Nine Realms

Now, it was well known that ponies did not exactly do well in tight spaces, and this right here was one very tight space. As soon as they'd entered the route that had been pointed out for them, the band of Equestrians realised that this was not going to be an easy or quick trip. And, as one would expect, this proved particularly troublesome for one member of their party. Rainbow, as ever, grumbled and groaned about how long this was taking, or how much better things would be if she was just able to fly to where they needed to go. And the others, ever patient with her by this point, simply listened as they continued onwards. But, travelling like this was no easy task, as they had to really squeeze through the tiny tunnel they'd found themselves in. Whatever person or being had made this journey before, they were either very small, or this opening had shrunk since the last time it was used.

But, in spite of this difficulty, they were getting through it. Granted, it was cramped, uncomfortable and occasionally even painful, what with the rare stone or jagged bit of rock that would jut out from the side and scraped at their fur, but even in the face of this, they continued. After all, they reasoned, they'd been through worlds of both extreme heat and extreme cold, and after all of that, it was unlikely that any place or realm they went to after this would prove any more difficult, not unless it was some truly nightmarish domain. But, they tried to put that thought out of their minds as best they could, focusing instead on just trying to walk through this place properly. The ground, as they'd found to their chagrin, would often be uneven, containing cracks and small pits that they had to hop across, though this latter activity proved rather troublesome, given the aforementioned tightness of the place.

However, despite all the long waiting they had to do to get through it, almost a day from the feel of it, they did nevertheless manage to see a literal light at the end of this tunnel. It was far off, but it was there al the same, and Twilight, upon seeing it, perked up immediately. She glanced over to her colleagues, especially to Spike, and gave them a reassuring nod. This had the desired effect, as the collection of Equestrians made their journey with an upped pace. Within minutes, Twilight, who had been at the head of their party this whole time, managed to squeeze past the last opening of the tunnel, though she strained to do so. Still, she was out, and since, being an alicorn, she was the largest of her friends, it took competitively little time for all the others to follow her example. One by one, they exited the pass, frequently letting out sighs of relief as they did so. Twilight's smile widened with each of her friends that escaped that place, and when they were all finally out, she addressed them.

"So...how is everypony?"

Sighing and exhaling over their efforts, the group took a moment to look somewhat amused by the question. After all, they were still in a whole other realm from their home, with little to no prospect of ever getting back, all while having entered a realm that, given their luck so far, might even be worse than the last ones they'd gone through. Twilight, allowing that thought to truly sink in for her, managed a dry chuckle, nodding slowly.

"Right...got it."

So, rather than carry on, they simply sat where they were, allowing themselves a moment of rest. Rarity, having been given this reprieve, took the opportunity to brush down her mane and fur, since both of those things had become rather unkempt through her efforts to squeeze through that blasted tunnel. Rainbow smirked to this, and herself used this brief time of calm to get herself resting peacefully against the edge of the small cave they'd entered here. True, resting against bare stone walls wasn't exactly the most comfortable position to take a brief nap, but it was all she had. Spike, who, as usual, kept himself close to Twilight, sat down beside her and looked to her with uncertain eyes. Twilight, looking back down to him, wrapped her wing around him, holding him close. Through all the difficulties they'd had in their lives, they always had each other, and that was not about to change, even if they were within strange and bizarre worlds such as this one.

By contrast, Pinkie seemed to have the least issue in being here, and was instead happily humming to herself as the time passed them by. Naturally, this earned her some looks of incredulity by her colleagues, including Fluttershy, who had taken to simply resting upon the ground next to Applejack. And speaking of whom, the young farmer took off her hat, giving her face a wave with some cool air to help herself after their tiring journey through the passageway. Now, as one would of course assume, having to cool yourself off after having endured a realm of nothing but ice and snow was hardly the most sensible-looking thing to do, and Applejack herself, perhaps realising this, let out a hearty chuckle, before promptly putting her hat back on top of her head. The others shared in the laugh, but when it was over, Twilight let out a long sigh, looking around the rest of the cave.

"So...shall we?"

The others, though clearly somewhat reluctant after all this, nevertheless nodded to her, getting themselves back to their hooves and having a brief moment to stretch before gathering together as a group once more. Twilight, nodding to them all, made her way forward first, heading through the, thankfully, much larger tunnel on the other side of where they'd come from. The others followed, their faces showing clear determination to go against whatever it was this new realm had to offer. And it appeared that they would not have to wait for long, for just ahead, they could see that same light from before. It was the entrance of the cave, and Twilight, narrowing her eyes, walked slightly faster than her friends, getting to that entrance a lot sooner than the rest of them. Whatever kind of world this was going to be, she wanted to be the first to see it.

"Okay...what kind of world do...we...have?"

Her words slowed down, betraying the disbelief she now bore, and the others, hearing her speaking like that, walked close beside her, glancing out onto the world like she was. And just like her, they could not imagine that they would end up in a place like where they now found themselves. Twilight, after blinking slowly to the sight that she had been blessed with, took on a more bewildered look to her.

"Well...I wasn't expecting that."