It took a full hour to explain everything as best she could and for Twilight to process all of the information and make sense of it. Twilight had become used to sudden things in epic proportions happening to her over the years, but this was still a doosey. Her familiarity with this kind of thing allowed her to calm down quickly, though, and she decided that she should just go with it and hope for the best. That usually worked when she couldn’t organize everything.

Luna and Dawn’s reaction it was more of a baffled annoyance, as if things like this happened every day. They agreed to go much quicker than Twilight did, though, and now all that was left was for Celestia to bullshit her way into a vacation. With this in mind, she gathered some of her court she trusted.

“Alright, thanks for coming. I know this probably isn’t the best time, what with all the news we dumped on everyone yesterday and today, but the dragons have come short of time and there are incredibly important talks we need to finish. If left as is, it could end badly for both nations.” Celestia said. She wasn’t even lying, really. Not much anyways. Apparently this wasn’t the first time she pulled something like this.

“How long do you want?” One of them asked with a bit of a sigh. Celestia chuckled.

“Sorry, this one is actually legitimate for the most part. I’d say three days at the most.” Celestia said with a little laugh.

“Go on, make sure you take care of everything important first while you’re there. I imagine we can hold the fort for 4 days if you need it, but let’s just say three to be safe.” The man said.

“What would I do without you?” Celestia said with a grin.

“Probably go on a surprise vacation, freak out the country and let canterlot fall into chaos.” The man retorted. Celestia rolled her eyes and happily left the room.

“It seems getting together with her student has definitely elated her mood.” One of them said.

“I know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her that giddy and happy.” The man agreed.

“So how long will we have you?” Ryu, who was back in her dragon form, asked when the group of four entered the courtyard with supplies enough for about five days.

“Preferably three days at most, but 4 to be exact.” Celestia replied.

“That should be more than enough time. It’ll be a set of trials spread across two days. On the first day, though, I’ll help you prepare.” Ryu explained, motioning for the carriage to come up to let them in. It was large enough to fit her in her normal form easily, but she changed back into human to join them and explain further. She continued as they took off.

“The area the trials will be given are not under our influence, instead they relate directly to the one who is being tried. Ambient magics and ancient spells weaved long ago work in conjunction with this and create trials specifically tailored to show your best and expose your worst.” She continued.

“Alright... What did you mean by help prepare?” Twilight asked.

“With my ability to manipulate and warp dimensions, I can give you a bit more time.” Ryu answered simply. None of the four believed that was all, but they wouldn’t get much more no matter how long they stayed on the subject. Dragons are notorious for keeping secrets for thousands of years at a time.

“Alright... What kind of things should we expect from the trials themselves?” Dawn asked.

“Like I said, I don’t know for sure. What I do know, however, is that it should be rather simple. Much like a tribal right of passage, according to my kin. What do you two remember of it?” Ryu asked, motioning her head towards Celestia and Luna.

“Not much...” Luna said.

“Nothing at all...” Celestia admitted. Ryu seemed surprised at this and she entered a deep thinking pose for a while.

“So... What would happen if I pass this trials and become a divine being like you?” Twilight asked Celestia and Dawn decided that Luna’s lap was a perfectly good place to nap.

“I don’t know. What I do know, though, is that nothing much will change in terms of living. That is, however, unless you want them to. In terms of power and social standing, you’d be equal to me; if not more so. You could become the third ruling princess, start your own nation, siege the palace to wrest equestria from my hands or ask nicely for some land. Or, of course, you can stay where you are.” Celestia went on, earning a bit of laughter from Twilight and chuckles from the half-asleep Luna at her examples.

“Well, I could live half in Canterlot and half in Ponyville, I can’t just abandon my friends no matter what. I don’t think I could handle the responsibility of ruling anything other than a library...” Twilight said.

“You know... I... I would think you’d be a bit more shocked and disturbed by all of this...” Luna grumbled.

“Take a nap, sister. I was thinking that too, actually.” Celestia said. Luna gave her a thumbs up and was out in a second.

“Well... Over the years you get used to magnificent surprises. Ryu said I don’t really have a choice in the matter so there’s nothing I can do to avoid it... Might as well plan for it and get used to it.” Twilight explained.

“My, you’ve matured a lot since the day I first sent you to Ponyville.” Celestia chuckled.

“Sorry about that... Kind of zoned out... What’d I miss?” Ryu said suddenly, noticing the two sleeping women.

“Just a bit of chit chat, not much.” Celestia said, yawning.

“I realize it’s quite late for you. You should follow their lead. We won’t arrive until morning.” Ryu said, reclining on the massive couch she was on, as Luna started snoring ever so slightly.

“I don’t really know if I can sleep...” Twilight said.

“Anxious?” Celestia asked as she stood up and walked around behind Twilight somewhere.

“A little... Mostly I just can’t stop thinking of what every possible thing it could be, any possible outcome...” Twilight started, but was startled as she was pulled back. Celestia had laid down behind her and pulled her in.

“Either way you should get some sleep.” She giggled as Ryu let out a laugh.

“Oh you... I’ll try I guess...” Twilight said.

“You two are adorable.” Ryu said.

“No arguments there.” Celestia said.

“I think I’ll go out and chat with my kin.” Ryu said, standing up and walking towards the large door.

“Have fun.” Celestia said. Twilight, despite her earlier comment, was already dozing.

The arrival was rather anticlimactic. They landed, got out of the carriage in an empty courtyard and the dragons dispersed. Ryu led them through a rather impressive antechamber, in which the Dragon used a spell to light up the thing to show off, and found that there was little more than a cave on the other side. Something wasn’t right. Celestia had been here before and there was supposed to be a deep cavernous area with a dragon-sized city.

“Sorry to spring this on all of you, but that Antechamber put you all into a deep sleep and I’m sending you through to another dimension. I told you I would help you prepare, and This will prepare you for anything. Otherwise, the set of trials might kill you.” Ryu started.

“Wait... what?” Celestia said.

“You and your sister need to go through the trials again, since you forgot your own from before. WHen I blacked out in the carriage before, that was me going to consult the other beings. You know I can’t really talk about it.” Ryu explained.

“What exactly is this place then? It just looks like a cave.” Twilight asked.

“Well, we’re not there yet in full. You’re still materializing. You’ll have everything you had on you and there really isn’t anything you can’t do in this world. You might recognize it, Celestia.” Ryu replied as the outside of the cave changed from a dim light to blazing. They cautiously went to it and saw a desert. Off in the distance, miles away, was a tiny black speck. Judging by how far way it was, though, it was massive up close.

“It can’t be...” Celestia whispered.

“It is. This is where things go when they go extinct or are banished from reality. Plenty of ancient creatures, malicious monsters and old ruins dot this world.” Ryu said.

“Exactly how is this going to help us with a set of trials, especially in just one day?” Dawn asked.

“Well, time is warped here. It would take years, decades even, for one day to pass in our world. This will help you because it will force you to learn how to survive, adapt quickly, analyze any situation and even prosper. There are many ways to leave this place without my help. Your goal is to find one of them. And Celestia, you may have created this place, but you do not control it. In the thousand years you have left this place alone, millions of years have passed. I imagine nothing is the same, new things are here and old things gone. Things like that.” The Dragon explained.

“What kind of trials would we have to face if being stranded in such a place is merely preparation?” Luna asked.

“I’ve already told you, I don’t know. Normally you’d be thrown into the universal hub, which is a place where many hundreds of worlds and meet, and there you would drift through the different places until you found your way back. That’s what I’ve been told. It’s not all up to me, though. I’m just the messenger and the means to get you started.” Ryu answered.

“Then who does all of this?” Twilight asked, looking out over the desert.

“I don’t know what they are. Nobody does, not even they themselves. They are beyond divine beings. I guess they’re the closest you'll get to actual omnipresent gods.” Ryu replied.

“So... We have to find our way out of a world where extinct and banished things go... We have supplies that should hold us for maybe two or three days in this kind of environment. The place is apparently filled with old and dangerous things, and if evil is banished here they’ll probably try to kill us on sight. Well, can’t be that hard, eh?” Twilight said, almost to herself.

“I wouldn’t know... A word of advice, though, I’d try for that spire there. It materialized here only three years ago in this worlds’ time.” Ryu said and started dissipating.

“Wait... will everything we do here correspond to us in our world?” Celestia asked.

“Of course. you are physically here, and you have to physically return. This place will change you, be warned. Don’t let it be for worse.” Ryu answered before fading completely away.

“Well fuck...” Dawn said, sitting down on a rock.

“You agreed to putting us through this?” Twilight asked, not sure if she should be mad or not.

“No no no no no no... I didn’t know this was going to happen! She just told me should would use her ability to give us time to prepare... Not strand us here...” Celestia said, sitting down as well and putting a hand over her face.

“Well, Dawn and I are more well versed in being stranded somewhere... It’s not so bad, what can be worse than a thousand years of Isolation?” Luna said, pulling Dawn to her feet and smiling at the other two.

“That doesn’t help the fact that I’m the one who agreed to get us into this...” Celestia sighed.

“Well... You didn’t know... She did say we really didn’t have a choice... I don’t know why we wouldn’t, but I can’t help but believe her. Right now, though, we don’t need to think about why we’re here, we need to worry about getting out. Ryu isn’t trying to get us killed, so I say let’s do what she said and head for that spire... Or whatever she called it.” Twilight said. Celestia sighed and put her head in both hands.

“Come on then, we can worry about hating ourselves when we know exactly what’s going on.” Dawn said.

“Alright, alright... Thanks.” Celestia said softly, getting to her feet.

Author's Note

so I didn't realize I hadn't uploaded this chapter...