[“Yeah, you can add me to the list of people who want to know what the fuck’s going on,” Pawnee said as she and Pam drew back their hands. “And I’m pretty damn sure you’re on that list too, Pam.” Pam was silent. “Then let me explain,” Anna said. “I’ll explain it all.” “Okay, good, info-dump time,” Dirk said, inching closer to the girl, the town, and the… whatever it was that Anna had become. “And let’s just go through the highlight reel, since I’m pretty sure that letting those three fuckers hold onto that book for too long isn’t the greatest of all conceivable ideas. So give it to me bounded in a nutshell. Even though this dream is bad enough that I highly doubt I can become the king of infinite space.” Another sharp burst of the mysterious light shot from Anna’s eyes, and her irises rapidly flickered through another eighteen permutations of colors, shades, and sizes before once more settling down. Anna smiled. “Thank you,” she said. Dirk started rubbing his temples again. “Jesus, this rabbit hole just keeps getting deeper and darker and shittier, even without that Cheshire motherfucker hanging around here.” Yet another flash from Anna’s eyes. Pawnee tugged on the sleeve of Anna’s shirt. “We probably should actually hurry up. We still need to save Acorn, right?” “Acorn’s gone now,” Anna said softly. “He no longer belongs here, or anywhere. In other words, he’s Homeless. That was the last time I’ll ever see him. But there’s more at stake here than Acorn’s soul. So much more.” Pam hesitantly nodded. “Yes…” she whispered, then looked surprised at the word she had said. “First answer,” Anna said to Dirk. “Why and how I’m here. I actually have you to thank for that, Dirk. By killing me, you sent me to the Other Side of the Other Side. I know you think that that phrase is just a little playful combination of words that doesn’t mean anything, but it does. You removed me from the story, but only temporarily. On my way out of and my way back through the Other Side, I passed through all the layers of other texts surrounding this one.” “Other texts?” Pawnee said, reaching for her flask before realizing that she’d drained it (and the five others she carried on her at all times) and tossed it aside hours ago. “The fuck do you mean, ‘other texts’?” “Yes,” Dirk said menacingly, advancing a few steps. “What do you mean? Because if you mean what I think you do, then saying so would maybe be the most self-indulgent thing of all in this already incredibly self-indulgent clusterfuck.” Anna ignored him. “This is a text, Pawnee,” she said. “We’re characters in a book. Well, not exactly— it’s complicated. But I’ll explain that later. The point is, Dirk, that you killed me, then brought me back. That’s the key. Because in destroying me, you created me anew.” “But why only you?” Dirk asked. “I killed and revived Minos too. Several times. And there were even more that I killed and left dead. What’s special about you?” Anna grinned. “I’m dyslexic.”] #DetectivePony