"Rainbow Dash, would you stop that already?" Applejack scolded the pegasus that was pounding on the door that was currently held shut by a blue aura.

Shortly after Shining Armour, Princess Luna, and Cadance released their restrained comrades, Chrysalis's army had broken down Shining's shield and stormed the city. Thinking fast, Luna had shut the doors to the room and held them closed with her magic, telling Cadance to throw up a magic barrier over the wall Twilight had blown out with her strange new power. Luna wasn't one to back down from a challenge, but against such odds it was common sense to have a plan.

"We can't stay hunkered down in here forever, Applejack," Rainbow yelled, fluttering over to her earth pony friend. "Twilight is out there, probably fighting these bugs all on her own. We've gotta help her!"

"I want to help her to. We all do," said the quiet voice of Fluttershy as she approached. "But the Princesses are right, we can't rush in. We need a plan."

"How is that whole planning thingy going, by the way?" Pinkie asked Princess Celestia. "I'm getting super worried about Twilight."

The plan so far was for Princess Celestia to summon the Elements of Harmony directly to their location from their place in the vault. But doing so from a distance had never been attempted before, and she was having trouble bypassing her protection spell that surrounded the vault. It was like reaching out to pick up a cinder block with a plastic straw.

"All of my attempts so far have been unsuccessful," answered Celestia, standing in the middle of the room, her horn pulsating with her gold magic, while Luna and Cadance did their best to keep out enemies.

"Be careful, your majesty," said Rarity, as she was folding up everypony's wedding attire and lying them neatly in the corner of the room. "You don't look fully recovered from what that beastly queen did to you."

'Something that was entirely my own fault, ' thought Celestia bitterly, her charred horn still aching as she channeled her magic. 'How could I not have noticed that I was hiding from my own responsibilities? How could I hold back? I must make this right, I must get to Twilight and fight by her side.'

“I still have no idea why we are even doing this," said Rainbow Dash, huffing and folding her legs across her chest. "The Elements of Harmony won't work without Twilight, and she made it clear she does not intend to use them with us."

"Hopefully she will see reason when she hears my plan for what we will do after using them," said Celestia, her eyes taking a steely look.

"Aren't we just going to rainbowy blast that horrible bug lady into stone?" asked Pinkie Pie, waving her hooves for emphasis.

"That will be the first step," explained Celestia, "After that, I will blast her into rubble."

"WHAT!?" shouted Pinkie and Rarity, almost in unison, disbelief clear on their faces. Fluttershy didn't speak up, but she looked equally shocked by the prospect

"We already agreed to this before, y'all, " said Applejack, approaching the three of them. "That creature is a danger to everyone we love, and the only surefire way to keep them safe is to make it so she can never harm anypony again."

"I realize that, darling," said Rarity sadly. "I just never thought I would hear it from the Princess. "

"It just feels wrong," bemoaned Fluttershy, tears brimming in her eyes.

"It is what must be done," said Celestia, "Twilight was right, as Princess, I must do what is necessary for the sake of Equestria."

"I just hope we get there in time," said Spike, looking to the blown out back wall. "Who knows what Twilight and that monster are throwing at each other."

---

Shining Armour stood next to Cadance as she held up her barrier over the huge hole, straining to light his horn.

"Please stop, Shiny," said Cadance, her own horn shrouded in blue. "You're still too weak."

"I have to do something," said Shining, looking out at Canterlot, snarling as he watched changelings run rampant through the capital. "It's my duty as captain of the royal guard to defend Canterlot. And besides, my little sister is out there."

"I know dear, I am worried about her as well," said Cadance, looking over the wall she was covering in her shield. "But I never would have thought that she could have done something like this."

"I still don't know what to think," said Shining Armour, also bringing his attention to the devastation. "And according to the Princess and Twilight's friends, it was a type of magic they've never seen before."

"Where would magic even the Princess has never seen even come from?" Cadance asked worriedly.

Shining did not know, just like he did not know what would drive his innocent little sister to commit to taking another person's life, like he had been told.

---

Everypony present jumped when a loud pounding echoed from the doors luna held shut.

"Applejack," said a small voice with a southern twang similar to Applejack's sounded from the other side. "Are you in there?"

"Apple Bloom?" said Applejack worriedly.

"Wait," said Luna, glaring at the door and increasing her magic hold on it. "This could very well be a trick."

"RARITY!" shouted a scared little voice. "Please, you have to let us in."

"Sweetie Belle?" said Rarity frantically, running up to approach the door, only for Princess Celestia to intercept her.

"Don't," she said cooly.

"Rainbow Dash," yelled a curt, tomboyish voice from the other side of the door. "You have to help us, there are monsters everywhere."

"Don't worry kid," said Rainbow Dash, "I'm coming."

"Stop," said Shining Armour, approaching the group behind his fiance. "This could very easily be a trap."

"Those are our little sisters out there," said Applejack, getting up in Shining's face. "We can't just leave them out there."

"Yes, what would you do if it was Twilight out there?" Rarity asked sternly, Rainbow fluttering up and fixing Shining Armor with a glare.

Shining had to admit, they were right. If it had been his little sister he would do anything to ensure her safety. But with all the Princesses in one room he just couldn't risk it, even for innocent young foals like the little sisters of Twilight's friends.

"We can't risk them being changelings in disguise," he said simply, much pain in his voice.

"Ooh I know," said Pinkie Pie energetically, bouncing towards the doors. "Let ask them something only the real Cutie Mark Crusaders would know."

"Pinkie wait," squeaked Fluttershy, but Pinkie had already arrived at the doors.

"You there girls?" she called, putting her ear to the crack between the two doors

"Pinkie Pie?" asked three little voices. "Let us in, plea..."

"What did you do for the Ponyville talent show?" asked Pinkie Pie, slightly serious. "And what award did you win?"

"Pinkie please," said the voice of Apple Bloom. "This is no time..."

"Just answer, sugar cube," said Applejack reassuringly. "It'll be alright."

There was a slight pause.

"We did a song," said Apple Bloom.

"While wearing spooky outfits," continued Sweetie Belle.

"And we won the award for best comedy act," finished Scootaloo.

Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Applejack sported relieved smiles.

"That's them alright," said Applejack, walking up to a smiling Pinkie Pie.

"Yeah, that is exactly what happened," agreed Rainbow, also approaching.

"I concur," said Rarity. "Now if you would please open the door, your majesty."

Luna still looked unsure, but she reluctantly obliged. With a flash of her horn, she let the three eager mares open the two large doors, who opened it immediately, three small very familiar fillies pouring into the room. She shut it with a snap and reasserted her hold, the three little ones quickly embraced by their older sibling's.

"You okay?" asked Applejack.

"We're fine," said Apple Bloom, her eyes flashing green. "Just fine."

Everypony gasped as the three fillies turned into changelings right before their eyes. Before they could react, the red frilled one who had been Apple Bloom struck Princess Cadance with a green blast from his horn, her spell over the hole faltering, just in time for a massive swarm of changelings to flood through the room, leaving nopony any time to react.

---

Twilight hid under the wall that fenced in the roof of the building she was on top of, taking small peeks over. She had finally located the image in her detect life spell that matched Chrysalis' lanky figure. Said Changeling queen was below in the alley, surprisingly alone. Twilight was so sure she would have called somepony to her side after she escaped the first time.

She had fully recovered from her wounds, much to Twilight's surprise, and that could be reinvigorating her pride that Twilight had punctured when she made her first move on Chrysalis that day. And if so, she was making a deadly mistake right now.

Taking a deep breath, Twilight readied herself for what was about to happen. She had a plan, but she hoped to pull it off before Chrysalis could involve her minions. Twilight was not going to delude herself into believing she could win if she was outnumbered, only an egotistical fool would believe that.

Looking over the edge, Twilight took in Chrysalis' position. She was laying low in one of the corners of her alley, obviously trying to stay hidden. The first step would be to try and force her out into the open, which would be easy enough, though deep down, Twilight wished she could do this another way.

But one look to the rampaging changeling swarms reminded her as to what this creature had wrought.

With a thought, Twilight cast two wall of storm spells, then seized them in her Equestrian magic, making them float before her as orbs of pulsating electricity. She was planning on flushing Chrysalis out with these, but she couldn't just launch them randomly. Chrysalis needed to be unaware of where they were originating from.

Looking over the wall and levitating the two electronic orbs down to different ends of the ally, Twilight set her plan in motion.

With a scowl, Twilight deployed the first wall of storm spell. She heard Chrysalis give a startled hiss as the path to her right erupted into a flashing wall of lightning. She hissed at it threateningly, lifting off with a buzz of her wings and taking off in the opposite direction. Right toward Twilight's other wall of storm spell.

Chrysalis hissed again as her path was blocked by more lightning.

While her target was still occupied, Twilight summoned another small white vial and downed its contents in one gulp. Her body became transparent as the magic of the potion took effect. Now all she needed was for Chrysalis to take the path she had laid out.

Unsurprisingly, she did. With both ends of the alley blocked with pulsating electricity, Chrysalis took flight and head for the sky. Right towards Twilight's location.

Positioning herself just right, Twilight leaped forward of the roof, grabbing Chrysalis around the neck from behind.

Chrysalis tried to shake free, but her jaw dropped when Twilight appeared in a flash of white light, gripping her from behind. It was time to end this. The chaos of this invasion was going to stop.

Gritting her teeth, Twilight's horn flashed a deep purple, and both she and her enemy vanished.

---

Twilight and Chrysalis reappeared in the crystal cavern beneath Canterlot, Twilight kicking her in the small of her back and sending her sprawling forward. She struggled to stand up, facing Twilight as she lit her horn in her sickly green magic. Twilight stared at her, bracing her legs into a defensive stance.

"What have you done? " Chrysalis hissed.

"Brought us somewhere with no crowds," said Twilight, her horn alight now as well. "And is it not ironic that it's the same place you imprisoned me and Cadance."

Chrysalis gave a vicious snarl and fired a green beam from her repulsively crooked horn. Twilight retaliated with a purple beam of her own, both attacks collided with a bang that shook the cavern. An orb of both green and purple formed between them, growing in size as both combatants increased their efforts.

Twilight’s time in Apocrypha had increased her own magic fortitude as well as granting her access to spells never before seen in Equestria, so she was able to match Chrysalis in raw strength, despite the power boost the changeling had gained from all that stolen love. However, it was going to take more than that to win this, especially since they had reached a stalemate. This situation was taking a turn she had not anticipated.

The orb of magic between their attacks was growing, cracks spreading across the crystal floor. If this kept up, the tunnel might collapse, and not only would that be disastrous for both Twilight and Chrysalis, but what about Canterlot? If the caverns beneath the city caved in, it could be devastating.

Changing her strategy, Twilight’s spell shifted from a purple beam to a constant spray of gelatinous black fluid, splashing everywhere as Chrysalis's beam scattered it all over the room. There was a small shriek that was soon silenced, Twilight seeing Chrysalis's beam disappear from their standoff.

Ending her spell as well, her horn dripping slightly as it ejected the last of the substance.

Chrysalis was lying prone on the floor, black tendrils that originated from black puddles wrapping around her, pinning her to the ground on her belly. Twilight was not about to hesitate even for a moment. This was her chance to end this threat once and for all.

Steeling herself, a pain in her heart, Twilight's horn flashed a blue light, a large curved sword made of transparent blue flames appeared before her. Not fast, but not slow, Twilight approached her downed opponent.

"It will be quick," said Twilight as much to herself as to anybody else.

"TWILIGHT!"

"Please stop, my student."

Twilight turned just in time to see her friends and Princess Celestia come running up to her. She had not noticed them, too focused on defeating Chrysalis.

"What are you doing here? " Asked Twilight, not taking a step away from her prey.

"We came to help, darling," said Rarity, eyeing at the sword Twilight held with fear.

"Yeah, we couldn't let you do this alone. What kind of friends would that make us?" said Pinkie Pie.

"Please, Twilight," said Princess Celestia, still looking horrified, "She is beaten, let us take her into custody. "

Twilight looked to the bound Chrysalis who was snarling up at her.

"No," said Twilight sternly. "If she is not eliminated, she will always..."

Twilight was interrupted when Chrysalis suddenly ripped her head from the dark tendrils and shot a green blast from her horn. It struck the crystal roof of the cave, her heart stopping as debris fell over her friends and teacher. She needed to take action, fast.

Teleporting, her transparent sword vanishing, Twilight appeared among her cowering friends, who were screaming and holding each other. Thinking fast, Twilight seized all the falling rocks in her magic, for Chrysalis had only blasted the ceiling hard enough to knock a few rocks loose, rather than cause a cave in. With the same spell she used to repair the dam during the Mare-do-well incident, she put the cave back together, saving her friends from being crushed.

Then multiple green flashes filled the cave.

Twilight was tackled to the ground by multiple changelings, who bound her mouth shut with their green glop before she could react. She tried to cast a spell, but her horn was then covered in a green substance, halting her ability to use magic. Next they bound her forehooves in the icky slime, immobilizing her.

Chrysalis shook from her bindings as Twilight became too preoccupied to maintain them, smiling at how well everything had worked.

---

"Remember," Chrysalis told the seven changelings disguised as parasprites hiding in her mane." When she shows up, wait for an opportunity to distract her with the visage of her loved ones, then when the moment is right, immobilize her as swiftly as possible. "

---

Chrysalis looked down on her tormentor, bound and gagged, but she was still fighting, her eyes lit up with rage and irritation as she kicked her hind legs frantically to escape her current position. Chrysalis was going to enjoying getting payback for all of the pain this foolish little unicorn had caused her today and from what Pharynx told her through the hivemind, the second part was complete too. Things just kept getting better and better.

With an impressive flash of green magic, Twilight, Chrysalis, and the changelings holding the unicorn down vanished.