Chapter 4
“I don’t see what the issue is,” Vuvuzela said. “From all accounts you’ve always wanted to be a Princess. This seems like an opportunity to achieve that goal and do something good for Equestria at the same time.”
I looked at him across the small table that had been brought up to the throne room, which I was quickly realizing was a much more multi-purpose area than I’d thought. By rearranging the silk curtains and bringing out different furniture it could be anything from an intimidating open space to receive guests to a crowded space for a feast like it was now. It made me wonder why the castle was so big if they didn't use the room.
“He’s not entirely wrong,” Flash agreed. “Don’t glare at me like that! You know it’s true. Arranged marriages are still pretty common even in Equestria. For nobility, anyway.”
“I wasn’t glaring,” I muttered.
“Miss Shimmer I am struggling to sympathize with you,” Vuvuzela sighed. “If I had a mare like that throwing herself at me I would consider myself blessed. She’s one of the most politically powerful ponies in the world.”
“I mean… yeah, but you wouldn’t make Cadance go through with a wedding to somepony she doesn’t even know,” I countered.
“First, she wouldn’t be in this situation. Princess Cadance would have had a larger Royal Guard escort and she would have allowed them to deal with the assassins. Perhaps our Mister Sentry would be the hero of the day.”
“If only,” Flash sighed.
“Second, if she was somehow sitting at this very table and in your place, she would act with dignity and grace and muddle through the terrible task of being engaged to one of the very few ponies that might be worthy of her title.”
“...Fine, you have a point,” I admitted. I folded my legs. “It’s just hard to explain.”
“You thought you’d marry for love,” Flash said, nodding like he understood anything. "And maybe not a mare you just met."
"I don't even know if I like mares!" I groaned, resting my face on the table.
"You never experimented in college?"
"I spent a lot of formative years alone in a library and the rest hiding in a dilapidated castle," I mumbled.
Flash looked thoughtful for a moment. "You never played with dolls or pretended to marry your stuffed animals or bodypillows?"
“I didn’t think I’d marry at all! Finding a special somepony hasn’t been on my list of priorities. I’m still trying to get my life in order.” My brain took an extra moment to work through what he'd said. "Wait, bodypillows?"
Vuvuzela interrupted before I could get an answer out of Flash. “The good thing is that you don’t have to find somepony at all. One has been delivered to you on a silver platter. Speaking of which, I believe our food has arrived.” Vuvuzela looked up, and I followed his gaze to a literal silver platter, two servants working together to place it in the shallow depression at the center of our table.
I reached for the serving spoon and Flash grabbed it before I could.
“Watch your table manners, Sunset,” Flash warned. “They take it pretty seriously here.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’ve been to plenty of formal dinners.”
“Yeah, but those were following the rules in Equestria. The tradition here is to serve other ponies,” he said, spooning bright yellow rice mixed with wheatberries, pomegranate seeds, and vegetable diced so finely they were almost a liquid onto my plate. “And as the guest of honor you get served first.”
“So if I want seconds I have to ask for them?” I raised an eyebrow.
“Well the good news is you get to pour the drinks!” Flash said. “So if you get really peeved with one of us you can stop serving them wine.”
“Is it considered rude to just drink it all myself?”
“Extremely,” Vuvuzela growled.
“I need to figure out how to talk to the Princess about this,” I said, filling everyone’s cup with the sticky dessert wine they’d given us. It would have been better if it had been cut with tonic water or something.
“Princess Celestia will have to be informed,” Vuvuzela said in what he thought was agreement but what was instead providing a brand new thing to give me nightmares.
“No! We aren’t telling her! I meant Princess Shahrazad!” I glanced across the room at her, and she smiled demurely through her veil. “If I can get her alone for a few minutes maybe I can get this whole thing called off.”
“You can’t just cancel a wedding like that! Do you know how much of a diplomatic mess that would be?” Vuvuzela glared at me.
“Yeah, yeah,” I groaned. “Go ahead and sarcastically comment about how I’m trying to weasel out of the happiest day of my life or whatever.”
A presence fell over the table, one I’d felt before, less than a day ago. “I hope you aren’t thinking of breaking Princess Shahrazad’s heart.”
My ear twitched, and I restrained myself from casting anything I’d regret later as Sirocco Mandala stepped around me to sit at the table.
“She’s very delicate,” Sirocco said, without a hint of irony. “You should treasure her.”
“I don’t want ponies thinking I saved her for…” I looked around. “All this. I don’t deserve it. That’s what worries me.”
“You don’t deserve it,” Sirocco agreed. “But it isn’t your decision to make. Nor mine. But I have a talent for hearing the truth, and I believe you. Unlike some other things you have said, and not said.”
“We haven’t been introduced,” Vuvuzela said. “My name is--”
“I’m aware of your identity,” Sirocco said, cutting him off. I had the brief pleasure of seeing Vuvuzela look annoyed at somepony who wasn't me.
“Vuvuzela, this is Sirocco Mandala, head of the Aretic Order,” I supplied. “She’s probably here to threaten me.”
“I considered it,” Sirocco admitted. “If Princess Cadance was in your place, with her well-known ability to manipulate emotions between ponies and create feelings of love and who knows what else, I would have had to use every method to determine if there had been some spell cast on Princess Shahrazad.”
“She can’t just create love out of nothing,” I said.
“Mind magic is widely illegal even in Equestria, is it not?” Sirocco asked. “It is dangerous, especially so close to the throne, and it is my duty to investigate dangerous magic.”
“I guess.” I shrugged. I mostly just didn’t want to agree with her about anything.
“Thankfully I find you refreshingly free of that kind of subtle manipulation. More to the point, you seem unhappy with how events have progressed. It gives me hope for the future. Anything that makes a dangerous element like you unhappy is perhaps the right way for events to unfold.” She held up her empty glass. “Would you?”
I poured her a glass of the sickly sweet wine. “I’m not sure if you approve of this whole mess or not.”
“We do not get to live in the world we wish to live in. We live in the world as it is. There were worse things that could have happened. Princess Shahrazad could have been killed. You could have had some larger plot beyond whatever vain hope you have of impressing Princess Celestia. We are all blessed in some way this day. She is alive, you will no doubt make your own Princess proud, and I will be watching all of it. Closely.”
"Thanks," I grumbled.
"That is of course not a threat," Sirocco said. "It is a statement of fact. I don't believe I need to threaten you to make you respect my position."
"I didn't come here to make enemies."
"Excellent. I hope you show the same judgment in choosing which ponies should be your friends," Sirocco said. She stood, putting the wine down untouched. "May you get the happiness you deserve this night."
Flash watched her go. "She seemed a little..." He shook his head. "Intense? I guess that's the right word."
"Dramatic," I corrected. "She probably says the same stuff to every pony who gets forced into an arranged marriage with royalty."
I started tapping my hoof against the table nervously, trying to figure out my next move. Around me, the platters and plates changed, and I ate what was put in front of me on automatic, not really tasting much of anything.
The first thing I had to do was tell Princess Shahrazad that we really couldn’t get married. The second thing I had to do was figure out how to do that without insulting her or ruining the trade agreement. The third thing I had to do was figure out what country to flee to since I wasn’t ready to go back to Equestria as the abject failure I was and Saddle Arabia was probably going to deport me.
“Maybe the dragon lands,” I sighed.
“Hm?” Flash asked, looking up from the dessert that he’d been picking at. It was some kind of thin pastry noodle baked with date syrup and pistachios and then fried with cheese.
“The fire wouldn’t bother me too much, and dragons are really straightforward. I don’t even think you need a visa. You just find a cave and move in…”
“Are you feeling okay?”
I blinked and looked up at Flash. He actually seemed worried. I don’t know why. He wasn’t the one in trouble.
“I’m fine,” I lied. “I just really need to talk to Princess Shahrazad.”
I stood up and scanned the room, following the flow of well-wishers making their way to the head table to congratulate the Princess. I could probably have just walked over and ignored the line, but I needed the extra time to figure out what I was going to say to her.
The line shrunk, I caught her eye, and I realized that no matter what I was going to tell her, it couldn’t be here. Not in front of all her subjects.
“Beloved,” she said, once I got to the front of the line. She looked amused. “You didn’t have to wait for my attention.”
“I’m still learning your customs. I didn’t want to make a scene,” I said. “Can we talk? In private?”
“Of course! We do have quite a few things we should speak about. I am told Equestrian brides like to have their hoof in every part of the wedding planning. Father, may we be excused?”
“Whatever you wish, my daughter,” the King said. “I don’t think anypony would begrudge you time alone with the pony who saved your life.” He looked at me. “At least as long as I can trust her to keep things proper, hm?”
My cheeks turned red, and he laughed.
“You young fillies are too easy to tease!” he chuckled. “I remember when I was your age and… hm. Well, I got into a lot of trouble. At least if you’re together I can trust my daughter has a good bodyguard.”
“Thank you,” I said, trying to keep the color from reaching my ears. I think my whole face was the color of a ripe cherry.
“Just try not to get her with foal before the wedding,” he said, waving us off. “I’ve heard rumors about you Equestrians and the sort of spells you cast on each other.”
“Yes, there really are stories,” Shahrazad said, as we walked through the corridor. Unlike Canterlot, the castle here was surprisingly simple in construction. It was flat, with one main corridor on each side of the central tower. Stairs leading down implied that the same general layout continued down at least a few layers, stacked on top of each other inside the dam-shaped structure. I still couldn't get much of a feel for the structure itself. There had to be something like fifty floors going unused under us.
“Well they’re not true,” I said. “Mostly not true. I mean, Princess Cadance probably knows spells like that, but I don’t.”
She giggled. “That’s almost too bad. Maybe you can ask her for notes?”
A maid wearing enough veils that she looked more like a ghost than a servant bowed and opened a door at our approach, letting us inside.
“Windows,” I sighed. “I was starting to think I wasn’t going to see the sun again.”
“There aren’t any into the arterial canals at the center of the curtain wall,” Shahrazad said. The maid followed us in and helped the Princess remove a few of her outer layers. I turned away, blushing, to let her have some privacy.
“Is it a security concern?” I asked.
“Naturally. Did you notice almost every door was on the inner side of the castle wall? There are no doors or windows that lead out to the desert.”
“Is the desert dangerous?” Maybe if I was really lucky I’d find some kind of horrible monster to fight. That always took my mind off of my own problems.
“As dangerous as an empty room. There’s simply nothing there. Not even good scenery to look at. There aren’t any reliable or mapped overland routes to anywhere of import.” She giggled. “You know, I was hoping you’d at least watch me change before we started discussing business. I like to think I’m somewhat attractive.”
I turned, feeling a surge of panic at the thought I was being rude. “No, that’s not it, you’re--”
She was wearing less than I’d seen her in, just a slip of silk. I was used to ponies being naked, but something about the way it clung to her and moved when she did was somehow more tantalizing than a merely nude mare.
“--Beautiful,” I finished, meaning it. Was I really trying to run away from that?
“Come and sit with me,” she said, flicking her tail at me when she turned, walking past her bowing and prostate servant and leading me to a depression like a circular pool filled with pillows and blankets instead of water surrounding an ornate lamp.
Shahrazad touched the lamp with her hoof and it lit up with a blue-green haze, the light catching on the silver that edged almost everything in the room, as prevalent as the gilding that seemed to end up everywhere in Canterlot.
“Does it remind you of home?” the Princess asked.
“That’s complicated,” I said. “I’m not sure where my home really is.”
“It could be here,” she said, lying down and patting the pillows next to her. I sat, and found them stuffed with soft pellets that supported me but also moved past each other to mold themselves into a comfortable shape under my weight.
“That’s what we need to talk about,” I said, taking a deep breath.
“Yes, I suppose we do need to talk,” she sighed. “I am sorry for dragging you into this ruse without warning, even if it was extremely amusing watching your expression as ponies offered their congratulations all night.”
“Yeah, I was- wait, ruse?” I blinked, starting to feel stupid.
Shahrazad looked away from me, looking pained. “I apologize. I fear for my life, and when the opportunity came, I jumped upon it. Sunset Shimmer, you are my only hope.”
Princess Shahrazad sent her maid away after she’d brought us a jug of strong wine and two cups, and I was getting just paranoid enough to make sure the Princess drank first before I started sipping on it. After switching our cups.
“What I am going to tell you I must beg you to keep in confidence,” she said. “I trust you, Sunset Shimmer. I just ask that you trust me long enough to listen to my story.”
I nodded. “I’ll listen,” I said. “So what happened in the parade? How much of that was real?”
“All of it,” she said. “You know I am my father’s only child, and heir to the throne?” I hadn't really known that, but I nodded, and she continued. “As you can imagine, there are many ponies who wish to take advantage of me. Some are harmless and just wish to gain my favor, but others would remove me from their path.”
“So someone wants to usurp your dad?” I suggested.
“I believe my uncle is the one to blame, though I cannot prove it. If I was… removed, he would sit on the throne after my father passes. There are no other legitimate heirs, and so even if he was suspected of the crime he would still be the next king.” Shahrazad looked pained. “I don’t feel safe anywhere anymore.”
“Don’t you have guards?”
“Of course I do,” the Princess smiled sadly. “Some of them were involved in the attempt on my life. You understand, yes? I cannot offer them more than Uncle can. A hundred coins can pay a dozen guards to keep one safe, but if one of them can get that whole reward by turning his blade on me and not have to share it with the others, well, you see the problem.”
“So much for loyalty,” I muttered.
Shahrazad put her hoof on my shoulder.
“That’s why I need you,” she said. “You saved me without thought for your own safety. You didn’t seek a reward. You just did what you thought was right.”
“I couldn’t do nothing when a mare was in trouble right in front of me,” I mumbled. She tilted my chin to make me meet her gaze.
“Exactly! You’re an outsider, so my uncle cannot have gotten to you already. You are a warrior, one so powerful nopony in the palace could stand against you. And now you are my fiancee, so you can go everywhere with me.”
“Sounds like you just wanted a bodyguard.”
She pulled me closer, still holding my chin. Her lips pressed against mine, and I realized I had absolutely no idea how to properly kiss anypony. My panic washed away quickly, because Princess Shahrazad knew enough for both of us. It was like eating a hot pepper, a rush of heat and passion that left my lips tingling even after we broke apart.
“That was for saving me,” she whispered. “It may be a ruse but I think both of us will enjoy it.”
I nodded dumbly.
“We will have plenty of time to learn about each other as we uncover my uncle’s plot,” she said. “Perhaps by the end we will decide it wouldn’t be so terrible if we allowed the engagement to play out to its natural conclusion.”
“I-I guess,” I stammered, still a little shaken. The kiss had been more intoxicating than the wine. I tried to steady myself and focus on anything besides her hips and lips and everything in between. “But if I’m going to keep you safe it means we need to coordinate so I can actually be around you.”
“Naturally,” she agreed.
“For one thing, I want to know how you got here before I did. The parade went right here and by the time I saw the king you were already dressed up and you’d had time to tell him all about what happened.”
“And you spent hours climbing steps,” she countered. “You don’t think a Princess would walk up the supplicant’s path, do you?” She pointed. “There is a rather clever elevator system that involves moving sand from one silo to another. If one knows the door to use, it takes only a few minutes to ascend from the bottom.”
“I knew there had to be another way up!” I huffed. “I don’t suppose you can…” I looked at her hopefully.
“Perhaps,” she said, smiling. “I would need to accompany you, beloved. Only the royal family is allowed to use the sand elevator. It offers easy access to and from the castle, unseen by those outside. You can see the danger, yes?”
“Yeah,” I admitted. “I don’t think it’s a serious danger, though. I mean, at worst it’s just a door that needs to be guarded.”
“Mm.” Shahrazad tilted her head. “Regardless, I am sure you can find another way to go to and from the palace without having to use the stairs. Or are you not as clever as I thought?”
If she wanted to make it a contest, she’d picked the wrong pony to challenge.
“Of course I can,” I scoffed. “Even if I didn’t want to pick the locks on your teleportation wards, I could just walk up the wall with a spider-climb spell or throw myself with a telekinetic burst. I just didn’t want to be rude about it is all.”
“It wouldn’t be rude,” she assured me. “In fact, I’d love it if you would escape with me some night, beloved.” Shahrazad grinned and lounged, stretching her back legs out. “I find the palace so dreary, especially since I am involved in so little. Do you know I was not even allowed to assist with the treaty our nations are signing?”
That got a laugh out of me. “Join the club. I thought I was coming here to try to negotiate the details but instead, I’m just supposed to smile and sign on the dotted line.”
“I wouldn’t even be allowed to sign. It is why I snuck out in the first place. I wanted to see Princess Cadance myself on my own terms. Instead, I met you. The news of her replacement had not yet reached the palace. Or perhaps my father simply didn't deign to tell me.”
“Sorry,” I mumbled.
“You have nothing to apologize for. You saved my life. From everything I have heard, Princess Cadance lacks the fighting spirit you displayed.” She took my hoof, squeezing it gently. “If she had been there, I might have died. I most certainly would not find myself as part of this most agreeable little ruse.”
“I suppose it’s not so bad,” I admitted, squeezing back. She pulled me closer.
She kissed me again, and it was just as electric as the first time.
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I knew it
it even hurt me
then she was going for Princess Cadance 
not by Sunset 
already fell
Well at least this seems to be one of the plots and intrigue Sunset'll enjoy having to deal with the most!
Now this seems a bit more Sunset's pace.
Well, that was an interesting turn. And I’m grateful that no ponies have a giant, blinding neon sign hanging above their heads reading ‘Femme Fatale”. That would just be silly.
"Sirocco Mandala, head of the Praxic Order"
Wasn't it the Aretic Order?
"She has until then to figure out what to do when Celestia shows up and wants answers. Or to help with the wedding planning, and I'm honestly not sure which she'd dread more."
And then there's Cadance's reaction, too... :D
9813945
Whoops, missed one! Thanks for the catch.
Well, at least Sunset has a goal other than sitting around waiting for the treaty to be signed. It'll hopefully keep her mind on things she's more comfortable with. And she gets to enjoy the benefits!
Pretty sure the princess is leaving some details out. I suppose we'll see.
And another interlude! Looking forward to that!
9813977
You're welcome. :)
I'm curious; had this been the vanilla universe, and the events of this story also happened, what would have happened to the Princess Shahrazad? It is an interesting thought experiment.
The Witch of the Everfree >> The Witch of Canterlot >> The Witch of Saddle Arabia??
Well, either the King isn't an absolute monarch or he won't believe anything bad about his brother: 'cause if I were an absolute monarch and believed someone was trying to murder my daughter and heir, they'd be getting a visit from the Eunuchs with silk scarves in short order, so to speak.
I don’t think I trust the new princess but I’m kinda rooting for her. If she’s not secretly the villain, I’d totally ship it. She’s manipulating Sunset pretty easily though. Perhaps Princess S is in Kahoots with the Order to dispose her father? She’s the heir apparent though, so she wouldn’t need to knock him off unless she just really wants power now for reasons.
Intrigue is magic.
9813919
Indeed, absolutely no reason to be suspicious. Everypony move along, nothing to see here!
I’m hoping Sunset puts a catapult at the base of the steps. Only way to travel.
The plot thickens
But we can be certain that, at the very least, Sunset is not against marrying a mare.
9814425
Sunset’s got a plot to uncover and I don’t mean Uncle Scar usurping the throne heyoo!
Wow, if you think this is how actual love works, you must really be in favor of Epstein.
Yeah, not sure if it's because I hate Talia Al Ghoul or something else, but this "beloved" is pressing all my buttons.
I don't trust this mare in the slightest, but have no idea what her, or her father's, end goals are. They shouldn't need anything from either Sunset or Cadence, and the fact that this, seemingly, was aimed at Cadence makes it all the odder.
What the hell? I can get the Arabians not seeing any problem, but how can Flash & Vuvuzela not understand that getting ambushed, not with a proposal, but with "you're getting married to me, and no, you opinion on the matter does not matter" is a bad thing and Sunset has every right to be upset?!
Oh ... well ... you're boned.
So, the Princess with "assassins after her" snuck out, without any of her guards, questionable loyalty or not, to see Cadance about "protecting" her from her "evil uncle". This whole situation just screams "set-up".
9814813
Plus, she maintains there are no windows on the other side of this giant wall they've built because the view is boring and not because there's anything dangerous on the other side, despite the fact that windows on an empty side would be more secure than ones on a side people can reach and would allow them to use natural lighting during the day.
And she has claimed she used a secret elevator system but she has managed to avoid showing it to Sunset or describing its location in any detail.
Basically Shahazrad is shady as hell. But... That doesn't mean she's evil, per se. Just that she's trying to manipulate Sunset Shimmer, who is widely regarded as a spoiled brat with lots of power. If you need that power, you might not trust the brat with the true reasons, even if those reasons were benign.
I had a feeling there was a lot more going on here. Can't wait to see how this pans out?
I think that should be prostrate.
Well this chapter gives a lot of explanation that was needed for both the readers and Sunset. I have a feeling that Sunset will tell Flash about what's really going on and will suspect Sirocco of being on the payroll of the evil uncle.
I dread what intrigue Sunset might have to battle in her situation.
I don’t trust Sherazhad, but there’s not much choice except to do so.
This situation is fucktangular in many ways.
I'm starting to wonder about this treaty. It seems like Vuvuzela and the Sultan are going to great lengths to keep anyone from reading it before it's signed, and that seems suspicious to me.
Hmm.
Yeah, I don't buy this.
The best part is while the news might take forever to reach Canterlot and Celestia. Sunsets nightmares will reach Luna far faster.
9813945
Cadence’s reaction? I suspect Sunset will hear the squee from Saddle Arabia even if Cadence is in the Crystal Empire.
9819911
Hah! :D
9813867
Fkn Arabian Nights shit? You KNOW she's in for it.
knowing sunbutt the first
she would probably come to plan the wedding and also answers
because she can
Obi wan kenobi you are my only hope.
That's what i thought when she said sunset was her only hope
HA!
God DAMMIT Leia!
I'm pretty sure the ruse is a ruse.
I've noticed these in the previous story as well, those very carefully placed sniper rounds straight to the face towards bronies xD
9814527 Agreed. This is exactly the sort of crap that has caused wars. An arranged marriage is bad enough, but the sort of 'arranged marriage' where one participant has been tricked into it without any chance to say yes or no? That is just sick and wrong, and both Flash in the Pan and Foghorn have my complete and total disgust at not being disgusted themselves. Foghorn I can understand, he seems like a petty asshole who enjoys seeing her suffer, but I expected better of Flash.
Considering this bitch has already tricked Sunset once, I trust her not at all. This business screams set-up, though I still don't know who is being set up for what and by who. Seven Veils might have spun this entire story out of thin air to keep Sunset on the hook. Considering Sunset's hatred of being manipulated I'm shocked she hasn't said 'Screw this noise' and teleported back to Canterlot.
This is the sort of crap i'd expect from Skysaber (a.k.a Perfect Lionheart) where all it takes for the protagonist to have girls swearing undying loyalty to them is foot rubs, kisses and shiny gifts.
Some good points made here. First, Sunset would get on pretty well in the Dragonlands. She'd really hit it off with Torch and Ember for sure! And now I want to see this happen! Also, yeah, head Inquisitor guy has a point, there are many things that can be said about Sunset Shimmer; "subtle" is not one of them.
So, this is all a plot by the very beautiful princess to get herself some protection.... given how bad they were at it, I'm still not convinced those ponies trying to kill her were legit to begin with. However... does not mean there isn't really a plot to kill her. Faking an obvious attack on your life is a pretty good way to get people to take more seriously that there is a threat to you when you can't prove it otherwise. Also these guys information system and espionage team sucks. If they were good, they'd have known Sunset and not Cadance was coming the moment the ship left port. If they were at least competent, they'd have known when the ship reached port and no pink princess got off. So either their intelligence service is worthless, she's lying about not knowing, or she is even more kept out of the loop then she is claiming. Plus I mean, with that name, I'm going to assume she is very, VERY good at telling stories. So while I'm not assuming she's malicious in this, there is definitely more going on then she is saying.
But either way.... Sunset being all distracted by the hotness was adorable!
And damnit story you made me chuckle at Flash's 'bodypillow' bit.
Oh like the Gender bent spells that could turn you into a male or a stallion? Sure
I mean.... She's the most beautiful mare she has ever seen so...
I mean come on?!?! Imagine you've been kissing books all your life then a beautiful mare kisses you, of course we have hormones, we're curious, and that's an opportunity served in a silver platter (I WANT ONE TOO)