//------------------------------// // Chapter 11 // Story: Rocinante and the Wedding at Canterlot // by Charliemane //------------------------------// “Halt villains! In... In the name of... the Roy... Royal... Crowns of... Canterlot I demand that you... that you turn... and face me... at once!” Twilight Sparkle turned her head and looked over her should towards the sound of the voice. Behind her were two exhausted ponies chasing after them with determination, but they were swiftly falling behind. But a quick look at Princess Cadance told Twilight all she needed to know. Cadance wouldn't stop for anypony but Shining Armor and as long as the two ponies behind them stayed out of their way, she wouldn't even bother with them. Twilight gritted her teeth as she took another look back. It was hard to tell from the distance, but she was fairly certain they were being chased by Sassaflash and her cousin. “I'm going to go back there and see what they want!” Cadance never took her narrowed eyes off of the castle gate as she shouted back over the rushing wind racing past them. “Don't bother, We don't have time!” “You keep going! I'll be right back! They may be able to help us!” Cadance said nothing as she continued racing for the castle in earnest. With a bright purple flash, Twilight teleported mid-stride in between Sassaflash and her cousin, causing more than just a small amount of mayhem for her pursuers. The armored earth pony jumped and stumbled in surprise and would have fallen face forward down the hill were it not for the fact that his lance had been tilted forward. Before anypony could react, the lance dug into the mountainside and pole-vaulted the stunned earth pony into the air. Sassaflash barely had anytime to react as she watched her cousin sail through the air at full speed. Flapping her wings as hard as she could, she managed to catch up with him, but the knight-errant and his equipment were far too heavy for the one pegasus to keep airborne. As they raced towards the ground only a short distance behind Princess Cadance, Twilight teleported underneath them and the trio formed an odd tower of ponies that was racing, somewhat uncontrollably, downhill. Looking up to the one pony she was familiar with, Twilight called out to the pegasus above her. “Sassaflash?!” “Twilight?!” “What are you doing here?!” “Twilight! Princess Cadenza is an imposter!” “I know! She's a changeling!” Sassaflash's words hung in her mouth, but her eyes spoke the question she wanted to ask plainly enough for Twilight to answer. “I mean the one at the wedding is a changeling! This is the real Cadance!” Rocinante and Sassaflash exchanged glances for a moment before nodding. “Oh! That makes sense then!” As they reached the bottom of the hill the trio broke apart. Twilight moved out from underneath Rocinante and once the knight-errant was back with his hooves on the ground, they resumed racing after Princess Cadance. As they drew nearer to the gate, Twilight saw the guards were lining up, but not opening the doors, despite their group's obvious hurry. “What are they doing?!” Rocinante shook his head as he gasped for breath. “I... almost... forgot... The guards... were ordered... to be on the look... lookout... for an... imposter... Princess...” Twilight and Sassaflash both dropped their jaws and immediately Twilight teleported further ahead to where Cadance was frantically running ahead of them. “Cadance! The guards think you're the changeling!” Sassaflash wasn't certain what the real Princess and Twilight were talking about or what sort of plan they may have formed in front of them, but as the guards readied their spears to intercept the alicorn racing towards them, Princess Cadance simply teleported to the other side of the gate in a bright flash of light. The guards soon scrambled off of the wall and began racing after the Princess while most of the guards still on the ground outside seemed unsure whether to stop the remaining ponies or not. Sassaflash looked to her cousin with concern in her eyes. She might be able to fly over, but Rocinante could only charge straight ahead. “Do you think they will let us through?” Rocinante smiled as he continued his charge, but said little in between pants of breath. Just as Sassaflash braced herself for the worst, Twilight Sparkle appeared next to them and with a bright flash of light, they were on the other side. Of course the other side of the castle gate was also swarming with guards eagerly trying to stop the Princess Cadance that they believed to be the imposter. Twilight, not wanting to see which side the guards considered them to be on, swiftly teleported them again, further inside the castle. Regrettably, Twilight was the only one of them prepared for the teleportations, but after both Rocinante and Sassaflash picked themselves back up off of the ground, she was quick to lead the way towards the ceremony. Rocinante however, slowed down and curved towards a different hallway leading to Luna's tower. Twilight stopped for only a moment, but Rocinante waved them on. “Go... your... princesses need you... ours... needs us...” Twilight paused as though she were going to say something, but instead nodded and ran off to catch up with Cadance. Dealing with the imposter would be up to them, both Rocinante and Sassaflash knew their responsibility was to their Princess, whatever she might need.