Where are we now

Pinkie didn't catch onto Dashie's idea right away, "There are more towns and villages than the one you were at, Dashie," she pauses to think, "And if this is where you were from, these ruins would be taller."

Dashie hesitates, "But Pinkie... What are the real chances-"

"That the one you remember was built the same way this one was?" Pinkie interrupts, sighing, "Very high. You don't know how repetitive humans are."

Dashie sighs and shakes her head, "The box was still there, Pinkie," Dashie turns to where the box was, but it is suddenly no longer there. "Pinkie, what did you do with the box...?"

"I didn't do anything, Dashie." Pinkie replies.

Dashie slowly trots to where she last was, a few snowflakes beginning to fall. She looks ahead, noticing the moon beginning to appear over a tall hill. She starts heading off up the hill. Pinkie trots after her, glancing at where the paper used to be, and checking that the other one was still with her.

"Dude, I thought we put them in the spare room."

"Yea, I thought so too."

"What do you think happened...?"

"One of those guys probably came back."

"One of those guys you hallucinated..?"

"I did not hallucinate."

"Sureeee."

Dashie clambers onto the tip of the hill, looking down at all the sides, observing Pinkie climbing up right after her. Pinkie shakes herself, letting some snow fall out of her, what is now, cotton candy-like hair. Pinkie then notices a small piece of paper on the pedestal atop the hill. It has a drawing involving that figure from the other two. She takes the page, and for some reason, thinks that there is only five left to go.

"You got anything on your mind, Dashie?" Pinkie asks her friend. Dashie shakes her head. Pinkie frowns, "Darn... I can't think of anything to think about. But I suppose I was thinking about what to think about, if that counts as thinking."

Dashie laughs, "Probably not..." Dashie's eyes notice Pinkie's hoof place the third page in her bag, "Pinkie.. why did you take the pages...?"

Pinkie looks at Dashie, "I'm sorry, but they looked cool...!"

Dashie's eyes open wide, "Those are not cool, they are scarier than anything I've ever seen."

"What do you mean, Dashie...?" Pinkie pauses, a bit surprised.

Dashie sighs, "The thing on those pages... it's... creepy."

Pinkie takes the pages back out. Dashie does have a point, the figure in the middle of the page looks a bit scary. With a blank face, it could easily cause a nightmare or two. But it doesn't feel right to just leave the page, "I would drop them here... but it feels like they should be with me."

Dashie's puzzled eyes stare at Pinkie, "What do you mean..?"

"It reminds me of something... familiar," Pinkie began, looking at the page more in-depth, "I am not sure what though..."

"Well that's not creepy at all." Dashie mumbles before looking around the hill-top. Noticing a shape she wishes she ignored, she starts to panic, "Uh... Pinkie...?"

Pinkie looks up from the page, "Yea?"

Whatever Dashie had planned to say, it never came out. A long black tentacle had wrapped itself around her mouth, and taken her quicker than you can say 'run.'

"There!"

"What? What?"

"It's him!"

"I don't see anything but a bunch of blackened-out trees."

"Right there!"

"I still don't see anything."

"In the cove!"

"Oh... Y'know, that's just a tree."

"It is not!"

"Only one way to find out."

"Indeed."

Dashie can't see. Darkness shrouds the land around her. She stands up in the void. "Hello?" She calls out. She takes a step forward. Two. The darkness continues to penetrate her vision. Her heart beats faster. She runs in a direction, noticing a small, dull light up ahead. As she runs after the light, she hears words from all around her. They send shivers down her spine, and a feeling of fear in her mind.

"Leave now."

"You're next."

"?tey deracS"

"Don't look behind you."

Her heart beats faster. She gallops faster than before.

"I want to play a game..."

"Don't leave!"

"It won't hurt, promise!"

"Just one bite..."

"Justice will be served..."

Her hooves barely touch the floor, she is running too fast.

"If you were faster, you might escape."

"It's just a game!"

"Please, wait!"

"Let me taste you..."

"You won't last forever."

".nuR"

She sprints towards the light. She then tries to open her wings and fly. The rope is no longer there. Her wings open and she flies towards the light, faster than any of the voices can travel. As she escapes into the light, she takes a deep breath of the frosted air. She is back outside, in the snow. She sighs and is grateful that all of the voices drowned out. But one last statement is clear.

"Return them."

"I swear, I just saw him here!"

"As I thought, you ARE hallucinating."

"Oh yea?"

"Yea."

"Okay, fine. But when we--"

Mike and Kevin both pause upon hearing the words in a hoarse, deep voice.

"Return them."