Peace at Last Side Stories: the Trials and Tribulations of King Thorax

by Prince_Staghorn

Elysium

Seven Years After Metamorphosis

The guards had returned from the task of escorting the sniveling Tricorns, reporting that several more of the amphibious equines had been killed by predators, leaving only the general to actually carry a message to his king.

Thorax congratulated the escort for their service to the kingdom and gave them a small bonus in their pay for the risk they had taken in the effort. The Princesses had written back, and stated that they would increase security concerning the offending country^, and a letter from Stag stated that his mother was close to simply stomping up to the "Grand Ruler of Tricornucopia" and slapping him for his sheer idiocy.

Thorax, for his part, was now relaxing in bed, royal duties done for the moment. Life was good for the minute.

The king smiled as he remembered the shocked expressions on the faces of the invading troops when they passed through the activated shield, something which had not been operational the previous times they had attempted an attack. The shield was off at the moment, but could be activated at a moment's notice by him or any high-ranking member of the guard via a stone pendant they wore around their necks.

He naturally realized that this was an inefficient method, and one which could easily be taken advantage of, but for the moment it was all that they could do concerning the shield.

The farms were doing well, and the kingdom was on good terms with changeling kingdoms throughout Equus, and some offers had actually started coming from outside the continent.

Aside from the castle and the farms, a small town had actually formed, complete with a school and a few shops. The domain had even attracted a few immigrants- diamond dogs and ponies hoping to set up shop, Donkey farmers seeking to settle down, Minotaur traders setting up temporary booths... honestly, the kingdom of Sídhe now looked like a regular trading outpost or frontier settlement, albeit one with a massive spire of jagged stone looming above it.

A few Aos Sí had made small homes near the Dust Devil defenses. These "sand guides" thought it would be a good idea to have some help ready for traders and wanderers who wanted to reach the kingdom without falling into a giant sand pit, and the guides did their job well, leading wanderers and the like through the defensive line.

The King Thorax School provided education to the kingdom's children, whether they were Aos Sí grublings or not, and provided the best education, including advanced survival courses for those interested in becoming traders or scouts.

Housing was a minor problem. Aos Sí of all ages innately knew they were all siblings, but at the same time they still formed small family units. Grublings were kept in the nursery unless one of these families wished to "adopt" their younger sibling, in which case the grubling was given to them with no problem. However, with more eggs coming in every few weeks, housing space was a foreseeable complication...

But beyond that minor inconvenience, all was well, and Thorax allowed himself a moment of rest.

All was perfect for now... unless his subjects started clamoring and asking when he was going to get a girlfriend or something.

But that could wait. He wasn't interested in anyone, and doubted he would be any time soon.

For now, the king went to sleep, smiling and congratulating himself on a job well done.

Author's Note:

^ Equestria and her allies keep a small contingent of guards in Tricornucopia, at least around the proposed embassy.