Rage of a Queen, wrath of a Mother

by Askre

Chapter 2. That’s not Sombra.

Chapter 2

“Who is a cutie,” Cadance cooed and poked her hoof on the belly of the giggling filly, held gently in one of her forelegs. “You are, yes you are.”

The princess lowered her head to blow a raspberry on Flurry Heart’s tummy, the foal squealed in delight and giggled loudly. Cadance continued this little game a few more times before hugging her daughter and letting the foal into the playpen.

Mother and daughter were in the nursery of the Crystal Castle. Cadance had decided to take a little break and just enjoy being with her child. Flurry on her part was more than ecstatic to get some alone time with her.

Cadance knew it wouldn’t last, duty would soon call her back, but she was somewhat firm on where to draw the line, especially after the daughter had been born. She had no intention of being a mother who had no time for her children.

Now in the playpen, Flurry had grabbed her Whammy in her magic and was letting the toy snail bounce around, giggling as she did. Cadance watched, warm smile on her muzzle. Her daughter certainly knew how to entertain herself. The princess grabbed a toy frog in her own magic and started to bounce it too.

“Jumpy wants to join in, can he?” Cadance asked, Flurry nodded and soon the two toy animals were jumping around the playpen. It was not very important that snails didn’t actually jump.

After a little while of this, Flurry pulled Whammy to her and hugged the snail tight, giggling and babbling. Her mother smiled, of all the toys the filly had surrounding her, that simple stuffed toy was her absolute favorite. Neither Cadance or Shining could figure out why, but through years of foalsitting, the princess had learned that children often never reacted as expected.

“Can Jumpy have hugs too?” Cadance floated the frog closer, Flurry looked at it, scrutinizing the toy for a moment, before reaching with a hoof grabbing it and gave it a squeeze. Then the filly lifted both stuffed animals towards her mother.

“Oh, I’m supposed to hug too?” the princess chuckled, picking up both and hugged them before giving them back to her daughter. Flurry this time though let both toys drop to the floor and rose up.

Cadance got a little bit on guard when seeing her daughter flap her wings and take to the air. Nothing was more unpredictable than a mobile foal, doubly so one that could fly. Flurry started to fly in circles over the playpen and laughed, then started to fly higher. Her mother smiled and took to the air herself, always keeping an eye on the girl who was starting to make somersaults.

“Bravo,” the princess congratulated her after Flurry managed to do three quick ones in a row. The girl was all smiles and started to fly around her mother, who allowed herself a smirk. “Yes you definitely got my pegasus genes.”

Cadance started when hearing the sound of alarm trumpets. With a frown she immediately grabbed her daughter out of the air, waiting a moment to see if she had heard this right. Flurry had fallen silent, sensing something was wrong from her mother.

When the trumpets sounded again, the princess teleported straight away to the throne room. She already saw Shining Armor rushing to the balcony overseeing the city. Since she was still in the air the alicorn flew after her husband.

“Shiny, what’s wrong?” Cadance asked as she landed next to Shining Armor, holding her daughter firmly with one leg. The unicorn stallion was scanning the horizon, he grimaced and pointed with a hoof.

“Look!” he whispered, if the captain wasn’t white already, that would be the color of his face right now.

Cadance turned her head in the direction her husband was pointing, her eyes widened at the sight. Approaching the city, filling nearly the entire horizon was a huge black shadowy smoke, towering high above everything else.

“I thought King Sombra was still locked up in Tartarus,” Shining Armor gulped, already signaling to guards down at street level to prepare themselves.

“He… is…” Cadance held Flurry a little tighter, then glanced up at the sky. It was still blue, not turning sickly yellow like often followed Sombra’s corruptive dark magic.

“That’s not Sombra,” she whispered, she looked at her husband but he was already running back into the castle to ready more guards. Cadance looked down at her daughter, who whimpered a little, feeling the tension in her mother.

“Sorry baby girl, playtime is over. I have to take you to Sunburst, then deal with this.” Cadance gave her daughter a kiss before she swiftly took to wing again and flew into the castle.

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Queen Rabia emerged from her shadow form as she stepped on the shining main street of the Crystal Empire, ignoring the panicking Crystal Ponies, who for a moment thought their former king was invading again.

The mare strode down the street, head held high and with a dignified yet stern expression. Her path was straight towards the towering castle at the center of the city. Guards came rushing over intending to stop her. Rabia barely glanced at them, simply fired up her horn and sent out a glowing white shield that scattered them in all directions.

Around them, the citizens did their best to hide out of the way, covering behind fences or inside their houses or anything that provided concealment. This was maybe not their former tyrant, but none of them could deny the uncanny similarities between them

A young filly tripped as she tried to get out of the way. She glanced up fearfully when hearing the clanging metal hoof steps come closer. The girl watched part in dread, part in awe as the tall mare passed her by, not even sparing her a look. The wind flapping her long flowing red cape and the sunlight gleaming on the regal metal armor. The girl scrambled to her legs and fled inside a house to her relieved parents.

The Dark Pony never changed her stern expression as came closer to the base. More guards were gathering around, all hoping to block her access to the castle. Rabia stopped and observed them for a moment before using her dark magic to fire a blast towards the dais of the Crystal Heart.

The guards shouted and charged. Civilians who had worked up a nerve to watch from their hiding places screamed in horror, fearing that their best protective weapon was about to be obliterated.

Rabia reared up to her hind legs and stomped down both hooves to the ground. The ground cracked underneath her as a mighty shockwave sent the charging guards flying. At the same time the magic she had previously shot landed, not on the dais but on the ground dangerously close to it.

To the amazement of those still conscious to watch, a large opening started to form right by the dais. Stairs lead down deep underground Now first did the queen produce a small smirk as she began walking towards it and descended into the unknown depths.

This previously unknown secret chamber led down to a straight tunnel. When Rabia entered it, the crystal walls began emitting a soft blue glow. The queen continued through it, paying no heed to the commotion above. She didn’t stop until she reached the end, which was blocked by a large crystal door.

Now first did Rabia’s expression change for real, she gasped when seeing the intricately carved runes at the edges and the two silhouettes of tall unicorns standing on their hind legs, facing each other. For a moment the queen just stared at the door, one hoof on her chest, she seemed almost touched.

“He even used Odio’s blessing: ‘May the shadows keep those who rest here safe,’” Rabia whispered, a tear formed in her eye and the hoof she had placed on her chest trembled slightly.

“Queen Rabia.” Princess Cadance sharply addressed the queen as she came from behind the Dark Pony, along with her was Shining Armor and a contingency of guards. “Why have you attacked the Crystal Empire.”

“I have no interest in your pitiful little empire, little princess.” Rabia didn’t even look back at her and began to approach the door. “I’m merely here for what is mine.”

Cadance eyed her husband who looked just as confused as her. When their attention returned to the queen, the dark unicorn was already at the door. The runes began to glow and they could hear her chuckle as she touched them, tracing her hooves over them.

“Oh, my son, you did not anticipate that your own mother would return, did you? Leaving a spell so that only somepony of your own blood could open this vault,” Rabia murmured and with her magic opened the door when hearing the click of a lock being undone.

Slowly the door opened to reveal a small crystal chamber, bathed in a soft blue glow. At the center was a crystal sarcophagus with a heavy lid. Carved on top of the lid was a crystal statue of a tall unicorn mare laying down with her head downcast and a sad forlorn expression on her face.

Rabia choked when seeing this, raising a hoof to her mouth and her eyes teared up. Behind her still were the royal couple and the guards, watching concerned and puzzled at what was going on.

“My little girl,” Rabia whispered and finally walked all the way over to the sarcophagus, gently touching the crystal mane of the statue and caressed it. “Your brother did your likeness beautifully. Oh, my little dark foal.”

“Who is buried here?” Shining Armor whispered, quite stunned that a pony had been entombed right underneath the crystal castle without them knowing about it.

“I… am not sure,” Cadance responded though she had her suspicions. The couple gave the guards a signal to wait as they carefully approached the doorway. They didn’t dare enter and disturb Rabia, who clearly was having a very emotional moment.

Queen Rabia used her magic to carefully open the lid enough to see into the sarcophagus. The Dark Pony inhaled sharply; more tears started to form. Within was a body of a young Dark Pony mare, she was encased in a dark crystal, perfectly preserved and frozen in time. There were signs of old injuries and other trauma on her.

“Oh, my beautiful little girl,” Rabia whispered, a tear managed to trickle down her cheek. She reached down to touch the crystal. The body had been dressed in a simple golden yellow dress. Probably covering even worse signs of the mare’s death. “He even used the proper funeral gown. Oh, my poor sweet daughter. I should never have left you.”

“Her daughter?” Shining Armor frowned, still speaking low. Cadance frowned and risked stepping closer. She could already feel very strong preservation spells in the room, especially from the sarcophagus.

“Queen Rabia,” she addressed the dark pony, who still seemed to pay no heed to them, kept gently caressing the crystal encased body of her dead daughter. Cadance sighed, it was clear she would have to wait until Rabia was done.

“I will make them pay. Oh, my littlest one, they will pay for what they did to you,” Rabia whispered. She reached down to give the crystal a gentle kiss, tearing up even more when only feeling the cold hard surface of what had kept her daughter from decomposing.

Finally the queen stepped back from the daughter’s tomb. Rabia closed the lid and for a moment her head was hung as she kept one hoof on the statue’s back. Then her head rose and slowly Queen Rabia turned around, her expression grim as she regarded the royal couple.

“I am taking my daughter,” the Queen stated and used her magic to envelope the sarcophagus and lifted it up easily. “I leave you with your little empire.”

“Queen Rabia, wait, with all due respect…” Cadance started but balked a bit at the murderous glare she received from the dark unicorn.

“I am leaving. Hinder me at your own peril,” Rabia growled, her eyes beginning to glow green. Shining Armor opened his mouth to say something, but his wife stopped him and instead motioned to him to step aside. Rabia walked past them with her daughter’s sarcophagus in tow. The guards in the tunnel quickly stepped aside when the queen approached.

As the dark unicorn approached the stairs leading up, she halted and glanced back at the royal couple who were following from a small distance. Rabia turned around, letting her daughter’s coffin down, she appeared more contemplative as the queen regarded the princess.

Rabia started to walk back, stopping right in front of the couple, still staring at the alicorn. Cadance stared right back with a heavy frown, half wondering what the Dark Pony was up to, the other still a bit angry at this invasion of her city.

“You have a daughter,” Rabia stated in a neutral tone of voice and raised a hoof to gently place it under the princess’s muzzle.

“I do,” Cadance responded warily, arching her brow when the queen smiled a little, it was almost an understanding one.

“Raise her well,” the queen said as she dropped her hoof. She gave Shining Armor a glance before snorting. “Don’t bother with sons. They are not worth it.”

With that Queen Rabia turned around and walked back to the sarcophagus, picking it up before ascending the stairs. She was followed by the couple and the guards. As they left the hole, they witnessed Rabia casting a spell that teleported her and the sarcophagus away.

“What was that all about?” was all Shining Armor could ask, glancing back at the hole underneath the dais. It was slowly closing back up.

“I don’t know. King Sombra clearly enough buried his sister underneath the castle,” his wife said and looked towards the city. Crystal ponies were slowly emerging, most looking bewildered and confused at this strange invasion. “But why would Queen Rabia go about getting it back like this?”

“I mean, she could have just approached us, told us that Sombra buried her daughter here and asked to retrieve her,” Cadance grunted, there was definitely something she was missing from all of this. “We had no reason to forbid her that.”

The princess sighed; this mystery would have to wait a little while. Right now she had to go and assure her subjects that everything was over. Very relieved that no real harm had been done, even the guards Rabia had repelled were unharmed, little bit knocked about but there were no injuries.

Cadance started to walk around, meeting up with her frightened subjects as they emerged. Assuring them as she went by. As she did so, the princess was approached by the same filly that Rabia had walked past.

“Who was that, your Highness?” she asked, the vivid image of Queen Rabia walking past her burned in her eyes.

“Her name is Queen Rabia and no I do not think she meant us any harm, despite her… uh entrance,” Princess Cadance said, noticing that few other crystal ponies had gathered around them.

“What did she want?” a stallion asked, still looking nervous and frightful. He was clearly old enough to remember King Sombra’s reign.

The love princess opened her mouth to respond, but hesitated. She glanced back towards the castle, specifically towards where the hole had opened right next to the dais. Cadance returned her attention to the filly, she was young, though this had been a frightening experience, she was one of the first generation of crystal ponies who had no memories of the brutal reign of the king.

“Her daughter was buried underneath the castle, she had come to collect her,” the princess answered honestly, that was what had happened, there was no point in denying that.

“Did the evil king mom and dad told me about bury her there?” the filly asked, her eyes filled with awe and wonder. “Did the queen come to rescue her?”

“I… yes, I suppose.” Cadance had to hold back a laugh at the this innocent portrayal of Queen Rabia’s actions. Clearly since everything was fine, the young girl had decided the queen couldn’t have been evil.

“Maybe we should tell her that the king is gone. Maybe she thought he was still in power, then next time she can come visit more nicely,” the filly was all smiles now. Her parents finally arrived to pull the girl away, muttering their apologies to the now laughing princess.

“Yes, perhaps we should.” Cadance smiled and assured her parents that this was alright. She watched as the filly broke free and started running around, talking about the good powerful queen who came to rescue her daughter from the evil king.

Oh, children, the princess glanced around, seeing that things were calming down she headed back to the castle. Chuckling again how this arrival of Queen Rabia has been given a positive spin by the foal.

Her mirth was though pushed aside, as amusing as the thought given to her by the filly was, it hadn’t changed the fact that Rabia had invaded. Granted it had simply be to retrieve her dead daughter, but her method had been very aggressive.

I think it’s time to send a letter to Aunt Tia, Princess Cadance thought and spread her wings and took to the air, intending to go through the quickest route, the balcony. She had a sudden desire to see her daughter again.

End chapter 2