The streets of Manehattan hadn’t changed at all since Trixie’s last visit to the large city; they were still overcrowded with ponies rushing from place-to-place, pushing and shoving to get to their destinations, not even sparing a word to any to any passerbys.

If Aura hadn’t insisted on tagging along, Trixie would have been much further along in her shopping by now. But the little filly was terrified at the thought of being left alone and Trixie, for reasons beyond her, couldn’t bring herself to leave Aura all by herself after she started begging to tag along.

Trixie told Aura to stay close to her, to make sure they didn’t get lost in the crowds that they had to pass through. Every now and then, Aura would stop walking to admire the sights of the large city, something which annoyed Trixie as it meant she would have to backtrack to find the little filly again. It eventually reached the point where Trixie had started wondering if all this effort was even worth it.

At their first stop, which was the Manehattan library’s second branch, Aura had become curious about the books about magic that Trixie was looking at and began reading some of them on her own. She became so engrossed in the book she was reading that she didn’t even hear Trixie calling out to her until the third time.

“Aura,” Trixie called out once more.

Aura snapped back to reality and turned her head towards Trixie. “Y-Yes?”

“We’re leaving.”

Aura nodded, marked the page in the book that she was reading and prepared to follow Trixie. However, when Trixie didn’t move and instead just stared down at Aura, the filly began to wonder if something was wrong.

“You can’t take that book with you,” Trixie said. “It belongs to the library.”

Aura gasped and looked down at the book, her smile falling as she appeared to be disheartened by the news. “B-But…”

“No buts,” Trixie said. “Put it back where you found it.”

Aura nodded slowly and, for a moment, Trixie could see tears beginning to form in her eyes. Trixie let out a heavy sigh. “Fine then. You can borrow this one book and read it on the way to Ponyville.”

Aura’s face lit up. She immediately rushed over to Trixie and jumped up to hug the blue showmare. “Thank you, Miss Trixie!”

Trixie scratched the back of her head nervously, not sure whether to feel happy to see the changeling cheered up or not. ‘Well, Celestia only knows what’ll happen to her when I turn her in… I guess I can let her have this as a parting gift…’

After leaving the library, the two moved on to a nearby bakery. Trixie was in the mood for some cake after the tiring day she had been having so far and Manehattan cakes had a great reputation for being delicious.

“Ok, ma’am. That’ll be 12 bits,” the baker said as he handed Trixie her picked-out cake. The price was a bit high for just one cake, but Trixie wasn’t in any mood to start haggling. She just wanted to get her supplies and get moving. “Have a good day,” the baker said as Trixie left the store.

Trixie realised that Aura wasn’t following her and turned back to see her still in the store, eyeing the cakes behind the glass counter. Letting out yet another sigh that day, Trixie moved back into the store.

“Aura?” Aura didn’t respond, so Trixie tried again. “Aura.” This time, Aura turned around to face Trixie. “What are you doing?”

“Um… I kind of… wanna try that cake…” Trixie looked over at the chocolate sponge cake that Aura was pointing at. “It’s my favourite kind, and…”

Trixie saw drool starting to pour down Aura’s mouth and quickly took out her hoofkerchief to wipe it up. “Watch it. You’re drooling, y’know?” ‘Not very princess-like… Although she is a changeling. Their princesses may behave differently than ours…’

Aura blushed as she backed away from Trixie and rubbed her mouth with her hoof. “S-Sorry, Miss Trixie.”

Trixie smiled and looked up at the cake. “Well, Trixie can certainly understand… Trixie also has quite the sweet tooth, you see.” Trixie turned around to leave the store once again. “Now let’s go, and maybe, if you keep out of trouble, Trixie will share her cake with you later.”

Aura’s face it up. “Really?”

Trixie thought about it for a second and then nodded her head. “Sure. Trixie needs to watch her figure anyway…”

The two made their way out of the store and continued to walk through the streets of Manehattan. ‘What’s wrong with me?’ Trixie thought to herself. ‘She’s a changeling. Why am I being so friendly to her?’

Trixie felt a pang of guilt pass through her as her thoughts brought back memories of her past, of ponies who had judged her before getting to know her. They would assume things about Trixie and say horrible things about her, without knowing a thing about her, simply because they didn’t like her shows for whatever reason. ‘But she’s a changeling! This is different! She’s…’

“Miss Trixie?”

‘Oh Celestia, what now?’ Trixie turned around to find Aura standing nervously in the middle of the street, looking down as she shuffled her hooves on the ground. “What is it?” she asked, trying not to let her annoyance slip out in her voice.

“Um…” Aura’s face turned red and she hung her head even lower. “I need to use the restroom…”

Trixie raised an eyebrow. ‘So changelings need to use the restroom, too? You learn something new every day…’ Trixie looked around and spotted a nearby public restroom. “Ok, then go. I’ll wait out here,” she said, pointing her hoof towards the restroom.

Trixie watched as Aura ran off quickly to the restroom, apparently in too much of a hurry to notice that she had entered the stallion side. She sighed and gave a soft chuckle, and then decided to pass the time by buying some fruit at a nearby stall. ‘What’s going on here? Even though she’s a changeling… she just seems like an innocent little filly to me. Is she just going to extremes to lower my guard? Or…’

“That’ll be 5 bits, ma’am,” the stall owner said as Trixie levitated a few oranges into the air.

Trixie handed over the bits and placed the oranges into her saddlebag. Suddenly, a chill passed down her back and she quickly turned around to examine the area. She knew this feeling. It was the feeling she got when she was being followed. Trixie examined each and every single pony in the area closely, attempting to pinpoint whoever was following her.

“I’m done, Miss Trixie.” Trixie was snapped out of her thoughts by Aura’s sudden return and quickly turned around to face the little filly, who was looking up at her with a tilted head. “Is something wrong, Miss Trixie?”

Trixie stared down at the worried-looking filly and shook her head. “No, nothing,” she said, before leading Aura down the street to their next stop. “We’re almost done here, and then we’ll move on to Ponyville.”

“Ok, Miss-” Aura stopped when she felt a chill pass down her back and simply stood there in one spot, trembling in fear.

Trixie turned around and noticed the frightened look on Aura’s face and the shaking of her body. “Let’s go,” Trixie called out to Aura, snapping the filly out of her state. “Come on.”

Aura nodded slowly, before turning around to face the crowd of ponies behind her. She then turned back to Trixie and slowly walked up to her, following her once more. The two continued their walk through the streets of Manehattan, the chill down Aura’s spine getting colder with each step that she took.

Trixie could also feel their pursuer drawing closer and quickly pulled Aura into a side alley in an attempt to throw off whoever was following them. As they entered the alleyway, Trixie’s horn lit up, she turned to the little filly and she whispered, “Run.”

“And that concludes my report, sir,” Alexander’s knight, Morgan, finished with a bow.

Alexander nodded and offered his knight a glass of wine, which he accepted happily. “Thank you, Morgan. You’ve been a great help.”

“Always happy to assist, sir,” Morgan said, bringing his glass to his lips. “Speaking of which, I’ve made preparations for our ‘walk’ tonight.”

Alexander smiled at the news and brought his own glass to his lips, not to drink, but simply to cover his mouth. “Excellent. And Jeffery?”

Morgan nodded his head in confirmation. “He’s in position, sir. So far, we’ve confirmed that one being has been following you. Whether it’s changeling or pony, we don’t know.”

Alexander thought for a moment, shifting his eyes to the picture of him and Aura on his desk. Ever since her reported death, he had kept that particular photograph on display. In it, Aura was sitting on his back, her forehooves resting on his head as she smiled cheerfully into the camera.

‘It’s undeniable at this point. Odysseus is plotting something. He’s not only keeping secrets, but he’s keeping me and my sister under observation… I have to get to the bottom of this. We can’t afford to wait for Victoria to make her move.’

“Sir, shall we get going?” Morgan asked.

Alexander nodded and rose to his hooves, placing his glass down onto his desk. “Morgan, understand what we’re about to do. We’ll be investigating my brother, under suspicion of treason. Are you sure you’re up for this?”

Morgan smiled and nodded. “Yes, sir. I trust you with my life and will follow you everywhere. Whatever you decide to do, I will back you up.”

Alexander thanked his knight silently and moved towards the door leading outside of the room, picking up his sword on the way. “Don’t you dare regret this later.”

“Yes, sir!”

Shark, the changeling assassin assigned to hunt down and kill Princess Aura, cursed Celestia’s sun as he made his way down the dirt road, sweat pouring from his body. He stopped for a second to drink from the nearby stream and to catch his breath, before continuing on towards the city of Manehattan.

“She’s there,” he said to himself, grinning as he neared the edge of the city. “I can smell your blood, Aura. There’s no escaping me.” Shark levitated a bloodstained rag to his nose, took a long whiff of it, and then placed it back into his bag. Shark’s unique ability was the ability to smell and track down the scent of blood up to 2 miles away, and it was the sole reason he had been given this task.

Since Aura had been bleeding through most of her journey to Equestria, Shark was able to follow her scent very easily and had finally managed to catch up to her. The hunt was on.

Shark levitated a pair of steel claws out from his bag, attached them to his forehooves and assumed his disguise before taking off into the city of Manehatten.

His disguise was simple enough. He took the form of a grey, bulky-figured earth pony stallion with a long, silver mane and tail and a pair of crimson-red eyes.

He pushed his way through the crowds of ponies clogging the streets, keeping his eyes closed so that his nose could work more efficiently. He picked up the scent of Aura’s blood and followed it through the streets. He was stopped by a group of foals who were curious as to why he had no Cutie Mark, but a brief moment of eye contact and a quick growl made them freeze in fear before fleeing. He then simply continued, pushing forward through the crowds.

He finally closed in on his target; opening his eyes, Shark grinned as he spied a white unicorn filly rushing out of a public restroom and stopping behind a blue mare wearing a purple hat and cape. ‘That’s her. No idea if that mare’s changeling or pony, but nopony’s gettin’ in the way of my freedom.’

Shark began closing in on the changeling princess and her escort, staying close so that he could kill them the moment the chance arose. ‘If I make a fuss now, the guards will be on my tail. Gotta find somewhere more quiet.’

Finally, a chance presented itself when the two ponies turned and walked into a side alley. “Gotcha now,” he said as he picked up his pace. However, when he turned into the alleyway to corner the two, he was stopped by a large brick wall that blocked the way. “Huh? The hell?”

“Why are you following us?”

Shark turned around to see the blue mare approaching him with a glare. “What’s it to ya?”

“Is it because she’s a changeling?” the unicorn asked.

Shark’s eyes widened in surprise. ‘She knows. Is she a changeling then? If she’s a pony, why would she be going out of her way to protect her? But then, Odysseus mentioned nothing about another changeling having escaped with her.’ Shark simply grinned and shrugged his shoulder. “Maybe. Like I said, what’s it to ya?”

The unicorn lowered her head and her horn started to glow. However, before she had the chance to do anything, Shark undid his disguise, revealing his true self to the unicorn. He swung his steel claws forward, cutting the unicorn’s throat with one clean swipe.

“Hm?” Shark noticed the lack of blood pouring from the unicorn’s neck and soon, she started to fade away, until eventually disappearing entirely. “I see… An illusion.” Shark turned his attention to the brick wall, which also started to fade away. “They’re moving away quite quickly. But I can smell you, Aura. You won’t get away from me.”

Trixie and Aura had rushed back to the trailer quickly, Trixie using her magic to move it down the dirt road leading away from Manehattan with haste. When they had gained some distance from the city, Trixie walked into her trailer and confronted the young changeling – still in disguise – who was sitting on the bed with her head in her forehooves.

“Alright, Trixie wants an explanation. Now,” she said in a threatening tone. Aura looked up at Trixie with tears in her eyes. “Why was that changeling trying to kill you? Trixie could have died trying to protect you, so she deserves to know.”

Aura lowered her head, staring at the bed in silence for a few moments, before undoing her disguise and revealing her true form to Trixie. Aura looked back up at Trixie and was surprised to see that her expression had not changed at all. “You… knew that I was a changeling?”

Trixie nodded her head. “That’s right.”

“You knew… and you were still trying to help me?”

“…” Trixie turned her head to the side. “Trixie was… going to sell you out to the Royal Guard…”

Aura’s gasped and looked back down. “… I see… I don’t blame you. I’m the enemy, after all.” Aura choked back a few sobs, which caught Trixie’s attention. “I’m sorry…”

Trixie wasn’t sure if the tears were fake to gain her sympathy, or genuine tears from a frightened child. Trixie leaned closer to the changeling and spoke in a quieter, softer tone of voice. “Tell Trixie what happened. Why was that changeling trying to kill you?”

Aura sniffed and wiped the tears away from her eyes. “Yeah, I guess you deserve to know the truth… I’ll tell you everything.”

Aura explained everything to Trixie about how her mother had ordered her execution, about how she was forced to flee from her country, about how her knights had died trying to protect her, and finally, about the assassin that was now after her.

“I expected them to try to track me down, but I never thought they would send him. I thought I would be ok if I could just find somewhere in Equestria to lay low for a while… I’m sorry, Miss Trixie. I never wanted to endanger you… I’m sorry…”

Trixie listened intently to Aura’s story, not once interrupting her as she spoke. Upon hearing Aura’s story in its entirety, Trixie and Aura sat in a long, long silence.

Trixie couldn’t help but turn her head away, hiding a look of guilt after hearing Aura’s story. ‘She was abandoned by everyone she ever knew and Trixie was planning on turning her over to the Royal Guard.’ Trixie bared her teeth and held back a growl. ‘There wasn’t even any evidence that she was a threat, yet Trixie was planning to sell her out for personal profit, where she would then be locked in a dungeon somewhere or banished to the badlands, all by herself.’

Trixie looked at Aura, who was sobbing into her forelegs. Something inside of Trixie wanted her to reach out and comfort the young changeling, to tell her that everything would be ok. But that part of her was conflicted with the part that wanted nothing to do with another’s personal problems, especially if that meant possibly being killed by that assassin.

A cold chill passed through Aura’s spine and her sobbing stopped immediately, replaced with fear as her body started to tremble once more. She shivered as the cold grew more intense. Aura turned to Trixie, who was deep in thought, and rose to her hooves. “Miss Trixie…” Trixie turned to face Aura and found the youngling making her way towards the trailer door. “I’m sorry… I’ll be leaving now… I don’t want to put you in unnecessary danger.”

Trixie’s eyes widened. She started to get up, but her body froze. ‘I can’t let her go out there alone! She’ll die!’ Trixie’s left forehoof reached forward and hung in the air, shaking as she reached towards the closing door. ‘B-But this has nothing to do with me. I could wind up being killed over another country’s affairs!’ Trixie slowly brought her hoof back, her eyes narrowing until they shut completely.

‘I was going to sell that changeling out… What should it matter if she goes and gets herself killed? As long as I’m safe… As long as I’m safe, it’s alright… right?’ Trixie fell down onto her bed, holding her head in her hooves as she lay there for a few minutes.

She thought back to when she first found Aura. To when Aura was sleeping in her trailer, and when Trixie fed Aura that previous night… ‘She was so weak and helpless. I only helped her because she reminded me of myself. Nopony ever helped me because they were too busy thinking of themselves, but this is different. My life would be in danger and she’s not even a pony!’ Trixie recalled Aura’s eyes every time she spoke to the youngling. ‘Fear. That’s what it was. Fear that she’d been abandoned, and would never be picked up again. Just like…’

Trixie opened her eyes slowly. “She has no one left to turn to. No one. She’s all alone. No friends, no family. Alone.

“Just like Trixie…” Trixie slowly sat up on her bed, memories of her early days of living on the streets returning to her. “Back then, I couldn’t trust anypony. I had to steal in order to survive and fight off those who would try to steal from me. The only pony Trixie could ever turn to for help was herself…” A tear rolled down Trixie’s cheek and her forehooves began to shake. “It wasn’t easy. This youngling probably wouldn’t last as long as Trixie has. I… I won’t let her suffer the same way!”

Trixie jumped off of her bed with fire in her eyes and opened her wardrobe, grabbing something from within with her magic. It was a prop from one of her plays – a wooden halberd, which probably wouldn’t be of much use in a real fight. Not without a little enchantment spell, first. Trixie also picked up a bottle from one of her kitchen cabinets, along with a few firework props on her way out of the trailer.

“Damnit, I don’t care how dangerous it is!” Trixie told herself when she felt her legs shaking as she ran, and her body telling her to stop. “Without me, she has no one to turn to!”

With that, Trixie’s determination steeled and she cast her magic to pick up Aura’s freshly-made trail of hoofprints and sweat. Once she had managed to deduce where Aura had run off to, Trixie chased after her, hoping she wouldn’t be too late.

Alexander carefully crept through the empty corridor, keeping his guard up whilst trying not to look too suspicious. He was on his way to his brother’s study, after his knights confirmed that Odysseus would be busy for the next few hours, so that he could investigate and, hopefully, find that his and his sister’s suspicions could be put to rest.

However, the fact that he was being followed by some shadowy figure was unsettling. He had assigned one of his knights, Jeffery, to distract the stalker whilst Alexander and Morgan searched Odysseus’ study.

Alexander and Morgan reached the study and walked inside after confirming that there was no one else around.

“Alright, let’s see what we can find,” Alexander said as his knight closed the door behind them.

“Yes, sir,” Morgan responded. The two divided their efforts and searched the room thoroughly. Morgan searched through Odysseus’ bookshelves, desk drawers and filing cabinets, whilst Alexander searched through the wine cabinet, the refrigerator, the snack drawer… “Sir, are you actually taking this seriously?”

“‘Course I am!” Alexander responded, before shoving a hoofful of sweets into his mouth. After swallowing, he continued his search, moving on to Odysseus’ video collection. However, on his way, something in the room caught his eye. He turned to face Odysseus’ bed and narrowed his eyes as he approached it. “Hey, Morgan, come over here.”

Morgan dropped what he was doing and moved over to Alexander’s side. “Yes, sir?”

“Does something seem off about this bed to you?”

Morgan examined the bed closely. “Sorry, sir, I don’t see anything strange.”

“Exactly,” Alexander said. “Odysseus is very dedicated to his work. And when he pulls an all-nighter, he sleeps at his desk… So why is there a bed in his study?”

Morgan thought about it and realised that that was odd. But what was even odder was that he hadn’t even considered it at first. “Anyone who knows Prince Odysseus even a little bit knows that he doesn’t care about where he sleep, so it’s odd for this bed to be here. Why didn’t I-”

“The only logical answer is magic.” Alexander looked around and spotted a vase that, for some reason, stood out to him. “Let’s see…” Alexander placed a hoof on the vase and started to examine it through both sight and touch. He felt a small part on the side sticking out and found that he could push it in. Immediately after doing so, the bed started to move aside, revealing a trapdoor hidden underneath it that began to open.

“Well, I’d say if Prince Odysseus is hiding any secrets, they’d be down there,” Morgan said. Alexander nodded his agreement and the two prepared their weapons as they descended down the stairs.

Alexander and Morgan were in disbelief at what they saw. In the secret room beneath Odysseus’ study, there were machines at work printing out campaign posters for the ‘changeling kingdom’s new ruler’, as well as other machines producing strange items that Alexander had never seen before. Some machines were labelled ‘weapons’, whilst others were labelled ‘defences’.

Morgan found a filing cabinet filled with many documents and gasped at what he saw. “T-These show evidence of Odysseus making deals with various mafia groups throughout the kingdom, as well as groups opposed to each other member of the royal family, and even dealing with enemy nations!”

Morgan was in absolute shock as he read over the documents. “What’s going on? Just what the hell has Prince Odysseus been up to?”

“It looks like he’s preparing for a war… Or maybe even multiple wars…”

“Speaking of which, we’re about to go to war with Equestria…” Morgan placed down the document he was reading and turned to Alexander. “Sir, do you think…”

Alexander slammed his hooves on a nearby table as he leaned over it and examined document lying on top. “… Morgan… come look at this…”

Morgan quickly made his way to his prince’s side and lifted up the document that had Alexander so worked up. “WHAT?!” he shouted as he read over it. The document was an order from Queen Chrysalis. An order to execute Princess Aura and her knight, Knight Wind.

“Odysseus…” Alexander grinded his teeth together, his whole body shaking. “I had suspected some foul play on his end whilst trying to succeed the throne, but… nothing of this level… This is-”

“Treason,” a voice behind them finished off. Alexander and Morgan quickly turned around, swords at the ready, as they saw Prince Odysseus making his way down the stairs. “Indeed, brother. It would seem your sixth sense has led you to something that you were never meant to see.”

“Odysseus… you killed our sister?” Alexander asked, narrowing his eyes and getting into an offensive stance.

“Tried to,” Odysseus replied. “She got away. Though, if Shark has done his job correctly, she’s probably dead by now.”

“Shark?! What are you saying?!”

“Ah, I needed someone who could track her down from such a long distance. That’s Shark’s speciality, so I decided to use him for just that. It’s the only reason he was kept alive, after all.” Odysseus pulled out his own sword, slightly shorter than the ones wielded by Alexander and Morgan, and sighed as he faced the two in front of him. “It’s a shame. But now, I’ve got to kill another beloved sibling. Please don’t hold it against me, dear brother.”

“What the hell is going on here?!” Morgan demanded, stomping a hoof on the ground. “What are you planning?! Are you working with an enemy nation?!”

“Of course not,” Odysseus replied. “You must understand, it’s for the sake of guiding our kingdom into a glorious new age. Mother’s rule is good, but democracy is too slow… Too inefficient…”

Alexander gave a confused look, but didn’t lower his guard one bit. “Explain.”

Odysseus nodded and continued. “It’s fairly simple, really. If the Changeling Kingdom falls to nothing, and is left to rot for a few months, eventually, our subjects will become quite miserable and desperate, don’t you think?”

“I’d imagine so,” Alexander responded. “But I still don’t understand what you’re getting at.”

“In other words,” Odysseus continued, “If mother is defeated on the battlefield and the Changeling Kingdom suddenly falls into a dark age of organised crime and threats of war from all sides, ascending the throne from there is simple child’s play. Even easier if I avenge my mother by killing the ones who defeated her.”

Morgan’s eyes widened in shock as the realisation hit him. “I see… So that’s what those documents were. You’ve been stirring up crime syndicates and enemy nations, and then, when our kingdom is thrown into a state of complete chaos, you’re going to arise as our ‘hero’ and take the throne with the promise to ‘save our nation’, right?”

“… But, it won’t be as simple as that,” Alexander said. “You won’t just become our king, you’ll become our sole ruler. In other words, your goal is a dictatorship over our entire kingdom.” Alexander glared daggers at his brother. “Are you insane, Odysseus? Do you not remember how things went for our great-grandfather, who also sought a dictatorship?”

“The fool simply went about it the wrong way,” Odysseus replied. “When your subjects are content with the way things are, they’d never support the idea of one leader being in charge of their entire lives. However, when desperate… when pushed to the point where they’d rather be in hell, the population don’t care who it is. They just want a messiah, who will rise forth and make all of the bad things go away.

“Yes, it will lead to much death, and much suffering. I will even have to destroy the current kingdom that we have right now. But with the destruction of the old world, a new one will be created in its place.”

Alexander narrowed his eyes and took one step forward. “What’s with that? You got some sort of god complex?”

Odysseus laughed his brother’s question off. “It’s such a shame, brother… that you won’t get to live to see the day when I attain that level.”

“What level?”

A wide grin crossed Odysseus’ face and, for a moment, Morgan felt his body fall limp. “God.”

Alexander snapped and charged at his brother, swinging his sword down with heavy force. Odysseus blocked his brother’s attack and attempted to kick him away, but Alexander jumped back to avoid being hit. “You… How the hell have you kept your insanity hidden from us for so long?!”

Odysseus sighed and moved towards a nearby cabinet. “‘Insanity’? No, that’s not it brother… I prefer to think of it as being more evolved than the rest of you.” Odysseus opened the cabinet and reached inside to pull something out. “After all, it’s those who have superior traits that lead the race forward into the new world… Well, it would be wrong to say my evolution is complete just yet. But soon enough, I will achieve that level. I will become like a god, and I will lead this kingdom, nay, this whole world, into a new age. A golden age. Where peace and prosperity reign supreme.

“If I have to destroy a few thousand changelings to make it happen, maybe even wipe out an entire race or two, then so be it. The price for peace can never be too steep.”

Morgan felt his own rage come to a boil, but he managed to hold himself back. “…Well, it seems even gods can make mistakes.” Odysseus took his head out from the cabinet and turned to Morgan with a quizzical look on his face. “You left Princess Victoria on her own. Even if we fall, she will-”

“Oh, that,” Odysseus interrupted before laughing. “Don’t worry about that. I had my knight watch over her. You know, the one that’s been following you this whole time.”

It took a while for the full meaning behind those words to hit Alexander, but when they did, his rage started rising again. “You… What the hell did you do to Jeffery?” A grin from Odysseus answered Alexander’s question for him. “YOU BASTARD!”

Before Alexander could charge forward again, Odysseus threw the object he had retrieved from the cabinet towards Alexander and Morgan. It was a small spherical object, which exploded into a cloud of green smoke. Odysseus had also retrieved a gasmask from the cabinet, which he quickly placed onto his face, whilst Alexander and Morgan placed their forelegs to their mouth, trying not to breath in whatever had just been thrown at them.

“This is the end, dear Brother.”