Chapter 37- Unseen Threat
A pair of guards opened the doors for Sol and Twilight to enter the throne room, where Helping awaited them at the base of the dais. Making their way down the carpet, they both shared a polite nod with her before they made their way up the dais to the throne.
"You know, despite being a princess, I never though that I would actually one day be sitting here in the exact spot where Princess Celestia rules," Twilight said to nopony in particular.
"Well, now you do. At least, for a while anyway."
Taking a calming breath, Twilight sat herself down on the throne, along with Sol, who soon after took his spot next to her. With them settled down, Helping cleared her throat.
"Are you two ready?" she asked.
Twilight and Sol shared a look before the latter spoke. "I believe we are."
With their go, Helping ordered the doors opened for court to begin and allow the first of many ponies to enter. The first few dozen ponies who came to see them were respectful in their requests, and much to Sol and Twilight's delight, most of them didn't try to kiss their plots in order to get what they wanted. While most of the petitions brought to them were rejected with one good reason or another, there were a few that either Twilight, Sol, or both, thought would be beneficial and would hold onto to look further into it.
Unfortunatly, while the first few hours had gone by rather well, their mood changed when a group of five scowling nobles entered the throne room together. As they approached, Sol let out a disgruntled huff, which caught Twilight's ears.
"Something wrong, Sol?"
Sol gestured his head to the approaching ponies. "It's them again."
"Princess Twilight."
Twilight's attention turned to the group of nobles who'd approached and stopped before the dais.
"Yes? How can we help you..."
The leader, copper-coated pony with the golden mane bowed, along with his companions.
"Lord Quick Bit, Princess."
Twilight nodded. "Lord Bit. How can we help you?" she asked, hiding the suspicion that she was feeling from Sol's sudden change in attitude towards them.
"Actually, Your Highness, it's about that thing sitting next to you," he said, pointing a hoof at Sol.
Twilight frowned. "... excuse me?"
"Your Highness, while my compatriots and I have no quarrels with you watching over the throne in the princesses' absence, we do not approve of some abominable half-breed sitting on the throne." Before Twilight or Sol could say anything, the stallion lit his horn and levitated a stack small stack of papers over to Twilight, who took it in her own magic and began to read it over. "That there is a signed petition to overrule Princess Celestia and Princess Luna's rule, and for the immediate removal of this creature."
Twilight's left eye twitched. "... and why exactly is that?'
"Because he doesn't belong here!" one of the others exclaimed.
Quick Bit gave a sharp nod. "Lady Frostmane is correct. This Sol character has no business within the halls of this castle, let alone on the throne of our beloved princesses. Such a lowborn as him is unfit to sit atop of this esteemed seat of power, and we demand that he be removed from it at once."
Twilight was glaring heatedly at them now, and with her horn glowing brighter, the papers suddenly combusted, eliciting a shocked gasp from the nobles.
"No."
"But, Princess-"
"Princess Celestia and Princess Luna both personally selected Sol to watch over Equestria with me while they are gone, and I stand by their decision. So tell me, do you oppose the decision of us three princesses so much that you would try to undermine us?" Seeing as how none of them gave any immediate response, Twilight let out a huff. "If not, then we are finished here and you may leave."
"Actually, there is one more thing that we would-"
"Denied."
Twilight blinked in surprise at Sol's sudden denial, even though Quick Bit didn't finish his request. Needless to say, Quick Bit didn't appreciate that.
"How dare you-"
"That is enough," Sol said with an even tone, which reminded Twilight of the few times when Celestia would get mad. "Every week, you come here and ask for the same thing, and every time, your request is rejected. So, what makes you believe that this time will be any different?"
Quick Bit sneered. "I wasn't asking you, and you have no right on that throne-"
"You're wrong. I have every right." Sol stood up and displayed his wings in a way much like he'd seen his mother do. "And by that right given to me by Princess Celestia, your request is hereby rejected." Sol furrowed his brow and spoke with a firm, authoritative voice. "In addition, from now on, you will first be interviewed outside by the guards if you so choose to enter this court again. If you bring with you any petitions for the release of Blueblood again, you will be turned away at the door. Do I make myself clear?"
Quick Bit teared his glaring eyes away from Sol and directed them to Twilight.
"And what say you, Princess?" he growled. "Surely you don't support this-"
"I do."
"What?!"
Twilight maintained her calm as she addressed them. "The charges that Blueblood faced for harassment were against me, a Princess of Equestria, and his assault charges were against Sol here. So no, I will not approve of your petition." Twilight stood up and stepped forward. "Blueblood will serve the sentence that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna have given him, and will remain as he is until his sentence has been carried out in full."
"But that's a life sentence!"
"I have seen ponies executed for such acts, noblestallion," Sol cautioned them. "If you don't believe me, then feel free to ask Princess Luna upon her return."
"..."
"We are finished here," Sol said with tone of finality. "I trust that you can show yourselves out... or would you rather I have the guards escort you instead?"
Muttering several curses under his breath, Quick Bit and his companions turned and left stomped out of the throne room. Once the doors had closed behind them and the situation diffused, Sol let out a loud sigh and slumped back down on his plot.
"I'm surprised, Sol," Twilight said as she retook her seat. "I didn't think that you would act like that."
"Lord Quick Bit has been pushing mother and Aunt Luna almost non-stop for the release of Blueblood," he tiredly sighed. "He and the others were actually starting to get on their nerves. Turns out that with Blueblood's arrest, their income has been cut by a fair margin... at least, by their standards."
"I can attest to those," Helping said, adjusting her glasses as she spoke. "Blueblood had an investment with their companies, and with his arrest, they've each found their profits cut. There have been also a few times where I would come to Princess Celestia with some tea to help the migraine that she would get from having to deal with them. Hopefully after this, it'll be one less headache for her to deal with."
Twilight nodded. "Alright.. and here's hoping for less ponies like that to deal with."
Far to the south, somewhere deep in the Badlands, Princess Celestia and a squad of six guards walked through the rocky terrain, looking for any indication of their target. After hours and hours of searching, one of the guards spoke up.
"Over there!"
Drawn by his voice, all heads were turned towards where the guard was pointing, which led their eyes to a hill, and more importantly, the large cave that led into the hillside. Hoping this was what they were looking for, they approached the cave and stopped before the entrance.
"This is the place." Celestia turned to her guards. "Wait here. I'll be back shortly."
The guards shared an uneasy look with each other.
"Are you sure you don't want at least one of us to come with, Your Highness?" one of them asked.
"No. I will handle this alone."
With that, the guards took post at the mouth of the cave, while Celestia ventured down into its depths. However, unlike most caves, this one was lit with torches alight with blue flames along the walls, and stairs carved into stone that lead down deeper into the earth. As she continued down those stairs, Celestia began to lose track of time with how long she'd been traveling down the slightly-winding tunnel until she was finally met with the end of the tunnel. Picking up her pace a little bit, she finished the last stretch and found herself standing in a massive chamber... along with its guardian.
Barking, the three heads of Cerberus growled and leered at Celestia, who furrowed her brow into a glare. Maintaining her glare, she stared down the three-headed dog until it ceased its growling and began to sniff at her. Seeing no harm, Celestia remained motionless while the three heads inspected her scent. A few seconds later, they pulled back and looked at her with curious looks.
"Sit."
Hearing her order, Cerberus obeyed and sat down, his eyes remaining focused on Celestia.
"Good boy. Now stay."
Calmly, Celestia walked past Cerberus, shooting a glance back to make sure that he remained where he was. Though one of the heads did look back, she didn't bother with it and continued down the path until she saw the three platforms, one of which held what she was looking for. Traveling down one of the paths from a fork in the road, Celestia followed it to the center platform where her target stood, chained, caged, and glaring at her with all the hatred he could muster.
"So, somepony has finally decided to grace me with a visit," he said, his voice seething with distain and rage. "Tell me, Princess, what brings you to me? Surely you didn't come to gloat after all this time."
Celestia gave a brief chuckle. "Come now. There's no need for such hostility between old friends now, is there, my dear Tirek?"
Tirek raised a curious eyebrow at her choice of words.
"What do you want with me?"
"Hmm. Yes, I suppose I should get to the point. I'm sure that you've had quite enough of this place."
"Just get on with it!" he snapped, only for Celestia to grin.
"Here's the deal, Tirek. I am in the middle of something big, but in order for it to succeed, I will need your help to complete it."
Tirek blinked in surprise. "... and why should I help you?"
Celestia chuckled darkly as, for a brief second, her eyes changed from normal violet eyes, to green eyes with slitted pupils. Recognizing those eyes, Tirek's mouth fell agape for a moment before he too started to chuckle.
"Well now, this is truly quite a surprise," he said, cupping his hands together. "This changes things indeed... Queen Chrysalis."
'Celestia' gave a nod. "Am I to believe that you will help me then?"
"It's tempting to be sure, but what do I get in return?"
She gave dark grin. "Apart from being free from this cursed place, how about revenge?"
"You mean Princess Twilight, correct?"
"Her, and one other... Sol."
"... go on..."
She began pacing in front of Tirek's cell, her eyes never leaving his. "The spawn of Celestia has returned to Equestria as of last year, and has put my plans at risk."
"And you are sure of this?"
"I have seen him with my own eyes. Solar Rupture is alive, and not only has he reunited with Celestia and Luna, but has also appeared to have befriended Twilight Sparkle and her troublesome friends."
Tirek's grin grew wider, only to fall into a frown soon afterwards. "As tempting as this sounds, just how do you plan to get me out of here? In case you haven't noticed, I can't exactly leave this cage that Twilight and her friends trapped me in, and I doubt that you have the means to release me."
"Oh, my dear, sweet Tirek. Have you forgotten who you're talking to?" Her horn, 'Celestia' fired a beam of green magic at Tirek's cage, breaking the bars that held Tirek within. "Thanks to my most recently failed plan, I managed to drain some of the magic Twilight and her friends possessed, including the remains of the magic that they used to imprison you."
Firing another bolt of magic, she dissolved the cuffs linking Tirek's arms. With him now free of his restraints, Tirek rubbed the spot the cuffs had previously been and stepped out of his cell.
"Well that's good to know," he said before looking at his rescuer. "Now, about Sol..."
'Celestia' waved him off a hoof. "You can have him. My target is Starlight Glimmer."
"Who?"
"Twilight Sparke's student, and the pony responsible for turning the Hive against me."
Tirek frowned. "If you've lost your hive, then how do you plan to carry out this plan of yours?"
She smirked and began walking away. "Come with me and I'll explain it on the way. I'm sure that you'll find it quite to your liking."
Curious and cautious, Tirek followed after her, remaining a few steps behind her as they walked. However, once they got back to the entrance to Tartarus, Cerberus spotted Tirek free. Barking hostilely at the freed prisoner, Cerberus began charging at him, but skidded to a stop when 'Celestia' placed herself between them.
"Enough!" she ordered. "I have freed Tirek because I have need of him. Now, step aside and let us pass."
The three heads shared looks of confusion with one another before looking back at their owner. However, upon seeing the displeased and borderline angry look she was giving them, the three-headed dog stood off to the side and let them pass, growling at Tirek as he passed them by. Once they were traveling back up the tunnel leading out of Tartarus, Tirek leaned forward.
"I see that you have improved over these last thousand years, Chrysalis," he said with a chuckle. "I seem to recall you having a bit of trouble with matching the scent of whatever you would change yourself into."
"Perhaps, but as you've just stated, I've had plenty of time to improve. Not only can I perfectly imitate Celestia's looks, voice, and magic, but I can also have her scent."
"So I've noticed... but, it does make me curious."
"Hmm?"
"If your disguise is so perfect, then why haven't you replaced her yourself already?"
She snorted in disgust. "Ever since my most recent plan, Celestia has placed wards on the castle grounds of Canterlot, Ponyville, and the Crystal Empire. Even if my disguises are perfect, they mean nothing thanks to those wards. Unfortunatly, they only work on myself and those loyal to me, and before you bother asking, yes, we've tried to remove and destroy them already."
Tirek hummed in acknowledgement as they continued up the stairs. Remaining silent, the two proceeded up until they finally reached the exit where the guards were waiting for them. Now out of Tartarus, Chrysalis dropped her Celestia disguise with a sigh of relief.
"Ahh. Much better."
"I agree," Tirek said. "Now, what is this plan of yours?"
"If all's gone according to my plan, my changelings should have taken over Las Pegasus by now. We will gather them up and put them with the others that we've been capturing for you to drain." Chrysalis grinned. "I take it that you approve?"
Tirek frowned. "As much as I want to, I cannot."
"Oh? And why is that?"
"Just something that Discord mentioned to me while he was working with me. He said that the reason he found me so quickly was because he could sense whenever I would drain one of those ponies of their magic."
"So what are you suggesting?"
Tirek folded his arms over his chest. "If I am to drain them and restore my power, I can't do it in moderation like last time. As soon as I do, Discord will know and no doubtedly tell the princesses. No. This time, I will have to drain the ponies all at the same time."
"I see... no matter, you'll still get your power back. How many ponies do you believe you'll need before you can drain Celestia?"
"Many. Perhaps thousands."
Chrysalis grinned. "I'm sure we could accommodate you in time. For now, we should be heading back."
Lighting her horn, Chrysalis shapeshifted from her changeling form, to a blue pegasus stallion. Following her example, the others changed as well.
"Why choose a form as that?" Tirek questioned.
"Because, who would expect the Queen of the Changelings to be some random pegasus, and a stallion no less? With the different colors and being of the opposite gender, nopony has suspected me of who I truly am."
"I see."
"Speaking of which..."
Lighting her horn, Chrysalis cast a spell on Tirek, changing him from a centaur to a red and black pony with a white mane and tail. Looking over her work, Chrysalis gave a satisfactory nod.
"There we go. Now if somepony sees you, they will not suspect who you truly are."
Tirek looked over his new form with a frown. "It disgusts me that I am in a pony's body, but with how weak I currently am, I'll suffer it... for now."
"Very good. Now, let's go."
Taking point, Chrysalis led Tirek and her changelings back to their hideout.
"You know, Tirek," Chrysalis began, "this reminds me of our time with King Sombra."
Tirek hummed as he thought back to those times. "In a way, I suppose it is."
"Yes. It's too bad he was destroyed by the Crystal Heart a few years ago. It would be nice to have him back... and to have the three of us sing together again."
"... what?"
Chrysalis rolled 'his' eyes. "Oh come now, Tirek. No need to be shy about it. You have a wonderful singing voice."
"... I have no comment."
Chrysalis snickered to herself at Tirek's denial, but put it behind her as they continued onward. After some time had passed and the entrance to Tartarus was long out of sight, one of the changelings in disguise tentatively made their way up to Chrysalis, who was now away from Tirek.
"Um, excuse me, Your Highness?"
"Yes, what is it?"
The changeling shot a nervous glance back to Tirek. "Forgive me for asking, but is it really wise to trust him?"
Chrysalis snorted. "Of course it isn't. I have no doubt that Tirek is planning his betrayal at this very moment."
"Then why-"
"Tirek is a vital key for our success in defeating Celestia and the others. Is it dangerous for us to trust Tirek? Definitely. But, if done correctly, this risk will also bring with it even greater reward."
"So what's to stop him from draining us?"
Chrysalis shot the changeling a glare. "Have you forgotten about the scattered shards that were recovered from my old throne exploding? Their power may be diminished, but they'll be more than enough to keep Tirek in line, and more importantly, unable to drain us of our magic."
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Oh....bugger....
HAHAHAHAHA
I got that reference XD
8671037
Eyup, I like this song to.
8671037
Dangit, you beat me to it.
SSSIIIIIGGGGHHHHH
Come on Garuda IV. MUST we have war and conflict? Can't we just enjoy the simple life of Sol and Twilight along with their friends in having to rule a country while enjoying their relationship? ?
?
...
...
No?
...
Oh who am i kidding, BRING CHAOS!
Another fine chapter, keep up the good work my good man
Almost there to 500 
There is something wrong with this picture
WHAT, aww dammit, and here i was hoping we would be getting a good villain song
Until Sol makes those shards useless you mean
8671301
Why is it the villains aways have the best songs. And alot of them are catchy as hell as well.
Nobels, expected.
Changelings, I had a felling.
Singing? BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! I WOULD PAY TO SEE THAT. Oh things are going to be interesting. Looks like the under kingdom will be getting some use very (or maybe not VERY) soon. MORE PLEASE
get ready for a full scale evac!!!!
8671037>>8671046>>8671054 Glad you guys caught that. Ever since I planned out who the villains would be, I just couldn't help but think of that song of theirs.
hype is up, feelings are down.FULL SPEED AHEAD!
I believe this is the song you were thinking about, wasn't it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pp0kdfFzM0
9525720
Eeyup
Nopony, perhaps. But simple process of elimination and you constantly being brought up in the narrative alongside imprisoned, annihilated, or reformed villains gave you away to the readers long ago, dear Buggybutt.
10721013
Not exactly true, I didn't manage to catch on.
11368921
How it's was so obvious