Amaryllis awoke with a pulsating pain in her head she had never felt before and groaned loudly. She rubbed a hoof on the aching point and slowly started to remember what had happened. Thiemo had tried to dig them out of the mountain, but the cave couldn’t endure the attacks of those vile creatures any longer. Stones had begun to fall off the ceiling, and the human had lost his balance and had caused the magical stone from his hand to fall to the ground. Without anyone to control it, it had simply dug a hole into the ground below, and in blink of an eye later, they had fallen into the unknown depths.

She had tried to grasp any of the others, but the light had been gone too quickly, first going dark, then black. Slowly, Amaryllis tried to stand up and let her horn give some light. The days without food had cost her a lot of strength, and even with the bit that Thiemo had forced on her, there wasn’t much left. Her wounds caused by the fall must have used most of it. A look around told the princess that she was in a small cave. Stalactites hung from the low, stony ceiling. A blank spot indicated the hole they fell through, now covered by debris. Her gaze wandered further over the ground before her eyes caught sight of something that caused her heart to catch in her throat. There, covered by numerous stones up to his waist, was Thiemo. She rushed over to him and sat down on the ground next to him. “Thiemo!” She nudged him with her muzzle, but the human remained motionless. Then she used a hoof, but still no reaction.

She couldn’t just leave him there. No one knew what damage those rocks could have done to his body. Quickly, she began to levitate the smaller rocks aside. One stone after the other was slowly lifted off of him. Each stone consumed more of her reserves that grew only smaller. “Come on!” Again she nudged him with her muzzle, but he refused to answer her cries. Carefully, she put her head on his chest and immediately heard the familiar pumping of his heart. Something she had felt very often during their time in Canterlot, it was just a lot weaker.

The last stone levitated off his body, and Amaryllis fell to the ground shortly after as well. She was completely exhausted. A look at the human caught her breath again. Both legs were soaked in blood, stuck out at unnatural angles, and were thinner than they were supposed to be. “No…” He couldn’t survive much longer - the princess knew that. She swallowed, and her horn glowed with her purple aura again. With her reserves long gone and at the end of power, she did what her heart told her to do.

Thiemo awoke slowly. His whole body hurt, his throat was dry, and something made it hard to breathe. This something was lying on his chest. He cautiously opened his eyes, only to be greeted by darkness. He moved his head a little and rubbed over the ground in the dark. His senses told him he was lying on a stony surface and was probably not alone. The breathing of others could be heard. Piece by piece, the memories about what had happened returned along with the fall. A fall into an unknown depth, something he shouldn’t have survived without help. He began trying to concentrate, the effort especially difficult due to the pain. Then the sight of his eyes changed, and he could see multiple bodies around him. One of them was glowing so bright that it could only be Twilight Sparkle, but where was Amaryllis? She should have been a similar construct of light, but she felt completely different. He saw Aura, Applejack, and Estoc leaning against a stone no ten meters away from him. Rarity must have been near Twilight and was overshadowed by her.

As he tried to sit up, Thiemo felt the weight on his body again that shifted more towards his lap now. He looked down where a barely noticeable energy was lying on his body. For a second he had no idea what he was looking at, but then his eyes widened, and he immediately reached out for his princess. “Amy!” Thiemo grabbed the changeling by her neck and pulled her close to him. She was so cold, her breathing barely noticeable. He pressed her against her, hugged her, but nothing happened. “Come on, eat. Don’t do that to me!” Her head moved a little on his shoulder.

“I’m glad you’re alright…” It was a whisper, nothing more. Merely a breath. What had injured her like that? Thiemo tried to stand up, but his legs screamed in agony and gave way a little. He felt his wet pants pressing against his leg and a familiar scent in the air. The smell of blood, a lot of blood. If this was his, then he shouldn’t be awake right now, let alone be able to move. Then he finally concluded what had happened. He shouldn’t have survived the fall; he was injured badly, probably even fatal. Amy, she had healed him, somehow. No, not somehow. She was well-read… she knew a large number of spells.

Carefully, Thiemo got on his knees to be able to hold the princess better. “What have you done?” Tears. How long has it been since he had shed them? When had he become so cold? Tears of sorrow were so alien. Out of pain, yes, but real sorrow? That must have been ages, years. “Amy, come on, eat, please…”

The changeling in his arms didn’t react as he saw the last bits of energy ebbing away in her. No, he wouldn’t let her go like this. Never. His left hand wandered inside the bag at his belt and he took all five remaining sapphires in his hand. Without further ado, Thiemo began to direct their energy through his body. It hurt, like static discharges that caused burns on his skin. Just inside his body now.

All this energy channelled through him and inside Amaryllis. At the same time, he brought his lips against hers. More energy, more. He needed much more. He took more magical energy out of the ground, the vapour in the air, and the air itself. Everything was pressing against his body, causing his muscles to cramp with pain, but neither did he let Amy out of his embrace, nor did their lips part. “Come on,” he mumbled, shivering while he was catching breath.

Her body began to glow more. It was working. “Thiemo!” He heard the voice behind him, but he ignored it. “What happened to her?” Night Hawk stepped in his field of view from behind. One of her wings was stuck out at an awkward angle, but to his surprise, she was swathed in a black cowl that was reinforced by iron in places. On her chest, above her shoulders, and on her back were iron plates mounted on the cowl so that they wouldn’t touch.

The pain was too much, and he had to stop for a second. “She healed me. She needs energy…” And with that, the break was over. He began to feed her again with everything the surrounding offered to him. Hawk was still watching him as went on, no idea how long. Only when her light became a clear flow again did he let go of her. Gently, he laid her on the ground before he collapsed like a wet bag. Heavily breathing, he laid there while Night Hawk stood above him, a questioning look on her face. “I was hurt, and she… she almost gave her life for mine.”

“She loves you. I thought that was clear to you.”

“That is no reason to give her life for mine! I’m not worth that.”

“Apparently it was worth it to her.”

“Why? I’m nothing more than a thief and liar. Murderer if you ask others. I have nothing: no money, no home. I’m not just lying to others but also myself. I’m not even traveling, Hawk, I’m running away. Sure, at first it was a journey, but ever since Dragmire when Aura came into my life, it was just running. I’ve said already that I’m from another world. And I run because I know my life there is over. If anyone is missing for so long, they are declared dead. Life there goes on without me.” Thiemo swallowed and put an arm over his eyes. “When I realized that I never could really go home, I was frustrated. And the first thing was that I let out my angers on others. I killed and hurt them without batting an eye. I blamed everyone else. One time, I almost put my hand against Aura.” He laughed, a bitter, mocking thing. “Today I would kill myself if I really had done it.”

“Why not really start a new life then?”

“Do you know how I always justify my acts? With my goal. To abandon it would mean that everything I did was for nothing. Without a goal, I’m purely arbitrary. And that’s what I’m scared of. Scared of admitting what monster I really am.”

“I’m a soldier. I go out there every day, killing to defend my country. It was always my decision. I could have stopped this job a long time ago. I know that it isn’t easy. One day you kill the enemy, on the next day the fight is over, and he is supposed to be your friend again. And all that just because your orders have changed. One sentence, nothing more. The only thing I can advise you is to leave it behind and hope that others will do the same. Otherwise, it will eat you up.” She sighed. “By Luna, now I’m playing chaplain for a human. Look, she loves you and is a princess. Get used to it. I don’t know how much she knows about you, but she doesn’t seem to care. Half of the stallions run away from me if they even see me, and the other half run when I tell them about my job. Consider yourself lucky for finding someone who still loves you, understand?”

Thiemo didn’t know what to do next. He was literally at the end. Never before had he shivered so much. He was even more confused when a leg around his stomach. At first he thought it was Hawk, but then he lifted his arm off his eyes and saw that it was Amaryllis. She looked over at him in the darkness even though it must have been impossible for her to see him. She looked directly in his face. “You have me. Please don’t push me away.”

Carefully, he put a hand on her hoof. “No, not anymore…”

Thiemo and Amaryllis were still lying exhausted on the ground while Night Hawk was checking on the others to wake them up. She had started with Iron Heart and Lyra, who were somewhere behind them where Thiemo couldn’t see them. The pegasus was unharmed since she had slid down most of the fall before the debris had caught her. Estoc had protected Applejack and Aura and took in most of their hits. With a shield spell, he had cushioned their landing. Twilight had done the same for her and Rarity, seeing that Rarity was lying directly next to her like Thiemo had expected.

Now they all sat around a small magical light that Twilight had created. Aura was more or less on Thiemo, Amaryllis next to him. On the other side was Applejack to stay close to her daughter. “That’s it,” Heart declared as she finished bandaging Estoc’s stomach. “Just a few bruises.” Next to him sat Rarity as she snuggled against his side. Lyra looked a bit lost between Twilight and the designer.

“Thanks, cadet. So, I would say we put our cards on the table. The situation is grave as it is. I never heard of these caves before.” Thiemo noticed the worried face of Applejack next to him and also Amy’s hoof that still clamped at him.

“Sorry, Estoc, not going to happen. This is a secret mission and—”

“The princess have sent us on a mission,” Thiemo interrupted Hawk. “We should bring Amaryllis out of the country into the Crystal Empire. She was supposed to stand in trial in front of the parliament, and because of certain events in the past, this wouldn’t have ended well.” Hawk was staring holes in the back of his head though she was yet to move. “The escape was staged to trick the parliament. If our dear professor wouldn’t have been so insistent, it would have remained undetected for much longer. Night Hawk and Iron Heart were assigned to guarantee our safety.” The eyes of the group wandered to Amaryllis.

“So she really is…?” Rarity asked carefully.

Thiemo nodded. “Amaryllis is one-hundred percent the daughter of Queen Chrysalis of the changelings and Prince Shining Armor. She is Twilight’s niece and granddaughter of Celestia.” For a few seconds, it was silent. “I don’t know what Celestia and Luna have planned, but she is a link between the changelings and ponies. A chance on peace between the two races. I’m just here because my emotions give her enough food for the journey.”

“A really messy political situation,” Estoc agreed. “What shall we do, Princess?” Everyone looked over to Twilight, but she still looked saddened at Amy.

“I’m… sorry,” she finally said. “I didn’t want it to be true. Especially not after all that had happened. Cadance… If I just remember the state I found her in... and the weeks she and my brother spent in hospital afterwards. The soldiers that gave their lives. But all this wasn’t your fault, Amaryllis. You have told me that you were banished, and what did I do? Instead of treating you like family, I treated you and your coltfriend like experiments. Mother had more insight as usual. She saw the bigger picture.” She stood up and slammed a hoof hard on the ground. “Captain, your orders are no longer to capture the escaped prisoners. We will escort my niece to her father.” Estoc saluted while Rarity, who sat next to him, pulled a tissue from somewhere and sniffled her nose.

“And what about me?” Aura in Thiemo’s lap asked.

“You?” he asked with a wide grin. “We will think of a punishment for you for sneaking on this journey while we’re on the way.” Beaten, she let her head hang while the others giggled, a brief moment of respite despite the gravity of the situation.

“Thank you, Twilight.” Amaryllis bowed slightly. “Thank you.”

“Better late than never, right?” she returned with a light smile on her lips.

“So, let’s have a look around. Our equipment should be somewhere around here.” With that, Estoc began to part the group. Group one consisted out of Twilight, Rarity, Lyra, Heart, and himself. Group two was then left with Thiemo, Amaryllis, Applejack, Aura, and Hawk.

With Thiemo’s magical view, Hawk’s night vision, and Amaryllis magic, it was no problem to scan their surroundings. The magical light of Twilight remained at the meeting point. Aura was sitting on his shoulder the entire time and didn’t give him any peace. She played with his hair, kicked him from time to time with her hind legs and much more. Everything just to get his attention, much to the amusement of Applejack and Amaryllis. Both giggled as Thiemo eventually grabbed her by the neck and held her in front of him. While he gave her a lecture, she just licked his nose mid-sentence so that he just let her on the ground where she besieged his legs. She was just too happy to be with her father again.

Thiemo somehow felt an inner peace. He and Amaryllis were more or less officially together. A thought that managed to block out the pain in his legs. The blood on his pants at his thigh had dried, so it no longer stuck together. There was one thing he wanted to ask Amaryllis, but he held back. Somehow he didn’t want to know how badly he was hit.

Finally, they found some saddlebags that were also buried by debris. Aura and Heart were the only two to not be parted with their bags during the fall. The contents, like a canteen, had not survived unfortunately. Only the sleeping bags remained usable. “Dad? I hear something.” Thiemo looked up from the search spot. Aura stood a bit to the side, her ears twitching as she heard something in the distance. “Sounds like the sea.”

Water would be an important resource. Should there really be a lake or river down here, it would be a great relief. “Applejack, bring those two bags with Aura back to the meeting point please.” The chamber they were in was larger than he had initially expected. A few hundred meters behind them, he could still see the light from Twilight. “I’m going to have a look at this with Amy.”

“Sure, Sugarcube. Come here, Aura.” They both looked back just in time to realize that she had wandered off. The orange mare sighed. “Ah’m gonna do this here. Hurry up so she won’t get too far.” Thiemo nodded, placed the second saddlebag on her back, and walked over to Amy.

“So, ready to catch a foal?” She grinned at him before they continued their way through the cave. After a few meters, Amaryllis confirmed that she heard something. They reached the end of the cave that really had an exit. It only led into more passageways, which reminded the princess of home, but it was better than nothing. Then the rushing of water became audible for Thiemo as well, meaning they had found their target. They rushed through the rest of the way and finally found Aura, who was drinking water. She stood at an underground river, just as he expected, up to her knees in the rippling water. “Aura! You can’t just run off like that.”

She jerked up and turned around. “Dad, the water is wonderful!” Since it was fresh spring water, this was very likely.

With a sigh, he wanted to get her out of the water, but Amy was quicker. “Aura, you can’t scare your father like that.”

“Sorry,” she mumbled as Amaryllis let her fall on her back. Thiemo, meanwhile, followed the river course with his eyes. Next to the entire river was a flat walkway.

“This can’t be a coincidence,” he commented and stroked, with one hand, over the ground.

“What do you mean?”

“The way, Amy. First the entrance, now a flat walkway. This is not a natural cave. And look at the size. An entrance for a pony wouldn’t have to be this large. Like you said it yourself, this reminds you of your hive. I would say you’re right: this was built by changelings.” He cleaned his hands on his pants and walked a few meters over to a stalagmite. “This whole thing must be a few hundred years old. Otherwise, something like this wouldn’t form.” Thiemo leaned against the stone structure a bit too much so that the peak broke off and fell to the ground. The reverberation sounded through the cave for a few more seconds. Just as he wanted to say something, another sound reached his ears.

“What was that?” Aura asked from Amy’s back.

“That… That means we’re not alone down here.”

Author's Notes:

I always said to my German readers that Thiemo is a liar (That going so far that even the narrator, when in his perspective, is/was lying too. Good luck noticing those in the future. You will need it xD). What I never told them was, he lied even to himself. It's a force of habit to him. A form of self protection. Convinced of his own lies, he thought of them as real to some point. It's the first rule of lying: If you want that others believe your lies, you must believe them yourself. Deep down he knew that is was unlikely that he ever would find a way home, even that he had any kind of future at some point. And desperate people do desperate things. Like starting to kill. (Hope you guys have read intermission 9. It's marks the beginning of this hopeless time.)

Then there is Twilight and what many hoped to happen. She opens up. It's just a first step on the way, but better than nothing.

And finally, we start act 10, what is together with act 11, one of the most important moments in the whole story.

Thanks to Gron for translating this chapter.
Special thanks to JBL for proofreading and editing.

And give their story a try too:
Contact