//------------------------------// // Episode 28: "Save the Royals, Part 2" // Story: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Season 10 // by twilightsparkle3562 //------------------------------// … … PREVIOUSLY ON "MY LITTLE PONY" … … Hopper: For too long, we have been on the run, biding our time. Waiting for the perfect opportunity to retake what is ours…and bring our beloved queen back to her throne. All we have to do is use leverage and force the princesses and Discord to free her from her stone prison. King Vorak: I, King Vorak, will see to it that your brother pays for what he has done to the ponies of Equestria. Spike: I mean, think about it, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Rarity all want Tirek to remain as he is. Celestia: This might be our one chance to save Mom and Dad, Luna. Starswirl: We must act just as the king and queen are being transferred to their cells. While the rest of us deal with our assignments, the three of us…will have to do the one task that ensures that Grimlord will never harm your parents again. Celestia: We must face Grimlord…alone. Starswirl: I have always taught to you that sometimes we have to make sacrifices in life. But, no matter what happens in the fight ahead, remember that we will always have one another. King Vorak: I have come seeking a request of you and your fellow princesses. Hopper: Where's my QUEEN?! Celestia: It's a bomb! Spike: Twilight…the Changeling Kingdom…has been seized! … … Twilight and her friends, recoiling from the shock, now had to try to understand just how the Changeling Kingdom had been seized. But at the same time, they knew they needed to calm down the frightened Ocellus. "It just happened…so fast," Ocellus sobbed, her composure still badly shaken. "Hopper…he and his friends…" "Who's Hopper?" Twilight asked, draping a wing around the scared changeling. But Ocellus couldn't answer through her sobs. "Spike, what are the demands?! There has to have been demands!" "They want…" Spike read aloud, only to feel his heart sink. "Chrysalis freed from her stone prison." "What?!" Rainbow Dash cried. "That's impossible! No way are we going to just let that evil queen be freed again after all the trouble she's caused!" "But they'll kill…" Ocellus cried through ragged breaths. "…changelings until she's freed! I can't bear the thought of Chrysalis returning! But my mom, my dad, those heartless creatures will kill them!" Seeing what was happening, both King Vorak and Scorpan advanced towards the situation. "Queen Chrysalis?" Scorpan asked. "Father, wasn't she one of Tirek's conspirators?" "Yes, Scorpan," King Vorak nodded. "So if they free Chrysalis they'll surely have to free Tirek as well. Which I won't allow! He belongs to me and me alone!" "Father, wait!" Scorpan protested, holding his father back and walking over to the princesses surrounding the frightened changeling. "Please, think about this. Now isn't the time for a personal vendetta." Walking over, Scorpan bent down and looked at the sobbing ocellus. He could see the fear in her tear filled eyes. "Don't worry…we're going to make sure your parents are saved. We owe it to you." "You…you'll help us?" Ocellus asked, looking up at the gargoyle. "I want to make up for all the pain my brother caused," Scorpan replied, looking up at Twilight. "Queen Chrysalis is a dangerous creature and must not be released. And neither should Tirek for that matter. Doing so would defeat the whole purpose of imprisoning them in the first place." King Vorak was naturally furious to hear such a statement. "Scorpan, how dare you!" He thundered, clutching his fist in anger. "Do you realize what you're saying?! You would deny us the chance…" "SILENCE!" Twilight commanded in her Royal Canterlot voice while glaring at the centaur king. But the words spoken next were spoken in a normal, calm tone. "Your plans for custody of Tirek will just have to wait, King Vorak. Right now, this hostage situation is more important. Understood?!" And King Vorak reluctantly nodded. … … Aboard the Dark Fortress, the pillars along with the former royal sisters took up their positions to free King Cosmo and Queen Galaxia from their prison. Taking the form of two skugs courtesy of Starswirl, Flash Magnus and Rockhoof stood on the platform, along with the two generals loyal to Grimlord. "All right, you skugs!" General Ivar barked out. "You know the drill, same as always. Although this time I think a new cell for the prisoners seems more appropriate." "Agreed, Ivar," Colonel Icebot nodded, looking over to his equal. "A change of scenery seems like a good idea for the prisoners. I'll notify Master Grimlord of it next time we meet. Although I can't help but wonder how long we're going to continue with this little charade. Why don't we just terminate them and be done with it? As long as they exist they pose a threat to us." From inside their skug disguises, both Flash Magnus and Rockhoof felt their stomach turn upon hearing such coldhearted words. "Because we would suffer the wrath of Emperor Grogar, Icebot!" General Ivar grumbled. "He has that monster at his disposal…whatever his name is. I'd hate to cross paths with it." "Here they come!" Icebot shouted, seeing the imprisoned King and Queen of Equestria being transported towards the Dark Fortress in a carriage pulled by two donkey soldiers. "Take up your positions, Skugs!" Unfortunately, neither Flash Magnus nor Rockhoof could move well in their skug forms and both of them bumped into the skugs next to them, much to the colonel and general's annoyances. "Get up, you idiots!" General Ivar barked out while glaring at them. "I'll see that you're both severely punished for this!" Fearing their cover was about to be blown, both pillars quickly pulled themselves together as they watched Cosmo and Galaxia being dragged out of the carriage. "Where are you taking us this time, Colonel?" King Cosmo grumbled as he was forced to his hooves by two skugs while glaring at Colonel Icebot. "The same cell as always?" "Nope, a different cell, closer to Grimlord's throne room," General Ivar replied as he led them into the Dark Fortress. "Not far from the scrapyard of bots who've failed him in the past. Seems like a fitting place to spend your days." Making sure that there wouldn't be any more screw ups, both the disguised Flash and Rockhoof attempted to at least seem like they knew what they were doing. As they walked, they couldn't help but notice how exhausted the king and queen looked. "All right, here's the cell," General Ivar declared in a gruff voice. "Get inside, now!" Grunting, Cosmo and Galaxia were pushed into their cell, Galaxia falling down on the floor and moaning. "What's that for?!" Cosmo cried, glaring up at Ivar while he helped his wife up. Ivar seemed not to care. "I beg your pardon?" "Why don't you leave my wife alone?" Cosmo demanded. But Ivar just coldly replied. "Save your pleas for mercy! You won't get any from us! Now get used to your surroundings, or else suffer the consequences!" As they left, Icebot gave the disguised pillars their instructions. "You two, stand guard here!" He ordered. "And don't fall asleep whatever you do! I want no more mistakes!" Once they were gone, both Flash and Rockhoof assumed their positions, trying to stay frozen and erect in case anyone walked by. Little did either the general or colonel know that the disguised Flash had taken the keys from Ivar's belt. … Inside their cell, Galaxia felt a sharp pain in one of her forelegs. "You've sprained it," Cosmo sighed, inspecting his wife's hoof. "That disgusting general, he expects us to just get over whatever ailments we have?!" "I can't take much more of this, Cosmo," Galaxia cried, tears forming in the corners of her eyes as a result of the pain in her hoof. "Nopony is coming to rescue us. I don't know if I can go on like this!." Cosmo desperately pleaded with his wife! "Don't say that, Galaxia! You don't mean it!" "Why should I not say or mean it?" Galaxia sniffled. "It's been over a thousand years since we were abducted. Just admit it, Cosmo…" "No, I refuse to admit it, Galaxia!" Cosmo stubbornly declared, trying to not sound defeated. "I know it's difficult, but you must have faith! We will be rescued in time, I know it!" From outside their cell, Flash and Rockhoof realized that the time to free the captive royals was now! Taking the keys he had quietly stolen, Flash got to work opening the cell door. "What…what's happening?!" Cosmo wondered as the door opened, for all he could see were the pillars' disguises.. "What are you…?" "Shh! Keep your voices down, sire," Rockhoof whispered as he helped Cosmo out of the cell. "We've come to get you out of here and bring you home, where you belong." Cosmo blinked. "Home?! Who are you?! You're not with Grimlord or Grogar!" "It's us, sire," Rockhoof whispered again. "Rockhoof and Flash Magnus!" "Rockhoof?! Flash Magnus?!" Galaxia gasped. "But…we thought that you…" "It's a long story," Flash replied in a hushed voice. "We'll discuss it later. For right now, we're getting you out of here! Just hold tight." The party soon proceeded out of the jail cell, trying to remain quiet and undetected. … Meanwhile, inside his throne room, Grimlord was contemplating what to do with his royal prisoners. "I've come to a possible decision," He declared, pacing back and forth in front of Despera and Doom Master. "The captured equines must be terminated! They cannot be allowed to leave here alive!" "Master, are you certain that is wise?" Despera asked. "Emperor Grogar will…" "Grogar is an old fool, nothing more than a worthless goat!" Grimlord interjected. "For too long, we've played his game and let our prisoners live. Now we do things our way!" "Master, I too must question your suggestion," Doom Master protested. "These royals aren't like our other enemies. After they severely weakened us, we could no longer strive on our own. Grogar is the only way we can get back to full strength. We need him." "Wrong!" Grimlord cried out! "This land that the prisoners come from…Equestria, is it not? It's a land that seems fit for conquering! And nothing would satisfy me more than to take the land for myself and make it a colony." Both Doom Master and Despera gave each other worried glances as for the first time, they both were questioning their leader's command. … Little did anyone know that right outside the throne room, the invisibly cloaked Celestia, Luna and Starswirl had been listening in on everything. "We can't let them do this, Starswirl!" Luna whispered from underneath the cloak. "I'll crush them before they ever touch Mom and Dad!" Celestia added as Starswirl suddenly felt his horn vibrate. "What is it, Starswirl?!" "It's Flash and Rockhoof!" Starswirl whispered back to the sisters. "They've freed your parents." And no sooner did Starswirl say those words, than did General Ivar and several Skugs came running into the throne room. "Sire," Ivar panted to Grimlord. "The prisoners... they're... gone!" "WHAT?!" Grimlord thundered in shock! "How did they escape, you worthless worm?! I thought you said everything was under control!" "I-I don't know, sire!" Ivar protested. "All I know was that the door was opened and my keys were... stolen!" Grimlord didn't take this well at all as he let out a ferocious yell! "Your keys were stolen?!" He bellowed as he rose from his throne. "And you call yourself a general?! Muster a platoon and find them at once! They mustn't be allowed to escape! Capture them dead or alive!" "Not a chance, you fiend!" Celestia loudly cried out as she fired a blast of her magic from inside the cloak, striking one of the walls behind Grimlord's throne and knocking him down onto the ground! No longer hiding, Celestia, Luna and Starswirl revealed themselves to the villains, all three horns glaring. "You're not getting our parents again, Grimlord!" Luna roared! Snarling, Grimlord was helped to his feet and ordered his minions to attack the two alicorns and their unicorn mentor. "I beg to differ," Grimlord snarled. "Destroy them all!" With their horns charging, Celestia and Luna advanced towards Grimlord! But Despera and Doom Master stood in the way. "You're mine, Grimlord!" Starswirl cried out as he began to clash with the unusual creature. "Ivar, go look for the prisoners," Grimlord ordered as he started to counter Starswirl! "And if you find any accomplices of these intruders, kill them immediately!" Seeing Ivar about to leave, Celestia attempted to fire a blast at him, but was struck in the cheek by Despera's staff! Shaking off the wound, Celestia charged at Despera. "Sound the alarm!" General Ivar shouted. "The prisoners have escaped!" And then suddenly, he saw the prisoners with Rockhoof and Flash Magnus as they were attempting to find a way out of the Dark Fortress. "Halt!" General Ivar cried, pointing his sword at them! "What are you skugs doing with the prisoners?! They're not to be moved!" Right away, both Rockhoof and Flash Magnus dropped their disguises and revealed themselves to General Ivar. "What are you…you're not Skugs!" "Nope, laddie, not in a million years," Rockhoof replied, getting his shovel ready to use as a weapon. "We're pillars of old Equestria and we've come to free…" Roaring loudly, Ivar fired an electrical blast at the pillars and royals, cutting Rockhoof off mid sentence. But they managed to duck out of the way. Having heard what was going on, Colonel Icebot raced over with a platoon of skugs. … … Back in Canterlot, Twilight and her friends were still trying to decide how they were going to handle the situation involving the changelings. "Twilight," Ocellus pleaded. "You've... got to... help us... please!" "And we will, Ocellus," Twilight promised. "Mark my words. But we're not going to just turn over Chrysalis to someone who asks for her. We don't even know who we're dealing with yet." Just then, the scroll suddenly came up on its own and a screen appeared in place of the words. On the screen was Hopper, holding what appeared to be a random reformed changeling as a hostage. "Well, well, well," He laughed. "If it isn't her highness, the supreme ruler, and her fellow princesses. I trust that the runt delivered my message to you?" "Don't you dare hurt my parents, Hopper!" Ocellus pleaded, glaring at her captor's picture. "Oh, I won't harm a hair on their little heads," Hopper mockingly replied. "That is, as long as you adhere to our demands, Princess Twilight." "So you're Hopper!" Twilight realized! "You've gotten my attention. I know you wish to have Chrysalis released to you, is that correct?" Hopper nodded and smiled. "Why yes, that's precisely what I want. Or rather, what all of us want. You see, my fellow changelings have been on the run since our rightful queen was overthrown by a changeling sympathetic to your kind years ago. You are holding her prisoner, and for every hour she isn't returned to us you'll force us to take extreme measures." "Look, pal!" Rainbow Dash angrily declared while hovering over the screen. "I don't know who you think you are, but do you even realize who you're messing with here?! We just happen to be friends of Thorax and the changelings! The rightful rulers of the hive, I might add! We didn't put Thorax on the throne, and he never would've taken it if Chrysalis hadn't forced him to oppose her." "Is that so, Princess Rainbow Dash?" Hopper laughed. "Well, I just so happen to have Thorax and the other changelings captive, and if you keep us waiting I can't guarantee their safety," He further explained to a horrified Twilight. "Remember…our queen is to be returned here... or else. And don't even think of trying to pull a fast one on us, 'cause I'll know." And the image faded. "Okay, now he's gone too far!" Applejack declared as she stomped a hoof down. "Hurtin' changelings and threatenin' to kill 'em if Chrysalis isn't freed? No way should we negotiate with the likes of him. I say we assemble a strike force and take him down!" "Yeah!" Pinkie Pie cried in a shocked voice. "Haven't we been through enough sad times already?! We don't need to cause others to suffer too, right? Let's blow that meanie pants to kingdom come!" "We may not have a choice," Twilight sighed as she walked back into the throne room, sitting down on her throne. "Remember that the statues of Chrysalis, Tirek and Cozy Glow are all attached together. So if we give them Chrysalis, we'll basically be giving them Tirek and Cozy Glow as well. And there's no way we're going to release Chrysalis back to the hive, she may not even know these guys." King Vorak naturally objected to this suggestion, knowing that this meant the centaur he wanted turned over to him would be given to the changelings instead. "I won't let you give Tirek to anycreature but me, Princess Twilight!" He demanded. "He must pay for his crimes against Equestria!" "Father, please!" Scorpan protested, again standing in front of him and holding his arms out. "This is a matter of life and death here! Now isn't the time to make unreasonable demands." "Scorpan, stand aside!" King Vorak ordered. "I want your brother and I did not come all this way here to be denied!" "Father, listen to me! I need to get involved here!" Scorpan protested, turning away from his father and back to the pony princesses. "There must be a way to satisfy both sides without any changelings being harmed or killed. Princess Twilight, why not do it in a way where it seems that they'll get what they want, when in reality they won't? They don't know the intertwined nature of Chrysalis, Tirek and Cozy Glow." This gave Twilight an idea on how to bring the hostage crisis to an end as quickly as possible. … … Back at the Changeling Kingdom, Thorax and the captive changelings watched as their unreformed kind cut off contact with Canterlot. "I hope you all paid attention to my demands," Hopper coldly spoke. "Because you know what's going to happen to you unless our demands are met! So, if I were you, I'd enjoy living your life to the fullest now. Knowing these ponies, you may not have long to live." "You disgusting coward!" Thorax cried, looking over at Hopper. "I won't let you…" "Oh, shut up, Thorax!" Hopper bitterly remarked. "Everycreature has already been saying stuff like that to me and it's getting very old very fast. So if I were you, I'd keep your mouth shut if you want to live!" Doing as he was told, Thorax remained silent while Ocellus' family were glad that she wasn't present to witness any of what was unfolding. "Actually, Hopper..." Molt started to say. "What is it?!" Hopper irritably inquired. "I was just thinking," Molt replied. "W-what if Princess Twilight and her friends don't comply with our demands? Come on, you know how she and her friends work." It was then that Hopper suddenly got himself a rather awful idea. "They'll comply with our demands," He replied. "But you're right in that we should have a Plan B. For once you're not a hindrance to me, Molt," And then he declared. "I'll need three changelings to accompany me to Canterlot!" Right away, Molt sensed something was amiss. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" He protested while waving his forelegs back and forth. "What are you planning to do, Hopper?!" "If Twilight and her friends won't deliver our queen here," Hopper declared, picking up a knife in his claw. "Then I can just go to Canterlot and free our queen…personally!" Right away, Molt began to get a bad vibe of this idea his brother was putting together "Hopper, let's talk about this. I mean, going to Canterlot, isn't that a risky move?" But Hopper wasn't listening and instead gestured for Molt to follow him outside the throne room. "Now, you listen to me, Molt," He snarled, grabbing his brother by the throat. "I will stop at nothing to free our queen from captivity. Nothing! And if you dare go against me for any reason, I will kill you right here and right now! You understand?" "I understand," Molt gulped. "But can't we find…?" "There is no other way!" Hopper hissed, releasing his grip on Molt. "I need three of us to come with me to Canterlot. Find them now, and don't ask any more stupid questions!" Doing as he was told, Molt reluctantly began to search for three volunteers to accompany his brother to Canterlot. … Back aboard the Dark Fortress, the pillars and royal sisters fought tooth and hoof against Grimlord and his forces. Despite his age, Starswirl was determined to hold his own against Grimlord. "You are strong, Starswirl," Grimlord laughed as Starswirl deflected a blast of lightning fired right at him. "But you can't hold out against me forever! I don't think you can take much more!" "Just try me!" Starswirl cried, firing another spell at Grimlord, hitting him right in the chest and knocking him down! Growling, Grimlord grabbed his sword and attempted to hit Starswirl with it. But the pillar of Sorcery used his wits and dodged the blows. "None of us will rest until the royals are back home!" The old wizard declared. "I beg to differ. I know your weaknesses, as you'll soon see." Grimlord remarked as Luna was thrown against the back wall of the throne room by Doom Master. "LUNA!" Celestia cried, only to be thrown to the ground by Despera! Laughing evilly, Doom Master pointed his sword at Luna, ready to kill! But Luna wasn't going to give up easily. Charging her horn, she fired a blast of her magic at Doom Master, striking him right in his left arm! "Urgh! You'll pay for that, you meddlesome pony!" Doom Master snarled, attempting to strike at Luna again. But the young alicorn rolled away just in time, much to the field commander's irritation. Meanwhile, having heard the calls from General Ivar, the five Vixens ran towards the throne room when they suddenly found themselves bound by a magical bond of rope! Emerging from behind a room, Mistmane and Mage Meadowbrook emerged with several syringes in Mistmane's aura, filled with the poison that Meadowbrook had hastily created. "This won't hurt a bit unless you stop movin'," Mage Meadowbrook declared, taking one of the syringes in her hooves and striking one of the Vixens in her neck. At that moment, Somnambula followed suit and took a syringe filled with poison, sticking it into the leg of another Vixen. After a few moments, the five Vixens were quickly subdued. "I hate having to do that." "Intentionally inflict harm?" Somnambula inquired. "It can't be helped in these situations." "This is just a one time thing, Meadowbrook," Mistmane cautioned, patting Mage on the shoulder. "Don't let it get to you too much. Sometimes we are forced to do things we wouldn't do unless the situation called for it." But then the sounds of screams and yells caused the three female pillars to jump into action! … … Meanwhile at his castle on the moon, Grogar was fast asleep when he was suddenly awakened by the sounds of knocking on his chamber doors! Grunting, he stormed over to the doors and flew them open wide to reveal Lieutenant Bray on the other side. "What is the meaning of this?!" Grogar snarled. "It's the Dark Fortress, my liege, it's under attack!" Lieutenant Bray cried! "What?! Impossible! Who is attacking it?!" Grogar demanded! "Tell me at once!" "The pillars, my emperor. And it seems they've brought the royal sisters with them." Lieutenant Bray answered, much to Grogar's irritation. "Blast those meddlesome old pillars!" Grogar muttered! "Even after getting out of limbo they continue to be a thorn in my side! Very well then, go gather a platoon and provide aid wherever possible. The prisoners and the pillars must not escape! If worse comes to worse, ensure that you dispose of them! Understood?!" Saluting him, Bray left Grogar alone. Letting out a loud growl, Grogar slammed the doors loudly with his magic! Meanwhile, from down the hall, Cozy and Tirek were awakened by the loud roars of the emperor. "Tirek, is your stomach growling again?" Cozy groggily asked as she fell out of her little bed. "I'm trying to sleep here!" "It's not me, Cozy," Tirek protested as he got up. "Something must be happening with Emperor Grogar. Come on, he might have need of us!" Getting out of bed, Tirek and Cozy Glow saw Lieutenant Bray running down the halls, crying out for anyone to meet up with him immediately! Carefully following Bray, they saw a small group of donkeys gathered at a loading dock at the bottom of the castle, armed with weapons. "Come on, let's go!" Bray ordered as they boarded a series of donkey drawn wagons. "They need help and they need it now!" Watching them take to the sky, Cozy and Tirek couldn't believe what they were seeing. "What do you think it could be?" Cozy asked. "I don't know, Cozy," Tirek whispered. "But I think we should find out for our sakes." "Find out what?" A familiar voice asked and the father-daughter figures turned around to see Sombra standing behind them. "That the Dark Fortress is being attacked by Celestia, Luna and the pillars? I already know, it was hard not to overhear with how loudly Emperor Grogar was speaking." "Then we should do something!" Cozy Glow suggested. "It's been ages since we've done anything, I'm bored!" "Your help won't be necessary, child," Sombra protested with a hiis "If anything, all involved will probably destroy each other. Personally, I don't see any reason to be associated with strange creatures to begin with. If not for our master's insistence I'd say to forget all about it. Now get back to your quarters before Scarface has a midnight snack." Doing as they were told, Cozy and Tirek reluctantly proceeded back to their quarters. However, they couldn't help but wonder if this supposed attack on the Dark Fortress was a sign of things to come. … Back in Canterlot, having heard Scorpan's suggestion in regards to not giving the rogue Changeling's what they want, Twilight was beginning to get an idea. "What do you have in mind, Twilight?" Rarity asked as Twilight returned to the throne room with a large piece of paper in the size of a map. "I'm thinking, we make Hopper and the rogues think that we're going to obey their demands, but in reality we will not," Twilight explained. "But to do this, we're going to need to come up with a strategy similar to what we did when Shining Armor installed those security measures." "Ooh, kind of like the Sibling Supreme contest!" Pinkie Pie chirped as Twilight began to write on the paper. "Tell me more." "Okay, Pinkie," Twilight replied, directing her attention at the party pony. "I'm going to need you to throw a surprise party for the rogue changelings. Try and convince them that there will be a welcome back party for Chrysalis. Applejack, I'm going to need you to work on digging out a tunnel from underneath the hive for the hostages to escape through." "It'll be a dauntin' task, but I'm more than up to it." Applejack declared. "Good," Twilight nodded. "Rarity, how quickly can you make a series of rogue changeling costumes?" "I beg your pardon, Twilight?" Rarity blinked. "We're going to need a way to distract the rogue changelings," Twilight explained. "And Fluttershy, you can help out Rarity with them." Fluttershy nodded. "You can count on me, Twilight. Changeling costumes should be easy enough." Twilight then turned to Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow Dash, I need you to neutralize any rogue changelings that might be guarding the hive. I don't care how you do it, but make sure that they are all neutralized. As for you and I, Spike, we'll lead a platoon into the hive and take out Hopper and any remaining rouges! We'll leave nothing to chance!" … But at that moment, all suddenly heard the sounds of yells from outside the throne room. "Tempest, go check on what is happening!" Twilight ordered! But before Tempest could investigate, the doors swung open and in stepped Hopper and three of his rogue Changelings, armed with weapons. "Hello, Princesses," Hopper laughed as he and his comrades slowly walked towards them, weapons fully brandished. "I just figured we'd come and pick up our queen…personally." With her eyes locked on Hopper and his comrades, Twilight prepared herself and her friends to handle the situation in their own throne room! … ….