A cool morning wind blows across the plains as a lone cart makes its way towards a distant city. The sun is barely above the horizon, casting the land in a soft reddish hue.
An off-white earth pony pokes her head out from inside the wagon and tells the driver, "Lavvy, dear, I can't find the tea..."
The driver, a unicorn named Lavender Burst, rolls her eyes amusedly. "Third box from the back, just under the chess set, Mom."
The mare, Morning Dream, retreats back into the cart. After a moment of searching, she leans back out, teabags in her mouth's grip. "Thank you, dear. Do you want any?"
"Sure, I'll—"
But Lavender's thought is interrupted when she spots something in the ditch up ahead. It looks like... Uh-oh.
"There's somepony in the ditch!" The unicorn cries out in shock, quickly unharnessing herself. Morning Dream has to strain to see the pony as her daughter approaches.
Lavender quickly takes the pony's pulse, sighing in relief. "They're still alive, just unconscious." Judging from the bottle in the pony's wing-grasp, the pegasus got drunk and somehow found themself out here.
Lavender lifts the unconscious pegasus in her magic, getting a good look at them for the first time. While their body has the build of a stallion, they have eyelashes and medium-length hair. Their Cutie Mark is a bottle with 3 X's on it.
"Mom, help me with this pony," Lavender states, bringing them around to the back of the wagon. Morning Dream unlatches the back after a bit of fumbling, and the two bring the unconscious pony aboard.
A while after they get back on the road, the pony wakes up.
"Ugh, my head," they groan.
"Are you alright?" Morning Dream asks. "We found you lying in a ditch on the side of the road, and decided to bring you into our cart."
"Oh? Well, thank you." The pegasus peeks out the front of the cart; the city of Manehattan looms in the distance. "Must've been one heck of a party if I managed to get all the way out here..."
"You were at a party?"
The pony grins, "I was the party. Literally; I planned it. Name's Cupcake Foil."
"I'm Morning Dream."
"And I'm Lavender Burst!" the unicorn pulling the cart chimes in.
"We'd be more than willing to give you a ride where you need to go."
Cupcake smiles. "Again, thanks. I owe you one; if you ever need a party planned, you know who to call."
Meanwhile, in Manehattan...
Icarus the unicorn sits on the edge of the hotel pool, dipping his hooves in the water. His best friend, Tepid Waters the earth pony, is currently swimming laps, while another friend, Ollie the pegasus, is currently out getting them coffees. Icarus's pet moth, Lite, is resting on a pool chair beside him.
"Aren't you worried about Cupcake, Tepid?" Icarus asks her. "They've been gone since last night..."
Tepid pauses her laps to give her friend a calming look. "We both know Cupcake; they'll always find their way back, no matter what."
Icarus frowns. "They do have a habit of doing that..."
It is at that moment that Ollie returns to the group, two coffees and an iced tea held in his wings. "I'm back," he announces.
Icarus takes the iced tea. "Thanks, Ollie." Tepid Waters swims up to the edge of the pool and takes her coffee, too.
Ollie takes a sip of his drink. "So, did you guys hear about the wedding in Canterlot?"
Icarus eyes him. "How could we not? It's all over the news."
"I know."
Tepid sighs wistfully. "I wish we could be there, even for a minute."
"Why?" The unicorn raises his eyebrow. "It's not as if it'd be interesting; it's just a princess and a knight getting married."
Canterlot is torn by screams of terror and flashes of green fire. Ponies flee from the Changelings that are making their advance.
And in the Wedding Hall, their Queen sings.
♪This day has been just perfect, A kind of day of which I'd dreamed since I was small Everypony I'll soon control Every stallion, mare, and foal Who says a girl can't really have it all?♪
While the Queen is distracted, Twilight sneaks up to Princess Cadance and frees her legs. "Quick! Go to him while you still have the chance!"
Cadance doesn't need to be told twice; she rushes over to her husband and holds him. The moment before their horns touch, a spark of magic zaps between them.
Shining Armor slowly wakes from his hypnotic trance. "Wha– where... huh? Is...is the wedding over?"
Unfortunately, Queen Chrysalis notices what they are doing. She stomps over, declaring, "It's all over!"
Twilight Sparkle quickly blurts out, "Your spell! Perform your spell!"
Queen Chrysalis laughs, "Go ahead, try your best."
Shining Armor strains for a moment, but due to having been the energy source for the Changeling, he fails. "No! My power is useless now. I don't have the strength to repel them."
Princess Cadance moves to comfort her husband. "My love will give you strength."
Now, Queen Chrysalis isn't the brightest of bulbs at times. She sent Twilight into the same prison as Cadance, allowing them both to escape; and she openly monologued her plan to Celestia, allowing her plenty of time to strike.
But she knows the power of love; after all, it is what gave her strength.
So when she sees what is about to happen, she reacts accordingly: she hocks a glob of Changeling resin at them, covering Cadance's horn before she can supply her husband with power.
"What!?" The pink princess gasps, along with the other ponies. "No! That's not—!"
"All's fair in love and war," Chrysalis grins. Her horn lights, and the group is surrounded by a green fire that transports them down through the floor.
When they are next aware, they find themselves in the old mines below Canterlot.
"Here again? Well, no matter," Twilight declares as she casts an illumination spell, "we can just—"
But what is revealed in the darkness stops her cold in her tracks.
Dozens of blue eyes are angrily staring at them from all sides.
"Well," AJ remarks, "fiddlesticks."
The swarm converges, and their screams echo throughout all of Canterlot.
Luna hovers a ways outside of Canterlot, staring at the carnage. She simply left to get Shining Armor and Cadance a present, but when she returns, Canterlot is already under siege? What did she miss?!
Quickly realizing that she is exposed, she ducks behind an outcropping of the mountain. Lighting up her horn, she scans for the magical signatures of her sister and the Elements.
They're weak, but they're still in there. They must be unconscious.
Luna's eyes widen. She takes a glance at Ponyville; already, Changelings are beginning their descent on the nearby town. If she is to get help, she'll need to go elsewhere.
Back in Manehattan...
Icarus, Ollie, and Tepid Waters are sitting by the pool, drinking their morning drinks and talking. Lite the moth is sitting on the armrest of Icarus's chair.
"...so I say to the mare, 'Ginger? I barely know 'er'!" Ollie recounts, and everypony laughs.
As they laugh, the door to the pool area opens, and in walk Cupcake Foil, Morning Dream, and Lavender Burst.
Icarus immediately notices, and rushes over. "Cupcake, you're back!"
Cupcake grins, "Yep, you can't keep me away."
Tepid smiles. "See? They'll always make it back, one way or another."
Ollie stands up and addresses the two new mares. "So, who're your friends here?"
"I'm Lavender Burst, and this is my mom, Morning Dawn. We're traveling botanists, and we actually found Cupcake on the side of the road."
Icarus shakes their hooves. "Well, thank you for bringing them back. Wanna hang out with us for a bit?"
Lavender looks to Dream, who nods, "We've got some time before market opens."
"Great!" With that agreed to, Icarus leads them over to the group. "I'm Icarus, this is Tepid Waters, Ollie, and my pet moth, Lite."
Lavender leans over to get a closer look at Lite. "Aw, he's so cute! Where'd you get him?"
"I rescued his mom about four months back, and she was my pet until she passed. He's about thirty-nine days old."
Lavender holds out her hoof, which Lite gladly climbs onto. "Moths are so cool! Did you know that some moths don't have mouths?"
The unicorn chuckles. "I did, in fact, know that; my parents were entomologists. How'd you know?"
Lavender chuckled, "I just like to read trivia."
"They 'were'?" Morning asks. "Did they...?"
Icarus quickly shoots that down, "No, they just switched professions a few years back. My dad's a soldier now, while my mom takes care of n—foals."
Morning nods. "What about you, then?"
Icarus turns to show off his cutie mark: a plume of fire. "I'm a pyrotechnic. Need something like fireworks, sparklers, or even dynamite? I'm your guy."
Cupcake puts their wing around his shoulder. "Me and him go together like vodka and orange juice, 'cause a party ain't a party without fireworks!"
"Must be exciting," Lavender ponders wistfully. "All we do is grow and sell flowers."
"I swim for a living," Tepid Waters points out, "and I love it."
"Well, I don't." Lavender glances to her mom and adds, "No offense."
Morning Dream takes it well. "None taken."
Lavender glances at Ollie, "What about you, Ollie?"
He blinks, having been content just listening. "I'm just a stunt pony," he says. "I ride a skateboard and do tricks."
Lavender and Morning both nod.
Before they can continue, a hotel employee approaches them. "You guys had better come out here; Princess Luna is calling a gathering in town square!"
The six all look at each other, confused, before following the stallion out.
"Citizens of Manehattan, thank you all for coming on such short notice," Luna begins just as the six join the crowd. "As some of you may have heard, today was to be the wedding of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Captain Shining Armor.
"However, it is my displeasure to inform you that Canterlot... was attacked today."
Several gasps ring out through the crowd, before they are silenced by Luna raising a hoof.
"Indeed, it is tragic. Seeing as the Elements and the Royal Guard are... busy... at the moment, I would like to send out a call for volunteers to follow me to the city and help with the... situation."
Several murmurs are heard through the crowd — some being rumors beginning about how bad the situation must be if Luna is calling for volunteers, others being frightened talk about how intimidating Luna is. Icarus, personally, is wondering why Luna hesitated so much during her speech.
Then a hoof shoots up. "I'll volunteer."
Gasps, mostly from the friend group, are uttered as Ollie steps forward. "I'll help however I can."
Quickly, Tepid shoots up a hoof. "I'll do it, too!"
This is followed by Icarus and Cupcake Foil. Morning Dream and Lavender Burst look at each other, before slowly raising their hooves, too.
Luna blinks. 'Six ponies? How fitting...'
The group makes their way through the crowd, past the hushed whispers from ponies too afraid to join. They eventually make it to where Luna stands, and bow before her.
Luna looks over the group, then smiles. "Excellent. You six will do just nicely. The rest of you," she turns to address the crowd, "lock your doors and stay safe, lest the attackers come here."
Almost immediately, the crowd disperses, rushing to get to a safe area. This leaves the six alone in the presence of Luna.
"Now," the Princess begins, "before we head out, I must inform you that I left out a few details from that speech."
"I kinda figured from how you kept pausing," Icarus mumbles to himself.
Luna ignores this comment. "First of all, the Elements and Guards are not 'busy', so to speak; from what I could tell, they have actually been captured."
The group gasps. "How'd you manage to get out?" Ollie asks concernedly.
"I was not there at the time of the attack; instead, I was fetching my present for the bride and groom." She holds out a wrapped box.
"What kind of wedding present requires you to leave Canterlot?" Icarus asks.
"That is irrelevant at the moment," Luna denies. "What is more, the attack is still ongoing."
"Then why'd you stop at six volunteers?" Lavender asks.
"With a smaller party, it will both be easier to sneak in, as well as easier to coordinate with. Besides, six is a rather nice number, wouldn't you agree?"
The group talks amongst themselves, coming out with, "I suppose."
"Wonderful," Luna nods. "Glad you agree. Now, shall we be going?"
They all nod. Luna lights her horn, and they vanish from the square.
Queen Chrysalis strolls down the hallways of Canterlot Castle, her bodyguards at her sides. She arrives in a grand hall usually restricted to the public, where several Changelings are trying to break through a magically sealed door.
"Stand aside, drones," she commands, and the drones immediately obey. Chrysalis lights her horn and fires into the small hole, blasting the magic seal apart. With a creak, the door opens, revealing an ornate box on a pedestal.
Chrysalis levitates the box out, opening it to reveal five necklaces and a big crown thingy. "The Elements of Harmony..."
She takes the items out of the box, placing the necklaces on her overly long neck.
However, the moment she tries to place the crown onto her head, a magical shock shoots through her body, and she drops the crown. She doubles over, being winded but not knocked out by the feedback.
She groans. "Of course... Even with all this power, the Elements will not bend to my will..."
With a flick of her magic, she tosses the items back in their box, which she roughly tosses back into its hiding place. Not even caring to check if they landed on their pillar, she turns to leave as the door closes and re-seals itself. "Drones, make sure nopony gets near them without my say-so. I need to go have a chat with a certain somepony."
Two drones salute her, moving to stand on either side of the door as their Queen exits the room.
The group blinks in on the outskirts of Canterlot. The six friends, unused to teleporting, have to regain their bearings for a moment; Luna does not.
Once they do so, they join Luna in overlooking the city. The siege has calmed down for the moment, but Changelings are still patrolling the streets.
Icarus takes a step back reflexively. "Ch-changelings!?"
Luna turns, raising an eyebrow. "You know of them?"
He blinks. "Y-yeah, my parents were entomologists."
"Then what can you tell us of them?"
"Well, they use magic to shape-shift, they feed on love, and they have a hive-mind. Once one of them knows we're here, the whole swarm will be after us."
Luna thinks on this. "Then we'll have to be more cautious than I'd thought. Does anypony have any ideas?"
The group takes a moment to scan what is nearby. They are currently just outside of the warehouse district, where several materials are manufactured and distributed. Things like copper, steel, gunpowder, timber....
Icarus hatches an idea. He points to the gunpowder warehouse, "If we use some of the gunpowder in this warehouse, we can create an explosion that'll distract some of them for a while."
Luna thinks this over. "This could work... Does anypony have anything to use as a fuse?"
The group goes over the stuff they have on them. Luna has her present for Cadance and Shining Armor, Ollie has his skateboard, Cupcake Foil has a flask of vodka, Morning Dream has a box of about twenty imported teabags and a teacup, Tepid Waters has her swimming goggles, Lavender Burst has her glasses and a pocketbook of about 100 pieces of trivia, and Icarus... has his pet Lite.
Morning Dream soon has an idea. Taking her teabags, she removes the strings from each of them and brings them to her daughter. With a quick spell, the ends of each string are fused together, leaving one long line.
"Clever!" Ollie commends.
Luna nods in agreement. "Indeed. Know that your sacrifice will be covered by the Crown."
To her surprise, however, Morning Dream shakes her head. "No need, your Majesty. I'm simply doing my part to help."
Luna nods in understanding, then smirks as the earth pony walks away.
After some quick sneaking, Icarus returns with enough gunpowder for their plan. Laying everything out, the group rushes into an alleyway. Icarus tells Lite to stay hidden, then, with a spark of his green magic, the fuse is lit, and they brace themselves.
BOOM!
Several changelings turn their heads at the sound of the explosion. Many of them move to investigate, leaving enough of an opening for the group to stealthily rush their way into a side entrance of the Castle.
"Commendable work, all three of you,"Luna congratulates.
"Aw, it was nothing," Lavender blushes. "Just a quick fiber-fusing spell. I have to do those any time a plant gets accidentally cut."
"Still, we're far from the end," Ollie points out. "We may have gotten in, but we still need to find... What's our end destination, exactly?"
"The northern wing, past the Stained Glass Hall," Luna explains. "There, we will find what we need."
The group nods, before they continue their way down the halls.
After some walking, they come into a hall with a storage closet, and a bend nearby.
As they walk, Icarus seems to notice something.
Then his eyes widen. "Shh..." he hushes them quickly.
The group looks at him, confused, but they quiet down.
Hoofsteps are approaching from around the bend.
Icarus spots the storage closet. "Hide in there," he whispers.
The group quickly and quietly files into the closet, but they discover a problem. The closet is too small to fit all of them; one of them will have to find a different means of hiding, or get caught trying.
Icarus glances at the closet, then at the bend and the slowly approaching hoofsteps.
Then he shuts them in, leaving himself outside.
The group holds their breath, hoping that Icarus will be able to find a hiding spot in time.
But judging from the shadow peeking through the crack at the bottom of the door, he isn't moving from his spot in front of the door.
Then a green flash bleeds through, causing their breaths to hitch.
Icarus, now in his undisguised form, stands in front of the door at attention. When the two approaching Changelings round the bend, he salutes, "No activity to report, sirs." One of the Changelings nods, and they continue down the hall.
As soon as they're out of sight, Icarus releases the breath he was holding, then transforms back into his unicorn guise. He opens the door—
Only to find Luna glaring at him, his other friends staring on in shock. "So, your 'parents were entomologists', eh?"
Queen Chrysalis moves with purpose into the dungeons. The guards at the door salute her as she passes, making her way to the last cell in the block.
There, still trapped in a cocoon, and still very much conscious, is Princess Celestia.
Chrysalis smirks. With a bit of magic, she peels away a small opening over the pony's mouth. The changeling begins, "Let's you and I have a talk, shall we?"
Celestia frowns. "I have nothing to discuss with you, fiend!"
Chrysalis fake-pouts. "Aw, don't be like that, Celly. I know you like to talk with your enemies — love and tolerance, you call it?"
The princess pauses. "What do you hope to achieve with all of this?"
"Oh, not much; just complete assurance that my Hive and I will never starve. And what better way than to capture hundreds of thousands of ponies, put them all in a spell-induced dream, and feed off their love? You get to live the rest of your lives in your wildest fantasies, and my people get to eat; a win-win!"
Celestia grits her teeth. "Then why haven't you done it? You clearly need something from me; otherwise, we wouldn't be having this talk."
The Queen frowns. "Yeah, that's the problem. You see, to maintain a spell that big, I'd need a lot of magic. But I can't seem to activate the Elements of Harmony, and—"
"LAY YOUR DIRTY HOOVES OFF THE ELEMENTS, YOU DIRTY LARVA!" Celestia bellows in her Royal Canterlot Voice.
Chrysalis blinks, her ears now ringing. "And here, I thought your sister was the loud one. Speaking of which, where is she? She's usually asleep at this point in the day, but she wasn't in her bedroom."
Celestia smirks. "Likely somewhere far away, gathering as much help as she can. As long as she's out there, you're doomed to fail."
Chrysalis lights her horn, a wicked grimace forming across her face. "We'll see about that..."
"So, your 'parents were entomologists', eh?" Luna frowns down at the disguised changeling in front of her.
Icarus sweats visibly. "To be fair, Changelings are insect-like, and my parents are experts on them..."
Luna lights her horn. In an instant, Icarus's disguise is stripped away again, revealing him for what he is. His build is similar to that of his unicorn guise, but chitinous and hole-riddled. His wings are cloudier than any other changeling's, and his mane is fuller, but otherwise, he looks like the creatures currently occupying Canterlot. He sighs, and his gaze falls to the ground.
Cupcake steps forward. "Icarus, is that really you?"
The bug wilts a little, but nods.
Ollie glares towards him, his emotions clouding his judgement momentarily. "Prove it, then! Tell us something only the real Icarus would know!"
Icarus sighs. "When we first met, I was just a traveler with a penchant for fire. You let me crash at your apartment while I job-hunted, and we became closer friends the longer we spent together. You introduced me to Cupcake and Tepid at a party they were hosting for Winter Wrap-Up, and—"
"That's enough," Ollie interrupts him. He turns to Luna and states, "It's him."
Luna nods, unlighting her horn. But the frown remains on her face. "How long have you been in our borders?" She questions.
"Two years," Icarus admits.
"What was your purpose in coming to Equestria?"
"To gather love and bring it back to the Hive."
"And what is your reason for coming with us on this mission?" Luna raises her eyebrow.
He glances to the group, still looking apprehensive. "I came to stand by my friends. They've taught me how to live better, and for that, I owe them more than I could ever repay."
Tepid Waters looks flattered; Cupcake Foil looks surprised; Ollie looks disappointed, but no longer hostile.
Luna turns back towards the group. "What say you lot? How do you feel?"
Cupcake steps forward. "I don't know what the heck he could've possibly learned from me, but I'm touched anyway." That causes a few chuckles from Tepid and Icarus.
Tepid joins them. "Icarus used to be so distant and grumpy, but he's grown to be a great guy. I, for one, think he's alright."
Morning and Lavender step forward. "We haven't known him for very long," Lavender admits, "But from what we can tell, he's a good pony— er, changeling." Her mother nods in agreement.
Finally, Ollie is left. He gives Icarus a look, then sighs. "I don't like that you lied."
Icarus sighs. "If it helps, I tried to be as honest as I could without giving myself away. My parents really did become a soldier and a caretaker."
"And I appreciate that," Ollie admits. "Were you ever going to tell us?"
The changeling winces. "I was struggling to find the courage."
Ollie nods. "It'll take some time, but as long as you're willing to be more open, I can forgive you."
Icarus smiles, hope returning. Ollie finally steps forward, joining the rest of the ponies. Icarus hesitates, then steps forward, grabbing his friends in a hug.
And for the briefest of moments, Icarus could've sworn he saw Luna smirk.
But just as quickly, Luna's serious face comes back. "Now, we must continue on our way. The guards could be back at any minute."
Icarus breaks out of the hug and raises a hoof, "I can somewhat smell their pheromones when they're nearby."
"Then you shall walk beside me as I lead." With that, the group continues on their way, Icarus resuming his disguise.
As they walk, Luna turns to Icarus. "You acted commendably, Icarus. If I were in your position, I likely would have panicked."
Icarus blushes. "I had to be strong, for my friends."
Luna nods. "With a make-up like that, I might just be willing to overlook all the falsified documents you must've filled out."
Icarus pales. But he relaxes when she giggles, "I am merely messing with you. Once we sort this mess out, I will be glad to issue a royal pardon if you're willing to capitulate."
Icarus nods vigorously, "Anything, your Majesty."
Luna then turns back towards the others. "I should commend you five as well. To not lose yourself to your emotions and stick by your friend, no matter how different, is a mark of a strong pony."
Cupcake trots a little more quickly to catch up with Luna. "Hey, he's our friend. What else were we supposed to do, slap him with a flyswatter?"
This gets a laugh out of most of the group, other than Icarus, who looks uncomfortable at the prospect.
Luna smirks. She couldn't have picked a better group...
Icarus asks, "Why are you fine now, when you seemed so angry before?"
She blinks. "That, my astute little changeling, will be answered in due time."
She then stops the group, staring ahead at two ornate doors. "We're here."
"So, let's try this again," Queen Chrysalis grits her teeth. "How do I activate the Elements, and where is Luna?"
Celestia, barely hanging on after the fourteenth mind-controlling spell was placed unto her, spits at Chrysalis. The Queen barely manages to dodge the projectile, but now she is filled with a blazing fury. Powered by her anger, she fires one last spell at the Princess.
Celestia tenses up, then falls limp. She has succumbed.
Chrysalis grins her fanged grin. "Now, will you tell me what I want?"
The Princess opens her eyes, now fogged with green. "I will obey, my Queen."
The Queen's smile broadens. "Excellent; so glad you're finally listening to reason. Now, where is Luna?"
"Last I knew, she was out retrieving a wedding present for Shining Armor and Cadance," Celestia tells monotonously.
"Where? And, for that matter, what?"
"She never told me; wanted it to be a surprise for us all."
Chrysalis frowns. That wasn't very helpful. "How about the Elements, then? How do I activate them?"
"You can't. Only the Element Bearers, or a pony with a strong balance of their traits, can wield them."
"So you, then?" Chrysalis raises an eyebrow.
"No, I cannot. I keep far too many secrets to be considered Honest. My sister, however, regained her balance when the Elements destroyed Nightmare Moon and purified her."
Chrysalis groans. "So your sister, who we have no idea where she is, would be able to wield all six?"
"That is correct."
The changeling Queen frowns, then turns to her hivemind. «Double the search for the lunar Princess,» she transmits, «and make sure the Elements are secure.»
The group stands before the gilded doors to the Stained Glass Hallway. Just beyond that is the vault containing the Elements of Harmony, their one chance of saving Canterlot.
Cupcake reaches for the door, but Icarus stops them. "I can sense two Changelings on the other side," he points at the door.
Cupcake frowns. "Then how are we meant to get through?"
The group thinks for a moment, until Luna sighs. "I was hoping to give this to the wedding party, but..."
The lunar Princess pulls out the present and undoes the wrapping. As she does this, the group notices that there are airholes in the box.
The changelings at the vault are playing a game of Rock Tumbleweed Water, when they hear the entry door creak open. They look up just as a small, white, mouse-like creature scurries in. It looks at them cutely; they look confusedly at the creature's random entrance.
"A Winter-chilla?" one of the guards asks to herself. She approaches the little creature and, sensing no immediate danger, bends down to look at it.
"Be careful, Louse!" The other guard warns. "It could turn into a Winter-zilla!"
Louse pshaws. "Relax, Cornicle; it's not even noon yet!"
Almost as soon as she says this, the sun lowers and is quickly replaced by the moon.
Louse pales, then turns to find the Winter-chilla convulsing.
"Told ya," Cornicle states.
A few moments later, the two guards burst through the door, fleeing in terror from the monstrous Winter-zilla.
Luna makes her way out of hiding after a moment, followed cautiously by the others. The group enters the now unguarded hallway, and Luna approaches the beast.
Then she rubs it under its chin. "Good boy, Maxie." It coos in response. With some effort, Luna returns the sun to the sky and puts the moon back under the horizon. Maxie the Winter-zilla shrinks back down into a Winter-chilla, then scurries back into its box, which Luna rewraps and re-conceals.
She then turns to the group, who are staring at her in astonishment. "What?" she asks innocently, panting a little from overexertion. "I'm allowed to have hobbies, too."
"It wasn't that," Cupcake corrects. "Well, actually, it was somewhat that, but also, you just moved the sun! All on your own!!"
Luna frowns. "Even if Celestia is older than me, I am still powerful enough to move her sun. It just... takes a bit more effort." At that, she wipes her brow.
Icarus is about to speak, when an approaching buzzing makes him freeze.
Luna's eyes widen. "Quickly, there isn't much time!"
The group rushes towards the vault, which Luna quickly opens. She glances back at the approaching noise, then at the group. "Get in; I'll stall them while you work. Just trust in yourselves."
They don't hesitate; the six quickly move into the small room, and Luna locks the door.
Almost as soon as the seal re-engages, the doors open to reveal Queen Chrysalis, along with a sizeable contingent of her army. "Well, well, well! You're just the pony I was looking for. You know, I was just talking with your sister about you."
Luna scowls. "Stand down, changeling. You are out of your league."
Chrysalis raises an eyebrow. "Out of my league? What a ridiculous notion!" As if on cue, the changelings behind her all start laughing their wicked laughs in sync, which unsettles Luna.
But she doesn't let it show. "Surrender now, and we may yet spare you."
Only one Changeling moves at this, but is quietly held back by another, differently colored drone. This doesn't go unnoticed by Luna, but she refrains from commenting.
Chrysalis rolls her eyes. "How motivating. How about this, instead: you give in to my control spell, and I may just refrain from hurting your subjects any further."
Luna drops into an offensive stance, lighting her horn. "Not a chance. You may have numbers, and you may have outmatched my sister, but I will never submit to the likes of you!"
Chrysalis mirrors Luna, her own horn glowing a sickly green. "So be it."
With that, the two lunged.
The sounds of battle bleed through the bottom of the door as the six friends try to quietly find their way around the relative darkness.
"Alright," Ollie begins, "so what's in here that Luna thinks is so important?"
"Just this pedestal—" Cupcake stubs their hoof on a box lying on the ground. "Ow! And this box... sunnuva...."
Lavender carefully lights her horn (not enough to be seen from the outside, but just enough so that they can see) and picks up the box. It's very ornately decorated. She opens it, then gasps.
The Elements of Harmony.
Memories of the past few hours flood Lavender's mind.
Icarus remaining loyal to his friends.
Tepid Waters staying kind despite Icarus's lies.
Ollie being hurt by his friend's dishonesty.
Cupcake Foil keeping their spirits up with jokes.
Morning Dream sacrificing her teabags for the fuse.
In one single instant, — a cognitive 'spark', if you will — it all makes sense.
Luna dodges another spell, sweating visibly. Her earlier stunt with the sun has left her weaker than usual, and that, combined with Chrysalis's heightened power, means she is fighting a losing battle.
But she isn't trying to win; she is merely the distraction.
She blocks another shot with a shield spell, then leaps into the air with heavy flaps of her wings. A few of her own shots leave her horn, but they are all dodged or blocked by the Queen. Luna readies another spell.
But she is so focused on Chrysalis that she fails to notice three changelings sneaking up on her.
With a cry, they latch onto the Princess and begin to attack her, making her lose focus on her magic. She struggles to stay in the air and fight them off at the same time, but it is useless; their intervention is all that Chrysalis needs.
The Queen fires, and she hits.
An unconscious Luna tumbles out of the air, landing on the ground with a loud thud. Two of the three changelings follow shortly thereafter, having been caught in the blast as well.
Queen Chrysalis grins sadistically. She has done it; she'd taken down everyone of power. Celestia, Luna, Cadance, Shining Armor, and the Elements of Harmony; they have all fallen before her.
Speaking of the Elements... "Drone!" She orders the changeling that was fortunate enough to not get hit. "Check the vault, and make sure she didn't do anything to the Elements."
The changeling, still panting from the battle, salutes before moving to the door. He attempts to open the door, only to find the seal still—
With a click, the seal seemingly undoes itself. The changeling doesn't even have time to wonder how before the door opens, revealing something that makes every changeling's blood run cold.
Five ponies and a changeling are in the vault, holding hooves and floating off the ground while glowing. Each one of them is wearing an Element, and are righteously staring with white eyes at the group.
With an ear-splitting BOOM, a wave of pure harmonic energy explodes out from the circle of six friends. As soon as it touches the changelings, they are sent flying straight through the windows of the Stained Glass Hall. As the wave spreads further and further, becoming a circle centered on Canterlot and reaching as far as Manehattan, evil changelings caught in it are blown away, ponies trapped by changeling resin are freed, hypnotic spells undone, and weakened ponies are healed by the harmonic magic left in its wake.
Chrysalis flies off into the horizon, screaming "CUUUUUUUUURSEEEEEEEESSSSSS!!!" until she can't be heard anymore.
With the balance restored, the Elements deactivate, and the ponies using them are lowered gently to the floor.
Ollie is the first to stir. "Wha... What just happened?"
"Did we do it?" Cupcake asks.
"Indeed." The friends turn their heads to find Princess Luna slowly rising to a sitting position, having been rejuvinated by the magic. "I knew you all had it in you."
"Princess Luna!" The group rushes to her side, glad that she is okay.
"Wait, you knew?" Lavender asks. "Did you plan this?!"
"Somewhat," the Princess admits. "When only you six approached me as volunteers, I had a hunch that Fate was trying to tell me something. As we progressed, I saw the Elements begin to shine through you, and it was then that I knew."
Icarus gasps, "Is that why you switched so quickly between being angry and proud at me?!"
She smirks. "A test of your Loyalty, although it had the bonus of also showing his Honesty and her Kindness," she points to Ollie and Tepid Waters in turn.
Tepid Waters raises her hoof, "But how'd we even use the Elements in the first place? I thought they already had users."
Luna nods, "Twilight Sparkle and her friends are, indeed, bearers of the Elements of Harmony, but they are not limited to them alone; the six of them are simply the ponies we knew exhibited those traits best, so they've been the group we turned to."
Icarus then points out, "But I'm not even a pony."
"Harmony is not something exclusive to ponies; every creature, even Discord, can exhibit it to some level. They might not embody it like we do, but they are still capable."
Ollie blinks at that. "Really? Even Discord?"
Luna nods. She then adds, in an irritated tone, "Even though he's never once shown it..."
"So," Morning Dream finally asks, "what now?"
"Now, we find my sister, as well as everypony else that Chrysalis captured."
Luna stands up and is about to leave, when a quiet whimpering echoes through the Hall. The group turns to find a lone changeling cowering in the corner, hooves over its eyes.
Everypony except for Icarus and Luna screams "Changeling!" and hides behind the latter. Icarus rolls his eyes, but doesn't comment, instead focusing a suspicious glare on the intruder.
Luna, however, approaches calmly. "What are you still doing here?"
The changeling peeks out from its hooves, then quickly goes back to cowering when it realizes it's all alone in front of Princess Luna.
Luna remembers something. "Are you the Changeling that tried to surrender when I asked it?"
The changeling quickly nods, not daring to look again.
The lunar Princess finally reaches the terrified bug-pony, reaching down to wipe its fearful tears. "I will not hurt you; I simply wish to talk."
The changeling slowly stops shivering, finally taking another look through the holes in its hooves. When it sees Luna's serene smile, it begins to calm down somewhat.
"That's better," she states, lying down onto her stomach to be on the same level as the changeling. "Now, what's your name?"
After a moment, the changeling responds, "Th-Thorax."
"Then hello, Thorax. Now, why was it you moved to surrender?"
Thorax pauses. He isn't used to ponies being interested in him — or even his fellow changelings, for that matter.
After a moment, he clears his throat. "W-well, I... I've always been different from my peers. From the moment I was hatched, I was singled out as the weakling; the runt of the litter. If it wasn't for my brother — closest brother, that is — protecting me, I probably wouldn't be around today.
"Then, during the Invasion, I saw the Elements of Harmony fighting together. Such unity, the camaraderie; it was unlike anything I was ever a part of back at the Hive. I didn't want to steal it; I-I wanted to share in it! I still do!
"I was kinda hoping for something to come along and separate me from the swarm, so that I'd have an excuse to finally leave..." he finishes, now being listened to by the whole group.
Luna raises an eyebrow, glancing at Icarus. He nods to her, silently conveying that Thorax is, indeed, telling the truth. She then turns back to Thorax and, with a smile, points out, "Seems like you're pretty separated from the swarm right now."
Thorax blinks. She's right, isn't she?
"And seeing as how the the Elements didn't blast you away," Icarus continues, "it seems that Harmony doesn't have a problem with you staying here. In fact, I don't think we'd mind, either."
Did his ears deceive him? Thorax looks at each pony in turn. Luna and Icarus are nearly grinning, and the others, while hesitant, are smiling as well.
"R-really?" the outcasted Changeling manages to squeak out after a moment.
In response, Icarus leans down and grabs Thorax into a hug. The others soon follow, giving Thorax the biggest (and only-est) hug he's ever gotten.
Thorax balks momentarily, before smiling and leaning into the hug.
Unfortunately, the moment is quickly interrupted by the door bursting open to reveal a trio of guards. They take one look at the scene in front of them, before pointing their spears.
"Changelings!" shouts one of them.
"They've got one of the Elements!" cries another.
"And they're creating a harem!" claims the third.
The first two pause to look at the third, before brushing past it and beginning to charge.
Thankfully, Princess Luna quickly leaps to the group's protection. "Stand down, guards!" she demands.
The three pause. "But the Changelings—"
"Are of no threat, Sargent Hue," Luna states. "In fact, the one with the Element helped to save us all."
The three guards look to each other, before the first two point their spears at Luna. "And how do we know you're actually you?"
In response, Luna's eyes begin to turn dragon-like. Her hair begins to lose its form, and she starts hovering with her wings.
The three recognize what is about to happen. "Yup, definitely her," the first squeaks out.
With that, the three rush straight out of the room, tails between their legs.
Luna takes a moment to calm down, before turning towards the stunned group. "Sorry about that, folks; Sargent Hue, Specialist Dew, and Private Lieu are rather new."
She then regards Thorax. "Now, where might I find my sister and the others?"
He helpfully supplies, "They're being held in the dungeon."
Luna nods, then turns to the group. "Well then, shall we go?"
The group looks at each other, silently making up their minds. "Actually, if it's alright with you, Princess, we'd just like to go home."
The Princess of the moon blinks at that. "But you six just saved Canterlot; don't you want to be recognized by them for what you've done?"
Ollie steps forward. "We were just doing the right thing. I'd rather make my fame my own way." The rest agree.
"Besides," Icarus chimes in, "I don't think they'd like to see me so soon after the invasion; I'm certainly not ready to face anyone else like this, anyways. I also need to retrieve Lite, too."
"And think about it this way," Tepid points out: "With nopony to take the credit, everypony will think you saved the day, and you'll be more loved than ever! A win-win!"
"...and they asked you to not to give them the credit?" Celestia finishes recapping what Luna has just finished telling them.
Celestia, Luna, The Elements, Cadance, Shining Armor, Spike, and Thorax are currently in Celestia's drawing room. The Elements (sans Twilight) are keeping an eye on Thorax while Luna recaps what happened over the last day.
"That is correct," Luna states simply, waiting for their reactions.
Shining is the first to speak up. "I'm sorry, but this isn't funny anymore; you can drop the act."
"I assure you, Shining Armor, that this is no joke."
Princess Cadance frowns. "Pardon my bluntness, but what the hay, Aunt Luna! Siding with a changeling, and rescuing another?!"
Luna eyes the two. "Did I not explain it thoroughly enough? Icarus and Thorax are good changelings."
"How are we expected to believe that?!" Shining blurts out, anger filling his voice. "We just got attacked by them; we were lucky to have survived!"
Cadance added, "I'm likely going to have nightmares about this for years to come! And yet, you sit here, expecting us to just accept that those two changelings are good??"
"What's so unbelievable about it?"
Cadance and Shining Armor gasp, turning towards Spike. "Spike! Do you even realize what you're saying?" Shining accuses.
"Surely they've hurt you, too!" Cadance asks.
He shrugs. "They did, but I still believe Luna."
The couple blinks. "Why?"
"Because that's not how the world works."
Before the two can speak up again, Celestia holds up a hoof to stop them. "Please explain your reasoning, Spike."
He thinks for a moment. "Well... I'm a dragon, right?" Everyone nods. "And we can all agree that there are not-so-good dragons out there, right?" Everyone shudders at the thought, then nods. "Then does that make me bad?"
Shining Armor blinks. "Of course not, Spike, but that's—"
"What about Nightmare Moon?" Twilight interrupts, cathing on to Spike's point. "Luna did some pretty bad things as Nightmare Moon, and she's a pony, so does that make all ponies evil?"
Shining Armor and Cadance exchange glances. They both have a point.
"So, shouldn't the same apply with changelings?" Spike concludes, gesturing to Thorax (who awkwardly waves at the attention).
The bride and groom try to come up with an argument, but after a moment of drawing blanks, they sink down in their seats. "...y-yes, it should," Shining Armor admits.
"Sorry, guys," Cadance apologizes. "With how large the invasion was, and how eager they looked to attack, I guess we just assumed..."
"You are forgiven," Luna held up a hoof. "We've been through a lot — all of us. But you shouldn't let your negative experiences shroud your mind in blind hatred."
"We'll try, but I think it's just too recent; every time I look at him...." Cadance glances at Thorax, the sight causing her to shiver.
The changeling lowers his head at this.
That's when Spike chimes in again: "I'll be friends with him."
Almost everypony else, including Thorax himself, is surprised at this. Spike holds out a claw and says, "I'm Spike, and it's nice to meet you, Thorax."
Thorax blinks, staring at the appendage unknowingly. Spike tilts his head towards the outstretched limb, inviting Thorax to take it. With some hesitation, the changeling does so. "I-it's nice to meet you too, Spike."
Spike then glances at Shining and Cadance. "C'mon, let's get out of here; I'm sure these guys have important things to be discussing, like rescheduling the wedding."
With that, Spike begins leading Thorax out of the room, asking questions to try and get to know him.
As he passes Twilight, she whispers, "I'm proud of you, Spike." He smiles in response, before they disappear through the door.
Pinkie quickly bounces after them, exclaiming, "I wanna be his friend, too!"
Rarity glances around, before following as well. "The poor fellow seemed so miserable just sitting there; maybe I can help cheer him up, too."
AJ soon joins them, saying, "Ah don't even understand why we were guarding him in the first place."
Fluttershy looks indecisive about it, before making up her mind. "I'll go, too; the more friends, the merrier."
Finally, only Rainbow Dash is left. Luna raises an eyebrow, "Aren't you going to join them, too?"
No response. Luna taps the pegasus's shoulder.
To everypony's surprise, Rainbow starts snoring. She's sleeping with her eyes open!
"Huh? What'd I miss?" She looks around. "Where's everypony?"
"They all just left with Thorax," Twilight says.
"Ugh, finally!" Rainbow exclaims. "It was boring, standing there and treating him like a criminal. Wait up, guys!" With that, she zooms off after them.
Celestia chuckles. "Your friends are quite something..."
Twilight huffs, a little irritated. "I wouldn't trade them for the world, but that doesn't mean they aren't... a bit much at times, y'know?"
Luna nods. "Will you be joining them too, Twilight?"
Twilight answers, "After one last question. If they didn't want you to give them the credit for the victory, then why're you telling us about them?"
Luna smirks, "It was part of an agreement we reached. I'm allowed to tell you, but to the public, they'll still be uncredited. In exchange, they agreed to aide again should the need arise."
Celestia smiles at her sister. "Resourceful thinking, Luna. It's certainly better to be safe than sorry."
She nods. "It may not be soon, but I know I shall see them again."
She then remembers something. "Oh, and by the way," she addresses Cadance and Shining Armor, "I got you two something."
The two are surprised when she pulls out a wrapped gift box and gives it to them. When they open it, Shining Armor is confused at the sight the creature inside.
Cadance, however, gushes over it. "Aww, it's so cute!"
Luna smiles simply. "His name is Maxie. I heard about how much you've wanted a pet since you were little, and I thought I'd get you one."
"I love it!" Cadance almost squeals. "Thank you, Auntie!"
"Isn't that...?" Twilight begins to ask, but she catches Luna shaking her head subtly. "Nevermind."
Cadance stands up, the cute little creature perched atop her head. "I've gotta show Blueblood!" With that, she rushes out of the room, Shining Armor not far behind.
Now that the two are gone, Twilight turns to Luna. "Why'd you give her a Winter-chilla?"
Luna smirks, "She stole from the Royal Cookie Jar last month; I am simply 'paying her back', as it were." Catching her sister's concerned glare, she adds, "Oh, relax, sister; Maxie won't hurt them."
Celestia sighs. "Sometimes, I think you're a bit too mischievous..."
"I learned from the best, Tia."
"Have a nice day!" Morning Dream smiles as her last customer for the day walks away, a bouquet of pansies in her mouth's grip.
The afternoon had gone by without much fuss, aside from a few ponies that were curious about what happened; after all, the sun had mysteriously set for a minute while they were off with Luna. Morning Dawn told anypony that asked that Luna simply needed a little help with aiding ponies, and that she set the sun to tell everypony that they were still okay, and that satisfied most ponies.
But as the mare begins to close up shop, her attention is drawn by the tapping of a hoof on her stand. She turns, and smiles when she sees that it's Ollie. "You almost ready for the party?" he asks her.
She nods, "I just need to finish closing up."
"Anything I can help you with?" Ollie offers.
She looks back towards the boxes of flowers. "I could use some help reloading the wagon."
He nods, then moves behind the booth to help with the boxes.
After a few minutes, the wagon is loaded, and they're both on their way.
"So, what's this party about?" Morning Dream asks.
Ollie explains, "We're going to be leaving tomorrow morning, so we wanted to say goodbye."
She smiles, "That's so nice of you. And I'm sure Lavvy will have fun too."
"She's actually already there; I was just sent to get you."
"Well then," Morning corrects herself, "I'm sure she's currently having fun there."
When the two of them arrive at the hotel, the party is in full swing. The only attendees may be the six of them, but they're still having fun thanks to the wonders of alcohol.
"Watch in awe," declares a disguised Icarus, "as the Grrreat and Powerful Trrrixie makes this hors d'oeuvre disappear!" In an instant, Icarus stuffs the food into his mouth, making it 'disappear' from sight — truly the pinnacle of comedy.
Regardless of the quality of the joke, everypony else laughs. "Oh, oh! Do Cheese Sandwich!" Lavender requests.
Icarus nods, then transforms into the wandering stallion. "Oh, you want the wackiest party planner in Equestria, huh? Okay, but I might just have to sing a silly song parody or two while I'm here!"
The group is now in a fit of laughter, while Ollie and Morning Dream, not being as inebriated as the others, merely chuckle.
It is then that Cupcake notices them in the doorway. "Hey," they say, "glad you could make it! C'mon in, take a seat, and grab a beer!"
Both of them shake their heads. "I'll have to decline," Morning Dream says. "I much prefer my tea."
Ollie adds, "I get really irritable when I'm drunk."
Cupcake shrugs, "More for us, then." They then proceed to grab a bottle and try to drink, but they're so drunk that they end up missing and pouring it all over their cheek.
That gets a few laughs from the sober ponies.
So the two join in on the party, and despite not drinking, they also have a good time.
Eventually, the fun settles down, and the group gets to talking.
"So, what do you plan on doing after you leave?" Lavender asks.
Tepid Waters thinks for a moment. "Well, I'm gonna be headed back to Fillydelphia to train. There's going to be a swim tournament next month, and I don't wanna be rusty."
"My family's been wanting me to visit for a while," Ollie admits, "and I thought I'd introduce them to Icarus at the same time."
"Ollie says his dad's got blasting powder from the 9th century, leftover from his grandpa's days as a miner!" Icarus eagerly exclaims, Lite resting on his head. "I wonder if it still works after over 100 years!"
Cupcake shrugs, "I'm just gonna wander for a bit, maybe visit Ponyville again. I'm kinda curious how my cousin's doing."
"What about you, Lavender?" Tepid asks.
She sighs. "I guess I'm just gonna keep traveling in the wagon, selling flowers with Mom, and—"
To her surprise, Morning Dream shakes her head. "Actually, I got you a little something." She pulls out a piece of paper, which Lavender takes in her magic.
The unicorn's eyes widen as she reads it. "A trivia contest in Ponyville?"
"I thought, after all the hard work you've been doing, you should go and do something you enjoy."
She stammers. "B-but the wagon!"
"I can run the stand by myself for a little; I did just fine before you were born, you know." Morning smirks.
Lavender blanks for a second, before getting up and hugging her mother. "Thank you, Mom!"
"Anytime, dear."
Cupcake pipes up: "Hey, since you're headed to Ponyville, could I join you?"
The unicorn's face lights up. "Hey yeah, I'd love that!" They bump hooves as a seal to their agreement.
Ollie then stands up. "Well, this has been fun, but we should really get some shut-eye."
"The party can't end yet!" Icarus worries. "Who knows how long it'll be until we all meet up again?"
Everyone looks at him funnily. "We could always just plan another get together..."
He blushes. "Right.... The 17th of next month sound good?"
The others agree, and they all begin to clean up.
Somewhere in the Badlands...
The dark, dank interior of the Badlands Hive is rather silent. Ever since the invasion, the feeling of failure has permeated the air.
But it wasn't a total loss; the amount of love they'd managed to collect would be enough to feed the hive for about a year. And aside from that, every changeling that was blasted from Canterlot can feel a lingering sense of satiation inside them. It's almost as if the Elements' Magic is trying to leave them no reason to reattempt their invasion, but nobody knows for sure.
Queen Chrysalis, however, has no time to dwell on any of this; she's more upset about something else.
A changeling — one of her own children — helped to defeat her.
And that makes her furious.
"I will have my revenge," she mutters to herself. "Just you wait."
