Solar Child: The Original Chapters

Solar Child

Chapter Twenty-One

Written by Bakmah Genesis

       Twilight sat on the train on its way to Canterlot.  She frowned and  stared out the window, her head resting on her hoof.  She was heading to the wedding of her brother and cousin.  She was somewhat mad inside with the fact that her brother and cousin never told her that they were engaged, let alone getting married.

     Though she was mad, she was glad that she was getting to see them again, as well as her cousin Trixie.  Before she left, she promised to keep I'm touch as long as Twilight promised to visit.  They have kept up both ends of their promise for the past three months.

      She was slightly conscious of the fact that the truth may come out, but it didn't bother as much as it did before.  She has successfully gotten rid of that fear.  She still needed to come out to her friends but she pushed it out of her mind for the moment, she would have time once the wedding was over.  She sighed as the conductor called out that they were approaching Canterlot.  She sat up and stretched, wanting to get over this as fast as possible.

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        The door of the royal room of Twilight Solar slammed shut behind its owner.  Twilight paced around the room frantically, trying to figure out the day.  First was the series of moments where Cadence seemed different, she brushed it off.  It begun to increase and became more disturbing.

           Then she tried to use the keyword her and the rest of her family had set up when she need to talk to them as Twilight Solar instead of Sparkle.  When she used the keyword, Cadence only stared at her in confusion before ignoring her and going back to doing whatever she was doing before.

         It also was lost to Twilight how empty her voice sounded.  Her normal cheer and love that was laced in her kind voice was missing.  She didn't even remember the personal shake the two shared when they met.  It wasn't like Cadence to forget it or to ignore it.

        When she brought this up, minus the keyword, to the girls, they just shoved it off as pressure before the wedding.  She knew how Cadence could get, and this wasn't it.

        Finally, and more disturbing then anything, was when she saw what she did to her brother.  She seemed to shot some sort of green magic out of her horn that drained and disoriented Shining once in contact with his horn.  Whatever she was, she wasn't Cadence.  She knew her cousin, and this wasn't her.

       She looked up at the clock and saw that she was late for the wedding rehearsal.  Hell bent on not letting this go through, Twilight marched down the halls to the throne room.  Her eyes set as she prepared to point out the imposter, she could not let whatever this is marry her brother, no matter what.

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        Cold.  That was the first thing she felt as she started to wake.  Twilight's eyes shot open as memories from her last two foal appoints rushed back.  She tried to remember what happened and where she was.  She searched her clouded memory, hoping to find something.  When she did, she felt her heart tear in half.

          Outrage was the first thing that she saw in everyone's eyes as Cadence ran out.  Twilight was wrong, in a sense.  She ran off after telling a story of how she was pressured and nervous and how mean she was by accusing her of such a thing.  Her heart broke as she remembered everyone's reactions to that.

          Shining refused to call her his sister and ran after Cadence.  Spike refused to call her his mother.  The girls each shot hr down and turned their backs on her.  Her heart broke as she looked into Rainbow's, her crush's, eyes and saw nothing but hate and disgust.  Celestia was the one to throw the final punch that crippled her.

           She looked down at her in disgust and rage, saying nothing but that they would have a talk after they found Cadence and calmed her down.  With that, she left the room, slamming the door behind her.  That was all her heart could handle before she collapsed on the floor.

         Cadence found her.  Twilight apologized, with as much she could shove out from the remains of her heart.  Cadence only smiled.  The last thing she remembered was her laughing evily and green flames.  Twilight shuddered at the memory.

         The sound of that same chilling laughter filled the crystal like room she was in.  Soon, images of Cadence appeared on the walls.  Channeling her magic, Twilight shot a lightening bolt towards the fake Cadence, hitting stone.  She did this to every image that popped up before hitting home, destroying the wall and showing Cadence.  Her mane disheveled and her eyes baggy.  She was somewhat skinnier then she was before but Twilight didn't notice this as she jumped on the mare and charged her horn.

         "Wait, Twilight!   It's me!" shouted the mare.

         "Prove it!" growled Twilight.  Cadence wiggled out from underneath her and stood.

          "Sunshine, sunshine.  Ladybugs awake.  Clap your hooves and do a little shake." said Cadence, a little out of breath.  She did each motion.  Twilight, still didn't believe her fully, not trusting her eyes after what she went through.  Cadence sensed this and sighed.

           "Your name is Twilight Solar.  Your mom is Princess Celestia.  Your aunt is Princess Luna whose daughter, Trixie, is your cousin.  You also have this massive crush on Rainbow Dash." stated the pink alicorn.  Twilight blushed.

        "Okay, you're Cadence.  Now, why am I seeing double?" asked Twilight, hugging the mare.

       "Changelings." said Cadence with a sigh.  Twilight cocked her head, following Cadence towards the exit.

      "What are those?" asked Twilight.

        "Changelings are an insect race that turn into the pony you love.  Using this form, they feed off of the emotion you have for this pony.  Love, anger, happiness, lust, you name it.  Love is their favorite, however." said Cadence, leading Twilight down the caves.  "The Cadence you met was the queen.  Chrysalis if I remember correctly.  She is cunning and is very good at deceiving a pony."  Twilight looked down at her hooves.

        "You don't need to tell me twice." said Twilight.  Cadence sensed the tone of saddness in her tone.

        "Come on, it couldn't have been that ba-"

        "Shining and Spike disowned me.  My friends and the pony I love looked at me with disgust and left me."  Twilight choked up.  "Mother...mother looked at me with disgust and I was afraid she was going to snap right there, Cadence.  I never seen her so angry when somepony wasn't threatening my life."  Cadence draped a wing over Twilight.

        "And what of Luna and Trixie?"

         "Luna is in the Gryphon Empire dealing treaties.  Trixie was in the city as far as I know or somewhere away from the other elements considering the impression she left them."  Cadence nodded, squeezing her cousin harder.

        "Don't worry.  We will get there in time, stop Chrysalis, and hopefully heal all of this, alright?" asked Cadence, a warm smile on her lip.  Twilight returned the smile and nodded.  "Now, last one out of the caves is a rotten egg." said Cadence, running off with a smirk.

          "Hey!  No fair!" shouted Twilight, racing after her.