For Whom the Bewitching Bell Tolls p6

You are Anonymous the Mountaineer
>And your climb as begun. There was a path to follow up from the initial base of the mountain, and you happened upon a cabin along the way
How curious.
>Though while you're intrigued about who would live out here, you feel its best to press on instead of making unnecessary stops
>As you make your way further on, the paths begin to narrow, and what was once calm weather begins to pick up into a strong gale of winter's fury
>It were as though the mountain itself was trying to ward you away from the treasure within
>But you would not be deterred. Not after coming this far.
>Slowly but surely, you path your way along what remained of the mountain trail until you find a spot where the sudden storm wasnt as strong
>From there, you begin your climb, using your picks and harness to secure yourself as you scaled your way towards one of the small plateaus that dotted the face of the mountain
>...
>It takes almost three hours just to make it to the plateau you targeted, and the skies are growing darker. The storm isnt exactly letting up either
>You had used some rubies you had on your person to help keep yourself warm.
>Normally they would be your firestarters while you were out camping, but this unnatural cold had begun to seep into your well insulated clothing
>Though to keep yourself from catching fire spontaneously, you would have said rubies share a pouch with shards of low quality Magesbane shards to dull their magic to just giving warmth vs creating a flame

>You are in luck, however. The vantage point you have reveals a cavern into the mountain not too far from where you've roosted, marked by a dead tree before it. It would be best to take a rest there until things settle, or at least till you regain some strength and a plan to fight this abnormal weather
>Anything is better than attempting to set a bivouac out where you're constantly exposed to this.

>A short and careful horizontal shimmy and a little decent later, and you've got yourself a shelter for the time being.
>Its dark and still pretty cold, but nothing you couldnt handle.
>Before entry, you snap some modestly branches from the tree outside. They were likely not going to be good kindling for a fire, having been exposed to this cold for so long, but at least you could tie your Ruby and Magebane to it to make a light for the cavern
>Thus, you prepare your makeshift lantern as you enter your temporary refuge
>The first thing you decide to do is to see how deep this cavern goes, as well as whether or not there was anything else living here. Disappointingly enough, you find that it ends abruptly at a cave-in, with boulders strewn about and the bones of some....very unfortunate griffon.
>There was nothing else.

>You sigh and set yourself up at a distance between the entrance and the dead end.
As you observe the weather outside, you find that it curiously has begun to die down almost as soon as it had kicked up
>Perhaps the weather itself was magical in nature after all.
>As long as your presence could be picked up by whatever magic maintained it, the storms would come in all their fury to deter your ascent
"Maybe the depths are just as dangerous", you muse
>If this magic here is indeed alive, then there's a chance that trying to reach the bell from within the mountain would be met with a similar end
>Wait.
>If this place indeed senses your presence magically, then all you would have to do is strip yourself of every source of it.
>You could become effectively invisible to this protective magic
>...Theoretically.
>It would mean leaving all of your gems aside from the Magesbane behind
>You wouldnt be able to use the rubies for warmth or your few utility based jewels, so you would have to be extra careful
>But if there isnt a storm, the climb shouldnt be as hard.
>You decide to have a small meal and rest.
>Tomorrow, you'll try.

>Sleep finds you easily
>However, unlike the last few days of peaceful rest, you find yourself in another vision.
>It had been awhile since you've had one, but you're mentally prepared for this.
>Instead of being plagued by what you had seen, you had spent the last few weeks acting to change things - to make the future you desired more than a dream
>There was nothing they could show you now that would shake you.
>As before, you stand between the Mane Six, their allies, and all of their united Equestria to defend three souls who couldnt fathom a better way
>As before, you would deny that the so called heroes understood the weight of their actions. You would decry their ideal of friendship as blatant hypocrisy
>But as you do this, you make an extra attempt at changing things.
>This time, you would have the Bell in your possession, and you waste no time putting it to use first, sapping most of the magic from the Princesses and Discord with ease before trying to reason with the rulers and the deceiver.
>They will hear you now. They were at your mercy - a fact that emboldened you further
>However, as you speak to Celestia and Luna, their bodies begin to warp and contort into something else as their forms are overtaken by a magic that isnt their own.

>You now stand before Daybreaker and Nightmare Moon, glaring at you with vicious intent
>"You would dare to challenge our will for this treasonous scum? I have built an era of peace through MY actions! Through the actions of those I have chosen!"
>While this change is a shock to you, your mind doesnt waver
"You have, but that peace is one that will never last if you cannot forgive your enemies and help them find a better way"
>Nightmare speaks
>"Even if they are willing to betray and spite thee?"
"Forgiveness doesnt mean that we forget, but that they're worth helping be better without lauding their past sins over them. Its never too late to find a better way."
>The other ponies have begun to vanish around you.
>Black crystals erupt from your left, as a cloud of purple haze manifests. A pair of hate-filled eyes speaks from this formless mist
>"And what of their desire to rule?"
"There will be many who can learn from them and the lives they led and will lead. They may have a following without need for a crown or castle."

>The world itself fades around you.

>Discord himself appears in this small semi-circle of wickedness before you
>"And how would you know that you're not a pawn in their own little ga-"
>Your blade found itself in his torso, cutting him off mid-sentence
"Because unlike you, I'm not playing around with their lives, nor will I be toyed with."
>The Mane Six appear as Discord melts away from existence, all speaking in unison
>"And you would risk becoming an enemy of us all to help them?"
>You look at them all as their empty stares bore into your soul
>But there isnt a doubt in your mind now.
>There hasnt been for a long time.
"If doing the right thing makes me your enemy, then I'll be just that. I'll tear the foundations of your false utopia apart if it means giving them a chance. to be better and showing you all where you've gone wrong."

>There's a deafening silence in the void as they all begin to smile eerily
>Then, they begin to laugh - the sound of which distorts into something truly haunting as they too gradually vanish
>A voice speaks out to you amid the cacophony, but you cannot make out its words
>The intent, however, isnt lost to you. It brings you comfort, as though it suggests that your resolve pleases it. That it urges you to press on and do what you will.
>No matter the cost.
>....
>You awake once more, feeling fairly well rested, compared to your usual dreamscape ventures.
>Looking to the outside, you see that all is calm, and resolve yourself to leave behind every source of magic you have here.
>Its about time to press on.

>It had only been a few hours of rest, but you can see the sun creeping up across the horizon as you make your way outside of the cavern.
>You warily go a few feet out and wait.
>....
>No shifting sky, no sudden breezes, everything seems eerily calm. Perhaps your idea held merit after all.
>You break out a snack to get something in your system before you continue, using the extra few minutes to just be sure that nothing changes
>Once you're done and find that the weather remains clear, you continue your climb
>By mid-day, you've reached a plateau with a cavern, shielded by a faint, golden bubble
"This is it. It has to be inside."
>You waste no time drawing your Magesbane blade
>there isnt any telling that you could fully destroy the barrier, but that might be better for when those three would come this way.
>You take a stance, pointing your weapon at the barrier as you steady yourself.....and with a strung thrust, you plunge the black blade into its surface
>There's an immediate reaction as the magic fueling the barrier attempts to fight back, pushing against your weapon and sending gold sparks all about the place as you struggle against it
>You force your bodyweight into the push, and gradually, your weapon reaches into the other side

>Once you can get half of it in, you sharply pull your blade horizontally to create a wide tear into the barrier
>The bottom half of the force-field falls away, leaving a rift that you're easily able to roll under with your weapon in tow.
>Not wasting any time, you make your way into the cave to retrieve your prize...

>Not too deep into the cavern, you find the Bell itself resting on a well engraved podium, depicting its theft by a certain pony and the pursuit by its owner of the thief
>Curiously, it seems to depict that the Goat creature did indeed find and enter this place, but could not leave with the bell in tow, and you can see why.
>There was a shield surrounding the floating Bell itself, and its condition reflected that of the shield outside - in your case, that means there was a nice horizontal opening left from your weapon cutting into it
>If someone narrowly managed to get inside and the barrier mended itself, then the bell would be out of their reach still, as they would likely be drained from all the effort put into just entering this place.
>But you arent relying on magic here.
>You open your bag and take out the special item you crafted last in your time among the Kirin - a fake Bewitching Bell, designed solely off of your memory of those visions you had repeatedly experienced.
>It was crafted out of the most dense quartz you could find with an emerald core grafted into its center; the former was exceptional at storing magical energy in good quantity, and the latter serves as a "magic magnet" of sorts.
>Putting the two together should allow it to serve its purpose when the time of the trio's betrayal comes: They wont completely drain Discord, but it should be enough to reveal his disguise to make him flee, and empower them enough to still be threatening.
>For good measure, you withdraw a shard of Magesbane and hit the fractured sphere once more to open it up slightly, and swap the bells with each other, storing your prize away
"They wont notice the difference. Everything will go as Ive seen it time and time again."
>Noticing that the shield around your floating faux-bell is beginning to mend itself, you quickly take your leave for the exit.

>The barrier mends itself mere moments after you leave the cavern. You take a moment to look back at it as you contemplate on where you will go from here, and what you can do.
>Returning to Ponyville isnt much of an option - not only because of your grievances with the ponies who snubbed you, but because your presence there may change how things go.
>Perhaps settling somewhere on the outskirts of Canterlot and Ponyville would be better. The areas were rich in game to hunt and fresh water was easily accessible....and you'll be close by when Cozy, Tirek and the others begin their assault
>As you begin your climb down, you hear something thud onto the plateau.
>No, two things.
>You peer up from the edge and see Chrysalis and Tirek, with Cozy Glow on his shoulders as they arrive to the cave, having worked together to scale the mountain
("It looks like I was just on time, but they're here a lot sooner than I expected")
>While there's.....a lot you really want to tell them, you quickly remember just who you would be dealing with - the obstinate changeling queen, a centaur who wouldnt think much of beating the shit out of you, and an exceptionally cunning filly who might be too curious about your presence here for anyone's own good
>It pained you that you couldnt warn them of what was to come, but its best to just get out of here while they do their thing.
>And so you do.