Castlevania: Portrait of Chaos

Chapter Seventeen, Part One: Crystals Galore!

“So, what were you hollering at the big Gaibon for?” Jonathan asked Death, making sure he was done with his lecture.

“If I didn’t have Slogra pull him away, you’d all be watching fornication.” Death answered rather bluntly, the glow of his eyes dimming momentarily. “If they smell something in heat, they end up just focusing on the thing in heat.”

“I haven’t heard Death speak like that.” Loretta commented, noticing the baby Gaibon looking at her.

“He probably worded it that way to make sure Jonathan would understand what he meant.” Stella added, stretching her wings to their full length.

“I’m not even twenty-five and I’ve already adopted a child. What is this world coming to?” Charlotte asked, her hooves close to her face. She took on a wide-eyed scowl, like she simply could not take this anymore

“Hey, I’m less than twenty-five myself and I have my daughter Dinky!!!” Derpy cut in, landing next to Charlotte with a glare on her face.

“Yeah, in Equestria, one is legally an adult when they are about sixteen.” Rarity stated, poking Charlotte with a hoof.

“Ask Eric if he considers me an adult. I’m only seventeen.” Charlotte retorted, rolling her eyes as she put her hooves down.

“What’s the legal age back at your home?” Rainbow asked, raising a brow.

“It’s twenty-one where we were from. My sister and I are twenty-two.” Stella answered, closing her wings and sighing through her nostrils.

“It’s very different back at home. Trust me.” Loretta wryly added, a frown on her face.

“Hmmm good point. Thou are from another universe…” Luna commented, poking the green unicorn with a hoof.

“I-um...I...could you please quit touching me?” Loretta asked, sweating a bit.

Mi Amore pushed Derpy aside gently, her horn radiating a blue glow on its frame. She looked at Charlotte as if the unicorn had done something taboo.

“What are you doing now?” Pinkie Pie asked, appearing on the pink alicorn’s back.

Amore smiled rather deviously. She poked Charlotte to get her attention.

“Somepony’s pregnant.” She cooed, and in that same instant Charlotte lost all coat color.

“Wha??????!!!!!” Jonathan cried, turning around with his good wing snapping open in a fraction of a second.

“Oh my. Now that you mention it, I can sense another soul....” Death added, recoiling a bit in shock himself.

“Say WHAT NOW?!” Stella shrieked, shaking a bit.

Loretta fell over, her hoof over her eyes. She landed on the ground, her eyes stark white.

“Oh dear.... I have a feeling it must have been something from a few months...ago…. during New Year’s….” Charlotte murmured, sweating very frantically now. “Either that or something snuck in my room while I was asleep…”

“Well, I do recall that you drank a lot, Charlotte….perhaps too much for your own good.” Stella sighed, her wings drooping down her sides.

The blue unicorn began to laugh hysterically. Shaking her head like a madman, she said, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“I don’t either.” Jonathan murmured, unable to decide on a frown or a smile as he shook his head. “I was asleep well before the wine was brought out.”

Amore looked at him. “You’re lying just as bad as she is.”

“Am not.” Jonathan retorted, his wing folding against his body.

“Can I throw a baby shower?!” Pinkie cried, bouncing around Charlotte nonstop.

“PINKIE PIE! I don’t think that is a good idea, if you mind me saying…” Fluttershy hollered, much louder than anyone present had been used to. All heads that could move without assistance swiveled in her direction. She was standing next to Applejack, and she wasn’t the slightest bit amused.

“Why not?” Pinkie said, her mane beginning to flatten.

“The issue at hoof is more important right now. Everypony just calm down, if you don’t mind.” Fluttershy answered, her eyes narrowed but easing nonetheless.

“She must ‘ave lost a lotta ‘er marbles, right?” Grant commented, appearing out of the ground next to Slogra. He pointed a hoof at Pinkie.

“Nope, I haven’t lost my marbles. See, here they are!” Pinkie said as she took a huge bag of marbles out of her deflating mane.

“What the hay, how is….?” Grant stuttered, beginning to shake a bit.

“She’s always been a party mare. It’s just her being Pinkie.” Rarity shrugged, a look of worry on her face.

“She was even able to pop out of my bonnet earlier...” Loretta groaned as she begun stirring awake. She rose onto her hooves, albeit a little bit wobbly as her eyes regained color.

“She’s secretly a unicorn!” Stella cried, pointing at Pinkie rather accusingly.

“It would explain a lot.” Jonathan scoffed, wiping sweat off of his forehead with a shaky hoof.

Charlotte giggled hysterically again. She began shaking so much a volcano envied her.

“Awwww, don’t worry. The ham will be fully baked after this.” Amore cooed, a wide grin on her face as she poked Charlotte’s shoulder with a hoof.

All the unicorn could do was make an impression of a whining toddler.

Death trotted over to the unicorn, his scythe on his back. “Let her be. Just because she’s one of my sworn enemies does not mean I condone you humiliating her.” He hissed, looking at the alicorn.

Mi Amore quickly backed off.

Death turned to Slogra. “I command you to get this mare a bucket, preferably with water in it.”

Slogra nodded and scampered off into the alleys of the town.

“Can I crawl into a hole now?” Charlotte asked, looking like she was about to cry.

“It’s not your time, woman. Get a hold of yourself and calm down.” Death answered, still looking at Mi Amore. Slogra had returned with a bucket in his oversized bill, and it was at least half-full with water.

“Fine…” Charlotte said reluctantly, taking in some deep breaths. The bipedal, bird-like thing placed the bucket in front of her, and she immediately threw her head in it and begun drinking the water.

“I hope I wasn’t hallucinating...” Loretta commented, attempting to balance herself on her hooves again.

“You weren’t.” Stella stated, helping her sister stand properly.

Charlotte finished her drink and shook the excess water off of her head.

“Guys, I see another painting…” Twilight murmured, causing all to look at her and then to what she had been looking at.

In front of the library was indeed a painting, this one depicting crystals of all colors with a cyan heart bearing many facets in the center. The four ponies shook off the shock that clung to them and approached it.

As they came closer, it began warping and a skull was seen swirling about, though very faintly. Mi Amore quickly rushed to the ponies approaching the phenomenon.

“Oh no...the Crystal Empire too?” She asked, a worried frown on her face.

“Crystal Empire…? I must say, it does look amazing.”  Stella said, pointing a hoof at the painting.

“By looking at it, I would say the city itself is made of crystals…” Charlotte spoke, her horn glowing.

“Umm, Mi Amoire, if it’s not too much to ask, what is the Crystal Empire, exactly?” Loretta inquired, crossing her forelegs together.

“It literally lives up to its name. Even the ponies are made out of crystals. Lately, though, the Crystal Heart--an artifact that protects the Empire--has been failing more and more every day.” Amore answered, her ears drooping.

“Really...But I thought we all saved the Crystal Heart… or, rather, Spike did….? OH NO, WHERE IS SPIKE?!!!!”” Twilight shrieked before she fell over onto the ground.

“Who’s Spike? By the name, I’d assume Spike must be male?” Jonathan asked, raising a brow.

“Oh Spiky-Wikey.. is a cute baby dragon who helps everypony in town…!” Rarity wailed, her eyes beginning to tear up. OH, I DIDN’T NOTICE HE WASN’T HERE! ITS THE WORST POSSIBLE THING!!!” After saying that, she fainted.

“Rarity’s lost it…” Charlotte murmured, shaking her head sadly.

“Not really…. Spike, well, has a crush on Rarity….” Amore chimed in.

“I wonder what a mixture between a dragon and a pony would look like.” Loretta commented her hoof on her chin.

“As I recall, that particular mix is called a Kirin, I think…” Charlotte said, looking up at the painting and pulling in the four dunderheads who were going with her. Then, she touched the painting with her hoof. A bright light soon swallowed them up and disappeared, but not before the baby Gaibon jumped into the rays of magical energy.

“Well, there they go...I almost got killed when I followed them last time…” Rainbow sighed as the painting returned to its ‘normal’ shape.

The painting spat out six shapes, piling one on top of the other in such a way a red pony was on top of a blue one.

“Ugh… I hate it when those paintings do that…” Stella complained, noticing Loretta on Amore’s back.

“Well, at least you don’t have a big red lug on top of you in a really awkward manner!” Charlotte hollered, trying to shove Jonathan off of her.

“Oh dear god, I’m starting to think I raped you, woman!” Jonathan yelled, falling off of the dogpile and landing on his head.

“Let’s just get this over with, as I can see, everypony has become fully crystallized, and I’m betting my husband was as well.” Mi Amore sighed, getting onto her hooves.

“You have a husband…. who is he?” Stella asked, raising a brow.

“His name is Shining Armour… and he’s Twilight’s older brother.” Amore answered, using her magic to right the other ponies up before noticing the baby Gaibon clinging to Charlotte’s tail. “Oh, speaking of husbands, I know who’s gonna become one.”

“Really?” Jonathan asked with a disapproving frown on his muzzle.

Amore snickered crudely.

“Wait a second….are you implying the child I’m supposedly pregnant with is….!?” Charlotte asked, her jaw physically dropping as her pelt turned white again.

Amore snickered once more.

“Oh, deary me. Loretta, we might as well be the bridesmaids.” Stella commented, her neck retracting into her shoulders nervously.

“I’m confused…. what was implied?” Jonathan asked, his good wing unfurling a bit.

“I refuse to comment.” Loretta said, shaking a bit.

Amore trotted over to Charlotte and poked her stomach with a hoof. “What did you do, little mare?” She cooed with a motherly smile on her face.

Charlotte began leaning away to the point she fell onto her side. The mare soon scooted away a bit before standing on her hooves again.

“Maybe I could conjure an illusion to show you what you did~” Amore smiled, her face darkening as a result.

“NONONONONONONO!!!” The sisters objected, shaking their heads frantically in shock.

“Wait, what is that thing over there… it’s crystallized, but I can tell it’s not a pony…” Jonathan said, pointing to the object with his hoof. All eyes were soon looking at what he was looking at: a lizard-like being that stood roughly a third of a normal pony’s height, complete with a look of fear on its face.

“Oh, sweet Celestia! It’s poor little Spike!!!” Amore shrieked, running up to it and examining it from all angles.

“A little help would be nice, and...who are those weirdoes?” Said a young boy’s voice.

“I’m not a weirdo, I’m just insane.” Charlotte corrected, now noticing the baby Gaibon attached to her tail.

“Spike.. that’s not very nice…. and besides, if it weren’t for these ponies, Twilight and Ponyville might be in a living hell right now.” Amore scorned, a scowl on her face.

“He’s a dragon, like me…?” Asked the voice.

“Yeah, and it needs to know that I am not edible.” Charlotte answered, trying to pry the baby Gaibon off of her tail.

“Me would not eat Mommy!!!” It cried, letting go of the tail.

“Spike… Can you tell us who did this to the Crystal Empire and crystallized everypony here?” Amore asked, raising a brow.

“Cadance, you know pretty well….k-k-k-k-k-k-k-King s-s-s-Sombra...” Spike answered. “And did you give birth to that dragon?”

“WHAT!!!! I thought he was--?! And no, it hatched on Charlotte’s back by chance.” Cadence wailed, shaking a lot now.

“Can Mommy lay eggs?” The baby Gaibon asked.

Spike mentally hit his claw on his head and thought to himself ,“That little dude… will learn the hard way one day.”

“Let’s get back on topic. Can you tell us more about this Sombra?” Jonathan asked, raising his hoof.

“Well, he’s a unicorn who mastered very dark magic and at one time took control of this city...other than that, we know little about him. However, he was defeated by Spike and the Crystal Heart; he was vaporized as I recall. A small part of his horn remained, that much I know.” Cadence answered, her wings drooping.

“Hmmmm…. I think I got it! I think I know how he survived!” Charlotte said, her eyes twinkling a bit.

“And what is it, Miss High Fertility?” Cadence cooed in a taunting manner.

“This is not going well…” Stella sighed, her head lowered in disappointment.

“In my theory, suppose Sombra cast a regeneration spell on himself just before he was hit by the Crystal Heart… his body would slowly come back together… it would take about a year or so before he would be complete again.” Charlotte answered before her face contorted when she noticed Cadence’s cruel joke. “Also, that wasn’t very nice.”

“Oh, of course… I could have been so stupid… we just assumed he was gone for good.” Cadence sighed, poking Charlotte’s belly again.

“Wait, if he could use a spell that like…. he will be hard to beat, right?” Jonathan asked, raising a brow.

“I’m not public property, quit touching me. And, no, duh, Jonathan.” Charlotte snapped, glaring at Cadence.

“Hmmm, a regeneration spell… Twilight did say that is a spell that exists… was around the level Starswirl the Bearded had…?” Loretta asked, looking up at the ceiling and noticing it glimmered in some kind of nonexistent light.

“Wait a second…. I’m sensing something…. we need to move NOW!!!” Charlotte cried, turning her head to the painting and seeing dark crystals obscure the frame. From that wall emerged a large pony whose crystalline body radiated the epitome of forbidden magic.

“That madpony Sombra…. he has created Crystal Golems now??!!!” Cadence wailed as the Golem stared at her with cruel intent.

The Golem roared, rearing up onto its hind hooves in doing so. On its midsection was a band of darker crystals, crackling with black magic.

“I think… if we destroy the darker crystals the Golem will break… since I believe that it is what is making the pieces come together, sort of like the foundation of a house.” Charlotte commented before glancing at Spike.

Her eyes went wide. “SOMEONE GET HIM OUT FROM UNDER THE DAMN THING!” She cried.

“I’m on it, Miss Pregnant Mare.” Stella sighed, spreading her wings and brandishing her sword. She shot towards Spike, wrapped him in her forelegs, and then flew up to the underside of the descending hoof and hastily stabbed it, making sure her blade went as far as it could go. She retracted it and flew up, noticing the Golem roar as it clutched its hoof.

The Golem was more than royally pissed now. It sent its hurt hoof out in order to punch the flying nuisance, only to get another stab in return.

“Charlotte, let’s try the Holy Lightning….thingamadoodle.” Jonathan said, stretching out his good wing.

Spike mentally hit his face at that comment and he said to himself, “This pegasus must not be too bright…”

“It’s been forever since we last used that kind of teamwork, but it’s worth a shot… seeing as it  does hit a lot of things.” Charlotte commented, her horn glowing with white electrical sparks.

“True.” Jonathan sighed as he reared up on his hind legs, using his good wing for support.

An icicle-like saw appeared out of a purple void and it swung down, slicing the Golem into two separate pieces...right at the black crystal belt. The Golem roared and thrashed about briefly before it exploded into a million or so tiny pieces.

Jonathan landed onto all fours.

“Umm guys… I think it dropped two...somethings….” Stella commented, landing with the crystallized dragon on her back.

“You two are rather slow.” Loretta said brashly, poking the red pegasus and blue unicorn with her hooves. “And my sister happens to be right--there are two somethings over yonder.”

Charlotte’s horn stopped glowing. “Not my fault we need to polish up.” She replied, her tone of voice snarky.

“Hmmm, one of the things it dropped appears to be a helmet made of crystal...…. but I’ve never seen this kind before…” Stella commented, trotting over to it and picking it up.

The helmet was a radiant white, looking as if made of diamond. It had a round shape with visible slots for ears and a horn, and the inside had room for two hooves.

“I feel like I’m about to play dress-up.” Charlotte sighed, a frown on her face.

Stella spread her wings and quickly swooped over Jonathan and put the helmet on his head.

“HEY! I kinda need my skull, woman!” Jonathan yelled, having almost fallen over into the ground.

“Let’s move on. I don’t like this.” Cadence sighed, putting a scroll in Charlotte’s book when the blue unicorn hadn’t been looking.

The ponies turned around, seeing torches lit with blue flames on either side of a wooden, out-of-place door. The group trotted over to it with Cadence pushing said door open.

Jonathan accidentally stepped on a floor switch without looking. One wall disappeared and one came out of the floor in front of the door that was just opened.

“What the hay, where did that wall come from?” He asked, a look of annoyance on his face.

Spike mentally put a claw to his face and said to himself “Doesn’t that idiot realize he stepped on a switch??!”

“Oh great. Puzzles.” Stella said, small hints of sarcasm lingering about her voice.

The new, revealed room to the left was full of statues--four, to be exact… and four glowing lights in part of the room.

“Aha! I think I just figured out what we need to do!” Charlotte exclaimed, her eyes widening a bit.

“Tell us quickly, alright?” Jonathan sighed,ears flattening.

“What we need to do is put the colored statues in the corresponding glowing spot…. but the trouble is…. we need to do it in a certain order and the directions are on that tablet over yonder.” Charlotte answered, already inside the room. The other ponies went inside posthaste.

The room had the aforementioned statues in one color each: red, yellow, blue, and green. The red statue depicted a cruel-looking unicorn stallion with regal armor on his legs and upper frame. His horn was curved inwards, but only slightly.

The blue statue depicted a mare who bore an eerie resemblance to Cadence herself, except she lacked a horn. Her wings were spread wide and one hoof was raised.

“Oh my gosh… that blue one is a statue of mother, and the red one is somepony I loathe...a certain one we are looking for. ” Cadence sighed, looking at the red statue resentfully.

The yellow statue depicted another unicorn stallion who wore a hat and cape similar to that of Trixie’s. However, he had a beard and a wise, grand look on his face.

“Holy guacamole! The yellow one is Starswirl the Bearded!” Spike cried in shock, but because he was a mass of crystals, he couldn’t do much else.

The green statue depicted not one, but two alicorn fillies. One was flying high on her petit little wings, bringing with her an orb that looked very much like the sun. The second was flying low, bringing with her a crescent moon.

“Are those two who I think they are?” Charlotte asked, pointing a hoof at the green statue.

“Yes, it’s a statue of both my Aunties when they were still young foals; I’d estimate around the same age as Applebloom and her friends.” Cadence answered, a smile on her face.

“Frankly, they look cute.” Stella commented.

Loretta looked at a piece of rock in the center of this intricate room. It was old and chipped just about completely, save for the topmost fraction. “All I can see is that we have to start with the yellow statue.” She sighed, inspecting the rock closer.

“You gotta be kidding… that sucks…” Jonathan complained, his hooves on his armored head.

“AGH! That doesn’t help us much at all…. Oh how I miss Shining; it could take us all day to figure out which is the right order…” Cadence complained, stomping her hoof in anger.

“Is his brain frying?” Spike asked.

“Yes.” Jonathan answered, his wing and eye twitching.

Charlotte trotted over to the red pegasus and raised her left hoof. She slapped Jonathan right across the face with the back of her foreleg, a scowl adorning her own. “And that is supposed to help Cadence HOW?!” She yelled angrily.

Jonathan stumbled a bit before he collected himself, allowing his hooves to rise up and clasp the unicorn by her cheeks. “Y’know, you’re kind of cute when you’re in a hissyfit.”

In one swift motion, their lips met before Charlotte could say anything else. In the same instant, she punched him in the face, causing him to let go and fall onto the floor wings-first.

“I knew it!” Cadence cried, pointing her hoof at Charlotte. “I knew it!”

“Oh my.” Stella and Loretta said in unison, blinking a few times from shock.

All the angry unicorn could do was scoff and glare at the alicorn. She was not in the slightest bit amused.

Loretta trotted over to the statue of Starswirl and reared up on her hind hooves, placing her front ones on the glittering crystal. She then tried pushing it to no avail--it would not budge an inch.

“Alright, here comes Mr. Muscle.” Jonathan sighed, getting off of his back and trotting over to the statue. He rose onto his hind hooves, placing his front ones on the unmoving obstruction. The statue began moving, sliding on the floor with shocking ease, though still being a bit of a nuisance about it.

The statue, after a bit of work, was placed onto the corresponding yellow spot. Jonathan then trotted over to the red statue and placed it onto its spot without any help from the others (and, as a result, the statue was harder to push).

In a flash of light, the statues had been moved back to their original positions as if they hadn’t been touched at all. In the room with the five ponies and two dragons was a mare with a white coat, black webbed wings, and a pink mane and tail tied back. On her midsection was a corset, and her rear hooves sported joint-high, red boots. She had small horns on her head as well as a central long horn, and her cutie mark was a heart with little demon wings and a tail.

“Damn, we got the order wrong… apparently if you get it wrong, you fight a monster.” Charlotte sighed, shaking her head sadly.

The sixth pony in the room looked at her with eyes of crimson. “Oh, my. You’re very….sexy. Mind if I use your horn for something special?” The pony asked, a dirty smile plastered onto her muzzle.

“It’s not just a succubus, but it’s a lesbian one!” Stella shrieked at the top of her lungs, wings spreading wide and a look of pure horror on her face.

The succubus glanced at the purple pegasus. “You’re such a lovely mare; please stop freaking out. It makes you not only look less appetising, but it’s bad for your health.” She scorned, the smile fading a bit.

“Wow, that was unexpected indeed.” Jonathan stated, since they generally go for stallions. He had not witnessed this sight before and just stood there nodding frantically.

Loretta quickly hid behind the yellow statue, hoping to not be noticed. The succubus appeared in front of her, sadly. “Why don’t you come out and play?” The demon pony asked seductively.

“N-no, t-thank y-you.” Loretta answered, running around the demon and back to the group as fast as her hooves could carry her.

“Awww, is the little one scared?” The succubus taunted, grabbing Loretta by the tail and yanking her away from her friends and sibling.

‘LET HER GO, YOU DISEASED WHORE!!” Stella cried, drawing her sword again and flying at the demon with haste.

“Well, you do have a pretty face… but you’re too butch for me, though.” The succubus wryly commented, dodging the blade by mere inches.

“Charlotte, what is that monster anyway?” Cadence asked worriedly as she watched the succubus dodge the sword like she was made out of stretching slime.

“It’s a dream demon called a Succubus… but this one is acting real funny…” Charlotte answered, her horn glowing again. Her muzzle became more wolf-like and digits grew on her hooves.

“I always wanted to have sex with a furball!” The succubus teased, throwing Loretta at Stella and sending them both into the statue of Starswirl.

“Funny? How, exactly?” Cadence asked, raising a brow.

“That Succubus clearly has issues…” Jonathan sighed, shaking his head.

The demon and werepony rushed at each other, one with flapping wings and the other with a snapping set of teeth.

“Well, Cadance… a Succubus is a type of dream demon that tries to seduce stallions by appearing as a beautiful mare…. but this one is doing the opposite and hitting on mares... which is out of character for their species… and they literally suck their life-force out of whatever falls into their little trap.” Jonathan answered, ears flat on his head.

A sickening crack hit the ears of all present, followed by a soft thud.

“Oh, dear.” Cadence sighed, looking at the Succubus whose neck was now in Charlotte’s teeth. Her eyes were glassy and her body wasn’t moving, indicating she was dead. The werepony promptly spat out the corpse in a rather insulting manner.

“Bleh! Tastes like rotten fish!” Charlotte complained as the spell worn off, causing her to revert to her normal unicorn form.

“I never knew succubi could be lesbians.”  Stella commented, getting onto her hooves and helping her sister onto hers.

“I bet ten bucks this Sombra pony is not heterosexual either.” Loretta sighed, breathing in and out to calm down.

“You implying he likes stallions? In that case, that’s gonna be one hell of a problem.” Jonathan groaned, a look of horrified disapproval on his face.