//------------------------------// // A Canterlot Wedding (Part 1) // Story: My Little Pony: Sora's Misadventures in Equestria // by Codex92 //------------------------------// A week of traveling through space was pretty boring for Riku, occasionally making a few stops on other worlds for a while to gather any supplies he needed and rest from flying around for hours on end. The teen looked at his map, noting how far this new world Yen Sid had known about from even the farthest of worlds that seemed closer than this one. He had spent nearly away from his best friend/rival, though that wasn't as bad as knowing Sora was kept in a comatose state for almost a year, his memories being put back together after he climbed up to the top of Castle Oblivion. How he didn't lose his own was a mystery, but since he had to climb up from the deepest part of the basement in that castle, it didn't seem to count as he escaped from the darkness and back into the light. Eventually, his ship finally came upon the far off world, recognizing the same design like it was in the book. "There it is. Wonder what Sora's been doing here in this world. I bet he's probably gone insane from a lack of a challenge." As Riku steered the ship up toward the castle, he couldn't help but wonder what his master meant about meeting with as well as Riku. "Did Kairi know where Sora went to? Is that why I haven't seen her back at the tower or on the islands?" His lips curled into a smirk. "Did those two finally get together when I wasn't around? Heheh. Sora, you're going to be teased three ways from next year." Flying the Gummi ship into the world's atmosphere, Riku felt his body change from his magic, fitting him in to the world's inhabitants. He didn't pay it much attention as he flew down toward the castle. Unfortunately, there was a large pink barrier that surrounded the entire palace and the city it stood before on the mountainside. Because of this important event that shouldn't be disturbed, this world's ruler must have taken precautions to keep the peace and keep out the intruders that threatened to enter. He flew his ship down to a flat stretch of land at the base of the mountain, making sure no one noticed the odd spaceship hovering down to their planet. After landing the Gummi ship, cloaking it to keep it hidden from the unknown inhabitants, Riku got up from his seat. He suddenly fell flat on his face, groaning in pain as he had somehow lost his footing. His limbs trembled as he tried to sit himself up, and as he looked down at his hands, they were now hooves. This time he let out a groan of annoyance, forced to learn to walk on all fours with his transformed body, approaching the mirror placed in his cockpit. He got a good look at himself, brushing some of his bangs out of his face. "Oh, great." Riku stared at his new form in this world: a white pony with big blue-green eyes, his silver hair still stayed the same style and his white and black vest remained unchanged, though he was lacking any other clothing below his waist. He shuffled as he felt something shift around his sides, turning to his side as he spotted a pair of wings, having turned into a pegasus. What made him flinch, however, was what was on his flanks, which looked like a tattoo of his Keyblade, Way to the Dawn. It matched his weapon perfectly: the blade a red, purple, and blue, almost looking like a demonic wing, the teeth an angel wing, and the guard is curved around the hilt with an angel and demonic wing. "...This is...weird. I'm a horse...or, pegasus...and I have an odd tattoo of my Keyblade...on my butt." After pondering the odd mark that was on his behind, he finally steered his vision away from his new body, reminding himself of his mission to help this world's ruler. Riku left his ship and looked up at the protected castle. He looked down at his wings, moving them about as if he had known how to control them since he was born. Giving them a test flap, they responded well to his movements, leaping up and hovering in the air for a little. After getting a feel to flying, he rose up the mountain to the protected city. Riku landed near the entrance to the city, noticing a few stallions in gold armor protecting the gates outside of the barrier. Before he could walk through, the guards crossed their spears, barring him from entry. "Halt!" one of the said. "State your business being here in Canterlot!" "'Canterlot'? Odd name for a city." Riku sighed, knowing he was probably going to be searched by the guards before they allow him access inside. "I'm here to see your kingdom's leader. I have an important meeting with him...or her. Whoever's in charge." "What business do you have with the princess?" the second guard questioned. "It's about the threatening message your princess received some time ago." The guards pointed their spears at Riku, assuming him as the one who sent the threat. "I'm here to help you guys, not cause any harm!" "Then step through the barrier," the first guard said, both armored stallions bringing their weapons back to their sides. "Our captain's magical bubble is keeping Canterlot and the castle safe ever since we had received the threat. It pushes out anypony with evil intentions, keeping those who wish to ruin the royal wedding between our captain and his fiancée." After hearing what the barrier was meant to do, Riku swallowed the lump in his throat, hoping he wasn't considered one of those evildoers. "Go through and we'll see. If you don't pass, then I suggest you leave or risk getting taken into custody if you want to pick a fight." The teen took in a deep breath, easing his nerves and praying with all his might that his darkness wouldn't prevent him from entering. He slowly approached the magic barrier, feeling the defensive shield pulse as it was strengthened by whoever their captain was. Riku shut his eyes tightly as he shakily pushed his hoof into it. His foreleg passed through, the rest of him slowly walking through, cringing in anticipation for an alarm to blare out or to be forcefully shoved out. He made it all the way through, the guards grumbling in annoyance as the stallion was telling the truth. "Darn it. You're allowed into the city, but don't hope you can enter the castle so easily with all the preparations slowly being made for the wedding." The guards stood back at their posts, Riku breathing a sigh of relief as he walked through the streets of Canterlot. "That was close," the teen uttered. "I thought for sure that barrier would have sensed my darkness, even if it is controlled...And it's a royal wedding between the guards' captain and a princess." As Riku wandered around the city, aside from the rich noble ponies acting haughty and high above those without any money, there were several guards stationed every few blocks on the roads, observing every pony that passed them. "No wonder security's this tight. Anything royalty does always attracts attention, and if the threat is to hold the bride hostage, then whoever wants to ruin this wedding must want a big ransom or rule over this world." The Keyblade wielder made his way through the streets until he reached the castle. There were a lot more guards keeping watch of the walls protecting the palace, which meant there was no way he could just walk through the gates and see the princess. Although, a princess ruling the kingdom was odd for Riku, most kingdoms he knew of ruled by a king or queen, not the offspring of said king or queen. If he was going to meet with this princess, unsure if the ruler was the captain's fiancée or not, he was going to have to sneak in. Riku walked along the walls, nonchalantly passing by as his eyes scanned for an opening. He found his chance around the back of the castle, leaping up over the wall and running into the gardens. Sneaking past the guards by hiding in the foliage, he crept inside the castle, which didn't have many guards patrolling on the inside. In fact, the halls were all surprisingly empty: no maids, no servants, no nobles or guests, at least not in the halls. Riku spent a while wandering around, trying to figure out where to find the throne room or even the princess's bedchambers. He managed to find the throne room, entering through the massive doors, and no one was around. Riku figured everyone inside must be busy setting the wedding up in a different section of the castle, or they were out to get those supplies. Deciding to take a look around, he looked at the window murals, the sun shining through them as they told some kind of tale of the kingdom's past. He raised a brow as he saw a couple of them that had Sora in them, one where he and six other mares beat a dark winged unicorn, or horned pegasus, and another where he attacked an odd looking creature that could make a zoo with all the different animal limbs and appendages, though his jacket was a rainbow with seven Keyblades around him. "Sora, did you meddle with this world? Full of talking horses?" While he stared at the mural, his ears perked up at the sound of hooves clacking from the throne room doors. Acting in self defense, he stood on his hind legs and summoned his Keyblade, holding his weapon next to his head while his left forehoof pointed at the guard. "Who's there!?" "I think I should be asking you the same thing." Instead of it being a royal guard, Riku stared at a pink mare, though unlike the unicorns he had seen outside, she had a horn and a pair of wings. Her mane and tail were in yellow, dark pink, and lavender streaks, wearing royal gold regalia. "Who are you?" "...Are...you the princess of this castle?" Riku asked, lowering his guard a little. "No, though my aunt is. What do you want with her?" she asked. "I've been called to help her with the one who threatened to attack the castle during this wedding I heard about." He didn't notice the mare's frown deepen for a second as he looked back at the windows. When he looked back at her, he fell back on all fours, dismissing his Keyblade, which had shocked the mare for a moment. "Just make sure not to try to sneak up on me. I get a bit jumpy." "...I see," she said nervously. "So...who's the captain of the guard marrying? Your aunt?" Riku asked. "No. That would be me. I'm the bride-to-be." The Keyblade wielder was a little surprised, though it did make more sense since this pony was pretty beautiful. "So, you've come to help the other guards protect my wedding from the...threat?" "Yes, ma'am. My name's Riku," he said as he bowed to the princess, showing his respect as he introduced himself. "Don't let my age fool you. I'm a powerful warrior where I'm from." "Yes...especially with that...sword of yours that mysteriously disappeared." The teen mentally facepalmed, or facehooved with his new body in this world. "I'll show you to Aunt Celestia. She and my future husband could use some extra help." "Thank you...Umm, I don't think I got your name, your highness," Riku said. "...Mi Amore Cadenza. That is my name," she said, walking over to the throne room doors. Riku followed after her, Cadenza leading the pegasus down to a corridor, though not in the direction where Celestia was currently at right now. Her lavender eyes flashed green for a brief moment, looking back at the teen who had come to help her. She stopped in front of a random room after traversing through a few corridors, reaching into the back section of the castle. "She's just through here, checking any other RSVPs from actual guests for my special day." "Thank you, Princess Cadenza." Riku opened the doors and stepped inside, but it was just an empty room. "Wait, your highness, I thought you said-" Suddenly, Riku was shot with a beam of green magic aimed right at the back of his head, rendering him unconscious as he flew into the wall. Cadenza slowly stepped inside, giggling maliciously as she slowly closed the doors. "You're not going to ruin my special day, Riku," she said coldly. "I've waited a long while for this moment." It was a beautiful day in Ponyville as the gang decided to have themselves a picnic out in an empty field, enjoying the cloudless sunny sky while snacking on some food they brought. Donald and Goofy had to return back to their world after returning back to Ponyville from Spike's dragon quest, though not without getting a sample of some of the cider Sora still saved after Cider Season a couple months ago. As disappointed as they were hearing that this cider was only made once every year, the two couldn't wait until Cider Season came up next year, hoping to buy themselves a barrel to share with King Mickey and their other friends back home. While the mares were busy conversing and eating sandwiches, Sora looked over at Canterlot far in the distance on the mountainside. It was odd that no one else seemed to notice the strange pink bubble that surrounded the entire city. He didn't have to ponder on it much when everyone heard Spike running up to them from Ponyville. "Guys!" the baby dragon called out, panting and wheezing as he tried to catch his breath. "H-Hey...T-There's a...Phew! Hold on. Gotta...catch my-" Spike's cheeks suddenly puffed out as he belched out green flames, a letter from Celestia appearing on the picnic blanket. Twilight unrolled the scroll and read what was written out loud to everyone. "'Dear Twilight, I am sure all of you are just as excited as I am about the upcoming wedding in Canterlot.'" Everyone looked at each other in confusion, except for Spike as he struggled to breath after forcefully burping, none of them having no clue about this wedding. "Weird. I wasn't informed about any weddings." "Maybe it was that one letter that dragon Garble threw in the lava pool back in the Dragon Lands," Sora said. "I hope it wasn't," Twilight said, loathing how careless those dragons were. "'I will be presiding over the ceremony, but I would like to have you and your friends help with preparations for this occasion. Fluttershy, I would like you and your songbird choir to perform the music.'" "Oh my," Fluttershy gasped. "Such an honor." "'Pinkie Pie, I don't think there would be anypony else who could host a perfect reception like you.'" Pinkie cheered and cartwheeled all over the place, Kairi quickly pulling a plate with a cake on it away from her tumbling before she ruined it. "'Applejack, you'll be in charge of the catering.'" "Great! Finally, every one of them hoity toity types who will attend will finally taste what real food tastes like!" The others agreed, unable to wait to taste what the farm mare would make. "Pth. Count me out. Weddings are boring," Rainbow said with a yawn. "'Rainbow Dash, I would appreciate if you could perform your sonic rainboom after the bride and groom speak their vows.'" The cyan pegasus stuffed her hoof in her mouth as she yawned after hearing her being asked to pull off the sonic rainboom for the engaged couple. "...I take it back! This wedding's going to be awesome!" she cheered. "'Rarity will be responsible for designing the dresses for the bride and her bridesmaids.'" Rarity stammered, seeming delirious at such an important job. She soon passed out on the grass with a wide grin on her face. "'Sora and Kairi will help out with anything the others need, along with making sure the bride and groom are protected from any suspicious activities.'" "Suspicious activities?" Sora asked. "Considering this is a royal wedding, Sora, I think some ponies might try to do something to hold the couple hostage," Kairi said. "Or maybe Heartless could appear if they can sense the strong hearts radiating love from the couple." "But we have that and they haven't attacked us yet," Sora joked, wrapping a wing around the pink unicorn's back. "'And for you, Twilight, you'll play the most important role for the wedding: Make sure everything is going according to plan. See you all very soon. Princess Celestia.'" Twilight stared at the letter in confusion, flipping it around to see if there was anything else she missed. "But, I don't get it. Who's getting married?" "Oh. I think I was supposed to give you this first," Spike said, grinning sheepishly as he pulled out another scroll. The lavender unicorn rolled her eyes, Sora snickering at her reaction as he took a sip of punch. "'Princess Celestia cordially invites you to the wedding of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and-'" Twilight gasped at who was going to be marrying this princess. "My brother!?" Sora nearly choked on his drink, turning his face away from everyone as he did a spit take, the others just as shocked as he was. "You have a brother!? Since when!?" "Oh yeah. We didn't mention him at all since we came to Ponyville," Spike said. "He's more Twilight's actual brother than mine, since I'm not a pony and all." "Well, congratulations, Twilight," Kairi said. "Your brother's going to marry a princess. That's great news!" "...Yeah. Great," Twilight sarcastically said, lowering the letter to reveal her digruntled expression. "He is such an idiot! He couldn't bother to tell me about the wedding himself, but instead, he sends me a stupid wedding invitation! A piece of paper! Thanks alot, Shining Armor!" The unicorn stomped around the picnic blanket, levitating a sandwich that comically looked like a face. "I mean, honestly, how hard is it to tell me personally!?" She then used her magic to move the food like it was talking, deepening her voice to sound like a male. "'Hey, Twilight, I thought I'd let you know I'm going to make an important decision in my life that could change everything. Oh! Never mind! I'll just give you a letter cause I'm the biggest doofus on the face of Equestria and don't share everything with my sister like I always did when you were a filly!'" Twilight slammed the sandwich to the ground, wasting a good amount of food while snorting angrily. "...Uhh, Twilight? You got some issues with your brother or something?" Sora asked. "...No," she sighed, her anger melting away to disappointment. "Shining Armor and I have been so close ever since we were young. He's my B.B.B.F.F." Twilight was met with silence, everyone except for Spike staring at her in confusion over the odd acronym she made up. "...Big Brother Best Friend Forever." The ponies now understood what it meant, but that only made the lavender mare sigh sadly. "Before I came here and learned about friendship from all of you, Shining Armor was the only pony I ever accepted as a friend when I was little." Sad music began to play around them as Twilight looked at Canterlot sadly. A bird flew down to her, stretching her hoof out for it to land and nuzzled it. [Twilight] When I was just a filly, I found it rather silly To see how many other ponies I could meet I had my books to read, didn't know that I would ever need Other ponies to make my life complete But there was one colt that I cared for I knew he would be there for me My big brother, best friend forever! Like two peas in a pod, we did everything together He taught me how to fly a kite (Best friend forever!) We never had a single fight (We did everything together!) We shared our hopes, we shared our dreams I miss him more than I realized It seems... [Pinkie, Rainbow, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, Sora, Kairi] Your big brother, best friend forever Like two peas in a pod, you did everything together [Twilight] And though he's, oh, so far away I hoped that he would stay My big brother best friend Forever... Forever... Tears fell down Twilight's cheeks as she looked up at the castle when the song ended. Sora felt bad for her, not really knowing what it was like to have an older sibling, but from seeing the relationships between Applejack and Rarity and their little sisters, she really looked up to Shining Armor. He approached the sad unicorn, placing a hoof on her shoulder. "Hey, don't worry, Twilight," Sora assured Twilight. "I'm pretty sure he misses you too. And you should really be happy for him. He's lucky enough to marry a princess!...Whoever this Mi Amore Cadenza is." "Maybe." Twilight dried away her tears as they headed back to the others. "My brother is pretty special though. They don't let just anyone be captain of the royal guard." The stallion blanched and looked at Twilight in utter shock. Thoughts around Sora's first week in Equestria came back to him, meeting the royal guards after being accused as a threat to the entire kingdom when the Heartless appeared. That white stallion in the gold and purple armor was the captain. That captain was Shining Armor. Shining Armor was Twilight's brother. Her brother had a vendetta against him, still suspicious of him and his abilities, and that same stallion was his unicorn friend's brother. "...Please tell me you're joking," Sora pleaded. "No. He's the captain of the royal guard. Unlike the others with their gold armor, his rank his known with his purple and gold suit of armor. He even lead a group to Ponyville to find the stallion who was leading the Heart-" Twilight froze, the others all staring at Sora, the unicorn now realizing that her brother and the pegasus stallion had met before. She looked at him, seeing his face turned a bit pale. "...Oh...That was you..." "Yup. I met your brother alright," Sora said. "This is gonna be a fun little reunion." As the ponies and baby dragon got on the train headed for Canterlot, most of the group were excited about the wedding. Twilight was still peeved at her brother, having information on his daily life withheld from her, almost going around borderline obsession over the stallion. Sora fidgeted in his seat, knowing just how awkward it was going to be to officially meet Shining Armor, though he had a feeling there was going to be some confrontation, but it would be between him and the unicorn stallion or Twilight and her brother. He hoped it would be the latter. Kairi sat down next to her boyfriend, a little curious as to how ended up meeting Shining Armor without knowing who he was. "So, Sora, what exactly happened to you after you crash landed here in Equestria?" "You can thank Rainbow Dash for introducing me to Twilight's brother," he said, Rainbow hearing him from a seats ahead, sinking to the ground as she nervously chuckled. "When the Heartless first showed up, they got Rainbow and almost killed her. I helped her, but she thought I was working with them when she clearly saw me fighting them off. She called the guard, they managed to catch me and put me in chains after saving her again from the Heartless, and I met Princess Celestia that same day. I would have gone willingly not to cause anymore trouble, but SOMEONE had to instigate Shining and his comrades to chase after me!" "I said I was sorry!" Rainbow shouted. "Please don't bring that up again!" "Too late!" Sora laughed as the cyan mare groaned, never letting that first week knowing him go away. "When I was captured, Shining was a bit...violent. I took the hits though, just messing with him a little bit." "Then why didn't you try to escape?" Kairi asked, making the pegasus frown. "You know you could have gotten out easily, right?" "...I could have, but being around authority with magic none of them had ever seen before, trying to break out?" Sora gently poked Kairi's forehead. "I think you can put two and two together and get the solution to that problem." "...Right. I see what you mean." The train chugged up along the mountain and reached the magnificent capital city of Canterlot. The locomotive passed through the magic barrier, everyone gasping in surprise as they phased through the pink bubble. "Whoa. What was that?" "Didn't you notice Canterlot was protected by that shield back in Ponyville?" Sora asked. "It must be a barrier to keep out uninvited guests, if you know what I mean." The train stopped at the station, which was packed with royal guards. The group left the car, being cautious of the stoic stallions on full alert for any suspicious activity, though a majority of them looked at Sora. "Well, this really is gonna be a fun reunion. Can't blame these guys for being on patrol every single minute of the day. Weddings seem to bring out the weirdest of people." Pinkie suddenly sneezed, shooting confetti out of her nose, though not minding it as she bounced on into the city. "...Or someone like Pinkie Pie." "You girls all go on ahead and help get things started for the wedding," Twilight said as she went on ahead. "I got a brother to 'congratulate'." Sora and Kairi caught up with Twilight, passing through the streets until they reached the castle. The guards recognized Twilight and let her through, the trio entering the courtyard as they saw the captain ordering his soldiers to different posts on the balcony above the entrance to the castle. "Shining Armor! I got a bone to pick with you, mister!" "Huh? Twily!" Shining Armor took off his helmet and looked down to see his sister. "You finally-" The captain stopped as he saw Sora, his happiness replaced with anger as he leapt down to them with his spear in his aura. "You again!? Why are you here!?" "Oh boy. Here we go." Sora was about ready to defend himself, but Twilight stepped in front of him. "Shining Armor, Sora is here, as a friend. He is not the enemy!" she said. "He's caused trouble with my soldiers when he fled from us in Ponyville!" Shining argued. "I know Celestia gave an order not to attack him, but I'm not letting somepony with strange magic like his come in and ruin the wedding!" "He's here to help, and he's not dangerous!" Twilight argued back. "He's saved me and my friends several times in the past year, and he and Kairi are going to help keep this wedding going, which I don't think I rightly approve!" The lavender unicorn grabbed Shining's spear and tossed it aside, the older sibling backing away as his little sister was more dangerous than the teen he still didn't trust. "How dare you not tell me about the wedding, Shining!? I'm your sister!" "B-But, Twily-" Twilight pressed a hoof to her brother's lips, silencing any protests he had. "No more stuff against Sora! I demand an explanation for all of this written on a piece of paper!" she shouted. Shining Armor sighed in defeat, putting his grudge on Sora behind him for now. "Sorry, sis. But I've been really busy. You've seen all the security around the city and castle, right?" "Why yes. I have. From a mile away," Twilight grumbled. "A big wedding's coming up, with you and some princess." "That's not exactly the major problem. The princess had received a threatening letter, where the sender plans on trying to take over Canterlot, or whatever it is they plan to do. I've been assigned to give additional protection, which you need to see." Shining Armor took in a deep breath and charged magic into his horn. Aiming his appendage up to the sky, a pink beam of light shot up and hit the barrier, the energy in it growing stronger to better protect the city. After the spell was cast, Twilight, Sora, and Kairi watched as the captain cringed, rubbing his head as he received a headache from releasing the powerful spell. "It's been my top priority to protect Canterlot until this blows over." "...Oh. I see. I can see how important it is to protect Canterlot." Shining lead the three through the castle until they reached an archway after he gave his demonstration on strengthening the barrier he created. "Do you even know who's threatening the kingdom?" "I thought that it would have been him," the unicorn stallion grumbled, looking back at Sora. "But he passed through my barrier, which means he isn't the threat I thought he was." "You know, if you want my help, you're going to have to be nicer to me," Sora said. "I did help save Equestria a few times in the past, so I deserve at least a helmet so all your troops know I'm the good guy." "Don't you start with me," Shining warned. "Shining Armor, stop it. Without Sora, we would have suffered under eternal darkness and chaos." The captain winced, hating having to argue with his little sister. "I'm still upset that you didn't even tell me you were getting married. Am I not important to you anymore?" "Of course you are." Shining hugged Twilight, nuzzling his baby sister. "You're my little sister. You're always important to me, no matter what." He pulled away and smirked at her. "But, I can understand if you don't want to come to my wedding and be my best mare." "B-Best mare!? Me!?" The stallion nodded, getting pulled into a tighter hug by his sister. "I'd be honored!" Twilight quickly shoved him away, back to being the angry little sister. "But I'm still mad at you! You're marrying somepony I don't even know! Who the hay is this 'Princess Mi Amore Cadenza'!? I don't know anypony like that!" Shining only chuckled at Twilight's response, only further confusing her. "Twilight, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza is your old foalsitter, Cadence." "...C-Cadence? Really?" Twilight smiled, Sora and Kairi having no clue who they were talking about. "Oh my gosh! Cadence is only the most amazing foalsitter in the history of ever!" "Who's Cadence?" Kairi asked. Shining pulled out a few pictures from inside his armor, holding them to Sora and Kairi. "This is Cadence. She foalsat Twily for our parents, and we were a couple growing up in school. She doesn't really like using her full name all that much and goes by Cadence. I'm a little surprised Twilight didn't realize it until I told her." Twilight blushed in embarrassment, Sora and Kairi looking over the pictures. In all of them, they showed a pink alicorn mare, her hair and tail streaked purple, yellow, and dark pink. Her mane was tied in a pony tail, looking about as young as the Keyblade wielders in the photos. One alluring pose of Cadence winking to the camera, something clearly meant for Shining to ogle at to remember his lover, they saw her cutie mark, which was a blue heart that seemed to be made out of crystal. The other pictures had her with Shining Armor as a teenager, filly Twilight, and even with their parents and Celestia. "Wow. You're a lucky stallion, Shining Armor," Sora complimented. "I sure am. Cadence is wonderful. She's sweet, beautiful, kind-hearted, beautiful, smart-" As Shining got lost in his bride-to-be's beauty, Kairi quickly shoved the pictures back to him, stopping his lovesick ranting. "We get it. She's beautiful," Kairi giggled. "And she has unique magical power!" Twilight added. "What other unicorn can spread love wherever she goes!? Nopony but Cadence, and my brother's marrying her!" The lavender unicorn began bouncing around Shining like a little filly excited about getting a new doll. "You're marrying Cadence~! You're marrying Cadence~!" She soon bumped into the pink alicorn they were talking about, though her hair was longer and hung down almost to her hooves. "Am I interrupting something?" "Cadence!" Twilight then began to do some odd dance, like it was a kind of greeting. "Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!" As she singsonged her child-like greeting with her ex-foalsitter, she pranced in place, then crouched low while covering her eyes, then sat back up, moving her forelegs forward to clap Cadence's hooves, which the alicorn didn't do, and ended it by turning around and shaking her rump at her. Sora nearly lost it at the last part, stifling his snickering when Twilight waggled her behind right in the alicorn's face. Unlike the other ponies amused by the hilarious motions the unicorn made, Cadence didn't seem all that interested, mostly annoyed, unlike how she appeared in the photos. "...What are you doing?" Cadence asked "Cadence, it's me! Twilight!" The alicorn just walked past Twilight, not even caring about her. Sora and Kairi found this odd. If Cadence loved to watch over Twilight when she was little, she had to have at least recognized her, but she didn't. The princess brushed past the Keyblade wielders, but as she did, Kairi felt something off about the alicorn. It might be due to her abilities as a Princess of Heart, but she sensed an air of cold-heartedness in her, not a single ounce of love to be seen from her heart. Cadence stood next to Shining Armor, her fiancé wrapping a hoof around her and nuzzled her lovingly. "I've got to get back to my station," he said. "While I'm working, Cadence is handling all of the preparations for the wedding. I think I speak for the both of us when I say we're both excited to have you here, Twilight. Isn't that right, hon?" "...Absolutely," Cadence said with a suspicious smirk. "Great. And, don't mind Sora or Kairi watching over your shoulder, Cadence. Princess Celestia assigned them to be our personal bodyguards, even though I can take care of myself." Sora rolled his eyes at the slight ego Shining had. "Is there somepony you prefer to watch you?" "Hmm..." Cadence looked between the two otherworldly stallion and mare. Her eyes trailed down to their flanks, looking at their cutie marks. Though she didn't show it through her expression, her wings fidgeted slightly out of nervousness, something Kairi seemed to notice. "...I don't think anything will go wrong. It's probably just a dumb prank some dumb colts pulled off to get some attention." "Well, whatever you say, Princess Cadence," Sora said, bowing to the alicorn. "Call me Princess Mi Amore Cadenza," Cadence corrected harshly. "Oh...Whatever you say, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza." Shining headed back to his post, while Mi Amore Cadenza walked off to another part of the castle. Sora and Kairi looked at each other, finding the pink alicorn's behavior quite odd when she stared at them. "Ok...She's really...demanding." "Yeah," Kairi agreed. "And...I can't help but feel like...something was wrong with her." "Of course there is," Twilight said. "My old foalsitter and future sister-in-law isn't who I thought she was back then." "Let's just make sure everything goes smoothly for your brother's wedding. Maybe he'll drop the whole misunderstanding of me back then and get to know the real me for once." Twilight and Sora went on ahead to oversee the preparations throughout the castle. Kairi couldn't help but feel like there was more to Cadence than she appeared to be. From her pictures, she seemed so nice, and Twilight looked up to her when she was little. Now, though, it seemed like she was rude, haughty, and didn't show any affection toward her future husband. What really bugged the Princess of Heart was her eyes: cold and uncaring, almost as if the mare was under a mask, pretending to be the mare that used to be who Twilight had known. She eventually shrugged her shoulders, thinking maybe the princess was going through a lot of stress making all the preparations by herself when Shining Armor was busy protecting the castle. She hurried and caught up with Sora and Twilight, hoping she was entirely wrong. Overseeing the wedding preparations was a great annoyance to Twilight. Everything was going perfectly well so far with what she managed to get checked off, but Cadence seemed to hate everything. First was Applejack's station, helping the chefs in the kitchen make the food for the reception. Her apple fritters were delicious as always, one stuffed in the lavender unicorn's mouth to snap her out of her grumpy mood. When the bride came in to check on the food, she tried one, but almost seemed disgusted after taking a bite, lying to Applejack about how much she "love-love-loved" them. Even when the farm mare gave Cadence a bag of the fritters to take, knowing how starving she must be for all the stress she's going through, Twilight watched her toss the bag in the trash before she left to check on anything else. When it came to checking on Rarity making the dresses for Cadence and her hoof picked bridesmaids, the demanding princess didn't like the unicorn's designs when it looked perfect enough for her. Kairi was with Twilight at the time, and when her bridesmaids thought they looked beautiful, Cadence overruled their opinions and demanded the train to be longer and a different color. What Kairi found odd was that the three mares the alicorn chose to be her bridesmaids didn't seem to be close friends to her, just some random ponies she picked out of the blue. Then came the party for the reception, Sora assisting Pinkie Pie with setting up her Pinkie Pie Style wedding reception. Though it seemed a bit childish, it could definitely liven up the wedding, everyone celebrating the newlyweds marriage and having fun at the same time. Though, when Cadence came to see how it was going, she practically insulted the party pony's reception relating to a six-year-old's birthday party. Pinkie took it as a compliment, ignorant of the fact that the pink alicorn bride hated it. Sora was shocked that someone who actually liked to watch over kids, especially Twilight when she was little, hated to be around a party like this. With none of the others needing assistance, the pegasus stallion wandered around the castle, hoping to find Celestia, or even Luna. "This is turning out to be a really stressful royal wedding," Sora muttered to himself. "Twilight isn't all that happy with every decision Cadence, or Mi Amore Cadenza, is making. And Shining said she hated to be called that, too." As he turned a corner, he accidentally bumped into Kairi, both teens falling over each other. "Oof! Sorry, Kairi." "No, it's fine," she said, Sora helping the unicorn back up on her hooves. "Quite a busy day, huh?" "More like stressful." The stallion scratched his head, recalling the fun party Pinkie planned that Cadence had disliked. "She didn't like the party Pinkie had planned out for the reception. I know it's more suited for...kids, but I thought it was fun. I know Cadence wants everything perfect, but she didn't have to be that harsh." "Well, she does have to make all the decisions for her big day on her own. Shining Armor's a bit too busy protecting the castle and the princess is the one who's going through all the stress." Sora nodded his head in agreement, knowing an event of grave importance resting on one's shoulders could be really taxing for one's nerves. It didn't help her knowing that there was someone who threatened to ruin their wedding and take over Canterlot. "In fact, I'm feeling a little stressed too." "Eh. We've fought Heartless a lot worse than having a drama princess bark out complaints on her special day." Sora looked down the hall, oblivious to the slightly confused expression on Kairi's face. "I wonder where Celestia's at. I'm curious about what exactly we're supposed to be on the lookout for. Barely any Heartless appeared in Canterlot, though they might with us being around until the wedding actually starts." Before he could walk down the hall Kairi had walked in from, the unicorn grabbed his shoulders and pulled him back, nuzzling his cheek. "That can wait for a little bit. I think the both of us deserve a little...'break', if you know what I mean?" "Uhh, I think our top priority is to-" Sora gasped as he felt one of her hooves tease one of his wings, pressing into a very sensitive spot that made him shudder. "Oh my...So much tension in your muscles," Kairi purred, kneading her hoof into his flaring wing while peppering his neck with soft kisses. "When have you ever truly relaxed, Sora?" "Mmmmf...K-Kairi..." She dragged the slowly relaxed teen off into an empty room in the corridor, unable to think clearly with the light stimulation from the massage he was receiving. "Shhhh," Kairi shushed, closing the door so no one would disturb them. Before Sora could protest, her assault on his outstretched wings continued, pressing him forward until he was on his hind legs, his back pressed against the wall. "Kiss me, stud." He didn't have much of a choice as the unicorn pressed her lips against his in a deep kiss. Sora began to grow lightheaded from the ministrations to his wings and the feel of his lover's soft lips. His eyes closed, giving in to the sensations, wrapping his hooves around Kairi. Lost in the passion, he didn't notice her eyes open up, her lips lightly curled in a smirk as her blue eyes turned green. Her horn began to glow a green aura, the magical spell she cast flowing into the pegasus's head. Later that evening, everyone gathered outside a cafe to relax after doing whatever Cadence requested for her wedding. Twilight came out of the building with her drink, sitting down with her friends with a scowl on her face. "I know what you're all thinking," she said. "Cadence is the worst bride-to-be ever!" "'Who, me?'" Spike asked in a high-pitched voice, holding onto a small figurine of the pink alicorn in a white dress. "Spike, that's supposed to be for the cake!" Applejack scolded. "Twilight, I don't know why you think Cadence is being awful," Rarity said. "She may be a little bossy, but this is a very special day for her. She just wants everything to go perfectly for her wedding and it's stressing her out." "That doesn't excuse her for what she did today!" Twilight argued. "Applejack, when Cadence said she 'love-love-loved' your hors d'eouvres, she threw the bag of food you gave her in the trash!" "...Ah think she was tryin' to spare mah feelings," Applejack said. "AJ, I don't think that counts for hiding how she felt about your cooking," Kairi said. "That's disrespecting your food and being insincere." "Well, Cadence did raise her voice at one of my birds during our rehearsal." Twilight was glad someone else thought she was rude, but her excitement died when Fluttershy brought one of her birds she had used for her bird choir. "But, he actually was singing a bit off-key." The bird let out a shrill chirp that made everyone cringe, though Sora didn't seem to be affected, almost staring off into space, his drink untouched. Twilight grew frustrated as the others didn't seem to agree with her: Pinkie ignored the unicorn and began playing around with Shining's wedding cake figurine, Spike assisting her as they mushed the figurine's faces together while making kissing noises, and Rainbow Dash was too busy practicing pulling off her sonic rainboom the whole day. "Darn it! Sora, Kairi, you two can-" As Twilight turned to face the Keyblade wielders, she noticed the blank expression on Sora's face. As soon as they all met up at the cafe, it looked like he was on autopilot. "Sora?...Sora!" The stallion snapped his head up and shook his head, somehow feeling a little dizzy. "Uhh, what? What were we talking about?" "Were you even paying attention!? Cadence has been acting awful to everypony, and she doesn't deserve to be with Shining Armor! Or anypony!" Twilight slammed her hooves down on the table, knocking everyone's drinks over. "...Maybe you're being a bit too possessive of your brother," Sora said, only angering the lavender mare further. "I am NOT possessive!" she screamed. "I can't believe all of you are too caught up with this stupid wedding, not realizing that there shouldn't even be a wedding!" Twilight ran off, leaving the others as she headed down the street to where her brother lived. "Sora's right. She's a little bit too possessive of her older brother." "It's quite a shame." Everyone turned to find Cadence walk out from behind the building, having overheard their conversation earlier. "I thought things were going so well, but I guess my stress has just gotten to me." "Sorry about Twilight, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza," Applejack said. "It's fine. She'll come around eventually," Cadence said. "But, I wanted to give you girls some good news. I've decided to make all of you my bridesmaids instead of those other three mares." The mares all gasped in surprise, finding it an incredible honor to being the princess's maids of honor. "But, what about your other bridesmaids?" Kairi asked. "Why did you let them go?" "I just thought it would be better if Twilight and her friends filled in while she stood by Shining as his best mare. Even you can be one of my bridesmaids, Kairi." As much as Kairi would love to be a maid of honor in a wedding, she didn't seem to trust Cadence all that much to stand by her side. "Thanks, but I'd rather be part of the royal guard and keep watch over suspicious activity," Kairi said. "Whatever suits you. Now, why don't you girls get to work on those dresses before the wedding?" The mares all quickly ran back to the castle without another word, wanting to get started getting their bridesmaids dresses designed and fitted. "Quite eager. I'd better head back to Shining's before he realizes I ran off without telling him. He can be a little overprotective of me." Cadence flew off down the same path Twilight took, leaving the Keyblade wielding couple alone. Kairi noticed Sora was watching her leave with the same blank expression on his face. "Sora, are you ok?" she asked, lightly shaking the stallion out of his daze. "Huh?...Oh, uhh...yeah," Sora said, rubbing his head in confusion. "I think I'm just...tired...Did we do anything today?" "...Like, overseeing preparations for the wedding? No, not that I know of." Kairi began to grow suspicious, not having seen Sora after they met with Cadence for the first time. "Did we do anything?" "...I don't know..." Sora just sat in his seat, his mind drawing a blank as he tried to remember what happened. "...I'm probably going to get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow at the rehearsal ceremony." "Ok." As he stood up, Kairi gave him a light peck on the cheek. "Love you." Sora just grunted tiredly and headed back to the castle, somehow not returning the affection. As she watched him disappear down the road, the pink unicorn can't help but feel something was wrong with him. "Why did it feel like he wasn't really there? What is going on?" The next morning, Kairi headed for the wedding hall with the others, finally meeting Princess Celestia again as she waited for them. Twilight, unfortunately wasn't with them, either having slept in or didn't want to take part in the wedding anymore. While the mares took their places to practice the ceremony, the Keyblade Master approached the white alicorn princess. "Kairi. Good to see you again," Celestia greeted. "I'm glad you and Sora have come to help." "Yeah, though not everything seems to be in order." Kairi looked over at Sora, his expression more blank and empty as he just stood next to Shining Armor as one of his best ponies. "There's been no trouble so far, but I can't help but feel like it's already here." "I hope not. This wedding is important for my niece, and with Luna and I too busy looking over Canterlot to spot the threat from above, we need all the help we can get." Celestia looked around the wedding hall, almost concerned about something. "I thought that one of your friends would have shown up too, but he hasn't seemed to arrive yet." "Someone else was supposed to help us?" Kairi asked. "Yes. Yours and Sora's childhood friend, Riku." The unicorn gasped in shock. "Your master informed me that he was supposed to have been here a couple days ago, but I haven't heard of his presence since then. Maybe he got lost in another part of Equestria." "Riku was supposed to be here???" If Master Yen Sid sent Riku to Equestria, then whatever this threat was must have been serious if they needed all three of them here. Before she could question where their friend was, Celestia began the practice ceremony. Kairi stepped back to watch as their pony friends walked down the aisle, taking their places as Cadence's bridesmaids. Soon, Cadence came in, a couple guards opening the doors for her as she walked down to her husband-to-be, Shining grinning as she stood before him. "Ok, then I will say a few words and you two will say your vows," Celestia said, watching her niece and future nephew-in-law nuzzle each other. She turned over to where Twilight was supposed to be as the best mare, but she was nowhere to be seen. "Where's Twilight?" The doors slammed open, Twilight standing defiantly behind them as her magic seemed to have crush the guards standing at attention from inside. "I'm right here! And I am NOT going to be standing next to her!" Shining Armor cringed, chuckling nervously as he looked over at Cadence, unamused by Twilight's outburst. "I'm sorry. I don't know what's gotten into her." "Maybe we should just ignore her," she said, yelping in surprise as Twilight appeared in front of her. "I have something important to say! Cadence is evil!" She walked toward the pink alicorn, Cadence backpedaling away from Twilight as the others stared at the unicorn in shock. "You've been mean to my friends, you did something to your bridesmaids, and you clearly did something to my brother that made his eyes do this!" Twilight turned to everyone and rolled her eyes around in opposite spirals. "She cast some kind of spell that did that to him, and she's nothing but evil!" She turned back to Cadence and smirked at her after calling her out. Tears welled up in the alicorn's eyes as she struggled not to break down. "W-Why are you doing this to me!?" she asked, unable to hold back a sob. "Because you're evil!" The bride ran out of the wedding hall crying her eyes out, Twilight teleporting at the entryway, feeling proud for getting rid of the mare that would ruin her brother's life. "EVIL!" She turned back to tell the others everything was fine, only to bump into Shining Armor. The stallion was not happy at all, leering at his little sister, everyone else staring at Twilight in disappointment except for Kairi. "You want to know why my eyes went all-" Shining rolled his eyes around like she had done earlier, regretting it as he winced, clutching his head with a hoof. "Because of my protection spell! I have to use up so much of my mana and focus on keeping the barrier strong, and I get terrible migraines after each top off! She wasn't casting spells on me! She was using her magic to HEAL me!" "B-But she-" The unicorn stallion interrupted her, not wanting to hear her poor excuses. "She replaced her bridesmaids because all they wanted to do was meet Canterlot royalty when they became a part of the wedding!" he continued scolding. "And maybe the reason why she's been acting up with you and your friends is because of the stress she's going through planning our wedding! Since I've been so busy, she's the one who has to make those decisions by herself! She wants our day to go perfectly, and it can't be helped if she lashes out because this is an important day for us, which doesn't seem to concern you at all!" Shining winced as his headache got worse, rubbing his temples to try and soothe the pounding in his head. "I was just-" "I don't want to hear it, Twilight!" he shouted. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to comfort my bride." Shining walked past her, stopping at the doorway. "You can forget about being my best mare." He turned his head to look at her, staring at Twilight with a resentful gaze. "In fact, if I were you, I wouldn't show up to the wedding at all." Kairi could practically hear Twilight's heart begin to crack as her brother spitefully kicked his little sister out of his wedding. Sure, she may have gone a bit too far, accusing Cadence without any physical proof of her being evil, but hearing her brother scolding her like that hurt her emotionally. Twilight said they never fought at all, over anything, only now it struck her hard, feeling like her brother would hate her forever. The lavender unicorn turned to her friends to back her up, but they were all on Shining's side. "Come on, y'all. Let's go check on the princess." Applejack lead the way, the others ignoring Twilight, only making her heart break all the more as her best friends didn't believe her. Even Sora was leaving with them, Kairi quickly running up to him to stop him. "Sora, what are you doing? Twilight's already emotionally wrecked after being told off by Shining Armor." "Twilight doesn't have any proof to the princess being evil," he said. "Princess Mi Amore Cadenza is just going through a lot of stress, just like you said, and she made it worse on her." "...When did I say that to you?" Kairi asked in confusion. "Rarity was the one who-" Sora walked past her, ignoring the pink unicorn as he hurried off to help the others with Cadence. Greatly confused, Kairi turned back to look at Twilight, Celestia beginning to walk out of the wedding hall with a disappointed look on her face. "You have a lot to think about," the princess said coldly, her heart shattered to pieces as she stared at Celestia with a broken expression on her face. The only ones left in the room were Twilight and Kairi, the former having lost all her friends' and mentor's faith in her, the latter highly confused and concerned about what had just happened. Twilight didn't acknowledge Kairi staying with her, thinking she would eventually leave her too as she turned away, approaching the small flight of steps where the bride and groom would stand before the audience later for the wedding. "Maybe I was too overprotective," Twilight muttered, collapsing on the steps, her voice breaking as her eyes welled up with tears. "I could have gained a sister. But instead...I just lost my brother..." [Twilight] He was my big brother best friend Forever... And now, we'll never do anything Together... Twilight began sobbing, regretful of her actions as she felt all alone. Kairi, being the only one who was able to give her that benefit of the doubt, approached the grieving unicorn and hugged her. Twilight buried her face in her shoulder and cried, Kairi soothing the upset mare as she let out her sorrow. Kairi couldn't believe how heartless Sora was being, knowing full well how much pain Twilight had been through in the past, and having her brother disown her, her friends shrugging off her warning like it meant nothing, and Celestia being disappointed in her for accusing her niece was far worse than losing her mind to a witch's manipulative spell. They heard hoofsteps echoing in the hall from the balcony. Kairi looked up and saw Cadence approach them, looking at Twilight with a look of forgiveness. The pink unicorn found it odd that the princess's eyes weren't bloodshot, or her face stained with tears. Twilight looked up, leaving Kairi's embrace as she approached Cadence. "I'm so sorry," Twilight apologized, begging for her forgiveness. While her head was bowed low, Kairi noticed Cadence's eyes flashed green for a second, her smile turning into a scowl as she leered at Twilight. "You will be." Her horn began glowing green, summoning a circle of green flames around Twilight, trapping her inside with no way to escape. Kairi leapt away before the fire burned her, gasping in shock as she watched her friend slowly be engulfed by the flames. "Twilight!" She summoned her Keyblade and tried to slash her way through, only for Cadence to shoot up a wall of green flames in front of her. As the fire disappeared, Twilight was nowhere to be seen, just the alicorn who was just as her friend said she was. "What did you do with her!?" "Another one of those magically appearing swords," Cadence said. "So you two are just like that other pony who showed up, claiming to 'protect' the castle from the threat." "I knew there was something up with you the moment you brushed past me the other day." The Keyblade wielder growled, both mares circling each other, waiting for their opponent to make the first move. "I'm guessing the other pony who arrived was Riku. What did you do to him?" "You'll meet the same fate as he has, as well as all of Equestria once my plan finally comes to fruition." Cadence lit up her horn again, surrounding Kairi in the same flames that engulfed Twilight earlier. Kairi tried to shoot Blizzard spells to douse out the fire, but they didn't go away. Not even slashing through them was any good, completely trapped. "Farewell, Kairi. You won't be missed, just like them." The fire created a dome around the unicorn, keeping her trapped inside as the flames made her sink down into the ground. The only thing she saw and heard before blacking out was Cadence cackling madly as she watched her be sent into the void her magic forced her into. Wherever she was being sent to, she hoped Twilight wasn't in any danger, or even Riku, whatever she did to hers and Sora's friend.