The sun’s rays reflected throughout the crystalline walls of Cadance’s castle. Cadance walked outside to her balcony to look at the radiant sun. That’s when she saw Twilight flying towards her castle. She smiled and went to her husband.
“Shining! Twilight’s coming!” She said to him. Shining Armor went over to see Twilight swoop into the castle’s hall via the balcony.
“Twily! What’s up-” Shining Armor was only met with a glare.
“Don’t Twily me, bucko!” Twilight stepped forward.
“H-hey! What’s this all about?” Shining Armor asked. Cadance looked to Twilight.
“Did you talk with Spike about the Changeling?” Cadance asked.
“Yes. I did.” Twilight didn’t pay attention to the Crystal Princess and marched right for Shining Armor.
“A-and?” Cadance asked her.
“He told me everything.” Twilight said. “How could you…” She muttered it out. “HOW COULD YOU!?” Twilight shouted as she sent a magical missile towards Shining Armor. He had created a shield in a split second, allowing the missile to explode harmlessly a few meters in front of him.
“Twily! What’s going on!?” Shining Armor asked.
“YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT’S GOING ON!” Twilight took flight and began to fire several blasts at Shining Armor. He created a new shield, this time with seven layers, each layer having a bluer shade than the last. However, the blasts managed to peel away the layers until it got to the final layer. “You could have just told Spike why you guys were uneasy around the Changeling!” She said.
“We did!” Cadance said.
“Oh, of course you did!” Twilight finally turned her attention to her sister-in-law, though mainly to lob a missile in her direction. Cadance just created a crystal shield that sprung from the ground and blocked the blast. “I didn’t realize telling off a baby dragon meant casting him out!” She fired another blast. “Labelling him a traitor!” Another blast. “BEATING HIM UP!” And one more blast destroyed the shield, knocking the princess off her hooves. “IS THAT HOW YOU REWARD THE SAVIOR OF THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE!?” Twilight trembled as steam came out of her snout.
Cadance got up. She knew just from the way she breathed that she was just angry. However, she just spoke one word that worked a thousand times faster than any spell she could have casted.
“What?” She asked. Twilight’s breathing slowed. “We just told Spike that we were uneasy… Right?” Cadance asked Shining.
“Y-yeah… We did.” Shining chuckled.
“Even so… You neglected to tell me your empire proceeded to harass my assistant and beat him up simply because of what friend he has. You neglected to stop that from happening.” Twilight said. Cadance
“Twilight… I had no idea that Spike was... When did it happen?” Cadance asked.
“Apparently when your loyal subjects formed a lynch mob.” Twilight said.
“They what!?” The two asked.
“… You two didn’t know?” Twilight gritted her teeth.
“No. We didn’t. We just presumed the Changeling understood and left. We didn’t realize that he was beaten up.” Cadance said.
“Real love you showed there.” Twilight muttered. “So you two turned a blind eye to the attack… Is that what I understand?” Twilight asked.
“…” Cadance looked down. “Y-yes… Forgive us, Twilight. We didn’t know what was happening outside the castle and…”
“… That’s… not entirely true.” Shining Armor spoke up. Twilight’s ears perked and she glared to him. “After Spike and the Changeling left, I spoke with the Royal Guard. I told them to keep a close eye on them and if anything got fishy, they’d stop the Changeling.” Shining Armor said. Twilight slowly stepped towards Shining Armor. “Spike received protection! They wouldn’t have let him get hurt! They treat him like a king!” He said.
“Oh, funny that.” Twilight’s horn flashed as they teleported herself and the royal couple out of the castle…
And right in front of the Spike Statue.
“Tell me… Does this look like treating someone like a king to you?” Twilight had the two stare directly at the statue. Cadance dropped her jaw as she saw a large red word plastered all over the statue.
“TRAITOR”
“Oh… My…” Cadance choked out a couple of indecipherable words. Even Shining Armor trembled a bit upon seeing the display on the statue.
“I saw this on my way here. Did this also happened under your nose?” Twilight growled.
“… Yes. I did. Twilight, I’m sorry-” Cadance muttered.
“You realize this could be an act of treason, right?” Twilight said. The two backed away, hearts pounding as one. “… I’m not going to treat it as such, however. I just… I’m just upset that you didn’t do anything about what happened to Spike.” Twilight walked over and noticed dried blood. It was a different shade of red compared to pony blood. More of a rich red… Dragon blood. It was still fresh. Next to it was a bit of green. She could tell that it was Changeling blood.
As soon as Cadance saw the bloodstains just near the bright shiny blue statue, she retched, her legs wobbling before she fell into Shining’s arms.
“The closest thing I ever have to a son… And you two just let him get pummeled along with the person who saved his life. How could you call yourselves a loving empire when you can barely tolerate a single bug?” Twilight said. That’s when Shining Armor spoke up.
“You know as well as the rest of us what the Changelings were capable of.” Shining Armor said. Twilight noticed some of the Crystal Ponies were gathering. She just shot a glance at them before they scattered.
“I know… And I confronted Spike about it too. He’s convinced that this Changeling is a good guy. And… I’m kind of convinced as well now that I see who the real villain here is.” Twilight said.
“Stop making us look like we’re in the wrong here! Spike could have easily let that Changeling spy on us if I didn’t force him out!” Shining said. That sentence alone caused a huge silence. Twilight frowned.
“… Again, what did you say?” She said.
“... I told the Royal Guard to keep a close eye on-”
“Stop!” Her horn flared up. “You said you forced him out! What did you mean by that!?” Twilight shouted.
“Alright! I told the Guards to kick out the Changeling… Maybe rough him up a bit to send him a message! I didn’t intend for them to form a lynch mob though! That was their idea! But you know, if it meant that we could prevent a Changeling invasion like what happened last time, I would fully encourage it!” That was all Shining Armor could say before Twilight hurled three magical darts at him, each hitting at the same time.
Shining Armor was too busy holding Cadance to block the strikes and he was knocked back. He skidded across the crystal flooring as Twilight safely levitated Cadance to the ground.
“Careful what you say around me, brother… The only reason I went toe-to-toe with Tirek was because I thought he killed Spike. Don’t push me by saying you’d let Spike get killed.” She said.
“I… I’d rather… this place be safe… then let some idiot kid… let those Changelings in our kingdom!” Shining Armor’s shields went up, but Twilight managed to teleport inside just before they activated. She fired a point blank beam into Shining Armor’s chest, knocking him right into his shield and bouncing him from the shield to Twilight. She created her own shield to knock Shining out of the way. She increased the shield’s size to pin Shining in-between both his and her own shields.
“Very poor choice of words.” She said. Before she could do anything else with the shields, two loose strands of rope snaked up and tied both her legs and Shining’s legs, tripping the two of them and landing on the ground.
“Stop this! Both of you!” Sunburst shouted as he raced to the two. He looked over to Cadance. “Hey, wake up…” He touched her slightly before she opened her eyes.
“Huh? What… What happened?” Cadance asked. Sunburst turned her away from the bloodstains to have her looked at the hogtied Twilight and Shining. “What happened!?” Cadance winced.
“Cadance, can you back me up in mediating them?” Sunburst asked.
“Y-yes…” She muttered. Sunburst went between the two and spoke up.
“This issue has caused a rift between most of the other Crystal Ponies here. I had to get away from my studies to break most of their quarreling apart. Twilight, the reason these two didn’t do anything about Spike was because they were too busy with Princess Flurry Heart.” He paused and allowed Twilight a moment. He bit his lip, worried that she’d curse the baby under her mouth, but instead, she simply muttered.
“… I understand.” She said. Sunburst then turned to Shining.
“I was there when the lynch mob formed. The guards escorted Spike and the Changeling from a distance. When the mob formed, they tried to rush in to break up the crowd, but the group already gotten a few hits in. I managed to stop the ponies from causing any longing damage to the two.” He said. Shining Armor merely shed a tear.
“Thank Celestia…” He muttered. Sunburst sighed.
“You two just need to talk out your problems. Twilight said her piece. Now you say yours.” Sunburst said to Shining Armor.
“… I got caught up in the moment… I never told the guards to rough up the Changeling. But a part of me wished I did. Those monsters nearly destroyed everyone I held dear. My family, my friends, my kingdom… And I was nothing more than their pawn…” Shining said.
“But they were manipulating you…” Twilight said.
“I know… But there was a moment where I could have stopped all of this…” Shining said. Twilight frowned, knowing very well what moment he was talking about.
“The rehearsal… But you were-”
“Not. Brainwashed. When I yelled at you, I was thinking clearly… Well, as clear as somepony blinded with rage… I could have believed in you, but I instead chose to side with the fake…” Shining said.
“No! You had every reason to side with her! I bucked up majorly back there! If I had been more specific with my deductions or gathered clues-”
“Would it have mattered? I was upset, I was furious. Reason and logic are the first things to go when rage is concerned.” Shining Armor said. He shivered quite a bit. “I’ve said things that, if things didn’t go the way they went, I would have never taken back. Every so often, I would have nightmares about what’d happen if you died after that rehearsal…” He said. Cadance frowned.
“He’s right. Sometimes he’d have night terrors over that incident and I’d have to comfort him. And… Well, whenever we go to weddings… They just remind him so much of what happened.” Cadance said.
“Hey, Twily, remembered back at your coronation, when I said that I had liquid pride?” Twilight nodded. “Well… I lied. When I was in that hall, I couldn’t help but be reminded of that moment when I shut you away… I mean, yeah, I was proud of you, but part of me couldn’t help but wonder what’d happen if what I said back there was the last conversation we’d ever have…” Shining then struggled a bit.
“Shining Armor… I…”
“No. You don’t have to apologize. What’s done was done and I’m glad I’m able to take back what I said. But I can’t forgive Chrysalis for what she did to us. I can’t forgive the Changelings for what they did to us. You might be extremely forgiving, but I’m not.” Shining Armor said.
“I understand that.” Twilight said. “I can’t exactly trust them too. But Spike does. He was willing to give his life for one. If he can trust them, then maybe we could-” Shining Armor shook his head.
“No. We can’t trust them even for a second. They’re Changelings. They can manipulate anyone and turn them against even their truest of friends. You’ve seen it firsthoof.” Shining Armor said.
“I know. I know…” Twilight gave a little bit of silence before she spoke up. “But we have a bigger problem than trusting one Changeling… The Changeling said that Queen Chrysalis is gathering an army.” Twilight said. Shining Armor smirked.
“Perfect. Now we can go to war.” Shining Armor said.
“W-war?” Twilight raised her eyebrow.
“Oh, what? Being a princess isn’t all fun and games, you know. Sometimes you have to get your hooves dirty. You’ve seen the army she has. If we want to make sure Equestria has a safe future, we must destroy these Changelings.” He said.
“Shining Armor, you can’t be serious! We’re a loving and tolerant race! Even if they hurt us in the past, we shouldn’t just attack them just because someone’s getting an army together…” Twilight said.
“What happened to us could easily happen to any other pony and unless we fight them now, they’ll have no rest. They’ll have no love. They’ll have no hero to save them at the last minute. They’ll suffer if we don’t go to war!” Shining Armor said. He turned his gaze to Sunburst. “Now cut me loose before I have my guards come and untie me!” He barked.
“There’s going to be an inbound of refugees!” Twilight shouted. Just then, the entire area went silent. Twilight looked around to see not only Crystal Ponies with their jaws dropped, but also Cadance and Shining Armor. Sunburst only sulked. Twilight looked to Shining Armor. “The Changeling that came… Spike told me he left the hive with his family. There’s no doubt going to be more.” Twilight said. Shining Armor scowled.
“Shining… Honey…” Cadance weakly said. “Twilight’s right. We need to prioritize here. If what Twilight says is true, then we must not turn away these Changelings, but instead offer them sanctuary.”
“Offer sanctuary to the monsters that tortured you? Offer sanctuary to the monsters that nearly had you killed by your own sister-in-law!? Are you even making sense!?” Shining Armor asked.
“Trust me, I’m afraid of them, but I’m not going to turn away those who need a home. They feed on love, right? We could teach them that they don’t have to force us to feed them love…” Cadance said.
“I’ve been with Changelings longer than you or Twily… The only love they understand is through force! Either by sucking us dry or by turning into the ones their victims love and have them… And have them…” Shining Armor couldn’t take it anymore and started to cry. It took a few moments for the three realized what Shining Armor meant. Cadance went over to Shining Armor and covered him with her wing.
“… When did this happen?” Twilight asked.
“The night before the rehearsal. Right after she brainwashed me…” He choked up on his words. “Cadance… I’m… I’m sorry…” Shining Armor said.
“No, it’s okay… She fooled you…” She said.
“No… It’s not that… I… I was saving myself for… For when we…” He couldn’t continue and just sobbed. “I hate her! I hate her! I want her dead!” Twilight’s eyes began to water up. Shining Armor was supposed to be a strong and tough big brother. Now… Now he’s reduced to a sobbing mess.
“I… I can’t believe that happened to you…” Twilight said.
“This… This is going to happen to a lot of other ponies…” Shining Armor tried to stop crying. “Please… Help me make sure no pony has to suffer what I suffered through! I… I don’t want them to lose their family while they’re forced to love a fake.” Shining Armor said.
“We will, Shining Armor, don’t worry.” Sunburst came over and held Shining Armor. In the process, he untied the rope with his magic and did the same to Twilight’s. As the two were unbounded, Twilight ran over to Shining Armor and held him.
“I’m… I’m sorry…” She said.
“No… I’m sorry. I let my rage get the better of me… Again…” He said. Cadance nuzzled him and then spoke up.
“Here’s what we’ll do. I’m going to create a crystalline wall outside our empire to protect it from Chrysalis’ army. I’m sure she wants to take us on first so we’ll be ready for them. Next, we’ll have the Royal Guard inspect and vet the Changelings that come in, give them homes and security if they’re not allied with Chrysalis. We’ll figure out the rest from there. Right now, let’s take this one step at a time, alright, honey?” Cadance asked Shining Armor. He nodded as she gave him a peck on the cheek.
“Well, this is great! I’m glad I was able to help out.” Sunburst said. He then trotted away. Twilight went to Sunburst.
“Wait! What about Kevin? You know, the Changeling?” Twilight asked.
“Oh, right…” Sunburst adjusted his glasses. “I have him safe.” He said.
“Great! Where is he?” She asked.
“… All due respect, your majesty, but I don’t wish to disclose that information. The incident yesterday traumatized the poor thing. He even freaks out from my mere presence alone. I don’t want him to get even more freaked out just yet. He’s going to take some time before he realizes you are willing to accept him into the empire.” Sunburst said.
“Well, he has a family, so at least have his family come by too, okay?” Twilight asked.
“…” Sunburst looked over to the ruling couple. “I will trust you to do this.” With that, Sunburst left. Twilight smiled towards Shining Armor before her eyes widened.
“Oh right! Celestia will want to hear about Chrysalis’ plans! Well, take care, brother!” Twilight flew off. Shining was now with his wife as she used her magic to make the Spike Statue glow with bright baby blue light, melting away the graffiti.
“Cadance… Will you still love me… Even after what I said?” Shining Armor asked.
“Of course I will.” She smiled. The two huddled together in the middle of the city for a while before they went back to the castle.