Warning: This chapter will have a bit of unsightly things that will be crucial to the storyline, thus earning the story a lovely little [gore] tag. Also, I prefer to squeamish readers to skip ahead. Those who can handle a bit of grimdark, read on as long as you'd like. Remember to skip past the elegant break.

You have been warned. Enjoy.

Canterlot Royal Palace
Princess Luna's Private Chambers

Within the bed chambers of the esteemed Princess Luna, the princess of the night rested from her long shift of a relentless two nights without a day of rest. Her previous day was consumed by tasks of running errands for the wedding, leaving her with little to no time to relax. The moment the sun rose, she laid in her bed and ordered that she would not be disturbed. Unfortunately, her dreams were exempted from that order.

Luna tossed and turned exhaustively in her bed, whispering her lovers name. As her dream intensified, she grasped at the sheets, trying to claw her way to the image of her beloved. Before she could reach him, her eyes shot open and she rose from the comfort of her sheets, screaming for her guardian.

"AZURE!"

The room was silent. No one responded to her cry. Panting from the uncanny visions that was her dreamscape, she calmed herself and took a deep breath.

"Oh... a dream. A bad dream."

Suddenly, her ears tilted to the doorway as the sound of glass shattering near her room riled her.

"WHAT IN FAUST?"

Walking to her door, she opened it to see a guard ordering a group of his subordinates to various positions all over the palace. Walking up to the stallion clad in heavy armor, she questioned him.

"What is going on here!?"

"Princess Luna, we need to get you away from here. It's not safe."

Luna yawned and stretched as she continued to question the guard. "What is going on?"

"We are under attack. The changelings have started their siege on the city. Our orders were to ensure that you were escorted from the city safely."

Luna shook off her sleep as she heard the news of the attack. "I can fight. Now where is my guardian?"

"He was at the wedding. If I'm correct, he should be somewhere around the chapel."

"Find him and see that he is safe as well. I want him alive."

"Ma'am."

*hiss*

A changeling hung from a nearby pillar, growling and snarling at any guard that tried to approach. Luna's eyes grew wide as she saw a guard spear the creature from the top of the marble column to the ground below.

"Why are they in the palace!?" Luna asked angrily.

"They brought down the shield and the changeling queen has confronted both Princess Celestia and Princess Cadance."

Luna remained optimistic that her sister would handle such an opponent on her own, let alone with the assistance of Shining Armor and Cadance. However, she was completely unaware of what was really going on in the chapel. "A foolish battle she would fight. Two princesses would easily best her on her own. But I still demand my guardian."

"I will do my best to seek him-"

A third guard, coming from down the hall, ran towards the two superiors. "MASTER SERGEANT!"

"What is it, Spaz?"

"I HAVE COME TO REPORT THAT WE ARE CURRENTLY GETTING OUR ASSES THOROUGHLY KICKED SIR! THEIR FORCES HAVE SURROUNDED THE CITY AND THEY'RE HITTING US FROM ALL SIDES! THEY'RE SPIT-ROASTING US, WITHOUT A CARE FOR OUR NEED TO BREATHE OR TAKE A BREAK FROM THE ANAL POUNDING WE ARE CURRENTLY RECEIVING!"

The Master Sergeant rubbed his ears from the brutal pounding his ears received from the new recruit. "We could do without the yelling."

"SORRY SIR, I AM A LITTLE FRAZZLED UP! IT'S JUST THAT THE ELEMENT BEARERS ARE ON THEIR WAY TO THE VAULT AND THEIR ESCORT IS FAR BEHIND THEM! AS OF NOW THEY ARE BEHIND ENEMY LINES! HOPING THEY AREN'T DEAD ALREADY, SIR!"

"Escort?" Who was in the escort?" Luna asked curiously.

"MA'AM, CAPTAIN AZURE SWORD, WARRANT OFFICER-"

"MY AZURE!?" Luna screamed as she started to grow worried over her guardian being behind the lines of the enemy.

"Is there any way we can get those colts out of there?" The Master Sergeant asked.

"NO SIR, THERE IS NO HOPE FOR THEM! FAUST REST THEIR SOULS!" Spaz answered hurriedly as Luna grabbed him by the collar of his armor.

"Go out there, and GET MY AZURE OUT OF THERE!!!"

Clenching his eyes shut, the recruit dreaded his order, and out of cowardice, he refused. "WITH ALL DUE RESPECT, PRINCESS LUNA, I HAVE JUST LEFT FROM A SHITSTORM OUTSIDE! THERE IS BLOOD EVERYWHERE, THERE ARE DEAD AND DISMEMBERED BODIES EVERYWHERE! THERE WAS A DEAD FOAL IN THE STREET! I HAVE SHIT MYSELF, PISSED MYSELF AND VOMITED ON MYSELF! SIMULTANEOUSLY! I DON'T WANNA DIE LIKE THAT, MA'AM!"

Luna threw the fear-stricken recruit to the ground forcefully and took flight out of the nearest window. "Useless. I'll find him myself!"

"Princess, no!" The Master Sergeant shouted back to an already-departed Luna.

"PRINCESS, DON'T LEAVE ME! YOU ARE LIKE A SURROGATE MOTHER TO ME RIGHT NOW, AND I CAN'T OPERATE WITHOUT YOU!"

The older guard slapped the cowering colt and stared him down as he towered above him. "Pony up, and show some dignity, recruit!"

"I WANT MY MOMMY, SIR!"

"Recruits these days."

Royal Chapel
Canterlot Royal Palace

---

Princess Cadance
vs.
Queen Chrysalis

Four changeling drones continued to drag the unconscious body of Celestia towards the center of the room, readying her to be placed high into the air as a trophy for their Queen's success of the invasion. Chrysalis was already celebrating her victory, but she would not go undisturbed, as yet another royal still challenged her.

"How dare you do this to my Shining Armor! What did he ever do to you?"

"Oh you poor thing. Surely you must know that he didn't have to do anything for me to seek him out."

Cadance stomped her hooves angrily as she demanded an answer. "Then what was the purpose!? WHY HIM!?"

"Are you deaf? I swore that I already explained it to him in the courtroom. This is a personal matter that involves me and him." Chrysalis answered as she walked away from the alter to survey her drone's work on her new trophy.

"No, it was a matter that involved you and his parents! He had nothing to do with you!" Cadance argued.

"Au contraire, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. He is the offspring of my dear Orion."

Still perplexed by her reasoning, demanded a deeper explanation on the subject. "What does that matter!?"

Chrysalis turned away from her busy drones and leapt by the mesmerized Shining Armor, moving a lock of his mane off of his face. "Allow me to explain it to you in a more... natural sense."

The changeling queen walked in a circle around her hypnotized prey. "See, if a lion was to be with a lioness and a second lion arrived to take his mate, then they would fight to see who would have the honor of mating with that lioness. The loser walks away. So after the outcome has been decided and the lioness has her cubs, everything is just peachy. However, when that lion comes to mate with the lioness yet again, this time with the father being nowhere to be seen, he kills the cubs and the process starts all over."

Cadance instinctively took a step back as the analogy rang like a bell in her mind. "So... you've come to kill Shining?"

"Oh no... I have another 'lion' to take care of that later. And to put it in retrospect, you're the lioness." Chrysalis finished as she turned her back on the mare.

"Or..." Cadance said with a frown.

"Or what?"

Chrysalis turned her head to see a light blue bolt of energy barrel towards her. Taking a reflexive side-step, she avoided the bolt altogether. She turned around to see an angry Cadance, her horn lit with the same blue glow. "You and I could play our part of the lions, fighting for their mate."

"You dare to challenge a queen?" Chrysalis turned herself around and blasted a similar ray of her sickly-green magic towards the princess.

"I dare to squash you like a roach." Cadance returned, mocking her insectoid appearance and blasting a ray of her own.

Their beams became interlocked between the two casters. With every passing moment, the beam would fluctuate between Cadance and Chrysalis. After a bit of time, the changeling queen managed to put out enough energy to cause the beam to become deadlocked at the center. With a hearty laugh, Chrysalis talked down to her opponent.

"Is that all you got?"

"I've got plenty." Answered a struggling Cadance.

Chrysalis decided that not was a good time to unleash some of her victim's own magic against the mare he was to marry. With a low grunt, she released a large wave of magic and combined it with her own, similar to what she did with Celestia. She still saw the pink alacorn standing before her, but it was a matter of time before the beam war would be decided in her favor.

"Still going, are we?" Chrysalis asked with a grin.

Cadance struggled to stand as the beam slowly work it's way against her magic, towards her. Refusing to succumb to defeat, Cadance placed the last bit of her own love for Shining into her magic. "I... will... beat you..."

The beam stopped inches before Cadance's face as it started to struggle back to the winning combatant. Chrysalis gasped at the resistance the mare before her was putting up. Cadance refused to go down. With an angry snarl, the changeling queen released all of her magic as well as the magic of her victim, causing the beam to go into deadlock once more. With a sly grin, Chrysalis started to corrupt the energy of her opponent's magic. Being that the blue beam was filled with the emotion that the changelings so often fed off of, Cadance's own magic found itself turning green and being reflected back at the caster. With a large blast, Cadance was knocked back to a nearby wall.

"Second verse, same as the first." Chrysalis scoffed at the beaten pink princess.

"No... this can't be." Cadance whispered as she tried to regain her balance, but fell to the floor instead.

The changeling queen started to approach her beaten adversary with a falsely-endearing smile. "It can be, it will be, and it has been for the past hour."

"Perhaps you may want to take up your teenage angst with me." A third voice shouted out to her from the open doors of the chapel. Chrysalis turned around to see a face that she hadn't seen in over twenty-six years.

"Orion? You've gained weight. What ever happened to that blocky figure you used to sport?"

Shaking his hind leg, Orion gave his response. "I retired almost nine years ago. But I think that I still have a bit of a spring in my step."

"So what brings you here?"

"Oh, I don't know, my son's wedding?" He answered sarcastically.

The changeling queen flew back to the entranced Shining Armor, rubbing his chin. "Well, I'm sorry that the wedding has been canceled, but I will inform you that the dance floor is open."

Growing angry over the display, Orion summoned a spear and a sword to his side. As the weapons landed on the ground, blades sinking into the floor, he yanked them out with a single tug of his bright yellow magic. "Well then, let's dance."

The queen gave him a smile as she kissed the non-responsive stallion at the alter. "I'm afraid that I won't be your partner this time."

"What?" Orion shouted as he watched the changeling queen toy with his son.

"I've grown bored of dancing. Perhaps my minions would prove to be adequate partners?" The queen asked before she laughed in the face of her old interest.

"LET GO OF MY SON!!!" Orion charged to the alter, with sword and spear in tow. But before he could get within thrusting distance of his spear, he was knocked back by a changeling that took the shape of his own son. Three others fell before him, giving off similar appearances. All four of the Shining Armors drew their swords and engaged Orion until he was driven into the hall, where they continued their fight.

"Sir Orion!" Cadance called out. But her only response was that of a sadistic laugh from the changeling queen.

"Hush now, the show is just getting good."

Vista Boulevard
Canterlot Keeping District

"Let's keep moving, girls!"

Twilight urged the others to continue to the vault where the Elements of Harmony were located. But their quickest way had been sealed off by a horde of changelings. As of now, there were two available options left to them, but they would take even longer than their initial choice.

"How much further do we have to go?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"This is a second shortcut that leads us past the checkpoints that the changelings are attacking, straight into the Canterlot maze, putting us back on palace grounds." Twilight answered as she pushed aside an incoming changeling.

"So what was that last 'shortcut'?" Rarity asked as she avoided a fallen changeling.

"Leads us past the pond and straight into a secret passageway that leads to the vault." Twilight answered.

"What useful flanking routes." A voice answered back to the six mares. The party of mares stopped in their tracks as a unusually tall changeling in armor walked before them. "I don't suppose you mind if I take a stroll."

"Who are you!?" Twilight asked demanding his answer.

"The name's Wrath."

A long silence came as they all looked at each other, unsure on what they should do next. Rainbow Dash was the first to speak. "Uhh... Does anypony think that was a little too easy?"

"I only told you because you will be getting acquainted with the name." Wrath answered as he stood in their way.

"Well, excuse me, Wrath, but we have someplace important to go." Twilight snapped as she took a step forward.

Wrath mimicked Twilight's motions and took a step forward as well. "Like through me?"

"Arrrgh, we don't have time fer this now. Go on, get!" Applejack shouted, trying to shoo him off, only to be shot down by a green bolt of energy, causing her to tumble a considerable distance from the group.

"Filthy plebeian serf." Wrath mumbled as he retracted his magic.

"APPLEJACK!" The five other mares yelled as the farm pony rose from the assault. They all took relief that she had managed to come out of it relatively unharmed.

"She's fine. I toned down my magic for her because she, as well as all of you, will be serving me. And I can't have servants if they're all dead." The changeling guardian said as he slowly walked to the six mares.

Twilight snorted and took an offensive stance, anchoring her hooves into the ground so she could keep her balance for the time being. "Not if I can help it!"

"Twilight Sparkle, the younger sister of Shining Armor. This should be an interesting encounter." Wrath muffled a laugh as he grew closer to the group.

"Twilight, let's go. We don't have time to waste here." Rarity said as she tried to get Twilight to reconsider the confrontation.

Wrath halted his approach and looked to the white unicorn mare. "Rarity Andalusia Belle... We meet again."

"Again? I don't recall meeting you." She answered, unsure as to who he was or what he was referring to. His voice grew into an angered tone.

"Have you forgotten? Here's a hint, you and I were covered in cake."

It took Rarity a moment to remember anything that caused her to become covered in cake, that is until a distinctive and unpleasant memory was brought to light. She remembered the Grand Galloping Gala and the annoying, selfish stallion that was her date. Finally, she knew who he was. "...No. You're... Blueblood?"

"The one and only. And yes, I will be more forward with my advances. You and your friends will all be my little sex slaves until I drain you of every year of your life. But don't worry, I'm only going to fuck all of you to death."

"I really don't think that's a nice thing to do." The yellow pegasus whinnied.

He turned his attention to the mortified pegasus and smiled. "Oh dear, Fluttershy, was it? Anyway, whether you consent to it or not, I will do as I please to you."

"I won't let you!" Twilight screamed as she teleported herself from beside Rarity to in front of Fluttershy.

The recently revealed Blueblood started to twitch at the mare's presence. He grew annoyed of her presence, ultimately mocking him and his failures. Twilight was a student to Celestia as he was, yet she was more successful at her endeavors than he was. Envy filled his heart and he grew to resent her. "Student of Celeste Delanise Valkyrie, made into the Element of Magic? That's my element. You stole that from me. It's in my title and I-"

"Your titles were revoked by order of Princess Celestia." Rarity interjected, causing Blueblood to laugh.

"You say that, Rarity. But there's a misconception in your theory, I'm a king now."

Twilight grew cautious of his demeanor. He was not the normal Blueblood she was used to hearing about, but instead, he seemed to be... off. "What are you talking about?"

Blueblood transformed from his blackish figure. Green flames surrounded his body similar to how Chrysalis did, only his seemed to sweep over his body. As the flames subsided, Blueblood appeared in his white pristine coat and his seaweed green mane had transformed back into the golden blonde it once was.

"I made a deal. Chrysalis gave me untold power, infinite power, an age without degradation. And it's all for giving her the access into the city. For many years I've longed to ascend to the status of alacorn, but Celestia, my former mentor, wouldn't give me that honor. I was forever denied what I worked so hard to obtain, only to have everything taken away from me. But now... I have done it. Without her teachings, without her lectures, without any friends to call my own."

"You're wrong." Twilight shouted. "Princess Celestia denied you because she saw you as who you truly were. You couldn't be an element bearer because you were too greedy, you betrayed others around you, you didn't show a single sign of kindness, you lied to everypony you've dealt with and you've focused your life on only yourself rather than making others happy. You're not all powerful, you're just corrupt."

Blueblood grinned from ear to ear as he heard her lecture. Willing to prove her wrong, he allowed his body to become engulfed by the green flames that turned a bright yellow. As the fire burned on his body, immaculate white wings shot out from both sides. He rose into the air, flapping his wings and hovering well above the ground. "Don't you see? I've ascended! I'm immortal! I have wings! I can fly! I have my magic again! I know more spells than that of you and your brother combined! I can challenge Celestia, AND WIN! THIS IS MY LAND! THIS IS MY WORLD! EVERYTHING. AND EVERYONE. BELONGS. TO ME!!!"

Her suspicions were correct. Blueblood, who was once calculative and cunning in his takeovers, manipulative in his dealings, had completely gone mental. He was blinded by power and there was no convincing him otherwise. Taking a deep breath, Twilight readied herself to fight him. "Not if I can help it!"

Blueblood laughed at Twilight and mocked her. "You can't even help yourself. You can't even help your brother! In fact, I will show you why you can't help it! I'll show you a-AUGH!"

Blueblood was silenced by a blow to the side of his body, causing him to stumble. He still held his hoofing and remained standing after the assault. "What was-"

"And here I was thinking that my husband was overreacting when he quit his job."

A mare walked from behind the six element bearers and made her way to the front of the group, challenging him. As she stood before them, Rarity recognized the mare from a past event that involved her and her mother. Rarity was shocked to see her standing up to defend her once more.

"Mrs.... Velvet?"

"Mom?" Twilight asked, surprised that her mother came to the rescue.

"Go on ahead, girls. Fillies shouldn't involve themselves in grown folks business."

Blueblood started to giggle, which then erupted to full-blown laughter. "An old hag? You? Challenge me?"

Twilight tugged at her mother, trying to dissuade her from fighting. "Mom, please don't do this. You'll get hurt-"

"I'll be fine. Go on ahead."

"Mom-"

"Don't you have a mission to complete, Violet?" Velvet asked as she teleported her daughter and her friends past Blueblood. Seeing that her mother was insistent, and that she never tended to be moved by her motivations to reconsider, Twilight surrendered and took to the mission before her once more.

"...Let's go girls."

All of the mares galloped off, with the exception of Rarity, who stayed behind to thank the mare for her appearance, now and in the years prior. "Mrs. Velvet... I do believe that this is twice now that you've done this."

"I've been doing this before your parents even made you. Now move along, I've got some family business to take care of."

Rarity nodded and took after her friends. Blueblood rolled his eyes at the scene before him. "Sending away any and all help that you may have had for this fight? Well that's cowardly."

"Don't see how that's cowardly. If you would've said foolish, then I might have agreed with you." Velvet rebutted.

"That too, but sending away your reinforcements is textbook suicide. And last I remember, suicide is the coward's way out."

Chevalier Road
Canterlot Keeping District

"Ughhh.... Argh... Ke-ep... moving..."

Azure strained and grimaced as he tried his best to move himself off of the street. His wound caused him a great deal of pain and even went as far as causing him to stop at times to cough out blood. Striving to ignore the pain, he pressed forward towards the girls.

"God this hurts so much."

His mind continued to become his motivation. But it also became his source of conflict. One side chose to remain optimistic of his situation, while the other side, albeit a resounding majority, continued to face the reality of his possible death.

"I need to sleep... NO, NOT NOW!"

He stumbled forward, his vision blurring in and out of focus. Azure felt his body getting significantly weaker.

"Shit."

Finally, his body grew too weak to carry out it's basic fight-or-flight functions. He fell over, gasping out in pain as his vision started to fade in and out.

"Fuck, it's getting kinda dark."

Letting himself lie on the ground, he was treated to one last view of the sky. Far above him, he could see the changelings raining into the city. His first day as Captain of the Royal Guard had ended as soon as it began. His vision continued to fade from light to darkness, and as it faded, he saw the form of a black body barreling towards him.

"So... I guess this is where I take my leave."

The form stopped well above him, snarling and hissing above him. At that moment, Azure resigned to his fate.

"Fuck it... Old age is for pussies."

"RAAAWWGHHH"

He heard the mighty roar of a great beast towering above his mangled form. His eyes came into focus long enough to see what looked over him, seemingly ready to devour him whole.

"Well... I guess being eaten by... Nightmare Moon? No, it's-"

His eyes didn't lie to him. The figure above him was indeed Nightmare Moon, but to see her shadow-like visage in the day was startling. But he remembered who the mare was behind the legend of his childhood. "L..u...na...?"

"AZURE, HANG ON!" She screamed, choking back sobs and holding back tears.

"Wh...at.... are you... doing here?" He asked, his voice sounding no louder than an audible whisper.

"I'm here! Don't worry, you're going to be alright! I promise you!"

"It's... okay.... Luna." He said, already succumbing to the fate before him.

"No! NO! I'M NOT LEAVING YOU HERE ALONE!!!" She begged, hugging his body.

"The palace... the city..." He whispered as he looked at the wreckage around him.

"I could care less! I want you! I want us!"

Feeling frustrated that she would abandon her duties in search of him, he reasoned with her. "Luna, stop saying... stupid shit."

Luna shook her head as she used all of her strength to raise him to her back. "I love you too much! I want a future with you! I want our wedding, our honeymoon, our own home, our own foals! I want us to see our foals have foals of their own. I would sacrifice my longevity for just a lifetime of knowing you. But I can't keep knowing you if you don't stay with me."

"Really?" He asked, letting his body go limp on the princess' back.

Luna nodded as she started to make her way to the palace, with Azure's barely-conscious body on her back. "You and I played around the first night we were together. Do you remember?"

"...Yeah."

Luna tried her best not to walk too fast for fear of causing him discomfort, but not too slow to where he would fade out as she carried him. "You said that you wanted to marry me. I said that what we had was forbidden. You said 'only if you made it so'. I told you that I would age past you. You said 'you'll be fine with whatever I so chose'. Then I told you that you didn't even know me. And you know what you said?"

Azure closed his eyes and quoted his response. "Then I'll have the rest of my life to find out."

"You have many more years to get to know me for who I really am. And this time we spent together was the best time I've had in all of my years. So don't you dare take that away from me."

Finally finding a smile in his grim situation, he wore it as he tried his best to sound like himself as a means to comfort the worrisome princess. "Geez... don't you think a medic is the best place for me rather than a street?"

"I can't fly you with that wound, I can only carry you. Hang on. I'll get you through this.

Azure let his mind become focused on the silver lining of his storm. He knew that there was nothing he could do as far as fighting was concerned. He could only enjoy the ride, despite the occasional bump that caused him some pain. "I have a mare who is willing to abandon her title and her duties for a life of raising a family with me. She's willing to go so far as to carry by bloodied body on her back, just so she can keep me around a little longer."

Azure then saw what he was leaving if he had accepted death. Luna was a beautiful mare that cared for him. It was true that she was royalty, but she placed her crown aside to tend to his every whim. He already knew he loved her, but now, his reasons for loving her was cemented in stone. He could never leave behind something so precious.

"I guess old age isn't all that bad."

Canterlot Royal Checkpoint
Canterlot Keeping District/Canterlot Palace Grounds

"Keep running!"

Twilight and her friends continued to make their way to the vault of the Elements of Harmony. As they ran, they did their best to avoid any confrontations. But time was running out.

"Twilight, we've been running for a while now. Can we please be at the vault?" Fluttershy begged, starting to feel a little tired from the marathon that they had to run.

Twilight offered to comfort her friend. "We're almost there. We'd be there and back by now if it weren't for all the..."

*hiss*

"...detours?"

The six mares stopped to find themselves surrounded by an entire platoon of changeling soldiers. As the changelings snarled and angrily hissed at the element bearers, Rainbow Dash decided that there was no other way to the vault but through them.

"It's looks like we'll have to do this the hard way."

Rainbow Dash charged forward, only to meet with herself. She grew confused over what she was facing. She wasn't expecting to get into a fight with herself. As she moved, the splitting image of her moved in the same manner. When she tilted her head, it moved with her. But as she drew her head closer, she was caught off guard by a hoof she didn't raise. Before she could react, the duplicate shoved her to the ground.

"Hey, how did you-?"

Before Rainbow Dash could finish her question, she managed to get an answer as all of the other changelings transformed into each one of her friends. Copies of each one of them surrounded them and the real element bearers grew even more baffled at the sight of themselves getting ready to take each one of them down.

"They're changelings remember?" Twilight said to Rainbow.

"They're changelings remember?" Repeated five changelings that imitated Twilight's voice to the last detail with a sinister grin.

Twilight readied herself as she spoke to her friends. "Don't let them distract you. We have to get to the Elements of Harmony. They're our only hope."

The six ponies charged at each other and started to engage with one another. As blows were being exchanged, Fluttershy grew even more confused as to who she could help or run away from. A group of similar copies of herself started to approach her. Feeling like the only way to avoid a fight was to simulate what they would normally do in the situation. As she feigned punches and kicks, the other three versions of her walked off. Seeing that she was in the clear, she ran the opposite direction, only to encounter four Rainbow Dash duplicates.

The four Rainbows readied to pounce on her, causing Fluttershy to duck in fear. The four stood tall above her, ready to strike, when the Rainbow to the center right broke the pose that the others were set in. With a strong kick, she sent two flying one way and gave the final dupe an uppercut to the jaw, sending it flying.

"You okay?" Rainbow asked, picking up the timid, yellow pegasus.

"Thanks to you, Rainbow Dash." She responded as she smiled back at the friend who just saved her from a painful situation.

Meanwhile, Applejack and Twilight backed into each other as they faced changelings both front and back. Twilight winced as she realized that she bumped into her friend. Applejack turned back as she saw it was none other than Twilight. Feeling like she could take them on with some help, Applejack faced her duplicates head on. "Alright, how many ya think y'all can take?"

*hiss*

Applejack turned around to find that the Twilight that backed into her was none other than a changeling that tried to pounce on her. "Okay, this is jus' gettin' wierd!"

As Applejack was head-butted to the ground, changeling after changeling started to dog-pile on top of her. Feeling the weight of a dozen changelings on her caused the farm mare to experience an extreme level of discomfort. As she laid victim to the large pile of Applejacks crushing her, the changeling that head-butted her transformed into an Applejack.

Suddenly, the pile started to get a little lighter as she noticed that one by one, the clones started to get blasted away from the pile. After a while, Twilight held the farm pony with a dark look in her eyes, as if she was going to finish her off once and for all.

"Real me! REAL ME!" Applejack shouted.

"Prove it!" Twilight demanded.

"Big Mac has your Smarty Pants doll!" Applejack responded as quickly as she could, causing Twilight to drop her on her hooves.

"Well, there's one problem solved." Twilight said as she turned her attention to the changelings in front of them.

Elsewhere, Pinkie Pie was busy being amused by a changeling who continued to shift their forms from her various friends. She giggled eagerly as she bounced up and down. "Heeheeheehee! Do me! Do me!"

The changeling, who was transformed to Fluttershy at the time, rolled it's eyes and transformed into Pinkie Pie. Causing the mare to look a her with skepticism.

"Meh, I've seen better." The pink party mare said as she grabbed Twilight from Applejack and placed her in front of her.

As she grabbed her tail, Twilight blushed a little as she felt her head being lowered. "Pinkie, what are you doi-oh I see where you're going with this."

Pinkie started to crank Twilight's tail as the purple unicorn blasted off magic bolts like a gatling gun. Changelings fell before them like wheat before a scythe as Pinkie continued to crank Twilight. Finally stopping, Twilight's tail started to become a twisted mess, even causing a bit of pain.

"Ow, Pinkie! Watch the tail!" Twilight scolded.

"Sorry, I just wish my party cannon worked." Pinkie said as she pulled out the aforementioned device; a sky-blue cannon with pink and yellow wheels. "For some odd reason, it hasn't been working the past few days."

"I can give you one reason on why." Twilight mumbled as she thought about the impostor who tried to take her brother as her own.

Pinkie pummeled the barrel of the cannon as she spoke. Meanwhile, to her ignorance, a changeling approached from behind her as she was pounding away at the cannon. "UGH! Stupid. Party. Canno-"

*BOOM*

A large slime ball that was clogging the end of the barrel shot out and hit a changeling in the rear end, causing Pinkie to cheer for it's continued functionality. "Whee! It works again!"

Elsewhere, Rarity continued to destroy any changeling that tried to even look her direction. The fashionista decked every changeling she encountered with a powerful blow. Another charged at her from behind, only to receive a well-timed roundhouse kick to the skull.

Before she could get fired up, the fight was already over.

"You dare challenge a fashionista! Well, I'll show you what years of maintaining your figure in the gym can do!"

Rainbow looked at the adrenaline-fueled unicorn, trying to get her attention. "Uhh... Rarity, that's all of them."

Ignoring her friend, she remained on her guard. "WHO WANT'S SOME OF THESE HOOVES!? I'LL KICK ALL YOUR SORRY-"

"Rarity!" The five other mares yelled as they finally managed to get Rarity's attention.

Rarity blushed as she was finally brought back to her senses. "Oh... heh heh... Well, we showed them."

As the other mares took a brief moment to catch their breath, they all heard the familiar buzzing noise of wings beating in the air. The six mares turned around to see another large platoon of changelings headed their way. Twilight rose form her spot and ran for the tower that the vault was located. "Not for long! Let's get moving!"

With the tower in sight, the six mares ran across the bridge that connected the tower to the checkpoint. The six mares breathed a sigh of relief as they finally opened the doors to the tower where the vault was located. But their relief soon turn into dismay as they saw an entire army of changelings in the building already. As they turned around, they saw the platoon they escaped from catch up to them. The six mares were completely surrounded from all sides.

"Now what do we do? There's way to many to fight!" Rainbow Dash asked as they all backed into each other.

"Um... if there is any way we could possibly consider a strategic surrender?" Fluttershy suggested, seeing that there was nothing that they could do for the time being.

All of the others gave her a disapproving glance. Even some of the changelings looked at her with shock and bemusement.

"That would be the safest option, after all."

"Are you nuts?" Applejack asked the timid pegasus, shocked that she would even suggest that surrender was a plausible choice.

Twilight took a moment to reflect on the situation. In reality, there was no escape from this situation. At the very least, if she went back, she could still rescue her brother rather than risk a chance of being killed in action. And the elements were locked away in a vault where only she and Princess Twilight had access to it. She summarized that if they went peacefully, they could make their escape later, get the elements and save Equestria. In all, the ends justified the means of saving a nation. "Actually, she has a point. Live today, fight tomorrow. The elements will be here when we get back."

"But Twilight-" Rarity started before Pinkie Pie jumped in.

"TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER!"

The entire army, plus her friends, stared oddly at her out-of-nowhere comment.

"What! Weren't they gonna do that anyways?"

Vista Boulevard
Canterlot Keeping District

---

~Main Event~
Twilight Velvet
vs.
Olysseus Blueblood Patrikios/Wrath

"So... how's the commoner's life been treating you?"

"I don't think that you could ever understand the anger I feel towards you."

Blueblood laughed as he continued to fly around the gray unicorn below him. "And I believe I do. You want to run me through. Garrote me, impale me, tear my limbs from my body in the worst fashion. All of your hatred. I can feel emotions now. Since my transformation to this wonderful body, I've never felt such power coursing through my veins."

"You are a changeling! You're not a pony, nor have you 'ascended'. You're just a traitor who took on a new look." Velvet argued angrily, wanting to blast the arrogant stallion from the sky.

"Well, this 'look' is something that I can change at any given moment." He answered back, willing to show her an example, but not wanting to out of the admiration of his current appearance. "Behold, I am Olysseus Blueblood Patrikios, wrath and hatred incarnate, lust and gluttony personified, Element of Magic, and king, no, GOD of this city. And you are nothing more than an old used whore; good for only taking my seed to your face."

Velvet stared at him blankly before taking a quick breath, to express how annoyed she was of him. "You know, I don't have a problem with being called a whore. We all do a bit of whoring in our lives, whether it's for profit, notoriety, hell even for love. But there is one thing I draw the line at, and that is being called old. I could teach you a thing or two, mister 'Element of Magic'."

"An old whore with a mouth. Surely one's genitalia would plug that thing shut. Shall I offer my own? I promise that I am well-endowed." He said mockingly, flying behind her.

Velvet took a deep breath and squinted her eyes. "Call me old... one more time."

Blueblood slowly descended and spoke in her ear. "Ancient as the dust on this earth."

Without hesitation, she turned around and drove a hoof to his face, causing him to lose his balance in mid-air. As his body spun around in the air, Velvet cast a gossamer wing spell upon herself, giving her flight capability. As Blueblood regained his balance, he eyed the angry mare and blitzed towards her.

Meeting him halfway, Velvet took the initiative and blasted him square in the face with a stun-bolt spell. She wasted no time with incantations as she summoned a wheel of prismatic swords to rain down on him. Blueblood cast a shield around his body, avoiding all blows from the weapons and summoned his own sword. In similar fashion to when he faced off against Shining Armor, he called upon a great blade that towered high into the sky and ordered it to plunge into his target. He decided that incantations were best left for times where he would enjoy making a mockery of his opponent.

As the darkened blade came down upon the city, Velvet cast a spell of her own, sending a bright magenta shield over her. As the shield intercepted the blow caused by the large blade, the two spells dispersed, causing the former prince to shake with anger. Never has there been a pony who countered one of his most powerful spells with such ease. Charging up his horn he tried to fire a bolt of his magic towards Velvet.

The grey unicorn dodged the spell and fired a bolt of her own. Blueblood dodged her in return and took to the offensive, flying after Velvet. The two passed through the city's skyline as Velvet did her best to maneuver herself past buildings in hopes of causing him to crash into one. However, he countered her evasive efforts by blasting whatever building that stood in between her and him, without a care for who or what was inside.

Velvet decided that her tactic was far too dangerous in a situation that involved such a careless opponent. Taking herself close to the ground, she drew Blueblood in. Fury lined in the fallen prince's eyes, causing him to fly at a blinding speed towards the mare. But little did he know, he fell right into her trap. She turned around, with horn lit with a blinding power, and fired a blast at Blueblood, hitting him and causing him to fall to the ground. They landed just outside of a cafe as he rose from a table that broke his fall.

"That's the problem with you young ones, you're so eager to get things done." Velvet said as she descended upon the wreckage of the outside eating area.

Blueblood summoned the weapon he used to stab Azure and lunged towards the mare. "Bitch, I'm older than you!"

Levitating a sword from a fallen guard she obtained from a street corner just feet away, she parried any incoming blows. His blade swiped left, she counted with an upward strike. he tried a diagonal sweep, only to be countered with a swift kick to the side of the head, knocking him into yet another table. "And you call me old? I'm a lively forty-six. You've hit the century mark."

"And I still age better than a hag like you!" He shouted as he rose from the table and charged towards her, leaving his sword to the wayside. He blasted hers out of her possession and the two clashed horns. Their magic reacted violently as they butted heads.

"How many mares have you taken advantage of? How many have become the victim of your plight? Too many, far too many!" Velvet said as she pushed against him.

"Too few, I say! I want more, much more!" He answered as he returned the push. Their horns started to spark as the volatile reaction changed the harmless sparks into blistering cinders.

"A spoiled little child with mommy issues is what you are." Velvet said, pressing all of her body's weight against him.

Blueblood felt an anger that he never felt in all of his one-hundred plus years of life. The fury that accompanied with his mother's face, the frustration of his failures with the princesses and Shining Armor, his titles being revoked and his powers being stripped. Nothing could sum up to the anger he felt to Velvet, a commoner mare who was equally skilled at his forte as he was and one who lectured him over his mother. Something inside of Blueblood snapped as a brand new power surged throughout his body. "SHUT UP, YOU INSOLENT, PIG-FACED SOW!"

Pushing her off of him, he levitated her body into the cafe's window. Landing on the floor, he stood over Velvet. "YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO HAVE TO EARN EVERYTHING AND TO HAVE IT ALL TAKEN AWAY FROM YOU!"

Velvet was a bit shaken from the blow she received as she tried her best to make it back on her hooves. "You... earned nothing. You stole-"

Blueblood silenced her with blow after blow of his hardened hoof to her muzzle, knocking out blood and spit as he battered away at her. "THAT I DID! I KILLED, I RAPED, I LIED, I CHEATED! I FUCKING DESTROYED ENTIRE FAMILIES FOR THIS! I WILL NOT BE LECTURED BY AN INFERIOR BEING!"

Raising the disoriented body of Velvet from the ground, he gave the mare a blast to the face of his magic, launching her through the entire cafe and into another building. She rose to fight, only to be knocked through yet another wall, landing into a fountain in the middle of the town square. As some of the fixtures fell apart, Blueblood laughed at her misfortune. "WHAT'S WRONG!? GETTING A LITTLE WASHED UP, EH!?"

Blueblood took the higher ground in the fight and levitated her high into the air, flying behind her. As she opened her eyes, she took notice that her wings were wet and started to melt away. Letting his magic subside from her body, he let her fall to the ground. As she was about to meet with the cobblestone road, she felt a hoof drive into the right side of her face, knocking her into a bell tower.

She struggled to get up from the beating, unable to stand as Blueblood flew in from behind. She felt the hatred radiating from his body as he kicked her over to her belly. "I will show you what it means to be a true whore. Bring me that arse."

"It's not yours to have!" She screamed as she felt the surge of adrenaline throughout her body. She turned over and gave the fallen prince a swift hind leg to his scrotum, causing him to buckle over in pain. She took the moment to escape into another room as Blueblood quickly recovered from the menacing blow.

"I love it when they think they can run. It just gives me a glimpse of what I'm going to be taking." He grunted out loud as he walked slowly to the room Velvet ran to.

Velvet closed and barricaded the door behind her and felt herself needing to escape. Unfortunately for her, there was no way out beside the way she came in. She hobbled over to a nearby pillar, using it to support her fatigued body. Before she had started to catch her breath, the door sounded loudly as the stallion that pursued her banged against the door. She looked around in desperation, only seeing large wooden pillars, holes in the ceiling and dead changelings that didn't make it past the landing. Her heartbeat drove her to find the nearest form of shelter from the stallion. She hid behind the pillar and out of view just as a whirring sound could be heard past the door. Suddenly, the door blasted open, with the frenzied Blueblood who stood in the way.

"HELLO? IS ANYPONY HOME!?" He shouted hysterically.

Velvet held a hoof to her mouth as she tried her best to avoid any sound escaping. Even a breath could give her away to the stallion. Blueblood twitched neurotically and suppressed quick grunts as he did so. His eyes roamed around the room like a mad colt seeking the sight of one's entrails.

"I'VE 'AD ENOUGH OF YE BLOODY FUCKCUNT! COME ON OUT, YOU WRINKED-PUSSY SLUT!"

As his words echoed throughout the bell tower, Velvet continued to calm herself down the best way she could. She knew that she couldn't avoid him the entire time and that it would only be a matter of time before he'd find her.

"I'VE 'AVENT ALL DAY HERE! SHOW YOURSELF!"

Trying to concentrate, she picked up a nearby pebble and threw it over to the other side of the room, causing his ears to turn to the source of the sound.

"Clever girl. BUT NOT CLEVER ENOUGH!" He shouted as he turned to the source of the sound. He leapt to where the pebble had landed and found nothing but empty space. Velvet remained quiet as she kept a hoof clenched over her mouth. Her heart pounded wildly as the stallion called out to her once more.

"OLLIE OLLIE OXEN-FREE!!! I JUST... I JUST FANCY A LITTLE FOREPLAY IS ALL! COME ON! COME ON OUT, YE CRUSTY-CUNT-FLAKED DRAP!"

Blueblood continued to trot back to the center of the room. But as he continued, he thought of something that would ultimately cause him to win this impromptu game of hide-and-seek. He laughed maniacally while he started to recite a foalhood poem.

"One of these things is not like the others, one of these things just doesn't belong."

He blasted two random pillars, the first one was a pillar on the other side of the room and the second one was a pillar to his rear left, directly next to Velvet. He laughed comically and ended his laughing fit with a high pitched squeak. Velvet closed her eyes and started to pray as Blueblood continued his poem.

"Can you tell me which thing is not like the others, before I finish me song?"

Velvet continued to pray as she kept her eyes closed. But something disturbed her as she prayed. It was the silence of the room. The once crazed laughs that echoed off the walls made her uneasy. She stopped praying to check on what was going on. She looked to her left, there was nothing there. She looked to her right, the only thing that was there was the smoldering ashes of the pillar he destroyed. She dared not to look up for fear of him flying above her. But she didn't hear any wings flapping to notify that he flew above her.

Her only hint came in the form of a drop of sweat. She wiped her brow quietly as the small droplet fell on her head. She froze in terror as she slowly raised her head to meet with the twisted and inverted face of the insane fallen prince, who smiled back at her.

"O mideum!" She shouted.

"Ello poppet, fancy a twirl?" He whispered as she tried to escape.

Blueblood shoved his hoof into her neck and used his magic to slam her into the pillar he leapt off. Shortly after, he followed up his slam with his levitating her body and tossing it into another pillar across the room. Velvet tumbled as she rolled into the pillar, breaking her right hind leg. With a shriek, she fell to the ground.

"That looked like that hurt a bit. Here, let me check on that." He said as he stomped on the mare's afflicted leg.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!"

As she continued to unleash a blood curdling scream, he giggled at the pain she underwent. "Oi, that's broken alright. I suppose you can't fix a broken whore. Oh well, guess you'll do fine as a rug."

Tossing her to the ground in the center of the room, he watched as the mare's body on the floor writhed in discomfort. Standing above her, he readied himself to take his reward.

"COME ON! BEG! SCREAM! SQUEAL! CRY FOR YOUR HUSBAND, YOUR SON, YOUR DAUGHTER, YOUR PRINCESS, YOUR GOD! NONE OF THEM CAN HELP YOU NOW!"

He lowered himself down to her so he was ready to thrust himself into her, but found that something caused him to stop. He froze for an instant before he looked behind him to see a changeling, who was believed to be dead, standing behind him, with a sword buried into his underbelly. "You... traitorous... SON OF A-"

The changeling spoke. "Her...lamb's... been dead for more."

"What did you say?" Blueblood asked as he stared wide-eyed into the glazed-over eyes of the undead changeling.

"Her lamb's been dead for more." The changeling recited.

Remembering the final lyric of his mother's so-called lullaby caused him to kick the changeling off of him and removing the blade from his stomach with his magic. In a single swing, he rid himself of the grim reminder of his nightmare. "Quiet you!"

"Her lamb's been dead for more." Another undead changeling chanted as it approached him from his left side.

"You too?" Blueblood screamed to the undead creature, severing it's head from it's shoulders while another walked up to him. Even the head stared back at him and continued to chant.

"Her lamb's been dead for more. Her lamb's been dead for more."

Blueblood hacked away at the bodies, relentlessly cutting off anything that was a changeling. He shouted at them as they drove him to a fallen bell. "SHUT UP! SHUT UP! ALL OF YE, SHUT UP!!!"

As he finally silenced the monsters, he could still hear the relentless chants of the three changelings. He knew that it had to have been some cruel joke performed by his mother. He called out to her, seeking that she would stop torturing him. "MOTHER!!!!"

As he looked around, he found nothing that resembled her. He shouted to the emptiness one last time. "Mother, stop this! Please! Make it stop!"

A voice rang from behind him. He turned around to see his mother in the reflection of the fallen bell. She wore an unchanged expression on her face as she spoke. "Oh Ollie, it'll stop very soon."

"I want it to stop no-"

Her unchanged expression changed into a smile, one that resembled the one in his nightmare. "It's time to come on home, Ollie. You've been away for long enough. I've got a lovely dinner waitin' for ye."

He felt his entire body grow cold at once. He looked around and saw three spirits that hovered over the bodies of the felled changelings. The three mares that corrupted his dreams: the decoy of Celestia, Morning Vale, stood over the decapitated changeling, similar to her own death, the virgin who was forcefully tainted, Maria Trotovich, that stood with the changeling blade impaled in her body. And the final, a recent face, Sweet Relief, to which he insulted as he left her to face a world she could no longer live in, stood above the body of the changeling that stabbed him.

"No. No. Nononono. This can't be! You can't do this to me! I'M YOUR SON!"

Blueblood's mother stood facing him, almost leaning in over him and grinning all the while as she whispered into his ears."Don't ye remember? I've been trying to do this since ye were born."

The four mares continued to chant the lyric as Blueblood shook his head hysterically, trying to block out their words. "NOOOOO!!! GET AWAY FROM ME!"

"Whatever this talk of lambs is, I think it would be fitting that I'd join in."

Blueblood turned around to see that the spirits had deserted him while Velvet stood on her own four hooves. She didn't move as much but she didn't have to with Blueblood's current condition. He was lost to the world of sanity and now she had a divine intervention that caused her to gain the upper hoof. She bashed a block of wood into the stallion's head, causing him to hit the ground.

He turned over, to crawl away but found that some of his entrails had started to find it's way out of the open wound. Velvet teleported over him and punched him in the face with a firm hoof. She telekinetically raised his body and bashed his face into the bell that he screamed to. After the second time she pressed his head into the bell, he received another blow to his muzzle before she continued with her savage assault. Each time he hit the surface of the bell, his appearance changed from Blueblood, to Wrath, the changeling. As she planted his face into the bell again, his appearance changed back. She did this until his body had become a grotesque mix between his ponified appearance and his new changeling appearance.

After another set of his face coming in contact with the bell, she pushed his body into the bell and held him outstretched as she concentrated a beam of energy to the center of his body. This time, her energy became focused into a thin line and trailed into his wounded underbelly. Her beam had spit into two as the energy started to sear into his skin. Blueblood/Wrath screamed as he felt his hide being burned by the beams. The two beams worked in opposite directions, one going up to his chest, the other going down to his lower extremities. The top beam then split into three, carving themselves into his face, and both of his forelegs. The bottom beam only split into two as they cut into the hind legs of the stallion. The beams then disappeared and Blueblood/Wrath screamed at Velvet.

"PLEASE, NO MORE! NO MORE! I CAN'T TAKE ANYMORE! PLEASE, SPARE ME!"

Velvet paused for a moment and thought about the words he said to her. He wanted her to show mercy. She thought that the very idea of him asking for something that he would give to no other quite ironic.

"So, lets put a number to your deeds, shall we? You've tried to kill my son, you've tried to set my husband up for failure, you've tried to take my daughter and her friends as your personal sex slaves, you've tried to rape and kill me, you've aided an enemy of the state, you've caused multiple bits in property damage, you were banished under penalty of death and returned to ignore such warning. Now I know Celestia has been nothing but merciful to you... but I will assure you that I will not be so kind as to let you off."

The fallen prince continued to plead for his life. "PLEASE, SHOW MERCY! SHOW MERCY!"

Velvet slowly raised a hoof to his damaged face, bloodied and bruised by the abuse he had taken by her. She gently rubbed him as she spoke. "I will show you mercy. I will show you the mercy of your skin."

Lighting her horn, she pulled at his body as the fallen prince screamed and writhed in utter agony. As she pulled, the sound similar to that of velcro being pulled apart slowly sounded as she tugged and tugged at him with her magic. He yelped with each pull she made. With a final scream, Velvet yanked her head back as the stallion before her screamed in discomfort as his hide instantly became separated from his body, leaving only a meaty husk to step forward. The ugly skinned prince took two steps forward before buckling over in pain. As he stepped forward, he could feel some of his intestines leave his body via his rear entrance. He then fell to the floor and vomited as he convulsed. Drowning in the vile liquid puddle, he finally drew his final, yet strangled breaths.

Olysseus Blueblood Patrikios, the changeling commander under the name of 'Wrath', had finally died, April the Sixteenth, year one of the Sister's Reunited.

Velvet fell over and rested herself against a wooden pillar of the tower and stared at the ugly hide she managed to peel off of the departed stallion.

"You know... I was always in a rush to find a nice wedding gift for my son, but this... I'm afraid that this won't go with anything in his room."

Royal Chapel
Canterlot Royal Palace

---

Cadance and Shining Armor
vs.
Queen Chrysalis

Celestia awoke from her defeat to find two changelings staring back at her. She had to blink because she thought they were hanging from the ceiling. But as the seconds ticked away, she found that gravity was working well against her. She was the one suspended in a cocoon from the ceiling. As the two changelings flew off to notify their queen of the princess' awakening, another princess below continued to argue with Chrysalis.

"You won't get away with this! Twilight and her friends will-"

Before Cadance could finish her sentence, the doors opened to reveal six captured mares, the element bearers they hung their heads in defeat as the queen took amusement in their capture.

"You were saying?" Chrysalis said to Cadance as she turned her attention to the drones above. "You do realize the reception's been cancelled, don't you? Go! Feed!"

The remaining changelings in the throne room made their exit to the outside hall. Shining still stood at the alter, unresponsive to what was going on around him.

"It's funny, really. Twilight here was suspicious of my behavior all along. Too bad the rest of you were too caught up in your wedding planning to realize those suspicions were correct!" The changeling queen said as placed a hoof on Twilight's chin, only for her to brush it off. Applejack looked to the purple unicorn with shame in her heart.

"Sorry, Twi. We shoulda listened to ya."

"It's not your fault. She fooled everypony." Twilight said as the queen answered her.

"Hmm, I did, didn't I?"

Chrysalis smiled while she made her way to the balcony. She overlooked the entire city being swarmed with her changelings. "Just look at it all. The burning, the screams, the bodies in the streets. It's wonderful. This day has been just perfect, the kind of day of which I've dreamed since I was small. Everypony I'll soon control, every stallion, mare, and foal. Who says a girl can't really have it all?"

While the victorious queen giggled and guffawed at her work, Twilight remained quiet as she made her way to the alter, meeting with Cadance, who's hooves were glued to the ground so that she couldn't get near Shining. "Quick! Go to him while you still have the chance!"

Twilight blasted the glue from Cadance's hooves and took to cover for her while the pink princess went to save her fiancee. Cadance looked at the miserable condition Shining was left in. She had no time to cry over it. Instead, she hugged the stallion and lit her horn with what little magic she had left from challenging Chrysalis. Her horn sparked as she strove to cast the spell. With a small release of energy, a single, tiny heart flew into the air. The heart was small in size, but within it held all of the treasured memories that they shared with one another. The small heart landed upon Shining's horn and dispersed before him, knocking him out of his trance.

"Wha- where... huh? Is...is the wedding over?" Shining asked disoriented from the spell Chrysalis placed on him. Twilight and the others smiled as he became freed from the queen's influence. But their celebration was short-lived.

"It's all over!" Chrysalis said as she laughed.

"Your spell! Perform your spell!" Twilight shouted to her older brother.

"What good would that do? My changelings already roam free." The queen said as she pointed to the city outside of the chapel. Changelings chased civilians down the street, guards left and right were either wounded, dead, or captured. Celestia was also captured as well. Shining looked on with horror, but snapping out of it as he remembered that he had a job to do.

His horn lit with a dim light. As he grunted and struggled to ignite his magic, he came to the realization that his energy was far too little for him to pull off the spell a second time, considering that placing up the spell took a large portion of his magic to cast it.

"No... My power is useless now. I don't have the strength to repel them."

"My love will give you strength." Cadance answered as she gave her fiancee a hug, holding him close to her.

Chrysalis laughed as she turned her attention back to the besieged streets below. "What a lovely but absolutely ridiculous sentiment."

Shining stared bitterly at the changeling queen as he tried to start up his spell a second time. He struggled to get an aura started on his horn, but help came in the form of another caster standing in front of him. Cadance lowered her head and sparked her horn to get his magic started. As their horns touched, the united wavelengths of their love for each other caused their magic to synchronize with one another's. Their horns lit brightly as a bright pink aura surrounded the two, the power of the spell caused their manes to become swept in the power and their bodies to raise into the air. The flash of light managed to capture the changeling queen's attention.

"What?" Chrysalis yelped as the powerful display started to grow blinding to the eye. The stallion and the mare opened their eyes and let the unified magic surge into the room, clearing out any effects of the changelings and freeing that of Princess Celestia. But their magic didn't stop there.

"NOOOOOO!!!" Chrysalis screamed as the wall of energy flew directly towards her. She tried to combat the shield by going on the counter-offensive, but she found that time was against her. By the moment she was ready to cast the spell, the shield knocked her out of the chapel and into the streets. But their spell didn't cease at just the castle alone.

Their spell swept streets clean of the changelings, alive and dead. Guards that were once captured by the changelings found themselves free from their bindings. Those who were about to be slain by the insectoid menace were spared, the citizens that once cowered for their lives, watched as the shield wiped the entire army off of the mountainside. Chrysalis screamed alongside her drones and her generals as they were cast back into the far reaches of the southern Equestrian border, into the badlands that they once roamed.

Shining and Cadance were lowered from the spell. Cadance, who had a disheveled mane and unkempt appearance, found herself back to the way she was prior to her capture. They nuzzled each other on the alter as the other mares looked on with glee.

Rarity, however, found the moment rather bittersweet. She was always a sucker for romantic stories, but to see her prince being married off to another mare was quite painful. Still, she smiled for what they had was real, even though it wasn't her who was at the alter instead of Cadance.

Celestia lied on the ground from her fall. Twilight helped her up as she grunted from the pain she was still feeling from the previous encounter with the queen, as well as a fall from the ceiling. With a serene smile, Celestia looked to her student and couldn't feel any prouder.

"Don't worry about me. I'm fine. You have a real wedding to put together."

Author's Note

Sooooo... About that Purple Wedding, huh? I guess this chapter couldn't have come out at a better time. I had started writing this chapter prior of the viewing, but now, I decided to release it a few days early, in honor of the episode.

Rest in puke, you fking 'king'.