//------------------------------// // *Chapter 16: Wedding Crashers // Story: Drake's Empire // by Pentel123 //------------------------------// Chapter 16: Wedding Crashers John Beckwith: That brings us to the question of frequent flyer miles. Wedding Crashers the Movie It was the night before the wedding and Drake and Spike were resting. They were tired their exhausting high-speed flight, and made camp a safe distance away from Canterlot, careful to avoid attracting unwanted attention or scaring anypony. Spike spent much of the flight bubbling with excitement and going over plans for the bachelor party he was expecting to host for Shining Armor. Drake had been fairly quiet, only speaking occasionally, mostly to provide a vague explanation of what he knew about bachelor parties back on Earth. The trip itself was fairly uneventful. The only excitement was being chased through the gap by a flock of harpies, which turned away after they passed over Fort Bastion. The cause of Drake’s silence was his concern over how to deal with the changelings’ attack, and how to explain it to Spike. Once they had set up camp, Drake believed he knew. “Spike, before we get there I need to talk to you about something important. Tomorrow is not going to be the homecoming you’ve been imagining. There’s very likely going to be some serious trouble when we get there.” “What? If you’re worried about Twilight or the Princess I’m sure it will be fine. I’ll tell them the truth: I went willingly, so there shouldn’t be any problems,” Spike said, the same smile he’d worn since leaving Forum still plastered to his snout. “No, there is something else. What do you know about changelings?” Drake asked, hoping to ease Spike off his high rather than dropping him like a sack of flour. “Like we learned from Epistaties, they are embodiments of lust, created by Discord from ponies when he was destroying the Empire. They can change their appearance and feed on love. Why are you asking? What could changelings have to do with Shining Armor’s wedding?” Spike asked defensively, his smile slowly draining from his face. “Everything,” Drake answered, pausing for a moment. “Canterlot is currently protected by a shield. A shield erected by Shining Armor in response to a threat received from an unknown source. The leader of the changelings has imprisoned the bride and taken her place. Her army will attack tomorrow. They will shatter the shield because the changeling queen has been feasting on Shining Armor’s love for his bride. Without the shield to stop them, they will take over Equestria, draining its citizens of their love.” “NO! That can’t be true!” Spike yelled, fear creeping into his voice. “Even if it is, both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna will be there to stop it.” “Celestia will be beaten, and Luna will be absent,” Drake answered. “I told you I knew certain things about this world and events that would happen. What I have described is happening now!” “Then you know how it will end, tell me!” “The changelings are beaten, and Canterlot saved. What I do not know is how many are hurt or replaced between the start of the attack and its end. You and I are going to settle that issue by being the changelings’ focus.” “What do you mean?” Spike asked, a measure of calm returning to his voice. “We are going to get the entire changeling horde focused on us and keep them distracted in order to protect the city while your friends work to resolve the crisis,” Drake responded. Most of what he’d said was total bullshit. His real reason for fighting the changelings was because it offered a chance to be seen as a savior rather than a marauding dragon, or so he hoped. Additionally, after Epistaties’ history lessons, he was very keen on meeting Chrysalis. Perhaps if he was lucky after the battle he could find her and make her an offer. One can never have too many allies, after all. “That’s crazy; the two of us taking on an army? We’ll be killed!” Spike responded animatedly. “Do you have a better plan?” Drake asked snarling. “Assuming what you say is true, I think we should disrupt the army’s attack. Then, I go and help Twilight, Rarity, and the others while you attack their leader. That way, I can help them get the Elements of Harmony, which I assume they would go for if attacked, and the army should be focused on fighting you to defend their leader,” Spike explained, laying out his strategy. “You’re right about the Elements of Harmony, but you expect me to fight someone that can beat Celestia? Are you insane?!” Drake yelled, smacking Spike on the back of his head. “I know we got stronger back in Forum but that is a whole ‘nother level.” “Ouch!” Spike yelped, rubbing his sore head. “Well it’s better than your plan.” “How do you figure that?” “I get to help Rarity, and she will see me as a hero,” Spike answered, a goofy grin sneaking onto his snout as his mind went off into fantasies of being her knight in shining armor. “Okay, since that was how I got you to come with me in the first place, I’ll accept it. I don’t like this, but we might be able to make this work.” For the next several hours Drake and Spike went over their plan. They prepared several different ways of handling things, depending on how the situation developed. After their preparations were complete, they slept fitfully, uncertain of what tomorrow held for them. * * * * * * * * * * * As Drake and Spike slept, as Luna stood watch over Canterlot, as Twilight was trapped, and as the changeling army moved into place, Kallyn, trapped as she was, felt she had finally made a breakthrough. ‘Now let’s see if I can bring him here,’ she thought. A moment later, Drake began to appear in his human form, at first nothing more than a faint outline, slowly resolving into a solid form. “What the-wait, I’ve been here before, that means,” Drake looked around for a moment before spotting Kallyn. “Ah, we meet again, erm…” Drake paused and racked his mind before giving in. “I seem to have forgotten your name.” “I told you to call me Kallyn, now be quiet--we don’t’ have much time,” she scolded, fearing the Convention would soon discover what she’d done and send Drake back. “I’ve been watching you since last we spoke; in fact that’s all I have been able to do.” Drake started to ask what she meant but was quickly cut off. “I said be quiet. Anyway, I know what you’re planning to do, and I want to know what the hell you are thinking!” Kallyn yelled, slamming her hand onto the table. “I told you about Forum so you could train and learn. One month is not enough time! What do you hope to accomplish by fighting in a battle you already know the outcome of?! Chrysalis will tear you to shreds! You’ll have gained NOTHING, and will undo everything I have planned for you!” Drake was silent for a moment, before a small, smug grin spread across his face. “So you do have a plan for me. Here I thought I wasn’t a pawn to you.” “You aren’t!” Kallyn yelled, throwing her hands into the air before slamming them onto the table again. “Just because you aren’t a pawn doesn’t mean I don’t have plans for you! Don’t fight the changelings,” Kallyn pleaded tears forming in her eye. “I’ll never get another chance like this,” Drake said, finally taking a seat at the table. “A chance to what, get yourself killed? You will have plenty of those I am sure,” Kallyn replied, taking the seat opposite of Drake. “No,” Drake said, his grin changing into a menacing smirk, dragon like fangs replacing his human teeth, as he leaned forward on the table. “I want a chance to talk to Chrysalis and recruit her; convince her to ally with me when she goes from the most powerful of beings, to being trounced by two ponies and the power of their ‘love.’ When she is at her weakest, witnessing her master plan fall apart around her.” “Are you about to start laughing manically?” Kallyn asked, wondering if Drake was serious or just trying to mess with her. “No,” Drake answered, leaning back, “but I am going to try to get Chrysalis to ally with me. After all, you never know when a race of spies will come in handy.” “Despite the fact that she and her whole race are tied to the fall of the Empire and live by causing suffering. She may not be the Black Queen, but she has her spirit--the only true spirit of any changeling. You can’t trust her, no matter what happens.” “I’ll keep that in mind. I’ll be careful. I have no plans to die, so keep watching me soar.’ “Fine, return to your dreams and gather your strength, you’re going to need it. Don’t let me down.” With those parting words Drake left limbo and was returned to his sleep. Kallyn hoped Drake had made the right decision, and prepared herself for what was bound to be an interesting day when the sun rose. * * * * * * * * * * * “Every moment he grows weaker and so does his spell. Even now my minions are chipping away at it,” Chrysalis declared, drawing everyone’s eyes to the pink barrier, where an army of changelings was beating against it. As everyone turned their attention back to Chrysalis, two faint roars sounded in the distance. Chrysalis looked around confused, as did many of the wedding guests. Chrysalis dismissed it and continued her monologue. “He may not be my husband, but he’s under my total control now,” She laughed, eliciting a gasp from Cadence, “and, I am sorry to say, unable to perform his duties as Captain of the Royal Guard!” “Not my Shining Armor!” Cadence cried out, fear gripping her heart. “Soon my changeling army will break through. First we take Canterlot, then all of Equestria!” Chrysalis declared, reveling in her triumph. “No, you won’t,” a regal voice spoke up. Celestia stepped forward, her normally serene face marred by an angry frown. At that moment, the crowd gasped as the shield became bathed in fire and lightning, the light almost blindingly bright. Everyone stood in awe as two massive dragons, one purple and green and the other blue and black, came into view. They continued blasting the shield until it was scoured of the changelings closest to it. Ash of those caught by the blasts coated the shield, filtering the light that passed into Canterlot. Ponies that had, until then, been going about their business saw what was happening and started to panic. The royal guard began mobilizing, but was crippled as changelings within their ranks misdirected orders and removed officers wherever possible. Sleeper agents planted in the ranks captured, killed, or revealed themselves to be the officers. Those units that received orders found themselves running around separated from others and became easy targets for the infiltrators hunting hunting them. Outside the shield, those changelings not hit by the blasts had scattered. The regrouped to fight the great beasts, intent on destroying any that would dare interrupt their queen’s plans. Several changelings launched bolts of magic, aiming for the dragons’ wings to force the dragons down. Deciding to spare the soft membrane of their wings from being peppered with burning holes, Spike and Drake snapped their wings closed and dropped onto the shield with a reverberating thud. The two dragons roared defiantly at the changeling swarms, still ready to do battle with the parasites from atop the barrier--only for a deafening CRACK split the air. Spike looked down, and noticed that cracks in the shield were spreading from beneath his large feet, the air filling with the sound of crackling not-unlike a glacier coming apart. Spike looked at Drake, who was staring back at him blankly, a single conscious thought breaking through their greed-fueled rage: ’uh oh.’ With the sound akin to shattering glass, the dragons plummeted towards the city below, each letting loose an ear-splitting roar. Now, the panic began in earnest; changelings rushed into the city and the dragons’ mouths spewed lightning and fire as they fell. The citizens screamed and ran, while those with less scruple began looting, taking what they could, and running. The guard fought when and where they could, but their ranks were in chaos from the changeling sabotage. The citizens who attempted to flee found the gatehouses and train station already under changeling control. All the while, two dragons were smashing, crushing, and incinerating changelings as they came. But they also stoked the flames of panic in the hearts of the skittish ponies even more. The sounds of fighting, panic, and terror reached up into the wedding hall, adding to the fear and confusion those within already felt. Chrysalis was the first to pick her jaw up off the floor, disturbed by the turn of events, but already making plans to somehow spin it in her favor. She noticed Celestia was still distracted, her eyes glued to the chaos outside. Deciding to take this opportunity, the changeling queen ignited her crooked horn and fired a beam of bright green magic at the princess of the sun. Celestia’s head whipped around at the last moment and, with a flare of golden light, matched the changeling’s surge of magic. The audience gasped as the two leaders strained against their opponent’s might; the connecting point of their magic inched back and forth. Gasps and moans escaped from the audience with every shift as they prayed Celestia would be victorious, but feared even she would fall before the invaders. It seemed as though Celestia had finally gained the upper hoof. In a wicked twist of fate, the light from Chrysalis’s horn doubled in intensity, and her magic rushed forward, seemingly unaffected by Celestia’s own magic. The beam raced to Celestia’s horn, striking her down with a blinding flash of green light before the eyes of all Canterlot’s nobles. Her screams of agony caused their hair to stand on edge. The wedding goers, who’d been watching wide-eyed, finally began to panic properly. They tried to flee the grand hall, screaming in terror and despair. “Shining Armor’s love has made me stronger than before. Consuming it has made me more powerful than Celestia!” As Chrysalis reveled in victory, her laugher drowning out the sounds of the battle outside, Twilight and the others rushed to Princess Celestia’s side. “The Elements of Harmony,” she gasped, her fur smoldering in several places as she gritted her teeth against the pain she was in. “You must get them, and use their power to defeat the queen.” * * * * * * * * * * * As the bearers ran to retrieve the Elements, the dragons stood in the center of Canterlot, fortunate their wings slowed their unexpected fall. The changeling army, now pouring into the city, found itself more focused on fighting the unexpected arrivals rather than neutralizing what remained of the royal guard. Drake and Spike had given almost entirely into their greed when they let loose the first roars. Now they thrashed about, swatting at the changelings, but carefully avoiding the tight-packed buildings around them. The changelings darted around the dragons, dodging claws, tails, and breath blasts. All the while the shot spells, crashed into them from above, and bucked the dragons whenever possible. Despite their speed, some were still too slow. They were struck down, their chitinous exoskeletons shattering on impact with whatever they were unlucky enough to crash into. Spike took flight momentarily, letting loose a jet of flame. It scattered a group of changelings that got too close as he landed in front of the castle. From there, he saw the bearers running out the wedding hall to recover the elements. What remained of his conscious mind wrested control from his instincts. ’My job is to protect them now, I don’t need ninety-percent of my power, thirty should be enough.’ Spike fought for control of his body, slowly shrinking down from his massive, terrifying form to one about a third that size. With his more manageable size, he took off after his friends, burning or striking down any changelings he caught going after them. * * * * * * * * * * * As they ran from the castle, Twilight couldn’t help but notice the similarities between Spike and the dragon fighting the changelings. The others noticed it as well, but said nothing, choosing instead to run for it before they were noticed. As they ran, changelings began crashing into the ground around them. While most got up and began to chase after them, the girls noticed that some lay where they had landed, green liquids leaking from them. Fluttershy would likely have rushed to their aid, despite them being the enemy, but she was currently being carried by Applejack, having passed out when the dragons came into view. As more changeling came after them, a shadow fell over the group. “What the buck!?” Rainbow Dash yelled, looking up after recovering from a sudden downdraft and updraft, which sent her spiraling wildly. “Hey girls, look up! One of the dragons is covering us! Does it seem smaller than before?” The rest glanced up and saw it fighting above them with flame and claw, forcing the changelings to run after the group on hoof rather than dive-bombing them from the sky. “Y’all don’t suppose that’s Spike?” Applejack panted, ducking as the changelings began firing spells from behind them. “Oh! I know how we can find out!” Pinkie called out. “Twilight, cover me.” “Wait, Pinkie, what!?” Twilight asked as the eccentric mare suddenly stopped dead and pulled out a megaphone. Seeing the changelings ever closer now, Twilight threw a shield in their path as Pinkie yelled into the megaphone. “HEY SPIKE, IS THAT YOU UP THERE!?” To everyone’s surprise, the dragon looked down and replied, “Yes. Run. Spike protect friends,” he said, finishing his sentence with a savage roar. Spike landed amongst the changelings just as they broke through Twilight’s shield, crushing two of the creatures beneath his clawed feet. The ponies resumed their run, more confused than before. Behind them, they could her Spike’s clash with the changelings. The roar of fire, the discharge of spells, the contact between scale and chitin, and finally a loud crash. Sparing one last glance back as they reached the building holding the Elements of Harmony, which was surprisingly unmolested, all they could see was the changeling swarm now bearing down on them. Spike had disappeared. Applejack, Pinkie, and Rainbow held the doors closed as Rarity attempted to wake Fluttershy. Twilight ran down the halls towards to vault, her whole world reeling from the day’s events. Her brother was under Chrysalis’ control and her teacher was beaten by the same black-hearted monster whose army was now flooding into Canterlot. To top it off, Spike had returned. He protected them long enough to reach the elements. Was he still in their friend, or had he become a monster? Images of him breathing fire and injured changelings jumped to the forefront of her mind. ’No. That’s not important now. The Princess said to retrieve the Elements and that is what I will do,’ Twilight thought as she reached the vault doors. ’All I need to do is unlock the vault and get the Elements back to my friends. Then we can use them to save the city and my brother.’ Twilight searched the doors, trying to find a way to unlock them. She spied the hole Celestia had stuck her horn into when Discord escaped; above her reach. ’Ok Twilight think, she wouldn’t send you all the way here without giving you some way to unlock it.’ Many failed attempts later, Twilight lay exhausted on the floor. Nothing she thought of allowed her to reach the lock or open the door. When she tried to levitate herself and cast the key spell at the same time, the spells interfered with each other, making her crash to the floor. She couldn’t jump high enough to reach the hole, and there weren’t any boxes nearby for her to stand on. Beating on the door, asking it pretty please, charging it, yelling “open sesame!”, and scolding it had all ended with the door still stubbornly closed with her more often than not having acquire a new bruise. As Twilight lay exhausted in front of the vault, she heard a crash and several cries come from back down the hall. She stood and began running back towards the sounds of a battle growing the closer every moment. Suddenly Fluttershy came flying down the hall, crashing into Twilight. “Oh, sorry, are you ok? I didn’t hurt you, did I?” Fluttershy asked, helping Twilight up. “Fluttershy you’re awake! What’s going on?” “Um, well, the changelings have broken in and the rest of the girls are fighting them so you can get back with the Elements. I was sent to see if you needed any help. So, um, do you have the Elements?” Fluttershy asked, glancing over her shoulder towards the entrance and shifting uneasily as the sound of the fighting echoed in the hall. “I don’t have them--I could’t reach the horn slot to unlock it,” Twilight answered before grabbing Fluttershy in her magic and running back towards the vault. “But now that you are here you can hold me up to it and we can still get the Elements!” Twilight set Fluttershy down as she reached to door and turned towards it. “Okay, now pick me up and hover level with that hole.” Suddenly, a blast of green energy crashed into her, slamming her against the vault door with a loud thump. Her limp body crumpled to the floor, her eyes fluttering shut as unconsciousness took her. At the entrance of the room, Twilight’s friends were surrounded, losing to copies of themselves, except for one. Fluttershy was in the center of her friends, still passed out just as she had been when the changelings broke through. * * * * * * * * * * *