Princess Twilight sat on her throne as she reviewed some documents that some nobles had sent her. She had grown slightly in the year since she became the sole monarch of Equestria. Her mane occasionally waved in an ethereal breeze. When it first started, it would gain her attention, but it was barely noticed. After signing the document she was reading, she moved it aside to a pile, seeing the next was a letter from Starlight. “How did this get here?” Twilight asked no pony in particular.
Shrugging, she decided to read it. Before she got a chance, however, the doors to the throne room burst open from a magical explosion. Twilight sighed and set the papers on Spike’s currently empty throne before turning her attention to her intruder. The intruder was a unicorn stallion who looked like they were barely an adult and were just now entering their emo phase. They wore a black shirt with an upturned collar that had points akin to a vampire cape. Their mane was red pointed in various directions, reminding her of those foreign comics that Spike had recently started reading during his down time, especially the one which centered around wish granting orbs. Their coat was an ashen-grey. As smoke cleared, Twilight could tell he had a small, unimpressive army. To his immediate right was a purple unicorn stallion with an orange and black mane, wearing a lab coat and had a stethoscope around his neck, a brown earth pony mare with a white and red mane and who looked like she was dragged straight from gardening. To his left were two older stallions. One was an orange pegasus with a blonde mane and raining bits for a cutie mark. She recognized him as a business pony who recently entered politics and was rather controversial. The other was a slight surprise, as it was a pale colored earth pony with a white mane who had been in politics for a while, often opposing the previous stallion, though he was in both physical and mental decline. She really felt sorry for him, often being propped up further and used as a puppet by ponies in his party. Before she could register what the rest looked like, the lead pony spoke with a voice that cracked like they were still in puberty.
“Princess! I demand you step down or else I will take it by force!” Twilight raised an eyebrow as the unicorn continued. “As I’m sure you are just now figuring out, I have found a way to replicate Sombra’s mind control magic when he attempted to overthrow Equestria!” Twilight gave a slow nod in understanding, realizing now why his army was so… unusual. “Unlike that fool, however, I have attacked when you are without your friends! Now, either surrender your kingdom to me or else I will take it by force!”
While Twilight reasoned she could resolve this in less than a minute with a few spells, she decided to go a more relaxing route. “Alright. Follow me to my chambers to discuss the terms of surrender.”
The unicorn smirked. “So you see that you’re no match for me.”
Twilight bowed as she responded, though with a slight hint of amusement, “Absolutely.”
“Aww. Are you going to kiss my hoofsies?”
“If you desire.”
The unicorn deadpanned and replied, “No. If you touch me, I will puke and then die. Lead the way to my new chambers.” Twilight rolled her eyes and motioned for the unicorn to follow her.
The alicorn laid down on pillows and set a couple for her guest. “I don’t want to be here all day. Just get to announcing your surrender.”
“Don’t you at least want to rest a little bit? I’m sure learning that spell and assembling your army wasn’t easy. It takes a special kind of pony to be able to accomplish that.”
“I… suppose I could relax for a while.” The unicorn hesitantly laid upon the offered pillows, not noticing they scooched closer to Twilight. They sighed in comfort as they settled into them. “I could get used to this.”
“They are quite comfy.” Twilight settled a little more, while also causing her pillows to scooch closer to the unicorn. “So, why are you wanting to take over Equestria?”
The unicorn raised an eyebrow at the question. “Why do you want to know?”
“Well, I just wish to know that I am being deposed for decent reasons.”
“I… suppose that’s a good reason.” The unicorn then sighed. “It’s because my parents said I’d never amount to anything. What better way to prove them wrong than by taking over the nation. Then, I could laugh as they are taken to the guillotine! And then take out my revenge on all those who bully me in high school! SEND THEM TO THE MINES!!”
“That’s… quite the reason. And impressive.” She then rubbed her wing across their back, gently stroking their neck.”
The unicorn recoiled and exclaimed, “D-don’t do that! My neck is sensitive!”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.” She then wrapped her wing around their barrel and pulled them close.
At first, the unicorn resisted, but the resistance soon faltered and they settled into the warmth. “Ooo… you're so soft.” They then began nuzzling into Twilight’s chest.
Twilight chuckled. “What was that about puking and then dying?”
“Where did that question come from?” Twilight chuckled again. She then wrapped a foreleg around the unicorn, turning to her side as she did. The unicorn nuzzled deeper into the princess’s chest. “I didn’t realize a pony could feel so soft and yet so… protective. It’s like being wrapped in a blanket that is covered by steel armor.”
“Being an alicorn has its benefits. One is making ponies feel safe and warm when in our embrace.”
“It’s nice.” They then reciprocated the alicorn’s hug. “This is much nicer than taking over.”
“That’s what I planned.”
“You’re devious.”
Twilight chuckled. “So, tell me more about yourself.”
The pair then laid in Twilight’s room, simply talking while holding onto one another. Turns out the unicorn was held back in school, hit puberty late, and had less than supportive parents. They also got a cutie mark in origami. They then simply laid, basking in one another’s warmth. Long after Twilight set the sun, the unicorn sighed and said, “This has been very therapeutic.”
“I thought it would.”
“I realize now how foolish it was to try this. I’m sorry to have tried.”
“Good. Good.”
The unicorn began to blush. “You… um… wouldn’t mind… uh… doing this with me every so often, would you?”
“Well, you don’t really have a choice in the matter.”
“What?”
In a flash, the pair was gone. When his vision returned, he realized he was behind bars, with Twilight on the outside. He quickly noted this wasn’t a normal dungeon, as there was carpet, with a plush bed and a private bathroom. It really looked more like a five star hotel room than a dungeon… minus the bars. “What, where is this place?”
Twilight chuckled. “This is where the fun begins.” She then teleported inside the bars and wore a snakish smile. “This is my cuddle dungeon, where I take all those who attempt to take over Equestria and continue to cuddle them. You’re the fifty-ninth occupant.”
The unicorn blinked and considered his position for a moment as Twilight crept closer, much like a lion creeping upon an unaware gazelle. He then shrugged. “Eh. Honestly, that’s better than where I was.” Twilight then pounced on them snuggling on the bed. “Best mistake ever.” They began snuggling into their alicorn captor, fading off into sleep, smiling genuinely for the first time in several years. The first of many to come.
