//------------------------------// // The Last Trick // Story: Apathy // by OfTheIronwilled //------------------------------// Twilight blinked as Cadance gently pulled her horn away from her own. As promised, her sinus headache ebbed away into nothing in an instant. One second there was an annoying little pain behind her eyes, and the next there was a warmth more comforting than she’d ever felt before that pushed it away. Twilight couldn’t help but sigh at the relief, and smile like a goof at her old foalsitter. “Wow,” she breathed. Cadence smiled radiantly at her in response. “I can’t believe I thought for a second that that spell was evil; I feel great! If only I knew how to cast that back in school!” Cadence laughed gently at her from behind her hoof, and said, “Yeah, I’ve heard from Shining that it’s pretty good at what it does. Now, does that mean you accept the truce, or not?” For a second Twilight could only blink dumbly. The truce? What was-- and then suddenly, the events of the past hour or so mowed her over like a speeding train. The wonderful, wonderful spell Cadance cast on her had waved her worries away for a few seconds, but now it all came back. The yelling, the looks from her pony friends, the crying… And of course Cadance was forgiving her. Honestly, doubting that Cadance would do so was worse than accusing her of being evil in the first place. She was the kindest, most understanding pony Twilight knew, and a Princess to boot! It was safe to assume she’d dealt with worse than somepony throwing a hissy-fit like a foal because she was jealous, and of course she was too golden-hearted to hold a grudge against somepony she’d foalsat for years. That still didn’t excuse Twilight bursting in and practically calling her a monster while she was stressed out about her wedding, but… “Of course I do, Cadance. How could I not accept a truce from the best foalsitter in all of Equestria?”  She pushed forward, throwing her hooves out, and gently wrapped Cadance into a warm hug. Cadance hugged back, enveloping Twilight with her wings and cradling her close, and once again Twilight was surrounded by the pinks and yellows and sweet scents of Cadance. “Ah-ah”, Cadence tutted. She leaned back and flicked at Twilight’s nose with a wingtip. Twilight fought back a sneeze with a scrunch of her muzzle, but couldn’t fight back the smile that wormed its way to her face. Her stomach flip-flopped, her chest warmed with a rush of affection, which only crescendoed when Cadance continued, “I’m not your foalsitter anymore, remember? Pretty soon I’m going to be your new sister.” Twilight nearly started squealing and bouncing around the room like her old friend Pinkie Pie. She just couldn’t believe it. Because Cadance had forgiven her so readily, they were going to be family! Sisters in law! Siblings!! --Then that excitement buzzing in her chest nearly crashed as she remembered: the wedding. The others! Shining Armor was still furious with her; what if he argued with Cadance over her decision to have her as best mare, or to invite her back to the wedding at all? And she reasoned that the others, who had stood up to Cadance when Twilight was being so paranoid, deserved some sort of apology too. As if she could see the worry written all over Twilight’s muzzle, Cadence gave a shake of her head and giggled, “Oh, don’t worry so much, Twilight. I’m sure with a little convincing, everypony will forget this ever even happened. Don’t you worry about Shining or your friends just yet. I’ll talk to them and smooth things out, then you can worry about all of this after you’ve had some rest tonight, alright?” “I… well, I don’t know Cadance, after everything that happened I think I--” Green. The world tilted. In one moment, Twilight had been feeling awful, so very awful, that her outburst had not only come close to hurting her and Cadance’s relationship, but maybe even Cadance and Shining’s as well. She had been thinking about the best way to approach Princess Celestia, as well as Shining Armor and any other pony who might have misgivings about the wedding now. Something inside of her, something small and withered but still clinging to life, screamed desperately at her that it wasn’t right to leave the situation as it was, with her friends and mentor so angry at her. That she should be the one apologizing to her friends, not Cadance-- and then all she knew was green. A sickening splash of green filled her vision, churned her stomach. Everything around her smeared into an ugly, wavering monochrome of color, and her head swam into a swirling vortex of pain as her vision circled, and circled, and her mind was scattered into a million pieces. And Twilight wasn’t worried anymore. The green faded. In fact, she had never been worried in the first place, and she had never seen any green except the green of Cadance’s eyes. To think otherwise would be silly. There was no reason to see any random colors, and clearly Cadance had this situation under control. After all, she was Cadance. “Really, ladybug,” Cadance sang, “leave it to me for now, okay?” “Of course, Cadance,” Twilight said. “I trust you.” Cadance gave a winning smile. “Of course you do.” “Rainbow Dash, darling, please. You’re fidgeting even more than usual.” Rainbow grunted and shimmied around in her dress, a few strands of mane once again falling out of place. “Urgh, I know, Rarity, it’s just…” Rarity tucked the lock of mane back behind Rainbow’s ear, and watched as her eyes kept flitting to the side. Across the room, quiet and unassuming, an ornate door stood leering at them all. Really it was a nice door, Rarity thought, it went so well with the rest of the architecture, and yet it had them all in a tizzy. Or, well, more accurately it was the fact that Twilight would soon be coming through that door. Around her everypony at least pretended to fiddle with their dresses and poke at their accessories, but they weren’t really fooling anypony. Fluttershy, instead of talking through her mantra to boost her confidence before a public event, was simply sitting and staring off at some distant point, breathing heavily as ever and probably working herself towards a conniption. Poor Spikey-Wikey was staring off at some other distant point and nervously twiddling his claws. Rainbow Dash, as previously stated, was twitching so much more than she normally did that Rarity had been forced to fix this one lock of rainbow mane at least five times now, not to mention the wrinkled state of the pegasus’ dress. Applejack was chewing at a straw, apparently the closest thing she could find to a stalk of wheat, to work the tightness out of her jaw. And Pinkie Pie wasn’t bouncing. Rarity sighed. With a flash of blue magic, she once again adjusted her own headdress, if only to ease the tension. She had to admit she was worried about Twilight as well - Cadance had informed them that she’d patched things up and Twilight was once again Best Mare, but… well… “We just walked out on her!” Rainbow Dash yelped. Her mane fell from place again. Rarity tutted her, “Come now, I’m sure--” “After we had that whole friendship lesson thingy about taking her worries more seriously!” And that was Pinkie Pie. Considering she’d been standing still as a boulder the whole time before that outburst, it came as both a surprise and a relief to see her moving again. It also caused Fluttershy to crumple to a shivering, gasping ball of feathers on the ground. Applejack, flicking her straw to the other side of her mouth, strode across the dressing room and started to lift Fluttershy with a steady hoof. While Fluttershy untangled her limbs, Applejack grunted, “It’ll be alright y’all. Twilight’s a big mare and she can take it. Maybe we could’ve been a bit smarter about all this, but Twi’ll understand. After all, the gal was the one who messed up first.” “Yes,” Rarity hummed in agreement. She lit her horn to smooth Fluttershy’s frizzed mane, then turned boldly to the door that had them all in this state. “I will admit that walking out in a huff like I did was most unladylike. But Twilight is our friend. We’ll forgive her for her outburst, she’ll forgive us for the way we handled it, and everything will be just fine.” Off to the side, Spike folded his arms and sighed, “Yeah, you’re probably right. Still, I haven’t seen her this worked up since the whole Smartypants thing. I ‘dunno, I’m still kinda worried about her.” “What if she comes in crying?” Fluttershy whimpered. “I’d hate for Twilight to cry because of me. Then I’d start crying, and Pinkie Pie would too and… Oh, Rarity, then you’d have to do our mascara all over again! How awful.” Rarity’s whole body spasmed. The image of Fluttershy’s perfectly applied makeup, black as tar, happening to drip down onto her new gown right before a royal wedding? Twilight Sparkle, the strongest mare she knew, breaking down into tears and begging for the forgiveness they were already willing to give? Right before a royal wedding? Oh dear. B-But still- “Oh, Fluttershy” she laughed. Or wheezed. Admittedly Rarity couldn’t quite tell herself. “It will all go swimmingly, you’ll see.” Applejack smiled. “Yup. Twi will come in here and say she’s sorry, then we’ll tell her, then we’ll probably keep on apologizing to each other more times than I’ve bucked a tree, and then we’ll all be peachy again.” And then the door swung open. No knock, no hello, not even the squeak of a hinge. The golden doorknob barely let out the faintest jiggle, then the thing breezed silently open to Twilight Sparkle. A journal and quill hovered in her magical glow right in front of her muzzle, obstructing her face as she scribbled her quill rotely over each page. Her hooves carried her inside seemingly on autopilot, and she walked stiffly in without even bothering to close the door behind her. Twilight sat down in front of Rarity’s hairdressing station without saying a word. She didn’t put the journal down. Oh dear, indeed. Twilight scribbled her notes as she snaked throughout the halls of the castle. It had been months since she’d last been in Canterlot, let alone this deep in the castle, but even so pure muscle memory had her side-stepping busts, decorative plants, and even the occasional guard pony that crossed her path. It helped that almost everypony was in the wedding hall by now. This way she could work on getting her outline finished as quickly as possible while also getting to her destination at the same time, all without the risk of running face-first into anypony. How efficient! Part of Twilight hated herself for getting caught up in her studies and opening herself up to the possibility of being tardy to Cadance’s wedding of all things, but this time she just couldn’t help herself. It was too exciting; this next paper would earn her a final grade for an assignment she’d been working on for years now! After she left Cadance to smooth things over with everypony, Twilight found a lot of time on her hooves, and began focusing on what she’d be doing after the wedding was over. After all, currently her schedule was packed with pre-planned activities she had once been planning to do with her now ex-friends from Ponyville. Obviously, seeing as she had grown apart from them, she wasn’t going to follow through with these plans, so now a new draft of her schedule would have to be written up. Not only that, but she quickly realized that the fact that her first friendship had ended meant that she had another big priority to tend to: It was Twilight’s duty to report all of her findings about the magic of friendship, from the little lessons that your friends taught you day by day, to the challenges overcome with the power of teamwork - to the very end, when that spark waned and you finally drifted apart. Though she may have wanted to deny it, Twilight always knew deep in her heart that some friendships were destined to one day end. Now it was time for her to explain to her teacher just what it was like when they did. It was bittersweet to think about, but Twilight Sparkle had learned her final friendship lesson that the ponies of ponyville could offer her, and soon she would be writing her final friendship report to Princess Celestia. This was a momentous occasion. Twilight couldn’t afford to slack on this assignment; this letter had to be punctual, precise, and absolutely perfect. After all, this would practically be a final exam, and she couldn’t turn in shoddy work for a final exam! So she got to work as soon as she could, prepared to make this letter her finest one to date. Twilight scribbled a note about Cadance out with a hum - certainly she shouldn’t write so much about Cadance, right? She wasn’t exactly the subject of the report. Still, the subjects of rekindling past friendships and forging new best friendships were topics she wanted to touch upon here. Hmmm….. Distantly, Twilight recognized that she was standing in front of a door, and had been standing there for quite a while now. She turned the ornate knob with a twinkle of magic, not bothering to even look from her outline, and strolled briskly through the doorway. She took a moment to click the door shut behind her, then started to scratch in another sentence. Halfway through her note she realized that there were ponies in here. Oh, also she was inside a room now. What was she doing again? Preparing for a wedding, right? That would require getting her mane done up and a dress put on. Twilight looked up long enough to scroll her eyes across the room and-- aha, Rarity the unicorn was standing only a few hooves away. Stylist and hairdresser? Check. Ah, and there was an open chair right at her side. That would do nicely. She trotted over and plopped down. Now, back to what she was working on: she was wondering, in order to fully encompass the experience of a friendship waning, from devotion to apathy, was it absolutely necessary to rehash some of the old lessons she’d learned? She’d rather not think of the past with her old friends if she didn’t have to. It was so bittersweet, to think about just how much feeling had been burned away naturally by time. … … Her mane wasn’t being done. Blinking, Twilight levitated her journal and quill down onto the vanity. She glanced up to see Rarity staring down at her, eyebrows drawn in concern. “Um,” Twilight coughed, “is something wrong Rarity? We should probably get started soon; we wouldn’t want to cause a delay.” Rarity blinked hard, her hoof fidgeting, and she probably would have stumbled if not for her experience in social situations like this. “Oh, um, of course, you're right, Twilight,” Rarity stammered. She took a polite cough to center herself, then flicked her horn.  Twilight’s beautiful dress, identical to those of the bridesmaids except for her sash that denoted her as best mare, floated from a  rack nearby on a wave of sapphire light. Rarity’s horn twinkled bright as she wove together a fabric manipulation spell. With a flash, the dress teleported almost perfectly around Twilight’s body. The soft, silky fabric popped over Twilight’s withers, gliding over her coat and gently hugging at her flanks. Twilight ogled at herself just a bit - it really was a pretty dress - then went still as she felt a tug. Rarity started some adjustments with a hum. “Honestly, darling, we were beginning to worry that you weren’t coming. With what happened at the rehearsal…” She trailed off, her eyes wandering to the other side of the room. Twilight followed her gaze. All around her, all of the girls and Spike (who were already dressed, which meant she was late, darn it!) stared back at her with expressions ranging from condemnation to confusion to anxiety. Oh. Right. The whole ‘Twilight just crashed into the wedding rehearsal raving about Cadance being an evil monster’ thing. Applejack idly fiddled with her headdress and chewed at a straw in her teeth. “Princess Cadenza told us y’all made up, and we’re all mighty glad to hear that, but--” “It’s okay, Applejack,” she whinnied. She knew something like this was going to happen. Cadance was more than capable at dealing with ponies, but nothing she could say would replace an apology from the pony who’d caused this whole mess in the first place. “I… well, I was actually planning on apologizing to you all.” Rainbow Dash flapped over, her head cocking to the side. Her mane was frizzed out, poking out from her headband, and her dress was wrinkled in the front as if she’d been wringing her hooves in the fabric. “You, uh,” Rainbow started. It came out more like a cough, actually, “You’re sorry to us? You mean you’re not, like, totally mad at us?” Twilight felt her brain grind to a stop. She actually had to stop for a moment, replay Rainbow’s words over and over in her head, and desperately try to figure out where the hay that came from. “Mad?” she snorted, “I ignored your advice, made a huge scene in the middle of rehearsal, and nearly chewed Cadance’s head off, all after you all tried talking sense into me. Why in Equestria would I be mad at you all?” Pinkie Pie jumped over and chirped, “Maybe because we were so busy preparing our pants off for the wedding that we didn’t pay enough attention to your problems, so then you acted all ‘Argh, my sister-in-law is evil’, which is kinda like when you went totally coco in the loco with your Smartypants doll after we blew you off last time?” Twilight blinked. She… really didn’t know what to say to that. Beside her, as she wove her magic cooly across Twilight’s scalp in preparation of styling, Rarity placed a gentle hoof to her withers. “It’s true that you acted a bit boarish, dear, but we’re your friends. We should have anticipated an outburst, or at the very least confronted you properly instead of leaving you to wallow all alone.” “I know I wouldn’t want to be left all by myself if I had just been kicked out of Zephyr Breeze’s wedding,” Fluttershy mumbled. Twilight’s mouth went dry. She sighed, a smile tugging at her lips. A nostalgic spark, candle-dim but still there, flittered deep in her chest. Maybe she wasn’t friends with the girls anymore, but a moment like this really reminded her of why she had been. Just like Cadance, they were all kind enough to forgive her and even comfort her even though she had been the one who decided to storm in and throw a tantrum like a filly. Rarity started curling her bangs, and through a curtain of her own hair Twilight stared back at them all and said, “Thank you, girls, really, but I take full responsibility for what I did. All of you were just trying to be a good friend to Cadance, like I should have been doing from the beginning.” Everypony glanced between one another. The fog hanging over the room lifted. Beside her, Rainbow Dash gave her a lop-sided grin, then brushed at her side with a wing. “So, we’re all cool?” Twilight smiled. “We’re cool, Rainbow Dash.” Pinkie Pie squealed, a noise so high-pitched that the windows rattled. That was all the warning everypony got before she shot off like a rocket. Twilight couldn’t even flinch before a sugar-filled, Pinkie-shaped bullet hit her right in the chest. All the air smashed out of her lungs as Pinkie Pie tackled her into a hug. She snuggled close into Twilight’s shoulder, her mane curling around Twilight’s muzzle, and suddenly Twilight was engulfed in a swirl of pink. Twilight stiffened. It… this didn’t…. This wasn’t how hugs were supposed to feel. Twilight’s ears rang, her whole body locking up numb as her soul screamed at her. She was surrounded, smothered in a  sense of wrong, wrong, wrong. She knew what hugs were like, she remembered fully what hugs with Pinkie Pie specifically were like. So many times before, Pinkie had wrapped her up warmly, close, and Twilight would smile bright. Her coat would tingle with contact, awash with comfort. Her chest would swirl with that flare of beautiful magic, something so familiar and playful that Twilight would have to giggle and hug her back. But this…  Her skin crawled. Something inside her, something so deep down in her magical core, felt like it was burning up into dust. An alien, foreign body was not only touching her own, but cradling it. So close. Too close. Fur brushed against fur, fabric bunched up against fabric and pinched between hair. It was so hot, body heat mixing together. Hair scratched against her cheeks, the back of her neck, tried to curl up and poke into her nostrils. It was too rough. Uncomfortable. The warmth she was supposed to feel was replaced with nothing but a cold emptiness. Nothingness. Ache. It felt like being grabbed by a complete stranger. “Pinkie Pie, please,” Rarity gasped. “you’ll wrinkle her gown! Oh, and now I have to fix her mane again--” Rarity rushed forward, and with a squeal scooped Pinkie Pie up in a blue cocoon of magic. Twilight sighed in her relief, her whole body sagging and her legs nearly buckling from beneath her, as she lightly pushed Pinkie off of her with a jolt of levitation. Twilight was struggling not to cry, for reasons she didn’t even understand, but Pinkie Pie didn’t seem to notice. She just laughed,  “Oh, Twilight, I’m so glad you get to come with us to my amazing reception party after all! Oh, and when we get back to Ponyville we should have a ‘breakdown-followed-by-bonding-moment’ party!” Twilight shifted with a grunt. She couldn't fully focus, not after that. Her heart still panged. Her head was filled with fog. Around the edges of her vision, ugly green vines curled up around her, threatening to stab into her horn. Vaguely, though, she knew that Pinkie Pie had just assumed that Twilight was coming back to Ponyville with them, but that wasn’t right. She was staying here. That didn’t make much sense though, now that she thought about it-- shouldn’t she be going home with her friends, especially now that they’d made up? Why would she ever-- Green. Twilight calmed. In fact, she didn’t know why she had ever been feeling so anxious in the first place. It was just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie, after all, just hugging on anypony without concerning herself with the thought of whether or not they actually wanted to be hugged by her. It was just the kind of inconsiderate thing Pinkie Pie always did, nothing to get too riled up over. After all, Twilight thankfully wouldn’t have to worry about Pinkie Pie doing that to her ever again after today. “Actually,” Twilight chirped matter-of-factly, “I was planning on staying in Canterlot.” “Oh, really?” Rarity asked. She softly shoved her way past Pinkie Pie, and then her horn was weaving spells across Twilight’s dress again. “I suppose Celestia needs you for a while, then? You didn’t say anything about staying on the trip here.” Twilight opened her mouth to answer, but then with a thought snapped her jaw shut again. It was true that she planned on staying in Canterlot; now that this chapter of study was over and Twilight had learned all there was to know from Ponyville, she reasoned that she would be packing her bags at the library and moving back into her old wing of the castle. She wasn’t sure what Celestia would have her do following this, but Twilight was ready to move on whenever her teacher felt that her final report was worthy enough of a passing grade. When that happened, Twilight would like to be here so she could get started on her new studies as quickly as possible. Besides, here in Canterlot she could spend more time catching up with Cadance once she and Shining Armor got back from their honeymoon. It was just the next logical step, to leave Ponyville for good. The only problem was, well.... Despite them clearly having grown apart from one another, the girls still seemed awfully insistent on acting like they were still friends with her. They were clinging on to a friendship that had already died, or more likely  this lack of friendliness was only present on Twilight’s side of things, and if that were true… All of them were probably going to take her leaving really hard, especially Pinkie Pie - the mare had nearly had a complete breakdown at the thought of her friends hating her once before, and that was when they only ignored for a couple of days to plan her a surprise party! Who knows what she would do when one of her friends really did want to cut things off! And while normally Twilight wouldn’t really concern herself with their feelings, and in the end she knew it would be better for them all in the long run, to be honest with them about her feelings and end this dying friendship before bitterness could seep in, this wasn’t just about Twilight or the girls anymore. These girls were Cadance’s bridesmaids, and maybe even her friends. The wedding would start any minute. How in Equestria could Twilight handle ruining Cadance’s wedding twice in one day?! Twilight nodded to herself. She couldn’t afford the girls causing a scene this close to the wedding. She’d just have to talk her way around this for now, then explain herself later when it didn’t matter how sad any of them got. Then she could finally be done with this and move on to something that was actually important, like her research for instance. “Oooh, what does Celestia want you to work on?” Pinkie Pie squeaked. Twilight blinked back to the real world from her planning at that, just in time to see Pinkie Pie bounce around her and point to the journal that she’d sat on the vanity desk. “Is it this?” Twilight jolted. She flung her hoof out, desperately opened her mouth to tell Pinkie to wait, started to step forward- but it was too late. Pinkie Pie scooped the journal up into her hoof. You know, that journal. The one that had her notes in it. About her final friendship report. It being her final friendship report because her friendship with them was officially, well. Over. Before Twilight could even gasp, Twilight’s eyes were hungrily scanning over the page - Pinkie always had been a surprisingly fast reader, and with every line of text she pored over, Twilight heard the wedding bells above getting quieter and quieter, while her own death-knolls tolled. Horseapples. Twilight wanted to throw herself into the dungeon, or maybe banish herself to some jungle in Saddle Arabia. How did she keep messing this up? How? She thought her special talent was ‘magic’, not ‘making mistakes that could possibly jeopardize weddings and therefore ruin friendships with the most wonderful pony in Equestria’! N-No. Twilight forced herself to take a breath. She was the former wielder of an Element of Harmony. Current protege to the Princess of the Sun. She’d banished malevolent magical spirits, gotten her way through the most disastrous Grand Galloping Gala known to ponykind, and returned the Spirit of Chaos, Discord, to his stony prison. She could handle this. “F-Final friendship report,” Pinkie Pie murmured, the little curl at the top of her mane starting to wobble, “What does that mean? Do you not have to write letters to the Princess anymore?” Twilight’s eye twitched. She took another breath. Deep, through her nose. She would explain this rationally, and the girls would have to simply mare-up and accept the inevitable. “Actually,” Twilight gritted through her teeth, “Celestia hasn’t asked me to do anything. At least, not yet. It’s just that I’ve made the decision to… well, move back to Canterlot. Permanently.”. A wave of shock gasps ripped across the room in a tidal wave of noise. Flutttershy’s whole body flinched down hard to the floor, and Twilight had to fight a grimace as the motion completely rumpled her gown into a puddle of wrinkles against the linoleum. Ack, that would cost Rarity even more precious time to get ready again, which might cause a delay! Still, Twilight sighed and prepared to power forward-- “‘What happens when friendships naturally come to an end’!” Pinkie Pie gasped. “But--” And you know what, this would all go so much more smoothly if somepony had the decency to not read out loud something that she didn’t even have the permission to touch! Twilight groaned to the ceiling. She furiously rubbed her temples, then with a harsh spark she ripped the notes from Pinkie Pie’s hooves and clutched them to her chest. “I’ll be taking those, thank you very much!: she snorted hotly, her tail snapping to the side. “Now as I was saying, I’ll be coming back to the library to pack my things but then I’m afraid I’m going back to Canterlot for good.” After her shout finished reverberating around the room, everything fell toa pregnant, stony silence. Around her, tight in a quietly suffocating bunch, Twilight’s old pony friends and Spike the dragon stood circled, staring wide-eyed and still at her as if she were a cockatrice who’d turned them to stone. For what seemed an eternity everypony was locked in a  cold motionlessness, only blinking dumbly at her every few seconds - then Pinkie Pie started to shake. Her whole body started up in tiny jolts, her legs wobbling so hard it looked like they might buckle. Her stiff stare melted into a heavy frown. Her eyes wavered from that bright blue to something so stormy, tears already beading up at her lashes. “Twilight,” she whispered. Her voice cracked. Twilight could barely hear her, it broke so badly. She looked almost physically sick. “Are you leaving Ponyville because you don’t want to be our friend anymore?” Well. That was direct. Twilight wasn’t sure what she could say that wouldn’t lead to this ending in disaster. She sighed, put on her best winning smile (which came out more like a grimace), and tried, “Well… yes?” Chrysalis galloped down the hall at a quick clip, making sure to put an extra sag into her legs as her pony shoes touched down, and an extra little sheen of tears into her pony lashes as she went. She relished in the pathetic mewling of the castle assistants as they scrambled behind her, spitting out desperate nonsense to get her to ‘calm down’ and ‘ignore her cold hoof jitters’. She even sighed dramatically, far too dramatically, if only to rile the pathetic mares further. The poor fools. They didn’t realize just how perfectly the Queen’s plan was going. Only one more step before the show was set to begin - and this trick was her favorite of them all. While in the end it hadn’t mattered that Chrysalis hadn’t studies Cadance’s past in much detail, what with these ponies falling for the most paltry of performances, it was nice to know that the tiny bit of effort she had put in before putting on the mask for the first time wouldn’t be going to waste. It was always lovely, when Chrysalis got to use an old, buried piece of personal history to undo somepony, and soon she’d be pulling out such a piece of Cadenza's past for something fun indeed. This last trick would ensure that, even though Twilight hadn’t yet been as fully brainwashed as Shining Armor, not even the dropping of Chrysalis’ disguise or the incoming swarm would alert her puppet to the ruse. Just to find Twilight Sparkle, and the plan would be placed fully into motion. She kept whining and whinnying like a foal, confident that these idiots wouldn’t even think of calling out the Princess of Love on her childish behavior, as she went to collect her favorite puppet. If she could have fun, bask in her soon-to-be glory, why not? The alicorns who dared call themselves royal demanded none of her respect, after all. As she trotted down the lushly carpeted hall towards the bridesmaids’ dressing chamber, she could barely choke down a laugh. Especially as she neared that tacky door and heard yelling of all things. “What?! But you just said that you’re not mad at us!” “And I’m not angry at you all, Rainbow. This decision has nothing to do with what happened at rehearsal.” “Oh yeah? Then why the hay are you bailing on your friends?!” “I’m not bailing on my friends, Rainbow Dash. I mean… girls, you must have noticed the distance between you all and I.” “Distance? I didn’t notice any distance. I-Is it because I didn’t throw you a party after you finished reshelving the library last time like I did the time before? I just didn’t because I thought you didn’t like it, b-but I can again! When we get back! Please?” “No, Pinkie, that isn’t the reason. You didn’t do anything wrong. Nopony did. It’s just natural for some friendships to end eventually.” “Horseapples, Twi! If you felt like our friendship was fadin’, then why didn’t ya’ come talk to any of us about it before decidin’ to move away on a whim?”” “Because I knew that something like this would happen! Listen girls, I know this is difficult for you to understand, but--” “Wait! Uh, sorry, Twi, but… you said you were moving back here to Canterlot, right? But you didn’t say anything about me. So, uh, what about me?” “Hmmm… well you are a valuable assistant, and I would be glad to have you here in Canterlot with me, but at the same time I suppose you’re mature enough now that you could probably make your own decisions, too. You could always stay in Ponyville if you wanted, Spike. I wouldn’t stop you.” “You mean you would move away without me?” “Um… yes?” “What the hay, Twilight?!” Chrysalis couldn’t help the snort of mirth that bubbled out of her. Thankfully, she only needed to put the barest of efforts into disguising it as a pathetic sniffle. This was just too perfect. She knew that eating away Twilight Sparkle’s delicious platonic love for her friends would make her lose all interest in them, but an argument? How delectable. She’d love to see Celestia try and use her precious Elements while their Bearers were squabbling like a pack of fresh grubs. Chrysalis hovered at the door just long enough to make it look like poor, stressed little Cadenza was debating on whether or not to intrude on their spat. Then she inched the door open and crawled inside on meek, shivering hooves, fawn-like and beyond sad. She schooled her giddy expression, morphed her fanged grin to the droopiest frown she could manage, and ducked her head just so. Not that she particularly needed to, what with the chaotic state of the ponies inside. At first they didn’t even notice her entrance. That little dragon whelp was squeezing and clawing at his own tail like a comfort blanket, blinking back his baby tears. The obnoxious pink one was slumped, her mane flattened down to a curtain over her face, which was currently scrunched up and leaking as if for the first time in her coddled life she had felt something other than disgusting levels of happiness. Also she was silent now, quite the improvement. The blue one bursting with those tacky vibrant colors flapped overhead of Twilight Sparkle, her shivering body coiled taught like a cobra preparing to strike. Her face was dyed a hilarious anger-red. Chrysalis didn’t give much thought to the others scattered around, and instead turned her attention to Twilight Sparkle. The tiny unicorn, to her credit, stood tall against the approaching pegasus, appearing mostly just annoyed at the groups’ endless whining. Chrysalis, Cadenza, cleared her throat oh so politely. Immediately the room went still. Surely everypony had their own unique, stupefied reaction, but Chrysalis had eyes for Twilight alone. Instantly her eyes, still just barely tinted a beautiful green at the edges, snapped hungrily to Cadance. Then they blew out, pupils dilating, her dry mouth dropping open with a heavy gasp that shook her whole body as it ripped from a heaving chest. In one second she was transformed from simply annoyed to a dying mare, dehydrated and starving, staring wildly at the last drink of water, at her last salvation amongst the ruins. At her god. Twilight looked at Chrysalis as if she wanted her, needed her, more than the blood within her needed to pump through her aching veins. “Cadance,” Twilight breathed, heavily, as if her throat had been cut. “Sorry,” Cadance cried, so sad and honey-sweet, “Am I interrupting something?” The rainbow one growled and snapped open her jaw but-- “Of course not!” Twilight cried, desperate, lapping up the sweetness with everything she had. She rushed over to Cadance’s side so quickly that her hooves scrabbled against the linoleum, that she had to claw for purchase to avoid crumpling into a bow at her queen’s horseshoes. “You look like you’ve been crying! What’s wrong? What’s happened?!” Chrysalis gave a huffy, tearful laugh and wiped at the corner of her eye with a wingtip. She gently placed a hoof to Twilight’s withers before she could hyperventilate - the mare crooned and pushed insistantly into her touch like a starving kitten -- then said, “It’ll be alright, I think. I just… Can I talk to you for a minute, ladybug? Alone?” For just one solitary moment, Twilight glanced back at the weepy ponies and dragon snivelling behind her. Chrysalis visibly saw as she then blinked, shrugged off any and all care about them that might still be weakly clinging to life within her husk of a soul, and instead turned to her. Chose her, above all else. “Yes! I mean, of course!” she cried. In a fluid motion, Chrysalis leaned forward and wrapped her darling puppet into a cocooning hug of warmth. Good drones deserved rewards, after all. Once Twilight had taken her fill of care and heat, pressed her body flush to her queen and drank in the smells and scents and sights of her Only, she then stepped out of the way. She pointed toward the open doorway with an outstretched wing and a wan smile, pointed her loyal grub toward the next destination. “Thank you, Twilight,” she cooed. “Without another word. Twilight turned tail and trotted from the room. Not another thought, nor another glance for her so-called friends. Chrysalis, careful to keep the triumphant bounce from her step, shuffled off to follow her out-- then stopped cold as, with a blink, one last devilish idea wormed its way to her. Loyal drones, she thought, also deserved protection against all harm from their generous and righteous Queen, and that annoying rainbow pegasus had been giving her wonderful puppet an awfully hard time… She ducked her head back into the room. “Oh, and Rainbow Dash, I’m sorry, but… well, Shiny decided that maybe it was best if you didn’t do your Sonic Rainboom tonight after all. It’s just, with his headaches, he thought it might be enough to disrupt the shield. I’m sorry, I know you were so excited, and I think even the Wonderbolts were supposed to be here, but-- oh, I’m just so sorry about all of this.” Then she closed the door, but not before lingering just long enough to hear the foal give her the most anguished, distraught mewl of anger and frustration. Chrysalis smiled. Her fangs glinted in the light. Finally, the moment had arrived. Well, it seemed that Rarity would have to redo Pinkie and Fluttershy’s mascara after all. She just might have to redo her own, as well. Twilight chewed on her lip as she closed the door behind her, and watched as Cadance paced back and forth with abandon. She’d never seen her old foalsitter look… well-- so distraught before. As she stomped back and forth across the carpet, with her gorgeous dress rippling behind her as if in a wind-tunnel she was trotting so fast, her wings splayed out behind her. Usually prim and well-kept, now they frizzed at the edges, feathers jutting out at all angles, some of them-- Twilight gasped-- even snapping off and billowing to the floor. Her eyes were dulled, puffy, red, nearly looked bruised from crying. Her mane, once pulled into a delicate twirl of pink and yellow, was now frayed outwards in a birds’ nest of hair. Her energy, her magic, even, seemed dull, depleted and smothered with anxiety. Cadance twirled suddenly to look at her, and her face was so gaunt with shadow, twitching with fear, that Twilight’s muzzle went dry. “Twilight,” she gasped. “I can’t do this.” Twilight inched forward, hesitant hooves smashing against the carpet. What should she do? What should she say? Was this all happening because of what she did earlier? Before Twilight could try to offer any condolence, Cadance jerked forward into another round of pacing. Her teeth audibly scraped against each other, an awful grinding. The alicorn’s tail flicked so hard it whipped red marks across her own flanks. “It’s--” she started, her chest heaving. “You were right. There was something off about me. There is. And now, I…” “No, Cadance,” Twilight cried. Her heart burst. Oh, this was all her fault! “None of what I said is true. I was just jealous of you coming between me and Shining. And since you were acting a bit differently than I’m used to, I used that as an excuse to lash out. None of this--” “You don’t get it!” Cadance screamed. She shocked forward, her whole body heaving. Her torso slumped, her head falling heavy as an anvil into her hooves. She smashed her muzzle into her forelegs, a ragged sob croaking out of a rasping throat. Tears, hot and fat, poured down her porcelain cheeks and bled darkly into the carpet. “Twilight,” she whispered hoarsely against her legs. Twilight had to strain to har her, perk her ears up, stop her very heart from beating to detect her voice. “I’ve been lying to everypony. I-- I didn't mean to, but I have been.” Twilight, her pulse throbbing, her whole body aching, tentatively trotted forward. As slow as she dared, she lifted a hoof and pressed it to Cadance’s shaking flank. She shuddered, and tried to breathe deep and easy for Cadance’s sake. Distantly, she wondered what this could be about-- money, magic, infidelity? Twilight couldn’t imagine Cadance doing anything as awful as she seemed to think this was, but even if she had done something regretful, Twilight needed to be there for her now as Cadance had been there for her. “Cadance, it will be okay. I don’t know what’s happening, but everypony makes mistakes. You clearly feel bad about whatever you’ve been lying about. I’m sure, no matter what it is, your friends and family will be there to forgive and support you.” Cadance pressed into her touch, desperate, hungry, terrified. After a moment of shivering silence, she lifted a hoof from her face. She stared at Twilight with storming eyes, wavering green and dribbling tears that wouldn’t stop. “You would, at least,” she huffed. “Wouldn’t you?” Twilight smiled. “Of course. We’ll get through this together.” Cadance smiled back. It was small, and broken, and barely there, but it was a smile. Then, she opened her wavering lips: “The high-alert, Shiny’s barrier? It all has to do with the fact that a creature known as a Changeling was found at the city’s edge, reportedly trying to break in. Changelings are creatures that take the form of a pony, or any other being they want, and survive by feeding on the love magic of others.” Twilight’s head spun. She’d never heard of a being like that before - something that could use transformation magic at will and eat the magic of others? She’d think the idea itself was preposterous if the fillies in Ponyville along with Zecora hadn’t taught her to keep a more open mind. But what did that have to do with-- “A-And you know, I’ve told you, that I’m an orphan. They just… found me outside of that earth pony village. For so long I had no idea who my parents were, or why I was abandoned there. But not long ago, I… stumbled across something that explains everything. Where I came from, why I was able to use love magic and become the Princess of Love in the first place. It… I…” Cadance shifted. She took a step back from Twilight, something heavy and hurried that nearly sent her sprawling to the floor. Then she straightened. Her back went stiff, propelling her head forward, her mane billowing back. She straightened her withers, tightened her haunches, squared the angle of her hooves and stood tall, a regal and royal height which sent her shadow tumbling across the far wall. Her wings flung out wide, feathers splaying to some unknown breeze. With her gown waterfalling down her side and spilling elegantly to the floor, and her mussed mane stirring in an ethereal wind, that crown upon her brow glinting snow-silver bright, she truly looked like a Princess. No, something more. Something greater. And as her body stretched further, beyond what should be possible, as her legs elongated and darkened, as her horn twisted and rotted into something grotesquely gorgeous, as her skin mottled with holes and packed itself with spidersilk, she morphed into something queenly. Princess Cadance, towering, shining black as chitin, oozing with phosphorescent green flecks of light, smiled shyly at Twilight with a carnivore’s fangs. “The changelings are trying to come in to see me. I’m their queen. And tonight, I’m going to tell everypony. Will you stand by me, ladybug? No matter what happens?”