Cold Scales

by Konatra

The Queen's Proposal

Solaris felt nothing in transit, one moment he was here the next he was somewhere different, it was a simple as that. What he did feel was the sudden crisp coldness on his coat that came as an unexpected surprise in comparison to the warm summer heat.

The second thing he noticed was the lack of sight, as in complete blindness. The king tensed slightly in preparation for a possible attack, was this all a trap to get him in a hostile location?

Moments passed and nothing came to prove this worry, a second later Solaris began to see his surroundings. He sighed, almost embarrassed in the realization that his blindness was the cause of the sudden shift into a dark environment which caused his eyes to rapidly adjust to see in near blackness...where was he anyway?

It was dim but the low-level lights on the sleek black walls made the narrow halls just visible enough to get through, were they on for his sake? He assumed these advanced beings could see in the dark just fine.

The Head Elite android marched on forward once it assumed Solaris was mentally adjusted to his new surrounding. As the king followed he looked back to see the smaller androids walk off in different directions to different small rooms.

A worrying thought crossed his mind, he left the kingdom without so much as a letter, he prayed to whatever higher being out there that this meeting would be brief so Canterlot wouldn't crumble without him. That is not to say Artemis wasn't up to the task, but... well it was just imperative that he should return before anyone notices so he would not dwell on such concepts. "Excuse me er...solider?" He asked unsure how to label the anomaly. Everything he said now could instantly break his current neutral ties with this mysterious Queen.

The Elite continued its pace but answered. "Yes your Highness?"

"Is there anything I should know about your Queen before our meeting begins? I would not wish to offend her royal Highness in some way." It was odd just how silent this place was, where ever he was. He expected the possible base where hundreds, if not thousands of androids to be much more bustling in traffic.

"I am afraid I cannot answer your question for I was only constructed 13 hours prior, our Queen has also only been in power for less than five days so I assume not any other subject can give you any worthwhile advice. But my limited data of Queen Carbon shows her to be a benevolent leader who cares greatly for the weak for it was her command for us to guard this world and the peaceful inhabitants within from our arch-foe that our cause has battled for eons."

Solaris absorbed this short but packed sentence. This Carbon lady was only in power very recently, which means she must have usurped the throne in some way. Could it of been through family ties if she even had a family, or could it of been won through some kind of battle with the previous ruler? There was a chance he was dealing with a very inexperienced leader who just gained power, in that regard he had an advantage in being a long-aged monarch. However it could also mean she had just absorbed another ruler's power in a clear act of tactical superiority, which could mean Carbon is a power-hungry dictator with a long history of rulership, it could explain the different designs of the androids.

More importantly, what did the Elite mean by 'eons'? Those dark forces reported seemed like nothing more than cannon fodder for the highly overpowered droid forces. This could mean two things, one was this was something akin to a swarm of never-ending creatures that would infect different worlds until they lay barren, a 'flood' if you will. The other assumed that these current forces were nothing more than pitifully low leveled grunts used to exhaust defending forces before the real commanders and well-equipped threats arrived. Both of these possibilities worried the King since his people couldn't even combat against one of these blasted Nightmares.

The one thing he was glad to hear was that Carbon seemed to have the best interest of his people in mind, which meant this meeting had to go well in order to continue the assured safety of his people.

It seemed they reached their stop next to a large black circular door that opened silently into a rectangular room with a long black floating slab that appeared to be a table, although no chairs could be seen.

The Elite bowed once again. "Her Highness will be with you shortly, she has prepared you a short meal in case you grew hungry, I will stand guard outside this door, if you require any assistance I will try to answer your request to the best of my abilities. I am Unit ZC1 but I was graciously given the nickname 'Zinc' by our beloved Queen, refer to me as you see fit." With that the rather gentle giant marched out of the room as the door closed shut, leaving the king alone.

'It appears I am trapped with a strong guard covering the only visible exit...' Solaris wondered if he was being too paranoid about all this. So far Queen Carbon has done nothing to offend his Kingdom, in fact she has only protected and defended it from certain doom. Ponyville would likely not be standing were it not for her efforts so for that he must be thankful to a massive degree, his number one student, the Elements and his missing daughter called that place home. If Carbon had not selflessly intervened he very well may have lost much more than his favorite settlement.

Dusk might not have survived the onslaught. The thought made the Solar King shudder, he lost his dear daughter already if he lost the student that was like a son to him then he couldn't live with himself after that.
With that in mind, he steeled his resolve and felt nothing but powerful gratitude to her Highness. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his head as if coming to this resolve melted the stress in his mind.

Solaris stepped forward closer to the floating slab, a meter away a covering on the floor slid open quietly and raised up around the floating chair. It was like looking at art from a depiction of future technology, it even had cushions inside every surface of the encompassing seat. He calmly sat inside it, forcing himself not to worry about the possibility of it falling to the ground in response to his weight. It bobbed down once to meet the table at normal eye level. It really was a comfy chair.

Despite all this, he could not find it in himself to let his guard down. His gaze was set forward as he sat in a refined manner as to not appear rude in case he was being monitored in some way. Now he just had to wait...

He didn't wait less than a second when a small slot in the wall opened. He straightened up in expectation to meet Carbon but what came out from the wall was a small spherical droid hovering over to him with two items in some sort of telekinetic hold. It seemed to have ears of that of a feline and similar blue eyes that lit up as it spoke a chirpy tone. "Her Highness suggested the Lord of this world would enjoy this meal but if it is not to your liking you may request another dish to your specifications. Enjoy~!" Then it floated off after gently placing the two items next to his seat, the cat ball thing retreated back into the wall as it closed.

...Solaris snapped back into reality after experiencing a minor shock from the odd encounter. "T-thank you." He chastised himself for being so unorthodox. He looked back to this meal and saw an unexpected familiar sight. "Shortcake?" Yes, a single generous slice of vanilla shortcake topped with a fat juicy strawberry surrounded by equally appetizing blueberries. Solaris marveled at this sight, his favorite dessert, his favorite cake, and next to it a glass of iced coffee...his favorite drink type dessert.
Suspicious...
Next to it was a polished black fork that stared him down, he wanted to reject this masterpiece in front of him, it could easily be poisoned or it was a front to lower his guard for a surprise attack, what if it was a- 'SILENCE' The King took a gamble and at snap neck speeds he lifted the fork with his magic, took a chunk out from the artisan slice and shoved it into his mouth.

...
...
...

A lone tear slid down his eye. It was flawless.

___

The cake was gone, any evidence of it existing would require a forensics expert and master detective to figure out. The cold coffee was also gone, it too was flawless. It came at a godsend too since this was just about his meal time...how did they know abo-

His thoughts were cut when the door farthest from his opened in an overly intricate fashion. There came in one of the major causes of worry he had been dealing with all at once. From her image on the hologram, he expected a thin but massive creature to appear in front of him but this Queen was only slightly taller than him. 'And now for the most stressful war meeting, I've had in centuries...'

Carbon strode forward in a royal manner but Solaris could see the inexperienced manner she moved, he could see the hidden but slightly visible hesitation in that gait. He knew he was dealing with someone not in power for very long and who wanted to keep that prospect hidden. She could not fool these well-aged eyes however and he too knew what it was like to be young, with so much leadership to present. In a way, he felt pity for this young girl.

As the Queen walked forward toward him he expected her to walk on the table in some attempt to look down on him as they spoke but the table just seamlessly moved away from her and somehow melded with the other side with no apparent change in mass. This made the once-massive table now quite small, perfect for two people to converse important matters.

A chair similar to his rose from the side and she took the seat, her eyes glowing at his once she was set. A brief silence took over the room.
Then she spoke.

"I apologize for the wait your Highness Lord Solaris. I hope your arrival was pleasant." She intertwined her hands onto the table. Her eyes shifted to match her speech and emotions despite them being mechanical, she had no visible mouth though.

Solaris stiffened up. "It was no bother to me I assure you, I am very pleased with the hospitality you have shown thus far but let us skip the formalities and talk about why I am here." He said this respectfully and hoped he wouldn't offend her but this was vital and he had to return home as soon as possible before anyone noticed.

Carbon's eyes smiled. "Ha, I couldn't agree more Lord Solaris."

"Solaris is just fine milady."

"Ah, then Carbon is fine for me as well... I called you here to explain my sudden appearance and the nature of our enemy." Images popped up from a light installed on the table and showed several holographic images of the horrid creatures that plagued the forest. "This is what we know as a Void Spawn. These Spawns are the result of a pureblood Void trooper letting its plasma flow out from a self-inflicted process, we don't know the location of the Void but plans are being made to comb through the entirety of the Everfree forest once our current manpower exceeds a level our strike commander deems fit." Images of the forest and other various images of enemy units flashed across the air.

Solaris studied these images and marveled at the horrific abominations that waged war over his land. "So exactly what is a Void for that matter?"

Carbon shifted slightly. "I'm not entirely certain, my ascension into command was...sudden and unexpected to say the least..." She seemed uncomfortable at the topic but Solaris wanted to know more and uncover this possibly sensitive information. It was a gamble at the trust of Carbon but Solaris felt for some strong reason he could pry further with her.

"Oh? So I take it you are somewhat inexperienced taking leadership then...did something happen to shake your chain of command?"

She lightly tapped her claws on the table. "...It's hard to properly explain but my...mentor didn't seem to make it saving my life." Solaris felt he didn't break any boundaries yet but he decided to play it safe and end the discussion there.

"I'm sorry to hear that, I too know what it's like to be rushed into power unexpectedly. I take it, no offense, that you are quite young and inexperienced in all of this?" It was a small jab but a relatively harmless one from how Solaris had begun to see this figure.

Carbon stopped tapping and stared at the king. "I'm surprised how quickly you noticed...heh heh, I was hoping I could at least appear a bit more dignified before you."

Just when Solaris started to relax he made a snap decision and decided to play on the weakness she presented him. "Carbon I appreciate the hospitality you have shown but I must know what it is I am here for and what role do I have in all of this!"

Carbon shrunk at his powerful aura, all her previous bravado shattered before him, to Carbon this was a familiar feeling to when she was young. "S-sorry for the wait. You're right, you have a kingdom to run and everything so I'll just cut to the chase on the vital matters and we can possibly make a proper meeting at a later date." Suddenly it seemed like the Queen wanted the King rushed out as much as he wanted to leave. Solaris noted this familiar demeanor.
"The short of it is this since you are the lord and ruler of this land I felt my meddling in your territory would be seen as an invasion of sorts. I called you here to ask you for your permission to serve you in an alliance. Me of the Unity Core and you of the Equestria Nation. She stood straight and firm, eager for his response.

Solaris expected this and was hoping exactly this conclusion, however he needed to know just a bit more before he agreed to such a thing. "Well now we are getting somewhere, what do you have in mind when you mean alliance?"

"Well I would like to make our unity public as to operate without the risk of fear-induced riots and we could occupy any area you own to increase defenses and protect the populace from any possible raid from the Void Spawn. The last thing I ask is for emergency military command over any troops in an area under attack as to more easily give orders and organize my forces."

Solaris nodded at this. "This all seems very reasonable but tell me what will you give my kingdom in return."

"I will give my all to protect the innocent and purge the vile that taint this land, also I would like to offer our technological advancements to the public, with a cross-exchange of magic and tech we can come up with better armor and weapons for your troops, and once this is all over we can integrate my tech with your society to advance your home into a new era." Of course there was more to offer but she was trying to crunch her time here.

"Hm..." The King pondered this shortly, Carbon shifted in her seat. "Yes, I have come to a conclusion..." He started looking deep into her eyes. "But I have one question first."

This made the young Queen nervous at his glare. "Y-yes?"

Solaris stared deeper than ever to the point where she felt uncomfortable. "..." And then his eyes soften. "Spines what on Equestria are you doing in that thing? Let's get out of here and go home, Dusk is worried to death about you." He said a father talking to his child.

Ca-Spines stopped breathing. "Eh?" She got up from her seat shakily in an attempt to take control of the conversation but she clumsily kicked her own leg and fell headfirst into the black slab of a table. Her armored helmet took the brunt of the damage and pumped it back on the table letting thousands of black shards flop to the ground. She hastily got back up and started stammering incoherent nonsense.

The king just chuckled at the display. "I must say Spines, for a first impression as a Queen you're doing a lot better than I did when I was young." His chuckle turned into a burst of bellowing laughter that shook the room.

Spines couldn't help up flip over and fall on her head in a most comic fashion.