Down and down we went.

The tunnel was uniformly wide and tall, remaining consistently sized as it seemed to corkscrew down. While the floor was slanted downward, it wasn't so steep that we lost our footing as we descended.

The only change to the tunnel was when it abruptly widened into a wide cavern.

The cavern was shaped like an upside down bowl over a shallow indent, roughly ovular. With the supernatural night vision that I had gained when I ascended, I could see that the cavern was as wide as the Castle Everfree's grounds, and just as long.

The most eye catching feature however, was the bright, gleaming white figure that stood directly in the center of the cavern, casting a glow that illuminated all but the very furthest corners of the circular cavern.

"Cavern is circular, edge is barely outside the light." I whispered back to Tia. I didn't need to look, but I heard her coat and mane rustle softly as she nodded.

"Be carful Lu." she murmured back.

I nodded softly and approached the gleaming figure.

As I drew nearer, I realized that the figure took the shape of a mare, beautiful and elegant in form. Of what tribe I could not tell, for while I saw both wings and horn out of my periphery, they disappeared as soon as I looked directly. It was like she was made of gleaming white light, given a crystalline form and further shaped into a mare. I would've called her a statue, if not for the fact she moved as I drew within five pony lengths.

"Have you come to pay tribute?" she asked, her voice like the ringing crystal of a toasted pair of wine glasses.

"Uh... No, we've come searching for-" I began.

"No tribute? Then you shall suffer the consequences!" While her voice remained clear and elegant, her pose dropped aggressively and her form darted forward.

I barely blocked the punch she threw with a quick shield, she was stronger than she looked.

"Wait! Hear us out! We're looking for something! We've come a long way because-"

I didn't get to finish. Before I was even half done with my second sentence, the gleaming mare whirled around, pivoting on her back left leg like a dancer, bringing her right around in a sweeping kick that knocked my legs from under me.

"Oof!" I grunted as I hit the ground.

"I demand your tribute!" the mare exclaimed.

"Get away from her!" Tia shouted behind me.

I felt the gleaming mare above me tense as she realized I wasn't alone.

"Your tribute is required!" she exclaimed again, before she rushed away in the direction of Tia.

"Aaaugh!" Tia shouted in surprise. The sound of hooves hitting a Unicorn's shield echoed through the chamber.

"Damnit..." I cursed as I pushed myself back up.

The mare made of white light was now next to Tia, whirling and striking at her in a frenzied, yet elegant, flurry of attacks. To her credit, Tia was holding out well, but she wasn't being given any opportunity to counter attack. So vicious was the crystal mare's assault that even with Tia using her admittingly stronger shields, she was being slowly pushed back up the tunnel.

I felt my hackles raise.

"Get off her!" I screamed out, grabbing the distant mare by her tail and yanking.

"Tribute! Give your tribute! Aack!" she exclaimed as she was thrown backwards.

I must've been angrier than I thought, because the gleaming mare flew overhead with the force I had pulled on her.

"Eeeeeeeek!" she screamed as she impacted the far wall.

CRUNCH!

As the mare slid to the ground, I got my first proper look as her brilliant light dimmed for a moment.

The mare was elegant yes, but she was deathly thin. Not only were her ribs showing, but I could see the bones in her legs as she moved.

Tribute... Was this mare actually asking for-?

The mare's brilliance resumed as she picked herself up, snarling aggressively.

My horn lit as I rummaged inside one of my saddlebags.

"Lu? What are you doing Lu?! Be careful!" Tia called out.

I didn't answer, but I pulled out a wrapped loaf of bread and held it up for the mare to see.

"I offer forth a small tithe of tribute!" I exclaimed to the mysterious mare.

I could've heard a pin drop on the opposite side of the chamber the silence was so deafening.

"Lu? What are you do-"

"I accept your tribute!" the mare proclaimed, stepping forward.

To not antagonize the mare, I set the wrapped loaf on the ground and backed away.

"Lu?" Tia asked as I drew back to her position.

"Hold a moment..." I simply stated as the gleaming mare unwrapped the loaf of bread and began to wolf it down.

The mare dropped the now empty wrapping, and let loose a satisfied sigh that I could even hear half way across the room.

And the mare's light slowly faded away, leaving the room in darkness.

"I-is she gone?" Tia asked.

"Uh... It looks like-"

"Hehehehehehehe! Hahahahahaha!" laughed a bubbly and chipper voice.

And suddenly there was a bright pink light directly off to the left of my face.

Pain blossomed in my cheek, followed swiftly by a grinding pressure on my shoulder as I hit the ground.

"Luna!" Tia exclaimed in surprise.

"... Ow." I groaned as I pushed myself back up.

"Hehehehehe!" giggled a voice directly above me.

Another bright flash of pink and another pain blossomed between my eyes.

Stars.

When I came to again, I found myself back on the ground, my head aching.

"Owowowowow..." I groaned as I clutched my head.

Bright yellow and pink lights flashed on the opposite side of my eyelids.

"-nd your coat! How often do you bleach it?" I heard a disgustingly chipper mare call out. "Better question actually, how often do you spill cake over your front? Is that why you need to bleach?"

"Shut up! What even is bleach?!" Tia's voice exclaimed.

I finally was able to force my eyelids open. The first thing I noticed was the bright pink light, forming another crystalline mare. This time, she seemed to bend and wobble rather than the white mare's elegant dancing. It was like she was made of some sort of goo, yet she was clearly made of the same sort of crystal light, albeit pink, that the last mare was made of.

Tia was furiously sending bolt after bolt of magical fire after the shining mare, only for said mare to agilely dodge out of the way, by means of cartwheeling, jumping, and turning sideways to get out of the way. This had been going on for a small while, if the scorch marks on the walls were any indication.

"Y'know, bleach! How can you not know what bleach is? I thought a ruler's whole deal was to know everything that goes on in their borders?"

Damnit... The pink mare was toying with Tia... I had to-

Tia stopped her assault suddenly.

"... I did actually once think that." Tia whispered, loud enough for even me to hear. "Heh... It's funny, looking up at the Ponies who wear a crown, you can so easily believe that they know everything..." She actually sat down on the cave floor and pulled off her golden tiara, turning it over in her hooves. "But when you're the Pony wearing the crown... You get to see how laughable it all really is."

The shining pink mare remained still and silent.

Tia returned her tiara to her head.

"Do you think I don't see what you're doing? You think your cruel words rattle me phantasm?" Tia's eyes hardened as she glared at the glinting pink mare. "Ha. Ha ha ha ha." she forcefully laughed. "I may not know what bleach is, but I do know when somepony is trying to get a rise out of me. So I laugh at your words. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha." she mockingly chortled.

"Ugh... Finally." The glinting pink mare vanished, leaving the cavern in darkness once more.

I still think you're doing you-know-who dirty.

Yeah? Then how would you test medieval Ponies for the Elements?

Touché