Huh, I guess I AM set on adding in an alternative finish to the story. I don't really know why, but I just can't quite get the urge to do so out of my head.

Perhaps I'm not as finished here as I thought…hmm.

In any case, for those who wanted Celestia to 'Win', here's one alternate chapter for you. Short and dark, but long enough to make sense considering that it starts nine months later in Taurostaur.

I hope you like this, to be fair I kind of like this more than the other one I'm going to write. But then again I am a special kind of sadistic with my poor protagonists.

Begin!

The Final Chapter – Alternate Ending.

(Celly's Game)

09.48 AM Taurostaur (Nine Months Later)

So yeah, it wasn't particularly fun knowing that most of the world was looking for you. Still, if there was ever a place to hide then Taurostaur was it. No one cared who you were here, and with Chrysalis's necklace nobody gave me more than a second glance. Of course I'd had to take it off every now and then to get work and food and whatnot, but the moment I put it back on it was like they forgot who I was.

It made picking up my pay difficult sometimes.

There had been nothing on Chrysalis or her children in the paper, so I took that to mean that she had yet to be found out. It was only a matter of time mind you, Chrysalis is good but Celestia plays the long game and is incredibly patient. Her mind revealed as much to me when I was trapped inside it.

I worry about the Changeling a lot, but if I'm to have any sort of life then I needed to put all my focus into having a full one. And so far I have, it's not so different from before I came to Equestria in that I support myself independently. I pay my bills, buy my own food and clothing, that sort of shit.

It isn't perfect by any means, but it's still a life I can enjoy. A good life, a full life, one without pity or sympathy. I won't deny that the week I was poisoned was horrible, traumatic even. It gave me a unique perspective on those who have no freedom, who's choices are made for them and are punished for defiance.

But still, it's over now. So if you feel sorry for me, don't.

Be happy for me, and all who are free.

I smiled as I finished the last line, elated that I had managed to put everything to paper with such detail, given how badly I just wanted to forget it. I didn't believe for a second that I could ever publish this, or show it to the authorities, or even the local newspaper. No one would ever believe me, and besides it would lead Celestia right to me.

Still, that I managed to write it all down with nary a pause was enough to make me smile with confidence.

'Knock' 'Knock' 'Knock'

The sudden though gentle knocking on my door snapped me out of my thoughts and out of my writing chair. It was strange that anyone was knocking to be perfectly honest, with Chrysalis' necklace no one ever really seemed to bother me, let alone pop around for something at this time of night.

It was this thought that stayed my hand as I reached for the handle.

What if it wasn't some random guy knocking on my door, what if it was worse than that?

What if it was…

I took a deep, shuddering breath and peaked through the Peephole I'd had attached to my door. Through it I could see…a Donkey? What was a mule knocking on my door for?

I reached for the handle and opened the door.

"Yeah, what do you w…"

One look was all it took for me to slam the door and lock it with all six locks, two of which were crafted so as to be impervious to magic.

Fuck! How, it was a fucking Donkey, HOW!

I looked out of the Peephole again, only to flinch back and fall on my arse as a large magenta eye stared right back.

"Leave me alone, go away!" I yelled, fear wracking my form as I struggled to get back up. Nine months it had been, but physical activity was still difficult for me, just not as crippling as it once was.

There was a sudden flash and the familiar sound of teleportation was all I needed to run to the only other entrance to my home, namely the back door. I reached it just in time to flick the first three locks, deadlocking the whole thing entirely.

"Fucking hell, fuck…" my breath was shallow and my heart was pounding in my ears, but I knew with both doors locked she couldn't get in. I'd learned from my past mistakes; my home was completely impenetrable. "How did she find me, fucking hell. How did she find me?"

'Knock' 'Knock'

Without thinking, I raced into the front room and froze, the cause of the knocking standing not a few feet away from the large window. She stood there on the clean cut grass, the moon making her appear almost ethereal. There was a wide, warm smile on her muzzle as she lifted a hoof into the air and waved at me…but her eyes, her eyes betrayed a sort of madness I couldn't comprehend.

Her muzzle opened and words escaped it…but I couldn't hear anything.

The soundproofing ward, I forgot about that one! She can't hear me and I can't hear her.

I visibly relaxed as that thought ran through me, for if I could not hear her then there was no way she could twist me back into her hold with honeyed words. And so, feeling just a little bolder I grinned at the mare and pointed to my ears, signifying with but a melodramatic wave that I couldn't hear her.

However, instead of getting visibly upset or angry, the mare merely gave off a silent laugh before…bowing down at me, almost as if…

"Are you congratulating me?" I asked, the words leaving before I could stop them.

And even though it was impossible for her to have heard what I had said, Celestia nodded and smiled. Her muzzle opened once more as she slowly mouthed out three words…it was difficult to understand what she was mouthing with a muzzle, but after a couple of moments I suddenly understood.

"Well done honey," I muttered quietly, shivering as I came to a rather unwelcome conclusion. "This is all a game to you, isn't it?"

I don't know if she read my lips or what, but that patient smile on her face was all I needed to decide that I had seen enough of her. Moving forward quickly, I grabbed the curtain on the left and closed it, before moving onto the right and shutting that one to.

I could no longer see her.

"Okay…" I breathed uneasily. "No such thing as a phone here, and I don't have a post owl yet…so, I need to somehow make it out of my house and to the nearest guard tower without Celestia catching me…fantastic."

"Tobiasssssssss"

I froze, the hauntingly beautiful sound of my old lover's voice gluing me to the spot.

"Did you forget to do something, Tobiassss!"

I turned around and looked in horror at my fireplace, realization dawning as her voice came through it yet again.

"You didn't ward the fireplace," she sang, her voice playful and chipper. "Oh, and you were doing so well. But it's okay, everyone makes mistakes dear."

Thin wisps of gold began to slither through the open grate, slowly and steadily forming into something…someone.

I ran out of that room like the hounds of hell themselves were chasing me, reaching the back door and yanking on it…only to realize too late that it wouldn't open, not for a good hour.

I deadlocked it…fucking hell!

Turning away, I ran to the front door and tried that one instead. I hadn't deadlocked it which was a risk in itself, but I was grateful none the less because give or take a few locks and it was open and I was-

The door slammed itself shut, nearly chopping off a bit of nose in the process.

"Oh you can't leave now, the game's just getting started my dear!" I couldn't see her, but I could definitely hear her. She was inside my home with me…I was trapped.

"What do you want?" I demanded, trying and failing to hide my fear. "Why haven't you just knocked me out and dragged me back to Canterlot yet?"

Her laughter permeated the air, soft and somewhat melodious as it echoed around me.

"And why would I take you back to those stuffy nobles when we can have a bit of fun first?" she crooned, her tone as soft as velvet. "No my love, I wish to play a game with you. There's even a reward if you win."

"What game?" I asked, trying to turn the handle as I did so and gritting my teeth when it didn't budge.

"Why, it's a mixture of games!" she chirped, giggling madly the entire time. "First we'll play Question and Answer, mixed in with a little game of Hide and Seek!"

She sounds completely insane…but maybe if I can make it upstairs I can climb out the window in my room.

"Okay then dear," I agreed, my words coming out a lot braver than I felt. "Let's play then."

The sound of hooves clapping together was all the warning I got before I felt something whisper in my ear. "Good boy."

I almost leapt out of my skin.

"Now here's how this game works. I ask you a question and if you answer it correctly, I count to twenty and you have to hide from me. If you manage to do so for more than five minutes then you win the game and consequently, the reward!"

"And what if I answer incorrectly?" I asked, already dreading the answer as she began to giggle again.

"Well…if you answer my question wrong or I find you, then I'll break one of your fingers!"

WHAT THE FUCK?

"B-But you promised that you'd never hurt me!" I cried, tugging on the handle over and over.

"You promised that you'd never leave me," she countered, and this time I could feel the fury behind her otherwise cheery tone. "But like you leaving me, the breaking of your fingers will only beeee temporary!"

"N-No Celly, sweetie, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. Please we don't have to play this game, I'll come back home with you and I'll never leave you again, I swear!"

There was only silence for a while, and for a moment I began to think that I had gotten through to her…but then-

"First question baby. What is my favourite thing to do every Sunday morning?"

I shook my head, refusing to answer her question as I pleaded with her once more. "Celly, please! We don't have to play this game, we can go home and AHHHHH!" I fell to the floor and screamed in agony as my right index finger was snapped backwards, a brief tint of gold flickering around it before vanishing.

"Wrong answer! You realllly need to play the game properly sweetie. The correct answer is the same as every other morning. To wake up and kiss my loving boyfriend!"

Tears were fighting against me to stream down my face and only sheer determination stopped them from flowing. "C-Celly please stop!"

"Next question!" she sang merrily. "What is the one thing my mate for life did…that HE SHOULDN'T HAVE?!"

"L-Leave you," I stammered out, gritting my teeth in pain.

"Correct!" she cried happily "Oh, now you better go and hide. One, two, three, four…"

I knew nothing I said would get through to her, and if I tried to stay and plead again then she would likely just ignore me until the countdown was up and break another finger for finding me.

So I ran up the stairs and looked around for somewhere, anywhere to hide.

"Eleven, twelve, thirteen…"

Ceasing the moment as best I could, I ran into the guest bedroom and dove into the wardrobe, pulling clothing after clothing over me in my best attempt to hide underneath it.

"Nineteen, TWENTY! Ready or not, here I come!"

I could feel my heartbeat pounding in my ears, I could hear it. After a few minutes or so the stairs began to creak, the sound of hooves clopping against them ever so slowly as they grew nearer.

"Where's my Toby?" Celestia asked, her voice childlike and oh so fucking creepy. "Tobyyyyy?"

The sound of her hooves quietened as she veered off in the direction of my bathroom. Alas, it was only a bare forty seconds later that those hooves became noticeable once more. Worse still, they had clearly entered the room I was hiding in!

"Hmm, now I'm not one to cheat my love. But your scent is pungent in this room, spicy and sweet all at the same time. Oh how I cannot wait to breathe it all in once more."

A few more seconds passed as I heard the distinct sound of someone ruffling around with my guest bed.

"And five minutes have passed, well done my love!" Celestia declared, her voice happy and chipper again. "You won the game sweetheart, come on out now!"

I didn't move a bloody muscle; I didn't even breathe.

"Tobias, I said you won. Come on out…now!" her voice wasn't quite as chipper this time, but instead carried the tone of a scolding mother. But still, I didn't comply with her request. I stayed completely still, breathing as quietly and sparingly as I possibly could.

"You're not being very fair Tobias, so I'm going to say this one more time before I have to use my magic. You've won, I have your reward. So come and get it."

"Now."

What do I do?

A few more moments passed before an irritated snort caught my attention. "Very well, I guess if I must then I will simply have to get you. But I expect many kisses for putting up with this!"

The familiar sound of a horn lighting up with magic was all the warning I got before I felt myself being pulled out through the wardrobe, banging my head on the top shelf on my way before I found myself facing a cross looking Celestia.

"You didn't play very nicely, Tobias," she said, her lips drawn in a thin line. "One would almost think you didn't enjoy my game." She looked down at my broken finger and narrowed her eyes, her horn lighting up for but a brief moment before the finger seemed to snap back into place…painfully.

I hissed in agony as I felt the full brunt of the aftereffect, before my face was forcibly turned to look at hers.

"That was barely a spark of the pain you've caused me since you left," she whispered, her eyes flooding with angry tears as her lower lip trembled. "But…But I really…I've really missed you Tobias."

Before I could even think to stop her she moved forward and wrapped her wings around me tightly, her muzzle buried in my neck as she breathed and shuddered.

"I'm sorry baby, I hurt you again didn't I," she mumbled sadly, moving out of my neck and looking at me with tears in her eyes. "I…I just wanted to…"

Whatever she wanted didn't matter to me in that moment, I wasn't going to let her hurt me again, no matter how frightened I felt.

And so...

"I don't care what you want, because you're not having it if it involves me."

'SMACK'

I punched her in the side of her face, the shock or pain causing her to loosen her hold on me, enough for me to run as fast as I fucking could downstairs into the hall, where I ran full tilt into the door and prayed my thanks to every god out there that I managed to somehow break the damn thing down. A sharp snapping sound confirmed that I'd done something nasty to my shoulder, but I was far too pent up on adrenaline to concern myself with it then and there.

Unfortunately…

I barely managed to make it to the end of my pathway before something tripped me up and I fell to the ground, before something else began to pull me back towards the house.

I was screaming in terror as my freedom became a pipe dream, my fingers bloody from clawing at the ground.

"You don't want me, you don't want my PROTECTION, fine! But If I can't have your love…"

A sudden intense pain in my chest caused my vision to turn grey. Blood began to seep from my mouth and ears, my eyes becoming sticky as they too wept red tears

...the world was fading…

"Then no one can…"

"C-Cel…ly…uhh…"

End

An alternative to the alternative will be on its way soon. I just couldn't resist going all sadistic and killing Tobias off XD

Sorry, uh, stay snuggly?