//------------------------------//
// Chapter 4 - Jaws of Darkness 
// Story: Equestria's Gates 
// by Shin Guyviroth 
//------------------------------//

Dark clouds began to forecast in the skies, spreading the cover of rainfall over the mountains and the wastelands beyond and behind. The downpour got heavier as the small moments went by, crashing into the face of the mountains, the thick mud, and soil below. The ground became softer and slippery the more and more it got drenched, becoming looser as the splashes from the raindrops spluttered small amounts of it upwards and against the rocks.

The six gradually made their way up the steep, sloped pathway that lead to the cavern entrance. Even the smooth, rocky path caused a hindrance for the group as the rainfall made it slippery and hard to get a good foothold on. Shadows began to cast over the path as the sun died down coupled with the clouds blocking out much of the light. Thunder crackled in the distance, its low rumblings echoing through the canyon.

"Here we are," said Beacon, trying to catch his breath. In front of them was the large, cavernous maw of the cave shaped like the fanged mouth of a dragon. Much of the cave was pitch-black due to their being little natural light outside, with only the floor a few feet in front of them and the jutting stalactites reflecting what little sunlight pierced the clouds. "It'll take us hours to get through this cave, so I suggest we venture half-way before setting up camp for the night." 

"Sleep in here?" objected Pockets. "You must be out of your mind! What if there's… creatures in here?"

"Provided we stay on this trail, then there won't be any problems." Beacon turned back to the group, his eyes on Celestia. "Celestia, can you give us some light?"

She seemed shocked for a moment when he had called her name, pulling her out of her train of thought. "O-oh," she replied, "I'm sorry… I don't know that spell…"

Beacon raised an eyebrow at her. "You don't know the light spell? It's a basic cantrip that all college students learn."

"Do not take it to heart, Beacon," intervened Luna, stepping between them. Her brow narrowed at him slightly. "She was not present when we were taught the spell and so she is catching up with help of the Princess. I, however…" A silver glow emanated from the tip of her horn, growing in size before suddenly bursting into a distorted orb of light. The entire cave entrance lit up in a silver hue, reaching deep into the cave, several meters of the interior becoming visible. "I will take point," she asserted, stepping in front of Beacon to lead.

Onyx gave a small chuckle under his breath, watching Beacon with a keen eye. "Oh, by the way, Prince," he spoke, "you shouldn't push Luna too far, especially where her sister is concerned."

"And what possible reason could you come up with, Onyx?"

"Good question. I can't." He kept his eyes on Beacon as he watched his face turn from one of curiosity to one of complete confusion, taking his place behind Luna as he followed her lead with everyone else. "Or, rather, I don't remember much after she knocked me out for four hours. She has a very mean headbutt."

"… Understood."

Despite the support from her sister, Celestia wasn't any more comforted now than she was before. Quickly, she kept up to the pace of Luna, staying by her side closely with dependency. "Thank you for sticking up for me, Luna," she whispered into her ear softly so no one else could hear.

"It's okay, sister," replied Luna in kind. "I know how you can't concentrate when you're anxious."

Celestia turned her gaze away from Luna entirely, embarrassed if not frustrated that she was telling the truth -- anxiety had set in her heart when she had witnessed someone die in front of her own eyes. The memory, the pain, and the cries that flooded that scene wouldn't wash from her mind no matter how much she tried to wipe them away. She gave an awkward smile, hoping  to take her mind off of them through conversation. "Why, with all this light, who needs potions, right?" she jested, trying to find some grounds of small talk. But, not one of them replied. The entire group were more focused on facing ahead and keeping cautious. 

"Something troubles you, young Celestia," spoke Star Swirl, keeping close behind her. "Thy gait is not of your usual demeanour. There is something wrong, I am certain."

"Huh? N-no, thou art -- I mean, you are wrong, Star Swirl! I am not troubled at all! For what reason could you possibly have to question my nerves?"

"I never said your nerves were the matter." Celestia tightened up, knowing full well that she had given it away. "Is it not best if thou were to speak your mind? We are all in this together, you understand? We are all here to support one-another."

"I…" Celestia hesitated for a moment before giving a heavy sigh. "Yes. I guess you are correct. I've been thinking about things ever since… what happened earlier. Horrible things. Things that will surely plague me for time to come."

"It is natural that you would find it troubling, young Celestia. After all, thou art the only one of us with kin, if I am not mistaken." Star Swirl's words dealt a heavy blow to Celestia despite the lack of malign intentions. She was afraid that her own problem would affect the rest of the group, or even slow them down. "I've not much understanding to what you're going through, but you cannot let the ifs and buts worry you in the long run. We will protect one another."

"Well spoken," bolstered Beacon. "You cannot let those thoughts drag you through Tartaros, Celestia. Only years of pain will await you should you choose to cling to those thoughts every day until it happens. Then, only more pain will follow. Think of happy thoughts, like --"

"-- Cake," interrupted Pockets from the rear. "Or bunny rabbits? Or helping old mares pick up their dropped groceries?"

"… Uh, yes. Exactly. Things like that… Or not."

A light giggle escaped Celestia's lips. "Yes… You're right. Thank you." It was soothing for her to know that she had friends close by to help her through her troubles. Never before had she been so distraught, but never before had she known people to look to, either. However, with one problem out of the way, another arose to her mind. "Beacon, you said that Cirrus gave his life to save us. What did you mean by that?"

"I'm glad I'm not the only one who was thinking that," acknowledged Onyx, raising his voice, irate to have had information withheld from him. "I take it you know something about Cirrus that the rest of us don't?" 

"I do," responded Beacon. "I was once in the Sky Captains myself though I graduated before this "Black Feather" pony showed up. I'd never heard of him before, so I was shocked to see him assume the top position so quick. But, I digress. All Sky Captains are taught all thirty formations that include tactical, offensive and defensive stratagems."

"Are you implying that Cirrus tried to perform one of these formations and failed?"

"No. He executed it with great expertise." Everyone turned with looks of confusion and, in some respect, disgust as they tried to figure out exactly what Beacon was suggesting. Luna, however, had a fair amount of imagination to deduce the truth, even if it was a bitter pill to swallow. "Formation Thirty, also known as "The Last", is a formation that requires the driver of the carriage, or one of them if there are more, to quickly snap the carriage backwards in case of a crash landing."

"Snap backwards? For what reason?"

"The back of the carriage is curved with padding so that, when passengers hit it with force, they are uninjured. Snapping the carriage backwards allows the passengers to hit the back without risk of being flung out of the carriage through forward momentum when it crashes. However, because of the whiplash, the driver is pulled backwards, colliding the underside of the carriage. The trauma is well known to break the backs of those performing it, evidently ending their career or even their livelihoods, crippling them."

"But… the cart didn't get tilted backwards. It was thrown to the side."

"I know. I assume that Cirrus tried to perform a modified formation to tilt the cart backwards and to one side, effectively achieving its goal while also protecting Stratus."

Celestia turned progressively pale as she kept listening to Beacon's explanation. "You mean… he tried to alter the cart to protect his brother from the whiplash?"

"Exactly. Instead of getting whipped backwards, Stratus was thrown upwards when the cart swung to the side. That would explain why he suffered minimum injuries. However, that would also explain how Cirrus ended up under the carriage. The whiplash must have pulled him backwards and to the side before the cart toppled over."

The revelation made Celestia feel more anxious and upset than before. A part of her wanted to say something, anything, to let it be known that she found admiration in the guard's sacrifice to his brother and to his passengers. But, she knew that as soon as she would open her mouth,  she'd only wail in sorrow. Her body trembled and her legs shook, encumbering her walking . 

Beacon nudged her cheek with his own. "I know that you're upset and worried, Celestia," he spoke softly to her. He tried to give a smile, even if it was fake, to try and lighten the situation. "It's hard to know that someone has lost a life, but he made his choice without regret. He wouldn't want us to mourn so much for him, not while we have a mission to undertake. You can't let his sacrifice be in vain."

The distressed Alicorn looked back to him. His smile, his expression as a whole, was comforting to her. His own radiance of cheer bathed her in what could only be described as a gentle blanket of warmth and assurance. She gave a smile back to him, one of sincerity. "Thank you, Beacon," she replied. "You're right. I need to keep going, to focus ahead. I can't let him pass away without honouring his name." Her pace began to steady and quicken with revitalization, her mind at peace.

The group barely proceeded much further in relation to how deep the caverns were, having arrived at a rocky fork in their path. The two tunnels split widely from one-another a few meters apart. One of the paths seemed disjointed from their own, branching some way apart from it yet still noticeable that it was part of the main path, while the other trailed off to one side yet looked as though it was freshly made by hand. 

"Beacon," called Luna, stopping in front of the diverse pathways, "what do we do now? How do we know which way to go?"

"How odd," muttered Beacon as he made his way to the front. His eyes glanced from one tunnel, then to the other. Looking down at the floor of the main tunnel, he noticed that the path seemed to jut to one side as though it wasn't sitting properly, having shifted to one side. As he turned to the side tunnel, he noticed that the tunnel was circular and smooth on all sides as though recently dug. "There was only one tunnel here before."

"Perhaps the griffons dug this as a shortcut to their kingdom?" suggested Onyx.

"Certainly seems like it. I wouldn't put it past them to be able to do something like this. But, there's something else that bothers me. This main path has been shifted to one side as though the entire tunnel was just pushed.."

"You said it yourself, Prince, that you wouldn't put it past the griffons to be able to do something like this."

"Could they possibly have created tools to make such geographical shifts…?" The information troubled Beacon, his mind turning, trying to work out such a discrepancy. "We'll split up and scout the tunnels."

"Split up?" repeated Pockets. "You sure that's a good idea?"

"Of course. If this tunnel leads to a shortcut to the kingdom then it'll cut our travel time exceptionally. If it's just a red herring then we can just return back to this tunnel, but we need to be sure each one is safe and secure. Because of that, splitting the party will reduce the time spent deciding which tunnel is better. Understood?"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it."

"Good. Now then…" Beacon's eyes glanced upon the group, shifting between them. "Celestia, Luna, you two go with Pockets to scout the side tunnel. Me, Star Swirl and Onyx will make sure this tunnel is safe."

"Wait, why do I have to go with the girls?"

"Three reasons: first, I refuse to split them apart. Second, two magic-users per party is the safest way to go about this. Lastly, only me and Luna know about these caves, so there's no point in having both in one party. Clear?"

Pockets grumbled, looking away. "Yeah, okay, fine," he sputtered. "Let's just get this over with."

"Good. We'll meet back here in five minutes." Beacon turned to his party as Star Swirl cast his own light spell, illuminating the main tunnel. "Good luck, you three." Beacon, Star Swirl and Onyx made their way through, leaving the others behind.

Celestia sighed. "I guess we'd better get going." she spoke with slight reluctance, feeling uncomfortable knowing that she, Luna and Pockets had no means of defence should it come to the worse. Regardless of her deterrence in enthusiasm, she followed Luna down the side tunnel. "And, what do you mean by having to "go with the girls", Pockets? Don't you like us?"

"N-no! that's not it at all," he responded, keeping close to the sisters. "It's just… well… ah, it's embarrassing! Just forget I said anything."

"Rather hard to forget something like that," responded Luna. "You're going to be stuck with us for a while, so you'd might as well tell us."

Pockets gave a small sigh. "I'm just… not comfortable around girls. Wasn't much good at being social, let alone around girls. I get nervous. Shy."

"Well, you're talking to us normally," spoke Celestia encouragingly, "and we're girls. You don't seem to have troubles talking to us two."

"Huh… I guess you're right." Pockets gave a smile. "You two are pretty cool, y'know? I don't think I've had someone to talk to. Well… not since mother passed away."

"Hey, it's okay, Pockets," comforted Luna, stopping and giving her undivided attention to him. "Like Star Swirl said: we're all in this together. We can support each other, help each other, regardless of the trouble be they small or large."

"Pfft. To think that I'd get schooled by a girl younger than me."

"Hey, I'm thirteen, thank you very much." Luna quickly turned away, her nose turned up at him, slapping him in the face with her tail. "And you're not much older than me, either."

"H-hey, I was only kidding! Don't take it seriously!" Luna didn't give him further attention, only proceeding forwards. "You… you're ignoring me, right? Come on, Luna! Don't be like that!"

Celestia giggled. "Don't worry," she assured, "it's just her way at getting back at you. She'll stop soon. Probably."

"What do you mean "probably"? Tell her to stop ignoring me!" Celestia only kept up her smirk as she followed her sister through the tunnels. Pockets, however, was getting more anxious the more the silence continued. "This ain't funny anymore, Luna! Say something! Anything! Say "cucumber", at least!"

The mood shifted to one of distress as sudden tremors shook the ground beneath their hooves. Creaking, crumbling and shearing could be heard from all around them as the tremors grew larger. Pieces of rock dislodged themselves from the cavern walls around them and the ceiling above them. The floor began to shift slightly as cracks formed from subsidence. The three of them rocked, wobbled and shifted, nearly being thrown off their legs. As sudden as the tremors came, they disappeared once more. "W-what was that?" questioned Celestia worryingly. "An earthquake?"

"Impossible," challenged Luna as she looked around, her head scanning from side to side. "The area hasn't had any earthquakes or any other natural disasters before! Why would it suddenly start now?"

Pockets kept close to Celestia, pressing his body against her own without him even realizing it, although she did not react to his gentle touch. "How about we just go back, huh?" he suggested, his voice shaky. "Don't you think we should go and report this to everyone else?"

"Report what? They would have to be deaf, dumb and blind not to have notice that tremor." The headstrong Luna was not one to let something as simple as an earthquake get the better of her nerves. "Besides, we've only been in here for a couple of minutes, if that. We've still got a job to do." Unresponsive of Pocket's plea, she lead the others further in.

The cavern grew taller and wider the further the trio ventured. The walls were perfectly smooth and circular as though a huge drill had made its way through the rock and soil. The walls around them shined in the silver light of Luna's horn, polished to a near-pristine sheen like marble or granite. Even the dirt on the floor before them looked as though it was levelled and smoothed over as though it was designed to be a path.

"Would you just look at this place," spoke Celestia softly, marvelling the sculpture of the tunnel. "This must have definitely been made by the Griffons. All you need is a few torches and it would be a working passage."

"You think that they would have the power to create such a thing?" asked Pockets.

"It wouldn't surprise me. I've read that across the seas in Saddle Arabia that they have huge structures called "pyramids" that were built by slaves in only a few years -- by hoof, too."

"Not only that," intervened Luna, "but the griffons are a lot stronger and tougher than your average pony. Excavating something like this in such short time was probably a simplistic task."

The vibrations in the earth below them began to pick up again, though gentler than before. Celestia tried to concentrate, hoping to make out where they were originating from. "Luna, are you sure that there isn't any dormant volcanoes here?" she asked.

"Certain," replied Luna aloud. "There's no records of any volcanic activity here. If there was, then the Griffons would not --" she ceased talking as her eyes widened to what lay before her. "Hold up," she commanded as she raised a foreleg to one side, preventing the others from getting any further. She proceeded slowly, cautiously towards a formation of segmented rocks that glistened in the light of her horn not like the surfaces around them. The rocks appeared wet, drenched in fluid. "I don't recall any water sources nearby…"

"Hey! Luna! What's the hold up?" called out Pockets. "Did ya find anything interesting? Gold? Jewels? A fruit salad?"

Luna did not reply. Carefully, she placed a hoof on the rocks, trailing it down the surface as it glided through the moist compound. Its consistency was thick like honey and almost as adhesive, though more so like cheap glue or saliva. The coloration was of a pale blue colour, only noticeable through the light that she was emitting from her horn. As Luna lifted her hoof from the rock, the substance stretched and draped in a low, drooling arc. "This… this is…" she muttered to herself. Hurriedly, she wiped the substance on the floor and ran back to the other two. "Quickly! We must get out of here immediately!"

"Luna, what's wrong?" asked Celestia with urgency. "What is it you've found?"

"We've not the time to discuss this! We must head back to the cavern and find Beacon!" 

The caverns shook violently, much more than the first time. The ground beneath them began to crack and dislodge from the walls as though the entire mountain was moving and shifting. 

"Are you waiting for winter or something?" cried Luna. "I said, move!"

But it was too late for the three of them. The ground below them shifted up and down like a sine wave, rocking them about as they tried desperately to stay standing. The motions overwhelmed them as they toppled and tripped over one-another, falling to the ground before the earth began to open up into a huge crevice. Luna could no longer keep a steady mind on her spell, causing it to fade away to leave them in the shadows. One by one they screamed as the earth opened wider and wider, swallowing them, causing them to tumble down into the dark void devoid of any light or vision. 

With a soft thud, the three of them landed softly on what felt like loose mud or very fine sand. Despite the lack of visibility in most of the cave without an outside source,  there was a dim beam of light that spanned from the back of what could only be described as a large, open chamber or pit. Their eyes adjusted to the small amount of light, slowly beginning to see the area around them.

"What a fall," grumbled Pockets, rubbing his flank with a hoof. "Where are we?"

Luna quickly rose to her feet, shaking off the dirt and sand from her wings and coat. Her eyes panned across the chamber but saw only dense, stone walls and small, concaved holes in the ground surrounded by a rim of raised dirt. Her face grimaced. "What an awful place," she spoke. "I have an idea as to where we are… and I hope I'm wrong."

Celestia paced around, looking up through the hole above them only to see it slowly close as the rocks once again began to shift around it, quickly reforming. "Luna… are mountains supposed to be able to shift on their own?" she asked.

"No -- that's what worries me." Slowly,  she crept towards one of the small holes nearby. As she got closer, she could see the tops of small, dull blue-coloured objects oval in their shape. She turned her head to look around to one side of the stone, noticing that the small amount of light was causing the exterior of them to glisten -- the same thick, saliva-like fluid that Luna had found moments earlier coated these rock-like objects. "Oh no…"

"W-what is it?" stammered Pockets, quickly scrambling to his feet and making his way over. Celestia did so in turn, both of them gazing down at the scattering of stones before them.

"These…" Luna hesitated for a moment. "These are eggs of the Amynthas Geoclastica -- the Geoworm."

"Uh… what's a "Geoworm"?"

"A large worm about the same size as an adult dragon or a mature hydra -- and just as vicious, too. They're omnivorous creatures that dwell deep within the earth where it is hotter."

"O-omnivorous? So then we're its --" he gulped hard " -- next meal?"

"Not if we can get out of this place quickly, but... I don't see any way out of here apart from that small hole over there --" her head turned to the small hole on the far side of the cavern "-- where the light's coming from." 

"Deep in the earth?" recalled Celestia. "So, what is it doing in the mountain?"

Luna didn't think of replying when she began to feel the gentle rumble of the earth beneath her hooves. Tremors rushed up their legs with more haste and violence with each passing second they stood idle. The cavern rocked and shook with force, parts of the walls and the ceiling above them crumbling and cracking. Pieces of stone and rock fell from the fascias and plummeted to the ground below, some of them nearly colliding with the ponies.

The ground beneath them splintered and ruptured, bursting up into the air like a volcanic eruption, scattering mud, dirt and fragments of rock over and away from the hole. A hulking, geodesic creature born only of earth and gem snaked from and coiled around the hole. A monstrous being, its body could not be any less than a large house, moving and contorting where its pale blue, sedimentary-like segments were divided. The creature had no eyes or ears to show, but nonetheless had no trouble locating its prey. Its large, bulbous head faced the frightened trio as though in thought, judging them, thinking of them as either threat or food. The result would be the same, regardless.

"U-uh… Luna," stammered Pockets, his teeth chattering, "w-what are we supposed to do now?"

"Just back away slowly," she replied. "It senses movement through vibrations in the ground and the air. As long as you don't talk too loud or make any sudden movements, we'll be okay."

The eyeless gaze of the worm began to waver and break as its head began to shift from left to right as though it was trying to find them. Its body reared back as its head swung side to side, up and down, and even behind itself. With each step the ponies took away from it, the more confused the monster became.

Dust and dirt fell from the ceiling from the tremors of the worm's shifting body. Thin streams and clouds fell and formed from the falling dust. Some of it fell upon the snout of Pockets, causing him to twitch his nose from the irritation. His eyes winced as he sniffed in reaction. "Oh… oh no," he murmured. "Something went up my nose…!"

Luna turned her head to him, glaring at him. "Pockets," she said, "whatever you do, do not sneeze."

"I… I can't help it -- Ah..!"

"Don't do it!"

"Ah-choo!"

The beast violently swung its head towards the group -- specifically Pockets, its eyeless gaze never faltering from him. Four thick, segmented folds of flesh-like rock began to open slowly, dripping with pale cobalt, clear fluid to reveal a dark, toothless maw. A low hiss rumbled from its mouth, echoing through the cave.

Pockets froze in fear. All he could do was stare into the darkness. "I think I made him mad…" 

Luna grasped at the collar of his jacket. "Shut up and run!" she yelled as she sprung from her hooves, sprinting from the enormous and voracious worm with Celestia and the now-active Pockets following close. 

Lunging towards the group, the beast missed only by a hair's breadth -- literally, as a few strands were pulled from Celestia's tail. Chasing them in circles, the worm pursued them around the walls of the cavern. It was the only place the trio could run, with nowhere to escape from and nowhere to hide. 

Or so Luna thought. 

"Hey! I think we lost him!" joked Pockets despite the monster only meters behind him.

"This isn't the time for jokes!" yelled Luna. Her eye caught the small ditch that lay some distance in front of them. "Quickly," she called out, dashing from the side of the wall with a sharp turn on her hooves. As Celestia and Pockets turned with her, a large crashing noise erupted as the worm crashed head first into the rock, trying to lunge at them with its maw agape with no success. 

The trio jumped down into the small crater-like nest with the slime-covered eggs, crouching behind them and grouping in the middle of them. 

"We should be fine here," said Luna as she peered over the top of one of the eggs.

"Fine?" exclaimed Pockets. "How can we be fine? We're sitting ducks!"

"If what I've read is correct," spoke Celestia, "then the Geoworm should not attack us here. It wouldn't risk damaging these eggs to try and get to us."

"Huh? A minute ago you knew nothing about Geoworms!"

"Not so. I just let Luna talk about them. She knows more about these creatures, after all."

A low rumbling began to shake the cavern once more. Luna quickly peered above the eggs once again, but saw nothing. Not even the huge rocky beast could be seen. The only thing that Luna saw was a large hole in the wall. 

"It's gone," she said. "It must have burrowed through the wall!"

"But we're safe here, right?" asked Pockets.

"We are," replied Celestia as she joined Luna, scanning the hole. "But we can't sit here forever."

They needn't to. The earth below them rumbled violently and -- before anyone could so much as look down -- the floor below them burst open. The Geoworm erupted from the ground with its flapping, segmented jaws wide open, but Celestia and Luna were knocked away from the gaping maw as the earth pushed them aside. 

Pockets, however, was not so fortunate. Grasping a hold of one of the worm's jaw pieces, he hung on for dear life as the creature's head swung down, closing its mouth and throwing Pockets forwards. The worm thrashed its head violently from side to side, hissing, trying to throw Pockets off of itself. 

"Whoa-ho-ho-ho!" cried pockets. His expression was one of terror, knowing that as soon as he let go, it would be over for him. But then a smile crept upon his face, into a grin, then into an open smile of excitement. "Hey, look! I'm a cowboy! Giddy-up, worm!"

"P-Pockets!" yelled Luna. Without hesitation, Luna's horn began to glow a light silvery-blue. From the tip, a gust of what looked like sparkling gust and glitter poured from her horn towards the Geoworm. The veil swirled around its large body, flowing into the crevices of its segmented length, pouring into its holes and cracks. 

The worm's flailing began to decrease slowly. Within a matter of moments, its body began to become limp and calm before falling to the floor with no motion. 

Pockets took a sigh of relief, panting heavily, trying to get his breath back. Quickly he hopped off the worm's head, running towards Luna and giving her a huge hug, almost squeezing all the air out of her. He could had sworn he heard her squeak. "Luna! You saved me!" He tightened his grip around her, causing her to let out a heavy gasp. His cheeks turned a hue of red before letting go of her with haste. "I mean, y'know… Thanks. But what did you do to him?"

"I --" she drew a large breath of air "I used my Sleep spell on it. It shouldn't wake up for another few hours, so we had better get out of here with haste."

"I guess we'd better start digging through that hole at the back of the cave, then," suggested Celestia, turning to it. "But who knows how long --"

Celestia stopped as she began to hear a rhythmatic series of thuds echoing, like the sound of footsteps. The light faded as something began to block it on the other side. The steps stopped. 

"Here! Break through here!" a voice commanded, muffled from the wall of rock in the way. 

A flash of purple light pierced through the hole, almost dazzling and blinding the on-looking trio. Suddenly, thin lines of light began to pour through parts of the wall, forming cracks in the surface. After a moment, the wall began to crumble, breaking apart from the top down to the bottom. As the last of the wall broke down and scattered across the floor, three equine silhouettes stood in the light.

"You three okay?" one called out. The flash of purple disappeared, revealing Beacon, Onyx and Star Swirl stood by the hole.

"Beacon!" Celestia cried out with a smile. The three quickly rejoined the others. "But, how did you know we were here?"

"When we were heading down the path, Star Swirl realized that the architecture of the other tunnel was created by a burrowing Geoworm. When we began backtracking to get you three, that's when the tremors happened. When we went to check it out, we found that the worm made a longer path that lead to here. Then we heard Pockets screaming."

"Hey, I wasn't screaming!" reprimanded Pockets with a scowl. "I was actually having some fun."

"Fun? You must be kidding."

"So, come on then," intervened Onyx with a smirk. "Where's this supposed Geoworm?"

Celestia gave a sly look to the Prince as she waved her hoof behind her. "Over there, taking a nap."

Onyx and Beacon looked over. Their eyes widened and jaws dropped as they saw the huge creature prone on the ground. "B-but, how!?" exclaimed Beacon. "How did you manage to defeat such a creature with --"

"Magic, Prince Beacon," concluded Star Swirl, smiling. "Magic is a powerful tool -- especially when handled by the talented."

"I see. Anyway, this tunnel leads to the other side of the mountain. If we following it, we'll be out of here soon."

"Is that what this light is?" asked Luna.

"Exactly. It looks like it was used some time ago by the Griffons -- the torches are still lit on the walls."

"Awesome!" cried Pockets, bouncing past the group and down the path. "Race you guys there!"

"H-he-hey! Pockets!" yelled Beacon after him. "Don't be so reckless!"

Luna sighed with a little smile. "Boys, huh?"