The Friendship Express departed Ponyville in the early morning, laden with not just passengers but all the supplies and equipment one would need for throwing the biggest bash Equestria had ever seen. The passengers weren't run of the mill either. Most of Ponyville's residents were occupying the passenger cars, all of them going to attend the celebration that was to be held in Canterlot – the wedding between Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Shining Armor, which was also to serve as a final get together for Twilight and her friends and their friends from Ponyville before they return to Apocrypha. It was a grim topic, for the dark proprietor of that wicked realm, The Daedric Prince of Knowledge, Hermaeus Mora, had a grueling task for them, payment for his assistance during the changeling invasion that happened at the last wedding attempt.
But now wasn't the time to dwell on it. Now was a time for celebration, happiness, and unity.
"IT'S HAPPENING!" cheered Pinkie Pie, bouncing and cartwheeling up and down the aisle of the train car she and her friends were sharing. "I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S FINALLY HAPPENING!"
Twilight and the others giggled at her friend's antics, though Twilight used her magic to sit her bubbly friend back in her seat.
"You might want to save your enthusiasm for when we get there, Pinkie," suggested Twilight, while Pinkie practically vibrated in her seat like an overwound windup toy.
"I wholly agree," said Rarity, putting a white foreleg around Pinkie's shoulders, as she and the hyper pony shared a booth on this trip. "We have accomplished much in Ponyville but there is still much more to do once we reach Canterlot."
That was true as well. Everything prepared in Ponyville, from the food, the attire, and the decorations still needed to be properly sorted and put up. There was still plenty to do before the actual festivities could begin.
Soon enough, the tranquil visage of Equestria's capital became visible in the distance. No matter how many times they made this journey, Twilight and her friends could never get enough of the breathtaking sight of Canterlot growing ever closer as they traveled towards it by train. It was even more stunning for the rest of the passengers. Most of the denizens of Ponyville had only ever seen Canterlot in the far distance from their little rural town, so this was going to be an entirely new experience for them.
As Canterlot grew closer, however, a familiar purple bubble which encompassed the city became visible too.
"What the hay is that doing there?" asked Applejack, holding on to her stetson to keep it from being blown off her head as she leaned out the window for a better look.
"Yeah, Chrysalis is dead dead dead!" stated Pinkie, some of her eagerness dying away to be replaced by concern. She was still shaking almost to the edge of her seat, however.
"I bet another bad guy has crawled out of the woodwork!" said Rainbow, while clapping her forehooves together. "When I get a hold of him I'll..."
"Rainbow Dash, please don't jump to conclusions!" reprimanded Rarity. "It could very well be that they're just being overly cautious this time, what with all that's happened thus far."
"Hmm? Let's see, what has happened?" contemplated Pinkie, pulling a manilla file folder from her mane labeled "First Attempt At Wedding", a majority of the file's cover stamped with a skull and crossbones. "Bride gets abducted and impersonated by Chrysalis the Changeling Queen, who was actually once a pony herself so long ago but became corrupted by heartbreak and began feeding on love and turning other innocent ponies into changelings, Twilight saw through her charade, but was met with skepticism wherever she went for help, then she wound up being sent to the caves beneath Canterlot, where she met Hermaeus Mora and obtained the powers of Nirn and tried to drive Chrysalis off, but failed, due to Chrysalis resorting to underhoof trickery, then Chrysalis unknowingly allowed Hermaeus Mora to finally enter our world, where he then squashed Chrysalis like the bug she is, then we all learned Twilight was indebted to Hermaeus Mora so we all decided to postpone the wedding and the rest of us joined her in Apocrypha, then, three years later we all received a reprieve from Hermaeus Mora so we could adapt to the power of the Thu'um, as well as recruit the surviving changelings to Hermaeus Mora's cause, and in the meantime we decided it was the best time for Shining Armor and Cadance to get married, but then Cadance's childhood friend, Fleur, unknowingly came down with corprus so we had to travel to Morrowind for a cure, but Dagoth Ur almost got to Equestria as a result and we had to join the Nerevarine in the legendary quest that resulted in his defeat, then Trixie somehow found the long lost Alicorn Amulet, which made her go crazy, then she turned out to be the sole survivor of one of the many villages Chrysalis plundered and we had to reunite her with what was left of her friends in Apocrypha."
Everyone stared in astonishment as Pinkie finished listing off all that had happened between now and the last attempt at a wedding; the pink pony hadn't even stopped for a breath.
Spike let out a shrill whistle. "Wow, that is a lot if you think about it!"
They all couldn't help but agree.
When they finally arrived in Canterlot, passing through the forcefield with a jarring sensation yet again, they found quite the reception waiting to greet them. Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadance, and Shining Armor were standing on the platform of Canterlot station, accompanied by two exotic ponies.
"Princesses, Cadance, Shining?" declared Twilight excitedly, disembarking the train and running over to give them all a hug. "What are you doing here?"
"What, I can't greet my little sister when she arrives at the most important moment of my life?" asked Shining, ruffling Twilight's mane.
"That's not what I meant," said Twilight, shooing his hoof away. "What are you all doing here instead of getting ready for the wedding?"
"Oh, we can't start without you, Twilight," said Cadance with a smile.
"Indeed," said Princess Celestia, nodding her head. "Not only are you a very important guest, you and your friends are contributing most of what we need to make this special occasion happen."
They all looked back to the train, where Twilight's friends had left her to her reunion and had begun unloading the supplies, while other Ponyville citizens who had volunteered to help lent a hoof. Twilight had to admit, her mentor had a point. With all that she and the others were in charge of, there probably wasn't much progress that could be made until they arrived. She watched Fluttershy unload the cages that housed her bird choir, Applejack oversaw the transportation of refreshments and the wedding cake, assisted by Bulk Biceps, Big Mac, and other such strong ponies, Rarity began to wheel a clothing rack containing all the attire needed for everypony, (giving Applejack's party a wide berth as she did so).
Pinkie too began to unload her equipment too, having a little bit of trouble with the weight of all that she had packed in preparation for the celebration, finding even her greater than average earth pony strength unable to budge the luggage cart she had procured and loaded it on and was trying to push.
"Here, let me help you with that," said a dull, monotone voice as a set of gray hooves joined Pinkie's in pushing the cart and sent it forward with such strength it appeared to weigh nothing.
Pinkie looked to her right, first in surprise, then in beaming recognition. "Maud!"
"Hello Pinkie," said a deep gray earth pony mare.
This was Pinkie's older sister, Maud Pie, though she appeared to share no traits with the hyperactive party thrower in the slightest. Not just her coloration, but her face never changed from the flat, emotionless expression she wore, even when Pinkie gave her a sideways hug while they pushed.
"What are you doing here, Maudy?" asked Pinkie, nuzzling her sister's cheek. "I thought would be too busy with your rocktorate studies to come."
"That's over and done with," explained Maud flatly. "I graduated from my university several months ago."
"Oh... right," said Pinkie sadly, slightly deflating. She sometimes forgot how much time had passed while she was in Apocrypha. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you Maud."
"It's not a problem, Pinkie," said Maud, just the slightest bit of support sliding into her voice. "I heard what happened. I know your friends needed you more."
"Yeah," agreed Pinkie, happy that Maud wasn't upset with her, though still sad at the reason for her absence. "After everything Twilight went through it was the least we could do for her."
Maud only nodded in agreement as they approached the castle. "So what was it like in that place?"
"Oh, you mean Mr. Mora's home?" asked Pinkie, to which Maud nodded. "Oh, I gotta admit, it is kinda a dreary place."
From there Pinkie described Apocrypha to Maud in great detail.
"So many books," commented Maud. "From the appearance of Hermaeus Mora you wouldn't think he has anything to do with intellect."
"Oh, tell me about it," agreed Pinkie, perking up now that they weren't talking about her extended absence. "With all those tentacles you'd think he'd be like a sea monster, but he's more brainy than Twilight." Pinkie had a thought at that moment. "And Maud, if you ever come across a sinister looking black book be extremely careful with it. Those books are what Mr. Mora uses to draw people into Apocrypha."
Pinkie explained to Maud how the vile Black Books function and why Hermaeus Mora leaves them around.
"You really think Hermaeus Mora would be interested in my knowledge of rocks?" asked Maud when Pinkie voiced her concerns about why Maud would even come across such a book in the first place.
"Mmhm!" said Pinkie with an excited nod. "He's already gone after Applejack's family for their farming know-how. I suspect our family will be next. After all, the Pies know more about rocks than anypony else, especially you, sis."
Maud apparently just blinked, but Pinkie could apparently see the concern in her eyes. "But don't worry. Applejack's family actually have benefited from coming into contact with Hermaeus Mora. He actually saved them from a vampire bat invasion a while ago and even gave them new resources to rely on."
Maud blinked again. "Is he how the Apple Family is able to sell those netch creatures?"
Pinkie nodded enthusiastically.
"Then why do I need to be wary of him?"
"It's not really Hermaeus Mora we need to worry about," said Pinkie. "He has so much knowledge that anyone he allows to study in his big library could possibly go loco in the coco. It's basically what he is most known for back in his world, driving people nuts with all his knowledge."
It was here that Maud could see the dilemma Pinkie was worried about. "I see your point, Pinkie, but you don't have to worry. Unless Apocrypha has knowledge on rocks I have never heard of before, I don't see any reason for me to want to go there."
Pinkie looked uncomfortable.
"That's exactly the case, isn't it?" Maud asked.
Pinkie nodded, stopping them in the streets of Canterlot and began rummaging through her mane. "I was saving this for our next yearly Pie Sisters' Surprise Swap Day but I figured I might as well show it to you now, just so you get an idea of what kind of temptations Apocrypha has, even to you, Maud."
From the ever impressive confines of her unruly hair Pinkie withdrew a welkynd stone.
Maud's eyes widened for the briefest of moments before retracting back to their normal half lidded state as she beheld the unusual aquamarine crystal. Usually Maud wasn't all that interested in rocks of the sparkly variety, her pet rock Boulder implied that they were all snooty and stuck up, but this rock, however, just seemed to resonate with her.
"May I see it?" she asked politely, extending her hoof invitingly.
"Sure Maud. I brought it from Mr. Mora's creepy book-land for you, after all," said Pinkie, depositing the welkynd stone in her sister's outstretched hooves.
Maud weighed the stone in her hoof, noting that it was remarkably light for its size. Pulling out a set of loupes from her dress pocket, Maud examined the luminescent surface closely.
"Interesting," she commented in her flat voice, though Pinkie could pick up the intrigue in her voice. "I have never seen composition like this."
Maud then blinked and looked up, flicking her ears. From another pocket she pulled out a small rock. It was a pretty unassuming small gray rock, barely more than a pebble, though Maud looked at it with nothing but affection in her flat features. Holding her pet rock Boulder in one hoof, the welkynd stone in the other, Maud held them side by side, her ears twitching again.
"You okay Maud?" asked Pinkie.
Maud nodded. "Boulder and the welkynd stone are speaking."
"Ooh, what is it saying?" asked Pinkie, then scratched her head, recalling that she hadn't actually mentioned the stone's name.
"You didn't have to tell me, the welkynd stone introduced itself to Boulder, rather politely," assured Maud, apparently just as adept at reading Pinkie as Pinkie was at reading her. "He says that that's what his ancient masters called him."
"Oh, he must be talking about the Ayleids," said Pinkie. "They're the guys who crafted these little beauties."
Maud looked at the welkynd stone again. "Yes, he confirms this. And he is saddened, for the time of his masters is long past."
"Yeah, that's a bummer," agreed Pinkie. "From what I heard about them, they were a very fancy people. Though their downfall was kinda their own fault."
"Interesting," said Maud, tucking the welkynd stone and Boulder away in the same pocket, so they could continue conversing. "Would I be able to learn more in Apocrypha?"
"See Maud, even you would be drawn to that place," said Pinkie, while she and Maud resumed pushing the party supplies to the castle. "That's why I decided to warn you beforehoof if you ever decide to go there. The place has a habit of turning people's minds into mush."
___
Back at the train platform, the three Princesses, Twilight, and her brother were also making their way to the castle, along with Rainbow Dash. Since her contribution to the wedding was purely in athletic performance, she hadn't needed to bring any equipment other than her wings. Currently her attention was centered on the two exotic ponies who had been accompanying the Princesses since they arrived.
"So who are your friends, Princess?" she asked as she hovered above the progression.
"Oh," said the Sun Princess, smiling to her guests. "May I introduce the Saddle Arabian delegates."
"No way!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash excitedly, hovering before the two foreign ponies, flying backwards to keep pace, as well as to face who she was speaking to. "You guys are delegates from another kingdom?"
"Yes," said the stallion, his voice rich with an exotic accent. He was a dark brown earth pony with a blonde mane, his stature actually equal to Celestia. "Please allow me to introduce myself, I am Haakim." He then pointed to the earth pony mare walking next to him who was just as tall, with a light pink coat and purple mane. "And this here is my wife, Amira."
"Pleasure," said Amira, her accent just as deep as her husband's, bowing respectfully. "And we of course know of you, Miss. Dash."
Rainbow Dash practically squeed while echoing, "Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh! You've heard of me?"
"But of course," said Haakim, glancing over at Twilight as she caught up with her brother and Cadance. "The exploits of you and your friends are most legendary, even as far as Saddle Arabia.
"As well as your personal endeavors, Rainbow Dash," said Amira. "The first pony to perform a Sonic Rainboom since the great Commander Hurricane. How could we not know who you are?"
Rainbow beamed with pride, rubbing her hoof against her chest with a cocky grin. "Yeah, me and my friends are awesome, but mostly me. So what brings you to Equestria?"
"Political business," explained Haakim. "We're here to renegotiate current treaties between Saddle Arabia and Equestria."
Rainbow Dash paused for a second. That all sounded important, but...
"You guys do know there's a wedding going on, right?"
"Oh, of course," said Amira. "The event has made it all the more important that we come. It's been so long since we attended such a joyful affair, and we would hate to miss Cadance getting married."
Rainbow Dash paused again, dropping lower as their progression entered the palace. "Is any of this political stuff going to interfere?"
"Oh, we wouldn't dream of it!" proclaimed Amira, almost sounding slighted at the thought. "Despite the importance, all the negotiation and whatnot can wait till after the wedding. My husband and I are really looking forward to it."
"And I am happy you two could be here," said Cadance, having apparently been listening in on the conversation while talking with Twilight. "Haakim and Amira have been doing business with Auntie Celestia ever since I was a little filly. They're practically friends at this point.
Haakim bowed gratefully. "You humble and honor us, Princess..."
"WHAT IS THIS?!"
The shrill voice came from up the hall. Looking ahead, a pony most of them recognized as Fleur De Lis was trotting towards them, her stride annoyed. Before anypony could react she trotted up to Shining and got in his face.
"Don't you know if is bad luck to see the bride before she's dressed!" she said in her thick Prench accent, actually taking Shining by the hindquarters and turning him away. "Look away this instant!"
Then she stomped over to Cadance, took her hoof and began dragging her away further down the hall. "And you, come with me! There is much to do before the rehearsal!"
Despite the abruptness of it all Cadance found herself smiling, relieved that her friend had not been too affected by her ordeal with that horrible Corprus. Still the same old Fleur, so obsessed with romance and traditions. She turned back to the others and waved.
"I'll see you all at the rehearsal."
They all watched, flabbergasted as the future bride was led away to what was undoubtedly her dressing room, Rainbow being the first to come out of it.
"And I thought Rarity had issues," she commented.
"Yeah," agreed Twilight. "But she did have a point. There is much to do."
___
Comparing the two versions of wedding preparations would be like comparing oil and water. Chrysalis's vile temper and obnoxious attitude made it difficult for everypony. Cadance couldn't be more different. Her grace, beauty and acceptance lit up any room she occupied.
So, it went without saying that everypony began enjoying themselves as soon as everything was underway.
Applejack was busy readying all the food she had prepared in Ponyville, delighted at the fact that her family had managed to harvest some Platinum Delicious for the occasion. These rare fruits were only outdone by zap apples, any fritter made with them could make a pony's tongue leap out of their mouths and dance with joy. And how lucky it was that the bushel had been so big.
Though she could imagine Braeburn hadn't enjoyed the experience much, what with Granny Smith's method of teaching first timers how to harvest Platinum Apples.
Rarity was over the moon herself. And not just because of the joyous occasion. Her addition of the welkynd stones to the attire had been her best idea yet, Cadance actually couldn't stop admiring the radiance of her Grand Welkynd Stone as it shimmered. Though she was slightly unnerved when the Crusaders tried on their flower filly dresses. They wanted to see if they could use the gems in their quest for their Cutie Marks, and Rarity remembered Twilight's warning of how volatile they can be.
She was grateful she hadn't used Grand Welkynd Stones for all of the dresses.
Fluttershy was probably having the most trouble out of all of them. Her bird choir had apparently fallen out of practice during her absence, all of them tweeting extremely off key. Dr. Fauna was almost as good at taking care of animals as her, but didn't apparently have any magical talent.
Nopony could find a method to Pinkie's madness, for she apparently spent most of her time dancing around, flapping her forelegs like a chicken. It got everypony's spirit's up however, Cadance even joining in occasionally. Though this did give everypony the opportunity to meet her sister Maud.
All of them could agree, she was just as strange as her sister, but in the complete opposite direction.
Twilight was to reprise her role as Best Mare, so it was up to her to oversee all this, though she concluded the progression was going great, ending her inspection with a progress report from Rainbow Dash, who stated her altered Sonic Rainboom was good to go.
___
Before long it was time for the rehearsal, though this time it was to be held up on one of Canterlot's mighty tiers, due to the increase in the ponies in attendance. The bride and groom practiced their vows before Princess Celestia, Twilight and the others watching the touching scene with melting hearts. Twilight's heart was especially stirred.
Finally, after so long, her big brother was going to be married to Cadance. That night, at the rehearsal dinner, everypony got a taste of the food Applejack and her family had prepared, the Platinum Delicious quickly becoming everypony's favorite.
"Whoa, dial it back there Sugarcube!" protested Applejack as Rainbow Dash downed what had to be her dozenth mug of Platinum Delicious cider. "Save some for the actual wedding!"
Rainbow Dash finished her mug, belched, then slammed the mug down on the table she and her friends were gathered around in what was going to be the designated dining area on the tier. "Sorry AJ, it's just too dang good!"
Everyone laughed at her antics, well, except for Pinkie and Spike, who were busy playing pretend wedding with the bride and groom figurines that were meant to go on the wedding cake, parroting "I do" while making the figures kiss.
"Oh for goodness sake, you two," said Rarity, taking the figures away with her magic. "Will you at least try to focus!"
"Aw come on Rare!" said Pinkie giddily, trying to grab for the figures, but Rarity moved them out of her reach. "It's finally happening! Twilight's big bro is finally getting married to Cadance!"
"Yes, and I'm just as excited for it as the next pony in the room," said Rarity. "But we mustn't lose our heads in the moment. You all remember what happened last time."
Everyone's cheerful demeanor deflated.
"Come on girls, you don't need to keep beating yourselves up about that," said Twilight reassuringly.
"But why not?" said Applejack regretfully. "What happened at the last wedding attempt was entirely our fault."
"Mhm," said Fluttershy in agreement, hiding her face behind her hair in shame. "We should have listened to you then, Twilight. If we had none of this would have happened."
Everyone agreed with her sentiment.
"Come on everypony, please don't dwell on it," Twilight insisted. "I know you all feel bad about what happened but we can't do anything about it now. It's in the past, plus, we have the actual wedding to look forward to now."
"We appreciate your understanding, Twilight," said Applejack. "But mark my words, we don't intend to have our eyes shut this time."
It still took a while for Twilight to coax her friends into a more cheerful mood again, but eventually she was able to lift their spirits and before long they were retiring for the night, a big day planned for tomorrow.
___
The rose petals left in Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo's wake were like giant crimson snowflakes fluttering in the breeze as the three flower fillies frolicked up the red carpet laid out over the large tier of Canterlot, leading up to Celestia, regal as ever. Shining Armor stood on her left, and next to him was his Best Mare and little sister, Twilight, who stood with her friends, all dressed in their gowns. With a flick of her magic, she straightened up the shield clasp Shining was wearing. Next came Cadance, garbed in her breathtaking wedding dress, the Grand Welkynd Stone glimmering on her chest.
Beside her was Fleur, her Mare of Honor, there for Cadance at her wedding to Shining Armor just as Cadance had been there for her wedding to Fancy Pants, fulfilling their long ago promise from childhood. Next came her bridesmaids, Minuette, Lyra, and Twinkle Shine. They all hoped this wedding wouldn't result in them getting brainwashed again.
The massive crowd gathered around the proceeding, though they gave the ceremony a polite birth. It wasn't just friends and family in the crowd either. Along with Shining Armor and Twilight's parents there were also Ponyvillians as well. They may have more to do with the Mane Six then they actually did with the actual bride and groom but that didn't stop them from marveling at the grace and beauty of it all. This was way different than whenever Ponyville had a wedding.
Finally, Cadance arrived in front of Celestia and took her place beside Shining Armor.
"Fillies and gentlecolts," she began, spreading her regal wings. "We are gathered here today so we may witness..."
'CRACKLE'
Celestia's introduction was interrupted as what sounded like a massive crack of thunder reverberated over everything. The gasp from both the bride and groom and the crowd caused Celestia and the others to turn and face the opposite direction, looking out over Equestria. In the distance dark clouds were growing closer, spreading over the sky like inky oil spilled over a tile floor.
"Storm clouds?! I ordered perfect weather!" exclaimed Twilight in wide eyed horror, looking over at Rainbow Dash with a glare. "Rainbow Dash?"
"I swear I didn't do this," Rainbow Dash insisted. "I wasn't even in charge of the weather. I'm just here to do a Sonic Rainboom."
"I don't think this is the work of any pegasi," said Celestia, her features hardening.
"SISTER!"
They all looked up to see Princess Luna descending from the sky, landing before Princess Celestia.
"I was watching through my telescope from my tower! Something is emerging from the clouds!" she explained hurriedly.
And her claim was soon proven true.
From the cloud emerged what could only be described as an airship, but it was nothing any of the elite ponies of Canterlot would consider throwing a fancy party on. The colors were dark and sinister, ranging from black to purple. The ship's bow sported a massive wrought iron shield, crafted to give the bow the appearance of a bird's beak, a similar shield encompassing the purple balloon that no doubt kept the craft airborne. At the front of the latter shelf was an aquamarine emblem resembling two jagged horns.
All the ponies watched, dumbstruck as the massive vessel loomed in the distance, right up against Shining Armor's shield. At first it halted, merely hovering in place, then a bolt of multiple colors shot forth, as if someone had stretched a rainbow into a lightning bolt, and struck the shield, which immediately shattered. Shining Armor let out a loud grunt as his shield was breached, sitting on his haunches and rubbing his head.
"Shining, are you okay!?" asked Cadance, with deep concern.
Shining Armor just glared up at the ship. "That magic... so chaotic and unstable..."
Then the ship drew closer until it hovered above Canterlot, veering to the left as it drew closer to the tier they were all gathered upon. Then it began to descend, it's three propellers screeching eerily, its huge keel crushing several of the decorations and banners as it did so. This finally sparked some reactions, ponies backing away and gathering into a single crowd as the ship made landfall, right where the bride and groom were to stand as they gave their vows.
Without even a moment for the crowd to recover, a door opened in the side of the ship and a long gangplank extended out, crushing the bouquet Cadance had dropped as she scrambled away with the rest of them. A dark stubby creature with a white mohawk and bipedal gait stumbled out, hefting a black metal box near equal in mass to him. When he made it off the gangplank he set the box on the ground and turned the crank at the side, a massive pavilion telescoping out.
"Ponies of Equestria..." he said into a microphone, his voice echoing over the crowd. We come on behalf of the fearsome... the powerful... the almighty...!
He gestured up to the ship and three banners unfurled on the hull, two on the sides of the aquamarine horns emblem, the one in the middle depicting a white furred, bipedal creature with black horns and monkey-like features who was pointing forward with a smug look.
"Storm King....!"
At the sight of the strange creature the crowd of ponies began to murmur amongst themselves. What was going on?
"And now...to deliver the evil evil message..." continued the creature. "Put your hooves together for... Commander Teeeeeemmmpeeest!
At the introduction the first thing noticeable within the dark interior of the ship was a slight sparking, then the all too familiar form of a pony emerged. She was a dark maroon in color with a dark pink mane, her hard eyes a dark teal. Whatever her Cutie Mark may have been they didn't know, for the black armor she wore obscured most of her body.
But the most noticeable feature about her was the obvious fractured horn on her head.
At this point Celestia was done standing around and walked forward. "Tempest, is it? How may we help you?"
The stoic look on this Commander Tempest was replaced by a confident grin.
"Oh, I'm so glad you asked," she said, her voice full of superiority and pride. "How about we start with your complete and total surrender..."
Tempest was cut off as she was suddenly engulfed in a mulberry aura and flung to the ground. Her chest and forelegs hit the hard marble with a loud thud, a pained grunt escaping her mouth as she landed, but it didn't stop there. Next she was being unceremoniously dragged across the ground, her armor sparking as it scraped on the stone. Tempest's small chubby henchman could only watch in shock as his commanding officer was dragged past him, the sparks from her armor almost setting his hair on fire.
When it finally stopped Tempest had to take a moment to gather her wits. Never before had she been taken off guard like that. When she finally looked up she found herself at the hooves of a purple unicorn whom her reports identified as Princess Celestia's protege, Twilight Sparkle. And the look on her face was livid, her teeth gritted and her eyes squinting, great puffs of steam blowing from her nostrils with each breath.
But Tempest wasn't one to be intimidated. Returning Twilight's glare Tempest stood up, backed away a step and reached into her armor, withdrawing her key to victory.
'ZUN HAAL VIIK'
Tempest could do nothing as a great wall of wind tinted with blue slammed into her. She staggered for a second before she realized she wasn't holding her obsidian orb anymore. Looking around, she saw the small transparent orb with a pulsing black core roll across the ground and then plummet off the ledge of Canterlot. How was that possible? Obsidian orbs were supposed to be resilient to all forms of magic, no matter how powerful. It's why she believed that they would be ideal for subduing the alicorn princesses.
Yet the orb had been flung from her grip by magic, of all things.
"Chrysalis!" Tempest turned to see that Twilight was advancing towards her, her expression growing darker as she approached. "Dagoth Ur! Trixie! So many have interrupted my brother's wedding to forward their own selfish, sinister motives! Not another one! Not again!"
Tempest glowered again, this time igniting her broken horn with the same unruly, out of control magic that brought down Shining Armor's shield. Twilight pointed her horn at Tempest, a small green orb of light shooting out, impacting Tempest in the chest. Immediately her horn stopped crackling, flickering out like a light that was cut off from power.
"WHAT!" Tempest screamed, focusing on her spell again, but it refused to form. "What have you done?"
"You've been silenced, Tempest," Twilight snarled. "And now..."
'FUS RO DAH'
Tempest was struck by another blast of luminous wind, but this time she was thrown off her hooves and hurled across the ground for several feet before coming to a stop sprawled out on her back. For a moment she could only lie there. Not out of pain, but perplexion. She hadn't been sure when the obsidian orb was knocked away but she had seen what had thrown her back clearly. A spell that came from Twilight's mouth.
She was casting spells from her mouth, not her horn.
She was brought out of this revelation when a searing pain clamped down on her forelegs. Grunting, she looked up to see that Twilight had crawled over her and was pinning her down by pressing her hooves over her legs. Her initial reaction was to glare at her, but then she noticed what hovered above Twilight. It was a curved sword composed of what appeared to be transparent blue flame. Tempest's eyes widened in shock, alarm and fear.
Was Twilight... going to kill her?
This was unheard of. Ponies were the most docile of people, known to retaliate with pie fights and pranks, not for responding with lethal force.
"Twilight, wait!"
Twilight and Tempest turned to see Cadance trotting forward,the others trailing after her.
"Twilight please," she begged, her once pristine wedding dress wrinkled by all that happened. "You've made your point. Please don't go any further."
"Why are you stopping me, Cadance?" snapped Twilight, glaring down at Tempest. "You heard her. She's here to take over Equestria."
"She's got a point," agreed Rainbow Dash, glaring at Tempest too. "This pony obviously wasn't coming for the wedding. Why stop Twilight from finishing her off?"
"Because she's clearly outmatched," insisted Princess Luna from beside her sister. "There's only one of her and hundreds of us. And Twilight's already nullified her magic. What threat could she pose now?"
While this argument had been going on Tempest had thrown a glare at her henchman, Grubber, who had been standing in his spot, frozen in shock. Her glare managed to get his attention however and she gestured into the ship with her head. Grubber nodded in understanding and scrambled back up the gangplank.
"Please, Twilight, let us just take her into custody now," insisted Cadance desperately. "No lasting harm has been..."
"FIRE!"
All looked up at Grubber's shout just in time to see a hail of two pronged tridents descend down from the ship. They impacted with enough force to embed in the marble. Applejack and Rainbow Dash managed to dodge most of the projectiles while Shining Armor and the Princesses defended the rest with forcefields. Cadance, however, didn't have her fiance's skill or her aunt's power and her shield faltered under the onslaught, leaving one trident about to find home buried in her chest.
"Cadance!"
'Wuld nah kest!'
The next thing Cadance knew she was lying on the ground, somepony having apparently shoved her out of the way. She looked up just as a chorus of horrified gasps sounded, to see the reason why.
"Twilight!" they all shouted together.