"Okay, that's an hour! Time to go!" Pinkie shot to her hooves. Crypt would have mistaken her for a healthy mare were it not for the splint around her damaged leg. He could only see the unusual wounds since he knew exactly where to look for them.

"It hasn't been an hour yet," Crypt pointed out.

"Guess I'm just ready earlier than I thought! C'mon, Crypty McCree, let's set out!" She took a step out of the cabin and allowed the wind to blow through her mane. Her already impressively large grin somehow widened even further. "Look at how beautiful this is!"

"It was better at sunset with Endesque rising," Crypt said.

"Way to be a party-pooper," Pinkie said with a roll of her eyes. "And psh, that purple thing - Endesque was the purple one right? - isn't the only thing in this sky. Look up there! I see red and gray moons!" She pointed up at the sky where two round objects were near - the gray one was larger and dotted with dark patches while the red one seemed significantly smoother, though the light from the sun

"...Moons?"

Pinkie facehooved. "Care to tell me what they are if they're not moons?"

"Lurse and Ravanah."

"And which is which?"

Crypt didn't give her a response.

"Crypt!"

Crypt walked away from the cabin and into the whirlwind of a grassland, impassive.

"Get back here I'm not finished with you!" Despite her leg, she was easily able to keep up with his trot and fix him with a steely gaze. "If we're going to be traveling together you have to at least tell me simple things. You can keep all your super-personal and edgy secrets inside, that's your choice, but if I don't know the difference between the two orbs in the sky, then what other things might I mess up? For all I know snakes hide in these grasses!"

"They do."

Pinkie smirked. "Nice one."

"I'm serious."

"Oh, I know, but the way you said it indicates you do have a sense of humor. I'm so proud." She booped him on the snout and retreated to a safe distance a few paces behind him, falling silent aside from a cheerful hum.

Crypt was beyond thankful for the silence. In his recent loneliness he had forgotten why he avoided ponies if he had a choice in the matter.

He glanced behind every now and then just to make sure she was keeping up - and every time she was. At first, he thought the way she moved was full of naivete and childish innocence, but he slowly began to notice her movements had a purpose. She bounced with life, but her hooves hit the ground heavy and deliberate, navigating the hilly terrain like an expert hiker. Her eyes were almost always on alert, and her ears instinctively swiveled around to hear everything she could.

She was experienced.

He got to see this first hoof when the first snake reared its ugly head. It rose up beside her and bared its fangs - only to get a powerful hoof to the skull for its trouble. It flew a good four strides, and no doubt it would run away if the impact hadn't killed it instantly.

Pinkie chuckled. "I wonder when we'll get to the more challenging monsters. Oh, whoops, I've just cursed us!"

"Saying things out loud doesn't bring about a curse."

"You haven't been at this very long, have you?"

Crypt didn't know what to make of this. So he didn't respond.

"I have identified a coping mechanism!"

They continued on, once more in silence. It was easy to tell where Crypt was going at this point - the lake with the large, clear ball floating above it. It was probably dangerous, running on some mechanism he could not understand, but it was also the only really impressive landmark around. It was as good of a place as any to start.

As they approached, the grass shortened, giving them a better view. The orb itself was easily larger than a warehouse and made entirely of water. Every second, a single drop would leave the bottom of the orb and hit the perfectly circular lake, creating a minuscule ripple that had no visible effect at the lake's edge. Here, there was no wind.

Crypt furrowed his brow. He removed his pack, preparing to test the water for drinkability.

Pinkie rammed her face into the water and took in a huge gulp.

"Pinkie!"

"Reeeelaaaax, it's clean," Pinkie said. "And refreshing!"

"It could be contaminated."

"I'm fine, aren't I?"

Crypt's first thought was she's an idiot, but given everything else he knew, this was likely incorrect. Once again, she had baffled him. That might as well have been her primary character trait.

And then her tail started twitching like it was possessed.

"Not that far off..." she muttered to herself. "Hey, Crypt? I hope you have a weapon."

"Why?"

"Because something really big and scary is about to come out of the grass."

He decided to trust her.

This was the best decision he had made in a long, long time. It was the only thing that allowed him to react quickly enough to avoid being eaten by an emerald flat-headed snake with a mouth large enough to swallow him whole.

"By the caverns..." he said, aghast. He thought he had left the monstrous creatures behind once he left the forest...