The Saviour of Saddle Arabia

Chapters

1 - The Queen's watchful eyes
2 - Defining an age
3 - If it tastes like love...
4 - Family
5 - Ascent

1 - The Queen's watchful eyes

[...] After four days of stride and four bone-chilling nights, we had consumed our last drop of water and the last of our food. On the morning of the fifth day, as we thought our life forfeit to the sands of the desert, Serene saw in the distance white towers of alabaster and shining domes of turquoise. Cautiously, as we thought of it as a mirage, we approached them, finding an Oasis large and plentiful in water and fruit.

Earth ponies dressed in elegant silk and rich in gold and gems welcomed us, and they were soon enraptured by the many tales of distant lands we could tell them. We spent twenty-two days and nights as guests in the palace, under the watchful and kind eyes of Queen Oasis, which offered us food and gifts as luxurious as those they consume among the richest and most respected of the unicorns. [...]

At noon of the twenty-second day, a caravan of nomads reached the White Oasis to trade goods, and we left with them. With their knowledge, in three days we were out of the desert, and with the supplies that our friends from the Oasis left us with we reached in six more days a port without ever going hungry. As in those lands, outside of the Oasis, gems are scarce, we could buy a whole ship with a fraction of what we were given as a parting gift. Such was the generosity of Golden Oasis, Queen of saddle Arabia.

-Mistral Wind, Explorer 1400 BD ca

The name was Oasis. Queen Oasis. Only, it was not 'her' name. So many among the Queens of Saddle Arabia shared that name in the past two or three thousand years that historians themselves had lost count. Not that inflation made it lose any value; as the latest among them, she didn't lack privileges. Her beautiful palace stood tall in the middle of the largest and most luxuriant Oasis in the whole country, the amount of wealth she had access to was measured in fractions of GDP, and her decisional power was 'limited' only by an ineffective council of elderly nobleponies. Also, the prince that fathered two of her three foals was long dead, but she still had dozens of suitors, some of which were much younger than her. Although she recognized the futility of the fact, she couldn't deny it was flattering.

On the other hoof, the title of queen entailed some duties towards her subjects. Powerful and respected, and yet generous and wise; She played her part to perfection. What she would have said was even more impressive was that she managed to do so despite so many conspiring against her. Not in the literal sense, as the crown was as stable as it had ever been. Just metaphorically, against her mental health. The aforementioned council's members, much to her displeasure, thought they had a saying on her actions. And they understood nothing about the sheer scale of what she was aiming for. She would have had them replaced a long time prior, wasn't it for the wealth of knowledge about the bureaucracy of the kingdom.

It was after one such meeting, an especially long and intense one at that, that the Queen was coming back to her throne room, with a grim expression on her face and a lingering headache pushing on her temples. Her displeasure was only increased as she noticed the two unicorn guards which were supposed to stand near the large gem-encrusted door and open it to her passage were not there. She sighed and asked a nearby maid if she knew of their whereabouts, only to receive a negative answer. It was highly unusual, especially since in a country of earth ponies like Saddle Arabia unicorns were extremely rare, and those in the palace were especially visible due to their extravagant ceremonial uniform. It was a tradition four or five generations old, going back to when it was decided that having unicorn servants was the mark of royalty and that having doors magically open was much more dignified than the old fashioned way. Considering the riches of the crown, it is was never difficult to find volunteers.

The queen didn't think too much about it all, besides starting to think of a fitting punishment for their absence, and ordered two guards among her entourage to open it for her. They were quick to follow their order, grabbing the rings on it with one of their hooves and starting to pull the large, elegantly ornated door. They had not moved it but by an inch when it was slammed open, hitting the two unlucky guards, as the supposedly missing unicorns ran out of the room screaming. They seemed mostly fine, albeit terrified, but it looked like their uniforms had been bitten in multiple places. The reason was quickly found as some apples, pears and oranges (exotic fruit for Saddle Arabian standards) with small but sharp teeth and wings like those of bats chased them down the hallway.

The entire entourage was simply speechless, excluding the two guards that were freeing themselves from the heavy door and moaning in pain. The Queen was silent too. She wanted to laugh and to cry at the same time. What she had feared for the longest time finally happened: her meetings really drove her to madness.

"I've been waiting for a while..." She was brought back to reality, if reality could still be called, by a familiar deep voice. His tone was clearly amused, it was obvious he was having fun despite the supposed wait, but the Queen couldn't help but shudder "I hope it isn't a problem if had some fun with your ponies in the meantime..."

It would have been a problem, a huge one, had it been anypony else. Invading the palace, attacking two guards and, worst of all, sitting on her throne as if he belonged there. Not only he would have broken many laws, but his arrogance in front a monarch would have been a crime in itself. But all the Queen could do was to humbly advance in the throne room keeping her head low, kneeling in front of him. "Not at all, Lord Discord..." The one and only Draconeequs, a chimaera with some pony-esque features mixed with a serpent-like body, a paw of lion, a talon of eagle, a hoof of pony, and a claw of dragon, not to speak of his mismatched horns and wings. The creature that, despite his bizarre appearance, stood above every king and every queen in the world. "What do I owe this visit to?"

For the prideful Queen, kneeling was already hard enough. What really hurt her, though, was the fact he was clearly having the time of his life. There was something in her behaviour that deeply entertained him, and she couldn't understand what it was. Her behaviour towards him was the same as always. After a few more moments, with a large grin, he chuckled: "Come on, Blue, you can drop the formalities."

Blue. At this single word, the Queen froze. Blue Oasis, that was her given name. An unusual one for her own dynasty, characterized usually by much more earthy colours. The lower part of her body was sand-coloured, as expected. On the rest, there were large patches of light blue fur, matched by a dark blue mane styled in saddle Arabian fashion. A good omen, they said, in a land always poor in water, and an essential part of her renowned beauty. And she certainly didn't dislike other ponies call her 'Queen Oasis, the beautiful', as they sometimes did. How they didn't call her, though, was 'Blue'. She would have guessed most of her subjects didn't even remember that was her name, and even if they did that was certainly way too confidential, too intimate. She didn't recall having any such relation with Discord. She only met him at important events, like the anniversaries of his reign. The relationship between her kingdom and that of his Lord was mostly handled by diplomats, so she could hardly recall any one-on-one conversation.

But what if that was the nature of their relationship? What if she simply had no knowledge of any such interaction? She really couldn't tell. It was so difficult to read Discord as she could do with other ponies. With him, there were too many different signals going on at the same time. Was he serious in his request? Was he just teasing her? Was that a trick? Would she be punished for acquiescing at his request? Or worst, would he be disappointed had she did indeed 'kept the formalities'?

"Sure", she said through her forced smile, raising her head and straightening her back. She was still cautious as she took a few steps ahead, getting closer to the throne. Her guards, which had now closed the door behind them, although uncertain on how to act were still to trying to follow their Queen at a reasonable distance. The Queen was paying them no mind, just closely observing Discord and thinking carefully about her every action and her every word: "You haven't answered my question, though." The perfect balance between formality and informality, she thought, a neutral in-between.

And yet, the first answer she received was a long, deep, hearty laugh. "You are so funny!" The Queen blushed, humiliated. Did she not deserve having her questions answered? Was she nothing but a laughing stock? "If that's what you are wondering about... It was the first time I called you 'Blue', and I do not plan to make it a habit." That was not her question, but she could hardly deny it was an answer she wanted. She sighed, relieved. Sure, she didn't like being teased, but in the end, it was easily the superior outcome. Her relief was short-lived. "I love how hard you try to, should I say, 'look the part'!"

The Queen flinched for a moment, and some of her guards started to look at each other with worry in their eyes. The Queen was trying to keep her smile, her composure, but for a moment her voice wavered "What do you mean?" She didn't understand. Or better, she really hoped she didn't.

"It's a funny story, really!" There was a slight shift in his tone of voice, although the Queen couldn't really put her hoof on it. Its amusement was different. Faker? Or more real? "When I first met you, two anniversaries ago..." The Queen looked confused. There were so many anniversaries before that, as the reign of king Oasis had by then spanned more than two decades "Everything was normal." He stopped. "Boring, even", he added after thinking for just a moment "Except for a certain something I couldn't explain!" He was still smiling, not showing too much of his hand, but the Queen was carefully considering his every word. "The year after, as you came back, I felt it again. Stronger, I'd say, at least when you were with your guards." The guards were still perplexed, but the Queen knew too well what he meant. And for the first time in the longest time, she was afraid. "It was like the... Buzzing of a bug!"

The Queen opened her mouth just to close it moments afterwards. She was speechless. Was that expression a coincidence? It couldn't be, it was way too specific. Had her body allowed so, she would have started to sweat. Had her situation allowed so, she would have tried to run. But there was hardly anywhere to go, even throwing all his ponies at him would have yielded no result but gaining a few seconds. Not even enough to reach a window.

"A good metaphor indeed! ...Or was it a simile?" The Draconeequs scratched his beard for a moment, looking as if lost in thought. As if trivial details like that were more relevant than the big picture, then the very destiny of the mare in front of him. "Anyways, I recalled what that feeling was, despite it being amiss for centuries..." He got up from the throne, and in just a few steps he was right in front of the Queen. She didn't move a muscle, frozen, as his paw reached the tip of her nose, pushing against it and producing g a comical squeaky sound, immediately followed by his own comment "Boop"

Instinctively she ended up briefly closing her eyes. As she opened them again not only they had changed to an intense green hue, but she could now see green flames twirling around her body. In front of her astonished guards and the amused King, her whole body underwent a slow metamorphosis. The soft fur replaced by black chitin as holes appeared in her legs. A distorted horn and insect-like wing springing up from her previously earth-pony frame. Also, her now green mane was growing much longer, while her whole body was growing much taller; considerably more even of the above-average Saddle Arabian mare she already was. Or at least she looked like. Because what she was now was certainly no Queen Oasis.

"N-now that you know", she stuttered, her position shifting to a defensive one. The Queen of the powerful, fearsome changelings reduced as a meek prey. It must have been so funny for the Draconeequs, she thought, stripping her of everything before killing her. "What do you plan to do?"

Slowly, as if to be unnoticed, the guards were trying to get a little bit closer to the two, still intentioned to defend their Queen. While they still kept their pony form, many of them were starting to show that same greenish hue in their eyes, which revealed their true nature. A threatening look from Discord was more than in enough to stop them in their tracks. Then slowly, painfully so in the Queen's opinion, he tapped his chin with his talon a few times, looking pensive once more. After what was but a few moments, although it certainly felt much longer, he finally deliberated: "Nothing, really..." He shrugged his shoulder apathetically, giving the Queen an ambiguous half-smile

"W-what?" No assumption and no presupposition could stand the passage of Discord, as the Queen learnt once more. She herself replaced a monarch, filling the ranks of her army and her bureaucracy of faithful changelings, and even upon discovering the fact Discord showed no desire to act. It must have been a trick, there was no other explanation because the alternative was simply too monstrous to conceive even for the Changeling Queen. "Why?" She tentatively asked. Although uncertain although weakly, a little bit of hope was re-emerging.

He chuckled. "First, it is much more interesting like this!" While Discord said that as if it was self-evident, the Queen was more and more astonished. "Second, you are quite impressive, if I say so. It takes skill to replace a Queen without anypony noticing, and running the kingdom this flawlessly." He was ready to speak again, to conclude his brief catalogue of reasons, but he only managed to emit a quick "Finally..."

Then the Draconeequs was then interrupted by a bitter comment: "You noticed, though..." A stain in the pride of a master infiltrator, a shame so deep it prompted her to speak up, even against her better judgement.

Discord was not at all angry. He was impressed! There was still some bite in that mare, despite the utter sense defeat she was feeling: "If it was just you, I wouldn't have. Changeling magic is impressive like that, yours especially." The amount of magic leaking outside a changeling body is so small that no pony and only the most advanced magical scanners could realize. Not even the unbelievably sharp senses of a draconequus were normally up to the task. "But if it a swarm, then it becomes quite easy..." Multiplying the number of changelings, especially as not every everyling is naturally as skilled, also multiplies the magic leaking. It is simple math, although the discovery was only made possible by Discord's extraordinary feats

She nodded, while mentally taking note of that. Her mistake was, in a way, being too eager to have her changelings by her side. Had she kept the regular pony guards, she would probably never have been caught. Assuming he was still telling the truth... Which seemed reasonable at this point.

"Finally, as I was saying..." With his paw, delicately, he picked her chin and slowly raised her head, then looking her in the eyes. Long blond hair appeared on his head, sensually fluctuating in a non-existent wind, and her voice became two octaves deeper, some stereotypical mock-seductive tone. "I prefer you like this..."

Chrysalis smiled. He was lying, she was sure of it. She didn't feel any spike of love, not even lust. Nothing, really, emerged in the sea of twirling, undiscernible emotions that Discord was in the eyes of a changeling. So she did what she could, which was lying as well "Oh, I'm flattered..."

He laughed once more, throwing away his wig, before going back to the main topic "Seriously, Nothing picked my interest as much as you have in the past..." he started counting on his fingers, raising first all those of his left arm, than those of his right one to the same effect, and then making many more arms appear from seemingly nowhere. After a few moments, though, he got tired of counting "A very long time, anyways. And I look forward to strengthening the relationship among our kingdoms..." He winked at her. their kingdoms were, in fact, pretty close already. Saddle Arabia was, by all means, a subject of Equestria, as it had been for more than a millennium. "We will have so much fun, Queen..." he prolonged the word, gently moving her paw toward her, prompting the changeling to complete his phrase.

"Queen Chrysalis, monarch of the southern hive." That was her title, although the southern hive had been long lost. Driven out of their very own lands centuries ago, forced to live as fugitives, hidden at the margins of society, and finally finding a safe shore in the saddle Arabian desert. Such was the story of her people "Although, in public, I will still go as Queen Oasis" It was obvious, her citizens would never have knowingly accepted a changeling as their monarch. But with Discord, it felt like it would be better to make it clear. "Also, could you start by dealing with the... 'creatures' you conjured earlier?"

Now he looked disappointed. Or at least feigned disappointment. "I thought you would like my... Fruit bats!" A small drum set appeared in the hair next to him, as two sticks played it producing a 'Badum tss' sound, as if to underline his pun. "Can do, though". He snapped his talon, and although no effect was immediately evident, somewhere in the palace two unicorns and probably some maids were infinitely relieved "Done, I made them disap-pear!" 'badum tss'. The changeling guards were looking at each other in confusion, while the Queen was now regaining her composure, and she even offered a smirk to Discord jokes. Although, naturally, a fake one "By the way, I had not seen you changelings in centuries. Where had you been?" He asked, with seemingly honest curiosity in his voice.

Now, Chrysalis didn't resent Discord. She didn't, just like one wouldn't resent a hurricane or an earthquake. But at this question, she couldn't but flinch, although Discord didn't really notice. How could he say such a thing, how did he dare to ask? He must have known. Could he have just forgotten? The changeling couldn't. There were still tales of how they were driven out of their hive, in the times of his great-great-great-grandmother by nopony else but Discord, with a swarm of his nightmarish, chaotic creatures. "As it happened, we migrated". But she had enough wisdom left to just lie once more.

"I see", I sighed. He kind of hoped for a more interesting story. But it was fine, they would have many more chances to exchange interesting memories, and to write new ones as well "Now, sadly, I have a meeting..." A Dali-esque clock appeared right in front of him "Some twenty minutes ago". Punctuality wasn't really his thing. Not that anypony could force him to be punctual, after all. "But don't worry, I'll be back soon..." He smiled, as his body started to disappear. Only his smile was left, and his lips moved one last time before vanishing as well "Chrissy!"

And so Chrysalis was left there, and she tried to wrap her head around what just happened. She laughed, for long moments, as the reality of the situation became apparent. She thought not of the risks, not of the dangers that a relation with such a dangerous and unpredictable creature could bring. In her eyes there was a gleam of greed, as she saw the infinitely deep well of opportunities he could offer.

Little did she know, the same forces that would soon raise her at the top of the world would be the ones driving her downfall.

Author's Note

Doesn't look like a tragedy yet, I know. But I promise: it will be!

With love,
The Marshmallow

2 - Defining an age

[...] Princess Platinum, Commander Hurricane and Chancellor Puddinghead are portrayed in prefect agreement, with their eyes replaced by gemstones and what can only be described as greedy smiles. In the background Clover the clever, Private Pansy and Smart Cookie seem to strongly disapprove, and close to them there is a bag full of gems, some of which fell on the ground.

This piece of satire, one of the very few surviving the censorships wanted by Princess Emerald fifty years later, mainly proves three things. First, all of the founders of Equestria had immediate recognition. This includes Private Pansy, whose lack of promotions has often brought scholars to doubt of her role as a primary advisor both to Commander Hurricane and his successor. The fact she was granted significant freedom in her life and was not ostracized even after refusing to be deployed to war, on the contrary, suggests she was held in a special position in the pegasus' tribe.

Second, there was knowledge of the abundance of gems in Equestria. Exactly how well the scale of this abundance was estimated is unknown. Still, while Clover the Clever and Private Pansy's pacifist natures are well known, Smart Cookie is known for usually considered only the facts while making his decisions. His strong opposition to the war suggests he understood its pointlessness, as he was probably well informed, due to his involvement in the development of the Equestrian countryside.

Third, although later records present the first few decades of Equestrian history as a time of complete harmony, in part due to the strong propaganda wanted by Princess Emerald, it was clearly not the case. Not only there was sparse conflict among the three tribes leadership, which wasn't fully unified until the time of the Diarchy; even when the three leaders agreed, their very counsellors could hold an opposite opinion, which was likely to be very influential among the common ponies. The authority of the three leaders was essentially unchecked, though, so they soon declared the first war since the unification of the tribes, which resulted in saddle Arabia becoming the first Equestria's subject.

-D. Quill, Historian

After weeks of knowing Discord and often sharing 'tea time' with him, not one of the Queen's doubts had been answered. On the contrary, it was as if more and more questions were piling up. He was unexpectedly amicable for the god-like creature he was, always ready to crack a joke or to have some fun at a third-party expense. And only a few times he had invaded her personal space to the point of making her uncomfortable. On her part, Chrysalis was still in a state of constant wariness of her unlikely 'friend'. That's not to say she disliked the arrangement she had found herself in, though.

"By the way, dear Duchess, just the other day your diplomats rejected our amendments to the trade deal..." The duchess of Monacolt almost choked on her tea. She wasn't at all prepared to have that conversation. And despite her well-honed magical skills, the cup she was levitating started shaking, forcing her to hold it with both her forehooves before taking the following sip. "Shocking, I know. I just wondered if you could talk some sense into them", the Queen went on, ignoring the distress of her guest. "I wonder what my dear friend, our lord Discord, would think of this..."

The look on her face was just so precious, the Queen thought. Cornered, she was trying to find an escape of any kind, just to realize there was nothing she could do. Disappointing her people about a trade deal was a small price, compared to the notorious destruction Discord could bring with ease, and that many nations in the world had experimented in the previous nine centuries. "I-I believe he would be in perfect agreement", the duchess replied, forcing a smile and consuming what was left of her own beverage. "I will make sure to, uhm, give my collaborators better guidance...?"

In her question, in the prolonged and slightly higher pitch ending, it was implied she was seeking the Queen's approval. The latter wouldn't relent that easily, though, and only after a few unnerving moments of silence (in which she kept her most neutral expression), she finally replied: "I'm glad to hear this, my dear!" She paired it with a little, calculated smile to ease the tension a bit, then took the last sip of her tea in perfect silence, with the other mare observed her expectantly. Finally, she slowly rose from her chair moving closer to the Duchess. "I had a lovely time, but now I'd better bid you goodbye." Without a word, and very quickly at that, the other mare got up as well. She knew better than ignoring such hint. "I'll have to ask the kitchen for some more food. Our lord is probably going to be here soon." But Chrysalis knew very well how easily the winner of the game could become the long-term loser. It is enough to win so harshly that the other player never wants to play again. No, she needed to conclude on an uplifting note, to make sure she would come back. "I'll make sure to tell him what a good, reasonable lady you are."

As predicted, there was some gratitude in her eyes. The Duchess knew very well how important it was to be liked by the fickle ruler. Some commercial concession was no big deal, if she could just manage to have a slightly better, safer position while dealing with the Draconeequs next time. She ended up actually thanking the Queen as she left, accompanied by her own guards to the entrance of the palace.

Chrysalis liked the arrangement she had found herself in, she liked it very much. Neither Discord nor herself had been shy about it, and although they did little more than chatting, the gossip was much more creative regarding the exact nature of their relationship. The rumour that Discord would do anything for her, as he was said to be 'head over hooves' for her, was a very dumb one in her opinion, but certainly not unwelcomed. The amount of reverence, favours, and overall new privileges she had been accorded by many other monarchs made her job much easier. Even the council was giving her much more leeway than before. And Discord, well, he certainly didn't need to know how exactly she used his name...

"You don't need to worry about the food, I can provide it." The familiar voice resounded in the empty room, moments after the Duchess had left. Or at least, it should have been empty. But as she closed the door and turned around, she could as expected see nopony's presence. The table had still been refilled, though. There were two fuming cups of tea, cookies and pastries of every size and kind, and an impossibly tall pile of fruit emerging from an enormous golden fruit bowl that, previously, wasn't even there. Then she heard laughter coming from it "You thought it was just a fruit bowl..." And then the metamorphosis started. The fruit bowl grew even bigger at first, and then it uncoiled in golden spires similar to that of a snake. Or that of a draconeequs. Soon four limbs emerged, then two wings and finally the equine head became more and more defined. "But it was me, Discord!" The colour of his fur soon shifted from golden to its more natural one, completing its appearance. He was still somehow coiled in what seemed a fairly relaxed position, floating above the table, with the fruits still held by his forelegs.

Chrysalis wasn't relaxed. At all. She dreaded the possibility Discord overheard the whole conversation. She could not guess what he was thinking or feeling, unlike most ponies, but she assumed he would not be happy. She swiftly closed the door and turned around, revealing her true form with a spark of her changeling magic, before answering: "Do you realize I don't need to actually eat that, right...?" In the off chance he had not actually heard her or could forget the fact, she decided to choose a different topic. "And believe that neither do you." His very bizarre diet, characterized by unedible things at bizarre times of the day or nothing at all for the longest time, suggested he did not need 'regular' food either.

"Correct", he acknowledged, before letting go of all the fruit (which instead of falling to the ground just kept floating in place). He moved swiftly around the pile, picking just one apple with his tail as he got closer to her, and then he brought the ripe red fruit closer to his mouth, devouring it in a single bite: "But if ponies only did what they need to do, everything would just be so boring..." A movement of his talon, and quickly a juicy pink peach levitated right in front of the Changeling's mouth. "Why don't you try it? If some fruit can taste like love, it must be the peach!"

There was so much wrong in the pile of assumptions Discord had just laid in front of her. There was hardly any relation to the appearance of a piece of food, to its smell or even to its flavour to what a changeling would feel while tasting it. And although the feeling some food gave her, just like coffee or dark chocolate, was in fact pleasant, love was just something different. But she knew better than trying to contradict him. So cautiously, slowly, she approached the peach with her fangs, stealing a little bite and then ruminating on it carefully for long moments. It moved the little piece on her tongue, then on her gums, and then chewed on it thoroughly and repeated the process. And then, after swallowing it, she finally gave her judgement "Ugh... Mild embarrassment with a pinch of loneliness. No love at all."

"Really?" Chrysalis realized too late what she had just done, as she looked at the excited eyes of the draconeequs. Once again, she had picked his interest, meaning he was going to ask more and more of the same thing until he was satisfied. "Why didn't I make you do that earlier?" And that something was tasting food, and relating it to emotions. It sounded fund and simple, but...

"I'm not doing that again." Despite her better judgement, the Queen still had her pride. Being a taste-tester was demeaning, not fit for the royalty she was. And that was not negotiable. Even Discord was a bit surprised by the decision of her answer, but certainly not displeased.

"Oh, don't be like that...", he pleaded with his sweetest voice. But he was not only going to plead. No, he wanted to construct the most compelling argument: "It could be a fun game! You tell me what you think of some food, and I'll tell you what I think of... I don't know..." He tapped on his chin a few times, looking pensive. But he knew exactly what the bargaining chip had to be "The duchess' trade agreement?"

There was just no way he wouldn't know. The changeling froze for a few moments, before being finally able to open her mouth again. There was no reason to drag that on, at this point her best bet was to face the whole thing head-on "Are you angry?" And then she just waited to know her fate.

the lord of Chaos looked in her direction with an unreadable expression for just a few moments. Then he just laughed, dismissing her question as if extremely silly "I think absolutely nothing of that trade deal, or how you made her agree." Discord sounded amused, overall, to which the mare was simply incredulous. "You can say anything you want, as long as you don't expect me to act upon it..." That was quite an incredible privilege, as it would allow her to receive every kind of favour. She almost started to wonder how much her lord would allow her to do, as her 'favourite'. But she tried to suffocate the greed right there, as for a while it would not have been wise to take further risks. "And if you expect me to do something, at least tell me beforehand", he quickly added, interrupting her flow of thoughts.

Chrysalis blinked, incredulous "Wait, do you mean..." But she had barely time to open her mouth and mutter these few words, that the Draconeequs had started talking again. And there was seemingly no stopping him.

"More importantly... You will not believe what happened yesterday!" It usual for him to not linger on a previous conversation. But that day it felt as if all the other topics were of little importance, compared to what was to come. The one thing he really wanted to talk about, as his starry eyes and overenthusiastic voice suggested. "Oh, I'm so excited! Just months after I met changelings, which I hadn't seen in centuries, I found..."

And despite the many legitimate questions the Queen would have wanted to ask about so many other things, she had to admit she was getting a little bit curious about his 'friend' demeanour. Assuming those were his real feelings, that was way more excitement than he had ever shown in front of her. "...You found?"

"Well I..."He was tempted to just go on and on, but he just had to show restraint. He grabbed his own mouth with his talon, physically preventing himself from speaking, and then he tore it away from his own face. The lips were still convulsing and trying to open, but he quickly put on a new mouth in place of the previous one, and then he went on with his speech "No, I won't tell you" The Queen was a bit disappointed, and was wondering if he wanted her to just press further. But no, it was not necessary "But I can show you!"

He snapped his claws, and in a moment the entire room vanished, replaced by a blinding light at first and a very different palace moments later. That was not a simple transmutation spell, she realized with a little surprise, that was teleportation. The kind no unicorn could ever perform, due to its impossible range. "Why are we here?"

"Don't you worry, I notified your servants already", Discord said in his most reassuring (although a bit dismissive) tone. To his credit, a slip of paper written in elegant cursive had appeared on the table near which they were moments earlier. It said 'Off to Equestria, brb'. Not the most dignified way to communicate, nor the most effective... But still better than nothing

Chrysalis simply sighed. It wasn't even the first time she had teleported her in some random place in the world, and the elegant halls of the Canterlot palace were certainly not the worst place she could have found herself. She had been there before and was somehow familiar with the overall style of the place. A mix of Discord's creativity and the traditional style much liked by Canterlot nobility. Only, this room was a little bit different still, substituting bright pink to the usual red, and pairing it not with gold but with silver. Also, large cushions were scattered everywhere, and she could see a few toys and dolls on the floor.

And there was a little filly sitting among all of that.

The Queen's head turned quickly towards Discord, as she experienced a fit of rage. Nopony was supposed to see her like that, they had agreed on it! But all she saw was a large, satisfied, mischievous smile. Not the kind that would increase her ire tenfold, but one that did immediately confuse her. It looked like she was holding his laughter. Why? Had she missed some important detail about the little unicorn in front of her? Unicorn? Or was it a pegasus? A small horn emerged from the purple, magenta and golden curly mane of the filling. But at the same time, pink wings matching her coat rested on her sides, the tips presenting an unusual purplish hue "Wait... Is she..?"

But she didn't have the time to complete her sentence. The filly, who was previously just as surprised as her, had simply recovered slightly faster: "That's so cool!" She jumped on her hooves, eyes sparkling, getting extremely close to the Changeling to observe her every inch. The latter would have probably been annoyed by the fact, had she not started noticing the sheer amount of 'love' the little filly was emanating. Much more than any other pony she had ever felt, and while most of it was destined towards Discord some of it was for her. And despite having just met her, there was more than enough to keep her well fed. "Is the scary bug lady an alicorn like me?" She couldn't even answer, overwhelmed equally by the race of the filly, her love, and her demeanour. "What are all these holes for?" All while the filly kept asking questions about her appearance "And how do you fly with these holes in your wings? And..."

"Manners, Mia!" Finally, the one responsible for this whole situation intervened, gently scolding his niece. Chrysalis found the fact ironic. "I think bug is a bit offensive." So everything else could stand, even calling her 'scary'? His idea of manners was about as weird as... Well, as one would have expected. "About the holes, though, I'm a bit curious myself..." Case and point.

"So she is... An Alicorn?" Chrysalis herself was nine centuries too young to have personally met them, but having seen the documents she knew as a fact that two alicorns once ruled Equestria, and as a consequence saddle Arabia. And despite official history rarely mentioning them, it was said to be such a Golden Age that the legend had survived. the emergence of a new Alicorn Princess could really be the moment defining that entire age. "Where does she come from?"

"Excellent, it is time for some introductions!" He made no mystery of how much he was looking forward to their meeting. But to Chrysalis the reason was still a mystery. He expected something interesting to happen, she guessed. That was usually his main motivation for doing anything. "Mia, This is Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings" "There is plenty of other changelings in Saddle Arabia, right now, although they hide themselves disguising as ponies."

"H-Hi!" Said the little filly, a little bit more careful after the gentle scold she just received. The gears in her mind were visibly grinding, as she was trying to figure out how a creature twice as tall as the average pony could manage to disguise herself as one. In time she would discover that the vast majority of changelings are in fact much smaller, and that anyways they can change form.

"And this is Mi Amore Cadenza, the Princess of Love. She ascended yesterday by sharing her love with another pony, so the title seemed to fit" Chrysalis had no idea what 'ascension' meant, but had no doubt about the perfect fit. Probably Discord himself had realized that the amount and intensity of her love was unnatural, although it wasn't a good time to press the matter. "She can't use her unicorn magic yet, but I'll teach her personally."

Did he know about unicorn magic? That surprised her. But maybe it shouldn't have, considering how in their first meeting he simulated changeling magic to have her revert to her natural form. Nothing seemed beyond the Draconeequs "To be precise, I'm the monarch of the southern hive." She finally pointed out, claiming no power over the entirety of the changeling race, which probably still prospered in faraway lands. Sure, their hive used to be known and feared as a very powerful one, but that was centuries ago. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Princess"

"I'm so happy meeting you, too!", the little princess exclaimed excitedly, and with undeniable sincerity, before starting to frown in doubt: "Uhm, how should I call you?" She didn't want to seem rude by calling a queen too informally. The fact of being royalty herself had by no mean sunk in yet.

"What about Aunt Chrissy?" Both mares' heads turned to the Draconeequs immediately. The Queen was at the very least surprised at the suggestion. She was thinking of something very different, but once again she did see no reason to dissent "I would love for the two of you to get along!" That did not sound bad, not at all. Who wouldn't want to get well acquainted with such an extraordinary source of love, maybe enough to feed all her people?

The Queen finally smiled, "Ah! I'll try!" She looked at Discord knowingly, confirming with a small nod her willingness to try to befriend the filly, before finally focusing on the little pony. "I hope I'm not too scary, though!" She bantered, offering the small filly a wink and hoping the joke would be well received. Even if it wasn't, she could live with that. There were many more chances to get close to her, after all

"I mean, a bit?" Cadence replied, with a pinch of shame. In her mind, it wasn't even an opinion. No, it was a matter of fact. The sharp teeth, the crooked horn, the copious holes... "But you are also..." It was difficult for her to properly express the seemingly contradictory concept. She was elegant, queenly maybe, something that she would have liked to be, too. "Really pretty?", She tried.

Chrysalis smirked; she could definitely live with that, too.

Author's Note

Good news, next chapter there will finally be some actual plot!

With love,
The Marshmallow

3 - If it tastes like love...

[...] The reign of Duchess, later Queen, Oasis the Wise was for the most part thoroughly unremarkable. On the domestic front, she was a very capable and hooves-on administrator, but she didn't promote any significant reform. In international politics, she was known for her passivity. She never pledged any of her troops to Equestria if not asked, nor she was on the forefront promoting trade agreements.

In retrospect, she mostly waited for opportunities to arise, ready to seize them at a moment notice. Never it was as apparent as when, upon the return of Lord Discord, she immediately decided to support him, being the first ruler under Equestrian influence to do so. While it came as a surprise to many, it proved to be the right choice; as others submitted themselves to our Lord, she managed to assume a leadership position in the coalition, becoming a symbol of continuity and stability in those uncertain times.

Her loyalty didn't go unnoticed; Lord Discord himself rewarded her with more autonomy for Saddle Arabia than it had had in centuries, making it a kingdom once again from the duchy it had been for the longest time. Also, her agreement protected for a long time her subjects from Chaos, which even today our lord so rarely unleashes upon the White City.

Thus Oasis fulfilled her ancestors' dreams; earning once more the title of Queen for herself and her progeny, alongside the well-deserved name of "Wise".

-'Histories of Saddle Arabia, Volume VI', Various authors

As the late afternoon came, the heat of the day started to dissipate, giving way to a fresh breeze coming from the north-east. In saddle Arabia, everypony loved that merciful time of the day, from the poorest beggars to the most powerful nobles, from the lowly artisans to the richest merchants. Royalty was no exception.

In the shade of the porches of the white palace, overlooking the beautiful secluded garden encased like a gemstone in the castle's cloister, Chrysalis and Discord were relaxing and having fun. At least, Discord was having a lot of it; The Changeling, posing as Oasis, was mostly giving him forced smiles and fake laughter. The visual gags he could perform thanks to his god-like powers, albeit impressive, were just so childish. A waste of his potential, even.

"...And then I turned him into a parakeet!"

Discord laughed heartily, while even the Queen couldn't help but chuckle. She did find the anecdotes of how he dealt with anypony who bothered him quite funny, even inspiring. Recently he was telling more and more of those, which was making their rendezvous a little more enjoyable. "That should be a lesson he won't forget", she simply commented, a little smile on her muzzle.

"Right?" And Discord agreed, a smile twice as large on his lips; he then rose from his chair and quickly floated towards the garden. Among the flowerbeds, which collected the most beautiful samples the kingdom had to offer, luxuriant trees sprouted, offering ripe and plentiful fruit. He was focused one of these, an equestrian apple tree, from which he picked the ripest, most perfect pome he could find. But as soon as he had it firm in its grasp its intense red colour started to turn into a shiny golden under the effect of his chaos. For a few moments, he seemed quite intent in the act, in sharp contrast with the effortlessness that usually characterized its magic. And then... "Catch!"

Chrysalis, who had been observing and wondering what he was doing, was still caught off guard. The apple started to fly towards her, suddenly thrown by the Draconeequs, and was her a simple pony she would barely have been able to react in time. being a changeling queen, though, came with some advantages. Her reaction-time was excellent, and in a fraction of a second, her hoof was already in the position to catch it. She didn't need too, though, as the pome stopped mid-air, repositioned itself precisely, and then slowly descended towards her hoof. She sighed. Discord liked to have her taste different foods and have her relate them to emotions... Which she just found demeaning. "I shouldn't eat this, it's almost dinner time."

"You really are getting used to being a pony, aren't you?" The queen blushed slightly; they both knew very well that a Changeling had little use for regular food. But that was not was she meant. She should have expected Discord wouldn't take the polite hint. But maybe it was enough to change the topic of conversation... "Talking about the time... I wonder why Cadence isn't back yet?" He vanished for a moment reappearing just beside the Queen, sitting sideways on his chair and facing her, a ponderous expression on his face.

"I have no idea", and she was being honest. She had given clear orders to her servants, orders that included timeliness. She had never seen him be away from his niece for so many hours, and despite the prospect of spending the afternoon alone with the Queen clearly being something he cherished, he didn't want him to worry. She had no idea what the consequences could be. "The princess should be fine, anyways." Whichever inconvenience she could come across, she was escorted by well-trained guards. And despite her being young and poorly trained, she had quite the unbelievable magical reserve.

"She is." And he said it in such a matter of fact way, as not to leave any other option, that the queen herself was quite surprised. She expected at least a little bit of worry, but there was none whatsoever. "I've been teaching her how to defend herself." He sounded quite proud of her niece. Not the fastest learner, maybe, but her alicorn-ness brought even relatively advanced spells within her grasps. "I was wondering if something interesting might have happened to her..."

Chrysalis nodded understandingly... But once again, she had failed to read him. It was much harder, being she unable to sense some of his emotion like she would have done with anypony else. "I believe we'll know soon enough." Given the time, she thought, they should have been well on their way back. If something bad had happened, some of the spies she had disseminated around the city would have already related it to her. "We should go check if the servants are making dinner properly..." And saying so, she started to move towards the palace.

Or at least she tried, as Discord appeared right in front of her, gazing intensely in her direction. First to her, then to the golden apple, and finally to her once again. She would never not be disturbed by his attempt at puppy eyes... But she also knew better than ignoring such a direct hint. Suppressing a sigh, she went and bit the plump fruit, which broke in his mouth with a satisfying crunching sound. After chewing it just a little, honest surprise surfaced in her eyes. "It is good", she admitted.

It still didn't quite taste like love, but it was getting closer.

Just like her adoptive uncle, Cadence was having a lot of fun. The four guards accompanying her and the two servants pulling the elegant carriage… Not so much. The ride across the capital city had gone on without accidents of any kind, but it had still dragged on much longer than anypony would have expected. The single culprit was the princess herself, due to her sheer excitement. Not only she loved the sights of the city and greatly enjoyed smiling and waving to the ponies in the streets… But a bit too often her sight was captured by some potential detour, which led her escort to hear once again the now all too familiar command of: “There, there! Go there next!”

All the guards, four robust-looking Saddle-Arabian earth ponies, rolled their eyes simultaneously. And yet none of the guards, changelings in disguise as it happened, were keen on disobeying or disappointing royalty; their training was very clear about possible consequences. One of them had to speak up though, and the highest-ranked among them took the lead, readily elbowing one of them and wordlessly ordering him to do the deed “P…Princess.” He said, betraying some anxiety “I believe it is time to go back to the palace. Lord Discord must be very worried…”

“Aww…” Unsurprisingly, the princess was disappointed, and the unfortunate guard that had just spoken was already covered in cold sweat… When she said something much more reassuring: “I suppose you are right” Although the sun wasn’t yet setting, it had moved considerably from the position it was when they had started, and in contrast to the earlier heat it was getting kind of chilly. It was time to be responsible, stop playing and go back to… “That one! I want to go there!”

And the two disguised changelings dragging the carriage obeyed immediately, and despite being righteously tired after the long journey they did so gladly. In a stroke of luck, that would bring them back on the original route. Soon they were in a new road, much similar to the previous one but just slightly narrower. A secondary road, still large enough for the carriage to go through, lined with two stories white residential buildings and with a few ponies on the sides kneeling at their passage.

Then the road came to its end, and they turned right into a much larger street that would, in time, bring them to the palace. Unsurprisingly, there were also many more ponies there, one of which was... A bit too close. A colt appeared from right behind the corner, catching the group by surprise, and forcing them to an abrupt stop. And despite them not being quite that fast, the carriage was still pretty heavy and had considerable inertia that the two coachponies would be unable to fully contrast in the little time they had. Which wouldn't be a problem if only the colt could jump away to safety. As it happened, though, the surprised had locked him into a freeze reaction, making for a dangerous and unpleasant situation.

A situation that Cadence quickly averted, enveloping the colt in her aura and lifting him from the ground fast enough to save him, laying him just beside her afterwards. She panted for just a moment, feeling the effect of the brief but intense effort. Despite her gargantuan amount of magic and being taught by some of the best teachers bits could buy, she was still terribly inexperienced and wasteful in her spells. This made none of the guards less impressed, as such a fit was arduous even for an adult mare and impossible for the average filly her age.

As for the colt, he was impressed too, but as the surprise subsided, his eyes started to be filled with gratitude. He immediately threw himself at the princess, taking her in a hug, squealing "Thank you! Thank you!" The war was pretty warm, even pleasant. It had been a while she had received any hug but her uncle's, and the filly felt something stir inside her. The colt didn't seem to notice "I thought I was done for!"

He had barely time to end that sentence before the guards tackled him. Two pulled him away to from the hug and immobilized him, while the other two threatened him with the Saddle Arabian sabres held in their mouths. "What do you think you are doing, getting so close to the princess" The voice of the changeling was quite harsh, as one would have expected, and the colt was rightfully terrified.

The baffled princess, blushing and still a little bit confused by the sudden hug, finally had the chance to really look at the colt. Maybe it was the pristine white fur, or maybe the long-ish and a bit untamed sky coloured mane. It might have been his still small but solid frame, which promised to grow in quite a fine stallion. Possibly his eyes, which matched his mane and gazed at her with an impossible depth, which made her feel like she was falling in them. Whatever it was, her heart skipped a beat. "Let him go!" She still managed to look and sound surprisingly composed, even princess-like. Silk Pants would have been proud. "We should be the one apologizing, we almost ran over him!"

And she was not wrong. The guards, although still looking suspicious, did let him go immediately. "We are sorry", one of them even said, while two others put their weapons away. And the colt, still trying to calm himself down, could do nothing but nod, with an uncertain smile on his muzzle.

That pleased Cadence, especially since the smile was cute too, but that was not enough. "We should bring him to the palace, to give him a proper apology" And certainly there wasn't any self-interest in this offer. Absolutely none at all.

A chorus of "What?" echoed her order, equally from the colt and the changelings. The guards looked at each other, confused. This is not what they expected, nor it was what they were prepared for. And although the Queen did give no directive for how to act in such a situation, it was certainly not something they could do.

Right?

As Discord and the Chrysalis arrived in the dining room, her three children were already sitting at the table. Or at least, the oldest two were, while the youngest was being carried by her wet nurse just alongside them. They all rose from their chairs (and the nurse got closer as well), so the Queen could hug and kiss all of them. She did so ceremoniously, and yet it looked as if there was genuine affection.

The eldest of the three, a sand coloured mare in her late teens with an elegantly fashioned golden mane, was seemingly in her rebellious phase. She was the only one looking slightly bothered by that display of affection. The second in line, a twelve-or-so years old filly seemed on the contrary quite appreciative, not only welcoming but even reciprocating the kiss she received on her ground coloured forehead with a nuzzle to her mother's neck and smiled as the Queen delicately caressed her pink mane. The younger, a blueish colt with a sand-coloured mane who looked barely two, seemed content as well, but it was more difficult to gauge his reaction, given his apparent age.

Just as the Queen was pulling back, and Discord was stepping forward to hoof-shake them all, a miniature Discord appeared near the corner of her eye, quickly getting closer to her left ear, then whispering something unnoticed by anypony else "Which were the changelings, again?"

Chrysalis rolled her eyes. Once again he was proving how, despite being able to somehow sense changelings, he couldn't perceive the single individual, nor easily discern among changelings and non-changelings in a crowd; they were far too similar once transformed. That was good. What bothered her was the fact he was unable to remember that simple but vital concept. "Only the youngest one. The others know nothing", she barely whispered, counting on his exceptional hearing. It hadn't been three years since she replaced the real Oasis, so while she could easily fake her pregnancy, it was a bit too late to do the same for the two that had already been born a decade or more prior.

Also, it was worth noting that the 'actor' playing the young prince was much older than it seemed, somewhere around ten, and extremely talented for his age at that... If he was a two years old grub, he obviously wouldn't have been able to keep such a perfect shapeshifting.

Soon Discord pulled back as well, moving towards the table together with the Queen and her family. The table was prepared for five, meaning all the members of the two royal families minus the baby, which was still kept nearby for the moment. Discord sat first, and the Queen positioned herself right at his left. The two daughters sat on the other side of the table, in front of the two, and a single seat was still empty. It was the one to Discord's right, obviously reserved for Cadence. The Queen thought they should have been waiting for her a bit more, as it was still barely sunset.

It was as if he knew she would be there soon.

"Uncle Dissy, Uncle Dissy!" A pink blur bolted in the room, soon followed by the two guards that were supposed to escort her. They couldn't follow her easily, and certainly not when she was that excited. "You won't believe what happened today!" A few ponies were rolling their eyes in the room. The unruly princess must have been a bad influence on the much better-behaved princesses of Saddle Arabia, some servants thought, especially since they seemed to like her enthusiasm so much. But so did most of those working in the palace. Her cheerfulness was contagious!

Even Discord wasn't immune to it and was quite glad seeing her niece so happy. And he wanted to take part in the fun. "Wait, let me guess!" It seemed an interesting game. He put on his best, pensive face, and kept him for long moments... Then he finally asked: "Did you pick a stray or something?"

The princess wasn't even surprised at the weird but surprisingly relevant guess of his uncle, and could just answer with a small blush and a timid "Kind of?" mere moments later the white and blue colt arrived in the room, closely escorted by two guards. He looked lost, scared even by the context he had found himself him, but seeing the filly seemed to be of some relief. Maybe he was not as obvious as her, but he seemed to reciprocate her crush. "His name is Pristine Pond." They had quite some time to get to know each other, on the way back. "Can we keep him?"

It was a joke, to be fair, but only Discord started laughing.

Author's Note

Setting the following scene would take too long, both time-wise and word-wise. And it's 1 am. I know I should probably re-read this once more, but I'm just too tired to do so.
And I don't want to procrastinate any more this chapter, which already took forever to make. :twilightblush:

Also, it seems a nice, cliffhanger-ish place to stop!

With love,
The marshmallow.

4 - Family

[...] In the final years of her life, Queen Oasis The Wise kept pushing forward her reforms, aiming to restore the crown's power throughout her kingdom. Despite this, through her careful diplomatic actions, she managed to maintain good relations with both Equestria and the local nobility. She is said to have died content, giving her blessing to rule as a Queen to her firstborn daughter, and that she was then mourned for twelve days by common ponies and nobility alike.

Her daughter, that would later be remembered as Queen Oasis 'The Solitary', proved to be more ambitious than her own mother, but much less prudent. While her bold moves in foreign affairs managed to expand the kingdom's trade influence, gaining popularity among the masses and the merchants, she ended up gaining many enemies on the domestic front. Leveraging her popularity and closeness with Discord, she managed to roll back many of the privileges of the lords that functionally controlled the countryside, ending up completely isolated from them.

As her peers had left the palace, vowing they wouldn't set hoof in it until their rights had been restored, she realized her mistake. It is said she did not miss their company, nor that their absence hindered her ability to rule, but they had left her daughter without a playmate. It was commonplace for young nobles of comparable age to be the closest friends to the crown princesses, and it was clear that her few close cousins would not suffice.

It was about then, according to the legend, that one of the most peculiar traditions of saddle Arabia began. In her limbo, separated both from the other nobles and the common folks, the crown of Saddle Arabia started to get closer to their servants more than any other monarchy of their time (Or since). By playing together as children, deep friendships blossomed, and many of those ponies ended up becoming advisors to the crown, with some even receiving land and a minor peerage. And, although the chronicles of the time are scarce and not always reliable, it is reported that a few of them even married into the Royal Family.

-'Histories of Saddle Arabia, Volume VI', Various authors

At the beginning of the dinner, only the delicate clanging of the silverware dared to interrupt the awkward silence enveloping the room.

Having a commoner without exceptional merits eat dinner with the royal family was a very controversial decision already. Having him sit at the same table as the royal family, the Lord of Chaos, and the Equestrian Princess all at once was simply unheard of. And as much as Cadence and Discord himself pushed for this outcome, it was fully in the Queen's power to prevent such a blatant breach to protocol. She had done so before, reining in some of the Draconeequs unpoliteness from time to time; the maître, the waiters, and the maids expected her to do so again.

Their faces when she asked to notify the colt's family he would instead stay were, in Discord's own words, priceless.

The Lord of Chaos found especially interesting how it was not Chrysalis, with her quiet dignity, nor the crown princess or her little sister, who sat and ate mimicking the same self-control (albeit with a pinch of curiosity for that pony so alien to them) the ones most affected by the colt's presence; it was the servants! They were giving the colt poorly concealed scowls and disapproving glances, although they kept serving him with the same standard reserved to their own queen. Being servants, though, there was little more they could do. So very soon their reactions started to be boring in the eyes of the Dracoonequs.

That was not to say he couldn't find new sources of entertainment in the ponies sitting with him around the table, and especially in the four younger ones. As expected, the colt (surrounded by royalty and scoffed at by the servants) was extremely uncomfortable. And yet its agitation was subsiding over time, as more and more of Cadence's sweet whispers got to his ears. The lovestruck filly was leaning towards him, almost ignoring her own dinner, and was convincing him to do the same, to better be able to exchange whispers. The two other princesses were by no means immune to the spectacle, and both looked equally scandalized... And possibly quite endeared. And to this Discord could not resist anymore, and ended up letting out a muffled chuckle.

Chrysalis breathed a long sigh, finally attracting the Draconeequs attention: "Do you really find this so funny?", she whispered with a slight frown, leaning toward him to be sure only he could hear. Looking at her demeanour, it was clear she was annoyed at the whole thing. But everything in Discord's body language, from the lifted corners of his mouth to the hilarity in his eyes, suggested the whole thing was completely exhilarating.

"Actually, it is!", he confirmed, whispering back. He looked more composed than before, but his smile was possibly even wider. "Ponies think chaos is always loud, and bright, and colourful..." Not that he couldn't be. It was the most primal and obvious manifestation of the forces Discord ruled, and the kind he himself seemed to be the fondest of. He looked for a brief moment to the children, before turning once more to Chrysalis "But this quieter kind is quite enjoyable, too..."

She didn't have time to question him further, nor to ponder on how ponies were to him little more than entertainment. Something even her, a queen that could coldly sacrifice her whole army without regrets, something found monstrous. No, her attention was drawn by something much more trivial, but nonetheless bizarre. On the opposite side of the table, Pristine pond looked more flushed than he had previously, and he was almost squirming. It took her just a moment to identify both the culprit and her crime "Mi Amore Cadenza", she said, drawing her attention. She had been calling her cadence long enough in informal situations to make those three words weight clear. As if her stern tone wasn't enough already "No hoofsies under this table!"

The colt looked absolutely mortified. His natural colour hardly recognizable due to the amount of blood flowing to his cheeks. Cadence, on the contrary, was only mildly embarrassed, as shown by her sheepish smile. She was actually impressed, as she didn't expect anypony to realize this quickly what was going on. "Sorry..." Still, she realized it was only proper form to improvise an apology. Although it was clear to everypony that, although maybe being a little bit more careful, she was hardly dissuaded from trying that again at a later time.

The oldest of the two Princesses of Saddle Arabia was, true to her role and upbringing, showing her disapproval through her glance and countenance, all while keeping almost perfect aplomb, only betrayed by a slight blush. her little sister, looking up to her and her 'mother' was very much trying to do the same... But she just couldn't. What was unfolding in front of her was simply too much. "C-cadence..." She asked, her own blush intensifying "How do you manage to be so... Bold?" Especially since, as far as she knew (and as far as the alicorn herself had told her some time earlier), Cadence had actually never had a coltfriend before.

"Mmmh..." That was a difficult question, and the pink pony had to consider it carefully. part of it, she felt, just came so naturally to her. Maybe she was just some kind of savant for everything love-related. She kind of liked the idea, and possibly there was some basis to it, but ultimately she pushed it away. It hardly was enough to explain it, so she switched to something different "I guess that I learnt it from my uncle." Before that raised more questions, she quickly clarified "When there is something I like, I do all I can to have it!" And she followed this answer with a smile and a sultry look destined to its crush, that made him -if possible- even more embarrassed.

In the meantime, Chrysalis was observing Discord instead. It seemed proud of that answer, and even more proud of his nephew overall, but then, just for a few moments, she caught him looking at the Changeling Queen herself. Was he wondering what she thought of it? He wouldn't have to ask. "You didn't think your 'teachings' would apply to this field too, did you?", she teased, eliciting a further chuckle from the Lord of Chaos, and a sheepish smile of his own that he kept as he turned back looking at the fillies, that had now started to happily include the colt in their conversation, and even the older sister seemed to have lost her disdain for the commoner and was chatting merrily.

Didn't she know better, Chrysalis would have thought he wasn't just finding the scene entertaining, but maybe even a bit heartwarming.

At the end of the dinner, Chrysalis decided to leave the children to play under the maids' supervision, while taking Discord for a walk. The only weak complaints came from the older of the two princesses, which claimed to be too much older than the other three, to which the Queen had to agree. So she suggested she could help to oversee the whole thing, to which she agreed enthusiastically.

It was while they were in the enclosed garden of the palace that, after talking of things that Discord found fun and important political matters that Chrysalis cared about, finally the latter let herself go, touching a much more personal topic. "You surprised me, today." She said, receiving back a faux-offended expression, to which the queen rolled her eyes" "You surprised me more than usual, today!" And to this, the Draconeequs beamed; it was exactly what he took pride in. But she went on paying no mind to his antics. "I would have thought you were more of the jealous type..."

"Oh..." Discord smirked, and was already starting with what Chrysalis could identify as his 'teasing tone'. Nothing good was going to come from that. he suddenly floated closer to her, and made his tone even more soothing "Did you do something I should be jealous about?"

Chrysalis sighed, looking at his smile with mild annoyance. For most things, she was used to the presence of the Draconeequs. But as a Queen, not being taken seriously was simply unacceptable. "I'm talking about Cadence, obviously..." She deadpanned. "I thought you would be more shaken by her, let's say, 'date'; considering how much you cherish her..."

"Well, you cherish your two 'daughters' just as well, and I don't think you are going to guillotine all their suitors..." To which the Queen simply raised an eyebrow, showing an unconvinced expression. It was obvious that there were many options in between those two extremes, and that raising this point was nothing but a ploy to change the topic. After a few moments of silence, it was Discord's time to sigh, while he lowered his head a little "I knew this would happen, sooner or later. Princess of love isn't just a title." To which Chrysalis had to nod. the amount of love the little princess was capable of was simply off-scale. "I would be surprised if she stopped at just one, actually..." Chrysalis didn't know if this was supposed to be a joke or not. herds and harems were not unheard off, although extremely unusual, so she just nodded again. "But I also know she will always have enough love in her to love me as well." He finally said, raising his head back and smiling.

Chrysalis blinked twice, quickly. For a moment, she was unsure she had even heard correctly. What he said, how he acted... it was certainly not how the lord of Chaos usually acted; not how he was supposed to be. So she couldn't refrain from making an honest comment: "That's unexpectedly mature of you..."

For a moment, the Queen feared what she said would have been received poorly. She couldn't be further from the truth, as he smiled brightly and proudly: "I know, I tend to be 'unexpected'!" She sighed, almost in relief, she should have expected a similar answer. "Also..." her attention was caught again, maybe just by the way the 'o' lingered a little bit too long "I really didn't want to be 'that' guy!", he said with mild disgust. But his digits, instead of mimicking some air quotes, did point to a corner of the otherwise empty garden.

hadn't she been used already to his antics, maybe her jaw would have dropped. despite knowing for sure Discord was by her side, two clones of his were embracing in that corner. One looked completely distraught, loudly wailing and letting a cartoonishly large amount of tears flow. the second one was trying to Cheer the former up, patting delicately on his back while lending him his ears. "Waah! My little Cadence doesn't need me anymore." Chrysalis found herself agreeing it was definitely not a pretty sight. "What will I do withou..."

Before the clone could even finish the phrase, a snap of the original's talon made the vision burst like it was a soap bubble. The Queen didn't even flinch, although internally she cringed a little at seeing a -seemingly- living being disappear like that. "As I was saying", Discord intervened bringing her attention back to him "nopony wants to see that." He shook his head, seemingly ready to change the topic to something more pleasant.

The Queen didn't let him, though. "Then, why did you show it to me?" Chrysalis was unable to perceive feelings in Discord as he would have done with any other pony, but something was telling her that what she saw was not just any show. there was truth to it, that was a side of Discord that was left bare in front of her... Or maybe just an overly complicated trick? She didn't know anymore.

The Draconeequs was simply smiling, now hiding behind that expression any more complex emotion: "You are not nopony, are you?" And while that was obviously a cop-out question, he wouldn't allow her to question him further. Before she could even open her mouth, he had disappeared without a sound, just to pop out at her left side a fraction of a second later. With a swift gesture, he put his paw on her right shoulder, getting slightly closer to her, and then spoke with a slight plead in his voice: "Mea culpa", he stated, "I shouldn't have brought out such a depressing topic".

For a moment, she didn't know how to react. Among other things, she recalled with certainty being the one that started the conversation. But she was also able to get the hint and decided to avoid asking more. It simply wasn't worth the risk. so, after a few more moments of silence, she decided that the simplest answer might be the best one: "It is ok."

His reaction was immediate, as he widened his smile and drew her closer in his half-hug "Great!" While just a little bit uncomfortable, she was capable to hide such a thing with ease and managed to smile back "I have much more interesting things to talk about, after all!"

Author's Note

I am so sorry I took this long. With group projects and then the exams coming, I had a hard time finding the time (and maybe more importantly, the mood) to write. It should be better going forward, although I doubt I will be able to be fully productive until the end of January. :twilightblush:

With Love,
The Marshmallow

5 - Ascent

"You should see clearly how dangerous it is to give away love." The dying queen's deep, coarse voice was now little more than a whisper, but it didn't lose the authority it used to have. "Never do it, until you'll have to crown your own successor". Indeed, she could see it in the once black chitin of her mother, that had turned dark grey after the ritual. And her eyes, once full of passion and rage, were now just so tired.

"Love is every creature's weakness, but it is our strength..." She repeated by heart, a phrase that the creature in front of her had told her so many times when she still was in the peak of her power. It proved to be the right thing to say.

"You learnt well, my daughter." The young Queen felt pride overflowing from her mother. While she knew the taste of it already, it had never felt so clear and distinct. A changeling queen's perception was just on a different level. "And you will become much greater than I've been." The old bug cringed for a moment, certainly thinking of the hive she reigned upon, so much smaller and weaker than it was centuries prior. but then there was a spark of hope. "Even the other nymphs lowered their heads to you without a fight. It had not happened in generations..."

The young queen smirked. "None of them has the guts to talk back to me. Let alone challenge me for the throne." In the years they had grown together, she had made a point of reminding them their place at every chance. it had paid off. "They know they'd stand no chance."

"Indeed." The old changeling nodded, slowly and wisely. "That's why you will bring back greatness to the Hive!" The Hive was weak when years prior she had taken the throne; as she aged, it only became more frail and disunited. She had to be careful about the orders she gave, as she was afraid they'd be disobeyed. But she also knew that her successor was going to be feared by all, that her word was going to be the Hive's law. As it should have been.

"I will, mother." She had ambitions, and projects. Her mind was quicker than her mother's, her strength far greater, and her magic was likened to that of a Queen even as a nymph. She was the perfect changeling specimen, through and through. And she wanted nothing but the chance to prove it. A chance she finally had.

"Now go, my daughter." She could already hear the buzzing in the next room getting fainter. The crowd had mourned the old queen long enough, as it was the tradition, and it was now time to have them cheer for the new one "The hive is waiting."

"Yes, mother." caught as she was in the ritual, she had almost forgotten where she was. Only now she remembered the small room in which the two of them could be alone, as everyling else waited outside. It was almost painful to think that her mother, once a glorious Queen, was going to die there. And she was accepting an early death so that her own daughter could inherit her power. Before she realized, she ended up pronouncing two words coming straight from her heart. "Thank you."

A new spark of life bolted in the otherwise tired eyes, a hint of rage that made her try to rise her head, albeit failing to do so. "I hope I will never hear you say that again with intent", she hissed. She struggled a few more moments, only managing to become even more exhausted. Her followings word came out as mere whispers "You are a Queen now. It is your destiny, your birthright!"

The dark and dirty walls of the temporary hideout her hive had found in the desert vanished in her mind, soon being replaced by the luxuriant marble of the Saddle Arabian palace. But the memory of her mother did not, even if years had passed. the Queen wondered what her mother, what all her ancestors, would have thought, seeing her kneeling in front of a pitiful pony, submitting to all of her whims. "Did you call me, my queen?" her head, now that of a pony, was almost touching the ground. Her very voice was submissive and gentle.

"My dear, I'm glad you are here." Queen Oasis stood proudly, a calm smile on her face making her natural beauty radiate through the empty throne room. there were no guards, no maids but the one in front of her "Can I trust to keep all that I'm going to say to you as a secret?" It was not as if she showed any doubt in her demeanour, but she wanted once more to remind her servant of the importance of the information she was going to hear, of the tasks she was going to be asked to perform.

"As always, my Queen." And she just stood there, listening. She had gotten close enough to the saddle Arabian monarch to be given the most delicate of tasks. Keeping an eye on somepony, delivering messages, sometimes even doing more questionable things. She was her eyes and her ears in the palace, her most trusted confidant, her friend. And it had taken months to get there. Now she could even interrupt her queen, voice her opinion, having her words really listened to. But it wasn't enough.

"Did I make myself clear?" The deep nod of the metamorphosized bug satisfied Blue Oasis, who smiled back at her immediately. She would be the first to leave the room, and the maid was supposed to leave a few minutes afterwards. there would be no guards in the corridor, meaning she could move freely to complete the mission she was given.

She wouldn't, though. Wait she had waited for the longest time had finally happened. The two of them were alone, and the Queen had just walked just beside the changeling offering her her own back. The knife she had stolen from the kitchen and hidden underneath her garments glinted softly at the light of the day, as she quickly lunged with a devilish smile towards the unsuspecting mare. Her ancestors, she was certain, would have been proud.

"I Think my uncle likes likes you!" The pink muzzle of a giggling Cadence was now in her face, at a distance that she found obviously inappropriate, but not enough to scold the little filly. Her words picked her interest, though, as she had always wondered about the abilities of the alicorn of love.

"Can you feel it with your power?" She inquired, trying to seem perfectly neutral, but with her curiosity burning inside her like a fire. Even as a Changeling queen, the feelings of the Draconeequs were completely impenetrable. Looking at him he could only see a sea of chaos in which all feelings were mixed and confused.

The filly shook her head, much to the Queen's displeasure. "I can't." And yet she seemed no less sure of her previous assertion. "But I don't need to." She looked at the Queen, straight in her eyes, with those deep and truthful violet eyes of hers. "I just can see it!"

A monster like Discord, whose only wish was to entertain himself without consideration for anypony else... falling in love? If there was something she could understand, was looking at those beneath her as if they were insects. Some could prove interesting, or useful, but developing feelings for them was unthinkable. And she was certain that he looked down at her in the same way.

Luckily, that time she managed not to laugh in the filly's face. She did so afterwards, in the privacy of her room.

...

And that was the moment Chrisalis woke up, looking groggily around her in the darkness. It had been a while since she had dreamt of her mother, or of the Queen, and Cadence was certainly a new presence in her subconscious. But she was a pragmatic mare, and didn't think much of any of it. She had to ascertain the time, then get ready to perform her daily duties.

Today was going be a day like any other, she though.

Pristine pond felt impatient; he used to be terrified and strangely excited when the whole arrangement began, then worried and eager in equal measure a few weeks later. Now he was just impatient, and that was enough to make him wonder when he started feeling so. Maybe he was just so inured to Discord's miraculous abilities that they started seeming normal, or possibly he stopped being so terrified of him. Or, simply, his love for Cadence had grown more and more, to the point of overshadowing everything else.

Whichever it was, as the red door appeared in the middle of his room (where, he knew, just moments earlier it was not) he wasn't even startled; he was just relieved. He leapt towards it, looking at the beautiful decorations for just a few moments, noticing the usual scenes from Discord's reign carved in the red-coloured wood and then painted in a golden hue. There were battles and victories showcasing the Draconeequs might, that he correctly interpreted as a warning from the very beginning, but that no longer had any effect on him. He even grabbed the Discord-shaped knob without shivering, and turned it merrily anticipating the afternoon he was going to spend with his lover.

Inside the doorframe there was a sight diametrically opposed to the small and poor-looking room he was residing. There were pillars of marble, precious tapestries, and soft-looking carpets. There was the throne room of Canterlot's castle. the first time he had to step back in disbelief, possibly in fear. Now we walked head, his head raised high and a smile on his muzzle. In a moment he was on the other side, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"G-good evening Lord Discord!" The only thing he was not yet over was the menacing aura surrounding the Lord of Chaos itself, which was looking straight at the colt from the high ground of his throne with his stern gaze. But despite the primal fear, he was now able to keep himself straight, in front of the Draconeequs, looking back at him with a tentative smile.

The Draconeequs couldn't maintain his harsh demeanour but for a few more moments, than he cracked a smile. he liked the guts the colt was developing, and he was progressively getting warmer to him. "You can drop the 'Lord'!" He never was antagonistical, he managed to keep that part of himself in check, but overall he just assumed that cadence would soon get tired of the earth pony. He was wrong, as a few months had passed already, and the kid was almost part of the family. Nopony knew outside the palace staff, obviously, but it was not as if they needed to know. "Mr Discord and Sir should be alright". But might even that could change, one step at a time.

"Thank you, my Lor..." he stopped, correcting himself quickly "Sir." Discord seemed pleased, as he nodded, and so he decided to go on, asking the question that had been on his mind for a while. "Uhm... Where is Cadence?" She was usually was right there beside his uncle, waiting eagerly for the colt. Not today, though.

Discord sighed which was both unusual and worrisome. Did she not want to see him? Did something happen to her? "Mia is in her room. She has been a bit tired lately." it sounded she was, for the most part, fine, so Pristine sighed in relief. He kind of expected what would come next "She really wants to see you, so I'll have a guard accompanying you. make sure she doesn't exert herself too much"

Despite Discord voice turning a little bet harsher in the lest remark, he didn't think about it too much and answered quickly: "I'll be careful, sir!" He certainly didn't want anything bad happening to his fillyfriend, either.

Author's Note

I'm going abroad in a few hours, so I've been quite busy recently. I'm glad I managed to complete this before going!

I hope I'll be back to writing soon!

With Love,
The Marshmallow