Weeks pass. Orion and Raven continue their wedding preparations, with one of them unaware that the other is actually a changeling in disguise. Invitations are sent out to everypony in Ponyville, and to a certain somepony in Appleoosa. The furniture has been moved in, and the house looks beautiful. However, things were not going as well for the real Raven. She has spent most of the last few weeks in her cocoon, kept fed through the goo she floats in. Luckily for her, she wasn't transforming. Yet.

Raven spent her day as she spent every day, kicking at the cocoon wall that held her prisoner. Changeling cocoons are incredibly strong, designed from a changeling's magic to hold even a pony as strong as Big Macintosh, should someling ever get lucky enough to capture him. It was rumored that even the alicorn sisters themselves couldn't break through the cocoon.

What wasn't widely known, however, was that a changeling's cocoon was only as powerful as the magic used to create it. Astra, having transformed back to changeling self from maintaining pony form for most of the day, wasn't at her peak magically.

Raven kicked at the cocoon. She was startled to see a small crack forming where her hoof had landed. She kicked again. The crack grew. She looked through her gelatinous prison. She could see an exit, with actual daylight down a long corridor. There were no gaurds present, she reasoned it must be time to change the patrols. Summoning all of her strength, she gave one mighty kick. The cocoon shattered, dropping her to the ground. Sticky, but free, she ran as fast as she could toward the exit, and freedom.

In her throne room, Chrysalis looked up abruptly from her latest meal. She summons Steno and orders, "Stenographer! Inspect the area surrounding the holding cells at once! Something seems amiss. And bring my scrying glass!"

Steno bows and, grabbing two guards, races to the holding area. After about thirty minutes, he returns with the implement. "Your Highness, one of the cocoons has been breached, and the pony inside has escaped! A drone team is scouring the area now, if she's nearby we'll catch her."

Chrysalis activates the scrying glass with her magic and nods. Sure enough, Raven is galloping around through the desert, hopelessly lost and confused. She smirks. "She'll never get out of here without help. When the team has found her, have her brought to me. I'll see if she'll be of use to us."

"As you command, Your Highness," Steno says, bowing. He leaves to instruct the drone teams of their new objectives.

Surrounded on all sides by the Macintosh Hills, and bearing no discernable landmarks, the Badlands were the worst possible place to be lost. There was only one path, if a pony was lucky enough to find it among the similarly-colored landscape, that would lead to Dodge City and rescue. Raven ran in ever-widening circles, searching for some form of clue as to the way out. She saw black figures buzzing in a pattern in the distance. It wouldn't be long until she was discovered out in the open like this.

As the sun grows higher in the sky, Raven's energy would dwindle. After all, spending several weeks practically immobile and running almost solely on adrenaline is not exactly a good exercise plan. The changelings quickly spot her and use their magics to knock her out, and carry her back toward the hive to be interrogated by the Queen.

Back in Ponyville, Astra receives a message via the hive-mind: "The original tried to escape. She has been re-captured, but you must be careful. Keep your prey under surveillance, under no circumstances should he be allowed to know the truth."

Astra/Raven frowns, she was sure that her cocoon was strong enough! She hoped that this wouldn't be held against her and seen as a failing. She sat in front of a large vanity mirror, studying her disguise carefully, making sure nothing was out of place.

As she looked at herself, music began to play in the background. /RytgSge5iLs Orion meanwhile was busy getting dressed in his finest tuxedo, with Longhaul's assistance. Pinkie Pie was putting the finishing touches on the reception, and other ponies were milling about, waiting for the ceremony to begin.

Longhaul dusts off Orion, making sure everything is straight and neat. "Looking good, my friend. Ready for your big day?" he asks with a smile.

Orion straightens his bowtie and smiles, "As I'll ever be!" He flicks an ear. Was that somepony singing? He shrugs, figuring it was just Pinkie. "We've got a couple hours left. I'd go and check on her, but apparently it's bad luck."

"You'll see her soon enough, I'm sure she's fine," Longhaul replies. "Say, if you two ever want to get away from this place for a while, come down and visit in Appleloosa. I could put you up at the ranch, it's beautiful country down there ... whaddya say?"

Orion smiles, "Perfect! It'll be our honeymoon!"

Meanwhile, a groggy Raven is brought before Queen Chrysalis. Actually, she's thrown unceremoniously onto the floor in front of the queen's throne. Chrysalis smirks, her fangs showing. "Well, well, well, if it isn't our little escapee... did you enjoy frolicking around the desert, earth pony?"

"You can't stop me," Raven spat, huffing and puffing from exhaustion. "I'll fight my way out of here and nopony can stop me ... not even you three," she declared, looking directly at Chrysalis.

Chrysalis rolls her eyes, "Be serious. You've been cooped up in a cocoon the last few weeks, you're in no shape to fight your way out a paper bag, much less an entire hive, full of a hundred thousand hungry changelings who would sell their souls to Tirek just for a bite of food from you." She bores right into Raven's eyes. "My agent in the field will drain your little scamp of a boyfriend dry, and when he's fully susceptible to her mind games, she will take him back here, and the two of you will become our newest members. What do you say to that?" Her voice is low and hypnotic.

Raven knew the tricks of hypnosis, and tried as best as she could to ward off the effects of the queen's voice. She adopted a glassy stare, easily accomplished in her current state, and very quietly, said, "We will ... we will serve." Mentally, she plotted and used what memories she had to form an escape plan.

Chrysalis smiles, "Excellent. Guards, take her back to the cells!" The guards nod and take Raven back, making a new cocoon for her. Once inside, she slumps down. "There has to be a way out of here," she says to herself.

At long last the ceremony begins. Orion stands near the officiator as he waits for Raven to come down the aisle. On either side were the citizens of Ponyville, even a couple representatives from the Royal Palace.

Raven arrives and walks down the aisle, a smile pasted on her face. This was it, the realization of a dream by a little nymph long ago back in the hive, a dream of prosperity and luxury without having to dig or do any form of labor. She resisted the urge to laugh as she saw all of Orion's friends, just more vessels to feed upon. Her queen would be pleased. She felt the siren song of the love in the room, but held her resolve. She could feast later on, away from prying eyes.

Orion smiles wider than ever at the sight of her, "You look beautiful," he mouths, as the officiator looks to them. "Do you, Sir Orion Sirius Brownmane, take Raven Corvus Shadow to be your lawfully wedded wife? Do you promise to cherish her, to love her, to support her in her goals? To care for her in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

Orion nods. "I do."

The officiator looks to Raven next: "Do you, Raven Corvus Shadow, take Sir Orion Brownmane to be your lawfully wedded husband? Do you promise to cherish him, to love him, to support him in his goals? To care for him in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

Raven nods. "I do."

The oficiator looks over the crowd. "If there is anypony here knowing of any just reason why these two should not be united in matrimony, let them speak now,or forever hold their peace."

There is a long silence, broken only by the sound of some galloping hooves. After a moment, the officiator speaks again. "Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife! You may kiss the bride!" With a beaming smile, Orion leans in to kiss his new wife on the lips.

The hoofbeats grew louder, and the doors burst open. In ran a disheveled Raven, breathing heavily and glaring daggers at her doppelgänger. "Stop this farce of a wedding at once!" she cried out, stunning the guests assembled. Assuming an attack stance, she yelled, "That - that thing captured me and took my place! That's no pony ... it's a changeling!"

Orion looks around between the two Ravens and gasps, horrorstruck. "So that's why I've been having these headaches! I nearly kissed a changeling!" Then he stops. "Worse! I just -married- a changeling!"

Astra throws herself at Orion, wrapping her hooves around him. "Don't listen to her! She's the changeling! It's really me, darling, the one you love!" Astra glared at Raven. "Look at her! Filthy thing probably crawled right out of the sewer!"

Raven's mouth dropped open. "Why, you little-" She launched herself at Astra.

Orion uses his magic to throw up a protective shield around himself and Astra, "That's enough!" he shouts. "I will decide which of you is the real Raven." He deactivates the shield and places the two mares side by side. "Okay, Ravens... first question: in what context were we originally brought together?"

Astra is the first to reply. "I was sent to kill you. Instead, I fell in love with you, and we've been together ever since." She was glad she overheard that conversation, it was really useful.

Raven hung her head. "Yes. The leader of the Bad Seeds, Blackclaw, sent me. I couldn't go through with it."

Orion sighs, this was going to be hard. "Question two: Who did we meet when we arrived in Ponyville?"

Raven blurted the answer before Astra could. "Why, Longhaul, of course. He was making a delivery across from the manor when we saw him."

Astra piped up, "The poor dear hurt himself. You were nice enough to give him a ride back to the freight yard."

Orion sighs, time for a deceptively easy one. "Question three: what is my favorite color?"

Astra was stunned. "Oh come on, you can't be serious, asking a question like that! I mean, anypony could know that answer! Ask us something harder, for crying out loud!"

Orion grins, "But you see, that's exactly the point! The real Raven would know!" He gives the real deal a warm hug, then blinks. "...I'm still married to a changeling, aren't I?"

The official shook his head. "Tedchnically, you didn't seal the deal. The kiss is what makes it official, and you never kissed the ... err, other Raven, so for the moment, at least, you're still not married."

"NO! That can't be! We said I do, you pronounced us, we're husband and wife now!" Astra protested. "I wil not be denied this! I won't!"

Orion scowls, standing protectively beside the real Raven, "And just what are you going to do about it? Admit it, you've lost. This entire chapel knows your secret. They'll tell. And you'll be forced to flee, before you're caught by the guard!" He turns away. "Take off your disguise, you won't be needing it."

Astra sighed, knowing Orion was right. With a bright flash, she stands before the gathering as the changeling she truly was. "Is this what you want? To see me humiliated? Well, take a good look. You've done far worse than humiliate me. You just signed my death warrant. If I return to the hive, I will be killed for sure. If I stay here, who's to say I won't meet some horrible 'accident' at the hooves of the townsfolk?" She makes her way down the aisle, avoiding the stares of the gathering. "Don't worry, I'll go quietly. Not like any of you will care. Just another pest eliminated." Tears filled her eyes as the last vestiges of her dream crumbled away into nothing.

Raven stands still for a long moment, shivering slightly. She had never seen Orion act so cruel before... it was unlike him. Seeing Astra leave, she felt her heart break. Then without another thought, she runs off after the changeling. "Wait, come back! Hold on! We can talk this out!"

Astra stopped, and looked at Raven. "What's there to talk about? I'm ruined. I've failed at what I was assigned to do. What could you possibly have to say to me that's going to make everything all better?"

"I forgive you." Raven wraps her forehooves around the mare and hugs her. "Look... you were only trying to survive. I can see that. Orion could see that, or he will once I talk some sense into him... I don't think you're a bad pony, er, changeling. You were just acting on instinct." She smiles. "Hey... want to be my bridesmaid?"

"Y-you'd let me do that? After what I did to you?" Astra can barely believe what she's hearing, but eventaully returns Raven's hug. "I ... would be honored. You have a great husband, Raven, I saw that the whole time I was with him." She looks over to Orion. "Orion.. I know it isn't much, and probably won't make any difference, but ... I do want to apologize for putting you through this. I'm hoping you can try to forgive me."

Orion smiles a little, "I most certainly can, miss." He gives her a hug too, smiling, before looking back to Raven, "Shall we do this properly, my dear?"

"Yes, let's do this. Everypony, please re-take your seats," Raven says, walking with Orion to the officiant. "Now, then," the officiant says, "let us begin again. Orion, do you take Raven for your wife?"

"I do!" He says brightly, nodding excitedly.

"And do you, Raven, take Orion to be your husband?" the officiant asked.

"I certainly do," Raven said happily, gazing at Orion.

"Does anypony have any objections to these two being joined in matrimony?" Silence greeted the question. "Then, I do pronounce you husband and wife. Orion, you may now kiss your bride." Orion kisses Raven's muzzle, which she returns. Everypony applauds, particularly Astra.

Then, from a corner of the room, Pinkie Pie is heard to yell "Let's get this party started!" And she pulls out Vinyl Scratch, who immediately begins DJing.

As the music starts, Orion and Raven share their first dance together, after which they're joined by the rest of the group. Longhaul finds himself being stared at by a changeling. He shrugs and says, "Sure, why not?" and leads Astra to the dance floor.

A while later, the dancing has given way to casual chatter among the guests. Raven stands next to the food table with Astra, looking curious. "So, what are you going to do now? I mean, your mission kind of went off the rails, after all."

"I honestly don't know." Astra sighed. "I can't go back to the hive, and I doubt I could live here. I may have to find another town to settle in." She munches on a small sandwich. "I'm just not sure where I can go."

Raven smiles, "You know, there's a lot of room at our place, and we need guests... interested?"

Astra looks a bit unnerved. "Wouldn't that be a bit awkward? I mean, it's very generous, and if you and Orion are okay with it..."

Raven just smiles more, "It was his idea! Besides, you'll be safe. Orion's got connections, he'll be able to protect you."

"Well, then, how could I refuse?" Astra smiles a toothy changeling smile. "Hey, thet's one more thing ... and this is where it gets awkward ... but, would either of you be okay with letting me siphon off a little bit of your love now and then? It's what sustains us changelings, you know. I mean, I'm fine if you say no, I can try to find it elsewhere..."

Raven nods, "It's okay with me. It'll be great to have you around!"

Orion trots up at just that moment, "Shall we go home, ladies?"

Raven gives Orion a big hug. "Please. I've really missed it." She walks with Orion while Astra walks behind the pair.

Orion chuckles a bit, nuzzling Raven's cheek. "Luckily for you, we have an actual bed to sleep in, now. And of course, one for our new guest, too!"

"Hooray!" Raven says, laughing. The three continue on back to the manor.

Arriving home, Orion gives both mares hugs, but only Raven gets a kiss goodnight. "I'll see you both tomorrow morning for breakfast, I'm making pancakes!"

"See you both in the morning," Astra said, heading to the guest room.

With a wave, Orion and Raven walk together to their room, closing the door behind them.