Day 3

Again, you’ve packed up camp and are off at dawn. You can’t fly to the next gates now, so the travel time between each one will be longer than usual. Still, you restrict Celestia’s pace to a comfortable one to give her more time to recover between trials and since you also insist on walking yourself. Unfortunately, this guarantees that she’ll be pouting and huffy the entire way, but oh well. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices, right?

You reach the next gate just as the sun peeks above the volcano’s rim in the distance, but as you move to enter, she strangely stays back, nervously pacing a bit.

“There’s... there’s something I feel I should mention,” she mumbles.

“What? Is it the fact that they’re all changelings? Because I already know they’re all changelings. You know, from the last time I was here.”

Her eyes dart back and forth. “Changelings? Oh. Yes, of course. That was silly of me. Of course you’d know. I suppose I’m worrying over nothing.” She lies down and turns to you. “Well, go ahead. Hop on and let’s try to get through this as quickly as possible. We don’t have any spare time to dawdle here.”

Mindful of her wing, you mount Celestia and she stands and carries you through the gate.

A great, verdant valley appears before your eyes. Grassy inclines turn to steep, rocky mountains on each side. A calm river weaves its way along the single, well-worn road, providing plenty of pure water to drink. The sun is warm, but not overly hot. In essence, it’s perfectly relaxing. Well, aside from the fact that this is...

Yeah, good old changelings. They sure love their... well, their love, and they’ll go to any lengths to get it. One old hive in particular had the bright idea of settling in a valley that happens to be a major thoroughfare between two pony cities. To avoid it, one would have to make a pretty inconvenient detour around the mountains.

From what you found out later, courtesy of a little reading, they were highly successful at first. Even though the area was well known as a changeling hive, travelers couldn’t really avoid it, merchant caravans especially. Some even enjoyed their routine trips through, much to their wives’ displeasure.

But with the advent of modern air travel, the need to cross the valley on hoof for both personal and commercial traffic was greatly reduced. Not many ponies come through anymore, except for those specifically looking for what’s on offer, or those completely unaware of what they’re getting into. Long story short, the changelings here are usually starving, so when you showed up the first time they were on you like flies on shit.

”Welcome to the Valley of Dreams~!”

...And so it begins. You’re surrounded by ponies who’ve appeared from seemingly nowhere. They’re all different shapes, sizes, colors, and types. Well, not really. You see the familiar face of Bon Bon in the crowd, along with several other Bon Bons, and repeats of other ponies too. Looks like the changelings don’t have a big catalog of disguises to choose from, or maybe they’re just lazy.

“Hey, you’re that weird looking thing from before!”

“And wow, you’re a big pony! You like sweets, I bet! Want some candy?”

“You’re cute!”

“Would you like to come somewhere with us? There’s lots of things to see and do here...”

“You two look tired. I run a comfy inn a little ways down the road...”

“I love your mane!”

“I love your weird little eyes! So cute!”

“Oh! Oh! Please, play with us...”

“Whip your cock out! I wanna see it!”

Another pony grabs that last one and scoots her away. “Ehehehe. Sorry about that. She’s new. We really do want to see your cock though, if you wouldn’t mind.”

You open your mouth to say something, but before you can get a word out, your new special somepony speaks for you.

“He would mind! He’s in a committed relationship! We both are! With each other! Deeply committed! So he’s not interested! Now please be courteous and leave us alone; we’re only passing through! Good day!”

With a snort, she quickly trots away, leaving the throng of disguised changelings behind.

“Are you okay?” you ask once you’re out of earshot of the crowd. “You’re kinda... I dunno, on edge or something.”

“I’m fine,” she grumbles in response. “(But those bucking whorses over there won’t be if they keep bothering you...) Anon, do you love me?”

“Uh... yeah. I thought we established that by now.”

“Good, just checking. So, on a related note, when would you like to consummate our relationship? Because I’d really like to do that soon.”

Yeah, she’s definitely acting weird.

“Well... me too, but I hadn’t really thought about it. I mean, we just confessed to each other a couple of days ago, and we’ve been busy with this other stuff since then. You know, the deadly trials, the batshit crazy purple alicorn who wants to kidnap me, plus her retarded friends and the military who’re after us... stuff like that. It didn’t seem like the appropriate time.”

“Oh. So you’ll find the time to face the Trials of Equus, and run from being forcibly wed to a demonstrably crazy pony, but you won’t find the time to rut me? Am I that ugly to you?”

“What? What the hell’s gotten into you?!”

“Nothing! That’s the problem!”

Okay, what the fuck is going on here? What the hell is she... wait...

“What was it that you didn’t tell me before we went through the gate?”

“What does it matter?” she yells. “You never listen to me anyway!”

“For fuck’s sake, it’s like you’re...”

This isn’t good. Not if it’s what you think it is, anyway. You reach forward and turn her head toward you. Her normally white cheeks are now a rosy shade of red, and it looks like she’s been sweating even though she’s only maintaining a canter.

“Cel...”

“Anon...”

“I need you to answer me.”

“Yes?”

“Does ‘Estrus Valley’ actually send ponies into estrus?”

She suddenly leans forward and kisses you, but it’s surprisingly restrained, so you go along with it. Several beads of sweat roll down her forehead as she pulls away.

“Of course it does,” she replies. “It’s the result of an aphrodisiac pollen released from the unique flowers which bloom across the valley. The changelings settled here because they knew it would be difficult for travelers to resist their advances...” She folds her ears back and looks away. “I’m sorry, Anon. I lost myself for a little while there and my behavior was inexcusable. Normally my estrus is easy to control, but I had forgotten how powerful the aphrodisiac really is. I was wrong to not mention it to you.”

You affectionately stroke her muzzle. “It’s alright. But are you going to be okay?”

“Yes, I can manage it long enough for us to escape. Come, I think we should leave, especially now that they’re pursuing us.”

She turns her head forward and begins galloping away at top speed.

“Wait, they’re what?” You risk a glance back to find the changeling herd stampeding after you with lust in their eyes.

“Don’t let him get away!”

“Wait, big pony!”

“Come baaaaack!!”

“I just want a little bit of love! Just a little!”

“We need you!”

“I’mma get that dick!”

But despite their best efforts, they have no hope of outrunning a pony of Celestia’s gait, speed and stamina, and she quickly leaves them in the dust. Even still, she doesn’t slow down as the sweat rolls down her face and her body fights the heat. You wish you could do something to help her other than offer your encouragement as she tears through the valley, but words are about all you can give her without making her condition worse.

In time, you see the exit rune approaching. As soon as you point it out, you hear her call back to you, “Anon?”

“Yeah, Cel?”

“I really do want you to... r-rut me soon. But not like this... not when I’m clouded by this h-haze. I want... I want for us to share it... to share each other, willingly, and completely... to love each other w-without restraint... Would you... like that...?”

You smile. God, she’s so adorable right now you don’t know what to do, so you do the best thing you can think of. Carefully, while maintaining your balance, you slide down her back until you’re lying on top of her. Your arms wrap around her neck in a hug and you place a kiss atop her mane, right between her ears, then whisper, “It sounds great. When this is all over, I promise that’s one of the first things we’ll do.”

You think you hear a squee from her, though it may just be the sound and sensation of warping as she steps upon the exit as the words leave your mouth. But either way, you can feel her happiness through your shared contact, and it warms your heart as well.

You stare into the gleaming crystal wall beside you and countless distorted reflections of yourself stare back. A pleasant memory crops up of a time when you helped with a grueling catering job at a carnival for work. Pinkie noticed you were feeling down and convinced you to go to the funhouse with her during a break. Watching her make funny faces in the mirrors there raised your spirits and you were able to take on the rest of the day at your best.

She’d probably have something funny to say about this place, too. But honestly, you hope she never has to come here. Nobody should ever have to come here.

Celestia notices where your attention is focused and giggles. “You know, if there were two of you, maybe all of this could’ve been avoided.”

“That sounds like something Twilight would say,” you reply with a laugh. “And then she’d try to clone me, but it’d end up being some kind of mutant abomination that’d run around destroying Ponyville while she freaked out trying to fix it, only to make things worse.”

“...And then she’d turn to her friends for help, and using one or more of their unique talents, they’d band together to overcome the problem, and I’d receive a letter that evening detailing what she learned about friendship from the experience, with a postscript from Spike requesting a raise and/or reassignment depending on how she’d been treating him lately.”

You sigh. “Those were the days.”

“Good times. Good times,” Celestia nods in agreement. “But this isn’t too much worse, is it?”

“I dunno, you tell me.”

The two of you step out of the crystal corridor and into the upper portion of a massive cavern. Countless thin and unsteady looking crystal bridges crisscross through the void on the way down to the bottom. The glowing crystals embedded into the walls and walkways give off plenty of light for you to see despite the fact that the cavern seems to be completely isolated from the surface.

Yet, the light the crystals provide seems to be waning. They flicker on and off sometimes in response to the pulses of the vast, spherical swell of swirling dark energy that floats near the cavern’s bottom, almost as if it were trying to absorb the light. Screaming, wraith-like pony spirits fly through the air in erratic patterns, circling the strange energy as if they both revere and abhor it...

A spirit nearly flies into you and you jump back into the safety of the corridor, clutching your chest in terror.

“I never got a chance to ask anyone, but what the fuck are these things? Are they ghosts or something? And what’s with that crazy glowing thing they seem to like so much?!” you gasp, trying to regain your composure after the near-miss.

Celestia’s expression turns somber as she trots to your side. “Not everything the progenitors created had a benevolent purpose. We came to call this the Dark Star. From what we understand, it was created as a great magical weapon, but even the progenitors themselves feared its power, so they sealed it here, in this cavern far below the earth. I suspect they either couldn’t destroy it themselves, or they wanted to keep it as a reminder of their past mistakes. Regardless, it resonates with a type of dark magic that neither Luna nor myself were able to control, and it’s my sincere hope that it remains entombed here until the end of time.”

She begins trotting back across the bridge and you follow her into the cavern proper. The exit to this trial is far below, in front of the great Dark Star itself, and the only way to get there is to follow the linear path, crossing the many bridges on your way down while somehow avoiding the ghosts.

Speaking of which, you duck as one of them nearly collides with your shoulder, but the motion throws you off balance and nearly off the side of the bridge. Celestia’s good wing stretches out to catch you in the nick of time, pulling you back to safety.

“Thanks for the save.”

“You’re welcome,” she says with a smile. “And yes, as for these spirits... we’re not sure of their exact nature. It’s possible that they’re the end result of ponies who delved too deep into the dark arts, or perhaps they originate from the Star itself. I doubt we’ll ever know, as even approaching the artifact for study is walking a dangerous line.”

You breathe a sigh of relief as the two of you cross into the next embedded corridor; the staircase there leading you to the next lowest bridge.

“I’m guessing you know all that from experience?” you ask.

“Not directly, no. There was a powerful unicorn sorcerer who long ago managed to separate a fragment from the Star and use it for his own ends, but it eventually consumed him. Luna and I retrieved the fragment and sealed it within Canterlot’s Forbidden Archives, since we had no way of returning it here, as you’d imagine.”

You begin crossing the second bridge while keeping a close eye on the nearby ghosts. Though they’re not fast, the very thin and dangerous bridges leave you little room to move to avoid them, and because of their fondness for the Star, their numbers increase the further you progress. You hold up an arm to stop Celestia from walking into one as her concentration was elsewhere.

“It appears we’re now even,” she giggles.

“Yeah, well I’m not too anxious for either one of us to get touched by one of these things. It hurts like a bitch.”

“That it does.”

The entrance of the next embedded corridor comes into view and you repeat the process from before, descending the stairs within and cautiously making your way across the next bridge. You briefly wonder whether this would be any different if Celestia could fly, but quickly banish that thought almost as soon as it crops up. If she were touched by one of the ghosts while in the air, you’d both be on a one-way trip to the bottom and a gruesome end.

Your first time through here, you were at least smart enough to realize that the damn things were probably bad news and best avoided, but one of them managed to pass through your leg from behind. The pain is really, really tough to describe. The point of contact feels like it becomes instantly frostbitten, the skin blackens and a sharp stabbing sensation radiates from the injury. It was so severe you could barely walk afterwards, and it persisted for days before healing, even after you successfully escaped the cavern. For a while there, you weren’t sure if it would heal at all, and you spent a few sleepless nights fearing for your life...

It goes without saying that Cel’s felt it too. You can tell from her expression and the way she watches them as they float around. Given your shared past experience, the two of you exercise extreme caution as you carefully make your way forward. Together, you attempt to cover for each other’s blind spots and time and time again manage to avoid a close call. As you begin your crossing of the second-to-last bridge, you start to hold out hope that things are almost at an end.

The Dark Star is nearly right in front of you now. Its constant, steady pulsing and barely perceptible hum have drilled themselves into your subconscious after the hours you’ve spent here, so when the rhythm of the pulse suddenly changes, you immediately take notice, as does Celestia.

“What...? What’s happening?” she gasps.

“I was about to ask the same thing!”

The light from the crystals above starts to flicker and fade. Fuck... if those lights go out, the two of you will have no chance of safely making it across the remaining bridges...

“We need to move! Now!” you cry.

She doesn’t hesitate, and the two of you run as fast as you safely can the rest of the way. You slide into the next embedded corridor to avoid a low-flying ghost and quickly make your way down the stairs to the final bridge.

The light of the cavern is rapidly fading, and the ghosts are beginning to react to the Dark Star’s strange activity. They move much faster in chaotic, unpredictable patterns. The exit rune shines before you on the bridge’s other side, so tantalizingly close but still out of reach.

Any light, aside from the exit’s, will be gone in mere moments...

“We have to go, Anon.” Celestia’s voice is oddly calm. You turn to find her stare locked on the Dark Star, almost as if she were trying to see beyond it.

“There’s no way we’ll get through there safely!” you yell back. “Not when they’re going crazy like this!”

“There’s a chance. It’s small, but it’s there. But if we remain here, I can guarantee this will be our last day. The Star is growing. I don’t know why, or to what end, but it will soon consume the bridge and with it our only way out.”

She’s right. You know she’s right, so you steel yourself for what’s to come. With a final nod, the two of you begin your run. The ghosts are barely visible in the darkness now, but still you power forward. At about the halfway mark, you feel the sting as one passes through your left shoulder. The incredible pain nearly takes your breath away, but you suppress it and keep moving, and by some miracle manage to make it to the platform where the exit lies.

But just as you cross the platform’s threshold, you hear a cry of pain beside you, and Celestia stumbles. You react on instinct, pulling her toward you and guiding her into the light of the exit rune. The cavern falls into darkness before it fades away, and you find yourselves on the other side of the Wayshrine on Equus.

You take stock of your situation. A quick glance under your shirt reveals that your struck shoulder is starting to blacken. It hurts so much that moving your left arm is very difficult, but you push past the pain and move to Celestia who lies panting on the ground nearby. One of her forehooves is starting to turn black near the cannon, and you can see tears of pain forming in her eyes.

Still, despite it all, she smiles at you. “It appears we made it...”

“Yeah... just barely.”

“I’ll... need a hand to stand, if you have one to offer.”

You bend down and give her your right hand, and she places her good hoof in your palm. With a heave, you pull her up and she takes a few unsteady steps, her breath hitching each time too much weight is placed on her injured leg.

“How is it? Can you walk?”

“Yes... I think so. But anything more than walking is out of the question.”

You chuckle. “Well... like you always say, let’s look at the bright side. Only one trial left and we’re done.”

She giggles in response. “When you put it that way, I suppose it doesn’t sound so bad. We should... we should get started on our way to the next gate. At a walking pace, we should reach it by sundown.”

“No rest for the weary, huh?”

She shakes her head. “No. Not at a price I’m willing to pay, at least.”

“You can say that again...”

The two of you begin your slow trek to the final gate together. You think back to your last trip to Equus and shake your head. A hike to the last gate while suffering from agonizing pain. Deja vu, huh?

But this time, you notice that having someone to talk to on the way helps take your mind off of it, at least a bit. It’s a small consolation, but it’s enough.

As always, she’s right. The two of you reach the final gate just as the stars show themselves in the fading blue sky. During your walk here, the two of you talked about many different things. Yourselves, your pasts, your future together... and even a little about Twilight.

But now, there are no more words left to share. You know what needs to be done and how to go about it. All that’s left is the doing, so it’s without a single word between you that you step through the gate together without fear.

You emerge in a pine forest. A cool evening breeze rustles the branches of the surrounding trees, and already the nocturnal insects and animals are beginning their familiar songs. You look to the sky through the branches overhead and breathe out a relieved sigh. It’s cloudless, with no storms lingering as far as you can see. You’ll desperately need the light of the moon and stars to guide your path, so hopefully Luna’s in a creative mood tonight.

You begin your march through the forest, eventually reaching the crest of a hill where you can see over the trees below. Beyond lies your destination, your final trial...

A mountain lingers in the distance. Though it’s the tallest mountain in its range, it’s nowhere near the tallest in the world, and it’s not really even a particularly difficult climb. It only requires endurance, as a winding path, though broken in places, leads all the way to the summit.

There aren’t any great dangers to contend with, either. Not that you know of, anyway. No feral creatures, tricky natural obstacles, ruins or structures, or even vengeful ghosts. And now, on your second trip here, you think you understand why.

If the ‘progenitors’ designed these trials with the purpose of testing those who sought their power in mind, then the purpose of this final leg of the journey was probably to reflect upon all the others, and upon the burden of the power the bearer would soon come to hold. You can feel the weight of the stone in your pocket, and you remove it for one last look before the end. It radiates incredible energy now; even someone with no magical experience like you can feel it. Yet, you can also sense that it’s not yet finished... not perfect. But it will be, soon, as long as your legs still carry you.

The two of you continue on, down the hill and into the forest at the mountain’s base. Soon you’re ascending, gradually, with bright, pure moonlight shining down to show the way. The path is too narrow for you to walk side by side with Celestia, so you take the lead to watch out for anything that could give her difficulty with her injured leg. When you run into a tall rock or incline, you stop and help her up, and though you can tell she’s in a lot of pain, she utters not a word of complaint.

You climb, and climb, and climb even higher. The series of switchbacks in the trail finally takes you above the treeline. It’s much, much colder at this altitude, and with no trees to protect you from the harsh winds, the cold only bites deeper. Even as you shiver underneath the warmth of your windproof jacket, Celestia carries on, seemingly unaffected by it all.

The two of you reach a sheltered overlook about halfway up the mountain and stop to rest. You pull out your canteen and offer her some water, but she doesn’t respond until you wave it in front of her face. She mumbles a distant apology before drinking, and you suddenly understand what’s going on.

She doesn’t feel the cold. She doesn’t feel pain. She can’t, because she has no room for those things here. She’s climbing this mountain, but she’s not really here. Or at least, not now.

No, those magenta eyes see 2,500 years into the past. This is a place of reflection, where past triumphs and failures resurface, and where one either leaves their burdens behind, or carries them all the way to the summit and beyond...

”And that was the key. It was so simple. The Orb was bound to the one who forged it, but the power it contained was sealed from them. But, if it was freely given to another, the magic was freed as well. It was the beginning of Friendship Magic as we now understand it, and as you’d expect, we were elated.”

“We all passed our Orbs to one another. Clover to me, me to Gloomy, Gloomy to Clover. And each one shone with their final, perfect light. It was entrancing. But there was still the great question of what would happen when the magic was unleashed. Not one of us knew. Nothing we found through our time spent in the many ruins of the trials, or near the Wayshrines or the Altar itself, shed any light on what the effect of the Orb on a pony might be. There was only one way to know... to try it ourselves.”

“Clover volunteered to go first. His reasoning was that, being by far the oldest and a true outcast from his tribe, he’d be missed the least should something go wrong. We knew he was mostly joking, of course, as that was his nature. He trotted a safe distance away from us and even mockingly waved goodbye, and of course we waved back.”

“Had I known that this was the last time we’d ever see him... that this really was our goodbye, I...”

“He... he consumed the stone, and we watched the transformation begin. And then... the latent magic of Equus Island... that powerful magic which all creatures in the world hold in awe... tore him apart. Our brother, Clover, was gone, right before our very eyes.”

“If that was the end of it, maybe it would’ve been easier to bear. But the magic was not yet finished. Clover had half-ascended. His body was destroyed, but his spirit lingered on, empowered by the Orb’s magic. It writhed in agony, a half-formed yet undying entity, and in its throes drew to itself many of the other lingering spirits from the surrounding area. What resulted was a chimera... an amalgamation of all that was there. It appeared before us, hovering in the air with that carefree, mocking demeanor that he takes so much pride in...”

“At first, we were overjoyed that our brother had survived. But we quickly realized that this creature, who called himself ‘Draconequus’, was not him. Though certain aspects of his personality would sometimes surface, this was not Clover. Our brother had died there, and in his place was a monster.”

“Make no mistake. We got what we wanted. The war between the tribes ended that day, and in its place the Reign of Discord began. Perhaps some piece of Clover’s will still wished for harmony and was partly driving the monster’s actions... but I suppose we’ll never know. Regardless, under his torment the tribes could no longer muster the will to fight one another. Instead, they merely sought to survive.”

“Gloomy and I... we knew we had to fix it. We eventually learned that the island itself was the cause of what happened, so we fled to Latigo and completed our ascension. But we were like newborns compared to him. Being born from an earth pony and pegasus, we had no understanding of how to manipulate the unicorn magic we now possessed. We had to learn, but he was always one step ahead. We fought, and lost, time and time again, until our research led us to the Elements and finally, after 500 years, we prevailed.”

“The battle against Discord left pony civilization in ruins, but there was still hope for recovery. Once Luna and I set the necessary events in motion, we retreated to tend to our wounds and determine what to do next. But, to our horror, we found that mere years after peace was restored, the old prejudices between the tribes began to resurface. In time, we came to the grim realization that there would never be peace without a benevolent ruling force to oversee it, and we, as immortals who reflected the aspects of all three tribes, were the tragic but foregone choice for the position.

“We appeared before them again as princesses... and our first decree was that we would start again in a new land, with the secret hope that one day our guidance would no longer be needed...”

The constant pain in your shoulder is nearly forgotten now that the ache in your legs from the uphill hike is starting to really show. Maintaining this constant pace was a bad idea, and now you’re in the same state as Celestia was in the snowfield... if you stop moving now, you won’t start again for a good while.

But amazingly enough, with one last surge of strength, you take a few more steps and find yourself on the summit. You turn to help your alicorn the rest of the way, and the two of you collapse in the soft mountain snow, breathless, in pain, but euphoric at your triumph.

Celestia leans against you, panting, and you run your hand through her mane.

“I think... I think I understand the nature of my mistake,” she says as she catches her breath. “The Trials of Equus... they’re not meant as a test to prove one worthy. They’re meant to prepare one for their ascension. The perspective granted from the hardships, and the bonds of friendship formed between two or more who could overcome them... these things can’t be taught from another’s words, or learned from a book. They have to be personally experienced, and that’s why I was such a fool to give Twilight the Orb. She, who never set a hoof here, and never learned of the true depth of the bonds she holds with her friends... she lacks the perspective needed to truly guide the power she holds. Hence all this foolishness.”

Her eyes meet yours, her breath visible in the cold air around you.

“And the key lesson from the way the Orbs are unsealed... the most important from all of this, and the one I learned at the cost of almost everything, is that this burden cannot be borne alone. And yet that’s what she’s doing. She will never have the relationship with Luna that I have. She will never have the relationship with you that I have. She will lose her friends to Eternity, and she will be alone, just as she is now. Mistakes cannot be undone, but they can be corrected, and they can be prevented. And I will NOT allow this tragedy to unfold before my eyes. Not again. Never again.”

She nuzzles your chest with her nose. “Thank you for giving me this opportunity, Anon. It means more to me than I’ll ever be able to express.”

You look to one another and smile. Celestia makes a move toward the exit rune nearby, but you hold up a hand to stop her.

“No, wait.”

“Anon?”

“I owe you an answer, like I promised. And there’s something I wanted to show you.”

You motion for her to sit beside you with your backs to the mountain face. The two of you stare out across the vast landscape below, the winding rivers and shifting treetops still glimmering in the waning moonlight.

“You asked me before why you felt so free, and I told you I’d have an answer for you here. Well, here it is.”

You remain silent after that, and when she turns her head to question you, you direct it back out toward the horizon. Slowly, the light of dawn begins to creep in, and soon you bear witness to a spectacular sunrise as it spreads across the land from a place few will ever reach.

“It’s been so long since I actually watched the sunrise,” she whispers. “It’s so beautiful. I... think I understand you even more now, Anon. Is this why you climbed all those mountains back on Earth?”

“It was part of it, yeah. But like I said before, the euphoria from reaching the top, and from overcoming your own limitations... it’s a little addictive. It’s what you’re feeling right now, and it’s what you were feeling when you spoke to me about freedom.”

She turns her head. “What do you mean?”

“No matter where I was, I always knew in the back of my mind that I’d have to go back to work the next week, and that I still had responsibilities to tend to, and that that reality would never change. We’re all bound by something, in one way or another. A debt, a duty, an addiction...”

You pull your pretty pony closer and run your fingers through her mane.

“But when I was on a mountain, or standing on the summit, I was there. I wasn’t in the office on Monday. I wasn’t thinking of how I’d pay my bills. I wasn’t thinking back on all the stupid shit I’ve done in the past, or about all the missed opportunities or what could’ve been. I was only there. I was forced to live in the present.”

Two fingers dance between her ears, tracing their outline.

“It’s a nice side effect of being presented with overwhelming beauty. When it captures you, you can’t focus on anything else. And funny enough, it’s a side effect of being in love, too. When you see her, it’s impossible to be elsewhere in your thoughts. And that’s one reason why, when it ends, it hurts so much.”

Her ears perk up. “I… think I understand. So this feeling of freedom that’s slowly been building within me is because...”

“Yep. It’s ‘cause I’m so damn cute.”

She begins to laugh, and soon you’re laughing with her, together, with the world and the burdens you bear so far away in that moment.

“I suppose I can’t argue with that,” she giggles.

With a turn of her head, your lips meet, and you share a kiss in the sunlight of a new day.

Day 4

The Orb shines and hums with energy as you step back upon the soil of Equus Island. What was missing is now there, and you can feel that it’s finished.

Celestia stretches and sighs. “Our task is done. It took a bit longer than expected... but at last, we have what we came for. Now all that remains is to return to the ship and leave the island. I certainly hope the others were able to complete their task as well.”

“I’m sure they did fine, and I bet they’re worried about where we are right now.”

“Yes, we shouldn’t keep them waiting. I believe we’re only seven miles or so from the cypress forest, and from there two miles to the hidden lake. Shall we go?”

“Yeah... let’s go.”

And with that, the two of you start back. You’re both probably a pitiful sight right now. Walking is about all you can do with the pain in your shoulder and the utter exhaustion from the last day slowing you down, and the alicorn by your side can’t run, fly, or do magic. But even so, you feel like you’ve just won... well, everything. You survived the Trials of Equus not once, but twice! And you’re one of only two who can ever make that claim.

It’s a great accomplishment, to be sure, but something even better came from this. You found your special somepony, just like Pinkie always wanted. She probably has the party already planned and a cake in the oven, just waiting for your return.

But your happy thoughts are interrupted by a series of blood-curdling howls from the trees ahead. You and Celestia both freeze in your tracks as two huge, lumbering hounds stalk in front of you, blood seeping from their fang-filled mouths. And standing between them with a sheepish expression is...

“Um... I’m afraid this is the end of the road for you, mister.”

“Fluttershy?!” you gasp.

Yep... it’s fucking Fluttershy. You knew she’d show up sooner or later, but now?! This is the worst possible timing. You try to put on a brave face. She’s always been kind of skittish, so maybe you can intimidate her into running away.

“We don’t have time for your games, Fluttershy,” you tell her in a threatening tone. “Go walk your dogs somewhere else.”

You attempt to take a step forward, but Celestia’s good wing unfurls to stop you.

“Don’t. Those are murderhounds. They’re extremely dangerous and will attack in response to any perceived act of aggression. I don’t know how she’s tamed them, but we need to be cautious here...”

Fluttershy rubs one hound’s chin with her hoof. “Awwwww, that’s not true. I know their species has a bad reputation, but it’s not like they murder things all the time. It’s more like maybe 90% of the time or so. Isn’t that right, Patches?” The hound makes a dumb expression as its tongue flops out and blood pours to the ground from its mouth. “These two in particular are VERY friendly. Even a sometimes mean animal can learn to be nice if you show them a little kindness.”

The butter yellow pegasus steps away from the hounds and her eyes capture your own, suddenly sending a cold pang of fear through your heart.

“And… and I know that even a sometimes grumpy human can learn to show love if love is shown to him in return. Anon… you keep running away from poor Twilight, even though she only wants to love you, and that’s not very nice. I know you’re scared... getting married is a big step after all, but it’ll be okay, because I’m here to take you home to her. There’s no need to be afraid…”

She begins drifting forward, her gaze still piercing you, and you take a step back toward Cel.

...You take a step back.

You take a step back!

What the...? Your body’s not moving! You can’t even bring yourself to look away from her!

“You won’t be taking him anywhere,” Celestia growls as she moves to block Fluttershy. The two hounds immediately rise to counter her, or at least they try to, but the strong, thin vines that’ve grown around their paws where they were lying on the forest floor prevent them from moving. They yelp and begin gnawing to try to free themselves, but their binds hold firm.

Celestia turns her cold gaze to Fluttershy, who meeps and backs off when she realizes her pets aren’t able to help. Whatever it is that was holding you in place fades, and you find you can move your body again. You and Celestia stare the yellow pegasus down as she scuffs a hoof on the ground, her ears folded back and a forced smile on her face.

“Oh. Um... I... uh... maybe... maybe we should start over? I’m sorry, I’m not really good at this...”

“You can say that again,” you groan.

“I’m not really good at this.”

Did she just...?

“You... didn’t actually have to say it again.”

“Oh, I didn’t? I’m sorry...”

You facepalm. She is, without a doubt, the worst goddamn villain ever.

“Just go home, Fluttershy...” you say, trying to rub your building migraine away.

“Okay… oh, wait!” she squeaks. “I almost forgot... I have a letter for you.” She reaches under her wing and mouths over a sealed envelope bearing a royal crest, which you take with some hesitation. “W-Well... I guess that’s it. I’ll be going now. Have a nice day...”

She flutters off, leaving the two of you and the trapped hounds behind. You turn to Celestia, who merely shrugs back at you, and examine the letter in your hand.

“Yeah... there’s no way I’m gonna open this. It’s probably some dumb poetry from Twilight or something.”

The alicorn trots beside you to regard the letter as well. “No, wait... that’s Luna’s royal seal. It’s impossible to forge... this could be important.”

“But why would Fluttershy be delivering it?”

“I can’t say... but if Luna went to the trouble of getting this in your hands, it must be something that can’t be conveyed via a dream, and something critical enough that she deemed we’d need now. I think you should open it, Anon.”

You shrug. “If you say so.”

Breaking the seal on the envelope, you pull out the letter inside, but quickly discover…

“...I can’t even read this.”

The page is nothing but strange arcane symbols. Celestia peers over your shoulder, then rears back in shock. “You must release it!” she screams. “Release the letter now!”

You do so, and the paper begins to drift on the wind as the symbols scrawled across the page suddenly shine. In a burst of magical fire, the letter is reduced to nothing but ashes before it hits the ground.

“What?! What was that?” you stammer.

“A spell scroll, and the spell it held was cast! We can’t stop it now...”

“A spell? What kind of spell?!”

“I only had a glimpse, but it appears to be teleportation magic.” Celestia’s ears fold back, a look of despair on her face. “Anon...”

“No...”

You can feel something begin to overtake you. The world starts to shimmer, and your vision distorts. But even still, you reach for your pocket. No matter what happens, you have to give the Orb to her...!

There’s a deafening crackle as the magic activates. Your head spins and you fall to your knees, clutching your head as the wave of nausea passes.

“Hello again, my love. I see you got my letter.”

You rise to your feet and open your eyes to find yourself in a decadent conference room. A huge oaken desk sits in the middle, emblazoned with the Equestrian Royal Crest in its center. Two ponies... two alicorns rest on their haunches nearby, their mystical manes and tails bathed in the glow of the room’s warm lights.

“Twilight... Luna...?”

The midnight blue alicorn turns to her peer. “If our assistance is no longer required, we shall take our leave. While we’ve been whiling away our time out here, there have been many matters which require our personal attention.”

“Oh, of course,” the purple alicorn replies. “Thanks again for your help. I really do appreciate it...” She giggles. “...Sister.”

Luna sighs. “...Indeed. Farewell.” And with that, the Princess of the Night vanishes in a flash of magic.

“Welcome to the Concordia, Anon!” Twilight chirps. “The two of you posed a good challenge, but it’s finally over, and now you’re back where you belong... with me!” She rears up and clops her hooves together. “Statistically, my victory was nearly guaranteed, but it still feels good to win! I have to admit, princess duties are really, really boring, so this has been the most fun I’ve had in a while...”

You tune her out and focus on the weight in your right hand. Carefully, so she won’t notice, you shift your thumb aside ever-so-slightly to reveal the Orb of Ascension in your palm. Fuck! You weren’t able to pass it to Celestia before you were taken...!

“Oh? What’s that you have there, Anon?”

Your blood freezes.

“Nothing, ‘dear’...”

A giggle. “Oh, don’t be like that. You do a cute thing with your lips when you tell a lie, so I always know. Why don’t you have a seat?”

Her horn shines and a chair rolls up behind you. You feel a pressure on your chest and you fall back into it, and despite your struggling, find you can’t stand again. Against your will, your hand lifts up and your fist opens to reveal the Orb to Twilight.

“Ah... you actually managed to complete the Orb! That’s amazing, Anon, you conquered the trials twice! That’s so... so... HOT!” She blushes and flashes you the patented Sparkle Bedroom Eyes. “If this isn’t more conclusive evidence that you deserve to be my Prince, then nothing is!”

She levitates the Orb away from you, but as soon as it leaves your hand it transforms into a dull, lifeless stone, indistinguishable from any ordinary rock.

“Wow... so the information in the books was accurate. I can still feel the magic, but it’s dormant... almost like it’s completely cut off from our dimension.”

You grit your teeth, trying to force your anger down. “That doesn’t belong to you, so I’d appreciate it if you’d return it,” you tell her in the calmest tone you can muster.

The purple alicorn sighs. “Sorry, Anon, but I’m afraid I can’t. This introduces a variable that I haven’t accounted for, so...”

She drops the stone from her telekinetic grip and it falls to the floor.

And with one, swift application of her earth pony strength, she brings down her hoof and smashes it into dust.

Everything that you worked for.

Everything for her...

Gone, in an instant.

You feel something inside yourself... something indescribable, and you turn your gaze to the purple pony princess...

“There, all better! And now the margin of error is only +/- 0.0001%! Well within acceptable parameters!”

“I’ll kill you...” you whisper.

She giggles again. “Oh, Anon, don’t be silly. I know you’re upset, but—”

”I’LL KILL YOU!!”

You pour all the swirling, chaotic emotions within you into your force of will, and you DEMAND that your body stand.

And, sure enough, it starts to happen. Twilight flares her wings before jumping back in absolute shock. “W-What?! But how?!”

You’re free. You can feel it now.

How many steps did you take on this journey? Countless, and all for nothing.

How many steps will it take to carry you to the point where you can wrap your hands around Twilight’s neck? Only four...

You lunge, and she panics, her horn igniting with magic.

”SLEEP!”

And everything goes black...

...

...

...

...

...

Opening your eyes momentarily, you find yourself surrounded by darkness. You lift a hand to rub your eyes, only to see a purple arcane band wrapped around your wrist, shining faintly in the dark.

Your strength fails again, and sleep takes you once more.