//------------------------------//
// Chapter 10: Tears of Blood 
// Story: Heart of Raven Black 
// by Vin Diesels Go-Kart 
//------------------------------//

	The Boy of Silence screamed maniacally as he fell to the bottom of the pit. It looked as though he tried opening a tear, but before he could, the young man hit part of the rock wall that jutted out further than the rest. With a loud clunk, he and his helmet separated and both continued to fall, disappearing into the cloud of fog. His screams of fear and confusion still echoed up the cliff, a beautifully horrifying acoustic melody. The sound of his helmet hitting bottom was loud and clear; the sound of his body, less so. With a bit of effort, Daniel pulled Trixie up and over the cliff and they both sat there, panting heavily. The magician looked at him in disbelief, unsure if she truly understood what just transpired. After he caught his breath, the Zealot got up and screamed, jabbing the ground hard with his foot and kicking up a cloud of dirt in the process. Nearby crows started to caw uncomfortably as their master's emotions became their own. 

"Goddammit!" he began to shout. Everyone else stared as the Crow let out his anger. Jenkins looked at him with disapproval. "And just what the hell are you looking at, huh!?" he shouted at the Handyman, who just shook his head and looked away. Jacob had broken down and was now crying in the fetal position, a pathetic emotional mess. He and the other Boys shared a connection that went deeper than a common master. It was buried in the foundation of their very souls, mind and body. They were all children of the same mother, but Jacob had the curse of feeling the connection at a physical level. When a Boy died, part of him died as well. The two other Boys walked over and began to comfort him, or at least attempted to, while the Handyman walked over to where the Zealot was still throwing a fit.

"This.........changes........things." he managed to croak. There was a point in time when Jenkins' voice was pleasant sounding, titillating the ears with its soft, almost congenial resonance. When he was a rich high society man, Jenkins would often have social gatherings with his other aristocratic friends. Telling bad jokes and drinking up all his fine wine, he knew they were only there because of his money, but Jenkins was a wealthy, privileged man, and made it a mission to take full advantage of the comforts of that status. 

Unfortunately, disease wracked his body at a speed that made most doctors cringe. Even in a utopian city like Columbia, cancer was an extension of the Reaper's bony hand that no one was safe from, regardless of their wealth or intellect. Indeed, the disease seemed to claim more lives each year than even the civil war at its worst. Jenkins was reminded of this when he was diagnosed. All he had wanted was to die peacefully while he could still call himself a man, but as was the fate of so many, it seemed that corrupt young minds and overzealous old men had other plans. After the sanctioned science and engineering department of Bettermen's Autobodies had its way with him, Jenkins could never again grace one of his pent house soirees with the sound of his inviting tone. He would never have another party again, or friends for that matter. Instead, all that he could look forward to was a life of servitude and obedience, turning into nothing more than a lowly henchman, a Handyman. 

"This......changes......things." he said again, a bit clearer this time after coughing a bit and clearing his vocal chords of an extended period of neglect. 

"This changes nothing!" the Crow shouted back. The Handyman shook his head. 

"This place........changed......you." 

Daniel looked at the Handyman with a certain type of hatred that was only shown to that of a close friend who seemingly turns against his companion. "What are you saying Jenkins? Do you think I've failed? Do you honestly believe that I would come so far and then throw it all away at this moment?" he walked over to Jacob and the other two Boys, grabbing one of the helmeted figures and dragging him back over to the Handyman. The Boy of Silence was clearly in a great deal of discomfort, but made no attempt to oppose Daniel. "You see these? These are expendable! The're a dime a dozen! There will always be more where they came from, always enough to accommodate! Nothing has changed, and that includes me." he threw the Boy back over to where Jacob lay, the Boy barely managing to keep his balance as he stopped himself from colliding with the others. Jacob was crying even louder now, almost hysterically. His nose started bleeding profusely, the blood soaking in with the tears that already began to dampen his only barrier from the rest of the world. The Boy could taste a mixture of iron and salt as he opened his mouth to wail.  

Jenkins pointed a finger at Trixie. "What......is.....she?" 

Daniel went silent, his heavy breathing the only sound passing through his mask. "Why......her?" the Handyman demanded. Trixie looked back and forth between the two, keeping quiet as well. "What....is....she?" he repeated, louder this time. 

The Zealot turned so that he was completely facing Jenkins. "She's a liability, like what you're starting to turn into." 

The Handyman growled and stood up to his full height, stepping close to Daniel so that the two were only inches from each other. Jenkins looked down at Daniel, who had to strain his neck to look back at him. Without breaking eye contact with the Handyman, Daniel pointed at the group of ponies. "Your usefulness has run its course. You are free to leave." 

Twilight and the others stared at him, dumbfounded. After all that, he was just going to cut them loose? It was a notion that was difficult for any of them to grasp. After a moment of not hearing hoofsteps on the ground, Daniel broke his gaze with Jenkins and turned to them. "Leave!" he said, raising his voice. Twilight spoke up. 

"Not until you tell us why we're here!" she said. Throughout this entire journey, the alicorn had learned nothing of the situation. She still had no idea why Daniel was here or how the other humans played into it. The whole day had brought forth more questions than answers. She thought back to one of the many lessons Princess Celestia had taught her after he rise to royalty. 

"You remember what I told you about Saddle Arabia, right Twilight?"

"Of course, Princess......er.....of course, Celestia." 

"Good, then you know how close we came to a complete breakdown in diplomatic resolve." 

"Yes, but I still don't understand how it escalated so quickly. How did relations with the leaders of the various provinces deteriorate at such a fast pace?"

"You tell me. Why do you think diplomacy almost failed?"

"Well, I suppose it could have been because the leaders were unwilling to pursue a diplomatic approach. They may have thought that conflict was the only option to rectify the turmoil that besieged the land."

"Not quite. Actually, after the situation was resolved, I learned that none of the leaders wanted conflict, and that diplomacy was the hope of all. Any other ideas?"

"None that I can think of. So what was the reason?"

"Well Twilight, originally there was such a lack of communication between the leaders themselves and our own government, that I wasn't fully aware of the situations that were occurring. Regretfully, I wasn't able to resolve the overall situation as swiftly as I would have liked, which brings us to your next lesson. Always make sure you are at least partly aware of the variables at play in any issue, for there are times when acting blindly brings about darker consequences than not acting at all. Understanding the bigger picture can mean the difference between war and peace, but that is not to say you should wait until all of the cards are on the table. Just make a point to get even a little bit of information in order to make wise decisions on complicated matters. Think on it, will you?"

"Yes, Pri....Yes, Celestia."

Twilight thought on it alright, and so she tried gaining more information before doing anything rash, yet still she was in the dark, and the feeling of taking action was steadily creeping into her mind. The Princess could not stand by while these strangers did as they pleased in her backyard. 

"What are you planning?" she demanded.    

The Crow didn't talk anymore, he didn't have to. A subtle movement he made summoned every nearby bird from every tree. They all flew from their perches and landed on the ground, surrounding the ponies and giving them nowhere to go but back. Daniel himself had both arms consumed with a familiar green aura and pointed them at the group. "Need I provide you with anymore incentive?" 

The alicorn was about to protest, about to argue with the Zealot, but then she looked at Apple Bloom. The scared filly had been through so much already, as did the rest of her friends. They were her main concern, and always would be. She couldn't let them be harmed because of her desire to know more. Yes, her dream was still in the front of her mind, still making its presence known like an itch that couldn't be scratched, but it wasn't enough of a lead to warrant a fight, which is exactly what this would turn into if she stayed. Her eyes wandered to Rainbow Dash, still unconscious on her tiring wings. The pegasus probably needed medical attention at the very least. How could she argue with their release when that was so clearly what they needed, now more than ever? There would be time to get to the bottom of things, but for now, they had to regroup and reorganize. She and Daniel would meet again soon enough, but things would go much differently, that much she knew. That much she promised.  

"Very well." the Princess gave in. "We will leave." And with that, she turned and led the group away. Twilight charged her horn and levitated the fallen bridge back up to a horizontal position, tying the rope to the two poles and making sure they were secure. "We go one at a time." she said to the others. With Twilight at the helm, the ponies and dragon slowly made their way across the bridge, safely reaching the other side without indecent. Nopony dared look down as they crossed, instead keeping their eyes solely on their princess. Daniel looked over and saw Trixie still sitting where he had left her. 

"That means you too." he hissed. The unicorn still seemed lost, as if unaware of the situation. Suddenly, a purple aura surrounded her, and she found herself being lifted over to the others with the help of Twilight.

The Zealot turned to where Jacob sulked. "Get him up." he said to Jenkins. The Handyman exhaled loudly, but did as instructed. He walked over to the crying Boy and his attitude became much calmer. Without any words, he gently pushed the other two Boys aside and lifted Jacob to his feet. The Boy's head hung low, but Jenkins put a finger under his chin and lifted his head up. The blood and tears had taken their toll on the sack covering his head. The Latin words were blurry, almost illegible, and whatever had been used to make the smile was now partly running down the sack, creating an even more disturbing effect that was barely noticeable now that blood covered most of the surface. The two stared at each other, the Boy taking solace in the Handyman's presence. Slowly he stopped crying and was able to hold his head up on his own. 

"Still....have work......to do." the Handyman said as softly as his machine of a body would allow. Jacob nodded and gathered the other two boys before turning to the castle itself. 

"It's finally time." Daniel said in hushed relief. If he was right, then this would be key to Columbia's salvation. After today, it wouldn't matter what Booker and Elizabeth did, for the city would be outside the bounds of their influence. At least, that was his theory. In all truth it was a crap shoot, but he felt the odds were in their favor, and they had few alternatives. He looked back at Trixie one last time, before following the others into the main atrium of the ruins. The blue unicorn was still looking at him, as if trying to figure him out, but that was a task not even God would ever undertake. Slowly, she turned away and proceeded to leave with the others, as did the Crow. With each step he took, Daniel thought less of the pony and more of his duty. Truly, this would be the day the Prophet's very existence would be saved. 

"I just hope that's what you want." the Zealot said to his Lady as he ascended the steps of the castle, but no reply came. No reply ever did. Her voice had died with her body, and now she only spoke through her widower, Comstock. The man was now her vessel, a Prophet of both the Lady and God alike. The contract had not yet been completed, for as long as one Comstock remained, so too would Daniel, acting as his right hand, even if that hand held a sword. 

"What do we do now, Twilight?" Spike asked with fearful anticipation as their group walked back toward the exit of the Everfree. The Princess looked at him with new found determination. 

"Now, we get answers." 

"But how?" the dragon inquired. "That creep wouldn't spill the beans on anything about why they're here. So how are we gonna figure it out?"

Twilight smiled for the first time all day. "There are other ways of discovering the truth, Spike. You should know that better than anypony." 

The dragon put a claw to his chin and thought about it. "Oh man." he sighed in realization. Spike had a feeling there would be a lot of reading in his future.