Yet another hour had passed. The ponies and changelings had been walking for hours and yet another was behind them now. They kept a steady pace, stopping only when absolutely necessary as Switchback guided the group through the twisting and winding caves. Intersection after intersection and cavern after cavern had presented themselves and Switchback always seemed to know exactly where they were going.

They had wandered through the caves for a great sum of time, as if traversing a great void of darkness. They had wondered if they had entered these Husklands that they seemed to here to much about, fully expecting it to be a gradual change from a normal system of caves to a hellish nightmare of a wasteland and despite all their preparations for the worst. They seemed more like a distant and illusive enigma.

"There should be a town up ahead," Switchback pointed out. "It'll be in the next cavern. It's called Floodwater, built on an old underground lake that floods every spring when the snow from the surface runs into cracks through the mountains. It collects here."

"Cool," August said. "Is the whole place built on a dock or something? I love coastal towns."

"Basically," Switchback answered. "The entire town was almost destroyed by a flood long before I was around. They had to move everything to a higher elevation to accommodate the new water levels that only got higher every year. A drainage canal was built a few years after I was born so the flooding stopped being a problem, but the town kept it's name all this time."

"Interesting," Twilight commented. "You sure seem to know a lot about this place. Did you ever live there?"

"No," Switchback answered, "but it was a frequent stop when I ran my courier routes. I kind of picked up the history over time. Learning the history of towns was kind of one of the things that made being a courier fun. I got to see the hive in it's entirety and learn interesting facts from its history, that was until the roads became too dangerous to travel."

"What did you do then?" August asked.

"I settled down in a small town called Runestone. It was known for its masonry work, but all the masons were put out of the job thanks to no one wanting to travel," Switchback explained. "It wasn't really my choice to stay there as much as it was just me not wanting to risk traveling at all, but the town was well defended and had a decent stockpile of food to last us longer than most. So I guess it was for the best that I ended up there."

"Wow, that's really lucky," August commented.

"Well, it wasn't easy by any means," Switchback pointed out. "After all communications with the capital hive were lost and the last of our couriers disappeared, we began to have trouble with other groups. We almost got into a feud with another town, but they all scattered after getting attacked by a band of raiders. Then our stocks went low and we ended up turning into scavengers just like everyone else. Even our crops didn't seem to want to grow."

"I thought you guys ate love," Brisk spoke up from the rear of the group. He had been walking with Glosser, keeping an eye on him for some time now.

"We mostly do, but some solid food is required from time to time," Switchback answered. "Without it, we'd shrivel up and die or something like that. I don't really know the science behind it."

Everypony looked over to Glosser, who was happily keeping pace with the ponies as if he had never been injured. He gazed back at the ponies, smiling widely now that they were paying attention to him.

"Do you think that's what's going on with Glosser?" Talisman questioned. "I mean, it sounds plausible. Maybe he hasn't been getting his vitamins."

Nopony really dwelled on the subject. Glosser's condition, at this point, had become more than an enigma to them. They didn't know why he was the way that he was. He just was. For them, that would have to be good enough. Still though, the little flakes of chitin, that looked like what would fall off a poorly tended onion, that fell from him every so often kind of freaked everypony out. He looked like a snake shedding its skin, except he would bleed in some spots, especially when decided to scratch himself.

The group walked on for a few more minutes, before the cave began to open up, until finally they found themselves in a much larger cavern that split off in multiple directions. A large ravine ran through the middle of the limestone floor, dividing it in two. A mass of darkened structures could be seen at the top of the ravine, some teetering on the very edge, threatening to fall into the darkness below.

Each of these structures was old and run down, more than likely having been built and abandoned more than five years ago, give or take. Their design was much different from what the group had encountered back in the small town that they had passed through initially. The structures in that town seemed as if they had been built from the ground up, where as these seemed as if they had been carved from already existing rock formations, and added onto with the limited wood available.

They all looked like they had once been lived in, but at the same time were void of any signs of life. There was something very haunting about the dark windows that no light seemed to be able to penetrate, despite any and all glass having been broken out a long time ago. The piercing black eyes looked on at the ponies and changelings as they passed by only meters away from the front door, taking note of them, remembering other beings who had dared to travel these caves. Fools.

As they passed, August stopped and looked out at one of the structures. It was a house no doubt, and he found himself wondering what its story was, who had lived in it. He looked on at the house, thinking of how sad it was that whoever had once lived there was now probably dead, or living like a rat.

As he concentrated on the house for a few more seconds, he began to be overcome by a strange chill in the air that had not been there a moment ago. His chest grew tight, making it hard to breath, and the hair on the back of his neck began to stand up straight. He began to feel a tingling sensation, like something was moving under his skin, skittering to and fro. Then suddenly and without warning, the house smiled at him.

August eyes watered at an alarming rate and he found himself being swept off his hooves and onto his flank, as if he had been pushed. He blinked rapidly, his head spinning and his heart racing. He looked around to see that the rest of the group was still walking on, leaving him alone. Alone. Alone. He didn't want to be alone. He would never be alone. He swore to the sun, moon, and anything in between that he would die before he was ever left alone.

He scampered to his hooves and raced after the others as fast as he could carry himself. When he had rejoined them, a warmth over took him. He felt safe and secure again, like this was where he should be. A hole in his very essence had been filled. He began to take deep breaths, drawing the attention of one of his fellow guards ponies.

Brisk looked over at August, who was visibly shaken by something. He was currently wiping his watered eyes, like dust or dirt had been blown into them. "You okay?" Brisk asked. He may have been more of the quiet type, but that didn't mean he ignored someone when they were obviously not alright.

"I'm fine," August answered quickly without snapping. "I uh... I think I'm just going to stay close from now on. I'd hate to get separated from you guys."

Brisk nodded, before shooting August a reassuring smile. He wasn't going to probe at the subject anymore. August was a good soldier and had been picked for this mission for a reason, he didn't need Brisk digging into him and stressing him out.

"Floodwater should be at the bottom of this ravine," Switchback pointed out as the group started down a trail that lead into the darkened crack in the ground. "It opens up into a larger cavern at the bottom. From there we can make our way to the next town."

"Sounds good," Rampart confirmed. "Is there anything we should know about before we head down?"

Switchback thought for a moment, looking over to where the ravine began its plummet into the earth. A long and winding set of stairs and scaffolding twisted and snaked its way down the side of the cliff faces. In many places the stairs did not even connect to each other, simply ending. A species that naturally had wings had little need for continuous stair cases.

"Off hoof," Switchback began, "there's nothing I can think of. I'm ready when you guys are."

Glosser smiled happily as he spread his wings, which looked less like wings and more like a pair of tattered and torn kites. It would seem that he was ready to fly, ready to be free of the restraint of the ground. He took a few steps forward, getting ready to take off before a hoof landed on his shoulder.

"I don't think that's such a good idea buddy," August advised. "I think you might just be a little too... um... broken, for something like that." This caused Glosser to frown tuck his wings back under his flaky shell.

"You sure it's a good idea to go down that way?" Jackpot questioned. "It doesn't exactly look like a safe way of getting down. If someone slips we may need a mop."

"Only option we have," Rampart answered. "We'll hoof it down the steps... slowly. Keep good spacing between you and the next pony to prevent strain on the supports. Pegasi can carry anyone limited to the ground across when we hit gaps."

Rampart took a few steps onto the first platform, seducing a series of creaks and squeaks from the rotting wooden structure. "Take it easy and watch where you step and we'll all make it to the bottom in one..." *CRACK!*

Suddenly and without warning, part of the platform that was connected to the edge of the cliff gave way, causing the entire platform to rapidly tilt to a forty five degree angle, right into the dark abyss below. Gravity took hold of Rampart as he lost his hoofing and he was dragged down to his demise. "Crap!" he yelled in that moment of shock.

Horror shot through the hearts and minds of Rampart's comrades as he slid down the angled surface and off the side, where a hoof rail should have been, but had more than likely eroded away long before their arrival.

"Captain!!!" Talisman shouted suddenly, shooting forward in a way that only a pegasus could with August right at his side. The two raced forward and down into the ravine to catch the pony that they had just watched fall to an impending doom.

Rampart held on for dear life at the edge of the platform, which was now giving way more and more with each second that passed. Talisman shouted just as his hooves finally slipped and he was swallowed whole by the forces of gravity for only a brief moment, before he found himself clambering onto something else. Something that hung from the platform with him. Something that smelled old and rotting. Something dead. A changeling was hanging from the platform by a rope round its neck, its head being snapped back into a hangman's fracture position.

"We gotcha, sir," August said as the two pegasi grabbed Rampart under his front legs and hoisted him up to safe ground.

When his hooves met the solid ground beneath him, Rampart sat back on his haunches. His mind spun and his adrenaline raced through his veins. He could feel his heart pounding away in his chest and a cold sweet rapidly building on his brow. He scampered away from the edge the cliff, lest he lose his hoofing again.

He took deep and rapid breaths only to find that he could not fill his lungs with oxygen. He couldn't breath. Why couldn't he breath?! Something was in the air. Something unnatural and unclean. Something unholy was grabbing him and trying to finish the job that the platform could not. He looked down at himself. He panicked and quickly undid the straps on his cuirass and ripped it from his body. He threw it to the ground along with whatever packs of supplies had been attached to it. This wasn't enough though. He was still too heavy. Gravity still weighed on him too much. He needed to be lighter. He would not be dragged back. He would not fall again. He threw his helmet off allowing his blue dyed mane to fall free, adding the piece of gear to a pile which was then joined by his shoes and sword.

Finally, he stopped and caught his breath, breathing in and out, in and out, in and out, each breath being longer than the last. He closed his eyes and cleared his head, allowing his composure to return.

"Are you alright?" Twilight asked him worriedly, putting a hoof on his shoulder. She had never seen a pony freak out in the manner that Rampart just did, even in such high stress situations.

Rampart looked to Twilight. She had a sincere look on her face, true concern gleaming in her eyes. Her eyes. Her eyes were beautiful and calming. Like a beacon calling the stallion back to his inner place of peace. Rampart let out one final exhalation. "Yes, I'm fine... I think. Just... nerves. That's all."

"Are you sure?" Talisman asked. "You wigged out pretty bad there, almost like you were having a panic attack or something."

"Yes, I'll be alright, but we are not going back down that way," Rampart announced. "The pegasi will carry us all down, one at a time. I wont risk losing anyone like this."

Everypony nodded in agreement. They didn't need another display like this. Everyone was already more or less on edge.

And so the decision was made and preparations began for the lengthy descent down the darkened chasm. Each of the guards had brought their own supply of survival rope along with them in their supply packs. It would now come in very useful for avoiding any fatal drops.

Rampart was naturally the first to finish tying his rope into several articulate knots in order to form a makeshift harness. As all the others finished their own and looked to lighten their loads, leaving behind things that could be retrieved by the pegasi after their descents, Rampart found himself wandering for a moment away from his pile of gear. He was naked, wearing only the dyes in his coat and mane, and a silver necklace with a small purple gem. The warm air of the caves embraced him, the darkness wrapping him in a strange and alien feeling. He looked over to the edge of the great abyss before him.

If there was one thing that Captain Rampart was not scared of, it was heights. He had been in high reaching watchtower after high reaching watchtower and walked atop the castle walls on patrol numerous times. He had flown in sky carriages and climbed high dangling ropes during training exercises. Practically half his life involved looking down from a high place, and yet while looking down right now, he was suddenly attacked by a sense of vertigo. His head spun with pain and his blood ran cold. Beads of sweat bled from his pores like facets and he found it hard to find his equilibrium. He quickly dashed back to the safety of solid ground, away from the edge. He would not die from a fall. He refused to come this far only for this to be his fate.

"So anything else we should know about this Floodwater place?" Talisman asked. "I'd hate to get there and be unprepared for whatever surprises it has in store for us."

"All I can think of at the moment is that it's kind of crowded," Switchback answered. "There's a lot of thin roads and narrow alleyways. The lake water should be settled at a low point this time of year. I doubt we'll have much trouble with it."

"What's the lighting situation?" Talisman continued. "Are we going to run into another one of those..." he hesitated, trying to find the correct way to phrase his thoughts. "...big sun looking things again?"

"No," Switchback answered simply. "I've only ever seen those in the inner hive. I'm surprised they were able to make one."

"Great," Jackpot said sarcastically. "Close quarters and complete darkness. Just what we need right now."

"Not entirely," Switchback contradicted. "There should be some crystals that provide light throughout most of the town. All we'll need to do is activate them when we come across a dormant one. Most should still be active though, assuming they haven't been looted."

"Fat chance that they haven't," Jackpot snorted.

"Are we ready to go then?" Twilight asked after carefully tucking away a small journal that she had only now gotten a chance to write in. She had not been able to write in the small brown book earlier, but now that they had stopped a for a little, she had gone to work filling it with all sorts of notes about her experience so far. It was less than pleasant.

"We're all set to make the descent, Princess," Rampart said. He was still not wearing any of his armor and was now only carrying his sword and a light set of saddlebags.

"Opting out of the standard issue, Captain?" Talisman asked. It was weird to see a superior out of uniform, especially during a mission like this.

Rampart looked back to the small pile of equipment that he had left strewn in a jumbled pile. It was all protective gear, serving little purpose other than to protect a wearer from what would be fatal blows. It was the best armor that Equestria could equip a soldier with and yet Rampart couldn't bring himself to wear it. He didn't want it anymore. He felt too free and unrestricted without it, like gravity would not try and claw at him again in the way it had before.

"Yeah," Rampart answered after a thought. "It was only slowing me down. I feel more comfortable without it."

Talisman just shrugged like it was no big deal and Jackpot didn't even make a sign that he had been listening or even cared. August looked back to the pile of equipment.

"It would be ashamed to leave all this behind," August pointed out. "It might be worth something to someone later on."

"What, you planning on retiring and opening a pawn shop down here?" Jackpot questioned.

"He's got a point," Talisman said. "I don't know about being worth anything, but it might not be a bad idea to rip out the enchanted strips and pocket them for later. Could come in handy."

"Enchanted strips?" Twilight asked at the mention.

"Small strips of enchanted fabric that are embedded into the interior lining of the armor," Brisk stated. "Helps mitigate force from heavier blows and prevent heat from building in the plating and burning the user in hotter climates. Older armor variants just worked the enchantments into the plating, but enchanted metal is harder to repair so they started making enchanted strips in the padding that can be swapped between armor sets and even repurposed for other uses. Much more efficient and versatile than the earlier designs."

"Wow. Leave it to the quiet one to know everything about armor enchantments," August applauded.

Rampart rummaged through his saddlebags for a moment and pulled out a few strips of fabric, which seemed to shimmer at the touch. "Way ahead of you already," he said before putting the strips back into storage. "Lets get down to this Floodwater. We can stop in a few hours afterwards and rest for the night."

Everypony nodded in confirmation.

Naturally, Glosser was the first into the air, zipping around with the slight buzz of his somehow operational wings. He faltered just slightly every few seconds but managed mostly to stay steady in air.

"Into the bowels," August said joking.

Then those who had them, spread their wings, and the descent began.

It really didn't take them that long to find their way to the bottom of the darkened ravine. One by one they each made their way into the abyss. Rampart, Brisk, and Jackpot were the only ones who didn't have wings, so they were the only ones who had to actually be carried. Brisk was the easy one. He was of a slim, but highly athletic build. August and Talisman carried him down with little effort. Jackpot was the second to go down. He took a bit more work. Being an earth pony, he had much more muscle, and was already big on his own merits. In basic, he had earned a bit of a reputation for being a heavy hitter and hard to take down when sparring.

Lastly was Rampart. He didn't give them much trouble. His body lied somewhere between Brisk and Jackpot, but the absence of his armor made him much easier to carry. The only thing unusual was that he shook nervously the entire time, his heart seemed to race, and he refused to open his eyes until he was on solid ground again.

Despite all of this, Rampart dismissed any inquiry on the matter, continuously suggesting that he was fine and that nothing was wrong. Both Talisman and August agreed that it would be best to keep an eye on him.

When they had all made it down, Talisman and August went back up to retrieve their saddle bags, before returning to the small bubble of light that the unicorns and changelings had created for them.

"Happy Hearth's Warming," August said as he landed, dropping his share of the load.

Talisman dropped the other half of their gear and put on his own saddle bags. "I'm ready to go when you are," he said.

Each of the ponies grabbed their gear, but before they could mount up and head out, Glosser eagerly dashed passed all of them and into the darkness. Before anyone could call out to him though, there was a loud splashing noise. Sure enough, Glosser jumped around happily in what appeared to be a knee high body of water that surrounded them on all side, with only a few high points not touched by the small ocean.

"I thought you said there was a drainage canal," Jackpot said sternly to Switchback.

"This cant be right," was his only reply. Switchback looked out into the water, where Glosser still played like a dog on a rainy day, jumping in and out of puddles. There shouldn't have been any water here, not yet at least.

"Maybe it got blocked?" August suggested.

"I wouldn't be surprised if there was another cave in," Talisman said. "Seems like the most likely cause."

It didn't really much matter what had caused the water level to rise in the way it had. That wasn't important right now. What was important was that they needed to get through this and to Floodwater, which at the moment was living up to its name. Rampart was the first to step out into the water, his hoofsteps being accompanied with sloshing noises as he moved. The rest followed right behind.

The water was dark and murky, not allowing anypony to even see their hooves that plunged into the shallow depths. Several waterlogged changeling bodies were now only noticeable as the floating masses of decaying flesh were disturbed, for the first time in who knows how long, by the new ripples in the water. A few husks had been deposited on pieces of raised ground, where they had dried up, but were now threatened to be washed away again by the small waves that the ponies had created.

Each member of the group stayed close, never daring to leave the small bubble of light that they had created for themselves. They appeared to be completely alone. Talisman though, couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched, like something dwelled just beneath the surface of the water, watching, waiting to burst up and snatch one of them before pulling them back down to their doom.

Talisman was consumed by an uneasy feeling. A chill ran down his spine and his chest grew tight, making it much harder to breath in the already hot and humid cave. He looked out into the dark, not knowing if the ripples he saw were from the group or something else lurking just outside his field of vision. He couldn't shake the feeling, no matter what he did. He felt as if they were being stalked by something much scarier than any nightmare he could ever envision and he was powerless to stop it.

Something was not right.

Author's Note

This chapter took way too fucking long and I am really sorry about that. I've really had a hard time getting my thoughts out in the proper way, but I'm finally done with this. Hope you guys like it.