The author leaves the changeling kingdom. She continues north, discovering several new species such as the Nauger, a small dinosaur, and then encounters a pack of Timberwolves before meeting a encountering an unknown beast.
I stayed with the changelings for three days, and as much as I wished I could have stayed longer, I knew I needed to get to the tundra before winter set in. I thanked the queen for her hospitality, then I took my leave, though she insisted on at least having an escort see me out.
To my surprise, the exit tunnel I had been led to opened out into a forest several miles north of the fields where I had first entered. All around were various species of pine trees, ranging from green Douglas Fir to massive silver-colored Ironwood trees, all doing their best to try and block out the sunlight. When I turned around, the changeling and the entrance had both seemingly vanished. Fairy-folk tended to do that easily.^
I consulted my compass, then began heading north once again. The forest would provide ample shelter from any inclement weather.
In this forest was an abundance of unusual life, unlike any I had seen before in Equestria. Among the most prominent was a creature I named the Nauger.
The Nauger is a small tree-dwelling animal, a pre-bird saurian, handsome in coloration, being covered in soft feather, black on the body, but striped with white on the tail, arms, legs, and neck. The face, hands, and feet, however, are scaled, with the head being scarlet, while the extremities are gold.
The Nauger can only exist here because of the fact that there are no native woodpeckers or similar animals, and the Nauger is perfectly adapted to its purpose of drilling into solid wood. The teeth grow only at the front of the jaw and are directed forward, each one lending support to the one before. Those at the very front bear the brunt of the pecking force. When they wear out or break, they are replaced by more teeth growing in from behind. The neck joint is very strong, protecting the back of the skull and the brain and giving support to the heavy neck muscles needed for the constant rapid pecking. The second finger of the Nauger is also remarkable, being about as long as the forearm. It is used for poking down burrows and winkling out the larvae of the wood beetles on which the saurian feeds. A hooked claw at the end secures the catch.
One of these creatures actually took a liking to me and began to following me around. I took to calling him Pad, and he became a near-constant companion during my stay in the forest.
It was my third day in the forest before I met any unfriendly organisms, and in this case, they took the form of a pack of Timberwolves.
While I did know a basic Fire spell, I knew it would do no good on these woodbeasts, as the outermost branches of their bodies were composed of Ironwood, well-known for being fireproof. Interestingly, the greyish needles covering them almost gave them the impression of having actual fur, so that from a distance, one could mistake them for true wolves.
With no other options left, I ran as fast as my hooves could carry me, and the woodbeasts began pursuing me.
My smaller size allowed me to quickly weave between the trees, but I soon found myself in the open, and here the Timberwolves began catching up... before suddenly stopping and turning back.
This left me confused, before I suddenly felt a sense of pure dread, and turning around, I discovered the source. It would be impossible to describe it, for it kept shifting and changing, but I shall attempt to put the words to paper.
It overall resembled a black, formless mass, constantly producing and re-absorbing the various limbs, eyes, and mouths of several species. Its smell was horrifying, as was its voice, a piping, flute-like cry in an unknown tongue: "Tekeli-li!"
The amorphous horror.
I ran once again, heading further north, away from this new horror.
Experienced scholars will recognize the creature described by Ice Crystal as a Shoggoth, or Proto-Smooze, such as those described in the Al Azif of the Camel scholar Abdul Alhazred or in the story At the Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecolt. This is interesting, as Shoggoths normally only occur in the Southern Hemisphere, and were not reported in Equus until the founding of Hinnysmouth.- Ouija Board, head of the Canterlot Archives' Occult section.