//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Unrest in Canterlot // Story: A Canterlot Wedding: Aftermath // by Black Kyurem //------------------------------// "Maybe they were never really my friends. Maybe I never had any." ~ Day 1 ~ Morning soon came and Twilight stirred and groaned as she woke up. She had a rough night owing to that nightmare, but she knew she had to get up and start the day. Spike's bed was empty, meaning that for once he had gotten up before her. Down on the first floor, Spike had already started on his daily chores and he seemed to be in a good mood, as he was humming to himself. Twilight, still somewhat half-asleep, came down the stairs and Spike greeted her. "Good morning, Twilight!" he said, but he inadvertently startled her. "Oh... morning, Spike." "Twilight? Are you okay?" Spike asked her. "You look like you didn't sleep well." "I'm fine," she murmured. "Just had a rough night." Twilight initially believed that her nightmare meant nothing and that she could resume her day as usual. But what she didn't realize at first is that posttraumatic emotions were beginning to creep up on her. A week ago, her brother, Shining Armor, got married to her former foal-sitter, Cadance, and although it was a happy occasion, the night before the wedding had been anything but. Now this had nothing to do with the nightmare, but there would soon be a connection. As for Spike, he was not about to disregard Twilight passing off her being startled. As her number one assistant, he wanted to make one hundred percent sure Twilight was fine with no hinges attached. After all, they both had daily errands to run. --- Meanwhile, in Canterlot, Princess Celestia had just woken up in her own room, when she heard a knock on her door. "Oh? Come in." One of her guards entered the room with a scroll. "Message for the Princess," he said, and left her the letter before leaving. "Thank you." Celestia opened the letter and started reading through it. She then gasped slightly. "Dear Princess Celestia, I've been booked solid for appointments all day today again. Many of your royal guards have been restless from aftershock and stress and civilians who have seen me are beginning to doubt your leadership capabilities." She stopped reading, perplexed. "Maybe their captain can restore order, but he returns from his honeymoon tomorrow afternoon. Well, maybe I can help." Celestia went through her castle to check up on her guards. Indeed, many of them appeared to be on shaky grounds. Her only conclusion was that they have been suffering from threat of injury as a result of the Changeling invasion last week. Although the Changelings were gone, many ponies were in fact stressed out and on edge, believing that not only could they come back at any moment, but with their forces stronger than even the Princess herself, the Canterlot residents really were beginning to doubt their daytime leader. As Celestia wandered the streets of Canterlot, she started to hear murmurs from her people, many of whom were casting sideways glances at her while whispering to others. The Princess looked worried and uncertain. The fact that she had been bested by Queen Chrysalis was beginning to haunt her as well. What if the Changelings did return? She would be no match for them and Canterlot would fall. Was it just dumb luck that they survived their first bout? Did the power of love between Shining Armor and Cadance that cast them out of Canterlot only make the Changelings even stronger? Celestia shook her head vigorously to try to erase her worried thoughts and then flew back up to her balcony. --- Out in the streets of Ponyville, Spike and Twilight were walking side by side. Spike was looking over a list of things that needed to be tackled for the day, assuming that Twilight was up to the task. "Our first stop is Sugarcube Corner," he declared. "We're in charge of delivering those cupcakes for Cheerilee's class picnic, and... Twilight? Twilight?" Spike could see Twilight's eyes nervously moving back and forth, eying each and every other pony in Ponyville with a worried expression as if slipping into paranoia again. Spike hopped on Twilight's back, making her jump. "It's me, Twilight!" "Oh... sorry, Spike." "What's going on, Twi?" "Huh? What are you talking about?" "I see your eyes moving. You look like Pinkie's gonna jump out and surprise you. I thought you'd be used to that by now." Twilight shook her head rapidly trying to clear her thoughts. "I'm sorry, Spike. I don't know what's gotten into me." "Do you need more rest? I can do your errands for you if you like." "No, I'm fine, thank you." "Are you sure?" "Yes, Spike." But Spike wasn't so sure about that. Along the way to Sugarcube Corner, they passed by Applejack, who was running a stand selling a new product fresh from Sweet Apple Acres. A few other ponies had already gathered round for samples. "Howdy, Twilight!" called Applejack, which startled her a bit. "Oh... Good morning, Applejack!" said Twilight cheerfully. "Heh, heh... Sorry. Didn't mean to startle ya." "I'm fine. So what business do you have today?" "Check this out!" beamed Applejack. "Only our newest product freshly made from Sweet Apple Acres - applesauce! Made from the finest apples in all of Equestria. We got plain and cinnamon! And ah'm offering free samples to try before buyin' mah jars. Care for a taste?" "Sure, I'm game." As expected, the applesauce sample was delicious. After all, there was hardly a thing from Applejack's farm that ever went wrong. Twilight knew Applejack's reputation was always at the top of her game with her fresh apples made into pies, cider, and other delectable treats. "So, can ah put down a jar for ya?" asked Applejack. "That's okay," said Twilight. "Perhaps another time. I've got errands to run, you know how it is." "Sure do, Twi. Always keepin' busy." After Twilight left, Applejack decided to speak with Spike privately. "Ya think something's up with her?" "Yeah, but I'm keeping an eye on her," said Spike. "All she told me was that she didn't sleep well or something." "Oh. Well, that happens to the best of us. Ah'm sure she'll be just fine." "Yeah, we sure wanna wish that," said Spike, walking away. Now Applejack started to ponder if something really was up with Twilight. Speaking of her, she arrived at the Sugarcube Corner to pick up Cheerilee's order. "Hi, Twilight!" beamed Pinkie, bouncing up and down as always, but her greeting startled her too. "Oh, did I scare you? I do have that effect on ponies sometimes." Now Twilight was glancing around the Sugarcube Corner, observing every pony and their daily lives. In truth, she was worried nearly to the point of paranoia that any one of them could be a Changeling in disguise. "Twilight? Twilight?" Pinkie then suddenly popped up in front of Twilight's face to get her attention saying, "Helloooo?" This made Twilight freak out slightly, so Pinkie started to get the hint that something wasn't quite right with her. "Is... something wrong?" she asked. "Oh... N-no. Nothing's wrong." Pinkie stared at her for a few seconds. "Okey-dokey-lokey!" she said cheerfully and started happily trotting away. "La, lala, lala, lala, lala..." "You're not fooling anyone, Twilight," said Spike, looking slightly serious now. "Huh? What?" "Something's wrong with you, and I think it's because you didn't get enough sleep. Look, I'll take care of Cheerilee's order. You should just go back to the library and rest. Okay?" Twilight's eyes moved around for a few seconds. "Yeah, okay. Thanks, Spike." "No problem, Twi." So while Spike set out to complete Twilight's errand for her, Twilight made her way back to the library, still occasionally glancing at other ponies. "Maybe Spike's right," she said to herself. "Maybe I just didn't get enough sleep." Back in the library, Twilight crawled back into bed, hoping that she would be able to rest easier. She sighed. "What is the matter with me? Why is it so hard to tell my friends these things?" She then closed her eyes and fell asleep within a few minutes.