Chapter 5: The Truth Revealed

Onyx Armor paced nervously outside the throne room, Luna standing nearby. Inside, they could hear the false Cadance saying her vows. "What a hypocrite." Onyx muttered.

"Indeed." Luna agreed.

Hoofbeats sounded and they turned to look. Onyx let out a sound of joy as Catania tackled him to the ground. "Tani!" He said. Luna smiled as the two lovers murmured lovingly to each other.

Twilight ran up and smiled as she saw the two together. Cadance watched them with a mix of happiness and grief.

"Twilight!" Luna said with relief in her voice. She turned to her niece. "And I correctly assume you are my real niece?" She said dryly.

"Yes auntie." Cadance smiled. Her brow furrowed. "Do we have plan?"

"No, we don't." Catania said, standing from where she was. Looking at the doors to the throne room, she added, "And I doubt we have time to come up with one."

"Just an idea, but just have the real Cadance show up in there. That ought to be enough." Onyx said, standing.

The four mares nodded, but froze as Celestia's voice said, "Princess Cadance and Shining Armor, it is my great pleasure to pronounce you—"

Without thinking, Twilight lunged forward, using her magic to slam the doors open. "STOP!" She shouted. Not surprisingly, it caused ponies to chatter in shock. Up on the stage, Rarity facehoofed as she shook her head. Rainbow Dash and Applejack exchanged an embarrassed glance.

The fake Cadance stomped a hoof and growled, "Ugh! Why does she have to be so possessive of her brother?!" At the startled looks of Celestia and Shining Armor, she began to fake-sob. "Why does she have to ruin my special day?!"

"Because it's not your special day!" Everyone looked up in shock as the real Princess Cadance walked in front of Twilight. "It's mine!" She finished, glaring at the fake. Gasps erupted everywhere as they gazed at the ragged, weary princess.

The fake exclaimed, "What?! But how did you escape my bridesmaids?!"

Catania emerged, Luna at her side. "We have our ways, Cadance," she said mockingly.

"Hmph! But you're still too late." The fake said haughtily.

"Ah…ah don't understand. How can there be two of 'em?" Applejack said in confusion.

"She's a changeling. She takes the form of somepony you love and gains power by feeding off your love for them." Cadance said, glaring at the imposter.

The fake Cadance's eyes glowed an eerie shade of green. A circle of green fire, not unlike the fire that had caused all three to be trapped, formed around her. A column of flame erupted, producing a violent wind that nearly blew off the ponies on the stage. Everypony gasped as the fire died away, revealing a grotesque half-bug/half-pony creature with a dark gray body, a faded blue mane, a twisted horn, insectoid wings, holey legs, and green eyes with slitted pupils.

She cackled evilly as she said, her voice sounding slightly distorted, "Right you are, Princess. And it's Queen Chrysalis of the changelings, for your information. As queen, it is up to me to find food for my subjects." She began to walk forward, continuing, "Equestria has more love than any place I've ever encountered. My fellow changelings will be able to devour so much of it that we will gain more power than we have ever dreamed of!" She shoved her face in front of Cadance's.

To her credit, Cadance didn't back down. "They'll never get the chance! Shining Armor's protection spell will keep them from ever even reaching us!" She said defiantly.

"Oh, I doubt that." Chrysalis said, chuckling. "Isn't that right, dear?" She fake-sweetly asked, using her magic to make him agree with her.

Catania looked at Onyx, who had walked up beside her. "You wouldn't happen to know the spell, would you?" She whispered to him.

"No. Cadance, or rather, Chrysalis made sure that Captain Armor was the only one who knew it." Onyx whispered back grimly.

They turned their attention back to the queen, who was saying, "…love for you. Every moment he grows weaker and so does his spell. Even now, my minions are chipping away at it." She laughed. "He may not be my husband, but he is under my total control now."

Twilight and Cadance gasped as Chrysalis continued, "And I'm sorry to say, unable to perform his duties as captain of the Royal Guard!"

"Not my Shining Armor!" Cadance exclaimed, sounding heart-broken.

"Soon, my changeling army will break through. First, we take Canterlot. And then, all of Equestria!" Chrysalis exclaimed.

"No." Celestia said, glaring at the queen. "You won't."

"Thou mayest hath made it impossible for Shining Armor to perform his spell, but now that thou hath so foolishly revealed thyself…" Luna said from her position besides Celestia, having been there since shortly after Chrysalis's "victory" speech began.

"We can protect our subjects…" Celestia said.

"FROM YOU!" Both sisters said, using the Royal Canterlot Voice, as they flew up, touching horns. Together, they launched a powerful golden-silver beam towards Chrysalis.

Chrysalis gasped, and then shot out an eerie green beam, which met the sisters' beam in midair. For a few moments, it seemed the princesses' would win.

"Argh…NO!" Chrysalis grunted. Seeming to find more strength, her beam overtook the beam of the princesses.

"Luna, no!" Celestia pushed her younger sister out of the way as Chrysalis's beam hit her horn. The force of the beam downed her and caused her crown to fall off her head, clattering onto the floor. Celestia herself fell to the ground with a painful thud, skidding a few feet, her horn-tip smoking and green energy crackling over her body.

"Sister!" Luna cried out in dismay, amid the shocked gasps of the guests, as Twilight screamed, "Princess Celestia!" They, alongside Twilight's friends, Onyx, Catania and Cadance, surrounded the fallen princess of the sun.

"Ah!" The queen said, pleasantly surprised. "Shining Armor's love for you is even stronger than I thought! Consuming it has made me even more powerful than the Princesses!"

Celestia groaned, opening her eyes. "The Elements of Harmony," she said to Twilight and her friends, her voice weak, but still commanding. "You must get to them and use their power to defeat the queen!"

Twilight and her friends looked at each other and nodded, the betrayal among them forgotten for the time being. Twilight looked at the others. "What about you?"

"We'll stay here and do what we can!" Onyx said with a determined gleam in his eyes.

"Now, hurry! Go!" Catania said, giving Twilight a shove.

Twilight's friends, except Rarity, threw off their dresses and raced out the door. Rarity stayed behind, trying to save the dresses. "Rarity!" All five of her friends called. With a resigned look, she dropped the dresses and took hers off as well, running out the door.

Queen Chrysalis laughed. "You can run, but you can't hide!" She called after them. Moments later, a tremendous crashing sound was heard as the other changelings outside shattered Shining Armor's shield. A violent wind blew everywhere, forcing ponies to hang on for dear life.

Chrysalis cackled as she turned to the assembled guests. As soon as the wind died down however, they were all running out the door in a blind panic, save for the four gathered around Celestia.

Without warning, she shot out a beam, causing Onyx, Catania, and Cadance to have their legs trapped in a mysterious green slime.

"Ugh!" Catania said, struggling to free herself. She glared at the queen, her horn dangerously crackling with magical pale-purple energy. Another beam covered her horn as well as Onyx's in the same slime, disabling their magic. "Oh, ugh!" She squealed in disgust. Onyx gasped as more changelings buzzed into the throne room.

"What in—" Luna exclaimed as several changelings surrounded her. Chrysalis sent a beam towards her, trapping her in a green cocoon. She did the same to the now-unconscious Celestia. The changelings attached the two cocoons to the ceiling and moved the three entrapped ponies to the stage where Shining Armor and Spike still stood.

"You won't get away with this!" Cadance shouted. The sound of her voice forced Celestia to regain consciousness. "Twilight and her friends will—"

She was interrupted by the sound of the doors opening. Several changelings walked in, surrounding Twilight and her friends. Two held on to a struggling Rainbow Dash.

"You were saying?" Chrysalis said. "You do realize the reception's been cancelled, don't you? Go! Feed!" She ordered the other changelings in the room. They all buzzed out, Chrysalis closing the doors after them.

Catania let out a very un-ladylike growl as a laughing Chrysalis lifted up a defiant Twilight's chin. "It's funny, really. Twilight and that irritating Lady Catania were suspicious of my behavior all along." Twilight jerked away as Chrysalis buzzed over to the cocoons and the stage. "Too bad the rest of you, save for Onyx Armor and Princess Luna, were too caught up in your wedding planning to realize those suspicions were correct!"

As she laughed, Applejack came up to Twilight. "Sorry, Twi. We should've listened to you."

"Is this really the time for that?" Twilight asked. She sighed as she admitted. "But she was good enough to fool almost everypony."

"Hmm, I was, wasn't I?" Chrysalis said, walking over to one of the windows.

"Ugh…please tell me she's not going to—" Catania groaned onstage, only to be interrupted by Chrysalis's singing.

This day has been just perfect,

"Oh, she is…" Onyx sighed resignedly.

The kind of day of which I've dreamed since I was small!

Chrysalis looked out at the havoc her changelings were causing in Canterlot.

Everypony I'll soon control,

Every stallion, mare, and foal!

Who says a girl can't really have it all?

Chrysalis let out an evil giggle. Twilight noticed the queen's distraction and snuck over to the three trapped ponies. Using her magic, she zapped away the slime holding their legs and, in Onyx and Catania's case, their horns. Onyx and Catania (who grabbed Spike) headed to the rest of the Mane 6 while Twilight whispered to Cadance, "Quick! Go to him while you still have the chance!"

Cadance nodded and ran over to the brainwashed Shining Armor. Teary-eyed, she caressed his face lovingly, then embraced him. With an electrical surge, a love charm was emitted from her horn. All the others watched apprehensively as it landed on Shining's face. With a surge of energy, it snapped him out of his trance. "Wha—where…huh? Is…is the wedding over?" He asked, dazed.

Everyone was relieved to see him finally free. It was short-lived, since there was still a teeny-tiny detail to be sorted out. Said detail landed between the group of ponies (and Spike) and Shining Armor and Cadance.

"It's all over!" Queen Chrysalis said harshly, smirking.

Twilight got an idea. "Your spell! Perform your spell!" She called to her brother.

Queen Chrysalis laughed. "What good would that do?" She sneered at a defiant Shining and Cadance. "My changelings already roam free!" She gloated, pointing out the window.

"No!" Shining exclaimed in horror. He attempted to cast his shield spell again, but all he got was a tiny glow that fizzled out. "My power is useless now. I don't have the strength to repel them." He said helplessly.

"My love will give you strength." Cadance said, embracing him.

Queen Chrysalis chuckled. "What a lovely but absolutely ridiculous sentiment." She sneered as she returned to the window.

The words seemed to rile Shining Armor and he looked at Cadance. The others could see the grim resolve in his eyes, the desperate pleading in hers. He began to try again. This time, his horn emitted a stronger glow. Cadance brought her horn closer to his, causing electricity to crackle between them, causing her horn to begin emitting her usual blue magical aura.

As soon as their horns touched, a pinkish-purplish and white glow formed and expanded outward, surrounding the couple. Some tendrils of the aura formed the shape of a crown on Cadance's head, causing her real crown to appear. Other tendrils surrounded her, healing her cuts and scrapes from her time in the caves. The gentle wind caused by the spell smoothed her ruffled mane and tail, and caused her mane to billow and sparkle like the manes of her aunts.

The couple opened their eyes and were surprised by the aura surrounding them, but after a exchanging a smile, they closed their eyes and concentrated again. They were lifted off the floor in a blinding white light that caused everypony/dragon to shield their eyes.

Chrysalis turned and looked at them in shock. However, it was too late. The white glow intensified, surrounding the couple, until they entered the same state as the wielders of the Elements of Harmony did when using them. The white light erupted into a heart-shaped shockwave, which dissolved the cocoons imprisoning the two princesses, causing them to land with a THUD onto the floor, eliciting a yelp from Luna.

"NOOOOO!" Chrysalis screamed as the shockwave hit her, blasting her and all of her changelings, screaming, out of Equestria.

It was over…

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Lame ending...

But this story ain't over yet!