Odd Beginnings

Sprinkling drops of water flowed down and clashed onto the hardened ground as Paul scrubbed his hair. His hands delicately glided across his lengthened lines as his application dripped down his slim structure. Turning a nob, the constant flow accumulated and Paul creaked the glass door. Clenching the nearby towel, hung on a rack, he rubbed his wet face until he lowered his drier.

Removing the furry material across his body, he aligned his clothes to cover himself with suitable everyday clothing. Paul hooked the towel where it belonged and continued to view himself.

Staring at the mirror, he was a different Paul. His somewhat short hair grew into a styled design, just a short comb-over. His simple stache was gone as he finally knew a gadget that could remove facial hair immediately. Guiding the tool across his face, he inched the razor across his hair which slowly shimmered down into the sink that coupled with his applied cream.

Satisfied with his looks, he pushed through the bathroom door into his room where he flopped onto the bed as he stared blankly at the decorated ceiling. Photos were slapped onto the ceiling, reminding him of the moments he spent with his pony friends, even some embarrassing occurrences that Paul enjoyed looking back at.

Sluggishly, his back began to sink into the mattress. It was almost the same material used in Canterlot. He shuffled his head around, feeling its softness around his neck and hair.

Mesmerised, he could hear faint bangs in his house. Soon, Paul's mind focussed and arranged himself from the bed, finally noticing an unexpected guest at his door. Stealing the air around him, he guessed who was waiting at his entrance.

A cyan mare appeared with a puffed chest and casual look, her horn perched as though it was greeting Paul. In fact, her magic launched and a hand appeared, waving towards Paul. Snickering at the sight, Paul welcomed his guest inside as she scraped her hooves against the carpet outside, ensuring that no dirt would track into his new home.

"I thought you weren't back until tomorrow, Lyra," Paul observed, shutting the door behind them.

"Why? Aren't you glad to see me?" The blue unicorn giggled, "Nice place you've got, by the way. Must have cost a fortune."

Lyra admired his spacious dwelling, skimming across the fabrics of the couch as her rump slid. Gazing, she spotted the nearby kitchen and dining area where everything was spotless. Paul took another look at his home as though he was analysing every detail once again, even taking some new spots he hadn't seen after Lyra's cautious eyes caught the changes.

Her form was the same after they last met, unknowingly twirling around to give Paul a decent show of herself (not in a questionable way, you naughty people). Her spins stopped once she faced Paul, giving him a friendly stare. Offering to see the rest of the house, Lyra carefully trotted towards the first corridor, stepping onto tiles that lead into the kitchen.

Surprisingly clean, Lyra slid the bottom cupboards to the side that revealed spotless plates and bowls. Above the container was an arrangement of eating utensils trapped in metal cylinders. Cantering over the nearby sink, with little specks of dirt, Lyra peered through the neat windows that were separated by a thin piece of wood. Ponyville was waiting on the other side with near-to-empty streets.

Making conversation, Paul insisted on reaching the dining room, talking about random events. There was one question that Paul was desperate to ask, but he waited until the time was right. The constant wiggling of her rump as her steps increased styled Lyra as she made her way to the dining room.

Are you sure this is the same, old Lyra Heartstrings? Negativity said as he scraped his head.

Should be. It's just a small change. Besides, that's what you're into, right? Paul thought.

Only with humans.

"Hey, Lyra?" She peered over as she swung on the chair, "How come you weren't at the opening?"

Lyra chuckled, "What do you mean? I was there, you probably didn't see me amongst the crowd." She insisted.

Paul shook his head in disagreement, "No, I saw all those ponies out there but none looked like you. It may have been that I had forgotten something but I'm quite sure you weren't there."

Lyra was silent as her face grew red, sweating. Paul looked at her again, seeing her shake in place and her green eyes locked on his, causing a click to enter his mind.

"Unless... Queen Chrysalis?"

A chuckle entered the cyan pony's muzzle, "I thought you'd never know."

A flash of green and lime swirled around Lyra as a new figure rose. The familiar dark stature filled with holes and a lust-filled mind crept as she stood tall, blending with the dark furniture. Her stature remained aged but regal as she posed like the queen she is. Her wanting glare stayed cemented on her face.

Paul observed Queen Chrysalis, reliving his actions when they were alone in the cool cavern. Queen Chrysalis knelt before the human and came in contact with his forehead with a light smooch as she ruffled Paul's messy hair. She offered whether to stay as her usual form or change into something more appealing to everyone in Ponyville. Giving the approving gesture, Queen Chrysalis's appearance was short-lived and was replaced by a calmer, more likeable character - one that Paul adored very much on their first time meeting.

The familiar, orange mare stood in front of Paul, shorter than her regular size but it was still her. Brushing her mane against his arm sent a shivering delight unto Paul's spine as his mate fiddled with his body. Caressing her fluffy cheeks, Paul kneaded with loving care. As the mare circled his structure, her canary tail smoothed his stomach and a glance at her rump was imminently accidental. The three apples signified who she was. The only surprising feature was her Stetson hat gone from her slender body.

"Care ta show me 'round the place?" Applejack winked as Paul began to cruise his house.

Pointing out various attractions, such as the very few paintings and inconvenient lampshades, Paul trekked through the building as Applejack followed his finger to places she'd never seen before. Passing the kitchen, Paul swung a few cupboards to allow Applejack to be at home, pouring a glass of wine gifted by Rainbow Dash during his birthday.

Centrifuging her glass, the farmpony sipped lightly, admiring the taste. Paul only poured a small proportion and had already drained his glass, setting it down in the sink softly. As he turned, a forced kiss entered his lips as an unconscious Applejack raided his maw, ramming her tongue on his. Eyes widened, Paul lightly resisted her wanting passion and a string of saliva was bridged between the two creatures.

Licking her lips, Applejack savoured the taste and grinned sultrily at her playmate, "Y'know, I'd love ta see what'cha got upstairs, Paul."

Paul sighed at the fake Applejack as he rolled his orbs at her playfulness as he led her onto the velvet carpet, heading towards the last few rooms. He pushed the handle and displayed the bathroom covered in tiles and a sink without the other necessities like the well-known 'bathtub'. As the carpet made way for Paul's feet, he ambled through his favourite room in the whole house, deeming it the "Gaming Room".

Ever since the new systems have come out, like the Beta Switch and Neon Screen, Paul has been using his earning to purchase something he enjoyed doing several months ago. Through the investigation of magic, ponies were able to create a network to allow ponies from around Equestria to interact with one another. However, it would have been an annoyance if someone in Ponyville was versing another in the Crystal Empire, sitting next to their 'router'.

Introducing Applejack to his 'new' hobby, she ambled aimlessly as she fiddled with each item in the room. The windows' curtains held back the few rays that just passed through the house's defences. As she stumbled inside the room, tripping over various objects that were assorted on the slightly stiff carpet. Treading her hoof on a small item, she slipped. Before she could hit the floor, Paul lifted Applejack, straining to keep both bodies on her hooves and feet. Paul began to skid across the carpet as he pushed harder on Applejack, steadying her footing as with Paul who decided to take her hoof and lead her to the monitor that covered most of the wall.

Laying Applejack softly on the comfy couch, Paul introduced the room properly, moving cautiously in order to not break anything on the ground as he made his way to each curtain. Moving the shades aside, a rush of light blinded Paul briefly as a new room remained visible to both creatures. Peering her head, she took a glance at the light and gazed at Paul, attempting to uncover the other window as he tiptoed past the minefield of gaming items.

You should really clean this mess, Paul. We know we both love gaming and technology but this is worse than your house on Earth. Negativity reasoned, Even Button Mash's room isn't like this. It's clean! And he's younger than us!

"Hey, Paul, you should really clean the mess you've got," Queen Chrysalis's voice returned, still resting her head on the sofa's arm, "Allow me."

Queen Chrysalis's horn grew a light green as she flashed the room in her colour while Paul covered his eyes. The room was completely spotless, regardless of the neat stacks of games in the corner, devices piled on one side and equipment stored in an organised zone. The floor he once treaded on multiple occasions had now been emptied thanks to some quick magic.

Paul slunk into his couch with a remote in-hand, pushing and flipping some switches as the screen gave a brief glow of blue. Queen Chrysalis leaned her head against Paul's slant, breathing comfortably as he scrolled various icons on the concentration of an everlasting white that spanned the screen. The queen heaved a sigh and fiddled in place as she attempted to spot something interesting.

Paul assured that she would have some fun as she remarked smartly about enjoying her time in bed while lying in piles of boredom on the couch as she gave a winking smirk. As Paul laughed unenthusiastically, he selected a symbol and set another remote next to Queen Chrysalis. She merely stared at the object until Paul asked her to grab the remote.

A familiar sound lit the room as it hoisted the object in front of her, gazing at all the options laid in front of her. Like a running track, the controller had a set of four buttons on either side - one with arrows and the other with a combination of shapes and singular letters. Her analysis was interrupted by the horns of battle as the music began to emit from the screen.

Bright, white letters flashed at the duo as its title revealed itself with simple weaponry behind the grand opening: Conquest: Equestria. Queen Chrysalis' eyes lit up a neon-green as her interest piqued and her greedy aura grasped the remote, hovering it near her chest.

Exiting the title screen, a warning message appeared and hastily disappeared as Paul configured the game, "You fool, didn't give his mistress time to read?"

Paul replied, "It's just a warning to those who aren't eager to see bloody battles or too young to even see the cover art. You aren't under sixteen, are you now?"

A flame of forests burst around Queen Chrysalis and Apple Bloom remained in its fallout, "Are ya sure 'bout that now?" She slyly smirked as Paul scoffed at the jest while he continued to tweak the game.

Reforming to her usual figure, Queen Chrysalis turned her sights to the screen as Paul demanded to choose a character. Scanning through each selection, a tint of surprise came to her eye as she scrolled over her own figure as her model gave a deathly stare back at her.

"How do I-" Queen Chrysalis asked.

Paul continued, "Press 'X' on the controller."

Submitting to Paul's orders, she clicked the button and soon Paul's marker skimmed across the board of commanders, ranging from 'Commander Gust' and 'Princess Celestia' to land on his favourite operator, a unicorn whose armour radiated with a bold glow of anger across his average stature. A dark mane provided a menacing finish as it scarred Queen Chrysalis.

"Manipulator Red?" The queen questioned, "Why, he was a challenge to defeat."

With their selections complete, Paul aligned his cursor with various battlefields. Holes scattered on land while on the sea, ships were massacred near coral and mountains. In Cloudsdale, fire spread between humble homes and airships were supplied with soldiers, not tourists, and the plain deserts were founded with outposts, accompanying deadly vehicles riddled in small towns. All of them had their own name, Operation: First Sail, Operation: Bulky Hills, Operation: High Terror and Operation: Desert Mist.

The place Paul wanted was Operation: Sudden Storm, a map filled with small barricades facing a wide entrance to a cave where green goo held the inevitable collapsing walls. Tiny structures were strewn about on the battlefield while a headquarters sat at the base of the trek that led up to the cave's deathly maw.

Pushing a single button, the two were off - Queen Chrysalis learning how to play along the way while Paul set his army full of skilled unicorns to raid.

Unicorns began to shout orders as they hid within a rundown shack, bombarded with magical arrows of green. Explosions raided the entire field as barricades slowly lost their potential and broke off, sending soldiers back to their commander while some fell in battle. As they call for reinforcements, they maintain their wits and bolt streaks of glowing auras back at several changelings, hitting some troops as they disappear into the air.

As ponies swiftly construct a deadly vehicle filled with explosive shells and seats for various ponies. As their troops struggled to embark the hefty transportation, the engine growled menacingly as its tracks pushed against the ruined dirt below and into a fallout of dips that evacuated the ground immediately.

Terrorised screams and surged pain continued to echo from the fallen shack as more casualties raised. As the large force rushed to aid, the changelings spotted the roaring figure and were ordered to retreat, leaving the shack exposed to support as it rained its own fiery avalanche on the responding troops. Steady breaths became common in that location as the few remaining men crawled out of the shack, either bruised or dirty from the fallen structure.

In the enemy base held a dark power, morphing more changelings as they set their path towards their captured outposts scattered across the battlefield and with only one more to conquer - the ruined structure that the allied secured. A heavy weapon began to roll out onto the battlefield from the high cave as it aligned itself to battle the fortified building. The falling shack only withstood with barely any windows and its walls only bothered to hold up one side - towards the changelings.

As the desperate pursuit resulted in using all of Queen Chrysalis' forces, abandoning their posts and overcoming the final objective, Manipulator Red ordered a massive wave of allies to capture the undefended bases. With no effort, Red's forces transformed the tide of battle as Chrysalis' troops attempted to recapture the strategic points while she stationed some units in the rundown structure.

"How'd ya like me now, Chrysalis?" Paul teased as his forces held positions while his opposer negotiated a flanking manoeuvre.

"That's Queen Chrysalis to you, repulsive colt." She retorted, obviously angered by the sudden loss of territory.

Various holes coated the battlefield as faint and loud thuds hit the ever-changing terrain. Some sounds managed through the code and cued without the missile impacting the ground - must have been a bug.

The raging forces continued their constant dance of flares, bouncing from side-to-side until a few fell and an evident push was made. As more of Red's troops pushed against the now raised obstacles, leading to the open cavern, the queen's heavy gun carved an opening for her own cheese-legged soldiers.

The furious onslaught continued for several minutes as the two competitors struggled to break their stalemate from losing and gaining territory. That was until Red sent an elite squad to take over and hold the position Queen Chrysalis needed to push his own forces back. Unable to regain the valued resource, Red ordered an all-out attack on the enemy's lack of achievements, driving them into the heart of their operations - a clear indication that Red was closing in on victory.

Gathering more brave soldiers in his headquarters, he planned to bring down the cave to wipe out the entire changeling population holed in the establishment. Without mercy, he rallied the largest machines he could afford and launched a full-fledged assault on their opponent's headquarters where changelings panicked, defended the final base courageously and were soon to meet the afterlife.

Stabilising their positions, Red's troops butchered the forces who attempted to command the tide of war while the heavy machinery readied their cannons. And with a single order, the cave collapsed.

Graceful trumpets rang across the room, signifying the end of the battle. Queen Chrysalis glared into Paul's soul as he tried to warm her with a pat on the back, knowing that she'll do better next time. Paul admired her perseverance, telling her the abundance of players who backed out of the game when things turned sour. The somewhat helpful comment boosted her moral slightly, sending her mind the ability to smile and the growing temptation to try again.

That thought was, however, quickly removed from the instant banging of wood and irritated grunts downstairs. They were feminine with a hint of nerdiness and familiar to Queen Chrysalis' ears, the sound she despised in her days in Canterlot where an invasion was present and conquering was imminent. Well, almost imminent.

Paul insisted that a quick glance at the door would suffice and upstairs in seconds while Queen Chrysalis lounged on the couch, slouching on the comfy cushions as she devised a new plan of attack against Paul. As subtle thuds pursued Paul down the stairs, he peered through the glass window which revealed an annoyed purple princess who finally found relief.

Paul unlocked the door and expected a slap across the face or a gateway to Tartarus or both but Twilight's friendship remained. She sighed, given the ability to rest her aching hoof and magic from levitating a notepad and quill for so long outside.

He offered to massage her horn but was quickly declined as her strength rejuvenated and was ready to explain her presence. A while ago, when the house was open, the two agreed to see each other for an inspection each fortnight - that was today. Paul was in absolute shock as he honestly forgot about the said day and his anonymous friend was just upstairs. Bullets rained from his now moist forehead as Twilight leaned closer, examining his reaction.

"Forgot it was today, wasn't it?" She asked, smirking slightly, "It's okay, I've visited a lot in the past two weeks and there has been nothing wrong with your house. My castle is usually dirty too- actually, no it's not. Anyways, I just want to monitor just like we planned, okay? You don't have to lead me around, I can just skim around the house and check for any issues." She complied, beginning her search for problems among the household.

"Hold on, Twi," She swerved, "Why didn't you just teleport into my house?" He asked, even though he was relieved she didn't and catch Queen Chrysalis inside.

"Well, I just respect your privacy and all. Wouldn't be pleasant if I caught you doing something... strange, especially during your free time off work." Twilight continued her journey.

Paul left speechless, slowly making his way upstairs silently but hastily to tell Queen Chrysalis to change forms. Creaking the door open, the game was still on with music filling the room and Lyra Heartstrings returned to play, eager for 'one' game of Conquest: Equestria, waving her tail side-to-side.

Giving a blank stare, Paul tried to negotiate Queen Chrysalis to change, wanting her to morph into a more believable pony. Lyra would never play a game, especially a homage to the first war. The sly queen merely asked Paul to relax by playing another round but frustration ran through his head, desperate for her to change, lowering his voice as the princess's steps reached the second floor.

Curious from Paul's vigorous movements, she peeked her head inside the room and in shock as her eyes darted to Lyra who sat lazily on the couch and an unfamiliar smile, "Lyra? What are you doing here? I thought you said that you would visit the Cakes' by the time you left?"

"Well," 'Lyra' began, "I thought I'd spend some time with Paul beforehand. It has been a while since I last saw him, you know. Besides, I came one day early to meet and greet everypony. Is that so wrong?"

"I suppose not," Twilight reasoned, "But I wouldn't think that you would forget your plans and instead play games. Especially if those games deal with the past! The dark past."

Something was definitely wrong and Twilight's mind failed to pinpoint the fault.

"Oh, then I haven't told you anything about my love for history, haven't I? I mean, I've learned a whole lot about Paul's past as well as the evolutions in his world. I value Equestria's history too." Lyra had taken a shot in the dark, hoping that the real Lyra Heartstrings said nothing about her thoughts on history.

"I guess," Twilight negotiated, staring into the ground until her head caught Lyra's forest-green eyes remaining in silence - an awkward silence. Now she had known.

"I should probably go now, Paul." Lyra patted his shoulder, beginning to make her route down the stairs.

Twilight had no words, not for Lyra anyway. She only breathed inaudibly until Paul shut the door tenderly and Lyra vanishing into the wind.

As soon as Paul hit the staircase, he was requested by the princess, his nervousness returning. Leading Paul into his bedroom, he hoped for two things: One, no sexy time with Twilight and two, no comments about Queen Chrysalis' form.

Twilight began, "Has anyone referred to any changelings to you at all the time you've been here?"

Paul shook his head, poker face dominating his expression. He couldn't expose Queen Chrysalis - she was a friend, a great one! He couldn't just backstab her after all the kind and laughable moments they shared, even now.

"Well, to begin, changelings: they come off as threats to Equestria since they can shapeshift at their leisure and will feed on love on any opportunity. I believe that you've encountered the most dangerous one - Queen Chrysalis."

Oh wow. We're totally scared, Negativity jested.

"She's been missing ever since Starlight, Trixie, Discord and Thorax have defeated her in her own creation. Tell me, and I can't stress enough of its importance: How many ponies did you notice having green eyes?" She emphasised greatly. Turned out that this was a heavy threat against the ponies- no, everyone after all. Still, Paul couldn't just give her away.

Maybe she could change, be a better changeling. Paul thought.

"Well, Applejack obviously has green eyes because I see her all the time unless that's the queen you keep talking about. I think Lyra had the green eyes you're talking about," Paul scratched through his hair, attempting to find another culprit (obviously trying to help Twilight and still have Queen Chrysalis anonymous), "I can't recall any others, sorry." Paul gave a slight frown.

Twilight sighed, "Okay, I hope you could find any other green-eyed ponies soon, especially if they seem a bit out-of-the-ordinary. I don't think that was Lyra. She usually has orange eyes with a yellow tint."

Paul agreed to her request for her own sake and for them to quit talking about Queen Chrysalis since invisible beads of water shivered through her investigating speech.

"Anyways," Twilight continued, "Everything seems fine around here. No complications, just a few dishes need washing downstairs and I'll see you whenever," She began climbing down the stairs and flashed the door open, "And remember: Keep an eye out, okay?" She said worriedly as Paul nodded assertively with a small comment afterwards, leaving her outside and trotting into wherever she would end up.

Paul flicked the lock, finally out of the danger. His head itched painfully, skimming his black forest to remove any irritating creatures. He was confused. Queen Chrysalis seemed like a nice creature to hang out with but is greatly feared by the ponies. Her home resided in a cave where no one wanted to visit to know about. She has certainly been reformed, right?