Failure, Eternally Retold, Part Three: Morality

Nikolas Jameson, an average human male working as a line cook, suddenly found himself with a group of assassins after him. Just as he's about to die, he falls into a portal into Equestria. He is captured and held in a cage by a zookeeper, who takes him to Fluttershy to identify him and make sure he's in good health.

Things were going well until the guards showed up to arrest them both, tossing them into a cell in the castle dungeon. However, their stay wasn't long, as they were freed by a band of thieves shortly after arrival. The leader even told them where they could find more information on what was happening. What's more, the unicorn he directs them to is one Fluttershy knows and has been looking for.

With Twilight joining them, they set off for the town of San Palomino, where Kai is supposed to be waiting for them. When they arrive, however, the innkeeper gives them the wrong room and leads them into a trap. It is at this point that they're rescued, not by Kai, but by one of his compatriots. He takes them out of town, and to the place where Kai actually is; a massive library inside of a pocket dimension.

Kai explains what's going on quickly and carries them across the first step. After a magic duel, in which Kai is the victor, he is given a small orb, which he promptly gives to Nik. He tells him that there are ten they need to collect in order to protect Equestria. As he's about to explain the rest, though, they're attacked by the same ponies in cloaks from the inn. Our main party manages to escape, but the library is destroyed in the process. Kai and his guests are the only known survivors.

Joining up with the group, Kai takes them to the Grove of Dreams, and Nik is made to relive his greatest nightmare. After coming to grips with why he hates Kai, they agree to remain civil.

Their next stop is an underground arena. Twilight and Fluttershy keep watch at the entrance while Kai and Nik go underground to find the third mark. Kai goes into combat with a giant creature with four arms and is promptly beaten. However, he'd done enough damage to qualify for being impressive, so they give him the prize, regardless.

They return to the surface and the group makes their way to another graveyard. Fluttershy and Twilight decide to let Kai rest, and take his place going after the fourth token. They see many things that may happen, and they are made to see their own deaths. Fluttershy takes a deep breath and steps forward, accepting that she may die, but knowing that she has to keep trying no matter the cost. The whole world is counting on her. Seeing that, death itself gives her its blessing, and she returns to Kai with the fourth orb.

The group continues to a volcano, where Kai asks Fluttershy to stay behind due to her fear of dragons. He and Nik scale the mountain, and at the top, must display a mastery of fire by cooking a meal for a dragon. They are given the waystone of fire as their reward.

They return to the group and make their way into a forest. Fluttershy is enamored by the greenery and the diversity of the critters scurrying and fluttering around. Their task here is to water the largest tree to show their care for the earth. Fluttershy jumps at this opportunity, and the group goes to a river to collect fresh water. They're given equipment that is counter-intuitive, and while having trouble returning the water to the tree that they're supposed to be tending, Fluttershy convinces some bears to take the load off of Kai's shoulders, earning them the respect of the keepers and their trinket.

On their way to the next location, Kai and Fluttershy talk to each other about their feelings toward each other, and how they might be able to rekindle their affections from the ashes, as neither one had stopped caring for the other. They arrived at their destination and had to play multiple different board games to demonstrate their ability to split their focus. It was only through their working together that they managed to succeed, and were promptly kicked out with their prize.

Their most recent claim came along when they descended to the bottom of a lake and fought a tentacle monster. During the fight, Fluttershy was knocked out of the air. Kai caught her before she hit the ground, but in doing so, his leg was broken. It had actually been broken since his fight in the arena, and he'd been using it anyway.

After the fight, they helped a blind mare give her dead loved ones a water burial. In return, the mare gave them the water token and healed Kai's leg. She also offered them a place to sleep for the night, which they accepted. However, after a very welcome bath for all parties (in separate rooms, of course), Fluttershy wanted to apologize to Kai for breaking his leg. She walked up to his room and had a long chat with him.

During the time they were on their journey, Equestria has been falling apart. More humans have been thrust into the world, and ponies have disappeared. All attempts to contain the spread have been unsuccessful, and no studies have returned any results as to why. The population has been told not to panic, and to report all instances of the world shifting, as the extent of the dangers are not yet known.