Twilight gasped in horror as Princess Celestia turned to stone. Her mind sprang back to this 'Tempest Shadow's comment on having all four princesses and realised what she had to do. As another sphere went hurtling towards Cadence, Twilight speed teleported next to her and teleport cast her to the throne room, then did the same for Luna.
As the two Princesses got to their hooves, other ponies flashed in, Rarity and Spike, Applejack and Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and a Rainbow Dash who was in the middle of furiously protesting, and finally Starlight Glimmer, along with an exhausted looking Twilight.
“...the big idea!”
“Please, Rainbow, for the love of Harmony and our friendship listen!” Twilight gasped. “Princess Luna, does the castle have any defences you can raise to prevent those Yeti things from getting in?”
“No, we must go out and fight these intruders, not abandon our subjects and cower like curs...”
“NO!" Twilight yelled at almost Royal Canterlot Voice levels, then shook her head and continued at a more reasonable voume. "That Tempest Shadow creature wants all four Princesses, she said so, and those orbs mean she can do it. We need to be smarter than that, and separating us so she can't is the first step. I have an actual plan, something I've been creating and updating since the Changeling invasion, but charging out there and getting captured isn't it.”
She cast a quick spell that sank into the walls and they glowed for a moment. “Alarm spell, so we'll know when they're coming.”
“So what is this plan?” Luna asked testily.
“You need to escape Canterlot, go rally the Night Guard and all the other cities of Equestria. Mobilise them, and prepare for a strike in three to four days. You'll be co-ordinating everything, along with my brother. I hope you'll have other forces there to command as well, even the Queen of the Hippos Celestia was telling you to find, whoever that is. She knew we couldn't stand as is.
Luna had calmed down after being reminded of her sister's words. "Hippogryphs. They were our allies back in olden times. They have powerful magic that may aid us."
“Excellent, we can use the help. Cadence, Pinkie, get to the Crystal Empire. Cadence, raise the shield, protect yourself and your kingdom and if you could spare my brother and a contingent of Crystal Guard, we could use them. Pinkie, get to Yakyakistan. Have Prince Rutherford send any Yak they can spare to help bolster the Crystal Empire force. We need big and stompy to counter those monsters, and you don't get bigger and stompier than a Yak.”
“Rainbow Dash, go east to Griffinstone as fast as you can. Griffons could help us against those airships. I'm hoping some, like Gilda, and Gabby will help out of friendship, but any who are still mercenary, make sure they know those airships are valuable property, and probably have valuables on them. If they take them, they can have them."
"Got it!" Rainbow saluted. "You want me to Rainboom these bozos?"
“Not until you come back. Once you start the attack, yes, but wait for the others. Fluttershy, Starlight, Ponyville. Starlight, go through the mirror and get our counterparts and Sunset Shimmer. Their super-powers may give us an edge. Fluttershy, find Discord. I don't know if those petrification orbs can take him down, but if he's forewarned, they shouldn't hit, and if they don't he's practically an army by himself.
“Rarity, Spike. You'll be going south, to the badlands. I saw how effective the Changeling hive was when they fought that Maulwurf. Please ask King Thorax for any help he can spare. Then get to the dragonlands and do the same thing for Dragonlord Ember. Like the griffons, I hope Ember's friendship will help, but can pay in gems for their help, and having even a few dragons on our side would be good.”
"Oh my, all that sun and sand will do my coiffure no good at all, but I will do it anyway, for Equestria!" Rarity gave her hair a dramatic shake.
“That's the basic plan, Equestria has made a lot of friends and allies, and I just hope that that friendship will help is now. Work out a plan of attack together, I don''t want to know it, so if I'm captured, I won't be able to tell.”
“Captured? What the hey will you be doing, sugarcube?” Applejack asked.
“I'm the decoy, the bait. I'll stay in Canterlot, keep their attention here.”
“No!” “You can't!” “Twilight!” The other ponies chorused their objections, but Twilight held up a hoof, adamant. "It's the only way to distract her from chasing you, or hurting the ponies of Canterlot."
The walls flashed red. “We're out of time! Go, quickly, escape through the Crystal caves, Cadence knows the way!”
Rainbow Dash looked around and grinned. “Okay Twi, we got this!”
A brief hug from the mane six and they obeyed. Less than a moment after they left the throne room, a shadow swept over the balcony, blocking out the light and throwing Twilight into darkness. Tempest Shadow emerged from it, her yes and horn glowing.
“Running away, Princess? And all your friends seem to have abandoned you. Where are the other Princesses, I saw you take them.”
“Far away. Long range teleport spell. And only I know where they are.” Her horn lit, and she dropped it to point at Tempest.
Tempest hoofed a capture stone. “Oh, how delightful, you want to fig...”
A statue of Celestia smashed into her, held in a purple glow, and slammed her into a wall.
It exploded into shards as Tempest's horn blasted it away, but Twilight had already vanished, leaving only and after-flash and a mocking laugh.
She staggered out into the throne room, limping, her face an expression of total fury. She turned to the yeti guards who'd come down the airship ramp after her. "Find her, the purple princess, Twilight Sparkle! Look everywhere, tear this city apart stone by stone if you have to, but find her!"