I ended up getting a plot stuck in my head involving some dialogue and I wanted to write it out. Ended up doing this in one day. Hopefully you all enjoy, even it is something different. Go to the AU list chapters to figure out what's going on if you need clarification.

"Why do you do what you do?"

Eddy paused at the question, giving Apple a side-eye as he held the glass of cider close to his lips. He frowned before chugging it, putting it back onto the table. He'd poured the drink itself, so he didn't have to worry about anything different being in it, but he certainly wouldn't leave it unattended.

"You're going to have to elaborate, Princess. I do lots of different things." Eddy smiled at Apple's look of frustration. He started counting it out on his fingers. "I do plenty of engineering, inventing, magic- really, anything people desire."

"You know what I'm talking about." Apple sighed, tapping her foot on the ground as she checked her exits. It wouldn't matter much depending on what he wanted to do, but she liked having a plan in place. "It's about… It's about your job. Why do you still do it?"

Eddy's smile turned into a sneer, though he fought the urge to insult her. He had to admit, it was a little brave to come talk to him after the incident with the Storybook. Though, the fact she did it alone could be considered stupid too. He figured if things didn't go right, he might as well be "honest" with her.

"If you want me to answer that, maybe don't mince your words. I kill people for a living, Apple." The admittance was something she knew, but Apple still flinched. Eddy just rolled his eyes. "Don't dance around it. You're insulting both of us here."

"I just- I don't get why you're still doing it. I mean, sure, it sounds like your "company" is a very ruthless one, but it seems like you'd be able to get out of it." Apple didn't really know if she had a point to any of this. She was grasping at some kind of reason, especially after seeing what they saw in the Storybook. "Is it brainwashing? Some kind of threat? Or do you actually like…"

The glare she got from that last statement cut her short, forcing her to remember who she was talking to. Eddy stayed silent, letting her broil in her anxiety before grabbing at the bottle of cider again. He flicked on his magic, making sure every door was audibly locked before pouring a cup for both of them. He handed it to her, not paying attention to her shaking.

"You want to know how I do it? Compared to Sockhead and Lumpy, I mean." Eddy didn't sound like he was joking. His eyes were cold, and his smile was plastic as he sat back down to take a sip of his drink. "We all have different methods, really. Ed is the one that's used when collateral damage is something a client doesn't care about. Double D is when collateral damage is more important than the job. Ed can cause massive damage, while Double D is our silent killer. Wanna know what I do?"

"…What?"

"I set people up to do my job for me." Eddy sipped at the cider, humming as it went down his throat. His smile turned crueler, but not any happier. "You ever thought about how easy it is to get someone to kill someone else? Remarkably easy. Painfully easy. In my line of work, I meet so many people that are willing to do it when the notes are hit, as Blondie would say, just right."

"You- you pay other people to do your job?" Apple was confused. That didn't sound right, even if it was Eddy saying it. "That seems- wouldn't your company know about that and refuse to pay you?"

"Oh, I don't pay anybody. Your mom is a politician by all accounts, right? I'm sure you've met others like her." Eddy's cold eyes pierced hers and she felt like she couldn't move. At least not from under his watchful gaze. "You've met the type; skeevy, obviously trying to kiss up to you. Always seem to be blackmailing people, getting money from someone, or hanging around women that are certainly not their wives."

Apple did know the type. They weren't people she liked rubbing shoulders with, but as a princess, that was unavoidable.

"People like that get about ten, twenty people that want them dead at a time. There are always people that they cross and they're easy to find when you look for the signs." Eddy stated. "All of them want the guy hurt or dead. And you know the thing they all lack?"

"Commitment?"

"No," Eddy stared into his drink. "Opportunity."

He's given a lot of people opportunity to do… well, maybe not the right thing, but certainly something else. Keep a few doors unlocked, give a few words of "encouragement," or simply just give them some information, and they usually went straight for the immediate solution.

So many mistresses wanting to be wives. So many wives feeling betrayal. The constituents that paid millions to get something done, only to have it taken and put into something else. Even kids themselves, angry at what their rich parents were doing and wanting to secure a place they weren't trusted to have. And all of them chose evil.

"I've never understood how Legends defined good and evil, you know. Evil isn't just grand acts of cruelty, curses placed on families, or even poisoning people with fruit." Eddy moved out of his seat, standing tall as magic sparked from his fingertips. "Evil is an everyday thing that dictates everyone's actions. I've seen it here too, even if no one has died."

Eddy set his glass down, taking a step forward. "I've seen it in Raven every time she denies her destiny. She might believe her own philosophy, but if she had been born anyone else, she wouldn't have started the Royal/Rebel movement."

His hands shot forward, grabbing at the seat rests of Apple's chair so she wouldn't escape. "I've seen it in Cleo whenever she mentions her empire and her family. I've always wondered if she would sacrifice her sister and her father just to get them to stop whispering in her ear."

"And I've seen it you too, Princess. Every time you talk of destiny, of all the work you've done, I see someone who wants the end she wants in sights." Eddy showed much more teeth, the smile having turned into something feral. "Your first instinct when the Wishing Coin was revealed as fake wasn't horror that Raven was almost tricked. It was disappointment it didn't work. Am I wrong?"

"…No." Apple looked into her own cup of cider. She realized she hadn't had a single drop of it, having gone warm in her sweaty hands. "I was disappointed."

Eddy seemed satisfied by that admission, backing off. He sat back into his chair, eyes vacant.

"Evil is everywhere, Princess. I could go out right now and destroy the organization I work for from the ground up, but it wouldn't change the fact I'm what I am now. Or what the others are." Eddy said, tone resigned. "There are other organizations that would try to hire me, or force me out permanently if I said no. There are other people I'd have to fight that are still loyal to who we work for. And the killing won't stop, even if I'm not pulling the trigger."

Eddy grabbed his drink again. He drank before looking at Apple's face, absentmindedly watching the tears flow.

"Now tell me," Eddy asked quietly. "Why do you think I do this?"

"…because there's no point. You'll either die or something else will take your organizations place." Apple said it low enough for him to barely hear her. "You won't win no matter what. At least, you think that."

"Good. At least I know you're listening." Eddy waved a hand, letting the doors unlock. He didn't have any reason to keep her here anymore. "Now, unless you have a solution for any of our problems, then I'd suggest you leave. Unless the next thing you want me to tell you is where I put Hellscream."

Apple left quickly at that, and Eddy couldn't blame her. He didn't blame her for not drinking her cider either, simply grabbing her glass for himself too.

It wasn't like he expected any better anymore.

Yeah, it just sort of wrote itself. I hope you guys enjoy it, because I wrote this with no idea what I had in mind. I think it's good, though it is very different to what I usually have done so far.