Rarity anxiously considered her choices. None of the potential prospects appealed to her. There was no connection, no desire to let them wrap themselves around her form. The clock was ticking, rapidly bringing her towards the hour where she would have to prove her mettle. The battlefield of minds, etiquette, obstructions and distractions, was calling for her blazing presence. And lo and behold; she had nothing to wear.

“...drunk off his mind and actually burning all that stuff. Ah mean, you saw how he kept it in there before, right? All careful and in a row?”

Dear Applejack was a distraction she sorely needed right now. Rarity knew if she let herself be completely embroiled in her audacious act of bringing so few of her creations along she would just scream in frustration. Was that... pantyhose? What did she even bring that for? Hay, why did she own it?

“I saw Applejack. I cannot presume I would have felt the same powerful impact if it was me and Sweetie Bell, but I do believe it is close enough to feel deeply sorry for him.” Of course, fashion could be a distraction in its own way too. Oh, she was a fool, a complete nincompoop, a simple dolt. She should have asked Prince Blueblood what he would wear so they could at least color coordinate.

“Pinkie has the right idea. Twilight can’t just gosh-darn her pa to heck even if the big cahoot did that. Ah’m about ready to march in her room and give her a piece of my mind!” Applejack finished with a sharp rap of her front hoof on the floor.

Right, she had to put a stop to this. Duties of friendship and all that. “You will do no such thing Applejack. Leave the poor thing alone. Twilight has enough on her mind.”

Applejack stared at her for a single second. “You know Rarity, there are other ways to settle things too besides just sitting on your-”

“Yes, yes, no need to be crass.” Should she wear something on her head? She did bring a tiara along, didn’t she? “I just want to point out the fact that it hasn’t been a day yet-”

“Kinda my point. We should be nipping this at the bud! At the farm if you let something like that grow you end up losing a whole crop! Did you know that she slips every now and then and calls him a monster or just “it”? She thinks I ain’t noticed.”

Rarity continued on as if Applejack hadn’t just interrupted her like an ill-mannered foal. “-and Twilight had to make an awful decision. She now she has to deal with the fact that she might have put her adopted father on a time limit at the end of which he could end up imprisoned for life or even executed. If she wants to convince herself that she condemned a vicious monster and not the person who tucked her in bed when she was a filly… well, do you want to be the one to break her out of that delusion so soon?”

Rarity turned back to her limited closet. She would have to deal with this logically. She had seen Prince Blueblood at the gala. Stallions were always so set in their ways. He’d go with blue, black, and gold accents. Oh, she could use silver instead. That would give her an excuse to wear that wonderful tiar-

“So we just lie back on our flanks and do nothing? That doesn’t sit right with me.” Applejack said, sounding bitter.

To think that she had been getting inspirational too. “Applejack, dear, none of us will be sitting on our lovely posteriors, as you eloquently put it. We are going to be good friends and help Twilight and Raegdan both as much as we can.”

The way Applejack stared at the floor, shaking one of her hoofs, was intensely familiar. Rarity took a deep breath. “Is there something else on your mind Applejack?”

“Well, do ya… do ya think that Twilight’s decision was the right one?”

Rarity turned her back on Applejack and fussed with the articles of clothing around her. She needed to pack those that didn’t make the cut back into their places. Her chosen outfit might need some airing and pressing too. Earrings! She completely forgot about earrings. Huffing to herself she turned back to searching. She must have brought a pair or two along. She couldn’t allow herself to be made a fool like that on such a momentous undertaking.

“Rarity?” Applejack kept savagely needling her from behind. Couldn’t she be afforded to have a moment to work in peace, please?

“Yes. I think it was.” Rarity sat next to Applejack, dropping her pret- her search. “He may have done “that” because he wanted to keep his child safe. He may have done it because he didn’t trust anypony else, not even Princess Celestia. But remember what he said about that last pony? He kept him alive and tortured for a week Applejack. A week! Can you fathom what he possibly did to him in that span of time? I can’t. That’s what nightmares are made of. If it was only about keeping Twilight safe he could have killed him since the final solution was the only one good enough for him. He did not. So yes, he will have to answer about that, no matter how much a part of me says good riddance to somepony who would do that to a filly.”

Applejack and the floor kept their intimate relationship intact so far. “He did save those fillies though…”

Rarity put one of her hoofs on Applejack’s shoulders. “He did. But I don’t know if he ever even thought about them when he started out. I think he had other things on his mind instead.”

“He got them out of there anyways,” Applejack defended Raegdan.

“So he has some basic decency at least. That means he is capable of recognizing what is wrong and what is right. Which is why, when the time comes, he will be judged as a sentient individual that knew what he was doing with every act he performed counting for him or against him.” Rarity hoped she wasn’t being harsh.

Applejack sighed. “Ah feel sorry for the big lug. You are right, but thinking he might get a death penalty or a lifetime in the dungeons for taking out those bad apples gets mah knickers in a twist something fierce.”

Rarity rose up once more and set herself on straightening her selected dress. She’d have to forego earrings, she just didn’t have the time now. “I like him too even if he scares me sometimes. That’s why when the time comes I shall do my best to support him and ensure he is shown as much leniency as possible. I’m more worried about little Spike first, then Twilight, and Raegdan a distant third. A stallion like him always finds a way to manage. He’ll be fine.”

Applejack nodded. “Alright. Ah see ya point. Need any help there?”

“Oh Celestia, no!” Rarity coughed at Applejack’s look. “Ahem, I meant; I’m quite done, but thank you for your considerate offer nonetheless.” Applejack’s attention was thankfully diverted by a knock on the door. “Could you get that dear? I’m in no condition to answer the door right now.” Rarity went behind a sheet she had hung as a makeshift screen to change into her dress.

“Can ah help ya?”

“Good evening miss. I am Prince Blueblood’s coach driver. The prince is waiting at the castle grounds so they can depart together. Is she ready?”

“Let me check.” Applejack’s voice boomed out. “Rarity? Are ya ready yet? They’re here to pick ya up!”

Oh fine, she’d have to do without the tiara.

The coach was opulent and spacious, decorated in gold and blue. Rarity let herself be bathed in the sheer class it exuded. Why, even the coach ponies pulling the coach in the front were dressed in outstanding finery. This little assignment of hers was shaping out to be so very fun. There was only a teeny black cloud on the horizon.

“Are we going in a circle? I’m not familiar with the Canterlot streets but shouldn’t we be heading north?” she asked her date.

Prince Blueblood was pouring champagne on two delicate, crystal glasses. He offered one of them to Rarity. “I thought we could use a few extra minutes to converse in private, miss Rarity.”

Rarity accepted the glass in the hold of her own magic. She had read this part on so many books. It was basically required for her to say it now. “Prince Blueblood, are you trying to seduce me?” She fluttered her eyelids at him. Rarity knew well the effect those long, thick eyelashes of hers had on the average stallion and…

Why was he looking terrified?

Prince Blueblood coughed and took a sip of his drink, seeming to regain his composure almost instantly. “Miss Rarity, perhaps we should address this before everything else…”

Of course. They had History, spelled with a capital H. She had to remedy and salvage, salvage I say, the situation. Not that her dreams before the Gala had been reinvigorated and brought forth, what a ridiculous little notion, hahaha. “Prince Blueblood, I know we had a… falling out before but-”

“No, no, please. Let me finish,” he appealed. “How do I put this?” He pulled in a deep breath, the impressive white trunk of his body swelling -not that she was looking. There were a lot of things she was not doing. “Miss Rarity, you are beautiful, you are elegant, you are interesting, and a mare that anypony would be fortunate to know even as a mere acquaintance.”

Oh, blessed fate, her dreams, all those dreams she had in those precious moments before sleep took her were coming-

“But I have to admit, I would sooner seek to find myself wrapped in, say, Raegdan’s embrace than yours. If you understand what I mean.”

-crashing down.

Huh?

Did he mean he had a thing for Raegdan or-

Oh. Oooh.

Oooooh.

Drat. Why is it always the good ones? Maybe going after stallions that followed fashion and made excessive use of beauty products did have a couple of disadvantages after all. She guessed there was always Big Mac… but let’s face facts, with a name like that who would be surprised if it turned out he had the hots for Thunderlane instead?

“I, uh… understand,” Rarity said expressively.

“I would ask that you keep this to yourself, if you would be so kind.”

“Of course, I understand completely.” She nodded fervently.

“On to other issues then! Have Raegdan and Luna coached you on how to act and behave while we are at the ball my aunt is hosting?” Blueblood asked.

“Ah… actually no. They haven’t.” His aunt was hosting the ball. The same “I’ll have Raegdan’s skull as a cat dish” aunt? The one she was warned to stay away from?

“Splendid!” Blueblood was relieved. “That means they won’t have given you any wrong ideas. Now, rule number one; You are an idiot that can’t tell she has been given an obvious insult, no matter the veiled ones.”

Rarity was aghast. “I’m supposed to play the part of a moron?”

Blueblood chuckled. “Miss Rarity, everyone will. I myself will endeavor to be crowned the king of moronic and lecherous leeches of society. Everyone will be guessing that you are not but they cannot be sure, can they? Not without breaking the illusion they put on themselves too. Feel free to give back as much as you receive in a manner that will leave them guessing, but remember, you certainly don’t want to appear too smart in your deception. We want our mysterious ponies to think they can outsmart and use you, correct? They might not reveal themselves tonight to you but we should plant the seeds nevertheless.”

Rainbow Dash and Applejack must never know, Rarity vowed internally. “I will… do my best. Anything else?”

“Yes. Rule number two; You know nothing of importance. However, we will have to slightly circumvent that one in order for you to bait efficiently. As far as you are concerned, the most important thing about you is your ability to get really close to Princess Luna and Raegdan.”

Rarity sighed deeply. Maybe this wasn’t going to be the exotic adventure she thought it would be. The businessmare in her was screaming as she realized how much this image she was going to project could hurt her in a professional way. It wouldn’t stop her, no way, no how. Still, a part of her was going to mourn deeply for the clientele she might estrange for life in the following few hours.

“Can I ask you a personal question Prince Blueblood?” Rarity interrupted the “etiquette” lesson.

“Just Blueblood while we are alone miss Rarity, please.”

“As long as you call me Rarity. How did you get involved with all this?”

Blueblood lied back, smiling. “Ah, now, that’s a long story I would prefer not to tell in detail. Short version; I needed help with some personal issues and I felt Raegdan was the only one who could really help me. We have been close friends ever since and I helped him in turn with some things he cannot do by himself.”

“You must have had quite the bond with him.”

“I barely knew him back then,” Blueblood confessed. “Most of our interactions until then involved him telling me to get out of his way or scaring the hay out of me. Oh, and there was that one time that he kicked me.”

Rarity had to remind herself severely that a lady does not stare and certainly does not let her mouth be an open invitation for any flies in the area. “Why did you go to him for help then? Moreover, how did you convince him to help you? So far he hasn’t struck me as the type to go out of his way for somepony he doesn’t know.”

“I believe the fact that I actually went to him for help surprised him enough to hear me out. As for why… Raegdan and my late father hated each other. Enough that they both wanted the other dead if possible. Any excuse to ruffle him up was good enough for Raegdan.”

Rarity was deathly curious to know what Blueblood needed help with but she noticed how he was careful not to hint on his own reasons in asking for Raegdan’s aid. Since it seemed to be very personal to Blueblood, Rarity would have to relinquish this line of questioning. Until they were a bit closer. Then she could pursue it again. She was patient.

She also did not miss the fact that somepony that Raegdan wanted dead ended up that way, but she chalked that up to coincidence. Raegdan was not responsible for every death in Canterlot just because of what they found out yesterday.

“Back to the matter at hoof then. How dangerous is your aunt, truly?”

“I know what you are here for. Let that monster know that someday soon I will be wearing a dress made from his skin and drinking my tea from a service set made from his ground up bones.”

“I… Lady Serenade, I assure you, I have no idea what you mean!” Rarity stammered. This was going badly. Blueblood’s aunt, Honest Serenade, had homed in on her minutes after making their entrance. She was very similar to her nephew, and judging by the multitudes of paintings on the wall, her late brother. Bluntly put she could very well pass for a wingless, shorter Princess Celestia if it wasn’t for the permanent disapproving scowl on her.

Rarity’s eyes couldn’t help but sweep back to the host’s cutie mark. A golden cup filled with red wine with an eminent drop falling down. She dearly wished that didn’t mean she would have to deal with a drunk version of her later on.

“Like hell you don’t,” the white mare whispered while simultaneously briefly abandoning her scowl to smile graciously at a passing noble. “One of the bearers comes into my house after dilly-dallying for days with that freak of nature and its new owner, and you expect me to believe anything you try to serve me? You can drop the act while you talk to me honey. I don’t have anything personal against you. I expect nothing from you but to convey a message.”

Rarity tried to claw her way back into her role. “Lady Serenade, I may have spent time with the aforementioned pair but I guarantee you that it wasn’t anything pleasant or an experience I found to my liking if that’s what you are trying to insinuate.”

Honest Serenade chuckled. She stopped a waiter to exchange her depleted glass with a new one. “Ah, even though you may not be the one carrying Honesty I will believe that. How is Laughter by the way? Any complications in her recovery?”

“She is perfectly fine. May I ask how you know about that?” Rarity answered back, her facial expression carefully constructed to a perfect blank.

“There is very little that I cannot find out my dear. This… Raegdan believes himself so very clever and cunning as does his bitch of a mistress. He is not the only one who can read between the lines, and I have been involved in this game longer than him. I know far more than they suspect.”

“Do you know any manners?”

The white noble unicorn mare laughed. “Scathing. Especially coming from a poor little seamstress from derpville, middle of the sticks, cornhole of Equestria.”

“I am not obligated to stand here and endure this kind of malignant treatment,” Rarity huffed, raising her snout high in a dismissing fashion. Blueblood’s rules weren’t doing her any favors. This mare spit on them, even as Blueblood, and the rest of the nobles, as far as she could tell, reverently followed them.

“Of course not. You are free to stop taking advantage of my hospitality at any time dear. How is your head? Are you feeling any dizziness?”

“Excuse me?”

“Nothing, nothing. I expect that “Princess” Luna is a very subtle mare in these issues anyway. Very impatient however. Everypony in a row in a single day? Does she believe us all blind?” Serenade swilled her drink as she stared at it. “I am going to be very cross with the kitchen. This should have been chilled significantly more.”

“What are you implying?” Rarity asked, aghast.

Serenade laughed once more, throwing her drink behind her and getting a new one. “It all sounds sexual in a way, doesn’t it? I wonder if she gets all horny from this kind of thing,” she speculated with half lidded eyes. “Maybe afterwards she returned to her little tower and commanded her pet to ride her hard until she could only whimper for-”

“Lady Serenade! Please. Have some decency!”

“Decency? Oh, you are such a joker honey. Considering whose hooves you lap you are the last mare who should be talking about decency to me. I bet that two legged beast has you all thinking that he is some kind of misunderstood creature. He is not. I at least understand him perfectly. He is a murderer and a liar. His mistress? She is even worse.”

“Lady Serenade, if you’d please listen-”

The mare ignored her. “I know. Here’s something you might find interesting. Did you hear the tale of how he selfishly saved Magic when she was a little filly?”

“I have been told the story, yes,” Rarity admitted.

“But did you know that it’s a complete pile of crap?”

“Excuse me?”

Honest Serenade drained her glass. “Think about it. Here he is, the noble Raegdan, trapped in the infirmary, healing from wounds that would fell any pony, griffin, or minotaur. He is in the middle of trudging his way back to the realm of the living. Despite that, behold,” she cackled, “the benevolent carnivore fights his way through his agony and three dangerous thugs, and saves the little filly. Such a hero, am I right Generosity?” Her voice almost drowned Rarity in its sarcasm.

“What he did was heroic, you have to admit that.”

“Oh, it was, it was. That’s why I’m saying it stinks so much it makes me sick,” she theatrically gagged. “Think, Generosity. You might not be Intellect but you must have a mind of your own still somewhere beneath that little horn. Raegdan the vicious, Raegdan the unforgiving. Raegdan, the one who never cared about anyone but his own. Raegdan, who has been spotted so many times claiming that it all comes down to survival, that you either do everything you can to survive or perish. He is held together by stitches and spit at this point, and what does he do? He drags his dying body through a potentially hostile city and kills a bunch of thugs, almost finishing what our princess started, all for a filly he doesn’t know. Why would he do that Generosity?”

“I believe it was because he reportedly has a soft spot for foals.” Rarity said. What was that crazy mare’s point?

“Oh yes, of course. That’s why he has done the same for so many other fillies and colts, isn’t it? No, wait, that can’t be it. Let me think… why... yes!” Honest Serenade feigned a look of achievement. “He hasn’t given a rat’s ass about any other filly or colt out there. Learn to think for yourself little bearer. You can’t have everything spelled out for you. If you do, most ponies will be only too glad to teach you how “gullible” is spelled. Although by this point you have probably been taught how to write it in cursive. I think I had about enough of your presence miss Rarity. I have some matters to arrange because of you and I am wasting time you could spend in your little “investigation”.”

Rarity tried to put on the air of an exasperated pony that dealt with something she could scarcely comprehend. “If that is what you wish. I have to say that you are mistaking my intentions here.”

Honest Serenade was about to step away but stopped in her tracks with a quiet snicker. “Dear. Dear, dear, dear. You are nowhere near the actor you believe yourself to be. You have been sweating nonstop ever since I approached you and you have the most telling tics I have ever seen.” She pointed at a door. “I would go and make myself presentable once more if I were you. Make sure you do try the buffet. My cooks are simply exquisite.”

Rarity quickly moved towards a shiny silver carafe to check herself. Thankfully she was able to stop herself before biting right through her lips. That dreadful mare was right. She was a mess. She was so sure she held herself solid but apparently her body had other ideas. She felt betrayed. She needed to calm down before she ruined her dress. She rushed towards where Serenade pointed. She still had a chance to make this work.

“You know, I often find myself invited to their company, tedious as it is. Why, I often have to just wait for them in their little, solitary tower all on my own for them to appear.” She might have been too obvious in her selling points but the rest of the night’s attempts so far had been met by blank looks or ponies sharing their own woes instead of biting the bait.

“I understand your hardships so well miss Rarity. That pet of hers once sent one of my most efficient aides to the hospital for days. The misery I had to endure! I was forced to walk up and down the halls like an errant boy, looking to make sense of the bureaucratic nonsense that has taken over our fair-”

Rarity graced the stallion with a radiant smile as he went on his tale. Inwardly she fought to keep her yawn from reaching her mouth. This was going to go on for some time, she could tell…

“...then he punted me all the across the room because I simply appreciated young princess Cadance’s physical merits- are you laughing?”

“Excuse me, I just coughed. My drink went down the wrong pipe. And then?”

The old stallion harrumphed in the memory of his embarrassment. “It’s hardly my fault if a strapping young thing like her struts her well shaped flank right in front of me. I tried to force him to apologize for this insult but instead, if you can believe the nerve, he picked me up and threw me out the window, which was still shut…”

Don’t laugh Rarity, don’t chuckle, don’t snicker, don’t giggle, don’t grin. She had to fake support to this lecherous old-

“...perhaps you would like to escort me to a more… private setting?” The old noble wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Rarity fought back the urge to retch.

She wondered if she could order another punting from a certain biped.

“Princess Luna is an affront to royalty! I made the mistake of considering her as somepony who could offer some support in our effort to lower taxation and she physically assaulted me. She is a madmare and should be banished back to the moon where she belongs!”

“What you are telling me is very upsetting. Have you talked with Princess Celestia about this?” Rarity asked with honest concern.

The young stallion turned his head away. “Well, I tried but… Princess Celestia rarely has time for letters from the Canterlot Noblery. We are expected to petition her in person if we need something discussed with her.”

“Why don’t you go then?”

The noble waved his cast in anger. “Because everytime I try to go into the palace that insane mare finds me and breaks my leg again. This is the third time I had to put my leg in a cast because of her and I’m not doing this again.”

“But to give up on such a worthwhile cause…”

“I’m sorry, but I tried my best,” the unicorn whimpered. “The point is moot now. The decree has passed and now my fellow nobles and I have to carry more of the burden of Equestria ourselves while the selfish farmponies and peons go off scot free, flaunting their lowered tax percentage.”

“Oh.”

Rarity was heading towards the bar where she could order a real stiff drink. This place was madness incarnate. She wondered how many of these boneheads were pretending and how many were for real. She had the feeling that very few were like Prince Blueblood but she couldn’t be sure, could she? The whole situation made her head hurt. She severely overestimated herself and her abilities. She had imagined herself to be in a secret room by now, surrounded by shadowy figures that were plotting regicide and treason. Instead, she found herself smack dab in the middle of the abode of idiocy and drunkenness.

It wasn’t that bad, and she could see herself enjoying the setting if not for the selfish nature of most of the ponies surrounding her and her own mission. Which was going so very, very badly. Rainbow Dash would never let her live this down. She had been at this for hours and she had nothing to show for all her effort.

Two ponies approached, making a beeline straight for her. She patted her coiffure, making sure it was impeccable. Time for another show, she thought sighing. She offered her hoof as they stopped in front of her.

“Greetings. I am miss Rarity.”

Both the stallion and the mare ignored her proffered hoof. “We heard that you know… Princess Luna?” the dark coated stallion asked.

Oho, finally all that hard work was going to pay off. It was similar to her own creative process after all. She had to deal with false starts and drudge through repetitive motions until she could see the glorious result in front of her. “Indeed I do. I happen to be conferring with them quite often-”

“Could you please tell her that we love her and her night? She is our princess, no matter what other ponies say and we truly love her. She is the moon.” The mare that interrupted Rarity was smiling brightly and honestly.

“I… Yes. Yes, of course I will tell her. Is there anything…” the pair walked away, smiling at each other. Oh, how strange. Another meeting that ended in disappointment.

That was weird and unexpected. Maybe not so unexpected after all. Luna couldn’t be universally reviled, could she? She must have a few supporters here and there, ponies who actually believed Princess Celestia when she assured the populace of Princess Luna’s redemption and her rightful return as a diarch.

Luna would be happy to hear this message of support anyway. She could use a pick-me-up like that.

Rarity happily let her stress flow out and alcohol flow in. She felt about ready for another round of trying her hoof in something she now felt woefully inadequate at when the worst pony available sat next to her.

“You are still here my dear? I’m surprised you haven’t left.” Honest Serenade expressed with disappointment.

“You do not have to worry about me my dear lady.” Rarity’s mouth dripped with saccharine goodness. “I will be on my way out later tonight, along with my date.”

“Yes, my “wonderful” nephew. This is what I mean. It appears you have been ditched. Tsk, tsk,” Serenade chuckled.

Rarity kept calm. She swallowed the liquid in her mouth in proper ladylike fashion. She brought a napkin to her lips and dabbed at them. Then, and only then, did she turn towards her beloved hostess. “What?”

“He left.” Serenade’s hoof swept the hall behind her. “Do you see that knucklehead anywhere? He departed about an hour go. Something about a headache. Seems like you were not important enough for him to remember.”

“But- but I- we-”

“I would offer a coach to take you back to the palace but truthfully? I don’t really care enough about you. Have fun walking back to your masters.” With those words Serenade dismissed her and got lost in the crowd.

Rarity looked around, eyes wide and fearful. She had really done it. She was all alone, right in the timberwolves’ den. She was surrounded by ponies she didn’t know, ponies who made living a lie a constant part of their lives. At least one of them might have taken part in what almost killed Pinkie Pie. Hay, the hostess herself made no secret…

Rarity glanced at her drink with a severe lack of trust.

Was she really still standing around like an idiot? Did she want to find herself convulsing on the floor, the ponies around her just looking on while life faded from her limbs, and that dreary mare chuckled at the show? This wasn’t a time to spent clinking glasses of poisoned wine or delivering frivolous smiles. This was time to spend in a panicked run. She had to get out of here! Her “partner” had showed his true face and if she had her way that face was going to get thoroughly punched!

She was getting out of here and back to the palace. Then, after a good night’s sleep she would seek out Raegdan, borrow his canvas toolbag, and go after the miserable, little cretin!

Rarity made her way to the mansion’s double doors that led outside. A young mare called out to her as she was about to leave, making her heart shudder and convulse. When it turned out she just wanted to give her the coat that she had surrendered on her entrance Rarity let out a deep breath of relief that turned into panicked coughing. She bid the mare to keep it. Who knew how it could have been tampered with? She wasn’t risking her precious life, not when she was just a few meters away from the exit.

She could see the palace from here. She really didn’t know this area but how hard would it be to just head towards it? She could be back in relative safety in an hour.

Rarity rushed into the darkness of Canterlot.

She was lost. It wasn’t really her fault, of course not. She might have… overreacted a bit and because of it taken a wrong turn or two. Too many novels, that was the issue. It had been a wonderful way to relax while simultaneously feeling a thrill she never expected to feel for herself.

She felt the whole “thrilling” experience now. She wished she would have the chance to speak to a couple of authors of her favorite series some time. Mostly to tell them that they sucked the proverbial spherical elements and that they knew nothing about what they wrote. Her heart beat faster, she’d give them that, but it wasn’t because of the “inherent romanticism”, it was because she was scared shi-

Clink.

She heard that! She absolutely and conclusively heard that! Somepony, no, someponies were following her. She kept hearing heavy hoofsteps that stopped a second too late after her own. She kept seeing a shadow in the sky. It wasn’t her imagination, it definitely wasn’t!

And she had managed to make her way into a jungle of alleyways. Good job Rarity. Brilliant indeed. They were going to catch up to her and-

The shadow that had been stalking her from the sky descended in front of her. It wasn’t a pegasus like she thought it was but perhaps the most terrifying looking griffin she ever laid eyes on. He was predominantly black, his beak was chipped, and the claws he gleefully displayed were razor-sharp. He looked rough and battle-hardened and his eyes revealed that he didn’t win any of those battles fairly.

“Run, white piggy, run!” he whispered.

If that’s what the gentlecolt wanted Rarity was only too happy to comply! She turned tail and headed back where she came from. That’s when she ran into a couple of her new acquaintance’s friends. Two large minotaurs were blocking her path. Rarity took the only route that was left to her, hoping nopony else would appear in front of her. In that respect she was lucky.

Regretfully, she ended up going into another, narrower alley with a dead end blocking her continued escape. Rarity barely had a second to wish she could cast Twilight’s teleportation spell before the griffin landed in front of her once more. She tried to escape again, but was defeated by two pairs of strong hands grabbing her and pinning her on the dirty ground.

“If- if it’s money you are looking for I only have a small pouch of bits on me,” Rarity stuttered.

“Ya got a good hold of her, ye two?” the griffin asked. One of the minotaurs grunted in answer. “I mean it. If she manages to get away from ya two dumb oxes ye won’t be finding even this little work anymore. Heck, ye won’t be finding yer fingers!”

“He said we got her,” the marginally smaller minotaur placated. Rarity noticed that they both seemed to have too little fur growing on their arms and they looked very similar to each other. “What now?”

“Now we make sure she gets the message.”

Calm down Rarity. This was only an act of intimidation. If they wanted you dead they would have done the deed by now. She already went through worse last night and she was fine. “If it’s a message you want me to.. forward to somepony you only had to ask!” Rarity tried her best to give a dazzling smile while a hand around her neck pushed her cheek first into the ground.

“That ye will honey. The message is “don’t mess with the wrong bucking mare” and we will write it with yer broken legs.” The griffin’s sharp beak presented her with a wicked smirk.

Rarity thrashed wildly. She tried to focus her magic to cast something, anything, when a hand painfully slapped her lit horn and the minotaur holding her neck pounded her face in the ground warningly. “Please- please you don’t have to do this!”

The griffin went out of her view as he moved behind her. She could hear his claws clicking on the stones. “I s’posse not. Ye’re quite pretty for a pony. I suppose I could… break something else instead if ye prefer.”

“Hey, you didn’t say we would be doing this kind of thing!” The bigger minotaur protested.

“Ye got a problem with that ye dumb ox? Wanna have a go with me?” the griffin challenged his underling.

The minotaur, much larger and wider than the griffin, lowered his head. “No sir.”

“Good. Now, why don’t ye raise ye pretty little tail and let me have a look see. If I like what I’m seeing ye might get out of it with just one leg broken and I’ll get paid twice.”

“You won’t dare…” Rarity’s voice trembled. “I’ll… I’ll scream if you don’t let me go. Half of Canterlot will wake up if I put my mind into it,” she threatened him.

The griffin came back into her view and pulled an enchanted crystal from beneath his wing. “Go ahead and scream ye prissy thing. No sound gets far with this thing here. We are going to have a lot of fun before we are done with ye stupid kind of-”

Something clanged at his side.

Rarity saw a metallic cylinder bounce once then roll gently towards them. The strange canister had holes carved into it and a weird little button-like protrusion at its…

“We have explosives in there Twilight. Explosives!”

She recognized that thing. She was dead. They were all dead. She put her hooves over her face with a trembling cry, unwilling to see her end, even as the other three victims of this terrible weapon curiously turned towards it.

“What the heck is that thing ye-”

Even with her front legs covering her face Rarity could see the bright explosion of white and she certainly heard the immensely loud “bang” that cracked over them. It pulsed through her skull leaving her dazed and confused. She suddenly had trouble telling up from down.

She raised her head. The hands that were grabbing her were gone. Her assailants had fallen to the ground, torn between covering their eyes or ears. Rarity looked towards the mouth of the alley.

Out of the deep darkness, materializing like a vengeful spirit, emerged Raegdan in the blackened, bulky armor he had kept hidden in their armory. His right hand was grasping a hammer that was larger, longer, and heavier than his old one while his left was pulling a dark blue cloak off him. A bandolier was wrapped around his torso, with more of his cylindrical devices strapped on it.

The two minotaurs were blinking rapidly, trying to regain their eyesight. They stumbled standing up, still unaware of the approaching Lunar Guard. One of them tried to blindly reach for Rarity. The hammer came down from his side, brutal and unyielding, easily breaking the thick, muscled forearm. The large brute screamed as he fell down on the ground once more.

His partner heard them; both the sickening crack of broken bone and his friend’s scream. He turned towards their location, his eyes struggling to regain their sight. Raegdan twisted his torso, enhancing the strength of his blow with his body’s movement as he backhanded him with his left hand. The hard steel of his bulky vambrace impacted his opponents muzzle with a spray of blood and a grunt of pain.

Both minotaurs were down and bloodied in less than three seconds. Rarity was looking at her savior with a mingled mix of fear, wonder, gratitude, and curiosity. How in Celestia’s name was Raegdan here, just in time to save her?

The horned helmet turned towards her. The dark slits slightly moved as Raegdan inspected her for injuries. He gave a sharp nod towards the alley’s exit, motioning for her to leave. Rarity was not going to be the stupid kind of damsel in distress that needed to be told twice. Her curiosity did overtake her however and she glanced backwards as she left, slowing down.

The minotaurs were fighting an uneven battle against Raegdan. They were almost as tall but also broader, heavier, and certainly stronger. Raegdan was easily overpowering them, even without using his weapon. He was holding the hammer’s handle near the head and using his fists instead. Every punch and every kick came sparingly and calculated but it had the strength of his entire body following it, just like Rainbow praised him for after witnessing this for the first time in the tournament. He barely bothered avoiding the minotaur’s counterstrikes. Not that he needed to. Rarity doubted they would be able to do anything to him with bare hands against his thick steel hide other than bloody their own hands. Raegdan mostly absorbed their blows by putting his thick vambraces or shoulder pieces in the way. It wasn’t even a real fight. Raegdan was playing with them like Opal did with one of her toys.

One of them aimed a fist against Raegdan’s head which caused him to cut himself against the sharp horns of his helmet even as Raegdan rolled with it. Raegdan spun on the heel of his right leg and as he faced his opponent again, his empty left hand instantly grabbing one of the minotaur’s horns. He used this handle to spiral him around in a circle and forcefully end this carousel by crashing his opponent’s already hurt muzzle on the wall. Two low kicks at their knees threw the minotaurs down to the ground before they could even move.

One of the minotaurs tried to stand up. Raegdan swiftly kicked his chest and pinned him down. Raegdan’s heavy metal boots were moving in lazy arcs, taking his time as he chose his target. Every jerking movement by the minotaurs was answered with another shattering kick at the offending appendage or torso. The hammer now stood ready at his hand, fingers wrapped around the end of the iron handle, making it obvious to his unfortunate victims that they could either endure their beating or have it over with in the span of a downward swing.

Rarity realized she couldn’t see the griffin anywhere.

She wasn’t given the time needed to act on her discovery. The black flyer made his appearance diving behind her, his talons digging into her coat. A claw positioned itself right on her throat.

“One more move out of ye metal boy and this chick here’s dead!”

Raegdan’s hammer lowered itself gently, sparing the minotaur that tried to fight back at his feet. Slowly and deliberately he turned towards Rarity and her captor like a stalking predator, shoulders and helmet first with the rest of his armored body following suit. He strode towards them.

He barely made five steps before the griffin tightened his hold on Rarity and a drop of blood seeped out of the prickle on her neck. “Ah-ah. One more step and she dies. Ye are gonna drop yer little weapons and sit the feck down before I slit-”

Raegdan’s left hand tore one of the spheres from his chest and threw it . It landed on Rarity’s left. Her unbelieving eyes noticed the difference. This one looked like a crude pineapple. This wasn’t like the previous one that had exploded with harmless light and noise. Raegdan spoke for the first time since he appeared.

“Boom.”

Oh sweet Celestia, no. The griffin came to the same conclusion and reacted instantly to save himself. Rarity was pushed off him and onto the explosive. She could feel the cold metal digging into her stomach. She was going to die!

The griffin tried to escape by air once more. Unfortunately for him Raegdan had started moving before he even finished pushing Rarity. His long legs and a running jump allowed the hammer’s spike to dig into the griffin’s thigh, stopping his desperate retreat. Using this newfound leverage Raegdan twisted him around as he landed back down and threw him towards the wall. The dark griffin’s scream of pain was silenced by Raegdan’s second strike. The beak exploded in pieces like shrapnel as the large, heavy hammer crushed his face. Shards of yellow, white, and red splattered everywhere.

Rarity was screaming. She had been for these few seconds, ever since she landed on that thing. Celestia only knew how she had the lung power to scream at this volume but Rarity kept screaming loud enough to shatter eardrums. That thing below her would detonate any moment now and even if she rose up she had no cover, nor did she know any shield spells. This made no sense! Raegdan was supposed to save her, not kill her! Why did-

Raegdan’s boot gently prodded her. She stopped her frantic screams to look up and she saw him motioning for her to move. Rarity blinked. She still had time then? He had a way to stop it? The paralysis that had taken her over was dispelled. She jumped off his explosive weapon and watched as he calmly bent down to pick it up and holster it back on his chest.

That bastard! That infuriating jerk!

Something croaked miserably in the silence. Rarity sidestepped to see behind Raegdan as he also nonchalantly looked over his shoulder.

The bloody, feathered heap let out a pathetic mewling. The little stump that remained of his beak moved as the griffin tried to cry out something. Rarity’s stomach churned with pity and revulsion. The poor thing was still alive with that kind of damage? His face had caved in and broke apart! How could he… oh Celestia, she was going to heave, she was going to… She turned to the wall and emptied her stomach.

Raegdan stood over the broken form, his body language displaying his wonder as he watched. He levered his hammer’s head at the height of his eyes. It was if he critiqued his weapon for not working right. The sad noise repeated itself.

The hammer’s spike tore through the griffin’s flesh once more with a squelching noise. Raegdan lifted the griffin’s head up to his eye level with some effort, using the hammer as a meat hook.

“Louder.” The whisper that tore through the night was cold and unforgiving.

The beak’s remains struggled to form words. The griffin only had one eye left and it seemed unable to focus. The other one had dribbled off his shattered skull as Raegdan raised him in the air. “ ‘Ersy… aah ‘ersy… ‘eaase…”

The helmet turned sideways as if pondering the request. Luna’s guardsman lowered his fallen foe down to the ground carefully, almost lovingly. Rarity grimaced at the wet sound of the spike coming out.

One of Raegdan’s knives was unsheathed and went through the griffin’s remaining eye. Rarity closed her eyes and turned around before she could see more.

She heard enough. It took a few seconds for the stabbing sounds to cease.

She glanced at her remaining assailants. The two minotaurs had retreated as far away from Raegdan as possible at the alley’s end. One of them was holding a broken plank of wood, the only weapon available to him against the nightmare that had descended upon them. Their faces were swollen, and heavy bruises, some of them bleeding, covered their bodies. Rarity saw Raegdan look at them for a couple of seconds and then slowly, emphasizing the movement, looked over his shoulder behind him at the exit before turning back at them.

If the pair wanted to escape they had to go through him.

Raegdan hooked the hammer at his belt. He pulled the second knife out of his sheath and threw it, along with the bloody one, at the minotaurs’ feet.

Their eyes went from the offered weapons to the dark, armored figure that stood in their path with no weapon in its hand. Raegdan’s hands rose up and made a beckoning gesture.

Rarity applauded the minotaurs’ choice to deny the offered challenge. They looked from the weapons at their feet back to Raegdan’s dark, metal form. Then, the larger of them, the one whose arm was broken, took a step forward and carefully kicked the daggers back. Raegdan was a dark mirror to their previous movements as he stared from his daggers to his opponents.

With a shrug, he removed a metal orb from his bandolier. Any further movement was interrupted by a latching pair of hooves that belonged to a white unicorn.

“I- I quite think this is enough.” Rarity might have stuttered a bit but she was proud of the way she kept her voice loud and strong. She knew that if Raegdan believed he could bend her mind he would go through with it.

“They’re still alive.” His voice was wrong. It was as if he barely bothered to form the correct sounds.

“Look, you don’t have to kill them,” Rarity pleaded. “For Celestia’s sake, look at them. They are not trying to attack us!”

“We surrender!” the smaller minotaur cried out in fear, desperate for a way to survive the night. “We don’t want to fight, please!”

“See? It’s over.”

“No. They breathe. They saw too much,” Raegdan explained, the slits of his helmet unwavering from his quarry. “And they tried to hurt you. They die.”

“No!” Rarity pushed him with no effect. She tried anyway. “If you are supposedly doing this for my sake then I ask you not to. I forgive them.”

“...what?” Raegdan asked genuinely puzzled. “They tried to hurt you. You will forgive someone you don’t know for something like that? While… No.”

Rarity kept trying to push him back and get in his way, not letting him move.

“Lady, please,” the minotaur behind them spoke again, begging the only one who seemed to have a chance of getting them out alive. “We only did this because we needed the money. We have no job and we were desperate. We had no idea what Grunge was going to have us do. We are bitless and starving! Surely we don’t deserve to be killed for that? Please, help us out!”

The little gears in Rarity’s mind turned. “Well, that settles that then, doesn’t it? I know how we can get out of this little predicament with everypony involved satisfied.”

The horned helmet stared at her unconvinced.

“You are going to hire them.” She prodded the black armor with her hoof decisively.

“What?”

“What?” the minotaurs behind her echoed disbelievingly.

“You need recruits, don’t you? Here you go. Two of them, ready to serve. They need a job, you need the bodies. If they work for you they will have to do as you say, right? You can order them to keep silent. Think of it as a… a “community service” type of punishment! It’s perfect! You don’t even have to worry about the… solar kind of problem since they are minotaurs. Or any other type at all. They are outsiders! As for trust… I think they fear you too much to try anything until you learn to trust each other.”

“She wants us to work for the Night Bringer?”

“Shut up you idiot, it beats dying like Grunge. We need the job too, or did you give up on eating?” the other one argued.

“But… with that thing?”

Raegdan was staring at Rarity. “What do you say?” she asked, hoping she actually did something correctly tonight for a change. She could get through that thick skull, she knew she could.

“Hrm. Intriguing. Luna will be the one to decide if they join, not me. You two,” Raegdan pointed at them with his bloody hammer. “Go to the castle. Tell the guards there to put you in the dungeons under the orders of Princess Luna.”

Rarity fought down the urge to hoof pump.

“How- how do you know we won’t make a run for it?” The smaller minotaur asked.

“Do it. Run. Find out how that will work out for you. Now get out of here before I come to my senses.”

The terrified pair did not need to be told twice. They left as fast as they could manage. They hugged the wall as they walked by Raegdan. “We’ll be at the dungeons, we swear. Thank you for your help miss. We won’t forget this,” they cried as they passed next to Rarity.

When they were alone Raegdan bent down and picked up his daggers. He wiped the bloody one clean using the dead griffin’s feathers. Rarity turned her head away from watching.

“Did you have to kill him?”

“He attacked you. You are a guest of the princesses, bearer of an element of Harmony, and a hero of Equestria. They were going to hurt you. I’m under Luna’s orders to keep you all safe, no matter what. Those two helped him. You should have let me make an example out of them. Generosity… why am I not surprised?” His shoulders fell slightly and his movements seemed to relax just a bit.

“If you didn’t try to solve everything with death and violence you might be surprised at the amount of options you have available.” She saved their lives at least. Moreover, she saved Raegdan from blackening his soul even more.

“Hmm. So tell me, did any of these alleged options help when they had you pinned down? Did reason appeal for you? Was morality enough to shield you? When you had nothing left did mercy come? No. What stopped them in the end was an arm willing to hurt and kill.”

“Yes, it did. But arms willing to be violent were what forced me to the ground and made me fear for my life. Fire may keep you warm but you don’t feed it until it burns everything around you. Besides, from what I heard you owe your life to reason, morality, and mercy.” She didn’t want to get into this kind of argument with him, not now. He rescued her. She had to remember this. Only yesterday she was standing right there as his adopted daughter spurned him and despite that and the role she herself played, the way she betrayed his trust… He saved her with no hesitation.

She considered the fact that he wanted the poor minotaurs dead partly because they took part in the attempt to hurt her. She felt complimented in a strange, morbid way.

Raegdan leaned against the wall with his back. His armor screeched as he slid downwards against the wall until he finally sat down.“Maybe you are right. Maybe not. He tried to take you hostage. Any possible chance for favors ended right there.” He looked upwards at the moon. “I don’t mind killing. You might forget it sometimes when talking to me but this is what I really am down to my core. Could I put him down without killing him? Maybe, but it would be a lot harder and far more dangerous with you around. Why should I bother anyway? This hammer I carry around was not made with carpentry in mind.” Raegdan pulled the dark blue cloak towards him and rummaged through it.

“Don’t you consider this type of thinking something you should change? Is pity so disdainful for you?”

Raegdan shrugged. He pulled a small silver flask out of the cloak and quickly took a sip as soon as he removed his helmet. Rarity wasn’t sure in the darkness of the alley but there seemed to be something red on his face. Perhaps he had been injured and she didn’t see it.

“No… but pity is the domain of good people who can comprehend it, not mine.” He shook his head violently as if trying to rid himself of an evil thought. “That’s enough. I’m not gonna bother rationalizing and explaining myself anymore. What’s the point? I hurt people. It’s what I do and it’s the only thing I’m good for. End of story. And they all lived happily ever after.”

Rarity was certain about three things.

One; Raegdan’s issues ran deep enough to bring despair to the most hardworking Diamond Dog.

Two; Applejack was right. Twilight needed to rebuild her relationship with him, fast, before he went off the deep end. Ok, deeper in the deep end. Raegdan never sounded so cold and apathetic before. It was like talking to somepony dead. There was no passion in his voice, no emotion. He could be reading everything out from a script.

Three: He was rationalizing. Only now he seemed intent on portraying himself as a guiltless killer. That he was hopeless. What was he trying to achieve? Did he really mean this or…

Twilight. She bet her boutique and all her merchandize on that. It all came down to Twilight. Rarity had suspected that Twilight acted like that in part because she was afraid to come face to face with the fact that she would have to give in her adopted father to the authorities. Raegdan raised Twilight. He knew how she thought. If Rarity’s suspicions were right and Raegdan thought the same as she did...

What if he wanted to convince them that he really was the monster that Twilight was already convincing herself to believe he was in order to make it easier for her? Would a parent damn himself as an unrelenting monster in his child’s eyes in order to save it from heartbreak?

Rarity knew the answer to that. Oh my Celestia, the girls had to know! Luna had to be told! Who knows what depravities he might later allow himself to sink to in order to prove Twilight correct if this stupid posturing didn’t work. No wonder he didn’t want to see Spike anymore. He could be planning to alienate his children from him right now.

Or not. Maybe he had just given up on even trying to do anything. Maybe he wanted to be nothing more than a hammer.

Rarity tried to run some damage control. “Not everypony believes that about you. Yes, you are too… eager to turn to violence. I can’t understand why. I have seen how you look under that armor and clothes and it confounds me why you are so aloof about causing the same to others.”

“Twilight believes that and she is right. As for why I enjoy that… you learn to after a while.”

“Well, I wouldn’t know about that. What I do know is that little Spike doesn’t believe that’s all you are. Celestia doesn’t believe that. And despite her claims, Twilight doesn’t either.”

“None of them know. They know nothing. They have no idea-”

“Luna doesn’t believe that. From what I understand she does have an idea, doesn’t she?” It was her last shot. If he refused this one too… she would have to find another way to reach him. Or Applejack would. He listened to her for some reason and if that didn’t work there was always Pinkie Pie.

But perhaps she didn’t need to resort to their help. Raegdan froze and seemed to be thinking. Good. Let that thought ferment and take hold in his stupid brain. Rarity would keep prodding and stirring, making sure he didn’t convince himself he was nothing but a killing machine.

Celestia forbid he does. She didn’t want to be around in that case.

“I… It seems I might have some things to think about… Maybe I shouldn’t be so hasty… There’s still some time,” He looked at her. “You should head back. Turn right and keep going straight. Ignore any other path. You will end up on Clover main street. It’s crowded, it’s lit, and it leads straight to the palace. Tell Shining Armor to get a couple of guards and meet me here,” Raegdan directed her. “Tell him we got a body to deal with.” He concentrated his attention on his bottle, drinking in small measured sips.

Rarity looked towards the dark streets that waited to swallow her. “What if there’s somepony else-”

“They were the only ones after you. You will be fine. I’ll be right behind you until you reach the main street,” he assured her.

“Thank you for everything. I would hate for you to think that I’m not thankful for your help, I only meant that you might have overdone it when you didn’t have to… If you don’t mind me asking, how did you even appear on time?”

“Did you forget? Luna promised we would keep an eye out for you. She told me not to let you out of my sight until you were safely back at the palace. I’ve been shadowing you since you left the palace. Why did you leave without Blueblood anyway? I almost lost you when you ran out suddenly like that. I barely caught up in time. I can’t exactly let myself be seen if I don’t want to attract a crowd or cause a stampede, and I can’t run in this getup either, unless I want to sound like a clanging bell.”

Rarity hissed through her teeth. “Don’t remind me. Blueblood ditched me. I had to be told by Honest Serenade that he had left the premises without me.” Raegdan chuckled. “What?”

“She lied. Blueblood was still there. It’s a big place. He was probably somewhere out of sight and she took the opportunity to make you leave without him.”

Rarity’s eyes shot wide as she realized how easily she played right into that mare’s hooves. “Wait, that means she is the one who…”

“Maybe. Maybe. We can’t know for sure though, can we? That’s how she likes to act. She keeps everything just off enough that you can’t pin anything on her but know that it was her anyway.” Raegdan rose up, pulling his cloak with him. To Rarity’s relief he used it to cover the late Grunge’s body after he took the enchanted crystal off him and, for some reason, a shard of his beak. She shivered at the thought of touching that.

“So we are going to do nothing?” Rarity cried out, feeling deeply disturbed. “She… said she wanted you dead! She said she knows more than you think. Raegdan, she might try something against me again, or… or the girls! We are in danger!”

“Don’t worry about her. When I’m done here I’ll pay her a visit. She won’t try something against any of you again if she knows what’s good for her.” He took a long drink from his flask.

“You are not going to kill her, are you?”

“No,” Raegdan spat out. “I won’t touch her, not yet. We’ll just leave her a friendly reminder.”

“Meaning?”

“Maybe place one of my daggers on her pillow. Maybe Luna will visit her in her dreams. Maybe both. She may think she knows a lot but she needs to remember that we’re the ones who know what’s really important in this kind of game. We know where she sleeps and we can get her anytime we wish. Some targets are acceptable. Some are not. She will obey these rules or the gloves come off.”

He turned the flask upside down, shaking it. Not a single drop came out.

“Are you… trying to get drunk?” Rarity asked, shocked to see he drank so much already.

Raegdan shook the silver flask a couple more times and capped it. “Nah. If I drank this much I wouldn’t even be able to stand straight. That was cold coffee. I hate it but it helps with the hangover. I tried to get drunk again before but Luna gave me a choice about that. I like my genitals where they are so no more alcohol for this guy until further notice.”

He turned serious again and looked depressed. He took off one of his explosive weapons off his chest and examined it carefully, using it as an excuse to keep his eyes from meeting Rarity’s. “Can I… ask you for something? I need some help.”

“Of course darling. You just saved me. Anything.” Rarity doubted he would ask her for something she would not do. Perhaps she thought wrong. Maybe if she was able to help with this then he would ask for her help with Twilight-

Raegdan rubbed his face with the palm of his hand, reluctance and determination fighting for dominance on his features. He spoke hesitangly. “I… messed up. Luna told me something and I- I said something in return that I shouldn’t have. I hurt her. I hurt her badly. She was trying to help and I… We’re fine now I guess, we... talked it out, but I want to make it up to her, for this and more. I need a favor. And I need you to keep it a secret from her until I’m ready.” He pointed at Rarity.

“As long as it is not something extremely weird or something I don’t approve of I can do that.” She smiled at him.

“Oh, this will be very, very weird. I need you to teach me something.”

Author's Notes:

“True courage is about knowing not when to take a life, but when to spare one.”
J.R.R. Tolkien