The walk feels slow and arduous. Not because of your foot, which still confuses you and fills your thoughts, but rather as if some force were holding you down, expending your strength more and more with each step. The two stallions stop on either side of the entrance of the tent.

"Inside," they say.

"What? I'm supposed to speak to the general?"

They remain silent, simply standing guard on the door.

"Quite the talkers," you mumble, stepping through the door.

There, on the other side is Fluttershy, her front hooves on top of a large table as she looks over a large map of the camp. Her eyes flutter up to you briefly, then return to the diagram.

"Well, I see we aren't even trying to keep the facade up anymore," you grumble to Fluttershy. "Sloppy. This isn't like you."

"Well, Anonymous. It's been a long time since I've had to use drastic measures, but I'm sure you're beginning to remember all of that, aren't you?"

You walk forward to the table to stand across from her.

"More and more by the day. I don't know what poison you used, but it clearly didn't do the trick."

"You idiot," Fluttershy grumbles, looking up to you. "Haven't you figured out by now that this isn't tricks or spells?"

"What are you talking about?" you mutter.

Fluttershy puts a hoof to her face.

"If I stood back and just explained everything to get you up to speed, then I'd just be wasting my own precious time."

Fluttershy taps the top of the diagram, and a large black wave turns the entire table into something similar to a... large television screen. She taps away at different portions of the screen and you step forward to get a better look.

"Here. Just remember everything and get it over with," she says, looking you in the eye. In that moment, you see through to those dark depths. You feel your breath catch in your throat. She presses the screen once.

Your

Memory after memory washes through your mind in a single rush. You feel your limbs shake. Your body crumples and the ground holds you closely. Your head is awash in cleansing fire and stabbed repeadly with invisible needles. then one image. Clear. Beautiful. Crisp.

Your eyes open. You rise to your feet.

"I killed you," you growl.

"Yeah. Great job. You nailed it," Fluttershy scoffs. "Now we have something more important to deal with."

You raise your gun to your shoulder and pull the trigger. The bang echoes through the tent. The bullet collides directly between her eyes and then falls to the table lamely.

"And now you remember you can't kill me," Fluttershy continues. "So do you understand the situation you're in?"

Your eyes flutter to a movement just behind the yellow pegasus. A pony you hadn't seen before steps directly behind her. Fluttershy sees your shift in attention and moves to turn, but the figure behind her moves too quickly. They pull something around Fluttershy's throat and pulls her to the ground. A few clicks, and then gagging.

You step forward and see a zip tie is fastened all the way around Fluttershy's windpipe. The figure places a hoof on FLuttershy's neck and pulls tightly, silencing the pegasus as she clutches her throat for air.

"Yeah, you can't die. But that should really, really hurt."

You blink. That voice.

"Red?"

The figure looks to you and pauses. Then they move a hoof to the cloth wrapping their head and slowly unwrap it. The first thing that's revealed is her sullied and ruffled white fur, and then her dirty pink mane falls freely.

You step forward, and when you see her glistening ice blue eyes. You leap and wrap your arms around her, bringing two of you face to face.

"Is it really you?" you ask.

"I could ask you the same thing," Redheart asks gently. "This could all be a big trick."

"I don't know what to trust anymore."

"Then tell me something that we know, that was never written in the book," Red asks.

You pause. How would you know? You only know what you're told. Isn't that how this works?

"H-how?" you ask. "It... How do I?"

"Then it is you," she says with a smile. "There's limits to this... world. Simulation. I don't know what to call it. But she knew everything, even our private moments."

She nearly hurls herself at you, clutching you tightly.

"It really is you. No more tricks."

You smile and wrap your arms around her.

"No more tricks."