The Dawn of a bright, new life.

by Hallowedsoul

Ch. 25: "The Storm Approaches"

Chapter Twenty-Five
“The Storm Approaches”

The days started to get colder, as we transitioned from summer to fall. But it didn’t matter, I was being kept busy with my training.

Seeri was keeping me on my toes with melee training and holy crap she could fight. No matter how unpredictable I tried to make my strikes, she always seemed to know where they were coming from and would either block, parry or dodge while delivering her own blows that flew at me at blinding speeds. Needless to say I was feeling pretty sore after our sessions ‘It’s funny watching you get your ass beat by a girl, even if she’s ungodly powerful’.

On that note, Nica and Seeri had apparently reached some kind of agreement when I wasn’t looking and were having active conversations with each other whenever we were at home, which felt kind of awkward, especially when we had guests over.

Anyway, my training was progressing well; with Rainbow Dash, and Applejack helping me with physical conditioning and Terra and Twilight assisting me with magical preparations, with Seeri aiding in both, I was becoming a far better fighter than I had been before.

It’s not to say I was focused solely on my training; I also found time to have fun with my friends, and Twilight had actually put down in her planners the days we were supposed to be together, which we’d mostly just spend the night enjoying each other’s company (sometimes really enjoying each other’s company), though I made a point of visiting her off-schedule, always with an excuse of helping Spike with his chores or offering to run errands for her. She never turned me away, despite knowing I was just making excuses to see her.

Hearth’s Warming Eve was a pleasant affair. The pageant was very well done, and I thought Twilight did admirably. Afterwards, the two of us went and got a picture for her locket, which she wore all the time, and we had a nice dinner with her family where we got to catch up. I attempted to put Shining Armor on the spot with an offhand comment on when he was going to marry Cadence, but he turned it back on me by asking me the same regarding Twilight. Needless to say, I shut my trap on that subject, especially when Twilight was glaring at me in such a way that she was nearly shooting laser beams out of her eyes.

The next day, though, I went to a jeweler to find an engagement ring. I wasn’t going to propose anytime soon, but there was no doubt in my mind that it was going to happen. After picking out the one I felt was right and purchasing it (in case you’re wondering, I am very well off in terms of money. When you don’t have to pay rent or most utilities, the money kind of begins to stack. The only reason I work is to stay busy), I took Twilight out for a night in Canterlot, just the two of us, as a special Hearth’s Warming gift to her.

Continuing on, I was starting to notice Vinyl acting a little strange around me. Sometimes I’d catch her staring at me, though she’d immediately divert her attention and when she was over at my place to listen to music, she would occasionally lean against me or lay her head on my lap if I was sitting on the couch with her. I didn’t think too much about it because she was one of my best friends in this world and I always felt comfortable around her.

Things got really strange around Hearts and Hooves Day, which I tried desperately to spend with Twilight. The problem was, it seems I’ve stolen the hearts of half the mares in town and they all seemed to think that even though I was publically dating Twilight, I had not actually married her yet which to them meant I was still fair game. There was also something about Big Mac and Cheerilee almost getting married AS WELL, but I was too busy having to dodge all the mares vying for my attention (with Lyra, of course, still going on about that “human babies” thing).

When I’d asked Rarity about it later, she told me I had a kind of exotic air about me and a magnetic personality which drew the single mares to me. Rarity, herself, even admitted to finding me incredibly attractive and was wistful that Twilight had secured my heart first.

Eventually, Twilight and I settled for locking ourselves in my home and having a nice, candle-lit dinner, which I made perfectly. Afterwards we spent the night together, no “bedroom activity”, just… being together and enjoying each other’s company.

Oh… remember that comment I made about hoping never to meet Iron Will? Yeah, that one came to bite me in the ass, though I managed to catch him at Aurora Hall in the VIP section (in which I was granted entry without a word, seeing as I was on the perpetual “Honored Guest” list) and we chatted for a little while. He attempted to convince me to use his assertiveness methods, to which I politely but firmly told him I wasn’t interested. After that we talked for a little while and it turns out he’s not a half bad guy, if just a tad overbearing.

Then Twilight somehow managed to get involved with a time traveling spell. When I first saw the future her, I was concerned that something had happened to me to allow Twilight to come to such harm, but as we went through the whole debacle with that particular event I realized that once Twilight had something rooted in her head, she was hell-bound to see it through and no amount of persuading would turn her away (though admittedly seeing her in the sneaking suit was well worth her stubbornness because it put all of her feminine curves into perspective and I found myself going along with her plans in a drooling stupor ‘Even I’ll admit she was sexy in the get-up, and I don’t say that often’).

There were several other things that happened as well, like Spike running away to join the dragon migration, Fluttershy jumping in at the last second to get a tornado going to transfer water to Cloudsdale (oh yeah, I got some face time with Spitfire, who was totally awesome about the whole situation… I also think she has a thing for me, from the suggestive looks she was giving me ‘hmm I wonder what it is about you all these single mares find so attractive. Maybe you and Twilight should look into that’ maybe, Nica), but no direct action was needed on my part to solve them so I won’t go into much detail.

However, as these events played out, I began to get more and more restless, because I knew the “Big One” was right around the corner. My restlessness didn’t go un-noticed by Luna, who came to visit me in my dreams.

“Greetings, Leon.” She said to me was she took a seat on the hill over-looking the storm, which wasn’t the beautiful column of water it usually was; instead it was a savage tempest looming over the horizon and appeared to be crawling ever closer to the hill “There is significance to this dream. Would you care to explain it?”

I sighed deeply, never taking my eyes off the ferocious storm which flashed with green lightning every so often.

“Something very bad is going to happen, Luna, and I’m scared that all this effort I’m putting in to prepare for it won’t amount to anything.” I replied, my voice heavy and I felt her put a hand on my shoulder and almost immediately I felt a calm fall over me.

“Tell me why you would think this, Leon…” She said soothingly, but I shook my head.

“I can’t, Luna.”

“Why not?”

“Because…” I said, giving another sigh “It directly affects you and the others, especially Twilight, and if I tell even one of you, I could throw things so far out of whack there’d be no recovering from it.”

“Then think of way to tell me that will not create a conflict.” She said firmly but I shook my head.

“You don’t understand, Luna.” I replied, giving her a desperate stare “This knowledge I have, it could send you into a paranoid frenzy and innocents will get hurt because of it. But at the same time, I feel like I could prevent so much hardship if I tell you what I know and I am inclined to believe it when I know so much better than to listen.”

She merely stared at me and I looked back at the storm, my heart roiling just as much.

“Half the reason I can’t tell you is because the knowledge is too dangerous and I mustn’t tell you.” I said as my hands clenched into fists “And the other half… is because I want to tell you.”

“Tell me what you can and not more than is necessary.” Luna replies after a moment of silence “Even a tiny bit of knowledge used responsibly can affect the outcome of events as a whole.”

I looked at her and considered her words very carefully while weighing the benefits and detriments of sharing my knowledge with her. Eventually I decided that some information was better than none at all.

“When is the wedding?” I asked her, and she gave me a neutral expression.

“We do not know what it is thou is speaking of.” She replied calmly, and I glared at her.

“The supposedly ‘secret wedding’ of Shining Armor and Princess Cadence.” I told her and this time she was surprised.

“But… how?” She stammered and I put a finger up to my lips, shaking my head calmly.

“I’ve already let slip more information than I should have, now I need you to answer my question.” I said, giving her a hard stare.

“… It is in two months, just before Nightmare Night.” She replied, staring hard at me “Do you mind explaining what is going to happen?”

“Someone will attempt to crash it for their own purposes, that’s all I can say.” I said, turning my attention back to the storm. We were quiet a moment before Luna spoke again.

“Surely if you know what is to pass, you can do something to intervene, correct?” She asked me, her voice shaking slightly, but I shook my head sadly.

“Not without creating a bigger mess than you can handle.” I responded, though an idea hit me “Actually… there might be something we can do. You said we had two whole months, yes?”

“That is correct, but I fail to see-” She began, but I held up my hands to interrupt her.

“Luna, you can enter the dreams of multiple individuals at the same time as well, yes?”

“That is also correct, but…” She began but trailed off at my thoughtful expression “Leon, what are you planning?”

I looked back at her, a manic grin on my face.

“Resistance.” I said, and she gave me an incredulous look before it also became inspired.

“You intend to have a response team ready for when whatever shall happen, actually happens.” She said, and I nodded approvingly.

“Exactly but if I try to make the connections, I’ll be noticed immediately.” I said, laying my idea out for her while she considered me with a thoughtful expression.

“So you need me to go into the dreams of certain ponies and pass along warnings, as well as information on what they need to be doing, so that they don’t alert whatever shall be watching to our movements…” She said thoughtfully and I nodded again.

And so it was that we spent the next couple of hours in my dream drawing up the plan, which was a start but we still had a ways before things were actually ready. I told her to keep the Royal Guard out of the plan as they will most likely end up compromised before we could act.

I also made her Pinkie Promise that she was under no circumstances to tell anybody or anypony about what we’d discussed, and even the individuals involved in our plan are to be kept unaware of each other’s involvement until the signal goes up.

Once that was done, I bid her farewell and awoke and began to count the days when all hell would break loose in Canterlot.

The next two months passed without incident, but I could not relax. Every day that passed I became more and more nervous, and Twilight noticed despite my best attempts to hide it. I honestly did not mean to worry her and I tried not let my anxiousness come between us.

However, I awoke one morning and saw my worst fears realized; Canterlot was surrounded in a transparent magenta bubble, the same color as Twilight’s magic.

‘This is it; we’ve done as much as we could now it’s time to face the music.’ Nica replied, more solemnly than usual ‘Go meet up with the girls, they’re going to be having a picnic today.’

“Leon, what’s going on?” Terra asked as she walked outside to find me just standing there, staring at Canterlot, which made her look at it as well “Why is there a barrier around the city? Is something going on today?”

I said nothing, instead turning toward the library where I knew Twilight was going to be, getting ready for the picnic. I got there just as she was leaving, carrying a basket with a blanket and what were probably books since the girls were bringing everything else.

“Oh, Leon!” She exclaimed, before walking up to me and giving me a light hug and kiss “I was on my way to your house to get you; are you ready for the picnic?”

“Uh, yeah Twi…” I said, managing to force a smile on my face. She did not seem convinced and gave me a curious look.

“Is something wrong?” She asked, and I half-considered telling her. I certainly didn’t want to lie about it, but at the same time telling her would cause problems.

“I… don’t know, Twi.” I replied carefully, and turned my gaze to Canterlot “Aren’t you curious as to why there’s a bubble around the city today?”

She blinked and turned to look at the city before turning back to me with a shrug and a smile.

“I’m sure Celestia has everything under control, Leon, I seriously doubt there’s anything wrong.” She replied, taking my hand and squeezing it gently “C’mon, let’s go join the girls and relax today. You look like you could use it, too.”

I didn’t object though I so badly wanted to tell her, to warn her about what was coming but at the same time I didn’t want to cause her any more problems than what was necessary. I wondered what Nica thought on the matter.

‘Hm? Oh, do whatever you feel is best, Leon.’ She replied, but she sounded… distracted ‘Don’t worry about me, focus on the coming wedding.’

I was still out of it when we joined the other Elements, Terra and Seeri at the picnic area, though I noticed that Seeri was staring intently at the city. She caught me looking and immediately turned her attention to Rainbow Dash, who’d been trying to get it since we’d arrived.

Once everything was set up and the attendees settled, the girls (save for Seeri) all began to talk about the day thus far, all commenting on how gorgeous it was. I, however, was lost in thought, thinking about how things were going to play out and hoped to God things turned out well.

It was after Twilight had said my name for the third time that I was brought out of my thoughts.

“Leon…” She asked me worriedly “Are you okay? You look very tired. Have you been getting any sleep lately?”

“I’ll be fine, Twi.” I replied with a confidant smile “Sorry I’ve been out of it. That cake looks delicious, Pinkie, may I have a slice?”

“Sure!” Was the peppy response but before she could Spike ran up to Twilight, panting heavily.

He attempted to speak, but he was too out of breath. Eventually, he ended up burping out a scroll, which Twilight immediately unfurled and read aloud, though it ended up being a list of jobs for the mares (all were pretty excited, though Rarity passed out when she was told she’d be designing dresses for a royal wedding).

Twilight was confused at the prospect of a royal wedding until Spike sheepishly handed over a different scroll, which was an invitation to the wedding of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and her brother.

“Yer brother’s gettin’ married?” Applejack exclaimed, smiling and shaking her hands “Congratulations, Twilight, that’s great news!” Though Twilight was less than thrilled herself.

“Yeah, great news…” She huffed and began to pace “That I just got from a wedding invitation. Not from my brother, but from a piece of paper! Thanks a lot, Shining Armor.”

I felt a pang in my heart. I was also with-holding something big from her, but unlike that “piece of paper”, she’ll most likely not know what it is until it’s over.

“I mean, really, he couldn’t tell me personally?” she continued, caught up in her rant as she levitated a sandwich and made it flap when she spoke next, her voice deep to mock her brother “Hey, Twilight, just thought you should know I’m making a really big decision that changes everything, oh, never mind, you’ll hear about it when you get the invitation.”

“At least you know who he’s marrying, Twilight.” I said calmly, having returned my attention back to the castle, but not before I caught the irritated glare Twilight shot me.

“Um… Twilight, are you okay?” Fluttershy asked, and Twilight sighed before walking a little bit away.

“Sorry. It’s just that Shining Armor and I have always been so close.” She replied, rubbing her forehead “He’s my BBBFF.”

Right… I forgot she called him that ‘Hahahaha, that’s such a stupid acronym, it’s hilarious’ Nica, be nice.

Apparently, none of the others understood it, which made Twilight face-palm.

“Big-Brother-Best-Friend-Forever?” She said, which garnered a collective ‘Oh!’ from the others.

She then proceeded to explain how Shining was pretty much her only friend in the world before she came to Ponyville and that they’d done everything together. But that wasn’t what concerned me, what got my attention was that she was really hurt that her brother hadn’t told her he was getting married personally ‘I guess you should go have a chat with her brother once everything’s said and done’.

“As one of your PFFs…” Applejack began, but she was met with a confused look from Twilight (and the others, though I groaned at the terrible acronym) “Pony-Friends-Forever…” another collective ‘Oh!’ “Ah wanna tell ya that Ah think yer brother sounds like a real good guy.”

“He is pretty special…” Twilight said as she walked back to her spot at the picnic blanket “I mean, they don’t just let anypony be ‘Captain of the Royal Guard’.” I saw Rarity’s eyes widen slightly.

“So let me get this straight.” She said, moving closer to Twilight “We’re helping with the wedding of not only a Princess, but a Captain of the Royal Guard!?”

“I guess we are…” Twilight replied with a shrug, which caused Rarity to sway and pass out onto a pillow Twilight had levitated over to her.

The others were excited for her, even Terra and Seeri, though Twilight had an expression combining irritation and… if I had to guess, betrayal. I wanted to walk over and comfort her, but I was held back by my own guilt. Eventually I stood and began to walk away, needing a moment to sort out my feelings.

“Leon, where are you going?” Pinkie asked, hurrying to catch up to me. I took in a deep breath and turned to give her as convincing a smile that I could.

“I’m heading home to get things in order for the wedding.” I said calmly “Even if I’m not going, you’ll all still need someone to look after things around here.”

“Well, duh, you’re going to the wedding!” Pinkie said, a confused smile on her face “You’re Twilight’s very special somepony so it’d make sense that she’d wanna bring you, Silly Billy!”

I shot a glance at Twilight, who was giving me a curious stare, and I felt my composure begin to crumble.

“O-of course.” I said, giving her a half-hearted grin “But it doesn’t change the fact that I need to go home and prepare so if you’ll excuse me, everypony.”

With that, I gave them all a bow and departed. Once at home, I took my messenger bag to my room and began to prepare for the events that were going to unfold, though it was difficult because my damn hands wouldn’t stop shaking.

I eventually gave it up for now and sat on my bed with my head in my hands.

‘Wow, you’re really freakin’ out about this, Leon.’ Nica said calmly.

“I… I don’t know if I can do this, Nica…” I murmured.

‘Do what?’

“Continue keeping secrets from Twi…” I replied, my voice sullen “You saw the look on her face when she found out her brother was getting married.”

‘You know she’s just irritated that she didn’t hear it from him and she’s going to end up forgiving him soon enough.’ Nica said, her voice level ‘Don’t worry about it, she’ll understand why you kept it a secret.’

“You don’t know that, Nica.” I retorted, standing up “If she- no, when she discovers what I know about the wedding, she’ll… she’ll…”

“She’ll still love you with all her heart.” Twilight’s voice came from the door. I winced and turned slowly around to see her standing there with an affectionate smile on her face. She began to walk calmly towards me as my mouth struggled to work.

“Twilight, I-” I began but she cut me off by putting her hand to my lips.

“I understand there are some things you just can’t tell me, no matter how much either of us wants it to be otherwise.” She said, as she wrapped her arms around me in a gentle, loving embrace “I’m not blaming you for my brother’s actions, or for knowing about the wedding beforehand.”

“It’s not just that, Twi…” I said, as I held her close “I have a very clear idea of what the future holds, and I have to live with that knowledge each day.”

“How so?” She asked me quietly, and I struggled to find a good way to explain it to her.

“On one hand…” I began slowly as we sat down on the bed “If I tell you what’s going to happen, it’ll… I’m not sure how to explain to you the severity of such an action, but it’d be bad. Whereas on the other hand, I don’t want you to get hurt and I feel that if I deprive you of that knowledge…”

“I could come to harm… or begin to resent you for knowing.” She finished calmly, as she began to gently rub my hand with her thumb “Is that what you’ve been worried about lately?”

“Yeah…” I replied sorrowfully, and she laid her head on my shoulder “I just don’t know what the right decision is and it’s killing me.”

“It’s going to be alright.” She murmured softly “I trust you, Leon, and no matter what decision you make I’ll still love you afterwards. I promise.”

“Don’t make me a promise you aren’t sure you’ll be able to keep, Twi.” I replied, draping an arm over her shoulder.

“I’m not. I mean every word.” She said as she looked into my eyes. We held each other’s gaze for a moment before our lips met in a kiss, after which we held each other for a moment longer.

“Well…” Twilight said, breaking our embrace “As much as I would love to stay here with you, I’ve also got to go prepare for the… wedding.”

She stood to leave, but I grabbed her hand before she could get too far.

“Twi, thanks for coming to talk to me.” I said with a warm smile “I’m sorry I can’t tell you exactly what’s going on with this whole wedding thing.”

“I’m your marefriend; it’s my job to be there for my stallion.” She giggled, leaning down to peck me on the lips “But I’ve really got to go now. We’ll be heading to Canterlot tomorrow morning, the wedding will be the day after. I’ll see you at the train station first thing, alright?”

“I’ll be ready, don’t worry.” I replied, and she gave my hand a gentle squeeze before letting go and teleporting home.

I continued sitting there for a moment before standing and walking back over to my desk which had my messenger bag on it. I reached in the gun drawer and pulled out my Berretta, checking the action and making sure it was still in good condition before pulling out my leg holster and packed them both away, along with my knives.

That night, just as we were preparing for bed, Terra gave me a reassuring hug and Seeri patted me on the shoulder in a confidant manner. After making one last check to see that everything was ready, I climbed into bed and was soon rewarded with a deep, dreamless sleep.

I awoke the next morning and fixed breakfast for my housemates (Oh, and Seeri is not a morning person; she abhors getting up any earlier than eleven so this morning she was particularly irritated with Terra, who was the picture of calm) and then checking one last time to make sure we had everything we needed.

After that, the three of us headed to the Ponyville Train Station to await the next train to Canterlot, where we met up with Twilight and the other Elements, and surprisingly Vinyl Scratch and Octavia.

“Hey, you two!” I said, giving the DJ our traditional greeting and the cellist a light hug “What’re you doing here?”

“We are heading to Canterlot for… business.” Octavia said, shooting Vinyl a glance, though the DJ didn’t seem to notice, she was bobbing her head to some music.

“Funny, so are we.” I replied, giving Octavia a wink “Well if our paths lead the same way, why not walk together?”

“An apt metaphor, Leon. We would be delighted to travel with you.” Octavia said with a nod, and Vinyl glanced at us with a smile and shot us a thumbs up.

We didn’t have to wait long before the train arrived, and some of the ushers on the train helped move Rarity’s and Vinyl’s luggage in while the rest of us went to our car. Once everyone was settled and the train was under way, the others began talking excitedly with each other save for Twilight, who was sitting next to me staring forlornly out the window. Applejack noticed and was about to come over but I waved her off, preferring to handle this one myself.

“What’s wrong, Twi?” I said, draping an arm over her shoulders and rubbing her arm soothingly and she gave me a small smile before looking back out the window.

“I’m just thinking about Shining Armor.” She replied quietly “Ever since I moved to Ponyville, we’ve been seeing each other less and less, then I lost my last coltfriend and now there’s you… anyway, with my brother starting a family with Cadence, we’ll probably never see each other…”

“You don’t honestly believe that, do you?” I asked her incredulously “You’re his sister. There’s nothing that could stand in his way if he wanted to spend time with you.”

“He couldn’t seem to find time to let me know he was getting married…” She huffed. I gave her a gentle squeeze, which garnered a smile from her.

I looked back at the others, who were still talking excitedly with each other (save for Seeri, who was out cold in her seat, had a moustache drawn on her face and a trail of drool leading from her mouth and Rarity who was furiously drawing up designs for dresses). I turned my attention back to Twilight when she gave a small yawn, which she’d tried to hide.

“Stayed up late last night, huh?” I said with a knowing grin, and she nodded with a blush “Alright, we still have a ways to go before we reach Canterlot. Why don’t you rest for a little while and I’ll wake you up when we arrive, okay?”

“Okay, thank you…” She replied as she laid her head on my shoulder and drifted off to sleep.

I noticed Rainbow Dash trying to sneak up on us with a permanent marker and I shot her a severe glare that promised great pain if she came any closer. She froze for a second, and with a sheepish grin backed slowly away.

I myself proceeded to close my eyes and catch some rest. After maybe half an hour, Dash made another attempt to draw on us, she had the marker uncapped and inching calmly toward my face when my free hand shot up and grabbed her wrist, making her drop the marker.

“Augh, what the-” She began, but I made a swift shushing sound and gestured my head to Twilight, who was sound asleep against me, so she finished with a whisper “I thought you were asleep!”

“Just because my eyes are closed does not mean I’m asleep. I was in a state of rest, conserving my energy for the things to come.” I replied quietly, and I felt Twilight shift slightly and give out a small sound “Leave us be right now, Dash. There’ll be plenty of time for fun later. I’d like to enjoy the calm before the storm with my marefriend, if it’s alright with you.”

She didn’t say anything, only nodded and bent down to pick up the marker, after which she approached the unconscious Seeri with a wicked grin on her face. I closed my eyes and went back into my state of rest, which was a place my mind went that existed somewhere between Sleep and Awake.

I was eventually brought from my rest by Pinkie shouting “We’re here, we’re here!” followed immediately by us passing through the barrier. It felt incredibly weird, like it was scanning me at a genetic level and it was enough to wake Twilight up, who glanced around in alarm.

“What was that?” She asked, a bit of sleep still in her voice.

“Don’t know, but we’ve arrived.” I said, and then gave her a playful smile “And whatever it was, it took my job away, which was to wake you up. Oh well, I’ll have more opportunities later.”

She giggled, and looked out on the city as we approached the Canterlot Train Station, coming to a stop.

“Whoa, what’s with all the guards?” Rainbow Dash asked as she, Rarity and Applejack stuck their heads out the door.

“I’m… sure they’re just taking the necessary precautions.” Rarity said, a bit nervously “Royal Weddings do bring out the strangest ponies.”

Our attention was diverted at that time by Pinkie Pie sneezing loudly, confetti and streamers flying from her mouth. She then proceeded to skip out happily as though nothing had happened, followed by Fluttershy, Seeri and Terra (who was doing her best not to laugh at the ridiculous images drawn on Seeri’s face, who in turn could not understand why the others were snorting and giggling).

Twilight and I were the last ones off the train, with my marefriend looking very unhappy.

“Anyway we should get going, we all have much work to get done and very little time to do it in!” Rarity said as she began to follow Pinkie, with Terra falling into step beside her.

“An’ you’ve got a big brother to congratulate.” Applejack said, though Twilight shot her a fierce glare.

“Yeah… congratulate.” She said as she began to walk quickly towards the palace, with me following close behind “And then I’m going to give him a piece of my mind.”

I turned briefly back to the others, who were staring at us hesitantly, and shrugged at them. The guards let us in with no trouble at all as Twilight practically stomped through, looking for her brother. I saw Celestia standing at the top of a tall tower, looking through a spyglass while also taking searching glances around her. She saw Twilight and I and gave us a nod before turning her attention back the spyglass.

As we approached the palace we saw Shining Armor in his golden guard armor, giving orders out to his Guardsponies, and Twilight quickened her pace, calling out to him as we got close.

“Shining Armor!” She yelled, and he turned his attention to us, smiling briefly before noticing the stern look on his sister’s face “I’ve got something to say to you, Mister!”

The Guardsponies nearby all immediately aimed their spears at her while I quickly stepped in front of her and drew my gun from my bag, pulling back the hammer and glaring at each of them threateningly while halting Twilight’s progress, my free arm keeping her behind me protectively.

Fortunately the standoff didn’t last long as Shining removed his helmet and hurried down with a cry of “Twily!” I glared at him as he approached, until I felt Twilight put a hand on my shoulder. I glanced at her and she nodded, so I let her go by me as I pushed the hammer back into place gently and replaced the gun in my bag. Twilight met Shining Armor halfway and he immediately attempted an idle conversation.

“I’ve missed you, sis! How was the train ride? I-” He began but was interrupted by Twilight holding a finger up and putting a hand on her hip.

“How dare you not tell me in person that you were getting married?!” She snapped irritably, jabbing his chest with her finger “I’m your sister, for Celestia’s sake!”

“I-it’s not my fault!” He began quickly, his hands up trying to placate her “Princess Celestia has requested a major increase in security. Didn’t you see all the guards at the station?”

“Yeah, there’s a big wedding coming up!” She retorted hotly, glaring at him “Maybe you heard about it?”

“It has nothing to do with the wedding.” He replied, his tone suddenly serious “A threat has been made against Canterlot. We don’t know who’s responsible for it, but Princess Celestia asked that I help provide additional protection.”

“That’s not a good excuse, Shining.” I replied coldly and he shot a glare at me, but didn’t respond.

“Look, let me show you why she’s asked for my help and why I haven’t been able to write to you about it.” He said, looking back at Twilight, who stared at him curiously.

He closed his eyes and I saw his horn become wrapped in the same magenta light as Twilight. After a moment, it brightened and shot up at the barrier, reinforcing it. Once it was done, he rubbed at his head like he had a headache briefly. He motioned for us to follow him and he continued speaking.

“The burden of keeping Canterlot safe and secure rests squarely on my shoulders.” He said as he led us up “Staying focused on the task at hand is my top priority.”

“Bull crap.” I snapped and stepped in front of him, putting my hand on his chest which caused the other guards around me to tense up and Shining Armor to glare at me again “Your sister is your ‘top priority’. It’s a noble gesture to want to protect everypony else, but you have no good reason for not telling Twi about the wedding yourself and you owe it to her to make it right!”

“Leon, it’s okay, I understand why he did what he did…” She said quietly, touching my arm calmly.

“That doesn’t make it right, Twi.” I said though she merely shook her head, telling me to let it go. I sighed, shot Shining another glare and moved out of the way.

He walked past me through a doorway and we followed him up a tower, stopping on a bridge overlooking the courtyard we’d crossed to get there. I stayed a little bit away with my arms crossed over my chest to give them some privacy but not far enough to where I couldn’t hear them.

“Yeah, I get it now. You’ve got a really important job protecting all of Canterlot with a barrier only you can conjure up.” I heard her say calmly, with a bit of sadness “But Leon’s right, you should’ve told me about something as big as your wedding… am I not that important to you anymore?”

I felt my anger towards Shining Armor spike again; his sister, my marefriend, was really hurt by his actions and he’d tried to cover it up by saying he was just doing his job, protecting all of Canterlot. He glanced at me, saw the angry look on my face and sighed, turning back to Twilight.

“Hey…” He said, reassuringly and putting a hand on her shoulder “You’re my little sister, of course you’re important to me.”

He took his hand off her shoulder and looked back over the courtyard.

“But…” He said, with a coy smile on his face “I’d understand if you didn’t wanna be my Best Mare now.”
“You want me to be your Best Mare?” She asked in surprise, her mouth open and Shining grinned sheepishly at her.

“Well… yeah.” He replied, and Twilight gave him a polite bow.

“I’d be honored!” She replied happily as Shining Armor approached and gave her a warm hug, though she pushed him away swiftly “But I’m still really angry you didn’t tell me that you and Cadence were getting married!”

At that he glanced curiously at me, which I returned.

“Did you know or something?” He asked, his eyes narrowing “I didn’t think much about it when you made what I thought then was a joke, but so far you haven’t shown any surprise towards the wedding.”

“Spoilers.” Was my curt response and he glared at me fiercely.

“Ahem.” A stern voice cut in from behind me, and I turned around to find Princess Cadence standing behind me “Am I interrupting something or will you let me pass now?”

I narrowed my eyes at her, but stepped aside. She’d only walked a few steps before Twilight immediately stepped up and gave their traditional greeting (that extremely adorable… thing she does when she meets Cadence). This was not well received by the Princess of Love, which got all my little bells ringing.

“What are you doing?” She asked curtly, and I couldn’t help but wonder if she’d been served a heaping pile of bitch pudding that morning ‘She sure acts like she was, but then again the Princess is in another castle, ain’t she? Spoilers, Nica, hush.

“Cadence it’s me, Twilight!” My marefriend replied excitedly, though she gave ‘Cadence’ a confused look.

“Uh huh…” ‘Cadence’ replied, rolling her eyes and walking past Twilight to Shining Armor, and they embraced in what seemed to be a loving manner.

“I’ve gotta get back to my station.” Shining said, giving Twilight and I a smile “But Cadence will be checking in with all of you to see how things are going. I think I speak for both of us when I say we couldn’t be more excited to have you here. Right, dear?”

“Absolutely.” She said, giving us what looked like a wicked smile.

Twilight seemed wary of ‘Cadence’, while I only returned the smile, which seemed to surprise the Princess.

“Well, we’ll let you get to it.” Shining said as he and his ‘bride’ turned away.

“One moment.” I said and approached them both “I just wanted to say ‘congratulations’ to both of you before you became too busy to socialize.”

I pulled Shining into a friendly hug, patting him on the back while giving ‘Cadence’ a light hug, though restricting any actual contact with her to shaking one hand and putting a hand on her arm and drawing close. As I did, I felt a weird kind of energy surrounding her.

“The game is afoot, and you’re going to lose… ‘Cadence’.” I whispered carefully so that only she could hear me, and I saw her grin out of the corner of my eye.

“I would not be so sure of that, human. I have played this ‘game’ many times before.” She replied just as quietly, and we broke the light hug. I walked back to Twilight, who took my hand and drew close to whisper in my ear.

“What did you say to her?” She asked, and I shook my head.

“Come on, Twi, let’s go check up on the others and see how they’re coming along in their preparations; after all that’s what you were brought here to do, isn’t it?” I said loudly, so that Shining and ‘Cadence’ could hear me as they turned and left. I led Twilight back down the tower we came from and a guard led us to the kitchen where Applejack was running frantically around. Twilight took a seat in a nearby chair and had a frustrated look on her face while levitating a checklist.

Applejack began listing off several things she’d finished, like the wedding cake, an ice sculpture and some bite-sized apple fritters that looked remarkably like cupcakes. Twilight just sat and glowered the whole time right up until Applejack shoved a fritter in her mouth, which made Twilight slightly happier. Applejack winked at me, then began looking for the figures that would go on top of the cake.

We searched for a bit until I noticed Spike was playing with them. I approached him with a stern look on my face and extended my hand calmly. He glanced from my hand to the figures and back again, before putting them in my hand with a sheepish grin.

At that moment the door swung open and ‘Cadence’ entered.

“Hiya, Princess!” Applejack called, as her and the other cooks bowed deeply.

“Please call me ‘Princess Mi Amore Cadenza’.” She said in a regal tone and I saw Twilight roll her eyes. ‘Cadence’ noticed me and we both narrowed our eyes at each other.

“Hiya, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza! ya come ta check out what’s on the menu fer yer big day?”Applejack asked, giving ‘Cadence’ a friendly smile.

“I have.” She replied, with a forced smile of her own, though it disappeared when the cowpony turned her back, becoming almost bored.

Applejack offered her some of the freshly baked fritters (which are to die for, by the way), and ‘Cadence’ ate one, picking it up in a kind of sickly green aura which garnered a quiet “Huh?” from Twilight.

“Delicious.” ‘Cadence’ said, putting the forced smile back on her face “I… love, love, love them!”

“Aw, shucks, why don’t ya take a few ta go?” Applejack asked, offering a bag of the tasty treats to the Princess, who seemed extremely reluctant to take them “Ah know how ya brides can be; so busy ya ferget ta get a little somethin’ in yer belly.”

‘Cadence’ took them and walked towards the door, tossing the bag into the trash on her way past. Twilight tried to bring it to Applejack’s attention, but the cowpony was too busy getting the rest of the food going.

We ended up going to see Rarity and Terra up in the tower the fashionista had been loaned just before Twilight’s birthday, where my marefriend attempted to vent her frustrations to Rarity.

“Oh, you should’ve seen how she acted back there.” Twilight was saying as Rarity was busy making sure my measurements were still accurate while also sifting from one dress idea to the next “I don’t when she changed, but that’s not the Cadence I remember.” Then she lightened her voice in imitation of the Princess “’Please, call me Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.’”

“Did I hear somepony say my name?” ‘Cadence’ called out as she entered with her bridesmares. My jaw dropped when I recognized one of them.

“Lyra?” I called out to the mint green mare, who turned her head sharply towards me and gave me a confused look.

“Your Highness!” Rarity exclaimed, appearing in front of the Princess and bowing “Let me just start by saying what an honor it is to play a role in such a momentous occasion!”

“Uh-huh.” ‘Cadence’ said, trotting past Rarity “Is my dress ready?”

“Oh, uh, uh yes of course. I’ve been working on it ever since I was given the assignment, and I think you’ll be pleased with the results!” She replied with a smile “Though I’ll still need your measurements to make the final adjustments.”

“I was hoping for something with more beading and a longer train.” ‘Cadence’ replied curtly and walked away, though she saw me and once again we both narrowed our eyes at each other “Are we going to run into each other all day, human?”

“Perhaps we will, ‘Princess’.” I replied with a shark-like smile, and she huffed before turning her attention away.

“Anyway, those should be a different color.” ‘Cadence’ continued, gesturing towards the bridesmares’ dresses.

“I think they’re lovely!” The cream-colored mare with light pink hare said and the other two agreed with her. ‘Cadence’ shot them a severe glare and the three looked away nervously.

“Make them a different color.” ‘Cadence’ said with finality, and she began to walk away with her bridesmares.

“Lyra.” I called out and the mare turned to look at me strangely, and I briefly saw a flash of green in her eyes “Don’t you remember me? You’ve spent the better part of our friendship chasing me down for babies.”

At that, her eyes narrowed in confusion and she put a hand to her head like it was hurting her.

“Come, Miss Heartstrings, we have other places to be.” ‘Cadence’ called out irritably and Lyra gave me one last look before hurrying after the Princess.

Twilight made some comment under her breath about what ‘Cadence’ should change her name to, and we both left as Rarity went to work on new dress designs, though I noticed Terra was watching the Princess leave through the window.

We met up with the girls and Spike that evening once they’d all finished for the day.

“I bet I can guess what you’re all thinking.” Twilight said smugly as she came out of the shop with her smoothie “Cadence is the absolute worst bride-to-be ever.”

Everyone gasped at this (save for myself, Terra and Seeri, who was shooting irritated glances at Rainbow Dash periodically) and Spike held up the damn cake figurine of Cadence I’d taken from him earlier.

“Who, me?” He trilled in an attempt to impersonate ‘Cadence’.

“Spike!” Applejack snapped irritably, snatching the figurine from him “That goes on the cake!”

“Twilight, whatever are you talking about?” Rarity asked calmly “Cadence is an absolute gem!”

“But Rarity, she was so demanding!” Twilight exclaimed, but Rarity waved a hand dismissively.

“Well, of course she was. Why shouldn’t she expect the very best on her wedding day?” Rarity said, to Twilight’s irritation, who turned her attention to Applejack.

“Applejack, did you know that after she told you how much she ‘love, love, loved’ your hors d’oeuvres, she threw them in the trash?”

“Aw, she was prob’ly jus’ tryin’ ta spare mah feelin’s.” Applejack replied amiably.

“No, she wasn’t!” Twilight exclaimed, slamming her hands on the table “If she didn’t like your cooking, she should’ve just said so!”

“Well, she did raise her voice at one of my birds during rehearsal…” Fluttershy chimed in, and Twilight gestured toward her, a triumphant look on her face.

“See? Rude.”

“But… he was singing really off key.” Fluttershy continued, holding up said bird (‘where the hell was she keeping that thing?!’ Nica asked, though I ignored her) which squawked loudly, causing everyone to cringe.

“Pinkie Pie, you had to have noticed how Cadence treated…” Twilight began again, except she stopped when she saw both Spike and Pinkie playing with the figurines (at the sight, Applejack checked her person quickly before growling at them), with Spike holding Cadence and Pinkie holding Shining Armor. I face-palmed while Twilight continued on “Never mind. Rainbow Dash you’re with me, right?”

“Sorry, Twi.” Dash said, flexing her various limbs “I’ve been too busy preppin’ for my Sonic Rainboom to pay much attention to the Bride’s bad attitude.”

Twilight groaned in frustration, while Rarity went over to try and calm her.

“Twilight, the Princess is about to get married, I’m sure any negative behavior she might be displaying is simply the result of nerves.” She said, in a logical tone, though Twilight pounded the table again, this time knocking her smoothie over.

“And I’m sure it’s the result of her being an awful pony who doesn’t deserve to even know my brother, let alone marry him!” She exclaimed angrily and standing from her chair.

“Ya think maybe yer bein’ jus’ a tiny bit possessive of yer brother, Twi?” Applejack asked, to the murmurs of agreement from the others, save for me.

“I am not being possessive!” She retorted angrily “And I am not taking it out on Cadence. You’re all too caught up in your wedding planning to even notice that maybe there shouldn’t even be a wedding!”

She finished by slamming the table with her hand once more, this time sending everyone else’s drinks flying before storming off. I stood from the table and excused myself before chasing after her.

“Twilight.” I called out to her, hurrying to catch up “Twilight. Twilight wait!”

I caught up to her and grabbed her hand to stop her, though she yanked it away immediately.

“What is it, Leon?” She snapped at me, her eyes blazing “Did they send you to try and convince me that I’m wrong?”

“No, I believe you, Twi.” I said, taking her hand again “And I want to help you get to the bottom of this.”

“Oh, thank Celestia…” She breathed, giving me a brief hug “I thought nopony believed me. How do you suggest we show them that I’m right?”

“Do you know where your brother lives?” I asked her and she nodded “Go there and you’ll see what it is you need.”

“What about you, won’t you come with me?” She asked and I shook my head.

“No, because I already know what it is you’ll see.” I replied, and stared calmly into her eyes “Once you’re done there, return to the palace for the rehearsal wedding and I’ll tell you the next stage of the plan, okay?”

“Okay…” She said, her eyes and voice determined “I’ll see you soon.”

“You too and be careful, Twi.” I replied and we kissed briefly before we parted ways.

I watched her walk down the street before turning a corner and vanishing from sight. Once that occurred I turned and headed back to the palace. I was crossing the courtyard when a voice called out to me.

“WHO GOES THERE?” Luna called down to me from her tower, and I smirked ‘Set phasers to snark and open fire, Leon!’

“It is I, King Arthur, and I have ridden the length and breadth of the land in search of noble knights who would join me at my castle in Camelot!” I replied dramatically, which garnered a glare from the Princess.

“Tis not the night for jests, Leon.” She replied sternly in her Royal Canterlot Voice “Head inside and stay there.”

“Can do, Princess!” I said, giving her a two-finger salute and continuing towards the throne room, where the rehearsal would take place and to await my marefriend so that I could tell her the riskiest part of my plan.

I just prayed she was up to the challenge…

Author's Note:

Okay this is a pretty big chapter, but the reason for that is because I believed the three individual chapters I had set up were far too small to be uploaded individually. I kinda wish I'd started making these observations earlier in the story, but I can't fix that without removing the whole story and starting from scratch. However, I am making note to avoid such a mistake for future projects.

That said, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic is the property of Hasbro; all rights reserved. This work of fiction is for entertainment purposes only and I will not profit in any way, shape or form.

With that out of the way, enjoy the latest chapter!

Comments

[Blankman]

MMmmm the plot thickens

[Hallowedsoul]

Yes, we're getting to the meat of my story. The remaining chapters probably won't be nearly as long as this one or some of the previous ones, but they are all important (to me anyway).

[Voltrasin]

Loved the King Arthur joke.

[Hallowedsoul]

3504349 I thought so, too.