Chapter 23 – Allies Assembled

Ponyville certainly had its fair share of supernatural disasters, whether it’s ranging from the return of Nightmare Moon, the short-lived tyranny of a possessed Unicorn mare out for revenge, or dealing with the topsy-turvy antics of Discord. But for the past two weeks, the magnitude of the most recent disaster has reached an all-time record! At first, the citizens of Ponyville noticed the strange phenomenon from the unnaturally dark, cloudy weather. Shortly after that, they were alerted of the sudden disappearance of the town’s well-known residents: Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash. A week later, reports came in on how Shining Armor and his Crystal Empire army attempted to retake Canterlot, but they were swiftly defeated by Arrogon’s godly powers and had to take refuge in Ponyville.

And right now, the well-known town is being sieged by Arrogon’s Shadow Minions! In the previous day, the brave ponies managed to thwart off the first wave of hundreds of these unknown creatures thanks to the aid of Princess Cadance and the Crystal Empire, but by the next day, the Shadow Minions has replenished their numbers and strike once again in full force! Half of the military has been injured and are being at respective medical facilities, and Princess Cadance could not keep up her powerful force field for long. And while there are those who are willing to volunteer as the town’s militia, the combined forces may not be enough to defeat the shadowy creatures once more!

Storming the dark sky are the Furies and Djinns as they are either engaging dogfights with the Pegasi or are setting the town on fire. On the ground, the hackling Gremlins scurry throughout the streets as they cause havoc while a group of bulky Golems smash anything that’s in their way. Meanwhile, the scythe-wielding Wraiths act as a versatile attack unit whether in the air and on the land.

In the town square, some of the ground troops are surrounded by dozens of Shadow Minions. Despite the Unicorns’ magic and the Earth Ponies’ strength, they are having great difficulty with the Gremlins’ vast numbers and the Djinns’ fiery weapons and spells. Luckily, the enemies’ numbers are literally cut down to size by the razor-sharp edges of the magically constructed spinning discs! In addition, spheres of swirling, flickering, light blue energy are lobbed at the creatures that are clustered together, and upon contact, the spheres release explosions of intense vibration that vaporize the gathering Shadow Minions! The pony responsible for these powerful spells is the Musical Magician herself, DJ-PON3, a.k.a. Vinyl Scratch!

“Dammit!” Vinyl groans as she is begins to feel exhausted from summoning her magic non-stop! “If only I had a little more time to complete it before these partycrashers showed up again!”

From behind, a Djinn creates a fiery whip out of thin air and prepares to strike the preoccupied mare with the purple shades from behind. As the demonic genie is about to unleash its whiplash, it fails to notice in time from another mare charging at it. With a great bound, the gray-colored Earth Pony springs forward and firmly smacks the distracted Djinn with a very sturdy frying pan!

BONK!

Upon recognizing that haunting sound, Vinyl turns around and is shocked to see that the one who save her from that sneak attack is her marefriend and well-known cello player, Octavia! Even with her pink bow tie on and her neatly combed black mane, Vinyl couldn’t help but admired at how badass her lover is as she stands on her hind legs while masterfully wielding the terrifying instrument in hoof. But then, Vinyl shoves her mental admiration aside as her over-protective instincts kick in.

“Tavi! What are you doing out here?!” she screeches at the cellist.

“You’re welcome, Vinyl!” the deadpan Octavia responds sarcastically.

“I told you to go somewhere safe!” Vinyl lectures her as she fires another magical disc, which slices through a line of Gremlins.

“I’m not going to leave you if you keep rushing in so recklessly like that!” Octavia retorts while using her frying pan to deflect a fireball that was spewed from a Djinn.

“I’m fine on my own, Tavi! I just don’t want you get hurt out here!”

“I can handle myself just as well, thank you!”

To demonstrate her capability, Tavi bats her weapon of choice at the charging Djinn. The swing of her merciless frying pan causes the larger Minion to slam a couple of Gremlins into one of the houses nearby.

“See?” Octavia smirks at her awestricken, gaping marefriend.

After a seeing the knocked out creatures fading away into spectral mist, Vinyl is mightily impressed by how big of an impact the attack left on the cracked wall. Reluctantly, she permits Octavia, “Alright, just… please be careful and stay close to me, okay?”

Contented with each other, the two musicians watch each other’s back as they along with their fellow troops fight off the remaining Minions. Suddenly, a towering Golem smashes into a house as it directs it soulless, red eyes at the two, surprisingly formidable mares. Both of them freeze in place as they see the giant’s hand of doom falling down towards them.

With Vinyl Scratch being the first to break out of their paralysis, she calls out to her frozen companion, “Tavi, move!” Abruptly, Vinyl uses her levitating magic to push Octavia out the way.

“VINYL!” the cellist cries out in horror as the Golem’s enormous hand descents closer to the worn out disk jockey.

The blue-haired Unicorn closes her eyes and embraces herself from the severe impact to come, but surprisingly, the slamming attack didn’t happen as expected. After a brief peek, Vinyl gasps at the sight of her recent savior: Big Macintosh, the red stallion who is wearing militia-style bronze armor and mightily holding the Golem’s crushing hand with his bulky fore hooves.

“Nnnope!” he sternly announces his catchphrase as he continues to halt the colossus’s attack.

Once Vinyl gets away from where Big Mac is standing, Octavia firmly grips the frying pan with her mouth and runs onto the extended, large arm of the Golem. Using its other hand, it tries to stop the galloping mare, but its stubby fingers are cut off by Vinyl’s razor-sharp disc. With nothing stopping her now, Octavia rushes for the kill and partially lops off the side of the brute’s head! With the defeated giant toppling to ground, Vinyl Scratch uses her remaining magic to gently levitate Octavia into her hooves.

“Geez, Tavi!” Vinyl smirked at her. “I forgot how scary you can be with that frying pan of yours!”

Lovingly, Octavia rubs her fore hoof on the DJ’s cheek and responds with a tender smile, “The only ones who should be afraid are the ones who would even dare to harm you, Scratchie.”

After rewarding her noble lover with a quick, affectionate peck on the lips, Vinyl turns her attention to the red farm pony and expresses her gratitude with a grin, “By the way, thanks for the save, Big Mac!”

“Eeyup!”

Unfortunately, their short breather is interrupted by a tall barrier of roaring fire that was conjured up by five Djinns. With Big Mac, Vinyl, Octavia, and the troops entrapped, a trio of Wraiths slowly enters the ring of fire unharmed as they rhythmically clash and sharpen their sickle appendages together. Impulsively, Big Mac stands boldly in front of his friends to protect them, but his noble action didn’t slow down the grim reapers from carrying out their death sentences. Once they are in close proximity of their targets, the Wraiths raise their scythes and prepare to deliver the deadly blow to the entrapped ponies.

But just as they are about to release their makeshift guillotines, the ghostly executioners are swiftly eliminated by a multitude of golden light beams raining from above! Simultaneously, the ponies and Djinns look up and try to figure out who that miraculous Pegasus is up there. All at once, the five dark magicians focus on their new target and breathe out streams of fire at him. Upon contact, the opposing fire just encircles around the mysterious Pegasus as he transforms the flames into a golden fire shield! With a mighty yet unusual roar from the pony, he expands his fiery shield and quickly vaporizes the Djinns!

Once the demonic spellcasters have disappeared, so too does their fire barrier. As the winged pony makes his graceful descent, Big Mac and company keep wondering who their mysterious rescuer is. To get a better look at him, Vinyl lifts her shades over on top of her horn as she squints her eyes at the descending Pegasus. Upon closer inspection, she sees some familiar characters of the hovering Pegasus such as the light blue coat and a rich blue-colored mane with a golden yellow streak on each side. But once Vinyl sees that there is no Cutie Mark on his flank, her ruby eyes grow widely as she gasps from figuring out the identity of the stallion!

“No way! Is that…?!”

“You know who it is, Vinyl?” Octavia inquires perplexingly.

“It’s… it’s…!”

Upon the pony’s landing, Octavia and Big Mac glance at the blue-haired Pegasus before they share the same incredibly gaping expression as Vinyl’s. Standing before them and their pony comrades is the grand return of their long-lost Ponyvillian friend, Ford Mustang!

“Hey guys! Is everypony okay?” he asks them coolly.

“M-M-Mustang?!” Octavia stammers in tremendous surprise.

“Yep!” he nods with a smile. “In the flesh!”

But before the flabbergasted ponies can think of a way to give Ford a proper response, A few more Golems halt their reunion and surround the heroes. The vigilant military takes formation as they face the hulking giants towering over them. Strangely enough, the only pony that isn’t as worried as the rest is the surprisingly confident Mustang.

“Hey, if it’s alright with you, why don’t all of you take a break from this.” he asks his friends kindly with shrewd smile. “I’ll handle it from here.”

As one of the perplexed ponies is about to question on what Ford meant by that, the winged stallion takes off and becomes a blurring streak of blue and gold. Unable to react just as fast due to their massive bodies, the four Golems were swiftly slaughtered one at a time by Ford’s blazing speedy attacks. After the destruction of the gigantic colossi, Ford continues the lightning-fast barrage as he dives down and zooms throughout the streets of Ponyville. With his mesmerizing speed and enhanced agility, he promptly destroys each and every Shadow Minion on ground-level. The ponies that were struggling with these dangerous creatures before are utterly speechless at the Minions’ sudden destruction thanks to the brilliant blue and gold flash left behind in Ford Mustang’s wake.

After the streets are cleared of Shadow Minions, Ford returns back to town square before he looks up and sees the remaining flying monsters fighting off the Pegasi. Once he got a good estimation of them, Ford closes his eyes and takes very deep breathes. From this intense concentration, the stallion gradually absorbs most of the fire that were burning the roofs off the houses. While the ponies are still stunned by the miraculous turn of events, they marvel at the flicking flames drifting from their homes and drawing towards the center of town.

With a majority of the flames fueling his immense Draconian Magic, the exceptionally glowing Mustang then pinpoints the Shadow Minion’s dark magical energy through the use of his energy field perception. With one final deep breath, he breathes out an enormous fireball and launches into the air. At the right attitude, the fireball burst like a grenade and hundreds of its fragmented missiles seek out their targets! While Ford is still in-sync with his intense concentration, he mentally directs his golden light missiles as they home on the dark energy signature of the Shadow Minions! Almost simultaneously, all of the flying monstrosities are obliterated as the golden explosions light up the dark sky like a spectacular display of fireworks!

Once he can no longer sense the presence of the Shadow Minions within the town, Ford finally opens his eyes and exhales out an extensive sigh of relief. After the battle is over, he looks back at his three well-known friends, but he winces slightly at their blank, gaping expressions. He is afraid that his newfound powers will scare them off and make them distant from coming in close contact with him.

“Okay, I know you have a lot of questions for me!” he tries his best to easy their worries. “But I assure you, there’s nothing for anypony to be scared of!”

“Are you kidding me?! That was the most amazing thing I have ever seen!” Vinyl suddenly exclaims before she energetically shifts around the astounded stallion with an uncontrollable smile on her face. “I mean, when you were firing all those lasers at them! PEW PEW! Then, you were zigzagging all over the place as you smashed right through everything! ZOOM! WHOOSH! And after that, you were sucking all that fire… then launched it all in the air and finally… KA-BOOM! Everything exploded!” Having taking a rapid breather from how excited she was from telling the recent change of events, Vinyl wraps a foreleg around Ford as she gleefully grins at him, “Please tell me that you’re available for laser shows!”

“Umm… I’ve never considered that actually.” he replies uncertainly with a sheepish smile.

“Mustang, once this is all over, you and me got some business to discuss afterwards!”

“I must admit, I am quite surprised by all of this.” Octavia adds as she steps closer to the two. “You seem to have changed so much so we’ve last met.” Ford starts to worry about Octavia’s supposed uneasiness, but his worries are pushed aside as the cellist quickly gives him a welcoming embrace. “But I’m so glad that you’re back safe and sound!”

“Oh girls.” he coos softly as he wraps his forelegs around the two musicians. “It’s so good to see you again.”

Once they are finished with their hug, Ford is approached by Big Macintosh as he greets the blue Pegasus in a very pleasant tone, “Howdy, Ford. Welcome back.”

“Thanks, Big Mac. It’s definitely good to be back.” Ford replies as the two tall stallions give each other a firm hoof bump.

“We’ve... actually assumed that ya might have been killed ever since that filthy scoundrel kidnapped…!”

As Big Mac is hesitant to finish that sentence, the red, gentle giant sheds a lone tear on his cheek. Noticing how the farm pony unable to continue due to how heartbroken he is over the capture of his sister and wife, Ford gently pulls the emotional stallion in a one-legged hug.

“I know, Big Mac.” he sympathizes in a whisper as he softly pats him on the back. “I miss them too.”

After Ford’s kind gesture, Big Mac begins to feel better and starts to smile again. Once the Earth Pony has composed himself enough, the Pegasus then asks with a hint of worry, “How are Granny Smith and Apple Bloom? Are they… okay?”

“They’re just as distressed as Ah am over the capture of my sister, my wife, and the rest of the girls, but the two are alright and alive thankfully.”

“Thank goodness. I’m really glad to hear that, Macintosh.”

Soon enough, the dozens staggered ponies, ranging from the residents of Ponyville to the shimmering soldiers of the Crystal Empire, gradually approach the mysterious protector of their town. But eventually, the townsponies recognized him, and they greatly cheer and embrace Ford Mustang for his bravery as well as for his homecoming.

“I don’t believe this! Ford, is that you?” somepony with a feminine voice calls out from above.

Looking up, Ford gasps with joy at sight the two Pegasi in their distinguishable, blue-and-gold uniforms. The one who called out to him has a yellow coat with a mane and tail in the shape of a flaring orange fire. The other one is a male with very light blue fur and messy, deep blue hair.

“Spitfire! Soarin! You’re here too!” Ford smiles in delight.

After their grateful descent, the Wonderbolt couple goes up to Ford and gives him a big hug before Soarin comments with a broad smile, “Dude! I knew Rainbow Dash commented on your growing skills as a flyer, but I never thought you can reach our leagues that fast!”

“So tell me something, Mustang? Ever thought about becoming a Wonderbolt yourself?” Spitfire asks with a grin as she playfully nudges Ford with a fore hoof.

“Sorry, Spitfire! That’s Rainbow’s passion, not mine!” he replies with a chuckle.

“Eh, couldn’t hurt to ask!” she shrugs with a smirk.

As the gathering crowd continues to root for Ford Mustang, a white Unicorn stallion with sapphire blue hair featuring a highlight and a darker streak breaks through the circle of friends so that he can figure out what all the commotion is about. Recognizing his features and the purple armor he is wearing, the crowding ponies make way for the Captain of the Royal Guards and Prince of the Crystal Empire, Shining Armor.

“Spitfire? What’s going on here?” the unicorn asks one of his commanders. “Is everypony alright?”

“We’re all fine, Captain, thanks to Ford Mustang right here.” she points it out.

“Shining Armor!” Ford goes up and gleefully shakes the captain’s fore hoof. “I’m so glad to finally meet you!”

“Have we… met before?” he inquired with a crooked eyebrow.

“Not exactly… but I’ve heard so much about you and your wife from Twilight Sparkle.”

“Well Ford, you certainly have my deepest thanks for what you have done for us today!” he offers his gratitude with a light bow.

“By the way, is Princess Cadance here as well?”

“Yes, she is.” Shining Armor nods with a smile. “My wife is probably in the Town Hall right now.”

“Good, because I have a lot to discuss with you and Cadance, but more importantly, I know of a way that may help rescue Twilight and the others as well as a chance to defeat Arrogon!”

“Y-you do?!” Shining gasps at the mention of his little sister. “Well then, follow me! I’ll show you where she is!”

But before Shining Armor can lead Ford to where Princess Cadance is, Octavia reminds her marefriend, “Umm, Vinyl? We should probably get back on that secret project you’ve been working on. Remember?”

“Oh, right! Thanks for the notice, Tavi!” Vinyl says as she gives a quick peck to her reliable, sexy assistant.

“What are you guys working on over there?” Ford asks in curiosity.

With a shrewd, unmistakable grin, Vinyl answers, “Well… let’s just say… in due time, those creepy crawlers will be in a very rude awakening once this bad boy is ready!”

After the two musicians depart ways to the location of their secret project, Shining Armor escorts Ford to the Town Hall with Big Mac, Spitfire, and Soarin following along. Inside the central building, the floor room was turned into a strategy room featuring high-ranked soldiers and officials delegating to their subordinates on what to do regarding with the aftermath of their battle. And in the center of the room is Princess Cadance at a huge round table where she coordinates with her followers on what to do next. Upon the arrival of Shining Armor and company, she takes a brief break from her duties and joyfully welcomes her husband back.

“Shining! I’m so glad to see that you are safe!” she smiles as she embraces him. “Is the latest invasion already over?”

“Yes it is, but the credit goes to this brave stallion right here, Ford Mustang!”

Once Shining Armor moves aside, Ford approaches the Princess of the Crystal Empire and courteously bows before her.

“It’s such honor to meet you, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza!”

“Please, call me Cadance!” she giggles softly before bowing lightly in response to Ford’s chivalrous gesture. “And it is my honor to meet such a brave pony as you, Ford Mustang!”

“I’m quite surprise to see you and the others taking immediate action against Arrogon’s forces.” Ford admits to the Alicorn Princess. “But how did you find out about all this so quickly?”

“I owe it to another brave soul right here.” she replies warmly as she turns her head to whom she is speaking of. Humbly, a small, purple dragon with green spines appears from behind the round table as Ford is surprised once again to see another familiar face.

“Spike?!”

“At your service!” he bows with a smile.

“How did you escape the castle, let alone from Arrogon?” Ford asks in astonishment.

“I knew a couple of small and secret passages around the castle grounds since I was a hatchling, but before I left, I first went to find Twilight and the girls in one of the prison cells.”

“You saw them?!” Ford gasps in shock as he hastily hovers towards the young, startled dragon. “How’s Rainbow Dash?! Did she say anything?! Please Spike, I must know!”

“Well, I only saw them two weeks ago, but all I remember is that she and others are alright. Well… except for Rainbow.” Spike confesses hesitantly. "She… just wasn’t her usual confident self.”

“Oh, Dashie…” he grieves quietly over the safety of his marefriend. In return for Ford’s sympathy, Big Mac wraps a strong foreleg around the Pegasus’s shoulders as his comforting silence speaks for itself over their common concern for their respective loved ones.

Soon enough, Spike continues with his tale, “After that, Twilight told me to head to the Crystal Empire and alert Cadance & Shining Armor right away!”

“And thanks to Spike’s brave efforts…” Cadance tells her side of the story while gently patting Spike on the head. “…we gathered as many troops as possible before we head out and attempted to save Canterlot as well as to figure out on what kind of enemy we are dealing with.”

“Unfortunately, our army was completely overwhelmed not just by the vast amount of monsters at Arrogon’s disposal, but by his tremendous, godlike powers! It was... unlike we’ve ever faced before!” Shining Armor shutters with a hint of shame. “So we retreated and separated some of our troops to recover and protect the other towns nearby while my wife and I set up our temporary base of operations here in Ponyville.”

“Our Princess informed the citizens of Equestria about the dire situation and requested for anypony available to take up arms. And once we were alerted about this, the Wonderbolts were more than happy to lend a hoof!” Spitfire comments with an encouraging grin.

“So anyway, Ford… you’ve said that you have a way on how we can free my sister and the others?” Shining Armor asks him.

“Yes, of course!” he responds as he refocuses on why he is here in the first place. “But first, I should probably explain on what has happened to me before we get to that!”

For the next half-an-hour, Ford Mustang tells his story on what has happened to him in the last two weeks, First, he starts it off by explaining his intense training from Hindel the All-Seeing Dragon and his newfound draconian powers. Then, he informs his friends on how he came in contact with Hindel’s friend, Wagner, and managed to recruit him and his clan of dragons for his noble cause. Finally, he adds the possibility that Gilda might brings some help from her city in the Griffon Kingdom. By the end of the Ford’s story, everypony (including a small dragon) gaps tremendously with awe at what the blue-haired Pegasus has accomplished for himself.

“I’m sorry, Ford, but did you just say that an army of dragons will be on their way to lend their aid to us?!” Cadance asks in a startled voice.

“Yes, that is correct, Princess!” he nods with a smile.

“…Wow!” Shining Armor says after listening to just how mindboggling it was.

“Eeyup!” Big Mac agrees simply with a blank expression mirror that with Shining's.

“Ford, my offer still stands if you ever want be a Wonderbolt someday!” Spitfire kids with an awestricken smirk.

“I still find it unbelievable that you can such wield such an awesome power that’s equivalent to that of a dragon's!” Soarin states it bewilderedly.

“That’s… so… COOL!” Spike gasps with a wide smile as he could hardly contain his excitement over what he just learned. “I mean, I often believe that dragons are indeed a noble race, but this is just too good to be true if there is a clan just like them! Do you think they can take me under their wing someday?”

Ford chuckles lightly as he playfully pats the dragon’s head. “I’ll speak with Wagner about that whenever I get the chance.”

After calming herself down with her usual breathing exercise, Cadance then asks, “When will the dragons arrive exactly?”

“Well, Wagner said that they will be in Canterlot within a day.” Ford answers as he ponders when exactly they will show up. “So guessing on how long it has been since I’ve left the Talos Mountains, I would have to say that they will arrive in less than half of a day.”

“So… Ford, is this the plan you wanted to tell us about?” Shining asks.

“Actually, no. The real plan I want to share with all of you is when I met up with another ally right after my visit with Wagner’s clan. From what we have discussed, this will allow us to sneak into the castle of Canterlot and free the girls, so that they may use the Elements of Harmony once again! They may be our only hope to stop Arrogon if all else fails!”

“That’s does sound like a very good plan, Ford.” Cadance approves before she expresses a curious look on her face. “But who is this other ally you are speaking of?”

But before answering the Alicorn Princess, he uneasily hesitates all of a sudden as he rubs the back of his head sheepishly. “Well… she is here actually… but you have trust to me on this one!”

“Ford, there’s nothing for you to be afraid of.” the princess responded with a warm, reassuring smile. “You’ve done so much for me and my friends, so of course I trust you.”

He is uncertain on the princess’s word, but eventually, he gives in and addresses the matter that he’s been dreading for quite some time. “Sigh… Very well.” Turning around and facing away from everypony else, he then calls out aimlessly, “You can come on out now!”

As the ponies ponder on who Ford is talking to, they are completely startled by the sudden appearance of a pair of green, evil-looking eyes and a wide, toothy grin. As the blank face bellows out a familiar, ominous laughter, the invisible shadow begins to reveal herself as she displays her recognizable features: her flowing, silky, slightly ragged hair, a long, jagged horn, and a pair of sharp, dragonfly-like wings. Once the hackling changling has emerged from her camouflaging spell, everyone gasps at the unexpected of return of their most hated enemy, Queen Chrysalis! The only pony who is not surprised by this is Ford because he knew where she was all this time due to his ability to sense life-force energy, invisible or otherwise.

After finishing off her despicable laughter, the queen ecstatically says to herself, “Ahhhh… I’ve been meaning to do that for quite some time right now!” Once she glances at the speechless faces out of everypony in the room, she then chuckles with pride, “Well, I’m glad to see that I haven’t lost my touch when it comes to making my dramatic entrance!”

“Well as for me, I’ve quite enjoyed it myself!” Ford enthusiastically praises her theatrics. “I really liked how you displayed your eyes and teeth first before revealing the rest of yourself! It definitely added more to your menacing appearance!”

“Oh, you’re too kind, Ford!” she waves it off to the flattering pony.

“By the way, you could have helped me out there despite having to hide yourself from the rest of the ponies.” he remarks with a grin and a raised eyebrow.

“And ruin that magnificent entrance you’ve made for yourself earlier? Heh, and they say I’m the cruel one!”

“WHAT IS SHE DOING HERE?!” Cadance demands furiously as she interrupts the two’s casual conversation.

Nonchalantly, Chrysalis looks pass Ford and gleefully waves at the fuming princess. “Oh, hey Cadenza! Nice to see you too!”

After seeing the immensely growling look on Princess Cadance’s face, Mustang timidly explains himself with a sheepish smile. “Well… you see, Princess… she’s… actually here to help us with saving Twilight and her friends.”

“Ford, do you even know who that is?!” Shining scolds the younger Pegasus. “This is Chrysalis, the Queen of the Changlings!”

“GASP! You remember me!” she literally leaps in joy as she tenderly embraces and nuzzles the completely disturbed Unicorn. “Oh my dear Shining Armor! I knew that you would never forget our special time together!”

“S-s-stop exaggerating things!” he stammers in discomfort.

“I have no idea what you are talking about, dearie!” she responds with a witty, alluring grin.

Unable to take it anymore, Cadance takes immediate action as she abruptly breaks Chrysalis away from the nearly traumatized Shining Armor. “Stay away from my husband, you vile temptress!”

“‘Vile?!’” Chrysalis gasps exaggeratedly before sobbing crocodile tears. “How can you say such mean things to me?! And you call yourself the Princess of Love when you have little to no compassion towards me! What did I ever do to you?!”

“Well let’s see… you threw me in that wretched cave just so you can switch places with me! Then you deceived everypony else and nearly ruined my wedding by trying to marry my Shining Armor! And lastly, you almost took over Canterlot with your merciless horde of changelings!”

“Ah yes… good times!” she nods with a wide, reminiscing smile.

As the Princess of the Crystal Empire is about to explode with irritated rage, Ford swiftly steps between the two female monarchs as he tries to negotiate a peaceful settlement between the two. “Cadance, please! You said that you can trust me on this one!”

“I do trust you, Ford.” she reassures him in a calm, sweet voice for a brief moment, but then she stares back at the mischievous changeling as she instantly flips back into unforgiving anger. “I just don’t trust that despicable, ugly creature right behind you!”

“HOW DARE YOU CALL MY QUEEN UGLY, YOU DISRESPECTFUL NAG!” the changeling commander intervenes sharply as he instinctively cancels out his invisibility spell.

As the Equestrian crowd stares with wide-eyed surprise at the appearance of another changeling, Queen Chrysalis calmly says to her fiercely loyal subject, “Umm… Commander?”

“Yes, your Majesty?” Trapjaw replies softly to his queen.

“Did I give the signal yet?”

“No, why--?” Upon realizing his mistake, Trapjaw lowers his head in disgrace. “Oh… I got carried away again, didn’t I?””

“Yes you did, Trapjaw.”

“Should I… reenter Stealth Mode again?” he asks in a timid voice.

“No, there’s no need for that. Just stand right there and let the grown-ups do the talking for now.”

“I don’t know what your true intentions are, but we are not taking any chances with the likes of you!” Shining Armor sternly remarks as dozens of standby guards encircle the two changelings with their weapons and magic ready upon command. “We’ve got you surrounded, and there’s no way for you or your minion to escape from this!”

“Oh, Shining!” Chrysalis snickers while unimpressed by the threat from the pony soldiers. “You’re so cute when you’re this clueless! Commander, would you care to do the honors for me?”

“At once, my Queen!” he answers as he is happy to oblige.

Facing the opened doorways of the Town Hall, Trapjaw charges his horn with some of his magic before firing the energy missle outside. Strangely enough, the missile isn’t aiming at anyone as it curves up and heads toward the dark sky. At a proper altitude, the green projectile explodes brightly. And from the moment the artificial green star makes its appearance, changelings start to appear out of nowhere, whether from their invisibility spells or from removing the disguises as random pony bystanders. In the midst of the town’s sudden panic, hundred, if not thousands of changelings randomly appear in Ponyville.

“You see, Princess!” Chrysalis says with a bold smirk. “If I really wanted to, I could have easily taken over this town just like I did with Canterlot years ago!”

“You mean before Shining Armor and I vanquished you and your minions into the far outskirts of Equestria, right?” Candance retorts with a witty smile.

“Umm… your majesties. Can we please just get back on the task at hoof right now?” Ford insists in a timid voice.

“Oh-ho! Cheeky, aren’t you?” Chrysalis chuckles lightly at the Alicorn’s challenge. “Well, you wouldn’t be so tough without having everypony waiting on all hooves for you!”

“Funny, I can say the same thing about you and your fellow drones out there!” Cadance remarks as the two rival matriarchs are dangerously close to each other.

“Your highnesses… we really need to focus on what’s important here!” he pleads once again while trying to maintain his gentle composure.

“Spoiled brat!”

“Repulsive leech!”

“Hot-blooded princess!”

“Heartless wench!”

“THAT’S ENOUGH!”

Upon his thunderous outburst, Ford makes an earth-shattering stomp that stops everyone in their tracks! Immediately, Cadance and Chrysalis cease their verbal assault and joins the others as they gaze with surprise and fright at the furiously disapproving Mustang.

“Now look, Cadance…” he turns his attention first to the startled Alicorn Princess. “…I know that there is some bad blood between the two of you, but you can’t let your emotions get the better of you when there are more important matters to consider!” Upon being reminded of her sudden hotheadedness, Cadance turns her head away with shame as Chrysalis mockingly sticks her tongue at her defeated rival.

With a sharp twist of his body, Ford snappily turns his head around and stares with piercing, turquoise eyes at the terrified changeling now that it's her turn to be disciplined. “And you, Chrysalis, how can you not take any of this seriously when your whole Colony’s survival is on the line?!” After Mustang has pointed out her own immaturity, she too hangs her head in shame as she obliviously forgot her duties as a queen to her race.

Once he sees the two matriarchs recognize their own mistakes, Ford sternly continues his lecture, “I’m presenting us an opportunity where we can put a permanent end to Arrogon’s reign of terror, but in order for that to work, you two need to put your differences aside for now and start working together! So stop acting like little foals and start acting like proper royalty!”

Thanks to Ford’s surprisingly stern way on keeping the peace between the two female rulers, they take a short amount of time to reflect on their disgraceful actions before Cadance speaks up first in a more respectful manner, “So… umm… Queen Chrysalis?”

“Y-y-yes… Princess Cadance?” she stammers softly.

“Is it true that you know a way for us to enter the castle undetected?”

“Why yes, of course I do!” Chrysalis confirms with a positive smile.

“How?” Shining Armor asks with perplexity. “The castle is protected by an impenetrable energy shield!”

“So? That hasn’t stopped me from before, has it?” she shrugs with a smirk.

“Then how did you get inside the first time?” Cadance inquires greatly as her patience is being tested by the changling’s ambiguous shrewdness.

“Here’s a hint: it’s the same way you and Twilight have managed to escape on your own.”

After receiving the vague clue, Cadance thinks about this before realizing the answer is based off of her misadventure at her wedding in Canterlot. “The caves!”

“Exactly!” Chrysalis nods with an affirmative grin. “At the base of the cliff that holds the castle on top, there is a hidden cave entrance that allowed me to bypass the shield itself. If this Arrogon is as dimwitted as I think he is, then we’ll easily sneak in right underneath that smug prick’s nose!”

“So princess, what do you think of our plan?” Ford asks as he anxiously waits for her approval.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m with her on this one!” Cadance agrees with a compromising smile. “If we can’t face Arrogon directly like before, then we can at least use the element of surprise against him! Thank you, Chrysalis, for sharing that with us!”

After the Queen of the Changelings mannerly nods in response for the gratitude she just received, Princess Cadance addresses her fellow ponies on what the next move they should make, “So, along with Queen Chrysalis & Ford Mustang, Shining Armor and myself will accompany them, and we will infiltrate the castle in order to save the girls and anyone else imprisoned! Once we have secured the Elements of Harmony, we can combine our powers and destroy Arrogon together! Agree?”

“No.” Her captain impassively disagrees to everypony’s surprise. “You need to stay here. I will accompany these two instead.”

“Care to explain why, Shining?” his wife inquires with slight frown.

“Listen to me, sweetie. You are the only princess Equestria has right now. If things don’t turn out so well by the end of it all, you will need to be ready to bear a greater responsibility for this country and its citizens. They will need a leader to look up to; they will need you, Princess Cadance. Does that make sense?”

After listening to her husband’s rational reasoning, Cadence tries to offer a rebuttal on her own, “But… but…”

“Don’t worry.” he reassures his sweetheart as he affectionately strokes her cheek with a gentle fore hoof. “I’ll be there to make sure we get Twily and the others out safely. I promise.”

Finally, she reluctantly agrees with an understanding smile. “Okay, honey. I will leave this important mission into your hooves, my beloved Captain. Please… come back soon.”

“I will, milady. I love you.”

“I love you too, my brave Shining Armor.” she confirms tenderly before the two share a romantic kiss together.

After a countless amount of time within their own special moment, they gradually break away from their kiss as Shining Armor gasps in awe in a slightly weary state, “Wow, Cadance! You really know how to take my breath away!”

“Chrysalis!” Ford snaps at his ally with disapproval as the queen with her horn glowing was too distracted from sampling off the love of the smitten couple.

“What?! It’s just a little snack, that’s all!” she retorts with a devious smirk on her face.

After that, Shining Armor turns toward his commanders and gives his following orders to them, “Spitfire! Soarin! Macintosh! You will be in charge of the troops and help out with the princess in any way she sees fit! Understand?”

“Got it, boss!” Spitfire salutes with grin.

“Leave it to us!” Soarin does the same thing.

“…Nnnope!” Big Mac surprisingly refuses with a stern look on his face.

“What?” the captain replies shockingly.

“Ah’m comin’ along too, and Ah won’t take ‘no’ for an answer!” Big Mac affirms with fierce determination.

“Big Mac, you can’t come along with us!” he argues with authority. “This rescue operation has to be a small unit, and you have responsibilities here within your own community!”

Treating that as an offense, Big Mac butts heads with the captain of the Royal Guards as he stares him down and retorts with a rare maddening expression. “My wife and sister’s well-being are even greater responsibilities to me! If y’all going on this mission for yer sister, then Ah’m going with ya for my family as well! So don’t ya dare tell me otherwise!”

“Me too!” Spike speaks up as well as he stands next to Big Macintosh. “Twilight and the girls are like family to me, so I’m coming along as well!”

Seeing how Shining can not compromise with the two volunteers’ stubbornness, Ford steps in and offers his sound advice to the disgruntled Unicorn, “Captain, let them come along. Spike might be able to lead us to where they are imprisoned, and Big Mac can provide the extra muscle in case we run into trouble.”

As Big Mac and Spike showcase their gratifying smiles to Mustang for his understanding over their loved ones, Shining Armor sighs and softens his expression before he grudgingly agrees, “Alright, you two can join with us, but that’s it!”

“Hey captain, if she’s leading the rescue mission, who’s going to keep an eye on the changelings here?” Soarin inquires regarding with Queen Chrysalis.

“Why, don’t you trust them to be good on their own?” she bashes her eyes in a humorous manner.

With a second thought, nearly everypony in the room answers flat out loud, “NO.”

“Sigh… isn’t it such a shame we live in such skeptical times? Oh, alright! Trapjaw, you will stay here with our troops and heed the pink pony princess until I get back!”

“As you command, Royalty!” he confirms with a quick salute.

Aftewards, Chrysalis turns to the Alicorn Princess. “Cadance, I leave them in your capable hooves until I return.”

“I will look after them with great care, Chrysalis. I promise.” she affirms to the Queen of the Changeling.

Satisfied with Cadance giving her word, Chrysalis then walks toward Shining Armor as her mischievous eyes are fixed on Cadance’s. “And you don’t need to worry about your precious Shining Armor here!” she assures with a crafty smile. “As you are well aware…” In a fiery flash, Chrysalis changes into a very alluring version of Princess Cadance. “...I can make a fine substitute in your absence! That and more!” she purrs at the captain while he trembles with severe discomfort.

Quickly, Cadance pulls Ford in closely as she whispers into his ear in the form of a growl through her gritted teeth, “Ford Mustang, if she tries anything funny, you have my absolute permission to obliterate her immediately!”

“I’ll… consider that as a last resort, Princess Cadance.” he answers with a slightly nervous smile.

“Okay, then it’s settled!” Shining Armor speaks to his four recruits. “The five of us will sneak into the castle and rescue Twilight and all of her friends! For now let’s meet back here in five hours, and then we’ll depart from there! So everypony, get plenty of rest, for soon, we may have the fight of our lives!”

Author's Notes:

This chapter pretty much concludes the "Recruiting Allies" Arc, and by the next chapter, for those who have been wonder for so long, you will finally find out on what has happened to the Mane Six while Ford Mustang was away!