“The castle has a pool?” Thomas asked.

“Pools,” Moonlight corrected.

The concubines and attendants were strewn about Luna’s chambers in various states of relaxation. Moonlight was at the desk, typing away at the typewriter after being struck with a bolt of inspiration, Honey and Silver were sharing a quiet game of cards at the table, and Surprise was functioning as bedding while Thomas nestled snugly on her bare belly while using her breasts for back support.

“Truly?” Silver asked as she adjusted her hand. “I have not heard of any pools.”

“Me neither, but we should totally go!” Surprise cheered. “Pool parties are the best.”

“I heard that they’re only just installing them. We’ve got some pools already, but they’re ancillary to the gyms, so they’re usually full of ponies working out. These new ones are purely for recreational purposes,” Moonlight explained. “Although, I’ve heard down the grapevine that there were a few built back when the castle was first constructed, hidden, and scattered around the grounds.”

“Down the grapevine?” Silver inquired skeptically. “So you do not know for certain?”

“It’s like an urban legend,” Moonlight added as she spun around to face the others.

Thomas flinched when Moonlight’s eyes fell upon him. Surprise was butt naked and he was in nothing but his loincloth. The white mare had patted her lap for him to sit down on her, which he knew was because she liked the feel of his bare skin, but Thomas had done so while Moonlight had her back turned. He was suddenly struck with a fear that he’d been caught going behind Moonlight’s back, that he should have asked her permission.

Moonlight’s ear flicked, which Thomas knew was often an indicator of agitation of some sort. That look, Thomas thought as he scrutinized the mare’s expression. She’s not mad, but she doesn’t look happy either. He swallowed nervously. Is she upset that I’m laying with Surprise and not her? As he pondered whether this was because his mare was feeling neglected, or perhaps like she wasn’t living up to her obligations as his fillyfriend, he remembered that Moonlight also liked mares. Or is she envious that she’s not nestled against a large, buxom mare while I am?

Whatever the case, Moonlight’s gaze upon her stallion was short lived as she turned to face the others. “Supposedly Celestia set up a bunch of hidden pools across the grounds that are only available to those that find them.”

“Ooooh!” Surprise cooed in obvious interest as she sat up, carrying Thomas with her. “An adventure!”

“Ah don’t buy it,” Honey declared dispassionately as she continued to play. “If somethin’ like that existed, it’d been found by now. Somepony’d stumble on it by accident one day, and then spread the word to all their friends the next. Then their friends’d tell it to their friends, and so on until the myth becomes fact.”

“I agree,” Silver stated flatly. “Besides, what would even be the point of building a castle with secrets that were meant to be discovered?”

“I heard that the original Castle of the Two Sisters was built as kind of a funhouse with slides and halls of mirrors,” Thomas added, recalling the show. “I think they wanted to add some fun to make the place homier, so the same could be said for here.”

“Sounds like fun!” Surprise chirped. “We should go look! First this castle, then the other.”

Seeing the looks of excitement on their companions’ faces, Silver met Honey’s eyes with a look of quiet resignation. They’d been outvoted three to two and both silently agreed to postpone their game.

“If we are to do this, then we should at least talk to Luna or any of the other concubines,” Silver stated as she flexed her wings. “I’d prefer to know whether this was a fool’s venture before we start.”

“Aww come on!” Surprise whined. “Where’s the fun in that?”

“She’s got ya there,” Honey stated, surprising Silver. “What? If we’re doin’ this, then we should do it right. That means no cheatin’ or lookin’ ahead. ‘Sides, Ah’ve been sittin’ still fer too long. Need ta get movin ‘efore mah fantastic muscles shrivel up ‘n’ die,” she explained as she stretched.

“Oh very well, then,” Silver sighed in exasperation. “I suppose, if you are all going to act like foals, I’ll act as your chaperone.”

“That’s the spirit,” Surprise cheered with applause, causing her body to bounce around and jostling Thomas.

The adventure began earnestly enough, following a service call from Luna, with the team getting properly equipped. Honey loaded up a satchel with apples and other snacks, but otherwise went naked. Silver wore only her loincloth, but carried a magical torch which would light on command. Moonlight also grabbed a few torches and latched them to her armor’s belt, along with a map of the castle. Surprise grabbed up torches, flares, hard helmets, wilderness survival booklets, an inflatable boat, a kayak with oars, a few fans, anti-venom and a wide variety of med kits, blue spray paint, a shield with the crest of a blue minotaur giving a thumbs up painted on the front, three suitcases, a single complete set of silverware, a pair of maracas, and a poster of Luna looking impressively refined and dignified while she had one hand groping her breast. She took all of these things and more, which Thomas figured was roughly twice the mass of her own body, and stored them neatly into her mane. Seeing this, and also experiencing a momentary mental shut down, Thomas couldn’t think of anything else to bring.

“Onward!” Surprise declared as she pointed a foldable fan forward and began leading the march down the hall.

“So where exactly do we start?” Thomas asked.

“I first heard about the pools from one of the cooks,” Moonlight replied. “We should start by asking her.”

“First?” Silver asked. “Does that imply there were other times?”

Moonlight nodded. “I talked with some other guards and they’d all heard the rumors too. Although, it was the cook who sounded the most knowledgeable.”

**********

“Oh. So you’re looking for the hidden pool, are ya?” The unicorn mare was dark of fur and kept her head hung low where her mane could obscure her eyes. She didn’t look especially old, but her voice had this odd creak and rasp to it, like she was in desperate need of a glass of water. A faulty lighting fixture overhead cast a peculiar shadow over her, giving her a most ominous appearance and contributing to hiding her features. She leaned against one of the columns in the otherwise well-lit and immaculate hall. Even the air around the faulty light had an eerie chill. “Interesting,” she said with a sinister smile, sending the willies out to all but the white pegasus.

Surprise nodded excitedly. “Yup. And Moonlight said you sounded like you knew the most.”

“Did that break recently?” Moonlight asked as she peered up at the light. “I don’t recall this area being so… spooky.” She set a hand comfortingly on Thomas’ shoulder, just as much for her own piece of mind as actual protection of her stallion.

“She speaks truly,” the dark unicorn said with a snicker. “You were wise to approach me first on your journey.”

Thomas tapped on Honey’s arm until she bent down to his level. “This is weird, right?” he whispered as goosebumps traveled up his back. This hall had become unsettlingly cold compared to the otherwise well-heated castle. “I’m not just missing something, am I?”

“E’nope,” Honey said flatly. “Definitely weird.”

Thomas nodded. “Good. Glad it’s not just me.”

“To find the mystical hidden pool,” the dark mare continued.

“So it’s mystical now?” Silver asked incredulously.

“The next step of your quest is to venture to the fifth floor of the east wing,” the dark mare explained. “There, across from a window overlooking the maze, you will find the door.”

“Okay,” Surprise chirped. “Thanks a lot.” And she led the others onwards.

After stepping away from the faulty light and leaving the dark mare behind, the group visibly relaxed as the temperature immediately rose several degrees. It was refreshing, like stepping into room temperature after spending hours out in the snow.

It wasn’t until a few seconds later that Moonlight turned back. “Hold on. I forgot to ask what… your… name…was?”

The faulty light was no longer flickering or casting it’s odd shadows, but the mare was gone.

“Did anypony hear her teleport?” Moonlight asked.

“I didn’t!” Surprise declared, almost sounding like she was bragging.

“And there are no doors nearby,” Silver added warily.

“Well she couldn’t have jus’ vanished, could she?” Honey asked. Silence was her answer. “Ya’ll, this adventure jus’ started ‘n’ Ah’m already gettin’ a bad case o’ the heeby jeebies,” she said with a shiver.

“Oh come on, Honey,” Surprise encouraged as she grabbed the other mare’s hand. “Don’t tell me you’re gonna chicken out before we even-”

“Who’s chicken!?” Honey snapped back. “Ah ain’t no chicken!”

I don’t know if Marty McFly would be proud or disappointed, Thomas thought.

“Come on,” Honey said as she snatched the map from Moonlight and opened it up, ready to take the lead as a proud member of the Apple Clan, only to falter and turn sheepishly back. “Uh, how do ya’ll read a map again?”

Surprise retook her position in the vanguard and proudly marched forward. As she did, Thomas couldn’t help but notice the way the previously disorganized mares were suddenly moving into formation, lightly pushing him until he found himself firmly in the middle. Surprise took point, Silver and Honey guarded the flanks, and Moonlight brought up the rear. Their ears pivoted this way and that in a state of high alert.

“Not that I’m complaining about being in the middle of a mare sandwich,” Thomas began evenly, “but…”

“Standard defensive formation,” Moonlight stated as she scanned the vicinity. “Stallions and foals in the center.”

“Ah,” Thomas said in understanding. The mares were just following their instincts and being protective of their males. There was no reason to feel patronized. Although, Thomas still didn’t care for the idea of just staying quiet while surrounded by all this lovely mare flesh, especially when they all looked so agitated. “So, does anyone know any good songs?”

Silver’s ears perked. “How about you sing one, Thomas. It has been a while since I last heard a human song.”

Thomas smiled. A number of nifty marching songs came to mind, but there was only one he thought would lift the mood. “Heigh hoooo!”

“Heigh hoooo?” Silver sang questioningly.

“Heigh ho,” Thomas repeated with a grin as Silver slowly caught on. “Heigh ho. Heigh hoooo. Heigh ho. Heigh ho. It’s home from work we go.”

Thomas and Silver led the song, the upbeat and simple lyrics soon being picked up by the others as they joined in. The singing worked exactly as Thomas had hoped, helping the group forget their fear and remember their enthusiasm from the journey’s beginning. Alas, Surprise seemed wholly unaffected, remaining exactly as perky and chipper during the song as she was before.

In no time the group arrived at their destination on the fifth floor and began examining how the windows looked relative to the maze below.

“Ah think it’s this one,” Honey called and the others assembled around her. The window was identical to all others in the hall with simple rectangular framing between the glass panes, modest purple drapes, and about four meters high. It was entirely unassuming and perfectly ordinary. “See. The maze is almost directly below us from here.”

“So then the door,” Moonlight began as she turned around to face the opposite wall, only to find a statue of Celestia. “Is… gone?”

“This is just a utility closet,” Honey said after checking the door to the statue’s left.

“Bathroom, if anypony needs it,” Silver added from the statue’s right.

“B-R-B!” Surprise declared as she ran past Silver with such velocity that it slammed the door behind her.

Thomas made a thoughtful sound as he looked between the window and the statue. “Well, this definitely looks like the right window, but…”

“Could that weird mare have been pullin’ our legs?” Honey asked, folding her arms under her ample chest. “Like, was this all some sort of prank?”

“Don’t think so,” Surprise answered from the bathroom. “She’d have jumped out laughing, or otherwise done something to indicate we’d fallen for it by now if that was the case.”

“Not if she’s the sort who just likes making people look stupid,” Thomas suggested as he walked up to the statue.

“A shame you forgot to get her name, Moonlight,” Silver said coldly. “Otherwise, I would have enjoyed tracking her down, that we may discuss things.”

Honey punched a fist into her free hand, making a loud and painful smacking sound. “E’yup.”

As Moonlight’s mind desperately searched for some way to calm the seething mares, she caught movement out of the corner of her eye and turned to her stallion. “Thomas. What are you doing?”

“Who is this?” Thomas asked from in front of the statue.

“Celestia,” Moonlight replied obviously. “Can’t you tell?”

“Not really.” Thomas scratched his chin as he examined the sculpture. “The body’s right, but the face is pretty generic. Not to mention the dress is hiding the cutie mark.” That got the mares’ attention. The importance of cutie marks in Equestrian society could not be understated. Virtually every form of clothing was tailored specifically to either show off a pony’s flanks, or have the mark stitched into the fabric. One of the few exceptions to this rule were the guard uniforms, and that was for the strictly practical purpose of defense. The idea of hiding a Princess’ cutie mark was borderline blasphemy.

“Except she’s an alicorn,” Silver pointed out, apparently having calmed down as she stepped up beside him. “The age of the statue predates Princess Cadence by several centuries, and if you cannot tell that this is not Luna…” she trailed off.

“Except it isn’t an alicorn,” Thomas asserted as he pointed up to the statue’s head. “See. The crown’s pointed, but there’s no actual horn.”

“Heavens,” Silver gasped in alarm. “I cannot believe I missed that.” She leaned forward for a closer look at the statue. “Good eye, Thomas.”

“Suspicious,” Surprise stated as she leaned between the two shorter concubines, startling them with her unannounced presence.

“Whoa!” Thomas cried as he jumped back. “Where’d you come from?”

“Well,” Surprise began. “When a mommy pony and a daddy pony love each other very very much, and maybe have too much to drink, they-”

“Never mind,” Thomas stated haltingly.

Surprise nodded and pulled out a magnifying glass, holding it up over her eye as she resumed her examination. “Hmm. Looks like Celestia, but clearly isn’t. What made you guys so sure it was her in the first place?”

“Look at her arms,” Honey pointed. The statue’s arms were outstretched in a show of welcoming. “Ain’t that, like, a classic Celestia pose, or somethin’?”

“Almost,” Silver added knowingly. “The base form is right, but look at the hand.” She pointed to the statue’s right hand, where the thumb had been folded over the palm, while the left hand had the thumb outstretched like normal. “My sister used to go on and on about her art history, and I can safely say that gesture is in none of the books she ever showed me.”

“So somepony made a mistake?” Moonlight asked.

“Good thing they gave us a way to fix it,” Surprise chirped as she reached out and moved the thumb into its proper place.

“Surprise!” Silver shrieked in disbelief. At first she was in utter panic at the mare’s blatant disregard for private property, especially that of the Princesses. It wasn’t until a half second later that she realized that the statute hadn’t been damaged by the adjustment of the thumb. “H-how did you do that?”

“You ask that now?” Thomas deadpanned, recalling at least a dozen times that question should have been asked in just the last few hours.

“I saw the seams,” Surprise stated plainly and grabbed the thumb again. “See.” She began moving the stone appendage, up, down, and all around. “It’s not all one solid piece. This part’s attached in such a way you can move it any way you like.” The white mare continued to smile, deciding not to comment on the light bulbs she saw flash over everyone’s heads.

“May I try?” Silver requested and Surprise stepped aside. The little bat then lined up the thumb until it was perfectly symmetrical with the other, and it gave a soft click. Silver jumped back with a start as the statue began to shake, only for the wall behind it to rotate until a hidden passage was revealed.

The new hole in the wall was a rectangular, dark, and foreboding passage. It looked bleak, with dust and spider webs coating the old bricks. There was a faint whistle as wind blew over the entrance. And, if one listened hard enough, the gentle drip-drip of water could be heard off in the dark, lightless distance. The wall that was actually a door was now half in and half out of the new passage, with the statue now facing to the side.

“Coooool,” Surprise said in awe.

“Ah’m gettin’ them heeby jeebies again,” Honey announced warily.

“Fascinating,” Silver awed as she examined the opened wall. “An actual secret passage!”

“I guess this proves the story is more than just an urban legend,” Moonlight concluded thoughtfully as she eyed the others. “So… now what?”

“We go in, silly!” Surprise proclaimed.

An eerie echo whispered out of the passage, sounding faintly like distant singing. It brought with it a chill that sunk into the group’s very bones.

“That’s not creepy,” Thomas stated flatly through a forced smile.

“I think that’s enough adventuring for one night,” Moonlight stated flatly.

“Oh?” Silver teased. “Where has that earlier enthusiasm gone?”

Moonlight grabbed Thomas’ shoulders and held him firmly to her armored belly. “Exploring the castle was one thing, but I’m not letting my stallion go skulking around in some dark, uncharted caverns that may or may not be booby-trapped.”

“I’m not a child,” Thomas muttered to himself.

“Thomas?” Moonlight’s voice was concerned. She feared she’d upset him.

“And while I’m not big on going in there either, I gotta wonder why someone would go through the trouble of hiding a door, then put traps in there,” he reasoned. “Aren’t secret passages meant for VIPs to move around unnoticed?” He really didn’t want to go in, but still felt the need to challenge Moonlight’s coddling.

“Usually, but they could still have traps to make sure no pony follows them,” Silver explained. “Which means the passage probably just leads to an uncharted escape route out of the castle.”

“Agreed,” Honey added. “‘Sides, what if Luna calls ya’ll up again while you’re explorin’? She’d get worried if ya’ll don’t answer.” Despite her logical rationalization, there was no hiding the way she was shaking as she stared into that black abyss.

With each passing argument, Surprise was looking more and more despondent. “Aw come on, you guys! Where’s your sense of adventure?”

She was answered by another ominous tune from the dark entrance.

“Pretty sure the spooky singing scared it away,” Thomas deadpanned. Moonlight and Honey nodded fervently in agreement.

Surprise’s mane deflated with the sound of air leaving a balloon as she slouched forward. “Okay, fine,” she relented.

“Surprise,” Silver said as she took a worried step towards the white mare.

“No no. It’s cool,” Surprise halfheartedly assured. “It’s no fun adventuring if your friends don’t want to come along.” She turned to face the way they came. “Let’s just…”

Off in the distance, the lights were flickering on and off, rendering large segments of hall completely black for brief periods.

“Heeby jeebies!” Honey announced. She and the other mares all assumed fighting stances, with Silver’s being the weakest, as Thomas was maneuvered to behind his guard.

Thomas grunted uncomfortable, paying no mind to the way his wrists suddenly ached.

The sound of a child’s laughter echoed down the halls as the lights continued to flicker, putting all on edge. Then a figure appeared. It was a small filly wearing tattered white robes. She had a long black mane covering her face. Her body was slanted at an awkward angle. This allowed her mane to fall off to the side and revealed a sinister toothy smile. She disappeared when the lights came on, leaving all to momentarily wonder at what they’d just seen. Then she reappeared when they blinked off again, giggling in a way that puckered many ass holes.

Moonlight’s horn lit and her signature shield manifested, taking up most of the hall. “I am Moonlight Shield of Princess Luna’s House Guard,” she announced authoritatively. “State your intent or I will be forced to expel you from this castle!”

“Uh, Moonlight,” Thomas cautioned, tapping at her arm.

“Not now, Thomas,” she whispered as the other mares slowly sidestepped towards her, grouping around her for protection. Even Surprise was looking quite serious now.

“Moonlight,” Thomas whispered more urgently.

“I’m a little busy right now!”

“But I really think you should see this!” he whispered more aggressively.

“Thomas!” Moonlight snapped as she peeked over her shoulder. “I said I don’t have time… for…” Her words were cut short when she saw down the opposite hall. Another spooky filly stood down the other end of the hall, identical to the first, disappearing and reappearing with the flickering lights.

“Got time for that?” Thomas replied snarkly, rubbing involuntarily at his aching wrists.

“Not good,” Silver stated in barely restrained panic as she glanced between the two figures. “Very not good!”

More lights flickered at either end of the hall, only to stop and become steady again. Hope was short lived as lights closer to the group’s position started to flicker. The fillies appeared beneath these new lights, now making jerky, uncanny movements. Then it happened again, with the old lights becoming steady and new, closer lights beginning to flicker. The fillies never budged from where they stood, but they were getting closer, hopping between the dead lights.

“Guys. Ah’m not sure Ah know how ta fight ghosts,” Honey informed with her fists raised.

“Who ya gonna call?” Surprise announced as she whipped out an oar and wielded it like a spear. “No seriously. Who do we call for this?”

“I can only make one shield at a time,” Moonlight said through gritted teeth as she backed up. The lights were flickering closer by the second. “Any ideas?”

“Door!” Thomas cried out as he grabbed Moonlight’s wrist and tugged her towards the secret passage. “Now!”

Without any other available options, the group turned as one and hauled ass towards the entrance. The lights flickered closer again, bringing the giggling fillies only a few lamps away.

“How do ya close this thing!?” Thomas asked as he began groping the nearby walls. “Everyone search!”

Everyone did, pressing their hands all along the available wall space as the lights flickered again.

Only one lamp to go. The fillies’ giggling became even louder as it echoed through the stone passage.

“Hurry!” Moonlight cried as her magic swept across the walls.

“Whoops,” Surprise stated as she slipped and fell onto her rump. The sound of stone sliding against stone reverberated all around the group. The plate the mare was sitting on sank into the ground and the door spun closed. Just as the last lamp flickered off, the stone apparatus sealed shut with a loud thud, followed by the shrill screams of defiance of the ghosts on the other side. Then it faded, leaving the group in darkness and silence.

Silver lit her one torch and held it up. It flickered with a soft, blue flame. “Everypony alright?”

“E’yup.”

“I’m good.”

“Same here.”

“My tushy’s sore.”

“Fantastic,” Silver deadpanned as she waved the torch around. The passageway was dry with black bricks making up the walls and curved ceiling. There was no trace of dust and the bricks all looked to be in pristine condition. It was wide enough for about four ponies to walk shoulder to shoulder, but only barely tall enough that Honey’s ears touched the ceiling. “Hmm. Too small for anypony but me to fly.”

“And it looks like there’s only one way to go,” Moonlight observed as she pointed into the distant abyss.

“Oh, so now you want to go again?” Silver retorted irately.

“Now that there’s no choice, yes!” Moonlight countered as the two mares entered each other’s personal space. Each was posturing aggressively and looked like they were on the verge of trading blows.

“Whoa now,” Honey cautioned as she positioned herself between the two and held them back. “Let’s not get our tails in a knot over nothin’.”

“Nothing? NOTHING?” Moonlight screamed as she gestured impotently around the hall. “W-we’re…”

“Adventurers!” Surprise announced with a bounce, her mane back to normal. “We’re adventuring again, exploring sights unseen,” she said while hunching over and scanning the empty dark, “trekking where no pony has trotted in who knows how long,” she marched in place, “and just having a swell time with the ponies we love!” She finished by scooping up everyone into a surprisingly strong hug. “What could be better than that?”

“Are you crazy!?” Moonlight snapped as she struggled out of the hug. “In case you haven’t noticed: We. Are. Trapped!” Her voice echoed down the dark corridor as her horn lit.

Surprise kept her smile, seemingly unfazed by Moonlight’s comment.

“I can cast spells, but something in the walls is blocking my SOS call.”

“Convenient,” Thomas retorted dryly.

“No. Not convenient,” Moonlight growled up at the ceiling. “We’re trapped in Faust-knows-where with some sort of poltergeist chasing after us. What about that sounds even remotely convenient?”

Honey cleared her throat. “Well, if yer magic can’t get through, then doesn’t that mean the ghost can’t get through either?” There was a brief pause as the others considered. “Ah mean, that’s why she didn’t come in after us, right? ‘Cause, like, ghosts can usually go through walls and stuff?”

“I… guess that makes sense,” Moonlight conceded, calming down a bit. Thomas, not saying a word, came around her side and grabbed her hand. The two shared a look for a moment before the mare whispered a soft, “sorry.”

“Plus there’s all my supplies,” Surprise as she removed part of the kayak from her mane, only to push it back in. “That’s pretty convenient.”

“Seriously. Is no one going to comment on that?” Thomas asked from beside Moonlight, only to fume at being ignored. “Fine. Whatever.”

“And it’s not like we’re out in the middle of nowhere,” Surprise continued. “We’re in Canterlot Castle. Somepony will notice we’re missing and look for us eventually.”

“We should stay put,” Silver insisted. “That’s the first rule of being lost. You stay put and wait for your rescuers to track you down.”

“Ah agree. We should stay put,” Honey stated with a firm stomp to the ground, only to trigger another pressure plate. The walls rumbled with the sound of sliding stone and the grinding of unseen gears. “Uh oh.”

The floor gave way and the group let out a unified scream as they slid down the new tunnel. The passage was too narrow for either flyer to spread their wings and the slide too slick for Moonlight to get her bearings long enough to cast any manner of spell. The mares and man just slipped and slid back and forth, frequently colliding with one another in the most awkward of ways, many of which involved Moonlight apologizing, until finally they slid to a halt on level ground.

Naturally, Thomas found himself in the center of the mare sandwich. He had been pressed waist deep into Honey’s large, muscled backside, earning an involuntary physical response as she felt her anus being prodded. Atop the earth mare sat Surprise, giggling as she felt the human’s cheeks brush between her thighs and his breath tickled her marehood. Moonlight’s armor had somehow dislodged from her body in the fall and was strewn about the floor, while her butt cheeks sandwiched around the top of Thomas’ head and leaving her breast to breast with the pegasus. This left Silver, the least crushed of the group, with her nose wedged tightly between Thomas’ butt cheeks.

This happens way too much to be a coincidence, Thomas thought as he mused about his current situation.

They quickly disentangled themselves from one another and brushed the dust from their bodies. Silver relit her torch. The new corridor, while made of the same black brick, was much smaller than the last. Now not even Silver could take flight as the ponies huddled together in the cramped space.

“Again. I’m so sorry,” Moonlight plead as Honey rubbed her backside.

“Nah. It’s what Ah get fer not lookin’ where Ah step,” the earth mare murmured as she reached back to rub where she’d been stabbed. “Jus’ give me warnin’ next time before ya try somethin’ like that.”

“So what do we do now?” Silver asked as she stepped into the new darkness, lighting it up to find only more of the same.

“I think we should keep going,” Surprise offered.

“She’s right,” Moonlight agreed. “The block is still up, but I completely lost my sense of direction on the slide. I doubt anypony would be able to find us here.”

“Well, there’s that,” Surprise agreed nonchalantly. “But I was mostly referring to that.”

The white mare pointed and the group looked back towards the slide, causing their collective blood to go cold. There stood the twin fillies, mirroring each other as they craned their bodies awkwardly off to opposite sides. Together they reached up to brush their manes out of their faces, revealing black, empty sockets where their eyes should be. “Hiiii,” they greeted cheerfully. “Wanna play?”

**********

The group had run for a solid half hour, at speeds which would put most sprinters to shame, before the adrenaline finally petered out and they collapsed to the stone floor. Surprise fished out several water bottles from her mane, each sized perfectly to quench the thirst of the person with their name labeled on the front.

“The hall’s smaller,” Honey whined as she tried to stand, only to be forced to bend her knees to keep from hitting the lowered ceiling. “Ah feel cramped.”

“Same,” Silver agreed as she stretched out her wings, touching the tips to the walls. “This adventure just keeps getting worse and worse.”

“Aww, don’t be like that,” Surprise cheered as she pushed her way through the others, muttering several apologies along the way, until she was by Silver’s side. “Ya gotta keep a positive attitude, or else nothing’ll get better.”

Silver folded her arms and turned away with a huff.

Recognizing that look of stubbornness, Surprise resorted to what some might consider dirty tactics as she scooped the mare up in a powerful hug, wedging the bat’s entire body between her bountiful pegasi bosoms. “Pleeeeeeease?” Her dame had taught her this trick. It was a secret technique passed down from mother to daughter. The principal was to pull a pony close to a mare’s heart, an experience universally shared by foals, and surround the irate pony in warm, maternal love until they’d calmed. *

Silver was also familiar with this technique. However, such foreknowledge was less than sufficient to prepare her for Surprise’s onslaught of affection. She relaxed, hating herself for giving in and being so easily manipulated, but soon she felt the fight dissipate from her completely. “Oh fine,” Silver conceded with a blush on her cheeks.

“Great!” Surprise turned to face the others. Even without using her hands, her passenger still remained in place betwixt her ginormous mammaries, not looking very pleased. “Sooooooo…”

“So?” Silver grumbled as her legs swung limply below.

“How we gonna do this?”

They decided to adapt their earlier formation to the tighter space. Surprise retook her place in the lead, wielding a torch in her mane. Then went Silver, Honey, Thomas, and Moonlight and her glowing horn to take up the rear. And thanks to the tunnel’s smaller ceiling, everyone wordlessly decided to just walk on all fours.

Seriously, this can’t be a coincidence, Thomas thought as he stared up at Honey’s enormous green ass, nicely illuminated by Moonlight’s horn.

“There’s somethin’ ta be grateful for,” Honey commented as they trekked. “At least the view’s nice.”

“Thank you,” Silver said sincerely.

“I can’t complain either,” Moonlight added as Thomas could almost hear her smile.

“I can,” Surprise whined.

“But you’re like the white light at the end of the tunnel,” Thomas implored as he tried in vain to peek around Honey. “Like a beacon of hope guiding wary travelers onward.”

“Awwwwwwe! You’re so sweet,” Surprise cooed.

“While I agree,” Silver began, “I cannot help but wonder where we are right now.”

“Let’s piece this together rationally,” Moonlight suggested. “What do we know so far?”

“Ghosts like to play really really mean pranks,” Surprise answered.

“Hard to argue with that,” Moonlight admitted. “What else?”

“This tunnel is super cramped,” Honey added. “What would anypony need with somethin’ this small?”

“I doubt this is simple maintenance,” Silver dismissed. “And I think we can rule out an escape route for VIPs. There’s no way an alicorn is fitting in a place like this.”

“Right. So someplace an alicorn would never need to be,” Thomas noted. “That’s… heated?” he noted as he examined the stone beneath his hands.

“Oh, he’s right!” Honey cheered. “Ah hadn’t even noticed that.”

“So we’re someplace where ponies are supposedto be skulking around,” Moonlight concluded.

“And we were on the fifth floor in the east wing before going down a ways on that slide,” Thomas remembered as he tried not looking at Honey’s supple backside. The last thing he needed was for the mares to get distracted by his arousal. “I’m guessing that probably puts us somewhere on the first or second floor.”

“Not necessarily,” Surprise countered. “That slide was a doozey. I don’t know which way we went, but I’m pretty sure there were parts that sent us up a whole floor at a time.”

“I’m pretty sure momentum doesn’t work like that,” Thomas argued uncertainly.

“Unless the slide was magical,” Moonlight suggested.

Thomas hung his head in defeat. “Unless the slide was magical,” he sighed tiredly. Because magic futzes with everything. “So we could be literally anywhere in the castle?”

“Pretty much,” Surprise chirped. “Oh hey!”

A series of collisions and grunts followed until Thomas came to a stop lip-to-lip with Honey’s marehood. The warmth of her backside had consumed his entire face. He would have pulled back, except that Moonlight collided with him as well, running her horn along his ass crack and tearing his loincloth, all while she pressed him tightly against Honey’s rear.

Oh yeah. Someone is definitely planning this.

“What was that?” Moonlight asked.

“I found a bit,” Surprise answered, earning groans of annoyance from the others. “It’s right here on this pressure plate.”

“Oh please Faust, not another one!” Silver bemoaned.

“Surprise!” Moonlight barked. “Whatever you do, don’t touch that plate. Nothing good can happen.”

“You sure?” Surprise called back.

“Very!” Moonlight asserted.

“Okay, but the other reason I stopped was because this is a dead end.”

“Please tell me you’re jokin’,” Honey whined.

“Nope. See for yourself,” Surprise offered.

“Ah can’t! Your butt’s too big,” Honey countered.

“I see it,” Silver announced as she crouched low to the ground, staring between Surprise’s legs and dangling breasts. “That’s definitely a wall.”

“Ah think maybe Silver and Thomas could turn around, but Ah don’t think there’s enough room for the rest of us,” Honey observed. “And it’s not like we can jus’ walk backwards the way we came.”

“She’s right,” Surprise agreed. “Not a lot of options right now.”

“Hey Surprise,” Thomas called. “That bit still there?”

“Yep. Haven’t touched it.”

“We’ll flip for it. Heads we take our chances with the plate, tails we try walking backwards.”

“Might as well,” Silver agreed tiredly.

“Then here goes,” Surprise announced, only for the sound of stone sliding against stone to echo down the hall. “Um, guys…”

“What?” they asked as one.

“I think that coin was acting as some sort of counterweight, deliberately planted to trick ponies into removing it and activating the plate’s switch,” Surprise quickly explained, followed by an audible gulp. “Brace yourselves!”

The floor once more gave way as the group plummeted straight down. The passage was still too tight for either flyer to spread their wings and Moonlight was still unable to properly ground herself. Fortunately, unlike last time, this passage quickly opened up into a nicely lit area. Unfortunately, the group was unable to enjoy it for very long before they hit the ground with a splash.

… splash?

That was definitely the sound Thomas heard from his current entrapment. He had fallen into something soft and was wedged in on all sides by something squishy and warm. There was give as he pressed his hand into one of the masses, but it popped back into place the moment the pressure left. The ground beneath him was also warm, but firmer than the masses surrounding him. When the human’s ear caught the familiar rhythm of a heartbeat reverberating all throughout the masses, he instantly recognized their familiar feel. “Boobs,” he muttered to himself. “I’m in boobs.”

Really, he was surprised by how surprised he was. After all that he’d been through in their little adventure, ending up anywhere else would have been the real shocker. Even so, that still left the question of who’s boobs he was currently trapped in. Thomas had felt a lot of boobs since coming to Equestria, but he couldn’t quite place who these belonged to. He kicked his feet, finding that they were free and that only his upper half was encased. That gave him a rough idea of size, putting this rack set well into the top three of mares he’d seen thus far. He tried to pull himself backwards, but found something was holding him in place. At the sound of a soft, feminine giggle, he assumed that something to be his captor.

“Well, if that’s how you want it,” he said, resigning himself to his fate. “Then here I come.” Thomas pulled himself forward, crawling inch by inch on his elbows through the chasm of boobage. He likened this to an army obstacle course where you had to crawl under barbed wire, and gave serious consideration as to which exercise was the more strenuous. After what felt like way too much effort, the human finally found the light at the end of the tunnel and poked his head free.

“Well hello there,” Celestia greeted with a serene smile.

“… what?”

“Thomas!” Moonlight called out as she waded through the water. “Are you okay?”

“Fine… all things considered,” Thomas admitted as he took in his surroundings. Past the beautiful visage of Celestia’s smiling face, it appeared that the Princess was floating on her back in a large body of water. Everything was a mix of gold and white, from the shimmering waters, to the blazing lamps, to the marble columns surrounding the outskirts of the… pool! It finally occurred to Thomas that they were in a near exact replica of Luna’s bathing pool, though this one was clearly made for a different Princess.

“Hey chimp,” Talon greeted with a friendly salute from her spot on one of the pool steps. “How’s it hanging?”

“Tightly,” Thomas answered curtly.

“I noticed,” Celestia replied with a musical giggle.

“Everypony appears to be unharmed,” Sun Dancer stated plainly as she sat on the edge of the pool with her legs crossed, sipping from a tiny tea cup and looking very proper.

“They’re later than you said,” Steel Hoof commented as he swam past, doing a rather relaxed backstroke. “You’re slippin’ Celestia,” he teased.

“Does somepony care to share what’s going on?” Silver asked from somewhere Thomas couldn’t see.

Celestia sighed contentedly as she backstroked over to the edge of the pool. There she sat up, carrying her prisoner with her, as she looked out at the assembled crowd of solar concubines and lunar intruders. “To put it simply, I’m afraid you have all fallen victim to one of Gemini’s pranks.”

“Gemini?” Thomas asked.

“The twin fillies you no doubt saw on your way here,” Celestia reminded as she gently booped Thomas’ nose.

Ya know, from the other side, that’s pretty annoying.

“You mean that ghost?” Silver asked. “Why is there a ghost in the castle?”

“I’m afraid that’s a common misconception,” Celestia corrected gently. “Gemini is a simulacrum, an artificial magical consciousness that helps with security around the castle.”

“That was Gemini?” Moonlight asked in disbelief. “I thought she was supposed to remain hidden at all times.”

“She is,” Celestia sighed as she rolled her eyes.

“Can we back up a second,” Thomas asked from between Celestia’s mighty bosoms. “Who’s Gemini again?”

“Ah’d like ta know too,” Honey concurred as she waded through the water towards Thomas and the Princess. “What the hay was that thing and why do ya let it roam freely?”

So I’m not the only one who’s ignorant, Thomas thought. That’s a nice change of pace.

“Gemini is the most advanced magical construct in recorded history, the product of centuries of advanced research,” Celestia explained. “Luna and I built her for our original castle, raising her since she was little more than a magical seal into the powerful construct she is today.”

A familiar giggle echoed around the bath, causing the lunar intruders to tense in fear. The solar servants, however, merely rolled their eyes or gave other signs of moderate annoyance.

“Fear not my little ponies,” Celestia assured as she held out her hand, only to smirk at the non-pony, “and others.”

“Great acknowledgment,” Talon remarked sarcastically.

“As I said, she was built for security as an advanced warning system,” Celestia explained. “She can manifest a projection of any form she likes with which to communicate with others. Her preferred form, oddly, is a pair of twin fillies, though she rarely speaks to strangers.”

“I’m pretty sure you said something about us falling victim to one of her pranks,” Surprise reminded evenly.

“Except for pranks,” Celestia confirmed with a giggle. “She has a weakness for those.”

“How’d she get you guys?” Talon asked.

“Well…” Moonlight began timidly. “I heard that there were secret pools hidden around the castle.”

“Ah. One of her favorites,” Celestia tittered. “She’s lured in more than a few unsuspecting ponies to their fate with that line.”

“Fate?” Thomas asked as he glanced from side to side at the smooth, massive mounds of flesh still holding his body in place. “And why is there a secret passage leading to your bathroom? Seems like a security risk.”

“Gemini handles more than just security, as I hope little Moony can explain,” Celestia answered.

Moonlight tried to sink into the water where not so many eyes would be upon her. However, it was clear that the nearby concubines weren’t having that as they moved in around her, threatening to lift her out if she didn’t do so herself. She complied and made herself as presentable as the situation would allow. “We were briefed in training. Gemini also handles castle maintenance, sort of. She can create, change, and remove whole hallways and rooms as needed. She’s basically the castle’s consciousness, though she’s not supposed to be able to do anything so extreme without proper authorization.” The mare finished by fixing an accusing glare on Celestia.

“True,” the Princess giggled playfully, unconcerned for her niece’s ire. “Her abilities are quite limited unless she is given not only approval, but a smidgen of alicorn energy from an available Princess.”

“P-Princess?” Silver stammered. “Did you…?”

“She said there was this group of ponies looking to alleviate their boredom, and asked if she could send them here,” Celestia explained. “I said ‘yes’, and here you are,” she said with a wave of her hand. “I admit, though she didn’t tell me who she was luring, I had a feeling it was you lot.”

“Lesson learned,” Honey declared. “Never take directions from strangers again, ‘specially creepy ones!”

“True enough,” Celestia confirmed with a shrug, only to give a soft moan as she hugged her arms under her chest, compressing them around Thomas' trapped frame. She giggled. "I can see why my sister enjoys playing with you so much."

"Much appreciated," grumbled Thomas in annoyance.

"If you'd like, I'd be happy to have one of the other pools cleared out for the evening for a private swim," the Princess offered. "The lot of you have certainly been through enough to earn it."

Moonlight slumped, making waves in the water. "With all due respect, I think we'd all just like to go back to our rooms and rest."

Celestia sighed in disappointment. "They don't make youths like they used to anymore."

* For any cat owners, you could achieve a similar result by pinching the nape of the cat’s neck with a clothes pin.

So what started out as preparation for a story about an actual pool trip, quickly shifted gear into what we got here. If any of you happened to draw a comparison between this and that one anime episode where the characters go to the school at night in search of some superstition, only to get spooked by all the creepy stuff they find, then I did a good job. I love anime and a simple slice of life comedy can be amazingly refreshing at times, which is hopefully what I managed to capture here. Naturally, such a chapter would be nothing without a fair amount of sexual hijinks, so I hope that part was also enjoyable.

Also, as an aside, the bulk of this chapter was originally written back in June with little edits being made all along between then and now.