Twilight Sparkle and her friends hardly got any chance at finding the new element of kindness.
Just a few days after Princess Celestia and Princess Luna had given Twilight the task of finding him or her, something strange happened, something that would signal a new era in Equestrian history.
One day, the cutie map called everypony to Canterlot. Apparently, there was a friendship problem there. The mane six and Starlight packed their bags and jumped on the train towards Canterlot. Once they arrived at the shiny capital of Equestria, they couldn’t stop giggling and guessing what the friendship problem might be. They found it strange that in such a beautiful city a friendship problem might find a chance to root itself like weed. Together, they walked over the broad main street towards the city center, overshadowed by the glorious Canterlot Castle.
What the main six and Starlight found was no friendship problem. It was something much greater than they could ever expect. They found war.
“What in tarnation is that?!”
Applejack pointed at a crack. Not a crack in glass, not a crack in the stone, but a crack in the very world. The enormous rip shimmered in a dazzling light. It grew wider and wider. An ominous sound came from it. Everypony stopped and looked at Twilight, expecting to get an answer.
But Twilight didn’t look back. Her gaze was glued to the crack. “I… I don’t know…”
The sound swelled in volume. It sounded like the buzzing of a million insects. Twilight and her friends stopped and stared at the widening crack. As they did, they saw that more and more ponies joined them. Ponies opened their windows or their doors, wondering what was going on. Ponies stepped outside and gathered in a crowd, staring at the strange sky.
The first changelings appeared. They wore dark red harnesses. Their blades and spikes gleamed and glittered in the sun. Their eyes were full of cold, murderous fire.
And after the first few ranks had passed through the portal, their queen followed. Queen Chrysalis looked contently at her super changelings that made up the front line, and when she looked over her shoulder, she could see the millions of other changeling infantry soldiers which stood at the ready—ready to conquer.
Twilight and her friends were glued to the ground. A cold shiver of terror brought back a déjà vu feeling. This was the third time the changelings had attempted an invasion, and they all realized that they couldn’t have picked a better time. Now the elements of harmony were one short. They were at a loss of kindness. They were weakened.
But then, through the hordes of changelings pouring out of the portal, Pinkie spotted something. She smiled. “Don’t worry everypony, look!” She pointed at the wall of black and green. A strange, multicolored figure could be seen, skulking behind Queen Chrysalis in the air.
“Look everypony, it’s Discord,” Pinkie said. “He’s right behind that evil-gleeful Queen Chrysalis. He’s going to save us all!” Pinkie imagined Discord grabbing Chrysalis, summoning a rope, and bind her wings and legs tight while he held her upside down. Then, Discord would put her down and present her to them as a neat birthday present. But when Pinkie saw that her fantasy didn’t come true, she started second guessing herself.
The rest of her friends kept observing the scene, and narrowed their eyes. “Eh, Pinkie,” Starlight Glimmer said, “I… don’t think Discord is on our side.”
“Aw!” Pinkie exclaimed. “Does that mean we aren’t friends anymore?”
Starlight looked again at the incoming invasion. “I’m afraid so, Pinkie. I’m afraid so.”
**
“Sister! There is a great disturbance,” Luna said, pointing through the windows.
Celestia nodded. “I could sense them. They have come again, and they have come for Equestria.”
Princess Celestia walked towards the wall of the throne hall.
“My sister, what are you doing? We must stop them!”
“Yes,” Princess Celestia said, “but first, you have to see this.”
She pressed a hidden panel on the checkered floor tiles, and the wall opened. Luna raised her eyebrows and followed her sister inside.
It was but a small chamber. To the left was a little, round alcove. Light streamed into it from high windows, illuminating a strange orb. Luna couldn’t look at the orb. Every time she glanced at the thing, she felt as if someone tugged at her soul. She wanted in that orb. She shrugged off the strange feeling and looked to the right. There were mannequins bearing plate armor, one set made of polished gold, and the other made of dark silver.
“This is the chamber of things I hoped never to use again,” Princess Celestia said. “Behind you is an object that must not fall into the wrong hooves, or else the results might be disastrous.”
“Why are we here?” Luna said.
“For this.” Princess Celestia lifted a piece of plate armor from the mannequin. “I had hoped that there would never be any need to use these again, but I know that in the battle that will unfold, we need all the protection we can get.”
Luna looked at her sister; her sister looked back. Then they both nodded, and turned towards the armor-clad mannequins.
**
The citizens of Ponyville realized what was going on. They started yelling, running, seeking the safety of their homes. Luckily, the changelings didn’t attack them yet. No, this force of changelings, these stormtroopers, were a coordinated assault; a surgical strike upon the heart of Equestria: Canterlot Castle.
Queen Chrysalis looked down at the frightened population of Canterlot. “Look, Discord,” she said, smiling. “Soon, this will all be ours. Every single pony down there will belong to me, and my family will have enough love to feed on for millennia!”
“Yes…” Discord said, but his tone was wavering. He flapped his wings but slowly, and his lanky body was hunched over, as if the draconequus constantly looked down. Discord found it hard to think clearly. It felt as if there were giant holes in his mind. For two years he had fed off Chrysalis’s love and illusions. Two years he had found solace in these illusions. Illusions of Fluttershy. Discord and his imaginary Fluttershy had done such wonderful things the past two years, but after every illusion, Discord felt more and more drained. Soon, he could only handle but one illusion a day. Both his heart and his mind couldn’t take more than one. Now the moment had come, but he was not exactly in tip-top condition.
“Look sharp, draconequus,” Queen Chrysalis said, as she threw a quick glance at Discord. “Join me in glorious battle, and afterwards, you can have all the Fluttershy you want. Memory amplifications, illusions, scenes, hugs, you name it.”
Discord looked up. His neck let out a cracking sound. “R-r-really?”
Putting a wing on the draconequus’s bent back, Chrysalis said, “Really.”
**
Down below, Rainbow Dash became anxious for action. “Why do we keep staring like this? Why aren’t we doing anything?”
Applejack looked at her friend. “I feel what you feel, Rainbow Dash, but just look at the size of that army.”
Several thousand changelings already cluttered the skies in a black and green cloud. And the portal was still open. There was just no end to them.
Twilight turned around. “Applejack is right, Rainbow Dash. Only Starlight, you, and I can fly up there, and you know we are stronger together. We are already one element short, so splitting up is not a good idea.”
“And even if we would fly up there,” Starlight said, “I doubt we can make much of a difference against a whole army.”
Rainbow Dash’s scowl turned into an expression of pure desperation, as she realized that Starlight was right. What in Equestria could they do against a whole army, especially if there were only six of them?
Applejack laid a hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, sugar cube. As soon as the fight comes to us, we will give them everything we have.”
Snorting, Rainbow Dash nodded. She hoped that she would meet the queen on the battlefield, and Discord too. “I just can’t believe that sea snake is our enemy again.”
Rarity had a strange feeling in her stomach, as if she fell down from a great height. As she reached the bottom of the abyss, a cold haze got to her mind. “So this is what he was preparing for…” she whispered.
“Wait, what are you talking about?” Rainbow Dash said.
And as the battle unfolded, Rarity told all her friends about her conversation with Discord as quickly as she could.
**
“Ma, dad, there are changelings!”
Raspberry Trick’s house was a few blocks away from the center of town, but that didn’t stop Raspberry from grabbing some binoculars and look at the incoming army in the skies.
Carrey and Building Block joined their son at the window. Carrey’s mouth fell open with disbelief, and she started to shiver. Building Block looked at the army with a scowl on his face. He wasn’t that scared, but he was certainly surprised.
“Oh my…” Carrey whispered.
“Looks like we have a fight on our hooves,” Building Block said.
Raspberry Trick put the binoculars down and turned around. “I gotta help them! I gotta help defend Equestria.”
He wanted to run, but his dad stopped him with a big hoof. “Whoa there, son. Did you see how big that army is?”
“Yeah,” Raspberry said, “and that’s why they will need every hoof they can get.”
“Little Raspberry, it is much safer if you stay indoors,” his mother said. “It will be much safer for all of us.”
“Listen to your mother, son,” Building Block said.
“Only the princesses can save us,” Carrey said, her voice the barest hint of a sound.
Raspberry Trick tried to find a way to get through his father’s massive hoof. “But I’m sure everypony stays indoors and cowers like that. I don’t wanna. I wanna fight for the land I love.”
With a grunt, Building Block said, “Don’t try to be a hero, Raspberry. The land of Equestria has heroes enough. And sometimes, adventures don’t end so well for the hero.”
Suddenly, Trick saw a gap. He ducked down, rolled, and jumped to his hooves.
“Raspberry!”
But Raspberry Trick was already in the living room. “I don’t want to be a hero, mom and dad.”
His father wanted to jump after him, but he knew that his son was much too quick to catch. He could only hope to talk him out of it. “But what do you wanna be then, son?”
Raspberry Trick bolted towards the door. Before he vanished, he shouted, “A soldier!”
**
Princess Celestia and Princess Luna truly looked like warhorses. They were clad from horn to hoof in their armor, and they clattered with musical metal sounds as they walked towards the window. As soon as they reached it, the captain of the royal guard burst into the throne hall.
“Your highnesses. We have gathered everypony we could muster. Every soldier is awaiting your command.”
“Protect the ponies of Canterlot, captain,” Princess Celestia said. “Protect them and keep them safe, no matter the cost. Make sure they will be spared of a terrible fate.”
“And stay in formation,” Princess Luna said. “The changelings don’t know our Equestrian tactical formations, so if you see anypony who only slightly deviates from our formations, attack him, for it will be a changeling.”
The captain saluted. “Wise words, your highnesses.” He turned around and galloped away.
**
Raspberry Trick knew where he needed to go. He needed to gear up, to prepare himself for battle. He headed towards the Canterlot Archery club.
It was closed. Raspberry Trick banged with his hooves on the door. “Open, open, for Celestia’s sake!”
“Raspberry?” a voice said.
“Nockle! Open up!”
The door opened. Raspberry Trick galloped inside.
“Raspberry, I’m so glad you’re here. Do you have any idea what is happening?” Nockle said.
But Raspberry Trick was much too busy to answer. He grabbed the ancient chainmail hauberk that hung on the wall as decoration, slipped it on, and headed towards the bow rack. It was locked.
“Nockle! Get over here and open the damn rack!”
For a moment, Nockle Stringer stood aghast. “But… what are you going to do?”
Raspberry shot her a look, then banged with his hooves on the rack. “Fight, Nockle. I’m going to fight. Now come on! Open the latch!”
His panicky voice was not a question, but a command. Flabbergasted, Nockle Stringer walked over to the rack, fumbled for the keys, and opened it. “Raspberry, don’t do any stupid things, please. I don’t want to lose you.”
But Nockle’s words reached only deaf ears. Feverishly, Raspberry Trick reached for a compound bow, attached a scope to it, and slung a quiver of black, freshly sharpened arrows over his shoulder.
“Raspberry, please!” Nockle felt her knees wobble. She almost fell down, but then the strong wing of Raspberry Trick kept her from falling, as he stopped. He looked into Nockle’s eyes. “Don’t worry,” he said softly, and pecked Nockle on her muzzle. “I will come back.”
There was nothing more Nockle could do or say; Raspberry Trick was already gone.
**
“And so we meet on the battlefield,” Chrysalis said, as she saw Celestia and Luna approaching. As they reached her, they stopped and hung in mid-air at the same height as she.
“Equestria shall never come under Changeling rule,” Princess Luna said.
Chrysalis scoffed. “And what do I need to prove my point, then? A million more changelings? That can be arranged.”
Indeed, the portal hadn’t closed yet. The changelings were still pouring in.
Celestia took a moment to observe the situation. Needless to say, they were hopefully outnumbered. For every Canterlot citizen there were a dozen changelings. But the changeling army could be dealt with later. Chrysalis had to be defeated first.
“With my new and powerful ally, nothing can stop me, not even the princesses themselves!” Chrysalis said, her voice full of wrath. She restrained herself from opening the attack on the princesses—barely. “You claim you are goddesses, divine and immortal and indestructible. Today, Canterlot will witness how wrong that is.” With a few flaps of her wings, she flew higher than the princesses. “The age of ponies is over. The age of the changelings has come!”
And with that, she charged up her horn for a blast, reached back, and launched.
But Celestia and Luna had expected as such, so they swooped over the beam, and split up.
Now it was Celestia’s turn. She charged up, and shot.
Missed. Chrysalis made a looping with a few flaps of her wings. Her eyes darted about, trying to follow the princesses’ movements. She flicked her head. Her horn glowed green, and a wave of green fire traveled through the sky.
The princesses barely managed to avoid that swipe. They had to backpedal, and their distance grew.
Discord, meanwhile, did nothing. He just hovered there, looking through dreary eyes at the battle in the sky.
“Draconequus! Do something!” Chrysalis yelled.
Discord looked up and snapped his claws. Out of thin air, transported there from another world, a few batteries of anti-air missiles appeared. With another snap of his claw, they opened fire.
That was something neither of the princesses expected. In an eyeblink, the sky became filled with explosions and fire and smoke. They had to zigzag and barrel roll and loop through the air, in order to escape the missiles. One missile almost hit Luna, but she changed direction with a wild flap of her wings. Before her, the missile exploded, but the shrapnel bounced off her armor. She recovered her balance, searching for her opponent. She couldn’t spot Chrysalis, but she could see her sister flying beneath her.
“Sister, are you—“
Princess Celestia shot upwards, aiming with her horn for Luna’s heart. Not a second too late, Luna realized whom she was dealing with. She bent her head down, and their horns clashed in midair.
Chrysalis dropped the disguise. Queen and princess were locked together, horn-to-horn.
That gave Princess Celestia an opportunity to fire. As quick as the wind that bore her, she charged a magical lance, and fired it at the changeling queen.
Letting out a shriek of pain, Chrysalis tumbled down the skies. But just as she was about to hit the ground, she fluttered her insectoid wings and rose again, albeit with a steaming hole in her side.
As she reached the proper altitude, Chrysalis wobbled. Her wings lost track of the rhythm. Pain left her mind foggy. She threw a vicious glance at Discord, and yelled in anger and desperation, “Help me!”
Discord turned his head, noticed the injured queen and the gaping, smoking hole she bore, and snapped his claws. A big tube of burn ointment appeared above her, and with another snap of his claws, Discord let the ointment stream out of it.
Before Chrysalis could scream against Discord, the sticky, viscous ointment covered her. Her wings were glued together. She couldn’t move. With a terrifying shriek, she tumbled down the skies.
Celestia and Luna looked for a moment at Discord, wondering on which side he actually stood, and then spiraled downwards.
With a wet splash, Chrysalis fell down. Had Chrysalis had bones, she surely would have broken some. But that didn’t stop her from feeling the pain race through her body. Her vision became cloudy. She couldn’t even see the princesses, as they hovered a pony’s length above her.
In a moment of desperation, driven by an impulse, Queen Chrysalis summoned a magical beam from her horn and waved it around.
But the Princesses were undaunted. Both of them concentrated. The magic swirled around them, absorbing Chrysalis’s ray of dark magic with a protective shield. A few flaps of their wings brought them closer to their enemy. Then they stopped again.
They hesitated. Both Celestia and Luna were not prepared to kill. They never had to. Not even Chrysalis, after she had taken over Canterlot, had killed Celestia and Luna. They both hesitated. They knew that killing was wrong, and that it went against every fiber in their nature. They looked at each other, silently pondering what to do.
That was an opportunity Chrysalis had been waiting for. She saw that she was in big trouble, and despite the pain, she managed to pull an ace out of her sleeve. “FEED, MY CHILDREN,” she shouted. “FEED! THIS IS WHY YOU CAME HERE. FEED UPON EVERY LITTLE PONY’S LOVE. LEAVE NOPONY BEHIND!”
The changeling army, which had stood idly by, heard enough. They buzzed down, aiming for the citizens of Canterlot, ready to feed and destroy.
The cold realization dawned to Celestia and Luna. The army! They had been so absorbed in their battle, that they had forgotten about the army of millions! But there was nothing they could do about that. What could two ponies do against millions and millions of vicious insects? Nothing.
Screams and yells erupted everywhere, as the changelings broke open homes, chased ponies in the streets, and gave in to their lust. Their lust for love. The royal guards marched into the city, which had transformed into a battleground, and tried to hold them up. They fired magical rays of burning energy, hurled spears, or shot bows. But the changelings easily outnumbered them. Soon, the royal guards found their formations breached, their weapons blunted, and their tactics destroyed. Such a savage power went behind the changeling attacks, that even the orderly and disciplined royal guard was defenseless. No, the Canterlot citizens were left to fend for themselves.
**
One pony was ready for them: Raspberry Trick. He flew around Canterlot from street to street, searching for the fight.
A changeling stood over a poor mare, ready to feed on her love. Raspberry grabbed his bow, and in one fluent motion, he reared up his hind legs, nocked an arrow, and let it fly.
With a squeal, the changeling received the arrow in his chest. The point stuck out on the other side, and the momentum of the shot made it topple backwards.
Raspberry Trick galloped towards the mare, helped her up, and ushered her into one of the houses.
Another yell made Trick swivel his ears backwards. There was another attacker. He stood, nocked, shot.
And down went the changeling, no match for Trick’s sharp skills with the bow.
A grim smile played at Raspberry Trick’s lips. Strange though as it may sound, he was actually enjoying this. He never had the chance to shoot at moving targets before.
“Boy, is this fun!”
Something clicked inside Trick’s mind. It was a strange feeling, but at the same time, it wasn’t. He had had this feeling before, when he got his cutie mark. He was not just an archer; he was a soldier. Somehow, Trick knew this was what he was meant to do, grisly though as it sounded. He could be either a hunter or a soldier. Trick already knew which of the two he was.
The smile didn’t leave his face, as he flew around, looking for his next target.
There was a stallion, walking slowly backwards as the changelings advanced on him. Soon, he bumped against a wall with his flank. He was cornered and surrounded.
TWANG! TWANG! TWANG! TWANG!
Trick’s bow spoke, his arrows sang. The four changelings dropped to the ground. The stallion ran away. Raspberry Trick walked towards the fallen changelings, taking the time to observe them. He nodded to himself. “Nice shots.”
All of the changelings had arrows sticking out of their hearts. All of them had died of the same wounds. Raspberry’s aim was true. He crouched down, yanked the arrows out of the dead changelings, wiped them off their black skin, and put them back in his quiver.
As he launched himself into the air and looked around, he saw another duel being fought. One changeling and one royal guard were in the middle of a savage fight. The changeling showed its teeth, and prepared to jab them into the guard’s neck.
With a whistling sound, Trick’s arrow came in first.
The guard scrambled up from underneath the dead changeling. With eyes full of disbelief, he looked from the body to Raspberry Trick and back. “Wow… nice shot.”
“Thanks,” Trick said, shouldered his bow, and took to the skies again. He heard the raw voice of battling guards, and swooped into the next fight.
Another changeling, this one clad in red armor, was standing before a whole cohort of soldiers. The soldiers lowered their spears and pointed them at the creature. A standoff.
Trick was still filled up with the adrenaline and the thrill of battle. He took no notice of the different appearance of the changeling. For him, it was just another target which needed to die. Simple as that.
With a surge of magic from the changeling’s long, barbed horn, all of the guard’s spears lost their tips and flew away.
Raspberry Trick saw that through the scope of his compound. He paused to blink. Whoa! What was that?!
With a shrug, Trick drew his wing back, and let his arrow fly towards its mark.
In a lightning fast motion, the changeling turned around. Its horn glowed, and it caught the arrow mid-flight in a field of sickly green levitation magic.
“What?!”
That was all Raspberry could think, as the changeling grinned, flipped his arrow over, and launched it back towards the archer.
A train of pain traveled through Raspberry’s leg, through his chest, through the rest of his body. The arrow went straight through him. In the shock that followed the injury, Trick looked around, and saw the arrow sticking out of a tree. It still glowed with the changeling’s magic, and it had totally ignored the chainmail vest. As Trick looked down, he saw the fountain of blood which spurted from the wound, and a green glow. The arrow had hit an artery.
“Good shot,” Trick said. He tried to do a step towards the changeling. His hoof splashed in the growing puddle of blood. Blood loss overcame him. Shock overcame him. Pain overcame him. Raspberry Trick fell to the ground.
**
Meanwhile, Twilight Sparkle and her friends tried to help as much as they could. They stayed together, and helped ponies find their relatives, their homes, or some sort of shelter or safety. All of them had déjà vu moments to the Canterlot wedding, when the armies of the changelings attacked the citizens of Canterlot after the shield had dropped. They once again had to save them.
“Princess Twilight! Princess Twilight!”
Twilight’s ears perked up. There were ponies who needed her. “This way, everypony,” she said, as she galloped towards the source of the cry.
Building Block and Carrey were waving their hooves. Twilight and her friends came to a halt.
“My son! My son!” Carrey cried. “He went to fight the changelings. You have to find him! You have to keep him safe!”
“What does your son look like?” Twilight said, putting a hoof on the mare’s in an attempt to calm her down.
“He’s about this high, with a dark red coat and a black mane,” Building Block said. He looked at all of Twilight’s friends. “Please… please find him.”
“On it,”Rainbow Dash said, and took to the sky.
**
“No. No!” From up high, Celestia and Luna could easily oversee the horrible battle that raged through all of Canterlot. Everywhere in the city, changelings were feeding, and ponies were fighting or running for their lives. The royal guard was in disarray. They had no idea who was a changeling and who wasn’t. It was a level of chaos Discord would be impressed of.
The draconequus had realized his mistake, and had Chrysalis up and flying again after some quick healing words.
“Look at them, puny princesses,” Chrysalis said, waving her hoof at the chaos below. “This is the new order of things. This is how Canterlot will look like from now on. There’s nothing you can do. The feeding fest has already begun. Soon we will have every single drop of love and friendship in Equestria. My armies will never end!”
Still, there were changelings flying through the portal. What Chrysalis said was true.
Chrysalis let out a cackling laugh, a boast of its own. “I hold your entire city hostage. I hold the entire land of Equestria hostage. Give up now, or my minions will never stop.”
Celestia and Luna realized that Chrysalis was right. No matter how much they tried to fight, the population of Canterlot would suffer nonetheless. They were at an impasse. The princesses thought and waged Chrysalis’s words. They realized that every second thinking was a second in which the changelings could terrorize the Canterlot citizens. But what should they do?
We cannot give up, Luna thought to her sister, using a magical spell to communicate telepathically.
But we have to do something. Celestia thought, we can’t let this happen. This must end as soon as possible.
“I suggest a truce,” Chrysalis said. “You give yourselves to me, and I will stop the changeling attack.” For now…
She will not keep her word, Luna thought.
I know, but our sacrifice might divert Chrysalis’s attention away from the Canterlot ponies. It might give them time, and maybe even respite.
That was what Princess Celestia hoped.
I say we attack her one more time, Luna thought.
With what?
Remember when I turned into Nightmare moon?
They didn’t need to think a single word more. Celestia knew what Luna meant.
**
“I see a red pony with a bow and arrow.”
“That’s him!” Carrey cried out.
Rainbow Dash looked down. “He’s lying on the ground a few blocks away from here.”
Building Block grumbled a curse. “Then let’s go!”
They moved through the streets, which were swarmed with changelings, looking for somepony to feed on. As they saw Twilight and her friends, they occasionally tried an attack, but soon found that they were outmatched. Rainbow Dash flew around and punched them wherever it hurt. Applejack bucked for all she was worth, launching changelings here and there. And Pinkie Pie let her party cannon do the talking, sending changelings flying with confetti in their mouths.
There, on the streets, lay Raspberry Trick. But there was something else too.
“Don’t worry, everypony, I got this,” Rainbow Dash said, and swooped to meet the changeling that had struck Trick down.
She didn’t see that this changeling was bigger than the others, and had gleaming red armor wrapped around itself. She didn’t see that its horn glowed and that its teeth were twice as long and twice as sharp.
Nevertheless, Rainbow Dash’s hooves connected with the changeling’s jaw, and then rebounded. Rainbow Dash felt as if she had just punched a metal wall. A burst of pain sprouted from her hoof and bloomed through her whole body. She did manage to fly to her friends, but then landed and fell down.
Applejack took Rainbow’s place. Before the changeling had time to recover, she dashed, turned around, and bucked.
It had no effect. Applejack tumbled forwards and rolled back towards her friends. Her hind hooves hurt, and she grimaced in pain. “Argh! Sorry, y’all.”
The changeling had seen enough. It let its horn shine, aimed, and fired.
Everypony rolled, ducked, flew, or jumped aside, and the beam hit empty air.
“Huh?” Twilight said, “changelings can’t do that!”
The changeling turned towards Twilight, and fired a second bolt.
With a flap of her wings, Twilight shot into the air. She had seen that her friends’ attacks had no effect, but they hadn’t tried everything yet. A purple glow illuminated her horn. “Well, I can do magic too, you know?” Twilight said, before she unleashed her spell.
It hit home. The changeling staggered backwards, electricity sizzling through its body. It rocked once, twice, and then fell to the ground, where it lay unmoving.
Raspberry’s mother uttered a cry at seeing her son bloodied and hurt on the ground. “No!” She quickly tore off a piece of fabric from her dress, and pressed it against the grievous wound through the iron rings of the chainmail. She tried to keep the pressure on the wound, but could barely see her own hoof through eyes cloudy with tears. She noticed that the wound had strange, green tendrils wrapped around it. That could mean that Trick was either poisoned, or that the wound was infected. Carrey didn’t dare to guess. Her tears mingled with her son’s blood.
“Stay strong, son. Stay strong,” his father said, keeping Trick’s hoof in his own. It was all he could do.
Raspberry Trick felt as if his head were empty, and could hover away from him. “Mom… Dad…” He could see his parents’ concerned gazes through his cloudy eyes. He felt the piece of clothing against his wound, and the pain that went with it. He saw his mother’s familiar, concerned expression. He felt his father’s massive hoof in his own. Trick was tired. Dead tired. He also saw some other ponies. One of them was Princess Twilight, he realized. The princess herself was here to help him, but Trick also realized that there would soon be no Trick to help. His life drained out of him. He found it strangely ironic that the thing he loved most in life, archery, had proven to be his downfall. He hoped he could still shoot in the afterlife.
Suddenly, Rainbow Dash swooped towards the stallion. She had learned some practical first aid tricks at the Wonderbolt Academy. Now was the time to put them to use. Carrey briefly looked up, as Rainbow Dash ripped another piece of fabric off her dress. Dash zipped towards a tree and back, holding a stick in her mouth. She was going to make a tourniquet, before it was too late.
“Stay strong, son, stay strong,” his father said, over and over again. He cursed and scowled. Tears streamed down his cheeks. He refused to let go.
But Trick couldn’t hear his father’s voice anymore. All voices went strangely quiet. He tried to fill the quiet in with his own voice—one last time. “M-m-mom… D-d-dad…”
Trick’s voice was as soft as a whisper. Trick’s parents listened to their son’s words, knowing that they may well be the last ones they would ever hear from him.
“What is it, son?” his father said. “Tell us.”
Raspberry Trick swallowed. A shiver went over his body. His voice came out of his mouth ragged, deformed by the shock and the hemorrhage and the poison. “I… I’m sorry. I-I-I love you a-a-all. D-d-do you… do you know that?”
Carrey gave up on her efforts to stop the wound from bleeding; her rag was soaked with red. She looked for her son’s eyes, which seemed to look to nowhere. “Yes, my little pony. We know that.”
Raspberry Trick couldn’t feel his head anymore. His neck went limp. His head fell down to the ground.
**
Princess Celestia knew what Luna meant. With a few flaps of her mighty, snowy white wings, she soared up into the sky. Higher and higher and higher. Princess Luna joined as well. She didn’t leave her sister’s side. She knew she could help her casting the spell.
Chrysalis eyed them suspiciously. What were they going to do? “You cannot best me, ‘gods,’” she said. “I hold your entire city hostage. I only have to give my children the kill command, and then there will be nothing left to save but a dead city. A dead city in a dying land.”
But the princesses were not going to let it come to that. Celestia spiraled ever higher. Then she reached her apex. The princess of the sun spread her wings, looking like a ghostly figure in front of the golden sun. Her eyes shimmered like a solar flare. She looked at her enemy, and closed her eyes.
The magic she drew on came directly from the sun. The golden globe in the sky amplified her magic a thousand times. Celestia felt the warmth of the sun changing to energy, felt the energy changing to magic. She took it all in, bottling it up inside her heart. She kept calling on the magic. Calling, calling, collecting, collecting. The magic surged through her whole body. Her mane waved. Their rainbow colors shone. Finally, Celestia absorbed as much magic as she could, but she wasn’t done yet.
Princess Luna saw what her sister was doing. She called upon her powers as well. Although she was the princess of the moon, she did everything she could to help her sister. Princess Luna summoned magic of her own. Like a silver wave, she sent it directly to Celestia, who absorbed all of it and added the magic of the moon to her magic of the sun.
Upon seeing such a display of power, Queen Chrysalis actually swallowed something. She realized that she was seeing the full might of the two princesses, the two rulers of Equestria. She realized that she was facing her enemy in full swing. Quickly, Chrysalis threw a glance at Discord, who watched it all with dreary eyes. But he wasn’t lethargic; he was waiting.
Celestia was supercharged and ready. She let out a scream, directed the incredible flow of magic towards her horn, focused it at the very tip, and unleashed the same spell she had used on her sister so long ago: the banishing spell.
Time seemed to slow down. The arrow of pure, unbridled alicorn magic soared through the sky, illuminating it like a second sun. She could never outfly this lance of energy; this godly wrath.
Chrysalis knew that she had lost. As she gazed at the incoming magic, her eyes searing, she realized that it was over. She realized that she was about to be turned to ash and rain down upon the castle of Canterlot like fine, black rain. Her children would be queenless, and would be in disarray. Perhaps they would fight on, but most likely they would retreat, find a cold, secluded place to live the rest of their lives in sorrow and defeat. It was over.
Or perhaps not?
At the last second, at the very last second, Discord sprang into action. He summoned magic of his own, focused it into the tips of his claws, and snapped them.
It looked so simple; almost comical. An enormous mirror, the kind you see in funfairs which distort your image and make it look taller or fatter, appeared in front of Chrysalis’s muzzle. Even Chrysalis was surprised. Her vision became obstructed by the mirror. She felt it heat up, becoming like a white hot, iron plate in front of her face. She didn’t dare to move.
Chrysalis couldn’t see how the magic rebounded off the enormous mirror, shooting high into the sky and towards the clouds. She couldn’t see the startled faces of the princesses as they watched their magic fly away.
Higher and higher the magic soared. Until it reached the clouds. The magic didn’t cut through the clouds, but merged with them. The clouds began to shine with a golden glow. Electricity sparkled off of them. They looked kind of gorgeous, but also frightening. They were brimming with power.
And then it happened; thunder and lightning. The clouds, heavy with the magic infused in themselves, drifted lower, closer to Equestrian soil. Lightning struck down in Canterlot. Thunder rattled through the streets. With every lightning bolt that struck, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna winced. Their attack had failed, and instead, it had brought even more ruin to the city of Canterlot.
**
Twilight, her friends, and Trick’s parents were too busy trying to save the bleeding red pony. They could still see that his eyes twitched underneath his closed eyelids, so he had to be still alive. They all wondered for how long.
Suddenly, all the light grew in intensity, as if the sun lowered itself to the ground. Everypony looked up, seeing the glowing, sizzling thundercloud drift down.
Another lightning bolt escaped from the cloud, followed by a terrible thunderclap. The bolt reached the ground. The lightning struck right in front of everypony, making their eyes want to yell and take cover. Everypony flew everywhere. Some of them hit walls; others trees; and some ponies flew far away from the explosion of light. Strangely enough, the bolt wasn’t hot at all, but it was still as powerful as the fiercest shockwave from the fiercest explosion. For a brief moment, nopony had an idea where they were or why or how. They did their best not to lose consciousness. Luckily, they succeeded at that, and fell to the ground. But it still took them quite a long time to regain their wits.
Twilight Sparkle scrambled to her hooves. She was covered in bruises, and wobbled on her legs. Slowly, she did a few steps forwards. She had to make sure that everypony was okay. After a lot of yelling and searching, she was able to gather them all in the middle of the street. The first thing they did was stop and stare at the glowing cloud high above them. Occasional flashes of lightning spiraled downwards upon Equestrian soil. Slowly, the behemoth moved further and further away from them, and they didn’t stop staring at it until it had completely passed away.
“What in tarnation was that?!” Applejack said.
Twilight looked doubtful. “I don’t know, but I do know that it is gone, and that it is no immediate threat anymore.”
“Twilight, look at that!”
She followed Starlight’s hoof to a ring of ash and crumbled stone in the middle of the street, and at the exact same spot the family of three had just been.
Twilight Sparkle gasped. “Oh my! What happened to them?”
Taking off her hat, Applejack said, “I… I think they’re gone. Struck dead by the lightning.”
A bucket load of questions assaulted Twilight’s mind. “But why aren’t we? We were just as close to that explosion as they were. Why aren’t we… dead?”
But the answers to those questions had to wait. Starlight Glimmer tapped her hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “Eh, Twilight? We are one pony short.”
Jerking her head around, Twilight started counting heads. Then she saw what Starlight Glimmer was talking about. “Where is Rainbow Dash?”
**
The princesses had no idea what to think. With another snap of his claws, Discord dispelled the mirror, and Chrysalis, Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna came to face each other again. There was an almost awkward silence. One second, two seconds, three seconds, and then Princess Celestia tumbled down the skies.
Princess Luna was tired too, but not as tired as her sister. Where she had only helped in casting the spell, Celestia had been a vessel of pure magical energy. Of course she was drained. Celestia lost consciousness as she fell, but luckily, Luna was there to catch her. She swooped down, stuck out her hooves and caught her sister. Then she slowly hovered over and landed on the roof of Canterlot Castle.
Shaking her head, Queen Chrysalis looked down upon her foes. The tide had turned. Princess Celestia was immobilized, and her sister was dead tired. She could see her panting, her chest heaving. She knew she had won.
She had won!
Her mouth opened, and a burst of cackling laughter filled the air, becoming almost as loud as the raging, magical thunderstorm. The laughter smashed all hope the Canterlot citizens had. The ones that were still on the streets, and the changelings too, looked up at the queen. The changelings took a break terrorizing the Canterlot ponies, allowing them a small chance of escape, which some of them took.
“HAIL QUEEN CHRYSALIS!” they shouted, raising their hooves in the air towards their ruler—the ruler of Equestria.
Chrysalis waited, enjoying every minute of her glorious victory. She cast a glance towards Discord, who looked back and nodded. He had done his job. He had played his part. It was over. The battle was won.
The queen fluttered down towards the two alicorn sisters. Luna was still holding Celestia in her hooves. As soon as she heard the chirring of Chrysalis’s wings, she looked up.
The only thing Queen Chrysalis needed to say to her, was a simple statement.
“I accept your surrender now.”