Through the next few chambers, the group was blessed with very little issues. Nothing trying to hop out at them, nothing trying to eat them as they moved from room to room. Phantom seemed to be recovering slowly from the gas, and Shadow was thankful for that. He was really worried he was going to lose the one horse he considered a friend, and he didn’t like the feeling.

He should’ve guessed that the down time wasn’t going to last long, it usually never does. Though he didn't think much would happen in this room, he was dead wrong. Desiree and Daravna were behind him as Phantom led the way, and as soon as they entered an uneasy feeling washed over him.

Something about this room felt… off. It felt too calm in here, too…

He didn't have much time to finish his thought as the floor below them started to shift and groan, almost like the room was alive. A faint whisper below turned into a fierce gale as their lanterns went out.

All that was heard next was the sound of the floor breaking apart and a scream from the grey stallion in front of them. Daravna was about to walk forward when Shadow rushed out in front of him, the eerie feeling of the void calling to him from below.

They needed to find a way to relight their torches before any of them moved forward; no one was going to plummet to their death here.

“Phantom, whatever you do, don't move. I would rather not have to hear you take a nosedive straight to your death, ok?” The black courser heard a faint ok from down below and wondered just how far the room had torn itself apart. 

“Shadow, do we have a way to light the room up? I don't think with the wind rushing through here that the torches are able to be relit.” Mumbling under his breath, Shadow cursed whoever was listening to them.

“Most likely not, are there any lanterns or anything around here that you saw before the lights went out?” The puck tried to remember if there had been or not. She could've sworn there were a few sitting by the entrance to the chamber before they walked in.

“Let me see if I can find one by the entrance, I think there might have been some back there.” Placing her hooves slowly in front of her she started feeling her way back towards the entrance. 

Before long a light metallic *cling* could be heard as her foot brushed metal. Reaching around to her pack, she pulled out the matches that rested deep inside. ‘Ok, here goes nothing.’ She thought to herself as she struck the match on her hoof. Within an instant the flame burned bright and she rushed to light the candle inside its glass cage.

“Ok, got it!” Desiree made her way back to the group, less cautious than before. 

“Watch your step!” Daravna leapt out to push her back but Shadow had already beaten her to it. Her eyes moved between the two stallions and then down below, and she nearly fainted at the sight.

Not even a few inches from her was the dark drop, and no matter how hard you tried you couldn't see the bottom. Her breathing heavy, she took a few steps back as fast as she could. The light gave them enough room to see a few feet in front of them but they couldn’t see Phantom anywhere close. Just how far did this break span?

“Phantom, are you still down there?” Shadow yelled, his voice echoing off the newly made walls below. They listened for a few moments before he yelled again.

“Yes, I'm still here. I think I might be stuck down here completely; I can't see anything and the little that I felt with my hoof seems to be very very narrow.” The grey shuddered at the thought, there was no way he was going to make it out of here, was there?

…

The group of three was drawing up plans in the dirt while the grey sat below, his nerves slowly wearing down. When were they going to get out of here, was there even any getting out?

He could hear Shadow’s voice above shouting something, but he couldn’t quite make out what. Phantom decided to try and take a few steps forward, see if he could find any way to make it to them without anyone getting injured.

A foot planted steadily in front of him before the rock started to crumble beneath his hoof. Heart beat racing, pounding in his ears like a drum. Panic started to set in now and he scrambled backwards which made the situation worse. He could feel himself slipping backwards, feel like he was trapped in a box for someone’s entertainment.

Phantom was scared he was going to fall when all of a sudden a lit torch was flying at him. He pulled himself forward when the torch landed on the platform, surprised that the thing hadn’t gone out in its aerial journey. There was no way he was going to complain though as he picked the torch up and swung it around him. He had more room to his left, but if he had taken just another step to the right he would’ve been another victim to the abyss.

…

A sigh of relief escaped Shadow’s maw as he watched the torch land where he thought his friend had been. It was a steep drop but the grey wasn’t as far away as he had thought. The black stallion was also grateful for the flying light as it gave them glimpses of platforms that possibly ended up where the other was.

“You sure we can make it down there with no issues?” Desiree tapped him lightly with her hoof as Daravna continued to stare down at the other. 

“I’m more concerned about getting out of here with no issues. Finding platforms shouldn’t be hard if we take it slow and look where we’re going, but that doesn’t mean there aren't other things down here with us.” He looked at her, an unreadable expression on his face. She shrugged, he was right. There was only one way to figure out if they were gonna make it and that was just to do it.

“Fine, let’s get a move on before someone else ends up here with us. I have a feeling the room “resets” and I’d rather not be stuck in between the walls of the floor if that’s the case.” She handed Daravna the torch and he took it with his tail. A glance exchanged between them and they started to follow after the very hard to see stallion. Desiree hoped that they’d get out of there soon, and safely.