//------------------------------// // Chapter 44. What Lies Under Your Castle? // Story: Skeletor, Master of The Empire. // by Hotel_Chicken //------------------------------// The distant trickle of water echoed down the caverns, a far off melody with no clear direction. It was a beautiful sound, a natural song that guided any wandering soul deeper into the brightly lit tunnels. It’s trickling tune wasn’t the only thing that made it stand out from the Empire’s other underground paths. It was comparatively much larger, with enough room for several carts and carriages to travel through, and a ceiling high enough to accommodate at least a dozen thestrals and their own flying carts. It was almost disappointing to know that such a grand cave had such a lackluster name, simply being called the ‘First Cave’. Skeletor had expected something a bit more poetic, perhaps ‘The roots of the Empire’ or ‘The crystal caverns’. It had been a historic landmark for the Empire, the place where the three pony tribes off the Empire had first settled to weather the storm, the place where Princess Amore had discovered the Crystal Heart. And in the end, it became a memorial for all those who had died under Sombras reign. The First Cave hardly seemed like a worthy name to him, but renaming it didn’t feel like something he could do on a whim. Perhaps its history spoke louder than any other name could. As he descended deeper into the cave, drawing closer to the source of its song, he found himself passing by a familiar and grim mural. The walls were covered in a myriad of colors, the cutie marks of every pony who had perished under Sombra’s tyranny. To any tourist or casual observer, they might have thought that it was a beautiful art piece, a collection of cute drawings that brightened the dull walls of the cave. But, to Skeletor, and any who knew the significance of those etchings, it was horrific. Before, there had been a great hall of records, holding the cutie marks of anypony who had lived in the Empire. It was a palace dedicated to the past, a place where nobles and commoners were displayed side by side, showing that all were equal under the eyes of Faust. Sadly, it was one of the first buildings Sombra personally destroyed, for no other reason than to force his silent subjects to grieve. The caves were all that remained. Skeletor could still remember when Emerald Secret had escorted him down there, explaining the significance of some of the first marks that had been carved and painted into the walls. Towards the entrance into the cave where some ponies were still either chiseling or painting, each and every cutie mark was unique, with no two marks ever repeating. But, at the end of the path where the mural had started, the colorful and distinctive marks had given way to a grim and familiar pattern. Soon, Skeletor found himself surrounded by carvings of white hearts nestled in clouds. He couldn’t help but slow his stride whenever he reached that point, letting his sockets study the long stretch of white carvings. No matter where he looked he was constantly met with the same image, the same nameless grave of foals too young to get their marks. His gaze always drifted to one cloud in particular, a rare carving that had a pair of hearts sharing a cloud. It was the only one he knew anything about. They were twins. Those three simple words sounded so hollow in his head. They were twins, and that was all. They never had the chance to be bakers, or knights, or anything. They were never given a chance to even be children. They were gone, left as nothing but carvings and ash, and that was if they were lucky. It hadn’t taken much time for him to find out what happened to the less fortunate foals. It was one of the few unspoken truths in the Empire, a nightmare that could never be said aloud outside of private conversations. It was possibly Sombra’s greatest sin. After a few more minutes of following the familiar trail through the caves, Skeletor tore his gaze away from the murals to the path ahead and banished any thoughts of the murals behind him, preparing to step into the ashes at the end of the tunnel. He had always felt uncomfortable entering the underground farms, stepping on the ashes of ponies who had died centuries ago. It felt wrong to carelessly walk on the remains of these creatures, but Emerald and the others had assured him time and time again that it was simply their tradition. Unlike Earthernia where ashes were placed in urns or scattered in the wind, the Empire had a different way of respecting their dead. The ponies who passed on would serve the Empire even in death as the nutrition and soil for the Empire’s crops. It was the ultimate sign of respect, a way to help the friends and family who were still alive. Although those words hardly brought Skeletor any sense of comfort as he stepped through the ashes, suppressing a wince with every step. Skeletor tried to think of something other than the fresh ashes that had just been spread the day before, his eyes finally falling on the tall trees that some ponies were still trying to chop down. After a thousand years of being untouched, the trees and other crops in the farms had grown far too much. It had taken a full day to clear the entrance when the ponies had first returned to the farms, and it took considerably longer to tame the wild forest that had, to them, seemingly popped up overnight. Skeletor’s presence didn’t go unnoticed as he wandered through the farms as a hushed whisper eventually replaced the sound of their usual daily work. He offered a quiet wave to any pony who was openly gawking, even giving the coal shovelers a small smile and nod as he passed by. Soon enough, Skeletor had finally made it to a large pool of water at the center of the farms. The dew from the stalagmites fell with a familiar rhythm, filling the pool with water and the air with a a ringing tune. On any other day, Skeletor may have taken the time to admire the formation, but he didn’t have time to appreciate the reflective pool or watch the ice melt above it. He had come with a clear purpose, and its name was, “Emerald Secret.” The mare jolted in surprise, her own transfixed gaze tearing itself from the pool to look behind her, until her gaze inevitably fell on him. “My-my lord! You’re here I—” she hastily spoke, turning to give a quick bow before Skeletor held up a hand. “No need for formalities, Emerald. I’m sorry for startling you, but I needed to speak with you urgently. One of the maids told me that you’d be here,” he explained before passing a glance at the ponies that were quietly watching them from the distance. “If possible, I’d like to speak somewhere more private.” “Of course, Skeletor. Where—” before Emerald could even ask, Skeletor turned to point his scepter at the lake, summoning an orange oval portal at the shoreline. Emerald’s words died in her throat as she stared at the spell, quietly transfixed by the pulsating portal before Skeletor silently stepped through. Shaking off her sudden surprise, Emerald quickly followed through and met the cold frigid air. In the short time that Skeletor had stepped through, he had already perched himself on the railings of a balcony, staring off into the distance from one of the castle’s many spires. His gaze was locked on the light blue dome covering the city, a pale imitation of the Crystal Heart’s shield, and the only thing keeping the Empire safe. Emerald soon joined him, planting her front hooves on the railing as she raised herself up. “Skeletor, might I ask why we’re here?” “... This is where it happened,” he said, looking down at the streets below the Crystal Castle. “Emerald, I respect your opinion above a lot of other ponies. You’re smart, objective, and you’re the only mare I can rely on right now.” “Oh... Thank you. That means a lot to hear.” “Good,” he replied, taking a moment to take a deep breath before turning to her. “I need to ask... What do you think happened on this balcony?” Skeletor was met with only silence and a look of genuine surprise. He could already see the gears turning in her mind, her gaze becoming more concentrated as she stared at her own hooves. Before long, she finally asked, “You want to know what I think of the princess and the prince.” “I do,” was all he replied, waiting as she took another moment to organize her thoughts. “I don’t have much faith in them to be honest. They’ve come without any plans, and they haven’t delivered on any of their promises... But then again, I don’t think I had many high expectations for you either, my lord.” “I’m not—” “My lord,” she repeated, tearing her eyes away from her hooves to look up at Skeletor. “You’ve earned my respect and the respect of all the ponies left in our Empire. You are more deserving of the title of lord than anypony here, so allow me to say this. I trust you my lord, I don’t entirely trust them. “But if you’re asking me about what happened here, then no. I don’t think they had anything to do with what happened that night. However, I’m sure you already knew that, didn’t you?” She asked, to which Skeletor replied with a brief nod. “No, I don’t think they did. I think... No, I know who did it. And I need the advice of an Advisor,” he said, taking a moment to step away from the balcony to quickly check the doors. “I didn’t want to tell any of you this, I wanted to pretend like I was crazy, like I could just tell the prince and princess and they’d make the problem go away for me... Emerald, I don’t want to have to tell you.” “Whatever it is you have to say, I’ll listen.” “... Then I’m sorry. I’m so sorry Emerald,” Skeletor lamented, casting a sorrowful look to her before he went on. “I promise, I’ll make this better.” “Skeletor, please,” she pressed, “I know you’ll try your best, but what’s happening?” Taking a deep breath, Skeletor braced himself before finally uttering the words that he knew Emerald would never want to hear. “Somehow, Sombra returned.” "How is that possible?" Shining Armor asked, his voice dripping with anger as he looked over Crumb Catcher's report. The current prince of the Empire paced around the throne room scanning over every line written in Crumb Catcher's report, electing to hold it with one of his hooves since his magic was occupied with maintaining the barrier. Unfortunately, the mental strain of his spells and his wife's current condition did little to help his mood, and a less than fruitful report from the Empire's spy master only made him feel worse. “No witnesses. You’re telling me that not a single pony saw the Crystal Heart get stolen?!” Her prince yelled, earning a subtle wince from the blue stallion. “Not so, your majesty, just that we haven’t found anypony whose witnessed it yet. As I’m sure you’re aware, some ponies are… Less than willing to cooperate with the guards at the moment.” “We’re trying to save the Empire! How can they not get that?” “Your majesty, they’re in a frenzy right now. It hasn’t even been a week since the… incident, involving Skeletor. Many of them believe that you or her majesty, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, may have had a hoof in in.” “That’s insane! Why would either of us do that?” “Common sense falls to the wayside in times of panic, I’m afraid. But, rest assured, we will find the culprits responsible for stealing the Crystal Heart,” he promised, earning a tired sigh from Shining Armor. “Alright. Thank you, Crumb Catcher. Is there anything else you found?” Crumb Catcher’s reply wasn’t immediate, but it still held the same self-assuredness of his other replies. “… No, not at the moment your Majesty. I’ll be sure to give you a more promising report next time. In the meantime, I've sent Colonel Kernel out to assure the public that everything is under control. Hopefully, we'll be able to dispel any rumors about your or Princess Mi Amore Cradenza's involvement in what happened.” “Okay. Great, good. In the meantime, just… Just keep at it. And send Pan in so I can go over the provision preparations with him.” “At once, your majesty,” Crumb Catcher bowed, before quickly trotting out of the room to fetch the head chef. When the doors finally closed behind the royal spy master, Shining’s head fell onto the throne with an exhausted groan. He felt tired, miserable, and worst of all he felt isolated. Every guard he had trusted enough to confide in was in Canterlot, his sister was still days if not a week away from the Empire, his wife was too exhausted to eve stand, let alone hear him complain to her. For the first time in his life, Shining Armor had felt utterly alone. Before he could sink any deeper into his self-wallowing, the sound of the old doors opening drew his attention to Camisole and her closest soldiers as they trotted in. "Well, we've got news!" Camisole shouted as Crux Heart and Star Burst followed her inside. "It's good news and uh, not so good news." "Mostly bad," Crux Heart tacked on, earning a wing smack from his superior officer. "Whatever it is, it can't be worse than what I just heard," Shining Armor moaned. "Great! Because we don't know where Skeletor is," Camisole said in an oddly cheerful tone as silence descended over the room. "... ... Surprise..." "You lost him?" Shining finally asked after a near minute of silence. "That's kinda the good news? He woke up! Crux saw him in the medical wing earlier and tried tailing him for a bit," Camisole explained. "He followed him to the farms under the Empire and uh... Poof. Portal." "Technically it wasn't a poof. It was more like a warble kind of noise and even then I think only thestrals could—" "You lost Skeletor?" Shining repeated, interrupting Crux Heart as he glared at the three. "Good news though! Great news!" Camisole cut in, taking the brunt of Shining's intensive stare down. "He took Emerald Secret with him, so he might not have left the Empire! Oh! And, get this, you're gonna love it, he doesn't blame you guys!" "Which is the best thing we could hope for," Crux once again chimed, earning a second wing slap from Camisole. "Okay... Okay," Shining Armor nodded, before eventually turning his attention to Star Burst. "And... How did he get to the medical wing without you tailing him?" "I had to go look for a clean chamber pot," she quietly defended, earning a giggle from Camisole. "It's not funny! I was up for two days and barely got any breaks because somepony forgot to schedule my shift change!" "... Yeah, okay, my bad," Camisole admitted. "Anyway, when I came back the guards were still stationed there, so I didn't think he just up and left. Checked inside like I did every hour on the hour, and I saw Princess Cadence there instead of him and uh... Yeah, I asked the guards and they said he left pretty much right before I came back." "Okay... So," Shining said, not really having any idea where his sentence would end when it began. "Skeletor's missing. My wife is resting. First is bad, second is good. And... and Skeletor's missing, that's-that's probably the worst thing that could happen." "... But at least he trusts you guys," Camisole tried to say, earning a spiteful look from Shining Armor. "Of course he does, why wouldn't he? Heck, why does anypony think that?! It's crazy!" "Well, to be fair you and Princess Cadence are the only spell users aside from Skeletor," Crux Heart interjected. “And since nopony thinks Skeletor suddenly shish-kabobed himself…” Camisole trailed off, letting Shining Armor finish her thought with a groan. “Then it must have been me or Cadence.” "Which we know you didn't," Camisole stated confidently, before uttering a quiet, "right?" "Not the time for jokes," Shining groaned. "We didn't do it, Skeletor didn't do it so... So that just leaves Sombra," he lamented, burying his face in his hooves as he felt his headache grow worse. “It is looking a lot more likely," Crux Heart stated. "Based on the obsidian spike that shot out of the balcony and the reports of what Skeletor was screaming on his way there, I'm not seeing lot of other explanations." "I've got one. He's crazy," Star Burst insisted. "I mean, I know we talked about it a little bit before, but, there's no way Sombra actually came back from the dead, right?" "At this point, it's the only lead we have," Shining Armor stated before prying himself off of the throne. "The Crystal Heart magically disappears and Skeletor is lead to the nearest balcony overlooking a mod of angry ponies? Not to mention it's all his weird Skull Cult and he just so happened to get stabbed at that moment? Either Sombra is back, or we're dealing with something or somepony else. And honestly, I don't know which idea scares me more." "Alright, so assuming Sombra's some ghost from Tartarus now, what're we going to do? Can't really call the Equestrian Ecto-Blasters," Camisole quipped as a scroll suddenly appeared from a burst of emerald flames. Taking the fresh parchment in his hooves, Shining Armor scanned over the letter as a hopeful smile crawled onto his muzzle. "Oh, I don't we'll need any phantom pony chasers. Because the Elements of Harmony are going to be here in around three days," Shining Armor promised as he trotted towards to throne to place the paper down. "Camisole, Star Burst, is any pony out there looking for Skeletor?" "Got two on it, sir," Camisole saluted, prompting Star Burst to do the same. "Join them. I want somepony down in the farm in case he brings Emerald back there. In the meantime I want you to search the towers and the library. I've got a feeling he isn't planning on leaving the castle just yet. Crux," he added, turning to the larger stallion. "I want you to keep helping out in the medical wing, and when you get some time, head to the farms too. Twily and the others should be here soon, but until then, we need to ration what we have incase anything else happens. "If anypony finds Skeletor, tail him and don't lose him. You all got that?" "Sir, yes, sir!' They all chorused before flying and trotting off to carry out his orders. After all of them had left, Shining Armor took the opportunity to plant himself back on the throne, his sore mind and body relaxing on the comfortable cushions as he waited for his next meeting with Pan. He couldn't help but wear a small smile as he waited, knowing that he wouldn't be alone when Twilight and the others would arrive.