A Unicorn tossed in his sleep, covered in a sheen of sweat as his scarred face convulsed. Clutching at the blankets, he relived the same memory that had plagued him for over two months now.

He ducked, the blade of pure ebony whistling past his horn. Beside him Captain Mithril Weave parried as well, dealing her assailant a mortal blow and banishing it to whatever mist it came from. His heart soared as his blade sang out, rendering his own foe to a cloud of vapours.

“Pen! Watch out!” His captain’s cry caused him to whirl as a dozen more advanced from the mist before them. Outnumbered, the two fled. All around, the maze of hallways stymied their attempts at escape, each turn revealing more wickedly grinning shades until the door to Celestia’s chambers stood before them. A dead end, but the place he knew he needed to be.

The place he knew he was to die.

The shades advanced, blades sliding from their forearms.

He thrashed, knocking over the arcane alarm device meant to wake him up as the sun set. It fell to the ground, but the sound of it shattering did not rouse him.

Thrust, Parry, Riposte!

His opponent was too strong, too fast, and the cry of anguish beside him was cut off as Mithril Weave fell, tongue lolling out of her mouth as her eyes went blank. The shades closed around him. No matter how hard he fought, he knew there could be only one outcome. He HAD to warn her, get her to safety… but Celestia was already gone, wasn’t she?”

His brow furrowed, and that instant of pondering cost him dearly. His mind was nearly as sharp as the crystal-edged sword that arced down, sending a fan of blood across the marble floor as he fell to his knees, shattered sword bouncing away from him.

Everything was wrong. This couldn’t be real? It had already happened! Eclipse looked up at his foe, waiting for the end he knew was coming.

“ENOUGH! THIS HAS GONE ON FOR FAR TOO LONG!”

With the sound of shattering metal and wood, the door behind him exploded. Driven back by the raw force, the Shades scattered before a mare tall and terrible, clad in armor with a sword most would struggle to wield two-handed. As the dark sword came down, the brighter one interposed itself, and Eclipse realized where he was.

It was a dream. A Nightmare, to be sure, but a dream nonetheless.

The world around him faded as he remained on his knees, watching it be replaced by starlight and the moon. Blinking, he stared as the mare turned around. Princess Luna in all her terrible glory stood before him, the very avatar of war painted a thousand years ago when Equestria was still fighting for its right to exist.

He struggled to find words, and when they came out, they were weak and shaking. “P-Princess Luna? I… I’m dreaming?”

She looked down at him, before kneeling. Her visage had gone from one of terrible wrath to concern more commonly seen on her older sister. “My dearest Eclipse Penumbra… This? This is what has been troubling you so?”

His heart still pounded in his chest and he could hear blood rushing in his ears as he gazed up at her, trying to clear the fog of battle from his mind. “It… it was so real. I dream this every night, but it’s always so real!” For once, his dedication to propriety failed him as his emotions swelled up. “I couldn’t stop them! I CAN’T stop them!”

She lay a hand on the side of his face, and her heart ached the same way it did every time she saw that wound. “I know. For weeks, I have watched, yet never once have you asked after my assistance. I thought… maybe it was something you needed to handle yourself?”

He stared at her, a tear falling down the side of his face as he looked around. The starscape brought no solace to him, and he found himself speaking nearly without cognition. “I tried, by faust I swear I tried, but I wasn’t GOOD enough! I couldn't… stop them. I couldn’t protect my princess…” His voice faded off.

“Eclipse? Look at Me.” Her hand on his face tilted it until his remaining eye met hers, and he saw the depth of sorrow in them. “I have wanted to speak to you of this, but you never brought it up. Why have you never told me? This… you don’t need to suffer this anymore! Even I have seen how exhausted you are, night after night.”

“It’s not your problem to deal with, Princess.” His voice was hard as he fought himself back under control. “Please, this is my burden to bear. I wasn’t strong enough.” His head tilted, and the active mind he prides himself on jumped back into action. “Why… why are you here?”

“Mine servants notify me of recurring nightmares in case they signify something. However, it was mine Captain of the Guard that told me her best friend was suffering. You are my subject, Eclipse. Your burdens are mine.”

He shook his head. “Please… Princess. I do not wish to speak of this further. I… lost some friends that night. Ponies I had served with for a few years. I’d even met Grape’s fiancee, just a few weeks before… well, before. I apologize for disturbing you.”

Her expression fell but she simply nodded. “You have been honest with me, and I shall return the favour. But know this: You are not the first pony to suffer survivor’s guilt, and there is nothing to be ashamed of for being afraid in battle. If you do not wish to discuss this, then I shall honor that… but know that I shall never turn away from you, Penumbra, so long as you remain loyal. That is my burden to bear, and one I take gladly.”

Finally collected, Eclipse rose shakily to his feet. “Princess… I swear. Someday, I will talk about it. But not tonight… not now. If I’ve not slept through it, then we have a night club to attend.”

“Very well then. I don’t agree with you, Eclipse, but neither shall I press you. You have done much for me. Just remember this, my most faithful servant: You told me you find peace and tranquility in the night. I didn’t see you enjoying either. We all have our sins to bear, but if you have taught me one thing… it is that perhaps sharing them, at least a little, makes them lighter.”

Everything faded away, and Eclipse slipped into a peaceful black oblivion, free for the moment of the terror that haunted him like one of those accursed shades.

An hour later, the much-calmer unicorn stood before his dresser, examining himself in the mirror. A somewhat more casual attire than usual, his civilian-dress was nearly as out of practice as he had been before The Return. The smooth scar across his left side had by now turned from its ugly raw pink to a pale strip of hairless flesh winding down to his throat.

You do cut a dashing figure, don’t you, Pen? The Unicorn adjusted his mane, letting the bangs dangle in front of his damaged eye as he adjusted his hat. Satisfied with its tilt, he departed his quarters and entered the living space of the Lunar Chambers. A moment after, the door to Luna’s bedchamber swung open. She was dressed in casual wear as well, a light blue sweater and loose pants. He braced himself for the inevitable ‘talk’ he had dreaded since awakening. Instead, however, she simply smiled.

“Sleep well?” she asked, before walking past him to seize upon her evening beverage. At his nod, she simply replied in kind. “Good. We have much merriment ahead of us, do we not? It would not do for my Guide to be asleep on his feet! Now, what delightful events await us?”

“Is that the Royal “We”, or the normal one?” he asked, being rewarded with a most un-princess-like snort of laughter.

“I suppose we shall find out. Is Mithril Weave to be attending us tonight?”

He nodded. “The plan is simple. Even at this hour, the moment you step foot outside the palace reporters will be all over us, and any chance of seeing Canterlot in ‘normal’ operations goes out the window.”

“I trust you have a solution for this?” She sounded almost eager to his ears.

“Of course, Your Highness. For this evening, you will be Shimmer Mist. It’s a cover identification we use for undercover agents, but it has a full suite of identification, all legal and such. This club does not allow minors inside, and demands proof of identity before entering.”

“Truly? It sounds quite exclusive. Are you sure we can get in?”

Eclipse grinned. “Mithril Weave says there’s usually a two-week waiting list. Since she and the owner might have… enjoyed a drink or two, she says she can get us in whenever we are ready to go. Blueblood’s not the only one with Connections.”

“Then let us depart! Mine sister says a bit of ‘fresh air’ would do me good, but I don’t think this is quite what she had in mind. Truely, this shall be a night to remember!”

Outside her quarters, they were met by Knight Captain Mithril Weave and Corporal Butter Wings (Recently sworn in, and not yet possessed of Luna’s Gift) who greeted them. Despite Butter’s obvious awe at being assigned to escort Luna outside the palace, she maintained a calm and professional facade. Mithril, on the other hand, looked distinctly uncomfortable as Eclipse gave her a dirty look. Friends or not, there were some lines you didn’t cross, and she had certainly crossed one.

“This way, Your Highness.” Mithril was dressed in slacks and a tee-shirt, exposing her muscular arms (or arm and a half, as the case may be) as she pivoted, avoiding Eclipse’s look with deft precision granted only to the greatest of duty-skaters. “Do you have your disguise ready?”

Luna nodded. With a shimmering twirl, she lit her horn and spun around gracefully. When she returned to her starting point, she was nearly four inches shorter and a Unicorn of striking beauty. Even Eclipse was taken aback, as he would never recognize her despite having lived with her for a few weeks. Her horn was shorter too, making her look almost… normal.

“Well… I think that will do, your grace. I bribed the cook to leave the back door to the kitchens open, no questions asked. I suppose we’ll have to have someone talk to him later, but for now, we should be able to escape prying eyes. It’s a twelve-block walk to The Scratch.”

“Before we were Diarchs, my sister and I walked the depth and breadth of the land, dear Weave. I’m sure I can manage a few petty blocks. I’m feeling much better today, thanks to Penumbra’s ministrations.” With hardly a backward glance, she strode away, leaving the other three to catch up as she moved with purpose towards the first event she had been looking forward to in months.

“Butter Wing, do you mind walking next to Princess Luna?” Eclipse looked at the young corporal, his voice giving no illusion that it was an order. She took one look between her commanding officer and a highly respected veteran, before hurting her pace to walk next to Luna while Eclipse glared daggers at his erstwhile friend. As they walked, a mere ten paces behind their charge, she avoided his gaze again.

She was the first one to break the silence, however. “Lovely evening for a walk in Canterlot, isn’t it?”

“You told her. Mithril, what the HAY?” His voice was far harsher than he intended, but the fury he had contained bubbled up suddenly and without warning. As she opened her mouth, eyes widening as they met his, he nearly snarled at her. “That is NOT your place! This is NOT a problem you bring to the Princess of the Night!”

His tone raised her own bristles. “You want to talk about this now? Fine. You’ve been off the last few weeks. You ain’t sleeping. You don’t eat. You’ve lost at least fifteen pounds since you got out of the hospital! Ponies who have been in comas are not supposed to lose any more weight! Are you really going to stand there and tell me that it isn’t a problem?”

“It’s not YOUR problem, and it’s sure as hay not HER problem! She has plenty to worry about without a few bad dreams of mine being added into the mix!”

“Dammit, Eclipse!” The two stopped, suddenly forgetting their task as emotions got the better of both of them. For Mithril Weave, it was a simple matter of a subordinate needing counseling, and a friend needing help. For Eclipse, it was a much deeper problem.

Burdens were never sent up the chain. If you had a problem, you dealt with it or learned to make do. His father, a career soldier, had taught him that. When everypony is already miserable, there is no need to share your own. You don’t cry, you don’t beg, and you don’t ask for handouts or sympathy.

Mithril stared at the pony she thought of as more like a brother than a comrade, and was surprised by the raw-edged fury in his eye. For the first time, she began to realize that she might have overstepped an undrawn line. Still, she ploughed on. “You know, I’ve seen a lot of ponies just like you in the guard. I’ve always found there are two types of us: Those who think they know everything, and those who actually do. You’re the second, and in my opinion, that’s more dangerous. You’re worse than a fool, you’re a SMART fool. Do you REALLY think that you being out of sorts doesn’t affect the rest of us?”

He stepped forward, anger boiling up, pushing a finger into her chest. “You had no right to concern her! Mithril, I watched you lose an arm! I saw the bodies of ponies I served with for years, stabbed in the back! I lost an EYE doing my duty! I’ve never once complained, as this is the sacrifice we make! So tell me… What in all of that makes you think I would EVER want to worry the princess with a few bad dreams? Do you have any idea what that feels like? I”m not a foal any more, running to mother when I wet the bed!”

She snorted, nostrils flared as she bit back her own temper. “No you’re not. You’re the other kind, the one that tries to hide the sheets.” Her response was cold and biting. “You know what your problem is?”

“I’m not perfect, Mithril. I know my limits.”

“That’s not what I asked, so I’m gonna tell you. You, Eclipse Penumbra… are arrogant. You’re the most arrogant pony I know. Even Blueblood could learn a thing or two from you!”

That response stopped him cold. Of many adjectives he could use to describe himself, that one did not fall up on the list. Arrogant? ME?

Never one to stop pressing the attack, Mithril slapped his hand away before pointing a finger an inch from his muzzle. “You think you are the only one who can help you. You also think you are the only one who can help anypony else. You think you are the only one who’s had those nightmares? News flash! Princess Luna helped the rest of us weeks ago! I’ve never slept better! You’d know that if you pulled your head out of your plot and looked around!”

“I… you… what?” He found himself searching for words. “The rest of you?” The fire building into an inferno was snuffed out like a candle in a breeze as his shoulders slumped.

“Pen… You’re not the only one hurting. Ever since The Return, we all have been. You wanna talk about loss? Try Grelda. Grape’s Fiancee? She’s been in the bar, sunup to sundown, nearly every day since her lover died. Yeah, with a knife in her back, just like a dozen more. We got to survive, Eclipse.” Turning and walking after the Princess, she didn’t look back. “Someday, you’re gonna have to decide that Surviving isn’t enough. There’s a difference between it and Living.”

She left the stunned and somewhat humbled Eclipse in her wake, sputtering nonsense as his mind raced to process things, seeing them in a slightly different light.

She’s right.

“Fillies and Gentlecolts! This is… THE SCRATCH!”

The pony on stage waved his hat, and the lights dimmed as the turntable glowed, beginning to produce the sounds fed to it by a spinning record. The crowd cheered, nearly deafening in the small space as a hazy smoke began to fill the air along with the opening stanza of the current #3 song on “Canterlot’s Top Ten”.

I HEAR YOUR HEART BEAT TO THE BEAT OF A DRUM!
What a shame, that you came here with someone!
So while you’re here in my arms,
Let’s make the most of the Night like we’re gonna die Young!”

“That there could be such merriment at this hour! How have I not heard of this?” The disguised princess had to shout to be heard as the cheers, laughter, and general sounds of said merriment continued around them. Butter Wing had taken a place near the door while Mithril was avoiding Eclipse, justifying it as “Simply patrolling the block”. Penumbra and Luna were left alone with each other, both somewhat uncomfortable in the unfamiliar setting. All around them, ponies danced wildly as if it was indeed their last night.

“A thousand years ago, we had nothing like this! Even in Canterlot, the Gala was the only real event of note to last long into the night. Eclipse? Is everything alright?”

Her questioning lilt to her voice brought him back out of his thoughts. “Hmm? Of course, P- er, Shimmer. Just thinking about things.”

“Well, perhaps a drink or two would help things be put in place?” Her eyebrows rose as she smiled. For the first time in the weeks he had known her, she looked both relaxed and happy. The sight of so many partying under the night sky had her spirits up, and each time somepony meantoned how beautiful the sky was that night, her smile grew only wider.

“I’m on duty right now, but I’d be happy to fetch you-” he started, before she seized his hand.

“Not tonight! ‘Tis the Spring Clean, and if you are not Cleaning, you should be Springing!” Her nonsense retort carried them to the bar, whereupon she climbed onto one of the stools. “Barkeep! Two pints of your finest!”

Unable to protest without revealing his liege’s identity, he sat quietly next to her as the bartender poured two glasses of amber liquid. “Four bits, Miss. Taking the Coltfriend out on the town? I don’t recognize you.”

She beamed at that. “Forsooth! Mine dear Eclipse told me of this establishment, and I simply had to see it for myself!” She ignored the eyeroll of the longsuffering stallion assigned to ‘help her as she needs’ and peered into her mug before taking a long drink. “‘Tis a most fine mead! It has been far too long, and one can only have so much wine before wishing for a real drink, truly?”

The bartender nodded, smiling at her. “Most here can’t tell Mead from Rum. From the accent, I’d say Nobility? Not many aristocrats end up here… on purpose.”

“It has been a trying few months. I for one am pleased simply to get out of the Palace and- Hm?” She cut herself off, glancing at Eclipse as he nudged her. Eyes widening, she nodded. “I mean, it’s simply so stuffy there, where I work. As a secretary.”

He nodded, taking it in stride. “Well, if you say so. Must be nice to look out on all us lower sorts though. Still, your coin’s as good as any. Your pass says you know somepony to get in here too, so I’m happy to put your drink on the house.” He slid her bits back to her, but she shook her head.

“Please, I insist! ‘Twould be a crime of theft not to pay for such a fine drink. Mahaps, however, we can have another?”

Eclipse groaned as the Princess of the Night started on her second mug while he debated downing his first. Finally, he allowed himself a small sip, rolling the honeyed alcohol across his tongue. That is actually really good. If it wasn’t for all the noise and smells, this would make a great bar.

Princess Luna amused herself chatting with multiple other ponies, having to be reminded twice by Eclipse to preserve her cover. Still, the hours moved towards midnight and the crowd only increased in fevered frenzie, the songs growing faster and the dances more raunchy as alcohol flowed freely. It was after her fourth mug that he suddenly spotted a familiar face.

“Grelda?!?” The beaked face turned towards him, and he saw her eyes widen.

“Eclipse? What are you doing here? I thought you were working for Luna now?”

He stood up, still steady and leaving his still-mostly-full mug on the bar. “I thought you were planning to move back to Griffonholm? I mean… after…. Dammit, I’m sorry for bringing that up. How are you doing?”

She visibly drooped. Even from three feet away, Eclipse’s muzzle wrinkled as he smelled whiskey on her words. “I was going to. Had some other plans come up… can’t figure out what do do with Grape Fruit’s stuff. I… can’t look her parents in the eye.”

Eclipse’s heart melted. He remembered Grelda from nearly a year ago, and the griffon he saw now was not the same one he remembered. The face, sure. However, she seemed to have lost weight, and there was a haunted look around her eyes. The same look that started out of the mirror whenever he looked into one. “Grelda? You can talk to me if you want.”

For a moment, nothing happened, and the sounds of the club faded from his perception before a tap on his shoulder spun him around. “Eclipse? Somegriffon you want to introduce me to?”

He started to reply, before hesitating. Grelda was a friend of the guard, and she had taken the death of her lover hard. She’d been in and out of the hospital for drinking issues as far as he could recall, and had refused assistance from the guardsmares in settling Grape’s affairs. She also, very publicly, blaned Princess Luna for the deaths.

“Shimmer Mist… this is Grelda the Griffon. Grelda, this is Shimmer Mist.” He hardly dared to breathe as the two looked at eachother, before the disguised princess held out a hand. “Pleased to meet you, Grelda. Eclipse speaks very highly of you. I am… I heard about your loss. ‘Twas a tragedy.”

She scowled. “I don’t know where you get your ideas from, but it wasn’t a tragedy. Tragedy is when half a mountain slides down onto a village. My would-be wife was murdered. That’s evil. Those who bring evil… must be made to pay.”

To her credit, Luna took the statement in stride, though the crinkles around her eyes clued Eclipse to the fact she was working hard to measure her words. “You are… quite correct. What happened that night was horrible, however… don’t you think that the Princess might have been… well, not in her right mind?”

The griffon scoffed as Eclipse wished eagerly for rapid reassignment to the Crystal Wastes. “When a violent insane griffon murders several others, they are given the same treatment. Not a crown.” Turning to Eclipse, she said “Your marefriend’s pretty deep in bed with the Aristocrats, isn’t she? Get tested when you’re done with her.” Without another word, the Griffon left, snagging a bottle off the bar on her way out. It was a quarter of the way gone before she walked out the door.

“Eclipse… I…”

The unicorn held up a hand, Mithril’s words in his ears. “Princess… it’s fine. We’ve all made mistakes. Sometimes, they cost others dearly. She’s hurting, in a lot of pain and looking for a target. Before she emigrated, she was a soldier in the Sturmtruppen Battalions. A Storm Trooper. They are a breed of soldier we can’t hope to emulate, and she was hurting before she ever got here. If I remember right, Grape Fruit was more or less the only reason she hadn't been deported for disturbing the peace.”

“Is she right?” Her words came out with an edge of apprehension, and Eclipse took one more look at his drink.

“Maybe. But the future isn’t here yet, is it? We’ve still got to make it.”

He turned to look her directly in the eyes. “You’ve to to build it. Everypony deserves a second chance, right? A very wise mare once told me… sharing burdens makes them a bit lighter. Another one recently brought to my attention that I might be a bit… ah, overconfident in my abilities.”

The disguised alicorn levitated a their drinks over to them, and raised hers. “Then to new beginnings?”

Abandoning all that was right and proper in his world, he raised his in reply. “A fresh start, Your Highness.”

“Then so it shall be.” Without taking a sip of her drink, she set it back down before stepping over to the enchanted amplifier on the stage. As the current song died down, she whispered something in the ear of the recently returned Mithril Weave, who nodded and scurried off towards the white mare with the glasses who turned her tables with skill. A moment later, the music stopped as she grinned, pointing towards the stage where, to his horror, Eclipse witnessed Luna dropping her disguise.

“Fillies and Gentlecolts… Hello.” She seemed for a moment at a loss for words, seeming to shrink before the eyes suddenly fixed on her. “I do not mean to, ah, ‘bring down the mood’, but I wish to say something to you.”

Many were murmuring now, most along the lines of disbelief at seeing the Princess of the Night in her regal bearing… wearing a getup more in line with an overtaxed mother. Butter Wing straightened up, scanning the crowd for possible threats now that the plan had been altered. Mithril stood next to Vinyl Scratch surveying the scene impassively while Eclipse started.

“It has come to Our attention that many are displeased with our… with my return. The actions of that night were horrid, and I shall forever regret them. For a thousand years I was bound to watch Equestria, unable to speak or interact, only to watch from afar. In that thousand years… I learned nothing.” Her voice no longer quavered, and now held the same air her older sister brought forth so easily. A couple of voices in the crowd began to jeer, but were quickly silenced by others wishing to hear her.

“I am Princess Luna of the Night, and I stand before you to be held for account. Mine sister has forgiven me and asked me to take my rightful place… but I do not know where it is. My crimes are… great in scope, if limited in number. For hundreds of years, I was jealous and angry at the joy my sister brought to others.” She was interrupted by a hiccup, and even from across the room Eclipse could see the tinge to her cheeks. The same hiccup and flushing of the skin that occured after drinking, but before doing something really, really stupid. The kind of stupid that involved after-action reports and citations.

“Princess, I think-” He started, before she held up her hand.

“This is Eclipse Penumbra, one of the loyal guards who halted my… my shades. He and his comrades have given up much in service to mine family, and I wish I did not have to ask so much of him as I must. Captain MIthril Weave, my Captain of the Guard. Corporal Butter Wing, a recruit who has sworn herself voluntarily to service of the Night. Yet I stand before you a mare repentant: For a long time, I had no faith in myself, and nothing but envy for my sister.”

“Yet for every name I could read off, there is another who will never stand post again. Many who fell to the darkness that overtook me.” A tear ran down her cheek as the club renowned for its noise was dead silent. “Would that I could return to then, and undo the mistakes of my past! For the first time ever, I have seen ponies enjoy my night! But it isn’t mine anymore… it belongs to all of you. As do I.”

She drew herself up to her full height. “I am Princess Luna, and I swear to you that I shall never give less than my full measure of devotion. The Night Court shall, now and henceforth, be open to ALL who would petition the crown. The Light of Day may shine upon the court of canterlot, but My Moon shall never wane nor falter. If you would have me… then I will be your Princess.”

As far as speeches went, Eclipse had heard Cadenza speak and had to admit it didn’t really hold a candle. As far as drunken regrets went… perhaps this wouldn’t be one of them after all. The crowd, however, held its breath for only a moment. Then…

“Princess Luna?” A single young stallion stood out from the crowd. His friends looked nervous, but he stepped forward nonetheless. “Can I petition the Court?”

She paused as Eclipse moved to stand near her. The colt looked around nervously before speaking again at her nod. “Can you… I mean, if it’s not too much trouble… Can you… maybe keep the moon up another couple hours?”

There was a ripple of nods and gasps, most seeming eager to hear the answer as Luna looked surprised. “That… is your request? May I ask why?”

“Well, the Guards tell us we have to close the club when the moon goes down. Something about ponies wanting a couple hours of sleep before work.” A chorus of good-natured ‘boos’ echoed from the crowd.

“And you think that keeping the moon up longer will let you keep the doors open the same?” Her naturally impish nature poked through as the tension in the room wound down rapidly. Many nods around the room followed before she spoke again. “I… will see what We can do for you then.”

There was a cheer as the record scratched, and a new song played fourth. Looking down from the stage, Luna held out a hand towards Eclipse as the crowd resumed their feverish dancing, the combination of booze and social vibes letting them move on from an unexpected, though apparently not unwelcome visitation. Finishing his drink, Eclipse set it down before stepping up. “Yes, your Highness?”

“This is a club with dancing? Would you care to join me?”

As he found out, the night was indeed young. Hours of dancing left the fairly athletic accountant exhausted and sore by the time the sun rose.

At the door, a Griffon returning to ask one last favour from a friend of a lover started, eyes widening with anger. Her alcohol-soaked brain was able to parse the scene before her just fine: The pony she intended to ask for help, one of few she could trust, dancing with the mare she needed to kill. Soon, my dear sweet Grape. I’ll be with you soon. But not tonight.

Author's Note

Longest chapter I've ever written. Next goal: Fit 6k words on a page, whilest making sure each and every one of them belong.