My eyes widened. Yanking out my boomstick, I fired into the air.

"Everybody run!" I boomed, just as the wall exploded inward.

The destruction of the wall launched me into the center of the room as the ponies scrambled to the exits. Standing where the wall had been was the gigantic red centuar, Lord Tirek.

I grimaced before my gaze shifted to Twilight. She was on the ground, right in front of me. And she wasn't moving. But worse still, Tirek's eyes were right on her.

I didn't hesitate. I jumped up and ran at the centaur, reaching for the chord on my chainsaw.

It wasn't there. I had left it in Twilight's room!

Shouting in frustration, I seized the princess, yanking her away just before the centaur could grab her.

With an angry roar, the centaur swung at me. I couldn't dodge, and I winced as he sent us flying, my back crashing into the wall. Grimacing at the pain, I wrapped my arms around Twilight, trying to keep her from getting damaged. Though consider the cracks that formed on the wall from my impact, I wasn't sure how long I'd be able to protect her.

We hit the ground. My vision went blurry. Twilight swam into my view, looking me over in concern and a bit of panic.

"Ashley?!" she whispered in worry. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I insisted, even as my head throbbed and my vision still blurred at the edges.

Despite the pain, I reloaded my boomstick, and put myself between her and the centaur, even as he busied himself with the nobles and Twilight's friends. Rainbow Dash and Applejack valiantly tried to fight him, only to get caught by his magic and drained of their own.

"Get out of here, Twilight," I demanded, only for her to grab my sleeve.

"No!" she insisted. "You can't fight Tirek by yourself!"

"It's you he wants," I insisted, as the centaur turned to us with a grin. "Go find your brother, and get out of here!"

Despite my pleas, Twilight stayed rooted by my side, staring up at Tirek with fear as he bore down on us.

"Twilight Sparkle," Tirek greeted, like they were old friends. "It's so good to see you again." He flexed like a posturing body builder. "As you can see, I've gotten much stronger since our last encounter."

Yet, as he flexed, I noticed a familiar collar around his thick, fat neck. Though this one was a dark green rather than a sun-gold. Before I could comment on it, he noticed me like I was Twilight's odd pet. He shooed at me.

"Move aside, odd creature," he ordered. "My master wishes to speak to Princess Twilight."

"Yeah, that's not happening," I replied, aiming my boom stick at him. "If your master wants to talk to her so badly, why send one of her pets?"

Tirek's eyes narrowed at the barb. "I won't ask again," he warned, his horns glowing as magic sparked between them. "Move... or die!"

Suddenly, Shining Armor appeared in a flash of light, teleporting above the centaur. With a battle cry, Shining shoved his sword into Tirek's right shoulder.

Bellowing in agony, Tirek lunged and caught Shining Armor by the head.

"Insolent filth!" Tirek boomed, squeezing Shining's head until he screamed in agony.

"Shining!" Twilight screamed, almost running forward before I caught her.

Under Tirek's fingers, Shining's eye turned to me.

"A-Ash!" he got out, throwing his sword to me just as Tirek threw him across the room. As the captain of the guard vanished into a pile of rubble, his sword pierced the ground before me.

I seized the blade. "Twilight, get the hell out of here!" I yelled as I charged the beast.

Tirek fired a magic blast, but three separate spells blasted his beam into dust. As the dust settled, Cadence, Luna and Celestia charged into battle, flying around Tirek like a mob of angry horned bees. As Tirek swatted and roared at them, I took advantage, slideing underneath his horse half and shooting and slashing at his legs.

But while Lord of the Rings made it look badass, it was another thing entirely when the horse wasn't actually big enough to run under.

My slide stopped right under his horse barrel, and my shots had only drawn his attention to me. Hopping like a nervous horse, he put one of his cloven hooves down right on my arm.

I bellowed in agony, Shining's sword dropping from my grip as I futilely tried to yank my arm out from under his cloven hoof.

"Ashley!!" Twilight screamed.

I glanced up as Twilight joined the battle. But all that did was end the fight faster.

His eyes glinting, Tirek snatched Twilight up with one smooth motion. The other princesses hesitated, looking to Twilight in fear, only allowing Tirek to blast them across the room. As the trio landed in a heap on the opposite side of the room, Tirek blasted another beam at them, collapsing the roof and wall down upon them.

"NO!" Twilight yelled.

I cursed and punched at Tirek's hoof, but the centaur gave me a smug look before lifting his hoof off. He didn't even have to worry; my fingers lay bloated and purple and useless, unable to grasp my boomstick.

We were beaten.

"You should consider yourselves lucky," Tirek mocked, as Twilight writhed in his grip. "If I didn't have to return with this pony, I'd take all of your magic."

As I struggled to pull myself up, he stomped on my chest. A burst of pain knocked the wind from me, leaving me gasping for breath as he strode to the nobles, who were feebly protected by Pinkie, Rarity and Fluttershy.

"But I can still feast upon the small fry in this room," Tirek noted.

Pinkie's eyes widened, and she tried to whip out her party cannon. But Tirek's magic flared, and in seconds, the nobles and the last of the Mane Five collapsed.

Growling, I forced myself to my feet. My arm was useless, but I still had the armored hand. Seizing my boomstick, I limped after Tirek as he stomped out through the hole in the wall.

"Hey, asshole," I seethed, firing a shot into his horse ass. He spun around, staring at me in disbelief. "I ain't done yet!" I snarled, reloading my boomstick.

He narrowed his eyes at me as I aimed the boomstick at him.

"Put. Her. Down!" I gritted out through clenched teeth.

For a moment, he took in my visage; beaten bloody, an arm that was turning purple and blue, limp at my side. Honestly, I wasn't surprised when he chuckled.

"How amusing," he laughed. "The pet wants it's master back."

I narrowed my eyes and fired again. But Tirek was faster. Whipping around, his hind legs bucked into my head. The world spun as I was hurled through the air, and I once again felt the hard whiplash of crashing into hard stone. The ground came up to my face. And before I could figure out what was up or down, stone rocks knocked me from consiousness.

---

Groaning, I slowly opened my eyes. My location had changed; I was now in a white room with multiple ponies; garbed in white clothes with red crosses. Shining Armor stood next to me, wearing a hoodie with a purple star in front of a blue shield, with three light blue stars on top. His horn was strangely concealed under the hood.

"Armor?" I mumbled, trying to get up, only for pain to shoot through my arm and chest.

"Whoa, easy there, Ash," Shining said, pushing me back down. "You're in no condition to move."

I glanced down, wincing as I saw my arm. Even though it was wrapped in bandages, I could still see the purple and blue flesh. Shining followed my gaze.

"Arm's broken," he mumbled, as if it wasn't obvious. "Along with several ribs."

"What happened, Shining?" I mumbled, my voice gaining cohesion as the pain slowly faded. "Where's Twilight? Where am I?"

"Royal Wing of the Cantorlot Hospital," he replied sadly.

"You emitted me?" I asked.

He chuckled. "Well, no," he admitted.

"But you're a Prince!"

"Technically, I'm a Royal Consort," he explained. "I don't really have the autority to emit anyone to the Royal Wing."

"Then who?" I asked.

"Princess Luna. She emitted you after what happened."

"And... what happened?" I asked, still a little woozy from the encounter.

Anger and sadness flashed across his face. "Lord Tirek," he growled.

Slowly, it came back to me. "Right," I grumbled. "The Centuar." Anger seeped into my voice as I adjusted on the bed. "What are our casulties?"

"Thank Celestia, no one was killed," Shining replied. "But most of the nobles attending lost their magic." His head bowed. "As did all of Twilight's friends."

"And the princesses?"

"Luna made it out with only a broken arm," Shining replied, though his voice got fainter. "Celestia broke both her arms and her left leg, and got a mild concussion on top of it all."

I could sense his voice threatening to crack. "And... Cadence?" I asked.

Shining dropped his head. His fists clenched. "She got the worst of it," he whimpered. "A severe concussion... three cracked ribs... both legs broken... her arm and spine..."

I tried to reach out my good arm, but Shining Armor crumbled, his choked sobs spilling out. With a shiver, I realized he was leaving one of the princesses out.

"Shining," I whispered. "What about Twilight?"

He flinched as if the name was a dagger. Another choked sob escaped him.

"Shining!" I insisted. "Where is she?"

He looked up at me, his blue eyes bloodshot with tears.

"Gone," he choked out.

Anger blocked out any pain. I seized the unicorn by the hoodie, throwing myself out of bed.

"What do you mean gone?!" I snarled. "You're her brother; you didn't...?"

But I stopped when the hood fell back, revealing his horn. With a gasp of horror, I stared at what was left; a small cracked ring of white just above his forehead.

His horn had been snapped off.

"Your horn..." I mumbled, releasing the captain. Faintly, Shining felt at the broken appendange.

"The doctor said it should grow back in a few months," he mumbled, though his defeated expression didn't fade. "I should be happy; a centimeter lower, and the damage would've been permanent."

"Shining..." I started to say, but when I reached out, he swatted my arm away.

"I'm a failure, and I don't need you reminding me!" he snapped, turning away. "I know what I did! You don't need to rub it in my face anymore!"

I tried to reach out again, but he moved out of my reach.

"I failed to protect the princesses," he seethed in self-loathing. "I failed to protect my wife! I couldn't even protect my little sister!"

I blinked in surprise. "But... you..." I started to say.

"I'm just average with a sword," he lamented. "My special talent has always been shields and protective magic." He indicated his horn. "And now I can't even do that!"

"Stop it!" I shouted, grabbing Shining by his shoulders with both hands. Though the pain wanted to make me black out, I forced myself to power through it, my teeth gritting and forcing me to hiss out my next words. "Stop feeling sorry for yourself, and pull yourself together! We got a princess to save!"

I used Shining Armor to pull myself out of bed... only to hear a low cackle. Followed by slow clapping.

"Looks like I was right to send you here."

Shining and I turned. A familiar figure dressed in a heavy cloak leaned against the frame of the door.

"Merchant," I snarled. "Unless you're here to give me something to find Twilight..."

"Finding her?" the merchant asked. "I'm afraid not. But you should know that it has been seven days since the centuar lord attacked and took the alicorn."

My eyes widened, causing the merchant to chuckle.

"Should I add that Lord Tirek is a slave to the Changeling Queen Chrysalis?" he asked.

I slumped back on the bed. "Then we're as good as dead," I mumbled in defeat.

"Not Necessarily," he replied, reaching into his cloak. "Even without you, the alicorn princess is protected by a force no evil can touch."

"And what would that be?" Shining Armor asked, his eyes darting towards the merchant's concealed hand with uncertaintly. His horn sparked with dead magic, and he backed up next to me, sensing his own helplessness.

The Merchant's eyes glittered, and he pulled out three crosses. Crosses I recognized: Moka Akashiya's Rosario from Vampire+Rosario, Alexander Anderson's silver cross from Hellsing, and Gray Fullbuster's cross from Fairy Tail.

"Figured it out yet, young Ashley?" the merchant asked, his eyes glittering in amusement.

I wanted to smack him - at the very least point out that all three had different meanings. But the answer clicked before I could get a word out.

"The Holy Cross," I noted.

"The what?" Shining asked.

"The Holy Cross," I said, reaching for my own necklace before remembering who I gave it to. "In my world, it's the symbol of God," I said with a grin.

Shining grimaced. Reaching inside his hoodie, he pulled out a silver necklace of an alicorn with a ruby at the base. Almost like Celestia, except her mane was more solid and flowing, with a red

"Most ponies believe that Celestia is God," he explained. "Though Celestia, and the Royal Family believe in the true God Faust."

"Either way," I claimed. "Objects of divine faith are strong against any unholy evil." My grin widened. "And I gave Twilight one such object before the Gala."

---

The sound of galloping hooves combated against the screams of the alicorn princess.

"Let me go, you... thief!" Twilight spat, firing a spell at the centaur's face.

"AUGH, will you STOP!" he bellowed, slamming Twilight's body into the cliff side.

"W͘hat a͝re yo͏u̶ ͝d̨o͘ing͡?̀!͏" the voice of Queen Chrysalis bellowed from behind him. Tirek glowered as the changeling queen angrily flew up to his side.

"Don't say you'd let this child get away with blasting you with magic every twelve seconds," Tirek argued. "We both know that's a lie!"

"Iͣ n̔e͉ͯe̖͗d̺ ̱̊h̝͆e̥r͎ ͍a̚li̯v̯̏e̠͋, ̊y͛ouͪ ̮̏b͑rā͙inͩlͩe͔ss ͆b̤r̿uͫt̜e̼͐!̩" the changeling queen seethed, her horn glowing and causing the centaur's collar to grow heavy. "W͉͐it̘ẖo͕ut̂ h́eͥr̞,ͭ ̤mẙ̳ ͙p͉̅l̽a͇̓ṋs͉ ͇̿a̝rẻ̬ ̖ũs̖e̐l̚ĕ̩s͙s!͖"

Tirek briefly tugged his free hand at the collar, before a devious smirk crossed his face. Pulling his hand from the cliff, he revealed Twilight, unconsious, in the palm of his hand.

"See," he noted. "She's still breathing. Nothing to worry about."

"Bͧarely͙,͍ ͉y͊o͐u ̇õaf̳,̝" Chrysalis grumbled, enveloping herself and her charge in a magic glow.

In a flash of light, they reappeared outside a massive, yet broken down Hive.

"Hm," Tirek pondered. "I pictured your hive as much... larger and grotesque."

"T̠his ̭ḯ̺s ̖͐on͌e̘ ͔ö́f ̈my ̙m̮i̲ṅor̆ ͈h͉̆iv̪e̟ͨs," Chrysalis replied, walking towards it. "O̻̍ṉe̯͊ ̍I̐ ͙h͓̚a͖dͨ ̠̄t̗o͍ ̬a̮b̒a̚n̦d͇̚oͩnͤ ́aͭfͯt͍e͐r̍ ̹Ap͆p̫è̫l̤oͪö̜sa͍ ̺was buȉl͌t ̟̾ṭo͐o̠̒ ̪c̝l͉ͨosẹ̚ t̄o̅ ̽ȉ̥t͗'ͧs ̟bͫo̓rďe̘r̖s̝.͓ Bu̹̍t̬ n̰ͣo̮ŵ̜,͛ ̠̆ị̀t̼'̹s ̮̿p͎r͖̿o̮͒v͉ĕ̪n̗ ̯a̮ ̈́ṗ̘er̼͆f͉e͓ct p̹ͬl͛ac͖e͑ ̫̈to͛ ̓st̳udy ̊a̯ ce̮r̦͐t̮ͦa͍ịn̳̒ ́s͎pe̺ͧc͑i͎̚m͗e͔͑n.͓͗ ͥSi̤mil̙a̐r͆ͅ to̺ u̳͋s͈̄,̥ y̆ët͑ ͛d̗ͧi̬̅f͓͗f̱e̬̅rḛ̂n̂t ̮i̲n̹ ̏a̳͑ s̰t͍ȓ͇a̰nͮg̜ě̺ wa̟͑y.̖ͯ"

Tirek paused as they reached the entrance. Though Chrysalis walked through with ease, Tirek couldn't even get one of his hooves in.

"Ah-hem?!" Tirek grumped as Chrysalis vanished into the hive.

Without a word, a burst of magic shot from the hive. In seconds, Tirek slumped to the size of a changeling. Unable to hold Twilight in one hand, he was forced to drap her over his horse half, glowering as he admittedly was able to get into the hive.

"What did you do to me?!" Tirek demanded, glaring at his smaller size.

"A̘̅ ̪c͎͗om̜͛m̹o̻n ͓s̜hͫṟ̉i̘ṉk͍iͬnͣg̭̋ ͙s̺͌p̣el̼l̻,͉̑" she replied. "Qͬu͌it ̘c̬ͧo̭m̺͑p̥l̋ả͔ini̎n̓g;̯ ̔y̫o̾ṷrͤ n͓àț͂ura͚̐l res̔i̳͊s̬̃t͖a̪ͤn͛ce̍ t̿o̠̐ m̟agi͚͒c̺ ̱en̟͑su͕r̳es͈ͬ ͒īt̒ w̒i̒ll͔ o̳nl̀y lͣạ̾s̤ṱͪ ͉̾a̋ d̤ͣay̯.̠"

Grumbling, Tirek followed after the changeling queen. Changelings peered out from the dark green walls to watch them pass. Glowering at the little bugs, Tirek busied himself with absorbing bits of their magic, increasing his strength as they delved into the Hive.

Chrysalis caught him sucking their magic, and zapped him with the collar.

"ͫỈ̙ ̰nͨeed ̜̾myͤ ͔͂cͮhi̩l̩d̖ͩr̘en ̉ǔ͉nt̯i̎l ̺I͙͒ ͒g̺̏et̞ ͕t̹h͚̋e ́boo̚k,̫̒" Chrysalis snapped.

Tirek scoffed. "What's so special about some book?" he grumped.

Chrysalis did not say at first, smiling as they reached a room with a table set before them. Various tools were placed across the table, ready for use.

"͚ͤIͭtͯ'͈̚s̔ ͚t̥hë̝ ̰̉b̮̓ọͧỏ̥k ̩t̠h̰̿i̎s̗͐ ̻͗p̫o̤n̾ỳ ̞wi̼̅l̙l̥̄ ͕̈́bec͕ͫo̭me,̩"ͤ Chrysalis replied. "̼Th̫̔o̦̊ugh̙ ̤ͤt̰̉hȅ ̝word̥͒s̐ a͙̔rͭe͓ ̿loṡt͚ ̦to̚ m̀e͓,̪ I͖ ̠c̒a̦n ͧs̝tͮi̚l̻̇l t͙r̓aṋs̳la̺̐t̮̊e͂ t̓ͅhẹͫ ͅSͤụm̭̂e̠͒r̳i͖ǎn ͓̌t͊ex͂t̥.̯̎ ͓And ͙wh̪̐en̻ w̰e ͙tͬuȑ̦n he͗r͆ i̝n̝t̬o ̰͆the n͋e͕x̿ț̈́ ̭b̾oo͐kͮ,̚ ̪I ̱s̳hͦa̅ll̙ ͑ű̬n̦̉l͔̈ȅ͈ä́s̯hͥ ̪m͔y̜ ͕͗c̘ͭh̜̀i͚ͦld̞̓r͍̈́ẽn o̯ntoͯ t͚ͦhís̩ͦ ͐world͚ͤ.̞ͦ"̥͐

Tirek hummed, having absolutely no idea what she was talking about. But, with the collar around his neck, he had no choice but to set Twilight down onto the table before her.

Taking a magic suppressing ring from the table, Chrysalis forced it onto the alicorn's head. She started to continue, before noticing Tirek was still there, rubbing his shoulders and grumbling.

"Le͗a͚̽v̙̏e͔,ͧ"͋ she ordered him, the collar flashing. "F̺e͕ͣaṡ̰tͥ ͤô̥n ̫̾a͕ fe̼ẉ ͇̆of ̥̌m̩y ̟c̥hil̞̏d̅r̥̅en͇ ̆i̐f ̂ÿ̪o͖ͤu ̯͋mͮustͫ.ͪ I ͍ha͆v̪ė̼ tͣhoͤu͓s̯̎a͖ͭnds̺̿ ̰m͎̒or̐e̚ a͖͆t̗ͪ ̦m͛y̍ ̒mͭa̪͊i̳n͙̓ ̯̇H͉̚i̼̒v̫̍e̙.͗ͅ"̘ͮ

"It won't matter," a voice snarled, followed by the rattling of chains. "You won't succeed, insect!"

Tirek glanced up in confusion. A figure bound in chains hung from the ceiling.

"I take it this is the specimen you spoke of?" the centaur asked.

"̯ͥA͖ͮf̪̓r̥ͧȁĭ͓d͛ ̠̚s̹͆o̼͒,̤"̞ Chrysalis replied, more focused on Twilight. "̜ͬH̩ͤe̜r̜͑ ̓a͍ͮb̈î̺l̺i͇tͤiͨe͙s ̥a̺ͧr̤e e͙͋xt͗ṙe͐me̼lyͮ v̆a̻luͬa͋bl͖̉e.̊"

"How so?"

In respond, Chrysalis pulled a dagger from the table and threw it at the creature. Tirek jumped as the knife embedded into the creature's skull.

"Augh!" the creature snarled. "Stop doing that, you bug bitch!"

Tirek stared in shock as, despite the mortal blow, the creature continued to glower down at them. Five minutes later, the dagger slid right out of the creatures' head, falling with a clunk at Tirek's hooves.

"Impressive" Tirek complimented.

"̪̊ͥI̘̚ ͙̊kͭ̐ṉ̘o̝ͅw̭̰,"ͬ Chrysalis replied, retrieving the dagger. "̳̑No͖̐w̳ ͛l̲ēa͕v̪ẻ;ͫ ͚ h̓a̻v͍ͦe ̜ȃ ̽bo͉ͣo͆k̠ ̰̀t̬̾o͖ r̙̓e̘w͇r͂iteͤ.̩"

Tirek left, and the sounds of a magical feast soon emanated from where he had exited. Chrysalis didn't have the ear for her children's cries, however; she was focused on Twilight's unconscious form. Grinning ear to ear, she raised the dagger, putting a hand on the pony to steady her aim.

A sizzling sound filled the air. Chrysalis reeled back with a wail of pain. Staring in dumbfounded shock, Chrysalis caught golden light in the shape of a cross around her neck.

"Whͧatͣ ̟iͅs͐.̺.ͥ.̰̃" Chrysalis growled. "̀T̹i̻rͪeͨk̪͗!̠͒ ͍Ǵȅt̓ ̓yỏ̦ṷr ̮̂h̲ọ͛r͈se ̏ͅȃss͖ ̪ͧb̝̄ä̹c̝k͎ i̗n ̥ͨh̃ere̓!̄"̙

Tirek was practically pulled into the room, his collar glowing as Chrysalis' magic took effect. His gorging had changed him; his eyes had become a more ghostly white. Spikes adorned his shoulders, and veins bulged darkly on his arms and face.

"What now?" he demanded.

"S̀h̆e̯̾'s͆ wͬeär̊i̗ͦn͆g̩ ̪ͬsö̮́me̗ ̐k̔in̻̍d ̳of ̬ne̾ͅck͆la̠ce,̂"̀ Chrysalis seethed. "̳Iͫt'̈s ͇̔k̩̓eͯe̤p̌i̦͋n͍ͥǧ͎ ̋m̠e fr͙ͭo̫ͩḿ ̫tőủchͩi̗n̯g ̹hȇ̤r̮!̞"̼̈ She pointed at the golden cross. "̃Re͈mo̎vë́ ̞it̠! N̝o̓w!"ͅ

Raising an eyebrow at Chrysalis, Tirek nonetheless did his duty. Crossing over to Twilight, he tore the dress from her chest, and moved to remove the necklace.

Yet, the moment his fingers encircled the cross, golden flames engulfed his hand.

Roaring in shocked pain, Tirek reeled backward, releasing the necklace and howling in pain as he waved the golden flames off. As Tirek nursed his burned hand, the creature above them laughed in glee.

"Should have know he'd be sent to this world!" the creature commented.

"̙͂̋H̪e̼?̓" Chrysalis flared her insect wings and flew up to meet the creature at eye level. "Ẅ̻h̘̿a̼ͣt̙ͯ ͍͒'͕̾h̰e?̈'̣ Wͪȟo̎ ͈d͋o̚ ̱y̓o͕ͭu̓ ͙ͯsp̺e͛a̬kͬ ͎o̖ͫf̙?̓"̖

The creature smirked. "Like I'd tell you, bitch!"

The Changeling Queen flared her magic. As it enveloped the creature, it revealed more of her features. The left side of her body had a flawless patch of skin, a single brown eye, and a flap of short blonde hair cascading over half her face. On the right half, her body was more of a skeleton, with a ghostly white eye and a small bit of muscle tissue. Yet, as the magic enveloped the creature and Chrysalis seized her by her face, her brown and white eyes slowly turned green.

"̝͖̽W̗̣h͕̓o̪͍..͇͆.̫"̼̋ Chrysalis growled. "D̙ö̭e̤s̤ ̗̀t͂h̆ạt̫ ͈ͥt͆ri̬̅n̹keͥt͑ ̑b͑eͣl̫͗o̪n̤g ̄t̲ǒ̤?ͩ"̝

The creature tried to resist, pulling away from Chrysalis. But the spell was too powerful.

"It..." she grunted out. "Belongs... to Jacob... Ashley... Williams..."

Chrysalis smiled. "̐Ṯha̦n̥̑k͗ ͎y̱͂o͚u.̆.̺͒.̣ ̌Sama̱ͤn̞ͤt̬haͬ."̽

She released the possessed human, and returned to the ground, turning to Tirek. "B̓r̪ͭi̗̽ng̯̈́ ͎̐m͕̉e ̈t̟hi̻͒s͎ ͤW̹iͅll̗ia̗m͉ͧs̫ͬ.͖̊ ̉I͉ ́w̮̔a͉ňt̘͊ ̍h̅im ͖̆h̖e͆re̳ͤ ͚ͧn̝ow͎̉!"͖

With a small bow, Tirek turned and left the hive. Chrysalis turned back to Twilight, stabbing at her again, only for the trinket to repel her again, glowing brighter than before.

If I can force this Williams to remove this trinket, Chrysalis thought. Then my children shall be reborn into this world. She grinned evilly. "And Equestria shall once again belong to the changelings!" She let loose with a wild cackle of evil laughter.

Next Chapter: Search for the Hive Estimated time remaining: 4 Hours, 19 Minutes