Episode 22: "Return of the King"
…
…
It was under cover of darkness when the summons had come to Starswirl and the rest of Equestria's pillars. They soon found themselves at the edge of King Vorak's former kingdom, now controlled by the Predacons.
Following the magic emulating from his horn, Starswirl gestured to the pillars to follow him along a small trail leading up into one of the mountains. And soon they found themselves standing in front of a large gravesite.
"What did the spirit say he wanted us to go to?" Somnambula asked, nervously flying next to Starswirl. "I see nothing but rocks."
"These are more than rocks, Somanmbula," Rockhoof protested as Flash Magnus raised a lantern over the site that they had been directed to. "It's a grave, lass. The final resting place of King Vorak."
"Indeed," Starswirl gloomily declared. "This was where his body was taken after the kingdom fell."
"But why would Vorak be buried here of all places?" Mage Meadowbrook wondered. "And what difference will it be if he wishes to come back to life? Resurrectin' the dead is somethin' no one's attempted, and for good reason."
"That doesn't matter, Meadowbrook!" Flash Magnus cried, looking back towards Vorak's castle. "We need all the help we can get. Now we've gotta work fast before any of those creatures come finding us. I'm getting a strange vibe."
"Then let's do what the spirit told us to do, lads and lassies!" Rockhoof declared, already starting to dig away at the grave of rocks as the rest of the pillars followed suit.
Rock after rock was pulled away and eventually, the grave opened. Immediately, the pillars were treated to a foul smell.
"Ohh, that's disgusting!" Rockhoof groaned.
Mage Meadowbrook, with equal disgust through her mask, added. "Starswirl, I can't breathe! Vorak's been here for far too long!"
Holding his breath, Starswirl proceeded to dig further. "This has to be him," Starswirl thought, picking up a stack of bones. "King Vorak!"
"It can't be!" Mage Meadowbrook protested. "Lord Tirek killed him! Princess Twilight said so!"
"His body was destroyed," Starswirl firmly replied. "But the spirit of him still lives and commanded us to retrieve what's left." Grabbing the bones, he quickly gathered them up.
"Starswirl," Somanmbula groaned, holding her nose with her hooves. "Can we…go now? The smell…it's getting to me!"
"Yeah!" Flash Magnus added with equal feeling.
Suddenly, Starswirl sensed something was coming towards them, followed by the sounds of growling. "Quiet!" He commanded, causing the rest of the pillars to become silent. "Someone's coming this way!"
"What is it, Starswirl?" Mistmane asked in a hushed voice, her own horn glowing in precaution. "Who's coming?"
"Trouble," Starswirl replied in a hushed voice. "We must go, now!"
Taking the bones in his aura, Starswirl realized that he and the rest of the pillars needed to leave. And so they did.
At that moment, Soundwave (in his panther beast mode) approached the mass grave. Seeing that it had been dug up, Soundwave transformed to robot mode and reported into his radio. "Grave has been breached," He said quietly into his radio. "Repeat, grave has been breached."
…
…
Asleep in his dragon beast mode in Vorak's former quarters, Megatron was awakened by the sounds of pounding on his bedroom door. Groaning, Megatron attempted to block out the noise with his dragon paws. But the beatings grew louder until he could no longer deal with the noise. "All right, all right!" He groaned, stretching out his metallic wings and yawning. "I'm coming! I'm coming! Can't the leader of the Predacons get some sleep around here?"
Walking up to the door, Megatron attempted to reach for the door handle but he couldn't do so in his dragon mode. "Megatron, terrorize," He said in a tired voice, transforming into his robot mode. "This better be good."
Opening the doors, Megatron saw Soundwave standing on the other side still in his beast mode. "What do you want, Soundwave?" He groaned. "If you are looking for…"
"The grave was dug up," Soundwave reported. "The bones of Vorak have been stolen!"
Megaton was taken aback by what he heard. "What?!" He cried, immediately woken up by this news. "What do you mean the bones were stolen?! By whom?!"
"There was an intruder, lord Megatron!" Soundwave answered.
"And you didn't stop them?!" Megatron thundered, slamming his dragon head into the side wall. "What's the matter with you?"
"I had to make my report, Lord Megatron! Intruders were already out of range." Soundwave protested, immediately transforming to his robot mode.
Disgusted, Megatron turned his back on the Panther Predacon. "Grogar warned us about this,"He growled. "And after he berated us on Terrorsaur and Laserbeak's actions too…"
Groaning further, Megatron disgustingly dismissed Soundwave by slamming the door in his face. Once he was alone Megatron sat back in bed, sighing in frustration. "Why do I even bother with these fools?" He muttered. "Good help is impossible to find these days. Yes."
…
Returning to the safety of his cave, Starswirl and the rest of the pillars took the bones of King Vorak back to Starswirl's cauldron as he looked into the large object.
"Are you still there, Vorak?" Starswirl asked and a faint groaning voice was heard. "I have what is left of your body."
"Thank you…" A voice cried out from inside the cauldron. "How much remains?"
"Only a few of your bones," Rockhoof answered. "You were placed in a mass grave."
The voice groaned, causing large ripples from inside the cauldron. "That son of mine. He'll pay for allowing my kingdom to be overrun and ransacked! Should this fail, my ghost shall haunt his nightmares for the rest of his life!"
Knowing what needed to be done, Starswirl placed the bones inside the cauldron and motioned for the rest of the pillars to step back as he began to chant an old Ponish incantation.
Shaking, the black cauldron shot out red energy and the sounds of a loud yell of anguish emerged, followed by a red claw. The sounds of the yelling and the revelation of the claw caused Somnambula to jump back in surprise!
A few moments later, an old centaur creature emerged from the cauldron, looking up at Starswirl and the pillars with remorse in his eyes.
"King Vorak," Starswirl said, taking off his hat in respect. "You have returned to the land of the living."
Climbing out of the cauldron, the old centaur king smiled gratefully at him. "Thank you for heeding my call, Starswirl," He replied in an equally grateful voice. "You don't know what this means to me."
Stepping on the surface, Vorak stumbled slightly as he tried to gain a feeling in his four legs. However, some of the pillars were suspicious of Vorak, particularly Somnambula who merely looked down at Vorak.
…
Meanwhile, up on the moon, Tirek was awakened suddenly from his sleep, sensing that something had happened. "Cozy…" He whispered to his daughter figure. "Cozy Glow…wake up!"
Opening one of her tired eyes, Cozy groaned in exhaustion. "What is it now, Tirek?" The alicorn wannabe asked while yawning. "Can't you see I'm trying to sleep?"
"I felt something." Tirek answered.
"You feel things all the time," Cozy bitterly remarked towards her father figure. "This is no different. Now go to sleep!"
"I'm serious!" Tirek protested, suddenly going over to Cozy Glow and placing his paws on her shoulders. "I think my father is alive!"
Rolling her eyes, Cozy Glow looked away in disgust.
"I'm serious!" Tirek cried in a whining voice. "Starswirl and the Pillars resurrected him! I've sensed it."
Brushing his hands off of her, Cozy didn't want to hear any more of this. "Starswirl and the Pillars can resurrect a whole herd of elephants for all I care, it won't help them," She groaned. "Let's discuss this in the morning, alright?"
Before Tirek could say another word, Cozy took several pillows in her aura and attempted to get back to sleep.
"Ugh, fillies!" Tirek groaned, irritable that his feelings were ignored. "Can't live with them, can't live without them!"
Tirek then knew that there was someone who could listen to him and turned his attention towards Chrysalis. "Fortunately, there is someone who will listen to me."
…
…
Back at the cave, Vorak stood before the Pillars still trying to get the feeling inside his newly resurrected body. "I'm asking you to help me get a second chance," Vorak pleaded to them. "To not only take back my kingdom, but make me a better creature. That even Scorpan abandoned me in the end has caused me to realize I became consumed by my worst instincts. If nothing else, I don't want him to go down the same dark path that befell Tirek."
"Look, King Vorak, honey," Mage Meadowbrook said while approaching him. "It's not really all that simple. After all, you weren't a very kind creature when you were last alive."
"Yes, well, I'm trying to change that," Vorak protested, brushing Meadowbrook back. "I'm trying to change my ways. Sure I wasn't a good ruler, but.. I want to be better." Sighing, Vorak then walked past the pillars taking in a further deep thought. "First, how is my son?" He asked.
"Which one, lad?" Rockhoof questioned. "The centaur who drained our magic and strength or the gargoyle that befriended old Starswirl here?"
"Scorpan," Starswirl answered, gesturing Rockhoof to step aside. "Scorpan is being held prisoner in Grogar's dungeon on the moon, because of me."
Dismayed, Vorak paced back and forth briefly as he tried to make sense of what was going on. "If only I hadn't been so bullheaded towards Princess Twilight…" He muttered as Starswirl reluctantly sympathized with the resurrected centaur king. They had once been the same towards a young unicorn, and in doing so had created their greatest enemy.
Meanwhile, nudging Flash Magnus in the side, Somnambula gestured her fellow pegasus to follow her outside the cave. Outside the cave, Somnambula was airing out her feelings about Vorak's return.
"Somanmbula, perhaps Vorak is sincere about wanting a second chance," Flash Magnus suggested as they flew not far from the cave. "I mean, didn't we give Stygian a second chance after Twilight and her friends freed him? Didn't we learn that we should try to be more understanding of others?"
"Yes, Flash Magnus, but Stygian was our friend. We were upset that he seemed to go behind our backs, and we never stopped to ask why," Somnambula sighed in a reluctant voice as she sat on a cloud overlooked by the moon. "But this is one of those situations where I can't give somecreature the full benefit of the doubt. He was a tyrant to his subjects and unwilling to change around those who tried to help him. His own actions drove even his sons away and cost him his life."
Joining Somnambula on the cloud, Flash attempted to dissect her feelings about the matter. "Yes, that is true," He nodded. "But if Stigyan was willing to give us a second chance, why not do the same for Vorak? If allied to our side he could prove useful in the war."
"Don't you see?" Somnambula snapped, looking at Flash sharply in the face. "Vorak allowed for his kingdom to fall to Grogar! I may be the pillar of hope, Flash, but I don't have much hope for him! Even if it were Prince Hisan or one of his descendants, I wouldn't be willing to let my personal feelings cloud my judgement. Those who deny hope to others by making them feel worthless or unwelcome should not be so easily forgiven just because they claim to have changed their ways."
Taken aback by his equal's outburst, Flash remained unfazed in trying to get through to her.
…
Back on the moon, Tirek quietly opened the door to Chrysalis' quarters and looked inside to see her lying fast asleep on her bed. He didn't want to wake her, but he needed guidance by any means necessary. "Chrysalis?" He whispered while walking quietly over to her quarters. "Chrysalis?"
Suddenly, Chrysalis opened one of her sickly green eyes and saw that Tirek was in her room. Groaning, she rose up in exhaustion.
"I'm sorry that I had to wake you," Tirek apologized. "But I think my father is alive."
Groaning, Chrysalis rubbed her face in her front hooves in an attempt to wake herself up further. "Your father is alive?" she moaned. "Tirek, how can he be alive? You suffocated him."
"Yes, but I think somepony brought him back to life," Tirek cried in a hushed voice. "And it's not Grogar who did."
"Then it's probably the Pillars," Chrysalis groaned in a somewhat sarcastic voice. "If it is them, you'll just consume their magic again like last time and banish your father back to where he came from. Now stop bothering me, I need my beauty sleep!"
Groaning, Chrysalis laid back down and went to sleep, much to Tirek's frustration.
"Some girlfriend you can be sometimes," Tirek huffed as he left Chrysalis' room alone. He couldn't get any sympathy for his father's sudden return, and Tirek had his suspicions. But he then got an idea and proceeded towards the dungeons. "I wonder if Scorpan knows about this." He thought to himself.
…
Back on the cloud they were sitting on, Somnambula and Flash Magnus continued to air their respective feelings about Vorak.
"The point is, Flash Magnus," Somnambula protested, stamping her hoof on the cloud. "Vorak is a creature who cannot be fully trusted. He led his kingdom into the state that it is right now, a base of operations for the Predacons to launch surprise attacks and keep the Maximals distracted."
"Strange words coming from the pillar of hope," Flash Magnus remarked. "If Vorak wants to atone for his misgivings, it's okay to have some negative feelings. But you can't fully give up on him, Somnambula. To do so would be to go against your own virtue, your element."
"Flash," Somanmbula sighed, looking up at the moon. "I advised someone who ruled over a kingdom, but he didn't do it in the way Vorak did. Such incompetence was nowhere to be seen in my village the way it was with Vorak. I just can't bring myself to associate with somecreature that had such incompetence and indifference to his own actions! You were a soldier once, defending wise rulers from dangerous enemies. Did they ever show incompetence or make you question their judgement?"
It took a moment for Flash to answer. "Sometimes," Flash answered. "If they did I tried my best to do what I felt was right, even if it got me in trouble. But I'm a pony who believes in second chances, Somnambula. And so are you. So if the rest of us are willing to give Vorak a second chance, then why not you? Vorak deserves the same opportunity afforded to others."
Looking back up to the moon, Somanmbula remembered just how there was one other pony she knew that had been given a second chance, and still had that second chance to this very day. "Princess Luna was given a second chance," Somnambula remarked, her eyes still locked on the moon. "But she is different."
"Ex-Princess," Flash corrected. "Remember, she retired."
"I'm aware of that, Flash!" Somnambula snapped to him before realizing her mistake and sighing deeply. "I'm thinking of when she was freed from Nightmare Moon by Princess Twilight and the other Princesses. Luna let her jealousy get the better of her, Vorak let his ego get in the way of him."
"And I don't think that Vorak is any different from Luna," Flash Magnus remarked. "Even Celestia has fully forgiven Luna for her past. So shouldn't we be the same with Vorak? Maybe we don't fully trust him, but we should have hope that he's sincere and is willing to atone."
Still, Somnambula had her reasons for not being fully embracive of Vorak. Taking to the air, she made her way back to the cave while Flash Magnus followed. Returning to the cave, she was greeted by Starswirl and the rest of the Pillars who were waiting for her and Flash Magnus.
"Where did you run off to?" Starswirl questioned.
"Not far from here, Starswirl," Somnambula answered. "I just had to…"
"-You had thoughts about bringing me back because of my past?" Vorak guessed, approaching the pillar of hope. "Is that it?"
Somnambula gulped nervously at Vorak, knowing that she was about to reveal her feelings towards him.
…
…
Back on the moon, Tirek proceeded towards the dungeons, bypassing the donkey guards guarding the entrance. Soon he approached the cell where Scorpan and the other prisoners were being kept.
Sensing that his brother was coming, Scorpan immediately woke up and turned towards the bar doors of the cell. "What do you want now, Tirek?" He asked.
"Scorpan, I think that Father has been brought back to life!" Tirek answered as Scorpan rose to his feet with a look of suspicion plastered on his face.
"Likely story, Tirek," Scorpan groaned. "Father is dead, and you know it because you killed him! Now go away!"
"Scorpan, listen to me," Tirek protested. "I think that Starswirl…"
"-If you think that this is a way to get on my good side," Scorpan interrupted, his back still turned on Tirek. "Then you are sadly mistaken! Give me one good reason why I should believe you after what you've done."
Briefly looking away, Tirek felt dismayed that his own brother was not believing him on this matter. "I sensed his presence in my dreams." Tirek confessed.
"That's not good enough," Scorpan replied, turning around to face his brother again. "Dreams can mean anything. I used to dream that you would come back and repent, but it never came true."
"Must I try and convince you to believe me?" Tirek asked, clutching his claws on the cell door. "I swear that Starswirl has brought Father back from the dead. You befriended that wizard, you must know if he's capable of such things as reviving the dead."
"How do you know that Starswirl was the one who brought him back?" Scorpan asked in a gruff voice. "Starswirl can't bring back the dead, only Grogar can!"
"You were Starswirl's friend, Scorpan," Tirek protested. "Surely he could've at least attempted to bring Father back from the dead."
"No, I don't believe you!" Scorpan snapped before quickly calming himself back down. "I don't believe you. Now go away."
Sighing, Tirek looked down at the floor of the dungeons in defeat. "Very well then," He sadly sighed. "If you can't believe me, then I don't know who else will believe me. Farewell, Scorpan."
Scorpan watched as his brother walked away in sadness and once he was alone with his fellow prisoners again, the Gargoyle prince of the distant lands returned to his sleep. However, no sooner did he fall asleep than did he suddenly hear a voice.
"Scorpan," A faint trottingham accented voice cried out in his brain. "He is alive!"
Opening his eyes, Scorpan looked around for the source of the voice that he himself could only hear. "Gram-Gram?" He asked, looking around the cell in confusion. "Gram-Gram? Where are you?"
With only Scorpan seeing, he saw the formation of an old female centaur with Tirek's colors. "I'm right here, Scorpan," She declared. "Surely you haven't forgotten your own grandmother, Lady Minerva?"
"No I haven't, Gram-Gram," Scorpan asked. "But why come to me? Don't tell me you think that Father is back from the dead?"
"He is," Lady Minerva answered in a joyous, yet subdued voice. "Starswirl the Bearded recovered your father's remains and used them to resurrect him!"
"Impossible!" Scorpan whispered, turning away briefly. "Gram-Gram, are you sure about that?"
"I am sure about that, Scorpan. If I wasn't sure I would not be standing in front of you right now." Lady Minerva explained.
Sighing, Scorpan seemingly now had to come to terms with what had just transpired. "How can Starswirl do resurrection spells, Gram-Gram?" He wondered. "It's impossible!"
"There is much more to Starswirl than you'll ever know," Lady Minerva replied as she started to disappear. "You'll just have to learn for yourself."
Once his grandmother's spirit was gone, Scorpan could only wonder if he was hearing things or if it was indeed true that his father was brought back from the dead.
…
Returning to his quarters, Tirek was downhearted that his suspicions were being ignored. However, it didn't last for very long as he found Cozy Glow sitting up awake in her bed. "Why are you awake, Cozy?" Tirek asked as his daughter figure turned to her father figure.
"Tirek, did you say that your Father was brought back from the dead?" She asked. "I just had that thought."
Sighing, Tirek closed the door to their quarters and sat back down on the edge of his bed. "Supposedly, yes," He replied. "Starswirl and the Pillars must have resurrected him. But the question is, why? Why would Starswirl resurrect my own father now?"
"Maybe he has his reasons," Cozy Glow guessed. "Maybe something is telling us that you and your dad need to make up."
Tirek refused to believe that statement. "That will never happen, Cozy Glow! Never in a million years as far as I'm concerned!" Tirek said firmly to her as he climbed back into bed. "It will be a cold day in Tartarus when I see him back from the dead! And this time I'll make sure he can't come back!" With a huff, Tirek threw the covers over him and went back to sleep.
…
Back in the cave, Vorak stared down Somnambula as she was the only one who was hesitant to believe that he could be redeemed. "Answer me, young mare," He commanded in a firm voice. "You don't think that I can be redeemed, do you?"
"W-well, to be honest," Somnambula stammered, feeling somewhat intimidated by the elder centaur. "You…weren't exactly a great ruler."
Hearing this, Vorak lowered his guard and sighed deeply. "Yes, you are right," Vorak sighed. "But I don't want to be viewed like that any longer," He then looked over to Starswirl the Bearded and the other Pillars. "I want to bury my past and come back stronger than ever," Vorak declared. "I let my hatred get the best of me, and I don't want to continue letting it do so if I can help."
Still, Somnambula had her suspicions. But she wasn't prepared for what was said next.
"That is why," Mistmane declared, walking over next to Vorak and Starswirl. "Vorak asked us to see if you would be willing to help Vorak reconnect with his subjects, Somanmbula."
Taking a deep breath, Somnambula realized that she had no other choice. "Very well then," she sighed, taking off her headdress and lowering her head. "If you wish me to take Vorak under my wing, then so be it."
"Then it's settled," Starswirl declared. "Vorak, your time of redemption has begun. I am hopeful you won't make us regret this decision."
All Somnambula could do was gulp nervously at the momentous task she was about to undertake…
…
Meanwhile, as the sun rose over his conquered kingdom, Megatron flew over to the mass grave where Vorak's bones were removed. "So, this is what happens when there is no protection?" he asked, reaching into the earth and letting the dirt run through his transmetal fingers, before turning to the Predacons who accompanied him. "Terrorsaur, Laserbeak! I want you both to dig this grave back up and then stand guard!"
"Why us?" Terrorsaur protested. "Why should we be on…?"
"Because it's punishment for your earlier actions!" Megatron yelled in a loud voice, before lowering his tone. "I want you to think about what you both have done that resulted in us getting in trouble with Grogar. Is that clear?"
Without saying another word, Megatron transformed back into a dragon and left with the rest of the accompanying Predacons.
"Scrapheap duty," Terrorsaur muttered as he and Laserbeak got to work on digging the mass grave back up. "What else can go wrong?" Little did they know that about five hundred feet from them, Tempest Shadow and several of Twilight's guards lay in wait, longing for the moment when they would be capturing both Predacons for their actions in Rainbow Falls.
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Why... Why... Did you (Twilightsparkle3562) make a chapter/episode did you bring Vorak back? I mean he was a selfish ruler, a lousy father who only wanted his own kids to obey him without any freewill, blamed Tirek for his wife's death and most of all which is just a theory; perhaps most of the citizens in his kingdom are happy that he's dead because he's gone mad after Tirek's attacks on Equestria and his actions cost them their freedom and home.
Again, this was some REALLY good work on the exchanges, characterizations, general episode wrap-up and future episode set-up in all the right places. And, now, somebody from the good guys has managed to bring back the dead And, I admit, I could kind of understand all the points made and how Somnambula had to work through her mistrust issues concerning Vorak. And I DID get some minor Black Comedy chuckles from Tirek trying to convince Cozy, Chrysalis and Scorpan of Vorak's return before Lady Minerva's spirit stepped in as well as from Megatron berating Soundwave for letting the Pillars get through and resurrect Vorak so soon after Terrorsaur and Laserbeak's foul-up on that train ambush. Anyway, I could definitely see a lot of potential in the upcoming Season Finale (including, but not limited to, some enjoyable Actor Allusions in Vorak's possibly interacting with both Grand Pear AND Discord (I could see Vorak and Discord, particularly, eventually sharing a rather good Vitriolic Best Buds type dynamic primarily for the possibility of said Actor Allusions and also for the contrasting personalities while both honestly wishing to make up for their foul-ups).
Anyway, definitely looking forward to more of this.
I have to question why it is primarily Somnambula's job to reform Vorak. Starswirl seems like the best choice given the fact that he also used to be a good intentioned but stubborn and crusty character with a belief that justice must be firm and swift and who did not believe in redemption. The two are pretty similar in that regard. Plus, Starswirl was the one who befriended his son Scorpan, so you'd think that would merit a discussion between them. One thing I will say though is that Somnambula certainly does well to express the opinions of the readers who will object to this decision. I do see that the Mean 3 are well on their way to eventual redemption. Cozy Glow has already suggested that it may be best for Tirek and his dad to make up. I must question though why Tirek did not talk to Sendak about this. He talked with his partners and brother. I also have to question how the heck Vorak's body could have decomposed so quickly. Nevertheless, this chapter does work well to set up potential for the future. If Vorak can learn his lessons and he and Cozy's parents (wherever they are now) can try to reconcile with the two, they can probably be convinced to turn over a new leaf, with Chrysalis following suite.
Interesting, we'll see how this plays out.
Which chapter is Flurry Heart in?
10635060 That might be an interesting dilemma for Tempest considering she wanted revenge against the Storm King. The point to be made probably is not looking for an excuse to take a life, because once you cross that line it becomes all too easy to cross it again.
It bothers me alot the Pillars don't realize that its not just Luna alone who is at fault for Nightmare Moon.
Celestia is at fault too for not being there for Luna and not noticing her suffering in time. Allowing the ponies to rub it in that she is better than Luna.
The ponies of Equestria are at fault too for taking Luna's work for granted and such.
Luna worked so hard but no matter how hard she tried, her night never got the same love as Celestia's day. No matter how hard she tried, she is always in Celestia's shadow big time.
So she is not the same with Vorak's case there big time.
They need to realize Celestia needs Luna's forgiveness as well.
Also in Luna's case, she was forcible purified. Essentially brainwashed in a way, while she had that split personality, she was still upset at Celestia and NMM most likely emerged to give Luna the power to fix this mess. But instead, Luna was essentially purified and the actual issues that led NMM to happen wasn't properly resolved at all.
Its really odd on how Starswirl can revive people like that.
Really awkward given how Celestia stated many ponies begged the sisters on reviving their loved ones. I am pretty sure many of those dead loved ones died from something that isn't natural causes.
If anything, necromancy is dark magic. I feel like it makes more sense for Princess Luna to do it given how she is associated with darkness.
Maybe also like when the bell took her magic, a bit of Grogar's remaining magic entered her which leads to some stuff.
So those are my thoughts on this chapter.