Chapter 113 - A Canterlot Wedding (Part 3)
The sun had set upon Canterlot and the moon was high in the night sky as Shining Armor, Starshine, Spike and the element bearers approached Princess Cadance’s quarters. It had been well over an hour since they had last heard from her, Twilight or Barrier and they were growing concerned.
When the door to her room came into view, they heard the door quietly creak open before the rose colored alicorn stepped into the hallway.
“Cadance, is—” Shining Armor was shushed by the alicorn before she trotted up to him.
“Twilight’s sleeping right now,” Cadance softly said before nuzzling the alabaster stallion. “I’d say she could really use it.”
“Well, that’s good,” Spike chipperly said. “She’s been having trouble sleeping for a while.”
“Were you able to work things out with her?” Shining asked as he quietly moved past Cadance and stuck his head through the threshold to her room, where he saw Twilight gently sleeping on Cadance’s couch. A small bit of drool dripped from her mouth as she squeezed a large pink pillow.
“Yep. We talked for a good while and had some drinks,” Cadance answered with a warm smile as she moved up to Shining Armor’s side. “We talked, she cried a little, but we hugged and then she passed out on the couch. Either the poor dear’s dead tired or she can’t hold her liquor that well.”
“Might I ask as to Captain Barrier’s whereabouts?” Starshine inquired as she moved past the couple, giving the bedroom a quick sweep.
“He said that while the wine was good, it wasn’t strong enough for him,” the pink coated empress said before she put a hoof on Starshine’s shoulder and gently pulled her out of the room. “I forget where he said he’d be going, but I’m sure he’ll be able to handle himself.”
“Very well, Empress,” Starshine said with a semi-growl. “I shall get a status update from the night guard.”
“Hopefully it goes well, Lieutenant.” Cadance nodded her head before turning back to Shining Armor with an amorous smile on her muzzle. “And as for you, my dear captain…”
Cadance pulled Shining Armor into a deep kiss. Spike looked away and gagged, not wishing to see his adoptive brother kissing somepony.
The alicorn mare broke off the kiss with Shining Armor before rubbing her horn against his. “I think you should head to bed so we're all ready for the wedding tomorrow.”
“I look forward to it, Cadance,” Shining beamed before nuzzling her cheek. “Thanks for talking to Twilight, dear.”
“It’s what I do,” Cadance replied before turning her attention to the others in the hall. While most looked happy for her and Shining, she could see Starshine was fighting back the urge to glare daggers at her.
“I suggest the rest of you head to bed as well. Don’t want to be all sleepy for the royal wedding,” Cadance warmly said, receiving a good deal of cheerful replies before Applejack, Spike, Fluttershy and Rarity trotted away while Rainbow Dash flew off, Pinkie bounced away and Starshine nearly stomped as she left.
“Good night, my handsome prince,” Cadance said before planting one last peck on Shining Armor cheek.
“Good night, my dear princess of love,” Shining said as she headed back into her room.
As she closed the door behind her, she took a deep breath and waited a long moment before breaking the silence.
“You did well, Apicula.” Cadance smirked as the form of Twilight Sparkle rose off her couch.
“It doesn’t take much to fake being passed out drunk, Your Majesty.” The violet unicorn bowed before the rose colored alicorn. “Your performance was far greater.”
“What matters now is how things go tomorrow,” Cadance said before trotting up to a vanity mirror. “Remember your part?”
“Of course,” Twilight said in a much more hoarse sounding voice. “Faking a hangover and sore throat to minimize tipping off her friends.”
“Very good. Now, let us get some rest. Everything rides on tomorrow,” Cadance said before making her way to bed. “Have a pleasant night’s sleep.”
***
Deep in darkness, Barrier felt incredibly sore and heavy, as if his legs were transmuted into lead. His last memories were blurry, but he recalled drinking with Cadance and Twilight before…
His head throbbed as he tried to recall, but nothing was coming to him.
“Hey, it’s about time.” A voice reached Barrier’s ears, forcing his mind to focus. “Get the needles ready.”
With a bit of effort, Barrier managed to force one eye open a sliver, letting him see who was standing in front of him.
It was a trio of unicorn mares adorned in what he could only assume would pass for a bridesmaid gown these days. One was a light blue with a white and dark blue mane while another sported a light green with a greenish white mane, while the last was cream colored with an eye-gougingly pink mane.
Shifting his eye to the side, he saw that beside him was the slumbering form of Twilight Sparkle, with an uneasy look upon her sleeping face.
The minty colored mare’s horn glowed with a golden light as she pulled a pair of syringes from a fold in her dress, both filled with a blue liquid. As she took caps off of their tips, she started to levitate the needles closer to himself and Twilight.
“So, who do you think is the more powerful of the two?” the mint mare asked as the needles drew closer to Barrier and Twilight’s necks. “Twilight Sparkle, or Tick-To—”
Leaping forward with what strength he could muster, Barrier threw himself at the cream colored mare, hitting her in the throat and body-checked her into a rocky wall.
Before her companions could react, his magic flared and overtook the needles. The minty mare’s magic was only able to struggle against his own for a moment before he plunged the needles into the two mares’ chests and pushed down on the plungers.
The injected mares started to wobble, causing more syringes to drop from the green unicorn’s dress. As he slowly started to feel wakefulness return to him, Barrier uncapped a third syringe and injected it into the unconscious cream mare, just in case.
“Y-you… You can’t… do that,” the blue mare sputtered shortly before she and her minty friend both collapsed muzzle-first into the hard floor.
Having a moment to now gather his wits, Barrier started looking around the space he and Twilight were being held in. It appeared to be a large cavern with a substantial number of crystalline protrusions sticking out from the ceiling and floor.
Quickly shaking his head, Barrier recalled what had happened with him and Twilight in Cadance’s chambers. Either she poisoned us with something she was immune to, or she somehow poisoned our glasses without our noticing.
The how doesn’t matter right now. Barrier pulled himself forward, starting to feel as if his forelegs were no longer made of lead. What matters is getting the Tartarus out of here.
The charcoal stallion put a forehoof on Twilight’s shoulder and started to shake her. “Twilight, wake up!” He harshly whispered, worried that someone might come along and raise the alarm.
Groaning, the violet unicorn started to rouse from her uneasy slumber, where the first thing she saw was Barrier’s worried gaze. “Urgh, Barrier? What’s going—”
Twilight paused before her eyes drifted to the fallen forms of the three unicorns. With a yelp, she quickly leapt to her hooves and hurriedly looked around the cavern.
“What’s going on?! Last thing I remember is… Cadance…” Twilight softly growled the last word as if she had a bitter taste in her mouth. “She’s the reason we’re… Where are we?”
“Not a clue. When I woke up, I saw these three were getting ready to inject us with what I can only assume was a sedative, based on the results,” Barrier responded as he looked about the dark cavern before turning to the three fallen mares. “Do you know these mares?”
“Yes, they’re Cadance’s bridesmaids before she had my friends and I replace them.” Twilight swallowed as she looked over the three mares. “Twinkleshine, Lyra and Minuette were friends of mine when I was younger, though I do see Lyra around Ponyville sometimes.”
“Well, hopefully whatever they wanted to drug us with will keep them out long enough for us to figure out where we are,” Barrier said as he looked over the unconscious mares, seeing them slowly breathing. “C’mon. We’ve got to move, now.”
“I’m coming,” Twilight replied as she tiredly followed alongside the charcoal unicorn. “How come you’re not so groggy?”
“I did a lot of work on building up a tolerance to drugs and poisons before I joined the guard, at the behest of my mentor,” Barrier answered as he stuck close to Twilight, his horn shimmering with pale blue light. “Still, it should hopefully wear off not too long from now.”
With a quiet groan, the two unicorns started to wander about the crystal lined cave. After a matter of minutes, Twilight started to pick up steam and was moving at the same pace as Barrier.
“Alright. Time to do the dirty deed.” A nearby voice made the two unicorns’ ears stand at attention. “Sorry about this, Empress, but it’s for the greater good.”
The sounds of muffled screams reached the two before they darted towards the source.
Barrier and Twilight spotted a unicorn mare levitating a cleaver in her sparkling green aura looking down into a hole in front of her. Twilight’s horn ignited as her magic yanked the cleaver away right before Barrier blasted the would-be butcher into a cavern wall.
Twilight quickly rushed up to the hole and gasped at what she was seeing. Barrier soon arrived by her side and saw what was in the hole.
The hole held a small pool of water and a pink seapony mare with several bruises on her rosy body, ropes binding her fins, and a gag tied over her muzzle. Her violet and tear-filled eyes were behind a mane that was a combination of pink, gold and purple.
“Cadance!” Twilight exclaimed before she harshly yanked the gag off the seapony’s muzzle.
“Twilight, Barrier! Thank Faust you found me!” Cadance shouted as Barrier tore the ropes off her. “I’ve lost track of how long I’ve been down here!”
“Cadance, what the Tartarus is going on?!” Twilight yelled in a storm of anger and confusion as she looked over her former foalsitter. “Why are you a seapony?! Why were Barrier and I drugged?! Why… I… just why?!”
“I’m not entirely sure, Twilight,” Cadance said as she used her fins to pull herself closer to the edge of the hole. “I was getting ready to come to Canterlot for the wedding when I started to feel really tired.
“When I awoke, I found myself turned into a seapony, tied-up, gagged, and stuffed into a tiny box.” Cadance then turned her attention to the charcoal stallion. “I heard you talking to somepony that seemed to have my voice and I tried to struggle out of there, but it was useless.
“I heard whoever sounded like me talking about how they planned on serving me as a fish dish to the griffin ambassadors.” Cadance shuddered before looking back to Twilight. “Whatever’s going on, there’s an imposter pretending to be me. They must have drugged me and used poison joke on me.”
“That would make sense,” Barrier said as his horn started to glow. A dome of blue light started to form under Cadance as he scooped up the transformed alicorn as well as a generous measure of water.
“Hold on a second,” Twilight barked as she glared at Cadance. “We were just drugged and tossed down into this cave by somepony already claiming to be Cadance. How do we know you’re not just another imposter trying to trick us?”
“Twilight—” Barrier started, only to be interrupted.
“I understand, Twilight…” Cadance took a deep breath and looked into the violet mare’s eyes. “The first night I met your brother, he had a flugelhorn recital. When I first demonstrated my love magic in front of you, it was to stop a gray earth pony stallion with a black mane and a yellow pegasus with a brown mane from arguing.”
“That… That’s good, but it’s not enough,” Twilight said as she leaned closer to glare Cadance in the eye.
“Oh! You told me that while you loved the Summer Sun Celebration, it was an exhausting week for you since not only did you have to stay up to wait for Princess Celestia to raise the sun, but the day before that was Moon Dancer’s birthday party, making it even more tiring!” Cadance’s words made Twilight gasp and pull back.
“Cadance, I’m so sorry I didn’t believe it was you!” Twilight’s eyes started to water and she pulled Cadance into a tight hug.
“It’s okay, Twilight,” Cadance softly said as she stroked the back of Twilight’s head with a fin. “Let’s just get out of here and stop whoever’s pretending to be me.”
“I just had a thought,” Barrier stated as the two broke off their hug. “Cadance heard me talking to her imposter at the train station. It stands to reason that we’re either somewhere in or near Canterlot.”
“Then we’re probably in some of the crystal caverns under Canterlot,” Twilight spoke up as her horn started to glow brightly. “We should be able to find our way out and possibly whip up some poison joke cure using the contents of the palace kitchens.”
“Be on your guard, Twilight,” Barrier said as Twilight seemed to use her magic to send out pulses that he could only assume were being used to help her map the tunnels. “We know this imposter has at least five others working for her, so who knows how many she has in the palace. Stealth and a willingness to strike first at anyone who spots us may be a necessity.”
“Hopefully it won’t come down to that,” Twilight replied as she started trotting ahead. “C’mon. I think I found a minecart we can use.”
***
Within the palace’s grand hall, a plethora of ponies were seated as they watched the ceremony unfolding before them as organ music filled the room and adjacent halls.
Princess Celestia was practically beaming with delight as she looked over a rose colored alicorn and Shining Armor. To the alabaster alicorn’s right were the element bearers looking splendid in their bridesmaid dresses, though Twilight looked to be fighting back a nasty headache from behind her dark sunglasses.
To Celestia’s left, the newly promoted Captain Starshine stood tall in her golden and purple armor. She stood proudly, ready to strike down any who would dare interrupt the ceremony to bound the two lovers before her.
“Empress Cadance and Shining Armor,” Celestia warmly spoke as she readied to bring things to a close. “It is my great pleasure to pronounce—”
An explosion blasted the hall doorway to rubble, causing screams to fill the hall as Starshine and most of the element bearers fell into defensive stances while Shining Armor cast a magenta barrier around himself and his bride.
“Stop!” A mare shouted as the smoke and dust started to settle from the entryway. Several ponies gasped at the sight of Twilight Sparkle and Magic Barrier with their horns glowing brightly while a damp and furious looking Princess Cadance stepped forth.
Confused and frightened chatter started to fill the chamber as the trio grew closer to the altar.
“Wait, what’s going on?!” Shining Armor shouted as he dropped the shield, his eyes darting back and forth between the alicorn by his side and the soaked one drawing closer.
“Get away from her, Shining!” Twilight shouted as she ran up to the damp Cadance’s side. “She’s an imposter! She wanted to kill the real Cadance and take her place! She had Barrier and I thrown into the caverns beneath Canterlot!”
“Wait, if yer Twilight, then who’s this?” Applejack exclaimed as she and her friends turned their gaze onto the sunglasses wearing unicorn. “A-Ah don’t understand. How can there be two of ‘em?”
With a deep breath, the Cadance by Shining Armor’s side sighed as she strolled down from the altar.
“I was hoping to avoid violence, that we could win with only one life lost,” the imposter said with a restrained fury as she closed her eyes.
“But you’ve forced my hoof.” Her voice shifted, becoming distorted as she spoke and her eyes shot open, revealing a pair of harlequin green eyes with slitted pupils.
“My changelings!” she roared in fury as emerald green flames formed at the base of her hooves. “Transform and rise up!”
The flames quickly consumed the imposter and swiftly grew larger. From within the flames, the silhouetted form of the imposter started to grow as holes formed in her legs, her wings became translucent and insect-like while the horn atop her head became elongated and crooked.
Within a few seconds, the flames around her dispersed, revealing a figure that rivaled Celestia in size. Her body was very dark and covered by a chitinous outer layer while her long and ragged looking mane and tail were a dark cerulean. Bands on her belly and an elytra on her back was a mixture of dark blues and greens. Atop her head sat what seemed to be a protrusion of chiten with four cerulean pearl-like orbs at the ends, giving her the appearance of a crown.
Shortly after her transformation had finished, many others within the hall were engulfed by the same emerald flames as her, revealing a multitude of dark gray chitinous creatures with sharp fangs, curved horns and sharp, curved fins going down the backs of their heads. The element bearers quickly stepped away from where the strange being that had once appeared to be their friend now stood.
“If this is how it must end, then let the battle begin!” the towering leader of the creatures roared as Barrier and Twilight fell into defensive postures.
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I'm somewhat surprised that Twilight actually recognized her old classmates.
Ok Chrysalis planning on butchering and serving Cadence to dignitaries? Yea she's further over the moral line in this timeline for sure! Wonder if the Hive will need to find a new leader much sooner considering Barrier is thier, Twilight got actual combat training here and Shining Armor isn't under mind control.
11790051
If I read right the implication is she actually attended Moondancer's party in this time line implying she was closer to her Canterlot friends.