ACT NINE
Far away in the Crystal Empire, Shining Armor stretched out over his big royal bed, which he used to share with his wife.
It had been nearly three days, but to him the nights were growing longer and restless as he continued to miss her being next to him.
Oh, he was told she was fine, and everyone was taking good care of her. Still, that didn’t change how he felt, especially with worry of this “Danger Zone” creep being out there.
He decided to get up and walk out onto the terrace where he looked up at the stars in the night sky. “Good night, Cadance…” he whispered softly. “Please come home to me soon.”
As Cadance nestled into bed in the bunker, she kept thinking of her husband, missing him as much.
She even sketched a picture of him on a piece of blank paper, crude, but effective enough to put next to her on her pillow.
She even gave it a soft kiss. “It’s just not the same.” she sighed, and then she softly drifted off to sleep, hoping that tomorrow Danger Zone would be stopped for good.
The next morning, the Ponyville Arms dining hall was packed full of all their overstayed guests to have breakfast, but no one felt like eating…
After last night’s sighting of Danger Zone, everyone was all frightened and worried.
“Do you think he’s near?”
“What if he comes back?”
“This lockdown isn’t working!”
Sun had come to work early to help with the servings, but there was one pony she didn’t see at all.
Strings had not shown for breakfast, nor did he order any room service like he usually did. “I wonder if he’s okay.”
She thought of going up to his room to check on him…
…And… ready to put her big plan into action…
…But she was ordered by her boss, “Come on, Sunny, get back to work. We got a whole room to feed here.”
She had no idea how well-founded her concern would have been!
Up in his suite, Strings was desperate to keep Danger Zone from spawning again, but it was no use. Anything he tried; Danger Zone put a stop to.
-He tried writing letters to the front desk-- Danger Zone disintegrated the paper.
-He still couldn’t even say “I’m Danger Zone! Please help me!” Danger Zone made him stop each time.
Now Strings was getting desperate enough to take the harsh way out and commit suicide. “If I go down, he goes down with me!” he said to himself. “Besides, what do I have to live for anyway?
I have no family, just fans.
I’d be doing them all a favor-- sparing them from a great disaster.”
Then he began to trail off, thinking of his dream pony again, and how it would be best for her especially. She’d never have to know how he felt at all, and he wouldn’t have to suffer with this endless misery anymore either.
Unfortunately, Danger Zone couldn’t and wouldn’t allow this to happen either and he stopped him at his every attempt.
“It’s no use…” he taunted “The stronger I grow, the more of you I control. But please, keep resisting, it only makes it better… for me!”
Strings curled up into a corner, feeling cold, alone, and frightened. He had no idea what to do, and worse than that, he had no idea what was about to happen, remembering that Danger Zone had something very huge and nasty in mind for his next plan.
If only he could warn someone!
Suddenly, he got a letter through his mail tube.
He was almost too afraid to go over and pick it up.
It was a message from the front desk asking him to attend a small meeting immediately.
Strings was very worried. “What if I turn into Danger Zone while I’m down there?” he wondered, “But then again, maybe I can warn someone.”
He saw no other way but to head down to the lobby, and there he was surprised to see Princess Twilight, along with the royal sisters, for they had a very special request.
“You wish me to what?” he asked in surprise.
“That’s right,” confirmed Twilight. “We want you to help us catch Danger Zone. We have everything all set up, and we’d like you to provide us with romantic music from your own songs.”
“It would mean much to us if you would.” added Ceelstia.
Strings felt flattered, but he had to ask, “Why would you ask me?”
Luna chuckled, “Oh, come now. No need to be modest. Your music is the finest in all of Equestria… that and you are the closest, being here in Ponyville.”
Strings felt nervous.
“Is something wrong?” asked Twilight.
Strings tried and tried to warn them of the danger, but the evil inside just would not let him do it.
“…I… I…” he stammered “…I’d be honored.”
“Wonderful.” said Celestia. “We can’t thank you enough, Strings. You’re doing your country and your fellow ponies a great deed.”
“I second that…” agreed Twilight. “Now we can try and trap Danger Zone, and all of Equestria will be freed from his evil for good.”
The royal trio headed off, satisfied that their plans were sure to work…
Strings’ nerves were at an all-time high. “Wait!” he called to the trio.
The three looked back at him, and he tried, and he tried to warn them again that they were in great danger, but he couldn’t say it.
“…Never mind.”
Celestia sensed the worry coming from his voice.
Twilight had an inkling of what was bothering him. “Strings, if you don’t want to help, you don’t have to.”
“No, no… I will help you.”
Celestia and Luna were still baffled by his behavior, until Twilight led them away, and she quietly explained things to them-- about his heartbreak.
“Oh, my…” said Celestia.
“That seems very sad.” added Luna.
Twilight sighed, “He seems to be okay, but I can’t help but worry about him.”
Celestia assured her, “That is understandable, but as you have already tried to help him, there is not much else you can do.
You know you can’t change the way a pony feels, or how they wish to feel.”
“I know,” admitted Twilight “But that’s not what worries me. What if he tries to do something… well…”
“…Unpleasant?” finished Luna. “That… is a cause for concern, but unless he starts showing more signs and symptoms, there is little we can do for it.”
Twilight still hated the very thoughts. “If we could have some-pony stay with him… to keep an eye on him…” then she turned down her own idea. “Then that would be an invasion of privacy.”
Celestia still noted, “He doesn’t seem to want to end his life, and we cannot act on mere suspicions alone.”
For now, the three ponies let it go and concentrated on putting their plan into action.
Sun Rae, who hadn’t heard of the plan, was also planning to put her own plan into action too.
She came to work that day with her saddlebag, which she kept in her locker in the employee’s changing room.
“I’ll come back for you.” she whispered at the bag. “…Tonight’s the night. I’m going to make Strings mine once and for all.”
Meanwhile, after the three royals had returned to the castle, Cadance had something special to give to all the ponies in the bunker.
“Origami Hearts?” Applejack asked with confusion.
Pinkie looked up, down, and all over at her own heart, and even licked the corners of hers. “Yuck!” she groaned.
“As beautiful as these are…” Rarity said, “What exactly are they for?
Candance smirked, “Just watch…” and then she shut her eyes, her horn glowed, and she cast a bright and beautiful spell in the form of sparkling, heart-shaped auras.
The spell then floated over to each of the paper hearts, and magically transformed them all into multi-colored, heart-shaped amulets for the ponies to wear around their necks.
“Wow!” cried Fluttershy.
“Cool.” added Rainbow, but then she asked, “Um… what’s this for again.”
“I bet I know…” Twilight said as she admired her amulet, and her sister-in-law confirmed. “These amulets are enchanted with a small portion of my strong love magic.
With these, you’ll be able to use some of my power when you confront Danger Zone, and we’ll know for sure if attacking him with Pure Love will help conquer him.”
Celestia smiled proudly at her niece, “I’m glad to see you’ve kept up with all that I’ve taught you.”
Cadance bowed to her, but then she cautioned everyone, “Be warned: These amulets only have so much power. Once it’s all used up, the spell will be broken, and they’ll all revert back into paper and will be useless.”
Rainbow cockily brushed it all off saying, “No problem. We’ll have the creep beaten before they run out.”
“I wouldn’t be so cocky,” scolded Luna. “Remember, we are still uncertain if we are taking the correct approach.”
Even Twilight had this thought in mind, but for now she instructed everyone, “We need to start getting ready for tonight.”
Everyone agreed, but then they all noticed Spike wasn’t there.
“Where is he?” asked Twilight.
Spike was having a bath-- his third one that day.
He washed himself while softly humming romantic music, only for it all to be interrupted by a knock at the door and Twilight calling to him.
“Spike?” she called, and before she even got a response, she let herself in through the door, making Spike panic, “Hey!” he shouted as he pulled a towel over himself, still in the tub, “…A little privacy here!”
Twilight knew of his multi baths and wasn’t going to have it any longer. She levitated him out of the water and dried him off.
“I’m just trying to get ready for tonight.” said Spike. “Which reminds me, did those flowers I ordered come yet?”
Twilight, again, reminded him. “Spike, this isn’t a real date. There’s no need to get all fixed up about this.”
Spike couldn’t help it. “I know all that, but it almost feels like it’s real. I can’t stop thinking about it, and I want to make the most of it all.”
He was starting to fall into a panic, forcing Twilight to shake him, “Spike! Get a hold of yourself!”
“Thanks. I needed that.”
Spike calmed down.
As he and Twilight passed by the lab, he saw the calming potion on the table and felt, “Maybe a whiff of that will calm me.”
He was about to go for it, still unaware of the danger it contained…!
Twilight held him back. “You don’t need that; you just need to sit down and relax a bit. I’m counting on you tonight, Spike.”
That night, Sun Rae waited until her shift was finished. She saw Strings nervously finishing his meal in the dining hall. She hadn’t bothered to talk to him or go near him all night.
She felt that he would eventually head back for his room, and she figured, “…It’s time.”
Rather than check out and head for home. She took her bag from her locker, and while no one was looking, she managed to sneak behind the front desk while the clerks were busy chatting in the lobby, and she stole a spare key… which would let her into String’s private suite.
She made her way to the elevator and rode it to the top floor. No one was with her nor in the hallways.
She used the key she took to enter Strings’ unoccupied room. It was dark inside with all the lights off, only illuminated by the soft glow of moonlight coming through the window.
Her heart was beating so nervously, she had been breaking a lot of laws already, but nothing compared to the one she was about to violate…!
“I have to do this.” She said as she levitated the potion out of her bag. “I’m doing this for Strings.”
She uncorked the bottle and gulped the liquid down her throat.
All at once, she gagged, and dropped the bottle on the floor-- it didn’t break-- and she fell down groaning and gaging, eventually falling behind the side of the bed.
A bright flash of light emitted from the bedside, and then… all was quiet.
Sun panted to catch her breath, and her voice sounded different.
Off-screen, she got up and managed to make her way to the mirror on the wall.
“Wow!” she exclaimed softly in her new voice.
Then, she used her magic to levitate the costume props out of her bag-- a familiar looking crown, and golden necklace.
The items floated towards her, and she fit them on her head and around her neck. Finally, she was revealed, not as herself, but as… Princess Cadance!
She looked exactly like her, and even had her voice.
“I’ve done it!” she exclaimed. “I’ve finally become the pony of Strings’ dreams.”
Now all she had to do was wait for Strings to come back to his room, and she would surprise him by waiting for him to become hers.
Unfortunately, Strings didn’t come back to his room…
…He was leaving the hotel, under escort of guards to the meadows outside of town where Twilight had her little setup.
He seemed very uneasy and was practically shaking.
“Are you alight, sir.” asked a guard.
“Not ill I hope?” asked the other.
Strings was still unable to warn them that they were leading him right into the path of danger and despair, and answered, “I’m fine.”