Innocent

by Puzzle Piece

Act I: Chapter Nine: Settling In

A cool breeze carried sweet birdsong through the open window, and with it, the start of the day. Jason rolled over and tried to stop the dream from fading. But the harder he tried, the faster it slipped away, until it was finally lost. Even just waking up, he couldn’t recall more than a vague impression of what it had been about, but he knew he hadn’t wanted it to end. He savored the last of the feelings it had caused as his mind came fully awake.

He watched the shadows on the ceiling dance and play as a branch outside swayed to and fro. The wind played a simple melody as it passed by and the shadows kept time. He glanced outside and could see that the sun had just risen over the mountains. The walls were painted starkly by the beams that were cast across the room…

Room? Hadn’t he fallen asleep outside?

He shrugged and figured Princess Luna wouldn’t have left him out in the cold all night. He said a silent thanks to her for that. He swung himself out of bed and paused for a moment to look down at his hooves. It was still a bit of a strange sight but he was getting used to it. He heard the clatter of smaller hooves in the hall. They descended the stairs and Apple Bloom’s exuberant voice carried back up to him.

“‘Morning Applejack!”

The reply was indistinct but warm. Jason headed down to the main floor himself. Apple Bloom was seated at the table gulping down a hearty breakfast. Applejack and Granny Smith were bringing their own meals in from the kitchen.

“Hiya Jason. How you feelin’?” Applejack asked.

“Much better, Applejack. Very much better.” They exchanged a smile. “Any chance I could get something to eat?”

“Sure thing. I left a few things in there. I’d planned on bringin’ ‘em up to you if you didn’t join us, but since you're here, ya’ll can go ahead and help yourself.”

Jason nodded and entered the kitchen. A short stack of pancakes and a jar of syrup, a glass of apple juice, a big red apple, and a fresh muffin waited for Jason on the counter. It seemed that Applejack had been serious about preparing him a meal. He shook his head with a smile. At this rate, he was going to start being a nuisance with all of his thanking. As he carried the food back to the dining room, he caught sight of Apple Bloom’s tail disappearing out the door.

“See ya after school!” she yelled as she raced out into the yard.

Applejack turned her attention to Jason again. “Well, what do ya reckon yer plan is today?”

“Hmmm. Well, I need to find Cor and Zacon. I didn’t take yesterday very well, but Zacon was livid. I’d like to do something to help him deal with it.” He chewed on his muffin thoughtfully.

Applejack nodded. “I think we can put somethin’ together to make him feel more comfortable. Now, what can we do to show him Ponyville ain’t half as bad as he says?”

“I was thinking that you and your friends might be able to come together with a few things that he’d appreciate. For example, you’ve served food that he had no complaints about. That’s significant for sure. A lunch set up especially for him would take the edge off of things.”

“You know, I think I can manage that.”

They continued to talk through breakfast, exchanging ideas and making plans. Afterward they set about contacting their friends to bring it all together. The whole while, Granny Smith watched them and smiled at her granddaughter fondly.

~*~*~

Rainbow Dash hovered high in the air over Ponyville, scanning the roads for any sign of her quarry. She passed over Sugarcube Corner and shook her head at the ponies below.

Twilight sighed as Dash flew off again. It had been nearly a day since anypony had seen Cor or Zacon. Nopony knew where they had gone or even which direction to start searching in. They could only wait and hope they would be back.

Pinkie Pie was entertaining herself at the door by bouncing a balloon at Gummy the Alligator and watching him snap at it. Applejack was inside putting the finishing touches on the buffet table with the Cakes. Rarity was upstairs, presumably fretting over some minor detail or another. Jason was sitting in the middle of the road with his eyes closed.

When Twilight had tried to ask him why he’d chosen that spot, he’d just shrugged. He’d been very unresponsive about the whole plan. And while he had insisted that Rarity and Pinkie be involved, he’d made it equally clear that it would be best if Fluttershy were not present. She was certain that Jason had a reason behind it all, but Twilight was at a loss as to what it might be.

Rainbow Dash swooped in again and hovered just off the ground.

“I saw them on the road coming out of the Everfree Forest. They’re on their way into town.”

Jason nodded but didn’t move otherwise.

“Well?” Dash waved her hooves in the direction she’d come. “Aren’t you going to do something?”

Jason shook his head.

“Jason?” Twilight approached him. “What is the plan?”

“The plan,” he said as he stood up at last. “Is for me to take Pinkie inside and start cooking.” He smiled at their expressions and walked into the shop. Pinkie let Gummy have the balloon and followed Jason inside.

Twilight and Rainbow were left outside in confusion.

“Why are we even doing this?” Rainbow asked as she settled to the ground. “Does it have something to do with the library blowing up?”

“It has everything to do with that.” She frowned. “And it didn’t blow up. It was just scorched internally and shaken by the blast.”

“Whatever. All I know is that in the middle of starting the rain, the whole place started going flash and bang and zap, and then the windows all blew out. I thought somepony had accidentally let loose a bunch of lightning bolts.”

“We had been trying to send them home.” She sighed. “Obviously, it didn’t work, and Zacon was very upset. Applejack said this was all about making him feel better.”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Make him feel better? Zacon?! You’d have better luck with a rock. He’s always so cold toward us. I don’t see why we’d even bother.”

“Rainbow, this is one of Jason’s friends. Zacon is not our friend, per se. But Jason is our friend, so we’re helping him with this because he thinks it’s important.”

“Fine. I just don’t see how us reminding him that he’s still here is supposed to make him feel better about not going home when he never liked us to begin with.”

Twilight couldn’t come up with a response. She had to admit that she was of the same mind. But she was going to trust Jason’s judgment on this. He did know Zacon after all. If he thought this would work, she’d defer to him.

“There they are,” Dash said, pointing.

Cor and Zacon turned the corner a block away and spotted them. Cor made his way over with the reluctant Zacon following in his wake.

“Hey there Rainbow. Hi Twilight,” Cor greeting. He glanced around. “Is something up or are we all just standing around?”

“No, we were just waiting for you two to turn up. We’re here to invite you to a little gathering we put together.” Twilight gestured toward Sugarcube Corner.

Zacon’s frown deepened into a scowl.

Cor smiled placidly. “We’d be happy to join you.” He nudged Zacon forward until he grumbled his own consent.

They walked together into the eatery. The main room was decorated in royal blue tablecloths and long, hanging banners. The lights were dimmed slightly and it gave the whole room a subdued feeling. Tables laden with food on silver platters were set up around the edges of the main floor space. Bright fruits and glazed treats glistened beside rich, ripe vegetables. Steaming pies and heaping salads towered over trays of crackers and sliced cheeses. The faint aroma of scalloped corn and baked potatoes wormed its way into the subconscious. Large mugs waited in orderly rows next to an array of punch bowls. Applejack and Mr. and Mrs. Cake stood on call beside the food.

“What is this?” Zacon asked slowly as he took it all in.

“It’s not exactly a party, but…,” Twilight said smiling.

“We heard how things went,” Applejack finished. “Ya’ll never seemed to be too pleased with things bein’ the way they were and when you didn’t get to go home yesterday like you planned, we figured it’d be right to try to make you feel more welcomed.”

“I…suppose this is…” Zacon’s eyes traveled around the room, still not sure what to make of it all. He settled for a nod of appreciation, deposited his axe by the door and started perusing the buffet.

Cor walked over to Applejack and took her aside.

“You did all of this for Zacon? Just to make him feel better about yesterday?” Cor sounded equally suspicious and impressed.

“It’s for you too I suppose.” Applejack grinned guiltily. “It’s just, Jason was kind of aimin’ to help his mood more since he would
probably need it.”

“True enough. That’s what I was doing myself while we were out there.” Cor looked back at Zacon, who had loaded four plates with food and was busy on a fifth. “This might be a bit over the top, but as long as it works, then whatever it takes, I guess.”

“By the way,” Applejack asked. “What was it exactly that ya’ll were doin’ out in the Everfree Forest?”

“Do you remember how you told me that it was unnatural?” he began. He waited for her nod before continuing. “For us, there’s nothing unnatural about it. Where we come from, all of nature works pretty much like it does in there.”

Her eyes widened. “How do you manage to live with that kind of chaos all the time?”

“To tell you the truth, we don’t see it as chaos. We see it as balance. It keeps itself in check for the most part. Even though it isn’t under our thumbs the whole time, it has its own kind of order. We’ve learned how it works and how to live alongside it.”

Applejack made a face and mouthed the word “thumbs”, but seemed to get the idea and nodded anyway.

“Since the Everfree is so similar to forests in our world, we went out there for the sense of familiarity. He just needed to be somewhere he understood, you see?”

“Of course. Everypony needs to feel like they know what’s goin’ on. He must feel like a fish out of water around here. And how ‘bout yourself?”

“Me? I can’t say I’m happy with the way things have gone but I’m not too upset either. I suppose I need to be getting back home so that I can…well, I am the crown Prince after all.” He laughed. “I’m sure they’d make a big deal about my absence, even though it’s a superficial role until a succession is called for. And Elves are immortal, so…” He trailed off smiling.

Applejack laughed along with him even though she looked a little unsure of some of the things he’d said.

They rejoined the rest of the group as they helped themselves to lunch. Zacon had ferried his food to a table with some help from Mr. Cake and was laying into it with gusto. Rainbow had taken her food to a table on the other end of the room and was watching Zacon warily. Twilight was trying somewhat lamely to engage Zacon in conversation. After he stopped to glare at her with a mouthful of food, she gave it up. She took a plate of food and settled down next to Applejack and Cor.

“He seems…less angry?” Twilight raised an eyebrow uncertainly.

Cor shrugged. “For him, that’s like dancing in the streets. I’ve been around him for a long time. Trust me; this is working.” He nodded at Zacon.

The others glanced over at him too. He was pausing to decide which plate to devour next. As he picked the one with half of the scalloped corn on it, they heard him groan in anticipation.

“Where is Jason anyway?” Cor looked around for his friend.

“He and Pinkie Pie went into the kitchen a few minutes ago.” Applejack said, gesturing toward the door in the back of the shop.

“He mentioned something about cooking,” Twilight added.

“Jason? Cooking?” Cor considered it. At last, he heaved an expansive shrug of acceptance. “I’ve given up on being surprised anymore. But does he really think we’ll need more food?”

“In fact, I do.” Jason had snuck up behind them unnoticed.

Mr. and Mrs. Cake cleared away the dishes that Zacon had finished with and he slumped in his seat contentedly.

“And here it comes.” Jason nodded to the kitchen door, which swung open at that moment.

Pinkie bounded into the room with a large serving dish balanced on her head. She came to a stop next to where Zacon waited and set the dish down in front of him.

Zacon looked at Pinkie suspiciously and then at the dish even more so. “What are you doing?”

“I’m serving you food, silly. Duh.” She giggled at him behind a hoof.

“I know that,” he said defensively. “What I want to know is why?”

“Why? Well, I started out thinking how I could get you to smile and then I decided the best way to get you to smile was to give you a friend to smile with. You have some friends already but you don’t seem to smile around them, so I thought you needed a new friend. Since I can’t make another pony be your friend, I figured I’d be the one to do it. I like making new friends anyway. Then I wondered how I could become your friend and that’s when it hit me: You like food!”

Zacon shifted awkwardly and glanced around at the debris from his meal. Cor made an effort to muffle his laughter.

“Applejack was already making a bunch of yummy things so I started thinking about what else you’d like to eat and I thought of cookies and candies and cupcakes and caramels and coconuts and popsicles. But none of them seemed right and I really wanted to be your friend, so I asked your friend Jason what he thought was a good idea. And he said ‘Well, I don’t know’ and I said ‘Aww, please?’ and he said ‘Alright’.”

Zacon was leaning back as far as he could without falling over backwards. Pinkie was bouncing up and down in excitement and had inched uncomfortably close as she spoke. Her words rushed on, heedless of any form of filter.

“So we went into the kitchen before you got here and we started making something. I don’t know what it was. I don’t think he said. But he magic’d something right out of the air. POOF! And then he told me how to prepare it. The meal that is, not the magic spell. And here it is!”

She pulled the lid off of the platter and a thick cloud of steam billowed out. Zacon’s eyes went wide and his nostrils flared sharply. He looked at Pinkie and then at Jason and then back at the dish in front of him. It was a mostly shapeless mass of pasty material that was a vaguely charred pink color. Cor made a face and looked at Jason questioningly. Jason just smiled and nodded back at Zacon. Zacon sat there, transfixed and inhaling deeply. Twilight and Applejack watched curiously and even Rainbow was paying close attention. Pinkie waited on baited breath for his reaction. Slowly, Zacon’s muzzle spread back into a wide, toothy smile and his eyes glittered with a feral hunger. Then he dove face first into the platter and gorged himself greedily. Pinkie stood beside him, smiling in the midst of the splattering goop.

“Okay, explain.” Cor made it sound like an order as he turned back to Jason.

Jason laughed as he responded. “It’s simple in the extreme and it’s also the most convoluted thing we’ve ever done.”

“Um, explain better.” Cor shook his head in bewilderment.

Jason pulled himself together and cleared his throat. “He can’t eat meat and it’s the one surefire thing that would make him happy. So I did the only thing I could. I made an artificial meat. I constructed all of the taste and smell of meat while keeping it edible to a pony. It’s even fully nutritious. It took some serious effort though. That kind of spell isn’t my specialty.” They hadn’t noticed before, but he really did look tired.

“Meat?” Applejack looked a bit queasy watching Zacon.

“Zacon is a Dragonite,” Jason nodded. “They eat meat almost exclusively. That’s part of why he was having trouble being a pony. And why I made a big deal about using food to help him deal with being stuck here. I decided not to make it look like meat for obvious reasons.”

Twilight and Applejack exchanged an uncertain glance as they watched the three visitors but made no comment. Despite the generous size of the dish, Zacon polished it clean with his tongue in a matter of minutes. He let his head rest on the table and sighed with satisfaction. The others spoke sparingly as they finished their lunch. Rainbow joined them after several minutes.

“Where’s Rarity? What could be taking her so long?”

“Maybe one of us should go check on her,” Twilight suggested.

“No need.” Rarity walked down the stairs and over to their table. “I’m sorry for keeping you waiting but I was worried I had used the wrong thread. It was only a trick of the light though.”

“Is everything ready?’ Jason asked.

“Yes, and I believe you will all be quite pleased with it. Shall I bring it down?”

Jason looked over at Zacon who was now lying under the table staring at what was left of the buffet with a wistful smile. He patted his visibly full stomach with one hoof and slowly twirled a plate around on the floor with another.

“Naw, let him sit for a while.”

Pinkie watched Zacon for a moment before jumping behind the buffet and picking random foods. She held them up for Zacon to see, trying to guess which one he wanted next. He shook his head lazily at most of them, but nodded at the cinnamon buns and peaches. The others watched in amusement. Zacon lifted himself up to the table once more while Pinkie brought him his choices. The two of them then began reducing the contents of the platters to crumbs. It seemed that, despite the amount of food they had already consumed, they had no trouble continuing to eat the large helpings.

“Okay, I can only watch him eat for so long.” Cor looked away from the display of gluttony. “What was it you were getting ready Rarity?”

“Oh, it’s the outfits you ordered.” Her horn lit up while she talked. “I was able to finish them during the evening yesterday, and since I had some extra time on my hooves, I decided to try a little something more. I think they turned out lovely.”

A clothes rack hung with coats and gowns floated down the stairs and came to rest beside them. Rarity picked out a pair of vests and tunics and held them out for Jason and Cor to see.

The first vest was jet black on the outside and had a tan interior lining that looked like fine cotton. Jason pulled it on to see the full effect. It was a bit stiff from not being worn before but it had a freedom of movement that Jason immediately warmed to. The leather was segmented and layered to move as individual pieces but cover each part of the body in at least two layers at any given place. Its foreleg guards were strips of leather that hung loose down to his knees. The body of the vest extended back to the croup and hung past his flank.

The matching tunic was black with silver stitching near the hems that flowed and swirled like wisps of wind. It was shorter than the vest and let some of the back and leg guards show. The collar was loose and wide, letting the outfit breathe and preventing it from overheating. Jason adjusted it here and there while admiring it.

Cor took the second vest and tunic and tried it on. The tunic was a woody brown with stylized leaves stitched in a soft green across the flank and sleeves. The collar was tighter than Jason’s and the sleeves were shorter. The color of the leather vest was unaltered and the style was nearly identical to Jason’s. The only difference, besides the decorative touches, was the guards on the forelegs were banded layers instead of hanging strips. Jason’s had abstract sweeping designs across his collar where Cor had a pair of lilies.

Both of them were more or less speechless and stumbled through their words of thanks awkwardly.

Rarity beamed. “It was my pleasure. And even though I don’t know anything about making armor, I think it turned out well enough with some help from a selection on the subject that Twilight was kind enough to lend me.”

Cor continued to gawk at himself. “That’s an understatement. This is some of the best workmanship I’ve seen in a long time.”

Jason nodded. “It’s got a certain feel to it.” He traced the stitching with a hoof. “You know, it’s that han…err, hoofmade touch.”

Cor got a grip of himself and bowed low to Rarity. “We are most grateful to you, Miss Rarity. Now, how much will these cost us?”

“You’re too kind. I knew you’d love…Wait, cost? Oh, heavens no! I wouldn’t charge you for these. They’re a gift.”

“You’re sure? We’re entirely willing to pay.” Cor looked at Jason, who nodded confidently.

Rarity shook her head. “Fashion is not about making money. It is the creation of beauty and expression through the art. Besides, I make enough money through other orders that I can treat my friends every now and again.”

Zacon made his way over from the remains of his table. Pinkie was draped over her chair with a dazed grin on her face and a glaze of sugar around her mouth. The table itself was empty except for the serving trays.

Zacon looked Cor up and down once. “It’s bad enough that you have to talk about ‘trees this’ and ‘forests that’ all the time. Do you really have to try to look like them now too?”

Cor just frowned at him.

“And now for yours, Zacon.” Rarity held up a third tunic.

“Wait, but I…I didn’t order one.” Zacon stammered in confusion.

“A fact that I couldn’t help but notice. So I took it upon myself to rectify that discrepancy.” She smiled.

Zacon just stared at her. Rarity waited a moment before holding it out to him.

“Are you going to try it on?”

“I’ll stay in my armor, thanks,” he said impassively.

“Oh, come on,” Jason said in exasperation. “She went through the effort of making something for you. At least try it. Think of the
rest of this stuff. It was better than you thought, right?”

She offered the tunic to him again, her smile obviously begging for approval. Zacon just considered her with all of the emotional expression of a rotting log. As his unblinking gaze bored down at her, Rarity’s smile became increasingly pleading.

“You’re not going to give up on this are you?” he asked dully.

She responded by turning her smile upside down and letting her lower lip stick out an absurd distance. Her eyes shone with tears and her lip quivered slightly.

“Fine, I’ll put it on once.” He rolled his eyes and grumbled something incoherent but certainly not nice about Cor and Jason. He flexed his shoulders and the armor slid off of him with a rattle of buckles and plates. It hit the floor with a clatter and he stepped away from it.

Rarity let out a squeal of delight and slid the tunic over his head. It fit like a second skin: tight but not constricting; flexible and yet still firm. He looked down at it in surprise. It wasn’t just comfortable; it was almost like having his scales back.

It was long, extending all the way to his hips and midway up his neck. The sleeves reached his elbows. The entire outfit stretched with his every movement and never felt strained. Even his muscular chest and shoulders were completely accommodated. He turned a full circle in an attempt to look at himself more closely.

The silver fabric rippled in the light and the faint gold stitching flashed. The design on the collar, chest, and shoulders resembled scales. Zacon was unable to speak through his amazement. He kept shifting his expression between gaping and smiling awkwardly. He realized how silly he was acting and forced a straight face.

“It’s…nice.” He tried to leave it at that but couldn’t contain himself. “But, how did you know?” He gestured at the tunic broadly.

“It wasn’t easy.” Rarity smiled at how off guard she had caught him. “The fabric is something of my own design that I’ve been working on for a few weeks now. It seemed to fit your needs perfectly so I decided you would be its first trial run. I hope it will be adequate.”

“It’s more than just adequate. This is next to divine.” Zacon was once more lost in wonder at the feel of the tunic. He flexed and stretched to his limits and the outfit matched his movements with ease.

“Oh, thank you. Now, the designs were tricky. I wanted it to be something more personal but you gave me very little to work with. Even so, I was able to pick up a few things from idle chatter that allowed me to create these images. And the size was a chore. You never let me take measurements after all. I had to use one of the largest templates I had and trust the fabric’s traits to take care of the rest.”

They were all silent for a moment as the warriors basked in the glow of their gifts. At long last, Cor cleared his throat.

“Thank you once more Rarity.” He bowed to her and she curtsied briefly in return. “And Zacon? How are you feeling about all this? Looking better now, isn’t it?” He nudged him teasingly.

Zacon groaned and rolled his eyes. “Sure, sure. It’s not hell.”

“YAY!” Pinkie burst into the air, raining confetti down on their heads. “That’s the best thing he’s said about us yet!” She hung in the air longer than was logically reasonable and put a hoof to her chin thoughtfully as she dropped back down. “At least I think it is. It’s so hard to tell with him. Do you like us? Are we your friends now?”

“No,” he said flatly. “But I will…tolerate you, I suppose.” He looked at the others and then away again quickly. “You aren’t as bad as I first thought,” he mumbled.

“That’s close enough for me!” Pinkie pulled everyone in the room together into one broad hug.

Zacon squirmed at first but resigned to his fate in the end. Twilight laughed at Pinkie’s antics right along with Cor and Rarity. Rainbow grinned at her while shaking her head in amusement. The Cakes smiled in mild embarrassment amidst the happy group.

Applejack and Jason were pressed cheek to cheek by Pinkie’s euphoric hooves. She could feel his smile as much as see it. Her rapid heartbeat echoed his as they kept time beside one another. When he tried to look around, their noses met and they both withdrew in surprise. She giggled and her cheeks turned bright red while he grinned like a madpony and laughed hesitantly.

When they all disengaged, they turned to the task of cleaning up. Zacon made himself scarce and took his armor, axe, and new tunic with him. Cor and Jason bused dishes into the kitchen and the Cakes and Applejack packed up the remaining food. Twilight and Rarity rearranged the furniture and cleaned up the floor while Rainbow took the decorations down. Pinkie seemed to help all of them at once, switching tasks faster than the eye could follow. Through it all, they couldn’t stop smiling.

When all was said and done, Cor and Jason walked out of Sugarcube Corner in high spirits. Zacon’s mood was improved enough that they weren’t worried where he’d run off to. Twilight informed them as they left that their other weapons were still at the library and that they would need to pick them up tomorrow. They promised they would and waved goodbye to their friends before heading back toward Sweet Apple Acres to get a few hours’ work in before nightfall.

Their plan was to lie low while Twilight put the materials they needed together. It would take a week or so, after which they could make another attempt at returning home. With the information gathered during the last trial, they could make whatever adjustments they found necessary. The intervening time was no problem for either Jason or Cor. With newfound optimism, they looked forward to spending time further exploring this world. And now that Zacon seemed to have found a way to cope with the fact that he was still in Equestria, they would be able to spend it in relative calm.

The mid afternoon sun smiled down at them and the friendly chatter of the ponies around them provided a relaxing backdrop as they walked. They had a clear road ahead, a light load to bear, and friends all around. What worries they had left behind and those they would likely return to were thoughts for another time. Now, it was time to enjoy a well-earned rest in the most peaceful place either of them had seen in decades.

~*~*~

The land of Equestria was spread out before him. Its rivers and lakes sparkled in the sunlight cast down from the azure sky. Wispy clouds drifted lazily over roads and fields, dragging their shadows with them. At this distance, miles away, the waving of the tree branches in the wind looked like the slow peaceful breathing of some huge sleeping creature.

In many ways, that is exactly what it was. The tiny villages and hamlets below were tucked away in the forests and hills at the base of the mountains like children at rest. Even the cloud city floating just above the distant horizon hardly hinted at commotion; tiny dots floated through the air, the Pegasi that lived there going about their day. Not one would be thinking of struggle or hardship. Few would even be able to truly conceive the concept.

To put it simply, the whole of the land was steeped in serenity and quiet.

Small, deep-set eyes, sitting high on the broad face, narrowed in disgust. He hated them all. He hated what they had. Most of all, he hated that it came to them so readily, so naturally, that to take their peace for granted was akin to breathing. It was something his people had never known.

They were survivors of a harsh and hostile land where strength meant life and even a hint of weakness meant certain, if not, instant death. Only those with immense fortitude and considerable courage could sustain themselves. And his people had endured for hundreds of years where countless others had not. There was no peace to be found there. To stop fighting, even for a few moments meant becoming prey to the watchful predators or succumb to the unforgiving elements.

Ironically, it was exactly this that put them in perfect position to take from Equestria what they had so long desired. At his signal, his troops descended from the heights and into the unsuspecting lands below.

Author's Note:

Thus ends Act I.