"Applejack, how long are we 'unna be locked en here?"

Apple Bloom tried to sound cool, but she couldn't hide the slight tremor in her voice. She was terrified.

The cowgirl peered through the heavy dark blue curtains that had belonged to her great-grandparents, ideal for hiding from the eyes of the world that had become hostile.

"I don't know, Apple Bloom… Ya have to be patient…"

"Patience, you say? To me, he's a madpony, and I'm surprised that the Royal Sisters kept such a pony alive…" Spoiled Milk blurted out, while sipping the coffee kindly offered by Granny Smith, not without giving a summary value to the white porcelain cups in which it had been served. Applejack had told her everything.

"I reckon it's difficult to erase a brother from your existence…" the orange mare replied, placing a hoof on the curtain.

"Nonsense!" Spoiled replied, waving her hoof in annoyance as if to let her know that the matter was closed for her.

Randolph, her butler, looked wistfully at the dark brown liquid in his cup.

"I… I had a little sister, but she passed away before she could turn ten."

The snobbish noblepony's turquoise eyes widened in disbelief.

"Randolph, I didn't know anything about this…" she murmured.

"Don't worry… It's been a long time…"

Spoiled Milk was sincerely sorry, even if she didn't understand how the two things could be connected. A brother like Cosmos was certainly not like the sister her butler had lost as a foal. But maybe there really was a special bond between those born from the same parents, something that an only child like her lacked…

Meanwhile, Fluttershy was running desperately through Ponyville, trying to get her voice out in the most powerful way she knew, and overcoming her natural reluctance to fly to save the ponies from the evil metal artifacts.

"Hide! Run away! Fight if you can, but don't get hit by those robots' beams!"

The metal alicorns focused their bright red eyes on the yellow pony, taking flight with an infernal clatter.

"Silly little girl, don't think you can change the course of things!"

Fluttershy saw them upon her and life flashed before her eyes, before she turned and hit the unfortunates with a kick that would have made Applejack's pale.

"How good! And here I thought you were the most pathetic of the group!"

This time it wasn't a pile of scrap metal the one speaking, but Cosmos himself, teleporting to the center of Ponyville.

The townspeople screamed when they saw him, and the mothers promptly hid their foals.

Fluttershy felt her legs give out at having him in front of her, but she promised herself she would be strong.

The alicorn approached her and placed a hoof under her chin. Fluttershy felt the cold metal on her throat, and prayed this wasn't the end of her life.

"You've had guts, little butterfly. I'll let you be my future wife's maid of honor. Consider it a parting gift, since you'll never see her again after the wedding."

The pegasus felt the chill of what was meant to be a concession, but was actually a dark threat.

"Okay," she replied, "I'll be Twilight's maid of honor."

"Good girl."

Cosmos turned his back on her.

"I warn you, pegasus: do not try to do any strange trick to me, or your death will come sooner than later. Am I clear?"

"Y-Yes."

And obediently, Fluttershy let herself be carried inside the Castle of the Two Sisters, where the alicorn had decided to settle.

The blue alicorn, once there, levitated Fluttershy with his pitch-black magic and led her with ill grace to the room where he had confined the one he considered his future bride, preventing her from escaping with a solid and suffocating barrier.

"My beloved, since today I am feeling particularly magnanimous, I have brought you the hoofmaid who will hold your veil during the ceremony. You will sleep together tonight, and tomorrow we will rehearse before the wedding. Sleep well."

And with that, he locked the door and his hooves sounded like stones on the marble floor polished for the occasion.

Twilight began to cry, softly at first, then louder and louder.

Fluttershy, without saying anything, approached and took her between her hooves, stroking her dark mane.

Twilight, comforted by that contact, returned the hug, holding her even tighter.

"I'm scared, Fluttershy. I don't see a way out this time. Cosmos is a madpony, he will end up destroying everything…"

Contrary to her expectations, the yellow pony instead felt motivated, invested with new energy:

"Twilight, don't despair. Everypony out there is ready to get you out of here. Everypony swung into action."

The princess pulled away and looked at her hopefully, while two big tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Really?"

Fluttershy's smile became fearless.

"Yes. Don't doubt it."

Revived, the lilac alicorn stood up and ran to the old bookcase.

"I want to write a letter to Tempest. I want to try to contact her. I won't be as precise and fast as Spike, but I have to try."

"By the way, where is your brother?" Fluttershy asked.

Her friend gave her a glare full of hatred.

"Cosmos wanted him in the kitchens, he's having him test the wedding menu."

"Oh…"

Twilight resumed to look inside the bookcase shelves, now filled with more dust than books.

Coughing, she pulled out a book and placed it on the floor.

Fluttershy read the title:

"Updated Cultivation Techniques."

The alicorn giggled.

"Updated for the previous millennium."

"What do you want to do with that?"

"I will commit a sacrilege: I'll tear out one of the blank pages and write to Tempest…"

Taking a deep breath, Twilight wrapped the yellowed page of the old book in her fuchsia magic and began to tear. The sound of the torn paper hurt her heart, but there was no time for regrets, this was a very serious matter.

Luckily, there was some dried ink in the nearby cabinet, which was regenerated by pouring in the water Cosmos had given her to drink.

Twilight then levitated a frayed and cobwebbed pen found in a jar next to the ink, and began to write:

"Dear Tempest,

We are in trouble. Cosmos, brother of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, has returned and wants to turn the entire equestrian society into alicorns.

Not everypony can tolerate this spell. Please help us! I am at the Castle of the Two Sisters.

Hurry.

Please save me."

She had added the last sentence in a small hoofwriting, a silent cry of desperation and hope.

She sent the letter by teleportation, hoping she hadn't missed the spell. After about half an hour Spike returned to the room and the three of them went to sleep, if that was possible.

The next morning, the imperious figure of Cosmos appeared in the doorway of the room.

"My tailors have been working all night to make clothes suitable for the wedding. Try them on."

The fallen prince wore a blue uniform with gold damask lapels and his wings were covered with a veil of the thinnest linen, also gold. The uniform revealed his bare, white, well-groomed hooves. The mane and tail were left loose, but they had nothing of the regalness of his sisters. Everything about Cosmos screamed decadence, both physical and mental.

Twilight had received an almost impalpable veil and a dress that left her shoulders bare, with a white silk collar studded with blue crystals and a vain fan opening at the neck. The bodice, with silver trim, ended with a white skirt decorated with crystals and sapphires, transparent tulle and organza that took on the colors of the night. A blue eye shadow and a pair of white wedding shoes completed the whole thing. It was all very beautiful, but soulless, as soulless as that wedding would be.

As for Fluttershy, she found some choices quite questionable: in addition to the classic and timeless string of pearls, she had been given primroses and a rose preserved thanks to magic, she would have to attach them between her hair... Furthermore, she would have to wear a dress in shades of pink and fuchsia obtained thanks to the dyed feathers of some birds, including peacocks... Really tacky.

"Um... These are collected feathers, right?" asked Fluttershy.

"Of course not, silly girl. I had those birds slaughtered or the tailors would have spent ages with just the feathers that fell off."

He had thrown it in her face with a brutality that brought tears to her eyes.

"Then I will not wear it."

"What?"

Twilight looked at her friend with startled eyes.

"I love animals. I will not wear something that cost them their lives."

"How stupid of you. They are just birds, there are millions of them in the world."

Cosmos looked annoyed. He didn't like to be contradicted.

"Every animal is unique and special. I don't expect you to understand that, not even ponies are special to you."

She had spoken to him in a spiteful tone, staring into his face with her beautiful river-colored eyes, and for a moment Twilight feared the tyrant would incinerate her.

"So be it. Do as you please. Your presence is superfluous."

Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief. She was exempt from wearing that abomination.

The rest of the day was gray. The ceremony would be officiated by a gargoyle devoted to Cosmos, a certain Rubrivaz. He was quite old, with neat, white sideburns and stern, but not malicious, red eyes. He had given Twilight a handkerchief after the wedding rehearsal, and hadn't batted an eyelid when she smeared it with her mascara and eyeshadow because of her tears.

At dinner, Twilight's stomach was in knots and she didn't want to taste the triumph of oranges and cucumbers on a bed of lettuce and fine cheeses, which would be served the following day to a small circle of guests.

When she refused, Cosmos flew into a rage and threw the silver tray on which there were still some dishes.

"WHEN WE GET MARRIED YOU WILL DO AS I SAY!" he shouted at her, making her blood run cold.

Fluttershy shouted back:

"YOU ARE A VILLAIN! NOW I UNDERSTAND WHY PRINCESSES NEVER TALK ABOUT YOU! WHO WOULD WANT A BROTHER LIKE YOU? WHO WOULD WANT YOU AS A HUSBAND?!"

"ONE MORE WORD AND I'LL FEED YOU TO THE TIMBERWOLVES."

The princess took advantage of that argument to sneak into her room and cry her eyes out again.