It's been a year since my last update. · 10:39pm Jan 1st, 2022
Boom, got to the joke before anyone else! Ha!.. Wow, that's not funny.
So yeah, been, what, three months since I posted a new chapter for SMoTE? Well... Sorry. Been busy with school and everything, for those of you keeping track.
Anyway... I honestly wish I had something more to say. Just know I am working on it, and I have a little hint of the next chapter ready for you below. It'll take a lot of time, (Again, busy animating) so thanks for being patient. You're all awesome!
A gentle breeze brushed past Skeletorâs skull as he gazed over the Empire.
The once bare and shining streets had been caked in snow, and nearly devoid of any life. The crystal ponies, his subjects, carried themselves like shambling corpses. They trotted without any purpose as they trudged through the snow, shoveling haphazard paths for the others to follow.
It was all hauntingly familiar. Almost as if he had slipped back to his first day in the Empire.
An empire without love. A kingdom falling to ruin.
A castle crumbling just out of view.
Shaking his skull to banish any wandering thoughts, Skeletorâs gaze traveled back to the sleeping princess in his bed.
The once elegant alicorn, who had held her head high when demanding her birthright, had become a shadow of the mare he knew. Her fur was knotted, her mane undone, and her once calculating eyes were heavy with tears.
All of her power⊠Crumbling to mere weakness.
Letting a hand run on his scalp, Skeletor heaved a tired sigh as he tried to clear his mind.
He felt uncomfortably familiar in the embrace of his anger, letting subtle rage kill any sense of dread or fear. It was almost comforting.
It was better than his crying and whining. Better than being eaten by his fear.
Better than being a blubbering fool. A pathetic prince who couldnât protect the ponies.
His head started to pound as flashes of memories rushed in. Failure after failure, every wasted moment he spent in that frigid Empire. Crying instead of taking command, begging when he should have bargained, a long line of miserable mistakes marring his memories.
And with each memory came a stab of anger, and a lingering thought.
âIf onlyâŠâ
There were so many things he could have done, things he should have done, and he could finally see it.
He looked on his life with fresh eyes, realizing the regrets and sorrow that sullied his mind. He saw his weakness.
The same weakness that turned an immortal into a sniveling child. Cowardice. Incompetence. Failures that lived under a hundred names, all his weakness.
Before he could defend any further into his cascading thoughts, a tired groan dragged his mind back to the sleeping mare.
The light that fell through the window slowly crawled onto the bed, forcing her to escape beneath the blankets.
Letting go of a breath he unintentionally held, Skeletor leaned against the wall as he simply stared at the world outside.
The nightmare outside called to him. He saw their sadness, their grief, and despite himself, he couldnât help but see something sickening. Something that he never wanted to see in their suffering.
He saw opportunities.
Taking advantage of his situation, Skeletor quickly donned his cloak and walked to the door, peeking outside to see the nearby guards posted outside.
âYou,â Skeletor quietly called, earning a hasty salute at the gaping guard.
âS-sir! Youâre awake! Weââ
âQuit shouting, you blasted sentry,â he hissed. âBring the doctor here. Now. And find my staff. Donât alert anyone.â
âSir, yes sir!â The guard shouted, receiving a light glare from Skeletor before he briskly trotted away.
Before Skeletor closed the door, he could fairly hear the guard as he cheered, âYes! Lord Skeletor knows my name!â
Looking forward to it. :-D
It feels distinctly like we have a time-skip approaching. How large of one, I'm not certain. Definitely looking forward to the chapter, though!
5623316
fairly certain it's not flash sentry, since he seems to be an Equestrian guard, rather than crystal pony.
5623494
But the dialogue never actually says it's a crystal pony Skeletor is talking to, just that they're a "guard". Also, Flash is obviously one of Cadence's guards, seeing as his only appearances in the show are either in the empire itself or when he was escorting her to Ponyville.
5623626
It's a Crystal pony. Blast Sentry.
5623636
...
media.tenor.com/images/3ce380c19c3c483ee06c39ca0e15aa62/tenor.gif
5623647
Don't. Now I know to fix the joke so it lands better.
5623626
5623651
From the context of the story, to me it was clear that equestrian forces hadn't arrived yet, so since there's only so many names, a coincidence between two guards being called "sentry" with 3000 years between their births seems realistic. But yeah, some might not get the joke and think it's actual flash sentry.
5623724
Thatâs why I tried *insult* guard, as a name, but nothing really fit. I wanted a Loud Guard or Boisterous Bastion, but those didnât work. Heck, even Blasted Sentry is a bit of a stretch for a pony named. Any suggestions for a name/insult?
5623726
Blaring Sentinel?
5623726
Well, i don't know about pony names, so that's up to you.... but remember; in the cartoons, Skeletor once called randor "royal boob"
On other hand, here's an entire video of 80's skeletor throwing insults; might give you ideas (it's only 2:25 long)
This is somehow both simultaneously wholesomely sweet and ridiculously funny.
This is the right level of blursed that has made me fall in love with the story.
5623726
You could always go with bellowing scout for scout bellows, from the bellowing family