Twilight's companions all stared, dumb struck by what they had just seen her do. They had watched as Chrysalis' s beam of magic was torn to shreds by a huge cloud of blue mist that Twilight had produced from her mouth, pushing the Changeling Queen out through the back wall, completely pulverizing it, the dust still settling around Shining Armour were he stood, his eyes completely blank as he stared forward. Then she lowered herself back to the floor, looking forward with a deep glare.

"Twilight," gasped Princess Celestia, gazing at her pupil with shock and disbelief. "What... was that?"

"What will save us," said Twilight, looking at the bound group with only one eye.

"Girls! " Fluttershy suddenly spoke up, her eyes bugging out of her head in surprise. "Her Cutie Mark!"

They all looked to Twilight's flank, and gasped at what they saw. Her purple six point star orbited by smaller white ones was still present, but it was a tenth of its original size. Below it was what appeared to be a black silhouette of a mass of tentacles that reached and stretched across her flank, weaving through the points of her stars. A large yellow eye with a strange pupil sat in the centre of the mass.

How had they missed it?

"My student?" Celestia gasped, horror in her millennium old eyes. "What has happened to you?"

"What needed to happen," said Twilight, looking down at her altered Cutie Mark. "To protect Equestria."

Twilight remembered when this had happened, so long ago.

---

"Your progress has been rapid, my champion," complemented Hermaeus Mora as Twilight pored over multiple books held in her magic.

"Thanks Hermaeus," Twilight answered, engrossed in the book in front of her, admiring its details on certain potions.

"Interesting," said Hermaeus Mora, his tone somewhat mystified. "You said the mark upon your hunches represents an individuals skill set, correct?"

"Right," answered Twilight. "A ponies Cutie Mark is a visible manifestations of a ponies special talent."

"And how often do they change?"

"What do you mean?"Twilight asked, finally looking up from her book. "A ponies Cutie Mark is never supposed to change."

"Have you not noticed?" the mass of tendrils beside Twilight made a small gesture.

Twilight looked down to her flank and jumped up from her sitting position in shock. Her mark had shrunk dramatically, a great black spot forming bellow it, accompanied by a light hissing noise. The spot then began to grow tendrils that wiggled and slithered over her coat, reaching for the now smaller star. A great eye opened in the center of the mass and all was still.

"What just happened?" Twilight asked quietly, horrified and yet mystified by what had transpired.

"Has this not happened before?" Hermaeus Mora asked curiously.

"Never," answered Twilight, still staring at her flank. "Never in all of Equestria's history."

"Very interesting."

---

"It is one of the changes I had to accept," said Twilight, walking towards the blown out wall.

"WHERE ARE YOU GOING?" Pinkie yelled from where she was bound.

Twilight cringed at hearing her voice. She wanted to get this over with as soon as possible, but she couldn't leave her friends like this without saying something. After all, she might not get another chance.

"To finish what that jerk started," Twilight said, turning to face her friends for the first time in who knows how long, tears brimming her eyes as she saw them. "To be sure she never hurts us again."

"Twilight, you can't be serious," said Princess Celestia, her eyes wide. "We can solve this without using violence. Free your friends, use the Elements of Harmony...."

"I won't let this be solved that way, Princess," Twilight snapped back, but without aggression. "The Elements of Harmony are powerful, but they have never out right destroyed a threat. They turned Discord to stone, but that was because he was bad from the start, unlike Princess Luna."

They all stared open mouthed at her arguing her right to actually kill.

"And Chrysalis is no better than Discord, she delights in the suffering of others," Twilight continued, tears streaming her face. "But she doesn't operate alone like him, and if the Elements turn her to stone, it is more then likely one of her minions could slip by us and liberate her. But that won't be the case if she is no longer around."

"Twilight, please...no," Fluttershy begged, tears in her eyes.

"Don't any of you understand?" Twilight said. "If I don't stop her, her and her hive will drain all the love from Equestria."

"Twilight is right, y'all,"

"APPLEJACK!" shouted four mares and one dragon.

"Well, think about it," said Applejack, turning to the others. "If all the the love in Equestria is stolen, what will that mean for our families, what will that mean for Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and, Scootaloo."

The others gasped at hearing what might happen to those little fillies. They had been so excited to be the flowerfillies for this wedding, but had run away with everypony else when Chrysalis was unmasked. Now they were stuck in Canterlot, a huge aggressive army knocking at the door.

"No one will hurt Scootaloo on my watch," said Rainbow Dash sternly.

"Those meanie mech-mean pants will have to go through me," said Pinkie Pie, great puffs billowing from her nostrils.

"I don't like it," whimpered Fluttershy, tears still in her eyes. "But I know now those three are in danger. No all the foals of Equestria are in danger."

"Those ruffians won't lay a hoof on my sister," said Rarity, great anger in voice.

"What she said," said Spike.

"Alright Twilight, we're with you," said Applejack confidently.

Joy flooded Twilight as each of her friends sided with her. After what had happened at the recital, she never thought she would see them look at her like this again. It was so reassuring to have a latest memory of them that was not them flashing her an annoyed or disappointed look.

But it was not meant to be.

"I'm sorry girls," Twilight said, more tears flowing down her face. "But I cannot allow you to join me on this endeavour."

"WHAT," they all shouted together.

"I faced her alone to start with," said Twilight, closing her eyes. "That is how it will end."

"Oh Twilight," said Rarity sadly. "Is this about how we didn't believe you?"

"We're so super sorry," said Pinkie Pie, her mane deflating slightly.

"Yeah Twilight," said Rainbow Dash, looking down sadly. "We wouldn't have if we had known."

"And we shouldn't have to begin with,"said Applejack, looking to the still unmoved Princess Cadance, but who's breathing was noticeable from there. "You knew that mare longer than any of us, we should have believed you when you said that something was up."

"I'm sorry, Twilight," said Spike, lowering his head in shame.

"This is not about that," said Twilight, looking up at all of them with love filled eyes. "No matter what happens, you are all my friends, and I still love you."

That line tugged on their very heartstrings.

"And that is why I can't let you follow me into this fight," said Twilight, turning to the blown out wall. "Only I need to have blood on my hooves, no one else."

All her friends began rebutting so loud they could not be heard over the other.

"Princess Celestia," said Twilight, the others quieting down when she addressed the so far silent Princess.

"I go out to fight for Equestria's safety," looking over her shoulder, over her altered Cutie Mark. "Because I need to. But as the ruler of this land, you need to be more than our benevolent leader, you need to be our guardian, when we need you to be."

She stole one last look to Cadance, on the floor at the front of the room. According to Hermaeus Mora the induced sleep he put on her should wear off after a few days. Hopefully, at least one section of Equestria will still be in the condition for a wedding by then.

Then before any more could be said, Twilight turned back forward:

'WULD NAH KEST'

And she was gone, zipping forward in a purple blur.

"We can't let her do this alone," said Rainbow Dash, the others voicing their approval.

Celestia just hung her head.

---

Outside in the hallway, Lyra, Minuet, and Twinkleshine all ran by, still giggling and throwing raspberries over their shoulders.

"COME BACK HERE," shouted the mob of both night and day guard chasing them.

---

Chrysalis landed on the streets of Canterlot hard, rolling along the pavement. Her carapace was hard enough to protect her, but she was still left dissy at the sensation. Her trip ended at the flower shop.

"Huh, is someone there?" Asked the age old florist as he stuck his head out and looked at Chrysalis lying on the sidewalk in front of his door. "Guess not."

And he walked back inside, slamming his door.

The noise roused Chrysalis to her senses, shaking her head to stop her pupils from spinning. She stood up and looked to Canterlot Castle in the distance, her hole still smoking. She had been thrown quite a distance by whatever that spell was and it made her cringe slightly.

Concentrating her magic, she linked up to her hive mind.

---

"Pharynx!"

"Greetings my Queen," replied her most loyal warrior. "The assault on the shield goes...

"Double your efforts," snapped Chrysalis sternly.

"My Queen?" Pharynx inquired, sounding confused.

"Double your efforts," Chrysalis snapped again, growing aggravated. "Triple your efforts...get the hive in as fast as you can..."

She was interrupted when a fireball exploded before her.

---

Twilight had been following Chrysalis' s trail from the air, hovering in her own magic. She spotted her near that old flower shop her grandmother would by flowers for her from, standing as still as a statue. She appeared to be distracted, so she decided to take advantage.

Rather then resuming the rest the way or teleporting, Twilight let graviy do the work for her. She plummeted toward the ground, picking up speed as she went. From an slanted angle, Twilight fired a Fire storm spell. She missed, the flames scattering in the street, all the bystander ponies who somehow did not notice Chrysalis ran in fear.

Her missed attack alerted Chrysalis to her presence, the Changeling Queen looking up with anger in her eyes. Twilight’s horn fired an Ice storm spell, and it looked like it would hit home. But Chrysalis just dodged to the side, ice scattering up the wall of the florist shop behind her, lighting up her horn. Twilight readied a Lightning storm spell and fired.

Chrysalis fired her spell to, hers shattering Twilight into acres of electricity.

Twilight saw the spell coming for her at a high speed as she remained at the mercy of gravity. She could dodge it or blow it away with her shout, but Twilight had something different in mind. Something that could turn this to her advantage in a good good way.

She took a deep breath before Chrysalis's beam washed over her:

'ZEIM FII GORN'

Chrysalis sneered in victory as the little pony was engulfed in her magic.

'SU GRAH DUN'

Chrysalis gasped as Twilight emerged unharmed from the end of her magic, her left foreleg reared back. Time slowed, Chrysalis noticing Twilight's now transparent form becoming solid again, her body being shrouded by a white swirl of light. The strike landed on Chrysalis's jaw.

She screamed in pain, her carapace fracturing at the point where her jaws meet her skull as she was sent across the sidewalk.

"Where did this come from?" Chrysalis asked, green blood flowing out of her cheeks and down her neck. "My spies never reported you having this kind of power."

"You think you're so special," said Twilight as she landed harmlessly on the ground. " You think feeding on love will make you unstoppable."

She stomped her hoof, puffing through her nostrils.

"Well I've got news for you, your majesty," Twilight said, looking livid. "Yours is not the only hunger that provides great power, like the hunger for knowledge."

She stroked the ground with her hoof, a menacing small smile on her face.

"And lets see which provides the most prominent rewards," Twilight whispered dangerously. "Shall we."

---

The florist stuck his head out of his shop, staring at the two individuals down the road.

"Still nopony," he said while going back inside, the ice on the wall shattering. "If nopony cares about a good bouquet any
more, maybe it is time to retire."

Author's Notes:

Getting harder