22: Let Your Power Shine

CORONA, AESTAS

"NO!" Chrysalis screamed. "NO! THAT IS AN IMPOSTER!"

Barbara stepped closer to the real Rapunzel, looking her over. "…Rapunzel?"

"They look exactly the same," Zal gasped.

"That's because one of them is a fake," Eugene said, eliciting more gasps from the hall.

"And the real one ain't the one that sent home all those warrior friends of hers, snapped at everyone about makin' her weddin' perfect, or kept calling Eugene by entirely the wrong name," Applejack emphasized.

"Fine," Chrysalis growled. "You bested me. You caught me. But you cannot overpower me. The love for the princess is too strong in this room. I've already taken all I need!"

She shifted into her insectoid form, causing most of the guests in the hall to scream and run for the door. "You're too late!" Chrysalis cried out. She rose into the air on her buzzing wings, firing out green slime at the townspeople, encasing many of them in translucent green cocoons. "This kingdom is MINE!"

She then lowered herself, staring at Eugene and Rapunzel, who clutched each other in terror. "As for you, darling princess," Chrysalis cackled, "you'd look much better in green…"

"NO!" Zal rushed forward, drawing his ceremonial sword from the sheath at his belt. "NOT MY DAUGHTER!"

He swung the blade at Chrysalis, who caught it in her bare hands. "What's the matter, old man?" she chuckled. She snapped the blade in half.

"GUARDS!" Zal yelled; the guards moved forward to take Chrysalis. She stopped them all, encasing them each in a green cocoon. By now, those of the townspeople who were not also encased had run from the hall.

"Perfect timing!" a voice called jauntily from the doorway. All eyes turned to see the newcomer.

Gothel stormed down the aisle slowly and deliberately. "I don't care how many of you I have to fight," she said. "I don't care how long it takes. Rapunzel WILL come with me, and I WILL NOT BE STOPPED!"

"Girls?" Twilight said, looking to her friends.

"But who do we attack first?" Applejack asked.

"Thank you for taking the guards out of my way," Gothel told Chrysalis.

"It was no trouble," Chrysalis cackled. "These people have no magic within them whatsoever."

"And now you're coming with me," Gothel told Rapunzel. She drew her knife. "I was told to take you alive," she growled, "but I suppose I wouldn't be punished too harshly if I happened to lose a few pieces of you along the way."

Before anyone else could react, Barbara grabbed a sword dropped by one of the incapacitated guards and rushed toward Gothel. Gothel raised her blade, blocking the sword as the metal clashed.

"You do NOT get to take my baby girl away," Barbara seethed.

"Why not?" Gothel shot back. "After all, I am her mother."

"No, you're not!" Rapunzel insisted. "Queen Barbara is my real mother!"

"That's only bloodlines," Gothel replied, ducking and thrusting her knife.

"No," Rapunzel yelled as Barbara blocked Gothel's lunge. "She actually cares for me! AND YOU NEVER DID!"

"Get Chrysalis," Twilight commanded, "and we can undo the cocoons!" The six banded together, the aura of light that accompanied the Elements of Harmony surrounding them.

"STOP THEM, GOTHEL!" Chrysalis yelled.

Gothel ducked and rushed toward the six, but Barbara grabbed her around the torso and held her back. Gothel squirmed; she didn't expect the queen to be so strong.

"NO!" Chrysalis fired blasts of green at the light aura, but they were all reflected. "GOTHEL!"

A sharp cry rang out; Barbara let go of Gothel, clutching her side in pain. Gothel charged toward the light aura with her now bloodied knife. As the rainbow burst from atop the light, Gothel noted that her physical weapon could pierce the magic field, and she struck out for Twilight's heart.

A hand seized her wrist. Despite her injury, Barbara had chased after Gothel and grabbed onto her arm, pulling back the knife. Chrysalis tried in vain to blast Zal, Eugene, Rapunzel, and Maximus with green, but they dodged it as they surrounded Gothel, keeping her away from the Elements of Harmony.

Chrysalis was then surrounded by the rainbow, and she screamed: "NO! NOOOOO! IT BURNS!" When the light subsided and twelve feet touched ground once more, Chrysalis lay on the ground weakly.

"I feel…empty…" she croaked. The cocoons melted away from the guards and townspeople. The townspeople ran away, slamming the doors of the hall behind them, but the guards rushed to surround Gothel and put her in chains.

"Okay," Eugene panted, "so…what was with the light show?"

"That was the power of the Elements of Harmony!" Rainbow Dash bragged. "Looks like it took away all the love that Chrysalis soaked up!"

"This…" Chrysalis croaked, "this…is not over…" She rose, staggering.

"Don't even think about trying to take Rapunzel's place again," Eugene told her. "Even without you being utterly unable to get my name right, we can all tell you're a fake."

"This is what you wanted to tell me," Barbara realized, turning to Applejack. "But you knew…I wouldn't believe in the shape-shifter…"

"Hush now," Applejack said worriedly. "Ya best lie down. Ya ain't in the best of shape."

"It looks like it's just a flesh wound," Fluttershy observed, stepping forward to look at Barbara's wound. "She just wanted to hurt her quickly. Your Highness, you need to get bandages on that as soon as possible. Then you'll be okay."

"Take her to our chambers," Zal ordered the guards. "The rest of you…take these saboteurs to the dungeon."

"No," Gothel sighed as the guards dragged her away, "the irony of this isn't lost on me…"

"N-no," Chrysalis said. "I…I still have enough power…to use…the speed of darkness…" Green light flickered around her momentarily, but when it dissipated, so did she.

"Where did she go?" the guards asked confusedly.

"I'm sure she knows she can't try the same trick here again," Rarity pointed out. "More likely, she's gone off looking for yet another kingdom that isn't used to shape-shifting."

"Mom," Rapunzel told Barbara, tears welling up in her eyes, "I'm so sorry…I love you…"

"I love you too," Barbara said. "I'll be all right. What's important is that you're safe." The guards escorted her away.

"She really will be fine," Fluttershy assured Rapunzel. "I've seen wounds like that before. It looks worse than it is."

Rapunzel turned to her fiancé. "Eugene…thank you so much for knowing the real me…"

"Are you kidding?" Eugene replied. "I could pick the real you out of a million fakes."

"I know I must look pretty weird with no hair."

"Well, I gotta say, Rapunzel…I've always had a weird thing for bald women." He winked.

"Oh, Eugene!" Rapunzel smiled.

"Oh, oh!" Pinkie cried. "That reminds me! Twilight, you'll never believe what happened to us on the way here!"

"What?" Twilight asked.

"Are you ready for it?" Pinkie replied. "We saw—"

She was interrupted. A great explosion of blue blasted a hole in the doors to the hall, and a few more explosions punctured the walls that contained said doors. The dust that rose from the destruction obscured the trio that walked in, but it was obvious that two more muscular figures were flanking a tall, slender leader.

As soon as the dust cleared, Twilight's jaw dropped. She could barely register what she was seeing. "No…it can't be…it isn't possible…"

"Twilight," Mozenrath addressed, clasping his hands. "So good to see you again. Part of me wishes it was under different circumstances, but then again, this is getting to be our regular routine, don't you think?"

"How did you GET here?" Twilight blurted. "You were in the Seven Deserts! You didn't…we left…"

Mozenrath shrugged. "I have connections. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a prosperous kingdom to overtake and a bratty little princess to get my revenge on for that little stunt she pulled with the pan in the woods. Of course, I'd rather not have you get damaged, but I wouldn't want you getting in my way either, so…"

He raised his right fist, opening it so that all saw the black sand resting on his palm. He blew it toward the six Equestrians, and a spontaneously generated breeze carried it over to them; the six then found themselves glued to the floor by sticky ropes of the sand.

"I…you…" Twilight struggled to break free of the strands. "Hang on, I can undo this! I know it! Sadira told me all about this…"

"Who are those other guys?" Applejack asked, noting the muscular redheads at Mozenrath's sides.

"The Stabbington brothers," Eugene squeaked. "We…aren't on the best of terms right now…"

"Look at that," Ethan chuckled. "We finally get our revenge on you for leaving us high and dry. Today is just our lucky day." He drew his sword, and the blade blazed into flames; Corey's sword crackled with the power of frost.

Realizing that her friends from Canterlot were unable to use their powers and that the royal guards were gone, Rapunzel moved toward one of the pews, where a panicked guest had left behind his commemorative frying pan.

Eugene, Maximus, and Zal rushed forward to protect Rapunzel, but the Stabbingtons headed them off; Ethan menaced Eugene and Zal with his fiery blade while Corey slashed at Eugene with his icy sword. Eugene ducked and dodged so as not to be cut or frozen.

Mozenrath walked through the melée, advancing upon Rapunzel with a right fist full of blue energy. "I'm almost sad I missed the wedding," he said, raising his hand and firing the bolt of blue.

Rapunzel was at the ready. She raised the frying pan, swinging it. The blue magic crashed against its reflective surface and ricocheted completely backward. Mozenrath barely had enough time to yelp in surprise as his own spell blasted him, knocking him unconscious.

"YEAH!" Pinkie cheered.

"GO RAPUNZEL!" Rainbow Dash added.

"Are you sure he's really that dangerous?" Rapunzel asked, kicking Mozenrath's arm lightly. "He seems kind of…weak against frying pans."

"Everyone has an off day," Twilight practically snapped.

In the meantime, Maximus had knocked Ethan Stabbington over, sending his sword flying from his hands and pinning him to the floor with his hooves. Eugene and Zal put Corey in a stranglehold as Zal called out, "Guards, guards!"

The guards rushed into the hall, just having stashed Gothel in the dungeon. Upon seeing the Stabbingtons, they knew what to do. They chained both brothers, forcing them out of the hall and toward the dungeon.

"Wait!" Zal tried to call out to get them to come back and take Mozenrath's prone form away, but they had already left.

"Okay…" Twilight muttered, "I almost…I think…GOT IT!" A pink aura infused the black sand, and all the strands broke. Pinkie rushed to hug Rapunzel, squealing her congratulations. Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity gathered around Pinkie and Rapunzel.

Twilight, in the meantime, stood over Mozenrath, looking down at him. "You never slow down, do you?" she said under her breath.

Before any more celebration could take place, darkness suddenly overcast the sunny sky outside. A cold wind blew through the hall, sending all tapestries fluttering.

"What's happening?" Fluttershy cried.

"I'm guessing…something not good," Eugene said with a gulp.

In a flash of green, she appeared. Tall and stately, dressed in a black robe that billowed only slightly in the chilling wind, her pale skin slightly green, she clutched her staff tightly and pursed her lips.

"It seems I underestimated these forces," she announced. "And as for the young sorcerer…he is still weak." She shot a glare of disdain down at the unconscious Mozenrath.

"Who…who are you?" Rapunzel asked.

"I?" the woman in black responded. "I am but the one that you will bow down to. My darkness shall swallow your light. Your world is but a thread in the tapestry of fate, of which I shall become the spinner. There are those who would, by my own preference, call me the greatest Overtaker. However, if you desire to address me without formalities, it will do you well to know that I am called Maleficent."

"Overtaker?" Twilight stepped forward. "It's you! You're the one that's working with Jafar!"

"That I am," Maleficent confirmed with a smile. "Were you impressed by the dark powers I gave him, young Element of Magic?"

"You…gave him those powers?" Twilight gulped. "You were the one that made him stronger than two other freed djinni and most of the Seven Deserts combined?"

"You're all talk," Rainbow Dash broke in. "I bet you're just making that up!"

"Soon you will see how foolish you are to doubt me," Maleficent said coldly, staring not into the eyes of Rainbow Dash but into the eyes of Rapunzel. "I have had enough with these failures to take over this kingdom. I shall have to take matters into my own hands. LISTEN WELL!"

She waved her hand over the glass sphere of her staff, and it glowed bright green. "Let all the living start to waste," she chanted, "and let the air of ashes taste. Blot the sun with scores of clouds. Silence all that speak aloud. Grow thy thorns between the stones; weaken all civilian bones. Let sickness take all here but one. Let Rapunzel remain to see what's done. Before the princess' very eyes, let all Corona waste…and DIE!"

The darkness grew deeper and greener; the clouds outside blocked the sun completely. Eugene, Zal, Maximus, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and even little Pascal were all struck with a sudden weakness, falling to their knees and crouching on the floor. Twilight coughed harshly. Eugene tried to stand, but lost his balance, hitting the floor hard. Maximus' breathing grew heavy. Rarity's face became tinged with green.

"What have you done?" Rapunzel cried. "They're dying!"

"As I had hoped," Maleficent replied. "All but my Overtaker…the young sorcerer, insofar as he has potential…and yourself. Why don't you see what has become of the kingdom outdoors?"

Rapunzel rushed to look out a window. The dark green clouds eliminated the sun entirely. People had collapsed in the streets, struck by the same affliction that harmed those in the hall. All plant life had turned to black, thorny vines, and more of those vines sprouted from the cracks between the cobblestones of the street, threatening to swallow the kingdom.

"Soon the light of this kingdom shall be blotted out from the map of existence," Maleficent told Rapunzel. "And you…oh, dear! It seems you shall have to watch it suffer. Within an hour, all stricken will be dead. I daresay that after that, your purity shall be more or less corrupted."

She strode to stand over the six Equestrians. "Such a pity," she remarked. "I had hoped you would be stronger. As it is, with you, all hope for harmony shall die…and with it, a large part of my opposition. After all…well, it was to be a secret, but I suppose you have the right to know before you pass on." The smirk on her face was more malicious than any ever seen on Gothel or Mozenrath. "I am the Angel of Darkness."

With that, she let out a laugh filled with schadenfreude, and a beam of green light surrounded her before it faded, taking her with it.

"No…" Rapunzel knelt over Eugene. "It's going to be okay…I'm not going to let this happen…I…" Tears poured from her eyes. "I don't know what to do…"

"Don't blame yourself…" Eugene croaked. "No one would…know what to do…"

"I can't," Twilight whispered. "I can't use any of my magic…I can't even start to activate our powers as the Elements…I'm sorry I wasn't stronger…"

"Nobody blames ya," Applejack replied. "Ya tried yer…" Her sentence went unfinished; she just coughed instead, holding her ribcage.

Rapunzel kept crying, certain that the end had come for all she held dear, including her new friends. As her tears hit the ground, they splashed; gold light flickered from them.

A memory surfaced. Eugene, dying, bleeding to death. Rapunzel pleading to Gothel to let her heal him. Her hair, dropping from her neck uselessly to the floor. Crying over him…healing him.

Gothel's words: that Rapunzel could still heal without her hair, so long as her heart was in it.

"Flower gleam and glow," she sang softly, "let your power shine…"

Color returned to Eugene's face. He sat up, holding his aching head in one hand. The air around him seemed lighter, as though the sun shone over him through the clouds and the roof.

"Make the clock reverse," Rapunzel continued, "bring back what once was mine…"

Light washed over Zal, Maximus, Pascal, Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie. They stood, one by one.

"Rapunzel!" Twilight cried. "How are you doing that?"

"I…don't know," Rapunzel admitted. "I knew I could heal at least one of you at a time, but…"

"Your healing magic is really strong," Twilight told her.

"Don't worry about the rest of the kingdom," Rarity said. "We can take it from here!" The six moved together, forming the light of the Elements of Harmony once more.

"Rapunzel," Zal said as the six produced the rainbow, "words cannot describe how glad I am that you are all right…and you, Eugene."

The rainbow fizzled out. The six Equestrians were blown in different directions by the shock of the magic backfiring.

"NO!" Twilight cried.

"We're not strong enough to overcome Maleficent's curse!" Fluttershy wailed. "That means in one hour…"

"We can't just give up the kingdom!" Rainbow Dash wailed. "There HAS to be another way!"

"Maybe there is." Twilight turned to Rapunzel. "Why don't you try?"

"Me?"

"You've always been connected to this kingdom. You know all these people. This is your home, Rapunzel. You just healed this entire hall. It's a long shot, but…maybe…"

Rapunzel nodded. "I'll try."

She stood, moving out to the center of the hall. She took a deep breath, then closed her eyes. "Heal what has been hurt, change the fates' design…"

Though she couldn't see it, the thorns began to recede throughout Corona. The vines became green with life and moved to the sides of the streets, arranging themselves in orderly patterns. Every thorn burst into a flower.

Those inside the hall only noticed when the first sunbeam burst through the cloud cover. "Yes!" Twilight cried. "YES!"

"Save what has been lost," Rapunzel went on, opening her eyes. "Bring back what once was mine…"

In the same key, Pinkie Pie broke in: "Come on everypony, smile smile smile, fill my heart up with sunshine, sunshine! All I really need's a smile smile smile, from these happy friends of mine!"

"Come on everybody, smile smile smile!" Rapunzel picked up as the clouds dissipated outside. "Fill my heart up with sunshine, sunshine! All I really need's a smile smile smile, from these happy friends of mine! Yes, the perfect gift for me is a smile as wide as a mile! To make me happy as can be! Smile, smile, smile, smile, smiiiiiiiile!"

As Rapunzel drew out the last note, natural light flooded the hall. Barbara rushed in from the hallways outside. "It's the most curious thing!" she cried. "I felt as though I was about to die, but suddenly, I felt better than ever before…and my knife wound is gone!"

Rainbow Dash flew to the window. "Everypony's getting up and walking around!" she informed the others.

"You id it, Rapunzel!" Twilight cried.

"YOU DID IT YOU DID IT YOU DID IT!" Pinkie added, nearly crushing Rapunzel in a hug.

"But how?" Rarity cried in confusion.

"I've never seen anyone with healing magic like that," Twilight remarked. "One thing's for sure: Rapunzel's no ordinary princess."

A host of guards burst into the hall. "Gothel is gone!" one of them cried.

"Don't bother with a search," Eugene told them. "That green witch probably made off with her."

"I just wish I could see the look on Maleficent's face when she figured out that we undid her curse!" Rainbow Dash laughed.

"So now we know who our Angel of Darkness is," Applejack pointed out. "I dunno about you, but…I'm a little scared. We ain't never faced anything like her before. Our powers didn't even scratch her!"

"I know," Twilight sighed. "And that bothers me. We need to find a way to get stronger, or we're going to be crushed."

"Guards," Zal ordered, "take the unconscious man there. He launched an attack on our castle that—"

Hearing this, Twilight interrupted. "Actually…I want a word with him."

"But afterwards," Zal said, "for his actions, he should be given the standard punishment."

"No," Rapunzel insisted. "I've been meaning to do this for a long time now. Mother, Father…I don't want to punish criminals with death anymore. I don't believe it's right, and as future queen, I think I should have a say in this."

"Even if that criminal was that awful woman that posed as your mother?" Barbara asked.

Rapunzel nodded. "Maybe I'm too soft, but I don't want anyone to die because of us. There are other ways to teach a lesson. Even jailing them is good enough for me."

"Our dungeon hasn't exactly been holding criminals as well as it could," Eugene pointed out.

"Only because forces like Chrysalis overpowered us," Rapunzel said. "We need to figure out how to contain magic. After all…there's a lot more out there than just our world, and I don't think we've seen the last of it."

"I know how to forge some magic-repellent things," Twilight told Zal and Barbara. "I can show you how."

"We'll need to use them to hold back Mozenrath while Twilight speaks to him, of course," Rarity added. Twilight bit her lip; she had hoped to have a conversation without anyone having to be restrained, but everyone else was nodding, and she knew she couldn't convince the royal family that restraints weren't necessary.

"And I have another idea of what we can do to make him pay for the attacks!" Pinkie cried. "Trust me…it'll be really fun!"

"Should I be scared of your idea of 'fun'?" Eugene asked.

"There are a lot of questions I need answered," Twilight muttered, so low that no one could hear. "I just hope you'll help me out."

---

Chapter 22

· This is one of the few chapters where I knew the title before I started it.

· I decided that physical weapons can in fact pierce the light sphere of the Elements of Harmony, even if Chrys' magic can't.

· I really wanted the battle to come down to Gothel vs. Barbara for who was Rapunzel's true mother.

· I couldn't decide what the Elements could do to Chrys at this level. I decided that sucking the love from her, and therefore her power, was the best option.

· I was going to draw it out longer, but there was no point. Maleficent is the Angel of Darkness. Yes. She's the one trying to bring about the new age of chaos. But it was kinda obvious, wasn't it?

· And now you see how powerful the PoH's are, starting with Zel.