Edwin stared, opened mouthed, at the stirring form in the dungeon cell. Princess Celestia and Twilight Sparkle had moved ahead of him, seeming not to notice their dumbfounded counterpart. Dimly, he saw the Princess bringing her magic to bear on the cell door lock. It opened with a soft click. He barely noticed.
Edwin was looking at himself waking from sleep. He realized that outside of video, which is an intensely less personal experience, a person never sees themselves sleeping. He was suddenly hit with a wave of vertigo so strong that the dungeon wavered and the ground appeared to roll around him like an ocean swell. Again, he was rocked by the reality of his situation.
It had been easy enough to play along with what was going on around him before. For the most part, he had seen the characters that he had met before. Deep in his consciousness, they were predetermined personalities, bags of bones that someone, Lauren Faust perhaps, had breathed life into. They were fictional parts of a fictional world that would sooner or later dissolve back into the world he knew and loved. The reality of seeing the body that he had inhabited for almost twenty-seven years lying curled before him forced his subconscious to play ball. I don't know what do. I don't know how I got here or how to get back. What is my course now? Where do I fit in to this puzzle?
“Edwin?” called Princess Celestia. “Are you all right?”
Edwin sighed. The answer was no. His ribs were now paining him with every breath and he was starting to feel a horrible ache in his teeth. It seemed the analgesic effects of the willow bark tea had worn off. Aside from his physical injuries he was also having something of an identity crisis. Still, he was hard-headed and stubborn, especially with regard to his own well being.
“I'm fine, Princess,” he answered doggedly.
He looked again at Spike in his body. On second glance, he noticed that the proportions were off. He was stockier than he remembered; his head and eyes were larger, his nose was smaller. The navy blue work uniform had taken on the oddly texture-less look of Equestria. The stubble on his face looked huge, even cartoonish. Imagine that! Edwin shook his head briskly to clear his mind realizing that such observations were not a priority at the moment. He continued forward, joining the two mares near the groggy Spike.
“Spike?” he asked, still feeling a surreal excitement at seeing himself like this.
Spike looked up at him, blinking frequently. Edwin imagined that Spike was feeling many of the same feelings of bewilderment that he himself was dealing with. He hesitated, then placed one of his three-fingered hands on Spike's shoulder.
“Are you alright? Can you talk for a few minutes?” he asked again.
“My eyes are sticky,” replied Spike.
Edwin gaped, momentarily at a loss for words, before remembering that he had fallen asleep still wearing his contact lenses.
“That would be the contact lenses in your eyes. They get sticky if you sleep in them. You'll need to take them out eventually. For now, just try to make some tears to wet your eyes a bit,” Edwin said, almost smiling. Spike's unexpected statement had hit his funny bone.
“Oh,” said Spike, appearing confused. “What are contact lenses?”
“They're like glasses, except they rest on the cornea of your eyes,” answered Edwin. “Their purpose is to correct your vision without the hassle of glasses.”
Twilight Sparkle was watching this conversation with keen interest. She opened her mouth to ask a question of Edwin, but never got the chance. Her motion had attracted Spike's attention.
“Twilight!” cried Spike, noticing the unicorn mare kneeling to his side. He threw his arms around her awkwardly and hugged her to him with panicky strength.
“Whoa! Spike! Let go!” exclaimed Twilight. She struggled wildly against his embrace and began to slowly turn red as her air was gradually crushed from her.
It appeared that Spike was once again hurting somepony, unaware of his reach and strength compared to his old body. Edwin thought unwillingly of Frankenstein's monster, as portrayed in the 1931 film, who killed a little girl without meaning to because of his ignorance. The thought was poignant and it drove him to take a shallow breath and shoot a burst of flame into the air to get Spike's attention.
“Enough of that Spike! Princess Celestia told me that you already managed to hurt her with your unfamiliar body! Do you want to add Twilight Sparkle to the list?” he said vehemently.
Spike looked down at the terrified unicorn, whom he thought of as both a big sister and sometimes mother. He let her go gently and curled up again. He began to weep.
“Oh, hey, don't cry,” said Edwin, furious at himself for forgetting that Spike was really just a kid. “I'm sorry I yelled at you, okay?”
Spike sniffed and sighed, slumping his large body into itself. Tears continued to roll down his cheeks, but he was regaining his composure.
“Okay,” he said, noncommittally. He turned to Twilight Sparkle. “I'm sorry Twi. It's been such a long day and I was so happy to see you. Are you okay?”
“I'll live,” she said in a strangled gasp, massaging her throat with one of her front hooves. Her eyes softened. “It's good to see you too, Spike. From what I've heard, you've had a very rough day.”
Spike turned to Princess Celestia.
“I apologize, Princess,” he said, making a little bow toward her. “I should have paid my respects sooner. Is this the creature you were so concerned about?” He gestured toward Edwin.
“Think nothing of it, Spike,” said the Princess, who in truth had, over the course of the centuries, grown tired of the constant decorum that surrounded her office. “This is indeed Edwin, the creature whose body you currently inhabit. However, I do not believe he is an immediate threat. His story matches very closely to what you have told me.”
Edwin's and Spike's stomachs roared in unison, causing everypony, and one human, to giggle a bit.
“Princess, do you think we could take this conversation to a more comfortable location?” asked Edwin. “I also think we could all do with some refreshment.” He didn't add that he also wanted to get away from the scum that had attacked Spike, who were eying him with derision from their corner of the dungeon.
“That's an excellent idea, Edwin,” said the Princess. “Can you walk, Spike?”
“Um, I'm not sure,” replied Spike. “I feel very unstable when walking in this body. How do you balance without a tail?” Spike directed the question toward Edwin.
“With years of practice,” said Edwin. “My species is not precocious like most equines. We literally spend years learning how to first crawl, then toddle, then finally to walk. Even then, it takes much further practice to master the coordination necessary to run and perform more complex maneuvers. I'm not surprised that you are having issues walking honestly. Do you have a wheelchair or something, Princess Celestia?”
“I suspect that we could locate one somewhere in my palace,” said Celestia dryly. “But rather than wait, why not just lean on me, Spike? I am large enough, I believe, to support your weight.”
Spike flushed and turned crimson. “I couldn't do that Princess!” he protested.
“Nonsense, Spike. It is no problem at all,” said the Princess. “Besides the faster we get to the guest quarters, the faster we can all get something to eat! Twilight, would you please lead the way to the guest wing? I believe you know the way?”
“Of course, Princess,” replied Twilight.
Edwin eyed Spike as he rose unsteadily to his feet. “Spike, try to keep your balance centered and move slowly, okay? Also, don't make any sudden motions. Your reach is a lot longer than it used to be and you could accidentally hurt someone,” he coached.
Spike took a slow, wobbly step toward Princess Celestia. His foot slid out from under him, propelled by the loose layer of hay that coated the floor of the cell. Without hesitating, the Princess rushed forward and put her body behind the falling Spike while simultaneously steadying him with her magic.
Edwin observed this with interest. Apparently magic works on Spike even though he is my body? That's... interesting, but it makes sense based on what I've seen so far. After all, I am in his body yet magic doesn't work on me. Also, Celestia's got some moves!
After Spike escaped the slippery hay of the cell, he seemed to find more stable footing. As they passed War Horse, he turned to the stallion, noticing that he was looking down into his face.
“I want to thank you again for helping me out with those two,” Spike said gesturing toward his two attackers. Stripped of their enchanted armor, they were no longer a uniform white, rather one was brown bay with a black mane and tail, and the other brindle bay, also with a black mane and tail. They looked back uncertainly, and Spike had to harden himself to avoid feeling sorry for them. “And for helping me get medical help. I feel much better now thanks to you.” He gave War Horse a quick nod and passed.
Princess Celestia had also paused next to the sergeant, owing to her promise to support Spike. She took the opportunity to assuage his obvious guilt over the actions of his charges.
“Sergeant, I am ordering you to take a break and go get some rest. Please do not fret too much over the actions of your squad, so long as you learn from your and their mistakes. We cannot always control our subordinates. That is a lesson that I learned long ago,” she said, bending over him and kissing his forehead.
He bowed low before her. “Thank you, Princess Celestia,” he said in gratitude. He turned and took his leave.
Edwin watched him go with distant eyes. He had just met War Horse but had been struck by his innate honor. His distrust of the Equestrian Royal Guard diminished somewhat. He felt now that one way or another, Spike's attackers would face justice. He grinned slightly at the thought.
“He seems like a good soldier, someone who takes his responsibilities seriously,” Edwin remarked to Celestia. She simply nodded with a small smile.
“I've noticed your use of language is different than ours,” said Twilight, addressing Edwin. “We here in Equestria will usually say somepony instead of someone.”
“Yes, well, the vernacular of our two societies is bound to differ on some points. Frankly, it is surprising that we even speak the same language,” said Edwin. “You use 'somepony' because your civilization is dominated by ponies I presume? It makes sense I suppose. Would you prefer that I use your wording?”
Twilight was leading their slow moving quartet slowly down the stone corridor outside the dungeon toward the brighter hallways of the palace above. Spike had adopted a slow, shuffling gait not unlike that of an elderly human. He occasionally placed a hand on Princess Celestia's back when he stumbled or lost his balance.
“I don't think that your use of language will offend anypony,” said Twilight. “However, it may raise some eyebrows. I'll leave your speech to your discretion. Just keep in mind that not all ponies are very open-minded.” She was thinking of how Ponyville had treated Zecora before Twilight and her friends had made her acquaintance.
“Very well, Twilight,” said Edwin, breathing shallowly to avoid jostling his ribs. “But I think eyebrows are going to raise regardless of my speech.” He gestured at Spike's towering form with a smile.
Princess Celestia pointed a hoof toward a pair of guards flanking the staircase at the end of the corridor. “One of those guards will be able to run an order to the kitchens. That way we will not have to wait long once we arrive at the guest quarters. What would you like to eat?” She looked curiously at Edwin who shrugged.
Edwin turned to Spike, but addressed the whole group. “If you are wondering, Spike, my species is omnivorous. We can survive, even thrive, on a vegetarian diet so you won't have to worry about any awkwardness on that regard. You should know though, that humans can't digest cellulose very well, so items like grass and hay are out. Fruits and vegetables should be okay but I would try to get some proteins like cheese or tofu. These items contain essential amino acids necessary to-” He cut off abruptly, realizing that he was lecturing. “Sorry. You should be safe with a salad, Spike, so long as it doesn't have any flowers or grass in it.”
“Oh, but flowers are so delicious!” said Twilight Sparkle.
Edwin just grinned tightly and shook his head incredulously at Twilight. “Spike, what do dragons eat?” he asked.
“We can eat almost anything,” replied Spike. “I love gems in particular, especially rubies, but grass, fruit, vegetables, dairy, eggs, you name it, it should be fine.”
Edwin place a claw under his lip and lifted it, showing Spike the bloodied gums and row of wobbly teeth. “I don't think I'll be snacking on gems anytime soon,” he said, half-joking. He turned to Princess Celestia. “Maybe I'll go for a fruit smoothie. I don't feel adventurous enough to try grass today. Also, Princess, do you have any sort of non-magical painkillers available? I don't know if you were told but I'm pretty sure I have several broken ribs and I would really appreciate any sort of pain relief. I'm starting to have trouble breathing.”
Celestia stopped and looked at Edwin with concern. “Non-magical painkillers... what do you use on your home planet, Edwin?”
“When I was with Zecora, she was able to supply me with willow bark, which contains a version of an analgesic known to my people. Also certain poppy flowers contain powerful narcotic painkillers, but I am not willing to try them, as they have mind-altering side effects and are habit-forming,” said Edwin seriously.
“Willow bark? We have some willow trees in the Royal Canterlot Gardens. I can send for one of the guards to scrape some bark off and bring it to the guest quarters.” Celestia considered his broken teeth before adding, “and a pot of boiling water. I suspect that chewing would not be very comfortable for you right now. The medicine in the bark should steep into the water, right?”
Edwin looked at her and nodded slowly. “Yes, that is how I took it in Zecora's hut. Princess, do your doctors have any experience with this medicine? I don't know what the correct dosing is and do not want to poison myself.”
Celestia shook her head sadly. “I am afraid that most of the drugs we use here in Equestria are derived from the more efficacious magical flora that is abundant here.”
Edwin considered, then decided to continue with the treatment, but only in small doses. “Very well, Princess,” he said.
They arrived at the staircase. The guards looked at Spike with wide-eyed apprehension, but the presence of the Princess seemed to calm their fears somewhat.
“Excuse me,” said the Princess to the guard to her left. “Can I ask you a favor?”
“Yes, Princess,” said the guard, tearing his eyes off of Spike's tall form.
“Excellent! Twilight Sparkle, Spike, and Edwin here will be staying with us tonight. Our guests are famished. Could you run an order to the kitchens for us and ask them to send it to the upper guest wing?” said Celestia.
“Yes, Princess,” said the guard again.
Princess Celestia used her magic to take a sheet of parchment and quill that seemed to appear out of nowhere and began to write on it. “One fruit smoothie, one green salad with no flowers or grass...” she mumbled to herself. “Twilight, what would you like?”
“Ooh! I'll take a daffodil and daisy sandwich please,” said Twilight.
“...one daffodil and daisy sandwich, and... one large slice of cake!” said the Princess, licking her chops. As she spoke to herself, the quill scratched steadily on the parchment. “Oh! And also one tea kettle of boiling water. There! Please take this order to the kitchens. Thank you very much!” The stallion trotted up the staircase in front of them.
“As for you,” she said, this time addressing the guard on the right. “Are you familiar with the Weeping Willow tree?”
After guard nodded his confirmation, she continued, “Can you please go to the Royal Canterlot Gardens and take a good amount of bark from the willows. The bark contains a medicine needed for our guest. Could you please deliver it to the upper guest quarters?”
“Yes, Princess Celestia,” he said, again nodding crisply. If he found her instructions to be odd, he did not show it outwardly. He turned and also went up the staircase.
“Alright, Spike, here comes a big test,” said the Princess, looking up at the stairs. “Stay close to me and take it slow. Luckily these stairs are wide and shallow, though they do spiral. Let me know if you need to take a break.”
Edwin looked at Spike in concern, but was relieved to see determination on his face. He watched the Princess and Spike make their slow way up the spiral staircase. The distance they covered was perhaps a hundred feet if it were measured in a straight line. Spike managed it in two minutes or so. When they came to the end of the staircase, Edwin gasped softly.
The hallway that they had entered was broad and carpeted in a luxurious vermilion throughout its center portion. The floor outside of the carpets was tiled with large pieces of black and white marble in a checked pattern. The windows were arched and peaked echoing the vaulted ceiling; stained glass windows were interspersed at regular intervals, showing images of historical significance to Equestria. Edwin found himself remembering the time he had toured The Louvre museum as well as La Sainte-Chapelle, both in Paris, France. Pillars, either functional or decorative, lined the outer edge of the corridor. On these, bouquets of fresh flowers were hung, filling the air with a gentle, pleasing aroma.
Twilight Sparkle turned to the left, leading Spike and Princess Celestia. Edwin took a long look to the right out of curiosity, not knowing if he would ever get a chance to explore the castle. At the end of the hallway an enormous room was visible, with what appeared to be medieval banners hanging on the walls. He could just barely see a huge stained glass window with a stylized image of the sun on it. Overwhelmed, he turned back to his group only to find that they had walked a good hundred feet down to hall toward yet another spiral staircase, this one much steeper. He yelped, and waddled rapidly toward them, careful to not breath too deeply.
“I'll say it again, Princess,” Edwin said, once he had caught up with the group. “This palace is absolutely beautiful. It gives some of the greatest museums in my world a run for their money. I would love to get a chance to explore it sometime.”
Princess Celestia turned to him, smiling broadly in honest pride, though she still kept on eye on Spike, who appeared to be doing alright for the moment. “Perhaps I can arrange a tour for you at some point, Edwin, and thank you. It is not very often that we receive foreign visitors here in Canterlot. I am glad that you are enjoying the wonders of the castle.”
The next staircase, as Edwin had observed, was indeed steeper than the first, though not as much as he had feared. It was still broad, and the spiral was gentle, luckily for Spike. After passing through another hallway and scaling yet another staircase, this one straight and amazingly ornate though exceptionally long, they arrived at a wide and lavishly decorated hallway.
“This is it,” said Twilight Sparkle. “These doors lead to some of the finest guest rooms in all of Equestria.”
There was a busser pony, an off white, male unicorn adolescent (colt?) with streaked, dirty blond hair and acne on his face, waiting near the front of the hall. He was shaking slightly as he gave Spike a nervous stare. Next to him were a number of covered dinner trays on a cart, along with several kettles of boiling water. Spike's stomach rumbled loudly and the group again broke into a small fit of laughter. The lightening of the mood seemed to reassure the busser, and he spoke up.
“Princess Celestia, esteemed guests,” he began, addressing them in turn, his voice threatening to break. “As you have requested, dinner is served!”
“Thank you very much!” said the Princess. The others of her group also said likewise and entered the first door in the hallway.
Before he entered, Edwin asked the busser for some distilled water for Spike to put his contacts in and also for a cot to sleep on. Although he could use another guestroom, he wanted to keep an eye on Spike and he did not feel like sharing a bed with him and/or Twilight Sparkle. He thanked the pony again and entered the guest room.
Edwin stopped dead in his tracks. The far wall was one giant window. Well, in truth, it was dozens of smaller panes of glass, but the effect was absolutely breath taking. The window curved gently outward, offering a wide, panoramic view of the city of Canterlot, now lit up for night time, and beyond it the land of Equestria. He felt that he could look at the sight for hours.
“Edwin... Edwin... EDWIN!” Twilight Sparkle shouted.
Edwin blinked, unaware that he had been so immersed in the view before him. “Wow... sorry. Again, incredible, sorry to sound like a broken record,” he said to no one in particular.
Celestia giggled, a sound that was both whimsical and wonderful. “This is the famous guest wing of Canterlot castle. The window you see actually stretched across this whole side of the wing! There is also a balcony on the outside. I think you will like it here.”
Edwin just shook his head in disbelief, grinning like a fool. He shook his head again, trying to regain his composure, and a sudden jolt of pain from his teeth did the trick. He held a hand out to the dinner cart, which Twilight or Celestia had apparently magicked in while he had been transfixed. “Shall we?” he asked.
Surprisingly, it was Princess Celestia who grinned eagerly, and used her magic to fling the covers of the trays off onto the floor. She immediately secured a piece of cake so large and delicious looking that it was comical, and began to daintily eat it with the aid of a fork, magically wielded.
Spike was not far behind her. For him, there was a large, green salad with what appeared to be Romaine lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, celery, and some type of berry topped by shredded cheese and some type of creamy dressing. Having come from a body with hands, he quickly adapted and grabbed the supplied utensils to go to work on the salad. He ate with childish enthusiasm, eliciting a grin from Edwin.
Twilight's daffodil and daisy sandwich went next. She chose not to use any utensils, instead opting to use her magic to levitate the sandwich directly to her mouth. The exceptionally crafted sandwich, heavily layered in flowers and skewered by a long, wooden toothpick, glowed purple in her magical grasp.
Last was Edwin's fruit smoothie and a bowl of willow bark. He ignored his hunger for a moment, pouring boiling water into a tea cup and placing a measure of the willow bark inside a tea infuser for it to steep, before grasping the enormous smoothie. It was inside a large, transparent glass, and he saw that it was a vaguely red, purplish color that made him wonder exactly what fruits the ponies had used to make it. Still, his stomach demanded food, and he took an experimental sip.
His eyes widened as flavors exploded in his mouth. Pineapple, cherry, strawberry, kiwi, kumquat, peach, banana, apple, these were only some of the flavors he experienced in an instant. He let out a slow groan of pleasure and began to drink in earnest, though he still attempted to avoid Spike's level of enthusiasm.
All in all, it took the four of them a surprisingly short time to put away the meal. While it had not been a four course meal exactly, it had been a lot of food to eat in the five minutes or so that they had taken. The foursome looked self consciously at one another, seated helter-skelter around the cart, before breaking into laughter again.
To Edwin, the laughter felt natural, almost like these ponies were his own friends, and the thought sobered him slightly. He thought of his close friends and the good times they had shared. Crazy nights in Las Vegas, road trips across the country, vacations to various locales, walking down Main Street at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom.
He had just met these ponies. In fact had only known this particular group for a few hours and already he was thinking of them as friends? Edwin was not one to use the word, friend, lightly. To him, it meant someone that you cared about enough to be involved in their life personally. He felt that the word was often used frivolously to describe various levels of acquaintances. So to him, his perturbed thoughts were somewhat justified. For one horrible moment, he feared that some form of magic was indeed working on him, perhaps the Magic of Friendship.
His silence did not go unnoticed. Princess Celestia looked at him and when he did not respond, spoke to him. “Edwin?”
“Sorry, Princess. Just thinking of old times,” he said to her, his voice distant. He raised his head and looked at her. “Thank you for the meal. It was excellent!” He spoke in a falsely cheery voice that nonetheless appeared to fool Spike and Twilight Sparkle. Princess Celestia still looked sadly at him but responded in kind.
“You are welcome, of course, Edwin. If you have need of anything, my servants are at your service,” she said.
Edwin nodded at her, smiling, then looked at the still steaming teapots and said, “Would anyone like some tea?”
When his three companions had consented, he set three tea cups on saucers and poured boiling water into them. There was only one type of tea, other than willow bark, and Edwin packed it into the tea infusers and set them to steep. They said their thanks and waited in silence for a minute. It was Princess Celestia who broke the silence.
“It is late. I think it would be a better idea to wait to have this conversation tomorrow,” she said. Nopony had to ask what she meant by her reference. It was the conversation about what had happened to switch Spike and Edwin, and how to fix it.
The atmosphere in the room, which had turned tense during their moment of silence, relaxed perceptibly. They sipped their tea, making light conversation. Edwin mainly listened, fascinated, as Twilight told of a cute-ceañera that she had attended earlier that day, while he had been battling timber-wolves, no doubt. He drank his tea like the medicine it was, occasionally wincing at its bitter taste. He thought of adding sugar to it but decided to just tough it out. He often made such challenges to himself as a test of discipline.
It took them less than ten minutes to wrap up the proceeding. The night sky outside was spectacular in its brilliance, but even Edwin, who had never been much of an outdoorsman, could see than the moon was high and that the night was late. Twilight had finished her story by reciting her friendship letter that she had composed to the Princess, who subsequently requested a copy in writing at Twilight's earliest convenience. Twilight, predictably, had written it out for the Princess right then and there.
The busser pony returned, this time with a basket, ostensibly for Edwin to sleep in, and a travel bag for Spike and Twilight Sparkle that the pegasus ponies had retrieved. Apparently, Twilight was organized enough to have a contingency for being called away without notice and it was a pre-packed bag of essentials.
Before long, the Princess bade them good night, not quite able to hide a huge yawn. Twilight and Spike made full bows to her in respect. Edwin winced as he saw his former body in such a state of submission. He himself made the same gesture he had earlier in respect to the Princess, a bow of his head with his fist on his forehead and also thanked her again for her hospitality. He saw Twilight glare at him but she thankfully did not make an issue of it this time.
Edwin helped Spike with removing his contact lenses. Even with careful coaching, the dragon in a human's body managed to poke his eyes a couple of times. By the time he had placed the lenses in saucers filled with distilled water, each marked carefully right and left, Spike's eyes were red and irritated. He blinked owlishly as he struggled to bring the world into focus. Edwin sympathized, having had that terrible vision most of his life.
Spike insisted on sleeping with Twilight Sparkle, an act that, while certainly meant for platonic comfort, still made Edwin cringe. He was also worried that if Spike thrashed or kicked in his sleep he might put Twilight Sparkle in the infirmary. Still he kept his mouth shut for once, realizing that Spike had had a very traumatic day and that, as a child, he was entitled to comfort every now and then. Edwin could tell that Twilight wasn't too hot on the idea either, but understood that she would bear it for the same reason he himself would. Out of all of them, Spike had suffered the most today and deserved it the least.
As it happened, Edwin did not end up having to use the basket to rest on. The suite was lavishly furnished. Although it only contained one enormous bed, it also contained a number of overstuffed chairs, loveseats, and sofas. Any one of these could, in a pinch, be used as a bed by one as small as Edwin now was. Besides, he felt it would be demeaning to sleep in something that looked horribly like a dog bed to him.
Edwin and Twilight helped Spike into bed and tucked him in before bidding each other good night. Edwin thought he should probably say something soothing to Spike like 'It will all be okay,' or 'You did great today,' but couldn't bring himself to do it. He had never been good at pep talking anyone or communicating in general with children, though Spike certainly acted older than his apparent age. He thought what Spike needed most right now was a good nights' rest.
Edwin had curled up on the cushion of a loveseat near the giant window when Twilight used her magic to turn off the lights. He stared at the galaxies upon galaxies of stars in the sky. Above them a giant moon loomed, seeming to look down upon him. Tomorrow is going to be an interesting day...