If the journey thus far had been difficult before Twilight and her companions had reached the mountains, then it had become even more so now that they'd actually reached them. The jagged rocks, slippery slopes and general sense of danger about this place would have, understandably, put anypony off coming here. But, here they were, though they were in no way pleased about it. At the very least, they had been given a reprieve from the earlier heat of the day, as the sun had begun to set beyond the far-away horizon. Carefully, they walked onwards, always making sure to be as sure-footed as possible with every step they took. Pinkie seemed as irritated as usual with their circumstances, but, given their purpose here, she said nothing on the matter. Applejack, however, did have something she wanted to speak about.

"Um, Twi? Mind tellin us why yer not usin that fancy teleport stuff o' yers ta get us up this ere mountain faster?"

Stopping shortly after hearing that, Twilight looked behind her, her expression a serious one as she answered.

"Magic like that is easily noticed, Applejack, even from a great distance, and especially now that it's getting darker. If I used that power, then whoever we're pursuing might see it, and flee before we can identify them."

Applejack grumbled over the fact that this means of getting around easier was now denied to them, but even so, she gave a nod, silently acknowledging Twilight's point. To that, the young unicorn pressed onwards, her eyes narrowed as she glanced in every direction, as if searching for something specifically. After several minutes of just constant climbing and walking though, it was finally Pinkie's turn to break the silence between them.

"So...what is it we're looking for?"

Stopping again, Twilight sighed before replying.

"It was something I saw in the vision. A cave entrance of some sort. It had a rock in front of it, with a large crack right down the middle."

Pinkie took on a somewhat incredulous expression.

"A cave with a rock, eh? Well, I'm sure we won't be lacking for those around here!"

Her sarcasm gave Twilight a brief moment of annoyance, but even so, the latter could not blame her friend for her attitude about all of this. After all, here they were, alone and in unfamiliar surroundings, pursuing an enemy they didn't even know about. And to top it all off, their only lead was something Twilight had only seen briefly in a magic-induced vision. Bottom line, they were in dire straits, and she knew it. But, as they continued, her mind continued to conjure up images of the buffalo back in Appleoosa. She remembered every face, every look of pain and despondence, and she knew, experienced or not, that she had to help them. So, for a time, she stopped, with her colleagues following suit, and she turned around to look upon them.

"I know this is a bad situation, girls. But if we can find whoever's behind this, and why they're doing it...we can maybe pout a stop to what the buffalo have been going through."

Here, Applejack and Pinkie's expressions softened, and they looked to each other, understanding fully well that Twilight was right about this. So, after glancing to one another, they turned in unison to their leader, giving her looks that were just as determined as hers was, which she was sure to show her appreciation for. As such, she got back to the trail before her, with the other mares doing their best to stay close behind. But, as the minutes turned to hours, things were continually getting darker and colder, much to the chagrin of the three ponies. Eventually, it came to a point where even Twilight was starting to doubt their position here.

"If things keep getting like this...we may have to look for shelter."

The others nodded in agreement, but, before Twilight could say anything further on the matter, she was interrupted by Pinkie, who spoke out loudly, pointing to something far away.

"Er...not to put too fine a point on it...but I think that looks like a pretty good place to go."

Twilight and Applejack turned their heads to see where she was pointing, and immediately, they understood. For there, just a short distance from where they were standing, was a cave entrance. However, because of the rapidly-fading daytime, they could see that there was a light coming from within, perhaps from a fire of some sort. But, what truly caught Twilight's interest in this was that, right in front of the cave, there was a rock, with a large crack running right down the middle. Swiftly, she turned to Pinkie, smiling widely as she did so, which the party-lover merely chuckled to.

"No need to thank me. I'm just here to help."

Twilight nodded in a thankful manner, giving a similar gesture to Applejack, and together, the three mares started to carry onwards, now knowing their exact destination. They had to be even more careful than before though, for up at this height the winds were becoming particularly fierce, whipping around them and threatening to blow them off their path at a moment's notice. But continue they did, and while their slow movements meant that they did not go as fast as they would have wanted to, they did actually manage to reach their goal. But here, they stopped, and after Twilight glanced at the broken rock in front of the cave's entrance, she soon regained her more serious expression, turning to her colleagues.

"Okay, girls...we need to be careful here."

She received solemn nods from both of them, and soon afterwards, they moved as silently as they could. Thankfully, the winds were still hard out here, so it was unlikely that their quarry was going to hear them. Even so, they made sure not to take any undue risks, taking careful step after careful step as they drew nearer. Soon, they were within the cave entrance itself, and began their journey through the large tunnel it led to. But, just a minute or two afterwards, they stopped again. They had reached a curve in the tunnel, and here, they could hear some kind of laughter just around it. Twilight silently gestured to the others, and they nodded back, moving forwards with even greater care. As they did so, they finally started to hear the gruff voices of those they pursued.

"Ha! I tell ya! Those savages didn't know what hit em!"

"Hehe, yeah! Did you see the cut I gave that Chief of theirs? Now that was something to be proud of, my friends!"

Gradually, Twilight finally found herself able to peer around the curved corner of the tunnel, and as soon as she was able to see what lay beyond, her eyes widened. There was indeed a fire within that place, illuminating a large chamber where their targets sat nearby. And speaking of whom, Twilight's expression became one of shock as she, at last, took in who it was they had been chasing. They were all larger than ponies, and appeared to be, at a glance, some kind of union between lion and bird. Covered in a variety of different-coloured feathers, they bore sharp talons upon their front legs, and vast wings stretched out from their backs. Razor-like beaks grinned wickedly as they continued to laugh about their victory, so much so that they did not notice the young unicorn who now backed away from where she was. Slowly, Twilight looked to her friends, and when they looked to her expectantly, all she could so was whisper the truth.

"Girls...we're dealing...with griffons."