned to wood and she wrapped Rainbow Dash in a thick layer of wood, making it so she couldn't move. "Name one time in this trip when ANY of you actually listened to what Twilight had to say, ONE time." Mana said as she held the Pegasus mare, who thrashed uselessly against the wood.
"Mana! let her go." Rarity said.
Mana sighed and looked at Rarity. "Same question to the five of you, was there even one moment where you listened to Twilight? where you gave her your full attention instead of brushing her concerns off as nonsense?" She asked.
Seeing that none of them answered, Mana looked at Rainbow Dash. "As I said, five selfish mares who didn't listen when their friend needed them." She released Rainbow Dash and walked out the door.
______*The next day, day of the wedding*______
Mana was sitting in front of the altar, she was very concerned now, not only did Twilight not come back last night, but Onyx was gone as well!
Mana could normally handle being alone as long as she knew where Onyx was, after all, she could handle some time alone.
But when she didn't know where Onyx was, she tended to worry. "Where is Onyx?" She muttered as she rubbed her hands together.
It was almost time for the wedding, and Mana didn't have her best friend with her to keep her calm, nor did she have Twilight to talk to, and Spike was now the Best Man so he was busy.
Mana changed her hands to wood and paced, she was worried, and she was panicking. "Come on Mana, you can do this.....calm down, calm down." She told herself.
______*Canterlot Caverns.*______
Onyx looked at Twilight awoke slowly. "Take it slow Twilight." He said quietly.
"Ugh.....Onyx? where are we?" Twilight asked.
Onyx looked around, the walls were dark with glowing crystals sticking out. "It looks like some strange cavern." He replied.
Twilight stood up and let her head stop spinning, she felt Onyx climb onto her head. "Do you have to be up there?" She asked as she started to walk.
Onyx looked around. "It's the best vantage point to look around, so yes." He stated quietly.
After a few minutes of wandering, Twilight heard someone else nearby. "Wait." She said.
Onyx listened to it for a moment.. ".......It sounds like Cadence." He stated.
Twilight eventually found Cadence and blew the crystal wall between them up with her magic.
Onyx blinked. "Potent." He whispered to himself.
After a brief discussion, Twilight and Cadence, the real one, hurried to reach the surface......followed by a nice song.
_____*The surface.*_____
Mana watched the wedding from the corner of the room, so far it was going well, but Mana was on the lookout for anything that could go wrong.
Shining Armor seemed rather off, namely the fact that he was absently staring forward with a mindless expression, though no one seemed to notice.
Mana was ready to spring into action should anything go wrong, especially since her friends were here, they were the flower girls now, and Mana was genuinely surprised that they got Scootaloo of all people in a dress, something that the Pegasus filly was instantly regretting once she saw Mana watching.
With a grin, Mana planned on tormenting the filly about it when they got back to Ponyville.
Then something unexpected happened, Twilight barged into the room with Cadence and Onyx, surprising many spectators.
Mana blinked and looked at the Cadence at the altar, who was just as surprised as everyone else.
The second Cadence then revealed herself as the true Cadence, and said that the first Cadence was a Changeling, a creature that feeds on love.
Mana then watched as 'Cadence' revealed herself to be the Changeling Queen, and that many of the spectators were in fact Changeling's. "Whoa." She muttered.
As panic broke loose, Chrysalis and Celestia had a brief exchange of power, with Celestia losing because of the love that Shining Armor had for Cadence, which fueled the Queen's power.
This led to Chrysalis lowering the dome around Canterlot, revealing that she had an entire army with her, Twilight and he friends quickly charged off to get The Elements of Harmony, while Chrysalis gloated.
Mana noticed that everyone else in the room were huddled up or hiding, she sighed and walked away from the corner. "I hate to be that person, but you could have milked that a little bit longer." She pointed out.
The Changeling Queen clearly was intrigued, judging by her facial expression. "What are you supposed to be?" She asked out of curiosity.
Mana shrugged. "Human, dead, body slowly being replaced by Timberwolf, nothing major." She replied casually.
Chrysalis chuckled as she circled Mana. "Tell me, how could I have played that any better?.....my army is taking over the city, and soon the Element Bearers will be mine." She asked calmly.
Mana looked at the Queen. "Continue the con, say things that counter Cadence's accusations, and when everyone has their backs turned, lower the shield, once everyone is focused on the invading army, strike from the rear." She pointed out.
Chrysalis laughed as she stood in front of Mana, looking down at her. "You make a good point, what is your name?" She asked.
Mana looked up at the Queen. "Mana." She replied.
Chrysalis walked to the window and continued to speak. "Listen well Mana, very soon my forces will deliver the Element Bearers to me, and my victory will be complete, if you wish to get out of this unharmed, then do as I say." She said.
Mana sighed. "You know......your offer is tempting, but seeing as Twilight is my caretaker, I have to pass." She said.
Chrysalis looked at Mana. "I was hoping you would comply, but you have given me no choice." Her horn lit up.
Mana quickly threw up a protective wall of wood which blocked an incoming blast, she noticed that none of the other Changeling's were moving to assist. "Seriously?....I say no and you try to kill me?" She said in disbelief.
Chrysalis laughed as Mana's wooden barrier fell. "Who said anything about killing you?" She asked.
Mana felt a sharp jab in her neck and she lost control of her body, she fell to the ground and grunted in pain. "What.....what did you do?" She asked worryingly.
Chrysalis walked up and looked down at Mana, her horn lit up as she cast a spell. "Silence, obey my commands." She ordered.
Mana found herself unable to speak, she looked at Chrysalis. "Stand." The Queen ordered.
As though on cue, Mana found herself standing up, she looked at Chrysalis with panic. "This is your mission, find the Element Bearers, and capture them, bring them to me." She ordered.
Mana nodded wordlessly and walked out the door, she was now a prisoner in her own mind. 'Twilight, Onyx, I'm sorry for what I'm going to do.' She thought to herself.