CRISIS: New World Order

by GanonFLCL

Chapter Seven: Exploration

Exactly three days, two hours, and twenty-seven minutes after the little group left the kirin settlement in the Redblade Mountains, passing through swaths of sleet and snow for mile after mile, day after day, accosted by wind and cold as they had been every day of the journey thus far, they finally arrived at the eastern entrance of Goldridge Pass.

Despite being covered in thick snow, the mountains’ gorgeous golden hue still peeked through. Though the sun was blocked by layers of clouds and the rocks didn’t exactly shine with a proper luster, it was still clear they were made of solid, high-quality gold.

It was a welcome change from the volcanoes to the east. The trail leading through the pass was explicitly pony-made and well-maintained, so the climb was smooth and easy for even the least hardy of ponies; the snowy weather was a welcome change from the neverending, bone-soaking rain; and most importantly, being here meant the group was that much closer to their destination, so spirits were high.

The group camped for a late breakfast—the last of the stew that Kwake had given them, stored in Bluebolt and Symphony’s hefty thermoses—at the entrance to a tunnel that led further into the mountains. From their high perch up by the edge of the cliff, it was easy to see fairly far out into the Great Expanse’s endless white fields.

Rarity had to admit that despite the flurry of emotions that seeing snow always made her feel, even now, the northern lands had certainly grown quite lovely in the intervening years. She’d once looked onto the Wasteland of the past when passing through on the opposite side of these very mountains, and the view was not quite as inspiring then. The snow was hauntingly beautiful, while the wastes were depressingly repulsive.

“The last time I was here,” she said, turning to Sundial, “my friends and I didn’t get to travel through this particular section of the tunnels due to a… detour, of sorts. Are they similar to those on the western side? Filled with gems and jewels?”

“Aye, that they are,” Sundial said with a nod. She was busy scooping the last of her breakfast into her mouth and so didn’t turn her attention to Rarity fully. “Though the west side has been getting slowly mined out in the past ten years or so, what with Hope’s Point expanding.”

“How come?” asked Apple Bloom.

Rarity noted how curious Bloom was about this world at every opportunity. Her guess was that Bloom wanted to learn more about the world her brother-in-law hailed from, so she could bring back stories. It was charming, really.

“Well, gemstones power techno-magic devices, and Hope’s Point’s expansion over the years has called for quite a lot o’ energy to make everything work, aye?”

“We’re still not as big as New Pandemonium is,” Bluebolt added, having already finished her own breakfast, “but my mom’s trying to get us up there some day. She knows it won’t be done during her rule, probably not even during mine. But we’ll do it eventually, just you wait and see. It’s our family’s legacy!”

Rarity smiled, then finished the last of her stew. “Well, it’s certainly a nice sentiment and a wonderful dream, no matter what happens or how long it takes. Your mother most definitely cares for all the ponies under her rule a great deal, so I just know she’s giving it all she’s got.”

“So, this techno-magic or whatever it is ya called it, is that kind o’ like machines?” Bloom asked, scratching her head. “They just run on magic or somethin’?

“That’s exactly right, lass,” Sundial said. “That’s why gemstones power it. A proper gem is used as a focus for some o’ the more powerful spells that unicorns use, aye? Well, that same concept gets applied ta technology and makes it techno-magic. At least that’s we call it here. Some worlds call it ‘magitechnology’ or ‘artificing’… one even calls it ‘arcanotek’, but it’s all the same thing: machines made with and operating on magic.”

“Do different jewels do different things?” Rarity asked, genuinely curious. She’d never learned much on her last visit here, and there might be some information worth bringing back to give Twilight something to think—or rather, obsess—about.

“A wee bit, aye, but not really unless ye’re using some o’ the rarer, magical gems, like star prisms and the like. Otherwise ye can usually use a ruby or an emerald or whatever ye have on hoof.”

Bloom nodded appreciatively. “Wow, that’s some interestin’ stuff. How does it all work?”

“Eh, techno-magic isn’t really my thing, ta be honest with ye. Ye might want ta ask in Hope’s Point eventually about how all that, aye?”

Bloom looked to Bluebolt. “Do you know anythin’ ‘bout this stuff?”

Bluebolt shrugged. “I’m not exactly an engineer, and I never took much interest in learning a little about everything like my mom did. It’s too complicated for me.”

“What she means is, she hates reading,” Symphony said, flicking Bluebolt’s ear.

“I do not!”

Eventually, everypony’s breakfast was finished, everything was all packed up, and the group was ready to move onward.

Before they left, though, Sundial paused at the edge of the trail, a hoof above her eyes. She let out a small chuckle as she looked out onto the Expanse. “Oy, you lot, come and take a look over here,” she said, gesturing for the others to join her at the edge.

The group walked over near Sundial and gazed out over the Expanse as she was, following Sundial’s south-pointing hoof.

There, where she was pointing, an absolutely enormous storm was brewing several miles away, slowly moving in their direction. Crackling lighting streaked through the clouds at rapid, precise intervals. Even from this distance, the harsh winds in the storm were easy to see as they whipped and churned the clouds back and forth. A huge veil of fog and frost spread out from the bottom of the storm, billowing outwards a mile in front of it like the hem of a frilly ballroom gown.

“That,” Sundial continued, a smile forming on her lips, “is a thunderblizzard.”

“My oh my, that’s certainly quite a storm,” Rarity said, hoof to her mouth in awe.

“Hot dang, that thing’s huge,” Bloom noted, shaking her head. “Ya can’t even see through it!”

“That’s why we’re not heading near home yet,” Symphony said, addressing Rarity specifically. “That storm’s already completely covered Hope’s Point. Her Majesty will have shut down the harbor and everything, then gotten everypony underground to weather it out, just like we do every year.”

“That’s why we’re out here with Sundial this winter,” Bluebolt added with a smile. “We didn’t want to get stuck in the palace again. You’d get cabin fever in no time if you had to spend three months underground with my mom for company, heh.”

“Well, then I guess we should be thankful that we’re ahead of it,” Rarity noted. “I’m certainly glad we’re heading into the tunnels.”

Sundial nodded. “Aye, and just be more glad we didn’t get delayed too much more than we did. That storm will be ta this spot where we’re standing now by tomorrow morning at the absolute latest, and probably sooner if these damned winds pick up. If we hadn’t left when we did, we’d have ta take the northern tunnels and probably have ta pass through the Blood Mire.”

Rarity paled. “Oh dear, not that dreadful place. Is it still… you know, um… how do I put this—”

Sundial snorted, apparently amused. “Aye, it’s still a shitehole filled with all sorts o’ nasty things that I’m sure ye don’t want ta deal with ever again. I’ve only been there once since I took the position, and I’m not looking ta ever go back if I don’t need to.”

Bluebolt shuddered, clearly not from the cold. “Hoo boy, thank the stars we’re not going that way. Do you have any idea what my mom and dad would do to me if they found out I went through the Blood Mire after what happened to my dad when he was there? I’d never be allowed to leave the palace ever again!”

“Not that anything would ever happen to you on my watch,” Symphony noted, nudging Bluebolt slightly.

“Yeah, but my mom would keep me locked in my room just on principle, you know that. I couldn’t live like that.”

“I dunno, I could stand to be locked in a room with you for quite a while.”

“Well then it’s a bloody good thing you lot listened ta me well and good, aye?” Sundial smiled, clapping Bluebolt on the shoulder. “I wouldn’t be looking forward ta that rotten swamp very much either. I’d rather deal with hundreds o’ Kauldrons than go through that shite again.”

“I don’t know if I’d go that far, darling, but I understand the sentiment. It still amazes me that you do all of this navigating, route-planning, and scheduling without a map,” Rarity noted, giving Sundial an appreciative grin. “Tick Tock practically lived by that wonderful little map of hers, but you seem to do it all from memory. It’s impressive.”

“Aye, well, Tick Tock only had ta leave her cushy apartment a few times every year ta seal up a Void rift or two out in the old Wastelands. The only time I usually get ta stay at home for more than a few days is in the arse-end of the winter season, aye? I only take this trip in the first week or so o’ winter ta get a little work done.”

“Well, what happens if one of those rifts opens up in the middle of one of those dreadful storms?” Rarity asked, desperately glad theirs hadn’t opened in one. “Surely you’re not expected to go out into that thing and close it, are you?”

“Och, no, luckily they be complicated buggers, rifts. They don’t open up in the sky or under the sea where we can’t get ta them, or in the middle o’ some volcano, and not in the middle o’ some chaos storm like a thunderblizzard. I mean, can ye imagine if Tick Tock had ta go out inta the middle o’ the old Belt o’ Tranquility ta close a rift? She couldn’t, that’d be impossible.”

“Hmm… well, that’s lucky. I suppose it makes sense, too. I mean, how would you get to a rift if it decided to open up a mile underground, for example? Strange how it works like that.”

“Anyway, enough gabbing. We’ve got more walking ta do if we’re gonna get through this part o’ the pass.” Sundial gestured into the tunnel. “We’re passing through towards the northern end, where we loop around and take the underground tunnels straight inta Goldridge.”

“There’s an underground tunnel into Goldridge now?” Rarity asked with a smile. “Well, that certainly would’ve been useful years ago.”

“Aye, but it’s a more recent thing. We just finished it about five years and two months ago, give or take a day. You’ll love it, trust me. It’s real easy for traveling, with no snow or cold or wind ta worry about.”

A ferocious clap of thunder boomed through the air as the storm churned upwards about half a mile, as if it had a mind of its own.

Weaver took a small step back from the storm. His expression, easy to see since he wasn’t wearing the hood of his uniform, remained stoic, but it was clear from his eyes that the sound had definitely frightened him.

Flurry gave him a sympathetic look, putting her hoof on his shoulder. “Weaver, are you okay? You’re all jittery all of a sudden.”

“Yes,” he said in a calm monotone.

“Are ye sure about that, lad?” Sundial asked, setting a hoof on his other shoulder. “Ye looked spooked.”

“Yes.”

Sundial didn’t seem to buy it, but clearly didn’t want to push it either. “Well, probably best if we get moving then, aye? That storm won’t bother anypony once we get inta the tunnels.”

With nods from the others, the group headed on into the tunnels for what was hopefully the last leg of their current journey.

*****

It was about an hour or so after dinnertime the following evening when the group passed through yet another set of identical dark, winding tunnels under the Goldridge Mountains, which were exactly how Rarity remembered them. The walls and ceiling of the caverns were dotted with gemstones of all sizes, shapes, and colors, including some that were valuable, rare, or even magical. Much as she had before, Rarity secretly wondered if she could—or rather, should—try to gather some together for when she returned home. After all, she could make quite an impact on the fashion scene if she introduced a dress sequined with “otherworldly jewels”.

Sundial lead the way, of course, as she had been the entire journey, and Symphony was right behind her with her horn flared to light the way for everypony else. Rarity marveled again that Sundial knew every twist and turn through these many, many branching passages seemingly from memory. She didn’t hesitate for an instant to choose which fork to take, not even once. Her story made sense, certainly, but Rarity wondered if there was more to it than that.

Weaver, who trailed at the back of the group, didn’t seem bothered by the darkness one bit. If anything, Rarity thought that the earth pony seemed more comfortable in it, but that made a certain bit of sense. She’d tried talking to him once or twice over the journey across the Expanse, but he seemed so distant that it was hard to get anything out of him. But, since Flurry was trying her best to give this poor stallion another chance at life, Rarity was going to do what she could to help. If she could do it for Insipid, she could do it for Weaver.

“Weaver, darling, may I ask you a question?” she asked as they wandered along another bend in the path.

“Yes,” came his typically short reply.

“Your abilities. I’ve heard about another pony use something strikingly similar to them, and I was wondering how exactly is is you came about having them, if you know?”

“Magical infusion. Overseer Pedigree’s project. Specifics of process unknown.”

Rarity hummed in thought. “Hmm, I see. Well, it’s similar to unicorn magic, or even pegasus magic to a degree. In fact, the last pony I’m aware of with that ability was a pegasus. But, well, you’re an earth pony. It’s all very confusing.”

“Specifics of process unknown,” he repeated.

Rarity sighed. “Well, I appreciate the attempt, Weaver. Thank you.”

He tilted his head slightly. “You are… welcome.”

Flurry gasped in delight. “Oh my goodness, he’s never said ‘you’re welcome’ before. We’re getting somewhere, Rarity.”

“Yes, well, I certainly seem to bring out the best in ponies, don’t I?” Rarity laughed.

“What I wanna know is, how come he don’t got a cutie mark?” Bloom asked. “Now, I ain’t one ta judge nopony on the subject, y’all know that, but I ain’t never heard o’ nopony goin’ so long wit’out one before. How old is he, anyway?”

“A wee bit older than Symphony is,” Sundial said from the front. “My guess is twenty-three, but I can’t give an exact number o’ months or anything like that, aye?”

“You are correct,” Weaver said, looking at Sundial. “Based on comments from Overseer Pedigree, he oversaw participation in this particular project for twenty-three years: three years before collapse of Pandora Tower; ten years of combat and espionage training after infusion process; ten years in service afterwards.”

“Ya started trainin’ ta fight when y’all were three years old?!” Bloom blurted. “What in the hay is wrong wit’ that Overseer?!”

“Overseer Pedigree’s claims are that results are ‘wrong’, expressed disappointment that unicorn candidate did not make it to final stage of project. He is not ‘wrong’.”

“There were other candidates in this horrible project too?” Rarity asked, aghast.

“Correct. Thirty-three other candidates survived infusion process.”

“So, they’re like your brothers and sisters, sort of?” Flurry asked.

Weaver tilted his head. “Your question is unclear. Other candidates were not blood-related. Genetic diversity was paramount.”

Symphony grunted. “Great, there’s more of him out there. Meraviglioso. Just the news we needed to hear.”

“Incorrect. There are no other surviving candidates.”

“And what the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“Other candidates survived infusion process, participated in training. Training process culminated in selection of prime candidates via combat trial. Victor of the trial was chosen and given proper Shadow Project designation.”

Symphony frowned, seeming to piece together exactly what all of that meant. “Well, damn, that’s not the answer I was expecting.”

“I don’t really get it, what did all of that mean?” Flurry asked.

Bluebolt set her wing on Symphony’s shoulder before the latter could speak. “Let me, songbird. I’ve got more tact.” She cleared her throat. “What Weaver’s saying is, he learned to fight when he was very young, just like all the others in this ‘Shadow Project’. After they finished training, they picked the best fighter amongst them all to go forward.”

“And all the others?”

“They’re… probably not worth being concerned with anymore, Flurry. I’m sorry.”

Flurry frowned and hung her head. “Oh… I see…”

Symphony nudged Bluebolt. “That was supposed to be ‘tactful’?”

Bluebolt snorted and whispered back: “Better than saying ‘they’re all dead and he probably killed some of them himself’, like you were about to say.”

Rarity put her hoof on Flurry’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, darling. I can tell you wanted to try and help those other ponies too, if you could.”

“Aunt Twilight was right about this world in all those stories she told me,” Flurry sighed. “It really isn’t anything like ours, is it?”

Rarity paused, then shook her head. “Maybe not, dear, but it’s getting better from the sound of it. And you’re already making a difference of your own, aren’t you? Just focus on that, alright? Even if you couldn’t help all of those others, you’re helping Weaver.”

Flurry nodded. “Yeah… I’ll try to keep that in mind.”

As the group continued onwards, Rarity started seeing some very familiar sights, especially when they passed through one wide tunnel in particular, which opened out into a vast cavern filled with branching paths and topped by a high ceiling.

“I know this place…” she murmured, coming to a stop in the middle of a circular plateau near the middle of the cavern.

The rest of the group stopped with her. “Aye?” Sundial asked, eyebrow raised. “Ye said that ye came through here before, so it makes sense that things would start ta seem familiar eventually, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, of course, but I know this place in particular,” Rarity said firmly. “It’s not just familiarity, darling, it’s vivid recognition.”

She looked around the surrounding area, then gestured over towards the far northern wall where there was a huge, hideous gash in the rock, which didn’t look so much carved into the mountainside as it looked drilled into it, perhaps with the help of explosives.

“That wall there,” she continued, “that’s where Starlight Shadow blew a hole straight through the mountain when Tick Tock got a little too much on her nerves.”

Sundial chuckled. “Och, just a wee bit on her nerves, ye say? From how Tick Tock tells it, she bloody well pissed that mare off, aye? Sent her into a frothing rage with foam and everything, like a mad dog.”

Rarity cleared her throat. “Well, yes, if you want to put it that way.”

Bloom raised an eyebrow and whistled, walking over to the hole to examine it. Even from here anypony could almost see out to the sky beyond as the hole somehow hadn’t sealed up properly after all these years. “Wow, Miss Shadow did that? I heard she was strong 'n' all but that’s mighty impressive. No wonder she kicked Queen Chrysalis’s butt straight inta the dirt.”

Rarity then gestured around the small clearing they were all standing in, and further out into the rest of the cavern. “This is where it all happened. Our first battle with our counterparts. Oh my, this is certainly bringing back memories. I can remember almost everything just like it happened yesterday.”

“That was, what, twenty-one years ago?” Symphony asked. “That’s a good memory you’ve got if you can remember it that well.”

“I’m more concerned that you seem to remember it fondly,” Bluebolt scoffed. “I’m not ever going to get over how baffling all that is.”

“Aw, don’t think of it like that, Bolt,” Symphony said, pulling Bluebolt close. “I recall every single detail from my first fight. Remember? We were incognito out on the surface five years ago, and that asino and his friends started making a pass at you because they didn’t know you were, y’know, you?”

Bluebolt smirked. “I mean, I remember the black eye you gave the big guy. And the chipped tooth you gave the other one.”

“So, same thing here. Rarity’s just remembering the site of her first real battle. Like a true guerriero.”

Rarity, ignoring the others, smiled and gestured towards another nearby wall. “Aha! Just over there is where Tick Tock and I stood against Insipid. The poor mare could barely form a protective barrier. She was so awful with magic back then. Why, if you were to tell me then that twenty-one years later I’d be asking her to be my housesitter, I’d tell you you were insane.”

“So even after all that they did to you, you still let them into your homes, too?” Bluebolt asked, still in disbelief. “I don’t know if I’ll ever understand how you can just let all that they did to you just slide like that. Mom still talks about what happened sometimes, and she doesn’t sound like she’s backing down from her ‘execute them if they ever come back’ stance.”

Rarity frowned and sighed. “And I sincerely doubt that anything I could say would convince her any more than it convinces you, but I suppose that’s just the way of things where we’re from. Like Flurry said about Weaver, we’re the sort of ponies that are always willing to give other ponies a second chance at life, be it learning from mistakes, or recovering from a horrible upbringing.”

Flurry gave Weaver a little smile and pat his shoulder. “And I wouldn’t change that for anything, either.”

Weaver didn’t react much, though he did seem to realize he was being spoken about as his ears were flitting whenever his name was mentioned.

Sundial paused, then drew her pocket watch out of her coat pocket. It was shaking subtly, and when she opened it, there was a dim green glow coming from it. “Bloody hell, a Void rift, now? Shite, it’d better be close, or I’m gonna just tell HQ to kiss my arse and find a damned replacement. This is abuse, is what it is.”

She held the pocket watch up and started moving around with it to get an accurate reading, then gestured off towards the northeast passage when she got something. “Right then, it’s not too bad. Just a slight detour, everypony, sorry, but I’ve got ta get this bloody thing handled.”

“Should we just make camp here and wait for you?” Rarity asked.

“No, not this time. Seeing as we’re not expecting company, hopefully, ye’re all coming with me, aye? We can make camp afterwards, probably somewhere more comfortable.”

Rarity looked off to the northeast, where Sundial was pointing. “Hang on now, I know where that tunnel leads, too. That leads to the old Gryphon Ruins, doesn’t it?”

Sundial raised an eyebrow. “Aye, it does.” She smiled in understanding. “Och, that’s right, ye went there after yer wee scuffle here, didn’t ye? Tick Tock mentioned something about that, though she was a wee bit shy with the details.”

“Yes, we did, and it was quite an… interesting experience, that much is for certain.” Rarity cleared her throat and smiled. “But enough walking down memory lane. You said we might have to go on a little detour, possibly through the old ruins? That won’t affect our itinerary too negatively, I hope?”

“No, not at all, not unless we get delayed by another whole bloody day, aye? That’d require one hill o’ shite ta hit the fan, and nopony’s that unlucky, not even Tick Tock.” She shook her head. “Still, I’d rather not piss about here flapping our gums like old hens talking about their grandkids, so let’s get a move on.”

The group followed Sundial away from the main pathway they’d been traveling along and headed out of the wide cavern and off towards the northwest, through another series of short, twisting tunnels.

Further ahead, they came across a rather interesting sight. A minor cave-in had blocked off the path ahead of them with a mountain of small rocks. Easy to move rocks, yes, but there were so many of them that it would take a single pony the better part of two days to make a path wide enough for them to move through.

As it turned out, there just so happened to be a pony attempting to do exactly that, a golden-orange unicorn mare with a short, wavy, bi-colored mane of sea green and mint green. She was wearing a greenish-brown safari vest loaded with pockets, and a matching pith helmet on her head. Her cutie mark, incidentally, was the exact same pith helmet, as well as a magnifying glass. Strangely, she carried no saddlebags with her to carry any supplies.

Rarity was rather instantly reminded of Daring Do, not that she ever read those books much herself, but Rainbow still did. For half a moment she thought this newcomer was the real deal, Daring Do in the flesh.

That, of course, was impossible, not unless the world-famous writer-archaeologist somehow ended up transported to this world without anypony back home knowing about it. Then again, with all the alternate worlds out there that Rarity was aware of, maybe this was another world’s Daring Do, even this one’s? No, that wasn’t it, this was just an uncanny resemblance, and really that was just because of the outfit. The mare’s colors were totally different and she was a unicorn, not a pegasus.

“Oy, you over there!” Sundial called as the group approached the new mare. “Who are ye, and what are ye doing here?”

“Holy moley!” The other mare practically flew into the air in surprise, and she wasn’t even a pegasus, so that was quite impressive. “Geez laweez, you scared me half to death there, miss. Don’t you know not to go sneaking up on ponies in the dark like that?”

Sundial chuckled politely. Rarity was glad to see Sundial seemed to be getting a bit better about her attitude. Just a bit. “Och, sorry about that, didn’t mean ta frighten ye, lass. Now, would ye kindly answer the question, please? Who are ye, and what are ye doing here?”

The other mare proudly puffed out her chest. “My name’s Venture, and I’m the world’s finest and foremost explorer, treasure hunter, archaeologist, and adventurer, yes ma’am, and that’s the truth. As for what I’m doing here, I’m trying to clear out all these rocks so I can get into the old Gryphon Ruins and search for treasure, or ancient texts, or anything I can find, really.”

Sundial raised an eyebrow. “Uh huh. Lass, ye know that those ruins have been raided so many times in the past few hundred years that there’s nothing left ta find in there but dust and cobwebs, aye?”

“Pshaw, there’s nothing that can escape the keen eye of the one-and-only Venture!” Venture said giving a confident smile. “It doesn’t matter if I don’t find anything but the teeniest, tiniest scrap of information. If it’s new, it’s a treasure to me.”

“Aye, whatever ye say, lass.” Sundial rolled her eyes and gestured to the others that she thought this new mare was, quite simply, crazy.

“Well now that we’ve got that all sorted out, who are you, by the way?” Venture said, offering her hoof politely. “And, uh… I guess, what are you doing here? It’s only fair that we’re on the same page, right?”

Sundial took Venture’s hoof and gave it a brief shake. “The name’s Sundial, and I’m here on a job, so ta say. A wee bit complicated ta explain right now, but let’s just say that ye might be right about there being something in those ruins, only it’s not exactly something that ye’d want ta find. Dangerous, aye?”

“Oooh, mysterious danger,” Venture chuckled. “That’s right up my alley, if I can toot my own horn for a minute.” She glanced behind Sundial and saw the others of the group, to whom she gave a smile and a wave. “Wow, you sure do travel with quite an entourage there, Miss Sundial. Who are all your friends?”

Introductions were made down the line, from Symphony at the front down to Weaver at the rear. Venture seemed rather pleased to meet all these new ponies, and Rarity noticed she seemed particularly interested in Flurry Heart and herself.

“My name’s Flurry Heart,” Flurry said when it was her turn in line. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Venture.”

As Venture took Flurry’s hoof and shook, she had an awestruck grin on her face, as if she’d just walked into a surprise party meant for her. “Wow, Miss Heart, you sure are a pretty mare, has anypony ever told you that? And you’re so tall, too! Why, I bet you get all sorts of gentlecolt callers, you lucky girl you.”

Flurry blushed, clearly unsure how exactly to take the compliment, if it even was a compliment. Rarity would’ve taken it as one. “W-well, thank you. Uh… not really, though, on that last part. At least not yet. My dad kind of scared all the colts way while I was growing up, not that there actually were many.”

In Rarity’s case, Venture was merely more than polite, almost… familiar? Rarity wasn’t sure if that was the right word or not, but when Venture spoke with her as they introduced themselves, it was as if they were already well-acquainted. Or was that just her interpretation, since the mare’s outfit was familiar? Either way, there was something about the mare’s eyes just made Rarity feel warm and cozy. It was hard to put her hoof on the sensation.

“So, you guys are all going into the ruins too?” Venture asked once introductions were made, smiling at the group and keeping a genuinely pleasant tone. Rarity had been lured into a false sense of security once before by a friendly face, but this was different, somehow. “Seeking some kind of dangerous adventure?”

“That’s the gist of it, aye,” Sundial said. She gestured towards the blockage in the path. “Looks like we need ta get our hooves dirty first, though, if we’re gonna get through.”

“Oh yeah, well, if you guys want to give me some help clearing all this rubble, I’d really appreciate it.”

Rarity rolled her eyes. “I suppose if we must.”

What would take one pony, even a strong one, the better part of two days to clear took significantly less with eight, especially when they had Weaver’s physical strength and Flurry’s potent magic assisting them. It only took about four hours to do, in fact, and that was accounting for the group taking rests in intervals. Only Weaver worked steadily throughout, as he didn’t seem to get tired at all, or if he did, he didn’t complain or show it.

“Ye don’t have ta keep going, lad,” Sundial said as Weaver lifted rock after rock out of the way towards the end of the job. “Take a break and get some rest before ye keel over.”

“Unnecessary,” he said in his usual calm monotone.

“Are ye sure? I don’t want ye overexerting yerself there, aye?”

“Unnecessary.”

Sundial tilted her head and grinned. “Well, if that’s how ye’re gonna be, lad, then far be it from me ta tell ye otherwise. Keep up the good work, I suppose.”

Once the tunnel was cleared enough that the group could get through, they wasted no time in doing so, moving into the tunnel with some gusto and excitement.

*****

It was late at night when the group finally found the Void rift that Sundial’s watch had detected, which was far inside of a long hallway. The rift was relatively small compared to the one that had brought Rarity, Bloom, and Flurry to this world, but despite its size it was most certainly a rather powerful one, judging by the tremendously bright glow coming from Sundial’s watch.

The sheer windforce the rift generated threatened to pull in anything and everything that was even remotely loose. Thanks to Sundial’s pocket watch, though, the group was well-shielded from the effects of the pull. Not even Apple Bloom’s hairbow fluttered in the breeze.

“This is bloody odd, it is,” Sundial muttered as she checked her watch’s readings now that she was right next to the anomaly. “Void rifts have never appeared in the ruins before now. They’d have ta be extraordinarily powerful ta get through this place’s natural magical auras and such, aye?”

“And that little device of yours is telling you it’s powerful, I take it?” Venture asked, peeking over Sundial’s shoulder. “Its glowing pretty brightly.”

Sundial pulled the watch closer to her chest so that Venture couldn’t get a good look. “Aye, that it is, lass. Do ye mind not getting so close?”

Rarity glanced around the hall as the group walked closer towards the rift. While they could wait at the end of the hall if they wanted, it seemed that staying near Sundial right now was the better option. “This hallway looks strangely familiar. I’m positive I’ve walked down this exact hall before. Hmm...”

“Ye’ve been saying that shite every other hallway we’re in, Rarity,” Sundial snorted. “We get it, ye’ve been here before, so can ye just keep it ta yerself already? You’re driving me up the bloody wall with all that, aye?”

Rarity raised her nose in the air, indignant. “Well, forgive me for feeling a bit nostalgic, dear. A little trip down memory lane never hurt anypony.”

Sundial rolled her eyes, then held her pocket watch up and twisted a dial on it. The Void rift immediately started closing. “See, there we go, just a wee detour and we’re all back ta normal, aye? We can camp here in the ruins and then get back ta our old route without too much trouble.”

Venture eyed the watch with more interest now. “Wow, what did you just do? Is that watch of yours some sort of magical artifact?” She gasped. “Is that a gryphon artifact? Is that why you’re here? To learn more about it? Can I study it? What’s it called? Does it have—”

“Bloody hell, lass, ease up off there, aye?” Sundial chided. Venture was practically nose-to-nose with her in her attempt to get closer to the watch, which Sundial was keeping just out of reach. “It’s none o’ yer business what it is, that’s what.”

“Aww, c’mon now, don’t be a stick in the mud, Sundial,” Venture groaned. “Just tell me one thing about it, something, anything. I’m so curious that I could burst! Please? Just a little?”

“Och, fine, fine, just back up a wee bit, lass, and give me some room, aye?””

Venture immediately pulled ong big step back and saluted like a soldier. “Yes ma’am!”

Sundial took a breath. “If ye must know, it’s proper name is a Timekeeper, because it keeps time. So there, that’s one thing I told ye, now ye can leave me alone—”

Venture gasped. “A Timekeeper? Oh wow, that sounds neat! Does it do anything besides tell time and whatever you did to that weird portal thing? Does it have a flashlight? Does it take batteries? Does it—”

“Lass! Enough!” Sundial shouted. “Bloody hell, ye just don’t stop, do ye?”

“Sorry, sorry. I'm just curious, that’s all. I love discovering new things, y’know? It’s not an adventure if you didn’t learn something out of it all, so even if I didn’t find anything in the ruins now, I at least found out about that neat little watch of yours.” Venture tapped her chin in thought. “Hmm… now I have to think of someplace else to explore.”

“You’re welcome to come along with us if you’d like, Miss Venture,” Flurry said with a polite smile, despite Sundial’s disapproving look. “We’re heading to Goldridge after this, so I’m sure there’s bound to be an adventure or two along the way.”

Venture thought on this, then smiled and nodded. “Sure, that sound great! I was just gonna camp in the caves for the next couple of months, what with the winter storms moving up north and all. But, seeing as this place is just as empty as they said it was gonna be, I don’t think I’ll find anything else useful. And I’d love to learn more about that watch!”

Sundial tucked the watch into her pocket with a grunt. “Aye, I bet ye would…”

As the Void rift shrunk down to about the size of an apple, Rarity was able to see clearly beyond where it had been. Behind the rift was a perfectly clean metal slab blocking the way further into the hall, made of some exquisite material that didn’t cake with dirt like the nearby walls did. Even though the rift was still distorting the light, she could just make out small, strange markings on the slab.

She narrowed her eyes to try and get a better look, and that’s when the realization hit. “Oh, wait, I know exactly where we are,” she breathed excitedly.

Sundial groaned. “Ye bloody well said that right when we walked inta the damned hallway—”

As soon as the Void rift closed completely, the entire hallway shook with a low rumble, not enough to throw anypony off-balance, but enough to draw attention that something was off.

“Uh oh…” Bloom muttered, taking a step back into Rarity. “This can’t be good.”

The metal slab glowed a shockingly bright purple, and intense magical energy streaked out along the floor like lightning as the magic held within it was allowed to go free. The entire hallway glowed the same purple hue for a brief moment and tiny sparks of magic danced through the air.

The group turned to move, but to their surprise, they were held fast to the floor. A brief panic began to set in.

Rarity, however, was all smiles. “Never you worry, everypony. Everything will be just—”

The entire group vanished in a bright light.

*****

“—fine,” Rarity finished.

The transition was instantaneous. The group now found themselves in a massive chamber, not nearly as dark or dirty as the hallways of the ruins. Magical torches kept the room lit with green light, and the material used to make the place was as clean as if it were brand new. Two grandiose gryphon statues, each fifteen ponies tall, flanked a large doorway leading further ahead. One gryphon was armed and armored, the other dressed in robes and holding a book.

The room was a perfect square with odd runic markings spread along the floor. One marking on the still-glowing section of floor they were standing upon looked strikingly similar from Rarity, Apple Bloom, and Flurry Heart’s perspectives: a more symmetrical version of Princess Twilight’s cutie mark, identical down to the color, though missing the extra sparkles surrounding the main starbursts.

Sundial glanced around in a huff, as if ready to fight anything that came near. “Alright, where the bloody hell are we?! Who’s big idea was this then, aye?! Show yerself! I’ll kick yer arse!”

Rarity chuckled and stepped forward, setting a hoof on Sundial’s shoulder to calm the jittery pegasus. “Relax, Sundial, we’re safe here.”

Sundial looked at Rarity, who was perfectly calm and cordial despite the situation. She took a short breath. “How are ye so bleeding relaxed right now?”

“Because I know exactly where we are, and like I said, it’s someplace safe. No need to get all in a tizzy over things, hmm?”

Sundial raised an eyebrow. “Ye do? Where are we then?”

“It’s a place that the gryphons called the ‘Sanctuary’. It’s a sort of… let’s see, how did Twilight describe it? A miniature... pocket dimension? Yes, that’s it. Like opening the closet and finding that it’s bigger on the inside.”

“Aye, is that so? I know that sort o’ magic, so if that’s what ye say it is…” Sundial shook her head. “And ye say ye’ve been here before, then? On yer last little adventure then?”

Rarity raised her eyebrow, confused as to why Sundial was so disbelieving. “Indeed I have, dear. Didn’t Tick Tock mention it?”

“Och, no, she didn’t.”

“Hmm, that’s odd. Seems like a bit of an oversight to me.”

Sundial scoffed. “Aye, cheers lass, it must’ve just slipped her mind ta mention that ye lot visited a bloody pocket dimension last time ye came around this way.”

Rarity narrowed her eyes. “Hmph… well, to be fair, Tick Tock herself wasn’t present with us here. We got separated, so maybe that’s why she didn’t say anything?”

Sundial paused, then took a breath. “Aye, that makes a wee bit o’ sense. She wouldn’t want ta tell me about something she didn’t experience firsthoof, because that’s hearsay, aye? Still, it might’ve helped if she’d at least mentioned something.” She paused again, then scratched her chin. “Sorry. This all just comes as a shock, aye?”

“No worries, darling, it was quite shocking to my friends and I the first time it happened to us,” Rarity said, patting Sundial’s shoulder. “Come along then, follow me. The way forward isn’t particularly complicated, but it’s quite interesting.”

“Wait wait, hold on a sec,” Bluebolt said, shaking her head. “I want to make sure we’re all on the same page here before we go wandering off into the unknown, because I’m having a bit of a moment here trying to figure out what the hell just happened.”

Rarity tilted her head. “Okay?”

“So, uh, we just got teleported or something into this big room that Sundial has no idea about, which was just after exploring these dusty old ruins that nopony’s really been through for centuries, and out of all of the ponies here, you, Rarity, have already been here before, and you know that it’s safe because of your last visit, so now we’re just going to follow you into a place we don’t know anything about just because you say it’s okay?”

Rarity paused, then nodded. “Yes,” was her Weaver-like response.

Bluebolt just stared at her for a long moment, then shrugged in acceptance. “Alright, fair enough. Just wanted to be clear.”

“Well, if Rarity says it’s okay, then I believe her,” Bloom said, stepping forward to move proudly by Rarity’s side.

“Me too,” agreed Flurry with a bright smile. “Lead the way, Rarity. We’ve got your back.”

Rarity smiled. “Thank you, girls. I appreciate it.”

“Shoot, I’m just glad that we’ve finally found some places where you’ve been through before,” Bloom added with a nudge. “That means things should be easier, right?”

The group gathered together, then headed for the big doorway. Rarity used her magic to push it open, though it did require a great deal of effort. Twilight had made it look completely effortless so many years ago, but Rarity had to struggle a little to do the same and it sort of diminished the grand effect she was going for, at least in her mind. She wasn’t sure if it was because Twilight was stronger, or if the door had just responded to Twilight better.

Still, as they passed through the huge archway, the group found themselves in another long, dark hallway. The lights from the earlier room did not reach easily further inside, which Rarity found odd, as she was sure they’d done so before.

On the left wall of the hallway were several standing displays holding objects of interest, mostly old techno-magic devices created by the ancient gryphons in service of their needs complete with plaques describing their purposes.

On the right wall were several elaborate engravings depicting gryphon history, which was more accurately world history from their perspective, all the way up until shortly before their extinction. That event was not covered or even hinted at as it had caught them completely by surprise.

Bloom noticed something odd as she started reading the plaque under one of the murals. “I think they spelt ‘griffin’ wrong. Why’s it all spelled like that, wit’ a ‘ypho’ instead o’ ‘iffi’?”

“That’s just how they spell the name here, aye?” Sundial explained, coming up beside Bloom to eye the plaque, which described how gryphons first discovered magic in this world. “It’s an older spelling, based on the phonetics o’ the word. Our world’s—” She paused, giving a quick look at Venture, who seemed very interested in the discussion. “Och, I mean… uh… shite, how ta word this? Um…”

Bloom raised an eyebrow. “Why are ya actin’ all funny all of a sudden?”

Sundial smiled at Venture briefly as she pulled Bloom into a tight huddle. Rarity couldn’t hear what they were saying, but watched with keen interest.

“Tell me what?” Venture said, having just come up beside them.

Sundial didn’t leap up, just casually pulled herself out of the little huddle she had with Bloom. “Och, nothing, lass. Just having a wee conversation with my friend here about how the word ‘griffin’ might be a more modern spelling o’ the word, but the race themselves spelled it ‘gryphon’ and they’ve been extinct for hundred o’ years. Languages evolve, aye?”

Venture smiled politely. “Oh right, of course. I knew that, since I study history and all. I mean, you could’ve asked me and I would’ve told you everything you just said, no need for little secret huddles. Kind of weird to be having a secret huddle about that subject though, don’t you think?”

Sundial narrowed her eyes, but kept up a cocky smile to save face. “Aye, that’s right, I forgot ye were some sort o’ archaeologist or something like that.”

“Forgot? It’s only been a few hours—”

“What’s yer particular field o’ speciality, if I might ask?”

“Oh, well, that’s easy,” Venture said, puffing out her chest. “I’m mostly interested in learning all about the ancient cultures—pony or not—and their interactions with one another, especially the ones that aren’t around anymore, so especially the gryphons.”

“So ye don’t study the kirin, or the hippogriffs, or the seaponies?”

“Psh, no, they’re too recent! From what I’ve heard, they only started showing up in the world when I was just a kid, y’know? They don’t exactly have ancient histories, or if they do, they’re not sharing.” Venture cleared her throat. “Anyway, the gryphons are particularly fascinating to me because they studied all sorts of magic that no pony really specializes in.

“I mean, I’ve studied some of the ancient texts that managed to get smuggled out of here in the past few hundred years, even though that stuff is super hard to come by. Supposedly, when the gryphons lived down south, their studies put them in contact with a lot of interesting individuals. For example, some texts mention that the gryphons were in contact with a secret order of ponies that specialized in time magic. Chronomancy, being the official term.”

Sundial’s cocky smile faltered a little. “Aye?”

“Yeah, and these ‘Chronomancers’ or whatever weren’t even all unicorns! Just imagine: non-unicorn ponies using magic like that? It’s pretty neat stuff.”

Sundial tugged her collar. “And what do these texts tell ye about these, uh… ‘Chronomancers’?”

“Not a whole lot since they were pretty secretive from how the gryphons described them, but they dealt with all sorts of weird things that the gryphons were pretty blatantly told to keep hush-hush about. Stuff like…” Venture looked about to see if anypony was listening, which was a silly gesture considering everypony was at this point. “Other worlds. Y’know… aliens.”

Sundial narrowed her eyes. “Och, is that so? And ye said ye got all o’ this from reading ancient texts?”

“Of course! The gryphons couldn’t help themselves from writing things down in private journals, apparently. So much for that ‘secret’,” Venture chuckled.

“And would ye happen ta know where I could find these ‘texts’ o’ yers, lass? Just for interest’s sake?”

Venture tilted her head. “Uh, well—”

“Here we are, darlings!” Rarity called from the front of the group, having just reached another large door. “This here is the way forward, just past this door. Though I must warn you, there’s a bit of a ‘trial’ on the other side to ensure that we’re worthy of passing through. Not much more than a test of sorts.”

She gently pushed on the door with her magic, but it didn’t budge. “Hmm? That’s odd. It seems as though the door is stuck.” She tried again. Still, nothing

“Maybe ye just aren’t strong enough ta push it open?” Sundial suggested, coming forward to help, but not before shooting Venture a glare. “Here, let me lend ye a hoof.”

Sundial pushed as well, with Rarity’s help, but it still didn’t budge.

“Well, how about that? That’s a sturdy door if I’ve ever seen one.”

“Hmm… ah, I think I see the problem,” Rarity said. She gestured at the curious engravings in the door. “Last time I was here, these markings were all lit up because of Twilight’s magic. She apparently has a unique magical signature that the Sanctuary responded to. They’re not responding to us now, though. In fact, nothing here is lit up or responding like it was before. This is very odd.”

Sundial raised an eyebrow. “I thought ye said ye’d been here before?”

“I was, but I had Twilight and the others along with me, so things were a little different last time. Drat. There must be a way to open this door without Twilight’s magic.” Rarity tapped her temple in thought. “Think, Rarity, think. What would Twilight do?”

Symphony scoffed and gave a cocky grin to the others. “C’mon, it’s just a door, guys. If pushing it open doesn’t work, that most likely means that it’s just locked up tight. And, if you need to get through a locked door, what are your only two options?”

Bluebolt followed up the question, a proud grin on her face. “Either you pick the lock—but only if you’ve got the time and the tools—or, if you don’t, you bust the door down. Bam!”

“Right, and since I’m not seeing any locks on this door to even attempt to pick… ” Symphony cracked her neck and rolled her shoulders. “That means we’ve gotta break it down, fillies… and gentlecolt. Old-school style. Badda-bing, badda-boom.”

Rarity frowned and shook her head. “I don’t think damaging the door is going to do us any favors going forward, darling. There must be another way.”

“Do you have any better ideas?”

“Well… no, not really. But—”

“Then we do this my way.” Symphony turned to Weaver. “Yo, Weaver, you’re a strong guy, right?”

Weaver turned to face her. “Yes.”

“Well, help me break this sucker down then.”

Sundial rolled her eyes. “Symphony, ye’re not even the strongest unicorn in the group at the moment, aye?” She gestured toward Flurry politely. “That’d be her. So if ye need ta break it down, maybe ye ought ta leave it ta the stronger unicorn.”

Flurry pointed at herself. “You want me to help with this?”

“O’ course, lass. Ye’re pretty strong in the magic department, especially compared ta this wee one here, aye?”

Symphony snorted and huffed, clearly offended. “Okay, hey, no offense to cherry blossoms here, but there comes a time and a place when pure power ain’t everything, capische? You need to have finesse, know-how, and esperienza. And I’ve got loads of the stuff when it comes to this. I learned how to break doors down when I was twelve.”

Sundial held up her hooves and chuckled. “Fair play ta you, lass. If ye’re so keen on it, then let’s see what ye’ve got.”

Symphony turned to Weaver and tilted her head towards the door. “Okay, Weaver, you and me are going to work together to bust the door down.”

Weaver nodded. “Understood.”

“So, on the count of three, you’re gonna slam into the door—with your shoulder, not your head—as hard as you can, at the same time as I hit it with my magic.”

“Understood.”

“Okay, good. So, here we go.” She lit up her horn and shrouded the door in a field of light. “One—”

Weaver got in front of the door and settled into a charging position.

“Two—”

The others stepped back to get out of the way.

“Three!”

Weaver leapt forward and struck the door at the same time that Symphony’s magic gave it a hard push. Between the two of them and the force they put into their effort, the door gave just enough to creak open ever-so-slightly. It was enough that, when Symphony pushed again, the door swung open wide, revealing the way forward.

“See?” Symphony said, scuffing her hoof against her chest. “Pezzo di torta.”

Sundial clapped slowly. “Well done, lass. Well done.”

Rarity stepped forward and looked behind the door now that it was open, and frowned at the sight. There was just another dark hallway beyond, though this one was completely empty. She couldn’t see far enough to tell if there was anything much further ahead. “That’s odd… there’s supposed to be a room here filled with all sorts of puzzle contraptions.”

“I thought ye said ye’ve been here before?” Sundial asked. “Now what’s different?”

“I was here before, I swear it, and there was a room here when I was. The hallway here looks exactly the same as the one on the other side, but there was supposed to be a whole room in between them.”

“So, where’s the room then? Whole rooms don’t just get up and walk away, lass.”

“I… I don’t know,” Rarity muttered.

“Och, bloody hell. Maybe the pocket dimension is acting funny. Sometimes it happens if ye jostle the access point, it shakes the whole bloody thing out o’ whack.”

“Hmm… maybe. There was a Void rift right at the entrance, wasn’t there? Could that have thrown things off?”

“It’s a possibility.”

“I don’t like this,” Bluebolt said to Symphony. “I’ve seen enough movies to know this is probably leading us straight into a bad time, I just know it.”

“Well then you just stick by me, Bolt,” Symphony said, stepping up beside her. “I’m sure we’re just overreacting and that nothing’s gonna go wrong, but if it does, I’ll protect you.”

“Well, we might as well just get movin’ forward, right?” Bloom suggested, moving towards the door.

“I suppose so, dear,” Rarity sighed. “Still, this is very strange. I do hope everything’s alright…”

The group passed through the doorway into the hall beyond, and almost immediately, Symphony called out: “Don’t move!”

Rarity stopped moving instantly. “Hmm? What is it?”

Symphony came up right next to Rarity and gently pulled the other mare’s hoof back from the tile she was about to step on. “Phew, that was close.” She gestured towards the tile cautiously. “Booby-trapped.”

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “What? Booby-trapped?”

“Yup, classic stuff, actually,” Symphony said, getting down low and gesturing at the subtle difference in color between this tile and those around it. “Luckily this stuff’s all old, so it’s easier to notice differences in colors and textures. Heh, I figured you’d be good at this sort of thing, Rarity.”

Rarity scoffed. “I am, dear, I just wasn’t paying attention to that sort of thing right this moment, now, was I? Why would I be?”

“Because more than once ye’ve said that ye’ve been here before, so ye should know about traps and the lot, aye?” Sundial suggested, eyebrow raised. “Care ta mention why ye didn’t let us know that bit o’ information a wee bit sooner?”

“No no, this is all wrong,” Rarity said, shaking her head in disbelief, or rather, unacceptance. “There weren’t any traps or anything like that when we came through here last time! There was a room with a puzzle test in it! This is all wrong,” she muttered, hanging her head in worry. “Something is terribly wrong here.”

“Maybe Symphony’s just gettin’ jumpy?” Bloom suggested, putting a hoof on Rarity’s shoulder. “No offense, but if Rarity says there ain’t any traps, then there ain’t any traps. She’s been before, y’know?”

Symphony glanced at Bloom, then curled her mouth in a tight smirk. She gently pressed her hoof on the tile.

From the wall, an arc of electricity crackled out of an unseen hole and impacted the wall opposite from it, leaving a scorch mark, only missing Rarity by a few inches. Had she stepped on the tile as she was walking, it would’ve hit her in the neck.

Rarity paled. “Wh-what in the world?!”

“See?” Symphony said. “Booby-trapped. I mean, the lightning bolt is an odd one—I’d expect a dart or something—but still, booby-trapped.”

“This can’t be right! There weren’t any traps last time!” Rarity shouted, looking back desperately at the others for any signs of reassurance. “There… there was a puzzle room! I swear it on my boutique! On my mane!”

Sundial sighed. “Great, well, guess we’re stuck moving through booby-trapped halls then, aye? Wonderful, just what I needed—”

Symphony huffed, and rather loudly at that. “Guys, guys, please. You’re all getting a little carried away here. You forget: I spotted the trap. In fact,” she said, turning around and lighting her horn to illuminate the hall, her eyes darting about, “I see a few more down the hall. Nessun problema, I’ll take care of this.”

“That’s my girl!” Bluebolt cheered.

“Can’t the pegasi in the group just fly over them?” Flurry asked.

Symphony shook her head and gestured at the walls higher up, which seemed to have small holes in them. A simple light was enough to show that the holes had thin strings connecting them in a web of unique patterns that were nearly impossible to see, and just as difficult to maneuver through.

“Gryphons built this place, didn’t they?” Symphony suggested. “Makes sense that they’d keep the higher up portions trapped, too. They had wings, right?”

Flurry frowned. “Hmm… well, that’s disappointing. We could’ve had Sundial fly overhead and drop things on the tiles to activate the traps prematurely.”

“I wish that were the case, but good idea anyway.” Symphony pulled Rarity back and took point in front of the group, then turned back towards the others. “Okay, just follow directly behind me, capische? Take it slow so you don’t bump into each other, but just follow along. We’ll get through this.”

Compared to how she’d expected this to go, Rarity was, to be perfectly frank, utterly baffled and dismayed. She was supposed to be leading her friends along here through a few little trials. And while she wasn’t one hundred certain on how to get through them perfectly, they were at the very least safe, relatively speaking, and where she knew precisely what not to do.

It was supposed to be easy. Well, relatively speaking. Three doors, three trials. For the first trial, the objective was simple: just don’t touch the big button that says “Do Not Touch”. Rainbow had, of course, done just that last time they were here, despite protests. The actual solution was, as far as Rarity knew, just opening the door on the other side and not touching anything.

The second trial had been a timed quiz of sorts, and this group seemed to have plenty of smart mares in it that might be of use getting past the questions that proved difficult, particularly Venture and her knowledge of history. Worst case scenario she’d have to get used to somepony else’s mane for a while, unless somepony here knew a spell like Twilight for fixing up manes instantaneously like before.

The third trial…

Well, she and her friends had all agreed to never talk about the third trial. She didn’t remember what the trial itself was since she’d placed it so far out of her mind. She didn’t even remember what they’d done incorrectly to make them want to forget all about what had happened.

However, the situation certainly wasn’t supposed to have Rarity and the others following along behind Symphony to avoid stepping on a trapped tile, not knowing if the wall was going to shoot darts, or open up to reveal a spinning saw blade, or spew a torrent of fire, or worse, shoot a spinning, bladed dart that was also on fire. This was supposed to be… well, the same. Everything else was supposed to be different, this was supposed to be the same.

Still, at least Symphony was good at what she did, and led the group down the long, long hallway without too much fuss apart from the slow pace. Every now and then Symphony had to pause to figure out a route around a trap, and had Weaver—who was able to move through the darkness without triggering the traps—assisted in disabling them. Between the pair, it was somewhat smooth-sailing. The gryphons certainly hadn’t expected a clever unicorn and an earth pony with shadow powers to come through.

Rarity grumbled that there weren’t even any further doors to lead to probably nonexistent trials. Just a long, booby-trapped hallway. It was all rather boring, actually, not that she was complaining about that fact. More that she was complaining to herself that she’d lost the opportunity to feel like she was contributing something besides moral support.

At the end of the hallway, though, things finally got back to normal as far as Rarity remembered. She was relieved to see that even though the trials had been replaced or misplaced or whatever was wrong, what lay beyond them was still very much the same.

Her horn felt all aflutter as latent magical energy filled the air, brimming with every possible school of magical study in existence. Rarity hadn’t exactly gotten more magically powerful in the past twenty-one years, but she’d grown more in tune with her magical energies thanks to training with Twilight and Shadow, so she could feel the energy more strongly than before.

In Rarity’s case, she could still vaguely remember how it felt last time, like having somepony—preferably somepony very special—give her the most sensual deep-tissue massage imaginable, while also being submerged in a soothing mud bath and getting a pedicure at the same time, no matter how impossible all of that was. A full spa treatment, all at once, concentrated entirely within her horn. It was absolutely intoxicating.

The other unicorns—and alicorn—in the group seemed to sense the magic as well and reacted similarly.

“Okay… okay, wow, what in the blue hell is that?” Symphony asked, licking her lips in excitement. “My horn feels like, uh… wow.” She glanced at Bluebolt, who had come up beside her. “It feels like when you do that, uh… that thing—” She then whispered something in Bluebolt’s ear with a sultry smile.

Bluebolt turned red. “O-oh? Really? You’re not gonna, uh… y’know, right here, are you? There’re ponies watching.”

Symphony shook her head, a giddy smile on her face. “No, but now I’m looking forward to getting back to Goldridge. I know what we’re doing when we get back, pecha.”

“Whatever it is, it feels all… tingly,” Flurry said, closing her eyes and grinning like she was in a warm, comfortable bath, alone with her thoughts despite being surrounded by others. “This is just… wow, it’s hard to describe. I’ve never felt anything like it before.”

Bluebolt snickered. “Well, if Symphony’s reaction is anything to go by, you’ve been missing out on quite a lot in life.”

“Huh?”

Rarity cleared her throat. “Never you mind, darling.”

Sundial glanced at Venture, who seemed not to be reacting like the others whatsoever, or even much at all really. “Oy, how about you, lass? Ye want ta share with the rest o’ the class if your horn’s feeling all ‘special’ right now?”

Venture tilted her head. “Huh? Oh! Yeah, it feels great. Just great. Like they said.”

Sundial paused, then snorted. “Bloody unicorns…”

The hallway led to an absolutely gigantic chamber, its ceiling and floor so far above and below that they could see nothing but darkness. The hallway connected directly to a bridge made of magical light that crossed the abyss.

Massive columns made of pure, potent, beautiful magical energy stood all around them, starting from the unseen below and reaching into the unknown above. Every shaft was a different color and each had its own unique fluctuation. A bluish-white one to the left crackled like lightning; a scarlet one to the right flowed like liquid magma; a green one ahead snaked about like vines.

“Okay, this is new,” Sundial muttered, glancing about in wonder. “What in the bloody hell is all this?”

Rarity tittered, glad to be back in the know, so to speak. “Every single school of magic is represented here by one of those columns. I’m afraid I’m not as well-versed as Twilight is on the varying schools, of course, so I couldn’t possibly name them all, but they’re all here in their purest form.”

“That’s… wow, alright, that’s pretty amazing. What are they here for, though?”

“For study, of course,” Venture said with a proud smile. “The gryphons were the most well-versed magical scholars in the world during their time and knew just about every single magical secret there was to know. Why, I bet if there was a magical problem today, the gryphons either already found a solution to it centuries ago or they could figure something out in no time.”

“If they were still around, that is,” Sundial pointed out. “But they’re extinct, sad ta say, aye?”

Rarity smiled knowingly as the group continued towards a large cubical structure that floated out in the air at the top of a stairway connected to the other end of the bridge. “Oh, Sundial, if only you knew.”

Sundial raised an eyebrow. “Och, and what’s that supposed ta mean, lass?”

“You’ll see, darling. You’ll see.”

Comments

[My name is R]

No, not at all, not unless we get delayed by another whole bloody day, aye? That’d require one hill o’ shite ta hit the fan, and nopony’s that unlucky, not even Tick Tock.

On tha plus side, ya didn' actually say 'It can't get any worse', but yer still pushin' it.

Rarity was rather instantly reminded of Daring Do, not that she ever read those books much herself, but Rainbow still did. For half a moment she thought this newcomer was the real deal, Daring Do in the flesh.
That, of course, was impossible, not unless the world-famous writer-archaeologist somehow ended up transported to this world without anypony back home knowing about it. Then again, with all the alternate worlds out there that Rarity was aware of, maybe this was another world’s Daring Do, even this one’s? No, that wasn’t it, this was just an uncanny resemblance, and really that was just because of the outfit. The mare’s colors were totally different and she was a unicorn, not a pegasus.

No, I think yer right, this is tha Daring of this world. True, it is a little odd that she's a unicorn, but she's too close ta be a coincidence. Er maybe 'er kid?

“If they were still around, that is,” Sundial pointed out. “But they’re extinct, sad ta say, aye?”
Rarity smiled knowingly as the group continued towards a large cubical structure that floated out in the air at the top of a stairway connected to the other end of the bridge. “Oh, Sundial, if only you knew.”

Well, Gilderoy was on 'is last legs when ya saw 'em last, both literally and metaphorically. And his disappearance could have something ta do with tha changes to tha sanctuary.