//------------------------------//
// Explanations 
// Story: Ghosts of Skeleton's Past 
// by Valorousspectre 
//------------------------------//

Gray was many things. A stallion with the theater at heart, Gray Lapis was a, coincidentally, gunmetal grey stallion with silky black hair making up his mane and tail. Lithe and lightly muscled, his physical condition is thanks to his rather physical lifestyle. Owner of the Lapis theater based in Ponyville and husband to the ever stylish Rarity, owner of the Carousel Boutique, Gray liked comedy, acting, tea, styling his mane and clothing.

He was also one of the first ponies to ever tell Skeleton he was her friend, having swiftly followed his wife after her own thoughtless admission. As such, whenever Skeleton had a problem she couldn't solve, she contacted Gray and Rarity.

Which is exactly where she was now.

Gray and Skeleton were sitting at the dining room table, both with a cup of chamomile tea. Gray had answered his door to the distraught Skeleton Grin with quiet surprise, and had quickly accepted her request for entry, brewing herself and him tea. There was a young colt with a purple mane asleep in a small cot next to his chair. Apparently, Rarity had gone to Canterlot for a little while, something to do with her career.

"So, Skeleton," He started carefully, "Tell me what happened. What's wrong?"

So, Skeleton Grin spilled the beans. In a rush that, were the beans she was spilling real beans and not metaphorical beans intended to bring meaning as to what exactly she was doing which just happened to be telling him everything that had happened over the past several months, would have spilled the beans not only all over the table but onto the floor and the sauce would stain the tiles something fierce meaning Gray would have to look at said beans in shock and then clean up the massive mess caused by the spilling of said not so metaphorical beans and possibly put up with a very apologetic Skeleton Grin concerning the nature of the spillage of the beans upon the table and floor in such a way as to cause such a mess simply by spilling the beans..

Good thing these are metaphorical beans eh?

Even so, Gray could barely keep up and, at the end of it all, looked thoroughly bewildered.

"Uh... Could you uh... Could you repeat the part with the things in it?" He asked hesitantly, "Like, from the beginning? As in all of the things?"

Skeleton sighed gently and began again, taking her time to speak slowly and gently, trying not to sound frustrated or annoyed. She started with the day he returned, then onto the months that followed, his actions, his change in attitude, his denials of her advances, everything that happened. Down to the last details. Perhaps even more than Gray was prepared to hear, although he never complained. Not once. Now that she was being slower, he could sit and listen with more focus and attention.

This was going to be a long day.


~*~


Soarin was asleep. Chemise could only hope she'd done the right thing. She had... taken a peek into his mind whilst she showed him what he she believed he needed to see. She'd seen it too, but in her experiences, her heart had hardened to hardship and heartache. A valuable, if not sometimes dark trait. She still felt the emotions from things, but she could choose to shut them out and think/look upon things objectively. This is what she'd done for some time whilst she showed the blue stallion the images, feelings and thoughts of his daughters, but now she faced them. She had cried some, she would not deny it. But she had to appear strong. When she had seen Skeleton in his mind's eye, she had nearly lost control of herself, but had managed to hold things together. She hadn't seen Skeleton Grin in almost a decade, but she was hard to mistake, and Chemise had a very good memory.

Soarin began to stir.

Chemise sighed softly. She'd told him she'd explain, and if he'd met Dreams, she only hoped he was ready to hear her tale, and not proclaim her as insane as him. They still sat in their chairs in the attic, but there was moonlight shining through the eastern side of the thatched roof now instead of sunlight on the western. When his eyes opened, they were glazed and a little glassy. A momentary pang of panic left the earth pony as they cleared up  and his head snapped to face her, blinking heavily a few times.

"Good evening Soarin," She said gently, "I trust you slept well?"

He stared at her for a long moment before he finally let out a breath he didn't realise he'd been holding.

"Yeah," He said, thinking her question deserved a reply, "I guess I did. What... what was that?"

Here we go...

"Soarin dear," She said gently, "I told you earlier today that I would explain everything, and I intend to do so now. But you must promise me something."

Chemise fixed Soarin with a fierce gaze and he met it without complaint or fear.

"You will not call me crazy, you will not think I'm insane. I assure you, in all my years I have never been either of these things. Nor have I been deluded, delusional or experienced hallucinations that weren't brought on by magical means."

Soarin's brows furrowed, but he nodded, promising her. Chemise smiled.

"Thank you dear. I know parts of this are going to sound a lot like ridiculous flights of fancy, but I assure you that everything I say is true."

Start off small Chemise...

"To begin, I'm a little over two thousand years old."

Maybe a little heavy

Soarin's face said it all. He didn't believe her in the slightest. Not that she hadn't expected that.

"It's true. About two thousand, three hundred and twelve years ago, give or take a few decades or so, I was approached by a charming, suave stallion. The kind that sweep ponies off their hooves if you catch my drift. Like the vamponies in story books or the dashing princes. Although he was no prince, and he certainly wasn't a vampony. We met at an old gathering. It was the only one to ever occur, when the unicorn council ignored her majesty Princess Platinum to arrange a meeting of all three tribes in a festival to celebrate life. Or something similar. It was a noble notion, but a foolish one. Tensions were high for most. The few of us who didn't think ourselves as above or below one another tried to have a good time. 

Obviously I was an earth pony. My job back in those days was, ironically, a florist. I wasn't selling flowers that day, since it was declared a universal holiday. Oh, there were still vendors, but they were occupied with volunteers and helpful ponies. I was, I'm ashamed to say, lazy in those days. I slacked off when I could, slept in the flower beds often, that sort of thing. That day was like a dream come true. Everypony meeting in one place, getting with my friends, you know? Well, I did end up with them, and we wandered the place. The earth pony section was very utilitarian. We built quickly and efficiently, wooden stands selling pottery, jewelry and such things. There was a surprising number of unicorns at those ones to be honest, oohing and aahing over the various trinkets we saw as so frivolous. Oh, I liked being pretty as much as the next filly, and often wore a rose behind my ear. Just in case, you know? In those times, courtship would take place when the pair exchanged gifts, in my case the rose.

In any case.

The pegasus encampment, for that's all it could be called, was very militaristic. Rows of tents in dead straight lines. Commander Hurricane could occasionally be heard shouting orders. I met her assistant there, Private Pansy. A lovely pegasus she was, untouched by prejudices and such. She was such a dear. She didn't deserve to die how she did. In any case, the pegasi were selling arms and armours mostly, with the occasional cloud animal vendor for pegasi foals, a few even with a unicorn with them to help for earth ponies and unicorns who wanted one. It was all very well ordered and disciplined. I didn't really like the pegasi as a whole, they were a standoffish bunch. Proud is probably the best word for them. So much has changed though in time, now they're athletes and hard workers. They're still proud, but tolerable.

The unicorns, I quickly discovered, were intolerable.

Arrogant and ever more standoffish than our winged brethren, the unicorn's had fancy tents and such set up or held up by magical means. Fortune tellers and jewelry makers and toy makers, everything the others strived to achieve. The make, however, wasn't as strong as the earth pony jewelry and looked ready to break at the faintest breath of wind, and the armour for the guards was made almost entirely of gold. It might have looked pretty, but gold is a very soft metal, so it wasn't very good armour. Princess Platinum had decided to attend anyway, to keep some form of appearance. She was arrogant, puffed up and unbelievably pretty. Her assistant, although I'd more call the poor thing a slave, Clover the Clever, was by her side, looking almost as rumpled as we did in winter. Poor dear, she was such a bright filly. In a tent on the far side of the small town like third was, and I remember very clearly, Starswirl. He was quite dashing, but bad tempered and easily disgruntled. I left him alone, and so did my friends. 

We wandered the place, and eventually came across an elaborate tent that was bested only by the garish creation of Platinum's. We were informed the inhabitant was not present, and left, disappointed. That could have been anypony's tent, and I wanted to know who. But my friends and I were told to move along, and along we moved.

A pity.

It was soon after I accidentally ran into princess Platinum. She was accompanied by a retinue of guards and she screeched so annoyingly, demanding I was punished. She ranted about how foul and filthy my hooves and coat were, how I was contaminating her with my earth pony filth. I remember the guards came for me, then he stopped them. With just a casual word. He suggested to the princess that perhaps she was overreacting. I looked for my friends for support but they were gone. I don't blame them, and I didn't then. To my surprise, Platinum just grumbled, motioned to her guards and left. The pony who had saved me was tall, broad shouldered and wore a sable coat over a silver waistcoat. His eyes were mesmerizing and seemed to never settle on one colour and he had such a beautiful smile. His shoes were obviously earth pony made however, and he had a band of the metallic black around his left foreleg that reminded me of the pegasi metal. He helped me up and offered his services.

Obviously, he was a noble to have such influence. He was older than I as well.

I remember blushing and telling him i was just a florist. He told me he was the son of a lesser unicorn noble caste and asked what that had to do with things. With that he'd taken my hoof and led me away. We walked slowly, and a lot of ponies were watching him and whispering. I felt tiny and he noticed this and smiled.

'You know,' I remember him saying, 'You can let them talk. They can't hurt you whilst you're with me. Let them make up scandalous gossip, at least they think you're pretty.'

It was a little easier after that. I made a point of actually looking at him whilst I could. He was easily ten years older than me at least. Maybe fifteen. Before you object, it was common for ponies to be married to older ponies in this time, normally older and wealthier. Anyhow, he was very handsome and his face had an ageless sort of quality to it, if you know what I mean. Like no matter how old he got, he'd still look amazing. He was like... an Adonis, the perfect stallion. Or, he was to me. Gentlecoltly, handsome. Strong jaw... I won't bother you with any more details."

Chemise suddenly stopped and sighed.

"This, of course, was the start of our relationship."

Soarin blinked out of his trance and shook his head suddenly.

"Uh, no offense, but what does an ancient love story got to do with this?"

Chemise glared at him angrily.

"It has everything to do with it Soarin Wonderbolt, and you will be quiet while I am talking to you!"

Soarin went quiet and Chemise cleared her throat.

"Now then. He took me back to his tent, the one my friends and I were wondering about before. I was smitten with him, completely and utterly, and now that I think back on it, I'm sure he knew that. He took every opportunity to be the best gentlecolt he could, and often showed himself off, or his possessions. One look at his wardrobe alone and I knew he was no minor noble. He had to be important. The material alone would cost more than my plantation, and that was for one waistcoat! He showed me much of his tent. Before you ask, yes he did bring his entire wardrobe. He took me to the jousting tournament held by the pegasi, which was a piece taken from their ancestors in the Crystal Empire, the only nation at the time that had successfully integrated all ponies into one society. We watched the warriors of the pegasi ponies joust, and then some of the others do the same. Or rather, the Earth ponies gave it a try, and many of them were quite good at it. The unicorns sat back and watched. He and I watched the rope tricks and traditional entertainments of the earth ponies, juggling and whatnot. Then he stayed with me, one forehoof around my nineteen year old body as we watched the artists of the unicorns spray the evening and night sky with colours and pictures as they told stories.

He kept me there well after dark, and when everypony was gone, he turned to me, smiling that amazing smile, and..."

She stopped again and sniffed, a tear coming to her eye. Another voice caught the tale and continued it, making Soarin and Chemise look to the doorway. A white skull looked back at them from shadows, a pair of eyes shifting in ever colour of the rainbow, and some not in the rainbow.

"And I offered you something I had been missing for the better part of six thousand years. My love. I offered you the band I had collected from the pegasus warriors in exchange for the rose you had upon your ear. You accepted in a heartbeat. As I remember, your parents were, at first, furious. But after I spoke to them, they supported your decision, spurred by the idea of money when they needed it. We were married almost three months later, a traditional white wedding. You were beautiful in your white gown, and I was handsome in a black suit, tailored by the unicorns I called brethren, and still do. Your dress was of the Earth pony tribe, and you wore a wreath of flowers upon your head to hold your veil. It was a step, but then the frosts came in the form of powerful, malevolent spirits. Windigos had descended upon civil war torn towns and cities.

I remember on the third year of frost. You were twenty-five. You were sick, and dying. I couldn't let it happen. Not again. So I begged my master for a favor, and begged you to join me, to outlast the elements and time itself. You refused my offer, saying it was your time, and that the years you spent with me were.... were your happiest.

But I wouldn't have it. 

I told you what came at death, I revealed the secrets of the afterlife, and you thought it wasn't that bad. But there are no flowers in either plane, and eventually you would have come back to the war torn land and died all over again, but as a foal. You agreed to my pact, on the condition you served nopony."

His eyes hardened and he sighed, a paradox of a reaction to be certain.

"But my master's touch leaves none untainted. He left you with power. Dangerous power that not even I could avoid. We left the place from whence we came and went abroad. We lived for many years together, but when you came into your power... Your abilities sent you into a possessive, controlling frenzy, and eventually I left. The ability to force another to do your will, to synchronize brain waves. This is the power you wield, and the one that has left you how you are, and how we are."

"Two thousand years, and the wound has never healed."