Gleaming Shield was relatively happy with herself as she strolled across Ponyville; she was sporting a simple purple dress and golden slippers. Nothing too gaudy or fancy, she was simply heading to Carousel Boutique to pick up a particular order. Ponies were walking by bowed in front of her, but she waved a hoof, and they quickly got up. Ever since she was coordinated as the princess of Guardianship, this was relatively common despite only recently becoming a princess a few days ago. However, she continued to strut off down the road toward her destination and eventually came to the Carousel Boutique. The white-coated alicorn opened the door, and as she entered, Rarity looked up from behind the cash register. "Oh, darling!? I didn't expect you to come by today!"
"Oh well, I …um…just wanted to see if my dress is ready?" Gleaming squeaked with her cheeks flushing pink as she knew she kept annoying Rarity asking if her dress was finished.
But the fashionista seemed rather happy to see her as she got up and threw a hoof. "Follow me, darling!"
The alicorn princess walked behind Rarity, and she couldn't help but stare at the mare's rump…despite being engaged with Sunset Shimmer, she couldn't help but not stare at the mare's rump. She snickered as she thought about all the times she would do that to Celestia when she used to be her captain of the royal guard.
She then slowly came to the fashionista's workshop and saw a beautiful wedding dress over a ponyquin, with her cutie mark sewn into the seams around the dress's skirt. Gold seams were lining the dress with a beautiful silk gown, and the mare couldn't help but squeal. "Oh my Celestia! It’s beautiful! Thank you!"
Rarity couldn't help but beam a smile of pride and placed a hoof over her chest. "Thank you, darling, this is my first wedding dress."
Gleaming looked it over and couldn't help but hug it and bury her face in the soft fabric. "Oh, my goodness, it feels so soft and smells so good! It's perfect!"
"Well….I would like to see it on your darling…bu…wait!" Rarity cried out, but Gleaming was already undressing herself, then putting the dress over her body, slipping it over her in a matter of seconds. She twirled about in her newfound dress and chirped, "oh yes! It's perfect, and it feels so soft and snug!"
The fashionista shrugged, "supposedly, it's bad luck for the bride to wear her dress before the wedding, but we can skip that…just in case if there are any adjustments I need to perform."
She ran around the dress poking pins while Gleaming stood there striking poses in front of a mirror, loving how the dress was around her body. It was quite tight around her upper torso but the skirt puffed out from the back with a few layers of frills. It looked like a mix of a party gown and a traditional wedding dress…it was precisely what Gleaming was hoping for. Of course, the white fabric blended into her pristine white fur. Still, the golden seams around the outlines and the embroidered shields on the skirt popped out and made her look like a princess from a fairytale. When Rarity finished poking pins and finding where she needed to make adjustments, she asked, "so Gleaming? How are you doing living with Twilight again? Are you comfortable?"
The alicorn princess gave an exhausted sigh. The Golden Oaks library was quaint, but it was definitely not Canterlot Palace in Sunset's universe where she mostly lives now and explained. "Well, yes…I mean, the library she lives in is rather cramped, but we make do. I'm just visiting, if I'm honest, I mean we need to do the wedding twice, once here and in Sunset's universe as well…."
"Well, that just means my work can be seen by more ponies!" Rarity chirped as she finished poking pins while the alicorn princess blushed and explained, "well, I can't keep bringing matter from one universe to another, and I promised the Rarity in Sunset's universe I'll wear the dress she made to that wedding."
The fashionista scoffed as she undressed Gleaming. "Well, I hope this other Rarity knows what she's doing!"
Rarity stomped off, making Gleaming shake her head seeing her friend getting jealous of her counterpart rather funny and a bit absurd. She walked back downstairs, and that was when she saw Sunset Shimmer standing in the doorway.
"Sunset, what are you doing here!?" Gleaming cried out as she flew down as Sunset poked a hoof into the white-coated alicorn. "We need to be with Cadance and Twilight to talk about the wedding plans, or did you forget?"
The white-coated mare rolled her eyes; her fiance' could be rather demanding and has taken her sister's need to follow a strict schedule. "Of course, I remembered! I just came by here first to check out my wedding dress."
"Well, fine! So, come on!"
"Wait, let me get my other gown on first; you know I hate going out unclothed!" The white-coated alicorn cried out as she fixed a violet gown over her body. The mare placed on her gold slippers as she then walked off with Sunset, who shook her head. "Never could understand you getting into all that girly crap back at the academy."
"I don't know? I never was into it until then…I was a totally different mare before then." Gleaming scoffed as she walked down the road following Sunset. They eventually came to Golden Oaks library; she opened the door and came upon princess Cadance. Twilight was sitting across from each other.
"Oh, hey sister! Your visit to Rarity's was fruitful!?" Twilight asked.
"Oh yes, the wedding dress she made me was perfect! Just a few more adjustments and it'll be finished." Gleaming explained as she sat down across from the other mares. "You should see my counterpart in Sunset's universe. She's my total opposite. She practically begged Cadance not to wear one!"
The mares all laughed as Sunset plopped next to her fiancé and scoffed, "sometimes I think I should have tried dating her first! I never met a mare who took the princess academy so seriously!"
Gleaming paused as Sunset's comment was rather odd...it had a ring to it that made sense to her…her train of thought was suddenly broken when Candance started balling and crying. "Oh Gleaming, you remind me of somepony I know…but I can't seem to remember him…"
"Hmmm, not sure if there's any pony like me! especially a guy!" Gleaming chirped back rather smugly, pointing a hoof at herself trying to cheer Cadance up and got a instead a few groans from Twilight and Sunset Shimmer.
"Probably not…just, oh why am I crying?" Princess Cadance whispered as she wiped the tears from her eyes. Sunset on the other hoof just snapped, "can we get on with the wedding plans! I have another meeting with another Twilight today as well!"
"Right, let's discuss." The violet alicorn chirped as she brought out a chalkboard, and they all began discussing the wedding that'll be done here soon. As Twilight blabbed on about catering and the guest list, Gleaming couldn't help but wonder what Cadance meant by another pony like her? Why did she cry like that? It…it doesn't matter, but she always felt like something was wrong…like somehow this body wasn't really her's…
Gleaming's eyes lit up as an image of Shining Armor entered her mind and she rose up and shouted, "wait!? I don't want this!"
Every mare looked at her, somewhat confused as Gleaming realized for some reason that she was being tricked…she said no to Sunset at the poker game. Still, yet…she realized that for some reason, she was forced to say yes…why? Why did she say yes? What is going on! She didn't care if there were consequences if she said no…she won't be responsible for Shining Armor to die and be erased from existence!
Gleaming Shield slammed a hoof on the ground and shouted, "you hear me! I will not accept this! I won't! I promised Shining I wouldn't take this body from him, and I meant it!"
The dream then began to dissipate and dissolve around her as she was soon enveloped into a thick black void once more.
Gleaming now found herself into a black void and looked around and saw that she turned to see Shining Armor; he was in a wispy looking form, but it was him. She flew across the void and headed towards him, and tried to hug him again, but she felt her hooves go through his formless body. He just laughed, "guess you didn't take my body then."
"No, I didn't, and I'm glad you're here…But where are we?"' Gleaming replied in a threatening tone as she looked around the void worried that this might be their punishment for her defiance.
Shining Armor shrugged as he looked around and replied back, "I really am not sure…"
Then the two turned to see Luna slowly fluttering towards them come clapping her hooves. "Well done, Gleaming; you did well resisting my final challenge."
Gleaming shuddered as she did deep down wished she could stay in that dream. It was beautiful; almost everything she wanted except…seeing Cadance's eyes tear up made her snap out of it as she whispered. "I should've known that was another challenge…" The mare shook her head then looked up at Luna. She had to focus and figure out what she had to do next and asked, "So what's going on here?"
Luna glared down at her as she continued to explain. "Right now, you and Shining have both agreed to not take the body, and it's in a comatose state at the moment. Basically, the body is brain dead…"
"Seriously!? Can this get any worse!" Shining cried out loud.
Gleaming looked around the formless void and squeaked out, "so… we're…basically ghosts?"
The princess of the night shook her head with a smirk and continued to explain. "You two are more like consciousnesses with no bodies. Now, if Lauren Faust finds out what I'm doing, she'll probably take the body and force consciousness to infect it and kill Shining Armor. So we need to do this fast; what I'm going to propose might break the space and time continuum...Gleaming, I'm going to try sending you back in time to your own body."
"You can do that!" Gleaming cheered, feeling relieved that Luna could do that.
Luna held a hoof and continued to explain. "however, there is a catch…. Basically, you'll have to be reborn as Shining's twin, go through over twenty years of life, and you'll come and stop Shining from picking up the book again and endure the trials of this book again...if we do this. The plan turns out successful in return, when you come back here, you'll have to do something for me."
Both Shining Armor and Gleaming blinked utterly dumbfounded, and they were both somewhat surprised. Shining was the first to speak. "Wait a sec... you'll...um...basically make Gleaming Shield my twin sister?"
Luna clapped her hooves and continued, "yes, and you will always think of her as such...you will have no recollection of any time prior from opening the book and singing that false name."
Gleaming's shade of white was now a beat red as she floated close to Shining. "I think I should do this... it's the only real way to make sure you keep your body, and I get one of my own...and on the plus side, you will have no memories of what's happened."
"Right...honestly...I wouldn't mind having you as a sister…" Shining commented as his shade was turning red as well.
The mare then turned her attention to Luna and asked, "wait...are you saying? That even when...um... I'm basically reincarnated into a body even as a baby...will I be fully aware of my surroundings?”
Luna lowered her gaze as she continued to explain, "yes, you will have to endure every moment from childbirth to the night before Shining picked up the enchanted book...But you cannot tell ponies of the future, or this entire plan will fall apart…"
Gleaming stood in the void with her eyes closed thinking things over, knowing deep down that this could end badly for her, which would be somewhat awkward. However, she's determined to see this through and reunite with Sunset at any cost. The mare gave a deep breath before she gave her answer. "Ok, then I'll do it.”
Shining would’ve burst into tears if he could and tried hugging Gleaming one last time and whispered, "guess, the next time we see each other we're going to be in the maternity ward, imagine that?"
Gleaming smirked wanting to not make this moment so gloomy she tried hitting Shining's shoulder. "Oh, I can't wait to be your sister! I'm going to definitely get you with some awesome pranks!"
"Good luck, Twilight's already tried and failed." The stallion laughed as the mare turned her attention back to Luna. She then closed her eyes and thought about Sunset Shimmer in her mind that no matter how long it takes she'll find her again and then shouted. "Ok, I'm ready!"
Princess Luna gave the student a stern look as she warned. "Alright, and remember when you return, I will expect you to do a favor for me!" The princess of the night then lit her horn, and Gleaming saw a bright flash of white light before disappearing into another spaceless void.