//------------------------------//
// Chapter 29: Belong 
// Story: My Little Minecraft: At the End 
// by Journeyman 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 29: Belong

My cell was not the intended destination after I fixed the wall. Instead of heading south, Twilight continued north, walking alongside Pinkie. Lierah was speaking with my unicorn guard. If I understood their conversation well enough, she handed them a transcript of the song I played at her house. I wasn’t sure why she didn’t hand – hoof? – it to them before if she thought it important. I guess the matter took too much time, or it wasn’t that important. The two were in an animate discussion about me, but I was not concerned about them.

Like when I first walked into town, the residents stopped and observed me with interest. I had not seen another of my kind in the Overworld, and I had yet to see one here. I knew the realm contained monsters and magic, but the only sentient creatures were ponies? As odd as they were to me, I was equally strange to them. The crowd that had gathered to watch me work and fix the house wall either continued with their own affairs after I had left, or trailed behind. Twilight did not seem to mind, but my guards required them to keep a distance.

That did not not stop civilians from catching glances from windows, doors, and the sky itself. After seeing me repair the house, they were much more comfortable around me than normal. I could not enjoy my brief time in the limelight. Twilight had herded Pinkie and myself to a stout, if frightenly gnarled and ancient, tree. Windows and crisp green leaves dotted the tree. I loved the rustic feel it exuded, and it complemented Twilight. Private, yet intriguing and odd.

The door opened before we even approached, yet no one was on the other side to open it. I was hit with the smell of old. It was the smell I had associated with Twilight’s dust-covered books. I found it hard to believe that they could become so dirty. My own books never accumulated such filth.

The circular room was lined with bookshelves carved right out of the wall. In fact, almost all but the furnishings were cut directly from the tree’s interior; steps, shelves, floor, ceiling, everything. The steps lead to an upstairs level that held more personal items: a bedroom, vanity table, and others. A door in the back led to a downstairs level and the door exuded strange smells.

“Make yourself at home.” Twilight cantered up the stairs. I heard a door open and the smelt the backdraft scent of baking bread.

“Okay!” Pinkie immediately left. Huh.

Not really knowing what to do, I walked to one of the shelves and examined the books. I didn’t understand most of the words. Feeling ambitious, I removed one from its confines and perused the pages. The scent of old parchment assaulted my tender nose as I flipped page after page. I saw nothing beyond a gigantic wall of text, nearly incomprehensible.

I filed that book away and searched for another, hoping to find one of Twilight's picture books. The guards had relaxed, but all were eyeing my to some extent. One had tucked her – judging by the hips – wings to her side and was watching me with her head on her hooves. She was humming a lullaby, while another tugged at his armor. Another pair stood by the door, ever watchful.

I walked to another bookshelf and squatted. The spines were brightly colored, much like Twilight’s books. The first one I picked out had a pony with wings, a pegasus, if memory served, hanging precariously by a vine. Creatures full of sharpened teeth swirled angrily below, circling for an easy meal.

I picked a cushioned bench to sit on and opened the book. I blinked; a cyan feather was lodged between the first page and the cover. I got lost in the pages of wonder and adventure. Even if I didn’t know some of the words, the pictures interspaced within told the tale well enough. The prone mare soon vocalized her lullaby, a quartet of “la” sounds that wove beautifully together as the pegasus crept through darkened and musty halls of an ancient building.

“Refreshments?” Twilight had finally returned. My guards rose to their hooves in respect. I had yet to contemplate the idea, but the guards showed an unusually high amount of deference to the pony. It was similar to the hierarchical structure I saw with Barricade and Luna. The guards immediately showed respect and a little fear towards those two. It was less with Twilight, and almost nonexistent, if present, among Twilight’s friends. I wondered where Twilight was in the hierarchy. Certainly lower than Luna and Barricade.

Twilight set the tray down on a table. The guards abstained from drinks. They were always sticklers for duty and protocol, and it was excruciatingly boring to me. I took a glass and sniffed it cautiously. It smelled of apples and spices, which I partook greedily.

Twilight giggled at my enthusiasm.  She closed the picture book I had selected and slipped it back onto its proper shelf. I was surprised when she did not even look at where her magic placed it. Did she have each book’s placement memorized?

Twilight selected another book and I recognized the words “Builders” and “Architects” on the cover. She opened to the first section, and across both pages was the image of a beautiful hedge maze decorated with the finest flowers I had ever seen. I was particularly fond of roses; I suppose the iron golems that wandered the Testificate villages on the open plains were responsible for that desire. I occasionally saw them holding a rose and offering it to myself or random Testificates. I always thought it fascinating. The roses and daffodils and a thousand flowers in between were on display all throughout the garden.

I saw no purpose to the structure other than novelty. Of course, I had made similar structures with varying materials, including cacti in order to escape monsters. Nevertheless, I admired the craftsmanship. Only then did I notice the age of the photo. I recognized the shape of the petals in order to identify them, but the photo was monochromated. Sitting at the labyrinth entrance was a single pony wearing worn and faded clothes. He was covered in dirt and grime, but posed for the picture with the most satisfied, content smile on his face. I saw myself with that  same happy grin whenever one of my greater creations was finally complete. A subterranean chapel spanning over a kilometer. Sunset City, my last great creation and built to house thousands. Aquasanti, the underwater arcology built under in the cradle of the deepest ocean.

Twilight pointed to the name of the crafter. Unlike the graphemes I used, the ponies made their language from phonemes, sounds instead of pictures. I tried to understand the name to the best of my abilities.


... A... E... ... A... ... U... S...


She turned a couple pages. The next picture was an aged and wizened unicorn standing adjacent to a colossal stained glass window, the very same window Luna showed me in the vision. Two gods, one of the day and one of the night, chased each other in a dance. The dying sun cast the unicorn in a web of colors. Again, I did my best to transcribe the name.


... S... ... A... E... ... ... E... ...


I leaned forward as Twilight turned the pages again. She set the book on the floor and we both lay on our stomachs as I received a lesson in crafters from ages long passed. From shipbuilders to sky fortresses, we enjoyed an evening of rest and relaxation. It was my first day devoid of any serious boredom. I wholeheartedly enjoyed the opportunity to see familiar faces and stretch my legs, to practice my craft after such a long dry spell and regain the trust I had lost. Rather than being poked and prodded by the scientists and doctors among the ponies, I was having fun.

A smile crossed my lips as I finished my beverage. With the soldiers at my back, one humming a quiet tune, I was content to lie there with Twilight until the sunset hours had passed.





After Twilight concluded her lesson, I was escorted back to my usual, boring tent for the night. I could not help but let my eyes wander the dark. I knew that darkness did not hide a creeper or zombie a stone’s throw away, but I had spent so long with that ever-present dread at the forefront of my mind, it was difficult to banish.

I started my next day with poking and prodding. How ironic. I could not quite understand the full extent of what they were doing experimenting on me. I spent my time in a tent lined with beds and strange devices. A unicorn in a white coat I often saw, Hemos, was measuring me with tools before wanting a blood sample. I didn’t understand why he wanted such a thing, but a few drops were nothing to bemoan. 

Hemos pricked a finger with a needle and stared for a few seconds curiously. I didn’t know what he was expecting. It was not as if blood was going to spurt out on its own. I applied pressure to my hand, forcing a few droplets of blood to pool around my fingertip. The momentary confusion that crossed the pony’s face melted like fresh snow by a fire. Hemos was rather cold, but I admired him for keeping a dignified air and professionalism whenever he could.

His eyes returned to their original bored, blank apathy. “I am done here.” A trio of guards standing patiently by the door stepped forward to escort me to my next destination. Hemos and the unicorns in black often asked me questions or perform some kind of test during each visit. Hemos seemed particularly curious as to why I only need bread to eat, and the unicorns wanted to know more about my ability to craft. I told them all I knew: it was just something that came naturally to me. Mostly they wanted me to build small structures in order to figure out how it worked.

I never bothered to answer that question. Why would I need to know? The answer to such a question would not benefit me in the slightest, nor would it satisfy some innate curiosity buried in my cerebral quagmire. I was just hoping I could practice my skill on my own. I didn’t like building under watchful eyes, which is why I liked repairing the wall in town so much. The ponies did not care about my abilities, only that I was capable of strange and wonderful things. 

I walked out of the tent. The sky was overcast again, by no rain was incoming. I did not mind rain, but it did obstruct my line of sight. Plus, extended rain was havoc on my mood. I loved the sun.

I put my thumbs into my pants and took a deep breath of boredom. I wanted to go back into town and start building. I longed to build and the memory of the previous day only nagged at me, taunting me with its satisfaction.

I kicked a stone out of irritation, only to discover it refused to budge and I grunted in pain. The guard to my left chortled and scratched his chin. I stuck out my own chin and scratched my lengthy beard. He thrust a wing into my side, but it didn’t hurt. A smile crossed both of our lips.

Mine’s still bigger.

My guards were warming up to me, and that was welcome enough. I used to think that the leather wings, the Night Guard, were as emotive as stones. Crinkled eyes, marginal smirks, tiny chuckles; as stiff as they acted, there were volumes of emotions that their tiny motions told. 

“You know, I will have to ask my NCO if you can build me a house,” he asked jovially.

I really wouldn’t mind, and I actually wished I would be allowed to do so. Whenever I entered a new place, my first objective had always been to build a house for protection. I wished I had the chance to make a house in the new world I called my temporary home.

And then it struck me. I already did.

My guards stopped in their tracks as I suddenly froze. I had never just seized up like that. Never, so the primary exemplar was a notable point of interest. Both of my hands clutched my head and I could not stop a breathless chuckle escaping my lips. Before I raided the town, I had built a mansion within the dark depths of the earth.

“What’s up, big guy?”

I tore my palms away from my face, grinning stupidly. How could I have forgotten so easily? In addition, revealing that morsel would likely allow two desires of mine to come to fruition: showing my work, and the possibility to build more.

I conjured a sign and a piece of charcoal to write. I could audibly understand their language, but writing it was significantly more difficult.


BUILD HOUSE YES


The guard tilted his head after reading. “I like that you do not mind, but I think Barricade or Hawk won’t allow that just yet.”

I shook my head vehemently.


UNDERGROUND HOUSE


I could see the gears winding as he contemplated my message. “You... built one already?”

I nodded in assent before drawing a crude map.





The guard sighed and rubbed his fledgling beard. “Huh, this is interesting news.”





I was in my usual tent. I wanted to kill time underground, but even I could tell that something important was developing in front of my eyes. Barricade, dressed in full military regalia was conversing with a group of Night Guards; they were no doubt plotting about what to do with the information I had given them. My first instinct was nothing. I had built a house underground, but there was nothing special outside of that it was built by me. Perhaps that fact alone was enough to warrant a search party, and I was hoping for that.

Barricade dismissed her underlings and walked toward me. It always surprised me every time I saw her just how large she was compared to every other pony, and most of that was lean muscle. I leaned forward in a motion to get up, but some warning in her eyes forced me to sit back down. The pony was normally friendly, if strict and as hard as iron. 

And damn, she was big.

“So, I hear you were a busy beaver.” What’s a beaver? “Why do you have a house?”

I don’t know how she did it, but she had the ability to silence me with a glance. If I actually spoke to anyone, that is.


SAFETY


She raised an eyebrow. “From what?”


DARKNESS MONSTERS


I had not expected her to understand my true intent. I needed a home wherever I went in the Overworld, as a home was needed to be safe from monsters. Zombies, skeletons, spiders, and creepers spawned from the dark. Not here, but that did not relieve the age-old tension in the back of my skull.

I had not told anyone the details about those monsters, as my foreign vocabulary was still dreadfully thin. I had told the very same detail to Twilight before, but I wasn’t capable of revealing much else.

“What monsters?”

I knew no word for creeper, zombie, or Endermen, but I had seen enough of Twilight’s books to figure out two words for other monsters.


SPIDERS & SKELETONS & MORE


“More? Like what?”

I shrugged and wrote the only answer I could give her.


NO WORDS


Barricade smiled. That... wasn’t the reaction I had anticipated for disappointment. That unsettled me. “So Twilight hasn’t taught you enough words?” I nodded. “Fine.”

I could see her struggle with using only short sentences and small words. Rarity had the same trouble at times. I did not know how to speak all of their words, so they were forced to talk to me as if I were a youngling. Barricade hated it, but held her tongue on the matter. “Can you at least draw them?”

I simpered. My art is and always had been objectively terrible. A thousand years under the sun and stars couldn’t change that.


TRY HARD


Barricade smiled and gave a friendly nudge to my shoulder, which was less a nudge and more an accident shove. “Alright. I expect it after you get back.”

Back? I didn’t understand what she was talking about. My head tilted to the side out of confusion. Befuddlement was easy to understand. “You’re going to show us. But first, let us get a friend of yours.”





My wish was granted. With Barricade’s order, I was to lead a team of guards and unicorn black cloaks to my underground domicile. It’s what I wanted. What I did not want was Rarity to come with.

The guards were gearing up for an extended trip. Bottles of water and tools piled into their bags, while Rarity stood patiently with her own. Often enough I had seen her in some fine garments or another, but now she seemed ready to depart with myself and my guards. She lifted a leg in a stretch and proceeded with her remaining legs, where she then repeated the process again and again. She was stretching. Barricade’s cryptic message was answered; Rarity was coming with.

She was one of my teachers, thus doing so was not out of the ordinary. She helped teach me words and the finer points of pony life. She showed me pictures of clothing and everyday life. She taught me the subtle nuances of their behavior. While Twilight was teaching me history, Rarity was teaching me about its residents.

One resident I did not know about had never seen was standing next to her and staring at me curiously. Most ponies come up to my navel while those like Barricade could almost look me in the eye. The little runt I was looking at barely reached my knee. Strange creature, it was. A light violet in color, it was covered in fleshy skin that appeared harder and more dense than normal flesh. It reminded me of ore veins in deep rock the way they glimmered in low light.

“Miner,” Rarity called out, “this is Spike.”

“Hey, how’s it goin’, big guy?” Spike reached out a hand. Upon closer inspection, his hand resembled the clawed talons of chickens. It took me awhile to remember Twilight’s lessons. She had touched on, only briefly, the subject of other species. The little one was a dragon, if memory served.

I squatted down to shake his hand. I still almost doubled him in height. “So you’re the guy who builds stuff?” I nodded. 

“Really big stuff?”

Uh huh.

“And complicated wiring machine?”

Yeah.

“Good. Now I know some ponies who can provide you with lots of materials.”

Okay.

“Make a giant cannon!” he shouted with conviction.

Spike, trust me. With me building a TNT cannon, that will kill ponies more than anything. Rarity shared my concerns at the surprisingly strange and slightly alarming tone the youngling’s mind had wandered.

“Spike!” She stomped a hoof, tarnishing her carefully filed hooves with dirt. “That is not appropriate! For what, pray tell, would you possibly need a cannon?”

“Just to have one.”

Flawless logic.





No rest for the weary. It was a good thing I did not weary on a full stomach. I insisted that we entered town first. My comrades were understanding, if confused, about my choice to do so. My memory was abysmal as it was, but I only recalled one solid path underground, and that was exactly what I told them.
 

PATH UNDERGROUND

 
“Where exactly?” Spike asked. The drake rode Rarity’s back right up to her withers. He had been asking questions, and I did my best to answer. Spike was curious more than any other I had met.
 
I recalled my first entrance into town. I had opened a path between two buildings back when the night was deep and the rain was harsh. I spent the last twenty minutes searching the town for any mental landmarks, only finding other landmarks that bared no importance. Town hall, ugly cupcake building, Lierah’s house; none were the narrow alleyway containing trash and garbage cans.
 

LOOKING

 
Ponies looked on curiously whenever I approached. Most were warming up to me, as I had become a focus of gossip and interest within the past week. I did my best to move slowly as possible. My normally brisk pace was reduced to a crawl to accommodate my entourage and to not startle the civilians. Some waved their hooves in recognition or greeting, and I returned the gesture out of respect.
 
A small contingent of guards surrounded myself and Rarity, eyes alert for danger and any treachery that I could produce. They were all Night Guards accompanied by a half dozen unicorns; I had not seen a single Royal Guardpony. As much as I disliked seeing their armor, I certainly understood what was going on. One had gone rogue. Why was still beyond me. I asked Barricade once, but she refused to tell and asked for my silence on the matter. Lightly threaten would be a better word.

I thought I may have had found the proper alley. It was dark and my mind was focused on other matters. I had made a careful mental map in order to remember my way back, but getting caught and the passing week had long snuffed it out. Luckily, I was right. I reared back, fist balled and struck the ground with every ounce of strength I could muster. The ground rippled and vanished like so many objects before it and that bottomless well within me bloomed with another drop.

One of the Night Guards approached the hole in the wake of my power and stuck his head in. “There’s a path, sir. West, to the forest.”

The one in command, a more burly Night Guard that was identical in armor save for an extra bar across his helmet, nodded. “Take four and make sure the path is clear. Don’t want no surprises.”

It didn’t take too long until they returned proclaiming such. Back on the grassy Overworld, I sealed my tunnels so that livestock would not follow me through when I could not procure a proper door. I did the same here in order to not receive any uninvited “guests.” The group that left took point. I dropped down and assisted both Rarity and Spike into the tunnel behind me, while the rest soon filled in afterwards.

I conjured a torch and filed the moist underground with a dull glow. Rarity and the unicorns’ horns glowed and did the same. The Night Guards avoided looking at both. The walk down the tunnel was long, dull, and uneventful; I had made it about two kilometers long. The sound of clinking armor and bodily movements filled my ears while my nose breathed in the scent of sweat, dirt and stone. I was tall enough that the hairs on my head brushed the low ceiling, but the rest had ample head space.

The guards had taken the liberty of digging their own exit, as the dirt wall that I had placed at the other end of the tunnel collapsed outwards. Calmly, they filed out and spread in an arc, ever so quiet and silently searching for any danger. We were in the outermost portion of the forest where the trees were few and far between, but still choked off smaller plant life. The air  felt warmer for some reason. I wasn’t quite sure why.

“Where to?” the nearest guard asked. I didn’t answer right away. My attention was on Rarity. She had a distressed expression across her face and shook off the little bits of dirt built up on her hooves and fetlocks. I had forgotten that Rarity’s proprietary relating to her appearance annoyed me almost as much as Pinkie intimidated me. The soldiers were quiet and careful. They could take care of themselves. Rarity, I wasn’t too sure about, and that concerned me. I conjured a sign and wrote my next message.


WHY YOU HERE


She chuckled lightly. Rarity had the remarkable ability to sound delighted and extremely condescending at the same time. “Darling, as strange as it sounds, nopony knows these tunnels better than I.”

That would have been a surprise, providing I actually believed her. Before I could write another message, she continued, “I have been searching the eroded tunnels for gems these past seven years. I think I can take care of myself.”

“Yeah, we go hunting for gems loads of times,” Spike added. He was looking at Rarity with a bemused expression. I hoped he was not thinking about Rarity the way I thought he was. I didn’t think I could handle that just yet.

“She’s right. We need her,” the lead Night Guard added. I wasn’t convinced, but dropped the issue. Returning my sign to the well, I scanned my surroundings. I had come from the underground through a large gaping crevasse. I needed to backtrack, but I found it fast enough. Some of the guards took to the air, watching me as well as the forest above and the darkness below. I could not see the bottom of the crevasse pass the first several meters of jagged rocks.

I dropped myself onto a precarious ledge. The stone held fast, but my room to walk was narrow. I crouched low to gain a better center of gravity and walked forward. Soon enough, I discovered a large gap in the stone and the wafting stench of stagnant air. It was much darker than the tunnel, or maybe the less claustrophobic feel to the crevasse made the darkness all the deeper.

The gap opened up to a tunnel, one I vaguely remembered from a half formed thought. Ten thousand years of focus couldn’t improve my memory. I’ve tried. My pathway only allowed us to move single file. While quarters were cramped, we had much more room to maneuver. I conjured my torch once again and took the lead, flanked by two guards that stared woefully into the darkness.

It didn’t take too long before the ponies started engaging in some small talk, even Spike and Rarity. Most guards stayed quiet, but a few talked in low whispers to each other. I did not participate, for my eyes were glued to the receding shadows as I walked.

The tunnel soon branched into gaping, interconnected caverns. That was when I started having trouble. There were four tunnels, none of which differentiated themselves from the others. I stood for a few moments, trying to clear away the haze inside my head.

“Hey, he’s lost already.” I didn’t know why, but Spike’s voice kept making me think he was a girl. Now that I think about it, I don’t think Rarity ever said if Spike was a male or female. Hmmm...

Ignoring Spike, I turned around and looked at the tunnel was just descended. I thought I would have had a better chance of remembering where I came from if I had a look at where I was going. Left... I turned left to get outside.

I turned around and took the rightmost tunnel. I blinked; Rarity had already progressed down the tunnel with her horn alit. How did she know...

Rarity answered my unspoken question. “This tunnel is missing the most gems from the walls. I imagine you collect them like myself?” I nodded. She turned and pranced down the tunnel. “I thought so. Plus the air doesn’t smell so foul here. There must be a river within walking distance.”

I nodded towards her back. I remembered a river during my trek skywards right next to my cavern. The cavern slowly opened and expanded into a large renal-shaped complex with fang-like formations on the floor and ceiling. 

“Let’s take a moment to rest.” I was surprised to discover that it was not the guards, but Rarity that issued the order. I tilted my head to the side, my go-to visual cue of confusion. Rarity smiled in the low light of my torch. “I know you can run forever, but we need a rest, Miner. A light break will do us wonders. We still have the trip back to town to worry about.

She was correct that I did not need to rest myself. I was at about half strength; plenty of vitality left for the trip down and back up. She and the guards were unpacking their bags. I set my torch into the dirt and conjured another. I always like to light up caverns, and now that I was certain that I was not being maliciously tracked, I did not worry that additional torches would alert predators.

Rarity tugged at my shirt. “No. It will ruin their night vision. They need to see in the dark.”

Then just don’t look at the torch. Problem solved. My confusion seemed to leech from my mind to my face. Rarity learned in close, her horn alight. “You need light to see... but your pupils don’t dilate in light and darkness...”

Was there something wrong with that? I could not discern what was on her mind before she trotted to the group of Night Guards in the far corner and dimmed the light form her horn. The unicorns had joined them and were talking animatedly. That had set up a small camp in the darkness and pulled out blankets for warmth and wood for a fire. “No fire.” Rarity ordered. 

“Why not? It’s ventilated enough,” one said. His words were emphasized by a slight shiver running down his body. The deeper we went, the colder it became. I was fine, but their bodies couldn’t handle the cold as well as I.

“I am not worried about ventilation, dear. I’m worried about the cold.”

“So am I.” He folded the blanket over his wings and armor.

Rarity shook her head. “You misunderstand me, dear. The stones are cold. Too cold. If they heat up too fast, stone expands and can crack. A cave in would be most dreadful.”

I smiled. Perhaps Rarity did know what she was doing. That never happened in the Overworld, but I was fully aware that the laws of physics were not the same between worlds.

I blinked. Spike had jumped off Rarity’s back as we entered and had been staring at me the entire time. I wanted the runt to speak his mind and stop it, so I asked him.


?


“Huh? Do you have a question?” He scratched his head, and the light glinted off his scales in a prismatic spray of colors. I shook my head and pointed at him with a finger.

“Me? Do I have a question?” I nodded. He rubbed the back of his head uncomfortably. His little talon claws scratched against the green fin on his skull. “Well... I’m nine, but that’s still a baby in dragon years.” Then his hands clung to his tiny arms. They were covered in stringy, lean muscle, but were thin enough for me to wrap two fingers around. My own bicep was bulging with muscle and was about as big as his head.

“I was wondering. How did you get so strong?”

It was not quite the question I expected given his past lines of thought, but one I answered truthfully.


PUNCHING TREES


He stood immobile long enough for me to count the seconds. He didn’t even blink his cat-like eyes.

“...I believe you.”

Rarity walked back after having concluded her conversation with the guards. She extracted a large blanket loaded with intricate and frilly designs and carefully laid it on the floor. I could say anything about Rarity, but she was quite dexterous when manipulating objects with her magic or mouth.

I walked to the cavern wall and sat down myself. Jagged rock poked and prodded my back, but I ignored it. Spike walked to Rarity, his feet echoing with a soft pitter-patter, and curled up next to Rarity’s stomach. He was shivering, so Rarity pulled out her own blanket and neatly tucked it around both of them.

I closed my eyes and sighed. There was little in terms of ambiance, but I deeply enjoyed the quiet moments. The faint, almost imperceptible sound of flowing water, the sounds of rocks clinking and settling, and tiny creatures scurrying behind the walls all contributed to my willing languor. I could smell dust, sweat, and the lingering scent of water permeating the air. 

I loved every moment of it. My senses were so much sharper in this world, or sensation in the Overworld were so much more dull. As kind as I have been treated, nothing could compare to the sublime love I held for something as simple as feeling the granules of sand by running a hand across a rocky floor.

“I envy you.”

I opened my eyes. Spike had begun to doze off in Rarity’s embrace. I saw his head protrude underneath the blanket and snuggled underneath one of her legs. Rarity herself was looking at me in the low light. I could see the light of my torch flicker in her azure eyes. She wasn’t just looking at me anymore. She was looking through me.

“How do you enjoy something so simple?”

I hadn’t seen such an inquisitive and yet piercing gaze. I was thrown off kilter and contemplated standing up to make myself feel more comfortable.

“I’ve lived here for quite some time. I know half the town by first name. I can even name most of their cutie marks.” She arched her back and the blanket cascaded down to her withers. Spike shivered a little and she tucked it back around him.

“This is my cutie mark.” She wiggled her hips to brandish the trio of diamonds on her hindquarters. I recalled her mentioning such a thing symbolized what a pony specialized in. It made sense why she accompanied me above all others; she specialized with gems and the earth. “I acquired it after a string of events I firmly believe to be fate. Certainly not a claim a lady makes lightly.”

Her gaze returned to my eyes after my brief examination. I still couldn’t discern her expression or where her line of thought was destined to end. “I find myself wondering the same thing whenever the topic springs to mind, but accompanying something else. It is a question, the most terrible question to ever exist. Despite my beliefs and affirmations, it sits there in the back of my mind, an ever-present reminder of bad tidings.” Her eyes bore into mine. “Surely you know it.”

Of course I did. It was the question that made me jump at shadows and screen all those I encounter for malcontent and malignance.

“‘What if?’”

Her countenance softened and her eyes drifted to the cluster of sentries and sentinels in the corner. I could see their outlines and silhouettes move in the darkness.

“What if things turned out differently? What if Rainbow Dash could not perform up to par that one time? Would another respectable filly have gained the Element of Generosity, or perhaps a noble soul down and out on her luck in the slums? Could I have earned the title by some other means, or would I have turned into some nag obsessed with political and social advancement?

“It scares me sometimes. Buried in my work or simply reading a book, a chill will caress my spine and my mind turns to those darker thoughts. It’s times like that I remember happier times like now, and see the smiles on my friends faces.”

I was taken aback at the deeply personal path the conversation had taken. Some ponies had spoken to me about their inner thoughts and desires, but nothing so heartfelt and meaningful. Locked in the darkness with only a torch to illuminate us both, I was the sole witness of a mare pouring out her heart.

“Our cutie marks symbolize what we are best at, what we truly enjoy doing for the rest of our lives. I make dresses and clothes. Equestria, our nation, is mostly occupied by rural working class, you see. Expensive dresses are a luxury item only purchased for special events or the upper class. Ponyville, even as a whole, cannot afford such items. My income will forever be tenuous.” 

A tender smile crossed her full lips. She sighed, closed her eyes, and lay her head delicately on her hooves. “But I never tire of seeing those happy faces at balls, proms, and galas. It is my work they flaunt in the best of times. Every happy moment they have, a piece of me is with them to share it. I create something precious, even if I never get to see it. My talent is in the unseen, but I would never give it up for all the gems in Equestria.”

She opened her eyes and our gaze met. Thoughtfulness and ideology were on my mind, as similar words crossed my mind before. My world was brilliant and vast. Enormous mountains concealed treasures in their depths and were equally fraught with dangers. I will never forget the sound of grass crinkling underneath my steps on the open plains, or the grasses brushing against my palms and trousers. I knew exactly what she impressed.

“That is why I envy you.” She tilted her head to the side and smiled. “No cutie mark, no company, no voice, and yet you can take pleasure in something as simple as the ground you walk on. You find wonder and whimsy in small things, from the blowing wind to the running water. Ponies are happy to have purpose, but you...” she thrust a hoof to my chest, “you are happy to be alive.”

It was quite the profound speech. The central theme of her words, that I found more life in a single second then she, held true. Compared to the Overworld, Equestra was rich in life, character, and personality. I remembered the waterfall on my first night. Oh, such a thunderous noise it was. Even a memory was enough to make me tingle to my bones. Such an oppressive sound felt like it would crush me and it devoured the dull trickle and lifeless stream the Overworld produced.

My world seemed to be naught but a shadow. I loved and will forever love my home, but after Rarity finished, I realized that I lamented my loss with the emotional depth of one who lost a trusty sword or shovel. An inconvenience at best. I had not mourned the loss of my ancient homeland. Missed, certainly. Snowcapped tundras dotted with evergreens, vast deserts with little in terms of water or sustenance, and oceans that could stretch for even the longest boat rides were my life. 

I lived to conquer a world, to harvest and bend it to my will. I chopped trees to build houses. I mined the gems and ores to create torches and vanity projects. I am a builder and crafter, and the Overworld was the perfect home for me.

But why did I feel so little for its loss? Perhaps a Nether Portal could take me back, if not to the nightmarish Nether itself, but I had not even contemplated it. Equestria did not bend to the same rules I had long since mastered; I can fall three meters before I get hurt, pouring water on lava turns it into obsidian, and nothing returns from below the bottom of the Overworld. 

Equestria was strange, and yet so much more exciting. I had long perfected myself into complacency with my environment. There were creatures here that could provide me with companionship and intellectual stimulation. I had never experienced it, and now that I had, I was unwilling to give it up. I might never be able to go back, but I was not sure I wanted to anymore.

I... belonged.

Slowly, I leaned forward towards the pony, a hand outstretched. I had seen the one with prismatic hair perform a similar gesture of endearment, so I thought it was appropriate. I put a hand on her head and ruffled her hair. Rarity let out a baleful squeak of panic and ran a hoof through her hair. I did not tarnish her perfect curls that badly, so I wasn’t sure what the problem was.

“Well... I, uh, am glad to see you agree.” Rarity was flushed and frantically running a hoof through her curls. Note to self: don’t touch her hair. 


SORRY


“It is quite alright, dearie.” Her eyes bulged to the point of madness. No, it was not alright. 

“Time to pull chocks on this place.” The Night Guards and unicorns had begun to pack up to leave, They were surprisingly quick and efficient at the task. Before I rose to my feet and dusted myself off, they were all ready to go. I held out a hand to help Rarity to her feet. Hooves. Whatever. Spike opened his eyes groggily, not comfortable with the slight respite in activity. Rarity nodded her thanks. I’m not sure she trusted herself to speak after I violated her precious hair. The things these ponies valued... Try being ambushed by five creepers, Rarity. That would have put the fear of death into you.


THANK YOU


It was Rarity’s turn to look confused. She helped Spike onto her back before he mumbled incoherently and nodded off. Rarity looked perplexed. I noticed how long her eyelashes were compared to other ponies I had seen

“You are most welcome, but I am afraid I do not understand.” I wiped away the charcoal residue on my conjured sign and replied.


KIND WORDS


She smiled that kind smile and I briefly understood why Spike was so infatuated with her. The invisible dialog passed between us, and we prepared to continue anew. 

The unicorns took a little longer than the Night Guards to prepare for departure. The black cloaks always seemed a little more pampered than normal ponies, sort of like Rarity, only more stuck up. Despite my issues with them, it was my job to lead them to our destination. I procured my torch, and started walking down the cavern. More of those odd rock formations occurred at random intervals. They were covered in tiny droplets of water. Odd.

“Rock formations,” Rarity commented. “They form when water drips from the ceiling.” Her words were echoed by the tiny sound of dripping as our progress crunched rock and dirt beneath us. I saw tiny flashes of light in the shadows; my torch’s light caught each drop as they fell. “As the water falls, it collects traces of rock and forms these pillars of stone when it collects and hardens.”

Interesting enough as the phenomena was, the conversation between a guard and a unicorn caught my attention. Their superior, the female that had been following me for most of the day, looked on in disapproval but said nothing. She started humming the same tune once more. It was a ghastly sound.

Our descent turned steep. The wide tunnels turned smooth with the walls and ceilings transforming into sword-like protrusions similar to the previous rock formations Rarity talked about. More than just a little water was exposed to this tunnel in ages past. Water had carved the tunnel in its entirety, even though it now carried the scent of dry air. The guards mostly took to the air and hovered behind rarity and myself as I led the way. The steep grade caused the grounded to slide across stone and dirt.

It did not last too long. The decline leveled off and bisected. I took the left path and the tunnel opened to a positively gargantuan cavern. It was likely the same large cavern that I had dug out of before when I encountered the pony guard monster, or whatever it was. The light of my torch was not enough to illuminate more than a few meters, but I could tell that such a drop would be most unadvisable for all present.

My mind returned to the pony. I could never trust my memory very far, but that one was seared into my mind. I had never been so scared in my life. I wondered if the darkness hid it as we stood on a rocky outcropping. Was that pony truly a rogue operative as Barricade hinted? Or was it some entity with clandestine intent?

I had halted for too long. “What’s wrong, dearie?” Rarity asked. Spike had yet to wake up from his slumber, but stirred as her hair brushed against his blanket. Rarity’s eyes eyes were filled with concern and worry. For me. As appreciative as I was, I was unnerved at the speed she could alter her moods and expressions. She would make a good liar.


MONSTER PONY


The female guard spoke up first. “There haven’t been any patrols this deep. Nopony could come here.”

One of the magi spoke, a tiny little thing that was almost consumed by his cloak. “Can you elaborate?” The female guard was about to protest, but I had already started writing. I froze; this exact situation was exactly what Barricade did not want, and asked me to avoid. I erased what was printed with a backhand and changed tactics.


NEVERMIND


The damage was done. My aversion to the Royal Guardponies was well known, but not the reason why. I could see the gears winding in his head, and Rarity’s.

The female Night Guard was not going to have any of that. “That’s enough. We are here for his little bastion, not some ghost in the darkness.” She glared at me. “Where to?”


BACKTRACK


I agreed with her. I was averse to the darkness enough as it was, and I didn’t need the mystery of the Royal Guardpony to add to it. I didn’t want to get lost, especially when the world held so many monsters. My thoughts were addled by the sound of skittering behind the stone walls.

I walked back. I never encountered any large caves such as that one on my path to the surface, so I needed to take the left fork in the road and not the right. My entourage followed, their hooves crushing and grinding against the stones.

The little black cloak unicorn cantered faster to walk alongside my left, much to the disapproval of the guard leader. Before she could speak up against him, he fell back, lining up with her.

“Captain, it’s Jetstream. Sergeant Jetstream. It has to be.”

She moved fast. Far faster than anything I had ever seen before. My own scrambling in my most panicked state was nothing compared to the speed which she whirled around and pinned her wing thumbs against his throat.

She immediately let him go. His eyes and mane were wild. No one, not even the open-mouthed Rarity, had anticipated the swift and violent reaction. “Don’t you think I know something went wrong down here? Now’s not the time for such talk, especially in front of open eyes and ears.”

He nodded rapidly. A pair of half moon spectacles shook off his ears and dangled across his snout. “Later,” he agreed in earnest.

She marched past me with measured grace and a straight back. Her eyes were iced over and cold as the blackest pits. Almost like...

I shivered.

“Lead on.” Her voice was calm and cool. That only seemed to make it worse.

There was that skittering again...

I ignored it and proceeded back and down the correct tunnel. Everyone was silent after the outburst. I could feel eyes burrowing into the back of my skull. I didn’t want to turn around and tell them off or confront them. I didn’t dare, especially if it was the guard with her cold eyes.

The tunnel opened up some more, but nowhere even close to the breath of the bigger cavern from before. I remembered it well enough; it was speckled with once gemstone and bore the same smooth floor and spiked rock formations. It was only a short distance away from the cave with the river. Indeed, the scent of water was much stronger. I could feel the dull rumble and roll of water further in the darkness. We were close. It was a gratifyingly familiar landmark.

What was not familiar was the minecart half full of gemstones.

Everyone stopped in a synchronized movement. The sliding of hooves and dirt made me look around curiously, but they were all stock still with ears pointing straight up. I remembered from one of Rarity’s talks that such a sign was one of surprise or alarm. Something was wrong.

“Oh, dear,” Rarity moaned. She sniffed the air and nudged Spike with her snout, rousing him from sleep. “Spike, time to wake up.”

The female hissed a few orders to her comrades. What words I did catch were too unfamiliar for me to understand. They loosely surrounded Rarity and Spike, myself, and the black cloaks in an odd formation. She barked a few words to the black cloaks and they steeled themselves for a fight. I knew that look, even if I could never see myself when it was etched across my own face. It was preparation for a fight.

“Oh, I knew something smelled off. There is nothing quite like the scent of wet dog.”

“That would have been nice information to know, Ms. Rarity.”

Rarity giggled. “You didn’t notice? I guess the Ponyville Press is right; my friends and I are more competent than you.”

Before the unicorn could retort, the walls exploded in a spray of dust and dirt shrapnel. I shielded my eyes against the offensive cloud as it rolled over us. One unicorn was smart and blasted the cloud with its magic. The cloud billowed and rolled down the tunnel opposite us. Blinking the particulates out of my eyes and slamming the torch into the floor, I conjured a sword to face the threat.

A dozen stout creatures stood across the room. They looked like some absurd abstraction between myself and a wolf. Whereas Overworld wolves walked on all fours, these seemed content and capable to walk on their hind legs. The legs, all four, ranged from lean to obscenely muscular. Most were shorter than me, but a particularly burly dog could look me in the eye.

Only then did I notice the smell Rarity spoke of. Wolves smelled similar, but my increased range of senses made it worse ten-fold. Some seemed clean and even well groomed with crude vests and pants, but the burly dogs in armor looked and smelled like they hadn’t bathed in weeks. 

Most were clad in iron armor, even the big one in the back. Only five wore something resembling clothing. At least some species had some modesty, but theirs were more practical than anything, just like my own; they wore thick cloth to pad their hairy bodies from extraneous movement. Despite their bipedal canine appearance and small, ugly faces, they were capable of some kind of social structures, mores, and folkways.

“Little ponies wander down here? This Diamond Dog territory!” The Diamond Dog had a voice like gravel that hurt my ears. That one was dressed with a gemmed collar and tiny cut stones for buttons on his shirt over it’s iron gray fur. The leader, most likely.

The Night Guard leader’s eyes narrowed coldly and she prepared to speak, but Rarity put a hoof on her flank to silence her. Spike, now awake after the sudden eruption of stone, slide off her back and huddled next to my leg.

Rarity stepped forward. “I assure you we will not intrude or take your gems.” The pack leader snorted, which devolved into a series of hacking coughs. Rarity frowned and changed tactics. “We are only here... to give you gems. As a sign of good faith, of course. Ponies and Diamond Dogs have had a troubled history, so these guards,” she swung a hoof in an inclusive arc, “escorted me down here as an ambassador.”

It was rather funny when half of our numbers did a synchronized double take in her direction. Even me. Just what was she talking about?

At the mention of gems, the leader’s ears perked up and he eyed Rarity suspiciously. “Little pony lies. Keep gems for their greedy selves!”

A skinny Diamond Dog with a light brown hide nudge the leader with an elbow. “Tanis, me see no gems. Where are gems, little pony?”

“I’ll do the talking, Corgi!” Tanis elbowed his underling to get him to shut up. Corgi fell to the ground in a huff. “If you bring gems for Diamond Dogs, where are gems?” His greedy little eyes scanned us and fell upon me. Those in iron armor shifted as they too sighted the unpony in our ranks, and the only one that easily towered over the rest. I did not see any conventional weapons, but the jagged claws at the end of their beefy paws would tear me in half as fast as any wolf.

“What is that? Not pony.” Tanis’ eyes thinned. He idly ran a claw across the floor and his own guards shifted defensively. The sound of scraping iron echoed softly.

“Rarity...” Spike warned.

“Hush, Spike,” she whispered back to the dragon. She walked a few steps forward, as did I and the Night Guard. I still hadn’t caught her name. “Now I know from experience that Diamond Dogs are the best miners in Equestria,” I snorted. I didn’t care what she said. No one was better than me. “so my assistant here,” she gestured to me, “has gratefully provided his services in mining gems. He has a stockpile prepared for you.”

Rarity, we needed to have words. I did not have any such stockpile in my internal inventory. Lapis Lazuli and diamonds were already hard enough to come across. Why would I give something like that up? Especially if I didn’t have it?

Tanis wasn’t buying her story either. His long, lanky arms scratched at the ground once more. His guards weren’t so twitchy, but the sycophants were looking around in a mixture of bloodlust and worry at the threat of a coming fight. “I think little pony lies. Big thing have no claws for digging.” His beady-yet-slitted- eyes narrowed. “Or unicorn horn...”

His eyes shifted to Rarity. “Fido.”

Rarity’s eyebrows twitched and Tanis grinned. “I’m sorry, what are you talking about?”

Tanis wasn’t buying her attempts to talk her way out. “Little pony knows Fido.” He smiled further, revealing his canines. “Isn’t that right, Rarity? Tanis know that name.”

Diamond Dogs wasn’t one of the species I had been told about. All I knew was the snippets I had gathered in the relatively short conversation, but I knew past grudged and the panic on Rarity’s face when she realized an old grudge had come back to haunt her.

“Fido and friends work for me.” He jabbed a clawed thumb into his chest. “Provide me with gems. Yes, little pony, Fido told Tanis about little pony’s whining.”

“I did not whine!” She shifted as her mind began to recollect. “Well, only at the end.”

Our own guards were quickly preparing for a fight. Some were tightening straps that secured their armor while others were counting opponents and examining the oncoming battleground.

My mind was running in an effort to diffuse the situation and follow Rarity’s line of thought. I didn’t have any gem stash with me, and I certainly didn’t tell her about any. Then it hit me, a conversation made only an hour ago.

“This tunnel is missing the most gems from the walls. I imagine you collect them like myself?”

Of course! I hold told her I collected them in the past! I had a huge stockpile in my mansion. Trying to be subtle, I wove my sword hand behind my back and replaced the blade with a single diamond. I still had a few spares that weren’t made into armor or weapons.

I stepped forward and brandished my diamond. Tanis’ soldiers leaned on their hind legs to pounce, but he held up a massive paw to hold them back. “What are you?”

Uh oh.

“As I stated before you rudely brought up that distasteful prat Fido, the kindly fellow is an assistant of mine. He is unfortunately mute,” she added in a rush. Good, as I didn’t want to deal with my own lack of willingness to talk.

Tanis gestured his head to me. Corgi walked forward to take the diamond and presented it to Tanis in his large paw. I hoped that Tanis would find the gem satisfactory; I had seen cut gemstones in the dark earth and in Ponyville before, but I had long understood that what I considered normal was not universal.

Tanis wasn’t convinced either. “Tanis sees you don’t have no more gems... take them.”

Crap.

The Night Guards slinked along the far wall in an organized movement, while a quartet of Diamond Dog guards leapt over Tanis and Corgi and prepared to face off. I dashed towards the cart, while Rarity retreated back down the tunnel from once we came and called for me. I ignored her. I had an idea and it was just crazy enough to work.

“Get him! He steal gems!” Tanis pointed a claw at me, and a pair tore themselves from the impending assault on the Night Guards and dashed to me. Me hands had already filtered through the gem cart and pulled out nine diamonds.

There was a dull flash of light as I worked my powers. In a single blip of clear crystal, the gems melted to a liquid and reformed into a solid cube of diamond in my right palm.

The creatures were stock still and quiet as a stone. The shock of seeing my powers for the first time had similar effects on other ponies, and I had succeeded in gaining their attention. The most common reaction I expected was hysterics. The second most common was quietly trying to make sense of what was obviously not natural in their eyes.

I couldn’t help but smile at their uniformly vacuous expressions.

One, the big guard in back, shook off his stupor first. He pointed at me and spoke with a thick accent, “Is not possible!”

It mattered little how possible it was. The surprise at seeing my abilities in action was still present and they could not shake it off fast enough. I had crossed the intervening space between us, dropping the diamond cube halfway, and thrust a fist into his face.

It hurt a much as I thought it would. An iron helm covered his head and his bones were hard and strong. The blow was enough to stun him and he fell without a sound of protest. Blunt force trauma to the face never worked so well before.

The unicorns and the Night Guards advanced in a coordinated effort. My stunt had bought enough time and for them to prepare a counter assault. The quartet of hounds were enveloped in varying hues of energy and thrust into the wall, knocking them out cold. 

I advanced on the next guard, fists balled. The big one was the only one even marginally close to my size. I loomed over the rest, especially Tanis and Corgi. The next guard was a little faster than me due to his tensed muscles. The precious moments I had garnered were expunged. I huffed as he dove into my gut, tackling me to the ground. One of his comrades was trying and failing to fend off a pair of Night Guards. I stopped paying attention to them as quickly as I noticed it; I had a bigger concern to worry about.

When we stopped moving, I was on my back with him standing on my chest with his hind legs. I couldn’t see his eyes underneath his helmet, but I could see the smile crossing his lips. He rose both paws, dagger-like claws extending from each digit.

In a flash of color, a large cluster of gems flung itself in the mutt’s face and clung there. In a panic, he clawed at his face to remove the obstruction, losing his balance and falling off my chest in the process. I rose to my feet; Rarity’s horn was alight. She was smirking. Her forehooves were atop Corgi’s back. The Diamond Dog was intricately bound and gagged with the blanket she had rested upon only just before. Her color-cloaked horn was the same hue as the one ensnaring the gems. I nodded my thanks.

I stopped on the guard’s back, knocking the wind out of him and suppressing any more fight he may have had left. I looked for another target to fight, but none were present. As quickly as the fighting escalated, it stopped just as fast. Seven of the eight guards were captured, along with Corgi and two more of Tanis’ underlings. Tanis himself and a single guard were not present. Both whom likely fled when they realized they were outmatched in terms of skill. They could be down any of the dozen holes they burrowed to enter the room.

“Is everyone alright?” the female Night Guard called out. I looked around. Rarity and myself were fine, along with Spike and the unicorns. The Night Guards looked well, although some wore battlescars from the recent incursion. Most were superficial, but one had blood streaming down his face from a wound on his head.

I relaxed, only to wince. My knuckles badly stung. I may have gotten some broken bones from punching the guard’s head. Rarity, after tightening the knots on Corgi’s bonds, rushed over to me.

“You were brave, you know, dashing to our aid like that.” She batted her eyelashes and I looked away in embarrassment. I was already getting risqué looks from Ambrosia. I did not need Rarity to start making passes at me too.

She sat on her haunches and pulled my hand towards her, eyeing the wound carefully. The light of my torch had flickered briefly in the short fight, but kept burning bright. I could see Rarity examining the tear in my knuckles and the slight splash of red on the open wound. It was just a little red. I wasn’t gushing blood like the Night Guard, however that worked.

I could feel the muscles in Rarity’s arm tighten. Her eyes constricted to pinpricks and she looked in my eyes, confused. Scared. I looked around, expecting to see Diamond Dogs springing from the tunnels, but only saw the remaining Night Guards and unicorns aligning the grumbling and yelling Diamond Dogs along the wall in magical manacles.

I looked back at Rarity with a question in my eyes. Slowly, she flipped my hand palm up and brought my wrist to her cheek. She counted under her breath and when she was done, she looked at my wound. It held the exact amount of blood as it did when she first grabbed me. What did she expect to happen?

I pulled my hand away from her and conjured a loaf of bread. I healed when I ate, so I wolfed it down. I could feel my knuckles tingle as they gash sealed itself. I showed Rarity my palm, whose face had returned to its perfect smoothness. She could make a good liar when she wished.

“I am pleased to see that you are not hurt, Miner. Now, I have wounded to attend to.” Her nose lifted and she sauntered over to the wounded Night Guard. No trace of her earlier concerns graced her. She proceeded to remove a needle and thread from her packs and, after cleaning and dressing the wound, started to stitch him shut. He winced, but otherwise remained quiet. It was too bad that ponies couldn’t heal themselves by eating.

I was curious about the matter now. Walking over to the injured guard, I presented him with a loaf of bread to consume. Rarity finished stitching his head wound and proceeded to gather Spike and Corgi, leaving the guard to eye my bread curiously. Often the unicorns had tested the strength and effectiveness of my powers. How dense a material could I mine though, how much could I store inside my body, and what I could reasonably consume as food were all questions they asked and I willingly – and extremely grudgingly – answered to the best of my abilities.

The Night Guard grabbed the loaf with his hooves and eyed it suspiciously. “Nut the fuck up and eat it, you little bitch,” his comrade complained.

“One must not cuss and swear in front of a lady,” Rarity chided from behind us. The guard turned to give her a piece of his mind, but Corgi was unceremoniously shoved against the wall directly in front of him with her magic. He stumbled out of the way, only to get a face full of a smiling Rarity with a needle and thread between her teeth. He gulped and his words died on his lips. Corgi, however, was issuing a string of curses from behind the cloth in his mouth.

The wounded Night Guard sighed and took a careful bite out of the bread. He chewed softly, swallowed, and held a hoof to his temple. His wound had still not healed like mine. Over the next minute, he finished the loaf as the remaining guards secured and bound the Diamond Dogs.

All eyes were on him, even Spike’s and Rarity’s. He put a hoof to his head once again. His wound still hadn’t healed. There was a question answered. It wasn’t the food I made that caused me to heal, it was my own body.

“Well?” the cusser asked.

The wounded smacked his lips in thought. “I’d put it between the jambalaya and beef stew MRE rations.”

“Ouch.”

Heh, it beats dying you ungrateful whelp.

“What about these guys? Last time we met they weren’t this bad,” Spike asked.

The leader huffed and answered in a drone. “To the surface. Territory or not, this was an unprovoked assault. Despite your friend,” she nudged her head to me, “throwing the first punch, open declarations of foalnapping in front of witnesses is enough to get the courts involved. Especially if it was us.”

A trio of unicorns conjured chains to connect their magical manacles and a pair of Night Guards led them back the path we came from. “They’ll get off quick enough and be allowed to frolic for all I care. Let’s go.”

I didn’t know what iced the leader’s heart. Every word she spoke made her seem colder and colder. Whatever history Rarity had with with the Dogs cut off any complaint she may have had. 

The rest of our walk was in silence, but I increased the pace. Rarity said that they could still track our scent and that Tanis might do just that as vengeance. I was quick enough to keep the pace, but I was pretty sure Rarity was not. I was surprised when she kept pace. I just kept lightly sprinting down the endless tunnels, swerving right and left with only a torch and the refracted light of any gems to guide me. 

After a minute, I noticed a strange but not unfamiliar shift in the tunnels shape. The once rough and winding tunnels had started to widen and become more angular. The tunnel opened up to a larger cavern that ran alongside an underground river and the floor was conspicuously flat. The walls and stones lining the wall had much sharper angles while the cavern on the other side of the river was still full of curves and ridges. I had been here. We had made it.

“I recognize your work.” A unicorn ran a hoof across one stone in the shape of a perfect cube. His name was Diamond, I recalled. “Where to, fine sir? We seem to be at a dead end.”

He was correct. The path we stood on ended with a blank wall and was sectioned off by a river on our left, and a blank wall on our right. Walls were nothing to me. I jammed my torch into the ground to provide some light. Rarity never dropped the magic on her horn and a few of the black cloaks started doing the same after the fight. I didn’t need them. I knew where to dig.

I conjured my pickaxe. The disproportionately balanced tool was a comforting weight in my palm. My hand tightened along the wooden shaft and swung at the nearest wall. There was a brief spark as diamond met stone and the familiar fluctuation as my powers bent the world to my will. One more strike and the wall collapsed into raw energy and was greedily absorbed by my body. I cleared some more stone, at least enough for us to walk in single file, and watched their faces for the impending reveal.

There was a synchronized gasp of shock and awe across the guards and unicorn black cloaks. Rarity and Spike had their jaws open in amazement, and even the cold Night Guard leader couldn’t help but look on curiously. The cavern was fairly large, but something equally large inhabited it.

In front of us was a creation of mine. We stood on the back of a large stone courtyard leading to a great stone mansion. In front of us was a small, angular bridge over a still pool or river water. Although there was nothing of note in the water, the bridge was marked with intermittent glass tiles to see the water below.

The bridge lead to a small circular park with trees, grasses and an array of flowers was a bubbling brook in the center that led back into the pool. For flowers, they could see reds, yellows, blues, and even what I know to be common weeds arranged in patterns framing trees and other shrubbery. Flowers arranged in colored rows leading to the center of the garden where a great oak tree stood.

Through the garden, there was the mansion, a marvelous piece of craftsmanship five stories tall, one hundred meters wide, and fifty deep. A small set of stone stairs led from the back of the garden up to a pair iron doors. I had found a large collection of sand below this cavern and had collected and harvested sand for glass. Windows dotted the structure on every floor and a dull glow illuminated what was inside like a thousand black specters. Coal was not nearly as common in Equestria as it was in the Overworld. If anyone could find it, I could.

I smiled; I had yet to earn a reaction, and that pleased me greatly given the context. They could finally understand the sheer scope of what I was capable of. I took the time to seal the cave exit, collect my torch, and dispel my pickaxe. Despite the Diamond Dog’s ability to travel through stone and dirt as quickly as myself, I didn’t want to leave an open invitation. If they wanted to surprise me, they would at least have to dig through a meter of stone. It would give us a little warning if Tanis came back.

“It’s...” Spike was the first to speak, then Rarity and Diamond.

“That’s not possible...”

“How is this possible. I knew you were good, but this...”

“You have certainly outdone yourself. Quite the architect, you are,” the leader spoke. She had already recovered and was staring at me, oddly enough. It was... blank. Like what she saw was interesting, but I was what mattered. She tapped a hoof on the ground to get her charges’ attention. “Come on. We have work to do before we leave, and I’d like to leave sooner rather than later. I wouldn’t like to be cornered by a pack of mutts anytime soon.”

That snapped everyone to attention and we walked down the courtyard. Most still wore bemused smiles and delightful grins. I was rather pleased myself. I couldn’t help but puff my chest.

Rarity plucked at a falling leaf with her hooves. “How did you get all of this down here?”

Between when I had fled the monsters in the forest and when I returned to raid for supplies, I had been to the surface only once. I did so to better learn the lay of the land and gather a few meager supplies, the plants being some of them. It was for food, but I had to return to avoid the aerial reconnaissance searching for me.


THE SURFACE


“All of it?”

I nodded.

“I knew your powers were vast,” the small unicorn breathed, “but nowhere near this magnitude...”

We walked up the steps and approached the double doors. The leader was first and her body sank as she stepped on a pressure pad. She blinked in surprise as the doors sprung open. “Charming,” she said dully. She didn’t enter fast enough and the door proceeded to swing back and smack her right in the face.

The snigger from her comrades was quickly silenced with a frosty glare. She stepped on the pressure pad again, quickly cantering through. The rest filed in soon afterwards.

The inside was equally extravagant and grand. I had lined the walls with bookshelves and pane glass windows. Most rooms were devoid of fineries, but the wondering unicorns and guards discovered my stocked kitchen with a wall lined with stone furnaces and five dining rooms with glass floors and ceilings, and a dozen living rooms. Each room contained oak wood furniture of some kind, from tables to chairs. What few tree saplings I could find on the surface, I had planted in various rooms. 

“This is wonderful!” Rarity exclaimed. She with Spike on her back explored my house down to every conceivable crevasse. I decided to follow those two as they explored rather than stay wiht with the guards and unicorns. If they wanted to learn about what I could do, now was the best opportunity to explore and discover.

I trailed Rarity as she reached the top staircase. Lodged in the back of the fifth floor was a single staircase that led to the roof. Rarity pranced up to the roof and saw the sights before her. It was one thing to walk through the garden and courtyard, and another to see it from above. Her smile widened and she gasped in delight. “This is wonderful, Mister Miner. Absolutely wonderful...”

Spike had been mostly silent. His impressionable young mind was just taking in the sights and smells as they came. Below was filled with the scent of cut wood and rock. Above it all, the three of us could catch the lingering floral scents from my garden below. I particularly loved the scent of roses.

I sat down next to Rarity, who was on her haunches with Spike by her side. I normally lit up the ceiling of larger caverns like this with torches, but I had been low on coal and charcoal in order to do so. I stuck to lighting my house and courtyard instead. The flickering light, along with the floral smells, relaxed my muscles. I wasn’t tired, but I enjoyed and partook the chance to truly relax with a friend. No tight quarters in tents, no curious black cloak unicorns, and every chance to build. I was content once again.

“It’s good to see you smile.” I jerked. I had not expected Rarity to speak and break the moment. She took my head between her forehooves. “Just like this. I want to remember you like this. You always seem so sad.”

My smile fell. No, I wasn’t sad around ponies. I was lonely. It tied with my lack of a desire to return to the Overworld. I had found companionship, and I didn’t want to lose it. I was scared I’d be alone again.

“Hey, big guy? Miner?” Spike was the one speaking this time. He too had ended his reverie. “Can I ask you a question?”

I nodded. I didn’t see why not, but my consent only seemed to make him more nervous. “I saw some of the reports when I was with Twilight. You can do some cool stuff. Just look at all this!”

“Spike, your question,” Rarity prodded.

“Yeah, yeah.” Spike was still hesitant to speak his little mind. “One of those reports was about your body and all that. You can talk... Why don’t you?”

I growled at him. It was the one question I didn’t want to answer.

“Geez! No need to get touchy.”

The guilt was sudden and sharp, but I ignored it. Of all the questions, he had to ask that. I huffed and curled up, putting my head on my knees and wrapping my arms around them. He wouldn’t understand. Everyone on the surface has had someone to care and love since time immemorial. Mothers gave birth to daughters and sons. They could never understand the crushing sense of isolation I felt and the seeds of rampant jealousy in my heart whenever I saw one of them. Friends, lovers, families, and rulers. There was always someone to care for them in the darkest of times. I was always alone.

I was used to being alone for the longest time. I don’t know how old I am. I don’t even have a name. The memories of such days long died with my first memories. All I can recall is a sense of... light, the first strands of sapience streaming through a dreary and clouded mind. I had forgotten when that was, only that it was enough to reduce mountains to dust with the eons and epochs. 

Ever since my... birth? I was alone, and I didn’t mind. Of course I didn’t. It was all I new. I mined and built, because it was all I knew, because it was nothing but a faint instinct in the back of my skull. Build. Craft. Live. Kill. Survive. Grow.

I had no idea I secretly hated it all. Not until they came.

They came from the darkness, from the Void Fog itself. Running from or running to, I never knew. I never knew why or how, as I could never understand what they were saying. Shadows in the night, they were, with eyes full of knowledge, curiosity, and hate. 

Endermen.

The first sign of sapient life I had ever laid eyes upon. The only problem was that they tried to kill me when I did.

I could not ascribe the delight, wonder, fear, and awe I felt at finally seeing another in my world. Mine. I owned it. I crafted it. And there was another form of life. Companionship, at last. The desire for familiarity and friendship had spread like a poison. I craved companionship with a desire greater than even survival itself. Monsters, villagers, and iron golems were blank and lifeless shells. Finally! Something that could talk back!

Only they rejected me. For whatever madness known only to them, they turned on me and tried to kill me. For just a few brief moments, I had someone to talk to. I rushed out the door and into the night, jumping over cubic blocks and hills. I could see them in the distant light of the full moon.

And they were gone. My first experience with Endermen teleportation. I almost died as they pursued me, all of them screaming in that awful call of theirs. I had to kill them all. I set off a magma trap and burned them alive. I had to kill them in self defense. Not once did their kin try to talk. 

My first encounter with an Enderman. It was the day my hopes and voice died. I never spoke again afterwards. It hurt greater than any wound, any creeper explosion. They crushed my hopes at gaining a friend for the next couple thousand years.

Why was I always so passive around ponies? I was afraid they would do the same if I ever got too close to them. If they too abandoned me, I didn’t know if my heart could take it. I didn’t want to die, but living... I will rue the day when I die, when my debts are placed upon the scale of time. I have seen these lands over many years, seen the trials and tribulations suffered by many, but after each passing day, the pain I see no longer tugs on my heart as it had the previous years. I bear no love for family, honor, or land. I walk the earth, lamenting what was lost. I am a shell of a man, and I fear only myself.

Build all you want, Crafter. The hardest stone will never match the warmest heart.

I didn’t even notice the tears streaming down my face until Rarity dabbed at my eyes with a handkerchief. She rose from her rest and walked to my side. She sat back down and leaned her head against my shoulder. Spike walked up to my left and put a comforting hand on my back. 

“Let’s talk about something else then. What you you know about that gateway in the sky?” Rarity asked gently.

 Ah, the Nether Portal. I didn’t know a word for such a thing, so I did my best to provide one. I conjured a sign and wrote some text in both our languages.





AETHER GATE


“Aether gateway? To where?” She lifted her head off my arm to look me in the eyes. The name sounded strange on her lips. There was likely something lost in translation.


OVERWORLD TO AETHER WORLD


AETHER WORLD TO OVERWORLD


I could see Rarity processing what I told her. Deciding to add another morsel of information, I pointed to the word Overworld and wrote below it.


HOME


“This Overworld is your home? Why did you leave? Why come here?” Her voice was thick with motherly concern, and did not know her text for Endermen


TALL MONSTER TRAP


I thought about my last encounter in the Overworld with the pair of Endermen. One Enderman, and one Enderman that did not act like an Enderman.


MONSTER FALSE TALL MONSTER


“False?” My language skills weren’t that good, so I had to wait for her to try and piece together what I was trying to say.

“So... there was a tall monster? One of those tall monsters? It forced you to come here?”

Close, but not quite.


ONE TALL MONSTER


ONE MONSTER FALSE FACE


Comprehension dawned across her face. “So there was an tall monster, a Farlander as we started calling it, and a monster disguised as an Farlander?”

Disguise. That was the word I was looking for. I nodded.

“Hmmm...” She chewed her lip and help a hoof to her chin in thought. Not procuring any conclusions, she got up and proceeded to pace. “Which one pushed you through?”


MONSTER


“That must mean the Farlander came in unwillingly, or had an ulterior agenda...” I blinked. How did she get that? “I’m betting your Farlander friend knows the monster. As unpleasant as the idea is, the easy choice would be to kill the witness. This Farlander either escaped the monster by following you, or is trying to stop the monster.” She paused. “Or they are working together in some capacity.” 

I wasn’t convinced, despite it being the best theory I had. My knowledge of Endermen was meager at best. What I reasoned of their language over many years was through trial and error, and I still wasn’t sure if I was correct. Relaying vague ideas I wasn’t even sure were correct would get us nowhere.

“So, tell me about this Aether Portal. Why did you make it?”


NO MAKE


CAN MAKE. NO MAKE


“Woah, woah, woah.” It was Spike’s turn to interject. “You can make those obsidian portals?” I nodded.


OVERWORLD TO AETHER WORLD ONLY


AETHER WORLD TO OVERWORLD ONLY


I could only make a portal function between those particular realms. That’s how it always worked, until the Nether Portal turned red instead of violet.


NOT MINE


“...So if you didn’t make it,” Rarity started, “who did? For what purpose?”

She trailed off for another minute. Whatever conclusions she may have made, she kept to herself as she switched topics again. “What is this Aether World like? I can’t imagine what it would be like to go to another world. You’ve been to three!”

I chuckled. I knew a word for this, and it wasn’t what she expected.


TARTARUS


Rarity’s shock was nothing short of sublime. “Why... why go there?”


SUPPLIES


The Nether is certainly dangerous. It is perpetually dim, heavy with fumes and heat, wrought with monsters, and home to gigantic pools of lava, it will forever be the most inhospitable place I know. What ground that is not consumed by lava is covered by partially molten Netherrack stone. Once on fire, Netherrack would burn forever, so the air is always filled with the sound of crackling fires. The terrain is dangerous, often having dozens of holes in the ground capable of hundred meter drops onto hard stone or pools of lava. The air itself is thick with sulfur, burning flesh, and effluvial horrors.

That doesn’t even do the monsters justice. Desiccated pigmen often wield armor and swords. They are normally passive, but an attack on one sends them all squealing for reinforcements and attack. I often found myself swarmed by close to a dozen before I could find sanctuary. Half the scars on my body are due to them.

Then there are the ghasts. Horrid, detestable creatures. They always flutter across the dry thermals, never touching the ground. They are massive, bone-white masses of flesh that trail draping tendrils under their bodies. The worst part about them is that they not only spit fireballs whenever they see me, but they issue the most depressive, gut-wrenching cry I have ever heard. 

Lastly, there were the fortresses built into Netherrack. Monsters made out of magma lived there, as well as skeletal archers and beasts made of pillars of fire that were necessary for alchemy stands, and healing potions in turn. The Nether was a giant deathtrap, but also filled with some of the richest, most potent regents I could find.

“If this place is like Tartarus, what supplies could possibly be there? Could it really worth it?”

Despite my fear for my own life, I am not afraid of death. I don’t want to die and will fight to preserve my own miserable existence, but that is far from clinging to it with desperate pleas.


I LIVE FOREVER


DYING WORSE THAN NOT DYING


I cut the conversation off with that. I liked Rarity enough, but the conversations with her were becoming increasingly uncomfortable. Spike and Rarity looked forlorn as I left. I wasn’t too concerned about the rudeness of the situation, only wanting the line of questioning. Rarity induced far too many existential questions for my comfort.

I conjured a torch and started walking down the stairs. I wanted to see what the other ponies were up to and stock up on a few supplies while I was at it. I intended my trip into Ponyville to be brief, but circumstances and flying through pane glass windows prevented that from happening

I sighed as I reached the bottom. I knew I should return to the roof and apologize, but I was tired of mental exercises such as talking. I’d do so later, I decided. Sighing again, I looked up. I almost screamed.

On the far end of the hall was... me. Only not me. In place of eyes were orbs of fire and light.

And it was gone. Just like that, it was gone. Gone. I was flabbergasted. I rarely – very rarely – hallucinated, but I had never seen myself before.

“Get out.”

I shivered. I had forgotten about those words. Once I infiltrated the town, I endured three visions through the eyes of some unknown entity. It was the monster that had pursued Shy Pony and almost killed her. It was the monster that had noticed I was looking on through its eyes and forced me out. It was the monster that had said those words in the same voice I had used so long ago.

Monster...

Could it be? The one responsible for sending me to Equestria was here?

Rarity and Spike descended the stairs. I could hear them cross every step, but my eyes were glued to the now empty wall on the far side of the mansion.

“Hey, you okay?” I turned my head. Spike had returned to Rarity’s back. I shook my head. I wasn’t okay. I really wasn’t. I continued walking down the empty corridor until I reach the center and opened a pair of double doors. Inside, the walls were covered with various oak chests. Although I can store items in my body, there is a limit of what I can remember what I have stored. I often create chests and store specific items or types of items. The first chest was marked by a sign titled:





I opened the chest, a simply made item by pony standards. Rarity got up to observe me root around the chest. There was nothing but a swirling mass of browns and grays inside. I knew what I was looking for by instinct and reached for a jumbled mass of brown, twisting, semi-viscous energy. The brown energy shot into up my arm and disappeared. After I collected my wood, I closed the chest and started searching another, this one marked as cobblestone.





The chest opened to a collection of dull gray gray energy and I extracted some of the larger ribbons.

“Now that is something.” Rarity and I jumped. Diamond had snuck up behind us. “Do you mind if I...” He trailed off, his green eyes looking hopeful. I gave an exasperated sigh and left the lid open. It’s not as if he could do anything with the chest. If by chance he could, cobblestone was easy enough to replenish.

I walked to the far side of the chamber. Rarity looked at Diamond before following me to my next chest.





Opening it, I removed several larger ribbons of turquoise. I could tell by both touch and sight which ribbon of energy was which, like picking out a single voice in a crowded room. It was easy to do; all it required was some practice. Diamond gemstones were thinner and faster. Diamond blocks, which could be broken down into gemstones, were thicker, almost viscous. I removed a few dozen of the latter. I didn’t know when I could return to the underworld and collect more, so I thought it best that I should stock up while I could. 

Then I remembered a conversation sometime over the past few days. Rarity was a tailor of some sort, one that used gemstones. I could only figure out a use for the diamonds. I really didn’t need the other gems at all, and I did owe Rarity a few minor favors.

I scooped up a few rainbows of colors and held my hand up. I brought forth every ribbon of energy I could muster at once. Gems rained forth from my right hand. Rarity and spoke went from startlement, to confusion, to absolute delight.

“Thank you, Miner!” Spike dived off of Rarity’s back and straight into the pile of gems the size of Rarity. I don’t know how, but he managed to sink right through them. I heard a crunching sound soon after; I had forgotten that Twilight said dragons ate gems. Somehow.

Rarity was picking through them little by little, but with a smile that stretched across her face. Rarity always stuck me as carefully reserved. I had never seen her let her emotions be set free like they were now.

“You’re giving us all of this? Willingly?” I saw paw at a few larger gems. I could see the wanton desire in her eyes that bordered on blind, craven lust. Nevertheless, I nodded.

“Mine!” She swiped the larger gems from the pile and stuffed them in her pack. Diamond was encroaching on the pile with modest desire. My smile broadened. It was good to see the more childlike side of the ponies. I hadn’t seen them often. One of the few that would even dare approach me was a little orange runt with stubby wings. I had often seen her with Twilight’s friend, the one with prismatic hair. Her feelings had softened since our first encounter, but she was still too hesitant to speak with me.

I moved onto the next chest. Rarity followed, her saddlebags jingling and bulging with its new contents. 

“Thank you most graciously, Miner.” I pulled out a sign and replied.





I blinked. My knee jerk reflex was that symbol, which meant gratitude. I hastily wiped away the streaks of charcoal and used her own tongue.


WELCOME


The last chest did not have a sign marking its contents. I sis so when chests were full of random hodgepodges of unsorted collectables. I opened the chest and removed whatever remaining iron, coal, and flint stockpiles I had. All three were in short supply, so it was best to keep what I could on me at all times.

I walked to the doors. Spike and Diamond were still focused on the pile of gems, so I left them to their own devices. My feet stopped just short of walking out. My head poked out the door, taking a quick peek left and right. Nothing was there; no unicorns, not guards, and certainly no monsters.

“What’s wrong?” Rarity asked. She kept her voice low, thankfully. I didn’t want to gain Diamond’s attention. I walked out of the room, out of Diamond’s line of sight, and wrote a symbol.





“Fluttershy? What about her?” Shy Pony’s name sounded strange coming out of her mouth.


 

 



Obviously, I knew she didn’t know most of my words, but she did know the meaning of danger, the third symbol, and Shy Pony, the last symbol. “I saw you write this before. Back at your tent.” My cage. “We always thought you meant you heard about what happened to fair Fluttershy.”

I did, but not what she meant. Tiny slivers of light filtered through the windows and across my face, highlighting my grave expression. I wiped away the ash, and continued again. When finished, I pointed to my head and then to the text.


SEE MONSTER IN MIND


HARM PHLUTERSHY


MONSTER SEE ME


NO SEE NO MORE


I did my best to sound out Shy Pony’s name, but my point was still understood. “You don’t see inside this monster’s mind anymore?” I shook my head.


MONSTER GET OUT


She turned her head to check for eavesdroppers and pranced closer. “I saw your reaction when we first met you. You saw Fluttershy before.” I nodded. I remembered that. Rarity looked unsure of herself afterwards. I could tell something was on her mind. “What did it look like?”


NO SEE


SEE THROUGH EYES


SOUND LIKE MONSTER


We reached the end of the mansion and proceeded down the next flight of stairs. Halfway down, Rarity reared up on her hind legs and gently pushed me into the stone wall. She didn’t use force, but her face was inches from mine, far more intense than before.

“I want to ask you a question, Miner. I want you to think very carefully before you answer.”

I admit, I was a little scared. Mentally, not physically. Normally, I would have the feeling of fear register on a physical level: fear of harm, fear of monsters, fear of the dark.

Fear of the unknown. That’s what I felt. Rarity’s eyes, normally so full of life or calm facades smoldered with intensity. It was a skill mastered by only three others I had seen before: Luna, Barricade, and the monster pony in the caverns. Compelled by some unknown means, be it the fear of what she intended if I refused or genuine curiosity concerning her question, I slowly nodded my head.

She didn’t ask at first. I got the impression she was searching my eyes for any kind of falsehood or trickery. Finding none, words dripped from her mouth. “Are you truly the only one of your kind?”

My mind flashed to mere minutes ago. Eyes in the dark. Despite that information, I didn’t know what that was. I had always been alone, and that thing was an enigma. I’d tell Barricade or Luna in more detail later.

...The same voice. The same body. Was I really alone?

Slowly, I nodded my head. Rarity’s countenance was unwaveringly vehement, but her usual happily calm demeanor trickled through and she was smiling once more.

“Okay.” She backed up and fell to her hooves. “I’ll collect Spike. We’ll meet up with you in a bit.” Before the pony turned to leave, I placed a hand on her haunches and she halted.


THANK YOU


She smiled and jerked the sign from my fingers. Bringing out a kerchief, she wiped away the charcoal stains and carved a symbol with her magic.





I had no words for the blossoming warmth that spread through my heart.





I was in the lowest level, farming out my chests for supplies. When creating the garden, I stuck most of my plants and tree saplings there in order to reduce running time. Even when building superstructures, I always made necessities such as ferrying equipment and resources as simple and easy as possible.

I shut the chest and proceeded to walk out before I halted. I heard hushed voices barely audible across the thick walls and low volume. One of them sounded like the leader pony. She was in a heated argument with the tiny unicorn black cloak.

“...telling you... cave...”

“I... say. We need more...”

“Czarina... Barricade... report!”

“I will.”

I edged closer to the door. I put my back next to the frame, but out of sight of the main door. I wasn’t one for eavesdropping, but the I couldn’t help myself but listen in onto forbidden knowledge. As the pair walked closer, their conversation became clearer and clearer.

“He needs... questioned.”

“Mind... place. Night... commanded... Hawk and Princess Luna. Not Czarina.”

“What of... Miner?”

“He’s Captain Barricade’s...”

“And Jetstream?”

“...Aegis will be coming...”

The two did not speak until they were next to the double iron doors of the mansion. The wooden doors to my store room were open, but neither seemed to pay it much attention.

“What I don’t get,” the unicorn began, “is why Jetstream did whatever he did in the first place.”

“That is still not confirmed.”

“Think about it. The Sergeant ordered his squad away and explored the caverns alone, despite it being a clear violation of protocol. He somehow finds the portal on his own in near complete darkness, with the civilian's help of course, without any incident? I read the reports before I started work on the Farlander Portal. The wounds on the Everfree monsters matches up with confirmed Farlander wounds on the Miner’s back.”

The leader was silent. The unicorn took that as a sign to continue. “All signs point to the Farlander being active before Jetstream went down here; it stopped immediately afterwards. The Miner came down here on either day one or day two, getting caught on day three. That’s not a lot of room for him to maneuver, especially due to the overwatch patrols and the Farlander antechamber being a half hour away from here. We know the Miner is alone down here. We know that Jetstream was the only Royal Guardpony alone down here. It fits. It has to be Jetstream.

“That we know of, Magi. The only solo Royal Guardpony that we know of.”

“But – ”

“But nothing. This is what we know. The Miner met a Royal Guardpony. The Miner is physically incapable of telling them apart. That is it. The fact that Jetstream wandered off like some pitiful drunk is circumstantial information at best.”

“I – ”

“I need hard facts, magus, not baseless conjecture. I believe you are familiar with the term unlawful imprisonment, hearsay, and baseless evidence. Despite your conclusions, you still have no proof. Use facts to suit theories, not the other way around.”

They were both silent for several minutes. I could hear hoofsteps above me from other wandering guards and unicorns. Magi, she called them. My memory was poor, but my hearing had become quite keen over the years. It had to be in order to detect the hiss of a creeper or the screech of a distant Enderman.

I heard nothing. I almost started to believe that my trusty senses had somehow failed me. Even if they did, I was doing something unkind by eavesdropping. Hesitantly, I took a step toward the door. Just after I started the motion, the unicorn spoke, “I will still file a report on what I believe.”

Too late. I had already stepped towards the dull light of the door. When my boot hit the ground, the unicorn jumped in surprise; he understandably did not know I was there.

The leader... she was a different matter entirely. Her eyes were frosted over in a cold, dark fury. She was glaring at the unicorn, who had his back to her as he was ready to walk down the hall. She had taken a step forward towards him, her teeth bared.

I took a step back. I recognized that look. I wore it several times before. She was slightly paler than normal and her muscles coiled like a spider in mid spring. It was the look of someone who was completely primed to kill.

“It is impolite to eavesdrop, Miner.” Her face had become her usual blank calm. Do you have everything you require?”

I couldn’t help but nod. I knew I saw what I thought I saw. The unicorn turned to face me as well. His cheeks were flushed with the sudden onset of fear and the calm immediately afterwards.

“You scared me, Miner,” the unicorn breathed in a rush. He inhaled deeply and let go of his breath.

“I will report your theories to Captain Hawk regardless, magus,” the leader droned.

“Thank you. That’s all I wanted.”

Her eyes focused on me. “And you...” The frost crossed her eyes and I swore the room temperature dropped several degrees. “you... need to learn to keep your nose out of situations where it does not belong.” Or what, you’ll kill me? “Yes,” I blinked. “somethings are not and should not be privy to your ears, even if it is finding your attacker.

“Now get ready. Boots up in five.”

I learned from Rarity that meant we were about to leave. I thought it was a good idea on several fronts; getting away from the memory of the monster, and getting the leader in a group so she wouldn’t do anything hasty. I hoped I was just being paranoid, but for a brief moment, I swore she was about to kill that pony.

Some of the Magi were complaining about not having enough time for research and samples, but the leader stated that they could file paperwork for a chance of returning once more. She said something about this being a proof of existence or something. Proof that I wasn’t lying would be more accurate.

The trip was uneventful. I half expected to see Tanis ambush us on our way back to the surface. It wouldn’t surprise me, but neither did the attack’s absence. The Dogs seemed quite dim, but Tanis struck me as wily as much as he felt rabid. He was a predator with good instincts. The only thing that accompanied us on our trip was a dreadful silence, unnerving quiet, and the unsure contemplations about what was to come.

The sun had already reached its zenith and was falling toward the west horizon. I could see the skies were tinted red as we exited the caves. Several hours had passed and it was well into evening.

We parted ways once we exited through my tunnel into Ponyville proper. Most Night Guards and magi returned to base, save for three that were my next guards, but the leader stayed with me. I remembered she said she was going to file a report, but that didn’t concern me too bad. My concerns seemed less and less worrisome after every passing second. I was getting weary. I hadn’t exercised so strenuously in quite some time for me and my body was adjusting to the sudden shift in bodily stress after languishing for so long. I was used to moving constantly in the Overworld. I had been in one place for far too long.

Together, Rarity, Spike, the leader, and myself walked into town. Spike had fallen asleep on her back while suckling a red gem between his lips.

I was following Rarity. Twilight and friends were named my custodians or something by Luna. I didn’t understand the finer details, but I could go where one of them was, providing they were willing and able to do so. She was not headed towards any destination I was familiar with, however. She walked to the center of town, which was absolutely packed to the brim full of ponies. I did not know what happened while we were gone, but some kind of meeting was staged while we were underground.

Ponies lined the streets of hovered in air. I saw several dozen sleepy Night Guards and a few off duty Royal Guardponies doing the same. I recognized a few ponies by sight, but I didn’t see a single one that I could assign a name to. Everyone was looking towards the center of the town square above the fountain.

Luna had awoken early. I had learned that Luna was primarily awake during the night, and there she was amidst a crowd of Night Guards for protection. She was speaking to the citizens, but we had only arrived for the very end.

“...and this I swear. I have seen ponies live and grow to become great. The Bearers themselves have proved shining examples of courage, dedication, and faith in justice even under overwhelming odds. Remember this. Remember them. Remember today. As dark as it may get, as afraid as you may be, remember hope is there to light your path. Remember this: stay in the light.”

The crowd cheered at the end of her speech. It sounded like standard hope-brewing to me, but I wasn’t one to judge. Rarity was blushing mildly at being called out by name in a public speech. The leader...

The leader was smiling. It was creepy and compounded by the fact that even her comrades seemed distressed that such an expression of delight was on her face.

“Oh, really?” she said to herself. She chuckled, a dark sound that made my skin crawl. She turned on her heels and walked away. I did not follow.

“That will boost sales for a few days,” Rarity said happily. Her and her dresses. Whatever would make her happy, I would not judge. I continued to follow with my guards trailing behind. 

“♫Big~Boy?” Great, the nickname was spreading and the damn guards were sniggering. I was momentarily surprised; Rarity used the same name before, but over the course of a few hours, I had gone from not being able to stand her, to being closer to her than any other pony. I needed more time to think about it, but certainly not then and there. Slowly, I turned to see who had adopted Rarity’s pet name for me.

Ambrosia stumbled closer, the term being used quite literally. Her eyes were bloodshot and she couldn’t stop herself from giggling. “Hello th-there,” she stuttered. “How are you doing today? No, don’t answer that. I like that strong, silent act you have goin’.” She started nuzzling my hand. her cheeks were stained red from blushing.

“Ambrosia, are you drunk?” Rarity was mortified at her behavior. I was just uncomfortable.

The construction pony looked at the sun. “Five... thirty. Give or take. Nope! Not yet, Rares. I’m just here to offer our...our... our mutual friend here,” she smiled in a lascivious manner, “an invitation. We have a job for you, if you’re willing. Meet Jim and us at the house. Rarity knows where it’s at.”

Rarity wouldn’t have anything to do with it. “Ambrosia, he – ”

“Ish in need of money,” she cut in. She hiccupped and her head and eyes started to droop before her head shot back up. “Just give it some thought.”

Without giving Rarity or myself some time to respond, she waddled away, unsteady on her feet but not falling onto her – spoke too soon, she fell on her face.

Rarity chuckled a little before leading me to a familiar treehouse. “That’s not the only news for you today.”

I tilted my head to the side. “We’ve thought about it for some time, the girls and I. We can’t keep calling you ‘Miner’ forever.”

I stopped in my tracks. Did she really...?

Rarity opened the door. Fiver other ponies, including prismatic pony and Shy Pony, were inside. The pair looked surprisingly eager to see me, being the most hesitant to ever even meet with me in the past.

“We’re going to give you a name.”





Minecraft/MLP:FIM crossover.
For chapter updates and my ramblings, visit my page on Fimfiction HERE.
Barricade is a character by KnightMysterio that I have been graciously allowed to use. 
Chapter Commentary: LINK
Edited by: Cor Thunder, Hyperbole, Material Defender, arachnidsGrip