"Seriously, can't believe that your brother is getting married." Rarity said to Twilight as the elements rode the train to Canterlot. It was earlier that day when they had been invited to Shining Armor's wedding up in Canterlot.
"But I have no idea who this 'Mi Amore Cadenza' is." Twilight said.
"C'mon sis, you already know who that is." Sunset said.
"She does?" Spike asked.
"I do?" Twilight echoed.
"It's Princess Cadence, your personal foal sitter from way back when." Sunset said.
"Mi Amore Cadenza is Princess Cadence?" Twilight asked. "...Actually, now that you mention it, that does make sense."
"That's what big sisters are for." Sunset said.
"But it's still not right for Shining Armor to spring a wedding on me NOW of all times." Twilight said.
"Chill. Someday, I'll help you get revenge on him for this little stunt. Big sis's honor." Sunset said.
"Thank you, Sunset." Twilight said.
"Twilight needs a colt-friend first." Spike said.
"Maybe she'll find her destined some pony at the wedding." Ray said.
"Wait a second, I just realized: Doesn't Ray being with Smolder kind of ruin our bet?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"It doesn't, because they aren't officially special some ponies yet." Pinkie Pie said. "And Spike & Sweetie Belle were already pretty much special some ponies when the betting pool was even created."
"Just because I hang out with Smolder a lot, doesn't mean anything." Ray said, though his blushing was giving him away.
"I think you need to stop trying to lie to us AND yourself and just admit you have a crush on her already." Sunset said.
Ray blushed harder. "Sis! Your embarrassing me!" He said.
As the group was deboarding the train, Prince Blueblood was waiting for them all. "It's great to see you again Rarity." Prince Blueblood said. "See you've brought Sweetie Belle and her group."
"Like we were going to leave them in Ponyville." Rainbow Dash retorted.
"Be nice Rainbow." Rarity said.
"I honestly don't blame her for getting a little huffy." It was Raiden.
"Wait, since when did HE get here?" Twilight asked.
"Your brother requested that Team Strikers helped with security. Your Princess Celestia has it on good authority that a changeling invasion is planned." Raiden said.
"Wow. Way to bring in the big guns." Rainbow whistled.
"Well let's go see my brother every pony." Twilight said.
"Whoa, hold up. While I can definatly smell the magic of the barrier around Canterlot, I'm smelling some other source of magic that's NOT directed towards to shield and it doesn't smell like Unicorn Magic." Ray said.
"Wait, really?" Spike asked, then sniffed the air. "...I'm smelling it to. It smells like rotten fruit." He added.
"Oh, there's Shining Armor with Princess Cadence." Twilight said.
"Twily! Good for you and your friends to make it." Shining Armor said.
Before any pony could do anything else, Twilight tried doing some strange dance with Cadence, but she just looked at Twilight confused. "Err...Princess Cadence?" Twilight asked after.
"Oh. I'm so sorry. I guess the wedding is stressing me out a little." Cadence said.
"Who can blame you honestly?" Sunset said, smiling.
"...Wait, who are you?" Cadence asked.
Now THAT put Sunset on guard. "Pardon me Princess Cadence, but how could you possibly not know who I am? I met you like almost every day when I was being Twilight's surrogate big sister." Sunset said.
"Not sure how you could forget that Cadence." Shining Armor said.
"Plus, why do you smell like rotton fruit, Princess Cadence?" Ray asked.
Suddenly Princess Cadence looked shocked. "OH MY GOD, DO I SMELL OR SOMETHING?! MUST GO TAKE A SHOWER!" Cadence said and rushed off.
"Err...I'll go after her..." Shining Armor said and went to do so.
"Something stinks about this; stinks like rotton fruit." Spike said.
Suddenly, Rainbow Dash remembered what Cole said. "Cole mentioned this." Every pony looked at her. "That black hamster that showed up in Ponyville a while back. His name was Cole. He mentioned something about how our eyes can play tricks on our mind, and that memories can be excused, but our sense of smell will never lie to us; or something like that." Rainbow Dash said.
"So then, maybe that wasn't really Princess Cadence." Sunset said. "Twilight, me and the other girls will stall for time. Take Spike and try to find the real Princess Cadence."
"Do you even know where to start?" It was Cole.
"What the..." Prince Blueblood said.
"A talking hamster? Now I've seen everything." Sunset said.
"Perhaps I can speed up your process a little: I saw something pink down in the Canterlot Crystal Mines. If I had to venture a guess, it was the real Princess Cadance. The one you've seen with Shining Armor is an imposter. And I know this because I saw her reveal her true face to what seemingly seemed like no one; unaware that I had been watching from the rafters." Cole said.
"Considering how small this guy is, it's no wonder he fit up there." Blueblood said.
"I'll be around here for a while. So we'll see each other again later." Cole said before he suddenly walked away.
"Hold it right there, you mysterious hamster!" Raiden said. But mysteriously, fog suddenly showed up out of nowhere; making every pony loose sight of Cole. And as soon as it came, it went.
"Okay, I think my creepy factor just got put on red alert." Rainbow Dash said.
"Hey, do any of you know where that fog came from?" It was Karisha.
"Oh Karisha. What brings you here?" Twilight said.
"There's someone...I got to make sure stays alive." Karisha said. "...No matter what..." She said then walked off.
"...Okay, first Cole, now Karisha. What's with the secrecy today?" Rainbow Dash asked.
As it had turned out, Cole was right: The real Princess Cadence was down in the mines. And Twilgiht was able to foil the plans of the Changeling Queen known as Queen Chrysalis. However, she was able to draw enough love from Shining Armor to weaken his shield and allow her army of Changelings to invade the city anyways.
Not to meniton, enough to defeat Princess Celestia. "Now then..." Chrysalis said, turning her attention to Throsten. As it had turned out, he and his mates had also decided to attend the wedding. "Let's really show you how powerless you are." Chrysalis said.
Suddenly, however, Chrysalis was caught in the jaw of something. "Your usefulness has ended." A female voice said.
"It...can't be..." Lightning said.
"Hello Lightning. Long time no see." The female voice said.
"...Marina..." Lightning said.
Sure enough, there was a Mawile there. "How pathetically easy it was to have this changeling do my bidding for me. Made getting in here all too easy." Marina said, using her bigger mouth to throw Chrysalis right into a wall.
"You. Just what do you plan on doing here?" Raiden asked.
"What else? Making this entire country submit to me. Because that's what I do." Marina said. She began charging up some kind of beam attack in her bigger jaw. "And I'm going to make sure they realize just how hopeless it is to resist." Marina said.
"No!" Karisha said, running out and just as Marina unleashed the beam, it was like the world was it slow mo as the beam headed for Throsten, only for Karisha to block it; and she was hurt badly.
"Bitch. It'll take way too long to recharge." Marina said.
"That...will be long enough..." Karisha said, barely staying alive.
"...Doesn't any pony else hear beeping?" Scootaloo asked.
Out of nowhere, Rob suddenly appeared. "Karisha..." He said, looking at her bruised form.
"Forget me...save Throsten..." Karisha said.
"Right..." Rob then turned to Marina.
"...Well that's enough for today." Marina said before she suddenly got pummbled for a bit and then sent flying. "I'LL REMEMBER THIS!" She yelled out.
Marina's little destraction had allowed Princess Cadence enough time to undo Shining's mind control and then their love for each other caused some sort of love bomb to happen.
"Wow, that is corny as all get out: Defeating the changelings with the very thing they were after all along." Rainbow Dash said.
"Sometimes too much of something can be a bad thing." It was Cole again.
"How'd this hamster get in this building?" Princess Celestia asked, now recovered.
"Okay Buster, just WHO are you; really?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"While I'm sure you have questions you want answered. I must remain secretive for now. But know this: You'll get your answers, when the empire of crystals returns." Cole said. He had mosied on over to a nearby window that had been broken by some changelings. "So...see you." He added before he suddenly fell backwards out the window.
"Wait, are you crazy?!" Serendipity yelled out, and went to catch him, but upon trying to see him, he had mysteirously vanished again. "...Hey Pinkie Pie?" Serendipity asked.
"Yeah?" Pinkie Pie asked.
"Got any cupcakes?" Serendipity asked.
The victory against the changelings however, turned out to be short lived. Marina's blast that Karisha took had ended up doing more damage then the doctors in Equestria could fix. "Looks like...I'm not going to make it to tomorrow." Karisha said.
"You saved me. Why?" Throsten asked.
"Wasn't...able to...the last time..." Karisha said. "Glad I...I made up for it...this time..." She added.
"You weren't kidding when you said Marina is the worst one, Lightning." Applejack said.
"I did warn you." Lightning said.
"Make sure...she pays for this...all of you..." Karisha said.
"We will." Twilight said. Karashi managed one final smile before she passed away from her injuries.
"This...is unforgivable." Princess Celestia said.
"Now you understand what Lightning Town dealt with on a regular basis." Lightning said.
"Marina will be punished severely for this." Princess Luna said.
"That Mawile is going to pay." Throsten said.