//------------------------------//
// 27 Getting closer to the truth 
// Story: A new breed of evil 
// by Rarity Belle 
//------------------------------//

	The blue rimmed eyes of the lunar princess gazed over the lands below her. The ship had gone airborne and the crew had been informed just what they were about  to do. Some of them had the urge to argue against both the captain and the princess, but the plan was seemed to be one hundred percent safe for them. Even though the crew didn't seem to be trusting it for one single bit, they still continued upon doing their jobs on the massive flagship of the lunar air-navy.

        The wonderful vessel soared through the skies high above Canterlot. All the ponies upon the ground couldn't belief the sights that they saw passing by. Something about such a massive airship captured their imagination perhaps more than anything else in their entire lives. Even in the bright light of the sun had the Crescent Moon left a series of honorable shadows upon the ground.

        A vessel that was propelled forward by a set of massive engines while it was all attached to a massive balloon-like structure. Below all of that was the hull of a three masted, war frigate type, seaworthy vessel. Wars could be waged in both the skies and on the water if Luna wanted to. Though the vessel itself was more used for parades and things the like with all of the decorations it carried.

        The time that it went out that day was actually one of the very few times that the ship itself had left the docks in over a millennium. A vessel with a shadow that imposing and one that glided in silence through the air, it could only be dwarfed by the literal sister ship that it had. The war-ready, heavily armed pride of the celestial navy. Luna’s vessel was more of a stealth fighter for hit and run tactics while her sister’s vessel could protect the entire borders of Equestria with just one full broadside salvo of magical cannon-fire. A thing that was usually just done for ceremonies. Though it also had a deeper and perhaps more sinister meaning to it.

        The very fact that the ship was still in use. Meaning that forces who wanted to oppose Equestria should be getting past those two vessels at first. Usually that would have been more than enough for any force to stop any attack, even thinking about it. An efficient warning system hidden under the words of ceremony.

        The eyes of Luna were set to wage a war of her own. She knew the how’s, the why’s and the when’s in the situation. It was just that she needed to get the little if’s out of the way before she would be doing anything radical in her position. Though in her heart did she knew that there was just one way that it could all be ending.

        The vessel turned itself to starboard side. It would have floated over the cliff and straight into the canyon next to which Canterlot was built to continue its journey. The lunar princess took a deep inhale. She allowed all of the scents to enter her nostrils before they were released as a deep exhale. The sailor who stood at the helm, not even five hooves away from the princess, heard the things loud and clear. He carefully looked upon her with a worried expression visible upon his own face.

        “It’s nothing sailor, just the fact that I haven’t smelled this air in a long time. But it’s good air, I give them that,” replied Luna just before she cracked him a gentle smile.

        The sailor became a little bit relieved from her words. But the doubts never seemed to be going away at all. “If you say so, admiral,” he replied to her before concentrating again for the deeds that were about to be done. They all knew the heading, they all know the plan of attack and defend. They could only pray upon their lives that the little scheme that the princess had come up with was something that would be working like a charm, otherwise some wouldn't come back from the trip.

        “Admiral, if I may be so bold to speak up, what it is that you want to achieve by going over those woods? I mean, we have always had this strict policy of not flying over them. It, it has to do with the recent events now doesn't it?” the stallion at the helm asked of her. He had spoken his words without even making eye contact once to the lunar princess.

        “You are totally correct on that, yes, this is all done in response to the recent events and I’m quite aware we weren't allowed to be doing that. But it isn't going to stop me if it means I can safe somepony dear to me. This mission shall determine our approach on everything. But the most important part has to be the fact that you need to get her before the woods. Not, over it. That’s when the fun begins for everypony involved,” replied Luna in a tone that made her seem like a stone cold strategist. In the moment of time, she just happened to be that.

        Calm sailing for the vessel was the thing that laid ahead before them. The princess herself on the other end remained calm upon her spot next to the helm. She looked over the lands they went over before her eyes returned to the deck and just looked over the crew-members doing their jobs. Everything seemed to be going just as she had planned it out. It was the only way she had planned it out. But the most dangerous part of the entire operation still had to come. “We’re approaching White Tails. Pull on the breaks! Lay her steady in the air and make sure we don’t drift over the woods! I don’t want more casualties than needed,” bellowed Luna over the deck.

        Her stone cold but demanding tone was something where not even the captain of the vessel could be doing something again. She was the boss of everything and they only had to obey her orders. Even though he didn't necessarily like the way she handled things, he hadn't made a name for himself in the navy by disobeying an order given by one of the princess. “Do as she says, prepare the longboat! And pray on your dear little lives,” he added on his own. A small group of six stallion in uniform walked down the steps to go to the lower deck and disappeared from their sight.

        With the sun visible and not a cloud in the skies around them was the bow in the perfect position to make the observation of the events to come. Which was exactly the place where Luna then headed for. She didn't spoke a single word to any, she was concentrating herself deeper than ever before in order to make certain that no lives would be lost in the upcoming battle. “Pray on the fact that I’m wrong here, captain. For if not, there’s going to be a heavy price that’s going to be paid by all of us,” the princess spoke to herself. She had reached the bow of the vessel and noticed just how the captain had darted right behind her.

        “You sure this is the only way of doing the things you wanted to know? I mean, you could just send a squadron of the Wonderbolts, right?” he replied to her with a worried tone. Luna rose herself up on her hind legs and placed her fore ones over a wooden beam to get an even better view. It was in that moment that she was among the very first ponies out there, to realize just what had been happening in the woods of White Tails.

        It wasn’t possible to be seen from the ground levels, but with the elevation that the vessel had was it clearly visible. The tower of the dark crystal domain was right in sight for the princess. Not even she could believe the facts that her eyes saw. Everything she had been thinking about prior to that that time was just dumped back into a bin in her mind. New plans were needed and fast. If they had such a tower, they would have been warned long before the vessel even docked. “How did I miss that?” she whispered to herself. The tower was clearly in sight of her eyes yet somehow she seemed to have missed it. Somehow there had to be nothing else but a, “perception filter, oh she’s good.” Luna added softly as she knew what was going on and released a small smirk of admiration rather than horror.

        “Ready the longboat! They need to get out now!” the princess of the night called out. The captain gave her a salute in response. But little did he knew was that her voice also went through the decks to the hatches of said longboats.

        The six sailors who sat in the smaller vessel tried their best to get their nerves under control. Though nothing seemed to be just what it was and that was a little fact that worried them all more than anything. They could only hope and rely on princess Luna from that point onwards. Whether or not that was a good thing to be doing, none of them truly knew.

        “So this is going to be it then, eh? Live or die in a longboat to find something out. Had hoped for a more, interesting death, if you know what I mean,” one of the sailors said. All of the others did understood the position where he came from. They had also seen and heard the unicorn on the moon of course, but they never actually wanted to believe the sheer fact that such a creature lived among their lands. It seemed like something from ages long forgetting, ponytales that came to life.

        Then came the call for them. The call that the hatches needed to be opened they would be left out on their fate. The wooden hatches opened themselves up from below the longboat before it plummeted a couple dozen hooves downward to clear itself from the mothership. With the balloon filled with air and the engine running were they on their own from that point on.

        The sun shone bright in their faces before they steered towards the woods of White Tails to discover whether or not Luna’s suspicions would be confirmed or denied. None of them wanted to do the job of course but they had to as they were chosen by the alicorn herself. Silence was the emotion that dominated the entire longboat. All of them knew what they needed to do and what was expected from them.

        Yet that didn't took away that they were frightened for their lives. Looking down over the edge of the longboat and thus straight into the never ending fog. A fog that seemed to be calling them even from up there wasn't that much of a good idea either.


~~~~

 
Even at the altitude they were cruising there was just something that seemed to be terribly wrong. Somehow the reach of the fog was higher than anypony could have expected. Though they weren't going mentally insane as those who actually walked among it. However, it was more than enough to give each of them the living creeps. The mission had become even worse for them all there and then and the real thing still needed to begin.

        “Look there, a tower,” one of the sailors who had taken his position upfront called out. He even pointed towards it. All the others looked at it and they knew in an instant that trouble would be hitting them. The only thing that could and should be done was to continue with their orders. Slowly was the floating longboat steered towards the tower. The silence overtook everything once more. Silence of the dead, a graveyard made even more noise outside of the burning fires and the occasional creaking of the woods.

        All of the sudden they all heard it emerging. That signature blast of a cannon that would have been used to sink an air and naval ship. “Incoming!” was shouted across the longboat. Though they had nothing to defend themselves. They were literally just sitting ducks that would be taken out with just one, powerful shot. The worst part? Each of the six stallions knew exactly that. They wouldn't live to sail another day. That little trip over the woods of White Tails would have been their last one.

        “Gentlecolts, it has been my honor!” was shouted across the longboat before they all hunkered down and braced for impact. Fear and fright took over while their hearts raced in their chests and throats, everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong. Though the worst part had to be the fact that they heard the shot coming closer and closer to them. They all heard the whistle it carried in their ears, awaiting their end. Yet in those final moments before impact, time seemed to have just stopped for each of them while they were still counting down until their own deaths.

        But that was something that never seemed to be happening. Something that caught them all by surprise. There was something that wasn't right at all. They should have been dead by then. Something seemed like it was protecting them. And then it fell straight in their ears. The deafening blast of the cannon salvo into the longboat. Yet there was something off as the sounds seemed to be not around them but actually further away from them.

        One of the sailors dared to open up one of his eyes and the wood it caught was a lot brighter, wider and even sturdier. “What in..?” he mumbled to himself. He dared to rise up and had a better look over his surroundings. With the sights that he got presented within his eyes, it all just seemed to be so unbelievable. He couldn't have ever thought to see the things again. And finally was the princess herself caught in his eyes. Her horn still smoking from a massive spell and all of the puzzle pieces suddenly fell upon their places.

        “Oh now this is just too great, isn't it? Boys, you ain't gonna be believing this, but we’re still alive! All thanks to the admiral herself!” the stallion spoke in a tone of genuine joy. Relief surged through the body that the troubles they had been gone through laid finally behind them all.

        Luna on the other end, she had continued to looking towards the sinking longboat. It was shot out of the skies with just one burst of magic. “Powerful, can’t be any of them. Must be the host itself. This was an interesting observation for certain. But that’s all I can say about it, captain,” the mare said aloud. She then turned her head over to the stallion in uniform.

        “Turn her around, I've seen more than enough for now. I need time to think about this,” Luna added before her eyes turned themselves back to the woods. “Lots of it.”

        The captain himself nodded with relief to her words and he turned himself over to the crew. “Lads! We’re going home! Bring her about and full speed dead ahead! Destination, Canterlot!”


~~~~

                     
Time kept coming and going as if nothing could be stopping it. The only force where the ponies of the land had not a single word to say over, the power of time itself and everything it stood for. It was true that it could be altered to one's beliefs, but it always continued to be going just the way that it loves to be. Unchained, uncaptured, unrelented.

        It was that time, that had been going by for a week since Spike had been captured within the domain of the unicorn herself. During that single week was each pony in the land once again treated with the sights and laughter of the nightmarish unicorn herself. Though for that same amount of time had they been explaining the entire situation to Emerald. They had been training themselves harder than ever. It would have been their time to shine and they knew it. If there was a way to get Rarity back, they would have to be going straight into the woods of White Tails and sniff her out.

        A plan of insanity it perhaps might have been, but all of the ponies oddly enough seemed to have been able to be living with. Almost everypony was certain to get Rarity back one way or the other. The only one who seemed to be having doubts on his own, was the only stallion of the company. Time and time again had Twilight found him standing on the balcony of their hotel, pondering his mind while he would be looking to the moon with disbelief.

        It was a little something that she understood perhaps more than others of their group. He was just a normal stallion with problems in the underworld, a location none of them ever had gone to personally and he wasn't used to suddenly became the savior of the lands. Twilight and her friends –being the elements of harmony– had caused the mind of the stallion to be crashing left and right.

        On one night, the very night before they would be leaving back to Ponyville specifically, it was that time again. Something caused the mulberry mare to wake up in the middle of the night. She left her bed with a bit of a sleeping brain. Though the cold air of the balcony door that had opened itself was something that woke her up almost right away. The eyes of the unicorn opened themselves a bit wider before they were being rubbed by a foreleg.

        “Wazz was zhat?” the voice of Rainbow mumbled out. She seemed to be waking up from the cold. Before Twilight could even make a reply to it, was the pegasus snoring once again like she always did. A little sigh in relief was made by the mulberry unicorn before she finally went to the balcony door and slipped through it, closing it a bit more behind her to keep the words private.
          
        “Was wondering where you stayed. Seems to be a recurring theme don’t you think? Us two standing here below the light of the moon, looking over the Crystal Empire like this,” Emerald chuckled softly to himself. He shook his head with a deep sigh. There was still something that had been questioning him the whole time he had been with the mares. A question that was asked almost every single night and the answer would always have been the same.

        “Twilight, if I have to believe your words, then answer me this for once. How could a mare like Rarity, turn into something like that monster we have seen on the surface of the moon?” The unanswerable question was asked once again to the mare. Who released a deep sigh to herself. She tried to formulate an answer different than the ones given through the rest of the week.

        The eyes of the stallion turned themselves away from the scenery and they focused themselves upon her. Their calm gaze comforted the mare a lot more then she would have wanted to admit for certain. “I wish I could have the definitive answer on that one, Emerald, I really wish. But I can only assume that, after the elements of harmony purified Luna, it didn't destroy the essence that formed Nightmare Moon. Somehow, it managed to live on and nestle itself right inside of Rarity’s mind, before it took control of her body and soul. …Or, perhaps even more crazier, the fact that she’s still a captive by some unknown force that ravages through the land. Using her image, to remain hidden from the light of everything,” explained Twilight to him.

        Those words alone caused the stallion to be slightly terrified, a visual shiver traveled down the spine. Something about her words had spooked him more than he would have preferred. “Still… I hope you are wrong on both occasions. No offence but this, this is just a little bit over my head, if you catch my drift,” he replied to her before feeling the warm leg going over his back. “Thanks.”

        “Don’t mention it, it’s tough for us all really. We all just can’t believe that it is Rarity who’s behind all of this. Or we can only assume that it is her,” Twilight replied to him with a small smile upon her face. “Come, we need to get some sleep before we catch the train tomorrow.” With those words did the stallion release a small exhale through his nose. Then he went with the unicorn back inside. Looking for his bed again in the hope to get some kind of rest for the remainders of the night.


~~~~

                     
Hours passed by and in the morning of their departure, every last pony was doing their best to get their things together. Pinkie Pie seemed to be having a little bit of troubles left and right to get everything back in her suitcase. Only with the help of Rainbow Dash and Applejack did they manage to get everything inside of it and they were ready to hit the road for the station of the Empire.

        “…Just out of curiosity, but, does it always go like that?” Emerald asked as he and Fluttershy were the last two ponies in the convoy. The yellow mare looked at him strange at first. Followed by a small giggle and a nod to confirm the words.

        “Yes it does. But you’ll be getting used to it eventually actually,” she said to him.

        “How long did it took you then?”

        “Oh what was it..?” Yet then she just fell silent from him and turned her looks forwards again. Fluttershy was unsure whether or not he had offended her in any way, Emerald decided it was perhaps better for him to keep shut as well and just walk with the mares towards the station.

        With a small walk across the street had the ponies all arrived at the station before they boarded themselves in the train that would be going to Canterlot with making the curve at Ponyville. Their home and stop, but also the last major town before the woods of White Tails divided the land.

        All six of the ponies settled themselves down in their private compartment and the chattering began. The subjects were the usual ones about the weather, the train and the station. All of those little things to keep their minds off of the facts about Rarity herself. Though in the back of their heads, they all knew they couldn't just press her back into their minds. Even Emerald Masquerade had to think almost constant about the mare in question.

        Twilight’s theory of her being a captive as well by some higher force still caused the shivers to travel down the spine. Though nopony could be truly noticing it as the train started to come to live. Slowly it started to pull them off of the station and unto the open railroad.

        The trip in the train was just as the one they had before. It was long and boring to their hearts content. Something about it just didn't even made them care for the view anymore. Mostly because it was the same for about two third of the trip. The only change of scenery would be when the train would be going around the woods of White Tails themselves. That change from open countryside and the occasional town they soared through to the dense fog covered forest did offer a lovely change.

        For most of the way were each of the friends just sunken in sleep to prepare themselves for their arrival back in Ponyville itself. That, or they were thinking about just how they would be returning Rarity with them. Leaving the mare behind was not an option whatsoever and each of them knew that. They would return with the mare dead or alive. Of course they hoped to be taken her alive. Twilight and Fluttershy were two of the actual few who had made the decision to read through some of their books that they had taken along for the trip and Emerald himself, he simply looked out of the windows to the scene.

        It was oddly calmly for him. Just that never ending countryside before they rushed through a town or two. The sights that he saw were peaceful and happy. It was also something that got him to think perhaps more than he originally would have liked in the first place. Thoughts his debt in the Manehatten underworld was going to be paid one way or the other. Perhaps through some massive luck would he have been able to get the mares to actually help him in the deed.

        Yet the idea was really farfetched even for him to come up on it. His emerald green rimmed eyes continued to be staring out of the window before his head was gently placed upon it and closed his eyes for the moment. Before the stallion even knew it, he had fallen into a deep sleep with a gentle snore that made the mares giggles a little bit the first time they heard it.


~~~~

                     
Thundering down the tracks that laid before it had the train caught up with its speed more before it was eventually lowered again. The turn to Ponyville was next. Going through that with a crashing speed was about the last thing anypony would have liked. So coming in at almost a snail’s pace before the train stopped on the station. That last and final push of the brakes caused the stallion to wake up from his slumber and blink a couple of times.

        His eyes readjusted themselves to the sight that they saw and a deep exhale was made through his nostrils. “So, Ponyville, we meet again,” he mumbled to himself before the bags were all taken from the luggage compartment. Each of the mares left the train with the crowd. One by one they all appeared on the station itself before they made the decision to go to the Golden Oak library first before unpacking their luggage. If not adding to the packages they carried with them.

        When the company walked through the town, one pinkish and purple coated, unicorn mare seemed to be galloping towards them. “Twilight! Twilight!” was called out. In response did the mulberry unicorn rose an eyebrow. She didn't have a clue just who the pony could have possibly been. It was only after she had given her eyes the time to look better that the realization of Pearl, Rarity’s mother, who was coming straight for her.

        “W-What’s the matter? Something wrong?” she questioned Pearl straight away. The mare came to a standstill and looked her deep in the eyes. “Catch your breath, then tell me everything that happened, alright? Girls, you can go to the library, Spike will be there.”

        “That’s the problem!” Pearl all of the sudden shouted, catching everypony’s attention.

        “H-How do you mean that? What happened?” Twilight replied as she became frightened herself.

        Then the story was being told. The story that both Sweetie Belle and Spike went camping somewhere along the lines of the woods, that Spike never made his return from them. It was a story that caught each of them by a massive surprise. Each of them, except Emerald himself for some reason. The stallion on his own turn, just seemed to glance into the eyes of Pearl.

        “So this has become more than just one rescue mission, it has become two. Listen up everypony! We go to the library, pack our gear and then had to the same location where Sweetie and Spike entered the woods. We can only hope everything is alright with him,” the mulberry unicorn spoke up before they all turned themselves over towards the library with determined looks.
        
        Yet the only one who wasn't truly ready for it all, was Emerald Masquerade himself. Him and Pearl continued to exchange the looks with one another before finally the light bulb in the mare her head is turned on. “Impossible that it’s you! Emerald?” the mare dared to ask of him.

        The stallion nodded to her words before he released a soft sigh in response and broke the eye contact just for a moment. “The one and only, miss,” replied Emerald. It was followed by a small smile below his muzzle and a blush over his cheeks.

        “I could slap you for the pain you caused my daughter back then, but she got over it just like yourself I presume. So it’s water under the bridge shall we say. Which then leaves me, with this. Why, are you here and how have you been?” the mother of the ivory unicorn spoke up. She wanted to know the more finer details about the life of the stallion.

        Where she thought to be getting answers, was the opportunity to speak to the concerned mother never given to the stallion. Rainbow Dash herself interfered with the both of them. “Sorry Emerald, Rarity’s mom, but chatting can be done later. We’re a little in an emergency here, remember?” All of the sudden did both of their eyes went wide as they realized just why they were being brought over there and nodded to the words of the pegasus. “Thank you,” Rainbow then added in an oddly polite tone before she just dragged the stallion along with her.

        The only thing that was left for them six to be doing was to get the location from Sweetie Belle and travel down to that exact spot before facing perhaps the greatest menace that the land had ever seen and stood up against. And among them, that one stallion who wouldn't even be having an idea of what would be happening or has already happened. Haste and speed be on their side, not to mention Twilight’s teleportation spell. Which was exactly the thing she used to get to the point as fast as she could.


~~~~

                     
One massive flash of raspberry colored magical aura was given off. Then the six ponies were teleported upon the grass just outside of the camp where the filly and the dragon had been spending the night under the stars. Each of them began to rub their heads with the feeling of being dizzy and nauseous. Though when a small headcount was being done by Twilight with a still discharging horn, she noticed that one pony was missing. One pony who they needed very, very much in the situation.

        “Anypony seen Emerald?” she asked to the four of them. All of the eyes went wide before they began to look around if they could be seeing just where on earth that stallion had been going to. But they were all out of luck. That was until they heard a splashing sound from water and a deep inhale to be taken.

        “I’m okay! I’m okay!” the voice of Emerald echoed through the air. All of the mares turned themselves over to the small creek. Which apparently was big enough for a pony to drown in if done right. “No need to, to worry about old me,” the stallion chuckled up before he coughed a couple of times and shook his head. Twilight nodded to the words. It was Fluttershy who began to look after him in case something did went wrong. With that, she meant critically wrong.

        “That’s it, keep coughing until the water is out, then try to speak again,” said Fluttershy to him while she patted him on the back. It was a bit harder than usual to get him to cough even more. Which was working like a charm as every last drop of water that had entered the both of his lungs was being removed from it. “Take as long as you need.”

        Meanwhile had Twilight made her way a bit closer to the original campsite and smirked a little bit towards it. She seemed to be happy with the way everything was set up and left. “Girls, we are going to build our camp right here. Just set up the tents and we’ll be fine. We’re this close, and I need to go in there as soon as possible,” she spoke to them all.

        “Don’t you mean, we, Twilight?” Rainbow corrected her with a sharp tone to her voice before she started to unpack parts of her saddlebags and gave them to Applejack who tried to make cheese out of the whole mess that was going to be the massive tent.

        “No Rainbow, I really mean myself for this one time. She has taken something even more dearer to me, than any of you. She didn't just took my assistant, it felt like she took, my son,” replied Twilight to each of them. She had turned herself around and looked each of the ponies in the eyes one by one. All of them saw just how much the fires burned in her heart to get the dragon back.

        “I, I understand where you’re coming from Twi,” the cyan pegasus mumbled up. She retreated herself into the business that she was supposed to be doing. She let the unicorn be for the moment. The unicorn just nodded to Rainbow Dash before she turned herself back around to the fog and carefully charged up the horn before mumbling words to herself. Words spoken in the ancient tongue of the unicorns and nopony even dared to interrupt her again until she spoke to them first.

        Minutes would have passed into hours before the mulberry unicorn finally turned herself around. The afternoon was late and the sun was already setting. “Listen up, oh, nice work with the tent there, by the way,” Twilight spoke when she caught the massive tent in her view and smiled to the builders. “Anyway, with the little daylight that we’re having, it’s too dangerous to actually go into it right now. So what we will be doing, is that we are going tomorrow morning. At first light, I want every last one of you up and ready to go. The concentration of magic that is hidden within this very fog is higher than I thought it would be. I am able to create a shield that will allow us passage, but we need to stick together.”

        “And, if we don’t?” Emerald asked up. He had not even the slightest of clues just what was exactly going on there and then. It all seemed so normal for the other mares, while he was clueless.

        Twilight walked up to him with a deep sigh released through her nostrils. She stood still before him and just spoke the truth. “You’ll go mad by your fears and frights. The magic surging through that fog is powerful. Powerful enough to drive every, living, being, insane just by their frights. Not enough to kill them physically. But more than enough to make them go braindead.”

        “Understood,” Emerald whispered before the dinner would be prepared. The mood tried to lighten itself up and Pinkie did her utmost best but it just wasn't any use for it. They all knew the urge of the situation and how they would perhaps be able to make it. The time of jokes and chatter was over. They were beyond the point of no return and each of them, knew that deep in their hearts.

        The ponies all laid in the tent and shut their eyes for the upcoming night. But whether or not they would actually be able to sleep was something that each of them had to be witnessing there and then. They hoped but didn't actually expected it to happen.


~~~~

                     
“This, this is odd. This wasn't here yesterday and I don’t get any readings from it either. As if it, wants us to come there,” the voice of Twilight mumbled into Pinkie’s ears. She was woken up by them. Curiosity struck the mare more than anything. She left her stretcher and went to look for Twilight.

        Who she found oddly enough, by the fog of the forest together with something else. An opening that seemed to be leading them straight into the pits of the devil. “You’re talking about that, aren't you?” the pink coated earth pony spoke up before Twilight gave off a simple nod.

        “Yes,” she then said and turned herself around. The horn discharged itself as the looks in her eyes only became sterner. “It’s not right. No magic in the opening nor the barrier of it. As if it is inviting us to enter. Shall we risk it, Pinkie? Going in there and hope we come to the right location?” Twilight brought out in a tone that was filled with uncertainty. Yet in her mind had she made the decision for a long time already. It was an open invitation that could be turned into a trap instantly, that much she knew for certain.

        “Do it, Twilight, we have to go. It’s better than wandering through that fog by ourselves right? I mean…” Pinkie said to her, unable to finish what she wanted to say.

        “I heard you Pinkie, I heard you. Rally the girls and the stallion. We’re going in.” Pinkie Pie gave a nod in response before she did what was asked of her and not even ten minutes later, each of the ponies was wandering through the tunnel carved out in the fog itself.

        All of them felt themselves truly uncomfortable but the worst was still to come for each of them. Even though the fog didn't seem to be having an effect upon the six ponies, Fluttershy still felt herself as if they were being watched by somepony, or something perhaps.


~~~~

                     
Taken by surprise from that already had the yellow pegasus made the decision not to say anything about it as it could have been perhaps just something her eyes had mistaken from trees. If she only had only listened to her brain, instead of her heart. Yet the biggest surprise came when they reached the dark crystal structure in the middle of the woods. “W-What’s this now?” Emerald asked to Twilight with concern coming from almost every single angle of his voice.

        “Looks like, this is the end of the line. But the structure looks like it can be used by Sombra himself. So that makes me question: could he behind it all along?” Twilight mumbled to herself. She turned herself back around to face each of the ponies. All of their faces filled with questions but perhaps more important, was the fact that the tunnel behind them had been closing itself.

        The mulberry unicorn blinked a couple of times in response to it. She couldn't believe it that it was happening and she turned herself back around to face the structure. “And this is the final station before the trains are being shut down for the night.”