Flicker

by XenoPony

Chapter 1: New Horizon

Chapter 1: New Horizon

Skyjack's Log: New Horizon, March 29th

Entry One:

So here we are. By Celestia, I have to say, I've missed this. After almost three months on the ground, it's good to be back up here among the clouds again. You know, sometimes I almost wish I was a pegasus, damn cloud walkers can come up here and feel the wind blowing through their mane any time they like.

Still, as good as that would be I wouldn't sacrifice this life for any of that. It's amazing that captain Raven managed to get the Horizon airborne again so quickly. I thought she'd never see the skies again after all the damage she suffered getting out of Shadow Ridge. Part of me still can't believe any of us made it out of that damn death trap alive. Retch who paid us to go down there was taking his life in his own hooves when he refused Raven's demands for a bigger payment. But nopony ever gets between a captain and her ship that's for sure. Can't say I don't feel sorry for the old girl though, the ship I mean. I know how tough being stuck on the ground for so long is. A sky ship's meant to soar, and a skyjack's meant to fly them. I don't think Raven would have put so much effort into grabbing this job if it weren't so she could get the ship fixed. Taking care of the crew's one thing, but taking care of the ship's another altogether.

Funny thing too, whoever wants whatever it is we're going after this time must be quite the eager one. I've never heard of somepony paying to fix up a ship and offering to pay for the job all at once. I guess they don't know any other skyjacks willing to go out that far, or that reputation of ours is finally starting to pay off. Regardless, I'm sure captain Raven's got it all sorted out. Bet there's a reason she's not telling us squat either, not that she ever tells us more than our cut of the pay warrants anyway.

I suppose it's all gonna be worth it in the end though, if only to be up here again to watch the sunset beyond the clouds. We're somewhere over the south Celestial sea on route to Zebrica. I know it's a pretty far way to go just for some contract, but the old girl definitely deserves to be taken out for a long haul. Besides, I don't think getting back into the sky was ever anything any of us were gonna say no to, not that we're not a little bit weary after last time. Anyway, we should reach the shattered coast in a few days, then the jungle. After that, it's just a matter of finding somewhere to make port and finding out where this place Raven says we need to be is. I doubt that's gonna be easy with all the jungle out there though, not to mention the locals. By Celestia, I swear those stripes would have both my hind hooves if I let them, all just to try and rid me of some bad spirits and all that tribal rubbish.

Though, if they offered me some kind of immortality potion or the secret to some long-lost treasure I'd probably take them up on it. I won't lie, bits have been coming in pretty slow while we've all been stuck on the ground. Not that it matters now, the pay for this one is the best we've snagged yet, maybe I'll be able to retire once we're done. That's if this job's not anything like Shadow Ridge. By Celestia, I really hope it ain't.

********

In the warm heat of the late summer afternoon, the forest seemed to take a deep breath. The humidity hung over the wild trees like one great blanket, broken only as a gentle breeze blew through them causing the wet leaves to shimmer and sparkle in the dull light. The endless sea of thick green canopy was cut only by a muddy path, its long surface marred by pools and puddles. There was not a sign of civilization in sight, and the only evidence that anypony had invaded the pure heart of the isolated forest were the hoof prints left behind by four equine figures as they walked along.

One was a butter yellow pegasus with a long pink mane, another a prim white unicorn wrapped within a sparkling purple raincoat and boots. The third a lavender alicorn with darker purple mane and a baby dragon perched atop her back as she walked. To Fluttershy, Rarity, Twilight, and Spike, a trek into the darkness of the Everfree forest was nothing new, even if it was their first venture into the trees for some time. Yet for the last pony that accompanied them the seemingly blind journey into one of Equestria's most revered forests was not so casual.

"Starlight, are you alright?" Came the slightly concerned voice of Twilight Sparkle as she looked back to her new student.

Starlight Glimmer paused, her train of thought abruptly silenced by the sudden words of her mentor. She remained that way for a few long moments before finally opening her mouth to respond.

"Yeah, I'm doing fine." A sheepish laugh followed the lilac unicorn's words, and she glanced about at the gloomy trees with equally nervous eyes. "I just never imagined learning about the magic of friendship would mean coming so deep into the Everfree forest," she added, doing her best not to sound too disrespectful.

Surrounding the muddy road, the dense wall of thick vegetation felt like it was closing in on every side. Each moss-coated tree stood like a silent sentinel amidst the ghostly mist that lingered around them. Vines hung down from the rustling canopy like grasping arms ready to snare unsuspecting ponies. Bats drawn out by the coming evening sent quivers through the fog with their rapid wing beats, and the sound of many small forest creatures rang out as an invisible symphony of croaks and chatters. The whole forest felt like one giant, hungry beast, it's breath slow and paced as it systematically hunted anypony foolish enough to delve into its shadowy depths. A multitude of strange and inventive weapons at its disposal. In truth, it was a somewhat foalish way of seeing things, most ponies from Ponyville respected the forest. But many of them had seemingly lost the absolute dread that its sinister reputation garnered throughout the rest of Equestria

"Don't worry Starlight, it's perfectly safe. We used to come this way all the time and I know you're just gonna love Celestia and Luna's old library," Twilight assured her student, clearly trying to hide her own excitement. "There are books that nopony's read in a thousand years," she added, whispering directly into Starlight's ear like some kind of excited school filly.

Despite everything, the idea that there was knowledge at their destination left untouched for countless centuries was a very appealing one, and from books held by the princesses no less. Forgetting her fears was slightly easier with that promise in mind. Besides, she knew that both Twilight and her friends would never lead her anywhere dangerous.

"Twilight is quite right, darling. There's absolutely nothing to be afraid of in the castle," Rarity assured, looking up in an effort to stop herself from seeing the thick mud that marred her once shiny purple boots, and jacket.

"We certainly made quite the fool of ourselves the last time we allowed our fears to get to us," she added with a hint of embarrassment.

"Oh yes, how could I forget," Fluttershy squeaked in response, hiding her own slightly bashful look behind her long, pink mane as she smiled nervously.

"If by that you mean you girls were running around scaring the living daylights out of each other, then yes," Twilight laughed jokingly, shearing the giggle with her slightly ashamed friends.

"Hey, I wasn't running ‘round all frightened!" Spike declared bluntly, leaning back into Twilight's mane and crossing his forelimbs.

"Oh, sorry, Spike. So you're saying you weren't afraid of Pinkie and the pipe organ?" Twilight asked, a playful smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

The dragon opened his mouth and razed a claw to protest, but failed to come back with anything more than a dry stutter. Then he gave a disgruntled huff as his brow furrowed.

"Wait, Pinkie and the what?" Starlight asked, the possibility dragging her thoughts away from her unsettled feelings regarding the forest.

"It's a long story," Twilight responded with a light laugh, while Spiked just crossed his forearms and slouched again.

"Oh, Spike. You know sometimes it's okay to be scared? So long as you have a good friend to show that there's nothing to be afraid of," Twilight told the sulking dragon, both Rarity and Fluttershy nodding in agreement

"I'll say that to you next time you have to look at a plate of quesadillas," the dragon retorted swiftly, forcing the alicorn to wince as he snickered.

"Okay, point taken." She sighed in defeat, doing her best to hide the subtle dread that had come over her at the mention of the cheesy food.

"But seriously, Spike. Do you honestly believe I'd ever let anything happen to my number one assistant?" Twilight went on, not so subtly trying to change the subject.

"Of course, anypony trying to hurt my little Spikey-Wikey will have to go through me first," Rarity stated as she carefully trotted around a particularly large puddle. Her kind declaration caught the dragon's attention, and, smitten, he shifted to face her.

"Me too. I certainly know how scary something can be, but I'd never let anything happen to my friends," Fluttershy added, her weak confidence reaching its peak for a moment as she looked back at Spike and smiled.

Her brave confession was somewhat wasted on the dragon as his smitten eyes remained locked upon Rarity. The white unicorn resuming her graceful trot as the majority of muddy puddles disappeared behind them.

"I probably should have brought a notepad for all this," Starlight admitted sheepishly, as she observed just how good of a lesson she'd just witnessed.

"Don't worry, Starlight, you can learn just as much from experience as you can from words," Twilight assured her, ducking under a mossy vine that hung low in the road.

Starlight was about to offer her own answer, yet her words were forgotten as she watched the vine brush over Twilight's mane and sweep the oblivious Spike right off of her back. Calling out in surprise, the baby dragon fell right into the mud with a wet splat.

"Oh, my!" Fluttershy gasped as both she and the others swiftly turned back to aid their fallen friend.

"Spike, are you alright?" Twilight asked urgently, using her magic to help him up.

"I think so, that stupid vine came out of nowhere," he answered, brushing the thick mud from his purple scales.

"Oh dear, here allow me," Rarity said, magically producing a cloth from her jacket and wiping away more of the dirt.

Once again the Spike was at a loss for words, more than happy for the assistance as he beamed up at Rarity. Everypony else simply rolled their eyes.

"We should probably make sure this hits nopony else," Twilight said, as she magically levitated the vine up into the canopy.

"Quite so, it's a positively tacky thing," Rarity huffed as she finished helping Spike and set her magic to shifting more of the hanging vines.

Behind them, Starlight's eyes once again wandered off into the gloom amidst the dense trees. She was unable to shake the feeling that the whole forest was watching them, the whole place was unnaturally alive. She'd been all over Equestria in her time, looking for ancient spells and tomes all in her now forgotten quest for equality. Yet as flawed as that ambition had been, it had taught her a lot about the world. But she'd never seen a place quite like this, the whole forest radiated with a feeling that just seemed wrong.

"Urm, Twilight, could you please wait a minute?" The sound of Fluttershy's meager voice was almost lost to her companions as the yellow pegasus called out.

Even so, both Twilight and Rarity paused, a tangled mass of green vines magically levitating before. Fluttershy hovered up to the treetops cautiously.

"What is it?" Twilight asked, yet the question was on everypony's face.

"Urm, I don't think that's a vine," Fluttershy took one of the lengths in her hooves and was clearly trying her best not to sound patronizing.

As she did so, she pointed to the undergrowth at the roadside and true to her close speculation, more of the strange vine lay amidst the wild flora. Being the closest, Starlight was the first to take a look and levitated some of the tattered green material to look at it closely. The stuff seemed to be made from a tightly woven mesh of small fibers that twisted and curled in the unicorn's telekinetic grip. Muddy water seeped out as if it were some kind of sponge.

"She's right, this isn't a vine,” Starlight observed, looking back at the others. “It's rope."

At her student's observations, Twilight levitated more of the length down from the trees until it was sprawled around the muddy road like a coiled snake. After a few hard tugs, the rope slackened and pulled taught with a shudder of water droplets.

"What in Equestria is all this doing here?" Twilight asked, pulling hard on the rope as both Rarity and Starlight began to pull on other hanging strands.

Nevertheless, the ropes would not budge beyond making the whole canopy shake and rustle. It was almost as if they were pulling upon the forest itself, causing it to call out in pain as a series of loud creaks and groans echoed from amidst the leaves. But just as it sounded as if they may bring the whole tree toppling down, the rope finally snapped with a sharp flick and one half fell limply to the road as the rest sprang back into the trees like some kind of frightened animal.

"Fluttershy, fly up there and move the branches out of the way please," Twilight instructed, shaking herself free of her strained attempts to pull down the rope.

Reluctantly, Fluttershy hovered right up to the trees and tentatively brushed the tangled leaves aside, then a gasp escaped the winged mare. Below, everypony else was hard pressed not to do the same, even Spike who had reclaimed his seat upon Twilight's back, if only to get a better view. Directly above them, a curved wooden surface was almost completely consumed by the tree's, and upon its rotted face, a set of once elegantly written white words read simply. 'New Horizon'

"Well that's certainly something you don't see every day," Twilight observed as she looked up at what her intellectually brilliant mind had identified as the wooden hull of some kind of ship.

Everypony gathered around the bewildered princess, their eyes cast upwards to the wooden shape as the parted leaves rustled about it. The shadow of its mass was visible as a great, dark scar amidst the forest, leading far back into the depths of the trees. Furthermore, now that it was clear that the thing was up there, everypony began to notice more parts of its wreckage. Scraps of splintered wood lay hidden in the moist earth and many more ropes hung loosely, the moss and fungus that had begun to colonize their soggy fibers making them appear like tangled vines. Even some of the trees bore the scars of a ragged impact, and many more buckled and sagged under the weight of the wrecked bow.

"How do you suppose it got up there?" asked Fluttershy, gently floating back to the road with several soft wing beats.

"It must be some kind of skyship, I read about them a few years ago. Originally they were made by earth ponies thousands of years ago so they could trade with pegasi over long distances. Now that there is the Equestrian mail service they're not as common," Twilight gladly explained.

"Yes, I saw one in Canterlot a few years ago too. Although, that marvelous thing was renovated as part of a private collection. It certainly wasn't anything like this old wreck," Rarity added, sounding only a little disgusted as she waved a hoof up at a particularly large hole in the ship's side.

"That's just it though, most ships that fly today are either vintage or... " Twilight began, then she paused and narrowed her eyes. "Illegal."

As the word left her muzzle she became the focus of everypony's attention and was quick to elaborate.

"Princess Celestia told me about the skyjack trade once, that’s what the crew of ships like this sometimes call themselves. They're mostly thieves and mercenaries, griffins ponies, it doesn't matter. But all that usually happens far away from Equestria where the skies aren't too heavily regulated."

"That probably explains how it ended up here then," Starlight commented, earning a curious look from Twilight. The lilac unicorn winced slightly, fearing she may have interrupted something. Yet when anypony failed to add anything, she tentatively went on. "Well, you did say the Everfree Forest's skies aren't monitored by the pegasi so it could have slipped through," she elaborated.

"To think ruffians such as this coming so close to Ponyville? It's certainly unsettling, to say the least," Rarity observed, crossing a hoof over her chest and looking sharply away.

"It's downright creepy that's what it is." Spike shivered.

"One thing's for sure, it shouldn't be here," Twilight’s eyes followed the long shadow of the ship as it disappeared back into the trees.

The alicorn turned away from the road, her horn beginning to glow as she peered into the gloom and took a step away from the road.

"Erm, Twilight, where are you going?" Spike asked, tapping Twilight’s head as he tried not to look at the scary trees.

"Well, we can't just leave this here without investigating. If anypony is doing anything illegal this close to Ponyville, or Canterlot for that matter, I want to know," Twilight answered, her tone becoming firm.

"Yeah, but I think crashing may have put a stop to anything they were doing Twilight," the dragon retorted, eyes darting up to the shattered hull of the ship.

"He does have a point, Twilight. We'll be late to meet the others if we dally," Rarity added, moving up beside the princess.

The purple alicorn sighed. "I just want to take a quick look, I won't be more than a minute."

Her slightly eager tone didn't make it difficult for anypony to guess that there was more than just an urge to investigate in her reasoning. There was more than a little excitement there too, and it wasn't hard to assume that this was the first time the always open and willing to learn princess had seen something like this. She was almost like a giddy foal begging their parents to take them into some new toy store. The regal facades of it simply being her royal duty to investigate waned every second she thought about what she might find. Finally, Rarity gave a huff.

"Okay, but if I get kidnapped by angry sky pirates I'm blaming you Twilight," the alabaster mare said firmly, even though the look on her face partially told everypony she'd have no problem dealing with such a situation should it arise.

Twilight nodded appreciatively, before moving forwards into the twisting depths of the dense undergrowth, Spike clinging low to her back and trying his best not to look terrified as he was forced to dodge yet more hanging vines and branches.

"Fluttershy, are you coming, dear?" Rarity asked, turning back to her pegasus friend.

Fluttershy's eyes were stuck in a cycle of darting up to the ship and back to the forest around her as she stood like a yellow statue in the middle of the muddy road. Only with the sight of Rarity waving a hoof to get her attention did she finally respond.

"You want to go off the road, in the middle of the Everfree forest?" she asked timidly, not quite as concerned about hiding her fear as Spike was.

"Only for a short moment, dear. Besides, you can always wait here if you want to," The unicorn offered a reassuring smile before moving off after Twilight, taking great care not to get her attire any dirtier than it always was.

At that moment Starlight and Fluttershy both looked to one another with weary eyes, before the former finally spoke.

"I'm gonna go take a look. Like Twilight said, it's not every day you see a skyship like this," Starlight rationalized, unable to cover up the fact that despite everything, her own curiosity was blooming.

Fluttershy gulped, but nodded as the pink mare disappeared into the gloom after the others. She took another look up at the hull, then back at the darkness, then back up. The timid cycle continued for all of five seconds before the ship gave an almighty creek and shifted amidst the canopy. With a sharp 'eep' of alarm, Fluttershy jumped into the air and sped off towards Starlight's tail before it could vanish into the shadows.

"On second thought, I think I'll stay with you," she said with a nervous stutter, daring to glance back at the slowly vanishing road.

Starlight just offered a friendly smile and nodded as both of them pushed forwards through the thick vegetation. Nevertheless, as the shadows grew and the thick forest closed in about them, Starlight couldn't blame Fluttershy for her caution. An illegal sky ship not seen by ponies in Equestria for decades, crashing in the middle of one of the most dangerous places in the kingdom? It certainly was not a situation anypony found themselves in every day.

That was made all the worse as the muddy surface grew thicker under hoof, a mass of tangled roots, rotting logs, and fallen leaves the only things to break up the constant squelching. Puddles of water shimmered in the magical glow of Twilight's horn as both she and Rarity paused. Before them the trees hung low, creating a small tunnel under the ship as the huge pieces of shattered wood tilted downwards towards the ground. Both Starlight and Fluttershy stopped beside the others, looking ahead to where the part of the ship that had become lodged in the trees appeared to have been snapped in two. Sharp spikes of splintering wood jutted out at every angle as if the whole thing had been brutally twisted apart. Most lumps of torn rubble lay scattered over the trees like wicked decorations, half submerged in the tangled floor of the forest as the whole place had begun to slowly eat away at the invading object.

The tattered fabrics of what must have once been some kind of giant balloon hung down like a dirty, wet rag. Its surface was a sick patchwork of stains, rips, and moss. It covering the way ahead like a soggy curtain. Shifting the waterlogged sheet aside with their magic, Twilight, Spike, Starlight, and Rarity were the first to creep through, Fluttershy following close behind as her eyes darted to every part of the eerie wreckage. Hovering slightly, she bit on one of her forehooves nervously, looking to the dark interior of the front half as it slouched in the mud.

Beyond, the rear half of the ship slumped lazily, wooden innards and shattered cargo splayed out over the tangled forest floor. Barrels had been burst apart like watermelons and large crates bled seeping trails of vibrant alchemical powder. The battered remnants of several rusted cages also sat amongst the scattered wreckage, as did glistening hints of gold silver and gems.

At the point where the ship had split, each of its floors were visible as water dribbled down across their broken remains. Darkness swarmed within, the only break in its constant appearance the glint of metal as the magical glow passed by. It took a great effort not to think about the eerie gloom, nor the ravenous forest that was slowly trying to reclaim the land that the wreck had stolen from it.

Instead, the hole into the ship's shrouded interior was what captivated most attention, and Twilight was the first to move towards it.

"Well, they certainly won't be delivering this anywhere any time soon," she observed, dabbing a pool of runny, pink powder with her hoof.

"What gave it away?" Spike deadpanned, swiftly adding, "Can we go now? This place really gives me the creeps."

"Just a minute Spike, I want to see if there's anything to say how this got here," Twilight responded as she peered into the rear half of the ship.

"I think it's pretty obvious that they crashed, Twilight," the dragon retorted.

"He's right, Twilight, anypony who was on this old thing looks to be long gone," Rarity added, looking down at the mixing colors on the forest floor with distaste. "I can't fathom why anypony would go to so much effort to smuggle such things. Why this is no more than colored die."

"It's probably some kind of exotic arcane salt, it's sometimes used to make all sorts of horrible enchantments and spells," Twilight responded, glancing at Starlight.

The pink unicorn shied away slightly, reminded of what she herself had once been like. Yet she didn't feel that was Twilight’s intention. Instead, it sounded as if her mentor was looking for another intellectual opinion on the matter.

"She's right, I've seen ponies using stuff like this to make all sorts of things. It's highly flammable for one, in fact, an explosion might be the reason this thing ended up down here," Starlight explained, earning an appreciative smile for her mentor.

"I'm going to check the back, see if I can find anything in the captain's cabin," Twilight continued, before trotting further down into the ship's sunken rear half.

"Perhaps I'll wait here darling, this place is dirty enough on the outside already," Rarity responded, then glanced up at Fluttershy as the pegasus gave a small sigh of relief.

"Yeah, I'm staying out here too," Spike added, jumping from Twilight's back and running over to the others.

Twilight just rolled her eyes, then glanced at Starlight. "Starlight?"

The unicorn looked between her timid friends and her bold mentor. Then she glanced into the depths of the ship and gulped. There were a great many things in her mind telling her not to go into the darkness, then again she couldn't just let Twilight go alone.

"Yeah, I'm coming," she relented reluctantly, before tentatively trotting over to Twilight's side.

Twilight nodded before slowly making her way inside, the light of her horn chasing away the shadows like swarms of cockroaches. Starlight's own magic added to the illumination as yet more rows of smashed up cargo passed by. The whole place looked like it had been thrown into a blender. Heavy looking wooden boxes had been thrown about like simple toys, the metal frame of the whole ship had been pulled and twisted like hot taffy. Rusted tools were sporadically scattered across the floor. A small channel of water had pooled right in the ship's base and yet more trickled down from the sagging holes in the roof.

Yet there were some things that looked out of place even in the midst of the chaos. Sharp blades thrown into walls as if by hooves or magic, splatters of dried gray dust spread across the wall where they did so as if the wood itself had been bleeding. There were more deep scars in the walls further down, as if it had been frantically torn away. Stranger still, were the scorch marks, far too small to have come from the explosive force of magical powder. Stopping beside one particularly large charred stain, Twilight prodded a hoof at the blackened wood curiously.

"This doesn't make any sense, it's like they tried to burn their own ship or something?" she surmised in confusion.

Looking to the opposite side of the room, Starlight noticed a strange cylindrical tube made from what appeared to be some form of translucent crystal. It almost looked like diamond, yet that idea was betrayed by the fact it had been shattered like no more than frail glass. Inside was yet more of the dried gray substance, it almost looked as if the stuff had once been alive only to wilt away to dust like a plant without sufficient water. Sunken within it were several shards of strange, glossy black material.

Cocking her, Starlight looked to see two more identical cylinders either side of the first and several more scattered around the place, all of them utterly shattered. She took a cautious step closer and then felt something shift under her hooves. Clenching her jaw and closing her eyes at the initial rush of surprise, she looked down and shifted her hoof. Amidst the glistening shards of crystal water and mud, she could make out the broken form of some kind of rock. Its surface was a cold blue, almost frosty looking and marked by a glowing rune that flickered weakly.

"Did you find anything?" Came the sudden voice of Twilight, making Starlight almost shoot to the ceiling.

Catching her breath and collecting herself, the pink unicorn shook her head as she turned back to her mentor. "No, just some weird jars," she responded, pointing a hoof towards her peculiar discovery.

Twilight moved over and tapped one of the crystalline objects gently, before peering down at the strange dust and fragments inside.

"I've never seen anything like this, I've heard of ponies that can manipulate crystal. But they're all the way in the crystal empire," Twilight observed then levitated out one of the jagged fragments. "As for this stuff?"

Before she could elaborate further her words were cut off as something shifted above. Both ponies jumped as the sound of something scattered along the length of the ship, shaking dust free and causing the water to shiver. Both Twilight and Starlight looked at each other nervously before the former set down the black fragment and moved towards a set of stairs opposite from the breach through which they'd entered. It was clear that Twilight was reevaluating her decision to go any further, her own fear not too well hidden anymore. Yet after a few long moments of assuring herself that there was nothing she couldn't handle in here, not to mention no more scattering sounds from above, Twilight began to move cautiously upwards.

"Come on, let's just get to the cabin and get out of here. This place is pretty creepy," she finally confessed, as she crept up the stairs.

Glancing back to the relative safety behind them, Starlight reluctantly followed her mentor up the dirty stairs and onto the ship's second floor. There they found rows of tattered beds and yet more signs of carnage. The heavy furniture had been thrown around like leaves in a storm, and even the main support pillars of the ship were bent and buckled like mere twigs. Hammocks were twisted and tables uplifted, food and drink still visible as it rotted away in the waterlogged air.

"Strange, they must have still been eating when this all happened," Twilight observed, as her lavender magic revealed the chaotic remnants.

Even so, there was still absolutely no sign of any crew or anypony else for that matter. Not even (dare either of them say) any bones or bodies.

"Whatever had happened must have happened pretty fast," Starlight added, eyes passing along the rotting walls, only to make out several large scars upon them.

They were almost like claw marks, yet bore a ferocity that betrayed their modest size. Many more of the marks didn't look like claws at all, but instead like some kind of lash or whip had flayed the wood like it were no more than soft hide. Neither of them took too long to think about the eerie scene before Twilight slowly crept up another set of stairs. Starlight followed and allowed the darkness to reclaim its former hold over the ship's silent interior. Yet one strange image was soon replaced by another as both mares noticed that this set of stairs felt almost overgrown. It was strange to say the least, especially considering the fact that the forest had only just begun to regrow over the wreckage from the outside.

Stranger still, it didn't feel like any kind of normal vegetation. It was weak and gritty, crumbling like dust under the weight of their hooves. It covered the tight walls, making them looked like they were encased by an ever-growing spider web of thin vines. A chill filled the moist air sending a shiver down the spines of both mares. The further they moved upwards the more the dark veins seemed to have grown until they almost consumed the whole wall. Then the sight of Twilight paused in the opening ahead stole Starlight's attention. Creeping up to her mentor's side, she peered into the room, and at the sight, it wasn't hard to guess what had stop Twilight in her tracks.

Through a stained set of shattered glass windows at the rear of the room, a weak beam of sunlight illuminated the captain's chamber. A desk sat in the center, with a chair at its far side. So too did many more cabinets stand at either side of the cabin, as well as desks and a small bed. A door in the wall beside the stairs seemed to lead out onto the ship's now shattered decks, yet it was sealed by a great many locks.

That was not what was so unsettling, however, what was strange was the fact that the room was almost completely covered with a thick layer of fine gray vines, so much so it was if the whole thing had fused together. Just like in the crystal vases, the plant substance itself had become gray and withered, crumbling into dust at even the smallest disturbance.

"What in Equestria happened here?" Twilight finally asked, speaking the words on both ponies lips.

The alicorn moved over to the desk and around to the chair behind it, then she paused with a gasp and raised a hoof to her muzzle. Starlight was quick to join her, then she froze in a similarly choked manner as she saw what lay in the chair. A frail pony skeleton, its bones blackened and withered, was curled up as if they'd died in great pain. Yet all of that was almost indistinguishable from the large mass of now dead vines that encased them. Almost like the shriveled remnants of a fly caught in a spiders web.

"This must be the captain," Twilight surmised, recovering from her shock. "Must have died in the crash, or something."

Starlight's eyes passed over what remained of the withered body with both curiosity and cold dread. Death was nothing new to her or anypony, they just hated to talk about it. This felt different however, there was far too much mystery behind what may have happened to result in a demise like this.

"What about the rest of the crew?" Starlight mumbled, her eyes still fixed on the long-dead body.

Twilight didn't respond. Instead, she used her magic to yank one of the desks’ drawers free of the withered substance. Inside were several tattered notes, a scorched red journal and folded parchment almost untouched by the substance crawling all over the walls. As expected, Twilight swiftly set to reading all she could, then she glanced up at Starlight.

"So her name was Raven?" she stated, looking at the shriveled bones with a hint of sad respect before glancing back to the notes.

Starlight took another glance around the room, that cold chill still hanging in the otherwise humid summer air. Her wondering eyes were drawn to the small bed and dresser. A regal portrait of a jet black, pegasus mare with a shimmering coat sat just above them on the wall, mostly covered by the vines. Just like Twilight had said, there was a small plaque identifying her as 'Captain Midnight Raven'.

"That's weird, all the pages have been burned out of here," Twilight stated in confusion as she pulled out several more charred pieces of parchment. "All records of where they were going, where they came from, their cargo, it's just gone."

"Must have been up to something they didn't want anypony else to know about," Starlight offered her perplexed mentor wearily.

Twilight looked over to respond, but then something abruptly stole her attention, a scream. Both ponies’ heads shot up, their ears standing at attention. It had come from outside, right where the others had been waiting, and it sounded unnervingly familiar. Without a second thought, the pair rushed out of the room and galloped back down the stairs as fast as their hooves would carry them. Water splashed under the sound of their escape, and broken boxes were shoved aside. The sound of a struggle emanated from ahead. Audible over the sound of the running mares’ breath as they both galloped out into the wreckage strewn area outside the ship and slid to a halt in the mud.

"Goodness! Fluttershy, dear, I know how you love your animals but this..." Rarity stated as both Twilight and Starlight came to a rushed stop

"Rarity, what's wrong we heard you scream and then you..." Twilight gasped before her fears subsided slightly as the unicorn looked at her in surprise.

"Oh, good you're back. Now we can finally get out of this dreadful place," she said quickly, leaving no room for argument as she began trotting back in the direction of the road.

Only then did Twilight and Starlight see what Rarity had been talking about. Fluttershy was sat on the ground, her forehooves wrapped around a large oval. It had a smooth surface, almost like a dragon's scales and shimmered like polished marble in the dull light. From within, there was a faint blue glow. Like a light shining through a thick liquid, it flickered and pulsed in a manner almost like a heartbeat.

"Oh, but Rarity I can't leave it here all alone," Fluttershy protested, lifting the thing onto her back.

Both Spike and Rarity looked at their friend skeptically before the former moved back up onto Twilight's back and motioned for them all to leave.

"Fluttershy, dearest, I know how much you love animals but this... You have no idea what that is, or where it came from. Not to mention you found it in a place like this," Rarity said, motioning to the gloomy wreckage around them.

"I can't judge it simply on where I found it. I don't judge anypony else because of where they come from," The pegasus responded, and Rarity shrank back slightly.

"Wait, wait, wait," Twilight intervened. "What is that and where did you find it?" she asked, looking at Fluttershy.

"I think it's an egg, and I found it back there just in the bushes," The pegasus gladly responded, looking back at the thing with a smile.

Now it was Twilight’s turn to look skeptical, but at the look in her shy friend's eyes, she sighed. "Fluttershy no one knows animals better than you, so if you think this is absolutely necessary I can't argue," she admitted carefully, and Fluttershy nodded.

"Sorry Fluttershy, you're right it's just..." Rarity began to apologize sheepishly, yet even now it was clear her words were held back by doubts.

"I think what Rarity means is, you shouldn't go messing with something unless you know what it is. Remember Philomena?" Twilight added in an effort to support both of her friends.

"Don't worry Twilight, I know. I just don't want to leave a poor defenseless egg out here alone. There was no nest, I couldn't find any sign of any others either, so it must have been abandoned," Fluttershy responded, and this time nopony could find enough fault in her action to argue

Meanwhile, Starlight was trying hard not to think about what she'd just seen, and it wasn't hard to assume Twilight was blocking it out too. That had been a pony in there caught up in those vines, but maybe that was just part of the forest? The plants here did have a fearsome reputation after all. Even so, the images of the bones and the idea the forest could have done such a thing was all the more reason to get out of here. The forest seemed to agree, as before anypony could speak again there was a great rumble overhead. Once again the world seemed to take a deep breath, then a great gust of wind surged through the trees, as dark clouds began to materialize overhead.

"Come on, we're closer to the castle than we are to Ponyville, and we still have to meet the others," Twilight said as she began leading the way out.

"Don't have to tell me twice," said Spike as he pushed the low vines and ropes from his path.

"Good, I've seen enough of this place to last a lifetime," Rarity added, happily turning her back to the rotting wreckage.

There was another deep rumble of thunder, and a flash of distant lightning caused Fluttershy to jump slightly and timidly scurry after the others. Starlight took one last glance back at the rotting wreck of the skyship, the image of the skeleton encased in strange dead vines still fresh in her mind as her eyes passed over its battered surface one last time. It was a fire or some kind of explosion, a mutiny maybe? All perfectly viable reasons for why it had ended up here on the forest floor in multiple broken pieces.

"Starlight are you alright? We really should get out of her before the storm comes," Fluttershy asked, looking back over her shoulder.

Starlight looked up sharply, manufacturing a smile as she pushed the sinister thoughts right to the back of her mind and locked them away. All the while she was trying not to look at the flickering sphere that sat upon Fluttershy's back. Each time it pulsed that glow seemed to grow stronger as whatever was waiting inside shifted restlessly.

"Starlight?" Fluttershy pressed, and finally, the unicorn shook her head.

"Yeah I'm coming, certainly don't want to be stuck out here during a storm," She said quickly before walking up beside Fluttershy as the two trotted back towards the road.

Comments

[The Bricklayer]

Oh boy, I'm already getting a bad feeling of what's about to happen. I hope Twilight and company make it through the night alive...

[RadioBlitzEMA]

I..I was getting a little worried there. Man I cant wait to read the next chapter!!!