//------------------------------// // Ch. 5: Ārprāts // Story: Oscillation: Back and Forth // by TundraStanza //------------------------------// "I just have one question: What's a bachelor party?" Every pony in the group laughed for Spike's enthusiastic naivete. Fortunately, Ocellus had brought an encyclopedia ready for such terms. As Spike read the passage and scratched his head, the rest of them got to chatting about possible differences between a typical wedding and one for royalty. Their talk ranged from speculation to hype. Applejack held her hat against her chest as she looked out the window. "Uh... there's something giant on the tracks ahead. Any idea what it is?" The rest gathered around her window to take a look. Sure enough, there was a pink, transparent sphere. It looked like the entire capital city was trapped within its volume. The train didn't slow down very much as it chugged right through the edge. Inside the passenger car, every pony saw a pink wall slide toward the rear. When it reached Ocellus, she felt... an urge to remain steadfast. "Wow! What was that?" Pinkie asked. She looked back out the train at the pink field behind them. "Ocellus, are you alright?" Fluttershy hesitantly reached with her wing. "Huh?" Ocellus blinked. "Yeah, why do you ask?" Rainbow Dash looked over. "O? I'm flattered, but is that really necessary?" Ocellus looked down at her hoof, at her wings, and the multi-colored tail attached to herself. "That's strange." With a blink and a rush of green fire, she recovered her onyx carapace. She glanced behind herself. "That barrier felt like Shining Armor's magic." "I suppose royal weddings are a serious business." Rarity looked outside at all of the guards patrolling around the train station. Ocellus nodded slowly. Even as the train came to a stop, the strange feeling wouldn't leave her. The guards let her group pass, but she could smell tension behind the warriors' cold facades. --- "Bro-Bro!" Ocellus flew up to the wall that several guards were standing. "Guards, stand down," Shining Armor ordered before giving his sister a tired smile. "Hey, Lus. Sorry, I couldn't meet you at the station. I've had my hooves full, reorganizing the guard rotation." "Yeah, I was meaning to ask about that." Ocellus looked at the armored ponies standing around. "Is all of this really necessary for a wedding?" Shining sighed. "The situation is more complicated now. We just got an anonymous tip that someone or something will threaten Canterlot. Better to have the reinforcements and not need them than vice versa." He channeled a large beam of his magic upward at the barrier. It wobbled a little before resuming its current state. "Phew... and needing to reinforce the barrier every six hours is a murder on the skull." "Do you have any leads on the potential threat?" asked Ocellus. He shook his head. "Not really. By keeping the barrier to only allow the invited wedding guests inside, that should narrow the options for anything from the inside causing trouble." "By the way, that barrier might have done something to me when I passed through it." Ocellus tapped her chest. "You know how I wrote to you that I can sometimes take on the forms of my friends?" Shining raised his brow. "I thought that was just when the Elements were being used against Equestria-wide crises." "Actually, I've gotten a little more control over it." She transformed herself into Rarity. "See?" "Whoa... that's, uh... very different than just reading about it happening." "Well, just as we entered the city, I felt the need to stand my ground and... well..." She switched her form to Rainbow Dash. "It forced me into this form." "That's strange." Shining scratched his mane. "My shields can't do anything like that." Ocellus recovered her default. "I didn't think so either. Does it maybe have different properties on creatures that aren't ponies? ... or a dragon?" "Maybe." Shining nodded slowly. "Oh! Do you think we can test some things out like combination spells?" Her eyes practically glowed as she smiled. He chuckled. "Once I'm married and come back from the honeymoon, I'll be sure to make a day just for you." She flicked her wings once. "Okay, I'm going to hold you to your word." "I hope I'm not interrupting anything." The mare's voice surprised Ocellus. But that quickly turned to joy. "Cadance! It has been too long! How have you been?" The youngest alicorn princess deadpanned. "Terrific." She trotted closer, lowered her head, and whispered. "What are you doing here? Don't you remember the plan?" Ocellus blinked twice. "The plan? Oh! In all the excitement, I rushed ahead of my friends!" She flew up and looked back. "Be right back!" She flew away. "Honey, who was that?" asked Cadance. "What?" Shining tilted his head. "Dear, that was Ocellus. You know, my little sister? You used to foal-sit her. She's here to help with the wedding setup like Princess Celestia asked." "Oh, heh heh, right." Cadance slowly nodded. "I just didn't recognize her, because... she grew so much since then?" Shining chuckled. "Yeah. Time moves by so fast." --- Preparations for the rest of the day were non-stop. Rarity had to re-do the dress colors three times, because Cadance said that she didn't like them. She tasted exactly one of the hors d'oeuvres before swatting a full platter's worth into the trash. She put up a huge fuss when one of Fluttershy's birds sang off-key. Then, she compared Pinkie Pie's party ideas to those of a five-year-old. At first, Ocellus tried to chalk it up to pre-wedding stress. She had read several bad romance comedies where the brides turned into metaphorical, and sometimes actual, bride-osaurs. However, something seemed off even for that explanation. Whenever she sensed the negative emotions coming off Cadance, they weren't actually anger and frustration. It smelled more like a cross between disinterest and mild annoyance. "How are these ponies friends with you?" Cadance asked after calling a break for the evening. Ocellus shrugged. "Half luck, half divine intervention." "Love-love-lovely." Cadance chuckled, but it sounded forced. Her disarming smile did little to hide the scent of disgust. Had she always been this two-faced? That didn't match up with what Ocellus remembered. In the past, whenever Cadance wore a certain expression, Ocellus could smell an emotion that matched. Cadance was the type to wear her feelings openly, her love especially. What had happened since their last interaction? --- "I'd be more surprised if the princess wasn't a bit short-tempered." Rarity adjusted a scarf. "Her big day is almost here!" "There was some room for her criticism." Fluttershy fiddled with her drink's straw. Her off-key bird cawed. "I thought she was super nice!" Pinkie was playing with a couple of dolls that looked suspiciously like the cake toppers. "Eh, sorry. I didn't see much of her today." Rainbow curled and straightened out her left wing. "I was in physical therapy all afternoon to make sure I don't pull a muscle during the Rainboom." Ocellus clenched one hoof on top of the other. "You bring up some good points. But still..." Applejack looked the bug-filly up and down. "You're still worried that something else is wrong?" "Maybe I shouldn't have brought it up." Ocellus stood up from the table. "I'm going to turn in for the night." She trotted away. Applejack adjusted her hat. "Girls, maybe we shouldn't dismiss her worries so soon." "Why ever not?" asked Rarity. Applejack looked the whole group over. "Remember what happened the last time we dismissed her for being worried, just because we thought it was nothing?" "Oo! Oo! I know!" Pinkie waved her hooves around. "Ocellus flipped her lid looking for a unity problem to solve and ultimately turned a bunch of ponies in the park into oranges so that they could... work together... to un-fruit... themselves." She inhaled sharply. "Ohhh." "Exactly." Applejack nodded. Rainbow said, "We should probably stay with her to make sure she doesn't resort to that level of insanity... again." "And at least one of us should keep an eye on Cadance," suggested Fluttershy, "so that Ocellus has a second opinion to work with." "Alright, sounds like we've got our agreement," said Applejack. "Any opposed?" They remained silent. Rarity raised her drink. "For Ocellus." The others performed cheers with their beverages. "For Ocellus!" --- After empty cans were set down, there was a belch of green fire. A moment of silence followed. Then, a much deeper, yet flameless burp sounded out. Two guys were reclined next to a private swimming pool. "Aw, you beat me again?" Spike scoffed. "How do you do it?" "I've been around a lot longer than you." Shining Armor's tail lightly tapped his chair. "Thank you. This is probably the best bachelor's party I've ever attended." "Really?" Spike turned his head. "How so?" "Well, I've only been to one other one." Shining exhaled at the bit of mane in his vision. "Let's just say the bride at the time was not happy to hear her groom had been at a club with seven other mares." Spike's mouth opened wide. "What? You mean...? Oh Celestia, no! Bet the bride had some choice words for him." Shining crossed his hind legs. "Words, flower pots, an old record player... maybe even an elephant, if you ever hear his side of the story." He shook his right hoof dismissively. "Point is, I'm happy to be relaxing with a bro right now." "I'm glad you approve, Prince Shining Armor." Spike held a fist over his heart. Shining closed his eyes. "I don't think I'll ever get used to that title." --- When the bridesmaids wrote in sick, Ocellus's friends were the first choice to be replacements. They worked on rehearsing their respective walks up the aisle. Princess Celestia stood up front, laying out the basics. Ocellus came out with a pillow, to practice being ring-bearer. Spike came along with an empty basket, pretending to toss flower petals on either side. After the rehearsal, Cadance asked to speak with Ocellus in private. Shining Armor nodded and left without hesitation. Celestia decided to use the opportunity to check up on Luna. A glance was passed between the rest of the mares. They walked out of the room and the doors were slowly shut behind them. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had managed to silently fly through the top of the entrance before the doors closed. They hugged the ceiling while looking down. Fortunately, the "only" occupants of the room were speaking too loudly to notice the eyes. "Where have you been all this time, drone?" Ocellus was confused at the scent of disappointment. "Wha...What did you call me?" Cadance gazed with burning green. "How long have you been walking around without a proper disguise? You'll ruin everything!" Ocellus backed stepped back, coughing at the smell of hostility. "I don't understand, Cadance. What did I do wrong?" ... "You really don't know?" Ocellus shook her head. Her eyes threatened to drip water. 'Cadance' turned around and took two steps toward the entrance. Then, her horn glowed a sickly green. "W-Whatever it was, I'm sorry." Ocellus shook in place, not noticing a green circle appear on the floor around her hooves. "No, you're not... but you will be." At this point, Ocellus felt herself physically sinking. She gasped and looked down at the green ring engulfing her and clouding her vision of the ball room. "Ocellus!" Rainbow yelled while diving down at an angle. "Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness!" Fluttershy stuttered before following the other pegasus. The doors slammed open as Applejack, Rarity, Spike, and two guard ponies charged inside. 'Cadance' shot out two green beams of magic. These beams latched onto the pegasi, then slammed them down onto the heads of their friends. Ocellus tried casting counter-magic at the fires swallowing her into the floor, but that did nothing to stop her descent. She beat her front hooves against the magical force-field. "Guys!" Spears were held out, pointing at the fake princess. "Who are you and what have you done with the princess?" 'Cadance' smirked. "Oh, beloved! Can you be so kind as to detain your subordinates?" Pink spheres surrounded the guards in a way that forced them both to drop their weapons. Shining Armor stepped in, staring off into space while a green glaze covered his eyes. "Yes... honey..." "Captain, what are you doing?" The second guard pony banged his hoof against his spherical prison. "Let us out of here!" "That's two problems taken care of." The false Cadance looked back at the unconscious pile. "Now, what to do with these five. Hmm... oh! I know just the thing." She cackled while surrounding the ponies and dragon with a large ring of green fire. They sank into the floor before it swallowed up any sign that they had been there. Meanwhile, peeking through a crack in the doorway was an eye with a blue iris. It rolled away before singing something about a "super sneaky pink". --- Water dripped against a rock. The echoing stirred Ocellus from her sleep. She looked around before pulling herself up to stand. It was some kind of cavern. Reflective rocks jutted out of the walls. Some wooden support beams looked worn and ready to fall apart. "Hello?" Ocellus called into the cave. "Is any pony there? Hello!" She swiveled her ears. Nothing but dripping water replied back. She ignited her horn, trying to get a better look into the distant darkness. Some broken railways marked up the floor into one of the tunnels. She trotted along, trying to understand what had happened before she fell unconscious. ... Ocellus came across a slightly more open cavern. The tracks led into a circle of metal, boxes, and rust. Had this been a turntable station? How long had it been here? "Oh, you're awake." Ocellus gasped as she quickly scanned around her. Eventually, her attention was drawn to a figure trotting around a rusted crate. It was wearing a large green hood, covering their eyes, but showing off the owner's glowing magic. A unicorn? Why did their excitement smell so... wrong? "That's good. My Queen may have wanted you to rot away silently. But I wanted you to wake up." A hoof flipped the hood back, revealing a mare with a violet mane and magenta highlights. "What's more fun than watching the hope drain from a victim's eyes personally?" "Your queen?" Ocellus tilted her head. "You mean Cadance?" "Ah, so even our own kind can be fooled by My Queen's perfect disguise." The unicorn mare chuckled. "And here I thought pigs would fly first." "Well, I did see a few pigs fly a while back." Ocellus tapped herself. "Wait, what do you mean by a disguise and 'our kind'?" "How depressing." The unicorn trotted closer. "You're supposed to be Celestia's prized pupil in magic, aren't you? Didn't she teach you anything about illusion magic? Perhaps ponies really are a weakness to this land." Ocellus stepped along the turntable's circumference. "But, you're a pony too." "And every day, I'm reminded of how disgusting they are just by looking at myself." Teeth were grit. "But that's enough reflection for one day. Let us see if your practical magic is as weak as your mind." Violet eyes stared while magenta light ignited the horn. Ocellus was about to fly up until her wings rattled against the cavern's ceiling. Flinching, she put up a warding spell. Her foe unleashed a concentrated beam that splashed around the ward. The bug-filly waved her front hooves around. "Wait, wait, wait! We don't need to fight!" Ocellus insisted. "I can tell that you're upset about something. Wouldn't you rather talk it out?" "Why? So you can trick me and stab me in the back?" The unicorn poured more magic into the beam. "How naive do you think I am?!" Her ward was cracking apart. Ocellus hopped on the tracks into the covered turntable. The mare followed after her. As Ocellus exited the other side, she grunted while casting something at the circle and everything on it. It spun around, far more quickly than it safely should. The unicorn yelled from inside the spinning structure. As Ocellus galloped into another tunnel, she gasped at what was in front of her. That unicorn appeared in a flash of white sparkles. She was charging up another magenta beam. Unable to comfortably turn around, Ocellus kept galloping forward. Green magic replaced her form with Pinkie Pie bouncing overhead. She narrowly dodged the unicorn's second beam attack. Shifting back to herself, Ocellus cast directly at the pony's cloak. There was a gasp as the cloth forced itself over the mare's face. Then, some of the cloak snaked around, tying the unicorn's front hooves together. As the mare fought against her own outfit, Ocellus ran further along the tunnel. The sound of another spell-cast and the faint scent of smoke told her she didn't have much of a head-start. Ocellus took several turns throughout the tunnels. At one point, she ran straight over some broken tracks and a chasm. Her wings flapped frantically before she could fall too far. As she flew toward the other side of the pitfall, a scent of irritation caught her attention. A magenta glow stopped her in place, forcing her wings to remain horizontally open. "You are clever, student of Celestia." The unicorn stood at the edge. "Why Queen Chrysalis didn't listen to my recon about you is mind-boggling. However, it appears you've reached the limits of your arcane arsenal. So, here's my proposal: Swear fealty to My Queen. I will not only spare your life, but I will show you the magic that I have learned over the years, spells and curses beyond anything the ponies would even dare to record." Ocellus sighed before shape-shifting into Rainbow Dash. "Wouldn't twisting a dagger in my back be easier?" The unicorn frowned. "I beg your pardon?" The multi-colored pegasus shifted into Fluttershy. "No matter what..." She took on Rarity's shape. "... I will never..." Next was Applejack. "... abandon my family, my friends..." Finally, she shifted back to herself. "... or my country." The mare snorted. "Such a long-winded speech. Perhaps you're more related to My Queen than I thought." The magenta aura tossed Ocellus onto the tracks on the other side. She groaned from the impact before managing to turn around. "Go, then. Reunite with your friends. Their fate to be trapped down here will be the same as yours!" With a light-red pop, the unicorn teleported out of sight. --- After an indeterminable time, Ocellus had wound up in a more open area of the cave. Her ears swiveled to the sound of something colliding with rock. "Ow!" "Spike?" Ocellus galloped toward the other voice. A large pile of rocks and broken wood blocked off a tunnel. "Ocellus!" Spike's voice sighed in relief. "Thank Celestia." "Wait, is that Ocellus?" asked Fluttershy's voice from another blocked off path. "Hey! We're all here!" Rainbow's voice was muffled. "Somehow, we got trapped behind these rocks!" Applejack called out. "I've been trying to use my gem-finding spell to look for a weak spot," Rarity added. "But I can't figure out what is in these walls." Ocellus grunted while casting at one of the boulders in her way. However, she coughed and the rock hadn't moved an inch. "This isn't good." She panted. "I used up too much magic in the skirmish earlier. Now, I don't have enough to move these rocks." "Sounds like you've had it rough down here." Pinkie munched on a slice of cake with apple pieces. "Yeah, I- Pinkie?!" Ocellus jumped and whirled around. "I thought you were trapped with the others! How'd you get out?" "I was hungry, so I picked up a snack and came here." Pinkie pointed some of her mane at the bug-filly. "Can you believe her sometimes?" "That doesn't- oh, never mind." Ocellus sat down and hummed. "Actually, do you think you have enough snacks to share with the rest of us?" "Hmm, I think so." Pinkie shuffled a hoof through her mane. She pulled out a bag of potato chips, Rainbow Dash, a cup of fudge swirl ice cream, Rarity, a lettuce-wrap, Fluttershy, a cherry torte, Applejack, a sapphire cupcake, Spike, a blueberry muffin, and a dirt-covered alicorn princess in that order. "Oh, and some waters too!" She pulled out several plastic bottles. "Just in case of water emergencies." "Cadance?!" Ocellus rushed over to the new pony's side. Cadance exhaled voicelessly. Her eyes barely opened at the sound of her name. That was until she locked eyes on the blueberry muffin. She hurriedly scarfed it into her mouth and chewed. Half of a water bottle's contents splashed on either side of her mouth while the rest made it in. "Oh, real food. I nearly forgot how sweet it could be!" She blinked twice before looking around her. She trotted over and hugged the bug-filly. "Lus! I'm so happy to see you again!" Ocellus quietly cried while smiling. "You remembered me." "I take it you're the real Princess Cadance?" Applejack prompted. "Yes, I am." Cadance nodded slowly. "I'm sorry. I don't think I've had the pleasure." Ocellus quickly introduced her Ponyville friend group. It was a nice moment. Although, the topic of discussion quickly went to where they were and how they got there. "The creature that captured me called herself Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings," said Cadance. "They can take on the appearance of loved ones and they feed off the affection given by ponies meant for each other. She dragged me into the gem mines deep underneath Canterlot." "Why that rotten!" Rainbow Dash stomped on her empty chip bag. "When I get my hooves on her..." "Queen Chrysalis." Ocellus looked down after taking a drink. "The pony that attacked me mentioned that name too." "Was she being controlled, like Shining Armor?" asked Fluttershy. "I don't think so." Ocellus shook her head. "The way she talked about how flawed Chrysalis's hindsight was... it makes me think she was serving out of obligation rather than a brainwashing spell." Rarity cleared her throat. "As fascinating as that sounds, I think we'd all like to get out of this dusty hole in the ground first." "You can teleport us out," said Spike. Again, Ocellus shook her head. "Normally, I'd agree. I have gotten better at control. However, I used up a lot of magic to get away from that fight. I don't even have enough strength left to transfer me." Cadance tapped her muzzle. "Maybe there's a way to remedy that." "Huh?" All eyes turned toward the princess. "When I first saw Chrysalis's true form, she kind of looked like a taller, older, fatter version of you." Ocellus's eyes widened. The aggressive unicorn's words echoed in her mind. 'Perhaps you're more related to My Queen than I thought.' "Does...Does that mean I'm... a changeling?" Ocellus looked through her hooves. "Huh... suddenly, a lot of things click." Spike held his hand to her side. "Are you okay?" Ocellus held her hoof near her neck. She inhaled deeply. Then, she exhaled and straightened her hoof out in front of herself. "No matter what species I am, that doesn't change the life I've lived. Whether I was abandoned or smuggled into a city of ponies, my real parents are Twilight Velvet and Night Light. They, Bro-Bro, and Spike are the family that have been there for me." She smiled. "And my friends are all right here!" Applejack nodded approvingly. "Couldn't have said it better, sugar cube." Ocellus looked over. "Sorry, Cadance. What was your idea?" "Well, what if we tried feeding you love?" asked Cadance. "That might give you enough of a boost for your teleport spell." Ocellus blinked twice. "You know, I vaguely recall eating emotions out of the air when I was really young. But ever since my entrance exam into Princess Celestia's school, I never felt that hungry." She shuffled her wings about. "I mean, I've felt cravings for normal food, but never that intense level of gnawing pain." "Does that mean if you tried to eat love now, you'd get a tummy ache?" Pinkie Pie tilted her head. "Only one way to find out." Ocellus stood up. "Every pony!" Cadance's horn lit up in a gentle sky blue. "Focus your feelings on how much you care about Ocellus." The rest of the group stood up. Pinkie swept up all of the garbage into the void inside her mane. Ocellus closed her eyes and focused on what she could smell. Platonic affection tickled her nose. For the first time in years, she willed herself to absorb some of it. Her eyes snapped open, glowing white. Her wings shimmered a strawberry red. Her horn ignited with a forest green tone. Her magic surrounded everyone there. Ponies, dragon, and little changeling vanished with a poof. ---