*Set during Part 2 of "A Canterlot Wedding"*
The changlings had them surrounded in the chapel, they had been so close to the Elements of Harmony to have their route blocked was like a knife through the back. When the changlings escorted the girls back to the chapel Twilight couldn't help but notice the bodies; they were everywhere, most just lay where they fell. The changlings had sucked them dry, love was what they craved and the changlings had taken every last drop. She watched in awe as Princess Cadence and her brother Shining Armour levitated, their magic joining creating a strange luminous bubble. Twilight heard Queen Chrysalis roar in anger, as Twilight turned her heard she saw Queen Chrysalis fire a shot from her horn. The shot ruptured the bubble, Shining Armour was tossed like a Smarty-pants doll to the floor, the stallion slid along the floor, a wound had formed on his chest, seeping blood into his wedding suit. Twilight tried to run to her brother, but a changling stood in her way, she tried to ram the changling out of her way but two more jumped on her. She lay pinned to the ground as her brother started spluttering blood. Cadence ran over to him tears in her eyes.
"No! Shining!" she cried.
"Hahaha" Queen Chrysalis cackled, "You thought you two were strong enough to defeat me?!"
Cadence turned on the spot and snorted, she powered her horn and shot a beam. Queen Chrysalis responded with the same action, the beams joined together and the ripple that formed in the centre was pushed back and forth. "I need to help" Twilight thought. She tried to push the changlings off her but they were too heavy. In the commotion Applejack had managed to buck two changlings away from her, at the same time Rainbow Dash took her chance and punched a changling. Pinkie Pie hopped up as two changlings went to grab her, Rarity fired two shots from her horn stunning two of the changlings. Twilight felt the changlings being thrown off her. She looked up to see Rainbow Dash.
"Thanks" she muttered.
Twilight then quickly fired a stun shot from her horn at a changling who was going for Fluttershy; Fluttershy who never dealt well in tough situations was cowering behind her hooves.
"We need to help Cadence!" Twilight shouted to her friends.
At that moment the great doors to the chapel were thrown open, behind them a blue alicorn covered in silver armour entered. Two changlings tried to jump Princess Luna but she reared up and struck them both down. The armour Luna was wearing was not too dissimilar to that of her night guards, Luna scanned the rooms for her foes. She eyed the cocoon that held her sister and fired a blast from her horn. The cocoon fell and Princess Celestia emerged her wings outstretched, she landed on the ground and sank slightly; she was too weak to stand let along fight. Luna fired a shot at Queen Chrysalis, the changling Queen was tossed back to the alter. The beam with Cadence was broken and the shot fired through the wall tearing it out, the view outside was no different to inside the chapel. The changlings were everywhere and the royal guards were doing their best to defend Canterlot, but there was rubble everywhere and pits in the ground from where the changlings had landed.
Cadence ran to Shining Armour and cradled his head in her hooves, she leaned into his ear and whispered to him. As Luna marched forward towards Queen Chrysalis, Twilight ran to her mentor as her other friends fought the changlings back. Queen Chrysalis rose to match Luna, she theb fired a shot at Luna, the spell bounced off the alicorn armour and ricocheted into a wall completely destroying it. Luna returned a shot which clipped the Queens' face, the Queen screamed in anger and slammed her forehooves into the ground asserting her dominance.
"Aerial troops! kill them, kill them all!" The Queen shouted skyward.
More changlings dropped through the roof and landed in the chapel, the floor caved from the impact. Rainbow Dash launched herself forward to the changling nearest her friends. They rolled on the floor and Rainbow Dash threw her opponent at the wall, the changling recovered and was powering up its horn for an attack. Rarity took the opportunity and fired first, the changling was thrown through the wall to the outside.
Twilight was trying to aid her mentor to stand, she tried hard but Celestia was much bigger than her and therefore much heavier. Twilight could only watch as Luna and Chrysalis volleyed shots between each other.
"It wasn't supposed to happen like this" Celestia said weakly, "I'm sorry I did not act on your suspicions."
A tear rolled down Celestias' face, she moved her head and her horn powered up. She fired the shot at Chrysalis who was locked in combat with Luna. The Queen was struck the side-on and was thrown into a column, it toppled and covered her in rubble from the ceiling.
"Thank you sister!" Luna shouted
Celestia turned to look at Cadence and Shining Armour. Cadences' face was streaming with tears, Twilight couldn't help but look worried for them both. Celestia turned back to her student.
"I'm sorry but Queen Chrysalis has the advantage, she's too strong"
"No, you can't say that" Twilight replied angrily, "We'll get the Elements of Harmony and defeat her, just like Discord and Nightmare Moon"
"I'm sorry my faithful student, but I must teleport Cadence and Shining away from here."
Celestia did not wait for a reply, nor would she have listened, she powered her horn.
"Cadence, do what you can to keep him alive, without him Canterlot will fall and Equestria with it" Celestia said.
"I... I... I understand" Cadence looked at her fiancée, "I can treat him as best as I can but not here."
"Do not worry about that" Celestia said.
With that Celestia fired her horn at the two of them, a yellow bubble formed and then *poof* they were gone, just like the teleportation spell Twilight had mastered.
"They'll be safe in Trottingham" Celestia said turning to Twilight, "That will buy them some time."
"Twilight!" shouted Applejack.
Twilights' attention had drifted from the fight in the same room as her. A changling was jumping towards her its teeth bared, a white body blocked her view. Celestia had blocked the attacked, there was a groan from her and Twilight saw the changling fly off, blood in its mouth. Celestia slumped to the ground weaker than before a nasty bite mark had pulled some of her feathers out and had damaged the wing. Twilight looked up at the battle field, Luna was battling an onslaught of changlings who were dropping through the roof. Her friends were busy defending themselves, Rarity had cast a blue shield around them. The royal guards were now entering the room, their spears in attacking formations. The guards plunged their spears into the changlings while others threw them, the changlings retaliated by biting and firing magic at the guards.
"Sister!" Celestria called.
Queen Chrysalis threw the toppled column off her and fired a shot at the guards, three or so were tossed back. Luna ducked from the flying debris and shouted some orders at the guards, who then charged the changling queen. Luna glided over to her sister and took her weight from Twilight.
"We need to get out of here the castle is nearly lost, we need to grab the Elements of Harmony, they're our only hope" Celestia said to Luna
Luna looked down in dismay.
"Sister it is worse than you think, there was a break-in in the weapons vault... I had... I had to scatter the Elements" Luna replied.
"Then we must go, we need to regroup in Trottingham, the battle is lost" Celestia said.
"No, we can't!" Twilight said her eyes filling with tears.
"We must, we have no choice" Celestia turned to Luna, "If all else fails we need to use Starswirls' spell."
"Sister doing that would ensure defeat, surely there is another way, that spell is untested. We could lose them for good."
"No, the Bearers of Harmony must remain safe, now go!" Celestia said in her royal voice.
Luna nodded in acceptance of the elder sister. Twilight had never heard Celestia use her royal voice, it must have been worse than she thought.
"I will buy you some time" Luna said
Luna turned to the battlefield and shot more beams at changling drones. Celestia rose and staggered to the doors, some guards formed beside her and defended her frrom the oncoming changlings.
"Girls!" Twilight shouted to her friends.
As Luna fought the Queen the seven of them escaped. They ran to the courtyard where the guards had to file out to defend their Princess. Some of the guards ploughed forward with their spears, the changling blood covered their faces. The guards were trying to defend all sides, including pegasi guards who were fighting off the aerial barrage. The guards seemed unsure of where they were actually going and more concerned with holding back the changlings, they were exposed here and had to find cover.
"To the tunnels!" Celestia commanded.
The guards directed the group to the cliff-side, above them the Wonderbolts and other pegasi were in the air fighting the changling onslaught, Twilight watched as occasionally a pegasi or changling would drop from the sky and land on the ground, Twilight wanted to throw up at the sight of the bodies. What made the matter worse was that some of the guards fell as the group moved, changling mortars struck the ground around them. The guards were quick to react but their numbers were depleting quickly, fortunately the guards changed their formation, allowing the group to enter a building that was built into the mountainside.
"Go Princess!" said one of the guards who threw a spear at a changling.
The Princess did not argue, she staggered into the building with Twilight and the others behind them.
"Twilight" she said weakly, "You must find the Elements of Harmony to defeat her"
"Yes Princess" Twilight replied focusing on moving through the building.
They moved into what appeared to be an armoury, there was a lack of weapons and armour everywhere there was absolutely nothing they could use to defend themselves. Celestia moved towards the wall that was evidently the mountainside; only three walls of the room were made from brick. Her horn glowed yellow and a hidden door revealed itself and moved upwards, they entered the tunnel behind the door and moved down. Twilight aided her mentor as her friends ran on ahead, Rarity used a illumination spell because of the lack of light.
"Er Princess, we have what you might call a problem" Applejack said when Twilight and Celestia caught up.
Celestia saw the cave in, their route was blocked she did not say anything, she only looked down.
"Twilight" she finally said "Whatever problems you encounter remember, you're friends will help you. Find the Elements of Harmony and defeat Queen Chrysalis."
"You're coming with us Princess" Twilight replied.
"None of you are going anywhere" a menacing voice said from behind them.
Queen Chrysalis appeared as well as a small changling army. Two changlings stepped forward and dropped a blue alicorn to the ground in front of Celestia. Luna's' armour was severely damaged it had cracked near the wings and flanks were completely missing..
"I'm sorry sister" Luna said weakly.
Celestia dropped to nuzzle her sister. Only Twilight could she them whispering to each other. Twilight back away to her friends. She could hear Fluttershy shaking that was how scared she was right now, she didn't have to see she could hear the fear around them.
"Surrender now and you'll live to see my new empire rise from the ashes of the old." Chrysalis laughed.
At that moment came a blinding light, Twilight covered her eyes.
"Remember you're lessons Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Rarity. We have never preformed this spell before." Celestia said
The two sisters rose from the ground and turned to Twilight and her friends, both their horns glowed brightly. The two of them shot the beam at the girls and a blinding light took over *poof*, they were gone. Celestia and Luna fell to the ground.
"You think they can stop me?" Queen Chrysalis stood over them, her hoof on Celestias' head.
"The power of friendship will destroy you and your empire" Celestia replied, "I have faith in my students."
Luna watched in her sideways state as the Queen of the changlings reared up, Luna closed her eyes she couldn't face watching, the deafening crack of bone was all she heard. There once was a time where she too would have done the same but being here, being now, everything had changed between the two of them. Luna didn't shed a single tear her elder sister wouldn't have wanted that, the days of the sun were over.