//------------------------------//
// Last Day of Sun 
// Story: What Lies Within 
// by KidatHeart5 
//------------------------------//

	Sweetie Belle and Fluttershy anxiously waited outside while the doctor examined their little girls. 
Little Button fretted, “Mommy, what’s wrong with Snow Pea and Screwball?” 
SB answered, “I don’t know. I’m sure that whatever it is, the doctor will find it.” 
Just then, the door opened and the doctor emerged. He said, “Your daughters are going to be fine. To be honest, I don’t know what happened to them.”
Fluttershy nodded, “Thank you, Doctor Elixir.” 
When he left, the mothers and LB entered the room. Snow Pea and Screwball both lied in bed fully recovered.
Sweetie Belle asked, “Are you girls okay?”
Snowy replied, “We’re okay now.”
Screwy added, “Yeah, but that sound sure was scary.”
When Little Button tried to leap onto the bed, she barely managed to hang onto the edge. Her face soured into a scowl and she shot off, “I’ll say it was scary! You almost gave us a heart attack! What do you have to say for yourself?”
Sweetie Belle calmed her younger daughter and said, “Yes, we were all worried for Snow Pea and Screwball, but let’s be thankful they’re all right now. Do you want to play with your cousins for a bit?” 
LB nodded before she raced out of the room.
Screwy asked, “We’re not going tell Daddy about this, are we, Mommy?”
Fluttershy comforted her, “If I know you, you have your father’s toughness when it comes to illnesses. You’re going to be fine, Screwy. By the time we get home, you’ll be the same pony as you were before you left.” 
Snowy then asked, “But what happened to us? I felt cold and Screwy heard screaming. What does it mean?” 
“I don’t think it means there’s anything wrong with you,” a voice said.
All four ponies turned to face Twilight Sparkle, who had just entered to room carrying an open book. She continued, “I think you might’ve sensed something. It’s quite uncommon in ponies, but there are some species that have sharper instincts than others.”
Screwy said, “Well, since I am half…whatever my dad is, maybe that’s how I was able to detect something.”
Snow Pea said, “But wait, I’m only a pony. How can I sense something out of the ordinary?”
Twilight explained, “You got your powers from the Windigos, so maybe that’s why you sensed something. And I think I know what that something might’ve been.” She flipped the pages before stopping and holding the book up to the ponies. “The Umbrum, also known as shadow ponies.” 
The girls gasped at the picture of a shadow pony while their mothers had expressions of shock etched across their faces. 
“I only came across this by chance while I was in the library. I was searching for a book that would explain the sensations Screwball and Snow Pea had until this book fell to the floor. I decided to read it before putting it back and found that the girls’ symptoms matched what was in this section. It says that the Umbrum have a deep coldness about them that can be felt by those who are sensitive enough to feel it. They also make a loud shrieking noise whenever they’re in distress. The Crystal Heart acts as a protective force to keep the Umbrum away and it can hurt them when it’s energized. That’s why Screwball heard them when the Heart was activated.” 
Screwy asked, “Am I going to hear them every time I go to the Faire?”
A sweet voice chuckled, “No, I don’t think so.”
The ponies all turned to face Princess Cadance by the doorway. 
She said, “Even ponies who can sense things the most come to the Faire and don’t hear or feel the Umbrum.”
Snow Pea asked, “Did they go through the same thing we did?”
Cadance nodded, “Yes, but they’re all doing well now. Oh, and Twilight, I think there’s somepony here to see you.” She stepped to the side and an amber pony came into view.
Twilight ran towards her as she cried, “Sun-Sun!”
“Twi-Twi!”
The two mares embraced like old friends who had been apart for years…which they actually were. In fact, they were twins born of Celestia and Sombra. They were the best of pals until Sunset got kidnapped on their first birthday. Starlight Glimmer, vengeful from having her pet phoenix stolen by Sombra to heal his queen, took Sunset as recompense and caused the family to forget about their lost daughter. When Twilight and Sunset met years later, they eventually unearthed the truth and celebrated the older twin’s return. However, Sunset made the choice to go exploring with the friends she made at the manor she grew up in.
“Oh, it’s so good to see you again! I was wondering if you got my invitation or not.”
“Well, I wanted to surprise you. My friends are staying at the hotel down the street, but they insisted that I stay at the castle so I could have quality time with my family.” 
Screwy cheered, “Yay! We’re going to have so much fun together!”
Sunset said, “We will, but I think Cadance wants you to take a tour of the castle with Skyla.” 
Cadance added, “If you feel like you’re up to it.” 
Screwy said as she jumped out of bed, “Are we ever!”
Snowy turned to her mother and asked, “Do you think we can, Mom?”
Sweetie Belle smiled, “Of course, sweetheart.”
Fluttershy turned to her own daughter and asked, “And what do you say, Screwball?”
Screwy knew this meant another lesson in manners, so she softly groaned and asked, “May we please go with Princess Cadance?”
“Yes, you may. Thank you for asking.” When the girls left with Cadance, Fluttershy sighed, “She has so much of her father in her.”
The Queen of Marendelle agreed, “No doubt about that.”
Sunset asked, “So what about this Umbrum business? Is that why Snowy and Screwball felt strange?”
Twilight nodded, “I believe so. Cadance said they weren’t the only ones. If this didn’t happen until now, then something must be happening.” 
Fluttershy asked, “Do you think that’s why Mother and Father didn’t attend the Faire?”
Sunset said, “Aunt Luna didn’t, either, and her daughter and granddaughter live here. Something must be wrong.” 
Twilight said, “I’ll write them a letter asking why they didn’t attend. I think you have a right to be concerned, Sunset. They must suspect that something is coming and they felt that they needed to prepare.”
Sweetie Belle asked, “Prepare for what, exactly?”
The Queen of Canterlot shook her head, “I don’t know, but whatever it is, it can’t be good.”





Shortly after Cadance brought Skyla with her and the girls, the tour began. Though it mostly went smoothly, Skyla and Screwball played with each other and didn’t hear a word Cadance said. When they got to the library, Screwy and Snowy were amazed.
“And this is the library!” Skyla said. “Pretty big, huh?”
Screwy remarked, “I can see why Aunt Twilight decided to search here.”
Snowy gasped, “It’s wonderful!”
Cadance chuckled, “I’m glad you think so.”
Skyla said, “There’s something we want to show you. Come on!” 
She led the way until the group got to a stained glass window. It depicted the Crystal Heart with a very pale vermillion unicorn princess on top of it and a unicorn princess of grayish heliotrope below it.
Cadance nodded, “Yes, Skyla. These were the princesses who ruled the Crystal Empire before your father and I did.”
Snowy asked, “Who were they?”
Cadance said, “The one above the Heart is Princess Amore and the other one is her daughter, Radiant Hope. Princess Amore was a wise, kind, and gentle ruler. Radiant Hope was sweet, caring, and a gifted healer. The Crystal Empire flourished under mother and daughter.”
“What happened to them?” Screwy asked.
Cadance sighed, “Radiant Hope was about to have her coronation until…the Umbrum came. They were led by their princess, Belladonna. Nopony knows where she came from or even how she came to be, but they say she was more evil than any Umbrum before her. When Celestia and Sombra found out what she had done to the Empire, they defeated her and banished her to the Arctic Wastes. They wanted to make Amore ruler again, but she was so grief-stricken by her daughter’s disappearance that she died. Afterwards, they turned the Empire over to my mother, Princess Luna, so she would protect it until the right ponies came along.” 
“That was you and Daddy! Right, Mommy?” Skyla pointed out.
Cadance chuckled, “Yes, that was us.”
Years ago, Princess Luna longed to have a child, so she went to a gargoyle named Scorpan, who gave her a flower that would fulfill her heart’s desire. That flower then became her daughter, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. Tirek, who wanted the flower for his own gain, was outraged that his brother gave it away. After many years of searching, he changed Cadance into a Breezie and placed a curse of misfortune on the royal family. To protect her daughter, Luna sent her to live with the Breezies until Cadance returned. After being reunited with Shining Armor, her childhood sweetheart, their love for each other broke Cadance’s curse.
Snowy asked, “What do you think happened to Radiant Hope?”
Cadance answered, “Nopony knows for certain. Some think she might’ve run off, others think she might’ve been transformed into something. It was so long ago that ponies are starting to wonder if she’s even alive right now.”
Screwy asked, “But if she’s ever found, what will happen to you and Uncle Shiny?” 
The pink alicorn replied, “I don’t know. We’ll see if that’s ever the case.”





Shortly after the tour, Snow Pea met up with Sunset in one of the guest rooms. 
Sunset greeted, “Hey, kiddo! How was the tour?”
Snowy answered, “It was great! We got to see all of the castle and learned a bit about who ruled the Crystal Empire before Cadance and Shining Armor.”
“Oh, really? Do you remember who?”
“Princess Amore and her daughter, Radiant Hope. They ruled the Empire before the Umbrum attacked. Luckily, Grandma Tia and Grandpapa saved the Crystal ponies by banishing the Umbrum princess, Belladonna. But here’s the sad part: Radiant Hope vanished and her mom died because she missed her daughter so much. When Amore died, Grandma Tia and Grandpapa decided to let Luna watch over the Empire until the rightful rulers were found. Luckily, they were Cadance and Shining Armor.” 
“Wow, that’s quite a story.”
“I know. I think Radiant Hope might still be out there, though. Maybe she’s still alive or maybe she got transformed into something.”
“Well, I wouldn’t start searching until we’ve got a clue of some sort. In the meantime, why don’t we open our mystery boxes? I’m sure you’re dying to know what’s in them.”
“Oh, yeah! I almost forgot!”
The two girls each opened their box and Sunset pulled out a tiara while Snow Pea pulled out four bracelets. The tiara had five spikes, a copperish hue, and three bright rubies – one in the front and the other two each below a dip between tines. The bracelets were green sandwiched with gold lining and had small steel squares encrusted on the green strip.
Snowy cried, “Whoa! These things are big!” She grunted as she tried to lift one, “And heavy.”
Sunset grabbed for the bracelets and said, “Oh, careful! I think those are going to be too big for you. Here, try the tiara instead. It looks to be the right size for you.” 
The girls switched jewelry and put them on in front of the mirror. 
Sunset said, “There! Now we look like princesses!”
Snowy giggled, “Aunt Sunny, we already are!”
Suddenly, they both got a tightening feeling from their jewelry. The girls both cried, “Ow!”
Sunset suggested, “Let’s take them off before their weight topples us over.” But as they tried to take them off, the pieces of jewelry wouldn’t budge.
Snowy whimpered, “It’s not coming off, Aunt Sunny!”
“Don’t worry, kiddo. We can get Aunt Twilight to help us.” Despite her calm voice, however, she grew concerned about this.





Twilight grunted as a light brilliant raspberry aura surrounded the tiara and bracelets. She tried very hard to loosen the grip the jewelry had on her sister and niece, but to no avail. 
When her magic aura died down, she panted, “I’m sorry. This is very powerful magic the tiara and bracelets have. They were possibly enchanted or even made by somepony more powerful than me.”
Sunset asked, “Did you send that letter yet? If you haven’t, write for Mom or Aunt Luna’s help.”
Just then, Apple Bloom burst into the room with a look of worry on her face. She asked frantically, “Have any of ya seen Pip?!” When the girls shook their heads, she moaned, “Oh, I was afraid of this. The kids looked for Pip for about an hour before they came to me. They said that the tent where they saw him last had disappeared shortly after they left.” 
Twilight asked, “Did they know whose tent it was?”
“They said it belonged to a pony named Golden Mist. They described her as a bright yellow unicorn with an orange mane and a red crystal pendant.” 
Sunset’s eyes shrunk at the description and immediately asked AB, “Do they know what the pendant looked like?”
AB pulled out a piece of paper and said, “They drew out Golden Mist so we would have a better picture.”
The minute Twilight and Sunset both looked at the drawing, their eyes shrunk and their ears dropped. They both said, “Oh, no.”
Twilight immediately rushed over to the bookshelves to search for something. 
AB asked, “What? Is there something wrong?”
Sunset shook her head, “I don’t think Golden Mist is a real pony.”
Twilight then pulled out the book she was looking for and said, “Nopony in their right mind would wear a red crystal pendant in that shape, not if they want to be mistaken for…” She then laid down the open book to reveal the pages with aquatic horses on them.
“Sirens!” all three said simultaneously. 





Guards had been sent out to search the entire kingdom for Golden Mist, Pip, or both – if they were lucky. At the darkest time of night, a pale, light grayish fuchsia Pegasus dodged every sentry and guard patrolling the streets and slipped her way to the dais. She cursed the fact that she had to wear a burlap cloak that impeded her from spreading her wings. However, she was told to wear it for stealth for her mission. She crept close to the Crystal Heart, pulled out the burlap bag, and quickly stashed the Heart inside. Soon after she did her job, she ran towards the snowy mountains of the Frozen North. 
When she was a safe distance from the Crystal Empire, she pulled back her hood and her moderate purple pigtails with light brilliant aquamarine streaks spilled out. Her moderate mulberry eyes scanned the snow while she continued forward. After a minute or two, she gasped when she saw a reddish light behind a snowy hill. She raced forward and found that her accomplice was using her amulet to keep herself warm.
She growled, “Sonata, you’re going to give us away!”
Sonata argued, “But I was freezing! I don’t want to be a popsicle in this form!”
“Keep your voices down or we’re all going to get caught!”
Sonata and the Pegasus turned to the voice and saw a pale green apple unicorn walking up to them.
The Pegasus retorted, “Why did you have to go and kidnap that prince?! There were so many guards that I almost got caught stealing the Crystal Heart!”
Sonata chirped, “Ooh! Ooh! Can I see the Crystal Heart?”
The unicorn said, “Not right now! We need to keep this in the bag until we get to the Umbrum world and the princess finishes her mission. Without the Crystal Heart to spread love and goodness across Equestria, she’ll be free to exact her revenge.”





In Canterlot, Luna stood at Sombra’s bedside as he asked, “Are you certain this will work?”
Luna nodded, “I have done this with seers and respected wizards. This time should be no different.” 
“Still, I cannot help but feel that the events I have dreamed about are already coming to pass.”
“Fear not, for if there is a way to nip this in the bud, so we shall.”
As soon as Sombra closed his eyes, Luna’s horn activated and a string of white light streamed from her horn to his forehead. Her dream self soon arrived in the dream and found Sombra’s dream self in a flowering field.
Sombra looked around and said, “I…I remember this place. Yes, this is where…”
“…ALL OF THE MEMORIES WILL COME BACK TO HAUNT YOU?!” a distorted voice echoed.
When an eerie and dark laughter broke out, dark crystals sprouted in the field and turned everything into a dry desert. Luna and Sombra lit their horns to form a force field around them. 
“HOW PETTY…” the voice continued. “YOU MAY HAVE INCREDIBLE POWER OVER DREAMS, PRINCESS LUNA, BUT I BELIEVE THAT I HAVE THE UPPER HOOF.”
Suddenly, dark crystals shot from the ground beneath Sombra and trapped him in a dome. Before Luna could react, the dome took him underground within a second. 
“Sombra!” Luna cried as she saw a bump in the ground move away from her. 
Just then, the bump stopped and began to swell. Within moments, the boil in the ground erupted and cast Sombra into the air. Before Luna tried to rescue him, he was levitated by a purple aura.
The sinister laughter echoed again and this time, a shadowy mass appeared. The eyes were very much like Sombra’s when he was cursed, only the irises were light brilliant green with vivid purple sclera and had brilliant scarlet mist trailing from them. The eyes also had luminous vivid vermilion eye shadow on the lids and the tips of the double-pointed eyelashes.  
“OH, SOMBRA…” the mass said in faux sweet tone, “…IT’S BEEN FAR TOO LONG. I HOPE YOU HAVEN’T FORGOTTEN ME.”
Sombra grunted, “I know who you are. I could never forget what evil you had wrought upon the Crystal Empire. I lost my dear friends because of you.”
“YES, IT IS TRAGIC,” the shadow said. “RADIANT HOPE WAS SUCH A DEAR. FORTUNATELY, SHE WAS COOPERATIVE. HER MOTHER, HOWEVER, WAS NOT. NATURALLY, I HAD TO GET RID OF HER…AND WHAT BETTER WAY TO DO SO THAN TO DISPOSE OF HER...” Her voice then echoed ominously, “…PERMANENTLY?!”
Luna’s anger raged inside of her and she shouted in her Royal Canterlot Voice, “TIS BUT A LIE! AMORE WAS ALIVE WHEN SHE WAS FOUND IN THE DUNGEON AFTER THOU WAS BANISHED!”
The eyes of the shadow rose intriguingly as she said, “OH? DO YOU HONESTLY BELIEVE THAT? YOU WEREN’T THERE. YOUR BIG SISTER AND HER LOVER-COLT FOUGHT ME WHILE YOU WERE STUCK BACK HOME WITH YOUR ROYAL DUTIES.”
Luna snarled, “THOU SHALT NOT SPEAK ILL OF THY SISTER AND BROTHER-IN-LAW!”
The shadow asked in a mocking tone, “ARE YOU SURE YOU’RE NOT TALKING ABOUT YOURSELF? DON’T PLAY DUMB WITH ME, PRINCESS. I KNOW WHAT YOU’VE BEEN THROUGH. REJECTED, LEFT BEHIND…FORGOTTEN.”
This was enough to make Luna blast at the shadow, but the foe easily dodged it as if it was nothing more than a spray of water. 
She said, “OOH…SUCH STRENGTH, SUCH POWER…I COULD USE A PONY LIKE YOU.”
Luna retorted, “WE WILL NEVER JOIN THOU! THOU ART EVIL, AND WE WILL DO WHAT IS RIGHT! WE WILL ALWAYS FIGHT FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS AND GOODNESS!”
The shadow sighed, “SUCH A PITY…AND HERE I THOUGHT YOU’D JOIN ME. WELL, I SUPPOSE I’LL HAVE SOMBRA TERMINATED!” As soon as she said that, the purple aura started squeezing the life out of Sombra.
Luna gasped and cried in her regular voice, “No! Stop! I’ll do…I’ll do whatever you say. Please spare my sister’s love. Take me.”
Sombra shouted, “Luna, no! It’s a dream! I’ll be all right!”
The shadow chuckled evilly and said to him, “DIDN’T ANYPONY TELL YOU? THIS DREAM PUTS YOUR LIFE AT MY HOOVES! I CAN CONTROL WHETHER YOU LIVE…OR PERISH.”
Luna then pleaded one more time, “Please, I beg of you. Do not hurt Sombra.”
The shadow contemplated this and said, “HMMM…IT WOULD BE A PLEASURE TO JUST DISPOSE OF HIM RIGHT NOW AND LET HIS LOVED ONES SUFFER. BUT I’VE GIVEN UP ON REVENGE LONG AGO. THE ONLY THING THAT I TRULY DESIRE NOW IS POWER…” She looked at Luna, “…AND YOU’RE GOING TO HELP ME.”
The mass then lunged at Luna as Sombra shouted, “No! Luna! Don’t do this! LUNA!!!”
He woke with a start and looked around to see that Luna had vanished completely.





“It’s going to feel weird sleeping with a tiara on my head,” Snow Pea told her mother as the latter was tucking her child in.
Her mom then suggested, “Well, if you sleep on only one side, you’ll barely feel it when you doze off.” 
Little Button pouted, “You’re lucky to even have a tiara on your head.”
Snowy retorted, “Hey, it’s no fun when it’s stuck there!”
Sweetie Belle calmed her daughters, “All right, you two. How about we call Daddy before you go to sleep?”
Her daughters cheered as the Queen of Marendelle pulled out a small mirror from the trunk. She said into it, “Button? Are you awake? Hello?”
Sweetie’s reflection rippled before seeing Button’s face in place of hers. 
He said, “Hiya, gorgeous! Thank goodness you called me so I could take a break.”
“Uh-oh. Paperwork overload again?”
He chuckled, “Loads.”
“Anyway, the girls want to talk to you before they go to sleep. Here they are.” She placed the mirror on the vanity so that Button could see his girls in the same space. 
The young fillies both waved and said, “Hi, Daddy!”
Button smiled, “Hey, girls! Did you have any fun at the Crystal Faire?”
Little Button jumped up and down as she said, “Lots and lots of fun!”
Snow Pea said, “Too bad you couldn’t come with us.”
Button chuckled, “It’s okay. I went to my first Crystal Faire with your mother before I became king. Of course, this was when Snow Pea was with us.”
LB said, “Wait, I thought you said this was our first Faire!”
“Well, it kind of is because when your mother and I went, she was pregnant with Snow Pea.”
“Oh. That makes sense.”
“Hey, Snowy, that’s a nice tiara you have there. Where’d you get it?”
Snowy answered, “From a pony who gave Aunt Sunny and me mystery boxes.”
“Aunt Sunset was there? Boy, I’m missing out on a lot of stuff!” He then sighed playfully, “Makes me wish I was a colt again.”
Sweetie Belle smirked, “Oh, so you can run around the palace again and play by the seashores?”
He chuckled, “I do that with the girls all the time.” He then asked his daughters, “Don’t we?” 
The girls agreed with him before Snowy asked, “Dad, do you have a spell book or something?”
Button was genuinely confused and asked, “Why do you need it?”
“Because…the tiara’s stuck on my head.”
This surprised Button as Sweetie explained, “She and Sunset were trying on the jewelry they got from their mystery boxes and now the tiara’s stuck on Snowy and the bracelets are on Sunset.” 
Button asked, “Well, who was the pony who gave you and Sunset those boxes?”
Snowy explained, “She had a blue coat, reddish-pink eyes, and a blue mane with streaks…Oh! And she was wearing a red pendant on her neck.” 
Now it was Sweetie’s turn to be surprised. Immediately, she asked, “Was it a crystal and what shape was it?”
“Yes, and the shape of it was…” 
Just as she was trying to explain the shape, the center ruby of the tiara projected a hologram of the pendant the vendor was wearing. All four members of the Marendelle royal family were shocked by this development. 
Snowy regained her senses and pointed to the hologram as she said, “Yeah, like that!” 
Button exclaimed, “This is incredible, Snow Pea! I’m going to search the books for information about the tiara now!”
Sweetie asked, “But what about your paperwork?”
“I’m the king. I’m making this my main priority because this is powerful magic. We can’t let it fall into the wrong hooves. Keep Snow Pea safe until I can catch the next boat to the mainland. See you when I get there!” Just like that, his face rippled out of view until it was replaced by the reflection of the three girls in the room. 
Sweetie Belle knew what this meant. Just after the guards had been sent out to find either Golden Mist or Pip, she was told about how the “fortune-teller” might’ve been a siren all this time. When she saw the hologram of the pendant that belonged to the pony who gave her daughter and Sunset the jewelry, she started to suspect that this vendor, too, was a siren. Button had a right to make this his top priority. Yet, she was confused, for why did the possible-siren give her daughter and older sister items of great power? 





After her daughters went to sleep, Sweetie Belle met with the rest of the grown-ups in the conference room. She asked when she saw Apple Bloom’s discouraged face, “No luck finding Pip?”
AB spread her arms and exclaimed, “We couldn’t find him anywhere! Why’d he have to go that siren gypsy in the first place?” She sighed as Applejack and Scootaloo put their hooves on her shoulders.
Applejack told her, “I know this can be tough for ya, but do ya trust that Pip’s gonna be all right?” 
Apple Bloom looked at her sister with glistening eyes and she whispered, “Yes. I just want him to be safe and sound, that’s all.”
Fluttershy said, “We all want that for our loved ones, too. I often wonder if Discord’s okay under Zecora’s care. I worry about Screwball, too.”
Shining Armor added, “I think it’s safe to say that we can all get worried about our family and friends, especially our children. I went through that with Cadance.” He placed a hoof on hers and she looked at him lovingly. 
Twilight said, “You’re not alone. Even with a nation to run, I always put my family first.”
Sunset wrapped her hoof on Twilight and said, “So do I. As do we all.” The rest of the family agreed.
Suddenly, a blue-green mist crept into the room. A faint, ethereal singing could be heard as the smoke filled the entire room.
Pinkie was the first to sway under its spell. She said drowsily, “Oh, boy. I’m getting sleepy all over. Sleepy in my head, sleepy in my eyes, sleepy…*yawns*…in my…legs…” 
She collapsed onto the floor and Cheese followed suit, saying, “I think I need a pillow.” His eyesight was getting blurry from the tiredness, so he prodded Pinkie’s body, mistaking it for a pillow. He sighed tiredly, “Ah…There’s one. Night-night.” He then placed himself on Pinkie’s body and slept on her.
While the rest of the ponies in the room collapsed, Sunset miraculously was the only one wide awake. She said, “What…What’s going on? Hello? Anypony? It’s the mist! It’s making you fall asleep! You have to get up!” 
But this was to no avail and she looked out the window to see the blue-green mist blanketing the Crystal Empire and making its way beyond. It eventually brought all of Equestria under its deep, dark curse.