Author's Notes. I am back once again! I have to say I'm really pleased by the pace AMS is finally going. If I can keep this up, we might be able to reach the conclusion to this part of the season by the end of the year! Maybe even sooner! And, naturally, this is all thanks to the support that you have all been giving me. I really appreciate the reviews and the PMs. They keep me inspired and encouraged, and those two components are integral to the life a story. Again, thank you. Oh, there is one other thing I have to mention. A couple of you have asked about the similarities between Riley and Cortana. Is Riley inspired from Master Chief's former AI companion? No. She is not. The idea of Riley popped into my head when I was reading a book of the name of "Speaker of the Dead." She is based off of a being called Jane. Anyways, enough about that. Now it is time for me to answer some reviews.
To AntiVillain1: Very good point. If that happens I'll still move to Germany. Or maybe Iceland. Yeah, I think Iceland would be a good place to go. Care to join me?
To SuperVegito33: Thank you! As I said previously, all of this is possible by the support of people like you. I really appreciate the fact that you enjoy what I've done, and I'll do my best to never stop. (Well, it'll stop eventually, just not in the near future.)
To Vibrant Sound: Excellent observation. The Inquisitors ARE over a trillion times more powerful than a Dimensional Traveler. However, the unique thing about Inquisitors is that their powers are not conventional. They have no ability to fire balls of plasma from their firsts or any other such things related to that. Their powers are unique to their combatants, meaning they are gifted with the ability to overcome enemies in combat alone. They can't fly, and they can't shoot lasers from their eyes, but they can easily trace and kill their targets. No matter how powerful their opponent is (be it Dimensional Lord or Dimensional Traveler), Inquisitors are more than capable of hunting them down and killing them without any sort of difficulty. As Anima observed when watching the fight, the Inquisitors were never interested in killing them when they met in combat. They were watching the fight and gauging their skills to calculate whether or not it was worth employing their help. Dark decided it wasn't worth it, but Riley made a different call. Anyways... Honestly, you are one of the more observant of my readers (just like your OC, Anima.) I'm really glad you saw my attempt to show how the Catalyst Corps looked out for each other. I worked really hard on trying to represent the contrast between the teamwork of the Catalyst Corps and the dysfunction of the Inquisitors.
To R4ptorCS: Thanks for calling me out on my mistakes! I fixed all of them, and made the other changes you suggested. Keep up the good work. If you spot an error, I'll fix it. Oh, and, as I said before, Riley is not like Cortana. She's like Jane. Again, thanks for noticing the errors that slipped past me!
To The French MeeM: Are you talking about Riley? I like her too. I do hope she'll play her part well.
To xCrysis-x: I aim to please! Oh, and I'm still waiting for that PM. I would love to give you advice! I can help you with whatever.
To FocusedStream: Exactly! You remembered that one PM from last year. And I must say you have excellent taste. Very little can pass up the pure art of the chapter "Haven."
Right! That's it for now. This chapter is certainly a step back from the crazy action of the last two, but we all need a little peace and quiet after a heavy thunderstorm. The stage needs to be reset before explosions can ensue. Also remember this: Not all dangers come from the blade, for the pen and the tongue can easily suffice. Politics is a war in and of itself, and Starlight is about to get caught up in this war. Now enjoy the latest chapter!
Dimension: My Little Pony
Planet: Equestria Earth
Specific Location: The Grand Hotel, Equidor
Time: Five days after Lyric and Summer ventured into the Southern Jungle
There was a knock on the door. Starlight opened her eyes. She sat up from her bed and looked to the door.
"Come in!"
The door of rich mahogany and brass swung open. It was an Equidorian guard, dressed in a traditional military garb of an ornate helmet, shin guards, and a long flowing cloak; all of them colored in shining gold and emerald. He took a couple steps into Starlight's ornate hotel bedroom.
"Madame, your presence is required in the central chamber in ten minutes. Make yourself presentable."
The guard trotted up and reached into his cloak. From its voluminous folds he pulled a nametag and an official seal. Nodding in almost amiable manner, he lay them at the foot of the large gold-and-green four-poster bed that Starlight lay upon. "These will get you through most checkpoints. My name is Marlano. I will be your guide."
Starlight nodded. She pushed the covers back and lay down on her belly, with her back hooves facing her pillows and her face looking toward the foot of the bed and the guard that stood behind it. She smiled sweetly, giving him her face that would regularly charm birds from trees.
"Thank you, Marlano! Please tell me: Where are my friends? I haven't heard a peep from them since we arrived here and I went to sleep. In fact, I don't even know where their rooms are!"
Marlano nodded stiffly, backing away from Starlight with in a very militaristic manner. "That information will not be revealed to you until the mediators of the council deem it free. Your friends are safe, I assure you, but they must not interfere with present situations."
Starlight continued to smile, not showing a tad of annoyance. "I know they're not supposed to interfere with the work I have here, but they came because I asked them to. They are under my charge as consultants, and I wish to know of their wellbeing. I don't trust you or the council. I must see them for myself, if only for a moment."
Marlano continued to stare at her with a grim frown upon his face. His eyes reflected an iron will. Starlight cocked her head to one side for a moment as she considered his eyes, and then she dropped her smile and gave him her patent-pending version of the "Fluttershy Stare." It wasn't like her mother's though. That stare was stern and unbending, but it had a sense of motherly concern and love that tinged the glare. Starlight's was something else. From behind the soul vaults of her eyes she released the horrors she had seen. A fire hotter than the sun burned in her soul, unleashing a tsunami of death and destruction. It was indeed terrible, but Starlight would not back down, she continued to stare at Marlano, turning his iron-wrought will to slag. He began to sweat, and his breathing became heavy as he struggled with an irrational sense of panic that built within the pit of his stomach. Finally Marlano gasped audibly, looking away in a very unprofessional manner. Avoiding eye-contact at all costs, he stared at his forehooves and mumbled: "They're in room 415. Down the hall. I checked on them minutes ago. When I take you to the council I will ask them for another key card for you."
Starlight closed her eyes and felt a single tear trickle down her face. She had witnessed more of what she had forced upon Marlano than she would have liked. Memories she had buried for decades had reemerged for a brief instant, and that was all it took. After a minute Starlight wiped her face off with the comforter of her bed. She gave Marlano a watery smile. "Thank you, Marlano. You've been quite helpful. Give me those ten minutes to take a shower and get ready."
Marlano practically dashed out of the door, slamming it behind him as he left hurriedly. In the quiet room, Starlight shook her head violently, as if to shake off the dark memories clinging to her like a cloak heavy with dripping blood.
"That was years ago," she mumbled to herself. "That was years ago. That was years ago. I'm safe. They're safe. We're all safe."
Two minutes passed before Starlight clambered out of her bed and shuffled to the bathroom. She turned the cold-water tap around and let the water tumble down upon her form full-blast. The shock of the cold water roughly tore the remaining sense of painful memories away. Starlight stood under the shower head with her eyes closed, letting the chilling strings of liquid run rivulets down her head, leaving droplets upon her straggly mane and cheeks.
Ten minutes later she was trotting out of the door, clean and presentable. She wore the nametag that Marlano had provided her, as well as a small mantle of Equestria's traditional colors (shimmering cerulean, turquoise, and cobalt blue) draped about her shoulders. Marlano gave her a side-glance.
"Madame… Would you not prefer to wear something less revealing?"
Starlight looked to Marlano curiously. "No pony usually wears clothing. What do you mean?"
A faint tinge of red colored Marlano's cheeks. He stiffened and looked straight ahead. "Madame. Most of your body is covered in scars and branding marks. Would you not prefer to wear a cloak or dress of some sort to hide those old wounds?"
Starlight actually smiled. "I'm supposed to be bodyguard, remember? Mayhap after they see these markings they needn't ever ask for a resume. Also most of the noticeable burns and bullet holes are on my belly; you can't see those really. Only the stripes from the whippings are visible on my back and those have faded."
Marlano looked conflicted for a moment, and then he sighed. He looked to her, curiosity plastered upon his rough-hewn muzzle. "I'm sorry madame… But from what horrible place did you receive these markings? I may only be an officer, but I've heard the recommendations that the Princesses of Equestria gave in favor of you. You are no criminal, and yet your stomach is covered in the brandings of a criminal."
Starlight winked. "I had a bit of trouble with a psychopath a while back. In fact, I received these all within the span of a single year."
Marlano looked shocked. Then he shuffled in close, his military training forgotten for a moment. "Was this… Was this during your time on the Redzion island?"
Starlight nodded. "Indeed! I see what little information the duumvirate could squeeze from me has been distributed like propaganda. Tell you what, you promise to help me out whenever I need it, and I'll tell you more about the stuff that happened. In fact, since you gave me Pumpkin and Pound Cake's room number, I'll tell you about one of them right now. See this scar on my side?"
Starlight pointed to a massive clot of hairless, twisted flesh on the left side of her belly
"I got this when I got into a scrap with about two hundred sand dogs. They're the desert cousins of the diamond dog species. The fight was over water… Water, can you believe it?! Anyway, I was able to take out fifty of them with nothing but my teeth and a pointed stick before they dragged me down. Fortunately two of my friends found me and rescued me before I was killed. Well… That's all I have to say right now. Aren't you supposed to be escorting me somewhere or something?"
Marlano started as he remembered he had duties. He saluted stiffly. "Yes madame! Follow me. Come this way."
Starlight grinned. Though Marlano may have been sent to spy on her, she now was pretty sure she found a friend in him. And if not exactly a "friend" then at least a "sympathizer." He respected her for the tribulations she had endured in the past, and that would give her leverage sometime in the future.
The two went into the elevator and got off on the ground floor. The entrance hall was hall that the two ponies trotted out upon was a grand affair: Large pillars of smooth marble suspended an arching ceiling ordained in beautiful shades of blue and green paint and thin layers of beaten gold leaves. Brass lamps hung from the pillars casting a golden glow and the velvet furniture that lay in organized patterns upon the shining marble floor. A large circular, encapsulating desk stood directly ahead of them, separating the long row of golden elevators from the large glass sliding doors in the front. Marlano tapped Starlight and motioned for her to follow him. Instead of going out the glass doors in the front, they went out a small door of marble, set in the wall far to the left of the hall. Passed that door was a garage of concrete, lit by faint LEDs and padded with iron buttresses. In the garage was pair of limousines, perfectly identical, including the license plates. Both had thick, steel-enforced bumpers, and every window, including the driver's windows, were tinted.
"One is a decoy," explained Marlano as he helped Starlight into the back before getting into the driver's seat.
"Why all the secrecy?" asked Starlight quietly, leaning against one of the sumptuous couches in the posh interior.
"We have reason to believe that there are Stallion Empire agents that wish you harm," stated Marlano.
Starlight cocked her to one side. "That makes no sense. Why would they wish me harm? I'm here to act as a mediator to the council, and as a protector of the ambassador, Harvest Snowfall."
Twisting a hoof, Marlano turned the key in the ignition sharply. As the engine of the limo rumbled to life softly, he looked behind him and said, "Many Stallion Empire extremists wish for total war no matter the cost. If killing you will push us or Equestria past the boundaries, all will be as they want. Tensions are high. A death of an official like you would be more than enough to spark a bonfire."
"Hmmm."
The other limo started up, and they began to back up in unison. The garage door rose upward, allowing the limos to pull into a secluded alleyway. The two limos rotated in a perfect turning pattern and cruised down the alley at almost the same speed, reaching the end of the narrow lane at the same time. As they reached the end, Starlight's limo turned right, and the decoy limo turned left. The two limos beelined away from each other, heading down entirely different streets. As the decoy limo took a turn onto the main street, Starlight's turned down a smaller lane. As he navigated around taxis, Marlano explained what was going to happen when Starlight arrived at the City Council.
"You will be escorted to the central chambers, where the council members hold their sessions," he explained. "It is in one of the many side chambers where you will meet Harvest Snowfall. Do are to attend him during his sessions and follow him on his meetings. Naturally he will also have the addition of an Equidorian entourage for most meetings, but for the ones that are more secretive he will have only you. Keep an eye on him, madam. I do not trust him. He is of the Stallion Empire. They are void of good."
"I've had my own suspicions of Harvest Snowfall for a while myself," murmured Starlight, staring out of the one-way glass of her car window, watching the rustic city houses and ancient lampposts whirl by in a blur of motion.
Marlano nodded his head sagely. "Indeed. The Stallion Empire has bullied our countries for decades. It is our hope that your words will bring a stop to the calamities."
A couple minutes passed in silence as the limo continued to sidetrack down odd and secluded paths. Finally the vehicle turned away from an alleyway onto a main street. The streets were wide and clean, with shining lampposts. Then she saw it: The Council Building.
It, like many of Equidor's buildings, was large and domed. It was definitely weathered, and the upper reaches were stained by wind and rain, but it was still clean. Lights flickered in the many tiny windows that lined the tall walls of the building. The walls were high and sharp, forming something of a massive box of marble, with the dome peaking the very epicenter. Telegraph wires connected the surrounding buildings in a web, as if the surrounding buildings were steers, dragging this large building through the wide streets of Equidor's capitol. It was study and plain, a fittingly contrast to the delicate and elegant structure that house the duumvirate of Equestria, Canterlot Castle.
The limo pulled up inconspicuously into a long line of identical limos, just as the decoy limo did the same. It was shocking how well this had been planned out to a point. Almost militaristic to a point. Starlight could appreciate that.
Marlano stepped out of the limo and flung open her door, taking her by the hoof and leading her up the large marble steps to the mahogany double doors at the massive face of the Council Building. The street itself seemed relatively peaceful and open, with only a score or so ponies out on walks. But this façade couldn't fool Starlight. Her sharp eyes picked out the telltale signs of Equidorian soldiers peeking at her from rooftops and from behind bushes. The area was packed with armed stallions. Starlight blinked. The Equidorian's were being especially careful. Too careful. Were they really this afraid of the Stallion Empire?
Starlight caught herself almost pulling a face. They had a reason to be afraid. The Stallion Empire abused smaller nations like Equidor regularly. They had been doing so since the fall of the reign of Discord. Starlight cocked her head to one side, her thoughts drifting back to Discord, allowing her physical body to be led through the twisting marble chambers and hallways by Marlano. Discord had been seen twice over the last half decade. August Dellor hadn't been seen for a year, and the same went for Flaming Star and Twilight Sparkle. The dimensional travelers had been dropping off one by one. Either being murdered in their sleep, killed in glorious combat, or going into exile. What was once a glorious age was now depreciating into inglorious quiet. Where were the Dimensional Lords? The Archangels? Where had hope from above gone?
Starlight was pulled from her musings by Marlano tapping her gently on the shoulder.
"We are about to enter the central chambers, ma'am," he said gravely. "I shall leave you here."
There was a pause, and then he added, "I'll immediately inquire for access to your friends, so you may see them immediately upon the ending of the meetings."
Starlight treated Marlano to one of her less-fake, sweeter smiles. She then put a hoof upon the very center of the double doors that separated her from one of the most important diplomatic missions of her life. With a single push she flung the doors open. The central chamber was mainly empty, as nothing was currently in session. Rows upon rows of flush chairs and stout curving tables arched horizontally about the room. Prim lamps placed on the tables at regular intervals illuminated a faint, gold-green light, and a massive brass chandelier suspended by silver chains did the same high above her head. In the very center of the room was a large raised platform, plated with gold and velvet. A simple wooden table with two practical chairs were positioned upon the platform, no doubt the position where ponies would make their cases to the council. It was here that Starlight spotted two stallions conversing in hushed tones. Both were wearing vests and trousers of elegant make. Golden watches were slung about their vests, sparkling and shimmering as they reflected the soft light of the room. One of the stallions had a very striking ebony mane and tail, and his eyes blazed cold blue fire, going well with his chestnut coat. He was definitely the older of the two, as gray hairs were beginning to show in his mane. The other had an ebony mane as well, but his eyes were very dark, acting almost like a bulwark for his soul, guarding the truths of his mind very well. His coat was brown as well, but was darker, like oak. His coat still shown, and his frame denoted that he was still quite young. Despite her entrance, both stallions were two engrossed in their conversation to even notice her arrival, and so Starlight carefully walked up to them and cleared her throat. The stallions started and looked around, almost in a stupor. They spotted Starlight. The one with the icy fire in his eyes turned his frozen gaze upon Starlight. The ice seemed to melt a little as he looked at Starlight. After all, despite the lower half of her was a mess of scars and branding marks, her face and shape was very pleasing to the eye.
"Greetings," he said in perfect Equestrian, his accent completely cloaked. "I'm Trylian, but you may call me Try. My compatriot here is Joran. You must be Starlight. Am I correct in this presumption?"
Starlight nodded. Joran immediately leapt down from his perch upon the debate platform and started to trot around Starlight. This made her uneasy. She couldn't read anything in the eyes of either, but Joran's unreadability had a hostile aftertaste, almost as if the void that protected his soul was made of iron, not patience. Her muscles clenched in surprise as he went so far as to push up her mantle a bit to allow him a view of her cutie mark.
"Joran," said Trylian sharply, "Leave her alone. Have you forgotten your manners?"
Joran frowned and backed away. "So you're the daughter of THE dimensional traveler? You think he would've taken better care of you."
Starlight eyed him with icy annoyance. "He no longer has his powers, as you well know. And these scares are not from his negligence. The fault of these are between me and a long, long dead enemy."
"Dead by your own hoof, of course?" quizzed Joran.
Starlight smiled as she caught the undertone in Joran's voice. He was trying to get any bit of information about her time of Redzion that Canterlot had not been able to extract. No doubt any answer would lead into a conversation about her mystery-shrouded past.
"I wouldn't know," she said, "It is all such a blur."
Joran didn't say anything. He seemed to actually like the answer.
Try coughed, catching the attention of the two before they continued their mental fencing. "Joran is Equidor's chief of military development. Quite the little secret keeper, so you must forgive him for his propensity his thirsting for the hidden. I'm the council head. No council is held without my consent, but I'm sure you're versed in the political structure of Equidor, as you will be acting both as Equestrian representative and body guard for the Stallion Empire's ambassador."
"Harvest Snowfall, yes," said Starlight, feeling marginally flustered. She almost found herself wishing to be facing the end of a thousand machine guns than this. It was easier in the wastelands of war. Killed or be killed, with hatred, loathing, and fear plainly painted on the faces of her enemies. Here everyone had the perfect poker faces, with their eyes reflecting nothing but emotionlessness.
Joran stroked his chin, his eyes flitting back and forth between Try and Starlight. "Snowfall is strange to say the least. Skilled beyond his years, I would say… But then I could say the same of myself… Or of you, Dimensional Traveler's daughter. He's hiding something very well, I tell you. Keep an eye out."
Starlight decided to take a moment to turn Joran's own game upon himself. "Hiding something? Really? What makes you think that?"
Joran gave Starlight a smirk, making it clear that he could tell what she was doing, but then he shrugged and answered, indicating that his deductions were nothing important to his real interests. "His eyes reflect honesty. For honesty to be so well represented in the eyes of a politician… Well, let's just say that something that real can only be a façade."
Starlight nodded her head slowly, thinking upon the secrets she had discovered about Harvest Snowfall. "Never trust the Stallion Empire, right? Hasn't that been a memo since the Paradox Crises?"
Try actually smiled. "Indeed it has, dear Starlight. Now follow me. Harvest Snowfall is in one of the side chambers, waiting for you."
Joran trotted back to his place upon the debate platform as Try escorted Starlight to one of the many small doors that lined the high, sheer walls of the circular chamber. He stopped at one and then indicated that she enter.
He cantered back to Joran as Starlight knocked.
"Come in."
The voice was young and clear, but laden with ice… Like usual.
Starlight opened the door and beheld Harvest Snowfall.
He was stoutly build, about just a bit taller than Starlight. His mane and tale where stark white, tinged with a faint blue that almost gave it a sense of irradiance. His coat was light blue, like the frozen waters of a shallow stream on a midsummer's day. One of his eyes (his right) was missing: Having been replaced by what looked like a glass lens that radiated a faint light. He wore a gray overcoat upon his back, the corners laced with what looked like tiny ornate snowflakes.
"Greetings, Starlight," the stallion said. His tone was somewhat amiable, but very guarded nonetheless.
Starlight nodded as she replied. "Greetings." She made sure that her tone was just as guarded. No one was her friend. She could trust no one.
"I've heard very interesting tales about you, Starlight," Harvest continued. "You're one of the most skilled assassin's Equestria has to offer, correct? The best of the best… If we don't count your brother."
Starlight eyed Harvest. "Yes. We both are fighters. But if you're insinuating that you would prefer a different assassin, then I would have to say to you that you are a bit out of time."
Harvest smiled. "Indeed I am. But no, I'm not interested in a 'different assassin' as you put it. I am surprised you would even refer to yourself in that way."
"I don't. I'm just assuming that's what the duumvirate called me when they pawned me off."
"Ah. So this was a forced arrangement?"
"You could call it that. My mother is giving birth. I'm not going to be there because I'm here watching your backside."
Harvest's facial expression changed from one of marginally amused indifference to sympathy. Actual sympathy. "My condolences. Even I have no such excuse to compare. 'For God and for country.' Isn't that what they say? But our countries never have a moral high ground anymore… And it's been many a year since a 'god' descended from the sky in those fiery portals."
Starlight frowned. It was clear he was referring to the Dimensional Lords. Despite the Paradox crises, not too many knew that they had come from portals that sparked and burned like they were on fire. "They are my princesses. I can't say no."
Harvest's facial expression altered again to something between smugness and thoughtfulness. "The Princess of the Sun and the Princess of the Moon… Surely you realize that this 'duumvirate' as they call it is nothing but a total diarchy? Not too much different from the patriarchy of the Stallion Empire, truly."
"The duumvirate follows the voice of the people fully, Harvest Snowfall. For better or for worse. You know this to be true. When the xenophobic craze swept Equestria after the death of the Paradox, our 'princesses' had the power to shut down the rebellion. But they didn't. No, instead they decided to be democratic, and make the people see that they would consider what the populace had to say. They wanted the ponies of Equestria to see that their outcries were heard."
Harvest smiled softly. "And that was an utter disaster, and now more blood is on the hooves of the Sun and the Moon than ever before. Those two ponies will not make the same mistake I assure you. Not only are they hated more than ever before because they let the unruly population receive more power than they ought, but also the Dimensional Lords will never assist this particular My Little Pony dimension because of the choices made during that era of unrest."
Starlight did all she could to keep her eyes from widening in shock. Very few ponies knew the true name of their home dimension. In fact, only Dimensional Travelers and their friends had such knowledge. Ergo, Harvest Snowfall had been in direct contact with a Dimensional Traveler, and, judging by the way he looked at her, he had purposefully revealed this information.
When she said nothing in reply, he continued. "Give it time, Starlight. Power corrupts, no matter how you delve it up. They say 'absolute power corrupts absolutely' almost as if power and corruption is proportional. No. Power IS corruption, and it isn't a scalar. It's organic. It's a virus. Even if you split it… Even if you slice and dice it… Any pony that comes into contact with true power becomes infected… And sooner or later they corrupt. The only difference is that a democrat will corrupt a bit slower than a monarch. I won't lie. The Stallion Empire's patriarch is corrupt. The Equidor's councilmembers are corrupt. Equestria's duumvirate WILL corrupt. It's a wonder they've held out this long. But you just wait. Ever since your father came to this dimension from a ring of fire and lightning the world has darkened exponentially. Sooner or later a moral dilemma will act as a catalyst and the world will plummet into shadows as every government turns upon its people. In fact, you never know... The corruption and collapse might have just reached a climax now."
Even more silence ensued. Starlight looked at Harvest with even more suspicion and distrust. What else was the mild-mannered being hiding? What else did he know?
Starlight spoke slowly, considering each and every word that left her muzzle. "What… What are you planning?"
Harvest smiled lightly. "Nothing at the moment. But I, like all beings, have certain interests in mind regarding Equidor, Equestria, and the Stallion Empire… And it all involves power. Now you may be wondering why I would be revealing such things to you. Naturally a politician only gives away what information he needs to. But that is precisely the reason I am talking to you. You see, I need your help destroying these peace talks."
Author's Notes. And there you have it. Harvest Snowfall wishes Starlight to assist him in bringing these peace talks to a disastrous close. It may sound like the request of a villain, but we have yet to hear him out. Think about what he said when he was speaking of corruption. It makes a lot of sense if you ponder upon it. Now prepare for the week after next. One of the most pivotal chapters is coming! (And just in case any of you were wondering: I'm starting to call the joint rule between Celestia and Luna over Equestria a "Duumvirate". I think it's fitting.)
At this point I would like to mention that I have started up "The Salient Link" again! I'm sure some of you saw it (and hopefully read it). It's been in popular demand for a while since it ground to a jarring halt last year, and so I finally decided to reorganize my notes and bring it back to life. If all works as it should, it'll be showing up on the Wednesdays that AMS is not posted. (So basically biweekly as well, just offset by one week.) Naturally this is my hope, for I have no actual guarantee that this plan will work. It probably won't, but you can't blame me for trying.
Now, did you enjoy this chapter? I know it didn't involve explosions (or Doxia), but I did put effort into weaving an air of uncertainty and intrigue. After all, those components are just as valuable to a story as action! If you liked the chapter, please leave a review! If you do... Ummmmm... I think I've run out of things to bribe you all with. Can I start rehashing stuff? How about a Doxia plushie? I'm pretty sure I did that a while ago though... I'm running out of invisible paint too. So is Amazon and eBay. Anyone know where I can get invisible paint?