Serpent Senses

The Queen sighed contently, stretching out her hoovers over her head as she slumped back onto her throne with a content smile, breathing in the soothing, sweet and savoury flavours in the air from her awaiting feast, today was a day she had been looking forward to for several weeks “You may bring in those bearing gifts.” The Queen said glancing down at the two guards flanking her throne, who nodded in unison before marching along the heated marble of the throne room to a set of high iron and wooden doors with golden cobras posed back to strike emblazoned on each door.

As the guards began to pull open the door, the Queen quickly checked the golden headband she was wearing was set straight on her head, and no purple locks of her mane were sticking out awkwardly, whilst it was her special day, she still needed to appear presentable for her subjects. A small crowd walked in a semi-broken formation up to the base of the Queen’s ramped throne and knelt, all holding variously sized wrapped up boxes.

“We bring gifts to celebrate your birthday.” The crowd chanted as one booming voice before holding the gifts up over their heads towards their Queen in offering, save for two slightly taller hooded strangers near the back.

The Queen smiled, her purple eyes trailing over the content smiles of her subjects as she slowly and gracefully stood up from her throne and made her way down to them. The Queen stopped, looking at what was probably the smallest gift of them all, held aloft by a yellow coloured and pink maned unicorn mare, her mane tied back in a pony tail with her green eyes staring up hopefully at her Queen, her farming clothes noticeably unclipped and ready to remove for some reason “Let’s see what you have brought your Queen.” She said taking the gift as the mare’s hooves fell to the floor, remaining kneeling, but now staring up at her Queen to see how she’d react.

The Queen smiled, the wrapping was simple plain white with no bow and pulling back the tape revealed only a small cardboard box. Within was a single, simple jar of some sort of peachy coloured sauce or jam “What is it?” The Queen asked curling a hoof under the mare’s chin, tilting her head up a little higher.

“A sauce, made of peaches and honeydew melons that I made at the farm… you… can pour it over me for your full present, the preparations have been made for me.” The mare said, flushing slightly, before opening out her wings as the Queen looked down at the jar with a grin.

“How sweet of you, I accept your gift.” The Queen said reaching up with a hoof to remove the lid when a voice spoke from her right.

“Queen Reticle,” The Queen froze, lowering her hooves, still clutching the jar as the eager farmer meal turned to look, as well as the crowd, towards the two hooded figured, who were holding out two separate boxes with night sky blue and golden sun ray coloured magical auras. The Queen looked them over, her subjects knew only to call her by ‘my Queen’ as it was a sign of their stature, these two must not be from her lands to call her by her actual name.

“Might I ask who you two are?” The Queen asked softly and the pair shuffled forward in front of the crowd who looked up quizzically.

The mare with the blue magic spoke first “We represent the Equestrian nation.” She said, lifting her own box, the Queen snapped to attention with a sly smile, so they were sending delegates? They must have dealt with Discord then.

The second did likewise “And we bring you all a gift upon your birthday so we may begin relations with your people.” She said.

“And what might that be?” The Queen asked moving forward to open the boxes, which clicked open before she could touch them.

“Freedom from your enslaver.” The pair said as five variously coloured gemstones and a pink star shaped gem floated up, the pink star shot towards the Queen who recoiled back, but it was too late as the five gems shot beams of light into the star before a blast from a rainbow coloured laser slammed her into her throne, causing it to crumble from the force, before pinning her to the wall with her own lower body covering her face and torso.

The Queen screamed as a bubble began to form from the magical light, sealing her inside it in the furthest back corner of her own castle, allowing her to drop from her pinned position to the floor. The Queen stood up, slamming into the pink shining bubble with a cry of fury “Let me out of this cage now! I am the Queen of these lands! Guards, get the gems, NOW!” But the guards, and the visitors, were too busy rubbing their heads and eyes as if waking up from sleep.

“The spells you have weaved through their minds are gone, Mist Reticle,” The first mare lowered her hood, revealing herself to be a tall bright white mare with a mane flowing with colours of the rainbow, just like the beam of light.

“They are free from your reign to do as they wish from now on.” The second mare said, revealing herself as well, a dark blue and star filled mane, flowing like her partner.

The Queen glanced at her subjects and guards who were looking at their Queen with their own eyes for the first time in years “You can’t do this to me!” The Queen said her voice somewhat breaking “I protected them from Discord for years, something you couldn’t do all that time, and this is my reward!? I’ll make you pay for this! Celestia, Luna! You hear me!? I will devour you!!” The Queen yellow slamming her hooves onto the bubble as her mane fell around her eyes, looking truly wild.

“We’ll be ready.” Luna mumbled.

“And you didn’t protect these ponies from the goodness of your heart, only to fill your pantry.” Celestia said in a level, yet cold, tone as she and her sister began to usher the ponies from the castle, all of them discarding their gifts to their dethroned ruler by tossing them unceremoniously aside, several smashed, the sound of glass crinkling away from within the boxes, each one echoing hollowly in the Queen’s ears.

Once alone, the Queen fell to the floor with a defeated growl, looking at the single gift she’d had time to get from her crashed party. As the Queen looked over the natural sauce a soft pattering of hooves could be heard as the door to the throne room creaked open a little before a figure moved up to the shimmering bubble. The farmer knelt beside her trapped Queen.

“You came back?” The Queen asked in a surprisingly meek voice, confused as the mare nodded.

“I’m sorry, my Queen… you were good to my family, you gave us land and safety from Discord’s reign, as you did with many of those who just walked away… I’m sorry I cannot help you…” The pegasus said “But I promise, even if I cannot help you, one of my descendants will someday… I swear it.” The pegasus placed her hooves on the bubble and the Queen rose one hoof to hers, the other clutching the jar like a lifeline “Goodbye my Queen… the sister’s plan to bury the castle, the bubble will sustain you so long as it remains… I must go…” The pegasus hesitated.

“Thank you.” The Queen said with a smile and the pegasus gave a sad nod before leaving.

A few minutes past before the Queen spoke “Celestia… Luna… you better not relax your guard ever again… I will be back… I will…” she muttered as the castle shook, the tapestries depicting her battling Discord and the land’s dangers crumbling around her, forming her stone prison…

Outside, the city had gathered around the palace, their minds clear at long last, as the two sisters pulled their magic over the massive structure of the Serpent Queen. The two pulled the supports inward and the castle fell in on itself, the four towers crumbling and crashing atop the main building, tiles, wood and metal cracking and breaking with loud crashes, grass, tress, flowers and plants flew high in the air as the gardens were crushed, the force causing the ground to crack open and swallow the marble structure as most of the city cheered. The sisters beamed at the adoring crowds, save for a hooful, including one lone mare, who stared off at the tiny pile of rubble that had once been the bulwark of this city’s safety. Deep within, furious slithering could be heard as the Queen pushed out on the bubble, an enchanted mark gleaming over the stones that held her pinned down… the mark was strong now, but she could chip at it from within… one day… she’d be free, for her loyal subject had weaved her own enchantment upon the mark ensuring it would break from the promised she’d made to her, someday…