Twilights POV (Two weeks after Caine's arrival in Canterlot)
Celestia and I were standing by Caine's hospital bed discussing our next move. Caine's body had fully healed for the most part.
"Are you certain my pupil?" Celestia asked me.
"I... I am." I responded.
"You do know, once I begin this trial, it can't be interrupted or ended until it is completed or failed by him?" She asked once more.
"I do. But is it really the only way to prove his worth?" I asked, afraid for him and what I felt for him meant.
"It is. We will start in one hour." She told me as she rose to leave.
"If he succeeds we will know." She said as she left the room to prepare.
"Oh Caine. Why do I have to feel this way about you?" I asked of him. I got up to follow Celestia and help set up the trial.
Caine's POV (Trialscape)
I woke up on a bed made of stone in really wierd clothes. They were completely white and looked like what a toga would but only with pants. I didn't have any shoes on and my arms didn't have my dragon tattoos.
"Hello?" I called out. It felt like a dream yet not at the same time. The landscape looked black yet alight at the same time, almost like it was ethereal in nature yet not. Damn this place confused the hell out of me.
"Begin trial one." I heard a voice say above me. It sounded familiar and slightly saddened at having to say those words.
After it said them a shadowy form appeared with a sword drawn. Next to me another sword, this one pure white, appeared. I grasped it and the form, I think it would be referred to as a shade, charged me.
I leapt out of the way right before it's sword would have bit into my shoulder.
"So that's how this is going to go? Well okay then, bring it." I readied myself for a sword fight. I'll admit, the one weapon I can't use effectively is a sword. Dumb right? Yeah I always thought so.
The shade charged me again and brought its sword down. I brought mine up to block and caught it. The shade used this to its advantage and kicked me backwards. I stumbled but brought the sword up in time to have it knocked out of my hands.
Without the sword encumbering me I could actually start working my magic.
The shade swung sideways and I leaped back. It brought its swing up and then down. I sidestepped and went in for the kill. When its sword hit the ground, I twisted and brought my foot up and down and smashed it from its grasp. It looked up at me and threw a punch, which I easily dodged.
We were in my element now and I was going to kick its ass. I got into a stance and waited for my aggressive foe to make his move. When he did, a roundhouse kick, I brought my arms up in an X fashion to block. After the shade regained its balance it sent another one my way, I ducked and brought my fist up and smashed it in its face when it had completed the turn.
It went flying backwards and rolled on the floor. I sprinted, grabbed my sword, and in one fell swoop, leaped and brought the sword down into its chest.
A little cruel, but badass. And besides, it made the first move. It was all in the name of self-defense.
"Trial one passed. Trial two, begin." There was that same voice, it hadn't changed.
Four alters appeared back near the stone bed. I walked over to them and looked into them. One contained a quaint little house like it was from the sixties. Another contained what looked to be a barracks. The third contained a map nailed to a board with a dagger, and the last was of a part of the justice symbol, the scales. They all seemed to be representing something, that much was obvious, but what.
I thought long and hard about what they could mean. At the moment I felt like I was missing part of my life. The last thing I had remembered was fighting with my brother, nothing else.
I went through what felt like hundreds of different possibilities where they could be connected. The broadest one I had that felt like it fit the bill was a way of life. Family man, soldier, explorer, and judge. It was the best I could come up with and it just felt right. I really wanted to pick soldier but I felt like there was more too this then just what I thought was going on. Maybe a subset?
I got thinking on that. It felt like hours before I had come to a conclusion. By that time I felt a pull in my heart for the justice symbol, but this was different from wanting to live my life that way, it was like that was something that needed fixing and that I was the one to balance it out.
With that thought in my mind I stood up and walked over and looked into the altar containing the scales. I put my hand through it and it glowed brightly before disappearing along with the others.
"Trail two passed. Trial three, begin." There was the voice but it sounded different this time, almost hopeful instead of sad. When I heard it my heart ached but I couldn't tell why. I looked over to a where the third trial was.
It was of three women, or what appeared to be women. They seemed to be some type of colorful satyr without the horns.
The first was of a women I could see into the mind of. She was the perfect personality to compliment mine, no matter what she would be able to put me in my place and we would never argue unless about something important. She wasn't petty and she was smart. Something struck a chord in me with her. The next was a stunning beauty of a women with everything a guy could want in a women, at least physically. She was perfectly proportioned and had a long slender white horn to match the rest of her body and her wings. She looked almost god-like with her spectral hair. The third was completely purple with a horn and long purple hair and pink streak running through it. She didn't seem so special compared to the other two and I ignored her. At least I tried to but something kept drawing my gaze. Something about her was making me content just looking at her. It unnerved me but at the same time I didn't care. For some reason I felt myself drawn to her more than the others once I started getting a better look. I walked up to her and kneeled for some reason.
She placed her hand on me and I melted under her grasp. Literally, melted. I panicked when I realized what was going on. First my feet and then my knees turned to what looked like molten gold and I fell on my face into it while my body kept liquefying.
The women had disappeared and suddenly a flash of white and then darkness befell me.
Real world
"Ow my head. How many times am I going to wake up like this?" I asked myself while rubbing my head. I opened my eyes to find the girls and princess Celestia looking at me. I also felt a chill on my legs and looked down. I realized I was on a stone bed at a large angle. So much so that if I moved to much I would slide off onto the ground. I also realized I was wearing nothing but a very revealing loincloth. I quickly covered myself with my hands.
Suddenly I got the headache of a life time when the rest of my memories rushed back to me.
I almost passed out but held it off.
"Where are we?" I asked with a dazed expression.
"We are in Canterlot castle, Caine." Celestia answered.
"What..what happened? I remember a sword and altars and you and Twilight on pedestals."
None of them answered. I looked over at Twilight and remembered the reason why I came here in the first place. I looked down, realizing that our relationship is over.
"I think that I would like to go back to ponyville now, if you wouldn't mind." I flexed my back muscles to fling myself forward enough to land on the floor. At this point I didn't care if I was covered or not. I saw my clothes over by a stone table by Pinkie pie. I walked over and started putting them on.
I turned around to see everypony staring at me.
"Well, I guess I'll be going. By everypony." I waved at them as I left. I didn't care what happened. I felt defeated and that things couldn't get worse, all I wanted to do was lay down in a bed. I didn't have anywhere to go, I realized. Maybe my boss would let me bunk with him for a while.
When I walked through another door, this one lower than the other, I bonked against it but I didn't feel anything, just my head going back. I reached up and my hand grasped around something that felt like sea shell. Startled I ran down the hallway towards a closed window to see if I could see my reflection.
When I got there I was happy I could, but barely. When I saw myself, my breath left my body. Atop my head was a long, grey, horn. Much like Celestia's. I tried activating it but didn't know how. To be honest when I couldn't, I lost interest.
"Better for all I suppose. I guess now I have to hide my wings." I said to myself. I didn't know any unicorns besides Twilight and Rarity so I suppose my horn is useless for the time being.
I continued to walk down the hall and out of the castle. I found my bank card in my pocket and headed for the train station.
Twilight's POV (After Caine leaves castle)
"Twilight, why didn't you tell him?" Fluttershy asked me.
"I was about to, but when he looked at me I couldn't do it. He seemed so defeated and sad. I think it was because of me. Maybe he doesn't want to be together." I stated.
"Preposterous." Rarity humphed.
"Yeah, he passed the trial with flying colors. Only a pony in love could do that." Applejack agreed.
"Yeah silly. Why wouldn't he. He even got a horn to go with his stupendous wings and earth pony strength." Pinkie pointed out.
"Twilight. He loves you, and you love him. There is no reason you shouldn't be together. Don't miss this chance." Rainbow said. She shocked me with this statement.
"They are all right, Twilight. You must go to him. He is headed to ponyville, his heart is broken and only you can fix it." Celestia told me.
"Broken heart? But why is it broken?" I asked her.
"That, you will have to find out for yourself. You will have to wait till tomorrow though. Caine will most likely be boarding the train and there are too many of you to transport at once over such a long distance and I don't have the power to transport you one by one." Celestia advised.
"But I need to go to him Princess." I begged her.
"In the morning my pupil. Today has been an emotional ride for everypony. A good nights sleep will do everypony good." With that Celestia walked out of the room with us in tow.
A/N: Yeah I always hated symbolism so I am not great with it. It annoys me at almost every turn (thank the Great Gatsby for that) so I had a hard time with the trials. If you haven't figured out why Caine has become an alicorn I will explain it to you. Or as much as I can without revealing the plot. If the trials need to be redone just say so and if I get enough requests then I'll redo them. I like getting reviews, especially criticism (all criticism is good, even bad criticism, as long as it helps you grow) any tips or tricks you have for me feel free to share. I am also open to any questions involving anything about the story, obvious exceptions of course. This chapter is also above 2,000 words so booyah to me. See ya on the flip side.