//------------------------------// // What's The Story, Morning Glory? // Story: The King Is Dead, Long Live The Emperor! // by Bucking Nonsense //------------------------------// "An Earth Pony cannot possibly be the bearer of the Element Of Magic." The instant after the words left her mouth, Celestia knew that she had said the wrong thing, and used exactly the wrong tone. And yet, how could she not have said so? An earth pony, the bearer of the Element of Magic? Even after one thousand years, it would seem impossible, absurd even. And her tone, well... perhaps she could have at least tried to say it differently... It was clear, however, that this was a sore spot for the mare who had just appeared. The pony's face flushed, and it was clear that she was struggling to keep from losing her temper... and failing. She was visibly gritting her teeth, but after a moment, she regained her self control... somewhat. "You know, before you asked me to come here," Morning Glory said, each word stated very carefully, like somepony working very hard not to let her emotions color her tone, "you had warned me that you could be kind of insensitive, back in the day. I hadn't really believed it, having seen how you are in the future, but I guess that you've had a lot of time to work on it between now and then." Celestia, blushing with embarrassment, said, "I certainly didn't mean to give offense. It's just..." Her eyes narrowed, the earth pony interrupted with a bitter tone, "It's just that pinheads like you assume that the only magic that matters in the world is the kind that ejaculates out of that thing jutting out of your forehead." Luna's and Celestia's shocked expressions at hearing that was perfectly mirrored by the pony who spoke it. Covering her mouth with her hoof, Morning Glory exclaimed, "Oh jeez, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it! I didn't mean it..." Tears welling in her eyes, she said, "I thought I was doing so much better..." Placing a gentle hoof on the younger mare's shoulder, Celestia said, "It's quite alright. I did not think before I spoke, and neither did you. If you'll forgive me for my rude behavior, I'll forgive you for yours." Now openly weeping, Morning Glory said, "Deal." Wiping her eyes with a hoof, she said, "I'm sorry about what I said. My birth-mother was a unicorn, and my dad was a pegasus. The fact that I wasn't born with wings, a horn, or both, well... it caused me a lot of problems, when I was little. I've got issues I'm still working on." Sniffing, she added, "I shouldn't take them out on other ponies, though." Celestia, smiling, said, "And I should not have let my surprise get the better of me. You were right, I did make an assumption. I have seen enough of the world that I should understand that magic is not the province of unicorns and alicorns alone." Luna, gently but still insistently, stated, "You said that you had something to tell us, young lady. While I certainly would not wish to be insensitive..." Wiping her eyes again, then nodding, Morning Glory said, "It's fine. There's not a great deal of time, and there's a couple of things I need to tell you." Her expression more business-like, she looked over at Pan, then said, "Right now, our friend here has retreated to his 'Happy Place', and he's not willing to come out." Looking at Luna, the earth pony stated, "You'll need to go in and try to snap him out of it." Luna, her expression startled, stated, "That... how would I even start?" Rolling her eyes, Morning Glory sighed and said, "Right, I forgot, you've not yet added that to your list of royal duties. You'll need to use a spell to enter into his dreams. You can find the one you'll need at the library, here in the Crystal Empire. If I remember right, it's a blue book, with the title 'Dreamwalking For Beginners' or something along those lines. It'll be somewhere near the back, where the cobwebs are thickest. I recommend you memorize the spells inside: You'll be using them a lot in the future." Nodding, Luna said, "Very well." Tapping her chin with a hoof, Luna said, almost to herself, "Dreamwalking... I could swear I've heard of that before." Turning back towards Celestia, Morning Glory said, "And you'll need to contact Kokkuri-San, and ask him to pay you back for that favor he owes you. You've been hesitating to do so, since you were afraid you might end up without the ability to ask him a question at a critical time in the future. Stop hesitating: He's the only one in the world who can see what would have happened in alternate timelines, so he'll be the only one who can answer your questions about changelings. He'll end up owing you again, so don't worry about future problems: The current crisis is a big enough one to justify." A smile forming on her face, the earth pony added, "And make sure you ask him, 'Why won't there be any changelings?', that will throw him for a loop." Celestia raised an eyebrow at that, but nodded and said, "I understand. But I can't help but wonder..." "Why I can't just tell you everything? Funny thing about time travel," Morning Glory said, smiling, "While I can tell you where to find the answers you need, I'm not allowed to just give those answers to you directly. If I try to, I'll immediately zip back. The time travel spell has a lot of limitations set upon it. It's a better alternative than a one way trip, though." "Yes, I imagine so," Celestia said, nodding. "Thank you for pointing us in the right direction." With a chuckle, Luna asked, "Can we expect any more time travelers in the near future? I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but don't you have enough to do in your time?" Morning Glory chuckled, then said, "Well, I'm here, in part, because it's a time loop thing. I'll be sent here, because I am here, because I was here. The time stream is weird like that sometimes." Her expression more serious, she continued, "But I was also sent here to prevent any more interference from the future: One of the big rules on time travel is that you can only have three incidents of transit within a rolling one year period. Pan is the first, Nana the second, and I'm the third. No more travel will be allowed, either to this time period or from it, or to any point within one year, forward or back. There's a really good reason why we need that: There's a few folks in my time who would love to try and sabotage everything that Pan is trying to do here. A few ponies in the future are going to resent Pan for changing what they think should be the natural order of the world, toppling nobles off of their high chairs and elevating commoners to positions of power." Blowing a breath through her lips with a 'pbpbpbpbpb', she said, "It's stupid, and it's selfish, of them to try, but that's just the way some idiots are: They want all the prosperity for themselves, and aren't willing to share, even if sharing does make the world a lot better in the long run." Smiling, she continued, "With me and Nana having taken up the two empty spots on the roster, they can't do that, even to create an alternate timeline. From now until halfway through the year, you're on your own, with nopony trying to interfere, for good or bad. Anypony who tries to change the timeline now will have to go back far enough that they'd have to deal with King Sombra, or far enough forward that... well, they'll wish that all they had to deal with was Sombra." Nodding in understanding, Celestia said, "Thank you for looking out for us, then. And we're grateful for even this much guidance during such a terrible crisis. You may have saved the two of us a great deal of time." Smiling, tears running down her cheeks, Morning Glory said, "No, thank you. Thank you both. When... when we first meet, I'm not going to be very nice, and it's going to take me a long time before I stop being angry at everyone and everything around me. In fact, I'll be going out of my way to be a royal pain in the flank to almost every pony I meet for the first two or three years after I meet you both. But in spite of everything, you're both going to put up with it... and I can't possibly say how grateful I am that you did." And with that, she vanished. --------------------------- Within a few minutes, Luna was inside the library, looking for the spellbook that she'd been told to find. While the library might have closed for the night, alicorn magic can make for a wonderful lockpick, in addition to a flashlight. Within fifteen minutes, she was able to locate the book she needed... ----------------------------- The sun finally vanished over the horizon, and the Widowmaker prepared to jump to her first target, when a scroll popped into existance before her. Firemail, one of the few methods of instantaneous communication in this age, was rare, but there were a few powerful groups who used it exclusively... like the Assassin's Guild, the organization that every assassin in the world owed allegiance to... Even her. Reading the message, she scowled, then ported back to her lair. Her client would not be happy, and there would likely be yelling, even after she returned the money and offered a discount. She hated being yelled at... especially by nobles she wasn't allowed to kill... Yet. ----------------------------- There are only a few beings in the world who can consider themselves as powerful as Celestia and Luna. Thankfully, the majority of beings in that metaphysical weight class are spread out pretty far, and they have very few reasons to come into conflict. The vast majority of them are much too busy seeing to the needs of their subjects to cause problems in the other parts of the world. However, not all of these incredibly powerful beings are interested in ruling. Kokkuri is a bit of a black sheep in the community of immortals. He wasn't interested in ruling, or in the struggle between good and evil. He considered himself above such things. Instead, he was interested in... causing trouble. He liked making mischief, and he had one of the most powerful tools in the cosmos for that task... The Akashic Records. The absolutely perfect archive for all knowledge in the cosmos. The holder of the Akashic Record would have access to everything that could and/or would happen in the past, present, and future, in addition to knowledge of what might have happened, had things gone differently, and things that can never happen. Kokkuri had won it from the previous owner in a game of shogi, having used an illusion to trick his opponent into misreading the outcome of the game. Just because you have an artifact that grants perfect knowledge, doesn't mean you'll be able to use it perfectly, after all. No one, pony, kitsune, or anything else, is perfect. Possession of the artifact made Kokkuri an extremely dangerous individual to cross, but the kitsune was, thankfully, not the type who was quick to anger. He was far more interested in having fun, and disliked holding grudges (The few times he'd held a grudge, the downfall of his nemesis would become the stuff of legends). Celestia had won a favor from him a long time ago, having beaten Kokkuri in a game of chess (Kokkuri would not stoop to using the artifact to cheat at a board game). A single question answered, without lies or subterfuge, was Celestia's to ask for any time she pleased. This was an incredibly valuable thing to have, since while Kokkuri worked as an oracle, and would give an answer to any question asked, he did not always say the truth about what the Akashic Records revealed to him. He was not above lying just to mess with someone. A sheet of paper before her, the necessary kanji written and symbols drawn upon it, along with a small coin, Celestia steeled herself. Kokkuri was not an individual to be taken lightly. The princess took a deep breath and prepared to speak the incantation necessary to call upon the legendary onmyoji... "That won't be necessary, Sunshine. I'm already here." Her head whipping around, she saw the kitsune in question, dressed in a kimono, holding a cup of green tea in his paws. He sat at the foot of Pan's bed, a half-smile upon his face. "I heard someone say my name," Kokkuri said, his Equine slightly accented, "so I thought that I might see what the fuss was about." That was one thing that Celestia had always disliked about Kokkuri: His access to absolute knowledge made him incredibly, unbearably smug sometimes. Hopefully, Celestia would be able to knock him off of his metaphorical high-horse today. "I need to call in the favor you owe me," Celestia said with a frown. An eyebrow raised, Kokkuri said, "That surprises me, your highness, and I am so rarely surprised. I wasn't expecting your summons for another century." His nine tails writhing behind him, he chuckled, then said, "How delightful. Something has changed the future, hasn't it?" Nodding, Celestia admitted, "Yes, yes it has. Or rather, someone." Pointing at Pan, she continued, "Him." Kokkuri studied the changeling for a moment, then said, "Interesting. There were not supposed to be any changelings for another, oh, twenty or thirty years. A time traveler, then. You don't see one of those every day." Well, not normally, no, Celestia thought to herself. After a deep breath, Celestia said, "And that's why I've called you today. You're the only one who would be able to answer the question I have." Chuckling, the kitsune said, "Oh, Sunshine, you cannot believe how grateful I am to you in this instant: You made me aware of something that has changed the future. I'll have to change several plans I made for the next few centuries, and let a few folks know that the predictions I made may no longer be valid. It'll be a lot of work, but you've let me know that I need to do it, and for that, I am pleased. So pleased, in fact, that I'll answer your question today honestly, and give you another honest answer sometime in the future." Celestia relaxed somewhat inside: She'd feared that, by calling this favor in today, she might lose a valuable resource she might need at a later date. She made a note to herself that, when she first saw Morning Glory, a thousand years from now, that mare would be getting the biggest hug Celestia could give. After a moment, the princess nodded, then said, "Very well. This is the question I need answered: Why won't there be any changelings?" The kitsune's eyes widened in shock, and then, with a gesture, made a scroll appear from out of midair. After a few seconds of studying it, he scowled, then said, "I wish I'd taken the opportunity to study the records before I came here, now that the future has changed. This was not something I was expecting to happen. Very well, you want the answer? I can give it to you. In order to do so, though, I'll need to tell you and Luna a story. Thankfully, she'll be back from her errand in less than ten seconds." A moment later, Luna came in, carrying a book with her and panting for breath. Kokkuri, looking smug, said, "Well, I haven't completely lost my touch, it seems. Just in time, your highness. Have a seat. Story time is about to start." ----------------------------- In the original timeline, the kitsune explained, King Sombra was not killed by a changeling, but instead lived, and fought the princesses when they arrived. Underestimating the power of his foes, and overestimating his own, Sombra ended up losing. However, since the princesses were too drained to defeat Sombra outright, the evil warlock was able to cast a parting shot that would be felt for a thousand years: He banished the Crystal Empire from time and space... along with all of those within. But a few ponies, a few corrupt nobles, their retainers, and commoners who feared that the princesses would fail, fled the city in secret during the battle. While not all of them would survive the journey through the frozen wastes, most of them would. After reaching greener pastures, they sought to create a new settlement in a hidden valley within the Crystal Mountains, where they might live their lives in peace, unseen and unsought by the rest of the world. However, this was not to be. In ancient times, a pact was formed between the first Crystal Emperor and the crystal ponies: In exchange for the power of the Crystal Heart, which would be used to found their great city, the emperor's subjects would forever be bound to it. For all time, the relic would be their strength. While the Crystal Heart shined with hope and love, the ponies would experience a tremendous boost to their own innate powers. The earth ponies would be better farmers and better laborers than those in the rest of Equestria, the pegasai better fliers and manipulators of the weather, and the unicorns possessing greater magical potency... But without the Heart, which had vanished with the city, the Crystal Ponies were suddenly drastically inferior to their counterparts in the rest of the world. The fields remained barren, no matter how well the earth ponies tended them. The weather did as it willed, no matter how hard the pegasai worked to change it, and even leaving the ground became a struggle. The unicorns struggled to cast even the simplest spells, and could only effect complex workings by uniting their efforts. They were now less than they once were, and their prospects seemed bleak. Had they sought the aid of their fellow ponies, things might not have gone the way they did. However, shame at abandoning their fellow Crystal Ponies held some back. For others, it was pride, born from having spent their lives being self-sufficient in the most isolated city in the kingdom. And for a few... it was ambition: A small cabal of nobles thought that this was the perfect opportunity to begin a new kingdom, separate from Equestria, one where they ruled over their subjects without the restrictions inflicted upon them by Celestia and Luna. These were not nice ponies, and any land they ruled unrestricted would be worse than anything Sombra could have envisioned. Instead of cruelty for the sake of power, these nobles sought power for the sake of cruelty... These would-be tyrants could not rule over a kingdom of starved corpses. However, what could they do? One of the ponies, born a commoner and yet a sorceress of prodigal ability, theorized that, if the pact was what caused the ponies to lack the powers necessary to sustain their own kingdom, then the pact must be broken. After a few days of studying, she found the spell she needed, and prepared to cast it. And thus began one of the most terrible tragedies Equestria has ever suffered. A magical pact, one that has been bound to a being from birth, and has been a part of the makeup of their race for ages untold, cannot be broken without consequence. When the unicorn cast the spell, aided by every other unicorn in the would-be kingdom, the result was disastrous. Something vital, fundamental... elemental, was ripped out of these exiles when the spell was cast. They ceased to be ponies, and became something else, something monstrous. They no longer could eat food as ponies did, but instead fed upon the magical energy of love, but their twisted visages made them repulsive in the eyes of others. Worse, they could not sustain each other with their own love, no more than one pony can feed another their own excrement and expect them to survive. Worse still, the transformation rendered these new creatures unable to breed outside of their own kind, and would pass on the taint of their transformation to each generation that followed. The only true blessing they were left with was the power to change their appearance in order to deceive others, so that they might take on a mask of loveliness, the better to obtain the love they so desperately needed to live... ...And so that they could, at least for short periods of time, pretend that they were still ponies. These new creatures would, at first, be known as The Changed. A very appropriate name, given their origins. However, as time went on, they were forced to leave Equestria for lands less prepared for their incursions, and The Changed slowly forgot their past, save for a few who worked desperately to make certain it would never be remembered. The rest of the world, ignorant of the truth, simply considered them monsters. Over the centuries that passed, The Changed would become known as changelings... a name both feared and hated all over the world. ------------------------- "So," Kokkuri concluded, "that is why there will be no changelings in our timeline, asides from our friend here. By having been sent into the past, he destroyed King Sombra and has ensured that his 'race' will never be born: The Crystal Heart remains in place, and the ponies who would have tried to break the pact in order to survive now remain in the city, as happy and prosperous as before. Every pony here owes him a debt of gratitude. In this timeline, at least, the tragedy that could have befallen them has not." His expression saddened, the kitsune added, "But the price he has paid is that there will never be another of his kind in this world." Luna, surprised to find herself weeping, asked, "Is there nothing that could be done for him?" Kokkuri held up a paw, and said, "That is too broad a question for me to answer today. There are many things that could be done, both for him and to him, but it might be wise to wait until he is able to participate in the discussion before you make any major decisions. He may want to put in his two bits before you make any major changes to his morphology. What I will say is this: A pact, once broken, is difficult to repair. Difficult... but not necessarily impossible." Celestia nodded, and said, "Thank you, Kokkuri. You've helped in answering a great many questions today." After a moment, Luna echoed the sentiment. With a modest bow, Kokkuri said, "Think nothing of it, your majesties. I am happy to help my sisters in immortality in this, their time of need. Now, I need to be away: I have a great deal of work ahead of me, and a great deal of mischief to cause. Feel free to call on me when you're ready for your next question, Celestia, although I don't think it will be anytime soon." With a smirk, the kitsune vanished into thin air. ------------------------------ Celestia asked, her expression clearly concerned, "Are you certain you are prepared for this?" Luna, her voice firm, stated, "Definitely. I have studied the text thoroughly." The princess of the sun, still worried, said, "I know. But we both know that reading is one thing, experience is another." With a small chuckle, Luna admitted, "Yes, I understand that, sister. Still, the principles are simple enough. The spell called 'Razputin's Doorway' will allow me entry into Pan's mind. While not truly asleep, he is close enough to dreaming that it makes little difference. From within his mind, I can find out what is going on inside his psyche, reflected by his dream, and perhaps find some clue to breaking him out of this stupor." Nodding in understanding, Celestia gave it a moment's thought, then asked, "And should he awaken suddenly?" "I will be safely ejected from his dreams with no harm done," Luna said, smiling. "And before you ask, nothing in his dreams should be strong enough to harm me. If I do encounter such a thing that can, the worst that can happen is that I am ejected from his mind. Regardless, I will proceed with caution." "Alright. I will leave this to you, sister," Celestia said, smiling. "I am certain you are more than up to the task. I shall make certain that everything is alright in the palace while you are away. Stay safe." --------------------------------- "Hey, Pretty Penny," 'Urchin' said to the mare standing on the corner. The mare in question was not very pretty now, but there were just enough traces of her former beauty to indicate that, in her youth, she was quite a looker. These days, though the one-time mare of the evening worked a considerably different business, she was still a 'looker' of a different sort: A pony who watched for the guards, and if any seemed to be coming, looking to raid the lair of the Lame Horse, she would give a signal before running for it herself. Of course, almost nopony in Equestria would try to cause a problem for the Lame Horse these days... "Now I know that voice," Penny said, smiling, "but I've never heard it coming from a face like that one. You clean up nicely, Urchin." Blushing, the filly admitted, "I've been hearing that a lot lately." After a moment, she asked, "Is the Lame Horse holding court tonight? My friend and I need to ask him for a favor." Rolling her eyes, Penny said, "Of course he's holding court tonight, dearie: The new emperor makes a proclamation that turns the world on its head, then somepony tries to have him offed, of course the Lame Horse is going to have all of the Right Ponies assembled, so he can find out what's going on." "Good to hear," 'Urchin' said, nodding. Gold Coin asked, "Does the Lame Horse like the emperor?" 'Urchin nudged him to shut up, but it seemed that might have actually been a good question... Laughing, Penny said, "I can't say yes or no, little colt, the Lame Horse doesn't confide in me. But..." For a moment, the 'looker' seemed thoughtful, then said, "But I don't think he hates the emperor. A ruler who actually admits that the common pony exists, who works to give homes to colts and fillies who ain't got none, and who plans on giving titles to folks as poor as me? If he's honest about all of that, I think the Lame Horse will tolerate him well enough." ---------------------------------- "WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T DO IT TONIGHT!?!" The Widowmaker, unperturbed, simply stood there for a moment, then responded. The Assassin's Guild has commanded that all contracts in the Crystal Empire be aborted immediately, and that no action be taken for the next three days, due to unusual circumstances. Since I cannot complete your contract as you had requested, I have returned your payment. If, after the freeze has lifted, you are still wishing the contract fulfilled, I will still be willing to take the job, at a discount, by way of apology for the inconvenience. An eyebrow raised, Scarlet Wake asked, "And you take orders from the Assassin's Guild?" I accept contracts passed on to me by the guild, yes, and if they request I not complete a contract, I listen. While I am capable of operating independently, I prefer to keep on good terms with the organization that could send over a hundred trained killers after me if I were to anger them. I would recommend you do the same: Unlike myself, you would not fare very well against such odds. Scarlet Wake did not respond immediately, but rather took a moment to think on this. The fact that the guild had suddenly ordered all assassinations in the empire be stopped immediately implied that something was happening, or was expected to happen in the next three days, and until then, the guild was going to keep their hooves out of it. It was... understandable, he supposed: The guild was a political entity, and with how chaotic the current situation was, a wrong move could bring the wrath of the princesses down upon their heads. This would require that Scarlet Wake change his plans drastically, but perhaps simply executing Nopony out of hoof was a bad move. The baron had panicked last night, due to the sudden and drastic change to policy that the emperor had put into place, and his only having evaded execution by pure chance had made him paranoid. Scarlet had feared that he had no means of keeping his aide silent, so he had intended to have him murdered, along with twenty-nine other aides amongst the peerage, the better to cover his tracks. But perhaps it might be better to keep Nopony alive. A competent aide is hard to find... And since Nopony had a family, there were oh so many ways of ensuring that, even after he hears the emperor's decrees, he would be forced to remain under Scarlet's command... "Very well," Scarlet Wake said, a smile beginning to cross his features, "I suppose that the operation I intended for you can be scrapped. Come see me in three days time, though: I am certain to have something in mind for you by then." ---------------------------- "Thank you." "No, thank you," Golden Grace said to the one speaking to him through the mirror. "Had you not made me aware of Scarlet Wake's plans this morning, I would not have had time to contact the Assassin's Guild, and pay them to void all contracts before the Widowmaker struck. My one regret was that I could not hinder the attack upon the church today." A half-smile forming on his features, he admitted, "My secretary is very dear to me, and her loss would have been unbearable. I will need to make certain Scarlet Wake suffers for that." His expression soured when he admitted, "He has become something of a blind spot for me: I never really considered he might be a true threat to the kingdom, and if what you've told me is true..." He cheered up as he changed the subject, saying, "I admit, though, I was surprised to be contacted by you, of all ponies..." Chuckling, King Sombra said, "When I return, and trust when I say that I will return, given time, I would like for there to still be an Equestria waiting for me, should I decide I wish to conquer it." His expression grim, he continued, "The new emperor is the one best able to weather the coming storm, but Scarlet's little attack, intended only to rattle the emperor, has proven far more successful than expected. Bad enough that trauma has left him unable to act for now: Guilt at having failed to prevent the deaths of so many innocents would have had a far more severe effect, I think. I will need him to come back, filled with vim and vigor, and unhindered by guilt or self-doubt. Otherwise, not only the Crystal Empire, but the whole of Equestria, may fall to Winter's grasp." "In this," Golden Grace answered, "we are of one mind. And given that you expect your return to take a thousand years, I see no harm in accepting your aid in this... as much as I dislike you personally. An ally with your intelligence gathering abilities is nothing to be sneezed at." Taking a sip of wine, Golden Grace asked, "How fares the emperor?" Sombra looked, if anything, grimmer than before, as he said, "I can only observe what happens within his mind, and while recent information has given me some context..." With a snort, he admitted, "I dislike admitting that I cannot understand something, but in all of my years in working with the minds of ponies, I have never encountered a psyche so... unique. I just hope that Luna can help him: There's every possibility that her presence may make things worse instead of better..." "I shall trust that the princess will do what she can," the duke said, smiling, "I recommend you do likewise. In the meantime, I think I shall spring a surprise visit to my cousin's home... and bring my armsponies with me. I need to confirm a few things with my own eyes... and to pull Nopony and his family out of there if I can." "Be careful," Sombra warned, "There is something deeply wrong with Scarlet Wake: He was willing to murder thirty ponies, twenty-nine of them uninvolved with his treachery, to cover up his crime, and had felt no guilt in doing so. While I may have done similar wrongs, I at least had the excuse of being tainted by dark magic. Your cousin has no such excuse, he is simply evil to the core. If you try to corner him as the Emperor tried to do..." His expression deadly serious, Golden Grace said, "I appreciate the warning. I assure you, if I feel overt action is needed, I will not hesitate to strike him down. However," he continued, a half-smile upon his face, "I would prefer it not come to that. I have tried very hard to remove myself from the games of the peerage, so that I can watch things from behind the proverbial curtain without needless distractions: My brother and sister nobles are so busy watching each other, they do not watch for the truly serious threats... like you." Sombra snorted, but could not hide his grin. Chuckling, Golden Grace continued, "If I come back into the spotlight, the city will be defenseless against the next foreign threat. Better that the emperor takes care of this, once he recovers: It will make him look good to his subjects, and I can remain behind the scenes."