Episode 15: A Canterlot Wedding Part 1
Episode 15: A Canterlot Wedding Part 1
"You were right, Twilight," Vaati admitted as he sipped his favorite tea. "This little outing is exactly what I needed."
Vaati and the Mane Six had all arranged a picnic together in the meadow outside the border of Ponyville. A variety of foods had been brought for the occasion, some of which was meat prepared specifically for Vaati by the dutiful Moblin cooks. Nigellas had managed to get his hands on a few choice recipes for cockatrice meat and parasprites courtesy of a visiting griffon chef a few days beforehand during a particularly…interesting train ride to a bakery competition, and had promptly commissioned the Moblin cooks to make it for the picnic. Vaati had a feeling that Nigellas would have been a culinary artist were he not already a Wizzrobe.
"I think it was something we all needed, frankly," Twilight replied. "So much has happened over the last few weeks…it's nice to take our minds off of it and just spend some time together for a change."
Rarity sighed with contentment. "And the weather is absolutely gorgeous, too!"
As Twilight was about to bite into an apple, she suddenly heard the pattering of small feet and noticed Spike running up to them, out of breath. "Twi…light…I…have…lemme just…"
Spike then doubled over and belched out a parchment, which Twilight picked up and read out loud. "Dear Twilight, I am sure you are as excited as I am about the upcoming wedding in Canterlot…"
She abruptly stopped reading and blinked in confusion. "Wedding?"
"Wedding? What's this about a wedding?" Vaati inquired with a half-raised eyebrow.
Twilight chose to continue reading. "I will be presiding over the ceremony, but would very much like you and your friends to help with the preparations for this wonderful occasion. Fluttershy, I would like your songbird choir to perform the music."
Fluttershy smiled enthusiastically. "Oh my goodness! What an honor!"
"Pinkie Pie, I can think of nopony better to host the reception."
Pinkie did a somersault and landed in front of Spike, grinning in his face. "Hup…hup…hooray!"
Vaati frowned in mild annoyance. "Don't do that."
"Applejack, you will be in charge of the catering reception."
"Well color me pleased as punch!" Applejack exclaimed.
"Punch isn't a color," Vaati said. "It's a bringer of pain."
"Rainbow Dash…"
Rainbow yawned with feigned disinterest.
"…I want you to perform a Sonic Rainboom as the newlyweds complete their 'I do's."
That certainly got her attention. "Yes!"
"I hope you know that I will laugh at you profusely if you break something," Vaati quipped.
"Rarity, you will be responsible for designing the dresses for the bridesmaids."
Rarity's eyes bulged. "Princess Celestia wants me…guh…wedding dress…for the Canterlot Wedding?!"
The fashionista wobbled about in an overly-dramatic fashion before fainting with a huge smile on her face. Vaati didn't even bother commenting on that one, instead simply rolling his eyes.
"Vaati, I have a special task for you that I will explain personally upon your arrival."
Vaati quirked an eyebrow. "Is that so?" he wondered aloud. "Can't imagine what it could be, though. Despite my best efforts, I've never gotten to experience a wedding myself. I don't see how I could be of any use."
"And as for you, Twilight, you will be playing the most important role of all, making sure everything goes as planned. See you all very soon. Yours, Princess Celestia."
Twilight inspected the parchment more carefully, looking for anything she might have missed. "But I don't understand. Who's getting married?"
Suddenly Spike perked up and turned towards Twilight. "Oh! Wait! I was probably, uh, supposed to give you this first."
The baby dragon held up another scroll, which Twilight took from him with a mild glare before reading. "Princess Celestia cordially invites you to the wedding of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and…MY BROTHER?!"
Vaati promptly choked on his tea. "Brother?! Since when did you have a brother?!"
"Your brother's gettin' married?" Applejack exclaimed, shaking Twilight's hoof. "Congratulations! That's great news!"
Twilight frowned. "Yeah, great news…that I just found out about from a wedding invitation! Not from my brother, but a piece of paper! Thanks a lot, Shining Armor! I mean really, he couldn't tell me personally?"
Twilight picked up a sandwich and began mimicking a talking face with it as she spoke in a mock masculine voice. "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!"
"I'm…not seeing the problem here, Twilight," Vaati interrupted. "At least you heard about it."
"Ugh, Vaati, you wouldn't understand. You don't have siblings. And this Princess Mi Amore Cadenza? Who in the hoof is that?!"
"Um, Twilight?" Fluttershy asked. "A-are you okay?"
"No, Fluttershy," Vaati butted in. "I'd say she's rather ticked."
Twilight sighed and calmed down. "No, Vaati. I'm fine. It's just that Shining Armor and I have always been so close. He's my B.B.B.F.F.!"
"Your what in the what now?" Vaati asked.
Twilight rolled her eyes. "Big Brother Best Friend Forever?"
"Oh!" everypony chorused in understanding.
"That sounds dumb," Vaati finished solo.
"Before I moved here and discovered the importance of friendship, Shining Armor was the only pony I ever really accepted as a friend!" Twilight explained.
Suddenly music appeared out of nowhere, and Vaati immediately facepalmed. "Oh no, not another song cue."
Twilight began to sing:
"When I was just a filly, I found it rather silly
To see how many other ponies I could meet
I had my books to read, didn't know that I would ever need
Other ponies to make my life complete
But there was one colt that I cared for
I knew he would be there for me
My big brother, best friend forever!
Like two peas in a pod, we did everything together
He taught me how to fly a kite (Best friend forever!)
We never had a single fight (We did everything together!)
We shared our hopes, we shared our dreams
I miss him more than I realized
It seems..."
And then the rest of the Mane Six joined in, while Vaati shrunk back and folded his arms defensively to escape the spotlight.
"Your big brother, best friend forever
Like two peas in a pod, you did everything together!"
Twilight sang the next part alone.
"And though he's, oh, so far away
I hoped that he would stay
My big brother best friend
Forever...
Forever... "
Finally the music cut out, bringing Vaati peace of mind. These random songs were just so completely stupid; it was one thing about Equestria he would always dislike. His sour mood dissipated, though, when he saw the tear fall from Twilight's eyes. "Ehrm…sorry, Twilight," he apologized. "You're right; I never had siblings, so I don't know what it's like. If you hold him in such high regard, he can't be all bad, can he?"
Twilight sighed. "Yeah, my brother is pretty special. I mean, they don't just let anypony be Captain of the Royal Guard."
Vaati's mouth fell open and his eye twitched once. Captain of the Guard? Marrying a princess? A name that just SCREAMS heroic do-gooder?! Good Goddesses…
The idea of essentially a pony version of Link almost made Vaati feel ill. Despite him being Twilight's brother, Vaati was already pretty sure he would not grow to like this "Shining Armor" character.
"So let me get this straight," Rarity interrupted excitedly, getting in Twilight's face. "We're helping not only plan the wedding of a princess…but a Captain of the Royal Guard?!"
"I guess we are," Twilight flatly replied, stuffing a pillow under Rarity's head just as she fainted again from excitement.
As the rest of the Mane Six excitedly began talking amongst themselves about their plans for the wedding, Vaati just tuned out the rest of the world and focused on devouring his cockatrice leg.
XXXXXX
Vaati just stared pensively out the window as the train neared Canterlot, ignoring the various conversations the others were having as he watched the city on the mountain grow larger as they approached. Scootaloo and her friends had been invited along too to be the bride's flower fillies, and thus his daughter was going to Canterlot with him. One thing did pique his curiosity, though. The entire city was currently surrounded by a shiny energy bubble that he was certain was not normally there. The message from Celestia about the task she refrained from elaborating upon entered his mind, heightening his curiosity…and a subtle sense of foreboding.
As the Friendship Express neared the gates of Canterlot, the two guards lowered their spears, allowing the train to pass through the energy shield unhindered. Vaati and the others instinctively recoiled as the shield passed over them, seemingly scanning them. Vaati's suspicions began to creep deeper into his subconscious at the train entered the Canterlot station, which has filled with the ever-stoic Day Guards.
"Whoa, what's with all the guards?" Rainbow Dash asked as she poked her head out of the door of their car.
"I'm sure they're just taking the necessary precautions," Rarity answered. "Royal weddings do tend to bring out the strangest in ponies. Now let's get going! We have work to do!"
Pinkie Pie abruptly sneezed confetti before stepping out, with Vaati and the others filing out shortly afterward. "And you got a big brother to go congratulate!" Applejack said to Twilight.
"Yeah. Congratulate," Twilight glowered, stomping past two guards whose stoic expressions wavered for a split second. "And then I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind!"
Vaati followed her, hoping to keep her from doing something stupid as she trotted over to the palace garden. He glanced up at one of the towers and saw Princess Celestia looking into a telescope. The concerned look on her face did not sit well with him. Just what in the name of the Goddesses was going on here?
Twilight's declaration snapped him out of his thoughts. "I got something to say to you, mister!" she shouted at a bunch of soldiers crowded along the castle walls.
Vaati and Twilight both jumped in surprise as they saw a hundred spears level in their direction all around them. Before Vaati could even open his mouth to comment on how much of a bad idea pointing their weapons at him was, a unicorn in more ornate armor appeared on top of the wall and removed his helmet. "Twily!" he exclaimed with a large grin.
Vaati observed Shining Armor with a scrutinizing eye as the captain made his way down the stairs to greet his irate sister. He was a stallion of pretty strong, firm build, with a white coat, a blue mane and tail, and a shield cutie mark. Everything about the guy made all the villainous bones in Vaati's body shudder in dislike.
Once Shining reached his sister, he held out a hoof to hug her. "Oh, I've missed you, kid! How was the train ride?"
Twilight slunk away from his reach and glared at him. "How dare you not tell me in person you were getting married?! I'm your sister, for pony's sake!"
Vaati savored how taken aback Shining looked. "I-it's not my fault! Princess Celestia has requested a major increase in security. Didn't you notice all the guards at the train station?!"
"As a matter of fact, we did," Vaati interrupted.
Shining looked up at Vaati. "And who are you?"
Vaati's eyebrows furrowed. "What, do you live under a rock? I'm Vaati! You know, the Wind Mage? Lord of the Palace of Winds? Defeater of Discord?"
Shining fumbled his words as he tried to respond. "O-oh. Wait, yeah. I know who you are. It's just that I never saw you in person before. Sorry."
Vaati waved his hand in dismissal. "Your ignorance is forgiven. But, why the increase in security? I somewhat doubt it has to do with the wedding."
"It doesn't. A threat has been made against Canterlot."
Twilight and Vaati both looked shocked by this. "A threat?" Vaati repeated. "What kind of threat are we talking about?"
"We don't know who's responsible for it, but Princess Celestia has asked that I offer additional protection."
Vaati noticed how Shining's eyes diverted towards the sky. "So the shield spell is your doing, then?"
Shining nodded. "I think this is something you both should see."
Vaati and Twilight watched as Shining shot a beam of magical energy up at the barrier, replenishing its strength and reinforcing it. Once he finished, though, he gritted his teeth as a headache began to form, but was able to shake it off. "The burden of keeping Canterlot protected rests squarely on my shoulders," the young captain explained as he led his guests up the stairs. "Staying focused on the task at hand has been my…top priority."
Twilight averted his gaze, still mad but starting to feel guilty too. "Okay, okay, I get it," she finally admitted. "You've got a really important job protecting all of Canterlot with a force field only you can conjure up."
Vaati cleared his throat. "Not true, not true at all. I can conjure one just like this on my own. With a little tweaking to mesh my magical signature with your own, I could even further strengthen your current barrier with my own magic, meaning you won't have to reinforce it nearly as often."
Shining's jaw nearly dropped. "You can?! That'd be great, actually! Lately I've been getting headaches whenever I perform my spell, so an extra helper would be fantastic!"
Twilight, unwilling to be nudged out of the conversation, suddenly spoke up. "Shiny, I get that you have a responsibility here, but still, how could you not tell me about something as big as your wedding? Am I not that important to you anymore?"
"Hey. You're my little sister. You are important to me. But, I'd understand if you didn't wanna be my best mare now…" he trailed off with a cheeky smile.
Twilight brightened immediately. "You want me to be your best mare?"
"Well…yeah!" Shining responded.
"I'd be honored!" Twilight said, bowing humbly.
Twilight and Shining hugged before Twilight pulled away. "But I'm still pretty ticked you're marrying somepony you don't even know! When did you even meet this 'Princess Mi Amore Cadenza'?"
Shining smiled. "Twily, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza is Cadance, your old foal-sitter!"
Twilight blinked in surprise. "Cadance? As in the Cadance? As in the greatest foal-sitter in the history of all foal-sitters?!"
"Heh. You tell me. She was your foal-sitter."
"How does a princess even land a baby-sitting job in the first place?" Vaati inquired.
"Cadance is only the most amazing pony ever! She's beautiful, she's caring, she's kind…"
Twilight delved into her memories of Cadance. "How many unicorns can just spread love wherever they go? I only know one…and you're marrying her! You're marrying Cadance! You're marrying…"
Twilight abruptly stopped as she saw someone in front of her. Vaati surmised this was the bride in question. She, like Celestia and Luna, was an alicorn, with a pink coat and a triple-colored purple, pink, and yellow mane and tail. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything important," she spoke haughtily.
"Cadance!" Twilight exclaimed before suddenly performing a rather goofy dance. "Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!"
Vaati and Cadance both looked utterly confused. "Twilight, what in the Dark World was that all about?" Vaati demanded.
"Yes, what was that?" Cadance added irritably.
Twilight seemed surprised, to say the least. "Cadance, it's me! Twilight!"
"…Uh huh," Cadance muttered, walking past a stupefied Twilight.
"Greatest foal-sitter in the history of foal-sitters, huh?" Vaati jibed, unimpressed and slightly suspicious himself. "Either you've been replaced by a shapeshifter or Twilight's memory is going."
Cadance shot him a nasty glare before immediately changing it into a smile as Shining wrapped his hoof around her. Vaati glared right back; it was painfully obvious how fake that smile was. "I've got to get back to my station," Shining informed them. "But Cadance will be checking in on all of you to see how things are going. I think I speak for the both of us when I say that we're excited to have you here. Right, dear?"
"Absolutely," Cadance answered with an unpleasant smirk in Twilight and Vaati's direction.
All sorts of warning sirens went off in Vaati's head. Those were expressions he was prone to using himself whenever he had something fiendish planned. Twilight seemed taken aback by Cadance's expression as well.
"Well, we'll let you get to it," Shining said, turning to leave, with Cadance following.
Twilight sighed. "Might as well get to work, then," she stated unenthusiastically.
"Uh huh," Vaati replied, glaring daggers into Cadance's retreating back. "I'm going to see the Princess. I'll meet up with you later."
XXXXXX
Princess Celestia was so caught up in looking through her telescope for signs of any threats, she didn't hear the tell-tale sound of someone teleporting in behind her.
"Princess."
Celestia jumped slightly before turning around to face the sorcerer and nodding in greeting. "Vaati. I'm glad you came."
"You said you have a specific task for me that you didn't elaborate upon in your letter," Vaati bluntly replied, folding his arms. "What is it?"
"I would like you to help Shining Armor reinforce his shield spell, as I'm sure you are capable of doing," Celestia spoke, walking away from the telescope and back inside where Vaati stood.
"What a coincidence," Vaati replied. "I just offered him that very service. I can most certainly do that. Anything else?"
"I'm certain you've also heard about the threat that's been made against Canterlot," Celestia surmised.
Vaati nodded in confirmation.
"I'm greatly worried about who it might be. I'm not certain if this threat originates from my world…or yours."
Vaati narrowed his eyes. "You think that whatever made Diamond Tiara its personal puppet could be the one behind this?"
"As I said, I'm not certain. But I worry about whether the precautions I've taken will be enough. So, if the barrier is somehow breached or destroyed, I request that you lend us the aid of your monsters."
Vaati raised an eyebrow in interest. "Really now? I almost wish that this enemy shows itself now; my minions have gotten so bored from the lack of fighting and warfare that they don't know what to do with themselves. A good battle would do wonders for their morale."
"I'd rather it not come to that," Celestia replied. "But I can understand the boredom your subjects must feel. I'm certain they will eventually adjust to a more peaceful existence."
"In any case, if push comes to shove, I'll have my Wizzrobes teleport my entire army over here to aid in Canterlot's defense."
Celestia bowed her head. "Thank you, Vaati."
Vaati bit his lip as he considered his next words. "There is…something else I wish to discuss with you. About the princess, Cadenza."
Now it was Celestia's turn to look curious. "Oh? What would that be?"
"I watched Twilight greet her, and everything I observed concerns me."
"…In what way?"
Vaati unfolded his arms and looked Celestia straight in the eyes. "Well, for starters, Twilight was telling me all these great things about her when she was a child and about how she spread love wherever she went and all that nonsense. But when she finally did show up, Cadenza was boorish and short-tempered, and most importantly, didn't appear to recognize Twilight at all. I find that rather worrisome."
Celestia shook her head. "Cadance has just been busy with the preparations. It's a very stressful time for her, considering how big a change this is in her life. I'll admit, the one time I was married, I became a little snippy myself before the big day."
"Perhaps. But if I'm going to aid in security, it's my job to take all possibilities into account. It's borne from underestimating a twelve-year-old boy with a magic sword three times in a row. I won't dwell on it now, but if Princess Cadance gives me more reasons to be suspicious, I fully intend to look into it, regardless of yours or her fiancé's wishes."
Celestia reluctantly nodded, understanding his reasons. "I understand. You're dismissed."
As Vaati walked out of the room, he opened a mental link with his chief Wizzrobe. Nigellas, can you hear me?
…Aye, sir. What is it?
I want all monsters in the Palace of Winds to be fully ready for combat. It seems a threat has been made against the throne recently. If the antagonist makes their move, I want you and your Wizzrobes to teleport all monsters over to Canterlot.
…Is it wrong that I now hope this wedding you're attending gets crashed, sir?
Just make sure everyone is on standby, Nigellas. Vaati out.
XXXXXX
That evening, Princess Luna, having finished bringing about the night once more, phased through the force field and landed by her sister, who had returned to her telescope. "Rest, sister," Luna implored. "As always, I will guard the night."
Celestia was too exhausted to object and quietly retired to her bed. Luna took her place at the telescope and began searching the world beyond Canterlot's boundaries. Looking down into the city, she saw Vaati sitting with Twilight and her friends at a local restaurant, discussing something. Twilight looked angry about something, and Vaati looked disinterested. Again she felt that familiar tingling sensation in her chest that made her body feel warmer inside as she observed the sorcerer.
Then he looked up and stared straight into the telescope lens, realizing he was being watched. Seeing who it was, he flashed a smug grin and idly waved in her direction. Luna squeaked like a filly and immediately turned the telescope away, feeling her cheeks flush a hot pink in embarrassment. She could even almost hear his laughter. "Curse him, that handsome foal," she grumbled to herself, irritated that she had lost her composure again.
XXXXXX
"What in the hay are ya laughin' at?" Applejack asked in confusion.
Vaati looked back towards the farmer and said, "Nothing of consequence, dear Applejack. Now, where were we?"
"How about the part where Cadance is the worst bride-to-be ever?" Twilight snapped unhappily, her friends staring at her in shock.
Spike lifted up a figurine of Cadance in her gown and said in a high-pitched voice, "Who, me?"
"Spike, that goes on the cake!" Applejack chastised.
"Twilight, whatever are you talking about?" Rarity asked. "Cadance is an absolute gem!"
"But Rarity, she was so demanding!" Twilight protested.
"Of course she is! Why shouldn't she expect the very best for her wedding?"
Twilight didn't look convinced. "Applejack, did you know that after she said she "loved-loved-loved" your hors d'eourves, she threw them in the trash?"
"Aw, she was probably just tryin' to spare my feelings," Applejack answered, brushing it off.
"No, she was being totally fake and insincere!" Twilight countered.
After an uncomfortable pause, Fluttershy spoke up. "Well, she did raise her voice to one of my birds."
"See?!" Twilight proclaimed. "Rude!"
"But…he was singing really off-key," Fluttershy added, lifting her hoof to reveal said bird perching on it, which squawked loudly.
"…Pinkie Pie, you had to have noticed how Cadance treated…"
Unfortunately, Pinkie was not paying attention, instead using the bride and groom dolls with Spike to kiss.
"Twilight, I highly doubt you're going to get through to them," Vaati pointed out. "They can't see anything wrong unless it's about to blow their heads off."
Twilight sighed. "Rainbow…you're with me on this, right?"
"Sorry, Twilight," Rainbow answered, flexing her muscles after a strenuous day. "I've been too busy prepping for my sonic rainboom to pay much attention to the bride's bad attitude."
In desperation, Twilight looked up at Vaati. "Please tell me you agree, Vaati," she whined.
Vaati gazed ahead pensively for a moment before replying, "I have my suspicions."
"Twilight, Princess Cadance is about to get married," Rarity said. "I'm sure the cause of all her unpleasant behavior is simply the result of nerves."
Twilight stood up and stomped her hoof on the table. "And I think it's because she's an awful pony who doesn't even deserve to know Shining Armor, let alone marry him!"
"I think you may be just a tiny bit possessive of yer brother," Applejack replied.
"And I think the lot of you are being tools," Vaati countered. "Twilight knew Cadance better than any of you, and most people don't abruptly pull a complete 180 in personality like Cadance apparently has. If Twilight is suspicious, why aren't you?"
"We are not tools, Vaati. You pulled a 180 yourself, remember?" Rarity pointed out.
"No, I'm still an insensitive jerk. I'm just not evil anymore."
"You guys have just been so caught up in your own wedding plans to notice that maybe there shouldn't even be a wedding!" Twilight yelled, slamming her hoof so hard that everybody's drinks fell over.
Fed up with her disbelieving friends, Twilight got up and stalked off.
XXXXXX
As Shining adjusted his wedding uniform, he heard a knock at the door and trotted over to it, opening the door to reveal Twilight with an unhappy look on her face. "Twily!" Shining beamed.
Twilight entered without saying a word. "Your brother's lookin' pretty good, don't you think?" Shining boasted, showing off his uniform.
The look his sister gave him made his smile vanish. "Uh, everything okay?"
Twilight took a deep breath and began, "We need to talk. I think you're making a big-!"
"Ahem!"
Twilight and Shining looked over to see Cadance emerging from the adjacent room, an irritated scowl on her face. "Oh, hi sweetie!" Shining greeted.
She sure has a way of sneaking up on people, Twilight thought to herself.
"Could I speak to you for a moment, dear?" Cadance asked in a tone that suggested it was more an order than a request.
Shining playfully nudged Twilight's shoulder. "Better see what she wants."
The two lovebirds made their way into the room and shut the door, though Twilight could faintly hear them arguing over something. Curious, she snuck over and nudged the door ajar so she could listen in on their conversation.
"I thought I made it perfectly clear that I didn't want you to wear that!" Cadance snapped.
"This was my favorite uncle's!" Shining explained, holding up his medallion.
"And?" Cadance replied, uncaring.
"And I think I should wear it!"
"Are you disagreeing with me?!"
"I guess I am!" Shining spoke just before a sharp spike of pain pulsed in his head.
"Oh, dear!" Cadance said. "Are you getting another one of your headaches?"
Cadance's horn glowed as she began some kind of spell, connecting her horn with his through her magic. His eyes started to glow green as well, and his expression went vacant. "Feeling better?" Cadance aked with all the sweetness of poisoned honey.
Twilight fell back from the doorway in shock. She isn't just unpleasant and rude, she's downright EVIL! She thought.
Not knowing what else to do, she bolted out of the building just as Shining and Cadance emerged from their room. "Twilight!" Shining called after her.
"Let her go," Cadance dismissed, nuzzling Shining's shoulder.
"Huh…it seemed like she had something else she wanted to tell me," he mused.
XXXXXX
As Luna continued scanning the skies, she heard hoofbeats quickly approaching the castle. "Who goes there?" she demanded, but relaxed when she saw it was only Twilight. "Stay indoors, Twilight Sparkle!"
Twilight didn't even acknowledge that she had heard Luna as she disappeared inside the castle. As the Moon Princess returned to her stargazing, however, something abruptly caught her eye. A shadow swooped past the lens, but was too quick for her to make out what it was. Luna lifted her eyes from the telescope and glared through the ever-present force field, relying on her night vision to catch sight of the unknown shadow. After several moments of quiet, she finally saw it again, flying through the air with the dexterity of a seasoned Wonderbolt. Something in Luna's gut, however, made her doubt the silhouette belonged to a pegasus, and watched it approach the energy field. The most worrying thing was how she was still unable to make out its appearance despite her ability to see in darkness, almost as though the figure were deliberately cloaking itself in black magic to obscure its appearance.
Luna's eyes narrowed as she watched the thing land on the force field and slowly lope about on its surface. Whatever it was, it was almost as big as her sister and had dragon-like wings that spanned twice that length. "Who goes there?" Luna demanded. "Show yourself!"
The creature looked directly at her, and Luna could clearly see two red eyes burning like hot coals in the murky blackness.
Then the creature lowered its head towards the force field.
And then started eating it.
Luna's jaw dropped as the creature chewed on the force field as though it were made of rock candy, absorbing the energy into itself as it began to open a hole in Canterlot's protection.
"NO!" she bellowed, extending her wings and taking to the air. "Cease that at once!"
The creature growled, the noise distinctly lupine but lowered in pitch. As Luna closed in on it, it bared its teeth, revealing long, sharp white canines. Just as she opened the force field to confront the monster, it pulled away from the shield's surface and took flight, extending its huge wings to their full length. The monster then took off towards the Everfree Forest at an impressive speed. Not willing to lose this unknown creature now that she understood the danger it posed to Canterlot's defenses, Luna pursued it relentlessly. Amazingly, the monster was able to maintain a good distance between itself and its pursuer as the dense thicket of trees grew larger in the distance. Luna's horn glowed for a moment before she suddenly disappeared, teleporting right into the monster's path.
To her shock, it did not alter course or stop. It just pile-drove her with concussive force, scratching at her soft underbelly with cruelly-sharp claws. Luna gasped in pain as she felt her blood pour forth from the lacerations. Her vision was obscured by jet-black fur due to the monster's close proximity, until she finally lit up her horn again, knocking the beast off her with a concussive burst of energy. The beast wasted no time with continuing its retreat towards the Everfree Forest.
Luna groaned in agony as she held her bleeding stomach, trying to stabilize her flight. She gritted her teeth; despite being hurt, she was not going to let it get away. Crying out in anger, she gave chase with speeds that only Rainbow Dash could match, and slowly began to close in on the monster. Just as she almost reached it though, the monster fanned out its wings, abruptly pulling back. Luna couldn't dodge in time and crashed straight into the beast again. It regained its bearings first and hovered above her. Before Luna could do anything else, the monster released a fireball that caught her right in the chest, sending her careening into the forest below.
Luna's landing was not a pleasant one. She tumbled through branches, smashed against tree trunks, and finally tumbled through the dirt until she finally came to rest in the dark undergrowth of the eldritch forest. Luna lay still for several moments before she finally came to, grumbling as she weakly stumbled to her hooves. Shaking off her pain and fatigue, Luna took in her surroundings. She was deep within the Everfree Forest, the canopy so thick she couldn't even see the sky. The unnatural darkness swallowed up her vision. Luna cursed to herself; the monster had escaped her.
Seemingly alone now, Luna began to inspect her injuries, wincing at their extent. Her belly had numerous lacerations running down its length, staining her indigo coat deep red with her blood. Painful, yes, but as an alicorn, it wasn't much to worry about so long as she got it treated quickly. The princess of the night began walking, hoping to find a place where she could break out of the forest's canopy and get back to Canterlot. Perhaps the beast may have gone back to resume its work. If she hurried, she could possibly catch it in the act again…
All those thoughts vanished from her mind as an explosion of pain in her back leg caused her to scream. She collapsed and looked to see that something sharp and black had pierced her left hind leg. The owner's red eyes could still be seen in the darkness as the iron-tipped tail forcibly extracted itself from Luna's leg, causing her to cry out again. She forced herself to leap to the side as the monster's tail attempted to impale her once more. Once it missed, the creature snarled fiercely and pounced at the princess.
Luna gasped and randomly fired an energy bolt in self-defense, but her aim went wide and sailed past the beast's shoulder. Still, the light illuminated the scene long enough for Luna to make out the canine-like body of the beast as it landed by her right before the forest plunged into darkness again. She could vaguely make out its body as it circled back towards her, eyes smoldering in hunger and hatred. She was almost certain now that this was some kind of winged wolf, and the spear-like tail and fire breath made for an even nastier opponent. She heard it hiss and growl as it considered its prey, loping around her in a circle within the darkness. Luna began charging magic in her horn, readying herself for an attack. The light from her horn allowed her to see the hellhound's wicked face just before it opened its gaping maw and leapt at her once more. Luna fell on her back as the monster tried to pounce on top of her and kicked it off with her hooves, sending it to the ground with a yelp. She then hit it with the magic beam she had been charging up, slamming it against a tree trunk.
The monster slipped back into the darkness and all fell silent once more. Luna doubted her enemy had fled just yet; she darted her eyes about, listening for any sign of her attacker.
What she was met with instead was a sudden roar of flames as the forest ignited around her. The hellhound was using its fire breath to start a forest fire. Luna swore to herself as she hobbled through the dense underbrush, barely staying ahead of the spreading flames. At least with the fire, she could see the area around her now and thus had a better sense of direction.
Without warning, the dragon-wolf creature emerged from the raging inferno, wings spread wide as though it were freshly spawned from the depths of Tartarus. Its fangs gleamed ghostly-white in the firelight as it extended its claws towards Luna.
Everything was happening so fast. It had been a long time indeed when Luna had felt true fear. For the first time since her long-ago battle with her sister, Luna was afraid for her very life. Backed up against the proverbial wall and with no strength left to run, Luna turned around and stared death in the face.
And just as the hellhound tackled her, she thrust her horn deep into her attacker's throat. The creature gagged and struggled, its claws ruthlessly raking Luna's sides as it struggled in its death throes. It took several moments before the hellhound finally went still, allowing Luna to push its corpse off her body. As it hit the grass, the body suddenly dissipated into dark energy, leaving no remaining traces of the monster.
Though she had bested her foe, one grave danger remained. And as Luna looked up, she realized she wouldn't escape this one as a burning tree fell towards her.
XXXXXX
Meanwhile, back in Canterlot Castle…
Twilight burst into her friends' room. "Shining Armor's in real trouble! You have to help…"
Then she noticed that her friends were all wearing rather fabulous-looking dresses, all except for Vaati, who was trying to convince Rarity not to force him to wear another, more frilly version of his usual tunic.
"Rarity, for the last time, I'm not freaking wearing that!" Vaati snapped.
"Vaati, you have to wear something nice for the wedding!" Rarity groused.
"I can wear whatever I bloody well please! Now get that monstrosity out of my sight and never mention it again!"
"Dresses?" Twilight gaped. "What are you…?"
"Can you believe it?" Fluttershy eagerly interrupted, flying up to Twilight. "We're gonna be Princess Mi Amore Cadenza's new bridesmaids!"
"New bridesmaids?" Twilight repeated. "What happened to her old bridesmaids?!"
"She didn't say," Applejack answered. "But she did say that she would love-love-love it if we would fill in for 'em!"
Realizing she was not about to convince Vaati to try on his new clothes, Rarity turned her attention towards Twilight. "Seeing as we've been working so hard and everything…"
"And you had your doubts about her," Applejack lightly chided.
"I told you she was an absolute gem!" Rarity said.
"Are you sure this is what I should wear?" Rainbow asked, tugging at her dress. "Doesn't seem all that aerodynamic…"
"I'll see what I can do," Rarity offered.
Vaati suddenly headed towards the door. "Speaking of which, I should reinforce the shield spell before we retire."
Twilight observed her friends excitedly talking about the coming wedding with a look of sorrow. There was no way any of them would believe her now; they were just too excited to care about any possible dangers. Sighing dejectedly, she slowly trotted out the door into the night. "I guess I really am alone," she mumbled sadly.
"How so?"
Twilight perked up as she realized that Vaati was out here too, having just finished adding his own magic to the shield spell. "Vaati!" she exclaimed, feeling slightly better.
"Still finding reasons to suspect Cadenza of something, are you?" Vaati inquired.
"I don't just suspect anymore, I know," Twilight answered. "I have proof that Princess Cadance has gone evil!"
Vaati quirked a curious eyebrow. "Do you now? And what proof would that be?"
Twilight shook her head. "I think it'd be best if I wait until tomorrow to reveal it. Just make sure to be there when I expose her. We can't let that wedding happen!"
"Twilight, if you can't prove anything, I can't do anything to stop the wedding myself. Trust me, I do have my own suspicions about her, though. So don't think you're alone in this, alright?"
Twilight's eyes welled up as she managed a smile. "Oh, thank you," she spoke, hugging Vaati tightly. "At least there's somepony I can still count on!"
"Ech…yeah, yeah. Now let me go so I can burn that monstrosity Rarity wants me to wear before she tries to force it on me again."
XXXXXX
The next morning…
Celestia's worry was growing. Luna had not shown up to help lower the moon so the morning could be ushered in, so she had been forced to do it all herself. Worse still, Luna had still not shown up. She was nowhere in the castle, and her guards were unable to find her either. While Celestia had to keep a straight face for the sake of the wedding arrangements, she had dispatched Luna's guards all over the area to find their missing ruler. With that out of the way, she could focus on the other important things, like the wedding rehearsal she was now participating in. As she and Shining Armor stood at the altar, awaiting the bride, the Mane Six sans Twilight approached with their heads held high.
"Perfect, girls," Celestia commended. "No need to rush. Then, of course, Cadance will enter."
The bride in question promptly walked proudly into the room as the doors opened for her. Shining stared at her with an adoring expression. "I'll say a few words," Celestia explained as the bride and groom met up. "And then we'll begin with the vows. Shining Armor, you'll get the ring from your Best Mare."
Shining turned towards where his sister should be, only to realize that she wasn't there. Spike, however, was busy playing around with the wedding figurines again. "Hey, has anypony even seen Twilight?" Shining asked.
Suddenly the doors opened once again, and the mare in question burst into the room, Vaati lurking behind her at a distance in order to not bring attention to himself. "I'm here!" Twilight proclaimed, walking angrily towards the altar. "I am not going to stand next to her! And neither should you!"
Shining recoiled in surprise and glanced apologetically at his unamused fiancé. "I-I'm sorry. I don't have any idea why she's acting like this!"
"Maybe we should just ignore her," Cadance coldly suggested.
"You have to listen to me!" Twilight demanded angrily.
"Oh goodness!" Fluttershy spoke. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine!"
"Are ya sure about that?" Applejack pressed.
Twilight stuffed Applejack's hat over her face to shut her up. "I've got something to say!" she snapped, pointing at Cadance. "She's evil!"
Shining stepped between his fiancé and sister, while everypony else muttered in shock, even the guards. "She's been horrible to my friends, she's obviously done something to her bridesmaids, and if THAT wasn't enough, I saw her put a spell on my brother that made his eyes go all googly!"
Vaati teleported behind the cornered Cadance, who looked very uncomfortable with the situation. "And then of course, once you factor in Princess Luna's sudden and unexplained disappearance and the fact that Shining Armor hasn't performed his spell in over thirteen hours when he's supposed to do it every four, leaving me to pick up the slack, things are starting to look a little fishy concerning you, Cadenza."
Vaati did not fail to catch the brief look of shock and anger when he mentioned his involvement with the shield spell. But then her expression abruptly changed as tears came to her eyes. "Why are you doing this to me?!" she cried.
"Because you're evil!" Twilight retorted triumphantly as Cadance ran bawling from the room. "Evil! And if I don't stop you, you're going to ruin my brother's life!"
The moment Vaati took note of the mortified and angered looks of everybody in the room, he knew that things were about to take a turn for the worse. As Twilight trotted smugly back into the room, she ran right into her furious brother. "You want to know why my eyes went all googly?!" Shining snapped, grunting as the pain in his skull returned. "It's because ever since I had to start performing my protection spell, I've been getting terrible migraines!"
"Well, you shouldn't be," Vaati spoke up. "Shield spells shouldn't have any bad side-effects unless you're keeping one up constantly without any breaks. All you do is just reinforce it every so often. There's no reason you should be experiencing those headaches."
"Yeah, well, like it or not, that's what's been happening to me!" Shining retorted before rounding on Twilight again. "Cadance hasn't been casting spells on me, she's been using her magic to heal me! And the reason she decided to replace her bridesmaids was because she found out that the only reason they wanted to be in the wedding was so they could meet Canterlot royalty!"
"And that's a problem because…?" Vaati inquired.
"Vaati, shut up!" Shining shouted. "And if she hasn't been on her best behavior around your friends, it's because with me being so busy, she's had to make all the decisions about the wedding!"
"I-I was just trying to…" Twilight stammered.
"She's been completely stressed out because it's really important to her that our big day be perfect!" Shining interrupted. "Something that obviously wasn't important to you!"
Shining grunted as another migraine came on. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go and comfort my bride!"
With that, Shining stormed out of the room after Cadance. "And you can forget about being my best mare! In fact, if I were you, I wouldn't show up to the wedding at all."
Twilight's mouth fell open in shock and heartbreak as her friends began to file past her, shooting her sour, disapproving looks. "C'mon, y'all," Applejack bade. "Let's go check on the princess."
And then Princess Celestia strode past her, and without even bothering to look at her, coldly spoke, "You have a lot to think about."
Vaati brought up the rear, saying nothing and giving her a passing glance, his expression that constant mask of neutrality that made it impossible to tell what he was thinking. Twilight's heart twisted into a knot as she was left alone in the wedding hall, abandoned by all the friends she had thought would never leave her. As tears fell down her cheeks, she whimpered to herself, "Maybe I was being overprotective…I could have gained a sister…but instead, I just lost a brother…"
Twilight collapsed on the staircase and began crying to herself in shame for several minutes, and didn't even notice somepony reenter the room until she felt a hoof softly caressing her mane. Startled, she looked up to see Princess Cadance wearily smiling down at her. "I'm sorry," Twilight whimpered.
And then Cadance's smile immediately morphed into a venomous, hate-filled glare. "You will be."
Before Twilight could react to Cadance's ominous response, Cadance's horn glowed green, a ring of green flames emerging round Twilight. Unable to use her magic, Twilight could only look on in horror as she began to sink into the floor. Satisfied with her work, Cadance left the scene with a cruel smile on her face, not even bothering to watch as the only one truly suspicious of her disappeared, where she would hopefully never be seen again.
To be continued…
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Aw, ending it exactly when the Part 1 episode ended? Points for honest advertisement, but now you're just teasing us! XD
Also, for Celestia 'understanding Vaati's reasons' for holding "Cadence" under suspicion, she outwardly still kept the same reaction to Twilight as canon... scathing disappointment.
I kind of hate the canterlot wedding part one but this version is alot better
Always love how much of a snarky person you made Vaati. Your interpretation of him is honestly my favorite part of the entire fic. Also, I can't wait for Part 2.
3429100
It is possible that Celestia's "Reaction" to Twilight may have been a charade to keep the illusion of cluelessness.
She's a millennia-old princess who has been shown to hide secrets from her subjects. What's keeping her from lying to her own student?
Nothing is.3429212
Eh, I'm just going to go with the fallacy that, since it wasn't detailed yet that she was pulling an act, that she wasn't acting as far as we know. Hence, my spirits will be lifted when I am proven wrong!
3429253
Nothing is solid yet, and we're all hoping for the best…
And beating up changelings. That too.
I was hoping to be able to see the fight between him, his monsters and the changerlings
or and he some how aid twilight in someway.
...I'm trying to figure it out. That it disappears when slain suggests Zelda world enemy, but it's unlike any Zelda enemy I know of. It shares traits of Wolfos, Aeralfos, and Lizalfos/Dinolfos...
...And I hope you're not planning on killing off Princess Luna!
Seriously, I hate this chapter's guts. You didn't make it anything resembling better. Twilight's still been abandoned, cruelly, and in a way that's out of character for most of the characters involved. Harsh, cruel, those are not things that describe good guys. AND everyone was discounting what Vaati was saying that could've changed things. This bit just gets under my craw, and that's WITHOUT what happened to Luna.
Sorry. The way A Canterlot Wedding was handled in the canon just gets me po'd, and this wasn't a decent departure from it.
You gave Vaati so many good lines. (The last one reminds me of me
)
I just jumped to this chapter and read it.
No idea what this Vaati character is from, but I really like his character. I'll be sure to read this story later from the beginning.
3429791
you forgot this one:
Congrats on being featured
I always think about Niban-Destikim's comic making fun of that scene whenever I hear that quote
I'll bet that hellhound was another shaded minion that will be later revealed in this story
Something tells me that we won't be hearing the "Did I miss anything?" quote from Luna, not that it wasn't slightly grating to hear at first
Never did like this episode...
I just hope he really rub's it in by the end.... like salt.
3429624
Here's my one complaint with this chapter.
Nothing changed. Even with Vaati around, even with Discord by this point reformed in this story, not a single thing, aside from an explanation for Luna missing, has changed. Celestia still acts like a callous bitch toward Twilight even after she and Vaati had that suspicions talk. Twilight still gets abandoned by all her friends even though Vaati is there to voice a second word on the matter.
3430102
Do you mean 'he' as in Vaati? If so, I hope so, too. That, or a surprise from Discord.
"My, my, that little performance was so... chaotic."
3430271
correct...
3430281
I mean, literally nothing changed in this chapter. It's just "Vaati's here", and... that's about the only real difference. Twilight's friends and Celestia deserve the incoming chewing-out from the Sorcerer of Winds.
3430292
Finding her out in the first five minutes would disappoint all the monsters who went and got themselves all dressed up for war…
…I’m guessing different invasion scene later on.
but yea I will be really disappointed if this slides without a chewing out.
that had me laughing so hard
You know, I've been thinking about it, and maybe it's a little late for me to say... I just can't see romance between Luna and Vaati. Sure, you've been kinda building up for it, but it still feels weak and somewhat forced to me. Those two honestly have no chemistry, at least in my eyes. In fact, the only pony that I could see in a relationship with Vaati right now is Twilight, and even THAT'S pushing it.
As for the chapter itself, I can only shake my head. Following pretty canon pretty much word for word, having everypony ignore Vaati's observations including Celestia, and then ending it in the exact same place as canon? You're going to really have to work damn hard to make up for this in the next chapter.
Oh God… this has been Vaati's most Genre Savvy set of lines yet! I love it!
Now… there WAS some other stuff I wanted to talk to you about… in private… you'll receive the message soon.
3430247 That's my feeling on the subject.
First off: This was worth any wait!
I was dancing around my laptop when I saw this update! 
Second: Genre-Savvy Vaati is best Vaati!
Thirdly: I ship Lunaati (Yes, I am coining that ship-name now)!
Finally: I understand the cliffhanger, but WHY?
Looking forward to the next chapter; as always, your writing style is amazing! Hoping for an epic battle between our heroes and the forces of darkness, hoping for more Lunaati, and hoping for Vaati to personally send that (insert inappropriate words here) Chrysalis to the Gates of Tartarus!
3430503
Well, I can assure you the second half won't be the same.
3430102
He has every intention of doing so...
3429979
Thanks. It always gets featured for an hour or two every time I update.
3429624
Well, I'll do my best to make sure the next half doesn't disappoint.
3429507
Kill off Princess Luna? Certainly not!
3429454
You won't be disappointed!
3429100
Which may or may not be an act.
3429896
He's formerly a villain from Legend of Zelda.
3430892 You're a gent, but no one will persuade me that the rest of the main six and Celestia weren't exceedingly out of character in the original.
3430892 That explains it. Never was into Zelda
did anyone ealse read that AN box with the DBZ anouncer voice
In my opinion, this is the weakest chapter so far in this story. The other chapters provide new events or retellings of episodes; this chapter is almost exactly the same as the episode that inspired it, with Vaati adding commentary and being completely ignored by the episode's characters. His presence should have at least changed the story somehow.
To give a movie comparison, this would be like having Superman eating a sandwich (and offering help) in every scene of The Dark Knight, but having the story unchanged despite that.
Nice ^^ i want to read to second half now!!
PLease hurry with the next part of the wedding as you've got my hopes up for a bad ass role for Vaati.
Hmmmm knowing what little I do about Vaati, he was probably watching Twi sink into the ground.
I also really didn't like this chapter. The justifications for the episode's plot was terrible as is so just because you kept with cannon doesn't make them still not terrible. Add to that the fact that Luna was a fucking retarded for no reason and Vaati basically did nothing means this was just rereading a shitty story arc. Further on the point, why the FUCK would Luna chase off after some random monster with extraordinary powers that she has no knowledge of and no understanding of its motivations? Luna is an old and powerful ruler of a nation there is no reason she would chase a monster alone with no back up or telling no one or even sending a flare up, then keep chasing into the EVERFREE after being seriously injured. Utterly idiotic.
I can't blame you for trying to keep with the plot of 'all cast member stupid and OOC' that was Canterlot Wedding, but this is your story and you have the right to diverge from or subvert shitty story arcs. What I guess I am saying is that I actually do blame you for keeping with 'Stupid and OOC' that is cannon, and adding new idiocy for Luna so she doesn't feel left out.
Would really like to see link make an appearance at some point :D
3432934 He already said he wasen't going to bring Link into the story... :/
Trust me, I tried asked and he got pissed 'cause I was like the 100000 one that asked.
WHY????????? I really thought that Vaati would be on Twilight's side completely. Guess I was wrong...
This is amazing writing! This 'foreshadowing' style is very hard to do.
3433161
Okay, so throw a twist into it. Have EPONA show up.
I say we should Impale Chrysalis on a yautja hunting spear, rip her spine out, and skin her corpse down to the muscle!
3432244
I could see Luna doing exactly this.
1. She wants to protect her subjects at any cost, especially after feeling guilty for her betrayal.
2. She is Celestia's younger sister, so she may feel the need to prove she can handle things on her own. She did get banished for feeling less superior to her sister after all.
3. Luna is thousands of years old, so she likely is more powerful than most anything she tries to fight, and this thing did run.
4. If she let the beast escape it could cause further harm to somepony and she would rather not take that chance.
5. Luna wouldn't take her guards against somthing this powerfull in fear of getting them hurt. I know the guards would insist on going, but seh would have ordered them to stay in canterlot to protect the city in her absence and warn Celestia.
6. Luna is a beast.
As for Vatti doing nothing, he stood up for Twilight in her confrontation, he even stood behind Cadence in case something happened. Once he realized no one was believing the claims against Chrysalis he took the logical step of removing himself from the danger zone to prepare for trouble.
All the characters acted in character here.
Before you just outright disagree consider my points and if you still disagree then so be it.
3431525
I guess, but would the mane six listen to a formerly evil mage when they wouldn't even listen to Twilight. This episode was just bad. The actual description and action scenes in this chapter are actually written quite well despite it being a rehash. I would say this plot is a little better than the episode, because it a least explains where Luna was the whole time. Also Vatti will get to say I told you so when Twilight won't.
I understand trying to make cannon fit into this but it feels like vaati is a background character or something. When the lines from the show are exactly the same no matter what his input is it gives the impression that he is not needed. Just saying to try to make conversions flow better instead of vaati just adding comments in the background.
That line. That line cracks me up so much.
Wasn't Vatti still there even after her friends and the princess left because you didn't write him as going anywhere
I don't know how you did it, but you managed to turn a god-awful story into something manageable. Vaati's still a veritable font of out-of-world information - that wasn't a joke about his origins, just so you know - and his character still doesn't ring true to me, even considering your headcanon, but I guess that's just how the cookie crumbles. Maybe it's more noticeable because of the original story. The previous writer's failing are highlighting the shortcomings of your work, or something like that?
Eh. Oh well. There was something important I was going to say, but thanks to 3429100, I forgot what it was. Probably because his/her point was so good, it pushed what I wanted to say straight out of my head. Why did Celestia's reaction not change? She could have said exactly the same thing, but with a different tone.
Vaati's mouth fell open and his eye twitched once. Captain of the Guard? Marrying a princess? A name that just SCREAMS heroic do-gooder?! Good Goddesses…
LOL LOL, oh, oh, ok let me jus- LOL, let me just say that you are an awesome writer.
You'd really better hope that when I buy that Master Sword replica at a con, I'm not buying it from The Merchant, Vaati.
Now that I think about it, Vaati's and Chrysalis' personalities are actually quite similar.... I kinda ship em.