Since When am I Faust?

by McDufus_456

Chapter 8: Battle of Canterlot

Running through the halls, Lyra, Minuette, and Lillybreeze made their way to the castle's medical wing. They had just received a message from the ponies over there, and it told them to be there as soon as possible.

On their way, a sound, like shattering glass, caught their attention, and the three mares turned to look out the window. What they saw made their hearts fill with dread, and Lilly let out a faint whisper, "Oh no…."

Outside, the shield around Canterlot was collapsing, and in its wake, thousands of changelings came pouring in. The sound of a battle quickly filled the air, and the group sped up their pace as they headed to the other side of the castle.

While they ran, they came to a three-way junction, and they slowed down as they checked to see if the coast was clear. Seeing that no one was headed in their direction, they turned the corner and managed to get about halfway down the hallway. When they got there, the three of them lifted their heads as they heard the sound of someone running. A moment later, they saw Luna come into view.

Minuette's face brightened at seeing the alicorn, and she held her foreleg up as she called out, "Princess Luna!"

Hearing the mare call out, Lilly suddenly jumped forward and hushed her friend. Her actions were a bit confusing to the others, but the disguised changeling could feel that something wasn't right. There was a presence in the room, and it felt all too familiar...

The maid looked at the Princess and saw that she was eyeing the three of them with caution. Then, while they were looking at each other, Lilly saw a glint out of the corner of her eye. It was only for a second, but it was enough.

With a frightened lunge, Lillybreeze suddenly ran towards the Princess, and Luna automatically shifted into a defensive stance; however, what the alicorn didn't expect, was for the maid to jump at her, shouting, "Get down!"

In a brief moment of bewilderment, the Princess loosened her stance. Lilly tackled her, and the two narrowly dodged an incoming attack. It was a beam of magic, and it made a small crater where the Princess had previously been standing.

The two looked up at where the attack came from, and they saw the Queen emerge from the shadows. With a startled gasp, Lilly took a step back as she saw the one person she had hoped never to see again. Now that she was standing right in front of her, the proto-queen started to regret staying in the castle for as long as she did.

Luna stood up, got into a defensive stance, and used her wing to separate Lilly from the changeling. Keeping her eyes on Chrysalis, Luna told the mares, "The three of you need to get out of here. I'll handle this."

Feeling frightened and overwhelmed, Lyra and Minuette were eager to listen, but as they turned to leave, they stopped to look back at their friend. Lillybreeze hadn't moved; instead, she stood up straight and looked at the Queen.

Chrysalis was staring at her, and she was a little confused as to why the little pony seemed so familiar. Curiously, the changeling began to walk towards the maid.

Both Lyra and Minuette were calling their friend, but their words fell on deaf ears. As Chrysalis approached, Luna tried to push Lilly back, away from the changeling, but the alicorn was caught off guard when the young maid stepped forward and said. "Hello, mom, it's been a while."

In a burst of flames, she revealed her true form as Adorilin, and the room became silent. If her friends made any noise from the shock, she didn't hear it. The young changeling was wholly focused on the Queen standing in front of her.

"You!" Chrysalis hissed, "You were the one… The one who got them to put up a protection spell. The one who told that runt about me. The one who threw a wrench in all of my plans! It's all your fault... All of it was YOU!"

Lighting up her horn, Chrysalis shot a beam at the smaller changeling, and Adorilin jumped to the side as she tried to dodge. However, the shot still grazed her, and while Adorilin winced from the injury, she saw a larger bolt coming right for her. With no time to get out of the way, the proto-queen flinched and scrunched up her eyes as she waited for the impact.

But, it never came. After a few moments of silence, she slowly opened her eyes, and the young changeling saw a blue shield protecting her. Looking up in confusion, she saw Luna smiling, and Adorilin looked at the alicorn as if to say, But why?

The alicorn said nothing, and she merely breathed out as she hardened her gaze at the Queen. "You are saying that this one here has been our ally. Then she is under my protection."

At hearing Luna's words, the young changeling looked down as she contemplated something, and she turned to look at the cowering mares standing at the end of the hallway. She could feel the fear they had for her, and it made her feel sad, but Adorilin also knew that if they stayed here, they would either get in the way, get hurt, or both. Sighing, the Proto-Queen got up and stepped towards her friends. "The two of you should go. I'll help Princess Luna here. As for, well, what I am… I will explain later."

Minuette was about to respond, but a glance from Luna told her just to listen. The blue mare nodded, then she pulled Lyra down the hall with her as they headed to their original destination.

Now that the three of them were alone, Luna lowered the shield and got ready for a fight, whereas Chrysalis simply looked at her daughter with disappointment, "Oh? And are you going to fight me, Adorilin?"

The Proto-Queen looked down the hallway to where her friends had left. Then with a determined expression, she looked back to her mother and said, "To save my friends, I'll do anything."

Sighing, the Queen shook her head and looked her daughter in the eyes, "Then, as an enemy of the hive. I will have to kill you,"

"I know," Adorilin said, her gaze unfaltering as her mother planned her demise.

Suddenly Chrysalis launched at her daughter and slammed her hoof into the ground where Adorilin stood. The younger changeling jumped up at the last moment and flew above her mother. The two shot at each other, and their attacks met in the middle.

Arcing through the air, the proto-queen landed on the ground behind Chrysalis and spun around. She swept the larger changeling off her hooves, and Luna shot at her as Chrysalis stammered in place. Without a moment's rest, Adorilin suddenly rushed forward and slammed her mother into the wall.

The Queen simply bared her fangs and blasted a barrier around her, throwing Adorilin away. Luna took this moment to rush in, and she shot a beam at Chrysalis. The changeling returned with her own attack, and it quickly overpowered the blue alicorn. The attack exploded on impact, and the resulting force threw Luna against a pillar, and she struggled to move.

Chrysalis was breathing heavily from the tag team attacks, but she was quickly regaining her strength. Straightening up, she looked at her daughter and commended her saying, "You've gotten better."

"Well, you did get Pharynx to teach me everything he knew." Adorilin shrugged.

Chrysalis let out a snort, and she nodded to herself, "That I did. If you had decided to join us, we could have killed another alicorn, or at the very least, handle the rest of them. It's quite a shame really; I had so hoped you wouldn't be like the rest of your older sisters. Let's hope that Penny isn't as stupid as the rest of you."

On the other side of the room, Luna's head shot up at hearing the phrase 'kill another,' and her blood ran cold. "Wait, what did you say?... Kill another alicorn? You don't mean... no... you didn't! You couldn't have!"

Chrysalis turned to look at the Princess, and a smirk stretched across her face. "Oh, yes, that runt with the red mane. She was a bit annoying, but easy enough to deal with. I'm quite sure she's bled to death by now."

"Nooo!!!" Both the Lunar Princess and the Proto-Queen shouted. Adorilin dropped to the ground in disbelief, and Luna stood up with tears in her eyes. After all these years, she had just gotten her mother back. All this time that she was alone, and a hole laid in her heart.

Flashes appeared in her mind, images of that horrible night. When her mom abruptly woke both her and tia up, and she held them tightly. She cried as she stroked their manes, and the last image Luna had of her mother was her looking back at them with a pained expression before flying into a storm of destruction.

All the pain of grief, anger, and sadness suddenly welled up inside the alicorn. And through her tears, she glared at the changeling. Teleporting herself in front of Chrysalis, Luna pointed her head down, hiding her tears, and she shouted, "How dare you... How dare you kill my mother!!!"

The changeling tilted her head and raised her eyebrows in confusion, "Mother?"

Rapid bolts of magic suddenly shot out from the Princess's horn, and each bolt hit with enough force to shake the room. All the while, she wept for the parent she barely knew, and her tears rolled down her cheeks as she cried.

"Dammit! That hurts!" Chrysalis yelled, and she zapped Luna with a lightning spell.

The alicorn was thrown across the room, but the alicorn was almost immediately back in the changeling's face. She stared at Chrysalis with eyes full of pure hatred, and they began to shift. Her pupils became slits like a dragon, and she breathed heavily through her fangs. Chrysalis leaned back and looked at the alicorn with raised eyebrows, "Well, this is interesting…."

As she spoke, a large ball of magic began to form above Luna's head, and she threw it at the changeling with a mighty roar. The explosion shook the building, and the room filled with dust and debris. The room became silent as thick smoke loomed in the air.

Luna's anger slowly turned into sadness, and she dropped to the ground as she wept. Her magic had been exhausted, and her body was physically at its limit. The poor alicorn was so tired she could hardly see straight, and she was struggling to keep her eyes open. Adorilin walked over and put a hoof on Luna's shoulder as the alicorn cried. The two stayed like that for a moment longer.

"Are you done?"

Looking up with shock and irritation, the two watched as the Queen emerged from the smoke. She was covered in injuries, but within moments they seemed to be disappearing before their eyes.

Chrysalis smirked at the expressions on their faces, and she flicked her mane to the side. "A good effort, but as long as I'm connected to Shining Armor, I can use the love he supplies to heal my wounds. Though I must say, I didn't expect this much resistance to occur. And you, dear princess Luna, your power seemed to grow with your anger. Well done, you certainly are much more of a warrior than your sister. But, how much hatred can you bear... before you fully return to being Nightmare Moon?"

To add emphasis to her point, the changeling levitated a silver platter over to the Princess. Luna's eyes shrank in shock at seeing her reflection, and the remaining tears in her eyes rolled down her cheeks. Not wanting to believe it, she looked down at her hoof; her coat had gone pure black. This was the final nail in the coffin to the alicorn's psyche, and Luna's heart suddenly felt as if it had turned to ice. Then and there, her will to fight quickly withered, and she slumped down to the ground to begin sobbing.

Chrysalis looked down at the Princesses' shivering form with a look of pity, "Such a weak creature... completely crippled by your emotions."

The Queen then shot a powerful bolt at Luna, but Adorilin jumped in front of the blast and took the blow. The proto-queen winced in pain as she stumbled in place, but she remained firm and guarded the Princess. She stepped forward so that Luna was a little distance behind her.

"Oh? So you want me to kill you first?" Chrysalis sneered. The little proto-queen felt compelled to retreat as her mother came closer. Adorilin took a couple of steps back, second-guessing herself, but the thought of her friends and her resolve to protect them flashed through her mind. Defeated by her own heart, she sighed and stood her ground.

Stomping on the ground, Chrysalis spoke in an authoritative voice, "You rebelled against me and the hive."

Zap!

Adorilin cringed as her mother struck her with a bolt of lightning. Her knees buckled in pain from the shock.

"You Conspired with our enemies, giving them information to try to thwart my plans!"

Zap!

"Ahhh!" The little changeling cried as another strike hit her. This one threw her back a few feet, and she twitched on the ground.

As she laid there, a steady bolt of lightning struck the proto-queen, and the sound of electricity echoed through the halls as Adorilin cried in pain. When it stopped, she struggled to crawl away from the monster she had once called mom.

“This has been fun, dear, but it’s time to end this.” Chrysalis's horn then started to glow with a threatening hue of green, and a wicked smile crossed her face.

Luna tried to put up a shield, but it quickly fizzled out into nothing. Having already used everything she had, using that last little bit of magic, struck the alicorn with a splitting headache. Adorilin couldn’t protect herself either, as her body was still convulsing from the lingering electricity.

All she was able to do was weakly looked up as Chrysalis finished building her death ball. The Queen looked down at the shivering changeling, and with an evil smile, she said, "Now sweetheart, goodnight…”

BLAST! FFFFFFHHHHHHOOOOOOPPPPPPHHHHHH!

Light was all the proto-queen could see as golden flames exploded into the hallway. They hung over her like a warm blanket, and she instinctively covered her head as the roaring fire continued over her. After three seconds, the flames suddenly fell apart and vanished into the air.

Slowly opening her eyes, the proto Queen looked around, and she was surprised to see she was unharmed. A quick glance to the side told her the same went for the Princess, and she sighed in relief. Adorilin's ear's perked up as the sound of hoofsteps could be heard.

The sound drew the attention of the two mares on the ground, and when the owner stopped beside them, they looked up, and tears of pain and anguish gradually became tears of joy, and faint smiles began to form on their faces.

In her charred state, Chrysalis looked up with a scowl, and as she did, a gurney slammed into her face. It threw her back, and she tumbled, rolling into a ball with the hospital bed, before catching herself on the ground. The bed continued past her a little way, and the changeling looked towards the source of the attack.

Standing behind the Princess stood an off-white Alicorn. She had a crimson mane, and it flowed in an unfeeling wind. Her wings were covered in bandages, and she had a burgundy blanket hanging over her back like a cape. She was staring directly at Chrysalis with a look of determination and rage, and the changeling felt her confidence waver ever so slightly. Something was off, and it was telling every sense in her body that danger was approaching.

Ignoring the changeling, the alicorn knelt beside the two on the ground and gave them a reassuring smile. Lauren lifted Luna's chin and wiped away her tears. "(Shhh, everything's okay now. You did well, Lulu.)" The blue alicorn's lip quivered, and her eyes shined as tears threatened to come out.

With a sudden pull, she clamped onto her mother's leg for a hug. Lauren smiled and stroked her mane, Luna was shaking, and she gripped her mother's coat almost pleadingly. As Luna held onto her leg, Lauren smirked and ruffled the proto-queen's mane, reassuring her that everything was fine now. All the stress and anxiety that the young changeling had built up suddenly came crashing down on her, and she broke down into a blubbering mess.

Doctors and nurses came running into the room, and a moment later, Lyra and Minuette caught up with them. They looked around, noting the holes covering the walls and the soot that lined both sides of the hall.

All of them went silent, shocked at the sheer amount of destruction. Then they spotted the two mares on the ground, several nurses freaked out at the sight of the Princess, and others were more concerned with the two unknown creatures in the room.

"My gurney!" One cried out, and the rest of the doctors raised an eyebrow at him. The one closest to him cleared his throat and smacked the doctor on the back of the head. "Oh...I mean, oh my gosh! Are you two, okay!?"

The off-white alicorn was still facing the changeling, but she turned her head slightly and looked back at the doctors. Gesturing to the two below her, she said with an authoritative voice, "All of you, help these two."

A doctor made a move to protest about the teenage changeling, but a fiery glance from the mare caused him to gulp and back down; he nodded and got to work, obeying her command. The rest of the doctors hurried into action, and they began treating the two on the ground, giving them bandages, magic stimulants, and other basic treatments for their injuries.

Glad that they were taken care of, the alicorn sighed and refocused on Chrysalis. The changeling had just finished healing herself from her burns, and she was preparing herself for a fight. The alicorn frowned and vanished in a flash of light. A moment later, she reappeared standing in front of Chrysalis.

"Now, as for you... There's someone who wants a word with you." Her words were calm and collected, but there was an undertone of venom in her voice. Chrysalis growled at the pony and opened her mouth to speak.

"Not here." The alicorn cut her off.

Suddenly a pillar shot out of the wall and blew the changeling through the exterior of the castle. Chrysalis flew through the air and landed in a heap in the central courtyard near the fountain. Several drones fighting royal guards in the area stopped as they recognized their Queen on the ground, and time seemed to freeze for them. A silence hung in the air as they waited for her to get up, Chrysalis shakily got off the ground, and she stood on wobbly legs. As she began healing herself from being blown through the wall, the alicorn teleported down. She stood in front of her, and Chrysalis got into a fighting stance, flaring her horn.

The off-white mare slowly blinked, and as she opened her eyes, a wave of power washed over the area. She stared into Chrysalis's eyes, and the changeling flinched. What she saw was no longer a young, inexperienced pony hiding her fear. No, now, she saw something completely different. Her eyes, they were ancient, full of experience, and bursting with confidence. A flame had been lit, and it burned just barely below the surface.

Chrysalis, although armed and ready for battle, found herself stepping back from the mare. There was a change in the pony that just made her feel uneasy. It was as if she had become a different person from a moment ago. Her power, the way she walked, but most of all, those ancient eyes.

Chrysalis caught herself retreating, and she shook her head as she tried to regain her composure. Gritting her teeth, she stared up at the sky and silently called the nearby drones for assistance. When a response came back from the hive mind, she looked down at the alicorn with a half-lidded stare, then she started dusting herself off. With a scoff, she said to the pony, "Don't think that just because you got a few hits in means that you have the advantage over me."

As she spoke, the nearby drones assembled themselves behind her, ready to engage. They all charged their horns, and on the Queen's command, all the changelings began to fire at Lauren. Chrysalis grinned and charged her attack. She shot a large beam of magic at the mare, and it exploded on impact.

The resulting smoke clouded their vision, and they waited in silence for the dust to clear. A soft breeze carried the smoke away, revealing the alicorn standing with the blanket she had tied around her neck. It had been swung around and held in the air in front of her, glowing in her telekinetic grasp. The blanket showed a few dark spots from the blasts, but other than that, it showed no sign of damage.

"H-How!? All my troops! And my own power! T-That blast was strong enough to defeat Celestia!" Chrysalis stammered, and the group behind her moved back slightly as they heard the last part of the Queen's rant.

Lauren's nose twitched at the mention of her eldest, and she stretched her neck from side to side, chuckling to herself, "(Kids these days… none of you understand magic. You have no imagination, no ingenuity, and no sense of when you should keep your mouth shut.)" As she finished speaking, the venom in her voice made some of the royal guards who had been observing feel uneasy. Lauren's hair began to defy gravity, and a wind of power radiated off the mare.

Chrysalis's eyes widened, and she fired a blast at the pony. Lauren tossed the blanket off herself. It hardened in her telekinetic grasp, becoming like steel, and she deflected the oncoming attack with it. The blast flew into the air and away from Canterlot, dissipating through the air. The changeling shot another, and another, and another. Each one was tossed aside by the mare.

Finally, the changeling shot a large beam at the pony. A moment before it hit, she wrapped herself up in the blanket and let it carry her away. The beam just barely missed her, and it blew up the concrete where she had stood.

Lauren circled around, zipping through the courtyard until she dropped down, and planted a solid kick onto Chrysalis's side. The changeling shot into the water fountain, and bits of it flew through the air as it blew up. With a flash of Lauren’s horn, the water spraying out became ice, and it encased Chrysalis.

As they saw this, the horde shot at Lauren in an attempt to defend their Queen, but he alicorn disappeared from sight. She reappeared a moment later, and narrowed her gaze at the horde. The fire in her eyes reappeared, and she growled. "(My turn.)"

The drones felt power rise in the atmosphere around them, and some began to retreat.

Three magic circles formed as the alicorn's horn lit up, and they hung in the air in front of her. With a nonchalant expression, she blew into the first array; much like someone would blow out a candle. The air quickly reverberated into a strong gust of wind, and it’s strength multiplied several times over through each layer, and as it reached the last one, the air displacement caused a shockwave, and it blasted the drones away in gale-force winds. All this took only a second.

As the shockwave carried the drones away I whistled in awe as I watched the last one disappear from sight. It was then that I noticed I was back in control.

"Okay…" I nodded and looked up at the fountain.

The cocoon of ice exploded with a flash of green light, and the Queen shot into the air with a scream of anger. While up there, she looked down, searching for me. We made eye contact, and Chrysalis snarled at me. Her horn lit up, and a buzzing sound echoed through the city. Rising from the buildings behind her, I saw thousands of drones leaving their post converging on the central courtyard. Chrysalis took her place in front of them.

She and her whole army bared their fangs at me, and two of the royal guards decided to run inside as they tried to protect themselves from the horde.

When they all assembled, Chrysalis snarled at me and said, "I'm impressed. I had no idea you had such power and tricks up your sleeve. But even you cannot take on all of us." She lifted her forelegs, gesturing to the whole army.

"Yeah, I'll give you that...," I said sheepishly as I looked at the thousands above me. The changeling smirked, and all of them began charging their attacks.

I tried to hold the same confident smile on my face that Lauren had before, but I was admittedly getting nervous. There were too many to try using fire; it would only affect about one-eighth of the group at best. And that was about the only thing I knew how to do at this point, other than basic levitation. The stress was starting to get to me.

As I sat there wondering how I could get out of this situation, no less how I even got into it, the castle doors burst open. Cadance and Shining Armor ran out with an entourage of royal guards, and the pink alicorn looked up at the army of changelings. She frowned, then she spotted me in the center of the courtyard. I must have looked in rough shape because rather than calling out my name or some other greeting, the pink pony yelled out. "Oh my gosh! Are you okay!?"

Before I could respond, maniacal laughter echoed through the courtyard. Chrysalis looked down at the pink pony. "She is at the moment, but we’ll take care of that!."

Cadance narrowed her gaze and stomped her hoof on the ground, "You will not touch her!"

The changeling smirked at the pink pony, "Oh, what are you and your little troops going to do? Frown at me?"

Cadance glared at her, and speaking with a firm voice, she said, "We will defeat you!" Turning her attention back to Shining Armor, she looked him in the eyes and whispered, "Together." Shining nodded, and the two looked into each other's eyes. They crossed their horns, and a spark began to arc between them. A moment later, a visible pink aura surrounded them.

As Chrysalis looked at the couple, she started to shake with both anger and fear. Not wanting to take any chances, she commanded some from the changeling army to split off and attack. They zoomed down to stop them from whatever they were doing.

My eyes widened with worry, and with a flash of my horn, I did the only spell I knew how to cast, and flames erupted through the air.

FFFHHHOOOPPPHHH!

They covered the changelings, and their bodies fell to the ground before the floating couple. Their cries and shouts of agony broke the concentration that the two had, and the aura around them faltered. It flickered in and out of existence, then at the last moment, it flared to life.

The protection spell quickly expanded, and it covered the city in an instant. There was a calm after the blast, and the couple floated back down, still looking lovingly in each other's eyes.

I uncovered my eyes and looked up as I asked aloud, "Did it work!?"

Above me, the changelings were still sitting in place, and those previously injured or low on magic were now healed, and their energy was fully restored. The others who were fine had found themselves energized.

Cadances eyes went wide, and she looked over to me with a shocked expression. "I don't understand. The protection spell should have cleared them out!"

I looked at the changelings and took a nervous step back. "Should have!?" My voice held a tone of concern, and I looked at the pink alicorn as I stomped my hoof in frustration, "Damn it Cadance! You're supposed to be helping me!"

"I'm sorry!"

As I was speaking, the sky suddenly started to turn green. I looked up, and saw the army's attack raining down. My eyes went wide, and my ears folded back. "Eep!"

BLAST!

Residents on the farthest corner of Canterlot looked on as an explosion shook the city, and a mushroom cloud rose from the castle. Fear began to fill their hearts as some asked the question, "Did we just lose?" Others began packing their belongings, ready to flee the city before it was too late.

Cadance and Shining coughed as the area filled with smoke. Troops took their stations to protect the two, and they struggled to breathe. The pink alicorn held her breath, hoping that the white alicorn would suddenly jump from the smoke. But there was silence. A soft breeze began to carry the smoke away from the area, and as it did, Cadance gasped at seeing a crater.

Her heart sank, "Lauren!" Cadance called out, and she ran towards the courtyard. One of the guards tried to stop her and hold her back, but she shrugged him off, pulling away. He kept trying to pull her back from danger. He kept trying until Shining put his hoof on the guard's shoulder. The guard looked back, and his captain shook his head. With a silent understanding, the guard let her go. There would be no stopping her anyway.

No longer hindered by the guard, Cadance ran into the center of the courtyard. She jumped through the rising smoke pouring out of the crater, and the entourage watched as she became obscured from view. They then readied themselves for an attack.

Cadance stumbled down the crater's slope, over bricks, hot rocks, and other bits of earth. "Lauren!" She called out as she got closer to the center. Her eyes stung from the smoke, and she couldn't see very far in front of her. Through the smoke, she spotted the alicorn face down on the ground. "Lauren!"

Her eyes lit up with worry, and she ran over, checking the mare for injuries. She was on a disk of broken bricks and concrete. From the looks of things, she had tried to shield herself at the last moment, but it broke under the brute force of the attack. Her wounds were mainly burns, but her other injuries from earlier had opened back up. She was unconscious, and if she was breathing, the alicorn couldn't tell.

Cadance felt responsible for the amount of damage the mare had suffered, and she began to tear up. Her lip quivered, and a tear rolled down her cheek. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…" she whispered and hugged the mare.

The silence faded as the sound of buzzing got louder. Cadance looked up with pained eyes and saw a silhouette drifting through the smoke. Chrysalis hovered down and landed in front of the two. The changeling looked at Cadance and how she was holding the white mare. She grinned, glad that the alicorn was finally down. Walking forward, she slowly approached the two, and Cadance wrapped the white alicorn in her hooves, pulling her closer.

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow at the mare's defiance and smirked. In her opinion, the pink pony was no more a threat than an average unicorn. A green glow encased the white alicorn, and she tried to pull her free from Cadance's grasp. She didn't let go; instead, she held on and tried to sever the grip that the changeling had on her friend. Growing rather annoyed with the pink pony, Chrysalis shot at Cadance.

She flinched as the bolt hit her, and she fell back with Lauren in her arms, losing her grip as she tumbled on the ground. The changeling walked closer, and Cadance reached for the white alicorn again. Chrysalis grabbed the pink pony in her magical grasp and threw her against the side of the crater. Cadance yelped in pain as her back hit some bricks.

"Stay down." The changeling hissed. Then turned to the white alicorn, ready to finish her off. Her horn flared, and her evil smile returned to her face. Right before she fired, a brick hit her in the side of the head, and she turned with an irritated gaze at the pink alicorn.

Cadance shakily stood up, levitating a few more bricks and rocks behind her, "I refuse to let you hurt her any more than you already have." She said as she stared down the larger creature.

Chrysalis growled at the pony and walked over to her. Towering over Cadance, Chrysalis flared up her horn, this time aiming at the pink pony. Cadance looked up, she was unmoving, but the changeling could see the fear she had in her eyes.

"The feeling is mutual, Cadance." A weak voice chuckled, cutting through their conversation. They both looked back, and the white alicorn lying on her back, she was propping herself up with her arms and held a grin on her face. Chrysalis growled at the mare and stepped away from Cadance.

The alicorn smirked. "Gotcha." and Chrysalis suddenly erupted in a vortex of flames. The blue fire danced across the changeling, and she hissed as she tried to escape them. With a flash of her horn, the changeling disrupted the flames, and they dissipated into nothing.

Her body was charred and covered in smoke, and her breathing was heavily labored. She grit her teeth as her shell hissed from the heat. Lighting her horn, she connected to the hive-mind. There was some unfinished business she needed them to take care of. She snarled, ready to deploy her remaining troops to blast this place off the map.

Suddenly, the white alicorn vanished, and she appeared an instant later, teleporting directly in front of Chrysalis. She grabbed the changeling's face and pressed her horn against hers. She glared at the changeling, and Chrysalis's eyes went wide. The pony was using the direct connection to access the hive-mind, and once she was in, Lauren smirked and said, "(Checkmate.)"

Chrysalis felt her blood run cold, and she watched as a red sphere expanded from the alicorn's horn. It grew to encompass the whole city, and the changeling felt a magical tether wrap around her. With fear-stricken eyes, the changeling looked at the ancient being in front of her and whispered, "Just who are you?"

Lauren's eyes narrowed, and with a firm voice, she answered, "(The Queen of Creation.)"

Chrysalis's eyes widened, and she stammered as she reared back, "N-No… not you... B-But, that was just a Legend!" She screamed as she began to lift off the ground. Her screams echoed through the courtyard as she and all her drones were suddenly pulled out of the sphere.

BANG!

Thousands of changelings broke the sound barrier as they flew over the horizon. The citizens of Canterlot had to cover their ears as the air around the city suddenly became a torrent of thunderous booms.

Cadance was sitting not too far away and watched as the alicorn dropped to the ground in a heap. With panic quickly rising in her heart, she ran over. "Lauren. Lauren!" There was no response. Turning her head upwards, she began shouting, "Somepony get a doctor! Help! Someone!"

A moment later, Royal guards came sliding down the crater's slope, and Shining ran over to Cadance, embracing her in a warm hug.

As I laid there on the ground, face down in the dirt, the adrenaline wore off, and I could feel all the pain my body was going through. I felt like death. All my wounds had reopened, not to mention the new ones I got while facing Chrysalis's army. My magic was utterly spent. I didn't even have the strength left to blink properly. Cadance's panicked cries faded into nothingness, and all I could hear was a ringing in my ears. As I laid there, my sight slowly got darker, and I couldn't help but wonder one thing.

An image of the pink-haired filly running into a pantry and being pushed out by a force field suddenly flashed through my mind. I smiled in amusement and let myself drift off to sleep.