//------------------------------// // Chapter 6: Out of the Cage // Story: The Lion's Roar // by I Am The Night //------------------------------// The next minute, the next two minutes, the next three minutes... however long it had been, it blurred together. One minute, Lyon froze in place staring at the very creature that haunted his dreams for a year, as she changed into her true form, overlooking the ponies surrounding her and blurting out her plans for total control... And the next minute, Princess Celestia was blasted to the floor. Even then, Lyon didn't even think he moved. "Princess Celestia!" Twilight screamed as she ran to her teacher's aid. Lyon turned his head laggardly as Celestia lay practically paralyzed against the marble floors, surrounded by Twilight and the others. He had this need to run, to follow Twilight, to help Celestia no matter the circumstances beforehoof. But he couldn't move, and his eyes always turned back to the creature before him. Chrysalis, she called herself—leader of the changelings—barked with laughter, standing before everypony with a sinister smile and caressing Shining Armor's face with one of her lengthy hooves. "And I have you to thank for all of this, sweetheart," she said almost sarcastically as she kissed his cheek. "Get your hooves off of him!" Cadance exclaimed. She wanted to fight back, but she lacked the energy she needed to do anything to her. Even then, she feared faring worse than her aunt. Regardless, Chrysalis felt the need to encase her in a force field, preventing her from trying to escape. Twilight noticed this and attempted to fire off a warning shot to distract her, but the Queen was quick to imprison her as well. Immediately, Twilight and the others tried banging against the field, but the field didn't change in condition. Chrysalis laughed. "Oh my... MUCH stronger than I ever thought, indeed." Some of the ponies in the crowd started to flee out the door, but the rest were shivering in their boots, if they had any. In the distance, the sound of banging could be heard, echoing in everypony's ears. Twilight and the others looked out the great window panes to see black masses converging over Shining Armor's city field, constantly smashing their bodies against it in an attempt to destroy it. And no doubt, it was working. Lyon took a step back, never taking his eyes off Chrysalis. Unable to see behind him, he stumbled and fell to the floor. And that was all it took to get her attention. The way her eyes stabbed his straight back... just like the dreams, it haunted him. He wanted to believe he was sleeping, that he was really just wrong all along and he would wake up in bed. But this was real. "And how could I forget about you, my little lion?" Chrysalis questioned darkly. Slowly, she started to approach him. Lyon could feel his heartbeat quicken, his muscles tense up. He backed up against one of the empty pews. He stuttered, struggling to speak anything. "Lyon, run!" Twilight screamed, but he did no such thing. "Lyon!" "It... It..." he faltered. "... It's you." "So you do remember me! My... how you have changed since I last saw you." Chrysalis leapt towards him, but only to force him further back. She laughed. "And yet the same little rodent I had the displeasure of knowing." Lyon recoiled, confused. "I... I don't know what..." Suddenly, Chrysalis transformed into a familiar figure—the red mare he met downtown the other evening. He hadn't the thought of asking her name at the time. Now he didn't need to, it seemed. "Then again," she spoke, her vocal tone the same as he remembered, "the fault was all mine, after all." With a flash of her horn, she returned to her original form, a complete contrast; Twilight continued to bang on the force field, even charging up a quick spell, but still nothing worked. "Get away from him!" Twilight yelled, but Chrysalis ignored her, preying herself slowly on Lyon until she was nearly pressed up against his body. She felt him shiver faintly, and his eyes remained locked. "What's the matter? You seem... scared." Chrysalis' pupils blackened for a moment. "Where was that fierceness before? You were so brave. So very brave." And suddenly Lyon recalled his dreams again. The fires, the bodies, the chaos that fell upon him. The monster staring down at him—just as it did now. "Who are you...?" he asked. He didn't demand it. He just asked. She smiled almost sweetly for a moment, a motherly calm plastered on her face as she looked down at the stallion. She laughed. And then the smile was gone. "Wouldn't you like to know... Traitor/Traitor." Before Lyon could react, a burst of magic shot from Chrysalis' horn and struck him, sending him flying into the nearby wall, hard enough to leave a crater. The remaining crowd gasped and shrieked. "LYON!" Twilight and the others screamed simultaneously, watching helplessly as the changeling queen slammed their friend into the wall a second time, then held him there firmly telekinetically. Lyon mumbled something, but nopony could understand it, except for one word. "Please..." Chrysalis' horn charged up again, glowing a sickly green mixed with a darker shade. Without warning, she engulfed Lyon in it. Twilight's bones rattled. She never heard him scream like that before. "Stop!" she shouted, shooting bolts of magic into the force field, despite no visible progress. "STOP!" But Lyon couldn't say. He only thought—and it hurt. OHGODSTHEPAINITHURTSPLEASESTOPDONTDOTHISNONONONONOTWILIGHTAPPLEJACKSOMEONEHELPMESPIKECELESTIASTOPHERITHURTSPLEASESTOPHURTINGMEPLEASENONONONOWHOAREYOUWHOAREYOUWHOAREYOUIAMNOTYOUIAMNOTYOUIAMLYONIAMLYONIAMLYONLIONLIONLIONLYONLYONWHOAMIIAMYOUNOIAMLYONIAMNOTYOUIAMYOUGETOUTOFMYHEADGETOUTOFMYHEADGETOUTGETOUTGETOUTOUTOUTOUTOUTOUT Suddenly, as quick as it started, the pain was gone, and Chrysalis' magic had ceased. Lyon fell to the ground in a broken heap, trying to breathe whatever air he could suck in. And he paused, his eyes drifting forward almost deadly. He looked at his hooves and realized them. "What...?" he asked himself, realizing his voice. He recognized it, surely. But all the same, it felt so different. The room was silent, and for its duration, Lyon couldn't stop looking at his hooves. His alien little hooves. Who was he? The question was pointless. He knew. Yet he didn't. "You little wretch!" He glanced up weakly, only to see Chrysalis' familiar form reeling back and resting a hoof against her side. A small mark had appeared on her back; looking at the source, he saw Cadance kneeling to the floor, her horn discharging for a moment. With another fit of magic, the queen sent Cadance flying backward, landing on the altar beside Shining Armor, who didn't at all react to his fiancée's pain. More of the crowd fled the wedding hall. In that brief moment of weakness, Twilight conjured up another spell, and with a great whirl, she successfully smashed the force field to pieces, which dissipated into pixie dust. Now free of her imprisonment, she ran over to Lyon, who struggled to get up on his hooves. "Lyon!" she yelled shakily, holding out her arms to support him. "Hey, hey, easy!" Applejack assisted Twilight, better supporting the stumbling stallion. "Easy, hon... You okay?" "I'm... nnggh..." He froze for a second. When it passed, he was more collected, yet hesitant. "I'm fine." "You don't sound fine," Twilight mentioned, and she was right. Lyon realized his voice had gone raspy, his legs shaking, his mane tattered, and he was sweating relentlessly. He couldn't stop breathing so hard. He grimaced, nauseous. "I'll be okay. I just... need a minute..." "We might not have a minute!" Rainbow Dash insisted, pointing towards Chrysalis, who stormed towards Cadance with dark magic coursing through her horn. Unable to charge up any remaining magic, Cadance was locked into place, a greenish slime covering the base of her hooves. She tried to escape, but to no clear avail. Chrysalis laughed in triumph. "We have to get to the Elements of Harmony!" Twilight exclaimed worriedly. "They're our only hope!" The six mares all nodded firmly, realizing their task at hoof. However, Lyon stood in front of them, leering towards Chrysalis and weakly planting his hooves against the marble floor. "Go," Lyon said simply. "I'll hold her off." "Are you crazy?!" Twilight looked at Lyon like he had gone mad, and he very well might have. Am I? he thought. "It should buy you enough time. I'll be fine!" "We're not just gonna leave you here!" Spike exclaimed. Lyon turned back to them with pleading eyes. "Just trust me!" The brief bout of arguing caught Chrysalis' attention. She turned around and began to approach the seven ponies, but Lyon held himself firmly in place, despite his legs still wobbling heavily. Lyon repeated for them to leave him behind, but Twilight continuously refused. Lyon knew he was running out of an option here, out of space again. But this time, he wasn't helpless. "Shining, you're free!" the stallion suddenly screamed. It was a lie, of course... but it worked. "What?!" Chrysalis snapped her head a full 180 and looked in the direction of Shining Armor, who was still no different than he was five minutes before. Before she could realize the trick at hoof, Lyon snagged one of the cameras out of a bystander's hooves and whipped it at the changeling queen, striking her successfully against the side of the head and momentarily dazing her. On instinct, she fired a warning shot, but luckily there was nopony in its path as it struck a window pane that shattered without effort. Lyon turned to the rest of the crowd. "Run!" On command, the ponies remaining in the hall got up in a frenzy and started for the door, Twilight and the others leading them. The room became a mess of panicked stallions and mares trying to escape. Amidst the chaos, Lyon hid within their ranks. Chrysalis growled, but soon let out a sinister chuckle. "You can run, but you can't hide!" Once Twilight, Spike, and the rest of the Elements reached the outermost double doors, the crowd behind them separated, pooling outward in a frightened mass. Chrysalis lagged behind, but she was still all too close by. Lyon emerged from the crowd and caught up with the girls. "You guys get to the Elements," he insisted, "I'll do whatever I can out here." Twilight stared worriedly at Lyon. "But what if something happens to you?" "I can handle myself. You guys are far more important right now." "But—" "Hey." Lyon placed a hoof against Twilight's hoof. "I'll be okay. I promise." Despite his claims, Twilight still worried. She wanted to stay behind, or somehow force him to come with them and fight whatever may be ahead, instead of leaving him all on his own. But right now, he was right, and she had no choice but to trust him with just words. "Okay." Lyon smiled at his friend, but the smile faded. His eyes felt cloudy for a moment, like something else was on his mind at the same time. "Ly—" Before she could ask, Twilight found her lips pressed against Lyon's, but she was in no way the one who initiated it. The stallion before her kissed her sensually, nuzzling her cheek with his hoof. But it only lasted a few seconds before he pulled away, leaving a dazed Twilight to look him back. "Be careful," he said simply. But the way he said it was so different from the way he said anything before. Left speechless, Twilight could only nod in that moment, yet firmly, and within seconds, was off in the other direction, Spike and the girls trailing behind her. As soon as she was gone, Lyon let out a shaky sigh, only to freeze momentarily as he heard Chrysalis' shrills in the distance. In that same moment, a loud shattering noise echoed in his ears. Looking up, he could only watch in horror as the mighty shield put up by Shining Armor disintegrated into nothing. The black masses circling around it all descended down to Canterlot. Changelings by the thousands swarmed the city. And now, Lyon could swear he even recognized some of them. Even from the top, he could see the chaos that ruptured below. In mere moments, changelings scoured every corner, chasing ponies left and right as they fled into their homes. Some even tried to repel them with whatever magic they could muster, but the changelings were able to subdue them before they could deal any damage. Some were left battered and bruised as other changelings were more thorough in the assault. Fires rose across the city, their smoke billowing high into the air. In just moments, the forest burned— No. Canterlot. Not forest. Canterlot. Canterlot. This is Canterlot, not— Lyon circled the area surrounding the wedding hall. With simple observation, he had noticed all of the royal guards had gone, either already captured or deployed elsewhere. Many of their bows and arrows were left behind, scattered across the ground. Further down, he came across bodies of royal guards, but luckily all of them were alive, but unconscious. He had recognized some of them as those he trained the day before, to serve in the fireworks show. Leaving them alone, Lyon began to grab individual arrows off the ground and store them into a harness he had fastened on his back. He picked up one of the few similar bows and gripped it precisely. It held a similar texture and shape to the one he used back in archery school— No. No, that never happened, he remembered. Counting his ammunition, he only had seven arrows available to him. He knew how thick-skinned changelings were, and all he could do was hope seven would be enough. Cautiously, Lyon paced his way up the stairs leading back to the royal hall. He opened the double doors and walked back in, and realized the two guards from before were now gone. Had they fled the scene? Or were they changelings too? He was sure he would've noticed something was wrong, even if... The closer he got to the wedding hall, the better he could hear her. She was boastful, overconfident it seemed, and overall far less sane. Her shrills of laughter contained nothing but a darkness that was contagious even to the most durable of persons. Rearing himself his hind legs, Lyon readied his bow, shaping his hoof to grip the bow tightly. He reached into the harness pouch and took out an arrow; he had no problem lining it up. It felt natural now. With a slow sigh, he pushed open the inner double doors, revealing a cleared out wedding hall. Some of the glass windows had been completely shattered. Very few changelings flew above the hall, guarding what appeared to be a massive cocoon. Inside was... "Celestia," he muttered worriedly as his eyes fell upon the unconscious princess. Given the time frame, they probably only just set her up there. And deep down, Lyon knew that even if he was completely careful, he'd end up there too if they were able to subdue the ruler of the sun. "Such a lovely day, is it not?" Chrysalis asked to Cadance, who refused to answer her question. "Oh, stop with the melodrama. Inside an hour I'm going to make it even better. Isn't that right, dear?" Shining Armor nodded monotonously. "Uh huh." Tears welled up in Cadance's eyes. "Shining! You have to snap out of it, please! I'm right here! It's me!" "I'm afraid he can't understand you very well, dear Cadance. His total love for you has left him at my mercy and mine alone. Nothing you say or do will snap him out of it." "That won't stop me from trying, you monster!" Chrysalis laughed. "Go ahead, then. I'm not stopping you. At least... not right now." The changeling queen let out another fit of sinister laughter as Cadance tried futilely to free her fiancé from his mental prison, but with her goo'd to the floor, she could do nothing beyond screaming his name and hoping it would be enough. "Shining!" Her voice started to break. "Shining!" Chrysalis and the drones around her only laughed louder. "Bieneshcka Butuu!" The laughter quickly died, replaced by a hideous chorus of hisses. Cadance and the creatures all turned to the doors to see Lyon standing beneath them, bow and arrow held firmly at the ready. Chrysalis stepped forward a couple feet, grinning. "I'm sorry, dear, could you be more clear? You are speaking in a dead language." Lyon's brows only furrowed, but his posture did not change. "I said let them go." "Ah, now that's more like it. But no. I don't think I will." The changelings circling Celestia's cocoon swooped down and formed a barricade in front of Lyon to prevent him from going forward. To their surprise, Chrysalis dismissed them. "He's no threat to me," she boasted. "Continue preparing the princess." With a directed hiss to Lyon, the changelings once more returned to the cocoon. Lyon kept his arrow aimed at the queen. "It's almost good to see you again, my little hatchling... almost," Chrysalis said in a mildly sarcastic tone. "Hatchling?" Cadance asked faintly. "I can't exactly say the same for you at all," Lyon said to Chrysalis, who only laughed in a semi-jesting manner. "Oh, come now. Surely you missed me on some of those cold, lonely nights?" "After what you did," Lyon recounted, "you were always the last thing on my mind." "And look where it brought you now: A surprise visit from mommy, after all this time. You should be thanking me for being so considerate." Cadance looked between Lyon and and Chrysalis confusedly. "She... and you're her... but... you're... at her, and..." Annoyed, the queen goo'd her mouth shut. "Can you please be quiet for a moment? I'm having a talk with my son for the first time in lifetimes, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't spoil the moment more than you already have." Lyon snorted. "That's funny. Ten minutes ago, you were calling me a traitor." "And you still are!" Chrysalis suddenly screeched, only to control her voice by clearing her throat. "But everyone makes mistakes. Even you—so young as you were." "You destroyed Sanctity." "That was nothing compared to the trouble you put me through!" Chrysalis stomped herself forward again, her eyes flaring green with anger. "You betrayed me, your siblings, our trust for you, and you pursued your own selfish desires!" The anger seemed to fade from her eyes, but Lyon hesitated to call it another faux gesture, so he kept his hoof firm on the arrow. "I spent a very long time looking for you, to reunite you with the hive because I was willing to give you one more chance. I was willing to accept your mistake—and I was willing to forgive and forget." Chrysalis walked forward. Lyon stepped back. "You always felt so alone, even when you were surrounded by those you believed truly cared. I could feel it in your heart. I could sense it." Chrysalis stopped moving and stood firmly in place, carrying that same motherly expression from earlier. "But you're not alone. You've made a mistake, and the hive remembers it all. But you don't have to be alone anymore. I'm here. Your brothers and your sisters are all here for you, ready to take you back into our arms. We are willing to put aside our past and make amends. We are ready for you to come home, little lion." Her eyes seemed more genuine, he noticed. The motherly essence that emanated from her felt real. She seemed serious with her intentions, and it wasn't entirely a facade. He remembered how one of the elders used to speak of better solutions, ideas that would benefit the hive. When he had broken her trust, she gave him a second chance, and left it alone. At least... until she discovered he had been researching behind her back. He could still remember the screams. But that was a long time ago. And she was known to put on a show. He knew the moment he took her advice, she'd have his head strung on a flagpole overlooking the valley. Lyon wasn't stupid. "Kuuntaa Dylebo," Lyon responded in kind, pulling back the bow string. "Remember what that means?" Chrysalis growled, and her left shoulder twitched faintly. Magic sparked from her horn, but she only let out a breath. She saw him pull back the string and snorted. The face was still there. "Come now, my little lion. You couldn't possibly shoot your own dear mother, could y—" She couldn't finish the sentence before Lyon let the string go, launching the arrow straight into her shoulder. He did it intentionally. Chrysalis recoiled, letting a pained shriek escape her throat as her eyes fell upon the arrow. It had dug itself deep into her shoulder, her blood already dripping from it. The air escaped her and she was left panting heavily. And then the smile was gone. "You son OF A—" Her horn practically exploded with a shot of dark magic that jettisoned towards Lyon, who only barely dodged it in time. The shockwave following the blast nearly knocked him down, but he successfully landed and started running in a zig-zag line towards the back of the room. Had the pillars been further out, he might've been able to take cover behind them. Chrysalis shot countless beams and balls of explosive magic towards Lyon, missing him by mere inches. Each impact sent dust and debris into the air, and craters to form obstacles about. Successfully, Lyon was able to grab another arrow and shoot it at the queen, but unfortunately missing her by an inch and striking the wall behind her. Cadance flinched as she stood almost directly behind. Another massive burst from Chrysalis' horn shot out and detonated against the back wall, engulfing the immediate area around it in a storm of green fire. In a matter of moments, so much dust collected in the room that Lyon could hide behind its plumes and recover. The idea impressed, yet angered Chrysalis, who only roared in retaliation. "You can't escape who you are, little lion! You can't escape what you've done! And you can't escape me! Once a changeling, always a changeling!" The arrow hung on the bow lazily, and Lyon drifted again. His eyes connected with the marble reflection staring back at him, slowly becoming covered with dust as the seconds ticked by. Chrysalis' words echoed in his mind, and no matter how hard he tried blocking them out, they would come back. It was a chant of the hive once upon a time. It was a code, even a moral one to stick by, that no matter what, you were always dedicated to what you were born to do. In this case, it meant if you born to feed, you will always feed if it meant you or them. But Lyon didn't follow that code for a long time. "I'm not you." Somersaulting from the dissipating dust plume, Lyon pulled the string on his bow and prepared to fire, only to hesitate when he saw Chrysalis aiming her horn directly at Cadance's frail form, with sparks trickling out to show just how much had built up already. He had never seen that before. "Put down the bow," Chrysalis threatened as she pushed her horn against Cadance's side, "or the bride-to-be gets blasted into oblivion." Cadance whimpered; the sparks coming from the queen's horn shocked her body, and the nerves in her side started to fire off at random. She wanted to cry out in pain, but due to the goo, all that came out was a muffle. "Let her go!" Lyon demanded. Chrysalis refused to listen, increasing the frequency on her horn to deliver an even greater pain towards Cadance. Her knees buckled, and she was left sucking in air through her nose. Chrysalis stopped for a moment. "I'm waiting~" Chrysalis mocked in a sing-song tone. Lyon knew he had only one shot to make. An aim to the head and it'd be over. She'd either die or be incapacitated for the rest of her life. But he knew if he missed, Cadance was as good as dead. He knew it was a risk. Cadance looked up at him, and the way she looked at him through the pain, it was like she told him, 'No, don't do it. Fight her, even if it means my life! Try, even!' She even shook her head subtly. He could see it all. But if he tried, and he failed, and she... It wasn't worth the risk, and he knew it. With no other choice, he realized, Lyon dropped the bow and arrow. Chrysalis laughed and ordered some of the changelings in the room to restrain him. He apologized to Cadance with sorrowful eyes. After the changelings restrained Lyon, he was left stuck to the floor as the same green goo keeping Cadance now trapped him. No matter how strong he'd been, he was powerless. And no amount of his magic could save him. "Good boy," Chrysalis said faux soothingly as she nuzzled Lyon's cheek with a hoof. He tried to push her away, but she gripped him firmly. A second later, she pushed him herself, laughing silently. She walked back over to Cadance and removed the goo from her mouth. "It's been a long time since I've talked to my dear boy, and I couldn't do that with you whining behind my back. Sorry, not sorry." "You won't get away with this!" Cadance stomped her hoof and glared. A snort of steam escaped her nose. "Twilight and her friends will—" Before she could finish, the doors of the wedding hall swung open. Lyon forced his head around to see Twilight, Spike, and the Elements forced into the room, changelings surrounding them on all sides. "You were saying?" Chrysalis asked Cadance, before eyeing Twilight. "You do realize the reception's been cancelled, don't you?" She rose a hoof to the changelings that hovered above her, commanding them to feed. With nods and hisses, they stormed out of the hall and locked the door behind them. Twilight eyed the obstacle before her and recognized it to be Lyon. Calling his name, she ran to his side and quickly noticed he had also been goo'd to the floor. "Are you okay?" He nodded, holding her close for a moment. "Yeah. I'm okay." But Twilight recounted the scratches apparent across his body. He didn't notice them before, and he assumed it to be from the conflict with Chrysalis. They didn't hurt too bad, only stung. Twilight's horn glowed as she attempted to heal them, but Lyon stopped her. "Save your strength," he sighed. "Go ahead," Chrysalis cooed, "enjoy this moment while you still can. I so do love a good dessert." Twilight glared. "What do you plan to do to us?" Chrysalis stepped forward, inching herself towards Twilight, but keeping herself distanced as if prepared for anything. She cracked her back, savoring the comforting feeling and laughing to herself. "My plan is simple: As we speak, my changelings are working overtime to ensure that nopony escapes Canterlot. Once we have total control over the city, with Equestria under our domain, and its inhabitants too stupid to even realize it, we'll be able to milk your love for all it is worth. I will be able to feed my subjects for generations worth of a dinner!" "Not if we stop you first!" Rainbow Dash flared, raising her hooves in a combat stance. But Chrysalis only laughed and flicked her onto her back with a burst of magic. Applejack and Rarity quickly ran to her side. "Please," Chrysalis scoffed, "not even you could defeat my drones in simple combat. And I single-hoofedly defeated your princess without even trying. As soon as my changelings have taken control of Canterlot, you can say goodbye to your precious Equestria." Then her eyes turned almost dark as she stared down Lyon. "Then I'll deal with you afterwards." Lyon didn't recoil in fear like before, and Twilight realized this almost right away. Questions wanted to ring in her mind, but she didn't know what to think. Something had changed in him, she felt. What had Chrysalis done to him? The queen paced herself over to the window and overlooked the city of Canterlot down below. Fires raged everywhere, and where ponies weren't running, they were covered in goo and practically held hostage by the changelings, now hording their way through the streets as they rounded up every stallion, mare, and foal they could find. Soon, they would all disappear. It was enough to make Chrysalis giggle. As the changeling queen stood distracted by the wondrous view below, Twilight took it as a chance to sneak her way over to Cadance. Her steps made noise, but they became muffled with every explosion from the outside, giving her the advantage. It wasn't long before she was standing before the trapped alicorn and conjuring a spell to destroy the slime. "Quick," Twilight exclaimed in a whisper as she successfully removed the goo from her legs, "go to him while you still have the chance!" Cadance eyed Shining Armor standing just a few feet away and ran quietly to his side. The first few times, she called out his name, but there was no response. She touched his shoulder hoping he would do something, but instead he continued to stare endlessly to the wall in front of him. Tearfully, Cadance held him close and cried into his shoulder. Her husband was gone. And then the Elements saw something catch their eye, a small pink heart that emitted from Cadance's horn. Gradually, it floated its way over to Shining. The very moment it touched him, a brief flash illuminated the area around him, blinding everyone momentarily. When it faded, the green in Shining's eyes were gone, the incoherent ramblings were no more, and he moved weakly, yet freely. "Wha– where... huh?" were the first words out of his mouth as he held his head wearily. "Is... is the wedding over?" "It's all over!" Chrysalis boomed as she returned, forcing the ponies to recoil back. Twilight stayed close to Lyon, attempting to break his goo, but she realized it was far more dense than what Cadance had been trapped in. Twilight looked to Cadance and Shining Armor. "Your spell! Perform your spell!" "What good would that do?" Chrysalis laughed. "My changelings already roam free." Despite her claims, Shining Armor attempted to power up his horn, yet nothing but a fizzle was all that sparked out. Shining fell to the floor as his legs nearly failed him. He exclaimed painfully, "No! My power is useless now. I don't have the strength to repel them." But Cadance held her lover's head in her hoof, directing his eyes to her own. "My love will give you strength," she said with a smile. Chrysalis chuckled and walked back over to the window. "What a lovely but absolutely ridiculous sentiment." Cadance felt an anger bubbling within her, but she knew better than attempt anything against the queen. Looking back to Shining Armor, she gazed once more into his eyes, and already the two knew what the other was thinking. Shining Armor let magic channel through his horn again, but this time, Cadance let the tip of her horn connect with his. Static magic began to flicker between the two, until it started circling around them, forming an active pink barrier that engulfed the couple. The spectacle surprised even them, but they instead embraced it welcomingly. A whirling heart took shape around them as they were lifted into the air. Twilight and her friends looked on and smiled with glee, knowing what was coming. Lyon felt fear rising in him, for he also felt what was coming. He struggled against his restraints, trying to free himself from the slime, but he made no such dent. He pulled his hooves, letting his weight carry down into his hind hooves, but he stayed in place. He panicked internally. "Come on," he exclaimed quietly, "come on!" He could feel the magic channel through him again, his eyes beginning to shine a familiar yellow color. He let the flow move down to his arms, then his hooves, until they practically radiated his essence. He felt the sweat run down his face, his muscles ache and burn once more. His lungs wanted to fail him. But he was successful. In a matter of seconds, Lyon broke free from the goo, the remains bubbling away from the excessive heat. Lyon nearly collapsed to the floor, but he kept himself up. By then, he realized it was too late to run. He wouldn't escape it. In a matter of seconds, it would be over. He glanced over to Chrysalis, who watched the couple hover in the air as their magic billowed and contorted rapidly. That look of sinister determination faded from her face. And the bow was right there. "Lyon...?" Twilight called out. Lyon didn't hear her as he darted for the bow and arrow he had dropped earlier. Sliding against the floor, he struggled to pick it up initially, but was able to hold it firmly in his grasp and aim it at the queen. But before he could fire, the lovers beat him to it. They expelled their magic in a great shockwave that dashed through the wedding hall and breakneck speeds. In an instant, it struck Chrysalis and sent her flying through the window. The spell they produced repelled any and all changelings. Even Lyon. Before he could even cover or shield himself, the shockwave sent him hurling across the room and bursting through the double doors, which shattered off their hinges from the sheer force. He was unconscious before he even touched the floor. "LYON!" Twilight screamed. The moment she was coherent, she ran out the doors, with her friends following close behind her. Applejack had questions running through her head. Was Lyon okay? Was he hurt? Why did the spell affect him? Or was it debris? She couldn't tell, nor notice. Was he... dead? "Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods..." she muttered worriedly as her muscles weighed herself further unto the marble. "Please be okay..." They saw a form some distance away from the door, near the end of the hallway leading to the courtyard. Whatever happened, Lyon flew far. Twilight picked up her hooves and ran faster. "Lyon?!" she called out. "Lyon!!" Tears ran down her face as she approached what she assumed to be Lyon. As her eyes fell upon his befallen form, she gasped in silence. At first, she thought the spell had scorched him. But then she looked closer, and it became more apparent it wasn't burnt skin. It was just skin. The gray and black strands of his mane and tail were gone, replaced with only webbed fins. His arms and legs scored holes across them. He sported a horn. Half of one, at least. And his eyes... no longer were they the shade of blue that she liked. They were just a simple, plain tan color as they opened for just a moment before closing again, none the wiser. "No..." Rainbow broke the silence among them. "It... can't be..." They all eyed each other, then turned to the changeling laying on the floor, each of their faces carrying varied emotions, from shock to bewilderment to even the faintest of anger. Twilight just stared. She didn't know what to feel. Applejack was numb, for she couldn't feel anything. And the changeling continued to sleep, for he noticed nothing at all.