//------------------------------// // Chapter 30: Pink Pony Princess Problems. // Story: Skeletor, Master of The Empire. // by Hotel_Chicken //------------------------------// The howling wind of the Frozen North buried the pain filled moans of several complaining soldiers as they nursed their minor wounds. After passing through the barrier that gave them refuge from the onslaught of snow outside the Empire, the guards’ laminations and complaints turned into enthused sighs of relief at the thought of finally returning home. The injured guards had complained for days about their difficulties getting to the Ruva Kingdom. The once safe and well-known paths between the kingdoms had been covered in a sheet of snow and ice, hiding them from the guards who used to regularly trek to the close kingdom. Their path held new hidden dangers, such as the rabid animal that they were forced to fight. The guards who traversed the snow to get to the Ruva Kingdom had only known the North to be a barren wasteland with no means to provide life outside the Empire’s borders. So, they were all surprised to see a mostly hairless wolf prowling around their campsite one night Luckily, their armor and positioned wagons proved to be a great challenge for the beast, allowing them to fend it off with only a few minor injuries. The blistering cold snow that coated their coats was pressed against the bruises and bandaged cuts to ease the pain that gnawed at their legs and barrels afterwards. Later on, they were forced to attack another hairless wolf, but unlike the last time, this predator had brought a pack alongside it. None of the guard’s lives were lost in their fight against the vicious wolves, but they did have to sacrifice a great deal of their provisions in an attempt to flee from the apparent growing number of wolves. With many more injured guards and a more limited supply of rations, General Cannon Fodder gave the order for his guards to return to the Crystal Empire. The general felt bitter about their early return to the Empire, having completely failed to subtly probe any of his guards on their opinions of the demon that sat on Princess Amore’s throne. It was times such as these that made him remember how the previous Royal Spy Master, Star Shine, had always been the one to make up for Cannon Fodder’s shortcomings. Unlike the previous Royal Spy Master, Star Shine was a thesteral mare who had kept her identity as the Royal Spy Master hidden by taking the position of a lieutenant in the guard. While many Spy Masters in the past had taken the position of Head of Staff to hide their true profession, Star Shine instead chose to keep her position as the Royal Spy Master while still being part of the guard. She was a mare who had understood the importance of the guard, that they were more than decorations strung about the castle. Although it had taken some time for Cannon Fodder to truly respect the winged mare, he did eventually see her for who she really was. In return for him being as stubborn as a diamond dog, Star Shine decided that it was necessary to take the old dog out of his comfort zone every once in a while. Cannon had never thought that he would grow so close to her the first time they met, but as time went on and she gently prodded him with a few well-meaning jokes and snide remarks, they developed a friendship that he genuinely cherished. Cannon Fodder found himself reminiscing in his memories for too long, and actively wiped the small smile off of his muzzle. It wasn’t a time to be thinking about his old friend, it was time to think about the future and the Spy Master who he had formed an uneasy alliance with. He had advised Cannon on who to select for the mission in an attempt to form bonds with likeminded guards and convert those who didn’t feel strongly about the demon one way or the other. Unfortunately, it appeared that everypony in his expedition team were strongly in favor of Skeletor’s leadership. He liked to believe that nopony had caught on to his strong disdain towards Skeletor, but he was almost certain that they had. Star Shine had made it evident to Cannon Fodder on multiple occasions that his ears were easy to read, and that he couldn’t pass off a lie even if his dinner depended on it. It was a fact that she had proven many times when he was forced to share his meal with the lieutenant. She would always place a bet on their meals whenever the guards were being served ripe tangerine related meals, or anytime they were served banana centric dishes. Stop thinking about her. Cannon Fodder reprimanded himself. Once again, Cannon Fodder forced his thoughts to return to the mission at hoof. With no allies on his side after the expedition, Cannon Fodder would have to try his luck at finding a few sympathetic ponies in the guard to help his plot to dethrone the demon. As he contemplated a few plans to get rid of Skeletor, ranging from betraying Crumb Catcher to teaming up with the back-eared stallion, Cannon Fodder led his guards to the edge of a large crowd that surrounded the Crystal Castle. The General of the guard was briefly taken aback by the swarm of ponies that blocked their path to the castle, not expecting to see so many ponies when the sun had barely risen. He was about to pull aside a random pony to ask what was going on when a faintly familiar voice called out to him. “Hey, General Cotton Fade!” A pony with a bright mustard coat yelled. Turning to the new voice, Cannon Fodder unfortunately met the eyes of the stallion he had met on the day Skeletor had first arrived in the Crystal Empire. Track Record was sporting a lavender vest that he hadn’t worn on the days he had come to court, and his usually messy purple mane had been slightly brushed, but whatever effort he had put into it didn’t remain as a light breeze returned it to its usual mess. “My name is General Cannon Fodder, civilian,” he replied curtly. Out of all the ponies in the Empire, Track Record was among the very few who praised Skeletor as if he were a clergy mare sining the praises of Faust. His fanatic support of Skeletor was only outmatched by Avid Value, and Cannon Fodder was thankful that the council member and the baker would be unlikely to ever meet outside of court. “What’s the announcement today?” “Not sure. Last night, the guards announced that Lord Skeletor would be making an announcement early in the morning. I think it has something to do with the rumor floating around,” Track Record answered enthusiastically. “What rumor?” “Well, word around the mines is that there’s a new Alicorn up and about, and that she brought a few thestrals and a unicorn with her to the castle. I tried to catch a look at them, but I couldn’t see over everyponys' heads. Though, Fresh Bake swore up and down on his hooves that he saw her.” “Alicorn? You mean Princess Celestia and Princess Luna?” Cannon Fodder asked with hope leaning on his words. “Nah, I don’t think so. Rumor has it that it’s a new Alicorn with a pink coat who brought a bunch of thestrals wrapped in weird white blankets. Anyway, where’ve you been?” “I can’t openly share that information, civilian.” Track Record rolled his eyes at Cannon Fodder’s response. “Alright, keep your secrets. Least you could do is try to call me by my name.” “The guard does not make idle chatter with civilians,” Cannon Fodder said as he turned his attention to the crowd before him. His options were to either have his guard and their wagons trudge through the crowd, or wait until they were dispersed so that Cannon Fodder and the others could trot to the castle unperturbed. “… Soooo, I got a new shop by the way, moved over to Amethyst avenue. You can come over anytime you like,” Track Record commented idly as he attempted to strike up a conversation. “Maybe you could bring Emerald with you and we could reminisce about Lord Skeletor’s first day.” “The Royal Advisor doesn’t have time to mingle with civilians,” Cannon Fodder answered as the thought of forcing his way through the crowd slowly became more appealing. “Oh, yeah. I bet she’d be busy with work and all that. Speaking of which, do you or she ever take vacations or anything? Maybe you could both come over then,” Track Record offered. “What she does with her allowed vacation time is her own business,” he replied as he briefly mused about using Track Record as a plow to part the crowd. “Fair enough, you don’t want me near your marefriend, I get it.” Cannon Fodder was about to deny his claim when the barring wail of flugelhorns announced Skeletor’s entrance onto the balcony. Seeing the demon instantly dampened his already low mood. Skeletor carried himself just as Sombra had whenever he trotted through the Empire, acting as if he was above everypony in the world. Cannon Fodder hated the confidence that Skeletor portrayed, acting as if the only one who could ever humble him was Faust herself. Skeletor took a moment to look at the crowd below him, as if he were a giant staring at all of the little insects that littered his dying garden. And yet, the monster still managed to speak sweet words as he hid his true motives behind the limited expressions of his skull. “Crystal ponies of the Empire! Thank you for joining me on this wonderful morning,” he shouted to the crowd. Cannon Fodder caught Skeletor briefly glancing behind himself before he continued to speak. It was at that moment that he noticed that none of the council members were on the balcony with him, causing a tinge of fear to crawl up Cannon’s barrel. His thoughts immediately flew to Emerald, one of the few living ponies he could still call a friend. He worried about what the bipedal demon could have done in the short amount of time that the general was indisposed of. Before his thoughts could focus on the missing mare, Skeletor continued his speech to the Empire. “It is with great pride, that I can announce the beginning of a new wave of prosperity for the Crystal Empire. This will be the first of many changes, and the first step to raising the Empire to the heights of its glory. The world will watch in awe as you move forward, working to take back what the old tyrant had taken from you. They will see that nothing can keep the Empire down. Whether it be a never-ending snowstorm, or the malicious whims of an egotistical tyrant, the Empire will prevail! “And now, we shall make history… As many of you know, an unknown alicorn, a white unicorn, and a small number of thestrals entered the Crystal Empire. What some of you may not know, is that they came to deliver us wonderful news! First and foremost, I would like to proudly declare that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are alive and well!” The general’s ears were assaulted by cheers and joy filled applause, but unlike the times where he felt sickened by the praise the crystal ponies raised for Skeletor, he felt genuinely happy. He had practically thrown away any shred of hope for hearing of the princesses surviving. The smile that found itself on his muzzle was immediately wiped away as he remembered just who was delivering the news of their survival. He hadn’t trusted the demon’s words once so far, and it would take more than a small speech to convince him that Skeletor was being honest. If they really were alive then would he have really shouted it with such glee to the ponies. It was almost as if he didn’t think that they would immediately fly over and banish him to Tartarus the second they saw him. “Yes, today is indeed a day of celebration! Now, you may all allow your heavy thoughts regarding the diarchs to settle, and embrace the comfort of knowing that they have survived. I understand that you’ve all been greatly concerned about them since the first sun rise of your liberation, but rest assured, the princesses are both alive and well. “Not only that, but they have seen fit to bestow a great blessing to the Empire, one that shall allow you all to pave a path towards a brighter future. When scholars look back on this day, they will see the first step in a long journey of technological advancement and leaps in education. “No longer shall the Empire need to fear the great unknown, instead you will have greater knowledge of it than any of your ancestors and use it to make the Empire thrive. The kingdoms of the world will marvel at the Empires innovation under the new reign of Princess Cadenza and Prince Armor!” He joyously announced. Without any hesitation, the crowd erupted into boisterous cheers, with only a few ponies falling silent as they followed his words and not his enthusiastic voice. Slowly, realization began to take hold of a great number of cheering ponies as the revelation of his words finally sunk in. Lord Skeletor was abdicating his throne. For a moment, Cannon Fodder wondered if he had heard Skeletor correctly, but a brief glance at his guards and Track Record’s stunned face quickly confirmed that he had heard him. He looked back up at the demon of the Empire, watching him with a weary gaze as he listened closely to the rest of Skeletor’s speech. “You have all suffered the plagues of the past, and under the Empire’s new leaders, you will not only embrace the comforts of the present, but you shall rise above your limitations and kiss the face of the future! Ponies of the Empire, rejoice and be merry as you take the first steps in history! May your days be blessed under their reign!” He finished. The cheers that followed weren’t as bold as they were previously. Confusion and doubt wrapped around their minds as they stamped their hooves and cheered in the plaza of the Crystal Castle. Cannon Fodder was gripped in an uncertainty that made him question everything that he knew and heard. Even as he watched the demon walk away from the balcony and return to the halls of the Crystal Castle, Cannon Fodder couldn’t pry his eyes away from the vacant balcony. He could only mutter a single sentence at the revelation that he was freed from the reign of the new demon. “… What the buck happened while I was gone?” Guards and maids frantically trotted through the halls of the Crystal Castle, racing to return to their positions before they could be seen by the new royal couple and their guards. The peace that usually filled the Castle had turned into a chaotic frenzy of ponies rushing to gossip and share theories under their breaths as they tried to make sense of what had happened to their lord. In the span of a day, their home had been hoofed over to a group of strangers while their old leader had locked himself away with his council as they prepared the necessary procedures to abdicate the throne. Hushed rumors began to float from mouths to ears about what had happened. Some claimed that Faust herself had spoken through Lord Skeletor, while others believed that Lord Skeletor was forced by the new alicorn princess to relinquish his claim to the throne. Rumors and questions rested on the lips of each guard and maid in the halls of the Crystal Castle and would always fall deathly silent whenever the sound of thestral wings would alert them to their new leaders’ approach. As Cadence trotted through the halls of the illustrious castle, she caught the tail hairs of rumors that were whispered just out of ear shot. She trudged through the thick clouds of anxiety that flooded the halls, ignoring the awkward glances of the guards and the upsetting words that passed through the maids’ muzzles. She had heard worse from the snob nobles of Canterlot when she was appointed as Princess Celestia’s personal student, but the words that she heard from the crystal ponies, her subjects, stung like a cold blade that pierced her barrel. She didn’t understand why they would always look at her with resistant eyes, or why they felt chills crawl down their legs whenever she took a moment to speak to them. She was an alicorn, a pony who had earned her place in the world through her hard work and compassion. However, the ponies of the Crystal Empire seemed to only see her as an outsider, a stranger who had trotted into their home without permission. Cadence felt a dull ache begin to build up in her head as she was escorted to the council room by her husband and her aunt’s thestral guards. Her husband and their temporary guards wore masks of granite as they trotted alongside her, hiding their emotions from the many ponies of the Crystal Castle. There was a silent rage and resentment that had been slowly growing in her husband, which she attempted to quell by wearing her own mask to hide the nausea and pain she felt from the quiet conversations that occasionally fluttered to her ears. Unfortunately, the plastered smile she wore was stretched thin by the constant assault of worried gazes. She briefly wondered if Princess Luna had felt the same way when she returned from her banishment to the moon. Alone, in a place where nopony knew her but still held contempt for her in spite of her position as an alicorn. Because of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna’s many magical enchantments and seals on their royal garbs, Cadence had never had the opportunity to see what either of their emotions had looked like. But, after a day of being in an Empire where the only ones who trusted her were her husband and their guards, Cadence felt like she could slightly understand her aunt better. As she allowed her thoughts to drift and form plans to spend more time with her returned aunt, Cadence and her escorts came to the hallway that led to the council room. The room had two hallways leading to it, with a pair of thestral guards standing at attention on each end of the hallway to allow for ample security. With so few ponies in the Empire who fully supported her and Shining’s rise to power, Shining Armor had advised to rely solely on their thestral guard for the time being until more guards from Canterlot could arrive. General Camisole and Lieutenant Star Burst had been positioned directly outside the pair of double doors to the council room, allowing each of the thestrals to use their above average hearing to covertly listen to the ponies and creature that were sitting on the other side of those great doors. Shining Armor and General Camisole had been insistent on having somepony on hoof to keep a close ear on Skeletor to see what he would do, and Cadence found it hard to disagree with their decision. It was difficult for her to just accept his decision to hand over the throne so willingly, and she couldn't chase away the nagging paranoia that ate away at her mind whenever her thoughts would drift to the demonic looking lord of the Empire. She felt the walls of her skull slowly compress on her brain whenever she remembered his imposing figure. Her breath would become shallow, and her withers would begin to ache with each fresh memory of Skeletor, especially when she would picture his emotions. His unnatural and mangled emotions left a haunting memory inside of Cadence's heart, causing her to feel sick whenever she allowed her mind to linger on the short memory of her first meeting with Skeletor. It had taken her some time, but she was able to recognize his tattered emotions as the byproduct of dark magic. While most ponies allowed magic to natural flow from their mid-brain, there were those who dove into other forms of magic, ones that tore apart at the soul of other ponies to feed their magic. Unlike those unicorns and rare earth ponies, Skeletor had apparently used his own soul to fuel his spells. She didn't feel justified calling him a monster, but Cadence also wasn't enthused to label him as a good creature. She could only imagine what type of creature would willingly rip themselves apart to cast spells and what they would be willing to do to gain more magical power. “Report,” Shining ordered as he and Cadence trotted up to the pair of guards. “They’ve been pretty quiet,” Camisole answered. “Avid’s the only one talking his muzzle about how…” Camisole trailed off as her and Star Burst’s ears suddenly shot backwards to face the doors. Only a second ticked by before Camisole answered everyone’s silent question. “Big guy’s speaking, he hasn’t said a word since the announcement,” Camisole reported. After stealing a glance around them to make sure no crystal ponies were nearby, Cadence casted a quick spell to eavesdrop on their conversation. Soon, the sounds of the room’s interior began to fill her ears, allowing her to listen to them as Shining Armor prepared a similar spell. She was surprised by the lack of security in the meeting room. There were no enchantments or wards to prevent spells from allowing others to eavesdrop, and there was nothing in place to warn anypony of spells being casted in a certain vicinity to the room. To Cadence, it almost felt akin to listening to Twilight’s mutterings whenever she hid herself in her book fort when she was a foal. However, she wasn’t dealing with a bickering foal at that moment, she was laying down her plan to negotiate with a demonic creature that had the Empire wrapped around his clawed fingers. In a way, the lack of spells to prevent her and Shining Armor from listening made her feel uneasy, as if she had willingly stuck her hoof into a manticore’s maw. “… couldn’t fight them, Avid…” Skeletor spoke quietly as Cadence caught the last of his words. “What do you mean?” The young council member asked. “… I couldn’t do anything else, Avid. The world is… It’s different. Without their protection, the Empire would become the target of every kingdom on the planet. If I had denied them the crown at that moment, then there would have been a war. The weapons and armor of your time are like toys to the other kingdoms. I don’t doubt that they have weapons comparable to my home, considering that they have a human working for their kingdom… For all I know… They might even have an atom bomb,” Lord Skeletor said with a bitter chuckle. “Nye-heh-heh-heh… We… We would have been decimated. Nye-heh-heeh-heh. Oh, fuck me…” His hollow laugh rung inside Cadence’s mind, causing her to slightly recoil at the tingling sensation that his voice left behind. “I couldn’t do that to you… To any of you. If I had acted impulsively, then… I don’t know what would have happened… No, that’s a lie. I know what would happen. And I don’t want to be the cause of it. I’m sorry to all of you. I’m sorry…” Emerald was the next to speak after a short stint of silence, using her words to uplift the sullen demon and offer a different opinion. “… My lord, are… Are you sure this is wise? I mean, perhaps we could convince them that… That you should remain our lord?” “Emerald, we don’t have another choice. Maybe if I was smarter or had a better grasp of politics, I could do more but… I don’t… They’ll… They’ll do good. They’ll do better than me, at least.” “My lord—” “I’m not your ‘lord’, Emerald,” Skeletor interrupted. “I’m… I don’t know what I am now. My decision on this is final. When they arrive, I’ll be signing off my rights to the throne… And hopefully, they’ll be able to receive aid from their kingdom in the south. “I don’t know if history will curse me or praise me for my cowardice. But I can only hope that they can help the Empire in ways I can’t… I’ve never been fit to be your leader or your lord, and… And I just hope that… That you can forgive me. I’m sorry… I need a minute,” Skeletor finished as his footsteps drew closer to the doors. Cadence and Shining Armor were quick to dispel any magic they casted, allowing the couple to give off the illusion that nothing was amiss. With a quick nod of her head, Cadence silently commanded Camisole to announce their presence and open the doors. “Now announcing the arrival of Princess Cadenza and Prince Armor!” She shouted before she and Star Burst opened the pair of doors for Shining Armor and Cadence. The first thing Cadence’s eyes caught was a staff with a golden horned ram’s skull was strapped to Skeletor’s back. Cadence remembered that Emerald mentioned the morbid decoration when Shining Armor had asked for her to retell the story of how Skeletor killed Sombra. She allowed Emerald’s description of the staff to slip from her mind after that, causing Cadence to be caught off guard by the sickening staff. She was no stranger to seeing corpses, especially since the dragons would often furnish their homes with the remains of their ancestors as a way to honor them. However, the thing she saw on his back felt no different than a disturbing trophy for him to carry around. Once she pried her eyes away from the new decoration on his back, Cadence saw a familiar sea of warped and skewered emotions waft off of Skeletor as he wiped away any trace of tears that were left on his skull. In an instant, Cadence dispelled her ability to see his twisted and gnarled emotions to save herself from having to look at them for even a moment longer. When Cadence was able to safely look at him again, she noticed that, unlike their first meeting, Skeletor’s skull was covered by a navy-blue hood that obscured his skull with deep shadows. The crown that he had given them was sitting on top of the council table, waiting for her to take it once more and officially accept it as hers. “Ah, apologies, Princess Cadenza and Prince Armor, I seem to be a bit under the weather,” he apologized after rubbing the back of his forearm against his eye sockets. “It’s fine Skeletor. And please, feel free to call me Princess Cadence,” she offered. Skeletor only nodded in response as he stepped aside to allow Cadence and her husband to enter the council room. Cadence took her seat at the head of the table, claiming the only free chair for herself as Shining Armor stood next to her. She chose to ignore the incredulous stare of the Royal Treasurer and the surprised looks from the Royal Advisor and the temporary Head of the Guard. Cadence knew that she had taken Skeletor’s seat at the table and decided that she would be the one leading the meeting. The only ones who appeared to be unaffected by her decision to take the head seat were the Head of Staff and the Master of the Royal Archives, who both wore impassive expressions as they looked at Princess Cadence. “I apologize for not having a seat prepared for both of you, your majesties,” Skeletor said with a small bow. “It was a failure on my part to not be better prepared.” “It's fine, Skeletor,” she reassured him politely. Without much delay, Cadence summoned a pair of small throw pillows from their carriage for Shinning Armor and Skeletor to sit on. Skeletor was quick to take his seat at the opposite end of the table while Shining Armor elected to sit next to his wife. “Thank you, your majesty,” Skeletor said before he turned to the oldest mare in the room. “Copper, would you do us the honor of officially announcing the meeting.” “Of course,” she replied before she pulled out a book from her satchel and turned to the cleanest page. Next, she dipped one of her quills into an already prepared ink pot and began to record their meeting. “… Today marks the last council meeting of Lord Skeletor, and the first of their majesties, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Prince Shining Armor. Lord Skeletor has verbally recognized Princess Mi Amore Cadenza’s right to rule, and by extension has recognized Prince Shining Armor as the Princess’ co-ruler. All council members, with the exception of General Cannon Fodder, are present and willing to act as witnesses to Lord Skeletor’s abdication of the Crystal Empire’s throne. In return, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza has promised to aid the Empire in its time of need and has declared that Lord Skeletor will be given a position of power in recognition of his efforts for the Empire. “It should be noted that this is the first time in the Crystal Empire’s history that a leader holding the power of a crown, whether it be the crown of a kingdom or the Empire itself, has willingly chosen to abdicate the throne. Lord Skeletor has asked for a short moment to speak with Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Prince Shining Armor alone, which has been recognized by a majority vote of the council. All recordings of today’s events will resume after Lord Skeletor has spoken with the Crystal Empire’s new princess and prince,” she finished before looking back towards Skeletor. “My lord, the council will now give you time to impart your wisdom to the future heirs of the Crystal Empire… May I say, it has been a privilege to serve under you,” Copper Plate said with a small bow of her head. “Thank you, Copper Plate,” Skeletor replied as he returned the gesture to the aging mare. “And I wish to extend the same gratitude to each of you as well. If you could all be so kind as to offer us a moment alone, then I would greatly appreciate it.” Without even asking for Cadence’s approval, the council members rose from their seats and trotted out the doors to wait in the hallway. She felt nervous at the prospect of being left alone with her husband and Skeletor in the council room. The sick pit in her stomach began to grow larger as she watched the hairs of their tails retreat to the hallway, leaving her and Shining Armor with a creature that neither of them really understood. Neither Camisole nor Star Burst had mentioned hearing Skeletor prepare the council before she arrived, so whatever he had planned was done outside of the council room, possibly sometime after he had handed the crown to her the day before. It was a deliberate move on Skeletor's part, possibly to solidify the fact to Cadence and her husband that he was the one in charge. Her orders meant nothing to the loyal council members, and any arguments she would raise against him would doubtlessly go unheard by them. Even after the documents would be signed, Cadence doubted that she could rely on the council members for assistance, it had been made perfectly clear where their allegiances laid. As Cadence allowed her mind to dance with paranoid thoughts about his motives, Skeletor rested his hands on the table, interlocking his fingers as he shifted himself and the pillow closer to the edge of the table. He glanced at the small stack of papers that sat next to the crown, reading scraps of sentences before he spoke. “… Before I sign these papers with the council present, there are several things that I want to speak to you and Prince Armor about. What I’m about to say will sound impossible, but I implore that you believe me. It will be imperative to keep this between ourselves for the time being, your majesties.” “My husband and I will decide whether to share any information or not after you tell us,” Cadence answered immediately. From the corner of her eye, she could see Shining Armor nod in agreement with her demand, allowing them to reestablish their power to Skeletor. She refused to be caught off guard once more, intentionally or otherwise, by the former "lord" of the Empire. She suppressed the lingering fear that haunted her, replacing it with a subdued sense of anger that gave her a false sense of bravery. “I suppose that’s fair, and I doubt you’ll wish for this to become common knowledge anyway… For several weeks now, I’ve been keeping a major secret from everyone in the Empire. Sombra is still alive,” Skeletor revealed. “I thought you killed him,” Shining Armor stated firmly. “Isn't that what you've told everypony else?” He gently accused. “Well, yes, I did. I killed Sombra and then everyone in the Empire heard about it,” Skeletor answered as he shifted his seat back from the table. “At least, I technically did. The problem is, he didn’t stay dead. I noticed that the mirror in my room was… For want of a better word, ‘broken', so to speak. After placing a spell on it to see if I could ‘fix’ it, I saw Sombra’s spirit. He taunted me, claiming that something called a Grogin or otherwise would come to collect a debt. Later on, I received a report of an unknown crystal pony being found a day’s walk outside of the barrier without any food or supplies on them. I thought it was odd that they would attempt to face the storm without anything to help them, so I had the guards search for them, only for the pony to suddenly disappear with a teleportation spell. I believe that Sombra has used some form of necromancy to take the body of a dead crystal pony outside the barrier, and then walked back in with it.” “Necromancy…” Cadence whispered under her breath. “That’s… How do you even know that word? Necromancy is a forbidden section of knowledge, nopony should even know what that word sounds like,” she asked with a wavering resolve in her voice. In hindsight, a demon knowing about Necromancy wasn’t too far-fetched of an idea. But his casual use of the horrible word had caused her to feel a spike of anger. It gave her an excuse to vent her subdued frustrations. She was angry at the ponies who judged her as a tyrant, she was hurt by the maids who had alluded to the idea that she had hypnotized Skeletor, and she wanted nothing more than an excuse to force down her wallowing fears and embrace the strength that her rising anger offered. “I just know it from back home. It was prominent in a lot of fictional stories,” Skeletor answered quickly. "I've never done it before, I just know what it is," he reassured them. With a great deal of effort on her part, Cadence restrained her suddenly aggressive emotions and attempted to calm herself down. As far as her guards could tell, Skeletor didn’t appear to be at fault for the rumors or the crystal ponies’ feelings towards her. A small and selfish part of her wished that she could blame it all on him, but she knew better. Her volatile emotions had just blinded her for a brief moment because of the sudden amount of stress on her mind, and she wouldn’t allow for that to happen again. For all she knew, Skeletor wanted her to get angry. He wanted to play the victim and act like he was giving in to the big bad courtyard bully. Telling her that Sombra was still alive could have been nothing more than a ploy to make her look like a paranoid princess chasing ghost stories. However, there was also a faint possibility that he was being honest, which would hold horrible implications for the Empire’s well-being. “Why don’t you want the council members to know?” She asked. Cadence didn't allow her worries to take back control of her emotion and instead decided to face Skeletor like a leader. Her expression became hardened as she spoke to him, not allowing a moment of hesitation to enter her mind. As the Empire's princess, Cadence couldn't have the luxury of making mistakes or being a fearful filly in front of him. “I thought about telling them, but I never felt like I could. For now, they’re happy believing that Sombra has been killed, and if they found out… I admit that I know little about magic, but I do understand that the Crystal Heart is powered by the positive emotions of the crystal ponies. If they were to learn of his return, mass panic would crush any hope they had, and I believe the barrier over the Empire would fall. It’s the same reason why I wished to keep the Empire’s displacement a secret for the time being,” Skeletor elaborated. Cadence mildly hated how she couldn’t argue against Skeletor’s well put point. She couldn’t decide if she should completely trust him at the moment, but she also couldn’t ignore his arguments. If rumors began to spread that Sombra had returned and possessed a crystal pony, it wouldn’t be long until the barrier was threatened by the sudden increase in negative emotions. On one hoof, if Sombra was alive then it was Cadence’s job to get rid of him, and if she succeeded all of the ponies in the Empire would recognize her and Shining Armor as their protectors. However, if she was just being led by the nose to chase butterflies, then the Empire would see her as a paranoid princess who didn’t put faith in Skeletor’s attempt on Sombra’s life. Everything Skeletor had done so far had served as a double-edged sword for Cadence. By handing over the crown to her, Skeletor painted himself as a virtuous saint and, either directly or inadvertently, portrayed Cadence as a demanding princess who took it by force. His polite attitude and his apologies had both helped and hindered her, his speech served to fuel the flames of the spreading rumors while he only spoke about his support for her, and he had finally given her the chance to make herself look like the fool by telling her about Sombra. If he was alive and Cadence ignored Skeletor’s warnings, then the demon could rush to the crystal ponies and tell them about how she didn’t heed his words. Alternatively, if Cadence followed his words only to find nothing then he could refute any of her claims that he lied to her and tell the crystal ponies that she was trying to slander him. “… Why are you so willing to help us?” Cadence finally asked. She refused to play any games for the crown or the Empire’s love, and she was determined to find out if Skeletor’s words were truthful or filled with vicious lies. “Because it’ll help them,” Skeletor answered to which Cadence shook her head in disagreement. “That wasn’t what I meant, let me rephrase the question. Why were you so willing to hand over your crown? You said that you couldn’t trust my claim about being Princess Amore’s distant descendant, but you still decided to kneel to me and hand me the crown,” She elaborated. “Ah, well, there are two reasons, your majesty. Firstly, I never felt comfortable with the power they thrusted upon me. I was always worried that I’d do something to hurt them, or cause them to rise up in anger against me,” Skeletor explained without a hint of humor in his voice. Does… Does he not know that they practically worship him? She wondered. With so many ponies fawning over him as if he were an alicorn, there was almost no way that any of them would have plotted against him. He was revered by them, idolized, and placed on a pedestal that made him look like a deity. And yet, he expected her to believe that he was worried about a coup? Once again, Cadence struggled to decide if his words were genuine or if he was putting up an act to make her lower her guard around him. “You can also give them things I can’t, your majesty,” Skeletor continued. “You have medicine and medical knowledge that could save hundreds, if not thousands of lives. And, considering that the crystal ponies were from an era when diseases and bacteria were different, there are many unknown diseases that could do great harm to them today. Something simple to you, like a common cold or a bad case of the chicken pow could be deadly to them. But, with your doctors and your resources, we can prevent that. “Also… Aside from the medical knowledge of your kingdom, there is… Your military knowledge. I’m afraid of it, your highness. I’m fearful for the ponies who live here. The world has had three thousand years to advance, while the Empire has only grown weaker with time. I only know a few parlor tricks of magic, while your country is filled with people who have studied it since they were young. And, with a human living in your kingdom, I can only imagine how long it would take for you to have something akin to a tank or a gun. And God forbid if she told you the basic principles of an Atom Bomb… “War with your kingdom wouldn’t be a real war. It would be suicide. Even if I wasn’t averse to the thought of ruling a kingdom, I would still have no choice but to succumb to your wishes and abdicate the throne. It was the only way this could have ended. And if I had to do it again, I would,” Skeletor promised. Cadence allowed Skeletor’s words to properly sink in as she silently contemplated them. First and foremost was his stance on the possibility of modern diseases being deadly to the crystal ponies. She would need to gather the thestral guards immediately and make sure that none of them had so much as a sniffle. She would need to import a large number of doctors and nurses from Equestria, along with an extensive amount of medicines and medical spells. That would cost a substantial number of bits, but with the Empire’s vault then money wouldn’t be an issue. The real issue lied in Skeletor’s largest concern. The thought hadn’t crossed her mind that other nations and kingdoms would take advantage of the Empire’s lack of modern equipment and technology, and in hindsight it was a legitimate concern. The Dragon Empire and the Griffon Kingdom would have definitely seen it as an opportunity to amass more wealth. The Crystal Empire would also be an easy target for sky pirates, but the constant storm above them would have offered some protection from those criminals. The advancement of magic had also been previously proven to be leagues above older standards of magic when six ponies managed to defeat Nightmare Moon. During Nightmare Moon's own time, it would have taken an army’s worth of unicorns to even hope to defeat her but, due to the wonders of modern magic, all it took was six mares who had no previous military training. Even if Sombra were still alive and in his own body when Cadence arrived, his spells and techniques would have been outdated by a few thousand years. If Nightmare Moon couldn’t beat the combined knowledge of a thousand years of magical advancements, then what hope would a tyrant from three thousand years ago have? The more Cadence thought on it, the more she began to wonder about Skeletor’s own abilities. The prophecy of the spell that sealed the Empire’s citizens claimed that it would take a being of great magic potential to bring the Empire back, but when the advancement of magic was considered, she couldn’t help but think of what would have happened if she had just gotten to the Empire before Skeletor. Would the spell that held the Empire deem her as strong enough to release Sombra and his slaves, or would it have just as easily accepted somepony like Blueblood to defeat Sombra? Then what did that say about Skeletor? Was he an all-powerful god of magic like Eris, or was he a creature with a relatively average amount of magical knowledge and power? She would be lying if she said that she wasn’t a bit jealous of Skeletor at that moment. The only reason for his fame among the crystal ponies was because he wandered to the Empire and the spell that held them saw that he had a bit more power than a ruva from three thousand years ago. If she had taken the initiative to at least look at the Empire, then the spell would have released them all and she would be able to defeat Sombra with a simple wave of her horn. However, she couldn’t let her mind linger on “ifs” and theories, and she couldn’t allow herself to fall victim to bitter jealousy either. What mattered was that the Empire was now rightfully under her and Shinning Armor’s command. However, there was still one thing that needed to be addressed first and foremost, a glaring issue that needed to be dealt with if Cadence wanted to have her focus rest solely on the Empire. What to do with the demonic creature that had just handed her the throne. She didn’t make it a habit to lie to others, but when she had offered to give him a position of power in the Empire, that was a slight lie. In truth, she didn’t expect everything to run as smoothly as it had, and she was completely unprepared with how to deal with the skull headed creature that sat with them. It would have been easy to banish him if he was blatantly evil, but not all villains gave long monologues and not all virtuous spirits sang sweet melodies. In time, she would find out who Skeletor exactly was, but for the moment, she would make sure to keep an eye on him to see what he would unknowingly reveal. “Thank you for your answer, Skeletor. Now, unless you have anything else you’d like to say, I want to address one more thing. What do you plan to do now?” Skeletor took his time to search for the right words that he wished to speak. Cadence could only imagine the many thoughts that flew through his mind. Would he be content with a position as a noble? Would he demand one of the three kingdoms of the Empire to be hoofed over to him? Or, would he leverage this opportunity to continue his silent and slanderous campaign against her and Shining Armor? “Well, if possible, I’d like to continue studying magic and helping the crystal ponies. Unless…” He paused as he tapped his finger against the table, killing the seconds that passed in silent suspense until he found his voice once more. “I’m not sure if this is a state secret or anything but… Has your kingdom, uh…. Been looking into a method for sending Crystal back home? You know, like or portal or something? Maybe a magic word?” A small well-practiced smile worked its way to her muzzle as he listened to his request. Even if she had no idea what his motives were or if he was genuinely good, she did know the object of his desire. One of the large reasons that Skeletor was acting cooperative, or at least pretending to be, was because he believed that a human female named Crystal had taken up residence in Canterlot. The Empire was still in the process of moving on from Skeletor’s reign, and it was clear to the princess that there were still ponies who were loyal to him in the Crystal Empire. If she had allowed their lie to be discarded so soon, then he could easily use the ponies who remained loyal to him to take back control of the Crystal Empire. She would tell him the truth one day once the Empire was firmly tucked under her wing, but until then she would have to continue the lie that Lieutenant Burst had built for them. Cadence reassured herself that even if Skeletor was a genuinely nice creature, and had learned about their deceit, that they would at least have the measures necessary to send him back home. If he was a demon born in the deeper parts of Tartarus that rested below the prison for the damned villains of Equestria’s past like Tirek, the Smooze, and the Siren Sisters, then it would be a simple matter of trotting to the borders of the prison and give him supplies for the rest of his journey. At worst, it could turn out that Skeletor was from an uncharted island or perhaps a secret underground colony, and even then, it wouldn’t be too laborious of a task to send him home. “Yes, but progress has been going slow. It might help if you tell us more about how you came to the Empire,” she lied. She couldn't outright say something like, "Do you know where America is?" without raising some suspicion from him. As far as he was aware, 'Crystal' had already told them about America and where it was. Their lie hinged on revealing as little as possible while taking as much as they could from him to build up their lie if need be. “Alright… Well, I don’t know how Crystal got here, but for me, I fainted and woke up in the frozen tundra outside the barrier. I wasn’t doing anything too special when it happened, I was just buying a prop from a stand at comic con when I suddenly woke up without a face. At first, I thought that everything was a dream, but after a bit, I realized it wasn’t. For a while, I thought that Sombra summoned me here for one reason or another, but when I confronted him about it, he denied it. So far, the only clue that I’ve had was that he was the first pony I saw here, and that’s it,” Skeletor explained. “What’s comic con?” Shining Armor decided to ask. “It’s an event where people who like comics, games, and certain tv shows come together to buy and sell things, such as props like my staff,” Skeletor said as he pointed at the morbid staff that was strapped to his back. “The one that I had had broken when I got there, and then I saw this one at a stand for ten dollars. I knew I wasn’t going to wear my Skeletor costume again, but I thought that I might as well buy the staff and maybe resell it and my costume later.” “… You were wearing a costume of yourself?” Cadence asked in disbelief. She had met a great deal of egotistical creatures from a number of species and races, but she had never met a creature that had decided that dressing up in their own clothes could be considered a “costume.” “Oh, no, no. Sorry, I-I see how that can be confusing. ’Skeletor’ is a fictional character from… a certain form of children’s entertainment that may or may not exist here. I went dressed up as him and, well, you know the rest,” he explained, causing more questions to rise up from the royal couple. “Wait, wait, wait,” Shining Armor interjected. “… You’re saying that you’re just playing dress up?… So, why are you pretending to be a fictional character? Why would you keep pretending to be a fictional character after… everything that's happened?” “It’s not so much as I’m playing ‘dress up’ as… The costume pretty much became me? I honestly don’t know what happened. One minute, I was at a comic convention, and the next, I’m in a frozen wasteland without my face. I was wondering if something similar happened to Crystal or if this was just a problem that affected me.” Cadence felt her brain stop working as she replayed his words in her head. It seemed like every time she had felt comfortable with the knowledge she had, “Skeletor” would do something to violently rip her away from her comfort to thrust her into a seemingly bleak and confusing reality. If she were to take his words at face value, then that would mean that Sombra was killed by a role-player in a costume. Granted, his costume was actually living flesh and blood, but the point still stood. Sombra, a tyrannical leader who killed an alicorn and battled to a standstill with two other alicorns, was killed by a LARPer. The entire Empire was worshiping a creature that was role-playing, and she had been made a fool of by an obscure fictional character. She was worried, if not terrified, that she was being manipulated and deceived by a creature in a Nightmare Night costume. “So… What’s your actual name, then?” Cadence asked with a strained smile. She had been brought to her wits end by his latest reveal, and she quietly wondered if she could take that secret to her grave and prevent anypony from knowing that she was forced to negotiate politics with a role-playing demonic creature. Once again, the fears that she held slowly began to fade even more as she continued moving on the train ride of emotions that Skeletor had led her through. “I uh… May possibly have… forgotten it,” Skeletor answered sheepishly as he avoided meeting Cadence’s slowly twitching eyes. “I see,” Cadence replied simply. “Well, is there anything else you’d like to tell us before you hand over control of the Empire?” “Well, um… Firstly, there’s the concern of the Empire’s royal vault,” Skeletor said as he hopefully turned the conversation towards something that wouldn’t cause Cadence to have a migraine. “… The Empire is facing a financial decline. I was able to resolve the issue by introducing steel, but I’m not certain how long it will keep the Empire afloat. If possible, I’d like to discuss the possibility of trading steel and selling it to the Canterlot Kingdom so that our financial situation could be solved.” “And why is the Empire in a state of financial ruin?” She asked with a controlled and happy tone of voice as she still tried to suppress any remaining bitterness from learning that her rival for the throne was a Faust abandoned LARPer. “Oh, I assumed Emerald Secret or one of the others caught you up to speed, your majesty. During Sombra’s reign he nearly emptied the vault of all its more valuable material, such as copper, and used it for his own desires. I believe that he also used it to pay some dragons for their services, but I may be misremembering that.” “Well, are there any bits in the vault that have the year’s date engraved into them?” Cadence asked as she prepared a simple plan to help the Empire. “I believe so, yes.” “Then it should be easy to sell them outside the Empire to collectors. So long as we don’t suddenly flood the market with bits from the vault then we should be able to slowly amass a decent amount of bits. You also mentioned something stealing? I should let you know that I won’t allow you to steal from the ponies of the Empire,” she promised. “Not stealing, your majesty. I would never think of robbing the crystal ponies, or anyone really,” he explained. “I meant steel, with two e’s. It’s a type of metal from my home that’s lighter and stronger than iron. If you wish, I-er-I mean the council, can prepare a meeting with the head alchemist and blacksmith to tell you more about it. If the Empire is able to secure a means of income from outside the Frozen North, then we can use that money to rebuild the Empire and invest in medicine and necessary supplies for the citizens.” “… And you claim that the Empire is the only source of ’steel’ in the world?” Cadence asked, allowing both doubt and hope to balance precariously on Skeletor’s words. “So long as Crystal doesn’t know how to do it, then yes,” he reassured her. “Now, before we call the council members back in, may I ask one last favor?” “That’s fine, Skeletor. I can allow a reasonable favor for you since you’ve been so helpful.” “My thanks, your majesty,” Skeletor said as he bowed. Once again, she couldn’t help but think that his politeness was nothing more than a thinly veiled facade. If she were to believe everything he told her, then that would mean that he was a creature wearing a magic costume that turned him into a demonic creature, teleported him to the Empire, and gave him enough power to technically kill Sombra but not outright defeat him. “I haven’t really told the other council members about my home planet, so… Could we keep this a private matter for now?” He asked Cadence almost allowed the most important word of that sentence to go unheard as she played with her thoughts. However, when her brain recognized the key word in his final request to her and Shining Armor. It echoed in her mind like the dying sound of thunder, trailing off inside of her as the seconds slowly passed. Planet. Realization struck her like a furious dragon. The creature he talked about, the human, was an alien life form from another planet. His planet. And Cadence had just promised the only known alien in Equestria’s history that they were already looking for a way to send him back to a planet that existed Faust knows were. For a short moment, Cadence's sanity slipped from its pedestal and nearly shattered as she began to slowly allow that information to settle in her mind. She also idly wondered if she had slighted Eris in a previous life.