When the pink flash filled the sky, Luna was the first to see it from her position on the ground, and a spark of hope reared up within her. The General had seen it too, she watched his eyes flicker off her, momentarily distracted. It was her chance! Drawing upon reserves of final, desperate energy, driven by the hope that what she’d just seen was something and not the flickers of dying neurons, Luna shoved her hooves against his chest and pressed up with every last bit of her fading strength.

The General’s remaining eye bulged, and he gasped as suddenly, he flew away, and not of his own accord by the look on his face and the wave of magic that engulfed them both.

Luna gasped in a breath. The darkness fled her vision. The burning in her lungs screamed for more, and her next few breaths came in greedily, tasting as sweet as any of the cakes her sister forced the castle bakers to make 24/7. But she knew she didn’t have time to enjoy it!

Pivoting on her good wing, she rose to her hooves, horn igniting with a shield spell for…

She gasped.

...for an attack that would never come.

Neither had noticed in all their fighting, but the cafe had been left in worse shape than they would have guessed. Splintered beams and shattered concrete laid everywhere, especially around the hole they had punched through the wall. Right next to the hole, Chickit lay splayed out, like a butterfly pinned down in an exhibit. A massive splinter of wood from the partially-collapsed awning rammed down his throat, ichor dribbling off the end, which had burst through his chest by way of his mouth. Apparently, when the pink explosion had hit, he’d looked up in an attempt to save himself, but only managed to offer his gaping maw to the spear.

His gaping eyes stared back into the cafe, already dead. Mercifully, the explosion seemed to have stripped him of enough magic not just for the splinter to pierce him, but to also allow him a quick death. Luna’s defensive posture lowered as she stood there, panting. He had been a terrible enemy, obviously wishing for great and terrible things for herself and all ponykind, perhaps his fellow changelings as well. But to die in this way...

“You could have been magnificent yourself, General.” She sighed, reaching over and gently shutting his eyes. “If only you’d let friendship into your heart.”

After a moment, a twisted smile crossed her face. “And not a big ol’ stake,” she muttered, then after looking around to make sure nopony had heard, giggled at herself. Tia had been trying to get her to tune down her darker sense of humor, but sometimes one could not help oneself.

Tia...

She gasped, wings flaring as she turned towards the walls. Her sister would be just beyond them, and after her near-death experience, there were few ponies she’d rather see. She could wrap herself around her sister for the first time in weeks, and lead her in an all-out assault upon the Empire to end this fiasco once and for all.

But…

She paused. Her gaze drifted back to the Palace.

What of Chrysalis? Was she even still alive? Or the Element Bearers, even? Could they all be in dire straits and in desperate need of help?

Sparing a sideways glance at the Empire’s walls, that last thought got Luna flapping in the direction of the Crystal Palace. That massive explosion, and the black shapes flung into the distance, would have to be signal enough for Tia. She needed to get back there!

When the explosion rumbled through the castle, the Praetorians stumbled on their hooves, the dagger meant for Bait’s and Switch’s throats clattering to the ground. The once-proud stallions gasped, orders filling the air in shouts as they ran around the chamber in an organized and highly-regimented panic.

“What the hay was that!?” Pinkie shouted as the floor rumbled beneath them.

Bait and Switch only exchanged glances while the ponies all watched the Praetorians in confusion, who in turn screamed about impact formations and high-speed trauma prep. What had just sounded beneath them was known to all changelings, except for some of the nymphs who were too young to be part of the Canterlot invasion. It had been the last thing many of them had heard before being blasted to the far corners of Equestria.

“Never thought my neck’d be saved by something like that.” Switch chuckled.

“Don’t be too sure. We’re still in chains, remember?” Bait rattled his bonds for emphasis. “If we don’t break our necks on impact, these guys will probably be more than happy to finish us off.”

“Oh. Right.” Switch sighed. “Still, what’s important is they’ll be alright.” He angled his head towards the mares still looking around at the panicked Praetorians in confusion.

“Yeah, silver linings.” Bait muttered, closing his eyes and waiting for the blast. “It is better this way.”

Switch smiled as he watched a pink glow rise from the crystalline floor. The magic hit. They let out a breath. Switch felt himself go weightless. Their heads swam. Around them, Praetorians swore and cursed as they were lifted off their hooves, thrown like army men in a spoiled colt’s toy chest. He prepared himself to join them.

And then the pair landed on the ground once more. Switch paused, looked around, but could only see a bunch of armor-shaped holes where a small group of Praetorians had once stood. He craned his neck all around, looking like he had that time Bait introduced him to cosplay and anime conventions. This didn’t go as he’d thought…

“AHHHHH!” Bait screamed from beside him, thrashing around in his chains, eyes still closed. “Too high! Too high! We’re gonna diiiiiiiiee! We’re gonna diiiiiieeee! We’re gonna blow up and diiiiiiiieee!”

“Dude, not in front of the mares.” Switch hissed at him.

Bait’s eyes bolted open. “Wah...” he started, looking around and realizing he was most decidedly not sailing towards the stratosphere. His head whipped all around, eyes blinking. “Huh!?” He gasped.

“Was that...” Twilight started, now standing free of the goop that had held her.

“It was, yeah.” Bait shouted. In a flash, Pinkie took one look at him and, squealing with delight, galloped to his side. She was only a hair ahead of Fluttershy, as they rushed to their respective stallions’ sides.

“You’re okay you’re okay you’re okay!” Pinkie shrieked, holding up Bait’s bound form and pressing it into a chitin-crushing hug.

“Uhhh...yeah, I guess so,” Bait chuckled, though he remained visibly confused.

Fluttershy paused in her swooping, came down in front of Switch, and looked over his larger body with a little smile. “Ummm...I’m really glad you’re okay,” she said, blushing as one hoof raised to rub along the other.

“Hnnnnnnnggghhhhh…” replied Switch, as well as his heart.

“Yes...they’re okay...” Twilight said, gazing up at the taller changelings. “But..how?”

Switch shrugged. “You’re the smart one here, shouldn’t you know?”

Just then, Luna crashed into the room, pounding the tile with a massive swoop of her wings. “RAHHHHH...” she started, leaping after the changelings left in the room, only to be stopped by Pinkie and Fluttershy diving into her path.

“Oh not again...” Switch whimpered, watching his marefriend hold back the snarling princess like a mole attempting to stop a speeding locomotive.

Fortunately, one look at the pair and Luna suddenly settled back, letting out a snort. “Oh, it’s you.” She sighed.

“Great to see ya too, mooncheeks.” Bait snarked.

“Princess!” Twilight gasped, dashing to Luna’s side. “Did you see that love blast!? Was it...”

“Yes, and yes,” Luna said, holding up a hoof to quiet Twilight before a long rant could begin. “It was quite fortuitous timing, for our battle with yon traitorous wretch might have ended far more differently had it not been for the...” she waved a hoof in the air as she searched for the right words. “...lovesplosion.”

“So...does that mean Cadence and Shining Armor busted out?” Switch asked. “But how?”

“That’s a question she might be able to answer!”

Everyone turned to the new voice, only to be distracted by the long, black shape pitched at their hooves. Their eyes all widened as they gaped at none other than Chrysalis herself, bound in tight chains, with a half dozen magic suppressors forced over her long and crooked horn. Her muzzle had been locked shut with a few extra lengths of chain. She glared around at the gathered ponies with an angry, muffled hiss.

“Chryssie!” Luna gasped, running to the queen’s side, and immediately Chrysalis’s eyes softened. In a burst of magic, the chains holding her muzzle fell away, and she let out a despondent grunt as her captors strode into view.

“Cady! Shiney!” Twilight gasped, galloping to the royal couple’s side to pull them each into a hug. “You’re okay!”

“Oof,” Shining finally smiled as he returned the hug. “Oh Twily, it’s good to see you too.”

“But what are they doing here!?” Cadence shouted, pointing to Bait and Switch.

“Sister, we’re just as confused as you are,” Bait huffed.

“Sister!?” She shouted, advancing as a cornflower-blue hue rose on her horn. “I am Princess Mi Amore Cadenza of the Crystal Empire, and you will address me as such, you overgrown cockroach!”

But suddenly, Pinkie was in her face, glaring as a growl rose in her throat like a leashed guard dog. “Don’t you talk about my stallionfriend that way! Don’t you dare!”

“S-stallionfriend!?” Cadence gasped, then understanding dawned and she chuckled. “Oh, I see, you were...”

“Don’t.” Luna sighed, massaging her temples. “Believe me, we’ve been down that road. It’s not that.”

“Whatever do you mean, Auntie?”

“Ummm...” Fluttershy shivered as she stepped forward. “I-I really like...I really like that one...” she whispered, pointing to the larger stallion, who had recovered enough from his heart attack to blush in return.

“What in the...” Shining turned to Twilight, eyes wide and blank, hoping for something resembling sense to come from her mouth.

“It’s a long, long story.” She said with a deadpan.

“How did this happen!?” Cadence gasped.

“It’s not that hard to figure out!” Pinkie shouted back.

“Well pardon me for reeling at the impossible here!”

“Why’s this so hard!? I love him, he loves me, we’re gonna make a great, big family!”

“Ummmm...what?” Bait put in as the ponies devolved into shouts, accusation of Stocksholm syndrome, and quiet assertions of actually quite liking certain large changeling stallions. All of it brought to a screeching halt by a single voiced assertion from the now-gaping throne room doors:

“Ummmmm...”

The group all turned, where a few changelings stood stock-still, eyes wide in fear.

“We were looking for her...” one said, pointing to Chrysalis. “Is this a bad time or...”

The ponies only frowned and advanced, horns charging with power.

“I’ll take that as a ‘yes,’” the changeling sighed as they all raised their hooves.