[Comm (Coins)] (3) Maze of Seasons

As soon as they stepped into the chamber after the Bridge of Echoes, the floor beneath their hooves shifted gently. Walls rose on either side, smooth stone sliding upward silently. In seconds, the enormous chamber transformed into a labyrinth of twisting passages.

Arctic backed up, bumping into Gravity. “I hate mazes. They have dead ends, and traps, and-” his breathing was fast, and I gently laid my head across his withers.

“Solutions,” I finished. “We’ll find our way out.”

Gravity sniffed the air. “If we get lucky, it will have snacks,” she said happily. “Lots of walls means lots of moss!”

Khaos studied the nearest wall, tracing the spirals and images patterned on them. “It’s a changing maze,” he announced. “I think it changes with the seasons, or perhaps the seasons change it.”

Arctic sighed, “A shifting maze. Excellent. Love that. Fantastic fun, you know.”

Daydream drifted forward with her usual soft, floating steps. She didn’t look worried, rather she looked excited. Her fluffy sides brushed the stone as if greeting an old friend.

“The air feels familiar,” she blinked. “Like something is waiting?”

“Please let it be a nice something.” Gravity began to trot inside. “If it’s food, I call dibs. Especially berries, I love berries.”

We started into the maze after Gravity, but soon Khaos took the lead. The walls seemed to hum when they chose certain directions, and pulse uncertainly when they chose others. Sometimes the ground beneath them rippled faintly, redirecting their steps without force.

It didn’t take long before the paths began to change in front of them.

One of the corridors ended abruptly, spilling them into a forest of cherry blossoms, their scent filling the air.

“Ohhh, I like this!” Gravity squealed. “Look, there’s cherries on this one!” She ripped them from the tree, chomping down excitedly before abruptly spitting them back out in disappointment. “They aren’t ripe,” she said sadly. 

Khaos shrugged, “What did you expect from the spring season? Let’s just keep going.” He led a winding way through the trees, searching for the exit. It only took a few minutes to find it.

“Do you have ancient-maze GPS?” Arctic joked, trotted rapidly behind him.

“I’m just observant,” Khaos replied, heading back into the maze. We walked for what felt like twenty minutes until the maze abruptly forked into two identical corridors.

Gravity sniffed each one. “No food in any of these. That’s concerning.”

Suddenly, a soft crunch sounded, echoing down the left fork. We froze, listening. Another crunch; light, delicate steps.

Arctic backed halfway into me. “If it’s a spider bigger than my face, I’m dying on purpose and you can’t stop me.” I snorted half-heartedly in laughter, silently agreeing.

The sound came again, followed by a tiny sneeze.

Daydream’s ears perked and she trotted down the left fork. We looked at each other for only a moment before reluctantly following her. She turned her head toward a small side gap between two stone panels and snorted softly.

A frost colored fox stood there, its tail a drift of fog, eyes glowing light blue in a match to the veins on the wall. It tilted its head at Daydream before stepping into the open. It was barely the size of her head, tiny paws leaving sparkles of frost on the stone.

Arctic strangled a squeak. “What IS that? It’s… kinda cute.” 

Daydream stepped forward with soft certainty, lowering her head to nicker at it. “Hello, little friend. Can you help us?”

The fox trotted straight to her, brushing its frosted tail along her foreleg. Daydream giggled, her breath misting as cold shimmered around them.

“It’s a guide,” Khaos said suddenly. “I think it’s meant to lead us through the maze. Maybe we’re supposed to make friends with it?

I smiled and lowered my head as well, but the fox refused to look at me. “I guess he only likes her.”

The fox hopped twice, then skittered back into the gap it came from. It paused only for a moment, looking back expectantly, before running ahead.

Daydream picked up her hooves and trotted after it. “It wants us to follow.”

“Or it wants us to die in a fancy artistic way,” Arctic muttered. “But sure. Let’s follow the creature whose origin is unclear.”

I moved after Daydream, trusting her more than I trusted the fox. It led us through the small corridor and into another opening in the maze, a winter wonderland it seemed. The fox bounded through the snow, and soon, all of us were enjoying the chilly cold of the winter woods.

“I want to pet it,” Gravity whispered as we raced beneath icicle-covered trees. The fox heard her and bared tiny, icy teeth in response before leading us forward again.

Gravity sighed. “I still want to pet it.”

After several more turns, we left the woods, and the maze began to change its behavior. The walls began to shift aggressively, closing in behind us, forcing us forward faster. The fox picked up speed, its frosted paws tapping like hail on the stone.

“The section is collapsing,” Khaos nickered in surprise.

Arctic yelped. “WHY does everything in this place collapse?!”

“Run!” I whinnied back at him, and we ran, chasing the little fox as fast as we could. The maze began to brighten, even as the walls behind them darkened in ruins. The fox darted ahead, tail streaming frost. Daydream followed without fear, the rest of us thundering behind her. 

Finally, we could see the exit and beyond it, open space. The fox skidded to a stop just before the threshold. Daydream halted beside it, touching her nose gently to its head. Frost glittered across her muzzle.

“Thank you,” she whispered. The fox shimmered, tail curling like mist around her hooves. Then it nudged her once—and disappeared, dissolving into drifting snowflakes.

Arctic and Gravity nearly collided with her as they spilled into the open clearing beyond.

The maze walls slammed shut behind us, sealing into smooth stone as if it had never been open at all.

“That was close,” Arctic exhaled. “Way, way too close.” Then he stared at Daydream, still breathless. “Okay, do you make spirit friends often? Is this a normal day for you?”

“Sometimes the world is kinder than it looks,” Daydream shrugged. “You just have to believe in it.”

A glow interrupted the conversation. We turned our heads to watch it as it revealed the entrance to the next test. Somewhere ahead, Aska was facing this alone.