When Rainbow and Rarity made their way back to the worship room, they found Gyro had moved from the corner to one of the windows. There she sat with her chin resting on the bottom sill of the porthole, letting the fresh mountain air blow over her thin and bony face. Her ears perked when she heard hoofsteps, but she didn’t have enough strength to do more than tilt her head to the side. “You’re back,” she croaked. “I heard all this rumbling and I didn’t know what was happening.”
“We were getting ourselves back to Equestria,” Rainbow said. She pointed to the pegasus statuette when Rarity set it down on a nearby altar. “We need this thing if we’re gonna get home.”
Gyro blinked. “Why? It just looks like some statue to me.”
“There’s some sort of magical effect over these islands,” Rarity said. “Or, at least, that’s what we think. When the Concordia went down, we expected Princess Luna to visit our dreams to try and find us, given our close relationship with her. But in the weeks since we washed up here, there’s been nothing. Don’t you find that a bit strange?”
“That… is strange, I suppose,” Gyro said. “Something’s stopping her from finding your dreams?”
“That’s the idea,” Rainbow said. “We found a little shrine underneath our island that had a crystal pony figurine but there were spots for three more. We figured, four islands, four shrines, four pony races? It couldn’t be a coincidence.”
“So now we’re trying to find these figurines to see if that lowers whatever magical effect is hiding these islands here,” Rarity finished. “That’s why we left our island to come here. And before we’re finished, we’ll have to visit the other two islands as well.”
The engineer nodded. “Huh,” was all she had to say at first. “Okay, so that’s a start then. But how are we going to get out of here?”
Rainbow and Rarity looked at each other. “We haven’t found an exit…” Rarity admitted.
But Rainbow shook her head. “That’s not true, Rares.”
Gyro cocked an eyebrow. “So which one is it?”
“There’s a skylight in the main chamber,” Rainbow said. “It’s easily big enough for us to go through. It’s probably like ten feet across. Maybe more.”
“But there’s no way to get to it,” Rarity protested. “It’s carved into the ceiling and there’s no way to access it. The third-floor balcony is too far away to even get close.”
“Yeah, but you’re a unicorn,” Rainbow said. “You have magic.”
Rarity shook her head. “I don’t know teleportation or transmutation magic, Rainbow. Only telekinesis and prestidigitation. Neither of those are very helpful.”
“Not true.” Rainbow shook her head. “Rarity, you lifted a raft that weighed a ton, probably literally. We’re all little ponies. Piece of cake in comparison! You can just lift us out of the skylight thing and we’ll be on top of the mountain!”
“But what about me? I can’t lift myself out!”
“Yeah you can! Remember Starlight? She could make herself fly with her telekinesis. I don’t see why you couldn’t either.”
“I thought that was dangerous,” Gyro said. “That’s why unicorns don’t do it.”
“It is,” Rarity said. “It’s very disorienting and the feedback you get from encasing your horn in your own spell makes it difficult to concentrate. Believe me, every unicorn has tried to pick themselves up when they’re little. It’s one of the first things we all try to do when we can start using our magic effectively.”
“Listen, Rares,” Rainbow said, walking up to Rarity. She put her hooves on the seamstress’ shoulders and began massaging them. “If there’s anypony that can do it, it’s you. And it’s really the only choice we have, unless you want to fight your way through all those minotaurs probably camped outside the temple. I believe in you.”
Rarity didn’t look so convinced. “And what if I can’t? I could just end up falling to my death while trying to fly! It’s too dangerous!”
Gyro pushed herself away from the window. “If nothing else, Rainbow and I can find a vine or something to lower through the skylight once we’re out.”
It wasn’t exactly the best plan, but at least it was a plan, Rainbow supposed. What mattered was that they got out of the temple as soon as possible. “That’s an idea,” she said. “But we should at least go now. I don’t want to waste any more time inside this temple than we have to.”
“I suppose,” Rarity reluctantly agreed. Together, her and Rainbow started gathering their supplies for the great escape, while Gyro found the strength to walk. Within a few minutes, both Rainbow and Rarity had loaded up all they could on their persons, with Rarity holding the majority of the bulky items in her magic. Gyro joined them at the doorway on unsteady, sinewy legs.
Rainbow gave her a concerned look. “Are you going to be okay?” she asked. “Can you keep up?”
“So long as you don’t go too fast,” Gyro said. “I can move, just not very quickly.”
Rarity shot her a sympathetic smile. “Darling, as soon as we’re off this island, you’ll have lots of time to relax and recoup your strength on ours. There’s plenty of food and water there.”
“Yeah, you’ll be feeling good as new in no time!” Rainbow started through the door, the other two mares following her with a swish of her tail. “I hope you’re ready to finally be free of this dumb temple.”
“I don’t want to spend a second longer in here than I have to,” Gyro said. “I’m ready for the nightmare to end.”
They made it halfway down the short hallway before they heard stone booming against stone down the long entrance passage. Jumping in place, all three Equestrians looked to the left in time to see the doors opening. They simply stood there, frozen with horror, as several minotaurs forced the enormous stone doors open, revealing the chief in the middle with a hastily crafted makeshift star amulet in one hand. The moment his eyes fell on the ponies, his face twisted with rage and he pointed a beefy finger at them, bellowing something in his native language.
Rainbow didn’t waste any time shoving Rarity and Gyro down the hall. “We gotta go! Now!” she screamed. Spinning in place, she lowered her head, flipped the skeletal earth pony onto her back, and galloped toward the main chamber, ignoring the starved mare’s protests. Heavy hooves thundered down the hallway after them, but thankfully, the ponies had a head start. As soon as they entered the main chamber, Rainbow turned to Rarity. “We have to get up and out now.”
“We need to go upstairs first,” Rarity said, galloping toward the stairs. “Field strength degrades the further from the horn it is. I wouldn’t be able to get you all out from the ground floor before my magic fizzled away!”
Rainbow cursed as she started on the stairs. “Fine! To the top then!”
Huffing and panting, the ponies climbed the steps all the way to the top as fast as they could. Down below them, Rainbow heard the minotaurs’ hooves enter the main chamber and fanning out. They only had a couple of minutes until they were found, and as soon as Rarity started using her magic, they’d know exactly where they were. Time was of the essence. She just prayed Rarity would be able to fly herself out of the temple.
They nearly collapsed against the third-floor balcony when they crested the last set of stairs. After a moment to catch her breath, Rainbow turned to Rarity, who was already red in the face and still panting. “Rares, we have to go now,” she said. “We don’t have much time!”
Rarity shakily nodded. “Okay, okay. I’ll send you two up first.” Magic built on her horn and she closed her eyes. “I just hope this works!”
Rainbow felt the tingle of Rarity’s magic wrap around her and Gyro. A second later, she flinched as her hooves left the ground and an intangible force dangled her over the temple floor far below. She saw minotaurs point up at her and shout, and several ran towards the stairs. But up above her, the oculus in the ceiling drew closer and closer. Sunlight shined down on her shoulders, and then…
She was out.
Rarity unceremoniously dumped the two ponies on a patch of dirt and stone on the oculus’ edge, but Rainbow cheered nonetheless. They were out now, out of the horrible temple. She looked aside at Gyro, who shook and trembled in the light. “You alright, Gyro?” she asked, shaking the mechanic.
“I’m better than alright!” Gyro exclaimed. “I’m alive! Sweet Celestia, I’m alive!”
“Now we just need to try and keep it that way.” She looked back in the temple to see Rarity float up and dump the rest of their supplies through the oculus. “Come on, Rares! You gotta get out of there!”
“A second to catch my breath, please!” Rarity shouted back. Unfortunately, she didn’t have a second. Almost as soon as she said that, a group of minotaurs climbed the stairs, set their sights on Rarity, and readied their nets.
Rainbow’s heart nearly stopped. “Rarity! Look out!”
Rarity gasped and drew back, only there was nowhere for her to run to. Rainbow gripped the edge of the oculus, every instinct telling her to swoop in and save the day with flight she didn’t have. She felt utterly helpless from where she watched, unable to do anything to save her marefriend.
In a spurt of quick thinking, Rarity took the necklace off her neck and flung it at the minotaur closest to her. The shocked minotaur fumbled with the stone medallion, buying Rarity just enough time to make her move. The other minotaurs threw their nets, but instead of running, Rarity flung herself over the edge of the balcony. Time felt like it slowed for Rainbow as Rarity plummeted from a height that would surely kill her. But before she hit the floor, the unicorn enveloped her body in a blue glow that slowed her momentum and halted her in midair. Minotaurs all around the temple looked on in confusion as the unicorn simply hovered in the middle of the temple.
Rainbow blew a huge sigh of relief and cheered. “Yeah! Rarity!” she exclaimed, pumping a hoof. “Way to go! Now let’s get out of here!”
Rarity’s cheeks puffed, and then she shifted upwards. Bit by bit, Rarity rose toward the surface while the stunned minotaurs merely looked on. Though her field of magic flickered a few times, she lifted herself up to the edge of the skylight, so tantalizingly close to safety…
“Come on, Rarity!” Rainbow cheered her on, trying to help her find that last spurt of energy she needed to rise the last few feet. “You can do it!”
“I… can’t…” Rarity panted and panted. Sweat poured down her face. “My horn…”
The field fizzled, popped, and vanished in time with a sharp squeal from Rarity. Her alabaster hooves clawed at open air as her telekinesis failed her. But before she could fall, Rainbow lunged over the edge and hooked a foreleg around Rarity’s. Rarity jolted as she came to a sudden stop, and she opened her eyes to stare right into Rainbow’s.
“I’ve got you!” Rainbow grunted, trying to haul Rarity up the last bit. “Just hold on!”
But she was slipping, too. Rarity, being the heavier unicorn, was dragging Rainbow towards the hole as well. Both ponies knew it. They’d both go tumbling through the skylight and they’d both die from the fall.
“Just go!” Rarity insisted, her hoof slackening. “Save yourself!”
“Rarity!” Rainbow shouted back. “No! I won’t—!”
Something tugged on her tail, stopping her from slipping. She heard grunting and hooves sliding on stone behind her… and then she felt herself being dragged backwards. Rarity gasped as she began to rise, and in desperation, she tightened her grip on Rainbow’s hooves. Little by little, they rose…
And then Rainbow hauled Rarity up the rest of the way. Grunting, groaning, all three ponies collapsed onto the stone as Gyro let go of Rainbow’s tail. They simply laid there, trying to catch their breaths and letting their hearts slow down. But it wasn’t long before Rainbow smirked at Gyro.
“If you’re that strong after being starved for weeks, then I’m afraid of what you’ll be like once you get some meat back on your bones,” she joked. “Earth ponies are overpowered.”
“And nopony realizes it,” Gyro said with a smirk. “That’s the best part.”
Chuckling, Rainbow shook her head from side to side. “I like you, girl,” she said. “You’re alright.” Then, sighing, she forced herself to sit up. “We should find somewhere to hide. It’s not going to be long until those minotaurs come looking for us…”