EoH Evolution: Season 2

by Bahamut0

Episode 33: Royal Wedding Rumble Part 1

Burst took in a deep breath as he inhaled the fresh air. "Sure is a nice day out." He then took a bite of his sandwich. "You know? I don't ever think all of us have hung out together at the same time Twilight." Burst Stream glanced over all his friends gathered in the field. He smiled when he saw the friends of his who had gotten girlfriends. "Granted a few of our friends are occupied. This could count as a date for all the couples."

"Well, this is nice." Twilight said with a nod and a small smile. "Maybe we ought to do this more. My library's got more than enough space, and you could just bring over your video game consoles and movies. Easy."

Burst chuckled. "Great. Now Akage's got two arenas where he can utterly trash everyone in!" The two shared a laugh, and Burst Stream came to a realization. "Now that I think about how calm things are right now? I've got the feeling we're in for a lot more excitement soon."

Burst Stream had no idea how right he was when Spike belched out a message from Princess Celestia. "A letter from the princess?" Twilight thought out loud as she took a hold of the letter and began to read. "Dear Twilight Sparkle. You are hereby invited to the royal wedding of Shining Armor and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza." Twilight was still for a moment before shouting at the top of her lungs. "MY BIG BROTHER IS GETTING MARRIED?!"

Dang it Shining Armor! Burst thought as he mentally face palmed. I know you're busy being captain of the Royal Guard. But you couldn't have spared a couple of minutes to tell Twilight you're getting married?! I even asked you if you'd invited her yet! "Twilight. Your big brother's kind of an idiot. I should know because I even asked him when Celestia and I went on a double date with him and his fiancé during Hearts' Day."

"I know I should be happy for him Burst." Twilight said with a sigh. "But Shining Armor was my BBBFF." Twilight noticed the puzzled expressions on all her friends' faces. "Big Brother Best Friend Forever." After waiting for her friends to grasp the meaning for the acronym, Twilight continued. "The two of us were super close before he left to join the Royal Guard. We did everything together."

Burst Stream put a hand on Twilight's shoulder. "Well, you'll get your chance to discuss keeping you out of the loop back at Castalot." He then noticed Spike belch out another letter, and went to read it. "And it looks like me and the guys will be tagging along. Celestia wants us to help out with security."

"Hey." Burst said as he nudged Twilight. "Just let me know if you want me to deck Shining Moron in the face." Burst gave Twilight a thumbs-up, and was relieved to see a small smile appear on Twilight's face. "I'll take that as a sign that you're good to go. Let's roll out!" Both groups of elements, plus Spike, Narico, and the TCCs, headed to the train station and boarded the train to Castalot.

As the train ride progressed, Burst began to reflect on the past clashes against the mutant changelings. They kept going on about how me and the guys were a threat to their queen's plan. So much that they made an effort to try and eliminate us multiple times. But they've been quiet lately. Maybe they've already got their plan set up. We'd better remain on guard.

Burst Stream let out a sigh. This wedding's going to be a big deal, so of course my girlfriend's going to ask me and my friends to act as extra security. A small blush crept onto Burst's cheeks as he entertained thoughts of his future. Maybe Celestia and I will be standing at the altar one day. He promptly returned his thoughts to the present.

"Hey, Fang?" Narico asked his adopted big brother. "What's a wedding? Everyone else is acting pretty crazy, and the girls are acting like they got the best present in the world. So what's going on?"

Night Fang took a deep breath. "Well Narico, a wedding is when two people fall deeply in love. And they want to spend the rest of their lives together." Fang then blushed a little. "I know I'd like to find a girl who wants to be with me for the rest of my life."

Narico smiled at receiving an answer to his question. But he then felt a tingling in his head as they got closer to Castalot. Narico didn't know why, but the sensation in his being started to intensify.

Sure enough, both sets of elements and company arrived at Castalot Castle. However, they were met with a sight they hadn't expected. The Royal Guard was at the top of the wall with their spears readied. The sets of elements were prepared to be take inside by force, but a voice called out a single name. "Twily?!" Shining Armor called out with a grin on his face as he raced down to meet his sister. "It's so good to see you! I'm glad you made it!"

"BBBFF!" Twilight cheered as she returned the hug. Her expression then reverted to the cross expression. "How could you not tell me that you're getting married?! It's one of the greatest moments you could have in your life! And it's to some person I've never heard of! This Princess Mi Amore Cadenza!"

Shining Armor smiled knowingly. "Twily. Princess Mi Amore Cadenza is Cadence." He then led the group inside the gates. "Cadence and I have been dating since high school. And from there, things kind of just kept building up until I decided to propose."

"This is so amazing!" Twilight squealed with joy. "My BBBFF and the world's best babysitter getting married! Oh, I just can't wait to see her!" However, she soon came to a realization. "But, why is everyone on high alert?"

Shining Armor's expression steeled. "We received a threat saying Castalot would be attacked. That's why all of the guard is being put on high alert. Princess Celestia also instructed me to but up a shield around the city." Shining Armor ignited his magic. Its magenta glow covering his hands as he cast a gigantic shield bubble around the entire city! "Nothing's going to get inside. But the princess also has the Elite Guard on standby."

"In that case, I'll head to their barracks." Steel Edge said with a nod. "It'll be good to catch up with my former squad. Who knows? Maybe they'll all try and take on their old captain!" Steel flared his magic briefly before flying off to the Elite Guard quarters.

"So that's the Avatar of Honor." Shining Armor noted. "And he used to be the Elite Guard captain? Looks like you've got some pretty powerful friends Burst."

Burst shrugged. "Thanks. But don't sell yourself short." Burst Stream glanced at the shield around Castalot. "A shield spell like this takes a lot of magical power. But judging by your name, something tells me that defensive magic is your strong suit." Burst then smirked as he got into a fighting stance with his Duelist Arms drawn. "So let's see what you're made of!"

Shining Armor smiled, and nodded as he raised his shield and drew his sword. But before the two could get into a sparring match, a familiar voice interrupted. "Is there a problem here?" Cadence asked crossly.

"Cadence!" Twilight cried out in joy as she rushed over to her former babysitter. "Sunshine, sunshine! Ladybugs awake! Clap your hands and-" Twilight halted in the middle of her chant when she noticed that Cadence wasn't singing along with her. "Cadence? Aren't you going to finish the song?"

Cadence only had a confused expression on her face. However, her expression sharpened when she caught sight of Narico. And as she stepped closer, the young changeling began to shiver and clutch his head! Fang knelt down and tried to see what was wrong. Cadence was inching ever closer, but her path was soon blocked by Burst Stream. "Could you move out of the way? I have some pressing matters with that child back there."

"No can do." Burst said sternly. "I don't know what Narico's got to do with you, but it's clear he doesn't want any part of it. So if anyone needs to move, it's you."

Cadence rolled her eyes, and put on a staged smile. "All those accounts they told me don't do you justice. You don't back down at all. I certainly won't forget our first encounter."

"We've already met before Cadence." Burst said with a raised eyebrow. I've got a bad feeling about this. "You know, back when you and Shining Armor had a double date with me and Celestia?"

"Oh. . . yes! That date!" Cadence said with a false giggle. "Do forgive me. This wedding is quite the stressful task. But one I look forward too nonetheless. I'll see you at the altar." And with that, "Cadence" walked back into the castle.

Burst Stream narrowed his eyes as he watched Cadence depart. Something's off. She didn't act like she remembered Twilight. And she spoke so royal-like. Cadence definitely didn't talk like that when I met her and Shining Armor. She had a warm feel to her. I could sense it when I read her energy. But this woman? I get a completely different feel.

Burst then turned his attention to Narico and Fang. "Fang? What's up with Narico? The little guy looked like he was scared out of his mind. Especially when Cadence started to advance towards him."

"I don't know." Night Fang said with a sigh. "But this isn't the only time this happened. Back on the train, Narico felt a tingling in his head. And that sensation escalated to a buzzing as we got closer." Fang put his hands on Narico's shoulders. "Narico. I need you to tell me what's going on with you. Please. We can't help unless we know what's wrong."

Narico slowly removed his hands from his head. "I've. . . been hearing chatter. Changelings' thoughts can be heard by other changelings. And as we got closer, I heard a lot of thoughts buzzing around. But what really scared me was a presence I felt back at the hive. The presence of the queen. She's here. Somewhere." Narico then began to shiver slightly. "What's she going to do if she finds me?"

"She'll need to go through us first." Fang said with a determined expression on his face. "I promise Narico. I'm not gonna let anyone hurt you while I'm around." The young nymph gave Fang a small smile, and the group proceeded to head into the castle.

"You're not the only one who got an odd feeling Narico." Burst said. "I felt something was off about her too. While I can't exactly place it, I've got the feeling not all of her intentions are as clear as she's letting on."

Fang nodded. "So you noticed too?" He whispered. "I picked up on it while she was talking to you. Think we should keep an eye on her?"

"That sounds like a plan." Burst said with a nod. He then noticed Twilight talking to the rest of the Main 6. "Hey, Twilight? I hope I didn't upset you by getting up in Cadence's face like that."

Twilight shook her head. "No, you're fine Burst. It's just that, Cadence is acting so different from the person I once knew. I get that this wedding is going to put some stress on her, but it was weird that she didn't join in the song we made up when she babysat me. It's probably nothing, but I'm asking my friends to take note of anything odd about her."

"Well, I don't know if it's best that you just leave it to them." Burst said with a caution in his voice. "Chances are that they might just get caught up in their assigned wedding tasks. So it couldn't hurt for you to keep an eye on Cadence too. You're not wrong about her acting different. I could tell when she stepped out of the castle."

Twilight nodded. "Thanks Burst." She then got a mischievous smile. "And since we're at an event about love, shouldn't you be checking in your girlfriend?"

"I was getting to that!" Burst snapped as his cheeks were tinged pink! "Uh. . . bye!" And with that, Burst Stream dashed off to the throne room. However, he ran into his desired location quite literally. "Oof!" Burst lifted his head from where he'd fallen. "Sorry for literally running into you."

"Oh that's fine. I was hoping to see you soon anyway." Celestia said with a giggle. Burst's face was flushed red when he saw how close he was to Celestia's body! "I guess my dragon knight's a bit eager to be by my side." She then cupped Burst Stream's face. "Though I have missed you."

Burst managed to calm down enough to look Celestia in the eye instead of hiding his eyes behind his bangs. "So did you call me and the guys just because you wanted to see me? Or do you just feel safer when I'm around you? Then again, I wouldn't be your dragon knight if I didn't answer your call."

"True enough." Celestia said with a loving smile. She then took Burst by the hand, and led him around the castle. A slight blush on her face as they walked. "Tell me Burst Stream. Have you ever, considered getting married?"

Burst gulped at Celestia's question. "Well, I've honestly never given it much thought before. But that all changed not too long ago. That being when you and I started dating." Burst let out a sigh. "Oh man. How do I say this? Well, I guess there's only one way to put it." A deep breath later, and Burst tightened his hold on Celestia's hand. "I'd love to see you in a wedding dress walking down the aisle."

There was complete silence between the two, and they had come to a halt. Celestia then wrapped one of her wings around Burst, and pulled him close to her. "You have no idea how happy that answer makes me." Celestia said with a blissful smile as she closed the distance with a kiss.

Burst could've sworn he was in heaven at that moment. Here's hoping Twilight's having as much luck as I am! Burst thought to himself as he returned the kiss. With as much power as he could put into it. I guess love's really in the air today.

Meanwhile, Twilight was off observing "Cadence". Needless to say, Twilight wasn't too happy with what she saw. When Cadence was with Rarity, she seemed so disinterested in the design of the wedding dress. Almost like she didn't care. Then there was the instance where Applejack was having Cadence taste the treats she'd made for the reception. Cadence just discarded them as soon as Applejack left. And then there was Pinkie Pie. Despite all the fun things Pinkie listed off as part of the wedding, Cadence didn't even seem to remotely enjoy any of it!

"This is too weird. It's like she doesn't even care if she enjoys the wedding." Twilight murmured to herself as she continued to observe Cadence. However, what really sealed the deal was when she found Cadence and Shining Armor alone. Twilight had followed them, and decided to see how Cadence acted toward her soon-to-be husband. And she was horrified when she caught the sight of Cadence using magic on Shining Armor's head! "This is terrible! She's downright evil!"

Twilight ran away as fast as she could! I have to let everyone know about this tomorrow! Needless to say, Twilight didn't rest easy that night. However, she wasn't the only one who was restless that night. Narico got out of bed to wash his face and hopefully clear his head.

Narico had filtered out most of the chatter he'd heard from changelings, but his empathic sense was going off like crazy. The young changeling focused on the source, and could feel a colossal amount of love coming from the source. But there was also great sadness to it as well. "Who are you?" Narico thought out loud. "Well, if I can't find out who you are, maybe I can find out who you love." Narico closed his eyes, and focused his magic to trace the direction of the affection. Sure enough, it was all aimed towards Shining Armor. And he ran to Night Fang to inform him.

"You're sure about this?" Fang asked his adopted little brother. Narico nodded frantically. "Okay then." Fang said with a deep breath. "Both you and Twilight were getting a bad vibe from Princess Cadence. Tomorrow's the rehearsal. Maybe you should tell Twilight about what you've been sensing. It just might help both of you. But right now? Try and get some sleep Narico. Here's hoping tomorrow turns out better."

The next day, Twilight burst into the reception hall! "STOP THE WEDDING!" She declared with as much force as she could! "Shining, Cadence is evil! She's been awful to my friends!" Twilight pointed at Cadence! "And then there's what happened last night! I saw her using your magic on you and messing with your head!"

It was then that Cadence broke into tears, and ran off! Shining Armor walked over to Twilight with an angry look on his face. "That's enough Twily! The reason Cadence is acting like this is the stress of the wedding and the attack threat! And as for why you saw Cadence using her magic on me? She's been using her magic to heal me! Maintaining the shield spell leaves me with a serious headache!" Shining Armor sighed. "I'm so disappointed in you Twily. You can forget about being the Best Woman at the ceremony." But while Twilight was just standing there and taking it, one of her friends decided they wouldn't stand for it.

"Shining Armor!" Burst shouted as he walked over to the siblings. Shining Armor turned to face Burst, and was promptly met with a punch to the face! Everyone in the room was left completely speechless! "How can you be so damn selfish?!" Burst screamed! "I can't believe all of you!" His gaze was directed at each of the Main 6 that had began to leave before he returned his furious glare to Shining Armor. "She was just worried for you! You're probably one of the most important people in her life, and you go and treat her horribly just because she might possibly ruin your stupid wedding?!"

Some of the Main 6 made to leave again, but stopped in their tracks when Burst glared at them. The only ones spared from his glare were Rarity and Rainbow Dash. The only ones looking ashamed at the moment. "You're not off the hook either! You're supposed to be her friends! But none of you could be bothered to do her one favor and see how Cadence was acting!" No one had ever seen Burst Stream this angry before! Even Celestia was dumbstruck! Burst had stopped ranting for the moment, and just stared coldly at Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Applejack. "Maybe the Elements of Harmony choose wrong if you're going be lousy friends to Twilight and leave her behind because you all couldn't be bothered to get distracted from your wedding tasks."

"Forget this." Burst growled as he walked away. "I'm out of here!" But as Burst left, he noticed that we wasn't alone. Twilight was tailing him.

"Burst. . . you didn't need to do that." Twilight said sadly. "You're right. My brother and my friends were wrong to treat me like that, and I shouldn't have just taken it like I did. But why did you have to go and hit my brother like that?" Twilight tensed up a bit when Burst stopped walking. She was expecting him to glare at her, but what happened was the exact opposite.

Burst sighed, and looked back to Twilight sadly. "I'm sorry you had to see me like that Twilight. Usually it's pretty easy for me to keep my cool. The only time I came close to losing it was when Discord was released. Maybe I shouldn't have been so unrestrained when calling out your friends for treating you badly, but I couldn't just stand seeing you take that abuse." Burst took a deep breath before continuing. "And you're not off the hook either Twilight. What you did was impulsive and stupid. It's just as bad as the mistake you made when Discord gave you that riddle. All you had to go on was what you saw with your own eyes and no other evidence. You had a pretty weak platform to stand on, and that would have cost you if I hadn't stepped in. And I don't think anyone wants to see you break down in tears."

The two were quiet for a moment before Burst resumed the conversation. "Also, you're not the only one who's got a bad feeling about Cadence. Come on. I think Narico would like to have a few words with you." Burst led Twilight to where the other Elements of Heroism were stationed. He explained what Twilight saw, and his outburst towards Shining Armor and the rest of the Main 6. "And there you have it. Also, I want to apologize to Inferno, Steel, and Ty. I shouldn't have snapped like I did."

"Honestly? We kinda deserved it." Rainbow Dash said glumly as she hovered into the room. The rest of the Main 6 following suit. "Me ditching Twilight and the others caused a lot of trouble last time. I'm not making that mistake again." Rainbow Dash clenched her fist. "I'm not gonna be the reason someone I care about gets hurt. Not again."

Steel put an arm around Rainbow Dash. "Hey. Twilight didn't have any evidence except what she saw. I think she'll be more than forgiving of you."

"He's right you know." Twilight said with a small smile. "Honestly? I'm just glad you five came to your senses. This is a pretty big event, so it's only natural you all got engrossed in it. I probably should've seen this coming." She then let out a sigh. "Looks like there's still a lot to learn about friendship in store for me. And I think today provided one of those lessons."

Twilight then returned to the more pressing matter. "But that's a letter for another time. Fang. You said Narico kept feeling a weird sensation whenever Cadence was near, right? And that he also picked up on a powerful source of love directed at my brother?"

"That's it in a nutshell." Fang said with a nod. "Narico also said he heard mental chatter from other changelings. He said it was so clear that it was like they were just outside the city." Fang then knelt down to Narico's level. "Hey Narico? I'm about to ask a pretty big favor of you. You don't have to agree to helping, but it could really help us out. Narico. Can you tell me where you felt that love signal coming from?"

Narico slowly nodded. "It's gonna sound crazy, but I felt it coming from under the ground. I also sensed a lot of sadness coming from it too."

"The catacombs!" Twilight said with a snap of her fingers! "I read about them! They were a place rich with gems, and were used as a prison to trap greedy Magi! But how are we going to get there?"

Burst Stream stepped forward with a confident smile on his face. "Easy. I've got a plan. That Cadence impostor is probably thinking that we're on to her. If our meeting back at the castle entrance is anything to go by, this is her first time meeting Twilight. But since you caught onto her, I don't think it's a good idea to have you roaming around Twi. So here's what gonna go down. I'll confront the fake Cadence and get captured. If I'm right, she'll probably imprison me where the real Cadence is being held. I'll bust her out, and you and Fang will track us down. Fang's the best tracker I know, so he'll be able to lock onto my scent no problem. Then, we crash the ceremony with a big objection."

"Burst that's-WOW!" Twilight was amazed at the structure of Burst's plan. "I never expected you to come up with a plan like this!"

Burst frowned. "What, you just thought I half-assed everything I did? I always consider what action I need to take in every fight I have! And I improvise when the outline falls through. Arctic Ace is our strategist, but I'm the one my team counts on for the game plan. Wouldn't be much of a leader if I didn't have any plans."

"Sorry!" Twilight said with a sheepish smile. "I guess you're more of show-don't-tell type. Solid plan! So let's go for it!" And sure enough, Burst roamed the castle looking for Shining Armor and Cadence. He spotted Shining Armor leaving the room Cadence was given to prepare for the wedding. He put his ear up against the door.

Burst could hear Cadence giggling. The giggling soon turned to laughter. And hearing it put Burst on edge. "So what do you find so amusing?" Burst asked as he quietly opened the door. "Laughing at Twilight Sparkle getting chewed out by her brother?"

"Hmph. So it looks like you've caught onto me too." The fake Cadence said with a smirk. "I'm curious. How long did it take you to figure me out? Well, it doesn't matter. You won't be telling anyone." Burst Stream turned and saw two changeling drones in front of him. One of the swung at him, and Burst fell to the floor. "It looks like the Element of Power isn't as strong as they say." The fake Cadence said with an evil smile before turning to the drones. "I do hope the Princess of Love enjoys the company I'm sending her way." A green magical aura covered Cadence's hands, and Burst was transported away in a flash of green fire. But the fake Cadence failed to notice something. Burst Stream was smiling as he was teleported into the caverns

TO BE CONTINUED!

Comments

[Bahamut0]

9021545
Next chapter's up!

[ArcticAce01]

9023404
Great part one to the 2 part season 2 final I’m so definitely looking forward to seeing the part to this wonderful season 2

[Bahamut0]

9023426
Any favorite bits from the episode?

[ArcticAce01]

9023498
Not really sure tbh

[Bahamut0]

9023502
Eh. My personal favorite bit was Burst punching Shining Armor in the face.

[MasterPhoenix93]

As expected, most characters are oblivious to an imposter.

Shining Armor getting decked in the face...definite favorite part (he deserved it).

Also, that bit of relationship advancement with Burst and Celestia? That was kind of expected (with the wedding planning going on), but Burst and Celestia...if I haven't said they're meant for each other...I'm saying it now...they're meant for each other.

Good chapter and set up for part 2