I awake sometime later in the dim light of the canyon. It's so disconcerting not having a change of daylight. I have no idea how long I've been asleep but it wasn't long enough. I sit up and Jonah hands me the food he took away earlier.

"Agatha, I told you how Gwa Twouroch works but I need to explain to you how to control it."

"Okay." I'm very much looking forward to this part of our journey. Finally, something fun.

"First, you should know that you won't be alone in your apprehension. Faeries don't like being underground."

I look up at Dathid. He shrugs his shoulders. I have no clue what that means, so I turn my attention back to Jonah.

"This should be reasonably easy, but it's essential that you control your fear. Every one of us will have a random thought. When that thought appears, replace it with another thought."

"So like, if I think of how many spiders would live in a cave like that, I instantly think of ponies and then the spiders go away and then the ponies are there?"

"Exactly."

"So don't think about spiders."

"No!" His reaction takes me by surprise. He sounds afraid. Maybe Jonah doesn't like caves either. He clears his throat and mellows his tone. "In order to tell yourself not to think about something, you first must think about it. So don't think about it. Think ponies."

"Okay. So I won't think about spiders or snakes or Ziras."

"Agatha, stop thinking about things you don't want to think about. What did I tell you to think about?"

"Ponies." I wish I would've said something different. I run images through my head, but I'm only seeing cartoon ponies. I might have seen a television show once that had ponies. Or was it a book? I should've said cars. I've seen a lot of cars.

"Yes, ponies." Jonah seems delighted with the pony idea; maybe ponies make him happy. I picture Jonah with one of the cartoon ponies, and a laugh escapes my throat. I cover it with a cough and no one's the wiser.

"-think about the different types of ponies you can imagine," Jonah says when I tune back into our conversation. I probably should've been listening. He's treating this like it's important, but he's overreacting. This cave sounds incredible. "-think about the things ponies can do, and all the pony facts you can remember," Jonah says, still talking.

I really should pay attention. However, I have no idea what ponies do. I want to switch to cars, but Jonah has been going on about the ponies for so long, I'd feel bad changing it now.

"Do you think you can do that?"

I wasn't listening again. Fortunately, because I never pay attention in school, I've honed my make the teacher think you care skills. I squint my eyes and tap my chin with my forefinger a few times. Then I look at Jonah and shout, "Pony!" I giggle at my own humor, but Jonah doesn't think I'm funny. He must be very frightened of this cave.

"All right, I guess we go," Jonah grunts to Dathid before he turns to me. He puts his hand on my shoulder and looks me in the eye. "Agatha, the cave is short, so we won't be in there long. Just keep your thoughts under control."

The canyon snakes along as we climb to where the gorge walls meet. The cliffs have been growing closer together all along our journey, but now we've reached the part where the top of the gorge closes in on itself, leaving a triangular hole at the base.

I saw a commercial once for caves in Pennsylvania. I thought this would be like those, giant openings with walkways, handrails, and lights. But it's not like that at all. It's dark and spooky. What if I can't control my thoughts?

Jonah looks at me. "Ponies."

"Ponies, ponies, ponies," I repeat, trying to hide my apprehension.

The cave is so dark it's like walking into a black hole. I force myself to not be afraid. Once we're inside, Jonah stops and bangs his staff on the floor a few times to make it glow. It illuminates a good portion of the cave, and the bit of anxiety I had vanishes.

I thought it would be as narrow as the canyon, but the roof is several stories high and it's wide enough for us to walk next to each other with room to spare. The walls and ceiling of the cave are covered with numerous stalactites. Some of them are so immense they reach the floor, making peculiar columns and chambers. I'm more intrigued than scared, although I'm not looking forward to going any deeper into the dark hole.

I nearly jump out of my shoes when a loud rumble echoes from the depths of the cave.

"Sorry. Sorry. That was my thought," Dathid says with a laugh. "Had to get that one out, I guess. It's gone." He looks around at us but doesn't make eye contact. His expression changes to one that's even harsher than usual. "Ponies, right?"

A few paces away, a cute black and white spotted pony appears. It's so sweet, with its poofy mane and big brown eyes that my heart melts. I'm glad we decided on ponies. They're so adorable.

My eyes travel over the pony and then back up to the extraordinary ceiling. I follow its assortment of contours until my eye catches a small stalactite that reminds me of a bat. I wonder how many bats live in here?

A massive whooshing sound rushes past me as a flood of bats whip toward us. I scream and jump around when they hit my face and body. Bats are everywhere. I'm frantically spinning and screaming. I'm being pummeled by flying rats. I'm both revolted and terrified. I hate creepy, crawly, dirty rodent things!

Jonah fights his way toward me through the overabundance of bats and wraps himself around me, shielding me from the swarm.

Over my screaming, Jonah shouts, "Ponies! Ponies!"

I clench my eyes tight and chant, "Ponies. Ponies. Ponies."

The bats dissolve as quickly as they materialized. This was a bad idea. I don't know what made me think I could do this. I'm afraid to stop talking, so I keep repeating myself. I want to make sure those bats are gone.

When Jonah lets me go, I open my eyes to see that the entire cave is packed wall-to-wall with ridiculously colored ponies. They're real, but they're cartoonish in both hue and proportion. I can't even get the stupid ponies right. Neither we nor the ponies can move because there are way too many of them. The tears threaten to start. I thought this would be fun.

"It's alright, Agatha. It's good. We can work with these ponies," Jonah says reassuringly. "Just keep talking. Ponies."

We can't take a single step. The ponies are pressed against us and although Jonah is trying to push them aside, there's nowhere for them to go. Dathid unfurls his wings and lifts himself over the herd. It's a good idea, but he only makes it a few feet when the ponies spook and kick.

He tries to land, but a pony now occupies his previous place. He flutters around searching for another spot but there's not a single space. He finally gives up and just lands, ending up on all fours, on top of several ponies. However, as soon as his weight is on them, their fear turns to anger and they thrash about. The other ponies follow suit and soon the entire pack is agitated, biting and kicking at each other and us.

"Happy ponies," Dathid says.

"Happy ponies," I repeat and the ponies calm down.

"Agatha, climb up on the ponies like Dathid," Jonah orders.

It's difficult, but there's nowhere to fall, so I'm not scared. I'm afraid of hurting the cute little ponies, and my suspicion is confirmed when I crawl to another one and it screams and kicks as if it's in pain. Soon the entire herd joins the fray.

"Happy ponies!" Dathid and Jonah say in unison.

"Happy ponies," I repeat and they settle down.

It's difficult figuring out the best way to climb from pony to pony. I'm trying not to feel foolish for packing the cave with so many. I'm trying not to think of anything at all while navigating over the sea of furry bodies. When I travel a good distance from Jonah, his glowing staff comes up beside me and I notice his shadowy form attached to it. It's comforting having him here, even if he can't talk to me.

"Happy ponies," I repeat.

It's taking a long time to maneuver over the herd. They're quiet and content, even though two people are climbing all over them. But crawling on all fours over the shifting mass is difficult; my arms are shaking and my badly bruised knees are sore. I'm trying not to notice my pain and doing everything I can to concentrate on keeping the group happy.

It's slow going, but Dathid and I are making progress. We're about halfway through when Dathid looks at me and slowly says, "One pony."

"One pony," I repeat and then slam to the ground when the ponies vanish. The fall isn't far, but I wasn't prepared for it, so I give myself a good jolt. I don't spend long on the floor because I've just hurt myself and I'm struggling to keep my thoughts together. I don't want to think of anything that's wrong.

When I get to my feet, the little black and white pony from earlier has returned. "One pony!" I shout and laugh.

Jonah materializes next to me. "One pony." His tone implies that he wishes he'd thought of that earlier.

With the cave free of ponies, the walk is easy. The path is wide and the footing is good. I'm following the pony, which is leading the way, and letting my eyes wander around this amazing place. I've never been in a cave before and I haven't seen many pictures of them either. This is an entirely new experience and it's surprising that I'm enjoying it so much because usually, I don't like new things.

This cave has so many twisting and turning alcoves that I really wish we could explore. We pass one particularly interesting stalactite that has stretched all the way to the ground in an exquisite rotating pattern that's breathtaking. I take my mind off the pony for a second when my eyes follow the multifaceted column up to the top of the cave and back to the other stalactites above us. I'm transfixed by the bulky yet delicate formations jutting from the ceiling in the most intricate arrangement.

The image above me blurs when Jonah yanks my arm so forcefully he lifts me into the air. I'm confused and both, physically and emotionally hurt, that he would do that so unexpectedly. My face stings, but I can't figure out why. Jonah is propelling me forward when an explosion erupts to my right.

It's a stalactite, falling from the ceiling. Chunks of rock pummel me. I tumble to the floor. Another stalactite crashes next to my head. Jonah grabs the back of my pants and tosses me to my feet. It's raining rock. I glanced up at the stalactites and wondered what would happen if they fell. It wasn't a real thought, just a brief flash. Now we're running for our lives as more and more stalactites fall.