As Quick led them down tunnels that seemed to weave ever deeper into the unyielding stone, Cadance took greater pleasure in peeking down the side passages. It was in one of them that made her stop entirely. The rest of the procession moved without her as she peered into the darkness and the wonder that lurked inside.
"Sir Stroke," She finally called out, making them aware of her absence.
Quick perked an ear before quickly looking over his shoulder, noticing only then that his retinue had shrunk by one considerable alicorn princess. A muttering that was almed at no one, barely heard from the wirey stallion. "Princess, you should stay with the others."
She pointed down the hallway that had captured her attention. "What is this room used for? Does it have a name?"
Quick strode up in an irritated trot. "There is nothing of importance along this hallway." He peered into the hallway as he reached it and saw a large room with equally massive pillars. Each side of each pillar was decorated with the art of the tsuki, the same meaningless drawings they used to do, now carved as releifs into the more permanent stone with more capable and equipped paws.
Cadance took his presence as permission and began to walk forward towards the collection. "It's..."
"Worthless," completed Quick. "We should continue."
"Breath-taking," suggested Cadance as a better description. "You can feel the passion of the artists in each of these. They couldn't have been made quickly, and so many of them... This is a project of love." She could feel lingering traces of that love, part of what pulled her so strongly in the first place. Her eyes went up and down, taking in the fine details that showed the tsuki history. "Shining?"
Shining hurried to her side. "It's really nice." He quirked a little smile. "Like a tsuki comic book."
Cadance burst into musical laughter. "Of course you would see it that way, dear husband. It is that, done in stone to last through the ages. Did they always carve their history like this?"
Toby shook his head, catching up easily with the detour. "Used to make pictures on walls. Some carve, was hard." He wriggled his fat fingers. "Can dig in stone, slow, hard. Still, worth it for some. We do what we can." He looked increasingly guilty as he spoke. "I... not make art. Art made before I get here, made after I get here, but I not make it. I not know how make art."
Cadance turned to the hurt tsuki and raised a hoof, gently rubbing one of his furry cheeks. "You work very hard to make sure the artists here could make their art, Toby. You are a part of their creation, even if your own paw never touched them." A gentle smile spread over her snout. "I feel certain they would agree with that. That is why they love you so much."
Toby's embrassment turned into a new kind that had him blushing. "Toby just do what I can." He winced softly at his slip in language. "Is good art, yes?"
Flash trotted along them until he reached what he was looking for and came to a stiff stop. "Here's where Sombra showed up." All eyes turned to see what he had found.
There was a clear depiction of Sombra in the stone, two malignant eyes descending from above. Tsuki were depicted, scared and running away. Below that, tsuki in chains, tsuki cowering, and a few tsuki laying on the ground motionless. The art was clear that it was not a good time.
Quick cleared his throat softly, but said little. He felt proud of the image. It was his lord doing what he did well, but he was certain it was not making good impressions on the guests. Still, to just hurry them away right that moment would only emphasize that they were ashamed of it, and that would not do.
Toby had no such worry. He threw himself forward, blocking the picture and pointing to the next column. "Story is not done."
Cadance's eyes lingered on the depiction of the tsuki's conquest but she did slowly turn her attention to the next. There was a good portion that seemed to hint at darkness, just tsuki eyes peering out of it, but then, light.
A shaft of light descended from above and a tsuki was bathed in it with a big goofy grin. Cadance smiled gently. "Is that you?"
Toby blushed softly even as he nodded. "Tsuki come. Toby was Tsuki then."
Cadance reached out a hoof, but held it back just before she touched the stone. "And..." She moved on to the next part, showing Toby facing Sombra, then talking to a wrinkled tsuki, then Toby before so many tsuki. "Then... you turned things around..." Her eyes looked forward. There were more historical pillars, holding the events of things, but she turned from them, back to the group. "It is obvious how much your kin look up to you."
Her smile onle deepened. "My own people have only carved one statue of who they call hero, and it isn't me."
Toby looked baffled at the very notion. "Who they call hero?" He looked among the possibles. "Prince? Flash?" He pointed at each, entirely unsure.
Cadance shook her head. "I'm not sure you ever met him, but his name is Spike. He's a dragon, a small one, a baby, in fact."
The idea of a tiny dragon in a diaper appeared in Toby's mind and he giggled almost girlishly at the idea of something like that becoming a hero worthy of a statue. "Must be good dragon, become hero so young."
"Very good," agreed Cadance. "He may have many more opportunties to do amazing things, but that's a story for another day."
Quick pointed to the entrance of the pillar room. "Shall we continue the tour? This was not on the schedule." He began to stalk forward, and his motion drew the others, leaving the artful pillars.
Flash hurried up to Quick's side. "You know, they put you in there."
Quick slowed. "They did?"
Flash nodded quickly. "Oh yeah, the whole thing. They must think it was a pretty big deal."
Quick turned tensely to Flash. "Show me."
Flash trotted back into the collection of pillars, going past the coming of Tsuki, then veering off a little, passing a few other pillars before he thrust a hoof up. There was a pony with a frown. Little jagged lines came from his mouth at the tsuki around him.
Then there he was, sorrounded by equally angry looking tsuki. Then one of darkness and magic, impressions of dark bolts and struck tsuki, but none of them fell, and the bolts echoed off of them towards one tsuki. Then that Tsuki attacked the frowning pony. Then the angry tsuki was standing over the angry pony triumphantly, and there was a leg tossed aside.
Quick scowled at the depiction of his moment of weakness. "They would record this..."
Flash gestured a hoof at the next pillar. "It continues."
Cadance winced at the image of the end of the battle. "How terrible... I see the tsuki can fight, when they wish to."
Toby put his paws over his face. He had never known the full measure of how Quick lost his leg. "Who did that?! Toby--I will punish! Is not good!" He turned to Quick. "Thought was accident! Why not tell me? Is not good!"
Cadance left Toby to look at the continuing story. She saw several tsuki sneaking from a hole. Then a scene of them bouncing towards a city of crystal. She smiled, recognizing her kingdom. "They came. That is when we met them."
Shining nodded. "And they traded." He pointed to a picture of tsuki on one side, ponies on the other. "And they got the crystal leg."
The tsuki were shown carrying the leg back in a box. The last picture was the same frowning pony as before, but he wasn't frowning. He had a new leg, and he was smiling, and there were other tsuki around him, also smiling. Cadance gestured to it. "It was a difficult time, but it seems peace was reached." She pointed at the smiling pony. "A nice touch, using actual crystal in that picture."
Quick self-conciously drew his crystal hoof back slightly. "We have reached an understanding. May we proceed?"
Cadance glanced back at the other pillars, wondering a moment. "Have they already captured my arrival?" She was polite enough to not insist on checking. She moved to follow Quick, her soft wings nudging the others to keep up with her. "Sorry for delaying you, Quick Stroke. It was a fascinating tale. There are certainly lessons to be had in it."
Quick gratefully resumed the tour path. "And which lessons do you perceive, Honored Guest?"
"A smile will net more than a frown," easily replied Cadance. "An ally is far more valuable than an enemy, and, an enemy is just an ally you have failed to make." She strode up beside Quick. "That last one is especially vital. It makes me reconsider some of my own thoughts."
Shining slid up at her free side, crowded as it was, the rough stone of the hallway rubbing at his far side. "What thoughts are those?"
Cadance smiled gently. "The King Sombra of the past was clearly not ready to have allies, only minions, and enemies. Perhaps this one has changed enough to allow this new thought to take root. With Toby so close, this feels almost certain."
Flash suddenly laughed from behind the shoulder-to-shouder procession. "Don't let the crystal ponies hear you say that, they'd already be passed out on the ground."
Toby smiled with awkward pride. "I help Sombra be best king. He get better. I get better. Is, um, good time for growing." He threw his forepaws wide before hopping to keep up. "Lot growing."
"This is true," admitted Quick. "We are a kingdom that is rapidly evolving to meet the needs of the world we live in." He swiveled an ear towards the two royals that walked side-by-side with him. "Some of my tactics are in need of... an update. I am addressing that." And he fully intended to have that under control. "Just as I train the tsuki in new ways."
Some small bit of the tension ebbed. The admission of imperfection had pushed through some sort of barrier. Steps were easy, even if Quick was not quite smiling. He gestured up ahead. "We are coming on the smeltery. Do not go too close to the equipment. If it's glowing, it is hot enough to set the unwary ablaze without warning. Most tsuki are not permitted to dwell within this area until they have been extensively trained in its safe operation."
One such tsuki, a smiling jack, was right at the entrance as they exited the tunnel into the sweltering heat of the smeltery. "Welcome! King said you were coming, so I waited." He hopped up to each person and gave them a brief but warm hug, starting with Quick, then Cadance, then Shining. "Ponies are fun to hug," he admitted without shame. "Stay fun to hug, no leave path, okay?" He pointed ahead. There was a clear path of colored stones that wove through the area, never straying too close to the still red-hot collections of metal and other dangerous-looking equipment.
Once the first three had passed the entrance, the happy tsuki got a chance to hug Flash and Toby. "Is good see!" cried Toby, returning the embrace, the two patting one another's back before backing off.
"Is good see," echoed the smelting tsuki. "Now, want see how make rock into metal, yes? Is not easy, but we get better every day. Make much good metal." He hopped past the first three, walking down the marked trail himself. "Rock not much good, just rock, not even good rock for carving. But we learn, first from pony, then we find ways to do better." He walked along with pride, showing off the fine points of how the tsuki refined their ore.