“Okay! Let me get this straight. You were pony napped by changelings...just so they could negotiate peace?”
Cadance nodded with a smile. “That pretty much sums it up, I’m just surprised the queen came to her senses and agreed.”
Shining Armor was still baffled by all of this. First his wife came into his room early morning after days of not seeing her, and now she was talking about peace between them and a swarm of changelings. “B-But that doesn’t make any sense, h-how is Chrysalis like this!? She was a-”
“I knew who she was, Shining, but I think she’s different now.” Cadance then grunted, rubbing her horn soon after
“B-But how did you get them here in the first place?” Shining asked. “How did they even know about-”
“They said the crystal empire was another one of their many places that they’ve tried to eat at. Even I was surprised to find them standing right outside the place waiting for us.” She pointed outside from a nearby window in their room.
Shining rubbed his head. “So, they stayed at their cave, waited for you to talk to the princess-”
“Only for her to tell us to come here after I got back.” Cadance crossed her arms, still a bit frustrated at how the princess, even after telling her where she was the entire time she was gone and how the changelings wanted peace, was more concerned about Twilight’s ‘test’.
“Yeah, but she told you that you could handle it.” Shining said, remembering the talk of how taking the changelings here would be the perfect opportunity for them to start over and repay for what they did.
“I know she did, but she could’ve at least helped.” Cadance sighed. “I just don’t know how I’ll break this to Twilight when she gets here.”
Shining could only imagine how she’ll react. “If you thought I overreacted, then just wait for Twilight. I’m sure she can handle the news.” He ended sarcastically.
“I just wish Celestia would tell her instead.” Cadance rubbed her head again, getting a headache from this and keeping a shield up.
Shining frowned. “Listen, Cadance, I’m really glad to see you again, but are you sure you can handle all of this, with the changelings and the shield and-”
“I can do it, Shining.” Cadance reassured him. “Besides, I think the changelings can handle themselves.” She walked up to the window and looked around. “Just look at them.”
Shining came up beside her, seeing what Cadance was talking about. “Normally, I’d panic seeing changelings flying around this place, but if you say they won't spook us anymore, then maybe-”
“HELLO!”
Cadance and Shining screamed at Shawn flew right up to the window. Cadance was the first to recover. “S-Shawn!?”
Shawn saluted. “That’s General Shawn, Princess, remember?” Shawn then pointed at his helmet showing his rank from how high the horns were.
Shining glared at him. “Is there a reason as to why you decided to scare us?”
Shawn stopped saluting and chuckled. “Yeah, sorry, I was gonna knock, but flying up here was faster.”
Shining got face to face with the changeling. “Why are you here?”
Shawn didn’t seem phased by Shining’s stare, knowing Chrysalis gave worse ones. “I just wanted to see if we’re making good progress..” Shawn simply pulled out a clipboard from behind his back. “I got the notes right here.
Cadance pulled Shining away from the changeling so he could face her instead. “Well, what do you have done?”
Shawn looked at his first page. “Let’s see...the queen’s still caring for the hatchlings up at the cave.”
Cadance looked out to where her cave was.. “I hope she’s okay not being here.”
Shawn waved his hoof nonchalantly in the air. “Eh, she’s fine. Besides, she said she’ll take care of the little ones while you take care of us, so it’s a win win right there.”
Shining raised an eye. “How is that a win-”
Shawn looked through his notes. “We also found some weird stuff in this empire.”
“What ‘weird stuff’?” Cadance asked.
Shawn flipped a page. “For starters, we found this weird thing that my brothers and sisters describe as ‘that scary door’.”
“Scary door?” Shining repeated.
Shawn nodded. “Yup, gave us all the scares. Luckily, our brothers told us way worse stuff than that thing could ever match up, so we were ay okay.”
Shining felt unsure. “You locked it up, right?”
Shawn paused for a moment. “Um...yes?...yes...yes! I think we did.” Unfortunately, the changeling’s definition of ‘locked’ was simply closing something. “Pretty sure it’s closed.”
“Good to know.” Shining said. “Rather not have nightmares in our castle.”
Shawn looked at his notes again. “We also found this weird blue crystal that’s shaped like a heart under a flight of stairs, but we think it’s just another decoration in that tower.” Shawn pointed at the top of the building. “We didn’t really think it’s important, so we put it up top at the top of the stairs, thinking it fell down.”
Cadance smiled. “Well, that was nice of you.” Cadance looked at the ponies that were talking with some of the changelings. “You guys seem to be doing a good job at making friends with the ponies.”
Shawn smiled back and looked down at his notes. “Yeah, we made sure that every bug treats every pony with respect...but, uh…” Shawn looked around to make sure only the both of them heard this conversation. “The ponies are really weird in this place.” He whispered.
“I’m...sure they’ll be better…” Cadance tried to reassure him. “They just can’t remember anything right now.”
“Well, being away for a thousand years might leave you with some head trauma, or go insane.” Shawn just shrugged and flipped another page. “Let’s see, not much else...when we were looking around to find out what this place was like before, we found a book about the history of this empire, but all the brothers just had to get all touchy feely and rip a page out.” He facehoofed. “I just hope it wasn’t too important. Seeing as how Jerkson burned it for fun.”
Shining shrugged. “It’s just one page, can’t be that bad.”
Shawn nodded. “We made sure to keep the others out after that little stunt, hopefully, no other books were harmed.”
“Find anything else?” Cadance asked, a slight groan in her voice.
“Twig found an annoying horn that we had to take away, that was...fun…” Shawn then noticed Cadance flinching. “By the way, how’s the shield holding up?” Shawn pointed up at the magic bubble that was currently surrounding the entire empire.
“It’s...doing okay.” Cadance said while looking up at her horn. Knowing full well that was a lie.
“You sure, it doesn’t look okay, I think even we can crash through it again.” Shawn then looked at Cadance. “You don’t look so good either. You look like Larry when he went on the starve streak, a whole two months without love and change a changeling.”
“I’m fine, just a bit worn out.” She leaned on Shining at the end of that sentence.
Shawn just shrugged. “If you say so.” He looked down at his notes again. “Um...not anything else I can see...All that we’re doing now is talking with the ponies, fixing up some of the homes, patrolling the outskirts to make sure that-”
*SLAM*
“PRIIIIIIIIIIIIINCEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!”
Cadance and Shining turned around to see an over sized changeling running right at them after he smashed through the doors, thankfully, he came to a screeching halt inches in front of of them, panting his lungs out. Shawn flew inside and stood in front of him. “Um, hello Twig...what’s wro-”
Twig took deep breaths while saying. “It’s something bad! Something horrible! Something that will end all our lives!”
“Settle down, bug.” Shining said. “What’s wrong, what did you see?”
Shawn nudged his brother. “Yeah, Twig. What’d you see besides that...white stuff? Snow?” He looked at Cadance to see if he was correct, Cadance nodded.
“It was big, black, red, purple, green!” He shivered. “It was like eating steel donuts and unoriginal pasta!”
Shawn shook him. “Calm down, Twig, what was black and red?”
Twig continued shivering. “It was this big cloud that started coming over this big white hill, and it looked mad! It had a menacing big face with eyes that looked like our queen on a bad day! IT SMELLED LIKE FROZEN WAFFLES!” He sucked in air and quietly finished. “I am so pooped…” He then fell on the ground.
Shawn raised an eye. “Um...wasn’t there some disease you get from saying out in snow for a while?” He pointed at Twig. “Cause I think he has it.”
Shining shook his head. “One: It’s not a disease, two: It’s called frostbite and three: I know exactly who he’s talking about.”
“You do?” Shawn tilted his head. “What is it? Cause, from what I’m getting at, it’s some weird storm cloud with colors that’d make anyone sick just by looking at it.”
“King Sombra…” Shining said coldly.
“King what?” Shawn got Twig to sit up and listen again.
Shining started explaining. “He’s an evil king that ruled over this place thousands of years ago with an iron hoof.”
“That’s why we’re here.” Cadance said, still leaning on Shining. “and why I got a shield up.”
“Ooooooh.” Both the changelings said. “We thought it was because of the snow.” Twig finished.
“This is worse than any storm, changelings, this is very bad.” Shining made sure Cadance could sit straight before he started walking out the door.
Shawn walked next to him. “Where are you going?”
“To get Twily.” He said. “If he’s out there, then I’m not letting him get my sister.”
“But it’s cold out there.” Twig said, still shivering. “Even my carabase couldn’t take the cold.”
Shining smirked at he wrapped a scarf around his neck and put shades on his eyes with his magic. “That’s what these are for.”
“But Shining.” Cadance tried walking up to him, but stumbled right into Twig, who only stood still.
“Boy, Princess," Twig said. "you’re not looking that good.”
Shawn tapped his chin. “Hey, how about we go, Shining can stay here while we-”
Shining shook his head. “Oh no, Changelings are the last things she wants to see. You and the rest of your kind stay here while I take care of this.”
Shawn didn’t want to believe that. “But she’s gonna see the real us soon, so why don’t we do it now?”
“Listen, uh, subjects…” Cadance still felt a bit creeped out a by how she was the one in charge of the changelings now. “maybe it’s best that you and your siblings...disguise while Twilight’s here and let her-.”
“WHAT!?” They yelled.
Shawn shook his head. “B-But you said that-”
“I said that ponies need to know the real you when they are ready” Cadance laid on the ground, tired of standing. “and I doubt Twilight will understand all of this, especially when I heard her trying to understand that other changeling. Not only that, but knowing creatures like you are here just adds to the stress she has over this test.”
Shawn crossed his arms. “Well, if she can’t handle bugs like us, then she can take that test and shove it up her-”
“Ahem.”
Shawn turned around to see that Twilight’s brother was still in the room. Knowing this he turned back to Cadance and smiled. “Um...s-she can take the test just fine without our help...heh..eh…” He coughed. “B-But what about the other ponies, they’re just fine with us being here.”
Cadance rested her head on her arms. “Listen, changelings. You’ve done enough so far, all you need to do is let Twilight work this out. Then, once she’s gone, you can be yourselves again.”
Twig scuffed the floor. “But I hate disguising. It makes me feel weird.”
Shawn nodded. “And what if she finds out on her own?”
Cadance knew lying to Twilight was bad, but if she told her about these bugs being here, it would make the mare’s brain snap. “We’ll keep it secret.” Cadance got back up. “Because no one, and I mean no one besides me, Shining, and the crystal ponies can know you guys are here.”
Shawn put his hooves together. “But Princess.”
“That’s an order General.” Cadance flinched and laid on the ground again.
Shawn and Twig looked at each other before looking at Shining, who only sighed and said, “Do what she says. If you need me, I’ll be getting Twilight.” With that he closed the door and left the two changelings and alicorn.
Twig sighed. “Whelp, guess we’re going camo again…”
Shawn patted his back. “I’m sure it’ll be fine, right princess?”
Cadance wasn’t sure how to answer that. She decided that changing the topic would be better. “Um...I’m sure it will...D-Do you think you can help me up, I’d really like to see Twilight as soon as she gets here.”
Twig stuck his tongue out and saluted. “You got it chief!” Twig lifted the alicorn on his back and smiled. “To the front gates!”
Cadance was too tired to care and decided to go with it. She looked over at Shawn who was looking outside. “Be sure to tell the others about everything, alright Shawn...Shawn?”
Shawn snapped out of his trance and looked back at Cadance. “Y-Yeah, I’ll be right on that! J-Just need to go over my notes!” He laughed nervously and turned back to his clipboard.
Cadance didn’t seem to care as she turned back to Twig. “So, why are you so big? If you don’t mind me asking.”
“It’s a long and painful story!” Twig started.
Once they were gone, Shawn flipped through the pages and looked at his last line of notes, still completely at a loss as to how he should go about them, because there, in green ink, it said something that made him question everything that got him here. He gulped and took the parchment that was attached and looked over the notes one more time, the ones he didn’t read to Cadance, the one’s he didn’t write, the ones that Chrysalis wrote for him instead. He shook his head and put them back in with the rest of the notes, Knowing what he had to do.
“Don't worry, Chrysalis. We wont let you down...not again."