//------------------------------// // Chapter 12: Assemble! // Story: Power of Love! // by Inactive Pone //------------------------------// Let's start this off strong. "Assemble!!!" Today was the D-Day. Pinkie, already hyped up more than anyone else for the battle, yelled out the signal for the allies to charge out the station and into Canterlot, starting the liberation. On the train, the Puyo crew had been stocking up magic from popping puyos while the ponies scouted the surroundings, planning their opening move, and they were ready to send in the barrage of spells and attacks. The moment they stormed out, three Puyo members charged for their first blood- One to the left, one to the right and one in front, to knock out the opposition stationed as defense. "Inferno!" **WHOOSH** "Shockwave!" **BOOM** "Principal Star!" **BANG** None of them stood a chance. They were transformed, but it quickly got dispelled at the might of the overpowered spells, some even dropping unconscious to the floor. "Coast clear!" Schezo shouted. "You all know the plan," Twilight said, gathering everyone. "Three groups: Team Alfa on the West, Bravo on the East, Team Charlie is with me. Follow each path as soon as possible and get to the palace in three different ways- Got it?" They all nodded. As Starlight led the East, Ecolo led the West, and Twilight went with the most hard-hit members for a direct attack at the main entrance. For an hour of which seemed like an eternity, the allies, in three groups, bashed head-to-head with the main Changeling army. For this raid, it was easy to see Chrysalis had gone all out. Not only was the number of changelings terrifyingly high, but they were also ruthless because of their newly gained powers. There was a lot of ground to cover before entering the palace, and every wave the group had to face became stronger than the last. Some of them nearly got wiped out and overwhelmed along the way. Even so, Team Alfa And Bravo did not have to face the strongest division, and they took secret passageways that were surprisingly left mostly undefended to breach the castle, they had no trouble at all on their part. Team Charlie, however- Not so lucky. They just stumbled on the highest area of town, just before the actual palace. There, they see a horrific sight- A horde of Storm King Creatures- Who they perceive to be Changelings, ready to wipe them all out. “Oh boy,” Schezo took in a deep breath. “THIS is going to be fun.” Draco snapped her fingers with an idea. “Cover me, I got a plan.” Twilight nodded and took off. She initiated a blinding spell on the horde. “Go!” Schezo drew his sword and charged with little hesitation. While the horde was blinded, he went for as many changelings he could pick off. ”Starstrike!” He waved his sword and gave the ground a smack. A short earthquake followed, further weakening the focus of the changelings. ”Thunderstorm!” He summoned thundering clouds, striking his foes. “Feli!” ”Significator!” Feli channeled magic with her crooked sticks and cast a spell against the enemy. Now in total confusion, the gate for attack is wide open for the mighty Dragon hybrid. “Everyone! Run away!” Twilight flew even higher as the other two take cover on the staircase. ”Hear me Roar!!!” Draco fired up the battlefield- Literally! She blasted flames out her palms and breathed fire on close-range targets. She spun around like a total maniac, forcing every Changeling who dared challenge her to flee before they burn to death under her scorching spells. They had shields as Storm King troops, but there was no way for them to resist the burn. When it finally stopped, the rest came over. “How’d you like that!? Woo!” Draco laughed triumphantly. Twilight was absolutely astounded. ”Why can’t even Princess Ember do that?” She received a response on her magic walkie talkie. It was Harpy. “You okay over there!?” Schezo snatched the device. “Just Draco Having way too much fun.” “I think what she meant was are you guys in the castle yet?” Arle’s voice came out. “We’re almost in. The coast is completely clear,” Feli reported. ”Mind Blast!” Arle had no time to deal with Changelings since their group was already inside. She was with Amitie, Raffina, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie, and Starlight. As they traversed through the hallways they attacked every lone Changeling and confused all that were in groups. “How far in is this throne room?” Arle asked. “We’re almost there, just run for a little longer! We need to hurry!” Starlight replied. “The faster we get there, the sooner we save Ally!” Amitie added. A minute later they finally found the door to enter. However, the doors were jammed shut by Changeling goop. Applejack tried to buck it to open, but she had no chance. “Anyone can bust this thing open?” She asked. “I could,” Raffina shrugged. “But Twilight told us to wait for them.” As if on cue, she got over. “Someone called?” “Twilight!” Rarity said in relief. “Were you all Alright? Harpy was worried.” “We’re Okay,” Twilight said, trying to get Team Bravo to pick up. “Are you all in position?” “Yeah, just give us a minute,” Rainbow noted. “We’ll tell you when to get ready.” “Alright, then!” Arle said. “Raffina?” “Gladly.” She backed up, ran towards the door after a series of sick acrobatic moves, and made her assault. ”Rainbow Deluxe!” The huge force she sent kicked the doors wide open. And thus, they were in. Right away, they saw the most shocking sight. The throne room was covered with strands of green, clear Changeling goo. The Changeling throne was remade, which was what triggered the forcefield. Above it, someone was stuck to the wall in a cocoon. More strands of the goo seemed to be carrying pink magic away, which the group deduced right away to be love for the changelings. The poor girl looked like she’s struggling, and her eyes were closed. “*gasp* Ally!” Arle gasped. No response. “She won’t be able to hear us from inside,” Twilight said sadly. “We have to free her- Now!” She bolted into action and was ready to blast magic at Ally's prison to break her out. But before she can fly up there and break it, someone else interfered and shot her. Twilight's wings gave out, and she plopped to the ground. Arle turned to find the one who shot her. "Your Highnesses!?" Arle gasped. Princess Celestia and Luna were there. However, they didn't seem to be happy. "You can't destroy it!" Luna protested. "Wh-Why?" Twilight stood back up. "It's a trap-" Celestia warned, "If she breaks free it will be anarchy! You've seen what she has done to help the changelings. Surely Chrysalis took it one step further if she was able to do something like this." "What more can she do other than to give love to them?" Raffina asked, "If we set her free, they won't get the love and power they need to fight!" Luna shook her head. "She can turn on you all if Chrysalis somehow managed to control her. If she could force her into this right here," She pointed at the cocoon. "What's next?" "How do you know...?" Starlight questioned. The princesses went silent for a few seconds. "Please, we have no idea what she will do," Luna begged. "She could be controlled. There's no turning back if we break it." "Ally would never do such a thing to us!" Amitie insisted, "She's the kindest person ever! When she sees us she'll recognize us! I- No, we are sure of that!" "That isn't the point. Anything can happen when someone is controlled." "Uhhhh, guys?" The chat was cut short by Applejack. "We have a problem..." Pinkie said, shivering. **Thunk** **Thunk** **Thunk** They all gasped. "Gugugu?" Carby shivered at the sound. **BANG BANG BANG** "They're coming!!' Starlight alerted. Starlight, Feli, Amitie, and Arle rushed to seal the door shut with magic as Pinkie, Applejack, and Rarity all pushed themselves against the entrance to the throne room, blocking any entry. Draco, Raffina, and Schezo were ready for a fight if anything went wrong. "We don't have time for this!" Twilight shouted. She fired at the cocoon, only to be blocked by Celestia again. "We're so close!! If she turned on us we'll hold her off!!" As both sides struggled to attack or defend respectively, Celestia made a cold giggle. "You are too loyal." They de-transformed- Revealing two very unexpected figures. "*gasp* You two!?" Thorax and Pharynx stand before Twilight. However, something was off about them. She couldn't shake off the vibe that they are being controlled since they would never oppose the ponies after Chrysalis had previously been overthrown. "You're controlled, aren't you?" Twilight struggled to utter out the words. "*groans* We had no choice..." Thorax said, a hoof to his head in pain, "It was us or our remaining people, we will rather sacrifice ourselves to that ruthless Queen than to watch our people die..." Pharynx transformed back into Luna and lunged at Twilight. She barely dodges. "And now," Pharynx said, "We heed by her command- To protect and to assist." Both changelings fired their magic as Celestia and Luna. Twilight had absolutely no chance, despite her struggling to hang on. She got blasted right to the door. "Twilight!" Arle gasped. They were ready to blow up the door and let the troops in to surround the allies. "Where are they!?" Feli asked impatiently. Twilight desperately called out to them. "Rainbow! Come over!! Now!!" "Got it! Cover your ears!!!" "What!?" "Just do it!!" Everyone heard the booming voice and plugged their ears shut. In an astronomical miracle, the worst and most well-timed thing happened. "*loud singing* STOP HURTING MY FRIENDS~~!" **CRACK** "Ahhhhh!!!" Everyone yelled in despair. Suddenly, the signal and team Bravo finally came. "INCOMING!!" **CRASH** The window panes around the throne room all suddenly shattered at an instant. Rainbow Dash carried Lemres behind her as she dashed right in through one of the windows, dropping him off. Unexpectedly, Fluttershy came soon after, carrying a nearly startled-to-death Ringo. Ecolo and Harpy whooshed in a second later as they flew. ”Cream Pies!” Lemres blinded the changelings. “Now!” Ecolo, in the confusion, jumped through the door with a portal and started wrecking all the incoming forces outside the room. He summoned portals that warped them into the oblivion of spacetime. “Woo! That was fun~!” Harpy pumped her fists in the air as she got up. “Can we do that again~?” At that moment, a flustered Cadance flew in as well. “Please don’t...” “Cadance!” Twilight gasped, helping her up. “You made it!” “Haha... Your friend needed help with the plan, after all. So I helped magnify her voice.” Ringo was still dizzy. “Don’t ever do that again...” “Why not~?” Before Ringo could answer she was pounded by magic from Celestia (Who was Thorax). Twilight shot back along with Cadance. Luna (Pharynx) backed Celestia. It was the battle of the Alicorns. “You can’t beat us,” Celestia demanded. She had been completely controlled. “Surrender to the Queen.” “Ugh... No!” Twilight protested. When the magic of Twilight and Cadance dwindled, the others took notice. When Ecolo opened the doors and gave them the clear, they left him in charge, shut the door and went to help. ”Judgement!” ”Static Shock!” ”Flame!” Arle, Raffina, and Amitie all fired spells that increased the power of the allies. They were in a standoff. “Our hope is lost,” Luna said, struggling. “There’s no choice but to submit- And she shall grow a new era of Equestria. It shall be that this world will be a beautiful place, brimming with harmony and love, without all this constant hostility. Is that not what you all wanted? For the rifts between us to be sealed?” Twilight was determined not to give in. She pushed harder along with the four. “Long have ponies been a hostility to us, the changelings. We only wanted to co-exist with you all, too- In harmony and peace. But you shut our race out like we don’t deserve to be a part of Equestria. This is what our Queen wanted, a revenge plot- To exterminate the Pony Nation and build a new empire, for all the suffering you’ve brought upon her. It is time you all realize how she felt.” Celestia was going to power up her magic. The allies struggled. “All you need to do is keep her there,” She continued. “You love your friend, you know what’s best for her. We promise, when we reign victorious, she will live in happiness with us. She shall graciously fill the new Equestria with love, and she will be the most respected one of all as the fountain of life of all changelings. That doesn’t sound bad, now does it? And through all of this magic draining... Eventually, it will also take her memories away. Now, she has lost much memory. Is she still the one you all know?” “You can’t do that...” Arle said in her struggle, determined. “Ally loves everything. She loves us, her friends, and she would’ve loved you too. But never will she hand over her powers willingly to the hands of evil. Will she be willing to live in an empire under someone she doesn’t want to serve?” Everyone was too focussed and concerned about the group to notice, but for a second, Ally twitched in her cocoon. “You all are willing to go to such extreme lengths to steal her love away for yourselves. The selfish one here is you all, and not us. She may be the one behind all this. She may have lost her memory of us. She is suffering, right now, right here. However, no matter what happens to her, we are all here, together, with the goal of freeing her from your grasp, Queen Chrysalis.” Luna gasped. “You knew?” “Of course we did,” Twilight said, “Thorax, Pharynx, you both are controlled by her. Remember who you were. You taught how to share love and reformed the changelings. They need you both back. If they know how to share love, and feel love on their own... Perhaps all this can be avoided. We can all be friends again, and just maybe... She might learn to accept us, too.” Arle nodded. “We fight, because not only do we love each other as friends, we love this kingdom, and we strive for harmony. This, is the real power of love.” The allies finally started to push back. Nope! They won’t accept this cliche again! Out of nowhere, Celestia and Luna regained their stand with a burst of magic, blasting away the attackers to the wall. “Pathetic Speech,” Celestia said. “Now, with no more distractions...” Luna blasted some projectiles to stun everyone in place so they can’t move. Celestia was ready to make the kill. However... ”Stop it!” No one said anything. They were all startled- Who said that? ”Arle! I’m here!!” Upon hearing her name, she caught on. Ally, in the cocoon, was struggling. “*gasp* Ally! Are you okay!?” She smiled. “Arle... *sobs* You’re here...” Arle smiled back at her, despite being threatened. “*chuckles* Thank you... Thank you all...” Suddenly, it looked like the cocoon was cracking. The strands of wires carrying her magic started overflowing, breaking them at once. Ally put her hands to her heart. Finally opening her eyes, she broke free. **BOOM** The goo all shattered into solid pieces. Some kind of huge shockwave was sent throughout the castle, which blinded everyone. When the vision was finally clear, everyone can only gasp. There she was, free from her prison, fluttering down to the ground with joy. “Such tremendous love...” Ally said, looking at her hands. “I feel... I feel so... So happy!” Had this not been the middle of a fight, the group will be celebrating. Ally turned her vision towards the decoy princesses, but with a smile. “You like my love so much?” Ally giggled, popping Puyos. “Go on, take it!” She initiates a chain of seven. ”Love’s Light!” She drew a love heart with her hands, then blasted a stream of magic towards the two. It fuelled the changelings with an incredible amount of love, enough for them to de-transform and overpower their controlled minds, returning them to a normal state. The ponies rush in to check if they’re okay. “Are you both Alright?” Twilight asked, nervous. “*cough* I... I think so,” Thorax said. “I don’t feel controlled now. Do you, Pharynx?” “Not at all,” He replied. “What happened?” Pinkie Pie was about to start a stream of explaining, But Twilight stopped her. “Basically, we had a fight, we won, and we got you both back thanks to our new friend.” Ally smiled adorably as she was praised. Arle, being her best friend, dashed over with no hesitation. “Ally!” “*gasp* Arle!” The two embrace the other tightly. They haven’t seen each other in Months, and it was glad to finally rescue her from the changelings. Ringo and Amitie also joined in. “*sobs* *sobs* I’m sorry...” “*chuckles* Awwww, for what?” Amitie asked, “You didn’t make the decision!” “You’re lucky we somehow came to save you,” Ringo joked. “I think we have a lot of things to explain to each other now.” “That can wait!” Arle said excitedly. “Ally is here!” “Mhmm! Gee, thanks, girls... You really helped me out of there...” “Actually, come to think of it, how did you get out?” That question got some nods all around. The ponies were done with their part and turned to Ally. The girl blushed- There were a lot of familiar and unfamiliar faces. She didn’t know where to start with all that has happened. Twilight, noticing this, stroke up a conversation. “You must be Ally, the adventurer of love?” Ally nodded. “Ah, did the great hero Arle tell you about me?” Twilight had a quirky smile. “ The ‘great hero’? Arle, I didn’t know you had a title!” Arle rolled her eyes. “Ally calls me that.” That earned a chuckle. “W-Well, I’m going to need some time to get to know all of you, but... *sigh* For now, I can’t say anything other than sorry. Sorry for all the trouble I put you all through. I know they are a dangerous race and I was forced into helping them.” “Oh, that’s fiiiiiine!” Pinkie giggled, bringing Lemres close. “We would’ve never met each other and knew just how close friends we could be if it weren’t for this!” “And we all got to kick some Changeling butt!” Rainbow said excitedly. “Tell me about it,” Raffina flipped her hair. “And we were no match for them- Ohoho!” “Actually, other than sorry, I want to thank everyone. Not for just saving me, but helping me as I tried to break free. When I heard you guys all banded together to fight for the Nation and your friends... I was so warmed. I can sense love very easily and as you all defended your side, I felt a surge of magic through me. I was starting to seemingly forget who you all are, too- But your love reminded me how much you all mean to me, and restored my powers to the point I could overpower the Queen’s plea of stealing my powers from the tranquilizing magic from the cocoon, and I broke free.” Everyone was glad to hear that. “So... That’s it, then?” Applejack asked. “Chrysalis is nowhere to be seen,” Rarity added. “So Canterlot should be liberated.” “Not quite,” Thorax alerted. “Chrysalis is not gone.” Everyone put their gaze on the changelings. Ally was at first confused and nervous, but Arle told her to keep calm as they were on their side. “The Queen left us in charge after imprisoning Ally,” Pharynx explained. “She said she would return to her new hive if anything were to go wrong. Since you all showed up, she must have escaped.” “Where is she now?” Schezo demanded an answer. “She took over the old Storm King Castle. But Nopony has ever been there before, so we have no idea what you’re up against,” Thorax explained. Twilight turned to the direction of the door. “Well, there is only one way to find out. And another day of her there can mean another day of disaster. However... Before that, I have a request.” She looked at Ally. “Oh? Me?” “Ally, you have the power of sharing love. You are our biggest weapon- But I want you to use it for good and purify the changelings. By letting the changelings realize how powerful and more fulfilling legitimate love can be, perhaps we could purify them and let them join our side.” Thorax seemed to like that idea. So did everyone else. Ally nodded and took a bow. “I need to fix my own mess anyway,” She said, smiling. Everyone had a laugh. “Well, then!” Arle said, turning to the direction of the door. “Now that everyone’s finally gathered here, and Ally saved, all that’s left is Chrysalis herself!” They all gave a nod of confirmation. “For our friends!” Amitie said. “For our home!” Thorax continued. “For Equestria!” Twilight commanded. They all stepped forward, gave a nod to Ally, officially recruiting her to their side. “And all for love!” Ally cheered. The Lover of All, Ally, has joined the Party!