Perhaps Death

by WritingSpirit

The Maretryoshka Missile Conspiracy: Part 2 - The Sovereign's Doll

2101 AC, Second Winter, 30, 0:46:12

"Big... bigger on the..."

"Yes, Solomon."

"Just like your... like your ship..."

I sighed. "Yes, Solomon."

"But how did this get here?"

Question of the day, though that wouldn't be the first one I'd bother to ask. No, I'm rather interested in what exactly is in there right now, and I'm sure all of you are plenty interested in this strange turn of events as well. The only civilization to ever have possessed this technology (at least, in my stream of knowledge) is that of the Time Lords, or my people, as you may call them; for something like this to be here, nonetheless one built from a mere nesting doll.

I took another peer inside the doll, trying my best to picture whatever that was inside. Alright, it's a little hard to say where exactly is inside, but the fact that there were puffy clouds obstructing the green expanse way down below was a little... interesting, and by interesting, I meant the scale of the technology being used. If you look at it from an angle, however, you'll see an unnerving, metallic honeycomb stretching into the infinite horizon like some sort of giant power plant. That, I'm sure you lot know, is certainly where all the energy is coming from.

"Now then," I said aloud, turning back to my duo of friends. "First off, we have a nesting doll. A strange, queer nesting doll that somewhat appeared from nowhere with the storage capabilities of my TARDIS. Before any of you ask, yes, there's some sort of place inside it, but until four seconds ago, we have no idea where this place actually is."

"Wait," Twilight spoke, her sharp ears twitching. "Until four seconds ago? You mean--"

"Indeedy. I figured it out." With a smirk, I held the doll right back up, displaying for everypony in the room. "Inside this doll is a place known as Watersaddlle Gorge, in which the 'saddle' has an extra 'L'. Now, you might be wondering whatever's in Watersaddlle Gorge that's giving out all this energy, which I honestly am quite proud to have figured it myself, considering the limited view we have of the terrain, and the answer is the Watersaddlle Nuclear Silo."

"A silo?"

I gave my eager companion a smug grin, nodding in response. There she goes, tittering about like a schoolmare swooning over her first crush asking her out for a date. She was, in a simple tense, adorkable. Solomon didn't share that anticipation -- what monarch would even bother to? -- but had the same level of curiosity. I could already imagine all the questions that would come spewing from his mouth.

"Why is it in there?" was question number one.

"It was a frozen point of time," I answered. "The Watersaddlle Gorge had probably been destroyed or long since forgotten and somepony had an idea to preserve it, for what reason I am currently not sure of. Quickly, they transferred that point of time into the nesting doll, which was probably been lost or intentionally left in the outskirts of Stalliongrad for you lot to find, in which you did."

"But why Watersaddlle Gorge?"

"The power plant, perhaps," was my assumption. "Imagine. Having such a great amount of energy, both time and radioactive energy, compressed into such a small nesting doll. What would be the first thing you would ever pictured it to be if you stumbled upon such a fascination?"

"A lot of energy in a small canister..." Twilight muttered, pondering. "Wouldn't that make it... make it some sort of... bomb?"

Silence befell the entirety of the laboratory. Everypony feared to speak, eyes all glued to the doll, which was still smiling creepily at its secret being discovered. The mutters flitting about where slowly growing louder and louder, the faces of everypony else gradually paling. I braced myself for some hysterical screaming to blow my ears out, but surprise overcame me when Solomon stepped forward, interjecting into the growing panic around the room.

"Listen. I don't want anypony to lose their bucking minds in here," he said rather crudely. "First off, we don't know if it actually is a bomb. At the moment, it could only be a possibility. Isn't that so, Doctor?"

"Right."

"So there is also a possibility that it could be something else," he clarified. "The best we could do is calm down and examine what this might be. After figuring out what it might be, we'll consult the Doctor on what we might have to do with it afterwards."

Apparently, it seems I'm the only expert here on ethical decisions.

"So what now, Turner?" Twilight whispered to me. "Does that mean we have to wait?"

"We will, though I do hope it wouldn't take long."

Those of you who knew me long enough would also know that I'm not the most patient being in the universe, however delicate the situation may be. It is one thing I could never get used to. I mean, how do you all just spend one day 'normally' in your standards, letting time rot you away like that when you can see all the exciting things happening around the same time? It's so boring and dull and just plain...... slow. Ugh, like, depressingly slow.

"Solomon," I called out to my friend. "How long would the research take?"

"Three days and such, hopefully," was his answer. "Why do you ask?"

"Nothing. I'll be in the TARDIS if you need me. It's outside the palace."

Slowly, I retreated from the laboratory, Twilight following closely behind without turning back. The only thing I was thinking about then was hoping that Solomon remembered how the TARDIS looked like. I mean, it has been fifty-eight years since he seen it and we all know age does funny things to a pony's memory. The moment we stepped into the Red Gallery, a tap on my shoulder prompted me to turn around to see my companion's eyes narrowed down onto me, her frown growing.

"Why didn't you help him?" she questioned.

"I had more important things to take care of."

"What's more important than helping a friend?" she cried. "I... I don't like it when you hide something from me, Turner. First, you didn't tell me that we were here for a reason, and now you say you have other things to take care of instead?"

"Trust me, Twilight."

"How can I trust you when you're not telling me things all the time?"

A moment of silence, before Twilight trotted up to me with a solemn, darkening look on her face. There was something unnerving about the way she was staring at me; it was as if she wanted to scream and kick me in the gut or something, yet she still stood there. No, what she said next practically change my entire life.

"I can't be with you like this."

That sentence was one of the things that clung onto me like a dear memory I didn't want to forget, only this one served more of a harsh warning than a reminder. Twilight still held her grim facade despite seeing me slightly taken aback; apparently, this was just the beginning of her lecture.

"Relationships are built on trust, Turner," she said. "Both the stallion and the mare must entrust each other with their secrets. That was the first thing I read in a book, Turner, and no matter how bookish you think it was, I know that part is true. Even if we're not together, I'm still travelling with you, Turner. You said that the places we'll visit will be safe, yet do you know how much times I put my life on the line for your shenanigans in every single place we visited?"

"Twilight, I--"

"Do you?"

"A lot," I professed with a sigh. Well said, Twilight Sparkle. "I'm sorry, Twilight. I know I shouldn't have done that. It's just--"

"I don't mind them. You know, about all the dangers we keep facing."

Another shocker, I guess. Really, if she keeps this up, I'd probably trade my obsession of bow ties with her inexplicably talented way of thought. I always wonder what could be lingering in that witty head of hers, yet every time I thought I got it right, she'll slap me silly by proving me wrong again. She's certainly a mystery better left unsolved.

"It's just... I really wish you could tell me things," she muttered despondently. "Things like... like what you were actually here for. You never told me that Solomon called you here, yet even after I knew, you said you had other things to do here. Don't get me wrong, I'm not asking much, but... can I at least know what are you going to do now?"

I sighed to myself. Time to come out squeaky clean, I guess.

"I was here..." I began quietly. "Because of Solomon."

"But then why didn't you help him?"

"I am. Just... not in that way."

We trotted through the Red Gallery, as if retracing our steps to the TARDIS, though I stopped once we reached the painting of Solomon and his wife, Camomile. Just to let you know, while my old friend was busy recounting his love story to my companion, I was busy thinking of how to help him. It is the very reason I'm here besides the doll.

"In the next few days," I began, mustering up my confidence. "Solomon Phothane Belgonquin the Fifth, Supreme Commander of the Federal States of Pransyberia, will disappear."

"What?" Twilight gasped in a slight bout of shock. "H-how did you know?"

"Timey-wimey thing," I nonchalantly answered. "Anyway, it is said that in the midst of the Golden Age of Pransyberia, when Stalliongrad's walls are at its brightest red, Solomon will vanish, leaving Pransyberia without a king. The kingdom of Pransyberia will fall into a power struggle, leading into a coup d'etat. At least, until Princess Celestia intervened and announced the dissolution of the Ministry of Pransyberia. Problem is, the resulting power struggle before that would've wiped out most of the Pransyberian population. Imagine that, the loss of one king leading to tens of thousands dead."

"So you're here to stop him from disappearing?" she spelled out, to which I gave a nod. "O-Okay... but how exactly would he disappear?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out, but I know it has something to do with the doll."

It couldn't be that much of a coincidence, the sudden appearance of the doll and Solomon's disappearance occurring almost at the same time. Really, if you think about it, they certainly must be linked together somehow, but in what way? Did the doll's eventual explosion send him spiraling off into time? Was he abducted because of the power he possessed? Did he coincidentally tripped and fell right into the doll without anypony seeing him? Alright, that last one was just plain ridiculous.

"We must head back to the TARDIS at once," I instructed. "There must be some sort of distortion in the space-time continuum when the doll first appeared. If I could trace the energy signals back to its source, I'm certain we could find the doll's origins. Maybe then we could save Solomon before it's too late."

Our retreat to my lovely ship was a rather hasty one. I always wondered how it was like, running back to the TARDIS all the time. I mean, each round back and forth like that would surely amount to eight hours of exercise, and that does not include all the galloping we took during our... 'visits'. No morning jogs for me, I'd say.

"Alright then!" I exclaimed to myself, a little exhilarated even though we're not going anywhere. "Now, where do you come from..."

"You know you always talk to yourself, right?"

"Personal habit," I answered in my defense against Twilight's question, my companion eliciting a giggle. "Helps with juggling my brain cells a bit. You'll never know when you need your brain cells juggled."

"I don't know if I'll ever get used to it."

"Believe me, you will. I mean, look at me! I did!"

Twilight rolled her eyes, shaking her head at my playfulness, so to speak. I must admit, I can be rather a tease around others, especially when it comes to my companions. If you think about it, we all have that little mischievous side within us, dormant and patiently waiting to be unleashed. I do it all the time, you know, just to make the most out of the time I can spend with my fellow friends.

Really, do make the most out of being around with your friends.

You'll never know when they will one day just suddenly disappear.

"Doctor."

"Hold on a minute, Twilight," I muttered, a little overly focused on the glorious amount of data streaming through the TARDIS screen. It's beyond comprehension, the power influx coming from the doll, even if it was something alien. For some reason, it seemed to have been gathering energy, though from where, I'm not sure. Judging from all this energy it gathered, it's safe to say this doll has been through a lot. "It's unbelievable... Twilight, come take a look at this! The energy readings... it's even beyond me!"

"Doctor!"

Really, what was it about her sudden preferential change of calling me? I've already told her she'd rather call me Turner when we're alone! I sighed to myself and was about to lecture once again about how she doesn't have to yell to catch my attention until I turned around. What I had seen then... there had never been anything more shocking, more horrifying, more appalling that I had ever seen before then.

There was Twilight Sparkle, her hooves raised and her teeth sinking into her lips with cold sweat visibly dripping from her forehead, the side of which is being forced against the barrel of an antique, gold-gilded revolver. She was held rather tightly down, her captor's hoof wrapped around her neck like a hangman's noose. It was like a living nightmare, to see my companion and dear friend being held up like this. It couldn't get any worse from there, couldn't it?

Fate decided to prove me wrong.

For the owner of the gun was Solomon Phothane Belgonquin the Fifth.

"Hello, Doctor," he mumbled, face bland of expression. "I suppose you don't want to see me like this, am I correct? Funny how life bucks you in the face like that."

"Let her go, Solomon," I said grimly. "You don't want to hurt anypony."

"You're telling that to a stallion who had killed more ponies than any other stallion in a single lifetime."

"Trust me, you do not want to add her to the list," I warned. Considering her title of being Princess Celestia's faithful student, I couldn't imagine what her 'disappearance' back at her time stream would make for the future of Equestria. She could've become somepony that would have helped many others in her lifetime; losing her here would completely change a bright future of Equestria, the universe even!

"You knew she's not from this age, Solomon. You knew it from the moment you saw her."

"Aye, the curse. Really how it gets into your nerve."

Twilight let out a small gasp once she was yanked back further into Solomon's grasps, the barrel of the gun making her wince as it drilled into her head. What scared me more than that was the fact that my old friend's face was etched with a sinister smirk; the same one he wore when his face was splattered in red and his hooves stuck in a sea of his enemies' bodies. It was the inheritance of the royal family, his thirst for blood, though there was no medical condition to classify it under. But that's a problem for another day.

"Well then," he muttered into my trembling companion's ear. "Care to tell us your last words?"

"Solomon listen to me, put her down now!!" I warned, creeping towards them. "You want me, then you can have me! There's nothing you can get from her!"

"Which makes the situation more dire for you, doesn't it?! A friend you brought from the past with no knowledge of what might be going on in this day of age being placed on the brink of death... that probably sums up every bloody travel you have in this ship! Isn't that so?!"

"What do you want, Solomon?!"

"Freedom, Doctor! Liberation!"
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I knew what he meant.
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I knew what he wanted.
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But can I actually give it to him?
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Even if it involves the expense of my own companion?

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"I can't help you, Solomon. You know that."

"Then two can play at that game."

"Woah, woah, woah! Wait!" I cried, hooves up as Solomon cocked his rather ancient gun, Twilight letting out a meek gasp at that, the grip around her neck tightening. Believe me, he would've pulled the trigger any time now, knowing his reputation as being the trigger-happy king. In fact, I'm rather surprised he didn't do it yet (not that I wanted him to, of course). Then again, there are more things a pony is concerned of other than bloodshed.

"Look, I know how much the curse has plagued you, Solomon."

"Oh, you haven't had the faintest idea," he growled spitefully. "Do you know what it feels like? Living every day in this country, looking at the happy faces of all my subjects smiling at me, telling me that nothing's wrong and yet, inside... you see them inside and it's this desolate pool of rage, of frustration, filling up and eating away their flesh like acid. Even my own ministry tells me lies, saying they would try their best to rectify the situation, but oh, they're all just bucking lies for them to lavish their wasted lives in my subjects' money. I know all of it... but no one would help me..."

"I can help you," I said, stepping closer. "Say what you want me to do and I'll do it. Just say the word."

"It's too late, Doctor."

"It's never too late to help a friend, Solomon."

"I've seen the future of Stalliongrad, Doctor. I've seen it."

This... this was the extent of the curse: knowing every single thought and emotion that ponies around harbored until you could accurately predict their collective future. Imagine, knowing somepony was about to meet his or her end and yet, you remain powerless to stop it. Death is painless, as they say, yet one couldn't imagine how painful it is to others, especially those closest to the pony.
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I had seen it happen a lot of times.
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Maybe even too many times.
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And every time, I was powerless to stop it.
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That is why I'm not losing Twilight Sparkle here.
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Not now, not ever.

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"I can't let you do that, Solomon."

Within a flash of quick thinking, like I've often do in such critical situations, I whisked out my sonic screwdriver and pointed it towards the TARDIS doors, which opened once I thumped my hoof against the grated floor. Much to their befuddlement, I did a fancy of a twirl with the sonic in my hooves, before pointing the device at the door, a sly grin forming up the edges of my face despite still receiving perplexed looks from both captor and hostage.

"As of now, I've used the frequency of my trusty sonic to set the polarity of the nesting doll," I explained my brilliant plan. "In that way, whatever that might happen, with the flick of a switch, the doll goes 'kaboom', the palace goes 'kaboom' and I believe the whole of Stalliongrad would go 'kaboom' as well."

"Y-You wouldn't dare."

"That won't be the first time I heard that."

"Is this what you are resorting to, Doctor?" he growled spitefully. "Genocide?"

"The death of Twilight Sparkle might spark the same thing, Solomon," I warned. "She's a pony from the past and a very important one, I'm sure you know. If you kill her, do you know what might happen to Stalliongrad? Your subjects will suffer a fate worse than death, Solomon. They would be wiped off from existence, never even breathing a single breath of life. You might not even exist."

"H-How would you know?"

"Believe me, I've seen the past of your ancestors, and their ancestors as well," I muttered, hoping to convince him. "They had been through the worst things imaginable to all of ponykind, but they couldn't have done it without any help, couldn't they? No, surely somepony must have lead them to a brighter future. Somepony really important." I shifted my glance to Twilight, who began to smile as I continued: "That is why I promised to protect my companion at all cost, because I know she is destined for great things. Things that even I can't accomplish. Twilight Sparkle has been one of the most special mares I've ever met and... to be honest, she being here made me feel like I'm the luckiest stallion in the world. You know how that feels, don't you? That feeling of Camomile -- bless her soul --being there for you? Remember that?"

Solomon just stared at me, the words sinking into his head, the gun visibly shivering in his hoof. Suddenly, with a defeated sigh, he loosened Twilight from his grasp, head hanging low as my companion scampered up to my side, panting out all the tension and fear that piled up in her head. Whimpering quietly (a rare sight from Solomon), the once-threatening king skulked down onto the TARDIS floor, clenching his watering eyes shut.

"That's it for me then?" he lamented. "Stalliongrad can't be saved..."

"It can," I assured. "Your concerns of the people are so dire, you've forgotten how much you could've helped them instead. Remember, ponies still look up to you as their king. Curse or no curse, you can lead them to a brighter future."

"But they have lost hope... I saw it with my own eyes..."

"Then give them hope. Give them a reason to live again. Give Stalliongrad a chance to prosper like it did before the war. Perhaps after that, there will be somepony that could have a cure to your curse. Surely you have the power to return your country to its former glory, don't you?"

"Easy for you to say," he said with a spiteful chuckle. "You haven't lost your loved ones in a war."

"I did," I admitted, surprising both Solomon and Twilight. "I lost many, many of my friends. Believe me, you really would not want to know what happened to each of them. There comes a time where I have a feeling I could save them; to right what I've wronged, but it was not meant to be. That is why I don't look back at the past, not because I do not mourn for the ponies I lost, but because I have to prevent such things from happening again. Just think about it: you don't want a war to happen again, don't you?"

"Y-You're right..."

With newfound confidence, however lackluster it may be, Solomon Phothane Belgonquin the Fifth stood up on all his four hooves, inhaling deeply with closed eyes before sighing out loud. When he opened those eyes... it made me smile: there it was, that cunning determination of a spark he has in his eyes. Even Twilight was surprised by how quick the change was; one minute, he was sulking like a lone beggar, the next he became the royal monarch we all know and probably love. What can I say, Solomon can really be such a devil sometimes.

It took a little convincing for him to bring up the doll when I asked him to get it, mostly to speed up the process, but after countless minutes of pleading, he finally gave in. A few minutes later, Solomon came back with the nesting doll, which still smiled that little creepy smile. What I wouldn't do to wipe it clean off its face. Quickly, I did a little computing with my TARDIS, wiring up the doll before tinkering with all the necessities.

"So where do we start?" he asked me once I'm done.

"Preventing any potential attacks," I said, glancing back at the TARDIS controls. "Specifically, the bomb of a nesting doll. Now, where do you say you found it again?"

"I didn't. Forgot to mention that detail, did I?"

"Yep."

"Age really bucks your brain..." he hissed to himself. "Some of my guards found it in the Palace Square. They brought it to me straight after."

"Mm-hmm," was my skeptical response. I don't want to think too much about it, but there was something off about that. Now, this is one of those moments where no matter how much I try to resist, I always want to ask a question. It is also one of those moments where Twilight Sparkle beat me to it.

"But why bring it to you?" she asked. "They could've bring it home for their children or asked the vendors around if they dropped one of their merchandise, couldn't they?"

"The doll wasn't just any other doll." Solomon bit his lip, almost as if afraid to speak, which only further piqued my curiosity. One raise of an eyebrow from me and Twilight was the push needed for him to continue.

"This doll... was Camomile's. Bless her soul."

"Wait, what?" Twilight gasped. "You mean... Camomile -- bl-bless her soul -- made this doll?"

Solomon gave a firm nod. Rather stern one too, considering such a trivial matter at hoof. "She was a true artist, really. As much as she could sing, Camomile -- bless her soul -- was a fond craftsmare as well. She loved collecting dolls back in her childhood, so when she discovered how to make one, she began crafting so many, we have an entire section of the Red Gallery just to house those dolls. What was funny that when the war ended, we found a doll missing from the collection."

"And it coincidentally turned out to be this one?" I asked, to which he nodded sternly. Now this isn't a trivial matter. "Strange... Really strange..."

"Doctor, could Camomile -- bless her soul -- had made the bomb as well?"

"Impossible," I refuted Twilight's theory. "Equestria does not possess such technology yet. Plus, according to the readings, the doll was enchanted after it was made. That means that despite being the pony that created the doll, she was not the one to put that power plant inside. No, this was the work of somepony -- or something -- else."

A loud 'beep!' from the systems broke up the conversation, the lovely sound of it putting a smile on my face. Don't you just love the beeping of success? With a exhilarated whinny, I galloped to the screen, the commands that I've computed it a moment ago finally bringing out the results.

"Now this is interesting..." I mused.

"What is it?" Solomon asked. "What did you do?"

"I've traced the doll back to its source, so to speak," I answered in the simplest way I could think of. I could've babbled on about the readings and polarities and geographical networks and data, data, data that could basically incinerate the brains of Starswirl the Bearded even. Have you ever met him, Starswirl the Bearded? Funny fellow, that one. Just more proof that the smartest ponies are the quirkiest, really.

"Apparently, the doll originated from a loop in time."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that Camomile never made the doll in the first place," I answered, surprising my two friends yet again, although even I myself am a little perplexed at such a thing happening. To have reached this conclusion... however we looked at it, it made the situation a whole lot worse than it initially seemed. "For some reason, this doll appeared in a continuous circuit, appearing in the Red Square where a series of events would propel it back to the Square once again to be discovered by your soldiers at that particular point of time. Somehow, the doll had embedded itself into all of our heads to make us think it existed before, but as we discovered, this was not the case."

"You mean there was never such a doll in the collection?" Solomon questioned, to which I gave a nod. "But... but I could've sworn I seen it... it was there! It must've b-been misplaced or..."

"It was never there. The enchantment made it seemed like it was."

The harsh reality that none of us wanted to believe in... really horrifying, don't you think? How the tables have turned so drastically? Even Twilight was in denial from this discovery, her head no doubt questioning the chances of such a phenomenon--- no, an anomaly happening.

"I'm trying to trace the loop now," I said, pressing buttons and flipping switches. "The doll contains a numerable amount of time energy, meaning it has traveled through time at some point. If we could trace its path, then I'm sure we could try to break the loop and make sure this doll wouldn't come back here... there we go..."

With a flip of the switch, the TARDIS started whirring, the three of us holding tight onto the railings. I laughed aloud soon after; oh, how I missed this baby purr!! Twilight soon joined in, a little excited at our destination, even though it's just the same place in a different time period. It's really funny, how the two of us would laugh when the prospect of adventure is brought up. Breaks all the dull moments in life!

Solomon would've joined in if he hadn't had the burden of protecting his country on his shoulders. I was about to nudge him to join us when the dates of our destination clicked onto the screen, giving us a 'ding'. Believe me, I would've laughed harder when I heard that 'ding', but the dates that popped up... it made all of our faces, especially Solomon's, pale a snow white.
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2092 AC, Second Fall, 17

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It was nine years ago from now, during the brewing war where the northern half of Stalliongrad was taken over by an invasion. Many of Stalliongrad had perished in that war, but on that particular date, there was one of utmost importance that perished. I turned to Solomon, biting my lip as his jaw was left open in consternation, his teary eyes blinking profusely, unable to believe what he was seeing.

The date was the 17th of the Second Fall, 2092 AC.

It was the day that Stalliongrad's Sovereign Lady of Peace, Camomile Songbird Phothane Belgonquin, died.
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Author's Note:

Sorry for the extremely long delay
I promised in my most recent blog post I'll get it out by the end of last week, which I didn't, so sorry for those who were waiting.

Hopefully it was well worth the wait.

Comments

[Attraten]

It was indded worth the wait. Keep it up :)