After they opened their eyes, looking around the room and seeing many familiar faces, as well as a satchel on their nightstand, Light smiled, and greeted everyone, and they all breathed a sigh of relief, glad to see them finally awake again, though still wary of their words, as they did not yet know what had caused their Nirik eruption on the night of the celebrations a few days ago.
Looking to the side, they were somewhat startled to see Harvest in his magical form, which was slowly fading, as his coat dimmed, his hair darkened, and his eyes stopped glowing, after which they took a deep breath, raised themselves up to sit upright and placed their hooves on the ground, intending to stand up and to help Harvest, as he and Nox had tried to help them before.
He had spent much of his energy to reawaken Light, and sank through his knees, though fortunately, Starswirl, who was standing next to Harvest, and who had helped channel his magic, gently caught him as he fell, reassuring the others that he would be okay after some rest, which was confirmed by Harvest himself, as he lightly chuckled and greeted Light in kind.
After Meadowbrook ran out of the room, searching for a Doctor or Nurse to tell them that Light had woken up, Light tried to stand, but like Harvest only moments ago, they found themselves too exhausted to stand up, and they sunk through their knees, joining Harvest quite low to the ground, and they gave him a lighthearted, albeit strained chuckle.
As Luna walked over and helped Light up to sit them on their bed, Nox took over the duty of helping Harvest from Starswirl, while from down the hall, Light could hear the sounds of galloping hooves, joined by a voice with a strong accent telling someone else to please hurry up, and shortly thereafter, Meadowbrook entered the room again, followed closely by a Doctor and a Nurse.
The corner of the room was quite crowded, and while everyone made room as the Healers entered, allowing the Doctor to check up on Light, and the Nurse to help Nox get Harvest seated, Luna stepped to the side with Starswirl and wrote a letter to Celestia, writing that they successfully woke up Light, though she was not sure how they would open the locked hatch from here.
She sealed the letter and sent the letter back to her sister in Ponyville, and focused her attention back to the tired Kirins, and as she warmly smiled, with her eyes welling up, she asked both Harvest and Light how they were feeling, to which the two responded, with deep breaths, that they were alright, though they asked to take a moment, their fatigue having worn them out.
It took a moment for Light to realise that the group appeared to be incomplete, and they asked Luna where the others were, and Luna replied that they had decided to split up into two groups, with Banana, Decaf and Caff heading to Ponyville where Celestia would meet them, while Luna, Harvest and Nox headed to the Royal Archives to find more knowledge.
Hearing the names of their friends made Light's eyes fill with tears, so they looked down for a moment as a bittersweet smile grew unto their face, asking her if they were alright, and wishing they could see them again soon, although, thinking to themselves, they were not yet sure if they would be able to face them after hurting them so much.
Seeing the sky blue Kirin's expression fall so much, recognising the crushing weight of their actions, after the Doctor had finished checking up on Light, Luna walked over and sat next to them on the bed, reassuring them everyone was alright, and that they would be glad to hear they were too, and continued, saying they wish to enter the hatch to the Catacombs, though evidently, they had been sealed.
After hearing this, Light's ears perked up, and they said:
"Oh, yes, last time I was there I sealed the hatch, just in case. Doctor, could you tell me when I can leave?"
Recognising the Kirin as the one who had helped heal Celestia a few days ago with the help of a healing tonic, the Doctor, who was writing down the results after checking Light's vitals, said that they could leave after they had run the last few tests, for they appeared to be completely healthy, and had suffered no ill effects after having been unconscious for a few days.
After giving Light the good news, the Doctor then asked if Light had any amount of the healing potion remaining, for in the past few days, while the Centre had been investigating the tonic, a number of patients had received a few drops, and all healed completely, without suffering any side-effects, and they said it would be wise if they took some of the tonic as well.
Eyeing the satchel on their nightstand, Light nodded and thanked the Doctor, who nodded in return before leaving the room, after which Light turned towards the others in the room, and thanked them in turn for putting so much effort into helping them, saying they could not imagine how grateful they were for all that they did for them.
Bright smiles and cheerful voices were seen and heard across the room, and Harvest, exhausted and drunk with sleep, extended his hoof while he yawned, wishing to give Light a hoof-bump, which they gladly gave, just before Harvest closed his eyes and fell asleep, snoring loudly on the lap of Nox, who had taken a seat next to Harvest on a neighbouring bed.
Light chuckled endearingly to themselves and reached over to the satchel on their nightstand, finding more items than what they remember they had put in their bag, which confused them a great deal, and, adding to the confusion, Luna spoke up and said that their bag was on a different seat in the corner of the room, and they were unsure whom this satchel belonged to.
After shaking their head, Light closed the satchel and asked for their bag, which Meadowbrook handed to them with a smile, finding the bottle with a small remainder of the tonic inside, as well as the book of Ancient Tales that they remembered they took along on the night of the celebrations, though they put the book aside and grabbed a spoon, taking a few drops of the tonic.
Just like Celestia had said a few days prior, Light also felt warm inside, and while their energy was returning, the room glowed ever so slightly, before this quickly faded, and they managed to stand up on their own again, after which the first thing they did was walk over to Luna, standing nearly eye-to-eye with the Lunar Princess, and embraced her, thanking her for reaching out to them.
Much to the delight of everyone else, Luna, glad to see Light back to their regular selves, returned the embrace, and said she was happy to hear they were feeling well, after which she moved to the matter of the park, where Celestia and her group were still waiting for the spell on the locked hatch to the Catacombs to be lifted.
Light let go of Luna and nodded solemnly, saying that hearing about the others being at the park, willing to investigate the Catacombs in person, might give them a better idea of the strange tunnels, and with Banana there as a guide, along with the beacons they left on the walls when they first entered the tunnels, they could find out more.
They continued, saying that before heading to the park, they wanted to eat and drink something, and would meet them at the café after refreshing themselves, and they headed to the lavatory, where they dropped their facade, unable to hold back their tears, when remembering their chaotic transformation, and subsequent detonation in the desert to the South. With a shaky voice, they quietly said to themselves:
"How badly did I hurt those I care about when I turned? How many innocents would have died, had I not gotten away?"
After speaking with the Nurse, saying that she wished for Harvest to get some rest that she knew he seriously needed, Nox gently put Harvest's head on a pillow she grabbed, covered him with a blanket, and gave to the others a white lie, saying that she would see them in the café in a moment as well, for she felt the need arise to go to the loo, as Light did a moment ago.
As Luna, Starswirl and Meadowbrook, who all agreed to meet Nox in the café later, left the room, Nox turned the other way, leaving the sleeping Harvest in the room she just came from, under the care of the sweet Nurse she talked to, and walked towards the lavatory, all the while thinking about what she would say to Light, fearing she did not understand the magnitude of their pain.
In the bathroom, still staring into the mirror, as their eyes continuously welled up in tears, Light tried in vain to calm their breathing, whether by splashing some water onto their face, or trying to ground themselves by verbally noting their surroundings, but to no avail, and they felt themselves stuck in a downward spiral of negativity.
That is, they were unable to calm down until Nox entered, when they finally managed to hide their feelings behind an emotional mask once again, not wishing for anyone to know what they were fighting in their mind, nor see them as they were struggling to rationalise their thoughts, for they felt unworthy of the help of others, especially after causing so much harm.
When Nox entered, she calmly and quietly called out to Light, asking them how they were feeling, and said that, should they feel the need arise, they could talk to her, shortly after which, through the mirror, Nox saw Light wipe away their tears and turn towards her, as they put on a smile, and greeted her politely, saying they were nearly finished and would join the rest soon.
Able to see through the facade the Kirin had put up, seeing how grave their pain was and how much they struggled to hold back their emotions, as she did not want them to push her away, she humoured the Kirin, playing along with their pretence, though this act would not last long, as the Princess of Spirits managed to calm the Kirin with her presence alone, and their facade crumbled.
Light felt strange, as if the mere presence of Nox was enough to quell their fears and ease their pain, and as their knees gave away, causing them to sink to the floor, while their mask faltered and they could not stop themselves from crying, Nox swiftly ran over to the distraught Kirin, embracing them with a caring hug, and, to her relief, she felt their breathing slow down.
And so, for a while, the two beings, both of whom nigh unimaginably powerful, yet hurt and broken in many ways that very few would ever manage to understand, sat in silence together, not speaking a single word, but still allowing one to help the other, whether by showing solidarity with another being like themselves, or by helping one let out their feelings.
Eventually, Light spoke again, thanking Nox, in a teary voice, for all her help and support, and apologising to her, and everyone else, for hurting them so severely at the celebrations, fearing her response, as they believed they had failed to protect them, but instead, Nox embraced Light even more tightly than before, and said it was alright, and Light embraced her as well.
After a little while, Nox said to Light that the others, in the café were still waiting on them, and they should not keep them waiting too long, so they both released the other, stood up, wiped away their tears, cleaned their faces, and headed to the café, while on the way, Nox asked if Light would ever tell her what they had gone through, to which Light replied:
"I'll tell you in due time, as for now, I'd rather not think about any of it, but please remind me, as I want to get it off my chest very much."
After their little heart-to-heart, where they found solidarity with each other and began to understand what the other has been through, Nox and Light joined Luna, Starswirl and Meadowbrook in the café, finding they had ordered some drinks for themselves already, which Selene, the kind lady who ran the café, brought them shortly after, happily greeting Light and Nox as they entered.
The two politely greeted Selene in return, and took a seat at the table where the other three had sat down as well, just in time to order a drink, as well as some small refreshments, for themselves, before heading out to Pie Park, where Light was needed to lift the sealing spell they had placed on the trap door leading to the Catacombs.
The two joined in on pleasant conversation with Luna and the Pillars, where many laughs were shared and many embarrassing, yet endearing moments were spoken of aplenty, leading to the subject of the story - who was, in most stories, Luna - to turn bright red and chuckle nervously as they covered their face with their hooves, followed closely by lighthearted remarks about the past.
A little while later, Selene came by with the drinks and refreshments that Light and Nox had ordered, a coffee for Nox and a kettle of hot water with a selection of teas for Light, as well as a platter of bite-sized snacks, which they thoroughly enjoyed after not having had a proper meal for a number of days - on account of being unconscious.
Nox glanced towards Light on occasion, as she felt the need to watch out for them, especially since she appeared to be the only one who knew even a fraction of what Light had been through, as well as what they were still going through, though, for now, she respected the Kirin's wishes to not dwell on the subject of their transformation, nor their past, and planned to ask them later.
While they were enjoying their food and drink, Light asked how the group would head to Ponyville, and wondered if it were possible for the group as a whole to be teleported to Pie Park, as they figured it would drastically shorten the trip, though they feared it might cost the caster a lot of energy to cast the spell.
Looking between Light and each other, Starswirl and Luna reassured the Kirin, saying that before they and Nox had joined them in the café, they had discussed how the five of them would head to the park, and though it would require much focus, they planned to combine their powers, to ease the burden of casting the spell, by splitting the effort between both Luna and Starswirl.
Intrigued by the possibility of combining magical powers, Light nodded firmly and finished their refreshments, after which they helped clear up the dishes from the group, using their magic to hover all of the cups and plates over to the bar, where Selene, who was busy cleaning the countertop, thanked the Kirin for their help, and asked them to place the dishes next to the sink.
After neatly stacking the dishes, Light, not knowing when they would meet again, said goodbye to Selene, who stopped them to ask how they were feeling, as she had heard from her partner, a bearded stallion with an eye patch, who ran the café overnight, that, the night prior, they were brought in, unconscious, by a number of Guards, followed later by Princess Celestia.
Not wishing for her to know the true reason, Light said that at the celebrations there had been an incident, where a number of their friends were injured, but they had managed to prevent further harm, at the expense of their own health, though fortunately, after some rest, the Doctor, who had been treating them, confirmed they were healthy enough to leave the Centre.
Before turning back towards the group, Selene told Light:
"Glad to see you're alright, but please, remember to be more careful with yourself. Next time, you might not be so lucky..."
After thanking Selene for her concern, Light bade her goodbye, wishing they would meet her again soon, in more positive circumstances, and turned to head back to the group, who had left the café and had headed outside while they were bringing the dishes over to Selene, finding them outside the Centre, standing in a semi-circle, waiting for Light to appear.
Light joined the group and waited patiently for Luna and Starswirl to teleport them to Ponyville, yet before they cast the spell, Light's expression suddenly changed, and after they ran back inside, calling back towards the others to wait for just a moment, they returned, saying that they had forgotten something in the Centre, and nearly forgot to bring it along with them.
Fortunately, though it strained their powers and required intense focus, Luna and Starswirl managed to keep the spell from casting until Light returned, not a moment too soon, as the second they got back, a bright flash in front of the Centre appeared, and the group of five found themselves in the middle of the market in Ponyville.
Both Starswirl and Luna gave a stern look, asking Light what was so important for them to do, or to take along with them, that they could not possibly have waited, until the group had teleported away, allowing the two to take a bit of time to catch their breath, before taking them back to the Centre in Canterlot.
Light apologised to Luna and Starswirl, saying they left a note for Harvest, for whenever he woke up, finding himself alone in Canterlot, as they wanted to make sure that he knew where the group had gone to, as well as to grab their bag, that they had forgotten about in their room, which held a number of items, including the vial of healing tonic, that they knew would be extremely useful.
Lowering their heads, seemingly in defeat, both Luna and Starswirl, who were still trying to catch their breath, told Light they accepted their apology, asking them to make sure, for the next time, that they remembered everything that they wished to bring along, as they sank through their legs onto the ground, only barely being caught by the other three standing by them.
At that moment, a letter magically appeared in the middle of the group, sent by Celestia, which read that she had just felt a surge of power, originating from Ponyville, that she had not felt often before, and was heading over to the town, while Banana, Caff and Decaf stayed in the park, to make sure it was not malicious, ending by saying that she wished to see her again soon.
Looking between each other, Nox, who was supporting her mother with the help of Meadowbrook, and Light, who was holding up Starswirl, thanked their luck, and headed out of the market, making sure to keep a watchful eye on the two powerful Ponies, as well as looking around the town, hoping that Celestia would find them soon.
Light asked them if they wished to take some of the tonic, hoping that it would restore their energy as it had done before, though the two politely declined, and said they would be alright after they had rested for a moment, shortly after which, from around the corner, Celestia appeared, politely greeting the group as she walked over towards them.
Many thoughts rushed through her head, as Celestia, with tears forming in her eyes, looked between Light, overjoyed to see them awake again, and her sister and teacher, showing grave concern for them both, and asked Nox the details of their endeavours since the last letter that she received from Luna, to which Nox replied the group had teleported to Ponyville, but it tired out Luna and Starswirl, and continued:
"Even though the weight of the spell was shared by them both, it cost them a tremendous amount of energy."
After listening to her niece's quick explanation, Celestia took a moment to think of the best plan for everyone in the group from Canterlot, as she did not want the others in the park to have to wait too long for her nor Light to return for them to explore the Catacombs, and with the help of more Ponies and beings looking around, the speed of their research could be increased immensely.
However, as Luna and Starswirl were absolutely exhausted, Celestia was unsure on how to progress, as she did not want them to overextend themselves, so, after asking Meadowbrook to keep an eye on Luna and Starswirl for a moment, to which the young healer agreed, she turned to Light and Nox, making it clear she wished to speak with them, and asked them if they had any idea for the moment.
The two turned back towards Luna and Starswirl with concerned gazes, after which they told Celestia that they were split between two ideas, for not only did they feel it was important for them to give the two Ponies the time to rest and recover their strength, they also did not want to make the group in the park wait for any longer than necessary.
Then, from behind them, Meadowbrook spoke up, saying that if the others were to head to the park, she would remain with Luna and Starswirl to keep an eye out for them, and later, after they got their rest, they would head out together to join the group in the park, although she would appreciate it if someone could offer a helping hoof for whenever they were ready to leave.
After Meadowbrook's offer, Nox spoke up, only just managing to hold back her tears when she looked at Light, after seeing the intense struggle they were facing and the pain they were enduring, as they somehow managed to remain stoic, and said that she would remain with Meadowbrook, and that she'd help take care of her Mother while Meadowbrook watched over Starswirl.
Celestia thought about her idea for a moment, and though she was somewhat concerned for her sister and her teacher, the fact that Nox would be there for her mother, and Meadowbrook for her fellow Pillar, assured her that they would be alright, and agreed to the plan, confirming that she and Light would head to the park, with the four others joining them later, given time to rest.
To be sure, Celestia asked Luna and Starswirl if this was a plan worth agreeing to, and was relieved to hear they accepted the idea, saying that they most likely would not be far behind, and would see them in the park again soon, after which Celestia and Light said goodbye, but before leaving town, Light gave to Meadowbrook the vial of tonic, saying they expected she might need it.
A little while later, Light and Celestia reached the park, and as they approached, they were happily greeted by Banana, who, barely holding in his joy when seeing Light awake again, leapt into the Kirin's arms and said he was glad to see them, to which Light responded with a nervous chuckle, and gently lowered the small Unicorn, appearing quite distant, which greatly confused him.
Saddened by Light's colder-than-usual reaction, after Banana glanced at Celestia, who, in return, looked at Light with a pensive gaze, and turned to lead the two into the park, with his head slightly lowered, his energy and enthusiasm evidently having dissipated after meeting the Kirin, and together, the three reached the hatch, where the others were waiting for the others to arrive.
Light stepped forward and got to work, placing down their bag, which fell over, revealing the contents within, including the book of Ancient Tales as well as another satchel, and while they were lifting their spell, Celestia and Banana quietly spoke with the others, saying that they were concerned about Light, and that they wanted to ask if something was distressing them. While looking at Light, Celestia continued, saying to the group:
"When Banana showed his excitement and embraced them, their demeanour changed, though this hasn't happened before. Something may be bothering them... Please keep a watchful eye on them."
While Celestia was speaking with the group about her grave concern over Light, specifically focusing on their unusual, cold response to Banana's affection, from behind them, they heard a quiet sound of shattering glass, followed shortly by Light saying that they managed to undo the spell, allowing them to enter and investigate the Catacombs.
Afterwards, they opened the hatch, and took the lead in heading down the ancient, crumbling stairs that led to the dark tunnels under the park, though fortunately, the markers they had placed on the walls when they first travelled down here were still present, and the dim light that shone from them allowed the group to see in the dark, even if only for a short distance.
One after the other, starting with Banana and Celestia, followed by Eclipse, Caff and Decaf, the group carefully walked down the stairs, until everyone was in the larger hall before entering the tunnels, though not everyone followed, for Solar and Twilight said for safety, should anything happen, they would remain at the entrance, allowing them to make a quick exit to search for help.
Together with Banana, Light and Celestia led the group through the Catacombs, through which constant rumbling echoed, and followed the markers that Light had placed, until they reached the Office that Banana had built, where, upon the desk that stood underneath the screens, they found the picture of Banana's daughter Mousse, for whom he had been searching for too long.
Banana stepped forward and gently picked up the frame, and while tears formed in his eyes, he took a seat on the chair that stood at the desk, crying in near complete silence, breaking the hearts of everyone present, after which Light stepped forward and promised him the same thing as when they first found him here, that they would figure this out, and they would find Mousse.
Before they had time to react, Banana turned and tightly embraced the Kirin, not bothered by their possible reaction, though, fortunately, to the relief of everyone present, Light returned his hug and tried to ease his sadness and pain, followed closely by Celestia, placing her wing over the shoulder of the Kirin, and telling them she offered her assistance to Light and Banana.
Close to failing to hold back their tears, after seeing the heartbreaking reaction of the small Unicorn, Caff and Decaf spoke up and said they would help to the best of their abilities as well, to which Light said they were grateful, and continued, saying that, just like at the train station the week before, whenever they wished to go home, they would only have to say the word.
Wiping away his tears, Banana thanked everyone for their kindness, and told Light in particular that he was glad they were here for support, though Light could only manage a slight smile, before releasing the Unicorn, offering him to place the picture of Mousse in their bag, and with Banana at their side, Light exited the room.
As they were leaving, however, Eclipse appeared running from around the corner, shouting at the group to worn them that parts of the ceiling of the tunnels were failing, and they needed to get out immediately, after which the group started running, led by Celestia with Light at the back following the markers back towards the entrance, hearing rumbling coming from all over the place.
The group was nearing the exit, but before they reached the hatch, halfway down the last corridor, Light noticed a large part of the ceiling was about to fall down, so they ran forward and stopped Decaf and Banana moments before the ceiling broke apart, trapping the three of them behind a large pile of rubble that blocked the tunnel, as the others reached the hatch safely.
From behind the blocked tunnel, Celestia called out to the others in a panic, and was relieved to hear Light reply while coughing:
"We're alright, but we can't get out. Are you all okay as well?"
From the other side of the pile of rubble that had separated the group, through a coughing fit, Caff gently replied to Light, saying that all of them were alright, and that, fortunately, they would manage to get out through the hatch, though she was worried about the others, for it appeared as though they were trapped in the tunnels, unable to get out.
After re-igniting their torch, Light looked around and started checking the ceiling to make sure no other parts could suddenly come crashing down, while on the other side, Celestia spoke aloud, asking for someone to return to town to ask the others for help, and continued, saying that she would try to move the rubble and asked Light, Decaf and Banana to stand back just in case.
At the same time, Eclipse had run outside and headed back to town, which they reached shortly, where, out of breath and panting heavily, they found Nox, Meadowbrook, Luna and Starswirl, the latter two of whom appearing healthier after having had a moment to rest, and told them that a tunnel had collapsed, trapping some of their friends, and they needed all the help they could get.
Back in the park, to her dismay, no matter how hard she tried to move the rocks, Celestia was unable to clear the tunnel, save for a few small pebbles that were scattered around, after which she called back to Light in a defeated tone and apologised, as she did not understand why she failed, to which Light replied that it was alright, and she should not beat herself up over this.
They continued, saying that they might have an idea of why she was unable to move the rocks, for when they entered the Catacombs for the first time, they felt a strange magic aura, the source of which they had not yet found, but they feared it overpowered the magic they tried to use, so that only the tiniest spells could be used, while others were quelled.
More deep, rumbling noises echoing throughout the tunnels startled everyone, leading Celestia to tell everyone to retreat, and as everyone moved away from the collapsed tunnel, Decaf shouted back to Celestia, demanding she keep Caff safe, after which, everyone ran, galloping as fast as their legs could, following the markers Light had left, until they finally got back to Surveillance.
In the office, they had a brief respite, and were able to check the screens, upon which footage of many beings was visible, and though they did not know how Banana had managed to set this up, they were relieved to see Celestia and Caff standing outside of the Catacombs, while, on another screen, they could see Eclipse and the group from Ponyville approaching the park rapidly.
While the three were waiting in the Surveillance office, Banana looked worriedly at Light, and asked them why they responded so coldly when they saw each other again, to which Light's eyes welled up and they turned away, leaving Banana devastated, and without an answer, as he slowly turned away, looking at Decaf with tears in his eyes.
While Light turned to continue looking at the screens in the office, finding that Eclipse and their group had reached the park, and were currently speaking with Celestia and Caff, Decaf tried to hold back her frustration, but seeing the disharmony between the two beings she was with, she stepped up and angrily started speaking to Light in a stern voice, asking them many things:
"Why do you not want to return his kindness? Do you not understand how much effort everyone has put into getting you back on your hooves? How long we spent looking for any way to wake you up? What could possibly be holding you back from showing your polite, protective and caring self? Why do you close yourself off? What are you so afraid off?"
Decaf's words hit Light deeply, and after they turned to look at her, as tears started streaming from their eyes, Light replied:
"I can't look at them anymore. I hurt the ones whom I promised to protect. I don't think I can ever forgive myself for that. I'm sorry."
Meanwhile, topside in the park, after Eclipse had left to ask the others, who were still in town, for aid, Celestia and Caff had been left alone, and, distressed by the overwhelming fear of their friends and family getting injured, had embraced and were speaking reaffirming words to each other, hoping that Banana, Decaf and Light were alright in the tunnels.
Soon after, Solar and Twilight, exhausted after sprinting the entire way from and back to the park, arrived, while the other four of Nox, Meadowbrook, Starswirl and Luna were shortly behind them, which was a huge relief to both Celestia and Caff, as not only were the others alright, for they had been given ample time to recover, their presence meant they would be able to help here.
As the others arrived and approached Celestia and Caff, Eclipse said they needed to take a moment and sank through their knees, after which Starswirl stepped up and walked to the hatch, before being stopped by Celestia, who had a concerned expression upon her face, which greatly confused the Sorcerer, as he expected his nigh unmatched power and knowledge to be of great use.
While Starswirl and the others were being brought up-to-speed by Celestia, Meadowbrook treated Eclipse for their exhaustion, passively listening to Celestia's explanations about the disaster in the Catacombs, as she explained that a tunnel had collapsed just before the exit, and with some form of overpowering magic present, they were unable to clear the way for the others.
The news deeply worried everyone, Meadowbrook in particular, as only a little while before, Light had given her the vial of healing tonic, of which they had given a few drops to Luna and Starswirl, and just now, to Eclipse, though she feared that, should anyone still in the tunnels be injured, there would be no easy way to get to them.
After listening to Celestia's explanation and seeing her concerned expression, Starswirl took a moment to think, trying to find a way to clear the blocked tunnel, while the others around him were arguing, trying to take matters into their own hands, and after a few moments, he spoke aloud, suggesting to the others to call upon other Pillars for help.
If it were truly not possible for magic to be used in these Catacombs to move the rocks, or to hold the remainder of the ceiling in place, which the Sorcerer admitted, was an interesting fact upon itself, they could call upon Rockhoof, for instance, and to ask for his strength, for as far as he knew, whatever may be blocking the use of magic, his physical strength would not falter.
Nox spoke up, adding to Starswirl's idea, and said that she could go to her realm and ask for assistance from a cohort of her own personal Guards, while, in the mean time, one of the other Princesses, like Celestia, could return to Canterlot to ask their Guards for assistance, possibly, depending on their availability, the Praetorian Guards, whom had been Guarding the Archives.
When Starswirl and Nox had finished laying out their plans to ask their Guards and the other Pillars for help, Celestia and Luna spoke with each other, and asked the others if they could agree to these plans, and after a few moments of consideration, they agreed, though they did not know how to contact the Pillars, nor who would head out, should magic means be unavailable.
As Eclipse was recovering well after taking some of the tonic, they offered to head out, but they were stopped by Starswirl, who would reach out himself, and while Nox and Celestia summoned their Royal Guards, Luna, Eclipse, Meadowbrook and Caff would remain at the park, and would try to stay in touch with the others, as the others summoned reinforcements. Confirming this, Starswirl said:
"Then it's decided. We will meet here again very soon. May the blessings of the Sun and Moon go with you."
Back in the Catacombs, after their tearful admission of guilt to Decaf and Banana, which stunned both of them into silence, for they did not know what to say or how to properly respond to them, Light had turned their back to the other two, trying to dry their tears after failing to hold in their grief, and had focused all their attention towards looking at the screens.
On the screens, that somehow managed to capture many areas in the park, Light noticed the rest of the group in the park split up and leave, either by teleporting or flying away at great speed, until only a few Ponies were left, among whom were Caff and Eclipse, though how Banana had managed to set up this security office, they did not know, and were too worn out to ask him.
While Light was looking through the security footage, Decaf and Banana had taken to different parts of the room, trying to keep themselves calm despite their desperate situation, whilst simultaneously thinking of a way to approach Light, to try and alleviate this tense atmosphere they had unwillingly created, as they were worried for themselves, and concerned for Light.
At one moment, as Decaf was pacing around the room, filled with concern primarily for her sister, while Banana was sitting quietly in a chair to the side, Light's ear twitched, and they appeared to have heard a sound, after which they made a note, then turned away and exited the room, walking through the hallways, trying to find what had made the noise.
As they were moving around, Light made sure to leave glowing marks along the walls, which slightly lit up the tunnels, as they walked down the halls, being very careful to keep an eye on the ceiling, not wishing for another collapse to trap them even further in these tunnels, all the while Decaf and Banana watched in confusion as they moved around.
Leaving Light to their business, Decaf and Banana turned to look at the note that Light had left, finding that they had written down that they had indeed heard a strange sound, and would try to look for it, and asked both of them to not worry, as they promised they would be back shortly, hopefully with better news as to their current situation.
After reading the note, both Ponies decided to sit and wait until Light returned, which fortunately did not take long, and when they returned, they hurriedly moved past the two, wrote another note to the other group, picked up their backpack, and asked both Banana and Decaf to follow them, as they had found another potential way out of the tunnels.
Pleasantly surprised at the news, they left the room and followed the Kirin through the tunnels, and as they were making sure to stay close to be able to be able to see with the light from their bright torch, eventually, they spoke up, saying to Light that they needed to slow down, as they were unable to keep up, and risked tiring themselves out.
They understood and slowed down, allowing the two smaller Ponies to catch up, and they walked alongside them, and through their discomfort, Banana tried to reach out to Light, asking them if they were alright, and if there was anything that they wished to get off their chest, the same question that they had asked him when they first met in the surveillance office.
Before Banana could get his answer, Light pointed to a stairway at the end of the hall, and, after making sure that the tunnels were stable, together, with the help of both Banana and Caff, managed to lift the heavy stone slab from the hatch, finding themselves in a courtyard of stone, surrounded on all sides by massive trees, turbulent clouds and a cool breeze.
Looking around, Light realised where they were, and said:
"Is this... Could it be? By the stars..."