The shimmermist woods

Cloud splitter is sent into the shimmermist forest to find the missing princess and anyone else they can. Heavily equipped and armed the pegasus enters the forest. No one has returned before and no one knows what lurks in the forest. Rumors of undead and twisted monsters have circled since the mist appeared and claimed the forest, but nothing has been proven.

Plot points/Scenes

A flashback to the creation of the forest. It was once the whitetail woods and as the war grew nearer many moved from the nearby coast into a hidden town at the base of foal mountain. A gem core was hidden in the mountain that when activated covered the forest in a thick mist that always glows like twilight. Soon after the storm layer was created, and endless thunder storm that covers most of the west coast, making air exploration impossible. Anyone entering the shimmermist forest had to do so on foot.
Some years pass and Luna is determined to enter and save her missing people if any remain, she never returns.
As the war winds down Cloud Spliter discovers his ability to counter any weather phenomenon, even mist. He is quickly trained and outfitted with advanced pegasus armor, several weapons, and a variety of alchemy items including fire bombs and health potions.
Heading into the forest things are fine at first. But his helmet is soon covered in condensation leaving him the options of being blind or taking it off and exposing himself to the mist. Before he can debate a creature attacks, throwing him against a tree and shattering the window of the helmet. mist pours in as the creature circles around. Cloud uses his talent and disperses the mist around him revealing numerous corpses that still move slightly, and a large bird like creature. What once were wings curl forward and end in three spikes, its beak takes up most of its head making a foot and a half long spear. Its feathers are grey and damaged, many are falling off. Where its eyes should be are empty sockets. It stands 5 feet tall and darts into the mist as it disperses.
Shaken but determined Cloud moved deeper into the forest, dispersing the mist as he went. He periodically glimpses more creatures, all of which are twisted and should be dead. He also encounters numerous beings that were once ponies, many have suffered wounds that should have killed them but they still stumble about, mumbling about things from the past. They ignore him.
As he nears the mountain base he finds what they feared. A graveyard. Hundreds of skeletons cover the ground, moss and grass has grown over most of them. Clearing the mist once more so he can search for Luna he reveals dozens of plant-beings around him. They look like deer made from plants. They look at him curiously and start asking questions. He spends time conversing with the peaceful beings and discovers that the souls of those who somehow die in the mist are trapped here and grow a new body from the magic rich mist and plants. The Deerlings are immune to the effects of the mist but have no memory of their lives before, so they never thought to leave the forest that nourished them.
They take him to a cave where the mist doesn't reach and he spends a few days with them, eventually finding a tall deerling that was once Princess Luna. A spring supplies him water and the deerlings grow food on their backs allowing him to stay and learn while also sharing stories of the wider world.
Finally the time comes to leave, he gathers a group of a dozen Deerlings including Luna and they set out. Once free of the forest he finds he was not gone for a couple weeks, but months. The bombs have since fallen and the next chapter deals with them surviving the new wastelands.

Themes

Illusions, both auditory and visual Preservation of life, even at the cost of its form Pseudo-immortality.

Plot type

Chapter