"Goooood morning, Parcel Post! Isn't it a lovely morning?"
"Yes, indeed it is."
Sunny Delivery stared curiously at the stallion she secretly wanted to marry.
"Are you alright, cutie? You don't look well."
Parcel Post nodded, a stiff-necked gesture.
"I'm okay, just didn't sleep well," he said in a drowsy tone.
"Well, okay then. What do you have there?"
The gray-brown pony's eyes wandered to observe the small cardboard box in his hooves without actually looking at it before he replied, "It's a package from Twilight Sparkle to her brother in the Crystal Empire. That's why it's marked, 'Most urgent.' Something about a matter of life or death."
He then yawned and shook his head a few times.
Sunny whistled and took the package. "Wow! Then we have to get this sent pronto! Special Delivery!"
A cream-colored pegasus poked his head into the doorway.
"Yeah, what's up?"
"We need this sent to the prince and princess of the Crystal Empire ASAP!"
With a salute, Special Delivery carefully placed the package into his satchel and charged out the door. Sunny shook her head and watched with a longing sigh as Parcel Post filled his own satchel with letters. She rested her chin on her hooves and smiled hopefully.
One day, I'll be "Mrs. Post".
"I'll see you later, Sunny," Parcel Post smiled sleepily and was about to walk out the door when he came skidding back up to her. "By the way, have I ever told you how pretty your eyes are?"
Pinch me, I'm dreaming!
"No, you haven't but it's a nice time to start," she giggled and waved him off. Once she was certain that he was gone, Sunny glanced up at the framed picture of the employee group shot and quickly found Parcel's face in the crowd.
Caressing his beaming face, she wistfully murmured, "Soon, you and I will be together, my love."
~*~
Wait for the cart, wait for the cart... The voice in Parcel Post's head commanded as the earth pony stood at the edge of the street. He didn't know why he had to but he knew he couldn't disobey. A few bystanders mindlessly trotted by, giving the mailpony queer stares but saying nothing. He waited for five minutes until a large produce cart came barreling down the street.
Now go!
As if being pulled by invisible ropes, Parcel Post leapt at the cart at just the right angle, his head thudding against the side and sending him tumbling down the street. The veil around his mind lifted and he suddenly became aware of the throbbing of his head, the blood trickling down his face in little rivulets. And then, darkness consumed him.
~*~
The six ponies and dragon waited anxiously in the Ponyville General lobby, a cloud of distress hanging over their heads. When Spike informed the others of the mailpony's blossoming romance with Twilight, they knew that they needed to be at their friend's side and did all they could to comfort her. The alicorn sat hunched over in her seat, anxiously biting her hooves as the tears dried on her cheeks. Rarity kept a foreleg around Twilight's midsection, whispering reassurances in her ear but to little effect. Her gaze set in a thousand-yard stare, Twilight remained silent, having not spoken a word in the last few hours.
"Princess Twilight Sparkle?"
Hearing her name, Twilight rocketed out of her seat to join the pudgy pink mare. "It's just 'Twilight.' The coronation isn't for another two days."
"Oh, I see. I'm Nurse Sweetheart. Come right this way."
Glancing behind her, the others all gave her encouraging nods and, taking a deep breath, Twilight followed the nurse. She still didn't know the exact details of what happened but apparently Parcel Post threw himself at the cart but this had to have been a mistake. Why would he do that? Weren't they happy? Didn't Twilight make him happy?
"Here we are. Mr. Post is awake but I should warn you, he is suffering some amnesia as a result of the head trauma," Nurse Sweetheart explained before laying a gentle hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "I'll leave you two alone."
Taking a deep breath, Twilight entered the room, finding Parcel Post laying upright in his bed, his head heavily bandaged and his right foreleg in a cast, his face marred by nasty-looking bruises.
"Parcel? How are you feeling?"
The mailpony squinted at Twilight. "You're...Twilight Sparkle." He then noticed the wings and grinned, "Wow, a princess too! Congratulations! Wait, why are you here?"
Twilight's heart nearly shattered. "You...don't remember? We've been sort of dating. The Golden Horseshoe? No?"
Parcel Post stared blankly at her. "We have? The last thing I remember is coming home from work. I had delivered a box to the library. It contained some sort of spell book." He shrugged with one shoulder. "I'm not much of a reader so I couldn't tell you."
"You...you're not much of a-..." Twilight grabbed a hold of the bar at the foot of the bed to steady herself. "But what about our discussions? The Life and Times of Morari the Maneless? Your insight on Clover the Clever's Five-point Dispelling Configuration?"
Parcel Post chuckled, "Are you serious? The biggest book I've ever read was a manual on proper beekeeping."
Twilight began hyperventilating, the tears rushing down her face.
"I'm sorry. I-I have to go," she wept and ran out the room, much to Parcel Post's confusion. Ignoring his shouts, Twilight rushed out the lobby, past her worried friends, past the tons of concerned faces, not stopping until she was safe behind her own front door. Slamming the door shut, she slid down the oak-wood and curled into a ball.
"Parcel Post..." Twilight heaved and let out a choking sob.
~*~
Princess Cadence laid bundled up in her queen-sized bed, her normally warm and inviting eyes distant and full of worry. Ever since the incident in the library, she'd been withdrawn and aloof, refusing to see anypony but her husband and a hoofful of servants. The other day, she looked into a mirror to find that two of her canines had become long fangs and her horn had become curved and scarlet. Though it was only for a minute, it scared her enough to stay in bed and cancel all of her appointments. Shining Armor had insisted that they tell Princess Celestia or Luna but Cadence refused, not wanting to worry her aunts. After all, they had a coronation to plan and a city to prepare a defensive blockade, since a coronation would be the perfect opportunity for an invasion or assassination attempt.
"Cadence, please come out," Shining pleading, holding her hoof in a gentle grip. "I don't know what's happening but you can't keep yourself locked in here. If we're not going to the princesses then at least let me get a doctor."
Her eyes flashed green, her pupils now crimson. "No! I don't want anypony else to see me like this!" Cadence cried, burying her head beneath the covers. "I don't want them to look at me and see a monster!"
Gently peeling back the covers, Shining caressed Cadence's face lovingly.
"You're not a monster. No matter what happens, you'll still be the kind-hearted, radiant and funny mare that I fell in love with."
Cadence sniffled, her expression both hopeful and uncertain. "Do you mean that?"
"I promise, Cady."
"Shining, I-..."
Bum! Bum! Bum!
They both looked over at the bedroom door.
"Come in!" Shining commanded and was met by a member of the royal guard, who promptly bowed and kept his helmet clutched tightly to his chest. "Sergeant Jacinth, how can we help you?"
The orange-red crystal pony cleared his throat. "A package has just been delivered by a mail carrier arriving out of Ponyville. He claims that it is from your sister and that it is a matter of life and death."
"Twilight? Bring it up here."
Sergeant Jacinth bowed once more and marched out the room, returning shortly with a small cardboard box. He set it on the bedside table and stepped back, awaiting further orders. Magically tearing the box open, Shining Armor telekinetically lifted up what appeared to be an alicorn-shaped amulet.
"Sergeant, was there anything else that came with this?"
"No, Your Majesty. We just received the-..."
The red gem at the amulet's center glowed and a semi-transparent black tendril shot out of it, striking the sergeant in the chest and sending him flying out of the room, colliding with the wall outside. The amulet, now suspended by its own magic, hung in midair as the tendril became a black mass, pooling onto the floor, gathering itself up to form a unicorn, a pair of red eyes burning like wildfire. The shape jerked its head around and the bedroom doors slammed shut, covering them in a barrier of overlapping black crystals. It jerked its head again, repeating the action with the windows and the outside balcony. Shining Armor leapt in front of the bed protectively, his horn blazing with rose-colored light.
"Whoever you are, you've just made a big mistake!"
"Whoever I am? Your memory must've taken damage since our last encounter, little prince."
The black unicorn's features shifted, his coat becoming dark gray as a crown adorned his flowing black mane. Armor appeared over his muscled body and a red and white cloak hung from his broad shoulders. His angled face was dominated by a pair of crimson eyes, which stared humorously at Shining Armor as the prince's horn magic winked out.
"It can't be!" Cadence shrieked from behind Shining, who stared awestruck at the intruder.
"I'm afraid, my dear Cadence, it can," King Sombra confirmed austerely. "We have business to discuss."
~*~
The Canterlot throne room was bustling with activity as servants raced around hanging up streamers and banners, all for preparation for the coronation of Equestria's newest princess. Despite the land's long and rich history, this was only the fourth time such a momentous occasion took place and was thus cause for much celebration, especially in the heart of its capital. Princess Luna barked orders to the food servers and florists, taking pride in the room's appearance thus far and content with her apparent skills as an interior decorator. She didn't even have to use the Royal Canterlot Voice! Taking a break from her duties, she went to take a sip of water when she noticed that there was one individual lacking energy or excitement.
Princess Celestia sat stoically on her throne, her mind clearly occupied with serious matters. Luna sighed and made her way up the dais, worried about her sister's stark state of mind. Whenever something major happened, Celestia always became brooding, which was ironic given her status as the bright and happy Princess of Day. Ever since they were little, Celestia took it upon herself to strive for perfection, being the best at everything as if preparing herself to take the weight of the world on her shoulders.
"Celestia? What's wrong? Aren't you happy for Twilight?"
Swiveling her head to face Luna, Celestia nodded gently and waited a moment before speaking.
"Luna, you know that I'm proud of Twilight and her accomplishments thus far. She's proven that she deserves this great honor."
"Then why art thou unhappy?"
"Once she is crowned, she will face even more trials, like you and I did. Perhaps even worse. I'm afraid of what'll come next. She's already had to face both Discord and King Sombra. Who knows what her next challenge will be?"
Luna noticed the visible flinch when Celestia spoke Sombra's name.
"There's another reason, isn't there? Is it because of him? I know you've been wrestling with the decision of letting go of your burden. Celestia, she has to know the truth. If not now, then when?"
Celestia went to answer when a large black crystal speared through the floor in front of the dais, bringing chaos to the throne room as the servants screamed and fled while the royal guards rushed to the princesses' aid. The two sisters exchanged a knowing glance, neither one of them requiring a word between them. Green and purple flames erupted in the center of the crystal, running across its ebony surface as they carved out a series of letters. When they were finished, the flames vanished, leaving behind words that chilled the two alicorns to the bone:
PRINCESS CADENCE AND THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE ARE MINE. COME AND GET THEM BACK, CELESTIA.
KING SOMBRA