//------------------------------// // Chapter Twelve: Waking Up // Story: Solar Child: Burden of the Crown // by Bakmah Genesis //------------------------------// Celestia groaned as she woke up, the cold hard ground not helping her any bit. She slowly opened her eyes to find herself in a cell, the walls made of a blue and green crystal. It took her a few minutes to recognize it as the crystal caves under the very castle she ruled. "Fuck. My head." Celestia turned to see Rainbow Dash waking up. Due to her marriage to Twilight, the magical bond between the two did more than lengthen her life to be immortal but increased her toxin tolerance as well as a few other alicorn benefits. It was a spell created in ancient times to keep the spouse of an alicorn alive and well for the entirety of their marriage. "I couldn't agree more." said Celestia, rubbing her temple. Her hoof absent mildly went by her ring. However, just above her golden wedding band, she felt a slightly rougher ring. She traced it for a moment. She then looked at her hoof as well, shackles gripping around it. She looked at her mid-section to find a leather band wrapped around her, keeping her wings painfully close to her sides. You got to be fucking kidding me." she said. Lead magic suppressor that doubled as a suppressant for Solar Flare, her personal demon. Then there was the sturdy iron shackles around her hooves and the strong leather strap keeping her wings tight. Another though hit her, making her heart sink dramatically. She quickly placed a hoof on her abdomen, counting the seconds for her foals usual kick. When she neared the time passed, she started to lose faith until a firm yet light kick hit her forehoof. She let go of her pent up breath and smiled sadly. She turned to Rainbow Dash, who was now inspecting the band around her. "Is it still kicking?" asked Celestia, concerned for her daughter-in-law's foal. Dash quickly placed a hoof over her stomach and waited. After a few seconds she sighed in relief and nodded. "So, any idea what's going on? I doubt our wives are going to pop out of nowhere and we have beautiful bound sex." asked Dash, leaning up against the wall. Celestia did the same and gave the room another look over, "Well, we are in a cave that few know exist, we were knocked out along with a room full of ponies, and seem to be the only ones here. Then we have the fact that our wings are bound and there is a ring on my horn keeping both my magic and demon at bay. Lastly, I think I smell a self-righteous asshole around the corner." "Oh fuck you!" called out a voice. "And we have a winner! Good evening, Blueblood. I hope you enjoyed the wedding?" said Celestia as the white unicorn made himself known. "Oh yes. I especially enjoyed the part when the whole entire reception fell like rag dolls to knock-out gas." said Blueblood. "That's part of the reception, not the wedding, jackass." spat Rainbow. Blueblood glared at her, making Dash smirk. "Come on in here, then. I may not fly, but I can still kick your ass through the wall and then some, even when I'm preggo." "Doesn't matter anyways. Within a few hours this will be over and Prince Blueblood will come in and fill in for the dearly departed princesses." said the former prince, smirking. "Bravo, bravo. I must applaud you if it wasn't for the fact that your retarded enough to forget that me and Luna control the sun and moon. How come the idiots always want to kill me?" said Celestia, slowly clapping her hooves. Blueblood grinned this time. "Oh, that's why we are going to pry the spells out of you." "And makes you think I will talk?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Blueblood's eyes flashed for a brief second. His horn lit and a wisp of golden magic made its way towards Dash's bulging belly. "I have some leverage. I think I should start with dear Twilight's foal. I never seemed to figure out why somepony like her could rise to god hood and become a ruler." Dash's eyes widened in terror as the wisp barely brushed against her stomach. She could feel the foal recoil from the touch, causing her to wince in pain. "She deserves it as a right of blood and you know it! What kind of monster are you to turn something she can't help against her and use it as an excuse to kill an unborn foal!" screamed Celestia. "I'm no monster! I am guiding Equestria to a better path, freeing it of the reign of you scum!" steamed Blueblood. "Last I checked, scum don't try to protect their country as best as they can within their power. Scum bind two pregnant mares in cells and demand spells out of them at the price of their unborn foals. Then, after getting said spells, murder them and the rest of the family." said Celestia, glaring holes into Blueblood. Unfortunately for her, the sun was already set so conjuring up would be difficult, especially since she couldn't use her magic to guide it. "Well, this petty argument is useless. I will come back later. I suppose you make up your mind or Miss Dash is going to lose her first ever foal." With that, Blueblood left, leaving a terrified Rainbow Dash and a pissed off Celestia. "H-he wouldn't actually do it, would he?" asked Rainbow, visibly shaking. Celestia scooted over to her and wrapped her hooves around her. "Calm down, hun. Being stressed out is going to hurt the foal. Just take deep breaths and we will be fine." said Celestia, patting her back. "But how?" she asked, scared out of her wits. "Blueblood will be back and he will ask for the spells and if we don't give it to him..." she trailed off before breaking into sobs again. "Then we will give it to them. He will still want us alive as leverage." said Celestia, quiet enough that only Rainbow could hear. "Besides, he and everypony will not live long enough to use the spells. Chrysalis can smell our fear and Blueblood's momentary victory." She leaned closer so her mouth was brushing against Rainbow's ear. "Besides, our whole entire family consists of demons." said Celestia, smirking. Rainbow stared at her before smiling. They had a plan, all they needed was for Chrysalis to find them and let their wives go nuts. ________________________________________________________________________________________ "What if they were killed, what if they are just trying to use them? If that is true what if we don't go for it? What if...." "Shut up, Twilight! I can't focus with your panic! It completely throws off the emotions." growled Chrysalis. She exactly couldn't blame Twilight for her trauma born anxiety but it was getting annoying when she was trying to help save ponies lives. Chrysalis took a deep breath before mentally casting herself mentally once again. In this mental state, she could pretty much see through walls and see the different emotions a pony was feeling. It was an effective war tactic but was easily when one learned to control their emotions and hide them. Celestia was one of the first to learn this technique and hopefully dropped it after being captured so she could be sought out by Chrysalis. In her mental form, Chrysalis took a quick look around to see how well it was working. Four alicorn shapes, four pony shapes, and one draconian, each filled with worry and anger. Out of them all, Luna and Twilight shone the brightest. Dark tendrils seeped from them. It took Chrysalis to figure those to be the small bits of demonic energy that the two had. It was also a sign on how much of their sanity was left. She was confused to find a small pocket of space by Cadence giving off similar tendrils. Returning to her body, Chrysalis turned to Cadence and frowned. "I'm going to need him, Cadence." she said, her gaze stern. Everyone except Cadence was confused. Cadence, however, was shocked. "I can sense him and I need him." "What for?" she asked, gaining back some composure. "He has a talent for crystals. If my suspicions are correct, we may need to scope out the caves. It's too dangerous for you alone, but if you remerged..." "You want me to remerge with him?" asked Cadence, completely baffled. Chrysalis nodded in response. "What are you two talking about?" said Trixie, looking utterly confused. The others in the room nodded. "I keep the horn that Sombra is trapped in inside a pocket of space next to me. Chryssy wants me to remerge with him." she said, in thought about the idea. "Is it even possible to remerge with your demon? Besides, wouldn't he turn against us?" asked Twilight. "Sombra is a she, Twilight." said Cadence. Twilight stammered a bit. "Sombra was originally a female before my rise but turned male in a small miscalculation when I separated us. And yes, I can remerge with her." "Will you do it?" asked Chrysalis. Cadence thought for a moment before nodding. Chrysalis nodded back before motioning for everyone to step back. Once she had enough room, Cadence reached out with her magic and connected with Sombra. "Somra?" called out Cadence. There was a bout of laughter before the form of Sombra appeared infront of her, once again female. "Well, the crystal heart helped you as well as defeated you, it looks like." she said with a smile. "Meh, I was close to figuring out how to turn back anyways. Now, from what I gather you want to merge once again?" asked Sombra, raising an eyebrow. "Yes. I don't want to force you into this so please accept." "Alright." "Now please be...wait, you accept?" asked Cadence, expecting some resistance. "I die without a host after a period of time, Cadence. I don't plan on dying soon. Besides, I could probably settle down a tiny bit." said the demonic demon of greed. Though, in all honesty, Cadence no longer knew what Sombra represented at the time. "Alright. Let's get this over with since I'm being watched. You are going to be in control once we merge. Chrysalis is going to need you to help her scout out the Crystal Caves. Please, no murder." "Help changeling, find missing wives, set loose demonic wives/mothers, and no ripping out entrails. Got it." said Sombra, a grim on her face. Cadence sighed and face hoofed. "I thought demons are supposed to be the opposite of their hosts." she said with a groan. "This just means I'm warming up to you." said the demon. Cadence shook her head before engulfing them in her magic. The group watched as Cadence swirled in black magic, letting the demon invade her body. Her coat gained a dark shade of gray while her mane turned pitch black. After a few moments, they were facing a taller Sombra, this time wings attached. The first thing to notice, however, was his female appearance. "What? The crystal heart did more then send my ass away, you know." she said. Chrysalis shook her head. "Alright Sombra, I hope Cadence, filled you in?" "Find missing princess and Pegasus, no murder, let loose wives and watch with a bag of popcorn as they tear apart the caves and whoever is in their way." "That about sums it up." said Chrysalis with a nod. "Now let's get going before Trixie death hugs me and begs me not to leave." "Hey!" "Oh don't deny it." said Chrysalis with a smirk. Trixie pouted and turned away. Chrysalis turned to Luna and Twilight. "Be prepared to up hold those vows, you two." They nodded grimly. With that, Chrysalis and Sombra, the unlikely saviours, left the room, heading towards the crystal caves. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ "So...what is this between you and Trixie?" asked Sombra. They were currently walking down the stairwell that led down to the caves. It was hidden behind one of the passages but was easy enough for Chrysalis since she had to memorize them. Chrysalis glanced back at the suddenly social demon. "And I should trust a demonic creature of the alicorn that wants me dead why?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Hey! We both have similar interests at times and you currently happen to be one of them." said the demon defensively. "Okay." replied Chrysalis. She turned her attention back to the spiraling stair case. "I was found beaten, blind, and starved outside of Canterlot last week. Somehow, I ended up there even though I've been blind for two years. Anyways, Trixie handled my case and had to feed me somehow...." she trailed off, letting the situation hang. Sombra thought for a moment before grinning. "So, you got laid." Chrysalis stopped and stared at him, slack jawed. "What the fuck? No! She kissed me! Just a quick peck! That's it!" she said blushing. She looked away, her cheeks turning a brighter crimson. "That was when we started dating a few days later." "I knew it!" cheered Sombra, feeling proud of herself. Chrysalis rolled her eyes before continuing. "Anyways, I started to tell she was falling for me, and admittedly, I started to do the same. Suprisingly, it was her mother who got us together." "Figures, Lulu is always trying to ship ponies." said a voice that sounded a lot like Cadence. Sombra stopped, puzzled for a bit. "Um, how did you...?" Sombra's eyes went back to their normal green and red. "Oh, I figured out how to switch enough that she is control but has full use of my body and powers. I just get to sit back and enjoy the show." Her eyes switched back to Cadence's. "You lazy bitch! Putting all your work on me!" Then back to Sombra. "Oh please, it's not too much. Crawl in crystals, find two ponies, head back and tell Luna and Twilight all with out blood shed." "That's still not fair!" Chrysalis passed under a dark silver doorway as she made it into the caves. "Quit your whi-" Sombra was cut off as she was flung back. She yelled out in pain with a voice that had a mixture of both mares. "What the fuck?!" Chrysalis examined the doorway. She took a bit of it on her hoof and licked it. "Gross. Lead." said the changeling. Sombra paled. "Lead? Well, this just made shit complicated." said the demon. "Why?" There was a bright flash and Cadence stood before her. "Lead is pretty much a magic suppressor for demons. Except this has been made into a doorway and, obviously, is keeping whatever demons inside useless and demons on the outside out. They are prepared." said Cadence, looking over the doorway. "Luna and Twilight are strong enough to summon their demons while inside, but they will be weak. Celestia probably has a lead magic suppressor on considering I don't hear cries of pain and creepy ass laughter." "So I'm on my own to find them?" asked Chrysalis. "Considering I can't morph into a AC guard, yes. Have fun!" said Cadnece in a mocking voice. "Fuck you too, Caddy. Just make sure Trix is okay. I will not be happy if she has so much as a hair misplaced." There was something in the changelings eyes that made Cadence shiver and shrink back. She nodded before running up the stairs. Chrysalis sighed and looked around the caves. "Oh joy." ____________________________________________________________________________________ Chrysalis was disguised as a dark green unicorn stallion with a golden mane. She was wearing obsidian Armour that made her shift with unease. She scanned around the caves, her spear held firmly next to her in a blue aura. It was a subconscious thing that she had little control of and was not liking. "You there, soldier!" said male voice, dripping with self-rightesnous. She only heard Blueblood's voice once and that was at Cadence's wedding, but there was no mistaking it now. She turned around to see the unicorn stallion walk up to him. "I need you to watch over the prisoners. They seemed to have sent another guard down to the hospital wing. I'm sure you know the way?" Chrysalis swallowed and nodded. "What the fuck have you been doing, Tia?" she whispered to herself. After a few minutes she came to the cells. Her eyes widened as she took in their states. Both Celestia and Rainbow had their wings bound and Tia had what she assumed as lead magic suppressor on her horn. "Another one? Haven't they learned after the last one?" said Celestia, shaking her head. A small sphere a yellow light formed in front of her, her earrings glowing. Chrysalis knew enough that the beam would not burn through the bands or cell, but could do damage. "Tia wait, it's me!" said Chrysalis franticly. She looked down the hallway for a second and dropped her disguise. She groaned as the Armour cut into her. Celestia's eyes widened. "Chrysalis?" she asked. Chrysalis nodded, changing back. "The one and only. Look, I can't get you out. Blueblood has this place looked down and enough lead to make your demon throw up. Now, I'm just here as messenger and goal point." she said, her horn lighting up briefly. "They are on their way. Now, I need for you to explain what has happened to you two." "Well," started Celestia, looking away. "They may have found out how to raise and lower the sun and moon." she said. Chrysalis stared at her. "Why the fuck did you do that?!" she whispered sharply. "Because they were going to kill my foal." Chrysalis turned to see Rainbow Dash curled up in the corner, stroking her belly. Her eyes widened. "Is it still alive?" "Yes. He didn't touch to badly but enough for her to cough up blood." said Celestia, pointing to a puddle of blood next to her. Chrysalis sighed. "Anything else?" "They said they plan on killing Trixie next."