A Changed Battle
Cadance and Shining Armor heard Twilight from within the room.
“I still need a plan.”
It was then that Cadance choose to open the door with a smile.
“That sounds like the pony I used to foalsit for! Count us in!” she said.
Twilight approached them with sad eyes. “No. You need to stay here and protect Flurry Heart. If we don’t… if things don’t work out. She’s Equestria’s last hope if we fail.”
This caused both her brother and sister-in-law to look down. Shining Armor felt his heart break at these words. Tears appeared in his eyes. He was tempted for a moment to accept his sister’s decision. But then something clicked in his mind.
“No!” he said. “If you fall, nothing could stop those three from coming here and hurting the Crystal Empire too! They already took down Canterlot, if you and your friends fall… there’s no way we’re going to be able to protect Flurry Heart! If we want to protect her, we need to come with you.”
“He’s got a point there, when have he and Cadance ever been able to get themselves out of a jam without our help?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Hey!” Shining said.
“What? I’m just saying?” Rainbow Dash shrugged.
Twilight sighed. “Okay, I guess there is safety in numbers. Come on.”
...
They teleported close to the outskirts of Canterlot. Cadance and Shining Armor left Flurry Heart in the care of the servants, each giving her a kiss before they left. They approached Canterlot, walking out the trees along with the Mane 6 and Spike. Shining Armor looked up and his mouth fell open at the sight of the ruined palace where he had served Celestia as Captain of the Guard. The walls, the stain glass windows which depicted his sister’s many accomplishments… they were gone. Also… if-
“Think they know we’re here?” Spike asked fearfully as they suddenly stopped.
That had been on Shining Armor’s mind too. With no walls, the throne room would provide a very high view directly in this direction! If the villains were in there and looking they would see everypony coming a mile away!
As if on que, there was suddenly a flash of yellow light. From it emerged the three empowered villains. Tirek, large as Shining Armor remembered him, Cozy Glow, now an alicorn filly with a horn as well as a small necklace, and Chrysalis, the former Queen of the Changelings. She had armor on her hooves now as well as a green alteration to her crown and her eyes and horn glowed slightly even though she was not channeling magic.
Shining Armor narrowed his eyes at her particular. He wasn’t usually the type to want to attack females, but Chrysalis had turned him against his own sister back at his wedding. He’d been brainwashed, manipulated, or just been plain too stupid to see through her disguise and had said very hurtful words to his sister that not a day went by he wished he could take back. But this was his chance to make Chrysalis pay for what she had done that day. No one turned him against his little sister, or abducted his wife!
“I’d say they have an idea,” Applejack said.
As the villains continued to approach them, Twilight spoke. “That bell has Discord, Celestia and Luna’s magic. If they use it against us…”
“Discord’s magic is so chaotic, he’s the only one who can use it,” Fluttershy said.
That gave Shining a bit of relief. At least they didn’t have to deal with chaos magic.
Chrysalis suddenly spoke. “You just can’t accept that you were beaten before you even realized there was a fight, can you?”
She then noticed him and grinned evilly. “Well, if it isn’t the handsome stallion I once hoped to marry! There might another chance for that, once you are widowed!”
This caused Cadance to shiver slightly, and not from the cold coming from the Wendigos soaring above. Shining Armor growled.
“You’re not gonna hurt my wife or sister if I have anything to say about it!” he shouted. “You’re not the only one with a score to settle Chrysalis!”
“Still angry at me for kidnapping your fiancé and turning you against your sister?” she asked.
Shining Armor nodded. “I’ll do more than send you flying this time! You’ll-
The alicorn filly, Cozy Glow cut him off. “Uh! Can we get on with this please?”
She spun around in the air, charging up a powerful ball of magic which she fired upon them. Twilight teleported all of them to the cover of the trees. Shining Armor saw the villains looking at the spot where they’d been moments ago which was now damaged terrain.
“We need to get that bell and give Discord and the princesses their magic back!” Twilight said.
Shining Armor smiled. His sister was working out an ingenius plan already!
“Rainbow Dash, Pinkie! You’re with me!” Twilight pointed her hoof to the two ponies.
“Sweet!” the blue Pegasus pony said. “I’ll grab that bell in ten seconds-
“No!” Twilight said. “We’re the distraction! The rest of you are going to get the bell.”
Shining Armor frowned. “Hold on, sis! It would be way too obvious a distraction if only you three attack them!”
“What do you have in mind, BBBFF?” Twilight asked.
Shining Armor took a glance out in the villains direction. They were still looking.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are!” Chrysalis called.
Shining Armor looked back at Twilight. “Only one of us will go for the bell while the others distract them. They’ll be too busy fighting all of us to realize one pony missing.”
“Who gets it then?” Fluttershy asked.
Shining looked at her. “You.”
It was settled.
...
Chrysalis growled, her patience wearing. “Come out already little ponies! Stop being cowards!”
“There!” Cozy pointed.
From the trees nearby, seven ponies and a dragon came charging out with war cries. Cozy shot beams of red magic at them, which they zigzagged to dodge. Rainbow Dash flew at Cozy with high speed, causing her to spin around. Spike was on Cozy next, shooting green fire breath at her while Rarity did the same with blue beams. She struggled to dodge them, only to be hit by Rainbow Dash again.
Twilight teleported in front of Tirek who cracked his neck in anticipation. He levitated a group of rocks at Twilight who leapt over each of them and shot a beam of magic at his face. The centaur was knocked down, one his teeth falling out. Applejack swung her lasso and wrapped it around Tirek’s hooves to try and bind them together. But he easily snapped the rope than threw the cowgirl pony around with it before she could release it from her mouth.
Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie, Cadance, and Shining Armor all went for Chrysalis.
“Step right up evil fillies and gentlevillains! Try your luck!” Pinkie cried out in joy, which was very unfit for the situation. She wore a mustache and some sort of suit, where did those even come from? To top it off… how did she even get a spinning board with pictures of her and all her friends faces.
Chrysalis growled and began shooting beams at Pinkie who stuck to the board as she were magnetized to it. Chrysalis’s beam hit where Pinkie was, and disintegrated the board. But Pinkie Pie suddenly popped up from under a rock, completely fine.
“Missed me!” She said.
Chrysalis shot again. Pinkie reappeared from a bush.
“Close but not cherry chimichanga!”
“What the hay?” Shining Armor asked as he watched the ridiculous scene. “How’s Pinkie even able to do that?”
“I think we better just take advantage of the fact she can dear,” Cadance said. “Now… you wanted revenge?”
Shining Armor nodded. With Chrysalis so distracted by Pinkie’s ridiculousness she was focusing on her. This was a perfect chance! Her back was to both of them as she chased the pink pony.
“Never turn your back on a foe, Chrysalis!” Shining said.
Both he and Cadance charged up beams of magic and fired. Their spells hit the changeling and caused her to grunt in pain as she hit the ground. At that moment, Fluttershy flew out toward the bell which the villains had left behind. Chrysalis looked back and saw the royal couple of the Crystal Empire, as well as the yellow Pegasus heading for the bell.
“The bell!” she cried, drawing the attention of Tirek and Cozy Glow.
They looked back and saw their item was under attack, and to protect it they fired beams at Fluttershy. But Shining Armor was there, and defensive magic happened to be his special talent. He put up a large wall that spread out fifty feet. The villains attacks pushed against it. Shining Armor strained to maintain the shield under their immense power but he managed.
“Go!” Cadance shouted to Fluttershy. “Get it to the others! We’ll deal with them!”
Fluttershy nodded. She took the Bewitching Bell in her hooves and flew toward Canterlot.
Cozy Glow tried to soar above the shield to get to Fluttershy. But Rainbow Dash got her from behind, putting her hooves around the filly to restrain her. She than began spanking her.
“Ow!”
“You didn’t get enough of these from your parents did you?” Rainbow asked.
She brought Cozy down to Rarity who put her horn on Cozy’s. There was a blue flash and Cozy suddenly looked dizzy.
“A little magic put into a unicorn’s horn directly always leaves them drowsy and unable to focus!” Rarity said. “Even alicorns aren’t immune to that!”
Twilight knocked down Tirek again, and Applejack leapt onto his face hard, knocking him out. Chrysalis was back on her hooves. She looked back and saw her teammates were down. But she refused to give up, her eyes narrowing. She prepared to fire another beam. But Shining Armor was ready, he put up another, smaller shield. This time encasing Chrysalis alone. But it wasn’t mean to protect her, it was to trap her with her own attack. When she fired, her beam hit her instead. She collapsed and looked knocked out. Shining Armor looked at the sigh with a smile.
It was over. They had won, Shining Armor realized with a smile.
“Well… good thing you both came along. We won rather easy with you,” Twilight said as she approached him.
Shining Armor nodded and hugged her.
“Glad to be useful for once. I always had to have you save me. Now… lets get those three to the dungeon where they belong!”
“Uh! Tirek might be a little too heavy to carry,” Applejack said. “It would take quite a few unicorns to lift him up with magic.”
“Well, it seems we came by just in time than!” a familiar voice called.
Everypony looked up. They saw an unexpected sight. Everycreature in Equestria, lead by Chancellor Neighsay.
“We came to help you at the urging of one of Twilight’s students, but it seems that wasn’t necessary,” Neighsay said. “Seems she had all the help she needed with her family.”
Twilight smiled. “Thanks anyway, all of you could have come in handy if Shining and Cadence hadn’t been here. Shining’s plan really worked!”
Among the crowd, Twilight Velvet and Night Light looked at their son proudly. They bound the three villains and took them back to the cells where their powers disable by the shards until a proper sentence was handed down. They would be trapped in those cells forever, arguing with each other. The last thing they wanted, together forever.