Day 1

It’s not the rays of dawn that awaken you as they have so many times in the past due to your habit of forgetting to close your blinds, but that’s not too surprising. The island’s shape prevents you from seeing the sun until late morning, after all.

Instead, you’re pulled awake by an odd warm stirring of air brushing across your nose and mouth, constant but gentle. You open your eyes and take in your surroundings to find that the sky is brightening and the forest is beginning to stir with life. Birds flitter around, scavenging and pecking at the ground for their breakfast. The fire you built last night is nothing but a pile of ashes now, cooling within the stone circle you made. Your right side is very warm, and a white hoof is draped across your chest, holding you close.

“Good morning,” a familiar voice soon whispers.

You turn your head and your lips touch Celestia’s, forcing an impromptu kiss. She breathes out and in again, savoring the air between you as you part, and you both smile.

“Hey. What were you up to just now?”

She adopts a look of confusion and slight embarrassment as strands of her strawberry mane fall in front of one of her eyes; a quick shake of her head revealing the second magenta iris once more.

“What was I up to...? I...” She chuckles and blushes. “I appear to have forgotten that you’re not a pony.” The pretty white horse curls her forehooves and hugs you tighter, then lays her head next to yours. “The exchange of breath is one of the most intimate acts ponies share with one another. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that you didn’t know. Forgive me; I hope I’m not moving too fast for you, but I...”

“No, you’re not,” you reply as you reach a hand over and stroke her muzzle. “It’s cute, and I’d like to try.”

She repositions herself and you touch your noses together without much strain. After a bit of hesitation, she exhales deeply as you take your next breath, and you do the same for her for several moments. Your eyes reflexively close with every intake of breath, and when they open again to find her there you feel that odd, but familiar warmth wash across your body.

Damn, this really is intimate. And you really do love her. You can feel it. Last night wasn’t just a spur of the moment impulse; it was a confession, more to yourself than her. She had your heart from the moment you locked eyes with her in the orchard, but it’s taken you until now to admit it.

Your eyes meet again, drawing a smile from you both. She’s beautiful. She’s so beautiful you almost can’t believe it, and you can’t resist turning your head slightly to change your eskimo kiss into a real one. As you part once more, she moves forward and drapes her head across your shoulder and you wrap your arms around her.

“If I could stop time right now, I would,” she confesses. “I don’t want this moment to end.”

“I know the feeling, Cel. But she’s not gonna wait for us, is she?”

The white alicorn pulls away and stands to her hooves, shaking off the last of her sleep. “No. She certainly won’t.” And with that, she holds out a hoof and you take it to stand beside her.

In several minutes you’ve packed up camp and are on your way toward the first of Equus Island’s thirteen Wayshrine Gates, munching on some energy bars while you walk. It’s not the most ideal breakfast, but foraging or preparing something more complex would require time that you don’t really have. You need to get through as many of the initial gates as possible today if you’re ever going to stand a chance at completing the Orb before Twilight’s armada descends upon the island.

The first gate appears on the horizon as you swallow the last piece of your meal. It’s a simple structure, consisting of two 20 foot tall pillars and an arch between them. It rests in the middle of an open field of short reeds, and in no time at all you’re close enough to make out the arcane inscriptions that cover it.

You stop at a safe distance about 100 feet away and crane your neck to the side, resulting in a satisfying pop from your vertebrae.

“Well, here we are.”

Celestia gazes upon the gate with ears folded back, her tail nervously swishing from side to side. “I had forgotten how close this first one was to where we camped.”

You chuckle and scratch her ears. “What’re you so nervous about? This is one of the easier ones.”

“It most certainly is not!” she scoffs and pulls away from your hand. “Many times, we almost...”

You shake your head. “Sorry... I’d forgotten what it must’ve been like for you. But you also shouldn’t forget that I’m here with you now. Things’ll probably go a little differently this time, for the both of us.”

With a smile, she trots forward and places her head underneath your outstretched hand again.

“Yes, I suppose you’re right about that.” She takes a deep breath and meets your eyes. “I’m ready when you are.”

The two of you continue toward the gate, side by side. The precious stone in your pocket begins to shine as you approach, and the arcane lettering engraved upon the arch glows with a mystical light. With one last glance between you, you step underneath the arch together and vanish.

You open your eyes to find only darkness, but the familiar sound of flowing water tells you where you are. Reaching a hand out, you feel the familiar texture of Celestia’s soft coat beside you, and she jumps a bit at your touch.

“...Five fingers; a human hand. Anon, you nearly scared me to death...” she whines.

“Sorry. Has your vision adjusted yet?”

“Not completely, but we arrived here at a good time of day. I can already see a portion of the path.”

“Me too. Let’s take it slow, okay?”

“Right.”

Carefully, the two of you begin your trek forward, making sure each step is on level, safe ground. Droplets of cold water fall on your head and run down your neck periodically, giving you a nice jolt and causing you to gasp with surprise, which your alicorn companion finds funny. You have to make a conscious effort to resist the urge to tickle her in response.

The sound of water grows louder and louder as you advance. There’s enough light to see your footfalls now, and you increase your pace now that it’s safer. In time, the two of you emerge from the tunnel you’ve been traversing to see a familiar, but still spectacular sight...

A large stream of water cascades down the nearly vertical shaft you now stand within. Rocks of various sizes jut out from the far cavern wall, dividing the waterfall into multiple smaller sections as it travels down into the abyss below you. The two of you stand on a narrow rock bridge which connects the tunnel you came from with the waterfall’s bedrock. Below the bridge is only darkness, while the light of early morning filters through the fall’s source high above, giving you more than enough light to see what you’re doing.

The sight of the sunlight dancing upon the falling droplets of water is mesmerizing. It’s almost like someone’s pouring a bunch of diamonds into the chasm below. You look up to the top of the falls; your ultimate destination.

“I’m guessing we can’t fly up, huh?”

Celestia shakes her head. “No, the cavern is much too narrow. Even Lulu didn’t have enough room to maneuver here, so there’s no hope for me. We’ll need to climb...”

She takes a hesitant step back, and you don’t blame her. The rock wall is slick as hell from all the water, and any fall here would mean instant death. It even makes someone with climbing experience like you nervous. But you’re a human; your hands and feet are meant to climb a narrow rock face like this. Celestia, as a quadruped, and a large one at that, doesn’t exactly have a lot going for her here. When she said this wasn’t easy for her, she was telling the truth.

Again, you pat her reassuringly. “It’ll be okay. The key here is patience. If we work together, we’ll make it out of here just fine.” Walking forward across the bridge, you beckon Celestia to follow, which she does with some trepidation. “And I left something helpful here that you guys probably didn’t have last time...”

You tap a glimmering piece of metal embedded into the rock wall.

“...An anchor?” she wonders as she steps closer to examine the object.

“Yep. I’ve got ‘em going all the way up the wall to the top. How do you think I got through this the first time? Now hold still.”

You pull out some sturdy rope from your pack, and using your knife and some well-placed knots you fashion a pony-harness for Celestia which wraps around the pits of her forelegs and withers. She examines the harness as you work, somewhat amused by the dexterity of your fingers as you tie each knot.

“I’ll climb up first and use the rope to guide you,” you tell her after finishing and testing the sturdiness of the harness. “We’ll take it as slow as we need to. Trust me, I won’t let you fall.”

“I’m in your hands,” she says with a smile, some of her nervousness fading away.

Over the next few hours, the two of you slowly make your way up the waterfall. You try to stay as dry as you can, difficult as it is. Thankfully there are outcroppings that are shielded from the flowing water which you can rest under while Celestia catches up, and the relative peacefulness of these areas allows your mind to wander.

She told you so much last night in front of the fire, much of which you’re certain she’s shared with hardly anyone throughout her entire long life. The words are unforgettable, and her steady voice begins to echo in your mind, powerful enough to drown out the constant flow of water, as you recall them while you rest…

”Long, long ago, before my eternal life began, I was an earth pony. My name was Celosia, and wherever I tread, flowers would surely grow.”

“I was a child of the Earth, one of the three pony tribes. There had been constant strife and conflict between us since before even my great great grandparents could remember. Nopony knew how or even why it began, but we despised each other, and the only thing preventing a full scale war was the dependence we had upon one another for food.”

“The unicorns controlled the cycle of day and night, the pegasi controlled the weather, and the earth ponies were the only ones who could effectively farm the land. This relationship meant that if one tribe fell, the rest would quickly follow. Much time and effort was spent on searching for ways to break this interdependence, from all sides, in order to gain a decisive advantage, and I suppose that is the root of how this all started...”

“The legends of the Cradle were older than time itself. It was a place held in both fear and reverence, built and blessed by our progenitors. Many times throughout history had the tribes sought to uncover the fabled great magic hidden there, but despite sending numerous expeditions, which often clashed against one another, the great magic was never found. All three tribes had given up searching before I was even born, determined that the rumored magic was nothing more than myth and devoting their resources to other pursuits.”

“But the Chancellor who came to power during my youth, Puddinghead, was a superstitious sort. He strongly believed that the old myths held truth, one of which being that the great magic of the Cradle did exist, and that it would only make itself known to one who already possessed exceptional magical power. By the time I was a young mare, word of my unusually strong growth magic reached the Chancellor, and I was tasked with finding and harnessing the great magic of the Cradle for the earth pony tribe. As you can imagine, it was quite a weight upon my shoulders, but I felt it was my duty to my kin, for at the time the hatred for the other tribes which burned in their hearts burned strongly in my own as well.”

“Alone, I made my way across the great bridge and the threshold of the Grand Gate. I spent weeks wandering the island. I found each of the Wayshrines, exactly as I was told I would, and pondered their meaning. But there was no magic within them, and I began to fear that I would never find that which I sought. I was prepared to return to the tribe with my tail between my legs in failure, when I crashed headfirst into a twist of fate. Though, upon further reflection, I believe she crashed headfirst into me...”

With a heave, you pull Celestia up and over the waterfall’s edge and onto dry land. The sun shining through the cave’s entrance warms your back, and you can already feel your clothes starting to dry. Your alicorn companion mercifully refrains from shaking herself until after you step a safe distance away.

“See? That wasn’t so bad, was it?” you ask.

She blows a few damp strands of mane away from her face. “No... I suppose it wasn’t. Shall we go?”

Together, you step outside the cave and into the warm sun, and in an instant you find yourselves back on Equus, just beyond the first gate.

You pull the stone from your pocket and hold it in your hand. You can feel the warmth now stored there as the dullness of its surface fades.

“One down...”

You let out a tired sigh as the next Wayshrine comes into view, and Celestia nudges you in the shoulder in response.

“Something the matter?” she asks.

“Well, my clothes just finished drying out, and now we’re gonna have to go for a swim. You’ve probably never had to worry about this, but walking around with wet socks and underwear sucks.”

She giggles. “Yes, the swim is a pain, isn’t it? I remember Lulu being quite annoying as we struggled on our way.” She gracefully trots in front of you and curls up, presenting her back. “But this time, I think we’ll skip over it. Like you, I feel we’ve had enough fun in the water for today.”

You can’t suppress your joyous laughter as you take your place upon her back. Why didn’t you think of this before? The last time you were here this trial almost killed you, but with Cel to carry you, it should be trivial!

She turns to the gate, spreads her wings, and gallops ahead. You pass under the arch, and suddenly you’re flying over the vast Equestrian Ocean. With a beat of her wings, she flies higher, narrowly avoiding the crest of a wave, and you breathe deep, taking in the fresh sea air as it rushes by.

“This is much better, wouldn’t you say?” Celestia asks as she turns her head back, her strawberry mane whipping in all directions.

“That’s a hell of an understatement. I can already see it over there.”

“Ah, so it is.” She tilts her wings and banks toward the small island in the distance.

Four hooves touch down on the sandy beach, and you dismount and walk beside Celestia as the two of you make your way toward the small island’s center. You keep one hand on her withers as you walk, if only to remind yourself that she’s there, while you watch the waves roll in in the distance.

The silence between you is only interrupted by the sound of the ocean. In time, you say, not so much to the pony beside you, but to yourself, “I... almost died out there.”

She sighs. “As did I. Despite all her teasing, it was Lulu who saved us when our strength gave out. She truly was incredible. I can’t imagine what it was like for you to face the terror of nearly drowning alone.”

“It was scarier than anything else, I think,” you tell her. “I was lucky that I got close enough to the island for the waves to dump me on the shore.”

You close your eyes and try to bury the memories, but when you open them again you find Celestia standing in front of you with tears threatening to fall.

“Forgive me,” she pleads.

“...What?”

“Forgive me. I was the one who sent you here alone. It was foolish. I was foolish. I should’ve never...”

“Hey.” You place a hand on her neck and trail your fingers through her mane as you smile and touch your forehead to hers. “It was worth it. Don’t you think?”

“Yes,” she replies, turning away. “Were I given the chance to undo all of the mistakes that led to this moment, I wouldn’t dream of it, and I suppose that’s my own selfish nature shining through. But still, Anon...”

You shake your head. “There’s nothing to forgive. After all, it was my dumb ass that listened to you and actually came here.”

You move in and touch your lips to hers. She closes her eyes and leans into the kiss with surprising strength. You savor it for a while, then use your thumb to wipe a few tears from her eyes as you pull back.

“I wouldn’t change anything, either.”

Her smile returns, and you continue on your way.

Eventually the sand gives way to reeds and then a forest as you make your way inland. The rune which marks your exit shines on the ground before you, and the two of you pause to examine it.

“There’s something I never figured out,” you say, watching the arcane symbol shimmering upon the grass.

“Hmm?”

“Why do these Wayshrines dump you in random places around the world, anyway? I mean, some of ‘em sort of make sense, but this one chucks you in the middle of the ocean near a tiny uninhabited island with nothing on it. Where’s the sense in that?”

Celestia ponders for a moment. “Ah, I see. I suppose to one who doesn’t have a sense for magic, these places may seem random, but that’s not the case. I mentioned before that each Wayshrine is the wellhead of a leyline that runs throughout the world. The places the gates send us are locations found along each gate’s associated line, and as we travel to the exit, the Orb gathers the leyline’s magic. It’s not so much the act of passing through the gate, but overcoming the trial, that empowers the Orb.”

You scratch your head. “Yeah, okay, that sort of makes sense. But still, out of all the places on this leyline, why here?”

“I... suppose I can’t say for certain, as only the progenitors would know. But my personal opinion, based on the things I was able to discern from my studies of them, was that they likely had a somewhat... annoying sense of humor.”

“...Figures.”

The two of you step into the rune and emerge underneath the second Wayshrine’s arch. You continue on your way, thankful to have both dry socks and underwear, and for the pony by your side who made it all possible.

The noonday sun bears down on you from overhead, reflecting off the desert sands with an almost blinding intensity.

Yeah, you kinda wish you had soaking wet underwear and socks right now. At least maybe it’d cool you down some. Your trusty steed / newfound special somepony (to use Pinkie’s term) seems to be faring a little better, though it’s tough to tell since she’s facing forward, scanning the sands intently.

“...Can’t we just go?” you ask, shielding your eyes from the shining sun above.

The pony beneath you huffs, “Do you want to be eaten by the sandworms? Because I’d rather not be eaten by the sandworms.”

“Yeah, I’ll pass on that. But why can’t we just fly over?”

As if on cue, a large brown worm emerges from the swirling sands several hundred feet ahead of you and fires a disgusting glob of acidic mucus at a passing buzzard. The bird is easily struck by the projectile, falling directly into the waiting worm’s tooth-lined maw as it descends below the sands once more.

“Well, there’s that,” she answers.

“Right.”

“...And I need my hooves on the ground in order to sense them.”

“Okay.”

“And right now their movement patterns aren’t ideal, so we’ll be waiting here until I determine it’s safe.”

“I totally agree with this course of action.”

“Good, I’m glad.”

“Yep.”

You wipe the sweat from your brow. Yeah, maybe roasting here for a little longer isn’t so bad considering the alternative. It took you about three days to traverse this area by yourself once you realized the worms primarily sense using the shadows on the sand as a way to determine if something is moving on the surface. Fortunately, that sense is greatly diminished on overcast nights or you’d probably never have made it.

But unfortunately, this time you don’t have the luxury of waiting until nightfall, so that means a mad dash through the desert to your destination. Hooray.

“...That’s it!” Celestia suddenly exclaims.

And just like that, she’s off like a bullet...

You grab her mane to steady yourself just in time to keep from falling off. The scorching air rushing past you does little to cool you down, though it’s still a welcome change from standing still for the past twenty minutes.

There’s a roar from behind you. Or more accurately, a series of roars. Against your better judgment, you risk a glance back and...

Yep, sandworms. Pissed off sandworms.

Celestia dodges to the right as a mucus blob crashes into the space she would’ve been had she not changed course. She dodges left again to avoid another volley as you consider whether or not you should keep your eyes open throughout this whole ordeal. The sandworms pursue you with that special level of fervor reserved only for such hellish abominations as they swarm from all sides, hot on your trail.

Thankfully, the great series of carved stone pillars marking the road to the ruins you’re heading toward appear on either side of you, blocking off most of the angles they can attack from. Still, one attempts to leap at you, only to smash its disgusting tooth-filled maw into one of the pillars.

“Ha! You’ll have to do better than that!” Celestia yells in response, and you catch the huge smile on her face as she gallops as fast as her legs will carry her.

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?!” you shout.

“To be... perfectly honest...” she pants, dodging to the side to avoid yet another leaping worm. “I am!”

...Yeah, should’ve known. This is definitely the earth pony in her. You found out before that she loves to run, after all.

The ruins come into view ahead of you just as another worm gets a mouthful of pillar after a failed lunge. Turning away from the sight, you lean forward and yell into Celestia’s ear, “I hate to be a buzzkill, but what do we do about them once we get there?”

“Hadn’t thought that far ahead!”

You laugh. She always knows exactly the shit to say during times like these to raise your blood pressure to dangerous levels.

You hear another roar and find three worms still behind you. Celestia pulls to the far right of the pillar-lined road and then abruptly stops. The pursuing worms? Yeah, they’re continuing to tear after you intent on having a delicious human and pony lunch, and you let Celestia know your feelings regarding this change of events by rapidly smacking her withers.

“WHAT’RE YOU DOING YOU CRAZY FUCKING HORSE?!”

“Quiet, Anon, I need to concentrate in order to time this properly.”

She waits for several more seconds before rearing up and bucking the nearby pillar with such force that it rattles your teeth. The sound of the impact is like thunder and the struck pillar begins to teeter, its foundation damaged beyond repair.

The worms are nearly right on top of you now, and you resign yourself to your fate. They leap from the sand, maws agape and dripping with viscous nasty-looking worm saliva.

Celestia gracefully steps aside…

…And the falling pillar crushes all three, causing their internal organs to be ejected out of their mouths and onto the sand ahead of you. Some kind of weird lung-like piece nearly smacks you in your face as it sails past. The corpses writhe for a while, then fall silent as the desert winds kick up, already attempting to claim the bodies beneath the sands.

You’re utterly speechless at what just happened, but the alicorn merrily trots away from the scene in triumph, holding her head up high. Without looking back, she proudly quips, “I suppose this means we arrived before the early bird. Or perhaps he slept in today.”

You groan and slump forward, resting your head on Celestia’s own.

“...What am I gonna do with you?”

She grins. “Something fun, I hope.”

You half sigh, half laugh as she carries you up the worn steps of the ruins to the shimmering rune that marks the trial’s end.

“Strange ape and big white pony went that way! Sniff them out! Sniff them out!”

The two of you remain huddled together in a forgotten side passage, daring not to breathe as a pack of diamond dog grunts marches past. You risk a glance around the corner to confirm that the coast is clear after the noise of their footsteps fades into the distance. Celestia pokes her head out as well, which you quickly push back into your hiding spot when you spy another patrol crossing through the adjacent corridor.

You turn to the alicorn in the darkness and whisper, “Do you not know the meaning of the word ‘stealth’?”

“A spider landed on my flank! There’s not a single pony in this world who wouldn’t be startled by that! Except for maybe Luna because she’s weird and likes spiders!”

She puffs out her cheeks in annoyance and you quietly facepalm.

“Fine, whatever. We just need to lay low for a while until things settle down, then we make a break for the exit. I still remember where it is.”

“That’s all well and good, but you shouldn’t put too much trust in your memory. They could’ve altered the general layout of the tunnels since you were last here.”

You lean back against the rocky wall of the passage. She raises a good point...

In all honesty, these caves probably weren’t all that terrifying before this extremely aggressive pack of diamond dogs moved in and started mining for gems. Sure, they’d be dark and foreboding, but with the dogs here you can’t turn a corner without risking a spear in your face. Celestia did mention something about giant spiders lurking about in the past, though you never encountered any, and you find yourself a little envious that her first visit here was arguably easier than your own.

During your first trip through, you managed to survive due to the fact that the dogs didn’t know what the hell you were and were terrified of you. You basically ran screaming from each other until you stumbled upon the exit rune. This time... yeah, that’s not gonna work, especially since they’re keen to abduct the ‘big white pony’ for free slave labor.

Yeah, well, tough shit, guys. She’s your big white pony now.

You turn to Celestia as she peers out into the hallway again before retreating back into the shadows. Her pretty strawberry mane wildly frames her face as she moves, eyes searching and thoughts racing. It’s hard not to imagine her without her wings and horn here, peering around the cave wall with her friends, trying to piece together a plan. As you watch and listen for further patrols and prepare to make your move, more of her words from last night find their way into your thoughts...

”A twist of fate crashed into me in the form of a dark sapphire blue pegasus with the rather funny name of Gloomy Plume. At first I figured her for an agent of the Pegasus Tribe, sent to find the great magic just as I was, but it quickly became clear that wasn’t the case. Gloomy was an odd sort, but she was unlike any pegasus I had ever met before. She seemed unconcerned by the conflict between the tribes. She seemed unconcerned about anything at all, really, as long as it didn’t involve her primary hobby of stargazing, as the spyglass imposed upon the night sky on her flank so reflected.”

“I learned that she was a deserter from the pegasus army who never had any interest in fighting or politics. She merely wanted to study the stars, and the powerful wings upon her back were able to carry her to places few other pegasi could reach in order to gain the appropriate vantage point to observe the night sky. This talent came to the attention of Commander Hurricane himself, and she soon found herself drafted into service and a life of misery.”

“She fled to Equus because she felt she wouldn’t be followed to a place most ponies considered cursed, or at the very least hallowed ground. Something about her plight touched my heart, and I found my prejudices slipping away as we spoke. Perhaps I was a little lonely by this point too, but I could tell she was happy to have found a friend, and I was a little amused that the very difference between us, that I was an earth pony and she a pegasus, was the very reason she was able to trust in me.”

“I didn’t share my reason for being on the island. Not yet, at least. But we spent the next several weeks together, myself searching in secret for the great magic, and she recording star charts in her journals. Our friendship grew, even to the point where she begrudgingly accepted my silly nickname for her, ‘Lulu’...”

“THERE! THERE! WE’VE FOUNDS THEMS!”

Shit, shit, shit!

So yeah, Cel was right. Some of the old tunnels have been closed off, so you’ve been sneaking in the direction you think the exit might be. Or, you were sneaking until just a few seconds ago...

With a sickening crack, Celestia bucks the sentry unconscious. She even put a damn dent in his stupid looking helmet... you make a mental note never to startle her from behind.

“Please tell me we’re near the exit,” she pleads.

“Uh... probably? Let’s just keep running this way.”

Celestia rolls her eyes. “You’re not inspiring much confidence in me, Anon.”

“Well that sounds like a personal problem. I have full confidence in my ability to randomly stumble across the way out of this hellhole!”

And just like that, you turn the corner to find a room with the exit rune shining on the floor. Score one for human intuition!

Unfortunately, said room also seems to be the diamond dog’s mess hall, and it seems most of them just sat down for an early dinner. Hundreds of eyes stare at the human and pony in the doorway and all chatter ceases. There’s a loud clamor as utensils are placed down and chairs slide out as the dogs stand from their tables, accompanied by a weird scratching sound that you can’t quite place.

Yeah, looks like you’re fucked. One of the dogs, his pockets stuffed with gems, emerges from the crowd and paces before you with the swagger of a leader.

“Well, well, well! Looks what we haves here! A big white pony and ugly monkey! Perfects labor for the deep mineses, eh boys?!”

Hundreds of grunts of agreement echo from behind him.

“Um, boss...” A small dog tugs at the leader’s coat. The bigger dog smacks his paw away.

“Leader is speaking now! What do you want?!”

The smaller dog cowers. “B-Boss, don’t ya hear the scratchings?”

Huh, come to think of it that weird sound has been getting louder...

‘Leader’ perks his ears up. “Scratchings? Oh... oh no...”

The scratching gets even louder, a nearby wall collapses, and giant fucking spiders begin streaming into the room.

“THE SPIDERSES! THE SPIDERSES ARE BACK!”

“GYAAAAAAA!”

“OUR... OUR ONE WEAKNESS!”

“WE DUG TOO DEEPSES! CURSE OUR HUBRISSSSSSS!”

The room erupts into chaos as the giant spiders pounce on the panicked dogs, their many black soulless eyes radiating pure evil as they begin lovingly pumping neurotoxins into their prey.

You don’t think. You don’t question it.

Both you and Celestia run like the wind toward the exit rune, NOPE’ing the fuck outta there faster than you ever have in your lives. You stumble out of the Wayshrine Gate at Equus and nearly kiss the ground in relief.

Yeah, turns out the Terror Caves were aptly named after all.

Fucking spiders...

A bolt of lightning rips through the air to the side of you, seeking the earth far below. The boom of thunder fades in your ears as Celestia mutters, “I hope you’re not going to ask me if we can simply fly over there.”

Several more bolts flash in the distance.

“Nah... not for this one,” you reply.

The two of you stand atop the peak of a gigantic floating chunk of obsidian stone suspended amidst an eternal storm. Various stones of a similar size and shape can be seen in the distance when the swirling storm clouds permit it, connected to one another by a vast network of hanging chains. The shape of ruins in the same style of those you encountered in the desert are recognizable, either built on top of, or seemingly embedded into each giant piece of stone. The carved stairs before you descend from the stone’s tall peak into a similar series of ruins, beckoning you toward them with the promise of safety from the storm...

You enter the ruins together just as the next wave of rain begins to fall. The various rooms here are mostly empty, their contents hastily removed by either the previous occupants or explorers who came later, but thankfully the lights still function, bathing the facility in a soft teal glow.

“Man, who even built this place, anyway?” you ask as you make your way down the dimly lit corridors. “And what for?”

“Again, this is a ruin of the progenitors— those who came before ponykind. As for its purpose, my best guess is that they wanted to study the effects of lightning or electricity. This storm has been raging for thousands of years, and lightning strikes every several seconds. I imagine they had a variety of devices, both magical and mundane, to harness and experiment with the currents,” Celestia answers.

“Huh. Makes sense, I guess.”

You kick a loose stone and listen to it echo across the large room as you walk. The exit point isn’t even on this stone ‘island’; it’s on one far in the distance. You’ll need to traverse several of these islands and small ruins in order to reach it by using a series of gondolas that run along the chains which connect the islands together.

You try not to think about what actually causes these large stones to float in the first place. The gondola rides are scary enough... if you knew what kind of science / magic / whatever was involved, you’d probably be scared shitless that it’d fail while you were up here.

“Still,” the alicorn continues, admiring the architecture, “such experiments wouldn’t necessitate such strong security, especially between these linked facilities. I hope you remember the solutions to the various puzzle locks we’ll encounter, as my memory is a bit hazy.”

You raise an eyebrow. “Uh... ‘puzzle locks’?”

Celestia flashes you a confused look. “Surely you must remember them. They secure the gates which prevent normal passage between the islands, each one an intricate puzzle that must be solved by gathering clues from the various murals which remain here...?”

“Yeah, that’s not ringing any bells,” you say, scratching your head.

“But... but that can’t be! There’s no way you’d be able to advance to the next island without...”

The two of you come to a stop in front of a half-open metal gate. The large lock panel there has been disassembled, and the hundreds of tiny, expertly crafted pieces of the mechanism are scattered across the floor nearby. Celestia looks over to you, completely incredulous.

“What did you do?!”

“Hey, I didn’t know they were puzzles, I just figured I didn’t have the key and wasn’t likely to find it! If these ‘progenitors’ or whatever wanted to keep people out, they shouldn’t have made these things so easy to take apart with a multitool and a piece of scrap metal.”

You force the gate the rest of the way open, making the exit big enough for Celestia to pass through.

“And... you did this to all the locks along the path?” she stammers.

“Well, yeah. Again, how else do you think I got through here?”

She remains silent for a moment, her expression unreadable. Slowly, her muzzle scrunches up as she tries to contain her laughter, which echoes throughout the ruins and overcomes even the sound of the driving rain outside.

“You... you’re just... humans are full of surprises, aren’t they? These stupid locks drove us to hysterics when we first encountered them, especially some of the later ones which were pure trial and error! We spent months here!” She steps forward and nuzzles you, ending with a kiss on your cheek. “Perhaps I should take this as a lesson, and try to ‘think outside of the box’ more often myself.”

You smile, happy to see her so pleased. “Well, sometimes the most direct solution is the best one, I guess.”

The two of you continue past the open metal gate to board the first of the gondolas that’ll take you to the next series of islands. You shut the door as Celestia takes her seat inside, then take your own seat at the front. After pulling the control lever to release the gondola, the car begins its journey through the stormy skies, lightning flashing all around and rain pelting the cabin’s single window.

There’s not much for you to do in the pilot’s seat since there’s nothing to really drive, so you abandon it to sit beside your alicorn companion. She turns to you, a serene smile on her face, and rests her head on your shoulder. Surprisingly, you’re not afraid of the turbulent ride as you focus on her obviously tired but steady breathing, and a hand finds its way into her mane as if on instinct, seeking out her favorite spot.

“I’ve been thinking about one of the things you said yesterday,” you tell her.

“Oh?”

“And you’re even more right than I realized at the time. Whatever the trial, and whatever the triumph, having a friend with you changes everything.”

“It does, doesn’t it?”

She closes her eyes and you enjoy the moment of respite together as the gondola travels along.

The stars are out by the time the two of you emerge from the fifth Wayshrine Gate. Celestia flops down on the ground nearby and lets out a tired sigh.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m utterly exhausted,” she groans.

You pull the stone from your pocket and examine it. Its surface now reflects its surroundings and you can feel the radiance of the magic within it warm your palm.

“It’s getting dark anyway,” you say. “Let’s stop for today. Five gates in fifteen hours is pretty good, right?”

“It’s incredible,” the white alicorn replies as she stands, shakes herself, and trots over to you. Peering at the stone in your hand, she smirks, “And it seems you could create a lowborn now, if you wanted.”

“Do you think if worse comes to worst, that this would be enough?” you ask.

She closes her eyes and shakes her head. “No. Though she’s still young, Twilight commands the power of a true alicorn. I’ll need the full power of an Orb in order to stand against her.”

You re-pocket the stone pat and her on the head. “Then I guess it’s back to the grind for us tomorrow, my big pony. C’mon, let’s look for a place to camp.”

You start foraging for deadwood while Celestia searches for a suitable campsite. The area around the fifth gate is a dry and exposed section of the island with sparse vegetation. With no nearby trees, you’re forced to scavenge from the scattered shrubs you can find, and while it won’t be enough to last the night, it should be enough to prepare a meal. Celestia waves at you, having located a promising looking rock outcropping, and you wave back.

The thought of having her warmth by your side is comforting, especially since tonight looks to be colder than the last. You’re getting dangerously close to adding ‘cute ex-princess horse’ to your standard list of essential survival items. It’s getting harder and harder to imagine leaving home without one, that’s for sure.

Soon, you have a modest fire going and the two of you are gulping down another helping of Applejack’s ‘So easy even Anon can make it!’ stew. You lean back against the rock outcropping, the remaining warmth of the starving fire radiating against it, and stare up at the stars.

“What do you think the others are up to right now?” you wonder.

Celestia drains her current bowl with a satisfied sigh. “Oh, I imagine Applejack and Macintosh are having a disagreement, little Apple Bloom is attempting to mediate it, and Pinkie Pie is either blissfully ignorant or completely aware of what’s going on and working to resolve things in her own way. Admittedly, sometimes it’s tough to tell with her.”

You chuckle. “Yeah, she’s an enigma, all right.”

The pony places her empty bowl aside and curls up beside you.

“We did well today,” she says. “Far better than I imagined, but our task is not yet complete. We should sleep, Anon. We’ll need all the energy we can muster for tomorrow.”

You throw a few more scrub branches on the waning fire, attempting to revive it so that at least the two of you will be able to fall asleep in relative comfort.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. But I was kinda hoping for another fireside confession from you tonight. The last one was something else.”

She giggles and lightly bats you with a wing. “I’m afraid I’m all out of material to entertain you, Anon. One can only do so much over the course of thousands of years to make for good stories, so you’ll have to go to bed without one. That is, unless you’d like to be the storyteller this time.”

You shake your head. “I think I’ve told you most of my good stories already. We’ve been living together for a while now, after all.”

Placing your own bowl aside, you lay down next to her, and her wing unfolds to cover your body as you turn to face one another.

“There’s a simple solution to this problem, you know,” she whispers.

“Hmmm?”

“Yes. All we need to do is make new ones...”

Her hooves pull you to her in a light embrace as your breath mingles together, the meager fire forgotten.