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- >You groan softly as you roll out of the large, plush bed.
- >The sun isn't even up yet.
- >Neither is Anon.
- >There is absolutely no way you'll be able to go back to sleep, even if you tried.
- >You start to head out of the room, but bump into a table, a chair, and finally, the door.
- >It's been a while since you've had to navigate in total darkness.
- >You open the door and click your tongue.
- "There we go..."
- >A large hallway is mapped out in your mind as the sound-waves reach back to your ears.
- >The entire castle was eerily quiet as you aimlessly trotted through corridors, up and down stairways, and out into the castle grounds.
- >You yawn and look up at the sky.
- >Little white stars dotted the sky.
- >The moon looked close enough to touch.
- >It almost threatened to fall from the sky.
- >You look at a small sign next to the path on which you stand.
- "Garden of Fallen Stars."
- >That's strange.
- >You had no destination in mind when you started your little journey.
- >Rather than turn and head back into the castle, you follow the path.
- >You have yet to explore the entirety of this garden, never wandering past the ivory monument.
- >The moon lit your way as you trotted along the brick path.
- >Each time your hooves touched down, the bricks would shimmer softly.
- >It was quite enchanting.
- >The path widens into a rather large circle.
- >A large, shimmering tower looms in front of you.
- >It was... odd.
- >You thought something like this would have been noticeable from the ivory monument.
- >The tower shimmers and ripples as you tap a hoof on one of its walls.
- >It seemed to try to dissipate at your touch, but quickly formed back together.
- >A small door materialized in front of you as you tapped the tower again.
- >There was something off about this door.
- >Ever door in Equestria felt soft, warm, welcoming.
- >This door scared you.
- >It looked just like any normal door, but it felt like it was hiding something... scary.
- "What would Anon do...?"
- >Your hoof reaches for the door's handle.
- >A soft tune carries through the air, causing you to retract your hoof.
- >You pay it little heed and continue staring at the door.
- >Anon would most definitely go inside.
- >The tune increases in volume as its performer draws closer.
- >You hear hooves click to a halt against the brick walkway.
- >"Speck?"
- >A familiar voice calls from behind you.
- >You turn from the tower and answer with a light "hm?"
- >Princess Luna stands at the edge of the plaza.
- >She smiles at you before looking up at the tower.
- >"You did not go inside, did you?"
- >You shake your head.
- "The door scared me."
- >"It scares Sister and I just as much."
- >Luna sits beside you.
- >"The tower appeared here shortly before Anonymous came to our world."
- >You turn back to the tower and look up at it.
- >"During the day, it is invisible. But during the night, and especially when the moon shines brightly, it shows itself."
- "Should we bring Anon to see it?"
- >She shakes her head and wraps a wing around you.
- >"This... may sound selfish of me. But, I would prefer that he not know of this. For all we know, it could lead him back to his world."
- >Anon's world.
- >Would he go back if given a choice?
- "Princess, I'm sorry. I don't think this is something I could keep from him."
- >She nods and gives you an understanding smile.
- >"You would not want him to miss a chance at returning to his world, I can understand this. However, I fear that if this door opens, we may be unable to close it."
- >She pulls you close to her with her wing.
- >"I fear that more of his kind would cross over. I believe that he is kind enough, and peaceful enough. But I fear that the rest of his kind may not be the same."
- >You hug Luna's foreleg.
- >She pats your head with a hoof.
- "I don't want him to be stuck here if he doesn't want to be. As much as I love him, I'll be happy with what ever he does."
- >"I understand, little one."
- >You look out the window.
- >A very tall brick tower looms in the distance.
- >It was always there, ever since you first came to this land.
- >It was never brought up in conversation.
- >You passed by it several times when you walked the grounds of the castle, holding conversation with the Princesses.
- >They never regarded it.
- >Even at night, when you sat with Luna in her garden.
- >When you sat on the benches lining that small plaza.
- >When that tower glowed its eerie glow.
- >Its hypnotic shimmering sometimes caused you to stop listening to Luna.
- >You shake your head.
- >Speck woke you up earlier when she was crawling out of bed.
- >You thought she was going to the bathroom.
- >But that was twenty minutes ago.
- >A month and three weeks ago, you would have gone back to sleep.
- >Speck was doing something to you.
- >It was a good something.
- >You should find her.
- "Sounds like a plan, good thinking Anon."
- >You take one of the magic candles with you as you leave the room.
- >No destination in mind, you walk.
- >The candle lights your way through the long, dark corridors.
- >After a while, you find yourself outside.
- >A sign tips you off to your location.
- "Garden of Fallen Stars."
- >The tower loomed in the distance.
- >You can't deal with it anymore.
- >It taunted you when you first came to Equestria.
- >It taunted you the entire time you were on the castle grounds.
- >You follow the brick pathway past the ivory monument.
- >Nothing but your trusty candle in hand, you come to the plaza where the tower stands.
- >Solid, red brick.
- >No windows.
- >Just the door.
- >It shimmers lightly.
- >You approach it and scowl as you place a hand on its wall.
- "Imposing. Terrifying. Wrong. Unwelcome."
- >You stare at the door's small handle.
- >A hoof touches your hand.
- >A little whine accompanies it.
- >Speck sits beside you, staring up with light frown.
- >You kneel beside her and hug her as tight as you can.
- "Hey there. I've been looking all over for you."
- >She nuzzles into your shoulder and sighs.
- >"I was coming back to bed. You could have waited."
- >You kiss her lightly on the cheek as you stand back up.
- "I wanted to make sure you were okay."
- >She blushes and looks away.
- >You follow her gaze and spot Princess Luna.
- >She slowly shakes her head at you, a very stern look on her face.
- >"I'm fine, Anon. Can we go back? I'm really sleepy."
- >The wind blows over the garden.
- >Luna's glare bores into you.
- "Yeah, I'll catch up with you. I want to stargaze a little bit."
- >"I can stay with y-"
- "No, just go on ahead. I'll be right there."
- >Speck starts to leave, but turns and looks at you.
- >Her eyes glisten in the moon light.
- >And in them, you see nothing but concern.
- >"Come say goodbye if you decide to leave, okay Anon?"
- >She turns and trots off before you can say anything.
- >You look back up at Luna and start walking toward her.
- >She still has that stern look.
- >It's the kind of look a mother gives someone that could potentially hurt her child.
- "What did you say to her?"
- >"Absolutely nothing."
- >You turn to look at the tower briefly.
- >Luna's gaze snaps from somewhere past you, back to your eyes.
- "What's with the tower, Luna?"
- >Her eyes go wide with shock.
- >"I know nothing of that tower, Anonymous. I only know that it instills fear deeply into Speck, Sister, and myself."
- >You turn from her and approach the tower.
- >She sprints in front of you and attempts to cut you off.
- >"Anon! I would highly advise not opening that door!"
- "You've seen it all these years and never once told me!"
- >You push her out of the way and reach for the handle.
- >"Anonymous! Think of Speck."
- >The handle and your hand are mere inches apart.
- >You turn to her.
- "Tell me what you know about the tower."
- >She shakes her head lightly.
- >"I know little, just that it appeared shortly before you did."
- >The tower always had a feeling about it.
- >Something familiar.
- >You always thought it was the door.
- >The way it felt different from every other door in Equestria.
- >It was not welcoming, it was not inviting.
- >It hid something.
- >And that scared you.
- "This tower has something to do with me, then. And if it scares Speck, then I will not sit by and leave it."
- >You reach for the handle again.
- >"Anonymous!"
- >You stop again.
- >"Wait here, for five minutes. I beg of you, just five minutes."
- >Her hooves click against the ground as she runs.
- >Brick paths soon turn to carpet and granite as you run.
- >A hero should not be without protection.
- >And you refuse to allow someone so dear to one of your children go into the unknown with nothing to defend himself with.
- >A bat p0ny with dark turquoise hair walks slowly through the halls.
- >You nearly run her over as you run past.
- >"ANON DEPARTS SOON, YOU MUST SAY FAREWELL, YOUNG SPECK!"
- >Your voice carries through the hall behind you.
- >The young bat turns tail and runs back toward the tower.
- >He will not leave without saying goodbye to her.
- >And he will wait for your return.
- >Your hooves carry you as fast as they can to the castle's armory.
- >You skid to a halt inside and quickly dart toward a pedestal.
- >On it lies a sword in its sheathe and a small shield.
- >Both carry the same colors as the uniform of your night guard.
- >You levitate them with you and run as fast as you can back to Anon.
- >Oh, you hope these will protect him.
- >You yell for a guard to go get Celestia as you rush out into the garden.
- >Princess Luna ran by you and yelled something you didn't quite catch fully.
- >"Anon" and "Farewell" were about all you heard.
- >But that was enough to tip you off and force you to run back toward the tower.
- >Thankfully, Anon hadn't opened the door.
- >You stood on your hind legs and hugged him around his middle.
- >He silently stroked your mane.
- "Please don't go, Anon."
- >He sits down and pulls you close to him.
- >"Speck... The Princesses fear this tower. I fear this tower. And more importantly, YOU fear this tower."
- >You press yourself as close as you can to him.
- "The Princesses can do something about it! They can use their magic to destroy it, or teleport it!"
- >He sighs and scratches your ear.
- >"I think they would have already done that if they could. And besides, the tower has something to do with me specifically."
- >You rub your face into his chest.
- "I don't want you to go."
- >The sound of hooves clicking against brick sound in your ears.
- >Anon stands as Luna approaches.
- >She carries a sword and shield with her.
- >"A hero without a means of protection may be the bravest and most fearless, but I would rather not have one such as you lost to this world so soon."
- >He takes them from her.
- >You jump up and start hitting him with your hooves.
- >You beg and plead and cry.
- "Anon, please! We can just go back to P0nyville!"
- >"I can't do that Speck. If this tower is here because of me, and even the Princesses are worried about it..."
- >He kneels down and kisses you on the lips.
- >"I love you Speck. I'm gonna keep this world safe for you, alright?"
- >You try to nod.
- >Another set of hooves click against the brick.
- >Anon stands and waves.
- >You turn and stare at Celestia.
- >You crawl to her and Luna and beg them to keep Anon from going.
- >"Dearest Speck."
- >Celestia kneels down to nuzzle your cheek.
- >"There is nothing I, nor Luna, can do to prevent Anonymous from doing this. All we can do is wish him luck and pray that he stays safe."
- >She smiles as Anon turns toward the door.
- >"After all..."
- >You look back at Anon as he places a hand on the door.
- >"The Angels will protect those who need it most."
- >He steps inside.
- >The door shuts behind him.
- >The tower stops shimmering and vanishes briefly before it rematerializes as a solid, red-brick structure.
- >It stands four stories tall and is maybe a quarter wide as it is tall.
- >You are a curious man.
- >And curious men tend to go head first into the abyss.
- >Lush, red carpet covers the floor of the tower.
- >A large spiral staircase ascends into the second floor.
- >Several torches line the wall.
- >The room contains little.
- >A small table with some parchment and a quill on it, a stool, and a small barrel of water.
- >You draw the sword and start to climb the stairs.
- >The second floor contains a bed, about your size.
- >At its foot is a small chest, similar to those old-timey travel chests they had back on Earth.
- >Strange, you rarely saw those in Equestria.
- >You open it carefully.
- >Its contents surprise you greatly.
- >Clothes.
- >But not clothes that you could find in any store in Equestria.
- >Clothes from Earth.
- >You drop the sword and shield on the bed.
- >If there was another human here, you would not want to scare them off.
- >But it's been five years since you arrived in Equestria.
- >How would they have survived, if the Princesses had never seen them?
- >Did they sneak out of this tower and raid the kitchens, or steal from shops?
- >You ascend to the third floor.
- >A small writer's desk sits against the wall.
- >Several large shelves hold dozens of old, dusty books.
- >Tears form in your eyes as you start to smile.
- >Every book you've ever loved and cherished on Earth, now back within your reach.
- >Speck would absolutely love the adventures contained in these.
- >You trace your hands over their spines and sigh.
- >A bed, clothes, books.
- >Someone definitely lived here at one point.
- >You turn to the final set of stairs.
- "He's been in there a while..."
- >You look up at the tower and start to approach it.
- >Princess Luna reaches for you.
- >"Speck, please. I do not want to lose two of my stars in one night."
- >You ignore her and continue to the tower.
- >That door scared you.
- >But you pressed on.
- >Your flank started to glow faintly.
- >If Anon would face his end, you would face it with him.
- >You push the door open and step inside.
- >The glowing on your flank stopped with a bright flash.
- >A golden heart with two feathery wings extending from its sides appeared on your flank.
- >A smile creeps across your lips.
- >No stars would fall on this night.
- >You and Anon would conquer whatever evils this tower contained.
- >That was your destiny.
- >To be beside Anon and protect him.
- >And he would protect you, all the same.
- >You ascend the stairs.
- >Disregarding the bed and chest, you ascend the next set of stairs.
- >Anon would have already checked that chest anyway.
- >The next floor contains shelves upon shelves of books.
- >You take a moment to pull one off a shelf.
- >The letters don't look familiar to you.
- >You replace it and look toward the last set of stairs.
- >No sounds came from above.
- >This worried you as you rushed up the steps.
- >What you see catches you slightly off-guard.
- >Anon sits in front of a large mirror and holds a small picture frame.
- >He does not look up at you.
- >Where were his sword and shield?
- "Anon?"
- >You look around the room as you approach him.
- >A small desk littered with papers, a grandfather clock, and another chest similar to the one by the bed.
- >You look down at the frame Anon has in his hands.
- >Several humans stand around a young looking Anon.
- >Anon boops you on the nose, breaking your attention away from the picture.
- >He smiles at you, tears staining his cheeks.
- >"Hey."
- >You nuzzle his cheek as you climb into his lap.
- "Who are they?"
- >A sigh escapes his lips.
- >"They were people I knew back on Earth. Friends of mine."
- >He sets the picture down and hugs you tight.
- >"But that's in the past. Come on, help me gather some things so we can leave."
- >You look over at the large mirror as you crawl out of Anon's lap.
- >He moves over to the chest and empties a rather large amount of pictures and other items out of it.
- >"I don't want anything from here except the books on the third floor and some of the clothes."
- >You trot over to the pile of stuff he threw out of the chest.
- >Sifting through it, you find a small, hard, black rectangle.
- "Anon? What's this?"
- >He stops dragging the chest toward the stairs and walks over to you.
- >He picks it up and presses a button on its top.
- >His thumbs awkwardly swipe over it and he smirks at its glow.
- >"It's... It's nothing important."
- >The object hits the floor as Anon drops it.
- >The glass on its front shatters.
- >You shrug and fly beside him as he returns to the chest.
- "So you don't want anything from this room?"
- >He shakes his head and drags the chest downstairs.
- >"Nothing up there but old memories."
- >He starts stacking a few select books into the chest.
- >"Not that I want to forget them, but I don't have time to dwell anymore."
- >You smile at him and start pulling books from the shelves.
- >Some are placed in the chest, others are piled on top of each other.
- "Why aren't you putting all of the books in there?"
- >He looks over a few more.
- >"I prefer some of these books over others, and would rather wait until all of my favorites are in the chest."
- >The two of you clear the shelves out after a short while.
- >Anon fit maybe fifty books in the chest, and there was still the one downstairs.
- "Are you going to read some of these to me?"
- >He looks at you curiously.
- >"Can't you read them yourself?"
- >You started shaking your head slowly halfway through his sentence.
- "I don't recognize these letters, Anon."
- >He starts laughing and slaps his hand to his forehead.
- >"No, no. That's my mistake, Speck. I've been here so long, I completely forgot."
- >He traces his fingers over a book.
- >"Celestia and Luna cast a translation spell on me when I first arrived here. They didn't understand my native tongue."
- >He stands up and starts for the stairs leading downward.
- >"It allowed me to understand, speak, and read the Equestrian language. I kept practicing writing and reading my native tongue by writing in my journal, scared I'd forget..."
- >You drag the chest full of books as you follow him.
- >No use having to come all the way back up just to grab it.
- >Anon sifts through the chest of clothes and empties it.
- >"I have nicer clothes back in P0nyville, anyway."
- >You snicker and leave the first chest behind as you help him carry the second one upstairs.
- "So, these Earth books... Are they like Equestria books?"
- >Anon sits down and starts looking through the rest of the books piled on the floor.
- >"I guess. They tell stories and let you learn what's inside of them, if that's what you mean."
- >He quickly fills the second chest up.
- >You follow him as he carries it down, grabbing and dragging the first chest as the two of you head down to the first floor.
- >The princesses stand outside, waiting, as you open the door.
- >They sigh with relief and rush over to you and Speck.
- >"So? What was in there?"
- "Stuff from Earth. Old trinkets, pictures, books. Nothing important, nothing for you to worry about."
- >Celestia tilts her head.
- >"Do you think you were meant to live in this tower?"
- >You shrug and put your chest down next to Speck's.
- "Maybe. We won't know."
- >You turn and step back inside the tower.
- >"What do you mean, we won't know?"
- >You take a torch off the wall.
- >Five years and these stayed lit the whole time.
- >Magic is weird.
- "I mean, we just won't know."
- >You throw the torch on the floor and move back through the door.
- >The carpet slowly catches fire as you close the door for the final time.
- >Speck taps at your leg and smiles.
- >You pick her up and hug her tight.
- >"We will discuss more of this at breakfast, Anonymous."
- >You nod and wave at them as they depart.
- >"So what was with that mirror, Anon?"
- >You stretch out across the chests and look up at the moon.
- >Speck sits on top of you and smiles down at you.
- "Absolutely nothing. It was just a normal mirror."
- >She curls up and you hold her close.
- "We should probably move though. The tower's on fire and it could collapse on top of us."
- >She scrambles off of you and grabs ahold of one of the chests.
- >"Yeah, let's do that."
- >Both of you snicker as you carry the chests away from the tower.
- >You stop by the ivory monument and flop on the grass, your little p0ny jumping on top of you.
- >The earth beneath you rumbles and the sound of crashing reaches your ear.
- >Speck's lips meet your own as you pull her face close to yours.
- >You hold each other close and look up at the moon.
- >The moon...
- >Luna.
- "I forgot Luna's sword and shield in the tower."
- >Speck gasps as you laugh to yourself.
- "Oops?"
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