Three days.
Three short, frantic days. Little more than a blur, really. It was so chaotic. A whirlwind of activity, of energy and confusion, of trying to figure out who was where and what they were doing. I don’t have a lot of concrete memories of those three days. Fleeting images, mostly.
Three days spent in the throne room, in a conference room, in the dining hall - wherever the royal family was, I was likely there as well. Even though Solaris still eyed me warily, Serenity must have put in a few good words on my behalf. It was almost as though I’d become something of a family friend. I was even asked for input on a couple of matters concerning the rebuilding of Everfree and the rest of Equestria.
Three days spent watching the royal family begin to pick up the pieces of their kingdom. Word spread quickly throughout Equestria of Adamant Will’s death. Every day, as we settled in for breakfast, we would receive news of another insurrection taking root - in Baltimare, in Fillydelphia and Manehattan and Vanhoover. The military leaders that had either survived within the resistance or been liberated from the palace’s dungeons had been dispatched to the largest cities to lead to fights. Fights that quickly became routs, as the Minotaurs withered and fled in the face of the Unicorns’ unmitigated magic.
Three days spent looking at dead Minotaurs. Trying to identify the corpses. It wasn’t pretty. Some of them had been killed gruesomely, such as one who had had both arms severed and three arrows punched into his chest. I was eventually able to identify the Minotaurs that I was looking for. Steelskin, a fierce snarl still etched on his face, with rigor mortis ensuring that his hammer would never be pried from his fingers. Dusthorn, head severed from his body and tongue rolling out of his mouth. Thunderhoof, defiant to the end, with one hand cut off and the other still clutching his bloodied axe, finally done in by a sword through the heart. I couldn’t help but feel a wave of regret roll over me as I saw each of these Minotaurs, but especially Thunderhoof. It almost seemed like seeing a dead friend. But just as quickly, I moved on. Regret for my actions would not change them.
Three days spent meeting up with old acquaintances. Firefly and Doctor Caligari were both bruised and bleeding, but very much alive. Captain Thunderbolt, too, survived. I couldn’t help but shudder at the gleeful smile he bore as I recounted to him Adamant Will’s final moments. I didn’t find Blossom until the third day, resting in one of the many makeshift medical wings that had been established all across the castle lawn. Her left hand had been severed, but she made sure to let me know, no less than a dozen times, that she’d survive just fine without it. She also let me know that Orchard had escaped from the camp unharmed, through they’d gotten separated in the woods.
And three nights. Three long, dark, glorious nights. Peaceful. Serene. Three nights spent in my room, recovering sleep that I’d lost. I slept better than I had in weeks. I didn’t wake in the middle of the night. I woke up refreshed. And the beast from my nightmares - the one that Serenity had banished - did not return.
So much happened in those three days. Everything changed. Whereas under Minotaur rule my travel had been strictly controlled, I was permitted nearly limitless liberty with my movement throughout the castle. Pony guards of all three races replaced the hulking forms of the Minotaurs. Minos’ banners were replaced by the emblem of Equestria - a sun and moon chasing each other in a large circle against a violet background. Talk echoed through the halls of the castle at all hours of the day, and often well into the night. Talk, and even occasional bout of laughter. Despite the challenges that still lay ahead, an air of lightheartedness had swept through the palace.
Familiar faces had faded away, as well. Blossom remained in one of the many makeshift medical wings, and Orchard remained unaccounted for. Sombra left the capitol on the second day, traveling north towards his home in the Crystal Empire. Firefly and Thunderbolt were both dispatched to the large cities to direct the battles being fought there. In fact, the only familiar face besides the royal family that hung around was Doctor Caligari. Even then, most of his time seemed to be split between the various medical wings, tending to the wounded and sick.
I quickly found myself settling into a routine. I would join the royal family in the dining hall for breakfast, and hear the latest news from around the kingdom. I would meet them in the same room again for lunch and dinner, and again just before bed. The rest of my day was spent in a variety of locations, often with one or both of the Princesses. On the lawn, observing the training drills of the new recruits to the guard. In meeting rooms, listening in on policy meetings and battle strategies. And sometimes, simply spending time in the library, reading up on the history of Gaia, out of curiosity more than anything.
So began the fourth day as usual. As I pushed my way into the dining hall, I saw that the four members of the royal family were already at the other end of the dining table. Their plates were still mostly full of fruits and grains, though they’d already begun to eat. Solaris and Serenity were leaned in close next to each other, a set of papers spread out on the table between their plates. Luna and Celestia weren’t involved, but based on the angle of their ears, I could guess that they were listening in.
“Good morning,” I greeted the group as I took my usual spot next to Celestia. A plate had already been set out for me, with the usual morning meal upon it - sliced apple, toast, grapes, and cantaloupe. A good breakfast for Ponies, for sure. And yet, I still felt myself missing my favorites from home. Biscuits and gravy. Bacon. And grits. Oh god, grits…
“Morning, Chris,” Serenity replied I saw her smile a bit, but she didn’t look up towards me..
“What’s the news today?” I asked as I popped a grape between my teeth and crushed it with a satisfying pop.
“The Minotaurs have been fully pushed out of Fillydelphia,” came the response, this time from Solaris, who again did not meet my eyes. I closed my eyes, trying for what felt like the thousandth time to identify his voice. I still couldn’t quite place it, though it certainly sounded similar to one back home. “And Vanhoover has begun to rise up. Other, smaller towns are reporting that their occupying forces are beginning to leave on their own. It seems that their forces are in full retreat.”
“Good, good…”
“That’s not the only thing.” I turned my head towards Celestia as she continued, though she chose instead to focus on her breakfast. “We found the maps that the Minotaurs have been creating while searching the caverns beneath Everfree a couple of days ago. We’ve had a few soldiers exploring them.”
I felt my pulse pick up. Something about the way she said that… “Go on…”
“...I believe we’ve found your pool.”
Silence.
I could have heard a pin drop. Even the chewing of their breakfasts had ceased. Before, they had refused to meet my eyes. Now they all stared at me in unison. Watching. Waiting. For a few moments, I sat in silence as well. Stunned.
Finally, I was able to get my mouth moving again. “W… when did this come in?” I asked.
“Last night, after you had gone to sleep.” That had been Luna that spoke up this time.
“Well then…” I murmured. I reached down and popped another piece of cantaloupe into my mouth, chewing it slowly. As I swallowed, I felt a grin split across my face. “So… when can we go there?”
“As soon as a group of guards can be assembled. Which we sent orders for half an hour ago.”
The rest of breakfast passed much like the rest of the previous three days had - in a blur. I barely remember eating or drinking. I barely remember leaving the dining hall to go gather my things. The walk down to the throne room… it was all a blur. There was only one thing rushing through my mind at that point.
I was going home.
Back home. To family. To Evan and Carlos, Mom and Dad and little bro. Back to horses that walked on four hooves instead of two, and didn’t answer when you spoke to them. Back to meat for every meal of the day. Back to the things I’d never known I’d miss. School. Work. Those super-steep stairs in the classroom building that left you out of breath no matter how good of shape you were in…
A hand fell across my shoulder, dragging me from my rush of excitement and back into reality. Somehow, I’d made it to the throne room. I glanced over my shoulder to see Luna turning away from me, back towards Celestia. I did a quick once-over to make sure I hadn’t left anything behind. My bag was slung over my shoulders, and certainly felt heavy enough for everything to still be inside. My knife was clipped to my belt. The familiar weight of my phone lay in my right-side pants pocket. My bow and quiver were strapped to my back, underneath my backpack. The pouch of scrolls was tied firmly around my belt. My flashlight was in hand.
I was ready.
So too, it seemed, was everyone else. “Alright, torches everypony!” I heard Serenity call out from the front of the crowd. There were eleven of us in total - myself, Luna, Celestia, Serenity, Solaris, and half a dozen guards. We’d all gathered around the foot of the stairs leading up to the thrones - thrones, I realized, that had replaced the massive ornamental chair that Adamant Will had sat on. Another memory of his reign of terror had been done away with, it seemed.
I heard the rushing of wind, and a flash of light burst to life from the front of the group. A series of fireballs rose up into the air, and slowly fell back down. Each ball fell onto a torch held by one of the Ponies - eleven in all - and each torch roared to life, sputtering and spitting flames.
“This way, now,” I heard Serenity call out. I saw her ascend up the stairs towards the throne, followed by Solaris, Celestia, and the guards. Luna held back, falling to the back of the pack with me. We all crowded up towards the top of the throne, and those towards the front of the group moved behind the thrones themselves. There was a moment of silence. Then, the sound of stone scraping against stone. A moment later, the group began moving forward. Sure enough, as we rounded the thrones, I saw that the wall behind the throne had disappeared, sinking into the ground to reveal a tight, downward spiral staircase.
The secret entrance into the caverns beneath Everfree.
I clicked my flashlight on as I entered the dark spiral and began to descend into the bowels of the earth. I could hear and feel Luna behind me, torch in hand, as we made each turn down the spiral, and I could hear the stone wall sliding up behind us to seal us within.
Eventually, the spiral leveled out and opened into a larger cavern. Much, much larger. The ceiling had to be over a dozen feet above my head, and the walls further apart than half a dozen of the guards standing side-by-side. The group had all stopped there, and I could see Solaris peering towards the back of the group as we exited the spiral.
“Everypony here?” Solaris asked no one in particular. His eyes darted across the group, counting the individual members. “Alright. Half of the guard in front of us, half behind. Take us to this pool.” The guards responded immediately, fanning out to box myself and the royal family in. Three of the guards stood side by side, torches held high and swords drawn, while the other three guards mirrored their positions behind us. One of the guards up front motioned with his torch, and as one we took off further into the cavern.
An eerie sense of deja vu washed over me as we wandered through the caves. The passage was wide at points, narrower at others, sometimes to the point where we had to walk single file. More than once, we had to stoop down to fit under a low ceiling. The torchlight cast flickering shadows all across the caverns, shadows that were broken only by the solid beam of light cast by my flashlight.
Celestia walked close to the front with her parents, speaking to them in hushed whispers. Luna, on the other hand, hung near the back with me. For a long while, our group walked in near silence, with only the whispers from the front of the group revealing any conversation.
But I had a few questions still. Questions I hoped to get the answers to before I left. “Hey. Luna,” I hissed.
“Hm?” I heard the response come from my right.
“I got a few questions I’m hoping you can answer before I get out of here.”
“Go on.”
“First off… why aren’t you all using those balls of light that I saw you using when we first met down here?”
“Because we have access to torches this time,” Luna replied. “Last time we ran down here into the darkness without the time to prepare. We had no time to fetch torches. This time, we did. And maintaining that light orb for a long period of time can be taxing. No need to spend more energy, especially in our state.”
“Fair enough,” I nodded. “So, second question. And this one’s been bugging me for a while now. Adamant Will’s talisman stopped magic, yeah?” Luna nodded. “Right. So… why didn’t you all just accelerate, say, a small rock to supersonic speeds? Use something like the gun I built, but with magic instead of an explosion?”
“Well controlling and accelerating an object that small to such speeds with good accuracy requires an incredibly refined magical talent,” Luna began. “At best, we’d be throwing the rock in roughly the general direction of our target. And we did try such a tactic, but it turns out that the magical protection was able to detect that the projectiles had been flung by magic, and stopped our magically-accelerated missiles dead in their tracks. Same with any kind of fireball or shards of ice or anything like that. It was an incredibly sophisticated protection, one which we’re going to have to study at some point.”
“So what are you all going to do with that amulet?”
“Hide it, probably. Destroy it, if we can, though given its ability to resist most forms of magic, I doubt we’ll succeed.”
“One last question.” There was a brief pause as we stooped beneath yet another low overhang, with me having to drop to my knees in order to fit underneath. “What exactly was that last spell you gave me?”
“Something of an experiment,” Luna began. “As I said, mother and Celestia and I worked on that spell for several days, and it took quite a bit out of us. It was a combination spell. The first bit was a time warp. I’m sure you noticed that tim seemed to freeze around you when you used the spell.” I nodded. “That was the first part, and the part that required most of our strength. Warping time is no easy matter, even for such a brief moment. The second part was simpler, but perhaps just as important. A spell to harden the resolve of whomever activated the scroll. We believed that if it came down to using that scroll, you might be in… a bit of a bind. Scared. Perhaps too scared to act. It was a little something we added to overcome that fear.”
“So that explains the warmth…”
“Warmth, hm?” I could almost hear Luna’s eyebrow raising. “Where?”
“Right here,” I replied, tapping my chest right over my heart.
“Interesting…”
“Why’s that?” I asked.
“Nothing important.”
I wasn’t convinced. Not at all. But I shrugged it off. Whatever her interest in the effects of the spell, it wouldn’t be my problem for long.
The rest of our trip passed in silence. It was a long journey - at least an hour, most likely more. I couldn’t tell. My phone was dead - well and truly dead at this point, with no charge left in my charging battery to turn it back on. The sun, which I had learned to use as an approximation of the time, was hidden from view. We kept walking, on and on through the caves. I’m sure my anticipation made it feel longer than it actually took, but it certainly felt like an eternity.
But eventually, we stopped.
“Here,” I heard a rough male voice echo through the cavern. Peering past Luna’s shoulder, I could see that a large opening was cut into the wall to our left, and Serenity and one of the guards was looking through the opening.
“Chris,” I heard Serenity’s voice cut its way back towards me. “Is this your pool?”
Slowly, I pushed my way through the crowd and up towards Serenity. As I rounded the corner, my eyes fell upon it. A large, crystal-clear lake of water, almost perfectly circular and a dozen feet in radius. The fiery glow of the torches illuminated the surrounding area, allowing me to glance around. Even half-drowned as I had been the last time I had seen the lake, there was no mistaking it. I could even spot that small handhold that I had grabbed onto to stop from toppling back in.
“Yeah,” I nodded. “This is it.”
“Excellent.” Serenity gave me a pat on the back, and I turned my head towards her. “Please, take the bow and quiver as tokens of our thanks. The scrolls, too, you may keep… though perhaps it would be wise to use them sparingly,” She added. “If I understand correctly, you Humans tend to react rather strongly when first introduced to magic.” This earned a small round of chuckles from the three mares and myself as I remembered the first time I had been introduced to magic - floating around one of these very caverns, hoisted by Celestia.
“Thanks. I’ll make sure to keep them in good condition,” I promised as I pulled my phone from my pocket and clicked my flashlight off. Both of these items were tucked away in my bag. No sense in getting electronics wet when I could keep them safely stowed away where it was waterproof. “It’s been interesting, but I don’t think anyone back home will believe me if I tell them where I’ve been for the past month.”
“What will you tell them?”
I shrugged. “I was lost in the mountains? I dunno. Nothing that would lead any of them back here, I assure you.”
“Farewell, Chris.” Celestia stepped forward and offered me her hand, which I shook. “Thank you. For everything.”
“Good bye.”
With a final breath, I shut my eyes and jumped into the darkness of the lake.
My eyes snapped open underwater.
Nothing happened.
I waited some more.
Still nothing happened.
My lungs were beginning to burn, so I kicked upwards. The weight of my bag dragged me down, but it wasn’t enough to keep me under forever. My head broke the surface, and I gasped down a gulp of air.
My own gasp was echoed by several others. Turning back towards the group, I rubbed water out of my eyes and blinked to see them all staring at me. “Is something wrong?” I heard Solaris ask.
“I ran out of air,” I explained. “It’ll work this time. Bye!” Once again, I dove under the surface of the water and waited.
And waited.
And waited.
Nothing happened.
I waited as long as I could before breaching the surface again. I spluttered a little this time, dragging myself over to the edge of the water and hanging on as I recovered my breath. “Are you sure this is going to work?” I heard one of the guards ask.
“Of course it’s going to work!” I exclaimed. “This is how I got into Gaia! It’s got to be the way out! It’s got to work!” For the third time, I plunged beneath the waves. I dove further down than I had before. Down towards the bottom. My eyes were scanning the walls. Looking. Searching for a tunnel. A passage. Something.
Anything.
Nothing.
I coughed, and a surge of bubbles rose from my mouth. I planted my feet against the floor of the pool. I pushed against it, and rocketed upwards again. My head broke the water again, and this time my gasp was accompanied by no small amount of splashing.
“Chris, something’s wrong!” I heard Luna call out over the splashing of the water. “It’s not working!”
“It’s got to work!” I replied back. “It has to!
“I’m not sensing any magic around this pool,” Celestia’s voice echoed through the cavern. “It’s just water.”
“It’s a portal home!”
I dove underwater again. Before I could go more than a few feet down, I felt something grab my leg. I thrashed against the grip. But it was no use. Its grip was too tight. I felt myself hauled upside down out of the water. Looking back towards the group, I saw Serenity’s horn lit up. Her magical aura was surrounding my leg, She lowered me gently down to the ground.
“Chris. It’s not working.”
“It has to work!” I all but yelled. Soaked though I was by the pool, I could feel fresh moisture building at the corner of my eyes as I scrambled to my feet. “It’s my portal home!”
“It ain’t no portal,” I heard another guard mutter. “Just water…”
I felt the back of my bag hit the stone wall behind me. They were gathering closer. I had to get away. “No… no, you’re wrong. It’s going to work. Just let me back in that pool and -”
“Chris.” Luna’s voice cut into mine. “No. You see it as well as we do. Nothing’s happening. It… it’s just a pool, Chris. Just water. Nothing else”
Silence.
My vision blurred. Around me, I could hear hushed murmuring. I didn’t care. I must have fallen down to my knees. I vaguely noted that Luna had knelt down next to me. She put one hand on my shoulder. I reached up with both hands to try and rub the blurring away from my eyes for a moment. My hands came away wetter than they were before. I turned my head towards Luna.
And in her eyes, I saw pity.
My eyes rolled into the back of my head. Darkness took me.