Former principal Celestia woke in her cell to the sound of banging on the bars. Looking up from her bunk, she saw a guard slipping the nightstick back into the ring on his belt.

"Get up. You've got a visitor."

She looked at the clock inside the unbreakable clear hard plastic at the top of the far wall of the hallway. The black-on-grey liquid crystal digital display read seven-forty-five PM. "I thought visiting hours ended and five."

"Somebody somewhere thinks you're important enough to set up a special visit. What with the black shades government guys and whatnot.", the guard said as he slipped the key into the lock. Two other guards stepped up by his side.

Celestia rose from her bunk, stood in the center of the cell, turned her back and placed her hands on the back of her head. She heard the cell door open with a *rattle-rattle-rattle-rattle-clank* followed by the clomping of the three guards' shoes on the flat grey painted concrete floor. "I thought that only female guards were supposed to search female inmates.", she said over her shoulder.

"We're shorthanded today. Don't worry, I won't touch you in any inappropriate places.", one of the guards said.

Celestia blew out a sigh and rolled her eyes. There was little she could do about that from inside a cell.

A guard began doing a pat-down. First starting with the pockets of her orange jumpsuit, followed by checking the cuffs of the legs and sleeves, then moving up to the collar.

"Well lookie-loo what we've got here!", a guard said in a sing-songy voice.

Hearing the clatter of plastic, Celestia looked down at her feet. There was a toothbrush, the base of its handle sharpened. It was a setup! Looking over her shoulder, she sneered as she said, "Let me guess, you're working for my nephew and there is no 'special visitor'."

"You're right on the first account, bitch!", the guard hissed in her ear. He roughly spun her around, waving a little baggie containing what looked like two little balls of soap. "They'll be visiting you in solitary, considering you were found in possession of two pieces of contraband and..." He roughly grabbed her forearm and snatched it forward, weakly striking her hand on his shoulder."Assaulting a guard during the process of a lawful search." The other two guards cracked their knuckles as the one in front of her reached for his nightstick.

Celestia's eyes went wide with pain and shock. Pain blossomed in her stomach as the butt of the nightstick slammed into her belly and the air left her lungs. She doubled over, her arms instinctively wrapped around her stomach and her knees buckled as she slumped to the floor. Fresh pain blossomed on her face, head, shoulders and chest as the guards kicked and stomped her.

***meanwhile***

Rosewater Blush marveled at the seven-plus-foot tall woman that was the exact duplicate of former principal Celestia walking beside. Except this woman appeared to be an amazonian goddess come to life, complete with flowing white toga and golden ceremonial armor adorning her forearms, lower legs and chest. The sandals on her feet looked to be straight out of ancient Greece. A golden tiara sat delicately atop her pastel rainbow-colored hair that flowed on an ethereal breeze. All around the two of them were Secret Service Agents and guards wearing archaic-looking armor that belonged on soldiers on a sixteenth century battlefield, not modern bodyguards.

Princess Celestia gave an amused smile at the woman gaping up at her. "Is there something the matter my little po...human?"

Rosewater sputtered for a moment before regaining her composure. "No. It's just that I'm a little overwhelmed. I've never met a pony princess before. You look like *mumble-mumble-mumble*..."

Princess Celestia gave a motherly smile at the clearly flustered woman. "No need to worry, Rosewater Blush. It is very hard to offend me. I have seen much in my long life."

"Well, you like...never mind, it's just nonsense.", Rosewater said, her face feeling warm.

"A little nonsense now and again is sought out by the wisest of ponies."

"Well, you look a little like *ahem* the descriptions of the goddess Athena. What with your height, beauty, and the...the very air about you."

Princess Celestia tittered out bell-like laughter. She wiped a tear from her eye and said, "I've read about the ancient mythology of your world. The goddess Athena is the patron goddess of the city Athens. Am I correct?"

Rose water nodded her head.

The princess continued. "The texts I've read about her. It was said that she was one of the most beautiful goddesses there was. It was also said she was a goddess of war, tactics and war. It was also said she was a virginal goddess. Though I value tactics and justice, I've not had to march to war since my third cousin-twice-removed Gusty tried to link up with my sister and I up in Cloudsdale to form up an army to free Equestria from the Great Tyrant." She turned her head to face Rosewater. "And I can assure you that I am no virgin."

Rosewater coughed and sputtered.

"I have had many husbands, and more than a few wives in my long life.", Princess Celestia said, a wistful smile gracing her lips. "My little ponies think my sister and I are nigh unassailable demidieties sometimes. But in truth we're just mares, and like all mares, we have needs. But listen to me prattle on about my love life. I hear you're a mother. Tell me about your daughter."

"Wallflower is a smart and lovely young woman. She has struggled with depression, and self image issues, and thoughts of self-harm since her father died. And what happened to her only made those problems worse."

A brief frown crossed Princess Celestia's face. "I've heard about what has happened. Fret not. There are plans in motion to deal with this world's Blueblood."

The group walked on in silence for a few moments until the princess came to a stop. Princess Celestia turned to one of the Secret Service agents. "Something's not right."

"Princess...?", Rosewater asked, unsure.

Princess Celestia turned to one of the Secret Service agents. "Please offer my apologies to the president and the mayor, I shall be delayed in meeting them. There is something that needs my immediate attention."

Rosewater stared in stunned awe as a golden light shimmered on Princess Celestia's forehead. She was forced to shield her eyes as the light grew brighter and brighter. In a flash the princess was gone. "Uh...huh...what?!", was all she was able to get out.

"Standard teleportation spell.", one of the guards in the archaic armor said. "Though the magical currents of your world are flowing, it's still like trying to wade through mud when tapping into them. The princess will likely require a snack and some tea to replenish her reserves."

Rosewater pointed back down the hallway. "There's a couple of vending machines in the break room. How much do you think she'll need?"

***

As the guards continued to stomp and kick on former principal Celestia, a bright flash of light caused them to stop and look over their shoulders. Their eyes practically bugged out of their heads. There stood looking like giant amazon goddess was the close of the woman that was currently laying helpless at their feet.

"Wha...", was all the first guard could say as the princess stepped forward, reached out with her right hand, grabbed him by the collar and flung him out of the cell.

The second guard barely had the chance to get his hands up as the princess grabbed his collar with her left hand and flung him out of the cell.

The third guard spun around, nightstick in hand. He cheered in his head as the truncheon connected with the left side of the princess' jaw. The thoughts of victory quickly died when instead of collapsing to the floor unconscious with a broken jaw, the princess' head sharply turned to the side, knocking her tiara askew. The front of his slack darkened as the princess turned her head back to him, her irises momentarily flashing golden. The guard dropped the nightstick from his trembling fingers. "It ain't like it looks! I got child support payments to make. He-he's got a file on me and said he's not let'em go public if I mmmf-mmmf!"

Princess Celestia reached and gripped her hand over the guard's mouth, cutting off his words. "Be silent."

The guard complied.

"Nod your head yes or no. This world's Blueblood has blackmail files on you?"

The guard nodded his head yes.

"Blackmail is a crime here?"

The guard nodded his head yes.

"Did you try to reach out to anypo...anyhuman for help?"

The guard shook his head no.

Princess Celestia took her hand from the guard's mouth. "Give me a reason why I shouldn't incinerate your body and stuff your soul in a bottle to be cast into the depths of Tartarus for all eternity for battering the pony of one of the high diarchs of Equestria."

The guard fell to his knees and grasped the princess' leg. "Please-please-please-please no! I'm sorry! Have mercy! My son just got braces!" Tears poured down his face and snot leaked from his nose.

Princess Celestia looked down at the sniveling guard. She was about to step aside to let him run away with what little dignity he had left when a voice spoke up from behind.

Police Chief Thunderhooves was making his way to meet a foreign dignitary who was inspecting the jail. He decided to take a shortcut through cell block G. Turning the corner in the cell block, he saw a giantess of a woman who was the clone of an inmate materialized from a flash of light. She stepped into the cell, a split second later a male guard was sailing through the air, hit the wall and slumped to the floor. This was a women's cell block, so there shouldn't be any male gaurds in any of the cells without at least one female guard present, and currently there were no female guards on the clock today due to a scheduling error. He began to run down the hallway. A second male guard came flying out the cell, hit the wall and slumped to the floor. There shouldn't be that many male guards in a woman's cell if there had been some sort of emergency. There were no medical staff or guards in riot armor. Last year he had fired four male guards for sexual misconduct with female inmates in return for illegal drugs, and one former guard was currently sitting in jail awaiting trial for sexually assaulting a female inmate. That last thought made his blood run cold and he quickened his pace.

Chief Thunderhooves came to a skidding stop outside the cell, the rubber soles of his shoes sliding across the grey painted concrete floor. He stood there for a moment dumbfounded. The guard was on his knees before the giantess begging for his life. On the floor by the guard's knees was a nightstick, the steel-cored truncheon bent at a slight angle. His eyes drifted to behind the guard. Laying there on the floor in an unmoving heap was the body of an inmate, the pastel rainbow-colored hair immediately identified her. "Celestia?"

Princess Celestia turned her head at the mention of her name. There was the police chief, built like a brick house, and nearly as wide. She stepped aside.

The guard, thinking this was his chance, got up from his knees and ran in a blind panic, in the hopes of getting away from the wrathful goddess.

Thunderhooves grabbed the guard by his lapels, lifted him up into the air and pinned him to the wall.

The guard, squealed in fright and flailed helplessly. "Please! Nonononono!"

"What. Did. You. Do?!", Thunderhooves snarled through grit teeth.

"Release him Police Chief Thunderhooves Big-Sky.", Princess Celestia said. "We have much more serious matters at hoof. Plus you have his two accomplices, I'm sure they'll give him up, once they wake up and see they've been arrested." She knelt down by the unconscious form of former principal Celestia. Her forehead glowed with golden light as she channeled a healing spell. She channeled the spell to her hands, placing one on the former principal's head and the other on the woman's side.

After Thunderhooves dropped the guard. As the guard ran off, he noticed the smell, the guy had soiled himself. He walked into the cell and stood next to the princess who was laying glowing hands on the unconscious woman. "Is she going to be okay?"

"She's badly hurt. They stamped on her. I'm using a healing spell to treat the worst of her injuries, but the magic of this world doesn't flow very easily. So I'm having to tap into my reserves to bolster the spell."

Thunderhooves mulled over the word magic in his mind for a moment, then gestured over his shoulder. "And them?"

"Just unconscious. I used a little earth pony magic to send them through sailing through the air, and little unicorn magic to switch off their conscious minds. They should be awake in about twenty minutes with the worst headache they've ever had as their conscious minds retake control. Because the magic of this world hasn't flowed for a long time and you humans haven't used it in a long, long time, maybe keep them in the hospital for a day or two to ensure there aren't any long term effects.

***

Former principal Celestia woke up to the sound of loud munching and the sound of a soda can cracking open. She looked around, finding herself on a hospital bed, turning her head she saw a giantess clone of herself chewing on a bar made of peanuts and caramel while holding a can of soda in her hand. On a nearby cart there were stacks and stacks of various candy bars and soft drinks.

"You know, for a species that forgot how to tap into the magic of your world to the point it stopped flowing, you humans make some pretty good snacks. The sugar content of your snacks are higher than what Equestrian confectioners use. This will help get my reserves back to normal.", the giantess clone said to a man wearing a dark suit, dark sunglasses perched atop his nose and a coiling wire extending from his ear. "Oh! You're awake. Agent..." She paused to read his name tag. "Party Crash, could you please let her sister, the mayor and the president know she's awake? In that order, please?"

Celestia groaned and winced as she went to sit up.

The princess placed a hand on Celestia's shoulder. "Try not to move. Though I was able to heal the worst of your injuries, the fractures in your skull, ribs and vertebrae are currently being held together by a lattice of magic. If it wasn't for an anatomy book my student had spirited away from the school's library that I had looked at once or twice, it would have had a much more difficult time in putting your bones together properly. Don't worry, I'll tell her to return it, though I'm pretty sure she's already transcribed it in triplicate, and are currently making triplicates of the triplicates. Let the doctor know if you're having a craving for hay or raw oats." She said the last part with a snicker and a snort. "I was more worried about the injuries to your spine, skull, brain, lung and ribs that I didn't focus on your forelimb. If you want, I can help speed up the healing."

Celestia looked at her left arm hanging in traction. A cast ran from her knuckles to just past her elbow, three metal hoops were around the cast with surgical steel spokes that ran through the hoops and cast. "You've done plenty for me and I thank you. How bad was it when you found me?"

"If I had been a moment later, you might not be awake and talking to me right now."

"Why am I in the hospital and not the jail infirmary?"

"The police chief insisted on calling a healer's wagon. I believe the term he used was ambulance. He reminds me of a certain bison I know back home."

"And the guards who did this?"

"Currently in custody and being interrogated. When my sister hears that one of them struck me with a weapon, she'll demand his hide. Don't worry, I'll calm her down and prevent an international, inter-dimensional and inter-species incident."

"I take it that you didn't come here to just save my life?" Celestia gave a halfhearted chuckle that was cut short by a shooting pain in her left side. She groaned and gripped her left side with her right hand.

The princess' expression became stern for a second. "Looks like the pain numbing spell is wearing off. But to answer your question. No, I didn't come to save your life. I came to thank you for all you've done to help Sunset Shimmer. And to tell you not to worry, things are well in hoof and that things are in motion. But given current events, the timetable will have to be upped quite a bit.

"Celestia!", Luna shouted as she dashed into the room. She ran across the room, tears leaking down her face and wrapped her sister in a tight hug. "When I heard what happened, I thought they'd killed you."

"Luna! Luna! I can't breathe!", Celestia croaked out.

Luna pulled back from her sister. "Sorry! Sorry! I was just so scared! If they had killed you...I-I*hsnf* I don't know wh-wh-wh--" She began to sob and buried her face in her sister's chest.

Celestia stroked her sister's hair. "Shh! Shh! It's okay. It's okay. I'm alive. The princess saved my life."

Luna pulled up from her sister, knelt before the princess and gripped the solar diarch's hand in hers. "I cannot thank you enough! You ask anything of me, no matter how big or little. I'll make it happen. Even if I have to move heaven and earth to do so!"

The princess tapped her lips with a knuckle. "Actually I do have something to ask of both of you."

Both sisters looked at the princess intently.

"Love each other. Offer a strong wither when the other is having a moment of weakness. Listen to each other. And don't let feelings like jealousy, envy or anger come between each other, and definitely don't let those feelings fester until they become rage and hatred. That is all I ask of the two of you."The princess stood up. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to talk to your mayor and your president." She began walking to the door, then stopped halfway across the room and turned her head back. "It appears your lawyer is outside in the hallway talking with the mayor right now. Celestia, I thing congratulations are in order."

Celestia looked at the princess with a confused on her face.

The princess tapped an ear. "Pony hearing." Then continued out the room.

A moment later Fleur Di Lis walked in the room. "Celestia, I just got off the téléphoner with le district attorney. Le state has decided to drop le charges. It turns out that putain d'idiot Blueblood had been paying off several key witnesses to remain silent. Duex grew a conscience and turned themselves in. They testified that those five you shot was in self defence as they stood up from their table and made a lunge at you. That has prompted le state to drop all charges. Une fois que vous sortez d'ici, les célébrations sont de mise![1]"

Blueblood sat in the driver's seat of his rental car, driving through the neighborhood that sat between Lion Boulevard and Eagle Lane. He glared at the construction crews that were going to and fro, some were repairing houses that had sagging porches, walls or roofs, others were laying foundation for what the sign read, "future One Horse homeless shelter and soup kitchen". Still other crews were bulldozing the empty lots that had been filled with refuse, used needles, glass pipes for smoking various illegal drugs, and other signs of urban decay. He slammed his hands down on the steering wheel in anger and frustration. He had used his wealth and influence to convince those asshats on the city council to block any urban renewal to drive the property values down, so that he could swoop in, scoop all the real estate for way under the fair market value, evict everyone, bulldoze everything flat and build strip malls and condos. Now somebody has swooped in and sniped all this property from under him. "And now they're helping the trash!", he shouted to no one in particular.

No matter. An evil smile graced his lips seeing a familiar young woman with white hair in a swooped forward style and purple tips. He pulled up next to her, rolled down the window and dangled a small envelope filled with a stack bills. "Gilda! How's my favorite leader of the Griffs doing? Don't answer that. I need you to get a couple of your boys together and deal with a little problem for me. Nothing too serious, just put her in the hospital with a few new scars. I don't care how they do it, I just want them alive to send the message."

"No way, man!", Gilda said, waving her hands in front of her. "We Griffs are going legit. Somebody with money has decided to give us a hand up, instead of kicking us down. And none of us wants to mess that up." She pointed to the sign that read in the corner "Fancy Industries LLC". She then started jumping up and down excitedly. "I get to follow my dream and start selling my abuelita's muffins!" She stopped jumping in place."Don't worry, there'll be plenty of free samples on opening day, and I'm sure that someone like you can afford to buy a couple dozen Bye-yeee!" If the Griffs skipped, then she would have skipped off, but because the Griffs don't skip, she instead happily hopped off.

Blueblood snarled as he rolled the window up and tossed the envelope on the passenger seat. The Griffs were his go-to gang when he needed something that was too small for a hitman, as a gang they weren't squeamish about shedding a little blood, and just greedy enough to take a job when a couple hundred bucks were thrown their way. Now someone had offered them enough money to give up the gangster life and go legitimate. He grit his teeth in anger and gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. The Griffs, the most bloodthirsty gang in One Horse that lived in the worst neighborhood, the same gang bangers who when one dangled just the right amount of cash could convince them to look the other way, or shed a little blood. Now someone had stolen that tool from him. He wracked his brain trying to think of who he could get. The Aris street crew? No, they had disappeared years back. The Storm Militia? No, the FBI had arrested their leader last year, and his second-in-command had turned them into an urban renewal construction crew or some sort of hippie nonsense like that. Think, think. There's got to be somebody who can...

A smile so evil spread on Blueblood's face that it could have curdled milk at thirty paces. "Fido and his boys at Diamond Point trailer park! They'll do it for half! And I can even get them to burn down that bitches muffin shop! Ah-ha-ha-ha!" He sped off cackling like a madman, nearly hitting a construction worker who was crossing the street.

Sunset and Wallflower were sitting on a bench at the park holding hands and occasionally kissing. The afternoon sun hung lazily in the sky. Today had been a good day. Standing up hand-in-hand, they decided to go through the hedge maze. It was more fun to get lost in it than actually solving it, and if there was nobody else in there...maybe get a little naughty.

As Sunset and Wallflower entered the maze, they didn't notice five guys following the...Fido and his boys, Rex, Snuffles, Rolf and Mister Barkington. Fido and his boys didn't notice that they were being followed,not by a person or even a pony-turned-human, but a draconequuis who was currently invisible.

Sunset and Wallflower laughed as they intentionally got themselves lost and turned around in the hedge maze, stealing kisses and the occasional grope along the way. Coming to a dead end that had three concrete benches, they paused listening to make sure no one else was around. They didn't notice the five sets of eyes watching them. Figuring they were alone, the two girls sat on one of the benches. Sunset pushed Wallflower onto her back, making out with her roughly as her hand crept its way under her girlfriend's shirt.

That's when Fido and his boys chose to attack.

The two girls barely had time to react.

Rex and Barkington grabbed Wallflower and pinned her to the ground. Rolf grabbed Wallflower and held her back against him.

"Why are you doing this?", Sunset asked as she kicked and squirmed, trying to get free.

Snuffles kicked her in the stomach, forcing the air from her body and Fido knelt down between her thighs. A perverted sneer spread on his lips as he ran his hand across the amber-skinned girl's belly.

Sunset shuddered at his touch and the cheap, rhinestone bedazzled grill.

"It's nothing personal, girly. Just business. It's been a hot minute since me and my boys had such a sexy piece of ass. And now we got two of'em. Just relax and you two won't get hurt. Well get hurt any more than we're paid to do. Just let me and my boys get a crack at your two nooches and we'll let you two get away with just cut on your pretty cheek." Fido ran a finger along Sunset's cheekbone for effect. "Wadda ya say?"

Sunset couldn't speak. She couldn't think. She couldn't breathe. She was back in that alley. "No.", she finally managed to whimper out.

Fido mock frowned. "No? You hear that, boys? The pretty girly said no."

The other four laughed maliciously.

Fido reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a switchblade knife.

Wallflower felt her blood run cold seeing the knife.

"It's not like you have a choice in the matter. Because you said no, I'm going to carve you up extra special after me and my boys have our ways with you and your girly. I'll even carve my name into your forehead so you'll know that it was Fido and his dogs who claimed you."

The other laughed and barked.

Wallflower heard a voice whisper in her ear. "Stay calm. Breathe slow. Remember what your mother taught you." Her mind immediately cleared and she remembered what her mother taught her what to do when someone grabbed her like this. With all of her strength, she drove the heel of her foot down onto the arch of the guy's foot.

Rolf howled in pain and let go of the girl.

Feeling him let go of her, Wallflower grabbed his arm and Judo flipped the guy flat onto his back.

Stars flashed before Rolf's eyes as the air left his lungs.

Wallflower saw a tree branch laying on the ground by the head of the guy she had just flipped. She didn't take time to think about there being no trees that overhung this part of the maze, instead snatching it up and charging one of the guys.

Snuffles, seeing his buddy get flipped by a girl half his size and said girl was now charging him. Reaching into his pocket, he went to pull it out, only it felt like something or someone had grabbed his wrist. Looking down, he was momentarily stunned to see a lion's paw grasping his wrist. He felt a sharp pain in his temple and the world filled with static.

Fido was now keenly aware that two of his dogs were down. He stood to his feet and felt something suddenly grab him. The world spun in circles.

Wallflower was a blur of frenzy and fury. She kicked one of the guys holding down her girlfriend in the side of his head, sending him sprawling. She swung the branch into the other guy's face, knocking him flat. As the last guy stopped spinning, she swung the branch with all of her might, hitting him square in the mouth and laying him on his back. Tossing the branch aside, she pulled Sunset up to her feet. "Run!"

Fido spat out blood, teeth and a ruined grill. "Get them!"

As they rose to their feet, all five fell flat on their faces. Their laces had been tied together.

Sunset and Wallflower ran as hard as their legs could carry them. They didn't question why there were no turns until they got out of the maze.

"That felt like...like Equestrian magic.", Sunset said between gasps. "But at the same time..."

The two girls stopped to stare stunned at the tall, lanky man wearing a neon orange tuxedo. A walking stick with an eight-pointed star atop it was tucked under an arm. Twirling the cane with a sequin-covered gloved hand, he grabbed the brim of his top hat with a finger-less gloved hand and tipped it at them. "Ladies.", he said, his mismatched yellow eyes with red pupils looking over the top of his light blue tea shades.

Fido and his boys,having successfully untying their laces, took off after the girls. Nothing about the maze seemed to make sense. The walls of the maze seemed to jut out at odd angles, the paths seemed to twist and turn whichever way they wanted to. Finally the five came to a circular part of the maze. There was a fountain that had an odd statue of a strange creature that was an odd mishmash of various creatures put together that had a stream of water shooting from its mouth in an arc.

"We should have never took that job from Blueblood.", Fido said.

"You can say that again.", a voice said.

Fido nodded his head. "Glad you all agree."

"Uh, Fido...none of us said that.", Snuffles said.

Fido looked at his dogs as they shook their heads no. "Well, who said it then?"

"I did.", the voice said.

All five turned around to look at the statue that was no longer shooting water out of its mouth.

"Uh...statues don't talk.", Fido said.

"You're right.", the statue said, turning its head to the five.

The five screamed and huddled together.

The statue morphed into a strange, tall, lanky man wearing a neon orange tuxedo. "I believe I misspoke." He held up a gloved hand and snapped his fingers.

With a flash of light, the five found themselves on the carpeted floor of a moving vehicle. Looking around, they saw the strange man, a woman who looked like an amazonian warrior goddess, the chief of police and the mayor.

"What I meant to say is, repeat that for my friends, please.", the strange man said.

"Discord, whom are these humans?", the amazon goddess asked.

"The Diamond Point Gang. Fido and his dogs, Rolf, Snuffles, Rex and..." Thunderhooves paused, a snicker escaping his lips. "Mister Barkington."

The amazon goddess leaned right over until her face was right in Fido's. He could swear her rosy eyes were staring straight into his soul.

"Tell me everything. Do not lie. I will know."

It was dark when Blueblood left his favorite cigar lounge. The Diamond Point Dogs were a crude lot, and were more likely to make a complete mess out of whoever they were sicced on. Oh well, no matter. He whistled a jaunty tune, congratulating on a job well done that couldn't be traced back to him. Slipping the key into the ignition, he turned it and began driving down the highway. He was in too good of a mood.

"I warned you time and again. Leave Sunset, her friends and her special someone alone. I told you that if you didn't, Kay-kay and Moony were going to get you. But you couldn't leave well enough alone. Such chaotic potential wasted.No matter, I always get mine."

Blueblood looked over to see the strange man sitting in the passenger seat. "Scratch!", he snarled. "How long have you been sitting there?"

"Just after you pulled into traffic."

Blueblood sputtered. "But that doesn't make any sense!"

The strange man broke out in laughter. "What fun is there in making sense?" He wiped a tear from his eye. "If you had heeded what I said, the beautiful chaos we could have wreaked. The universes I could have shown you. The first universe I would have shown you has a human empire that spans the galaxy, constantly at war, besieged from without and within. Oh well. Such chaotic potential wasted. Oh well. Tomorrow Kay-kay and Moony will get you. By the time the sun sets on the day after, I will come to take what's mine."

Blueblood looked over at the strange man. "Who are Kay-kay and Moony, Scratch."

The strange man pointed out the windshield."You really should watch the road."

Blueblood looked forward and swerved to avoid a car merging into traffic. "Who are..." Looking over, he saw he was completely alone. Slamming on brakes, he pulled over into the breakdown lane. Switching on the interior light, he looked in the front floorboard, checked the back seat, checked the rear floorboards, looked in the rear view mirrors. There was no sign that the strange man, Mister Scratch, anywhere.

Author's Note

[1]Once you get out of here, celebrations are in order! To any native French speakers out there, if that sentence was out of order, I apologize. I used Google translate.

Next chapter you get to see what you've been waiting for all story.