"Uh... Girls?" Fluttershy called, looking at the ground below them.

"What is is, Fluttershy?" Rarity asked.

"I... I don't want you to panic, but..."

"'But'...?"

Fluttershy said nothing, only looked at her friends and pointed down. Rainbow Dash and the guards looked down while Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Applejack approached the edge of the carriage. They gasped when they saw dozens of Changeling drones flying toward them.

"Ah think we may have a bit of a problem there." Applejack said.

"Miss Rainbow Dash." the first guard said. "Can you handle pulling the carriage by yourself?"

Understanding the plan, Rainbow Dash smirked. "With a wing tied behind my back."

The guards looked at each other and nodded before letting go of the carriage and grabbing their spears that were tied to its side.

"Be careful, y'all!" Applejack said.

"We'll see you at the castle!" Pinkie souted, waving at them.

"It's been a while, you Changeling scum!" the first Royal Guard said.

"Last time you caught us with our guard down, but not this time." the second Royal Guard said.

"CHAAAAARGE!"

* * *

"We're less than a mile away from the castle." Rarity said, levitating the map in front of her face. "Keep looking, girls. We're getting close!"

"Don't need to ask twice!" Pinkie Pie said, looking around with a telescope.

"I... I think I see something over there." Fluttershy said, pointing at a nearby canyon. Pinkie pointed her telescope at it and gasped.

"It's one of the towers of Twi's castle! We found it, we found it!"

"Double speed, RD!" Applejack shouted, pointing her hoof forward.

Rainbow Dash saluted and flapped her wings even faster. It didn't took long before the carriage landed in front of the entrance of the castle. The four mares got out of the carriage and joined Rainbow Dash in front of the closed entrance door.

"Be careful." Fluttershy said. "We don't know what we're going to find in there."

"Fret not, Flutters!" Applejack said. "Cousin Braeburn must've already set things right in there!"

"I... I supposed!"

Rainbow Dash and Applejack pushed the doors open. The five of them gasped when they saw Queen Chrysalis sitting on the throne with Twilight sitting on the floor to her right and Braeburn to her left, both chained by their necks, with the Changeling Queen holding the chains. The eyes f both ponies were glowing green.

"Took you long enough." she said with a chuckle.

"Queen Chrysalis!" the five mares said at the same time.

"So it was you who foalnapped our dear friend Twilight." Rarity said, then looked up and gasped. "Spikey-Wikey?!"

"And a mare we never saw before!" Pinkie said, looking up as well.

"Cousin Braeburn!" Applejack called. "What have you done to them?"

"Let them go. Now!" Rainbow Dash shouted.

"Or what, little Pegasus?"

"Or we're gonna make you let them go." she then stood on her hind legs and started to punch the air with her forelegs.

"I'd love to see you do that. But first..." her horn started glowing and a green circle appeared in front of the throne. Suddenly an image appeared on the circle.

* * *

Back in Appleloosa, the inhabitants were harvesting the apples from the trees. Many trees were dying again, but there were still quite a few trees still alive and ready to be bucked. Suddenly the ground started to shake lightly.

"Are the buffaloes back?" a mare asked while placing a basket full of apples in a cart.

The ground started shaking harder and harder. A few ponies even lost their balance and fell.

"Earthquake!" a stallion shouted.

Suddenly a hole appeared in front of the stallion, and from it a Changeling appeared. Several other holes appeared around the orchard with many Changelings crawling out of them.

"What the hay is goin' on?!"

* * *

The five horrified mares watched as the army of Changelings took over the small town.

"As much as I despise admitting it, Changelings are still only pony-shaped insectoids." she said. "Which means that, even though we still need to feed on love energy to shapeshift, we have other sources of energy, such as tree sap. And my Changelings have been munching on the roots of those trees for a good while!"

"So this is why the trees from Appleloosa an' Dodge Junction have been slowly witherin'..." Applejack said.

"And my army is stronger than when they invaded Canterlot, which means that they can make Appleloosa and Dodge Junction disappear in a matter of hours. Do you think it's a wise movement to attack me?"

"As a matter of fact..." said a voice coming from behind them. They all turned around to see who was talking: a golden Earth Pony stallion wearing a jacket and a hat.

"...we do!" the pale yellow Earth Pony mare standing beside him said, finishing his sentence.

"Braeburn?" they all asked at the same time.

"But if he's standin' there, who's...?" Applejack asked, turning around to look at the other Braeburn, who was standing on the left side of the throne. He was looking at them, smirking. "A Changelin'! Ah should've guessed."

"How did you survived The Swarm?" Queen Chrysalis asked, sounding surprised.

Braeburn chuckled.

~ ~ ~

Braeburn opened his eyes. He was lying on the ground, beside his sister, Apple Bumpkin, who was still unconscious.

"Wha... What happened?" he started shaking his sister. "AB. AB, wake up." he proceeded to get up and felt his hoof pressing against the shards of something. He looked down at the ground and noticed he was stomping on the shards of the jewel of the bracelet, which was broken. "Oh, no! The Slave of the Bracelet! He's... He's..."

Apple Bumpkin moaned in pain as she got up. "What... Happened?"

"Ah think... We fell!"

"Darn! Well, what are ya waitin' for? Summon the big guy an' let's go back up!"

"Ah'm afraid Ah can't..." he said, presenting her the broken bracelet.

"Aw, shoot! Wait, this means we're stranded in the desert?!"

"Ah guess we are..."

"Ain't that great?" she said, rolling her eyes.

"We're not goin' anywhere standin' here, are we?"

She sighed. "Ah suppose yer right..."

Braeburn helped Apple Bumpkin up and they started to walk. They walked for a while, but the heat made minutes feel like hours of walk under the hot sun of the Wastelands.

"Are we there yet?" Apple Bumpkin asked between gasps.

"An' where is there?" Braeburn asked with a dry voice.

"Ah don't know. But are we there yet?"

"Ah doubt it..."

Suddenly they felt a pair of shadows hovering above them.

"Are those vultures or the angels of death comin' after us?"

"Neither of those, Apple Bumpkin." the first flying figure said, landing in front of them.

"Princess Celestia?" Braeburn asked. "Or is it a mirage?"

"I can assure you, Prince Consort Braeburn Apple, both her and me are very real." the second said, landing beside Celestia.

"Princess Luna too?"

"While you were unconscious, I could feel the despair and anger in your mind. I summoned my sister back to Canterlot and explained the situation to her. Combining our magics, we were able to locate you and your sister, then come to your aid."

Princess Celestia levitated Braeburn and Apple Bumpkin, placing the Prince Consort on her own back and his sister on Princess Luna's back.

"Now, we have a quest to finish, don't you agree?" she smiled. Braeburn smiled back at her.

~ ~ ~

"But... If the Princesses brought you here, where are they?" Fluttershy asked.

"Your answer..." he pointed at Queen Chrysalis' magic screen. "...is right there!"

The magic screen was now split in two: one half was showing Dodge Junction, where Princess Luna was surrounded by dozens of unconscious Changelings. The other half was showing Appleloosa, where Princess Celestia was levitating a giant yellow sphere of magic, which contained a large amount of Changelings.

"No!" Chrysalis shouted. "My army!"

"Ah don't hurt females, no matter the species, so feel free to give her the beatin' of yer life." Braeburn said.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash smirked and nodded before charging toward the Changeling Queen. She tried shielding herself with her forelegs, but it was useless, since the physical strenght of both mares was stronger than hers. It didn't took long before she was left unconscious on the floor.

"That's how we do it down on the farm." Applejack said.

"Disguise that, you shapeshifting rat!"

Suddenly the fallen Queen started to glow. She started to shrink until she was the size of an average Changeling; one wearing a purple armor.

"A... A fake?!" Rarity shouted.

"All... Hail... The Queen..." he said before fainting.

"And all hail the Hive!" the fake Braeburn said before freeing himself from the chains.

"That's the real Queen!" Apple Bumpkin said, pointing at him.

A pair of insectoid wings sprouted from Fake Braeburn's back. He grabbed Princess Twilight before flying into a dark hallway.

"After her!" Braeburn shouted before galloping at full speed toward the hallway where Fake Braeburn took Twilight. Apple Bumpkin, Applejack and Rainbow Dash followed him.

"We need to save Spikey-Wikey!" Rarity said before magically cutting the cocoons open. Spike and Badroul fell; the baby dragon was saved by Fluttershy and the unicorn fell on Pinkie Pie's back.

"Than... Thank you..." Spike said.

"It's ok, Spikey-Wikey. You're safe now!"

"And what about her?" Fluttershy said, looking at the mare who Pinkie Pie placed on the floor. "Is she...?"

"Don't worry, fillies, I know CPR!" Pinkie Pie said, then approached her face to the mare's, then... "WAKE UP!" she shouted. "WAKE! UP! WHY AREN'T YOU WAKING UP?"

"I don't think that's how CPR works, Pinkie Pie..."

* * *

The four ponies chased the Fake Braeburn, who hid himself in the dungeon.

"Alright, now we got him." Apple Bumpkin said while the four ponies walked down the stairs. "Her! Whatever!"

"There's no escape now, Changeling!" Braeburn shouted.

"Your Highness?" a voice called from one of the cells. "Is that you?"

"Nightingale?" he asked, running toward the cell, where his two guards were locked.

"So it's really you, Your Highness!" the Pegasus smiled.

"Where is Twilight? And the Queen?"

"I heard the sound of a cell on the far end of this dungeon being opened right now." Dove said.

Braeburn nodded and went to the cell that Dove mentioned. Apple Bumpkin followed him. Rainbow Dash and Applejack stayed behind to open the cell where Dove and Nightingale were.

Braeburn opened the cell. His eyes widened when he saw two Twilights sitting on the floor, looking at him.

"Two Twilights?" Apple Bumpkin said.

"Queen Chrysalis, ya fiend!"

"Help me, Braeburn!"

"No, help me, Braeburn!"

"She is the fake one."

"She's lying! I'm the real Twilight!"

"How am Ah supposed to know which one is the real one?!" Braeburn shouted, lying on the ground and covering his eyes with his forelegs.

Apple Bumpkin simply analyzed both Twilights with a serious face. After a few moments, she closed her eyes and smirked.

"Big bro!" she called.

"What is it, AB?" he said, looking up at her.

"Ya take the Twilight on the left. Ah take the right one on the right!" she winked at him. "Ya know what to do!"

Braeburn smiled and got up. Both ponies charged toward the two Twilights.

"No no no, wai--" the Right Twilight said before the hindlegs of Apple Bumpkin connected to her face. Meanwhile, Braeburn simply hugged the Left Twilight.

"B-Brae..."

The Twilight on the floor turned back into the Changeling Queen, who had passed out.

* * *

A while later, Celestia and Luna were standing on the entrance of Twilight's castle. The whole Changeling Army and their Queen were all magically chained by the magic of the Princesses.

"What is going to happen to them, Princesses?" Twilight asked.

"I'm going to use a spell on them." Princess Luna said. "For as long as I live, there will be a magical shield surrounding the Wastelands, preventing any Changeling from escaping."

"It won't last long, Princess." Queen Chrysalis said. "I have spies all around Equestria and on other Kingdoms too! Soon they will find a way to free me, and I will have my revenge!"

"I highly doubt it, Changeling."

Braeburn was checking Twilight's body; her face, her wings, her horn, her hooves, everything. "Are ya ok? Did they hurt ya?"

"I told you, Braeburn, I'm ok! A little hungry, but ok."

"It's good to see ya again, Princess!" Apple Bumpkin said.

"Oh, I wanted to ask you something, Apple Bumpkin. How did you knew which Twilight was the real one?"

"Ah didn't."

"Th-Then why... How... You..."

"Did Ah ever told ya that Ah never liked the fact that ya took mah brother away from me?"

"Apple Bumpkin..."

The mare smirked, then started laughing. "Ah'm just pullin' yer leg, Princess! She looked exactly like ya, except for one little detail." she pointed at Twilight's mane. "When Ah saw ya in the Throne Room, yer streaks were on the right side of yer horn. In the dungeon, she had the streaks on the left side."

"How did ya noticed that?" Braeburn asked.

Apple Bumpkin giggled. "A mare has an eye for this kind of thing."

"Your Highness, we caught the traitor!" Dove said, standing in front of Celestia. Nightingale was standing beside him, with Badroul in the middle of them.

"Pr-Princess..." she said with tears streaming from her eyes. "Please... It wasn't me, I swear..."

Celestia sighed. "You two haven't noticed yet, have you?"

"Noticed what?" he asked.

"Let her go, she is innocent."

"B-But Your Highness--" Dove started, but Nightingale interrupted him.

"Orders from te Princess!"

"Pr-Princess!" Badroul jumped on the Sun Princess and hugged her neck, staining her white coat with her tears. "Thank you, thank yoou, thank you so much!"

"Now it's time to go back home, don't you think?" Luna asked, looking at Braeburn.

"Ah guess so!" he answered. "Ah just need to find the Lamp and--"

Luna levitated the black oil lamp in front of Braeburn, who grabbed it.

"Where did you--"

"Hidden behind the throne!"

He chuckled. "Thank ya kindly, Princess Luna!" he sat on the ground with the Lamp in front of him. The Prince then started to rub it with his hoof. "Slave of the Lamp, Ah summon ya!"

* * *

A few weeks later...

* * *

Horseshoe Bay. Twilight and Braeburn were on the beach, in front of an open, empty chest.

"Are you sure about that, Braeburn?" Twilight asked her fiancé.

"It's the only way, Twilight. This lamp is truly wonderful and it may have made possible for us to be together, but it also brought us a lot of sufferin'. An' Ah'm sure it brought sufferin' to many other ponies before us. Who knows what might happen if its power fall on the wrong hooves?"

"I... I see."

Braeburn placed the lamp in the chest, closed it and then locked it. Together, they pushed it toward the ocean. The tide took the chest away and, after a while, water invaded it through the cracks of the wood, flooding it. The chest then sunk to the bottom of the ocean.

"It's done." Braeburn looked down at the key on his hoof and smiled before throwing it at the ocean with as much force as he could.

"What now, Brae-Brae?"

"Now we go back home, Twi!" he said while going back to the carriage waiting for them. "We don't want to be late for our own marriage, do we?"

She smiled before following him. "Of course not!"

Braeburn opened the door of the carriage and Twilight jumped in. He entered it right after her and closed the door. The two Dusk Guards pulling it then took off, going south-west, toward South Equestria. They then kissed each other in the middle of the flight.

* * *

Aladdin's friends watched as Twilight walked toward the altar, where Braeburn was waiting. She was wearing a white, long, flowing wedding dress and he was wearing a tuxedo intead of his brown jacket, but his hat was still on the top of his head.

"Braeburn marrying a Princess!" Farhan said. "Who would have guessed?"

"I always knew Braeburn would be successful in life." Nijad said with a smile. "Good things happen to good ponies!"

"So, I guess nothing good is going to happen to us." Jal said. "We're just a bunch of little thiefs!"

"What about Aladdin?" Jasim said. "Since that day in the orchard, he stopped hanging out with us."

"Speak of the devil..." Farhan said, pointing at a chair on the other side of the room.

The other three colts looked at where Farhan was pointing. Their eyes widened when they saw a very beautiful white unicorn mare with an orange mane approaching the pegasus colt and his mother.

"Excuse me!" she said. "Is this place vacant?" she pointed at the empty seat near him.

"No, it's not." Rahimah, said with a smile. "Feel free to sit there!"

"Thanks." Badroul sat on the chair. "I'm Badroulbadour, but you can call me Badroul!"

"I'm Rahimah. This is my foal, Aladdin!"

"Hello there, little Aladdin!" she then dishevelled his mane. "Aren't you a cute little thing?"

The colt giggled with the other four groaned and crossed their forelegs.

"Lucky bastard..."

Author's Note

It was a fun ride, but it had to end sooner or later!
Talking about ride, now that this is over, I can finally work on the fanfic I wanted to make since, like, forever! Here's a hint: there will be cars and lots of destruction! >:3