Moondancer nodded at Moondancer, entirely aware that her doppelganger was a changeling. "This calls for Silverpool's Reflection."

The other Moondancer looked mildly confused.

"I'll show you." Moondancer wove the complex magic swiftly, arcane runes erupting into being around her. With a bright and expanding sphere, disguised changelings around her, including her double, were forced into their true forms with insectile screeches of disapproval.

She touched noses with her friend. "Stay behind me, but don't fear." She glared up at the changelings before them. "It is time we taught you a lesson about what it means to fight someone from Canterlot!"

With one advantage removed, the battle swayed towards the girls and their desperate push towards the elements. Moondancer was largely occupied, keeping her spell strong to prevent any of them from trying to imitate any of them.

"You guys should get the elements!" Rainbow Dash hovered nearby as she weaved through the changelings, striking where she could.

"Don't have to tell us twice." Twilight shot Moon a glance, who nodded back.

With a powerful blast, she sent several changelings flying as she charged forward. "Nice spell, but they still have us outnumbered, by a lot, unfortunately."

Moondancer thrust her head forwards. "I'll keep them off of you!" Her horn blazed with bright magic that slammed into several more changelings that had been sneaking up on the group. She heaved with effort, the two spells at once proving to be quite a challenge for her. "Go!"

Applejack nodded. "Right! Come on!" She rushed forward, laying about herself with her hooves as she charged through the crowd. "Let's move it!"

Rarity stepped past Moondancer, focusing her magic on the approaching horde of changelings, attempting to fend them off. "I'll stay with Moondancer, you girls get going, dears."

Rainbow Dash backed off from a group of changelings she'd been grappling with. "Don't have to tell me twice." She whipped back around and streaked off after Twilight.

Applejack followed suit, barrelling towards the elements' home with barely contained force.

All of them, minus Moon and Rarity, ducked into the building that housed the elements. Twilight slammed down the bars on the doors with her magic and pointed the way. "That way, quickly!"

Fluttershy walked over to Applejack and Twilight, pointing a wing towards the safe they kept the elements in. "Do you need help with anything?"

Twilight swung open the safe with a smirk. "We'll need everypony." She reached inside and grabbed the box. With a twinkle of magic, she popped it open, revealing the elements, all the pendants and two halves of a tiara. She put on her half of a tiara and passed out the pendants to the others.

Rainbow pointed back where they'd come from, where changelings battered at the door. "We have to get Moon and Rarity theirs."

Twilight glared at the door, even as they began to splinter under the pressure. "Of course we do." She grit her teeth with a growl. "Of course we do." She lashed out with her magic, shattering the wood before it could fully break. Splinters of wood rained out on the surprised changelings.

Fluttershy raced off towards the others. "Oh my!"

Rainbow Dash followed right after her. "Keep up!"

Fluttershy squeaked, but sped into a proper gallop after Rainbow.

Rainbow only responded by kicking it into high gear and landing near Moondancer. She swooped in, dropping Moondancer's half of the tiara on her head and helping to keep changelings at bay as they grappled with one another.

Rarity took her pendant from Twilight rushing over. "Darling, your timing is fabulous, as always. These brutes were about to overpower us!"

Moondancer blinked as her tiara dropped onto her head. "Huh? Oh." She turned around and met up with the others.

Twilight slid in beside Moondancer. "Let's do this." She pressed against Moondancer as the two focused on the magic of the elements. All the girls began to glow with gathering power.

All together, the mares surrounded their foes with magic. Twilight stood at the front, guiding the others as they glowed brighter and brighter, putting all their focus into one collective spell.

Light began to build, magic forming around them like an aura. The changelings were powerless to close that small last distance with them as they swelled with the very power of harmony itself.

They couldn't know that another immense magic was forming just inside the castle. Cadance and Shining Armor locked horns in true love's embrace. Magic exploded out from them, the wave rolling over the entire city. It passed over Twilight and her friends with little effect on them, but it hit the magic of the elements and prompted it to explode in response.

Two waves crashed out over the city, titanic magic rippling outwards. Instead of banishing changelings all in one clean direction, they were battered, many simply struck down where they stood, others scattered in seemingly-random directions.

The princesses emerged from the castle and into the fresh air, studying the results of what had happened. They could only stare in surprise.

Celestia pressed her side against Luna's with a happy little sigh. "My lovely student." Her eyes were on Moondancer and her friends. "You got the elements. I would say you saved the day, but it seems, perhaps, that isn't entirely correct. Cadance and Shining Armor were busy saving it in their own way. I'm uncertain what would have happened if either of you had acted alone."

Twilight snuggled up to Moondancer, exchanging nuzzles with her before responding. "I don't know, your highness."

Chrysalis was nowhere to be seen, banished by the first wave to strike her, the true love wave.

Moondancer parted from Twilight to stand in front of Celestia. "We are proud to have been of service."

Celestia leaned in to gently touch her horn to Moondancer's. "And we are overjoyed to have you as delightful protectors. Now, hm. Perhaps we could finish that wedding that was so rudely interrupted?"

Shining Armor offered a hoof. "Heh, um, sure." He hugged his fiance close, prompting a giggle from her.

Twilight found time to fix her friends with a glare. "By the way, thanks for not having my back!"

Rainbow let out a nervous laugh. "You seemed kinda crazy at the time. Sorry."

Applejack rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah, uh, sorry about that, Twilight. I was kinda caught up in it."

Fluttershy walked to Applejack's side. "Yes, um, very sorry."

Twilight couldn't hold her anger for long, drawing her friends in for a big group hug. "Let's try to enjoy a wedding with the real Cadance, hm?"

Moondancer looked around at all the happy ponies and took a deep breath. A smile came to her face as she just let herself enjoy this moment. "Does this qualify as a friendship report?"

Celestia hiked a brow. "Moondancer, you silly mare. I dare say it does. Mmm, why don't you write about the effects of platonic love, otherwise known as friendship, and romantic love and their interactions?"

Many ponies would be upset at being given a report to write. Most ponies were not Moondancer, who smiled at the project. "With pleasure. And I'll let you know if I have any questions." She licked her lips as she considered that. "This sounds like an excellent topic."

Twilight smirked with knowing joy. "That's my best friend for you." She closed to touch noses with Moon. "If you need any help, I'm here, of course."

"You too." Moondancer offered a hoof.

The two trotted off together, grinning and chatting as they went about wedding preparations. But soon after the festivities started up, they escaped the party to settle into Moondancer's room and chat while enjoying one another's company.

Moondancer flopped to her side. "I'm tapped."

"Physically?" Twilight inclined her head. "Using the elements usually leaves me feeling almost, hm, what's the word? Energized?"

Moondancer weakly waved that off. "Not physically. Mentally. I'm tapped. Today was a lot. I love that you're here, but can we just be together quietly a little while?"

Twilight blushed, ducking her head. "Of course. We can even just call it a night if you want."

Moondancer carefully lifted herself from the ground and then sat in front of Twilight, both of them facing one another. They said nothing more, just being together. Their eyes weren't quite meeting, with Moondancer looking off at other things rather than Twilight, but it felt like more than enough.

A gentle wind blew in through the window. The sun had already set, but that wasn't much of an issue for Twilight, who lit up the room with a magical glow. It wasn't bright enough to be jarring, just soothing, an ambient light that covered the entire room.

Twilight jumped in surprise as Moondancer leaned forward and planted a kiss on her cheek. Moondancer mumbled, "It's been a long day."

Twilight didn't complain about this violation of her personal space. She hadn't realized just how much she'd needed that. "It sure has." She reached out her hooves and drew Moondancer closer. "Hungry?"

"Only for what I already have." Moondancer returned the embrace and the two flopped over together. "I want to hug you forever."

Twilight rolled her eyes. "If Pinkie were here, she'd make a five-ever joke, likely."

"She is not." Moon nuzzled into Twilight's neck. "Just us two."

Twilight snorted almost silently at being corrected on a fact she hadn't even intended, but she let that go. "You are a silly mare."

Outside, guards collected the changelings that had been sent to the ground. The others simply began flying off towards home. In fact, many of the changelings were hissing softly and dazed as they were loaded onto wagons to be taken to holding cells until they recovered from their ordeal.

Celestia had to consider what to do with the creatures. She walked down a long line of cells with groggy, but recovering, changelings. A few of them dared to hiss at her, but they were all locked away and helpless. They'd lost their collective power source in Shining Armor and Cadance's true love magic.

Chrysalis herself was still nowhere to be found, so they had no controlling presence. Celestia turned to look in one cage. "With your leader gone, what will you do?"

A male changeling fumbled to get up. "Our queen is gone?!" He blinked a few times. "We are sorry." He collapsed again. "The magic..."

Celestia considered it a moment longer before trotting away to a different cage. "Your queen is banished. What would you do?"

Another changeling didn't answer for several seconds. "Free?"

Celestia repeated, "Do you wish to be free? What would you do, if you were free?"

This changeling at least tried to respond with full sentences. "We go home. Work."

"Work?" Celestia stood up taller, considering that. "Where do you live?"

The changeling babbled a response, one of the only things he could manage in his groggy state. "Queen gives us food."

Celestia leaned in a little. "But your queen is gone. What would you do, if you were set free?"

A shiver went through the changeling. "Scavenge."

Celestia held still for just a moment as that fact sank in. She recalled what Chrysalis had told her about this species, that they fed on love and nothing else. "Mmm." She suddenly flashed a smile. "Who told you that you had to harm a creature to eat?"

The changeling looked baffled at the question. "The queen."

"She was defeated." Celestia turned a hoof upward. "Perhaps it is time to try a new way?"

A little whine came from the changeling. "But..." He took a deep breath and managed to stand up, staring right into Celestia's eyes. "My hunger."

"Food will come." Celestia reached through the bars to pat the changeling on the head. "If you show some trust."

Author's Note

And end arc! Things have change(ling)d.

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