Trapped

You wake up with a warmth surrounding you. Opening your eyes, you look around what is easily identified as a hospital room.

"Where am I" you ask groggily. You try to sit up, but pain overwhelms you. The bed provides a soft pillow for your weak muscles.

"You were in the cold for too long and your body was badly injured by the extreme temperatures. You need to take your time to rest." Looking around the room, you see a bed beside you, but it lies empty. You panic. Why is it empty? It shouldn't be empty! The clock on the wall ticks by slowly as Celestia stands by the side of your bed.

"Where's Anon!" you scream at your teacher.

You have to let her live. She has so much to live for. You watch her closely and hold her in your arms until you are sure she has fallen into deep sleep. With tears in your eyes, you kiss her forehead and squeeze her tight. You carefully slip out of the sleeping bag and cover her in your blanket. Approaching the opening to the cave, you look outside which has became still. There isn't going to be a better time Anon. You set the last apple by the sleeping bag and begin to scoop the snow with the backpack. The pile behind you slowly gains size as you begin to create the exit from the cave. Snow on your hands melts and quickly you lose the feeling in your fingers. You push on as hard as you can in the middle of the night. Staying focused, you remember the feeling of her in your arms, pushing you to keep going. Her voice echoes in your mind.

"I love you Anon."

You ignore the pain in your muscles as you continue to scoop the snow from the entrance. After what feels like hours, The hole from the roof of the cave's mouth becomes larger and larger. The entirety of your body feels numb, but you force yourself to continue. For her.

Stopping for a moment to catch your breath, you look down at your hands, which have turned dark purple. Almost there. You can't stop now. One more scoop. One more shovel. One more time. And it's done.

The hole is just big enough for you to get out. Which means it's more than big enough for any pony to get in. You slip out of the hole, watching the sun rise over the horizon. Stumbling around the corner, you see the camp, which is being buried out by grey guards using magic. Opening your mouth to yell for help, your voice seizes up and you feel your knees begin to lock up. They have to find her. You take a weak step forward. And another. They have to find her. Your eyes feel heavier and heavier. Pain overwhelms the numbness, but you can't stop. You have to save her. Your Cadance. As you near the camp, a guard sees you and gallops to you.

"You! The human! Where is the princess!"

You collapse to your knees, your clothes soaked in sweat and body gasping for air. It takes everything in your power to point in the direction of the cave.

"The tracks. Quick! There is no time!" he says, galloping along your prints in the snow. Your hearing gives out, replaced with a loud hum. As the rest of your body falls into the snow, you smile. You open your mouth and breathe your last.

If you ask one of the guards at the scene that day, they would say if Anon didn't come from the cave, they never would have found the Princess.

Pain surges through your whole body as you feel every part of you shake. Tears flow from your eyes and down your face, staining your hospital garb. You lay in bed, curled into a ball, remembering his warm body holding you like a delicate flower, but firmly so you couldn't get away. Which was silly. You weren't going to go anywhere However, you should have been scared of him letting you go. Celestia places a hoof on your back and gently massages, in support.

Reaching a hoof back, you feel the blue ribbon, tying your hair into a ponytail. At least you still have those. Something. Something to prove that he was real. He had no home. No family. No friends. No pictures. He's just... gone. Except for these ribbons, and you will never forget your Anon. You will always wear his ribbons. The beautiful shade of blue, which matched your cutie mark. Anon, your crystal heart. No, your frozen heart.

After a few weeks of physical therapy, you were released from the hospital in prime condition. Except there was one thing they couldn't fix. Your heart burned in pain and he has been in your dreams every night. One night, Luna came to you, concerned. Advising you to let go. But you refused. Someone has to remember him. Your Anon. Ascending the mountain path on a much more beautiful day was a challenging task for you.

You kept looking out at the landscape and remembering how it was something that he valued so much. Anon wasn't afraid to stop and appreciate the smaller things in life. You continue on to the cave after you found the area that everypony else camped out. The guards were able to find everypony in time to get them to the hospital, and the tents helped them stay warmer in the cave. It was simply lucky that the unicorns in the tents were able to reinforce the tents for the impact. They also had much more supplies than you and Anon.

Shaking your head, you stop when you reach the entrance of the cave, accented by a newly carved stone headstone, just at the entrance of the cave. Tears come to your eyes as you look inside and remember the days and nights you spent with each other. The short time that he held you. You lay on the ground and sob.

"You should have let me help you..." you whisper to the ground. "Now what am I supposed to do?" The world stops for a moment, letting you simply weep over Anon's final resting place. In your mind, it would have been better if you went together. Those few days and nights in the cave, you may have been trapped in the snow, but for the first time... you finally felt free. Free to make your own choices and to be yourself. No longer held to somepony's expectations or have ponies only see you for the Princess exterior. You didn't just lose your lover, you lost the only person who really understood you.

When the tears stop and you can to breath normally, you reach into your saddle bag and pull out the first thing you brought. A shiny, fresh apple. Setting it right beside the headstone, you sniffle and blink a tear out of your eye. "A promise is a promise." you mutter as you reach for the last item. Carefully, you pull out a potted plant, which is just beginning to sprout. You learned about the plant from your books. It's a fairly rare plant, but Celestia obliged in getting one for you.

You dig a small hole with a hand held spade and move the plant from the pot to the hole. With a smile, you press the dirt into the earth. The plant is called, The Lover's Bloom. It used to be frequently used in wedding ceremonies in early Equestria, but they quickly became hard to find, so the public stopped using them. The flower's petals were also a very strong ingredient used for Love Potions, which was how you discovered them. What made the flower of the Lover's Bloom stick out in your mind, was the color of it's petals. They were a vivid light blue. The same color as your cutie mark. The same color as your ribbons. Gently, in the mid-afternoon sun, you lay down next to the grave and watch the settling dirt. You will have to head back to the castle soon. But not now. Not until you are ready. Right now, on this mountain, outside of this cave, in this very moment. You feel free. No longer trapped by the life of a Princess. With your Anon.