Starlight and Thorax finally made it to the cavern where the throne was, and then saw how big it was. “That’s the throne right there,” Thorax whispered. “How do we get in there without her noticing?” Starlight softly asked. “Remember the plan?” Thorax asked. “Oh! Right!” Starlight said. Thorax then turned into Starlight as a distraction, “I’ll distract her, you destroy the stone.” Starlight nodded and then she snuck through a few holes, until Thorax entered. “Oh, my...” he said, until there were the buzzing sound of changeling wings, and then changeling slime was splat on his forelegs, and a recognizable evil laugh was heard.
“One little pony all by herself,” a voice said. A pair of forelegs appeared and climbed over Thomas’s cocoon. It was Queen Chrysalis, as she crawled like an insect with her joints cracking, and then lifted her head to look at Thorax and then rotated her head. “Oh, how will I ever prevent this daring rescue?”
The changelings screeched and hissed at Thorax, until he nervously gulped, and then saw the rest of the group brought in by the other changelings. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t Princess Twilight Sparkle and her little band of friends, and I see you’ve brought some fresh meat. Your sole pupil, I presume?” Queen Chrysalis asked evilly, until she chuckled. “Honestly, I didn’t think you were worth of replacing with one of my drones.”
“Where’s my son, you monster?!” Fluttershy asked angrily, while gritting her teeth and snorting. “So, the little morsel is your son after all, but I’m afraid you’re too late,” Queen Chrysalis said, as she looked at the cocoon, and they gasped at him as he still looked pale and scrawny from his love being drained. “Thomas!” Fluttershy screamed. “What did you do to him?!” Twilight asked angrily. “Oh! Such anger. And I see you do care for the little morsel. His love was as delicious as Shining Armor’s during my attempt at Canterlot. But to be fair... you interfered with my plans of conquest! So I returned the favor by capturing your precious little boy, and made him a full course meal for me and my subjects! Soon, when we rid you off the pavement, Equestria will be ours!” Chrysalis cackled.
“You’ll never get away with this!” Thorax struggled. “Oh, but I already have. Nopony is coming to save you lot or help rescue the little weakling you call a son. Your pathetic attempt was futile, and now you will join the child after we have taken over your world, and destroy Celestia and Luna!” Chrysalis said. “Oh, yeah! Well, Thorax is still out there! How would you feel?!” Thorax asked.
“Don’t you dare mention that traitor’s name in my kingdom!” Chrysalis hissed. “He was a pathetic and insolent fool to leave and even more of a fool to return! But when I find him, he’ll learn his lesson about just what happens to those who betray the hive!” Thorax suddenly whimpered, as his eyes accidentally flared, causing Chrysalis to smirk, “And it seems I don’t have far to look, do I...” Thorax whimpered more, until Chrysalis then lit up her horn and zapped her aura at Thorax, revealing his true self. “Thorax?!” The changelings hissed, and then the group of heroes got scared.
Chrysalis suddenly heard the sound of rocks pounding, and she then saw Starlight trying to destroy her throne. “Oops,” Starlight said, until Chrysalis tried to blast her with her magic. “Very clever,” Chrysalis said, as she crawled around trying to search for Starlight. “And clearly that idiotic Thorax revealed to you the secret of my throne. I can’t have powerful ponies or one pathetic dragon infant using their abilities against me. Even with your rather, should I say, embarrassing little rescue attempt for the child, everything will now go according to my plan.”
“What plan? Why did you take him?! He’s done nothing to you! He’s just a kid!” Starlight asked. “So I could feed, of course!” Chrysalis replied, as she found where Starlight was hiding until she ran off. “And after I ordered my drones to bring him here so I could feed off his love for you and your friends, including his beloved mother, and give it to my subjects and feed some for myself, I devised a plan to strike Canterlot and all of Equestria after we destroy the Royal Sisters. After all of that, my drones will be able to store all the love meant for them and return it here to me, meaning I will then be invincible! And everypony will do as I command, and my subjects and I will feed on their love for generations after another!” She then cackled maniacally.
“You will never get the chance!” Twilight said. “That’s right, we can still take you with or without our magic!” Rainbow Dash said. “Ha! You’re welcome to try!” Chrysalis said. The six mares suddenly began to glow, and they lit up their horns. “Wow! The Tree of Harmony must’ve heard us!” Twilight said. “Awesome!” Rainbow Dash said. “Let’s get her!” Pinkie Pie said, and then they charged towards Queen Chrysalis. “Get them!” she hollered as her drones flew towards them.
They then fought off the changeling drones like back at the wedding, and then they were about to head towards Chrysalis.
“Alright, let’s finish this!” Twilight said, and she and Chrysalis clashed their beams, but Chrysalis was too strong for Twilight, and she defeated her and blasted her in the stomach. “No!” the other five shouted in unison. Then Chrysalis lit up her horn and blasted a beam of her magic at the other five, leaving them defeated. Chrysalis was about to blast them again, but she felt something bite her neck, and she let out a scream of pain. It was Spike and she was not tugging her mane, “You stupid beast! Get off me!” she shouted as she used her magic and threw him onto the floor. “Spike!” Twilight shouted.
Chrysalis then walked over to them as her drones held the seven still, and Trixie too. “And now, Starlight Glimmer! Prepare yourself as I feast off the love from your friends!” Chrysalis said, as she lit up her horn.
Starlight then thought for a moment, “What if you didn’t have to?” Chrysalis stopped, “Ha! Ridiculous! The hunger of changelings can never be satisfied!”
“Exactly! Thorax left the hive because he wanted to make a friend, and he did that!” Starlight said. “He shared love, and now he doesn’t need to feed. You don’t have to live your lives starving all the time!”
“You know nothing of the changelings or what it takes to be their queen! I decide what is best for my subjects, not some mewling grub like that traitorous Thorax!” Chrysalis said. “But I know what it’s like to lead by fear and intimidation! And I know what it’s like to want everypony to do what you say or want!” Starlight said. “But I was wrong. A real leader doesn’t force her subjects to deny who they are! He or she celebrates what makes them unique and listens to when one of finds a better way for themselves!”
“The only thing Thorax has found is what happens to those who turn their back on the hive!” Queen Chrysalis said, as she levitated Thorax from his capture and held him in her aura. “No! Wait! Stop!” Twilight said. “Just as soon as I drain and consume every last ounce of love from him, I will show my subjects what a real leader is!” Chrysalis snarled as she started to consume Thorax’s love. “I can feel the love inside me slipping away...!” Thorax strained. “I can’t hold onto it much longer...!”
Starlight suddenly had an idea, “Then don’t! Sharing love is what made you different to begin with! You should share your love with Chrysalis! Give her all of it!” Thorax nodded, and then he suddenly felt a huge burst coming from inside, and then he shared a huge beam of love with Chrysalis. She was blasted back towards her throne, and then she was terrified about what Thorax was doing until the love enveloped him into a cocoon. When Starlight touched it, she saw Thorax as a taller changeling with light lime green chitin with a brilliant gamboge tint on his chest, a dark azure carapace with a moderate emerald green underside, moderate blue violet wings and dark fuchsia elytra on his back, moderate rose eyes, and brilliant light orange beetle-like mandibles on his head. Everypony in the throne was shocked.
“See?! This is what happens when you give love freely instead of taking it! Why don’t you try it out for a change?!” Starlight said, showing how Thorax got his new look. The drones then thought for a moment and then decided to share their love with each other and Chrysalis’ throne started to crack and she was now afraid. After all that love was shared, the top of the hive exploded, leaving so much debris and rubble.
Starlight turned off the force field and then she and Thorax saw a beautiful sight The changelings landed and got new forms in colors of cyan, brilliant green, sea green, light lime green, and greenish yellow, causing them to like their new looks. Twilight and the others went to Starlight and Thorax for a group hug. They then saw Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadance, Shining Armor, Flurry Heart, Sunburst, and Princess Amore, and a few guard ponies from Canterlot with them. “Well done, Starlight Glimmer. You and your friends, including Thorax have shown the hive what it means to share love,” Princess Luna said. Starlight nodded, and the other squeed and made a group hug again. “Oh no! Thomas!” Starlight said, then she saw some changeling drones bring his cocoon forward. They put him down and one of the drones opened it, and safely took him out. They all gasped, and saw Thomas’s poor condition as he slept towards the changeling’s chest.
“THOMAS!” Fluttershy screamed as she ran over to her child with fear and worry, and slowly trotted and then held her little colt in her hooves. The others came to look. “Oh, you poor child. What has she done to you?” Princess Celestia asked in worry. They suddenly heard him silently breathing, but shallowly, and moaning while breathing, as Fluttershy placed his head on her chest to hear her heartbeat. “Please, my baby boy, please stay with me. Momma’s here now,” she said softly as she felt tears sting her eyes as he didn’t reply since he was very weak. “We got to get him to the hospital,” she said, as they nodded in agreement.
Before they all left, they heard rubble crumbling, and it was Queen Chrysalis, and she hissed at them, until they looked at her with angrily stern faces while Fluttershy held her son against her chest.
Starlight walked over to the changeling queen who shuddered in fear and defeat, “When Twilight and her friends defeated me, I chose to run away and seek revenge! But you don’t have to. You can be the leader your subjects truly deserve.” Queen Chrysalis saw Starlight trying to help her up, so she was about to take Starlight’s redemption, but she got angry and smacked it away from her.
“There is no revenge you could ever conceive of that will come close to what I will exact upon you one day, Starlight Glimmer!” she said angrily, and then she fell backwards and fled. The others saw this, and Starlight felt disappointed, until Twilight comforted her. “We haven’t seen the last of her, but we’ll probably run into her again.”
“Thorax, as the new leader of the changelings, I look forward to discussing how we can improve our relationship in the future. However, for the moment, perhaps it is best that we leave the Changeling Kingdom to the changelings,” Princess Celestia said. Thorax nodded, and then he and Celestia turned their heads, and then frowned as they saw Fluttershy cradling her son in her embrace. “Sister, we must get Twilight and her friends back home so they can take our precious little Thomas to the hospital,” Princess Luna said.
Princess Celestia nodded, and then walked over to Fluttershy. “My dear Fluttershy, it’s time for you and your friends to go home,” she said. Fluttershy nodded and then she and her friends walked over to the carriage where two pegasus guards were waiting. They sat down, and then Fluttershy heard a voice, “Momma...?” Fluttershy looked and saw Thomas weakly opening his eyes. “I’m so cold...” he said softly, as he started to weakly cough. “Shhhhhh shhhhhh... just hold on, sweetie. We’re going to get you some help,” Fluttershy said. “Here, darling. This should keep you warm for now,” Rarity said, giving him a blanket. Thomas nodded and then slept against his mother’s warm fur as he curled with the blanket. “Thomas? I think this belongs to you,” Twilight said, as she gave him his Snuggle Bear teddy, and then he hugged it against his scrawny body. The guards then flew and pulled the carriage as they took the group all the way back to Ponyville.