Rainbow is Magic S2: Love Hearts and Bug Eyes

by aceotaku

Chapter 3: Not What She Seems

There was a knock at Cadance’s door. The Princess trotted to answer it, greeted by the sight of Pinkamena.

“Ah you’re one of....Rainbow’s entourage, correct?” The Princess said after a brief pause.

“I’m PInkamena, a rock farmer.” The dour pink pony replied. “Rainbow asked me to make a ring for you.” She hold up her hoof, holding on its centre, atop a plain handkerchief, a silver band of metal with a sizeable, blue stone atop it. “Take it.”

Cadance eyed the small piece of jewellery with what could be seen as disdain, lifting it up with her magic before tossing it away, out of Pinkamena’s grasp. “I already have a ring, thank you very much. I don’t need such a cheap trinket. I never asked for it, so don’t bother making it.”

Pinkamena glared daggers at the Princess. “Those materials WERE NOT CHEAP, and Rainbow told me you DID want me to make it.”

“Well she was just making a decision for me without my consultation.” The Princess shrugged.

Pinkamena growled. “Let me in there so I can get that ring back then.”

“Please, I have too much to worry about other than your silly ring, and nopony’s allowed in my room, understand? Yes? Good, now stay out.” She slammed the door shut, the locking of the door greeting the earth pony’s ears. She growled angrily and turned away, already plotting thoughts of revenge.

------------------------------

Applejack had set herself up in one of the unusued rooms of the castle being left for use by guests of the wedding, and was using what little time she had to set up a mannequin and oversee the finishing touches on the dress she had made, ensuring it looked amazing enough for the princess to wear on her wedding day.

The dress was immaculate, a traditional white but with the edges embroidered with frills made into patters of stars, hearts and horseshoes, with a veil sequined with hundreds of small gems of various colours to create a rainbow effect. The fashionista smiled in satisfaction, pleased with herself.

She turned her head as she heard footsteps trotting over, seeing Princess Cadance walk over.

Applejack smiled at her. “Ah! Princess! Excellent, you got mah note, I wanted you to have a look at this dress Ah made for you! Isn’t it lovely?”

Cadance gave the outfit a single, dismissive before turning to Applejack. “It’s so...gaudy.”

Applejack blinked, looking at the outfit again. “You...really think so? I mean yes it is admittedly quite...extravagant but...”

‘Besides, I already have a dress.” The pink royal said matter of factly, pointedly looking away from the dress before her as she spoke.

“W-what!?” Applejack sputtered. “You already....WHAT!? DO you know how many hours Ah spent on this dress! The other orders and requests made of me, and the materials Ah had to gather at the last minute just to make it!?”

Cadance merely shrugged. “Is it my fault if it slipped my mind? Besides, I think II made the right decision here, the dress I got is far better than this gaudy mess.” She turned and trotted out, not even giving Applejack a second glance.

Applejack’s eye twitched as the door was shut behind the princess as she left. “Why that...that....SHREW!”

-----------------------

Fluttersy sang happily, gliding along the halls of Canterlot Castle, yelping in surprise as she bumps into somepony, falling to the floor. She looked up to see Princess Cadance gazing down at her. “Oh! Hi princess!”

She blinked her eyes, tilting her head. “You’re...ummm...?”

“I’m Fluttershy!” She chirped, getting to her hooves.

“and you’re another one of Rainbow’s friends, I take it?”

“yep yep! I knew her for a bit when we were kids! And since it where’s such good friends, and because it sounded fun, I came along to see your wedding after she asked me to! I bet you’re so excited! And nervous! AND NERVOUSCITED!”

Cadance’s expression was unreadable as she looked the mare over impassively. “I see. So you weren’t asked to do something for the wedding?”

“That’s right! Though when I saw those Jesters, I realised maybe I should’ve thought about doing some singing for your big day, singing IS one of my special talents after all and I think it’d be great to show my support in a really special way!”

While Fluttershy had been talking, Cadance’s eyes shot wide open,her lips thinning. She suddenly pressed her face close to Fluttershy’s. “A pair of jesters? One in blue, one in red?”

“Oh? Yeah, Flitter and Cloudcahser!” Fluttershy smiled widely. “They said they were going to perform for you and they seemed really fun! I bet they’ll make a KILLER show for you!”

“You stay away from those two!” Cadance snapped.

Fluttershy blinked. “H-huh? Why?”

“None of your business why.” Cadance pulled back, giving the Pegasus an icy gaze. “Don’t involve yourself in the matter. It doesn’t concern you. Stay out of it.”

Fluttershy frowned. “W-wait you mean you don’t wanna hear me sing? I mean I understand I guess but I thought...”

“No. Stay out of it. Stay as far away from those Jesters as much as you can. They are not ponies for you to be concerned with. Just stay out of the way until the wedding is finished.” She turned and trotted away, leaving Fluttershy alone.

“But...I liked them...” Fluttershy said softly at the Princess’s retreating form.

-----------------------------------

Rarity slumped against the wall of one the many halls of the castle, sighing in boredom. There really wasn’t much to see or do around the castle, since everypony was seemingly obsessed with the wedding. It didn’t interest her one bit, and to make matters worse Rainbow, in her single minded obsessiveness, forbid any of the group from leaving the castle until after the wedding. What was she supposed to do until then, fall asleep!?

Her ears perked up as she heard voices. Awakening her often unexplored love of gossip, she carefully sneaked along the hall, peeking around a corner to see the two Jesters from earlier, Flitter and Cloudchaser, talking to Princess Cadance.

“What are you going to do about the Elements of Harmony?” Flitter asked.

“Spoil everything they will!” Cloudchaser added.

Cadance stared through a window, her back to the two Jesters.”I have everything under control. It’s fine, they won’t get in the way of what we’ve got planned. Once the wedding is over with, we’ll have everything we want. You two just trust me. Remember who the Queen is around here.”

The pair looked to each other and slinked back, stepping out of sight. “Oh we will, our Queen. We will. Just remember...we’re only here to help and to keep an eye on things.”

The Princess bowed her head, staring forward in dtermination. “I know.”

Rarity blinked, trotting over. “What was that about? Sounded kinda...ominous? does that sound weird?”

Cadance yelped and turned to face Rarity, before quickly turning around and running off out of sight.

“Wait!” Rarity called out, reaching a hoof to her as the princess ran. “Don’t run away! That’s only making you look more suspiscious!” She pouted. “Great. Now I got this shady stuff to worry about. Should probably talk to the others about it.” She huffed.

-----------------------

Twilight trotted down the hall down to the banquet hall, carrying a large cart stocked with boxes of food from her farm. As Twilight walked to the dining hall, she discovered that there were already several ponies walking around, setting up the tables. The farmer blinked in surprise, trotting to a pony in a waiter’s garb.

“Halt!”

The mare blinked and turned to see a member of the royal guard trot to her.

“What is the problem, officer?” The purple unicorn asked.

“What is it you intend to do with those boxes?” The pink coated, armour sporting mare asked suspisciously.

“I...I was asked to provide food for the wedding.” Twilight replied, taken aback. “I’m Twilight Sparkle, of Ponyville. I can just leave what brought along so the chefs can prepare something with them.”

The guard frowned at her. “Sorry ma’am, but we can’t allow you to give anyone in the kitchens anything. The head chef has expressly forbidden any provisions that have not been approved by him, and the Princess had agreed.”

“What!?” Twilight gasped. “But! But I already had to gather all this on short notice and you’re telling me I wasted my time! Why didn’t the Princess tell anyone I was bringing something?!”

She shrugged. “What can I tell you? Orders are orders.” She gave a rather nasty sneer. “She probably thought your food wasn’t good enough and changed her mind.” Her expression dropped as she caught the dangerous glare in the unicorn’s eyes.

“Well I think I’ll have to have a word with her!” Twilight huffed, forgetting her cart of food as she trudged off. “Stupid spoiled princess...Can’t see why Rainbow likes her so much...”

As the unicorn trotted out of sight, Princess Cadance stepped out from the kitchens, walking over to the cart. “What’s this?” She asked the guard nearby.

“Oh just some mare trying to sneak in extra food, tried to claim you gave her permission or some nonsense.” She chuckled. “What a pathetic mare. Shall I toss this in the trash for you, your highness?”

Princess Cadance frowned, giving the guardsmare an imperious gaze. “Don’t worry yourself. I’ll deal with this appropriately myself, you just maintain your vigil.”

The mare saluted. “Yes ma’am!”

Cadance’s horn glowed as she lifted the cart and its load high in the air, trotting out of the dining hall as she carried the food with her out of sight.

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Later, the six mares had gathered together at one of Canterlot’s cheaper restaurants for lunch, Rainbow grinning wide at her friends, not noticing their crestfallen, disappointed or angry expressions.

“Oh man I’m so excited!” Rainbow gushed. “Cadance’s wedding is gonna be in a few hours and I CAN’T WAIT! Oh man, you guys, she’s THE BEST and I can’t believe she’s getting married!”

“Not to rain on your parade, there, Rainbow,” Rarity began, looking to the side, “But I...don’t think she is that...uh...well, I think you might need to lower your expectations of her, a bit.”

Rainbow blinked, staring at her friend in disbelief. “Huh!? What are you talking about!? Cadance is a wonderful mare!”

“Wonderful?” Applejack huffed, rolling her eyes. “She insulted the dress Ah painstakingly made for her, at HER request mind you, and she has the GALL to say she already had another dress made and didn’t care one bit about the time, effort and materials Ah wasted on her account!”

Pinkamena growled. “Same here. She took the ring I made for her and tossed it away, and even said she had a better ring. The materials I used for that are going to take months to grow again.”

Twilight nodded in agreement. “And apparently the chefs won’t take in any new ingredients, and Cadance even gave them approval for this! So, what, now all that food I rbought along has to go to waste?” She slammed her head into the table. “Oh dang it, I just realised I left it all in the dining hall...I hope they didn’t toss it all away before I can go get it all back...”

“Guys, look she’s under a lot of stress...” Rainbow said placatingly. “I mean, a wedding is a big deal and all, it makes a lot of lesser ponies crazy. Trust me, she probably just got swamped with wedding stuff and forgot.”

Fluttershy frowned. “She also told me to stay out of the way, that I was a nuisance, and forbid me from talking to Flitter and Cloudchaser even though they’re really fun and I like them a lot!”

“Probably cause she’s plotting something with them.” Rarity chided in. “I managed to overhear them talking to each other and it sounds like they have...something planned. I think Cadance is up to something! LIKE USING THE WEDDING TO LURE I PONIES FOR HER DASTARDLY PLOT OF TAKING OVER EQUESTRIA!”

“Rarity, that’s crazy!” Rainbow snapped. “Cadance wouldn’t do that!”

“You weren’t there! Okay, I don’t know what they’re up to, but this Cadance mare is NOT a nice pony and is DEFINITELY not on the up and up! I mean heck, Bluebloodis apparently acting weird, and who does he happen to be marrying just as he starts acting differently? Cadance.”

Applejak frowned in thought. “Your ‘take over equestrian theory’ is pretty crazy...but you do have a point. Blueblood was a perfect gentleman and charming last we met, and now he’s acting like a total clueless buffoon, and seems to let Cadance lead him around everywhere, even though tradition states the bride and groom should not see each other before they are wed on their wedding day, and Ah can’t imagine why royalty would break tradition so brazenly without even giving a real excuse.”

“And think about it,” Twilight added, “we’re national heroes. Maybe she’s been pushing us away so that we can’t get in the way of...whatever she is up to. I mean, Rainbow, did she say antyhign weird to you?”

“I can’t believe you’re actually taking what Rarity said SERIOUSLY!!” Rainbow exclaimed in disbelief. “Cadance taught me everything I know, she even allowed me to study magic in the first place, hay she personally TAUGHT me a lot of spells! She’s NOT ‘up to somethng’ and she’s NOT a bad mare!”

Applejack leaned up, her hooves slamming onto the table as she leaned up, glaring at Rainbow. “You’ve barely talked to that mare outside of, like, that one time we met her on Hearth’s Warming Eve? And she doesn’t write to you or keep up with you?”

“She’s a busy mare!” Rainbow argued. “Guys, you’re acting nuts!”

“WE’RE acting NUTS!?” Pinkamena exclaimed. “You’re supposed to be our friend and yet you’re siding with a pony you haven’t spoken to in YEARS rather than accept what we’re saying! You’re outright ignoring what we’ve experienced so you can make excuses and cling to some crazy ideal!”

Applejack nodded. “You should be more willing to accept that, maybe, Princess Cadance is acting like a jerk to us and be more inclined to back us up.”

“Look, I don’t have to listen to this!” Rainbow threw hooves up in the air, getting up from her seat and trotting off. “I’ll let you guys stew in your craziness, but come find me once you’re willing to let go of your prejudice and give my teacher a chance.”

Twilight, Pinkamena and Applejack frowned angrily at Rainbow as she walked off, Fluttershy and Rarity frowning in concern and looking down guiltily.

“Forget her for now.” Twilight said. “If she’s gonna be in denial, let her, we’re just gonna have to prove that Cadance isn’t some perfect golden mare ourselves.”

“Maybe we should...tell the Princesses?” Rarity suggested.

“Oh yes because the Princesses are totally unbiased and would totally listen to us over Cadance.” Pinkamena said. “Heck, Celestia didn’t even do anything about GRAND HEIST even after she ALMOST BLEW UP PONYVILLE, no way is she gonna do anything about her niece who’s acting like a tool and possibly conspiring something shady besides. No, we have to do this ourselves and find proof of Cadance’s....whatever it is.”

“Are you sure you heard them right, Rarity?” Fluttershy asked. “I mean, that’s a pretty serious accusation, so serious I can’t really make any jokes about it, and Flitter and Cloudchaser seem like nice ponies themselves.”

“I don’t wanna assume the worst either,” Rarity replied defensively, “But they definitely said some words in a sinister and suspiciously vague manner that DEFINITELY sounded like Cadance was doing something beyond being a mean jerk.”

“So, the first order of business,” Applejack said, “is to first find actual proof of any treachery, and assuming we do we’ll come up with some way of exposing her. That’ll teach her whose dress is ‘guady’.”

“And where would we start?” Twilight asked.

PInkamena looked at the other mares in turn before speaking. “Her room. She’s always making sure nopony comes in, she wouldn’t even let me enter just to get the ring I made back from her, and she and Blueblood are coming in and out of there quite frequently. Thus, if they ARE hiding something, it’ll be in there.”

The girls nodded and got up, ready to begin Operation: Sneak Inside Cadance’s Room and Make Her Pay For Being a Jerk.

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As Cadance stepped out of her room, the five mares peeked from their hiding space behind a particularly large decorative column, sneaking towards the door.

“So, anypony know how to pick a lock?” Twilight enquired, looking over her should to make sure nopony saw them.

“I can do better.” PInkamena said. “These hinges appear to be made from a fairly common metal, but one with a very glaring flaw. Whoever designed this was a pretty poor craftspony.” Pinkemena surreptisciously pulled a lighter from...somewhere and lit a flame that she pressed against the hinges of the door, the hinges curling and popping from their placements and causing the door to collapse backwards, allowing the mares entry. “Bingo.” Pinkemena tossed her lighter into her mane and stepped in as the other mares followed, greeted by the sight of a large bed, a wardrobe and a pony sized mirror.

“You’re right, that IS a big flaw.” Rarity muttered. “We should probably let whoever is in charge of that sort of thign know so its not so easy for somepony to break in.”

“Okay, everypony, search for clues.” Applejack said in a commanding tone.

“ooh, like that?” Fluttershy said eagerly, pointing her hoof at was clearly some sort of doorframe that was not so subtly hidden behind the mirror.

Twiligth frowned. “A...hidden door?”

“A poorly hidden door.” Pinkamena corrected. “Are you serious? That’s way too easy.”

“Well that might be why they made sure nopony other than the Princess and her groom could go in and out.” Applejack pointed out as she carefully pulled the mirror aside, revealing not so much a proper door but an entryway that revealed a flight of stone steps leading downwards.

“Well...we might as well just get this over with and see what’s down there.” PInkamena suggested. As the others nodded, they started trotting down in a line alone the steps to wherever it led.

As it turned out, the steps lead into a small room, the room largely bare save for a cage within which stood a familiar figure, calmly sipping a mug of coffee.

“Prince...Blueblood?” Applejack asked in confusion.

Blueblood chuckled, smiling at the mares. “Ah, why good evening ladies, did Cadance manage to talk some other ponies into helping her poorly thought out plan, hmm?”

“Actually, we came down here to thwart whatever she had planned.” Twilight admitted. “But umm...why are you in a cage? Shouldn’t you be getting ready for your wedding?”

Blueblood chuckled with a shrug. “Oh would that I could, except I’m not the one getting married, thank goodness.”

“Wait...what?” Pinkamena said in confusion.

“Oh, wow, guests! How fortunate!”

The five mares’ eyes widened as they turned, finding Blueblood standing behind them at the foot of the stairway.

“W-what the!?” The group gasped in surprised, looking behind them to see that, indeed, Blueblood was still trapped in a cage while also impossibly standing outside of it clad in royal wedding outfit and holding up several plates of cakes, steamed vegetables and a views ups of water within a telekinetic grasp.

“Th-there’s TWO Bluebloods!?” Applejack cried in confusion, fear and happy excitement.

“Oh! Oh no, no, not at all!” The uncaged Blueblood replied, setting the plates and cups down on the floor carefully. “I’m not Blueblood! Allow me to introduce myself properly!”

Suddenly green flames burst over the stallions form, the vie mares gasping and leaping back so as not to burnt. The flames rapidly died down, revealing the form of a...ponylike creature. It had black carapace instead of fure, holes in its legs as well in its green, translucent, insectoid wings, a twisted, wickedly long black horn, green hair that hung wetly down from its head, large fangs protruding from its mouth and a twisted black crown on its head.

“Hello!” The creature said with a mare’s voice, though tis voice had some otherworldly reverb to it, a wide friendly smile on its face. “I’m Queen Chrysalis, a changeling! I am so sorry about the confusion, and I hope we can get along in the future!”

As the girls stared in disbelief, hoofsteps greeted their ears as Princess Cadance trotted down the stairs, the royal’s eyes widening as she saw the scene before her.

“Well, it's about time somepony finally caught us." The Princess said afer giving a relieved sigh, smiling. "You must be terribly confused. Allow me to explain."

Comments

[ghoul-of-the-background]

I think I know where this is going, but I'll wait to before I say anything. Cause I could be wrong.

[aceotaku]

9316330
nah go ahead tell me whatcha think! theories are fun, even if they can be wrong, and its interesting to hear someone's thoughts on a story while it's ongoing

[ghoul-of-the-background]

9316656
Well the real cadence is getting married to chrysalis disguised as blueblood. And knows full who she's marrying to.
So either their cadence and blueblood are both hostages or cadence has turned to the dark side and is willing participant in this scheme.

I'm absurdly off aren't I?

[aceotaku]

9316738
I will neither confirm nor deny anything so as to keep the surprise. You'll find out next chapter : 3