May froze up as she turned to me. "This is weird for me too, but I can't think what else it could mean by an act of love- Wait a second. I have an idea. Give me your hands." Her stiffness went away as she took both my hands in front of her. I sighed in annoyance. "What? Are we getting married now, is that it?" May shook her head. "No, I realized that an act of love doesn't necessarily have to be physical. What if we try something verbal and simple like you tell me what you love about me?"
I raised an eyebrow. "Why do I have to do it?" She shrugged. "It's like you said, I say I love you to everything, therefore it won't mean much if I do it. But yours, I am very confident that yours could open that door." I felt like we were wasting time by doing this and glared down at her. "I have never said that word to anyone before now, and I never plan to. Besides, I don't like anything about you." May gave me a questioning look. "Come on Dedrin, there has to be something about me that you don't totally despise."
I hesitated. "Can I lie?" May shook her head. "No, you cannot." I looked away from her and thought harder. "Ugh fine. I suppose... I... L-l-love... That you... Cook, for me." Suddenly, the cracks in between the bricks in the ground started to glow blue and spread to the designs on the door. May gasped at the sight. "It's working! Keep going!" I hurried to think of more things to say as the ground began to shake as I did so.
"I uh, l-love that you're determined, I love that when you sing it's not like nails on a chalkboard, I love that you seem to have all the answers to everything, I love that your hair is so freakishly long like a waterfall of rose gold, and I love that you would do anything to help me!" The shaking continued as the door to the garden opened slowly. As soon as it revealed its dark and mystical interior, the shaking came to a halt, and the light faded.
May jumped with joy as she turned to the open entrance in front of us. "I can't believe it worked! Way to go!" She then paused and turned back to me, curiously. "What was that one about my hair?" I started to walk quickly into the garden. "Nothing. Let's go."
The stone under my feet became soil as I walked into the wilderness ahead. It was dark inside the dome but was lit by the glowing of the bioluminescent plants. There was a variety of colors that shone through the leaves of the jungle-like vegetation, and there was a thin layer of fog covering the ground.
May looked around in astonishment as she followed behind me, and the slam of the door closing behind us came soon after we stepped inside. May jumped and I looked behind me. "I hope we don't have to come out the same way we came in." I continued to walk forward and May walked quickly to my side with a bright smile. "What are you smiling at?" I said as I looked around, cautiously.
She giggled a little and pointed to me. "I got you to say I love you. Hehe." I turned to her with fire in my eyes. "I never said that. I did what I had to do to open the door. I still won't hesitate to skin you if you keep up with that nonsense." Her shoulders dropped and her smile became a pout. I continued walking ahead, and after a while, I stepped out of a cluster of plants into a clearer area.
I was surprised to see a small waterfall from a higher lift of land falling into a small pond that was filled with sparkling koi. Strange flowers were in the bushes and plants around the opening of grass, and in the open stood two white horses with long horns on their heads. Their fur sparkled from the light of the plants and occasional sunbeams that leaked through the cracks of the dome. their manes were thick and long, and just as glittery as their coats. Their horns were white as well and spiraled perfectly until their sharpest point, overflowing with gentle magic.
May flew over the plants behind me and stopped dead in her tracks as she saw them. She covered her mouth in surprise and whispered. "They're absolutely beautiful." I rolled my eyes and drew my sword. "Great, let's chop the horn off one of them and get out of here." I started to walk towards the unicorns when May flew in front of me with horror. "What?!"
I tried to get around her as I answered. "The test was to pick a unicorn horn so I pick that one." I pointed to one of them and by now they had noticed our presence. May continued to block me from getting any closer. "You can't! I won't let you!" I stepped back with irritation. "Relax. I'm not going to kill them, I'm just going to break their horns off." May's eyes were frightened as she looked up at me. "Taking their horn WILL kill them!" I paused. "Oh. Then I'm going to kill them."
I resumed trying to get past her but she continued to block me. I soon became angry and pointed my sword to her throat. "Get out of the way! You said that you were going to help me, not stop me!" She stayed in place and hesitated. "This doesn't make sense though! Why would this be part of the test?! Killing a unicorn would have catastrophic effects on the magic world! There's no way to know what would happen! Goblins might be able to walk in light, mermaids could drown, or fairies could lose their ability to fly!"
I sighed. "Who cares?! It's what the test said to do, so I'm doing it!" May's eyes widened at a realization. "Wait a second! That isn't what the test said to do! Remember it said to pick a unicorn horn? Maybe it isn't referring to the animal, but instead a magical plant?!" She then looked around hurriedly and I let my sword down to rest at my side. "What are you babbling about?"
The bushes that May had flown into rustled as she answered me. "I remember reading about a plant named after a unicorn because of its magical properties and likeness! Maybe they're found in this garden!" I shook my head and rested my arm on my sword as it stuck in the soil. "You have thirty seconds to prove your point before I finish what I started."
I watched May zip around for a few seconds before she jumped up from inside a plant and waved me down. "Dedrin! I found it!" I honestly thought she was just trying to stall me from killing the unicorns and was interested in what she found. I walked over to her and she gestured to a bed of glowing purple plants that had spiraled buds and looked exactly like unicorn horns.
I raised an eyebrow at the sight. "Huh." May then happily picked one and it continued to glow as she held it in her hand. She seemed relieved and her voice was less panicked as she spoke. "See? Things aren't always as they seem. Otherwise, these wouldn't be called tests and instead be called tasks."