//------------------------------//
// Chapter 5: Wayward Negotiations. 
// Story: Since When am I Faust? 
// by McDufus_456 
//------------------------------//


Since when am I Faust?
Chapter 5: Wayward Negotiations


As it neared the third hour of the day, some of the citizens of Canterlot got a bit of a shock as they spotted a small alicorn running through the streets. A maid was following her, and the two were heading towards the castle with haste.

I was frustrated. Lilly told me that the changelings were planning to attack Canterlot, but I got distracted and didn't listen. Now for all I knew, Chrysalis was probably already inside the castle. The thought filled me with regret, and I desperately hoped I could make it back in time. The only reassurance that I had was that we weren’t too far behind the others.

Behind me, Lilly cleared her throat to get my attention, and I glanced in her direction as she said, ”So, let me get this straight. You're saying that she's going to attack during the wedding?"

"I'm afraid so."

"But how do you know that?"

The hairs on the back of my neck stiffened as I realized my mistake, and I looked at my maid with a sheepish expression. "It’s, difficult to explain... but I just know..."

My maid looked at me curiously, and she tilted her head to the side as her brows began to furrow. She looked down and became lost in thought. I assumed she was trying to guess how I knew when Chrysalis would attack, but I couldn't say for sure.

All I knew was that she was adorably puffing out her cheeks as she stared into space. Her grumpy expression was somewhat amusing, and it brought a smile to my face. Grinning, I extended a wing and nudged her side to get her attention.

"Hey."

“Hmm?”

“I want you to stay out of this dispute between me and your mother."

The young changeling looked shocked, and she protested, saying, "What!? Why!? I can help!"

I sighed and lowered my head. "Because, Adorilin, I don't know how things are going to turn out."

She flinched when I used her real name, and she looked down. “But I...”

“Please, just listen.” 

I wanted to avoid putting her in a situation that would make her fight against her family. However, my words were interpreted a little differently than I intended. Lilly looked down at the ground with a somber expression, and she remained silent for a few moments as she seemed to realize something. Swallowing hard, she lifted her head and looked at me with glistening eyes. "Are you… Are you going to kill my mom?"

Her question startled me, and I nearly stumbled onto my face when I heard it. In all the time I had spent in Equestria, I hadn’t even considered that as a possibility. I wasn’t even sure how to answer her. I had no intention to hurt Chrysalis, but the more I thought about it, the more I reluctantly had to acknowledge that it wasn’t outside the realm of possibility. 

I took a deep breath and looked at the young changeling. Putting on a confident smile, I told her, "I'll do my best to find a peaceful resolve to the situation. But, if she tries to harm my people, I'll do whatever I need to do to keep them safe."

Lilly looked down with saddened eyes and nodded, "... I understand. Thank you." 

I put my wing over her shoulder as I tried to reassure her. Lilly forced a smile as she looked up at me, and I sighed. It was not a comfortable subject to talk about, but I was thankful she brought it up.

Looking ahead, I noticed that the castle grounds were coming into view, and we were close enough to see the guards standing by the doors. Gesturing with my head, I got my maid's attention, and she followed my gaze towards the castle. Her eyes widened as she realized we were almost back, and with a glance, the two of us silently agreed to speed up our pace. 

We arrived at the castle soon after, and as we got to the top of the stairs, the two of us had to pause to catch our breath. I was breathing heavily, and Lilly was panting in the background. Once I managed to collect myself, I looked up at the guards, and they greeted me with a nod. 

"Princess."

"Yes, hello. Do either of you know where the wedding rehearsal is taking place? I need to get there now!"

The urgency in my voice made the guards feel uneasy, and they momentarily stepped back as I looked at them with a desperate expression. The guard on my right lifted his foreleg, and he pointed inside the castle as he said, "Oh Um, yes your highness. East wing, at the end of the hall."

"Ok-thank-you-gotta-go-bye!" I took off running and unfurled my wings as I ran inside. Throwing them back, I used them to push me forward, and I felt myself briefly lift off the ground as I sped through the halls. 

The guards turned their attention to Lillybreeze as I left, and they stared at her as she stood in front of them. After a few moments of silence, she started to get a bit nervous, and the maid slowly walked past them. They continued to stare as she entered the castle, and then she took off running. She was trying to catch up with me, but unfortunately for her, she unwittingly turned in the wrong direction.

Alone again, the two guards looked at each other, and the one on the right spoke up, saying, "So, we got a new maid. She's kinda cute."

Hearing this, the other guard smacked his forehead and grunted, "Oh don't tell me... Is that why you were staring at her?"

"Yeah...Why?"

"Damn it Dusty! I thought you saw her as suspicious or something! Stop doing that to me already!"

"Eh, no promises."

"Argghhh!"





My speeding form tore through the halls like a bullet, and dread gripped at my heart as I got closer to my destination. Rounding another corner, I found myself side-stepping Prince Blueblood as he berated some of the staff. I grazed his side as I slid past him, and while minimal, it was enough to turn the stallion's ire in my direction. Frowning at me, the stallion called out, "I beg your pardon!"

I grinned as I looked back, "Pardon granted! Gotta go, bye!"

“That!... That's not what I meant! Hey! Get back here!”

I ignored the stallion’s complaints and continued running. My fears were pushing me forward, and I soon found myself going a little too fast. Coming into the next corner, I had to jump up and use the wall to change direction. 

Hopping back down, I heard some of the maids scream out with surprise. However, the scream quickly became a squee in delight as they realized that I was the rumored alicorn ponies had been talking about. Hearing their excitement, I couldn't help but grin as I ran past them, and I lifted my wing to wave.

I headed down the hallway till I saw the entrance to the wedding hall come into view. When I got close, I planted my hooves and skidded to a stop. I found myself standing in front of the large doors, and I breathed out as I tried to calm my racing heartbeat. One of them was slightly open, and I could hear a pony talking inside. The voice sounded somewhat like Cadance, but there was an angry tone in her words that just didn't belong. 

"What do you mean you didn't get them!?"

"My apologies Princess Cadence, but..." 

“It is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza!”

"Yes of course. I am so sorry princess, but we were unaware of those changed details."

"Then you prove yourself useless. You're fired!"

"What!? You can't be serious!"

"I am! Get out of my sight!"

After hearing all of that, I could tell that the pink pony in there was not Cadance. I looked down at the ground and hit the floor with my hoof. "Damn it. I'm too late." 

A wave of guilt washed over me, and I slumped down in defeat. I sat there for a few moments, absorbed in my thoughts. Getting up, I began to step away from the doors, and I started to walk back to my room. My ears perked up, however, and I looked behind me as I heard the sound of approaching hoof steps. 

Sitting down again, I watched as the doors swung open, and a pink alicorn, along with an entourage of ponies, walked out. I looked on with curiosity as I saw Cadance’s imposter for the first time. She didn’t take long to spot me, and when she did, I saw a flash of panic pass through her eyes. She quickly covered over it, though. Hardening her gaze, she walked up and asked with a demanding tone, "...What do you want?" 

My ears folded back as I looked side to side. I had already made a mistake. In all my zeal to protect Cadence, I forgot to think of what to say if it turned out to be Chrysalis. Now I was at a loss.


Lauren! What do I say!?



(Just leave it to me. I got this.)


I gave the alicorn control, and our heart immediately slowed. Faust put on a childish attitude as she greeted the other alicorn. She had a bubbly smile on her face, and she had a skip in her step as she said, "(Cadance! I came here to invite you to tea.)"

"I'm busy,"

"(Aww.. but you promised!)" Faust pouted.

"I what?"

"(Come on, please...)" Faust gave the imposter the biggest puppy dog eyes this body could muster, and she held onto that expression, quivering her lip until the fake princess gave in. 

With an angry scowl, the imposter grumbled, "Okay, fine, but only thirty minutes. Where and when shall we meet?" 

"(Well, my room has a balcony with a nice view. We can meet there around noon.)" 

“Alright fine,” The two nodded in agreement and then went their separate ways. Lauren walked down the hall a short distance, and then once we were out of sight, she gave me back control. 


That was awesome!



(Thanks. I have my moments.)


Thinking about how to proceed, I decided to head back to my room. Along the way, I noticed a flash of pink as I walked by an adjacent hallway. Lifting my head, I looked to my side and spotted Cadance running towards me. She was with Lyra and Minuette, and the three of them looked to be in a hurry. 

When the pink alicorn spotted me, she threw her wing up and waved. There was a sense of relief that washed over me as I saw her, and I smiled as I returned the gesture. As she got close, Cadance looked at me and asked, "Did I miss the rehearsal?" 

Tilting my head up in thought, I decided to have a little fun and say, "Hmm... How should I say this? Yes, and no?... You were there, but it wasn't you..." 

The pink alicorn tilted her head in confusion, and her ears flopped to the side, "Say wha...?"

Simply glad that she was alright, I explained, "Another pony looking like you took your place, but she didn't do a very good job. The disguise was spot on, however she was too much of a bitch to really sell it. Next time you get a stand-in, use one that can at least act as sweet as you."

I playfully stuck my tongue out as I nudged her side, and Cadance's eye twitched at hearing somepony was running around pretending to be her. As I turned to leave, I mentioned to Cadance that I was meeting up with the fake around noon. I suggested she come by to discuss the situation, and the pink alicorn readily agreed. Smiling, I set off to get things ready.





A few hours later, as I was finishing cleaning my room, I heard a knock at the door. Glancing behind me as I made the bed, I sighed in relief as I saw that it was my maid. She looked at me with a bemused smile and walked over to the other side of the bed. Lighting up her horn, she began helping me with the sheets and said, "You know you have cleaners for this, right?"

I shrugged, "Yeah, but I need to practice my magic."

Lilly chuckled as she shook her head, "...Alright, less work for me I guess. I came by because I wanted to tell you that I found a drone disguised as a royal guard. I've dealt with him, but he's likely a scout for my mother."

I nodded as I arranged the pillows. "Oh yeah, I actually met her this morning." 

Lilly froze as I said that, and she stared at me with wide eyes. "What!? She's already HERE!" 

"Yeah, that's why I'm cleaning up. I asked her to come by around noon. I wanted to discuss a mutual agreement between our races."

The maid shrunk back as she looked to the side, "I don't think that's a good idea. Mom is well... Unagreeable for something like that."

I nodded and looked down, "Probably not, but I need to try. If there's a chance we can get through this without a fight I'm willing to take it." 

I turned to face her with a determined expression, and Lilly sighed as she put a hoof against her head. "You really want to try this?." 

"...Yes, I do."

"Alright, give me a sec." She turned and left the room as if to get something, and I stared at where she had been with a confused look on my face. Five minutes later, she returned with a small jar of pink jelly, and I noticed it had some sort of sparkle to it. Closing the door behind her, the maid held the object forward and said, "Here." 

I looked at her and then looked at the jar. I was confused, and Lilly smiled at the look of bewilderment on my face. Nodding, the proto queen began to explain, "Changelings don't like the foods and drinks ponies do. If you're trying to get on mom's good side... If she has one... You might want to give her a drink that she'll enjoy."

I nodded and took the jar. I inspected it curiously, noting how the substance inside seemed to shimmer and glow as I moved it. Looking up, I nodded, "Okay, I suppose that makes sense, what is this stuff?"

Lilly smiled, "Changelings can store love in a gel. It's like a water pouch."

"Neat! So do I just give her this?"

"No, well, you can, but for something like this, we prefer a more moderate approach." My maid then walked over and grabbed a cup from the table. Pouring some hot water from the kettle, she filled the cup and walked back to me. I watched as she opened the jar and took a teaspoon of the glowing substance. She mixed it into the hot water, and it dissolved, giving the water a pink hue. Holding the cup out, Lilly said, "I present you with aqua-amore, the only type of tea we changelings enjoy."

I looked at the cup with curiosity and grabbed it with my magic. Taking a sip, I was pleasantly surprised. The flavor was mild but sweet. It reminded me of the flavor you get when you mix milk and sugar. It was weaker than that, but the flavor didn't seem watered down. Looking at the cup with surprise, I said, "Wow, I wasn't expecting that. Is that what all changelings taste when they receive love?"

Lilly shrugged, "I can't be sure. Everyday foods are tasteless for us. So we likely taste things differently."

I nodded, "I guess that makes sense." Then I took another swig. It made me feel fuzzy. Looking down, a thought crossed my mind, and I glanced at the changeling in front of me. "Oh, I just remembered. Would you mind checking this over for me?" 

I walked over to the table and grabbed the paper I had been working on. It was the treaty between changelings and ponies, and I wanted to get a changelings perspective. I gave it to Lilly, and she read it over. She seemed to grow more and more interested as she read it, and when she finished, the maid looked up at me with wide eyes, saying, "This is actually really good." 

"I had help,"


(Damn straight, I did all the work.)


Lilly gave me back the paper and then gave me a few suggestions. While I added those few changes, she prepared the teapot with her special brew. When I finished those changes, I walked out onto the balcony and put the paper into my bookbag, and I took the opportunity to finish setting up the table. Lilly walked out and set the teapot on the table, and then she said her goodbyes. It was getting close to noon, and she didn't want to risk bumping into her mother. 

As she opened the door to leave, the proto queen gave a startled gasp at seeing the pink alicorn waiting on the other side. She was just about to knock on the door, and the pony looked at the maid with an irritated glare. It was the same glare her mother would give, and the maid unintentionally took a step back. Scared, and her heart aflutter, the maid quickly bowed her head and muttered out a quiet, "Sorry." And then she ran away. 

The imposter was left speechless as she sat there for a moment, looking in the direction the maid went, her brow raised as she noticed something about the girl seemed familiar. She held that thought for a moment and then shrugged it off and walked inside, "Hello. Are you here?"

"Out here, Cadence," I waved as I leaned in front of the window.

Spotting me outside, the fake princess frowned and walked out to meet me. Her sour mood remained present until she walked through the french doors, and when she did, she paused, and her mouth hung open at the view. 

I chuckled at her surprise, and she blushed as she glanced in my direction. She had been caught gawking, and it somehow made her feel a bit embarrassed.

Lifting my foreleg, I invited her to sit down, and the changeling hesitantly agreed. She sat in the seat across from me, still captivated by the view, and I lifted the teapot Lilly had prepared. Pouring her a cup, and held it out to her. 

I watched with keen interest as the queen took the cup with her magic, and as she pulled it close to take a sip, her brow furrowed. Sniffing the drink, her ears twitched, and her head shot up with wide eyes. With a  slightly panicked voice, she asked, "What type of tea is this?"

"Um, I think it's called aqua-somethin... or other... I don't really know." I took a sip of coffee and leaned back in my seat as I watched her reaction.

The Cadance across the table from me became very serious, and she almost seemed angry. "How did you get this?"

I shrugged and put my cup down. "A friend of mine gave it to me, and I figured you would like it. I wanted to make a good impression."

"Good impression? You said we were friends!"

Gesturing with my hoof, I began tracing the rim of my cup with my hoof, "Well, that's true, Cadence and I are friends..." I breathed out as I looked her in the eyes, "But you, are not Cadance."

As if on cue, the pink alicorn suddenly came flying around the side of the castle. She circled down and landed on the balcony. She paused for a moment as she spotted herself across the table. Taking a moment to get over her initial shock, Cadance sat down beside me, and she stared with wide eyes fixed on her double. 

Chrysalis's eyes twitched at seeing the pink pony, and she huffed as she looked to the side. "...Trust a drone to do one job!…" Letting out a growl the imposter gave us a cautionary stare, and then she leaned forward. "So, you know I'm not her, and judging by the tea, you know what I am. Why are you keeping me here? Why not turn me into your oh so precious Princesses?" 

Cadance raised an eyebrow in confusion and lifted her wings. The changeling merely laughed in response, "You know what I mean, Cadenza! Compared to them, you're no more a threat than a unicorn." Cadance looked down, a little saddened by the truth of that statement, and Chrysalis looked over to me. "And you! I've never even heard of you, but judging by your stature, you have even less magic than her!"


Is that correct? Do we have less magic



(...Yes, but I know how to use it.)


Glancing down, I felt myself become a bit unsure about this idea, but part of me was still confident we could handle her if things turned for the worse. A bit hesitantly, I decided to continue with my proposal, and I leaned forward as I said, "The reason I invited you here, is because I have a proposition for our two races." 

"Oh you do, do you?" Chrysalis leaned back and looked to the side, apparently already bored with the conversation.

"Yes, recently it's been brought to my attention changelings have been struggling to acquire food. I would like to help you, but I need to ensure the safety of my citizens." 

I lit my horn, and the changeling flared hers in response. Holding my hoof up, I motioned for her to calm down and slowly pulled the treaty out of my bookbag. The changeling relaxed slightly and opted to raise an eyebrow instead as I slid the paper over to her. 

She looked up at me, and I explained, “I’ve gone ahead and drafted out an agreement for our two races. The aim is to mutually benefit both sides. Please read it over and let me know if there is anything I left out." 

The queen snatched the paper and gave it a quick inspection. She frowned as she turned the page back and forth. Then after several seconds, she looked up at me with a blank stare and set it on fire.

Standing up, I exclaimed, "Dude what the hell! I worked hard on that!”


(You mean I did.)



Not now!


Chrysalis's eyes narrowed, and she sneered. "Do you think that I would stoop so low as to sign a contract with my food? Does a dragon have dealings with swine or a shark with a fish?"

"Well, actually, pilot fish help sharks by..."

"Shut it!..." The changeling barked, and I reared back. She stood up and began chuckling to herself as she shook her head. "You think of us equals, don't you? You ponies... heheheh." Suddenly, she slammed her hooves on the table and yelled, "WELL, WE ARE NOT!" Cadance and I jumped back, a bit shooken by her sudden change in attitude.

Chrysalis stepped back and began walking around the table towards Cadance and I. The two of us found ourselves walking in the opposite direction as she approached. We circled the table as we stared at each other, and the queen looked into my eyes. What she saw was youth, inexperience, and fear, and the same went for Cadance. 

Speaking up, I pleaded, "Please, if we can't come to an agreement, then leave my kingdom alone. I'm trying to avoid a war."

"But war is what you will get! I and my fellow changelings will devour all the love in this land until there's nothing left of it!" 

"Then you will die stupid."

The changeling grit her teeth and lit her horn. "Someone is definitely stupid, but I don't think it's me..." Suddenly I heard a yelp behind me, and I saw Cadance sinking into the ground. My eyes widened in horror, and I reached out to grab her, but I wasn’t able to bring her back up. She looked at me with tear-filled eyes, and I helplessly watched her disappear.

A moment passed, and I stared at the ground. My breathing began to quicken, and I felt a fire of anger ignite in my soul, and I lifted my head as I asked aloud, "What are you doing?"

"Finishing what my drone couldn't." I heard a loud zap, and then my vision faded to black.





The next thing I knew, I was gasping for air as I woke up on a stone floor. It was dark, damp, and smelled heavily of minerals. It took me a moment for my memory to return, and when it did, I slammed my hoof on the ground in frustration. "Damn it! This is exactly what I was trying to avoid..."

Glowworms hung from the ceiling, the soft light they gave off bounced off the crystal walls, and gradually, I was able to see the dimly lit cave. Standing up, I looked to the side and saw Cadance. She was lying on the floor, and she was unconscious. Worried about her safety, I walked over to check and make sure she was alright. 

I looked her over, and thankfully she seemed to be alright, just a little drowsy. Straightening up, I looked at our surroundings, and a flash of green caught my attention. I turned to see a massive wall of crystals light up with the green light, and I took my place in front of the unconscious alicorn. I watched as her double's face appeared on the crystals. Her image showed up all over the room, and it made Chrysalis's true location hard to pinpoint. The imposter took one look at me and laughed. "It's about time you got up."

I tilted my head to the side, "Really? Has it been a while? I've had a bad habit of sleeping in lately, sorry about that… What'd you bring us down here for?"

She looked to the side and inspected her hoof. "It's obvious isn't it? I can’t have the two running around interfering with my plans." 

“Yeah, but I wouldn’t have to interfere with your plans if they didn't suck.” 

The changeling frowned at me as she sputtered, “I-It's a good plan!” 

“No it’s not! Changelings feed on love. You’ll rid yourself of your food source by becoming our enemy! Come on, it’s not that difficult! If you just stopped being such a bitch, you’d be set for life!” 

Her ears lifted when I said that, and her sly smile turned into an angry scowl. “You dare call me a... I’ll kill you!” She hissed, and she shot a beam of magic at a crystal hanging above me. 

I dodged the falling shard and frowned at her. Pointing my hoof, I exclaimed. “See! This is exactly what I’m talking about!”

“Shut up!” The changeling fired another shot at the ceiling, and a small section of rock, dirt, and crystals fell where I had been standing.  

"Just stop already. Your plan won't work, if you go through with this you'll lose!"

"We'll see about tha..." A falling stone cut the changeling off, and she looked up at the roof of the cave. I followed her gaze, and my eyes widened as I saw cracks spreading across the roof. The stones in the ceiling were beginning to come loose, and the two of us looked back at one another as we came to the same conclusion.

 “Oh shit.” 

Chrysalis quickly flared her horn, teleporting away, and I ran to Cadance's side as the roof began to collapse. Throwing my body over the pink alicorn, I called out to my passenger for help. Lauren immediately took control, and she lit our horn to put up a shield. 

A moment later, there was a loud snapping sound, and hundreds if not thousands of pounds of rocks fell on top of us, burying us alive. The shield began to crack from the weight. I was scared, panicked even. I regretted thinking I could handle this alone. Sure, I had Cadance by my side, but she was a peaceful pony, not a fighter; I only hoped Lauren could protect us long enough to get us out of this.  

Faust strained as she poured our magic into the shield. She was using it to keep a large crystal from crushing us, and she desperately poured our magic into the shield as she tried to repair the damage. It kept on cracking, though, and it was taking all we had to keep it from shattering. I could feel us burning through most of our mana, and the strain was causing us to get a splitting headache. 

As our magic began to run out, I could feel Lauren's control start to waver, and with a reluctant nod, the white alicorn shut her eyes as she extended her wings. She used them to cover over Cadance, and she clenched her teeth as she commanded me to, “(Protect her!)”

With the last bit of our magic, she flared our horn and shattered the crystal above us in a blinding flash of light. The majority of the boulder-sized crystal blew away. There was a moment of silence, but then a crystal shard hit the ground beside me. There was another, and another, and then all of a sudden, hundreds rained down on me. They went into my back, and my wings and one large crystal impaled my leg. Lauren and I screamed in pain, and blood began to strain our white coat. I winced as tears started to stream down my face, but I stood my ground. It was at this moment that Cadance woke up. 

She looked up in confusion, only to see my tearful eyes and my teeth clenched as I fought off the pain. She looked around at the cavern and all the shards falling around us. Confusion covered her face, and then her mind caught up. Remembering the events that happened just prior to her waking up, she looked at me with horror-stricken eyes. I strained to put on a smile, and I assured her, "Don't worry. You’re safe," A tear made its way down her cheek as she stared at me.

After the debris stopped falling, I let out a pained whimper and fell onto my side. I was breathing heavily, and I smiled at the pink mare as I brushed her mane. "I'm glad you're safe... heh, I'm totally not... inviting her again..." I chuckled to myself, then I passed out. 

Cadance leaned up and looked at the other pony. "Lauren, Lauren! Please wake up!" Rolling the mare over, the pink alicorn gasped as she saw the damage. Shards covered her back, her wings, her legs, and she was bleeding badly. Cadance's heart sank as she looked at the damage, and she covered her mouth as she choked back her tears. 

A flash of light caught her attention, and the pink pony looked up to see her double. She was standing above the hole that the two alicorns now found herself in, and the changeling whistled as she looked down, "Oh wow, you survived? That’s impressive!" Chrysalis glanced over at the unconscious mare and smirked. "Hmph, sacrificed yourself to protect little Cadenza did you? How noble! But look at you now, on the ground dying in a pool of your own blood. How pathetic." 

Cadance clenched her teeth at the changeling's words, and for the first time in her life, the pink pony felt something; it was something unknown to her. It burned in her heart and boiled her blood. Anger. Cadance looked up at her double with hatred, and she called out, saying, "You just made a BIG mistake!"

“Oh really? And what are you going to do? Whine me to death? The only mistake I’ve made is underestimating how strong dear Shiny’s love has made me.”

“Don’t you dare touch him!” The changeling simply smirked and then disappeared in a flash of light. Cadance was left growling at the place where she had been, and she stomped her hooves as she screamed out. "Arrggghhhh!!" 

She wasn’t sure how to react. So many emotions were flooding her senses, but the most prominent emotion was anger. That mare stole her fiance, her identity, and she had hurt her friends, she would pay. Those thoughts raced through her mind over and over. But then, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the other mare on the ground.

The sight pulled her from her thoughts, and a light returned to Cadance's eyes as her anger began to subside. Turning to look at her friend, she held back her tears as her heart felt crushed. Holding her chest, she took a deep breath and used the trick she taught Twilight to calm herself down. Collecting herself, she walked over and started tending to Lauren's injuries the best she could.