Another one of the black creatures were blasted against the brick wall of a nearby shop, frozen solid in a block of ice on impact. Rainbow backed up into Luna, forming a defensive triangle with her and her mother Celestia amidst the group of creatures that had them surrounded. "So uhhh..." Rainbow stammered before holding out a hoof to hold one of them back, snarling and biting at the air. "Mom. What exactly are these things?"
"Changelings," Celestia responded from behind her before hitting another one in the face. "There's so many."
"I agree," Luna inputted. Before grabbing around twenty in her magic and throwing them into another large group. A horde of even more Changelings quickly flew in from another street, creating a black cloud that was heading down right towards them. The Royal Guard immediately began blasting them down before they too were being shot at with green goo from their horns.
Rainbow made a face of disgust before ducking from one of the green globs. She reared up on her hind legs with outstretched wings and activated her magic, creating a strong breeze that blew all the changelings back down the street, rolling along the ground. Celestia raised an eyebrow and then smiled at Rainbow beside her. "Good job."
Rainbow put a prideful look on her face and grinned. "I know. I'm the best."
"Don't get too cocky," Luna scolded then shook her head. "Just like your father."
"That makes us both awesome," Rainbow concluded before the three got into a defensive line, ready to fight. The Changelings quickly regrouped and formed a large position in front of the wall of guards, who were guarding the princesses. "Now, mom? You're not free of these lessons yet."
"What are you talking about?" Celestia asked.
Rainbow lit her horn and fired a beam towards the Changelings. It stopped just shy of hitting them and formed a tall wave of ice that would cascade over them if it were water. "Your fun lessons!" Rainbow answered enthusiastically. "You're trying to be more fun, right? Now let's turn this into a game. Whoever gets the most Changelings wins. We start when they get over that wall—"
A laugh maniacally pierced through the air, interrupting Rainbow Dash. She groaned and looked up at the roof of a nearby restaurant. A larger version of hose bugs landed on the edge and sneered down at them. A female with longer hooves and those dreaded holes. Rainbow was really tempted to just go up and hold an intervention to tell her those were the real villains. "I am Queen Chrysalis of the Changelings!" She yelled. "And I am after—" She pointed a hole riddled hoof at Rainbow Dash. "—your magic!"
Rainbow threw up her hooves and rolled her eyes. Then retorted, "I know that, bug! You yelled that around the city earlier! Everypony here heard you!"
Chrysalis growled and fired that green goo at Princess Dash that she did not like earlier. Rainbow stepped to the side before it could hit her, instead hitting the ground by her rear hoof. Then fired a spell of her own that was made of flames, spewing right at the Queen. She teleported in a green circle underneath her hooves, confusing Rainbow Dash. Then appeared right next to her, making Rainbow jump. Using another spell, Rainbow turned her body into a bunch of flames before Chrysalis could lay that hoof on her. The queen pulled back quickly when she felt the fire touch her, hissing then growled at Rainbow Dash. "You think those little spells can stop—" She was frozen in ice mid sentence.
Luna and Celestia righted themselves from their defensive positions, and then turned to Rainbow Dash, who was wiping her face and sat down, smiling at the frozen Changeling. Then sighed and said, "Yeahhh....she talks too much. Just fight already."
Celestia rolled her eyes then focused her attention back towards the ruckus down the street. The guards were fighting the changelings with their hooves, taking them down by a storm. Rainbow grimaced each time she heard a punching noise. "Oh! Oh, man! Oh, that had to hurt!"
Celestia shook her head at her daughter's ignorance. Luna was right, she was just like her father. Deciding they had enough, the Changeling's flew up into the air, away from most of the Royal Guard's reach and flew forward, flying over the Princesses to grab Queen Chrysalis' frozen form. They hefted her up, then flew higher in the air, then turned to the left to go back to wherever they came from. The guards and the Princesses watched them fly off towards the sun, looking similar to a large black cloud. Once they were out of sight, Celestia collapsed in a heap, taking Rainbow by surprise. She looked down and quickly poked her. "Mom, you okay?!" She asked worriedly.
"...I...am...tired," she huffed.
Rainbow scoffed and put on a boastful smile. "Well I'm fresh as a clean, freshly washed Apple. Cider. I'm clean as a freshly poured cup of cider." Luna shook her head and laughed while she helped up Celestia. "And our dresses didn't even get ruffled," Rainbow added. The Princesses made their way over to the guards, Shining Armor at the front of them recuperating from the attack. The Princesses stopped in front of him before he saluted up to the three.
"We have not seen, nor heard anymore of those creatures," he reported. "Everything is clear."
"Good job, Captain," Celestia responded.
"Permission to speak freely?"
"Granted."
Shining fell on his flanks and yelled to the sky, "Can I PLEASE get married now?! I didn't even get to see Cadance in her wedding dress!!"
Rainbow laughed and trotted towards him. Then ran a hoof through his hair. "Nope! You can't because now we have to start over!"
"WHAT?!"
"I'm kidding." Rainbow dash removed her hoof then turned to Celestia. "What do you say, mom? Should we get these two married or what?"
Celestia shrugged and trotted over to stand beside her daughter, giving Shining Armor a smile. "Well the investigation is definitely going to happen. But at a later time. I suggest we block your vision with something, because you are still not allowed to see Cadance. Which we are all going to laugh at."
Rainbow grinned and shook her head. "I am definitely going to laugh. Especially with Twilight." Shining Armor groaned before Celestia reached over to grab the hoofkerchief one of the guards was holding, laughing.
Cherry Berry groaned one more time as Twilight anxiously looked her over. Everyone else was standing around, taking note of the eerie silence outside before it was calmed down by some laughter behind the doors. The group of four teleported inside the castle in front of the guards, who immediately parted to allow them through. Rainbow Dash had her hooves on Shining Armor's flank, leading him towards the front of the room where Cadance was waiting. The ponies who were observing moved to the side to allow them through, soon revealing Cadance in her dress. Rainbow placed and turned his body towards the bride, who was trying her hardest no to laugh at the bright blue hoofkerchief placed over his eyes.
Rainbow stepped back and righted herself. "Alright, lover boy," she announced. "Your bride is right in front of you."
Shining gasped and reached out with his hooves to grab her. But instead her grabbed a bunch of air and fell down on his face. Rainbow snorted and helped him back to his hooves while he harrumphed. "Er...s-sorry," she apologized, trying to keep down her giggles. She pushed him forward a few feet and then repeated what she said earlier. Shining reached out and pulled Cadance into a loving hug. "Are you okay, sweetheart?! I thought...wait..." He sniffed her for a moment. "Okay it's you."
Celestia chuckled and said, "Or it could be one of your guards."
"WHAT?!"
Rainbow gasped and pointed an excited hoof at Celestia's face. "Hey! You actually made a joke!" Celestia raised her chin and moved her head to the right, boasting.
"I know," she responded casually. "It's in the family line."
Luna rolled her eyes and poked Celestia. "Yes, in your family line. Starting with you and her father. Now stop joking, we have two ponies who must be married."