//------------------------------//
// The Esoteric 
// Story: Intension 
// by MadMan 
//------------------------------//

The lonely moon hovered above her, casting it's comforting glow. Luna peered at the solitary building from her vantage point, hovering above the trees. It was just as Wildfire described it. The house looked old, on the verge of rotting, but the longer Luna looked, the more she saw through the illusion. The moss was growing on what would be the shady side, and the vines grew in a pattern that seemed very unnatural. The windows seemed too clear, and the door looked almost untouched by the ravages of nature. There was definitely something to find there. Luna tilted her wings and gently flapped down to the small group of waiting Black Berets.

"It seems safe to proceed. Come, quietly now."

The company crept from the shelter of the treeline towards the house. Luna cast her ears and eyes around them, but it seemed that the group that had ambushed the Black Berets previously were not nocturnal. Soon enough, Luna reached the door to the shack. She studied it closely, searching for any sign of magic that would activate when the door opened. After a minute, Luna decided that there was none, and gently set her hoof against the door and pushed. It swung open easily and quietly. The inside of the lodge looked as much as the outside did. It was mostly barren, and the table that stood on one side seemed nearly rotten through. The remnants of a throw rug adorned the center of the floor. Moss was growing on a few of the windowsills, and a vine had taken up residence in one. Luna looked down. The floor looked as though it had succumbed to the rot that had permeated the table. Luna took a step inside, pressing with most of her weight on her front hoof. The wood had a solidity that betrayed its appearance.

No squeaking. Interesting.

Luna continued inside, and was followed by Nightfury.

"Search the room, carefully. Try not to disturb anything. Tell the others to wait outside, and shout at any sign of hostiles."

"Yes, Princess."

Nightfury went outside to convey the orders, then returned inside. He looked around, taking in the simple furnishings of the room.

"Shouldn't take long. Doesn't look like much is here."

"That's what we're supposed to believe."

"You have evidence to the contrary?"

"Some. This building is magically reinforced and illusioned to appear derelict. Look carefully."

Luna went to the far corner, where the skeletal remains of a bed rested. The mattress had long degraded, leaving only rusted coils of metal for springs and a hint of a frame. . Luna peered closely, but to no avail. The rotten bed was just that. The dark Princess grunted, and looked to the rest of the room. She lifted the rotten rug, the ancient tapestry falling to pieces at her touch, revealing nothing underneath. Luna made to check the windowsills, but something made her stop halfway across the room, ears cocked and eyes searching. Nightfury paused in the middle of poking at a section of wall to regard her curiously.

"What is it, Princess?"

Luna didn't answer immediately, instead taking a few steps back, then forward again. She looked down, to the floor, and repeated the procedure a few more times. Abruptly, her horn glowed, and a section of the floor shattered, falling downwards into a hole.

"Progress, Nightfury."

Both ponies approached the hole apprehensively. What had seemed to be a solid floor had now revealed a passageway underneath, leading into the darkness below. The opening was large enough for a pony to move comfortably, or a Princess to barely fit. Luna lit her horn and stepped onto the earthen stairs leading down into the subterranean cellar.

"Wait here."

"Yes, Princess."

Luna ducked her head and continued down the tunnel, which leveled out after a few steps and continued straight ahead. Luna followed it for several minutes, at which point she came upon a split. Both branches split at an even angle, both were the same size, and both were pitch black. The dirt that was the floor offered no clues, as both seemed packed and well traveled. Luna growled softly and enhanced the light from her horn, attempting to peer a little farther into the depths. Still, neither cave path seemed like a better choice than the other, so Luna improvised. Summoning a small, dark blue arrow, Luna set it spinning. After a few seconds, it stopped, pointing down the left passage. Dispelling the arrow, Luna set off.

The dirt tunnel continued being straight, and Luna felt her trepidation rising. Every step she took and found nothing was another second wasted. The tunnel continued being unhelpful and empty. Luna squinted ahead in a vain attempt to see anything ahead. Boosting her light, Luna caught a hint of what could be an ending to the tunnel. As she approached, the Princess's scowl deepened. It was merely a dead end, the dark soil coming down to neatly join the floor. After a few spells intended to root out illusions, Luna had to conclude that this was what it appeared, and was nothing more than a waste of time. Turning back, Luna retraced her steps until she came to the split, this time taking the other branch.

After what seemed to be the same amount of distance the other tunnel had led, Luna arrived at a modest wooden door. It was bare, just plain brown wood and some simple iron binders. Luna used the same spells she had used earlier, and found that the door what nothing more than a door. Extending her spells, she found that there were no spells waiting for her beyond the door either, so she carefully pushed it open.

On the other side of the door was a small room, a small study by the looks of it. Two chairs sat on opposing sides of a small table on one side, and a third chair accompanied a writing desk on the other. The rest of the room was empty, save a small wooden chest on the far side of the door. Walking over to the writing desk, Luna found that the only object on it was a diary, covered in dust. Casting more revealing spells, Luna found that it was unprotected, and so opened it. The first page had some writing on it, but Luna was more interested in the latest entries for the moment, so she kept flipping. Oddly, the rest of the pages were blank, so Luna went back to the first page and read, her scowl deepening as she got further down the page.

"My dear Axion.

I fear I have wronged you. Long have I known of your love for me, but I feared that if I responded to your advances as I desired that we would both get distracted. Please, know that I wanted nothing more than to come to you, to take you as my own as we stood victorious atop the spires of the Royal Palace. But, I told myself that such trivial matters could wait until after our victory. Never have I been so wrong. Love is not trivial, and it seems cruel that I shall only know that while the cold breath of Death creeps down my spine.

I know now that I shall not live to see our victory, our love, or even the end of this night. I told you that my disease was weakening me, but I failed to tell you how much. My folly is indefinite, and I am sorry.

The only hope for our plan now rests upon you, my dear. Inside the chest are plans, all the plans you shall need to bring an end to the sickness of greed and corruption that has overcome Canterlot. Also, there is a picture of me, for you to keep myself with you, eternally.

I shall go now to my grave that I have already prepared, far to the north, near the mountain called Adámastos. Please, visit me sometime.

Take my thoughts and likeness, and go usher in a new future for the ponies of Equestria.

With all my love,

Black Star."

Luna immediately went to the chest and opened it, but she knew it was going to be empty before she saw it. She went back to the diary and gently lifted it, placing it on the pouch hanging around her neck. She looked around the room once more, making sure there was nothing else of note. Seeing nothing, Luna left, leaving the room to darkness once more. She began the long walk back to the entrance. In due time, she arrived to find Nightfury, still standing in the same spot he had been when she left. He held down a hoof to help Luna back up, which she took.

"Anything up here, Nightfury?"

"Nothing, Princess. As quiet as a grave. Was your venture successful?"

"Yes. Come, we can talk about it back at the castle, with Twilight."

"Of course, Princess."

Luna and Nightfury went outside, where they rounded up the Black Berets scattered around the building and set off, walking into the dark woods in the direction of Canterlot. Luna hoped the week long journey would pass quickly, as she was sure Twilight would be very interested in the journal. 

It's also been far too long since I've held her.Hold tight, my dear, I am coming.