Equestria was now in a desperate situation as Glacio’s army had completely blockaded Canterlot and a large portion of the castle was destroyed. Once the light faded, Glacio and his three accomplices captured the Mane 5, Spike, Starlight, the royal sisters, Lord Emerald, Discord, and the Pillars. They were held in the crystal caverns, locked up in makeshift prison cells and hanging cages sealed by Chrysalis’ silk.

“And now for your complete destruction! Won’t that be fun?” Cozy Glow said.

“Patience, Cozy. Destruction is so... permanent. We need to show the rest of Equestria that we’ve broken their heroes first. Besides, we should have fun with our guests,” Chrysalis told her.

“No! We should hunt down Twilight Sparkle and Storm Blade. As long as both of them are out there, they’re dangerous,” Tirek replied.

“Is that big, strong minotaur that scared of one little pony? Relax. It’s not like her friends are going anywhere,” Chrysalis said.

“Patience, we do not need to hunt down Princess Twilight and Prince Storm. Before this is over, they will come to us!” Glacio replied.

Starswirl tried to escape, but it was useless as his and the others’ cells were magic-proofed. Chrysalis then flew on top of the cage that Starlight was held in.

“The fools brought the remains of my throne to Canterlot to protect themselves. Hah! Those shards block their magic,” she said, then turned to Cozy Glow, “Careful. Too close and the shards cancel even our powers. But on this side of the cavern, we’re the most powerful beings in Equestria, thanks to the Bewitching Bell.”

It was then that Chrysalis pulled out a chained up Discord. While she and Tirek walked up to him, Cozy Glow tried to snatch the bell.

“What are you doing?!” Tirek asked.

“There’s alicorn magic in here and I want it,” Cozy Glow replied. It was then that she, Tirek, and Chrysalis began arguing.

“This is really bad,” Fluttershy remarked as she and Rarity shared worried looks.

“We gotta find Twilight and Storm. They’ve probably already figured out some way to defeat those monsters,” Applejack said.

“Any idea how we get out of here to do that?” Rainbow asked.

It was then that Spike flew up and tried to claw his way out, but it didn’t work.

“Too sticky. There’s no way anypony could get through this,” Spike replied.

“Stay away from the Bell, you pest!” Tirek said as he tried blasting her.

“Enough! This bickering is pointless, Celestia and Luna’s magic belongs to me,” Glacio told them.

“None of us can use the Alicorns’ magic until we figure out how to handle that fool’s ridiculous chaos magic!” Tirek replied.

“I could always tell you how. It would give you power over all reality. But you’d have to ask nicely and spare my friends,” Discord said as he picked up a crystal.

“No, Discord! This isn’t the way to help!” Spike spoke up.

“Discord, could you pweeeease—?” Cozy Glow tried asking.

“Threats are more my speed. Speak!” Chrysalis said.

“He’s lying. He won’t tell us,” Tirek replied.

“I certainly won’t tell you after the way you lied to me last time we teamed up, you muscle-bound cretin,” Discord said.

“This ‘cretin’ could destroy you before you blink, so choose your words carefully,” Tirek replied.

“You’re right. ‘Cretin’ is too polite. How about ‘pathetic centaur who uses magic to compensate for the fact that deep down he’s afraid he’ll never be enough to please dear old dad, King Vorak’?” Discord said, getting into his face.

This made Tirek furious as he tried to blast Discord, only for him to deflect it with the crystal in his claws. The blast was powerful enough to kick him before it ricocheted in various directions as Glacio and his three accomplices dodged it.

“You missed!” Cozy Glow said, laughing.

“Did he, though?!” Starlight spoke up.

With the shard on her cage destroyed, Starlight used her magic to slice the cage in half and hover as the bottom half of it fell down.

“Get her!” Chrysalis shouted as she, Tirek, and Cozy Glow tried to blast her.

They tried blasting her repeatedly, but Starlight kept teleporting out of their path, as she blew a raspberry at them. She then teleported in front of the cell where the Mane 5 and Spike were held.

“Get Twilight!” Applejack said.

“No way! She’s always needed you guys!” Starlight replied.

She then unleashed a powerful magic surge which disintegrated the changeling silk on the cells and cages. This allowed the Mane 5, Spike, the Pillars, the royal sisters, and Lord Emerald to get out. Just then, Starlight got blasted in the back by Chrysalis as she, Glacio, Tirek, and Cozy Glow moved in to finish her off. Celestia and Luna flew down in front of the four villains, glaring at them.

“Find Twilight! We may not have our magic, but we aren’t completely helpless! We’ll hold them off as long as we can!” Celestia told the Mane 5 and Spike.

It was then that the royal sisters, Starlight, the Pillars, and Discord rushed to face Glacio, Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow. The Mane 5 and Spike left to go find Twilight and Storm. The six of them managed to make it outside the castle as Applejack kicked a hole in the bricks.

The Mane 5 and Spike looked around and noticed the streets of Canterlot looked empty as everypony was indoors, hiding from Glacio’s army. They made their way out of the city as they managed to avoid the enemy patrols. The six of them made their way off of Mount Canter, sneaking through the forest past the blockade.

It wasn’t long before they were searching Ponyville for Twilight and Storm, along with Eric and his friends. Just like in Canterlot, the streets also looked empty as everypony was on edge. Since the mayor got wind of Glacio’s army storming Canterlot, she told the townsponies to stay in their homes in case Glacio’s army came to Ponyville.

“We also need to find Jasper, Smokey, Forest, and Spiracle. Let’s split up,” Applejack said as she and the others went to find their boyfriends.

Spike and Pinkie tried looking for Twilight and Storm at the Castle of Friendship, but neither they or Eric and his friends were there. They returned to the town hall and waited for the others. It wasn’t long before Applejack, Rainbow, Rarity, and Fluttershy found Jasper, Smokey, Forest, and Spiracle.

“Pinkie? Spike? Did you find Twilight and Storm, along with Eric and his friends?” Rarity asked.

“They weren’t at home,” Pinkie replied.

“Twilight and Storm are probably as worried as everypony else and tryin’ to find somewhere safe. That’s why I was sure they’d be waitin’ for us in Ponyville. Where else could she be?” Applejack asked.

“I know where Twilight is!” Spike said with a gasp.

Soon enough, the six of them took a train to the Crystal Empire. Once there, they noticed the Crystal Guard led by Prince Shining Armor defending the palace from the one thousand strong Thracian army led by Princess Terri Belle.

“Shining Armor, what’s going on here?” Spike asked.

“The Thracians are trying to get to the Crystal Heart and destroy it,” Shining replied.

“That’s not good,” Spike remarked, “Inform me if you need Spike the Brave and Glorious.”

“Will do,” Shining said.

Once inside the palace, the Mane 5 and Spike entered the throne room where Cadance was watching Flurry and Midnight.

“Oh, thank Celestia you’re all alright. She’s upstairs. It’s... not good,” Cadance said.

They headed upstairs until they entered the room that Twilight and Storm were in, along with Eric and his friends.

“It’s a good thing you’re all here. My parents have been researching for a few hours with little to no luck,” Eric said.

“You’re here?! We were so worried! Where are the princesses?” Twilight asked as they gave the two of them a group hug.

“They put up a crazy fight so we could escape and find you! Mission accomplished! Now let’s save Equestria! Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo! Yeah!” Pinkie replied as a banner somehow unfurled and confetti fell.

“They made a terrible mistake. You all did,” Twilight said as she held some scrolls and books, then threw one aside, “From the second Storm and I got away with Eric and his friends, we’ve been searching every book, scroll, and spell for a way to rescue you and stop Glacio, Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy, but I haven’t found anything. We failed.”

“You’ll come up with something. We can’t save Equestria without you,” Spike replied.

“You all escaped without our help. You didn’t need us then. So why would anypony need us now?” Twilight asked.

“We know things look bad, but we’ve been in tough spots before, and we always—” Rainbow tried to reply.

“Look around! Nothing we’ve ever done has mattered! Sombra? Returned and destroyed the Tree of Harmony! Glacio, Chrysalis, Tirek, Cozy Glow? Returned and more powerful than ever!” Twilight said as she crumbled up pictures of the five villains, “The School of Friendship? Shut down! Everypony in Equestria is so blinded by fear and divided about us, they can’t remember what friendship is! Nothing we do makes any difference!”

“But we’re still free and together,” Pinkie replied.

“And it’s not like things can get any worse,” Rainbow added.

Just then, everyone heard a ghostly equine scream as three ghostly horselike creatures appeared in the sky with the howling wind.

“Haven’t we learned never to say that by now?” Spike asked.

“Windigos? I thought they were long gone!” Eric said.

“Apparently not. They must have sensed everypony’s negativity enough for them to return,” Storm replied.

The windigos kept flying overhead as the dark cloud spread across the sky and threatened to freeze the land.

“We have to do something!” Rainbow said as they looked out the window.

“I’ve already done enough,” Twilight replied as she looked away.

“You want the truth, Twilight? Bad things happen. No matter what you do, there’s never gonna be a time when everything’s perfect. But that don’t mean you quit tryin’!” Applejack said.

“What if I make things worse?! Ever since Celestia told me Storm and I were taking over, we’ve been gaining confidence. Then I find out it’s all a lie. Equestria’s been falling apart around us, and we didn’t even notice! What kind of princess and prince does that make us? I’m scared,” Twilight replied.

“I probably know more about being scared than anypony. But thanks to all of you, I’ve learned I’m always less scared when I’m with my friends,” Fluttershy said, putting her hoof under Twilight’s chin and lifting it up.

“If we’re facing impossible odds, we’re facing them together!” Rainbow added.

“It’s what we always do, darling,” Rarity finished.

“But we’re on our own, and we have no idea what to do!” Twilight replied.

“That’s true pretty much every time something terrible is about to happen,” Pinkie remarked.

“We don’t have the Elements of Harmony anymore. How can you all be so calm about this?“ Twilight asked.

“Because, even if you don’t believe you can do this, we do. We believe in you. In us,” Spike replied.

“Think positive, Twily. We will find a way to stop Glacio, his partners, and his army,” Storm added. reassuringly.

“Yes, mom. Grandma Kimono told me that a single grain of rice can tip the scale,” Eric continued, “Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow did manage to turn everypony outside our friends and families against us and blind them through fear, but our loved ones are still holding out for us.”

“What does that phrase even mean?” Twilight asked.

“It means at least one of us can mean the difference between victory and defeat. Especially when faced with overwhelming odds and the stakes are high,” Eric replied.

“The truth is, all our lives wouldn’t be the same if we hadn’t met. We’re better off because of our friendship with you. So when you say you haven’t made a difference, that’s just not true. You’ve made a big difference to us,” Applejack explained.

“Thank you. Sometimes even the Princess of Friendship needs a reminder that there’s more to the Magic of Friendship than rainbow lasers,” Twilight replied.

“Although that part is pretty cool,” Spike remarked as everyone else gave her a group hug.

“We still need a plan,” Twilight said.

“That sounds like the pony I used to foal-sit for. Count us in,” Cadance spoke up as she and Shining entered the room with Flurry Heart and Midnight on their backs.

“No. You need to stay here and protect Flurry Heart and Midnight,” Twilight replied, then turned to the others, “Okay. Three of our worst villains have taken over, powered up by ancient magic. Everypony in Equestria is so scared and divided that the windigos are circling. And it’s up to us to fix it all.”

“What are we gonna do, Twilight and Storm?!” Pinkie asked.

“The same thing we do every time, Pinkie. Try to save the world!” Twilight replied.

“So let’s get going!” Storm added, then turned to Eric and his friends, “Come on, Eric. We need you and your friends watching our backs.”

“You can count on us, dad,” Eric replied, “There’s something I need to do first.”

“What’s that?” Twilight asked.

“I’m gonna write some letters to our Maretonian, Prench, Saddle Arabian, Abyssinian, Ornithian, and zebra allies. We need their help,” Eric replied.

It was then that Eric began writing some important letters to some of Equestria’s allies. Once he was finished, Eric gave the letters to Cadance.

“Aunt Cadance, can you please teleport these letters to our allies?” Eric asked.

“Of course,” Cadance replied as she teleported them.

It was then that Twilight and Storm teleported themselves and their friends, along with Eric and his friends out of the Crystal Empire.

Back at the heavily damaged Canterlot Castle, Tirek entered the throne room.

“Every prisoner is safely in their cells. Now we can hunt down the rest of the— Windigos?” Tirek said, as he noticed the ghostly creatures.

“I’m not hunting anypony d-d-d-down in this weather! Can’t we magically get rid of them and w-w-w-warm things up?” Cozy Glow asked.

“I don’t think we should. This could work out quite well for me,” Chrysalis replied, rubbing her hooves together.

“You mean us,” Tirek said.

“I already told you three that we don’t need to hunt down Twilight and her friends, we’ll let them come to us!” Glacio replied.

“The harsh weather is the final blow to break the ponies’ spirits. Once Equestria is a frozen wasteland, we’ll use our magic to destroy those windy beasts. Ponies will be so grateful, they’ll do whatever I want!” Chrysalis said.

“The windigos are ancient magic. It would be unwise to leave them unchecked. Best we deal with them now,” Tirek replied.

“We probably should deal with Twilight and her friends before anything else. They’re right there,” Cozy Glow said, pointing in the direction of Canter Fields.

“Good eyes, Cozy Glow,” Glacio replied, then turned to his second in command, “General Frostbite, deploy the army to Canter Fields.”

“Yes, my lord,” Frostbite said.

“If I may ask, why are you sending the whole army down there? We can defeat them with just the four of us and the bell,” Chrysalis asked.

“Twilight, Storm, and their friends must have gone to get help from their allies, that’s why. Besides, our own allies will be here shortly,” Glacio replied.

Down in Canter Fields, Eric and his friends, along with his parents and their friends were headed for Canterlot.

“You think they know we’re here?” Spike asked.

It was then that a black and yellow vortex formed in front of them. It expanded until Glacio, Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow came out of it with the bell.

“I’d say they have an idea,” Applejack replied.

“That bell has Discord, Celestia, and Luna’s magic inside. If they use it against us—” Twilight tried to say.

“Discord’s magic is so chaotic, he’s the only one who can use it,” Fluttershy replied, cutting Twilight off.

“You just can’t accept that you were beaten before you even realized there was a fight, can you?” Chrysalis asked.

“You can’t beat us if we never give up! As long as Storm and I have our friends by our side, we’ll put our faith in friendship…” Twilight replied.

“Ugh, can we get on with this please?” Cozy Glow asked as she activated her magic. She then tried to blast Twilight, Storm, Eric, and their friends only for them to teleport safely behind some shrubbery.

“We need to get that bell and get Discord and the princesses their magic back. Rainbow Dash, Pinkie, you’re with me and Storm,” Twilight said.

“Sweet! I’ll grab that bell in ten second—!” Rainbow tried to reply.

“No. We’re the distraction. They’re gonna get the bell,” Twilight said, pointing to the others. Eric and the others’ eyes widened at this.

“We’ll keep Cozy Glow busy,” Eric replied.

Meanwhile, the four villains were searching the area around them with glares on their faces. It wasn’t long before Glacio’s army showed up.

“Hold your positions!” Frostbite ordered.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are!” Chrysalis said after blasting a tree.

“There!” Cozy Glow replied as Twilight, Storm, Pinkie, and Rainbow charged at them.

The two of them cried out as Eric and his friends went to face Cozy Glow. The filly tried blasting them, but she missed as the heroes dodged the blast. Cozy Glow tried blasting Rainbow, only for the latter to zoom past her. While this was happening, Jasper, Smokey, Forest, and Spiracle faced Glacio, trying to keep him busy.

“Whoa!” she exclaimed as she was spinning and got dizzy.

Cozy Glow kept flying after Rainbow as Twilight and Storm teleported in front of Tirek. He cracked his neck and levitated some rocks, then threw them at Twilight and Storm. The two of them jumped onto the rocks and blasted Tirek.

“Aah!” Tirek exclaimed as he was knocked down.

It was then Pinkie’s turn to distract Chrysalis. While this happened, Eric and his friends saw Rainbow was in trouble as Cozy Glow kept trying to knock her out of the sky.

“Everte Statum!” Eric shouted, pointing his wand at Cozy Glow and blasted her.

This made her fall out of the sky, but she got back up on her hooves and tried blasting Eric and his friends.

“Protego!” Eric shouted, blocking the blast.

As Eric and Nightshade dueled with Cozy Glow, Frostbite quickly noticed Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Spike sneaking around.

“My lord, this fight is a diversion! The bell is unguarded!” Frostbite said.

“Understood,” Glacio replied, then turned to his partners, “You three, stop them!”

Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow moved to intercept Spike and the three mares.

“They’re onto us!” Applejack said.

Eric and his friends quickly noticed Spike, Rarity, Applejack and Fluttershy were in trouble.

“Spiracle! Jasper! Smokey! Your girlfriends need your help!” Eric said.

“We’re on it!” Spiracle replied, as he, Jasper, and Smokey went to help their girlfriends.

Chrysalis flew after Rarity and Spike, as she blasted the dragon onto the ground. Rarity cast a diamond shield to protect him and herself against Chrysalis, only for the changeling to shatter it in one blast. Chrysalis tried to blast Rarity a second time, only for Spike to intercept her beam with his fire breath. She was about to overpower Spike until Rarity helped him as their beams nearly overpowered her.

She then pulled back and fired a powerful blast which knocked Rarity and Spike aside. It was then that Jasper blasted Chrysalis from behind, knocking her down.

“Hello there,” Jasper said.

“Jasper, you are a bold one,” Chrysalis replied as they dueled.

Jasper was about to be overpowered until Rarity and Spike came to help him in the duel.

Tirek was chasing Applejack as she was carrying a lasso, he tried to blast her only for her to dodge them. She managed to lasso the bell and tried to pull it, only for Tirek to snap the rope and throw her aside. He then noticed Fluttershy flying towards the bell. It was then that Smokey blasted Tirek, only for the centaur to block it with his arm.

“Now, now, professor. We all know you’re not the fast one,” Cozy Glow said as she flew up to Fluttershy.

Just as she activated her magic, Spiracle tackled her to the ground. Cozy Glow then kicked him in the abdomen and blasted Fluttershy out of the sky. Luckily, Rainbow and Forest caught her. Glacio blasted Twilight and Storm, only for the two of them to dodge his attack.

“Enough! Or the dragon’s wings get plucked!” Chrysalis said, holding Spike by his wings. Glacio, Tirek, and Cozy Glow stood beside her with the bell.

“Please! Don’t hurt him!” Twilight begged.

“Don’t worry about me! Just save—” Spike tried to tell his friends, groaning in pain.

Not wanting to see Spike’s wings get plucked, Twilight and Storm lowered their heads and while Eric and the others stood down. Chrysalis then threw Spike back at his friends as Twilight and Storm caught him.

“Turns out that the Magic of Friendship is your biggest weakness. A fitting end to your pathetic story,” Tirek said as the four villains activated their magic.

“No matter what, we face it together!” Rainbow told the others as the windigos were howling.

“Die now!” Glacio shouted as the four of them fired an extremely powerful blast at them. The heroes closed their eyes as their end seemed near, until a large white force field was somehow cast over them.

“What happened? Can I open my eyes?” Spike asked.

“Ya sure can!” Applejack said, “Way to go, Twilight and Storm!”

“It’s not the both of us!” Twilight replied.

“It’s them. Up there!” Storm added, pointing up the hill.

They noticed that the force field was cast by a large number of unicorns on the hill, including Tempest Shadow, Neighsay, Sunburst, Trixie, and even Sunset Shimmer. Alongside all the unicorns were what appeared to be more than a thousand earth ponies, hundreds to thousands of kirins, deer, yaks, Abyssinians, Ornithians, bison, and zebras. Above them were masses of pegasi, changelings, griffons, hippogriffs, and dragons.

“Yibambe! Yibambe! Yibambe!” Prince Abraxas and the zebra army chanted.

“Our allies are here! And just in time!” Eric said.

Just as the unicorns deactivated the force field, all the Equestrian Alliance soldiers blew their wooden horns and charged down the hill. Glacio, his partners, and his army looked on as they held their positions.

“It looks like we’re not outnumbered any longer, Glacio!” Storm shouted.

“I’ve been expecting this, so I had my allies meet us here,” Glacio replied as all his allies marched met up with his army.

Alongside Glacio and his army were the Thracians (who retreated from the Crystal Empire), the Imperial Hayburg army, each of them numbering in the tens of thousands. There were also tens of thousands of reindeer, diamond dogs, centaurs, gargoyles, gorgons, harpies, trolls, banshees, sphinxes, and felisi (various colored lions, tigers, and leopards with wings).

“We’ll show them the full might of the Frigus Order! Destroy them now!” Glacio ordered, as his army and their allies charged rapidly. They also blew their wooden horns. It was then that the Battle of Canter Fields began.

“Welcome back, big sis,” Sunburst greeted Sunset.

“Good to see you, little bro. My, how you’ve grown,” Sunset replied.

“Sunset! Welcome back!” Twilight said, hugging her.

“Good to be back. I got Eric’s message in my journal,” Sunset replied.

“You never told me Sunburst was your brother,” Twilight said.

“Neither of us brought it up,” Sunset replied.

“There’s one thing we don’t understand. How are you all here?” Twilight asked.

“That’s kinda our fault,” Gallus replied.

“You know those long lectures about friendship you gave at school?” Smolder asked.

“Yeah,” Twilight replied.

“You see, I persuaded the earth ponies to help by reminding them of the lessons featured in the Journal of Friendship. Especially the ones by Eric, such as, ‘Whether you have a horn, wings, or neither of them and despite your differences, all ponies as a whole are born equal’ and ‘A house divided against itself cannot stand’. Raspberry Dazzle and Hyper Sonic did the same thing with the unicorns and the pegasi,” Sandbar explained, “With that, they stopped arguing with your friends and families over what they gossiped about you.”

*Flashback*
Yakyakistan before the battle

“Yaks strong. Ponies strong. But yaks and ponies stronger together! Yaks must be loyalto pony friends!” Yona said, persuading her fellow yaks.

The Dragon Lands

“I know helping other creatures by being kind and generous sounds lame. But I’ve seen how powerful it can be!” Smolder persuaded her fellow dragons as Ember stood behind her.

Griffonstone

“Playing together! Singing together! Even laughing together! That’s what real heroes look like!” Gallus said, persuading the griffons.

Seaquestria

“Were we really happy by ourselves at the bottom of the ocean? Be honest! It’s the ponies that showed us a better way!” Silverstream said to her fellow hippogriffs/seaponies.

The Changeling Kingdom

“They’ve taught us how powerful love and the Magic of Friendship truly is! We can’t let them stand alone! We’re their friends! They need us!” Ocellus said, persuading her fellow changelings.

The Deer Herds

“We’ve been hiding in the forests, away from ponies and other creatures for too long,” Prince Bramble said, persuading his fellow deer, “But thanks to Princess Twilight, Prince Storm, and their friends, we’ve stepped out into the wider world and shared our culture with the ponies and they shared theirs with us. Because that’s when we deer and ponies are strongest, as one.”

*Flashback ends*

“How ‘bout that? It’s just like you said the day we opened that school,” Applejack said.

“The more creatures who know about friendship, the safer we’ll be,” Spike added.

“We told you ya had it all figured out!” Pinkie remarked.

“Now that our questions have been answered, we have a battle to win,” Storm replied.

It was then that Eric and his friends, along with the Mane 7, Spike, and the Student Six joined their allies in battle.

“Pincer, you and I need to go free the Pillars, Starlight, Discord, Lord Emerald, and the royal sisters,” Eric said, “The rest of you, stay here and help the alliance. See if you can get the bell away from Glacio’s forces.”

“We’re on it, Eric,” Nightshade replied.

It was then that Eric took off for Canterlot on his broomstick, with Pincer flying beside him. Once there, he went to the heavily damaged castle and went beneath it. He then entered the Crystal Caverns where Celestia, Luna, Starlight, Discord, Lord Emerald, and Discord were locked up.

He pointed his wand at the cell where Starlight, Emerald, and the royal sisters were held, “Reducto!” he said as the changeling silk was dissolved.

Eric stood a good distance away from the cells and cages where Discord and the Pillars were held. He then pointed his wand at the side of Mistmane’s cage and blasted the changeling silk. He also did the same with the shards on the other Pillars’ cells. It was then that he pointed his wand at Discord’s chains and said, “Diffindo!”

Once Discord’s chains were cut, he pointed his wand and blasted the changeling silk on the Pillars’ cells. It wasn’t long before he and Pincer led them out of the caverns. Pincer transformed into a giant dragon and carried Starlight, Discord, the Pillars, Lord Emerald, and the royal sisters on his back as he flew alongside Eric on his broom. Once the two of them flew back to the battlefield, they noticed Tempest Shadow dueling with Shadow Swift.

The two unicorns kept dueling until Tempest gained the upper hoof and zapped Shadow Swift to his death. Elsewhere on the battlefield, things were seeming desperate for the Equestrian Alliance as both the EUP Guard and the Wonderbolts were taking heavy casualties, along with the Maretonian, Prench, and Saddle Arabian armies. Eric and Pincer flew down to help their friends fight against the Frigus Order’s onslaught.

“We need to get the bell away from Glacio and return Celestia, Luna, and Discord’s magic,” Eric said as his friends followed him.

“It’s over there!” Nightshade replied, pointing to the bell right next to Glacio.

Eric pointed his wand and said, “Accio bell!”

With the bell in his hand, Eric then ran towards the Discord and the Pillars, who were being protected by the Mane 7 and Starlight. The royal sisters may have been powerless, but they still had flight on their side as they held their own against Glacio’s forces.

“Stop them!” Glacio ordered several of his allies.

“Heads up, Nightshade!” Eric said as he threw the bell to him in a game of keep away.

Nightshade caught the bell in his magic as he was being chased by some gorgons and trolls.

“Slapstick, catch!” Nightshade said as he threw the bell.

Slapstick caught the bell as he was being chased by some minotaurs and diamond dogs.

Eric and Nightshade blasted several minotaurs, diamond dogs, gorgons, and trolls that were pursuing their friends.

“Here it comes, Marina!” Slapstick said as he threw the bell to her.

Once she caught the bell, Marina flew up, hoping to reach Discord. Suddenly, she had some gargoyles coming right at her. Just then, they were blasted out of the sky by Pincer as he flew over to Marina.

“Pincer, catch!” Marina said as she threw the bell to him.

Pincer dove for the bell with a few harpies and banshees on his tail. It wasn’t long before he caught the bell in his forehooves. Just then, Eric flew up to him on his broom and pointed his wand at the harpies.

“Stupefy!” he said, blasting the harpies out of the sky.

“Heads up, Eric!” Pincer said as he threw the bell to him.

Eric caught the bell as Pincer and Marina fought off the banshees. He then flew down to his parents and gave them the bell. Twilight activated it and gave Discord and the royal sisters their magic back. Glacio was outraged that Eric, his friends, and family returned Discord, Celestia, and Luna’s magic to them.

“Chrysalis! Tirek! Cozy Glow! Get me back the bell!” Glacio said, “I’ll deal with my sisters and Lord Emerald!”

“We’re on it!” Cozy Glow replied.

The three of them were headed towards Eric, his friends, his parents, and their friends. Twilight, Storm, and the other Mane 5 quickly saw them coming their way.

“They’re coming right at us! Without the Elements of Harmony, we’re doomed!” Fluttershy said.

“The Elements of Harmony may be physically gone, but their power lies with in us,” Storm replied.

“Yes, Storm. That same power also lies within the Pillars, Eric and his friends, and our students,” Twilight added.

Meanwhile, Glacio flew around looking for his sisters and Lord Emerald, hoping to challenge and defeat them.

“Celestia! Luna! Emerald! Come out and fight me now!” he called out, “Where are you?!”

“Right here, Glacio!” Emerald replied as the three of them appeared on his left side.

“Good! I want you three to look at me when I kill you! I want to see the light leave your eyes!” Glacio said.

It was then that the royal sisters and Lord Emerald dueled with Glacio. Celestia and Luna struck his sides, but he easily recovered. They tried blasting him repeatedly, but he blocked them. He stunned them out of the sky and blasted their wings, damaging them.

He proceeded to finish them off only for Emerald to teleport in front of him as the two began dueling. Emerald tried to direct Glacio’s magic beam back at him, but it was futile as the ice prince was too powerful from that magic upgrade from the bell. Glacio managed to overpower Emerald, knocking him down.

“You’ll never win, Glacio!” Emerald said weakly.

“I beg to differ,” Glacio retorted.

He then reared up while lowering his head and fatally stabbed Emerald in the chest with his horn.

“No!” Celestia and Luna cried out.

Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow kept charging until Twilight and Storm cut through the ground with their magic. This made the three of them stop as Twilight flew up.

“ENOUGH! Because of you, Storm and I almost lost our way! But everycreature here has reminded us of the true power of friendship! There will always be darkness in the world, but there will also always be those who find the light!” Twilight said as she and Storm lit up, as he was lifted up beside his wife.

“The Elements showed us and our friends how strong our friendship could be! Together we worked to bring harmony to Equestria! But there will always be more to do! Which is why we teach others about the Magic of Friendship! Others who will continue our mission after we are gone!“ Storm continued as the Pillars, the Mane 5 and Spike, Eric and his friends, and the Student 7 all lit up and were lifted up beside them.

“Now we truly understand! The Elements were just symbols! The real magic has always been right here! And the more who understand how powerful friendship is, the stronger we will all be! Together!” Twilight and Storm finished in unison.

It was then that the four groups each blasted a rainbow beam and combined them with Twilight and Storm before they released the combined blast of rainbow beams into the sky. It created a shockwave that destroyed the storm clouds and caused the windigos to fade away, clearing the sky. This left Chrysalis, Tirek, Cozy Glow, and even Glacio terrified of what was coming to them. The armies of both the Equestrian Alliance and the Frigus Order were dazed by this powerful light.

“This is bad, isn’t it?” Cozy Glow asked.

Just then, the powerful rainbow beam engulfed Glacio, Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow. It stripped them of their power boosts and deactivated the bell, causing it to drop on the ground. The rainbow beam also sent a powerful shockwave that disoriented the rest of the Frigus Order armies. Once the rainbow disappeared, Cozy Glow was turned back to her normal pegasus form and Tirek was now back in his weak form as they both backed away. Glacio and Chrysalis were also back to normal as they lost their power ups.

“You think friendship will save you?! We will always return! Nothing will ever stop—!” Chrysalis said as a giant cupcake fell on them and chocolate rain poured down.

“Chocolate rain?” Spike asked as he slurped up the drops.

“Surprise!” Discord said.

Just then, Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow managed to crawl halfway out of the cupcake. Glacio completely got out of the cupcake and went over to his army. Celestia and Luna came up to them with anger in their eyes.

“There isn’t a punishment worthy of all you’ve done!” Celestia said as Discord and a duplicate whispered something in their ears.

“Oh. That does seem fitting,” Luna replied to Discord.

“May I help? Please?” Discord asked.

“Celestia! Luna! Discord! Wait! Cozy Glow may be a sicko, but she’s also just a kid,” Eric said, then turned to Sunset, “Maybe you should take her back to the human world with you, Sunset. I reckon that ought to straighten her out, since you were just like her back in the day.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Sunset replied as she took Cozy Glow in her magic.

“Hey! Let me go!” Cozy Glow said as Sunset took her away.

“Now where were we?” Discord asked as he made his duplicate disappear.

The three of them activated and combined their magic. They cast a spell that disintegrated the giant cupcake and turned Chrysalis and Tirek into a stone statue as she snarled and tried to attack them. Once the spell was complete, the two villains dropped to the ground as they were sealed in stone with Chrysalis looking ready to attack and Tirek cowering.

“Together forever. I can’t think of anything that they would want less!“ Discord said.

“My lord, the battle is lost. I suggest we fall back and live to fight another day,” Frostbite said as he and the rest of Glacio’s army got back on their hooves.

“Retreat!” the other Frigus Order leaders ordered their armies.

“This is not over yet! You haven’t seen the last of me and the Frigus Order!” Glacio called out as he, his army, and their allies retreated north.

Everyone in the Equestrian Alliance cheered at their victory as Celestia came up to Twilight and Storm.

“When I sent the two of you to Ponyville, I had high hopes. When you became Princess and Prince of Friendship, I knew I made the right choice. But nothing could prepare me for how proud I am right now. Equestria is definitely in the right hooves. You are ready,” Celestia said as she, Luna, and Discord bowed in respect to her former pupils.

“You know what? I think I am,” Twilight replied.

“So am I,” Storm added.

“Thank goodness,” Applejack replied, “First question, your Highnesses. What do we do with all these creatures?”

“We’re gonna need a lot more chairs for the coronation!” Pinkie added.

“Actually, as rulers of Equestria, we’d like to postpone the coronation for a while. At least until the castle’s rebuilt. Besides, there’s something we need to do first,” Twilight said.

“Wait, where’s Emerald?” Storm asked.

“Follow us,” Luna said somberly.

Twilight and Storm followed Celestia, Luna, and Discord until they saw Emerald as he lay dying.

“Emerald!” Storm said as he ran over to him, “Please, speak to me.”

“Storm, I tried to hold off Glacio, but he was too powerful for me. It’s a pity I won’t see you and Twilight being crowned,” Emerald replied.

“Please don’t say that, old friend. It’s too soon for you to pass,” Storm said.

“Nothing can stop that now,” Emerald replied, then turned to the Lord of Chaos, “Discord, please take care of Celestia for me.”

“I will, Emerald,” Discord promised.

“Twilight and Storm, may your reign be a great one. I wish you the very best,” Emerald said his last words.

“Goodbye, Emerald. My old friend,” Storm replied as Emerald was now dead.

Just then, Eric and his friends, along with the other Mane 5 and Spike came up to them.

“What happened?” Eric asked.

“Emerald fell by Glacio’s horn,” Storm replied.

Eric and his friends began to cry as they suddenly remembered a few others who also fell in battle.

“Eric, what’s the matter?” Twilight asked.

“It’s not just Lord Emerald we lost today. Uncle Iron Cross, Great-Uncle Stargazer, and Great-Aunt Scarlet to name a few,” Eric replied.

For the Equestrian Alliance, the Battle of Canter Fields was a great victory. But it came at a heavy price as thousands were killed and wounded. The plains were filled with the dead from both sides as the Alliance forces took the wounded to the Canterlot General Hospital and the dead for burial.

It wasn’t long before a mass funeral was held for the ones who died in the battle. The Equestrian flag was at half-mast due to the passing of Lord Emerald. Twilight and Storm came up onto the podium and made their speech.

“Ladies and gentle-stallions, and other creatures of the Equestrian Alliance, today we gather in somber unity to collectively honor and remember the brave souls who made the ultimate sacrifice in the face of an unprecedented threat to our land,” Storm began, “As we stand shoulder to shoulder, our hearts heavy with grief, we find strength in the shared memory of those who fought valiantly against the sinister forces that seek to cast a shadow and a cold front over Equestria.”

“In this mass funeral, we mourn the loss of not just individuals, but a collective spirit that stood resolute against the darkness. Each pony and other creature contributed to a greater cause, and their memory lives on in the hearts of those they protected,” Twilight continued.

“Together, they faced the greatest peril with unwavering courage. Against the malevolence orchestrated by Prince Glacio and the Frigus Order, their unity was a beacon of hope. As we remember them, let their sacrifice inspire us to stand united in the face of adversity, for Equestria and for each other,” Storm continued.

“Among those we lost today was Lord Emerald Spirit. He was a good and wise pony, if not the greatest kirin who ever lived. He was also a well respected noble, a devoted husband to our mentor, Celestia along with her sister Luna, a great and wise teacher, and a good friend,” Twilight continued.

“My Aunt Scarlet Dusk, Uncle Stargazer, and brother-in-law Iron Cross gave their lives to protect our country so that plenty of us would live,” Storm continued, “Scarlet and Stargazer were the best aunt and uncle I ever had and they were also good parents to my cousin, Forest Thunder. Iron Cross was a good husband to my sister Misty Sky and although my niece Springer barely knew him, he was becoming a devoted father. But he left us too soon and now Springer might grow up without a father, same with plenty of other fillies and colts.”

“As we share this moment of reflection, let us find solace in the collective strength that binds us together, drawing inspiration from the bravery of those we honor today,” Twilight finished.

Everyone took a moment and placed their hooves or fists on their chests and lowered their heads in respect to those who died in the battle.

“I’m sorry about your Uncle Iron Cross, Eric,” Sweetie Belle said, hugging him.

“We’re also sorry about your great-aunt and great-uncle,” Apple Bloom added.

“I appreciate your concern, girls,” Eric replied.

“Sure, what are friends for?” Scootaloo said.

“I’m sure gonna miss the lot of you when I fully move here,” Eric replied.

“We’ll miss you too, Eric,” Holly said.

“You’ve made a real difference in our lives,” Zuni added.

Soon after the funeral, Eric and his friends, along with the Mane 7 and Spike were at Donut Joe’s enjoying some donuts. They were still feeling a little sad from the battle and the funeral.

“Post-apocalyptic donuts. Interesting choice,” Rarity said, lightening the mood.

“I know. But there's gonna be plenty of time for all the challenges and struggles and adventures to come. For now, Storm and I just want to spend a quiet moment with the six best friends we’ve ever had,” Twilight replied.

“Agreed,” Storm added.

“Well, mostly quiet,” Applejack remarked as Pinkie was eating several donuts loudly.

“It's like the end of an era,” Fluttershy said.

“Or the beginning of an even more awesome era!” Rainbow added.

“All I know is whatever comes next is going to be perfect,” Twilight replied.

“How do you know that?” Spike asked.

“With you guys by our side, how could it not?” Twilight said as she and the others shared a laugh.

“Not entirely perfect. While we did score a lucky victory at Canter Fields, Glacio won’t stop until he freezes Equestria in a new ice age,” Storm pointed out.

“As for the Bewitching Bell, where is it now?” Eric asked.

“It’s locked in a secure vault under the castle,” Twilight replied.

“We can’t keep the bell there for long, as Glacio will try to reclaim it. We need to find a way to destroy it,” Eric said.

“It’ll be difficult since the Elements of Harmony couldn’t destroy it. But you make a good point, Eric,” Storm replied, “We need to figure something out.”

Just one more chapter left.

Special thanks to my partner, GoebelTron for helping me come up with Twilight and Storm’s speech at the mass funeral.