The denizens of Ponyville were no strangers to odd visitors, especially in seemingly odd circumstances. However, as Princess Cadance walked through the small town of Ponyville, the murmuring and confused gaze were more than obvious. Along with her daughter Flurry Heart on her back, Cadance paid no mind, choosing to smile happily at her favorite small town’s livelihood.
Her escort, Spike, was happily carrying on a conversation as they made their way towards the large crystal tree. Catching up with the baby dragon was one of Cadance’s favorite activities. He always told stories with such an interesting and humorous point of view. Plus, she knew the dragon had very few friends around, so she made it her goal to cheer him up whenever possible.
"So how is this adorably described Mellow Spark doing? Is he settling into the castle well enough?" Cadance asked with no small amount of intrigue.
The downtrodden expression of the dragon’s features told her so much and yet nothing at the same time. Spike cleared his throat a bit and said, "That’s a topic that’s more suited between you and Twilight." Cadance was caught off guard by the way he’d chosen to say his words. Clearly, he was trying to suppress questions on that specific topic.
Flurry Heart cooed loudly in excitement as she pointed towards the colorful building full of confectionary masterpieces known as Sugarcube Corner. "Ca… Cake?" Cadance giggled at her daughter’s hopeful gaze and use of one of her favorite words. She was just like her auntie Celestia and her obsession over any cake she could get her tiny hooves on. Her first time tasting it had blown her mind, and she remembered fondly all the pictures she took.
"No, darling, not right now, okay? Mommy’s busy." Cadance told her daughter with a short nuzzle. The tiny alicorn huffed; she didn’t know whether she understood her words exactly or if she just knew the answer had been a no.
Cadance walked up the steps of her friend’s grand, enchanting tree; she felt more at home here than in Canterlot’s castle. What with the Crystal Kingdom and Twilight’s castle being made of crystals. And the air of peace and tranquility among the Ponyville residents was always enchanting.
Spike opened the door for her and gestured inside. Cadance nodded her head gratefully as she entered, only to be immediately assaulted with many feelings. Clearly, her friend had erected a whole slew of protective barriers in the castle. When she entered, she felt her mana, identity, intent—practically her whole self—analyzed. She didn’t know whether the information was shared directly with Twilight or simply scanned for hostility of any sort.
Cadance couldn’t help the mirthful laugh that escaped her lips: "It’s rather… protective in here today." Cadance hummed soothingly as she nuzzled her daughter, who was still reeling from the sudden shock of having her entire mana signature read.
Spike chuckled nervously, "Yeah, well… after you told her about the tampering of the letter, she sorta put the whole spellbook up. Nobody outside can see or hear anyone inside. Nobody gets in and out without being analyzed. She even put up a dispelling charm: If you aren’t an alicorn, the likelihood of casting anything in here now is practically none."
Cadance giggled into her hoof as she walked further inside, "It seems she’s taking her job very seriously. I’m proud of her, even if she’s having a bit of trouble with the little one." She curiously watched as the purple dragon behind her couldn’t keep his eyes off the floor.
"That’s certainly downplaying it." Twilight’s voice hit her ears, and Cadance turned with a wide smile.
Trotting forward a few steps and pulling the smaller alicorn into a large hug, Flurry even leaned in to nuzzle her cheek. Cadance hummed curiously, "It’s so good to see you. Have you been doing okay?"
Twilight backed away from the hug with an obvious air of emotional turmoil. Cadance could see through the small mask she was putting on and could see loads of regret and fear floating about her mind. Cadance leaned down and nuzzled her. "Twilight, what happened?"
Seemingly shocked for only a few seconds by her friend's touch, Twilight sighed long and hard. "You’re wrong, Cadance. I’ve been a terrible caretaker. So much so that Mellow now hates me."
Cadance reeled in shock as she released a small gasp. "But in your letter, you told me that-"
"The letter doesn’t mean anything anymore." Twilight sighed and placed a hoof to her head. "The night after I wrote it, we had a fallout. I may have… called him dangerous when he went nirik. And well, now he hates me."
Cadance let her mind settle from the shock: "Twilight? You of all people would not be who I’d expect to… say that about somebody."
Twilight could practically hear the disappointment and heartbreak in her old babysitter’s voice. Cadance was always so much more in tune with emotions, and her empathy knew no bounds. But to have her gaze be one filled with unsureness and betrayal hurt. "I know, what I said was wrong… I’ve made some terrible mistakes lately, Cadance."
Cadance heard the pain in her voice and the hints that indicated she wished for someone to help. Cadance leaned in slowly and gave a sympathetic look, "Please tell me what happened."
Lunch had been such a pleasant experience. Having some of my favorite ponies around me and eating great food made by Haze was such a fun experience. I was happy just to listen as everyone talked about mundane things; that’s really all I had wanted. Mundane, boring—I wanted to be boring. I liked it.
When you’re bored, nothing happens, and you live peacefully. The concept of being bored was nonexistent for me. How could you get bored? Complaining that you had nothing to do? That was more of a miracle than anything I could think of in my life. Oh, how I wish some days I could’ve just said I was bored!
The only thing that dampened lunch was when they’d give me a passing, pitiful glance. I wasn’t to be pitied; it always soured my mood for a moment. Lovelight sometimes couldn’t get her eyes off me, always fixing me with a large smile that held her namesake behind it. Love. Did she really love me that much? It was hard to wrap my head around, but the idea was exciting.
I yawned quite a bit more than usual. After a morning like I’d had, it was so close to perfect. I wanted to go to sleep now and never wake up; if it was my last day, I’d be happy. But I wanted to wake up more. I wanted to be with Lovelight, Haze, and even Fluttershy. Applejack was fun, but learning that she was friends with Twilight did make me hesitate a bit more. Twilight might take me back—take me from Lovelight. I couldn’t trust Twilight; she was bad. But Fluttershy was Twilight’s friend, and Fluttershy wasn’t bad.
Lovelight nuzzled me gently and asked, "Do you want to take a nap, little one? You seem tired."
I slowly nodded my head, and she helped me to the floor. I carefully made my way down the hallway as Lovelight opened the door for me. She helped me up onto the bed, where she quickly placed the covers over me and kissed my forehead. "Just call if you need me, sweetie. Sleep well, okay?"
I yawned again as my eyes slowly shut. "Okay. I love you."
Lovelight giggled and kissed me again, "I love you too, baby."
She carefully exited the room with her eyes locked on me the whole time. Lovelight really did love me a whole lot, didn’t she? That was good, because I loved her too.
My eyes opened with alarm. I had to use the bathroom; I’d forgotten entirely. I slowly pulled myself onto my hooves, shaking the covers off me. I briefly considered calling Lovelight again, but I shook my head as I jumped to the floor carefully. Making my way over to the slightly ajar door, my ears perked up as I heard their conversation. My name, to be exact.
"Who’s after Mellow?" Lovelight asked in alarm.
Applejack sighed, "Well, ah don’t know yet. We just know there’s been a particular interest in alicorns lately."
Fluttershy followed up, "As you heard, Celestia and Luna went missing."
Haze huffed, "So these ponies think they can take Mellow as well?"
"Again, we ain’t sure. It may all be a bunch of malarkey." Applejack murmured, "But Twilight asked us to make sure yall were safe."
So that’s why they were here? But I thought they wanted to make up with me. Well, they did. But who was after alicorns? And me?
Lovelight huffed, "Do you think it’s the same ponies that originally held him captive?"
Fluttershy sighed, "M-Maybe? If so… you would be in big danger yourselves."
Haze growled, "If one of them shows their flanks around here, I won’t be taking it lightly."
I was being hunted, but I was also putting Lovelight and Haze in danger by being around them. But surely they couldn’t get me; I was safe, and their home was safe. They were safe to be with.
Lovelight’s tone seemed to take on one of annoyance: "If his safety is of concern, then have your friend Twilight cast some warding spells."
I heard the sound of hooves tapping on the wooden table, and slowly Applejack’s voice rose above it. "If they can make an alicorn go missin’, I ain’t exactly confident in your ability to defend him alone. No offense."
No! No, they were going to take me away from Lovelight. I knew it! They were her friends, and she knew I was dangerous. She wanted to get rid of me!
I backed up slightly into the room in fear as I heard the conversation in the dining room turn into mumbles of protest and disagreement. I felt my heart rate increase a bit, but they wouldn’t take me. Lovelight wouldn’t let them, I’d be fine.
I took a long and deep breath to calm myself. I finally decided I needed to use the restroom. Oddly enough, I couldn’t hear anybody in the dining room talking anymore.
A sudden chill went up my spine, and I felt uneasy as a mare’s voice hit my ears from behind me once again. "Hey kid, I think you and I need to have a little chat."
Cadance and Twilight were resting on a couple of couches as Flurry played with a set of toys. Twilight finished her story as Cadance held her hoof firmly against her forehead. Twilight was surprised to see her friend crying slightly, which only served to make the feeling of guilt more awful. "Why Twilight?" Cadance’s question was simple, but not one that could be answered simply.
Cadance sighed, "I know you were stressed; it’s understandable. But you have so many great friends you could’ve turned to."
Twilight lowered her head, "Yes, I do."
Cadance continued with a small amount of anger, and Twilight nearly flinched at the sound of the Princess of Love being angry. "He was abused; of course he had an outburst! Neither you nor Fluttershy handled it with the delicacy required."
Twilight buried her muzzle in the couch below as Cadance continued, "With everything going on, the last thing we needed was poor Mellow being afraid of us! The whole point of putting him in your castle was to show him the kindness that our royalty is known for. Was it not?"
"Among other things," Twilight murmured, thoroughly defeated.
Cadance huffed and pulled back on her anger, instead asking in a much more comforting tone, "Is the little one safe? You said this mare named Lovelight came and saved him?"
The use of the word ‘save’ made another lump form in Twilight’s throat. Saved him from her tyrannical actions. Lovelight really had saved Mellow, who knows what would’ve happened in her absence? "I don’t know. I know that Lovelight is treating him well. I sent Fluttershy and Applejack over to check, and also to make sure they stay safe."
Cadance hummed understandingly, "That’s dangerous, Twilight; we don’t know what’s going on right now with Celestia and Luna missing. We need to all be on the same page."
Twilight shook her head and said, "No, if I go near Mellow again… Lovelight might have my head."
Cadance gazed back with a serious expression, "You still have the responsibility for his safety, even if this Lovelight mare is doing the parenting. You should at least offer to let them stay in the castle until this all blows over."
Twilight huffed as tears started coming out of her eyes. "But what if that isn’t enough!? If they can make Celestia and Luna vanish, who’s to say any of us are safe? Does it even matter that I’ve put up all these dumb spells? And here I am, sitting in my castle while my friends do all the work. Because I’m just a worthless princess who can’t get the simplest things right!"
Cadance could see the telltale sign that her friend was having somewhat of an anxiety attack. Slowly standing on her hooves and hopping onto the same couch, she rested her wing gently over her as the small alicorn wept. Sometimes Cadance forgot how young Twilight was to be an alicorn—comparatively, of course. To have the weight of the princesses and Mellow dumped on her all at once. It was enough to drive anypony slightly mad.
Cadance hugged her tight with her wing, just like she did for her when she was only a filly. Nuzzling the younger one’s face, Cadance shushed her as she enacted her maternal instincts. "It’s okay now, Twilight. I’m here to help you. And we’re going to keep Mellow safe together and figure out where Celestia and Luna are." Cadance waited for a short while as the alicorn cried and nuzzled the top of her head. "Sound good? Or does the plan need more flare?"
Twilight released a small, sad laugh at that as she locked eyes with Cadance. "Okay well… What should we do first?"
Cadance raised a brow, "I think it should be obvious. Mellow’s safety is a priority."
Twilight’s eyes widened in horror. "N-No, b-but-"
Cadance held a hoof to her mouth. "You don’t have to try and make up with them. I’m sure Mellow would be hesitant to give you his trust for the third time. We just need him to be safe in your castle. If any more alicorns go missing, it’ll be a disaster, Twilight."
Twilight couldn’t help the small, agreeable nod she gave as Cadance placed her hoof to her chin in thought. "Also, whoever tampered with your message knows about Mellow and all of those same issues you told me about. They might see him as an easy next target. Understand?"
Their talk was broken as Flurry Heart slowly pulled herself over on tiny hooves, "Me… Mewo?"
Cadance giggled and leaned down to pull the filly up towards her barrel. "Yes, silly filly. Mellow Spark. He’s your new cousin." The small filly’s eyes lit up with wonder, and she giggled.
Twilight raised a brow. "Cousin?"
Cadance returned a smirk, "If Celestia and Luna can adopt me as a niece, I think I’m allowed to adopt a nephew. The little one needs all the family he can get after what he’s been through…" Cadance shook her head.
"Also, why did you bring Flurry?" Twilight asked worriedly, "Not that I don’t want to see her."
Cadance hummed, "You sound just like Shiny…" she sighed. "We don’t know who, where, or how many of these alicorn hunters there are. I’d rather keep track of Flurry at every moment than leave her in the Crystal Empire."
Twilight raised an accusing, playful brow. "Don’t trust Shiny enough?"
Cadance laughed, "Well, it’s one of his first times running the kingdom alone. I love him… but let’s just say you and your stress run in the family."
Twilight nodded with a small chuckle, "I remember well."
Suddenly, the door to the castle burst open. Cadance and Twilight’s wings ruffled as they stood up in alarm. In the entrance was a heavily panting and heaving Rainbow Dash, and behind her, she dragged Rarity. Twilight gasped in horror as she rushed over to the two. Rainbow spoke quickly and nervously as she took deep breaths: "I went to meet up with her and see if she… saw the same shady figure I saw… But when I got to her boutique, she was… like this!" Rainbow finished with a loud huff.
Twilight quickly took hold of Rarity with her magic, lifting her up to get a closer look. The mare was completely unharmed; there wasn’t a single sign of struggle. Her hair was even in the pristine, perfect condition she always went for. The mare was breathing evenly and had a thousand-yard stare. Waving her hoof in front of Rarity caused no reaction; she was completely catatonic.
Cadance’s horn lit, and the glow washed over Rarity’s body. She released a small hum of confusion: "That can’t be right… My scan says that she’s under no spells."
Twilight nodded in confirmation, "Her brain is just… not processing anything right now. She isn’t under any spells!"
Rainbow looked up in alarm, "Wait, so she’s like this normally? What happened!?"
Cadance grimaced. "She must’ve seen or found something out she wasn’t meant to."
Twilight paced nervously. "But what could they possibly gain from doing this to her?"
Spike spoke up from nearby, "Does it matter? That means they really are in Ponyville right now."
Cadance looked over at Twilight in alarm. The two alicorns shared a look of horror before they both came to the same worrying realization and said the word at the same time, "Mellow!"
Cadance rocketed off towards the door as she looked at Twilight, "Stay here. Don’t let Flurry out of your sight!"
"Wait! Maybe that’s not a good idea-" It didn’t matter; the alicorn was already out the door.
I squeaked with fear as my head shot around, and my eyes landed on the same cloaked lavender and icy blue pony from the park. How had she gotten into the room from behind me? My entire body and mind were screaming at me. She was dangerous, and I needed to get away.
My panic caused me to back up wildly, out the door of the room, and into the wall in the hallway. My panicked breathing halted as she made no attempt to chase me. I turned and ran into the dining room. "Lovelight!" I screamed in terror.
I only became more horrified upon reaching the room, only to see that every pony was frozen. They were stuck in discussion as they all stared into nothing, their bodies locked in whatever position they’d previously had. I ran up to Lovelight and shakily started tapping her leg, "Lovelight! Wake up!" I wailed. I turned around in fear to see the mare slowly walking through the hallway with a tilted head.
I looked back up at everyone as my panic reached new heights. The slow wisps of flame began building on my hooves, and I backed away. Not wanting to burn anybody. "Haze?" I asked in futility.
"Kid, it’s useless." The mare said with a hint of amusement.
I turned around and backed away from her imposing form, tripping over my tail, which was firmly planted between my legs. "W-What do you want?"
The mare looked around at the table before picking up an apple and taking a bite of it. I watched carefully as she chewed and swallowed it normally before placing it right back in its spot. "Y’know, it’s hard to get you alone, kid."
"Answer my question!" I said with a bit of bravery as I backed away farther.
The mare rolled her eyes, "Okay, fine. I came to make a deal with you."
"A deal?" I asked carefully.
She nodded as she gestured around her at all the ponies, "Who are these ponies to you?"
I tried to quell my shaking body, "T-They’re my friends."
"Mhm," the mare hummed as she walked over and looked at Lovelight and Haze. "And these two?"
I shook my head in confusion. "I-I love them?"
She smiled at me, "Would you even possibly consider them… family?"
My eyes widened, and I looked down at my hooves. "I want to… but…"
"You understand, then." She said with a sympathetic gaze that she walked over and laid down in front of me. "Then you need to listen very carefully."
My ears perked up as I shied away from her, though there was no further way to retract into the wall behind me. She placed a hoof on her chest, "My name is Astral."
I nodded slowly as I tried to keep myself from having a panic attack. "Hello, Astral. My name is Mellow."
She tilted her head with an amused grin, "Don’t you mean… Zero?"
All the fur on my body stood up, and I looked at her in horror. "How do you know that name?"
"I know a lot of things," the mare said as she finally pulled her hood off. "I also know what you will do in the future."
"Huh?" I voiced my worry as I looked at her with wide eyes.
She smirked, "Yes, the rain of ashes, the sweltering heat of everything being turned azure. I’ve seen it all!"
"I’m confused." I muttered worriedly.
"Don’t be!" She reassured me, "I’ll help you understand; you just need to come with me."
I looked over at everyone at the table, and I slowly shook my head and shied away from the hoof she outstretched to me. "N-No… I want to stay. I don’t need to know that badly."
She frowned at that, and I saw her thinking about what to say next. "If you can’t come with me, your friends might never return to themselves." She gestured over to them and looked back at me sadly. "You wouldn’t do that to them now, would you?"
I didn’t want to leave; I really didn’t want to. But if they really were stuck like this unless I followed her? I didn’t have much of a choice.
I slowly lifted my shaky hoof up and placed it in hers. Astral’s smile lifted into a wide grin, and the glint in her eyes made me worry if I’d done the wrong thing. "Good; her majesty will be quite pleased to meet you."
The front door slammed open, and quicker than I could even react, a blast of light blue energy impacted Astral. She hit the wall with insane force as I cowered closer to the ground. "You get away from him right now!" A pink mare said. I was surprised to realize she was an alicorn as well.
Astral dropped whatever act she was putting on before and instead replaced it with surprise and desperation. She shot her hoof forward to try and grab me, but her hoof was quickly blasted back by the pink mare again. Within a second, the new alicorn had teleported to stand over my quivering body as she glared at Astral.
Astral gritted her teeth and scoffed, "Well, I didn’t expect the Princess of Love to be here." She smirked down at me as I grabbed onto the princess's fetlock for dear life, "Looks like we’ll have to delay that field trip to another time, kid."
The pink mare hunched lower to defend me from her view: "You’ll never speak to or see him again."
Astral rolled her eyes and only narrowly dodged another blast of energy. She released a long sigh as she walked over to the nearby wall, and defying all physics, her body began to phase through it. She gave one last glare in our direction, "If you want to be the cause of destruction for this world, then so be it." That was the last thing she said before disappearing.
The pink mare released a long huff and a sigh, then sat on her haunches. She quickly pulled me up towards her barrel and checked over my body with care, "Are you hurt, little one?"
I shook my head as I looked up into her face. She was quite pretty, and I had a hard time not trusting her with how kind her features were. "Who are you?" I asked with a tilted head.
She smiled and said, "My name is Cadance. I’m your new auntie."
My eyebrows furrowed. "What’s an auntie?"
She sighed a bit sadly before reaching up and petting my head. She assumed another smile as she changed subjects: "Nobody told me you’d be this adorable."
I blushed and averted my gaze, which landed on Lovelight and everyone else. I quickly squirmed out of Cadance’s grip, running over to the table and poking Lovelight desperately. "Lovelight?"
Cadance sighed and approached the table, looking between everyone with confusion and worry. She looked down at me with a solemn expression, "Let’s get you to safety, Mellow."
'She's dangerous, run.'
She levitated me away from Lovelight towards her arm, but I shook my head and kicked in her magic grasp, "No! I want to stay with Lovelight! Let me go!"
She cooed, "I know you do. But there are bad ponies around; I’ll come back and get them when you’re safe."
I felt tears streaming out of my face as I relented. "Are they okay?" I asked.
She sighed, then gave me a short nod and a smile, "They’ll be okay."
'You're making a mistake.'
I relented as she placed me on her back, and we began walking away from the home. The stares of the surrounding ponies were much more intense than usual. Murmurs wracked through the crowd like wildfire upon looking at us, and it was then that I realized I was in public without my cape. I panicked slightly, "Cadance, I don’t think they’re supposed to know I’m an alicorn." I whispered worriedly.
She huffed, "It should’ve never been a secret. Hiding you away is what caused so much discourse in the first place."
I appreciated that idea, even if I didn’t understand everything that had likely gone on behind my back. I looked up and realized where she was taking me, and my body stiffened. Cadance must’ve noticed; she soothingly rubbed my sides with her wings. "I know, you don’t want to be here. But it is very safe, and you don’t have to talk to her."
'See? Danger. Run!'
I sighed and laid myself against her back. What made this any different from Astral taking me? In both cases, I was being taken by a pony I barely knew away from Lovelight and Haze. The idea that they may be stuck like that forever made its way into my head, and I began crying again. I blocked the world out with my hooves and wept. Cadance’s soothing gesture did help a small amount.
When we entered, I quickly felt my entire body reverberate with a very strong magic scan. In fact, it was so strong that upon feeling it, I felt myself growing sick. I placed a hoof over my mouth to try to quell the feeling. Cadance was alarmed by my sudden reaction, and she quickly rushed me past the group of four who were standing around some white and purple pony who had the same problem as my friends.
I heard the Twilight pony, and I nearly shivered at her voice. But Cadance shot her a look, and she went quiet again. Placing me on a very cushioned couch, Cadance stroked my back carefully as her horn lit up. "Oh, you poor dear, the scans must’ve felt awful since you don’t have full control of your mana yet."
I nodded as the nauseous feeling slightly receded, and then curled myself up into a ball. I felt negativity crawling through my brain yet again, and I covered myself with my hooves.
‘This is your fault.’
‘Lovelight would be safe if you didn’t exist.’
I choked on my tears and heaved heavy breaths. Cadance held her hoof out, and I shied away. "Please, don’t touch me."
"O-Okay," she said worriedly. I heard the approaching hoofsteps of the others in the room, and Cadance asked me carefully, "Would you like to talk, then?"
‘Everyone knows it’s your fault.’
‘They want to hurt you.’
I just shook my head wildly, "No! Too many ponies… Too much is happening; please leave me alone!" Cadance and the other ponies took a few steps back.
I choked on more tears. "I just want Lovelight." I said sourly.
‘Lovelight won’t want you anymore, though.’
No, that was wrong; Lovelight wouldn't do that to me. She’s never hurt me, and she never would. Why can’t I control my emotions? I spend so much time forcing them to be happy thoughts that I should always have them now. Why can’t everybody just leave me alone? Why can’t everything just be boring!?
‘What do you mean? It’s because of you.’
"It’s your fault anyway, Zero! Why don’t you be quiet!" I yelled out loud suddenly.
At the stares of every pony present, I shivered and retreated into the corner of the couch with my back turned. Cadance reached out a hoof carefully, "Sweetie, are you oka-"
‘She’s about to hurt you.’
‘She knows what you did!’
"NO! Too much! Too loud! Get away from me!" I yelled as my breathing increased.
Cadance sighed sadly as I heard her retreat and then greet a pony named Flurry. I started blocking everything out as I argued internally with myself. I felt like everything was racing by me with no regard for my own life. I was back in her castle, alone, and Lovelight and Haze were stuck because of me. I caused so much pain everywhere I went that I just knew it was truly awful to be near me.
‘Kill your parents, kill your patients; what haven’t you done?’
"Those are all things you did." I whispered back angrily.
'You're talking to yourself, you look crazy.'
"Who cares." I spat venomously.
I heard gasping from behind me as many ponies galloped somewhere. Out of curiosity, I turned and watched as the white and purple pony looked around herself wildly in confusion. Cadance gazed back at me worriedly, then looked up towards Rainbow Dash. "Can you go check on everyone else and let them know where we are?"
Rainbow saluted before shooting out the doorway quickly, but that wasn’t what my mind was set on.
Lovelight and Haze might be fine.
But they would be better if I wasn’t here.
I wished at that moment that I could disappear and never be seen again, so I wouldn’t hurt the ones I loved. As I did every single time I acquired them. My parents, Lovelight, Haze… I felt a shudder run through my body. If something happened to those two now, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.
‘Don’t forget what you did to Soren and Laila.’
At that thought, I had to suppress a scream of frustration as a new wave of tears poured from my eyes. I really will always be Zero, I try to escape it, but it always finds me in the end.