"Dorota," Eva cooed, her plumage refracting the forest's dim light into a spectrum of colors. "Do you feel it too? The energy here...it's different from our realm.”

"Yes, Eva," Dorota replied, her mane of midnight blue and chestnut brown shimmering in the twilight. Her eyes widened in surprise as she caught the sound of her companion. "Wait, you can talk? How?"

Eva gave a thoughtful hum, realizing that her melodious hoots had transformed into comprehensible words.

Dorota's face lit up with delight, casting a warm glow in the dusky surroundings. “This is extraordinary!”

“Indeed, it is. However, might we refocus on our predicament? This place we've inexplicably found ourselves in?” Eva asked, her voice filled with curiosity and a hint of concern.

“Oh, yes, of course. I got carried away,” Dorota laughed, her wings rustling with anticipation. “This is going to be a wild adventure.”

A rustling noise from the undergrowth interrupted their conversation. Dorota's horn glowed, ready to fire a defensive spell. The rustling subsided, and a sudden flare burst from the foliage. "What's happening?" Dorota gasped.

As the flames dispersed, a small, baby-like creature emerged.

Horns jutted from its head, wings sprouted from its back, and its scales shimmered with an iridescent sheen.

It trudged closer to them, curiosity sparkling in its eyes.

Eva recognized him instantly. “He’s a baby dragon. But why is he all the way out here?"

"Not sure, but look how adorable he is," Dorota said, her voice softening.

The small dragon approached and Dorota gently picked him up, cooing at the creature as Eva watched.

Their moment of peace was broken by the crunching sound of footsteps on the snow. Instinctively, they prepared themselves for a potential threat.

But he figure that emerged from the bushes was not a threat but a surprise. A pony, her coat glistening like an aurora borealis, stumbled into the clearing.

"Gracey," she called, her voice trembling. "I told you not to wander too far."

The baby dragon, apparently named Gracey, scampered from Dorota's hooves and trotted towards the auroricorn.

Dorota was too shocked to speak as the mysterious pony looked at her with wide, astonished eyes.

"Eva," Dorota whispered, her voice barely audible. "She's like me. She's an alicorn."

"Yes, Dorota. She is," Eva replied, her voice filled with wonder. "But she's more than just an alicorn. She's an auroricorn, one of the rarest types."

The auroricorn, seemingly regaining her composure, approached Dorota slowly.

"Who are you?" she asked, her voice echoing through the silent forest.

"I am Dorota, and this is Eva," Dorota replied, gesturing towards her feathered friend, who had cautiously emerged from behind the tree. "We're not from here. We...we don't even know where 'here' is."

The auroricorn nodded, her gaze softening. "My name is Lyra. And this is Gracey," she said, gesturing towards the baby dragon who was now playfully circling her legs. "You're in the Kingdom of the Lost, a place where those who are lost or forgotten find themselves."

Meanwhile:

"So allow me to get this straight—you hid the truth from your daughter, kept her magic under wraps, and forbid her from being herself?" Mystic Lily asked, her tone lighter than the question warranted.

Maya sighed, her horn faintly glowing with restrained energy.

"Look, I don't expect you to understand why we did what we did, but back then it was..." She trailed off, her gaze locked onto her reflection in the crystal walls, the image of a mare torn between motherhood and fear.

"Best choice, until she ran away," Maya finally continued, her voice a mere whisper as if the walls themselves could betray her secrets.

Mystic Lily snorted, her sarcasm slicing through the tension like a knife.

"Oh, absolutely, because suppressing someone's true self always works out so well. What could possibly go wrong?" She rolled her eyes dramatically.

Maya turned sharply, irritation flashing in her eyes, but before she could retort, the scenery around them began to shift.

The cave dissolved into a vast, open grassy plain under a sky painted with pastel hues.

"Oh, I hate it when this place does this." Mystic Lily whined, casting a longing glance back at where the cave had been. "You never know where in Equestria you're going to end up."

But the landscape was not just any part of Equestria to Maya.

It was a perfect replica of her childhood home, the place where she had first learned to harness her magic, where she had played with her sister's before the weight of their future had rested on their shoulders.

"Uh, hello? Earth to Maya!" Mystic Lily's voice was tinged with impatience as she watched the unicorn stare blankly at the familiar surroundings.

The Gripotamus knew she needed to snap Maya out of her daze, so she took a deep breath and prepared to unleash her most sarcastic comment yet. "Oh, what's this? The stoic Maya lost in a daydream? I'm shocked—truly, I am. What's next, will you start singing about your feelings?"

Her comment did the trick. Maya blinked, her focus returning as she gave Mystic Lily a withering look. "Are you quite finished?"

"Never," Mystic Lily replied with a smirk. "But but your time to find.your precious Alicorn daughter has just ran out."

Maya's expression widened, a strange and chilling feeling has gone thorough the Unicorn. "What are you talking about."

Meanwhile:

"Son, please, will you just stop and talk to me!" Ross shouted, his voice echoing off the crystal walls as he managed to catch up to the younger unicorn.

Ember Glow halted, the corners of his mouth twisting into a sardonic smile. He turned slowly to face his father, his eyes flickering with a cool, mocking light. "Oh, now the mighty Ross desires conversation? What's the matter, run out of puzzles to distract yourself with from the way you treated your daughter?"

Ross's heart pounded in his chest, his confusion rapidly turning to suspicion at his son's unusual tone. "How do you know the events that transpired between us?" he demanded, his eyes narrowing.

With a dismissive snort, Ember Glow gestured to the cavern walls with a flourish, the dim light casting long shadows behind him. "Like you have been while raising me, you never paid attention to what was around you. If you bothered to read the walls, Dad, you'd know the truth."

Ross's gaze followed Ember Glow's mocking gesture, and as his eyes scanned the walls, they began to shimmer, revealing images and words that told a story of the past.

There, in the etchings and glowing runes, was the tale of how Ross had left his family to venture to Apple Trotlyn, where he met Maya, and the subsequent neglect of his son and daughter.

The realization hit Ross like a thunderbolt. Ember Glow, or the creature he believed to be his son, was never real.

He was a figment, an embodiment of Ross's own fears and failures, conjured by the cave to force him to face the consequences of his actions.

The unicorn's heart sank as he understood that this confrontation was the puzzle he needed to solve—a puzzle of the soul.

Ember Glow watched his father's face change with each revelation, his sarcastic tone never wavering. "What's the matter, old pony? The truth too much to bear? You thought you could just trot away from your mistakes? Looks like they're trotting after you now."

Ross bowed his head, shame and sorrow swirling within him.

The walls continued to reveal more of his life, reflecting the joy he had once known and the pain he had caused.

In the cool, judgmental gaze of his imaginary son, Ross could see the years of neglect Ember Glow and Dorota had endured, the years of love he had failed to give.

"You were always good at running away, weren't you, Ross?" Ember Glow taunted, the echo of his voice bouncing off the walls. "But you can't outrun your own shadow, can you?"

Ross lifted his gaze, his eyes wet with unshed tears.

"No, I can't," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. "I was a coward. I ran from my responsibilities, from you, caused Dorota pain....and hid from myself."

"Ding ding ding give the pony a prize for finally using that genius brain of his, about time you start thinking for once instead of jumping head first." The creature spoke still in a form of Ross's son.

"So if your not my son then who excatly are you?" Ross asked, his eyes searching the creatures for soem answers.

Snickering, the creature suddenly began to dash into the darkest part of the cave as Ross sprinted after it "hold, on how do I get out of here please me!"

Meanwhile:

"I don't get how you love crystals and gems so much," Storm Blazer joked, his voice dripping with playful sarcasm, as he observed from above.

Gold Sky chuckled, his horn illuminating with a soft glow as he levitated another shining gem into his bag. "Hey, if they glitter or shine, I'm taking them. Plus, it might help to find out where my next opportunity will be."

"You know we have to fo—" Storm Blazer's witty retort was cut short as the ground beneath him vanished, his hooves scrambling for purchase in the air. "Oh, fantastic."

Frantically flapping his wings, Storm Blazer found no gust to support him, the air as absent as the ground had been.

"Hold on, bud!" Gold Sky called out, panic edging his tone as he rushed to his friend's aid.

With a surge of magic, Gold Sky tried to use his horn to save both of them, but to his horror, the earth beneath him crumbled away too.

The two ponies tumbled into an abyss, the light of the gemstone forest fading rapidly above them.

As they fell, a blanket of darkness enveloped them, and the world faded to nothing.

---

Gold Sky's eyelids fluttered open to a world of silence and shadows. His heart raced. "Storm Blazer!" he cried out, his voice echoing through the vast, unknown space.

Groggily, the red Pegasus groaned, his eyes blinking against the dim light.

"What... Where are we?" he muttered, his head pounding with confusion.

They were no longer in the crystal forest but in a vast library, with towering shelves of books stretching into the darkness above.

The two exchanged bewildered glances, each as puzzled as the other.

"I don't remember any libraries in the forest," Gold Sky stated the obvious, his sarcasm a thin veil for his concern.

"And I don't remember falling into one," Storm Blazer retorted, trying to shake off his disorientation. "Last thing I remember, we were about to become a pancake special."

The two ponies stood, their bodies aching, but curiosity slowly overtook their discomfort.

Storm Blazer scanned their surroundings, equally baffled. "As much as i find this palfe intriguing, we need to figure out how to get back. Dorota is still out there, and—"

"Dorota," Gold Sky interrupted with a snort,. "The mythical alicorn you claim to have met? I'll believe it when I see it."

Howeverwhile exploring, one single book on a pedestal caught Gold Sky's attention. "Ooh shiny."

Its cover shimmered like the very gems he adored, beckoning him closer. "Wait Gold Sky don't touch anyt-"

But the moment the gold Unicorn touched it with his horn, the room around them spun wildly.

Meanwhile:

"We've been searching for ever!" complained Sapphire, the shape-shifting changeling, as she plopped down on the grass with a weary sigh.

Crystal rolled her eyes, a smirk tugging at her lips. "Oh, I hadn't noticed. I thought we were just out for a leisurely stroll."

Spaphire huffed, unamused by her friend's sarcasm. "Can't we just rest for a few?"

"Alright, but just for a few minutes," she conceded. "Plus, I need to see if this book's mystical blabbering about our route is even remotely true."

Sapphire nodded absentmindedly, already fishing out a tea bag from her saddlebags. "Yeah, yeah, while you do your homework, I'm gonna get some of Peach Delite's famous tea brewing. Because, you know, proper hydration is key to any pointless quest."

As the sweet aroma of the tea began to fill the air, Crystal's eyes were glued to the worn pages of the ancient tome, her brow furrowing in concentration.

"According to this, we should've encountered at least three riddles, a bridge troll, and a singing willow tree," she mumbled, more to herself than to Sapphire.

"Wow, how utterly disappointing," Sapphire replied dryly, pouring hot water into her teacup with a flourish. "I was so looking forward to the musical number."

Their banter was abruptly cut short by a swirling vortex of light and wind that materialized out of nowhere.

The portal blasted Sapphire and Crystal to the ground, scattering the tea set and the book in a flurry of leaves and grass.

Scrambling to their hooves, the pair readied themselves for a fight, their hearts pounding in their chests.

But their defenses lowered as a familiar face stepped out of the portal – Dorota, the alicorn they'd been searching for, with a serene smile on her face.

Behind her, a small owl fluttered, perched atop a rainbow crystal and gemstone hairband that adorned the young alicorn's head.

"Oh, hhey girl's, fancy meeting you here," Dorota said, her voice bubbling with genuine surprise.

Spaphire dusted herself off, raising an eyebrow. "Oh, is it portal-crashing season already? We didn't get the memo."

"Yeah, what a total coincidence, Dorota. It's not like we've been traipsing all over the countryside looking for you." added Crystal, brushing dirt from her scales. "Really subtle with it to."

Dorota's eyes twinkled with amusement. "I aim to impress."

"Cool but, quick question? Who's that you've brought with you?" Sapphire asked, nodding towards the dragon and pony that had followed Dorota through the portal.

"This is Gracey," Dorota introduced, gesturing to the dragon. "She's Lyra's pet – you know, Lyra, the super rare auroricorn with the enviable mane."

Sapphire and Crystal bombarded Dorota with questions, their words tumbling over each other in a chaotic stream.

But Dorota held up a hoof, signalling for them to slow down.

"Have either of you had any contact with my parents? Ross and Maya?" she asked, her expression turning serious.

Sapphire and Crystal shook their heads. "We split up to cover more ground," Crystal explained. "No word from them yet."

Dorota's expression grew serious. "Listen, there's an evil unicorn with a broken horn after magical creatures and me. She's got an amulet that can suck magic and create dangerous beings. My parents could be in danger."

Spaphire snorted. "Ah, just a typical Tuesday, then."

Crystal nodded sagely. "Of course, because our day wasn't exciting enough."

Dorota bit her lip, her worry evident. "Our mission remains: hunt that menacing Unicorn down before she has a chance to strike."