They swam through the space, and soon found themselves on the shore. It was extraordinary. Great stone discs lined the walls, depicting great battles and glorious rulers, and torches provided an eerie glow to the area. There were heads on posts in a line, marking the path. A great, stone door sealed off whatever lay ahead. Twilight focused what little magic she could muster, and aimed for the door. A bright light shot out, and when the dust cleared, the door lay broken to the side. They crept in, not knowing what awaited them in the dark. One of the discs depicted a being most foul, with three heads, and a skeletal body. Its eyes glowed whiter than the snow, and in the background of this creature stood a figure that resembled Steve. But its eyes were the same white. Shivers ran up their spines, and they tread cautiously.

Inside, the chamber looked like it hadn't been touched for decades. Large spikes hung from the ceiling, and there were holes in the floor. A pit of lava outlined the floor, and a rotting wooden bridge crossed the gap. Steve motioned them to wait, and carefully set hoof on the bridge, testing its strength. It held, and he put another hoof down. Then another. Soon, he was all the way on, and he crossed without harm. The others followed suit, but when Spike crossed, the ropes snapped. He started to fall, but he grabbed onto a vine, hanging from the side.

"Help! This vine doesn't feel like it's gonna hold forever!"

Twilight tried a levitation spell, but magic had no affect in the chamber. Applejack, seeing no other option, had a plan. "Spike, grab on to mah hooves, and Ah'll pull ya up."

He did as instructed, and she lifted him off of the swinging vine. Just after she rescued him, the vine fell from the strain used, and burned in the lava. They all sighed in relief, and hurried on. The next chamber had less decay, and an odd sight it held. The floor was cracking, but a lush purple carpet rested on the floor. A round table sat in the center. Around the table sat six dead colts, all that was left was skeletal remains. In the center of the table, partially concealed by a trap door, was a chest. Steve slowly crept up to it, lifting his sword to feel for traps. Finding none, he lifted the door, and then the chest.

"I've found it. The Book of Ender Knowledge. Everything in the universe now has an answer. I can finally figure out how to get you all back home. Wait, what was that?"

The ground started to tremble, and rocks started to tumble down from the ceiling. They ran around, trying to locate the exit, and finally found the door. As they ran, they decided it best to just jump, without the bridge. So Spike was lifted on to Twilight's shoulders, and held on for dear life. Once they made their way out, the rest of the building crumbled, leaving a cloud of dust in its place. After the dust settled, they did a head count, not wanting any losses.

"Rarity... Applejack... Fluttershy... Rainbow... Pinkie... Spike. Good, we're all in one piece. That was rather exciting, if I do say so myself."

The rest of them looked at her, and Rarity was just silently glaring at her. Twilight blushed, and they made their way out. They swam back, and Fluttershy had a thought. "Girls, um... if we don't find any diamonds, or whatever it is, um... how will Angel be fed?"

Twilight rolled her eyes, but smiled. "He'll be fine, he knows how to fend for himself."

"I guess you're right. Okay, I'm sure h-he'll be fine."

Twilight smiled, and they continued up the sloping tunnels. After traversing mainly to the left, they found it. They found themselves in a high, dome-like space. Lava flowed down the walls, and in a passage to the right. A small beam of sunlight emanated from a hole in the roof of the cave. In the floor in front of them, all in a cluster, were shiny, blue diamonds.

Steve smiled. "We found them. We'll be able to make at least eight diamond swords, which we'll need. And there may still be more under it."

They dug and dug, and finally unearthed every single diamond from that spot. They had seventeen in all, and were satisfied with their spoils. "I have a plan to get out faster," said Steve. "We'll build a staircase, starting from there, and go up until we reach that hole. Then we'll dig our way out. Let's go."

They set down blocks, bit by bit, and started the ascent. As they built, they could hear groans and rattles from the other tunnels. "They're coming, hurry!" Steve knew they were doing their best, but they needed to go faster. They finally reached the top, and cleared the dirt away. They looked out, and daylight greeted them. They were by a village of sorts, and crops were growing. The villagers ran about almost aimlessly, and Twilight accosted them.

"Excuse me, do you happen to have a ma..."

The villager thrust a board in her face, but when she tried to move, she couldn't. She struggled and fought, but realized it said "Farmer offers emerald."

She was confused as ever, but it said he requested three gravel. She happened to have that item. She pointed at the gravel in her inventory, and the board disappeared, and in her hooves lay an emerald. Steve came up and whistled. "He gave you that for just three gravel? That's rather good bargaining on your behalf. We should be moving. It's midday now, and I smell rain again. My house is just that way."

So they made their way back, exhausted by their travails. It was only midday, but they already desired sleep. They decided a nap would suffice, and flopped down on their beds. The events of the day replayed in their dreams, and they knew they were closer to going home.

Author's Note

They may be closer, but not by much. Three realms to visit, many diamonds and things to find, and enemies to defeat.

Hope you're enjoying, and I'll see you in the next chapter.