//------------------------------//
// Lordling 
// Story: Equestria's Ray of Hope 
// by The_Darker_Fonts 
//------------------------------//

Ray slowly descended down the stairs from the platform on which he had introduced himself.  There were noises of surprise from the Fallen, who hadn’t moved an inch after he’d finished his speech, as if they hadn’t been expecting his staying.  He wanted to snort at the thought.  One didn’t simply say hi to someone who was going to die beside them, and then leave.  Those that did didn’t deserve to be leaders, he concluded.  If he was to be their leader, whether by his will or Twilight’s, he would have to at least know who was who, and what was why with them.
As he finished descending, one of the Fallen stood up from their seat, approaching him with a raised head.  Before Ray could say anything, the Fallen went to its knees and stated loudly, “If the lordling has honored us in a second chance for redemption and has deemed us worthy of visitation, he is truly choice for we cursed Fallen.”
Ray stood awkwardly as the other Fallen, some with the same formality as the one before him, others with the same awkwardness he felt, bowed.  Despite having just spoken to the thousands of them, he found himself feeling a blush creep across his face.  With a wave of his hand, he cried, “Don’t bow, please!  We’re all equals until we prove otherwise!”
Standing up sharply, the Fallen responded, “Aye, but you have already proven yourself more than us.  If you wish though, I will not bow.  My name is Rohan, captain of the Third Spear Legion.  I am truly honored to serve under you, sir.”
“Seriously, none of that sir or lordling stuff, please.  It’s strange enough being an entirely different race while leading an army of undead ponies.”  The adrenaline rush that had been keeping Ray from realizing his situation to its fullest was fading fast, making him consider regretting staying.  He shook the thought away mentally.  He’d managed to survive being teleported from one world to another.  He would have to stay his strength now to focus not on what should make sense, but on what reality was.  
“I will have to disobey that order, sir,” the captain responded.  He turned and gestured to the entirety of the chamber, saying, “These ponies have lived almost five hundred generations in these caves, training for the day when they should be called upon to complete their eternal duty.  Part of that training was to respect the traditions of the military and the art of war, and trying to beat out a thousand years of training would be like trying to clean dirt.  Impossible.  With all due respect, sir, it would be better of you to just… adapt.”
“If you say so, Rohan,” Ray said dully, pressing a hand against his temple.  Even as he stood strong, his vision seemed to waver, and he felt unsteady.
“Of course, lordling,” a distant voice answered.
“Breathe,” a much quieter, clearer voice spoke.  
Despite only having his own ears, he could tell no one else had heard Skalos’ insistence.  He took a slow, simple breath, feeling  his head clear as oxygen filled his lungs and his blood began to pump normally.  He subtly nodded to Skalos, unseen by Rohan, who had turned to stare at the crowd of thousands.
“Come now,” he shouted almost scornfully to them.  “Have we forgotten hospitality in our years?  Come and greet our guest.  There is no reason to delay him like a private in waiting!”
Despite his nervousness, he smiled at the light mocking of the soldiers.  From what he saw, the captain took his duties as a responsibility to the extreme.  He wondered how ponies like him had been inspired to betray their own, but the thought was overturned by the realization that that had taken place well over a thousand years ago.  If anypony here was the same as they were fifteen hundred years ago, they were either insane or dead.  Still, the way the captain conducted himself, like he was under the rule and thumb of the word honor, was admirable.  He took notes mentally.
“Relax, Rohan,” Skalos muttered to his comrade.  The other simply gave him a slightly unamused over-the-shoulder look.  More Fallen strode up to him, and suddenly the stone seats were alive with movement, crawling like a snake pit.  Some cried out their names, some stood silently as they watched their companions rise and go to greet, and some simply turned and walked away towards the distant town on the walls.  They walked away shamefully, not disrespectfully, towards the tombs of their despair, looking over their shoulder regretfully.  They’re sorry, he realized, sorry that I have been brought to their level.  Have I?
The thoughts were clouded out by the din of ponies rising and talking.  He found that the ponies in the first row all came to him, and were all ranked of some sort.  The Sixth Spear.  The Second Archery Division.  General of the Second Division.  They all sounded similar, yet different.  Some said only their rank, stating there was no reason to know a dead stallion’s name.  Others stated both their name and rank, such as Pelvis, General of the Second Division.  That was the highest ranking he heard, though he had no doubt that Skalos held the highest rank among them. 
The cacophony of noise seemed to only grow as the ranked subsided and the unranked, the standard soldiers, began introducing themselves.  Some spoke with the same dignity and honorific tone as Rohan, while others spoke as nervous as young children to adults.  Funny, he thought, seeing as how they, even without the fifteen hundred years, were older than him.  But he could understand.  He was still taller than three of them standing on each other’s backs, and it was probably hard to discern exactly what he was and his aging.  He had no clue as to how much Twilight had told them about him, something he really wished he had thought through.  
Still, there was a sense of determination in each of them, no matter how they introduced themselves or upheld their demeanor.  Their eyes always held the same familiar self hatred.  He could see exactly how they felt about themselves, the result of a Princess’ curse and years with only themselves and others of the same sin.  He couldn't conceivably think of how long fifteen hundred years was, to them or himself, but it was tortuous to think that one could be cursed to only their sins for so long.  
Hundreds of names were spoken to him, thousands most likely, as the massive crowd that converged in front of him began to depart.  For the most part, he found that they would say their names and leave, allowing the next batch of ponies to do the same.  The process was quick, but also rather slow.  There were thirty, forty names every few seconds, but in a group of thousands, there was no time to hear, let alone remember them all.  He regretted it, but he did what he could.  He easily remembered the first female he spoke to, as it had surprised him slightly.  Coronet, a faded sunflower yellow mare, Captain of the Fifth Archer Division.  Well, more like she had spoken her name and rank stiffly, then had turned away.
As they introduced themselves, he began to realize things about these Fallen.  They had no coats, no fur at all.  Their heads were bare and smooth, without a mane or tail even.  It was strange, but at the same time, felt fitting, life a stain on a tie dye shirt.  They seemed not to even notice, but then again that made sense too, with time being the main factor.  Although, he couldn’t ever imagine getting used to seeing a bald pony that wasn’t semi-translucent in nature.
A breath, long and drawn out, came from his side, causing him to turn his head to the Fallen behind him.  Skalos, while attempting to hide his emotions, was glancing at the crowd and back to him.  When he saw that Ray had caught him, a frown overtook his face and he gestured subtly back to the balcony.  After a moment of confusion and three names he forgot in the moment, the Fallen whispered, “It’s been three hours, at the least.”
Ray’s eyebrows shot up.  He knew that the introduction of himself to them and them to him was taking a while, but the amount of time passed amazed him.  While he couldn’t say that he had thoroughly enjoyed the time, at least now he knew maybe a hundred of their names, and had spoken to at least a fourth of them.  It was hard to think about, really, considering that his high school had only a triple digit attendance, and he’d spoken to less than twenty of them in his two years of attendance.  He cocked his head slightly in refound confusion.  Sure, it may be taking a while to get through it all, but he didn’t know why it really mattered.  
With a flash he remembered Twilight, and for the first time among his soldiers, he laughed.  A very confused group of Fallen stared at him with cocked heads, quirked eyebrows, and confused frowns.
“Sorry sir,” the one immediately in front of him apologized.  “I didn’t realize that my name was so... strange.”  The masculine unicorn bowed before him, the faintest signs of embarrassment in his downcast eyes.
“Oh no no no,” Ray said, shaking his head and shooting straight up.  “I didn’t, and don’t, mean to offend.  I just was reminded of something by Skalos.  Please, I wasn’t paying attention.  What’s your name again?”
The Fallen stood up, relief in his eyes.  “My name is Pelios, commander of the Ninth Spear, sir.”
“Wait, I thought all of the ranked ponies were the first to greet me,” Ray remembered, confused.
Another shameful expression bespoke of his humiliation.  “We… were supposed to,” he muttered obviously uncomfortable about it.  “I was carried away though, with... something else.”
“What exactly,” Ray inquired.  As far as he’d seen, while the Fallen ranged from shameful to self loathing, they all shared a general sense of loyalty to their fate.  This was the first sign of something otherwise, and it genuinely interested him. 
The stallion gulped visibly and audibly, ducking his head in even further as he answered, “A mare.”  Ray resisted laughing, merely snorting.  Pelios shot back up defensively, declaring, “It won’t happen again, sir.”  Though it was spoken to Ray, he could see his eyes shoot to the only ambient being behind him.
“I won’t hold it against you,” Ray said with a dismissive, and rather easing wave of his hand.  His brows furrowed though as he remembered that indeed they had left the god of the land in perpetual darkness in pony hell.  Probably not the best move to make, especially considering that he was now supposed to be gaining her trust, and her his.  Hard to do with somebody who you just left alone in the dark to walk with some strange glowing pony.
Oh well,  what’s done is done, he reasoned, standing up from his sitting position on the stone steps of the amphitheater.  Surprisingly, his rear end wasn’t numb from hours of sitting on the smooth stone.  It wasn’t exactly comfortable, but it did make him wonder if the stone here was a softer version, one that didn’t scuff up the ponies’ hooves.  It would make sense, he figured, seeing as how having a constant flow of horse shoes.  
That brought up a question, though, one that nearly derailed the entire point of getting up.  Were horse shoes called horse shoes here, or were they called pony shoes, and horse was some sort of derogatory term?  He shook his head unconsciously, ridding himself of the ridiculous thought, moving back on the steps.  
Looking out over the Fallen, those few thousand that still remained, and called, “I do believe I must go now.  Twilight has been waiting for me for something like three hours, alone in the dark beyond here, and I don’t think she’ll have half the mind to forgive me for that.  I thank you all for your friendliness, and look forward to the next time we meet.”
He received various forms of response as he turned away, from agreements to light hoof stomping.  The clicking of Skalos’ hooves on the stone behind him foretold of him following him.  That was good, because he still had questions, and they would probably be asked in private.  He climbed back up the stairs swiftly, desperate to leave the room not for want to leave or want to get to Twilight, but to avoid any more awkward situations.  As much as these ponies were sure of him, and as much as he didn’t doubt their good, he still felt a need to enact the leave part of “goodbye”.
As he ducked under the entrance back to the now claustrophobic feeling section of the cavern, he felt his breathing finally become less compressed, and more loose.  His chest finally pulled itself off of his lungs, his ribs recurving to give the organ the space it needed to fill with oxygen.  He took silent deep breaths, ever careful to at least try to stay strong in Skalos’ presence.  He could still feel the pony’s gaze in him as they wove their way between the floor to ceiling stalactites.  The glowing blue seemed dimmer now, though that might just have been a side effect from staring at a crowd of slightly brighter ponies.
They walked in silence until he asked, stiffer than he meant, “When and where will we be doing training?”
Skalos scoffed lightly.  “That unsatisfied with them?  They’re trying to impress you, lordling.”
“Uh, no- no I didn’t mean to be so… stiff.  It’s just, I don’t think- you know what, it’s too hard to put in words.  I just feel… betrayed almost, but at the same time, what evidence do I have otherwise!”  Ray paused briefly, realizing nothing he’d said was going to help Skalos understand him.  “Sorry, let me explain,” he revised, trying to filter his confused and jumbled thoughts into a comprehensible explanation.
“I feel cheated.  I mean, the only reason I’m standing here and not laying six below is because Twilight needs me to fight a war she cannot, but she actually kinda can.  I mean, your entire purpose now is to fight this war too, so doesn’t it seem unnecessary for me to be here?  And I get it, you want an intelligent leader to make sure there’s better victories and easier defeats, if any, but don’t you think it excessive to bring me from another universe to do it?  I mean, you might not be an extreme intellectual like Twilight, but you’re better than a walking cow with an axe, right?
“I mean, I guess I won’t complain about being alive still, without being a burden to any of my family, but I thought I actually had a place here.”  Ray turned to face the commander of the Fallen, his face void of any emotion except pained confusion.  Skalos stopped and eyed his general, milky eyes emotionless, but ears twitching to better listen.  Ray took a deep breath as he continued.
“I thought that here, even if it was only to fight and quite easily die, I had a purpose to live longer than to ensure another’s survival.  I haven’t had time to tell you, but I have a new family already.  Not even a week in this… strange land.  Things have been moving so fast.  I have a home and a job already, one that pays better than what I’m used to, and actual friends.  At least they care about me, for me sometimes already.  I just thought that this all was to at least give me something to live for while I waited for war, but no, there’s already an army.
“What’s my purpose here, Skalos?  Twilight, you, all of the Fallen, you all take me for a hero and general that will save this land from destruction, but I don’t see it.  You could just as well lead this army better than me, I know it.  You know war a hundred times better than me, and I haven’t even lived through one yet.  The best I can do is swing a sword or whatever around and use chess tactics to beat them.  That’s not adequate in a war, though!  
“Don’t you see.  I’m more useless here than even as a soldier on the front lines.  What do you think will happen when we come face to face with the minotaurs, hm?  I’ll lead us to ruin.  I’ll get you all killed, get the last hope for Equestria and half the world destroyed because Twilight thought I, of anybody, could save you.  It’s ridiculous, a-”
“Quite frankly, lordling, your yelling has only proven to give me a headache,” Skalos interrupted.  Ray shot him a look, but received only an unamused expression.  Skalos looked briefly to the ground before stepping closer to him, craning his neck to keep eye contact with him.  “Sir, you don’t realize your own worth much, do you?  You talk of your uselessness, say it’d be better if you weren’t here at all, but have you actually considered the implications.  If you weren’t here and dead instead, that would simply mean Twilight would have brought someone else slightly less capable in, and not you.
“This isn’t a matter of if you have purpose here or not, because the answer is obvious.  No, this is a matter of taking your worth and making it the reason why we win, taking the iron in your blood and turning it into the spear that we drive through our enemies.  Here, you lead us not only because we need a leader that’s intelligent, but cunning, brave, and downright foolish.  You aren’t some regular specimen, not of your own species or ours.  You’re a warrior, one who’s been fighting since the moment you saw the danger of your life.”
“Even if that may be true, about me being a warrior, it doesn’t mean I’m a particular good one, and especially not an intelligent one,” he retorted, painful memories testifying his truth.
“No, no sir,” Skalos spoke softly.  “You’re intelligent and you know it.  Why did you drop out of your junior year of high school?”
“Because I was stupid,” Ray snapped, turning his head away.  Liar.
“No sir.  You were three grades ahead.  One doesn’t simply drop out of school after doing so much.  You knew there were people watching you, people interested in where your career was heading.  You were advanced in intellect in every subject, especially in history.  You knew well of your family’s situation, and instead of hoping it would get better, you gave up a life of success to ensure your siblings, and even parents, had a chance.  That is a move few would make, especially for so tough a fight.”
Ray took a step backwards, striking his head against a stalactite, but care for the pain was beyond him.  He was still too shocked by what Skalos was saying to care, too perplexed by the notion that this pony knew everything about him.  He stared at the pony, who met his gaze steadily, with only the hint of satisfaction in his eyes.  
“H-how do you know about… that?”
“Twilight told me everything about you.  I do trust that you understand why.  One cannot and should not follow someone unknown to them.  It also helps the other Fallen to believe you.  If they see that their former leader has found someone trustworthy both by the Princess to lead the army and himself, they will follow you to the end of the world.  And I will be by your side if and when you do.
“A wise pony once told me that fear is a stallion’s companion in war.  If you push it away, you will fall to reckless abandon, a sinister mood of killing without care.  If you embrace it, you will become a coward, one who hides in the light because they are too afraid of shadow.  You need to keep it at hooves length, sir, lest you become either.
“That’s one of the many differences, but definitely the most important, between you, and the rest of us.  We’ve tasted the stale and bitter cup of cowardice, and none of us will try at it again, even to death by our own hooves.  Now, however, so few of even the best of commanders and generals in our army can resist the bloodlust we’ve turned to.  Especially me.  You are here to keep us from it, from becoming like the brutes we are destined to destroy.  Not for the sake of morality, but for the sake of keeping to our purpose.  One can easily be lost in battle, among the screams, and the crunching bones, and the spraying blood.  Humans, you aren’t so different, but your will is stronger than you know.  I don’t think even Twilight realized how perfect you are for us.
“We need you now, not only because you are an intelligent, strong warrior, but because you are everything we need to strive to be in order to win this war.  There isn’t any back up, no reinforcements, just seventeen thousand and twenty three of us against them, tens of thousands, quite possibly hundreds of thousands.  A long ways from victory, if it’s possible.  Across the sea and over the hills, mountains, valleys, forests, and plains, by my reckoning, but still there.  We just can’t reach there without you.”
Ray was silent, staring to the side of Skalos, unable to meet the Fallen’s eyes.  His mind was firmly wrapped around every word he’d just had shoved into him, still trying to pull apart everything said in the last few minutes just to try to understand the pieces.  He was leaning against the stalactite behind him not leisurely, but breathlessly, as if he’d ran through a blizzard.  He certainly felt like it, the way his chest was once again suffocating him, but it wasn’t of stress this time.  This time, it was of reverence.
“Come along, lordling,” Skalos encouraged softly, respectfully.  He began trotting silently, save for his hoofsteps.  Ray picked himself up, striding unsteadily behind the stallion.  There wasn’t anything he could say, no defence he could use against the words forced into his ears.  None that came to mind anyways.  It made no sense, him the perfect choice for the Fallen, but then again, there was no denying that Skalos was correct.  
Maybe that was the thing.  In the stories of heroes on Earth, they would never be able to understand that they were meant to be, but here, now, he could feel why.  There was just a sense of unease, of shock, that came with being in any situation like his.  But at the same time, he realized that his was the situation of heroes.  He felt suddenly very self aware.  There was no denying.  This was his life now.  The life of a hero, whether he wanted it or not.  There would be histories written of him if success or defeat befell him and the Fallen, if there were even ponies to even write those histories.  Maybe minotaurs kept history books?
He scoffed at the thought, earning a look over the shoulder of Skalos.  It wasn’t one of question though, just mute observation as they weaved in between stalactites and stalagmites. Ray met his gaze, but they held it for less than a second as Skalos turned back to the spread of blue-lit stone.  He kept pace with the Fallen easily, never breaking stride or thought afterward.  
They came upon the exit of the cave soon enough, or at least, the exit of the chamber into the larger, darker section of the cave.  As they exited into the hazy darkness, Ray felt his skin dampen with cool droplets of water.  He let out a short, quick breath at the sudden transition of temperature, a shiver taking him as goosebumps rippled across his arms.  A question popped into his head, one he’d meant to ask sooner than this.
“Um, Skalos,” he began, taking two longer strides to be right beside him.  ”When exactly are we training, and more importantly, where?  I can’t imagine it’d be here.  As much as I’d like to see and meet you all daily, it seems kinda inconvenient that it’d take an hour or so to get here.”
“Ah, yes sir, it would be.  Which is why I’ll be meeting you in the outskirts of the plains west of Apple Acres.  Nopony has, even the Apples, go that far.  The little stretch of land in between the Acres and the Everfree will do nicely.  Just make sure you don’t allow yourself to be followed by anybody except Twilight.  The rest of the world has forgotten my kind, and that’s what we want.”
Ray nodded, looking out across the distance of misty blackness.  No light save for Skalos’ illuminating skin shone, like before.  They traveled the long distance in relative silence, not having reason or need to speak.  After unknown minutes of walking, they saw a distant light, though not the faint blue of the crystals, but a sparkling purple aura.  Ray’s pace quickened, as did Skalos’, tension rising as they feared what caused the magical glow.  
As they began racing, they noticed something about the glowing.  It wasn’t moving, wasn’t making any noise actually, just staying in place.  He began to slow down as soon as he saw the form of a pony in the center of it.  Much closer up, the light was brighter, enough that he had to squint to see Twilight in the center of it all.  She seemed to be in some sort of meditation, her hind legs crossed in front of her lap, her forelegs in the little gap formed by the crossing.  Her eyes were closed, firmly but relaxed.
“Excuse me, my Princess,” Skalos said loudly.  Twilight’s eyes opened slowly, but in surprise.  She opened her mouth, looking as if to yell, but instead, a large yawn escaped, almost startlingly loud for the size of creature that made it.  She smacked her lips a few times, eyes drooping slightly, before finally speaking.  “It’s about time,” she mumbled, giving the both the medium between a glare and neutral look.  “I’ve been waiting here for over three hours now.  I thought we agreed that Ray needed to meet the soldiers, but to keep it quick.”
“We did meet the soldiers, Princess, and I have to say, three hours is rather quick for meeting with over seven thousand of them.  Wouldn’t you agree?” Skalos’ question was passive, but had a trace of snark to it, but barely detectable.
“I suppose,” Twilight mumbled, rolling her eyes.  “It does take me three hours to introduce myself to a hundred nobles, so I’ll have to commend you for making it quick.  Now, if you’ll excuse the two of us, we must be getting back.  It’s lucky that I planned nothing until roughly six, but that only gives me an hour and a half to prepare.”  
“Of course, Princess,” he agreed respectfully.  Turning to Ray, he met his eyes, saying solemnly, “I’ll see you tomorrow, lordling.  Six in the morning.”
He turned, his sharp hoofsteps echoing as he succumbed himself to the misty darkness.  Twilight watched him go with Ray, before mutely turning to the wall behind them.  He turned too, and found Twilight lighting her horn slightly to illuminate a lever almost hidden on the stone face.  She pulled it down, a mechanical clicking sound following.  The platform shook a little, threatening to topple Twilight, but she caught herself against the now moving wall.  
They ascended out of the darkness, slower than they had descended due to the weight of them and gravity’s pull.  They were silent for a little while, but Twilight quickly spoke up as they were once again hovering in darkness.  
“What did you think of them?  Them of you?”  She asked these calmly, but an undercurrent of urgency and worry easily caught Ray’s ears.  
“Well, I find them a rather charming group,” he said.  He gave the princess a sidelong glance as he added.  “Just like me, I would say.”
The words emancipated a wince from Twilight as she glanced upwards to him.  Yep, played like a trumpet.  And he’d caught her off note.  
“Twilight, why do you feel like you need to manipulate me?” he asked, refusing to glare, but allowing a bit of his resentment to slip through.  “First you send me to Ponyville, the home of your best friends where I conveniently become fast friends, and even family, with all of them.  Next, you refuse to speak honestly until I drag it out of you, even after I said that I’d fight for Equestria.  That should’ve been it, but no, you then decided to have the soldier of your army personally relate to me and call me things like ‘lordling’ and ‘sir’, and I’m questioning why?  It’s not like I’ll change my mind, I can’t now, but you feel I will, don’t you?”
“Yes,” Twilight said, meeting his eyes with surprising hardness.  “Yes, they do personally relate to you, but you know what, that was unplanned and was gonna work to my benefit if you had decided to not.  You becoming friends with my best friends, my sisters, that was something unplanned.  I thought I told you that already, but maybe you don’t remember it or there are just too many things to say that that wasn’t on the list of necessary things to say.  In fact, it hurts seeing them become friends with you, because neither you nor I know if any of us, especially you, will survive this.  I would do anything to protect them, but as the Princess of Friendship and as a friend, I have no right to take you from them.  Either way, there may be pain.
“I refused to say things you didn’t ask about.  I told you that I’d be honest with you, that I wouldn’t lie, and I didn’t.  I want to protect at least a part of you, because even if you’re protecting Equestria from an unpredictable force, you may have a life afterward.  Who knows?  You may survive, end up marrying or something, raising some sort of family, despite you not being able to with a pony.  You’ll make more friends, live a happy life, all of it if war or perfect knowledge doesn’t ruin it.  Because, trust me, perfect knowledge will ruin any chance at a relationship.  It has for me.”
Twilight was yelling now, an angry curve to her eyebrows.  “And finally, have you ever wondered how time works here?  Have you been too busy thinking about wringing my neck and the war business to actually consider technical properties of this world?  Of course you haven’t, because you’re too busy with the rest of your new life to, so let me spell it out for you.
“Have you noticed how Discord is the Lord of Chaos.  Not the Prince, like the Princess of Friendship, Lord.  A ‘ling’ is something younger, or underdeveloped.  The Fallen call you lordling not because I ordered them to, but because that is their name for infinites.  Sombra was an infinite, and they called him lorling, because even though he was one, he wasn’t a Lord, like Discord.  They call you lordling because you, Raymond, are an infinite.  You will live for an unknown amount of time, maybe forever, because you don’t belong here.
“I checked.  Transdimensional travel with magic has many side effects, one of which is displacement of the body.  In every dimension, there is some form of difference in every element.  Thicker oxygen, softer stone, harder wood, it all adds together to be a new and complete world.  Your cells are displaced and slightly dysfunctional.  Not in a way that will harm you, but they’re trying to deal with a better atmosphere.  They’re working at max capacity, reproducing and producing new cells quicker, you’re brain working at about twelve percent, and your body in general is at a level dangerous on Earth.  Your heartbeat right now represents a heart attack, but it’s completely fine.”
“You wanna know what all of that means?  It means that you're infinite.  With your body working so well, it’s going to be on a perpetual high, like mine, allowing you to be at the best it can right now always.  You’re not just superhuman now, but amplified to another field of mortality.  Immortality.”