Tears poured from my eyes that night. Clockwork allowed us to stay as long as we wanted. I think he was changing his opinion on pegasi, but I was too upset to be happy about it. I sat behind the Inn with my back leaning against the building. Rain fell from the sky like somepony had turned on thousands of faucets. The awning was just big enough to where I wouldn’t get wet. I looked at my pipbuck. According to the stats, I had taken a small amount of damage during the fight. It must have been broken, because I didn’t feel hurt. Physically, anyway.

I covered my face with my forelegs. “Nico, why couldn’t you just keep going?”

The only thing I could think to do at that point was drink away the pain. As hard as it was for me, I wanted to get over the fact I lost another friend. Life wasn’t fair, though. It wasn’t fair I had chronic anxiety. It wasn’t fair I had to be sent on that stupid rescue mission. It wasn’t fair! The only one I could blame was myself. I wanted to blame Hope, but I couldn’t help but think she also had poor judgment. The ghouls weren’t even alive. They couldn’t help what they had become.

“Are you alright?”

I moved my hooves to see Clockwork approaching out of the rain. His leg was bandaged and in a sling. He also wore another vest, but his badge was missing. He was the last pony I expected to be out here. Looking into the dark sky, I rested my head on the old wooden planks on the building. He sat next to me, sharing my view.

“It’s a shame. Equestria wouldn’t be so bad if we could get a little sunlight.” He finally spoke.

“The pegasi don’t think there’s anything to shed light for down here.” I replied, flatly.

“You don’t agree?”

I sighed. “At first, but I was raised to believe it. When I first got here, I was almost killed by raiders. They were unbelievably strong enough to take out my whole team. Except for me.” I shoved my face into my hooves again. “Nico saved me. He went out of his way just to make sure I was okay. He even helped me to fly again.”

Clockwork looked at his hooves, sadly. I forgot he would never be able to fly again. “Sorry.” I told him.

“I suppose I deserve it. You made me realize that not all of our kind are malevolent. I should have thought more about it before destroying my own body. Leaf’s mother never agreed with me. She always saw the good in everyone.” He smiled. “It’s what I loved most about her.”

“She seems like a good pony.” I looked at him.

“She was. When that general killed her, I was just so…” He stomped, then turned to me. “How are you not infuriated? Those ghouls killed your friend! The one who saved your life.”

I sniffed. “I know. No matter how hard I try, I can’t blame them. Only myself. The same with my friends when they were killed by those raiders. I had my revenge, but it didn’t change anything. There’s just always the fact that I could have done more. If I could have had more courage to fight for their lives, they might still be alive.”

“Even if it isn’t really your fault.”

I nodded, tearing up, again.

“My grandfather used to tell me bravery doesn’t necessarily mean you have to take on an army. You don’t even have to resort to violence. Simply going out of your comfort zone to make life a little better somepony is an act of courage. Despite an anxiety attack, you saved my daughter from that horde. If that’s not brave I don’t know what is.” He put a hoof on my shoulder.

“I didn’t do anything.” I said.

“You did more than you know. I should get inside. If you need anything, you can come to me or my daughter. Don’t hesitate.” He smiled.

I returned the gesture as he stood and shuffled back inside. Clockwork was wise, despite his poor judgement. Everypony makes mistakes, though. A part of me wanted to go back and find his body so I could give him a proper burial, but another part didn’t want to see him so lifeless. Bucking the air, I grunted. Why did I have to make so many choices? Burying him would be the right thing to do, though. I didn’t want to leave him down there with those monsters.

Walking around to the entrance, I opened the door and forced my hooves to get up to the desk. Rain water dripped from my mane and tail. At least nopony could tell I was crying. Green Leaf sat at her desk, studying a large piece of parchment. It was probably the map of the tunnels.

“Leaf, can I ask you for a favor?” My voice was raspy.

She looked up and smiled, sadly. “Of course! What do you need?”

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I want to bury Nico’s body. I-I need your help.”

Trotting around the desk, she wrapped her hoof around me. “Anything, Sia. Should we go get the red-headed stallion?”

I nodded. “We’ll need him.”

“Okay, I’ll wait here. He’s in the first room to your left.”

I slowly trudged on, opening the door to the room she was talking about. Redd lay on the mattress, sleeping. His rifles and barding sat in a neat pile next to him. I trotted over and sat next to him. Shaking him, he woke up with a jump.

“Lieutenant? Are you feeling better?” He asked.

I looked down. “Not really, but I need your help, Redd.”

He sat up.

“Will you help me bury…” I broke down in tears.

He rubbed his neck. “I-I’ll help you, don’t worry.”

I hugged him. “Thank you.”

His hooves wrapped around me. “You’re welcome.”

It was hard to pull away, but I had to get back. Leaf was waiting for me. Redd held the door open so I could go through. I felt bad for not giving him enough credit. He was a good stallion at heart, just a little rough around the edges. Leaf stood by the basement door, holding a shovel. The sight was a little too much for me, but I knew we had to do this. It wasn’t like I could make funeral arrangements.

“Are you ready?” She asked me.

I only nodded, sadly.

She opened the door. I turned on the light of my pipbuck. The trapdoor was how we left it. I sighed as Redd pulled it open. Inside was pretty dark. The beams were bent and broken and dirt had fell in small piles all over the tunnel. As my light shined around, I couldn’t find the opening. I took quick, shallow breaths. The tunnel had caved in!

“No!” I screamed. I began digging with my hooves at the rocks and red dirt. There was so much there, the three of us couldn’t have possibly moved it in less than a couple of days. I leaned onto a pony-size rock and pushed against it. My hooves sunk into the dirt floor. I tried again and again. Leaf and Redd looked at each other, sympathy covering their faces.

“Sia, I don’t think we can-” Leaf said, softly.

“We… can!” I growled at the stone. “We just have to try. It’s only right! I have to bury him. I don’t want to leave him down here! He might be afraid! He needs me! I need him.” My hooves slid out from under me, making me fall. I didn’t bother to get up. I just laid there and cried. If ponies were going to keep dying around me, I was going to have a mental breakdown. Leaf and Redd both hugged each side of me. Leaf shed a tear for me as she helped me up. I leaned against her as we walked back to the room. Redd thanked her as she left to go back to her desk. I sat by the window and wept.

“Do you want me to stay with you?” Redd spoke up.

“No. I just want to be alone.” I sobbed.

“I’ll be next door if you need me.” He said.

When I didn’t reply, he shut the door gently. I spotted the half empty bottle of tequila on the window sill. My hooves grasped it. Tonight, I was not going to sleep sad. I wanted to be mindless and ignorant. Uncorking the container, I took several pulls at once. Nico’s saddle bag lay next to me. I hugged it.

“Nico, Wick… Chaser. I failed all of you. I failed myself.” I whispered.

Before long, I had consumed the entire bottle. I wasn’t crying, but I wasn’t happy either. At some point, I must have ripped the newspaper from the window. I lay on my back, staring out into the cloudy night. Thoughts flooded my mind, again. Falling asleep was hard, but I eventually dozed off on the bed.

I was lying on something fluffy and soft. My eyes opened and I was standing on a cloud. Nothing else was around, I was just floating on a cloud in an empty, blue sky. There wasn’t even a sun!

“Great. Another dream.” I sighed.

“Sienna.”

I quickly turned to see Nico smiling at me. I gasped. He was here! If it was a dream, I no longer cared. As soon as I started running towards him, he disappeared and was replaced by the princess of the night. I slid to a stop in front of her.

She smiled. “Sienna, how are you?”

“Terrible.” I looked down.

Why couldn’t Nico just stay?

“I apologize for giving you false hope, but you said you wanted to see his face one last time.” She lifted my chin.

“Princess, is he truly…” I didn’t finish the sentence.

“I-I don’t know.” She answered.

“Aren’t you supposed to be the princess of dreams? You’ll know if he’s alive!” I raised my voice.

She nervously backed away. “I-I…”

My eyes widened. “You aren’t Princess Luna! Who are you?! Get out of my head!”

I shook my head, trying to end the dream.

“Sia! Please darling, I know you’re upset, but I was afraid you wouldn’t trust me if I was in my own body.” She closed her eyes. “Everypony else had lost their trust in me.”

I narrowed my eyes at her.

“I swear, everything I’ve said about the pearls is the truth. I made mistakes when I was alive. The black book. The pearls… I want to make things right. Silky didn’t know about the powers they held, nopony did. I thought I would be able to fix Equestria with them. Unfortunately, before I could get the chance, I was killed by the pink cloud saving a dear friend.” She wiped her eyes.

“Who… are you?” I asked.

A breeze picked up as her mane started to flow around her. Luna shrunk into a smaller pony. Her wings disappeared and her horn became smaller. The blue coat changed to white and her deep purple mane curled around her face. I gasped when I saw her cutie mark.

“R-Rarity...”

“Of course, darling. I promise this is truly me. When I learned about the soul jar spell, I decided to put a part of me into the necklace you have. Once you put it on, you’re the only one I can communicate with. I had to use other… dark magic, but I succeeded.” She flipped her mane. “And thank you. I hear you are my biggest fan.”

I couldn’t speak. Rarity was talking to me.

“Er, Sia?” She stepped closer.

“I-I’m sorry, I just can’t believe this. You’ve given me so much inspiration throughout the years. I even found a sewing machine that belongs to you!” I pointed to her.

She chuckled. “It is beautiful. My auntie had it in her attic for the longest time. You keep it, now. I obviously don’t need it, anymore.”

Nico stayed in her aunt’s house?!

“I’m here to give you more information about the pearls. You still have the necklace, correct?” She asked.

I nodded.

“Good. Now, as you may have learned, they are in Silky’s boutique near Shattered Hoof. When you find them, I want you to leave the necklace beside them. It will take time, but they will degrade. Should be simple, enough. I didn't mean to make things sound more difficult than they really are, before.”

I thought a moment. “Didn’t you say you were going to use them to save Equestria? Why can’t I just do that? There won’t be a wasteland anymore!”

She held my hoof. “I’m afraid that isn’t possible. The dark magic would mix with the taint and other poisons, thus creating an even bigger mess. It’s amazing what you can learn after death.”

I looked down. “Is there… anything? Anything that can clean up this wasteland?”

“I’m not sure. The only thing you can do is your best. One pony can make a huge difference.” She reassured me. “I must go, you’ll be waking, soon.”

I hugged her. She was shocked by my sudden embrace, but she returned the hug.

“Thank you, Rarity.”

With one last smile, she faded into nothing. The cloud under me went with her, causing me to fall from the sky. I flapped, but I couldn’t fly. It was like my wings were made of lead! Before the darkness closed in, I awoke with a gasp. The glass bottle rolled from my hooves and onto the floor, shattering. The room was the same. It was still dark, but I knew it had to be early morning.

I have to go! I can’t stay and feel sorry for myself, anymore. Oh, Nico… I’ll be back. I-I’ll find you!

I slammed a new cartridge in my pistol. It was my last, so I would only use it for emergencies. Slowly, I picked up Nico’s bag and held it close to my chest for a little bit before I hung it over my own, smaller, bag. I took a deep breath. I was going to accomplish something for once in my life.

Bursting through the door to Redd’s room, he nearly fell from the mattress when he saw me.

“Come on, let’s go.” I threw his things towards him.

“Now? I thought you-“

“I need to do this! The fate of hundreds rests in my hooves, and I can’t let anypony else die because I’m too afraid!” I yelled at him.

He quickly stood and did as I said. As soon as he secured his weapons, I galloped out the door and into the lobby. Leaf started to speak, but I interrupted her with a “thank you”. Redd galloped after me. When I was under the open sky, I flew towards it. I didn’t even stop flying for the longest time. Eventually, daylight broke through the clouds.

I shut down my brain and thought of absolutely nothing. My thoughts only held me back! I couldn’t let that happen again. The morning air blew my mane back. In the distance, I could see a mountain. The tip faded into the clouds. According to my pipbuck, it was Canterlot Ruins. I groaned. It would still be three days until we arrived. Thunder exploded above me, followed by rain suddenly beating down on my hide.

“Sienna! Wait!” Redd flew next to me. I had slowed down as I couldn’t see anything anymore.

“Don’t you think we should find shelter?” He asked.

“Later.” I said.

“We can’t fly in this! Besides, I need to fix my guns.”

“Redd, just trust me. I don’t want to risk another day. The timer is ticking.” I didn’t look at the timer. I was too afraid of what it would say.

“We can barely see where we’re going. Come on, we need to stop until the rain slacks up. Maybe it won’t last long.” He flew into my path, blocking me.

The rain came down, harder. I sighed, knowing he was right.

I searched the immediate area for a safe place to stop. I spotted a small building with three metal awnings next to it. A giant billboard next to it read, “Far-er’s M-rk-t”. The missing letters didn’t make it difficult to know it was actually a farmer’s market. Flying toward it, I motioned for Redd to follow. I ducked under one of the steel awnings for better protection from the weather.

“Hey, look.” Redd pointed to a line of fruit and vegetable stands. “Maybe we can find supplies here.”

“Just fix your gun. I’ll look around.” I trotted to the first stand.

As Redd tinkered in his energy rifles, I went to work. Flipping over boxes and reading old flyers only helped slightly to get my mind off the loss of Nico. Broken glass and bottles littered the place. I figured they were used to store fruit preserves. I managed to find four unbroken jars of fruit. They were dusty, but otherwise looked to be edible. Isn’t that why they’re called preserves, anyway?

I looked through each produce stand, only finding a few bottle caps. The last stand was nothing but a pile of wood. I dug in the pile, finding a whole crate of unopened bottles, to my amazement. Picking up one of the sodas, I saw it was a Sparkle Cola. I had never tried one. They were advertised everywhere, though. It didn’t seem radiated. It wasn’t like it was glowing or anything, and I was a little thirsty. Taking a rusty nail, I popped the cap off and stored it away with the other caps. I sniffed it, then took a tiny sip.

Carroty!

It was delicious! I drank half and listened for the clicking of my pipbuck. When it never came, I drank the rest. Licking my lips, I belched.

“Wow. I didn’t think you had it in you, Lieutenant. Well done.” Redd chuckled as he appeared next to me.

I blushed. “I-I… Sorry.”

He shrugged. “What’s that?”

“Sparkle Cola. Here, try it!” I hoofed over a bottle of the carbonated soft drink.

“Hell, no! It’s probably contaminated by now!” He pushed it away.

“It’s bottled. My radmeter didn’t warn me.” I said flatly.

“I’ll take my chances with clean water.” He said, disgusted.

I shrugged. “More for me.”

Popping another top off, I took a few sips and set it beside me. The rain still poured even though we had been there for an hour. Hopefully, it would be gone by that afternoon. When I finished the soda, I curled my hooves under me and sat, watching the storm. I closed my eyes and sobbed, quietly. The image of Nico smiling in that tunnel broke my heart. It was almost like he accepted his fate. He knew if he hadn’t collapsed the passageway, the horde would reach the surface. That was a sacrifice I would have been too afraid to make. It shamed me, really.

“Sienna, are you okay?” Redd sat down beside me.

“I didn’t expect it to hurt this bad.” I scuffed the dirt under me.

“It will pass. I’m here, if you need somepony to talk to.” He put his hoof over mine.

“Thanks, Redd. You’re a good friend. I’m sorry I give you a hard time. It’s just… I don’t know. I want to believe I can overcome my constant fear, but I can’t.”

“Everypony gets scared, sometimes. Those ghouls terrified me.”

“That would terrify anything.”

“Well, I was a little weary about Nico.” He admitted.

“Why?”

He shrugged. “You know. I was pretty intimidated that he knew what he was doing. Now that I know him, I don’t think I would want to actually fight him.”

I grinned. “He was smart, that’s for sure.”

While we talked, I heard shuffling behind us. Redd stood, quickly putting his rifles over him. I stayed behind him. The rustling continued, until Redd carefully stepped towards the sound. I could see a silhouette behind a crate.

“Who goes there?” Redd yelled.

The shadow quickly backed away.

“Tell me, or I’ll shoot!” He shouted.

“P-please. I need… help.” A tiny voice squeaked.

A small, gray unicorn filly emerged from behind the crate. Her blue mane hid her eyes. She was scared to death. I trotted over to her. When I got closer, I saw her chest was cut.

“Are you okay, sweetheart?” I cooed.

“N-No. My family was attacked. S-slavers captured them. I got away, but they are still in chains. C-can you help me? Please.” She hiccupped.

“Where are they?” I asked.

“How many slavers are there?”

I glared at Redd.

“What? If there are several, we can’t just fly in. We need a plan.”

The filly hugged my forehoof. “Mommy and D-Daddy are that way.” She pointed towards the east. “There are three bad ponies. They… they have bomb collars on them.” She cried into my leg. I picked her up and held her. She was so small! How did she manage to come this way by herself?

“You want to save them, don’t you?” Redd asked.

I stared. “You don’t?”

He rolled his eyes then took off. “Let’s go.”

“What’s your name?” I asked the foal.

“P-Peanut.” She whimpered.

“Okay, Peanut, hop on and show us where your parents are, okay?”

She nodded and climbed between my wings. I hovered slightly, to make sure she was holding on. When I was sure, I joined Redd in the sky. Flying slowly, I followed her direction. It wasn’t too far from where we were. Inside a few woods was a slaver camp. A tent and a cage was situated behind dead brush. A stallion and mare were locked in the cage. Three slavers were sitting around a fire under a giant log. I set down a good distance away from the camp.

“Peanut, you stay here, okay? I don’t want you to get hurt.” I helped the filly down and set her inside a hollow branch. She nodded.

I turned to Redd. “We need to get that detonation switch away from them. If they push that button, her parents’ head will be blown off.” I spoke quietly so the filly didn’t hear.

“How?”

“You distract them. Just lead the slavers away and I’ll help the parents.”

He nodded and took off.

I positioned myself, hiding behind the trees. The slavers laughed and conversed about gruesome topics. I cringed, remembering when I was almost sold by slavers. Nico would have probably had a better idea than this, but he was also smarter than me when it came to wasteland predators.

“Hey! Over here! What do you think you’re doing?” Redd yelled from somewhere. The slavers picked up their weapons and trotted towards him.

“Get the chains!” A slaver buck yelled.

I waited until they were lead away before I snuck towards the cage. The mare and stallion were watching the scene.

“Excuse me.” I whispered.

They jumped. “A-another slaver!” The mare cried.

“Leave us alone!” The stallion snorted.

“I-I’m here to help!”

They looked at each other.

Gripping my gun in my teeth, I aimed at the cage lock. “Shan bahck.”

They backed away and covered their faces.

ZAP!

The lock melted away and I bucked the door open. They ran out, clearly shaken by their ordeal.

“I don’t know how to get the collars off!” I panicked.

The mare examined the collar. “Do you have a bobby pin or anything?”

I thought a moment before I dug in Nico’s bag. By pure luck, I pulled out a single pin and hoofed it to her.

I watched her dig around in her collar. It popped off, landing near my hooves. Before she started to remove her stallion’s collar, I heard hoofsteps rushing towards us.

“Hey! Get away from those slaves!” He shouted.

I gulped. “Hurry! He’s heading towards us!”

“The lock… It’s stuck! I need a few moments.” She frantically dug around the collar. The stallion started sweating.

Grabbing my pistol again, I flew towards the slaver buck. He almost made it to the detonator before I kicked it away. He looked up and growled. I really didn’t want to fight, but I had no other options. The slaver tackled me, sending me rolling through the dead weeds. Rubbing my head, I moved just in time before he kicked his back legs. Still dodging, I thought about shooting him with my pistol. I didn’t want to waste the gem cartridge, though. I swung my forehooves, missing him.

“Seriously? You think you can fight me, bitch?” He punched me in my jaw. I felt one of my teeth loosen from the blow. Not having time to recover, he slammed my face into a tree. Blood poured from my nose. He punched me again and bucked, his hind hooves meeting my stomach, sending me flying across the camp. My lungs started stinging as I began coughing, violently. I waited a few seconds before I tried to stand.

I wish I could uncover the anger that made me tear those raiders to shreds.

Getting back up, I threw my weight into him, only to have him throw me off. He was pretty strong.

“Is that all you got?” He smirked.

I picked up a rock and threw it at him, hitting him in his forehead. Hopefully, it at least left a bump on his head. He ran towards me, again. I flapped my wings, dodging his attack. The slaver spun, using his momentum to launch himself at me. I went left, but his leg caught my torso, making me spiral out of control. When I hit the ground, he was already standing over me with a curved knife.

“You shouldn’t have threw a rock at me.” He growled.

I struggled to get up. My head pounded and I’m sure my nose was broken. He raised his hoof with the knife, but was turned to ash by Redd’s energy beam. He zoomed over to me, helping me to my hooves. The mare and stallion galloped to us.

“Oh, thank you so much for saving us!” The mare exclaimed with tears in her eyes.

The stallion took Redd’s hoof and shook it, profusely.

“Here, have these as a token of our gratitude.” She gave me a small bag. Inside was a healing potion, a roll of bandages, and a few caps.

I smiled at her. I was a little dizzy from the fight. “I have something for you, as well.”

I took off to where Peanut was still hidden. Her little hooves covered her face as she trembled and cried. When she saw me, she clung to my leg for dear life. I set her on my back again and flew back to her parents, who waited, patiently.

“Mommy! Daddy!” The filly jumped off my back and bolted to them.

“Peanut! My baby!” The mare scooped her up and embraced her.

“We owe you our lives.” The buck dipped his head to us.

I smiled as they trotted off. Redd sighed. “Well, that was our good deed for the day. Are you sure you’re okay? Do you need this potion?”

“No, but I do need to ask you a question.”

“Huh?”
“Why do I always faint after a fight?” I mumbled.

He stared in confusion. “What do you mean?”

When I lifted a hoof to answer, I collapsed. He stumbled over, picking me up. “Let’s get back to the farmer’s market. You need to rest.” He took off, letting me ride on his back. I enjoyed the free pony rides, but this was getting rather ridiculous! Slipping into unconsciousness, I still felt the rain on my face. It wasn’t as heavy as it was earlier, but it was still pouring. I was somewhat glad I didn’t dream.

I awoke to something warming my side. Slowly turning my head, the flickering of a fire caught my eye. We were back at the marketplace. Redd sat next to me, sniffing one of the jars of preserves.

No! We were supposed to be headed for Shattered Hoof! How long had I been out?

Redd noticed me moving and leaned down to me. “Feeling better?”

“My head is killing me.” I complained.

“I’m glad I got there in time. Too bad I couldn’t kill him with my bare hooves.” He rumbled.

“You saved me, though. Thank you.” I smiled the best I could. My jaw was sore, but I think my tooth had settled back into place.

He looked out into the darkening sky. “You have been passed out for a while.”

I struggled to stand. We could cover at least a short distance before night fell.

Redd caught me as my hooves gave out. “You aren’t going anywhere. Rest is the best thing we can do right now.”

“No… have to… get… up.” I attempted to get up, again.

“What would Nico say?”

I stopped. How dare he bring Nico up at a time like this!

“I’m sorry, but you really need to be careful.”

“I’m not as fragile as you think I am!” I snapped.

He sat next to me. “Just relax, okay? You’re still hurt.”

I pierced him with my eyes, but I sat down anyway. It felt like things were getting in my way just so I couldn’t get this one task done! Was I not allowed to do anything? Nico would have made me rest, too, though. He probably would have been firmer than Redd about it. Still, it aggravated me to the point where I wanted to just travel alone.

“How long are we supposed to wait?” I tapped my hoof, impatiently.

“At least until morning.” He yawned.

He's tired this early? What a party-pooper!

Rolling onto my back, I decided to watch the sky go from grim to dark. The clouds didn’t even move. They stayed in the same spot as if they were painted there. I knew it was because of the Enclave. Clockwork had a great idea. Sunlight really would do the wasteland a world of good. Ponies could at least bask in the rays instead of getting rained on all the time.

“Redd?” I whispered.

He didn’t answer.

I flipped back over to see him sleeping against a pile of papers.

Finally.

Tiptoeing outside, I quietly glided towards the roof. The rain had, thankfully, stopped for now. I rested on the tin, stretching my hind legs. My head didn’t hurt anymore, and I wasn’t as dizzy so that was a good sign. I was just glad my lungs weren’t burning anymore. Slowly, I raised my head to look at the sky. If you strained your eyes just right, you could almost see the glow of the moon. It was probably just my mind wanting me to see it. When the illusion disappeared, I dropped my head, sadly.

“I’ll be home, soon, Grandma and Grandpa. I’m doing fine, I promise.”

Level Up!

Health -1
Combat +2
Energy Weapon +1
Looting +1

Author's Notes:

Thanks to Kkat for this amazing world!
WELP, here it is. Chapter 10 is a go! It isn't as long as the others, but my sister's been in town and I don't get to see her much, so I've been pretty occupied. Also, stress has been... well, stressing me out! I'll try to get Chapter 11 done ASAP. Thank you for reading! It means so much to me! As always, constructive criticism is most welcome!
-AP