They're calling me. I hear them. The Princesses.

They want me to go to the Aster Invictus.

"Long ago, we had to leave Equestria. The heavens conspired against it, and it took all our power to stop them," says the one crowned with day.

"Hope was not lost for Equestria, for we made the Aster Invictus to keep it safe," says the one cloaked in night.

"We promised we'd come back one day. That day's about to come." says the one robed with love.

"But we need your help. You're the one we've been waiting for," says the one clad in friendship.

I am humbled. I'm just a normal pony, yet the Princesses want me to bring about their return. I tell my husband, since I must share my excitement.

"What are you on about?" he asks. "You don't plan on just believing voices in your head, right?"

I am dismayed, but I can't deny what I hear. I tell everypony I know, hoping—for what, exactly? I don't need to tell them to know the answers they give.

"Have you been getting enough sleep?" asks the baker.

"You're plum crazy!" says the corn farmer.

"The Princesses aren't coming back," grouses the constable.

"Laity cannot enter the temple," says the priestess. "Even if you do hear Them, it is for naught."

What do they know? Why did I ask? Why would I pay attention to fools like them? I know what I must do. Last night I kissed my husband good night, and today I left before he could kiss me good morning. It breaks my heart, but there is no other choice.

I take the train to Canterburg, at the foothills of the Temple Mount. The crumbling spires of the old city loom high as I stare out the window. Above that, the temple housing the Aster Invictus, its glow bringing light and life to all Equestria.

Here, I am closer to the Aster than I have been in my life. I know my purpose. Yet now I am unsure. The baker's words tug at my heart. The farmer's exclamation weighs on my mind. The constable's lament wears on my soul. And the priestess's truth tries my strength.

I go to the library. Canterburg houses the oldest texts in the world—some said to be older than the Aster Invictus. There is a prophecy of the Princesses' return, and I would like to know if I am in accord with fate.

There it is. The lettering is ancient, but I know how to read the Celestial script. It describes the hero who will lead Equestria out of this era. She will be kind, loyal, generous, good-humored, honest; and she will brim with the power of her virtue.

Is that me?

I abandoned my husband to embark on my quest. I didn't even tell him what I was going to do. I took the money we were saving for our first foal to fund it. And when ponies told me I was wrong, I snapped into a dour funk.

I am no hero. I'm just a normal pony. I do not brim with power, just hubris.

They're calling me. I hear them. The Princesses.

They're not calling me. I know that.