Ponyville
Carousel boutique
"I was working on this design for a few days now." Rarity's horn was shrouded in aura. She used magic to levitate a drawing of a new design over to Twilight, "Do you think it's too much?" she asked, waiting for a critique.
Twilight took a look at Rarity's design, "It's another outfit designed for a human. I don't really know about the design feedback for humans."
Rarity sighed and put the design sketch down on the table, "I know…I was in the process of making André and Babe some new clothes. Before I could even get the chance to actually do that…they…" she couldn't finish her sentence.
Twilight closed her eyes in depression, "I know." she opened them back up, trying not to think of what happened with the boy's, "There's no need to say it…"
Rarity took a good look at her design, "Still…I wish they were still here. I can still hear their voices…"
"Everypony!" a voice dangerously close to André's yelled out.
Twilight and Rarity thought they were hearing things. They ignored what they thought they heard.
"Come quick!" this time a voice very similar to Babe yelled.
Rarity turned to Twilight, hoping she wasn't going crazy, "Did you hear that?" she asked in hope.
Twilight ran over to the boutique window and saw André and Babe with Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, "André and Babe are outside! Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle are with them too!"
"What!?" Rarity shouted.
The two mares rushed out of the boutique to join all the other ponies who gathered around André and Babe. The citizens of Ponyville were obviously not happy about André and Babe's return, countless insults and harsh words were thrown around:
"Why have you two come back!?"
"Princess Celestia and Luna have exiled you both from Ponyville!"
"Go find your own home!"
André looked out to the crowd trying to reason with them, "If you all could just listen to us for a sec-"
All the ponies around them all began berating and talking over them. It would've been impossible for the two boys to try and reason with them in this current condition. Fluttershy walked into the circle the duo were in and turned to the crowd of ponies. She had an angry look on her face.
"…LISTEN UP!" Fluttershy said with, what seemed to be, the royal Canterlot voice…or at least something similar.
The yell caused instant silence amongst the group of ponies following up with her iconic stare…even André and Babe were a little intimidated just by hearing her yell.
Babe quivered in slight fear, "Yo…I haven't heard Fluttershy yell like that since she told the animals at the gala to love her." He whispered to André, trying not to cause Fluttershy to turn to him with her assertiveness.
"Yeah…" André quietly replied back.
Fluttershy turned back to André and Babe, "Go ahead." She was obviously back to her normal self.
"Um, thanks Fluttershy." André cleared his throat and looked at the crowd, "Ok! Everypony, I know you're not happy to see us but we've got some really important and urgent news!"
Twilight and Rarity got closer to the center. Amongst the crowd Pinkie Pie, Applejack and Rainbow Dash appeared as well.
"Those crimes you seen us do, of course, you all remember, right?" Babe asked, the look on the Ponies faces obviously answered for themselves, "As we said, BEFORE, it wasn't us." he finished his sentence with a smart tone.
Twilight stepped forward, "Then who was it?"
Babe and André turned to the lavender Unicorn, "It was two Changelings." Babe sternly stated.
The crowd gasped after hearing the name Changeling, Twilight was just as shocked as the other's, "But how could that be?" Twilight started remembering everything that happened in Canterlot, "Shining Armor and Princess Cadance blew them away." She thought aloud.
Babe shook his head, "They were down but not out." Twilight got a bad feeling up her spine as Babe continued talking to the crowd, "They were planning revenge ever since, they've been feeding off of the love Princess Celestia and Luna had for all the Ponies in Ponyville and the friendship André and I had for our friends here."
Apple Bloom joined in, "Even after all of Ponyville had turned their backs on them they still never lost sight of what mattered most to them, their friends."
André nodded, "That's why we're back." He put most of his attention on Twilight and the others, "We found out what was going on and now we know. They're going to attack Ponyville, no," he corrected himself, "all of Equestria tomorrow. Their numbers have doubled and there are even more of them than before.
"…W-We've got to warn Princess Celestia!" Twilight panicked.
Babe put his hands in his pockets as he looked up at the sky, "No need for that." Babe pointed to the sky. Princess Celestia descended from the sky and landed in front of André and Babe.
André stepped forward in a respectable fashion, "Princess Celestia, we're back and we know-"
Princess Celestia held up her hoof, André stopped talking, "Is everything you said true?" she asked.
"Yes. We would never lie to you." he answered.
Babe put a hand on André's shoulder to further explain the situation to Celestia, "The queen of the Changelings, Queen Chrysalis, is behind all of this. She was feeding off of your love for all the ponies in Equestria. It's not only you but us too."
The princess looked out the corner of her eye, "…How could I have been so blind? She manipulated us."
André huffed, "Manipulated ya'll." He said under his breath. Luckily Princess Celestia didn't hear him.
Babe lightly popped André in the back of the head, "They created a freakishly large tower black tower far away from Ponyville in the direction we were exiled from." Princess Celestia turned to Babe, she looked rather sad when facing the two boys, "That's their home and that's their base."
Princess Celestia turned to her student, "Twilight."
Hearing her name suddenly being called Twilight stood up straight and presentable, "Yes?" she asked nervously.
"We must go to Canterlot. You and your friends must hold the elements of harmony."
André tapped Celestia's side, "Problem…with all the power she has now she managed to sneak into Canterlot without being noticed…and she stole the elements."
Celestia's eyes widened and all the ponies in Ponyville were struck in fear.
Babe smacked a fist into his palm, "Now…what to do?"
A droplet of sweat rolled down the side of Celestia's face, "I must warn all the guards in Canterlot. We mustn't allow Chrysalis to return to Ponyville!"
"A little late aren't we, princess?"
Celestia, Twilight and all the Ponies in the town square looked up and saw Chrysalis and her Changeling army in the sky.
André pointed up at Chrysalis, "Hey! What's the deal!? You said you'd attack tomorrow!" he angrily shouted.
Chrysalis grinned, "Why wait? The day is still young."
"So…André and Babe were telling the truth the whole time." Rarity said aloud to her friends.
The dark queen had her sights on Celestia, "It's a pleasure to see you again under these circumstances Princess Celestia."
Celestia took a step forward, "Why have you come back? Haven't you learned from last time?" reminiscing the events of the Canterlot wedding.
Chrysalis giggled at Celestia's remark, "I could say the same to you. Wasn't it you who fell to my mercy?"
Celestia snarled at Chrysalis much to the former's delight.
"I'm here to take your place, Changelings will rule!"
Princess Celestia smashed her hoof into the ground below her, slightly damaging it, "That's not going to happen. I will protect every pony in Equestria!"
Celestia showing her love and determination of protecting everypony put joy in Chrysalis eyes, "Yes, show them how much you love them. Changelings, attack!" she ordered.
The changelings all plummeted down toward all the ponies.
Princess Celestia quickly formed a large and powerful pink barrier around all of them, protecting them all from the changeling attack. The barrier, however, was slowly breaking as the changelings rapidly tackled into it, "Twilight, I'm counting on you to retrieve the elements of harmony and put a stop to this madness! I'll try and hold them off as long as I can! Ponyville is counting on you!"
"Princess Celestia…" Twilight understood the importance of her mentor's orders but she couldn't stand the thought of leaving her alone.
Princess Celestia turned her head and face the citizen's, "Everypony else, run! Find shelter and stay hidden!" she ordered.
All the ponies did as their ruler said and they all run for cover. Queen Chrysalis chuckled and continued to watch Celestia struggle in trying to keep up her barrier. Twilight, Applejack, André, Babe, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and the CMC's all ran to the library. Twilight cast a protection spell that would protect the library from the invading changelings when inside.
André took a look at the window, "Things aren't looking too good for Princess Celestia. I'm not sure she'll be able to hold up that barrier for long."
"We've got to get around them and make our way back to Changeling tower." Babe said as he calmly paced back and forth, "I'm pretty sure the elements are there."
Applejack sadly faced André and Babe, "Ah can't believe you two were telling the truth…" she turned away and rubbed her leg, "Ah feel just awful for not believing in you earlier…"
Apple Bloom marched over to her sister, "Of course they were telling the truth!" this was pretty much the first time Apple Bloom had to set her sister right for doubt.
Apple Bloom's word's touched not only Applejack but Twilight as well, "It was wrong for not believing in you two earlier…we were wrong, I was wrong…" Applejack and the rest of the mane6 lowered their heads in shame.
"Twilight's right," Rainbow said, "she WAS wrong."
All eyes were on Rainbow Dash, she looked around and saw her friend's weren't amused with her previous statement, "Ehehe…of course I meant I was wrong too."
The two guys couldn't find it in themselves to be mad at their friends and have already forgiven them added to the fact that they were never mad. André laughed, "Don't worry about it. We told you we weren't mad at you. Everypony makes mistakes." He looked at his Pony friends in their despondent state, "Guys, give us love?" André asked.
The group saw that Babe and André had nothing against them and seeing their capacity to forgive made them smile.
They all gathered together for a group embrace. The mane6 regretted ever doubting their two friends when they needed them most but with true forgiveness they were able to reconnect their friendship, making them even closer.
"How will we be able to help Princess Celestia if we don't even know where this tower is?" Rarity asked as the group broke their embrace.
Babe placed his hand on his chest, "We know where it is, don't worry, we'll go and get the elements back." referring to himself and André.
"Wait, by yourselves?" Fluttershy asked nervously, "It's too dangerous!"
André wrapped his arm around Babe's neck playfully, "Don't worry about us, we'll handle it."
Rainbow Dash flew over to André and rubbed his head with her hoof, petting him, "I'm going with you too!" Rainbow Dash was determined to remain by her friend's side, nothing was going to stop her.
Pinkie Pie cheerfully bounced around the two, "Count me in too!"
Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy and Rarity all looked at each other and nodded in agreement. They went over to André and Babe and were going to help them.
"You're all in too?" André asked the rest of the group.
"Of course we are." Twilight didn't hesitate to assure the two that she'd be there.
Applejack adjusted her hat, "Ya'll aren't going in there alone."
Fluttershy approached, casting her personal fears aside, "We're friends and we look out for each other."
"Till the end." Rarity stated as she too joined the group.
Looking at the six mares André nodded, "…Okay then. We're all settled in then, let's get ready to do this."
Babe placed his hand on Twilight's back, "We'll need your hot air balloon. We'll sneak out the back of the library and we'll all carry the balloon away from Ponyville." He then faced the others, "Once we get to changeling tower we can fly it to the top and hopefully grab the elements and get out."
"How do you know they'll be at the top of the tower?" André couldn't help but ask, even they didn't know where Chrysalis hid the elements.
Babe crossed his arms, "Because villains usually keep the stolen valuables of great power at the top of their operation."
The mane6 all shrugged to each other in confusion, André just shook his head but decided to put his trust in Babe, "Alright. We have our plan so let's put it into action."
"Let's bloo this!" Babe randomly shouted.
André took a look at his friend in minor disgust and simply face palmed, "Oh my God…." He muttered.