Chapter 9: Final Trials
The Elmheim Temple, Deep Jungle, Elmheim, Gaia, Winter, 1002 C.E.
The silver door led the ponies into a corridor one would normally expect to find in any ordinary temple: brick surroundings, torches on the walls, cobwebs all over the place, et cetera. Matilda looked at Rumplestiltskin's map and pointed to the left. "This way," she instructed.
The ponies remained silent as they continued down the long, dark corridor. They eventually reached a wooden door which transported them to what appeared to be a greenhouse. A pebbled path extended in front of them and it was bordered by a wide variety of exotic plants, which all gave off their own unique odors. "It's like being back in the jungle!" Daring stated with a smile.
"Yay," Bright Eyes sighed.
Clockwork looked up towards the ceiling to see what appeared to be two suns floating in the sky. "Interesting," he said.
Colgate jumped a bit as a small colony of grasshoppers passed by her hooves. "Can we move on please?" she asked. Matilda nodded and the group continued forward.
The greenhouse proved to be much larger than expected for the group quickly found themselves trekking through a series of curves and hills as the pebbled path extended on and on. After about an hour of walking, the group took a small respite when the path opened up into a clearing which had a wooden viewing platform. "Just how far away are we from the exit?" Clockwork asked as he sat down to rub his throbbing hooves.
Matilda examined the map. "That's...odd," she said.
"What is?" Daring replied.
"The map says that we need to take the tram."
"What tram?" Colgate asked.
"The one that probably extends over that," Bright Eyes said as she pointed in the direction of the wooden viewing platform. The ponies approached the edge of the platform to see that they were standing on the edge of a cliff which was situated above a pit that appeared to extend into oblivion. Across the gorge was a massive stretch of exotic plants, trees, and other types of vegetation. The vegetation came to an end at the glass wall of the gargantuan greenhouse, where something shiny could just barely be made out. A long cable could be seen extending across the gorge and all the way towards the shining object at the border of the greenhouse.
"The greenhouse must be half the size of Equestria!" Clockwork exclaimed.
"Or bigger," Daring said.
"If only I could use my vortex manipulator," said Matilda with a sigh.
"If only I could teleport in here," Colgate sighed.
"If only Daring and I could carry all of you," said Bright Eyes.
"If only you'd all stop complaining," Daring snapped as she stomped her hoof on the ground. "Come on! Let's find the tram and get into the next room!"
"If a greenhouse the size of a jungle is one of the rooms in the direction of the rift source, I can't wait to see what's next," said Colgate as she and the others continued onward.
After a few more minutes of walking, they stumbled across a small station of sorts. A red tram dangled a foot off the ground thanks to a sturdy cable and pulley system. The door was open and a small series of metal steps led up into the tram. "Ladies first," Clockwork said as he stepped aside to allow Matilda, Colgate, Bright Eyes, and Daring on before him.
A control panel was situated at the front of the tram. Matilda approached it and examined the various controls. Once Clockwork was on and had closed the entrance door behind him, Matilda pulled the red start lever. The tram lurched a bit as the pulley system activated. Colgate approached one of the windows and looked outside to see the the ground disappear and be replaced by an endless pit. "It looks like this is going to be a long ride," said Colgate as she took note of the tram's speed.
Daring sat down and leaned her back against the tram wall. She then crossed one hind leg over the other and lowered her hat over her head. "Let me know when we get there," she said before drifting off to sleep.
Colgate shook her head. "How can anypony...sleep...at a time...like...this?" A loud yawn escaped from her lips and she blushed.
Clockwork chuckled. "You should get some rest," he said with a smirk. He turned to Bright Eyes. "You too."
"What about you?" Bright Eyes asked.
"I'm fine," he replied. "Besides, I think Matilda could use the company."
"I'm actually quite fine but whatever you want to do is fine," Matilda said back with a chuckle.
Colgate and Bright Eyes followed Daring's example and were soon sleeping against the walls of the tram. Clockwork approached the control panel and stood next to Matilda. "So...how did you first meet the Doctor, Matilda?" Clockwork asked.
"Jumping to the personal questions already? No need to ask about the weather?" Matilda teased cheerfully.
"I honestly don't see the point in talking about the weather. It's obviously sunny with both suns in clear view."
Matilda chuckled before falling silent for a second. "I'm afraid I can't answer that question of yours."
"Why not? What's so secretive about how you met the Doctor?"
"Because my first meeting with him lies in his future. Spoilers, sweetie."
"I may be an alternate version of him but I'm not your Doctor."
"You're an ally of his. You might let slip some information. Nothing about my first meeting with him can or should be rewritten...no matter how painful it was."
Clockwork was quiet for a moment. "So...your first meeting with him wasn't under the greatest of circumstances, I'm guessing."
Matilda looked away from Clockwork and sighed. "I...I was almost the destruction for some very good ponies...let's just end it at that for now." A minute of silence followed before Matilda looked back at Clockwork with a smirk. "So...what about you and Bright Eyes?"
"What about us?"
"Do you care for each other?"
"Of course. She's been an excellent friend...despite how cruel I was to her back in our own world."
"You know what they say."
"What?"
"Okay, I lied. You know what I say?"
"Obviously not."
"True. Well, I say that it doesn't take much for two ponies to get out of the friend zone."
"Are you...no!"
"No?"
"Just...no. It's not like that. Bright Eyes is a great friend...but she's not that. Why would you just jump to conclusions like that? Is it weird for a stallion and a mare to just be friends?!"
"Whoa! Sorry if I hit a sensitive spot! I was just having a bit of teasing fun."
"Well, don't. Not about that."
Clockwork turned away from Matilda. Matilda rubbed her chin in thought before letting out a soft sigh. "You lost somepony...didn't you? Somepony you loved." Clockwork turned towards Matilda with a somewhat surprised expression. "I know ponies, Clockwork, and I've seen what it's like when ponies lose those they care for."
Clockwork rubbed one his forelegs awkwardly. "My wife...Twilight Sparkle."
"Ah. So you were married to Twilight in your world."
"Yeah. We were happy and then she went on a mission for Princess Celestia into the Crystal Empire. She didn't make it back home."
"I'm sorry."
"It wasn't easy losing her. I even almost...ended it all. But fate it seems didn't want me to go and I fell through a dimensional rift into this universe, met the Doctor, and the rest is history. I'm thankful to have Bright Eyes with me. She's been great...really great."
"I can understand why you're preventing yourself from trying to fall for her. You're probably thinking how it would be an insult to your wife's memory to simply replace her with somepony else. Meanwhile you're also afraid of losing your potential new love and going through the pain all over again."
Clockwork gave an awkward smile. "You sure do know ponies."
"It's basic stuff. I've seen it a million and one times in my travels through the multiverse. Clichés know no dimension." Matilda gave a small, comforting smile. "So how did you take it?"
"Take what?"
"When you met this world's Twilight Sparkle."
Clockwork blushed a bit. "I...uh...I kissed her and she slapped me."
"Well, hopefully things got better from there."
"They did but it was still...weird."
"I can imagine."
"So...what about you? Have you lost anypony you've loved?"
Matilda moved one of her hooves through her purple mane and sighed. "All the time. All of my relationships are out of chronological order. I sometimes see ponies die and then travel to another place and time to see them still living well. And you'd think that would make it easier...but it doesn't."
Suddenly, Clockwork noticed something odd on the map. "What's that?" he asked as he pointed at it.
"What's what?" Matilda asked in reply.
"The map. Something appeared on it."
Matilda and Clockwork examined the map. A new line of text had appeared. "Look out for the flying spiders."
"What does that mean? Spiders don't fly."
"Maybe not in your dimension or mine but this area of the temple is from another dimension altogether. It's best to keep your mind open while dimension hopping."
Clockwork walked over to one of the windows and looked down into the gorge beneath the tram. His eyes widened as he suddenly noticed a dark cloud flying up from within the depths of the pit and up towards the tram. Clockwork looked closely and saw that the cloud was comprised of giant black widows the size of large puppies with massive moth-like wings protruding from their backs. He rolled his eyes and sighed. "Because that's what this jungle in a greenhouse needed: flying spiders!"
Four flying spiders reached the tram and slammed into the side, cracking the windows. Colgate, Daring, and Bright Eyes were quickly shaken out of their slumber. "What's going on?!" asked Daring as she pulled out her whip.
"Oh nothing. We're just being attacked by flying spiders the size of dogs," Matilda replied with a smirk.
Colgate and Bright Eyes looked at each other and then back at Matilda. "FLYING SPIDERS?!" they shrieked. Within seconds, the cloud of flying spiders had surrounded the moving tram. The airborne arachnids began to viciously attack the tram by constantly smashing into it from all sides.
"Can't this thing move any faster?!" Daring asked as she approached the control console.
"I don't think so," said Matilda.
Just then, one big spider flew at a window towards the middle of the tram and smashed through it. Luckily, it got stuck in the window thanks to its massive wings. Bright Eyes screamed and backed away. "I got this!" said Daring as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a hunting knife. She tossed the blade at the spider, striking it in the center of his face and sending it falling back down into the pit. Daring then quickly reached into her bag and pulled out a tarp and some tape. After a series of quick motions, the broken window was now covered. "That'll give us a little extra time with that opening. That's a durable tarp and some durable tape right there."
The tram shook again as more flying spiders smashed into it. "Well a little extra time isn't going to be enough for us to get to the exit," said Colgate.
Daring began to scratch her chin. "You thinking up a plan?" Bright Eyes asked.
"Well think about it," said Daring. "We're on a tram. Somepony built this. You'd think that somepony would install the tram with an emergency kit or something in the case a disaster occurred."
Bright Eyes looked out one of the windows and gulped. "You mean like, say, some giant spiders chewing through the cables?"
The others looked out the window and saw exactly what Bright Eyes had described: several of the spiders chewing their massive fangs through the cables. "They sure have a strong bite," said Clockwork.
"Let's just hope they don't get to biting us," said Colgate.
Daring headed towards the back of the tram and began looking around. "Come on. Who would build a tram without an emergency kit or something like that? Something has to be here!" she thought aloud as she paced back and forth. Suddenly, she saw it: a small, hidden handle built into the floor of the tram. Daring quickly reached down and pulled the hidden door open. Inside was a collection of food and water rations as well as a series of survival tools. "Thank Celestia!"
"Let's see what we've got!" Matilda said as she joined Daring in examining the the contents of the previously hidden emergency kit. Matilda smiled as her eyes fell on something. She reached in and pulled out a silver disk the size of a dinner plate that had a large, yellow circle in the center of it.
"What is it?" Bright Eyes asked.
"A portable rocket. They were created for emergencies involving trams or other suspended transportational vehicles getting stuck. You just stick it on the back window and a rocket will protrude and blast the tram to safety."
Another cluster of spiders slammed into the tram, causing a few more windows to shatter. "I'll get it!" Bright Eyes grabbed the disk and ran towards the back of the tram.
"Bright Eyes! Wait!"
Just then, Bright Eyes tripped and the disk flew from her hoof. It landed on the floor towards the back of the tram and proceeded to fold out into a miniature rocket booster. "Oh no!" Bright Eyes gasped. "I'm sorry!"
Matilda and Daring ran over to the booster. "Can we fold it back like a tent and put it on the window?" Daring asked.
"No. Portable rockets are only made for one use. Once it's unfolded, it's done," Matilda replied.
Daring's eyes suddenly fell on a pair of bent prongs on both sides of the booster. "What are those things on the side for?"
"Those would normally be used to help lock the rocket into place from the outside."
Daring smiled and beckoned to Clockwork. "Clockwork, help me get this to the back window."
Clockwork nodded awkwardly before helping Daring lift the rocket. "Daring...what are you doing?" Matilda asked.
"This thing hasn't gone off yet. It still has enough juice to send us flying. We can still use it. It'll be a bit bumpy but it should work," Daring replied. Once she and Clockwork were at the back window, she reached into her bag and pulled out a hammer. With a quick swing, she smashed the window out. "Hurry, Clockwork!" Spiders were already flying their way towards the new opening. Daring and Clockwork pushed part of the rocket through the broken window and angled it so that its prongs were over the exterior of the tram on both sides of the back window. "And to activate it, I'm sure we press this red button right on top."
"That's correct."
"Everypony, hold onto something." Daring and Clockwork held onto the part of the rocket still inside the tram while Matilda, Colgate, and Bright Eyes grasped onto the control console. "Here we go!" Daring slammed her hoof down on the red button as spiders began to swarm right outside the window.
A funnel of fire shot out of the jet and instantly reduced about twenty flying spiders into nothing but clusters of falling ash. Vibrations traveled from the rocket and into Daring's and Clockwork's bodies, causing them to shake as if they were standing right above the epicenter of an earthquake. The prongs on the rocket dug into the metal exterior of the tram and the tram shot forward like a speeding bullet. Everything became a blur as the tram shot along the cable. After a few seconds, the tram broke free from the cable but continued to flying straight through the air. The gorge and the cluster of flying spiders was soon left far behind them and they were flying over the last segment of the greenhouse jungle. The rocket soon ran out of juice and the funnel of fire vanished. The tram began its descent towards the ground and the ponies braced themselves. Pretty soon, the tops of trees were grazing the bottom of the tram. And only seconds after that, the tram had reached the ground and was sliding across the earth like an ice skater. Dirt and vegetation flew through the air behind the tram as it moved along the jungle ground. Suddenly, a large tree root found its way in the tram's path. The tram tipped forward and began to roll. The ponies tried their best to hang onto their respective spots. Bright Eyes could feel her grasp loosening. Thankfully, the roller coaster ride came to a surprisingly smooth end as the tram rolled over one last time and stopped in the middle of a grassy field at the edge of the jungle.
The ponies finally let go and fell onto the ceiling of the tram as the tram was upside-down now. After a couple minutes of lying on the hot ceiling and catching their breath, the ponies crawled out through the broken windows and stood up. "Let's...never do that again," said Colgate as she attempted to hold in the contents of her stomach.
"Well look where we are," said Matilda with a smile. The ponies looked forward to see that they had landed mere yards from the exit of the greenhouse jungle.
"Let's get out of here!" said Bright Eyes happily.
"Still got the map?" Colgate asked Matilda. Matilda presented the map to her and winked.
"Let's hope the next room is better than this one," said Daring as she opened the shining door.
The room that waited for them on the other side of the door appeared to be an old, rundown nursery in an abandoned hospital. A gray, mid-day light illuminated the surprisingly large nursery and the air was filled with particles that were neither dust nor moisture but something else entirely. "I think I preferred the greenhouse," said Bright Eyes as her pupils darted from left to right.
"Come on. It's just an old hospital room. Nothing to be scared about here," Daring stated with a cocky grin. One of the beds moved slightly and Daring proceeded to jump up into the air a few inches and gulp.
"Nothing to be scared about, huh?" Clockwork teased.
"I'm fine!" Daring raced towards the only other door in the room and attempted to pull and push it open. It wouldn't budge. "What the hay?! The door's locked!"
"Let me see," said Matilda. She approached the door and gave it a thorough examination. "Yep. It's locked."
"If only I knew a good unlocking spell," Colgate sighed.
Matilda shook her head. "Magic's not going to open this door. Something's keeping it locked."
"What is? Is it Thalia? Jeff? The evil Rainbow Dash?"
"No...it's something in here."
"What's in here that could be responsible for locking the door?" Daring asked as she crossed her forelegs.
Clockwork tapped Daring on the shoulder and pointed towards the other side of the room. "I think our new visitors could be responsible," he said.
Daring, Matilda, Colgate, and Bright Eyes slowly turned their heads in the direction Clockwork was looking. Standing in front of the door they had come through was a group of about twenty human children with three women joining them. All of them had skin as pale as dry, white paint and hair and eyes as dark as the loneliest reaches of space. They also had abnormally huge smiles on their faces that appeared to be so wide and forced that it looked as if their skin was about to rip from the pressure at any second.
"Just what we needed," Colgate said with a shaky voice. "A class of ghost humans with us."
"Everypony, stay where you are," Matilda ordered. Her voice was surprisingly a little bit shaky. "These aren't just any ghosts. They're Japanese ghosts."
"And...what does that mean exactly?" Clockwork asked.
"Now's not really the time to explain the difference races of humans but let me just say that I've visited the human world many times and have gained a nice amount of knowledge about many of their different cultures. And let's just say that the Japanese aren't known as the masters of horror for nothing. Their ghosts aren't to be underestimated."
The Japanese ghosts took a few steps towards the ponies before coming to halt. "Will you play with us?" they asked in sync.
"Of course they have to all talk at the same time. Because they weren't frightening enough," Bright Eyes said with a simultaneously annoyed and frightened tone.
The ghosts tilted their heads slightly and took another step forward, their smiles starting to appear darker and menacing. "Will you play with us?"
"What exactly do they want us to play?" Clockwork whispered to Matilda.
"I think I have a good idea," Matilda whispered back before stepping forward towards the approaching ghosts. She cleared her throat and gave a motherly smile. "I'm guessing someone's in the mood for Kagome Kagome!"
The ghosts nodded and their smiles grew even wider, which seemed impossible. "Which one of you will play?" they asked, their voices now flowing as if they were chanting a children's song.
"What's Kagome Kagome?" Daring asked.
"It's a Japanese children's game. The original version was that one child would sit in a chair, blindfolded, while the others would walk around in a circle and chant the song 'Kagome Kagome'. The blindfolded child would then have to name the person standing behind them once the chant stopped. However, I don't think that's the version they want to play."
"Well...what's the other version?" Colgate asked with a gulp.
"In the other version, somebody sits in the middle while the others circle around them while making scary faces. If the child in the center flinches, they lose," Matilda replied.
A rusty, metal chair suddenly appeared in the center of the room and the ghosts made a circle around it. All the while the ghosts made sure to keep their smiling faces glued on the five ponies. "Who's going to play?" they asked.
Matilda cleared her throat and forced another motherly smile. "Well," she started. "I guess-"
"I will," Colgate replied. The ghosts and the ponies turned towards her.
"Colgate?" Bright Eyes gasped.
"I will play."
The ghosts' smiles grew even wider, thus making their mouths appear to stretch literally from ear to ear, before they slowly made an opening in the circle. "Come on over then," they said. A few of the ghosts couldn't help but giggle.
"Are you sure about this, Colgate?" Matilda asks. "You know that if you flinch-"
"I lose...and, yes, I know what that probably means in this situation," the unicorn replied before giving a confident smirk. "Don't worry. These ghosts aren't getting any new victims. Even if I lose, I'll win."
Before anypony could argue further, Colgate began walking towards the chair. She didn't want to look at the ghosts' faces but she forced herself to in order to prepare her nerves for the game. Their eternal smiles sent shivers through her bones and an incredible chill passed over her as she entered the circle. She sat down in the chair as comfortably as she could manage. The ghosts closed the circle and joined hands. Colgate blinked a few times before facing the ghost in front of her. It was a girl who appeared to be in her late preteen years. "You know the rules?" the ghost girl asked with a giggle.
Colgate nodded. "Yes," she replied.
The ghost girl giggled once again. "Good."
"Let's begin," said all the ghosts in sync. Colgate used every ounce of her strength to render herself into a near emotionless mindset. She watched as the ghosts began to circle around her and make incredibly ghoulish faces that ranged from snarling to grinning evilly. At first, the faces weren't all that scary. They certainly weren't pleasant to look at by Colgate could handle them. Then...they got worse. One girl's mouth had become as wide as a dinner plate with nothing but darkness within. One boy now had needles and pins sticking out of his face. One of the women had her eyeballs sticking out. With each cycle, their faces became more graphic and much more sinister. Some of the children were smiling with such evil grins that it made Colgate want to cry and curl up in a ball in the corner. But she refused to give in. She had to win this game.
Be a statue, Colgate. Your father was a living statue...you can be one too...just this once, she thought as the faces continued to circle around her. Then, just to add the final sprinkles to the sundae, the ghosts began to sing a horribly creepy chant.
"Kagome kagome. Kagome kagome. Kagome kagome. Kagome kagome," they chanted. The words of the song pounded against Colgate's ears and flooded her thoughts. The continued chant mixed with the increasingly terrifying faces made Colgate want to scream to the heavens. Then, just when she thought things couldn't get any worse, the ghosts began digging into their necks, their skin ripping like wet plastic. However, strangely enough, no blood was coming out. It was almost as if the ghosts were wearing costumes and were now ripping them off to show their true selves. When the ghosts ripped their faces off, instead of seeing their skulls, Colgate saw the faces of those she knew: the Doctor, her mother, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Jeff, Applejack, Donna Noble, her last stepfather, Thalia, Matilda, and everypony else. Some of the imposters kept emotionless expressions while others continued to smile with a sinister glare in their eyes. Then...he appeared. One of the ghosts had taken the form of her Weeping Angel father. At first, his face was sad and repentant. Afterwards, he gave the most evil of smiles Colgate had ever seen and lurched for Colgate in typical Weeping Angel fashion. All of the memories flooded back into Colgate all at once. Her years of isolation, her temporal touch, her father chasing her, the showdown in Ponyville, and her father's final words to her. Colgate couldn't control herself. She flinched backwards and blinked.
When Colgate opened her eyes, the ghosts had returned to what they originally looked like and were back to smiling at her with their dark, innocent looks. "You blinked. You lose," said the ghost girl in front of her. Their smiles grew wider and the nails on their hands became as sharp as knives.
"You lose," they all said in an almost mocking tone. They raised their new claws up and prepared to attack. "You lose!"
Colgate remained still as the ghosts brought the sharpened claws down towards her seemingly vulnerable body. As soon as the ghosts' nails collided with her skin, they violently snapped. The ghosts shrieked and backed away in horror, their smiling faces now reduced to looks of fear and confusion. "Why?!" cried the main ghost girl.
"Why?!" they cried all at once.
Colgate smirked and smiled at them. "Yes. I lost. I blinked...but you didn't."
The ghosts grabbed their heads and screamed, unable to comprehend losing a potential victim. They proceeded to vanish and an unlocking sound emanated from the door. "Let's get out of here!" exclaimed Bright Eyes and Daring with shaky voices as they stormed through the unlocked exit.
Matilda and Clockwork smiled with relief at Colgate as she approached them. "I guess...being the daughter of a Weeping Angel comes in handy sometimes," she said with a smirk. The smirk quickly turned into a look of sadness once her face was out of Matilda's and Clockwork's sight. The remaining three ponies passed through the door.
The five ponies had now entered a massive ballroom with a golden chandelier hanging from the ceiling and silk tapestries clinging to the walls. "The map says that what we seek lies just beyond this room," said Matilda.
"Wow. We're practically there already?" Bright Eyes asked with a look of surprise.
"Well considering how the past couple rooms went, do you want to go through a bunch more?" Colgate asked.
"Fair point."
The ponies turned their attention to the door on the other side of the room. "Let's finish this," said Clockwork. As they reached the center of the ballroom, the ground beneath their hooves shook slightly. The shaking was followed by a deep rumble.
"I don't like the sound of that," said Daring.
"Hurry! To the door!" ordered Matilda. The ponies broke into a run towards the door. Just before they reached it, a magical surge emanated from the door and knocked them on their rumps. The door and its frame detached from the wall and began to float in the air, leaving a brick wall in its original location.
"I'll get it down!" Daring was about to take off when the door illuminated like a birthday candle and unexpectedly duplicated into twenty other doors. Daring face-hoofed and groaned. "Why couldn't we have gotten an easy room to get through?"
"Because the temple apparently hates us," Clockwork sighed.
"How are we supposed to find the real door?" Bright Eyes asked.
Matilda glanced at the map and her eyes widened. "The map!" she exclaimed before tossing it to Daring. "The map shows where the exit is in the room!"
Daring looked at the map to see the exit icon bouncing about the room they were in like a pinball. "It looks like it's the door that's moving the fastest," said Daring before turning her attention up towards the doors. Her eyes eventually found the door she was seeking. The exit door flung itself through the air, past the chandelier, bounced off one of the walls, and repeated the process. "Come on, Bright Eyes!"
Bright Eyes shook a bit as she took into the air after Daring. The two pegasi flew towards the door and attempted to grab it. Suddenly, a few of the copies began to fly towards them. "Look out!" cried Colgate from below.
"We see 'em!" Daring called back as she and Bright Eyes dodged the oncoming flying doors. Daring grabbed Bright Eyes and pulled her full speed towards the true door, which had just passed by the chandelier for the fiftieth time. Daring and Bright Eyes flapped their wings as hard as they could manage and reached for the door. Pretty soon they were only a yard away...then a foot...then an inch...then a centimeter. "GOTCHA!" Daring latched onto one side of the door and helped Bright Eyes grab onto the other. However, the door quickly proved that it wasn't going down without a fight. The door began to vibrate and kick back and forth like an angry bull. It continued its path of bouncing off walls and flying through the air but specifically tried to crush the two pegasi into either the walls or one of the flying clones.
"Hold on!" Matilda cried.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK WE'RE TRYING TO DO UP HERE?!" Bright Eyes hollered back.
Just then, the door bounced off the wall and headed straight towards the chandelier. "Don't you dare!" Daring gasped as she realized what the door was doing. "Hold on, Bright Eyes!"
Bright Eyes was about to close her eyes and brace herself when she found herself looking down at Matilda, Clockwork, and Colgate standing on the floor below. Time seemed to slow down as she focused on Matilda and then looked at the oncoming chandelier. She's right underneath it, she thought. She suddenly had a quick flashback to what she had seen in the forest room.
"Oh and thanks for the heads up on that chandelier," Matilda had said.
"What chandelier?" Bright Eyes had asked in return.
Bright Eyes snapped back to the present and looked down at Matilda. "MATILDA! MOVE!" the gray pegasus cried.
Matilda heard Bright Eyes's orders clearly and jumped back. As she did this, the door smashed into the spot where the chandelier connected to the ceiling. Bright Eyes and Daring held on tightly to the door as it bounced away from the falling chandelier. Seconds later, the chandelier crashed to the floor. Glass and metal pieces shot out from the spot of the collision and Matilda, Colgate, and Clockwork covered their faces. Bright Eyes smiled a bit upon seeing that Matilda and the others had made it out okay but her focus quickly tuned in to the fact that she was losing grip on the door. "Hold on, Bright Eyes!" Daring ordered.
"I'm slipping!" Bright Eyes screamed back. Then...the door escaped her grasp. In a one-second effort to regain her holding, Bright Eyes used her wings to propel herself at the door. She flew forward and latched onto the doorknob. The knob turned as a result and the door flung open, leaving Daring holding on tightly to the doorframe. The door kicked upward and Bright Eyes lost her grasp on the doorknob. The door's kick was powerful enough to send Bright Eyes flying over the opened door and towards the exposed threshold within the doorframe.
Daring watched as Bright Eyes fell through the opening and vanished into the darkness. A crazy idea flashed through Daring's mind as she put all of her strength into directing the door. With a sudden burst of adrenaline, Daring managed to lead the opened doorway in the direction of the three ponies down below. "Get ready!" Daring cried as she and the airborne threshold fell down towards them.
"Is she really doing what I think she's doing?" Colgate asked as she, Clockwork, and Matilda looked at the oncoming doorway.
"Yes she is," Matilda replied with an excited smirk. The three ponies took a deep breath before jumping towards the flying doorway and falling through the threshold into darkness.