//------------------------------// // Chapter 11: The Moment of Truth // Story: The Mortal Sin // by Humanarian //------------------------------// "There are humans who believe that their safety comes first. However... Yes, for example, Wrath's wife. There once was a time when I was about to be hit by a car in town. She tried to save me, ready to sacrifice her own life. Though she didn't know I'm a homunculus, I was completely taken aback by her desparate action. I've always had a father, but never a mother. That's why, to be honest, her existence was fascinating. I began to wonder whether that's what having a mother was like. It was as if we were playing a game of house. But it was fun living with her, and I do love her. There are humans, like Wrath's wife, who would throw away their own life to protect something dear to them. ... I could never really understand why." She felt rather uneasy. It wasn't like her to sneak out of the house like that, but she couldn't help it. Dark Side went to search for Spike, and she had to stay. Why did she have to stay? She wanted to be there! She wanted to help! She wanted to... stay close to her beloved colt. As she caught herself on that thought, her cheeks had changed their colour again. "Ah'm soooo getting grounded fer this..." she mumbled, before stumbling and falling face-first on the ground, "Ouch!" As she stood up and looked at the ground, she had noticed that she stumbled on a strange footprint left on the ground by some creature. On a closer look, it seemed to belong to a dragon. But not Spike, since his would had been much smaller. Looking around had provided the little filly with another valuable piece of information: those footprints were coming from the direction of Twilight's castle and leading towards the Everfree Forest. She gasped: some other dragon had kidnapped Spike! Her big sister and the others must have gone ahead... and Apple Bloom was determined to follow them! "Fluttershy, are there any news yet?" Rainbow Dash was getting impatient, "We can't spend so much time waiting while you get huggy-sappy with every worm you can find!" The worm Fluttershy was talking to had expressed fear at Rainbow's words, prompting the yellow pegasus to comfort the poor thing. "It's okay, Mr. Worm. Rainbow didn't mean any offense, she's just getting impatient. We all do sometimes." I, for once, had to agree with the cyan mare: that was not the most effective course of action. So, I had another offer: "I heard you're really fast, Rainbow Dash," I said, drawing her attention to me. "Ha! You bet I am!" awakening her cocky attitude was exactly what I needed, "I could clear the entire sky over Ponyville in ten seconds flat!" "Oh, that's so amazing!" I acted like an awe-struck child, adding fuel to her inner fire before I had finally voiced my original idea, "Then, I'm sure, you could fly around the area really fast and see if you could spot any suspicious footprints from the sky." She paused, letting her jaw hang limply, even if for just a second. "I can't believe I haven't thought of that," when she had got over her initial shock, she winked at me, "Good thinking, kiddo. I'll go check." And just like that, she had dashed away. "Ya'll make me proud, sugarcube," Applejack said to me, "Ah'm now real glad we've taken ya with us." "I'm just trying to help," I replied, trying to keep my voice childish and serious at the same time, "The faster we find Spike, the less time he would need to spend with his captor. I'm sure, he's not happy right now..." I could hear a certain Princess sobbing quietly at my words. The futher Apple Bloom ventured into the Everfree Forest, the more scared she was starting to feel. That was pretty much expected from a little filly. But despite everything, she kept following the footprints. She was sure she would catch up on her big sister and the others any minute. Of course, she had no idea that it was actually them who would need to catch up on her. She was sure about one thing though: those footprints couldn't go on forever. There had to be some hiding place where that dragon was keeping Spike! And so she tried not to think about anything else, especially about her surroundings, focusing entirely on following those footprints. Her fears could wait untill Spike is rescued. And by that time, she would surely be with her big sister and the others, so there would be no need to fear anything anymore! That is, if she didn't take the following punishment she'd get for sneaking out in account. Yeah... that did sound like a good plan to her, anyway. She just needed to focus on the... "...footprints?" she stopped, entirely confused by what she had found out: the footprints had suddenly ended! Right in the middle of the woods, leading nowhere. As if Spike's captor had disappeared in a thin air! "Oh mah gosh, oh mah gosh, oh mah gosh, what do Ah do now??" she said, as her panic began to rise, "Well... Uh... What would Darky do?" After coming to conclusion that he saviour would try to gather as much information as he could before acting, she had taken a deep breath to calm herself down. As much as she didn't want to pay attention to her surroundings, the little filly had to take a look around. What could happen here? First of all, as far as she knew, dragons didn't cast spells. That must mean teleport was out of question. The image of a beast as big and scary as manticore eating both Spike and his captor had come to little filly's mind, but she had shaken her head, dispelling it before it could get under her skin: there were no signs of a battle. "But then what...?" she asked out loud, bringing a forehoof to her chin and raising her gaze above as she tried to think of something. And then it hit her: "They flew!" she exclaimed, before covering her mouth with a forehoof, remembering to stay quiet. That guess was certainly putting the pieces together. All, except for one: why did that dragon not fly up until reaching that place? That made no sense to the little filly. Whoever that dragon was, they would had saved themselves a lot of trouble by flying all the way from the castle. That way, they wouldn't leave any footprints on the ground, so there would be no traces to... chase them... by.... "Oh no..." Apple Bloom felt a cold shiver running down her spine as the realisation had dawned upon her, "Those footprints... were left on purpose." By the time she had fully realised that, her legs were already carrying her somewhere. She didn't care where to, she just knew she had to get away from that place! So, she kept galloping away... ...up until the ground had given way underneath her hooves. "I've made it obvious!" Garble said, describing yet another detail about his plan to Spike, intimidating the poor baby dragon further, "I even stomped real hard on the ground to leave better footprints! There's no way your puny friends are stupid enough not to find this place. But right when they're just a few minutes of walking away from it - BAM! No more footprints!" he exclaimed, hitting the palm of his hand with the first his other one had formed into. "And then..." he continued, adding more malice to his voice, "They'll be forced to spread out, searching the area. That's when, one by one, all of them shall end up falling prey to the traps I've set for them. Deadly traps..." he said slowly, savouring the last phrase, "Awww, but don't you worry, little hatchling. I'll make sure none of those delicious moments escape your gaze!" The red dragon had then burst in an evil laughter, and his pals had soon joined him. Spike couldn't help but gulp. He prayed to everything in the world that Garble's plan never gets fulfilled. "They flew!" an echo had reached the cave, drawning the attention of three laughing dragons. "Well, well, well..." Grable said, rubbing his hands together, "Looks like the show's about to start. Let's go give those ponies a really warm welcome!" After saying that, Garble had walked out of the cave. His pals followed him shortly after. "Looks like we're getting somewhere," I commented, genuinely releaved to see that investigation had moved to the next phase. "Finally!" Pinkie Pie said, bouncing nearby as we ventured into the Everfree Forest, following the footprints Rainbow Dash had discovered, "When we'll have rescued Spike, and I mean, we'll surely rescue Spike, there can be no other outcome, I'll defenitely throw a party! Oh! Oh! And I'll bake a cake! But what should I write on it? Happy coming back home safe and sound? Get rescued soon? It's 12 hours since you've got kidnapped? Oh, I don't think any of those will do. I mean, they're good, but something about them just sounds off, though I can't really place my hoof on it." Remind me, why is she here again? I really didn't know what think of that extraordinary mare. She was just bouncing around and spreading some random nonsense, though I did notice that the others didn't question her for some reason. I had shaken my head, focusing on the main task again: following the footprints. "How far do you think they will lead us?" Rarity asked. "You girls don't think that dragon had taken Spike all the way to the dragon land, do you?" "No," Twilight replied quietly. She was way too exhausted to even raise her voice, "The direction would be different in that case." "Well, we've been following those footprints for quite a while now, Twilight, dearest," the while unicorn said, "And it doesn't look like they're going to end any time..." I had stepped forth to look at what have caused the pause, only to find out tha the footprints had suddenly ended. "...soon." Rarity had finished her phrase lamely. "What is the meaning of this?" Applejack had exclaimed, stomping her hoof against the ground. I had to think quickly. Something about that felt dangerously off. "That's why I asked if the dragon had wings, you know," I commented, still busy trying to figure it out, "He might have flown." That had earnned a pause, until Twilight asked a rather logical question. "Then why didn't he fly up until this point?" I needed that. I really did need to hear that question, no matter if I was the one who asked it or not. All of sudden, the pieces had fallen in place. "Because they wouldn't have left the footprints that way. The footprints they have just used for luring us here... We're in their trap." My comment had caused the eyes of the six ponies to widen. "W...what should we d-do?" ironically, the least brave pony was the first to break that unsettling silence. "Not panic. The footprints must have ended here for a reason. What would our enemy expect us to do after we reach this point...?" "Whoa... Ya sure ya'll ain't no Starswirl in the form of a foal? Ya jus' never cease to surprise me with that mighty fine brain of yers," if Applejack's words were any indication, my disguise was beginning to crack. It wasn't hard to fix though. Who is that Starswirl, anyway...? "When I grow up, I want to be an investigator! This is so much fun!" I replied energetically, giggling like a typical child, "Do you think I'd be a good one?" A warm smile had crossed the face of the farm pony. "Ah bet mah whole farm, ya would..." "Aaaaahh!!" She couldn't help but scream as she fell down, bouncing off of the rock walls and finally landing face-first onto the cold hard ground of the cave. Luckily, it wasn't a long fall... neither had she got significantly hurt. It looked like having to hit the walls and bounce off of them had slown her fall. After recovering from her fall, Apple Bloom had taken a look around, having nothing but darkness greet her. "Ouch...", she said, rubbing her still hurt muzzle, "Where am Ah now?" "A... Apple Bloom...?" the voice of Spike the dragon had reached her ears, which had immediately perked up at it. "Spike...?" she gaped, instantly forgetting about her injuries, "Spike, is that you?" She followed the voice, while her eyes were slowly adjusting to the darkness of her surroundings. "W...what are you doing here?" it was that moment when she had finally realised that the voice of the baby dragon was full of concern. Something felt off, and she paused, unsure if she needed to proceed. "Ah sneaked out to join everypony. Ah was following the footprints, until they ended, and then Ah..." as she said that, yet another realisation had dawned upon her that day, causing her blood to nearly freeze, "Wait... Have they not come to rescue ya yet?" "N...no. And you should get out of here right now!" Spike said to the little filly, "Before they return and discover-" Right before he had managed to finish his phrase, the rock covering the main entrance to the cave had started to move. "Oh, no... Hide!" Apple Bloom didn't need to be told twice, but there was one problem: there was nowhere to hide. She couldn't climb up to the hole she had fallen through, and the only thing to hide behind was the rock Spike had been tied to. The little filly didn't have the other choice but to hide behind it and pray. "Well, looks like you're in luck, little runt. It was a false alarm, there was no pony there," Garble said, entering the cave, "But that only means you get to spend more time in agonising wait for the inevitable!" he concluded, poking Spike's nose in a mocking manner. It was that moment before he had noticed something suspicious. "Wait a moment..." he said, sniffing the air, "How come you've been here for a while and still smell like ponies?" He began to sniff the air harder, and the scent was leading him to the little dragon. No... behind the dragon. Behind the rock. But just when he was about to look behind it... "...so much fun!" an echo had reached the cave for the second time that day. "I swear to the depth of volcano, if that one is false too..." the red dragon said, beginning to get angry, "Ugh! Let's go check it, guys. And you..." he turned to face Spike one last time before leaving the cave, "...better get ready for a bloodbath." The dragons had left the cave, closing the entrance with that big rock once more. "Phew!" the baby dragon had released the breath he didn't know he was holding. "Phew..." the voice coming from behind the rock had indicated that Apple Bloom did the very same thing. "So... what do we do now, Apple Bloom?" he said, earning no reply from the filly. Instead, he felt a tug on his ropes, "I don't think we can do something about the ropes. I tried breathing on them, but they are fireproof," Spike had admitted in a sad tone. However, that didn't stop the tugging. The expression on the baby dragon's face was priceless, when suddely, the roped had fallen down. "While that bully was busy rambling on and on, Ah've found the knot. And there ain't no knot the true farm pony can't untie!" Apple Bloom had declaimed, walking from behind the rock. "Uhm, Apple Bloom...?" the uneasiness in Spike's voice had drawn her attention. "You're cool and all that... But this still leaves us with the other major problem, you know..." The little filly had raised an eyebrow at Spike, prompting him to finish the thought. "How are we going to get out of here???" "The most logical course of action is to split out and search the area. But that might be exactly what our enemy wants us to do!" I continued, analysing the situation we were in, "So, let's stay together instead. Now, why would he want us to split? The area isn't big enough to really catch each of you one on one without the others noticing. Hm... Leading us nowhere with his footprints while flying an entirely different direction? No, that can't be it..." "What if there are the traps all around here?" Twilight had finally found the strength to join me in building the logic chain, "But still, if one of us gets trapped, the others would notice and be there to help out." "That is..." I really didn't like to voice that thought, but it simly made too much sense, "...if those traps were meant for capturing." Once again, I had earned an uneasy silence. "Ya..." Applejack had a terrified look on her face, so did everypony else, "Ya dun' mean to say..." "Yes, I do. Those traps..." I said, forcing the ponies to face their fears, "Could be meant for killing." "Oh-ho-ho!" the voice that rang from above had drawn our attention immediately, "You ponies are more clever than you look. As if it's gonna help you!" The dragon of red-and-organge colour had been floating in the air above us, just a bit futher from where the footprints had ended. Taking a look at the shape of his feet didn't leave any doubt: those were his footprints. "Grable!" Twilight and Rarity had exclaimed. Wait... Have they met him before? "Glad to see you still remember my name. Just kidding! I don't care," the dragon replied. If his way with words was any indication, he was the type oftenly classified as a jerk. "What I do care about though is that you humiliated me the last time we met. And no one. Ever. Humiliates me and gets away with it. You and your little brat of a friend will repay your debt in blood!" "Where. Is. Spike?" The Princess of Friendship was really serious about that. Despite her exhausted state, she had begun to give off an intimidating aura. "Oh, don't you worry about where he is now, puny pony," Garble, however, didn't seem to be intimidated in the slightest. But there was one thing that just didn't stop bothering me: if the area around us was full of deadly traps, and the whole point of his plan was making us split out and walk into them one by one... Then why is he here, openly talking to us? "Soon, he and you are gonna meet... on the other side!" The realisation had hit me a bit too late: he was just providing a distraction. After all... it was us who had assumed that he was acting alone. "Look out!" I've managed to shout out, right before the huge fireball had appeared from behind, flying in our direction with a blazing speed. "AHHH!" the ponies shouted, having no time to react. The only thing that saved them was Twilight's shield. Impressive... Even in her current state she's still able to cast such spells. But that was far from it: the other two dragons had stepped out from behind the trees. One of them was green and gray, the other one - white and pink. They appeared to be the allies of that red dragon. Before anypony could think of what to do next, they took a deep breath. It was obvious that the next thing that was going to happen would be a massive fire breath. "Everypony, RUUUN!" Pinkie Pie had yelled in panic, and before I knew it, I was already sitting on the back of galloping Applejack. Panic... that's no good. I didn't have to think hard on the true purpose of their attack. Looking at the running ponies was more than enough to give me an answer: the dragons were forcing them to run straight into their traps. This is bad. What should I do now? "Everypony, look out for the traps!" I souted, drawing their attention to me, "You're probably being lead right into them!" True, we needed to avoid the traps at all costs, but that didn't mean we could ignore an incoming fire attack. The question was: how could we avoid both at the same time? And the answer was rather unsettling: since we didn't know where they were hidden, and had no way of discovering their locations other than actually setting them off, there was no way for us to avoid them. That meant we had no other option but to face those traps head-on, blocking any damage they would try to deal. At that rate, I could be forced to use my powers. Tch... I didn't like it. I didn't like it at all. Just when I was thinking it over, I've noticed the huge sharpened log appearing from a tree's crown and coming down on us. "Look out!" I shouted once again, but Applejack had already reacted. She had used her forelegs to make an incredible turn, and just when the log was about to hit us, she had bucked against it with all her might. I had nearly fallen off of her back, and was completely taken aback by witnessing the large log being torn to pieces by the sheer power of the impact. Perhaps... we do have more chances of survival than I expected. "Yee-haw!" the farm pony shouted out, obviously proud of herself. And I had to admit, she had every right to be proud at that moment. However, the flames were coming closer, and the ponies needed to keep running, if they didn't want to get fried alive. Needless to say, by that moment, a huge fire was taking place in the Everfree Forest. This is actually reminding me of colonel Mustang... If he was here, would he get turned into a dragon? I shook my head: there was no time to allow myself to get distracted. But just as I thought of that, my attention was drawn by the voice of the most distractive pony in the group. "Something about to fall down!" she said, having her tail twitching in a maner that didn't look natural to me. I looked up and saw... nothing. Nothing was falling on us from above. But for all I knew, her friends didn't doubt that suspicious ability of hers. Which had to mean that if she said something was about to fall, it was about to fall. But what...? And then, it hit me! "It's US!" just as I shouted it out, the ground had given way beneath Applejack's hooves, introducing us to the image of a pit with the sharp wooden spikes waiting for us at the bottom of it. But before we could even begin to fall, Rainbow Dash had already taken hold, flying us over the trap. As I looked around, I could see both Fluttershy and tired Twilight holding Rarity in the air. And Pinkie Pie... was flying over the pit all by herself, having inflated like a baloon. I... don't even want to know. As I looked back, I've noticed an important detail: everything was on fire, and more of it kept being produced by those two. However, the flamestrikes seemed to be fired without aiming anymore. I had to share that information with the others. "They can't see us through their own flames already," I said, quiet enough for only the ponies around me to hear, "They can't chase us. We need to get out of here." Rainbow Dash nodded and gestured to follow her. She's been flying this whole time. Apparently, she has noticed the way out of this mess. Covering their mouths to protect them from the rising smoke, everypony had obliged the signal of the cyan pegasus, who had proven to know where she was going. Soon, we had found ourselves on the trail that lead down, circling around and ending at the cave. The entrance had been blocked by the large rock. "Sorry, Garble..." one of the red dragon's allies said, returning to meet him at the top of the rather large hill, "We lost them." "That doesn't matter!" the other one had joined in, "Just look! Everything is burning, and your traps are still there. If they haven't got killed by them yet, they gonna fry alive." "Good job, you two," Garble replied, looking down from the top of the hill, "But, just as I expected, if there is anything those ponies are good at, it's running away from danger." As his pals had joined him to see what he was looking at, their jaws had nearly hit the ground when they witnessed the group of ponies they were chasing, standing near the entrance of the cave, completely unharmed. "You know, I really hoped that you two would fail to burn them. I hoped that my traps would fail to gut them," his speech had caused the other two dragons to raise an eyebrow, utterly confused by his words, "I hoped that they would reach this point... So I could destroy them all at once!" he said, placing his foot on a boulder. Only at that moment had his pals noticed that the edge Garble was standing on was actually a bunch of boulders. And pushing that one would trigger the chain reaction, reasulting in all of them coming crushing down... right in front of the cave entrence. A sinister smile had come across the red dragon's face. All of sudden, Pinkie Pie had begun to shake violently, and by that, I mean that her entire body was shaking in the manner as if some invisible hand was holding and shaking her like a toy. I had never seen such a thing before. "O-oh m-m-my g-g-g-osh!" she said, unable to stop that strange phenomenon, "So-o-mething's g-g-gonna h-h-hap-p-en! It-t-t's a D-d-d-doo-o-ozy!" "Is it going to be good or bad?" I had to ask, still unsure what she meant. "N-n-no id-d-dea! But it'll b-b-be bi-i-i-i-ig!" he reply didn't bring any clarity. Meanwhile, Twilight and Rarity was combining their magical efforts to move the rock out of the way. And, luckily, they were succeeding: the boulder was already floating above the ground, slowly moving to the side. When they had finally opened the entrence, the dark cave had greeted us. "Alright, everypony!" - Applejack said to us, - "Ah'm goin' in!" But just when we were about to enter, we've heard the steps quickly approaching the entrance. Naturally, we had taken a defensive pose, but our surprise was indescribable when not only it had turned out to be Spike running towards us, but Apple Bloom as well! "Spike! Oh my gosh, I was so worried about you!" the excausted alicorn had nearly jumped at the sight of her kidnapped assistant returning to her safe and sound. "Apple Bloom! What are you doing here???" Applejack and I had asked in unison. Indeed, it was a good question: how did she end up here if she was left at the farm? "Applejack, Ah..." she tried to explain, but her big sister apparently had so much more to say. "Ah told ya tah stay home! Why didn't ya listen to me? Where was Big Mac lookin'?! Ah swear, when Ah get back home, Ah'll have a talk with 'im! And as for you, 'Bloom, Ah... Ah..." she then had lost whatever was moving her speach, suddenly breaking into sobs, "Ah'm just so happy ya're fine..." "Ah'm so sorry..." the distressed little filly jumped into her sister's embrace, tears streaming down her face. It was such an indearing display. "Let's go home, everypony," the Princess of Friendship said, turning around, "We should get out of here before those dragons come back." Everypony (and the baby dragon) had agreed with her. All except for one. "Ugh...!" Twilight said, rolling her eyes, "Pinkie! Would you, please, stop shaking around?" "I c-c-c-can't he-e-elp i-i-it!!!" It was at that moment that I've heard the noise somewhere above us. And so did the others. When we had looked up, we were greeted by the sight of countless boulders falling on us. And, to my dismay, there was already no time left for the group of ponies to dodge. Fluttershy screamed, rather loudly, considering the usual volume of her voice. Applejack didn't find a better way to react than covering AppleBloom, turning her own body into a shield. Rainbow Dash looked like she had been experiencing the greatest inner conflict in her life: she could dash away and survive, or stay with her friends but get crushed by the boulders. Pinkie Pie didn't stop her weird twitching. Rarity was staring at the falling rocks in shock, paralyzed by fear. Spike was taking a deep breath, most likely preparing the fire breath. And Twilight was trying to cast a shield spell, but in her exhausted state, she wouldn't cast it in time. And even if she would, it simply wouldn't be strong enough. I could feel my mind raising... It felt like the time around me had come to a complete halt. "I can stop the rocks. I could use my shadow and save them all. But doing so would ultimately reveal my true identity. What should I do...?" "Isn't this fascinating, Homunculus Pride?" "K...Kimblee!!! What...? How are you still alive?!" "I have never stopped existing inside you, only prefering to quietly watch the events unfold from my seat. And I have to say, your life has taken quite a turn. This new world... intrigues me quite a bit." "I see... Then what makes you start openly interacting now?" "The situation you're in, of course. You see, the decision you'll make here... will define the route this world will take afterwards! These six, judging by the information you've managed to obtain, are the heroes of this country. They are responsible for defending it from many powerful villains! And while I have no idea what those villains actually were, I can come to a conclusion that the mere existance of these six ponies is crucial to the country." "What are you getting at, Kimblee?" "Well, important as they may be to this world... It doesn't really make them important to you, does it? Instead of saving them, you could just let the boulders crush all of you, and then come out as the only survivor. That would ultimately leave their country without one of it's most effective means of defense, but that way you'd keep your identety a secret. And how convenient too, is it not? The only two who know about your true self are actually here right now, about to get crushed by the boulders!" "But there's the other option..." "True. You could reveal your true identity, but save these ponies and that little dragon. After all, allowing the boulders to fall would mean getting that little pony you've grown so accustomed to killed as well. And that attachment is a fascinating detail all it's own! Who would ever think that you, the very Embodiment of Pride, would ever go down this path? The details like this are what makes it so interesting for me to observe the world. Making that decision, however, opens another opportunity... Since you would no longer need to hold back, you could take care of that dragon gang. So, tell me, Homunculus Pride... what will it be? Or, even better... Show me! I want to witness this historical moment! The Moment of Truth!" "..." "I know exactly what I'm going to do." All of sudden, the crushing boulders that were about to connect with the doomed ponies (and the baby dragon)... had not connected. Instead, the much smaller pieces of them had landed nearby, not even scratching anyone. When the inital shock was over, the group had raised their heads to try and figure out what happened. And then, they were shocked even more when they had seen the numerous shadow blades spread in the air like petals of a deadly flower. But an even bigger shock was waiting for them as they folowed the shadows with their eyes, trying to find the roots and figure out where they had come from. And, to their dismay, all of the shadows had lead to the pony most of them knew as Dark Side. "H-hey! It stopped!" Pinkie's voice had managed to distract the others from staring at the small colt, if only a little, "This is the Doozy!" "What is the meaning of this?!!" the booming voice of a pissed off dragon had come from the top of the hill, "This was supposed to end you! What foul magic did you use this time?!" As if in response to his words, the shadows had started to move. They grew in size, covering the ground underneath the ponies, the side of the hill, reaching to the top. The fire in the Everfree Forest had made the shadows stand out, giving them a sharper form... It was a scary display. "There are those who believe that their safety comes first," the voice of the colt had broken the silence that was hanging in the air, caused by the scary moving shadows, "But, opposing to them, there are those who would throw their lives away to protect something dear to them. I could never understand why... But now, I finally do. And I can tell for sure that nobody will come for your aid..." Suddenly, the numerous eyes had opened all over the shadows. The giant scary teeth had added to the terrifying display. "...because no one would ever hold dear someone like YOU!"