Shining Armor walked as fast as he could without making any noise. He got into the Bad Lands, and was as horrified as Twilight and Cadence had been at the appearance of it. He didn't focus long on the scenery, though. He wondered where Twilight and Cadence were being held..
He walked in the shadows and observed the actions about the castle. Suddenly, he saw a changeling come up from a hole in the ground. He waited for the coast to clear, then went down the stairs to the corridor below
"Twiley? Cadence?" He called
"Shining Armor?" The two replied. Shining Armor followed the voices
"Twilight! Cadence!" He exclaimed upon seeing them
"Shining!" Cadence smiled. "Wait! Don't come any closer.
"What? Why?
There's a force field," Twilight explained. "You would be able to come in, but not able to get out.
"Then what do we do? I have to get you out of here.
"The only way out is if a changeling brings us out. Once they've let us out for fresh air and exercise.
"Do you know when they'll let you out again?
"No.
"Then I'll wait outside for them to bring you out and intercept you.
"That might be disastrous! The changelings won't let us go that easily..." Cadence warned
"It's our only shot. We have to take it, and hope it doesn't blow up in our faces.
"Alright. Just be careful, ok?
"Of course. I love you both, and I'll see you on the other side." He climbed back to the surface, and hid himself, watching silently
Some time later, Shining watched as a changeling guard led Twilight and Cadence above ground. He readied his horn, and charged at the changeling, who was knocked clear off his hooves. "Run!" He yelled, leading the girls to the gates. The guard called out, and several other changelings came and blocked them. Every time, he used the same spell to knock them away
"Our magic doesn't work the same here," Cadence panted. "They won't be down for long.
"We won't need long." At that moment, they reached the gates, and allowed themselves to rest
"We made it." Twilight gasped for breath
"We aren't out of the woods yet." Shining pointed to the changelings who had gotten back up and were gaining. Twilight sighed, and holes appeared on her other wing
"Twiley?" He was terrified
"Long story." She looked dejectedly at the ground
"Oh, Twilight, after all the effort we put into keeping positive..." Cadence said ruefully
"Flying is our best bet to outrun the changelings."
"Twilight can't fly with those holes in her wings!"
"You can."
"They stuck my wings to my body with residue." At this, Shining performed a spell and evaporated the goo.
"Thank goodness! I was dying to stretch my wings."
"Fly to safety. I'll carry Twilight and catch up with you"
"But I'll only slow you down." Twilight argued.
"No buts. Even with your weight, I can go faster than you can alone. Now get on my back." Twilight obeyed, and Shining took off running as Cadence flew up ahead. They knew that the changelings wouldn't pass the Macintosh hills without the queen's command, so they felt that they'd be safe on the other side.
Shining would run for a while, and when the changelings began to gain, he used a teleportation spell to gain back his lead. It was slow going, but he finally approached the other side of the hills. Twilight looked back and saw the changelings begin to fall back, and felt the holes healing as her hopes soared.
Finally, the group found themselves in Dodge Junction. Cadence met up with the other two.
"We have to get to Manehatten. Fast." Shining Armor panted.
"What's going on?" Cadence asked.
"The queen has taken the place of Twilight, and once again everypony believes she's the real thing. She's begun using her spell on the princesses."
"Oh no!"
"There's still time to get to the big city before the celebration. Let's get moving!" They boarded the earliest train, and arrived in Manehatten just as the ceremony was about to begin. Nopony noticed the green tint in Celestia's eyes as she stepped forward and began the introduction to the event.
"Stop! Stop the celebration!" Shining Armor yelled as he ran into the area where the event was taking place.