//------------------------------// // Rthö Tuleüf: The Winter Wedding- Part One~ It's just the same invitation... right? // Story: CYCLED // by The REAL Mister Pkmn //------------------------------// A few days had passed, and the day had come. Twilight was having a picnic with her friends, and they were all having a nice chat. That was until she saw Spike come running, holding a scroll in his claws. Once he arrived, a letter came out from his dragon fire. Twilight grabbed the one in Spike’s claws first, unrolled it and read: “Hey LSBFF, “I almost forgot to send you this, until your coltfriend stopped by and pestered me about it. So I’m writing to tell you that I proposed to Cadence a while back, and that the wedding is… well, by the time you get this, it’ll be today… Sorry for not sending it sooner, I’ve just been super swamped with guard duty. I hope that you and your friends will be able to attend. “Your BBBFF, Shining Armor.” She rolled it up and smiled. “Well. Looks like it’s finally happening.” Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Twi, you expected this? Wut, you psychic or sumthin’?” A shake of the head later and Twilight explained. “Nothing like that. It’s just been a long time coming. And for him to propose to Cadence… well, it’ll be nice to have her as my sister-in-law.” Though, she had a sneaking suspicion that things might go as last time if she wasn’t careful. She nodded, and turned her attention to the other letter. It was from Celesita, much the same as it was last time. She turned and jerked her head in the direction of the train station. “Come on, girls. Celestia wants us to help out with setting it all up. On the way there, I can tell you all about Cadence! I think you guys will like her…” A shuffle over and show of tickets later, the girls and Spike all boarded the train to Canterlot. Twilight spent most of the train ride telling all sorts of stories about Cadence and how nice she usually was. That way, if she had been replaced by Chrysalis, her friends would more easily believe her. They soon came upon the dome of magic that surrounded the city, and they passed through with little issue. Rarity raised a small concern. “Does anypony know why there’s a barrier around Canterlot? It’s usually so open…” Twilight nodded. “Shiny said that his guard duties were getting a bit hectic. It makes sense that they would place a barrier to filter out any unwanted guests. Pressure is high, with the wedding looming.” This seemed to satisfy them, but it only made Twilight’s worry worse. She could tell that the shield wasn’t her brother’s best. That meant that Cadence had already been replaced. Still, Maestro was apparently already in Canterlot. Maybe he’d been keeping things in check until they got there. Twilight gave a sigh. She knew that hoping that this day wouldn’t involve the changelings was hoping for a miracle, but… did it really have to repeat almost verbatim? She put her thoughts aside as they came into the station. Once the train stopped, they exited to see that Maestro was there. He grinned. “What you took you so long?” Twilight brightened and hugged him. “Mae-Mae! I wasn’t expecting you to meet us here.” He chuckled as he peeled her off of him. “What, do you think that it’s wrong for me to meet my girlfriend and our mutual friends at the train station? What has the world come to?” He shook his head and calmed down. “Seriously, though. I’ve been waiting for you guys. I can’t make this wedding the best it can be without you.” Twilight was a bit perplexed at first. Maestro knew as well as she did what was going on here. So why was he being this chipper? Something seemed off.  She decided to have a little test first. She looked around. “So where’s Prism? You hardly go anywhere without her.” He raised an eyebrow. “My daughter? Oh, she’s back at my shop that I set down. Might as well make a bit of profit while I’m here. How could forget her?” Twilight was still a bit skeptical, but the answer did seem to hold weight for now. She decided to keep her thoughts to herself as she turned towards her friends. “Come on, girls. Let’s get to it.” They went to the castle with Maestro as their guide. Though, Twilight just couldn’t shake the needling feeling that he wasn’t Maestro at all. She knew her Mae-Mae. He often had a sad twinge in his eye, a melancholic echo in his voice. Yet here he had neither. It wasn’t a certain thing yet, but she was keeping her guard up just the same. The seven of them soon reached the palace, and were greeted by Celestia. “Twilight! Girls!” She looked at Maestro uncomfortably. “Maestro.” She turned her attention back to the others as Maestro just let that venom roll right off of him. “I’ve been waiting for you. Rarity will help with the dress, of course. Pinkie and Applejack will help with the food, and Rainbow and Fluttershy will help setting up the hall. Twilight, you and your… coltfriend… can help ensure that it’s all running smoothly. Everypony got it?” At the shared nods, they split off with Twilight lagging behind. Maestro noticed this, and turned to face her with a raised eyebrow. “What’s wrong, sweetie?” Maestro had never called her that. It felt wrong. She shook it off. Maybe she was overthinking it. She gave a forced smile. “I need to have a word with Celestia in private first, if you don’t mind.” He stared at her with a puzzled expression before shrugging. “Okay then. I’ll be off make sure that nothing falls apart. See you later, sweetie!” After he left, Twilight turned to see Celestia with a concerned expression on her face. “Is something wrong, Twilight? You haven’t approached me like this since before I sent you off to Ponyville.” Twilight paused. Should she? She wasn’t sure…. To Be Continued In Part Two...