Flurry Heart's Story: My Big Fat Pink Wedding

by AleximusPrime

Rating: everyone
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Flurry Heart, Romance, Cheese Sandwich, Queen Chrysalis, Adventure, Maud Pie, Pinkie Pie, Anthology
Length: 60687

Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich are preparing for their wedding, but not all is as it seems and Flurry Heart starts to wonder if there is another changeling invasion underway.

Everyone in Ponyville is preparing for the event of the summer: Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich's wedding! Unfortunately, Flurry starts to notice something just isn't right: Pinkie seems to be a little stressed out and not exactly herself. Perhaps Flurry is just a little apprehensive about the fact that her own parents had to deal with a changeling invasion in their wedding years ago. Twilight has the Changeling Necklace which helps her to see through changeling disguises, so everything should be fine, right? Also, why is Maud acting so weird?

Inspired by the official show, this is part of a fan-made sequel series I created called "Flurry Heart's Story", which documents the adventures of Flurry Heart as she makes friends and faces new and familiar villains, some of which may still be redeemable.

Next story: The Ghost of Grogar

Flurry Heart's Story and its author are in no way associated with Hasbro or any of the creative team behind My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. This series is entirely fan-made and is created in honor of the official show. No copyright infringement is intended or encouraged. Please support the official release.

Published 2023-06-10 16:10:02 UTC
Last updated 2023-12-03 20:00:02 UTC

2. Noticing Something is Off

The rehearsal took place at noon that day. All members of the wedding party were present to go through the run-down. Pinkie’s bridesmares included Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy and Rarity, as well as her sisters Limestone Pie and Marble Pie. Cheese had appointed Sans Smirk as his best stallion while he had several of his best friends and male party assistants as groomstallions. Maud Pie would be the Mare of Honor while Twilight Sparkle would be the officiant: a tradition for many weddings under Celestia’s reign that was now passed on to her. Guests of honor included the six teachers of the School of Friendship that were now wielding the Elements, all six Pillars of Equestria, Mr. and Mrs. Cake, Mudbriar, Buttercream, Prince Rutherford, Queen Novo, Princess Skystar, Starlight Glimmer, Trixie, Sunburst, King Shining Armor, Queen Cadance, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Not all the guests of honor were present at the rehearsal and some of Pinkie and Cheese’s relatives were also not there, but they would all be in the wedding the next day. Pound Cake was the ring-bearer and Pumpkin Cake, Annie Smith and Flurry Heart were all chosen to be flower girls. Chip and Stormy sat in seats in the back to watch with their remaining family members. The only pony missing was Rarity. The rest of them waited for her to arrive.

“Ugh! Where is she?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“She’ll be here in a minute, Dash,” Applejack replied.

“I hope she’s alright. Rarity’s had quite a lot to work with the dresses and all.”

Suddenly the doors to the town hall swung open and Rarity entered quickly, while panting and adjusting her glasses.

“Everypony, I am dreadfully sorry if I’m late!” she exclaimed as she gave a wink to all her fellow bridesmaids. “I nearly forgot the rehearsal was at noon. So much to prepare for, let me tell you. Anywho, let’s begin!”

“That’s alright, Rarity,” Twilight replied before clearing her throat. “Alright, everypony, thank you all for coming to the rehearsal. I’ve done many weddings in my time as princess so I should have this down by now. Here’s the order of things: at the start of the ceremony, the organ will begin to play and I enter to welcome everyone. After that, Cheese Sandwich will enter, followed by Maud Pie, Sans Smirk and the groomstallions and bridesmares flanking them. I will then give the opening remarks, which should last no longer than twenty minutes. Once we’re ready, we’ll sing a few hymns listed on the program. Flurry, Annie and Pumpkin will enter with the flowers and then Pinkie enters with her father and we will begin the ritual. I give the blessing and then Pound will enter from the side with the rings. I marry them and announce their unity and the recession starts. After they walk out, you are all free to get up and start leaving for the reception. With that all said, Pinkie and I agreed we can do just two rehearsals. We should be able to get them done quickly since I won’t be giving any speeches and we won’t be playing songs. We should be over within two hours, giving you all enough time to rest before the dinner. If you’re in the wedding party, please come up here so we can have you all get in place to start.”

All the ponies participating in the wedding got up to follow Twilight out of the door. A few minutes later, Twilight entered and they started the rehearsal. She directed everyone to their assigned positions and sped through it quite well. Finally, Flurry, Pumpkin and Annie came out as Chip and Stormy waved off to the side. They held baskets and pretended to spread flowers on the aisle. Pinkie and her father then entered holding arms. Cheese waited for her and they did a mock run-down of the marriage. Flurry stood off to the side with Pumpkin and Annie.

“It already feels like the real thing!” Pumpkin whispered into Flurry’s ear.

“Twilight’s doing such a great job with everything already,” Flurry said happily.

“Now Flurry, did Twilight marry Maud and Mudbriar a few years ago?” Annie asked.

“No, they had a local priest in the area near the rock farm do that, but Twilight officiated for Applejack and Rainbow Dash’s weddings. I think Applejack and Tex’s wedding was her first one. She did such a good job from what I was told.”

“Girls, shhh,” Applejack told them politely.

“Sorry, Mom,” Annie replied.

Flurry noticed Applejack and Rainbow Dash whispering to each other. Rainbow Dash then turned to whisper to Rarity who then turned to whisper to Fluttershy. Flurry didn’t think much of it until she looked in the crowd and saw the teachers and Pillars whispering as well. Some of them had somewhat devious smirks on their faces. Even her parents, Spike, Celestia and Luna seemed to be joining in on the rather clandestine behavior. Flurry didn’t seem that bothered by any of this, though it did make her rather curious as to what they were all up to. Pumpkin seemed to pick up on it as well.

“Gosh, lots’a whispering going on here,” she said.

“Yeah, I noticed the same thing,” Flurry concurred.

“It’s probably because it’s just the rehearsal, girls,” Annie told them. “Look, Stormy and Chip are over there whispering to each other.”

Annie pointed over to the boys. Flurry saw they were both whispering along with their fathers, though they weren’t as shifty about it as the others. Flurry just shrugged her shoulders and figured this was normal for rehearsals as Annie said.

Everyone went through the rehearsal twice and finished in a timely manner. After everyone left the town hall, there was still time to rest before the dinner, so Buttercream and Spike took the kids to Sweet Apple Acres to play some video games on Chip and Annie’s Tendonin Joybox in the living room while Tex sat in a recliner and watched them.

Stormy, Chip, Pumpkin and Pound were playing a match of Super Dragon Warriors, fighting as Smelt, Grumblebog, Buttercream and Grogar respectively. Chip won the match and everyone watched as Grumblebog gave his victory pose.

“ROUND COMPLETE! THE WINNER IS…GRUMBLEBOG!” shouted the announcer.

Grumblebog spewed fire in the air and flexed his muscles. In the background, Smelt clapped, Buttercream put on a cheerleader outfit and cheered Grumblebog, and Grogar stomped his hoof in anger.

“I expected a challenge!” Grumblebog said.

“WHOO-HOO CHIP!” Pumpkin cried, patting Chip on the back.

Suddenly, a silhouette of a large character with an axe and horns appeared on the screen as a siren sounded.

“WHAT’S THIS?! A NEW OPONENT HAS ENTERED THE ARENA!!”

“Oh my gosh! THAT’S BILLOW!!” shouted Buttercream.

“Billow? Who’s that?” asked Stormy.

“She’s the princess of the Southern Drakes! Nightwatch and I met her years ago! We helped her and the Southerns defeat this really cool robot called a Golem! Get her, Chip!”

Chip took a deep breath and got ready to fight. The silhouette faded in and a large, fat dragoness appeared that was a bit taller than Buttercream. She was orange with a yellow underbelly, red spikes and olive green eyes. Her horns curved up to form an S-shape similar to Tirek’s, but smaller. The axe she carried with her was double-sided and made out of a bluish crystal material. The countdown started and Chip began to mash the buttons on the controller.

“THREE, TWO, ONE, GOOOOO!”

Grumblebog ran towards Billow and began punching, kicking and swinging his tail at her, until she was knocked on the ground. She got back up and used her axe on Grumblebog, sending him flying back. He then took to the skies and flew right over her to do a body-slam that took down a significant part of her health bar.

“Almost there, Chip! You’ve got this!” Buttercream shouted.

Grumblebog had enough time while Billow was down to charge up his fire. When she got back up, he blew at her until her health bar dropped to zero and she fell over.

“NEW PLAYER ADDED! PRINCES BILLOW!”

“Hope you don’t mind I join the fight,” Billow said in a calm and sassy voice, as she swung her axe around with ease.

“YOU DID IT, CHIP!!” Buttercream said, picking Chip up and hugging him from behind.

“YES! Now we have another player!” Stormy shouted.

“She’s awesome! She’s like a good mix of Grumblebog and Smelt!” Pumpkin exclaimed.

“You kids and your video games,” Tex chuckled as he sat back in his recliner.

“Butter, do you think we could meet her someday?” Annie asked.

“I sure hope so! She’s kinda busy right now getting ready to be the new queen of Soder Dracos in a few years, but maybe I’ll see if I can get her to come over to visit.”

“Flurry, did you see we just unlocked a new player?” Pound asked.

Flurry was off to the side near a table, reading a section of the Journal of Friendship that talked about her parents’ wedding. She wasn’t paying enough attention to hear them talk about Billow.

“Flurry?”

“Huh? What?” she asked.

“We unlocked a new character, Flurry!” Stormy told her.

“Oh, nice! Sorry guys, I’m just reading up on Mom and Dad’s wedding.”

“Where’s Spike? I gotta tell him too! Spike?” Buttercream said, getting up to walk into the kitchen.

Spike was in the kitchen discussing things with Cadance, Shining Armor, and Applejack. Cadance and Spike appeared to be whispering to each other until Buttercream showed up.

“Spike, did I ever tell you about Princess Billow?” she asked her brother.

“Huh? Oh, yeah. I think you mentioned her once. She’s the princess of Soder Dracos, right?”

As they talked, Flurry returned to her journal. She read the page that documented the events of the Canterlot changeling invasion. She was disappointed to find that it didn’t say much about the wedding before Chrysalis revealed herself. The shiftiness of some of the attendees at the rehearsal earlier got her suspicious and she wondered if this sort of thing was happening at her parents’ wedding. It was a minor thing she noticed, but she couldn’t help but feel perhaps there was changeling activity at the wedding. She finally decided to get up and talk to her mother in the kitchen. As the rest of her friends continued playing the game and Spike and Buttercream talked, she walked past them to find her mother whispering to Applejack.

“Mom?” Flurry asked.

Applejack and Cadance turned their heads quickly in surprise. Their faces went from serious to happy right as they saw her.

“Yes, Flurry!” Cadance said.

“Hey, I’m reading up on the chapter in the journal about your wedding. Did you guys write this part?”

“The Canterlot Wedding? Oh, no, I think Twilight documented all of that way back after it happened.”

“Hmmm. Well she didn’t give so many details. What was it like when the changelings invaded?”

Applejack and Cadance glanced at each other momentarily. Cadance looked back to Flurry and walked over to a table to have a drink as she spoke.

“Well, dear, the changelings were all waiting for Queen Chrysalis on the inside. They couldn’t get through the shield, but she had already gotten in a few days prior. That was when she attacked me in my room and transported me to the crystal caverns.”

“So then Queen Chrysalis was the only changeling that actually did the infiltrating before the shield was broken?”

“That’s correct. We learned from Thorax that the changelings purposefully sent a threatening letter to attack the wedding a few days in advance after Chrysalis had entered Canterlot. We didn’t know it was from changelings, but it was enough to make Shining Armor up the security and use his shield spell.”

“I don’t get it. Why would the changelings send the threat on purpose?”

“I guess it was to make everyone think the threat was stopped the moment the shield went up. That would keep them from thinking Princess Cadance was actually a changeling all along and the real me was trapped underground. Also, Queen Chrysalis was able to use her magic to weaken his spell so the changelings would get in anyway. I guess she chose the smarter route. If they all just attacked like that, he would be able to put the spell up in the process and stop the invasion.”

“That makes sense. So Dad, how did you not notice it was Queen Chrysalis all along?”

Flurry turned to her father to see him whispering with Applejack.

“Shining?” Cadance said firmly.

Shining Armor turned around in shock and saw his wife giving him a stern look.

“Oh, sorry, what was that, kid?” he said, walking over to his daughter.

“I just wanted to know how you didn’t notice Mom was actually Queen Chrysalis before your wedding started.”

“Oh. Well, I mean you gotta understand: nobody knew what the changelings were up to at that time. Princess Celestia knew about Queen Chrysalis years before our wedding, but they hadn’t attacked Equestria yet. They just lived in the Badlands where Celestia had no jurisdiction, so naturally, no one expected a changeling attack during my own wedding. I noticed your mother… or rather Queen Chrysalis, was acting a little weird, but she told me she was just getting really stressed out over the threat and was worried about me with my migraines from the shield spell. The pony I thought was Cadance that whole time wasn’t acting like herself, but I also couldn’t really remember a lot of the arguments we had. She kept using that mind spell on me. It wasn’t just to soothe my pain; Queen Chrysalis was brain-washing me the entire time to forget about my fiancé’s odd behavior.”

“Is that why your eyes look all funny in this one photo?”

“Yeah. By the time the wedding was starting, I was completely mind-controlled. Thankfully your mother stepped in later and healed me.”

“Is there a reason you wanted to know all of this, Flurry?” asked Cadance.

“Not really. I just was curious. All this planning for Pinkie’s wedding got me wondering about the one you guys had to deal with. Are we sure Chrysalis won’t try to do anything to this one?”

“Nah. Your Auntie Twilight’s got this,” Shining said, patting his daughter on the back.

“Besides, have ya seen Pinkie behavin’ odd at all in the past few days?” asked Applejack.

“No. She’s been fine. I doubt Queen Chrysalis would even want to hug me like Pinkie did earlier.”

“Yeah, she barely even acknowledged Twilight when she first saw her, even though Cadance was Twilight’s babysitter,” Shining added.

“Case in point: that crazy queen is a terrible actress,” Applejack added. “I should’ve known it wasn’t the real Cadance when she didn’t appreciate my apple treats.”

“Well the good thing is, we stopped her and the wedding was able to continue,” Cadance said.

“And we couldn’t be happier,” Shining said, nuzzling up to his wife.

Flurry smiled at her parents as they rubbed noses tenderly. She thought perhaps she was overreacting by bringing up the changelings and Chrysalis. She took a sip of some apple cider Applejack offered her and sighed contently.

“You’re right,” she said. “Sorry if I sounded like I was getting all panicky, everypony. I guess I’m just really anxious for this wedding. It’s the most important one I’ve been to so far and I just really want everything to go perfectly fine.”

“Can’t put it past ya, kid,” Applejack said. “Nopony would want themselves a disaster of a wedding. I know me and Tex’s wedding was quite a lot of work and stress. And ya shoulda seen Rainbow Dash before she and Thunderhead got married. Hoo-ee, was she in a tizzy!”

“And I’m suddenly really curious how Twily’s gonna be when she’s got a wedding to plan someday!” Shining said as everyone started laughing.

As the wedding attendees took time off before the dinner, Pinkie and all her friends walked down the streets of Ponyville towards the Everfree Forest with some royal guards flanking them. Cheerilee walked past them as Pinkie hopped up and down.

“Pinkie Pie!” Cheerilee said to her, joyfully.

“Hey, Cheerilee!” Pinkie responded.

“Glad to hear about tomorrow! Can’t believe you’re already getting married!”

“I know, right?! I was wondering when this day would come! Well don’t mind me and my friends. We’re all just heading into the Everfree Forest to get to the new Tree of Harmony.”

“We wanted to all just have a little moment to reflect before tomorrow, and we figured the Tree was the best place to do it,” Twilight told Cheerilee.

“Oh, I know what you mean, Twilight. The Tree is such a calm and relaxing place. Well, good luck to you all tomorrow, and I hope you and Cheese Sandwich have a wonderful life together, Pinkie!”

“Thank you, Cheerilee! Catch ya later!”

Cheerilee waved to everyone and continued as they all walked on to the edge of town. They stopped at the house that the teachers, Gallus, Silverstream, Yona, Sandbar, Ocellus and Smolder lived in. Pinkie and Twilight saw several royal guards waiting for them. They all greeted the guards normally and then walked behind the house while the guards stood out front. Pinkie and her friends turned a corner and saw all of the teachers waiting for them.

“Oh good! You’re all here!” Pinkie said joyfully.

She then looked around to make sure there were no other ponies watching them. They walked on carefully into a small grove where there were several large carts carrying boxes being towed by some guards.

“Did we get them?” Pinkie whispered to the teachers.

“All of them, my queen,” replied Yona. “The yak put up a good fight, but we subdued her.”

“Excellent,” Pinkie said, sinisterly. “Also, don’t forget you’re supposed to speak in a broken accent.”

“Er…yes. Ahem…Yak so excited for Pink Pony’s wedding!”

The other teachers all giggled wickedly. Pinkie walked over to one of the carts and put her ear against the box. She heard a faint murmur inside, but sensed little to no motion.

“They’re still moaning, but barely squirming. Looks like the fluids have done their work already,” she said before turning to the rest of them. “Well now we have them all. Rarity and Spike have been replaced. Now all I need is that kiss and I will be unstoppable.”

“And Starlight Glimmer?” asked Rarity.

“Not her. I have something special planned for her.”

“And where is Elytra, by the way?” asked Applejack.

“Back at the town hall keeping busy. She and the others need to stay there to keep a close eye on the attendees.”

“Do you think we can trust her, my queen?” asked Fluttershy.

“Yeah, she’s not as loyal as the others,” added Rainbow Dash.

“She’ll be fine. That little one has a lot to learn. I’ve been wondering lately if she may have thought of defecting, but her disguise should keep her quiet. Once I have all my power and Equestria is all ours, Elytra will understand why we do what we do. She will not disappoint me.”

3. Flurry Suspects

As everyone prepared for the dinner taking place at the Ponyville Recreational Center, Discord made himself comfortable near Fluttershy’s cottage with some of her animal friends. He sat on a floating lawn chair with a pair of shades, while Angelica Bunny served him a cup of chocolate milk. He grabbed it with his tail and took a sip of the glass, leaving the milk behind in his hand. He then tossed it aside, causing a tiny explosion when it hit the ground.

“Discord?” called Flurry, as she flew in to meet him.

“Flurry Heart? What are you doing here? Aren’t they having a dinner right before the wedding tomorrow?”

“It’s not for another hour. Fluttershy told me you’d be here, so I just wanted to drop in to ask you something real quick.”

“Ah, I see.”

Discord snapped his fingers and made everything around him disappear. A notebook and pen appeared in his hands, and he was now wearing reading glasses and a tie.

“Well then, Princess. What pearls of wisdom do you need from me today? Got a problem ol’ Discord can iron out?”

“Well, not really a problem, I’m just a little worried about something with the wedding.”

“Uh oh. Pre-wedding drama. Sorry, Princess, but I’m not really good with that sort of thing. You’ll have to go ask Rainbow Dash or somepony.”

“No, it’s not drama, I’m just a bit skeptical about something. First of all, you weren’t around when the Canterlot wedding invasion happened, were you?”

“Nope. I was a stone statue at that time, waiting for the ponies to release me and for Fluttershy to start me on my path to redemption. I’m sure you know the rest.”

“Alright, well what about the second changeling invasion? From what I remember, you weren’t captured right away like the others were.”

“Correct. Chrysalis hid out in her fortress and I unfortunately couldn’t use my powers since it blocked all magic. Starlight, Trixie, Thorax and I went in and were captured then, but thank goodness it all worked out. Had it not been for our heroic little quartet, she would have won that day.”

“But they still managed to replace a lot of ponies. Mom, Dad and I were all captured and put in some of those gross harvesting pods. I obviously don’t remember it, but it’s just crazy to know I was one of them.”

“Yes, it wasn’t the most glamorous of experiences; I’ll say that much.”

“So…what if I were to tell you…”

Flurry paused for a second. Discord turned around and looked at her quizzically.

“Yes?”

“What if I were to tell you…I have a feeling there might be changeling activity at the wedding?”

“Oh? What makes you think that?”

“Well a lot of the attendees are acting weird. They were whispering a lot during the rehearsal. Even my mom and Applejack were doing it at home.”

“That’s it? That’s your reason for thinking there are changelings at the wedding? Oh, come now, Princess. Everypony whispers.”

“I know, but it just felt weird. A lot of them were doing it. They were also smirking, like they’re up to something.”

“Well sorry, but you haven’t convinced me.”

“But Discord, if something does happen and Chrysalis is trying to hijack this wedding, you’d step in and help stop her, right?”

“I’m actually not attending the wedding.”

“Yeah, Mom said you weren’t at Applejack or Rainbow Dash’s weddings either. Why not?”

“Weddings just aren’t my thing. Of course I’m happy for Pinkie and Cheese and I’m sure they’ll make plenty of beautiful foals, but I have personally decided to steer clear of such gatherings. The Lord of Chaos isn’t exactly welcome in all corners of Equestria, you know. I tend to have a habit of turning things upside down wherever I go, and I’d hate to ruin their big day. About the only wedding I probably will attend is Fluttershy’s, and even then, any stallion will be lucky to get to her through me first.”

A life-sized cardboard cut-out of Fluttershy appeared next to Discord. A blank, grey stallion-shaped one with a question mark on its face appeared on the other side. Discord stood between the two of them, wearing a suit, sunglasses and a curly cord attached to his ear. He scanned the stallion cut-out with a metal detector.

“You’re all clear, Lover-boy, but I’m warning you: anything beyond a kiss on the cheek will earn you one full year in Tartarus!” he sternly told the stallion cut-out, as it spread its wings and flew off with the Fluttershy cut-out.

“Alright, so you won’t be at the wedding, but again, if Chrysalis did do something, you’d help, right?”

“Let me think… No.”

“What? Discord!”

“Now, Flurry Heart, I’ve been approached about this sort of thing before, and honestly, ponies say the same thing every time: ‘Where’s Discord when you need him?’ ‘Why doesn’t Discord step in?’ ‘You know Discord could just use his powers to stop this villain, right?’ Like, sweet mother of Twilight Sparkle! Read a book, people! It’s almost as annoying as those fools that think the Spirit of Harmony should always intervene every time something happens!”

“But you stepped in with the Sorceress not too long ago.”

“I know, and that’s what got me thinking about all this. I wasn’t much help once I figured out she was Cozy Glow, even though I did get her to Canterlot, but that was about it. Look, I’m tired of being the hero in some of these events. I’m too overpowered, and there comes a time when you ponies need to figure out how to solve these problems yourselves. Otherwise, what is the point of learning a lesson if a creature of chaos just does it all for you?”

“But-”

“Besides, I just spoke with Pinkie earlier and she seemed like her own regular, energetic, life-loving self. Do you really think Chrysalis is disguising herself as Pinkie right now?”

“Well…no, I guess not. She seems fine to me too.”

“Precisely. Perhaps you’re just overreacting?”

Flurry closed her eyes and sighed deeply.

“Alright, fine. I guess I am getting a little worked up over nothing. I just really hope this doesn’t turn out like my parents’ wedding.”

“That’s better. Now run along. Don’t wanna be late for that dinner. Aren’t you giving a speech tonight?”

“Yeah. I’m actually quite excited to give it.”

“Well then let’s turn that frown upside down and go make some ponies smile. Ta-ta!”

Discord put his fingers on the corners of Flurry’s lips and forced a smile on her face. He then flew off, waving before disappearing. Flurry sighed again.

“Well he wasn’t much help. Still, he’s right: I just need to relax. It’s fine, Flurry. Nothing bad is going to happen. There are no changelings at this wedding besides Ocellus. Oh and then Thorax is coming with an entourage I heard. Yeah, I’m sure everyone’s got this under control.”

Unfortunately, things only got worse for Flurry as she walked to the rec center for the dinner. She noticed royal guards had erected large plates of the magic-canceling mineral that came from Chrysalis’s throne all across Ponyville. This material could stop any magic in vicinity, with the exception of changelings, so Flurry wondered what the need was for them. She decided to ask one of the guards what was going on.

“Excuse me, sirs,” she politely asked one.

“Huh? Oh, Princess Flurry Heart! Is there anything we can do for you?” the guard asked, nervously.

“Yeah, I don’t mean to be inquisitive, but is there a reason why we’re using the magic-canceling rocks all over town?”

“Uh…well Princess Twilight ordered that we do this for the safety of the wedding.”

“Yeah, but doesn’t that not work on changelings?”

“That would be correct, Princess, but we’ve already taken all precautions with changelings. These are meant to shield against other magic-users that could cause trouble.”

“Oh. Well I guess that makes sense. Sorry, I was just curious.”

“That’s alright, Princess. Have fun at the dinner.”

“Thank you!”

Flurry returned to her walk but noticed how a few of the guards whispered to each other, glaring at her as she went. Her suspicions began to grow again, but she was interrupted as soon as she saw Buttercream at the front entrance of the rec center.

“Flurry! There you are!” Buttercream called.

“Butter, hey. Is everyone else there?”

“Sure are! You ready for your speech?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I guess I’m just a little nervous is all.”

“Well that’s understandable. This is a huge event. Anyway, let’s go inside and find your friends.”

During the dinner, all the attendees sat at their tables and talked amongst each other in the cafeteria of the rec center. Some of them chose to stand and walk about to speak with friends. Pinkie and Cheese stood by the food table and conversed with relatives. Cheese had Sans Smirk with him, but Maud was off to the side, speaking with King Thorax.

“Hello, you’re King Thorax, right?” she asked the tall changeling.

“That’s correct. Oh, you must be the mare of honor, Maud Pie!”

“Yeah, that’s me.”

“It’s great to finally meet you, Maud. Pinkie’s said great things about you.”

“That makes sense. My sister and I are pretty close.”

“Are you happy she’s finally…how do some ponies put it… tying the knot?”

“I couldn’t be happier for her. To be honest, I was waiting for her and Cheese to do this for a while now.”

“Hehe. Pinkie and Cheese do make an amazing couple for sure. I’m glad I could attend this wedding.”

“Yeah. Anyway, this is an off-topic question, but how exactly did you go from looking like how evil changelings do to looking like this?”

“Oh, well changelings all start off in their ‘black’ forms with holes in their legs and an unending appetite for love. When I transformed, and I had no idea I would, I simply shared my love and then entered a cocoon. Before you knew it, I came out looking like this.”

“So as soon as you turned good, you transformed?”

“Not exactly. The process takes some time. I had wanted to betray Chrysalis for quite some time, even before the Canterlot invasion. Even when I left the hive, I still had a ways to go. After the Crystal Empire pardoned me, my wings grew sparkly. The transformation didn’t happen until Starlight encouraged me to share love while we were infiltrating the changeling castle. I can’t really explain how the transformation is possible, but it’s a feeling like no other. After I came out all new, with no more holes, I felt so much better. All the other changelings around me did the same. I guess they had the same thing on their mind: they were tired of stealing love and working for an evil queen. We wanted freedom and to share love with ponies.”

Maud looked deep in thought as Thorax spoke. Her eyes wandered about and she stroked her chin.

“Sparkling wings. Interesting,” she said.

“Have you been studying changeling culture lately?”

“Uh…no, I was just curious. I’m still just a geologist.”

Meanwhile, at Flurry’s table, she sat with Spike, Buttercream, and all her friends. They chatted amongst each other and ate their food, but Flurry had only a piece of bred and a cup of water. Pound was worried about her and finally spoke up.

“Flurry, is everything alright?”

“I guess.”

“Seriously, you only got bread and haven’t touched it yet,” Stormy added.

“Flurry, why so down?” Pumpkin asked.

“I’m just a little scared is all.”

“Scared? Of what? The speech?” Chip asked.

“It’s okay, Flurry. I always get nervous when I speak in public too,” Annie added.

“It’s not the speech, guys.”

“Then what is it?” asked Spike.

“You’re gonna think I’m crazy…”

“Come on, Flurry. You can tell us,” Buttercream said.

“It’s just…I…I dunno, guys. I was really excited for this wedding, but I can’t help but feel…”

“Feel what?” asked Spike.

“Feel…like it’s been hijacked by changelings.”

“Changelings?!” Stormy said before Spike put his hand over his mouth.

“SHHH! Stormy, let’s not talk too loudly about that,” he said. “Flurry, Twilight’s got everything under control. I promise you.”

“I know, but there’s a lot of weird things I keep seeing. Some of the attendees keep whispering like they’re keeping secrets. I know ponies whisper a lot, but it’s not just that. Did you also notice all those magic-canceling rocks they’re putting around Ponyville?”

“Yeah, Twilight ordered we do that so we can protect the wedding from any villains.”

“I know that, Spike. But what if it’s because the guards are changelings and they’re using those rocks to prevent us from using our magic? Those rocks don’t even affect changeling magic!”

“Flurry, Flurry, calm down,” Pound said, putting his hoof on her shoulder as she panted a little. “Did you talk about this to anyone else?”

“Yeah, just Discord, but he says he’s not going to help cuz he wants us to learn to solve all the problems. I get what he means, but come on!”

Flurry then realized how much she was overreacting and calmed herself down before apologizing.

“I’m sorry, guys. I didn’t mean to freak out, but I just really want this wedding to go perfectly. We’ve been planning it for weeks now and I’d hate to see the changelings attack.”

“Maybe you should go talk to Pinkie over there,” Pumpkin said as she pointed to Pinkie.

“Maybe. Pinkie’s been fine thankfully.”

“Do it, Flurry. Pinkie will cheer you right up,” Buttercream told her.

“Alright. I’ll give it a try. I can’t be like this before I give my speech.”

Flurry hopped own from her seat and made her way to the food table to speak with Pinkie. Everyone else then looked at each other to discuss what just happened.

“Poor Flurry. I hope she doesn’t let it get to her,” Annie said.

“Was anypony like this at Cadance and Shining Armor’s wedding?” Stormy asked.

“One of us was,” Spike explained. “You should’ve seen Twilight when she walked in during the rehearsal. We all thought she was going insane, but now that we know Cadance was actually Chrysalis in disguise, I feel bad not taking her side. But that was years ago when no one knew what the changelings were up to. Trust me, guys; the wedding is foolproof. Twilight’s taken all kinds of precautions to make sure we don’t have any changelings using their disguises. Right now only Ocellus, King Thorax and a few of his attendants are here.”

As they spoke, Flurry walked over towards Pinkie. She was in the middle of talking with Cheese’s parents and Sans Smirk, so Flurry had to wait a bit.

“Well Pinkie, we were waiting for our little Cheese to find his sweetheart one day, and we’re just so happy he found you,” Cheese’s mother said.

“We knew there was another party pony out there for him,” his father remarked.

“And I never would’ve discovered I was a party pony if it weren’t for her,” Cheese said as he nuzzled up to his fiancé.

“Dawww!” Pinkie said, nuzzling him back.

“I must admit, when she walked in to the factory, I had no idea she’d be the one he’d be married to years later,” said Sans Smirk. “And I am honored you have chosen me to be the best stallion, sir.”

“And the best part is, I finally finished the song I was going to use to propose to her,” Cheese continued. “I couldn’t finish it back then, but she helped me finish the lyrics. It sounds better than I intended!”

“What’s the name of the song, sir?”

“We titled it How Did I Get So Lucky. It’s sure to be a hit at the reception, but maybe we could sing a bit right now, Sweetie Pie?”

“Sing it now?” Pinkie said, looking rather shocked.

“Sure, why not?”

Cheese cleared his throat and started.

“How did I get so lucky? How’d this happen to me? Come on, honey!”

“Uh…maybe we should wait for the reception, Cheesie?”

“Naw! Mom and Dad really wanted us to sing a few bars tonight!”

Cheese continued singing, while Pinkie looked nervous. Flurry had been smiling the entire time she listened to them, but now she noticed how strange Pinkie was acting.

“You were sent from above me. Luck had nothing to do with it, now I see, we were meant to-”

“Uh, Cheesie?” Pinkie interrupted.

“Yeah?”

“Sorry. Can you guys excuse us for a second?”

Before any of them could respond, Pinkie led her fiancé off to a secluded area. Flurry ducked down and crawled underneath some tables to follow them. Pinkie took Cheese into a nearby room. She shut the door behind her, but it bounced back open, allowing Flurry to hear what they were saying.

“Pinkie, what’s the matter?” Cheese asked.

“Cheese, I dunno, I just…I can’t sing the song right now.”

“Why not? You said you wanted to tonight for my parents. They haven’t heard any of it yet.”

“I did…er, oh yeah. Well, I can’t.”

“Is something wrong?”

“No. Nothing’s wrong.”

“Come on. Talk to me. You’re acting rather strangely.”

“Cheese…just…just look me in the eyes.”

“What?”

Flurry then saw a green flash of light come from the room they were in. Cheese started moaning like he had been hurt.

“Ugggggghhhhh…what…what happened?”

“Are you okay, Cheesie?”

“My head feels weird. What were we just talking about?”

“Nothing. Everything’s fine. Come on, let’s go back out! There are still plenty of ponies that want to talk to us!”

“Um…okay…”

Flurry quickly leapt behind a potted plant and watched as Pinkie left the room, hopping along, joyfully. What Flurry saw next shocked her: Cheese looked very tired and the sclera in his his eyes were milky and greenish. She suddenly remembered seeing a photo from her parents’ wedding where her father had the same look in his eyes. That photo was taken while Queen Chrysalis had her disguise up, and the real Cadance had yet to appear. It all made sense now: this wedding was a changeling invasion, and Pinkie Pie was actually Queen Chrysalis in disguise!

Meanwhile, Twilight stood on the other end of the cafeteria, talking with some of her friends. They were in the middle of laughing about something, until Twilight noticed something out of the corner of her eye: it was Flurry rushing through the crowd to get out the front entrance. She appeared very distressed.

“Flurry Heart?” Twilight said, before turning back to her friends. “Girls, could you excuse me for just a second?”

“You got it, Twi,” Rainbow Dash told her.

Twilight walked quickly in Flurry’s direction and watched as she pushed against a door that said “PULL” on the inside. Flurry then stood back and used her magic to pull the door open and rushed back out.

“Flurry Heart!” Twilight called to her, but Flurry could not hear her under the murmuring of the crowd.

Flurry ran over to a nearby railing and put her hooves on top while breathing deeply.

“I…I can’t believe it!” she yelped. “It’s Chrysalis! She’s Chrysalis! She really did take this wedding after all!”

“Flurry, is everything alright?”

“AGH! Twilight!”

“What happened to you?”

“Twilight…I…”

“Flurry, it’s alright. I’m here for you.”

Twilight put her wing around her niece and held her close. Flurry was still panting and wailing.

“Can you tell me what the problem is?”

“Twilight, it’s…there’s too much going on at this wedding that looks like…”

“Like what?”

“Twilight…I think we have a changeling invasion going on and I think Pinkie Pie is actually Queen Chrysalis!”

Twilight stared at Flurry in horror. She then turned back through the window to the cafeteria and looked sternly at the crowd.

“Let me check on that.”

Twilight opened the doors to the entrance and tapped the necklace she wore. It shone brightly and her eyes turned green. She then scanned the entire cafeteria with green rays emitting from her eyes. Her head panned across the entire room as Flurry watched. After she was done, she sighed with relief.

“Flurry, it’s alright. I just used the Changeling Necklace to scan the room. The only changelings here are Ocellus, Thorax, Kabuto, Carapace, Antenna, Pronotum, Tarsus and Tibia. There isn’t a black changeling in sight.”

“Er…are you sure? Even Pinkie?”

“Even Pinkie. She’s fine.”

Flurry sat down, disappointed. She just lost her mind over nothing and felt very embarrassed in front of Twilight.

“I’m sorry, Twilight.”

“It’s all right, Flurry. I know you want this wedding to go as planned. What got you thinking she was Chrysalis?”

“I…maybe I was just going crazy. He wanted her to sing that song they came up with for the reception in front of his parents, but she wouldn’t do it, so they went into this room and there was a green flash of light and he came out with his eyes looking all green and weird. I thought it was that spell my parents told me about that Chrysalis used on Dad before the wedding. I’m also seeing a lot of ponies act really suspicious. They keep whispering to each other. Oh, and then there’s the magic-cancelling rocks all over town. Do we really need those?”

“Oh yes. I’ve been warned that there could be attacks from other magic-users that may want to disrupt events that I or any other Elements of Harmony attend,” Twilight said as she pointed to some of her guards pulling one of the rocks in a cart outside. “We gathered up large portions of Chrysalis’s throne and are using them to create a temporary shield around the perimeter of town. The guards are also ready in case an intruder comes in that isn’t using magic.”

“Oh.”

“As for the whispering: I’ve noticed a lot of that too. Honestly, Flurry, I can’t explain that or what you saw with Pinkie and Cheese, but the necklace doesn’t lie. It’s been tested before. I’m guessing Pinkie just had a moment back there. She’s always really happy, but I’ve seen her get stressed out before. Weddings can be very stressful. Applejack spent a ton of time making sure her wedding with Tex would go perfectly, but a while later, Rainbow Dash didn’t really spend enough time doing it. The latter resulted in a pretty stressful wedding for her, but thank goodness Pinkie and the rest of us were there to help plan things at the last minute. She and Thunderhead were wed and everything went smoothly in the end.”

“So Discord was right and it’s just casual wedding stress. Boy am I losing it.”

“Flurry, don’t be hard on yourself. I did this same thing back when your parents were getting married too, only I was much worse.”

“Yeah, but Chrysalis actually was in that wedding.”

“But the changelings had yet to make a move, so none of us suspected that. I may have been right, but I was still irrational. I thought the real Princess Cadance had turned evil; I didn’t even know she was a changeling queen. You’re looking out for your friend. I understand.”

“I still feel anxious though; especially about the thing with Pinkie and Cheese.”

“Tell you what: why don’t you ask Pinkie to recall something that only the real Pinkie Pie would know; perhaps a memory that you and her both share that Chrysalis isn’t aware of?”

“Okay. I think I have a good one to use now that I think about it.”

“I’ll do opening remarks before you start so you have time to get ready.”

“Thanks. I’d appreciate that.”

Flurry then trudged back into the cafeteria, making her way to the table with all her friends. She sat down next to Pound as everyone looked at her.

“So…did you talk to Pinkie?” he asked.

“No, I talked to Twilight. It’s okay, guys. I was wrong about the changelings. Twilight used her necklace to check. I just have one more thing I need to do during my speech. I have a special question to ask Pinkie; then I’ll know everything is fine.”

4. The Secret is Revealed

Flurry waited nervously at her table for the speeches to start. She saw Twilight walking up on stage. Some attendees began to cheer, until everyone else joined in. Flurry sat upright and took a deep breath as Twilight began.

“Thank you, everypony!” she called as the crowd stopped to let her speak. “I hope you all are having a wonderful time preparing for this wedding. I want to start off first by thanking everyone that has made this wedding possible: to all of you for attending; to the mayor and all her staff for helping prepare things back at the town hall; to the staff of the Ponyville Recreational Center for letting us rent it for this dinner and the reception; to all members of both the Pie and Sandwich families for their contributions and roles in the wedding; to each of the members of the Pillars of Equestria order as well as our current Element of Harmony-wielding teachers of the School of Friendship; to the Cake family for baking the wedding cake; to my friend Rarity for helping with Pinkie’s dress; to all my other friends who are serving as bridesmares; to all of Cheese’s friends serving as groomstallions; to Pound Cake, our ring-bearer; to our flower girls, Annie Smith, Pumpkin Cake and my niece Flurry Heart; and last but not least: to my long-time friend, Pinkie Pie and her fiancé Cheese Sandwich for all the amazing things you’ve done for us and deciding to tie the knot so we can all be here to enjoy this momentous occasion.”

Everyone got up and cheered loudly as Pinkie and Cheese stood up and waved to them. Flurry still had a lot on her mind, but she smiled and went airborne with all the other winged attendees and clapped her hooves together.

“She just looks so happy now,” Flurry thought to herself as she watched Pinkie. “And Cheese’s eyes are back to normal. Maybe I was just seeing things with whatever happened between them earlier. There’s no way that can be Chrysalis. Still…I’ve got to prove it to everyone. This is the only chance I’ll get, so I might as well do it now.”

“Before I hand it over to Flurry Heart, I want to share with you all a little story about how I met the bride,” Twilight continued. “Most of you know that before I came to Ponyville back when Nightmare Moon returned, I wasn’t the friendliest of ponies. When I landed in Ponyville, believe it or not, the first one I spoke to was Pinkie Pie. See, I was really nervous to meet new ponies and I wasn’t too happy that Princess Celestia was making me go into this little old town to make friends. It was the last thing I wanted to do, but of course I can always count on Spike to push me in the right direction, so he just told me to give it a try and talk to somepony. So this random pink girl comes up and stops in front of us, and I was just like ‘Um…hello?’ and she just gasped so hard and then ran off to plan a welcome party for me. I of course didn’t think much of it and just went on to get the Summer Sun Celebration ready. So anyway, to make a long story short, we all know Nightmare Moon came in right after that and my friends and I had to go find the Elements in the old castle…”

As Twilight continued, Flurry sat, deep in thought. She couldn’t get her mind off of everything she had seen today that got her thinking about a possible changeling takeover. She glanced at Pinkie every so often and kept seeing the same thing: Pinkie was happy as ever. Flurry also didn’t see the whispering happening anymore, but what was happening with the magic-canceling rocks being erected outside still had her concerned. She looked over to a nearby table with her parents and Starswirl present. They all smiled at her and she smiled back. She then heard everyone applauding and realized Twilight had finished her speech.

“And now, my niece Flurry Heart has a few words she would like to share with you. Come on up, Flurry!”

Everyone cheered for Flurry as she smiled and hopped down from her chair. She walked down an aisle to the stage and gave Twilight a hug. Twilight then left the stage for Flurry to start.

“Hello, everypony,” Flurry said before the microphone blared for a second and everyone laughed. “Whoa. Hehe. Anyway, I couldn’t be happier to be here, seeing one of my oldest friends getting married to the stallion of her dreams. I don’t remember much of my first moments with her sadly since I was just a baby, but I still don’t believe Mom and Dad when they tell me I blew a hole through our castle with my horn while sneezing, so I guess anything could have happened that day.”

The audience laughed for a few seconds as Flurry laughed with them.

“It took us forever to fix that!” Shining called back to her, jokingly.

“Hehe. Thanks, Dad. Well throughout my childhood, I never forgot my sweet Auntie Pinkie. She’d always bring sweets and presents whenever she’d visit us in the Crystal Empire and she never once missed throwing a huge birthday party for me. She’d bring Cheese along with her most of the time, and I still remember what it was like when she surprised me to let me know they were dating several years ago. You can imagine my surprise when they were engaged recently. I was so happy; I already started having visions in my head of what tomorrow’s wedding would be like. But perhaps one of my fondest memories of her is when we became ‘matching bow mares’. That’s right; this bow I wear is the same color as the one she wears, and it’s no coincidence.”

Flurry took a deep breath before continuing. She looked at her friend in the audience and finally took her chance to prove this was the real Pinkie Pie.

“In fact…you know what, Pinkie, you tell this story way better than I do. Mind letting everyone know how it happened?”

“Of course, Flurry!” Pinkie exclaimed as she stood up in her chair and everyone turned to her.

“Ya see, when Flurry was just a little cutie, patootie, foal, she wore these diapers that were the same color as the bows we now have, and I was like ‘Awww, that color goes so well with her!’, and when she got too old for diapers, I kinda missed it! Anyway, I went out shopping one day and I found some really nice ribbons in a craft shop that were the exact same color, and I had a brilliant idea, so I bought the ribbon and fixed it up a little, and then I gave it to her one Hearth’s Warming Day, but what she didn’t know was I had one made for myself too, cuz, like, it was just so cute and I thought I’d also look cute in a bow, so I’ve been wearing it ever since! I came up with the term ‘matching bow mare’ for Flurry and I say it every time we meet!”

“Awww!” said some of the audience.

Flurry smiled as Pinkie kept talking and everyone cheered when she sat back down. A small tear formed in Flurry’s eye and she wiped it away. Now she knew for sure this was the real Pinkie Pie. Queen Chrysalis couldn’t possibly know that detail about their lives and recite it so effectively. Flurry closed her eyes and sighed contently.

“Thanks, Pinkie,” she said, tenderly. “I still wear this bow because it makes me happy, knowing the love and care that was put into it from the pony that gave it to me. Well everyone, if there’s one thing Pinkie has taught me, it’s that every cloud does have a silver lining. Whenever I’m sad, I try to imagine being her and just go with it and smile. It’s helped me get through tough times with my schooling and other similar adversities I’ve faced recently. I think part of why I’m so positive about things is because of her in my life. I see the same thing in Cheese Sandwich. He’s had the exact same effect on me, and he’s a perfect match for you, Pinkie. I was so overjoyed when Cheese told us he was going to propose to you last month and we started planning it all out. Even though he didn’t get to propose the way he wanted, it still made you the happiest I’ve ever seen you when he finally did propose. I’ve been looking forward to this wedding so much, and I pray you will both have a safe and prosperous marriage. Thank you.”

Everyone stood up and applauded Flurry. More tears formed in her eyes as she wiped them away. She took a curtsy and walked off stage, as Twilight walked on stage to introduce the next speaker. Flurry walked over to Pinkie to hug her before going back to her own table.

“Thank you, Flurry!” Pinkie said.

“Any time, Matching-Bow-Mare,” Flurry replied, gratefully.

Flurry sat back down at her table next to Pound. Everyone looked at her as she smiled.

“Feel better now?” he asked her.

“Much better,” Flurry responded.

“See, I told you everything was all right,” Spike said.

“You’re right, Spike. I don’t know what I was thinking. This wedding is going to be just fine.”

As they spoke, Twilight had finished announcing the next speaker. She walked down from the stage and off to the side behind her guards. Pinkie walked over next to her. They smiled and hugged each other before turning around so no one would see them. The guards moved in closer to keep them obscured.

“What was that all about?” Pinkie whispered angrily through the side of her mouth.

“We need to move in on the princess next. I think she knows,” Twilight replied.

“Does she now?”

Pinkie turned her head halfway around and peered through the guards to see Flurry. She grimaced at the sight of the little filly.

“I should have disposed of her when I had the chance.”

The dinner finished with several more attendees giving eloquent speeches. After they were finished, everyone exited the rec center and the staff prepared it for the reception the next day. All of Flurry’s friends went home with their parents, while Buttercream took Flurry home. Spike had to stay behind for volunteer duties with cleanup.

“Flurry, your speech was beautiful!” Buttercream complimented.

“Thanks, Butter. Sorry I was getting all worked up like that. I’m glad to know Pinkie’s fine now. I had this weird feeling she was Chrysalis.”

“What exactly made you think she was Chrysalis?”

“Eh, don’t worry about it. Probably just my imagination.”

“Yeah, probably. Well anyway, I’m pumped for this wedding tomorrow cuz it’s the first one I’ve been to in years! I wish I’d have known about it earlier, or I could’ve helped with the cake, but I’m sure Pound and Pumpkin’s parents can handle it just fine.”

“Yeah, the Cakes really know their stuff. It’s going to look amazing and taste excellent!”

“Hey, Flurry? Buttercream?” said a monotone voice.

Flurry and Buttercream turned around to see Maud Pie standing behind them.

“Oh, hey, Maud!” Buttercream said, waving, as they walked to her.

“Hey, Maud,” said Flurry. “Shouldn’t you be helping the others out?”

“I just have to do something over at the town hall. I hate to ask, but would you girls mind helping out with something in the basement real quick? It’s just over this way.”

“Oh sure. I was just taking Flurry back to the palace for the night, but we can drop in,” said Buttercream.

“What is it you need help with, Maud?” Flurry asked.

“You’ll see when we get there.”

Maud walked over to the town hall. Flurry and Buttercream looked at each other questioningly. They just shrugged their shoulders and followed her in. Maud took them through the front doors and to a door off to the side where it would lead to the cellar. The lights were off in the building, but the doors were somehow still unlocked. Maud turned the light on and they went down a flight of stairs. The room they were in was a large storage room with random cabinets and boxes. Flurry and Buttercream looked around to see what Maud was talking about.

“So what didja need, Maud?” Buttercream asked.

“Hold on one second,” Maud said as she walked back up the stairs to make sure the door was closed.

Flurry and Buttercream watched in confusion, as Maud began breathing heavily and rushing all over the place. She checked each of the cellar windows to make sure no one was looking through them. Her eyes were opened wider than she would ever show, and the pitch in her voice went too high for Maud’s range of speaking.

“Is there anyone else in here?” she asked, frantically. “Okay, I think we’re good.”

“Maud, are you alright?” Buttercream asked.

“Yeah, you’re never like this!” Flurry said.

Maud ran in front of them, tossed her glasses aside and undid her hair bun.

“Girls, I’m not Maud Pie! I’m a changeling!”

This statement hit Flurry hard. Her heart immediately pounded in her chest and she covered her mouth while gasping.

“WHAT?!” shouted Buttercream.

A green aura slowly zoomed down Maud’s body to reveal a female changeling drone with yellow eyes. Her head frill and back carapace were orange, and her wings were sparkly, as if they had hundreds of tiny jewels on them.

“I knew it! There are changelings at this wedding!” Flurry said, angrily.

“Flurry, let’s go get Twili-”

“NO!” shouted the changeling as she covered both their mouths. “Please, I just want to help! I promise!”

The changeling put her hooves away from them and they stood still. It was now evident that this changeling was obviously a defective one. Flurry recalled being told how Thorax’s wings were sparkly after he had joined the crystal ponies when he was still a black changeling. This changeling was not here to hurt them. Instead, she looked helpless and sympathetic.

“Look, my name is Elytra. I was ordered to mimic Maud Pie at this wedding, but I’m defecting as of right now.”

“So…so you’re with us then?” Buttercream asked.

“Yes. I’ve been wanting to do this for years.”

“So there was a changeling. What about Pinkie?” Flurry asked.

“She’s a changeling too. Queen Chrysalis is mimicking her to get love magic from Cheese Sandwich just like she did with your parents.”

“What?! But that’s not possible! Twilight said she scanned the whole room for black changelings!”

“Flurry, don’t you get it? That Twilight Sparkle is a changeling! She’s General Scutellum in disguise!”

“Then…then he must’ve taken the teachers too. He saw them use the Elements against him a while ago. Are any of Twilight’s friends or the Pillars around?”

“No. Everyone who ever used the Elements of Harmony has been kidnapped and replaced with changelings. Twilight’s group, the Pillars, the teachers, Princess Celestia and Luna…even your parents.”

“N-no…”

Flurry sat down with tears in her eyes, as Buttercream tended to her.

“Please don’t tell me my friends were taken…” she cried.

“The little ones? No, they’re all right. Chrysalis didn’t see them as a threat.”

“Well…that’s at least good to know.”

“What about the guards? Them too?” Buttercream asked.

“Them too,” Elytra replied.

“How…” asked Flurry. “How is this happening? Everything Pinkie said earlier…she knew the story of how we became matching-bow-mares. There’s no way that can be Queen Chrysalis. Even Twilight was acting like her normal self. So were Mom and Dad! Everyone was!”

“It’s because of the memory-transfer spell we changelings have learned. General Scutellum figured it out after the Queen’s imprisonment years ago and he taught it to her after she regrouped with us last month.”

“Oh…a memory-transfer spell. That explains why Scutellum was able to read my mind to figure out where the Tree of Harmony was back when I first met him. He was using that same spell.”

“That’s right. We’ve all been using it for the past day or two. Scutellum attacked Twilight the other night first, so he could get the changeling necklace and pretend Twilight knows everything is fine. The spell is so effective; we can mimic the subject almost perfectly. Changelings seem to be evolving with their powers. I had to use it on Maud to get her memories earlier. I feel so horrible for it. I’ve been fooling her husband Mudbriar this entire time.”

“Do the creatures you get the memories from lose theirs?” asked Buttercream.

“Thankfully, no. The spell only copies the memories and we lose them once we copy another creature’s memories.”

“If General Scutellum has Twilight’s memories…he already knows a lot of sensitive information about Equestria’s national security. This isn’t good,” Flurry said, forlornly.

“We need to get help,” Buttercream said, standing up. “I know the leaders of several dragon nations. If I fly off now, I can get them.”

“What we need first is to rescue Cheese,” said Elytra. “If the Queen gets that kiss from him tomorrow at the height of the wedding, it will all be over.”

“What happens if she gets the kiss?” asked Flurry.

“She needs that kiss to sap Cheese of all his love magic. She gets all that magic, and she could very well be ten times more powerful than her last attack.”

“I don’t understand,” Buttercream interjected. “Why the kiss? She didn’t try to kiss your dad during his wedding, Flurry, so why now?”

“Because that’s where the most magic is,” Flurry answered. “Think about it: the most pivotal moment of a mare and stallion’s relationship is when they make their first kiss as husband and wife. There’s probably more love magic put into that kiss than anything else. Chrysalis could gain so much love from just that alone. She must’ve not realized that till now.”

“That’s right, and the worst thing is, she already has enough magic to start another invasion, but she’s really after that kiss in order to ensure a longer reign,” Elytra explained. “Since she’s dispatched all Element-wielders, she just might get it, but if we keep Cheese away from her, she might just be weak enough to take down.”

“Alright, here’s the plan,” said Buttercream. “We all go find Cheese and escape with him to Nordo Dracos where my dragon family lives. Soder Dracos is a bit more protected, but it’s too far, so we best go get Dad first. Cheese should be safe over there.”

“But Butter, what will the dragons do?” asked Flurry. “They’re too big to enter this town without destroying it.”

“We’ll think of something,” said Elytra. “Right now, we need to get Cheese. Follow me girls.”

Elytra led them to the stairs, but the door suddenly opened and they all jumped in shock. Pinkie’s voice could be heard at the top.

“Maud? Is that you down there?”

Elytra quickly transformed back into Maud while Buttercream and Flurry rushed over to some nearby boxes and pretended to look busy.

“Uh…yeah, Pinkie. It’s me,” Elytra replied in Maud’s voice.

“What are you doing down here?” the pink pony asked as she walked down the stairs and locked eyes with her.

“Just…um…”

“Just cleaning up!” Buttercream said, nervously.

“Yeah, the mayor said she wanted this place clean for some…uh… preparations for the wedding tomorrow and we volunteered,” Flurry added.

“Yeah, we’ll be done in no time,” Elytra said, trying to hide the frog in her throat and the banging in her chest.

Chrysalis disguised as Pinkie walked forward to Maud, smiling. Elytra could already tell she knew what was going on, but she had no idea what to do. She swallowed hard and watched as the changeling queen’s smile slowly dropped.

“Aw. Well that’s good to know you want to keep helping, Maud…or should I say, ELYTRA!”

Buttercream and Flurry turned around to see Elytra, being transformed back into her changeling form. She was thrown against a wall, engulfed in a green aura. Flurry was about to cast a spell on Chrysalis but felt her entire body seize up. She, too, was flung against the wall along with Buttercream. Chrysalis did not transform her entire body, but her eyes turned to their regular green look, while her bangs transformed into the same horn Chrysalis had as a changeling. All the changelings disguised as Twilight and Spike walked down with some royal guards, flanking them. Clearly Twilight, or rather Scutellum, had reported Flurry to Chrysalis earlier.

“I knew I couldn’t trust you, little one,” said Chrysalis, still using Pinkie’s voice to keep from alerting anyone outside.

“Mother, this isn’t right! You have to call off the attack!” shouted Elytra.

“SILENCE! You have defied the changeling code, Elytra. Now you will suffer like the rest of them. And you, little Flurry Heart, I should have known you would be this clever to figure out what we were up to!”

“Queen Chrysalis, you’re going to regret this!” Flurry said.

“Oh, I believe it is you who will regret ever crossing the changeling horde!”

“What have you done with my brother?!” Buttercream demanded as she glared at the changeling disguised as Spike.

“Aw, isn’t that precious. The fat one really did have a twin sister after all.” Chrysalis crooned as she poked Buttercream’s belly. “Too bad I’ll have to separate you two again!”

“My Queen, what should we do with the princess?” asked Scutellum in Twilight Sparkle’s familiar voice.

“We don’t have time to set them up for harvesting like the others, but this little one here is too powerful to be allowed to use that horn. I’ll let you do the honors, General.”

“With pleasure.”

Scutellum charged up his horn with green magic and shot a beam at Flurry’s horn. It was quickly encased in a black, crystalline shell with holes in it.

“UGH! What have you done to my horn?!” Flurry said.

“Just making sure you won’t try to fight back ever again!” Scutellum barked. “I will have more proper revenge another time for what you and those blasted teachers did to me, Princess.”

“And you two back there, copy their memories so we have proper replacements!” Chrysalis told several of her drones disguised as royal guards.

The drones walked forward and used the memory-transfer spell on Flurry and Elytra. The one in front of Flurry took a copy of her memories while Elytra’s took the memories she got from Maud. They then transformed into Flurry and Maud with sinister grins on their faces.

“You won’t win, Chrysalis,” Flurry told the queen disguised as her friend. “The Elements will defeat you.”

“The Elements?! BWAHAHAHA!!” Chrysalis laughed with the others joining her. “You little foal! I have all the Elements captured and imprisoned as we speak! I came far more prepared this time! You can’t stop me!”

“There will be another way. There always is.”

“Whatever. I’ll deal with you three later. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a groom to kiss and a kingdom to conquer!”

Flurry, Buttercream and Elytra felt the wall behind them give away. They moved backwards and felt gravity take them further. Chrysalis had opened a portal behind them and sent them falling through a chasm. Flying in the opposite direction did no good since Chrysalis was still using her magic to keep them frozen in place. The changelings all watched them move further away, laughing. The portal closed up, and everything went dark. The last thing they felt before blacking out was the impact of cold, stone ground against their bodies.

5. This Cave Seems Familiar

Flurry’s eyelids slowly opened as she regained consciousness. The only thing she could hear besides her breath was water dripping inside a cave. She suddenly heard a burning sound. A flame shot up in her peripheral that illuminated the cave momentarily.

“Buttercream…is that you?” she asked.

“Flurry? You okay?” Buttercream responded, faintly.

“Yeah.”

As Buttercream blew another plume of fire, Flurry picked herself up. Her body ached, but she was able to stand. A few moments later, she saw Buttercream walking to her, carrying a small plant she was using as a torch.

“Where’s Elytra?” Flurry asked.

“Over here,” Elytra groaned.

Buttercream and Flurry turned towards the voice. They saw Elytra getting up and shaking herself off. She looked around in the cave to check where they were and then rushed over to Flurry and Buttercream.

“Flurry, Butter, are you alright?” she asked.

“We’re okay. I just kinda got the wind knocked outa me,” Buttercream said, rubbing her chest.

“Where did she put us?” Flurry asked.

“Some sort of cave,” Elytra answered, observing her surroundings. “It seems familiar…”

“Well how do we get out of here without my magic?”

“Maybe my Northern Drake strength can help a little,” Buttercream said as she set the plant down and flew up to the roof of the cave to try pounding her way through. The brave dragoness threw all her weight at the rocks, but it was not enough. She was getting lightheaded, so she landed on the ground and sat down to rest.

“I don’t think that’s going to work,” said Elytra. “These walls seem to be made of really tough rock. I know about them through Maud’s memories, but I can’t recall the name of them. The information I got from her is a bit faint now that that other drone copied them. I think he tried to steal some of it from me.”

“Do you remember anything Maud did about how to break through rocks the way she does?” Flurry asked.

“We can only absorb knowledge when we copy memories; we don’t take abilities. That’s why I was chosen to mimic an earth pony. I know how Maud breaks through rocks, I just can’t do it myself.”

“Can your changeling magic help us?”

“I don’t think so. My kinetic blasts are low level and I don’t even know any teleportation spells yet. Scutellum ordered me to focus so much on perfecting the memory-transfer spell; I didn’t have time to work on the rest.”

Elytra then tried charging up an energy blast and using it on the wall, but it did no good.

“Well we can’t just sit around in here. Not while that creepy bug takes over Pinkie’s wedding,” Buttercream said, as she got back up and tried looking around for any clues to an escape.

“I can’t believe this is happening,” Flurry said. “I was really looking forward to this wedding. I really did think everything was fine after I got Pinkie to tell everyone the story about our bows. Now that I know it was Chrysalis all along and they’ve gotten this good at taking over a wedding, my day has officially been ruined. For all we know, we could have been out for hours and Chrysalis already got that kiss.”

“This is all my fault,” Elytra said, sitting down in despair. “I should’ve said something earlier or defected years ago to warn Princess Twilight about all this.”

“What was stopping you before, Elytra?”

“General Scutellum took drastic measures to make sure there were no deserters in my group, and I was waiting for a better opportunity to betray him. I didn’t really want to disappoint the queen either. I was close to her ever since I was just a larva. For a while, she even talked about me being her heiress if anything ever happened to her.”

“Is that why you called her ‘Mother’ earlier?”

“Yeah. I think Scutellum was onto me, so he led in her absence instead. I missed her after she was turned into stone, but I had already started to disagree with everything we were doing. I was about ready to run off, until he returned last month with her; then I knew I’d never get the chance. When I noticed you panicking earlier over what you saw with Pinkie and Cheese, I knew right away I had to talk to you. I thought we could at least try to escape with Cheese and prevent the kiss from happening.”

“Well thanks for coming to us, Elytra. I’ve never met a black changeling before, but Spike told me about what Thorax did years ago. He had sparkly wings just like you before he underwent his metamorphosis. Are there a lot of others like you that want to defect?”

“I haven’t met any if there are. I’ve been keeping this all bottled up for years now, but I still don’t understand how to metamorphose. I talked to King Thorax earlier, and I’m not sure how I’ll transform into a better form like he did. I know you have to share love instead of taking it; I’m just not sure how. I feel like such a failure. Now I’ve been caught, and worse: I’ve gotten you two in this mess.”

Elytra hung her head and cried as Flurry sat closer to her. Buttercream had given up trying to find a way out and decided to join them.

“Hey, you made a good first impression on us, even if we freaked out at first,” Buttercream said, patting Elytra on the shoulder.

“Thanks. Again, I just wish I did it earlier,” Elytra replied, leaning up against the warm, chubby dragon.

“We’ll figure something out. I wish I had a way to contact some of my dragon friends, but my magic scrolls are back at the crystal castle in Ponyville.”

“Hey guys?” Flurry asked, turning her head around. “Did anyone notice that weird greenish stuff on the ground over there?”

“That’s the substance we changelings shoot from our mouths to trap our prey. It’s probably safe to touch now, but I wouldn’t worry about it,” Elytra explained.

“I wonder what it’s doing there. It’s almost like some changelings were in here earlier.”

“They were. They prepared this cave for prisoners. It must’ve been the designated area to send the ones that they didn’t have time to put in harvesting pods. They’ll come to do that later.”

“I noticed that in several other spots around the place. That is peculiar,” Buttercream added, stroking her chin.

“Do you think it’s covering some exits or something? There had to be an entrance to this cave at one point,” Flurry said, getting up to look around.

“I dunno, but maybe I can burn it with my fire breath.”

Buttercream flew over to the large spot on the ground with the changeling ooze. It had hardened now, but it didn’t feel quite as hard as the rocks. She stood on top of it, and it started to crack like ice.

“It’s cracking! Maybe we can break through!”

“Careful, Butter,” Flurry said, cautiously.

Buttercream got in over her head and flew several yards in the air, doing a cannonball on top of the ooze. It immediately caved in and cracked like glass. They were expecting it to reveal ground underneath, but instead there was a huge splash that doused Flurry and Elytra as Buttercream was submerged in an underground pool of water.

“BUTTERCREAM!” they both shouted.

They went to the edge to look for Buttercream. She was down there for a few seconds until she swam to the top, gasping for breath.

“AGH!! PINKIE! I saw Pinkie!” she called, as she swam to the shore.

“What?! You saw Pinkie?” Elytra asked.

“Yes, in fact I saw a ton of Pinkies, but they were thin! I had no idea she used to be that thin! They all took one look and then ran over to me! It was so weird!”

“Whoa, hold on a minute…” Flurry said. “There were a ton of Pinkies and they were all thin?”

“Yeah, and they weren’t wearing bows like yours either.”

“Were they shouting the word ‘fun’ over and over again?”

“Yeah, I think so. I had a hard time hearing underwater.”

“Oh…my…gosh. THE MIRROR POOL! WE’RE IN THE CAVE WITH THE MIRROR POOL!”

Buttercream and Elytra looked confused as Flurry rushed to the edge of the pool and pushed some of the chunks of ooze away from it to get a look in the water.

“What’s the Mirror Pool?” asked Elytra.

“I don’t even know,” Buttercream responded, shrugging her shoulders.

“Pinkie told me about this once! She found this magic pool in a cave that allowed her to duplicate herself years ago.

“Oh, wait, I remember that now! It’s a bit scant in Maud’s memories since she never saw it happen, but Pinkie told her about this pool before. And that’s why this cave looks familiar: because she’s been in this cave since it’s right next to hers.”

“Maybe we can get their help. Pinkie? Hello?”

Flurry finally got a view of the water and started calling to see if she could get the attention of the Pinkie clones. Elytra and Buttercream stood next to her to watch. For a few seconds, there was nothing except their reflections, until something pink came into view. Sure enough, a younger version of Pinkie appeared in the reflection of the water with several more behind her.

“Hey!” called the Pinkie clone in front.

“Pinkie!” Flurry called back, joyfully.

“Nice to meet you! What’s your name, little lady?”

“You don’t remember me? Oh, that’s right; she did this before I was born. Pinkie, my name is Flurry Heart! I’m Shining Armor and Cadance’s daughter!”

“Awww! Shining Armor and Cadance had a baby! That’s so sweet!” said the clone in front.

“Who’s the cute, chubby dragon girl with Fluttershy’s color scheme next to you?” asked another.

“That’s Buttercream.”

“I’m Spike’s sister,” Buttercream told them with a smile.

“SPIKE HAS A SISTER?!?” all the clones shouted in unison.

“Yeah, we reunited recently.”

“Wow, we really missed out on a lot over the years!” said one clone.

“Wait, is that a changeling?!” said another.

“EVERYPINKIE RUUUUUUUN!” they all shouted as they ran away from view in the water.

“No wait, it’s okay, girls, I’m a defect!” Elytra called to the clones. “I just betrayed Queen Chrysalis and we were all sent here by her. I’m not the first one to do this either. There are a ton of good changelings now that have colorful, new forms without holes; I just haven’t found mine yet.”

“Wait, so Queen Chrysalis is back?” asked the main clone as she peaked her head up in view.

“Technically she came back several times,” Flurry explained. “She was turned to stone a while ago, but she broke free last month.”

“What’s she up to now?” asked another.

“Well…see, you aren’t going to believe this, but Pinkie’s getting married and-”

“WHAAAAAAAT?!”

All of the Pinkie clones came back and shouted in unison again with hearts in their eyes. They then started bouncing around, making merry.

“FUN! FUN! FUN! FUN! FUN! FUN! FUN! FUN!” they all shouted.

“I can’t believe she…er…I…er…WE ARE GETTING MARRIED!” said one clone.

“Who’s the lucky groom?” asked another.

“His name is Cheese Sandwich,” Flurry explained before getting bombarded with questions.

“Awww! Is he cute?”

“Does he like to party?”

“Is he actually the colors of a cheese sandwich?”

“Does he dare to be stupid?”

“Whoa, hold on girls! There’s bad news: see…she’s been replaced at her wedding and Queen Chrysalis is using it to gain power like she did at my parents’ wedding.”

All the Pinkie clones stood still with shocked faces for several seconds until they began shouting and crying while running all over the place.

“NOOOO! MY WEDDING IS RUINED!”

“WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO?!”

“WHYYYYYYY?!”

“THIS IS SO NOT FUN!”

“NOT FUN! NOT FUN! NOT FUN! NOT FUN! NOT FUN!”

Flurry groaned and buried her face in both her hooves. Buttercream put her fingers into her mouth and whistled loudly. All of the clones stood still and looked in her direction.

“ALRIGHT, LISTEN UP!” Buttercream hollered. “Yes, this is definitely a bad thing, but that’s why we need your help! Could you girls maybe come out and help us bust out of this cave?”

“Sorry, but we can’t come out.”

“Yeah, Twilight cast a spell on us that put us back in this pool forever.”

“The only one who can bring us back out is the original Pinkie Pie herself.”

“But we can’t do that, or we’ll just cause trouble in Ponyville again.”

“Yeah, we were too much. We belong here with each other.”

“Not that we’d be worse than those changelings.”

“Well duh.”

“But girls, it’s just this once we’ll need you,” Flurry explained. “Twilight would understand. Everypony in Ponyville would.”

“But they said we need the original Pinkie Pie. How are we going to find her?” asked Buttercream.

“That’s a good question.”

“I know where she’s being kept,” Elytra said.

“You do? Where?!” Flurry asked.

“There are some ruins over in the middle of the Everfree Forest from the old castle town not far from here. She was put in a harvesting pod.”

“So we need to get out of here then!” Buttercream shouted.

“It’s no use. I’m sure she’s well-guarded. Chrysalis left some drones disguised as royal guards in there. Besides, we still can’t break out.”

“That’s true. Even if we could get inside Maud’s cave, that’s probably been blocked off too,” Flurry explained.

“Come to think of it, the other drones ambushed Maud in her own cave if I recall correctly. They probably just thought to keep her there since she was already in the Everfree Forest. I still don’t know how we’ll get to her.”

“Maybe you can use the ‘Help-Me-I’m-Trapped Tap’ and see for yourself!” said one of the Pinkie clones.

“The what?” asked Flurry.

“It’s something Maud taught me if I’m ever stuck in a cave,” explained the clone. “She’s so good at sensing tremors underground, she might feel it and then break right through the walls and come to the rescue!”

“The Tap! That’s it! I almost forgot!” Elytra exclaimed, perking her ears up and smiling. “It was something I learned from Maud’s memories and I think I still remember how to do it!”

“Does Chrysalis know about the Tap? She must if she has Pinkie’s memories,” Flurry said.

“I’m sure she does, but she only went to Pinkie’s site to deliver her pod, so that means she doesn’t know we’re so close to Maud.”

Elytra walked up to an area where there was a huge stone stuffed in the side of the wall. This was the entrance from the Mirror Pool cave into Maud and Mudbriar’s own cave they lived in, but the changelings blocked it to keep prisoners from escaping. The rock was too big for any of the girls to deal with, but Maud would know how to break it. Elytra began tapping in a rhythmic pattern and then waiting a few seconds after each one.

“I think it went like that. Pinkie am I doing it right?”

“Yup! Keep it up!” one clone called back.

Elytra continued tapping, but she received no response. Finally she heard movement on the other side of the cave. Every time she tapped, someone else was tapping in the same pattern not too far away.

“I think I hear something!”

“Maud, is that you?!” Flurry called.

Now instead of tapping, they all heard digging sounds on the other side of the large rock. The scraping grew louder and louder until it sounded like a jackhammer. Flurry, Buttercream and Elytra all backed up to see the rock start cracking until it all came crumbling down, leaving dust. They coughed as the silhouette of Maud appeared before them. Elytra backed up while the other two walked forward.

“Maud!” shouted Flurry and Buttercream.

Maud spoke in a tone much louder than she was ever used to. Flurry had never seen her this angry.

“Flurry Heart, Buttercream, get back!” shouted Maud as she galloped past them, tackling Elytra to the ground.

“UGH!! MAUD!” Elytra exclaimed.

“What have you done to my sister?!” Maud demanded.

“Maud, it’s okay! That changeling’s with us! Her name is Elytra!” Flurry said.

“I’m sorry, Maud! I wasn’t ready to defect just yet! Look, I know where Pinkie is and I can help you get her back!” Elytra cried.

“And my husband, Mudbriar?”

“He’s alright. He hasn’t been replaced, but he doesn’t know what’s going on either.”

Elytra struggled as Maud continued to push down hard on her legs with her hooves. She raised one eyebrow and looked suspiciously at the changeling underneath her.

“Are you sure this one can be trusted?” she asked Flurry and Buttercream.

“She can,” Flurry said. “She turned herself in to us earlier and then Chrysalis found us and sent us here.”

“Trust me; she’s a good one. She wants to defect,” said Buttercream.

Maud turned her head back and looked at Elytra through the bottom of her eyelids.

“Where’s Boulder?” she asked, sternly.

“Your pet rock? He’s right here. I took care of him.”

Elytra opened up an area of her carapace and revealed a tiny round rock. Maud swiped Boulder away before Elytra could even take him out. She held the rock up to her ear and nodded.

“Yeah? Mhm. He says you were a lot nicer than the others,” Maud replied.

“Uh…he did? Er, I mean he did. Thanks.”

Maud stepped off of Elytra as she stood up and dusted herself off.

“If Boulder and these girls trust you, then I trust you, but you are going to help me get my sister back and save her wedding.”

“Yes. I promise I will help you all no matter what.”

“Maud, we have to find Pinkie,” Flurry said. “If we bring her back in here, we can get those Pinkie clones out of the Mirror Pool to help us out.”

“Pinkie clones?” Maud asked.

“Hey Maud!” shouted one of the Pinkie clones.

Maud turned to the side to hear the voice of her own sister. She rushed over and saw the reflection of several Pinkies inside.

“So it is true. Why didn’t you guys say anything when I walked by this pool before?”

“Sorry. We didn’t think we were wanted anymore.”

“Yeah, but we’re ready to help you now!”

“That Queen Chrysalis is a no-good, nasty bug lady, and we’re gonna get her!”

“Bring us the original Pinkie, and we’ll help you fight!”

“It’ll be fun!”

“FUN! FUN! FUN! FUN! FUN! FUN! FUN! FUN!”

Maud couldn’t help but crack a smile at the sight of seeing tons of copies of her sister in a younger form, bouncing around.

“Alright. We’ll find Pinkie and bring her back here, but we have to be quick. I saw the sky earlier after I broke free, and it looks like we have another hour or so before the wedding starts.”

“We were out all night?!” Buttercream exclaimed with her hands up to her cheeks.

“Ooooh, we’d better hurry!” Flurry cried.

They all ran into the tunnel Maud entered through, and passed by her cave, which had been ransacked. Maud had already broken through most of the rocks that were blocking the opening. They squinted their eyes as they finally arrived to an area with light and saw the outside of the forest.

“Alright, everyone. I’ll take you to where they hid Pinkie. Follow me!” Elytra called to them.

6. Speak Now Or Forever Hold Your Peace

Pound, Pumpkin, Chip, Annie and Stormy walked into the town hall, dressed in their wedding attire. The boys had on suits made for colts, while the girls wore their flower girl dresses, designed by Rarity. Rainbow Dash and Applejack had already arrived earlier since they were bridesmares, so their husbands waited outside with their kids and the Cakes.

“Where’s Flurry? She should’ve been here by now,” Stormy asked impatiently.

“Hopefully she’ll show up. We can’t miss one of our flower girls, especially not Flurry,” Annie said.

“She’ll be here, guys,” Pumpkin told them, cheerfully. “Flurry isn’t known to sleep in that late.”

“Hey guys. Sorry I’m late,” Flurry said, flying in with her parents behind her.

“We were a bit busy with some last-minute preparations last night,” Cadance told them.

“But we weren’t gonna miss this big opportunity, especially since our daughter gets to be a flower filly,” Shining said, petting Flurry on the head as she blushed.

“Alright, Flurry, you ready?” Pumpkin asked her friend.

“I’m ready!”

Flurry marched inside with Pumpkin and Annie. Before she crossed into the entrance, she looked back to her parents and winked to them. Shining Armor and Cadance then shared sinister glares and walked in after her.

“It’s kinda weird that she was this late,” Stormy told Pound.

“Yeah, you’d think Flurry of all girls would’ve come way earlier. You know how she gets with schedules,” Chip added.

“I did expect her to be way more apologetic upon arrival,” Pound said, thoughtfully. “Well it’s good to see she’s getting over her fears from last night.”

“Um…what fears, if I may ask, Pound Cake?” asked Tex.

Stormy then began to run his mouth as always.

“She thought changelings were going to-”

“THOUGHT CHANGING…uh…her dress…last minute was a bad idea!” Pound blurted out over Stormy.

“Yeah, you know how particular Flurry gets about what she’s going to wear…hehe,” Chip said before glaring at Stormy.

“What?” Stormy asked.

Tex and Thunderhead glanced curiously at each other and then shrugged their shoulders, as they all entered and looked for their seats. Little did they all know, the real Flurry Heart and both of her parents were far away from this wedding.

Inside the Everfree Forest, Flurry, Buttercream and Maud followed Elytra through the foliage.

“So how did you break out of your pod so easily, Maud?” Buttercream asked.

“Never underestimate the power of the Help-Me-I’m-Trapped Tap. I can sense it from a mile away. I had already found a way out of my cave when I felt the Tap. I thought it was my sister, so I rushed towards it. How did you know the pattern of the Tap anyway, changeling?”

“I learned it from your memories,” Elytra answered. “We changelings have learned a memory-transfer spell now. It’s how they’ve all been able to act so well this time around.”

“Well the queen definitely underestimated me by not putting me in a pod. I got out of there pretty quickly after I regained consciousness.”

“Yeah, that’s cuz I didn’t tell her about your ability to dig really good or use the Tap. I thought if I don’t have a chance to defect, I might as well not disclose everything to her about your memories. That way maybe the plan could fall apart somehow.”

“I guess you’re not as bad as you sound after all.”

“Shhh! Get down!”

Elytra stopped everyone, while whispering. All grew quiet and they heard some royal guards walking nearby. They ducked down behind a log and some tall grass to avoid being seen.

“Are those changelings?” Flurry whispered to Elytra.

“Yes,” Elytra whispered back. “We need to be careful. Pinkie should be about a hundred yards away. You girls stay here. I’ll take care of them.”

Elytra then transformed into a female royal guard and walked towards the other two. They were startled at first when they saw her, but calmed down once they saw it was a royal guard.

“Hey, what are you doing over…oh, lieutenant, it’s you,” said one guard, recognizing the disguise.

“Scutellum says I need to move you two out towards the path,” said Elytra in her disguise. “Apparently there are some ponies walking through there to get to the Treehouse of Harmony. Just keep an eye on them, so they don’t see what we’re up to.”

“Uh…okay. We’ll check it out,” said the other as they both took flight and left.

Elytra waited till they were out of sight and then signaled to the others to move through. They tip-toed to where she was and slowly continued on foot, so the other changelings would not see them. In a few minutes, they had reached a very dark area in the forest. Before them stood some old ruins that appeared to be ancient houses made of stone. Most of them had roofs and doors that had decayed and fallen in over the years, so they were easy to enter. Inside one of the huts, hanging from an archway was a large changeling harvesting pod with something pink inside.

“That’s her,” Elytra said as they stood underneath the pod.

“Will she be alright?” asked Flurry.

“She should be conscious, but I can’t promise she’ll be that responsive. The sedative fluid is breathable and feeds you with nutrients, but it keeps you tranquilized as long as you’re in there. Chrysalis filled this one with a lot of it. She wanted to make sure Pinkie would never come back but could still be harvested for all her love magic.”

Buttercream and Elytra flew up to pull the pod off of the archway and gently bring it back down. Flurry and Maud rushed over to help open it up. The pod was foggy and it was hard to make Pinkie out inside, but they could still see the pink from her body as well as the blue from her bow.

“Start digging, Flurry,” Maud said as she began to chip away at the walls of the cocoon with her hooves. Flurry had a difficult time doing it since she was not used to working with her hooves, but she was determined to get her friend out, so she didn’t hesitate. Buttercream’s claws weren’t the sharpest, but she managed to scrape away at the pod with Elytra’s help. The pod started oozing green liquid and began to crack. They all backed up and it finally burst open, leaving liquids flowing out like a large water balloon that had just been popped. Pinkie slowly settled to the ground, but what everyone saw next shocked them. She was thin, desaturated of color, and her hair was straight. Flurry remembered stories about how Pinkie’s hair would ‘deflate’ and she would lose her natural pink color whenever she would get depressed in the past, but now her own body fat had disappeared as if she was undernourished and hadn’t eaten in a while. This was likely an affect from the sedative liquid, but the fact that her wedding was being commandeered and she could not marry the love of her life must have taken a major toll on her.

“Oh no! What happened to her?!” Buttercream yelped.

“She’s shell-shocked,” Maud replied, worriedly. “I’ve seen this happen to her before whenever she’s depressed. We have to wake her up.”

Maud knelt down by her sister and lifted her head. Pinkie slowly began to open her eyes.

“Ch…Chee…Cheese…” she began to say.

“Pinkamena Diane Pie, it’s your sister, Maudileena. Can you hear me?”

“Maud…Flurry…Butter…I’m…the…they took…they took him…”

“It’s okay, Pinkie. We’re here for you,” Flurry said, nearly starting to cry.

“She looks awful,” Buttercream said. “Can we get her back to normal.”

“I’m afraid the fluids were too much. She may be like this for a while,” Elytra said, nodding her head back and forth.

“No! There has to be a way!” Flurry said.

“If we can’t get her back to normal in time, we won’t have that Pinkie clone army,” Maud stated. “Maybe we should just try to get to the wedding first and warn everyone before the I-do’s are made. You three go. I’ll stay with her and keep my sister safe.”

“Wait…” Elytra said.

“What is it, Elytra?” Flurry asked.

“I… I think I have an idea. If I could use the memory transfer spell on Pinkie…maybe she’ll see some of Maud’s memories and it will be enough to bring her back to her senses.”

“It’s worth a try,” Maud said, taking one last chance to talk to Pinkie. “Pinkie Pie, can you hear me? I need you to stay focused. We’re going to fix this.”

Pinkie was still speaking faintly. Tears formed in her eyes and trickled down her cheeks.

“Maud…they took Cheese. Chrysalis…is going to get married in my place. I’ll…I’ll never see him again…”

“No, Pinkie, that’s not going to happen. We’re going to bring you back. Go ahead, Elytra.”

Maud moved aside for Elytra, and the changeling charged up her horn. She emitted a beam onto Pinkie’s head. Pinkie barely reacted at first, but her eyes slowly widened. She then winced and closed her eyes. She began seeing flashbacks through Maud’s point of view. She saw stages of her life as she grew older and became known to many as the happiest pony around that loved putting smiles on everyone’s faces. Eventually she started seeing scenes of her with Cheese Sandwich that Maud had remembered. Finally, she saw the moment when Cheese proposed to her in Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie slowly began to smile and speak again.

“I…I remember…Cheese Sandwich…I won’t…I won’t let this get me down. I’m coming for, you, Chee-”

“YOU THERE!” shouted a voice behind them.

Everyone jumped abruptly as they looked to the entrance to see the two royal guards from earlier. Their eyes turned green and they transformed into changelings.

“ATTACK!” screeched the other as they rushed forward.

Thinking quickly, Buttercream took to the air and blew fire at both of them, while Maud grabbed some nearby rocks to throw. Flurry could do nothing without her magic so she hid behind a stone. Elytra wanted to stay for Pinkie, but her friends needed her help so she tried firing blasts at the changeling drones. While the other three were occupied with them, Flurry did her best to help Pinkie along.

“Pinkie, it’s Flurry! Don’t forget all the great things you’ve been through! Don’t let this get you down! You’re strong! We’re going to stop Chrysalis and you and Cheese are will be married one way or another!”

Pinkie’s color came back and her hair slowly started to curl. Her eyes opened wider while a pinkish aura surrounded her body. Flurry backed away and Pinkie stood up. She turned around to the changeling drones. They had just subdued Buttercream and Maud in webs while Elytra was cornered. The drones then looked back at Pinkie. They watched as she puffed up and became plump again. She stood bipedal, while her head was bowed. She slowly looked up with rage in her eyes.

“Leave…my…friends…ALONE!!!”

Pinkie then reached back into her puffy tail and pulled out a small silvery canon. It was a smaller version of the Party Canon, but one of the flower wheels on the side acted as a dial and there was a tiny sight with crosshairs on top. She put her arm in the hole in the back. The canon transformed and extended. She swung it forward and pointed it at the drones, firing a huge explosion of confetti, cake and random party supplies. The drones flew out of the doorway and were smashed against a large boulder, flattened like pancakes. Everyone in the room looked at Pinkie in amazement. She was panting but slowly regained her composure. Lifting the canon, she transformed it back into its smaller form. She smiled and flipped her bangs to the side.

“Thanks, guys,” she said.

“PINKIE, YOU’RE BACK!” Flurry squealed as she dove for a hug.

“HEY, MATCHING-BOW MARE!”

Elytra helped Buttercream and Maud out of their webs and they rushed over to Pinkie and Flurry to join them in a group hug as Elytra watched happily. Pinkie was so overjoyed; she started crying.

“I knew you guys would come for me!” she said, wiping away her tears.

“Love the new Party Arm Canon!” Buttercream replied.

“Thanks! Cheese helped me make it. I still haven’t patented it yet. And I’m guessing she’s on our side?”

They all parted to let Pinkie speak to Elytra. Elytra walked forward.

“Hey, Pinkie. I’m Elytra. I mimicked your sister earlier, but I defected and they imprisoned me too. What Queen Chrysalis has been doing all these years is unacceptable, so I’m here to help you.”

“We’ve got to hurry! The wedding might be starting soon!” Buttercream said.

“But what will we do? I see Flurry can’t use magic,” Pinkie said, pointing to the black shell on Flurry’s horn.

“We have backup. We were in the Mirror Pool cave earlier and we saw your clones,” Flurry told her.

“My clones? Wait, they’re still alive?”

“Yeah, but they can’t get out. They said only you can bring them out.”

“It’s on the way back to Ponyville. We have to be quick though. I think the ceremony will be starting really soon,” Maud said.

“And if Chrysalis gets that kiss, she’ll gain so much power from your fiancé.”

“Right. No time to waste! Let’s go, guys!”

They rushed out of the ruins, not worrying about startling more changeling drones nearby. Time was running out and they would be safer in larger numbers once they had the Pinkie clones with them. By the time they had gotten to Maud’s cave, there were already several drones disguised as guards that were chasing them, demanding to know what they were up to. Maud and Buttercream stayed behind to distract the drones.

“You guys keep going! We’ll keep them busy!” Buttercream called as the drones transformed and hissed.

Maud ran towards the drones and did a flying kick to one of their faces. The other one lunged for Buttercream but she pushed her belly forward and allowed him to bounce off of it like a trampoline. Another one tried to fly over her to get to the others, but she pulled him down and locked him in a really tight bear hug.

As the fight went on, Flurry, Elytra and Pinkie finally made it inside the Mirror Pool cave. Pinkie walked to the edge of the pool to look into it. She didn’t see anything at first.

“Hello? Real Pinkie Pie here!” she called.

Suddenly tons of younger versions of her popped their heads out of the bottom where the edge of the shore started. They smiled and started jumping up and down.

“FUN! FUN! FUN! FUN! FUN!”

“Hey there, myself!”

“Great to see you again!”

“Wow, did you gain weight?”

“Love the bow!”

“Congratulations on your engagement!”

“Thanks!” Pinkie told her clones. “Now could you guys maybe help us out? We’re having a bit of a changeling problem with my wedding right now.”

“Sure! We’ll take on that mean bug queen!”

“Alright, but what do I do?”

“Just jump right into the water!”

“Yeah, give us a big ol’ canon ball with that big, plump body of yours!”

“Just don’t forget the chant!”

“Alright…”

Pinkie took a few steps back and inhaled deeply before reciting the chant.

"And into her own reflection she stared, yearning for one whose reflection she shared, and solemnly sweared not to be scared at the prospect of being doubly-mared!"

She leapt in the air, curled herself into a ball, and landed in the water, splashing Flurry and Elytra. As the water settled, rumbling could be heard coming from the pool. Tons of bubbles erupted like a hot tub and the water turned pink.

“I think it’s working!” Flurry shouted.

“GUYS! WE REALLY NEED THAT ARMY RIGHT NOW!” Buttercream called as she and Maud rushed into the cave with a squadron of changelings behind them. The changelings all stopped as they felt the rumbling. The water from the Mirror Pool rose up with the Pinkie clones. Their total number had increased exponentially from the last time they were created, leaving Pinkie a much bigger army of clones than she expected. They stampeded over the changelings like a wave crashing on the shore. Pinkie road on top of them with her hoof pointing forward.

“PINKIE PIES, ATTACK!!!”

“FUN! FUN! FUN! FUN! FUN!”

The changelings drown in the seemingly endless sea of pink ponies. Flurry, Buttercream, Elytra and Maud all hopped on top of the clones. They rode them out of the cave and into the forest.

“Alright, everypinkie! Ponyville is that way! Let’s go kick some changeling butt!” Buttercream shouted to them as they all turned in her direction and swept through the trees.

Flurry, Elytra and Buttercream flew along with them while Pinkie and Maud continued to surf on top of the clones. They were so great in number; plenty of them were already on their way to Ponyville and nearing the edge of the forest. Pinkie gazed at Ponyville with a smile on her face.

“I’m coming, Cheese!” she shouted.

Back at the town hall, the wedding had already started and was reaching its climax. Annie, Pumpkin and the changeling that was mimicking Flurry skipped down the aisle with their flower baskets. Behind them were Igneous Rock Pie and Chrysalis disguised as Pinkie Pie. All the other attendees had huge smiles on their faces; it was hard to imagine this wedding would go up in flames once it was revealed who Pinkie Pie really is. Chrysalis kept up her act rather well, smiling to everyone in the room, while walking down the aisle arm-in-arm with Pinkie’s father. They finally reached the altar. Igneous gave her a kiss on his cheek and a nod of approval to Cheese Sandwich. Cheese nodded back and smiled to his bride. They met on the altar before Twilight and held hooves.

“Mares and Gentlecolts, we are gathered here today to witness and celebrate the union of Pinkamena Diane Pie and Cheese Sandwich. They’ve have had a long journey together, and their happiness shall remain till death do them part. At this time, I will take the ring.”

Pound Cake walked forward with the pillow containing the wedding band for Pinkie. Twilight used her magic to lift and put it in Cheese’s hoof. Cheese carefully put it around Pinkie’s neck and attached both ends. They stared deeply into each other’s eyes and smiled, waiting for their finest moment. Twilight finally asked them to honor their vows.

“Pinkamena Diane Pie, do you take Cheese Sandwich to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love and comfort, to honor and keep for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, until you are parted by death?”

“I do,” Pinkie answered.

“Cheese Sandwich, do you take Pinkamena Diane Pie to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love and comfort, to honor and keep for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, until you are parted by death?”

“I do,” Cheese answered.

“And if anyone objects to this marriage, speak now or forever hold your peace.”

The room was silent for a moment until she began delivering the most important line.

“Then with the power invested within me, I now…”

Suddenly, the entire building began to shake and rumbling could be heard in the distance, accompanied by the word “fun” being shouted over and over again. Pinkie and Cheese looked around nervously. Everyone turned around and saw the doors to the town hall entrance burst open. The Pinkie clones rushed in and quickly began to flood the building. The entire room was in an uproar as they shouted and revealed the truth to everyone.

“WE OBJECT!!!” they all screamed in unison.

“Attention, everypony! That is NOT the real Pinkie Pie!”

“That’s an impostor!”

“She’s Queen Chrysalis in disguise!”

“Yeah!”

Everyone else gasped loudly and turned their heads to Pinkie.

“WHAT!? No I’m not! I’m the real Pinkie Pie!” she shouted.

“Sounds like something a changeling would say!” said one clone.

“Yeah, we met the real Pinkie Pie earlier cuz she’s the only one that can release us from the Mirror Pool!” added another.

“No really! I can prove it! Go ahead, Twilight!” Pinkie said, turning to the princess.

Twilight used her changeling necklace and scanned Pinkie.

“She is the real Pinkie Pie, everypony! Nothing to worry about!” she said, nervously.

“No she’s not, Twilight! We saw the real Pinkie earlier! Oh, by the way, congrats on becoming the new leader of Equestria! You totally earned it!” said one Pinkie clone before being bopped on the head by another one behind her.

“UGH! Girls, did you have to come in here on today of all days?!” Rainbow Dash grumbled.

“Twilight, I thought ya took care of these wild pink clones!” Applejack shouted.

“I thought I did too! Everypony, please do not panic! This necklace was made by Starswirl the Bearded and it does not lie!”

“Yeah, for all we know, these might not even be my clones!” Pinkie added. “They might be the real changelings!”

The clones all glared at the pony everyone believed to be Pinkie Pie. She looked nervous and tried her best to smile and convince everyone else.

“Girls…let’s be nice, shall we?” she said, cautiously.

“EVERYPINKIE, ATTACK!!” ordered one clone.

The rest of the clones all flooded the altar and started chasing Pinkie around.

“STOP! YOU’RE RUINING MY BIG DAY!”

Everyone watched as the pandemonium unfolded on the altar. Twilight went airborne and tried lifting some of the clones away from the bride while the rest of their friends assisted. The changelings disguised as the guests of honor and Element Wielders did their best to help. The ones disguised as flyers swooped in and carried a few away while Applejack used her lasso to round up a few. All the unicorns and alicorns used their magic to keep them away, but there were so many clones, they couldn’t keep up.

Pinkie climbed up a column into the upper balconies and ran around as the clones followed after her. She shouted at them angrily and grabbed random objects to throw back at them. Everyone watched in bewilderment as they saw how out-of-character Pinkie was behaving. Chrysalis had gotten so angered in all of this chaos; she was losing her mind and forgetting to act like the real Pinkie Pie. She kept running until she saw more Pinkie clones coming around the other side. They all came together in a clump and piled on top of her as she kept fighting them back without using magic.

“GET OFF OF ME, YOU FOOLS!!”

Everyone else heard Pinkie and finally figured out this was in fact Queen Chrysalis. Cheese stared in horror at what was happening.

“That…that’s not her. That’s not my Pinkie Pie!” he shouted. “Pinkie would never call anyone a fool! Not even her own clones!”

Scutellum was running out of options. He knew he would at least need to keep his disguise if Chrysalis’s failed, so he did his best to still remain in character as Princess Twilight Sparkle and pretend to be on their side. It was clear the clones had only been told about Chrysalis being disguised as Pinkie. They didn’t know Twilight and many others were also changelings.

“You’re right! I’ll take care of her, Cheese!” he said, still with his disguise up.

Scutellum then flew in to help his queen as she tried to fight off the clones. He used his magic to lift them off of Chrysalis and used a shield to cover over her as the drone disguised as Spike flew in and helped him out. All three of them sat inside the shield as the clones pounded their hooves against it.

“My Queen, we are too late!” he whispered to Chrysalis. “Maybe we should just start the invasion right now. You are already powerful enough,” he told her, frantically.

“No, I will have that kiss no matter what!” she bellowed.

“Well how do we get it at this rate?” asked the Spike drone.

Suddenly, Chrysalis noticed something outside of the window. The real Pinkie Pie was in the streets of Ponyville, trying to get inside the town hall, but the clones were so great in number, they were blocking her path. Things grew dark as the clones all piled on top of the shield, but Chrysalis grinned wickedly. She was not about to give up.

“General, I have an idea!” she said as she ripped the wedding band off of her neck and started removing the dress.

Meanwhile on the first level, tons of attendees had already scattered, trying to avoid the other Pinkie clones. Everyone was already asking where the real Pinkie Pie was, but with all these clones around, it was hard to tell from a distance even with her fatter appearance and blue bow. Finally Twilight flew in through one of the open windows, carrying the real Pinkie Pie with her. She was a bit disheveled and dirty, but she wasn’t wearing the wedding dress. Meanwhile, the sound of Chrysalis’ real voice could be heard, yelling underneath the pile of clones. Now everyone knew this was the real Pinkie.

“I FOUND HER!” Twilight shouted. “I found the real Pinkie Pie!”

“Everypinkie, keep her down!” the real Pinkie shouted to her clones.

“Pinkie!” Cheese called.

Twilight let Pinkie down and she rushed over to her soon-to-be husband. She hugged him and started crying.

“Cheese, I’m so sorry about all this! I wanted our wedding day to be perfect, I really did!”

“It’s okay, Sweetie Pie. I should’ve known something was up.”

“Alright everypony,” Twilight called, as they all walked towards the altar again. “We may have had a bit of a setback and a near-attempt at another changeling invasion, but we’re going to continue this no matter what.”

Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rarity all walked up with confused faces. Twilight turned to them and winked and they appeared to understand. Celestia, Luna, and Cadance all flew up to the pile of Pinkie clones to guard them with the Pillars so Chrysalis wouldn’t come out. She would be no match for all of them together at once. All the bridesmares and groomstallions returned to the altar and everyone did their best to get back into place. Cheese and Pinkie took each other’s hooves. Pinkie still had tears rolling down her cheeks and she couldn’t help but laugh at all of this.

“I guess our wedding couldn’t be perfect either, huh?” she giggled.

“Now I don’t feel so bad about my proposal being so disastrous,” Cheese added.

“Ahem!” Twilight said, clearing her throat and straightening herself up. “Pinkamena Diane Pie, do you take Cheese Sandwich to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love and comfort, to honor and keep for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, until you are parted by death?”

“I do,” Pinkie answered.

“Cheese Sandwich, do you take Pinkamena Diane Pie to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love and comfort, to honor and keep for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, until you are parted by death?”

“I do,” Cheese answered.

“Then with the power invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

Everyone in the room applauded loudly. Pinkie and Cheese moved in and pressed their lips together. The deed was now done and they were officially wedded. They continued kissing until Cheese squinted his face and started grunting. He opened his eyes and drew back from Pinkie as she kept her mouth open. A green aura surrounded him and he was lifted in the air. The entire room gasped in confusion. Suddenly, someone from the entrance shouted.

“CHEESE, NOOOOOOO!”

They all turned to see another Pinkie in the doorway that had just pushed through all the Pinkie clones and thrown several royal guards off of her. She was fat, wore a blue bow, and was disheveled like the one on the altar, but now it became clear what had just happened: the one on the altar was actually Queen Chrysalis. The real Pinkie Pie never made it inside in all the commotion. The real Pinkie Pie knelt on the ground, crying. On the altar, Chrysalis’s expression went from innocent to sinister. The green aura was sucked into Chrysalis’s mouth as Cheese dropped to the ground and blacked out. All of the changelings in the room finally put up their disguises and began laughing and hissing as attendees screamed. Underneath the pile of Pinkie clones, the same changeling mimicking Spike earlier was now mimicking Queen Chrysalis’ voice, but he put down his disguise and cackled at all the clones as they parted. Everyone else screamed in horror as the bridesmaids and most guests of honor were revealed to be changelings all along, including every single creature that ever wielded the Elements. This wedding had been hijacked and finished with Chrysalis receiving the kiss. Now it was too late. She had exactly what she came for.

Still disguised as Pinkie, she hovered in the air. A green aura surrounded her her, but it started to turn orange. Her voice sounded like Pinkie’s at first, but it slowly evolved into Chrysalis’s and grew deeper and more demonic.

“You’re too late! AHAHAHAHA! YOU’RE TOO LATE!”

Fiery energy danced around the fat, pink pony as she started to turn black and grew tall and gaunt. Her legs stretched out and now had holes in them. She sprouted her wings and horn and her hair grew out, but things were different. With all the love magic Chrysalis had stolen, she had become far more frightening than before. Her legs were barbed on the side and had insect-like claws on the tips. Her hair was now maroon while her wings and eyes were orange. A glowing hornet’s abdomen and stinger grew out of her tail. There were two long barbs sticking out of her chin, while the jaw had split in half, forming two hideous mandibles. The inside of her mouth glowed orange and her hissing now sounded more like a dinosaur screeching. Several spots on her body glowed orange against her black shell, giving her the appearance of a furnace. She opened her maw and roared as everypony in the room evacuated. All changelings in the town hall flew around her at the altar.

“CHEESE!” Pinkie shouted as she was pushed out with the crowd.

Cheese was left on the altar, unconscious. Pinkie lost sight of him as they moved her further out. All attendees ran outside, far away from the building. Only Pinkie and her clones stayed behind. Elytra, Maud, Buttercream, and the real Flurry finally appeared.

“PINKIE!” shouted Flurry.

“Pinkie, what happened?!” Buttercream asked.

“She kissed him. She got the kiss,” Pinkie said, crossly.

“Then…then we are already too late,” Elytra added as she hung her head.

“AHAHAHAHAHA!!!” laughed Chrysalis from inside the town hall.

Suddenly, an explosion sent debris flying everywhere and the town hall was instantly demolished. Elytra did her best to put up a shield with her magic and Buttercream stretched her wings and arms over her friends to keep them safe.

“FLURRY!” shouted all of her friends from behind a nearby tree.

“Guys?!” she responded, rushing over to them.

“Flurry, you were right,” Pound said, dejectedly.

“Now what do we do?” asked Stormy.

Flurry looked back to see the changelings and their powerful queen emerge, laughing in her monstrous voice.

“I…I don’t know…” she said.

7. The Invasion Begins

Discord hovered in front of a floating table outside of Fluttershy’s cottage, sipping some liquid that glowed like a radioactive chemical. Once he was finished with it, he started munching away the porcelain cup. Angelica Bunny hopped on some staircase mushrooms next to him and offered him a plate full of floating cookies.

“Why thank you, Angelica,” he said happily, as the cookies floated over to his hand. “I’m guessing the I-do’s have been made by now. You know, maybe I’ll drop by the reception just to congratulate Pinkie and Cheese. Still doesn’t feel to right missing out on…oh…AAAGGHH!!!”

Suddenly, Discord’s body seized up and he shook violently. His magic sense was going haywire so badly; it caused everything around him that he created with his chaos magic to disappear. He dropped to the ground and continued flailing about. He finally sat up with his hand on his head and groaned. Angelica rushed over to him and started squeaking frantically.

“Angelica…I…I haven’t felt power like that in years. But who could possibly be…oh dear. Flurry was right. I think it’s…her.”

Angelica whimpered as if to add to what he was saying.

“Yes. Queen Chrysalis has returned.”

In Ponyville, the changelings wasted no time in terrorizing the village. Ponies that had evacuated the town hall ran screaming through the town, telling others to leave and escape the invasion. Some ponies exited their homes with suitcases and bags to get out before the attack would escalate, but too many changelings had already begun swarming everywhere and wrapping them in cocoons for harvesting. Flurry and all her friends looked on at the town hall from a distance, as Queen Chrysalis emerged, laughing maniacally.

“FOOLS! Your efforts are futile! The Swarm has returned and its Queen reigns supreme! Go now, my children! Let none stand in your way!”

Her stinger glowed brightly and shot several tiny eggs out. The eggs hovered around in the air, glowing. They cracked open to reveal changeling larva, which quickly evolved into adults. These new changelings had a color scheme similar to Chrysalis’s, longer horns and wings, and a lower jaw that could split into mandibles like hers. They shrieked and hissed loudly and quickly began to cover buildings in green slime and webs from their mouths. Chrysalis flew high into the air to watch her minions do their work. She giggled delightfully and continued to monologue about her success.

“At long last, my work is done. No changeling has ever gained this much power before. I will remake Ponyville into the new changeling kingdom, and no one can stop me this time, not even the Elements of Harmony!”

Down below, Flurry and all her friends were hiding behind some bushes. They had no idea how to react.

“We’ve lost. This is all my fault,” Elytra lamented.

“Elytra, we’ll find a way. We’ve got to,” Buttercream said, trying to comfort the changeling.

“STORMY!” shouted Thunderhead, holding Misty Blitz and Lightning Flash in his arms, as he came running in with Tex and the Cakes.

“Daddy? Where’s Mommy?” Stormy asked.

“I lost track of her in all the commotion. I hope she got out okay.”

“That wasn’t her, Thunder,” Flurry said. “Rainbow Dash has been kidnapped and replaced with a changeling. Applejack too.”

“Wait, Mom is gone?!” Chip shouted.

“M…Mommy? Her too?” Flashy asked, as tears formed in his eyes.

“They took Applejack? Oh, they’re in for it!” Tex said, snorting out of his nostrils.

“And Mommy! Just wait till I get those changelings!” Stormy grumbled.

“It’s okay, everypony. I know where they are,” said Elytra.

“You know where they are? Wait, who is this changeling?” Thunderhead said, glaring at Elytra.

“It’s okay, Thunderhead. Everyone, this is Elytra. She’s with us. She just defected,” Flurry explained.

“She was imprisoned with me and Flurry. We’ve trusted her this far,” Buttercream added.

“So why didn’t you tell us before?” Tex asked.

“I’m sorry. What was most important was getting Cheese out of here so the Queen couldn’t get the kiss, but we were too late. We had to get here first, but now we’re going to have to find the others.”

“So where’s our mom then?” Chip demanded.

“The drones put Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Fluttershy way out near the Ghastly Gorge. Spike and Princess Twilight are to the Northeast. The Pillars were put in this cave at the base of Canterlot Mountain, but I’m not sure how we’ll get them out. The caves were sealed.”

“What about the Teachers?” asked Pound.

“I sadly can’t tell you. Mother didn’t even trust me with that information. Their location must be top secret. If they had the Elements, this would be an easy win.”

“What happened to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna?” asked Thunderhead.

“Them too. Anyone who ever wielded the Elements.”

“Including my parents,” Flurry added.

“Your parents too? Geez, just who did they not take? Is Discord even here still?” Pumpkin asked.

“Last I knew, they didn’t touch Discord. I talked to him yesterday and he was using his powers. I guess it would’ve been too difficult to catch him.”

“Why doesn’t Discord step in?” Annie asked.

“I don’t think he can at this rate. My horn might not be working, but I can feel the power coming from Chrysalis and I haven’t felt such powerful magic since Tirek and Scorpan a few weeks ago.”

“Well we’d all better get out of here,” Mr. Cake said.

“He’s right. This town isn’t safe anymore,” Mrs. Cake added.

“Uh…Pinkie?” Pound asked.

They all looked over to see Pinkie and Maud staring at the rubble that was once the Ponyville Town Hall.

“Guys, I’m sorry, but I have to go find Cheese. He’s got to be in there somewhere,” Pinkie told them.

“Then I’m coming with you. I’m not leaving your side, Pinkie,” Maud told her.

Pinkie smiled and hugged her sister.

“Thanks Maud. I wouldn’t want you in harm’s way, but I could use some help.”

“Pinkie, are you sure?” Pumpkin asked.

“He’s the love of my life. I’m not letting him go no matter how dangerous it is out here.”

“You guys go ahead, but we need to get the kids to safety,” Buttercream said, leading everyone away from the area.

“Pinkie, be careful!” Flurry called to her.

“I will,” Pinkie told her as they all ran off.

She turned back and carefully made her way towards the rubble with Maud.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the wreckage, several Pinkie clones had pulled Cheese out from underneath some wooden boards. Thankfully, he hadn’t been scratched because tons of them had piled up on him to protect him. The explosion came from a burst of energy that Chrysalis emitted after transforming, and she used her own powers to protect herself from falling debris. This kept Cheese and the Pinkie clones from getting seriously injured since they were right underneath her when it happened, but some debris still managed to scatter. He was conscious, though barely able to move.

“Pinkie…” he moaned, trying to open his eyes.

“It’s okay, Mr. Sandwich. We’ll help you out,” said one clone as the others joined in.

“How do we get his energy back?”

“Yeah, she drained all his love.”

“Will he be like this forever?”

“Probably not. Remember what Princess Cadance did for Shining Armor?”

“Yeah, but we don’t have her around here.”

“Oh yeah. You’re right.”

“Bummer.”

“Hey, I have an idea!”

“Huh?”

“Hold on, I’ll be right back!”

One Pinkie clone zoomed off towards Sugarcube Corner and returned a few seconds later with a huge caffeinated beverage and a swizzle straw.

“Thought I’d make one of our sugariest concoctions from Sugarcube Corner: the Double Chocolatey Mega Mocha Java Chip Espresso 3000, complete with whip cream, chocolate chips, chocolate drizzle and cookie crumbles on top!”

“Oh yeah! That thing always woke us up in the morning after really long parties!”

“Well you’d better give it to him before we drink it instead!”

The Pinkie clone with the drink put the straw in Cheese’s mouth and patted the side of his face to get him to sip it. He was still able to see and understand, so he complied and put his lips over the tip of the straw. He took one sip, and then another, until he started drinking the blended coffee drink so fast that his eyes widened slowly and his fur stood up on end like he had been zapped. The clones stood back and watched, as he floated in the air with his legs wobbling. The remainder of the drink fell to the ground, and one of the clones stretched her arm in to pick it up to finish. Cheese’s hair poofed outwards and then retracted, as he landed on all fours. He breathed heavily with his eyes opened wide.

“UGH! Pink…Pinkie? What happened? Where’s Pinkie?!” he asked.

“Mr. Sandwich, we saved you just in the nick of time!”

“Yeah, we weren’t about to let our…well, the original Pinkie’s fiancé get hurt by that dumb Chrysalis!”

“Do you feel better now?”

“I feel…I feel fine, but I gotta know where the real Pinkie is! If we can’t finish this wedding, we have to get out of here!”

Over on the other side of the building, Maud and the real Pinkie Pie were unaware of Cheese being safe and out of view. They continued to call for him, but he could not hear her on the other side with all the commotion going on in the background. Nevertheless, Pinkie continued searching.

“Cheese! It’s me! Pinkie Pie!” she cried, lifting boards of wood.

Suddenly, Chrysalis landed on a large board in front of her, laughing.

“YOU! YOU MONSTER!” Pinkie screamed, as she lunged for the changeling queen.

“Pinkie!” Maud shouted.

Chrysalis stood still and activated her magic with her horn, causing it to glow a fiery orange. Pinkie froze right in front of her, surrounded by the aura. Maud started running towards Chrysalis, but was also frozen in place.

“You idiots! Did you really think you could take on a goddess?!” Chrysalis barked at them.

“What did you do to my Cheese?!” Pinkie demanded.

“Hahaha! You’re fiancé is buried in this rubble! Looks like your precious little wedding was bound to implode right from the start!”

“No…no, he’s alive! I’m going to find him!”

“Oh like I even care. I already have what I needed anyway. Now be gone with you both!”

“WHOA! AAAAAGGGHHH!!!”

Chrysalis threw Pinkie and Maud behind her and flew off to oversee the invasion. On the other side, Cheese was still talking to the clones when they all heard Pinkie’s screaming getting closer and closer. They all looked up to see her and Maud flying towards them. Maud landed safely on the clones while Pinkie continued soaring through the air.

“PINKIE PIE?!” Cheese called.

The clones all scattered as she hurdled towards Cheese. He was smiling at first but then his eyes widened in shock. He did not expect she would land right where he was standing. Pinkie plopped right on top of him, causing him to flatten like a pancake under the weight of her hefty posterior. She had the wind knocked out of her and lay on the ground for a moment to catch her breath. She sat up, feeling dizzy. After she regained her composure, she looked around to see all her clones and Maud staring at her.

“Wha… where’s Cheese?”

Maud and the clones all pointed their hooves to the spot on the ground Pinkie was on. She looked down and saw she was sitting on top of a large, two-dimensional graphic that was shaped like Cheese as if he was splattered against a wall. It took her a split second to figure out this was Cheese. She stood up and used her mouth to pick him up by one of his hooves. She swung him around in the air like a rug having the dirt knocked out. After a few swings, Cheese bounced back into his three-dimensional form and fell to the ground.

“Cheese! Wake up! It’s me!”

Pinkie put her arms around him and watched as he slowly opened his eyes. He started to smile and touch her face.

“Pinkie? Wait…hold on!”

Cheese’s face then turned angry and skeptical.

“How do I know you’re the real Pinkie Pie?”

“Huh?”

“I thought that was you in the wedding earlier, but that was still Chrysalis! She acted like you so well!”

“The changelings know how to read memories now, so they tricked us all,” said Maud. “Cheese, I promise you, this is my real sister.”

“I…but…then how will I be able to tell?”

“I don’t know how I else I can prove it to you, Sweetie, but it’s me,” Pinkie said.

Cheese looked down and put his hoof on his chin. He though hard about something and then looked back up to speak to Pinkie.

“There’s only one way to prove it’s you: sing How Did I Get So Lucky with me. The last time I asked you to sing it, you refused and got all worked up, but now I know that wasn’t you and Chrysalis obviously hates that song. If you sing it, that’ll be proof enough for me.”

“Oh, that’s it? Well that’ll be easy!”

A smile returned to Pinkie’s face and she cleared her throat. She carefully began to sing the first verse to the song she and Cheese wrote for each other in preparation for this event.

Verse 1

Pinkie:

When I was just a filly

Had no idea I’d be

The luckiest girl alive

I just wanted to party

Make others feel my joy

Then one day you arrived

Cheese:

The moment I first saw you

I knew you’d change it all

And oh boy was I right

You helped me find my passion

Helped me find my laugh

No wonder you're the love of my life

Chorus

Cheese and Pinkie:

How did I get so lucky?

How’d this happen to me?

You were sent from above me

Luck had nothing to do with it

Now I see

We were meant to be

Pinkie and Cheese stared deeply into each other’s eyes while holding hooves. They smiled and quickly embraced each other.

“Pinkie! It really is you!” Cheese cried.

“Cheese, I’m so sorry about all of this! I had no idea our wedding would be ruined! Now that horrible queen took my place and you actually kissed her! How are we ever going to-”

“Shhh. Sweetie Pie, the real Twilight Sparkle wasn’t the one doing the marrying, so it wasn’t a legitimate marriage. We were all fooled.”

“Yeah. You’re right.”

“How long were you gone?”

“She came the night before last night and knocked me out. Maud, Flurry and Buttercream rescued me. We had some help from a changeling girl that wants to betray the queen.”

“Maud, is this all true?”

Maud nodded her head, while some of the Pinkie clones joined in.

“It’s true,” Maud answered. “Look, I don’t mean to rush you two, but we have to get out of here if we can try. The changelings are closing in fast.”

“How though?” Pinkie asked. “The whole town’s already been taken over.”

“Well no matter where we go, I’m not leaving you, Pinkie, even if we can’t finish our wedding,” Cheese told her.

“Me neither,” she replied.

Pinkie and Cheese hugged each other one more time before Maud and the clones all turned around to face some oncoming changelings. Thankfully they were the less-powerful, common, black and green drones. Chrysalis had already gone elsewhere and would be no issue for them at the moment. The clones ran forward and began tackling the changelings or trampling them on the ground. There were still tons of clones left and some were already elsewhere in town, fighting back and keeping the changelings busy. Maud continued using martial arts and digging up rocks to throw at oncoming drones. Pinkie and Cheese stood back to back. While Pinkie used her Party Arm Cannon on some of the changelings, Cheese lifted his sleeve to reveal a small device wrapped around his hoof. He pressed a button, and the sound of a tank could be heard in the distance. More changeling drones flew in to attack, so Maud stood in their way, kicking them in the faces. One fell down in behind Pinkie and she sat on top of his head, giggling as he wriggled to get free. The tank sound grew louder, and Cheese’s “Party Tank” appeared on the scene. He hopped on top of it and began blasting some of the changelings out of the sky with confetti from the turret.

“You wanna call off our wedding, we’ll call off your invasion!” shouted Cheese.

“That’s right! No evil queen and her ugly bug army are gonna take away our love!” Pinkie added as she winked to her fiancé.

Elsewhere in town, Flurry and the others were creeping through the back alleys to get to the Everfree Forest.

“Alright, let’s make a dash for it,” Flurry whispered as they waited for changelings to fly by.

They all rushed towards another alley across the street, not expecting any changelings to see them. Unbeknownst to any of them, General Scutellum was already following close behind. He flew overhead and landed in front of them. The children all shrieked and Scutellum hissed at Flurry.

“SCUTELLUM!” she shouted.

“Thought you could get away that easily, little princess? You will all make valuable slaves for my queen! And you, Elytra, you will pay for your treachery!”

“I got him, Flurry!” Stormy boldly said, as he flew in front of her. “So you’re General Scuttlebutt, eh?”

“My name is Scutellum, you little maggot!”

“Whatever, Skeleton! Just try taking on all of us at once!”

“Stormy, now’s not the time to be brave!” Thunderhead firmly said, pulling his son in.

“Haha! Listen to your father, for we changelings are far more powerful than you know!”

Several other changelings with varying body types flew in around Scutellum. He buzzed his wings loudly and took to the skies where they all began using their shape-shifting powers.

“Now, my brethren! COMBINE!!”

Green flames crept up their bodies as they transformed into various insect body parts. Six at the bottom formed the legs; the one in the center formed a body; two on the side formed wings; and Scutellum formed a head with antennae and large mandibles. They all magnetized together and combined to form a gargantuan creature that was far more hideous than a standard changeling. It resembled a giant beetle with a spikey exterior and some glowing orange cracks like the ones on Chrysalis’s new body. It landed on the ground and roared at them all. Everyone scattered except Stormy, who stared in shock at the monstrous combined form of the changelings.

“That is both horrifying and awesome at the same time,” he said, before being whisked away by his father.

The combiner chased after all of them, shooting a huge beam out of its mouth and slashing nearby lanterns with its legs and mandibles. They could not make it to the exit they were aiming for, so they tried taking another route that would lead to the Everfree Forest, but at this rate, the combiner would just follow them.

“Should we split up?!” Buttercream asked.

“That might be a good idea!” Flurry said.

Just then, a huge portion of the side of a building landed in front of all of them, blocking their path. Everyone with wings refused to fly over and abandon the others, so they were cornered with no time to escape. The combiner landed on the ground and slowly walked towards them.

“HAHAH! PREPARE FOR EXTERMINATION, FOOLS!” the beast said with multiple voices.

Suddenly, two beams shot right at the creature’s face. It turned its head and growled. Everyone looked to the direction the blasts came in and saw Starlight Glimmer and Sunburst running in. Trixie then leapt out from a nearby overturned cart and threw a round object at the monster’s feet.

“SMOKE-BOMB!” she shouted, as the object exploded into a thick cloud of mist.

The combiner groaned and turned around, confused. Starlight and Sunburst ran around it, blasting it with more beams from their horns. Trixie’s beams were not as capable as theirs, but she used one to distract the creature. They were all still wearing their wedding attire but moved about with agility, directing their blasts with ease. Everyone watched, as the three unicorns battled the monster. As the mist began to dissipate, Starlight levitated herself with her magic to confuse the combiner. Sunburst slid underneath it and fired a blast at its underbelly while Trixie leapt on top of it and shocked it with an electric spell that Starlight taught her. Green fire crept all over the monster’s body and it separated into Scutellum and his minions once again. They were temporarily subdued by the electricity and could not get up.

“Starlight!” Flurry called.

“Everyone link arms! We’re getting out of here!” Sunburst told them as they all complied.

Scutellum just started opening his eyes when he saw them all disappear before him in flash. He got up and shook his head around violently.

“What?! Impossible!” he shrieked. "Get up, you fools! Find them!"

Author's Note

The tune to "How Did I Get So Lucky" (first verse and chorus) can be found here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1H79t1TZ97OvL4UfDbus3oYe8uodRswlU/view?usp=sharing

8. Time to Get Help

Inside the map room of the crystal castle, there was a bright flash of light and everyone was instantly teleported on top of the cutie map roundtable.

“Good thinking, Starlight!” Buttercream said.

“Thanks Buttercream,” she replied.

“Hey, who’s the changeling?” Trixie asked, staring at Elytra.

“Oh, hey. My name is Elytra. I’ve defected and I’m helping you stop the queen,” Elytra responded, shyly.

“We can trust her, guys. I promise,” Flurry said.

“Flurry, what happened to your horn?” Sunburst asked.

“General Scutellum did it last night right before Chrysalis sent me, Butter and Elytra into the Mirror Pool cave.”

“Ah, that explains all the Pinkie clones,” said Trixie.

“Okay, what are we going to do? Are we even safe in this castle?” Mrs. Cake asked.

“I put up a temporary shield, but we can’t rely on that much longer. We need to get out, but first you all need to see something. There’s a reason I brought you all to the map room,” Starlight said.

Everyone got down from the map and looked at it to see six dots glowing over the hologram of Equestria. Flurry then noticed Pound’s cutie mark was blinking.

“Pound, your cutie mark!” she said, tapping his shoulder.

“Mine is glowing too!” said Pumpkin.

“Mine too!” said Stormy.

“Annie and I have it too, and Flurry, your bow is glowing again!” Chip said, pointing behind Flurry’s head.

“Oh, I didn’t even notice that in the broad daylight,” Flurry responded, examining her reflection in one of the crystal chairs.

“Are we being called to deal with a friendship problem?” Annie asked.

“More like a changeling problem. Look at the colors of those dots.”

Flurry pointed to the glowing orbs over the map and everyone noticed they were the colors of the Teachers: blue, orchid, orange, spring green, brown, and light teal.

“It’s calling you kids to find the teachers,” Sunburst said.

“It started this morning before the wedding. We had no idea what it meant, so we figured we’d tell you afterwards. Now that all this is happening, it’s obvious what the map is trying to tell us,” Starlight added.

“But those dots are placed over some faraway places in Equestria,” Mrs. Cake said, examining the map.

“Are these areas even safe to go to?” asked Mr. Cake.

“Well we’ve got the orange one near Baltimare. I’m guessing that’s Smolder,” Thunderhead added.

“Daddy, look at my cutie mark!” Stormy exclaimed.

Everyone watched as a glowing image of Stormy’s cutie mark floated overtop the orange dot, representing Smolder. All the other kids’ cutie marks did the same for corresponding dots: Chip over Yona, Annie over Ocellus, Pound over Gallus, Pumpkin over Silverstream, and Flurry over Sandbar. The dots for Gallus and Silverstream were right next to each other.

“Well we won’t need to split apart to both find Gallus and Silverstream thankfully,” Pound told his sister.

“That must be because they’re both dating and them being together in the same pod probably helps the changelings absorb more love. That’s sweet but also pretty disturbing when you think about it,” Pumpkin added.

“What about us?” asked Chip.

“Yeah, Yona’s in Appleloosa, but Ocellus is over here. Dad, is that Ghastly Gorge?” Annie asked, trembling.

“Sure is, sweetheart,” Tex replied. “Don’t worry, your dad’s got this. Lucky for us, we have family in Appleloosa. We’ll go there first to find Yona, get some help from Cousin Braeburn and the buffalos, then it’s off to Ghastly Gorge.”

“So Daddy, we have to go find Smolder in Baltimare?” asked Stormy.

“Well she’s on the outskirts of Baltimare, probably in some random cave, but at least we can start off on the road pretty easy. I know the way there.”

“But what about Mommy?” asked Flashy.

“I’ll go find them myself,” Elytra told everyone. “Since I know where they are, I’ll look for everyone else.”

“Flurry, that means you and I can get to Sandbar,” Buttercream said, putting her arm around Flurry.

“I think we should also look for my parents, but I know our top priority is getting to Sandbar first,” Flurry responded.

“What about the Elements? Did the changelings use their memory spell to find them?” Pound asked Starlight.

“Not yet, thankfully,” Starlight responded.

Sunburst opened the trap door underneath one of the chairs and used his magic to take all six of the Elements of Harmony out.

“We’ve got them right here,” he said.

“But we can’t stay in here for long. There’s a secret entrance we can all use that leads into the outskirts. From there we can escape into the mountains.”

“But Starlight, General Scutellum will know about it since he copied Twilight’s memories. There’s even a changeling that copied Spike’s memories since he was also replaced,” Flurry said.

“It’s okay, Flurry,” said Starlight. “I just had it completed not long ago and hadn’t told Twilight or Spike where it is, so the changelings mimicking them can’t know about it.”

“Just so long as they don’t take any of our memories,” Trixie added.

“Flurry, the changelings can copy memories now?” asked Sunburst.

“Yeah, it’s how they were able to act so in-character.”

“Astounding…and also very unfortunate for all of us. I never thought they’d be this dangerous.”

“Alright, you guys go find that tunnel,” said Buttercream. “I need to get some of my belongings in the guest room. If I could send some letters using my magic stamps I got from Luna, I might be able to get us some help.”

“Butter, are you sure you’ll be okay?” Pumpkin asked.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. I have a lot of connections. Maybe I can get my family to come in and help.”

“Buttercream, when you’re done, go down the corridor past the kitchen and there’s a storage room to the right at the very end. Look for the oddball blue crystal on the wall and push on it as hard as you can and a door will open. After you get inside, pull the door back down so no changelings come in after you,” Starlight told her.

“Got it. You guys go. I’ll catch up with ya!”

They all ran out of the map room and made their way to the secret entrance, while Buttercream flew in the other direction. She made her way to the upstairs rooms and opened the door to the bedroom she was temporarily staying in. She looked out the window to see that no changelings were around the castle at the moment, so she had a chance to send a few letters and then join up with the others before Starlight’s defense spell ran out. Her belongings were all still in her backpack, so she quickly removed several papers and magic stamps. She grabbed a quill and quickly began to write.

“Mom, Dad, Barb, Scorch, Singe, it’s me, Buttercream! Ponyville’s being invaded right now by changelings and we really need some help! Send as many dragons as you can! Make sure they aren’t too big or they might wreck the town! Hurry up! Okay, that’s one down.”

She folded the paper up and sealed it with the stamp. The paper glowed and then disappeared. It was instantly teleported to her family in Nordo Dracos. She started writing another one.

“Hey, Billow, it’s Butter! No time to explain, but you gotta get to Ponyville right now! We’re under an attack and changelings are invading! Definitely bring Beo and maybe a few guards your size, cuz we’re gonna need all the help we can get!”

She sent the second letter to her contact in Soder Dracos and began to write a third one.

“Nighty, I need you in Ponyville STAT! Changelings are-”

Before she could finish, she felt a shock in her body and was sent tumbling forward. She had been knocked to the ground and was unable to move. She saw two blurry, dark objects walking towards her. She felt herself being picked up and spun around as something green covered her body, only leaving a small whole for her head. By the time her vision started to clear up, it was too late. She had been caught by changelings and spun into a cocoon. The substance was so hard; she couldn’t move to break it and the blast had weakened her.

“Gotcha!” said one of the changelings.

“Hehehe, that one must’ve taken forever to spin!” the other one snickered.

“Yeah, she’s gonna be tough to carry, just like that other fat dragon. Say… I think that’s his sister!”

“I hear she’s got a lot of love to give! Take her to the queen! She’ll be perfect for harvesting!”

Buttercream watched as the first changeling carried her out of the window, while the other one zapped the rest of her stamps with a low-powered beam spell.

“Flurry…be careful…” she whispered.

Elsewhere in the castle, everyone had been lead into the supply closet where the secret door was. Starlight let them all in first with Trixie and Sunburst.

“Be careful up there, Buttercream,” she said as she took one last look behind her before closing the door.

Everyone walked carefully down some steps until they turned into a long corridor. Trixie, Sunburst, and Starlight all used glowing spells on their horns to light the way.

“Well this has been an eventful day,” Pumpkin said sarcastically.

“We’ll be alright, Pumpkin,” Pound told his sister. “We just gotta look hard in all these areas. At least Gallus and Silverstream are together.”

“Do you think Chrysalis will move outside of Ponyville?” Chip asked.

“I don’t know, Chip,” Flurry replied. “She did say she wants to make Ponyville the new changeling homeland. I hope they don’t do too much damage before help arrives. We’ve got to find the teachers. They’re our only hope.”

“What about Twilight and her friends? Or the Pillars? Can’t they do it too?” asked Mr. Cake.

“That’s right. After all, we saw all of them and the teachers take down the Trio years ago and they weren’t even using the Element artifacts,” Mrs. Cake added.

“I’ve been thinking about that, too. Honestly, I don’t have an answer. We’ve had peace in Equestria since then, but the new artifacts appeared recently right in front of the new Tree of Harmony, so they’re obviously needed again. I’m guessing it only works with them in times of great need.”

“Didn’t the Elements refuse to work when they tried them on Cozy the first time?” Thunderhead asked.

“Yeah. It’s like they’re trying to tell us something. We found other ways to defeat Cozy Glow, Tirek, and even the Sorceress without needing the Elements. I know it doesn’t make sense, but like Twilight said: they work in mysterious ways.”

“I’ll say it doesn’t’ make sense. I wish they’d just poof Chrysalis and the others away right now,” Stormy grumbled.

“I wish they’d do it too, Stormy, but it’s not that easy. I thought Discord could help, but he made a good point: we can’t learn a lesson if he just does it all for us. It’s the same with the Elements.”

“Still doesn’t make any sense.”

“But won’t the changelings just find us and copy our memories and know what we’re up to?” Pumpkin asked.

“Maybe, but we’ll just have to be careful. The map wouldn’t tell us where the teachers are if we can’t make it. We have to trust the map.”

“I just hope mom and the others are okay,” Annie said.

“We’ll find her, Annie,” Chip told his sister, putting his arm around her.

“Think there’ll be any changelings on the other side, Starlight?” Trixie asked.

“I hope not, but we’d be a lot safer out there than in the castle,” Starlight responded.

“Hey guys, Buttercream hasn’t come in after us yet. Do you think she’s okay?” Pumpkin asked as everyone turned back.

“That’s a good question,” Flurry said.

“We best not call for her or changelings might hear us on the other side,” Sunburst told them.

“I hope she’s alright back there. Someone should have probably gone with her,” Pumpkin said, forlornly.

They walked on for a few more minutes with Starlight leading the way down the corridor. Finally they saw light coming down from above.

“There’s the exit,” said Starlight. “Alright, everyone remain quiet. I’ll open the door to see if the coast is clear.

Starlight walked ahead to a small staircase and used her magic to open another trap door. She squinted her eyes as light shone down. She walked up the stairs and peered her head out. She quickly turned to the others and motioned for them to come. Everyone was let out one at a time into the open world. The tunnel led to a small grove. There was a pathway that lead into the mountains. They all looked out to see Ponyville in view. Some changelings were still flying around and a few combined changelings were in view as well. They heard the siren going off from here. Things did not seem any better from when they left.

“Alright. Sunburst, Trixie, you both lead them over these mountains and then everyone part ways.”

“What are you going to do here?” asked Trixie.

“I’m going to go back in and check for Buttercream. I’m starting to wonder if she even made it to the entrance.”

“Be careful, Starlight,” Sunburst told his friend, as she gave him the Elements. “Alright, everypony. Follow us.”

They all ran through a path in the forest with Sunburst and Trixie leading the way. Only a few seconds in, they heard a scream from Starlight’s direction accompanied by hissing and roaring. The changelings had already spotted everyone.

“STARLIGHT!” shouted Sunburst.

They all watched as Starlight fought off several changelings that had ambushed her before she could even get back inside the escape tunnel.

“I’LL HOLD THEM OFF! GO NOW!” she shouted.

“Do as she says! We’ll help her out!” Trixie called.

“Here! Take the Elem-AAGH!” Sunburst shouted before being hit by a beam from behind.

The Elements scattered on the ground and were immediately snatched up by several slender changelings with long prehensile tales called “spies”. They flew away with the Elements before Flurry or any of her friends could get to them.

“NOOO! THE ELEMENTS!” screamed Flurry.

Starlight, Sunburst and Trixie did their best to hold back the changelings and retrieve the Elements. A large, round changeling “brute” appeared and roared like a dinosaur. Tons of changeling drones flew out from behind him and swarmed around the three unicorns. The brute fired a very powerful beam at all three of them and stunned them, allowing the drones to encase them in cocoons. Everyone else stood in a circle back-to-back. Annie started crying as she held on to her father. Elytra, Tex, Thunderhead, Mr. Cake, and Mrs. Cake all stood around the kids, protecting them from the changelings that had already surrounded the group. A tall muscular changeling stepped in slowly. He looked like Scutellum but had regular colors and a standard grey frill on the back of his head. This was an “elite”: an advanced type of changeling with capabilities rivaling that of Chrysalis.

“Take the Elements to the Queen!” the elite told the spy changelings as they flew off with the artifacts. “And now for these fools!”

“Stay away from my friends! Can’t you see Mother is using you all?!” Elytra scolded her fellow changelings.

“Silence, traitor! You will suffer for your treachery!”

“What do we do with these ones, Lieutenant?” asked one of the drones.

“They are no threat to us, but the Queen will want them for harvesting. Cocoon them and then take them to Ponyville before Her Majesty.”

“Hey, what’s going on?!”

The changelings all watched as the group of ponies before them glowed brightly. They were blinded by the light and closed their eyelids. In a split second, there was a flash and then the ponies were all gone. They looked around in confusion.

“What?! Impossible! Scutellum told me he disabled that little alicorn princess’s horn!”

“Should we pursue them, Lieutenant?” asked a drone.

“Forget them. We have the Elements now; that is all that matters. But keep an eye out for them. That fool Elytra should be taken to trial under changeling law.”

“Hey, bugs!” called Trixie from her cocoon. “Don’t get too cocky! You underestimate our friends!”

“That’s right. Flurry Heart is resourceful,” Sunburst added.

“Your faith in your friends is misguided, foolish ponies,” the elite replied, standing over them. “The Queen already reigns supreme. No one is able to stand up to her, not even the Lord of Chaos himself! HAHAHA!”

“Discord, if you can hear me, stay away from Chrysalis,” Starlight whispered, as the drones started carrying all three of them off to the town.

Flurry lay down on the ground. She slowly opened her eyes and saw all her friends next to her. All of their parents and Elytra were gone. They were in a strange ethereal world with stars and nebula moving slowly around them. They slowly got up and groaned.

“Wha…what happened?” asked Chip.

“Pumpkin, where did you take us?” Pound asked his sister.

“Wasn’t me,” she replied.

“It couldn’t have been me either,” Flurry added. “That was a very powerful teleportation spell anyway.”

“Where are we then?” asked Stormy.

“And where are our parents?” asked Annie.

“Children…” said a deep female voice echoing around them.

“What? Who was that? Show yourself!” demanded Stormy.

“That’s…that’s the Spirit of Harmony!” Flurry exclaimed.

“The Spirit of Harmony?!” Pound replied.

“She is real!” Pumpkin added, joyfully.

“Spirit, what is it?” Flurry asked.

“Children, fear not for you will join the others soon. When you awaken, you must locate all the Teachers.”

“The changelings have the Elements though.”

“Do not worry, Princess Flurry Heart. The changelings cannot destroy or use them. The Teachers must be found and led back to Ponyville.”

“Spirit, what about all the others that have been kidnapped?” Pound asked.

“Yeah! Those dumb changelings took my Mommy and I’m not gonna stop looking for her!” Stormy added.

The voice of the Spirit giggled before speaking again.

“Your determination is admirable, little Storm Streak. I assure you that blessed circumstances have already found them. Twilight and her friends and the Pillars will not stay hidden for long.”

“How do we know where to start looking for the Teachers?” asked Flurry.

“Follow your cutie marks. You will all be sent across Equestria, but none of you will be alone. Hurry, little ones. Find the Teachers. Their fate is in your hooves.”

“Spirit, wait!”

“Peace be with you.”

9. Rescues Underway

The entire world around the children faded into light. Flurry could feel her body laying on the ground as if she was waking up from a dream. She heard her name being called over and over again.

“Flurry? Flurry? Can you hear me?”

Flurry opened her eyes to see Elytra standing over her. She was now in a forest and it was night. She stood up and rubbed her eyes.

“Elytra?” she asked. “Where…where are the others?”

“I woke up and they were gone. You were the only one with me. I have no idea how that happened, but it couldn’t have been your magic.”

“It was the Spirit of Harmony.”

“The Spirit of Harmony?”

“The Teachers had the same experience not too long ago. They were transported to some strange world to speak with Her.”

“What did She say?”

“She needs us to find the teachers, so she sent each one of us where they are. If you’re with me, that means they were all sent back to their parents. I guess that means Sandbar isn’t very far from here.”

“We’re there already? Well that will speed things up.”

Flurry’s bow continued to blink. An orb of light floated out of it and off into the forest.

“What is that thing?” asked Elytra.

“It’s showing us where he is! Follow it!”

Flurry and Elytra ran after the orb through a path with less foliage. In less than a minute, they found themselves in a dark grove with a pointy bolder in view. The orb flew around onto the other side of it. As they reached the other side, they could no longer see the orb, but a harvesting pod was hanging from the boulder. Inside was Sandbar.

“There he is!” shouted Flurry.

Elytra flew up and gnawed away at the top of the pod until it fell to the ground. Part of it had already cracked open and started leaking, so Flurry reached in with her hooves and pulled. Elytra flew down and helped her out. The pod then burst open and Sandbar was flushed out with the liquid. He sat up and coughed.

“Ugh! Bleh! Where am I?” he asked.

“Sandbar, it’s me! Flurry!”

Flurry walked in front of Sandbar with Elytra carefully trailing behind. Sandbar smiled at the sight of Flurry but quickly grimaced at the changeling.

“Who’s that?” he asked, angrily.

“She’s with me.”

“Oh really? What have you got to say for yourself, changeling?” he barked at Elytra.

“I’m sorry for all of this,” Elytra whimpered.

“You helped with infiltrating Pinkie’s wedding, didn’t you? Well?!”

“I did, but I didn’t want to! Please, I betrayed my mother earlier and I’m going to make sure she pays for what she’s done.”

“Flurry, I don’t think we can trust her.”

“Sandbar, it’s alright,” Flurry told him. “She was imprisoned with me. Look, I just saw the Spirit of Harmony like you and the other Teachers did back when we were dealing with the Sorceress.”

“You did?”

“Yes. She would have let me know if Elytra would betray me. Elytra wants to be transformed just like Thorax and the others.”

“Elytra? Wait, I know that name. Ocellus has mentioned her before.”

“So it’s true that Ocellus is one of the new Elements of Harmony then. I’m an old friend of hers,” said Elytra. “Please, Sandbar, I just want to be rid of all this guilt; I just haven’t been able to transform yet.”

“You’re friends with Ocellus?” Flurry asked.

“I was. She and her family joined Thorax. I chose to go with Scutellum and still remain loyal to the queen. A decision I’ve regretted since.”

Sandbar took a moment to think. He finally returned his gaze to Elytra and could see the sorrow in her eyes.

“I forgot to mention, but Ocellus has said she still thinks about you, praying that you’ll see the light one day.”

“She has?” Elytra said, smiling.

“She has. She’ll be happy to know you’ve betrayed the queen.”

“Thank you.”

Elytra and Sandbar bowed heads respectfully and Flurry smiled.

“Now Flurry, just where are we?” Sandbar asked, looking around.

“Well the map showed me and my friends where you and the other teachers,” Flurry answered. “Your dot was hovering over near the Neighagra Falls, if I recall correctly.”

“That explains the waterfall I can just barely hear in the background.”

“Oh! Flurry, we’re in luck! That’s where Princess Twilight and Spike were hidden!” They’re in a cave just behind the biggest of the falls!”

“Really?! Quick! Let’s find them!”

Flurry and Sandbar followed Elytra through the forest. The sound of the falls grew louder and louder. Once they reached a clearing, they could see the giant column of water pouring down and mist wetted their faces.

“This way! Quickly!” Elytra said, as she led them down a path to a small opening off to the side.

Once they were behind the water, Elytra flew through a cave. In just a few moments, Flurry saw two pods hanging from stalactites. Elytra began chipping away at the larger, round one that contained Spike, while Flurry and Sandbar took Twilight’s. After they broke open, Twilight and Spike started gagging until they caught their breaths.

“Twilight! It’s me!” Flurry said, hugging her aunt.

“Flurry Heart! You came for me!” Twilight replied.

“Hey, haven’t you changelings taken enough love from me already?” Spike said.

“Wait! Please, Spike, I’m rescuing you,” Elytra explained.

“Rescuing me?”

“Her name is Elytra,” Twilight said before Flurry could answer.

“Twilight, you know her name?” Flurry asked.

“She was in a vision while I was asleep in the pod. I saw a changeling helping you out, Flurry. A changeling that looked like her. A changeling named Elytra.”

“This is Ocellus’s old friend, Spike,” Sandbar added. “The one she wished would join Thorax and the others.”

“I…you’re Ocellus’s friend?” Spike asked.

Elytra nodded her head as she helped Spike up.

“Well now that I see these three are with you, I guess there’s no denying you’re a good changeling. But why haven’t you transformed yet?”

“I’ve tried, but it doesn’t seem to work. I can feel it in me though, so I know it will happen soon..”

“I see your wings are already sparkling. Just like Thorax’s were before he transformed. Then you’re on your way,” Spike told her, smiling.

Flurry stood next to Elytra, as Twilight and Sandbar joined in.

“Well Elytra, if you’re with us, then we could really use your help right now. I’m guessing Chrysalis has already taken over the wedding?”

“Even worse: she went further than she did with Shining Armor and Cadance’s wedding and got the kiss from Cheese Sandwich. She’s transformed into a higher form and is more powerful than anyone else. I don’t even think Discord can defeat her.”

“Yikes. That’s not good.”

“Elytra, since you know where everyone else is, why don’t you go with Twilight and Spike,” Flurry told Elytra. “I’ll take Sandbar back to Ponyville and we’ll figure out how to get the Elements back.”

“Oh great. The changelings took the Elements?” Sandbar responded.

“Sadly yes.”

“Well Twilight, if you don’t mind, I’m going with Flurry and Sandbar. I made a promise after all.” Spike said, standing next to Flurry and putting his wing around her.

“You did,” Twilight told Spike. “Alright, Spike. Don’t you lose her. Elytra, come with me and show me where the others are.”

“Yes, Princess Twilight,” Elytra said.

“Hey, Elytra?” asked Flurry.

“Yes, Flurry?”

“If you find my parents, tell them I love them and I’m doing okay.”

“I will.”

“And Spike,” said Twilight, “Once you get to Ponyville, stay out of the town for a while until Sandbar can regroup with the others. Find a way to get the Elements back to the teachers.”

“You got it, Twilight,” Spike said with Flurry and Sandbar by his side.

“May the Magic of Friendship be with us all,” Twilight said.

Elsewhere in Ponyville, the invasion worsened throughout the night. The entire town had been taken over. Most buildings were either overrun by changelings or used as hiding spots for citizens still in town, but they did not last long. Drone and brute changelings were out patrolling for any ponies still trying to escape. The spy changelings would creep into houses and weed out anypony hiding in them. The ponies would then be encased in pods and hung on trees for harvesting.

Royal guards and military zeppelins hovered several miles outside of Ponyville. With Tempest Shadow now appointed as an emergency regent, she commanded the fleet to keep an eye on them while other guards abroad tried their best to locate Princess Twilight Sparkle. The entire countryside was on high alert and several allied countries like the Midnight Kingdom, Yakyakistan, Griffonstone and Seaquestria had already assembled their military forces to surround the area. The good changelings remaining in their kingdom were in disarray as word had gotten out that King Thorax had been captured, though this had yet to be confirmed. Dragon Lord Ember and all the dragons of her land were aware of the situation, but they could only assemble younger, smaller dragons that would not cause too much destruction. No one had made any moves yet against Queen Chrysalis. She was too powerful and her changelings were too great in number for them to risk an offensive. There were too many innocent beings in the town that would be treated like hostages, so there was no plan to help.

As dawn began to break that next morning, Chrysalis waited in the center of town where some changelings had gathered to bring her news. She was not pleased to hear about the earlier escape.

“You let them escape?!” she bellowed.

“Apologies, my queen, but we were closing in fast and then they all just suddenly teleported,” said the elite captain, groveling before her.

“It must have been that fool Discord! The little princess had her horn disabled!” said a drone next to him.

“No matter. We’ve got the Elements and Starlight Glimmer, though I still wait for that traitor Thorax to be brought before me. First, take these fools to have their love drained with the others. Is that clear?!”

“Yes, Queen Chrysalis!” they shouted in unison.

Chrysalis spread her wings and buzzed like a helicopter, carrying the pod with Starlight inside. The spy changelings that captured the Elements of Harmony followed her. The changelings left behind turned back and surrounded Sunburst, Trixie, Buttercream, Pinkie, Cheese and Maud in their pods.

“So who wants to carry the big, fat one?” asked one drone.

“The dragon or the bride?” another one responded as they all snickered.

Suddenly, a squad of new, black and orange “hyper” changelings could be seen. They were recently spawned by Chrysalis, but had become full-grown adults and some had evolved into elites already. They landed behind all of them and walked towards the pods.

“You all return to your posts. We are taking these pods,” said one elite in a monstrous voice similar to Chysalis’s.

The drones all looked confused.

“What?” asked one of them. “But the Queen told us to-”

“Have any of you learned the memory copy spell?!” the elite barked.

“Uh…no.”

“These six could have valuable memories. We are taking over to copy their memories and then report on any findings to the queen. The rest of you return to your posts at once!”

“Alright, alright. Come on, guys. Let’s go.”

The regular changelings all grumbled and flew off. After they were gone, the hyper changelings took flight, picked up the pods and carried them away, outside of Ponyville. For several minutes, they carried them over the Everfree Forest until they reached the castle ruins. They flew in through the whole in the ceiling that lead to the room where Nightmare Moon was defeated. They placed them all on the ground and then stood in front of the pods and readied their horns. The captain elite nodded his head to them all. They fired low-powered beams at the pods to cut them open to free the prisoners. Trixie coughed and slowly opened her eyes as the captain stood over her. His eyes were not angry anymore and his voice sounded familiar.

“Trixie, are you okay?” he asked.

“Th…Thorax?” Trixie responded.

“Hey.”

The elite transformed into Thorax while all the rest of the black changelings transformed into the reformed changelings that attended the wedding with him. Among them were his body guards, his brother Pharynx, and a few that were able to infiltrate the invasion from the outside. Trixie smiled and hugged Thorax as the others got up and dried themselves off from the sedative fluids.”

“Thorax! You guys came for us!” Pinkie cheered.

“We’ve been preparing for a moment like this for a while now,” said a large changeling bodyguard that resembled a maroon rhinocerous beetle.

“King Thorax and the rest of us got out of the town hall just as Queen Chrysalis started the invasion and we acted quickly,” added another large changeling next to him that resembled a brown Hercules beetle.

“And I heard what was happening right away and had to come in for my brother,” said Pharynx.

“Sorry we got to you so late. It’s been rough keeping these disguises up so long,” Thorax told them.

“It’s okay. Better late than never,” Cheese said, putting his arm around Pinkie.

“Wait…my family! Have they gotten here yet?” asked Buttercream.

Thorax nodded his head and walked over to the window in the back. He shone his antlers to signal someone in the forest. Several dragons then flew out of the trees several hundred yards away. They flew up and landed in through the ceiling. Before them were Barb, Scorch, Singe, and several fighting-age dragons their size. Butter flew forward and hugged Barb as Scorch and Singe joined in.

“GUYS! I knew you’d make it!”

“We had a bit of a trek getting down here. It’s our first time visiting Equestria and the farthest me and the boys have been away from home,” Barb said.

“And it was a pain having to fly around the Canterlot mountain, so no one would see us,” Scorch added.

“But we weren’t gonna give up on our little sis!” Singe said, hugging Butter from behind and tickling her as she giggled.

“So guys, what about Billow? Did she make it?” Butter asked.

“Billow?” asked Scorch.

“You mean Princess Billow of the Southern Drakes? Haven’t seen her yet,” Barb responded.

“I sent her a letter too. Hopefully she’ll show up soon. What about Mom and Dad?”

“Right over there,” Barb said, pointing to the window next to Thorax.

Butter looked to see Smite and Chara peering in through the window. They were standing outside of one end of the castle on the forest floor to get at everyone else’s level. Buttercream flew out of an opening in the window to meet both of them. They put their hands out for her to land in them and nuzzled her with their snouts.

“MOMMY! DADDY!” Buttercream squealed.

“Buttercream! You’re safe!” said Chara.

“We were so worried when the courier brought your letter. I need a better way to get letters from you directly,” Smite told his daughter.

“I’m just so happy to see you guys!”

“And Spike?” asked Chara.

“He was captured and hidden somewhere. I don’t know where.”

“GRRRR! That queen is going to pay for what she’s done to my son!” Smite grumbled, as steam emitted from his nostrils.

“King Thorax, how is the situation in Ponyville?” Chara asked, turning to speak to Thorax through the window.

“Not good. Seemingly everyone’s been captured and we only managed to rescue these guys.”

“We need to get to the Elements of Harmony,” said Sunburst, stepping forward. “They are quite possibly the only thing that can stop Queen Chrysalis.”

“If we can. It’ll be pretty difficult with her around,” Maud advised.

“You leave her to me,” said a stern voice behind them.

They all looked back at the entrance to see a tall, horned figure step into the light. It was Tirek, joined by several centaur and gargoyle guards.

“I’ve dealt with Chrysalis before; I’ll do it again.”

“Tirek? It’s…um, great to finally see you like this,” said Trixie, nervously.

“Tirek, are you sure? Her power is far too great,” Sunburst told him.

“I don’t plan on beating her, and I know she won’t listen to me. The least I can do is serve as a distraction. That should allow you time to find the Elements. Besides, that tree I replanted in Ponyville is still there and I’m not about to let them destroy what I gave back to the ponies…or harm Cozy Glow or her mother.”

“I mean… you are kinda big,” Singe said.

“Yeah, we had to avoid bringing too many dragons in so we wouldn’t wreck the place,” Scorch added.

“If I damage anything in the process, I have an easy way to fix it,” Tirek said, putting his hand around Scorpan’s necklace.

“Oh yes. The Pendant of Restoration. It’s good to see you using that for good,” Sunburst said.

Pinkie and Cheese stepped forward to speak.

“So Sunburst, what about Flurry and the kids? Are they okay?” Pinkie asked.

“They should be fine. I saw them all get instantly transported away as the changelings were closing in,” Sunburst answered.

“And before that, they all were called by the map to go find the teachers,” Trixie added.

“Well then that means we’re already on a path to victory,” Cheese said, happily.

“For now,” Sunburst continued. “Some changeling spies stole the Element artifacts, so we’re going to have to find a way to get them back. Once we cause enough of a scene in Ponyville, maybe the queen will come in and someone can get the Elements.”

“Alright everyone, here’s the plan:” said Smite as they all turned to him. “Barb, you and the others move in and distract those bigger changelings. Only use fire if you’re in air, so you don’t burn anything on the ground. King Thorax, you and your team are probably best suited to infiltrate and get those Elements. Tirek, distract the queen as best as you can. As for the rest of you ponies, I’d recommend you seek shelter elsewhere.”

“With all due respect, King Smite, this is me and Pinkie’s wedding that was taken from us, and we’re not going to let it stay like that,” Cheese boldly said.

“That’s right. Plus some of our family members are still back there,” Pinkie added, holding her fiancé’s hoof.

“And me and Trixie have a good friend back there that we’re not giving up on either,” said Sunburst.

“You said it, Sunny,” Trixie added.

Smite appeared skeptical at first, but quickly smiled.

“Who am I to keep you ponies apart from your families,” he said. “Alright. You’ll all go then. Chara and I will stay in the mountains nearby in case we’re needed. I’d love to go down and squash that Chrysalis right now, but I think our best bet is to be restricted to the skies with some of those larger changelings.”

“We’ll be alright,” added Chara. “If what Buttercream said is true about Princess Billow, then we should be getting some backup shortly.”

“Billow’s gonna be a big help, you guys,” Buttercream said, cheerfully. “She’s got a really cool axe. I’m only a little concerned about Flurry, but I’m sure she’s with Elytra since they all had to split to find the teachers.”

“Elytra?” asked Thorax as his ears perked up.

“She’s…she’s reformed?” Pharynx said, rushing over to Buttercream.

“Uh…yeah, do you guys know her?”

Thorax and Pharynx shared glances and then turned back to Buttercream.

“Elytra was an old friend of mine. Ocellus knew her too,” Pharynx explained, “Not long after Thorax rebelled and Chrysalis escaped, there were still some black changelings left. Ocellus and her family quickly reformed since they had been trying to escape for a while, but me, Elytra and Scutellum were all considering escaping. When Thorax found out about it, I ultimately decided to stay since I still cared about the hive. Elytra was still loyal to Chrysalis, so she left with Scutellum and several others.”

“Scutellum was always evil, but I sometimes wondered about Elytra,” added Thorax. “She didn’t seem like the type that would just run off with Scutellum to remain as black changelings.”

“She was disguised as me at the wedding, but I managed to see the good in her,” Maud added.

“So that was her. No wonder Maud was asking me all these questions about changeling reformation. That was Elytra all along.”

“So has she transformed yet?” Pharynx asked Buttercream.

“Not yet, but I’m rooting for her.”

“Well, we’ll figure that out later. If we’re going to do this, we best act now. Is everyone ready?” Thorax asked everyone.

“I’d say we’re good to go,” Barb said, checking on her brothers and all the other dragons behind them.

Tirek nodded to all his body guards and the changelings did the same to each other. They all looked out one of the broken windows. Ponyville was just in view and the sun was beginning to rise.

“Alright, guys. Let’s do this. For Ponyville. For Equestria,” Sunburst said, boldly.

10. Counter-Attack

The changelings continued to patrol Ponyville, carrying pods and looking for citizens in houses. Inside of the tree that was planted in place of Golden Oaks Library was a small band of ponies hiding out the invasion. Most of the changelings weren’t interested in the tree. The scaffolding all around it made it look uninhabited. Amongst the refugees were the mayor of Ponyville, Big Macintosh, Sugar Belle, Melody Heartsong, Cozy Glow, and other citizens that were unable to escape from town.

A spy changeling managed to get inside at one point, but Big Macintosh subdued him with a powerful buck to the face. After being knocked unconscious, Sugar Belle used her magic to quickly tie him up while the mayor used a “horn disabler” to keep him from using magic. He had been placed in the cellar where others would keep an eye on him. They did their best to remain quiet in the tree, but they knew they would be found eventually. The mayor had several ponies gathered around her to come up with a plan.

“Alright, once a changeling tries to break through, we will all head down to the basement and put these branches over the doorway before it can signal others,” she said, pointing to a large branch that had been sawn off to allow living space. “If one enters, our unicorn sentinels will fire blasts to knock it out, and we quickly drag it back down and tie it up. I only have five horn-disablers left, so I don’t know how much longer we can keep this up.”

“Mayor, at some point, they’re going to find out who’s hiding in the tree. We’ll have no choice but to escape, hopefully before they can capture us,” said Sugar Belle.

“Sugar Belle’s right,” added Big Mac. “This tree is out in the open, so leaving it will be tricky, but we’re toast if we stay in here. We’re trapped like rats.”

“Sneaking out eventually is probably the best option,” the mayor replied. “I wish someone in here new the teleportation spell.”

“Miss Mayor, would it be better if one of us snuck out at night to try and get help? If you’re okay with it, I’d be happy to volunteer,” Cozy Glow said, stepping forward.

“Cozy Glow, no! Please, I don’t want to lose you again,” Melody said, pulling Cozy back in.

“Mom, it’s the least I could do for everyone to make up for all my evil deeds in the past. Plus, I know Chrysalis. If I am captured, maybe I can talk to her.”

“I don’t want to risk it,”

“I appreciate the offer, Cozy Glow, but your mother’s right,” the mayor replied. “I don’t want to endanger a child. We’ll find someone else to do it. Right now I think it would be wise to-”

“PONIES!! I’VE FOUND PONIES!” shouted a voice from above.

Everypony’s insides overturned. They spun their heads around to see a changeling ripping through the plastic sheets, covering an opening meant to hold a window frame. He had already alerted several other changelings, which were entering through the holes.

“WE’VE BEEN SPOTTED! EVERYONE TO YOUR STATIONS!” shouted the mayor.

The ponies all scattered and prepared for battle. One of the changelings managed to break through, but the others were instantly pulled back out. They began yelping to the sounds of blasts. The first changeling stopped in midair and flew back out to check on his comrades.

“Hey! Who dares to-UGH!!” he shouted.

Flashes of light could be seen through the openings. The first changeling was instantly thrown back into the hole he came out of. He flew against the walls of the inside of the tree and plummeted to the ground. He was knocked unconscious, so he was no longer a threat. Big Macintosh walked over to him and nudged him with his front hoof to find no movement. Several of the Mayor’s bodyguards used a horn disabler and Sugar Belle tied him up. Everyone looked back to the hole and saw another being peering through. It was Tirek.

“Is everypony alright?” he asked.

“TIREK!” shouted Cozy Glow.

“Oh, Lord Tirek! You came just in time!” the mayor said, gratefully.

“I’m sorry I’m late. Help is on the way and I…UGH! Hold on one second!”

Tirek then turned back to defend himself from a barrage of blasts. Outside, several changeling drones were on the ground in pain, but elites and brutes were closing in fast on Tirek. The Midnight Kingdom guards assisting him began fighting back with large spikey maces and swords. Tirek preferred to use his own magic to fight. He continued blasting them or using his magic to lift them in the air and throw them back. Sometimes he would resort to physical strength to punch the brutes or grab and throw them so he would not deplete his magic from overuse. Ten changelings came together to combine. The combiner crawled towards Tirek, but Tirek was quick and grabbed its pinchers before it could clamp down on him. He pushed against the pinchers with all his might and then used his magic to lift the gargantuan insect in the air. The guards all threw their weapons at the combiner repeatedly until it lost its grip on Tirek. Tirek took this opportunity to run under the combiner and punch it repeatedly in its underbelly. The combiner spread its wings and took to the skies, but Tirek leapt into the air and came down with his fist surrounded in energy. The combiner was thrust into the ground and weakened tremendously. Finally, it split apart into ten pieces, which all transformed back into the changelings. They scattered as the elite ordered them to retreat. The brute was still underneath Tirek’s fist. He grabbed it by the neck and hurled it at one of the drones, which was instantly flattened by the brute. Tirek looked proudly at the guards and nodded to them, only to then notice more changelings arriving on the scene. Each combiner needed at least one elite and brute to form the head and body respectively, and only two spies and six drones were required for the wings and legs. Elites were rare, but there were enough in the army to create a bothersome amount of combiners. Already three other combiners had closed in on them.

“I think we need to take out those larger changelings that make the head and body,” he told them. “It looks like they’re needed to combine into these huge beetles. You three defend the tree from the smaller ones. The rest of you help me with the large ones.”

The guards all complied and turned around to fight the squadron of changelings. Even with more combiners, they were ready to continue the battle.

On the other side of town, Barb, Scorch, Singe and Buttercream were already assisting in the fight. So far only drones had shown up. They threw punches and kicks to their faces, landing blow after blow. The changelings were trained to deal with blunt force to their heads, but the dragons were stronger than anyone they had fought.

Barb had a more graceful style of fighting. Scorch threw powerful punches and kicks, but Barb could still land very heavy blows on the changelings and was not afraid to grab one by the neck. Singe’s weight made him heavy enough to body-slam his opponents and send them flying back with his large belly. Buttercream didn’t mind fighting like her siblings, but she had also perfected some of the moves she had been depicted using in the Super Dragon Warriors video game. She would occasionally grab a changeling and hug it extremely hard or use her cheerleader skills as self-defense. She had also grabbed a few cupcakes from Sugarcube Corner and threw them at the changelings’ faces, blinding them temporarily, allowing the others to take them out. The other dragons helping had similar fighting styles to Barb, Scorch and Singe and were large enough to wrestle with some of the changeling brutes. Sunburst and Trixie fought with them, while Pinkie, Cheese and Maud helped some nearby ponies escape from harvesting pods. They would then be directed to the Everfree Palace ruins where Smite and Chara would keep them safe. They all continued fighting while making conversation.

“Well these guys are a lot of fun, I’d say!” Singe commented before punching an elite right in the face, causing several drones to retreat in fear.

“Let’s not get too cocky, Singe. This is to save the ponies, not for sport,” Barb reminded her little brother.

“We’re getting quite a workout. I hope we can stand the rest of them,” Scorch added.

“It feels awesome to save the day. I just wish Spike were here,” Buttercream said.

“He’ll be here, Butter,” Sunburst told her. “I think when the kids teleported, that might have been divine intervention by the Spirit of Harmony. Maybe they were all sent to the teachers’ respective locations.”

“Either way, they’d want us to do the best we can to help,” Trixie added, before using her magic to lift a drone and then throw him at his comrades.

“Uh, guys?” Scorch said, pointing to the sky.

Everyone looked up to see tons of changelings heading right for them. They were mostly drones, but there were more elites, brutes and spies visible this time. Everyone got ready to fight and was instantly swarmed by all the changelings. Some of them tried to spit casing substance around the feet of the dragons, but they quickly went airborne and blew their fire upward at the drones to make them scatter. The brutes were a different story. They rammed right through the dragons without a problem. While the dragons had tough hides, the brutes’ horns were sharp and caused discomfort when jabbed into them. The stronger dragons had no problem fighting them back, while the spies took to the ground to fight Sunburst and Trixie. Spies were not nearly as strong as brutes and some of the drones were even stronger, but spies were nimble and hard to land hits on. Trixie and Sunburst had to use their wits to fight back. Unfortunately, they were overwhelmed and Trixie had already gotten stuck in casing. Sunburst tried to help her but was blasted by an elite behind him. Barb returned to the ground to help them both out, but had to still deal with changelings following after her. Buttercream tried taking on a brute, but it was too big for her, so Singe came in and knocked the brute out to save his little sister.

“Barb, we’re getting clobbered!” shouted Singe, as he held onto Buttercream.

“I noticed! We could really use those reinforcements right now!”

“Princess! Look!” shouted one of the dragons assisting them.

Everyone looked to the east to see a large dragon flying in. The dragons could already tell help was on its way, but once they got a better look at this dragon, they were not pleased with what they saw. Instead of having arms and legs with its wings on its back, the arms were its wings, which meant this was a Western Drake. This dragon had six digits at the end of its forearms: three were fingers and the rest of them webbed out with the wing flaps. It had tons of spines all over its neck frill and two long horns going back. It’s coloring wasn’t as bright as Northern Drakes. It was a dark, ugly shade of yellow with brown spikes and horns. While it wasn’t as big as Smite and Chara, it was still much taller than Barb and had an extensive wingspan. It was far more monstrous than a Northern Drake, and not nearly as friendly-looking. Never before did Barb, Scorch and Singe expect to see one of these dragons that they had only heard of in scary stories as children. Buttercream on the other hand seemed please to meet it.

“Is…is that a wyvern?” asked Scorch.

“Oh great. There’s no way that thing can be on our side,” said Singe.

“No, she is on our side!” shouted Buttercream.

“Butter, you know that thing?” asked Barb.

“That’s my old friend Calida! Oh, and look! She brought Billow! I knew she’d make it!”

As Calida flew in closer, she slowed herself down and a fat, horned dragon carrying a large battle-axe appeared next to her. Sure enough, this was Buttercream’s friend Princess Billow. She appeared just like she did in Super Dragon Warriors: orange with a yellow underbelly and red spikes. She stood about as tall as Singe and was just as plump as him.

“BILLOW! You made it!” Buttercream cheered.

“Did someone call for backup?” Billow said, speaking in a confident, sassy voice.

The brutes and elites took on Calida, who roared ferociously and blew fire at them. Billow readied her axe and waited for the changelings to get closer. She pointed her axe at them and fired energy beams from the crystal tip in the center. A few of them managed to get to her, but she quickly swung the axe and knocked them all back. Changelings had nearly impenetrable hides, but the impact of the axe left them incapacitated. She methodically spun her axe around between her fingers like a baton, landing well-placed hits on every changeling. Not a single one of them managed to get to her, and even the ones that got close enough were still punched or kicked by her beefy arms and legs. After the changelings had all been taken care of, she shared a glance with Calida.

“These bugs are nothing!” Calida said in a deep female voice.

“I’ve fought worse. Just be sure to only blow fire in the air so we don’t burn the houses down,” Billow reminded her companion.

“Got it.”

Billow flew down to the ground and fought off a few more changelings that dared to go up against her. At this point, Calida had scared most of them off. Billow showed off by swinging her axe around and then putting on her back where her wings gripped it in place. Buttercream ran towards Billow to hug her, while her siblings were all occupied, helping Trixie and Sunburst.

“I knew you’d make it, Billie!” she said, throwing herself into Billow’s soft belly and wrapping her arms around her.

“I couldn’t ignore a request from my favorite little Northern Drake. So is that the family over there?”

“Sure is! Just sorry I can’t properly introduce them right now. We’re having a bit of a problem as you can see.”

“Don’t worry. These guys are gonna be a breeze. Calida and I got this.”

“Yeah, I’m surprised you convinced her to come!”

“She was in a good mood and thought she’d help out.”

“Good to see she’s still okay with helping ponies.”

“I got a few guards over there trying to push back too. And what about this queen?”

“Chrysalis? She’s bad news. I don’t think any of us can take on her.”

“Not even Calida?”

“Definitely not Calida. You’d have to know powerful magic to do it.”

“What about Nighty?”

“Oh Nighty’s not at that level either, but I couldn’t get him to come. The changelings destroyed the rest of my stamps before I could send his letter. We’re going to definitely need the Elements of Harmony for this one.”

“Well, we’ll figure it out. Here come some more of them. Let’s do this, Beo!”

“Lead the way,” said a voice inside Billow’s head.

The person Billow was speaking to was the axe itself. This axe actually had a mind of its own and was inhabited by an angelic spirit named Beo Tuag. She could move on her own when needed and could even speak to Billow or anyone else deemed worthy to wield her. No one else could hear Beo speak to Billow, but Billow heard her voice and understood every word. More changelings closed in. Like before, they had no problem fighting them back, until Buttercream saw two changeling combiners enter.

“Oh dear. Those guys again,” Buttercream said, anxiously.

“A bigger one? No problem,” Billow said, throwing Beo at the changeling.

The magic axe struck the side of its head, but it only left a mark. The combiner was still crawling towards them. Buttercream flew in to the air and tried stomping on it’s back, but the creature lifted its elytron and catapulted her off into some nearby bushes before she could open her wings. Billow flew towards the combiner and tried to slice its mandibles off with Beo, but the combiner blasted her with a beam from its mouth. Billow tumbled onto the ground as Beo fell out of her hands and floated over to help her up. The combiner walked over to Billow and attempted to pinch down on her while she was still dizzy from the landing. Scorch saw what was happening and acted quickly. Billow looked up to see a tall, green Northern Drake putting himself between the large pinchers of the combiner and pushing back on them. The combiner roared in his face, but he blew fire at it until it backed off and separated into the ten changelings it comprised of. Scorch turned around to check his damsel in distress. Billow shook off her pain and then took a moment to examine her rescuer.

“Hey. You okay, miss?” he asked her.

Billow locked eyes with Scorch and couldn’t seem to take them off. She hadn’t seen a male dragon quite as handsome as him. He had an ideal muscular build and had already proven he was strong enough to defend a princess. Enamored by his looks, she almost forgot about the claw he had offered her. She put her claw in his and let him help her up.

“Yeah. Thanks,” she replied after clearing her throat.

“So you must be my sister’s friend, Princess Billow.”

“That’s me. And you?”

“Name’s Scorch.”

Barb let her eyebrows move back down. She turned her head and looked out of the side of her eyes. A flirtatious smile formed on her face.

“Well hey, good job with that guy. You’re pretty strong.”

“You’re not so bad yourself.”

“HEY! BRO! A LITTLE HELP HERE!” shouted Singe, who was holding back another combiner with Barb.

“I gotcha, Singe!” Scorch called back.

“Sorry about that. Come on, Beo!” Billow replied as she picked up her axe to start fighting again.

Scorch punched a changeling in the face and watched as Billow fought. He himself had already decided she was attractive. With many Northern Drakes possessing the same chubby, round build she had, he wondered if this Southern Drake had any Northern blood in her. Not only was she pretty; she also had amazing fighting skills. Scorch had been looking for a dragoness as beautiful and strong as her. He thought maybe he had finally found his match. Just then an elite blasted him in the stomach and he stumbled backwards. Barb stepped in and took the elite out with a flying kick.

“Remember what dad said about finding love, Scorch: it’s both a blessing and a distraction.” she said, teasingly.

“Shutup, Barb. I’m not in love,” Scorch laughed as she helped him up.

“Not yet,” she replied.

As Billow kept fighting she looked back to see Scorch lifting a brute and throwing it.

“I like him,” said Beo.

“Huh? Oh. Yeah, he’s nice,” Billow replied, blushing.

Starlight Glimmer’s eyelids slowly opened. Her vision was blurry, but it adjusted quickly. She was in a dark, domed enclosure, but rays of light shone through holes in the walls. She was still half asleep from the sedative fluids and almost forgot what had happened. The sight of a large magic-cancelling rock in front of her caused her to remember the invasion that had just taken place. Her eyes widened and she tried to move her legs, but they were covered in green casing and stuck to the ground. She heard a monstrous voice in front of her. Chrysalis walked forward into the light.

“Wake up, Starlight Glimmer,” she said.

“Chrysalis? What have you done to the others?!”

“They’re prisoners now, waiting to have their bodies drained of love until they’ve nothing left to give. You should consider yourself lucky you aren’t with them.”

“If you can call this luck. Look, I know what you’ve done with the Elements, but you can only have the upper hoof for so long.”

“Oh, what could possibly go wrong? Will little Flurry Heart and her friends stop me? My drones told me what happened to them, but those little brats don’t know where I’ve hidden all the wielders of the Elements of Harmony, both past and present. Even her parents had to be removed after what they did to me years ago.”

Starlight then realized her memories had not yet been copied because Chrysalis was not aware of the map directing the children to the location of the Teachers. It would not stay this way for long, so she did her best to stall the queen.

“So this is what you’ve been planning: to hijack Pinkie and Cheese’s wedding.”

“General Scutellum has been waiting till my return since your friends turned me to stone. We have spies all over Equestria, but the wedding had already made the newspapers everywhere. You ponies should be more clandestine about these events, but even all that security was in vain.”

“Scutellum…he took the necklace, didn’t he?”

“Yes. The possession of that necklace allowed all of this. Get everyone to think Princess Twilight Sparkle is the one with the necklace, telling them all that everything is fine, and they’ll just go with it. It was so convenient for Starswirl to make it, only for us to take it with just one ambush in the castle. We had control of this wedding before we even started.

“And this memory copy spell…where did you learn it?”

“Well that would be telling, wouldn’t it?”

Chrysalis walked in closer to Starlight. She put one tarsal claw under her chin and got her to lift her head. Starlight could feel the sharpness of the claw poking into her skin and she winced as Chrysalis leaned in. She could smell the musky, insect scent from her breath but could also feel heat the closer the changing got. Her body was like a furnace; pumping power through her veins.

“You’ve come a long way to think you’d be safe from my vengeance, Starlight Glimmer. What you did to my people that day, how you turned my drones against me and started a rebellion…you will suffer for it.”

Chrysalis pulled her claw away from Starlight’s chin and left a slight scratch mark on it. Starlight put her head down and rubbed her chin against her chest. Chrysalis began pacing about.

“I’ve waited for this day for so long, but I’m still looking for that fool Thorax. The two of you will be subjected to unspeakable torment for the rest of your lives!”

“Keep trying, Chrysalis. I’ve been a villain before too. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from it: it’s that no matter how far you go, you’ll eventually lose.”

Chrysalis turned back angrily and used her magic to pull Starlight’s head in close to her. She nearly pulled her out of the casing, but it still had a hold on Starlight’s legs. Starlight could feel the pain in her legs and neck as she was yanked hard.

“DON’T BE TOO SURE OF THAT!” Chrysalis snapped. “I’ve prepared well for this wedding! The necklace, the memory spell, and now my new powers, it will all be enough! My powers already outclass that of Discord! There isn’t a single fool out there that can stop me!”

Starlight closed her eyes and breathed heavily, fighting back the pain as best she could. Somehow, Chrysalis could still not break her. She stared at the unicorn mare for a few moments, until she closed her mandibles and glared suspiciously.

“You know something, don’t you?” Chrysalis said, lowering her tone.

Chrysalis set Starlight back down and quickly casted the memory copy spell on her. She looked through Starlight’s most recent memories and saw the map speaking to Flurry and her friends, showing them where the teachers were hidden. A few moments later, the spell was complete and Chrysalis’s eyes widened.

“The…the map…the children! They know where the teachers are!”

Before Chrysalis could continue, several changeling drones flew in through the holes in the wall to give her urgent news.

“Your highness!” shouted one drone. “We’ve got trouble! The centaur is attacking and we have reports that some dragons have shown up in retaliation!”

“And they’re helping some of the ponies in town escape!” said the other.

“Those fools. And now I have just learned that all the Element wielders are being rescued!” bellowed Chrysalis.

“They know where the wielders are?!”

“All of you send word to the changelings abroad that Princess Flurry Heart, her friends and their parents are to be captured on sight. If they have already rescued everyone, we can still trap them inside the new hive. Leave the Element artifacts to me. GO NOW!”

“Yes, Queen Chrysalis!”

The drones took off and flew out of the holes to do her bidding. Chrysalis took one more look at Starlight and stretched her arm forward, wrapping her claws around Starlight’s neck.

“I will deal with you later!” she growled before flying off through a large hole.

Starlight gagged for several seconds. She looked up through the hole and saw several changelings flying overhead in the same direction. She then heard the sound of blasts and shouting outside. The ‘centaur’ they mentioned earlier must have been Tirek, and the dragons could be any of Buttercream’s family or friends. Buttercream did manage to call for help after all, and other factions were already pouring in to fight back. Unfortunately, Chrysalis now knew about the kids looking for the teachers. The changelings still had the high ground. Chrysalis’s mention of the ‘new hive’ also baffled her.

“Flurry, please be careful out there,” she said, with bated breath. “Harmony help us if this is our last stand.”

“Starlight?” whispered a familiar voice from behind.

“Thorax?”

Starlight looked to the side to see several black changelings entering the prison. They quickly transformed into Thorax, Pharynx and their bodyguards.

“Stay quiet. We’re going to get you out of here,” Thorax said as he began firing a low power beam at the casing to weaken it.

“Thorax, she copied my memories! She knows the kids are trying to rescue the teachers!” Starlight said, trying her best to whisper.

“She does? Well that’s not good news.”

“What about the Elements?” Pharynx asked Starlight.

“I don’t know where they are. I think those spies still have them. Also, Chrysalis mentioned something about trapping everyone in a ‘new hive.’ Not sure what that’s about, but it’s probably a backup plan for in case the teachers show up.”

“Thorax, we can’t keep this façade up much longer before she figures out it’s us. And without those Elements, I don’t see any other way we can win this.”

“Keep looking. I’ll go out there and distract her,” Thorax told his brother.

“Thorax, are you crazy?”

“Look, she still wants me. Her hatred and desire for revenge will blind her to any threats. I can use that to my advantage.”

“She won’t show any mercy, Thorax,” Starlight added. “She was already talking about plans for torturing me.”

“It’ll be fine. It’s the best distraction I can think of. The rest of you look for the Elements. Hopefully Flurry and her friends have already found the teachers and are on their way.”

“Thorax, be careful out there,” Pharynx said before hugging his brother.

“Go, Pharynx. Lead the others. If anything happens to me, take care of them.”

They bowed to each other and Pharynx and the other changelings snuck out with Starlight. Once she was far enough away from the magic-cancelling rock, she was able to use a spell to cloak herself, while the others disguised themselves as black changelings. Thorax took a deep breath.

“Well I guess this is it. Time to confront her,” he said before transforming and taking off.

11. The Queen Is Prepared

Tirek grabbed a changeling combiner by its leg and threw it into the ground before blasting it. The combiner split apart and the drones and spies scattered, while the elite and brute stayed behind to fight. He blasted both of them and they quickly retreated with the others. Tirek realized he had left a large gash in the dirt, so he used the Pendant of Restoration to mend the damage. He suddenly sensed great power behind him. Thinking it was another combiner; he and all the guards accompanying him turned around and were instantly immobilized by a red, fiery aura.

“ENOUGH!” shouted Chrysalis, as she flew onto the scene.

Tirek was pulled in closer to her. He could only move his eyes and make grunts of pain in this state. Chrysalis glared at her old partner in crime that she never actually considered a friend.

“So it’s true what they say: you finally chose the coward’s life,” Chrysalis jeered. “Oh Tirek, you fool. If you had kept all that power for yourself in the Midnight Kingdom, I’m sure even I could not have surpassed you. I suppose I should thank you for that. More power for the changeling horde!”

“CHRYSALIS!” shouted a voice behind her.

Chrysalis turned around to see Cozy Glow boldly walking out of the tree to meet her. She was suddenly reminded of what happened with the little filly.

“Oh, yes, and then there’s this little brat. What a charming reunion. Do you two really think what you’re doing here is going to make up for your awful deeds? No. There’s no point in going back now that society has demonized us all. Once a villain, always a villain!”

“HALF NOTE!!” Melody screamed, as she flew out of the tree.

“Mom?” Cozy responded, turning around.

Before Melody could reach her daughter, she and Cozy were both instantly frozen in their tracks by Chrysalis’s magic. She brought them in close to her and let go of Tirek. Tirek and his guards fell to the ground and were quickly encased by tons of hyper changelings that surrounded him. They took the guards away to be harvested, while Tirek’s pod was kept behind for Chrysalis. Chrysalis continued monologuing.

“You’ve come so far for such a delinquent, little imp. Through Pinkie’s memories, I remember what I saw happen with you, Cozy Glow…or should I say ‘Sorceress’.”

Cozy looked forlorn, while Melody grimaced at Chrysalis for using her daughter’s villain title she no longer wanted to be associated with. Chrysalis then directed her attention to Melody and put her claw under her chin.

“Aw, and how precious to see you’ve finally found your mother. Tsk tsk. Well there’s some good news for me: the bond between the two of you is rich in love magic. I hope you don’t mind if I feast on it!”

Chrysalis’s jaw split in half and she opened her maw to absorb the love from Cozy and Melody. The transfer had barely started when they both disappeared in a flash before the changeling queen’s eyes.

“What?! WHERE ARE THEY?!”

“Your highness! The refugees in this tree are gone!” shouted a changeling drone that had just flown out of the tree.

“It’s not possible! Unless…”

Chrysalis then felt a blast of magic against her back. Her powers made her practically invulnerable, but she still felt some discomfort from it. She turned around to see all the changelings tied up together in a rope, gagged with handkerchiefs. Tirek was freed from the casing and Discord stood behind him, dressed like a western sheriff.

“Discord!” she barked. “Where are you taking my prisoners?!”

“Hey, if I can’t beat you myself, I might as well help everyone else out,” Discord said, twirling a small revolver with an orange barrel plug around his finger. “It’s been fun, Chryssie, but if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some ponies to rescue.”

Discord snapped his fingers and disappeared to an area Chrysalis could not track. Although her power level outclassed his own, his chaos magic was still foreign to her. It would be nearly impossible to keep up with him from just teleporting around.

“Chrysalis, this will end now!” Tirek demanded, shaking off some of the casing.

“For you, perhaps!” Chrysalis said, going airborne.

A flurry of discharges came from Chrysalis’ horn. Tirek summoned a shield to parry the blows. The shield would have dissipated from the overwhelming amount of energy Chrysalis was exerting had she not stopped firing. He fired back and hit her, but it was like spraying water against a wall of titanium. Her hide was so impenetrable; she didn’t even need to use a shield. Tirek tried firing more powerful shots. They still had no effect. Finally, he charged his fist with a magic aura and leapt forward, punching her with all his might. He then stumbled backwards, grabbing his fist with his other hand as it ached with pain. She still remained untouched and immobile.

“Is this what Scorpan had to deal with? Pathetic,” she said, opening her mandibles and firing a beam from her mouth.

Tirek tumbled around on the ground. Suddenly, Thorax flew down in and landed between the two of them. She ignored Tirek, while the black changelings took on him. She glared at the one changeling she hated more than anyone else.

“You…I’ve found you at last, traitor!”

Thorax let himself be surrounded in her aura. She brought him in close and grabbed him by his neck, sinking her tarsal claws into his carapace.

“CHRYSALIS, PLEASE!” he winced.

“SILENCE, THORAX!” she roared in his face. “Look, I know you’re trying to distract me with the centaur and those dragons. My army is great in number and they will deal with them, as well as the children trying to reunite the teachers with the Elements. As for you: words cannot even describe how much I have yearned to tear you apart since you betrayed me. But your punishment will be more severe. I will find everyone you care about and make you watch as I drain them of their love!”

Thorax could not think of anything to say back to her. He figured she had already been told she would lose eventually, and that was all he could have faith in. If he could keep her from joining the fight long enough and leaving her minions to do her work, perhaps that could turn the tide of the battle.

“I…I want to make you listen,” he said, hoarsely. “Please, the rest of us saw the light. Pharynx even admitted that he still loved his people, and that transformed him.”

“Your brother was as weak as you. So was Elytra. But enough of this pointless debate. When you awaken, this entire land will be under my complete control!”

Chrysalis then stretched her abdomen frontwards and shot the stinger into Thorax’s chest. The venom put him to sleep in an instant. She spun him around while ejecting casing from her mouth to create a pod.

“Lieutenant!” she barked as another elite flew in. “Be on high alert. We are losing some of our prisoners, and I must have enough magic if I am to summon a new hive.”

“What about the teachers, my queen?” asked the elite.

“We cannot let them get to the Elements, and we are in more danger if Queen Cadance and King Shining Armor use their love spell, but I have a plan: if we can trap them in the new hive, their magic will be useless. Tell our forces to focus on trapping the teachers and making sure Cadance and Shining Armor never get together. I kept them in separate caves on opposite ends of Equestria, so alert me once at least one of them is in here and I will begin the ritual.”

“Yes, Queen Chrysalis!”

The elite and dozens of other changelings flew out to follow her orders. Chrysalis turned back to the pod that Thorax was now in. She looked through it to see Thorax with his eyes closed.

“Now that I have this traitor, I believe I may have just enough love magic to steal and create a new castle for the changelings to call their own.”

Using her powers, she lifted a magic-canceling rock that was planted on the ground nearby. She then placed Thorax’s pod on the rock and attached it with more casing.

“And as long as I keep you on this rock, there’s nothing that fool Discord can do to save you!”

“MINI PARTY CANNONS DEPLOY!” Pinkie shouted as tons of small, automated Party Cannons rolled on the ground.

“You wanna crash our wedding? We’ll crash your invasion!” Cheese added as he manned the turret to his Party Tank.

The mini party cannons shot confetti and deserts at the changelings before her. They were then hit by a more powerful blast from Pinkie’s Party Arm Cannon or a buck to the face from Maud. Some elites and brutes came in and were more invulnerable to the blasts. They nearly attacked them, but the dragons swooped in and fought back. A few of Pinkie’s clones had also made it out of their pods with Discord’s help or had been hiding in town the entire time. They did their best to annoy the changelings with their antics. Buttercream had donned her cheerleader outfit and pom-poms. None of the changelings suspected she could still fight like this. She posed in a stance like she was going to start using martial arts, then began skipping forward joyfully, while humming a tune. Several of them flew in towards her, but she punched and kicked them in perfect rhythm, while performing a little dance and chant she learned in cheerleader lessons years ago.

“Over and over and over again! We’ll keep on fighting till the very end! No time to waste! It’s out or in! We’re Daleshire dragons, and we’re going to win! Go Dragons, GO! Go Dragons, GO! Go, D-R-A-G-O-Ns, GO! GO DRAGOOOOONS!!!”

She did a split and shook her pom-poms around. Many changelings surrounded her; incapacitated from the hits they received. Just then, Pinkie tossed her a spare Party Arm Canon.

“Hey, Butter! Catch!” she shouted.

Buttercream caught the cannon and slipped it on her arm to test it out.

“Thanks Pinkie! Now how do I-AGH!!” she yelped, tumbling backwards after firing her first shot.

“You’ll get used to the kick,” Cheese commented.

“I love it!” she said, getting back up and quickly adjusting to the cannon.

Several changelings flew in towards Buttercream. She aimed and shot confetti at them with her newly acquired weapon. It began to overheat so Billow stepped in front of her and used Beo Tuag to smack any remaining changelings.

“Hey there!” Pinkie said to Billow. “You must be one of Butter’s dragon friends!”

“Name’s Billow,” the large dragoness responded. “Sorry if we’re making a mess of things.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll get it all cleaned up later.”

“Guys! More beetles!” Singe said, pointing to a nearby combiner that was crawling towards them.

Cheese aimed the Party Tank turret at the combiner and fired a shot, but the combiner only flinched. Suddenly, Scorch flew underneath it and lifted it in the air. The combiner began buzzing its wings and went airborne. Scorch’s trap worked. He took off to get to the combiner’s level and was joined by Barb as they both rained down columns of fire onto the giant insect. The flames engulfed the combiner, as it fell to the ground and quickly separated. Everyone else on the ground then began pummeling the changelings.

“They separate a little easier if you use fire!” Scorch called to the others.

“Electricity works too!” Starlight shouted as she zapped another combiner with her thunder spell, causing it to separate.

The dragons flew in to take care of the changelings while Starlight used a really powerful beam attack on the elite, sending him flying back into a nearby building.

“STARLIGHT!” Sunburst and Trixie both shouted, as they ran to hug their friend.

“We thought you were a goner!” Trixie said.

“Did Thorax and the others find the Elements?” Sunburst asked Starlight.

“No. Chrysalis has them somewhere else,” Starlight responded. “Also, she said something about trapping the teachers in a ‘new hive.’”

“A new hive? Do you think she means like the one that we entered to rescue everyone a while ago with Discord and Thorax?” Trixie asked.

“I think so, but I don’t know where it is. I didn’t even know the changelings had constructed a new hive castle. If it were in Equestria, everyone would have known by now.”

“I hope the children are safe,” Sunburst said. “If we can’t muster the Elements, we do still have Cadance and Shining Armor’s love spell. I wish I knew where they were.”

“EVERYONE! WE MADE IT!” shouted a familiar voice behind them.

They all looked to see Spike with Sandbar and Flurry arriving on the scene. Buttercream, Barb, Scorch and Singe all immediately ran over to hug Spike while Flurry flew in to hug Pinkie.

“SPIIIIKE!” Buttercream shouted, as she and her siblings all tackled Spike to the ground.

“FLURRY! You’re all right!” Pinkie said, with tears in her eyes.

“And we brought some backup!” Sandbar said, pointing behind him.

The rest of Flurry’s friends walked in together with their parents and the remaining teachers.

“You…you did it! You got all the teachers!” Sunburst said, pushing his glasses up after they nearly fell off.

“Sorry we’re a bit late to the party,” Smolder said, smugly.

“Where are Elements of Harmony? We use them against evil bug queen!” Yona barked.

“We don’t know right now, sadly,” Starlight told Yona.

“Flurry said some changelings took them before they were all teleported to speak with the Spirit of Harmony, so they can’t be in the castle,” Gallus added.

“They all spoke with the Spirit of Harmony?” Sunburst asked.

“Well it was just the kids, but the rest of us were all taken away safely,” Mr. Cake explained.

“Yup, and then She put us all right where the teachers were!” Stormy beamed.

“And thankfully she sent Flashy and Misty to their grandparents’ house in Cloudsdale. Dash would kill me if she found out I had them here this whole time,” Thunderhead added.

“So that’s how you all got to them so quickly: through divine intervention,” Sunburst continued. “Well what about your parents, Flurry? Have you seen them yet?”

“Not yet,” Flurry responded. “I think Elytra knows where they are and is looking for them. I’m sure their love spell can work.”

“Hey everyone, hate to break up this reunion, but we’ve got company,” Billow said, pointing to a horde of hyper changelings flying in towards them all. She then took off and swung Beo back and forth, taking out several of the changelings as Barb helped her out.

“Is that Princess Billow from Super Dragon Warriors?!” Stormy squealed, pressing his hooves against his cheeks.

“We can ask for autographs later, Storm!” Pound said, pulling him in.

The dragons all fought the changelings back with Starlight, Sunburst, Trixie, Maud, Pinkie, Cheese and the Pinkie clones’ help, as the children all huddled up behind their parents. The teachers had no choice but to stay and fight. They knew how important they were but it was already too late to hide. As Barb, Scorch, Singe and Billow took to the skies, Spike and Buttercream ran forward to help, but were blocked by General Scutellum.

“Well if it isn’t the fat one. Ah, yes, and his equally corpulent sister!” he cackled.

“Hey, this is some quality Northern Drake chub!” Buttercream shouted, lifting her belly and jiggling it around.

“That’s right! You wanna pick a fight with me and my family, you’ve got another thing comin’!” Spike said, smirking as he and his sister got ready to fight.

“I’m going to enjoy this,” General Scutellum replied before transforming into the giant, red, horned beast form he used when he first attacked Ponyville.

Spike and Buttercream both flew forward, spewing fire at him as he shot beams from his horn. He knocked Buttercream back but Spike made it to him and landed a powerful punch right against his cranium. Scutellum shook his head and roared, until something even heavier came crashing down on him. Singe had done a body slam onto the beast. While Scutellum was temporarily woozy from the blow, Scorch and Barb blew their fire onto him, but it did no good. While he wasn’t quite as strong as the combiners, his hide was tough enough to keep him from taking the damage and transforming back. It would take a more powerful force to do that.

“Whoa! Is that the thing you saw when you first came here, Flurry?” Pumpkin asked, watching the spectacle.

“That’s him,” Flurry replied.

“So awesome!” Stormy squealed.

“Just what are we going to do about all this?” Mrs. Cake asked, frantically.

“Are we even going to be safe inside our own homes?” Mr. Cake added.

“Just stay close to us. We’ll protect you,” Silverstream told them.

“You may have already done your job in finding us, but we’re not giving up on you,” Ocellus added.

“Oh and look, the cavalry has finally arrived!” Tex shouted.

Everyone looked to see Tex pointing to a stampede of buffalos with ponies from Appleloosa riding atop them. In the front was Applejack’s cousin Braeburn, riding a now fully-grown Little Strongheart.

“YEEHAW! Buffalos do yer thing! Show these here changelings no one messes with the Apple Family!!” shouted Braeburn.

“BUFFALOS ATTACK!!!” Little Strongheart called.

“FOR PONYVILLE!!!” the buffalos added in unison.

The ground began to rumble and some changelings on the ground were charged by the buffalos and tossed aside like ragdolls. They slowed themselves down to avoid hitting any of their allies, but they were still too fast for the changelings to blast. The changelings took to the skies to avoid getting hit, but Calida and the dragon guards that Billow brought along gave them trouble. On the ground, Scutellum tried blasting the dragons until several buffalos knocked him over. He got back up but was instantly pulverized by all five of the dragon siblings and Billow swinging Beo at the same exact time. This was enough to stun him into submission and cause him to revert to his changeling form. He was lying on the ground, aching all over and groaning.

“Aw, did that feel ‘equally-corpulent’? PFFFFFT!” Buttercream taunted, sticking her tongue out at the changeling general.

The scene was quickly overcrowded with tons of changelings and buffalos. It was no longer safe for the kids to be around.

“Man, this is chaotic!” Pound yelled over the stomping and yelling.

“We need to get out of here!” Annie cried, climbing up on top of her father.

“Hey, has anyone seen the teachers?!” Chip asked.

“Oh no! Where did they go?!” Flurry asked, frantically.

“Well, these are changelings we’re talking about. They’re going to use their disguises to fool us. The teachers probably think they’re still with us somewhere else,” Thunderhead added.

“FLURRY HEART!” shouted Twilight Sparkle nearby.

Flurry looked up to see Twilight, Celestia, Luna and Cadance all flying in with Elytra next to them.

“MOM! TWILIGHT!” Flurry called as she rushed to hug her mother and aunt.

“Where’s Applejack?” Tex asked Elytra.”

“And Rainbow Dash?” Thunderhead added.

“They’re on the northern end of town, looking for you guys!” Elytra told them.

“Flurry, where’s your father?!” Cadance asked.

“I don’t know, I thought he was with you!”

“They’re keeping the two of them from getting together!” Twilight told them. “That way we can’t use the love spell we saw at the Canterlot wedding.”

“And I couldn’t find Shining Armor,” Elytra said. “The black changelings must have moved him once they heard what we were up to.”

“Well we lost the teachers in all this commotion sadly. We need to get Mom and Dad together to use the love spell,” Flurry said.

“Luna and I will stay here and help the others fight. Twilight and Cadance should have no problem reaching out to find Shining Armor with their connection to him,” said Celestia.

“And once you find him, use the spell right away and we will instantly banish all these changelings,” Luna added.

“Mom, Twilight, I’m coming with you,” Flurry said, huddling up to her mother.

“As am I,” Elytra added. “I’ve helped you all get this far and I’m not about to let my mother harm these innocent ponies.”

“We might as well all go,” Tex said as the rest of Flurry’s friends and their parents joined them.

“Yeah, we gotta get to mom. We’ve really been missing her,” Chip added with Annie standing next to him.

“Celestia, Luna, will you be alright here?” Flurry asked.

“They’ll be fine,” said Starswirl, who had just arrived with the Pillars.

“Starswirl!” Flurry exclaimed.

“Somnambula!” Stormy said, hugging Somnambula.

“It’s good to see you too, Storm Streak, but you must go! It’s too dangerous here!”

“We’ll distract these changelings long enough and hopefully the queen as well!” Rockhoof said, brandishing his shovel.

“Rockhoof’s right! We’ve got this!” Flash Magnus added.

“The northern end of town appears to be safer. It will be easier to concentrate your magic over there. Quickly now!” Celestia called to them.

“GO!” Starswirl hollered before blasting a changeling that was headed towards him.

Flurry and the others ran off while the royal sisters and all the Pillars stayed behind to join in the fight, which had already overtaken the center of Ponyville around the demolished town hall.

“Everyone, if you can find the changeling that took the necklace and disguised himself as Twilight, destroy that necklace!” Starswirl called to the others.

“Destroy it?” asked Luna.

“I put a failsafe spell inside it. If the crystal is smashed to pieces, it will send a surge of energy that will take changeling’s shape-shifting powers away for at least twenty four hours.”

“What does it look like, Starswirl?” asked Mistmane.

“It’s on a golden band with a green gem.”

“We’ll keep our eyes pealed,” Mage Meadowbrook replied.

Over by the dragons, Spike punched several changelings one at a time and allowed one scrawny spy to fly into his belly, which then bounced back as if he hit a trampoline. Buttercream sat on top of him and crushed him into the ground, leaving him dizzy and unable to fight back. A changeling brute was on its way to ramming into Spike, when he suddenly heard a voice off to the side.

“YOU LEAVE MY SPIKEY WIKEY ALONE!” shouted Rarity.

Spike looked to see her rushing in, not wearing her glasses, bracelet or vest. She used her magic to lift several rocks and pummel the brute with them.

“Rarity!” Spike shouted as he blew fire at the brute until it ran away.

They both stood back to back and continued fighting the seemingly endless horde of black changelings. Spike continued punching them while Rarity did a spinning kick to an oncoming drone.

“Just like old times, eh?” Spike asked Rarity.

“Glad to have you join the fight, Spike!” Rarity replied.

“Was it nearly this bad during Cadance and Shining Armor’s wedding?”

“Oh not nearly as bad! That repulsive Queen Chrysalis has clearly learned!”

“Rarity!” Buttercream called as she lifted and threw a drone. “Please tell me we’ve already met and I wasn’t talking to a changeling this whole time!”

“Oh we have, dear! After I got to Ponyville, the changelings attacked me and put me in one of those filthy pods!”

“Phew! I was gonna say! Practically everyone we knew was captured!”

“SPIKE!” shouted Applejack and Rainbow Dash arriving on the scene with Fluttershy behind them.

“Girls! Where have you all been?” Spike asked.

“Away from home for way too long, that’s where!” Rainbow Dash said, giving an upper cut to an oncoming changeling.

“Where in tarnation are our families?” Applejack asked, frantically.

“And where’s Discord?” Fluttershy asked.

“You just missed Flurry and the others,” Spike replied. “Your kids and husbands are with them heading to the north end of town. And I don’t know where Discord is right now, but he was over here earlier helping rescue ponies from harvesting pods.”

“Oh that’s so kind of him!” Fluttershy said, smiling. “But I take it he can’t stop Chrysalis?”

“I doubt it. She’s way too powerful. We need the Elements of Harmony or at least Shining Armor and Cadance’s love spell.”

A hyper changeling combiner then started running towards them all. Celestia and Luna stood in front of everyone and shot beams at it. The combiner stumbled backwards but regained its composure and tried again. Suddenly another huge beast appeared behind it. A giant orchid mantis pounced on the combiner, clamped it with its claws and threw it aside. Celestia and Luna then combined their beam attacks and blasted the combiner, causing it to finally separate. The orchid mantis turned to everyone else and spoke in the voice of several changelings.

“Everyone! This is Pharynx and several others! We’re here to help!”

“Whoa. Even the good changelings figured it out!” Spike said.

Suddenly an orange beam was fired at the mantis. It separated and several hyper combiners stood around it.

“EVERYONE, RUN!” shouted Pharynx.

Spike, Buttercream, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and Applejack all retreated as the combiners surrounded Pharynx and his troops. Scutellum, who had finally regained consciousness, flew in and stood over Pharynx.

“Scu…Scutellum?” asked Pharynx.

“Pharynx, you fool. I told you to come with me. I told you there was nothing for you with Thorax and the others, but you still stayed behind with them and now look at you!” Scutellum shouted as he lifted him with his magic.

“Scutellum, you already lost Elytra! How can you possibly still think this is all okay?! Where is your love for the other changelings you grew up with?”

“They betrayed the changeling code! A rebellion against our queen is a rebellion against all changelings!”

Pharynx then blasted Scutellum in the face. Scutellum turned his head slowly and cracked his neck side to side.

“Let’s end this properly, old friend,” Scutellum said.

They then stood up on their hind legs and fought like horses with their front legs, biting at each other occasionally and using their horns to attack like male beetles fighting over a mate. Pharynx’s friends watched in horror as the combiners hovered over them, making sure they would not interrupt or try to escape. Everyone else in the background continued to fight. The battle was long and hectic. Some were eventually overcome by their opponents, until someone more powerful came to the rescue and the cycle repeated. It was a constant stalemate. But this was just what was needed for the changelings to secure their victory.

Unbeknownst to everyone, Queen Chrysalis was watching from atop a nearby cottage. Several changeling spies were flanking her.

“Did the others take care of the teachers?” she asked one of the spies.

“Yes, my queen. Right now they think they’re with the children on their way to finding the Elements.”

“Good. Now go after Queen Cadance. Do not let her get to her king or we will have a repeat of the Canterlot wedding. NOW!”

The spies all obeyed and flew off to do their work. Chrysalis turned back to the battle scene and snickered.

“This is the perfect diversion. The new hive is already starting to grow.”

12. Will Love Be Enough?

Gallus, Silverstream, Sandbar, Yona, Ocellus and Smolder rushed through the streets of Ponyville with the kids and their parents following close behind. They were in an area that was surprisingly devoid of any changeling activity. The brawl near the town hall must have attracted most of them, leaving the street to the castle open. Luckily, the castle appeared to be empty at the moment.

“Alright, once we’re inside, you all go hide in the map room and lock and barricade the doors,” Gallus told them. “Then we’ll go find the Elements.”

“You got it,” Tex replied.

They got to the castle and opened the front doors. Sure enough, there were no changelings occupying the castle at the moment. It looked as if no struggle happened there at all. The teachers looked around, carefully eying their surroundings.

“It’s quiet. Too quiet,” Silverstream said.

“Why wouldn’t they be in here?” asked Smolder.

“Really. This is the perfect outpost for changelings,” Sandbar added.

“Yak not like this. Something not right,” Yona said, angrily.

“Quick! Let’s get to the map room before someone sees us!” Annie said.

“Whoa, whoa, hold on everypony,” Ocellus told her as she blocked their path. “That map room could be a trap, and I’m smelling other changelings around.”

“Oh great. When Ocellus can smell her own kind, you know there’s trouble,” Sandbar said.

“Well yeah, but what if it’s Thorax and the good changelings?” asked Chip.

“They wouldn’t be hiding from us,” Smolder added.

“We’re just going to trap ourselves in a box,” said Gallus. “I say we run back outside real quick and escape into the mountains with the kids. We’d be way safer if we…huh?”

Silverstream then put her claw on Gallus’ shoulder to get him to stop talking. She nodded her head in the direction of the kids who were all huddled up and whispering. The teachers watched them for a few moments while their parents all looked nervously at them.

“Kids?” asked Silverstream.

The kids then all jumped and looked back at the teachers. They stopped and straightened themselves out. Flurry took a gulp while the others trembled nervously.

“Kids, what’s going on?” Sandbar asked.

“Nothing!” Pound said.

“We’re just really nervous,” Pumpkin told them.

Smolder looked suspiciously at the kids.

“Are you guys okay?” asked Smolder. “You’re all acting a little-”

“Wait…” Ocellus said.

Everyone watched as she stepped towards the kids, stretched her neck forward and turned her ears to the front, wiggling them. Since changelings did not have nostrils on their snouts, they used olfactory censors in their ears the way an insect uses its antennae to pick up scents. She then stepped back with an angry look on their face.

“They’re changelings!” she said to the rest of the teachers.

“WHAT?!” Flurry shouted.

“We’re…we’re not changelings! Promise!” Stormy said with a nervous smile on his face.

“Yeah, we’re just a little scared is all!” Chip added.

“What on earth makes you think they’re changelings?” Mrs. Cake asked.

“Just because I’m not a black changeling anymore doesn’t mean I can’t sense one. We’re still the same species!” Ocellus replied.

“It’s…we’ve got their scent on us from being around them so long outside!” Pound said.

“Uh…wait a second. I can prove they’re still our kids!” Tex said. “Chip, Annie, what’s the recipe for your mother’s homemade apple pie?”

Chip and Annie looked back and forth at each other nervously. Chip started doing the talking.

“Apples and…uh…more apples…and…”

“Pie?” Annie asked with a huge smile on her face as it perspired with sweat.

“Stormy, how many levels are there in easy mode for Super Dragon Warriors?” Thunderhead asked his son.

“What? How am I supposed to know that? Since when does a changeling play video ga-I MEAN…oops…”

Flurry then dropped the act and her horn glowed green despite having the black shell over it.

“UGH! Alright, fine you caught us!” she shouted before a green flame zoomed up her body, revealing she was a young changeling drone all along.

The rest of the kids paused and then did the same. The drone disguised as Flurry looked very peeved at them.

“You guys are terrible at this!” she told them.

“Oh, we’re terrible at this?! I told you we should have casted the memory copy spell on the kids first!” another barked back at her.

“We didn’t have time to get to them!”

“Well the secret’s out now,” Gallus said.

“Oh? So what will you do with us? You don’t even have the Elements!” sneered the one disguised as Pound.

“What did you do with our kids?!” asked Mr. Cake.

The parents and teachers all surrounded them. Tex winked to one of them and they winked back. Unbeknownst to the teachers, these six changelings were not the only ones disguised among them.

In the mean time, the real Flurry Heart and all her friends and their parents ran through the streets with Twilight, Cadance and Elytra. They had already passed Sugarcube Corner and were in an area of town near where the reception for Pinkie and Cheese’s wedding would have been held. Cadance was frantically calling for her husband, while Twilight was surveying for changelings to protect the others.

“SHINING ARMOR?!” she hollered.

“He’s probably not even here yet,” Pound said, gloomily.

“No, he’s close by, Pound Cake. I can feel it.”

“Mom and Dad know magic that can help them sense each other,” Flurry told Pound. “It’s a passive spell she taught me, so I don’t need my horn to sense him around here.”

“CADANCE! FLURRY!” shouted Shining Armor off to the side.

Cadance and her daughter turned their heads and saw Shining Armor rushing in, still wearing his crown and robe. They knew right away it was the real Shining Armor because of the sense, so there was no questioning it. He and Cadance went in and nuzzled their necks against each other and then kissed. Flurry flew in and joined them, crying tears of joy.

“Dad, I’m so happy to see you!” she said.

“Your old man’s alright, kid!” Shining said, lifting Flurry and tickling her with his magic.

“B.B.B.F.F.!” Twilight shouted as she landed and gave her brother a hug.

“Twily!” Shining replied. “So glad to see you! My guards got a hold of me out near Gallopfornia and released me. I had to come in to check on you in Ponyville real quick.

“Honey, we need to do the spell right away. We can get rid of all the changelings just like we did in Canterlot on our wedding day,” Cadance told her husband.

“The spell? Oh, that’s right! They still haven’t found the Elements, have they?” Shining Armor asked.

“Not yet.”

“Alright, then we’re the only hope at winning this. Let’s concentrate our magic now.”

Shining Armor and Cadance stood still and touched their horns till they glowed. Flurry watched them happily but then felt a familiar presence behind her. She looked back to see a harvesting pod with someone inside. She could not see who was inside, but her sense for her father was still going off and getting stronger the more she looked at it. She then looked back at her parents who were still building up their magic to release the love spell. She noticed that Shining Armor’s magic was a tint of green. Suddenly, she realized what was going on. She walked closer to the pod and got a better look at who was inside. Sure enough, the real King Shining Armor was in the pod, not wearing his robe or crown. The one with Cadance was a changeling.

“Dad? No! MOM, STOP! THAT’S NOT HIM!!” she shouted to Cadance.

Cadance opened her eyes and saw Flurry standing by the pod. She got a closer look at the pod and noticed her own husband’s face inside. She turned back to the stallion next to her and saw him smirking with glowing green sclera in his eyes. She powered down and stepped away from him.

“IT’S A TRAP!” Twilight shouted, as she readied her horn.

Over by the battle scene in front of the town hall, Discord appeared to help the others. He zapped some changelings with his powers and put them inside giant glass bottles with holes in the lids and a tree branch inside for them to crawl on. The changelings buzzed around and tried breaking the glass, but they were drones and were not powerful enough.

“DISCORD!” Fluttershy shouted as she flew in to hug him.

“FLUTTERSHY!” he replied, hugging her back.

“Discord, we need to find the Elements! Flurry and all her friends and Twilight and Cadance are looking for Shining Armor right now to use their love spell, but I don’t know if Shining Armor ever showed up!”

“Where are the teachers?”

“We don’t know! They must’ve been whisked away while we weren’t looking or tricked by some changelings!”

“We’ll find em’, Fluttershy. Just let me dress appropriately.”

Discord quickly transformed into a changeling elite with a horn that was shaped like his deer antler and wings that resembled his bird and bat wings.

“This oughta do the trick. Come on, let’s go!”

They both scampered off to look for the Elements, while everyone else stayed behind. Celestia, Luna and the Pillars had already made quick work of some hyper combiners.

“Is this the best ye got?!” Rockhoof roared after smacking a drone with his shovel.

“They just keep coming back though,” Flash Magnus said.

“Is the queen nearby? I’m noticing more of them orange and black changelings,” Mage Meadowbrook said.

“The queen is able to produce eggs that hatch into changelings which, in turn, grow exceedingly fast. I think the changeling army is multiplying as we speak,” Starswirl explained.

“We have to keep fighting,” said Mistmane.

“Everyone! Our friends! They need us!” Somnambula called, pointing to the side.

Everyone noticed the battle going on with Pharynx and Scutellum. Scutellum had defeated Pharynx and had him pinned to the ground, while the other good changelings had been encased.

“You are weak, Pharynx!” he growled as he stood on top of his head.

“Do your worst, Scutellum. Chrysalis will eventually lose,” Pharynx said.

Something then caught Starswirl’s eye.

“The necklace! CELESTIA, LUNA, GET THE NECKLACE! HE HAS IT” he called to the princesses as he pointed to Scutellum.

Celestia and Luna went airborne and flew towards Scutellum. He began pushing Pharnyx’s head into the ground, when he noticed the alicorn princesses. He signaled for some combiners to take care of them, so they spread their wings and engaged them. Suddenly, a flash of light burst in front of Scutellum and Starswirl appeared. Starswirl fired a condensed beam at his chest, intending to break the necklace, but Scutellum strafed quickly to the side. Starswirl tried using his magic to telekinetically pull the necklace off, but Scutellum was fast and it was difficult to concentrate. Distracted by this, Starswirl did not see a beam coming at him in time to dodge it and Scutellum knocked him back with a powerful blast. He managed to put up a shield, but was not quick enough and was still pushed into a crowd of buffalos nearby. Spike and Buttercream then flew in and tried to take the necklace off. They were both aware about the failsafe spell and knew what they had to do. Buttercream blew fire at him briefly to serve as a distraction, while Spike ran forward, reaching for the necklace. He tackled the changeling to the ground but Scutellum quickly pushed him off with his front legs. Scutellum did not know about the failsafe with the necklace, but he quickly realized they were trying to take it off for a reason.

“So you want the necklace do you?” he asked. “Well I was going to throw it away since it is useless to me now, but you fools are clearly up to something, so the necklace stays where it is!”

Starswirl then fired a low-powered beam at Scutellum’s head, causing him to move it to the side. This was only to prepare for his next spell. He instantly casted a spell to slow down time around Scutellum momentarily. Spike lunged forward and yanked the necklace off, but tumbled around and lost it. The time spell wore off on Scutellum and he quickly tried to retrieve the necklace, but he was too late. Buttercream then flew down between them and stomped on the necklace with her heel, shattering it. A blinding light emitted from beneath her foot and filled the entire town. The shockwave effect did not knock anyone back like an explosion; it just passed by them and electrified the changelings. All of the combiners separated instantly and a few buffalos and Pinkie clones that were changelings all along transformed back. Every single changeling within a radius of five miles now had their shape-shifting abilities temporarily taken away.

Back inside the castle, the light filled the room. Everyone squinted their eyes and then opened them a few moments later when the light faded away. The teachers were shocked to now see that Tex, Thunderhead, and Mr. and Mrs. Cake were also changelings; only they were all elites

“They changelings too!” Yona shouted.

“Oh no, they’re elites!” Ocellus said.

“THE SECRET’S OUT! ATTAAAACK!” shouted the changeling that was disguised as Thunderhead.

All four of them then began to brawl with the teachers. They went airborne and fought the ones that were able to fly while Sandbar and Yona chased the children changelings out the front door.

“And don’t come ba…uh oh,” Sandbar said, as he noticed a platoon of hyper changelings coming for them, including some elites and brutes.

“YAK HOLD THEM BACK! SANDBAR HELP OTHERS!” Yona called to her friend.

Sandbar ran back inside, as Yona bum-rushed a brute. They went head to head and pushed, and pushed for several seconds. She swung her head upwards and he rolled backwards like a pill bug. She did the same to another brute, but was quickly overwhelmed by several elites that began to spit liquid at her to encase her. Inside, the teachers were not able to fight back against the elites, and more changelings had arrived from several hallways. They had been waiting inside the castle the entire time for them to enter the map room, but their cover was blown early and they had to act now. In less than a minute, the teachers had been rolled up into pods. Their faces were visible, but the sedative liquids inside had already pacified them. The changelings all laughed at them and threw them into a pile. The six spies that had the Elements then arrived to taunt them.

“Thought you could get to these things so easily, eh? Now you will never see your precious Elements of Harmony!” jeered one.

“And our queen is nearly ready to bring about our new hive!” said another

“ALL HAIL QUEEN CHRYSALIS!” they all shouted in unison.

Gallus turned his head to see Silverstream right next to him.

“Silver…I’m sorry,” he said.

“We’ll always have each other, sweetie,” she said, nuzzling her beak up to his.

“Guess the only thing we can do now is pray,” Ocellus said, closing her eyes. “From here on out, it’s in Harmony’s hands.”

Across town, the light shone around Flurry and the others. Cadance was about to attack the changeling disguised as her husband, but squinted her eyes for several seconds. When she opened them, an elite changeling stood before her. He hissed and then fired a green blast. She put up a shield and engaged him. More changelings then jumped out of trees and from behind buildings. It was a trap meant to pull them all in. The pod with the real Shining Armor was used to lure them in and sense him, only to be fooled by a changeling.

As Cadance and the elite fought, Twilight casted a very powerful spell and fired tons of well-placed shots at each of the changelings before they could reach the children or their parents. A few of them made it down, but were quickly taken out by Tex, while Rainbow Dash and Thunderhead protected the kids from above. Down by Shining Armor’s pod, Flurry had already started digging away at it as Pumpkin used a nearby garden hoe to help. Shining Armor had already started moving inside. Cadance’s use of the love spell must have been effective enough for him to awaken and fight off the affect of the sedative fluids. He instantly stood up and glared at the elite.

“Shining Armor!” Cadance said, joyfully as she noticed him.

“LEAVE MY WIFE ALONE!” he shouted.

The Crystal Empire king then leapt in the air and charged his horn, using it like a weapon to slash at the elite and knock him back in submission. More changelings surrounded to attack. He bucked one in the face and then jumped to miss the next two, which collided with each other. He spun around in midair, firing several shots at the oncoming changelings, knocking all of them back. He then performed a series of bucks and roundhouse kicks to oncoming changelings. One more was headed for him until it was blasted away by Cadance. She landed on the ground and took a moment to catch her breath.

“Gosh, Honey. I haven’t seen you fight that good in a while,” she said with a flirtatious grin on her face.

“Love makes me do crazy things,” Shining Armor jested.

They both came together and kissed passionately. Flurry joined them for a hug and the royal family was back together. Suddenly they heard buzzing in the distance. They looked up to see several elites flying in. Before they could make it to the royals, they were instantly blown back by a confetti explosion. Everyone looked to see Cheese and Pinkie riding in on the Party Tank. Behind them were Maud and Mud Briar who she had managed to rescue from a nearby home. Rainbow Dash and Applejack arrived on the scene with them and were overjoyed to see their husbands and kids.

“MOMMY!!” Stormy shouted as he jetted off to hug her.

“MOM, YOU’RE OKAY!!” Chip called to his mother as he and Annie ran to her.

“Kids!” Applejack shouted. “Can’t believe we’re finally here together! Ya’ll ain’t changelings I hope?”

“No, it’s really us, Mom,” Annie giggled.

“It’s okay, AJ. Some big flash of light went off, and all the changelings turned back,” Tex said as he embraced his wife.

“Yeah, we saw it. What the hay was that?” Rainbow Dash asked after hugging Thunderhead.

“I think that was the failsafe spell in the necklace that Starswirl told me about,” Twilight explained. “Looks like they finally took it off General Scutellum’s neck and destroyed it.”

“Dear, we need to do our love spell again. It’s the only way to stop the Queen and we don’t have time to wait for the Elements,” Cadance told her husband.

“Alright. Are you ready, my love?” he asked her.

“Whenever you are.”

They both closed their eyes and stood still. Their horns lit up and energy swirled around them like a gentle wind current. Pinkie and Cheese got down and held hands and joined the others as they all watched with hopeful faces. Shining Armor and Cadance slowly levitated. Their power was building up and about to burst, until it started to power down and their horns stopped glowing. The aura disappeared and they both landed.

“Sweetheart, what happened?” Cadance asked.

“I…I don’t know. I’m concentrating as hard as I can, but…it’s not working.”

“My magic isn’t working either!” Twilight said, trying to light her horn.

“Oh no, neither is mine!” Pumpkin said, trying to lift a nearby stone with her magic.

Everyone then noticed strange dark rocks moving up and crystalizing on the horizon. Queen Chrysalis ascended, while firing a beam at a nearby magic-canceling rock. The pod she put Thorax in was attached to the rock and had energy emanating from it. The rock was growing a dark black mineral out of it that had already made contact with several other rocks. All around Ponyville, dark roots were growing out of the ground wherever they had planted these rocks. Chrysalis was using her magic to spread her power through them and make them grow in size. Like the roots of a tree, they emerged from the ground and joined together, forming a large black covering with holes in it. It covered over Ponyville like a dome and began to form a spire like the last hive the changelings had before Thorax’s rebellion. The base of this one was considerably wider. When it was complete, it would be far taller than the one from before and overshadow Canterlot mountain.

“HAHAHA! You fools are too late once again!” Chrysalis heckled. “Now that you’ve all so conveniently trapped yourselves in here, you will never use your magic to stop me! I had those rocks planted all over the place for this specific reason! Now with all this power and the life force of Thorax, the new changeling hive is starting to form! It will be some time before it is complete, but your magic is no more as long as you are inside! And this time, none of you are escaping!”

13. A Short-lived Victory

On the other end of town, Fluttershy and Discord continued their search for the Teachers when they noticed the hive growing around Ponyville. Discord’s changeling disguise went down and he was back to normal.

“Discord, what’s happening? What is that thing?” Fluttershy asked.

Discord looked at his hands but felt no power coming from them. He tried snapping his fingers to use his chaos magic, but it wasn’t working.

“Oh no! Fluttershy, that’s the same thing that took my magic away when I went after you with Starlight, Trixie and Thorax! It’s a new changeling hive!”

“WHAT?! You…you can’t use any magic?!”

“I’m afraid not.”

Suddenly a swarm of changelings appeared from all sides. They had been waiting for this moment to pounce on Discord once his powers were disabled. Fluttershy noticed and huddled up against him with tears in her eyes. Discord covered her with his arms and head and watched as the changelings spat encasing fluids from their mouths. Unable to do anything to stop them, he closed his eyes and accepted his fate.

Over by the town hall, Starswirl had already lost his magic and his ability to defend against the changelings. He watched in horror as Starlight, Sunburst and Trixie were instantly encased with no way to fight back. Without his magic, he could do nothing to help them. He ran at full tilt with his horn in front to charge the changelings, hoping to distract them so the unicorns could escape. He only managed to push a few out of the way until they began to encase him. His fellow Pillars and some Pinkie clones tried to stop them, but they too were encased. The dragons all rushed in to help, but the changelings were too great in number.

“THE CHILDREN! SAVE THE CHILDREN!” Starswirl called out one last time before he was covered.

“We’ll hold them off!” Pharynx shouted to the dragons.

“Go! They need you!” Little Strongheart told them.

Spike and Buttercream looked at each other fearfully. They looked back at the dragons.

“Come on, we’ll get the kids out of here!” Barb called to them.

Spike looked back as the buffalos, Pinkie clones, and good changelings fought as hard as they could. At least the changelings still had their powers, but their black counterparts would soon encase them. Right now, the best thing to do would be to protect Flurry like he was meant to do. He flew over with his siblings to see Chrysalis hovering over everyone else. Flurry and the others were all there.

“It’s been fun, ponies, but you were fools to think you could stop me,” Chrysalis continued. “My changelings have already taken the teachers and they will never find the Elements, and now your royal family can’t even use their magic to stop me!”

Pinkie Pie lowered her head in despair.

“What do I do now?” she asked herself. “We’ve come so far. We can’t possibly lose like this. No. I’m not going to let her win!”

Pinkie then jumped up to the Party Tank’s cannon barrel and crawled into it. Cheese Sandwich watched in hesitation at what she was doing at first, but at this rate, there was nothing more they could do than fight back.

“Cheese, launch me!” she called from the inside.

Cheese aimed the cannon and fired Pinkie at Chrysalis. Pinkie flew through the air with one hoof out like a superhero. Chrysalis noticed her in time and Pinkie flattened like a pancake around a shield the changeling queen conjured. She used her magic to grab Pinkie and opened her mouth to begin absorbing love. Suddenly, something black flew by and grabbed Pinkie by the tail, taking her away to safety. Chrysalis looked to see Elytra rescuing her. She flew after them but was blocked by Billow who wasted no time in swiping at her with Beo Tuag. The sentient axe swung back and forth, hitting Chrysalis like she was metal. She didn’t even flinch or blink her eyes. Finally she blasted Billow in retaliation. The half-awake dragon princess plummeted to the ground before being caught by Scorch. Beo had separated from Billow and flew back up to Chrysalis. Chrysalis tried blasting her, but Beo flew above and then let herself drop. Since Chrysalis was unworthy to lift the magical axe, she fell down to the ground with Beo on top. She was instantly pinned, unable to get back up.

“What is this infernal thing?!” she growled.

“Looks like you’re not worthy,” Billow chuckled, crossing her arms.

“There is only one worthy of the title of queen, foolish princess!”

Chrysalis then teleported out from underneath Beo and blasted the axe with a green lightning bolt. Billow rushed over to retrieve her axe with Scorch accompanying her. Chrysalis directed her attention to the plump dragoness and her handsome rescuer. Sensing a touch of romantic love magic inside both of them, she assumed they were a couple and decided to make them her next victims. Before she approached them, the other dragons started giving her trouble. Barb, Singe, Spike and Buttercream all raced in and blew fire at her at the same time with Scorch and Billow hurrying to join them. Chrysalis stretched her abdomen out and sunk her stinger into each of them one by one, putting them to sleep with her venom. Although they had thick scales, Chrysalis’s stinger was still sharp enough to inject the venom. The effects didn’t work as quickly as they did with Thorax, but all five of them plummeted to the ground and slowly went comatose.

“SPIKE!” Flurry shouted.

“Flurry…run…” Spike said before he fell asleep.

“Everyone, we need to get you out of here!” Elytra shouted.

Everyone ran off in the opposite direction as Cheese turned the Party Tank around with Pinkie riding on it with him.

“LOOK OUT!” shouted Cadance.

She dove to rescue Pinkie and Cheese before Chrysalis blasted the Party Tank into a million pieces. Cheese looked in horror as his creation lay in a heap with smoke and fire rising out of it. Pinkie walked in next to him and put her arm around his shoulder. They looked up to see Smite and Chara arriving on the scene behind Chrysalis. They had been watching from a nearby mountain but were no longer willing to stand back safely after seeing what happened to their kids. Chrysalis laughed maniacally but was suddenly stepped on by Smite. She disappeared and her laughter was muffled out.

“This is for my kids!” shouted the mighty dragon king.

Unfortunately, he could not keep her down for long. His foot moved up with an orange aura surrounding it. Being underneath his foot did not break Chrysalis, but she had been pushed into the footprint he left. She used her magic to toss him asside. He stumbled but was caught by Chara before he could land on a building nearby. Chrysalis ascended and met them both in the air, while everyone else escaped below. The king and queen dragons blew fire at her for a long period of time, only to find it had no effect. They tried swatting at her with their tails or punching her, which also did no good. Chrysalis then blasted both of them into a nearby hive root. Before they could do anything, she used a powerful spell to quickly encase them in a crystalline substance.

“Hahaha! Even the mightiest of dragons will fall when tussling with the Queen of the Changelings! With the two of you in here, your love for each other will be a delicacy! And don’t worry about your friends. My drones will find them. No one can hide from me now that I rule an entire continent!”

As Chrysalis spoke, everyone else ran through the back streets of Ponyville to avoid detection. Changelings had already covered the perimeter of the town with no way to escape. Their only option was to find a house to use as a temporary shelter. It was hard to see now that a dark solid object covered most of the sky, but they moved carefully in the shadows. Once they reached the end of an ally, Pinkie signaled to Twilight.

“Twilight. The Party Cave,” she whispered.

“Right. Everyone, follow Pinkie,” Twilight told the others.

They quickly ran into the rear door of Sugarcube Corner. Thankfully no changelings were in there at the moment. When they got inside, they walked through the Cake’s living room and into the kitchen. Cheese activated the secret trap door with the slide just underneath it. He let the kids and their parents in first, followed by Elytra, Maud, Twilight, Shining Armor and Cadance.

“Do you think they’ll be safe down there?” Pinkie asked.

“I don’t know, Sweetie Pie,” Cheese told her. “I can’t think of any better place. Go on in. I’ll go lock the doors and windows.”

“I’ll help you out. I’d rather be captured with you than without you.”

Cheese smiled to his fiancé. Quickly, they both went around the building and locked all the exits and barricaded the bi-fold door entrance with some furniture. Everyone in the Party Cave waited patiently until they finally slid down in with them, carrying some flashlights and various snacks they took from the retail. Cheese turned one of the flashlights on and placed it on a nearby table.

“Is everyone alright?” he asked them.

“I think we’re okay right now,” Shining Armor said as he huddled up with Flurry and Cadance.

Cheese and Pinkie looked around to see everypony else with their families. Annie and Pumpkin had already started crying, while their brothers and parents comforted them.

“Thunder, where are the other two?” Rainbow Dash asked her husband.

“They’re with your parents,” he responded.

“Why isn’t Storm with them then?”

“It’s okay, Mommy,” Stormy said. “The Spirit of Harmony sent them to Grandma and Grandpa’s, but She wanted me and my friends to stay so we could find the teachers.”

“The Spirit of Harmony?”

“All six of us were called to look for them,” Flurry explained. “We found them, but it’s a shame it all ended like this. I’m guessing the teachers never found the Elements.”

“I don’t get it. Why won’t the Spirit of Harmony do anything to help out now?” Applejack asked.

“The moment has to be right for Her to step in, Applejack,” Twilight responded. “There have been plenty of times we got through our journeys without divine intervention. There has to be a way to stop the queen, and we need to figure it out.”

“How though? We’ve exhausted ourselves of all other options,” Tex said.

“I…I don’t know. If the teachers are still out there, perhaps the Elements are close. Sadly I can’t do anything to help from here on out without my magic.”

Pinkie began to cry as Cheese put his arm around his fiancé. Maud and Mudbriar sat down to comfort her.

“Everypony, I’m so sorry,” she said. “I wish we could have prepared for this better.”

“It’s not your fault, Pinkie,” Twilight responded. “Thanks to that memory spell, no one was ever ready for this invasion.”

“Technically, we were all fooled by them,” Mudbriar said.

“He’s right, Pinkie,” Maud added. “We did the best we could.”

“I know, but Cheese and I worked so hard for this wedding, and now it’s been ruined and you were all caught up in it.”

“I’m the one to blame for all this,” said Elytra.

Everyone looked to the changeling. She had her back to them as she sat in a corner.

“I helped Mother with this invasion. I was with her when we started. I was planning on defecting, but I could have done it way sooner before Mother got the kiss. They didn’t even tell me about the plans for the new hive. I was hoping this would all work out, but it didn’t, and it’s all because of me. I’m sorry, everyone.”

Elytra turned to them with tears flowing from her eyes. Flurry stood up and walked over to comfort her. As she sat next to her, Elytra turned her head away and bawled.

“Elytra…” Flurry began to say.

“I’M A FAILURE, ALRIGHT?!” she shouted. “I don’t know if Ocellus told you, but I had a chance to leave this all behind years ago! After Thorax started his rebellion and Mother retreated, there were some changelings in the old hive that refused to transform. Me, Scutellum and Pharynx were some of them. We all wanted to return to the ways of old, and when Thorax found out we were planning a takeover, he threatened to banish us. Pharynx decided to stay because he thought he could convince Thorax, but Scutellum was still loyal to Mother. Ocellus begged me to stay, but I chose to go with Scutellum. I missed Mother at that time. She and I were close when I was young. There was a time when I believed the things she said. I wanted to see her get revenge, but not long after I went into hiding with Scutellum and the other black changelings abroad, I started to regret it. I wanted to talk to Mother myself and convince her to stop. Hearing the news about her being turned to stone pained me, but I knew she brought it upon herself. I never had the chance to leave because Scutellum was strict about traitors. I think he even started to notice I was planning on defecting. By the time the wedding came, I tried several times to talk to you, Flurry. You seemed like the only one who noticed something was off, but my timing couldn’t have been worse.”

Elytra stopped and wiped her tears. Silence fell upon the room. The only sounds that could be heard were the children sniffling and the sound of changelings buzzing around outside. Flurry hung her head. She thought about what Elytra said, but then realized that Elytra still had not transformed. She suddenly remembered how Thorax and the other repentant changelings managed to overcome Chrysalis when they underwent their own transformations.

“Elytra?” Flurry asked. “You still haven’t transformed you know.”

Elytra turned her head to Flurry and wiped her tears. She looked quizzical.

“Look, I was just a baby when it all happened, but I remember learning that the power of Thorax’s transformation was enough to shatter Chrysalis’s throne. What if we did it again with your help?”

“Flurry, that wouldn’t be enough,” Elytra replied. “Thorax got help from dozens of other changelings in the throne room. That was enough to destroy the throne, but I’m just one changeling. I doubt it would have any effect.”

Flurry’s smile went away as she realized Elytra was right. Her ears perked up again once she looked at the others around her. The sight of all of them hugging and comforting one another brought another idea into her mind.

“Then…then we combine your transformation with their love!” she exclaimed.

Elytra turned back to Flurry and everyone else opened their eyes. Flurry then walked into the center of the room and explained her plan.

“Guys, think about it: we’ve got five married couples in here and Pinkie and Cheese, plus the love we all have for each other! If Elytra could harness all that love, she could redirect it and use it to destroy the hive! The hive probably isn’t even that strong just yet since it hasn’t grown big enough! We have to do it now while we still have the chance!”

“Flurry, don’t ask me to do that,” Elytra begged. “I already vowed to never steal anyone’s love again!”

“But you wouldn’t be stealing it, Elytra! Not if they give it to you willingly!”

“I…uh…”

Elytra looked at everyone and thought hard. They all stepped forward to her.

“Elytra, I think Flurry’s right,” Pinkie said. “We’ll let you have our love.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to hurt anyone.”

“The reformed changelings don’t steal love, Elytra,” Twilight explained. “In order for a changeling to reform, they have to do the opposite of that. Their power comes from sharing love, but also when love is shared to them. The power of a changeling transformation has very capable properties. It cancels out the effect of the rocks and it should destroy those black vines that are growing from them. Starswirl studied this effect. It’s more powerful than you think.”

“It…it is?”

“Go ahead, Elytra,” Cheese said, holding Pinkie’s hoof.

“Yeah, it’s no problem,” Rainbow Dash added.

“If ya can use our love to power that transformation of yours, it might be just the right thing to take down that hive,” Applejack added.

“And once the hive is down, Cadance and I can use our spell to get rid of Chrysalis and the others,” Shining Armor added.

“Of course!” Elytra said as her ears perked up. “Flurry you’re a genius! Alright. I’ll do it.”

“Come on, everypony,” Tex said. “Let’s use our love and show these changelings what happens when you mess with our small town.”

All the couples in the room held hooves and their kids came in next to them. Not only would Elytra be receiving romantic love, but all other love she could possibly muster from her friends. She felt enormous amounts of love magic emanating from them. She then closed her eyes and began a spell to allow magic transfer into her own horn if it was being sent willingly. Pink auras floated through the air and were absorbed into Elytra’s entire body. She began to glow and then opened her eyes, to the sound of changelings getting closer outside.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are, little ponies!” said Chrysalis outside.

Now fully-determined and ready to act, Elytra knew what she had to do. She had already absorbed enough magic and was ready to transform, so she quickly teleported outside of Sugarcube Corner.

“ELYTRA!” Flurry shouted.

Outside, Chrysalis was hovering around near Sugarcube Corner with Scutellum and an entourage of changelings around her. She had been producing more hyper changelings from her abdomen to make her army grow until she was interrupted. She saw something flash in front of the building and looked down to see Elytra standing there.

“Well if it isn’t for my favorite, or should I say former favorite daughter!” Chrysalis jeered.

“You will pay for your treachery, Elytra!” Scutellum barked.

Chrysalis then noticed the pink energy that Elytra had around her. She knew this energy felt familiar and then it dawned on her what it was. Her thoughts turned back to the day Thorax transformed and the other changelings followed suit.

“Mother, I am no longer your slave,” Elytra said, bravely.

The defective changeling finally closed her eyes and curled up in a fetal position. A sparkly substance wrapped around her and formed a glowing cocoon. The cocoon charged up with abundant energy and finally burst.

“WAIT, STOP!” shouted Chrysalis, but she was already too late.

The explosion from the cocoon pushed the changelings back a few yards and stunned some of them, but it did not harm them. Instead, it shattered the hive that was still in the process of forming over Ponyville. The magic cancelling rocks from before were all that was left. The remaining dark roots growing out from them disintegrated into green embers, while the rocks plummeted to the ground. They still had their power, but it only reached a few yards around them and would not stop any magic elsewhere. The hive and its widespread effect were now gone.

Chrysalis and Scutellum squinted in the sunlight that could be seen once again. They looked down to see a glowing object where the cocoon was. They could not make out the now-reformed changeling, but what happened next had them even more worried. Most of the ponies hiding inside Sugarcube Corner came out and Shining Armor and Cadance had teleported outside next to Elytra. They already had their love spell charged up. It was too late for Chrysalis to do anything in response.

“NO! DON’T DO IT, YOU FOOLS!!” she shouted.

A huge explosion of pink energy in the shape of a heart burst from the royal couple. The black shell on Flurry’s horn shattered first. Next, every single black changeling in and around Ponyville was sent flying back. The ones inside the crystal castle were magically ejected from the building past the walls. The pods the teachers were in cracked open and they were free. They looked around to see all the changelings had been phased out of the walls of the castle and banished, leaving the Elements of Harmony behind. The teachers all got up and smiled as they reached for the golden necklaces. They weren’t sure if the Elements were needed anymore, but they put them around their necks and carried them back out into the town just in case.

In town, the harvesting pods containing Discord, Fluttershy, the Pillars and all other victims of the changeling horde were disintegrated. The love spell was so effective; they had no ooze left on their bodies, and the scent of it was even gone from anyone who had been in one for the past few days. Even Spike and his siblings had already been healed from Chrysalis’s venom and began to wake up. Smite and Chara were let down gently onto an open area in town. They looked over to see their children getting back up and noticed that the hive had been destroyed already. They went over to check on their kids who had already started celebrating the victory.

As the changelings hurdled through the sky uncontrollably, Chrysalis used her claws and all the magic she could gather to hold onto a nearby cottage with all her might. She watched as her own spawn zoomed past her at blinding speeds, shrieking in terror. Scutellum was just clearing Ponyville when suddenly he was stopped in midair. Discord then appeared right in front of him.

“Oh hey there!” he told Scutellum. “Sorry, but I can’t let you leave with Princess Twilight’s memories still in that thick skull of yours. That’s some top-secret national security that you are not privileged to have.”

“What?!” Scutellum cried.

“Hold still. This won’t hurt a bit.”

Suddenly, Discord’s eyes shone brightly. Scutellum was already too late to look away. He had no idea what Discord did at first, but it didn’t take him long to find out he no longer remembered anything he copied from Twilight Sparkle’s memories.

“That’s better. Now off ya go! Auf Wiedersehen!”

“YOU FOOL! AAAAGGGHH……”

Discord watched as Scutellum and all the other changelings soared into the horizon like tiny black specks until they were no longer visible. They had been sent to the farthest reaches of Equestria and beyond thanks to the love spell. Fluttershy flew in next to Discord and hugged him as he hugged her back.

All across Ponyville, everyone that had still been hiding now came out to see that the hive was gone and so were the changelings. They began shouting and whooping. Shining Armor and Cadance levitated back down to the ground gracefully. Flurry went in to hug them both and then turned to see Elytra. Everyone watched as she fully metamorphosed into her new reformed state. She stopped glowing and stood up slowly on all fours.

Elytra was now slightly taller and resembled a beautiful moth. She was mostly pink with some orange and yellow highlights and spring green eyes. She still had her horn, but her ears were longer and looked like moth antennae. Around her neck was a scarf of soft, fluffy fur. Most notably were the beautiful wings and tail she had. They were translucent yellow with pink ripples in the center. Her tail was now two smaller hind wings the same color as her wings.

Flurry walked over to Elytra. Elytra slowly opened her eyes to see the little princess before her.

“Elytra, you did it!” Flurry shouted.

“I…I did. It worked!”

Elytra looked at her hooves and turned her head to observe the transformation. She opened her wings and flapped them. They were bigger and heavier than before, but her body was also stronger and she had no problem moving them up and down. She put her legs up to the scarf around her neck and felt the soft touch of the coat of moth fur. Even more pleasing was the lack of holes in her legs. They were now mended with a full, solid carapace. Her entire body felt so new and healthy. She no longer hungered for love to consume. Never before in her life had she felt this good. Tears formed in her eyes. She opened her arms and let Flurry jump in to hug her. Flurry nuzzled up against her warm fur as Pinkie and Maud joined in the hug. They suddenly felt something pick them up and lift them in the air in a tight squeeze. It was Buttercream who had just run in on the scene.

“YOU GUYS DID IT!!” she squealed. “Oh Elytra, you’re so soft and fluffy and warm and fuzzy and I just can’t help it!”

“Hehe, thanks Butter!” Elytra replied. “I couldn’t have done it without Flurry’s help though.”

As Buttercream set them down, everyone else began to cheer and clap. Flurry looked around to see familiar faces walk in to congratulate her. The Pillars had already arrived, so she rushed over to meet Starswirl. She didn’t get to talk to him much during the battle and was so eager to see his reaction.

“Princess Flurry Heart!” he exclaimed while holding her. “Was it really you that figured this all out?”

“All it took was Elytra to transform and then Mom and Dad used the love spell! I can’t believe it actually worked!”

“I’m still glad you didn’t accept that scholarship to the Crystal Empire Magic Academy, but my goodness, I can really see why Polished Hooves wanted you there!”

Flurry giggled and then felt herself being lifted by someone rather tall.

“CONGRATULATIONS, FLURRY!” said Discord as he let her go and she turned around to see him. “You actually figured out how to defeat the changelings! And you didn’t need me to lift a finger to do it! Oops!”

One of Discord’s digits on his eagle arm detached and fell to the ground as he spoke. He quickly picked it back up and reattached it to his knuckle. His face then turned appeared bashful.

“Sorry I didn’t do much to help when you came to me asking about all this. Had I known the changelings were coming and that it would have been this bad, I would have stepped in.”

“It’s okay, Discord. You were right that I should rely on my own instincts. We kept trying this and that, but we finally found something that worked.”

“And he did manage to help out a lot with getting ponies out of here safely,” Fluttershy said, flying in next to Discord.

“Well, I had to do something. I’ve spent the past 24 hours looking all over the place for ponies to rescue while avoiding Chrysalis.”

“Thanks, Discord,” Flurry said, gratefully, giving him a hug once again.

“FLURRY!” called Spike behind them.

“SPIKE! YOU’RE OKAY!” she replied, diving to hug him.

“I thought we were goners for sure back there! What did you do?”

“Oh, Spike, you wouldn’t believe me if I told you!”

“Long story short: Elytra transformed and her parents got to use the love spell,” said Pound next to him.

“You should’ve seen it, Spike!” Pumpkin chimed in. “We all lent our love to Elytra, and look at her now!”

“Oh, Elytra, that’s you? Gosh, you look great!” Spike said, turning to Elytra.

“Thanks, Spike,” Elytra replied, appreciatively.

“Flurry Heart?” asked Cheese Sandwich behind her.

“Yeah?”

“You have our sincerest thanks for helping to save our wedding.”

“Yeah, Flurry! That was the most amazing thing ever!” Pinkie added.

“You’re welcome. It’s the least I could do for you guys. I’m just sorry this was such a disaster.”

“Eh, it’s okay,” Pinkie said. “I’m sure all of Ponyville will come together to rebuild the town hall and any other damage that was done.”

“We might have had our wedding ruined, but we still have each other and can exchange vows,” Cheese said. “Come to think of it, I think if we work together fast enough, we can get a makeshift wedding completed before the end of the day. It’s not even noon yet!”

“Not a bad idea, Cheesie!” Pinkie said, nuzzling against her fiancé.

Flurry looked around to see everyone else pouring in to congratulate them. Her parents had already started talking with some of the Pillars and royal sisters, while they brought Elytra in to show everyone who it was that destroyed the hive. She saw Smite and Chara watching from behind a nearby building with Barb, Scorch and Singe hovering around them. Billow and Calida were perched on a nearby building, watching as everyone celebrated. Even Tirek could be seen behind a building with Melody and Cozy next to him. Behind them, other ponies that had been hiding were coming to see what they could do to help clean up. Flurry felt a warm feeling of gratitude for how this day turned out. Twilight finally walked in to talk with her niece.

“Flurry Heart, you never cease to amaze me,” she said as she hugged her.

“I’m just glad we finally got rid of the changelings. That took forever, but we figured it out!”

“All because you trusted your instincts and figured out a way to do it.”

“Thanks. We still have to fix up a lot of this damage though.”

“It’ll be alright. Everyone will work together to fix it. For now, I think we should all-AAAGGGHH!”

Flurry’s heart stopped as she watched a beam of orange light blast Twilight in the side, sending her hurdling. Everyone in he area turned their heads to see the Princess of Equestria tumble around on the ground. Her tiara and regalia scattered as she was scuffed up in the dirt. They then looked in the direction of the blast and saw a pile of rubble moving. Chrysalis emerged with a powerful orange aura surrounding her like fire. She had held on with her magic the entire time and never left the scene. Her power was so great, not even Cadance and Shining Armor’s love spell was enough to banish her. A booming voice from her mouth echoed across the entire valley and sent shockwaves that caused pebbles on the ground to vibrate.

“YOU IDIOTS!!! I WILL INFLICT UNSPEAKABLE PAIN UPON ALL OF YOU FOR THIS INSOLENCE!!”

They all looked up in abject terror at the possessed queen. No one had ever seen Chrysalis this angry. Her eyes and the cracks between her armored plating glowed bright orange. Everyone could feel the heat coming from her body from this distance. Now was the time for the changeling queen’s revenge, and no one was ready for it.

14. The Rage of the Changeling Queen

Intense light gleamed from Chrysalis’ horn. Everyone scrambled from the scene except Celestia, Luna, Discord and Starswirl. Shining Armor and Cadance combined a spell to create a shield around the kids, while Spike and his siblings flew in to fight the enraged changeling queen.

Chrysalis made her first move. She spun around, firing direct shots at all of the dragons and knocking them into submission. Celestia and Luna soared upward, engulfing their bodies in energy. Chrysalis filled her horn with energy and slashed it at both of them. Their shields were just enough to protect them, but they were sent flying back down to the earth, creating large craters where they landed. A blast of energy was fired at Chrysalis from Tirek, but she quickly incapacitated him with a return shot. A white beam beat down on Chrysalis, only causing her mild discomfort. She looked at the source of the beam to see Starswirl firing it. She fired her own shot back at him, but Starswirl cast a spell to create a portal in front of him. Another portal opened above that sent her shot firing back at her. The blast hit her but didn’t do any damage. It was her own magic, which would only heal her body and return some of her used energy back. Starswirl quickly figured out this would not work, so he teleported out of sight to devise another plan to stop her.

Chrysalis looked down to see Celestia and Luna still weary from battle. She fired at both of them, but a giant trampoline appeared and sent the blast flying back at an angle. It passed by Chrysalis and went through the sky to dissipate in the atmosphere. She looked down to see Discord was standing next to the trampoline, which he had created to help out. He rushed underneath it and there was a bright flash of light. Chrysalis fired a laser at the trampoline to dissolve it. Her magic wasn’t capable of reversing Discord’s spells, but it was powerful enough to cancel out their affects or disintegrate any simple objects he created out of thin air.

Chrysalis felt something heavy fall down on top of her. It did no damage to her since she already had a bubble shield spell protecting her. Whatever just hit her was not a magic blast. As the object moved away, she turned back to see King Smite had tried pounding her. He thrust his other fist forward, attempting a punch. He was only met with the same results as before, but the mighty dragon king did not give up. He continuously pummeled Chrysalis’s shield, as Chara eventually joined in. She emitted a surge of energy that knocked the dragons back. They nearly landed on top of some buildings, but were teleported safely to a nearby hilltop by Discord. Calida then appeared behind Chrysalis and roared. She continuously bit and clawed at the shield. Chrysalis teleported behind the wyvern and blasted her. Calida was resilient and continued flying. She then blew a continuous stream of fire at the changeling queen. Tirek, who had recovered from his earlier wounds helped out by firing continuous fireballs, with hopes it would at least take her down over time and prevent her from using a teleportation spell.

“SPIKE! GET THE KIDS OUT OF HERE!” shouted Shining Armor.

“GOT IT! EVERYPONY FOLLOW ME!” Spike called to the kids as they followed him out to a nearby alley.

“But, Mom, Dad, what about you guys?!” Flurry asked.

“We’ll see if we can hold her off!” Cadance called back.

In the air, several Soder Dracos and Nordo Dracos guards joined Calida in fighting Chrysalis, but they too were no match. She teleported all around them to strike back. She sliced at them with her energized horn in quick succession. It did not cut through the dragons’ scales, but it was painful for all of them. Billow hurled Beo at her, producing the sound of metal striking metal. The living axe came back and did the same over and over again from several angles. Chrysalis remembered that she could not lift this axe even with her own magic, so she cast a spell that would temporarily disable magic within ten feet of her. Despite the fact that Beo was a different kind of magic that could not be cancelled out from the hive earlier, the spell Chrysalis used was still enough to cause her to plummet back to the Earth. Billow caught Beo before she hit the ground. The brave dragon princess knew she would not stand a chance against Chrysalis, so she flew in the opposite direction to try helping the others escape. Chrysalis fired a beam at her, but Scorch dove in and took the shot. He tumbled out of control into a nearby concession stand and was knocked out temporarily while his siblings attended to him.

The good changelings arrived on the scene to fight their former queen. They sadly could not use their combining abilities due to the effect of Starswirl’s necklace being destroyed, so they surrounded Chrysalis and fired blasts from all angles in an attempt to overwhelm her. Chrysalis zipped around with a fiery aura surrounding her body, knocking herself into all of them as they were sent hurdling back down to the earth.

The overpowered changeling queen continued to grit her teeth in rage while hyperventilating. She was not interested in monologuing or mocking her opponents anymore. Revenge was the only thing in her mind. There was no one that was capable of hurting her. She had overcompensated with her magic to a point of being invincible and always able to strike back at anyone that opposed to her. Her anger over what happened to the other changelings had sent her on a rampage, but she wasn’t even tiring herself out. She looked back down to the ground to see Shining Armor and Cadance tending to Elytra who was one of the changelings that had just been beaten. Chrysalis didn’t realize this was Elytra at first since she hadn’t seen her transform earlier, but she quickly figured it out after hearing Cadance say her name. Her heart filled with anger, knowing these three were the ones responsible for destroying her hive and banishing her army to the farthest reaches of Equestria where they would be lost for a long time.

“DON’T THINK I WILL EVER FORGET WHAT YOU TOOK FROM ME!” she snarled as she teleported in front of them.

Shining Armor and Cadance put up a shield to protect Elytra. Chrysalis walked slowly towards them and cast them aside with her magic into the side of a building. Using her tarsal claws, she then grabbed Elytra by her neck and began strangling her.

“Before I kill them, daughter, I’LL KILL YOU!”

A weak blast hit Chrysalis’s face before she could continue. She barely felt anything but saw the light effect from it. She looked over to see Flurry had fired a beam at her face. Spike quickly pulled Flurry back in and ran off with the kids. Chrysalis looked back at Elytra. She realized the little princess had most likely helped her achieve this form; meaning Flurry was also responsible for her loss. Before she had the chance to go after Flurry, Shining Armor and Cadance got back up and fired a very powerful blast they combined with their magic. A pie then flew into Chrysalis’s face from the other side, while a hooked cane pulled Elytra safely away from her. Elytra was then in Discord’s arms. He set her down and allowed her to escape with the other two while he took care of things.

The pie on Chrysalis’s face dissolved into embers and she looked over to where it was thrown. She saw Discord donning a red taekwondo dobok and sporting long, yellow hair, standing on end. She fired at him and he countered it with his arms crossed. They both met in midair and fired blasts repeatedly at each other. Discord’s blasts resembled random nonsensical objects that exploded into confetti upon contact.

“Now what?!” asked Pumpkin.

“I dunno, but this is kinda cool to watch!” Stormy blurted out.

“STORMY!!” everyone yelled in unison, surrounding the little pegasus.

“What?!” he replied.

“Guys, we need to find the teachers! If all the other changelings are gone, then that means those ones that stole the Elements yesterday have dropped them! We can get them while she’s distracted!” Flurry said, frantically.

“She’s right! They’re the only ones that can stop her!” Pound added.

“Well for now, we’ve got to get out of here!” Spike said as he coaxed the kids along to flee the scene.

Before they could run off, Discord landed in front of them. He ached all over his body but could still fight. He stood back up and soared into the sky. While at Chrysalis’s level, he put both his hands to the side and formed a small glowing orb of energy, while Chrysalis charged up an orb above her horn. They fired at each other and their beams met in the middle, pushing back. Discord tried with all his might to summon as much of his own chaos magic and translate it into powerful energy-based output, but it was no use. Chrysalis was still ahead of him and managed to win the stalemate. He could not take it any longer and teleported away. His blast dissipated and hers fired where he once was. The beam shot off into the horizon. Discord had put himself at the proper level so her blast would not fire downward and destroy any of the town, though it did manage to graze the side of a mountain. Chrysalis then looked behind her to see a tower of Pinkie clones with the real Pinkie and Cheese on top. The clones had stacked themselves on top of each other and formed a giant mesh of Pinkie Pies and moved like one giant body. Pinkie and Cheese prepared to fire a shot from their Party Arm Cannons, until she flew through them like a bullet, causing the entire thing to break apart like building blocks. All of the Pinkies fell and bounced on the ground as Pinkie and Cheese landed on top of them. They scattered and tried to help Spike and the kids escape.

Finally, Twilight Sparkle appeared, having recovered from her earlier wounds and used a spell to put a shield around everyone below. She then began firing blasts at Chrysalis that were trickier to counter. Twilight had been watching the battle the entire time, studying her moves to figure out what could break her. Chrysalis still managed to counter all blasts and rushed forward to slash at Twilight with her claws. Twilight evaded the slashes and bucked her in the face with one of her rear legs. Chrysalis was surprised at how good she had gotten with her fighting skills over the years, but she did not fear the Princess of Friendship. After cracking her neck to the side, she fired at Twilight, but Twilight was quick and teleported. She suddenly noticed that there were tons of duplicates of her from every angle. She couldn’t figure out which one was the real Twilight since all of them fired the same beams, though they were weaker which meant her power had been divided. These duplicates were merely a distraction as Celestia, Luna, changelings, dragons, and other various winged creatures surrounded Chrysalis. She had finally had enough and used one last spell. An explosion of energy emitted from her and surged past them all, paralyzing them and knocking them into nearby buildings.

“ENOUGH!!!”

The deafening sound of her voice echoed throughout the land and shattered nearby glass windows. Chrysalis landed on the ground in the middle of town where her victims all lay in a heap. She looked around to see them all looking at her. They just stared at her in horror, afraid but unable to run off and escape. It would not matter if they could. There were no more warriors left to stand up to her and nowhere to run. In her head, she believed she truly had won now, though they all knew this battle wasn’t over and there was still another way to stop her.

“Is there anyone else that wishes to defy the queen?! Give up, all of you! I rule over all of you pitiful creatures now! There isn’t a single one of you that can stop me!”

“Eh. I can think of six others that can,” said Gallus behind her.

Chrysalis quickly reared her head and saw the only thing that could strike fear into her: Gallus, Silverstream, Sandbar, Yona, Ocellus and Smolder had arrived on the scene. Sure enough, they had all six of the Elements of Harmony around their necks. In the midst of her psychotic rage and her desire to inflict pain on her adversaries, Chrysalis had completely forgotten about them.

The changeling queen gasped loudly as they hovered and the Elements began to glow. She knew there was no way she could win against them, but in her desperation to come out on top, she did the best she could. Her horn fired a powerful blast at the teachers, but the Elements had already created a shield to protect them. She tried a more powerful blast with all the magic she could muster, but it made no difference. Energy continued to build up around the teachers. Chrysalis panicked and flew away, only to bump into something. She grunted in pain and put her claws in front of her to find another shield had been created to keep her there. She tried to teleport, but her spell was cancelled out. Now she realized she had lost.

“No! It cannot end like this!!” she shrieked.

The teachers closed their eyes and concentrated like they had before when they last tried to use the Elements on Cozy Glow. Thankfully, this time it worked. A rainbow beam spun around them like a double helix and projected on the changeling queen. She felt it beating down on her body, sapping out all of the magic she had stolen and only leaving behind her original base magic. She could do nothing but scream in agony.

“AAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!”

Everyone else watched as Chrysalis reverted to her true form. All of her upgraded body parts morphed back to how they once were. Her large stinger turned back in to the tail she had before. Her wings shrank. Her mane turned from red to dark green. Her tarsal claws disappeared along with the barbs on her legs. Her split jaw mended shut as she cried out in anguish. She finally went silent and felt herself falling to the ground; drained of so much magic that she had lost her energy to stand or hold her head up. She fell into a brief slumber as all of the love magic she absorbed floated out of her. Pink auras soared through the air and were immediately returned to everyone she had robbed of the magic. One large aura floated over towards Cheese Sandwich and went back into his body. Cheese was lifted in the air and wiggled his legs around with a smile on his face and his eyes closed. He opened them again and felt completely reenergized. Pinkie dove in to hug him. He spun her around and lifted her in the air with his newfound strength before they shared a passionate kiss. Everyone else cheered wildly for the Teachers for their victory against Chrysalis.

The Elements powered down and the teachers landed gracefully. They opened their eyes, surprised to see that the Elements did not turn her into stone or transport her to Tartarus, but they did not question it. The Elements had chosen to not work in the past with Tirek, Cozy Glow and the Sorceress because there were better ways to handle them, but this time was different. The Elements recognized that there was no other way to stop Chrysalis, and they acted quickly and efficiently, though they left her behind for a reason. Princess Twilight would decide her fate now.

Flurry and all her friends jumped up and down and whooped for joy. They hugged each other and danced around in circles. Spike gave the little princess a big hug and looked up to see all his siblings had gotten up and celebrated with everyone else. The power of the Elements had healed anyone who took damage from Chrysalis during the skirmish. Buttercream flew in and joined the kids in celebration.

They then looked over to see Twilight walking in to Chrysalis with some royal guards and Tempest Shadow flanking her. She had been smiling at first, but as she got closer to the queen, her smile quickly turned into a stern scowl. Chrysalis opened her eyes to see Twilight standing before her. Her base magic was not even enough to help her fight against Twilight and there was no way of escaping now with Discord being able to teleport after her. Chrysalis’s heart dropped and she began to hyperventilate. Her frustration boiled over but she could not use it to fight back anymore. She hissed at Twilight and then finally admitted defeat.

“YOU FOOLS! YOU IDIOTS!! Fine then! You’ve won! Do what you must! I would rather spend an eternity in Tartarus than spend another minute amongst you hideous, filthy animals!”

Twilight wished more than anything for an apologetic Chrysalis, but she wasn’t in the mood for that. Even as the Princess of Friendship, she had boundaries and the changeling queen was far too dangerous to keep around and clearly regretted nothing. She was about to speak until Discord stepped in between them.

“Whoa, now hold on just a minute, Twilight,” he said, putting both his hands in front of her.

“Discord, please step aside. The queen needs to be dealt with,” Twilight said, firmly.

“Yes, I know, I know, but we had a deal. You haven’t forgotten our deal, have you?”

“I remember the deal, Discord, but she’s done too much damage,”

“Ah, but she’s also defenseless. We’ve already reformed Cozy and Tirek, I’m sure we can get to her eventua-”

“NO! DON’T LISTEN TO HIM, WELPS! JUST PUT ME IN TARTARUS! TURN ME INTO STONE! I DON’T CARE! JUST DO NOT SPEAK OF REFORMING ME!!!” Chrysalis screamed over Discord.

“Hey, come on now, Chryssie! I’m trying to help you out!”

“Do not ever call me that again!”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Chryssie Poo.”

Discord put his head next to Chrysalis’s and stroked her chin with his lion paw as he spoke. Chrysalis gritted her teeth and lashed out at him.

“I SAID DON’T CALL ME THAT!!”

Chrysalis chomped down on his lion arm with her fangs and Discord allowed the entire thing to pop off. A cloud of smoke obscured her and the arm as she fought it like a wild animal. Everyone else giggled at the sight. Discord turned back to Twilight to continue talking with her.

“Twilight, look: if someone out there undid my spell to turn them into stone, then doing it again clearly isn’t going to work, and she certainly won’t be reformed in Tartarus.”

“Go on.”

“And I know I’m not the best person to be advising royalty here, but just look at me. Was I any different? Granted I didn’t steal love magic or put ponies in harvesting pods, but I was a bad boy. You were willing to give me a second chance and I still screwed up along the way, but you got to me eventually. Maybe the same can be done with her?”

“No! She needs to be punished for her crimes!” shouted a stallion citizen of Ponyville from the side.

“That’s right! Look what she’s done with our beautiful town!” said a female next to him.

“Not to mention she completely demolished the town hall!” added the Mayor. “It’s going to take so long to build it back!”

“Alright, you’ve all made valid points,” Discord continued, “We can’t keep her around here, so here’s my proposal: I keep her in my chaos realm, where she’ll have no way of getting out and she can’t hurt any of you or steal your magic. I’ll try and see if I can reform her in there. That was the original plan anyway, and I am ready for her.”

Everyone around Discord fell silent for a moment with only Chrysalis’s snarling heard in the background as she continued to fight his lion arm. Twilight maintained a stern look. She would want Chrysalis to reform, but as a leader, she had to make the wisest decision. She then turned to speak with Pinkie and Cheese who were standing a few yards away.

“Pinkie Pie, Cheese Sandwich, is there anything you would like to say?”

“Well, she did ruin me and Cheese’s big day,” Pinkie replied. “She knocked me out the other night and stole my memories.”

“Not to mention she fooled me into believing she was Pinkie all along and absorbed all my love,” Cheese added.

Pinkie and Cheese shared glances for a moment. Pinkie then spoke with a smile on her face.

“But…to be fair, we have given a lot of other villains second chances.”

Pinkie then pointed to Starlight and Trixie who were standing off to the side with Sunburst.

“That is true,” Cheese continued, “We’ve seen quite a few baddies turn good in recent weeks. Some really dangerous ones.”

Cheese looked to see Tirek walking in with Elytra, Cozy and Melody behind him. Twilight nodded her head up and down and sighed deeply. Flurry walked in next to her with Cadance and Shining Armor not far behind.

“Can I say something, Twilight?” she asked.

“Go ahead, Flurry Heart,” Twilight replied with a smile on her face.

“I mean, we both know the Elements work in mysterious ways. Maybe there’s a reason they didn’t use their power to turn her into stone. Didn’t you tell me that the Elements didn’t do it last time during the Canterlot battle?”

“That is true. They only took the magic those three had stolen. It’s possible the Spirit of Harmony wanted them all reformed much earlier.”

“If we’d have known that, my sister and I would have told Discord to imprison them to be reformed right away rather than keeping them in stone for ten years. We could have probably prevented more damage,” Luna commented.

“And with what we now know about Tirek and Cozy Glow, I think it’s safe to say, sometimes bullies have a reason for what they do, even if they make bad decisions in the process,” Celestia added.

“That is true. I certainly would know.”

As Celestia put her arm around Luna, Twilight thought hard about what they had said. She looked up to Discord as he stood before her with only one arm.

“Discord, you have got to promise you will keep her safe from anyone,” she told him.

“I promise. She’s not going anywhere. Without all that love magic, she’s actually quite weak.”

“And if you do reform her, I expect she will make up for all her misdeeds.”

“As do I. I won’t set her free until I have seen that in action.”

Twilight smiled and nodded to Discord. He then used his eagle fingers to whistle and his arm returned to him with scratches and bruises, which quickly disappeared with a snap of his fingers after it reattached. The cloud around Chrysalis vanished as she fell to the ground, wondering where the arm went.

“Oh Chryssie!” Discord called. “We’ve decided your sentence.”

“I know what you’re trying to do! You fools will never reform me! You’re wasting your time!”

“Well since you don’t want any of that, I think it’s the proper punishment until we can figure out what to do with you. Don’t worry, you’re gonna love it in my realm.”

Chrysalis stood still, gritting her teeth and snarling. She had no idea what she could do now that she couldn’t fight back or escape. With one monstrous sigh, she reluctantly accepted her fate.

“Alright then. Captain?” Twilight said to Tempest Shadow.

“Yes, Your Highness?” Tempest replied.

“Assemble my troops and advisors and meet me over by the town hall. And bring me a quill and some parchment. I’m going to be announcing a new decree today.”

One hour later, Twilight had met with several advisors and parliament members in front of the town hall ruins. Most citizens had already started filing back into Ponyville to tend to their homes, while everyone that was a wedding invitee or helped fight the invasion had congregated around the town hall. Twilight had just finished writing an executive order on Chrysalis’s imprisonment. Once it was ready, Discord stepped forward with Chrysalis next to him. Now wearing her regalia, Twilight read the law out loud.

“To all honorable members of the Equestrian parliament present, the citizens of Ponyville, and all else witnessing this event: I, Princess Twilight Sparkle, hereby order that Queen Chrysalis be temporarily banished to Discord, the Lord of Chaos’s realm for imposed rehabilitation. She will be kept away from Equestrian citizens, until I have deemed that she is reformed and safe enough to coexist among ponykind. During this time, Discord will only bring her out when properly harnessed and incapable of harming anyone, and only with my permission. After she is released, I expect to see her make up for her crimes. Discord, I am entrusting her to you and you alone. She will be your number one priority. Am I clear?”

“Absolutely, Princess,” Discord said, bowing politely.

“Then so be it. This law is now official.”

Twilight took the quill and signed the paper. She then turned the paper outward, so everyone could see her signature. Some nearby press members began taking pictures. Everyone started clapping when Chrysalis took one last chance to curse them.

“You fools think you have won, but this isn’t over! I will not stay hidden for long! My changelings will find me and I will make you all pay for what you have done! You will all face my wrAAGGHH!”

Suddenly a portal opened up beneath Chrysalis and she fell right through. Discord had sent her into his realm with a snap of his fingers and closed it up before she could fly back out.

“Alright, alright. Save it for Villains Anonymous,” Discord said.

Everyone cheered for Discord and he waved back, bashfully. He then turned to Twilight and winked to her as she winked back.

“Hey, Discord?” said a random Pinkie clone next to him.

“Oh, yes…um, Pinkie Pie…number…whichever one you are?”

“Would it be okay if we lived in your realm?” asked another.

“Yeah, we don’t wanna have to go back to the mirror pool.”

“It’s kinda cramped.”

“And kinda boring.”

“And not very fun.”

“Plus we could keep Chrysalis company in there.”

“Pleeeeeease?”

With a smile on his face, Discord opened up a portal to his realm and the Pinkie clones all joyfully hopped in while shouting “FUN” over and over again. As the last one hopped in and the portal began to close, the sound of Chrysalis groaning could be heard. Twilight felt good to watch them go, knowing she didn’t have to cruelly zap them back to the Mirror Pool again.

“Well then, we are a day late, but let’s all pitch in to set up a new wedding,” Twilight told her guards, as they nodded in agreement.

Off to the side, Flurry stood next to Elytra and Pinkie. They all came together in a hug.

“You guys did so great!” Pinkie said. “I thought we were done for, but that was so cool!”

“Still unbelievable how well we managed!” Flurry laughed. “I think it’ll be a while before we see the changelings again too.”

“I just hope Mother does alright,” Elytra added. “I know she’s a monster, but I still care for her.”

“She’ll come around, Elytra,” Flurry said. “I’m sure Discord will find a way to get to her. What matters is that you helped us out and you became a good example to the rest of the other black changelings. Hopefully you won’t be the last to do that.”

“That’s true. Thanks, Flurry.”

“Elytra?” said Thorax, entering in behind her.

“Oh. King Thorax!”

“That was you talking to me the other night about changeling reformation, wasn’t it?”

“Yes. That was me. I’m sorry I fooled you.”

“Well now I know why Maud Pie was so interested in changelings that night: it was you all along. I’m glad you came to me. And no need to apologize. You’ve done us all a huge favor, and I would be happy to welcome you into the new changeling kingdom.”

“Thank you, King Thorax.”

“Elytra? Is that you?” said a voice nearby.

Elytra turned her head to see Ocellus. She remembered what she looked like in her transformed state since the last time they met. Ocellus was taller now, but Elytra recognized her right away.

“O…OCELLUS!” shouted Elytra as he rushed to embrace her old friend.

“Elytra! That really was you that transformed and destroyed the hive! I knew you’d come around eventually! I’m so proud of you!”

“Thank you, Ocellus! I’m just sorry it happened so late.”

“Hey, that’s fine. Your past doesn’t matter anymore. You did the right thing.”

“If I’d have known it would be this good, I would have done it years ago.”

“You look beautiful.”

“I feel beautiful.”

Elytra and Ocellus hugged once again. Other good changelings came over to introduce themselves and welcome Elytra into their tribe as one of their own. Flurry watched happily as Twilight stood next to her.

“What did you learn today, Flurry Heart?” Twilight asked her niece.

“I learned today that love conquers all. Pinkie and Cheese fought on with their love and Elytra used it to overcome all odds. I saw so many examples of it today, and it was the greatest weapon we had against our adversaries. And I never realized how much hope could have the same effect. I continued to believe we could find a way, and we did. It took some time, but we got there.”

Flurry nuzzled up against her aunt. Spike walked in next to her and had just finished writing down her friendship report.

“We’ll keep this one for the collection,” he said, handing the scroll to Twilight, while she returned to the troupe of guards awaiting her.

“Well that was something else, right guys?” Pound asked all his friends.

“You’re telling me, bro! PHEW! Talk about cutting it close!” Pumpkin said, using Pound’s back as a fainting couch.

“I’m just glad it’s all over. That was pretty scary!” Annie said.

“Are you kidding? That was the awesomest battle ever! Chrysalis was all like ‘MUAHAHA, YOU CANNOT DEFEAT ME!’ and then everyone else was like ‘PEW PEW PEW!’ and then Gallus and the others come in and BOOM, she’s all green again and can’t fight back!” Stormy yammered.

“Yeah that’s Stormy for ya,” Chip laughed, rolling his eyes.

Everyone else laughed as Buttercream came in and picked up Flurry Heart in her arms.

“Flurry, you did amazing!” she squealed. “As soon as I met Elytra, I had a feeling we’d see her reformed by the time this was all over! And now she’s a cute fuzzy moth girl!”

“Thanks Buttercream! And thanks for helping us out too!” Flurry responded.

“Aw, you’re welcome! I’ve never had to fight like that before, but man was it fun! And Spike, I had no idea you were such a brawler too!”

“Well, when you’re a bodyguard for the Princess of Equestria, you gotta keep up that Northern Drake fighting physique!” Spike said, patting his belly.

“That’s our little brother and sister!” Singe said, picking Buttercream and Spike up in his arms.

“You guys were great out there!” Scorch told them. “So were you, Billow.”

“Hey, no problem,” Billow said, walking in next to Scorch.

“Omighosh! So this really is Princess Billow!” Pumpkin said, rushing to meet her as the other kids joined in.

“Hey there, kids. I’m guessing you unlocked me in Super Dragon Warriors?”

“Sure have! You’re soooo cool!” Stormy said with his hooves against his cheeks.

“Hehe, thanks. I look so blocky in that game, but I love the moves they gave me. I can actually perform every single one of them. The ‘Dance of the Living Axe’ is my favorite.”

“So how many of the royal family members in Soder Dracos wield axes like that?” Scorch asked Billow.

“Like Beo Tuag? Oh she’s the only one of her kind.”

“Uh…she?”

“Yeah, Beo’s a magic axe that’s been passed down in the royal family for thousands of years. You can’t even lift her unless you’re judged worthy.”

“Tell him he’s handsome,” Beo told Billow in her mind.

“Huh? Oh. Beo says you’re a good fighter too.”

“Go on, Billow. He likes you. I can tell.”

“Beo, can we talk about this later?” Billow whispered out of the side of her mouth.

“Are you talking to her?” Scorch asked.

“Yeah. Sorry, hearing her speak is also something you can’t do unless you’re worthy. Sometimes she teases me.”

“Hehe, she sounds like fun.”

“Yeah, I’ve gotten through a lot with her at my side. We’ve both fought plenty of battles, but this was the biggest one I’ve ever been in.”

“Well we appreciated you coming in to help. It was pretty hilarious when Beo pinned Chrysalis down like that.”

“Hehe. She does that.”

“So, random question, but are you by any chance related to any Northern Drakes? I couldn’t help but notice you’ve got a body like my dad and my brother and sister. My grandma’s also got it.”

“Thanks for noticing. My mom’s dad is a Northern, so I get it from her side. We Southerns have some variety, but the chubby ones still make fantastic warriors.”

“Well hey, it looks good on you.”

“Thanks.”

Billow maintained eye contact with Scorch. She stroked her thigh with one hand, while putting the other on her hip. He looked at her with a warm smile on his face, not knowing what he was even doing. They were both interrupted by Buttercream, slowly moving up between them. She put her hands in front of her mouth, which already had a big, smile. She was unable to contain her enthusiasm.

“Hehehe! Are you two flirting?” she asked.

“WHAT?!” Scorch and Billow said in unison.

“Uh…no, we just met!” Billow said, nervously.

“Yeah, I mean she’s fine, but it’s been like…what, a few hours?” Scorch added as he put his arm behind his head and blushed.

“Yeah, exactly.”

“I mean she’s…”

“Yeah, he’s still…”

“We’re fine!”

“Yeah! We’re fine!”

“I…well…”

“Yeah…”

“Um…”

“Hehe…”

Buttercream looked back and forth, observing their body language and the shyness in their voices. She could already tell they had chemistry. Scorch and Billow looked over to see that Singe, Barb and the kids had been watching them interact as well; they just forgot they were there. Singe and Barb both looked at each other with big smiles on their faces, while the kids giggled.

“Gosh, Scorch, slow down over there!” Singe teased.

“Alright, knock it off, Singe,” Barb laughed, while playfully shoving her little brother to the side. “Give them space, you two. After all, it’s…oh…”

They all looked to see Calida flying in and landing on all fours. She wasn’t so angry and ready to fight anymore, but she wasn’t smiling either, for she was not accustomed to doing so. Billow and Buttercream walked over to her to show her to the others.

“Oh yeah! We forgot to introduce you guys to Calida!” Buttercream said. “Calida, these are my siblings, Spike, Singe, Scorch and Barb. And over there is Princess Flurry Heart of the Crystal Kingdom and all her friends: Pound Cake, Pumpkin Cake, Apple Chip, Annie Smith, and Storm Streak. Everyone, this is Calida.”

“Charmed,” Calida said, flatly.

Barb, Scorch and Singe looked nervously at her. Spike wasn’t quite as scared but could tell this was an unusual experience for his siblings. He waved nonetheless and they did the same.

“Hey…” Barb said. “So…are you, like, not with the other wyverns?

“I left them years ago. I couldn’t stand living with them,” Calida replied.

“Calida didn’t have such a great life in Oster Dracos, so she came over to live with Billow’s family down south!” Buttercream said, cheerfully.

“Yup. And she’s assimilated quite well,” Billow added.

“Well, that’s at least good to hear,” Scorch said.

“Yeah, I guess not all wyverns are that bad after all,” Singe added.

“Whoooooa! That is such a cool dragon!” Stormy said as he flew right up to Calida.

“Uh…Stormy,” Flurry said, cautiously.

“Are you in Super Dragon Warriors too, Miss Calida?”

“I might be,” she replied, shrugging her shoulders.

“Stormy, we might wanna wait and see for ourselves. You know, not have the game be spoiled and all,” Chip told the eager, little pegasus.

“That’s okay. If you are in it, you’d be a really awesome playable character!” Stormy told the large wyvern.

Calida finally cracked a smile and chuckled a bit.

“I like these kids,” she said.

“Aw, she’s smiling!” Pumpkin whispered to Pound.

“Well guys, Pinkie and Cheese are gonna need all the help they can get,” Flurry said to all of them. “What do you say we all head over to help with setting up the new wedding with them?”

“I agree. You guys ready?” Pound asked them all.

“Yeah! Let’s go, guys!” Stormy said, flying ahead.

“Don’t worry, Pinkie! We’ll make sure you guys have the best wedding ever!” Pumpkin told Pinkie as they all joined her and Cheese.

“Thanks, everyone! We really appreciate it!” Pinkie said.

“Alright, you ready, Sweetie Pie?” Cheese asked his soon-to-be-wife.

“I’m ready, Cheesie!”

15. How Did I Get So Lucky?

15. How Did I Get So Lucky?

After Chrysalis’s sentence, everyone in the wedding immediately started setting up a new one. They used the same field Night Shade’s concert was held in a few weeks prior. Pinkie wanted the dragons and others that helped fight the changelings to be able to see her get married, so she suggested they have the new wedding take place outside where there’d be more room. Even King Smite and Queen Chara were able to watch from just outside of the zone the wedding was taking place in and would be joining them at the reception. Tons of citizens that weren’t even involved in the wedding before pitched in to help get decorations, equipment and other necessary supplies to make it all possible. They had just enough time to do it since the battle took place in the morning and ended before noon. The wedding would be a bit rushed and finish later than originally planned, but everyone had no problem going later into the night for the reception. The recreational center was clear of any damage, so the reception didn’t need anything changed and the cake and everything inside was still intact.

Pinkie’s dress thankfully hadn’t been touched since Chrysalis used her powers to appear to be wearing one while in disguise. Rarity left the real dress in Carousel Theater before she was abducted, so she rushed quickly to retrieve it. Even Pinkie’s ring necklace that Chrysalis had previously worn was recovered by one of her clones that grabbed it before the town hall was demolished. Cheese had to have his suit replaced since it was scuffed up during the battle, but Rarity had one lying around that fit him just right and let him have it for free. Other members of the wedding were able to get their clothes replaced with Rarity’s help and several other designers in town.

While the wedding was being prepared, the Ponyville townsfolk continued moving back in to their homes and cleaning up. Some houses had been damaged badly during the invasion, but some of the dragons, changelings, and buffalos volunteered to help fix them. Tirek and Cozy Glow even helped out to show them they were willing to amend for their past crimes. Although Discord’s powers would fix things much quicker, the villagers preferred to fix things the traditional way, so he refrained from doing so unless asked. Pinkie and Cheese planned on using the Party Cannon for the reception, so Discord happily used his magic to repair it, much to their approval. Discord even decided he would attend their wedding out of respect and to apologize for not being ready for the changelings. Pinkie and Cheese bared no ill will towards him and were happy to let him attend.

The wedding was ready by mid afternoon and they started at four o’clock. It began just how it did when the changelings were in control, though this time everyone noticed how different things were. Scutellum had skipped through most of Twilight’s speech despite having her memories in his head. This time, the real Twilight Sparkle was ready to give her speech and spoke with much more fervor.

“And I’ll never forget the day Cheese first came into her life. We were in the middle of planning Rainbow Dash’s birthday party and he arrived to Ponyville and volunteered to help out. Most of you might know they didn’t have the greatest first impression, but when it became clear to Pinkie that she was letting her pride get the best of her, she apologized and they made up. Believe it or not, Cheese actually told her that he first saw her years ago in Ponyville throwing a party. She inspired him, and that’s how he got his cutie mark. Now I didn’t want to say it at the time, but the moment we all realized these two had a connection, I had a feeling they’d totally get together. Of course I’m not one to prod someone into a relationship, but I couldn’t have been any less ecstatic when I heard her say that she and Cheese had started dating. And here we are now. Two souls will be joined, and not even a changing invasion can stop them. To Pinkie Pie, the first friend I met in Ponyville, you’ve found the perfect stallion and I’m so proud of you. And Cheese Sandwich, I’ve got to say, every time I see my friend now, she’s more complete and happier than I’ve ever seen and that’s because you came into her life. Take good care of her. I know for a fact you two are going to throw the best parties Equestria has ever seen.”

Twilight bowed and the congregation clapped. After the remarks, the they sang hymns and the ceremony started. They lost the organ in the destruction of the town hall, so a nearby shop allowed Spike to borrow a piano to play for the wedding. The bridesmares and groomstallions lined up on both sides of the altar as the piano began to play. Flurry, Pumpkin and Annie stood in front of the floral entrance placed behind the seats, wearing their gowns and holding their baskets with flowers. They waited until Cheese arrived to the altar. They pranced down the aisle, waving the baskets around as the petals fell out. Behind them, Igneous Rock Pie walked with his daughter’s hoof in his hand to escort her. They got to the altar and Igneous gave his daughter a hug.

“I’m so proud of you, Pinkamena,” he told her, fighting back his tears.

“Thanks, Daddy,” Pinkie replied.

Pinkie walked up to the altar and stood on the other side with Cheese facing her. They smiled to each other and held hooves. Cheese was not used to seeing her cry, but her eyes were a bit misty. He realized that Chrysalis did not do the same thing yesterday for obvious reasons. This was just further confirmation that his real fiancé was here before him and this was a moment of true love. Pinkie wiped away one of her tears and continued to smile. She was even happier than she expected to be because of how well they pulled through with this wedding, despite the drastic setbacks. They both glanced to Twilight who smiled back at them. Twilight then began the ritual.

“Dearly beloved, mares and gentlecolts; ponies and other creatures alike; those who were already part of this wedding and those who were invited after your display of courage earlier; we gather here today in harmony to witness and celebrate the union of Pinkamena Diane Pie and Cheese Sandwich in holy matrimony. This is a sacred covenant, a lifelong commitment of love and support. Graceful presence of Harmony, guide these two beautiful souls into a lifetime of joy and peace. May nothing come between them. At this time, I will take the rings.”

Pound cake stepped forward with the pillow and the ring on top of it. Twilight used her magic to bring it over to Cheese, who then attached it around Pinkie’s neck. Another tear appeared in Pinkie’s eye, which Cheese wiped away for her. She turned to Pound and gave a wink. Pound winked back and stood next to Pumpkin. Now Pinkie and Cheese were ready for the vows.

“Pinkamena Diane Pie, do you take Cheese Sandwich to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love and comfort, to honor and keep for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, until you are parted by death?”

“I do,” Pinkie answered.

“Cheese Sandwich, do you take Pinkamena Diane Pie to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love and comfort, to honor and keep for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, until you are parted by death?”

“I do,” Cheese answered.

There was brief pause before Twilight continued. Pinkie and Cheese continued to make eye contact. They had finally made their vows and were ready for the next step that would change everything for them. Pinkie was a little nervous at first, but a feeling of courage came over her. If they could get through a changeling invasion and still make this wedding possible, there was nothing that could stop her from living her life with Cheese Sandwich from here on out. Cheese felt the same way and was ready to care for his bride. They smiled and waited for Twilight.

“With the power invested in me, I now pronounce you mare and stallion. You may kiss the bride.”

Everyone applauded loudly and stood up in unison. Cheese carefully removed Pinkie’s vale. They came together and kissed passionately as the cheering grew louder. They both looked out to the audience and listened as Spike played the Wedding March song. Finally they both walked down the stairs to the altar and rushed down the aisle. Everyone continued to cheer and throw confetti and cupcakes that Pinkie caught with her tongue. When they reached the exit of the seating area, a carriage was prepared for them. Cheese opened the door and helped his bride into the carriage. Some of the audience left their seats to wave after them. Pinkie looked out the window to see many familiar faces waving to her and blowing kisses. She and Cheese put their hooves out and waved back.

“We did it, Flurry!” Pumpkin said, giving her friend a hug.

“We sure did! I knew Queen Chrysalis couldn’t stop this wedding from happening!”

In less than an hour, everyone had already arrived at the rec center for the reception. The rec center had an outdoor area with a dance floor and plenty of table space on the sides. There was enough room for all the young dragons to watch safely and even walk onto the dance floor. Everyone took time to sit down and wait until the rest of the wedding party was present and ready to eat. They spent a half hour eating, and then came the speeches. Pinkie and Cheese’s fathers gave their speeches, followed by Sans Smirk and Maud. Sans Smirk broke character and bawled towards the end of his speech and even Maud herself shed some tears.

“Alright! Get ready for the flower-toss, everybody!” Cheese called.

Pinkie stood up and turned around. She then tossed the bouquet of flowers she had at the wedding. Several ladies in the audience put their hooves up to catch the flowers until Scorch dashed in front of them, completely unaware of the symbolism of the flower toss.

“HA! Got em!” Scorch shouted.

“Nice catch,” Billow said, standing right next to him.

“Thanks!”

They both looked to the side to see Buttercream giggling behind her hands.

“What?” asked Scorch.

“Oh nothing…nothing…hehehe…” Buttercream said as she walked by, playfully.

Scorch and Billow watched Buttercream confusedly but just shrugged their shoulders.

“Alright everypony!” Pinkie called to them. “If you don’t mind clearing the dance floor, Cheese and I have a little something for you!”

DJ PON-3 walked in with a portable turntable and some loudspeakers. She gave Pinkie and Cheese some microphones and they made their way to the center of the dance floor as everyone cleared out for them. The murmuring died down as they spoke.

“First of all, thank you so much for your patience,” Cheese started saying. “I know it’s been kinda wacky getting this wedding put together at the last minute, but you were all so helpful, and I think it’s only fitting that my wife and I now sing you the song we were promising earlier. Would you like to take it from here, Sweetie Pie?”

“Yup. Thanks!” Pinkie said, kissing Cheese on the cheek. “Alright, this song was actually supposed to be completed a while ago by both of us. See, Cheese had a polka song in mind to propose to me with, but things didn’t really go as planned, so it never happened, but what he didn’t know was I also had a song I was writing for him, but I was having some issues with the tune.”

“To make a long story short, we kinda mish-mashed both our songs together. I slowed it down to a nice romantic ballad, combined a bit of her music and used most of her lyrics. After we were finished, DJ PON-3 mixed the song together and we have Spike up there, accompanying her on the piano. Thanks guys!”

The audience cheered as Spike and DJ PON-3 waved to them.

“This song is called How Did I Get So Lucky. It’s about how we both met and how we’re going to make this love last till death do us part. You ready, Pinkie?”

“I’m ready, Cheese.”

The lights faded out and the crowd quieted down. Spike began playing the piano as DJ PON-3 used her soundboard to bring in some synth strings music for the background. Pinkie started singing the first verse, followed by Cheese.

Verse 1

Pinkie:

When I was just a filly

Had no idea I’d be

The luckiest girl alive

I just wanted to party

Make others feel my joy

Then one day you arrived

Cheese:

The moment I first saw you

I knew you’d change it all

And oh boy was I right

You helped me find my passion

Helped me find my laugh

No wonder you’re the love of my life

Chorus

Cheese and Pinkie:

How did I get so lucky?

How’d this happen to me?

You were sent from above me

Luck had nothing to do with it

Now I see

We were meant to be

As the first chorus ended, Spike continued playing the piano and percussion came in. The song then grew louder and more energetic as DJ PON-3 used the soundboard to bring in more background music before the second verse. Photos and videos of Pinkie and Cheese on a nearby projector could be seen. These were the same pictures Cheese wanted to use during his proposal. Although they didn’t work out for him then, he had plenty of time to plan this for their performance at the reception. Everything went together perfectly and made him feel even better about not having a flashy proposal. The wedding still happened despite the changelings invading and the reception was turning out even better than he thought it would. They both sang through the second verse, followed by the chorus, which ended more abruptly to go into the bridge.

Verse 2

Cheese:

They say love takes some time

A friendship to be sure

A lifetime of commitment

Pinkie:

You’ll know it when you feel it

I feel it in my heart

I promise I’ll stay with you till the end

(Oh oh oh!)

Cheese and Pinkie:

Nothing can separate us

We’d like to see em’ try

We’re ready to take on the world

(Come get some!)

One mare; one stallion

One body; one flesh

Now that we’re here together

Let’s spread the magic

And let the whole world knooooow!

Chorus

Cheese and Pinkie:

How did I get so lucky?

How’d this happen to me?

You were sent from above me

Luck plays no part

In destiny

Bridge

Cheese:

I can’t begin to explain

The chance we met is insane

Pinkie:

We were rivals when we started out

So ironic. Makes you wonder how

Cheese and Pinkie:

Now we stand here: husband and wife

Heart to heart, ready to start a new liiiiiiiiife

DJ PON-3 had her soundboard doing everything it was programmed to do, so she stepped aside and donned an electric guitar. As the song’s pitch shifted, she jumped up on the piano and did a solo as Spike continued on the piano. Pinkie and Cheese danced during the solo. Everyone cheered as the music grew more emotional. Pinkie signaled for others to join them on the dance floor, as they continued singing the remainder of the song.

Final Chorus:

Cheese and Pinkie:

What are the odds?

How can this beeeeee?

How did I get so lucky?

(Cheese: Maybe it was just coincidence)

How’d this happen to me?

(Cheese: And now I finally see)

You were sent from above me

(Oh oh oh)

Luck played no part in it

No sirry

How did I get so lucky?

(Pinkie: How did I get so lucky)

How’d this happen to me?

(Pinkie: Happen to little ol’ me)

You were sent from above me

(Oh oh oh)

Luck played no part in it

It was no accident

If someone asks how can it be?

It was destinyyyyyyyyyyyyy!

Pinkie and Cheese sang one last high note as the chorus music continued to play several more times, eventually fading out with the sound of the piano and background synth. Cheese took out a remote and used it to have the Party Tank fire several bursts of confetti into the air that fell down like snow. Everyone was now dancing wildly and enjoying themselves with the newlyweds. They ate the rest of their food and danced into the night until after the sun set. Pictures were taken, jokes were exchanged and memories were made.

As the reception drew to a close and attendees all went back home, a limousine with a huge “JUST MARRIED” sign on top came by to pick up Pinkie and Cheese to take them to a five-star hotel in Canterlot where they would spend their first night together. Before they left, they said goodbye to everyone. Flurry came in to wish her farewell.

“Bye Pinkie! I had so much fun and I know you and Cheese are going to have a great life together!” she said, happily.

“Thanks again, Matching-Bow-Mare. Couldn’t have done it without ya!” Pinkie said tenderly before giving the little princess a hug.

Pinkie then walked back to the limo where Cheese helped her inside. They rolled down the window and looked out to wave to everyone. The limo drove off, dragging horseshoes behind. Flurry, her friends, Spike, Buttercream and Elytra watched as they disappeared over the hilltop. She sighed contently and wiped a tear from her eye. Elytra stood next to her and they made eye contact.

“Thanks for helping us out, Elytra,” she told the repentant changeling.

“And thank you, Flurry Heart, for giving me a chance,” Elytra replied.

Flurry and Elytra both hugged as the others watched.

“Well team, mission accomplished! No changelings are gonna stop our weddings anymore!” Pound said.

“YEAH!” the others all cheered as they put their hooves and claws together.

Inside the limo, Pinkie and Cheese both sighed and lay back in their seats. They looked at each other and just laughed uncontrollably for a few seconds.

“HAHA! Oh man, what a wedding!” Pinkie said.

“Not what I was expecting, but man did we manage after all that!” Cheese added.

“And it’s made us closer than ever before. I love you, Cheese Sandwich.”

“I love you, Pinkie Pie.”

They held hooves and moved in to kiss again. Pinkie then put her head against Cheese. He held her in his arms as the limo drove on.

Fireworks with congratulatory messages could be seen in the distance being launched around Canterlot. In the night sky above the limo were several of Pinkie’s clones. They were sitting on top of some clouds, eating cake while humming the tune to How Did I Get So Lucky. In a larger cloud in the center sat Discord still wearing his tuxedo. He had the cake figurines of Pinkie and Cheese in his hands, pressing their heads together to simulate kissing. On the other side of the cloud was Chrysalis. She wore a white and black striped jail-suit with a ball and chain attached to one of her legs to keep her down. She had her arms crossed and was visibly not happy with her sentencing. As she pouted, Discord shed a tear and wiped it away with a tissue he summoned. Although he had said he wasn’t a fan of weddings earlier, he couldn’t help but attend this one after everything that had happened. He was glad he did and was so happy for Pinkie and Cheese.

“Love is such a wonderful thing. Isn’t that right, Chryssie?” he said, turning to the angry changeling queen.

“Oh shutup!” she snapped.

THE END

Author's Note

The music for How Did I Get So Lucky can be found here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VqnHdg9cTG8d_Bk80HawaomKNy5F1Q71/view

1. Chrysalis Makes Her Move

Prologue

Pinkie Pie hopped joyfully through the streets of Ponyville as the sun was just setting. She had just left the town hall after getting things around for her wedding in two days. She was excited as ever and in high spirits. Ponies all over Ponyville waved to her and congratulated her on the upcoming event. The entire town was in an uproar over this wedding. It would be one of the biggest events to see everyone’s favorite party pony finally get married. She and Cheese Sandwich had been carefully planning the wedding for weeks. There was just one day left to see family and friends arrive for the rehearsal and dinner the night before. The plump, pink pony sang a happy tune as she carried on.

Unbeknownst to Pinkie, a mysterious figure lurked in the shadows behind some nearby trees. As she arrived at Sugarcube Corner to retire for the day, the creature in the shadows emerged and called to her.

“Excuse me, Miss Pinkie Pie?” asked a friendly female voice behind her.

Pinkie looked back to see a bright green unicorn mare with long reddish hair. She had a cutie mark of a ladybug and a camera around her neck.

“Hey there! Wait, you look familiar…” Pinkie replied as she studied the stranger.

“Yeah, we’ve met before. I’m Crackle Cosette of the Canterlot Historical Society.”

“Oh, now I remember! You’re the photographer lady that took pictures of us a while ago!”

“Yes, that was me. Well I hope I’m not interrupting anything, but the CHS really wants some more pictures if you don’t mind. See, your wedding is the talk of the town right now, and I don’t just mean Ponyville.”

“Oh, I know whatcha mean. Everywhere Cheese and I go; ponies are congratulating us left and right. We’re two famous party ponies about to be hitched and it’s to be expected! Hehe!”

“So would it be okay if I got some pictures of you for the Society? They’re really interested in your wedding right now.”

“Oh abso-tootly-lutely!”

“And if it isn’t asking for too much trouble; would you mind if we got the pictures inside Sugarcube Corner?”

“Abso-tootly-lutely 2.0! Follow me!”

Pinkie walked into Sugarcube Corner with the photographer behind her.

“So, where do you want me?” asked Pinkie.

“Well, how about behind the counter over there. Are the owners of this shop okay with us doing this?”

“Sure! Mr. and Mrs. Cake are still back at the town hall working on the cake in the kitchen, but they’d be happy to know we’re getting these pictures! So what pose should I do?”

“Actually, since you work here, would you mind maybe posing with some kitchen wear like some cooking utensils and…oh, pans! Pans would be great!”

“Pans it is! Let me just check in here real quick…”

Pinkie turned to a nearby cabinet and started to remove some pans and place them on the counter. While she was distracted, the photographer pulled the shades to all the windows.

“Alrighty, let’s see what we have here. Ah! That one looks good! Okay, we’ll use that one…and while I’m at it, how about I go ahead and-”

Before Pinkie could reach for another pan, she felt something clang against the back of her head. Her entire body vibrated and her vision went blurry. She fell to the ground, as stars spun around her head and her irises swirled.

“Ugggghhhh…why yes Cheese…I…do…ugh…”

She finally lost consciousness and her eyes closed. The photographer had hit her from behind with the pan and knocked her out. She had both her eyes closed and opened one carefully to see Pinkie wasn’t moving. She then put the pan aside and smiled wickedly.

“Hehehe! Just as planned. Now that I have you, Pinkie Pie, I can begin my revenge!”

The photographer then cast a spell with her magic and a green fiery aura crept up her body in an instant, revealing a tall, black, insectoid equine with holes in its legs and wings. Crackle Cosette was Queen Chrysalis in disguise. She looked down at Pinkie and fired up a green beam of energy onto her head. It was not an offensive shot; instead it was a spell the changeling queen was casting on Pinkie’s mind. It took several seconds until the spell was complete. Chrysalis nearly started laughing again until she heard noise from the story above.

“Pinkie? That you down there?” asked Pumpkin Cake as she and Pound Cake came down the stairs.

They both got to the bottom and saw Pinkie behind the counter with a big smile on her face. She had just finished closing a cabinet door with her hind leg.

“Pound! Pumpkin! How ya’ doin’?” she asked.

“Hey, did everything go well in the town hall?” Pound asked.

“Sure did! OOOOH! I’m so excited to be married the day after tomorrow!”

Pinkie jumped up and down, squealing with delight, as Pound and Pumpkin walked over to her.

“I know! We’re so happy for you, Pinkie!” Pumpkin said as she hugged her.

“And I’m glad you chose me to be your ring-bearer!” Pound added.

“And don’t forget Twilight will be officiating, all my friends are bridesmaids, Maud is the mare of honor, and you, Flurry and Annie are going to be the flower girls, Pumpkin!”

“EEEEH!” Pumpkin squealed.

“Alright, Pump,” Pound told his sister. “We best get to bed here before Mom and Dad get home from the town hall. It’s getting kinda late.”

“Alright! Night-night, Pinkie!”

“See ya tomorrow, guys!”

Pinkie waved to Pound and Pumpkin as they rushed back upstairs to go to their bedrooms. She then turned around and opened one of the lower cabinet doors. The real Pinkie Pie was inside, still unconscious. The one that Pound and Pumpkin had just spoken to was Chrysalis disguised as Pinkie. She spoke as quietly as she could so no one would hear.

“That was a close one. With this new spell, no one will expect another changeling invasion, and with Twilight already out of the way, it’ll be all too easy. Oh, and one more little thing.”

Her pink bangs transformed into her horn and she used her magic to take Pinkie’s engagement necklace off. She carefully put it around her own neck and attached it by both ends.

“There. Now this time I will not fail. Hehehe…”

~My Big Fat Pink Wedding~

The next day, tons of ponies gathered in front of the town hall in preparation for the wedding rehearsal. Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash all met with Pinkie in the middle while talking to other ponies. Other notable ponies like Starswirl the Bearded and the Pillars of Equestria could be seen as well as Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Flurry and her friends watched, while Spike and Buttercream made acquaintance with some of Pinkie’s family and other attendees. Cozy was with Flurry and the others, but she was a bit shy when in large crowds and was standing behind Chip and Annie.

“This is going to be one great wedding!” Flurry said, excitedly.

“I know! Look at all the friends that have come from across Equestria and beyond! Everypony’s really looking forward to this!” Pumpkin added.

“So where’s Rarity at?” asked Annie.

“She’ll be here shortly,” Spike replied.

“I can’t wait to finally meet her, Spike!” Buttercream squealed with delight. “If you were crushing on this girl as a kid, she must be really pretty!”

“Well you’re about to find out!” Pound said.

Everyone looked to see a carriage that was being pulled by several fancy stallions in fashionable clothing. The door to the carriage opened and out walked a tall white unicorn with purple hair, blue eyes and a cutie mark of three sapphire gems. She wore a grey shirt with a blue vest on the outside, a pearl necklace and maroon glasses. This was the owner of the Canterlot Boutique and one of Pinkie’s closest friends: Rarity. Rays of sunlight emitted from her as ponies in the area cheered loudly and several members of the press walked over to get pictures. Rarity walked out daintily, as fashion show music played in the background.

“Thank you! Thank you, everypony!” Rarity said, blowing kisses.

“Miss Rarity, are you excited for your friend’s wedding?” asked one of the press ponies.

“Oh, darling, how could I not be? Not only am I one of her maids of honor, I was hoof-picked to design the dress! It’s been a tough past few weeks, but a lady does not turn down such an opportunity from one of her best friends!”

“RARITY!!!” Pinkie shouted, rushing towards her.

They both met and hugged tightly as ponies cheered again and cameras flashed.

“PINKIE PIE! Darling, you have no idea how happy I am for you!”

“I know! I’m so excited I could just burst! Is the dress ready?”

“Indeed it is! Gentlemen, would you all be dears and carry the precious cargo into the town hall?”

“Right away, madam!”

Rarity turned to speak to her assistants. They took out several large cases and walked towards the town hall entrance with them.

“Oh, and how rude of me! There’s my Spikey-Wikey!” Rarity called, as she noticed Spike walking in.

Rarity and Spike both met and hugged tenderly. Buttercream watched with her hands covering her cheeks in excitement.

“Rarity, so great to see you!” Spike said.

“Oh, and is this cute little one over here your sister?! You absolutely MUST introduce me!”

“She sure is! Buttercream, this is Rarity! Rarity, Buttercream!”

“EEEEH! Rarity, it’s so great to finally meet you!” Buttercream squealed as she hugged Rarity.

“Buttercream, you truly are as adorable as you appeared in that video game!!”

“And you’re just as pretty as Spike described you!”

“Oh if anyone knows my beauty, it’s definitely my Spikey-Wikey! When the time is right, I have got to meet the rest of your family!”

“Yeah, they’re going to be busy with dragon-wrangling up in Nordo Dracos during the wedding,” Spike said. “We’re gonna have to arrange a meet-up someday. It’s a little tough having large dragons stomping around Ponyville, but maybe we can get my siblings over some time soon. They’re small enough to walk around in here.”

“Sounds like a plan, darling. You have no idea how happy I was when I heard you had found your family. Oh, and how can I forget you, little Flurry Heart!”

Rarity then noticed Flurry walking in.

“It’s been so long, Rarity!” Flurry replied, hugging Rarity.

“Oh, I know, darling! I’m so sorry I haven’t had the time to come down here to visit in Ponyville; I’ve just been so swamped with work lately. The Grand Galloping Gala is coming up in August and I have a client I’m doing a huge order for that I simply cannot falter on!”

“That’s alright. We’re still so happy to see you here!”

“And how are all of you doing, children?” Rarity asked all the kids behind Flurry.

“Doing awesome, Rarity!” Pumpkin replied, joyfully.

“We weren’t going to miss this event!” Chip added.

“Yeah, we kinda gotta be here anyway since Mom is a bridesmaid and I’m one of the flower girls, but we’re happy to do it nonetheless,” Annie added.

“Weddings aren’t usually my thing, but I’m excited for this one!” Stormy told her.

“Oh, and I would be completely remiss if I didn’t get a chance to talk to you, Cozy Glow,” Rarity said as she noticed Cozy.

Cozy stepped forward carefully to speak to Rarity. The last time they met was definitely not on good terms, but Rarity knew, as did everyone else, what she had been through and that she was now one of them.

“Hey, Rarity,” she said, softly. “Sorry about what happened in Canterlot years ago.”

“Oh, darling, you need say no more. All is forgiven. Come here.”

Rarity and Cozy embraced warmly as everyone around them smiled. Melody then walked in to speak with Rarity.

“Oh, and you must be her mother. I think your name is Melody?”

“That’s me. It’s good to finally meet you, Miss Rarity.”

“Equally, dear. I’m so proud of you for what you did for your daughter the other day. You’ve done such a good deed for all of us.”

Off to the side, Twilight Sparkle watched with a smile on her face as reunions were made and new friendships were formed. Pinkie walked over to her and gave her a hug.

“Twilight, I’m so happy you could be here for this!”

“I couldn’t turn down your offer to preside over this wedding, Pinkie!”

Pinkie and Twilight then walked further away to speak in private. Pinkie whispered into the side of her ear.

“So how is everything right now?” she asked.

“We’re doing alright. We haven’t replaced Rarity yet though. She was already on the move by the time they got to Canterlot.”

“Just make sure you get her some time tonight. Also, don’t forget the dragon. He used the power of the Elements during the Canterlot battle too, so he might be a problem.”

“Which dragon?”

“You know, the fat one.”

“Uh…which fat one?”

Twilight then pointed to Spike and Buttercream as Smolder came over to talk to them.

“SMOLDY! Great to see ya!” Buttercream said as she squeezed Smolder.

“UGH! BUTTER, I CAN’T BREATHE!” Smolder winced.

“Hehe! Butter, take it easy there!” Spike giggled.

Pinkie watched in confusion but then seemed to remember something. She turned back to Twilight.

“Oh yeah. I almost forgot he has a sister. Just take Spike. Don’t worry about Buttercream. She can’t be that much of an issue I’d imagine.”

“Got it. Oh, look alive. Here comes the primary target.”

Twilight and Pinkie then put on smiles and turned to see Cheese Sandwich walk in.

“Pinkie!” he called.

“Hey, sweet-ums!” Pinkie replied as she hugged him.

“Should I do the honors?”

“Go right ahead! I’ll be here to back ya up!”

Cheese then cleared his throat and began to address the crowd.

“AHEM! Everyone, may I have your attention please? Thank you. Alright, first of all, my fiancé and I are really glad to have you all here. Now the rehearsal starts at noon, and then there’s a dinner later tonight at five-thirty in the recreation center. The wedding itself begins tomorrow at two, and the reception is at four-thirty and goes pretty much till midnight over in the rec center. You’re all invited to the reception of course, and get ready because Pinkie and I will be premiering our new song that night!”

“That’s right!” Pinkie added. “Cheese and I wrote a song about how we met, and we’d love it if you’d all join us after the wedding for the celebration!”

“Yup! So for anyone who isn’t in the rehearsal, feel free to relax the rest of the afternoon, but you’re all free to join us in the town hall for the dinner.”

Everyone in the crowd cheered and then returned to murmuring. Cheese and Pinkie walked over to Flurry and her friends.

“FLURRY!” Pinkie exclaimed as they embraced.

“Pinkie, I’m so excited for this wedding!” Flurry squealed.

“It’s going to be the biggest, most important, life-changing party I’ve ever thrown!”

“Was it hard to get this one arranged, Pinkie?” asked Pound.

“Oh, tell me about it! But Cheese and I pressed on and we got ‘er done! Right, Cheesy?”

“You said it, Sweetie Pie!”

Pinkie and Cheese snuggled up to each other while giggling. Flurry and the others looked happily at them. Off to the side, Buttercream and Spike were busy talking to the teachers.

“So are you guys part of the wedding?” she asked Gallus.

“We’re not in the wedding party itself, but we were all invited as guests of honor,” Gallus answered.

“We all make sure we have time in schedules to come. Yak had to let all of Yakyakistan know and Prince Rutherford come too!” Yona told her.

“Oh man, even the leader of the yaks? Gosh, everyone on the planet is invited here!” Butter jested.

“Everyone except the black changelings of course,” Sandbar remarked.

“Oh that’s right. Are we sure we won’t have a repeat of Flurry’s parents’ wedding?”

“We’ll be fine, Butter,” Spike told his sister. “Twilight has a new necklace that allows her to see through a changeling disguise. If anyone here is trying to infiltrate the wedding, she’ll know right away.”

“Talk about crazy-prepared!” Silverstream said.

“Thorax said he hasn’t had any intelligence reported of changeling activity,” Ocellus added. “I’m pretty sure Chrysalis wouldn’t come with all the protection we have right now.”

“Plus Discord is here in case things get hairy,” added Smolder.

“I dunno if Discord really wants to fight our battles for us, but we’ve always got the Elements of Harmony,” Gallus said as he put his arms around Silverstream and Yona as the rest of the teachers formed a circle and did the same.

Off to the side, Twilight could be seen whispering to two royal guards.

“We’ve got to get Spike and Rarity next,” she told them. “I’ve just been informed all the Pillars have been taken care of and so have Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Fluttershy. There are several scouts waiting at the teachers’ house. We’ll have them once they return home tonight.”

“So we’re almost there,” said one guard.

“And what of the princess? Didn’t she give you trouble the last time you were here?” asked the other.

“She isn’t one of the Elements of Harmony, but it’s because of her that the teachers became new wielders, so she could be a problem. I wouldn’t worry about her right now. Just leave her to me.”

The guards both nodded and walked away. Twilight looked back at the crowd and smiled, but kept her eyes on Flurry. Her look grew more suspicious.

“You’ll be sorry for our last encounter, Princess Flurry Heart. Just stay out of my way.”