//------------------------------// // Chapter 47. The Consequences of a King. // Story: Skeletor, Master of The Empire. // by Hotel_Chicken //------------------------------// There were only so many words that one could use to describe snow. It was white, it was cold, and there was a lot of it. Sometimes it fell quickly, sometimes it drifted slowly, and there wasn’t much more to say about it. It was cold, damp, and it got everywhere, and that was all there was too it. There wasn’t anything special that Rainbow Dash could say about it, especially after staring at it for the better part of a week. It was fun for the first few days, watching the snow dance outside the window as they flew through the air. Feeling the heavy winds gently rock their carriage, like a boat that sway with the current of the sea, or like a cradle that swayed with a gentle touch. But after that, the winter wasteland lost all its charm, and Rainbow Dash could only say one thing about the Frozen North. It was boring. Rainbow Dash let a heavy sigh fly through her nose, fogging up the glass to make another doodle on the carriage window. Random lines and odd shapes became a crude set of ponies swooping through the air, flying alongside their carriage as she and her friends flew closer to the Empire. Peeling herself away from the window, Rainbow Dash lazily watched as her drawings faded away, leaving her alone with her thoughts once more as she stared at the storm clouds above. Being one of the few weather mares in Ponyville, seeing such an untamed sky unnerved her. The last time she had seen such chaotic weather was when Eris had decided to turn the tree tops of the Everfree into clouds that rained splinters. But the storm above wasn’t the work of Eris, it was a natural chaos, a phenomenon that she had only heard of about in kingdoms outside of Equestria. The griffons and dragons couldn’t manipulate the weather like a Pegasus, so their lands were left to the whims of the weather, suffering storms and disasters that had never touched Equestrian soil. Part of her had always wanted to see the weather run wild, to see a tornado up close, or hear thunder roar for days on end, or to even hold a chunk of hail the size of her ear. But, seeing it in person for a week, she began to yearn for the normalcy of Equestria’s weather. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn’t notice the white unicorn sneaking up on her until she nudged her with a hoof. Suppressing a yell or an audible gasp, Rainbow Dash turned to the mare as she made a hushing motion with her hooves. Rarity kept her voice low as she spoke, barely above a whisper as to not disturb anypony else. “Sorry dear, but I wanted to know if you would like to share a cup of tea?” “Sure, Rares,” Rainbow Dash quietly agreed, getting up from her seat as she and Rarity quietly crept through the carriage. The others were all still heavily asleep, with Pinkie Pie hanging from the ceiling in a makeshift hammock, and Twilight who had sprawled out on her saddle bags. Applejack and Fluttershy were the only two who had decided to use an excessive amount blankets for the trip. Applejack, being an earth pony, did not agree with the winter weather in the slightest. She was a summer mare through and through, and did her best to hide her orange fur under a bundle of blankets that kept her warm. Fluttershy, in contract, actually held a special place in her heart for cold weather. The yellow coated mare would play for hours in the snow as a filly, jumping in with the same joy that Rainbow felt whenever she went on a long flight. Sadly, while Fluttershy loved the cold, she absolutely hated the noise. The creaking of the wood, the howling wind that rattled the windows, it was all too much for the shy mare to handle. So, after Pinkie Pie and Twilight had courteously donated their blankets to her and Applejack, Fluttershy buried herself under a mountain of cotton to block out the noise. Rainbow Dash could fairly hear a light snore as she passed the pile of blankets, a small smile decorating her muzzle as she trotted by. Ponies liked to call Rainbow Dash a heavy sleeper, the laziest pony they knew, but in truth Fluttershy could hibernate like a bear. She could still fondly remember the time that Fluttershy had fallen asleep during a game of hide and seek as a filly. Rainbow and the others had spent nearly an hour looking for her, eventually asking the teachers for help when they finally found her sleeping in the school’s bell tower. She hadn’t heard a single pony calling out her name, and although she was apologetic and extremely embarrassed, Rainbow always recalled that game fondly. Letting that thought warm her, Rainbow Dash joined Rarity for a cup of tea as the mare used a spell to heat the kettle. The blue Pegasus stole a glance at her horn, watching the magical glow made the llight curve of her horn much more apparent, almost as if it curled with the spell. Rainbow Dash brushed it off, a simple trick of the eye that had given Rarity no end of grief growing up. It was a touchy subject for Rarity when Rainbow Dash had brought it up the first time, and she knew better than to poke at it any further, even though she thought it was pretty neat. Rarity spent about a minute or so on her spell, focusing solely on the water inside the kettle as the seconds ticked by. She could hear the water begin to bubble, the steam getting caught in a small magic dome that Rarity had simultaneously cast over it. When the tea was finally set, she effortlessly grabbed a pair of teacups with her telekinesis and placed them on the floor, setting her sights on a set of teabags that were nestled away in one of Rarity’s bags. Although Rainbow Dash didn’t know much about magic, she knew that most spells took time to cast and recast, especially when a unicorn switched from one spell to another. But Rarity, once more living up to her name, was a true rarity amoung unicorns, easily weaving a heating spell into a shield spell, before letting it melt into a telekinetic spell. Although Rarity had said that she couldn’t do the same with more powerful spells, the fact that she could do it with mundane spells still impressed quite a few ponies. The only mare Rainbow knew who could do more than Rarity was probably Twilight, but she had been taught by Princess Celestial herself, while Rarity had claimed to be completely self-taught. Rarity, content with showing off her skills for the morning, grabbed the kettle with her hooves and poured the water over the tea packets. A faintly familiar smell tickled Rainbow Dash’s nose as the water began to absorb the tea, the word popping in her mind as the phantom taste fell on her tongue. “Is that dandelion?” Rainbow Dash asked, earning a light nod from Rarity as she smelled her own cup. “Oh yes, I got it just for this trip. I heard it was an Empire delicacy and I just had to try my hoof at it,” Rarity happily explained, taking in the faint smell as she waited for the tea to cool for a moment. Rainbow Dash hadn’t been much of a tea mare, but all of their coffee was sitting in a separate carriage far behind the fleet, so she’d make due with what they had on hoof. After taking a small sip of her tea, Rainbow Dash nearly spat it out when Twilight startled her. “Lunnnnah,” the purple mare quietly called out as she turned over to her other side. Normally, Rainbow Dash would have quietly poked fun at somepony dreaming of their marefriend or coltfriend, not maliciously of course, it would have all been in good faith. But, considering that Princess Luna could actually see ponies in their dreams, it was more than likely that the princess was giving Twilight one final goodbye before they reached the Empire. “Aw, that’s really cute,” Rarity awed at the scene, letting her mind run wild with her own fantasies about the pair. It’s clingy, Rainbow thought to herself, electing to reply with a small nod instead as she bit her tongue. While she and the others had no say in Twilight’s relationship with the immortal princess, they still all had their own thoughts on the matter. Rainbow could guess that most of them didn’t pay it too much attention, simply wishing the pair the best and being happy that they were both happy. But something about their relationship always made Rainbow Dash uncomfortable. Maybe it was the fact that they had started off as enemies, that Luna was a millennium older than Twilight’s great grandmother, or the many excuses Luna had made to call the Elements and Twilight to Canterlot, be it some mural painting or some snobbish party. Rainbow didn’t hate Luna or anything, she actually thought that Luna was a lot less rigid than Princess Celestia. But the speed of her and Twilight’s growing relationship rang a few bells in Rainbow’s head. But, she would never voice her concerns, unless she felt that Luna or Twilight had stepped over some line. Not that she could really say anything since she had never dated anypony. ... ... Oh... That surprisingly stung a bit more than Rainbow was expecting, but she did her best to brush it off as she continued to enjoy her tea. Letting her thoughts wander away from the dreamer-mare, Rainbow let her eyes fall back on the towering blankets as they slowly became unraveled. A small yellow snout poked out of the covers, catching the faint scent of dandelions that wafted in the air. Rarity quietly stole Rainbow’s attention once more, pouring another cup of tea and offering it to her. “This should help Fluttershy a bit, as well,” Rarity advised, passing the tea cup to Rainbow before she trotted over to Fluttershy’s fluffy fort. The folds of her blanket turned towards Rainbow Dash as she crept towards Fluttershy. “Hey Flutters, Rarity made you something,” she quietly called, placing the cup about a foot away from the mound as Fluttershy began to dig herself out. Her sleepy eyes slits slowly adjusted to the light of the carriage as she crawled out of her cotton tomb, her ears slowly rising as the wind rustled the carriage wheels outside. The blankets briefly clung to her yellow leather wings, falling to the floor with a gentle flop as the thestral gave them a long stretch. Fluttershy briefly muttered a soft spoken "Morning," as she lowered herself to the tea, the delicate smell hitting her like a fresh bed of flowers. "Sleep well, Flutters?" "Oh yes. Thank you again for the blankets," she almost whispered, picking up her tea cup and giving it a small sip before she trotted over to Rarity. "And thank you for the tea, Rarity, I really needed something to perk me up." "Not a problem darling," Rarity replied, scooting over a bit as Rainbow and Fluttershy sat nearby at the edge of the cart. I hope it's not too strong for you. Would you like me to water it down a bit more?" "Oh, no, this is perfect," Fluttershy reassured her, taking another grateful sip of her cup as she leaned against the wall. Her ears were buried in her pink mane, hiding them from the whistling wind as she tried to make herself more comfortable. Even though she had planted them firmly against her head, Fluttershy could still hear her friends perfectly well, listening to the pair as Rarity posed a question to Rainbow. “Would you happen to know how long until we get there?” "Eh. The guards just changed around half an hour ago, so I think we've got about three more rotations before we get there," Rainbow guessed, remembering the small jostle as they switched mid-flight. "How long have you been awake for?" Fluttershy quietly asked. "About two hours now, I think. Just couldn't get back to sleep after I woke up. I mean, how can I?" She began to ask, lowering her voice back down when she noticed Fluttershy flinch at her volume. "We're heading to a lost Empire and getting ready to meet a real demon," she quietly continued. "Aside from Princess Cadence and Shinning Armor, we're going to be the first ponies in Equestria to trot there!" "But what about their guards?" Fluttershy quietly countered. "And our guards as well," Rarity added on. "Not to mention the doctors, the spell masters, the workers, the archivists." "Okay, okay. We'll be the first famous ponies in the Empire," Rainbow amended. "And just think of all the awesome adventures we can have! Fighting ghosts, saving ponies, telling them all what we've done in Equestria. It's gonna to be awesome!" "Well, you can have fun doing that. I'd much rather take in the scenery than go on some new adventure," Rarity said, a distant and dreamy look filling her eyes as she stared out the window. "The towers, the castles, the streets themselves, crystals as far as the eye can see." "I just hope I can see a northern sheep," Fluttershy admitted. "I heard they only lived in Yakyakistan, but I'm really hoping that they have them in the Empire too." "Awww, I read about those once,” Rarity cooed. “Their fur came in so many colors. I never thought that there could be a cyan sheep before.” “Guys, aren’t you forgetting about something here,” Rainbow pointed out. “We’re here for a reason. We can trot around and pet sheep after we find Skeletor and—” “Have a nice and civil conversation with him,” Rarity interrupted, putting extra care to emphasize her words as she did so. “Remember Dash, we’re not looking for a fight.” “I know!” Rainbow argued, lowering her voice once more at Rarity’s silent request. “I know. We’re here to evaluate, not assault. I get it,” she huffed. “I’m not gonna just fly in and punch him out of nowhere.” “Well I hope you can forgive us for thinking otherwise,” Rarity chastised. “It seems pretty clear to all of us that you’re looking for a fight with him.” “Preparing for one,” Rainbow corrected. “Look, I’d be super cool with him if he’s just a chill dude. Heck, I’d be happy if we just went there and came back without any problems, but you’ve gotta admit that this is weird, right? Some dude just trots in, kills the big bad boggy-mare, gets a crown and then just hoofs it over because somepony asked nicely?” “Weird doesn’t mean he’s evil, Rainbow.” “I didn’t say evil,” the blue pegasus quickly defended. “I said ‘weird’. And if he’s just weird then we’re cool.” “You better be. Remember, Rainbow, this is a very important meeting. Even if he is a little odd or strange, we’re going to treat him like any normal stallion. We’re going to compliment him, laugh at his bad banter, and be civil.” “I got it, I got it,” Rainbow muttered, turning her attention back to her tea as Fluttershy finally found the time to speak. “Um, for what it’s worth, I don’t think it’s a bad thing to be prepared. I mean, Pinkie Pie packed a lot of weapons... a scary amount of them.” “Oh, that’s for Sooommmm-pony else,” Rarity explained, avoiding the subject of Sombra as she quickly course corrected. While Pinkie Pie and Rarity had some silly idea about them getting revenge for their ancestors against Sombra, nopony else was on board. Applejack and Twilight were convinced he was dead, Rainbow was a little optimistic about the idea, and Fluttershy... Well, what she didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her. Besides, Sombra was dead and long since buried. Still, it would be pretty cool if they had a chance to fight him. It’d be another adventure worthy of being immortalized in Canterlot, a stain glass window of the six of them blasting that tyrant back to Tartarus. Not like that would happen, though. Tossing away any thoughts of Pinkie’s conspiracies, Rainbow returned to her drink as Applejack seemed to slowly stir from her sleep. The farmer’s internal clock had undoubtedly beckoned her to the waking world, and the early riser was clearly dismayed when she had to leave her warm dreams. Letting out a tired groan, the apple farmer attempted to poke a hoof out of her covers, quickly drawing it back under the blankets when the cold air caressed her fur. Applejack quietly groaned under the covers, cursing the cold air as she began to preform what Rainbow Dash had affectionally dubbed, the Apple Worm Wiggle. With all the grace of a drunk inchworm, Applejack brought her back legs close to her barrel, pushing against the carpeted floor as the crept over to them. She’d make a little progress, stop, push on for about another two or three hooves, and repeat the process all over again, eventually worming her way towards Rainbow and the others. Still wrapped in her covers, Applejack raised herself up and peered out of her cotton cocoon, greeting them all with a long yawn before she spoke. “Morn-nin’.” "Good morning dear," Rarity replied, pulling another tea cup as she prepared more drinks. "How are you feeling?" “‘Mmh cold,” she complained, tightening her grip around the blankets as she nestled deeper into them. Instead of her usually iconic tan farmers hat, Applejack sported a hoof stitched cap from her grandmother to help keep her warm and cozy on her trip, though it didn’t seem to do much for the rest of her body. Her light coat made working in the summer sun bearable, but it didn't serve her well in the Frozen North. She was a shivering mess for the first day after they crossed the border, and every day since had only been worse and worse for the usually outdoorsy mare. “Oh, did the enchantment on the pillow run out again? I can apply it again, if you’d like,” Rarity offered, earning an eager nod from Applejack as she hastily reached for her teacup. “P-please d-da-do.” “Sure, dear. Hug the pillow tightly now,” Rarity advised, lighting her horn once more as a subtle flash of light leaked through the folds of the blankets. Relief washed over Applejack’s face as she snuggled her heated pillow tightly, setting the teacup back down to retreat back into her blanket tomb. “Th-thanks, Rarity,” Applejack lightly stuttered, scooting in towards Rainbow and Rarity as she completed the square. “Not a problem, dear. It might not last as long as Twilight’s enchantment, but I’m sure that Twilight will be awake by the time that one wears off.” “Sh-should be good when we get ta the Emp-p-pire. Got a jacket w-with some heat packs in it.” “The one you brought to my shop before we left?” Rarity asked, receiving a light nod from the orange mare. “Oh, Applejack, I really wish you would wear something else. I still have an extra jacket in my bags if you change your mind.” “N-nah. I’m good. Thanks though,” Applejack said, giving them another long yawn as she got more comfortable. “Don’t need a new jacket. Old one’ll work good enough.” “Well, alright. But the offer is always open,” Rarity reminded her, taking a moment to refill Rainbow’s cup again with a new tea packet. “I also have some lovely matching booties that would fit you perfectly.” “It’s fine, Rarity,” Applejack passed, pointing her attention to her yellow blanket buddy. “What about you, Fluttershy? Ya doin’ okay?” “Oh, yes. It’s not nearly as loud as it was yesterday,” Fluttershy happily reported. “It’s still a little noisy, but it’s mostly okay. It won’t be long until we’re in the Empire anyway.” “Thank Celestial for that,” Applejack cheered with her cup, raising it in the air before hastily brining her hoof back into the warm covers. “I can’t wait till I can finally touch solid ground again.” “You and me, both dear,” Rarity chimed back in. “It’ll certainly be nice to sleep in an actual bed again.” “Hammock ain’t doin’ it for ya?” “Oh, absolutely not. My horn keeps getting caught on something whenever I use it,” the unicorn complained, casting a glance at her sleeping bag. “I’m glad I brought something else, just in case. Although I must say, I’m surprised you haven’t used yours since the first day.” “Too many blankets for it. Ended up throwing it in here with the rest of them,” Applejack answered, followed by a light nod from Fluttershy as she added on. “I couldn’t sleep with the ropes squeaking so much when we swayed.” “Ah, alright. Thank makes sense,” Rarity stated, turning her attention to Rainbow. “What about you? I haven’t even seen you put yours up.” “That’s cause Rainbow can’t tie a knot ta save her life,” Applejack unhelpfully answered, earning a dismissive wing wave from the pegasus. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. Floor’s better for my back anyway.” “Oh? Is there a problem with it?” “Nah, just like having something solid to sleep on,” Rainbow replied, carrying on the conversation with her own thoughts. “Don’t really need a bed or anything soft for a good night of sleep. But what I do need is coffee, and lots of it.” “Sweet Celestial, it’s been forever since I had some,” Applejack agreed. “It’s only been a week,” Rarity countered. “Yeah, and that’s forever,” Rainbow explained, receiving an eye roll from Rarity as she sipped her tea. “Well, I suppose we all have something special we’re looking forward to,” Rarity conceded to the coffee loving pair. “Personally, I can’t wait to try some food from the Empire. Oh, I’m sure they must have something truly exotic.” “Yeah, can’t say I’m not lookin’ forward ta that too. Would be nice ta eat something that wasn’t canned or comin’ from a box.” Rainbow and Fluttershy couldn’t help but agree with that. A week of eating nothing but rations and guard meal kits left them all wanting for something more when they arrived. They all quietly spoke for a little longer, eventually falling into a comfortable silence when they ran out of things to say. The past several days had been filled with lively conversations, stories and odd thoughts that had popped into their heads, questions about the Empire had been passed around, and they had ended up running out of things to talk about soon enough. Setting the teacups and kettle aside, Rarity excused herself to her personal corner to do some light reading, while Applejack and Fluttershy had decided to get a little more sleep to pass the time. Trying to steal her own share of shut eye, Rainbow Dash decided to unfurl her hammock on the floor and lay down near the window. Sleep slowly overtook her as she stared as the frantic flurry outside, mindlessly watching as the snow clumped into the corner of the carriage window. It was building up like an hourglass, barely rising higher and higher with each little flake, only to fly off whenever the carriage suddenly bounced on the wind. She counted the passing seconds as each pile grew, playing her own odd game as she guessed how long it would take for the next pile to fly away. Rainbow counted the seconds one last time before she peacefully drifted into her dreams, letting her dreams carry her to a warm and sunny place. The Crystal Empire’s streets were filled with cheers and joyful gossip as ponies trotted around, each one carrying a piece of an ever-growing story as they tried to spread the good news to anypony who hadn’t heard. While some of the stories varied in both subtle and obvious ways, they had all started with the same general question. “Did you hear about Skeletor?” Track Record had heard those five words about a dozen times in just an hour, and each time somepony had come with a little bit more news. Not only had Skeletor recovered from the incident on the balcony, but he had claimed that Princess Cadence and her consort would help him bring the pony who did it to swift justice. After rising from his bed in the medical wing of the castle, Skeletor called on his closest confidant, Colonel Kernel, and confided in the colt about what had happened that horrific night. Somepony with the ability to disguise themselves as a light blue stallion with an orange mane had infiltrated the Empire with the sole purpose of stealing the Crystal Heart. The stallion had some help from another pony named Thorite Hoof, and together, they plotted to attack Skeletor and steal the Empire's Crown Jewel. After that, details began to vary, from it being two ponies to only being one, and all the blame placed squarely on Thorn's hooves. Or sometimes a pony would tell him that Thorite and Thorn were actually the same pony, which made a lot of sense in hindsight. It did seem a little odd that a pony with a gardening cutie mark was so good at baking bread, not to mention how similarly Thorite and Thorn acted off the clock. He still couldn't believe that such nice and hardworking stallions had actually been monsters in disguise. They were so soft spoken and friendly, they didn't even look like they could hurt a fly. But, it was all an act, and everything suddenly seemed to click in place for Track Record. Both of them trotted in out of nowhere and seemed a little out of place, neither of them seemed to have any common sense about the Empire, and then they both just vanished into thin air out of nowhere. It was so obvious when he actually began to look back on it. The way that Thorite and Thorn would both laugh at his dry wheat humor, how they both tended to get lost in thought when they looked out the window, and that odd feeling he had whenever he felt one of them looking at him from behind. He knew Thorite was having some trouble with the guards before he left, but he just assumed that Thorn had something personal that was keeping him away from the shop. He would have never guessed that the two had known each other, let alone that they were plotting regicide over rye bread. After Track Record had heard the news from a few of the castle maids who frequented the shop, he left Fresh Bake in charge for a bit and went to give a new report to the guards. They already knew everything about Thorite and Thorn from the first two interviews Track had with them, but he didn't tell anypony about what happened the morning after Skeletor was stabbed. He was in Lardy Bread’s taking inventory, checking on all the bread that was fresh or going bad and he noticed something odd. The front door had been unlocked, and a couple of loaves of bread and some of the wood for the stove was missing. He didn't think much at first, just somepony desperate for some food, almost everypony was, but the missing wood was a little odd. It was only after he heard the gossip about his two former employees that it finally clicked for the mustard colored stallion. Thorite and Thorn had both worked at Lardy Bread’s, they knew he had fresh food and firewood, and they also must have known that they'd need a lot of firewood when the shield would collapse. After giving his additional report to the guards, they thanked him for his time and sent him off with a quarter of one of those new steel bits that ponies were talking about. Track Record couldn't help but stare at the line of ponies behind him when he trotted away, each one coming forward to give their own two bits about that night to help the guards catch Thorite and Thorn. The line stretched all the way from the guard's post to the Church of Faust about two blocks away, and he wondered if it would end up stretching to his shop by the time lunch rush rolled around. It'd be wonderful if somepony in line knew where those two were, if they had even the smallest clue for the guards to follow and track them down. But, as far as Track Record knew, they were already long gone. They were probably somewhere outside of the Empire, eating bread around a camp fire and laughing their flanks off. Heaving out a tired sigh, Track Record trotted back into Lardy Bread’s to take a load off of Fresh's hooves. He couldn't take the direct path to the shop sadly, since the fastest way back had been blocked off. The streets from the crystal pony palace to the Crystal Castle had all been cleared and blockaded, a guard standing at every intersection to let ponies know that they couldn't mill about. One of the larger thestral guards was standing near the crystal pony palace with a pair of weird red sticks hanging from his saddles. The light kept catching on whatever crystals were in them, hitting a few crystal ponies in the face whenever it caught the sun at just the right angle. It was a little annoying when Track Record gave him a passing glance, but he just averted his eyes and kept trotting forward, letting his attention eventually rest on the odd pony sitting on the shop's front door step. She was wearing a dark blue cloak, with a series of small bones embroidered into the hem that hung around her hooves. He recognized those robes, it was something that nearly every member of the Skull Torn had worn at their meetings, and sometimes flaunted in public to show their faith in Skeletor. He couldn't see the mare's face or cutie mark, only catching her cream coat and her dark blue mane as it spilled out of her hood. Track Record had met his fair share of the Skull Torn, usually newer members who wanted to hear anything about what had happened when he met Skeletor for the first time. Most of them were disappointed when he told them the truth about what had happened, often branding him a liar or a fraud for not painting a more divine picture of Skeletor's epic battle with Sombra. So, Track Record tended to embolden the story a bit whenever somepony asked. Still, those ponies were nothing more than recruits or ponies who were thinking of joining, and the mare on his stoop was somepony else entirely. A pair of crystal cross bones sat where her cutie mark should have been, displaying her rank as a high worshiper of the Skull Torn, somepony who had proven their devotion after some unknown trial. Track Record's trot slowed as he caught sight of the mare, wondering what the Skull Torn could have wanted. But, before he could turn down an alley to discreetly enter through the back, the mare looked up and caught sight of him. Her dull and tired eyes lit up with relief when she saw his yellow coat, and a genuine smile crept to her muzzle as she quickly trotted towards him. "Damnit," Track Record cursed to himself, wiping his worries away with a service smile as the mare reached him. "Hiya, how can I help you?" The mare gave him a nervous smile, throwing a glance around as she spoke. “Hi, I uh... I heard a lot about you.” "Good things, I hope," he joked, biting back a groan as she continued. “I heard that you met Skeletor when he first came to the Empire.” “Well, uh... Yeah,” he admitted. "But it’s not like I know him personally or anything. I was just there when he got rid of Sombra, couldn't even see anything.” "What about when he got the Crystal Heart?" She pressed, closing the distance and forcing Track to trot back. "Whoa, back up," he ordered, dropping his polite demeanor as he spoke. "Yeah, I was there. Look, I didn't do or see much. You'd probably want to ask the royal advisor or Cannon Fodder about it. But good luck with him, he can be a bit of a grouch," he joked, trying to trot past the mare before she blocked his path. "Wait. So, you're Track Record, right?" "Yup," he groaned. "Now, I'd love to stick around and chat, but I've got work to do." "Please wait. I need your help," she begged, trotting after him as he opened the door. "I don't have anypony else I can talk to." "Oh, I'm sure Brother Farside or whatever would be willing to help." "Nearside is the problem, they all are," she explained, shoving her hoof into the door before he could close it. "Please, I'll pay you. I'll buy some bread, I'll do anything. Just... just please hear me out." "Ah, look, if this is about joining the Skull Torn, I—" "I'm not with them," the mare interrupted, throwing Track Record off his pace as he looked at her closely. He couldn't help but point out the obvious. "Then... what's with the cloak?" "It's not mine," she explained. "I'm just borrowing it. I don't want anypony to see me out here." "You know the cloak's kinda brining more attention to you than away from you, right?" "I do now," the mystery mare grumbled, glancing down at her cloak with disdain as spoke. "I just didn't want attention. Can we just talk in private? Please? I promise, I'll explain everything. I just... I can't do this outside.” Track Record thought about denying the mare, just returning to work as normal and pretending like he never saw her. But, his mother always said he had a habit for trotting headfirst into trouble, and he didn't have the heart to turn away a mare who needed help. The yellow stallion opened the door more as he stepped out, offering a hoof to the cloaked mare as he spoke. "Well I don't usually invite strangers inside. My name's Track, you know that, but what's yours?" The mystery mare accepted it with genuine relief, a smile forming on her muzzle as she replied. "Dilly Dally." "Nice to meet you, miss Dally. I got some biscuits baking in the shop if you want something to eat first." Inviting the mare inside, Track Record trotted past the counter as he called out to the baker in the back. "Hey Fresh Bake! We got company. Could ya bring out a couple of biscuits?" "I'm sorry, I'm not hungry. I just want to know if you can help me," Dilly Dally quickly said, earning a dismissive hoof wave from Track. "Nah, you're a guest. Least I could do is offer you a something to eat. Don't feel like you have to, it's just something to snack on if you change your mind," Track Record explained, stepping aside as Fresh Bake carried a tray of biscuits on his back. "You're just in time, finished these about a minute ago." "Nice," Track Record smiled, swiping a biscuit for himself as he and Fresh took a seat near the counter. "So, what can I help you with?" "Um... I was hoping we could talk alone, if that's okay." "Oh, okay then. Sorry bud," Track Record apologized, earning a sigh from the stallion as he trotted off back to work with a grumble. "Was hoping I wouldn't have to wash the knives," he muttered, trotting to the back as Track Record turned his attention to Dilly Dally. "So, what did you want to talk about?" Dilly Dally took a seat across Track Record as he nibbled on a biscuit, weighing her words before she cautiously asked him a question. "... What do you think of Skeletor?" "Skeletor? Well he's a great guy!" "Guy, but not god, right?" Dilly Dally pressed, leaning in closer as she waited for his answer. "Well... I thought about it, and I don't think he is. Maybe he was sent by Faust, but I don't know. Don't think it really matters much in my opinion. God, demon, freaky minotaur, doesn't make much of a difference in the end." "It does to me," Dilly Dally explained. "If you don't think he is then... that's good. I can work with that." "Work with? What do you mean by that?" Dilly Dally didn't immediately reply, dodging his question with one of her own. "Can you keep a secret?" "Depends on the secret, I think," he answered, and it was apparently enough to satisfy the mare as she made herself comfortable. "It's a long story. But, after we were freed from... you know who, I was working in the subterranean farms. I was going back up for a new rake since my last one broke, the wood just snapped in half out of nowhere. I thought I could get a new one, but... then I bumped into somepony. Her name was Strike Iron," she recalled fondly, a smile softening her features as she spoke. "Strike and I knew each other since we were fillies. Her dad helped mine whenever he needed a dented shovel or something fixed, and our moms let us sleep over each other’s houses sometimes. It was nice, a better time and place back then, but it didn't last. Her dad packed up and moved to the Thestral Kingdom with the whole family to make armor for the guards there. Something about too much competition near the castle, or whatever. Didn't really pay attention. "And then I moved on. Lived my life, got to working in the fields, made enough to pay off a few debts. It was nice, and nothing was supposed to change," she said, taking a long break as she steeled her nerves. "But then he came. I-I'm not going say what I went through but... I lost everypony. I don't know where they went or when, I just know that they're gone now. "I gave up looking pretty quick. I-I did what my dad always said and just tried to move on. Buried myself in the farm and just tried to help out the best I could. and after everything that happened..." She stopped, fresh tears staining her eyes as she spoke. "She was alive... I never felt happier than that." Track Record quickly trotted back to the counter to grab a napkin for the mare, giving her the time she needed to collect herself as she cried. "I'm sorry," she quietly sobbed, burying her face inside the napkin as she tried to stifle her sobs. Track Record gave her a simple unseen nod, letting the mare take her time as she gave a good cry. It always helped to get a good guttural sob out, like a pot boiling over and spilling out all at once. First step to healing was a nice and long cry. After a while, Dilly Dally finally choked on her tears and held them back, taking a moment to collect her thoughts as she muttered another apology. "'m sorry." "Oh, it's fine. We uh... we all have those moments." "Thank you," she quietly replied, dabbing a few more tears from her eyes as she clutched onto the napkin. "I... where was I?" She asked herself, trying to find her place once more as she carried on. "Right... right, we uh... we talked about everything. We talked about the Thestral Kingdom at first, tried to only talk about the better times. But we couldn't keep that up forever. Every time I cried she'd comfort me, and I'd try my best to do the same whenever she needed a good cry too. "We... we actually ended up skipping out on work for a while," she chuckled, letting her head rest on the table as she recounted the rest of her story. "It was... it was like we were fillies again, sneaking out to do whatever we wanted. It felt like a game, trotting through the tunnels and stopping whenever we thought we heard somepony. We'd laugh our heads off silly whenever we hid in some alcove or cave. "And then, one day we were laughing, we... we looked at each other and..." she paused once more, but not out of sorrow or pain. "We kissed." Her voice was barely above a whisper, a quiet confession that Track Record wasn't even sure he was supposed to hear. It was an intimate secret to her, something special that she didn't want to share with anypony else, but Track Record didn't know what it was all leading to. She kissed a mare, but that didn't seem like a big problem anymore. Skeletor had said it was okay after he spoke with... The mares, he finally realized, watching Dilly bring herself back up with a new found determination to continue. He listened more intently to her as she spoke, giving her the attention, each word needed as she began to explain. "It all happened so fast. We were free for a week and we were already meeting each other in a quiet cave. We-we didn't see each other for about two days after that. I don't know if I was avoiding her or if she was avoiding me, maybe it was both. But, then we saw each other again, and... we did it again. "It was wrong, it wasn't something we were supposed to do. Our parents, our grandparents, even Princess Amore said it wasn't natural. But we didn't care, it was just the two of us alone with our own pain. Nopony was around to judge us, we could still hang out in public, we'd just hide it. Just meet in the caves and everything would be fine, nopony had to know. "But then we got sloppy, and the guards caught us... Back then, being a mare with another mare was punishable by two months in a dungeon and c-cleansings," she spat out. "But there weren't any more ruvas to do the spell to stop us, so we just thought we'd be locked up down there forever. I was scared, I didn't want to die but I didn't want to forget Strike either. "And then... then Skeletor ordered us to come to the Throne Room. I thought, 'this is it! We're just going to forget all of the times we spent together. It'll be like we never met.' I was going to lose the only pony I had left and there was nothing I could do about it." She took another break to dab her eyes, letting the napkin rest on her face as she recounted the horrifying experience she had. "I didn't know much about him at the time, nopony did. Some ponies thought he was a gentle giant, but I didn't believe it. Everything inside of me was screaming at me, telling me to never see him. I thought... I thought he would be just like him, just another monster in a crown. "I.. I still don't know how the mare next to him was so calm," she tried to joke, a dry laugh falling out of her muzzle as she elaborated. "There was a green mare next to him... Nopony else, no guards, no servants, not a single soul. Nopony even read out our charges. "And do you know what happened?" She rhetorically asked, letting her answer hang in the air with a single word. "Nothing." Dilly Dally straightened her back as she stared at her hooves, a smile touching her lips as she recalled her fateful encounter. "Nothing... He got off his throne, came down and said 'sorry'. He... He bent down and said we'd be fine, offered us lunch and then just sent us off. No strings, no begging, nothing. Everything was perfect! We were free mares. Skeletor gave us a pass and we could just trot out of the castle, no questions asked. I couldn't have even hoped for that to happen, nopony could have! "I... It was perfect," she recalled with a faint fondness, as her demeanor began to drop once more. "And then... then he gave that Faust damned speech," she lamented, slouching lower in her seat as she asked him a question. "Where were you when you heard it?" "... About Amore being lied to?" He asked, earning a weak nod from the mare. "Near the balcony, just like everypony else." Silence fell over the two once more as they both recalled that day. Though one of them had seen it as a moment of enlightenment, the other had clearly seen it for what it truly was. "It was all a lie, you know," she revealed quietly. "Strike never said she'd die for me, neither of us could say a word. But, he didn't... he didn't tell the truth. He lied, I swear he lied," she repeated, as if it was something nopony could ever believe. And, although Track Record wanted to trust her, it felt unbelievable even to him. How could Skeletor have lied about Princess Amore for just two mares? It couldn't have been possible. There had to be more, Skeletor couldn't have said something so bold without proof. "You don't believe me," Dilly Dally said, her voice dropping once more as she spoke. "It's fine... Nopony does. Not even Strike. She heard him there too, she was just another mare in the crowd. I was too much of a coward to go, I... I didn't want to leave the house, I just felt like something bad would happen if I went. And I was right. "I get it, though. It took some time but it made sense. He lied for us, to help protect us. But... but Strike wouldn't listen. 'Why would he lie?' That's all she would say!" The cream mare continued, becoming more animated as she recalled her story. "The same argument just over, and over, and... she thought she was the problem. Skeletor can't lie, so she's the one whose wrong. Her memory is wrong. We're both wrong because, 'Skeletor said so, he must have been telling the truth'," she bitterly quoted. "And I'm just so sick of it! I'm tired of her not trusting me, her own memory! Just-just taking Skeletor at his word! I'm..." She stopped, taking the time to catch her breath as a bitter thought struck her. "And I'm tired. I'm tired and I'm wasting my time here. She doesn't believe me, the Skull Torn won't listen, and you probably think I'm just some crazy pony. This was a mistake, I-I just..." Dilly Dally buried her head in her hooves, a tired groan leaving her muzzle as she stared at the stained table. She never finished her thought, letting her last words die in the air as silence filled the room once more. Track Record had been quiet more most of their conversation, and if he had left it at that then he was certain the mare would trot away. "... I believe you," Track Record finally said. Dilly Dally looked up at the baker, a sense of uneasy hope glistening in her wet eyes. "Really?" "Yeah. A little bit of faith doesn't hurt. And hey, last two ponies I trusted weren't the best, but I'm sure third time'll be the charm," he tried to joke, lightening Dilly's dour mood as she brought herself back up. "Thank you. Noponny... she didn't believe me. And she can't believe me... me, the mare who stood right next to her throughout all of it. I saw it with my own eyes, we both did. I knew he was lying, but Strike couldn't accept it. 'How could he be lying, he's Skeletor.' Heh," she heartlessly chuckled. “I’m at my wits end here. I’m sick of getting into arguments with her, and I hate that she’s not even trusting her own memory anymore! I wanted to talk to Skeletor, but he hasn’t been to court, and the princess is only holding court every other day. Nopony in the Skull Torn would help me, they're all crazy! But you," she pointed. "You're not like them. You’re the next best pony I can talk to. If you can tell her that Skeletor isn’t a god then maybe she’ll believe you.” “Right... But, what do you want me to say, exactly?” "I don't know, just-just something that'll make sense. Lie to her if you have to, tell her that Skeletor said he wasn't a god, that he told you he was from Tartarus. Anything," she pleaded. "I-I don't know if I can say that. I don't lie." “Everypony lies. Even Skeletor. I know that better than anypony,” she bitterly recalled, finally accepting one of Track Record's biscuits before she placed a pair of bits on the table. "I'm sorry for unloading all of this on you." "Hey, no worries. And keep your bits, biscuits are on the house this time." "Yeah, but this favor isn't," she replied, pulling her hood back over her head as she turned to face the door. "Thanks again for everything, Track. If I can, I'll stop by later this week with Strike. Could you..." "Yeah," he answered. "Yeah, I can probably think of something by then. Til then, you're always welcome to drop on by if you need an ear to bend." "... Thank you." And without another word, she left, hope carrying her back home as she waited for Strike's intervention. Track Record couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief as she left, feeling an immense weight fall off of his barrel as he sat there, thinking about how strange his life had become. Meeting Skeletor, a general, a royal advisor, a pair of assassins, and now some mare caught up in a grand conspiracy. He was meeting quite a few interesting ponies as of late, and that only meant that there would be more trouble on the horizon. But, it was like his grandfather said, "a little trouble can sometimes lead to a lot of fun. And a lot of trouble is often followed by a lot of fun."