I look up and all I see is white. It’s what I’ve been looking at for the last few months and I know there’s a good chance it’ll be the last thing I see. The bed I’m in is soft and the covers are cool. Each day I’m more tired than the last. Each day I sleep more than I mean to. Too many days pass by without my knowledge or consent. Too fast, I think. Much too fast.
Outside my door I can hear Sombra waiting to come in; his hooves gently clop against the marble in the hall. They’ll let him in soon enough. They always do. I like to see him, same as I always have. The hard part is thinking of excuses that won’t hurt him.
Quiet times like these make me think of how everything settled down.
“Pony Gate,” it was called—the day I returned to Earth with several thousand ponies and a handful of humans by my side (even a few well-hidden Changelings I had no idea existed at all). Upon our arrival, most of the world was aghast and in desperate need of answers. Twilight Sparkle was the one that fronted the large mass of displaced ponies, describing in detail the horrors they’d only just escaped from.
Once it was assessed that these new colorful creatures had no harmful motives in mind, they were allowed to live in society like everyone else. The existence of pegasi and unicorn meant that new jobs would be created; most Earth ponies matched the strength of full grown human males, making them worthwhile laborers.
I’d rather not sugarcoat everything. The assimilation of talking ponies into the human race took time—a great amount of it. Even now, decades later, there are still those that discriminate against them. I just so happened to be in attendance at the first pony/human wedding. Odd Bob from the train and that mare from the Empire were to be the first ever to tie the knot. I don’t believe I’ve ever been so uncomfortable in all my life.
Although Twilight never became her original self again, through the combined efforts of highly renowned mathematicians and scientists, she was eventually able to enter her old Equestria. Once there, she spent several weeks with her brother and sister in law, as well as her mentor and her sister. She told me she had long talks with her original self, delving into all that’s happened in their lives. Once her and Discord’s relationship was explained, the original Twilight tried her best to hold down her lunch. As far as I know, alt-Twilight and Discord are still a couple.
It didn’t take long before I became the center of attention; why suddenly you looked outside your kitchen windows to find a talking unicorn galloping up the street with teeth whiter than a dentist’s. In just a day, I had changed the course of humankind for good, bring with me a race of beings from an unknown universe. I had to speak with many officials in the government, and after those talks ended, I spoke with many people in the press. Thinking strategically, I soon hired myself a lawyer and an agent.
The semi-autobiographical Lazy Sombra: Or Why You Might Be Living Next To A Pony Now remained on the bestseller list for well over a decade. I hired a ghostwriter for the project, using a series of interviews to get to the meat of the story. In less than a year, I made more money than I could spend in a lifetime. And, yes, I even brought Sombra to work with me to tell my boss just what I thought of him. Still colt-sized, Sombra wasn’t as threatening as I’d first imagined he’d be.
Reception of the book was good, though most reviewers had a problem with the last half’s abrupt spiral into darkness. All I could say to that was: “that’s just the way it happened.”
Sombra remained as small as a colt for over two years and it took six months to regain basic control of his magic. I spent most of that time writing my book and cashing in checks. After becoming a bestseller, I sold the condo and moved into a vastly larger home in the middle of the woods. I never was a big fan of the bustling city.
That large house is where I am now; in a corner room with large bay windows. At the moment, a gentle rain patters against the glass. I’ve always enjoyed the sound of rain.
It was during this two-year period that I invited Twilight and her friends over to my new home. Together, we celebrated Christmas (or Heart’s Warming Eve, or whatever they called it) and I still consider it one of the best times of my life. Still adorably small at the time, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle made Sombra an honorary Cutie Mark Crusader. It was the first time I’d noticed his complete lack of butt tattoo.
Even fighting as he had, mini-Sombra had little option but to join with the three—tea parties and sing-alongs and all. On Christmas Day, he awoke to find something new stamped on his butt. I honestly had no idea he was so talented at doing nothing at all.
The first few hours between Sombra and I and Twilight and the rest were tense. The fact that both sides had tried to trick or kill the other only months ago (some successfully) made for a rather awkward reunion. Discord, thankfully, knew which direction to go, as he teleported behind the bar to make sure everyone had a strong drink close to their hooves.
Ever since Discord played himself in the film adaptation of Lazy Sombra, he’s been enjoying a hit and miss career in the entertainment industry. Calling The Amazing Race not as amazing as it could be, he created a new TV show entitled “Discord’s Even More Amazing Race Across Time and Space”. The show lasted a lone episode and not one of the twenty-four contestants have been seen again. When questioned on their whereabouts, Discord always replies much the same. “They’re safe,” he says, “For now.” Then he always winks.
As I watch the rain patter against the glass in my too large home, the door to my room opens. A second later, Sombra sets his oversized head on my hand, and without even looking at him, I know he’s upset.
“Hey, Steve.”
It takes me some effort, but I turn to face him. “Hey, Sombra. How’s it going?”
He adds a hoof to the side of my bed. “It’s going okay, I guess. I’ve just been bored lately.”
“You could ask Greg if he wants to spend time with you, or his wife.”
He looks away from me. “I don’t think they like me very much.”
“How? You’ve only just met them.” I chuckle. “You didn’t eat their cat, did you?”
“No. But there was an incident with a gerbil you might not have heard about…”
I should be mad, or at least a little bit peeved. Instead, I laugh again, making Sombra’s ears perk up.
“I’d rather hang out with you, Steve,” he tells me. “Are you feeling any better today?”
Now it’s me who needs to look away. “I’m… tired, Sombra. I’m not as young as I used to be.”
Using the hand under his head, I awkwardly scratch Sombra’s chin. It does little to quell him, as both of his large eyes take on a glossy appearance.
He says quietly, “I’d really appreciate it, Steve, if you got up and played with me. We just got a new game in the mail today that I haven’t played yet. Even you might be good at it.”
I smile. “I haven’t held a controller in years, Sombra. My fingers barely move.”
“You could watch me play, then. Sit next to me like you used to.”
A tear hits the hand I’m scratching him with. I pretend not to notice it.
He asks, “Could I order you not to die, Steve? I used to give out orders all the time.”
I shake my head against my pillow. “I don’t think it works like that. Plus, I think it’s about time. I’m a hundred and forty-six years old. I’ve outlived my wife by sixty years. I’ve outlived more relatives than I can count. I’m the oldest living person in the world by decades. And I have a feeling some of that that has to do with you, doesn’t it?”
Sombra closes his eyes. A few more tears fall to the covers. “I tried, Steve. I really did. I wanted you to become immortal, like me, so we could hang out some more, but it didn’t work.” He opens his eyes and pleads to me, “I could try again, if you’d like. I’m sure I could think of something that could make you stay—that could make you live longer.”
I try to sit up, but find the movement too much work. “As much fun as it sounds to blow up from an untested spell, I think I’ll pass. You never made blowing up sound all that fun.” I lean back in my pillow. I say more to myself, “To think my pet pony’s going to outlive me.”
Sombra grins. “I was never your pet, Steve.”
“Then I was never your slave. So maybe I was your friend, all along?”
He sniffles. “Friends don’t leave friends alone, Steve.”
“I’m sure you’ll make a new friend.”
“I have trouble making friends. You’ve been my only friend so far.”
I roll my eyes. “Are you saying we both could’ve done better in the friend department?”
He ignores my last statement. “Remember the second time we went to Equestria, Steve?”
I exhale sharply. “Please, don’t remind me. I thought our first adventure was bad enough.”
Sombra hitches in a breath. “I never said thank you, Steve, for coming to get me before. You didn’t do all that much—since I still died in the end—but, I guess I should say thanks that you tried.”
I look at him, and feel my own tears welling in my eyes. “I’ve known you for a hundred and twenty years now, and I think that’s the first time you’ve said that to me. I must finally be rubbing off on you. If only you’d stop eating so much and playing violent videogames.”
He waits a long while, before telling me, “I’m going to miss you, Steve.”
“I’ll miss you, too, Sombra. But you’ll feel better, in time. I know you can make a new friend. You only need to stop being such a self-centered dick.”
He smiles thinly. “I think it would be easier if you stopped dying and spent some more time with me.”
I pat his head. It takes me a while, but I do. “I think I’m going to sleep now, okay? If you want, you can come and see me tomorrow and maybe I’ll be up for a game. All right?”
“Okay. I guess.” He slowly takes his head from my hand, pausing halfway to the door. He turns. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”
I nod. “You sure will.”
He closes the door behind him and I close my eyes, the gentle beat of the rain soothing me to sleep.
That’s the last time I see him.
Even after everything we’ve been through, I never really hated him.
***
For the past two months, my great-great-great Grandfather’s pet pony has been doing nothing but sleeping and crying. He sits all day long in his battered and duct-taped monstrosity of a couch and asks where Steve’s gone every time someone enters the living room.
The answer is simple, really. Steve’s dead. He’s been dead for a while. Hell, Sombra even attended his damn funeral. How could he not understand where he went to?
Thus far, my wife’s been the only one that’s made any progress with him. For hours, she’ll sit next to him on his couch, holding his leaking head in her hands, telling him things will get better. It’s still all so weird to me. I was born into a world full of humans and ponies (I also happen to be related to the one individual responsible for all that, but let’s not go there), and the knowledge that ex-King Sombra will not only outlive me, but could possibly live forever, I find more than unsettling. Why hasn’t anyone carved up the guy to see what makes him tick? What could the price on immortality be?
My wife and I moved into Grandpa Steve’s lavish home six months before he died. By that point he was already tied to a bed, so most of the house became ours. What Steve wanted from us was simple: take care of his pony and you’d never need to work another day in your lives. Enjoy the home, enjoy the pool, enjoy the flat screen TV and the early retirement, but make sure you take care of his pony. Feed him. Entertain him. Make sure he doesn’t choke on a chip and die. Can he die? I read in that book of Steve’s that he’s already been blown to bits twice. Maybe I’ll need to test that theory one of these days…
Anyways.
It’s all so very weird, isn’t it? Like one of those contracts some unfortunate character signs at the beginning of some cheap horror flick. It always sounds simple enough, but it is ever really that simple?
Regardless, Grandpa Steve does have the largest videogame collection I’ve ever seen. Which according to his will, actually means it’s mine now. And Sombra’s, I guess.
At the moment, Sombra’s on his couch, curled into a ball and whimpering to himself. I’d console him if I could, but the one time I tried, it ended with a helicopter ride to the nearest ER. So, for now, I let him do whatever he wants.
I pick out the first game from the shelf and pop it in—a first person shooter that looks nearly identical to the rest—and I begin the first mission. I’m terrible, but I’m not surprised. It’s been years since I’ve played anything besides the likes of Candy Crush.
What makes me nearly drop my controller is when Sombra asks me something.
“What did you say?” I ask.
Sombra stares at me from his couch, red-eyed with his trademark frown. “What are you playing, Not Steve?”
I pause the game and turn to him. “It’s a shooter and I already can’t remember the title. And just to set things straight, my name’s isn’t Not Steve, all right? It’s Greg. These are things you already know.”
He doesn’t answer me, and instead goes back to watching me play on the TV. When I pop someone’s head off with a sniper rifle, he giggles to himself.
“Are you laughing because I just killed someone, Sombra?”
He continues to watch. “No, Not Steve, only because you’re so bad at this game.”
I sigh. “Well, I just started playing, so—”
Sombra leaves his ratty old couch and comes over to mine. “Move over and let me play. I can only stand to watch your poor skills for so long.”
I slide over, clearing some space. I think this is the first time we’ve ever been on the same couch together.
He hovers a controller in front of him, joining the campaign I’m on. In less than a minute, he’s taken out half of the enemies, one shot kills all around. His giggles soon turn into a full laugh.
The mission ends and we wait in silence at the loading screen. Out of the corner of my eye, I see his smile fade as his chin starts to quiver.
He keeps watching the screen. He timidly asks, “Will you scratch my head, Not Steve?”
I tilt my head a bit. “You only let my wife do that before.”
He doesn’t respond, his eyes glancing in my direction.
I put the poor pony out of his misery and grab a chunk of his mane between his ears. If this was all a trap to devour my hand and crunch my bones, I knew my limitless bank account would always cover my new robot hand. This is 2135.
The next mission starts and Sombra plays the course by himself, my one hand busy scratching his skull. I try not to stare as his chin quivers again.
He works on the words for close to a minute, but eventually he asks, “Will you be my friend, New Steve?”
“As long as you stop calling me that.”
“Okay, Steve.”
Sombra slumps into my side and continues to play, happily overthrowing enemies left and right. From the reflection off the screen, I see the faintest of smiles on his face. I know I should feel happy for the little pony. Instead, I can’t help but ponder the horrible ramifications of what I’d just agreed to.
In a matter of minutes I’d somehow become the new Steve.
That ending made me have feels. This was a great read, I enjoyed it very much.
Holy shit. Ten out of ten, made me feel so many different things. This was an emotional roller coaster that I loved.
Thank you.
Thanks for the story
Standing Ovation.
Completely glad I got to read this story from beginning to end.
I have to go find another Sombra avatar to celebrate this.
bittersweet.
I have to say, I really enjoyed this story. I looked forward to the updates and now there not going to be there. I will miss them. I would have found it interesting to explore a world with ponys. But maybe that's a another story to be told...later.
You know, there were a thousand ways to go with this story. It surely changed, Steve. But the dark stuff was actually rather well written. Especially the giant monster that broke its own limbs to re-arrange itself, Steve. It was creepy... More than many stories that try really hard to be creepy. Yeah, you said Steve way toooooo much in this story, but that gave it a style/character and I'm cool with it.
Now, next story is Twilight and Discord's child, Disparkable.
Good fucking show, Discord. Well-played you evil Chaos God snake-thing.
Well done. A very emotionally turning story that really grabs at you. A very good read.
In which I went to thumbs up a story and was disappointed to find I couldn't, on account of I already had.
why can't i thumb it up again
I see what you did there
this story, the perfectly timed music in the background, man, falcon punches to the feels hurt.
I do wish to receive more of this goodness you have made or will make.
That was both a sad but good ending. I got the feels from it. Bravo to your editor. Go send him or her pizza!
So Sombra will be taken care of by Steve's for generations.
What a lazy butt.
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Great ending, fluid time-lapse, likable characters. For fucks sake this is perfect.
Its been a ride, and one that I've enjoyed greatly. Thanks for the smiles, the laughs, and the most importantly the feels, Mr. Author.
Hope somebody can give to you what you've given to us so readily.
5993313 I was about to link you to this in skype, but then i saw your comment...
This was a goddamn amazing ending, thank you. I actually cried at the end, the ending so was so emotional
My hats off to you for being able to take us through dark world and back to a light hearted ending.
This was a fun story, I'll have to read it again . . . later.
Rest in peace Steve
Press F to pay respects
F
for some reason I always see this guy when I hear the name Steve static.businessinsider.com/image/538e0625ecad04273772a1ef/image.gif
Great Sombra story as always. Excitingly awaiting your next creation.
This ending gave me feels. RIP Steve. Your memory lives on in your genes. Though, it would have been hilarious if it was mentioned that, due to Sombra using pony magic to make Steve live longer, that affected his DNA, and his children came out half-pony, half-human, and with 3 biological parents-1 mom, 2 dads.
>be me
>see this story's epilogue is up
>open the epilogue
>get buried in an avalanche of feels
>mfw
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You... son of a bitch... why... just..why?
I have a lot of feelings I didn't know this story could give me.
That was great.
Story's plot and character development were fucking legendary, definitely top 5 of all time for me, please for fucks sake keep this amazing shit up, and until next time, Stay Classy m8
Fuck...just...fuck man. That was a ride. I had seen this story pop up hear and there in the feature box for sometime, but never gave it a read. Then for whatever reason I decide to read it at its final update. And...
Wow. I can say I thoroughly enjoyed it. Just...the comedy was brilliant, nothing felt forced, and the pace was good without the need to extend unnecessarily. I admit, it turned dark rapidly, and Luna's death was a serious bummer. In then end, it became a very bittersweet story that seemed to have the necessary ending for this train ride.
Bravo good sir. I can honestly says that your story is one of the few that hit me right in my feels.
Liked and faved.
This story has ended up becoming much greater than I hoped it would.
My final verdict? I reversed my thumbs-down rating without a second thought.
While the aforementioned change felt too sudden and unexpected, the story as a whole still definitely deserves a thumbs up.
I think I would have preferred the other "bittersweet" ending, personally.
Another great story completed and enjoyed.
It is one of the best stories I have ever read. Nothing else to say, really.
That was a nice and fitting epilogue to a good story which in the end became a bit of a rollercoaster with its comedy and dark tags.
And I wouldn't change a thing about it, it was a fun ride the whole time!
A few chapers back, I joked I wanted to get off the dark Mr Bones-esuq ride that this story was.
Now I wish it hadn't ended.
Like dis if you cry evry tme
Jesus Christ, dude. You went from an absurd comedy to making me drunkenly sob like a bitch at the end.
Thank you, sir, may I have another?
5993613
5994786 I'm admitting it right now. I cried a good bit and for some reason only out of my right eye...odd. Anyway, I loved it, even if I turned into a ball of sadness at the end.
I would have figured that Sombra'd go meet with Hades to ask for his Steve back. You know, because they're both from cartoons? Hercules got a spinoff, right?
Fuck the feels at the end of this... why do this to me
This is a great ending. Honestly, diving into this story, I was expecting some kind of senseless fun involving witty banterings and whatnot. Then it turned into something dark, and stuffs went downhill from there. And I like every moment of it.
And I love the ending. I really,really do. This is the kind of ending that'll make you smile in a happysad way.
5994786 Sorry about that. Sometimes we hurt the ones we love. In this case, the audience.
5994779 Click.
5994715 Never be sad something ends. Always be happy it happened at all. And you never know. There's always ways for more stories: What happened in the first seven months of Steve's and Sombra's relationship? What happened after a thousand ponies popped outta nowhere and Discord took over the condo with mini-Sombra? Did Twilight ever get Sombra a card saying "Sorry for blowing you up. Again."? Does grandson Greg ever get the last slice of pizza ever again?
5994556 Thank you for saying so. It's about as weird as I can get, I think.
5994551 Thank you very much for saying so. That's pretty high accolades, indeed.
5994526 Glad to hear it!
5994461 You're probably not alone in thinking that.
5994455 Thank you for that. If I would've known how the story would've evolved near the beginning, I would've tried hinting at what was to come earlier on. But, it is what it is. Warts and all. Thanks for reading until the end.
5994381 Thank you very much! That's very nice to hear.
5994315 As I've said in other stories, I have trouble writing straight comedy. Also, I really don't think I'm all that funny. (Which is why nearly all of my earlier work is as dark as they come.) I can do goofy one-shots, but if I spend a lot of time on a single story, I tend to dramatize the hell out of it. Comedy/dark/drama/tears. Why not.
And don't fell bad about ignoring stories. I saw "Memoirs of a Royal Guard" in the box a hundred times before reading its wonderful goodness. Silly, silly me.
5994299 I will try my best to stay classy. Although my attempts at growing a mustache have thus far been unsuccessful. Imagine Micheal Cera with a mustache, if you will.
5994186
5994174
5994148 You are not alone in the feels department. I am not afraid to admit I teared up quite a bit while writing that last part, although I always thought it was important to keep in.
5994108 Hmm. I never thought about pony/human children... probably because it sounds absolutely terrifying.
5994019 Thank you! Now if I only knew what the hell to do next...
5993987 RIP Steve. The bringer of food and head scratches.
5993954 I couldn't end things on a bad note, could I? Not after all that. I'm not George R. R. Martin, for Pete's sake. (Oh, wait. I did kill Luna.)
5993891 You're not alone with your tears. The idea of losing a lifelong friend and then finding another one always sounded interesting, but also sad. Thanks for reading.
5993868 ... maybe I meant the two chapters before the epilogue of infinite sadness.
5993858 Just send me a three-foot tall sarcastic Sombra and we'll be even. Glad you enjoyed the ride.
5993823 Thank you! It was a fun project to write. A very different one, as well.
5993817 The never ending Sombra curse. "Here son, look what I got you for Christmas!" "What? A puppy?" "No. A Sombra. Forever and ever. Have fun." "Please, Dad! No! Anything but that!" "Sorry, son. No tag backs. Now go play with your new friend and engage in witty banter." Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
5993810 One last daw for the road.
5993795 I'm only human. A human that re-reads a lot of comments.
5993787 I think the second thumb is voice activated. Just shout at your monitor until it pops up. Thanks for the comment!
5993746 I think most people were expecting something close to that. Otherwise the dark story would've ended on an even darker note.
5993717 Discord will always try to get what he wants, usually without telling you exactly what he wants.
5993684 Thank you for saying so. I'm happy it ended on a good note.
5993613 You would've hated the original title: Steve the Steve Steve. I'll need to go count how many times I say Steve. Perhaps a thousand times total. I'm happy the creepiness worked. The best types of horrors are the ones that live in shadows, rarely giving us a glimpse of all of them. Or... that's what I'll be going with.
5993477 I don't dare commit to anything, but you never know. Maybe a Christmas special. Thanks for reading another one of my stories!
5993399 The best flavor to end on.
5993380 Thank you for saying so! And on that note, all avatars should be of Sombra. Always.
5993337 You are welcome. Thanks for reading.
5993326 You're welcome. I'm glad the coaster didn't completely crash, even if a few wheels may have fallen off during the ride.
5993319 Come on now. Everyone knows it's: Raiders, Crusade, Temple, one-two skip a few, Crystal Skull.
5993313 It definitely ended with a lot more feels than it began. Glad you read it until the end.
I like not/new/steve, sounds like a cool guy.
5995368
So what exactly made you choose this ending, instead? I admit, I don't really understand the reasoning in the author's notes to the epilogue.
Well, no, that's not quite true. The other ending may have been a bit flat, but on the other hand, this one is just ever so slightly too... pat. Everything just resolves itself a bit too nicely. Yeah, the ending is still sad, but it's the forced kind of sad, because what actually happens, story-wise, isn't that sad of an ending at all. The alternate ending, on the other hand, would have grown organically from the story itself as it happened - a logical and thematically harmonious conclusion to it, even if it would have been less satisfying on an emotional level. So I guess you could say that I don't really understand it from a writing perspective, even though I understand it emotionally.
You used the word Steve about 490 times....
5995281 I think that's what a lot of people were expecting. So why not try something a little different. Not many stories that I know of start so white and then slide right into black, hardly looking back. Glad you liked the ending!
5995383 I made him a little more of a dick than Steve was. Sombra might have a little more trouble winning him over than original Steve. Steve was basically a pushover from beginning to end. RIP.
5995499 Upon reflection, that would've made a good scene with the mane six and Steve. Maybe for another story or Christmas special. This is the second time I've started a comedy story that went dark, so I really shouldn't promise a strict comedy anytime soon. Damn dark thoughts creeping in...
5995519 That sounds about right, Steve.
5995472 Either ending would've missed out on some stuff. And until a week ago, the ending would've remained as the first one. Also, as a lover of darker material, it's still my more preferred ending. I guess I may have gone with the final ending for a few reasons. 1. It's more humorous and allows for a few last minute jokes. 2. It gives me room to explore in case I want to continue the story at some point. 3. It completes Discord's storyline. Otherwise he would've done all that work for basically nothing, besides a few laughs from annoying Steve so much.
But I would agree. It's a little too perfect. Then again, I'm sure alt-Twilight and friends spent quite a few years in therapy once on Earth.
5995622
I guess I can see where you're coming from there, but, to be honest, given the tone of the last few chapters, I think more humor was the completely wrong thing to shoot for. It's the absolute last thing that I'd have considered fitting at that point, or necessary to the story. I suppose I can understand why you'd want to end the story on a bit of the same note with which it started, but I still don't really like it a lot.
Considering that's really pretty much the whole reason his character ever does much of anything, I think he wouldn't really have needed anything more than that. It's really one of the things I think writers here don't appreciate enough - one of the things about purposeless chaos is that it implicitly also isn't interested in payment. In the same way that Discord doesn't really care about the consequences of his actions, he also oughtn't be interested in profiting from them - just that they happen. That's just my personal opinion on it, though.
Anyway, as a final statement: to be frank, I usually don't think much of "alternate endings" to stories, because I think they water down the impact of the ending just by having them... but, in all honesty, in this case I think the ending is watery enough by design that the story would profit from it if you did one regardless. Just a last thought of mine to this.
5995622
What happened to Queen Chrysalis?
I don't get it. Elaborate.
What? You say something "new" yet you don't say what it is.
Reversed Gender Equestria?
Pfffft whaaaat? Nah President? Naaaaaaah!
The best...
I kinda started crying in the middle of the ending and epilogue. Thanks...
Thanks for running with your ideas, dark as they may have been. When the tone started to shift, I was worried that the story would fall apart and the ending wouldn't be as satisfying. I was clearly very, very wrong.
Marvelous work. You got a few tears from me in the end, and I know I'll read this story again and recommend it to any who ask. It was a hell of a ride.