Chapter 27. Questions for The Unknown Crown.
A deafening stillness rang in General Camisole’s ears as she and the rest of her squad escorted the rightful heirs of the Crystal Empire to the Crystal Castle, allowing the hushed whispers of hidden ponies to waft along the wind as she and her group followed Colonel Kernel. Towers of crystals that had once been luxurious homes had become desolate from war and age, and streets that were rumored to be made of emeralds and other gems had become cracked and worn from the heavy snow of the Frozen North. But, worst of all, was the damage caused to the hearts of the ponies who called the fallen Empire their home.
She rarely met the eyes of fearful ponies who were peering through the cracks of their doors, or stealing quick glances from behind their improvised curtains. When her eyes would lock into theirs for even a brief moment, a pang of sorrow ate away at her insides as the crystal ponies flinched away from her gaze. Even if they couldn’t see her eyes thanks to her reflective goggles, they could still feel her gaze whenever it met their own.
Her ears easily caught the whispers of ponies who kept themselves hidden in their homes, listening to the quiet conversations that were being held behind closed doors.
“Are... Are those thestrals?”
“What’s on their eyes?”
“Are they Dream Valley’s guard?”
“Can those thestrals actually see with those things on?”
“Is that a new alicorn?” They would ask in quiet voices.
Those, and many other questions, fell into her ears as she surveyed her surroundings.
The old ruins of the Crystal Empire were truly a sight to behold. Even after being buried under three thousand years’ worth of snow, the Empire’s beauty and magnificence could still be compared to the most luxurious districts in Canterlot. The only detraction from the Empire’s beauty was the state of the ponies who resided in it.
Thin and frail looking ponies were in abundance, and a fearful skepticism was etched into each of their curious eyes. The guards who were escorting them were comparatively better with more lush coats and bright eyes filled with pride and honor that shined through their dark themed armor, it was something straight out of a history museum or a larping camp. The heavy metal armor that they wore reminded her of the armor that knights would wear in fantasy stories, where heroic ponies would battle vicious monsters to save a fair maiden or to liberate an enslaved colony. However, the memories of her childhood fantasy melted away whenever her eyes caught the bone themed accents that were designed in their armor.
The symbol of heroism and honor had been tainted with the skeletal accents, turning it into a symbol of fear and intimidation rather than a sign of safety and defense. And yet, despite the ominous designs that were etched into their sets of armor, the guards of the Crystal Empire each wore cheerful expressions on their faces.
Even their leader, Colonel Kernel, wore a brilliantly cheerful smile as he continued to recount the story of Sombra’s demise at the hooves of Skeletor.
“—And then, Lord Skeletor delicately laid the unconscious slaves that he had carried all the way to the Crystal Castle on the floor of the Throne Room, and confronted Sombra after knocking out a dozen more enslaved guards. Lord Skeletor used his own strength to effortlessly rip Sombra’s skull from his head and stabbed the bastard through the heart with his own horn, killing the wicked tyrant instantly. Afterwards, Lord Skeletor bashed his own head against Sombra’s skull and pulverized it until there was nothing left of the demonic ruva.
“As Sombra’s blood began to leak from his corpse and paint the floor, a secret passageway was opened up in the Throne Room that led to the highest tower in the Empire, where Sombra had hidden the Crystal Heart. It was then, that Lord Skeletor took three volunteers up the seemingly infinite stairs, so that they could return the Heart as he gazed at the Empire from its highest peak. After using all of his strength to remove the enchantments that kept the Crystal Heart locked in the tower, Lord Skeletor sent the three ponies back down the stairs to deliver the Heart as he passed out from fatigue a short while later.”
“And he did that all by himself,” Camisole asked is a clearly skeptical tone. “How could a pony do any of that?”
“Lord Skeletor isn’t a pony,” Colonel Kernel answered immediately. “He’s… Uh… I’m not too sure what he is, exactly.”
“Please, it’s obvious what he is,” one of the crystal pony guards interjected. “He’s a deity sent by Faust. The Royal Treasurer has been talking the guards’ ears off for days now about how Lord Skeletor told him that he was sent here by Faust to liberate the Crystal Empire.”
“You’ve been listening to Master Value preach too much,” another guard butted in. “It’s clear that Lord Skeletor was a minotaur that was cursed by Eris for making fun of her.”
“HA! Please, Lord Skeletor would never be stupid enough to mock the Goddess of Chaos. He’s a god like her, but he’s not a God of Chaos… Hm. Maybe the God of Death?”
“Really? That’s the best you can come up with? It’s clear that he’s a de—“
“Hey! Watch what you say about our Lord,” a crystal guard quickly chastised. “Point is, none of us know for certain what he is. And if we just keep guessin’, then we’re only gonna end up insultin’ him. ‘Specially if you’re dumb enough ta call him the ‘D’ word,” the crystal guard explained to the rest of the group.
“Alright, everypony, calm down, nopony here is insulting Skeletor,” Colonel Kernel gently commanded. “Remember who we’re escorting right now, let’s not act like a bunch of foals. Sorry about that, princess,” he apologized.
“It’s fine,” Princess Cadence dismissed easily. “But, if you wouldn’t mind, could you tell us a bit more about Lord Skeletor. Like, what species is he, or what species do you think he is?”
“Truthfully… I’m beginning to think that the rumors about him being from Faust’s Garden are true,” the colonel of the crystal guard admitted. “The most we know about him is that he was a traveling writer in a place called ‘A-Miracle’.”
“It wasn’t ‘A-Miricale,’ it was ‘A-Mare-Land’,” one of the larger Crystal Guards corrected.
“Yer both wrong, it’s ‘Amore-Can,’ Faust named a layer of her garden after Princess Amore when she died,” another guard argued.
Quiet murmurs of arguments about the proper pronunciation of a possibly made up land began to overtake the guards of the Crystal Empire as they debated which one of them was correct. While it was somewhat humorous to watch a group of grown guards bicker about how to say the name of Skeletor’s homeland, General Camisole paid them little attention as she went over the small hints of information that the colonel and his guards provided.
So far, the only clues given were that Skeletor was an ugly looking minotaur, or he was a god, the latter of which was completely ridiculous. The other three clues she had were that he possessed hands, was from a place that was made up, and that the guards were hesitant to call him something that began with the letter “D”.
Calling lycanthrope’s a “doggy” was an offensive slur that began with the letter “D,” so that could have also hinted as to what Skeletor was, though to General Camisole, that was even more unlikely than the god theory. Back before Princess Luna’s banishment, calling Lycanthrope’s “Diamond Dogs,” was an acceptable term. It was only a few years after her banishment that the word began to have a negative connotation when Lycanthropes were compared to their more docile counterparts, the normal house dog, causing them to be the only species on Terra to petition for changing their species’ name.
The name of his homeland was obviously made up, so that held little weight in her theories on what he was. Though, an interesting clue was hidden in his name, which was similar to the minotaurian naming style. After Prince Matador, who was famous for doing something with taxes or whatever, names ending in a hard “R” became extremely popular. Names like Moor, Bulldozor, Salvador, and so on became a large part of their culture, so Skeletor could have been a minotaur. Then again, that information was just a random bit of high school history that General Camisole barley remembered thanks to a nursery rhyme, so it wasn’t too sound of a theory.
As the general began to wrack her brain with different ideas and theories, their large group slowly approached the Crystal Castle. It was an architectural marvel that looked nearly alien in nature, with dozens of towers made of various types of crystals that looked as if they grew naturally to form the outer walls of the castle. The castle was mainly supported by three large curved pillars that kept the foundation of the Crystal Castle above most of the rooftops.
Underneath the three substantial pillars was a large open space, that was big enough for a fully-grown dragon to curl up and rest comfortably for a long hibernation. A large crowd of crystal ponies surrounded the Crystal Castle from all sides, gathering around the plaza beneath the castle as if they were waiting to watch Princess Celestia herself teleport into the center of their crowd.
“It looks like some ponies ignored the order to stay indoors,” one of the crystal guards stated.
“Topaz, Red Flag, Spear Head, and Blizzard Blanket, trot ahead and tell those ponies to clear a path to the door. Bitter Pill, and Ruby Whisper, get the guards up ahead to stand in formation to protect our guests,” Colonel Kernel quickly ordered.
“Why are there so many crystal ponies around the castle?” Camisole asked.
“They’re praising the Heart, right now,” the colonel replied easily.
“So the Crystal Heart was really found?” Princess Cadence asked. “Wow… So, we’ll be able to see it too?”
“Of course, your majesty. I’m sure we can spare a few minutes to watch the Heart. If we’re lucky, we might run into the Royal Advisor too.”
Just as the colonel promised, after having his guards sent ahead to help clear a path to the main entrance of the Crystal Castle, he allowed Princess Cadence to watch the Crystal Heart spin atop a pedestal that was placed in the center of the plaza. It was oddly hypnotic to watch a caricature of a heart made of large crystal slowly rotate, like watching the stars on a mobile gently spin above a foal’s crib.
General Camisole’s gaze soon drifted back to the crowd that surrounded them. Aside from the heavier coats and their glossier fur, the general could barely notice any differences between a crystal pony and a regular earth pony. Of course, admitting something like that aloud would have earned her the “privilege” of attending week long seminars in a room filled with idiots. However, even if she couldn’t say anything about the close similarities between earth ponies and crystal ponies, there was something that she could say aloud to her comrades, albeit in a very quiet whisper for fear of being heard by others.
“Hey, Crux,” Camisole whispered quietly to their team’s medic.
“What?”
“You’re the egghead on all things Crystal Empire related, right?”
“I’m not an egg—”
“And earlier, you said that there were ponies who were like unicorns, right?” She interrupted.
“Yeah, ruvas are a race of ponies that have been considered extinct ever since the Crystal Empire was lost to history. I can’t wait to meet one!”
“Well, you may have to wait for a lot longer than you imagined,” she told him as she stole another glance at the crowd of crystal ponies. “All I’ve seen are crystal ponies. No horns, no thestral wings, nothing, not even a hint of any other races. It’s just been crystal ponies, more crystal ponies, and shockingly enough, more crystal ponies. Where the buck are the ruvas and thestrals, aren’t they supposed to live here too?”
“That’s a good question… Maybe they just have a low population density? I’m sure we’ll get to meet other races soon enough,” he optimistically replied.
“… Wanna make a bet?”
“You’re not supposed to gamble with—”
“I bet a mango smoothie that we won’t see any ruvas today.”
“Why would you make that bet? We’re obviously going to see at least one today.”
“Call it a gut feeling. So, are you going to bet or not?”
“… Extra-large smoothie.”
“Deal,” General Camisole easily agreed before the two of them fell into silence with the rest of their group, watching the Crystal Heart lazily rotate on its pedestal in the center of the plaza.
The halls of the Crystal Castle were bustling with activity as maids and guards alike raced to each other to confirm the latest bit of gossip to hit the walls of the castle. Word had spread faster than mold in a forgotten alchemy lab that something was approaching the Crystal Empire, causing the guards to take up arms and prepare for the worst-case scenario.
Their worries and fears were instantly turned into a myriad of emotions once the word of the guards reached them. Beyond all odds, something unbelievable had happened to change any solidified fear into hopeful confusion and mystified wonder, an alicorn had come to the Crystal Empire.
The entrance to the Crystal Castle was blocked by a large group of maids who were stealing glances through the small crack of the door as other staff members and guards crowded nearby windows to get a good look at the plaza.
All of their eyes were glued to the pink coat of the unknown alicorn, watching her bath in the early morning light that illuminated her coat. Nopony in the guard or part of the castle’s staff dared to anything more than watch her, as if approaching her or calling out to her would cause her to fly away.
It didn’t take long for word of the alicorn’s arrival to reach the ears of Lord Skeletor’s Royal Advisor, causing her to gallop from the medical wing of the castle as quickly as her hooves could carry her. Word of mouth had spread from a select few guards to dozens of them, causing the message to become distorted and different with each quick retelling.
Several maids had quickly talked about the resurrection of Princess Amore, while other maids and guards began to spread contradicting remarks, such as the alicorn sisters returning from Dream Valley, and an unknown alicorn arriving at the entrance of the Crystal Castle. Emerald Secret didn’t stop her fast gallop to ask any questions about the various rumors that began to grow from silent whispers to joyous shouts of hope about the return of their princess, or the return of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.
While she was galloping towards the nearest window facing the plaza, she held a small amount of hope that the alicorn in question would have been Princess Amore. Although Emerald Secret had seen the previous princess’ death with her own eyes, her heart refused to let go of the single thread of hope that one of her close friends was still alive, that her death at Sombra’s hooves had been nothing more than the tyrant’s cruel dark magic playing tricks on her mind.
But, to her silent dismay, when she finally reached a window close to the entrance of the Crystal Castle, the thread of hope that was wrapped around her heart was cut by the sight of the new alicorn.
Emerald Secret bitterly chastised herself for holding onto any fraction of hope that Princess Amore was alive. Seeing the unknown alicorn being flocked by a large number of thestrals in white fur coats caused something inside of Emerald Secret to break. The small, almost insignificant, sense of hope at seeing either princesses of Dream Valley return to the Crystal Empire shriveled away when she saw the pink alicorn in the plaza. It was as if the world had delivered her a firm message; that the others were dead, and that there was a desperate need for a young replacement who could shoulder the weight of royalty.
Still, the arrival of an unknown alicorn was truly a sight to behold. As a member of Princess Amore’s former council, Emerald Secret had the pleasure of meeting the other alicorns, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, on two occasions when they visited the Crystal Empire for diplomatic reasons, so Emerald was one of the few ponies who could claim that they had met all three alicorns in her life.
Having the opportunity to meet all three alicorns was legendary, meeting a fourth alicorn as well however was something that was so absurd that it couldn’t even be considered as fiction. For as long as the princesses lived, there had been hundreds, if not thousands, of rumors that there were more than just three alicorns in the world, but they had all amounted to nothing more than a fantasy dreamt up in the minds of young foals who wished to meet a princess in their young lives and be whisked away to a beautiful castle.
The crowd of guards and maids that blocked the front doors of the Crystal Castle quickly parted for Emerald Secret after she gave them a gentle cough. The guards were quick to reply to her gently implied command with a salute as they stepped aside to let her pass through the doors.
It was as if time had physically crawled to a halt once Emerald Secret descended the few steps that led to the main entrance of the Crystal Castle. She was the only pony moving in a crowd of frozen statues, trotting past over a dozen captivated eyes as she made her way to the focus of their attention. Delicate whispers wafted along every gentle breeze that blew through the plaza, creating an orchestra of quiet worry and excitement that caused Emerald to focus on her own steadily beating heart. It was as if she had stepped into an entirely different world, one where the warming gazes and conversations that usually filled the plaza had snapped under the tension of the unknown, and forced the world and time itself to stand completely still.
It faintly reminded Emerald of a dream she had long ago, where the blankets weighing down on her limbs caused her to desperately trudge through the thick air of her fanciful dream, a world of joy that forced an unknown and overwhelming presence to weigh down on her limbs. Even though there was nothing that physically weighed down her body or her legs, there was still a strange pressure that felt suffocating to her.
Colonel Kernel was the first pony to take notice of Emerald and acknowledge her, trotting away from the rest of his guards to greet the Royal Advisor.
“Ah! Hello Mrs. Secret,” Colonel Kernel greeted respectfully, catching the alicorn’s attention as he waved to his fellow council member. “This is Princess Cadenza, from… Well, I’m not sure where she’s from, but she says that Princess Luna and Princess Celestia are alive! Isn’t that great?”
Emerald’s eyes locked with the pink alicorn for a brief moment, causing the Royal Advisor to hesitate in her steps as she approached. Her vibrant lavender eyes outshined the amethyst gems that decorated her golden crown, as if her natural beauty was physically fighting against the ornate gems on her crown.
The green coated mare fell to her forelegs to bow in respect to Princess Cadenza. “Greetings, your majesty. I am Emerald Secret, Royal Advisor to the lord of the Crystal Empire, his highness Skeletor. I thank you for delivering such joyous news,” she said in a professional yet almost monotone tone of voice.
Perhaps it had been many sleepless nights where Princess Luna hadn’t made an appearance in their dreams, or the odd way the celestial bodies moved in the early mornings and late evenings, but a stubborn piece of her refused to full heartedly believe in the possibility of the other alicorns living. The small glimmer of hope that she held for seeing any of the princesses alive, had died when she saw the pink alicorn standing in the plaza.
When Emerald Secret rose from her bow, she was slightly surprised to see the princess return her gesture with a small curtsy of her own by putting her right forehoof in front of her left forehoof and lowering her head. “Thank you for greeting me, Mrs. Secret. Will your lord and any of your other government officials be greeting me in the plaza, as well?”
“I… I came down as soon as I heard the news. Avid Value and Crumb Catcher should be coming down here soon, but our lord is still sleeping,” Emerald Secret explained to the princess after remembering that she had completely forgotten to attend to Lord Skeletor when she heard the rumors spreading through the castle about the, as of then, unknown alicorn.
“Your majesty, if you don’t mind, I think it’s best that we escort you into the castle now,” Colonel Kernel told Princess Cadenza as his eyes flicked to the crowd of crystal ponies surrounding them. “I’m certain that Lord Skeletor and the other council members would be able to greet you more comfortably in the castle.”
“Then please, lead the way Mrs. Secret,” Princess Cadenza agreed.
With a final bow to the princess as a sign of respect, Emerald Secret turned to guide the princess and her party through the plaza, with Colonel Kernel soon trotting up to her side as they escorted the princess. The thestrals escorting Princess Cadenza and Prince Shining Armor formed a circle around the royal pair as they followed behind the two council members. Without much delay, the Crystal Guards that had brought them to the plaza began to take up the flanks of their group, watching the thestrals with a barley restrained sense of curiosity burning in their eyes.
The hushed conversations from the onlookers slowly grew louder as the large group moved towards the Crystal Castle’s main entrance. Although not a single whisper or quiet word reached Emerald Secret’s ears, she could easily guess what they were talking to each other about, since they were likely asking the same questions that weighed heavily on her mind. "Where did the new princess and her fiancé come from, why did they return to the Crystal Empire after it had been liberated, and why weren’t the alicorn sisters with them?"
With so many questions, and nopony who was brave enough to directly ask them, those questions stayed within the confides of their minds with their only hope of freedom being suppressed by the walls of their own lips refusing to move. The halls fell silent once the princess and the prince passed the threshold of the castle doors, each visible maid and servant quickly made themselves scarce as their entourage walked through the first hallway of the Crystal Castle, passing the many portraits of Princess Amore that lined the walls of the hall.
A low whistle was the only sound to break the sudden silence. When Emerald turned to see the one who took it upon themselves to break the silence that filled the halls, she saw Prince Shining Armor admiring the many portraits with a wandering gaze.
“Are those paintings of Princess Amore?” The white unicorn asked.
“They are,” Emerald answered. “Lord Skeletor believed that it would only be appropriate to pay tribute to Princess Amore by allowing her to live in the Crystal Castle in some form. Our lord has been offered to have his own portrait painted quite a few times, but each time he insisted on having another painting of Princess Amore made instead.”
“So, what kind of creature is Skeletor? Species wise, at least,” Shinning Armor asked.
“Lord Skeletor, is… he’s… uh… Actually, I don’t believe he’s ever disclosed that information.”
“What do you mean by that? Can’t you tell if he’s a yak or a dragon or some other creature?” Princess Cadenza asked in turn.
“Well he isn’t any of those either. Quite frankly, I don’t believe any of us have ever seen a being like Lord Skeletor. A few of the council members have given their own opinions, and while I shared those for a time, I’m… I’m not sure any of us were right about our assumptions. He’s an oddity, that’s for certain,” Emerald Secret lightly joked.
“The guards earlier claimed that he was a god of some kind sent by Faust. Did he tell any of you that, or is that just a rumor?”
“As far as I’m aware, it’s just a rumor that’s been heavily perpetuated by our Royal Treasurer.”
“Pretty decent rumor,” Colonel Kernel added in an almost inaudible mutter, before he decided to share his point more vocally with the others. “I mean, there aren’t many other explanations, if you ask me. And, it’d be nice if he really was from Faust’s Garden. I’d also feel less worried too…”
“I’m almost certain that there’s a more plausible explanation,” Emerald Secret disagreed. “If he was really a deity sent by Faust, then I believe he would have shared that information with the rest of us.”
“Well, Mr. Value said that Lord Skeletor confided in him, and said that he’s from a land that no creature could fly or swim to, a place that rested on the other side of the farthest and tallest rainbows, in a land where everypony is allowed to marry who they want in the afterlife.”
“But, Lord Skeletor didn’t directly say that he was from Faust’s Garden. His words could also allude to him being from somewhere far away on Terra, and not in Faust’s garden. Perhaps a high mountainous area far away from the Crystal Empire that pegasi and thestrals can’t easily fly to.”
“Like the Storm Lands?” Princess Cadenza asked.
“The ‘Storm Lands’?” Emerald repeated. “I’ve never heard of that place before. Is it somewhere in Dream Valley?”
“I don’t think so, I’ve never heard of a place called Dream Valley, what's it like?” The princess asked.
The abrupt question from Princess Cadenza nearly caused Emerald Secret to fall over her two front hooves once those words left her mouth. When Lord Skeletor had asked a similar question on his first day of ruling the Crystal Empire, it was only accepted as normal because it was obvious to many ponies that he wasn’t familiar with their land or customs. But, for an alleged relative of the two rulers of Dream Valley, it was a sincere cause for worry and doubt.
“You… You don’t know where Dream Valley is?” Emerald Secret asked, hoping that she had somehow managed to mishear the pink alicorn.
“No, is it a place in the Crystal Empire?” The princess asked, unaware of the weight that her words carried.
The crystal guards escorting the princess and her entourage threw uneasy glances at her horn and wings, as if to confirm for a fact that they were looking at an alicorn princess. It was understandably odd for an alicorn who claimed to be related to the princesses of Dream Valley to not know where the kingdom her relatives ruled was, or what the name of their kingdom was for that matter. Even a foal born in the most secluded part of the Crystal Empire would have been taught about the Empire’s relationship with Dream Valley. Asking a question like, “where is Dream Valley,” was almost comparable to asking what color the sky was.
For Emerald, it had felt as if something stranger than a bipedal creature with a skull for a face entered the castle; she believed that an imposter princess had strode into their Empire. And with that sudden revelation, came a storm of worry that swept her away from her rocky carriage ride of emotions and threw her into a hurricane of confusion.
The sudden change in the atmosphere didn’t go unnoticed by the questionable princess either, as she too appeared to be swept away by the heavy winds of distrust and unease. “Um, did I say something wrong?” She tentatively asked, weathering the fog of doubt that hung heavy in the air.
“… Of course not, your highness, you… did nothing wrong,” Emerald Secret attempted to assure her, as she continued to lead everypony to Lord Skeletor’s bedchambers to awaken her lord.
A foreboding unease filled the stale air of the rancid smelling cave that sat above the dark clouds that littered the sky. The corpses of those who dared to pursue justice and honor filled the once deep pits that were laid at the mouth of the cave, becoming nothing more but stepping stones for other adventurers who were doomed to the same tragic fate.
The stench of death and absolute despair had become a permanent fixture in the ominous cave, a testament to the evil entities that had made the mountain their own twisted castle of agony. If one were to listen closely enough, they would most likely swear that the souls of the dead lingered in the hellscape above the clouds, cursing the monsters that had torn them to shreds with vile magic and brute strength. To the monsters that had willingly made that place their own personal palace, it was a methodic tune that sedated their vicious bloodlust.
A wide variety of monsters sought refuge in the large mountain, wild beasts, undead soldiers, the scourge of society, and demons that plagued the minds of the innocent all gathered under one horrific tyrant. It wasn’t a sense of loyalty or companionship that made the monsters seek out the demon who claimed the mountain as his castle, but a sense of fear for what would happen if they hadn’t aligned themselves with the demon.
And yet, despite the horrors and abominations of science and magic that took up arms to defend their castle, one hero without any hint of fear. For others, such an expedition would be nothing less than suicide, but for the defender of the innocent and hero of legend, it was an average Saturday afternoon.
Like a blinding light that pierced through the darkness, the Herculean hero of all, the shield against evil, and the most powerful man in the universe crossed the threshold of the mountain's mouth.
The Goliath of a man with golden hair emerged from the shadows, drawing his mighty blade from his sheath as he prepared for his battle with the master of all evil. The legendary hero, He-Man, had prepared himself both mentally and physically for his confrontation with the ruler of Snake Mountain. While he could easily dispatch many foes with his pinky toe alone, there were still those who had the power to defeat the hero of Eternia, and if the hero would ever fall in battle, the secrets of the universe would be laid bare to the most wicked monsters that lived in Eternia.
As the mighty warrior took careful note of his surroundings, preparing for a sudden ambush at any moment, a large cage fell from the ceiling of the cavern, instantly trapping the hero behind the strongest metal bars on Eternia. Even with his power sword and incredible strength, there was almost no chance of the hero being able to break through the enchanted cage.
“Nye-Ha, Adam! I’ve caught you!” The master of all evil in Eternia gloated as he emerged from the shadows.
“Hey, no fair!” The grown man whined as he desperately pulled at the bars of his cage. “This isn’t how you play hide and seek!”
“Oh, we were playing Hide and Seek? Well… Tell that to the tickle monster!” He threatened as he began to charge at the cage. Before the Master of Evil could unleash his vicious tickle attack on the defenseless guardian of peace, a loud bang broke through the fragile existence of the odd scene that had been created in Skeletor’s warped mind.
As Skeletor, the proclaimed Lord of the Crystal Empire, and not the perverted tickler of buff men in hairy underwear, left the realm of sleep to join those who had decided to start a productive and early day, the vivid scene his mind painted began to melt into a confused mess of forgettable darkness.
“Hmmm…” Skeletor groaned while sitting up from his bed. The beautiful call from his mattress to return to the realm of dreams had nearly caused the blue skinned king to lie back down. Unfortunately, the call of nature decided that it was the perfect moment to remind Skeletor that he couldn’t live in his comfortable bed forever.
“Apologies for entering your room without your express permission, my lord,” Emerald Secret apologized as she trotted into his room. Suddenly, like a puberty-stricken teenager who had forgotten to dispose of his used tissues, Skeletor had come to realize that his room was still a hap hazardous mess from all of his experiments and busy nights of studying.
“Emerald? W-what are you doing in here?” Skeletor asked as he pulled the blankets of his bed closer to his body. The idea of standing right in front of the mess he had created in a vain hope to hide his shame briefly crossed his mind, but was instantly chased when he realized he couldn’t block a broken mirror wardrobe, a partially burnt bookshelf, over a dozen books that had also been badly damaged, and a pillar of ice in the corner that hadn’t melted since he used it to put out a fire he started.
“Soooo… Everything alright, Emerald?” Asked Skeletor as he decided to ignore the mess and pretend like everything was normal.
“It’s… Complicated, my lord. Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Prince Shining Armor have arrived, and would like to seek an audience with you.”
“Oh, princess and…” Skeletor trailed off as he slowly rose up from his bed to stare at his Royal Advisor. “I’m… I’m sorry Emerald, could you repeat that?”
“Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Prince Shining Armor are here.”
“What!?” Skeletor exclaimed as he stumbled out of the safety of his covers. “There’s actual royalty here? Like right now?! Here to see me?!”
“Yes, my lord, they’re waiting to meet with you, but—”
“Fuck! I-I’m not prepared for this! Shit, I don’t have pants, or a shirt, I can’t go meet royalty dressed like this!” Skeletor claimed as he began to frantically open the drawers of his dresser.
“Why not?” Emerald Secret asked in earnest.
“Why not? WHY NOT?! Look at me Emerald, what do you see?” Skeletor rhetorically asked as he rushed over to his bed and began to use his bedding to make a makeshift robe around his waist.
“… A kind king?”
“I look like a freak! Dammit, they’re going to see me and call me a monster, and then they’re going to do... Do something, and then the Crystal Empire will be fucked over, and then it’ll be my fault and I’ll—” Skeletor continued to ramble on as Emerald Secret stared at him with wide eyes.
“My lord, please calm yourself. Everything will be fine… Hopefully,” Emerald tried to reason as her lord frantically searched the room for more articles of cloth to cover his body.
“Fine?! Emerald this is legitimate royalty here. Anything I say or do wrong could end up sending the Empire to war with another kingdom. Alright, uh… Stall them! Give them a tour of the castle or something and bring them to the throne room in thirty minutes. I need to find Colonel Kernel and Crumb Catcher immediately.”
“Why? Wouldn’t it be better to meet with them now?”
“I can’t do that, not now, not yet. I-I need, I need to uh… Just, I need to make a good impression on them. Just, go talk to them for a bit, show them a few paintings of Princess Amore, maybe get them something to eat, do whatever, but do not let them in the Throne Room until uh… until thirty minutes from now. They’ll see the Empire is in good hands, they’ll talk to some ponies, and then they’ll meet… me.
“They’ll uh… They’ll meet me and uh, we’ll chat, or whatever it is rulers do. Just, just talk to them for me, Emerald. Talk about how nice the Empire is, how you’re feeling, just talk to them and make them feel comfortable. Please, I need you, Emerald. Just, please help me,” he practically begged.
“V-very well, my lord. I just thought I should tell you that… Some of us have concerns about their claim to being royalty.”
“Do they have crowns on their heads?”
“Yes.”
“Do they have guards with them, too?”
“Oddly dressed guards, but I do believe they’re still guards.”
“Then that sounds like royalty to me. Find out which kingdom they’re from and treat them hospitably. I’d rather treat them well and be wrong about their status than do something to upset them if they are royalty. Learn what you can and bring them to the throne room in half an hour,” Skeletor ordered as he fastened one of his blankets into a makeshift skirt, only to rip it off of himself a few moments later in aggregation.
“… I will make sure that everything goes well, my lord. Rest assured, nothing will go wr—"
“Don’t finish that sentence,” Skeletor commanded. “Just… Go and make a good impression on them. Find out as much as you can from them, and make them feel at ease.”
“As you wish, my lord. I'll take care of everything."
“Thank you, Emerald. I wasssss… Um… I wasn't worried, or, I mean I’m not worried. They should just know the strength of the Empire, and that the tyrant, Sombra, wasn’t strong enough to completely crush the Crystal Empire’s hope. They need to know that the ponies are happy and things are good, and there’s no reason to try to make us an enemy or unnecessarily intervene in any way, like starting a revolution, but that's completely crazy. I mean, who would follow them into a revolution to overthrow and behead me?..” He rambled with an award smile on his jaws.
“… Of course, my lord. I don’t think they hold any ill-will towards the Empire. I’m certain that they’ll be happy to meet you, my lord… I hope,” she said as she opened the door to leave Skeletor.
Left with his own thoughts and sudden worries. Royalty … Royalty, why is there royalty here? Wait… No one outside the Empire should know that Sombra isn’t in control of the Empire anymore… The last pair of royalty that came here either died or barely escaped death at his hooves, so no one should be stupid enough to come here unless…
“Fuck… No, no, that’s not possible. That’d be stupid, there’s no way they came here intending to meet Sombra… But what if they were?” Skeletor wondered to himself as he opened the drawer of his dresser to retrieve his new crown.
“If they came here to meet with him… If he had secret supporters outside the Empire, like corrupt nobility or royalty from other kingdoms… That’s what he meant about Grogar, isn’t it? Fuck, I thought he was just talking out of his ass… If this, Gorgar guy is royalty, then he might have an entire kingdom… No, he might have an actual Empire. And who’s to say he’s the only one,” Skeletor realized as he stared into the gems that decorated his crown.
“DAMN YOU, SOMBRA!” Skeletor shouted in rage as he tossed his crown at his bed. “Fine! I’ll deal with whatever mess you left for me, you incompetent incorporeal imbecile!”
Similar to the many other times Skeletor threatened the spirit of the Empire’s last tyrant, he received no response from the deceased ruva. Though, unlike the other times he had threatened to banish Sombra’s spirit or do something similar, Skeletor could have sworn that he felt a disgusting sense of mirth from beyond the veil of life. Even if Somrba’s lingering ghost didn’t openly gloat about Skeletor’s shortcomings and failures, the silence from the empty room haunted him more than any vexing words that could have passed Sombra’s lips.
After taking a moment to collect his crown and his staff, the Lord of the Crystal Empire opened a portal to the throne room with the crown of the Crystal Empire resting firmly on his skull. The crown that he had hated no less than a day before had become one of his greatest weapons for the upcoming meeting with Sombra's possible supporters, showing the royal pair that the Empire was no longer under Sombra's subjugation. As much as Skeletor would have loved to send them back home with their tails literally between their legs, he had to approach this with a level of diplomacy and respect for the royal couple, or else the Empire would likely find itself at war with whatever kingdom the prince and princess hailed from.
"Guards, find Crumb Catcher and Avid Value, and relay my orders to them," Skeletor ordered the guards once he sat on his throne. "Tell them to prepare suitable gifts for Prince Armored and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza in no less than fifteen minutes, and to then come immediately to the throne room. We must prepare for this... meeting."
With his orders delivered, the two royal guards departed to convey his words to the Royal Spy Master and the Royal Treasurer. Skeletor could only hope that whatever his Council members prepared would be enough to preemptively placate the royal couple and convey his "willingness" to have good relations with them. And, if by chance they hadn't supported the tyrant then giving them gifts and speaking with them would prove profitable for the Empire in the long run. In the end, all Skeletor could do was count down the minutes as he waited for one of the most difficult tasks in all his life to come trotting through the throne room's doors. Either he would succeed in gaining the approval of the foreign prince and princess, or... he and the Empire would suffer.
May whatever twisted god of this world have mercy on us all, he silently prayed.
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A good chapter, though I was so hoping to see the meeting between Skeletor and Cadence. Ah well, time to stew in my anticipation for a while.
To me, Skeletor is quickly beginning to look like a bumbling fool who tells more lies than truths; no matter the good intention, a lie is a lie, and is just lucky enough his stumbling around more often than not turns out with an acceptable result.
The guy means well, but hes gonna quickly turn those who have the utmost loyalty and faith in him against him if he doesnt start telling them the damn truth.
It getin good
you know , i hope he somehow rush job a mask to wear. and it be funny if its the same mask Ains wear to hide his own skull face
Every time I hear about Dream Valley I just think of salad.
Well this is definitely getting (even more) interesting! I look forward to the modern Equestrian’s reactions to Skeletor and what he’s done. Anyway, great job so far!
A bit concerned that the next chapter is going to involve handing Skeletor an idiot ball to cause some sort of misunderstanding simply for the sake of creating a problem for the plot to revolve around.
All he needs to do is not be completely stupid, and everything probably works out pretty ok here.
10495121
Dream Valley is hidden rather well.
I won't lie I am so pumped for the coming meeting it's going to be very interesting to say the least. :)
10495215
eeyup, plus Megan is long gone but the ponies of the empire still remember the hero of ponykind that faced Tirek the first time
I am so excited to see this meeting go down. This story has been one of my favorites and I must congratulate you for doing such a superb job. I will admit though, that I am worrying for a bit of cliche misunderstanding to happen. I mean, misunderstanding can still be used effectively but I just hope no stupid balls will be given out (mostly at our boy, Skeletor). Nonetheless, I eagerly await the next chapter.
This was a good chapter and is a nice step up for Skeletor's big reveal. I kind of expect the the royal guards and shining to make the first blunder, but I could be wrong, with all the players working with such low quality information a misunderstanding is bound to happen. The build up to this has been long and the pay off is, I hope anyway, to be a large firework show. Be if physically, mentally, or diplomatically is up in the air.
10495121
Maybe hidden valley would have been better lol.
10495149
But if things go smoothly that would be boring and too easy. The direction its going in is much more interesting, on a side note I doubt he will be given the idiot ball. When one is working from limited information, with large amounts of stress with a dash of mental magic fubar making any "good" moves will be a challenge. Besides I if anyone is going to be head idiot I think it will be the Cadence and her party. After just dealing with the changelings they would be understandably trigger happy on new possible threats.
He's totally gonna wear a cobra commander hood, isn't he?
This was a great set up chapter. We saw the perspectives of almost all the major players, plus we got a partial recap of almost all the previus issues still relevant. The next chapter is gonna be very interesting, as at this point it's practically impossible to predict what in Faust's name is going to happen. We could have war, anger, lies being revealed, the activation of a coup, Skeletor better fitting in to the role of leader, or just about anything else. It's going to be very, very interesting.
Skeletor buddy you gotta lay off the trickery and lies bro, the more lies you have the more you gotta juggle and keep straight. A few lies here and there is fine enough, but too many and you gonna end up tripping over your own trickery sooner or later.
Also guy seriously needs some stress relief, I mean I'd say it'd give him premature wrinkles but....errmmmm....yeah no worry there!
10495368
either that or a mask similar to what Ainz Ooal Gown-sama wore
And so begins the first of Cadence's slip ups... here's hoping it gives some leverage for Skeletor to use later if he needs it, though lets hope he doesn't need it at all.
10495149
There'll be plenty enough conflict without that, yeah. Like Celestia likely not taking too well to another dark wizard "usurping" the empire from her family. On top of whatever assumptions she takes from that book incident.
that should be
“Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, and Prince Shining Armor. are here.”
10495574
Thanks, I'll fix up all of those later. Classes are starting soon.
What are the chances Skeletor gets his Pet Panthor?
10495760
I was debating on one of three animal companions joining him. Those being his
PinkPurple Panther, the weird alien dog from the Christmas Special, or She-Ra's Alicorn Companion Swift Wind. I'm leaning more heavily towards the first two, but they'd probably be a lot smaller and cuddlier.i.pinimg.com/originals/05/f7/a3/05f7a32a58ca7876b296455d62b476fd.jpg
10495768
Why not all three
10495793
I feel like that would bloat the story too much. I already have one too many oc's running around, I'll need to resolve their stories sooner or later, and if I do them all at once, I'd have to fall down the rabbit hole of multiple He-men worlds and how they all tie to equestrian, and ecetra, ecetra. It would just be too much.
well he right that he leaves ah very unique first impression
10495427
to be fair he no politician or leader, he just some guy dropped in the deep end, he be trying to stay ahead of getting killed by a angry mob of ponies, he completely out of his depth, and he found out actually ponies are plotting against him, and now suddenly out of the blue royalty of another nation shows up i be paranoid too
10495768
It would be weird to have Swift Wind as Skeletor's pet, seeing as it is an alicorn.. BEHOLD, LORD SKELETOR MAKES EVEN AN ALICORN INTO HIS PROPERTY. Would seriously antagonize the princesses, I feel. Would also be loads of fun to read.
10495919
I had already written a few ideas regarding how I would use him, but that was when I planned for Skeletor to still be part of the Displaced multiverse. I planned to have the Puppet Master arrive in Skeletor's world and run him up to speed on the whole, "You're a cartoon in a cartoon," and then offer him one of the power swords, (Shera's) which would summon Swift Wind permanently.
I might post the bits I have of the first draft in my blog when I reach 800 likes. I'm planning to reveal the original plan I had for this story, and why I changed it when I reach that like goal.
Edit: 9 more likes to go!
10495574
What. Why period and comma there?
This really is a fantastic story.
Well thought out, well written and full of interesting things.
I( cant help but think that the Crystal Empire is going to want the princess and when they get what they want, they realize how badly they just screwed themselves over.
To be honest, I never liked how the "Crystal Empire" story arc happened in cannon. A group of foreign entities break into the country, attack the government and after defeating the king, they immediately take over. Becoming basically a puppet government under Equestrias rule. Really, there is only Celestias word that Heart-Butt really is the rightful air. The Crystal ponies really had no say in the matter what so ever.
Even if they had a government in mind to rule after Sombrero, their choice was kicked to the curb by a foreign power. Also the reason for the urgency and speed is also a bit suspicious. It really is almost like there is something Equestria needed badly that couldn't be lost to another country or bad things happen. It was a panic scramble to get that rulership at all costs and right freaking now.
Suspicious
And now for my new favorite quote.
The Monk
“…the perverted tickler of buff men in hairy underwear, left the realm of sleep to join those who had decided to start a productive and early day” -Hotel_Chicken
10495941
I'm not gonna lie, I didn't realize that was my quote until I saw my name on it. Out of context, that's really weird. In context too now that I think about it.
10495768
Did someone say-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbS-UHF9PHc&t=12s&ab_channel=WinterXO
10495962
The best quotes are the ones that make you pause when reading a story, just so you can read it again.
The Monk
“Puberty was a curse for those inflicted with it, and boundless amusement for others who survived the process.” -Scarheart
10495149
Eh, ponies are kinda racist, and I honestly doubt he will make a good impression purely from that. The Crystal ponies are clearly racist in this story, and after the Changeling fiasco, I doubt either of them will react well.
Admittedly, even if all goes well, there is STILL Grogar to worry about to drive the conflict.
I actually hope things go well if Cadence can sense emotions she should hopefully be able to sense that Skeletor isn’t evil even if he’s suspicious of Cadence and company plus steel could be a bargaining chip to use to get the Alicorns off his back
I’m also hoping Skeletor is really powerful to any kind of magic sense they might have and that Skeletor realizes that Cadance and company aren’t in league with Sombra maybe when they show disgust at his crimes?
Anyway I just want to say I love this story so far and I thank you for the work you’ve put into it.
Skeletor may not be a leader but he's slowly getting there.
His panic over visiting royalty is almost entirely about not screwing it up and making things bad/worse for the Crystal Empire. His heart is in the right place.
Cadence has set herself up to have things go bad real quick. She's made the claim that Celestia and Luna are her aunts, but she doesn't know what Dream Valley is. This is a red flag to the Crystal ponies. To them, Celestia and Luna are the rulers of Dream Valley and here is this alicorn claiming to be their niece who doesn't know what that is!
Some crystal pony is going to accuse her of being a false princess followed by some sort of confrontation. After that I see Skeletor most likely resolving the situation in some relatively bumbling way.
10495768
KITTY!
Ooh its gonna be good
Imagine if unicorn magic worked like fae magic in some myths, in that cold iron (steel) completely negates its power
10495264
What the heck do you mean, "too easy?" There is the threat of Sombra's ghost, Grogar maybe still being around, Thorax being a complete wadtosser and betraying the location of the Infinite Food-and-Power Gem to Queen Chrysalis, and the overarching Displaced Multiverse!
I am actually freaking out about what a massive shitstorm is probably in the works right now, even before throwing a potential war with Equestria into the mix. Especially considering that Skeletor has not been shown to even be very powerful, yet.
10501691
Well it’s confirmed that this doesn’t take place in the greater displaced universe so there’s that at least
Gristle . . . Grystal . . . Not sure if typo, or awesome name for Skeletor's Crystal Pony guard.
10553050
Thanks for pointing that out. Now I need to name a character Grystal in the future.
10495595
>3 months later
Bullshit. Skeletor did it by trial of personal combat. Cadance has the right to challange it by herself or her husband reclaiming it.
Literally just go ask him... At least the guys knowing him should know it by now...
Skeletor is right. Other nations might just enslave the remaining population and like Celestia plans rob the nations tresures.
That one reason Cadance better be ready to fight or let one champion for Skeletor for the throne.
For all we know there is a banished Alicorn of bad past deeds and she tries to claim the Crystal territorys. O wait... Why dont Luna rule the crystal empire again?!
Wonder what "Mr Random Trivia" Will know about that none of the others will when it gets mentioned?
completely
Absolutly priceless humor ♡
11286290
Id fight those Threstrals for a mango smoothie. There is a chinese restaurant next to my house that makes the best mango smoothies. Every paycheck i buy one.
Aaaa... yesss... Incoming fun:
Ahhh.. yesss... Cadance logic makes me:
Cadance truly is:
Cadance don't understand leadership: