Unable to sit still, Trixie paced back and forth in the living room, sometimes pausing to look over at Sumac and Pebble. Sitting over at the kitchen table, Lemon Hearts held a steaming cup of lemongrass tea aloft with her telekinesis. The left corner of Trixie’s mouth twitched and her left ear bounced up and down in time to her facial tics.
The soft, monotonous sound of Pebble’s voice as she read about Daring Do was soothing to everypony in the room. Sumac was half awake, half dozing, his eyelids appeared heavy, hard to keep open, and Boomer was playing with strands of his mane, running her tiny fingers through them like a comb.
“She’s been gone a long time,” Trixie said, her voice nothing more than a hushed whisper. “I hope he’s okay… I hope he’s okay… I’m so worried… I stopped it… I stopped it…”
Taking a sip of her tea, Lemon Hearts peered at Trixie over the top of her cup, a worried expression on her face. Pebble had gone silent and was looking at Trixie. Even Sumac, drugged as he was, had somehow managed to turn his head and look at the distressed mare pacing the floor.
“I couldn’t stop what happened to me… when I got sick… they just kept beating me and saying I was lazy… I couldn’t make it stop… I couldn’t save myself… but I made it stop for somepony else… I made it stop… I made the hurting stop… I—”
“Trixie,” Lemon Hearts said to her friend as she set her teacup down upon the table, “come over here to me.”
A low whine could be heard coming from Trixie as she went over to where Lemon Hearts was sitting. She stood beside Lemon Hearts’ chair and seemed surprised when the lemony yellow mare wrapped her forelegs around her neck. For a moment, Trixie resisted, trying to pull away, but Lemon Hearts had a good, strong grip, and she would not be denied. After a moment, Trixie relented and sank into the reassuring embrace of her friend. Lemon Hearts placed her lips close to Trixie’s ear and made a shushing noise to silence Trixie’s faint whimpering. With a crackle, Trixie’s knees buckled and she sat down on her haunches, her tail spilling out onto the floor behind her.
Lemon Hearts tightened her embrace around Trixie’s neck and drew the suffering mare’s head close to her barrel, over her heart, and held her. Lemon Hearts closed her eyes and her ears went limp as she stroked Trixie’s neck, going from crest to withers with a slow, lingering touch.
“It’s been, what, five years, and you’ve still got all of this bottled up inside of you?” Lemon Hearts’ ticklish words were whispered into one velvet, twitching ear, as she had her head angled downwards. “You did good today… you didn’t give into your rage. I’m proud of you. It’s easy for the abused to become the abuser.”
Turning her head, Pebble looked at Sumac, and a myriad of wrinkles appeared upon her tiny brow. She appeared to be concentrating, thoughtful, and after a moment of silent contemplation, she reached out so she could touch Sumac’s cheek.
As she did so, there was a knock upon the door, a heavy, thudding knock.
Letting go of Trixie, Lemon Hearts bounced out of her chair, landed on her hooves, and made her way to the door. She paused for a moment, used her magic to straighten out her mane so she would be presentable, and then pulled the door open.
There was a wordless cry from Trixie, followed by the shrill shriek of, “WARDEN!” In a flash, Trixie went streaking off, running for the bathroom door. She entered and slammed the door behind her. The sound of her hooves clattering on the tile filled the room.
A tall, imposing figure pushed his way inside. He wasn’t wearing armor, but a well fitted suit jacket. Black wraparound sunglasses covered his eyes. A somewhat battered trilby hat sat upon his head, sitting at a rakish angle.
“Hello,” he said in a low rumble, “my name is Warden Wormwood. You may call me Wormwood. I am here to learn more about the… incident.” As he spoke, the sound of a toilet flushing could be heard.
“Hello Mister Wormwood—”
“Just Wormwood.” The big bat-winged pegasus grinned, revealing pearlescent white fangs. He shut the front door behind him as he took a few steps into the room and had a look around. He paused when he saw the two foals and a hatchling on the couch. Extending his wing, he pinched his trilby in between his clawed thumb and his central knuckle on his wing, then tipped his hat to Pebble with a slight bow of his head. “Hello again, Pebble.”
“Hiya Wormy,” Pebble replied. “Scare anypony to death yet today?”
“Pebble, darling, I’m not so sure that’s a good idea.” Lemon Hearts shot Pebble a glance, her eyes pleading with the foal, begging for good behaviour. She turned to Wormwood and gave him an apprehensive smile.
“Oh, it’s okay. Pebble and I know one another. I know her father and her mother.” The big, brutish pegasus inhaled and his sides expanded like bellows. “You wouldn’t happen to know a way to lure Trixie out of the bathroom, would you?”
“I might,” Lemon Hearts replied. “How is Cinnamon? And what about his father?”
“The colt will be fine, he had to have his hip reset and put back into its socket. As for the colt’s father… he’s in custody.” Wormwood shook his head and let out a thunderous, rumbling sigh.
“Is it really important to speak to Trixie?” Lemon Hearts asked.
The big brute nodded. “To both of you. I need to see what you saw. We need to understand intent. To see him as others saw him. Since you and Trixie were directly involved, I need to peek inside of your head.”
“I see.” Lemon Hearts sounded a little bit confused.
“Crime scene reconstruction.” Wormwood eyed the bathroom door. “Trixie… you’ve been a good pony… you have nothing to fear from me. You’ve stayed in the light, and those in the light have nothing to fear.”
The bathroom door opened and after a second, Trixie’s head poked out. Her eyes were red and bloodshot. Her cheeks were stained with tears. She trembled and shook as she stared at Wormwood.
“Come out, little pony…” Wormwood’s baritone voice was soft, reassuring, and almost hypnotic. “You’ve paid for what you’ve done and now you do your penance. It isn’t my job to scare you, or to punish you, but I am a shepherd here to protect you, little one. Come here to me.”
Mewling with fear, Trixie stepped out of the bathroom, her tail tucked between her legs, her ears drooping, and when she walked she dragged her hooves over the floor. She walked with her head low, her posture submissive, and her spine sagged in the middle.
Curious, Lemon Hearts watched as Warden Wormwood pulled off his glasses. His eyes were slitted, draconic, not at all like a pony’s eyes. She felt her blood run cold and she shivered.
“Come, let me see what took place…” Wormwood’s voice was hypnotic, kind, and reassuring. Hearing it made Lemon Hearts feel sleepy. Her eyelids grew heavy and her ears felt as though they were made out of lead. She felt like she wanted to take a nap. She watched as the Warden lowered his head down to peer into Trixie’s eyes. Lemon Hearts felt a dull sense of detached worry when Trixie’s eyes swirled with white motes of light and her body stiffened.
“All of this is very troubling,” Wormwood said as his own amber eyes glowed with a strange inner light. “You’ve grown, changed, you’ve embraced the light since our last meeting. This is good. You’ve rejected the darkness, but you were tempted by it today. The voice of another turned you back. You’ve grown so very much.”
“It hurts,” Trixie said in a strange, wavering voice as she was held in Wormwood’s thrall.
“I know it does, little one. It is like a splinter in the mind.” The Warden sat down upon the floor, made himself comfortable, and extended one wing. He wrapped it around Trixie’s neck, pulled her closer, and held her in a tender embrace. “Let me see if I can pull out that sliver for you… there it is… I can smooth this over, make this better.” He lowered his head and his snoot bumped up against Trixie’s.
At his touch, Trixie broke into sobs, body wracking sobs, and she threw her forelegs around his neck. She blinked a few times, the strange motes of light cleared from her eyes, and she buried her face against Wormwood’s shaggy neck.
“I am a shepherd, here to comfort the sheep,” Wormwood whispered. He gave Trixie a gentle squeeze, holding her, cradling her body with his wings while she wept. “Through pain and misfortune, you finally know what you have done to others, the pain that you have caused, and you are truly penitent.”
“I’m so sorry,” Trixie wailed.
“I know you are, I have looked into your mind and found honesty.” Wormwood extended his other wing and made a gesture to Lemon Hearts. Almost as if she was compelled by some unseen force, she came forward and was also embraced by Wormwood.
When his eyes met hers, the world vanished. She thought about all of the awful things she had done in her life, but being a creature of simple, unabashed goodness, there wasn't much to think about. She had lied a bit as a foal, stolen some candy, and one time, she had illegally parked a wagon. Feeling guilty beyond measure, she squirmed a bit in Wormwood’s embrace. The images of what had happened earlier today flickered in her mind, like a movie on a silver screen. She saw details that she herself hadn’t noticed when the actual events had taken place. She saw the difference between Trixie and her neighbors.
The neighbors were all terrified. Several looked as though they wanted to help, but the wide eyed looks of terror made it easy to see why nopony got involved. Unicorn magic was terrifying and Cinnamon’s father could have unleashed a great deal of destruction. Lemon Hearts saw it all with perfect clarity. The fear, the panic, and the terror. While most ponies retreated, watching, wanting to help but unable to deal with their own fear, Trixie had charged forwards. Lemon Hearts realised that her own fear had held her back.
It was in this dreamlike stupour that Lemon Hearts realised that not all ponies were the same. Some shied away from danger, others ran towards it without reservation. The herd had a tendency to want to run, while certain individuals that had been broken off from the herd for whatever reason tended to want to fight. Individuality was terrifying and Lemon Hearts didn’t like it, not one bit. Trixie was a stronger pony than her by far, even in her broken, fragile state.
Blinking, Lemon Hearts found herself staring up at Wormwood. She had trouble piecing together what had just happened. She felt like she was waking up in the dentist’s chair, groggy, out of sorts, and a bit disoriented. Wormwood’s touch was gentle, soothing even, and she felt sheltered in his embrace in a way that she had never felt with any other stallion, or pony for that matter. He was a wall of living flesh that would protect her from anything, anything at all, he would fight and die to keep her safe. Much like Trixie, she found herself becoming emotional without understanding why, and tears began to flow down her cheeks in a steady trickle.
I know your secret, Wormwood’s voice said deep within Lemon Hearts’ mind. Be gentle and cautious, for she is not yet healed. She has scars that you can’t see. Friendship and acceptance are difficult concepts for her, as she does not yet feel worthy of love. She is still consumed by her own guilt. Be patient with her.
Lemon Hearts shook her head, startled by the intrusion in her mind. She craned her head and looked up at Wormwood. She inhaled, smelling him, he smelled like sandalwood and something citrusy. She realised that she was pressed up against Trixie. She felt Wormwood retreating, backing away from them, and she watched as he stood up.
The big brute of a pegasus turned around, headed for the couch, and then stood before it. He lowered his head. “No, Pebble, I haven’t scared anypony to death today, but the day’s not over yet.” He grinned, revealing fangs, and then let out a groan when Pebble rolled her eyes.
“You don’t scare my mother and you don’t scare me, either.” Pebble stared up at the much larger pony with her ears angled over her eyes.
“Only those who dabble in darkness have reason to fear me,” Wormwood replied.
“Mother is going to have to have a talk with Father about his dark dabblings, if that’s the case.”
“Your father is plagued by temptation, like so many others. He does a remarkable job of resisting, but he thinks about it. And that is bad enough. Thoughts are dangerous. A thought leads to action. And an action, once taken, cannot be undone. Your father is right to fear me, as he also fears his dark thoughts. His fear will keep him honest and true.”
Blinking, Pebble turned her head so she could look at Sumac. He was too drugged to have much of a response to anything and stared at Wormwood through half open eyes. Pebble could see the fear though, it bubbled up to the surface like a hot spring.
“Yes, he has the darkness within him,” Wormwood said in a low whisper to Pebble. “The seeds of darkness are already there. He walks in shadow. His rage, his anger, his bitterness, his feelings of resentment, they all plague him.” Wormwood blinked his slitted eyes, pulled out his wraparound glasses from his jacket pocket, and slid them onto his face. “One good friend can save him from the darkness… it worked for your father. Your mother is more than a stone, a rock… she is an anchor, a foundation. She is a sturdy place for your father to make a stand and feel secure. She is his retreat when he feels the darkness will consume him. You would be wise to learn from your parents, Pebble Pie.”
“Learn what?” Pebble asked.
Wormwood let out a gruff growl. “In time, you’ll know. The strongest earth ponies can carry the heaviest loads. You, Pebble Pie, have your mother’s strength. Use it wisely.” Wormwood nodded his head, adjusted his hat, and straightened his lapels. “I must be going. I must go tell a father that he will never be seeing his son again. I have an unpleasant evening ahead of me.”
“Wormwood?” Trixie’s voice was weak, raspy sounding, and little more than a whisper.
“Yes?”
“Thank you… I mean that… thank you.”
Bowing his head, Wormwood replied, “You’re welcome.”
Hmm so we finally get to see a Warden in action? It's kinda unsettling though but at the same time it is very fascinating.
this is the essence of hapiness
7301405
As much as I could show in a rated E story without the dark tag.
Now, if I was to show Wormwood visiting Cinnamon's father... that would be a different sort of story with different tags.
7301405 My dear sir...you did not see a Warden doing his work...he was merely investigating.
When Wardens works it is easy to....smell...the results of such work.
Warden? More like Inquisitor. *shivers*
7301428 Oh I have some sort of idea and the idea I have...well it's not a pleasant one. Besides this right here is a needed example on how they do there work. I'm not asking for you to say anything on how their..let's say.. more eventful interrogations go. Anyway I love how well you build your stories and the world around them. I kinda wish that a lot more authors would be even half as good...no even 1/3rd as good as you are at it.
That's not to say there aren't others that do a good job.
7301429 Thanks for the laugh.
7301461
In MFD, you can see a Warden at work. Fink Apple has a change of heart.
7301465 Oh ya that's right one does pay the bad apple a visit in MFD. But while we did get to see it here we got a first person(Pony?) view at what it is like to be under a Warden's influence. Also when do you plan on making and update to MFD? Because I want to see how Holly(is that her name I can't remember right now, I might have to re-read it later) helps bring some of the cities criminals to justice.
Like the arsonist and the foal ponagraphy pony/ponies.
Puts me in mind of Agent Cobra Bubbles, from Lilo and Stitch.
7301444
Nah, a warden would never prosecute innocent people.
Once you were in the claws of the Inquisition, it was death no matter what. You weren't a witch? Congratulations, you drowned proving it. You were one? You get burned on the stake.
Good grief.. some Bat Ponies have a GEAS? IS it any wonder they would become these Wardens once it was discovered they could do that!? Law keepers who can just look at you and strip all pretenses, that is a awesome and scary concept.
I also enjoy the positive characterization of Maud as a rock, solid and steady, whom her husband can anchor his heart too to keep steady.
7301624
Geas? Where are you getting that from?
They're hypnotic.
7301428
one shot side story detailing it would work
7301656
No... no... no... not needed at all. Plus, then I'd have to listen to people whining and complaining about not knowing what was going on because they hadn't read or understood enough of the lore. So... no. It's not needed and scarier when left to the imagination.
Um...wow, this took a turn for the dark. So...Wardens are literal THOUGHT POLICE?
Rather sounds like a dementor on the side of the light.
Aye! Wormwood! Hoping to see him. Though if im correct, aren't his years of service done? It was 5 more years from WWTWTY, and that was a bit after the interview from The Weed, and this is 5-6 years after that.
But good to know they can see into people's minds, that's a neat thing to know. And i see he scared Tarnish to death, poor sod.
Damn! Great update! Thanks Kudzu.
All I could think of as I was reading about Wormwood was imperial commissar.
Very interesting chapter. I like the idea of the wardens and there abilities. I would like to use the idea in FOE story I am trying to write. Probably won't ever get to it though. it is very interesting thing. Oh by the way I have notice the subtle hints that you have been dropping about Lemon Hearts feelings growing toward Trixie. I would most definitely ship it.
7302105
Drive the chariot closer so I can hit them with my wingblades!
7302105
I think closer to chaplain. Commisars are meant to keep people in line and make examples of those that don't, Chaplains remind everyone of their duty and inspire faith, other than the Dark Angel ones at least.
After saying that, the Wardens due seem closer to Commissar. Although they do remind me of the Adeptes Arbites a bit, keep the populous to stay in line through fear of where you can send them.
7301635
I was under the impression Geas was a magical hypnotic suggestion.
How do I put this without being inflammatory...
Nope, can't write it without being inflammatory. Every time I elaborate at all it gets extreme. Sometimes it even starts with that.
7302550
Taken from google. Geas is a sort of curse that when it is placed on you, you are magically compelled to do whatever the condition is.
Hypnosis places the person in a trance like state that makes them more focused and calm. A person in this state blocks out the world around them so that the hypnotist can lead them through an event. This usually allows a person to recall details they might have otherwise forgoten. It also makes them receptive to suggestions, like Warden helping Trixie to forget some of her more painful memories.
7301542
Do not get too carried away with ancient propaganda and do not mix Inquisition with lynch mobs. Not saying bad things did not happen but some bad things were widely taken out of context.
Also nice twist, ruthless though police with ability to take anypony away and reduce ponies who are in wrong path to shaking pile of tears and sobs. This gives a whole new twist to the world, very very dark and sad one but that is not always a bad thing. And They are in the end making the correct thing with Oliver.
PS: Also it is ok since the Wardens only do it for your own good... and innocents need not fear since you can always prove you are innocent by shedding all your crimes and mind to them.
Ghost Rider! Wormwood
Here come the Judge Here come the Judge
Well, I'm thoroughly creeped out. This is one of those moments where it really helps to remember the different underlying dynamics of equine society and the moral complications of an entire subspecies of reality warpers. If these were humans, this would be even more disturbing.
7303602
That's immaterial, what I thought at the time can't be "undone" by pointing out I was mistaken. I was under the impression a Geas was functionally a magic hypnotic suggestion, so when i saw a magic pony with what appeared to be a power of hypnotic suggestion I assumed "oh geases are magical hypnotic suggestions, he has the power of a geas"
7305875
I didnt think, by your statement, that you were corrected in your thinking. I wasnt trying to point out your mistake I was trying to enlighten you to the fact that Geas is not Hypnotic in any way. Its a compulsion, a sort of mind control. Hypnosis puts you in a state that is open to sugestion, but generally doesnt make you do things you dont want to do.
Geeze. This whole experience has been really rough on Trixie's mental state.
Speaking of.
Oh wow. Throw the brute away.
Now that's an interesting power set for the Wardens. Feels just a tiny bit biblical too with all the references to him being a shepherd.
Ooo. I was kind of wondering about that last chapter. Yeah, I can ship it.
Hah!
7305904
I..I What? I wasn't saying I was right in thinking geas was hypnotic, I was wrong about that fine. I am not trying to claim I am correct I was only explaining my thought pattern, thus WHY I was wrong.
7307081
Yes and i was saying that I did not realize it at the time. I wasnt accusing you of anything, I was trying to show you the diffrence. I guess in restating my point that it felt like I might be arguing with you. But I was just trying to explaing why I made the comment in the first place. By the statement I commented on I thought you were confused about the issue. My bad for makeing that assumption.
Oh wow, just had random idea. If magic is a finite resource and it is shared and is being diluted. And special magic is thus powerful.
Would this not mean that dark magic remains potent as ever, maybe even DISTILLED since none is using it thanks to Wardens and other such things? Morality is affecting the magical ecosystem?
Edit:
... and obvious solution would be to destruction of dark magic/special magic and turning it to magic which moral thought police likes more...?
Edit Edit:
Oh God that is it isint it? 'Correct' magic is being used/bound by ponies while 'Dark' magic is left alone causing an imbalance. Now that population is soaring the effects will be more and more devastating and imbalance grows ever greater... and the poison joke is just the natural BUFFER. The Horrendous Hypothesis combined with what direction the weed story is going paints a grim picture. But then again i could be totally wrong here.
Edit edit edit:
...and that would beg the question how natural are those magical hotspots, how unaware Alicorns really are of this problem.
...and also paranoid and cynical minds would start thinking if there is some not-so-kind motives in "turn to stone for 1000 years" and "Eternity in tartarus" sentences. After all if practicioners of dark arts are never allowed to die their magic is not returned to the system. Tartarus in itself would be natural dark-magic sink.
*Hugs his tinfoilhat tighter in manic paranoid episode.*
So... am I supposed to think the Wardens are unambiguously good, and that it's good that the only way to calm down Trixie was to enact hypnotic mind control? And that it's funny that Tarnished is scared by them because he's secretly a terrible person that only they can tell because they can read minds and Maud's inner life is pure so she isn't afraid of them?
The one part that issue good is where they take away the child abuser. Which they didn't need all the other stuff about mind reading and controlling the populace via terror and enforcing inner mental purity to do so.
7312721
They can't help the fear that they generate. For those with troubled minds, for those with dark thoughts, for those who tread in darkness, they react with fear. It's unavoidable. Ponies that never stray from the light never feel this fear. Trixie, who did more than dabble in darkness, feels a fear proportional to the darkness that she had seen and experienced. Tarnish has had some dark thoughts and he's been tempted to do bad, so he feels just a little bit of fear.
For many ponies, they don't feel fear at all. Like Holly, she just felt a feeling of unease, or Gloomy... when she met Wormwood in the wilds, she wasn't afraid of him at all. She didn't find him creepy in the slightest. That says a lot about her mental state.
7312739
Oh wow, that is so insidious and cynical. So they have a fear effect of some kind which only causes those who do not adhere to their morality to fear them? And those who agree with them are just miffed how on why anyone would fear them?
This is PERFECT population control! Those with dark thoughts feel greater and greater fear for the wardens while those 'pure of thought' just carry on with their lives happily not even noticing what is going on around them unless it is pointed out. This is all topped with state sanctioned right to mental invasion, even mere witness can and will be fully scanned and all their thought crimes are brought to light. And they seem to be just taking people away as they choose, i wonder if ponies are even told what the targets were charged off and what their sentence is or is it all a big mystery.
7312859
Considering who is their princess, is not that surprising . You cannot maintain a near utopy like Equestria without a mind police making sure everypony soul has its smiles fresh painted.
On the one hand, I think these wardens are more terrifying means of controlling a populace than are strictly necessary.
On the other, consider what kind of police a redeemed villain might employ. Only someone who has been to the dark side would appreciate the value of keeping others away from it, even through exceptional means. I'd expect nothing less from Luna's personal enforcers.
I'm fairly certain I'm not getting the reaction from the Warden I'm supposed to.
I think he's supposed to be a slightly unsettling, yet still a force of good.
I find this guy disturbing and moderately horrifying..
The entire time I was reading this, I kept wanting the characters to snap out of it, call him out, someone come in and stop him.
I guess it's just that I find the thought of anyone-regardless of intentions-who can directly affect the minds, look into memories, force people-ponies in this case-to calm down and be reassured despite individual personality and thoughts to be terrifying. It doesn't matter that he's a good guy: I find the power itself horrifying.
It's a violation of the sanctity of the mind, and loss-even in small part-of the self. I know Equestria likes its mind rapin-sorry, "redeeming" spells (and quite a few stories have gone in the details of that, but this just seems fucked up.
No one should have this power.
I guess I'll stop here. More than enough comments have gone over this already.
This reminds me of the line, "and those who follow the path of the righteous, shall have their reward."
7327125 Interesting. As I see it, this isn't mind control or manipulation as such. It's a removal of deceit--an exposure of hidden truth. If such a thing was actually possible, it would be incredibly valuable. I can't see it existing in the real world, where people can and do sincerely believe what is false, but in this story... I'll set that aside and enjoy the tale, knowing it for a fantasy.
But I don't have a fig tree (lighthearted chortle) or was the chapter just hanging in your fig tree waiting for the ink to dry?
P.S. When i get tired, my humour gets very...twisted.
New reader here... Wow. The wardens. I see there's been some conversation about them already in the comments and... Well... Just wow.
A police force that literally causes fear in those who do wrong, have the legal right to brain scan everyone, and can pass down a sentence as judge, jury, and executioner. And their boss can invade dreams, too.
This version of Equestria just dropped quite a few pegs on the morality scale and became incredibly dark.
And let's not even mention how Trixie thanked the pony she was cowering in fear from not five seconds after he mindraped her.
Warden Wormwood reminds me of Inquisitor Sebastian.
This would be a great title for a sequel to Venenum Iocus
Damn.
It had a bit too many "shitty traits of humanity" for me.
Aside from the business with the warden, pony herd mentality shines through here pretty well.
This right here. Weird bit of duality. Taking Lemon as your average unicorn. Ponies are on one hand almost obsessed with individuality, in the form of their cutie marks. "This is who I am, this is what I'm good at." On the other, being an individual aside from the herd is terrifying.
Human behaviour, nudged just a bit to one side.
Also, wardens are terrifying. Does one ever go rogue?
Even if not, I'd find it hard to trust ANYONE, even Luna and Celestia, with a force like that.
"Excuse me ma'am, we have reason to suspect you have some useful info. Just let us read your mind please. Ahh, there we go. And what's this? ahh, some leftover mental trauma. I'll just smoothe that over a bit. Take away those rebellious impulses while I'm at it. That's it. you'll be much calmer and happier now. Have a good day."
I know Wormy's not like that, but especially with that "shepherd of the flock" attitude he has, I'm getting goosebumps.
8202095
Warden Malcanus went rogue. You can read more about him in Blank.