The stairs are exquisite. Their multicolored crystal structure glistens. You smell sweet fragrances and feel a gentle exfoliating breeze. A tinkling calm sound plays all around you as you descend. You reach the bottom of the staircase and immediately see the pony princess seated upon a throne, playing with a jeweled iron dagger.

"Hello?" you ask.

"Why don't you approach and bow down?" the feminine voice in your head demands.

You do it.

"Bow deeper," the voice insists.

You kowtow, head to ground.

"Tee-hee-hee."

"What are you doing?" the narrator asks. "This is the opposite of what is supposed to happen."

"Thank you for your obeisance, plebian," the regal pony atop her throne laughs. "Albeit it is merely the least of what I deserve."

"Yes, majesty."

"Call me mistress."

"Yes, mistress."

"Tee-hee-hee."

"Isn't majesty better than mistress?" the narrator muses.

"I-um--" you almost give voice to the narrator's confusion, but find yourself tongue-tied.

"Have you come to free me?"

"Yes, mistress," you say.

"I pray that was a lie," the narrator says.

"Shut up," the feminine voice says.

"And who are you?" the narrator asks, finally noticing the voice.

"I'm the boss," she says.

"The voice of the boss?" you ask.

"Yeah, what about it?"

You swallow hard. "I... don't know."

"You don't know?" the princess frowns. "You changed your mind? You said you were here to free me. Get to work on gnawing through that chain, vermin."

"Yes, mistress." You walk over to the chain and start chomping at it. You actually make good progress, but the princess frowns, deeply. "You're not fast enough. Use this." She flicks the dagger at you. It pierces the back of one of your claws, stabbing it deep. With great pain, you pull it out and your blood clots almost immediately.

"Slice my chains with this dagger, pleb."

"Yes, mistress."

"I changed my mind." She snaps her fingers. "You're my friend. You're voluntarily following me. I made you my friend. So, call me Friendmaker."

"Yes, Friendmaker."

"Tee-hee-hee."

You make short work of the chain and the princess is free. She stands and stretches.

"Now's your chance!" the narrator says. "You have the dagger. She's right there!"

"Nuh-uh," the boss says. "Naughty-naughty."

You feel like you have to drop the dagger, but you will yourself to move forward.

The princess notices and she scowls. "It's going to be like that again? How droll." She snaps her fingers and your arm stops moving.

"Go upstairs and open the door."

"Yes, Friendmaker," you say, and you go upstairs and open the door.

She joins you there, then orders you, "Open the cabin door."

You do that too.

She walks past you and scowls. "Stab yourself and die." She walks outside.

You look at the dagger, resisting.

"Stab her! Now!" the narrator demands.

"Stab yourself!" the boss calls.

"Yes..."

You stab yourself.

And you die.

Author's Note

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

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

The video game has an act three that I do not want to spoil but you might be able to piece some of it together here. As a hint:
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