Destinies Intertwined: Queen Chrysalis Vs. The Element Bearers · 5:35pm Apr 28th, 2018
Hello there, everybody. I finished it, finally. XD Thank god, am I right? But at least it's finally here. So! I'll let you get straight to it. The third battle that awaits you all! (And remember! The links are the songs and the highlighted words in red are where you stop the song. I hope you all enjoy it)!
The Element Bearers
Versus
Queen Chrysalis
“I-I—”
“You have a lot to think about.” Celestia paced by Twilight, an irritable tone that she never heard come from her mentor. What had she done, Twilight thought, as the doors closed behind Celestia, her ears flattened at the unbearable noise. She turned to the other end of the room and stood with her mouth agape. All her friends; her teacher, her brother. They left her. The tears came without restriction, and Twilight turned to the recently set-up wedding archway. “M-maybe I was jealous…” Her brother’s wedding would take place tomorrow, and now she wouldn’t be able to attend the ceremony.
What a fool she was to believe there was anything wrong with Cadance. “I could have had a sister. But now I’ve lost a brother…” She walked up to the small set of stairs and collapsed onto the floor, the air filled with her quiet and gloomy cries. Twilight laid there for a few minutes before she froze at a hoof running through her mane. She looked up and felt her heart ache at her soon-to-be sister-in-law, Princess Cadance. There was no ire in her eyes, her small smile genuine—troubled as she stared down at Twilight.
Twilight took a breath and cleared her throat. “I-I’m sorry…” As she spoke Cadance’s eyes changed color for just a moment, the pupils slitted like a dragon’s, but returned to normal as if nothing had happened.
The gentle grin she wore disappeared, and an angry scowl replaced the calm gaze. “You will be.” Green flames surrounded her, and a bubble threatened to enclose her in this hellish blaze.
Twilight closed her eyes and teleported away a short distance. The surprise on her muzzle didn’t last for long, for a moment she had a gleeful smile. “I knew it! I was right about you!” That joy lasted for a second before she glared daggers at Cadance. “You are just an evil mare!”
Cadance cackled in reply. “Very good. I took you for a clever mare, but I didn’t know how smart you were. Guess I underestimated you.” She took a step forward. “But you think you’ve claimed victory so easily? You haven’t.”
With a quick turn, she tried to run to the door but skidded to a halt as a green barrier flashed to life. Twilight closed her eyes and disappeared, but she yelled as the barrier threw her back into the room. She slid on the floor and groaned; she glanced at Cadance and withheld a gasp. “There’s no way out.” Even the windows glimmered with a similarly-colored magic field. “The only way out is through me.”
Twilight smiled. “If that’s all it’ll take, then I know I’ll win.”
"Ah, ah, ah.” She waved her hoof with a sly smile. “If you think that I’m that much of a pushover, you’re in for a rude awakening.” Her irises glowed with a harsh green light, as did her horn. “Even the mightiest protegee of Princess Celestia can’t stop me now. Thanks to your brother’s love, I’m more powerful than ever.” She grinned and lowered her head a little. “And you, little filly, will be the first to face my wrath!”
Twilight jumped back as Cadance fired a green beam. She returned in kind with a violet magic attack of her own. She opened her wings and dodged the attack.
With such a mobile target, as both traded attacks, Twilight struggled to even land a hit on the evil mare. Cadance laughed as her horn’s light grew in size. She fired it up to the ceiling, and before it could hit the stone, a meteor of magic bolts rained down upon Twilight.
She threw up a shield, but the pressure and strength of each hit worsened each second; Twilight clenched her eyes closed as the pain became nearly unbearable. The shield finally cracked at the last strike. Twilight cried as she felt a hoof swipe hard across her muzzle.
A follow-up hit from Cadance sent her flying into the air, the mare teleporting in front of Twilight, and Twilight screamed as a wide magic beam sent her hurling to the ground. She gasped for air as all the breath was knocked from her lungs.
“As I told you not a moment ago.” Cadance landed on the ground a couple meters from Twilight. “Your brother’s love for her is strong. Strong enough that it makes powerful unicorns like yourself hardly worth the effort.”
“H-her!?” Twilight struggled to stand on her hooves. A giant ache resonated throughout her body, but she dared not kneel to this evil mare.
Cadance gasped, yet giggled a moment afterward. “Oopsie. I guess I said something I shouldn’t have. But hey, it’s okay. Because you won’t be here to mess up my plans.” Her grin widened. “Like your brother said. You’re not wanted here anymore!”
A similar circle of flames surrounded Twilight. This time, however, she couldn’t stop the circle enclosing her inside the green inferno. Cadance slowly got taller until the ground seemed to eat her alive. Twilight wobbled in her effort to stay standing, but she fell onto her stomach.
With a quiet groan her eyes closed and the darkness consumed her. Those last thoughts she had: that she failed her brother, her friends, and her teacher, swallowed her whole like the cold earth.
~~~
Twilight opened her eyes and awoke to a world of darkness. She slowly lifted herself up with her forelegs—she flinched and brought a hoof to the right side of her muzzle. Twilight groaned, gently massaging the pulsing bruise. Cadance was going down after this—not because of her irritating contusion, but for the fact that she had misled her friends, her mentor, and her brother. She blinked and returned her attention to the darkness around her. She shivered; the air was cold. Her horn lit in a soft magenta light, and she finally got a good look at what was around her.
The reflection of her magic’s light nearly illuminated the small room, the cave-like walls bouncing the light around: a world of mirrors, which only brought more confusion to her already-disoriented mind. Where was she? “Hello?” She called out. Silence met her lonely call. She stood up and walked towards a small corridor. “Is anypony there?” She glanced around in the hopes that somebody would answer her anxious plea. She turned to her front and moaned as she walked into a wall, which disturbed her bruise.
She froze when a mirror of cackling responded to her call. Twilight, however, frowned at the voice. Her captor was laughing at her misfortune, and it only strengthened her hatred. “Where am I?” Twilight demanded with a stomp of her hoof.
The air filled with ringing, and when Twilight looked over her shoulder, she backed away from the wall as Cadance appeared in the many crystal mirrors. “The caves beneath Canterlot. Once home to greedy unicorns who wanted to claim the gems inside.” She disappeared from sight, but Twilight didn’t stop searching for her face, as she could still hear her voice. “And now, your prison.”
Cadance appeared behind her, and Twilight ran away. “Help, help!” she called out, but Cadance only laughed.
“Nopony can hear you, and nopony will think to look for you either. Most ponies have forgotten that these caves even exist, which is why they’re the ideal place to keep those from interfering with my plans.”
As scared as Twilight was, she felt her anger grow for this despicable mare. “Plans? What plans?”
Cadance almost seemed surprised by her question. “The plans I have for your brother, of course.”
Her timid gaze grew darker, and her horn’s light intensified, nearly lighting the whole crystal cave. “Don’t you dare to anything to my brother, you, you monster!”
“Only way to stop me is to catch me.” Cadance laughed and disappeared. Twilight quickly scanned the whole room, waiting for that smug-faced mare to reappear. Her ears flattened out as the cackling filled the whole room.
“Over here!” She reappeared for a moment and Twilight shot the powered-up beam, only for it to bounce off the crystal walls. Twilight yelped as it landed in front of her, jumping back before she resumed her frantic search.
“Nope!” Cadance appeared for a second underneath her hooves, before she disappeared again, only to arise in a different set of crystals. “Over here!” Twilight felt her muzzle warm up as she clenched her teeth.
She had had enough of the mind games. She fired another beam and destroyed the crystals Cadance was in, but only to have the contemptible mare reappear in another set. One after another Twilight destroyed them with blast after blast of her magic.
That cacophony of laughter was too much—she couldn’t stand it any more. Her horn’s intensity growing, Twilight turned around and fired another beam at the far end of the room. The crystals shattered apart, the blast overwhelming the room with sound.
Yet it also seemed to echo farther away, and as the dust settled, she saw that cowardly pony right in front of her. In contrast to the mare she’d seen in the wedding hall, her mane was a disheveled mess but Twilight didn’t care, because she was going to do far worse to her torturer. “You!” she screamed.
Cadance’s ears folded back at the poison that filled Twilight’s voice. She held her forelegs out and cried, “Wait!”
Her panicked words were not heeded and Twilight fired off another intense beam. Cadance shrieked as she was hit and sent sliding backwards. Before she could even get up Twilight was on top of her, holding her forelegs down so that she couldn’t move.
“Please, don’t hurt me!” She opened her eyes and, and unlike before, she smiled at Twilight. “Twilight, it’s me.”
“I know!” she yelled. “And I’m going to make you pay for what you did!”
“N-no! Twilight, it’s really me. You have to believe me.”
“Why should I listen to anything else you have to say?!” Yet as Twilight stared at her, Twilight noticed she was a little worse for wear, with bruises marked across her body.
“You have to believe me, Twilight. I’ve been imprisoned like you. The Cadance who brought you down here was an imposter.”
Could she really believe her after everything she did? The fact that she made her friends, her mentor, even her own brother doubt her judgement? Sparks flew from Twilight’s horn. “How can you tell me that wasn’t you up there? In fact, why should I believe a word you say? You’re the one who put me down here. You’re the reprehensible mare who made everypony I trusted and cared for turn their backs on me!”
Cadance stared at her in horror. Twilight couldn’t believe that she was tearing up, and yet, watching her cry, she felt an ache in her heart. Cadance looked up at her and murmured, “Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake.”
She hadn’t returned the same greeting when they first met, and now she was repeating her favorite childhood sentence. But Twilight didn’t know what to believe. Was Cadance only trying to lure her in?
Would she stomp on her heart again if she gave her the slightest trace of doubt? But the tone was sincere, and the Cadance here had a frightened reflection in her eyes. Twilight gulped and felt the pit in her stomach grow more and more. The words finally slipped out. “C-clap your hooves, and do a little shake…”
She held a hoof out and waited, in return, Cadance gently clapped Twilight’s hoof. Even as memorable as this was, Twilight still wasn’t certain if this was real. She stepped away and off of Cadance’s hooves, but she had to be certain that this wasn’t a fluke. She had one last assessment to make.
“How?” She murmured. “H-how can I know that you’re the Cadance I remember? What can you tell me that only she remembers?”
It was the chance to prove her wrong. And Cadance didn’t hesitate to speak. “You were always so obsessed with books. You talked about how much fun it was to read and learn new things. How much you learned, from your mathematics to all the magic spells you hoped to accomplish one day. How you talked about the bond between you and Shining, that he was your only friend, and that it’d never break no matter what.
“Celestia always told me how impressed she was with you. Your determination to improve yourself. To get better each day with your magic. She was worried, of course, that you wouldn’t make any friends. But even still, you proved her wrong.” The tears furthered in number, but her smile didn’t lose its warmth. “I read some of the letters you sent to Shining. Even if there weren’t many, I was so proud at how far you’ve come. How much you’ve grown up.”
She let out a small giggle. “After all. You said I was the best foalsitter in the world. I don’t think I could ever forget that. And I’d never forget the countless wonderful times we’ve spent together.” Twilight, in the meantime, had felt the wave of tears dripping down her muzzle.
Twilight inched closer to Cadance, who slowly got up and onto her hooves. That recognition she could not show earlier seemed to have finally been connected. The one that had trapped her was not the real Cadance. She felt a surge of joy overwhelm her. “Y-you remember me…” Twilight jumped into Cadance’s hooves, and the two embraced each other.
But the guilt, however, seemed to dwarf the tidal wave of delight as she realized what she had almost done to Cadance. “I-I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“I-I know,” Cadance replied in a unsteady tone. “I-I know it’s not your fault.” Twilight felt her shoulders ease up. She knew for certain that this was the real Cadance. Never before was she this happy to be wrong. The same cackling echoed around them, however, seeming to resonate through the caverns behind them. The two separated. “I wish we could keep this happy reunion going, but your friends, my aunts, Shining Armor, they’re all in danger.”
Twilight nodded. “Then let’s get out of here.” She ran ahead a little and waited for Cadance to follow. “We have to stop her before it’s too late.” And as quickly as they could, they made their way through the caves. And with an inspiring jingle, along with a mine ride that increased their pace, they finally made it to the exit. If there was another thing to reassure her that this was the real Cadance, it was the love and compassion she sang for her Shining Armor. She was glad that Shining had found someone like Cadance.
The two teleported up onto the ledge and as the two walked towards the entrance, three figures stood in front of the only doorway. Three unicorn mares blocked their exit, Twilight lowered her ears when she saw their irises’ glowing with a pale green color. All three said in an eerie unison, “You’re not going anywhere…”
Twilight and Cadance stood there as the three brainwashed mares got closer and closer. “What should we do?” Twilight asked.
Cadance glanced around them and sighed. “I don’t see anything to help our situation.”
“You don’t have a bouquet for them to fight over?” Twilight smiled a little at her joke.
Cadance shook her head—this certainly was Shining’s little sister. “I don’t think a bouquet would do that. Honestly… if we’re to get past them, we may have to hurt them.”
Twilight sighed at this solution. “I’m starting to get sick of all this fighting.” Even as Twilight and Cadance readied themselves, Twilight, for a moment, thought she recognized all three of them, although she couldn’t put a name to any of them. She could only hope that, if these mares were her friends, their next reunion wouldn’t be completely awkward.
The mares picked up their step and began to charge them. Twilight and Cadance’s horns lit up, firing a barrage of beams that sent the three skidding across the ground. One of them got up and returned fire with a yellow beam. Twilight put up a shield and blocked the attack, only to watch the other two unicorns get up on their hooves.
Twilight folded her ears and growled. “We don’t have time for this.” The wedding could end at any moment. The fake Cadance would win, and the real one would lose Shining Armor, not to mention that Twilight would have lost her brother to an imposter as well. “We need to get past them now.”
Cadance nodded. “I’ll fly up and distract them.” Cadance unfolded her wings and shot up into the air with a single flap. Twilight ran as fast as she could and kept an eye on the princess, and watched as Cadance dodged each incoming magic blast. She had to hurry and knock the three mares out.
Twilight sparked her horn and, in one slanted swing of her horn, fired a magenta wave at the trio. They screamed in unison and fell to the ground. This time they remained motionless. Twilight hurried towards them and put a hoof against one of the mare’s chest. She sighed when she heard quiet breathing.
“C’mon. We can help them later,” Cadance called above her. “We need to stop the wedding!” Twilight nodded and ran up the stairway. Once up the final staircase, the two hurried through the halls of the palace, getting the confused glance of stationary guards at the sight of her and another Cadance.
They could worry about that once they confronted the fake Cadance. It was a moment later as they approached a door could they hear Princess Celestia’s voice, near the end of the wedding. Just in time, Twilight thought, before it was too late. With her magic, she threw open the large double doors and heard the collective gasp of the assembly of ponies.
“Stop!” Twilight cried out, cutting off Celestia’s final words.
The fake Cadance growled and stomped her hoof. “Why does she have to be so possessive of her brother?” She, however, looked at Celestia, and seeing the confused expression, she began to cry. “Why does she have to ruin my special day?”
“Because it’s not your special day, it’s mine!” The false veil of sadness lifted off the fake Cadance as the real one stepped in front of Twilight.
“What? But how did you escape my…” She stopped mid-sentence, her eyes widened a little, and she smacked a hoof against her forehead. She grumbled for a second before stared at them with a deadpan stare. “Let me guess… you probably distracted them with something they wanted, right?”
Cadance and Twilight shook their heads.”No,” Twilight began, “we knocked them unconscious.”
There was a moment of surprise on everypony’s muzzle. “Wait, really? You used magic instead of…” The fake Cadance groaned. “I should have used normal guards then.”
It was silent for a moment. “Now hold up.” Applejack broke the silence. “Can we all get back to the real question here. Why are there two Cadances all of a sudden?”
“Because she’s a changeling!” Cadance said. “She takes the form of somepony you love and gains more power off your love for them.”
Now exposed the fake Cadance’s eyes glowed a brilliant green, and glared at them with a toothy frown. And yet, she began to chuckle a little. A new voice was heard as it echoed with her form’s voice. “Bravo… bravo, Cadance. I guess I almost won the day.” A green fire circled around the mare and immediately engulfed her in a pillar of flame. She rose into the air with it, her shadow visible as it was slowly molded into a familiar pony shape.
The flames died down as quick as they came. The new being before them fluttered in the air with bug-like wings. She opened her eyes and smiled before she cackled. The disguised pony, now changeling, landed on the ground a short distance away from Cadance. “Right you are, princess. But I am no ordinary changeling.” Her smile widened. “I am Queen Chrysalis. The ruler over all changelings.
“I came to Equestria in search of love. For there is little elsewhere in the world beyond. But when we came here, oh, it was magnificent.” For obvious reasons, the passion in her voice was noticeable, yet—Twilight frowned—she sounded a little creepy. “All the love a changeling could ever ask for. And how ripe it was for the taking.” She chuckled again. “Being the leader of the changelings means I have to find them food. So when we stumbled upon your country, oh, we couldn’t resist the opportunity.
“And now that we’re here, we shall consume all of the love in Equestria and gain more power than we could ever dream of.” As she spoke, she inched closer and closer to Cadance. But she didn’t back down, standing her ground as Chrysalis came closer.
“You’ll never get the chance. Shining Armor’s protection spell will stop you.”
Chrysalis giggled. “Oh, I highly doubt that.” She glanced over her shoulder and smiled. “Isn’t that right, deary?” She spat that last word in disgust. Shining’s eyes glowed a similar green color as he nodded in compliance.
Cadance’s frown grew deeper as she rushed forward, only to skid to a halt as Chrysalis stomped a hoof in front of her. “Ah, ah, ah. Wouldn’t want to go back to the caves now, would we?”
“You can’t hit me now that I’m aware of the spell.” Cadance smiled.
But Chrysalis laughed. “Sure. You caught my bluff. The spell really only works when somepony is caught by surprise. But…” Shining groaned as electricity sparked around his body, driving him to the ground—but even then, his eye color never changed. “I have other ways to make you stay where you are.” An aura formed around her horn, and she smiled at the pained groans behind her.
“Shining!” Cadance cried out. She trembled before she nodded. “O-kay, just stop it!”
“There. That’s a good pony.” The electric field died out, and Shining rose back up onto his hooves, that same unconscious stare looking at them. Twilight shook where she stood; seeing her brother like this, she could hardly stand it. Chrysalis turned her attention to Shining and moved back over to him. “Ever since I took your form, Shining’s love for you has made me more powerful. And every minute he grows weaker, as well as his shield.” She smiled and looked up to the ceiling. “Any minute now… his shield will break. And my changeling horde will be unleashed onto Canterlot.”
Another round of cackling. Twilight flattened her ears against her head. How much longer could she take this? “It’s only a matter of time.” She brought a hoof to his chin. He didn’t react in the slightest. “He’s not my husband, of course, but he’s under my full control. Which means he’s unable to perform his duties as the Captain of the Royal Guard!”
“No! Not my Shining Armor!”
But Chrysalis continued on. “And once Canterlot is ours, all of Equestria will be next!”
“No!” Chrysalis glanced over her shoulder; Princess Celestia stood a short distance away. “You won’t succeed, Chrysalis.”
However, Chrysalis laughed and turned to face Celestia. “I was wondering where you chose to hide. Afraid that you’re not strong enough to take me on?”
Celestia’s frown deepened. “Shining Armor may be unable to perform his duty, but I most certainly am. And now that you’ve so foolishly shown your true self!” She charged forward and Chrysalis reciprocated in kind. When the two collided, a burst of wind swept over the audience of ponies, their horns locked together in a struggle. “I can protect my subjects from you!” Celestia opened her wings and lifted herself off the ground, taking to the air as a bright light emanated from her horn.
Chrysalis fired a burst of magic and met the pale yellow beam with a brilliant green one. The wind picked up again, and this time the chamber of ponies crouched low to the ground. Twilight shielded her eyes with a hoof, and watched as the two struggled against the other. Celestia didn’t seem to have any trouble as her magic gained more ground, slowly growing closer to Chrysalis.
The changeling queen growled and looked up at Celestia. “I will not let you destroy all the progress I’ve made!” Twilight’s frown deepened, and to her horror, Chrysalis’s magic began to close the distance towards Celestia. Celestia’s eyes widened at this terrifying development. The beam closed the distance to her horn, and a loud ‘bang’ echoed the hall. Celestia’s screams followed a second after the struggle, followed by the gasps of surprise from the crowd of ponies.
“Celestia!” Twilight cried and ran forward. Her teacher hit the ground hard, and her tiara flew off as her horn and body sparked with bolts of electricity. Twilight rushed to her side, her breaths became quick and uneven, and she nudged her teacher to get up. “Please, get up! Princess Celestia, wake up!”
She glanced at Chrysalis and watched as the changeling looked at her hooves and then up to her horn. She smiled and her happy expression grew wider, before she laughed in glee of her victory. “Shining Armor’s love for you was stronger than I thought.” She gave a menacing grin in Cadance’s direction. “Consuming it has made me even more powerful than Celestia!”
“Celestia! Celestia!” Her ears straightened up when Twilight saw movement. Celestia opened her eyes, and Twilight felt some of that fear drift into the air. “You’re okay!”
Celestia groaned and looked up to Twilight. “The Elements… go. Go find them and use them to defeat the Queen!”
“B-but—”
“Go!” Twilight stared for a moment longer before she nodded. She stood up and gave another nod to her friends.
Twilight turned to Chrysalis who turned in their direction. “You think I’ll let you go that easily?” Her wings buzzed to life and she took to the air. As she approached the group, she was caught in a light blue orb. “What!?”
Twilight looked past the bubble and saw Cadance’s horn spark with the same color. “Go! I can’t help you any more than what I can do right now! So just go!”
“B-but…” Twilight quickly nodded, and the girls removed their dresses, running out the door before Chrysalis could break out of the magic sphere. A sense of dread filled the air. Could they do it? Would they reach the Elements of Harmony in time to defeat Queen Chrysalis?
Twilight shook her head. ‘We’ll make it. I know we will.’ They burst through another door and ran across the open courtyard. She looked up to the sky and watched as hundreds of changelings bashed the shield above. Her eyes widened in horror as they all rose in unison.
And like a glass window, the shield shattered into fragments of magic, dispersing in the air as the changeling horde fell down onto Canterlot. The streets around them were now filled with changelings falling to the ground, the royal guards doing their best to keep the citizens safe.
She skidded to a halt as a changeling landed in front of her, and as it hissed at her, she knocked it back into the hole it landed in. They were close, just up a few stairs and…
They stopped as a large group of changelings barred their way. Before they knew it, they were surrounded. There was no other possible option except for one. “Looks like we’re going to have to do this the hard way!” Rainbow Dash slammed her hooves together.
In a flash, however, one by one, the changelings began to take their forms. In horror, she saw a mass copy of herself and her friends. But even as this situation seemed to worsen over time, she still had one idea in mind. “Applejack, Rainbow Dash! Up front!”
Applejack and Rainbow Dash smiled and stormed right into the group of clones. “Rarity, you’re with me. Pinkie, Fluttershy, you’re behind us!” And like a surging tidal wave, the group ran a straight line through the crowd.
Any changelings unfortunate enough to be in front were knocked aside by Rainbow Dash and Applejack. Rarity and Twilight fired off beams at any of the flying foes while Pinkie and Fluttershy kept up, with Pinkie being the only one behind them to keep any other changeling at bay.
Their progress began to quicken. Twilight gasped as a large group of them launched themselves into the air. A shadow encompassed the group as the changelings formed a large mass, and descended upon them like a boulder tumbling off a cliff.
But she wouldn’t dare let them impede their progress. “Everypony, get down!” And as her friends crouched she jumped into the air. Her magic summoned she spun herself in the air, forming a circle of magenta, and pointed her horn at the oncoming mass.
A burst of light shined from Twilight’s horn. Upon contact with the incoming mass, the changelings all cried in unison as their formation was scattered, and those on the ground, the copycats, were pushed away by the circle magic. When Twilight landed she crouched on the ground, rubbing her horn as the migraine passed through her nerves.
But it had worked. The way had been cleared. Now was not the time to rest. The girls quickly continued forward and pushed past the door. However, their smiles vanished as the room was filled with changelings. They turned to their backside and saw another army of changelings blocking off their escape route.
There was nowhere left to go. “Twilight.” Fluttershy shook, hiding behind Applejack. “W-what are going to do?”
As the changelings approached them, Twilight felt all the ideas whirl in her mind. And yet she saw no way out. “I… I-I don’t know…” In that moment, the changelings pushed them forward. As much as they tried to resist, the distance between them and the Elements widened more and more. There was no other way to resist them. Twilight could feel that fear build as they approached the palace doors. She and her friends had failed to retrieve the Elements.
They could only walk forward as the changelings forced them back into the same chambers. “You won’t get away with this!” Cadance’s voice echoed behind the doors.
They opened, and when they saw Chrysalis she smiled, her laughter filled the room. “You were saying?” And to rub it in their faces she continued, “You do realize the reception has been cancelled, do you?” She turned to some of her changelings and commanded them, “Go now. And feed to your heart’s desire!” A mass of the changelings raced out the door, and a green aura closed them shut. Two changelings adorned in armor stood guard at the door. Three others flew above Chrysalis, watching the group of ponies.
Their attention drawn to Chrysalis again, she approached Twilight and chuckled. “It’s funny, really: Twilight was the only one suspicious of my behavior. All along she was right. Too bad the rest of you were too busy with your wedding plans to notice that she was correct!” Twilight watched as the guards above their queen landed around them. Something wet and sticky was vomited from their mouths, the girls recoiling at the gross action.
"Gross!" Rarity screamed. "Stop it! I said stop it!" They finished moments afterward and when Twilight tried to move, her hooves would not move. They were all stuck to the floor. She glanced in Cadance's direction and saw the same thing attached to her hooves and Spike's feet. Princess Celestia, however, was nowhere to be seen. Twilight quickly scanned the room. When she looked up to the ceiling her eyes widened in horror at the cocoon her teacher was trapped in.
It felt and yet seemed that they had really lost this fight. “We’re sorry, Twi,” Applejack said. “We should’ve listened to you.”
“It’s not your fault.” As much as it pained her to admit it, Chrysalis had her fooled for a moment as well. “She fooled us all.”
“Hmm… I did, didn’t I?” Chrysalis turned towards the windows overlooking Canterlot. “Guards, keep an eye on them.” Once she had spoken her commands, she laughed as she gestured to the city outside. “As I speak, Canterlot is only getting closer and closer to being under my command.” That grin darkened in tone. “And don’t you worry. Once I have Canterlot, I’ll make sure you all are nice and comfortable. Just like your precious princess.”
Twilight looked back up to it. And when their captor spoke again, her frown grew wider. “A cocoon that cancels out any magic. She won’t be getting out of it anytime soon.” Chrysalis walked out onto the balcony, her back to them, but her ears faced them. Not to mention that there were five guards keeping constant vigilance over them.
Had they lost, Twilight thought? Did Chrysalis really win outright? She couldn’t accept it. There was no way she would accept this defeat. Twilight hurriedly surveyed the area around them. Two guards at the doorway and three guards standing at the balcony’s entryway. There had to be some kind of solution to get them out of this mess. She stood still for a moment and turned to Applejack. “Pass this message to the others.” She whispered. “Tell them that when I give the signal, I’m going to set us all free.
“I’ll need you five to distract the guards. If Chrysalis comes in and fights, then I’ll distract her. When I say the word “now”, tell Rarity that I’m going to need her to help me set Princess Celestia free.” Applejack nodded and one by one, the message got across. Twilight watched the guards movements. They seemed to notice their talking and began to approach them.
“How about you all keep your mouths shut,” one of the guards demanded.
“You changelings are simply rude. How can you all be happy with what you’re doing?” Rarity said.
“It doesn’t matter. So long as we can feed off of Equestria’s love, we don’t care either way.”
“Then how about this for love?” Twilight’s horn lit up and in a magic wave, the guards flew across the room, one of the three hitting one of the pillars as the other two flew out of the room.
Chrysalis turned around at the noise and glared at the six of them. “What do you think you’re doing!?”
“Doing what we do best!” Rainbow Dash proclaimed.
“Saving Equestria from threats like you!” Twilight concluded the statement. And the group separated, with Applejack and Rainbow Dash going straight for the guards at the door, and Pinkie distracting the third. It was quick as Applejack kicked the other guard out the window, the changeling's cries faded away as he fell down.
Another hissed as it tried to catch Pinkie Pie, only for the mare to giggle, constantly jumping out of harm's way at the last second. The other two guards took to the air and fired a dual attack of magic beams. Rarity reciprocated in kind with one of her own as it hit the changeling dead center in the face.
And a mare's roar was heard as Rainbow Dash crashed into the other before throwing one changeling into the other. Twilight fired a beam at Chrysalis, who flew above it and returned fire. Twilight dodged each incoming bolt as best as she could, returning the barrage in kind. One beam hit Chrysalis, who hissed in response. “That stung, you little…”
She jumped backward as Chrysalis charged her, cracking the stone where she had stood moments ago. Twilight cried out as the queen rammed into her, and gasped when her back hit the marble wall, crushed by Chrysalis’s momentum. “Twilight!” her friends and family called out to her.
She hit the floor a second afterward, coughing as she tried to breathe for air. A warm taste filled her mouth, and as she coughed more and more, a red liquid trickled out of her mouth. That same wretched laughter came, and Twilight looked up, glaring at Chrysalis.
“What did you think was going to happen? You still think you can take me on? Did you forget what happened last time?” As she spoke Applejack charged her way. She went to kick but Chrysalis simply dodged and gave her a swift hoof to the gut, the mare gasped before she was sent hurling in an aura of green magic.
"Hey, ugly!" Chrysalis gracefully stepped out of Rainbow Dash's charge, the pegasus leaving a crater in the marble floor. She cried as she was tossed up to the roof. And as Chrysalis opened her eyes Pinkie hung in front of her with her party cannon.
"Hiyah!" Chrysalis screamed as the cannon blew up in her face, the changeling queen grabbing her ears.
"You... nuisances!" Another cry was added as Rainbow Dash punched her in the muzzle. The jabs came quick and Chrysalis seemed to be overwhelmed. "That's it!" She yelled and fired a wide beam that caught Dash, the pegasus cried as she was sent through the marble wall. Then she rose into the air and a wave of magic knocked Pinkie away, sending her flying into Fluttershy, Rarity fell down too, but managed to get back up and ran to a pillar, hiding behind it.
"Rainbow!" Twilight cried out and turned in Chrysalis's direction. "You! You're going to pay for what you've done to her. To all of us!"
But Chrysalis laughed. "And how, might I ask? Sure your rainbow colored friend gave me a few decent punches, but you're going to need more than that if you ever hope to best me."
Twilight growled and charged up a beam attack. Chrysalis in return did the same before their magic blasts collided together. But even as Twilight poured all the magic she had into the beam, Chrysalis didn't seem to flinch and slowly closed the gap between them. She began to walk forward and continued to berate them.
"How many times are you going to forget that you can't beat me with your magic." Twilight cried as her horn gave out and was hit hard by the blast. She slid across the marble floor and into the wall. She groaned, head against the wall, slowly she blinked her eyes and glared at the changeling queen. "I gave you credit for your brains earlier. But I guess even your intelligence has its limits."
She stood over Twilight and smiled. "Give up. You can't win."
Twilight shook her head. “No. I don't care how strong you are. I'll never give up." She smiled too and this seemed to confuse Chrysalis. "I figured that we wouldn't win against you. Not on our own. But that’s why I have somepony else I can rely on.” She turned to where Rarity stood and called out. “Now!”
Rarity looked up at Celestia’s cocoon and hit part of the base with a blue beam. And as Chrysalis turned in Rarity’s direction, Twilight fired off a beam of her own. The cocoon fell to the ground, and as it burst open, Celestia opened her wings and flew into the air.
Chrysalis cried as she was shot out of the window and into the city below. Celestia landed next to Twilight. “Are you okay?”
Twilight nodded. “Y-yeah… I’ll be fine when this is over.”
“That was very reckless of you.” She smiled. “But… I’m happy that you’re not severely injured.” Celestia turned to the window. “Go to Cadance. Free her and get her to Shining Armor. I’ll make sure to keep Chrysalis busy.”
“Will you be able to hold your own?” Twilight asked.
“Maybe for some time. But not for very long.”
The quick buzzing of Chrysalis’s wings echoed in the chamber again, as she floated in front of the window. “You’re going to regret that, Celestia. You and your student!”
Celestia stood in front of Twilight and yelled, “Go, now!” Celestia unfurled her wings and flew right towards Chrysalis. As Twilight ran to Cadance, she kept an eye on the two. At the moment they seemed fairly matched, both keeping up blow to blow.
Now was not the time to worry herself to pieces. Twilight ran to Cadance and quickly burned away the restraints. “Go to Shining Armor. He needs you.” Cadance quickly nodded and ran over to the mind-controlled stallion.
“Oh, no you don’t!” Chrysalis yelled and threw Celestia to the side before plunging right towards Cadance.
Twilight ran into the path of Chrysalis and placed a shield in front of the three. She yelled as the changeling made contact, her shield cracking, nearly broken by the first attack. Chrysalis hastily flew backwards, and as she charged forward again, she cried out as Celestia shot her with a beam.
Everything was happening so fast. Twilight could hardly keep her breathing under control. There was a new light this time as a heart flew over to Shining Armor. It phased through him, and the green that glazed his eyes disappeared. He shook his head and looked around. “I-is the wedding over?”
Twilight screamed as the shield was broken, skidding backwards into their hooves. Chrysalis cackled as she landed in front of them, her horn alight in a green aura. “It’s all over!” Celestia landed in front of them as the beam was fired. She took the force of it behind a light gold shield.
“Y-your spell, Shining. Perform your spell!”
He closed his eyes and focused, but his muzzle scrunched up. “I-I can’t! There’s too many to repel!”
Chrysalis laughed as Celestia backed up to them, the beam pushing her towards the others. “Are you all forgetting that I drained him of all his magic? And what good is that spell when my horde is already inside?”
“B-but… how could I…” Cadance gently placed a hoof on Shining’s cheek and shook her head. His frown stayed, but he nodded. Twilight watched the whole time as he tried to use what remaining magic he held. Cadance moved her horn against his and a spark crossed between them.
A breeze picked up, emanating around Cadance and Shining. A pink light grew brighter around them. Twilight had an idea what it was; and realized in the end that it was over. “You’re wrong, Chrysalis.” She turned to the changeling. “You may have drained my brother of his magic, but there’s one thing you could never fully take away. And that’s his love for Cadance!”
Chrysalis growled in return. “We’ll see about that!” Celestia gasped as the shield splintered apart. In a second, Chrysalis flew right towards Cadance and Shining. Second by second went by, and it was like things began to slow down.
Engulfed in a white aura, Shining and Cadance had been lifted up into the air. Just before Chrysalis reached them, their connection formed into the shape of a heart. Twilight was blinded and heard the queen’s startling screech, a vocal cry that soon faded into the distance.
The light died down, and when Twilight opened her eyes, she smiled as Cadance and Shining floated back to the ground. The explosions of battle had disappeared completely, and the changelings that had invaded Canterlot were all gone. Light had triumphed once again in the face of impossible odds. It was thanks to love this time that saved the day from turning down a gloomy path. And Twilight couldn’t have been any happier with the results.
“It seems you helped save Equestria again, Twilight.” Princess Celestia moved up beside Twilight. She kneeled down and wiped the tip of her wing against Twilight’s lip. “Are you going to be okay?”
No matter how much her chest hurt, and how terrifying it felt to be injured in this way compared to the other battles, Twilight couldn’t help but sigh with relief. “Yeah… it’s all going to be fine.”
This... was epic and wonderfully well written, like the two previous ones.
This is precisely what I hoped to see. This Destinies entertwined serie could perfectly be a fanfic on its own.
Those who ignore blogs, like those who don't check your sequels, don't know what they're missing.
Twilight, especially, and her friends had it hard there.
I sure can't wait for more, especially for the part with Starlight!
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Thanks, friend. These things aren't anything special, really. But I'm glad you enjoyed it.
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Still, I long awaited to see a good author write scenes like this, involving a good fight between Twilight and co and Chrysalis, and you did just that.