//------------------------------//
// Chapter 6 
// Story: Lapis comes to town 
// by Dudofall 
//------------------------------//

"How can someone steal a whole town?" Lapis demanded.

Twilight frantically flipped the missive over. There was nothing written on the back. "It doesn't say!"

"Unless they were another Lapis Lazuli," the gem admitted quietly.

"That's ridiculous, I've been with you this whole time," the alicorn refuted.

"I'll go ahead and see," Lapis offered.

The conductor walked into the car. "Ponyville! Um...this is where Ponyville used to be! Get off here for...well..." he trailed off, then pointed out the window.

Where once Ponyville stood there was naught but a large crater. Between Sweet Apple Acres and the Everfree forest, the hole was deeper than light could reach. Lapis squinted, looking at the distant border between land and darkness. It was a smooth, curved line, much like the one around the barn. "I think a Lapis Lazuli did this," she sighed, "but why?"

"Maybe they wanted to kidnap me?" Twilight wondered.

Lapis shook her head, then stood up. "We should get off this train."

"But Laps," Twiggles staid, "There ain't no stopping this train we're on!

Bard waggled his eyebrows. "Yaes ter is!"

"Bwaaaugh," Twi.io onomatopoeiad, "whooooooo aaaaaaaaarre yooooooou?"

Bard guffawed. "Wheel, ahm naught exactly a flourite!"

"Wake up!"

"Gah!" Twilight lurched awake. Puzzled, she looked around the train station frantically. The train had gone without a trace, and for some reason the wood board floor abruptly and cleanly stopped next to the edge of the new Ponyville precipice. "Sorry, I truly don't know why I'm dozing off like that!"

"It's fine. Let's look for clues." Lapis walked towards the edge.

Twilight got up and followed her. "Sure thing! Where should we start?" Lapis pointed into the depths. Twilight gazed down and shivered. She took a deep breath and finally nodded. Together, they flew into the murky deep.