The Cutie Mark Crusaders were in their clubhouse. Each of them went over what happened that day.
“So,” Apple Bloom said. “Any luck?”
“No,” Sweetie Belle said. “Rarity left for Canterlot the other day.”
“Rainbow Dash wasn’t here, either,” Scootaloo said. “She didn’t leave a note.”
“Applejack was here,” Apple Bloom said. “But she left before I could talk to her.”
“Well, this stinks,” Scootaloo said. “And Diamond Tiara still didn’t print that letter.”
The three Crusaders didn’t know what to do. They would try again in the morning.
In Canterlot, Twilight Sparkle, Rarity and Pinkie Pie found a white stallion on the bridge.
The white stallion noticed Twilight trotting towards him. “Twily,” he said.
Twilight was getting furious.
“What were you thinking?” Twilight said. “Marrying some random noble like that and then not telling me about it? You--”
“You must be Twilight’s brother,” Rarity interrupted.
The stallion noticed the other two ponies and nodded. “Name’s Shining Armor, and who are you?”
“I’m Rarity, and this is Pinkie Pie,” Rarity introduced. Pinkie Pie sneezed and streamers flew out of her nostrils.
Shining Armor realized that he didn’t tell Twilight about the wedding one bit.
He said, “I’m sorry but I’ve been busy.”
“With what?” Twilight said.
“Twilight,” Shining Armor said. “A threat has been made against Canterlot.” He started having headaches. “I’m sure you know the windigos have returned, right?”
Rarity remembered what happened yesterday. The town frozen over, her sister kidnapped. The other two also remembered.
“Big time,” Twilight said.
“Well,” Shining said. “Princess Celestia had asked me to provide additional security. This, you need to see.”
He then concentrated on the sphere around Canterlot. A pink beam of light emerged from his horn and fired at the sky. The barrier glowed as Shining Armor’s magic reinforced it.
“This barrier is meant to stop them from entering Canterlot. Princess Celestia even hired an elementalist to help me reinforce it so that they can’t enter.”
“Good thing too,” Rarity said. The mares remembered that the Friendship Express, with most of Ponyville’s residents, evacuated here. They were glad the barrier was erected in advance.
“The fate of Canterlot rests squarely on my shoulders,” Shining Armor said. “Staying focused at the task at hand has been my top priority.”
Twilight realized that her brother had been working hard to keep Canterlot safe.
“Okay, okay, I get it,” Twilight said. “You’ve got a really important job protecting Canterlot with a barrier only you can conjure up.”
Pinkie Pie noticed Shining Armor’s armor. “So you’re in the royal guard, huh?”
Shining Armor said, “I’m captain of the guard.”
Rarity said, Wait a minute? So this means that not only are you marrying a princess, but you're also captain of the Royal guard?”
Shining Armor nodded.
Pinkie Pie held Rarity as she fainted.
Twilight said, “Why didn't you tell me about the wedding? Am I not that important to you?”
“You’re my little sister,” Shining Armor said. “Of course you’re important to me. But I understand if you didn’t want to be my best mare now.”
Twilight eyes widened. “You want me to be your best mare?”
Shining Armor said, “Well, yeah.”
“I would feel honored,” Twilight said. “But I’m still pretty ticked you’re marrying somepony I don’t know. Who is this ‘Princess Mi Amore Cadenza?’”
He said, “Twilight, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza is Cadence, your foalsitter, remember?”
Twilight said, “Wait, you’re marrying Cadence?” She squealed in delight. “The best Foalsitter in in the history of foalsitters?”
“You tell me,” Shining Armor said. “She was your foalsitter.”
She began remembering her foalhood with Cadence.
“Who’s Cadence?” Pinkie said.
Twilight said, “Cadence was my foalsitter. She’s the nicest pony I’ve ever met...” Twilight began talking about her foalsitter. She turned to Shining Armor and finished, “...and you’re marrying her. This is wonderful news.”
“I have to go,” Shining Armor said. “I need to try on my wedding clothes.” He left.
Meanwhile, Gale Force looked outside the city and saw several pegasi working on Ponyville’s winter weather.
Thunderlane, Flitter, Cloudchaser, and Star Song went to to their commanding officer.
“So Cloudsdale’s pegasi are trying to restore Ponyville?” Star Song said.
“Except us and the Wonderbolts,” Gale Force said. “We have to repel the windigos in case the barrier fails.”
“Makes sense,” Thunderlane said.
“So you think they will return?” Flitter said.
“I’m betting on it,” Gale said. “Have you ever loved a wedding crasher?”
“Good point,” Flitter said.
“Just don’t do anything reckless, Commander,” Cloudchaser said.
Gale nodded. The pegasi then went somewhere else in Canterlot.
Meanwhile, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash were finished telling Granny Smith and Big Macintosh about what happened to Apple Bloom. The pegasi left the room while Applejack and her older brother comforted Granny Smith.
“Do you think they’ll be alright?” Fluttershy said.
“I don’t know,” Rainbow Dash said. “I mean, first they get themselves petrified and now after we unpetrify them, they get kidnapped by an ice queen.”
“Oh yeah,” Fluttershy said.
They saw Twilight, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie from across the street. The two pegasi went to them.
“So,” Rainbow Dash said. “Did you find your brother?”
“Yeah, we found him,” Twilight said with a smile.
Just then Spike ran towards the five mares. He carried a scroll with him. “Guys,” he said. “You got to read this.”
Twilight took the scroll and read it. She said, “Princess Celestia wants us to help with the wedding.”
“Really, for what?” Rarity said.
“Well,” Twilight said. “We need you to make the dresses, Pinkie, you’re in charge of the reception, Applejack will cook the food, Fluttershy, you will handle the music and Rainbow Dash.”
“Yeah?” Rainbow Dash said.
“You’ll have to do a Sonic Rainboom,” Twilight said.
Rainbow Dash smiled.
“So,” Pinkie said. “Should we tell Applejack?”
“Not right now,” Rainbow said. “The Apples are coping with their loss.” She sighed.
Rarity knew what she meant. She was getting worried about her sister.
“We’ll find them,” Twilight said. “I’m sure of it."
The mares and Spike split up to enjoy the rest of the day.
Above the Everfree Forest, Diamond Dust moved the storm northeast.
“So,” she said, “why do we need to go to Canterlot now?”
“Celestia will be busy with the wedding,” her adviser said. “And she will be tired and weakened by the preparations.”
“But don’t they have a barrier around the city?” she said.
“I’m sure the changeling army will destroy it,” the windigo said. “Then we shall take them both by surprize.”
By that point, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo were trotting towards their queen.
“So,” Apple Bloom said. She looked at her new ice legguards. “Why do we need Celestia?”
“Who is Celestia anyway?” Scootaloo said. Her new wings of ice folded.
“Yeah,” Sweetie Belle said. “And why is she so important?” She was focusing on her her new horn of ice.
The adviser said, “She leads the evil ponies in their war to exterminate us. We capture her, and the capital with her, and we can end the war for good.”
“Oh,” the three fillies said.
The storm inched closer to the capital of Equestria.