“Because if you don't…” Chrysalis continued, tapping her hoof again once the ponies were all restrained. “I will kill your precious foal.”

The door opened allowing a changeling soldier carrying Flurry Heart into the room.

“Flurry!” Cadence called, causing Chrysalis to chuckle menacingly. The soldier offered the foal to the Queen who picked her up, causing her to whimper in fear.

“Let her go!” Shining Armour demanded as the rest of the ponies clamored to be heard.

“It’s OK Flurry, we’re right here!” Cadence tried to comfort her daughter.

“The only way you are getting her back is if you tell me what I want to know,” Chrysalis said, shaking Flurry slightly. Suddenly Twilight perked up and she gasped, she made eye contact with Pinkie who smiled and nodded before whispering in AJ’s ear who she happened to be beside.

Twilight released a calming breath and raised an eyebrow. “How do we know that’s really Flurry Heart?” she asked.

“What?” Cadence and Chrysalis intoned.

“Twilight!” Shining started, but was interrupted by AJ.

“Yeah, I’m not too sure I believe you Chrysalis, I mean.”

“It makes sense, Darling.” Rarity explained to the distressed parents, “I wouldn’t risk it with Pinkie in the room.”

Chrysalis sighed heavily rolling her eyes, turning into Cadence with a flare of green flames.

“What are you doing?” Cadence demanded.

“Proving this is your foal,” Cadenza stated boredly, indicated the crying Flurry. A changeling soldier approached their Queen, carrying what appeared to be a dagger made of the same dark stone as the walls of the Hive. Cadenza stuck out a hoof with an eye roll, allowing the soldier to cut her hoof and cause her to bleed green. She then roughly shoved baby Flurry at them.

Twilight’s eyes widened as the soldier brought the very sharp knife to bear against Flurry’s foreleg, making her squeal in fear then scream in pain as the dagger cut her.

“Enough!” Cadence screamed, “We believe you!”

“Finally.” Chrysalis groaned as she changed back into herself. “Now, where was I?” the soldier offered the dagger, glinting red and green in the dim lighting, up to Chrysalis, “Ah, right, killing your foal.”

“No!”

“Let her go Chrysalis!”

“Flurry!”

“Tell me where the Tree is!” Chrysalis screamed, “Your foal’s life hangs in the balance!”

“You can’t have the Elements!” Twilight screamed back.

“Then you forfeit your niece!” Chrysalis roars, roughly grabbing the dagger in her magic and plunging it toward Flurry’s chest.

“I’LL DO IT!” Shining shouts, halting the dagger’s descent a hairsbreadth away from his daughter’s skin.

-*｡･.:༄*:･----✶-❦-♬----*｡･.:༄*:･-

“Are you sure you can do this Luna?” Celestia asks, concerned, eyeing the bags under Luna’s eyes.

“Yes Sister, we get our ponies back today,” Luna replies, determined.

Celestia turns toward the Changeling Hive in the near distance, Discord lazily floating beside the sisters. “As soon as the barrier falls, you will be able to affect the Hive with your Magic,” she tells him.

Discord chuckles. “You know, I always liked this side of you, Princess, why ever did you bury it?” he asks snapping his tail in anticipation

The Changeling deposits Shining roughly on the floor of the Everfree, not caring when the stallion stumbles.

“Well? Where is the Tree?” Chrysalis asks looking around expectantly as Shining takes a moment to orient himself.

“This way.” he sighs, spotting the Castle Ruins between the trees.

“I'm so sorry, Cadence.” Twilight cries hanging her head before the mother.

“None of us expected her ter do su’mn like that,” AJ added

“Oh, Twilight.” Cadence sighed, “You were only trying to do the right thing.”

“Mother Bird has fled the Nest.” the Pegasus Guard reports, landing swiftly beside the Sisters, kicking up a small amount of dust.

“Thank you,” Celestia dismissed the guard, turning to Luna beside her, “It is time, Sister.”

“Indeed, Sister, let us retrieve our ponies,” Luna stated, lighting her horn with all the power of the Night, her usually cool blue magic bleeding to the deepest black.

Shining brushed the last of the vines to the side, revealing the Tree of Harmony in all its glory.

“This is it,” he tells Chrysalis. “I don’t-”

“Finally!” Chrysalis interrupts, pushing past the Crystal Prince.

Twilight feels a few sparks of Magic bubbling along her horn, a sensation she hadn’t realized was missing.

“Do you feel that Twilight?” Rarity asks

“Yes, yes I do!” Twilight cheers, “Let’s get out of here Girls!”

Luna opened her eyes, whited out from the power she was wielding, and lifted into the sky, a war cry falling from her lips.

“Now!” Celestia cried, causing the line of ponies to fall upon the Hive.

“Well, things are about to get interesting!” Discord chuckles to himself, snapping a claw and disappearing in a spark of Chaos.

“No!” Chrysalis snarls, as the Tree disintegrates the Drones trying to remove the Elements from the Tree, “Tell me how to get the Elements, Pony”

“I don’t know how.” Shining sighs from his seat on a nearby boulder, shifting in his bindings, nopony tells you just how itchy Changeling Goop is.

The Changeling Queen Screeches wordlessly as she takes off, leaving the useless pony behind, perhaps she would tell the other prisoners she had simply killed him when he proved useless to her.

Twilight’s horn glowed a gentle Magenta as she guided her friends and Sister to the room where the Changelings were holding Flurry. “She should be just on the other side of this wall.”

Cadence lit up her own horn with clear blue magic, opening the wall to reveal her Daughter.

“Flurry!” she called, rushing in and scooping her into her hooves, “It’s OK, momma’s here, I've got you, baby.”

“Mama!” Flurry cried, clutching her mother tightly.

“Ah there you are!” Discord said, smoothly sliding into place beside Fluttershy, “And you have all our valuables, let’s get out of here this place gives me the Creepy Crawlies.”

“I agree with you Discord.” Pinkie nods seriously, “This way!” with that she bounces off in a seemingly random direction.

Discord sighs and simply snaps the whole group beside Princess Celestia.

“Twilight! Cadence!” Celestia notices them immediately. “How glad I am to see you safe!”

“Princess Celestia!”

“Auntie! You came for us!”

“Of course.” Celestia pulls the two Alicorns beneath her wings, “Let’s go home.”

Celestia lights her horn, shooting a bolt of golden Magic into the sky, Luna responding to the signal with a mighty cry as she throws her gathered power off in all directions. The gathered Guard retreating as the Changeling Barrier forcefully shatters with the force it slams back over the Hive with.

Changelings scatter from every opening of the Hive even as the Hive itself appears to melt.

Chrysalis halted far too quickly at the sight of her beloved Hive, Celestia’s, and that damned Night Princess’s auras just beginning to fade from the area, declaring without a doubt who was responsible for this disaster. She ground her teeth, growling as she dove into the goop, beginning to reform her Hive.

-*｡･.:༄*:･----✶-❦-♬----*｡･.:༄*:･-

Twilight and her friends returned to Ponyville, another victory notching their proverbial boots, all smiles and laughter. Cadence and Shining return home with Flurry, easily taking care of the changeling posing as Shining Armour, ready to plan for the upcoming Crystalling. All is well and the Sisters close the doors to the War Hall, leaving the furniture to collect dust once again.

Chrysalis however is stewing in her newly rebuilt chambers, glaring at the flashing images before her stopping on the tired, victorious smile of one pesky purple princess.

“Watch your back, ‘Princess of Friendship’” she hisses viciously, “I am not defeated and I will not back down until you and all of your friends are DEAD!” she ends with a scream, cracking the magical image.

Author's Note

Hey, if you hate me for injuring Flurry, blame my editor. It was her idea.