//------------------------------// // Chapter 22 – Operation Oversoon // Story: Evenfall // by Yinglung //------------------------------// A train passed through the hills and ravines of Upper Canterlot, and rapidly approached the hillside capital of Equestria. Twilight again took out the formal invitation letter to the wedding from Princess Celestia with her magic from her saddlebag. She read it once, then twice, then thrice, then more. Cadance had come back to the capital, she immediately sent letters to contact her and her brother, but none of them gave any reply. This made her think that something bad might have already happened. She was more than sure that Cadance and Shining Armor’s magic could defeat the changelings with ease. If Cadance got thrown into the caves just as before, she had a way to immediately rescue her and immediately launch a counter-attack. Even if Chrysalis hid away Cadance in some other places, she and her friends had enough time to do a combat sweep. They were prepared to their teeth. But she couldn’t believe that they could not spot one single changeling in the two weeks before the wedding, despite ramping up her search efforts by strolling around the city each every other day, plus spying over the city in the Twinkling Balloon. She had to give it to Queen Chrysalis who hid her hive like a magician hid her rabbit. While Twilight insisted they didn’t necessarily need the Elements to defeat the changelings, the fact that she didn’t have a surefire weapon had haunted her. She hated this lack of assurance, and unlike the time she defeated Nightmare Moon, there was no magical theory to bank on. She grinded her teeth and knitted her brows together so hard, she accidentally over-exerted and incinerated the letter in a bright flash. “Twilight?! What are you doing?” Spike gasped. “Why did you burn the invitation letter from the Princess?” “Oops.” Twilight squeezed out a smile. “Just an accident. I’ve read it anyway.” “Okay…” Spike doubtfully peeked at the purple mare, who was anxiously anticipating something, presumably the wedding. Twilight looked to all of her friends, who were even though not as grim as her, but still visibly worried. The train ride was bumpier than usual due to high winds, but the mares could not be bothered to pay attention to their own comfort right now. Spike awkwardly gazed at the obviously troubled mares, and he finally gathered up enough courage to ask, “What’s up with the frowny faces? We’re going to a wedding, not a fune—” “Spike!” “Twilight, please don’t yell.” Pinkie Pie frowned. “I—I’m sorry, Spike.” Twilight gulped and lowered her head. “I don’t mean to yell at you. I was just a bit agitated.” “Talk about understatement…” Spike muttered quietly. Pinkie Pie put up a forceful smile. “Yeah, we’re sorry too. We’re all just too, uh, nervous about our wedding duties. Ha ha.” “Pinkie, your laughter sounds phony.” Spike said. “Hey! As somepony connected to the Element of Laughter, I take great offense at that!” Pinkie Pie huffed. “Now, now.” Rarity said. “Each one of us has valid reasons to be concerned.” “I know you girls have things to do in the wedding, but why on Earth do we have to arrive two whole days before the wedding?” Spike asked. “Don’t you mares have things to do back in Ponyville?” Twilight winced. “There will be indeed a lot of follow-ups to be done by leaving our duties behind, but we’ve been aware of some security… irregularities in the capital.” “Come again?” Spike said. “What Twi wants t’ say is, the Princess seems to be raisin’ the security in the capital by a whole lot.” Applejack said. “A lot more Royal Guards were seen patrollin’ the streets, and the captain of the Royal Guard, that is, Twilight’s brother and the groom, will soon have to cast a protective barrier around the whole city.” “What for?” Spike gasped. “The princesses don’t know for sure, but they had received a report of threat towards the capital.” Fluttershy said reservedly. “Good to be careful, but you all don’t have to be this alarmed…” Spike said in hesitation. “By the way, is Discord going to come?” “He didn’t say.” Twilight lowered her head again and sighed. She originally hoped that the draconequus could join and help them, thereby greatly reducing the risk and also redeeming himself in the eyes of the princesses and other ponies. However, ever since the incident in the Prench restaurant, their relationship was extremely strained. Twilight tried very hard but still couldn’t let go of the fact that she was duped and hurt, while Discord seemed to be annoyed at the fact that Twilight still refused to divulge her secret. The only one time they met before her trip to Canterlot, Twilight tried to invite the draconequus to go to the wedding with them, but he merely acknowledged her without saying whether or not he would go. After the moment of silence, the train pulled in the heavily guarded train station in Canterlot. Although the protective barrier had yet to be set up, the city was already full of guards and soldiers, as if it was under some sort of curfew. The mares then quietly trotted to a small inn far from the main castle, and checked themselves in. “Twilight.” Spike asked. “Aren’t we going to live in the castle for the time before wedding?” “Um.” Twilight hesitated. “We will move in eventually, but if there’re any commotion before the Royal Wedding, it would be easier for us if we operate among the crowd instead of among the royal guests.” “I still think that you’re over-worrying.” Spike grumbled. “I hope so.” Twilight sighed and elevated a bag out of her luggage. “Spike. Please wait here and be a good dragon, okay? I left the Daring Do books and gems in this bag.” Spike grinned brightly at the two favorite things of his, and vigorously nodded. The mares then left the room and gathered at the lobby. Twilight lowered her voice and said. “I must go. Let’s hope everything is over soon.” The mares looked at Twilight with worried gazes, but they eventually nodded. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Twilight trotted down the deep caverns under the Canterlot Castle. The mandala-shaped mine railroad led deep into the darkest pit in Equestria, somewhere so deep that not even the diamond dogs had ever reached. Twilight walked among the giant crystals, which reacted to every bit of fluctuating magic. The cave was otherwise composed of featureless grey boulders and wall. She winced as she felt an irrational sense of fear and emptiness. “I… We’re back, aren’t we?” Twilight panted. This was where she first touched the Ancient Tome with her very own hooves. This was where the ancient tome came into the life of the purple pony. This was the place it spent thousands of years staring at just an endless canvass of grey. The ancient tome bathed in the malevolent but immense magical energy from its countless evil unicorn residents. It’s where it gathered enough power and sentience to eventually talk to the purple mare in the first place. It was when the life of Twilight Sparkle, royal student of magic, began to diverge. She was given almost a second lease in life, but in the same time, at the cost of becoming someone else. She dragged her friends into it in a bid to secure Nightmare Moon’s fall and obtain companionship, even though she thought it feels almost criminal to impose that on her friends. Twilight violently shook her head, spraining her own neck somewhat. “I… am not here for any of this nonsense.” She then stood firm on the ground, and casted her spell. A long-ranged latent teleportation spell was still out of her league at her current level, but she could freely draw upon the ambient magic in the caverns. All the giant reflective crystals began to illuminate in purple as they reacted to the purple mare’s magic. A mixture of white and violet expanded from her forehead as a sphere, and then dissipated in a big flash. The particles of light shot forth in all directions and embedded themselves into every walls and corners of the cave. Twilight again panted heavily. She was pushed towards her limit. Not a magical one, but an emotional one. She could feel her heart best like a thousand stampeding buffalos, as she was being plunged into an existential crisis by the scene of her surroundings. She drew in another breath and immediately casted a series of teleportation spells, mixed with frenzied galloping, and she was out of the cave in mere minutes. The purple mare collapsed onto the grass as she looked up to the setting sun. “I did it…?” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Gah!” Cadance yelled, as she was bucked into a circle of green fire by a black, cackling equine creature. Cadance was completely disoriented. She was originally very excited to finally marry her stallion of love, as she had hurriedly finished her diplomatic duties and returned just in time for her own wedding. But immediately after she came back to Canterlot, her captain of guards suddenly turned into this horrifying insect pony, which seemed to know how to impersonate somepony by taking after their likeness. The insect creature then knocked down the pink Alicorn princess with a bout of green magic and kidnapped her away. Cadance had then been interrogated in a secluded house by this changeling queen Chrysalis, as she called herself. After a few more visits by the disguised Chrysalis, she seemed to think she got enough information. The pink princess was then simply discarded like a dirty cloth and bucked into the caves under Canterlot by the queen’s vile magic. Cadance quickly fell through the dark caverns. She frantically flapped her wings, but it barely slowed down her fall. Just when Cadance closed her eyes and prepared to brace for impact, the dark cave walls surrounding her suddenly glowed in a shower of warm purple light. Then instead of the expected impact, she landed in something really soft and fluffy. She looked down, and discovered that she was on a white bed in a foreign room, where some of the residue purple aura still persisted. A purple pony had been dozing off next to the bed. She was jolted awake by the sudden appearance of the pink princess. “Cadance!” Twilight yelped. “Tw—Twilight?!” Cadance gasped loudly. “Wha—Why—Huh?” The pink princess’s eyes then widened, and she backed away from Twilight in fear. “A—Are you in cahoots with her?!” Twilight’s mouth went agape, then she sadly smiled as she realized it was she that had to convince Cadance that she’s not out to harm her. “No, I’m not in cahoots with Chrysalis, my friends and I are here to stop her.” “But how do you know about her?” Cadance asked with narrowed eyes. “Are you really Twilight?” Twilight then closed her eyes and said. “Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake…” “… Clap your hooves and do a little shake… It’s you, Twilight! But h—” “… I’m so sorry, Cadance, to have you endure such horrible treatment…” Twilight touched the disheveled princess’s mane and said sadly. “The changeling queen has been concocting a nefarious plan to impersonate you, soak up the love from my brother and conquer the entire Equestria.” “What?!” Cadance gasped. “Yes… Her minions have blended in our midst long before the wedding, and they converged in on the capital just to launch a full-scale invasion to subjugate ponykind.” Twilight said grimly. “The changelings were numerous, and the changeling queen’s magic is so overwhelming that I fear not even Princess Celestia can win against her. Fortunately, I’ve come to learn about their plan through… coincidence, and you’re the only hope that we might defeat them once and for all.” “How can I do that?” Cadance muttered. “I can barely take on Chrysalis in a fight.” “The magic of your love together with Shining Armor, of course!” Twilight smiled. “I see…” Cadance widened her eyes, but she then asked, “Twilight, does anyone other than me, you and your friends know about this?” “No, our first priority was to rescue you from the clutches of Chrysalis.” Twilight said. “I must thank you for that.” Cadance said, “But how did you know Chrysalis was going to imprison me in the caves and prepared this …” “Long-ranged teleportation spell?” Twilight said. “Well, the caverns are the best place in Canterlot to dump unwanted ponies, I reckon. We had no idea where Chrysalis kept you before this, so we can’t rescue you sooner. I’m so, so sorry.” “It doesn’t matter Twilight, your incredible foresight have led us to the first step forward towards thwarting the evil plan of the changeling queen.” Cadance smiled. Twilight was too troubled to smile back. Instead she said. “Princess Cadance…” “Just Cadance, Twilight.” Twilight squeezed out a smile, but it immediately turned into a frown. “… Cadance, you look… unwell. The fight can still—” “No!” Cadance yelled. “At this very moment, my fiancé and your brother is accompanying an imposter who is feeding off his love towards me, and doing Celestia-know-what to him. We have to stop her at once!” “But we can perhaps pretend and let the queen think her plan’s coming through, and then we knock her and her minions out from Canterlot with a surprise attack during the wedding?” “I think we should be proactive, Twilight.” Cadance said. “Besides, I can’t bear it if Shining Armor’s love for me causes anymore anguish and pain on his part.” “… I see.” Twilight sighed as she felt that she could not convince Cadance to wait. She might have to abandon her plan to follow the script. “But will you at least let me comb your mane?” Twilight said. “I—I’m simply glad to see you again.” Cadance lightly gasped, and then gently embraced the purple pony. Twilight froze at the touch of her foalsitter, but returned her embrace gradually with warmth and joy. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “There is an imposter Princess Cadance running around in the castle?” Spike shouted. “Yes, Spike,” Twilight said and pointed towards the demure but resolute pink Alicorn. “This is the real Cadance. The imposter is some shapeshifting bug creature that is intent on conquering Equestria and turning the whole place into her breeding ground!” “What are we waiting for then? Let’s go get them before it’s too late!” “Well, our best shot is to reunite Cadance and my brother Shining Armor, so that they ca—” A loud scream interrupted the discussion of the mares and dragon. The mares gasped and looked out of the window, and they saw a horrifying sight. A swarm of changeling descended upon the unprotected capital, terrorizing all of its residents. They could see that the patrolling Royal Guards had all been glued to the ground and immobilized by some sort of green substances. The buzzing of wings were so loud, it was almost deafening. “Shouldn’t your brother have erected the protective barrier by now?” Rainbow Dash asked in shock. “How come?! That shouldn’t happen until the wedding!” Rarity gasped. Twilight angrily pounded on the wall. “Darn Chrysalis! She must have noticed Cadance’s disappearance from the caves and decided to act early.” Fluttershy gritted her teeth. “And if the changeling swarm roams the streets, it’s very likely that the castle had already fallen and the princesses were already subdued!” “So what do we do?” Spike asked in fear. “We go retake the castle.” Twilight spat out the words one by one. “Are you crazy?” Spike yelped. “Look at the number of bugs out there! They will devour us whole!” Twilight inhaled deeply and said. “Now, I have a way to go about it…” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Um, Twilight,” Spike said, “What’s with the goofy set-up? You girls look like you’re about to parade rather than fight the ch—cha—” “Changelings.” Twilight supplied. “And it’s not goofy. Changelings feed on emotions, and so we counter them with emotion-based magic. Besides Cadance’s love magic, we’re going to draw upon the residents’ rousing emotion as we march through, in order to clear us a way to the castle.” “Let’s hope it works.” Cadance said. “… Let’s hope it works.” Spike said, albeit unsurely. “Spike, you must remain here for your safety.” Twilight frowned. “But Twi!” “It’s too dangerous,” Rarity added. “Chrysalis’s magic isn’t foal’s play. She could have incinerated you in one hit at full strength.” Spike inhaled sharply, and slowly nodded. The mares then held their breath and quietly trotted to the main lobby of the inn. The receptionist and other hotel staffs had long fled. Twilight lit her horn and yanked the door open with great force. Immediately, the sky-blocking changeling swarm entered their view. They could only hear a constant droning of buzzes and maddening hisses. Pinkie breathed in deeply, then began the piece with a forceful clasping of her cymbal. Then Fluttershy began to sing aloud. “Equestria, thy hope is crowned, Unity preserve thee yet! On rolling greens, beloved, renowned, With thee may naught beset!” The fearful fleeing ponies on the street heard something distinctive from the ceaseless droning, and they slowed down to listen despite being chased around by the changelings. “Three equal tribes, by friendship tied, Have lived here well and long; By friendship tied, by struggle tried, Thine kingdom shall be strong.” Even the swarming changelings seemed to be momentarily stunned by the stirring solo, as the residents seemed to be mesmerized by the rousing song rendered in the beautiful voice of Fluttershy. Applejack and Rainbow Dash then sharply inhaled and joined Fluttershy in the chorus, “Land of hope and good will, bounded by our love, Harmony be thy key, to the stars above.” By now, the city ponies had recognized the tune as the celebrated patriotic piece once played in the Grand Galloping Gala. A lot of them joined and sang partly out of its heart-stirring effect, partly to embolden themselves against the black menace. “Unity and magic, duo of holy gems, Stars of solemn brightness, weave thy diadems!” “Rarity, it’s time!” Twilight shouted, and the white mare nodded. They both casted a spell which sent forth a colorful spiral of blue and purple magic. The sparks of their magical energy leapt up and down to each high and low in the melody. And they also glowed brighter and brighter with each of the sung words by every pony. Cadance watched the brilliant light show in front of her, she couldn’t help but let out a sigh of amazement. But what she then witnessed was even more stunning. The duo of unicorns charged their magic forward, and the sparks began to shower upon the army of changelings. As the sparks made contact with their heads, it exploded into bright blasts of vivid colors, knocking the changelings back like bowling pins meeting a bowling ball. All of a sudden, the advancing swarm was beaten back by the chain-reacting magic, like a dazzling and colorful display of exploding crackers. Except for Twilight and Rarity, all ponies simply watched with utterly amazed expressions and wide eyes as the literally mind-blowing scene unfolded. The chain of exploding changeling heads seemed like a brilliant choreographed firework show, and the backward-flying contingent of changelings was knocked out of the city altogether. Pinkie Pie nearly missed a beat as she tried her best to focus and not burst into frenzied clapping at the awe-inspiring scene. Rainbow Dash took a deep breath in between stanzas, as she witnesses the most awesome scene she had ever seen in her life. Not even something from movies or Daring Do could compare. Some of the changelings managed to temporarily morph themselves into the likeness of the Mane Six, but they were immediately greeted and beaten back with the tiny but potent magical explosives. The group gradually proceeded towards the Canterlot castle, with more and more city ponies joining in. When they reached the castle gate, there were already so many ponies singing together that it almost drowned out the sounds from the instruments. Pinkie Pie again clasped the cymbal with great force, signaling the end of the electrifying piece. All the ponies cheered loudly at their victory parade, creating a wave of sounds that was almost deafening. Twilight magically boosted her volume and turned to the crowd. “Thank you! Without your help, we could never safely arrive at the castle and deal with the invaders that took our princesses hostage.” The crowd gasped at the news that their princesses were in peril. Twilight then continued. “My friends and I must now go in and face the queen of these changelings. Please do not stay and retreat to safer places, but do wish us luck, and wish for our triumph!” The mares solemnly trotted inside the castle with the blessings and cheers of the city ponies. They rushed towards the throne room, where a bright green glow emanated, visible even from outside the castle. As they entered and had a clear glimpse of what were in the room, they gasped. Celestia and Luna had been imprisoned in lime green cocoons filled with some sort of green goo. The queen of changelings herself was sitting on Celestia’s throne, lightly straddling the leaning form of Shining Armor. “Well, well, well.” Chrysalis smirked, “What have we got here? A bunch of ragtag misfits interrupting my glorious conquest?” “Chrysalis!” Cadance hissed. “Your game is over! Release the princesses and my fiancé at once!” “Oh you slippery Cadance, how do you escape from the caves?” Chrysalis asked. “If not for your mischievous horseplay, I will not need to change my plan so abruptly and take over the city by force prematurely.” The changeling queen then cackled. “Fortunately, your dear fiancé’s love is just so delicious and strong! I can take two Celestia down on my own with his powerful love!” Twilight then whispered to Cadance. “We will distract Chrysalis, you go get Shining Armor, restore him to normal and cast the protective spell with him together.” Cadance nodded. “… Take care, Twilight.” Twilight then turned towards the laughing changeling queen. “Well, your time is numbered, Chrysalis. We have taken care of your minions on our way here.” “Please, you naïve foal.” Chrysalis said. “With my current level of power, I could have taken over the entire Equestria myself. But for your impudent attack, you must pay a price!” The changeling queen leapt forward, and shot a giant pulse of green magic towards the Mane Six. The mares immediately dodged, but the pulse hit the ground and caused a gigantic explosion, sending rubbles everywhere. The shockwave of the explosion alone knocked some of the mares onto the wall. “Hahaha! See? Your resistance is futile! Why don’t you all just be good ponies and climb into the cocoons yourselves?” “Never!” Rainbow Dash flew to Chrysalis at full speed and tackled her, while the others zigzagged forward and dodged Chrysalis’s attacks. Twilight then casted a bout of restraining magic on the legs of the changeling queen. But Chrysalis simply groaned, and her entire body glowed in phosphorescence. Her black carapace then radiated in brilliant green, and exploded in an extremely powerful shockwave of energy, knocking the mares backwards with great force. The mares yelped in pain, but Twilight used a cushioning spell to reduce their impact. She barely steadied herself and immediately casted a cluster of magic missiles surrounding Chrysalis in all direction. Rarity also fired her offensive magic and Pinkie Pie shot some projectiles out of her modified party cannon. However, the changeling queen didn’t even bother to dodge this time, and the attacks fell on her exoskeleton like dust on a glass pane. ‘Darn! Why is she so strong?’ Twilight gritted her teeth. ‘When will Cadance be re—?!’ Suddenly, a bright yellow sphere of magic flashed inside the room, momentarily attracting the attention of all combatants. Then Twilight saw Discord himself appearing in between them and the changeling queen, his arms crossed. “Discord!” Rarity gasped. “Thank goodness!” “Are you here to help us?” Applejack asked. “I know you’d come at the end, you’re our bestest friend!” Pinkie Pie grinned. “Come on!” Rainbow yelled. “We’re getting our plots kicked!” The changeling queen glared at Discord. “Who are you?” Discord bowed with a flourish. “The king of chaos, mischief paramount and one-time ruler of Equestria, Discord, at your service.” “You are Discord?!” The changeling queen hissed. “Aren’t you encased in stone by the accursed Celestia and Luna?” Discord ignored her, and simply walked in front of the panting Twilight and grinned. “I’ve been watching nearby the whole time… I only ask you.” Twilight widened her eyes and gasped, as she unconsciously took a step back. “Tell me what you hadn’t told me.” Discord plainly said. His doubt had been festering in his heart for the past moon, and he even began to seriously doubt the veracity of the so-called friendship he had with Twilight and her friends. Twilight grinded her teeth. She looked to the princesses and the changeling queen. She then looked to the ground, but she remained silent throughout. “Very well.” Discord frowned, as he began to walk towards the changeling queen. Chrysalis observed the draconequus, and she began to smirk. “You’ve made a wise choice, lord of chaos. Join me and you shall be rewarded with a slice of Equestria to do as you wish.” “No, you can’t be serious…” Rainbow Dash said. “Serious?” Discord turned and pointed at the purple mare, “It’s Twilight who’re not serious about our friendship! If we’re such true compadre, then why would she not tell despite all that I did?” The mares winced, and Twilight tried to plead. “Discord, I…” “I’m starting to think that this is just a show to keep me off from being what I am and doing what I want.” Discord said. “An imprisonment in another name.” “No, Discord, I’m—” “Despite our trust issues, you mares did do me a favor by releasing me from the stone and going far to prove that you would never use the Elements against me. For this, I’m not going to harm any of you.” Discord crossed his arms. “Discord…?” Chrysalis narrowed her eyes. “Do you want my help or not?” Discord whistled. “I only ask you not to hurt them too badly and give the control over these mares to me afterwards, you can do as you wish with everything else.” “… Fine.” Chrysalis huffed. “Discord!” Fluttershy pled. “Please don’t! We’re your friends!” “My words are final.” Discord then chortled. “You all are going to be my special little horsey playthings when I finally take back my rightful throne of chaos!” Discord then snapped his fingers. “Gah! Let go of me!” The mares turned to look at the source of the voice, and color began to drain from their faces. The chaos spirit had captured the pink Alicorn princess with his claws, and snatched her away from the half-conscious Shining Armor. “Now, I’ve done my part and neutralized their threat.” Discord said. “What threat?” Chrysalis asked. “Seriously?” Discord said, “You can be so thick sometimes. No wonder you got beaten from your homeland.” The chaos spirit then preempted the seething changeling queen. “They’re planning to distract you long enough to steal Shining Armor away and blast you and all your changelings away with a love spell.” “You traitor!” Cadance angrily shouted. “Oh, I’m so hurt, what’s-her-face.” Discord mocked. “… I see, you cunning ponies.” Chrysalis grinned. “But now your foolish plan is foiled.” The changeling queen began to fire off another volley of attack. The mares were too surprised at the turn of events, and dodged too slowly. They were summarily hit and knocked down to the ground in a pile of debris. “Watch out!” Discord scoffed. “You’ll break my toys!” Twilight struggled to rise above the rubbles, blood again streamed from her head and her body. She cursed her misjudgment about Discord’s thoughts and feelings. Was he wrong though to suspect her and her friends? She did come off as extremely reticent and shady with regards to her big secret. Discord was a spirit of a monotonic concept, chaos. He was practically forgoing his freedom and true nature in exchange of their good graces. And if she wasn’t true and good to him, what point there was for him to keep up with the veneer of uprightness? Twilight closed her eyes and smiled. “I—see, Discord.” She coughed, “… I don’t begrudge you for this.” Discord raised his eyebrows. Twilight then said, “But I must stop Chrysalis at all costs. Things turned to Tartarus because I’m too clever to be wise.” Twilight then lit up her horn. She teleported in front of the changeling queen. “Foolish fo—” Chrysalis sneered, as she prepared to fire another spell to deal with Twilight. But this time, Twilight was not using a physical attack. She stared right into the changeling queen’s eyes, and casted her mind magic. Chrysalis was stunned to see the purple mare try to engage her in a battle of minds. ‘You’re brave, little one.’ Chrysalis cackled in the mental space, ‘But stupid as well. I have the power of the whole hivemind, while you’re just a lone mare!’ ‘Well, you don’t know if you don’t try.’ Twilight grinded her teeth at the enormous mental pressure the changeling queen exerted. ‘Grr, you’re very tough yourself…’ Chrysalis was taken aback by the ramming assault at her own mind from Twilight. ‘A lone young mare like you shouldn’t have such strong mind magic!’ Twilight merely harrumphed and did not respond. Others in the room merely witnessed them locking heads in bright surging lights of white, purple and green. ‘Mha, mwahahaha!’ Chrysalis began to cackle as she started getting the better of Twilight, ‘You’re no match with me either in flesh or in mind!’ Twilight panted heavily as she felt the parameters of her mind were being knocked down. Sweats dripped from her forehead, as she realized that if she was really defeated by the changeling queen, Chrysalis might be able to extract things that she knew from her head. Terrible things would then befall Equestria. Twilight decided to stop this at all cost. She frantically searched her mind for a way to defeat Chrysalis whatever it took. Then suddenly, her attention turned to the vast caverns below her and the castle. Thousand years’ worth of raw magical energy was stored inside the caves. The ancient tome had been immersed in the enormous amount of magic in its eternal solitude. Twilight herself also made use of it to help build the long-range portal towards the inn to save Cadance. But if she concentrated her magic and casted a self-propagating spell, she might be able to detonate all the quiescent magical reserves among the cracks and rocks. Then the overpressure would trigger an enormous blast of magical explosion. Not even Chrysalis could withstand such a blast at close-range, Twilight thought. She ferociously grinned, and she forcefully clamped onto the much bigger figure of Chrysalis. Chrysalis struggled to shake off the purple pony, but Twilight immediately casted a spell and opened a magical circle beneath them. They then together plunged into the abyssal depths. “Twilight!” The mares yelled in shock. Chrysalis gritted her teeth, as she doubled her efforts to ram open Twilight’s mental defense. Twilight felt as if her mind was torn violently apart piece by piece, and her very self was being eaten away. However, she held the changeling queen with all her might, until they struck the bottom of the cave like two roaring meteorites. Twilight whizzed and reeled from the impact. She could not hold on much longer. She focused and tracked the natural magical flow within the cave, and she quickly located a spot suitable for her spell. She rolled and struggled with the changeling queen on the ground, but she managed to get close enough to squeeze out her last bit of magical energy and trigger the reaction. Suddenly the cave glowed in brilliant purple. Every crack and crevice lit up with lustrous white. “What was that?!” Chrysalis gasped, as she felt a colossal magic surge around her. “Oh, just a little fun I had with the latent magical reserve here.” Twilight grinned maniacally. “If I can’t win in a one-on-one fight, I’m taking you with me!” “Stop, you crazy—!” Chrysalis shouted, but it was cut short by a huge explosion. A sphere of pure whiteness engulfed both of them. The ground violently trembled, and rocks began to fall from the ceiling, but they were immediately blasted up again by the rapidly expanding ball of destructive magic. The mares on the ground could only hear booming noises, and a very powerful quake almost knocked the mares onto the floor. Then all of them witnessed the unbelievable scene as the Royal Garden in front of the main castle simply exploded into a giant fireball of magic. The changelings nearby were blasted away upwards, as the white and purple energy surged all the way to the top of the sky. The entire Canterlot shook as it was briefly engulfed by a blinding whiteness. The windows of the throne rooms were all broken by the violent shockwave. Even at a distance, the mares were still knocked back and fell ungraciously on the floor. Discord merely watched with a shocked expression and mouth agape, as he unconsciously dropped Cadance on the ground. The pink princess was too stunned either to react to her new-found freedom. When the explosion died down, nothing but a giant crater remained where a lush green garden had used to be. “That was Twilight’s magical signature!” Rarity gasped in horror. “What?!” Rainbow Dash said, “You don’t mean?!” The cyan mare immediately flew through the broken window and towards the destroyed Royal Garden. Tongues of flame licked her face, and the hotness was unbearable, but Rainbow Dash ignored her own discomfort and frantically searched for the sign of Twilight. But she could see nothing but smoke, rocks and debris. Cadance was the next to recover from the shock. She had a thousand curses to say to the draconequus whose action caused this terrible outcome, but she had to tend to those in need of help first. She stroked the face of her fiancé worriedly with her hooves, who was released from the thrall of the changeling queen and recovering. “Shining Armor!” Cadance yelled. “Are you alright?” “Wha—where... huh?” Shining Armor was disoriented. “What’s happening?” Cadance sniffled. “… An evil changeling queen called Chrysalis impersonated me and planned to take over the capital by feeding on your love. Your sister Twilight, though, saw through her plan. Chrysalis was defeated, but…” “But what?” Shining Armor asked. “Where’s Twily?” Cadance broke down in tears, and simply pointed towards the crater that was once the Royal Garden. Shining Armor opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He stepped back but stumbled, causing him to fall on a pile of rubbles. He pressed his eyes with his hooves so hard until he saw nothing but stars, then he opened his eyes, but the carnage in front of him remained. “Tell me it isn’t real…” Shining Armor muttered. “We… we haven’t even met or talked yet...” Cadance then turned to the frozen Discord. “You!” She angrily hissed, “I know I probably can’t match you in a fight, but by Celestia I will maim you for this!” Discord said nothing as he seemed to still be in deep shock. He simply wanted his freedom, and to turn his little ponies into his own playthings, and perhaps then make Twilight tell him her secret at last. He never wanted Twilight… like this. “What?” Shining Armor gasped. “What did he do?” “He held me up so that I couldn’t wake you and cast the protective spell with you together.” Cadance gritted her teeth. “So Twilight just attacked Chrysalis head-on and …” “You vile turncoat!” Shining Armor yelled at Discord in fury. “I’m going to rip you apart for this!” Shining Armor charged madly towards the chaos spirit, but suddenly, a yellow figure appeared in front of him. He barely braked and glared at the yellow pegasus. “What the hay are you doing? Get out of the way! I’ll avenge Twilight and rip this foul beast into pieces!” “Get a hold of yourself!” Fluttershy loudly yelled, which stunned the white stallion into some sort of clarity. “This is no time to play revenge! We should go and search for Twilight!” She turned and looked at Discord. “Discord. I… I don’t want to play the blame game now. If there’s a bit of affection left in your heart for her and us, then please join our search for Twilight.” Discord was silent for a long time as he processed Fluttershy’s words, but he eventually nodded, almost imperceptibly. The group then rescued the princesses from the cocoons and laid them to the floor, but they seemed to be unconscious. Not wanting to waste time waiting for the princesses to recover, the mares, Shining Armor and Discord rushed to the epicenter of the blast. Rainbow Dash was seen desperately crawling at the rocks and rubbles. “Twilight! Twilight!” She shouted repeatedly, so much so that her voice had become raspy. Rarity and Cadance both immediately lit their horns and casted the searching spell. Cadance even flew in circle above the site of explosion. But eventually, they shook their heads in defeat and dejection. Discord clasped his claws together, and a bright yellow glow emanated from them. The ground momentarily trembled, as the debris were lifted up from the ground with his magic. However, they promptly dropped back down as Discord sighed heavily. “… No. I can’t sense any of them.” Discord said quietly. “They’re not here… With the severity of the blast, they’re likely—” “No!!” Rainbow Dash stopped her hoof-digging, and tackled the spirit of chaos, “That’s not true!” Discord merely winced and turned his head aside. “Twilight… that’s one cruel joke yer makin’…” Applejack muttered. “Ah thought we’re supposed to do great things together...” “We have so much to do. You have so much to do.” Rarity bit her lips and sobbed, “How could you do this to us?” Pinkie Pie was simply crying so much that she couldn’t speak nor think clearly. Shining Armor knelt on the ground, as he sobbed. “Twily, why? Why?!” Suddenly, the princesses approached them in shaky gait. They were visibly shocked, sad and angry. “We heard everything…” Luna lowly hissed. “Twilight put all her faith on you.” Celestia gritted her teeth. “And this is how you pay her back?” “I knew you can’t be trusted!” Luna yelled, as she fired a bolt of magic towards Discord. Discord didn’t flinch, but he was stunned to see someone leap in front of him. “Argh!” Fluttershy reeled from the attack, as she was knocked into the arms of the chaos spirit. The princesses widened her eyes and gasped. “What are you doing, Fluttershy?” Luna yelped. Even Discord gazed at the pony in his arms with an aghast expression. “Why, Fluttershy?” Fluttershy simply wheezed in pain. “Enough with this already! Haven’t we seen enough senseless carnage today?!” Rarity said in between gritted teeth. “But he killed Twi—” “No!” Rainbow angrily shouted. “I’ll never believe Twilight’s dead until I see her with my own eyes!” “Rainbow Dash…” The princesses frowned at the cyan mare’s words. “… He will have to live with it for the rest of his life.” Applejack grimly said. “Besides, there’re nothing we can do to stop him anyway if he wants, now that Twilight’s… gone.” Discord looked to the orange mare, it was as if his heart was being torn to pieces by his crushing conscience. Wasn’t that the moment of freedom that he longed for? The Elements were now incomplete, with its centerpiece missing. Even if Twilight’s friends somehow managed to retrieve the Elements back from the Tree of Harmony, they would be useless. He could immediately go on a rampage and turn Canterlot into the chaos capital of the world right there and now, and no force in Equestria could have stopped him. But he never thought that his action would indirectly cause Twilight’s demise. At the very moment, Discord could only think about his time with the purple mare. Her happy face when they met, her fearful face when she was under his spell, her blushing face when he teased her, and her teary face at the Prench restaurant. Life with Twilight and her friends was not exactly exciting, but it had been blissful and fun. But now, he had ruined everything. Just because he’s mired in a bout of doubt and resentment about Twilight’s secret. It’s all moot now, since the mare had died with her own secret. “What have I done?” Discord muttered. “She was the first pony ever to show me kindness and respect… I never meant to… I…” The spirit of chaos sank to his feet. The surrounding ponies looked at him in sadness or glared at him with resentment. But none of them spoke a word as the draconequus finally collapsed in tears.