Chapter 5: Kh4oZ IS H3Re. Wedding Crashers.

“My Princess. Special Agent Carving Mountain reporting.”

Celestia put down the scroll she was reading, her happy, warm smile never faltering. Without looking to the source of the voice etched in the dark corner of her room, she knew the stallion would never look at her in the eye unless she ordered it. There was no need for her to turn either.

“Report,” she replied.

“Agricultural production in Minotauria has been depleted by one point seven percent net wise this year. The trade embargo placed on the Diamond Dog Empire has been lifted without them or the minotaurs knowing of our deeds. Special Agent Shine Through also reports that the tribal Yetis have… unified under the banner of an unknown ruler. The conflict between Cervidas and Zebrica is escalating, I do not know for how much longer the peace will last between their nations,” the stallion said quickly and diligently.

“Will the minotaurs face famine this year?” She asked.

“No, my Princess. However, they are starting to feel the sting of limiting their food consumption year by year. Most of them will struggle; perhaps, at least, a few hundred of the poorest, the beggars, and the homeless across Minotauria shall starve to death,” he replied.

Celestia remained silent for a few seconds. “Any indications that they’ll be willing to reconsider a trade agreement with Equestria?”

“They are proud fools, my Princess. But not entirely heartless. I doubt they’ll do so without further prodding,” the stallion replied.

“Perhaps a sign of one-sided goodwill is in order?” Celestia mused. “Since they refuse to open their frontiers, Equestria shall open theirs to them in these trying times for their nation.”

“You are as generous and loving as you are wise, my Princess,” the stallion praised. “What shall be our orders and tasks to perform this year, my Princess?”

“Your orders regarding conflicts between other nations remain the same. Economic threats to Equestria shall be reported to me immediately. As for Minotauria… aim to inflict the maximum amount of agricultural drop out as possible without causing suspicion or famine. A three percent drop for the next year would be ideal,” she ordered.

“It shall be done as you command, my Princess. Harmony be with you.”

“And with you, Carving Mountain,” Celestia replied, never dropping her smile. A moment later, she felt his presence vanish. With a sigh, Celestia pulled her scroll back up to continue reading. Suddenly, she felt an icy chill run up her spine, followed by an echoing, heavy, mocking, and ominous laughter.

A laughter she had hoped to never hear again or at least not hear so soon.

“No… it can’t be…”

“Oh, but it is,” a voice called from everywhere and nowhere. “Hello, Tia, missed me? Caused I’ve missed you!”

The bang and sound of teleportation filled Celestia’s room as Luna materialized.

“Sister! Discord has--”

“Hello, Moony! Or is it Lulu? Nightmare Luna? Luna Moon? It’s so difficult to address two beings inhabiting the same body properly. Hey, Moony, does your nose itch?”

“Let me out, Luna. Let me out! We shall show that False-God he is no match for Us!” Nightmare Moon growled from Celestia’s mirror.

“Uughhh! Nightmares are as bitter as I remember! Sad to see some things never change!” The voice mocked and laughed. Then, the sound of snapping fingers was heard.

“...It’s itching. How is my nose itching? Why is it itching so badly!?” The Nightmare cried as the reflection in the mirror tried to scratch its incorporeal nose.

“Discord, how can this be possible? The Elements of Harmony--”

“The Elements of Harmony could only stop me for so long, Celestia. Did you two honestly believed I would be stuck inside that rock for more than a few days?” Discord retorted.

“...But it’s been over a thousand years,” Luna brought up.

“Reeeeeeeaaally now? Well, I’d love to chat and catch up with you. Loooove what you’ve done with the place, though I’m not a fan of this whole ‘Harmony’ thing, I do feel proud of how it’s going!” Discord laughed. “Now, I have ten thousand years of being in stone to shrug off, and I know just~ the way to unwind, to da loo~!”

And with that, the suffocating presence of the Spirit of Disharmony, the God of Chaos, was gone.

The two sisters looked at each other and nodded. One teleportation later, the two of them were standing in front of the shattered statue of Discord.

“We need the Elements now, Celestia,” Luna muttered. “We must wield them--”

“You know they reject us now…,” Celestia replied. “I used them against my sister, you… and you are tainted by the Nightmare… it’s time to see if Twilight’s friends are the Bearers or not.”

Luna nodded, gritting her teeth until it hurt. “You’re right, sister… there’s nothing we can do against Discord without the Elements,” glaring at the crumbling and quickly eroding pieces of stone that used to be Discord’s prison, a thought came to her mind beyond the ramblings of the Nightmare, cursing at Discord and complaining about her itching nose. “Sister… we must secure the populace of Canterlot, and send a warning to all cities, towns, villages, settlements, and outposts about Discord’s return.”

“Indeed, Luna,” Celestia bit her lower lip until blood started to flow down her chin, staining her perfectly brushed and kept fur. “We must ensure Cadance is safe.”

“Shall we station the Royal Guard?” Luna pondered.

“It would be of no use against Discord. Our Royal Guards must focus on leading our citizens to safe houses, and maybe minimize the damage Discord is surely to bring upon all of Equestria… no, to the entirety of Equis.”

Defeated and desperate, the two sisters stretched out their wings and took to the skies. Celestia hastily returned to her chambers. She had to warn Twilight of the coming danger and where to go in order to find the Elements of Harmony. Luna went straight for the Royal Guard barracks. There she found Shining Armor and informed him of the situation.

Within minutes, squadrons of Royal Nights, both Solar and Lunar, swarmed Canterlot in an effort to safeguard the populace.

Celestia teleported a scroll to Twilight a moment before she noticed cotton candy clouds running amock the sky and chocolate rain poured down. She stared at the landscape beyond Canterlot to see everything starting to change.

“Harmony be with you, Twilight,” Celestia implored.

*********************************************

“Where’s Spike!?” Cadance called as she looked frantically everywhere for her dearest cousin.

“He’s still outside leading the last few nobles in!” Blueblood replied to her sister’s question.

“Why, are we being invaded? Why are the Royal Guards not taking up their positions?” A noble asked.

“Because, as I’ve already told you several times already, Massive Gold, Discord has returned!” Spike replied as he pushed a fat stallion inside the safehouse of the Castle. Inside, several Royal Guards, the nobles that were present to push or consult their interests for the day, the staff, and the Royal Family were already inside.

“It certainly can’t be bad enough for me to miss my third breakfast, now can it?” Massive Gold questioned, unamused. “And who is this ‘Discord’ fellow supposed to be? I’ve never heard anything about him.”

“Wasn’t he an old enemy of the Royal Sisters?” Another noble brought up, much younger and poorly dressed compared to Massive Gold.

“Right he was,” a mare clad in fine silk clothing with markings of Celestia’s and Luna’s cutie marks adorning its surface said. “Discord, a name spoken in infamy and legend. A God in his own right… there’s nothing we can do against such a foe. We can only pray that he is defeated quickly, or Equestria may be sent back into the Timeless Times once again.”

“Praise be to Harmony. In Friendship we endure,” a group of ponies wearing similar robes chanted in unison behind the mare.

“Preachers,” Spike muttered as he finally managed to force Massive Gold to enter the safehouse. “Is it true, though? Has Discord finally returned?”

“Sadly, it is so,” Blueblood replied. “Shining Armor is doing what he can with his Royal Guards to secure the population. Aunt Luna has told us so,” Blueblood said as he embraced his sister and mother.

“Isn’t there anything we can do!?” Spike asked before scratching his arm, belly, and neck. Several red scales had appeared all over his body the day prior, and the itching was maddening. Still, he did what he could to aid in evacuating the castle staff and visitors into the safehouse.

Suddenly, Luna and Celestia appeared at the gates. Both sisters used their magic to close the gates as they entered.

“Your majesties, has Discord been dealt with?” A maid asked fearfully.

“I’m afraid we are powerless against him,” Luna replied, eliciting a horrified gasp from most of the present in the room. “Without the Elements of Harmony, we cannot defeat him.”

“The Elements of Harmony? Weren’t those artifacts supposed to be just a legend?” A guard asked, confused.

“Well, Discord was just a legend and he’s back!” Another one replied.

“But is it Discord, though? Perhaps you are mistaken, your majesties?” Massive Gold questioned. “And is this foe truly such a menace? What does he want?”

“I assure you, kind sir, that Discord is an enemy that is not to be trifled with. As for what he desires? Chaos. He desires to bring chaos and spread it, to rule over a land without rules, logic, or sense,” Celestia replied. “We must wait until the Elements are fo--”

“AARRRGGGGHHH!” Spike groaned as his scales began to shine. Ripping off his clothing and armor, he threw himself to the ground, desperately trying to suffocate his itching scales. Then, as soon as it started, the itching was gone and his glowing scales stopped their shine. His red scales returned to varying shades of purple and Spike gave out the biggest sigh of relief ever. “Uggghhh, finally!”

His relief was momentary, however, as his entire body started to solidify into stone.

“Seriously!?” He spatted angrily as the stone quickly spread through his body. In a matter of seconds, he stood there, literally petrified, with a crust of stone, much like a cocoon, enveloped his whole body.

“...What just happened to Prince Spike?” A maid asked worriedly.

“It’s the Molt,” Blueblood was quick to reply. “He’ll be out of it sooner or later,” he smirked. “At least now I won’t have to smell his ‘earthy aroma’ anymore!”

Cadance smacked her brother across the head.

“Please tell me those fillies were not your best solution, Tia, Lulu?” Discord’s voice resonated through the entire bunker. Every stallion and mare, safe for the guards, huddled up in fright whilst trying to figure out where the voice was coming from.

“Discord! Show yourself!” Celestia demanded in a rare fit of anger.

“If that’s what you want,” Discord replied. Suddenly, from the doors, a black liquid started to pour out from the metal itself. Ponies screamed in terror as the black goo gathered itself and took the form of a mismatched creature. A draconequus. And more specifically, Discord. “Here I am.”

Instantly, Luna shot a beam at Discord, but he boringly stopped it with his eagle claw, gathered it all up, transformed it into a cookie, and dipped it in chocolate milk before eating it. “Really, Lulu?”

Luna glared at him, ready to try again but Celestia stepped forward before she could launch another attack.

“What do you mean, Discord? What have you done to them?” Celestia asked with dread seriousness; her eyes narrowed.

“Me? Oh, perish the thought, Celestia. Unlike somePONIES, I don’t turn creatures into stone without merit!” Discord scowled. Then, his cheerful, mocking expression returned. “As for what happened to them, well, see for yourselves!”

With a snap of his fingers, several screens appeared in the air showcasing what happened to Twilight and her friends during the traverse through the Everfree Forest in search of the Elements. Pinkie turned apathetic and uncaring. Discord forcefully turning Fluttershy into a bully. Applejack became a liar. Rarity depicted a level of greed, possessiveness, delusion, and pride that even a dragon would find hard to emulate. Rainbow Dash betrayed her friends, choosing to take her wings to save Cloudsdale instead of helping her friends.

Finally, there was Twilight, doing her best to remain optimistic, ever trusting on the friends she had made during her stay in Ponyville. She had left to search for the Elements of Harmony, but decided to stay once she got to know her newfound friends better. She put up with the attitudes of her corrupted, grey-colored friends up until she used the Elements of Harmony, returned by Discord himself, on the God of Chaos.

And she failed miserably. The Elements of Harmony shattered into hundreds of tiny pieces. As Discord laughed, Twilight finally gave up, her color left her, and returned to her library, defeated.

“No. No. No. Nononono!” Luna stomped her hooves angrily, her mane swirling in anger.

“This isn’t over, Discord! You think you’ve won, but we aren’t defeated yet!” Celestia spat.

Discord chuckled before stretching. “Well, it’s been a delight to see you two again! But I have a world of chaos to rule over now!” He smiled wickedly. “It seems Harmony and Friendship weren’t as strong as you thought, Tia, Lulu~” With that said, Discord turned into water, splattering all over the floor before evaporating into nothing.

Celestia sat, her eyes glued to the screens Discord had left behind as they replayed the events over and over again. For what felt like forever, the bunker was dead silent. Nopony dared to speak or breathe too loudly. Then, Spike’s stone crust began to crack and within moments he was free.

Spike checked himself out once he recovered lucidity only to find himself sporting two new appendages. “I got wings?” He muttered, glancing back and flexing his newfound wings. “I got wings!” He cheered a moment before noticing everypony was distraught and disheartened. “W-What’s going on?” He asked gently, confused. Looking around he saw that even Cadance, the ever-optimist, was on the verge of tears. Blueblood was doing his best to console her, guards, castle staff, and nobles alike were huddled up in much the same fashion, and even his Aunt and Mother were the same.

Following their gaze, he saw the screens and what they were projecting. He saw each and every single one of them with care and intent; focusing all the more on the one depicting Twilight’s failure.

Silence reigned supreme for minutes, hours… centuries. Nopony cared now. Defeat was certain.

“...Restless was the world we knew~” Spike started to sing, breaking everyone out of their trance. He stared directly at the preachers. “And cheerless were the days~”

“...of colors run together~” The mare at the head started, joining her voice to Spike’s.

“In an endless mirror maze~” They were joined by the rest of the preachers.

Spike turned his eyes to Celestia and Luna. “But then two Sisters brought us out of Discord’s dark caprice. And gave us lights to guide us into Harmony and Peace~”

“Day for rising; Night for sleep! As in heaven, so below. Chaos banish; Order keep. Ever may it thusly go~!” The preachers sang loudly, cheerfully. “Now that Harmony has come and driven dissonance away~!” They finished with tears in their eyes.

Celestia and Luna wiped out the tears that had formed in their eyes. Resolute, they stood up, and with them, everypony present to signal they stood with their Princesses.

A young and well-dressed noble approached Celestia, valiantly grasping her hoof and kissing it. “My Princess, if I must, I shall give my life in your defense. Your orders shall be my command, what must be done?”

In a flash, Spike was there next to the noble and softly shoved him away not without sending a death glare at the noble. “You will remain behind in safety. I’m certain the Princesses will think of something to solve our dilemma,” Spike said to the pony noble in an almost friendly tone. The noble nodded rapidly, backing away from the dragon.

“...Sister, I believe there is something we can do,” Luna started. “When I… you know, I remembered our happy times together. That stopped me, it brought me back. Perhaps if Twilight Sparkle and her friends remember everything they have accomplished together, their happy moments, maybe they can overcome Discord’s touch?”

Celestia seemed thoughtful for a moment before smiling. “Harmony and Friendship are the only things that can stop and defeat Discord… He took that away from them,” she smirked. “I think I know the perfect way to remind Twilight and her friends about what they lost.”

Luna nodded in understanding. “But how? Discord’s magic will prevent us from approaching. The second he detects magic other than his own, he’ll know we’re up to something.”

“What are you talking about?” Spike asked.

“Twilight’s Friendship Lessons,” Celestia replied. “If she reads them, she may remember why she decided to stay in Ponyville and find a way to free her friends from Discord’s corruption,” her smile dropped. “However, I can’t teleport them nor will I risk somepony carry them to her. If Discord finds them, we are doomed.”

“Then I’ll go,” Spike said seriously. “If we can’t carry or teleport them,” he smirked smugly. “Then we can use my dragonfire,” taking off one of his gloves, he set it on fire. It turned to ashes, and then they flew to Celestia, where it materialized once more. Taking it, he put it back on.

“Spike, no. It’s too dangerous!” Cadance shouted as she and Blueblood neared them.

“But it makes sense. Their bond… it might be our only chance, Caddy,” Blueblood remarked.
“Due to Discord's magic, other sources of magic are useless. And going there with the package is out of the question... so use me. Send all of that mail to me once I arrive. I'll let you know when I'm there. Hopefully, this will work. Twilight and her friends have to remember why they became friends in the first place! Harmony demands it!" Spike declared proudly and firmly.

Smiling widely, he flapped his wings. “Luckily for us, I have these beauties now!”

*********************************************

“Huh? What’s this?” Discord muttered, confused.

From the sidelines, Spike rested against a house, smiling widely the moment he saw Discord’s expression shift from cockiness, to confusion, to surprise, and finally, realization.

“...No…” Discord said, fear lacing his voice.

In front of him, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity floated in the air, the shattered Elements of Harmony had reforged into necklaces for her friends and a tiara for Twilight. An explosion of pure Harmony erupted from them in the form of a rainbow rising to the sky. It formed an arc and dropped directly on top of Discord.

“NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” Discord screamed in terror, desperately trying to free himself from his quickly petrifying body.

“TASTE THE RAINBOW, MOTHERFUCKER!” Spike shouted in victory, not giving a damn about his monstrous belly ache after burping out dozens of letters.

With Discord sealed back into stone and the ensuing explosion of pure Harmony made manifest, everything he had done was corrected and turned back to normal all over Equis.

For now, Discord had been defeated. Victory was theirs. Spike allowed himself to fall unconscious.

*********************************************

Something isn’t right…, Spike thought as he held the cushion bearing the two rings for Cadance and Shining Armor. Twilight was nowhere on sight. Which surprised Spike to no end. Even after Shining Armor and everypony told her off, she had gone missing. He’d guessed she was sulking but would attend the wedding at least. But something is certainly… off, he thought as he eyed Shining Armor.

He was always dorky, and odd-ball, and goofy when out of duty. Seeing him stupid-happy was to be expected, yet he looked… plain stupid. Almost like he was being forced to smile that way. But Cadance looked the same as ever. Lovely, regal, composed, beautiful. She smelled like always, she acted like always (baring wedding details), she spoke like always. She was Cadance, and yet, as they walked up the altar… Spike started to doubt.

What if Twilight was right? What if this Cadance is not the Cadance I know? What if she is not my cousin? Glancing at his side, he saw Blueblood on the verge of tears, proud of his sister and his best friend soon-to-be brother-in-law.

“Dear friends and family, we are gathered here today to celebrate--”

“Wait,” Spike said firmly, interrupting Celestia dryly. Swallowing the knot in his throat as he stared down at Cadance. Her face shifting from happiness to confusion. Closing his eyes, he took a big breath. “I thought Twilight was just being irrational and possessive… But now… now I’m not so sure anymore.”

“Spike… dearest, what are you doing?” Celestia asked in a soft, disapproving tone.

“Let me finish, mom,” Spike replied without turning to face her. Instead, his eyes were locked on Cadance only. “If you answer correctly what I’m about to ask you, Cadance, I’ll apologize and get out of here. But if you don’t, then that proves Twilight was right and that you, whatever you are, are not my cousin,” he snarled, tossing the pillow aside along with the rings. “And I will make you tell me where my real cousin is.”

“Spike, please, this is ridiculous!” Shining Armor droned out angrily.

“Shining Armor is right, Spike. Cadance is my sister! I would know if something were wrong with her!” Blueblood stomped a hoof in protest.

“Silence!” Spike roared, wings spread out, and fire fuming from his nostrils. He crouched, baring his fangs and his left-hand claws. His right hand unsheathed his sword, his ornament piece replaced by a real one when his training started. Gripping it tightly ready to attack, he continued. “Twilight said you didn’t do the Ladybugs Awake dance with her. Meaning, even if you’re impersonating her, you lack some or most of her knowledge, memories, and experiences.”

“I was just embarrassed!” Cadance blurted out. “I’m a Princess of Equestria, for pony’s sake! Acting like a foal in public would be demeaning and it would soil my image!”

“Cadance never cared for that. She knows her position is important, but it never got to her head,” Spike snarled. “Maybe. Just maybe it’s the wedding stress that’s making you act like this. But right now, I am not taking any chances. So, if you really are Cadance, you will answer this question. No excuses. No diversions. No trying to shift from it or avoid it. I will ask and you will answer, simple as that. If you don’t answer or give me the wrong one, I WILL attack you, whoever you are.”

The entire room fell silent. He has successfully planted a seed of doubt in everyone’s mind, even in Blueblood’s. Cadance was far the most easy-going and laid back of the Princesses. Her sudden snobbish and demanding behavior had raised a few eyebrows, but it had been dismissed as stress or a simple case of a bridezilla syndrome. But now… now everypony wasn’t so sure.

“Fine. Ask me whatever you want, Spike. I’ll answer it and prove you wrong,” Cadance stated firmly. Confident in her evident victory.

Spike swallowed again. There were plenty of questions he could ask, but he had to be careful. He needed to pick something that only the two of them would know. Something so private, so intimate, so embarrassing or secret that only the real Cadance and he would know about. Feeling his heart about to explode and his belly freezing up while his throat burned with the fire he was barely holding back, he came upon the perfect question that would prove Twilight was right and Cadance had been replaced right under their noses. Or it would ruin his reputation forever and become the laughing stock of royalty for centuries to come.

And so, resolute, he asked. “What is the most important thing about the love shared between lovers?”

“Easy. The most important thing is that it must endure,” Cadance replied without hesitation.

“Wrong,” Spike snarled. “The most important thing is that the lovers must understand it is a relationship,” he spat hatefully, his eyes blazing with Tartarus-filled fury.

With a roar, Spike leaped at Cadance, swinging his sword straight at her neck. She dodged in time but was too late to avoid his tail, smacking her across the face with a hard slap. Spike landed on the stairs, turning to the fake Cadance ready to attack again and froze when he saw greenish blood dripping from her muzzle.

“I knew I had to get rid of you first!” Fake Cadance shouted in anger.

“Ah… Ah don’t understand, what’s going on?” Applejack asked, trying to comprehend the situation.

“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH MY SISTER!?” Blueblood cried in anger before jumping at the fake Cadance. But he was shot in the chest by a beam of magic coming from Shining Armor, sending him barreling down to the crowd below.

A swirling vortex of hellish green magic formed around the fake Cadance, the magic peeling away at her disguise and revealing her true form. A tall chitinous creature about the same height as Celestia. In contrast with the white, pure fur of the Sun Princess, the creature was pitch-black, it’s chitin coarse and pointy, with holes in her legs, a green carapace on her back, and membrane-looking wings and mane. And sprouting from her forehead, the most disgusting and horrible twisted horn anypony had ever seen.

“Sweet Celestia, what is that thing!?” Rarity shouted, backing away from the creature that now laughed evily.

“She’s a changeling!” The voice of the real Cadance was heard as the doors sprung open to reveal a disheveled pink alicorn sporting a few minor wounds and some malnourishment. Behind her, Twilight stood firm and ready with her horn livid in magical energy. “She takes the form of the creature you love and gains power by feeding off your love for them!”

“Right you are, Princess! And as Queen of the Changelings, it is up to me, Queen Chrysalis, to find love for my subjects. Equestria has more love than any place we’ve encountered before. My subjects will be able to devour so much of it, we will grow stronger than ever before! More power than we’ve ever dreamed of!” Chrysalis boasted and mocked.

Spike snarled, having had enough as he readied himself to continue his assault. Cadance rushed in and the few guards around also prepared to fight the love-draining monster.

“Ah, ah, ah! Shining Armor is under my control. If I want to, I can end his life with but a command,” Chrysalis warned as she used her magic to close the doors once again, then she began walking around the mind-slaved stallion before licking his cheek. Cadance halted, so did Twilight, the guards, the rising Blueblood, and Spike. Chrysalis giggled darkly. “I thought so. You ponies are so weak and predictable, but you make the most perfect of morsels. You wouldn’t believe how much delicious love I’ve drained from Shining Armor. I’m stronger than ever, and with each moment he grows weaker, his damnable shield grows weaker still. My drones are already assaulting it, chipping away at it little by little, and within moments, the shield will shatter and my army will swarm Canterlot! And then, all of Equestria will be MINE!” She declared, triumphant, cackling madly with joy.

“No, you won’t,” Celestia declared, stepping forth. All eyes went to her as Chrysalis turned to face the Princess of the Sun. “I must admit I was a fool for not noticing something was wrong with my niece. Your acting and deception skills are great enough to have everycreature believing your lies. But you’ve made one mistake,” she snorted. “You’ve revealed yourself and your intentions openly!” She charged forward.

Chrysalis did the same, their horns clashing as they glared at each other hatefully.

“And as a Princess of Equestria, it is my duty to protect my subjects from harm!” Celestia shouted before jumping back and taking to the air. Her horn shone brightly as a beam of pure yellow magic shot from it.

Undeterred, Chrysalis shot a green beam of her own. The two beams clashed together, with Celestia’s beam proving to be the most powerful of the two. Slowly, Celestia’s beam pushed back against Chrysalis’ magic, but not without consequence. Yellow bolts of energy mixed with green ones shot out from their meeting point.

Spike saw several yellow bolts hit the walls and the ceiling, instantly creating heavy scorch marks. The green bolts shattered pieces of masonry or vases it hit. One, then two, then ten bolts hit random ponies in the crowd. Some had their clothes set on fire, those that wore nothing suffered instantaneous burns that had them screaming painfully on the floor.

“Argggh! No! NO!” Chrysalis shouted desperately as she forced more and more of her magic, futilely, against Celestia’s in an attempt to push back against her. In turn, it only caused the ejecting bolts of magic to increase in number.

Spike’s eyes widened when he noticed Celestia’s beam stop… and then being pushed back. Staring up, he saw the concerned face of his mother, of a mare he loved with all his heart, and noticed her looking at the screaming ponies hit by the bolts and the panicked masses.

“...No…” Spike muttered, knowing what she was about to do. He saw her faking surprise as Chrysalis’ beam began to push back against hers. Then, she closed her eyes in apparent concentration… until Chrysalis’ beam struck her horn. Gritting his fangs, Spike dropped his sword and for the first time cursed at his mother’s benevolent heart. Instead of letting her subjects be victims and putting them in danger, she’d allow herself to be beaten by her foe, all for their sake.

Celestia landed like a sack of potatoes on the floor, her tiara slipping across the floor aimlessly. Chaos ensued, Twilight and her friends rushed to Celestia’s side.

“The Elements of Harmony… go to them. Use their power to defeat the Queen!” Celestia pleaded weakly. Obeying her plead, the six of them rushed out of the room, Twilight using her magic to shatter the doors open and letting other attendees to leave as well.

“AH! Shining Armor’s love for you is even stronger than I thought! Consuming it has made me even more powerful than Celestia!” Chrysalis gloated cheerfully. A moment later, the shield collapsed

*************************************************

“You won’t get away with this, Chrysalis!” Cadance shouted, her hooves glued to the floor next to Shining Armor. “Twilight and her friends will--”

She cut herself off when she saw several changeling drones walk inside the room with the captured six ponies in tow.

Chrysalis chuckled. “You were saying?” She asked at Cadance with dripping self-satisfaction. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the reception’s been canceled!” Chrysalis mocked. “GO! Feed!” She commanded her drones. Eagerly obeying their Queen, they left her alone with her captured prey.

Blueblood and several other ponies that couldn’t get out in time were glued to the walls. Celestia was hanging from the ceiling inside a cocoon of sorts. Spike was glued against a pillar. Shining Armor now looked like a mindless zombie. And Cadance was stuck at his hide.

“It’s funny, really. Twilight was suspicious of me all along from the start. For some reason, I couldn’t fool her. But it didn’t matter! Everypony else was so focused on the wedding that you never realized the threat I sent about an imminent attack on Canterlot was all part of my plan to trap as many ponies in Canterlot as possible!” She smiled wickedly. “I was already inside. And thanks to your stupidity, I’ve won! Mwah ha ha ha!”

“We’re sorry, Twilight. We should’ve listened to you,” Applejack apologized in the name of all of the present.

“It’s not your fault. She fooled everyone!” Twilight spat.

“Mmhmm, I did, didn’t I?” Chrysalis agreed happily and full of herself. “That reminds me,” she walked up to Spike. Glaring down at him, her right foreleg glowed with intense green magic before she smacked him across the face. She winced, hitting him even with an enhancing spell hurt a little, but the desired effect was achieved. She smiled widely, seeing some of his thick pinkish blood dribbling out of his mouth. Then, she walked up to the balcony to see her subjects ravaging Canterlot.

“This day has been just peeeerfeeeect! The kind of day of which I’ve dreamed of since I was smaaaaall~ Everypony I’ll soon control; every stallion, mare, and foal! Who says a girl can’t really have it aaaaall~?” She sang, admiring the scene for a few seconds before turning back. “Speaking of having it all,” her wings began to buzz and she took flight. Landing below Celestia’s cocoon, she continued. “I still have to deal with Luna once she returns. Oh, how poetic it will be to use Celestia’s power against her!”

Spike’s, as well as everyone else’s, eyes went wide.

“With her love, I shall be the most powerful being in Equis! The entire world will bow to me and my changelings! No creature shall dare stand in my way ever again!” She proclaimed as her horn ignited. From the cocoon, pink energy began to flow into her mouth.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Spike noticed Twilight crawling slowly towards Cadance and Shining Armor. He didn't know what she had in mind, but he knew she'd need time to get to them and possibly free them. For what purpose or what they could do now, he was ignorant of. Fire began to swell in his chest; his anger increasing as he saw Celestia's love being eaten by the Parasite Queen. “NNOOOOOOOOOO!” Spike roared in rage.

Chrysalis was forced to stop consuming her prey’s love to see the dragon struggle against her mucus. She was about to gloat some more when his whole body erupted in green flames. Then, he was gone.

“How--!?” She cried. “GAAAAH!” She screamed in pain as she felt something clash against her back. Then, she felt something hit her across the face, sending her stumbling away a few meters. Looking at her assailant, she found an enraged dragon with his maw open pointing against her. Thinking quickly, she formed a barrier in front of her before a stream of deadly orange fire struck it.

Getting to her hooves, despite her aching back and chin, she went on the offensive. Her body glowed with green magic before charging through her barrier. Spike closed his maw and spread his wings. The two met in mid-air with a mighty clash. Spike was sent to the ground, roughly landing on his feet; his claws digging into the floor to stop himself from falling.

Taking a battle stance, Spikeclosed the distance between him and Chrysalis. He dodged three magic blasts as he approached, opting to let a fourth one hit him across the face. Chrysalis realized too late what his intent was, she tried to move away but Spike had closed in too fast. She cried in pain as Spike delivered a quick combo; two punches across her muzzle, one across her neck, and a final uppercut. Then, using his momentum and tail as a pivot, he did a backflip; his right foot hitting her across her face once again.

Spitting green blood, Chrysalis enraptured Spike in a ball of magic, capturing him once again. This time she didn’t gloat. His hatred in her eyes, she focused on making the ball smaller and smaller. She was confused, however, when she noticed that Spike wasn’t trying to break from his prison. Instead... he’d close his eyes as if he was meditating. She paid it no initial mind and simply focused on crushing the insolent vermin to death.

Then she felt… hot. Really hot. Stupidly hot. It didn’t take her long to realize the rapidly increasing warmth was coming from the captured Prince. To her horror, he saw his scales shimmer with a pure, bright, golden light. His eyes snapped open and he roared.

The magic ball shattered instantly.

“HOW!? That’s Celestia’s--” She was cut off by a relatively small hand grabbing her by the throat; sharp claws digging past her chitin exoskeleton, cracking it easily, before being tossed like a ragged doll until she crashed against the border of the balcony. She grunted painfully, opening her eyes to see the golden glowing dragon collapse to his knees, the golden glow dissipating a moment later as he started to take desperate mouthfuls of air.

As Chrysalis tried to get back to her hooves, another glow of magic caught her attention. Glancing to her right, she saw Cadance and Shining Armor, free from her control, united in… in… she didn’t know what it was. All she could tell was that the energy coming out of them was love, but it was a kind of love she had never seen before. She tried to siphon it only to find, to her horror, that she couldn’t devour it.

It rejected her entirely.

Then, the energy expanded far too quickly for her to do something.

“No… NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” She cried at the top of her lungs as a wall of energy hit her completely, pushing her back. The energy soon grew to cover the entirety of Canterlot. Most changelings were also pushed back; sent flying away in random directions at a speed even Rainbow Dash would find hard to match until they disappeared from everyone’s eyesight. A few unlucky changelings, trapped in buildings or pressed against a wall, were crushed instantly by the wall of energy made entirely out of love.

***********************************************

--A few days later--

Spike stood next to Blueblood, his cousin supporting his weight as he was still recovering from his scuffle with Chrysalis and having to channel so much of Celestia’s energy into himself. They knew their bond was strong, but no one, not even her had realized how deep it truly was. During his training regime, while Luna focused on his combat prowess, Blueblood and Shining Armor on his physical development, and Smolder, during her short visits, taught him not only how to fly properly, but how to better use his dragon capabilities.

Celestia had focused on his mind and latent magical touch. Now, he could not only send things to her and she to him, but he could also do short-range pyreportation, and tap into their bond to use the tiniest fragment of her own power as his own for a limited amount of time, enough to increase his already prodigious dragon heritage capabilities even further.

Still, doing so was a taxing thing and only meant to do as a last resort. But, right now, Spike didn’t care. He smiled widely, tears threatening to rain down his cheeks as he saw a stallion he considered a brother and his favorite cousin (don’t tell Blueblood he said that), happily and quietly dancing.

“Hello, everypony, did I miss anything?” Luna asked as she landed next to Celestia. “I thought the wedding was supposed to be held three days ago? In any case, I’m happy I made it to the party, at least. I left to discuss with Dragon Lord Torch about Spike’s molt, and I ended up staying for a diplomatic mess,” she sighed.

Everypony else giggled or laughed.

“What’s so funny?” Luna questioned.

Suddenly, the music shifted from a peaceful Baltz to an energetic electro-pop.

“Love is in bloom~” Twilight started to sing.

Instantly, the mood of the party changed with the song, every attendee started to whistle, cheer, and dance. Given his current condition, Spike nodded his head before using his wings to move away from Blueblood, giving his cousin the chance to mingle. Blueblood nodded and walked over to Fancy Pants and his wife, Fleur de Lis.

Deciding to sit this one out, he found an empty table and took a seat for himself. As he enjoyed some cake and the celebrating ponies around, he saw an older noble, a Raingiver once he noticed his seal and cutie mark, approach Luna. He presented himself to Luna, said something he couldn’t make out, and offered a hoof to Luna.

Without thinking, green fire engulfed him. He then reappeared at Luna’s side.

“Sorry to interrupt, my good sire, but Princess Luna is terribly drained from her mission to the Dragon Lands. I’m sure your dealings must be quite important, but I suggest finding another time to bring them up,” Spike said in the most passive-aggressive voice he could muster.

“Of course, Prince Spike. My apologies. Good evening,” the stallion stepped back.

“Thank you, Spike,” Luna said once the stallion was far away enough.

“Heh, don’t mention it, Aunt Luna,” Spike replied with a smile. “Now, let’s enjoy this party! Because after it’s done, Shining is going to go nuts with what I have planned for the bachelor party!”

Luna nodded, laughing internally and opting to not say anything to her nephew.

Chapter 5 End.

Author's Note

Special thanks to anyone that read this!

The song used for the preachers is Harmony Ascendant by ponyphonic. Give it love!