The Days in the Cavern

by PinkamenaPiePrincess

Caves of Crystal

Darkness. All that surrounded me was darkness. I had no idea where I am, and honestly didn't know what had happened to me.

Something...someone...has taken my place and plans to take over my wedding in an attempt to take over Equestria

I wasn't sure what my wedding had to do with taking over Equestria. I did know that I wasn't going to let this Changeling creature ruin my special day.

Oh. Maybe a little light would at least tell me where I was. I sent the smallest amount of light to my horn that I could. I could run out of magic if I was trapped here too long.
The first thing I saw was more light. Reflecting off every surface around me. I was surrounded by crystal.

I'd never seen anything like it. I'd seen a lot of the world. After my biggest foalsitting job in Canterlot ended, my parents insisted on sending me traveling. I'd seen parts of Saddle Arabia, stayed with a dragon clan for a week, lived with the griffons in an attempt to foster true peace between them and Ponykind, and seen much of Equestria and the surrounding lands, but I had never seen anything like this. My reflection followed me where ever I went, light bounced off of every surface. And the worst part. I had no idea where I was or how to get out. All I saw were perfectly reflective crystals. I began to panic.

I shot a magic beam at the crystal directly in front of me. It shot back. I jumped out of the way, and ducked, as my magic bounced off the crystals, then disappeared. Whoever my captor was was brilliant. These caves were impossible to navigate. There was nothing for me to do but sit and wait. I could go insane in here.

And that's when she did it. She began putting me through the worst torture of my life.

"Aww, poor little princess. Lonely?" called a voice. My voice. Only horrible and cruel.

"Where are you?" I shouted. "Where am I?"

"Why you're in the Canterlot Caves, I would have thought a little princess would know all about them," she taunted.

I stumbled. The Canterlot Caves? But...

"The Canterlot Caves are a myth...a...a story!" I said.

"Oh no, my dearest, they're very real. Once home to unicorns who wanted to claim the gems found inside...and now, you're new home!" she said, cackling.

"Who are you and what do you want from me?" I asked.

"Who I am is unimportant. It's what I am that fuels me now," she said, and that's when her...my...face appeared in all the crystals around me, her eyes glowing a malicious green, smiling a terrible smile.
"I am a Changeling, and not just any Changeling. I'm queen of the Changelings, pray tell my little educated princess, do you know what a Changeling is?"

"I know they can take the form of anypony and that they get power from..." I trailed off, I think my eyes must have widened because she grinned wider.
"Love, my sweet little Mi Amore. We take the form of somepony, you love...and feed of your love for them. Equestria is just filled with love and happiness, and you, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, are the very incarnation of love itself. Between you and your idiot fiance, I am going to get quite a feast...and get quite powerful in the process. Powerful enough perhaps to take over Equestria, my Changeling army fed for millenia! And I get the best deal of all. Taking your form has given me access to the best love feast any Changeling could imagine! You and Shining Armor are so very in love aren't you?"

"WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO TO HIM?"

She cackled at me. "Why, nothing you wouldn't do, my love song. In fact..." the scene changed before me. I was watching Shining Armor sleep. "You can watch everything I do to him."

She cackled and her face faded until the only thing I saw was Shining Armor, sleeping in his bedroom, creases above his brow from his hard day of maintaining his magical shield. My poor Shining Armor...the threat had made it past him and had not only managed to get past his defenses...but also had taken the form of me...the pony he loved. I fell to the floor. She had hit me where it hurt the most. My heart. As I broke down into tears, I heard her laughter echoing around me.

I must have fallen asleep. My magic horn light had gone out, and it was dark again. I magicked a little bit of light into my horn, then transferred it to a small crystal, so I'd have something to keep me company. It was dark in here. Really dark. Which meant she wasn't showing me what she was doing. It didn't take long after I woke up to see though.

Shining was on duty, I could see that much.He always looked a little goofy in his guard uniform, but I loved it all the same. I touched the crystal in front of me, treasuring a small moment, one that I knew was getting ready to be shattered.
Sure enough, she came into the room as soon as Shining sent the guards to their posts. His only captain duties were assignments right now, his energy was entirely focused on Canterlot's shield.

"Hey, hun," he said to her. I had to remind myself that he thought she was me.

"Hello, Shining Armor, I wanted to talk to you about that uniform your planning on wearing to the wedding," she said to him, sounding so unlike me that I silently begged Shining to notice. But apparently my outburst the other day provided just the excuse she needed...the stressed bride excuse.
"Aww, hun, you're so stressed out, you shouldn't have to worry about that, let me take care of some of the small stuff."

"It's ridiculous."

"What? But that suit belonged to my favorite uncle!"

I glared. I loved that uniform as much as Shining did. I knew his uncle when I was a teenager, and cried along with Shining and Twilight at his funeral.

She hesitated for a moment. Good.

"I know, but I don't want you wearing it at my wedding," she said.

"Cadence, are you feeling ok? You're not acting like yourself..."

Good, he was noticing.

"Of course, I'm fine...but you look tired...here, let me help your migraine..."

She cast a spell on him, the same way I did when I healed his migraines, but instead of a calm blue, her green magic seeped into his eyes, causing them to go off in different directions, and his face grew blank.

"NO!" I shouted.

"You will listen to everything I say, and never question my motives," the fake me said.

"I will listen to everything you say and never question your motives," Shining Armor repeated blankly.

"Good," she said, and released the spell. "That was a test run, forget who I am and I'll have to do it again."

She walked off and Shining woke up from the spell.

"Huh? Cadence? What?" Shining said, appearing not to remember what had happened.

He shrugged and the scene disappeared. She couldn't fool him truly...but she could cast a spell and make him obey her if he didn't fall for it. Everyone else would buy the stressed bride excuse, my aunts had both witnessed my snapping at the seamstress, and the rest of the castle didn't know me well.

I was doomed, and Shining was going to fall with me...and it was all my fault.

***

I think I've been down here for at least a day. I'm hungry, though fortunately there's a small spring down here. My mane is beginning to get tangled and matted.

I can't keep enduring this.

She's shown me her possessing Shining and even fooling him without magic at least three more times. Whenever he starts suspecting something she casts a spell, and his eyes grow unfocused and he forgets he ever disagreed with her. It's so hard to watch my beloved Shining Armor being fooled by someone who's nothing like me. I know he knows me better than anyone, which is why she needs the spells. But I also know he's distracted...and her excuses of healing him seem to work. No one has even noticed that "I" am acting strange. It kills me a little and has also made me realize: I have to escape.

I'm still strong enough to get out of here, I think. I've been saving my magic, trying to avoid doing anything too difficult, since I have no idea how long I could be down here. It's hard, I'm getting hungry, and though I could conjure food if need be, it would knock my reserves down a lot, so I won't do that unless I can't escape.

I look for a weakness in the crystal with my hooves, I can't find one, and I know my magic isn't forceful enough to break through. I check for cracks. There's a few, and I crack them with my magic, only to leave more impenetrable crystal in my way. More unbreakable crystal behind another crack, another, even the spring seems to come from even lower underground. I drop to the ground. It's no use. I can't get out on my own, no matter how much I want to. My magic is strong, but it's not physically powerful. My magic is usually emotional or defensive, never offensive, I've always relied on...other skills...for that.

Another image...I can't bear to see what she's going to do to Shining, how she plans on fooling him. I know she won't do anything...physical...Shining barely has time for a kiss on the cheek.

"Princess Cadence, may I have a word with you?" a familiar regal female voice says. Celestia.

"Of course aunt, I'm just going to see my fiance," she says innocently. I shudder. She sounds like me, yet unlike me at the same time. Like a cheap imitation of me.

"Some of the servants have expressed...concern...about your behavior," I hear Celestia say. My ears perk up. I pray this is the time she's discovered. "If you need any help with the wedding plans at all, you merely need to ask me or Luna to assist you. We know how much is expected out of a Royal wedding, and how hard it must be not to have Shining Armor's assistance."

"I'm alright Aunt just a little...stressed out I guess," she says. Celestia nods and my heart sinks. They're buying it. They're totally buying it. That one outburst has totally ruined me.

"Remember, merely come to us and we shall assist. I have...sent for some help, I believe you'll find the ponies I've sent for more than competent at the jobs I've requested they do. They're...friends of a sort."

She actually snorted. I don't think Celestia heard before she said, "Thank you aunt, I really appreciate it."

Celestia nodded and left. She then entered the next room where Shining was arguing with the mail pony.

"I'm sorry Captain, it's the Princess's orders. No mail is to be taken out of Canterlot unless it's delivered via baby dragon."

"I don't have a baby dragon. I'm willing to pay you for your trouble. I have to get a letter to my sister. I'm getting married in less than a week. I need her to know. Celestia will send for her, I'm certain, but I want her to hear it from me. I'll take 100 percent of fall if you get caught!"

"I'm sorry Captain, there is nothing I can do."

"Dear? Is this a bad time?" she asked. As if she cared.

"What? Oh Cadence, it's you! It's never a bad time to spend time with you, you know that," I heard my Shining say to someone who wasn't me.

"Of course. It's about the wedding. I heard my Aunt was planning on sending for extra help with the planning. Do you know who she might be sending for? I can't risk...I mean...I'd like to know ahead of time, and she wouldn't say."

"Sending for? Oh...it's...probably..." Shining Armor hesitated. "A student of hers and her friends, just run of the mill ponies."

He didn't say it was Twilight. He...was nervous about "me" knowing? Or did he want to surprise "me" with a visit from my favorite pony to foalsit for?

"Uh-huh. Not anyone special to the princess then? Some who might...get in the way?"

"Of course not, the Princess would never ruin our wedding," Shining said. He was nervous. I guess "my" bad mood had been noticed. I felt a sliver of hope.

She put a hoof around him and pulled him into an embrace. I shook with rage. I hadn't seen her touch him at all...this was too much.

"I know I've been kind of mean the past couple of days, but it's just because I'm worried about making our special day the most perfect day ever," she said. Then she kissed him. He kissed her back. While his eyes were closed, she glanced directly at me as her eyes glowed green. Then the view turned off.

I shouted. I don't know what I shouted, I just know that I did. I shouted and threw broken pieces of crystal and screamed. I think I shouted Shining Armor's name at some point. I cried. I tried my damn best to break out of my beautiful prison. But I was trapped. The view reappeared. They were no longer kissing but she hadn't cast a spell on him and she had to know that would break something in me. I watched her walk away and I watched Shining Armor watch her leave, the goofy smile he reserved for me on his face. My Shining Armor...

Then I remembered something...
Celestia was sending for help planning the wedding. She was sending for someone that Shining Armor was worried about telling bad mood Cadence about. That meant she was sending for Twilight Sparkle. My favorite sitting charge, Shining's little sister...and the only other pony in the world that could possibly see through her disguise. I had the smallest sliver of hope return. Please Twilight. Don't let her fool you.
***
Day 4

I'd managed to figure out how long I'd been in here by how many days were left until the wedding according to the scenes I was being shown. Four days. No food. I was weaker than I've ever been, even when I was captured by Saddli bandits and held hostage...luckily I kicked their flanks...

Here...here I had no flanks to kick, no magic to cast that would get me out of here. I was about to give in to conjuring food at this point. Otherwise I'd starve. I wasn't going to get out of here anytime soon. I was shown another scene.

Fake Amore Fakedenza was heading to the battlements of the castle to talk to Shining Armor again. She was talking to Luna at the moment.

"We...I have heard that thou...you hast not been in the best of moods," my aunt was saying. She was still adjusting to modern speech. It was easier with me than with anyone but Celestia. As her niece...and as a relative that wasn't
Blueblood...I was the closest to her rank of anyone else in the castle and it was far easier for her to practice speaking normally with me.
"I'M just stressed, aunt. It's been hard planning a wedding all by myself. Especially since it's not that far from now and I don't even have a dress,"

I flinched at her emphasis on the I'm. Luna was trying really, really hard to speak normally. Luna ignored it or didn't notice. She appeared as exhausted as Shining. Oh right. Luna was commander in chief of the Royal Military, and a threat against Canterlot was going to keep her more than busy.

"Well, th...you did snap at the royal seamstress...as a fellow princess we...I...know how stressful dealing with others can be...but th...you...can't expect a dress if you snap at the help. Fortunately, ou...my...sister has sent for a group of ponies, and one of them is an accomplished seamstress and fashion designer known for her brilliant designs. I am certain that she shall be exactly what you need!" Luna said.

"Yes...I could use the help..." she mumbled. She ignored Luna's wave good bye...and that's when she arrived on the battlements.

"Your marrying Cadence! Your marrying Cadence!" I heard a familiar voice chanting as she walked in on a the scene. Twilight.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything important?" she snarked as she walked in on Twilight Sparkle's chant.

"Cadence!" Twilight exclaimed, and bounced in front of the pony she thought was me. "Sunshine, Sunshine," she began.
"Ladybugs awake," we said together. "Clap your hooves and do a little shake..."

My eyes filled with tears again. I was going to dehydrate myself and this rate, even with the spring behind me.

"What are you doing?" she asked. I nearly lost it. That little rhyme was something special Twilight and I had made up together. And now...Twilight was going to think I'd forgotten her.

Twilight frowned, but it quickly turned into a smile

"Cadence it's me! Twilight!" she said, optimism still on her face.

But it's not me, Twilight...

"Uh huh..." she said, and brushed past my favorite charge.

Twilight's fading smile nearly broke what was left of my already broken heart.

"I have to get back to my station," Shining said, his foreleg around the very much fake me. "But Cadence will be checking in with all of you to see how things are going."

There was no way that was going to end well.

"I think I speak for both of us when I say we couldn't be more excited to have you," my Shining, his foreleg still around the fake me, said to Twilight. Her look seemed to agree...at least until...

"Right dear?"

"Absolutely," she said, and her face betrayed her truly evil nature.

Twilight's face dropped, clearly confused.

"Well, let's get to it," Shining said, and the scene before me faded on her walking away with my fiance.

I couldn't bring myself to do anything more than sit there. I was dry of tears. But I knew Twilight was confused. There was no way she'd believe that she was me, or if she did...she'd know something was up. That rhyme was the key...I'd have to remember that.

It was that same day I watched as the fake me fooled all of Twilight's friends while somehow still being horrendously cruel.
She tore down the country pony Applejack's delicious looking baked goods, throwing them in the trash, trashed the fashion forward unicorn, Rarity's, beautiful wedding dress, the very pink, excitable earth pony's reception party, a party I so wanted to go to... Pinkie Pie...I was meeting all of Twilight's friends through what felt like a movie...and worst of all was when she yelled at the wonderful bird choir the timid yellow pegasus, Fluttershy, had put together.

"You call that a wedding march?" she snapped. "It sounds horribly flat and desperately needs tuning."
The pegasus squeaked. She was the kind the foalsitter in me wanted to take care of.

"Oh my, your highness, I mean...I'm so very super duper sorry."

"Oh I'm soooo sorry," fake me imitated cruelly. I glared, though I knew she couldn't see me.

"I'm...Mr. Jay here is so very flat...I can fix it...I just...um..." the timid pegasus cowered under "my" glare.

"Then FIX it Klutzershy," she snapped. Fluttershy just nodded as "I" stalked away.

I watched as she closed the door behind her. The scene faded.

Was she being so cruel to other ponies just to punish me? Did she want them to hate me if I ever came back? None of them seemed to notice anything wrong.

Or was I crueler than I thought I was?

I thought back. Had I snapped at anyone other than the seamstress? I didn't remember doing so. I didn't remember ever being cruel to anyone. Shining and I had gotten into a couple small, insignificant spats, but all couples argued. They were always stupid, and usually when one of us was exhausted from our duties. I got annoyed with Luna sometimes, but never enough to snap at her, she was my superior after all..I could never remember ever being cruel...but...

There had to be some reason ponies weren't noticing "my" bad attitude. One outburst couldn't possibly be enough to change ponies' perceptions of me...could it?

Ponies in Canterlot didn't know me very well. Celestia and Luna had known me as a foal and as a teen, but I'd spent my late teens and the first part of my young adulthood, until the last year, when I came back to be with my Shining Armor, traveling.

It wasn't that far-fetched that they'd buy her act. I was a bride after all, and brides were notorious for being difficult.

"The princess is getting married..." I heard a snippet of a conversation between Twilight and her friends...

Twilight didn't buy it. She loved her brother, she'd never realized the two of us were dating...I hadn't wanted her to know...I was afraid she'd hate me...silly teenage fear. I should have told her...I knew that now. But...it was too late...

The scene returned.

"I think you're making a big..." Twilight's voice said

I heard her clear her throat.

"Sweetie..." Shining Armor stammered. I hated hearing him use pet names to refer to her...she wasn't me...even if she looked like me.

Twilight muttered something, but she must of not been able to hear it.

"Could I speak to you for a moment...dear?" she walked off, her nose in the air. She clearly thought I had to act like a princess. A b...not very nice...princess.

Shining nudged Twilight, said something, and followed.

"I thought I told you to listen to everything I say!" she said.
"Wait, but..." Shining said
"Would you just listen?"
"I don't think you're being fair..."
"I thought I made it perfectly clear I didn't want you to wear that!"

The suit again? Was it just what she used to test him? Or did she know it had meaning for me too?

"This, was my favorite uncle's," Shining explained again.
"And...?"
"And I think I should wear it!"
"Are you disagreeing with me?"
"I guess I am!" Shining said. Then he winced. One of his migraines again. Oh no.
"Oh dear, are you getting another one of your headaches?"

He fell to the floor, the headache clearly taking more out of him than they had previously. This wasn't an ordinary migraine.
She pushed him to the floor with her green magic. His eyes went out of focus. He staggered back to his feet.

"Feeling better?" she asked, her voice filled with a fake sweetness that barely passed for real.

"Mmmhmmm" he nodded weakly, his eyes still filled with a green light and out of focus.

"Good," she murmured.

The scene before me faded...and I saw nothing else for the rest of the night...

***
Day 5

I woke up weakly. Conjured food, finally, though it nearly killed my magic. This was supposed to be the day of my wedding rehearsal. And she was making me watch it.

Celestia went through the motions...for some reason, my bridesmaids had been replaced with Twilight's friends. Not that I minded. I rather liked them from what I saw...but I remembered that they weren't mine. They were hers. "And then Cadence will enter..."

She entered the scene. Everything was fine until Shining Armor turned to his side to collect the mock rings...and Twilight wasn't there.

I saw her scowl.

Twilight busted in...and made a speech.

She wouldn't stand next to "me". She wasn't going to let her brother ruin his life. She wasn't going to stand for it. Because "I" was evil. About how "I" was horrible to her friends, had done something to "my" bridesmaids and had put a spell on Shining Armor.

And that's when she managed to actually have some acting skills.

She burst into tears.

"Why are you doing this to me?" she asked. And ran out of the chapel.

"Because you're EVIL!" Twilight said smugly. I facehoofed. She really did not handle that well.

She ran out crying. Twilight teleported after her.
"EVIL!"

I rolled my eyes...had she come in and calmly explained why she thought "I" was evil...

But instead she'd ruined her chance and helping the real me. Great.
But...
Fake me stayed. As soon as Twilight and crew were out of sight, she retraced her steps and hid behind the chapel doors.

Shining Armor berated Twilight for hurting me. Her friends...they agreed with him. I hurt for Twilight.
But nothing hurt worse than my aunt expressing her disappointment. I couldn't see Twilight's face...but I knew that must have hurt her. Even as a filly Twilight had loved nothing more than pleasing her mentor and feared nothing more than disappointing her.

I heard Twilight break into tears and sing to herself, and then fake me re-entered the room. She put a hoof around Twilight...

"I'm sorry..." Twilight said.

Her eyes flashed.

"You will be."

Twilight and I panicked together as green flames surrounded my former charge...just as they had me...she sank into the floor...like I did.

Fake me had just made a mistake...she'd sent Twilight to me. Together...there was hope.

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[Putainnn]

Shit gets real