Love's Lesson Learned

by ZZaCCKK

The Invasion

When the time came, a message was sent as the queen had instructed. Canterlot was warned to lay up the best defenses they could muster, for there would be an even greater invasion heading their way. The crown was passed on to Queen Chrysalis who would head this invasion. She knew the spell he would cast, and she knew how she would pass it while all of Canterlot watched outward for a threat to present itself. Because it was a difficult spell to maintain, entrances from under the ground would be left unshielded. She could make her way in from another entrance. Flying though her caverns below the city brought back memories of crystal hunting days with her best friend… soon to be groom. She grinned to herself as she neared the cave’s entrance within the city’s boarders and the shield’s protection. Entering Canterlot was easy from there once she disguised herself to blend in with her own city folk. In the form of a guard, she would have unhindered access to the castle. She honed in on the love radiating from the bride to be, who was inspecting decorations made in the ceremony room for the coming wedding.

Chrysalis stepped into the room from the darkest corner. The princess was fragile and alone. She made quick work of apprehending the poor alicorn and drawing a large dose from a love-filled heart while she dropped the princess through the stone floors and down into the caves below. It was easy. She felt no remorse in sealing out the one in her way. If the princess escaped the enclosed chamber inside the cavern, it would still take at least a day for the poor soul to stumble upon the cave’s great highway that connected to the entrance chambers on either end. Even more time would be needed to learn the chambers and the paths that would free her from the dark underground. She took the form of her newest prisoner, and continued the princess’s work in preparing for the coming wedding. She wasn’t looking forward to what had to be done next… but at the same time, she couldn’t wait to see him again even if the smile on his face was meant for another mare.

It was easy to pull him aside. A groom would always accommodate his bride. He knew something was amiss the moment auras of green magic surrounded her horn. Thankfully, there was no way for him to defend against her magic. It was strange and unfamiliar to him and any mentor he might have learned under during their days together in studying magic. Sadness surprised her when she looked upon the hypnotized stallion before her. This wasn’t what she wanted. This wasn’t even close to the moments she had dreamed of. The queen’s grip on her mind faded with distance and time away from manipulating magic. When her mind reformed, terrible guilt filled her chest. She couldn’t watch his wide staring green eyes and pressed her muzzle under his. She sobbed to herself only once in shame of what she’d done. She apologized knowing she’d be the only one to hear it. Her shining knight had found love in the princess below the caves. They should be celebrating together. But instead, she was here to tear everything apart. In the moment, she was torn between her options. It wasn’t too late! She could wipe memories away from the bride and groom in order to take part in the festivities after assisting in the fight against the invasion. But she would be on the hunt and easy to stalk, thanks to the curse of the chrysalis that held her before. Or she could continue as planned... and take a chance at having everything she had wanted from the start. The plan was already half done. Draining his love for the bride would give her the strength needed to conquer Canterlot and add an entire city of ponies to the changeling force. The alternative was death. The queen would know if her betrayal and she would never be safe. She loved Shining Armor, but saving his wedding was not worth forfeiting her life.

“Armor... my Shining Armor... What have I done to you?” The hypnosis faded with her concentration to hold the spell. She just didn’t know what she could do. He would awake to find his ‘bride’ upset and pressed against him. His comfort was hard to accept while knowing it wasn’t meant for her. But she took it nonetheless. It was as if a piece of her dream was falling back into place and solidifying into reality. The groom placed light kisses on her head and cheek in efforts to comfort his bride. Maybe if she played her cards right, she could succeed in the end. She and her Shining Armor could be happy… the price would fall on the doubtlessly frightened princess captured below their hooves. She promised her ‘groom’ that she would be fine. It was nothing more than silly stressful things were just affecting her mood. Playing the part got easier over the day. A few more of the handsome stallion’s kisses swayed her motivation toward obtaining her nearly forgotten dream. But still, she needed time to think. Leaving the princess below meant she accepted herself as a monster. She didn’t want to lead that life. But if it meant her stallion would give his golden heart… well, she wasn’t sure if the price was right.

In the following days, she continued to manage preparations for the big day. Thankfully she didn’t need to worry about the more tedious details such as the guest lists or the invitations. Those were taken care of before her arrival. Celestia herself took her away from her duties to speak about the groom’s newest additions to the guest list. The silly stallion had forgotten to invite her own sister along. Celestia had taken liberty in inviting Twilight Sparkle along with the other Elements of Harmony. She would of course agree to the change and thank the princess for catching the oversight. This new information made her a bit nervous, even if the new guests were assigned to help her with the final preparations. This was a force that had overcome The Mare in the Moon and Discord himself! She quickly dismissed the worry when she remembered there was an army behind her in this invasion. Even the Elements couldn’t stand against such large numbers… right? In either case, she made sure this information was relayed to her lieutenants on the other side of the shield. The shrine holding the elements would need to be captured quickly to avoid that risk.

The next day, guests were starting to arrive for the big day. Ponies from distant lands were finding places to stay for the night and prepare for the next day’s events. She groaned when she realized that this last day was going to be more strenuous than those passed by. Last minute changes and final arrangements meant a busy day. She turned to her sleeping groom and smiled. Seeing him there under her covers reminded her what she was working toward. She kissed the white muzzle in front of hers until her groom stirred from his sleep. He rather enjoyed waking up in such a manor. During her short time as his bride, she had already formed her own bedroom rituals with her groom to be. Between her kisses, he was able to mutter a “Mornin’ to you too.” It made her chuckle and she returned his smile. She really did have it all; all she had ever wanted.

Later that day, Shining Armor’s guests would arrive. The sister was the she encountered. She of course recognized the slightly nerdy unicorn… but the dancing and chanting only confused her. It seemed to be related to the real princess’s foal-sitting days. She’d have to work harder on playing her part of more like Twilight Sparkle came expecting her to act and react in specific ways. She forced herself to taste the… apple treats another guest had been set in charge of. Personally, she never enjoyed apples fresh or baked. But to avoid trouble, she tasted what the baker presented and went on her way. The dress was beautiful, but she had to make some changes to the color and shape. Even if it wasn’t her own black coat under the dress, she still knew what she wanted the dress to look like. Thankfully the seamstress was very accommodating to her requests. On the way to the music rehearsal, she was nearly startled out of disguise by a booming sound overhead. But she smiled when she looked up and recognized the colorful ring expanding overhead. She heard about Ms. Rainbow Dash from a letter he received from his sister. The music rehearsal was rather pointless. The pegasus coordinating had added one bird who simply could NOT keep his notes. The reception planning was even more ridiculous, but she’d say nothing more of it after it was over. She decided it better to leave things to Celestia’s trusted country ponies. For most of the day, she looked forward to the evening. They’d take care of the rehearsal and retire for the night. Another night sharing a bed with his groom would fix all the stresses that had occurred that day.

When she retired to her shared home with her groom, she wanted nothing more than rest and affection from her shining knight. She received both in happy quantities until he left to decide what he’d be wearing for the ceremonies. She chuckled to herself as he went to leave their room. Stallions... leaving everything to the last minute. Her attention didn’t spark again until a knocking came at the door. She huffed… though sure it wouldn’t be anything important from the other side of the barrier, she went to investigate. She watched from the door atop the stairs and saw an upset sister walk in next to her brother. Ugh! And he was wearing that damned emblem again. She interrupted their conversation and pulled him into the next room. She couldn’t change his mind, as she was interrupted by his near breaking of her spells that kept him from the truth. Luckily, she was in a room where she could perform the spell again. She was worried to see the sister running from them when they came out… but decided there was no pony she could call or warn that would believe what she saw, coming from her mouth.

As time drew near for the rehearsal, her thoughts turned to the princess lost in the caverns below. If Cadance was lucky, now would be near the time she could be expected to escape. She suddenly had a new use for her silly chattering bridesmaids. It was the simplest idea she could think of. No pony would miss them if the bride decided to make some last minute changes. She placed the ponies under a powerful hypnosis and sent them to guard the cave entrance. Even if Cadance knew how to find her way out, there would be one more obstacle to pass before returning to the wedding. New bridesmaids needed to replace the ponies she sent down to the cave. She didn’t like the idea, but electing the sister’s guests made the most sense as Twilight Sparkle would be presenting the rings as his best mare. Again, she was pleased with the seamstress who excitedly buzzed away at modifying the dresses for the occasion. She rather liked the fashionable one. She guessed it was due to their similarities, being finer mares with a taste for finer things. Even though she trusted the marshmallow’s skills, she opted out for the dressed rehearsal.

Celestia directed them until it came time for the rings. She MISSED the rehearsal? The best mare had to be one of the last ponies she expected to miss a date with all that organizing she’s supposed to be good at. What could she be doing? Surely there had to be a reason. The surprise came with the purple unicorn burst through the ceremony doors and began making accusations! Anything she could have said in her defense would have condemned her further. Playing the stressed bride card seemed like her only choice. That way, she could let her knight do all the talking. She made a tearful exit and directed her groom to set that problem straight. The result was beautiful. The ‘magic expert’ even believed the bit about healing spells for her poor brother’s migraines. All the blame landed on Twilight Sparkle, and the room was emptied. Everypony had the rehearsal they needed. It was time to get rid of this problem, even if a tongue-lashing from her brother had ended the issue. The poor pony was reduced to begging for forgiveness. She must have been hurt by the disappointment she caused for her brother. It did pain her to see her groom’s sister in such a state. Not long ago, they were friends writing back and forth to one another. At this point, it didn’t matter. The queen banished her down to the same caverns. She’d be left somewhere that wouldn’t permit the timely exit needed to foil her plans. There wouldn’t be enough time for her to escape.

The next morning started the first day that the two would spend as stallion and mare. He woke her with gentle nuzzles and a promise that she’d receive more of her attention later that night. For the morning, he wanted to make sure that every security measure was taken. He was not fooled by the note’s timing. If there was a real threat, it would strike today. All precautions would be taken, and then he would join in the ceremony. It was all he could do for the safety of his bride and the ponies of Canterlot. He wished the Princess of the Night could watch from her tower while he was otherwise busy. But her sister decided against it. He couldn’t know if she deemed it unwise to wake her younger sister or if she simply believed it unnecessary. In either case, he couldn’t challenge Celestia’s authority. If she had enough confidence in her own strength, so would he. He gave the shield his last beam of energy and put everything he had into its push. He was a bit disappointed with its strength… but decided it was likely due to the length he had held the shield up in the first place. With that final thought, he moved on to the ceremony.

She was nearly ready for the ceremony herself. The dress had been fitted to her frame by the lovely seamstress who also generously volunteered to fix up her mane for the occasion. Once she was alone, she enjoyed a private victory with a small celebration. Finally, she’d be married to her truest love. Finally she’d have the life she had sought after for well over a year’s time. And then… she would have it all. Canterlot’s beloved princesses would fall to the immense power she had obtained from Cadance and Armor’s power. Her changeling army would feast on the love that the castle city teemed with. When their numbers had grown and could grow no more, they would fly from Appaloosa to Ponyville and everywhere in between. Equestria would belong to her changelings. Everypony’s love would belong to their rising kind. It would all begin tomorrow. This day would be hers to treasure and remember in the coming days.

The day had gone perfectly so far. The guests had gathers and Everypony was in place. Her knight was even so sweet as to hold still while she subjected him to her strongest spell. It would keep their wills together as one, but it did require her to direct his every move in order to keep his hypnosis from appearing in an obvious manner. He also had those glassed green eyes again, but there was nothing she could do about that. That was what she told herself while she walked the aisle after the music cue anyways. She reached the altar and stood before her groom. All who saw her agreed she did look like the happiest bride they’d seen in their days.

Everypony’s attention was drawn to the back of the room. THAT UNICORN’S time could NOT be more irritating. The ceremony was a few mere words away from closing when Twilight Sparkle spoiled her perfect moment... AGAIN! ‘No matter…’ the queen thought, ‘She’ll be tossed out for her insane accusations. We can repeat the… horse feathers.’ Both her prisoners had escaped together. There was no way for her to suppress the real princess while her knight was under her control. The plans would have to be moved a day forward. She let them accuse her. The truth would be reveals in moments either way. An intense light pillared up from The Queen … a shame to destroy the seamstress’ work on her mane and dress… The Queen stood before everypony, and displayed every bit of her confidence with her plan. No pony challenged her while it was clear that the captain was under her control, especially the real princess and the sister. They wouldn’t risk another banishing to her caverns. Celestia alone showed the courage. But the Queen, being armed with the love between her knight and the real princess, was more than a match for a lone alicorn. They stood off, ironically like properly dueling ponies. Celestia couldn’t allow a changeling to take her castle. Chrysalis was too close to her goal to be stopped now. They prepared and fired a spell at one another. Chrysalis summoned up the stolen strength she held and grinned as Celestia’s magic shrank away at the changeling’s new power. She cried out for another push into her spell’s strength just as Celestia was failing. The added energy crushed Celestia’s spell and kicked her head firmly enough to send the alicorn princess off her hooves. The hardest part was over, she believed. All were too weak to stand against her or has been crushed for trying.

Twilight Sparkle and her friends ran for the shrine under the defeated Celestia’s orders. The queen knew they wouldn’t get far. The bulk of her army had been tasked to guard the path and the shrine itself. She had another task to complete. She and a number of her subjects started work on a chrysalis chamber for the fallen Celestia. Only she knew that the alicorns were the true targets of the raid that had taken her away. In the time it took to incase and mount a new chrysalis, the ponies had been stopped at the shrine while trying to obtain their ‘secret weapon.’ Everything she needed to worry about was bundled and locked in ceremony chambers. She kept only a few of her select units nearby while the others began their task of feeding on the love in Canterlot and forming the chrysalises they’d need to turn the town toward their cause. She looked out the large windows of the ceremony room as her plans were put into action. Canterlot was falling. Soon, there would be no resistance to oppose her. Her attention was jerked away from the sight before her when something broke her spell on the Captain. So he was freed. But why did that matter? The Queen had already drained everything he could use to conjure up his shield again. The invasion was already midway. Ha! And what, mush was this? Their undying love was going to make all their problems go away. She allowed them to try whatever it was that they were planning. But... No! IT WAS WORKING!? The princess was fueling the captain with love to conjure a shield!? Before The Queen could prevent anything, the deed was done. The sheer force of the new shield sent The Queen out of the castle and beyond the city walls before she truly comprehended what was happening. In a flash of magic light, it was all ruined. She had lost everything.