Sisyphus

by daOtterGuy

Rating: teen
Tags: Rockhoof, Science Fiction, The Pillars, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Death, Drama
Length: 20048

Rockhoof is trapped within a time loop trying to save his friends from death.

Rockhoof is trapped within a time loop trying to save his friends from death.

Teen Rating for intense themes. Death Rating for explicit but non-graphic depictions of character death.

Preread by The Sleepless Beholder, Dewdrops on the Grass, and LuckyChaosHooves

Edited by EileenSaysHi

Written for the Quills and Sofas Speedwriting Among Us Contest with the Imposter prompt "Running Out of Time"

Entry for Bicyclette's Science Fiction Contest 2023

Inspired by the video game The Sexy Brutale

Published 2023-03-13 14:10:00 UTC
Last updated 2023-03-23 01:46:07 UTC

Corrupt

Push the boulder up the hill,

Let it roll back down again

Try to save a single friend,

But leave the other five for dead

Over and over, Rockhoof tries,

But ultimately, all he does is fail.

“For goodness sake, ya ol’ geezer, hold onto the damn shovel!” Rockhoof shouted.

Starswirl held limply onto the metal blade with one hoof, dangling over the edge of the precipice – the bottom of which swirled with dark energies, crackling and snapping at the two above.

The old stallion’s eyes were pools of blackness from which opaque dark tears flowed freely down his face.

“I’m sorry friend, but this is the end,” Starswirl replied sadly.

“No, it ain’t, you bloody codger! Every time we do this, you’re all ‘woe is me, I deserve this’, and I’m getting right sick of it.”

“I know not what you mean, but I agree that I do deserve this.” Starswirl smiled bittersweetly. “I can’t keep ruining your lives like this.”

“Of all the— you aren’t! And even if you were, you can make it up to us by not dyin’. For the so-called smartest unicorn of a generation, you can be pretty stupid, Swirl. Now, hold on—”

“I don’t have the will to carry on, Rockhoof.”

“Will you just—”

“You’re the ever-dependable one—”

“Stop talking and—”

“—and the one I trust to lead the others in my absence.”

“There’s no one left! They’re all gone and it’s just you and—”

“Stay strong, friend. I believe in your strength.”

“Swirl, don’t you dare—”

He let go, falling down into the abyss.

A trail of black tears marked his path, suspended in place by unknown magic. As Starswirl got closer to the bottom, the darkness reached up to meet him, swallowing him within its cold embrace. In mere moments, there was no trace of the stallion.

Chimes rang in the distance.

“Dammit!” Rockhoof pounded the wooden floors under his hooves. “Dammit, dammit, dam—”

“—mit!”

Glass shattered as Rockhoof’s hooves slammed down onto the hourglass that appeared before him. He was back in the main foyer of the accursed place he had become trapped inside. A massive chamber with high vaulted ceilings and a checkerboard marble aesthetic. Paths stretched out from this central area and deeper into the depths of the elaborate house.

“Back here again, then,” Rockhoof muttered. He rubbed his forehead as he heaved a weary sigh. “Well, startin’ with Misty didn’t work and I still don’t know the damned timing for whatever makes Swirl start acting like a fool.”

He paced back and forth, a click resounding through the room every time his hoof made contact with the tiled floor.

“Flash and Swirl are definitely last. Brook, Misty, and Som are somewhere in the middle of dat mess, so that would mean…” He stopped and pivoted to face down one of the corridors. “Styg must be first!”

Rockhoof galloped down the hallway.

“Is there any way I can convince you not to look for the book?” Rockhoof asked.

Rockhoof stood by Stygian in a large library, rows of shelves sagging under the weight of hundreds upon hundreds of books leading into entire sections of the room dedicated to specific categories of reading. Dim lighting lit the way through open corridors laden with casual sitting areas and work desks.

“It is vitally important that I acquire the book in question, as it is the only way I can conceivably see us escaping from this place without resorting to drastic measures that, considering our track record, I would greatly appreciate avoiding.” Stygian narrowed his eyes. “Why is it that you want me to abandon the search?”

“Well, I, uh…”

“Rockhoof, I can already tell you are attempting to come up with a reasonable lie, which, need I remind you, you are terrible at. What is going on?”

Rockhoof heaved a weary sigh. “Remember that witch back in the Forbidden Jungle?”

“Yes, of course, I do.” Stygian rolled his eyes. “I in particular had a rather nasty time with it since I couldn’t— ah, you cannot speak of the reason why or you will burst into flames.”

“Not gonna be burned, but things do get worse if I try to tell others ‘bout it.”

“Truly unfortunate circumstances, but hopefully remedied shortly once I find that accursed book. I shall start in the Historical—”

“No!” Rockhoof shouted, memories of burnt fur filling his senses.

Stygian stepped back, a hoof to his chest. “That was rather overblown. I never knew you despised the fiction genre so much. Though, I don’t why it surprises me considering the tastes of—”

“No, I mean the book isn’t there.” Stygian raised a hoof to interrupt. “It's part of what I cannae tell you.”

“Fine, I suppose. This curse you are under is making my efforts rather frustrating. Mayhaps I could give you a suggestion as to a place to search and you can tell me whether or not that is the correct course?”

“Aye, that would work.”

“Right then. How about Arcane Magic, to start?”

Rockhoof felt the metal teeth of the traps closing around him, digging into his skin. “Nay.”

“Perhaps, architecture?”

Showers of acid descending from above, burning through fur and skin. “Also, nay.”

A huff of annoyance. “Surely, Spatial Magic can’t be—”

“Absolutely not!”

“Really? What could possibly be so bad as to avoid a theoretical school of magic?”

“You don’t want to know, lad.” A shudder of revulsion passed through Rockhoof.

“I am running out of places to search, unfortunately.” Stygian tilted his head side to side in thought. “Transfiguration?”

“That one might have it.”

“Then we have a course of action!” Stygian said excitedly. He looked down several of the corridors before starting a brisk trot down one seemingly at random. “This way, my compatriot.”

“Styg, slow down. Let me take the lead,” Rockhoof called out as he chased after him.

“Oh, please, Rockhoof. It’s a library, and a fantastic one at that!” Stygian gave a boisterous guffaw. “The depth of knowledge on display here is incredibly impressive, and, I dare say, makes me very jealous of whoever owns all these fine tomes.” He glanced at some words engraved onto an overhead arch. “Ah, here we are.”

“You need to be more cautious. This place is dangerous.”

A snort of disbelief. “Oh, please. What’s the worst that could happen? I get a paper cu—”

It took merely a moment for the spike to shoot out of the floorboards, a second for the twitching to subside, and a third for Stygian to release his last gasp of breath as blood dripped down the horrid metal contraption.

Rockhoof felt numb to the sight, one he had seen too many times. He calmed himself down as he told himself that he could always save Stygian in the next loop. He always had time. For now, he needed to refocus his efforts, and make this iteration worth going through.

“I’ll need to take a gamble this time. Going off my previous experience, I should check on Som, Misty, or…”

“... Brook,” Rockhoof mumbled.

His friend lay dead on the floor before him, her normally vibrant blue fur faded to grey. Purple sludge oozed from a corner of her mouth, the poison still bubbling away in a nearby cauldron. Various ingredients were spread out haphazardly across the table, filling the upscale kitchen with their fragrant scent.

Rockhoof smothered the heat under the cauldron using a pot lid. “Least I know who died first.”

Three chimes rang out, signifying the time. He thought about the progression of the loop and realized that Mistmane was due to die soon if he didn’t hurry to her location. Mentally deciding on his path from the kitchens, Rockhoof barrelled out of the room and down the winding corridors toward the indoor aquarium.

A spacious, well-decorated room greeted him, with the grand centerpiece, a massive empty glass tank, front and center. Overhead pipes spewed water into the container and onto the frantic form of Mistmane, as well as schools of dead fish.

She perked up at his entry. “Oh, thank goodness. Rockhoof, I’m trapped. I was just looking around and—”

“Aye, Misty, donnae worry. I’ll get you out of there.”

“Thank you, but please hurry. I don’t know how long I have.”

An hour, if he didn’t screw this up. Significantly less if he did.

Racing through an open archway, he found himself in a sitting room with two pipe valves embedded in the walls. He was unsure of the exact order, just that there were ten different valves in the adjoining rooms and only one correct combination.

He mentally recalled what he could of the previous order he had completed, and decided that he would start with the valve on the right.

Trotting up to the metal wheel, he grasped it firmly within his hooves and quickly began to rotate it, a horrible screeching emanating from the movement.

A clock chimed out, warbling loudly in tone before being drowned out by a loud crash.

Startled, he yanked hard on the wheel of the valve, snapping it off of the spoke it was attached to.

“Damn it all!” Rockhoof cursed. “Why would that accursed clock—”

“Rockhoof!” Mistmane screamed.

Galloping back to Mistmane, horror settled into him as he saw the tank begin to fill in earnest, already clearing Rockhoof’s head. Mistmane paddled desperately on the surface of the water, soon to be stopped by the closed top of the tank.

“Rock, I—” Mistmane gasped out as she desperately swam in place. “Please, I can’t— Rock, help m—!”

With panic gripping his mind, Rockhoof fell back on old habits and he began to slam into the glass with his full body. He bounced off the surface and to the ground. Unwilling to concede defeat, he got back up and tackled the same spot, over and over.

His energy spent, Rockhoof, collapsed against the glass, slumping in place and fogging up the pane with his heavy breathing.

Fighting back tears, he looked up at the ethereal form of his friend floating in the water, ringed by a halo from the floodlights embedded in the top of the tank.

“Thought so,” Rockhoof remarked numbly.

After leaving Mistmane, he had made his way to the clock room, a massive machine of interlocking gears that controlled the grand clock on the exterior of the mansion. The clock, however, was permanently stopped shortly after three, but not for a lack of trying. The gears kept attempting to continue their advance, but were gummed up by a shape stuck between the cogs.

A hole in the ceiling above filtered light from the guest rooms to the chamber Rockhoof found himself in. Puddles of red dripped from the teeth of the gears and pooled on the floorboards from the object that had fallen through.

“I’m sorry, Som.”

Taking his time, Rockhoof meandered out of the clock room and up into the guest quarters. He made his way down long hallways to room four-two-three. Pushing open the door with a shoulder, he entered the run-down, ratty guest room and took a seat at the end of the single bed.

He looked off into the distance and away from the mutilated form of Flash Magnus.

“Failed again, Flash.” Rockhoof chuckled humourlessly. “Ya know, it’s funny. This used to be devastating to me, but it’s gotten easier recently. Still haven’t saved a single one of our friends, but I’m just numb to the whole thing now.”

Using a hoof, he idly wiped away the tears flowing down his face. “I never figured out what did this to ya. What ripped you to shreds. Looks like an animal, could have been another pony I don’t know about, but in this place, I cannae really tell either way.

“Well, not wholly true. Can’t figure out Som either. You’re a total mystery, but Som’s death just keeps changing. Leave it to her to never be consistent, even in dying.” He released a chuckle that turned into a pained sob.

“Really wish it could have been someone else to deal with dis mess. I shouldn’t have been the one chosen for this. I don’t have the brains like Misty, or Styg, or Swirl. Definitely don’t have the gumption that you, Som, and Brook have. Just a mindless brute whose best trait is being able to smash his way through things.

“And what good is that here?”

Getting off the bed, he leaned down, and kissed Flash on the unwounded part of his face, between the crisscross of red scars that cut into his skin, oozing blood onto the floorboards.

“Love ya, Mags. I’ll try to save you next time. Gotta deal with the idiot wizard next.”

Rockhoof left the room, closing the door gently behind him.

“Why does it always end like this?” Rockhoof asked.

Back at the end, Starswirl held onto Rockhoof’s shovel as Rockhoof desperately tried to convince him to hold on, to not give in and be taken by the abyss.

“Because I’ve failed you all, my friend,” Starswirl replied. “This is the only way I can atone. The only way I can free you all from myself.”

“Sorry, Swirl, but I'm afraid I’ve been the biggest failure as of late.”

“Nonsense. You—”

“Don’t even try. I haven’t been able to save a single one of you and I’ve had all the time to do it.” Unbidden tears came to his eyes. “I’ve had so many chances and I just… can’t do it. It’s getting harder to keep going, Swirl. I can’t ignore what I am.”

“Rockhoof, you are not a failure.”

“No, you’re wrong. I cannae—”

“Stop,” Starswirl interrupted, the blackness in his eyes fading momentarily to grant him temporary lucidity. “You are the pillar of strength for a reason. It is not just because you are physically capable, it is because you are a source of stability for us all. That is why we need you.”

“You don’t need—”

“I won’t hear you degrade yourself like this. Though you may not be the wisest, nor fastest, nor the most durable, you have the most important trait of any of us: heart. You are what keeps us moving forward, what keeps us grounded in this world that sees fit to destroy us at every turn. Without you, we could never have the strength to do what we must.”

“... I don’t believe you, Swirl.”

“You should.” Starswirl smirked. “I’m considered the smartest unicorn of a generation.”

“You don’t act like it most times.”

“And that’s why I need you to call me out on it.” Starswirl chuckled. “I confess, my dear friend, that in this moment of clarity, I do not know what is happening, but, whatever, may happen—

“I believe in you.”

Before Rockhoof could reply, the abyss reared up and grasped Starswirl in its embrace. The last thing Rockhoof saw was a beaming smile from his friend as he let go and allowed himself to be swallowed.

Tears rolled down Rockhoof’s face and—

—onto the shattered remains of the hourglass.

Rockhoof took a deep breath to steady himself and gather his thoughts.

“... I’ll start with Brook this time,” he declared.

He wiped the tears roughly off his face and glared defiantly up at the sky to whoever had trapped them in this place.

“And I won’t give up until I save everyone.”

He galloped off.

Poison

“Pass me the lavender, hun,” Brook asked with a proffered hoof.

“Course, Brook,” Rockhoof replied. “Which—”

“The crushed lavender, please.”

“Right.”

Grabbing the requisite bowl of the noted ingredient off of a nearby shelf, Rockhoof passed the fragrant herb to Meadowbrook, who promptly tossed the concoction into the cauldron. She stirred it evenly with a long wooden ladle three times clockwise, which caused a sweet scent to emanate and fill the room.

“Thanks, hun. You’re the best assistant a gal could ask for.”

“Thank ya kindly, but I would think Mistmane, or Stygian would be better choices.”

“Not necessarily. You listen to me and are perfect for any material grinding. Those two aren’t bad,but Mistmane has too delicate a touch for the mortar and pestle, and Stygian has his own ideas about how a potion should be brewed.” Meadowbrook huffed. “I love the goofer, but he can be a bit of a know-it-all at times.”

A snort. “Like with the sphinx riddles?”

Meadowbrook released a hearty laugh. “I was just thinking about that. Ended up absolutely gobsmacked when Somnambula swooped in and answered all of the sphinx’s riddles before he even had time to think about it. Thankfully, Stygian can take the hit to his pride with grace, unlike another we know of.”

“Flash or Swirl?”

“Yes,” Meadowbrook answered simply. “Could you pass me some coriander, hun?”

“Seed or leaf?”

“Leaf.”

Rockhoof grabbed a few stalks from a nearby bowl in his hoof and passed them to Meadowbrook, who threw them into the pot, transforming the concoction to a dark shade of yellow.

“Do you really think this will work?” Rockhoof asked.

“Hopefully,” Meadowbrook answered. “A true sight potion to find a route out of this place isn’t something I would typically make for such a task, but since you told me none of my other ideas would work, I don’t have too many options left to work with.”

“Aye. I’m just glad you believed me.”

“Why wouldn’t I? You’re trustworthy and, besides that, you’re terrible at lying.” She giggled. “Remember when you tried to hide the reason you kept sneaking out of camp so often?”

“A-aye,” Rockhoof relented, his face burning.

Meadowbrook shot Rockhoof a mischievous look. “Now, now. No need to be embarrassed. Just because I don’t—” The concoction emitted a melodic note and shimmered brightly drawing Meadowbrook’s attention to Rockhoof’s relief. “—Oh! It’s done.”

“Are ya sure I couldn’t try it first?” Rockhoof asked hesitantly.

“Absolutely not. You said so yourself that other potions don’t behave the way they should in here. I could never live with myself if you were harmed by one of my own brews.”

She withdrew a small glass vial from a pouch in her saddlebags and ladled a mouthful into the container. Swirling it at eye level, she watched the concoction with a focused expression. When the potion began to emit a golden glow, Meadowbrook hummed in satisfaction.

“Now, just need to drink and then we should be out of here shortly.”

As Meadowbrook tipped the vial toward her mouth, memories surged to the surface of Rockhoof’s mind. Meadowbrook convulsing. Ooze bubbling from her mouth. The slowing of her movements as—

He grabbed the vial out of Meadowbrook’s hoof, and, before she could react, drank it in one gulp. It tasted herby and like liquid sunshine.

“Rockhoof!” Meadowbrook exclaimed.

“I’m sorry, lass, but—”

His heart thumped hard in his chest as he felt his lungs struggle to breathe. He collapsed onto the floor, his legs giving out. He clutched his chest forcing his organs to function through sheer will.

Meadowbrook was by his side in mere moments, holding his head between her hooves. She was trying to ask him something, but his hearing had deafened.

Darkness edged in from the corners of his vision. The last thing he saw was the tear-stricken, distraught face of Meadowbrook.

“That’s rather unfortunate. I’m not really sure what I can do then if none of those potions worked,” Meadowbrook commented after Rockhoof had finished citing the list of past failures.

“Is there not some kind of dispel potion?” Rockhoof asked.

“That’s something more in line with spellwork, not potions. There aren’t really any recipes for something of that sort, even though…” She trailed off, appearing thoughtful.

“Have an idea, lass?” Rockhoof smirked, knowing the expression.

“Well, if I just… and maybe… Rockhoof, could you—?”

“What do you need?”

“To start, some basil and lotus flowers. After that, we’ll see what happens.”

The next few minutes were a blur as Brook gave out orders and Rockhoof followed them to the best of his ability. A shimmering clear concoction began to form within the cauldron that Meadowbrook tended to. After the experimental potion had bubbled for a few minutes, she spooned an amount into a vial from her pouch and swirled the contents lightly within the container. It pulsed white light twice.

“So, you think it’ll work?” Rockhoof asked.

“I don’t know.” Meadowbrook tucked the vial securely into a pouch on her saddlebags. “Theoretically, it should dispel whatever magic is sealing the door in the foyer.”

“Meaning that, if the potion works…”

“We should all be able to leave this place.” Uncertainty crossed her face. “But it’s untested, assuming this kind of purpose is even possible for a potion. They really aren’t meant for this kind of thing and I worry what other effect it may have in place of its intended function.”

“We won’t know if we don’t try. If you’re worried, I could test—”

A harsh glare. “Rockhoof, you know my policy on testing new potions. If I’m unsure of the effect, I’m the only one that uses it.”

Pushing back the memories of past loops, Rockhoof replied, “Course, Brook. I would never overstep into your domain.”

She nodded once. “Good. Now, I suppose we should make our way to the door and try this one out.”

“As we should. After you,” Rockhoof said gesturing toward the door.

Meadowbrook took the offer and trotted into the hallway, with Rockhoof following close behind. They walked side-by-side, keeping an eye out for anything dangerous, until they reached the main foyer. A large open area with vaulted ceilings, with multiple staircases and corridors shooting off into the different parts of the mansion.

The entrance stood prominently to one side of the room, a massive solid-oak double door blocked by a shimmering barrier. Carved into the wood were six circles centered on a central one. One of the outer circles was lit up with a pale blue glow.

“That’s new,” Meadowbrook said.

“I don’t remember that being lit up before,” Rockhoof added.

“Well, we can examine it further when the dispel potion hopefully does its job. Step back, Rockhoof.”

“Brook—”

She pinned Rockhoof with a harsh glare. “You know my stance on this matter.”

With a begrudging nod, Rockhoof stepped back several paces. Once Meadowbrook was satisfied with the distance, she took the vial out of her pouch, popped the cork and poured the contents onto the barrier. The shield flickered a few times before dissipating into nothing, leaving clear access to the door.

“We did it!” Meadowbrook exclaimed excitedly as she turned to Rockhoof, who returned her elation with a big grin. “Now, we just need to—”

Suddenly, black smog exploded outwards from the door and flooded the area, obscuring Meadowbrook from view.

“Brook!” Rockhoof shouted.

He charged into the smog as it began to disperse, grabbing onto Meadowbrook, who had collapsed to the floor in a coughing fit. Red scars criss-crossed her body as her fur began to blacken. He held her close, shouting her name as the same effect began to spread along his forehooves.

She smiled up at him, tears in her eyes as her body began to disintegrate along the edges of the scars. His hooves came together suddenly as Meadowbrook became nothing more than dust.

Pain coursed through Rockhoof’s body as he watched the scars begin to spread along his body, darkening the fur it touched. Just as his hooves began to break apart before his eyes, he felt his consciousness fade.

“I know you want to talk, Rockhoof, but I have—” Meadowbrook started.

“Potions won’t work, Brook.” Rockhoof said from his position at the head of the prep table. “Please trust me on this.”

“... Okay.” She took a seat across from him, close enough to touch. “Can I ask how you know they won’t work?”

“I cannot. If I do, my heart will be stopped.”

Meadowbrook’s eyes widened. “What?!”

“It’s a condition placed by upon me by this horrid place, lass. Nothing to be done, and not what I want to talk about.”

She looked like she wanted to inquire further, but instead relented. “Alright, then what did you want to talk about?”

“I wanted to say I was sorry.”

“For what?”

Rockhoof turned away, frowning.

A hoof stretched to encapsulate the other. Meadowbrook rubbed Rockhoof’s hoof affectionately as she leaned closer toward him.

“Talk to me, hun,” Meadowbrook pleaded.

“... I keep failing you.”

“In what way? Is this about us being trapped in this house?” A bittersweet smile spread across her face. “Or is this about my romantic feelings for you from before?”

“The house,” Rockhoof answered. Then added under his breath, “Maybe the second too.”

“I don’t resent you for that.”

“You found out in the worst way possible.”

“I’ll admit, finding the stallion I had been crushing on in a compromising position with the stallion I hated was… not the best, but I let it go because I didn’t want to lose you from my life.”

“It wouldn’t be a huge loss.”

“Hun, no. Look at me.” She grabbed Rockhoof’s face with her other hoof. Rockhoof reluctantly moved to look back. “You’ve done nothing wrong.”

“I should have been more upfront with you. You didn’t—”

“You aren’t obligated to announce your preferences to everyone you meet, just the same as I don’t have a right to know about them because I had a crush on you. Even past that, a relationship between us was doomed from the start, considering what I found out about my own preferences later.”

“I still don’t get it.”

“And you don’t need to. All you need to know is that I need you in my life, but not in the same capacity as the way you are with Som and Flash. I want us to be close, but I now realize that I didn’t want us to be close like that.

“Just keep being you, hun.”

Rockhoof leaned into Meadowbrook’s hoof. “Thank ya, lass. For the reassurance.”

“You always seem to need to apologize for that at least once a moon. I had thought you were due soon.” They both laughed. “Was that all?”

“No, the other bit is harder.” He grabbed Meadowbrook’s hoof with his own, setting his face into a determined line. “I need you to wait.”

“For what?” Meadowbrook asked with a confused tilt of her head.

“Do you remember about the condition I told you about before?” She nodded. “It comes with other things. Things only I can do and it seems to be the only way to get out of here. It allows me to have a chance to save the others, but… I can’t save you. But that just means for right now!” Rockhoof quickly added. “I won’t give up until I can. I need you to know that I would never—”

“It’s okay, Rockhoof,” Meadowbrook gently interjected. “I’ll wait as long as it takes. I have faith in your ability to see this through. Always will.”

“Thank ya, Brook.”

“Anytime. Now, you seem a bit stressed. How about we chat for a while before you go gallivanting off? For a dear friend?”

“For you, I suppose I could, though, ‘Dear Friend’ donnae seem to fit us well.”

“It will suffice for now.” A mischievous grin. “Lest you want another incident like in Som’s home village.”

A choked nervous laugh escaped from Rockhoof as Meadowbrook released a peal of infectious giggles. While they continued to speak of days gone by and days yet to come, a single green light lit up in another part of the mansion.

Drown

“I’m beginning to wonder if there even is a solution to this,” Rockhoof muttered grumpily as he leaned his head against the glass tank.

“Well, what have you tried thus far?” Mistmane asked from her position inside said tank.

“The valves do nothing except make things worse, and the order doesn’t seem to matter.” Dozens of wasted loops over that. “Can’t access whatever the source of this infernal water is, so that option’s out.” He quietly noted that catching Mistmane before she became trapped in the tank was impossible, as she was already in it almost immediately after each loop reset.

“Breaking the glass also seems to be impossible, as it has proven to be indestructible.”

“I’m not so certain about that, lass.”

“You took more damage from trying to break it than the glass took from you.”

Rockhoof rubbed a sore shoulder as he winced.

“Seeing as you are the strongest pony here and that using a weapon just makes things worse—” a pointed look at the bump on Rockhoof’s head and the remains of a wooden chair in the corner of the room “—I believe it is safe to say that the tank is invincible, considering the options available to us.” Mistmane pondered a moment. “It may also be mocking us, but attributing malice to an inanimate object feels like a path toward madness.”

“Aye, aye,” Rockhoof agreed. “There also doesn’t seem to be some sort of switch to turn off the water for this tank. Plenty of options for all the other tanks, though,” He growled the last part.

“And there’s only one entry point?”

“From above, but Flash and Som are galloping off who knows where.”

“If they went off to get some private one-on-one time together, I’m spiking their tea with laxatives next chance I get.”

“Rather petty of you, Misty.”

“I’m about to drown,” Mistmane remarked dryly, the water having risen to just above her knees. “I believe I’m entitled to a bit of out-of-character spite.”

“Aye, aye,” Rockhoof agreed.

“Though, even if they were here, I’m somewhat skeptical of their ability to fit through that gap despite how small they are.” She sighed. “I don’t suppose there is some engineer or servant of the house to assist with my predicament?”

“Nay, there is no one that I could find, and even should there truly be someone else here, I would assume they be hostile or another victim like us considering the circumstances.”

“So, I am to die here,” Mistmane stated simply.

“That’s—” Rockhoof attempted to think of the right words, but realized there weren’t any. “Aye, Misty. I’m sorry.”

“Nothing to apologize for. I’m the old fool that wandered into this trap. You would think with my age, I’d know better,” She jested.

A snort. “You’re younger than I am.”

“And yet so much wiser. Must be the wrinkles.”

“Aye, must be.”

They chuckled at the joke but eventually settled into a morose silence as the water reached Mistmane’s chest.

“I have a favour to ask of you,” Mistmane said.

“Anything,” Rockhoof replied.

“Stay with me until the end?”

In lieu of an answer, Rockhoof pressed his hoof against the glass. Mistmane smiled bittersweetly as the water level rose to her head.

“We melt it,” Rockhoof proposed as he paced back-and-forth before Mistmane’s tank.

“There isn’t enough time for Meadowbrook to brew a potion strong enough to do so, and, as you’ve stated, her potions aren’t working how they should,” Mistamane replied as she eyed the water rising up to her chest. “Meaning that, in the worst case, the result puts us in a more dire situation than we already are in.”

“Stygian is smart. He could figure out the mechanical parts of the tank, then free you.”

“He is indeed intelligent, however, mechanical devices are his blindspot. I’m sure you still remember the catapult?”

Rockhoof stopped. “It… worked.”

Mistmane smiled thinly.

“Starswirl’s beard grew back after we cut most of it off to get rid of the tree sap,” Rockhoof defended.

“Yes, and for several months after that incident, you and Flash called him ‘Starbaby’ for looking too young without it.”

“He looked funny!”

“He did, but that is also why Stygian isn’t allowed near machines, since that is hardly the only example of one of his engineering ‘solutions’ going awry.”

“I’m sure he wouldn’t mess up… this… time…” Rockhoof faltered under Mistmane’s patient expression. “Fine, you’re right. Stygian is a bad choice.” He resumed his pacing.

“For this particular situation, yes. Though, since you mentioned him, perhaps Starswirl may be of assistance?”

“I have no idea where he is right now, and, even if I did, he isn’t himself.”

“Unfortunate, since having a powerful unicorn with a large repertoire of spells would be rather beneficial right now. I presume Som and Flash are likewise unavailable?”

“They’re somewhere on the second floor of this accursed place, and I’ve been unable to catch more than a glimpse of them as they race off somewhere else.”

“Another dead end, then.” Mistmane pondered a moment. “There is no one else within the mansion to help?”

“Nay, just us in here.”

A thump resounded through the room with each of Rockhoof’s hooffalls in the ensuing silence, the stallion desperately wracking his brain for a solution as the water continued to rise. Mistmane stared wistfully off into the distance, seeing a place far away from where they were.

“I always wanted to be buried in my garden,” she remarked.

“You will be, later. We’ll get you out of this tank, then ensure it happens, but only after a good many more years with the rest of us.”

A sigh. “I’m sorry Rockhoof, but even if I wasn’t going to die here, it wasn’t as if I would have that much time left with the rest of you anyways.”

Rockhoof stopped and turned toward Mistmane. “Misty, what do you…”

He trailed off as he took in the floating form of Mistmane in the tank, her mane billowing around her in the water. Rockhoof pressed his head to the glass as he pondered over Mistmane’s meaning.

“Can we talk, Misty?” Rockhoof asked.

“I suppose, but I believe their may be a more pressing matter to attend to.” Mistamne gestured to the water that was up to her pastern. “Could we not speak after dealing with this?”

“It’s really important,” Rockhoof stressed.

A sigh. “I suppose I am a captive audience considering my current predicament. Ask away.”

“Aye, so, I’m not sure how to broach this, but…” He hesitated for a moment as he tried to think of the right words. “Are you going to die soon?”

Mistmane blinked. “Well, I mean the water keeps rising, so inevitably—”

“I meant outside of the tank.”

“Outside of the tank? Rockhoof unless you know something I do not, I don’t think I quite understand what you’re trying to ask.”

“Right, sorry, let me try again.” He coughed to clear his throat. “I meant to ask if you think you’ll die soon. Like… you feel as if you’re running out of time?”

“That’s…” She glanced askance.

“So, you do.”

“Rockhoof,” Mistmane pleaded.

“You can tell me, Misty.”

She frowned. “I’m not sure that I can.”

“Do you not trust me?” Rockhoof asked in a hurt tone.

“No! Of course I trust you, it’s just…” she trailed off.

“Just what?”

“With you in particular—” A sigh. “Rockhoof, I’m concerned that you’re stretched too thin.”

Rockhoof blinked dumbly. He raised a foreleg and flexed.

“I meant emotionally.”

“I don’t follow.”

“We, the pillars, have been together for a long time and been through countless very dangerous adventures that have been…” She grasped for the right word, “... taxing on all of us. Even the most mentally sound of ponies would crack under that kind of constant pressure, and we weren’t that stable to begin with.”

“We can take it. We’re made of sterner stuff than the average pony,” Rockhoof defended.

“Even the mightiest of mountains erodes with time. You and Stygian both suffer from being coddled and belittled by those around you. Flash and Starswirl are becoming more and more reckless as they become entrenched with a need to prove themselves, despite their already significant accomplishments. Meadowbrook bottles up her problems tighter than the potions she brews, and Somnambula buries her grief under layers of false cheer. And I—” She stopped. “Begrudgingly, I agree that we are, as you put it, made of ‘sterner stuff’, but I worry that we are all reaching a breaking point.”

“That just means we need to lean on each other for support,” Rockhoof said. “We just—”

“You are the last of us that should suggest such a thing,” Mistmane interjected.

A moment of silence. “I don’t understand.”

“You’re stretched too thin! We all rely on you far too greatly at present, and you can’t keep taking on our baggage!”

“I freely offer too!”

“And most of us take too much advantage of it!” Mistmane replied, her voice rising to a near frenzy. “Flash and Stygian use you as a crutch for their own insecurities! Meadowbrook tends to draw into herself when something is bothering her, then only goes to you to work through it! Starswirl, someone who should know better than to overstep someone’s boundaries, is constantly pushing you to take on more responsibility, when you already do too much as is! It is disheartening to watch you wear yourself down like this!”

Another bout of silence followed in the wake of Mistmane’s outburst. Her chest heaved as she drew in ragged breaths, her face flush in exertion. After a moment, Rockhoof snorted.

“You—” Mistmane reared back, offended. “What’s so funny?”

“It’s just—” Another snort “—Misty, are ya mad that I’m being taken advantage of, or that I’m taking away your role as group parent?”

A gasp of offense. “Excuse you?! How dare you insinuate that I would be so angry about not being the— the— mom!”

Rockhoof grinned, a mischievous glint in his eyes. Mistmane fumed for a moment before eventually releasing her own involuntary snort.

“You’re terrible,” Mistmane chided as she giggled.

“I am, and, now that I’ve derailed ya, you can start telling me about what’s really bothering you.”

“I am concerned about you being relied on too heavily by everyone.”

“I know. You’ve always taken care of us since, and I’ll quote you this time, you like to ‘bring out the best in us’. But that’s not what’s really getting you so bent out of shape.”

“It’s not my place to burden others with my problems.”

“Then don’t think of me as an other. Think of me as a support rock. I’m apparently really good at it.”

“Did I not already tell you that—”

“I take on so much because I’m afraid that if I don’t, there’ll be a situation we can’t overcome because I didn’t put in everything I have and the thought of losing any of you because of my own inaction would hurt more than any physical wound,” Rockhoof interjected. “Now, you.”

A heavy silence stretched between them as Mistmane attempted to muster the courage to speak. Only the sound of the rising water climbing toward Mistmane’s chest interrupted it.

“What is my age, Rockhoof?” Mistmane asked.

“I don’t know. We met well after you became who you are now. Why do you ask?”

“Because I am also unsure of the answer.” She raised a hoof to stop Rockhoof from interrupting. “I know what my intended age is, but I don’t know if that matches with how I appear.”

“You think your body is older than your mind?”

Mistmane nodded. “I don’t have any of the usual ailments a mare of my seeming age would have, but there is no certainty to that, as it isn’t a guarantee an older mare would show any signs. For all I may know, I could pass away from natural causes several decades in the future or…”

“... next week,” Rockhoof finished.

Another lapse of silence.

“... I have a rather twisted desire,” Mistmane said.

“Aye?” Rockhoof asked.

“Amongst us pillars, I wish to pass last.”

“Not a common wish.”

“No, it isn’t, and, to be clear, it isn’t from some spiteful need to outlive the younger-looking members of our group. It’s something much more disgusting.”

“I don’t believe that.”

“You should, for this sick mare wants to die last so she can comfort you all as we die one-by-one. It’s inevitable that we will pass, and my only desire is to be there for everyone, to assist in helping them emotionally cope with the loss.”

“That’s not twisted, Misty.”

“I want to watch all my dearest friends die before me, then tend to them like flowers in my garden to ensure they do not wilt. I have seen brambles with less entanglement.”

“You’re misinterpreting your own desires out of fear for your age.” Rockhoof pressed a hoof against the glass, willing comfort toward his friend. “You’re a caretaker by nature. You—”

“Just want to tend to a perfect—”

“—just don’t want to not be there when we need you,” Rockhoof finished, rolling over Mistmane’s words. “It’s not wrong to want to be around for a long time, especially with how close we all are to each other.”

“You can’t know my heart, Rockhoof.”

“I can, and I do,” Rockhoof retorted. “You were chosen as the pillar of beauty.”

She hung her head. “For the shallow reason of being a gardener of above-average skill and being willing to not be the prettiest pony in the room.”

“Yes, which you gave up willingly to help another. You don’t need a youthful appearance to be beautiful, the purity of your soul more than makes up for it.” Mistmane looked up at Rockhoof in surprise. “I can use fancy words too.”

“I had no doubt that you could, but I am surprised by your bold choice of words and find some disbelief in them.”

“You shouldn’t,” Rockhoof said. “When you sacrificed your beauty for another, you proved that you were capable of looking past your own hate to see the seed of something good in another. Then you joined us and did it again. And again. And again, because that’s who you are, Mistmane. A caretaker. The one who sees the best in others and brings that spark out because you believe in them.

“You’re not twisted. You’re sad and afraid because you don’t know how long you have left and you’re worried you won’t be there to help us when we need you. I might be an emotional support rock, but you’re the one that cares for each of us more than we ever could for ourselves.”

“You—” Mistmane chuckled sadly as a stray tear trickled down her face. “When did you become so wise?”

“I learned it from all of you.”

Mistmane smiled and pressed her hoof against the glass where Rockhoof had placed his earlier. As she did, a loud clunk echoed through the room. The glass walls descended into the ground and released the built up water onto the floors of the room. Both Rockhoof and Mistmane stared at the place where the tank wall disappeared in surprise.

Once the initial shock wore off, Rockhoof proffered open his forelegs. Mistmane took the offer and charged into Rockhoof’s hooves, letting herself be engulfed in his hug. She held tight, letting herself be comforted by her dear friend, taking solace in his company.

In another part of the mansion, a purple light began to glow.

Fall

Rockhoof stepped off of the stairs and onto the landing, taking a moment to catch his breath. Once he had recovered, he glared back at the staircase. The blasted thing had been only one story high, until he had started to climb them. One story had turned into ten and he had cursed at the damned building every step. He was certain the difference was due to the inherent magic of the place, and it did not bode well for his future solution to the loop.

It had taken far too long to climb those stairs. Eventually, he would have to save all of his friends in one loop. It already took far too long to help each individually. Adding a significant amount of time to just go up a single set of stairs was making the task seem im—

Shaking his head, Rockhoof cleared his thoughts and decided to focus on the present, beginning to trot toward the right side of the mansion. He still had too many unknowns within the loop to begin worrying about how to pull off the final one. Specifically, in regards to the pegasi.

Flash he had at least seen, if only the aftermath of what happens to him within the loop. The same could be said for Somnambula, but he had no idea from where she always fell from, nor did he understand the randomness of what time she ended up dying.

He knew she was somewhere on the second floor and, based on the position of where she lands at the bottom of the mechanical workings of the clock, in the right wing of the house.

Bong.

Startled, Rockhoof whipped his head toward the source of the noise and found a large hourglass similar to the one in the foyer. Puzzled, he inspected it to find that the hourglass was seemingly identical and intact. The other always broke when Rockhoof restarted the loop, for some reason.

“Frogs and boils!”

Recognizing the melodic cadence of the curse, Rockhoof galloped down the hall and through the open door at the end of the corridor. As he stepped through, the entryway slammed close, and several massive gears fell from the ceiling to block it.

Rockhoof knew from experience how embedded into the floor that gear was. No chance he’d be able to move it.

A quick glance at his surroundings showed that he was in a room filled with cogs and gears that ground away at a steady pace. The scratching of metal against metal was grating to his ears and, though not an engineer, Rockhoof knew enough to be able to tell that the connections between parts were nonsensical.

More important than all of that, though, was the familiar-looking pegasus that stood with her back facing away from him a few paces away.

“Som?” He called out.

The pegasus whipped their head toward him in surprise, which quickly morphed into joy. “Rockhoof!” Somnambula flew toward him, embracing him in a tight hug. “It’s wonderful to see you!”

“You as well, Som.” They pulled apart. “How did you get in here?”

“I don’t know.” She sighed. “I was scouting the second floor with Flash, we got separated somewhere along the way, and then found myself trapped here after stepping through an unmarked door.”

“There’s no exit?”

“None that I can find, but you must have—!”

“Blocked by fallen gears,” Rockhoof interrupted sadly.

“Firstborns and darkness!” Som cursed. “My usual good fortune seems to be running poor in this damnable place.”

“I’m certain your fortunes will swing back around before long.”

“To be fair, they have in a way.” Somnambula smiled. “Though trapped we may be in this place, I am thankful to have you here, habib.”

“I’m just glad to have finally found you.” He took another look around the chamber. “This is inside the clock?”

“The one from the front of the mansion I presume, or a second considering the mechanisms on the first floor. When I found myself stuck, I had hoped there would be a hatch in the back of the clock face to the outside, but I have neither found the face nor an escape.” She growled. “This room seems determined to keep me here.”

“How so?”

“It keeps moving and—” An involuntary shudder “—shrinking. This place used to be much larger when I first became trapped.”

“Then we may be running out of time.”

A strange expression passed over Somnambula’s face, returning to a bright smile before Rockhoof could decipher it. “That may be so, but I have unwavering hope in our ability to escape.”

Rockhoof, thinking the odd look inconsequential, returned the smile. “Aye, Som. We’ll be gone from here in no time.”

“Yes, now we should look—” A rumble interrupted her. “What was that?”

“I’m not sure, maybe—”

Clunk. The gears drowned out the rest of Rockhoof’s words as they began to grind at an alarming rate and close in on them just as quickly.

“What is this?!” Rockhoof shouted.

“I-I don’t—!” Somnambula began to hyperventilate, her wings locked in place. “This is new! It hasn’t—! No, it’s fine! Everything is fine and it will pass soon! Just need to have hope and keep it together!”

“Som, what are you—”

Deafening chimes rang through the chamber as it began to shake, causing Rockhoof and Somnambula to both cry out in pain. As the noise came to a feverish pitch, the floor dropped away from them, and they fell.

Wind whipped past them as the stories whizzed by. Somnambula had curled in on herself as she screamed through a deluge of tears. Rockhoof reached out a hoof toward her.

“Som—!”

They hit the ground.

Smash.

Rockhoof came to before the broken hourglass, as he did every new loop. He readied to race back to the second floor, but this time he stopped, as he took in his surroundings.

He was already on the second floor.

A quick inspection around the area revealed that he had started the loop at the second floor hourglass, instead of the first floor one. The change was confusing, but welcome, as he hurried to meet Somnambula once more.

“Pestilence and lice!”

He came upon Somnambula cussing up a storm just as gears descended from the ceiling to block the doorway he’d just come through.

“Oh my— Rockhoof!” Somnambula exclaimed. “How good to— Oh, blood water and frogs! Really?!”

“Rather unfortunate, that,” Rockhoof replied.

“One of a series for me.” Somnambula sighed, then smiled widely as she regarded Rockhoof. “At least you are here, habib.”

“Aye, and it’s great to see you.” He returned her smile with one of his own. “You’ve been trapped here the whole time?”

“Yes, and it’s been… trying. But! I am confident we shall find an escape soon with your presence here.”

“Of course, but I have something important to ask you before we start the search.”

“Certainly. We have as much time as we need to in order to find an exit from this… small… place.” She chuckled. Rockhoof noted the nervous twinge he hadn’t noticed before. “Ask away.”

“How are ya feeling?”

“Quite fine!” She replied, her pitch strained. “Now, if that is—”

“Nay. You’re not being honest, Som.”

“Rockhoof, I just—”

“I want to know how you’re really feeling.” Before Somnambula could speak, he held up a hoof. “Mistmane told me something about you.”

“Good things, I hope?”

“Not… particularly,” Rockhoof said. “She told me that you have a tendency to bury your feelings, and I’m beginning to see why she would say that.”

“Mistmane is wise, but doesn’t know everything about us, as much as she thinks she does. It is true that I sometimes hide how nervous I may feel, but that is the extent of it.”

Unbidden, an image of Somnambula’s final moments came to Rockhoof’s mind. “Nay, Som. I don’t think that’s entirely true. If you would—”

“How dare you insinuate I am lying.” She drew herself up to her full height, boring daggers into his head with her eyes. “I am not afraid.”

“I never said that you were,” Rockhoof replied.

“Because I’m… not! Never am.”

A clang echoed through the room.

Rockhoof furrowed his brow. “I find that hard to believe.”

“Well, you should since— since—” Somnambula stomped her hoof, shaking from barely contained emotion. “Why are you even questioning me?!”

“Som, please.” Rockhoof took a step forward. Somnambula took a step back. “I’m just worried about you, and you’re acting—”

“What?! Acting like what?! Like— like some coward! Like some foolish foal who can’t handle a small room and some loud noises!”

A rumble filled the room. Gears began to grind at an alarming pace.

“I don’t think you're a fool.”

“Of course you do! Everyone does! Everyone in the mansion with us! Everyone back home! EVERYONE—!”

They fell through the floor.

“I just feel that you should take a moment to breathe,” Rockhoof calmly explained.

Somnambula glared up at him with a fiery gaze, which Rockhoof normally loved, but was somewhat fearful of at the moment. “That is ridiculous! You throw slander at me as soon as we meet, then have the audacity to tell me to calm down?! Am I acting hysterical to you?!”

“Well, not—”

“Am I?!”

In a moment of introspection, Rockhoof weighed two possible options. He could either tell his marefriend what she wanted to hear, or he could tell her what needed to be said in order to escape. Self-preservation was caught between two horrible situations, and ultimately decided on the latter.

“Aye, you are acting hysterical,” Rockhoof bluntly stated.

Somnambula’s fur bristled as her wings raised themselves into an aggressive position. Her face scrunched up into a look of unbridled rage reserved solely for monsters that dared attack her two beloved stallions, or when said two beloved stallions said something stupid.

She took several deep breaths, then managed to calm herself down from a blistering rage to a simple smolder.

“I suppose, I am acting irrational,” Somnambula relented. “It may be worth taking a moment to… calm down.” The last part was hissed through clenched teeth.

“That’s the spirit, lass,” Rockhoof declared, projecting happiness as his self-preservation continued to focus solely on avoiding the death fall.

A tight smile. “Then what would you recommend I do in this situation?”

“Meditation.”

A moment of silence, broken only by the sound of grinding gears.

“Meditation?” Somnambula questioned.

“You always seem more at peace after you do a session.”

“Here?”

“Yes.”

“Now?”

Rockhoof tilted his head to one side. “Yes?”

In a show of great restraint, Somnambula did not, in fact, murder her coltfriend and instead kept a tight smile upon her face.

“... you seem mad,” Rockhoof noted.

“Of course not, habib, just needed to remind myself of certain facts.”

“Like?”

“You do not wish to know the answer to that.”

A gulp.

“Well, I suppose I should start my… meditation,” Somnambula said, with a note of resignation.

She settled in place and moved into her usual meditative pose: body raised up, back legs crossed before her, front hooves out in an open embrace, and deep, even breathing.

After a few moments, Rockhoof asked, “Are you feeling better yet?”

“This takes time, Rockhoof. Even in ideal conditions, and this can be considered most assuredly not ideal.”

“I was just hoping for a more immediate effect.”

“And I’m hoping that I can clear my mind! Maybe think of somewhere nicer to be, like in the middle of the desert with a nest of vipers!”

“Som—”

“Firstborns and darkness, do not Som me!” She retorted angrily, all pretense of calm lost. “This place is a living nightmare! All of this noise!”

The gears ramped up in speed.

“This small space!”

Sparks burst from the rapidly turning cogs.

“No exit to be seen!”

The room tightened as it shrunk on their location.

“We are trapped here! We are trapped within this horrid place and we’ll never get out! Just be permanently stuck here in this tiny room and I’ll never see the outside again! I have never felt so hope—!”

She covered her mouth with her hooves with a gasp. Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes.

Rockhoof reached out toward her with a hoof.

They fell through the floor.

“Som, before we search for an exit, could we talk for a moment?” Rockhoof asked.

“Of course,” Somnambula replied.

“Could I have a hug?”

A wide smile. “Always, habib.”

Rockhoof opened up his body as Somnambula hugged him tightly around his middle. Rockhoof closed his hooves around Somnambula, taking extra care to block out as much of the room as possible from her. After a moment, he could feel the tension drain from Somnambula.

“Can I ask you something?” Rockhoof said.

She made a hum of consent in answer.

“Are you afraid right now?”

Silence. “I see there was an ulterior motive to this embrace,” Somnambula noted in wry amusement.

“You said you always feel safe when I or Flash hug you, so I thought this might be the best way to get you to open up to me.”

“Well played.” A weary sigh. “I don’t want to admit it, but yes. I am very much afraid.”

“Is it because of this room?”

“Partially. It’s the room, how small it is, the noise, the constant feeling of being trapped… I hate it. It make me feel so…” she trailed off.

“Hopeless?”

Another moment of silence.

“I can’t be without it,” Somnambula whispered.

“We are not just our chosen titles, Som.”

“But it is not something I have struggled with before! It’s this place! It doesn’t make sense.” She pounded a hoof against Rockhoof’s chest in frustration.

“What do you mean?”

“My home back in the desert is terrifying. There are dangers everywhere you look, even where you would expect it to be safe, but there is always hope for survival because simply knowing how to handle those situations is enough to save yourself. Here… nothing makes sense. I can’t garner hope when I have no comprehension of what is happening. I’m just trapped, and no amount of logic can assist me.”

“I’m sorry you’re going through this.”

She buried her face further into Rockhoof’s fur. He ignored the cold. Wet feeling of tears. He instead began to gently stroke her back.

“It’s okay to feel afraid, and to tell us that,” Rockhoof said, soothingly.

“You will all think less of me for it,” Somnambula said.

“None of us would think less of you.”

“You cannot speak for everyone.”

“In this case, I can. You’re not the only one who gets scared, Som. We all do. Just in different ways.”

“I do not believe you.”

“I get scared that the others will get hurt and that it will be because I wasn’t strong enough, Swirl is afraid of his own actions and his regrets coming back to haunt him, Meadowbrook can’t stand pain, Mistmane fears that she won’t be there to comfort us when we really need her, Stygian doesn’t want to be left behind, and, just between you and me, Flash is the most scared out of all of us.”

Somnambula pulled away, a skeptical look on her face. “Now, I know for certain you are lying, which is strange, as you are terrible at it.”

“I can lie,” Rockhoof mumbled.

“You cannot. However, I would ask what you mean by Flash being the most fearful. Is he not the most courageous?”

“He is, and that’s why he has the most fear. As he’s told me himself, Flash is a soldier. There are a lot of things to be afraid of in that occupation. He told me that courage, real courage, is being able to acknowledge that fear and to overcome in spite of it. Something that I think applies to you, because you don’t just hope for the sake of it, but in spite of how little there is.” He kissed the top of her forehead. “And I think you’re amazing for it.”

“Thank you,” Somnambula said, a soft smile spreading across her face. “I am very glad you are here, habib.”

“I’m glad as well. Flash may be my first partner, but I care about you just as much.”

“There was never any doubt in my mind.”

With a quick flap of her wings, Somnambula launched herself up with a hop and kissed Rockhoof on the lips. As she dropped back to the floor, Rockhoof chuckled nervously as his face became flush. Somnambula giggled at his reaction.

Clunk. Both ponies were put on edge as the sound echoed through the room. After a moment, the gears ground down to a halt and the room quieted down to silence.

“How odd,” Somnambula remarked. “I wonder—”

A compartment in the floor opened up with a loud bang, and they jumped in surprise. A quick look revealed to them a set of stairs leading down to the first floor of the mansion. As they charged down in joyous celebration, bells chimed seemingly to join them.

In another part of the mansion, a yellow light began to glow.

Stab

Rockhoof sat quietly before the second floor hourglass. He breathed out a sigh of contentment, letting himself feel at ease for the first time since the looping had begun.

Though he cared for each of his friends and enjoyed their company, Somnambula knew how best to relax him. They had spent the rest of the last loop just enjoying each other’s company, and it had done wonders to help him recover from the strain of the loops.

He felt really good.

Then he got hit in the back of the head with something and died.

Rockhoof came to once again with a gasp, breathing heavily as he regained his bearings. He’d never been murdered so directly before, and he didn’t even know how it had happened. He’d drowned, he’d been stabbed, he’d fallen to his death, and met any number of grisly ends over the course of the loops, but being murdered was a new one.

He looked toward the corridor leading to the guest bedrooms and was shocked to see a trail of faded bloody hoofprints leading further into the area. A quick size comparison with his own showed them to be roughly the same size.

This was new. Very new. And concerning. Whoever had made these hoofprints was similar in size to Rockhoof, could act differently within the loop, and was heading toward the next friend on his list. It was unsettling, to say the least.

Just what was in store for this part of the journey?

Following the hoofprints at a steady pace, his senses on high alert, Rockhoof wound his way through wide wooden corridors, taking care not to make contact with the blood. Doors were spaced evenly through the hall, their only distinguishable feature being a number embossed into the wood.

As he swung around the corner, he bumped into another pony. Both he and the stranger screamed and jumped away from each other.

“Ahhhhh— Flash?” Rockhoof asked.

“Ahhhhh— Oh, hey, Rockhoof!” Flash greeted.

Without any warning, Flash leapt forward and kissed Rockhoof on the side of his face. Rockhoof flushed in response.

“Good to see you,” Flash said.

“Flash!” Rockhoof exclaimed, flustered. “Ya need to give me more warning if you’re going to do something like that!”

“Sure, sure. Definitely.” Flash waved a wing nonchalantly as he failed to consider anything Rockhoof had said. “So, what are you doing in these parts?”

“Mostly looking for you,” Rockhoof answered.

“Oh, sweet. Well, you found me!” A wide grin.

“Indeed, lad.” A beleaguered sigh. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, I was exploring the second floor with Som, but then found these bloody hoofprints, so I began to follow those.” A manic gleam shone in Flash’s eyes. “I think they belong to a killer, so I’m tracking them.”

“There’s a killer in the mansion?!”

“Yeah!” Flash hopped in place, planting his hooves with a joyous expression on his face. “Been finding a bunch of dead bodies and blood in the guest rooms, so I figured whoever was causing it also made these hoofprints. I just know I’m this—” He brought two feathers up before his eye demonstrating a small distance between them “—close to catching them.”

“... You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” Rockhoof asked.

“No!”

Rockhoof raised an eyebrow.

“... Yes,” Flash mumbled as he hung his head.

“Having fun playing detective?”

“Yeah!” Flash swung his head up with a happy grin then coughed and put on a more serious expression. “I mean, yes. It is very mentally stimulating tracking down this dangerous criminal.” He nodded.

“Right, so you’re following these hoofprints?”

“Yep.”

“Know where they lead?”

“Nope! But I have noticed that the blood prints have been getting fresher!” To demonstrate, Flash dipped a feather in the red liquid, then showed it off in front of Rockhoof’s face. “See!”

Bemused, Rockhoof replied, “You’re right. Great detective work.”

Flash puffed himself up proudly as he started to rub the excess blood off his feathers against the wall. Pride became confusion as he realized the red had stained and wouldn’t come off.

“You'll need something strong for that. Probably from Brook,” Rockhoof remarked.

“Great. That means I’ll have to wait several hours and have Meadowbrook give me the ‘disappointed mom’ look as she lectures me on proper hygiene. Again.” Flash whinnied in exasperation. “I could swear she has it out for me.”

Rockhoof, knowing that Flash was unaware of Meadowbrook’s early resentment of his relationship with him, replied nervously, “I’m sure she definitely does not hold any possible resentment toward you in any way shape or form that may have to do with your relationship with another.”

Flash placed a wing on Rockhoof’s shoulder and gave him an even look. Rockhoof could feel the sweat trickling down his brow at the obvious lie.

“Thanks for the clarification, buddy.” Flash grinned.

Rockhoof nodded rapidly.

“Now, let’s find that killer and bring him to justice!” Flash announced. “Follow after me, big guy.”

Charging ahead, Rockhoof followed close behind, winding through corridors as the numbers on the doors rose to the high double digits. After a short trip, they arrived at a slightly ajar door, with the hoofprints clearly leading inside.

Flash made a zipping motion with a feather over his mouth and jerked his head toward the door. Rockhoof nodded. They both quietly made their way toward the room, with Flash in the lead and Rockhoof behind him.

As they reached the door, Flash placed a wing over the wood and gently pushed it open, taking care not to allow it to creak. The room was dark, but soon lit up by light spilling in from the hallway.

Inside, piled atop a puddle of blood in a heap, were seven corpses.

More light filtered in as Flash and Rockhoof stepped into the room and opened the door further. Their features were obscured by the dimness, but one thing was clear – the method of death wasn’t clear.

“More bodies,” Flash remarked wearily. “Was hoping for the killer, not more victims.”

“Where do they even come from?” Rockhoof asked. “I thought we were the only ones in here.”

“So did I, but I didn’t recognize any of the other bodies. One second, let me turn on the lights.”

Flash flicked the nearby switch, bathing the room in bright light and revealing the pile of corpses to be none other than perfect, dead replicas of the pillars.

Complete silence followed.

“What the f—” Flash started.

Then they were both hit with a heavy blunt object and died.

Rockhoof came to back at the hourglass. He took a moment to process what had happened, then checked the floor leading toward the guest bedrooms. There was still a blood trail leading further into the area. A new consistency unique only to his experience with Flash.

He had been killed. Differently. And not by his own actions. He’d died immediately at the hourglass, then the next loop then in a random guest bedroom. That meant the killer could adapt.

That the killer might be the one causing the loops in the first place.

Galloping after the trail of red hoofprints, he followed them until he once more found Flash.

“Oh, hey, Rock—” Flash started.

“We need to find the killer!” Rockhoof yelled as he shook Flash back and forth by his shoulders.

“Oh—Kay—Then—Big—Guy!” Flash managed to say between shakes.

“I think they might be the one who trapped us here.”

“Oh, dang! Then we gotta catch him!”

“Aye. You’ve been following a trail of bloody hoofprints?”

“Yeah!” Flash answered with a rapid nods of his head then tilted it to one side in confusion. “Wait. How did you—?”

“Let’s follow the trail,” Rockhoof interrupted.

“Okay!” Flash agreed.

Rockhoof released Flash, then galloped after the hoofprints, with Flash following close behind. They ran past room after room, the digits climbing toward three until the trail stopped before a different room from the prior loop.

“Looks like the trail ends here,” Flash whispered. “We should— Rockhoof?!”

Busting open the door, Rockhoof charged into the room and flicked on the light. It was empty, just a typical guest bedroom suite with the trail ending at the threshold to the room.

“Where is it?” Rockhoof growled.

“Huh, weird,” Flash remarked as he joined Rockhoof inside the room. “Wonder where—” Rockhoof smashed his forehooves onto a nearby vanity table, shattering it into splinters. “Woah, buddy! Simmer down! We should try to investigate instead of going straight to pound town!”

“There’s a secret room in here,” Rockhoof stated confidently as he threw pillows off of the bed.

“How do you—”

“There just is!” Rockhoof tossed off the mattress, releasing a snort of frustration at finding nothing underneath. “It’s how this accursed place works! It’s so obvious that— aha!”

He spied a gap behind a nearby wardrobe that distinctly looked like the edge of a doorframe. Rockhoof shoved it out of the way, revealing an open entryway into a second room.

Inside, he saw a heap of bodies, each one a replica of the pillars, blood pooling from a variety of wounds. Just like the last loop.

“I knew it!” Rockhoof exclaimed excitedly as he turned back toward Flash. “Now, we just need to—”

Flash lay bleeding on the floor, wounds from his body staining the wood underneath. He had a shocked look on his face, his mouth frozen in alarm. Standing over him was a large cloaked figure holding a large shovel.

Before Rockhoof could react, the figure charged and smashed him in the face with the sharp edge of the blade.

He died.

As soon as Rockhoof awakened back at the hourglass, he raced off after the trail of bloody hoofprints. He made tight corners through the narrowed corridors, cutting red lines into his fur from the sharpened edges of the wall that seemed determined to slow down his progress.

“Hey, Rock— Are you bleeding?!” Flash exlcaimed.

“We have to follow the trail,” Rockhoof shouted as he raced past Flash.

“No, we need to— Rockhoof!” Flash burst into a gallop after him, quickly catching up and affixing Rockhoof with a glare. “We need to tend to those wounds! Leaving any kind of open wound in an unfamiliar environment—”

“Can lead to infection, aye,” Rockhoof interrupted with an annoyed sigh. “We can treat them later once we catch the killer.”

“We can treat them now. Stop, Rockhoof.” Rockhoof continued to charge forward, single-mindedly focused on following the trail. “Fine. If you won’t stop when I ask—”

Speeding ahead, Flash cut at a right angle ahead of Rockhoof and planted himself firmly in Rockhoof’s path. The giant of a pony dug in his hooves into the slick wood and drew just short of the pegasus half his size.

“Flash!” Rockhoof exclaimed.

“We’re bandaging your wounds,” Flash stated.

“But—”

“I. Don’t. Care.” Flash said, punctuating his statement with a growl. “It doesn’t matter how important what you’re doing is, getting you medical treatment comes first.”

“We don’t have time—”

“We will make time!”

“But none of this matters, Flash!” Rockhoof shouted. “These wounds, this place, the trail— it doesn’t matter!”

A look of rage passed over Flash’s face causing Rockhoof to flinch.

“Fine,” Flash hissed. “It doesn’t matter. To you. But to me, you’re hurt and that’s not okay. So, shut up before I have to make you!”

“I… I’m sorry, lad. I didn’t mean—”

Flash’s eyes widened in shock. “Rockhoof, move!” He shouted.

Before Rockhoof could process what was happening, Flash grabbed Rockhoof by the shoulders and pulled him forward. Rockhoof turned his head back to see in the direction Flash was looking, only to watch in horror as Flash stepped in the path of the sharpened shovel that had been aimed at his head.

He stumbled on the floorboards, tripping from the blood-slicked surface. Flash’s body fell to the floor with a loud thump.

“Flash!” Rockhoof screamed.

Then a second cloaked figure smashed his head in with another shovel.

Rockhoof stared numbly at the ground, the light-coloured wood taking on a reddish hue despite the lack of hoofprints. He turned toward the guest bedrooms, a trail of bloody hoofprints leading further inward, just as it had the last few loops.

He got up then followed the prints, head down, eyes focused onto his only lead to the killers.

“Hey— Wait, Rockhoof! Where—”

Corridor after corridor passed by, door after door, double digits turning into triple, then quadruple. All other activity in his mind ceased as he focused in on the only thing that mattered to him.

One set of hoofprints turned into two. Then three. Then dozens, as the wood of the floor became harder to see through the stark red of converging blood.

Follow the trail. Find the bodies. Get the answers. He didn’t need to think. He didn’t need to talk. He just needed to hunt. Then he would be able to get everyone out. Then the deaths could stop. The nightmare would end. He could finally—

“Rockhoof!”

Flash tackled him in the side. Rockhoof stumbled from the surprise assault and fell to the floor, drenching his lower half in thick red liquid. Before Rockhoof could react, Flash flipped him onto his back and pinned him to the ground, corded muscle built from years of service in the military holding him firmly in place.

Rockhoof struggled against Flash’s hold over him. “Get off of me, Flash!” He yelled. “I-I need to— I have to keep— Get off! You’re getting in—”

Something cold and wet impacted against his face. He paused his escape attempts and looked up at Flash’s face. The sensation had been from the tears that fell from his eyes. “... Flash?”

“It’s just berry juice,” Flash said.

An uncomprehending blink. “What is?”

“The hoofprints. They aren’t blood. They’re just weird, thick, pulpy juice. I think it’s raspberry or strawberry, but I really don’t want to have to taste-test more floor gunk to confirm.”

“It’s… I’ve been following… why?!” Rockhoof exclaimed, thoroughly confused.

“I dunno, buddy.”

“Why would—” Rockhoof started before Flash collapsed onto his chest. “Flash, what’s wrong?”

“You,” Flash stated, his tone flat. “You wouldn’t or couldn’t hear me. Just kept following the stupid juice while ignoring everything else and I… don’t do that again.”

A moment of silence passed broken by a wet sniffle from Flash. Rockhoof rubbed the spot just between Flash’s wings soothingly. In response, Flash buried his face into Rockhoof’s chest fluff, grasping his sides with his hooves tightly.

“I’m sorry I scared you, pragma,” Rockhoof said softly.

“Yeah, well, just promise to talk to me when you’re mad at me next time,” Flash muttered.

“Mad at you? Flash, I was just trying to track down a killer.” Rockhoof furrowed his brow. “What would I be mad at you for?”

“... nothing.”

“Flash.”

“It’s nothing!”

Rockhoof glared.

“Okay, fine.” Flash released an exasperated breath. “I forgot about our anniversary.”

A blink of confusion. “That’s next month.”

“No, it’s this month.”

“No, Flash, it’s next month. Som reminded me of it before we ended up here.”

“Wait, really? Then what am I thinking of?”

“I have no idea what—” A dawning look of comprehension lit up Rockhoof’s face, which was then followed by a flat expression. “Flash.”

“What?! Don’t look at me like that! What am I remembering wrong?!”

“What were we doing together prior to announcing our relationship to the other pillars?”

“We were—” Flash’s face flushed redder than the juice around them as he attempted to bury himself further into Rockhoof’s fur “—right, that. That would be… yeah.”

“You can’t remember our anniversary but you can remember that?”

“I’m bad with dates!”

“In both meanings,” Rockhoof retorted.

“Hey! I come up with great date ideas!”

“And only the ideas. Som has to usually salvage whatever she can from the newest harebrained stunt you decided qualified as romantic.”

“We had a great time at the lake!”

“Fighting a sea monster.”

“That’s— I mean— Look, I’m a soldier okay! They teach us to make love and fight wars, not… think…” Flash trailed off as he became too self conscious of himself.

Rockhoof chuckled merrily at Flash’s antics. “You’re a mess, Mags.”

“Yeah, I am, but I’m your mess,” Flash said, then amended, “Well, and Som’s.”

“Because you’re such a hooffull, you need two dedicated partners just to keep you in check.”

“Yeah, I do, don’t I?” Flash snickered, then perked up his head as a thought occurred to him. “Oh, before I forget to ask, what happened?”

“What do you mean?” Rockhoof replied.

“You kinda scared me back there with how out of it you were.” Flash scooched closer until his snout was up against Rockhoof’s. “Was wondering what made you act like that.”

“Nothing important.”

“Really? Because that was a pretty extreme reaction for something minor. Got something on the mind?”

“I—”

Images began to flash through Rockhoof’s mind.

“I-It’s—” Starswirl released his grip on Rockhoof’s shovel, falling into the embrace of the abyss. “I’m fine.”

“You don’t sound fine.” Flash frowned.

“I am, really.” Poison bubbled from Meadowbrook’s throat as she convulsed. Her body dissolved into ash as he held her in his embrace. “There’s nothing wrong with me, Flash.”

“Never said there was, just wanted to know what happened. But you’re kind of worrying me now.”

“You don’t need to—” Mistmane floated in the water, light bathing her in an ethereal glow. “I’m just antsy from being trapped in this house for so long.” Stygian was impaled on long spikes, a look of shock on his face. “I just need to— I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure that’s it?” Flash furrowed his brow in concern.

“Yes.” Som’s body became stuck between gears, the flow of red flowing out toward him. “No.” Som, locked in an expression of terror and distress as she fell. “Yes!”

“Okay, which is it? Is there more or—”

“I’m fine!” Flash’s body, mutilated. “Nothing’s wrong!” Flash, bleeding out on the floor from being wounded by the shovel. “I’m strong, I can just push through this!” Flash, killed by the hit that was meant for him. “I just— There’s just you and Styg then I can— It’s just for a little longer, and then—!”

Two wings encompassed him, blocking out his surroundings. Filtered light bathed him in an orange glow. Flash’s face was next to his. A gentle nuzzle and a look of sympathy through empathetic tears.

“Easy there, pragma,” Flash said softly. “You’re spiralling.”

Rockhoof took a deep, shaky breath, finally feeling the tears flowing down the sides of his face.

“What have I told you about fear?” Flash asked gently.

“I don’t know,” Rockhoof hoarsely whispered.

“Come on, buddy. You know this.”

“... Don’t let it control you. But—!”

“No buts,” Flash interrupted. “Never let fear control you, or any powerful emotion like that. Do you remember how to manage it?”

“I-I don’t…” A choked sob. “I can’t—”

“It’s okay, I’ll help.” A quick nuzzle. “You get to a safe place, then you talk it out, or you let the emotional high run its course.”

A shaky breath. “There isn’t anywhere safe.”

“... No, but this is probably as best it will get.”

“I cannae do not this right now, Flash. There’s too much—”

“You push yourself hard, Rockhoof. It’s an admirable trait, but one that has a rather nasty sharp edge to it. You’re not in a state where you can handle any more, and that’s okay.”

Rockhoof took another shaky breath, the emotions he’d bottled up beginning to surface from where he’d kept them locked tight.

“Let it out, pragma.” Flash pressed his head to the side of Rockhoof’s, rubbing affectionately against him. “I’m right here. It’s safe to let go. I’d never let anything happen to you.”

It was the last brick keeping the wall of Rockhoof’s emotions in check.

He clung tightly to Flash, a ship in the storm finally finding the semblance of a safe harbour. He cried. He screamed. He let all the agony and pain and suffering and time roar out of him as he allowed himself the release he needed. Horror and fear and stress began to ebb as he was reminded of the love he was afforded by one so dear to him.

As Strength recovered from his ordeals, as the loop came to an end with the chiming of bells, as several cloaked figures watched them impassively from afar, as a book rattled within a sealed vault, as the final guest of the house wandered through shelves of knowledge, and as the final act of a personal tragedy drew closer to its conclusion—

A red light began to glow in another part of the mansion.

Entrap

“Rockhoof, I will need a better reason for why I must simply sit and do nothing,” Stygian said in exasperation. “A vague warning of danger is hardly worth much considering our day-to-day lives dealing with some of the most dangerous monsters in the world.”

“As I’ve told you, lad. I can't tell you—” Rockhoof started.

“Yes, yes, your unfortunate curse, which is causing me a great deal of aggravation right now.”

“—But you need to be careful,” Rockhoof finished.

Stygian drew himself up to his full height (barely reaching the bottom of Rockhoof’s chest) and affixed a firm scowl to his face. He had the appearance of a toddler about to tell off his worried father.

“I have been doing this just as long as the rest of you,” Stygian petulantly declared. “I know the risks and am perfectly capable of assisting in any capacity, something for which I would have expected you to at least acknowledge, given your past.”

A wince. “I’m sorry, Styg. I dinnae mean to touch on your sore spot. I promise, I’m not treating ya any different than the others. I’m just less at risk than the rest of you because of how my curse works.”

Taking a deep inhale of breath to further argue his point, Stygian instead released it, deflating back to simply being disgruntled. “That’s… true. Apologies. I don’t mean to kick up a fuss, but the others have a tendency to—”

“Treat you as if you’re one of the ponies we need to protect instead of being one of us,” Rockhoof gently interrupted. “I know your worth, Styg. You’ve gotten us out of plenty of dire straits before this with your quick thinking.”

“I most certainly have.” Stygian smirked. “If I recall, quite a few of those incidents were caused by a certain earth pony and pegasus that thought they could just barrel through the problem using brute strength and were quickly corrected.”

“We’re the pillars of Strength and Courage, not Caution and Tactics.” Rockhoof chuckled. “It’s why we need you smarter types to keep us in line.”

“I do try. Now, I refuse to be stagnant, and you are adamant on my safety. Shall we split the difference and have you lead the way forward?”

“T’would be agreeable, lad.”

Stygian made a sweeping bow with his hooves toward a long corridor that lead further into the library stacks. “After you.”

Taking the suggestion, Rockhoof trotted forward, with Stygian following close behind. They searched through various sections of the library, taking care to check the plates that hung over each gallery.

“Oh, I just realized that I forgot to ask about which book we were searching for,” Rockhoof noted.

“No, you didn’t forget. I just didn’t tell you since I don’t know either,” Stygian replied.

Stopping short, Stygian walked past a stunned Rockhoof, then turned back with a confused look of his own.

“What’s wrong?” Stygian asked.

“You don’t—” Rockhoof spluttered. “How do you not know what book we’re looking for?!”

“You didn’t actually think I would just happen to know of a book that would have the answer on how to leave this place, did you?”

“Yes!” Rockhoof exclaimed. “You seemed so certain, so I thought—!”

“That’s just my normal mannerisms, Rockhoof. I always speak with certainty and act with confidence. Otherwise, how else would I be able to stand alongside you all and not seem like some sort of tagalong?”

“Then what is the point of searching all of these sections?!”

“Well, just because I don’t know of a book to solve our problems now, doesn’t mean I couldn’t find one somewhere in this enormous place. There are at least several thousand books here, so surely there would be at least one book related to our current predicament. Like most things, it’s a bit of a gamble, but one I think worth taking considering the low stakes of the matter.”

“Fair, lad. Though, I wish you’d been more up front about that.” Rockhoof sighed. “I suppose you haven’t found any new sections to try?”

“I have not. Nothing we’ve passed seems promising and all the options you noted as dead ends were the most likely places to search, which—” A snort of frustration “—Well, it doesn’t matter since you told me there was nothing there. In lieu of that, my follow-up plan is to wander aimlessly and hope we stumble upon what we seek.”

“Good enough idea as any.”

They trotted through the stacks in a companionable silence, continuing to search for a book that could contain a means to escape from the mansion. Strangely, the endless sections opened into a new wing of the room wholly different from the rest of it.

It was a massive, mostly empty room filled with evenly-spaced wooden columns containing only a single metal vault door on the far side of the room. It was held closed by criss-crossing, massive chains held by a single padlock.

“This isn’t normal for a library, is it, Styg?” Rockhoof asked.

“No, I assure you this is not a normal sight in academia,” Stygian said. “Shall we investigate?”

“Aye, but stay close.”

A firm nod from Stygian, before both stallions approached the vault cautiously. As they neared, Rockhoof noticed that small hourglasses were etched all over the door. Additionally, the lock keeping the door closed was just a big button that, when clicked, would presumably release the chains.

“I don’t like the look of this,” Rockhoof muttered. “We should—” Stgyian trotted past him. “Styg?”

Approaching the lock in open wonder, seemingly transfixed by the mechanism, Stygian reached out a hoof toward the button.

“Styg, don’t!” Rockhoof shouted, rushing to grab hold of Stygian.

Too late to be stopped, Stygian pressed the button. The chains released with a loud rattle as they dropped to the floor in a pile. When the last chain had fallen, the vault door swung inward.

The revealed room was a large empty, circular dome. A single bright light illuminated a pedestal with a book resting upon it.

Still enthralled, Stygian made his way to the book. Rockhoof chased after him, but found himself suddenly rooted in place as he passed by the vault door. He struggled against the unknown force that held him, bucking and rearing against it, but, despite his considerable strength, he was unable to reach Stygian.

“Confound this accursed place and its stupid traps,” Rockhoof growled.

“Maybe… that’s the answer,” Stygian muttered as he continued his approach toward the book.

“Wait, Styg! There’s something wrong!” Rockhoof shouted. “Don’t touch that book!”

“It’s fine, Rockhoof.” Stygian called back. “I think, no, I’m certain the answers we seek are within the pages of that tome.”

“Styg, no! Listen to me, that is clearly a trap! Don’t get closer to it!”

Stygian stopped before the pedestal. He picked up the book within the blue glow of his magic and rifled through the pages at a blistering pace.

“I can’t— damn it all, come here!” Rockhoof shouted. “I’m stuck by some thing and it won’t—”

A loud thump resounded through the room as Stygian closed the book in his magic with a pronounced snap. A small ding shortly followed, reminiscent of the bell chimes. Stygian turned around to face Rockhoof with a wide smile.

“...Styg?” Rockhoof asked.

“It’s alright, Rockhoof. I’ll come back to you,” Stygian answered.

“Aye, please do.” Rockhoof breathed a sigh of relief.

“Oh, would you like to know what I found out?” Stygian began to walk back to Rockhoof.

“Sure, lad.”

“Well, it was quite short, but very illuminating. It explained the structure and purpose of this place, which I found absolutely fascinating, and I now believe I know what needs to be done to escape from here.”

“You do?” Rockhoof asked with a hopeful note to his tone, ignorant of the shadows that gathered around him. “That’s great news.”

“Yes, it is, isn’t it?”

“So, how do we escape?”

Stygian stopped just short of Rockhoof. A moment of silence as Stygian seemed to appraise him.

“Do you trust me?” Stygian asked.

“Aye,” Rockhoof answered without hesitation.

“Excellent. Now, hold still. It will be over soon.”

Thick cords of shadow grabbed him from behind and began to pull him down toward the floor. He reared up, startled, and began to fight back against the assault.

“Styg, what is this?!” Rockhoof exclaimed.

“Don’t fight it, Rockhoof. Just let it happen.”

Rockhoof felt his hooves sink into the floor, a strange sensation of liquid wood eating him from the bottom up. Stygian watched him, his appearance changing as he did. His mane faded into wisps of smoke, his eyes cried black tears. The vibrant purple cloak he was always so fond of snapped in the wind as it burned along the edges from an unseen force.

Realizing the trap for what it was, Rockhoof renewed his efforts, but his strength was nothing in the face of this darkness.

“Rest easy, Rockhoof. It will be over in mere moments,” Stygian said soothingly, his eyes pools of black.

Rockhoof came to and immediately noticed that he wasn’t back at the second floor hourglass as he had expected, but instead, to his mounting horror, inside of the vault.

Stygian stood by the pedestal, the book closed and floating within his magic.

“... Did you read it?” Rockhoof asked.

“I did,” Stygian replied. “It was very illuminating, and I now believe I have found a way out of this horrid place.”

Turning around to face him, Stygian regarded Rockhoof with his black-covered eyes, a cold smile on his lips.

“Rest easy, Rockhoof. It will be over in mere moments.”

Shadowy tendrils grasped Rockhoof’s body and began to drag him down into the murky depths.

“Don’t give into its temptations, Styg!” Rockhoof begged. “It's trying to trick you! It’s—”

“The answer we seek,” Stygian interrupted.

“Nay, Styg. It’s a trap. It will do nothing but hurt both you and the rest of us. Please—”

“Rest easy, Rockhoof. It will be over in mere moments.”

“Coward!” Rockhoof shouted, desperation in his voice. “How could you turn to dark magic? It's wrong, Styg! Wrong!”

“It’s a tool. Nothing more, nothing less,” Stygian replied evenly.

“If it’s a tool, it’s like a knife with the blade turned inwards! It will not save us! It will only—”

“Hush now,” Stygian interrupted as the shadows gathered around Rockhoof. “Rest easy, Rockhoof. It will be over in mere moments.”

“Please, Styg, don’t do it!” Rockhoof pleaded. “We’re your friends. I’m your friend. You can’t—”

“Of course, I know that, Rockhoof. I would never harm any of you,” Stygian interjected. “You are important to me.”

“If we are so important to you, then why would you do this?! Use such horrid magic against us?!”

“It is our salvation.”

“It is our death.”

“You misunderstand.” A single clear tear rolled down Stygian’s cheek. “With this, we shall be preserved.”

“We’ll be dead!” Rockhoof screamed.

“But our legacy shall live on.”

Rockhoof gaped at Stygian as comprehension dawned on him.

“Rest easy, Rockhoof. It will be over in mere moments, but we’ll live for a millenia more.”

Rockhoof hung his head, keeping his gaze pointed downwards as Stygian leafed through his dark tome. His ears flicked with each rustle of a page as it was turned.

“You are strangely quiet, Rockhoof,” Stygian noted. “It is uncharacteristic of you.”

He remained silent.

“This book has been quite illuminating.” Stygian closed it with a snap. “Written inside is a spell to allow us to escape this accursed place and return to our normal lives.”

He remained silent.

“Do not worry. Rest easy, friend. It will be over in mere moments.”

A derisive snort.

Silence descended upon them.

Rockhoof raised his head. Stygian was staring at him, an unreadable expression on his face.

“Excuse you?” Stygian said.

“What?” Rockhoof replied.

“You snorted,” Stygian accused.

“Aye. Twas funny.”

“What was?”

“You using the word ‘friend’.”

“Why would that be funny? It is a term used by those who are close, which we are.”

Another snort.

“There it is again!” Stygian stomped his hoof. “I demand to know what the joke is!”

“I donnae, Stygian. Why do you think I find it funny?”

“I don’t know! That’s why I’m asking!” Stygian shouted. “You know humour tends to go over my head and I usually need it explained explicitly to me or I don’t get it!”

Rockhoof was quiet for a moment as he gathered his thoughts together. “Why did you bring us together?”

“To protect the world,” Stygian replied immediately. “There was a threat that required—”

“That’s not what I’m asking,” Rockhoof interrupted.

“Then what are you asking?”

“Why did you stay with us?”

“Pardon?”

“Why did you stay with us?” Rockhoof repeated.

“I didn’t say pardon because I didn’t hear you, I said pardon because I don’t understand what you’re asking. What do you mean by that?”

“What’s your angle, Stygian? We dealt with the sirens, we were going to part ways, but then you told us that we should stay together. Travel the world and help others. Why?”

“To protect—”

“No, Stygian. You. Why did you stay? Why did you keep us together?” Rockhoof glared. “We’d already agreed to part ways after dealing with the threat, but you convinced us to keep going.”

“The answer is obvious! It was…” Stygian clutched his head, wincing in pain before reasserting his face in indignant offense. “I’ve already told you the reason. To—”

“No, it isn’t!” Rockhoof roared. “Tell me—”

“Let me finish!” Stygian shouted.

Rockhoof obliged by going silent.

“To start a legacy,” Stygian answered calmly. “To be a model for future generations, an inspiration. A legend to aspire to.”

“You…” Rockhoof drew back, struck by the cold words. “I can’t believe you would—”

“Would what, Rockhoof?!” Stygian demanded. “What other possible reason do you think there would be to stay together if not for that?!”

“Because we were friends!” Rockhoof insisted. “That we were… that we were akin to family.”

“That’s the reason you thought we stuck together?!” Stygian laughed, a harsh, broken sound. “I thought Somnambula was absurdly optimistic and naive, but clearly you’re much worse.”

“I-I don’t understand,” Rockhoof said. “Then why did the others agree to it?”

“Why did they—” A sharp bark of laughter “—Oh! Oh! You are right, this is funny. Shall I enlighten you then?”

Apprehensive, Rockhoof nodded.

“Well, then as our resident top nerd, allow me to fill you in on the real reasons our band of losers stays together.

“Starswirl likes being the boss and ordering around his lessers all while ignoring the ponies back home who hate him for being a stuck-up jerk with no redeemable qualities.

“Meadowbrook gets to be kind and generous and wonderful, so she can be lauded as this great, fantastic pony who can fill in for her social incompetence by just having everyone be in awe of how perfect she is, because the best she could manage socially is to be awkwardly in love with a stallion who’ll never reciprocate!

“Mistmane can pretend that she’s surrounded by ponies who don’t think she’s some gross hag and act so superior and wise as she dotes on us like a mother hen like the nosey busybody she is!” A few errant tears fell from Stygian’s face.

“Somnambula can continue to run away from her home village and how uncomfortable it is for her due to all the expectations everyone has of her, and shack up with two stallions like the third wheel she is as if either of them care about her at all!

“Flash gets to be a gloryhound and take all the fame that he so desperately needs because he can’t go five seconds without somepony telling him how great he is, which is also why he took two partners because then he never has to confront how stupid he is!

“Then there’s you.” Stygian pointed at Rockhoof with an accusatory hoof, ignoring the trembling of his own voice. “You’re here because—”

“I don’t have anywhere else to go,” Rockhoof whispered.

“That’s right!” Stygian exclaimed. “Because your home village treated you like garbage for being incapable of keeping up with the other colts. Then, when you could keep up, they still treated you like garbage because… they thought…” He trailed off.

“I would get payback,” Rockhoof continued. “For how they treated me prior to gaining my strength.”

“Yes,” Stygian said, hesitation in his voice. “So, you stuck around because…”

“I love you,” Rockhoof answered. “All of you. Dearly. More than even my family. You were the only ones that gave me a chance. That saw me as me and… I didn’t want to go back to having no one at all.”

Stygian stared at Rockhoof in open shock. A few more tears fell down from his darkened eyes. He choked suddenly, his body convulsed.

“What’s wrong?” Rockhoof asked.

“Rockhoof, I-I—” A single eye became clear again, a screech echoed through the chamber. “I didn’t mean anything I said! That was— it was all I wanted too— ahhh!” Stygian screamed as he clutched both sides of his head.

“Styg!” Rockhoof shouted. He strained against his bindings. “Blast these accursed things. Let me go!”

“You can’t, it’s—” Another scream. “You have to get out. I’ll open the way.”

A loud chime rung through the vault, reverberating through Rockhoof’s body.

“What was that?” Rockhoof asked.

“A way— Out!” Stygian reared back in pain as darkness burst from him. It billowed out toward the ceiling as he collapsed to the floor, shaking.

The shadows that bound Rockhoof dissipated. He raced toward his friend, but was stopped by a glow of blue magic holding him back.

“Styg, why—”

“You can’t come here!” Stygian shouted. “You can’t come closer! You’ll put yourself at risk! It’s already too late for me, but you can still leave!”

“Not without you and the others!”

“They’re already out. You and I are the only ones left. You must leave now because you’re running out of time.”

“That’s not possible, I—”

“No, Rockhoof. It’s a lie conceived by—” Stygian clutched his throat as he choked on the words he wanted to say, growling in frustration. “It doesn’t matter, you need to go. Through the front door.”

“I can’t, it’s blocked.”

“Like the time travelling, the barrier is fake, Rockhoof. Nothing here is real!” Stygian opened his hooves to encompass the area. “You only need to want to leave.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Then you need to hurry up and get it, because I can’t have you make the same mistakes I did. There’s no more time left. You need to go.”

A dagger made of dark crystal formed next to Stygian, hovering in place. The sharpened point glittered in what little light there was inside the vault. The darkness began to encroach once more, attempting to entrap Rockhoof and return to their original vessel.

“Styg, no!” Rockhoof shouted. “I’ll come back, I won’t—”

“Rest easy, Rockhoof.” Stygian smiled. “It will be over in mere moments. And for the record… I kept us together for the same reason you did.

“I love you too.”

Rockhoof launched himself toward Stygian just as the darkness lunged toward him as well. The dagger held in Stygian’s magic shot forward, burying itself in Rockhoof’s heart.

Rockhoof came to with a shout, the hourglass once more shattered before him. Wasting no time, he scanned his surroundings and, to his mounting horror, realized there were no other passages leading out from the room he’d found himself in.

He searched desperately for a passage further into the mansion, that some wall would turn out to be a cleverly disguised corridor that would lead him back to the ponies that mattered to him.

A groan of wood drew his attention to the wall behind him. Embedded into the wall was the front door of the mansion, the barrier dissipated and five lights of varying colours spaced evenly around a central circle, glowing brightly.

As Rockhoof watched, the final light burst to life with a grey glow.

End

Rockhoof stared at the door in disbelief as it stood there, unobstructed and inviting him to go through it, away from this accursed house. He took a step toward the door, but a polite cough caused him to pause.

Turning toward the sound, Rockhoof saw a cloaked figure, like the one he had met during his loop with Flash.

“... The killer?” Rockhoof asked, confused.

The figure drew back their hood to reveal a perfect clone of Rockhoof. Duplihoof (the internal nickname Rockhoof had spontaneously generated for this surprise doppelganger, one which he supposed was as good as any) frowned and tilted his head to one side.

“Where are ya goin’, lad?” Duplihoof asked.

“Through the door,” Rockhoof replied. “Like Styg told me to.”

“Stygian? Why would he tell you that?”

“Well, he—” Rockhoof paused. “I don’t know. It didn’t make much sense to me.”

“Seems our tactician is a bit off.” Duplihoof tsked. “Seriously, why would ya leave when you haven’t even found all of your friends yet?”

“I haven’t saved everyone from the mansion.”

“Right, you didn’t. As you can see.” Duplihoof gestured toward the wall opposite the door.

“That’s…” Rockhoof squinted “...a wall.”

“Of course, silly me. Let me fix that for you.” Duplihoof stomped his left forehoof twice on the floor.

The mansion opened up, creaking and groaning as it rearranged itself. Wall, floors, and ceilings ripped apart as normally inaccessible sections of the house became visible from Rockhoof’s position. As each part revealed itself, Rockhoof found each of his friends as they were at the start of the loop.

Meadowbrook was in the kitchen brewing a potion, Stygian was browsing the library, Somnambula was nervously scanning the open gears of the clock room, Flash was following a trail of hoofprints as a cloaked figure stalked him from behind, Mistmane banged against the inside of a glass tank, and Starswirl stared transfixed into a massive hole in the floor.

“As you can see,” Duplihoof repeated.

“Those are my friends, aye,” Rockhoof said, uncertainly. “I don’t—”

“Well, get to it,” Duplihoof declared.

“Get to what?”

“Saving your friends! You still have to find out how to do it all in one loop. Here, I’ll even give you a hint.” Duplihoof leaned in conspiratorially toward Rockhoof, covering part of his mouth with a hoof. “The first one you need to save isn’t who you think it is.”

“Right.” Rockhoof shook his head, feeling a fog beginning to lift from his mind that he hadn’t been aware of before. “This is… actually, you know what? I think I’m gonna try the door now. This is… confusing, and Stygian hasn’t led me wrong before.” He began to move toward the exit. “I’ll just check if it’s safe to leave then come back to get everyone else.”

“You’d abandon your friends? Leave them to die here alone?”

“Never, it’s just… something doesn’t feel right about this, it’s not what Styg told me to do and—”

Duplihoof stomped his hoof on the ground. The floor undulated as it rolled, unbalancing Rockhoof and pulling him away from the door.

“What are you—”

“How selfish.” Duplihoof grabbed Rockhoof’s head and twisted it to face the rooms where his friends resided. “Look what you’ve done.”

Meadowbrook choked, foam bubbling from her mouth as she clutched at her throat. A steel spike trap had pierced through Stygian’s body, staining the wooden floors. Somnambula fell through the open floor of the clock room, descending into unknown depths. Flash was stabbed by the cloaked figure by a shovel, bleeding out on the floor. Mistmane floated within the glass tank of water she had been trapped in. Starswirl was grabbed by shadowy tendrils and dragged down into the gaping chasm.

“No!” Rockhoof reached out with his hoof toward his friends. “I have to—”

“Save them, obviously!” Duplihoof exclaimed. “I know this is hard, so allow to provide some more assistance.”

Another stomp. The previously shattered hourglass reconstructed itself back into its pristine condition.

“Break it,” Duplihoof hissed angrily. He smiled. “Then you can go back to doing what you’re supposed to do.” He released Rockhoof from his grasp, leaving him to thud against the ground.

Getting shakily back onto his hooves, Rockhoof began to trek toward the hourglass, a horrid mix of confusion, apprehension, and panic clouding his mind.

I believe in you.

He inspected the hourglass as he came upon it. Everything was back to how it once was, but Rockhoof couldn’t remember how he knew that it was all back together as it was supposed to, since he could not recall a time when the first floor hourglass had ever not been broken.

I have faith in your ability to see this through. Always will.

Looking over the corpses of his friends, his usual protective instinct drove him to do what needed to be done… but it didn’t feel right. The last loops had felt like he was with them, but looking over the corpses that littered the mansion’s many rooms, he couldn’t help but feel that he was looking at mere puppets. Replacements for those whom he actually cared about.

But it had to be them. Because otherwise it would mean… that they weren’t there anymore and had left him behind.

Even the most mentally sound of ponies would crack under that kind of constant pressure, and we weren’t that stable to begin with.

This whole situation felt off. The more he thought through the cloud over his mind, the more he just didn’t get it. Why was there a second copy of him? Why did that copy keep killing him and Flash in that one loop? How did he even get into this place in the first place?

On that note, why was he even here? He’d been trying so hard to save everyone within the loop that he’d never thought to ask why they’d come to enter the mansion in the first place. What was the true purpose of their visit? It couldn’t have been random, Starswirl and Stygian despised diversions from missions, so it wasn’t for fun.

There was never any doubt in my mind.

His friends weren’t there anymore. He had no proof. He had no way to confirm it. But a part of instinctually knew that this was true. He had no reason to be there anymore.

But. What if he was wrong?

If there was even a chance that he would be leaving his friends behind, his family, to die in this place forever and ever… he couldn’t abandon them. He had to stay. He had to save them. That was what he did. He was strength. He was the shield. He never left anyone behind.

What have I told you about fear?

Rockhoof raised his hooves above his head, ready to smash the hourglass and restart the loop. Save his friends. It’s what he did. It was all he was good for. To be the shield that took on all the pain so the others could be safe. It was all that mattered. It was the one thing he could never allow happen, no matter the circumstance.

You just need to want to leave.

And Stygian knew that.

Rockhoof dropped his hooves back to the ground. He turned to face Duplihoof, a firm glare on his face as he recognized his enemy for whom he was.

“I’m leaving,” Rockhoof declared, certain in his choice.

The final circle burst to life. Orange light burned brightly alongside the other colours, before the door burst open, revealing a swirling vortex of white and hazy images of a land beyond.

Green grass. A shaded clearing. Tall standing stones arranged in a circle.

“And you’re going to let me leave whether you like it or not, pony of shadows,” Rockhoof growled.

A moment of silence as the statement rung through the room. Then, Duplihoof grinned, splitting his face literally in half as his mouth opened to reveal rows of jagged teeth, skin cracking to accommodate the sickening expression.

“Well, so much for the fun way. I’d always thought it was a longshot anyways.”

The shell Shadow wore cracked, a thunderous noise that echoed through the room. Fissures spread across his body as Shadow from within surged out, growing in size as it discarded its worthless flesh.

A massive stallion of writhing shadows towered over Rockhoof, a wide manic grin on his face.

“Now, be a good colt, and smash that damned hourglass,” Shadow hissed.

“Nay,” Rockhoof definitely answered. “I don’t even know how I fell for this the first time.”

“It’s simple. This place between makes the mind more malleable and susceptible to suggestion, thus making you easy to manipulate into performing actions you would normally know to be wrong,” Shadow explained.

“...What?”

“You’re a moron,” Shadow stated bluntly.

“... You dinnae have to put it like that,” Rockhoof muttered.

“I’ll be sure to phrase it more politely once I trap you here on a permanent basis.”

Shadow roared. As he did, the mansion came to life. The wooden floorboards ripped themselves up and twisted into long, spiralling tendrils. They shot toward Rockhoof, grabbing him by his hooves, forcing them above his head, and dragging him toward the hourglass.

“Let me go, ye foul beast!” Rockhoof shouted as he struggled against his restraints.

“Just give in already, your struggles are futile. Everything will be fixed soon enough and you can go back to playing as your friends’ shield or whatever.”

As Rockhoof drew closer to his fate, he closed his eyes, unwilling to watch the final moments of his freedom be taken from him. After a few moments of nothing happening, he opened them to see the tendrils had stopped.

Shadow looked as confused as Rockhoof felt. “Why did it stop?” A small burst of black magic from Shadow’s horn followed an indignant growl. “You?!”

The wood released Rockhoof, then turned around and stabbed Shadow through its semi-corporeal form. Shadow roared in pain. Meanwhile, as Rockhoof landed back on the floor, a blue glow of magic enveloped the floors underneath him and began to pull him toward the door.

“...Styg?” Rockhoof whispered.

“You vermin!” Shadow yelled as he smashed several of the tendrils that tried to pierce his body. “How dare you even attempt to take control!”

Shadow dissolved into smoke and removed himself from the tendrils’ assault. It reformed outside of its range, blew them apart with a burst of magic, then charged toward Rockhoof, fangs bared.

“Uh oh,” Rockhoof said.

“You will never escape me!” Shadow roared.

“Styg, Styg, Styg!” Rockhoof tapped the floors rapidly with a hoof. “If it is you, make this go faster, please.”

Hearing his call, the floors sped up, bringing him even closer to the door. Just as he was about to be launched into the vortex, shadowy spikes burst from below and broke the floors, stopping Rockhoof’s forward momentum.

“You will not get away from me! I will claim another!” Shadow screeched.

Shadow lunged toward him, mouth wide. Rockhoof had just enough time to grab the top and bottom parts of Shadow’s jaw, forcing them apart, and, more importantly, not allowing them to clamp down on his body. Sweat drenched his coat in the effort it took to hold them apart.

“Styg, I’m sorry to ask for so much help, but I’m not doing so good here,” Rockhoof said.

A creaking sound drew Rockhoof’s gaze toward the library room. He watched in shock as the corpse of Stygian dismounted himself from the spikes with a loud squelch, dripping blood onto the floors.

The corpse, or possibly just Stygian himself, used his magic to pull out one of the spikes and make his way toward Shadow. He cantered, then galloped, before leaping into the air and stabbing Shadow through the heart with the metal spike.

Shadow screamed in pain.

Rockhoof stumbled backward as the pressure from Shadow’s jaws left. A massive blue glow enveloped Shadow’s body and pinned the beast to the floor as he struggled against Stygian’s bindings.

“You must leave, Rockhoof,” Stygian said.

“I-it is you,” Rockhoof called, tears prciking the corners of his eyes.

“Yes, it is, now leave,” Stygian stressed.

“But what about the others?” Rockhoof asked.

“Gone. The Pony of Shadow’s goal was to corrupt the Pillars. They have already escaped and now you’re the only one still stuck here. For yours and the world’s sake, I ask for the final time, leave.”

“What about you?”

“It is too late for me. You must leave me behind.”

Hesitation caused inaction as a large part of him rejected the idea.

“I can’t just abandon you!” Rockhoof cried.

“Yes, stay here. Try to save your dear lost friend.” Shadow cackled. “More opportunities to claim you.”

“Bold claims while being pinned to the floor,” Stygian retorted. “You presume I would allow you to escape.”

“A bluff at best. The spell has been undone, and our release is inevitable. Once I’m free, you know I will have the advantage. The true price of this place will aid me. It is only a matter of time before I take you all over.”

“You’ll never succeed” Rockhoof said defiantly.

“Certainly the you that exists now could stop me. But all those years of you fighting me, fighting back your darker desires, trying to contain me, the darkness born of you so-called legendary heroes…” Shadow laughed, a harsh, shrill sound. “It’s so funny. You spent all this time focused on saving the very thing you lost the second you came here. When you leave this place, you will have forgotten the bond you all share and I will be as strong as the day you banished me to this place.”

“What does he—” Rockhoof started.

“It doesn’t matter,” Stygian interrupted.

“Of course, it—”

“No,” Stygian cut Rockhoof off. “Look, he’s right. Unfortunately. The price has been paid and… I’m so sorry, Rockhoof. This is going to hurt you so much and you won’t even know.”

“What, I don’t—! Why won’t you explain?!”

“Because then you won’t leave,” Stygian stated bluntly. “And you have to leave. You will always pick the pillars over the cause and, unfortunately, that’s not an option here.”

“This is not helping your case!”

“Rockhoof, you can’t—” Stygian took a deep shaky breath. “Look, all I want you to remember is that I love you, all of you, and that what I want more than anything else, is that you all get to have good lives, in whatever form that may take. But you, more than any of the others need to remember—

“To make sure that you live that life.”

“You’re talking as if we’ll never see each other again.” Tears fell from Rockhoof’s face. “I can’t leave you like this.” The doors shuddered, beginning to close. “Just tell me how to save you. Let me save you.”

“See, that’s the thing, Rockhoof. The me, the us, we are now—” A bittersweet smile “—Can’t save me. And I’m not letting you choose anymore.”

The floor buckled, rearing back, then cracked down, launching Rockhoof through the air and toward the vortex. And away from the Pony of Shadows and Stygian.

As Rockhoof fell into the portal, the horrid laughter of the Pony of Shadows filled his mind.

“...worked! We brought you back!”

Rockhoof groaned as he came to, his body feeling sluggish and weak as his senses began to slowly return to him.

He stood on an old henge stone, deep in a shaded wood. Rapidly returning memories placed the area as Ponehenge, the place he and the other pillars had sealed the Pony of Shadows within.

A strange purple unicorn with wings was arguing with Starswirl.

Rockhoof felt a measure of pity for the lass, as Starswirl was insufferable to deal with. A crotchety old unicorn with no redeeming traits that did nothing but berate everyone around him and act as superior as possible. He’d told them all as much when they had fought the Sirens. Snooty jerk.

A quick glance showed that the other pillars were also present, minus the pipsqueak that had gotten them into this mess in the first place.

He looked at them with a measure of discomfort as their last moments together had been… not great. They’d defeated the Sirens, and then, when they had been too exhausted to stop him, Stygian had stolen their artifacts to gain immeasurable power. An ambitious plot, and one that had unfortunately worked. He’d had one battle with these supposed pillars and he’d been duped.

That’s what he got for trusting strangers.

Mistmane looked dazed as she glanced around. Too nosey for Rockhoof’s taste. He could never really relate to her.

Meadowbrook had immediately turned to look at him, then glanced away with a blush so as not to get caught. He liked her, as a friend, but he knew that’s not how she felt and… he wasn’t ready to confront her about it.

Somnambula looked as out of it as he felt. He was sure that, given time, she would be back to giving her worthless platitudes and optimism. Talking about how they couldn’t give up because there was always hope or some similar lie that she liked to tell. He was being unreasonably harsh, he knew, but… there was a reason for that resentment.

Finally, there was Flash. Rockhoof couldn’t even look directly at him yet. He had feelings for the brash pegasus, but still hadn’t worked up the courage to actually tell him. Becoming aware of those feelings had made things somewhat awkward around him, but Rockhoof knew the crush would pass. Especially when Somnambula inevitably made her move.

Besides, it didn’t really matter. He’d had some measure of hope that maybe they could be more than just strangers and become ponies he could instead rely on, but Stygian’s betrayal made it clear that Rockhoof wasn’t meant to have that kind of bond with others. He was still the pony that everyone hated back at his village, and this excursion had done nothing to change his mind.

A rumble shook him out of his internal musings. Shadows gathered in the center of the henge, forming into a massive stallion.

Stygian— No, the Pony of Shadows had returned from limbo.

Drawing his trusty shovel, Rockhoof readied for combat. He would fulfill his role as the Pillar of Strength. Be the shield to take all the pain, while those smarter then him figured out how to deal with the threat. It didn’t matter how many hits he took, or if it was the last one he could, so long as—

To make sure that you live that life.

—He would survive. The Pony of Shadows would be defeated and then he would figure out what to do from there. Maybe meeting these strangers hadn’t worked out the way he’d wanted, but surely there was somewhere he could feel like he belonged.

But first, the Pony of Shadows would have to be defeated, and this time, they wouldn’t banish him, they would destroy him.

He never noticed the trail of tears that fell down his face that mourned the loss of all the time that had been taken from him.