//------------------------------// // (10) Never Trust the Color Azure // Story: Rorschach in Equestria // by Ex-Nihilos //------------------------------// Chapter 10: Never Trust the Color Azure Best wishes to my former editor AnonyMouse, his critical eye shall be missed and I hope everything turns out better for him “What do you think it is they’re talking about?” Rainbow Dash asked the lavender unicorn next to her. Neither turned their eyes away from the surreal scene that was taking place in what was in essence Twilight Sparkle’s living room. The feelings of guilt and fear that had plagued the unicorn earlier were gone since she started watching the two figures inside converse. “I wish I knew,” Twilight said quietly. It had taken her some time to figure out the human Rorschach and Princess Celestia were talking. At first glanced it seemed like the two were sitting on the ground staring at each other until Twilight spotted the subtle motions of Rorschach’s jaw moving. It was difficult to tell with a man who always hid his face behind an impenetrable wall of white canvas and black blots. For hours they’ve been sitting like this, Rorschach unmoving and unfaltering in his position. The princess was the only emotive one as she reacted to a silent story. The story though did not seem to be very pleasant as most often or not the Princess looked at the human with a mixture of disgust, disdain, and sometimes horror. All the while Rorschach never did anything more than roll his neck or shoulders after being still for so long. The princess would sometimes pace around as he spoke, absorbing the information given to her until inevitably she was brought back down to the ground again by some startling twist to an otherwise grotesque and abhorrent story. Other times, when she did speak what Twilight assumed were questions it was brief with the exception of one occurrence when the Princess suddenly seemed saddened by something Rorschach had said, but her answer to him was lost upon her student. For Twilight and the others watching the curiosity of what was being said was maddening. What could ever be said that could bring their Princess down to her knees in shock or awe? The crowd had mostly dispersed from her windows to the unicorn’s relief but most remained nearby; quietly talking to each other about what they thought was going on. For them this was as of yet another strange event to happen to Ponyville, yet to develop into any crisis like the event with Nightmare Moon. A chance to see the Princess was rare, to involve herself in Ponyville affairs even more, none of them were inclined to miss out upon such a drama no matter how boring it seemed. Hours continued to pass until the sun began to fall from its crescent and neither occupant showed any signs of stopping their talk for water or food. They just talked, and talked, and talked. It got to the point where even the four friends turned away their sore eyes from the windows to sit down on the warm ground to discuss among themselves what was going on inside. It came as a sudden shock to all of them when the door finally opened and Princess Celestia trotted out. The four little ponies caught the tail end of what the Princess was saying as she exited the library, “I still don’t understand your apprehension with a group that sings about peace, love, and harmony. What possible harm could the Beatle’s ever cause with music?” They heard Rorschach scowl as he followed the princess out, his hands shoved deep into his pockets, “Hippy propaganda corrupting American youth with communist ideals to make them weak and empathetic to Red Cause. Subliminal messages under façade of colorful tunes and catchy beats. American youth notoriously weak willed, easily influenced.” Celestia shook her head and gave an aggravated sigh, “Reasoning with you is like attempting to talk a dragon into giving up his trove.” “And talking to you gives me a headache. Has been since getting through first half of twentieth century, don’t understand apprehension had with incinerating Hiroshima and Nagasaki.” The gruff human said as the Ponyville residents started to stir and approach their princess and the foreign thing speaking to her without finesse. Twilight, Rainbow, Pinkie, and Applejack were center and foremost in trying to understand what exactly they were talking about. No doubt they had gotten the tail end of some ongoing discussion that seemed to be going for a while, neither one in their tone seemed very fond of the other much to the four’s disappointment. “Oh and you can just justify the…” she takes a furtive glance at the ponies and reforms her retort into a gentler remark, “Well can your leaders actually justify doing such a thing to so many innocent lives that had nothing to do with your war?” Much to her aggravation Rorschach shrugged nonchalantly and answered, “Japanese menace had to be put down quickly. Bomb was best way to show their aggression wouldn’t be tolerated. Sacrifice had to be taken, if it was choice between foreign lives and American ones let it be the foreign. They brought it upon themselves in the end.” She gave an exasperate sigh before she responded, “Humans haven’t change a bit… I suppose this is a topic for another time.” “So what did you two talk about? Is Rorschach in trouble?” Applejack asked, trying her best to keep the worry out of her voice. The Princess seemed to think upon the question for a moment, regarding the human with a cold gaze, “I haven’t fully made my decision yet,” Applejack felt her heart sink until the Princess finished speaking, “but for now, no.” The four exhaled a sigh of relief that was quickly replaced with shock from Rorschach’s attitude towards the situation. Gesturing with his shoulder to the Princess he flatly spoke in regards to her highness, “Still thinks should spend rest of days in dungeon. Starving on moon or incinerated by sun too easy to end by.” “Please do not tempt me,” The Princess shot back, “for now I have my own reasons to give you some leeway on this and for potentially badly injuring my guards.” “Should train them better then.” Rorschach snapped back much to the chagrin of the four ponies in front of him. He ignored the venomous glare the Princess fixed upon him and turned to look at the four, “Will continue to reside in forest, see no reason to change that. Unless detained, possible future. For now, Princess is satisfied with feeling surviving in hostile forest is punishment enough.” “I never said anything of the sorts!” Celestia scoffed, she looked around at the ponies that had gathered and quickly returned to her regal demeanor, ignoring her own outburst. “Didn’t need to. Too emotional, too easy to read at end,” The human said. He turned back to face her, “So then, are we done here?” Maintaining her royal visage she answered, “Far from it, but for now I need to time to think about what you have told me, and to inform my sister she’d need not worry over your presence.” “Hrm, telling someone to stop worrying is telling someone to turn off sense of reasoning. She can do as she please for all I care, have been hounded before.” Rorschach harshly responded and started to walk away towards the crowd. The ponies immediately took a cautious step back from the strange, frightening creature that was before them. Some even gasped at the sudden movement towards them that the bipedal had made. Celestia quickly stepped in and spoke loudly in a calm and regal voice, trying to ignore the subtle doubt in her own mind, “It’s alright my ponies, no need for alarm. This creature is of no danger to you all and if you leave him be he shall not trouble any of you. You have nothing to fear from him.” “Still telling lies are you?” Rorschach scoffed from over his shoulder, “What was saying? Ah yes, c’est la vie. Never cared much for French but term fits better in their language for something that seems to transpire in any and all walks of existence. I assume you know what it means from your little remark.” He didn’t bother to turn to see the frown the princess fixed upon him, the crowd of ponies parted to let him pass; whispers dominated the crowd as they all looked to the departing human and their Princess. She didn’t bother to grace the human with an answer, for the time she had spent talking to him she doubted he would really care. Rorschach didn’t seem to care about anything really. The way he talked about horrors, the nightmares of world wars, the holocaust, the atomic bomb, and the hopelessness humans have found themselves in. The insane man talked about them like it was the weather, just another thing in the natural life of man. It was easy to see he had a loathing for humans that even she didn’t have. She pitied man and their follies, she couldn’t help but be empathetic to the suffering of others, and she could see with her empathy that for some reason Rorschach was bearing man’s evil burdens upon his shoulders. It was an attitude she was familiar with, she had seen it before over a millennium ago. Her heart ached to think of that time again. She quietly watched the four ponies bow to her and rush off to follow the leaving man. Her mind was already thinking back to a wholly different time where harmony and happiness was still just a sought after ideal. A time where she and her beloved sister were just students to wise mentors that bore the weight of a thousand sins upon their own shoulders. “Such is life,” she whispered, watching the four best friends, four of the six elements of harmony, rush off to see to a broken man. Foolish. Naïve. Egotistical. Was like talking to treasonous liberal with erroneous socialist ideals. A little foal pretending to be a princess, that’s what it was. Even with all her power, even if she has lived for a thousand years I could not help but feel eons older than her. She knew nothing of what made the world real. Hatred. Prejudice. death. Sin. Sin is what makes the world real, it is what separates simply existing in a wondrous dream or heaven to living, not this fantasy world of bright colors, it was physical but far from real. To humans real is conflict, to know that discord existed, or else they feel their lives are but an illusion. Man despises peace, he might convince himself he wants tranquility but what he wants is to contend with death, to cry out against some force to say that ‘I prosper, despite you’. When there is not enough conflict and man feels life is not enough he will create conflict with his hatred. He will form borders with his fellow man on the simple basis of his skin color, his ethnicity. For a time we said this manta, “We will prosper, despite you”, to pestilence and famine, when that became obsolete the only two that man remained in the clutches of was the inescapable shadow of death and the raging inferno of war. And to think we crave, fear, and use war with so little regard. To fear war now seemed redundant. As long as man existed war was as inescapable as death itself. Hopelessness, so much hopelessness. What a joke. A sick joke that people would feel hopelessness for a situation they created, that they allowed to happen. Like teens who start a fire for the sake of it, but find it has grown all around them. And they’re locked in handcuffs attached to a furnace, unable to escape it all. Let them all burn instead of existing in their superfluously fake peace. All deserve to burn. Let the dead watch from the afterlife the flames scorch bright in the darkness of space. Let man burn alive in the waste they let built around them. Hell would seem cold in comparison. Hell can’t compare to the hopelessness of man’s folly. We make our own hell and hold it dear to us... “Rorschach! Wait!” I stop; the familiar voice breaks my flow of thoughts. I shake my head as if I had been in a daze even though I was thinking quite clearly. I turn to see Twilight Sparkle and her friends reach me before I could reach the edge of the Everfree forest, my one haven where conflict still existed. I spot the lavender pony. I should feel angry that she tricked me, enraged that she would dare send me into a trap. Had she been grown human woman I may have hurt her badly, without regret. Such a person would deserve punishment, a human that would betray the trust of another, to nearly cause their death would be grounds for any human to exact harmful intent upon that betrayer. She was not a human though; she was an awkward pony who loved to read anything and everything. I take no satisfaction in realizing even these ponies had the ability to deceive; at least there was comfort that it was not with the ease that man used it with. And so instead of anger, or rage, I feel nothing. Despite my best effort I can’t feel the reassuring grip of rage blind my sight and guide my hand. I simply watch as she and her friends stop before me, I try to not look at Twilight, instead choosing to focus on what my face would look like to them. All I can surmount from it were restless shifting black blots and nothing more. Twilight tries to speak but shrinks away under what she assumes is my unrelenting gaze. Her mind fills in the blanks of what she cannot see. She expects that I am regarding her with hate, malevolence, and anger. That’s what she saw in my mask right now. The young unicorn takes a nervous step back. I can’t trust her anymore. Yet I cannot be angry, my rage slips my grasp. All I can see is a yellow smiley face sticker, with a drop of fire truck red paint that had dripped down over its right eye. “I… just wanted to say I’m sorry… and I… understand if you’re angry with me.” She started quietly, her head bowed to the ground so it was hard to hear. I swore I saw the shimmer of tears in her eyes. I should tell her she knew what she was doing, reprimand her that she knew what the consequences were going to be. What point was there to cry, to show such weakness from lapse of judgment? I don’t speak; I don’t want to chastise her. These ponies were so weak; to correct them as such would be of little sense. And without this correction of their actions what left was there for me to say to them? “But Twilight, Rory isn’t angry!” Pinkie Pie suddenly says, placing a comforting hoof on the unicorn’s shoulder. Twilight turns to look at her friend in sad confusion, then to me to see for herself if it was true. Uncertainty was written on her face as she looked back to the pink pony, “Wha-what? He should be furious with me; I betrayed his trust… even if it was at the princess’ request.” “Well he isn’t. I mean come on! It’s written plain as pancakes on his face that he isn’t angry. He’s just sorta looking at you strangely.” “Huh?” the other two ponies look at Pinkie in confusion, they look at me in wonder and then back to their friend. Still as utterly confused as I was. I’m not sure what to think. I feel vulnerable. Someone. No, a pony. saw past my face and beyond the black blots of my features to see the emotion that I bury under my anger. She knew it with such little hesitation as well, I feel taken aback by it all. I look to her in hopes of deciphering how she managed to read let alone register my thoughts and emotions. She simply giggled in that bubbly voice of hers and said casually to me, “You’re face looks like a bird on top of a cat’s head.” Her friends disregard the… unusual statement and rather look to me for an answer. To be read so easily unsettled me and I felt the compulsive urge to say it was not true, that I truly was furious. But what point was there in lying to her? I shake that memory from my mind. I sigh and slowly begin to nod, “Friend... is correct. Not angry. Should be, but not.” She sighs in relief at my answer and I feel annoyed that she thinks she could have the burden lifted from her mind so easily. I turn on my heels and begin to walk away again, “Don’t let it happen again though. Cannot guarantee I will feel the same for second offense.” “Hold on Rorschach,” Applejack says suddenly, reaching a hoof out to gesture for me to return. For anyone else I would walk away, even Dan could not persuade me, ever, if I had a mind to leave. Yet for the orange pony I feel am compelled to return to my previous spot to at least hear what it was that she had to say. She kicks the dirt before her as she speaks furtively, “I think I can speak fur everypony ‘ere in askin’ what it was that you and the Princess talked about. I was actually hoping you’d come to the farm with me so you can tell us since it seems like quite a long tale.” I have to keep myself from scoffing at the mention of the fraud princess again, “Ask her then. She’s the one who would take offense from you knowing.” Applejack angrily huffed, “What’s that supposed to mean? Knowing about what exactly?” I pause and wait for her anger to disappear from her features. Once I was satisfied that she was better I said quietly, “Things that teh young should never concern yourselves with.” “So you talked to her about where you’re from?” Twilight asked. I’m not surprised with her intuition by now; she was smarter than her age let on after all. “Well that doesn’t make sense. I mean we were watching her and she was actin’ like you were telling her the story of the headless pony or something worse from her reactions,” Rainbow Dash countered. “Oh?” I say, gaining her attention, “what reactions would that be?” She taps her hoof to her chin, “Well to be honest she looked horrified, sometimes disgusted, and most of the time she looked angry.” “Exactly why you don’t need to know. If it bothers her as such then how do you think you’d take to it?” “But-“, the rainbow maned Pegasus begins but is cut off by my abrupt voice. “I told you stories of time as a hero, left out… more grisly details. I told your Princess story of human history. Stories that don’t have such happy endings.” I look sternly at each of them and even Pinkie shrinks from my severe gaze. “If that’s all.” I start to turn in order to leave but stop when I see the lavender unicorn step forward. “Please, would you at least talk to us? I want to apologize and explain to you why I did what I did. You might not be angry but that’s no excuse for what I did.” She sadly says to me. It struck me as odd that she was being persistent in asking for forgiveness. Unnecessary to do so. I turn again to leave, causing the unicorn to turn her downtrodden gaze upon the ground again. That was until Applejack threw me a knowing smile, “Granny Smith’s making another batch of apple pie today, should be fresh out of the oven any time soon if’n you hear Twilight out.” I can’t help but stop and digest her words. A poor choice as in answer my stomach loudly grumbles from lack of nutrition. A sound that I find to my dismay the ponies have heard. Even Twilight was trying to hide a laughing grin over my plight. I sigh and turn back around, this time for good. “I… suppose an explanation would do no harm.” I found myself sitting upon the cool grass that covered the ground beneath the apple trees of Sweet Apple Acres. I’m beginning to get used to these awful names slowly but cannot decide if such a thing is good or bad. Can’t say I cared all too being content to eat a reminder of paradisal version of home. Since arriving here it has been my staple of civilized food that I have eaten. No doubt there were other foods I could safely eat but the thought never interested me. I’d make do with what I had and because of Applejack it happened that apple pie was a frequent choice in what I had. The young farmer had to finish her chores around the farm, a task she neglected this morning in favor of seeing that I was not banished to the sun or killed by the Princess, so left the four of us to discuss the day’s events. I leaned against one of the many trees in the acre, three pastel colored ponies sitting in front of me. Any other time before my death I would have found this situation a cruel joke, I tried not to think on it. Moments ago there had been three more as it seemed school had gotten out and the self-proclaimed crusaders wanted to see the monster again when they saw I was in Sweet Apple Acres again. To keep them from bothering me for a while I elected for them to take my hat and trench coat for them to do as they please instead. Glad to see foals are like children, easily distracted with alien and unfamiliar objects. From the corner of my eye I could see Sweetie Belle attempting to navigate her way around while wearing the very bulky mass of the coat. Applebloom though had better luck with my hat, it was a good thing her head was big and mine was small as she had no trouble wearing it and pretending to be someone named ‘Daring Do’. Once I was finished eating and the three ponies were finished with the snacks that Applejack had brought them as well I asked for Twilight to tell me what had sparked the events of this morning. She started with the letter that she had received last night after she returned from the party. The letter was short, ominously worded against me, so Twilight wasn’t sure what to make of it. Early in the morning the Princess had arrived with her guards, apparently she had come with more than just the two. She was quick to ask very specific questions to the young unicorn. Has he attacked any pony? Has he talked at all about where he was from or why he was here? Did he carry a sword; did he proclaim himself a soldier or warrior? That last two part question threw me off guard; I did not expect such a specific question to be asked from the Princess. Had something to do with the last human visitors she met perhaps? Twilight Sparkle had answered the questions thrown at her the best she could. She had told the Princess I had not yet hurt anypony, as she guiltily told me that at the time with the message still fresh in her mind she expected me to suddenly snap and start attacking ponies for no reason. She mentioned to the Princess though that I had instead saved Applejack from timber wolves, apparently one of my very few redeeming qualities. She explained I had not spoken much about where I was from except fighting crime and the mentioned threat of total destruction that my home was currently in. And finally she told the Princess I did not carry a sword, nor did I call myself by any title. At least no title she knew of. With her questions answered the Princess felt she needed to quickly adjust her plans to her approach with me. She had previously planned to escort me back to Canterlot so I could reside in the dungeon until she knew I was not a threat. It was only at her prodigy’s insistence that she decide not to. Had to wonder how many guards she previously had, my guess was not enough. Twilight told the Princess that I was paranoid and had some knowledge of Equestrian history. Celestia doubted I would come if asked; she at least was right about that. At her request Twilight was asked to get me back to the library without revealing Celestia’s presence so she could talk with me. It seemed though she had already told her guards the potential danger I possessed and they were told to be on edge. It seemed when I was about to potentially harm Twilight Sparkle one of the guards chose to react to get me away from her. Can’t exactly blame him even though I tell myself I would not have harmed her. Sometimes certain regrettable things happen when letting rage take over the senses. The rest was obviously history. For a while we are left in relative silence besides Pinkie listing off every change my mask made. An upside-down birthday cake. Two lollipops crossed over each other. Rainbow Dash finally put a stop to it by asking again what it was Celestia and I were talking about. Her tone alone let me know she was not going to let the matter drop any time soon. Why was she so loyal to this Celestia? I tell her again, blunter, that I was not going to tell her. If she wanted the grisly details of a world beside her own she can ask the Princess that demanded it be kept a secret from them. She grumbles irritably but fell silent. Twilight asks me if it was really that bad. I tell her it was worse than any nightmare she could ever have. The morbid statement silenced them and gives me an opening to leave. I stand up and say my farewells to them. In some half-hearted attempt to comfort their disquieted minds I tell them to be thankful for everything they have and again they shouldn’t concern themselves with the mistakes of a cancerous species. I go to collect my things from the Cutie Mark Crusaders. To my horror I find they’ve covered my coat in glitter and childish stickers in an attempt to make the coat ‘prettier’. Rarity gave a hard frown to the offending stain that she had found in one of her less used trunks. The fashion designer was preparing to use it to hold a new shipment of fabrics when she found its interior splattered in a disgusting, awful smelling stain covering the inside. At first she had been horrified as it held the noticeably metallic hint of blood but she managed to convince herself it was not. She would never keep anything in a trunk that could possibly have blood on it and the smell didn’t entirely match. She could have sworn the stain smelled like wet dog as well as blood. Dumping cleaning product after cleaning product into it she doused the entire trunk in warm, soapy water, cleaning away the pestilent black stain from the trunk and its edges. She could concern herself later of the stain’s origins when it was clean and gone from her sight and from existence. “For a human who claims to survive, you aim very high to die,” Zecora said through clenched teeth as she pulled the thin black cord to close the deep slash on my shoulder, Deltoid muscle I think it was called. I barely registered each poke with the needle, so familiar I was to its feeling. The Zebra’s numbing ointment helped as well to dull the pain. “What was it this time, human? Wolf with sleek wood teeth or Manticore with claws that cut so deep?” She asked me once she had bitten the needle off of its line to let the thread dangle from where the last knot into my skin was made. “Neither. Wyvern I came across down near the briar thicket at the river. Wasn’t even hunting it.” I reply. “Excuse me if I find it hard to believe, you don’t cleave every monster you come to perceive.” She said with a roll of her eyes, finishing the stitching and letting me move my arm again to test out the arm. As always she did a perfect job, much preferred her than to going into town for a doctor. Besides she was much closer, less chance to bleed out. “Thank you,” I say once I’m sure the stitching would hold and the pain was not substantial. The Zebra was an expert in the healing arts as well as her alchemy. Never thought I would positively regard a practitioner of pagan magic. “I would say anytime but you may take the term too seriously,” she told me with a joking smile. I smirk and say farewell again as I recover my shirt and coat. I shut the hut’s door gently and step out into the forest and the warm rays of the sun. It has been some weeks and days since I met the Princess and I have been busy to stave off the boredom of being left to my thoughts. The ponies for the most part respected my privacy and leave me to my humble existence surviving the forest. The one exception was Applejack who worried for my safety. She was a pleasant mare, shouldn’t need to concern herself with my wellbeing. To keep her from trekking through the forest I visit Sweet Apple Acres every two days or so to show I still breathed, relatively. Besides the needless distraction I have been doing well to conquer the forest as my own. I might not have human adversaries to bring to justice but some creatures in this forest prove to be just as deadly or more frightening and dangerous than any average thug with a gun. My first encounter of this was late one night when I had wandered too close to the recent kill of a Manticore. Was nearly mauled before I managed to beat the creature back, I should count myself lucky that it was not aiming to kill me but rather to scare me off from its territory. At least I know now what lion roared late at night. Since then I’ve made it a point to cull the numbers of Everfree’s dangerous monsters in a way that I’m sure the Pegasus Fluttershy would be horrified of. Venturing deeper into the forest I’ve found even more dangerous monsters, since then I’ve used my journal to record their characteristics, their weaknesses, and the uses for their corpses. Zecora has been invaluable help in that last attribute. In bringing her the slain creatures she identifies their uses and takes parts that she has need of, in trade the zebra gives me supplies that I need such as salt with iodine and limes. With her as my guide I give names to the things I kill or find. Manticores, Hydras, Wyverns, Basilisks, Sea Serpents, Chimera, Ursa Majors and Minors, Dragons, and at one time I even observed a Spriggan disappear into the forest brush. So far I’ve found no sign of the timber wolves I have previously hunted but I have plenty of other prey in the lesser monsters and have observed the major ones in secret. I have yet to fully contend with the Hydra that resides in Froggy Bottom Bog, not prepared yet. Recently though the Hydra had lost one of its head with a fight with some unknown adversary, I’ve found the blood dripping from its severed, withered head was a potent poison for any living thing and have coated spears in the virile ichor. The Sea serpent I know of that makes its home in the river’s rapids I’ve found not to be a threat but a massive annoyance. He speaks, and I wish he did not, going on and on about his moustache. I should choke him to death with the stupid facial hair but he’s done nothing wrong. Yet. The Manticore as well I’ve left alone. I’m not stupid enough to fight a lion, let alone a mystical Manticore, on even footing. Like the Hydra I would have to wait for when I held the right conditions and I had iron weapons in my use. Still my list was thick with potential creatures to hunt. Already have my next mark. Ghastly Gorge, infested with Quarral Eels. Zecora says their eyes are worth much alchemically. More interested in the use their hides could give me. Already have an idea of how to hunt them with the information Zecora had given me of how the eels act when creatures get too close to their nests. The rest of my day was painfully uneventful. The wyvern’s claw had slashed deep into my muscle; I know I won’t be able to strain it for fear of tearing the stitching and causing more bleeding to my wound. Zecora would be quite upset to see me back in the same day for a second time. I try my hand again at crafting a net from the vines; pride keeps me from asking for a properly made one. Managed to get four squares into a manageable pattern before it turned into a tangle mass of uncooperative plant fibers. I give up quickly and toss it into the pile with the rest of the failed netting. It seemed ever growing. I move on to practice my archery. Had made a stout bow which I can proudly say turned out acceptable after many failed attempts. Now that I had a bow and a collection of arrows I had to learn how to actually use them. Results so far have been quite disastrous. I stopped once I was sure my hands had enough cuts and splinters on and in them. And so I was left with my thoughts again. After a while of sitting on the dirt ground of my cave I write in my journal, looking back to my first entries in this new world. In between each entry I had written down my sporadic thoughts in harsh handwriting. I was surprised to see a gradual change in how I wrote the more time I spent in Equestria. Perhaps lack of human contact was causing a slowly creeping insanity in my mind. Yet… in a way my writing was clearer. It was not dissimilar, I would explain to myself, it was still myself that spoke… only changed. I wasn’t sure what to make of it. I felt no obvious change in me besides near death experience that led me to see Blair Roche. After seeing her I did feel calmer but that did not account for the changes in my writing, or rather my thought process. Interesting development. Further introspection into the matter would be needed later. Much later. Tossing the journal back down onto the rock next to me I stand up. I don’t want to think anymore. Needed to busy myself, not worry about miniscule changes in writing. Standing up I reach down and grab the old axe Big Mac had given me a few days ago to gather wood. The blade was dull, the sheen of the metal tainted with rust. Was glad still to have cold iron in my hand instead of useless rock and sticks. Chopping wood was tiring and gave me a distraction away from my thoughts. Glad for the activity. I worked until the sun had fallen and I could feel the Moon’s cold glare upon my back. Such as it was every night it seemed. Perhaps it was my paranoia but I felt sure it was Princess Luna watching me still. I wondered actually if she could see me through the moon, or perhaps she was here right now, watching me from the shadows that the moon’s light did not touch. I could hardly say I cared. Stacking the last of the wood into the neat pyramid I had made I gather the few blocks I needed under my arm to take back to my shelter. The soft grass crunched underneath my steps. The calmness of the night was relaxing. In the distance I could hear the soft roar of a Manticore underneath the chirping of frogs. Around me the flickering of fireflies danced around me and through the shrouded forest. I give a content sigh, letting one of the few moments where I felt calmness wash over me. The feeling died when I reached my cave where an azure glow emanated from within. A soft blue hue that I was all too familiar to me. My hand gripped tightly upon the stock of the axe I held in my hand. Carefully I drop the wood I had been carrying onto the gravel dusted ground. If it was him, he already knew I would be here, he already knew I intended to harm him. That foresight of his prevented any surprise, I would be foolish to think a rusted old axe could even hurt the indestructible man. Like I cared anymore I thought, feeling my rage consume my senses. Hefting the axe into my grip I slowly and carefully crossed the distance to the cave. I could not see him; the outcrop of rocks that hid me from the south approach was now blocking my view within, to the intruder that was in my haven. My steps make only the slightest of noises, my hand touches the cool rock outcropping. As I approach I can hear the sound of a muttering voice. The bright blue glow falters for a moment and continues again. I turn the corner sharply, axe in hand. My grip slackens. Instead of the indestructible man, I find myself glaring down upon a very frightened azure unicorn wearing a tattered star splattered cape cowering before me. [Self edited so perhaps not the best of qualities as I'm not very good at editing my own work. Next chapter I'll have a new editor. Before you ask I already have someone in mind who asked me some time ago in a private message. So yeah, sorry this took so long but one of my dear friends had the tenacity to have his appendix try to explode. I told him to stop being a baby about it but all he did was squirm on the ground when I kicked him. Ah well he's better now, down one less appendix but he's got another one in his little library collection. Thanks for reading, my lovely readers! -Ex Nihilos]