Love Can Be Different

by EvelynMonroe

War Is On The Rise

The royal quarters of the Canterlot Castle remained silent this morning, only to be interrupted by the occasional clanging and clattering of pots and pans that continued to echo down the long hallways, resonating their sound all the way into Cadence's bedroom.

"A bit of this and a bit of that." said Shining as he moved around the kitchen with grace and poise as if he was dancing.

"A cup here and a pinch there." he continued as he dropped some flour and salt into a large cooking bowl. "Now pay attention as I gently pour some water into the bowl WHILE mixing it slow n' steady like so.." Yes, he was imagining himself on the Canterlot cooking channel and maybe he was getting a bit carried away but who hasn't done that in their lifetime once in awhile? Besides, Shining is more of a morning stallion which explains why he is always the first one to get up at the crack of dawn.

"Once the flour is mixed like so, take a baking pan.." He reached down underneath the counter and grabbed a rectangular pan and plopped it onto the counter. "Voila. Now butter the pan because you don't want your bread to be a stickin' mon" he said with a Jamaican accent. He wasn't sure where he got that from but he paid no mind to it as he was too much of on a roll at this point.

"Now fill ze pan with ze dough until it is evenly spread!" He did just that as he scooped and spread the dough evenly in the pan using a spatula that he held very skillfully in his mouth. "Now your oven should already be set to 325°, HOWEVER, if you failed to do that ahead of time then please put down your spatula, gently slap yourself across the face, and then take a seat because now you have to wait another 10 to 15 minutes for the oven to heat in order to continue my friend."

He walked over to the oven, opened the door, and placed his prized creation inside to bake. Before he closed the oven door, he dipped his hoof into the dough for a quick taste test. "Mmm, that is a spicy meat'aball!" he exclaimed as he finally shut the oven door. He was now beaming with a sense of accomplishment as he trotted over to the sink to begin washing the dishes.

*Clatter* *Clatter*

"Nngh.. can't.. sleep.. too.. much.. NOISE!" Spike moaned as he tossed and turned in his bed, holding a pillow firmly around both of his ears.

Cadence laughed lightly to herself. She glanced back out the window as the sky was absolutely beautiful. Yellow, orange, and red were gently blended together, beautifully painting the morning sky with vibrant, beaming bright colors. The morning was always her favorite for two reasons. One was that the sunrise always reminded her of a beautiful new beginning. The other was waking up next to her mate Shining who always reminded her of true happiness. She smiled for a moment before looking over at Spike who was clearly disgruntled.

"Forgive him for the ruckus Spike. He tends to get a bit.. enthusiastic, when it comes to cooking."

"Yea.. I can tell." Spike responded as he was now in a doubled over position while clenching the pillow hard over his head.

"Do not worry young dragon. The noise will let up soon, I promise!" she said, taking quick notice to Spike's obvious irritation. "Besides, it will be well worth waking up early because my husband is a great cook!"

"I hope so.. " he responded groggily. "I'm already half awake which is a huge accomplishment for anypony." he said as he took another pillow and sandwiched his head in between the two.

"I am one TOUGH dragon to get up." he added, his voice being muffled through the pillows.

Shining continued washing the dishes vigorously. He hated doing the dishes.. I mean, who doesn't? There was a gigantic metal pan used for boiling water that was placed just to the left of the sink that he temporarily forgot about as his elbow accidentally bumped into it, causing it to come crashing down onto the floor.

*CLAAAANG!*

"ALRIGHT already!.. You win this time Shining, I'll get up.." Spike said sleepily as he slowly slumped out of bed, that last noise still echoing loudly in his mind. Cadence could not help but wonder why there wasn't a proper door that could seal off the ruckus coming from the kitchen.

"He must be cooking up a storm in there." she chuckled.

"Are you sure Pinkie Pie isn't in there helping him? I mean.. not even Twilight makes this much noise in the morning even if she happens to misplace her cookbook.. and that's saying a lot." he said as he gently rubbed his eyes.

Spike normally didn't complain this much but being the cranky morning dragon that he is, he was having a hard time keeping cool, not to mention the fact that he was forced to wake up 4 hours earlier than usual today. Cadence was quickly realizing this as she began to tread lightly as to not irritate the poor dragon any further.

"C'mon Spike." she said as she lazily slid off her mattress, landing soundlessly on the floor. Her mane was a little frazzled, but it was far too early for her to want to do anything about it. At least, not until she had her morning cup of coffee.

"Since I'm awake and your WIDE awake.." she winked at Spike before continuing. "..Let's go to the kitchen and enjoy ourselves a nice quiet breakfast shall we?"

"Sounds good.." he responded with a yawn. "Let's go."

Cadence exited the bedroom with Spike following close behind, lazily dragging his clawed feet across the floor in the process. They slowly but steadily walked down the long corridor until they arrived to a large open archway which led straight into the impressive royal kitchen. Shining suddenly heard a noise come from the entrance as he glanced over to see who it was.

"Cadence!" Shining exclaimed, immediately lighting up as he excitedly trotted over to her, knocking over another pan in the process.

*CL-CLANG*

Spike cringed at the annoying sound once again as it loudly bounced off the walls in his head. "I swear if I hear ONE more pan.."

"You are so beautiful this morning, as always my love." Shining said, interrupting the young dragon as he gave Cadence a warm hug and kissed her on the lips. However, she quickly broke away from his kiss. "Honey.. not in front of Spike." she said softly as she returned his hug and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

"Oh? so.. I can't do this either?" he said with a devilish smile as he began to playfully bite her neck. He knew her weakness well as this was a very ticklish spot for her. "Stahaha...stahahahap!" she laughed as she tried to break away from him but Shining's grip on her was too firm. She attempted to backpedal but ended up tripping backwards over a pile of stacked pots and pans, taking Shining down with her in the process.

*CL-CL-CL-CL-CLANG CLANG CLAAAANG*

That was the final straw for Spike. "WILL YOU GUYS STOP WITH THE BANGING!" he shouted. Cadence and Shining suddenly ceased what they were doing, now frozen motionless in the pile of kitchenware as they stared at Spike with wide-open eyes.

"I'm.. I'm sorry Spike" Shining said as he got up and gently helped Cadence onto her hooves. "This is no way for royalty to act, please forgive us." he said as he politely bowed towards the young dragon.

"No, no it's fine you guys." Spike responded as he began to feel the awkwardness creep up from his sudden outburst. "You all have placed a huge burden upon yourselves by taking me in for the week. The least I could do is have a little more patience. Please, forgive me.. I'm the one who should be apologizing."

"It's quite alright Spike.. There are no hard feelings. We are all friends here, am I right?" She said as she trotted over to him and gave him a warm hug. "And besides.. I think my thick-headed husband Shining is at fault here." she added, shooting a playful grin towards her mate.

"Eheheh yea.." he laughed nervously. "I'm still working on my foal-sitting skills I guess." he added with a slight chuckle.

Suddenly the mess in the entire kitchen glowed bright with a pink magical aura as it levitated slowly and neatly back into place. Shining glanced around, taking a quick view of his surroundings as he was now in a perfectly clean kitchen just in a matter of a few seconds.

"Have I ever mentioned how much I love your magic my dear?" Shining said as he nudged her lightly on the cheek.

"Well.. only every single time I cure a headache of yours." she said with a smile, returning his gesture.

*DING* Shining glanced over towards the timer above the stove which now read 00:00.

"Looks like the bread is done!" he said as he trotted over to the oven. "You guys are going to love this." He added as he very carefully removed his creation using oven mitts as to not burn himself and lightly placed it onto the counter. The scent of the bread was intoxicating as it filled the room with its pleasant aroma.

"Oh wow! that smells amazing Shining! Let me guess, you used amethyst in this recipe?" Spike asked as he was now standing on a kitchen stool while peering right over the bread. "Am I right? tell me I'm right." he added, confident in his answer.

Shining looked over at Spike with a confused look on his face. "Amethyst?.. why would I put gems in bread?" he said with a raised brow.

"Helloooo, I'm a dragon? I eat gems?"

Shining paused for a moment. "Is that so.." he said as he rubbed his chin in interest. Spike covered his face with his hand for a moment before looking back at Shining.

"Really?.. I mean come on Shining, even Rainbow Dash knew that one." he said in disbelief.

"Forgive me Spike for my ignorance, I will have to study up on that. You are the very first dragon I have ever been acquainted with and.."

"Ah don't sweat it" Spike said cutting him off short. "Twilight has a library full of books in that genre, I'll be sure to lend you one." he said politely as he struggled not to drool over the tasty bread before him.

"I can tell your eager to dig in Spike!" Cadence said, observing how he was hovering over the food like a vampire fruitbat over a juicy apple. She levitated a knife into the air and gently gave it to Spike. "Will you do the honors my faithful assistant?"

Just outside the kitchen was a very distressed mare approaching the entrance to the Royal Chambers.

"Halt! who goes there!" said one of the guard ponies as he blocked her path with his long golden spear.

"Please sir, I have urgent news for Princess Cadence!" said Stella. She was clearly in distress as her mane was frazzled and her eyes puffy and bloodshot as if she had been crying for quite some time.

"You cannot just barge in here unannounced like this young lady."

"Sir please! I beg of you.. this is very important!" she pleaded, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry little one but I must follow strict orders." he said blankly. "If you setup an appointment then we will gladly be able to.."

"YOU DON'T GET IT YOU FOOL!" she shouted, interrupting him as she knocked away his spear with her hoof and bolted down the long corridor.

"Hey! Stop right there! GUARDS! INTRUDER!" he yelled, alerting nearby patrols.

She ran aimlessly and frantically down the hallways, dodging each guard that attempted to tackle her in the process using her nimble body and agile wings.

"Cadence, Cadence where are you!" she called out.

"Shh! hold on guys" Cadence said with her hoof raised. "I think I heard something.." The room fell silent as she perked up her ears, patiently waiting for another sound.

Stella turned a corner as a guard appeared just around the bend. He jumped with all his speed and attempted to pounce her. She lifted herself off the ground quickly with a powerful flap of her wings, causing the guard to miss her by just a few inches as he slid across the floor crashing into some old pony armor that was carefully placed against the wall.

*Craaash* *Clang* *Clang*

"Did you hear that?!" Cadence said, glancing at the two of them before jumping off her seat and hastily exiting the kitchen towards the hallway.

Stella continued to run, and she ran fast. Fatigue was not a factor as her adrenalin fueled her nimble body. Suddenly, Cadence popped out into the hallway in front of the mare, causing her to stop in her tracks.

"Ca.. Cadence?.. NNGH!" she grunted as a nearby guard pony caught up to her and tackled her hard onto the ground. A few more guards shortly followed, slamming their bodies on top of her. One of the guards firmly wrapped his hoof around her neck while the other guard tightly secured her wings.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Cadence said as she ran down the hallway towards the scene with Shining and Spike following close behind.

"This intruder bolted past us! She did not give us a reason for the visit, and quite frankly her distressful demeanor was very questionable." said one of the guards.

Stella tried to defend herself and speak up but the guards choke hold prevented her from doing so as she was struggling to even breathe.

"Can you tell the guards to lighten up? They are choking her!" said spike, clearly worried for the young mare.

"Nonsense! this mare deserves no compassion. She has committed a crime unto Equestria and it's people by trespassing AND posing a possible threat to the royal princess." said one of the guards.

"Release her." said Shining.

"Wh..what?" responded one of the guards. "But she is a threat!"

"I said RELEASE her!" Shining said in a powerful commanding voice. The guards hesitated for a moment before following his orders. She gasped for air as the pressure around her neck was suddenly relieved.

*cough* *cough* "Prin.. princess.." *wheeze*

"It's alright young one, just take your time and breathe.." Cadence said as she gently placed her hoof onto the young mares shoulder. She glanced up at her royal guards who were all standing idly by. "We can take it from here, please return to your posts.. and thank you for your protection as always." she finished, bowing her head slightly in respect to their loyalty.

"Yes my princess" the guards responded as they did exactly what she ordered.

Cadence waited until the sounds of their hooves completely faded into the distance before addressing the young mare that was before her.

"What is your name little one?" asked Cadence as Shining and Spike helped the mare to her feet.

"St.. Stella. My name is Stella." she said as she gently rubbed her throat with her hoof.

"Listen Stella, my guards had every right to attack you like that." Shining said. "You are very lucky that we were here to stop them. If there is a good reason for you to bolt past my guards then please, speak now.. and it better be good." he finished with sternness clearly in his voice.

"My.. my friend.." she responded nervously. "He was murdered before my eyes.." she added as she began to choke up from the horrifying memory that came flooding back to her.

"What!?" all three of them said in unison.

"Yes.. murdered in cold blood.. by a changeling." she said as she struggled to hold back her emotions but the loss of her best friend weighed heavily on her heart causing her to begin to sob out loud.

"I'm so terribly sorry for your loss my dear.." Cadence said as she gently hugged Stella, providing her a shoulder to cry on.

"Those changelings.. just thinking about them makes me sick!" Shining said as he slammed his hoof onto the ground. He paused for a moment, composing his anger before addressing Stella.

"Where did it happen.. show me."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The day was still young as the changeling mother continued her flight just over head of the Everfree Forest. The wind gently caressed her body as she gracefully pierced through the morning sky. Her muscles, still tense from her previous encounter, slowly began to relax as she scanned the forest below for another possible spot to take shelter.

"Hmm, nothing so far.." she said as she continued aimlessly over the dense exotic foliage. "I swear, I've been scanning these woods for nearly an hour now and nothing looks different.. " She suddenly stopped in mid air, now flapping her wings together in order to stay stationary as she took a moment to scan off into the distance around her.

"Trees here, trees there, trees everywhere.. as usual." she sighed, now slightly irritated.

The acres and acres of the Everfree Forest that surrounded her was a beautiful sight, especially from a good aerial view. However, this was not what she was looking for. She needed to find a noticeable landmark of some sort. Something hidden but not too hidden for she feared there was a small chance of getting lost in unknown areas of woods this far out, especially if she was not careful. She knew that her worst case scenario would have to be picking a designated spot somewhere underneath these trees.. but the risk was high. Any spot chosen there would prove to be indistinguishable from anything surrounding it, making it near impossible to find and return to later on. The second option, despite her efforts, was beginning to seem more and more likely as the day went by.

"One of these days I ought to take a giant plow and end this forest's misery." she spitefully added, refusing to give up as she continued to scan around her, now straining her eyes as she peered way off into the horizon. Suddenly, something caught her interest as she squinted in disbelief.

Far off into the distance was a small rocky mountain just barely visible to her. Its stony peak revealing itself just a few meters above the rest of the dense forest that surrounded it. You could also see layers of clouds masking the area with pillows of gray and white. She suddenly lit up with excitement upon her new discovery.

"Finally! this looks promising.." she said as she began to take off, however, she immediately stopped due to a sudden realization. She cursed herself as she had just remembered that she left Kainen's amulet inside the desk drawer at the old house. Her husband made this powerful amulet specifically for him which took years and years to make. She was not about to just hand it over to some filthy ponies.

"Please.. still be there.." She said as she took off towards the old house as fast she could, slicing through the wind around her like an arrow.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

End of Chapter 3

To Be Continued...

Comments

[Eclipse LunarSol]

I hope in this story Chrysalis is Kainen's mom. And then later she will bitch slap Cadence for taking her baby.

[Jphyper]

I've got a few helpful hints for you. Every time you've used the word "feint" so far, you should've used the word "faint". "Feint" is when you trick someone using your movements, also known as a "fake out".

"You see.. Spike has been coped up in this house for quite awhile now.

"Coped" should be "cooped" and "awhile" should be "a while". "Awhile" means "for a while". Thus, what you have written here means "for quite for a while now". Alternatively, you could get rid of the "for" and keep "awhile" in there.

You also forgot to capitalize the "s" in Spike's name on numerous occasions, and I've seen a few other typos as well.

Don't get me wrong—this is a great story, and I can look past the spelling mistakes. However, there is something I don't like and can't look past: the slow pacing. Unlike most of the times I criticize the pace of a story, this dislike is entirely my own opinion. I feel it's taking too long for the plot to get rolling. I've attempted to read famous novels that have the same issue. This is a good story, but it's simply not for me.

[DaDerpy8]

I like it so far

[Ahrazell]

Can't wait for the next one

[Glitter101]

When are you posting the next? I can't wait to read it.

[EvelynMonroe]

4062278 Forgive me for the long update, I will try to post the next one soon!

[Glitter101]

4065957
It's ok, looking forward for it.

[HB_DS2013]

I'm pretty sure that Kainen's mom is a different changeling. She even said that not all changelings serve Chrysalis. I think I'm starting to like changeling fics.