Somepony once said all good things must come to an end. Whoever said this was proven right again. Things started to get hectic a few weeks after I returned to work. Ponies were scared that Discord or something worse was going to attack. Although Celestia guaranteed that Discord wasn’t going to return to take over Equestria, ponies were still worried. This forced Foxtrot to come up with a contingency plan and asked for my help while still attending to my duties as Captain.
Octavia was starting to feel the stress of planning a wedding. Usually, Octavia and Cadence would meet whenever they can to plan their weddings. Cadence, however, has gotten sick, leaving Octavia to plan everything by herself. To make things worse for her, I was so busy at work that she had to make every decision by herself. Not only that, but Signed continually got her jobs and scheduled concerts. Octavia had become so stressed, that falling asleep was the highlight of her day. She wouldn’t even wait for me to come home anymore.
The worst part of it all was Blueblood’s lawyer. He talked to Shining while I was in Applewood and tricked him into changing Blueblood’s sentence. Blueblood can now freely roam around the castle, but he must be put under a silence spell if he is to leave. Unfortunately, Blueblood didn’t want to leave the castle and liked to bug me. He would give me some job that “only the Captain could do”. I thought of anything I could do to seem busy, that’s when I saw the beautiful stack of applications on my desk.
“You busy?” Nightingale said as he came into the office while I was reading an application.
“Yeah, I need to-”
“I mean with actual work not just stuff you’re doing to avoid the blue baboon.”
“No, but don’t tell anypony.”
“Go home.”
“It’s noon. Your shift doesn’t start for another seven hours and Shining’s out patrolling the streets. I need to be here in case of an emergency.” I started to rub my eyes, not realizing how little sleep I’ve been getting.
“You’re tired, Golden. I’ll cover you. Go home, get some rest, and spend some time with your fiancée before the big day. You’ve been telling me that you two barely see each other because of work.”
“Are you sure you can handle a fifteen hour shift?”
“I don’t need much sleep. This is the last time I’m going to tell you this. Go home.”
There wasn’t anything I could have done to change his answer. I tossed the application on my desk and left the office. I was about to walk out the front door when I thought about Cadence. There couldn’t be any harm in checking in on a friend.
“Cadence,” I said as I knocked on the door, “are you okay?”
“Perfectly fine,” She said opening the door. She looked completely fine. “And call me Princess Mi Amore Cadenza while you are in the castle.”
“Hang on, you hate it when people call you the ‘M’ phrase.”
“That is when I was a foal. I am an adult now Captain Golden Shield.”
“Okay, but why aren’t you sick. Yesterday you could barely talk because you were sneezing every few seconds.”
“Miracles of modern medicine. Is there something you needed?”
“I was just checking in on you. Are you sure you’re okay? You’re acting a little weird.”
“I’m fine Captain Golden Shield. Now if you excuse me, I have a wedding to plan.”
“Wait, you’re planning without Octavia?”
“She came by earlier and we talked. I wanted to have my wedding first and she disagreed. I decided that I don’t need her. If I can manage my duties as princess, I can plan a wedding.” Cadence then shut the door on me, leaving me confused.
I would have been more worried, but this could be one of the times where Octavia and I could just enjoy each other’s company. Besides, she might just be trying to recover from her illness. Not wanting to give off the idea that I was on duty, I went to the locker room to change into my street clothes and then walked home.
It’s a little odd walking through the city in the middle of the day. I know I should be working, but here I am in my street clothes. Ponies looked at me different. They didn’t see me as captain of the royal guard or a prince. They didn’t see me as someone getting married or someone who is friends with the Captain of the Wonderbolts. I was just another pony to them. It was nice knowing that no pony expected anything from me. It’s nothing that I could get used to, but it’s a nice treat.
When I got home, Octavia had pictures of cakes spread across the coffee table. The pictures were surrounded by various pieces of paper and a few earlier versions of the invitations. Octavia herself was sitting on the couch comparing two pictures.
“Golden!” She said when she heard the door close behind me. “What are you doing here?”
“Nightingale is covering my shift, so we could spend some time together.”
“Perfect. You can help me pick out a cake design. I was thinking about this one-”
“Octavia,” I said as I took her hands, “this is the first time in a while that we’re both free. Why don’t we just take some time to enjoy ourselves?”
Octavia looked at me with her beautiful eyes and smiled. We stayed like this for a few minutes, just enjoying each other. There is an old horror writer believed that the eyes were the gateway into the soul. If he’s right, then Octavia’s soul is the most beautiful thing in the world. There was honesty, kindness, loyalty, laughter, and generosity. I was overwhelmed by an amazing warmth and love. Octavia eventually broke my trance by getting up and leading me to the bedroom.
Things between us got better as the wedding drew closer. We took time out of our days just to say “I love you”. I would sneak out or get somepony to cover for me so I could help Octavia plan the wedding. There were a few small arguments here and there, but nothing we couldn’t get through. The only thing that really upset her was Cadence and Shining moving their wedding a week before ours.
I wish things were this easy at the castle. First, there was the letter. The day after I left early, Canterlot received a threat from an unknown source. We put Homes on it immediately, but all he could figure out was that it from a pony. Whoever sent this seriously wants to cause harm to ponies everywhere. Needless to say, we took action and went on high alert. Homes got as many ponies together to try and figure out who sent it. Foxtrot, who had just finished her plan for Discord’s return, started to re-train her soldiers and started pushing them harder than ever before. Nightingale and I started to do the same with our guards and somewhat rushed the new recruits so they could be ready for anything. Shining, however, had the hardest job. Shining had to cast a shield spell over Canterlot. Because the shield was so big and had to be so powerful, the spell cause Shining to have massive headaches. I wanted him to teach me the spell, so we could switch off and his headaches would go away, but he wanted me to concentrate on the new recruits.
Second, there is Cadence. I don’t know what’s gotten into her lately, but she’s been acting different. She’s been acting more distant and cold. She’s been demanding things from the maids and workers around the castle. Everything about her wedding needs to be perfect. She’s even yelled at somepony because a tablecloth was ivory white instead of snow white. And then there’s that whole “Mi Amore Cadenza” thing. Not only does she want me to use the “M” phrase, but she wants “Princess” in front of it. All of that I could probably mark up to pre-wedding stress, but she started hanging around Blueblood. Just the thought of it sends a shiver down my spine.
I’m really hoping all of this was just because of the wedding and Cadence is back to normal as soon as possible. At least Twilight is coming into town today and seeing her always makes me happy. She always has some sort of fascinating story about Ponyville that always brightens my day. I only wish that she would come by more often, but she is growing into a strong, busy, independent mare.
I went to work that day knowing I had some actual work to do. Nightingale has really been pushing the new recruits hard, so he gave them the day off from training. However, they’re not off the hook. Because of the threat, we need as many guards as possible for Cadence’s wedding tomorrow, so I have to put them through some instruction and give them their designated areas.
Dealing with new recruits isn’t an easy job. Everypony sees the Royal Guards as above the law or ponies who should be worshiped. We are really a group of ponies who want to protect Equestria and the ponies who live here. We don’t do it for the honor or fame. We could be paid nothing and still come in with a smile on our faces. Unfortunately, most new recruits don’t understand that and think they’re as important as Celestia. That’s why we’re so hard on them while they’re in training. By the end of it all, they need to understand that what they are doing isn’t for themselves.
“You all know your jobs for tomorrow?” I asked the group of new recruits.
“Sir, yes sir.” They said back to me.
“Report to them at 0600 tomorrow morning. You are dismissed for the day.” The group quickly disbanded, as none of them wanted to stay in their guard uniforms.
“Captain,” Cadence said as she approached me from behind.
“Princess,” I responded. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“How many ponies will be on guard for my wedding tomorrow?”
“Most of them that are scheduled to show up. There are some that have the day off and others need to patrol the streets.”
“I want them all here,” Cadence said with a stern look on her face.
“I can’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“I can’t just give somepony the day off and then force them to come in to work. And we still need to have guards on the streets.”
“Very well, but I only want a limited number of ponies out patrolling. The rest need to be at my wedding.”
I sighed out of complete annoyance of this new Cadence. “I’ll see what I can do, Princess Cadence.”
“It’s Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.”
“No it’s not. It’s Cadence, it’s always been Cadence, and it will always be Cadence. What’s gotten into you?”
“What are you talking about? There is nothing wrong with me.”
“Yes there is. You have been way more demanding than usual. And do you even know what you did to Octavia?”
“I know I don’t care.”
“Listen to yourself. You just said that you don’t care about one of your best friends. I’m worried about you.”
“There is nothing to worry about. I’m just growing up and I need to make some decisions. That’s why I want to be called Mi Amore Cadenza. Cadence is a child’s nickname. As for Octavia, she didn’t want anything to do with Mi Amore Cadenza, so we’re not friends any more. I have to ask you, Captain Golden Shield: Are you willing to adapt to this new pony standing in front of you?”
“I guess not,” I said after a few moments of silence.
“Alright then. I’m sorry it must end this way, Captain Golden.” Cadence left me in silence and walked away. I honestly could not believe that I just lost my best friend.
I tried to distract myself by going back to my office and doing paperwork. It worked for a little while, but I kept thinking about Cadence. We’ve been through so much together and now she doesn’t want anything to do with me. How could a friend, even a grown up, say all the years we spent together didn’t mean anything? How can anypony say that they don’t care about somepony that used to be their friend? Something was wrong with Cadence, but I can’t figure it out. Maybe she’s right. Maybe she did grow up and the pressures of being a princess turned her into this.
I looked at the clock and realized that I was doing paperwork for hours. I needed to get home. I just wanted a distraction from the whole Cadence thing, but I guess this worked out too well. Changing out of my guard uniform and into my street clothes, I tried to leave the castle as fast as I could. Twilight, however, caught my eye. She was sitting in a hallway with a depressed look on her face.
“What’s wrong, Twily?” I asked as I sat next to her.
“You wouldn’t believe me,” she said holding back tears.
“You are the smartest mare I know.” I threw my arm around Twilight and started to hold her close. “Why wouldn’t I believe anything you say?”
“Well…okay. I think Cadence has turned evil. She’s been horrible to my friends, got rid of her old bride’s maids, and she casted a spell on my brother that made his eyes go crazy.”
“I think evil is a little much.”
“I knew you wouldn’t believe me…”
“I believe you, but I don’t think ‘evil’ is the right word. She’s changed, but what can you do?”
Twilight was silent for a little while as a familiar look came over her face. Twilight wasn’t just thinking, she was formulating a plan. Usually, I would be all over one of Twilight’s plans because they usually result in some sort of invention or something scientific happening. With the wedding coming up and the new, strict Cadence, I don’t think one of her plans is the best thing right now.
“Whatever you’re thinking,” I said as I stood up, “just be careful.”
“I will.” Twilight stood up, gave me a hug, and ran off. I would have followed her, but there is another mare that I need to talk to.
I walked home as fast as I could. I just needed to open up to somepony and Octavia is one of the only ponies that I can truly trust. I can tell her anything and she can do the same with me. That’s why we work so well together. We trust each other as much as we trust ourselves.
I couldn’t open the door fast enough and expected to see the girls smiling and laughing as they told stories. What I did find was Vinyl and Spitfire sitting in the living room with a somber look on their faces.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. Spitfire got up and gave me a hug.
“Go to your room,” she said as she let go.
“Where’s Octy?” I asked with concern.
“Just, go to your room.”
I didn’t want to ask a second time. I ran to my room, hoping to find Octavia. She wasn’t in my room and neither was her cello. I checked the drawers and everything of her. They were all empty. And then I saw it. The ring, her broken bow from the Grand Galloping Gala, and a letter in her handwriting.
Dear Golden Shield,
The last few years have been the best few years of my life. I have been so blessed to know you and even more blessed that out of every mare, you asked me to marry you. You made me smile at every turn and I cannot thank you enough for that. While we have had a fight here or there, it was nothing that we couldn’t through and you made sure I never went to bed angry. You are a light in pure darkness and you can make any mare happy.
While I will always love and treasure every second we spent together, it’s with a heavy heart I tell you that I cannot marry you. It’s because I am afraid. I am afraid that one of us would change too much and then one of us would do something that one of us would regret. I can’t even imagine a time where I can’t love you and am afraid that it will come. I understand if you are angry with me and I can only ask that you forgive me.
Please don’t try to find me,
Octavia Melody
I couldn’t believe this. Part of me didn’t want to believe it. For a little while, I thought that Vinyl was playing a prank on me and Octavia was hiding in the bathroom or something, but she wasn’t. Octavia left me. I just wanted this awful day to end, so I tried to go to sleep.
Everything seemed darker the next day. It should have been a happy day, but I couldn’t find a way to smile. I wanted to lay in bed all day, but I found myself on auto-pilot. I took a shower, got dressed, and I was at work before I knew it.
“Good morning,” Celestia said as she came into my office. I was sitting at my desk getting ready to go patrol.
“Morning,” I said with a somber tone.
“I heard about you and Cadence. Give her time. I’m sure the stress of the wedding made her a little…crazy. I’m sure seeing her getting married will make you happy and I know she would love seeing you there.”
“I’m not going to the wedding.”
“Why not?” She asked with concern.
“Because she told me that she didn’t want me there. Even if we’re not friends, I’m still going to respect her wishes. Besides, somepony still has to patrol the streets.”
“Okay, but the doors will be open if you change your mind. Cadence might not want to see you, but I’m sure Shining would love it.” She said as she started to leave.
“Wait mom,” I said as I stood up from my chair.
“Yes sweetie?”
I ran up to her and hugged her. She was surprised at first, but hugged back when I started crying. “Octavia left me,” I said through my tears.
“When and why? You two seemed so happy.”
“She was afraid that one of us would stop loving the other. She left me a note telling me why she left and gave me back the ring. I don’t know what to do?”
“It’s going to be alright,” she said while stroking the back of my head. She used her magic to close and lock the door to the office and started to sing the lullaby she sang when I was a colt.
“Feeling better?” She asked as my crying died down.
“A little,” I said letting go of her. “I just don’t know what I’m going to do anymore.”
“This is what I think you should do. Go to Cadence wedding, if not that then at least go to the reception. Tell Cadence how much she means to you and how much you value her friendship. Trust me, all of the problems between you two will go away instantly. Tomorrow, you are going to take the day off and look for Octavia. Tell her that you are never going to stop loving her. Ensure her that no matter what happens, you plan to be with her for the rest of your lives.”
“Okay…” I said, straightening myself up so I could go on patrol. “Thank you mom.”
“Anytime you need me, I’ll be here for you sweetie. I’ll see you at reception.”
As much as I wanted to go to the wedding, somepony still had to make sure the Canterlot streets are safe. While we did assign some guards to be out there during the wedding, there should be at least one Captain ready for action. I would have asked Nightingale, but he covered for me that one day and I wouldn’t want to impose. Plus Flash asked me to go and mentor him during one of his patrols. Now seems like the perfect time to do it.
I changed into a set of captain’s armor and met Flash. Since his arrest, Flash has made a surprising turn around. First, I never heard his name brought up by anypony again. For the most part, he was just helping out around town when he could. I even heard some of the guards say he should apply for training. That’s when I saw his application in the reject pile for one of our training sessions. I asked Nightingale and Shining why he was denied and they both said they didn’t want to work with a criminal. It took some time and testimonies from the other guards, but I was able to get him into the session. Shining promised that he would have Flash running home by the end of week one, but Flash proved to be unbreakable. Since then, Flash has proven himself to be a spectacular guard.
“Are you ready to go, sir?” He asked as I approached him. He had a smile on his face and looked as if I was his big brother taking him to the candy store.
“You seem happy,” I said without stopping my pace and walking past him. He caught on and started to walk with me.
“Why wouldn’t I be? I get to work with one of the finest guards ever. Is it true that you took on a changeling when you were 17?”
“I don’t like to brag, kid. I’m just here to do my job and make sure this place is safe.”
“Well it seems like this place is under lock and key since we got that threat. Why do we even have a patrol if Captain Armor has a shield around this place?”
“I’ll be honest with you,” I said while lowering my voice and looking around to make sure no pony can hear us. “Since the whole Discord thing, ponies have been worried about their safety in Canterlot. We send guards to patrol the streets to remind them that we are here and we will protect them. Plus, you never know when something might happen.”
Flash and I walked around the city for a while. We got a few enthusiastic smiles and a fruit stand offered to let us have something for free. Flash took an apple and I decided to not take anything. I really haven’t eaten since last night and I haven’t been hungry. No matter what I tried, I couldn’t distract myself from her. I still remember the letter, word for word.
“Sir?” Flash said as he tapped my shoulder. “What is that?” He pointed towards the top of the barrier where a larger black cloud had gathered. Then I realized what it was. A swarm of Changelings were throwing themselves against it in an attempt to break it and it looks like it was working.
“Flash, get as many as ponies as possible inside! You see another guard, tell them the same thing! That’s an order!”
“Yes sir!”
Flash ran off to get ponies inside. I started to do the same, hoping the streets would be cleared before the shied give way. Once an area was cleared and everypony was off the streets, I ran to another section of Canterlot. Every guard I passed was either in shock, and I had to snap them out of it, or already following my orders.
I was in the middle of getting ponies into a library when the shield broke. There were still some ponies behind me who were frozen in place out of fear of what was going to happen next. The changelings started to break off and came flying towards the streets. And that’s when I saw her.
“Octavia!” I shouted at her as I ran towards her. She turned to me with fear in her eyes. I grabbed her, held her close to me and teleported us back to the apartment.
“Golden?” She said as when she realized what happened.
“What’s going on?” Vinyl asked as she walked out of her room. When she saw Octavia, she ran up to her and gave her the biggest hug she has given anypony. “Tavi! What happened to you? Don’t you ever scare me like that again!”
“Is Spitfire still here?” I asked.
“I’m right here,” she said as she walked out of her room. “What’s going on?”
“The changelings are attacking. You three stay here and do not open the door for anypony until this thing is over.”
“Where are you going?” Vinyl asked.
“I have to protect Canterlot, but more importantly, you three. I have to go.”
“Wait,” Octavia said before I could teleport back out. “There’s something I need to tell you.”
“It has to wait, but I promise I will be back for you. I love you.”
“I love you too…” Octavia said with tears in her eyes. I wanted to bad to stay and tell Octavia how much I loved her. I wanted to be with her so bad, but I couldn’t. If I really want to spend more time with her and love her, then I must protect Canterlot.
I teleported back to where I was when the shield broke. Already the city was in chaos. Changelings and guards chasing each other, changeling already looking for the next victim, some passed out on the floor, some guards stuck to something by this green goo, and some changelings giving me an evil smile.
I had to fight my way through the first wave of changelings. It was harder than I thought because I didn’t want to kill them or cause them much harm, as it’s just something I was willing to do. Lucky for me, I learned a defensive spell which could easily knock out a body builder. The first wave was a snap, but there was more than just a few hundred. I saw swarms of these things attacking Canterlot. I started running through the city, defeating any changelings I could and saving any pony in danger of these things.
Hearing a foal yell, I turned down an alley to see he was about to be attacked by a changeling. I said something insulting to get its attention and he turned to me. There was anger in his eyes and he started to growl. Without warning, he spit the goo at me, which hit me and pinned me to the ground. I tried to use the spell on him, but he thought of that too and spat more goo at my horn. At first it thought it just interrupted my spell, but it actually caught and absorbed it.
“Wait,” it said with the signature, twisted changeling voice, “I know you.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked while trying to get up.
“Oh this is going to be good. I’m the changeling that infiltrated the castle. Remember, I turned into that Octavia slut.”
“What did I say about calling her a slut?”
“What are you going to do to me?” It said as it kicked me. “I’m going to make this as embarrassing as possible.”
He used his horn to remove the goo, but started dragging me before I could get up. I started thrashing about, in hopes that I could get free, but he was too strong. When we got to the middle of the street, he pinned me again with the goo. He then let out a whistle, which called a group of changeling surrounded me.
“Alright boys, this little fucker tried to break my arms once. What do you think we should do to him?”
“Beat the shit out of him!” They shouted.
Without warning the group of changelings started to beat me. Most of the time, they were just kicking and stepping on me. One of them had the intention of breaking my arm, which he couldn’t do. Every so often, one of them would get near my face and start punching it. Everything started to hurt. I couldn’t move, I could barely breathe. I was hoping that I would pass out any minute, but they casted a spell on me which woke me back up anytime I was close. The first changeling whistled and they all stopped.
“Any last words?” The changeling said.
I was breathing heavily and trying to not entertain him. I looked at him with the intention of spitting in his face, but then I saw it. Quickly coming up behind him was a pink light that was blowing all the changelings and the queen away.
“Look out,” I said and smiled. It turned around and started to scream in a panic. Like all the other changelings, the pink light swept them away and made the goo disintegrate. I tried to laugh, but everything hurt.
I laid there for what seemed like forever. I was wondering if somepony was going to find me. To my pleasure, Foxtrot and Nightingale spotted me and flew at me as fast as they could.
“Golden!” Nightingale said as they neared me. “What happened?”
“Got outnumbered,” I said in between heavy breaths.
“You two,” Foxtrot said to two passing guards, “go to the castle and get a stretcher and The Doctor, STAT.” The two guards ran off and she turned her attention back to me. “Don’t worry, we’re going to fix you up.”
“Get…my family…” I said.
“Are you sure you want them to see you like this?” Nightingale asked.
“Please…”
The two of them looked at each other and nodded. They flew off in opposite directions, one towards the castle and one towards the apartment. After a few more minutes in pain, I heard my name being shouted. Before I knew it, I was surrounded by my friends and family.
"Don't worry, Golden," Foxtrot said. "The Doctor will be here as soon as possible."
“What happened?” Celestia asked me while she was crying.
“He was attacked by a gang of changelings,” Foxtrot said. “Where the hell is The Doctor?”
“Okay, just stay calm,” Celestia said. She closed her eyes and her horn started to light up. A light came over me that I think was going to heal me, but nothing happened.
“What’s wrong?” Octavia said through her own tears.
“Did the changelings cast a spell on you?” I slightly nodded my head. “They altered him a little, meaning my magic won’t work on him for a while. Just please try and stay with us.”
“Thank you for everything, mom. I have been so fortunate that you found me all those years ago. You’ve cared for me, loved me, and asked for nothing in return and for that I can never pay you back. You’re not just some pony who loves me, you’re my mother. I want you to know that I will always love you.”
I turned my attention towards Cadence, who was crying in Shining’s arms.
“Cadence…” I said. She got down on her knees so she could be closer to me and started crying into her hands.
“I’m sorry for everything that happened,” she said when she calmed down. “It wasn’t me, Golden. It was the Queen.”
“I figured. I just want you to know that I will always care about you. Even if you’re angry with me, I’ll still want the best for you and nothing you say or do can change that.”
Cadence smiled and continued to cry. She tried to hug me, but then realized that I would probably be in too much pain or the hug would cause me to be in even more pain.
“Shining, Nightingale,” I said, “I want you guys to watch over them. Promise me they’re always going to be happy.”
“Don’t talk like that, Golden,” Shining said. “We’ve been through so much together and you didn’t give up on me then. I’ll be damned if you give up on me now.”
“Promise me.”
“Golden!” Shining said, shedding a tear.
“Promise me, Shining. Please.”
“Okay, I promise,” he said reluctantly.
“I promise too, buddy.” Nightingale said trying to hold back his own tears.
“Octy,” I said trying to smile. “I want you to know, there is nothing that either of us could do to make me stop loving you.”
“Golden, I am so sorry about what I did. You’re so young and I didn’t want you to be tied down, so I lied.”
“What do you mean?” Octavia started to smile. She took my hand and put it on her stomach and started to laugh.
“I’m pregnant,” She said.
“I’m going to be a dad?” I asked.
“Yes. I’m sorry I lied. I just didn’t want you to be tied down to family when you have your life ahead of you.”
“Octy, there is nothing I would love more than to start a family with you. I love you so much, Octavia.”
“I love you too,” she said.
“Everyone,” I said with even heavier breaths and feeling light headed, “Thank you all for being in my life. To all of you I say: I lov