//------------------------------//
// Chapter 11: Of Kingsnakes and Treaties 
// Story: Silver Spoon Adopts a Naga 
// by Halira 
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Silver looked at Sisstet with shock. "You're a kingsnake?!"

He cowered down. "I- I don't know. I don't think sso. I'm not big. I'm just normal."

Cozy sat up. "Oh, if he can see in color he's a kingsnake." She hopped off her couch and started pacing. "On the plus side he is still very young, so maybe this won't be an issue. We can just contact the kingsnakes, and explain he just started seeing in color, and then they can take him back to the Clutch. After that everything will be fine."

"I don't want to go to the Clutch!" Sisstet screamed. "I want to sstay with Misss Silver Spoon and all my friends."

Silver looked at the young naga, still not believing that Sisstet could be one of the dreaded kingsnakes. She then turned back to Cozy Glow. "You must be mistaken. Sisstet can't be a kingsnake."

Cozy bared her teeth, and stomped a hoof with a hiss. "No! There is one- just one- identifying trait that the kingsnakes use to determine which of their young are kingsnakes, and it's seeing in color. There's no mistake. Don't argue with me about things you don't know anything about."

"But surely they wouldn't have made a mistake and given out a kingsnake egg," Silver reasoned. 

Cozy shook her head and laughed, causing Silver to trade nervous looks with Diamond. The pegasus stopped laughing abruptly and went stone-faced. "There's no such thing as a kingsnake egg. Kingsnakes and regular naga all come from the same eggs. Perhaps one out of every few thousand eggs ends up being a kingsnake."

"Seeing in color? Is that really all that separates a kingsnake from a regular naga?" Diamond asked in confusion. "That seems kind of… well, a stupid way to determine who's in charge. And I thought kingsnakes were bigger than the rest."

Cozy groaned. "Uck! Fools! There are three differences in kingsnakes and regular naga. One, they see in color. Two, they grow much bigger. And three, they live upwards to ten times as long. They like to pretend they are naturally smarter too, but all evidence points to that being completely based on how they are raised. He starts off the same size as any other naga, but he's going to keep growing long after the other naga have stopped. All those traits are always tied together- always!"

Sisstet began to cry and whimper, and that made Silver's heart ache. She didn't know how to take the news that Sisstet was a kingsnake, but she understood that right at this very minute he was just a scared kid who needed her. "So what? So what if he's a kingsnake? Look at him; he's not dangerous."

Cozy gave her an incredulous look. "Are you kidding me? We can't have a kingsnake living in Equestria! Do you have any idea how big they get, or how much they eat? The stories about them eating other naga aren't a myth. If they are angry or hungry enough they'll cannibalize them in a second! They will eat just about anything else too: ponies, griffins, changelings, even younger dragons! Even if that weren't a problem- and that seems like a big problem to me- the kingsnakes explicitly told us that if any of the eggs they gave us ended up being kingsnakes that they wanted them back. We made a deal, and we need to honor it."

"But you are supposed to help us!" Silver pleaded.

The pegasus frowned. "Look, if he were a regular old naga I'd have no problem with him staying here under your care. Nocreature would be hurt by it. You might think I'm just being mean, but I'm just being rational and pragmatic. Crossing the kingsnakes on a deal we made in good faith could ignite another war with them. Sure, the princesses would probably soundly defeat them again, but before they did there'd be a lot of misery for everycreature. All the adult naga living in Equestria would go on the attack in an instant if the kingsnakes told them to, and the average pony isn't going to be able to put up much of a fight against them. There'd be a lot of destruction and a lot of creatures hurt or killed before we won again. Nocreature wants that, especially me; Princess Twilight would fire me or put me back in stone if that happened on my watch."

A unicorn servant entered the room and bowed. "Minister, the princess is ready on the viewing crystal. Shall I bring it in?"

"That was fast," Cozy replied. "Yes, bring it in right away."

The unicorn bowed and exited the room. He was gone only a few seconds before he entered again with two unicorn guards levitating a large milky-white crystal. They placed this crystal in the middle of the room and backed away as the unicorn servant shot it with a jolt of magic. The color then shifted from milky-white to ice-clear and an image of the princess sitting on her throne appeared within it. 

"Cozy Glow, I was told you have an urgent matter to speak to me about," Princess Twilight said in a conversational tone.

Cozy bowed her head. "Yes, Princess. It has come to my attention that we have a kingsnake among the young nagas in our care. I'm sorry that it has taken so long to find out about it, but I just learned that my agent who was supposed to be monitoring him and his guardians was just blowing smoke up my tail. I'll be making plans for an audit and tour of all my agents and the naga they were supposed to be monitoring to make sure nocreature else has been shirking in their duty."

Twilight frowned. "A kingsnake? I'll need to contact the Clutch to start making arrangements for- you said it was a him, right?"

"Yes, your majesty. His name is Sisstet. He is actually from the naga placed in Ponyville," Cozy confirmed with another bow of her head. 

Princess Twilight nodded. "For Sisstet to be returned to them. I'm disappointed to hear about this, as I feel that most of our naga foals have been doing exceptionally well according to your reports, with only a few exceptions, and I was looking forward to taking my own tour soon and personally meeting each and every one of them. Having the one in Ponyville end up having to be returned is especially disheartening for me on a personal level. I need to come to Ponyville soon on a different matter, and will take time to speak with him. Asking him to leave his friends and family must be devastating news for him, and I want to try to give him some comfort."

"There is a complication," Cozy said gently, shifting her weight nervously from one hoof to the next. "I only discovered that he was a kingsnake by chance after his teacher came to me claiming neglect by his guardians. If my agent wasn't doing her job it is easy to see where neglect could happen, since you know how the adult naga are if they don't have somecreature explaining each and every thing to them about raising a foal."

Twilight's brow narrowed. "So he's been mistreated?"

Cozy bit her lip. "I've yet to find out the full details. He seems particularly… timid, but otherwise doesn't show signs of physical abuse. His teacher was deeply concerned about his care, and has requested custody and adoption of him."

Princess Twilight's brow shot back up. "Miss Cheerilee? She's requesting to adopt him?"

The pegasus shook her head. "No, it is Miss Silver Spoon. I have tried to explain the situation to her, but she is very adamant that she wants to adopt him, even with the revelation that he's a kingsnake."

"Tell me, Cozy, what was your mood like when discussing this with her?" Princess Twilight asked slowly. 

Cozy took a half-step back. "I may not have been in the best of moods…"

"Which means you likely were about as gentle as a rampaging Yak," the princess concluded with a sigh. "I value the services you do, and you do them well. But please, try to be more consistent with showing compassion, even when there's no diplomatic reason to do so, okay?"

Cozy lowered her head. "I apologize for disappointing you, Princess."

Princess Twilight gave the pegasus a sorrowful look. "I really do value the job you do. I can think of nocreature who could do a better job at your position. I also have seen glimpses of you showing real compassion and friendship from time-to-time, even back when you were a filly plotting how to take over Equestria. I never believed you to be a lost cause in terms of friendship, and I still don't. I don't consider you fully reformed, but reformation can be a process sometimes, and you've come a long way- one that I have been proud to see. I hope you continue to try to be a better pony while continuing with your excellent work in my government."

Cozy shuffled her hooves again. "Um, Princess? Not that I mind your friendship speeches, but can we not do 'em when other ponies are watching? It's embarrassing."

The princess blushed. "Sorry, you know how I can get. I didn't mean to embarrass you."

"I know," Cozy said with an eyeroll. "I have Miss Silver Spoon and Sisstet right here. I'm guessing you'd like to talk to them."

"They're there right now?" Princess Twilight said with a blink. "Why didn't you say so?"

"I didn't want to interrupt your friendship speech," Cozy deadpanned. 

Princess Twilight sat up straight, making herself appear more regal. "Bring them forward then. I can only see a tiny bit of what's around you from here."

The pegasus gestured Silver and Sisstet over. Silver felt Sisstet crawl under her for shelter as she took up a position where Cozy Glow had been standing. 

"Silver Spoon! Or should I say Miss Silver Spoon? My, how you've grown! But I guess it has been that many years," Princess Twilight greeted happily. "Forgive me for assuming that it was Cheerilee right away when Cozy brought up Sisstet's teacher. She's just the first pony I think of when creatures say teacher in Ponyville and aren't talking about the School of Friendship. I remember seeing your name on my list of teachers attending my speech about the future of Equestria a few years ago, as it caught me by surprise. I even half-wondered if it was some different pony named Silver Spoon. You never struck me as being the teacher type as a filly, although I'm pleasantly surprised."

Silver chuckled. "That's quite alright. Cheerilee was the face of Ponyville Elementary for the majority of my life, as well as my mentor and friend. I also don't expect you to keep up with every single resident of Ponyville and what they do. You've got a whole country to run, after all."

"But I do wish I could keep up with more than just a select few of the creatures there after all the happy times I spent there," Princess Twilight replied wistfully. She then shifted to a more serious expression as her eyes drifted towards the shivering naga beneath Silver. "And you must be Sisstet. You can come out. I won't hurt you. I know this must be a very confusing time for you."

Sisstet just kept shivering and didn't come out. Silver bent her head down and looked under her legs. "It's okay, she just wants to talk to you. I'm going to talk to her too. We need to convince her that you should stay."

He peaked his head up from his coils and then cautiously crawled out from under her to face the crystal. "Hello?"

The princess smiled at him. "Hello, Sisstet. You are such a handsome young naga. I'm Princess Twilight Sparkle. I think it might be better if you just call me Twilight though. It might help you feel less nervous."

He examined the crystal. "Do you live in that rock? I thought you were bigger."

Twilight giggled. "No, this is just for me to talk to creatures that are far away from me. Surely Miss Silver Spoon has told you about me and Princess Cadance at school, right?"

Sisstet nodded. "Sshe did, and she has a poster with you on it that she shows us. But I also heard you were a kingsnake, and that must mean you are big."

That got more of a laugh out of her. "I am pretty big, compared to most ponies. I thought I was as big as I would get when I took the crown, but I kept on growing. I'm an honorary kingsnake, not an actual kingsnake, but I hear you're a real kingsnake. That must have been surprising news for you. How do you feel about it?"

He hesitated. "I don't want to be a kingsnake. Kingsnakes are big and sscary, and they eat creatures. I don't want to be scary or eat anycreature."

The princess gave him a sad smile. "If you can see in color you are a kingsnake, and nothing can change that. What you do have control over is how you behave. You can choose to be nice and not eat anycreature and try not to be scary. You should meet the dragonlord's father. He's really big and intimidating, but he's a big softie. Dragons have hoards, and do you know what he hoards?"

"What?" Sisstet asked curiously.

Twilight looked left and right then covered part of her mouth with a wing conspiratorially. "Cute little stuffed animals. I'm talking about toys, not actual animals, before you get the wrong idea."

Sisstet cocked his head. "Really?"

Twilight nodded. "Oh yes. Every time the dragonlord visits Canterlot she ends up going on a buying spree from every toymaker in the city to bring back to her father's hoard. The toymaker guild considers it like a special holiday."

Sisstet grinned, but it was short lived before recoiling again to shiver. "But I don't want to leave! I won't get to ssee Candy, or Autumn, or Cheese, or Caramel, or Miss Silver Spoon anymore."

"I'm guessing those are all your friends?" Twilight asked. "I'm actually familiar with who a few of them are if that's so. What about your guardians? Won't you miss them?"

Once again, Sisstet hesitated. "I guesss."

"You guess?" Twilight asked curiously. "Does that mean you possibly won't miss them?"

He shivered in place, and just nodded. Silver couldn't take it, and bent down and pulled him into a hug. He didn't resist. 

"I see…" the princess said slowly. "The accusation was neglect, correct?"

Silver just nodded, and kept hugging the now crying Sisstet. Then out of nowhere, Diamond stepped forward in front of the crystal. 

"Princess, your majesty, ma'am," Diamond began. "I don't know the details of whatever treaty you have with the naga or why you have a provision where kingsnakes have to be returned to the Clutch, or much about why anything is the way it is with it. I'm sure there are good but complicated reasons, since I'm sure you wouldn't agree to an unjust treaty. Doesn't Sisstet get a say on what happens to him? I know one of the goals of the treaty was to make more free thinking naga. What kind of message do you send to the other naga living in Equestria if when one of their own makes his mind up about something you immediately overrule it and say his opinion doesn't matter? Is that the message you want to send to the other naga? That them thinking for themselves doesn't matter in the end?"

Cozy Glow bolted forward and pushed Diamond away from the crystal. "I'm sorry, Princess. She isn't directly involved with this, and should have let you finish your questioning."

"There is nothing wrong with one of my subjects speaking their mind," Twilight replied. Silver could see her frowning now that Cozy and Diamond were now off again to the side, and she could see the princess looked troubled. "I understand that concern, and think it is a concern worth addressing."

"So he can stay with me? I can adopt him?" Silver asked eagerly. 

"Lets not get too far ahead of ourselves," the princess replied quickly. "I think a good point was made and it is one I agree with. However… there is also the matter that the kingsnakes have a treaty with us and we have a duty to honor it. If we don't then they have no reason to honor their own agreements with us, and that could lead to another war. That's something else I simply cannot ignore."

"But Princess-" Silver began. 

Twilight held up a wing. "Let me finish. What I can do is discuss this with the kingsnakes and hope that they will allow him to stay with you. I cannot promise that they will agree to that, and don't know how likely it is that they will. In the meantime, you may continue to care for him, since he trusts you and you clearly care about his welfare. I will give you further updates as I have them. I must stress, if they refuse to budge on this issue I have no choice but to send him back to the Clutch. I will not have my citizens die for this, and I don't think either of you want that either; no matter how much it hurts to prevent it, or how unfair it might be."

Silver felt like crying, but kept a brave face. "How long until we know?"

The princess shook her head. "That I'm also unsure about. It will be at the minimum days, but that is unlikely. It is more likely to be months. It can take days just to get in contact with them and get a reply. More days to properly arrange a meeting. Then who knows how long actually negotiating. Don't expect anycreature to be showing up at your doorstep anytime soon demanding you surrender Sisstet."

Cozy Glow stepped back in front of Silver. "Should I start arranging a delegation to the Clutch then? And might I remind you, we will still have a problem when Sisstet gets older. Cities in Equestria are not built to house full grown kingsnakes. You could just as easily have former dragonlord Torch to take up residence in one of our towns as you would a full grown kingsnake."

"You will be working with Spike on this one," Twilight replied. "And I understand the long-term problems, but at this moment they are far in the future, and we have many years to consider them. It isn't much different than my long term concerns with our dragons, even if it takes more years for them to reach full growth. If he ends up staying we might have him be the test for what to do with them when the time comes."

Cozy bowed her head. "Understood, Princess."

"I must get going, since I have been putting other duties off for this conversation," Twilight continued. "I will be in Ponyville within the next few days to help deal with Candy Apple, and I will meet with you all after that problem is resolved."

"We'll be awaiting your arrival," Cozy replied. Silver could just barely make out that the crystal reverted back to milky white after that. 

"Minister, the pony you requested is ready and waiting," declared the same unicorn servant who led the crystal in. 

"Send her in," Cozy replied as she went back to her couch and began lounging again as if she hadn't a care in the world. 

Silver didn't feel any such calm. She was ready to give Spoiled Rich a very fervent chewing out. She looked down at Sisstet first though and saw he had once again balled himself up proactively. 

She gently ran a hoof over his coils. "Don't worry. I'm going to protect you. I'm also going to do everything as if there's no chance you'll be leaving, because I know the princess will come through."

He peeped his head up and looked at her, and she saw he had been crying. "Really?"

"Really," she replied with forced confidence. I really hope so. She thought mournfully.