Steel Hearts

Crystal Clear opened up her suitcase with a huff. "I can't believe I have to go to the stupid Misty Mountains..." she grumbled under her breath, starting to pack her bags. Indeed, even after she had brought up the issue with her boss, he had still refused to send somepony else in her stead. It wasn't that she was afraid she couldn't solve the mystery. She was one of the police department's best detectives! It was all the nature.

Crystal had never been a nature pony. She had been raised and lived her whole life in Canterlot, barely ever stepping within ten miles of a forest. Not to mention the fact that every time she did venture into a forest, it never ended well for her. For instance, one time when she was just a filly, her school had taken a field trip to some animal reserve where they kept a whole bunch of endangered animals. The reserve was heavily wooded, and nothing good came out of the trip. She had been bitten by mosquitoes, tripped on a tree root, and discovered that she had an allergy to pollen. And grass. And bees...

Crystal shook her head to rid herself of the bad memories. With any luck, the forest would treat her better this time around. She looked into her suitcase, double checking to see if she had packed everything she would need. Bug spray, allergy medication, toothbrush, more allergy medication, more bug spray, a flashlight, several thick white sweaters that she hoped the mosquitoes wouldn't be able to bite through, and a wide-brimmed hat. "Looks like I have everything."

She closed her suitcase. Maybe this won't be too bad, she thought. Maybe everything will be okay. The mare picked up the suitcase in her teeth and placed it beside her apartment door.

Crystal was due to set off to the mountains tomorrow, and wanted to spend the rest of her evening relaxing and trying to get herself into a better mood for tomorrow. Nopony liked a grumpy Crystal. On her way to her living room, she passed by a wide mirror and frowned. By the time she got back, her normally light blue coat would probably be brown with dirt from the dirty forest, and her short, straight white mane would be full of twigs and bugs. She shuddered.

Pushing the thought from her mind, she continued into her living room. With a few hours to spend before bed, she decided to pick up a book to help her relax. She picked one from her bookshelf at random and looked at the cover. A picture of a pony running through a dark forest, away from a crazy-looking pony with a knife adorned the dust jacket. She was not amused by fate's choice of books. "Maybe I'll just go to bed..."

The tall green trees of the Misty Mountain campsite serenely swayed in the breeze, giving the forest a calm feeling. Squirrels slept in the branches, while rabbits lay peacefully under the roots of the great trees. The calmness of the forest ruined when a pony frantically ran by, waking the animals and shattering the silence.

The frightened red mare tripped over a root in the ground and was sent sprawling in the dirt. She quickly got up and continued her mad dash. Her body was bruised and battered, but she didn't care. The only thing she cared about was getting away from the thing that was chasing her.

A single white light could be seen between the trees and bushes, getting closer and closer. The mare picked up the pace. It had already gotten her husband, it was not going to get her!

The thing was gaining on her, though. She tried to run faster, but she couldn't find the energy left in her. With each step she took, she found it harder and harder to continue breathing. Her hooves felt like they were encased in cement, and her vision started to become blurry. No, I will push on! she thought.

It was to no avail. As she continued to run, she smacked into a low-hanging branch and was knocked off her hooves. The mare couldn't find the energy to get up, couldn't even find the energy to call for help.

The last thing she saw before blacking out was a single bright light looking down on her.

The train slowly rolled to a stop in front of a run-down looking station. The train car Crystal was currently occupying was practically empty. Two seats ahead of her, a couple sat, snuggling each other. Probably here for a romantic getaway, Crystal thought. In the woods...

Other than the couple, she was alone. The mare looked out the window and stared at the scenery in front of her. To anypony else, what she saw would be a beautiful sight. Tall, coniferous trees dominated the landscape, as far as the eye could see. To her, it was just a waste of space. They could be building houses here!

A pony walked into the train car as the train stopped. "We've reached our destination! Please grab your things and exit the train. Have a wonderful day!" she said, before turning around and exiting again. Crystal sighed. There was no turning back now. After making sure her gun was holstered and grabbing her suitcase, she stood up and walked out of the door, right behind the two other ponies she had shared the train with.

Crystal scowled as her hooves touched the ground. Just a few seconds in this place, and she already felt as though her hooves were dirty. I can't wait to be done here, she thought.

She turned to look around the station and spotted a pony sitting behind a kiosk, idly tapping his hooves on the wooden counter in front of him. She trotted towards him and stopped in front of the kiosk, but he didn't notice her and kept tapping his hooves. Crystal cleared her throat in an attempt to get his attention. No reaction from him.

"Hey, bud, I need to ask you a few questions." she said impatiently.

The pony behind the desk looked up. "What do you wanna know?" he asked, obviously annoyed at being bothered. Crystal scowled and took a manila folder out of her bag, then proceeded to pull a stack of photographs from her folder. She showed them to the pony.

"Do you remember any of these ponies?" she asked.

The stallion nodded. "Yeah, I remember a few of them. These ones," he said, pointing to a photo of two happy ponies and a small foal. "I remember them. Their damn foal wouldn't stop crying when they were paying for a campsite."

Crystal nodded. "You're at the only entrance and only exit in this entire campsite. Do you remember seeing any of these ponies leave?" The stallion shook his head. "Huh. Thanks for the info." she said, as she turned around to trot off.

"Uhh, wait! Why are you asking these questions? Did something happen?" the stallion called after her.

"Nothing you need to worry about."

Crystal sat down on the small bunk bed that was included in her cabin. The administrators of the campground had provided her with her own private cabin for the duration of her stay. "It's better than the tent I thought they would give me..." she mumbled. The mare took the manila folder from her saddlebags and opened them up, intent on refreshing her memory. She looked at the first file that fell out of the folder and skimmed it over.

The file said that there were many disappearances occurring at the campsite. Stallions, mares, and even foals were vanishing without a trace. There were no clues as to where they were going or what was happening to them. Personally, she suspected they were being eaten by bears, but the campsite denied that there were any bears at all in the region.

Crystal pulled out the stack of photographs. The pictures were supplied by the friends and family of the ponies that had went missing. The first photo on the stack depicted a happy looking pegasus. The second, a unicorn. The third, and earth pony. It seemed that whatever was taking the ponies didn't have a certain preference. "Good," she muttered. "More proof that it's probably just a bear or some other animal."

Crystal put back the files. It was getting late, and she decided to go to sleep. Her investigation would continue tomorrow.

The pony-shaped creature sneaked through the grass, barely causing the long green stalks to rustle. Its purple eyes swept about the area, searching for the newcomer to the forest. After a few moments, it found her. Light blue coat, white mane and tail. A gun strapped to her hip. This pony was an authority figure, and it was obvious.

The creature watched as the pony walked towards one of the older, unused cabins and opened the door. It stayed still, standing in the grass for hours, motionless, until the moon was high in the sky. This cabin  must be where the pony was sleeping. The creature made a mental note to remember the number of the cabin, so it could return later.

It turned around quickly, its long, whip-like tail cutting the blades it touched, before bounding away.