//------------------------------// // Act 3: Heart Shocked // Story: Friendship is Failure #21: Is it Love? // by DakariKingMykan //------------------------------// ACT THREE The other ponies were all finished setting up their displays, and Applejack finished baking her goods. Customers were flocking around purchasing all kinds of flowers, teddy bears, cards, candies, and the baked goods in the spirit of Hearts and Hooves week, and yet they big day was only a few days away. “This is so cute.” chirped Pinkie. “Look at all the happy couples.” Seeing all the romance and joy spreading around-- men giving their lady friends their gifts or flattering them-- it brought tears to her eyes. “Eh… I guess it’s kind of neat.” said Rainbow. Suddenly, a candied heart was handed to her from angel, and inscribed on it was a cute message saying “U R Great.” Rainbow felt a little flattered. Angel had given special hearts to all the ponies, and in his haste he accidently gave Rarity one that said “Forget it, kid!” Rarity looked insulted, and Angel quickly replaced it with a better one which read “I’m Mad about you.” “Oh…!” Rarity sighed “So beautiful.” Fluttershy was given a very special candied heart that wasn’t like any of the others. She had to squint to read it. “What’s it say?” asked Applejack. Still squinting, Fluttershy made it out what appeared to be a rather long, and deep poem. "How do I Love Thee" As she continued to read, Angel stood behind her, holding his paw to his heart in a strong and prideful pose. The others all gawked in extreme awe, some wondering how in the world all that fit onto such a tiny candy, but Fluttershy… she felt lighter than air, and looked down lovingly at her pet… Angel tenderly kissed her hoof, making her blush. Rarity could hardly conceal her emotions and wiped her eyes, but the moment was suddenly interrupted when Twilight came galloping by screaming, “SPIKE….!!” Then along came Spike, bounding merrily and calling, “Come back here, my darling sweet-roll.” The others were most confused. “What was all that?” asked Applejack. “Did Spike just call Twilight “Darling sweet-roll?” added Rarity. She almost sounded rather cold, jealous even. Before any of them could question anything else, Shining Armor came along. “You girls haven’t seen Cadance anywhere, have you?” he asked. “She never came back from lunch with Twilight. That’s not like her.” The girls all looked back and forth at one another, and then Twilight came by again, totally out of breath, and running straight into her brother knocking him over. “Sorry… Bro…” she panted. As the two ponies got back up onto their feet, along came Spike. He called to Twilight, “Here I come, my darling, ready or not!” and he leapt clear over to her, and finally Twilight couldn’t take it and used her magic to freeze him suspended in midair. Twilight nearly passed out in relief. Her brother picked her up, and he and the others treated Twilight to a cool drink at Applejack’s stand, leaving Spike frozen in midair. “What is up with Spike?” asked Applejack. “He’s lighter than a plastic bag in an updraft.” “I don’t know,” replied Twilight “He’s been acting like this ever since we left the restaurant.” Even Pinkie couldn’t deny, from what Twilight had said, “…I’ve never heard of some-creature being that obsessed with some-pony.” Rarity agreed, “I’ll admit, I’ve been overly obsessed before… in ways I regret to remember… but what would possessed Spike to be so infatuated with Twilight?” None of the friends had the slightest clue, until Sun Rae approached them and confessed, “…It was my fault.” Everyone looked her way. “Sun Rae?” said Twilight in confusion. Sun had been feeling so ashamed with what happened earlier, and so guilt-ridden, she had been looking for Twilight and her friends to confess to everything, but first she had to warn them about Cadance. “Cadance…? You know where she is?” asked Shining Armor “I have a pretty good idea.” replied Sun. Strings had finally made it back to his house within the village, and he was panicking like crazy, as well as out of breath as he stumbled inside and locked the door with chains, keys, and even boarded it up with a huge table. Cadance had been chasing him all through the empire, claiming she was “driven by her love.” She just wouldn’t quit. “Please say I’ve lost her…!” he begged to no one in particular, but no such luck as he heard a knock at the door, followed by the same voice, “…I know you’re in there, darling.” Panicking most desperately, Strings backed away from the door, and bumped into a shelf causing small boxes and things to fall on him and knocking him to the floor. Naturally, Cadance couldn’t push through the barricaded door, and she didn’t have to. She just used her magic to make the wall transparent and waltzed right in just as Strings was brushing all the clutter off of him. He looked up, and saw he was totally trapped, and Cadance was looking at him, growling like a hungry, yet seductive tiger, making Strings go numb with fear. “Your princess has come for you…” she hissed softly, and then she dashed over and scooped him up in her limbs, finally having him at her mercy. Strings was far too tired and weak from the chase to break free this time, and even still he had no place to go. “Princess, please,” wailed Strings “You mustn’t do this-- it’s wrong!!” “Nonsense.” said Cadance “I do this for you, for me… FOR LOVE…!!” Strings felt as if he had totally lost all feeling in his body, and was still unable to free himself. Cadance slowly began to lower her face towards his. “Don’t fight it, dear, just take me now…” Tears of fright and worry streaked down Strings face, and he couldn’t find strength to scream for help because he felt himself fading away…! Cadance’s lips just barely brushed up against his when Twilight and the gang busted through the barricaded door. “Cadance…!!” shouted Shining Armor. Cadance looked up in shock, and together, her husband and Twilight combined their magic to lift her up into the air, and she dropped Strings on the floor. “No!! Let me down!!” wailed Cadance “I want my Strings! Give me my love!” Twilight could see her sister-in-law needed a cure for the potion and fast, but it was Strings who needed even more help than ever. He was lying on the floor, with his eyes wide open and he was twitching like crazy, and barely breathing. “He’s in shock!” cried Sun. “He needs a doctor and fast!” Rainbow scooped him up and strapped him to her back, and actually placed a dome-light and siren on her head. “Stand back! We’re heading out!” and she took off for the hospital. “No!! Come back with my love!” shouted Cadance. Twilight and her brother couldn’t bear this much longer. “I’ll see if I can find a cure for that potion.” said Twilight. Sun felt most ashamed of herself. “What have I done?”