Temple of the Stars

by OrphiusOlyandra

Chapter 8

“Whiskey.” I told the bartender as I hopped into the seat.

He raised an eyebrow and eyed me up and down. Not a lot of females want spirits, even fewer enter a place like this at this hour. “Lady, I-”

“Whiskey,” I repeated cutting him off. “Cheapest you got.”

His eyes narrowed on me. “I think you should leave.”

I leaned in closer, meeting his gaze. “And I think you should take my crowns.” I always wondered why cash was called bits in Equestria. Crowns was a better name for a coin.

He blinked in surprise as I stared back at him, unused to females who make eye contact. After a moment he shrugged and came back with a shot glass full of beautiful alcohol.

I threw the bits I had on the bench, and he gave a look of realization as he examined the coin in his hand. “Equestrian... right.” He glanced up at me and I nodded, confirming his suspicions. “Listen lady, Aviana isn’t...”

I tuned him out as I turned around in my seat, searching the bar for the biggest dick in the room. There were a couple prime examples of complete asshole material, but the one that caught my eye was the big chocolate brown gryphon with the red arm band. With one hand he held a mug, and the other he waved around as he told a story to his friends. The wife beater singlet he wore was stained brown, and he had a crack in his beak. Complete douchebag, just from the look of him.

He laughed his ass off at his own joke, before taking a long swig. As his eyes came down he caught me watching him and a smirk plastered over his face.

“Are you even listening to me?” the bartender asked.

“No. Fuck off.”

I watched as Wife Beater made some comment to his friends before rising to his feet and heading in my direction. Yeah, he was a real big boy. Bit of fat to his gut, but strong arms and legs.

“Bloody Equestrians,” the bartender muttered as he went back to his business. His little act of chivalry rejected.

Wife Beater had his eyes on me the entire time, that confident smirk making me so ready to hurt him.

“Hey,” he said as she approached. “Like what you see?” he stopped just in front of me.

“No.” I stood up and met his gaze, causing him to balk a bit. “Fat prick like you? You’d be lucky to find a street corner hooker that’d even touch you, and forget the second one you’d have to hire to hold your gut up.”

It took him a second to process that, and his beak set into a scowl. “Watch your mouth bitch.”

I gave him a shove. “Why? Used to pushing around cubs? Don’t like it when someone doesn’t bend over for you?”

He blinked. “Bitch you better-”

“I better what? Help you find your daughter’s asshole? Find a nice little boy for you? Take you for a jog fatty?” I smirked back.

The entire bar was silent, and watching. His eyes glazed over with rage as his masculinity was challenged by a female in what I’m guessing was his regular hovel. From the way the others seemed to be torn between laughter and shitting themselves, I’d say he was a mean fucker.

His claws clenched into fists. Douchebag, we’re gryphons. Use your claws. “Shut your mouth whore.” He growled.

“Clench your ass cheeks dude, you’re looking a little puckered.”

That was it; with a roar he threw his fist at me in what I call the ‘I wish I was a minotaur’ rush. I ducked left around his hilariously slow attack, and twisted his arm around, spraining his wrist. My other arm slammed into his elbow joint, shattering it a nasty angle. He started to rear back, but I was quicker and stepped around behind him. All it took was a small twist to break his wing, and he turned around screaming. Without even pausing, I snagged a bar stool with my tail and caught it in my claws. Spinning around, I swung the chair into his face as he turned towards me. As he stumbled back, I grabbed his outstretched claw, used my shoulder as a lever point, turned and tossed him out the window.

The entire bar was dead still as I turned around and downed the whiskey I’d ordered. Oh hell yeah! I love that burn, even if it tasted about as cheap as it cost. They only watched open beaked as I made my way towards the exit. The soldier that had followed me from the palace was doing no better, in fact, he was probably worse off - too used to that ‘rescue the maiden’ shit. As I passed him I shifted towards him suddenly, and he jumped reaching for his sword.

I chuckled, “Boo,” and turned away, swishing my tail across his face as I did so.

Outside the bar I glanced left and saw the mess I’d left lying on the ground in mangled heap. I grinned and kicked a loose cobble stone at him. He whimpered when it hit, and I walked away with a spring in my step.

Nothing brings the rush a fight does. Even if it wasn’t much of a fight, I was still riding the buzz on the way back to the palace. I would have flown, but I knew the sooner I got there the sooner Nightmare killed my mood. Instead, I took my time enjoying the night air and the empty streets that I had all to myself. Now, if only a mugger would try something...

“Gilda.”

I stopped and turned towards the voice. “Hey Grace.” I smiled at him, feeling good from the alcohol and adrenaline.

He didn’t look happy though. “I heard that ‘Luna’ dragged you through the palace on a leash.”

And now I wasn’t looking happy. Or feeling it.

When I didn’t answer him he sighed and said, “I was worried it was true...”

I didn’t answer him again.

“Want to talk about it?” he offered hesitantly after a moment.

I snorted. “Fuck that.”

He smiled back at me, though it looked forced. “Well, want a drink?”

I gave him the best ‘Gilda’ answer I could. “Shit yeah, I’m always cool for booze.”

I don’t know if he saw through it or not, he just took to the air without answering and I followed him.

It wasn’t long before we were in a decent bar and I had a mug in my claw and a laugh on my breath as he told me about the time he blah blah blah... It was a familiar scene, and we were both happy to play it through without him needing to arrest me at the end.

I wiped a tear from my eye. “I swear, dad’s the biggest prick this side of the border. Geez, what’s he doing now?”

Grace paused. “You haven’t heard?”

I shrugged. “Heard what?”

“He’s dead, Gilda.”

I froze. “Fuck... really?”

He nodded.

“How?”

He sighed. “Choked on his own vomit after passing out.”

I chuckled. Is that messed up? Whatever, I chuckled. “Sounds like him alright.”

He blinked at that and frowned. “He was your father, Gilda.”

“He was a piece of living shit.” I snorted. “How was the funeral?”

“Small,” he answered.

I smirked. “Sounds about right. Eulogy?”

“Mother gave it.” he replied.

“What did she say?”

He paused. “That he lived life to its fullest.”

I burst out laughing. What do you want me to say? Yeah, it was bloody hilarious. Could only have been better if I was actually there.

“It’s not funny, Gilda.” he told me sternly.

“Yeah, it is.” I finished my chuckle with a swig of ale. “What a nice way to say he was a douchebag with no idea of too much? ‘He lived life to its fullest.’” I shook my head. “What a joke.”

He stared at me for another second or too, with that stupid frown on his face. It was starting to put me in a bad mood.

“What happened to you?” he asked after a moment. “Where did you go?”

I shrugged. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

He didn’t answer for a while as he nursed the shot in his claws. “What did he do to you?”

“Who?” I tilted my head right. I’d had a few more drinks then he had, but I was far from buzzed. I wasn’t going back to Little Miss Rape Tastic’s apartment if I was drunk.

“Calisto. What did he do?”

I swallowed, even though there was nothing but air in my beak. I closed my eyes as I leaned back. “What about him?”

He paused. “I found him.”

I opened my eyes and stared at him. “What?” I put the shot glass on the table. “You know where he is?”

He nodded.

“Fuck, where?” I stood up. “Take me dude.” I paused. “He’s in the city, right?”

Grace gave another slow nod. “Yes he is. I always thought it was odd that you ran away just a few weeks after he disappeared.” He stood up and left enough crowns on the table to pay for the drinks.

We left the bar and he took to the air.

I jumped up after him and called out. “Where are we going?”

He mustn't have heard me over the wind or something because he didn't answer.

Holy shit! I can’t freaking believe that I’d find him like this! How long had I been looking for him? Six years. Six goddess damn years searching for him in Equestria, and I find him back here in Aviana? I should have stopped in to see Grace ages ago.

We flew over the city, making our way towards Parkside. Heh, that made sense. Calisto was never a city gryphon. If he was living here, he’d want somewhere with trees at least.

“How is he? Is he alright?” I shouted ahead, but Grace didn’t hear me again.

I couldn’t wait to see him. I felt my heart rate rising at the idea of seeing that grizzled salt and pepper bastard. He’d probably look healthy as a buffalo, but grey as a mule. His eyes would still hold that intelligence behind them, and he’d still be all reserved and quiet.

He was like the freaking opposite of me. Wiry and spry, where I was broad shouldered and as big as most guys. Calisto was smart and always planning things through, something that he’d have to remind me again and again. And that voice. Deep, and with a slight scratch. Patient, calm and composed all the time. I couldn’t wait to hear it again.

Freaking heck. If he just said ‘hope ain’t a plan’ I’d squee like Dash did for the bloody Wonderbolts!

I noticed Grace angling down, and followed him in for a landing. I looked around and a frown set into my beak.

“Not funny dude.” Why’d he have to joke about something like this? This was a graveyard. “Come on Grace. I was getting excited. If you didn’t know where he was, then why’d you say you did?”

He glanced back at me, before turning and walking up a path.

I blinked before following him. “This isn’t funny Grace.”

He didn’t answer, just continued leading us between tombstone after tombstone.

Nah... there was no way... Calisto was... Shit, he was tougher than anyone I knew. Smarter than I could dream of being and the best fighter there ever was! No fucking way this was real.

“Funny joke dude. You almost had me convinced.” There was no desperate edge to my voice. It didn’t sound hollow even to me, and I sure as fuck didn’t have a pit forming in my stomach. “Let’s get the heck out of here.”

Grace turned left off the path, and walked for a bit before coming to a halt. He was just staring at one particular grave.

“Okay dude. It’s not funny anymore.”

He just watched me approach, and a shiver rolled down my spine. I stopped next to him and stared down at the plain old grey rock.

“Elder Calisto of the Great Scars. 1957- 1998. Served his people. Died of natural causes.” Grace read aloud.

I felt my knees wobbling, but I made myself stand.

“...”

“I found him here while you were in the dungeons. I had to pull some strings to get access to his files, and those led me here.”

“...”

“Most of his files were redacted in black ink, but the page about his death was clean. Apparently we never found him, and his body was returned to Aviana post mortem. We never learned who sent it. The autopsy claimed it was natural causes.”

I swallowed air again. “Did he leave anything behind?”

Grace glanced over at me. “No. We only have his corpse, and there was not a lot of information to go with it. Shipping was in a pine wood box, and the company that had it sent’s headquarters burned down, so no paperwork could be checked.”

I couldn’t stand anymore, I fell on my haunches. I felt like I should cry, but instead all I got was this ache in my chest. Goddesses damn it. I can’t even rely on my stupid emotions anymore.

Grace just watched me. “Who was he?”

“... What makes you think I know?” My lie sounded so shit. “He was just my Elder.” He was a better father than dad ever was. “I don’t know why he ran, but it’s just coincidence I left a month after.” Who the fuck would ever believe that? “Why’d you bring me here?”

“Because you asked me to,” he answered.

“Yeah, well...” I trailed off.

We were silent for a minute. I wanted to react. Get emotional and shout or cry or something, but instead all I could do was feel this hollow pain in my chest.

“When was your first kill?” I asked after a moment. Fuck?! What the fuck, me! Why the fuck would I ask that?

Grace blinked in surprise and glanced from the grave back to me. “Gilda?”

I snorted. “No, I didn’t fucking kill him.” I could never have done that. “Why would I? I barely knew him.” Holy shit, my lies were hollow tonight. “When was your first kill?” I repeated the question.

“Gilda, are you okay?” he asked sounding concerned.

“I’m fine.” Just learned that the man who I loved like a dad died. No biggie. I’ll be fucking fine. “I wanna know dude. Your first, when?” I found my gaze set firmly on Calisto’s stone.

He stared at me a moment before he answered. “At the start of this year... Zebrica... I can’t give more details than that.”

I snorted. “Yeah-yeah, Wide Eyes and all that shit... Secrets within secrets.” Died of natural causes...? Maybe. “Did you have that moment, where you sit down and you’re like... ‘What the fuck have I done?’ And you’ve got the blood on your claws and...” I trailed off and clenched my claws into fists.

He was staring at me. “Gilda?”

“I didn’t get that. I killed the guy, and I didn’t feel anything... Was I supposed to feel guilty about it? I mean, is that natural? What’s the normal fucking way to feel about killing someone?!” I was shouting. Why the fuck was I shouting? I was glaring straight at the stone and shouting with my fists clenched. “I’m not supposed to feel nothing! ”

Grace moved over and draped a wing over my shoulder.

I swallowed, and a sob finally escaped my throat. “I was thirteen.” I said quietly and Grace stiffened. “How fucked up is that?” A tear dripped onto my talon. “I was thirteen... Who the fuck kills in Equestria? How does that make sense? Killing someone in Equestria?” I stared at that stupid little tombstone and felt so fucking raw that I needed to scream. “Where the fuck were you!” I shouted and Grace flinched away from my voice. “I needed you! Why the fuck weren’t you with me!” I jumped forward out of Grace’s hold and put my shoulder into the stone.

My shoulder hurt as that stupid goddess damn stone didn’t even wobble. With a roar of rage I reared back on my hind legs and grabbed the stone.

“You’re fucking dead!” I heaved the stone with all my might. “Dead!” I jerked it around and shifted the graveyard soil. “You piece of shit! Why’d I waste all that time for you!”

A second later the stone came out of the ground and slipped out of my grip as I staggered. It landed on my paw and I yelped. I stood there, panting in exertion and anger as I stared at the face down grave. After another moment I bent down and picked it up. I heaved it up over my head and threw it away with a grunt. It barely traveled a foot and landed undamaged with a thunk.

I glared back over at Graciano. He was just staring at me with... pity. Motherfucker... I began to stalk towards him. “Don’t you fucking dare!” I spat. “Don’t you look at me like that!”

His gaze didn’t change, but he did take a step back. Idiot. As if I’d ever hurt him.

“Say something!” I demanded. “You brought me here! Say something or leave!”

After a moment he turned away and spread his wings for flight. “Gilda... for what it’s worth I’m sorry.” He moved to fly again before he hesitated. “I don’t know where you’ve been, but...” He looked like he wanted to say more, but he sighed and took to the air.

I watched him leave before I looked back at Calisto’s grave. With a snarl I turned away and flew back towards the palace, I overtook Graciano on the way and he fell behind. I arrived in a few seconds and flew in past the guards. It was dangerous flying this fast indoors, but I did it anyway. Serving maids gasped in shock and cleaners knocked over their soap buckets as I burst past them. I took corners that’d make Dash balk, and angled up stairs so close that the steps were inches from my beak.

I had to slow down as I came closer to the apartment, and skidded along the floor as I came to a stop. The guards outside stared at me, and the one that had followed me to the bar watched me warily. I strode past them and slammed the door open. It opened with a bang, and I think I damaged one of the hinges.

I glanced around the room and Nightmare was nowhere to be seen. Trixie glanced up at me before going back to her book.

“Where is she?” I snarled and pointed my talon at the spot Nightmare had been sitting.

“A date,” replied Trixie without looking up from the books she was reading. “With that gryphon you loathe so much. Trixie assumes you failed to find a bar to destroy while you were out?”

I panted for a moment before I sat down. Fucking Nightmare. “Ask the guard outside. He saw what I did to that guy.” I tried to keep my tone level with Trixie, but I’m not sure it was working. I was breathing in and out heavily. “Fun times. Nothing like a fight.” I gave her an empty grin that she didn’t see.

“No doubt.” She turned the page. “Trixie heard some interesting rumors about a certain female gryphon being dragged along by Nightmare Moon on a leash. Trixie assumes you know absolutely nothing about that?”

I grit my beak and swallowed a mouthful of air before I answered. “No clue. Maybe tomorrow you’ll hear one about the unicorn that died with her own horn stuffed up her ass.”

“Nightmare is much better at threats you realize. Trixie supposes you can say Trixie has become desensitized to your rough behavior. Now, can you please take a shower, the smell of alcohol and sweat is nauseating and the Great and Powerful Trixie cannot concentrate on breaking this enchantment with you fouling up the air.”

“Enchantment?” I asked as I glanced over at her. “You’re trying to break into Nightmare’s books?”

“No. Trixie is hoping to give herself a heart attack so that she no longer has to deal with you two foals.” She glared up at me. “Are you an idiot? Wait, never mind. Compared to Trixie, everypony is an idiot. You’re just dumber than most.”

I snorted and cracked a grin. “Fuck you, Trix. Let me know if you get anywhere.” I stood up and made my way through the door to the bathroom.

I showered and gave myself a good clean. Hot water is the greatest fucking thing ever! Goddesses, I hope whoever figured out how to make it come from the tap was knighted or something. I don’t know how long I was in there for, but if you told me I came out a half hour later I wouldn’t be surprised. Trixie left the towel wet on the floor again, so I was still damp when I stepped outside the bathroom.

“Stop leaving the towel on the floor.” I threw it at her face.

“Trixie is trying to perform magical feats beyond your imagination,” she snapped back as she lobbed it in my direction. “Stop distracting her! Such mundane tasks are below her status as the Great and Powerful!”

I rolled my eyes. “Beyond my imagination? Deciphering a book? Holy shit you’re right! My mind is completely fucking blown! No way in Tartarus is that within my oh-so-fucking limited realms of mundaneness.” I made my way to the fridge and opened it up. I found myself some nice cold ham next to some fruits and other pony shit. I took out the ham and turned back to Trixie. “Want anything?” I indicated the fridge.

“An orechiette with broccoli rabe and chickpeas,” she replied as she scribbled some notes on a piece of paper and rubbed her temples. “Not deciphering, disenchanting. An idiot like you would not understand the difference or the difficulty associated with such a monumental task.”

“Point is you can’t read it, and you’re trying to. Magic involved or not, it’s not like I have no freaking clue. I’m not a genius or anything, but I do know my way around a few zebra tricks.” I took a bite of the ham and sat back down on the couch. “Side’s, the spell was made by a goddess. What’s to say it’s not beyond your comprehension?” I tossed an apple at the back of her head.

To my surprise, she actually managed to dodge it without looking up. “Ha! Trixie is a prodigy and genius of the highest caliber. No spell is beyond her!” Cue the fireworks.

“Well, I don’t know if you’re a prodigy or not, but do you think the Element of Magic...” I snapped my fingers. “What’s her name? Uh... Sparkle, right? Anyway, do you reckon she, probably the most powerful unicorn around, ever really came close to the princess? World’s biggest fly’s just a fly. It’s just more annoying than the rest.”

“Twilight Sparkle is a no named, blank flank who does not deserve to be the Element of Magic nor associated with it in any way or form!” The same book she had been studying was hurled in my direction. I caught it pretty easy. “She is a pathetic unicorn with no power and got where she is through lies and trickery!”

I laughed. “Guess I touched a nerve? What, she steal your lunch money in magic kindergarten?”

Okay, I’ve gotten some pretty nasty death glares in the past but this one was definitely up there in the top ten. If it wasn’t because I knew she was a wimp, I might have actually scared me. Maybe. If I was three years old or something.

I decided to back off on the Sparkle thing. “Anyway, the point is do you really think you’ll be able to break Nightmare’s enchantment?” I held the book up. “Bitch is a goddess. Gives her a slight edge.”

“Do not remind me,” she muttered under her breath as a shudder passed through her body.

I snorted. “If I don’t, then she will. If we want to get out of this then we need to remember what we’re dealing with. Now, straight answer. Do you actually think you can break the enchantment?”

“Enchantments,” she corrected. “But yes. Most of them are frayed at the edges thanks to being cast so long ago. Also, magic has advanced a lot in the past thousand years, so while the enchantments are strong, they are also old, and there are a couple of counterspells Trixie could use. Only problem is, she needs Nightmare Moon to be gone long enough to cast them. And it’ll be flashy so she needs to be distracted.”

I snorted. “How long’s she been gone for? Couldn’t you have done it while she’s bumping uglies with that pedophile?”

“Trixie had to identify the spells first and then you came back. Trixie does not wish to risk tampering with the tome while there’s a chance Nightmare may come back halfway through. Trixie likes living after all.”

“Fair enough. So then we need a way to keep Nightmare busy and distracted for a few hours while you work your magic. Here’s another question though, why do you want to know what’s in there anyway? Why not put that time and energy into escaping?”

“There is magic in there.” She ripped the book out of my claws and went back to reading. “Great and powerful magic. Plus, do you not find this entire situation odd? Trixie does not trust them at all and this may hold the answers.”

“Weird? What’s weird about being blackmailed into a secret operation in ancient ruins by a child goddess with multiple personalities?” I smirked. “Sounds like a Sunday to me.”

“Shut up.”

I rolled my eyes. “Point is nothing about this situation has ever been normal. And trust? Please. You’re probably doing the wrong thing by trusting me in a mess like this.”

“Whatever.” She growled. “Better you than Nightmare Moon.”

“Who says you have to trust anyone?” I pointed out. “Both me and Nightmare are crazy, violent and have a spotty history. What makes you think I’m any less likely to get you killed or betray you than she is? Aren’t you the great and powerful? Why trust anyone here?”

“Because Trixie doesn’t hate you,” she said in a small voice, almost as though it physically hurt to say it.

I blinked in surprise at that. I tried to think of a response, but just found myself opening my beak and shutting it before anything came out.

After a while I settled on, “I’m glad to hear that.” After another second I added, “I like you to.”

“Trixie did not just hear that,” she replied. “And keep the sappiness to yourself.”

I laughed. “Yeah, emotions suck.” I’d had way too many tonight for my tastes. “Alright. So we want to get in the book because you think this mess isn’t weird enough as it is.” I shrugged. “If it helps, I was with Nightmare when she went on her tour of the science labs. I saw a whole bunch of machines that were like the ones back in the star temple.”

“Are you certain?”

I nodded and finished off the ham in my hands. I was still chewing as I answered. “Yeah. They had those big glass tubes set up too, but nothing was in them yet. Nightmare didn’t react at all as far as I could tell, but she’s good at hiding her emotions and shit.”

“And you wonder why I trust you more.”

“I thought you could read anybody like a book? Surely the Great and Powerful Trixie can read Nightmare just as easily.”

“She is a goddess,” replied Trixie with a shrug. “That is an entirely different matter.”

“Alright then.” I stood up and began pacing. “So what do you think all this crap means then?”

“We’re all fucked. But mainly you since Nightmare wants to fuck you.” She paused and glared at me. “You are a bad influence.”

“What? How am I a bad influence?” I asked indignant.

“Oh, Trixie doesn’t know for it surely can’t be swearing or the lude comments, nor could it possibly be the violence or alcohol. And obviously, it’s not your willingness to get into fights or to kill if the need arises. Oh no. You, Gilda, are the paragon of morality and all gryphons should look up to you.”

Kill? Oh right, she must have seen that minotaur in the bar. Weird. She hadn’t brought that up at all... What a fucking racist! Freaks out at the suggestion that I could kill a pony, doesn’t bat an eyelid when I bleed a minotaur.

“Damn right, they should.” I replied to her. “Gryphon females are spineless idiots. They could do with being a bit more like me.”

And then she proceeded to slam the book against her head multiple times. “You’re an idiot. Trixie is dumber just from being in close proximity to you. You ooze stupidity.”

I rolled my eyes. “Hey, you’re the one that speaks in third person. At least I can use ‘me’ or ‘my’. Anyone that chats with you for a minute thinks you're completely insane by the end of the conversation. They just think I’m a bitch.”

“As if that’s better,” she replied with an eye roll. “They want to kill you. On the other hoof, they just love me. Impossible not to.”

“Uh huh. Impossible not to? That time you got ran out of Ponyville? That means it’s possible.”

“Twilight. Sparkle,” hissed the unicorn. “All her fault.”

“Again with that unicorn. Seriously, she beat the ursa when you didn’t. Seems like a whole lot of hate for like, no reason. At least I can drop a grudge.”

“The Pink One,” she replied with cocked eyebrow.

“That bitch is different,” I jabbed my finger towards her. “Bloody whore ruined everything. Besides, she actually wronged me where you’re just pissed at Sparkle for not being a shit spellcaster.”

“And you’re annoyed at the Pink One because...?”

“None of your fucking business.” I told her sharply. “Anyway, I have a point. Why are you so pissed at Sparkle? She made you look like an idiot? Well I dropped you in an outhouse. I think that make me a bit more hateable than her.”

“Shut up,” she snarled and for a second, I thought she’d actually try and buck me. “You know nothing. Nothing!”

“I know that there’s more to the story than what you’ve told me.” I replied. “Come on, what’s got you so ticked off at her?”

“It wasn’t even my fault!” The book slammed against the wall. “I didn’t even do any fucking thing wrong! But nooooooo, they had to chase me out of their stupid, backwater, stinking town with nothing. Nothing! No cape, no hat, no wagon. Nothing. Fuck them! Fuck them all.”

A ball of blue magic slammed against the wall, burst into flames. With the wall on fire, she simply stood there, growling in frustration as she powered up her horn yet again and this time, I’d say it’d be more than a small ball of fire.

“Dude, woah. Calm down.” I stepped closer. “No need to set the furniture on fire. Relax, if you’d like, I can take you out to the city and we’ll break some face, but whatever spell you’re casting’s not a good idea.”

“Shut up. Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut. UP!”

Her head swung towards me, her horn pointed straight at me and I reacted. I dodged right out of the spell’s direct path, and cut the distance between me and her with a flap of my wings. She gasped as I took her legs out from under her. The spell she had charged flashed and fired into the ceiling, and I pinned her to the ground, protecting her from the debris as bits of wood and stone rained around us.

“The fuck was that!” I shouted in Trixie’s face before blinking at the tears rolling down her cheek. Before I could react, I was flung across the room and by the time I had recovered, the door to the bathroom was closed. The entire thing glowed, and I had no doubt she had locked it with who knows how many spells.

I stood there for a moment, staring around the room and taking in everything. After a moment I said the first thing that came to mind.

“The fuck was that about?!” I turned to the door and walked over to it.

“I was about to ask the same thing.” I blinked in surprise before looking up at Nightmare Moon’s face as she scowled down at me. “I leave and you two end up blowing a hole in the roof. Are you trying to get thrown back in jail?”

A scowl set into my face as she looked down at me from the floor above. “The fuck does it mean to you?” I asked sounding pissed.

With a roll of her eyes, she showed me the unconscious body of Teotore. “I was busy getting information. Idiots.”

“Like I care.” I glanced up at the hole. “So his room’s right above ours? That’s really fucking creepy.”

“No, but it’s an empty ‘guest’ room no doubt used for surveillance,” she replied. “I dragged him in there for some impromptu fun and you just had to blow a hole in the floor.”

I shivered in disgust. “Gross.” I would not touch that guy with anything other than a knife. “Please tell me ‘fun’ doesn’t mean what it sounds like.”

“It sounds like knocking him unconscious, shifting through his mind for any and all information he may hold, Manipulating him so that he ends up hanging himself, and rearranging his memory of the night so that he’d remember a pleasant walk, some seduction, and promises of more!” Her eyes flicked over to the main entrance and sighed with what sounded like relief at the sight of it being blocked by rubble.

“Trix can break shit when she wants, that’s for damn certain.” I muttered. Stupid unicorns, with their cheating magic. How’s a gryphon supposed to keep up?

“Whatever. If guards manage to break through, keep them busy while I finish up here,” replied Nightmare as she disappeared from view.

“Keep them busy?” I asked aloud. “What? Are we running or something?” Annoyingly, she didn’t answer me.

I walked into the bedroom and took the sack I’d kicked under the bed out. Even if I didn’t have my knives and weapons, I felt better wearing my brown cloak and with all the empty belts and pouches crossing over my chest. The only thing worthwhile that was in them was the gold hoof band from the temple. I walked out of the bedroom and turned back to the door before sitting on my haunches. Not like I had much better to do than wait.

I shouted over my shoulder at the bathroom door, “Trix, you might want to get out here. I think Nightmare’s planning something.”

The door suddenly flew open, and in strolled Trixie. I swear she was sparkling as well, like, dragon scale shiny.

“The Great and Powerful Trixie is here! Step aside simpletons and let the Great and Powerful Trixie solve all your issues.” Fireworks. More, bloody fireworks. I don’t know what I preferred, her moping in the bathroom, or this.

“What the fuck was that mess from earlier?” I glanced over at the door as voices from outside started to filter into the room. “You were aiming that at me!” I jerked my thumb at the hole in the roof.

“The Great and Powerful was doing no such thing,” she replied with a flick of her mane.

“You pointed your horn straight at me.” I stated flatly. “That spell would have turned me to bloody pulp.” I paused before adding, “I meant ‘bloody’ as in the curse, not the description.”

“That only happened because you jerked the Great and Powerful’s horn in your direction. If you cannot handle the power that comes from the Great and Powerful One, then you should not do such actions.”

“Jerked your horn in my direction?” I repeated. “Do you actually believe that happened, or are you just in denial? Either way, next time you pull that shit it’s not ending well.”

“Whatever you say, insignificant gryphon.”

“Another thing, your racist bullshit is really starting to rub me the wrong way.”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie does not know what you are talking about,” she replied with a wave of her hoof. “Now get me that dish I ordered earlier.”

“You’re a fucking racist Trix. Seriously, enough with the gryphon jabs. They’re getting old real fast.” I glanced over at the fridge, which was knocked over with all the food lying on the ground. “And there’s no way in hell I’m ever getting you ‘flambe broccoli chickpeas’ with chrysanthemums or whatever the hell it was.”

“Trixie is not racist! How dare you insinuate such a thing. She merely believes all beings are below her and the only ones that come close to even a tenth of her magnificence are the alicorn sisters.”

“Will you two shut up!?” screamed Nightmare Moon from above us. “Some of us are trying to work here!”

“I didn’t know they had a street corner in that room!” I shouted up at her. “Convenient when your work’s so close to home.”

“Rather him than you,” was the reply.

“Frankly, the Great and Powerful Trixie would rather die than touch either of you in that manner.”

“Fuck you Trix.” I told her before turning back to the door. I snorted. “Hey, you know what picking up tricks means right?”

“Perhaps. What are you thinking of doing?”

“Nothing. Just saying with a name like ‘trick-sy’ your parents mustn't have had high expectations when they popped you out.”

There was a pause and for a split second that haughtiness was gone and she looked this close to breaking down yet again.

“The Great and Powerful Trixie is called the Great and Powerful for a reason. She has superseded all expectations and is a genius of the highest caliber.”

I stared at her, not commenting. “You alright?” I said after a moment.

“Yes.” She turned away and put on her hat. “So what’s the plan?”

“Plan is ‘hold off’ any fucker that comes in while Nightmare does... whatever it is she’s doing. Chances are they’ll be coming in armed and armored with miss goddess supposedly in here. I haven’t got any of my weapons, so that’ll make things a bit tricky. So, in short: there is no plan. We’re out matched, and outnumbered, and of the two of us I’m the only one who really knows how to fight.”

“Have you already forgotten about Trixie’s exploits during our escape? Or that bar brawl? Trixie is more than capable of handling herself.” The entire pile of debris shifted as an explosion was let loose on the other side of the door. “Amateurs.”

“In the bar you just started the fight and set up distractions. On the run you made some nice illusions and fell into an outhouse. Props where they’re due, but no, you’re not a fighter Trix. Is there any kind of barrier you can put over the door?”

“Yes, but that would be a waste of effort.” Her horn glowed and the rubble began shifting around until it formed a more structured barricade behind the door. Though sweat dripped from her brow, she made no indication of how much effort it took. “That should hold them far longer than any barrier I could conjure and it shall hide our involvement. We can merely say we were locked in while Nightmare did things to us.”

“Cool.” I turned around and looked up at the hole in the ceiling. “Nearly done sucking that guy off Nightmare?!” I looked across and saw the window to the room. I glanced back at Trixie. “They’ll probably try to get in through there,” I indicated it. “Anything you can do about that?”

“One more minute!” yelled Nightmare from above and from the pounding that accompanied her voice, I’d say she was dealing with other issues as well.

“Watch as the Great and Powerful Trixie works!” She blew up more of the roof and then placed those over each window before turning it invisible. A second later, a gryphon came into view, smashed through the window, into the rubble and then vanished from view.

I laughed. “Nice. That’ll hold them for a bit.” Digging out the rubble while flying would be a pain in the ass, and that was on top of how long they’d need to figure out what was really stopping them from getting in. “Alright, so now it’s just a matter of sitting tight, and hoping Nightmare gets done before any gryphons break in. She teleports us out of here, and then when she’s tired from using her magic, you and I make a break for the border.”

“Agreed.” There was a far louder explosion and a massive crack ran down the bedroom wall. The two of us exchanged a glance. “And before you ask, Trixie does not have any way of stopping them from breaking through that wall.”

I took a step back and looked around the room for anything that I could use as a weapon. Nothing. “Okay, so it’s not likely they break through the wall before the door or windows give way, but if they do, dispel that illusion on the windows and play innocent. We’ll blame it all on Nightmare. No point fighting when we’re gonna lose and just get thrown in jail for it.”

“Agreed.” Trixie licked her lips as her eyes narrowed. “But there may be another solution. They’re expecting us to stay in, and from the looks of things, they’re trying for multiple directions at the same time. So we make the first offensive move and take them by surprise. Break through and make a break for it.”

I snorted. “That’s not a good idea Trix. We’d just have to fight our way out of the palace, the city, and then the entirety of the Gryphon Kingdom. And then when we get back to Equestria, hope they don’t extradite us for breaking more laws than I can remember. No, if worse comes to worst, then we just play innocent fe-”

The sound of an explosion rocked the room, and a plume of dust burst through the hole in the roof. A sharp crack of battle magic followed, and I grabbed Trixie and pulled her to the side, just in time as the entire roof caved in. To my surprise a blue shield popped up around us and the remaining rubble was brushed aside harmlessly. A second later, Nightmare dropped down with a gryphon beneath her hooves and with a crack, his neck was broken.

“Hurry! We must get out of here.” The shield dropped, Nightmare grabbed both of us and we vanished in a burst of magic just as more gryphons came flooding in.

Reality returned, and I fell to my knees holding bile. “I fucking hate teleporting.” I muttered. After a moment I looked around took stock of where we were. “We’re still in the palace!” I shouted as I got back up and glared at Nightmare. “Your magic tap out or are you just retarded?”

“The labs! We need to destroy all research there,” she yelled as she raced off into the darkness.

“Goddesses damn it!” I shouted in frustration. “Come on Trix, she’s our ticket out of this city!” I started to run after her, and Trixie’s hoofsteps echoed behind me.

It’s a good thing I remembered the way through this place, and I led us into the central lab I’d seen last time I was here. Not that I actually needed any memory, all I had to do was follow the bloody hoofprints. By the time we had arrived at the stairway down, the guards were already dead and screams were coming from before. A gryphon burst out of the labs, one wing missing and a deep gash along his side, but before he had gotten more than five steps, black flames burst up around him and he died screaming in agony.

I backed away from him, and covered my beak against the smoke. I heard Trixie throwing up behind me. “Fucking Nightmare.”

I grabbed Trixie’s hoof and pulled her past the poor bastard. We entered the lab, and... carnage. Bodies everywhere, scientists in lab coats strewn over broken glass and test beakers. Blood all over the walls and pooling on the white tile floor.

“Fuck me...” I said in a voice that was barely a whisper. I got over my shock and pulled Trixie forward. “Come on... Let’s just find her and... get out of here.”

“They’re dead.” Trixie said as she stumbled along behind me.

“State the obvious,” I said and did my best to ignore one the corpses that was twitching. “Fucking hell. No wonder Celestia banished Nightmare. I’d have done that to Grace if... this.”

There was sudden explosion and fumes filled the air. Up above I could see a blazing fire that had no doubt been started by Nightmare herself. The scent of burning fur and feathers made me want to throw up.

I grabbed a face mask from one of the dead gryphons and shoved it over Trixie’s muzzle. I got one for myself and tried not to shiver when I noticed the blood stain on it. I lowered myself a bit and pulled us ahead into the smoke. I was coughing badly, and so was Trixie, but I didn’t smell anything in the air that was particularly acrid. I could only hope that whatever was burning wasn’t the sort of chemical that’d kill us from lung cancer or some shit. I did the best I could, navigating in the smoke and haze, but my eyes were watering so bad I could have been taking us anywhere.

The door up ahead was ajar and light was coming in, so that was good enough for me. I threw Trixie into the room and pulled the door shut behind us.

“Fucking Nightmare!” I shouted between heavy coughs.

I only then looked around the room and noticed it was full of those glass tubes from the temple, and there was a pile of research notes on the desks.

Trixie collapsed to the floor coughing and crying, and still fighting the occasional heave of her stomach. Wandering over to the notes, I collected them all and took them back to Trixie. I lifted her cloak and stuffed them in the pockets she had under her coat. We could read them later. Destroy the notes or take them, either way the gryphons wouldn’t get them, which is what Nightmare wanted. It probably wasn’t necessary, but I shattered the glass tubes and yanked apart all the wires in the machines attached to them. I hate Nightmare, but I didn’t like the idea of the Kingdom making those monsters in the temple. If I could stop that then great.

I was glad this room didn’t have any dead scientists in it. Trixie’s coughing had stopped and she slowly stood up.

“Now what?” she asked. “We’re not going back out there are-”

The door crashed open and Nightmare burst in. Her sword flashed and I shoved Trixie out of the way just in time to stop her getting impaled. One of Nightmare’s daggers slashed at me, and I pulled back under it.

“Nightmare it’s us!” I shouted.

She paused and rubbed the tears and smoke from her eyes. “Finally. Help me set light to this lab. Quickly!” She rushed off once more, throwing fireballs in all directions as she went.

“We need to get the fuck out of here!” I shouted at her. “I already shredded the notes they had!”

“They've still got the equipment!”

I grit my beak, and set about throwing desks and chairs and all the lab tools I could into a pile for Nightmare to burn. After a while Trixie joined us, and in a second the room was stripped of all its science stuff.

“We need somewhere to lay low,” snapped Nightmare. “Any ideas?”

“Yeah, I know a few places. But we need to get out of the palace first.” I glanced at Trixie and thought about it for a second. “We can go to the old Industrial Quarter. There’s a nice basement I know of that we can hide in. Will that do?”

“Yes. I am not as picky as my counterpart,” replied Nightmare Moon. “Now open your mind, I need an image of where we’re going.”

I blinked. “Fuck that. Just teleport us out of the palace and we’ll walk.” I knew that was a bad idea, but there was no fucking way I was letting her in my head. I had no idea what she’d leave behind, but I doubt I’d like it.

“Fine.” Once more we gathered around her and we vanished in yet another teleport. This time we appeared in the middle of the city plaza.

My eyes bugged. “Are you fucking retarded!” I screamed at her. “We can’t waltz through the city!” Already guards were turning around and noticing us. “That was a bad idea! Why the fuck did you take us here!”

“This is the only other location I know well enough to teleport to,” she replied innocently.

“You fuck-wit!” I shouted.

“Isn’t it a shame there are no gryphons around who know of a good hiding place,” she sighed as she glanced over at the approaching guards. “Such a shame we’ll get caught after all this work.”

“There’s no fucking way you’re getting in my head!” I shouted.

Trixie turned towards me. “Just do it!” she shouted. “Trixie does not want to die because you’re afraid.”

“I-” Took one final look at the approaching guards. “Fine. But don’t go poking around in there.”

With an all too gleeful grin, she leaned forwards and pressed her horn to my forehead. It took a moment, but I relaxed my mental barriers and let her in. One of those things Calisto had taught me to do and never said why. This was the first time someone had done it to me for real though, and it was so freaking weird. It was like... I can only describe it as if someone was rummaging around inside my body, and I couldn’t feel any pain.

I could feel her touching certain thoughts and discarding them. Her thoughts were in here too, and I was really aware of the fact that Nightmare had a cut on her flank and was covering it with an illusion. She was tired. Really freaking exhausted, and I only didn’t see this because of the basic illusion she had covering her. Also in her head I could feel... Shit. That was Luna. I felt Luna touch my mind in what I could only guess was a mental greeting.

Focus your thoughts on the hiding place.

Nightmares voice filled my mind. I did as she instructed, and brought my memories of the four days I spent hiding there to the front of my head. Luna got curious for a second, and began to follow that line of thought back to when I was twelve and running from-

I dragged her back down that path and away from my memories. She didn’t put up much of a fight, and I knew if she really wanted, she’d get what she wanted from me. Just teleport us already Nightmare! It was then that I noticed that Luna was already poking around in my recollection of tonight. My body screamed in frustration as I yanked her out of there, and shoved her back into Nightmare’s head. To my surprise, I felt Nightmare there helping me shove Luna away. Thanks... I guess. Though she was probably doing it to help me stay focused.

I returned my thoughts to the basement, and the cracked faded plaster that coated the walls. The mold stain on the roof, and the damp smell of rot in the air. I gave Nightmare all the detail I could of the last time I’d stopped by there, about two years ago. The brown stain on the wall that I’d always wanted to clean, that coarse cobble stone of the floor, and the stupid blue stripe that someone had painted on the wall in the dodgiest Great Scars symbol ever.

I was just wondering how much she needed when I felt her magic flood her horn. It was weird casting a spell. Only half of Nightmare’s mind was really working the spell, the rest was running over things in her head. I couldn’t help but overhear what she was thinking. And by that I mean there was no way I couldn’t listen. The thoughts were right there and running through my head, and with Nightmare’s concentration elsewhere there was no way for her to pull them back.

Most of it was a blurry mess of confusion and weirdness. There was sadness, confusion, annoyance, anger, cold hard logic, loyalty, honor, respect and so much more. I could feel the power she held and knew that all she needed was a single thought to leave a crater the size of a castle. At the same time though, something about me. Some emotion directed at me that was different. It wa-

“Do you mind? Or would you rather I fail this teleport and we can all end up appearing in the middle of a mountain?”

I could see tubes like the one in the castle, each one filled with monsters. There were blurry ponies walking around and words being spoken, but they were nothing more than static in my ears. I could see the sunset with something, someone snuggled into her side and actual joy flowing through her body. There were images of Nightmare and Luna, standing face to face, yelling at each other and coming to blows. There was Celestia, the Elements floating around her as they charged up to banish her and in that split second of failure, I could taste the regret and sorrow. It was thick and bitter like a manticore venom cocktail. And then I was on the moon, throwing Luna into an enchanted sleep in an attempt to hi-

“Enough!”

My eyes snapped open and I stumbled back clutching my head in my claws. There was a loud ringing in my ears and I fell to the floor dazed. I rolled onto my belly, and looked up to see Nightmare glaring at me. I blinked, and tried to shake my head clear. I banged a claw against my head, but the ringing and fuzzy cotton that had swollen my brain wouldn’t let up.

I tried to stand up again, but just stumbled forward and landed on my face.

I vaguely heard a voice ask me if I was okay. It might have been Trixie.

I opened my beak to answer, but all that came out was air and a groan.

It might have been Nightmare that said severing mental bonds so suddenly can cause disorientation. But to me, it sounded a little like Calisto saying that. And Grace. And Dash. And Luna. And Pinkie. And my dad. And...

Just like that the fuzz was gone. The ringing died, and reality made sense again. And Nightmare had a hoof on my chest with a very sharp sword aimed at my throat. Oh... shit.

“We respected your wish and did not invade your privacy. Next time, you will do the same if you value your life.” Then her eyes rolled back, she hit the ground and her coat and mane returned to Luna’s coloration.

“Okay...” I unsteadily stood up and looked at Trixie. “That just happened right?”

She nodded.

I looked back down at Nightmare/Luna, whoever it was, and nudged her muzzle with my knuckle. “You alright?”

No response. Not even a twitch.

“Trixie, I feel like I’m about to throw up. Can you... drag her into a corner... or something?” I walked away and fell against a wall. I looked around and noticed that this was the basement we wanted to go to. Good... I guess.

I was tired. The events of the night caught up to me and I closed my eyes. I might have heard Trixie bitching about something, but that might have been a fly buzzing in my ear as well. It took me seconds before I was asleep.

Graciano pushed open the door, and slid the pouch of sleeping powder back into his pocket. The guard’s key locked the door behind him, and he turned to face the room’s contents.

It was a small office. Unassuming, and the only thing unusual about it was the line of glowing blue memory droughts lined up along the desk, in front of the gryphon scribe. He was a skinny old one, his fur a silver gray and his crown feathers a colorless charcoal.

The Wide Eyes handled their files with care and precision. A delicate system and heavily guarded archive prevented information from being spread or corrupted. When an operative asked for certain information he was cleared for, the information was sent to scribe who copied it down and transferred the copy to the operative. The operative was then trusted to handle the information appropriately, and burn the copied file when he was done. This system wasn’t without its flaws.

For example the scribes presented the risk of knowing a truly vast amount of secrets. Over a lifetime they might come to know... almost everything there was to know that they shouldn’t. Hence the memory droughts. Once a file was copied, it was placed in a folder, and the scribe would move onto the next one. At the end of his hour long shift the scribe would drink the memory drought, forget everything and a new scribe would be brought in.

As Grace approached the table, the scribe turned around and glared at him. “You shouldn’t be here,” he stated in a croaky voice.

“My apologies Arsenio.” Grace inclined his head. “But as I’m sure you’ve figured out, that is not my greatest concern.”

Arsenio sighed. “So you know my name? I’m guessing we’ve met before.”

Grace only smiled.

Arsenio glanced at the memory droughts in front of him. “It’s a funny thing doing this job for so long. Everyday is the first, and I know I’ve had a long and productive career. Yet I have not an experience to speak of.” He returned his eyes to Grace. “Have I told you this before?”

Grace nodded. “Yes, or something much like it.”

“What do you want then?”

“Lord Teotore asked for files to be brought to him today. The king also asked for similar files, pertaining to the personal history of Gilda of the Great Scars. I also wish to see the file of Calisto of the Great Scars, requested by me, earlier this afternoon.”

Arsenio looked at the box of files to his right. “You know, you’re not allowed to see the originals.”

“Yes, but it’s the originals that I require.” Graciano opened the lid on the box and sifted through the files. After a moment he retrieved the ones that pertained to Calisto and Gilda. He opened Calisto’s up, and looked at the scribe’s marks at the bottom. “It says that this file has been accessed a few times, but all the copies were disposed of appropriately. Except for one file yet to be confirmed in its destruction. That was by me and gained through the proper clearance earlier this morning.” He tucked it under his arm. He picked up Gilda’s file and opened it. “This one was not accessed by anyone since its creation, except for five years ago. The gryphon that had that copy was killed, and it’s unknown where the file went from there.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

Grace smiled at him. “I feel as though if I’m to steal your memories, I should at least not be cruel or rude before I do so. No need to leave you in suspense.” He tucked the file under his arm and turned to Arsenio, who stood up from the table.

“I’m not going to let you leave with those.” he said with a frown. “My job is to keep secrets.”

Grace nodded. “That is also something you’ve said before.”

Arsenio’s jaw tightened. “Guards!” he called to the door.

Graciano smiled, and stepped closer to the man. “I’ve heard it’s a sign of a great ego when you quote yourself repeatedly.”

The older gryphon turned to Grace with an angry look on his face.

Graciano grimaced. “You’re right. That was a poor joke, made in poor taste. I apologize.” He took the blue memory drought from his pouch.

Arsenio sighed and fell on his haunches. “The funniest thing about that drink, is I have no idea what it tastes like.”

Grace smiled. “A great irony. Please, drink. I don’t wish to force you.” He offered the substance.

Arsenio took it in hand, and stared at it for a second, before pouring its contents on the ground.

Grace sighed. “Not the first time you’ve done that.” He withdrew another potion.

“Then why give me the choice?” the old one asked with a growl.

“Because I believe choice is important. Your actions define you, even if you never experience them yourself.”

With a swift moved, he had the elder gryphon on the ground. He bound Arsenios hands behind his back with padded cuffs that would leave no bruise. He pulled him across the room and sat him back in the chair. With his claws he forced his beak open, and tipped the drink down his throat. The moment the vial was empty, he undid the padded cuffs, and quietly slipped out the room.

As he left he closed the door quietly. He paused just long enough to hear Arsenio say, “First time again.”

Grace smiled, just like last time. Leaving the building was simple fair. He merely retraced his steps from the way in. Once he was outside, he took to the air and flew to city center. Once there, Grace paused in front of a burning brazier and looked over the files in his talons.

“For you sister,” he said to the air and dropped them into the flame. They caught alight, and in moments nothing was left of them but some ash that would be cleaned out the following day.

Comments

[OrphiusOlyandra]

So another Gilda chapter so basically everything was written by y1.
Um...
Oh!
Actually I have nothing. I don't think I pulled any "suddenly Nightmare" scenes, though y1 will probably disagree. Nightmare was super fun to write as was Trixie.
Um...
It doesn't help that we wrote this weeks ago so my memory's hazy.

I'll shut up now.

Oh yeah, something, something, something, y1, something, snark, sarcasm, stuff.
There, that should cover my "annoy y1" quote for this update.

[Y1]

1742760

That was just weak. Go home Orphius.

This chapter was... crap there's a lot to talk about. Gilda beating some random (possibly not deserving) guy senseless purely to take out her anger on someone was meant to be one of those scenes where the reader really starts to question just how sane and right in the head Gilda is. It's also meant to hearken back to the episode, and basically, this is what Gilda would have done to Pinkie if Dash wasn't there. It's also really sadistic too, and comparable to something Nightmare would do.

Then we have Calisto's grave. This is basically how Gilda deals with sadness: Break stuff. It's how she dealt with losing Dash. She went and started a bar fight, which in the end landed her in this mess. I'm kinda trying to write Gilda so that everything she goes though comes back to someway she messed up. It's almost like everything she suffers is self inflicted to a degree.

Then just some banter with Trixie, which was fun. Oh, and that jab about racism comes back later.

Then Nightmare kills a bunch of people and gets in Gilda's mind. This is actually interesting, because later we consistently refer to mind magic like that as mind raping, but here it was with consent. Make of that what you will. The bit inside Nightmare's mind was really interesting, and I think it was the largest chunk of writing Orphius did this chapter.

Finally we have Grace being a good brother. Like I've said in the past, he really is a nice guy. The amount of shit he'd get into if he got caught with that, is secondary to helping his sister. He really is a nice guy.

Anyway, that's it for me. I had a fair amount of control of this chapter, so Orphius didn't have much chance to mess with things too much. Seriously. The guy's impossible to work with. He keeps insisting he needs 'sleep' of all things. I mean, what a child. Who needs sleep really? Keeps complaining about being tired and junk like that. Whatever.

Enjoy the chapter folks.

[Y1]

1742923
See! He admits his weakness. You're a writer damn it! You don't need sleep. You need a shit ton of caffeine and duct tape to hold your eyes open. Sleep is optional and something that's between you and your time spent writing.

[OrphiusOlyandra]

1743837
I have no words.

[Y1]

1743845
Well you better find those words, like I said, you're a writer.

[OrphiusOlyandra]

1743848
For when one isn't enough