The bellowing winds of the Frozen North roared as the sun rose over the horizon. Untamed clouds sent a flurry of snow spiraling through the air, carried on violent gales that that raced through the tundra that surrounded an ancient bastion of magic. The Crystal Empire, what little of it remained, stood strong against the fierce storm with a magical barrier that protected all of the ponies inside from the raging tempest.
Not a single soul in the Empire noticed the barrier begin to wilt against the storm.
The fierce storm outside of the barrier was almost completely forgotten by the ponies of the Empire as they focused on their daily lives.
Finding comfort in a familiar routine was a luxury that had vanished in the recent years of the Crystal Empire. Only the time allowed for sleeping and eating could have been considered relaxing under Sombra’s tyranny. The rest of their days were filled with various tasks, moving about on a whim as their bodies carried them throughout the Empire. They were prisoners trapped in their own flesh, forced to follow the orders of their tyrant as they pleaded for a moment of freedom.
Many ponies abandoned their prayers for mercy, falling to the will of Sombra and seeking refuge in their own fantasies. When faith and hope were gone, dashed away by the sudden disappearance of the Princesses they worshipped, their forgotten prayers were answered in the unexpected arrival of a strange creature, one whose first official order was to free them of the chains that were placed on their minds. They were free to live their lives, free to shed tears of sadness and joy, free to move on and remember those they had lost.
Taking a moment of stillness to forget about the pains of their past was a blessing for the crystal ponies. Some spent precious minutes watching the sun and moon rise and fall, usually choosing to ignore the nagging questions about their strange ascension and descent. Others chose to spend the early hours of the day by gathering at the base of the Crystal Castle to watch the Heart slowly rotate on its pedestal.
The steady movement of the Crystal Heart sang a lullaby for all of the senses, wrapping the crystal ponies in a blanket of comfort that would occasionally beckon them to return to the realm of dreams. Among the ponies who usually struggled not to answer the call of their heavy eye lids was an elderly mare with lavender fur and a pair of thick brim glasses, named Copper Plate. She sat on her haunches, careful to not aggravate the muscles in her hind legs as she did so, and waited in patience for her friend to arrive.
She sat a good distance away from the crowd, allowing herself and Emerald Secret to have their own area to speak. While there weren’t any rules stating that you had to be silent while watching the Heart, it was a non-spoken agreement that the serene stillness of the air should only be swayed by the faintly rhythmic pulsing of the Heart.
Copper Plate basked in the quiet serenity with her friend, forgetting the problems that plagued her in the past and threatened to emerge in the future. She lost herself in a calming trance as the seconds melted away and was only brought back to her lucid thoughts when she heard the clop of hooves growing closer.
Emerald Secret exchanged a wordless pleasantry with a slight nod of her head as she sat down next to Copper Plate, joining her in a silent moment of leisure that they often shared.
When emerald finally spoke, it was a low voice that wouldn’t disturb anypony else who was basking in the aura of the Crystal Heart.
“How did you sleep last night, Copper?”
“Fine. I managed to sleep on my bed and not my desk,” Copper Plate light joked as she looked away from the Heart to speak with her friend. “I’m guessing you didn’t though?”
“What would make you think that?” Emerald asked.
“Because not many ponies ask that question unless they want to talk about their own night, or they’re desperate for a conversation starter.”
“Well, it could be that I just wanted to know how you slept with everything going on.”
“That’s true. So, how’d you sleep last night?” Copper Plate asked. Emerald’s answer wasn’t immediate but it was still what Copper Plate expected to hear.
“Terrible,” Emerald grumbled, “I haven’t lost that much sleep in weeks, not since the Crystal Fair at least.”
“Was it nightmares?”
“No, I was just restless,” she answered. “Everything was just so… quick! Granted, it was a tad slower than our last change in power, but it was still too quick. The thought of Skeletor abdicating the throne never passed my mind before, and… It caught me off guard. I can already imagine what court will be like today, and I’m definitely not looking forward to it,” she bemoaned as her shoulders fell lower to carry the weight on her mind. “Just how are you staying so calm with all of this going on?”
“Because I’m too old to care,” Copper Plate replied easily. “I think I stopped worrying around the same time a creature with a skull for a head asked me for a basic history lesson.”
“… I’m not sure if I envy your ability to not care or if I’m worried by it.”
“Meh, you’ll know what it’s like when you get to my age. Believe it or not, being too old to worry is an actual symptom of aging. But, I know what you mean, a lot of things are changing and it’s all a little worrying. All we can do is wait and hope for the best, it’s what I did for Skeletor and it’s what I’ll do for the new princess.”
“I suppose there really isn’t much else we can do,” Emerald relented with a tired sigh. “At the very least, though, we can try to guide the princess’ decisions a bit. I’m planning on putting a vote forward regarding her sudden ban on Placebos, and I’m fairly certain I can connive Crumb Catcher to join us. So, we should have a majority in the meeting, and we may be able to sway the princess’ opinion in regards to Skeletor’s ‘fake’ medicine. I trust that you’ll vote with use?” Emerald asked in a playful tone.
While Emerald’s question wasn’t exactly a literal one, since the Royal Advisor had already assumed that Copper Plate would vote alongside her, it did open the door to a problem that had been bothering Copper Plate since Skeletor’s abdication.
With a warm smile and a heavy heart, Copper Plate prepared herself to tell Emerald about her own plans. “Of course, so long as the vote is soon. But… You should probably know that I’m not going to be on the council much longer. I’ll be resigning from my position as Head of the Royal Archives, soon,” she revealed.
The sharp stab of silence that separated them wasn’t as enjoyable as the relaxing ambiance that they had shared moments before. The still air had turned uncomfortable quiet and was only shattered by a single question that barely passed through Emerald’s lips.
“… What?”
“I’m resigning. If I don’t, then I’d be the first pony in history to serve on three councils for three different leaders… I just told you I’m too old to worry. Well, I’m also too old to keep going. It’s time for somepony new to move into the position,” Copper Plate admitted solemnly.
She briefly remembered all of the little humorous jabs that Process Mi Amore would make about Copper’s age, how she was too young to work on the council when she first joined them. Those playful jokes turned to prods about her having wrinkles when she didn’t, and the princess swearing that she could see grey hairs in her fur when there weren’t any. Then, one day, the jokes about her age stopped. Copper Plate hadn’t noticed at the time, but she was getting older, her fur was losing its luster and her mane had begun to turn an ugly shade of grey. Copper Plate had always dismissed her age before, but the truth was that she was getting older, older than any council member in recorded history in fact.
How could she have not noticed it before? Her youth had slipped away from her, turning into the dripping wet wax on a candle that had burned for too long.
Her body suddenly felt heavier as she admitted, both to herself and to Emerald, that she was too old to continue serving as a council member. “I’m not planning on leaving tomorrow, mind you, I still have some work to do before I can retire. First thing I’ll need to do is find a replacement and mentor them properly.”
“But… But what will you do then?”
“I think I’ll find a decent home to share with a few ponies. I heard that Duke Diamond’s estate is nice. It’s a bit far for my tastes, but it’s still standing, which is more than I ca say for the other fiefs and estates. Oh, and I also heard that Duke Diamond was an avid reader of poetry, so I could probably find his collection if I’m lucky,” Copper Plate added on.
“… I don’t suppose that there’s anything I can say to convince you otherwise, is there?” Emerald asked with a hint of dying hope hanging on her words.
“I’m sorry, Emerald, but I’m not sure there is. It’ll be fine though, I trust you and the other council members can take care of everything. Hopefully, Cannon will have his head on straight when he comes back too.”
Silence one again fell over the pair, like a wave that soon retreat back to the Crystal Heart when one of them spoke again. When Emerald finally found the words she wanted to say, she pushed back the still air that had descended upon them.
“… I’ll miss you…”
“I know, Emerald. I’ll miss you too,” Copper replied. “I also wanted to just say, ‘thanks.’ You helped me out a lot, Emerald.”
“I did? How?”
“You kept me from losing my mind. With how often Avid and Crumb get at each other’s scruffs, I was worried that I’d go deaf or lose my voice from shouting,” she joked. “Spending time with you, forgetting about work, it all helps. So, thanks for keeping this old mare company, and for being my friend. I think we both really needed a friend after what happened,” she admitted.
Copper Plate never liked to talk about her enslavement under Sombra’s command, it was an torment that she would take to her grave, and she knew that Emerald had her own personal demons that she didn’t like to talk about either. They were both forced to do and witness things that could never be said aloud, carrying the burden of their memories for the rest of their lives. But, that didn’t mean they had to be alone while they carried that weight. Copper Plate saw the pain in Emerald’s smile drain a little each day, and her own unspoken pain fell away little by little as they days passed by.
“You’ve helped me a lot too, Copper. Thank you, for everything.”
“You’re welcome… You mean a lot to me, Emerald. I’m happy I got to be your friend,” Copper Plate finished as she slowly stood up to her legs. Needle pricks danced inside her muscles as she moved off of her haunches, causing her to wince slightly at the uncomfortable feeling.
“… I’ll meet up with you to keep looking at the Heart bright and early if you’re free,” she promised before she trotted away from Emerald.
The calm silence in the plaza suddenly felt louder to her as she left.
The world was a miserable and confusing place that offered no joy, at least none that Colonel Kernel could find.
He suppressed a yawn as he fought a losing battle with his heavy eye-lids. Sleep was an evasive mistress that promised him relaxation but only delivered nightmares. He cursed every decision that led him to becoming a colonel in the Empire’s military, from his father’s pride to his own cowardice, each one was painted with a slew of colorful curses that danced around the memory of Crumb Catcher’s threat. Kernel was drowning in a sea of deception, betrayal, and confusion that threatened to never give him a moment of peace.
While Crumb Catcher hadn’t directly approached Kernel after their previous “discussion”, Kernel could still feel the Spy Master’s eyes watch him from the shadows. He didn’t know when Crumb Catcher would enact his own plans to betray Lord Skeletor, but Kernel understood that, once Crumb Catcher decided to toss their previous lord away, he would be forced to either stand by Lord Skeletor’s side or abandon him. He would either live as a coward or die as an idiot.
As his tired body continued to move through the halls of the Crystal Castle, the familiar sound of hairless skin stepping on crystal rang in his ears. The colonel’s muscles suddenly tensed as the last whispers of his tired mind were chased away by an instinctual need to appear professional in front of Lord Skeletor.
As usual, Lord Skeletor stood as an imposing pillar of strength, gliding through the air like a force of nature rather than a mortal being. Even without his throne or crown, he was a powerful being whose very presence demanded the upmost respect, as if the world itself should naturally bow down at his sheer power. It was hard for Kernel to believe the rumors that Lord Skeletor had actually cried when Princess Mi Amore Cadenza used her magic to forcefully make him bow to her, but it had to be the truth.
After returning from his personal “duties”, Emerald Secret ordered him to find Copper Plate for the meeting, but when he and the Head of the Archives finally arrived, the meeting had ended and Lord Skeletor had been dethroned. He heard dozens of stories ranging from a benign lord giving Princess Amore’s long-lost daughter her title, to rumors of an imposter whose magic rivaled his and threatened to destroy all of the Empire if she was displeased. In the end, Crumb Catcher chose to believe in his fear and cling to his optimism, hoping beyond hope that his fears were simply misguided.
While his emotions shaped between dread and hope, he greeted Lord Skeletor with a tight expression that hid his anxiety and worry.
“Good morning, your highness.”
“Ah, good morning, Colonel Kernel… Are you alright?”
“I’m fine sir,” he lied.
Lord Skeletor’s impassive gaze swept across Kernel’s face for a moment before he lightly nodded. “Well, alright. I was just about to go on a walk outside the castle, so if everything’s alright I’ll be going now,” he finished as he began to step around Kernel, only for the colonel’s body to suddenly block his path in a moment of worry.
“Wait. Don’t you need a guard?” He asked. Colonel Kernel wasn’t certain when Crumb Catcher would choose to strike, but leaving the castle without a single guard in tow sounded like far too good of a time for the Royal Spy Master to make his move.
Lord Skeletor seemed to deliberate Kernel’s words for only a moment before he answered Kernel’s question with his own. “… Would I really need one?”
Colonel Kernel eyes visibly widened as he felt any thought of an argument die in his mind as he looked at the towering form of Lord Skeletor. What would an alleged deity like Lord Skeletor need a mortal guard for? For Lord Skeletor, a guard would have just been a decoration at his side as he walked through the streets of the Crystal Empire.
Before he could attempt to apologize to Lord Skeletor for his earlier remark, Lord Skeletor stepped back slightly and looked down at Colonel Kernel with an unreadable expression.
“… If I need a guard or escort, then do you think you could recommend someone? If you’re not busy, that is,” Lord Skeletor asked.
Despite Kernel’s position in the guard, he didn’t actually know any ponies who he was certain weren’t under Crumb Catcher’s hoof. The only pony Kernel really trusted was… himself.
“I can do it,” the colonel said almost instantly. He wasn’t sure why he decided to blurt out something like that, but the idea of leaving Lord Skeletor in the hooves of the other guards didn’t sit well with Kernel. On one hoof, he didn’t want to betray Lord Skeletor and allow him to fall into a possible trap, but he also didn’t want to gain Crumb Catcher’s ire either. He and the Empire owed Lord Skeletor their lives, but at the same time, he didn’t want to actually lose his life to defend Lord Skeletor.
It was easy for him to take an oath to defend Princess Amore when he joined the guard because the idea of somepony actively rising against her was a fantasy that even Eris couldn’t create. But it happened all the same, and Kernel didn’t doubt that the same thing could happen to Lord Skeletor. Was he really willing to die for another creature, to risk his own life for another?
It wasn’t that he didn’t feel capable of defending Lord Skeletor with his life, it was just that he was too scared to actually lose it. He knew that he was a coward, and a large part of him didn’t really care if he was, so long as his cowardice kept him alive.
Lord Skeletor, remaining completely unaware of the conflicting thoughts that haunted thee colonel, stared at the grey coated stallion for a moment before he nodded in agreement.
“Alright, well thank you for offering to help me, Colonel Kernel.”
“Of course, sir. Please, lead the way and I’ll follow,” Colonel Kernel said as he stepped aside to let Lord Skeletor pass.
As the colonel trotted alongside Lord Skeletor, he felt his rising concerns threaten to boil over as he matched Lord Skeletor’s pace. He wasn’t sure how Crumb Catcher would react to knowing that Kernel had volunteered to guard Lord Skeletor, but he did know one thing.
Whether he liked it or not, he would eventually be forced to choose between his loyalty to Lord Skeletor or to the ruling crown of the Empire, to live or possibly die.
Skeletor was a bit worried about having Colonel Kernel escort him.
The hardened veteran of the guard looked a tad constipated when they talked, and he seemed rather irritable too. Though, the latter was probably because Skeletor had decided to leave the Castle without a guard. Skeletor could understand that leaving without a guard might have been an issue, especially considering that Skeletor could have gotten lost without a proper escort. Or, maybe it was customary for guests to be escorted by guards when leaving the castle. Either way, Skeletor didn’t really mind the company, he just needed to get out of the castle and escape the mind-numbing boredom of being stuck inside all day with nothing to do.
The second day of Skeletor’s life away from the throne began without any fanfare. It was by no means normal, so much had changed in the span of three days, but at the same time nothing really felt “new” to him.
He didn’t wake up with soul crushing regret, and he didn’t feel uncomfortable in his new room either. In an odd way, it felt abnormally normal, as if he couldn’t be bothered with anything like regret. It was almost like a dream, like he was just walking into a place prepared by his imagination. Then, as the morning began to ware on, he realized that he had nothing to do.
Without a schedule to follow, he was technically free to do whatever he wanted. Before he learned about Crystal, he might have decided to spend his free day experimenting with magic and seeing if he could open a portal back home. But, according to the princess, smarter ponies in Canterlot were already on the case, and would have definitely made more progress than a bumbling idiot whose magical knowledge capped at the first Harry Potter book. Besides, testing experimental spells was a really good way to either hurt himself or break something on accident, so he wasn’t too enthused on trying a new spell that could kill him or force him out of the castle.
Reading had become more of a chore than a leisure, especially considering that each and every book was an irreplaceable item, so he didn’t think about going to the Royal Archives and convincing Copper Plate to move the heavy chains off of a book or two just because he was bored. He had already explored the Crystal Castle the day prior with Avid, the only interesting thing he remembered from their impromptu tour was when he saw the entrance to the Crystal Castle. It was strange for Skeletor to remember that the castle actually had a front door. He hadn’t stepped foot outside of the castle much after the Crystal Fair, and whenever he had it was usually to visit the farms underneath the Empire or to lift something heavy that the crystal ponies couldn’t. It was a pretty strange and concerning day when he lifted a boulder like it was an overweight bag of trash.
Aside from that, Skeletor had spent his days inside the castle, walking between his room, the throne room, the Alchemy Tower, the Medical Wing of the castle, and his private bath. After all of the paperwork, speeches, and politics, it was about time for Skeletor to actually enjoy his time and explore whatever the magical Empire had to offer.
He was sure that he didn’t need permission or anything to do something as simple as going for a walk, but Colonel Kernel had clearly known better. Judging from the reaction on the colonel’s face when Skeletor asked if he needed a guard, Colonel Kernel was clearly upset at the thought of Skeletor going outside without a guard.
Skeletor would have assumed that Colonel Kernel had something better to do than be a tour guide/bodyguard for Skeletor, but he wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth and turn away one of the few ponies he actually knew personally. Their walk through the halls and the entrance of the castle was mostly quiet, and turned dreadfully silent once they both stepped over the threshold of the Crystal Castle’s entrance.
Skeletor froze as he felt the eye of dozens of crystal ponies turn to him. The radiance of the Crystal Heart went ignored as the many gathered ponies gawked and smothered him with their stares.
… Why are there so many ponies here? He wondered, as his gaze flicked over the crowd of ponies. It didn’t take long for him to remember that Emerald had told him about her daily routine of watching the Crystal Heart rotate on its pedestal. Skeletor had always pictured it as a handful of ponies who gathered around the Heart like a crumb-circle, but he was clearly wrong in that assumption.
After allowing their eerie silence to drag on for far too long, Skeletor cleared his non-existent throat and waved to the small crowd. “Good morning, carry on with… what you were doing,” he said as he and Colonel Kernel made their way through closest arch and attempted to slip away from the quiet crowd.
As Skeletor tried to hurriedly put a good amount of distance between himself and the crowd, a mare’s voice rang out behind him. “Please wait!”
Skeletor, through some twisted force of nature, stopped at the mare’s call and resisted the urge to curse under his breath. He wore a professional smile to hide his inclining anxiety and turned to the sound of galloping hooves, as the unsure hoof beats of many other ponies followed after her.
Skeletor was immediately shocked to see the cream coated mare. He didn’t expect to see a familiar face outside of the Crystal Castle, let alone that mare in particular. She had been nothing more than a small thought that drifted in his memories, and seeing her again ignited a slew of emotions inside of him.
“Dilly Dally?” Skeletor asked under his breath as the cream coated farmer slowed her gallop to a trot.
“Y-you remember me, Lord Skeletor?” She asked.
It would be hard to forget the face of a person, or pony, that thought they would die. Dilly Dally and Strike Iron were two mares who thought that they would die for their feelings, and they both cried when they believed that Skeletor was going to personally hand down their un-just punishment. He never thought that he’d see either of the mares after he freed them and lied to the Empire, but she was right in front of him, alive and well.
Of course, he didn’t want the crystal ponies nearby to know that, and Strike Iron had begged to not let their secret out to the Empire for fear of the repercussions, so he gave a fairly reasonable and quickly improvised lie.
“Yes, I’m well aware of your and the other farmers’ struggles in the caverns. I would be remised if I didn’t remember the names of the ponies who keep this wonderful Empire prosperous. You should be proud of your efforts, miss Dally,” Skeletor praised. “So, to what do I owe the pleasure?”
“Oh, um… Lord Skeletor—”
“Just Skeletor, now,” he corrected. He didn’t want to give anyone the impression that he was encouraging others to use his old title, lest someone take it as an attack against the crown’s position.
“T-then… Skeletor, we… I… What’s going on, now? We all heard your announcement, but a lot of us are still confused. Who is that alicorn that came, why did she have thesterals with her, a-and why are you no longer the lord, is everything alright, will—” She asked, as her questions began to become more rapid.
“Hey, hey, calm down. Breath, Dilly Dally, everything is alright, take a moment to relax,” Skeletor consoled as he lowered himself to one knee and made a calming gesture with his hands. “Just take a few breaths and calm down, everything is fine, trust me.”
Skeletor felt flashes of his memory replay was Dilly Dally’s breathing slowed to a crawl. It reminded him far too much of when he first met the horrified mare, it made him feel sick to have someone look at him with such terrified eyes, as if he were a real monster. Thankfully, he had some experience when it came to reassuring scared animals back home thanks to Evelyn and her friend Raqquill. He was by no means the animal whisperer that Raqquill was, but he still knew a few tricks.
He couldn’t loom over her, so he kneeled down to her level, gave her a good berth between themselves so she would feel more at ease, and he made sure that his voice didn’t come off as too aggressive. Of course, there were a few liberties added since Dilly Dally wasn’t a scared dog, she was a sentient talking pony in a frozen crystal wonderland, so in a way, it was a bit worse than approaching a fearful dog.
“In, and out, deep breaths, just like I taught you,” Skeletor guided, mimicking thee mare’s own breathing as she steadied herself. After he had finished instructing her, Skeletor turned his attention to the crowd of engrossed ponies. He felt their eyes touch every part of his body as they stared at him inn silence, causing his own anxiety and worries creep around his mind. “Dilly, how are you alright now?” He asked.
“Yes, my lord, I’m… I’m better now.”
“Good. Now, let me tell you and everyone here that there is nothing to worry about,” Skeletor reassured before he rose to address Dilly Dally and the gathering of ponies who followed closely behind her.
“Princess Cadence is Princess Amore’s long-lost niece. She was sent here by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna to liberate the Empire, only to find that it was already liberated. As Princess Amore’s heir, she and her husband have a rightful claim to the throne. I abdicated it knowing that they would be able to help you all and form a stronger connection with the other kingdoms south of the Empire. I’m sorry if I was being a bit too vague during my final announcement, and I hope that I was able to quell any lingering concerns. From what I know, Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor will be making an announcement of their own during court later today, and if you have any questions then you can attend court and bring them up then.
“Now, as much as I would love to stay and speak with you all, I… Have official business to attend to,” he lied. He wasn’t about to tell them that he was just going on a walk and that he didn’t want to talk to anyone else. “Official business” gave him an unofficial reason to enjoy himself without worrying about maintaining whatever slightly positive image he held.
“Official business?” Colonel Kernel asked.
Damnit, I forgot he was there, Skeletor internally cursed. The colonel probably wasn’t happy with Skeletor pretending that he still held any power over the Empire without his title, or that he was either lying to the colonel or the many gathered ponies. Either way, he was caught between two lies and didn’t want to piss off either a large crowd or a colonel by telling one or the other the truth.
“Yes! I… It’s part of abdicating the throne. Of course, this has never happened before and there are a few things that are different between our cultures. When I told you that I was going for a walk, it was because it’s part of my culture,” he lied. Not the best lie, in his opinion, but enough to quell any questions. “It’s a way of saying goodbye to the throne and hello to a new life. Even if I’m no longer a lord, I am still a citizen of the Empire,” I hope. I Really don’t want to get deported into the snow storm outside, “And as such, it is only right that I become more familiar with the Empire as a citizen and not as who I used to be.”
“So, you willfully abdicated the throne?” Dilly Dally asked.
“Yes,” Skeletor replied easily. “I believed, and still believe, that it is in the Empire’s best interests. Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor already have a strong bond with the other kingdoms, and I know that we can all look forward to a prosperous era of peace under their reign,” he stated firmly. “Now, if you have anymore questions, then I’d recommend holding onto them so that you can ask Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor later during court. Thank you all, and have a wonderful day.”
With that, he quickly turned away from the crowd and began walking through the streets of the Crystal Empire. Colonel Kernel’s hoofs struck the ground loudly as he galloped to Skeletor’s side after his sudden departure.
“Please tell me that they’re not following us,” Skeletor whispered quietly to the colonel, who raised his eyebrow before glancing behind himself.
“Um… They’re not following us,” Colonel Kernel informed him. Unfortunately, the sound of hesitant hoofbeats behind them told Skeletor a different story.
“I’m guessing you’ve never heard of a figure of speech, have you?”
“Beg pardon?” Colonel Kernel asked.
“Never-mind,” Skeletor said as he silently hoped that he wouldn’t have a growing crowd of ponies follow him all day.
In hindsight, leaving with only a single guard was probably a really dumb decision.
“Well, I’ve never been on an actual tour group before. Do you know any fun places to look at?” Skeletor asked jokingly as he plastered a smile to his skull and prayed for a simple day.
As the old Lord of the Crystal Empire mingled in the streets of the Crystal Empire, the future princess prepared for the first evening of court to arrive.
Cadence was no stranger to court proceedings, she had sat on many of them with Princess Celestia and she had offered her own input on a situation on more than one occasion. She easily assumed that she was perfectly prepared to deliver her judgment on their concerns and pleas after spending a good deal of time catching up on the biggest issues that the Empire was facing.
She spent a great deal of time going over every document Skeletor signed, rechecking every decree that was recorded, and reviewing every single record that Copper Plate had on Skeletor, from his schedule to his speeches, she failed to find anything that could justify most of her negative assumptions. For a moment, she thought that her assumptions had been proven when Copper Plate mentioned that she had disagreed with Skeletor’s stance on trial by combat.
The princess felt reassured in her assumptions about Skeletor, only for the Head of the Archives to reveal that Skeletor was against the concept and had passed a rule stating that all trials by combat would be non-lethal and that killing a pony in a duel would be considered a crime.
At most, the only debatably bad thing she could find about the demonic looking creature was his decision to implement placebos in the medical ward. So, Cadence was left to stew in her own thoughts as she prepared to have her first evening of court in the Crystal Empire.
The sun had just begun its slow descent at lunch when Cadence re-read a few of Copper Plate’s written records on Skeletor. Among the elder mare’s written reports were notes regarding his battle with King Sombra. Only four ponies had witnessed the confrontation, and since one of them was turned into a pinata, that left the recorded testimony of only Emerald Secret, General Cannon Fodder, and a civilian named Track Record.
Each report confirmed that Sombra was beaten to death, removed from the castle, and then burned to ashes. For some reason, the report specifically mentioned that his ashes, “wouldn’t touch the farms,” which Cadence didn’t quite understand. Needless to say, everypony in the Empire was sure that Sombra was dead, everypony except Skeletor of course. If Sombra was truly still alive then Cadence had a very large issue on her hooves.
Of course, there was the still the possibility that Skeletor had lied to her. It was more comforting for her to believe that Sombra was actually dead and that Skeletor only wanted to sow seeds of fear into her mind as she chased the shadows of clouds.
She sighed as she wilted into her chair. She felt the weight of her thoughts press against the base of her skull as she continued her preparations for court, which was only an hour away. There was an unshakable sense of fear that she couldn’t pry from her mind as she waited for court. Cadence knew above everything else that she still had an hour before court would begin, but she still felt uncertain about when it would start. In Canterlot, Princess Celestia would always hold court meetings early in the day before lunch, whereas the Empire appeared to prefer hosting court after lunch.
It was like waking up to the first day of summer break and worrying that she was late for school. It was a nagging feeling that flew in her mind like a blind nat, bumping against her thoughts every-so-often to remind her that it was there.
A light knock at her bedroom door was thankfully enough to swat away at those pesky worries.
“Yes?” Cadence called out.
“Princess, it’s General Camisole. May I have permission to enter?”
“Yes, Cami,” Cadence answered.
The general of Luna’s Night Guard entered without delay and quickly closed the door behind her. “I swear, the layout of this place is worse than Canterlot,” she grumbled before stifling a yawn. “And I still can’t find any coffee. I hate this place.”
“I’ll be sure to ask for Princess Celestia to ship over some coffee at her earliest convenience then. I’d rather not have my guards fall asleep on duty. Speaking of which, what’s the status of the other guards?”
“Star Burst should be tailing Skeletor right now, and Crux Heart is in the Alchemy Tower with the alchemists to see what’s inside Skeletor’s placebo thingies. The other guards are either carrying out your orders to collect the placebos, or gathering intelligence,” Camisole rattled off as she took a seat on the floor. “I just came back after reviewing a report from Glass Wing, and I’ve got some… Bad news and worse news, honestly. Oh, and I have what you wanted, so I guess that’s good news,” she ended enthusiastically as she pulled a large stack of papers out of her satchel.
Cadence accepted the papers and grabbed them with her magic, pulling the many documents to her side as she skimmed through them.
“Well, this is good, at least. What about the bad news?”
“It’s about what Sombra did. When we arrived in the Empire, I noticed that there weren’t any thestrals or rumbas—”
“Ruvas,” Cadence corrected.
“—In the streets. I thought that it was weird, so I made a bet with Crux that we wouldn’t see any for the whole day. Turns out, we’re never going to see them, period. During Sombra’s reign, he reportedly drove his own race to extinction, and any of the thestrals that escaped died close to three thousand years ago.”
“I see… I wish I could say I was surprised. I already knew because Emerald told me, but part of me was hoping that there would be at least a few survivors. I’m sorry that I didn’t think to bring it up with the guards,” she apologized as she thought about the idea of an entire race of ponies going extinct.
“Then do you know about the foals too?” Camisole asked.
“Foals? No, I haven’t heard anything about foals.”
“Well, that’s because there aren’t any. No fillies, colts, or anypony young enough to have a fresh Cutie mark.”
“… That’s impossible,” Cadence decided firmly. She knew that Sombra was evil, but even evil had limitations.
“It’s true. Nopony I asked would go into great detail about it, but from what I was able to gather… They were hunted down and killed. They mentioned something about a pit, but I wasn’t able to pry anything else.”
“Sweet Celestia… I… I…” Cadence stuttered as she felt the bile in her stomach threaten to climb out of her.
A colorful flash of light traveled down her horn as she prepared several self-medicating spells to fight against the sick feeling inside of her. She took a deep breath as she calmed her stomach and mind, counting the seconds that passed between each inhale and exhale. Cadence pushed past the illusive horrors that her mind conjured, ignoring the tapestry of death that was laid over her thoughts, and hardened her resolve to help the ponies of her Empire.
She had already sent a request to her aunts for a good number of unicorn neurologists to come to the Empire, but it would still take time for them to arrive. Cadence briefly considered using her own magic to ease the minds of her subjects, but she tossed that idea aside. Using mental healing spells without properly understanding the mind was a dangerous gamble, and she refused to hurt her ponies or give them promises that she couldn’t immediately deliver. She and the Empire would just have to wait for her aunts to send aid to the Empire.
“Alright. Thank you, Cami. Could you go find Shining and make sure that he’s ready for court? I just need to write a letter quickly and then I’ll be heading to the Throne room.”
“Yes, your highness,” She obliged with a quick salute before she trotted out of the room.
With her temporary general gone, Cadence turned her attention to the stack of papers that she had set aside, and added it to the many other papers that she already had on hoof.
A complete collection of Skeletor’s life in the Empire sat in her hooves, holding secrets and theories that could change everything she knew about the demonic creature. As she leafed through the collection of pages, her eyes caught the foreign word that convinced Skeletor to abdicate the throne; “human”.
A part of her wanted to believe that Skeletor had been honest with her, that he was a simple creature who was only looking for a way home. However, those thoughts held dark implications that Cadence didn’t want to entertain. If was telling the truth, then it was likely that Sombra’s spirit still roamed the castle, that there was a world where the secrets of necromancy we’re laid bare for all to know, and that she had lied to an innocent creature and given him a false sense of hope.
There was still the possibility that Skeletor had simply lied to her and was planning to manipulate her with a lullaby of fictional monsters that she would chase to the edge of the world. Her aunt Celestia had taught her that demons were tricky creatures, but she would also sing praises about Scorpan whenever Cadence would ask about Celestia’s old friend. Skeletor would either become Cadence’s strongest ally, or he would become her greatest enemy, and she refused to be manipulated by any creature.
With an exhausted groan, Cadence summoned a fresh piece of paper and a quill, along with an emerald matchstick to send the papers off to her aunts.
“Dear Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, as you requested, I’ve compiled a list of everything we currently know about Skeletor. Below this letter is every law passed by him personally, a transcription of his recorded speeches, and several contradicting stories and theories revolving around him, including a more detailed description of the conversation Shinning and I had with him yesterday. I would like to also speak to you with matters regarding the mental state of the Empire’s citizens… I have just learned something that I think will require more specialized neurologists to be sent to the Empire,” she explained as she began taking the first steps to help the Empire heal.
While help wouldn’t arrive immediately, it would eventually come, and the Empire would change for the better. The horrors of their history would eventually be forgotten and buried as the ponies of the Empire looked towards a brighter future.
hope cadence messes it up and it ends up with skeletor finding out cadence lied and her ending up insted as an adviser.
edit: also hope that skeletor gets transformed into a body he is more comfortable in or at least feels better in
Looks like Cadence is accepting that Skeletor MAY be not evil, and see that she would have wronged him if so.
10641915
i doubt the second thing will happen but knowing the ponies penchant for xenophobia the first thing will most likely happen.
Oh Cadenza... You fool. To forget history is to repeat it. It is important that the events of the past be remembered so that they never repeat. So now, your big plan is to either ignore, brush off, or forget everything about their losses? Just ignore it and pretend the future will be bright? You fucking IDIOT. This is going to BACKFIRE SO BADLY it's not even funny.
Not to mention taking all the placebo's is going to result in a rise in depression and suicide rates. Seriously, Cadance, STOP FUCKING WITH WHAT WORKS. Don't replace placebos until YOU HAVE A REPLACEMENT ON HOOF.
Court is going to be a fiasco... and Skeletor will likely not even be there to see it, being out in the Empire, likely helping in any way he can, while court bursts into flames and they nearly rebel.
Cadance has had YEARS of training from Celestia. She shouldn't be THIS incompetent right out of the gate!
This is honestly getting bad. I mean seriously. This is turning into a disaster in record time and I would really rather it not all fall apart so damn quickly.
The Empire DESPERATELY needs someone to stabilize the situation before it gets any worse.
Edit: A bit more cursing than I normally use, but I felt it warranted. This is quickly going to turn into a downhill slide over a cliff.
Edit 2.0: I REALLY hope Cadance gets a letter back from Celestia that includes notes from a qualified mental professional telling her to immediately return the Placebos until proper medicine can arrive. They can't wait on this, they really can't.
10641915
If he did, he wouldn't be Skeletor anymore.
feels like the calm before the storm.
Thanks for the chapter
10641977
Or "The more they stay the same"
I am continually impressed with the bloodlust in the comment section here. A case of calling someone else evil as an excuse for evil intentions almost.
Cadence if flawed and imperfect and yes has some preconceptions about Skeletor she needs to shake off.
But at the same time she is doing her damndest here.
Her reaction to the placebos is an outright fuckup this is true. But one born of inexperience and lack of information.
Funny how people expect her to get everything perfectly right.
I personally hope that this has a measured outcome with ups and downs to it rather than it just being throwing Cadence to the wolves so the "hate fans" can get their character bashing.
At least your skill at this story has me very happy with the fair shake everyone is getting so far Hotel_Chicken :)
Only character that feels like a cartoonish idiot is Canon Fodder. And even that is well laid out as to why.
10641958
Have to agree regarding the placebos, and frankly I'm astonished that the concept of it hasn't been explored by the ponies earlier.
Nice chapter even if it is mostly a retread of what we knew. Hopefully there wont be more chapters like it in the future.
Another chapter, excellent, but what awaits for the denizens of the Empire and Skeletor?
fear leads to anger.
anger leades to violence
and violence... violence leads to conflict
The more they stay the same.
10642012
I don't get the vibe of people wanting Cadenza to be perfect, it looks more like they want her to think about the fulture before making a decision.
The example of the placebos is a easy one to illustrate this: she immediatly made a decision without hearing the council, that had more intel of the situation than her, and without thinking on the consequences of her decision.
Skeletor was not perfect but he would propose his idea, instead of impose it (except for that one time), listen to what everyone had to say and think about the consequences before implementing it. Thr only time he forced his will he got really worried about the possible consequences and how to deal with it.
No one expect Cadenza to be perfect, they just want her to not be supidly snob.
10642034
The problem is, is that it HAS. Cadance and the Equestrian ponies are aware of what placebo's are, but Cadance is convinced that Skeletor was using them for ill purposes, to poison or brain-wash the crystal ponies or something, because she just cannot accept the fact that Skeletor means no ill will. So, she's removing them from use, thinking that it'll be better for the ponies taking them, when that will NOT be the case. She is going to get ponies killed by doing this. There will be suicides from the crippling depression some of them are dealing with.
Maybe skeletor could start a career as a social worker or therapist. That'd be neat
So no commentary on her ancestor's very dated thinking on gay couples and outright mind control/conversion of said gays?
Another great chapter, as usual.:D
10641958
All that, plus the fact that the pony neurologists she's waiting on probably use mental magic. Which would be like throwing water on a grease-fire, given the citizens' recent experiences with such things.
Call me crazy but I'm starting to think that deciding what your opinion of a person is by violating the sanctity of their mind to get a vague sense of their emotional state the moment you meet may actually be a terrible practice that only leads to entirely unnecessary trouble.
10642012
Having read the other comments here, I'm quite confident that you didn't.
10642012
Its a classic disconnect between what readers know and the characters know.
We know that Skeletor is doing his honest best, and only has the best intentions so when someone doubts him or assumes the worst of him our gut response is to think they are a fool and to dislike them for such behavior.
This disconnect can be utilized well for story purposes, but its very hard to handle because the author needs to know exactly how their readers feel and how to make their characters act in accordance to those feelings. Its a touchy, difficult thing which is why I try to either avoid it outright, or rectify it quickly.
I love this story you are doing a good job on this story and can't wait until the next chapter
10642140
And that's the beauty of it. She's doing exactly what Skeletor did..."that one time."
If it should backfire on her, she'll suddenly be in a position to uniquely understand the decisions he made, and that they both did the best they could with the limited information they had. With that understanding perhaps will come acceptance.
Sombra was a dumbass, his slaves would have all died within a year or two with how hard he was driving them
he would have been the king of nothing without new bodies to puppeteer
and the Celestia way of forget and repress isn't really a healthy way to tell history
10641915
I hope she doesn't fail.
I'd rather see her succeed than have more political turmoil be brought to bear and increase the strife of the ponies of the Empire.
10642171
In all honesty I hope the response from Celestia corrects her view on the placebos until proper therapy can be given.
10642473
Well, if you ask Cannon Fodder, Skeletor is here to-
10642497
from how things are going it seems that skeletor might still be the one the crystal ponies like more and if they find out the reason he abdicatid was for their benifit then it could lead to cadence not getting any prasie from those who like skeletor. while cadence failing outright would be bad for the crystel ponies if the crystel ponies themselfs say they dont want her on the throne there isnt much she can do (especialy if she tryes to use the placibos to her advantage and say skeletor was manipulating them).
mabey i wasent right to say i hope cadence fails? perhaps it would be better if i said that i hope cadence gets a reality check as to what she has used to judge the empire so far
she is its ruler by blood and the crystel ponies will accept her. this is proberbly what she was told and fed by celestia most of her life. maby she will give skeletor the thone back and act as an adviser and freind when things get shaken up?
also when she was taught by celestia she most likely was taught about the "evils" of the world and since she is so sure skeletor was one i guess we can assume that her lessons might have been more look and mind trick based insted of what they are actualy doing? i mean he didnt have to give her the thone but did so that the crystel ponies would be better off and she still was trying to find some sort of mind game.
all in all im just rambeling but i do hope skeletor gets the thone back due to the crystal ponies love rather then a dethroning like the past rulers of the empire have had to be.
Ugh. Is Cadence SERIOUSLY planning to bring "neurologists" in to 'help' by using mind mental influence spells? By using mental influence spells on ponies that are still massively traumatized from spending YEARS under a brutal dictator that used mental control spells to make them prisoners in their own bodies? PLEASE tell me she's going to get a clue or somebody is going to give her a wake up call before she COMPLETELY ruins everything.
10641958
sorry to say but that is literally Celestia's motto and likely what she taught cadence. I'm more worried that they intend to possibly use mind spells to make them forget their own dead friends and children 'for their own good'
10642184
sounds like she is planning some mind control of her own. but that might just be my paranoia
10642446
considering he emptied his treasury for some temporary help from dragons. I'm not sure sombra had any long term plans in mind
great chapter. glad I caught up finally. sorry for taking so long to come back and read through it :D
10642517
All you have said is true.
And had your original comment been "I sure hope Cadence gets a reality check and wises up to the good Skeletor has done." I wouldn't have made my original repy.
That said, respectfully, it's not entirely fair to say Cadence thought that Skeletor was evil from the get go, so much that she was immediately put on the defensive because all the information she has on demons is that, outside of Skorpan, they have consistently shown that they will manipulate others to destructive ends and that they look monstrous (and Skeletor looks quite monstrous indeed). Her reaction to him, initially, makes an awful lot of sense given the intel she had. What's more, she even gave him the chance to surrender rather than try to blast him away without a word. These are all points in her favor, no matter what we get to hear of her personal thoughts, because it is ultimately actions which matter so much more than mere thoughts.
10642630
your points are fair.
the crystal heart uses the love of the crystal ponies to make the barrier that protects the empire doest it? if the barrier falls because of current events then skeletor saves the empire after that would it be fair to say he should rule? even taking into account cadence having good intentions and being a "good"(im not sure on that but thats up to each person to find where they stand on that) pony if her taking over causes the barrier to fall and suffering to the crystal ponies when the take over of skeletor was smoother (proberbly had a few bumps we dident see) in the eyes of the crystal ponies he might seem better (might even win over a few who were on the fence about him).
even if nothing happens there will likely be a solid support for each side
10642517
In all seriousness, I'm not going to pick on Cadey too much. She's starting from a position of extreme bias due to Celestia's historical precedence. You know 'all demons are bad... Except Scorpan. And that's not from a lack of trying.' And of course, walking into a situation like this, where Sombra was a mind controller, and feeling both the dark magic AND the tumultuous emotional mess coming off Skeletor to the point she's suppressing the urge to be physically ill...
She responded impulsively to the placebo situation, but she's proceeding quite nicely for someone who's confronting, from her perspective, the demon that beat Sombra to death with his bare hands. On one hoof, her instincts and teaching from Celestia SCREAM that Evil is Afoot. On the other, the dissonance of the population being happy with Skeletor's leadership throw a wrench into that instinct. Thus, she's caught in a position where she can't just 'slay the demon' and everything will be alright. It's a classic position for the hero/heroine. They're waiting for the other shoe to drop, or at least hoping they can find the evidence needed to prove their case before something goes wrong.
Cadance has done good not jumping the gun in this situation. She already has an agent who had to have briefed her on the absurd amount of dark magic in Skeletor's Havoc Staff. Her personal feelings, in my opinion, are nothing to get up in arms about. She has to come around on her own.
10642107
The Darkside
10642301
I'm not sure I entirely agree with this. Cadance has every right to be suspicious of an unknown, but that's all she has the right to do. The problem comes is she is taking action based on a mere suspicion. Don't trust Skeletor? Fine, investigate, THEN make a choice. She heard Skeletor made a placebo (describing how it will work, incidentally), and gave it to ponies in need. Well because Skeletor made it, it must be bad, remove it all immediately! She never investigated WHY he was distributing it or two who. She acted without looking into the matter fully, and now it is going to possibly cost ponies lives, the very subjects she's trying to "protect from the big bad monster". Had she looked into it, spoke to Skeletor about the why's and who's the placebo was being given to, the entire situation could have possibly been avoided. But no, he looks evil, his emotions are something she doesn't understand, so he must be evil, take away the only medicine the Empire currently has access to immediately. Surely nothing bad will happen.
She is being a prejudicial, judgemental idiot. Taking actions without investigating the situations first. THAT is where the problem lies. Be suspicious of him is fine. Investigate him thoroughly is also fine. But taking actions before truly looking into the situation? Not fine.
10642773
I'm not defending Cadence. I'm just saying that from her characters perspective it was the right thing to do. They have modern medicine, advanced healing magic, a vast understanding of the pony brain and so immediate phasing out a useless placebo that might have been tampered with makes sense from her perspective especially when you factor in how little placebos help.
We knew very early on that this is a bad idea as there are ponies who are hanging on by a thread but Cadence did not. She didn't truly fathom how deep the Crystal pony's pain went until right now in the story.
Her thought process was logical, was easily grasped by the audience, and stayed true to her character but because we knew 100% that Skeletor was doing his best to help we hate her.
You can argue that she should have done more investigation but given what she knew, didnt know, and the medicine she had on the way it all made sense.
Cadence and Skeletor come from two completely different worlds.
Skeletor comes from a world where the Sword of Damocles happened. He knows full well that to be king means the powerful want your position and your life is always in danger. He did his best to be more valuable alive than dead.
Cadence, comes from a world where everyone loves Alicorns and the Princess. She doesn't have the concept that people would even dislike her, let alone that people might want to kill her for her position. She simply won't worry about how she will be perceived because she can't fathom assassination.
Remember that these aren't modern Ponies. These are ponies from before the unification. Ponies who were very much more likely to solve problems with a dagger, some rope and a heavy stone near deep water.
My only complaint is that the knives should have shifted from Skeletor over to Cadence when the power shifted, and not just the pro Skeletor knives. It's the position of ruler that brings the danger, not what race the ruler is. While Cadence is an Alicorn, I don't think Alicorn hood alone would protect her by ponies from this time period.
Oh, and By the way, Since I love this story, I did a little googling on Skeletor and few think he is a demon and most consider him a Litch.
The Monk
“What else to do? How did people survive boredom in olden times? ... Oh yeah, lots of stabbing." -RushyFiction
10642812
They problem is, they don't have modern medicine, advanced healing magic, or a vast understanding of the pony brain, because they didn't bring ANY of that stuff with them when they came to the empire. No modern medicine, no-one who knows advanced healing magics, no-one with an understanding of the pony brain. That's why she has to send a letter to Celestia requesting all that stuff. How long is it going to take those modern medicines, those with healing magic, those with an advanced understanding of the pony brain to be gathered, shipped to, and arrive at the crystal empire? Days? Weeks? Months?
In the mean-time, the Crystal Empire has nothing but the Placebo.
Cadance would have known that ponies were hanging on by a thread if she had but asked why they were being given the Placebo. Not a hard question. "These ponies are taking a placebo. Why was it given to them?" But nope, she simply decided "Skeletor is bad", and thus so must his Placebo, without asking anyone who was working in their makeshift hospital if it seemed to be helping, or the like.
Her actions and thoughts were not logical, they were driven by a preconceived prejudicial notion right out of the gate that Skeletor must be evil, without bothering to investigate ANYTHING before she started making decrees.
10642849
You didn't seem to have read what I said and are determined to argue something I have no interest in discussing. My suggestion is you lay off the caps lock, and really think about things. Its really not that much of a stretch if you actually allow yourself to consider it.
Its also useful to note that its only been less then 24 hours since she took control and there are hints that she'll allow the placebo's usage during the next meeting so its hard to argue that at this time shes even caused any real harm.
I love the discussion this story brings. It's real nice.
Our boy has a following, he just doesn't know it.
Cadence is going to kill someone with her decision of taking away the placebos. It will be a powerful lesson in planning.
interesting to see how the rumor mill is villainize Candace as she forced skeletor to step down, she clearly over her head thinking she ready to rule even with all the mistakes she already committed, she clearly needs a political advisor, someone should send for blueblood
also like the miscommunication between skeletor and the ponies
pony pov
Would I really need one?”
ponies: he right he's that powerful and awesome, how foolish of me to ask who dare challenge our lord
skeletor pov
Would I really need one?
is there like a rule i got to follow as a guest?
10642978
Oh dear god, please don't.
10643027
Hilariously, I can see Blueblood running a tight ship in this case. He may be a spoiled, delusional brat. But the Crystal Empire still runs in that archaic fashion he thinks the rest of the world obeys.
Cadance: Oh bluey, what did I do wrong?
Blueblood: EVERYTHING.
Cadance: I beg your pardon?!
Blueblood: You can't just trot into a classical era imperial fiefdom like you own the place.
Cadance: But you do that all the time!
Blueblood: That's because I'm ESTABLISHED. You, on the other hoof pop in just days after the Empire reappears and declare yourself ruler without getting even the proper gauge of the person in charge in the interim. Granted, you should have taken down that SOMBRA fellow, but he was already dethroned before you got here. And for a pony who can read emotions, you didn't even take a moment to read the mood of the rabble before you opened you mouth.
Cadance: But I'm just trying to help!
Blueblood: Never give the commoners what they haven't asked for. Did auntie never teach you that? In situations like this, the common rabble are focused on two things. Safety, and stability. That, admittedly hideous, Skeletor fellow has beaten you to giving them both.
Cadance: But what if he's up to something? He's-
Blueblood: Of course he's up to something. If he's not up to something, someone close to him is up to something. You may not know who it is, but rest assured, someone is ALWAYS up to something. The trick is figuring out what that something is before you make moves. It's like a game of chess, except there is no board, no pieces, you're guessing the moves, and you're always in check. That's just how the nobility work.
Cadance: That's not exactly helpful...
Blueblood: Short version is... You played your hoof first while Skeletor was already established. He's already got the rabble in his corner, for good or ill. That puts you in check.
Cadance: But you just said-
Blueblood: You're always in check, yes. But now you KNOW it.
Cadance: How do you know this much about politics, but seem like such a dofus in public?
Blueblood: If I told you that, you'd know my move.
10643268
I am now intrigued and terrified...
Oh Cadance, you should never allow history to be completely forgotten and buried, no matter how bad it is..
That's how it comes back to bite you in the flank later.
10643268
I can see you're a fan of the "Blueblood pretends to be awful so they'll actually leave him alone." theory now.^_^
10643499
that the fun of blueblood, since he only got one appearance, we can take his character any way we want, i personally like the idea of him being terrible but competent, like in the comics where he was a skilled diplomat, my personal head canon is princess celestia let him be terrible and turns a blind eye and in return she dumps as much of her work load and duties onto him as she can so she got free time
Don't worry guys, Cadence is just speedrunning the coup-d'etat% category
10643605
"Hey there Pega-Sisters and their special madams and misters. It's Cadenza, back at it again with another challenge. So, last time I did the kidnap and rescue any percent, and we're back at it with a new challenge. Now, for Coup-d'etat any percent, we're trying to beat King Sombra's run of three years (technically). Now, the important part of this run is making sure there's still a kingdom. Most runners try to crash the economy as quickly as they can, and that actually adds time to their run because all of the ponies who have enough influence to overthrow you end up leaving for a better kingdom. Also, you want avoid an assassination attempt, so make sure enough ponies like you that they'll be able to to keep you safe long enough for a contender to rise to power. I'll be arriving in the Crystal Empire in about twenty minutes, and as soon as I sit on the throne, the clock starts. I can proactively try to tarnish my image with a bad introduction, like Sombra did when he killed the previous princess, but I can't wait too long before the run actually starts. Wish me luck! I'll be updating regularly to keep you all up to date on where I am and how fast I can run through this challenge. Stay tuned, and always remember, I love you all."