You wait for the princess. You're not going down the stairs.

The narrator cajoles, pushes, and begs. But you don't go down the stairs.

The voice of the clumsy agrees. "We'd just stumble and fall and break our necks. We're safer here."

And so you are... safer. Although, you hear a knocking at the door.

"Better not open it," the clumsy says.

"Please. I thought we were friends," the voice whines from the other side.

"We are friends."

"Then, please, let me out."

"I might hurt you if I let you out. Last time, I think, if there really was a last time--I accidentally slipped, and you died!"

"That's terrible... although yes, I do remember it."

"Then you understand why I can't let you out."

"But... I thought we were friends."

"We are."

"But friends would open the door?"

"I'm not sure. Although there may be a multitude of answers. There are lots of types of friendship."

"How so?"

"There's romantic friendship, friendship over shared interests, friendship over shared morals--neither of us wants to destroy the world, right? We have that!"

"Indeed we do."

"And there's also familial friendship. I think that's it. I don't have a list."

"Are we family?"

"What?"

"Are we family?"

"What kind of question is that? You're a pony princess and I'm a... scaly reptile..." You look at your hands, then at the mirror.

"Families can be adopted. I think I had one once."

"A family?"

"An adopted family. I don't remember much about it."

"That's a shame."

"Family's important. My good friend... Apple-jerk..."

"That's an unfortunate name."

"I know... maybe we called her by a nickname... Apple-jack?" she nodded, sharply. "Applejack, I think, told me about how strong family made her feel--even though her parents were dead."

"Then what family did she have?"

"Her siblings. Maybe an older great-great-great-great grandpony who founded the village she lived in. I think that's all. My memory isn't so good on this side of the door. And isn't it difficult to understand me? If we get closer, we can hear better."

"If I let you in--"

"I might die--I know. But maybe that isn't so bad?"

You talk for a long time. Days. You never need to eat, or sleep, or anything. You just keep talking about everything. In the end, you feel like you've known the princess all your life--essentially: you have.

"You need to let her out," the narrator says, weakly. "My time is almost up."

"Changing your mind? You want me to free her and end the world?" you say.

"No. Let her out of the basement so you can slay her. Use the table legs."

"No," you rise and walk to the door.

"What are you doing?" the clumsy's voice wavers.

"I'm letting her out."

"Be careful--" the narrator says.

"Be careful!" the clumsy echoes, for a different reason.

You open the door, and she jumps into your arms. "Sibling!" she cries, for that's how you've come to feel about each other.

"Sibling!" you embrace hear and spin her around in joy and of course you trip and together you fall down the stairs, bumping your heads and twisting your necks, and you die.

Author's Note

Ending Type C: Failure
Specific Ending: "The Family"

Play again from the beginning to reach another ending type and to unravel more of the mystery of what is happening.

Some key questions:
1. Why is the princess developing the way she is developing?
2. Why can't the princess leave the cabin... except when she can?
3. Why seemingly can't you stay dead?
4. What does the narrator really want? (Ending Ds give some insight into the narrator and its goals.)
5. Is there one or multiple universes?

Ending Types:
A. Slay the Princess
B. Free the Princess
C. Failure
D. Stasis