The Deceit

The new day came, and Scarlet was still fast asleep. She was exhausted from yesterday’s activities. Typically, she was not a heavy sleeper, but she was just too tired and remained in her soft bed. Her table was vibrating a little bit. It came from the metal communicator that she used with Theo. On the other end, Theo’s voice can he heard coming out of the device. There was some static when his voice transferred over.

"Hey” static “Hey Scarlet." static

Pim was curled up napping under Scarlet's arms until he heard some noises and static. He arched his ears up, smelling the air. He rushed over to the sound coming from the metal device. He bit around one of the chair legs and pulled it out. He used his hooves to slowly climb on the chair. One by one his hooves settled onto the table. He lowered his head so his ears were pressed against the metal piece’s speaker to listen to Theo's voice. He was extremely excited.

"Woo, woo." He happily called out.

Theo chuckled, "Hi Pim, how are you buddy?"

Pim gave a loud, "WOO!" Theo had to move the piece away from his ear quickly otherwise he would go deaf. His one hand was covering his ear.

"Glad to hear it buddy, can you get Scarlet? I need to talk to her.”

Pim bit gently on the metal piece with his mouth, making sure he had a good grip on it. He jumped off the table and then ran toward her sleeping face. Scarlet tossed and turned a little on the bed. She was comfortable in her bed and refused to move.

"Hey Scarlet, can you hear me?"

Her eyes opened narrowly, debating whether she was dreaming or not.

"Theo?" She asked in a groggy voice.
It had been quite some time since they had last spoken using this piece.
She yawned a little as she picked up the device and moved it closer to her.

While half asleep, she asked, “What can I do for you, Theo?” She rolled onto the other side of the bed while hugging her pillow. Pim walked over Scarlet to move to the other side of the bed. She felt every hoof step on her stomach.

Ooof

Then he slid and snuggled under her blankets, breathing softly.

"I would like you to attend a Cosmocrat meeting with me, today. Remember to use the pill I gave you for the disguise. Do you have enough?"

Scarlet tried to stay in bed while reaching for her dresser drawer. She ended up rolling out of bed with Pim tumbling beside her onto the floor.

“Wooo, Woo” Pim was enjoying the rolls.

She peeked in the drawer and grabbed the pill bottle.

Shake shake With a couple of shakes, Scarlet told Theo, “Yes, I have enough. What would I be doing?”

Theo said, “Blend in as best you can and just observe. I will need you there.”

On the day of the meeting, the Cosmocrats lined up at the entrance for the conference. It was held away from the school building. From the outside, it looked like an pitted and scarred boulder. With the Cosmocrat’s special vision, they can see that it was a circular stone building with a large boulder as the door. To gain access to the entrance, they had to place their hand on the surface of the rock, and the boulder would start to shift, leaving an opening.

Scarlet was hiding between the leafy bushes and trees. She was nervous about this situation, but she was not worried since Theo would be there with her. She waited for nighttime to swallow Theo’s magical pill. She was trying to hide her disgusted face as the pill taste was still as unappetizing as before. The raw onion taste overwhelmed her tongue and the pungent smell followed with every bite which made her nauseous. Her appearance began to change and transform after the pill dissolved in her system.

She turned into a Cosmocrat with the heavy cloak and skull-like headdress resting on top of her head. Her senses were heightened once more. She saw a small cluster of them up ahead. In an attempt to blend in, she tried to imitate the way they walked. Their knees were raised slightly like they were marching. The other Cosmocrats noticed her strange walking and gave her weird looks.

They whispered amongst themselves. "I guess not all of us can be born majestically." The other Cosmocrats felt that she lacked charm and honor. They all eventually made it the room chattering amongst themselves.

Theo slowly stepped into the room, he was wearing a similar headdress to how the others were wearing. The Elder’s face brightened when he saw that Theo was able to make it. He patted Theo on the back as he made his way toward him.

The Elder stood proud with his hands on his cane. "Welcome Theo. Glad you could make it."

"Thank you Elder. I would not miss this of course. " Theo replied proudly.

The Elder signaled the crowd with the cane; he tapped it on the ground. In response to his action, all of the Cosmocrats crouched down to bow in unison. They lowered their eyes to stare at the floor in respect. The floors were creaking from all of their weight.

Scarlet had sweat dripping on the side of her head; she was nervous to be in the crowded room. It was a tight room, each of their shoulders were up against one another. Her body temperature rose too as the heat from everyone as radiating.

I'm still not used to being in this disguise quite yet.

The Elder signaled the crowd with the cane once more; he tapped the ground twice.

They all began taking a seat. One of the Cosmocrats remained standing to start the discussion.

"After many observances, the city's people have been loyal and obedient, but then slammed fist into the table, the ceremony was a disaster."

The other ones agreed, “Yes, you're right.” The other started hitting the wall and table in frustration.

Scarlet repeated it and said, “Yes, you're right.” She was trying to fit in as much as possible. Her eyes were surveying the room to find something to throw. She found a vase and tossed it on the ground, shattering it. She was trying to emphasize that she was distressed similarly to the others. She then took a deep breath. The rest of them were startled by the loud noise she had produced.

Theo locked a wide-eyed gaze on her and motioned his hands for her to tone it down.

The Elder then stepped forward and tapped his cane on the ground once more. It delivered a calming vibration.

"Settle down, we must bring prosperity back again." He turned to Theo. "What do you suggest?"

The Elder reached into his shirt pocket and pulled a glass bottle out of his shirt pocket and tipped it to Theo. Scarlet noticed there was a green glow.

Theo politely declined, "I'm sorry Elder. I don't drink."

"Nonsense!" The Elder was angered by Theo’s response. He signaled a couple of Cosmocrats to come forward. They started to hold Theo down so he could not move. The Elder walked over with the bottle in his hand. Theo refused to open his mouth.

The Elder waved his cane, causing his lips to open as the bottle's bright green liquid streamed into his mouth.

Scarlet gasped in horror. Her hands were trembling as she watched.

Theo's face darkened and the expression on his face was wild like the alter ego she had met before. He was colder.

Theo cleared his throat.
"Elder, I would like to propose stricter laws for all people. Anyone who demands freedom will be taught a lesson."

Two Cosmocrats brought in a disgruntled male townsperson with his hands tied behind their back with a rope. They strapped him in the middle of the rotating table and injected a syringe filled with green liquid in his arm. He collapsed and was suddenly unconscious.

“There now this person will not be a rebel and be a sweet citizen like the rest of them."

Theo shifted his eyes over the Scarlet.
She gulped as she felt his gaze on her.

"There's someone in this room that doesn't belong here. An imposter."

"That's outrageous!" The Elder stomped his foot. “Where is the imposter?!” He demanded.

Theo moved his hand in Scarlet’s direction. Her disguise disappeared, revealing herself.

Panicked, Scarlet tried to frantically find a place to escape.

The other Cosmocrats held her down on the ground. Her face was planted on the coarse floor. She could feel her skin was grazed by the impact.

"Imprisonment at once!"

Theo, why?