Opaline in this what if universe, is more along the lines of Doflamingo from One Piece and Fowler from Blue Eye Samurai.

She is a dragon weeb and a full-scale colonialist. She loves dragon culture, but also sees it as outdated and that dragons are not using their lands or their powers to their full advantage. When she took over, she turned the dragon lands into a far more centralized state with its own army and giant cities made of alabaster. Dragons make up the majority of her army but more and more ponies are coming into the lands.

Like Fowler, she desires her own kingdom and empire and like Doflamingo she used dirty tricks to dethrone and humiliate Ember in order to become the leader for life.

The capital city is named, Alabaster, the name is pretty self-explanatory, as the entire city is made of it, a gigantic city that can house even the largest dragon. Riches exclusive to the Dragon Lands were shipped off and sold for bits and more, which helped make the former ash lands a much more prosperous and wealthier nation. The kingdom was once considered too rich due to the seemingly endless mineral wealth.

Misty is still at her side like in the original series, but is now far more manipulated than the old show. Here, Opaline actually gives off caring mother vibes to her(Of course, its just an act)