//------------------------------//
// Chapter 10: The Performance, Part 2 
// Story: Prelude and Encore: A Tale of Friendship, Betrayal, and Forgiveness 
// by WritingDragonfly 
//------------------------------//

	"Don't you think maybe we should look for Twi?"

The five ponies in the room gave a collective gasp and all turned towards Spike. Everypony was getting ready to sleep for the night when he dropped that bombshell of a question.

"Spike, are you insane?" Rainbow Dash was the first to respond. "You saw what she did back there! It's better that she stays out of this until the wedding's over. I'm not even sure I want to see her."

"Now, that's a bit harsh, sugarcube." Applejack gave a concerned look towards Rainbow Dash. She then turned to Spike. "But still, she was beyond bold today. She needs time to cool down and think about what she's done."

Spike clenched his fists. This was ridiculous. Why couldn't they see what was missing!?

"Please, relax, Spikey-Wikey." Rarity stepped over to him. "Twilight was just being over-protective of her brother, and she's probably realized what she's done wrong. I'm sure she's just thinking it over somewhere."

"And I'm sure that's NOT what she's doing!" Spike was on the verge of tears.

"Spike, please, don't get angry..." Fluttershy gave a sympathetic look.

Pinkie hopped up by Spike. "Yeah! We don't want anypony to be unhappy at the wedding, do we, Grumpy-Guss?

Spike closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. "Why..."

Applejack walked up, and spoke with a concerned tone. "Spike..."

"Why is everypony acting so weird!?" Spike gave a fierce look to the group, tears finally streaming down his face. He pointed to Rainbow Dash. "Why aren't you being loyal to your friend?" Next was Fluttershy: "Why aren't you being considerate towards her?" Then Rarity: "Why didn't you even give her concerns the slightest bit of your time or thought?" And then Pinkie: "I see that you're concerned about everypony's happiness, but why aren't you concerned about Twilight's?"

Finally, he looked at Applejack. "And you. You aren't even being true to yourself. You noticed Twilight's mood. You could have done something! But instead all you did was accuse her of being possessive!"

Applejack stepped back. "S...Spike... but..."

"No! I'm not done!" He clenched his teeth. "The captain of the royal guard is hardly being observant, the pony whose special talent is spreading love has been a complete jerk..."

Spike looked down and closed his eyes. "And the pony who cares about her friends more than anything in the world hasn't come back to see them or apologize..."

The group exchanged glances, maybe starting to question their assumptions.

He looked at the group again, a fiery look of determination in his eyes. "I'm going to look for Twilight."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Rainbow Dash flew up to him. "You can't go wandering Canterlot alone at night!"

Spike looked up at Rainbow Dash with an eyebrow raised. "Are any of you going to search with me?"

The room fell silent. Rarity gave a nervous look towards Applejack. Fluttershy looked away from Spike, and Pinkie started poking at the floor.

"Well then. I guess I'm wandering Canterlot alone at night." With that, Spike opened the door and left, leaving five dumbfounded ponies in his wake.






"Who goes there?"

Luna's voice boomed down from the watchtower. Spike looked up at her, knowing that that would be enough.

"Spike, you know it's dangerous to wander Canterlot at night. What are you doing?"

"I'm looking for Twilight!" Spike's expression gave an air of determination.

Luna raised an eyebrow. "We heard from my sister what happened today. Despite that, you are concerned?"

Spike gritted his teeth. "Of course! Twilight is like a sister to me– no, more than that. She's the closest thing to a mother I've ever had, so if you think anything would stop me from being worried when she just up and disappears, you are sadly mistaken!"

Luna sighed. "Alright then, Spike; maybe We can help you." Luna closed her eyes, and magic flowed from her horn.

Spike felt himself being lifted off the ground. "W...what are you doing?"

"We're helping you search for her." Her magic lifted Spike all the way up to the balcony of the watch tower. She set him down. "In a way that doesn't require you blindly wander around Canterlot."

"What do you mean?"

Luna lifted a hoof towards the telescope at the end of the balcony. "During my sister's watch, that telescope is quite normal. But at night, it gains a magical aspect, due to Our influence."

"I...I'm still not sure what you're getting at." Spike tilted his head.

"Spike, as you know, We are the one pony that can walk through another's dreams. But anypony, using this telescope, can see into another's dreams."

Spike gave a slight smile. "So you're saying that if I find Twilight's dream..."

Luna nodded. "Then We can walk to her dream and find out what has happened. Step up to the telescope, young one."

Spike walked over and peered through the telescope. After staring for a moment, he frowned. "All I see is a fog!"

Luna walked next to Spike. "Find the focus knob on the side."

Spike grasped at the side of the telescope blindly until he found a small knob. "Now what?"

"Think about the one you are searching for, and turn the knob slowly until the fog disappears."

Spike started to turn the knob, and he watched the mist in his view slowly fade away until he saw...

Blackness. Complete and utter blackness.

"L... Luna? I don't see anything."

"Hmm?" She nudged the dragon to the side gently. "Let us see." She peered through the telescope. "Oh, my."

"Wh...what is it?"

She stepped away from it. "If she were awake, you'd simply see what she sees. If she were outside the range of the telescope, the fog would not clear... so, We know of only two things that could cause such an image. The first is if the pony were in some unconscious, but non-dreaming, state. For example, if he or she had been knocked out."

"A...and the second?"

She frowned and looked away. "W...we don't want to talk about the second possibility."

The air suddenly grew heavy.

"M...may I take another look?"

Luna frowned. "We don't know what you think you'll find, but you may try."

Spike gave a deep sigh and peered through the telescope once more. "Alright, you stupid telescope." He started to turn the knob slowly. "Show me Chrysalis's dreams!"

A scene began to fade into view. It was raining at the edge of a forest, and a young earth mare was sitting on a bench. She seemed to be crying...

Suddenly, a unicorn stallion stepped into his view. He exchanged a few words with the mare, and the mare looked up and smiled.

Then, the stallion dropped into a pose that every single citizen of Equestria knew well. "Wh...what?"

The stallion levitated a ring in front of the mare. 

It was a proposal.

Suddenly, fog covered the scene. The dream must have ended.

"W...what was that dream?" Spike stepped away from the telescope. "And more importantly..."

"Luna, what's the range of that telescope?"

Luna tilted her head. "It can see the dreams of all in Equestria, and none of those outside. Why do you ask, young one?"

"J...just wondering." Spike looked down. That meant that Chrysalis...

"No," Spike reassured himself, "all that means is that she is somewhere in Equestria. She could be in Appleoosa for all I know."

"Either way, young one. Go to bed. You won't find anything but trouble searching the night without a place to start." Luna's expression was stern, but caring.

"Alright." Spike looked up and forced a smile.

Even though he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep.






"Spike, does my uniform look okay?"

"You're fine, you're fine." Spike was sitting with Shining Armor, helping him prepare for his big moment.

Shining turned to Spike, sensing the lack of enthusiasm in his voice. "What's wrong, little guy?"

Spike gave Shining a look of disbelief. "Wh...what's wrong? Are you really going to ask me that?"

"U...um..." Shining took a nervous step away from Spike.

"Is there really nothing bothering you about this? Nothing at all?" Spike stood up. "You and I both know Twilight well. In normal circumstances, she would have come back and apologized by now! There is something very wrong!"

Shining's expression suddenly hardened. "She's not the foremost thought on my mind right now."

"Shining! She's your sister! Show some concern!"

Shining closed his eyes. "Spike. Leave."

"Shining!"

He gave Spike a fierce glare. "LEAVE!"

Spike gave a short step away from Shining, and then ran out the door.

"H... his eyes..."

Spike suddenly stopped short. Where could he go from here?

Cadence was suspicious.

His friends were far too caught up in the wedding.

Shining... 

"His eyes were green... he was hypnotized... Twilight was right..."

He looked out a nearby window. Twilight? As of last night, she was either knocked out, or...

or...!

Spike collapsed by the window, tears in his eyes, and started muttering to himself quietly.

"She can't be... she can't be... she can't be..."






"Mares and gentle-colts, we are gathered here today to witness the union of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Shining Armor."

Spike stood in his assigned place as he watched the event unfold. To say this wasn't right was an understatement. He could barely focus on the ceremony– only two things occupied his mind.

The first was Twilight's absence. He didn't know what happened last night, but he couldn't let his mind dwell on that. And that brought him to the second thing...

Cadence. Her expression was smug. And, as had just come to his attention, she hadn't so much as casted a glance towards Spike the entire time they had been there.

Spike felt himself tearing up and did his best to repress it. He felt about ready to object to the wedding himself. ... but he knew he couldn't. He didn't have the guts to do that...

A voice pulled him out of his trance. A familiar voice. A voice he had been wanting to hear since last night.

"STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!"

Spike looked at the doors, wide-eyed. Twilight was there. She looked somewhat disheveled, and completely focused.

"Why does she have to be so possessive of her brother?" 

Spike gave a quick glance to the source of the statement. He saw the bride-to-be giving a displeased look for a moment, before her expression shifted to that of devastation. "Why does she have to ruin my special day?"

"Because it's not your special day..."

Spike froze at the sound of that voice. It was so familiar. So warm, so nostalgic. He quickly turned to the door.

"It's mine!"

At the door stood Cadence. The REAL Cadence.

The fake recoiled in disbelief. "What!? But how did you escape my bridesmaids?"

Twilight and Cadence shared a knowing glance. Twilight was the one to explain. "Ya know, bridesmaids can start acting pretty out there when you throw a bouquet."

The fake chuckled. "Clever. But you're still too late."

"I-I don't get it." Applejack finally decided to voice the group's confusion. "How can there be two of 'em?"

"She's a changeling!"

"... a changeling!"

"...changeling!"

"...changeling!"

Spike stared at the fake as the scene before him fell out of focus. That meant...

No. So what, she was a changeling? That didn't mean...

"Only changeling monarchs can disguise as Alicorns."

"There is only ever one Changeling monarch at a time."

The world jolted back in to focus just as the fake began to transform. A black shell... long green hair...  a gnarled horn, her mane, tail, and hooves all with holes in them... and a small, off-kilter crown.

"Right you are, princess." She grinned. "And as queen of the changelings..."

The fake's words echoed in his head. That was it. He couldn't deny it any more.

That was Chrysalis.

The scene was out of focus once again. All he could do was stare at the monarch. 

She had been his friend. What happened?

There was no way she could do this.

This wasn't how she was.

He just couldn't wrap his mind around it. She had been so kind before...

Minutes passed without him so much as registering what was going on around him. He was only snapped back into reality as he noticed a clash of magic- Celestia and Chrysalis.

A clash that ended in the worst way possible. Spike watched Celestia crash to the ground.

"Princess Celestia!" Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity rushed to her side.

"Ah." Chrysalis turned her attention to Cadence. "Shining Armor’s love for you is even stronger than I thought. Consuming it has made me even more powerful than Celestia!"

In the time Chrysalis was speaking, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie had made their way over to Celestia.

"The Elements of Harmony. You must get to them, and use their power to defeat the queen!" Celestia seemed like she was barely holding on to her consciousness.

The six exchanged nods, and ran off.

Chrysalis called after them. "You can run, but you can't hide!"






"You won't get away with this! Twilight and her friends will–"

The doors opened, and Chrysalis, Cadence, Shining Armor, and Spike all looked to them. About twenty minutes had passed since the six had left, and now they had returned...

escorted by a swarm of changelings.

"Monster."

Ignoring the insult born from her thoughts, Chrysalis turned to Cadence, carefully avoiding Spike's glare. "You were saying?" She then turned her attention to Twilight. "You do realize the reception’s been canceled, don’t you?" Finally, she looked to the swarm about them. "Go, feed!"

The swarm quickly cleared out of the room.

"How could you betray your friend?"

Chrysalis continued to disregard the voice echoing in her head. It didn't matter to her. She returned her attention to Twilight. "It's funny, really." She lifted up Twilight's chin with her hoof. "Twilight here was suspicious of my behavior all along." Twilight swatted her hoof out of the way.

"Parasitic freak."

Chrysalis's heard her own voice grow more crazed and maniacal. "Too bad the rest of you were too caught up in your wedding planning to realize those suspicious were correct!"

Applejack looked at Twilight sympathetically. "Sorry, Twi. We should have listened to you."

Twilight gave a defeated response. "It’s not your fault. She fooled everypony."

Chrysalis began to pace, giving an nasty grin. "Mm– I did, didn't I?"

"Liar."

She walked over to the window and looked at the terror her minions were causing. She gave a wicked smile, and began to sing.

"This day has been just perfect~"

"Jerk."

"The kind of day of which I’ve dreamed since I was small~"

"You lied to him."

"Everypony I’ll soon control, every stallion, mare, and foal; Who says a girl can’t really have it all?~"

"How can you live with that?"

She ended her song, and turned to the group behind her to see Cadence escaped and Shining Armor out of his hypnosis. She almost jumped at them, but quickly relaxed knowing there was no threat.

"Wh…where…huh? Is…is the wedding over?" Shining was still somewhat dazed.

"It's all over!" Chrysalis gave a bone chilling smile.

Twilight addressed the couple before her. "Your spell! Perform your spell!"

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow. "What good would that do? My changelings already roam free."

"No!" She watched Shining give a futile attempt to cast a spell, but he was far too weakened by her feeding. He drooped his head. "My power is useless now. I don’t have the strength to repel them. "

Cadence looked in his eyes. "My love will give you strength."

Chrysalis gave a wicked cackle, and turned her back to the group. "What a lovely but absolutely ridiculous sentiment."

"You monster."

Her mind kicked into overdrive to stop herself from making a physical reaction to the sentence that just played back in her head. Spike had said that to her while the six were out seeking the Elements of Harmony. But more importantly...

Any thoughts of Spike or his disapproval seemed to very nearly get an emotional reaction out of her. The spell was doing its job... but...

Suddenly, Chrysalis felt an extreme wave of dread. She turned quickly.

Cadence and Shining Armor had just started casting a spell. A sphere appeared from their horns, quickly expanding outwards and approaching her. In that split second she realized– she had lost.

So it was now or never.

She gave a quick look to Spike. She was expecting a look of disapproval or anger.

But instead she saw him giving her a look of pity.

A pang of regret settled into her mind. At that moment, she felt the force field smash into her.

Game over.






Spike was sitting at a table at the wedding reception, staring at a glass of water in front of him.

"How could she..."

It just didn't make sense to him. No matter what line of logic he used, he couldn't figure out how Chrysalis could do that...

He had lost a friend as quickly as he had made one. He gave a drawn out sigh.

"Maybe–"

His thoughts were interrupted by a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Sweetie Belle.

"U...um... Spike?" She seemed somewhat embarrassed.

"Yes?" Spike's response was kind of monotone.

"Rarity told me I should ask somepony to dance... and... well, you seemed pretty down... so..."

Spike's eyes widened. "That's right. I should be having fun." His expression changed to a kind smile, and he hopped out of his seat. "Alright then. I'll warn you, I can't really dance well."

Sweetie Belle voiced a sigh of relief. "That's okay. It's about having fun, right?"

Spike nodded, and walked with her to the dance floor.





Spike was laying in a seperate train car from the other six. They were on their way home, and he wanted time alone.

"There has to be an explanation..."

He shifted his head back and forth. He then scrunched up his face. "Think, Spike, think! Why would she–"

Suddenly, he gasped. "W... wait a minute..."

He sat straight up. "Her subjects... that spell..."

He grew determined. He knew what he had to do.

He reached up into the compartment above him and grabbed a quill and a roll of parchment he had brought with him, and began the letter:

"Dear Princess Celestia..."