The sky was calm, the light from the sun hitting Synth’s face as he looked towards the six mares in front of him. He sighed, maybe this wasn’t going to be such a bad thing.

“Well, are we going or not?” Rainbow Dash said, flying towards the open train door.

“We should really get going, the train could leave any moment,” Twilight said, following her lead.

Synth couldn’t believe his luck. First he’d gone to Pinkie to tell her if she could take care of Vera while he was gone, and the next thing he knew, she’d told them all he was leaving again. Now, they’d asked to come along, and Synth was reluctant to agree, but at least now there wouldn’t be a boring second in this adventure.

Behind Twilight, Pinkie hopped into the cart. Rarity followed after, and then Applejack. Finally, Fluttershy walked in. She had been bandwagoned into this. She didn’t even look like she’d wanted to come at first, but now that it was time for departure, she looked just as eager as the others.

Of course, they all thought this was some expedition for another plant, and in a way it was, but Synth also knew he was going to have to report any and all findings to Luna. As he boarded the train, he tried to keep a positive face. Behind him, Lupin stalked in, his eyes watching everypony else in the cart. A few of them were staying weary of the Timberwolf, although Synth tried not to notice.

“Why is he coming along?” Rainbow Dash asked. She sounded kind of defensive.

“We’ve gotten pretty close, I don’t see why not,” Synth said.

“Have you learned anything new about him?” Twilight asked.

Synth remembered the devastation Lupin caused on a part of the city. He shook his head slightly to clear his head before responding.

“Nope, nothing at all,” Synth lied.

At this point, Lupin took the opportunity to feed off of some of Synth’s energy. Then, the Timberwolf laid down on one of the seats and fell asleep. Synth sat next to him, the train about to depart.

“How long is it gonna be?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“About one day,” Synth said.

“What? Why didn’t anypony tell me that? I could have brought a cloud with me,” Rainbow Dash said.

“Where are we going?” Twilight asked.

“Griffin Kingdom, the Northern Mountains. It’s going to be cold, too,” Synth said, warning them.

“Oh no, I didn’t bring my winter scarf, I guess I’ll have to make due with this spring scarf,” Rarity said.

Synth felt the rock of the train as they went along. The steady beat of the tracks helped soothe him to sleep. He’d gotten used to sleeping during transportation, the others had trouble however.

“Hey Twilight, can you sleep?” Pinkie asked.

“I was trying,” Twilight said.

“It’s just, why are we sleeping at four?” Pinkie asked.

“There isn’t much else to do,” Twilight explained.

“We could party!” Pinkie said enthusiastically.

“I don’t think Synth’s up to it,” Twilight said.

Twilight closed her eyes, attempting to sleep again. Once again, the rocking of the train led to uneasiness and a sense of discomfort. She raised herself off the seat, looking around the cart, seeing that the others were also not even attempting to sleep. Rarity was playing with her hair, curling and uncurling with a comb and a brush on standby. Pinkie was counting the dots on the ceiling. Applejack was staring off into space. Rainbow Dash was turning over in her seat, noisily mumbling to herself about her discomfort.

Fluttershy and Synth were the only ones able to sleep. They were across from each other, Synth sharing his seat with Lupin. Twilight decided that she wouldn’t be asleep any time soon, and looked at Rarity who was across from her. Maybe she should just have a conversation while they waited and Synth wasn’t listening.

“Hey Rarity, there was something I wanted to ask,” Twilight said softly.

“What is it, dear?” Rarity asked, thankfully stopping her curling.

“Does it bother you that there’s a Timberwolf on the train?” Twilight asked. Lupin’s ear twitched.

“Honestly, I’m terrified. But, as long as Synth has him under control, I don’t see what the problem is,” Rarity said.

“What about you, Rainbow Dash?” Twilight asked.

“As long as he doesn’t try anything, but I guess he’s not as big as the others…” Rainbow Dash said.

“Pinkie?” Twilight asked.

“He’s a lot different than that one Synth showed us before, but this one’s cute. The other was all mean and scary,” Pinkie said.

“Applejack?” Twilight asked finally.

“If Synth trusts him, he’s alright in my book,” She said, not making eye contact.

“Well there’s just something I don’t get about him…” Twilight said, “Why would he follow Synth?” She asked herself.

Twilight pondered this question as the others went back to their pointless activities. Lupin’s ear lowered as the sound died down. The train’s rhythmic pattern brought down a calm silence in the cart. The train charged further and further towards the Griffin Kingdom.
-------------

Synth looked out the window of the train. He’d gotten a good rest, his magic supply back to its height and feeling fully rested. Lupin also looked hyper, running around the cart. He had to smile as some of his friends avoided any contact with Lupin. Twilight, Pinkie and Rainbow Dash looked like they hadn’t slept during the whole trip.

Fluttershy was still sleeping, her nap wasn’t perturbed by the noise that started to arise from the group. They were almost there and they were getting their stuff ready. Lupin decided for himself that Fluttershy should be waking up. He jumped on her seat, putting his face near hers and licking her cheek.

Fluttershy woke up quietly, a small yawn from her face. When she reached up to feel her cheek, she touched the sap that was from his tongue. She opened her eyes and looked into the eyes of the Timberwolf. Twilight expected her to scream or pass out or even kick him away. What she didn’t expect, was for her to pet him.

“Fluttershy? Aren’t you… unnerved about him?” Twilight asked, confused.

“Well, when I first met him I was. But when you get to know him, he’s more like a little pup than anything else. Isn’t that right?” Fluttershy asked, accepting another lick from the Timberwolf. She giggled right after.

Twilight didn’t respond to this as she finished getting ready to depart. If she was the only one that was going to have to stay alert at all times, she’d take the responsibility.

The seven of them and Lupin departed from the train. They stepped into the cold chilled air of the mountainous region. The area around them was spotted in white and the clouds above blocked out the sun every now and then. Synth led the way from the train station to the town nearby. They were amazed as the stone and tall structures appeared in front of them.

The medieval looking city was formed from the remains of a long destroyed city from the war long ago. The founders of this new town used some of the untouched buildings and repaired some as well. Now, the griffin city was a stone empire that stretched into some of the mountains. The seven of them came to the center of the city, where a large group was around a griffin on the stage.

“There still has been no news on the incident, please do we have any volunteers?” The griffin asked. He was talking to a saddened group, none willing to risk their lives.

“Excuse me, but what’s going on here?” Twilight asked. She felt it was her duty to help in what way she could. Synth just wanted to walk by. This was the northern part of the country where little ponies traveled to. It was highly racial, although none of the violent racism.

“Pony, we are handling our own problems right now,” The pony on the stage said. His face was old, although his body looked to be in top condition. His beak was slightly dulled, and his feathers were missing in some places.

“No elder, she could help us!” A slightly younger female griffin called.

“Yeah! They can do something about this!” A griffin about their age called.

“Very well, if you ponies choose to help us, we can’t stop you,” The griffin said, his voice changing tone fast.

“What’s going on?” Twilight asked.

“There was a cave in almost two weeks ago. The miners were trapped inside the mines, but we don’t have anyone willing to go search for them. Would you help us?” The elder asked.

“Of course, we’d be glad to help, right everypony?” Twilight asked.

Synth, Applejack and Fluttershy didn’t voice their agreement, and Twilight noted it.

“Applejack, we are going to help, aren’t we?” Twilight asked.

“Hold on a second there, what’s the reason ya’ll can’t do it yerselves?” Applejack asked curiously.

“The monst-,”

“Because we can’t get past the entrance. Using magic however, you can clear the debris,” The elder interrupted.

“Right, whatever you say,” Applejack said, not trusting him.

“We’ll help however we can,” Twilight said. With that, the griffins watched the ponies leave. Some whispered prayers, others goodbyes. The elder said nothing as he watched the Timberwolf stalk after Synth.

“It should be this way,” Synth said.

“That’s east, not west,” Twilight corrected him.

“Okay, then that means it should be over this rock,” Synth said.

“This is one flat rock,” Pinkie said, walking through the water. “And it’s wet!” She said.

“Wait, maybe I have this thing upside down…” Synth said to himself as he turned the map around.

“Give that to me,” Rainbow Dash said, grabbing the map. She flew into the air, glancing to her left, then her right. She lowered back down, pointing to her right. “It’s over here,” She said.

The group continued along the right path, Rainbow Dash not giving back the map to Synth.

“Here we are,” Applejack said, the entrance to the cave right in front of them.

“Let’s get rid of these rocks,” Twilight said. The rocks at the front were a combination of huge boulders and small rocks. Twilight used her magic to clear out an average sized boulder. She looked exhausted afterwards.

“I got an idea,” Applejack said. She bucked one of the boulders and it split into smaller pieces that Twilight could take away easily.

“Let’s do this,” Rainbow Dash said. She flew towards the pile up, starting to take away some of the smaller ones. The others weren’t going to help, so Synth joined in. Synth activated his magic and his magical Timberwolf came out.

“Let’s dig,” Synth said. The Timberwolf jumped his way to the top of the pile and started to break through the rock and dirt. Lupin jumped up with him and mimicked his movements. Synth coated his hooves and started to break through one of the rocks.

Overall, it took maybe ten minutes. The entrance was almost ten feet tall, twenty feet wide. They managed to cut in a few yards before the actual cave showed itself. When Synth felt the rocks give way, he looked through a small hole at the darkness inside. They created a big enough opening to get through and then stopped the removal of the rock.

Synth thanked the older Timberwolf before recalling his magic. Lupin watched him go, and then turned to run inside the cave. The right side of the cave had torches, illuminating the way until the next torch a few meters away.

“Is he going to be okay?” Twilight asked.

“He’ll come back, eventually,” Synth said.

“Well, let’s get a move on,” Rainbow Dash said.

They followed Synth as he weaved through the tunnels. Their first mistake. They came upon a fork in the cave. The left was dark and unlit. The right had torches, but they were spread apart at further intervals. Synth stopped to ask the others.

“We could split up, or take our chances with one path,” Twilight said.

“I say we go left,” Synth said. He wanted to know why the left path wasn’t lit up. Certainly it had to have been explored. The others agreed they shouldn’t split up. Their second mistake.

“Lead the way then, you’re bright, aren’t you?” Rainbow joked. Synth didn’t take it as a joke as he walked forward. He managed a simple light spell on his horn as he walked to the entrance to the left path.

“We haven’t decided left or right yet,” Twilight said.

Synth entered the darkness, turning to acknowledge her statement, when there was a rumble. Synth looked up as the ceiling crumbled and fell in front of him. He jumped back as the rocks landed where he was standing. The debris clouded the air. Synth tried to balance himself, but he tripped on a rock and fell down. The rocks continued to fall, piling onto the entrance. He couldn’t avoid a rock the size of his head that fell and smacked into his head.

Synth grabbed his skull, the impact making his ears ring as he tried to maintain his vision. Finally, the sound of falling rocks stopped, bringing a chilling quiet air as the debris settled. Synth rose up, looking around him. When the rock hit his head, he’d cancelled the light spell. Instead of complete darkness, he saw bright colors behind him.

Synth looked towards the colors. They were gems. They glowed in the darkness. Synth didn’t have to activate any lights as the gems provided enough light to see. When he looked back at the rocks, his heart sank. They were piled to the top. It didn’t look stable, like if he tried to dig out he’d just make it worse. Instead, Synth listened for any noise on the other side.

“Synth!” He heard a muffled sound from the other side.

“What!?” He asked loudly. They must have heard him, because he heard sighs.

“Are you okay?” Synth barely heard Fluttershy, but he heard her nonetheless.

“Yeah, just a little headache. What about you girls?” Synth asked.

“We’re fine, we’ll get you out in no time,” Applejack said.

“I think we should just find a way around. It might connect later on,” Synth recommended. Honestly, he just wanted to explore this section of the cave himself.

“If you’re sure... we’ll come back to check on you if we don’t find anything,” Twilight said.

“Same here,” Synth said.

Synth heard a bark and turned. He looked down at Lupin who was smiling up at him, his wooden tail wagging. Synth scratched his head before looking into the now illuminated cave. He walked forward, the cave widening the further he went. He could hear sounds, rustling and cracking further up ahead.
------------

“Shouldn’t we get him out?” Fluttershy asked, worried.

“I think he’s right. These rocks could fall at any time, we should look for a better way,” Twilight said.

“Let’s head down this other path, it looks like it’s safe,” Applejack said.

The six of them headed down the path. They left Synth alone with Lupin. Their third mistake. As they walked down the cavern, it expanded and the lights started to shine on both sides. Now, they were given a clear cut path forward.
------------

Synth walked for a few minutes. The gems were set at random intervals, although there was a majority of sapphires on the ceiling. Behind him, Lupin would snack off some of the gems, causing some of the lights to flicker.

‘Oh wow…’ Shade said, speaking for the first time in a long time.

“What?” Synth asked. He looked ahead. There was a bigger opening. Here, the walls were lit by torches. They lined the wall of the open area. Ahead of him was a continuation of the path, but on the walls was also a repeating symbol. It looked like a green upside down t, but the crossed section was curved downward.

‘Run,’ Shade said.

“Why?” Synth asked.

He regretted asking as the room started to shift. The walls moved, the entrance in front of him covered by the rock and the symbol. Then he realized what was happening. It wasn’t the walls that were moving, but the rocks. Synth realized that his exits were blocked and he stood at the center of the room. The walls shifted once again, but this time single forms came out of the walls.

About ten rock monsters came out of the walls. They stood about seven feet tall, their bodies thick and larger than Synth’s. Only two symbols were left on the walls, the others were on the chests of these beasts.

‘Damn,’ Shade said.

“What are these things?” Synth asked as he tried to keep an eye on all of them. They were surrounding him, however, and he didn’t know what to do.

‘Golems… well, they’re a little different,’ Shade said.

“What should I do?” Synth asked.

‘These are defensive golems, they won’t attack unless you attack them. But you can’t leave until you beat the barrier golems,’ Shade said.

“And that’ll get the others to attack me, won’t it?” Synth asked.

‘Good luck,’ Shade said.

Synth decided that he’d need to be aggressive if he was going to get out. Best to plan things out, he thought. Synth walked to the edges of the golem ranks. Just like Shade said, they weren’t attacking but watched him with their yellow eyes. Lupin growled at them, his fangs baring and spitting sap.

Synth reached the edge of the group and activated his magic. His coat hardened and he bent down to start the onslaught. He took a deep breath. Synth felt Shade’s persuasive energy creeping on him. He knew that if he wasn’t careful, Shade might just get a chance to come out.

Synth raised his hoof, the golem in front of him ready to block. Synth struck the golem, his bunch causing a crack in the golem’s armor. Immediately, he felt the danger he’d put himself in. The room vibrated as the golems charged towards him. Synth managed to duck a few swings, but the ones that hit hurt him through his coating.

Synth changed his coating to traction. He started dodging swings, his speed outmatching all of the golems. Synth tried to strike a golem, but only managed to hurt his hoof in the process. Synth barely avoided a stomp by one of the golems. He dusted himself off as a nearby golem prepared to strike.

Synth didn’t know what to do. He’d be able to dodge their attacks or do slight damage, but he’d never be able to do both without draining too much of his energy. He felt like he’d have to risk it, because he wasn’t fast enough to completely avoid the next attack. He hit the wall, his coating starting to fade away.

Synth jumped away, avoiding the earth shattering pound. He found himself next to Lupin who hadn’t been recognized as a threat. He barked at Synth and Synth looked at him. Lupin’s eyes were glowing blue.

‘He says to take this,’ Shade said.

Synth felt a power surge like no other. Lupin’s eyes slowly turned back to yellow as the energy transfer happened. Synth’s body rushed with warmth as his drained magic returned ten-fold. He didn’t know he’d have enough for it. His magic suddenly left his control, his horn glowing brighter than normal. Synth knew what would happen if he didn’t use up the excess energy.

Synth activated more magic, his faithful Timberwolf coming out next to him, immediately in alert. Synth felt both coatings on his body as his hooves cracked the ground with every step. Synth dashed forward, the golem putting his rocky arms up to block. Synth struck right through, his hoof shattering the arm and severing the head.

The other nine didn’t learn from their comrade as they charged forward. The fallen golen’s symbol was no longer glowing, instead it fell to the ground. Synth didn’t even stop to rest as he charged at the approaching golems. In a matter of seconds, he’d took down two more. The others continued to strike at his position.

Synth was too fast for them, his body on overload. Then, as soon as it came it was gone. Synth had his hoof stuck in the body of a golem. He couldn’t pull it out as was raised into the air. He cringed as the arm of the golem raised and struck his own body. Synth was crushed as he fell loose and onto the ground. He didn’t know if he was more exhausted from the strike or the strain of the overload he’d gone through.

Synth couldn’t move as the golem brought his arm up to strike again. Synth watched as the leader jumped in front to take the blow. It helped slightly, as Synth felt impact but not nearly what he was expecting. The leader was sent away in wooden bits as Synth’s magic faded. He couldn’t tell if he’d passed out for a second or if Shade just really wanted to get in control.

“Now, let’s play,” Shade said, dusting himself off.

Shade activated his magic supply. Lupin appeared nearby, taking back some energy he’d given Synth. Now, Lupin’s eyes turned a deep shade of red. His fangs enlarged as his body became sharper and full of thorns. He also grew slightly, his menacing form making Synth speechless. It was just like before.

Shade activated only the Endurance coating. He charged at a golem, not giving him enough time to block the blow from Shade. The golem was sent across the room instead of shattering to bits. He landed against the wall, his body hitting the symbol that glowed. Now, the symbol moved.

Synth watched in confusion as the barrier golem rose from his position. When he moved, Shade saw the gem passage behind him. It was the way they’d come in. That would mean the other golem was blocking the way to continue. Shade didn’t care as he changed coating and sped past the slow barrier golem.

“I’ll show you the right way to use magic,” Shade said, grabbing a gem off the wall.

Shade sucked the energy from the crystal. He dropped the lifeless sapphire, the remains scattering to the ground.

“Oh, I’m about to show you real magic…” Shade said. He activated his horn, the excess magic rushing out. Synth watched in horror as the ground shook. Vines reached out from the walls as the golems started to make their slow journey into the cave after him. The gems that were protruding from the walls were suddenly stripped off of their ledges.

Shade was surrounded by the vines as they lowered the gems to him. He didn’t even have to touch them as he stole the energy through the vines. His laugh exited his mouth was wicked and brought a dark thought to Synth’s head. Shade looked straight at the golems coming towards him. They must have thought something was wrong, because they stopped in their tracks at his gaze.

“This is natural selection,” Shade said, raising his hoof.

The ground quaked under the pressure. Most of the cavern shook as the energy in the air increased. The torches on the wall in the large room were flickering, the air that fueled them being pushed behind the waves of energy. The Golems covered their ears as the quake stopped. Then, the walls were ripped apart as vines and roots reached in to surround the golems.

Shade lowered his hoof. The effects were heard immediately. The sounds of crushing rocks and grinding stones rang in his ears as the golems were stripped into pieces and scattered about the earth. The vines retracted from the wall, taking the golems remains with them. Shade walked back into the room, now clear and free of pebbles and unsmooth stones.

Shade looked to his left as one of the smooth rocks shifted. It reformed as the barrier golem from earlier. This time, it wasted no time in changing forms. Shade watched with a chuckle as the golem formed itself into a pony. It was Synth’s height with Synth’s build and Synth’s facial expressions.

“Meet the barrier golems,” Shade said, his voice sounding deeper and more menacing. The air moved with every word, the energy still vibrating from his body.

The barrier golem had a horn as well, in which he activated his magic. The golem was suddenly coated in a metallic cover. The rocks he was made of were still very visible. Now, Shade raised his hoof again. No vines came this time, instead, the golem was stopped in his tracks.

Shade ran forward and he was on him in less than a second. The golem didn’t react as Shade thrusted his hoof into the golem’s face. Shade had a grin on his face, as well as a look that showed death at its finest. When he pulled out his hoof, he had a flower on the end of it. Synth watched with confusion and fear as the golem fell to the floor, his lifeless rocks scattering on the ground. The symbol that was on his back was no longer glowing.

Shade looked at Lupin as the pup tucked his tail in between his legs. Shade fell forward, his body no longer able to withstand the magic use. Shade coughed up blood before Synth managed to take control. It doesn’t matter how tired or worn out Synth was, because Shade was near death. Synth couldn’t move his body as he laid there. He might have been the healthier of the two, but that didn’t say much when he couldn’t stand.

Lupin stood atop Synth. He licked Synth’s cheek before reverting back to his usual self. Synth felt a slight magic boost as Lupin gave him some of the dark energy. Synth didn’t have the energy high like he did before, but he did get enough strength to stand up.

Synth picked himself up, looking at the exit guarded by the barrier golem. He wasn’t activated yet, his symbol still showing in Synth’s face. Synth could barely stand, little to no magic left in him. There were two options he had. Both of which had a risk of death. Either he took down one of the gems that Shade hadn’t gotten and fed it to Lupin who would in turn share some energy with Synth, or he fought the golem alone.

Synth knew that any more stress on his body and he could die. Even as it was, he felt like he could fall and die at any second. Synth decided to believe in himself and take on the golem himself. Synth went to the barrier golem, putting his hoof on the symbol. The golem recognized this as an attack, and shifted accordingly.

The golem formed just like the last one, shifting into a replica of Synth. From what he could guess, they would copy him at his average state. Shade had an advantage because he was above average, but now Synth was well below.

“Bring… it,” Synth said, ready to run around the golem if it meant he’d escape.

The golem must have anticipated this, because he activated his magic. Synth didn’t know which coating he’d used. The golem took slow steps forward, not crushing the ground, nor going fast. Synth braced himself for what would happen. The golem stopped suddenly, raising his hoof.

“This is natural selection,” The barrier golem said in a monotone deep voice. His rocky mouth moved with the action, but that was probably just to mock Shade.

Synth saw his life flash in his eyes as the world rumbled. The torches in the room flickered as the energy from the golem skyrocketed. Synth knew what was going to happen but that didn’t mean he could prepare himself.

Synth was thrown into the air as a vine came out from under him. The vine tried to grab him, but Synth held no resistance to the throw up. The vine didn’t expect Synth to not stop himself. Synth landed on the ground, the vines hovering above, waiting for the permission to strike.

Synth was watching death in slow motion as the golem lowered his hoof to send the command. It hit the ground. He couldn’t believe it. These golems copied anything they saw, he reasoned, because Shade had done this only moments before. Not only would he die, but it’d be Shade’s fault. If only he was stronger. If only he was like Shade.

‘If only?’ The voice asked.

‘That’s right, you’re stronger than me, but that doesn’t mean I’ll just give up!’ Synth said to himself as he rolled to the side of the approaching vine.

Synth barely avoided the vine. His mind was only on surviving. He didn’t feel any pain as he was cut by an attacking root. The golem stood in the open, not moving. Synth jumped past vines, dodging more and more vines as he went. Finally, he’d made it to the golem.

The golem raised a stone hoof, attempting to block. Synth threw a punch at the golem, not knowing what to expect. Instead of stopping his attack, the golem was knocked back, his body crashing into the wall. Synth couldn’t take in any of what was happening as the roots struck back out at him. Synth dodged more and more as we went again towards the golem.

The golem didn’t know what was happening, putting his hoof up to block the attack again. Synth slammed the golem further into the wall. Then, he threw another punch. The golem’s head started to break, the symbol splitting in half by a large crack as the life was taken out of him. An approaching vine stopped mid-air and receded back to where it came.

Synth’s adrenaline ran out, his hoof falling on the golem with no force. Finally, he head fell on the golem’s head. He took large breaths, his body exhausted from the short adrenaline rush.

“What… was that?” Synth asked, feeling light-headed as he tried to get up.

Synth saw a flower poking out from the remains of the golem. He grabbed it, looking at the texture of it. It was a brown stemmed flower that had crystal pedals and a silver core. The pollen that came out looked like sand. Synth remembered this from a long time ago; it was a rare flower his teacher had been studying.

“Mirrorstone,” Synth recalled. It was a plant he’d hadn’t had too much experience with. They were rare after all. Then, he remembered the other flower that Shade had taken out. It must have been the same flower.

Synth managed to pick himself up. He walked over to where he thought the flower was at. Sure enough, a crystal pedal poked out from underneath some debris. Synth picked it up and put it into his bag with the other. He looked out towards the exit. Another gem path led the way further along. Synth limped towards the exit and down the path. Hopefully, he wouldn’t have to go through any of that again.

Synth found that his path stopped suddenly. There was a door in front of him. The steel door had a cross design much like the symbol on the golems. In the corners were symbols that looked like letters.
Vi
In
A
Di
In the cross, there were single letters that he couldn’t understand. At first, he thought they were cardinal directions, but it was different. North and East were there, but a Y replaced the S, and a V was where the W was.

Synth pushed against the door, his horn glowing slightly. At his side, Lupin growled at the door. Synth pushed harder, his body way past its limit. Finally, it budged as the last of his magic reserves were depleted.

Synth managed to get through the door with one final push. He thought it would take more than that, but it opened a lot easier after the first push. Now, he saw a sliver of actual light as the door pushed open.
-------------
(Earlier)

Twilight looked at the pile of rubble in front of them. It was blocking the path, although there was space at the top, telling her it was safe to move. Her friends must have had the same idea, because they started to move away the rocks as well. They’d been walking a few minutes, rumbles causing small rocks to fall around them. This was the first new thing they’ve seen for a while though.

“Do you think we should turn back? Synth might be in trouble,” Fluttershy asked, moving aside a small rock.

“The only way we can help ‘em now is to keep movin’,” Applejack said.

“I agree, this cave has to connect eventually,” Rarity said, using her magic to lift a rock while standing on the other side of the room from it.

“And don’t forget we still need to look for the miners,” Twilight said.

“Maybe they’re in one of these rocks!” Pinkie said, using her head to break open a rock and look inside. Twilight hit her hoof against her forehead before continuing to move rocks.

“Or maybe not,” Pinkie said, rubbing her head.

After a minute or two of moving rocks, they made a pathway through. From here, they could see the room behind it. A small waterfall was inside. The water was clean and cold. Rarity made her way first, admiring the room. Around the waterfall were sleeping bags and a campfire. There were no torches on the walls, but the campfire supplied enough light.

Twilight walked up to the empty sleeping bags, prodding them to figure out how long they’ve been there. Then, she heard a soft voice.

“Hello?” It asked.

Twilight stopped looking around as she realized it came from the small waterfall. Twilight walked over. Everyone was quiet as they listened for another voice.

“Hello,” Twilight responded.

“Oh, you must be the search party. I’m glad you came,” The voice called. Almost like a dream, the waterfall parted as a misty figure stepped past it. When they cleared the waterfall, their smoky form started to solidify. As it cleared up, the six of them could see the figure of the white griffin standing before them.

“Who are you?” Twilight asked.

“I am a spirit, but you may call me Humanitus,” The spirit said.

“Well, Humanitus, we’re here looking for some miners, do you know where they are?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Ah yes, they were trapped in this cave for days. I’ve been keeping them safe from the terrible beings of this cave. Here, I’ll show you,” Humanitus said, turning towards the wall next to her. In seconds, the wall was moved aside and displayed another room, full of life.

“Everyone, you’re free to go home,” Humanitus announced. The griffins inside looked at the group of ponies looking astonished at them.

“Are you serious? I’ll get to see my mom again?” A griffin asked, a smile shining on his face.

“We’re free!?” Another cried. The rest toasted to the proclamation with their cups of alcohol. Humanitus looked toward the ponies, a smile on her face as well.

“Well, could you please show these griffins the way out? It would be much appreciated,” Humanitus said.

Twilight nodded. The group of ten griffins exited the room and got a good look at their saviors. Some of them shook Twilight’s hand, others petted Applejack and Fluttershy. One gave Pinkie a hug that she gladly returned. Rarity raised her eyebrow, a question on her mind.

“I understand your gratitude, but isn’t this a little too much?” Rarity asked.

“Oh no, you don’t know what we went through before Humanitus found us,” A miner said.

“What happened?” Fluttershy asked.

“We… don’t want to talk about it,” The miner said, looking to the others who shook their heads.

“Let’s just say this cave has more than just rocks in it,” another miner said.

“Well, I’ll be off then. I’m glad you could find a way out,” Humanitus said.

“Actually, there was something else we wanted to ask,” Twilight said.

“Yes?” Humanitus asked.

“Our friend, Synth, he was caught on the other side of a cave in. Do you know if this passage connects?” Twilight asked.

“Oh no, there is only two passages in this cave. Do not tell me,” Humanitus said under her breath.

“What’s wrong?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Hurry, down the path. We might be too late,” Humanitus said, her white figure leaving a ghostly trail as she led them down the tunnel.
-------------

“Holy…” Synth said to himself as he looked up at the large figure in front of him. He was just past the door he’d opened. Behind it lay a room with a large pool in the middle. In the large pool was a sea serpent. It wasn’t like the sea serpent he saw earlier, no, its tongue was limp hovering just above him. The tongue itself was as large as he was. The scales were spotted with green patches of fur and feathers. It was like he was created from many different animals, but the sea serpent attributes showed out the most. His scales reflected the light from the gems around it. The face of the sea serpent was frightening as the teeth were showing, every last tooth as sharp as a needle.

The serpent was watching him, the yellow eyes studying him as if he was a specimen. Synth was too tired to run or fight. He fell into a resting position as he waited for something to happen. After a few more seconds, the serpent spoke.

“Hello… Ssssynth,” The serpent said. The sinister voice caused ripples in the water as he spoke. He had a voice that made Synth think he had pneumonia.

“Hi,” Synth replied, still lightheaded.

“I am Leviathan,” He said.

“Okay,” Synth responded.

“You made it this far, I sssssee. You musssst have had a hard time,” Leviathan said.

“Yeah,” Synth said.

“Well let me congratulate you,” The serpent said. Next to him, a tentacle poked out of the water, reaching towards Synth.

Synth didn’t move as the tentacle reached him. It wrapped around a leg before crawling up and meeting him at eye level. Synth blinked and the tentacle started to glow. He could feel a warmth as the tentacle’s glow covered his vision. When it was finished, it receded back into the water.

“There, now may you forever remember my name, and I’ll remember yourssss, Ssssynth,” Leviathan said.

Synth watched as the room started to blur. He could see flashes of light and then black screens. Finally, his head fell back as his brain tried to comprehend what was happening. When he opened his eyes, he could see a torch lit hallway with a clear path forward. Synth stood up, finding he had a small portion of his strength now.

Synth walked slowly towards the path. It was just a few more steps. He was walking off balance, and the room was spinning, but he was still walking. Now, as he neared the end, his legs started to give out on him. He felt the room spin in a circle before hitting the ground.
------------

Twilight was racing down the path. The serious and suddenness of the griffin’s voice alerted her to danger. Then, all of sudden Humanitus stopped. Twilight and the others stopped to look at her.

“No, I’m too late. Show him Kindness, will you? That’s all I ask,” Humanitus said quickly to the others as her body started to glow white and turn back to mist.

“What?” Twilight asked, confused.

“Don’t let him feed his e-,” Humanitus was cut off as her body faded.

“What was she trying to say?” Fluttershy asked.

“I don’t know, but let’s go make sure Synth’s alright,” Twilight said, running again towards the exit.

She could see it now, a turn in the cave system. Twilight turned the corner, her eyes falling on the unicorn below who was sprawled out. She could see blood spots covering him as well as layers of dust and cuts that had healed. She could also see the bruises on him and a light ring of red around his horn. All in all, he looked pretty bad from her view of his back.

“Oh my,” Fluttershy said, getting down to try and wake him up.

“What happened?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“We need to get him to a doctor,” One of the griffins said.

“I’ll take ‘em. Rainbow, go ahead and lift him on my back,” Applejack said.

Rainbow did what she was told and lifted him up. Immediately, they gasped at the sight. Synth was showing off his chest and stomach, a cut down the middle of it. The cut split at the end, forming a t with a round cross. The blood was slowly dripping from the wound. Rainbow left his chest upwards as she set him down on the ground.

The five of them and the miners looked down at his body, confusion on their minds. Fluttershy didn’t look, she was covering her eyes behind her hooves. His chest was still moving, so he was obviously still alive.

“What is that?” Applejack asked.

“Is it a tattoo?” Pinkie asked, none too happily.

“Shouldn’t we take him to a doctor now?” Fluttershy asked, trying not to look at the blood.

“Oh, yeah,” Twilight said, looking away from the strange symbol.

Rainbow Dash lifted Synth again, putting him on Applejack’s back. His body was completely limp, almost lifeless. She was worried that he wasn’t just unconscious, especially after seeing that mark. They continued, nonetheless and Applejack managed just fine with carrying him.

The three of them turned to look at the room his body was in. There was no exit, other than the way they came in.

“Weird,” Twilight said to herself before turning to leave.

The group of ponies and griffins headed down the tunnel that led to the exit. From here on out, there were no torches and the gems were invisible with Twilight’s magic spell activated. They walked in silence until they reached another collapsed pile of rubble.

“We never made it this far, we ran out of torches,” A miner said.

“Decided we’d wait until help came, but we didn’t know it’d be so long. Glad that Humanitus came along, she was the nicest spirit I’ve seen yet.” An older miner said.

“Nicest? So you’ve seen others?” Rainbow Dash asked, moving away a rock.

“These mountains are full of surprises, the griffin said, helping her with a large boulder.

“We should be out soon, I hope,” Twilight said.

Together, they cleared a big path away from the rocks. Sunlight streacked through and the caves were flooded with light. When they stepped outside, the sunlight was coming from across from them. The sun was already setting. They came out of the side of the mountain. They looked down, about two yards below was the grassy ground.

They jumped down, careful not to hurt themselves. It was just Applejack and Synth left. At first, Twilight was planning on how to lower Synth, but Applejack didn't hesitate to jump. She landed without a problem. Synth on the other hand, felt the impact and moaned. Afterwards, he coughed up blood. Applejack stopped and Rarity went up to him.

"Synth dear, are you okay?" Rarity asked.

"No, It's... but I can't... no," Synth whispered under his breath before falling back into unconsciousness.

"Let's hurry, the town should be this way," One of the miners said.

No one argued as they rushed as a group to the town. The miners split up as they reached the town, going to their families or celebrating at a local bar. The others and the elder miner went into town, where a small group of griffins were anticipating their return.

"Cecil!" The elder miner yelled, running up to the young griffin.

"Gramps!" Cecil responded, embracing her grandfather.

"Well well, I can't believe it. Did these ponies actually help out?" The griffin from earlier asked.

"It's because of them we got out with our lives. I don't think even Humanitus would have been able to help us escape," The elder griffin said.

"Well then I say we owe you all our gratitude, how can we repay you?" The griffin asked.

"Our friend is hurt, is there a doctor here who can treat his wounds?" Twilight asked.

"Filsh lives down this street. He has a red cross on his door, he's the best doctor this city has," The griffin said.

"Thank you," Twilight said. The ponies went down the street. The sky was getting darker. Most of the dark sky was also cloudy and not at all a starry sky.

Twilight opened the door with a red cross on it and peered inside. The room looked cozy enough, with blue curtains and a blue carpet shaped like a heart. When the seven of them were inside, Twilight heard the sound of someone else in the house.

“Oh, company. How may I help you?” The griffin asked, peering in from a nearby doorway. He had a grey head of feathers with a darker brown for his torso. His beak was sharp, and he had a nervous smile. His voice was nasally with a scientific tone about it. (I think of Professor Oak when I do his dialogue.)

“Well for starters, I haven’t had anything to drink for hours. Be a dear and fetch me something?” Rarity asked, fluttering her eyelids at him. Applejack pushed her aside as Twilight stepped forward.

“Our friend needs help, he’s been badly injured,” Twilight said.

“Come this way then, put him on the table and I’ll see what I can do,” Filsh said. The six of them and Synth entered the room. Applejack put Synth on the table in the center and the griffin recoiled at the sight. Synth’s wounds were drying up, but the mark on his chest was still visible. The ring of red around his horn was gone though.

“Yikes, I don’t know what the fella was up to, but he must’ve had quite a day,” Filsh said.

“We don’t know either, we just found him like this in that mining cave,” Rainbow Dash said.

“He should be alright if he gets some rest. There’s nothing fatal here,” Filsh said. “Tell me more about how you found him, if you would.”

“When we were leaving the cave, we saw him on the floor with fresh cuts and that mark on his chest. There was also this strange red mark around his horn. He mumbled something on the way over, but we don’t know what happened,” Twilight said.

“There’s no physical damage that I can tell, but if what you said is true, there might be something wrong mentally. If so, he’ll need somepony here he knows when he wakes up. In the meantime, give me a few minutes to treat these wounds. They need time to heal as well,” Filsh said. He started immediately with bandages and ointment for the wounds.

“You think there’s something wrong with his mind?” Rarity asked.

“Yes, the mark you saw around his horn is a very special injury. It occurs from strenuous use of magic. Most unicorns don’t know this, but if you perform spells that your body can’t handle, you’ll enter into what’s called shock,” Filsh started.

“But I’ve done my fair share of tough magic and I’ve never gone into shock,” Twilight said.

“You don’t go into shock, more like you enter shock. It’s a lot different. Now, on the matter of you, it’s most likely because your body is trained for that sort of magic, other unicorns would enter shock if they tried,” Filsh said.

“So you’re saying that Synth did some really powerful magic?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Maybe, there are a lot of possibilities as to why he went into shock, but no doubt it’s shock. His mind needs time to heal, probably more time than his body. I know the inn owner across the street, if you tell him Filsh sent you, I can get you all rooms for the night,” Filsh said.

“Wow, thanks mister,” Applejack said.

“Darn, I already made plans for the inn on the other side of town,” Pinkie said. She dropped the key she had and looked up at Filsh.

“Well, in exchange for the rooms, you don’t mind if he stays here, do you? I never get volunteers to go into shock, and I thought this would be a good learning opportunity,” Filsh asked.

“I suppose he does need to be monitored,” Twilight said.

“Great! Tomorrow I can give five of you a tour. Remember, there has to be someone at his side at all times,” Filsh said.

“We volunteer ourselves,” A voice said from the doorway. The seven of them turned to the voice. Luna was standing there, her hood covering her mane as she looked at all of them. She wasn’t smiling, probably because she could see Synth from where she was at.

“Luna! What are you doing here?” Twilight asked, confused.

“We sensed something was amiss from the kingdom and rushed over to see for ourselves,” Luna said.

“What’s with the outfit?” Rarity asked.

“This land is not in our command, it’s best we are not recognized,” Luna said.

“Are we clear?”Luna asked Filsh.

“Of course, now how about you all get some sleep until tomorrow. I’ll do what I can,” Filsh said.

“We’ll stay here, if thou dost mind,” Luna said.

“Not at all, company is company,” Filsh said.

“Okay then, see you tomorrow princess,” Pinkie said.

“Farewell,” Luna said.

Twilight and the others finished their goodbyes before going to the inn that Filsh told them about. Luna stayed in the room, watching over Synth like he was an egg and she was the waiting mother. Filsh took out a notepad and wrote down notes as he finished bandaging Synth.

-------------

Luna heard a knock on the door. Filsh went to answer the knock, leaving her alone in the corner to watch Synth. Filsh opened the door to find the mane six waiting patiently.

“Oh I suppose you’d like a tour of this beautiful mountain city. Give me one moment to get ready and we’ll begin,” Filsh said. He walked to the back of his house. On the way back, he passed Luna who was seated closer to Synth, lifting the bandages off his chest to look at the wounds.

“He needs to heal, I advise you to leave him alone,” Filsh said.

“Of course,” Luna said, lowering the bandages.

Filsh went back to the door. Luna heard conversation about the town, but she was busy in thought to pay attention to it.

“What torturous nightmares are thoust having?” Luna asked Synth as he lay there. Of course, he didn’t answer, but she could imagine.

After a few hours of pacing back and forth, Luna sat back down to calm herself. She knew what symbol that was on his chest, only her and her sister would know what it was. Luna knew it was well past the time she should have been in bed, but she didn’t want Synth to be alone at this time. Shock was one hell of a trip, she knew.

Luna took a sip of the water Filsh had given her some time during the night and set the cup down on a table on the other side of the room. She looked down quickly as Synth started to mumble something. All of a sudden, the tiny amount of energy she could feel from him skyrocketed. It felt like she was with her sister. Then, that energy dropped back down to the faint level it was before.

Luna would have been worried, but then she saw Synth’s eyes starting to open. He closed them for a second before fluttering them open again. Luna looked down at him. His eyes were a flash of green before landing back to their normal purple state. Synth saw her in his vision, and his heartbeat went back to normal. All of a sudden, it felt like a weight was off of Luna’s chest as she saw Synth relax. Then, his eyes went wide.
------------

Synth opened his eyes. The darkness in the room was strangely inviting. He attempted to stand up, feeling that he wasn’t weak, nor did he have very much strength. When he’d gotten up, he looked around the dark and ruined castle to find Shade sitting on the small statue in the middle of the room. He was looking down at Synth, his eyes full of boredom.

“Hey, how’s it going?” Shade asked, before jumping off the statue and landing in front of Synth.

“Where are we?” Synth asked, but he already knew the answer.

“The castle of the two sisters,” Shade answered anyways.

“But, why?” Synth asked.

“Welcome to Shock,” Shade said.

“What?” Synth asked.

“You know how before when I took the energy from those jewels I would pass out?” Shade asked.

“Yeah, I like you better that way,” Synth said nonchalantly.

“Well, this is what would happen. This is the back of your mind. I’d usually sit back here and watch you until I got my energy back, but now that you’re here, I guess we’ll have to wait it out,” Shade said.

“But… the last thing I remember… I met this creature,” Synth said.

“Let me guess, Leviathan?” Shade asked.

“Yeah, how’d you know that?” Synth asked.

“He left you something,” Shade said. He looked up and above Synth. Synth followed his eyes and saw what he was talking about. A green banner hung above the entrance. It was cut and torn on the bottom, but the symbol above it was still there. It was an upside down t with a curved cross downwards.

“That wasn’t there before,” Synth said.

“That’s not all,” Shade said.

Synth followed his gaze once again and saw what he meant. There were six other banners, spaced out above the room. They didn’t have any symbols on them, and they weren’t ripped up or torn like the green one. There was a yellow, pink, blue, purple, orange and a blood red.

“What is all of this?” Synth asked.

“I’ve got a pretty good idea, but I’ll let you figure it out,” Shade said.

“So… what now?” Synth asked.

“Actually, I don’t know, I can’t control anything here, and I doubt you can either,” Shade said.

Synth didn’t even have to try to use his magic to feel the lack of energy he had. The idea that he was magicless gave him a fear he didn’t know he could have. Suddenly the room became darker. Shade blinked his eyes, thinking it was his vision, but Synth could feel something in the air. Something was different about this place.

“What was that?” Shade asked.

He got his answer when the wall nearby slid back to reveal a doorway. The other doorways that he could see were covered up, leaving them to stare into the darkness around them. Synth hesitated to go into the doorway. If something didn’t feel right, then why would they just accept what was happening as normal?

“This is just what I needed,” Shade said, walking towards the doorway.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Synth asked.

“Going on an adventure, it’s better than staying here and doing nothing for two hours,” Shade said.

Synth understood why he’d feel like that. It sounded like Shade’s been here multiple times already, and that made him the experienced one. Synth followed his lead and walked into the doorway. From what he could see, it was just darkness ahead. This didn’t stop Shade as they walked forward, farther from the haven of his mind.

“Where are we going?” Synth asked.

“Why do you ask so many questions?” Shade asked.

“I like to know that I’m not being led down some path of-,”

“Watch out,” Shade said, holding him back with his hoof. Synth stopped in time and looked down. The stone floor that was underneath them was the only thing stopping him from falling into the depths below. Across from them was a continuation of the path, although the gap in between was longer than his body.

“How are we going to get past?” Synth asked.

“We jump,” As if to emphasize his point, Shade jumped the gap without much effort. He turned back to see how Synth would do.

Synth gulped as he tried not to look down. Backing up, he got a running start. When he ran forward, he jumped and flew in the air. He landed awkwardly on the other side, although he looked back at the ledge that was uncomfortably close to him.

“Damn, I hoped you wouldn’t make it,” Shade said.

“Just keep walking,” Synth said.

Shade didn’t argue as they continued down the path. The walls seemed to be moving the farther they went. The stone floor was no longer grey, it became more of a faded green. His eyes adjusted to the darkness. Synth didn’t like the silence in this narrow hallway.

“There’s something I wanted to ask,” Synth said.

“I’m not scared of the dark,” Shade said.

Synth gave him a look before continuing. “Who is Leviathan? You sound like you know all about him,” Synth said.

“It’s not really who is Leviathan, it’s more of what is Leviathan. I can give you a short summary,” Shade said.

“That’d help,” Synth said.

“Where should I start… okay then,” Shade said.

“Not too brief,” Synth said.

“Leviathan was a fish. Well, more of an ancestral fish that went extinct, but he was a fish nonetheless. He wasn’t a shark or a whale. He was the lowest of the low on the food chain. Leviathan was different than his kin though. By the time he was fully grown, he had reached the size of a fish you’d see today,” Shade started.

“That’s not very big,” Synth commented.

“But he was a lot bigger than the rest of his species. Because of this, he tried to become the hunter, instead of the hunted. When an eel tried to wrap itself around it, Leviathan fought back and shattered his nervous system. Leviathan ate about half of the eel before his stomach gave out. It wasn’t used to eating other living things,” Shade said.

“Then why would he try to eat it?” Synth asked.

“To adapt, and that’s exactly what he did. The part that he ate rolled around inside of him until his body got used to it. Then, the body copied its cells and he grew a longer tail. Also, he had shinier scales than the others. But that wasn’t enough. When a shark tried to make it his lunch, Leviathan used his new tail to grip the head. This next part disturbs even me…” Shade said.

“What happened?” Synth asked, now anxious to hear every last detail.

“Leviathan ripped out his teeth and ate them. The shark would have grown them back easily, but Leviathan broke his jaw. What’s more, is that Leviathan waited for his body to adapt again. This time, he grew shark teeth. The prey became the predator as he roamed the ocean taking something from every kind of fish,” Shade said.

“Then why did he have fur and feathers?” Synth asked.

“After he’d become ruler of the sea, griffins were telling tales of having seen him. A guard platoon was sent down to the ocean to look for him. After they saw him, they tried to drag him out, but Leviathan was too strong for them. He pulled in nearly half a dozen with him as retreated. They weren’t seen from again because he chose to adapt,” Shade said.

“Then what?” Synth asked.

“If you let me finish… The King Griffin himself went down to challenge the beast. Leviathan rose from the water with his feathers and towered above the king. The king fought hard, but he had to retreat from the demon. Leviathan didn’t retreat, he chased him on land with the partially developed lungs. The king hid in the forest near his castle,” Shade said.

“Did he die?” Synth asked. Shade gave him a look that said ‘Shut up’.

“Leviathan tore the forest apart looking for him, but only managed to find wild animals that he devoured. When he finally went back because his lungs weren’t able to handle it for too long, the king went out to look for help. He didn’t have to look far. The grim reaper showed up one day saying that she could bring balance back to the living,” Shade said.

“The grim reaper is a-, never mind,” Synth said, seeing Shade’s look again.

“The reaper promised to reap him, in return for a pure life. The king reluctantly gave up his daughter, the second heir to the throne. The reaper said that she was the only pure one around. Her name was Humanitus. The reaper took her life and did what he promised. Almost. The reaper can’t reap the living technically, so he made him ethereal, a ghost if you would. After that, Leviathan wandered around without a body or any way to contact the world. But they say that if he’s near, you’ll feel a need to have what you don’t,” Shade said.

“That’s deep,” Synth said.

“A little longer than I thought, but I tried to shorten it up,” Shade said.

“Not the story, look down,” Synth said.

Shade looked down and sure enough, he could barely see the bottom. The path ended here, with rocks sticking out of the wall in random places. Synth could only assume that they had to go down.

“Race you to the bottom,” Shade said on Synth’s right, jumping on a nearby rock. Synth decided to take up the challenge and go left. He jumped onto the rock below, nearly slipping off the edge. Shade had no trouble jumping down one at a time.

Synth jumped down another rock, but he couldn’t stop looking over to Shade every few seconds. Shade was already almost halfway down. Synth didn’t want to be discouraged, so he jumped down another rock, this time a little easier. Now, he jumped down faster, finding it wasn’t as difficult. Once again, he looked to Shade, who was nearly at the bottom.

Synth jumped down one more, and then another. He didn’t even look down any more as he prepared his jumps right when he landed the previous one. Synth finally saw the ground and jumped down to it. He recovered from the jump and looked up to see Shade sitting down, waiting for him.

“C’mon, are you a mule or something?” Shade joked, punching his upper arm. Synth didn’t find the joke funny, but he stayed silent. He walked forward, Shade following him.

Synth walked down the newer narrow path. It wasn’t very long, ending at a doorway. It was the same doorway that he’d seen before. Now, the gems around the door glowed as they approached. It didn’t budge when they tried to push it open.

“What now?” Synth asked.

His question was answered as the walls around them started to shift. Synth was going to run, but Shade didn’t move, so he decided to stay there as well. Now the rocks in the walls moved aside to form symbols. One of the symbols he recognized, an upside down t with the cross curved downward. When everything stopped, Synth put his hoof on that symbol, thinking it was a puzzle.

“Don’t-,” Shade was interrupted as the walls shifted suddenly and Synth was pushed into the wall. The rocks grabbed his hoofs and pinned him to the wall, leaving him vulnerable. No matter how much he struggled, he couldn’t break free.

“Next time, why don’t you read it first?” Shade asked.

“Read what?” Synth asked.

Shade pointed to the top layer of symbols. “It’s a riddle,” Shade said.

“I can’t read pictures…” Synth said.

“Then let me do it,” Shade said.

Shade stepped back and squinted his eyes. When he finished, he recited what he’d read.

“Necessity comes with sacrifices. If only one sacrifice can be made: What is it?” Shade read.

“What does that mean?” Synth asked.

Shade didn’t respond as he looked at the other symbols below it. His eyes landed on one in particular and he walked closer to it. It was the outline of a heart, with the middle split in half. Shade put his hoof on it. After a few seconds of nothing, the door opened. Synth felt the rocks turn to dirt as he was freed.

“It’s better you didn’t know,” Shade said, although he wasn’t grinning or smiling. In fact, Shade looked almost sad, if not, worrisome.

“Whatever,” Synth said, tasting something bitter in his mouth. No matter Shade’s facial expression, Synth still resented that statement.

“Holy…” Shade said, looking up.

Synth was looking at the path in front of them, the floor replaced with an ocean and there were sea creatures swimming about. Most of them were predators, including sharks and eels. When Synth looked up to where Shade was looking, he didn’t know what to say. The walls were replaced with statues, although from just looking forward, you could only see a wall. Stretching farther into the sky than he could see, he saw the bottoms of griffins and a Timberwolf.

“Welcome to my Chambersssss…” They heard a voice say. Both of them looked down to the water. The frenzy of sea creatures were gone, the huge body of the sea serpent replacing them. Shade took a step back, confusion evident in his voice.

“What are you doing here?” Shade asked.

“Life isss just too dull, I thought I’d have sssssome…fun?” Leviathan said. The walls on the sides of them shifted. The huge statues next to them bowed down, making their sizes once again apparent to Synth.

“I mean, how did you get in?” Shade asked.

“I was invited… but don’t worry, I don’t plan on interfering with your actionssss. I merely like to experience what it feels like to live again…” Leviathan said. His mouth opened in what he attempted a smile but became a bearing of his teeth. The razor sharp teeth made Synth gulp.

“Get out, now!” Shade nearly yelled. He actually looked scared of something, but Synth couldn’t understand why. In fact, right now he was confused. His brain didn’t want to comprehend what was happening. It was like he lost his train of thought whenever he tried to think of something.

“How about I make a deal? If Ssssynth here can beat you in a duel, I’ll leave… ssssssound fair?” Leviathan said, his face forming into a devilish grin that showed teeth.

“What’s the trick?” Shade asked.

“No trick, other than the fact you can’t use magic,” Leviathan said.

“Deal,” Shade said, starting to feel his confidence come back. Of course he was stronger than Synth. Even without magic, Synth wasn’t built for combat while he had experience in it.

“Begin,” Leviathan said, giving a slight chuckle. Synth realized suddenly what they’d agreed to, turning to Shade.

“Let’s get this shrimp out of our head,” Shade proposed, lowering his head into a charging stance.

Synth didn’t know why; on any other occasion he would have agreed with Shade. But at this time, his thoughts were only focused on one thing. If Shade wanted Leviathan gone, he’d have to fight for it. Synth wasn’t going to let Shade walk on him.

“No, you’re going down,” Synth said in a monotone voice. He couldn’t think clearly as he lowered his head and charged without thinking.

Shade clashed heads, their eyes meeting as they clashed. Shade noticed for the first time that Synth’s eyes were fading from their usual purple hue into a faded purple. He pushed back, forcing them to back away. Something was wrong. Leviathan proposed this too easily. What did he do to Synth? Why did he feel stronger than the normal Synth he knew?

Shade couldn’t reflect on this for long, because Synth charged again. When Shade went down to clash, Synth ran by his head, lifting his hoof into Shade’s chin. Shade staggered back from the attack, gripping his chin in his hoof. He looked down in time to see Synth’s back hooves make contact with his face. He was sent sprawling back and into the wall.

Shade felt blood on his face that he didn’t know he could spill in their mind. When he looked up, the faded purple was changing from a clear iris to a faded green. Synth’s whole body was now green. Shade would have made a joke, but then he saw Synth lower his head for a charge. Shade attempted to get back on his hooves, but he had to roll to the side to not be crushed.

Synth pulled his horn and his face out of the wall without as much as a sound. Shade tried to get back up again, but Synth was on him before he could react. Shade couldn’t lift a hoof before Synth put his hoof on Shade’s chin and pulled him up on the wall. Shade looked into his eyes to see the deep green irises that he held. He tried to struggle out of the grasp, but Synth’s grip was tight.

“It looksss like I’ll be staying after all,” Leviathan said in the background, a dark laughter echoing in the caverns around them. Shade didn’t hear the end of the echo before Synth’s hoof made contact with his cheek. He was knocked out cold and landed limp on the ground.

“That might have been too much,” A voice said from nearby.

“He knew too much, who knows what he’ll tell Synth now,” Leviathan responded calmly.

“He won’t tell him anything… I’ll make sure of it,” A flash of white teeth came from the shadows that disappeared as quickly as they came.
------------

Synth opened his eyes. The world was spinning for a second, but then he saw Luna in his vision. His heartbeat started to slow as the strange feeling he had subsided. When he caught his breath that he didn’t know he’d lost, he asked a simple question.

“What happened?” Synth asked.

“Thou hast gone through Shock. Fear not, the trouble has past,” Luna said softly, almost like he was a child.

“Everything… is a blur…” Synth said, rubbing his head.

“What dost thou remember?” Luna asked, curious.

“I fought some golems… and then I met a… fish? I can’t remember that part too good. And then I… I… I was talking with Shade,” Synth said, forcing himself to recall the conversation.

“So Shade hast guided thou through the trouble, we presume?” Luna asked.

“I… can’t remember. Can you tell me what happened?”Synth asked.

“Your friends found thee on the verge of death. They had rushed thee to this doctor for thy salvation, but they have no idea as to what happened before,” Luna said.

“I feel terrible, and my head hurts…” Synth said.

“Thou should rest; perhaps time will heal thy mental wound,” Luna said.

“Yeah,” Synth said, dropping his head.

“We will prepare a feast, will thou be alright alone?” Luna asked.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” Synth said, wanting to close his eyes and get some rest.

Luna left the house to buy something in the market nearby. Synth was left looking at the ceiling, his body not wanting to rest any more, but his head was telling him to take it easy. Now, Synth tried again to recall what happened. All he could remember are flashbacks from the golem and the jewel lights. He could also see some green scales…

“Sea serpent?” Synth asked himself, remembering that was the last thing he saw. Then he realized something was off. He looked around the table he was on and realized that Lupin wasn’t there. “Lupin?” Synth asked the empty house. He didn’t get a response.

Synth lowered himself off of the table. His head throbbed at first, but it subsided slightly. His body felt ready, although it was stiff at places. Now, he walked to the entrance. Something in his mind should have told him that this was a bad idea, but in his mind he could only think of one thing. Getting Lupin back.

Synth opened the door and walked outside. Synth saw the mountain from the town and walked ran towards it. Some griffins watched him go, the scars on his torso were hidden, but the other scars were still healing and some of the dried blood got in his mane. Synth didn’t notice the stares however, as he continued to run towards the direction that he wanted to go. He made it out of the town quickly and ran even faster, thinking bad thoughts as he ran.
-------------

Luna was at the produce section of the market square and she had a bag of vegetables on her. She was looking at some tomatoes until she heard some familiar voices.

“And this is where we trade our goods. Of course, monetary values are just as good, but we like the traditional ways far more,” Filsh said, the mane six behind him. Luna had the cloak on, so she got closer so he could recognize her.

“Wouldst thou mind if we use thy residence in our preparation of a feast?” Luna asked.

“What?” Filsh asked, at first confused.

“She asked if she can use your house to make lunch,” Twilight said.

“Of course-, wait, you’re not supposed to leave Synth alone!” Filsh said surprised.

“Synth has awoken from his slumber in a positive condition,” Luna said.

“Is he alright?” Fluttershy asked from behind the group.

“Come see for thyselves if thou question my words,” Luna said.

The seven of them followed Luna back to Filsh’s house. When they went inside, Luna put the bag of food on the table and went into the living room where the others were blocking the door.

“What is the matter?” Luna asked.

“I’m getting the sheriff,” Filsh said.

“Wait, he doesn’t bite that hard!” Synth said.

Lupin jumped on the griffin and licked his face. After his face was covered in sap, the griffin suggested they leave.
------------

Synth looked into the entrance of the cave. The path they’d made when they first entered was still there. He entered, the darkness not affecting him because of his Night Eye. He walked forward until he reached the same cross road where he was split up with the others. The cave in wasn’t cleared. Synth didn’t know that the caves connected, so he activated his Endurance and smashed through the wall.

The caves rumbled as the ceiling shifted and rocks started to fall behind him. The way he’d come in was blocked off, as well as the open path. This left him only one way to go. Synth turned off his Night Eye as he raced through the jewel lights. He ran until he reached the place he’d fought the golems.

Synth ran through it, until he heard the same shift of rock he’d heard before. The symbols were on the walls. The golems formed from the walls, but they didn’t move. Synth walked towards the barrier golem that blocked the way. He would have felt endangered on any other day, but right now he could only think about getting Lupin.

The barrier golem stood up without Synth having to attack it. When Synth looked up at the large foe, he stepped to the side, giving Synth a clear path ahead. The golems around him formed back into the walls like they were secret service and they’d just found out he was a guest at the White House.

Synth didn’t think too hard about this before running forward again. If they were going to let him through because he’d already beaten them, then he should accept that. Even if that wasn’t the case, he wasn’t going to waste time and fight them. Either way, he ran forward again. Now, he came to the door he’d opened again. When he pushed against it, there was no light on the other side.

Synth walked into the large chamber with the water in the center. Other than him and the brown and green lump on the other side of the water, it was empty. Synth used his traction and ran across the water. It was just a guess, but he pulled it off without falling it. When he reached the other side, he kneeled down beside the pile of sticks and leaves.

Synth was directly next to the water. When he looked into the reflection, he saw something reflected from the roof. Synth looked up at the roof at the small symbols crafted in the rock. Synth would normally dismiss them because he knew he couldn’t read them. Now, however, he continued to look at them.

Synth felt a wave of pressure around him as the symbols suddenly made sense. He recited them out loud as he tried to read them.

“A necessity can be wanted,” Synth recited. He looked down at the reflection. His eyes flashed green before reverting back to purple. The message caught his attention once again in the reflection. “A want can be necessary,” Synth realized that it was almost the same message forward and backward. He looked down at the pile of sticks. They were shifting and moving. Synth’s heart started to race as they stood up on their own and built on top of each other.

Synth’s magic was being drained as the figure of Lupin formed in front of him. Now, he could see the yellow eyes look into his. Lupin barked excitedly before licking his cheeks. Synth hugged the wooden wolf for a second in joy. When he let go, he heard a crumble of rock. All around him the cave started to rumble and fall apart.

Synth was about to run the way he came from, until the wall behind where he’d found Lupin was starting to break apart as well. The wall fell down to show a whole new room the same dimensions as the one he was in. It didn’t have any water however, but it did have a continuation of the caves.

“Come on boy,” Synth said, jumping over the rubble and racing towards the cave system. Lupin didn’t have trouble keeping up, and he actually ran ahead of Synth. Synth followed him, the sounds of the crumbling cavern behind him bringing fear into him.

For the first time since he’d woken up, he’d felt something besides the dull hopelessness that he had earlier. He could actually think more clearly now, although the rocks falling around him still kept him on edge. When he’d reached the exit of the cave where he could see some light, Lupin jumped outside. Synth followed him, diving through the hole before a rock fell down and covered it back up. The light of the sun blinded him as he sat up next to Lupin. He looked at the sun, an unusual feeling in the back of his mind.
------------

Shade opened his eyes. His head hurt and he struggled to stand up. When he looked around, he saw the figure standing above him. The memory of what happened earlier came back to him in a rush and he felt like punching this pony in the face.

“What did you do to Synth?” Shade asked.

“What do you care? Aren’t you supposed to be evil? Wouldn’t you want to kill him yourself?” The pony asked. He had a white body, the mane was also white, and with the same hairstyle Synth wore. What he found weird was that his irises were clear, although it flashed green every few seconds.

“If he dies then we both die,” Shade said.

“It’s not like you were ever alive. I mean, you had your chance to kill those ponies, and you let it slip out of your hooves,” The white pony said.

“That was a long time ago, don’t try to make me look like a failure. Whatever you’re doing right now is going to be a bigger mistake than you think,” Shade said.

“I haven’t done anything evil… yet, I’ve only helped guide things along,” The pony said.

“What did you guide?” Shade asked, wanting some answers. Something about this pony really got on his nerves. Maybe it was the fact that he looked like Synth.

“I opened the door, you pushed him through,” The white pony said.

“What?” Shade asked.

“Let me explain why this is your fault, and not mine,” The pony said. “When that doorway opened at the beginning of your shock, you led him through. You broke his concentration with that chatter of yours. Leviathan slipped through,”

“Where’s Leviathan?” Shade asked. He just realized that they were back in the ruins of the old sisters. When he looked past the pony, he saw the doorway that was opened.

“He’s getting his things to move in... now as I was saying. When Leviathan got in, you challenged him to a race. You might not have known it, but he was jealous that you were better than him. When you beat him, you only made him feel worse. Not just that, but you took him further into the chambers. When you got to the Door of Envy, you broke the last bit of his resistance by doing something he can’t. You read that riddle and solved it,” The pony said.

“It wasn’t that hard,” Shade said.

“Synth can’t read it, well, he couldn’t. Anyways, you pushed the right symbol and changed something inside of him,” The pony said.

“Kindness…” Shade realized.

“Exactly, without kindness, he fell right into Leviathan’s grasp. With his help, he kicked your ass,” The pony said.

“Then, what now?” Shade asked.

“Synth woke up a while ago. He’s out there wishing he was something he’s not. But Synth is a lot stronger than Leviathan thought. With Luna around, he can’t really do what he plans. That’s where I come in,” The pony said.

“This place is only big enough for one supernatural being. Synth’s going to end this,” Shade said.

“Oh, but Synth doesn’t remember anything. Leviathan was never here. I was never here. If you try to tell him we were, then I’ll pull the strings. Even if we can’t take over completely, we can still bring down a city. Synth will become a target and end up dead. You’ll get taken down with him,” The pony said a malicious grin on his face.

“Don’t forget that you’ll die too,” Shade said, noticing his mistake.

“Leviathan agreed to bring me with him if that happens,” The pony said.

“Fuck you,” Shade said, the extent of his plan making him gulp.

“I’m giving you a taste of what we can do. Your shock ended about an hour ago. I’ve been holding down your mind like a prisoner. If I wanted, I could keep you here another week. I don’t want Synth to notice though, so I’ll let you out. If you even sound like you’re going to tell him anything, then I’ll pull you back in and Synth will see the other side of the Equestrian legal system. They say the death penalty is still in effect,” The pony said, his evil laughter echoing in the empty room.

“Bastard,” Shade whispered.

“I’m going to show you what being evil truly is. Just because a big part of your evil side was lost against the Elements of Harmony, doesn’t mean you just give up,” The pony said. Shade couldn’t say anything before the pony’s horn glowed and his vision blurred. When it came back to focus, he was looking through Synth’s eyes at the inside of a train car.

‘Hey, what’d I miss?’ Shade asked as casual as he could. It wasn’t very convincing.

‘I don’t know, you tell me. I can’t remember what happened. Luna said we could go home though, so I’ll be getting a lot of rest,’ Synth said.

‘Let’s just forget about this whole thing,” Shade said, a little too nonchalant.

‘Something about you sounds different, is there something you don’t want to tell me?’ Synth asked.

‘No,’ Shade said. At this moment, Synth looked out the window. In his reflection Shade saw his eyes flash purple to green and back. ‘Nothing at all,’ Shade said softly.

Author's Notes:

Last chapter for a while. I need to revise the old chapters. I recommend if you have spare time to read the revised versions because some key things will change. I'll explain the important changes in the bottom of the author's notes so you can just read those instead, but the little things might actually improve your take on the story. Still, if you've made it this far, I thank you. I hope I can finish the revisions soon, but I know it'll take a while. And, something to keep in mind until then...

Next Time: All better than me, Synth’s view on the competition brings out his new motivation.