>>18894314
>Getting back to the everfree forest wasn't two hard
>Once there, you lead everyone through the path you took earlier, ending up in front of the makeshift tombstones
>Everyone is dead silent
>You concentrate on remembering where that entrance is
>Then you remember
>You take two steps forward,five left, and see a barely open fissure in the ground
>When you touch it, it spreads open, revealing a huge chasm with stairs leading the way down one side
>Without a word, everybody follows you down
>You had explained that silence is the best tactic here because you can't remember if there is or isn't anything dangerous here
>But there probably was
>In a short time, you find yourself at the Styx, and immediately start pulling up an old mental map
>It leads you to one of your old "fishing" spots
>A twig stands out of the dirt, marking where you put just enough dirt on everything to keep it out of sight
>With a few swipes at the ground, you reveal your collection
>The tings from your last dream are there, and you decide to put them on
>There's also two rings in the pile
>You put them and Luna's necklace on
>Then you find what you came here for in the inner pocket of the red coat
>The book
>A small handwritten handbook, it looks well worn from the outside, but the pages within are relatively fresh
>You flip through it until you find what you're looking for
>The entrance to the Millennium path
>It's....
It's... On an island in the middle of the widest part of the Lethe....
>Nobody really knows how to react, but Shining tries
Do you know where it is from here?
>If you remember correctly....
Yeah....
>It's close to that damned cage
>You could see it from your spot up there, though it was a ways from it
>But you and your group trudge on, slowly heading to the island
>When you reach the edge of the Lethe, and can see the island, you stop to think about how to proceed
How can we get across? It will wipe away all memories if you touch so much as one drop!
>Twilight starts, but you hold up a hand dismissively
>You recall what you had experienced when Sombra tried to trap you here in a dream state
>You can see where one of the pieces of that bar has lodged itself into the sand of the island
>You start feeling different
>Like you can do anything
>That's the feeling you want
>That's what you felt when you took control of that dream
>The power of raw will
>You channel it through you, open your eyes, and walk forward
Follow right behind me
>You walk right through the river, causing it to roll over you as if passing over s glass barrel
>In their awe the others almost forget to follow you through
>When everyone makes it to the other side, you finally let go
>And promptly face plant
Anon! Are you ok?
How did you do that?
>What happened to you? You were glowing...
>Say Chrysalis, Twilight, and Cadence respectively
>After a moment, you find your strength again (much like recovering from having the wind knocked out of you)
>You hesitate to tell them how you did it
>You had reconnected with your own willpower for a moment, forcing all liquids to go over you
>It took a lot out of you to do so, though it only caught up when you stopped
>You opt not to tell them
Trade secret, I'm afraid
>You quip, skirting the subject
>What you start noticing is an ancient looking archway with runes inscribed all over it
>You don't know what they say, but when you pull out the book to look at them, you see a different design
>some are different symbols
>First you're confused
>Then you see that some of them can be rotated
>The symbols are so complex in appearance that they look almost completely different when re oriented
We have to match the symbols with what's in the book....
>You say, drifting off as you reach the last part of the written instructions on the next page
>Twilight and Cadence take a look at the diagram, and go to move the pieces
>Chrysalis stays back to say something
There's more to it than this, isn't there
>She's right, but you shake your head at her
Nothing, really
>It just needs a blood sacrifice
>Enough to fill in the turned runes with
>You feel pretty confident that you can do it though
>When the runes are in place, everyone steps back, and you step forward
>You contemplate how to get the blood to run out, and you're about to bite down when you feel a sort of tingle, like something coming to your attention
>One of the two rings you put on has transformed into a thin blade with a slight curve to it
>You can only assume that the other does the same
>But you can do that later
>Now, you cut into the first three fingers of your left hand
>This does the trick, and within a few seconds, you fill all the runes
>As the last is activated, something like the snap of a glow stick is heard and felt
>The whole thing lights up, and starts to open
>As it does, you ready your will again
>There's something else you didn't tell them
>Just when it opens all the way, you toss the book behind you, Twilight barely catching it with her magic
>You want to say sorry, but if you did, you wouldn't have time
>So you simply do
>You let the power flow through you and use it to push a barrier against them, and walk through the doorway, letting it close behind you
Anon!
What are you doing?!
>They all say something except Chrysalis
>Glancing back, you see that she's looking at the booklet, understanding dawning on her face
>She understands now
>If any more than one soul is on the path at once, the rest will be destroyed; their souls corrupted beyond hope of redemption
>Just before the door closes, you glance back again and lock eyes with Chrysalis
>No words were needed; you both understood
>She wanted you to come back for her
>You nod, flashing a warm smile
>She smiles back, and the doorway closes, leaving you to the path
>A long winding road, light coming from the very path itself, the end barely in sight
>You can even see additional points of light along the way
>Though they aren't how the book portrays
>None of them are moving