>With a little tug, Gloomie fit the white leather hood-cap over her head.
>"And that's it. This is all incredibly comfy."
>She twisted her body and stretched out her legs, feeling her new leather armour morph itself around her body.
>"Mmf..." purred a voice from behind her.
>"Night Watch."
>"White really shows your curves more," the ogling mare said, flashing a toothy grin at Gloomie who turned around.
>"I'm walking last in line from now on," Gloomie retorted, frowning.
>"I call being in the middle," Mosina edged in.
>Night Watch chuckled. "No fun. You guys are no fun."
>Mosina took a deep breath. "You all ready to move on?"
>She cast a glance to Gloomie in paricular.
>"Heck, yeah! I feel energized now, even after those darts."
>Gloomie practically hopped in place, her body movements notably silent. "Geez, I feel like I could run for miles in this thing!" 
>"Ah, about those darts..." Night Watch interrupted, her brows lowering into a serious expression. 
>She pointed to the sunken stone tile in the middle of the room that had triggered the trap. "Take a look at that pressure plate."
>"Huh." Curiously, Mosina walked over to it with a surprisingly giddy Gloomie in tow.
>Upon seeing the carved, laughing face on the stone plate, her eyes widened. "...Disturbing."
>"What is that?" Gloomie asked, finally standing still and dipping her head to examine the carving.
>"It's the same face that was carved onto the wooden keys we used to get to the giant spiders," Mosina answered, adjusting her spectacles.
>Gloomie pursed her lips. "Well that's dumb."
>Mosina looked to her with a questioning glance.
>"If all the trap plates are labeled with this, then we know what not to touch."
>"Hey, we fell for it the first time. This place might have more tricks up its sleeves," Night Watch pointed out.
>"Night Watch is right. We should be wary, regardless," Mosina agreed. "That being said, we should get a move on."

---

>Night Watch grinned then rolled her eyes. "Fine. Which way should we go?"
>Mosina twisted her head to look at each entrance of the room, until her eyes settled on the purple powder she had sprinkled onto the floor.
>"I said we should go right, so let's go that way," she said, pointing towards the entrance to the right of the purple powder.
>"Alright." Night Watch began walking towards the dark passageway, her light crystal feeding into the hallway as she crested the door frame.
>Mosina followed after her with Gloomie trailing behind, the three of them barely able to fit through the hallway single-file.
>"Watch where you guys step," Mosina warned, her eyes scanning the walls, floor and ceiling all around her.
>"Hey, I'm first. If anything, I'll die first," Night Watch chuckled, earning a disgrunted sigh from Mosina.
>Several minutes into their uncomfortable walk between the rough, stone walls, faint sounds of skittering on rock could be heard ahead.
>"Hmm..." Night Watch's ears perked up as she stopped in her tracks, intent to listen to the noise.
>"What is it, Night?" Mosina whispered from behind, arking her neck and trying to peek over Night Watch's silver helmet.
>Nothing but darkness met them several feet down the corridor.
>Night Watch spoke slowly. "Sounds like... small creatures. Claws. Lots of 'em."
>Gloomie audibly shuffled behind them. "I hate claws."
>"But you're wearing claws," Mosina said, glancing behind her and perking up an eyebrow. 
>"Yeah, but when they're on other creatures... ugh." Gloomie shook her head.
>"Let's move, but quietly. I bet we're up for something up ahead," Night Watch urged, beginning to walk again.
>Mosina followed, and Gloomie took a moment to compose herself before moving.
>Soon enough, they found themselves in a room not unlike the first they had encountered.
>The skittering was loudest, and it could be heard coming from all corners of the room.

---

>Water was puddled on the floor, and the sound of rushing water could be heard beyond the opposite entrance.
>Mosina and Gloomie took their spots beside Night Watch, who had frozen in place.
>"What's going--eew!" Gloomie yelped, almost walking into a giant, slimy egg almost the size of her.
>Ugly blue eggs dotted with black spots filled the entire room.
>They lay in clusters and their shells were leathery, covered with slime.
>Night Watch slowly drew her spear, and Mosina did the same.
>Around the cluster of eggs in front of them, a group of lizard-like creatures with long claws were huddled in a group.
>Their eyeless heads featured long mouths with dozens of long, curved teeth.
>"Not these guys again..." Gloomie whined.
>Cracking her neck, she stepped forward.
>"I've got a bone to pick."
>She lifted up her front hooves and stomped on the ground, the white claws of her hoof-blades ejecting with a loud ring of metal.
>Mosina stepped forward, towards her. "Wait. They haven't noticed--"
>"Yaaah!" Gloomie cried, immediately launching herself forward at the reptillian creatures with her claws pointed forward.
>Several of the creatures turned her way, only for their faces to be sliced into four sections by her sharp blades.
>Two slumped to the floor immediately, followed by another two who were cleanly cut in half through their midsections.
>Finally, the rest responded, letting out gurgling cries and throwing their own bony claws at the white-clad bat pony.
>"Not a chance!" she yelled, blocking a blow from one creature with her right hoof-blades. 
>She flicked her hoof and the blades sliced right through the creature's claws, following up with another jab from her other hoof.
>In a flurry of cuts, the creature was diced into pieces, followed by one next to it.
>A head was torn off, and then were the limbs of another.
>Blueish blood covered the tiles beneath the dancing Gloomie, diluting with the puddles of water.

---

>Before long, the numbers thinned until not one creature was left standing.
>Standing on top of the pile of bloodied corpses was Gloomie, letting out deep breaths.
>Upon seeing the stupified and grossed out expressions of Night Watch and Mosina, she gave out a cheeky smile.
>"Heh... I might have over-done it."
>"Nyeh..." Mosina said, her face slightly greener than usual. "The smell... oh dear."
>Night Watch gave a grin. "You must be crazy in be-"
>A thin object flew past her, cutting her off and missing her head by mere inches.
>Without hesitating, Night Watch ducked and urged the others to do so.
>"Get down!" she screamed.
>Mosina followed, and Gloomie hopped off of the pile of bodies next to them, following suit.
>"Is it another trap?!" Mosina said, her eyes wide, scanning the blue room around them.
>"I don't know..." Night Watch muttered.
>A clicking noise echoed down from the empty hallway at the far side of the room from them.
>"Dodge!"
>The three bat ponies rolled in different directions, and a single crossbow bolt struck where Night Watch had just been.
>"Get behind something!" Mosina cried, standing up and stepping towards the dark exit.
>Gloomie ducked behind a pillar and Night Watch hid behind a giant egg, crouching low.
>"That's no trap," Mosina muttered under her breath, holding the Wind Ruler firm.
>Silence stretched for seconds that felt like hours, until another telltale click pierced it.
>"Raah!"
>She dodged to the right and swung her spear horisontally, a small gust of wind throwing itself in front of her.
>A crossbow bolt had flown itself into the path, the wind knocking it aside. 
>Another click sounded that came much quicker than the last, and Mosina dodged again with a swing of her Umbra spear.
>Another gust of wind knocked an oncoming bolt away.
>"Mosina!" Gloomie called from behind her pillar. "Keep it busy!"
>Mosina shot her a knowing glance and nodded, dodging another bolt.

---

>Immediately, Gloomie charged forward from behind the pillar, galloping with all her might.
>In less than a second, she made it to the other side of the room and put herself against the wall adjacent to the hallway.
>After another click followed by a bolt shooting out from the passage, Mosina leaped out and stormed down the hallway with her claws ready.
>However, she was met with total darkness, the light from her crystal failing to light up her surroundings.
>She glanced down, only to see it still shining--the darkness seemed too thick for it to penetrate.
>Another click--sounding much closer to her--sounded, and she dodged.
>A bolt flew past her, missing her by only a scant few inches of air.
>Blindly, she lunched forward with her claws, only to meet nothing.
>"Graah!"
>She continued her charge, until she was met with a pair of green slitted eyes that pierced through the darkness.
>"H-huh--"
>The eyes disappeared to the sound of a loud bang, and the darkness seemed to recede itself from around her.
>Whatever was just in front of her had disappeared into thin air.
>She turned back to the room, only to hear the clanging of metal weapons.
>"Dammit..."
>Gloomie charged back into the room, only to see a shadowy figure locked in a fight with Night Watch.
>A purple hoof-blade with a single long, curved blade clashed against the gold of Night Watch's spear.
>Space seemed to bend around the hooded pony, and the darkness that had filled the hallway seemed to follow them.
>Similar to the shadow ponies, long, snaking strands of blackness waved around its body.
>Mosina came from behind the figure with a calculated jab from her spear.
>However, right before her spear met them, it teleported away with another loud bang, the darkness dissipating.
>Above Night Watch, the pony re-materialized and flew down at her with its blade outstretched.

---

>"Hrk!" Night Watch grunted, parrying the blade and following up with a jab, hoping to use the pony's momentum to fall into the spear.
>But before the pony met the blade, they disappeared again, another loud bang ringing the room.
>Gloomie heard them reappear behind her, and she didn't hesitate to swing her claws at them.
>Her white right claws met the purple blade, bright white and purple sparks exploding out from the contact. 
>She threw her left claws, only for them to be expertly parried again.
>Despite only having one blade, the pony met her jab-for-jab. 
>A gust of wind overtook the pair and Mosina leaped in, swinging her spear at the hooded pony.
>They let out a stallion-esque grunt as they parried the spear, the two Umbra weapons meeting in a display of purple sparks.
>Gloomie tried to intervene, but her face was met with the other outstretched hoof of the pony.
>Attached to their leg was a hoof-crossbow, and it was loaded.
>"Gaah!" Gloomie cried, throwing her right hoof in front of her.
>Her blade made contact with the wooden stock of the crossbow, knocking it aside and shattering it down the middle.
>The pony immediately retreated their arm and spun his body before clutching the weapon.
>He desperately backstepped from the quickly-advancing Gloomie and Mosina.
>"Nngh..." the pony growled, seeming like he was going to teleport again.
>"Oh no, you don't!" Night Watch screamed from the side, colliding with his figure and tackling him into the ground.
>She pinned him down with her hooves.
>Through his black aura, she looked straight into his green eyes. 
>"Aux! What are you doing?!"
>He let out a grunt in response.
>Mosina and Gloomie came up to their sides, warily staring at the wrestling ponies. 
>"You almost killed us!" Night Watch screamed, only to recieve more pained grunts. 
>She pulled his hood off, and a messy black mane popped out.
>Gloomie's eyes widened and Mosina let out a gasp.

---

>Black veins spread from his eye sockets along his grey furred face.
>Night Watch stared dumbfounded, only for her grip on him too loosen.
>The possessed Aux pushed her off and stepped back from the trio, giving them angry glares.
>However, instead of continuing to fight, he turned away and disappeared from the room in a loud bang.