Shining Armor’s private estate. It now served as Princess Cadence’s home as well but Twilight was only here for her brother. She let herself in when she reached the door. Now wasn't the time to waste with knocking and hoping that maybe someone might be home.
“Twilight?” Shining Armor rose from his seat on the couch as Cadence turned her head to look at the door.
“Shining, I have to talk to you but we don’t have much time.”
“You realize they’re looking for you,” Cadence said with a worried look on her face.
“Yes, but that’s not important right now. What’s important is-”
“it’s not important?” Shining Armor interrupted. “Princess Celestia told me to order my guards to bring you in if they find you. I have no idea what you did to upset her, but she seems incredibly reluctant to let you wander free. How is that not important?”
“Please, we don’t have much time before they get here!”
“Twilight, no one’s going to look for you here,” Cadence said, taking a step closer to her sister-in-law. “Princess Celestia wouldn't expect you to come here.”
“I’m not talking about her,” Twilight said, bringing her voice down to a more somber tone.
“Then who are you-” Shining Armor was interrupted by a knock at the door. They all stood still for a moment. None of them had any idea who was at the door but Twilight knew it couldn't be good. She took a step back from the door as Shining walked past her to answer it. When the door swung open, he was met with the face of a familiar blue-maned guard.
“I’m sorry to bother you Captain.” Flash Sentry took a moment to bow out of respect. “But I’ve been ordered to escort you and Princess Cadence to safety.”
“Safety?” asked Shining, almost immediately regretting the question. “What’s going on? Why do we need an escort?”
“Oh no,” Twilight quietly muttered to herself, already aware of the inevitable answer.
“Changelings, sir… There are changelings attacking Canterlot.” As Shining Armor’s eyes widened, Twilight hung her head in shame.
“They’re here.”
“Wait.” Shining paused for a moment as he turned to face his little sister. “You knew about this?”
“Why do you think I was in such a hurry?” Twilight said as she took a step outside, standing next to the pegasus guard. “Look, both of you have to follow him. I have to go find the elements of harmony. They’re the only way to end this.” She turned to the side and got ready to move before she was stopped by her big brother’s hoof on her shoulder.
“I’m coming with you.” Twilight slowly turned around to face him.
“You can’t, it’s too dangerous.”
“Not if we have our own guard.” Shining Armor shared a quick glance with Flash Sentry as the guard nodded in understanding.
“We really don’t have time to argue,” Twilight said as she looked past her brother to the princess behind him. “Cadence, are you coming?” Cadence walked up next to her husband and nodded.
“I don’t have much of a choice anyway.”
“Then let’s go,” Twilight said, turning again to lead the way. “We haven’t got a moment to lose.
At the other end of the changeling-sieged town, they finally reached the chamber of the elements. Flash Sentry opened the doors as the others rushed inside, closing the doors behind them once all of them were in. Twilight quickly looked around checking for anything out of the ordinary as she slowly paced towards the other end of the chamber.
“I don’t understand. He should be here,” she said as she reached the door on the other side of the chamber. The others stopped in the middle of the room, her big brother being the first one to speak.
“Who should be here?” Twilight slowly turned around to face him and opened her mouth to speak. But before she could say anything, her brother continued. “Somehow, you knew about the attack before anyone else. Princess Celestia is trying to find you. Even on the way over here, countless changelings must have seen us running past, yet not a single one raised a hoof to stop us. Now you’re trying to tell us that you were expecting somepony to be here. Not Princess Celestia, not Princess Luna, not any of your friends from Ponyville, you said he.” His little sister didn't respond but instead just turned her head away to hide her shame. “Look, I know you. I know you’re not a criminal. I know that you wouldn't do anything without the right reasons. But the way it seems right now, it almost looks like you’re helping the changelings. You know I’ll stay by your side, but I can’t help you if I don’t know what’s going on.” Twilight turned back to the door, opening it to reveal the elements of harmony. Normally only a combination of magic, from both Princess Celestia and her little sister Luna, would open the door but the magic of the elements recognized Twilight’s presence and aided her attempts from the other side.
“I am.” She levitated the chest containing the elements of harmony, the most powerful weapon known in Equestria, to her side as Princess Cadence whispered something to Flash, still trying to understand what was going on.
“Excuse me?” Shining asked, hoping that he simply misunderstood his little sister’s choice of words.
“I’m helping the changelings,” The purple mare repeated as she walked back toward the middle of the room, next to the others. All three of them stood silently for almost a full minute before Cadence brought her thoughts together.
“Why would you help the changelings? After everything they did to us.”
“They lost on purpose,” Twilight answered as she gently set the elements down between her brother and Flash. “The entire attack on Canterlot was a distraction to give the rest of them a chance to hide. They had no other choice.”
“And I suppose all of this is what? Another distraction?”
“It’s not that simple.” Twilight turned to face her brother as she continued. “Do you remember that letter you sent me? The one about Luna’s mysterious pet named Karkinos?”
“Vaguely.”
“Karkinos is a legendary creature thought to not even exist as anything beyond a myth. Karkinos was destroying the changelings’ home and was facing them with extinction. Celestia and Luna both thought the changeling attack was a final, desperate attempt at survival. They made it look to everyone else like an invasion. But it was nothing more than a distraction to allow the rest of them to find a new home where they might be free of impending extinction.” She paused for a moment to give each of them a chance to interject but no one of them knew how to respond. “Princess Celestia is trying to find me because she believes I can help her find the last remaining changelings, and my refusal to do so tells her that I’m taking the changelings’ side over hers. She’s not exactly excited by that idea either. I’m planning to use the elements of harmony to stop Karkinos so that the changelings can return home peacefully and put an end to all of this before a war breaks out.” She took a moment to look out the window at the chaos unraveling around them while they stood in the one chamber that seemed to be untouched by it all. “I fear I may already be too late.”
“So what happens now then?” Cadence asked, stepping closer to her sister-in-law, just past the elements of harmony. “You plan to sneak these out of Canterlot, save the changelings, and you expect Chrysalis to not launch yet another attack? What makes you think you can trust them?”
“Because they trusted me!” Twilight raised her voice, frustrated with the other princess’s tone. “They risked everything by coming to find me and if I fail them, an entire race will be wiped out and it’ll be on my hooves.” Cadence slowly shook her head
“I’m sorry Twilight… But I can’t let you help them.” The two princesses turned straight for the elements of harmony but, of all ponies in the room, Flash Sentry was the first to take them.
“The changelings don’t serve Chrysalis anymore,” Twilight said, still trying to talk Cadence down. “Whatever personal grudges you have against her don’t matter anymore.”
“They’re attacking Canterlot.”
“They’re confused and hurt so they’re lashing out. It wouldn't be this way if Celestia didn't kick the hornet’s nest.”
“So that makes it ok?”
“None of this is ok. But the changelings aren't the enemy here.”
“She’s right,” Shining said as both of the princesses turned to stare at him, neither of them sure which one he was talking about. “The changeling’s aren't the enemy here.” He slowly stepped over to stand by his sister as Cadence just watched, not knowing whether to be infuriated or heartbroken. Either way, Twilight could see the pain in her eyes and even felt bad for her.
“You’re taking her side?” she said as a tear visibly fell down her cheek.
“You didn't see the way Princess Celestia argued with Luna. It was the same type of argument that two little colts have when they break a vase and are trying to cover it up before their mother gets home. Now lives have been put at risk to cover up their mistake.”
“She’s just wasting our time,” Twilight said, looking up at her big brother. “I don’t see any way that we can convince her and at this rate, we’re just waiting for someone to find us. We have the elements anyway, we just need to take them and leave.”
“Do you?” Cadence asked, wiping her tear away leaving behind nothing but a subtle smirk on her face.
“Yes, we do,” Twilight replied, looking over at Flash who was still holding the elements. The orange guard looked away in shame as he slowly trotted over to Cadence’s side. “Flash?” she asked, not wanting to believe what was clearly happening. The guard bowed before Cadence as she used her magic to take the elements for herself.
“I’m sorry Twilight.” Flash still refused to look at her as he stood up again.
“Don’t worry about her,” Cadence said, turning to face him. “Go and get the other guards. Place Twilight Sparkle and Shining Armor under arrest.” He complied and slowly walked out of the chamber as Twilight looked left and right, scanning for another way out that didn't involve trying to get through the princess standing between them and the main door.
“Come on, Shining. We have to get out of here.”
“No.” The stallion looked down at Twilight and slowly shook his head. “I’m afraid it’s over.” Twilight looked out the window and noticed that there were very few changelings left and the ones that remained in Canterlot were all retreating as more and more royal guards began to surround the building. “She’s won.”