You adjust your tie one last time as you begin to walk down the side corridor leading to the castle’s grand outdoor plaza. Your ‘best stallion’ / personal guardspony fidgets with his own as he trots alongside you, and for the millionth time you reassure him that, yes, his tie looks fine too.

It’s about 7am now and the ceremony’s already underway. You’ve been waiting in a nearby anteroom to be called to make your appearance, and now it’s finally time. The two of you reach the door at the end of the corridor, and the unicorn usher guarding it nods to the two of you politely before opening it for you with magic, revealing the vast congregation beyond.

Your heart begins to thunder in your chest at the sight. There must be over 500 ponies here, most of whom appear to be members of the nobility. Temporary pews have been arrayed into theater-style seating, creating two secondary aisles and one primary aisle between them which leads to a grand altar facing the plaza’s eastern edge. Beyond the assembled ponies, you can glimpse a mostly vacant large open reception area with a stage, dance floor, many dining tables, and various chefs hard at work placing the finishing touches on a delicious looking selection of dishes. The central piece, a wedding cake of grand size and scope, tops it all off, complete with a little mini-human and alicorn princess at the top.

The sun has not yet risen, just like she said it wouldn’t when you spoke the night before last. The horizon is alight with the warm oranges, yellows, and soft blues of the twilight before dawn, and countless stars can still be seen in the vast sky overhead. Though the moon is absent, there’s more than enough light to see courtesy of the many magical lampposts scattered throughout the plaza, which have the additional benefit of keeping the cold night air at bay.

It’s truly an amazing sight. Whoever was responsible for the planning deserves a pat on the back at the very least; this is probably the most spectacular venue for a wedding ceremony you’ve ever seen. You close your eyes and breathe deeply of the crisp mountain air, and a soft smile makes its way across your face.

Maybe one day you’ll be able to get married in a place like this to a special mare. Less than a week ago, such a thought would’ve forced you straight to the nearest bar to drink yourself into oblivion, but after everything that’s happened, and after finding your special somepony, it now warms your heart instead. You allow a little fantasy to play out in your mind before banishing it and steeling yourself for what’s to come.

With a silent apology to all the ponies who worked so hard to put this together, you reach your designated place near the altar, Pyre taking his own to the side of you. A quick glance around reveals Luna seated with the rest of the Equestrian Royalty in one of the front reserved pews. There are armed guards positioned all along the plaza’s perimeter as well as along the three aisles. Like, a lot of guards. You take note of their numbers and positions for later. Notably absent are Twilight’s brother and his wife, who you were told couldn’t make it due to the ongoing changeling incursions at the border of their kingdom. Good thing too, because Luna’ll be enough trouble and the last thing you need to deal with now is another-sorta-alicorn and her supposedly powerful mage of a husband.

Your thoughts are interrupted as the music for the processional begins and the bridesmares begin their trek down the central aisle, one at a time.

The first is Squiggletail, her poise and stature as perfect as one would expect from a lady of class. Or in your personal opinion, a lady who’s really good at faking having class, but hey, it’s a decent enough approximation. She seems just a little bit angry at something, though it’s impossible to tell what as her measured strides carry her to her place near the altar.

Next comes Speedysnooze, and you have to fight to suppress your laughter. She obviously doesn’t like being put in this kind of position as she attempts to not trip over the hem of her own dress the entire way. Her wings, restrained by the dress’ back, are fighting for freedom, and she sports an expression which perfectly combines ‘smile for the camera’ with ‘oh god I’d rather be anywhere other than here’.

Finally, there’s Butter Squeak, the Mare of Honor. Unlike the first two, she actually seems to be somewhat relaxed in her role. The typical paralyzing nervousness you’d expect from her is absent, and she even gives you a smile and a slight wink as she takes her position opposite of Pyre. It’s kind of odd, but maybe it’s because she doesn’t really have to do anything but stand there, so the pressure of her role isn’t really that demanding.

Next, after the bridesmares, come the flower filly and the ring bearer. These two you’re unfortunately very familiar with, as they make up 2/3rds of the infamous Cutie Mark Crusaders. Little Sweetie Belle relishes her role as she skips down the aisle, tossing flower petals from her basket along the way. Scootaloo looks extremely serious as she follows, as if she were tasked with taking the Ring to Mount Doom itself. You can practically hear her thoughts screaming, ‘Don’t mess up, don’t mess up, don’t mess up!’ as she cautiously advances to her designated position.

Surprisingly, it all proceeds without incident. Once all the ponies are in place, Mrs. Sparkle stands from her seat in the front pew, and the rest of the congregation follows suit. You hear the notes of the traditional bridal march begin to play, and out steps Princess Twilight Sparkle, escorted by her father.

Her dress is nothing short of amazing, combining the traditional pure white of a wedding dress with the beautiful colors of the rose streak that runs through her mane and tail. Her hair is simply styled, but perfect as it flows and shimmers behind her, and her deep violet eyes find yours as she trots down the aisle. Everything about her is radiant, and you can genuinely tell this is one of the happiest moments of her life. She takes her place next to you, and for a moment you see the good pony you once knew standing there... your friend, Twilight Sparkle, who helped you get settled in this strange new world. You allow the memories to wash over you as the minister begins his speech.

It’s almost time. You planned in advance when you’d make your move. And you also planned in advance, against your better judgment, to give her one last chance before you do. As you watch her standing there, listening attentively to the minister’s words while stealing playful glances at you, you feel now more than ever that maybe she deserves it. She wasn’t always this monster who’s been stalking you for the past half a year. You still have hope that the old nerdy, studious but dependable Twilight is still inside her, somewhere, and that she can shine through once again.

Yeah, you agonized over this decision as you were working yesterday. You wrestled with it for hours, but ultimately came to the conclusion that even after all that’s happened, even though her actions have made your life hell and infuriated you to no end, and even though your reluctance was the cause of all of this in the first place, you don’t really want to hurt her if you can help it. Partly because that’s how you truly feel, and partly because you know Cel wouldn’t want her to be hurt, either.

“...And now, the bride and groom shall read the vows they have prepared.”

Twilight’s horn glows and a massive stack of papers pops into existence, which immediately begin flying everywhere when she loosens her telekinetic grip on them a bit too much out of nervousness. She yelps and tries to recapture the fluttering pages while the congregation chuckles, but quickly gives up, banishing the remaining papers away and turning to you instead, flush with embarrassment.

She giggles. “Well... I suppose I’ll have to summarize the key points. Maybe it’s for the best.” Again, a chuckle rolls through the congregation, and you catch the bridesmares behind her sighing with relief.

“It... it wasn’t love at first sight, Anon. At first, I was genuinely curious about you, um... only in a scientific sense, of course. Once I knew that you were a sapient creature, on or possibly beyond the intelligence level of your average pony, I knew I was facing an unprecedented opportunity to advance my studies. I mean... friendship with a new species! The opportunity to delve into the knowledge of a whole new world and civilization! It was like a dream come true! I couldn’t wait to report my findings to the Princess!”

She hops up a bit, her enthusiasm for scientific achievement getting the better of her for a moment.

“We spent so much time together, and I learned so much about your species. But somewhere along the way, I began to lose interest in studying humans, their history, their culture... and I realized that what I really, truly wanted to study... was you. Not Anonymous the Human... but you.”

You can see the hint of tears beginning to form in her eyes, and you fight your own as the memories of your first few months in Equestria come flooding back.

“I... I didn’t know what was happening to me. I knew I was being neglectful of my studies, but I didn’t care! I just wanted to know you more. I looked up my symptoms in every relevant book I could find, and when those couldn’t give me conclusive answers, I turned to my friends. And they told me... they told me that I was in love with you, Anon. And I realized they were right.”

She looks away from you to the floor.

“I knew what the hurdles would be toward getting you to like me from the start. You had told me about how your kind were the only sapients of your world, and how mating with other creatures was considered a grave taboo. But I also knew that if, somehow, I could get you to look at me, not as a friend who happened to be a mare, but as a female, showing real desire for you, then maybe, just maybe I could break through that mental barrier. My friends had all sorts of tips, especially Fluttershy, and we tried almost everything, as I’m sure you remember.”

Yep, you remember, all right. She must’ve gone through every damn fetish in the book, and when the book ran out she started inventing them...

“There were several points where I almost gave up, one of which was when you left on your journey. I thought you had abandoned me, and I thought that in addition to losing your love, I’d lost your friendship. It was... really hard. I didn’t know what to do, and I didn’t leave the Library for weeks. Nopony could cheer me up, not even Pinkie Pie, though she tried her hardest.”

She turns back to you, a bright smile on her face.

“And then... and then you returned. I was summoned to Canterlot, and the Princess presented me with the Orb of Ascension, which you went out to risk your life for, all for me. That’s when I knew. That’s when I knew that I had gotten through to you, and you really did love me, even if you didn’t want to admit it!”

A few strands of her mane pop out of place, but not enough to be noticeable to anyone in the crowd.

“I just want to say, Anon... that I promise, as your wife, I’ll return the love you’ve shown me a hundred times... no, a million times over. If you give me your heart today, I’ll love and cherish it forever. That’s my vow to you.”

You can hear some sniffling in the audience, as well as from the bridesmares. Hell, even Pyre is a little broken up. You sigh internally and prepare yourself to look like the biggest douchebag to ever walk the planet.

The minister turns to you. “Sir Anonymous, your vows?”

You look the beaming alicorn princess in the eyes, a sad smile on your face, and tell her, “Twilight... I can’t give you something I no longer own.”

You hear hushed murmurs from the crowd as Twilight’s ears fold back and she hiccups.

“N-No, Anon. Don’t do this. Please don’t do this.”

“I can’t marry you,” you continue. “And I can’t love you the way you want me to. I can’t give you my heart, because I’ve already given it to someone else; someone very special to me...”

“DON’T DO THIS, ANON!!”

Her Canterlot Voice nearly blows you off your feet, and the entirety of the crowd cringes at the outburst. You recover to find Twilight’s eyes glowing with magical fury and her body trembling with anger.

“Not. Another. Word. NOT ANOTHER WORD! I gave you a chance... I gave you a chance to love me, but you still keep throwing it away like I’m nothing! Why?! I’ve already surpassed her! I’ve already defeated her! What does she have that I don’t?! What makes her so bucking special?!”

Her tears are evaporated by the radiating magic from her eyes before they even have a chance to fall. You square your feet on the ground and place your hand in your pocket to prepare for what’s to come.

“It’s because she re—”

“ENOUGH!” her voice booms again. “DON’T YOU GET IT?! SHE’S GONE FROM YOUR LIFE NOW, ANON! I’M THE ONLY THING YOU HAVE LEFT! THERE’S ONLY ME!”

The alicorn stumbles back a bit. The magic in her eyes fades, and she heaves out deep breaths as she tries to regain her composure, while the congregation watches on in stunned silence.

“I’ve... I’ve changed my mind. I’ll never remove that Geas! She doesn’t deserve you... she never deserved you... but she kept trying to take you from me. Why...? Why would she do that when she knew that you were mine?! Mine! My very special somehuman!!”

She’s openly sobbing now as her horn begins to shine. You feel a searing pain in your wrists and the Geas bands brighten.

“I tried. I gave you a chance to drop your inhibitions and come to me willingly, but I guess that’s too much for you, isn’t it? But it doesn’t matter, destiny won’t be denied, and don’t worry... you will realize your love for me. You will WANT me. You will NEED me...”

You’ve seen this before; it’s a mind control spell. This is it, then. There’s no turning back, and there’s no getting through to her. You push past the pain, grab the item in your pocket, and begin to concentrate.

Here goes nothing...

“YOU. WILL. LOoooouuuuaaaggghhhh!!”

The purple alicorn stumbles back, her spell broken. She shakes her head, nearly collapsing from the motion, and blinks her eyes in rapid succession as she tries to recover from the shock of what just happened.

“My magic... it’s... it’s... A-Anon... what...?”

You can’t answer her... the amount of power flowing through your body is clouding your mind. You take a few steps back and pull your hand from your pocket, revealing the shining gemstone held tightly within your palm. The arcane bands around your wrists are so bright now, they’re almost blinding...

Last night, you painstakingly removed every single gem from the casual outfit Rarity made for you, storing them safely in your various tuxedo pockets. Discord hinted that you could redirect Twilight’s magic through the conduit of the Geas and into an outside source to prevent your body from turning into a bomb from the power overload. Turns out the crystalline nature of gems allows them to store a staggering amount of magic, which is why they’re often used to craft consumable spells useable by non-unicorns. A little basic research uncovered all of this, in addition to the method of meditation needed to draw the power from Twilight through your shared link.

You crack a smile. Thanks to Rarity’s habit of slapping an excessive amount of gemstones onto absolutely everything, you now have someplace to safely discard the purple alicorn’s stolen magical power. With her magic being actively drained, she shouldn’t be able to use spells, so her only options are to continue to lose vast quantities of magic to your gem supply until she’s completely exhausted, or forcefully cancel the Geas at the cost of most of her magical power. Either way, she’ll be rendered harmless long enough for you to escape.

“Princess!!”

Her friends cry out in surprise and rush over to her as she staggers about, but she shakes her head and waves them away.

“There’s no need... I’m fine... g-guards, restrain Anon, but don’t you dare... don’t you dare harm him!”

The various armored soldiers shake off their confusion and rush the altar. Now comes the next part of your plan...

The gem you’re holding is now nearly filled to capacity with magic. You switch it out for a fresh one, but not before tossing the filled one at the oncoming guards. It shatters on the ground and releases a powerful shockwave of stored magical energy that blasts the front few rows of pews backwards along with their occupants and tosses the surprised guards through the air like ragdolls.

That appears to be the last straw for most of the congregation, as screams of panic ring out and most of the attendees start stampeding toward the exits. Some guards begin helping the panicked ponies with their evacuation, while the ones closest to you attempt to regroup but can’t find the courage to approach.

So far, so good. Twilight’s currently neutralized, the guards are in complete disarray, and the less innocent bystanders around the better. Now for—

“Nopony hurts the Princess! You’re gonna get it, Anon!”

Aw fuck.

Rainbow and the rest of the bridesmares are noticeably pissed at you for some reason or another. The cyan pegasus crouches and begins what she intended to be a flying charge, but her wing-restraining dress screws up her trajectory. You easily sidestep the failed leap, giving you the valuable time you need to move on to the next phase of your escape.

And there it is, right over there!

You dive, roll, and when you’re back on your feet again, you’re proudly holding the item you were searching for in your arms: Sweetie Belle. She looks at you with shining green eyes and waves a forehoof as you cradle her.

“Hi, Anon!” she squeaks.

“Hi, Sweetie.”

“Release my sister at once, you... you ruffian!!”

Rarity is understandably upset about what’s going on, but it doesn’t matter to you anymore. You’ll do anything, anything to make it out of here... even become a monster yourself.

Out of the corner of your eyes you can see the guards regrouping for another charge, Rainbow ripping her dress to shreds to free her wings, Rarity levitating some loose debris and aiming it at your head, and poor Pyre looking utterly shocked at what’s going on.

Looks like it’s now or never. You reach into your suit’s jacket with your other hand to pull out the item you found in the Forbidden Archives... your trump card.

“NOBODY FUCKIN’ MOVE!!” you scream at the top of your lungs.

The various ponies stop in their tracks, all eyes on you.

“If you make even one move to stop me or get in my way, I swear I’ll read some excerpts from Twilight’s diary to this little filly!!”

As you wave the stolen diary for emphasis, a collective gasp erupts from the assembled ponies.

Rarity’s eyes go wide. “You fiend! You... you wouldn’t!”

Fluttershy whimpers and turns away.

“She’s just a filly, dude! Nopony deserves that! Think of what you’re saying!” Even poor Rainbow Dash is nearly in tears.

“Don’t test me!” you shout back. “I swear I’ll do it! But if you do as I say, no one’s childhood innocence has to be ruined today. It’s your choice...”

Swapping your filled gem with a fresh one, you turn your gaze toward Twilight herself, who’s still staggering around nearby, trying to regain her equilibrium. She shakes her head, then turns to address her friends.

“H... How would you girls even know what’s in my diary, anyway?”

Rarity shrugs. “We’ve known you long enough to make some educated assumptions. But that’s beside the point, darling, there are greater issues at hoof! Anonymous has truly proven himself to be among the lowest of the low with all this...”

“Running away from your love, standing you up at your own wedding, foalnapping fillies... it’s... it’s tough for me to say it, but... he’s... he’s a m-monster...” Fluttershy manages to squeak out as she trembles nearby.

Rainbow pounds her two front hooves together. “You’ve got that right. But what can we do? He’s holding all the cards!”

The purple alicorn chuckles, then suddenly breaks into riotous laughter, much to the confusion of all present. You brush it off as another one of her stress-induced psychotic breakdowns and ignore her to start planning your escape route from the plaza.

Most of the ponies have fled, and the guards assisting in their orderly escape have refocused their attention back on you. Though they’re keeping their distance, they’ve blocked off all the major exits and are slowly starting to box you in. You need to figure out the best way to approach the situation, but Twilight’s disturbingly calm, almost sinister-sounding lilting voice captures your attention once again.

“How many gems did you bring, Anon~?”

You freeze in your tracks.

“Was it ten? Twenty? Thirty? I can’t imagine you’d be able to fit more than that on your person...”

She begins to slowly pace toward you. Deep down, you already know what she’s getting at, and it’s something you didn’t consider. Something extremely important... and the very thing that’s causing the terror in your heart to root your feet in place.

“Your plan was very cute... and very imaginative. I never thought you’d come up with something like this... I never even thought of it myself!” She laughs again, fighting her dizziness before regaining her balance and staring at you once more.

“But Anon... I’m an alicorn. And I’m the Element of Magic. It’s like you’re trying to drain the ocean into a series of buckets. Theoretically, it’s possible... but do you have enough to complete the task?” Her eyes meet yours, and you can see the unshakable resolve within them as she fights the effects of the drain. “Simply put, the answer is no.”

You can feel the gem in your palm reaching its limit, so you swap it for a fresh one once again. Twilight notices and laughs.

“I don’t even have to do anything. You can try to run. You can even try to find more gems. But it’ll only be delaying the inevitable. The moment you stop the transfer, I’ll regain my power and break your will. I’ve had enough, Anon. The time for these games is over. You can’t stop destiny... you can’t deny it. The stars brought us together, the weaving of the world’s magic led us to one another... and it will happen, whether you like it or not...”

You step back, eyes scanning the plaza, and do some quick math in your head. At best... in the absolute, most positive best case, your gem supply will hold out for another 15 to 18 minutes.

And while your filled gems are good at clearing out guards, they won’t be enough to get you out of the city. And if you can’t even break the Geas like this, then there’s no point in even running in the first place. Twilight can paralyze you with pain at will, from anywhere, even if she doesn’t know where you are.

You turn and accidentally meet Luna’s gaze as she sits alone, curled up upon one of the pews. Shit... you completely forgot about her. She hasn’t even made a move against you, but her expression says it all:

’Either stop this foolishness, or we will stop it for you.’

There were only two possible outcomes for today, Anon, and it looks like it’s been determined which one came to pass. You close your eyes and sigh.

“Anon...?” The filly in your arms looks up at you with concern. “Why are you so sad? Is it because you’re marrying the Princess even though you really don’t love her?”

You chuckle. “That’s one reason, yeah. How’d you figure that out?”

She rolls her eyes. “Duh, I was listening to what you were saying to her. Even though it doesn’t look like she was listening. Or anypony else was. Grownups are really weird sometimes.”

“Yeah, we sure are...”

A few more memories of your time in Equestria flitter through your head, and you laugh and ruffle the filly’s mane.

“Hey... sorry about the whole kidnapping and threatening to ruin your innocence thing. No hard feelings, right?”

“It’s okay!” she giggles. “The Princess’ diary can’t be any more boring than the one Rarity hides in her dresser underneath her special back massager. It’s almost all about how much she likes wieners, what she wants to do to wieners, who has the best wiener, the wieners she wants to see the most...”

Oh god. Sweetie isn’t exactly whispering here. You risk a sideways glance to see that Rarity is now crimson with embarrassment and trembling with barely contained rage.

“SWEETIE BELLLLLLLE...!”

You turn back to the filly. “You know, I was going to let you go back to your sister, but... I don’t think it’s really safe for you to be near her right now. You wanna stick with me?”

“Sure!” she squeaks. “I really like being so high up! It makes it easier to see the sky, and it’s really pretty today...”

She shifts her gaze to the horizon and you do the same.

“Yeah... it really, really is,” you whisper.

The colors of pre-dawn cling to the sky’s lower edge, obscuring the stars that would normally be arrayed near the mountains in the distance, with the exception of one, lone star which shines brightly in the dancing oranges and yellows. A smile finds its way across your face as more pleasant memories of the past rush by, and before you know it, some words you’d one day hoped to speak to your future children, back before you came to Equestria, are leaving your mouth unbidden.

“Hey, Sweetie. Do you see that star over there, near the mountains?”

She nods. “Uh huh.”

“Did you know it’s not really a star at all? That’s the planet Venus. It’s much closer to us than a star, which is why it’s so bright.”

The filly raises an eyebrow and looks at you like you just said the dumbest thing ever. “Uh... what’s a ‘Venus’?”

You laugh. ‘What’s a Venus?’ Man, the education system in magical horse land must really be failing if kids don’t even know the names... of the... planets...

Your heart nearly stops. This is Equestria. A different world. Venus doesn’t exist here. But if that’s the case... no. No, Anon. Don’t do this to yourself, not now. There’s nothing more tragic than baseless hope or unrealizable dreams.

You tell yourself that, but you can’t tear your eyes away from that star, and you can’t stop hoping. Because even if this isn’t Earth, and even if it isn’t what you think, and even if it’s nothing but a wish you could never bring yourself to utter...

To you, at this very moment, that unexplainable light in the distance is the promise, then, now, and until the end of your days:

The star shimmers, and the shape of a familiar helium frame comes into view within the light. It grows as it approaches at a speed few things in this world can hope to reach. You can feel the tears begin welling in your eyes, because there’s no mistaking it now, and you cry out with unrestrained joy:

“CEL!”

The Dawn Star cleaves through the pre-dawn light with its ever-familiar speed and grace. Before you know it, and before anyone can really react, the ship is hovering at a stop above you, its shadow cast across the plaza. It finishes its descent to complete a rough landing several hundred feet away in the large empty reception area, crushing the various tables, buffet spreads, and even the wedding cake. The guards nearby all dive for cover while Twilight and her bridesmares look on in stunned silence.

The ship’s gantry lowers, and out steps your trusty crew.

Applejack, her Stetson defiantly tilted to the side and obviously itching for a fight.

Pinkie Pie, bouncing around with unrestrained energy like always.

Big Macintosh, with Apple Bloom upon his back, his trademark calm expression slightly fiercer than usual.

And Cel. Your special somepony, who you feared you’d never see again. She’s really here...

Your eyes meet across the large expanse that divides you, and she lifts her good wing to give you a little wave hello. Sweetie Belle enthusiastically waves a hoof back while you run your free hand over your face to pull the tears away, then cup it near your mouth to yell over to them, “You guys are late! I had to crash the damn wedding myself!”

“My apologies!” comes the alicorn’s reply over the commotion. “If it’s any consolation, I promise to be on time for the next wedding in which you happen to be the groom!”

You simply laugh in response. This fuckin’ horse...

Twilight’s eye twitches and several more strands of her mane and tail pop out of place. She attempts to cast a spell, only to yelp in frustration when it fails.

“You... you... you never quit, do you, Teacher?! You never know when enough is enough! I won’t allow this! Guards! I order you to apprehend them!”

The various guards who’ve regained their composure prepare themselves to charge at the crew. They lower their heads, nostrils flared, and kick at the ground.

“Stand down.” The words flow from Celestia’s mouth in a motherly tone. She doesn’t speak them harshly, as one would an order, but the authority she carries in her voice is unmistakable. “This is a matter between a teacher and her student. Please, do not interfere.”

The guards’ ears fold back and some nearly fall to their knees. They shuffle away, leaving the central aisle clear for Celestia and the other ponies to advance to the altar, causing your jaw to nearly drop at the sight.

There’s no easy way to say it. It doesn’t look like Celestia could harm a fly right now even if she wanted to. She’s covered in bandages. One of her wings is still rendered completely useless. Her injured hoof reveals itself in her very noticeable limping gait. Despite trying to hide it, she looks absolutely exhausted, as if she has to concentrate to even maintain consciousness...

She couldn’t realistically threaten a single guard like this, much less all the guards still scattered about the plaza. But still, they cower from her, some out of fear and some out of seeming reverence.

You glance over to Pyre who’s in a similar state and ask, “What the heck is going on with you guys?”

He shakes his head. “We’re... we’re all members of the Solar Guard. We served under Princess Celestia before we served Princess Twilight. We joined the guard to serve her. For most of us, it was a foalhood dream, something we strived for all our lives. For some of us, serving her was a duty passed down in our families from generation to generation. No matter what happens, or who claims the throne, she will always be our Sun.”

“I think I understand,” you reply, patting him on the back as you swap gems again. “But I’ve gotta say, I’m a little upset to find out that you weren’t totally loyal to me after all.”

He scoffs. “I... I don’t even know what to think of you anymore. Are you my Prince? Are you my enemy? Are you trying to stage a coup?”

“No, no, and no.”

You hold out your fist.

“My name’s Anon, I’m from another world, I’m currently an unemployed airship captain, and I’m dating a horse. Nice to meet you.”

He pauses for a moment, a look of incredulity on his face, before laughing and returning the bump.

“Likewise.”

Following Celestia’s request, he flies over to the sidelines with the rest of the guards who’re now watching all of you intently, and you turn your attention back to the central aisle.

It looks like with the guards out of the way, the odds of a large scale fight breaking out have decreased significantly. You gently place Sweetie Belle down on the ground since you don’t really need her for leverage anymore. Well, that and your arm was getting tired. She squeaks with delight when she notices that Apple Bloom’s arrived with the others, and she and Scootaloo quickly run down the aisle for a belated Crusaders reunion.

To be perfectly honest, you want to run down the aisle yourself to go meet your special somepony, but the arcane bands around your wrists give you pause. It’s easy to see that Celestia’s exhaustion is more than physical in nature. Much like Twilight, she’s barely able to remain standing as the effects of the Geas weigh on her. You’re afraid getting any closer will make it worse...

Instead, you opt to stay back and keep a cautious eye on Spergle and her bridesmares while focusing on draining her power and coming up with some sort of plan. Cel’s arrival here is helpful, but you’re still not sure it’ll be enough to get you out of this mess.

Twilight stomps her hoof and growls, nearly losing her balance in the process. “H-How dare you disobey me! I’m your Princess! I’m your bucking PRINCESS!” She turns to her friends, the fire burning in her twitching eyes turning to desperation. “Girls... you need to stop them! They want to take him away from me! Don’t let any of them lay a single hoof on my Anon!”

“You got it, Princess,” Rainbow smirks, flaring her wings. “You ready for this, ‘Shy?”

“Um, I really don’t—”

Rarity clears her throat. “Forgive me, darling, but wouldn’t it be more prudent to stop Anonymous from doing whatever it is he’s doing to you?”

“Yes! That works, too! Just DO SOMETHING, anything!”

The unicorn flashes you a sinister smile, her horn starting to glow, while Rainbow flies off toward Cel and the others with Fluttershy reluctantly in tow. You ready one of your filled gems to disrupt whatever it is she intends to cast...

“Sorry, ain’t happenin’!”

...But before either of you can make a move, a lasso finds its way around the fashionista’s tail. With a yank and a yelp, she’s pulled to the floor, her spell broken. A familiar orange farmpony gallops over, coiling the line in her mouth as she runs, her emerald eyes shining with determination.

“Yeehaw! Howdy there, Captain! Fancy meetin’ you here!” She gives you a smile and a wink as she bolts past you on her way to the downed unicorn.

“Applejack...” Rarity’s horn shines and she magically unties the rope just in time to prevent herself from being completely hogtied. With a surprisingly acrobatic backwards roll, she’s back on her hooves, huffing with aggravation. The two mares stare each other down, daring the other to make the next move.

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash flies down the main aisle toward Celestia and the others at an extreme speed, with Fluttershy clinging to her back hoof for dear life.

“Wheeee! This is fun! Great idea, Fluttershy!”

And suddenly Pinkie Pie is there, clinging to the cyan pegasus’ other back hoof. Fluttershy meeps with surprise and loses her grip, tumbling to the floor and continuing on her trajectory in an unending series of forward somersaults.

“Pinkie Pie?!” Dash glances back in horror when she realizes that the pink party pony has latched onto her, and starts taking evasive maneuvers in an attempt to shake the parasite. The two rocket down one of the castle’s entry corridors and out of sight.

Fortunately for Fluttershy, her somersaulting comes to a stop when she bumps into something at least somewhat soft. The disoriented pegasus’ eyes roll around in her head a bit before she comes to her senses and glances up to see two red legs leading to a broad chest, massive neck, square muzzle and two lazy emerald eyes.

“Oh... um... h-hello.”

“Howdy.”

She whimpers and hides behind her mane.

You hear the crackle of teleportation magic and turn to notice that Luna’s vanished from her former perch on the empty pew. She rematerializes in front of her sister, the two standing eye-to-eye, or as close to it as they can be given their height difference. The dark alicorn regards her sibling with a welcoming smile, an unspoken conversation taking place between them.

That leaves you and Twilight, alone and relatively close to one another. Both of you are struggling: her with the magic drain, and you with your need to concentrate more and more in order to maintain it.

“It won’t be long now, Anon... Every moment that passes... is another moment closer...”

You close your eyes and focus. You’ve come too far... there has to be a way out, and you’re going to find it.