While you sit in silence waiting, something starts to dig uncomfortably into your back. You reach your hand up and realize that the straps on your shoulder aren’t part of your outfit and slide right off. Evidently you were wearing some sort of hiking pack. You push it into the floor next to you, but can’t seem to get your fingers to cooperate and pick it up.

Silver Spoon sees what you’re doing and, with some difficulty, picks up the pack and puts it on the table. Water immediately pools around where it was placed. You must all be soaked.

She opens the bag up and shouts, “A towel!“ She shakes the belt off of it and pushes it over to you. At first you don’t know what to do with it, but she picks it back up and puts it in your hand, “Put it on your head!“

She must mean the cut. You turn your wrist up, still gripping the towel, and place it where the throbbing is. This sends a shiver of pain shooting across your whole body! Good night- does that ever sting!

While you fight against your body to keep still from the rolling pain, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon pull everything out of your pack. Three more wash cloths, the four belts, the knife and holder, and the water bottles. And they’re all bone dry. You had no idea your saddlebag was so water resistant! Or, maybe it’s only water resistant in this world? Wait, did your saddlebag really turn into a hiking pack? That’s ridiculous. You wonder if it’ll turn back when you leave.

You wonder if you’ll turn back when you leave.

You spot the opened window up ahead and expect Blossomforth to slow down, but instead she seems to speed up. She takes a curved approach, spins on her heel, skids in the mud, and leaps up like a hurdle jumper through the window, headfirst, belly up! Your whole world twists upside down as she flips in the air and lands inside, facing the window, hindlegs first, with one hand on the floor balancing herself and one still gripping you strongly! Even with the pounding in your head making you feel like you’re going to throw up, that was still really cool!

She sets you down in a chair at a table and goes to help Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon inside, but not before telling you, “Sit up, and whatever you do don’t put your head down. If you fall asleep now you might not wake up!“

Wow! You’re completely terrified! If you weren’t trembling before, you sure as hay are now! Frantically trying to keep your wits about you, your eyes scan the darkened room you’re seated in. It looks like a library. Behind you Blossomforth is talking, but you’re too afraid to even turn your head.

“I’m going to look for medical supplies. Stay here and keep her conscious. She has a concussion, but it might be worse than that.“
You hear Silver Spoon suggest, “Shouldn’t one of us go with you, or-“
Blossomforth’s reply is so loud and filled with anger that you can’t help but jump in your chair, “You will stay here! Do you understand me?!“

You don’t hear Silver Spoon answer, but you see Blossomforth run past you, throwing her shoes across the room as she goes. Just before she disappears from sight, she’s sprinting on all fours. Silver Spoon sits down in the chair next to you, clearly fighting back tears. Diamond Tiara sits down on the other side. Neither of them say a word.

That seemed a little harsh. Your head hurts, yeah. But surely you’ve had worse tumbles than this. At least… that would have made sense if you hadn’t noticed the blood on your shoulder. And your shirt. It kinda does look like a lot.

That probably would have been good to know before you stepped through the portal. Looking down at your legs, they do seem to be jointed wrong. Like a… well like a dragon.

“Is she going to be alright?“ They’re talking about you.
“I… I think so. I think the rain is just making it look worse than it is.“

You can hear footsteps running toward you from the other side of… yeah, it’s a building. Looks big, like something that might take up a quarter of a block in Manehattan. A hospital or a stadium. Or a school.

The one that carried you runs back around the corner, still on her hindlegs. You guess she really is Blossomforth, which would make those other two Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.

Blossomforth jumps up to the landing and scoops you back up, “I found an open window. We’ll warm up and dry off inside. Hopefully there’ll be some kind of first aid kit.“

She jumps back out into the rain carrying you and running along the wall; Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon following on all fours. Somehow, the way those two are moving doesn’t look natural. Like it doesn’t fit this body.

You gasp for air and choke on water. You’re drowning! Your eyes snap open but are forced shut by the rain. You hear a voice from above and realize something is holding you.

“You’re alright! You’re alright! Sit up, please! Breathe!“

She’s struggling to tilt you forward, so you push yourself up and curl your neck down to cough up the water. The rain so cold. You try to stand, but your legs won’t cooperate. It takes a moment to catch your breath, but once you do you open your eyes again.

You suddenly become aware that your entire body is shivering as your mind violently rejects what it’s seeing. This isn’t you! This is someone else! Out-of-body experience? Is that what it’s called? A growing pain on your head forces you to reach up and grasp it with your…hand?! Fingers?! Like a minotaur?! Like Tirek… You’ve become a monster! Your breathing becomes labored and you feel like you’re going to scream!

Your body is lifted up into the air by whoever is holding you. You turn your panicked gaze toward her and… The adult? Blossomforth? It’s not her, but it kinda looks like-

“We have to get out of this rain. That building over there! Hurry!“

She cradles you in her forelegs and runs on her hindlegs. You hear some other footsteps running with her, but you can’t get your eyes to focus. The freezing rain abruptly stops cutting into your skin, but that only seems to make you shiver more.

“It won’t open!“
“It’s locked!“

You’re set down on a hard, rocky ground, leaned against something vertical. A building? You hear a door being shook and loud banging.

“Hello! Anybody? Help! Please!“ She keeps shaking the door and screams in frustration. “Stay here. If somepony comes, get her inside!“ Then footsteps leading away.

Two faces appear in front of you. They look so strange. One of them moves your hand away and they both wince at what you were covering. You expect them to say something comforting, but all the pink-skinned one says is:

“Jeez, Liza. Why don’t you land right on your face next time?“

As you closed your eyes, you heard Spike say something, “I hope Lyra is alright.“

Why? Why is it always Lyra? Doesn’t anypony care about Bon-Bon? Lyra is nice enough, most of the time. But you’ve also heard her say some very mean things. And she’s admitted to doing bad things like stealing. Like hurting others. Bon-Bon would never do that. Bon-Bon would never hurt anypony.

So, why? What is it about Lyra that draws everypony to her?

Down a few halls and up one flight of stairs, Spike only stops once to check inside a room, but quickly exits and continues on. He eventually leads you and the group into an empty room and rushes over to a gray tarp covering a massive form. Without any flair, he pulls the tarp off to reveal a giant machine! It’s got tubes! And cylinders! And beams! And-and little… stick thingies with circles! It’s all bursting with purple/pink magic! And at the center of it all is… A portal?! This must be it!

Spike is beside himself, “I can’t believe this! It’s been running this whole time! There’s the book up there!“ He points to a stand at the top holding a brown book with a picture of a sun on it- Princess Celestia’s cutie mark! Spike spins around to face you, “You said she’s been gone three days?!“ He grabs hold of his face and drags his cheeks down, “Oh, man! If Twilight found out about this she’d be furious!“ Spike closes his eyes and begins pacing back and forth doing a mock impersonation of Twilight’s voice, “Don’t you understand the repercussions of blah blah blah?! Alternate dimensions are not a playground for yakkity yak yak! The very idea of-“ He stops abruptly and opens his eyes to the group of ponies staring at him.

Spike exhales slowly, seeming to have calmed down, “Look. Twilight’s been under a lot of stress lately, and there’s no doubt this would be the straw that breaks the mare’s back. You’ve got to get in there, find the two ponies, and get them home! I’ll try to cover for you as long as I can, but eventually Twilight is going to figure this out! She’s already been freaking over the book being missing!” You and the others nod slowly in understanding, but Spike jumps with impatience and points to the portal, “Don’t just stand there! Go!“

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon break into a sprint and vanish into the portal first, with Blossomforth right behind them. You hesitate for just a moment, then run toward the machine. The closer you get, the more blinding the swirling, pink light becomes. Eventually you’re forced to close your eyes. You take two gallops more and jump.

But your feet never touch the ground.

Blossomforth leads you, Diamond Tiara, and Silver Spoon to the upstairs foyer. She says to wait in the hallway and goes on ahead. Once she’s gone, Diamond Tiara begins voicing her disapproval.

She throws her forehooves up, “What did I say about telling as few ponies as possible? I was almost impressed with how you handled getting caught. Now an adult knows, and she’s going to tell Princess Twilight’s sidekick! You think he’s going to keep this a secret from her? If this whole thing comes back to us, we’re saying you forced us to go with you!“
Silver Spoon nods, “And it’ll be two against one. Who do you think they’ll believe?“

You try to explain that she wasn’t going to keep it secret anyway, but they won’t listen. Either way, you hear Blossomforth and Spike heading toward you.

“But the tour didn’t come this way. Twilight’s given the same tour all day and she’d never deviate from it.“
“Would you please just come on. I’m trying to show you something.“

Blossomforth rounds the corner and points to you. Spike looks at her funny, then glances over at where she’s pointing.

“Uh… Hello there?” He gives a weak wave and turns back to Bloosomforth, “Did I miss something?“
“They need some help and I’m calling in that favor you owe me.“
Spike’s face turns flush and he trips up on his words, “Uh… Well, I… Um…“
She puts a hoof on Spike’s shoulder, “We don’t have to discuss what it was, but what I’m requesting is very important. Two pony’s lives might be in danger.“
Spike nods and Blossomforth continues, “We need to know what you know about a portal to another dimension in this castle.“
Spike looks away toward the ground, “I’m… not supposed to talk about that. Twilight says it’s a breech of security.” Spike looks up to Blossomforth, who points to you, “Two pony’s lives are in danger?“
Your explanation gets as far as mentioning Lyra and Spike jumps with a start, “Lyra? I know her! She’s missing?“
You nod and he pounds his fist into his palm, “Then there’s no time to lose. Come on!“

Spike breaks into his strange, two-legged run, and the four of you follow.

You pause to think for a moment, then begin to tell Blossomforth why you’re here. About how Lyra and Aunt Bon-Bon just up and disappeared. About how you didn’t want them to get in trouble for leaving you alone. About how it all pointed to here, and to a portal leading to another world. The whole time Diamond Tiara throws one mean look after another at you.

Blossomforth bends down to eye level, “That’s admirable that you want to protect your family. You may not have gone about this the best way, but I feel it wouldn’t be right to stop you if somepony might be in danger.“ She scratches her head and looks outside of the room, “And I may have a way to help. But, with your permission, I’ll have to call in a favor from somepony. Or rather, somedragon.“

You see an opening and press your attack.

The mare takes another step back, this one completely obvious. “I-I heard something and saw you three. I knew you weren’t supposed to be off by yourselves, so-“
“And how did you know that?“ Diamond Tiara steps forward, “Did somepony- say, maybe a princess- tell everypony they had to stay together?“
“Y-yes. We were-“
“So…“ Diamond Tiara interrupts and looks up at the ceiling, while slowly walking toward the pegasus, “What you’re saying is…“ She swings her head back down and stares the nervous mare down, “You deliberately disobeyed a princess.“
The mare recoils as her eyes go wide. Silver Spoon gasps, evidently having finally caught on, “That-That’s treason!“
“No!“ She argues back in a panic, “I wasn’t! I was worried and-and- oh Celestia!” She drops to her stomach and covers her head, “I don’t want to be banished and then thrown in a dungeon in the place that I’m banished to!“
Diamond Tiara lowers herself to maintain eye contact, “Well neither do we! So you keep our secret and we’ll keep yours!“

Seeing the cowering mare slowly nod in fear makes you feel bad. But you have to admit, it was effective. She says her name is Blossomforth. You aren’t sure what to tell her, though. If you just let her go, there’s no way she’ll really keep quiet.

That’s a pretty huge risk- talking back to an adult. But, you don’t suppose you can get in much more trouble than you already are. You take a deep breath, collect all of your courage, puff out your chest and take a step forward, launching your accusation.

“I was invited!“ The mare replies, pointing to herself. “Princess Twilight Sparkle invited me to tour the castle because I was on the jumbo tornado team! Anyway, you three weren’t with the tour group, so I know you aren’t supposed to be here!“

For most fillies that would be the end of it. She’s in the right; you’re in the wrong. Game over. Hang your head in shame. Start playing Taps, because you’re dead. But, you’re not most fillies. After she pointed to herself, when the mare put her hoof down, it was a step back. She’s unsure of herself. Unsure how to act or what to do. There may yet be a way out of this.

“Of course I’m fine! Why wouldn’t I be?” Silver Spoon comes out from behind the boxes and marches toward you. “What? You think you’re one of us now? You think we’re all friends just because you’re here? You think I care? Well I’ve got news for you- I don’t care! And you’re not allowed to care about me! Do I make myself clear?!”

Silver Spoon breathes deeply and stares you down. Some ponies might be fooled into thinking she’s furious. But there was a catch in her voice. She’s on the verge of breaking down and crying. You’re not really sure where to go from here. But either way you never get a chance, as Diamond Tiara stops in the doorway.

“You two only got this far? What were you doing? Braiding each other’s mane?” Diamond Tiara pauses, as though she’s actually expecting an answer, but continues when one never comes. “Whatever. Like I said, it’s probably not down here anyway. Now come on. I found the stairs.”

The three of you walk in silence to and up the stairwell, which evidently does exist, exiting into a hallway. Diamond Tiara spots an open door and ushers you and Silver Spoon inside.

“I don’t recognize where we are… yet.” Diamond Tiara is quick to add in that last part.
“Well, lets see…” Silver Spoon starts to draw in the air with her hoof, “If the main stairs were here… And we were back here… The stairs would have came out here and we-”

“What do you three think you’re doing?”

The voice makes all three of you jump and spin around! An off-white pegasus with a pink and green mane is standing in the doorway! You can hear your heart pounding in your ear! What do you do?!

Silver Spoon answers from behind the boxes, “How would I know? And what do you care? You’re not even going to be there.”

You weren’t invited this year, for obvious reasons. But the way she said it, and exhaled at the end, sounded like she was going to say more, but stopped. Which seems… odd. You can’t think of a single moment where either Silver Spoon or Diamond Tiara showed a drop of restraint.

Your sense of timing is telling you that you’ve probably got one more try at this before she gets annoyed and starts to ignore you.

You don’t remember why, or if she was even talking to you, but you remember Lyra once suggesting that Harmony is alive. That the concept adapts as time passes, and in that way, it just knows things. Since the powers of Harmony created the castle, interior and all, it would make sense that it just knows how to lay everything out safely.

Still, it could be an interesting source of conversation.

“I don’t care.” Silver Spoon dully replies as she disappears behind a stack of boxes in a storage room, “I don’t even know why I’m here. I should be getting my beauty rest for my birthday party tomorrow.”

That went about as well as you expected, but maybe a different subject is worth a try?

You don’t want to. You really don’t want to. But, with a sigh, you walk over to the window and extend a hoof to help. First, with Silver Spoon pushing from below, you pull in Diamond Tiara (who needs to lay off the nachos and cake if she expects somepony to lift her) and then the two of you pull up Silver Spoon. Without so much as a ‘thank you’ from either of them, they dust and straighten themselves out and peek out the doorway.

“This should be the backside of the first floor,” Diamond Tiara thinks aloud. “Straight ahead should be the main foyer. We can’t take the staircase, obviously, but it would be a fire hazard to only have one way up or down. We’re looking for a servant’s stairwell to reach the main part of the castle.”
“What if it’s stored on the first floor?” Silver Spoon asks.
“That wouldn’t be very secure, but you two check the rooms while I look for the stairwell.”

The three of you head right out of the doorway, with Diamond Tiara quickly heading further and further away. Leaving you alone with Silver Spoon to check out the rooms.

You disagree about the plan, but you really don’t want to be around these two.

After taking a few steps back and sizing up the window, you burst into a sprint and kick yourself up the wall. You manage to land your body on the sill and pull yourself in the rest of the way. Not as graceful as you’d imagined, but task complete.

You hear Diamond Tiara from outside, “Nice job! Assuming nopony heard you, of course. Now pull us up.”

Pausing to check your surroundings, you notice the room is empty and undecorated. This part of the castle must not be in use yet. There’s no door and the hallway beyond is L shaped; going to the right.

Outside, you hear Silver Spoon speak, “What is she doing up there?”
“Probably checking to see if the coast is clear. That’s what I’d do.” Diamond Tiara replies.
“What if she just left us?”
“This is for your birthday; she wouldn’t do that. Relax.”

That’s right. This was for her birthday. They both gave you presents last year. And you were invited to Silver Spoon’s birthday party last year too, before you punched her. They’re mean, hateful ponies. But would leaving them behind, after they helped you find the safest way inside, make you any better? This could even be your way of making amends to Silver Spoon for hitting her.

“Besides,” Diamond Tiara continues, “If she does, we’ll make her life completely miserable.”

Well, that’s always a strong motivator too.

Either way, this is your last chance to suffer through Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon coming along, or ditching them, and whatever retribution comes with that.