Celestia groaned and rubbed her head. She looked around, trying to gauge her surroundings. She then looked to see that she was in Discord's nursery, but everything was much bigger, his crib towering over her. Then she saw other plush ponies within the sea of foal blankets and plush toys: One looked like her sister Luna, and the others were Twilight's friends. Then she tried to move her body, which was wobbly and seemed lighter than how she usually was. She tried flapping her wings to get over the crib, but her tiny cloth-like wings did nothing. Cloth-like?! She looked down over her body to see it looked like fabric with her coat having stitches, and she poked herself, hearing the soft crinkling sound of stuffing. She then touched her horn which moved about and seemed to no longer be made of bone.
The mare then saw a mirror and her reflection, she was indeed a plush toy! Her eyes were sewn in, and she was unable to blink (but somehow she could still see). Then she whispered. "Hello?" and gasped in surprise. The princess then turned to the other plush toys, all seeming to get up and looking as confused as she was. They all started to freak out (except for Pinkie Pie, who ended up just bouncing about)!
Celestia then shouted at the top of her lungs! "Everypony, stop!" All turned to her as the princess cleared her throat. "Thank you. Now then, we need to figure out how we ended up like this, and who is responsible."
"Well, the second part is easy: This is obviously Discord's doing." Luna irritably mumbled as she tried to fly and was unable to get an inch up in the air.
Meanwhile, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack looked confused while Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie gasped! "Wait, why would Discord do this?!" Rainbow questioned.
Pinkie Pie bounced over. "Well, it could be a prank?"
Celestia shrugged as she herself was unsure. "We don't even know if Discord is capable of such things yet. We should figure out what we were doing before blacking out. It might help."
Rarity raised a hoof, and Celestia smirked before she asked. "Yes, what is it, Rarity?"
"Whose is this Discord you're talking about?” Rarity inquired. “I think I heard the name float around before."
Celestia blinked, realizing she’d officially showed off her ward to anyone (only a few of Twilight's friends had seen him, and even then it had been kind of brief). “Well, it's hard to describe what he is exactly, but he's unlike any creature you've seen before: He has a goat's head, a dragon's claw on his left leg and a hoof on the right, his left hand is an eagle's claw and his right hand a lion's paw."
"What in the hay?!" Applejack cried out in disbelief! "You've been keepin' a creature like that here all this time?!"
Celestia turned to the earth pony and tried to reassure her. "Well, he was a baby gifted to Luna and I to care for. He does have a lot of raw magical ability, and he has turned some of my guards and his nannies into plush toys. But that was mostly by accident."
"True, but he doesn't have the cleanest track record for deliberately misusing his chaos magic either." Luna pointed out.
Celestia nodded. "Correct. That's why I'm asking if anypony here can remember what they were doing today before blacking out and ending up here."
Everypony paused and took their time to think. Finally, Applejack spoke. "If I remember correctly, we came here yesterday to help with settin' up for Shining Armor and Princess Cadence's weddin’."
Rarity nodded. "Yes, and everything seemed to go well…except that Twilight was acting odd, and she kept talking about how weird Princess Cadence was. I thought the princess was acting a bit rude due to nerves."
Pinkie Pie bounced up and down, then chirped. "Yeah, she said my decorations were perfect for a six-year-old’s birthday party. I took it as a compliment, but Twilight took it more seriously than me, saying she insulted me."
"I see…" Celestia looked all around for her student but couldn't seem to see her and asked. "On that note, where is Twilight?"
All looked around the crib, then Applejack snapped, "She's not here! Does that mean she might not be a plush? I'm sure she can turn us back to normal!"
Rarity looked around, trying to gauge what they could do. "Yes, but we’re trapped. We don't have the ability to climb these bars or fly, and the door is closed and locked. Until somepony comes in, we're trapped here!"
Pinkie Pie bounced in between her friends and chirped. "Oh, relax. Somepony will eventually come by to help us."
Celestia nodded and said, "I believe so: Twilight was tasked with watching Discord as Cadence was too busy with the preparations for the wedding."
Luna tapped a hoof to her chin. "If Twilight was Discord's foalsitter, maybe she'll know for sure if he was the one who did this to us?"
"Right, Discord could lie, so I'll trust Twilight whatever she has to say on his behalf." Celestia decided
"But that still leaves us like this! Is there anything we can do?" Applejack nervously asked.
Celestia turned to face Applejack. "Like I said, let's try to remember what happened before: If none of us were turned into plush toys yesterday, that means it had to happen today. So, can everypony tell me what they were doing this morning?"
Pinkie tapped a hoof on her chin, and then said. "Um, ok, this morning I spent most of the time baking some pancakes, and stuffing my face with cupcakes."
Rarity couldn't help but snicker. "That sounds like a typical Pinkie Pie morning, but I can say for sure I was there as well."
Applejack then exclaimed in realization! "Yeah…I was there too! In fact, I think I remember most of what happened." And she began to flashback to the events of that morning.
Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie were all at breakfast. As they continued to eat their pancakes together, all were talking about how excited they were to be Princess Cadence's new bridesmaids.
Just then, a royal guard came into the kitchen with a worried look on his face. "Uh, hello. How's everypony doing?"
Pinkie Pie bounced over and chirped, "Doing great! Want a pancake?!" She then burst into laughter. "I just realized that rhymes! I wonder if I'm turning into Zecora?"
"Uh yeah, that would be great. I just got off duty, and uh…" The guard sat down rather awkwardly and started to nibble on his food. "So um…I actually came here to warn you."
"Warn us? About what?" Applejack questioned.
The guard gulped, and he seemed to be very nervous as he stammered. " I…I came to warn you. Princess Cadence isn't really who you think she is… she's a changeling."
The three mares burst into laughter, and the guard snapped! "I'm being serious: We need to warn the princesses and stop her!”
The three now looked at him crazy as Applejack, being a bit curious, asked, "What's a changeling?"
The guard explained with a gulp. "Well…you see, they are, um…" He let out a sigh and grumbled, "I'll just show you," He closed the doors and lit up his horn, then his body changed to a black insect-like creature. "We look something like this."
"What the hay?!" Applejack exclaimed as she took a step back, took some cupcakes and bucked them right into his face!
A voice then shouted. "Stop that! Listen, he's a good guy! His name is Thorax!"
Rarity got up and exclaimed. "We have to take him to the princesses! Maybe this is why they heightened security!"
"Wait, listen, you don't understand; I'm trying to warn you!" The changeling protested!
Applejack turned to the changeling and snapped, "Warn us about who? Yourself?! Like we'll believe you!"
The creature winced as he sighed. "Discord, we don't have a choice. We have to go to plan B."
Applejack looked around and asked. "Who the hay is Discord?"
Then there was a flash of light, and then suddenly Applejack felt her body shrinking as she saw her body turning into a cloth-like material! Then the mare saw everything in the kitchen looking a lot larger, with the dinner table towering over her as she wobbled about, seeing her whole body felt lighter. She looked up to see a strange-looking creature towering over her, his goat-like face looking rather distraught as he whispered, "I sowie." Applejack wanted to shout for help, but the mare then felt her mind go blank.
"That was the last thing I remember." Applejack finished as she shivered. "I thought I was a goner."
Surprised by Applejack's story, Celestia exclaimed. "Changelings have infiltrated the castle?! My sister and I would've seen or heard about them!"
The princess of the night turned to her sister. "I see we may have been beaten. Who knows how many guards and ponies are changelings in disguise? We need to warn everypony in the castle and cancel the wedding."
The princess of the sun paused as she recalled what Applejack said. She turned towards the orange-coated plush and asked. "Hold on…this guard who was really a changeling, you're certain he spoke Discord's name?"
"Yeah, I didn't know what he was talkin' about, but before I could react…" She looked over her new body and wobbled about, then chuckled. "Well, I guess he turned me into a plushie. Hey, I don't look that bad."
Pinkie Pie bounced over and squealed. "I know, right?! We look so adorable! Why hasn't anypony made plush toys based on us?"
The fashionista gave her own body a look over and commented. "Yes, the stitching is well done. Discord must know a thing or two about plush toys."
Luna sighed, seeming to look downtrodden as she added, "Even so, it seems Discord has betrayed us."
Despite seeing that Luna could be correct, the sun princess couldn't help but remember how, in Applejack's story, it didn't seem he was in league with the changelings. "Now hold on, let's not jump to conclusions just yet," She turned to face her sister and added. "In fact, what do you remember yourself?"
Princess Luna tapped a hoof to her face and began to talk. "Well, we were having breakfast as well…we were switching our duty watching over Canterlot…" And she started to recall the events.
Luna had spent all night watching over Canterlot, her legs were stiff and aching and her whole body craved sleep. But she and Celestia had received intelligence suggesting that there might be an invasion. They’d been given vague information from their soldiers in the Frozen North, and it was enough to keep security on high alert in Canterlot until the wedding was over.
Atop her tower, Luna turned to see her sister coming over to take her shift, and they both gave each a tired greeting as they switched their duties. They then heard a pitter-patter of tiny feet, and they both turned to see Discord come waddling over, looking scared. "Uh…wisten, Auntie Tia and Lulu, I gots to tell ya something important."
"Yes, little one. wW are quite busy,” Luna inquired. “And where's Twilight? Isn't she supposed to be watching you?"
Discord whimpered. "’Bout that. Listen, I gots to tell ya Cady isn't Cady, she a changeling queen and she twying to take over!"
Luna rubbed her tired eyes, thought about what Discord had said, then chuckled. "Sweetheart, you probably just had a nightmare. I understand Cadence hasn't been herself lately, but that doesn't mean she's a changeling,” Then she blinked and asked. “In fact, how did you know about changelings?"
"Does that matter?!” Discord pouted in protest! “Ya gots ta listen! Ta real Cady is missing! Ya, gots to bewieve me!"
Princess Celestia looked downward. "Discord, I understand you are scared about the invasion threat, we all are. But there's no way Cadence is a changeling. We’d know if she was."
The draconequus let out a sigh and seemed to wince in pain as he cried. "Guess I got no other choice but ta show ya."
Then there was a bright light, and Luna was surprised to see her body shrinking and her fur turning into fabric, filling with what felt like balls of fluff! She started to get scared and tried lighting her horn to fend off the magic, but it was no use as nothing came out of it. She then turned to see the same happening to her sister, who was now a plush doll looking just as perplexed.
Luna then felt woozy and wobbled about on her hooves. The last thing she heard was.
"Listen, ya gonna be wike tis for a while. But I gonna show ya ta truth!"
The princess of the night blinked and rubbed her head as she mumbled. "Th…that was the last thing I remember…"
Celestia thought for a few moments about Luna's story. She went through her own memories, thinking about how rude Cadence had acted and how different she’d seemed to be over the past few days. Now that she thought more about it, it seemed odd that Cadence's aura had been a weird green color instead of its usual soft blue. The alicorn’s eyes went wide, realizing that Discord was telling the truth, and she slammed a hoof into her face and groaned! "How stupid can we be?! Discord isn't betraying us! He only did this because we weren't listening to him!"
Applejack was surprised at this apparent realization! "Wait, he was tellin’ the truth?!"
"It all makes sense…but why turn us into plush toys?" Luna pondered.
The princess of the sun tapped a hoof to her chin, then whispered, "Not sure, but I believe he's luring the fake Cadence into a trap somehow.
Luna was surprised at this and whispered back. "I see: If she comes here, she'll think of us as nothing but toys. Then I bet he'll turn us back to normal when the time is right, and we can trap her…if this is all true."
Celestia hobbled her plush body towards the edge of the crib staring at the door, hoping that her hunch was right as she whispered. "Well, we'll find out soon enough."
Meanwhile, "Cadence" was trotting down towards the dungeons below with a plush Twilight in her grasp and a smirk on her face. Discord was sitting atop a nervous looking guard as they went through a labyrinth of tunnels. They eventually found the real Princess Cadence, who looked beaten and worn out.
The real princess of love let out a painful groan looking up at the imposter, and snapped. "What are you doing here?!"
"Oh, I'm just here to show you something!" The imposter replied. She then held up the plush Twilight doll, levitated it near Cadence's face and laughed. "See what your little ward of chaos has done for me!"
The true Princess Cadence's eyes went wide! "Is that…?!"
"Yes, this is your precious Twilight!” The imposter gloated with glee. “And soon, the other princesses and her friends will meet the same fate! Soon, they too will be turned into plush toys, all thanks to Discord!" She tossed the plush doll towards the real Cadence.
The real Cadence looked over at Discord, and tears welled up in her eyes as she asked. "Why…why would you do this?! How could you betray us?!"
Discord looked downward and stammered. “B…beca…use I um…sowwie, but she’s too powerful…”
Cadence started to weep, held Twilight close to her chest, and wept as the fake Cadence let out an evil laugh and trotted away with Discord in tow.
Once the imposter left, Twilight started to move, making Cadence gasp. "Huh? What?!"
The plush Twilight maneuvered herself as she tried to use her stubby limbs to stable herself. "Sorry, Cadence,” She whispered, hoping not to be overheard. “But Discord and I needed a way to get me to you."
"Wait, why did Discord turn you into a plush toy?" The imprisoned princess of love questioned.
"Long story short, this fake Cadance is really a changeling in disguise, and Discord found out by accident,” Twilight explained. “He turned me into a plush to get me here to help rescue you. Then I will do the same to my friends and the princesses. We're setting up a trap. Chrysalis will come to Discord's nursery where they all are, and when she least expects it, he'll turn us all back to normal and trap her."
"Wow, that… that's not a bad plan at all!" Cadence blinked slowly in realization.
"Yes. But right now, we have to get out of here! And there’s only one way to do that!" Twilight then took a plastic tiara off her head and placed it on Cadence’s, then she watched as the pink coated alicorn shrank in size, her body bloating out looking like it was made of fabric and stuffed with fluff, her mane becoming stuck together and became a single piece of cloth.
Cadence trotted about, getting used to her new body as she then giggled. “Wow, that’s… interesting.”
“Yeah, it takes time to get used to it,” Twilight pointed out. “But we have to go!”
Cadence nodded as she wobbled off, clumsily following Twilight as they navigated through the caverns heading back to the castle.
Queen Chrysalis was pleased with herself as she trotted into Discord's nursery..Thanks to this baby draconequus, her victory was assured, and she'd probably raise him as her own. For now, though, she'd focus on her changelings taking over Canterlot to begin the invasion across all of Equestria!
The queen of the changelings started to laugh maniacally as she revealed herself, finally removing the disguise of that sappy princess of love showing another long, tall, and terrifying form, her dark green exoskeleton, her belonging jagged horn, fiery green eyes, and sharp teeth. The changeling queen shouted. "Now it is time for us to feed!"
"Everypony, now!"
Discord snapped his paw, and the plushies reverted back to their normal pony forms! Twilight's friends tackled her as Celestia and Luna wrapped magic bonds around Chrysalis' body. She tried to worm herself to the door, but Twilight and the real Princess Cadence were now standing in front of her. The queen of the changelings kicked and whined, but she couldn't break the bonds around her. She turned her attention towards the baby lord of chaos and shouted, "What?! Discord! You betrayed me!"
"Yeah,” Discord snorted. “Ya think I would betray my friends for ya?"
"What about Thorax?" Chrysalis inquired.
"Oh, I'm with Discord," The guard trotted over, revealing his changeling form, his being much smaller with dark blue insect eyes and a smaller jagged horn. "Discord and I talked for a while, and he says we can be friends."
"Thorax! I'm going to.." Chrysalis began with a hiss.
"Do what?!” Thorax retorted. “Lead us to devour love from Equestria until nothing is left? Don't you see your plan will only lead us back to where we are now?!"
Queen Chrysalis growled! "Traitor!"
Discord sighed. "I think tere's only one way to keep tis changeling queen fwom coming back!"
The baby draconequus waddled over and hugged her as Chrysalis roared. "Unhoof me! I am a queen!" She kicked and cried, but it was useless; she couldn't break Celestia and Luna's magical bonds. Her body began to change, turning multicolored and squeaking as her insect wings turned into butterfly ones. "W..what are you doing?!"
"Changing ya!” Discord explained. “Ya a changeling, and I gonna give ya mowe love ten ya can ever need!"
The queen gasped, filling in this "love" as her mind changed. Her thoughts of taking over and destroying Equestria faded from her mind, and she then hugged the lord of chaos and cried, "How did you do this?"
Discord shrugged. "Not sure. But if ya needs love, we gots plenty. We can share it, dun need to hog it all."
Everypony dawwed, even Queen Chrysalis did as she placed a hoof over her chest. She then bowed before Celestia. "Please forgive me for what I've done. It was all to save my hive, you have to understand."
Celestia was surprised and stammered, "I…I believe that if you're speaking the truth, then yes, I forgive you. As long as you swear never to bring harm to Equestria ever again."
"I promise my hive will live in harmony with the ponies of Equestria,” The queen insisted. “However, I will need Discord to spread his love among my hive so they can all change too. That could take a while."
All turned to the little lord of chaos as Celestia asked, "Are you ok with this?"
"If this can keep ta Changelings happy, I'm fine!” Discord insisted. “Besides, Thorax here taught me tat changewings can be good."
The little changeling drone waved a hoof, "Uh yeah, that's me."
Chrysalis lifted Discord onto his back, and then he flew off with her out the window as Cadence blinked, somewhat confused. "I better go explain things to Shining Armor and have him let his shield spell down." She then trotted off, rubbing her forehead while looking confused but relieved.
Discord spent a week hugging the changelings and transforming them. Thorax brought him back just as Cadence and Shining’s wedding was brought to a successful conclusion.
Cadence took the sleeping baby and placed him on her back then asked. “So, how was he?”
Thorax jumped into the air and exclaimed! “He’s amazing! He transformed the entire changeling race! I'm sure things will only get better from here.”
“That's wonderful.” Cadence then invited the changeling with Shining Armor groaning and looking rather groggy. “Thorax, it’s good to finally see you.”
“It’s good to see you as well,” Thorax replied. “Did your wedding turn out well?”
The princess giggled. “Yes it did! We would be going on our honeymoon now, but there’s a few things we need to take care of first.”
Princess Cadence then took Discord upstairs to his nursery, then she and Thorax went into the kitchen where she made him some tea and asked. “Would you mind keeping an eye on Discord for a bit longer? Shining and I are going to meet with the princesses.”
“Of course, that’s perfectly fine.” Thorax insisted.
Princess Cadence then took her husband by the hoof, and they set off together towards the palace. Celestia and Luna were both waiting for the royal couple as they sat down. Celestia came over and hugged her niece and Shining Armor. “Oh, thank Faust you two are ok! I'm still so happy for you!”
“Sister, where is your decorum?” Princess Luna scolded.
The princess of the sun stepped back and apologized. “My apologies, I’m still rather flustered from recent events.”
“As we all are,” The princess of the moon replied. “Now then, is there anything you wish to discuss?”
“Well, we’re all excited…seeing that Discord just saved our flanks and everything,” Cadence explained as they sat down. “While Discord was away helping the changelings, my husband and I talked alot about Discord. At this point in time, we understand you two were the ones chosen to care for him. But considering the weight of responsibility running the kingdom, we believe that it’s in his best interests we become his new caretakers.”
Celestia and Luna blushed and nodded. Luna spoke up first. “Yes, my sister and I talked a lot and we came to the same conclusion. But we didn’t want to bring it up while you two just got married. It would be asking a lot for you two to become parents right after it.”
Shining laughed a bit. “Yeah, but seeing as we wouldn’t have a wedding if Discord didn’t stop Queen Chrysalis and save my wife, we thought it would be an appropriate award. Also, Cadence is concerned about his development. Yes, it’s great he’s rescuing ponies and using his chaos magic for good. But he needs time to be a foal, I mean he’s still in diapers for pony’s sake.”
Everypony laughed before Celestia added. “I have to agree. Luna and I did our best to provide him with a safe environment to grow. But I think we maybe sheltered him too much. I agree that you two will make for excellent caretakers. I have full confidence you’ll help him grow up right.”
Luna interjected. “However there is still a concern with you two and the Crystal Empire. Now that you’re married, are you prepared to become the rulers if it should return?”
Shining nodded. “Yes, we have scouts waiting and watching for its arrival as you predicted.”
Celestia then interjected. “That still leaves us with a problem, with all of us so busy dealing with the hopeful return of the Crystal Empire, who will care for Discord until things are settled? The empire will be a very big responsibility, it wouldn’t be good to add the responsibilities of caring for Discord on top of that. Especially if you intend to potty train him in the near future.”
“Yes, that is a concern, I hadn’t thought of that until now,” Cadence commented, then her eyes lit up. “I know one pony who would love to watch Discord!”
“Please don’t say Pinkie Pie,” Shining Armor protested. “She’d be great for a day or two. But we’re talking about something that’ll be going on for weeks. From what Twily told me, she just barely managed looking after twins. And Discord isn’t an ordinary foal.”
“Yes, having Pinkie Pie watch Discord for too long wouldn’t be the best idea,” Cadence nodded. “I believe that Fluttershy is much more capable.”
“Fluttershy? That shy pegasus?” Shining asked his wife. “I was thinking we could have Twilight do it for us, or even get my parents to watch Discord instead.”
“Fluttershy is shy, but her love for animals and creatures of all kinds cannot be matched,” Princess Cadence explained. “I’m sure she’ll not only keep Discord out of trouble, but also make for an excellent backup foalsitter. I will write to her informing her of our decision,” She then took out an official looking form. “Here is the certificate of adoption. I assume it would be alright if Shing and I sign it now.”
The sisters nodded in agreement as the princess of the sun replied. “Of course. When will you inform Discord that it’s official?”
Shining replied. “As soon as he wakes up. He deserves a chance to rest after all he’s been through.”
“Then I wish you nothing but the best of luck,” Celestia declared. She and Luna then signed the certificate, releasing Discord into the young couple’s care. Then they all adjourned the meeting as the four headed off in separate directions.
Later that morning, Discord woke up in his crib and saw he was in a new nursery. It was similar to his old one, with the wall art having both a day sky and night sky portraits. He then felt his flank being wiped and saw Cadence standing over him, changing his diaper as she cooed, "Good morning, sweetie."
"Morning, Cady." The little lord of chaos yawned, letting Cadence finish changing his diaper.
The princess of love nuzzled the baby draconequus and asked. "You're exhausted, huh?"
Discord stretched his limbs and yawned. "Yeah, I used so much chaos magic. I was so tiwed."
The alicorn princess gave him a kiss on the forehead. "Well, you can sleep all day if you want to. You deserve it."'
"Otay tanks,” Discord replied and then apologized. “Sowie I had to turn ya into a plushie."
"What are you talking about? You have nothing to be sorry for,” Cadence sweetly told him. “If you didn't do that, I would still be trapped underneath the castle in the dungeons."
She then took Discord and sat in a rocking chair nearby. The lord of chaos looked around the room and asked. "So, Cady, why is ya letting me stay at ya house again?"
Princess Cadence was going to say something, but Shining Armor burst into the room, looking out of breath, and asked. "Did you tell him yet!?"
His wife chuckled and shook her head "No. I was waiting for you."
"Tell me what?" Discord asked.
Shining and Cadence looked at each other, then Cadence turned to the draconequus. "Well Shining and I have been talking with the princesses. Due to their busy schedule, they realize it's going to be a lot harder to care for you all the time."
"So Cadence and I decided that we'll be your parents,” Shining informed his charge. “Congratulations, you're officially adopted!"
The princess of love floated a legal paper over, showing it to her new son.
Discord couldn't read but was amazed at how shiny it was. "Oh, wow! So you now my mama and Shiny is my daddy?"
"Yes indeed, and now I think we should make it official." Cadence then laid down in the chair and Discord had himself brought forth towards Cadence’s teats. He started to nurse as she drifted a wing over him for privacy.
The baby lord of chaos suckled happily, with the warm, sweet milk coming forth. It tasted so good and it was better being so warm.
Shining blushed and replied. "I keep forgetting how young he is; he's not even a year old and already he’s saving Equestria."
"Maybe that's the problem,” Cadence protested. “He shouldn't have to be saving Equestria, he's a baby and needs to develop properly. Thanks to the training with Twilight, he's more than ready to attend daycare, and he’s not even out of diapers yet."
"Right, well, I'll leave you to it,” Shining insisted. “We can discuss what’s best for him together. I took some leave so we can spend some time together and help raise him while we still can. Want to go out to dinner later to celebrate our marriage?"
"Of course,” Cadence nodded. “But let's get a restaurant that's not too classy. I want to bring Discord along."
"Of course! I'll look around for one that allows foals." Shining Armor left the room, slowly closing the door behind him as Cadence let Discord continue to suckle her milk.
The princess laid her head back as she was still exhausted as well, and it wasn't long until they both fell asleep together. Both happy that they’d made it through one crazy and exhausting week.