//------------------------------// // Use Or Lose // Story: Part Dragon, Part Princess // by Ultimus Pendragon //------------------------------// Spike looked at Flurry Heart as she flew around the throne room, giggling without a care in the world. Cadence walked over to the balcony, sighing as she fought to make sense of what they would have to do to hopefully fix what Twilight possibly could not. The Crystal Ponies, Flurry Heart, and Shining Armor all came to her mind as she stared over the central square. A sound came from a distance, making her eyes twitch momentarily. ''What are we going to do?'' Cadance whispered to herself, shaking her head and huffing. The more she thought about the situation, the more that it made sense that the two of them may just end up being stuck this way for the foreseeable future. ''I wonder how we're going to make this work until Twilight finds a way to fix this.'' Spike felt the same and wondered. They certainly were in the thick of it now, and while Flurry Heart was probably too young to understand anything either of them was saying, but there was also the idea of having to deal with any of the ponies, let alone Shining Armor. He still was not going to kiss him, no matter what. ''I second that, but my idea is still on the table, you know. How badly could it backfire?'' Spike asked, cooing to Flurry, who touched down and rested her tiny frame on Spike's back. ''Well, we have to do something; I really don't want to think about what could happen with this spell going wrong,'' Cadence groaned at her sister-in-law's 'frantic' ideals when it pertained to magical studies. She still wondered why it never occurred to her to think about every possible venture of conducting a spell that she knew next to nothing about. “Just make sure we keep the masks on, and stay close so it looks natural when we try and talk for each other.” But that thought also spoke to the same of about Celestia sending the spells to her without any requisite checking to see if any flags could pop out of the woodwork. ''Well, it's not like the answer will just come flying out of-'' ''-Watch out!'' a blur zoomed through the open balcony, nearly knocking Spike over as he fought to make sure that Flurry was safe. A thud sounded as all sounds in the room went silent. ''Ooooooh.~'' Pinkie appeared as a flat shape on the wall, her eyes spinning around and around before eventually slumping to the ground. ''Pinkie?'' Cadence asked, rushing over to the downed pony with Spike shaking his head at what just occurred. ''Why are you-'' ''Waaaah!~'' a purple blur followed after, Spike's sense, or whether if it was Cadence's body reacting, he flared his magic and seized it in his magic before it hit the wall. ''Twilight?'' Spike asked, tilting his head. What were they doing here? ''What's going on?'' ''Brrrh!'' Twilight shook her head, trying to fight off the dizziness before bringing the scroll that started the mess in the first place. ''I think. . .we may have a way to fix this, but it's going to take a lot of-'' ''Hwaaauh.~'' Shining Armor began to stir, looking over the situation with his droopy, sleepy eyes, not being able to see much as he glanced over the room and located his wife by her colors. ''Oh, hey sweetie. When'd you get back?'' Everypony stopped dead in their tracks. “What do we do?” Cadence harshly whispered, seeing Twilight’s face contort into mild confusion. “U-Uh, panic?” Spike chuckled, not really wanting to answer the question. “Panic about what?” Shining asked, wiping the crust out of his eyes as he tried to get up, only to be stopped by Pinkie Pie covering his eyes with her hooves. “What the?-“ “-It’s fine, you don’t need to look at Cadence! She’s uh, uh. . .got a huge pimple!” Shining whinnied. “What does that have to do with anything, Pinkie Pie? She’s my wife, so I need to-“ “-It’s fine, really!” Twilight shouted back, hoping to egg on the situation for more than what it was. If it meant that Shining wasn’t going to find out about the spell, then that was all that mattered. “It’s a pretty decently sized one; it has pus and it’s yellow and-“ “Did she really have to say all that?” Cadence whispered to Spike, who chose to roll with the punches as they came. If it had been up to him, he would have settled for something else more. . .off the wall, if he could even think of something. The pair listened to Twi and Pinkie basically subvert Shining with their less than planned explanation of events. “If it’s contagious, then why are you guys around her? Can’t it spread?” Pinkie racked her brain as Shining attempted to move her hooves from his eyes, to no avail. “Well, we already knew about it when Cadence came to Ponyville, so we took the proper precaution to make sure we wouldn’t get infected.” Twilight said, hoping that her brother, who was less than bright some of the time would buy the ruse. “Hmmmm,” Shining wanted to argue the point. “I can’t even see her?” “No, no! It’s too hideous! Downright awful and scary looking! I’m sure it would even make Princess Celestia not want cake for a week if she saw it!” Pinkie thought of the first thing to come to her mind, which sounded better in her head the longer she thought about versus out loud. “We wouldn’t want to get scared.” “Oh my goodness,” Cadence groaned into mock pain, hating every second of this, her voice muffled by her claws. “Don’t feel too bad, you’re not actually in your body,” Spike whispered back, also wondering just how far this farce would go and if there was indeed anything they could do to help remedy the lie. “Well, I at least want to hear it from her, and what about Flurry Heart? Won’t she get infected, too?” Flurry babbled at the sound of her name, worrying Twilight and Cadence. “Uh, she’s not by Cadence right now, so she should be fine, but I’ll even have her taken to the medical center to checked out, just to make sure.” Twilight motioned for the pair to start walking away and out into the hall. “Sound good?” Shining pursed his lips and thought long and hard about the whole ordeal, and it did make sense the more that he thought about it, except not being able to at least see his wife with his own two eyes. As long as she and Flurry were ok, that was all that mattered, but he needed vocal confirmation. “I still want to hear it from her. Honey, is everything ok?” Cadence held her foot in the air as she cursed herself. Shining always was a hardheaded pony. Clearing her throat and trying to sound a bit chipper without being overly so, she responded. “Yes, dear; I’m fine. Just need to take care of this pimple, is all.” “How did this happen for it to be contagious? Didn’t it ruin your day in Ponyville?” Cadance really wanted to take a swig of that cider right about now with all of these questions going on. “U-Um, no. It happened. . .kinda on the way to Ponyville, I didn’t think much of it at, but it just. . .got so big that I didn’t know what to do.” Cadence chuckled nervously. “Is there anything I can do to help? Maybe I could help pop it, and-“ “-N-No, it’s fine sweetie. Plus you should know you shouldn’t pop pimples if you can help it; I just need to take some medicine and relax is all, no big deal.” Shining’s form sunk as he wanted to help, but couldn’t. “How long do you think you’ll have to be like this? “Hopefully not long,” Twilight whispered. “I’m not sure, but I know I need to get away from you and Flurry to keep you guys safe,” Cadence frowned when she looked at her baby on Spike’s back, wanting this whole nightmare to be over so she could cuddle and her love her. In her own body. “Well, I’ll be here if there’s anything that I can do, babe. I love you, Candy Cad.” Shining said, his voice going all mushy and baby like. “You sure wittle ol’ me can’t get a kissums kissums?” Spike froze in fear as Shining puckered his lips, causing Pinkie to dry heave along with him. When Cadence looked to Spike, he all but bolted out of the room. “Sorry, rather not risk it,” Cadence apologized. “And we have guests here, you know no lovey dovey names.” “Rather not risk it, what?” Shining asked, his raised tone making it appear as if she had to answer, or else he would continue with his questions. “Ugh. . .rather not risk it. . .Shining Whiny.” “Love you too, babe!” Shining responded dumbly, sounding like a lovestruck puppy. “No, Flurry you have to go with Shining,” Twilight cooed to her niece, who frowned and blew a small raspberry. “So, Shining Whiny, huh?” Spike joked as the pair walked down the hall, wanting to get away from Shining. “Oh, shut up, Candy Cad,” Cadence ignored her brother’s pokes at her. “Guys, guys!” Twilight caught to the pair, wanting to use this chance to help the two of them due to her own. . .folly. “I think I figured out what I can do reverse this.” “Well, stop keeping us waiting; what do we have to do?” Spike asked, the look of mild hesitation on Twilight’s face telling him that there was some kind of angle attached. “We have to go to the Mirror Pond. . .and I’m sure that this won’t go the way any of us will want it to go.”