“It all started on the coldest morning in the Frozen North, a day when the unrestful souls of Sombra’s victims screamed out in anger, demanding that the evil ruva would be dethroned and brought to the deepest depths of Tartarus.
“Faust, hearing the pleas of the souls that had refused to leave their rotting mortal coil, answered their prayers by creating a creature of raw power and gave him a mystical artifact that was stolen from the demons. He was wrapped in a cloak of shadows, and given armor that was made from the scales of the ancient dragon kings. Fully equipped, the figure drew his hood forward to hide his face as he traveled down to the mortal coil.
“After arriving in the depths of the Frozen North, Faust’s champion was guided by the spirits to the Crystal Empire. And then, after being led by the spirits of our fallen families, he called on their aid once more to restrain their still living relatives.
“With his great talents and skills, the being cut from Faust’s cloth was able to avoid Sombra’s traps and made it to the throne room, where he fought against wo enslaved guards that were given enchanted armor by our old tyrant
“Even with their armor, the two slaves were not able to stand against the champion and were rendered unconscious. After he made sure that neither of the slaves were injured, he kicked open the Throne Room doors to glare at the dark stallion.
“Without even a word, the two leapt into battle, launching spells at each other with no end in sight. Unfortunately, Sombra managed to deal an almost killing blow when a burst of his magic impacted the champion’s hidden face. Sombra had robbed him of the beauty and silk voice that Faust had gifted him, leaving only a skull behind as the champion fell to the floor.
“Believing that his adversary was dead, Sombra trotted towards the apparent corpse to look at the fallen champion. Then, with the speed of a lightning-bolt, the hero from Faust’s Garden moved to grab the tyrant’s gnarled horn. With a flick of his wrist, he tore Sombra’s skull from his body and crushed it in his hands. As Sombra’s corpse began to paint the floor with his blood, the hero ventured to the depths of the kingdom to reach the Crystal Heart.
“After freeing the three slaves who were tasked with watching over the Heart, he brought them to the surface so they could see the Heart return to its pillar.
“As the ponies of the Empire celebrated their freedom, the champion thought about what he would do now that his journey had ended. He couldn’t, in good conscience, leave them while they still needed to rebuild, so he decided to stay in the freed Empire.
“While Faust had given him many things to prepare for the battle, the one thing he lacked was a proper name. So, he gave himself the name Skeletor, which he took from the ancient language of the dead. In the tongues of deities and demons, his name translated to ‘Skull Torn,’ an act imparted on only the cruelest of monsters, to tear their mind and soul away from their corpse.
“With that, he would define his life with only a single death under his hands and led the Empire towards a prosperous future… And now, we, the followers of Skeletor carry on his morals. My brothers, my sisters, who are we?" Brother Nearside stated, his eyes lighting up as he looked over the room.
In an instant, their reverend was met with a chorus of cheers as they chanted, "The Skull Torn!"
In the days following Skeletor's attack, the Skull Torn had seen a large number of new followers, and each one was completely enraptured by the story of Skeletor. It was necessary for every new recruit to hear about Skeletor's great battle against Sombra, to know just what he had sacrificed for his subjects.
Sadly, most of the story was made up of secondhoof knowledge, parts and pieces picked out of conversations that Skeletor had had with guards or any casual remarks he had made in his speeches. Their lord was far too humble to revel in his victory, choosing instead to focus his efforts on rebuilding the Empire than reveling in the past.
Or, at least that was what their lord had planned to do until they had shown up.
“He has given us more than we know. Knowledge that would have never been revealed were it not for him, truths hidden in the shadows of liars. Some of us, the sinners we are, held onto doubt when he gave us the truth, while others embraced it full heartedly. And now, our new members know their mistake, and have joined our ranks. We have all seen the truth, for we are not eyeless or earless.
“It was just as Skeletor had claimed. ‘The spawn of Grogar’s minions took the shape of Faust’s apostle, lying to Princess Amore to taint our love and destroy the barrier.’ Don’t you see my brothers and sisters? The demon that wore the mask of a deity has tricked us all again! Sombra has taken the form of an alicorn, claiming to be Princess Amore’s descendant, and we believed it!
“We were deceived by the same demon that fooled Princess Amore, and we watched as our lord was bewitched by this foul monster. Under their guide, he put the Crystal Heart in a cage, and she sought to blame him!
“And when he chose to defend his actions, to explain their manipulations, they stabbed him with an obsidian spike! It was Sombra’s own spell, his dark power, and it could only come from the prince or princess!
“Who else in the Empire has a horn or magic? Who else was next to our Lord before he fell? My brothers, my sisters, open your eyes and see the truth!” He commanded, earning a chorus of cheers as his followers broke out into a song of revenge.
Brother Nearside took pride in watching his brothers' and sisters' eagerness to take on the false rulers, even though he knew they stood little chance against Sombra and his dark minions. The Skull Torn had no considerable power of their own and were little more than craftsman and farmers with little fighting experience, the only exception being the Crystal Castle guards who had either started or joined the Skull Torn early on.
Though their will and determination to fight were strong, in terms of actual strength or prowess they were frighteningly weak. But, if the day would ever come when Skeletor would call for their aide, the Skull Torn would join him without hesitation. They would never fall under the chains of oppression, not again.
As Brother Nearside let his gaze drift over the sea off colorful faces, his eyes finally settled on one mare, a devoted member to the Skull Torn from the early days of their conception. The dark brown mare had slipped through the crowd quietly, leaving the room without so much as a word to any of her fellow members.
A frown fell on Brother Nearside as the door closed behind her. Something was wrong with their sister, and he was determined to find out what.
After giving his goodbyes to the old and new members of the Skull Torn, Brother Nearside quickly followed behind Sister Strike Iron, calling out to her as they drew closer to the entrance of the manor. "Sister Strike Iron, do you have a moment to spare?"
"Uh, yes! Is there something you need, Brother Nearside?" She asked hesitantly. If it were any other pony, Nearside may nnnzot have raised an eye at her tone, but he had known Strike Iron since the early days of the Skull Torn. She was always eager to talk to any of their members, usually being the first to prompt any conversation or discussion about their lord.
Something certainly seemed off about her. "I was wondering if you were okay. I noticed you slip away from the tale time back there."
"Oh, yeah, of course I'm fine. Just... Things have been tough with family. That's all," she admitted quietly, casting a glance to the end of the hall as she nervously tapped a hoof. "I promised I'd see Dally before the sunset, don't wanna get to Baron Tone's manor too late, you know?"
"Ah, Dilly Dally, right. She was the mare you brought over around a week ago. How has she been? Has she shown any interest in joining the Skull Torn?"
"It's ah-it's a little complicated. We just decided not to talk about it for a while, anyway, I really need to get going."
"Of course, I won't hold you up any longer, sister," Nearside promised, letting her turn away before he quickly added. "Just know, if you ever need an ear to bend, we'd all be willing to listen."
"... Yeah. Thanks," she said before promptly trotting down the hall towards the front doors of the manor.
Nearside heaved a tired sigh when he heard the soft creaking of the doors. He sent a silent prayer to his lord to watch over the mare, turning to trot back to the Alter Room as he did so.
He didn’t worry too much over Sister Strike’s loyalty to the Skull Torn, but he did idly wonder about the other mare.
Dilly Dally would hopefully see the truth of their lord’s power, and willingly trot into the Skull Torn’s embrace. But, if she refused then that was simply her path to trot. He just prayed that Strike Iron would be safe if she chose to trot alongside Dilly Dally down the wrong path.
Hopefully they could both be saved and join their fellow crystal ponies in Faust’s Fertile Fields.
Soon, their lord would rise again.
"Rise and shine, you…. You,” Camisole stretched her stiff wings as she stifled a yawn, staving off the quiet call of her bed as she looked down at her charge. “Jerk.”
Shifting in her crawlspace, Camisole weakly glared at the sleeping giant as he enjoyed a quiet rest, blissfully unaware of all the trouble he had caused her and the other thestrals the day prior.
Skeletor had been busy opening portals all throughout the castle, going from room to room without any proper rhyme or reason. Anytime they had felt like they were getting close to catching up to him, he’d suddenly decide to go back to the Alchemy Tower or the farms.
It was only thanks to Copper Plate that they had finally managed to catch him in the Royal Library. Even then, they had just barely managed to get there in time, leaping through one final portal as he entered his bedroom.
He stumbled to his bed with all the grace of a drunk elephant, flopping on top of the covers as he carelessly tossed his staff aside.
When they had all finally reconvened outside his room that night, Camisole had decided to finally follow Skeletor personally, giving Star Burst a well-deserved break in her private quarters.
Camisole never took the time to closely watch Skeletor before, often defaulting to letting Star Burst or some other pony do it instead. But, considering how often they had either lost track Skeletor or how often he would surprise them, it made more sense for a more seasoned shadow to tail Skeletor instead.
At first, Camisole was eager to fill in Star Burst’s saddles and follow the blue behemoth, hoping that she could catch something that flew under everypony else’s noses. Maybe a secret meeting with Sombra? A quiet admission to some conspiracy? Some revelation that would shine more light on his background?
But, nothing happened. He was just sleeping, and whatever he muttered in his sleep was unintelligible and useless. At most she could hear him complain about his graying skull, or call out to a “He-Man”. She noted that He-Man might have been related to Hue-Man and Per’s son, but everything else was just nonsense.
So, with nothing else to do, she watched him sleep.
And she was so bored doing it.
“Wake up already,” she quietly complained, eyeing a nearby clock as the morning drew closer to the afternoon.
Fishing a snack out of her satchel, Camisole quietly chewed on a ration bar as Skeletor turned over again, letting out a quiet groan as he nuzzled deeper into the blankets.
“Nngh, Greah, Snuh. Sosiss,” he muttered, letting out a a light moan as he lightly wrestled with the blanket.
Before Skeletor could go on another sleepy rant about his skull, a gentle knock rang out at the bedroom door.
“My lord, are you awake?” The royal advisor called, earning a long groan from the undead alien.
“Mmmaaaah.”
“May I come in?”
“Gimme a second,” he called out groggily, a yawn already passing his jaw as he sat up.
Flinging his legs off of the bed, Skeletor rose from his seemingly eternal slumber with a long stretch.
“Come in,” he yelled back, stepping around his bed to search for his scepter.
“Good morning, my lord,” Emerald Secret greeted warmly, earning a quiet greeting in return as walked over to a nearby barrel. “My lord, the princess requested to have an audience with you in an hour.”
“An hour? Why so early?” He asked, snatching a stick off of one of the barrels and scraping it against his fangs.
“She wanted to give you some time to rest, but she said she was worried that you would possibly miss lunch.”
“It’s getting that late already?” Skeletor idly asked, grabbing one of the nearby gems from the barrels and searching for his reflection in the inside.
“It’s almost eleven, sir.”
“What?!” He quickly turned, his gaze locked on the nearby clock.
“Yes. She was hoping to have the meeting in the Meeting Hall after lunch. She wanted you to know that the other council members would be there as well. Unfortunately, Copper Plate won’t be able to attend.”
“Alright. Have you told her yet?’
“Uh... No, I haven’t. Should I?”
Skeletor didn’t reply immediately, instead choosing to fix his clasps and belts as he mulled it over. “We’ll debate it later,” he quietly answered. “We should also wait for the meeting before revealing it to the rest of the council.”
“Yes, my lord. But, are you sure she’ll approve of telling them?”
“We don’t have much of a choice,” he stated, stomping out of the room with Emerald and Camisole in tow. “I trust you and the council to keep a secret.”
“Of course, my lord.” Emerald agreed, letting them fall into a lull as they marched ahead.
Camisole tried to quietly keep up in pace with the advisor as she effortlessly matched Skeletor’s long stride. The tailing thestral didn’t need to think too hard to understand what the two were talking about. It was clear to the commander that they were alluding to the secret of Sombra’s return.
As much as Camisole had often joked about Skeletor simply being crazy or delusional, she was beginning to have her own doubts about the dead tyrant. She hoped that if Sombra had truly returned from Tartarus that the revived ruler would at least wait until the Elements of Harmony had arrived before striking.
Although Princess Celestia’s pupil and her friends weren’t trained guards or soldiers, they at least beared the relics that had the power to stop him. If they could purify the demon that had possessed Princess Luna for over a thousand years, then surely they could get rid of some undead despot. And, if Skeletor ever turned out to be a genuine concern, then they could deal with another dead dictator as well. However, Camisole doubted that it would ever come to that.
Over the short time she and her guards had observed him from the shadows, Camisole’s opinion of Skeletor had somewhat grown. She wouldn’t go as far as to trust him with her life, but she did think that he was pretty harmless. Aside from Sombra’s death, Skeletor didn’t appear to be a violent or angry creature.
The worst thing Camisole could say about him was that he unknowingly gave her and the other thestrals a hard time tailing him. Otherwise, he wasn’t that much different than a Minotaur, just loud, odd looking, and had a weird obsession over clothes.
Still, even if Skeletor wasn’t violent, that didn’t mean he wasn’t capable of doing something bad, even if only by mistake. With any luck, Sombra would be blasted asap, Skeletor would go retire in a graveyard or something, and everypony could just go back home and have a well-deserved vacation.
But, nothing could ever be that easy for her. She could already tell that there would be problems popping up at every turn. If Skeletor wasn’t an issue then Sombra certainly would be, and if he wasn’t too difficult then the crystal ponies would be another, not to mention that they already had their hooves full with a missing artifact.
They had a long day ahead of them.
It had been a long and restless night for Colonel Kernel, his mind constantly replaying the day’s events whenever he closed his eyes.
The grey stallion had done his best to follow Crumb Cather’s orders, letting every guard and pony know that he and the other council members didn’t suspect the new princess of being the ones responsible for Skeletor’s condition. Of course, without a scapegoat or somepony else to point the hoof at, it wasn’t easy to answer anypony when they asked the same question.
“If it wasn’t them, then who?”
He didn’t know. Nopony did. Sombra was dead, Skeletor had been stabbed, and the princess and her consort had been completely unharmed. Not to mention, the fate of the Crystal Heart was still unknown. Colonel Kernel had known about the steel cage for a long time, he knew that it wasn’t a plot by the new royals to keep the heart locked away, and had tried his best to convince ponies that it was actually Skeletor’s idea. Sadly, Crumb Catcher had greatly overestimated Kernel’s sway over the ponies who idolized Skeletor.
At least, that was until rumors of Skeletor’s recovery had suddenly spread throughout the castle. What started off as quiet ramblings had quickly become the most widely known fact, from the farmers in the caves to the patients in the medical wing, everypony who had seen him had been talking about it.
And somehow, be it fate or pure luck, something happened to the gossip of his return and the story that Kernel had failed to sell to anypony. They had suddenly merged.
Kernel’s story had changed from “The colonel believes that the princess and her consort are innocent,” to “Skeletor personally confided in him and said that he had trusted the royal pair.”
Of course, the colonel didn’t try to clear up this new misunderstanding, feeling far too nervous to correct anypony who brought it up. It would only hurt both his reputation and the Empire’s trust in the royal couple.
Even if things had suddenly taken a turn for the better, Colonel Kernel couldn’t rest easily.
What if Skeletor doesn’t trust them? What if they actually did it? Would Skeletor think I was in on it? Would I be executed for lying about Skeletor? Should I tell him that Crumb Catcher put me up to it? Can I even trust that jerk to not shove me in the snow? He wondered, his thoughts constantly poking at all of his underlying fears.
It was a miracle that he was able to get any sleep at all. But soon he had to leave his nightmares and face something far scarier than his own twisted imagination, the heavy consequences of reality.
The day had started off without any issues, preforming his weekly inspection of the guard patrol, followed by a private meeting with Crumb Catcher to go over the testimonies he was able to gather from the prior night. Sadly, their conversation proved to be less than fruitful, and only served to worsen Colonel Kernel’s anxiety over his inevitable meeting with Skeletor.
He prayed for Skeletor to be either merciful or oblivious, for nopony to bring up his attempts to sell himself as Skeletor’s personal confidant, or the high-ranking pony that the Skull Torn had allegedly painted him out to be.
When the time finally came for Colonel Kernel and the other guards to gather for lunch, he kept his eyes firmly planted on the doors, nearly jumping whenever somepony entered or left.
“You okay, sir?” One of the guards asked, stirring Colonel Kernel from his thoughts as he glanced back at them.
“Hm? Yeah, fine, why?”
“Ya seem jumpy,” another guard observed. “Like, ‘lied to your—”
“I didn’t lie to anypony!” He interrupted, drawing more attention to himself before he immediately shrank under their gaze.
“... wife, jumpy’,” the green guard finished, looking at the colonel with a concerned look.
“He’s probably anxious for the boss to get back,” a larger guard chimed in. “I mean, how would any of you feel if you had to explain everything that happened to Cannon Fodder?”
A shudder washed over all the guards at the strong stallion’s remark, as a new and even more concerning thought struck the colonel.
General Cannon Fodder is going to kill me when he gets back.
“Yeah. Hey, why hasn’t he come back anyway?” The first guard asked.
“He’s on a mission to the Ruva Kingdom, remember?”
“Yeah, but didn’t all of them call it off early? I saw Spearhead on Lapis Lane yesterday, and he said he and the others came back a while ago.”
“What? That doesn’t make sense. You sure it was Spearhead?”
“Yeah! Weirdest thing is that he said they were all getting paid time off for about another four weeks.”
“That can’t be right,” Colonel Kernel finally mustered. “I’d know if they came back. They were supposed to report back to me or... That blue bastard.”
“What was that?”
“Uh, nothing,” he quickly brushed off. “Did he say anything about the General, the mission, anything?”
“Eh, not really. Just that they came back around the time Skeletor abdicated the throne,” the guard shrugged, returning to his bowl of jelly as he thought aloud. “But man, must be nice to get paid time off. Wouldn’t mind joining the next expedition if I can get that.”
“Good luck leaving the Empire at this rate,” the larger guard scoffed. “So long as they’re here, we’re stuck under their shield.”
Following the guard’s glances, Kernel’s own gaze fell on the royal dining table where the princess and her suitor were sitting with Avid Value and Crumb Catcher. The colonel and the other guards tore their eyes away from the table quickly, all of them sending a quiet prayer to Faust that nopony had seen them openly gawk at the royal pair.
“Could you keep your voice down, Fort?” One of the guards quietly chastised. “What if one of their thestrals hear us?”
“Oh please. It’s not like we’re the only ones talking about it. What’re they gonna do, arrest every guard in here?”
“You’ll be lucky if they do that,” the smaller guard stated cautiously. “I mean, you saw what they did to Skeletor.”
“That wasn’t them,” Colonel Kernel stepped in, trying to convince both himself and the other guards as he did so.
“Yeah, I’m sure it wasn’t. And I’m sure Princess Celestia doesn’t raise the sun either,” Fort scoffed. “I ain’t believing that unless it falls out of Skeletor’s jaw bone.”
“What about my jaw?” Skeletor butted in, taking his usual seat at the table as the other guards silently watched on in shock.
None of them had noticed the lull in conversation that swept over the room mere moments ago, and they were too engrossed in their quiet argument to even notice the towering giant as he strode in.
Skeletor, either not caring or not noticing their surprise, folded his legs in the small chair and quickly brought a bowl of assorted vegetables into his lap.
Colonel Kernel was the first pony to find the courage to speak, breaking the other guards out of their stupor with a very stupid question. "... Morning?"
"Oh, good morning, Kernel. Or, afternoon, I suppose," he shrugged, diving into his food with gusto. "So, what were you talking about?"
"Uh.... The princess, sir?" Fort stuttered.
"Hm... She does look tired," Skeletor observed as he watched the royal advisor make her way to the prince and princess. "I'm surprised she can stand at all with that shield up. From what Emerald told me, Princess Cadence has been holding up for a few days now. I didn't think it'd be possible to make a barrier big enough to cover the Empire."
"Yeah, but she’ll uh... You’ll take it down, right?” One of the guards asked.
“Me?” He asked between bites of broccoli. “I don’t think I can take over for them. I barely know how to keep up a shield spell over myself. But, once we get the Crystal Heart back, I’m sure things will go back to normal. I probably shouldn’t tell any of you this but....” Skeletor paused, glancing over his shoulder to stare at a blank wall before crouching down in a quiet whisper. “We’re close.”
“Close?” Colonel Kernel asked in a hushed voice.
“Close to finding the Crystal Heart,” Skeletor revealed, drawing the guards in closer as he continued. “I know I shouldn’t tell you this, but we’ve actually found a lead. If we’re right, the Crystal Heart is still in the Empire. But don’t tell anyone I said this.”
“But, but where is it?”
“Ah, I can’t say anything else... But we know who did it.”
“Who is it?” Fort nearly cried out, his hooves pressed firmly on the table.
“Oh, I-I can’t say anything more, I can’t. I promised Emerald and the princess that I wouldn’t say anything. But, believe me when I say that Princess Cadence and Prince Armor are close to catching them. We won’t let them get away with throwing the Empire into an uproar,” he promised, leaning back into his chair as he added on one more detail. “Just remember, you can’t tell anypony that—”
“‘Princess Cadence found them’?” The pink princess parroted, as she stared at her royal advisor incredulously. The green coated mare simply nodded in return, bringing up a glass of water to drink as she laid out Skeletor’s plan.
“Yes. Skeletor believes that it will help ease the crystal ponies if they think that you and Prince Shining are close to ‘cracking the case’ as he phrased it.”
“Except we aren’t,” Shinning Armor growled. “Do you have any idea how much pressure we’re under already? If they think we have a lead then they’re going to expect results faster than we can deliver. We haven’t even gotten reports from most of the ponies at the plaza from that night.”
“I am aware, Prince Shining, and I made sure to tell him that as well. He’s trying to emphasize that you just need a little bit more information to finally find the Heart, and that anypony who doesn’t trust you or is unwilling to trot forward is actually hindering the Empire by not being forthcoming with any information.”
“So, Skeletor is trying to apply pressure on them by putting the investigation’s shortcomings on the hooves of the ponies and not the royals,” Crumb Catcher observed, a hoof resting on his chin as he mulled the plan over. “I... can’t say I think this plan will work completely, but it should hopefully convince at least a few ponies. Of course, that’s if we ignore the major problem at hoof. What his highness said is right, you and Skeletor are creating unrealistic expectations for when we can expect to find the Heart. What if we can’t find it next month, or Faust forbid next year?”
“Crumb, I would hope that you would know this better than anypony. But, if we don’t find the Heart by then, there will be no Empire,” Emerald Secret stated firmly.
“What are you talking about?” Shining Armor butted in. “Twilight and her friends are coming in a few days with doctors, guards, medicine, supplies,” he listed off.
“But they’re not coming with a Crystal Heart. And, while I’m sure there are many talented unicorns in the new guard, the fact remains that nopony is as strong as Princess Cadence. Can we really keep doing this for a year, your majesty? Making some unicorn or yourself keep up a barrier over the Empire for every hour of every day?” She asked, her eyes quickly falling on the frail princess. “I know you're an alicorn, but not even Princess Amore could do that for a whole year. Some of the unicorns and your husband may be able to relieve you for a day or three, but it’s not sustainable.”
“I’m more than able and willing to do it,” Shining butted in. “I held up a shield over all of Canterlot for Faust’s sake.”
“For a day, if what your guards said was true,” Emerald jabbed.
“It was three and I could have gone the whole week! I can erect a barrier for the Empire in my sleep.”
“Shining,” Cadence quietly intervened, “That was when we had clear skies and clear weather. I hate to say it but... I think Emerald is right.”
“No, it’ll be fine. I can take a week off of work and focus on the shield and—”
“That won’t work, your majesty,” Crumb Catcher interrupted. “You may be able to do that much for the next month or so, but it’ll be impossible after that. From what your guards told us when I asked them, it appears that while the Empire had vanished in the winter, it re-appeared in your summer. The storm outside will only become more difficult to hold back as winter approaches. If we cannot find the Heart by then, I fear we will have to leave the Empire.”
“An evacuation of that scale is impossible,” Avid Value chimed in.
“Sadly, I agree,” Crumb Catcher nodded solemnly. “We wouldn’t be able to save everypony if it came to that... And we would likely never be able to rebuild the Empire.”
“Unless the Heart returns,” Emerald Secret pointed out. “And, if Skeletor is right, it won’t be long until it will.”
“And how would Skeletor know that?” Shining Armor asked with a hint of suspicion in his tone.
"... Your majesty, I wished to tell the others in a more private setting, but I believe now may be the best time," Emerald stated, gathering her courage to face Avid and Crumb Catcher. "Skeletor believes... That Sombra will return with the Heart."
An uncomfortable silence washed over the table, drowned out by the usual chatter and clatter that filled the dining hall.
"No... No, no, no," Avid finally muttered. "No, no. No! That... No, no, this isn't real, right?" He desperately pleaded. "He's supposed to be dead, gone, ashes in an alley!"
"Avid! Keep your voice down," Crumb Catcher chastised.
“How can I keep it down! This is terrible!”
“I know that, but shut your muzzle. There are ears everywhere,” he pressed, glowering at the smaller stallion before turning his attention back to Emerald. “And you, I cannot think of a worse time to spout some asinine conspiracy theory, Emerald. I thought you had some common sense.”
“It’s not a conspiracy. They already know that he returned,” Emerald argued, nudging her head towards the royal pair.
Cadence flinched under their scrutinizing gaze, feeling their disbelief dance on the surface of their emotions. Avid wasn't as subtle as Crumb Catcher, a light glare falling on his face as his jaw lightly dropped in shock. Crumb Catcher, on the other wing, kept his usually stoic mask as he looked over, without any hint of anger or betrayal marring his features.
"We... I-” She stuttered as she searched for the right words, only for her knight to step up and help her.
“It’s something we only really came to terms with yesterday,” Shining stated, resting a comforting hoof on his wife’s. "We didn't want to bring this to anypony's attention until we were certain that he was back."
"And you're certain now?" Crumb Catcher asked, not accusatory or angry, but with genuine curiosity in his voice.
"We don't have any other explanation," Cadence finally said, gaining a small boost of confidence thanks to her husband's help. "I'll admit, I didn't believe it when Skeletor first told us. But, after looking into everything available, we're almost certain that he's returned. But don't worry, in a few days we'll get some help from my sister-in-law and her friends to fix everything."
"How is she supposed to help?" Avid asked.
"Because she's one of the new bearers of the Elements of Harmony," Shining Armor explained, earning befuddled looks from all the ponies at their table.
"I'm sorry sire, but, aren't Princess Celestia and Princess Luna the bearers of the Elements?" Crumb Catcher asked as he pushed his plates away to plant his hooves on the table.
Princess Cadence quietly chastised herself for forgetting to tell the council about the Elements of Harmony's new bearers, but brushed away those thoughts as she gave a brief summery to the crystal ponies. "They passed on the Elements to new ponies. Shinning's sister, Twilight, was Celestia's personal pupil and bears the Element of Magic. Rainbow Dash is the new Element of Loyalty, Applejack is the new Element of Honesty, Rarity is Generosity, Pinkie Pie is Laughter, and Fluttershy is Kindness. Once we're able to find Sombra, they should be able to use the Elements to banish him from the Empire."
"And when will they reach the Empire?" Emerald asked, turning to prince as she continued. "If I recall, it should be several weeks by pegasus to get from here to Dream Valley. How far away is Canter city from here?"
"Canterlot is about a week's flight by pegasus, and they should be here in about a day to three days," Shining answered, earning a sigh of relief from Emerald. "Now, back to what you said earlier. What did you mean by the Heart returning soon?"
"Skeletor believes that Sombra would want to keep the Heart close to him at all times, and will likely bring it back when he strikes."
"But what if he doesn't come back by the end of the year?" Avid pointed out. "If that happens, it won't matter if he has the Heart or not, we won't be able to stay in the Empire until then."
"He won't let that happen. Sombra wants the Empire and everypony inside it... He won't let us abandon the Empire," Emerald explained, a hint of dread touching her words as she spoke about the fallen king. "If Lord Skeletor is right, he'll want to strike soon. But, if we're prepared for him, we'll be able to stop him and get the Heart back in one fell swoop."
"So, for the record, we have to hope that Sombra attacks us," Crumb Catcher asked incredulously.
"I don't like it either, but it's all we can do," Emerald sympathized as Crumb Catcher sighed and stood up from the table.
“Well then, I'm going to do some 'light reading' and then I’ll prepare the meeting hall. I'll see you all there,” Crumb Catcher excused as he went out to look for a clean chamber pot.
"Before you go, I need you to grab some documents," Emerald called after him. "Do you remember the Thorn case?"
"Why would you need..." The royal spy master slowly trailed off as realization seemed to wash over him. "You... I see. I'll have those prepared immediately," he promised before he quickly trotted out of the dining hall.
The walk to the meeting hall felt far shorter than usual for Skeletor.
His pace quickened as he hurried up the stairs and through the halls, passing by the familiar portraits that decorated the castle. On a normal day, he might have taken the time to spare them an appreciative glance, to soak in the beauty that filled each frame.
Sadly, he didn’t have the time for his usual wandering thoughts.
All Skeletor could think about was the meeting and how it would go. He sent a silent prayer to every deity he knew from both Eternia and Terra, hoping that their meeting would mark the inevitable end of the resurrected ruler.
A small part of his mind had told him not to go, to not speak up and just let Princess Cadence and Prince Shining handle the situation. There was nothing new he could add to the conversation, no plan that they hadn’t already considered. If anything, he was about to tell them the obvious, to boast about an idea that they had already been preparing on their own. He would just be wasting their time.
But, he chased off any doubts that crept into his mind, knowing that even if he failed that at least he had tried something. He refused to stand aside as the new royals took the reins for this plan. At worst they would call him a fool, but at least he would never think of himself as a coward.
With those thoughts in mind, Skeletor braced himself as he returned to a familiar set of doors with Emerald trotting alongside him.
The crystal guards opened the doors without any prompt, allowing Skeletor and the royal advisor to easily step in and greet the gathered ponies.
Crumb Catcher and Avid Value were already in their usual seats, an empty chair between them where Copper Plate should have been sitting as well. At the far end of the table sat Princess Cadence and Prince Shining, flanked by Star Burst and another thestral guard that Skeletor wasn’t familiar with.
It was odd that Camisole was nowhere in sight. If anyone should have been in this meeting, he was certain that it should have been the thestral general. But, considering that the crystal colonel also wasn’t around for the meeting, he brushed off any concern for the mare as he approached the table.
"Hello, your majesties. Emerald already caught me up to speed on the Elements," Skeletor stated, taking a seat on one of the cushions as the rest of the available council gathered. “So, I won’t need to be told twice about them. You said they should be arriving soon, right?”
“Yes, tomorrow or the day after at most,” Cadence promised.
“Good. If everything goes according to plan, then they’ll be absolutely indispensable. Are we ready to start now?”
“We are, but isn’t the colonel going to join us?”
“Colonel Kernel apologized and said he wouldn’t be able to attend the meeting, so I’m hoping that you could catch him up to speed later. Crumb Catcher, did you bring what Emerald asked for?"
“Yes, sir. Everything I found while looking into them should be in here,” Crumb Catched said as he pulled several binders out of a saddle bag.
"Good. Your majesties, I've already touched on this once before with you briefly, but I thought I should let the rest of the council know as well before we officially start. Crumb, if you could.”
"Of course," Crumb Catcher bowed, before standing up to address the rest of the council as he placed the binders on the table. "Some time before you arrived, Princess Cadence, we received reports of an odd crystal pony wandering outside of the barrier without any food or previsions. They stated that their name was Thorite Hoof ad that they had lost their way when trying to trot towards Yakyakistan. General Cannon Fodder was leading the expedition to the Ruva Kingdom when they found him, and he ordered Red Flag and Cole to escort him back to the Empire.
"Once he was brought inside, it seems that he was briefly employed by Track Record at his bakery before the guards came to ask for any more information. After that, Thorite never returned to the bakery, and we lost any leads on him afterwards. Coincidentally, after Thorite had disappeared, another stallion named Thorn had also become acquainted with Track Record and began working at the bakery as well. While this didn't cause us any great concern at first, when Track Record reported that Thorn had also disappeared soon after your arrival, we began to look more closely into him as well," Crumb Catcher explained, pulling out several documents to present to the council.
"Nopony named Thorite Hoof has appeared in our records, although we did find records of several mares with the name Thorite, the only stallion we could find was a thestral guard who died early on during Sombra's reign. As for his cutie mark, a blue vase, we've only found two cutie marks in our records that seemed to be a close match for his, both of whom had died long before Sombra had taken over.
"As for the other stallion, the last recorded name for a 'Thorn' was twenty years prior to Princess Amore's death. They were a ruva, grey fur and a thorny bush for a cutie mark, presumably dead when Sombra stormed the Ruva Kingdom a week after Princess Amore's death. As for his cutie mark, our closest record for a red rose was much older than our records for Thorn. With no more leads, we were forced to drop this investigation for more pressing matters.
"But, due to new factors, I can only assume that Thorite and Thorn are the same pony. What's more, we have reports that Thorite was seen using magic.
"After alluding the guards sent to question him at the bakery, two guards, High Tail and Scamper, saw him approaching the barrier. When they tried to confront him, Thorn galloped away from the barrier before turning down an alley. The guards reported that they saw a brief flash of light when they entered the alley, and when their vision cleared, he was gone."
"We had originally brushed this off as the light reflecting off of the crystal walls at an odd angle, but... I fear we may have been mistaken."
"It was Sombra," Emerald Secret finished, earning a nod from the blue stallion.
"It would appear so."
"Wait, couldn't that have been a changeling?" Star Burst intervened, earning a curious look from the crystal ponies.
"I'm sorry, I don't believe I'm familiar with that term," Crumb Catcher said, gathering his papers back into the binders as he took his seat.
"Changelings, you know," Star Burst said with a roll of her hoof. "Those bug things that can make themselves look like ponies? Eat love? Foalnap ponies? Would probably love to be in an Empire dedicated to love?"
“I’ve never heard of that before,” Skeletor said as he passed a curious glance to the council members.
“I haven't either,” Avid Value said, a slight shiver running up his back as he pictured the odd beast.
“Nor have I,” Emerald added on. “But, if it’s real, then perhaps that could be related to Thorn and Thorite.”
"I don’t think we have to worry about that. That's not a changeling's M.O," Shining noted. "Changelings replace and infiltrate, they don't make up personas or work somewhere where ponies would look for them. Besides, I can't imagine a changeling coming all the way out here."
“Didn’t you say they eat love? What does that even mean?” Skeletor asked, his fingers tapping on the table as he added another concern onto his endless list.
“They drain the emotions from ponies they captured,” Princess Cadence explained. “But, nopony outside of the Empire even knows that there’s a kingdom inside the Frozen North. It’s just a myth to ponies today.”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Avid Value interrupted. “I’m sorry, we’re a ‘myth’ now? What are you talking about? The Crystal Empire was the second largest pony empire in all of Equestria. Ponies just forgot about us?”
"It was an order by Princess Celestia,” Shining Armor stepped in. “She made sure that nopoy would end up throwing away their lives chasing a vague prophecy or from trying to loot the Empire. If it’s a myth and there’s nothing in the North, then nopony would try to get here. But, if she told ponies the truth, then there probably wouldn’t even be a chair left in the Empire when you came back.”
“Do ponies do that now?” Crumb Catcher asked with a raised brow. “I hate to sound like my father, but, back in my day grave robbing was considered a terrible sin.”
“Some ponies just don’t care,” Shining shrugged.
"I’m sorry, but can we get back to this whole ‘Thorite and Thorn’ thing?” Cadence asked. "I can't see what Sombra would get out of baking bread for ponies."
"Ah, apologies, your majesty. It wasn’t the bakery that interested him, but the stallion who owns it," Crumb Catcher explained. "Track Record was one of the first ponies to find the Crystal Heart in the tower. Because of this, Track Record has gained a small amount of respect among the ponies, and since he's the only pony who has a connection to Skeletor but isn't a council member, it could be that Sombra wanted to use Track Record to sway the public to go against Skeletor. As of now, we can only guess what his plan was."
"Okay, that makes sense. But, why would he disappear if that was the plan?"
"It's likely because of you," Skeletor guessed. "You threw a wrench into his plans. Instead of having to deal with one magic caster, he suddenly had to fight a unicorn and alicorn as well. It makes sense that he would turn tail and run. He’s likely thinking of a way to defeat us in the quickest way possible. No prolonged fights, just a quick attack so he can eliminate us in one swift move."
“What makes you so sure that that’s his plan?”
“Because that’s who he is. He hits first and he hits hard. It’s how he took out Princess Amore and it’s how he toppled the Ruva and Thestral Kingdom. The only reason I was able to beat him the first time is because he let down his guard, and ever since then he’s been stringing me and everyone else along with his plans.
"Thorn, Thorite, Sombra, or whatever he'll call himself next time, we'll be prepared for that spineless specter. And I know exactly how we’re going to do it," Skeletor announced, as he stood up from his seat and unsheathed his staff from its harness.
"We’re going to show this phantom that he's past his prime. Hit him with something he can't prepare for,” he elaborated as he presented his staff to the council. A green aura enveloped the golden horns of the ram skull, radiating with a mystical force as he lifted the binder into his grasp. "I've looked through every and any book on spells that I could find in the Royal Library, and one thing has become very clear to me. It's all outdated and full of theories and guesswork. If magic has progressed as far as I think it has, he won't be prepared for modern magic. He's an old soul living in the future," he explained, releasing the binder from his aura as he spoke.
"Something like a trivial levitation spell takes time and concentration. The same goes for a barrier spell or any other offensive or defensive spell that he'll know about. But, over the course of a thousand years, I'm sure that someone must have created a better and more efficient way to do it. We'll need someone knowledgeable in magic to go over the archives, see what spells were around when Sombra ruled and what spells came after. If there's anything, a better barrier, a different flame spell, even a party trick that wasn't around back then, we're going to throw it at him."
"I know what my sister will be doing then," Shining quietly joked, earning a light smile from Cadence.
"The next part of the plan is more difficult. We can hurt him but that won't be enough. We need something more permanent. And hopefully, that's where the Elements of Harmony will come in. Once Sombra is off guard and forced to retreat, we'll lead him straight to the Elements and destroy him."
“That... That might actually work,” Cadence said, before she started to pick at a particular flaw in Skeletor’s plan. But we can't be certain that he doesn't know about the Elements of Harmony coming here or that he's unprepared for them. And, even if he’s not, they can’t kill him. The Elements of Harmony have only banished and purified in the past," Cadence explained. "With Luna, she was banished to the moon and then the Nightmare was cleansed from her. And before that, when Eris was hit she was encased in stone."
"Hold on! Princess Luna was what?!" Avid Value exclaimed, earning everyone’s full attention. “What do you mean she was banished to the moon?!”
“Is that why the night sky looks so ghastly now,” Crumb Catcher asked, as Cadence stood to address their concerns.
“No, the-the sky is a different thing. Don’t worry, Aunt Luna is fine. She was possessed by a demon and—”
"A demon?!" Emerald gasped. "But... That-that can't... You said she was fine! That she was with Princess Celestia in Canter City!"
"She is! Now!” Cadence defended. “Look, a lot of things happened after the Empire disappeared.”
“Like what? Did Eris break out of her statue?” Avid jabbed, only to be met with an uncomfortable silence from the royals and their guards. “Oh sweet Faust...”
Heavy silence fell onto every pony and creature in the room, the sudden revelations weighing heavily on their minds as they let their imaginations run wild with their fears.
Skeletor hadn’t heard of the changelings before, but he had read a good deal about Eris. A goddess of pure chaos, a mad queen who could twist reality to her mad desires. She was the one creature he knew that was worse than Sombra, a monster who had no empathy for any victim that laid in her path.
To not only hear that one of their deities had fallen to temptation, but that a genuine goddess of chaos had also been set loose on the world, it truly sounded like the worst possible outcome.
As Skeletor and the others quietly thought about Cadence’s words, Crumb Catcher had apparently decided to interrupt their deep thoughts with a gentle cough.
"I... I think it would be best if we proposed a break for the time being," Crumb Catcher announced, standing up from his seat to speak to the royal pair. "We've just learned that not only has Sombra returned and been around for far longer than any of us would like to imagine, but we've also heard something... rather disturbing about these 'changelings', our Empire, and about Princess Luna... Eris. I believe it would be in everyponies best interest if we took an hour or so to digest all of this."
“... Alright,” Cadence quietly agreed, stepping off of her raised cushions as she spoke. “The meeting is temporarily adjourned. We’ll reconvene in an hour’s time. All in favor?”
Not a single voice raised an objection to her question, easily going along with Crumb Catcher’s suggestion as they raised their forelegs and hand respectively.
“Alright. Rest well, everypony. I’ll see you all in an hour,” Cadence said, trotting out of the room with Shining and the guards falling in line behind her.
As everypony else left to gather their thoughts, Skeletor was left alone to deal with the implications of their recent revelations.
He idly wondered about what other monsters had appeared outside the Empire. The creatures that stalked the country, the cruel tyrants who could scare Sombra, and all the other mysteries that could someday wander into their Empire.
But none of those thoughts worried him. Instead, his greatest concern was his own feeling towards the vast unknown that lurked outside the Empire.
That strange sense of glee and anticipation fluttering inside his heart.