The Shadow opened his eyes, if not to calculate exactly where he is, then only to see the source of that nauseating rhythmic bounce of… whatever he was lying on. What was that, anyways? It felt… furry. He could feel the motion of limbs with each bob of the thing, but he only saw the roof of the Everfree cascading off the tip of his nose. He gently shook his head, trying to clear some of the leftover fog, and unintentionally disturbed the odd being he was on. The sunlight felt harsh on his dark back, and he felt the Threads convulsing in pain from it behind his soul: aching to retreat to the forest’s shadows and be unleashed for the destructive service of the master that forged them.

“Feeling restless, kid?” He said. Or, he thought he did. He turned his head, and recognized the face of the pathetic human-turned-pony that had once dared call Kietelethar master. He ground his teeth together, doing his best to glare daggers at the useless being in his hazy state. This merely caused the creature to smile back at him.

Something about that friendly smile made the Shadow feel putrid. Obviously the saccharine, goody-goody nature of this sugarcoated Tartarus known as Equestria had rubbed off on the former lanky gorilla. He coughed a couple times before managing a reply.

“Forgive me if I seem a little--… am I tied up?” He chuckled, noticing that he couldn’t move his legs. The binds felt colder than last time, and they seemed more solid.

“Eeyup,” Mac declared proudly, “even used chains this time. And I’m charged with keeping you in the daylight, so, happy birthday.”

The Shadow looked into the sky, and saw the sun slowly starting to caress the Western Spires. “You do know night will fall eventually, right?” He smirked.

Mac shook his head with a pitying smile. “Not before we reach the Palace,” he said, gesturing with a hoof towards the group below them.

The Shadow had to bend his neck back in a very uncomfortable way in order to see directly below them: where he saw that the other ponies were lazily headed towards a sunny clearing.

Once they stepped inside of it, Celestia looked up, and gave a nod. And next thing the Shadow knew, he was hitting the ground with a barking groan. He coughed, drawing the attention of everypony in the clearing as he struggled to get to his knees. He only bothered to look up when Celestia approached.

“Could you tell this buffoon to unbind me?” He said, withholding none of the annoyance from his voice.

Celestia lowered her head to meet his eyes, and her lips curved into a frown. “Why should we do that? You might try to escape, and then where would that leave us with such a tactical disadvantage?”

“Do you honestly think I’d run?” The Shadow inquired, looking up at her with distaste. He scoffed bitterly when she did not respond. “Typical of those who spend too much time in the light, they look over the rules of the dark.”

“What are you implying?” Twilight commanded, sounding peeved enough to grant the Shadow a disgusted roll of his eyes.

“He is saying to keep the rules he placed before the Game began in mind.” Luna stated, stepping between him and the others. The Shadow looked up to her, his expression somewhere between smug and sarcastic.

“Than—“

“Thank me, and you’ll find your tail shoved into your bowels!” Luna barked, before turning back to her sister. “He said we would win the first round if we caught him on the way to the castle, and we have done so. We should not fear his fleeing, he has no reason to.”

Celestia thought about this, and then nodded to Twilight. Unsurely, the former student loosened the chains with her magic, and the Shadow responded by rising slowly to his hooves: and flexing his limbs.

“Thank you,” he hissed, taking care to avoid addressing Luna directly. “I was beginning to get a cramp from those infernal shackles.”

“Tell us the next step in the games, Mac.” Twilight demanded once again.

“Were you always so forceful, my dear Twilight?” The Shadow scoffed. “I seem to remember you being more pleasant."

Twilight furrowed her brow. "Yes, but that was before one of my friends was driven mad, and the other kidnapped."

He chuckled, much to her annoyance, and shook his head. "No matter, you’ll have to be patient if you wish to win, anyroad.”

“So be it,” Twilight sighed in defeat, turning to the rest of the group, “let’s just get to the castle before dark. I don’t fancy being out here at night with the Threads still in control of him.”

The others agreed silently, and they arranged their formation: making sure to keep their possessed friend in the center. They slowed their pace down enough to keep an eye on their surroundings, and even the ones keeping an eye on him didn’t notice the Shadow reaching out with thin wisps of black steam. Nor did they see him smiling as most unwittingly inhaled the fumes.

Since they had slowed, the trek seemed to become more laborious: their sweat matted their coats with a sickly sheen, and it wasn't long until even the Princesses looked weary. Celestia and Luna looked ahead in loyal determination, for with the life of a pony at stake: they would hike until their hooves rotted.

Twilight panted heavily, and watched the path ahead bend and sway as her vision began to grow hazy. At night, she knew that wandering through the Everfree would be a refreshing jog through the woods. But in the daytime, it could be rather lagging. And, thanks in no small part to the forest’s constant shifting, the palace always seemed at a different distance every time they journeyed into this wretched place.

The very seconds of their plodding seemed to have doubled in length before they finally stumbled upon a familiar gorge. And by stumbled upon, I mean almost literally slipping into it. The sun was beginning to set, and Applejack was on the brink off collapsing when she nearly lost her footing on the side of the cliff. Luckily, Twilight caught her tail in her teeth before she could plummet into the thin valley, and pulled her up. Applejack wiped her brow, and turned back to her rescuer.

“Thanks, Twi. There just seems to be no end to this accursed forest.”

“I know the feeling, Applejack.” Twilight assured. “We just need to get across the ravine, and then we can rest at the gates. Mac won’t try and run off, will you?” She asked, leveling a glare towards the center of the group.

“I’ll try to refrain myself from fleeing, but you know how terrifying you mares can be.” The Shadow deadpanned, rolling his eyes.

The Stranger moved to respond, but apparently decided against it. The more they antagonized the Threads, the less they had a chance of getting to the next round.

“Well, at least we can fly across this time.” Rainbow commented, noticing the fallen bridge.

“Uh-uh, no way.” Applejack snorted. “Your wings have dragged us around plenty, Ah don’t think Ah’m gonna drag you down again.”

The Shadow rolled his eyes and walked up to the crevice, where he calculatingly unleashed the Threads. Fluttershy was the only one to take notice.

“Uh, girls?”

“So you’re going to make us go through the trouble of setting up the bridge to spare us the trouble of carrying you across?” Twilight asked, looking anything but amused. The Shadow clenched his jaw: concentrating as the dark matter twisted and turned upon itself, stretching with little difficulty.

Fluttershy stepped closer. “Hey, girls?”

“When you put it like that, it seems like a really bad idea, Twilight!” Pinkie stated, rolling her eyes.

“I must admit, there are more than enough of us with wings that carrying us across would be easier.” Warp suggested.

The Stranger scoffed. “Pipit, that’s just because you’re used to being in the air, I like the bridge idea.”

“Well then, you can set it up yourself!” Rainbow sneered.

“And who are you calling a pipit, you raven?” Thorpe barked.

“Why don’t you help him, Rainbow? It might benefit your waistline.” Rarity snorted, a wisp of smoke briefly leaking from her eye.

“I think it would benefit all of you idiots to just walk across!” The Shadow screamed irritably, catching the attention of all. They turned to the ravine, and saw a large, black, crystalline bridge spanning the length of the chasm. Celestia eyed it with mistrust, as did most of the others. But the Stranger merely smiled, and walked towards it.

“There, you see?” He chuckled. “A bridge,”

He turned to the Shadow, and whispered. “I owe you one, buddy.”

The Shadow smiled wickedly. “I’m sure you’ll repay me soon enough, Stranger.”

“Ah wouldn’t trust that crossing, sugarcube.” Applejack advised. “Need Ah remind you what it’s made of?”

Mac rolled his eyes sarcastically. “Yes, because somepony who’s passed five separate opportunities to kill us off would wait until broad daylight to do so. I’d forgotten to consider that!”

All fell silent.

“A little heads up, Applejack,” Celestia said, walking to the crystalline bridge, “sometimes you have to trust your enemies.”

Before she could set a hoof on the bridge, however, Applejack darted in front of her.

“Don’t think for a second Ah’m going to let the ruler of Equestria be the first to test that... thing. Anyways, who knows what types of traps he’s set up on there!”

The Shadow rolled his eyes again, and strutted over the bridge. The Stranger chuckled, and followed suit.

“You see? I’m sure it’s perfectly safe, Applejack.” Celestia said, waving her hoof towards the pair of stallions on the other side.

“You could all cross at once, if it’ll make you feel any safer.” The Shadow stated plainly.

Twilight thought about that for a moment, before reluctantly agreeing. “Well, we might as well. He’d have to attack all of us, if he attacks one of us.”

“Oh, yes, and that sounds like so much of a better option, dearie.” Rarity said in a harsh tone. “Because goodness knows he’s never taken us all down at once before!”

“Well, we’ve got three Princesses here with us, Rarity.” Pinkie said, calmly rubbing her hoof on her chest. “I think it’s safe to say we have a bit of a tactical advantage.”

“He’s more than capable of demolishing them, too. You know that, right?”

“Oh, go eat a thistle, Rainbow!” Twilight barked.

The group descended into a rich ruckus: with only Luna and Celestia communicating relatively calmly. Each was arguing with a louder voice than the last, and Fluttershy was trapped in the center of the group: cowering in confusion as her friends all but went at each other's throats.

Soon, however, she noticed the pink steam issuing from the backs of their eyes as their sclera started turning green: and each pony seemed to find a new way to make the argument harder to resolve. She flew around in attempts to warn them, but soon she was entangled in the mess as well.

“… odd that a fancy, stuck-up little pony don’t want anything to do with anything of actual quality…”

“… thinking you’re better than everypony else, just because you own a flying boat and look like Arrow Flint…”

“… kissing the plot of every noble that walks into your court, dear sister…”

“… to cross that bridge would be taboo, to ponies such as the likes of you…”

“… ditching your pride for a bratty overgrown piece of lint that calls himself an Angel…”

“… falling for everything with a funny accent, I mean seriously: if Snips was a grown noble from Canterlot, you would’ve married him by now…”

“… spending all your time kicking innocent trees who’ve never done a thing to you…”

Celestia finally grew tired of the bickering. She shook her head violently, reared back, and brought down both her forehooves in a thunderous crack.

Her magic flaring out as her shout of “Enough!” silenced all.

“… I was frozen, today!” Pinkie blurted angrily, before snapping her mouth shut.

Luna rubbed her head tenderly, and looked around with a slight blush. “Sister, what happened?”

Celestia was busy staring the Shadow down. The Shadow, however, remained unmoving. In fact, he looked rather bored.

“What was the purpose behind that?” Celestia demanded, stepping forward slowly.

The possessed pony merely smirked arrogantly. “Just a little demonstration, your highness. Think of it as a reminder that I could’ve taken you all out if I wanted to.” He said with a bow. “I placed that spell as we walked, just in case you ponies had any troubles trusting me.”

Applejack quirked a brow at him, and scoffed. “Ya didn’t stop to think that this little party trick might make us trust that there bridge of your'n even less, did ya, sugarcube?”

The Shadow just responded with a chuckle. “And do you?”

Applejack shifted uncomfortably. “Ah might not trust you none, but that bridge keeps on looking more and more like the better option.”

The Shadow gave a simple nod in thanks as the Stranger gave him a friendly pat on the back.

Once they were all across, the Shadow recalled the crystallized Threads, and absorbed them back into his form. Watching such inky shapes seamlessly flow into her friend’s form with a sickening slurp, further igniting the hatred in his eyes, almost brought whatever lunch Twilight had eaten onto the ground in front of her.

She hated seeing him under the control of the Threads. But thanks to his demonstration, she now wondered if he truly was in any way in control of himself, as the Stranger had said. But, she reasoned that he was a stranger to their world, so he shouldn’t be knowledgeable of their world’s magic... should he?

In fact, if he was from the human world, he shouldn’t be familiar with magic at all! Unless there’s another human universe out there with its own form of magic. That of course might explain—

“Twilight?”

“Oi!”

She jumped to the side as Luna appeared beside her, eyeing her darkly. The Princess of the Night leaned down, and looked into Twilight’s eyes with care and concern:

“Tell me you are not thinking of studying any of the new things presented to us in this quest, will you?”

Twilight swallowed nervously. “O-of course not, Luna! I-I wouldn’t dream of—”

“Twilight, we have more important things to worry about at the moment. The lives of two of your friends are a good part of it, and who knows how many more lives are resting on this… ‘game’, as he calls it. Save the studying for a later date, Twilight. We have bigger fish to fry…”

With that, she turned around, and walked up to the others. Leaving Twilight to wonder why her mind had even attempted to wander when she was fully aware of the risks.

“We can rest here, my masters.” The Shadow called once they had reached the gates of the decrepit castle. “The sun sets, and you have no need to go any further as of yet.”

“Shouldn’t we take shelter inside, in case of a storm?” Fluttershy offered, pointing a hoof towards the gates. Before anyone else could speak their protests, the Shadow was already standing in between her and the gateway, growling protectively into the darkness beyond with a sharp glare.

“I wouldn’t advise that, chickadee.” He snarled at her, slowly turning back, and backing her out to the others with each harsh step he took. His blazing eyes glowed wickedly in the Everfree night, and cast a deep red glow on the frightened filly. He curled his lip into a growl, lifted his head to address the group, and spat out more instructions.

“You all will rest here tonight, while I check to see if the next challenge is ready by morning.” With that, he lowered his head back down to Fluttershy’s cowering face, and spoke in a low tone.

“Until such time as the next stage is set, no one but me is to enter that palace, understood?”

She bobbed her head rapidly, trying desperately to signal her understanding.

“Perfect,” the Shadow grumbled, stalking off into the ancient castle.

“It’s hardly perfect!” Rainbow shouted. “It’s probably going to be freezing out here by the time we get a camp set up, the only shelter is feared by the Threads themselves, and we don’t even have anything ready for fire!”

“That’s why you have a dragon!” The Shadow croaked, his voice echoing from the inner halls as theirs undoubtedly echoed in. He obviously didn't give a flying Dutchman for their drama. Twilight perked up for a second at his comment, before she realized something.

“We, uh… didn’t bring him… at all.” She admitted.

“Whelp, we’re screwed!” Applejack yawned, stretching her limbs out. “Ah’ll see your frozen corpses in the morning, unless one of you figures out we have the guardian of the sun right here.” She added, plopping herself lazily on the ground.

Rarity was already arranging a fireplace, and was now looking to Celestia. “My dear Princess, could you kindly light a fire for us to sleep by?”

Celestia smiled warmly. “Gladly,” she said with a nod. She walked up to the gathered wood, and proceeded to light it ablaze with her horn.

Rainbow’s jaw dropped as she flopped her flank onto the grass beneath her, and lifted her hooves into the air with a cry of “D’oh, come on!"

"You could do that this whole time, and you never thought to mention it?” She shouted in disbelief.

“Rainbow!” Twilight said in concern, before standing between her and Celestia. “I’m so sorry, Celestia, I just don’t know what got into her!”

Celestia, however, just smiled patiently.

“It’s quite alright, Twilight.” She said softly, before walking past her and up to the peeved Pegasus. “One thing about being a Pure Alicorn is you have to follow certain rules, Rainbow Dash,” she stated firmly, “one of which being that we are not to act in personal matters, without being asked first.”

Twilight quirked her brow, before tapping her chin as she stared down to the grass. “I... guess that explains quite a few things, come to think of it…”

“Hey you: Jabberwockies! Sleep, ever heard of it? You foals were just complaining about lack of energy earlier, try resting for the night!” The Shadow barked, walking out of the palace, and to a secluded corner of their hill. He turned his head back away from them with an agitated groan, and flipped his ears back in a catlike show of disinterest.

The ponies decided he was right, and slowly gathered around the fire. Then, one by one, they dropped off.

Around midnight, the Shadow still sulked on his own little corner of the hill as he tried to distance himself as much as possible from those he used to call friends. He wondered if they would survive the mechanism, whatever it was, as he was never in this to kill ponies. He just wanted to harass them for using him, maybe scare them out of their wits, but not kill them.

Even if all they did for him was just so that he could be used eventually, he still hated the thought of seeing his friends- no, acquaintances- die off. It seemed a little too harsh for simply being manipulative.

No… come to think of it, they deserved whatever was coming to them. Death, dismemberment, whatever the Prophet had written as their fate was deserved. He was the judge, jury, and executioner.

Suddenly, a chill breeze blew across the hill, and alerted him to his unwise choice of shelter. He noticed a silver tear tricking down his cheek, and rubbed it off irritably. Now wasn't the time to get emotional. Still, he couldn't help but notice how cold it was out here...

He turned his lantern-like eyes towards the fire, and slowly scanned the group to make sure they were all asleep. Once he was satisfied that they wouldn't be disturbed, he carefully lifted himself with his wings, and silently glided to the campfire. He stood next to Rainbow, the smallest hint of a smile creeping onto his face. Quietly, he patted the grass down, and nestled into it.

On the other side of the fire: Luna extinguished her dimly lit horn, closed her opened eye, and smiled.

‘There are still uses for the night beyond dreams, after all…’

Applejack stirred, and stretched out her forelegs: rearing her flank into the air and yawning like an old dog. She sat up, and looked around at the group as each of them took turns waking up. It felt warm out, and the fire was already nothing more than a memory. She looked over to the gateway, and noticed that their Mac- or, 'the Shadow', as everypony seemed to call him now- was talking to into it, and a hissing voice was responding as some sort of snake-creature with pincers clambered out.

“Oh, for goodness sake, not a serpent…” the Stranger whined, stretching his wings, and arching his back in a lazy yawn. “I’ve had enough of those idiots to last a lifetime!”

“Senseipoe,” the creature called over, “trust me when I say the feeling’s mutual. But, alas, I’m not here to dig out your eyes. I’m here to alert Amethyst to the next stage.”

The serpent turned around, and walked back into the black abyss of the palace entrance, leaving the group anxious for further instruction from Mac. Applejack readied herself to fight whatever was in there: Hydras, dragons, whatever it was, she was ready for it. She just hoped it was actionable, and not some confounded overgrown puzzle book full of brain games.

“Alright, the next challenge has been explained to me: fail this one, and your friend dies!”  Mac barked, taking them all aback.

“Well, then,” Applejack snorted, “what’s the challenge, and what’s this here mechanism we’re supposed to fight?”

“The challenge and the Mechanism are one and the same,” Mac chuckled darkly, turning towards the palace entrance: “my master calls it… the Labyrinth.”

Rarity smiled. “Perfect! I’m great at solving pattern problems, when do we start?”

“This is no color-by-number hedge maze from the Ponyville Post, Rarity,” Mac warned, “this Labyrinth is designed to confuse and terrify: each turn you make will change once you pass it, and the warren will rearrange every time you turn around. No turn will be the same as it was before, and there is no guarantee you’ll make it to the end…”

He turned, and looked across the gathered few, “…let alone make it back out.”

“There are three places you’ll want to get to: the Heart, the Pump, and the Exit. The Heart is what drives the Mechanism, when it is deactivated: the Labyrinth shuts down, and you will be able to navigate it more easily.

“The Pump is the function that will supply fresh air sucked from the surface all throughout the Mechanism, once it has been activated: making it easier for you to both breathe, and think.

“The Exit is where you will find your friend. Make it there within three days, and you’ll get her back. And as a bonus, my master will leave this world, peacefully, and never return. The hourglass will only be turned once you enter, so you have as long as you want to plan out a strategy. Days, weeks, it's all up to you. Your friend will be safe until then.”

He paused to take a soft, deep breath. The sight of him preparing for more was obviously causing Twilight some concern.

“A-anything else, Mac?” She asked, sweating lightly from her brow.

“I have a feeling there’s going to be…” The Stranger started, before Mac raised his hoof for silence.

“Two more things, actually…” He sighed. He averted his eyes from the group, and seemed to be regretting what he was about to say. Causing even more worry from those gathered, and giving rise to the most weighing silence they’d experienced thus far.

“Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are forbidden to play in this next stage.”

“What?!”

The collective shout of panic from all gathered caused him to wince, before his eyes blazed up in determination, and his voice turned as deep and dark as his coat.

“You would have an unfair advantage with the strength of three Alicorns on your side, shortening it down to one would even them out. And nine ponies are all the Mechanism will hold, besides its current occupants.”

“It’s not like we have any room to argue,” Zecora sighed, “but what occupants are you referring to?”

“That’s the final rule of the Labyrinth, Zecora.” Mac said sinisterly, his flaming irises now seemed to lick his inner brow. “You’ll have to either fight, or flee from the Stumbling. They’re brighter than they look, and can hear your very hoofsteps if you’re not careful.”

“What are ‘the Stumbling’?” Twilight asked. The grim, leering smirk on his face soon made her regret her inquiry, though.

“Don’t pretend you haven’t met us before, Twilight.” A familiar, cracked wind of a voice echoed from Mac’s throat. "A day is hardly enough time to forget us..."

“Oh, no…” the Stranger mumbled.

Twilight and Fluttershy, in the meantime, were immediately frozen in terror. “It-… it couldn’t be…” they muttered in unison, taking coordinated steps back.

Before anypony else was able to speak, Mac reared onto his hind legs, and took to the air. With an ear piercing scream of pure agony: four black tendrils shot out from his form, and grappled each corner of the entrance to the palace, securing him into their desired position.

As the poor stallion continued his anguished cry, a black, ink-like substance oozed from his eyes like tears, and poured from his mouth like vomit. It collected into a small pond beneath him, until it was easily ten times his size once it finally emptied itself from him. He collapsed to the dirt, completely spent from whatever hell he had just gone through, and they all saw him gently writhe in pain.

The ooze of the pond bubbled and shifted, lifting in several spots until it took the forms of the demons they’d encountered before: the lifeless, grey, jawless husks of whatever beautiful creature they once were. Unlike the shapes before, though, these incarnations had no eyes to be seen, and their ears flopped back as if they were constantly crying.

There were also more of them.

Much, much more of them.

The countless stumbling husks then slowly paraded into the abyssal entrance, and skulked into the underground labyrinth within: leaving all alone with the weakened stallion. Applejack was the first to approach him, and she set a hoof on his side.

“He’s still breathing, but he’s not getting up anytime so--”

She was interrupted when a hoof swatted her arm away, and she found herself looking into Mac's fiery eyes once again. Their dark fire had dimmed down dramatically, but it was obvious that not all the spirits had left him alone, as there was still a window to hell in his eyes.

“I’ll get up when I need to, Applecrack.” He spat, uneasily wobbling to his feet. He started flapping his wings unevenly, and eventually bobbed into the air, disappearing around a tower.

“Alright, he said we have time to plan, how should we go about this?” Twilight asked, signaling for the group to gather around them.

“I think we should set groups, in case we get split up.” Warp offered. “Might we put Zecora, Mac, and me in one group; Twilight, Pinkie, and Miss Dash in the second; and Rarity, Applejack and Fluttershy in the third: rationing out our chances of survival in there?”

Pinkie sulked around outside the circle, twitching in anticipation for the game to begin.

“Each tribe divided by three groups… nine of us… three of each tribe, aside from myself being an Alicorn…” Twilight muttered.

“What’d ya say, Twi?” Applejack asked.

“I can’t help but think on all the coincidences lining up for our advantage here, since Stranger first came here.” Twilight speculated, lifting a hoof to her chin again. “The book on Personal Energies, finding Orion in Canterlot, him leaving just in time for us to enter the labyrinth, and now having enough of each race to go into the tunnels in three groups with even odds of survival…”

Pinkie started doodling patterns in the dirt, and seemed utterly disinterested in the scheming. She looked up to the entrance, and scratched her chin, eyes narrowed.

“Now’s not the time to be thinking on how lucky we are, Twilight!” Rainbow groaned. “We might get answers someday, we might not. But we do need to go in there, and help our friend!”

"Right, right." Twilight affirmed, shaking her head of the fog. "Alright, look: Warp, your strategy is good, we'll go with that. We'll all go in together, and then split up accordingly, alright."

"Sounds good to me." Warp nodded. "Applejack?"

“Well, I jus--”

“Alright, fillies, time’s up!” Pinkie shouted, summoning a hammer and shield out of nowhere. “Let’s do this! PIIINNNKIIIIIEEEEEE uh-PIIIIIIIIIEEEEE!!”

Mac lifted a forehoof to his head, and sighed. “Oh sweet Celestia, she just ran in…”

“Stick to the plan, Pinkie!” Thorpe called, running in after her. “Stick to the plan!”

Twilight groaned as they all ran into the abyss: those who survived wouldn’t see the sun out for days.

“Wouldn’t you know it?” Rainbow muttered, looking out to the forks in the tunnels before them. “The first split we see, and it’s a three-way tunnel, what are the odds?”

“Pretty high, based on past experience…” Fluttershy deadpanned.

Twilight stepped into the intersection, and looked back and forth between the paths. “Well, Rainbow, we just have to figure out which tunnel Pinkie went int—mph!”

She was cut short as Pinkie seemed to appear out of nowhere, and shoved a hoof into her mouth to silence her.

“Don’t talk once you go in there, they listen…” she shuddered, sulking back towards Rainbow with pinprick pupils darting every which way.

“Pinkie, what happened?” Twilight asked in concern.

Pinkie shivered, and pointed out into the tunnels. “I… I saw it, I saw one… I- I think it was listening for me. It just… it charged me. I ran, Twilight. Just-- don’t ever run. And whatever you do, don’t let them hear you!”

Silence encompassed the group as Pinkie’s hair deflated, and her pupils parted ways a little. She wrapped her forehooves around her knees, and rocked back and forth.

“Don’t let them hear you, whatever you do… don’t let them hear you… they’re scary in the dark…”

Even Rainbow was unnerved at the sight, as sweat dripped from her brow. She stood the shivering mare up, and propped her up over her back.

“Yeah, I’m going to say ‘no’ to us letting her run this with us, Twilight, before she snaps anymore.” She scoffed.

“The hope of leaving is no good being proposed, for the way out has been darkened and closed.” Zecora said grimly.

They all turned back to the gateway, and found it sealed shut: with no seam or sign that there was ever a tunnel there. Thorpe and Twilight seemed only slightly phased, whereas Applejack took a few nervous steps back.

“Ah don’t like this none… nopony said it would be like this.”

“He said the tunnel would rearrange whenever we turned around, AJ.” Rainbow said, lifting a hoof to her forehead to massage it.

“Ah know, Ah’m referring to this… atmosphere. It’s dark.” Applejack muttered, stepping back into the intersection. “Not just the lighting, there’s something in here that dims anything good, Ah can hardly see my hoof in front of my face… Ah don’t like this none… something’s incredibly wrong with this--”

Just as she set her hoof back one last step, a brick fell from the ceiling, and hit her tail with a crack that echoed all throughout the labyrinth.

Applejack jumped back towards the group as they all screamed from the sound, and landed in a heap. A mysterious clicking sound was heard further down the tunnel, and they could see the occasional torch dimly lighting up small portions of the Labyrinth.

Twilight sighed in defeat as she took a hesitant step forward.

“Separate into your assigned groups, ponies,” she chuckled darkly, “it’s time to enter into hell…”

"... I just hope we all leave it... alive..." Next Chapter: Chapter Seventeen: Hope is Lost in the Labyrinth. Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 5 Minutes