The smell of fresh bread and warm crystalberry jam filled Emerald Secret with a sense of clarity and joy, using only the memories of how they tasted to wake up the rest of her senses. The memories of past meals teased Emerald with the ghost of flavors that had touched her tongue a long time ago. Her mouth watered as she smelled the fresh scent off bread waft in the air, rising past her muzzle to mingle in the air with the scents of the other dishes that filled various other tables in the dining hall.
Quiet conversations became even more muffled as Emerald ripped off a piece of bread, becoming nothing but background noise to her as she lost herself in the pleasant smells. While Emerald happily ate her morning meal, her dark lord contently sipped his tea as he as he looked over the designs that the blacksmiths made for the new gate that would be put up for the Crystal Heart at night. Lord Skeletor drank his Honeysuckle tea in a fairly large porcelain cup that looked small in comparison to his powerful hands.
Once he finished taking the last sip of tea, Lord Skeletor placed his empty cup down and gestured for one of the maids to fill it.
“Thank you,” Lord Skeletor said after the maid refilled it.
His eye-sockets didn’t leave the page as he scanned the parchment for any noticeable flaws in the designs. Even as he drank his tea, his gaze remained glued to the paper. Two of the designs allowed for easier maintenance, allowing guards to presumably set up and take down the gate in a little under a half an hour, while the other design offered more protection from all angles with small bars that wouldn’t let anything larger than a hoof to go through.
“Have you come to a decision yet, my lord?” Emerald asked after wiping her muzzle with a napkin.
“I’m still debating about the design with wheels… If the blacksmiths could find a way to lock them in place once the cage is set up, then I think I’d like to use that design. If the guards could wheel the gate in and out before and after dark, then that would help a lot. Emerald, you know more than I do about this, should we expect ponies trying to see the Crystal Heart at night?”
“It’s not too uncommon for some sleepless ponies to wander to the Crystal Heart to look at it in the moonlight.”
“I see… Then we’ll need to make the bars a bit wider then in the final design so the ponies can still see it clearly.”
“That would probably be for the best. Though I have to ask, my lord, why don’t you just put an enchantment of protection on the pedestal under the Crystal Heart?”
“… I don’t want to accidentally hurt anyone. You see, my defensive spells and protection spells are so powerful, that they could be lethal. With time and practice, I could probably refine my immense power, but until then, I need to rely on the ingenuity and creativity of the blacksmiths,” Lord Skeletor explained as he waved his hand lazily in the air, as if he physically cranking out his explanation.
Ever since Lord Skeletor revealed his lies about the two gay mares to Emerald, she became privier to Lord Skeletor’s dishonest nature. Small ticks like his tensed posture, hesitant pauses at the beginning of sentences, and his gestures as he rambled on whenever he over explained something made it easier to catch him in a lie.
Even though Lord Skeletor had earned her respect, and a decent amount of her trust, Emerald was still weary of him from time to time. Catching onto these little ticks allowed her to see Lord Skeletor in a way some hadn’t, she could see his deceitful nature and reliance on lies to lead the Crystal Empire.
Yet, even though she knew that lying was wrong, Emerald couldn’t really judge Lord Skeletor for it. When Skeletor explained his reasons for lying to the Empire about the two mares, he made a compelling argument for his reasons, and she could only assume that he had similar reasons for lying to her about how he discovered Sombra’s secret.
Emerald decided to change the subject to something else after she caught a hint of Lord Skeletor’s lie, and chose not to comment on what she knew. “Well, I’m glad you have so much faith in them, my lord. Have you put any more thought into their request to start making steel armor?”
“Yes. While I don’t like the idea of making more of something that’s supposed to be a limited resource, I think it makes sense to give the remaining guards better armor. Speaking of the guard, how many do we have left?”
“… Less than a third of what we had originally,” she sheepishly admitted. “A good number of veterans are still with us, but most of the fresh recruits who had joined a few months before Sombra’s takeover have left. I believe Cannon Fodder wanted to bring the issue up at some point but didn’t get around to it in our meetings.”
“I see… That definitely is a problem…” Lord Skeletor quietly said as he leaned back in his chair and tapped his finger against the table, silently pondering his decision before he spoke.
A minute of silence eventually passed before Lord Skeletor finally came to a decision. “For now, only the veteran soldiers will get steel armor and weapons while new recruits will have to make due with the armor we already have. Schedule a personal meeting with Colonel Kernel so I can talk to him about seeking recruits and volunteers for the guard. Oh, and schedule it so Avid can attend, that way we’ll know how much we can afford for extra armor and safety training, and see how much we can spare to pay volunteers. If we can’t afford to pay them a minimal wage for volunteering, then offer volunteers a certain amount of food from the dining hall or something.”
Emerald quickly wrote down her lord’s demands on a fresh sheet or paper, writing a note to speak with both of the younger council members so she could devise a good time for them to booth meet with Lord Skeletor.
“That sounds fine, my lord,” Emerald said as she finished writing her note.
Lord Skeletor nodded in appreciation before he stifled a yawn with his hand, managing to get a prolonged thanks to Emerald as he yawned. “Thaa-waaaah-Thanks Emerald.”
“My lord, did you get any sleep last night?” Emerald asked.
Lord Skeletor stifled a chuckle before he took another sip of his tea. “I’ll sleep when I’m dead,” he reasoned.
After a few moments of contemplating his own words, Lord Skeletor pressed a hand to his chest to feel his heartbeat. “Yup, still alive.”
“… Are you speaking literally or metaphorically?” Emerald hesitantly asked.
Lord Skeletor simply shrugged as he took another glance at his papers. “If I have enough tea, probably the former. I’ll probably take a nap later today. Do I have any room in my schedule for like, fifteen minutes to sleep?” Her lord asked.
Emerald quickly pulled out the itinerary that she had written for the day, quietly debating how the schedule could be reworked as she looked at the list of meetings and plans.
“You have an hour between the end of court and dinner, though that’s a little late for a nap. If we push your meeting with Purity Flame to that time so you can rest before lunch.”
“Ugh. I’d rather just get that meeting over with. What else is on my schedule?”
“Hmmm… Well, your bath in the hot springs could possibly be pushed too between court and dinner. Do you think that could work?”
“Sounds perfect,” Lord Skeletor said as he finally placed the paper down and stood up. “I’m going to go see the blacksmiths and give them my thoughts on the designs for the gate.”
“Excellent. I’ll join—"
“Why don’t you stay here while I talk to them, Emerald. Enjoy your breakfast and relax a bit until court.” Lord Skeletor interrupted before he finished off his tea and placed it back on its plate.
“But—"
“Don’t worry, I know when to meet Purity and I’ll make sure to go to the royal archives immediately afterwards. Copper Plate should have the books I asked for on hand-er-hoof by then, and then I’ll meet with the reconstruction team in… in…”
“The meeting room,” Emerald finished for him.
Lord Skeletor snapped his fingers as he pointed to Emerald. “Yes, that. I knew that, I was just… Testing if you knew. Anyway, just relax and enjoy your breakfast. Oh, but if you see Avid, remind him to sit with me on the reconstruction meeting. It would make planning the budget and payments a lot easier if he was there.”
“Of course, my lord,” Emerald said with a polite bow.
Lord Skeletor simply nodded back before he walked to the door, briefly bumping into Avid Value as the brown coated stallion walked into the dining hall. Emerald watched her lord trade a few words and pleasantries with Avid Value before Lord Skeletor departed with a polite goodbye.
“Good morning, Emerald,” Avid Value said as he took his seat at the table.
“Good morning, Avid, you seem rather chipper today,” Emerald observed.
“Of course, Lord Skeletor just thanked me for helping him with the Empire’s finances. It’s oddly nice to be thanked by him,” Avid Value explained before he turned to the maid who was taking Lord Skeletor’s empty tea cup away. “Can I get some toast and crystalberry juice?” Avid asked the maid who just nodded in response before she trotted away.
“Well, that’s wonderful to hear. Oh, before I forget, Lord Skeletor wanted you to attend the meeting with the reconstruction team in a few hours,” Emerald told him.
“Well, thanks for telling me. I’m glad to know that he finds my help useful. Hopefully, I can continue to prove myself useful to Lord Skeletor.”
“I’m sure you’ll do fine. The rest of the council members have been impressed with your abilities so far. Even Crumb Catcher complimented your work.”
Avid Value rolled his eyes at that last comment. “Oh yes, I’m sure he’s praising me for knowing what the two sides of a bit are.”
“Oh, come now, I’m serious. He said that you were doing an admirable job.”
“You’re sure he said admirable, and not, ‘adequate’?” Avid Value asked with a skeptical and joking tone.
Emerald opened her mouth for a retort before she thought about Crumb Catcher’s exact words. Once she went over how the other council member phrased his compliment, she realized how it could have been indirectly taken as an insult.
“I thought so. I’m not sure he even knows the meaning of a compliment,” Avid Value said as his food arrived on a platinum platter.
“Why do you two hate each other anyway?” Emerald asked.
“‘Hate’ is a really strong word… I don’t know, I don’t necessarily like him, but it’s not like I want him dead. I just don’t like how he acts like he’s above everypony or how smug he acts,” Avid Value explained as he ate his breakfast.
“Well, shouldn’t you both set aside your differences?”
“If he holds out an olive branch, then I’ll accept it. Until then, nothing will change.”
“I suppose that will be the best I can hope for,” Emerald said as she returned to eating her own breakfast in silence before Avid Value spoke again.
“By the way Emerald, I… I just wanted to say ‘thank you’,” Avid Value told her as he put his toast down.
“For what?”
“For this,” Avid Value said as he gestured to the entirety of the dining hall. “For getting me a place on the council, for praising me for my work, for… For giving me a chance. I can’t thank you enough for that. I owe you so much.”
“It was a group decision between myself, Copper Plate, and Cannon Fodder. I’m not the only one who wanted you on the council.”
“I know, and I’ll thank them too, but I wanted to thank you first. Torch Wind always spoke highly of you, you know.”
“I’d hope so, I deserve it for staying awake during his lectures,” Emerald joked, eliciting a small chuckle from Avid Value.
“I’ll admit, not everypony could share his love of finances. Even I had trouble listening to him from time to time.”
“Really? You of all ponies almost fell asleep?” Emerald asked incredulously with a snarky yet playful smile.
“I couldn’t help it! It’s like he had a voice of silk, and it was so easy to be lulled to sleep when he started counting,” Avid Value defended.
“Ah yes, he could lull a crying foal to sleep just by counting bits. Oh, did he ever test to see if you were paying attention during his lectures?” Emerald enthusiastically asked.
“You mean when he’d go on tangents about selling dragon teeth to piranhas?” Avid Value rhetorically asked as he stifled a laugh.
“My favorite was when he’d talk about a trade agreement with the snow outside the Empire,” Emerald recalled fondly.
“Oh yeah!” Avid Value said as he straightened his posture and placed part of his mane over his left eye. “‘The broker agreement with the winter hasn’t yielded any results since they’re boycotting fire and they refused the gift basket of puppies and kittens. Our only hope is a prearranged marriage between Princess Amore and a snowpony.'” Avid Value said in a deep and suave voice as he attempted to do an impression of the old council member.
“Exactly! Oh, did he ever talk about the ‘emergency cake fund’ with you?”
“Yes! Oh my gosh, I couldn’t believe how much we had set aside for whenever Princess Celestia came to visit. Whenever I asked him about it, he’d always get this like, far off look in his eyes as he stared into the distance. It was kind of creepy the first few times, but when I realized that he was messing with me, I just decided to play along.”
“Yeah, Torch Wind was funny like that. If his cutie mark wasn’t a sack of bits, then it probably would have been a court jester’s hat,” Emerald joked.
“Yeah… Yeah, he was great… Hey, do you mind if I ask a stupid question?” He somberly asked, dropping the mirthful tone he had carried for most of their conversation.
“Depends on how ‘stupid’ it is, I suppose,” Emerald replied.
Avid Value remained quiet for a few moments as he mulled his question over inside his head, sitting silently as he glanced at his glass of crystalberry juice. “What were the other council members like? I never got the chance to talk with any of them like I have with you or Lord Skeletor. And Torch Wind wouldn’t talk about them much either. So… I was wondering if you could tell me about them?” Avid Value asked sheepishly.
Emerald was briefly dumbstruck by his unexpected question, and wasn’t able to properly comprehend it until his words subconsciously repeated in her mind. Flashes of the happy faces of her deceased friends came to her mind in rapid succession, melting into the terrified faces of their severed heads in a pile of corpses that reached the ceiling. After fighting to push those dark memories down, Emerald took in a deep breath to calm herself down.
The words of Lord Skeletor rang inside her head as she searched for a pleasant memory to grab and use as a shield against her living nightmares.
‘Let us take our love and think fondly of the lives that were lived, and not the ones that were lost.’
She held onto those words as if they were a life raft in a sea of darkness, repeating those words in a methodic tone so she could take her mind off of her sickening memories. After a few more moments of running from the horrible thoughts that haunted her, her mind refocused on the three council members who were no longer with them. She remembered Star’s competitive nature with Cannon Fodder, Dice’s enthusiasm over literature and history, and Torch Wind’s playful nature.
A small smile came to her muzzle as she remembered the good times they all spent together, moments that she cherished more than she ever had before. She held onto them tightly, forcing odd bits and pieces of her memory together to cobble together the times they spoke, laughed, and played together. Emerald’s eyes watered slightly before she took one last breath and used a napkin to dry her misty eyes.
When Emerald returned from the abyss of haunting memories, she looked up to see a concerned looking Avid Value. Both of his ears were pressed against his skull, and his body coiled into itself as he tried to shrink down. “I-I’m sorry, Emerald, I—"
“No, it’s fine,” Emerald interrupted as she placed the napkin back down. “It’s a reasonable question and… and I’d actually like to answer it. So, who do you want to hear about first?”
“Um… Whatever your comfortable with, I guess,” Avid Value replied as he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
“Well… There was Dice, the youngest on the council. He was a green ruva who couldn’t use his magic, but he never let that bother him. That colt had a heart of copper and a smile that could brighten even the darkest of days,” Emerald fondly recalled as she continued to happily talk about friends she would never see again, refusing to let her thoughts wander to the tragedy of their deaths as she recalled all of the wonderful moments they had together.
She had mourned their deaths in silence for three years during Sombra’s reign, and it was about time that she praised their lives verbally with a friend nearby. Even if it stung at times to recall the pleasant meals and activities that they would never share again, she could find solace in knowing that they had each lived happy lives before they died, and she was grateful to be a part of their lives.
Skeletor silently wandered down the halls of the Crystal Castle as he walked to the Alchemy tower, taking the scenic route to Purity Flame’s office as he went to meet with her. His eye-sockets briefly glanced at the new portraits of Princess Amore that littered the halls, ranging in various sizes and styles that depicted her as a goddess among ponies.
His attention was momentarily caught by a painting of Princess Amore where she was flying in the sky with the grace of an angel. Unlike the other paintings, this particular portrait was made by an artist named Pen Chaser, an orange stallion with a greying mane who had consistently asked for the opportunity to paint a portrait of Skeletor. While the idea of having a professional artist paint his portrait lightly tickled Skeletor’s ego, the reminder of whose face he would see at the end swiftly crushed any interest in having himself painted.
As he walked towards the Alchemy Tower, Skeletor’s thoughts went to his last meeting with the Alchemist Guild’s Master, Purity Flame. The thought of such small and admittedly adorable creatures being racist left a bad taste in his mouth, as if someone had taught a beaten puppy how to whimper a racist slur; it made him feel sad and disgusted at the same time. Though, wether he liked her or not didn't matter too much in the grand scheme of things. For now, she was one of the most capable alchemists and was one of the few reasons why the Empire had steel, so he would just have to grin and bear it.
If he was lucky, then maybe his first meeting with Purity Flame would have been the only one where she was... very open with her views. He just needed to go in, listen to what she wanted to tell him, and then immediately get out.
After turning the last corner on his scenic route to the Alchemy Tower, Lord Skeletor came face to face the the door to Purity Flame's office. It was a perfectly bland and unassuming door at a glance, but closer inspection would reveal the burn marks at the bottom of the door and discolored splotches around the area where the door knob rested. The door knob itself was also different from the other doors in the castle, being made of an oxidized copper that had turned into a light green color with its age.
Skeletor barely gave the oddity any consideration the first time around, but after his last meeting with Purity Flame, he suddenly found the door very interesting. It was a wonderful distraction that bought him seconds of time that he used to delay his inevitable meeting. Soon, Skeletor was forced to swallow his nerves and gently knock on the door before entering.
Once he was inside the room, Skeletor was able to see the usual clutter and mess that had been gently shoved into the nearby bookcase, with different volumes and texts being haphazardly placed on the shelves with stacks of loose papers stuck between book covers. Purity Flame was busy searching through her organized mess for a few moments before she finally took notice of her visitor, tearing herself away from her work as she went to greet Skeletor.
“Good to see you again, my lord,” Purity Flame said with a bow of her head.
“Good to see you too, Mrs. Flame. How are you doing this morning?”
“I’m doing wonderfully, my lord. I’m sorry that I scheduled this meeting on such short notice,” Purity Flame apologized as she took a seat at her desk.
“It’s quite alright, but I must admit that I’m rather curious. Did you want to talk about the expedition team to the Ruva Kingdom?” He asked as he took the chair opposite of her’s on the other side of the desk.
“No. Well, technically, I suppose? I finished running an experiment for General Cannon Fodder and wanted to meet with you to share my findings,” Purity Flame explained as she pulled out a vial of purple juice from her drawer. “I could only assume that you assigned it to him since he said it was, quote, ‘top secret’. Though, I’m rather confused as to why you wanted me to run experiments on watered down crystalberry juice,” she elaborated.
Skeletor's brain stopped for a few moments as her words sunk in. He nervously swallowed his fears as his fingers unconsciously tapped on his knee, giving his body something to do as he processed what he had just heard. He didn’t expect anyone to actually look at it thoroughly, especially after he made up the excuse of it not working if they did.
“Watered down crystalberry jam? That’s odd. Did Cannon Fodder tell you why he wanted you to look into it?” Skeletor asked as he cautiously glanced at the vile in her hooves, as if it would suddenly sprout lips and reveal all of Skeletor's lies.
“He wanted me to tell him what the ‘ingredients’ were. It’s rather amusing to think he wanted to know that, but I can’t help but feel like his request was… to put it lightly, odd. So, my lord, I was wondering why you wanted the general to bring it to me to analyze. I feel like my skills would have been better used in… well, anything really. I just don’t see the point in this.”
“…Well… I see that the enchantment I placed on my placebo worked perfectly!” Skeletor falsely cheered. “You see, Purity, Cannon Fodder gave you my magical elixir that helps fix mental issues such as depression and anxiety.”
“I did hear about that. But, if that were true then I—"
“You see, I also placed a protection enchantment on it as well,” Skeletor interrupted as he continued to ramble on, standing up from his seat to pace around the room as he continued to speak. “As I told the other council members, the ingredients must remain a secret, or else the medicine doesn’t work. So, I had an enchantment placed on them to turn them into watered down jelly if they’re not used for medical purposes.”
“Really? But how would the enchantment know to activate?” Purity Flame asked as she peered at the vile.
“Because, Purity, there's a time limit on it. If it's not used within a certain amount of time, then it turns into watered down jelly."
"A time limit enchantment? I suppose that makes sense. But why watered down jelly? Why not have it be broken down into just water?"
"Because... I prefer the taste of watered down jelly. Anyway, I’m thankful that you brought this to my attention, Purity. I need to go deal with this situation. I can't believe Cannon Fodder would do this, especially after I told them not to.”
“You're welcome, my lord. What do you plan to do now, my lord?”
“… I will handle the situation the way I see best, and that is all I will say. Is there anything else that you wanted to speak about, Purity?” Skeletor asked.
“Not that I can think of at the moment, my lord. I didn’t account for… such a forward answer. I thought that there was some larger reason for his request. To know that I inadvertently helped him go behind your back… I’m truly sorry, my lord,” Purity Flame apologized as she bowed.
“Relax, Purity, you simply did as you were ordered to. Once again, I’m thankful that you brought this to my attention,” Skeletor said as he took the vile off of Purity Flame’s desk. “This act of insubordination will not go unpunished. Oh, and Purity, I need a favor from you.”
“Of course, my lord, what do you need?”
“I need you to forget everything that we've just spoken about. This conversation, officially, never happened, no-one can know about my elixir’s second enchantment. Consider yourself lucky to be one of the very few to know the depths of my intellect,” Skeletor dramatically said as he left the room and closed the door behind him.
A hundred concerns raced through his mind as he walked away from Purity Flame’s office, worries about what Skeletor’s general was doing behind his back only served to fuel his paranoia. What else had Cannon Fodder done? What were the rest of the council members doing when he wasn't there? Did they know about it or did Cannon Fodder act alone. Most importantly of all though, was the question of why he did it. Skeletor didn't know what his general would gain from learning that 'placebo' was a fancy word for 'bullshit'.
Skeletor briefly wondered if Cannon Fodder had planned to blackmail him with that information, but quickly tossed that idea away in favor of his more gruesome and terrifying thoughts. He entertained the idea that the general had something more devious in mind, like exposing Skeletor's lies to the public and leading a revolution or perhaps even something worse. There were too many possibilities for Skeletor to think of, and Skeletor felt as if he was on the brink of a panic attack just imagining some of the worst case scenarios. A revolution led by the ponies he had lied to, each one armed with sharp weapons that would easily skewer his body.
As Skeletor tried to calm himself, he went looking for the one pony that he could turn to, someone he knew could help him. He desperately needed to speak with his Royal Spy Master, Crumb Catcher.
Skeletor’s heart pounded in his chest as he searched the hallways for any sign go his Royal Spy Master. His time roaming the halls of the Crystal Castle were filled with terrifying thoughts that would only stop whenever Skeletor took a moment to ask a random guard or maid if they had seen Crumb Catcher.
He did his best to keep his emotions composed as he talked to the guards and maids, usually by making a light-hearted joke with them about ‘catching up’ with Crumb Catcher. Sure, it was a terrible joke and he only got pity laughs, but it helped take his mind off of Cannon Fodder’s deception.
It took a few minutes to finally find Crumb Catcher, but when he did, he saw his Royal Spy Master talking to a maid who was hanging another painting of Princess Amore. Once Crumb Catcher noticed Skeletor was approaching them, he said something to the maid before nodding and trotting up to Skeletor so he could meet him half way.
“It is great to see you, Lord Skeletor,” Crumb Catcher said as he bowed to Skeletor.
“It’s good to see you too, Crumb Catcher. Listen, I need your help,” Skeletor said before he quickly glanced over his shoulder to see if anyone was close enough to hear them. He had no idea how many ponies were working with or for Cannon Fodder, and he didn’t intend to let it slip to any of them that he was catching on.
“Of course, your majesty. How may I help you?”
Skeletor kneeled down to get to the same head level as Crumb Catcher before he quietly spoke to the stallion. “As I understand, your job is to make sure that I stay alive, correct?” Skeletor asked in an almost inaudible tone.
“It could be simplified as much, yes,” Crumb Catcher replied in a hushed tone. “I assume you’re having problems?”
“Possibly. I’m officially ordering you to start an investigation into Cannon Fodder. Find out anything you can about him and report back to me if you find something suspicious,” Skeletor ordered.
“I can certainly do that, Lord Skeletor. Though, may I inquire as to why you have given me this task?”
“I… Have my suspicions about the general. He reportedly disregarded one of my orders and attempted to have an alchemist analyze my elixir. The enchantment on my elixir activated, turning it into watered down jelly. You remember what I said would happen if someone found out the ingredients, right?”
“If I recall correctly, you said it would cease to work.”
“Yes, which is why I put that enchantment on it to turn it into watery juice. Cannon Fodder disobeyed my orders, and I want to know why he did it.”
“If I find out anything, I’ll be sure to inform you, Lord Skeletor. You can rely on me,” Crumb Catcher promised before they broke off from their quiet conversation. “Is there anything else you require, my lord?”
Skeletor threw a brief look at the maid hanging the portrait. While her eyes and hooves were busy working, her ears were pointed towards Skeletor and Crumb Catcher, struggling to catch any bits of their conversation as she worked.
“How many ponies know about your job?” Skeletor asked quietly.
“I’d hope that anypony in the castle could recognize the head of the staff,” Crumb Catcher replied at a normal volume, signaling to Skeletor that the maid near them wasn’t one of the ponies who knew about his job as the Royal Spy Master. “Though there are a few commoners and maids who know me in my off hours.”
“Well, you might want to consider getting some guards as friends too. I have a feeling they could help a lot. Thank you for agreeing to clean the mess, if you find anything of value while you’re there, let me know. In the meantime, take care Crumb Catcher, I’ll see you at court later today.”
“I’ll be there. Rest assured, my lord, I’ll do my best to take care of the problem.”
“Thank you. Have a good day, Crumb Catcher.”
“You as well, my lord,” Crumb Catcher wished him as he trotted back to the maid he was helping.
Once Crumb Catcher returned to his second job, Skeletor turned to walk towards the meeting room. While Cannon Fodder took up a large portion of Skeletor's concern, he still had an Empire to maintain, and the meeting with the reconstruction team would be underway in a little over half an hour. He couldn't afford to let his work slip because he was worried about one pony planned to do, not while the Empire was still being rebuilt. For now, he'd leave that problem in Crumb Catcher's capable hooves, and hopefully his investigation into the general would prove fruitful.