A purple claw reaches toward the last lit candle still flickering nearby and with a quick pinch, the flame is extinguished. There’s no need for it any longer now that the rays of early morning are shimmering through the great windows of the castle library, bathing the cluttered table with more than enough light to read by. Though, by the looks of things, it’s going to take having more than proper lighting or a quiet environment to keep the exhausted mare seated at the table focused on her studies after the all-nighter she just pulled.

“More coffee, Twilight?” the young dragon asks his alicorn companion as he returns to his own seat on the table’s other side.

“No thank you, Spike,” she mumbles in response, blinking her eyes a few times and nudging her empty mug away. “I think I’ll stick to tea. I honestly don’t understand how Anon and Princess Celestia can drink this stuff all the time... it really makes me jittery and I can’t focus for long when I have it.”

The dragon lets out a yawn of his own and rests his head on the table. “Well, I can’t help you there. I don’t think they stock tea here, so if you want some you’ll have to go back to your room in the southwest tower. I’m pretty sure we still have some Earl Grey; if we head back, I can make you some if you want.”

She smiles and shakes her head. “Maybe later. Can you hand me Rusted Horseshoes: Travels Across the World? It’s the one with the red and gold cover to your left.”

The dragon nods and reaches across the table to carefully place the requested book next to Twilight. Despite her fatigue, the speed and ease with which he completes the task catches her attention and causes her to pause for a moment. She trains her tired violet eyes on her dutiful assistant, so tall now, and so different, but in so many respects the same despite the passage of time.

“What? Do I have something on my face?” he asks when he notices her stare, which draws a giggle from her as she answers.

“No. I was just thinking about how only a few years ago, you would’ve had to hop from your seat and walk all the way around the table to bring me this book, and now all you have to do is reach across it. It’s weird, but sometimes I forget how much you’ve grown, despite all the time we spend together. I mean… you’re twice as tall as me now, for pony’s sake! I know it’s completely irrational, but still…”

Spike snorts at the comment, a whisk of green flame escaping his nostrils. “It’s not that weird. Sometimes I forget you have wings now. That’s probably why you can still trick me into getting stuff from the top shelves for you, even though you could fly up and get ‘em yourself better than I could.”

Smiling, she opens the book and begins turning the pages with a hoof. “I guess there’s a plus side to being forgetful, then. It’s funny, but I think I understand how Princess Celestia sees me a bit better, now. I’m sure that sometimes, in her eyes, I’m still just a little filly hopping between her legs and begging for a lesson in magic.”

“What, you mean that’s not what you are now?”

“Har, har,” she deadpans in response to his teasing. “Your sense of humor hasn’t changed, that’s for sure.”

“I guess not. But you know what else’s funny to me?” He reaches over and taps the open book. “I thought you were doing important historical research or something, but that book came from the fiction section. You sure you don’t need a break?”

She blinks. “Oh, this? It’s an autobiographical novel of a pony named Rambler and his journeys to faraway lands beyond Equestria. I know it was categorized as fiction by the Royal Archivist, but I’ve had it confirmed from several sources that what’s written here actually happened!”

“Whoa, really? Scoot over, I wanna see.”

The tired pony obliges him, moving her chair a bit so that he can bring his over to sit beside her. Together, they lean in to inspect the open book as Twilight turns the pages.

“Rambler passed away shortly after I was born, but this book was published using entries from the journals he kept with him on his travels. He visited many different fantastic places, but what I’m specifically interested in right now are his expeditions to Latigo and Equus Island. Though the book says he went there purely for his own curiosity, I’ve come to discover through my own research that he was actually hired by an influential family to retrieve an Orb of Ascension!”

“So, he was a mercenary or something?”

Twilight nods. “In this case, yes. And as a result, this book contains the most recent and detailed written account of the Trials of Equus on record! Or… at least for the ones he was able to complete. Look here!” She points to a crude pencil sketch of a massive waterfall. “‘A great vertical chasm, fed by a river which flows endlessly into its depths.’” Continuing on, she flips through the pages, pointing out passages as she goes. “‘An isolated island, recorded on maps and known to us for centuries, now holding a new significance.’, ‘A lost desert containing ruins of a great civilization I cannot begin to fathom, patrolled by horrible creatures lurking beneath the sands.’, ‘A network of caverns, seemingly endless, still and silent save for a maddening scratching noise sometimes heard in the darkness.’…”

The adolescent dragon by her side shivers. “Ugh… sounds creepy. Why are you researching this stuff, anyway? Is it for your history class or something?”

“No, it’s just to satisfy my own curiosity,” she replies, turning away to glance out the nearby window. “You know how I am— always with my nose in a book, especially if it’s interesting…”

Spike snorts and rolls his eyes. “Yeah, right. You mean like how that explorer pony you’ve been telling me about went to Equus ‘for his own curiosity’? C’mon, Twilight, tell me the real reason. If you want me to keep it a secret, I will.”

The mare by his side slowly closes the book in front of her as she turns back to him, a slight smile on her face.

“You could always see right through me, huh?”

He smiles back. “I’m your number one assistant. It’s kinda in my job description, you know?”

She giggles at that as she stands from the table and beckons him to follow her over to the window just as the sun becomes partially hidden by the wispy clouds floating through the morning sky. Together, they look out across the city of Canterlot below, watching the shadows of the clouds cast across the buildings move with the wind.

“I know this is going to sound weird, but just bear with me,” she begins, the dragon by her side biting back the urge to crack an obvious joke. He watches Twilight as she turns her head and raises a wing, admiring the spread feathers for a moment before shifting her gaze to her hooves and shuffling them slightly.

“Princess Celestia taught me how to properly fly, and how to use the Voice of the Earth to speak to plants and harmonize with my surroundings. I’ve learned so much from her, and I feel much more comfortable in this body, and with what I am. But even so, it still feels like… like something’s missing, and the more I practice these new talents, the more pronounced the feeling becomes.”

“Could it have something to do with not having your magic?” Spike asks, placing a claw on her back to comfort her.

She shakes her head. “No, it’s not that. I’m completely comfortable with it now, which is almost a little scary. But… when I see the Princess, or Luna to a lesser extent, and the way they carry themselves; their grace, the purposefulness of everything they do… I feel like something’s wrong with me, that even though we’re all alicorns, there’s something they have that I don’t.”

Spike chuckles, patting the pensive mare’s back a few times. “They’re way older than you, Twilight. Of course they carry themselves differently and act really graceful and stuff. They’ve had thousands of years to get good at it. No offense, but you’re still kinda clumsy sometimes, you know?”

“…I seem to recall you were fairly clumsy yourself not too long ago, buster,” she grumbles, playfully swatting him with her tail.

“Yeah, but I eventually grew out of it as I got used to my new body. Well, mostly, I guess. The longer tail still gives me trouble sometimes. S-Sorry about that vase, by the way…”

“It’s fine,” she says, her smile returning. “And that’s the conclusion I came to at first too. But after giving it more thought, I don’t think that’s it at all. I think... no, I’m certain the reason I feel like I’m missing something compared to the Princesses is because I never truly earned what I have now… what I am now. It was all just given to me one day out of the blue.”

The little alicorn turns from the window and trots back toward the room’s center, her head lowered as she paces in thought and Spike silently watches on.

“I never had to face the Trials like they did. I never got to experience the fear, the sadness, the hardship, the hope, the triumphs… I never fought for this! That’s what’s missing!”

She raises her head, their eyes meeting from across the room, and in that instant he understands.

“You’re going there, aren’t you?”

She nods resolutely. “I am. I don’t know when, but I am. I squandered my magic, Spike, and for the longest time, I only saw it as an appropriate punishment for what I’d done. But now, suddenly… it’s an opportunity! I can travel to Equus, I can see the Trials, and I can face them, just like they did! I’ll be able to walk in her hoofsteps, and I’ll have the chance to study and try to understand the legacy of the progenitor race I only saw glimpses of through… through that haze…”

The little alicorn’s ears fold back and she looks away once more, seemingly lost in a memory.

“You’re really set on doing this, huh?” the dragon sighs as he walks back to reclaim his chair at the table. “If you’re that serious, and you’re looking for information, why not ask Princess Celestia? She’s gone through that whole thing twice, right?”

“That’s right. But I can’t ask her, because I know she’d easily be able to figure out what I was planning through my questions. I… I don’t want to tell her about this yet, because I’m afraid of what she’ll say, and I can’t talk to Princess Luna for obvious reasons, either.”

Spike chuckles. If there ever was an understatement to be made, it would be that. The Moon Princess certainly knows how to hold a grudge, and more than once he’s had to endure one of her withering stares by proxy as he and Twilight passed by her in the castle halls.

Twilight yawns again and returns to her seat, placing her head on the table.

“I can’t ask the Princesses about it. Discord… well, he’s out of the question, because half the stuff he’d tell me would be outright lies and the other half crazy riddles. Cadance has never been to Equus before, so she wouldn’t be any help…” She reaches forward and nudges a nearby book. “And aside from these few historical records, there really isn’t much here to go on.”

Spike taps a claw on the table in thought. “Well, if you can’t ask them, what about Anon?”

“Yeah, what about Anon?”

Twilight and Spike both perk up at the sound of the new voice to find the human himself as he arrives in their section of the library, his trusty personal guard trotting not far behind.

“Hey Twilight, hey Spike. I hope I’m not late,” he says, pulling some extra chairs for both himself and the stallion over to their table.

Twilight shakes her head, some of her tiredness lifting away as she gives him a gentle smile. “No, you’re actually a little bit early this time. Thank you for coming, as always.”

“Hey Anon!” Spike greets the human, leaning across the table to offer him a hand/claw-shake. “I didn’t expect to see you here. You’re lookin’ pretty good for a guy who was in an airship crash a few days ago!”

“Spike!” Twilight gasps, flashing a mortified look at her assistant.

The human chuckles. “Ha! Yeah, I guess that’s what they make lifeboats for, huh? I was lucky to be able to get away from the thing before it smashed into the ocean at full speed, and I was lucky Mac was nearby to pluck me out of the water afterwards. The only thing I injured was my pride.”

“Well, I’m certainly glad that you’re okay,” Twilight sighs with relief while delivering a light kick underneath the table to her assistant for being rude. “Even though Princess Celestia told me as much, I’m still happy to see it for myself.”

He leans back in his chair, turning his gaze to the window for a moment before focusing back on her.

“Yeah, I think I learned my lesson. No more skimping on scheduled maintenance. But anyway, what do you have on the agenda for me today, Professor Purplesmart? More of the same, I take it?”

“Yes,” Twilight answers, pulling out a notebook and quill and opening to a fresh page. “I’d like to continue from where we left off, if that’s alright.”

“Whoa, you guys have been meeting up?” Spike sits up, a look of genuine surprise on his face. “What for? Is he taking one of your classes or something?”

Twilight giggles. “No, Spike, though I keep trying to convince him to at least sit in on a few lectures. Like you just suggested a little while ago, I asked Anon to tell me about his experiences with the Trials of Equus, and he’s been kind enough to spend some time with me every other afternoon to help me with my research.”

“She swore me to secrecy for some reason,” the human adds, gesturing to the stallion at his side, “and I swore Pyre to secrecy, so… welcome to our secret club, I guess.”

“Like I said, we usually meet in the afternoon after my class ends, but Anon had a schedule conflict today, so we’re meeting in the morning instead, which is why I decided to stay in Canterlot overnight. Oh! And that’s right!” She turns and gives her assistant a pleading look. “Spike, you have to promise not to tell Princess Celestia or Princess Luna about this, okay? I really don’t want either of them knowing until I’m ready to say something…”

“Fine by me,” the dragon replies with a shrug.

“Thanks, Spike.” She turns back to the human, her quill at the ready. “Now, Anon, according to my notes, we had just started discussing the Eleventh Trial. It says here that it’s some sort of valley… any interesting characteristics? What can you tell me about the terrain?”

“Oh boy,” Anon grumbles, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he collects his thoughts. “Yeah, there’s nothing really special about the terrain per se, but…”

Several hours pass as the human recounts his experiences in Equus to Twilight. Her quill flies across the pages of her notebook the entire time, only stopping when she pauses to ask a question or get clarification on a certain detail. Spike remains by her side, his own interest piqued by the story, while Pyre rests in his chair with the same stoic look that the guards are taught to cultivate, even if the flicking of his ears gives away the fact he’s been drawn into the tale once again, just as he has been during each one of Anon and Twilight’s meetings over the past two weeks.

Eventually, the sun moves out of view of the library’s windows as it continues its ascent, and the young dragon by Twilight’s side takes notice. During a pause in the conversation, he nudges her and says, “I think I need to go, Twilight. I hate to leave you, but it’s getting close to noon and if I don’t catch the next train back to Ponyville I’m not gonna get to the Boutique in time to help out Rarity like I promised.”

“It’s okay Spike,” she replies with a smile, nuzzling him a bit as he stands. “You go on ahead. Thank you for spending so much time with me today. I’ll be home early this afternoon as soon as my classes have ended since my study session with Anon will already be over with. Say hello to Rarity for me, will you?”

“Sure thing.” He turns to the human. “That story was really interesting, Anon. You could probably write a book about it if you wanted.”

“Thanks, but no thanks. Living it once was enough for me,” he chuckles.

“Yeah, I hear ya. Later Anon, bye Pyre.”

“See ya, Spike.”

“May you have a safe journey to Ponyville, Master Spike,” Pyre says, only to receive a quick pat on the head from the dragon as he passes by. This prompts a huff of annoyance and a pout from the stalwart guard, and naturally causes both Anon and Twilight to laugh. They wave to Spike one last time, and he waves back to them quickly before disappearing behind one of the many great freestanding bookshelves found throughout the castle library.

Anon glances over to the alicorn. “He’s a good kid.”

“And a treasured friend, as well as an amazing assistant,” she adds. “If I had listened to him more in the past… I think that maybe a lot of things would’ve turned out differently. But… but you don’t want to hear my rambling, anyway, and we’re so close to being done… why don’t you tell me about the Thirteenth Trial, Anon?”

“Okay,” he replies, his smile fading slightly. “But first… Pyre, I need you to do me a favor and go tell Cel that I’ll have to skip out on our lunch date, but I’ll be in the usual place later this afternoon if she needs me. After that, you’re relieved for the day. Go take Raven somewhere nice, or spend some time with your kids. Don’t worry, I’ll take the blame for anything that might crop up between now and tomorrow.”

The guard’s eyes widen at the request, but he does a good job of hiding the shock from his expression as he asks, “Are… you certain, My Prince?”

“Yeah, it’ll be okay.”

“Very well, as you command.” Nodding once, he rises from his chair, and with one final glance at the human, he too vanishes amongst the shelves, leaving only Anon and Twilight behind in the silence.

For a moment, the little alicorn fears that her heart has ceased beating, and she has to will herself to breathe, because the significance of what just took place crowds out all her other thoughts. It’s been over three years since that fateful fall and winter that changed their lives forever, and for the first time since all that craziness, the two of them are alone together. Every other time, either Celestia herself, or at the very minimum his personal guard Pyre would be by his side, and she didn’t blame him for it.

How could anyone in his position be expected to trust her after that whole ordeal? Even though he forgave her… even though Celestia forgave her, she never felt she fully deserved that forgiveness, much less their trust.

Tears begin to well in her eyes, and she sniffles once before a hand reaches over to gently cup her cheek, his thumb pulling the tears away before they can fall.

“Hey now, none of that, Professor. It’s no good if you smear the ink of all those important notes you just took, right?”

“Yes, you’re right,” she whispers, nuzzling into his palm before he pulls his hand away. “Anon… even if it doesn’t mean anything anymore, I just want to tell you again that I’m sorry. After it was over, I realized that I never really loved you; I loved the idea of you… the idea that you could become the fulfillment of all those storybook fantasies… and because of that, I never took the time to listen and discover who you really were.”

He smiles. “Yeah. When you get down to it, we don’t really have much in common, do we?” He taps a finger next to her discarded coffee mug, causing her to giggle and nod her head.

“I… I was a terrible student of friendship back then, because I forgot or ignored so many of my lessons in pursuit of that silly fantasy. But even still, even despite everything that happened, you, Celestia, and the girls… you never gave up on me. And because of that I want… I want to become a better pony, so I can find a way to repay all of you. I don’t know how yet, but if I keep trying… I know I’ll find a way.”

“Well, I think this is a good start, which is why I’m here to help,” he says. “I’m glad you’re pursuing this idea of going to Equus. Even if it takes you a few more years to get ready, I think it’ll do you good, and I think if you’d stop being such a baby and tell her, Cel would agree with that as well.”

“Maybe you’re right.” With a smile, she wipes the last of the dried tears from her eyes, wets her quill and turns to a fresh page in her journal. “Now then, the Thirteenth Trial…”

The human chuckles and leans back in his chair again. “Hmmm… yeah, can’t tell you anything about that one.”

Her jaw drops. “W-What? But you completed all of the Trials twice… there’s no way you could’ve forgotten…”

“Okay, let me rephrase that: I won’t tell you anything about that one.”

“But… but why?” she whines, the look of betrayal on the poor pony’s face so pronounced that Anon has to resist laughing. Giving in to a different urge, he carefully reaches over and boops her on the nose.

“Because even if I told you, it wouldn’t mean anything. Believe me, if I sat here and wrote out every single thing I remember, it wouldn’t mean anything to you. It wouldn’t mean anything even if you asked Cel to spend the next few days talking about it. It’s one of those things you have to see with your own eyes, using a perspective that you won’t have any way of truly understanding until you get there.”

Twilight shakes her head, trying to regain her composure.

“You’re… you’re starting to sound like Princess Luna, or Discord. Please, Anon… any information you can provide about it would help. The terrain, anything to look out for or be aware of… the reason I’ve been asking you to help me with this is because I’m scared… because I’m not sure I’ll be able to do this alone.”

“Then don’t go alone.”

He can hear her breathing hitch as a surprised hiccup almost escapes.

“Twilight, they’d follow you to the end of the world if you asked them to. If you want proof of that, just think back to what happened. All five of them wanted you to be happy, and they each did what they thought was right in order for that to happen, even if it meant completely ignoring what I had to say about it.” He leans back again and chuckles. “I swear, I’ve never seen such a crazy group of little horses in this world or any other… together you guys almost put Cel to shame. But it also means that bond you share’ll weather anything that stupid island can throw at you, so there’s no need to be afraid.”

He stands and stretches, popping a few of his joints in the process before turning back to her with a soft smile.

“Trust me on this one, okay?”

She smiles back, fresh tears pooling in her eyes. “I will. Thank you so much, Anon.”

“Don’t mention it. I’ve gotta get going to my next appointment or I’m gonna get yelled at. Promise me you’ll think about telling her, alright?”

She nods. “I’ll think about it.”

“That’s what I like to hear. Take care, Professor.”

He waves goodbye, the echo of his footsteps fading away until they can no longer be heard.

Twilight sits alone at the secluded little library table, lost in her thoughts, and several minutes pass before the realization hits that she’ll need to begin heading to the University soon to prepare for her upcoming class. She wipes the last of her tears away and starts gathering her things, pausing when she comes to the open notebook still left on the table, a heading reading ‘The Thirteenth Trial’ neatly printed at the top, followed by nothing but a blank white page beneath.

For a moment, she ponders what will one day be written there before closing the notebook and placing it in her saddlebags along with her other possessions and leaving the loneliness of the library behind.

Princess Celestia’s arrival at the Apple & Orange Shipyard is treated as one might expect: lots of bowing, warm greetings from many of the staff, and like always, a few annoying brownnosers to politely brush off. She calmly trots through the main offices and enters the grand berths, admiring the many different vessels under construction at the request of the shipyard’s various clients. A little yacht for a noble family, a cargo barge… she even passes by what will one day be the Concordia’s successor, shaking her head at her sister’s silliness as she goes.

Eventually her hooves carry her to a familiar little berth, tucked away in the corner of the yard. The item being built there could hardly be called a ship at this point; there’s only the keel, with its ribs attached, and a small portion of the lowest deck under construction. But even still, she can recognize certain familiar aspects of the vessel as they begin to take shape, just as she recognizes a familiar human as he works to secure the latest piece of timber brought over by the berth’s small crane. The four or five worker ponies all politely bow when they notice her, but the human continues his work until the timber is secured to the point where it won’t move around even if the crane sways.

Wiping his brow, he turns to her, and she moves in for a quick kiss before a word can be spoken.

“…I see my little ponies have drafted you into service.”

He chuckles. “It’s more like I drafted myself. It doesn’t take a genius to swing a hammer or follow instructions, and I wanted to help, especially after I was responsible for wrecking the last two beautiful ships they built for us.”

“Oh, I’m sure they appreciate the repeat business,” she hums. “But I’m afraid you’re needed at the castle. The dignitaries from Gryphonia are due to arrive in the next several hours, and it wouldn’t do for me to greet them without my husband by my side.”

“Yeah, sure, ruin all my fun,” he grumbles, the smile on his face betraying his true feelings. He passes his hammer to one of the other workers and then says goodbye to them, and together Equestria’s Princess and Prince start their trek back to the castle through the Canterlot streets at a leisurely pace.

“So, how was Twilight?” Celestia eventually asks, smiling as the human’s free hand dances through her mane and plays with her ears.

“She was fine. A little tired, though… I’m kind of concerned she’s working herself too hard. I think she’s done interviewing me for the time being, and I think, based on our conversation today, that she’ll be coming to see you about it pretty soon.”

She leans into him, nuzzling his side. “That’s wonderful to hear. You know, if you keep this up, you’ll eventually become as much a mentor to her as I am.”

“Oh please,” he groans. “I don’t think that’d be good for either one of us. I’m not exactly mentor material, Cel.”

The alicorn pulls away and grins. “Nor was I. As with everything, it’s a skill one acquires with practice, and I’m sure that as time moves on, you will continue to hone it, with her, and with others who will come to look up to you.”

There’s a glimmer in her eyes as those last words are spoken, and he gets the feeling that something important just went unsaid, but decides not to press her on it.

“If you say so,” he replies with a chuckle, turning his ear scratching into a noogie which causes her to let out a surprised giggle and playfully swat him with her tail.

“I know so,” she whispers in his ear as their laughter calms. With a satisfied sigh and a slight smile, she leans into him once more as they pass underneath the castle gate together, the warm afternoon sun shining down upon the alicorn, her human, and the beautiful kingdom they share.