> A Canterlot Wedding: The Story of the Alternate Path > by FE_A_Lover > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Chapter 1: The Sadness > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Love...that one thing a feeling being cannot have an exciting or fulfilling without no matter who they might be. Those who try to live without it end up feeling nothing but emptiness inside their soul. Those who try to forget the loves they had, only makes the love they feel for them stronger and harder to get rid of. This is a story of the latter. One who tries to forget they love they had, for quite honestly...they were not of this world. Our tale begins with a female unicorn. Her name was Twilight Sparkle. She had a lavender coat, a purple mane and tail with pink strands running through both, and a cutie mark made of stars. A cutie mark is a sort of identifier of a pony's interests, and what they excel at. However, the cutie mark is made to fit the pony of it, not the cutie mark determining who the pony is. Twilight Sparkle was sitting in her bed inside of her library, looking at a book or rather a journal. A poorly made journal at that. The binding stitches were poorly made, and it looked like the pages were put very sloppily together despite the nice red covering. And yet she just stared at it. Thinking...thinking...always thinking. While thinking is normal for Twilight, this kind of behavior made it seem strange. This has been going for at least 3 days now and it's become a slightly creepy routine: she gets up, eats breakfast, stares at the journal, eats lunch, stares at the journal, eats dinner, stares at the journal, go to bed and repeat the process the next day. Her friends were getting worried, and Spike her assistant dragon was the most worried. She wouldn't even READ the journal, just look at it. Her face when she was looking at it was obviously full of depression. Like she was remembering something that others around could simply not fathom, and could not get out of her because she almost never noticed anyone else. When her friends came over they all did their best to get her attention, but were mostly unsuccessful. The only time they did manage to get a rise out of her was when Pinkie Pie, a female earth pony who embodies her very name with a pink coat and mane with balloons for a cutie mark, touched the journal. That set Twilight off and she screamed "DON'T TOUCH THAT!" with her mane and tail catching fire and her coat becoming white, freaking her friends out a lot. Twilight immediately calmed back down and apologized for freaking her friends out like that. However she then asked-no, she then DEMANDED that they never touch the journal again. She can't guarantee that she won't hurt them if they do. This shocked her friends greatly for two reasons. One, while they knew she liked books, she always seemed to prefer the more sophisticated titles and those with good binding. The journal clearly was not sophisticated, and the binding looked awful and poorly made as if someone who had no idea how to make one tried to make one. So...why did she care so much for it? The second shocker was that she said she might hurt the for merely touching it. It's clear that this journal meant a lot to her, but it didn't answer the question of why it was so important to her. Just reinforces the idea that this journal means an awful lot to her. With no luck getting any useful info from Twilight, they decide ask Spike in private about the journal. Applejack, an orange coated female earth pony with a blonde mane and tail style and 3 red apples for a cutie mark, is the one who speaks up about this to Spike. "Spike," she begins saying with her country accent "We all need tah know, why in the hay Twilight is acting this way. Do y'all got any idea as to why Twilight is acting like this?" Spike the dragon simply shrugs, saying "Sorry Applejack, but I'm just as clueless as you guys are! One day, she tried out a new spell, though I didn't know what it was as she put the book in the lock down area after the spell was cast, where I couldn't get it and I didn't get the chance to read it before. After she casted it, she looked around dazed and confused. I think she mumbled something about a dream, I think? Then we both noticed the sloppy journal and that's when it all started." "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" a rainbow maned female pegasus named Rainbow Dash, who had a cyan coat and a cloud with a red, blue, and yellow lightning bolt for a cutie mark, started saying "So...you mean that the journal just popped up out of nowhere?" Spike nods as an answer. "But that just can't be possible darling!" Spoke up a white female Unicorn named Rarity, who had a purple curly mane and tail with 3 diamonds for a cutie mark "Books don't simply appear out of thin air. Not to mention, that journal was simply atrocious! It's like a complete slob put that thing together!" "Umm, girls?" a shy voice speaks up, but is ignored. "Maybe she actually went on a super incredible adventure, full of laughs and joy, and fell in love! And that journal is the only thing reminding her of that love!" Pinkie Pie says ecstatically. "Umm, g-girls?" The shy voice says again, but is once again ignored. "Pinkie Pie, that just don't make no sense. How did Twilight have an adventure, and fall in love with somepony in a few seconds?" Applejack says to the overly excited pink mare. "Girls!" The shy voice finally having enough of being ignored and finally gets the group's attention. The voice came from a yellow pegasus named Fluttershy, with a long pink mane and tail and 3 butterflies for a cutie mark. "If we want to know so badly why Twilight is acting like this, why not invite her to a picnic?" Fluttershy suggested. Everyone in the room started thinking about it. It might work, but it's really a big stretch on "might". But right now, they don't exactly have many other options. "But how are we going to get Twilight to even come down to the picnic?" Rainbow Dash asks, being the most skeptical. "All we can do is send her an invite and hope she'll take it." Applejack says honestly. They all nod and set out to get to work on the picnic. Rarity got together the blanket, plates and baskets and sent one of the baskets to Pinkie and Applejack. Pinkie filled hers full of sweets ranging from candies to cakes, while Applejack filled hers with fruits and veggies. Meanwhile, Rainbow and Fluttershy were looking for a good spot. When they found one, they told Rarity and the others on where to go. With the picnic set up, the ponies then wait for Spike to convince Twilight to come. They were hoping that he could convince her to come. They waited about 30 minutes, Rainbow Dash growing the most impatient. Though it wasn't just her alone. The others were also gaining a look of impatience on their faces. Not as much as Rainbow, but they were starting to think she wasn't coming. "UGH! Where is she?! She should've been 15 minutes ago!" Rainbow Dash exclaims. The others would normally glare at her and tell her to be more patient, but they were in agreement. She wasn't coming...or so it seemed. As they were to start to pack up, Pinkie Pie shouted "LOOK! There she is!" They look to where Pinkie pointed and sure enough, there Twilight was! She was walking towards, with a smile on her face and...wait...someone else was with her. The others of the Mane 6 notice this and rush over to Twilight. Rainbow Dash speaks first when they get there "Twilight, you're here! But...who the heck is that with you?" Twilight smiles and says "Girls, I'd like you to meet my husband!" And the jaws drop at that final word. "YOUR WHAAAAAAT?!" The 5 ponies shout in shock. Two hours earlier... Spike was walking up to Twilight who was still sitting in her bed, staring at the journal. "Uh...Hey Twilight! Feeling hungry?" Spike starts off asking. "...I am..." Twilight mutters, barely audible. "W-Well, how about we go out to eat?" Spike suggests nervously. "...No...I don't wanna go out anymore..." She says depressed. "Never again?!" Spike asks really worried. Twilight nods slowly. "Twilight, you can't be serious! Think of your family, your friends! Don't they mean anything to you?!" Spike says, trying to convince her. She then mutters something that Spike didn't quite make out. After about a whole hour of trying to convince Twilight to come to the picnic area, a knock is heard on the door. "...Could you get that Spike?" Twilight asks. Spike sighs and goes to answer the door. Once Spike opens the door, he is greeted by a male earth pony with a blue mane, grey fur coat and is wearing a strange blue shirt with a plate of armor on it's right shoulder. But what was even more strange was his cutie mark. It appeared to be a strange brand of sorts not easy to explain in detail. Spike, being annoyed that the plan was being derailed, asks in an upset tone "Hey, do you need something?" "Yes, I came here looking for someone named Twilight." The Stallion answers. Twilight hears it, as her eyes widen and life returns to them. Spike doesn't seem to care "Well, you came at a bad time. She's been really depressed lately. So whatever it is you need you'll-" Before he got any further Twilight teleported next to him. "T-Twilight! W-What are you-" Spike tries to stutter out before being ignored. "Is...Is it really you?" She asks the stallion. The stallion smiles and says "You are the wind at my back and the sword at my side..." "...Together my love we shall build a peaceful world..." Twilight continues. Then they both say at the same time "Just you and me." Twilight started tearing up "It...It really is you...Chrom." Back in the present... The pair of Twilight and the stallion named Chrom were sitting next to each other, snuggling in a rather cute manner. The rest of the Mane 6 were looking directly at them, not sure what to say. The shock on their faces was as obvious as the love that these two ponies were sharing. So, Applejack was the first to speak up "Uh, not that I ain't happy for y'all, but do ya mind explaining how the heck you two...ya know." Twilight hears AJ speak and replies "Oh, sorry Applejack. I suppose I got distracted. Anyway, I'd be happy to explain. Just...be prepared. I don't know if you'll like it." The others nod prepared to listen to their story. "Well, it all began when-" "TWILIGHT!" A voice interrupts Twilight's story telling. It's soon seen to be Spike, running up to the group quickly, holding two letters. "Spike, what is it?" Twilight asks him. "I just got these letters!" Twilight takes one with her magic and begins reading it. "Dear Twilight, I am sure you are as excited as I am about the upcoming wedding in Canterlot...Wedding?" She says confused, but continues. "I will be presiding over the ceremony, but would very much like and your friends to help with the preparations for this wonderful occasion. Fluttershy I would like you and your song bird choir to provide the music." "Oh my goodness. What an honor." Fluttershy says happily Twilight continues "Pinkie Pie, I can think of no one more qualified than you to host the reception." "Hip, Hip, Hooray!" She says doing a bit of a cartwheel. "Applejack, you'll be in charge of catering for the reception." Twilight says further on "Well, color me pleased as punch!" AJ says Rainbow yawns at this "Rainbow Dash, I would very much appreciate it if you could a Sonic Rainboom as the bride and groom complete their 'I do's." Twilight says surprised herself Dash is surprised but excited and shouts "YES!" "Rarity, you will be responsible for designing the dresses for her brides and her brides maids." Rarity's mouth is wide open as she says "Princess Celestia wants me to-" Then she starts sort of...short circuiting and can't finish her sentence in a comprehensible manner. "And as for you Twilight, you will be play the most important role of all, making sure that everything goes as planned, see you all very soon, yours truly Princess Celestia." Twilight then inspects the letter for a bit "But...who's going to get married?" She wonders before Spike realizes "Oh, sorry. I was supposed to give you this one first." He hands her the other letter. "Princess Celestia cordially invites you to the wedding of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and-" She then gasps "My brother, Shining Armor?!" Everyone around, minus Spike, was shocked to hear this, Chrom included. Twilight then hugs Chrom "Oh honey, my own brother is getting married too!" She says this happily. Chrom smiles and puts a hoof around her saying "That's great Twilight! But uh...how are you gonna explain...me to him? As a brother myself, I know what it feels like to find out your sister is engaged to someone you never knew before." "Oh...Well, I guess for now...we'll just be boyfriend and girlfriend." She says. "Yeah, you can tell him that, AFTER you tell us all how this whole thing came to be." Rainbow Dash says, not forgetting the story Twilight was about to tell. "You're right Rainbow...I need to tell you girls this. However, I don't want ONE WORD of this to reach my brother. I can't even imagine how he'd react to this story." She says with warning. They all nod and do a Pinkie Promise. "Okay...wow, where do I even begin? Hmm...I suppose the real beginning is an appropriate place to start." She begins. End of Chapter 1. > Chapter 2: The Reveal > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "It all started three days ago...at least in our world's time. I had learned about a new spell, one that allowed one's spirit to travel between worlds. It was a dangerous spell. If one failed to cast it properly, Their soul could never return to their body. I told Spike I would try and cast the spell, and told him if it looked like I might fail, then I would want to make me stop. I cast it successfully, but I had no control of which world I would go to...But I do not regret having no control, considering what has occurred." Twilight began her story, as her friends around her listened intently and were drinking in her every word. They had gotten on the train to listen to her story while they ride to Canterlot for the wedding. "I was taken to another world, a beautiful world. At least from what I could tell at first sight. Unfortunately I, as a spirit, was floating around pretty...carelessly I should say. I didn't notice it until I had accidentally floated into an unconscious body. When I got into it, I had suffered memory loss along with the original owner of the body. Though, the body was a different species than what I was before, but that's not important right now." Twilight continues. "Excuse me darling." Rarity spoke up. "I'm actually rather curious as to what this body you inhabited was." The others all voice their agreement. "Well...what body I inhabited was something called a human. Think of them like Minotaurs without the horns and only had hair on their heads. Oh, and they didn't have hooves they had hands and feet." Twilight explains. The group then begins to imagine what humans look like exactly. "Anyway, like I said after winding up in that body I lost my memory. While unconscious, I had this strange 'dream' where me and Chrom were fighting a man named Validar. I'll explain his role later on. When I woke up, I saw Chrom and his sister Lissa, along with their bodyguard Fredrick. Somehow I had forgotten my name temporarily, and yet I knew of Chrom's. I suppose the strange 'dream' I had taught me his name. Anyway, since I couldn't remember my name and I somehow knew his name yet had no idea where I was at the time, I was obviously suspicious to them, most of all to Fredrick whose nickname was Fredrick the Wary." Twilight explained. "Okay, that explains how you met him, but that doesn't explain how you fell in love with him." Rainbow said. "Was it love at first sight like in all those fairy tales?" Pinkie Pie asks. "No...it was love born on the battlefield." Twilight said in a somber tone, shocking her Ponyville friends. "B-B-Battlefield?" Fluttershy asks in fear. Twilight nodded sadly. "Yes. Chrom here is actually the general and the prince of a nation called Ylisse. He lead his elite force, a group he called the Shepherds. I was the tactician of his group. However, that doesn't mean I didn't take part in actual fighting. I fought all sorts of enemies. From random brigands and bandits, to organized armies from nearby and over seas. The world had magic, but it was different from our world's magic. They used magic through special tomes and staves with powers unlike anything I'd seen from our world. However, if I must say, their world was a little bit more...primitive compared to ours. Meaning they didn't have things like trains or stereos of the sort. However, I noticed that the weapons used were very similar to the weapons we use here. Things like spears and swords were common place. However, they could also enchant these weapons. For example, the Levin Sword is a sword from their world that shoot Lightning out of it." "Wow! That sounds super terrible Twilight!" Pinkie Pie says sadly. Twilight sighed "It was...so much death, you couldn't rest for a moment on the battlefield. Even Chrom's sister Emmeryn died. Luckily, we managed to defeat all our foes, including Validar. See, he was-" Suddenly, the train stopped. "Oh, it seems we've arrived." Chrom says then adds "I think we can continue this story later Twilight." He then starts to get up...and falls on his face. "Whoa! You okay there?" Rainbow Dash asks him as she helps him up onto his hooves. "Yeah. Still been trying to get used to this new body of mine." He explains. On the way over to Twilight's, Chrom had tripped about 35 times total before reaching the door. He didn't any noticeable bruises thankfully, but every time he did he looked silly. Though half of those was because of him tripping over something like a rock, or the back wheel of a cart. They get out of the train and see the city not only full of many more guards than as of normal, but also surrounded by a pink protective shield. Twilight knew that this shield must be from her brother's magic. He always was the best at casting shield spells. The ponies proceed to their living quarters, while Twilight and Chrom go to see Shining Armor to learn who this Cadenza pony is. When they arrive in the courtyard, many guards point their spears ready to attack, while Chrom readies to draw his blade. But before they can possibly get into a fight, a white unicorn with a blue mane, wearing purple armor and helmet that had gold highlights. His cutie mark was a shield with magic stars in the center of it. "Twiliy!" The white unicorn shouts "At ease soldiers." He tells the guards and takes off his helmet then rushes down to see Twilight "I'm glad to see you! And your...friend?" He says slightly surprised when he notices Chrom. "Twilight, who is this?" He then asks. "Shining Armor, I'd like you to meet my boyfriend, Chrom." She says introducing him. "Your...BOYFRIEND?!" Shining Armor says in surprise with his jaw dropping to the ground. Chrom holds out a hoof for him to shake. "It is an honor to meet you Shining Armor." He says smiling. "O-Oh umm...Thanks. Nice to meet you too." Shining says shaking Chrom's hoof. "Great! Now that that's out of the way...Who the heck is this Cadenza pony you're marrying?" Twilight asks. "Oh, right. You never learned her full name as a foal, and always just called her Cadence." Shining inadvertently explains. "Cadence?! Oh my gosh! You sly dog you!" Twilight says playfully elbowing Shining Armor, making him blush a bit. "Forgive me for asking, but who is Cadence?" Chrom asks the two siblings. "Oh right. Never told you about her. See, Cadence used to be my babysitter. And she was so nice to everyone! She also was incredibly skilled at love magic. I once saw a couple arguing and then Cadence used her magic to fix it! It was amazing. She always believed I was someone special too." Twilight says smiling. "I see. She does sound like an incredible person." Chrom muses. "Excuse me." A voice says. The group looks towards a pink alicorn with a mixture of light yellow, pink, and purple in her mane and tail coloring. She also wore the standard princess regalia and had a blue crystal like heart for a cutie mark. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything important here." She says, sounding annoyed. "Cadence!" Twilight says gleefully and rushes over to her doing a little dance in front of her singing "Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves, and do a little shake!" She then realizes that Chrom is watching and blushes embarrassed that she did it in front of him. "Do I know you?" Cadence asks in a sort of skeptical tone. Twilight looked surprised Cadence had not recognized her. "It's me! Twilight Sparkle!" Cadence doesn't seem to care much and simply goes "Uh huh." Shocking Twilight even more than before. "I gotta be honest and say, that we couldn't be happier together." Shining Armor says. Chrom then puts a hoof around Twilight, who looks towards him, and smiles saying "I think we both know that feeling." They then give each other a quick kiss. Cadence looks at them surprised. What is this? She begins to think Their love...it's unlike anything I've seen before. It's so...powerful. It's as if they would risk death for each other with no hesitation. "Cadence? Are you okay?" Shining asks snapping her out of her stupor. "H-Huh?! Oh! Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking about the wedding is all." She says smiling. "Oh, hey Chrom! There's really great place to eat! Let's go!" She takes Chrom there. "Whoa, hey! Slow down Twilight!" Chrom protests. They arrive at a nice outdoor restaurant, that would be rated as 4.5 stars. It was after the lunch rush, so it wasn't all that busy at the time, aside from the few ponies sitting out and eating their hay sandwiches and hay fries and such. Twilight and Chrom are seated at a table and are given their menus. Chrom looks over it, trying to find meat of some sort. "I don't know if they have any meat here Chrom." Twilight tells him. "Hmm...I think you're right. I guess it makes sense, since you're all ponies and aren't typically meat eaters." Chrom admits. "Yeah. I was so excited to finally have some time with you that didn't involve us either leading an army or nation that I forgot you usually eat meat." Twilight admits, embarrassed. "Hmm...Oh wait! They do have some fish to eat. I've eaten and liked that before." Chrom says, pointing at the item on the menu. "Oh yeah, sometimes ponies eat fish. Fluttershy can at least keep it in her mouth to feed her animal friends." Twilight explains, seeing the item Chrom points at. Soon another waiter pony, this one being a unicorn, arrives and then asks "Are the sir and ma'am ready to order yet?" "Yeah. I'll take the sushi and the lady will have a hay sandwich." Chrom says, and tries to hand the menus to the waiter but drops them by accident. "Oops. Sorry about that." He says, a bit embarrassed. "It's quite alright." He says, picking up the menus with his magic while also writing down their orders for food. "And what would you enjoy for a drink?" He then asks. "We'll just both have some water." Twilight says to him and he writes that down. "I'll be out with your drinks and food shortly." He heads off to tell the chef the order. "So...how long has it been since I...you know...'disappeared' from your world?" Twilight asks Chrom. "Hmm...about a couple of months honestly. Everyone had moved on to their lives, yet still kept searching for you. Lissa and Lon'qu have really helped improve relationships between Ylisse and Regna Ferox, our northern bordering ally. They actually spar every now and then, though Lon'qu usually wins. Stahl and Sully have been extremely faithful to the cause of Ylisse. Whenever there's a bandit attack, they're usually the first to charge into action, usually with Sully being the one leading Stahl. Ricken and Maribelle have both greatly improved the livelihood of the common people. After a bandit group is driven out of a village, they send aid in the form of their treasury and servants from their households. Though sometimes when the damage is very extensive, I had to pitch in a bit more money for them. Luckily, our adventures in 'that' Outrealm had left with plenty of funds overall so it's really no trouble." Chrom says, talking of the comrades that Twilight had made over in the other world. Twilight smiles when hearing this. "Glad to hear that things are going more or less good over there. Though..what will happen to Ylisse now that you're gone? In fact, how did you even get to this world in the first place?" She begins to wonder. "Well, as for the first question, I guess Lissa will lead Ylisse until Lucina is old enough to lead...or maybe the future Lucina can lead instead. Either way, I'm confident that they can lead it fine. As for the second question, well...I'm not sure. I remember hearing a strange voice ask me if I wanted to see you again. It was definitely female and she said you were depressed. She told me where you lived and took me to your world. I woke up in this body, made my way to your house, and you know the rest." Chrom explains. "Strange...who could that voice have been? Was it Naga?" Twilight asks him. "No. It had a similar tone to her, a motherly tone, but it wasn't Naga." Chrom tells her. "Hmm...Who could it have been?" Twilight wonders as their food is served. "Let's not focus on it for now. I'm sure we'll find out sooner or later." Chrom says smiling. Twilight smiles back and says "You're right. I'm so happy to see you again." Chrom nods smiling and replies "I'm happy to see you again too. Now let's eat!" They then begin to eat. End of Chapter 2. > Chapter 3: The Adapting > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Though they had begun eating, Chrom was obviously having some trouble getting used to his body and how to even eat with his new hooves. Twilight tried her best to help him, but found little success in doing so. She realized that she would have to teach Chrom on how to hold things like a pony. And she had an idea on how to do that. "Chrom?" She began. "Umm, yeah Twilight?" Chrom replies, trying to put the sushi in his mouth. "How would you feel about doing some sword training?" She then proceeds to ask. She thought that by getting Chrom to get used to sword fighting, something he was very proficient at back in his world and body, in this new body he'd be able to adapt to everything else rather well. "Hmm...That sounds good." He says nodding. "But why?" He then asks. "Oh, just to make sure you're not rusty." Twilight says smirking. "Me? Rusty? HA! Says the girl who could barely hold a bronze sword in both hands!" Chrom says as a rebuttal. Twilight blushes embarrassed by that clinching fact. "W-Well...let's just go to the training yard." She says, hiding her face. Chrom chuckles and says "Sorry. Didn't mean to embarrass you like that. Sure, let's go." He says getting up. Twilight then pays for Lunch and leads Chrom to the training yard. Meanwhile, Cadence was making sure that everything for her wedding was going to plan. Her first stop was with Applejack and her cooking. Although...she seemed to have something on her mind. Why? She thought to herself. Why is there love so strong? A love like that...it is impossible to have. A love that would fight death itself and somehow come out on top...How? "Uh...Princess? Y'all feeling alright?" Applejack asks, snapping the pink princess out of her daze. "H-Huh? Oh...yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking of all the preparations I have to go through." Cadence told her. "Well alright. Care to try out some of the videls I have planned for the wedding?" Applejack asks Cadence with a wide smile on her face. "Umm...Actually, I...have to go make sure all the other preparations are going well. But I'm sure they'd be delicious!" She says and then heads off to Rarity for her dress...or so Applejack thinks. Actually, Cadence decides to go look for the pair of Twilight and Chrom. To her surprise she finds them in the training yard. Twilight comes over to Chrom, levitating two wooden training swords. "Okay Chrom, for this exercise, we will test to see if your body still knows how to utilize a sword to the best of your ability. Now, I want you to wrap your hoof around the handle." She explains to him, as she holds a wooden training sword in front of him. Chrom carefully examined the sword, then proceeded to successfully wrap his hoof around the handle. It was like his body just knew what to do, instead of his mind. "Wow." He says, giving the wooden blade a few swings. "As I suspected. All that shadow fencing really paid off for you, as your body seems to remember what it's like when holding a sword, despite being changed into a new form." Twilight says to him. She then proceeds to wrap her own hoof around the remaining wooden training sword. Cadence looked at this scene oddly. Just what were they doing? They looked like they were about to get into a fight of some sort. "Twilight, are you sure you don't wanna use your magic to hold the sword?" Chrom asks. "Maybe I should but...my body just feels right when I hold it like this." She replies, gripping the wooden blade tightly. "Well...Okay then. Are you ready to do this?" Chrom asks her. "Yep...Hehehe. This is going to be just like all those training sessions. Try not to break anything this time Chrom." Twilight says giggling. Chrom chuckles. "I'll just have to try my best." They both stare down each other, with Cadence and a few guards looking upon the scene with great intrigue. Then, almost instantly, Chrom rushes at Twilight with incredible speed and tries to slash at her. Twilight manages to parry it and try to strike back but Chrom dodges it in time with a swift side step. The guards look on this with shocked faces, having known Twilight from before and never seeing her able to move around like this with a sword, let alone a weapon in general. Cadence, however, looks upon this differently, believing that the two are growing apart from each other and that this is how they are taking their anger out on each other. She smirks evilly, thinking that this is meant to be her chance to steal Chrom away from Twilight. Meanwhile, back with the rest of the Mane 6 and Spike they are walking around looking for Twilight and Chrom. They went to the restaurant they thought the couple would be at, but couldn't find them there. They then see a couple of guards, a white unicorn and a gray pegasus, rushing somewhere. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Where's the fire at?" Rainbow asks one of them. "Fire?! Where?!" Pinkie says, being her usual Pinkie self. Rainbow Dash sighs and shakes her head saying "Not literally Pinkie Pie." The white unicorn of the two guards, ignoring the crazy pink earth pony, answered RD saying "We heard that there was a sword fight going on in one of the training districts of the castle, and one of them was a pony a few of the guards know as Twilight Sparkle. The other is some random grey Earth Pony. But I heard that it's a really good fight, so we're going out to check!" He says and rushes out of the area with his grey pegasus colleague. "Twilight? Sword fighting?" Applejack says confused and shocked. "Oh dear...I hope they aren't mad at each other for something." Fluttershy says worried. "We better head over there and fast!" RD says, flying off in the direction of the castle, with the others following on the land. By this time a large number of guards was watching the fight unfold before their eyes. The guards who knew Twilight couldn't believe how well she was doing against this pony. By the time the remaining Mane 6 and Spike showed up, the two were looking very exhausted. The two knew that they were on their last breath, so they needed to end it now. Soon, they rushed at each other, shouting at the top of their lungs. Suddenly, Rarity used her Magic to stop them both. "ENOUGH! Such barbarity shall not go by unnoticed!" The two look at Rarity confused. Twilight speaks up "Rarity, what are you-" Rarity then pulls Twilight closer to her. "Oh you poor darling! I'm so sorry we left you in the hands of that barbarian." "Wait, what?! Chrom wasn't-" Twilight tries to say looking indignant. "Hush now darling." Rarity said, putting the tip of her hoof on Twilight's mouth. "We must go to the spa, as I can smell your exhaustion from here." She and the others take Twilight away from Chrom, both of them looking rather confused. While the guards disperse, Cadence shows up in the parting crowd. There he is. He just got into a fight with Twilight...I guess their love wasn't as strong as I thought. No matter. I can still make it mine. Chrom simply sits there, his rump on the ground, watching Twilight's friends carry her away. All the while he can't help but think aloud "What the heck just happened here?" While he sat there dumbstruck by this, Princess Cadence decided to approach him. When she was by his side she said to him "Hey there handsome. How are you?" Chrom took a moment to respond, then he turned to her immediately and said "Oh. Hello Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. What are you doing here?" "I was just walking through the castle, taking my own personal tour." She explains. "Then I come across here, seeing you and Twilight fighting each other! I suppose you two just weren't meant to be." She starts leaning in on him. Chrom leans away from her odd advances and asks her "What do you mean by that?" Meanwhile with Twilight and friends, on the way to the spa... "Girls, I need to go back to Chrom!" Twilight demands to her friends, who had abducted her away from him. "Twilight, I understand you might want to patch things up, but a true gentleman would not dare fight his beloved in such a barbaric manner." Rarity says, flipping her mane. "But Rarity, I-" Twilight tries to explain but is cut off by Applejack. "Come on Twi, I know you think he's still nice and all, but what kind of man attacks you like that with a wooden sword?" She asks in a rhetorical fashion. "But we weren't fighting! We were-" Twilight continues trying to explain but this time is cute off by Fluttershy. "Oh Twilight, you don't need to deny the obvious. We're your friends, we'll help you through this." She says smiling innocently. "Yeah! If he tries that again, this time he'll have to go through me!" Rainbow Dash adds in confidently. Twilight looked ready to burst with anger. "Girls, isn't it obvious they were training?" Pinkie Pie says to the group. They look upon her shocked. Twilight looked rather relieved. "She's right you know. We were just training. I was trying to get Chrom used to his new body and getting him used to fighting with a sword in that body seemed the best approach." Twilight explains. The four ponies blush at their mistake they made. "Now come on girls!" Twilight says. "Let's get back to my man!" She says trotting off in the direction they came from. Meanwhile, back with Chrom... "Well, Chrom..." Cadence said, leaning in closer to him. "It's obvious that you and Twilight were fighting. And with swords no less. No couple in their right mind would fight with swords unless they were in the military or were in a horrible argument. And I highly doubt that Twilight was ever in any military." Chrom rolls his eyes, knowing that he'd be dead multiple times if not for Twilight. "Listen, we weren't fighting. We were merely-" "Oh come now." Cadence says interrupting him. "I know that Twilight was never in any military training. What, did she somehow gain years worth of military strategy?" "Actually, yes she was my tactician." Chrom says to her. Cadence then laughs, as she believes that Chrom was joking. But then she looks upon his serious face and she realizes that he is actually serious about this. Oh my god, he's actually serious about it...and I can still feel his love for her...I need to change that, and now! Then she quickly tries to kiss him when... A loud smack is heard...it was Chrom's hoof hitting Cadence's face. She holds the area where he slapped. "H...How could you do that to a lady?!" "You mean how could I slap someone trying to kiss me that I neither expected or wanted? And especially when said pony was getting married?! You disgust me. Twilight loves you so much and Shining Armor does too, and THIS is how you repay their kindness!?" As Chrom slapped Cadence, Twilight and her friends had just shown up. "C...Chrom?! Why did you just slap Cadence?!" Twilight asks in shock. "T-Twilight! Oh it's so horrible! I was just asking Chrom here how he and you came to meet, then he slapped me! He's just so horri-" Cadence tries to get out. "Twilight, you're not buying this are you?" Chrom asks. "Of course not! It's not in your nature to slap someone without good reason! The only time you ever slapped Morgan or Lucina was when they nearly sent the entire camp into a panic over a silly roach!" Twilight said aloud. "But...but..." Cadence seems shocked she instantly believes Chrom over her. "I slapped her because she tried to kiss, despite her about to get married and me being in a relationship with you." Chrom explains. "..." Silence falls from Twilight's mouth for a moment. "She...did...WHAT?!" Twilight's mane and tail catch fire while her coat becomes much brighter. Everyone backs up from her, even Chrom. While everyone else backed up in anticipation, Cadence backed up in fear. "T...Twilight...I....I..." She stutters out. Then Twilight calms down and sighs. "You know...hurting you won't solve anything. The only way to truly fix this is to tell my brother about you before you marry him." She then turns to leave. "Come on everyone. Let's leave this...someone to herself." The group then starts to leave. No...I can't let this happen...I've come too far in my plans to be stopped by a pair of fake lovers! Cadence yells in her head. Suddenly, a green flame surrounds the group of friends, freaking them all out. "What in tarnation?! What is this stuff?!" Applejack yells in shock. Chrom then pushes Twilight out of the way. Just as he did, a barrier formed around the group, taking them underground somewhere. "CHROOOOM!" Twilight yells out with tears falling off her face as they disappear. She pats the ground where the fire once raged. "Well, I suppose 6 out of 7 isn't too bad...though I need to get rid of you still." A strange voice says. Twilight looks towards the voice, anger in her eyes. "You...WHO ARE YOU?!" She demands to know. A black sort of insect pony stands where Cadence once stood. She had insect like wings with holes in them, legs with holes in them, a horn with holes in it, hair with holes in them...she has a lot of holes on her, okay? She then chuckles evilly. "Me? You may call me...Queen Chrysalis fool." End of Chapter 3