Rise Of the Dragon Queen

by Mystic Sunrise

Wedding Crashers, Dragon Style

The next morning, the rest of the Mane 6, Shining Armor, Princess Cadance, and Princess Celestia, had gathered in the Ball Room of Canterlot Castle, ready for the wedding rehearsal. The girls were in their bridesmaid's dresses, Shining was in his best dress uniform, and even Princess Celestia looked more majestic than usual.

Only Princess Cadance wore nothing at all, save her regalia. Her wedding gown was still not ready, and Rarity was beginning to worry that she would never have it ready in time. The princess didn't seem to like anything she did to it.

All was in readiness to begin. All but one thing that is, as everypony looked around for what felt like the umpteenth time. "Has anypony seen Twily? She's supposed to be here," Shining asked, a little annoyed that his sister wasn't here.

Her friends shared a concerned look. "Not since last night," Applejack replied. "She didn't go home?"

Shining shook his head. "No. Mom and dad said she never came home last night. And you girls were the last ones to see her."

Princess Celestia frowned. It was not like Twilight at all to be late for anything. If she was sick, then she would have sent a warning that she wouldn't be able to make it. That Twilight had not reached her parents' home did not feel right at all. Something was not right.

Cadance meanwhile did her best to pretend to be worried. On the inside, however, she was gloating. Served that purple annoyance right for almost ruining everything. She would reward whichever drone had finally done the deed.

For the moment, though, she just sighed in annoyance. "Do we have to wait for her? We don't have all day."

Everypony shared a look. Again, there was that feeling that something was very wrong here, and it was staring them right in the face. But they ignored it for the moment as Princess Celestia shook her head. "I am sure Twilight is fine. She is a big mare and can take care of herself." She spread her wings. "Let us get started, shall we?"

Sighing, the girls took up their spots as Shining and Cadance took the traditional bride and groom spots. This was only the first part of the rehearsal, and so many parts were still missing. Those would be added as they went along.

Before anypony could do more, however, the entire room shook violently, sending all but the two alicorns crashing to the ground. After a moment, the tremors ceased.

"What the hay was that?!" Rainbow grumbled as she pulled herself up. "I thought Canterlot didn't have earthquakes?"

Princess Celestia shook her head, concern evident in her expression. "It does not. The city was designed to make sure that whatever ones there might be, we would not feel them. I do not know what caused that."

Even as she finished though, the room was cast into shadow as all light from outside was blotted out by a massive shadow. It almost looked like a dragon. A dragon with five heads. But that couldn't be right. Could it?

Pinkie pointed at the shadow. "Maybe we should ask that thing? Looks pretty big to me!"

At that moment, a member of the Royal Guard ran in, a look of shock on his face. "Princess Celestia! Someone is here to see you. And they refuse to take no for an answer."

Princess Celestia rubbed her forehead. This was not what she needed right now. "Does it have anything to do with what caused that tremor, and what is causing this shadow? If not, they will have to wait."

The guard nodded. "She does. She also says that it was either this or stick her heads through the walls or windows."

Everypony shared a confused look. "Her 'heads'?" Cadance asked, not trying to hide her own surprise.

He nodded. "Indeed, your highness. But this is something you must see for yourselves. I cannot do it justice."

Celestia growled. This was not what she needed to be dealing with right now. But she put on her best smile. "Very well then, private. Take us to meet whoever this is. She had better have a good reason for doing all that she has."

The guard nodded, as Shining fell in alongside him while the rest followed behind the two of them. Whatever else he had going on at the moment, he was still Captain of the Royal Guard. He would handle this and then get back to what was really on his mind.

Besides. How tough could this be? So she might be big. Big deal. He'd dealt with worse before. This would be no different.

It was a feeling that the entire group seemed to share. While Twilight was who knows where her friends were sure they could handle whatever this was. They'd dealt with Discord. How hard could this be?

That feeling lasted for the entire time it took for them to come out to the Castle Courtyard to meet whoever this was. And then all of their jaws dropped in shock and surprise when they finally met her.

Calling the dragon big was an understatement. She was easily taller than Canterlot Castle itself. So much so that she was bending down just to look at them. Her red scales stood out against the blue sky, while her tail ended in a barbed scorpion's stinger.

But what really threw them all for a loop were heads. All five of them. Each one a different color: Red, Black, and White, in the front, while a Green and Blue head sat further back. And each head was visibly different from the other not just in color, but in their structure. The Black head had two curving horns protruding from her skull, while the Blue head had a massive brow horn. The green had what almost looked like a fan running down from the back of her head to the tip of her snout.

The White's head swooped back in a graceful arc, while the Red head seemed to be the only one with visible ear flaps like Spike did.

And then everypony saw what was embedded into each of the heads. Merged into each of their brows was an orb that matched their scale colors. Five very recognizable orbs in fact.

"That's not possible. It can't be them," Celestia thought to herself, while Rainbow Dash summed it up for all of them.

"Oh come on! How is this fair?!" She grumbled.

"Um, Rainbow? Can you please not yell at the five-headed dragon? She doesn't look very happy," Fluttershy whispered to her friend.

"I didn't know dragons could have more than one head?" Rarity asked, trying to remain calm.

Celestia shook her head. "They cannot. Only a hydra can retain more than one head. Conjoined twins have been known to happen. But they've never lived for very long."

The Red head lowered herself down so that she and Celestia were eye to eye. "You seem to know quite a bit about dragons, princess. But you do not know everything about us."

The Black head lowered herself so that she too was eye to eye with everypony. "As you can see, I am not a normal dragon. None of us are."

The White and Blue heads chuckled. "I think we're scaring them too much, girls. I think we should just get to the point."

Everypony shared a surprised look. Why did it now sound like there were five minds, instead of the one that seemed to have first been there? Celestia shook her head, pushing the question aside for the moment as she stepped closer to the dragon before them. "Well then. You seem to know much about us. But we do not know a thing about you. Who are you, if I might ask?"

The Green head lowered herself to join the others. "You can call me, Tiamat. That will do for now."

Celestia nodded. It was a good start at least. "Well then, Tiamat. To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit? We are in the middle of something at the moment."

The Black head smiled. "And that is why we are here. Equestria faces a crisis. Canterlot has a threat against it. Yet you lot seem not to care about it at all."

The White head turned to look at Shining Armor. "Tell me, captain. Has your bride been acting strangely lately? Not at all like she usually does?"

Shining scowled. Not this again. "Yes. But she's been stressed out by all of the wedding preparation. Any mare in her spot would be snippy."

Tiamat laughed, a rather melodious sound if there ever was one. "That's your best excuse? Wedding stress? How you ever made Captain of the Royal Guard is beyond me," the Red head chuckled.

Shining growled, his horn igniting in a blaze of magic before Princess Celestia placed a hoof on his shoulders. "Hold, Captain Armor. Attacking her will do us no good, except to antagonize her."

Shining bit his lip, but did as he was told. But that didn't mean he had to like it. Celestia meanwhile looked back at their guest. "You speak as if you know something, Tiamat. Will you share it with us?"

The Blue head nodded. "I believe that this is not the real Princess Cadance. That she is a fake. She is the one who made the threat against Canterlot. Even now, her army waits outside the shield to sack the city and to do who knows what with its inhabitants."

Cadance bit back a growl of anger, even as everypony else shared a shocked and horrified look. "Hey! Nobody talks to the princess like that! What gives you that right?" Pinkie asked angrily.

"If you don't mind that is?" Fluttershy said quietly.

The Green head lowered to look Cadance right in the eyes. "Let's find out, shall we? Are you the real Princess Cadance?"

Cadance frowned. "Of course I am, you overgrown lizard! What kind of idiot thinks otherwise? And the day before my wedding as well," she said, letting her tears fall.

Shining rushed to her side, doing his best to console her, while the others gave Tiamat a harsh look. "That wasn't very nice," Applejack said, snorting in annoyance.

"I must agree with Applejack. No one talks to a princess like that. Let alone someone who doesn't even know her," Rarity added with a huff.

Celestia frowned as she turned back to the drake. "That is a serious accusation, Tiamat. You are accusing my niece of being something she isn't. What proof do you have of this?"

Tiamat chuckled as she pulled herself back. "I have all the proof I need, Princess Celestia. But if you must have physical proof, there is one way to prove beyond a doubt that this is not your niece."

The Black head nodded. "The Truth Revealed. I'm sure you know the spell?"

Celestia nodded, taken aback at the suggestion, even as the girls shared a confused look. "The what now?" Rainbow asked.

Celestia shook her head. "The Truth Revealed. It will reveal the true form and nature of the one it is cast on. No magic or natural abilities will be able to hide you from it if it is cast on you."

Now Cadance looked terrified about something as she began to back up. "Why do I have to do it? What did I ever do?"

Tiamat's five heads came together, closing their eyes a moment. "If you are the real Princess Cadance, this will have no effect on you," the Green head said, as all five heads breathed together, forming a cloud of rainbow colores that slowly settled over the young alicorn.

For a moment, nothing happened, and the group began to think that this whole thing was a waste of time.

And then Princess Cadance burst into a wall of green flames. When they died down a moment later, an insect the size of Princess Celestia herself was revealed. The new figure's eyes widened in shock and horror at what had happened to her.

Celestia's gaze, meanwhile, hardened. "Chrysalis. I see you haven't learned your lesson since the last time we met. Where is my niece?"

Chrysalis laughed. "Fool! Like I'll tell you that! That pony will never be found. Not where I sent her. But it longer matters. I have enough love. Even now my children are breaking through the shield."

Shining felt the headaches he had been having since he first put up the shield vanished. He shook his head a moment before glaring at Chrysalis. "Those were not spells to help me, were they?"

Chrysalis cackled. "Of course not, you simple-minded idiot! All I had to do was play the bride-to-be, and you fell for it. Your love has kept me well fed."

"And what does that mean?" Pinkie asked, scratching her head.

Celestia shook her head. "She is a changeling. A race that feeds off the love of other races. They can also transform into anypony or other creature they want. Chrysalis here is a Changeling Queen, however. A cut above the normal changelings."

Chrysalis nodded. "Indeed. As a queen, it is my duty to make sure my children are fed. Equestria has more love than I have ever seen! We will never go hungry again."

Tiamat's heads growled as they all leaned in and glared at the queen. "No, they will not. Leave now, and you and your hive will live," the White head said.

Chrysalis laughed. "And if I don't?"

The Black head sneered. "Then your hive dies before the sun sets tonight! You will die last."

"Your choice," the Red head said, smiling.

Chrysalis laughed, before firing a bolt of magic aimed squarely at the Red Orb embed in the central head, causing that head to blink in surprise while the queen took to the air. "Fools! Canterlot will be ours by the time the sun sets!" She yelled, before speeding off into the distance, soon lost to the haze.

Celestia sighed as she came to the side of Shining Armor. "Are you alright, Shining Armor?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Just a little dizzy. But she's right. My shield won't hold much longer." He slumped down in defeat. "She took too much of my love."

Celestia nodded, looking back at another of the guard. "Organize a search. Find Princess Cadance. And wake my sister. She will able to help you find her."

Rainbow looked out toward the shield around the city. They could all see a large black blob beginning to form outside of it. "And what about that? We can't fight all that."

Tiamat chuckled, as she spread her wings. "Leave that to me."

Celestia shook her head, smiling slightly. "I am grateful for all you have done, Tiamat. But this is not your fight. You are hopelessly outnumbered if the entire hive is out there."

The Blue head giggled. "Numbers mean nothing to me. It's time to stop playing nice."

"And besides," all of her heads said as one, as Tiamat took to the air. "It's time to see what we can really do."

---

"Ya think we should help?" Applejack asked as Tiamat flew off. "Doesn't feel right to just let her take of it."

Princess Celestia shook her head. "I doubt we would be much help, Applejack. Changelings use their vast numbers to overwhelm those they are after. I only beat Chrysalis the first time since she singled me out to single combat."

The girls shared a look. "Why would she do that?" Rarity asked.

Celestia rolled her eyes. "She was confident that could beat me without help. And while she was quite strong, she was still far below what it would take to put an alicorn down by pure magic."

"Guess she learned something new then," Rainbow grumbled, as the shield around Canterlot began to show noticeable cracks.

Celestia nodded, her ear dropping. "Luna is going to have a field day with this. Assuming that we are all still here tonight, I expect to get an earful. All of us will I assume."

"Why Princess Luna though?" Fluttershy asked.

Shining winced. He was not looking forward to this. "Princess Luna is the Commander in Chief of Equestria's military. While it's technically a shared role with Princess Celestia, I and every other commander ultimately answer to her. And she is not very forgiving in this regard."

Celestia nodded, smiling slightly. "My sister is very protective of all of our ponies. More so after her time away. She was not pleased with me sending you to handle the dragon some time ago. But she was even less pleased with Discord's escape and how easy it was for it to happen. Assuming nopony is killed, she will be furious that we let changelings into the city. But she should let all off with a very stern warning."

The girls shared a look. That didn't sound very fun at all. "What about Twilight though?" Rainbow asked.

Everypony winced. Only now did they realize how much they probably should have listened to the unicorn. Shining especially felt bad for how he had reacted to his little sister's warnings. "Twily can take care of herself. If she's still in the city, she'll be fine. Mom and dad would make sure of it," he responded.

That eased the girls' fears a little, but they still had a ton of questions, and it was Pinkie who finally gave voice to the one they were all asking. "Did anypony else notice those orbs each head had? Was it just me, or were they-"

"The same orbs that Twilight, Pearl, Pumpkin, River, and Lavender, wear? Yes. Those were in fact the same orbs. I recognized their magic," Celestia replied.

"But why would she have them?" Applejack asked, looking toward the shield. "Ya couldn't pry them off those girls if ya tried."

Celestia shook her head. "I'm not sure, Applejack. I'm just not sure. All we can do now is hope that she knows what she is doing."

---

As she flew toward the shield, Tiamat began to worry. She was still young, still unsure of herself and what she could do. That she hadn't crushed the city with her weight was a miracle.

It was a feeling all of her head shared as well, as they all shared a concerned look. If that was the entire hive out there, she was outnumbered a thousand to one at best. Dragons were tough. But even they could be worn down in time by vast numbers, or just a lucky hit on a weak point.

Her orbs all glowed in sympathy, sending waves of calm through her. "Do not fear. They do not know what they face. Numbers alone will not save them," came a melodious voice in all of Tiamat's heads. A voice that was both beautiful and deadly at the same time. A voice she had come to trust. "Our full power is at your command. Let us be the warning all of Equus needs."

Tiamat's heads smiled, as she finally passed through the City Shield. Even as she did, she was careful not to destroy it. Canterlot needed all of the help it could get at the moment, as she finally saw what was in front of her. Vast did not do it justice. Changelings beyond number floated before her, their numbers blotting out the sun.

In front of them, all floated Chrysalis, who only smirked as Tiamat came to a halt before the swarm. "I give you credit, freak. You have more guts than most do to face down my entire hive."

The White head frowned. "This is your last chance Chrysalis. Leave now, and your lives will be spared."

"Stay. And none of you will live," the Blue head added.

Chrysalis laughed, pointing a hoof at the dragon. "My children. Kill her! Leave nothing behind! Not even a skeleton. I want nothing left but a memory!"

The reaction was instantaneous. The whole swarm descended on Tiamat, murder, and death in their eyes.

"So be it. You have chosen death, and we're more than happy to give it to you," the Green head said, as the attack began.

Her tail crushed scores of changelings with every swipe, her wings created hurricane-force winds that their tiny bodies couldn't withstand, her talons ripped through whole blocks of the creatures, while each of her heads could consume hundreds at a time.

Who knew changeling tasted like chicken?

But still, the hive came on. No matter how many fell, there seemed to be an unending number of them. Within a short span of time, Tiamat was bleeding from scores of wounds, and each of her heads bore more than their fair share.

---

"She can't keep this up. There's too many of them," Rainbow said, her usual bravado gone. "Can't we do something?"

Celestia shook her head, her heartbreaking watching Tiamat slowly being overwhelmed. "No. They're replacing their numbers faster than Tiamat can kill them. She can't keep this up forever. Even dragons have a limit on what they can do. Chrysalis can afford to throw away her hive like this. They have the numbers to spare and will replace them quickly."

"What about the Elements?" Rarity asked.

Celestia shook her head. "They will not work without Twilight. And we do not know where she is. And I fear we do not have the time either to find her."

"Then what can we do?" Applejack asked.

Celestia's ears fell, as she watched Tiamat slowly losing ground. "Hope. And pray that she has something that we do not know about."

---

Tiamat growled as she bit down on another clump of changelings. This was going nowhere. They just kept coming, and she was losing ground, gradually being pushed back to the shield. If they broke through, then it was all over.

Her Black head spat as she swatted them away with her horns. "This is stupid. We can't kill them fast enough. We need a new plan."

Her Red growled, her tail swatting away more. "I need more power. Something that will end this."

At that moment, the orbs flared to life. As one, they merged completely and totally into each of her heads. Once they vanished, each head felt something new. Something powerful, sprung to life in their throats. A power begging to be unleashed.

Tiamat's heads shared a look, a savage glee rising in each of them. "Let them taste the full power of the Dragon Orbs," the Black head hissed. Together, they breathed in, before sighing.

A massive wall of flame erupted from the mouth of the Red head, burning to ashes and then dust, the vast majority of the changelings before her. Turning her head left and right, she burned away vast swathes of the swarm, utterly destroying those further back, such was its power.

The White and Blue heads took up the same approach on her left side. The White's frozen breath freezing solid whole swathes of the swarm, even those she couldn't see. The frozen bodies fell to their deaths on the valley floor far below. The Blue's lightning only added to its potency, also taking out those the White had missed.

The Black and Green's assault was, if possible, even more deadly. The poison gas of the Green head mixed with the Black's acid to make a toxic soup that not only made the changelings drown in their own dissolving lungs, but were eaten away at the same time.

This went on for what felt like hours, but was only a few moments, with no sign that Tiamat was running out of power anytime soon. In fact, she seemed to be getting more and more powerful the longer she went on.

Finally, though, Tiamat cut off her breath weapons. She felt it had been enough. And she had never felt more alive! In fact, as her heads looked their body over, there wasn't a single scratch or wound on them. Not even a blemish remained. Looking rather smug, they all shared a happy look, as the smoke in front of them. Only one changeling was left alive.

Chrysalis looked around her in shock and horror. There was nothing left. The Hive Mind that connected all those parts of the hive was silent. Not even a faint whimper remained. "How? What are you?!"

Tiamat plucked her out of the air with a claw. "And the coward survives. Why am I not surprised?"

The Black head giggled. "Oh come on. Let me finish this. Please?"

The others giggled as the Red head lifted Chrysalis up to her. "She's all yours."

Chrysalis fought to free herself, but it was hopeless. Tiamat was just too strong. She looked defiantly at the Black head as it held her closer. Her eyes widened in horror as she momentarily locked gazes with the dragon, and saw something in those eyes that terrified her. "You? How?"

The Black head smiled as she opened her jaws. "Wouldn't you like to know," she hissed before tossing the queen into her mouth.

There was a brief moment of searing, indescribable pain as the jaws bit down on her. And then Queen Chrysalis knew no more.

---

"Okay. That was awesome!" Rainbow cheered, as Tiamat turned back toward Canterlot and began to fly back their way.

"Um. Good thing she's on our side then. I hope," Fluttershy squeaked.

Celestia could only nod, still in shock at what they had just watched happen. An entire changeling hive. Wiped out. In less than an hour. If she hadn't seen it for herself, she never would have believed it possible.

A silent message from Luna knocked her out of her shock. They had found Cadance, in the old mines underneath Canterlot. She was in bad shape, but she would be fine with food and bed rest. That at least put Celestia in a better mood, as Tiamat landed before them, looking rather smug with herself.

Celestia smiled up at her. "I must thank you, Tiamat. I never would've thought it possible. But it seems that there is still more out there that I do not know about."

Her five heads chuckled. "Oh, I think we can add one more to that list. Right girls?" The Green head asked. The others nodded, before closing their eyes, bringing their heads together.

In stunned silence, the others watched as Tiamat began to glow, before rapidly shrinking down to their size. Once she did, she seemed to split into five distinct shapes. Everypony's jaws dropped in shock at what and who was revealed when the light faded.

Twilight Sparkle picked changeling queen out of her teeth. "Bleh! Chrysalis tastes as bad she looked!"

Comments

[Aether Spark]

They adapted surprisingly fast

[Samurai_Arashi]

Chrysalis laughed, before firing a bolt of magic aimed squarely at the Red Orb embed in the central head, causing that head to blink in surprise while the queen took to the air. "Fools! Canterlot will be ours by the time the sun sets!" She yelled, before speeding off into the distance, soon lost to the haze.

uh oh rule 9005. DON'T PISSED TIAMAT OFF! that is a powerful Dragon

[Edguy0009]

The next chapter won't be a fight, it'll be pest control.

[Mystic Sunrise]

10547424
They've had all night to get used to their new look. They haven't figured everything out yet. But that's what Changeling Target Practice is for :D

[Mystic Sunrise]

10547434
Too late on pissing her off. Luckily this Tiamat isn't evil. Or this whole chapter would have gone very differently. With a lot more destruction of the city among other things :p

[Samurai_Arashi]

10547454
okay true that but you mess with a Dragon goddess like Tiamat. its game over man... Game over

[Ze1a7in]

There is going to be an awkward conversation between the Black head and the Elements+Royal Sisters+Wedding Couple at the end of this.

[Mystic Sunrise]

10547957
Very awkward. Luckily, they don't feel anywhere near as bad for not believing Twilight as they did in the show (since the rehearsal meltdown didn't happen and they didn't disown her like they did in show canon.)

[Ze1a7in]

10548281
I imagine that awkwardness is going to be compounded by how the transformation into Tiamat is more likely than not permanent. At least, I ASSUME it's permanent. Would definitely be cool if they could split back into ponies.....

[Mystic Sunrise]

10548323
That would be spoilers now wouldn't it? Channeling pest control first.

Questions later. I know how all this works. Rest will come in time for others.

[Mystic Sunrise]

10383744

10383803

10384047

10384052

Don't ask what madness this is, but I found Tiamat as if she had been updated to have the three new Chromatic types from 4th Edition.

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