Cold snow beat across the mare’s face as the winds picked up in ferocity, threatening to whip the pith helmet right off from her head. She tightened it down and continued her arduous trek up the mountainside as the other two ponies followed behind, packs loaded with all of the camping gear to last for several days.
Slowly the band made it to the top of the ledge, overlooking a valley of snow-covered rock formations and sparse tree coverage. The mare in the pith helmet stood silently, producing two pieces of old parchment and holding them up. The wind made it difficult to hold the flimsy paper up, so she motioned for one of the two other ponies to come over with a wave of her hoof. He shot his fellow stallion a quick glance, and he nodded.
The mare held the paper to this pony’s back, glancing up at the different rock formations. She seemed satisfied in what she saw, and put the crumpled parchment back in its sleeve and back into the bag she had slung over her shoulders.
“This is it,” she stated through her teeth as she scribbled some notes down in a pocket journal.
“Doctor, where do we go now?” asked the stallion who stood behind her.
“Along this ridge for about an hour. Hopefully we can make it to the site this afternoon and head out tomorrow.”
“You hope,”
“That’s my plan, yes.”
****
They trudged through the snow for some time. The mare led the way as usual, with the two grumbling stallions a short distance behind. She kept her ears open in an attempt to hear what they were mumbling about, but it was hard to make anything out over the cry of the wind.
For the past week they had trekked out into the cold wildernesses to the north no less than four times, always in pursuit of some last vestige of a society that predated Equestria itself. Everypony was getting sick and tired of lugging the equipment, of freezing their flanks off, of wasting the time and energy. Mutinous feelings were at an all time high, and the mare feared that something was ahoof.
“Five minute break,” she called out. They had arrived at a ledge of sorts that once again overlooked the grand vista of the valley, but had rocks jutting out far enough for one to be able to rest on.
The mare sat down on a rock herself, taking out an aluminum canteen and flipping it upside down. Mumbling quietly to themselves a short distance away, the two stallions commented on what they believed to be the contents.
“I bet it’s some kind of liquor. Whiskey or something. Hard cider.”
“Nah, I bet it’s just water. That’s a canteen from the war, not a flask.”
“How could she not drink something to dullen her down? Think of how many she’s seen snuff it right before her eyes. Probably hears them, hears their voices...”
“She doesn’t strike me as being haunted,” he replied. The stallion suddenly got very serious, and lowered his voice to a mere whisper.
“Hey... should I go for it now?”
“Might not get a better chance. This is as far out as you can get.”
The two stallions nodded to each other. The one who had suggested the idea stood up, and approached the mare from behind. He wiped the snow off from his hoof, and tapped her on the shoulder.
“Yeah?”
“I’d like to get a look at that map you’ve been using this whole time,” he said, “Mind if I look?”
Wordlessly, the mare produced the same piece of paper containing the map, holding it up for the stallion to take. He did, and positioned himself on the very edge overlooking the valley far below. His eyes darted from points on the well-worn parchment to the corresponding physical features spread out before him as if he were taking it in, but it was a trick.
“Where’s this point here?” He asked of the mare, pointing to a stone building on the map that did not appear as a snow-covered mound down below. Taking the map back into her own hooves, the mare looked down into the valley carefully and intently, while turning her back on the stallion.
It was then that he produced a pistol from within his winter coat, and levelled it at the back of the pony’s skull. His mutinous feelings had reached a peak, and he was ready and willing to commit the murder.
He fired one shot, sending the bullet in through the back of the pith helmet. The pony collapsed, pitching forward and tumbling over the edge of the cliff helplessly. Her body disappeared down into the rolling fog below.
“Got ‘er,” he said, “Right in the back of the head.”
“Wow, so now it’s over, just like that?”
“Yeah.”
“Let’s get the damn thing, and then Boss’ll be around to bring us back to his camp.”
Their thoughts were interrupted by an angry cry as a yellowish pegasus descended from the sky at incredible speed and landed a flying kick into the chest of the pony holding the gun. He dropped it onto the icy rocks, watching the weapon slide off and down into the ravine.
The stallion retaliated by kicking the mare off of himself, but she latched on. How had she survived a direct gunshot to the back of the skull? Their hooves struck each other and they rolled in the snow, striking and slamming. The stallion bit at her leg that was pinning him down and she screamed out. He felt something move and gravity shifted. He was face down, hurtling towards oblivion through rolling fog.
The mare watched the stallion fall to his death, and looked back towards the other one with a bloody nose. She was panting heavily, and felt the form of a hot bullet lodged in the back of her hemet. It had embedded itself between the pith and the inner steel frame, denting it inwards and pressing uncomfortably against the back of her scalp. She took the helmet off and scooped the bullet fragments out into the snow.
“Want some water?” she offered after taking a swig out of her canteen. The other pony shook his head.
“The break is over. I’m not sure what got into him, and it better not happen with you, got it?”
“I don’t know what his problem was...” the stallion stuttered, “He started raving like a lunatic, muttering under his breath. I tried to reason with him...”
“Tell me next time. I’d rather know than have somepony try and fail to reason with a murderer. Come on, let’s get going.”
****
The mare's name was Daring Do, an up and coming scholar who taught at Canterlot University on subjects such as Equine History. She also doubled as a research assistant at the local museum. That research included the recovery of all sorts of items, from Sapphire jackals to Goblets from medieval Gryphony, Staffs belonging to wizards of ancient times, and now artifacts from an extinct Unicorn civilization to the north, rumored to be the last remnants of Unicornia.
She regretted the actions that had preceded; though the other pony had tried to murder her, she had wound up killing him instead. It certainly wouldn't help the other pony trust her. And why should he? Daring had encountered distrust and mutiny often, and she knew why. Artifact recovery was dangerous and tricky, and nopony really wanted to risk their neck for some old relic. Often times they would want Daring to recover the artifact, only for them to betray her and claim it for themselves.
The form of a snow-covered stone castle loomed above them, and Daring grinned inwardly. They were here! The inside was either trap-laden, or had been left functional. She was hoping for the latter.
"Ms. Do?" the stallion asked, causing Daring to pause as she had begun to stretch her wings.
"Wait a second, you'll see."
She flew up the wall, entering through an open window hole about four meters above the ground and coming to a rest on the freezing stone. Peering down at the stallion below her, she tossed the end of what looked like a tapered rope. The whip was a versatile tool that acted in the same capacity as rope for Daring, but without the need to tie a lasso to grab onto things. In this case, it allowed the stallion to scale the side of the castle wall and enter through the window.
"Watch out," she warned, "I'm not sure if this is functional, or a trap. Watch where you step."
The corridor exposed to the outside by the window was glazed over in years and years of blizzard buildup and coated in icicles. It was nearly like walking through an icy cave, with the actual stone of the walls barely visible beneath the levels. Daring slid forwards and through another passage, coming to stop on solid stone at the base of a great circular staircase.
The stallion smiled to himself as Daring Do took to the stairs carefully. He was ready to do what he had been planning on doing all along, something that his companion had jumped the gun on. He had a revolver of his own tucked away, and he knew Daring herself did not have a firearm. He could hold her at gunpoint, shooting her down was completely unnecessary. After he had taken the artifact by force, he would rendezvous with his employer, to be richly rewarded for his prize.
The top of the stone staircase led to a circular chamber with small octagonal tiles , and a throne in the very center. Daring didn’t enter the chamber immediately, wanting to first examine things thoroughly. The stallion had other plans.
“What are you doing?” she stammered, glancing up at him and seeing down the barrel of a gun. In that instant her mind reeled, going from a state of confusion to a state of fear and then to a state of anger in a fraction of a second. What was with ponies and betraying her?
“Taking this for myself,” replied the stallion, “Don’t move.”
He stepped out onto the stone octagons, expecting something to jump out at him. Nothing did, and he stepped slowly backwards towards the throne at the center of the chamber, his gunpoint still trained on the adventuress.
He grabbed at an ornate crown sitting on the center of the throne’s seat. He wasn’t as well versed in archaeology as the scholars like Daring, but the item was immediately recognizable. He had seen ones like it made out of tin and fake jewels at many a re-enactment pageant. It was the crown of Princess Platinum, the actual crown itself.
They had searched for this for weeks up here in the frozen wastelands, treading from campsite to campsite, staying at run-down villages and inspecting ruins that had no sign of being part of old Unicornia at all. Daring Do had tracked this location down and now, after all that work, here he was with the crown itself in his hooves. He sat himself down in the throne itself, gun still trained on the mare bent down near the entryway. The throne chair had a velvety quality to it, and he smiled.
As soon as he sat down, a terrible scream filled the tower as the throne chair itself plummeted down, along with all of the octagonal tiles and crashed at the bottom of the tower, crushing the stallion beneath their weight and sending the priceless crown clattering to the ground.
Daring raised a brow. She had thought the tower was relatively safe, compared to the other temples and trap-filled places of ruin she had visited in the past. Still, it was better that a traitorous swine had discovered the trap than if she had done it herself. She tightened her helmet down, and descended the stairs.
Around her, things continued to fall. Blocks slid out of place, causing sections of the wall to collapse. Chunks of rock bounded down the stairs after her, and Daring leaped forward and rolled to the side mid-air, just narrowly avoiding getting clobbered. A floor tile came loose from what was left above, striking he on the shoulders and causing her to lose control of her flight. She smashed against the rock wall and fell to the bottom of the stone floor.
Dust settled, and Daring found herself coughing. She waved the cloud out of her face, searching in earnest for the Crown.
Aha! There it was!
It had rolled over to the threshold, now cracked open and exposed to the blowing wintery winds. Her soaring heart was trampled on quickly as a clawed, blueish foot smashed down by her face, and a long appendage with a grasper at the tip scooped the crown out from under her nose.
Ahuizotl!
“Thank you very much for your assistance, Ms. Do!” he said to her with a toothy grin spreading across his face.
“Drop dead!” Daring spat at him.
"To lose one’s teammate may be regarded as misfortune. To lose both looks like carelessness."
"And here I thought you were entirely uncultured," Daring shot back.
"You didn't trust them, did you?" Ahuizotl asked. The pony kept quiet.
"If there's one thing I live by and truly believe, it's that you can't trust anyone. Not even yourself. What tipped you off?"
Once again, Daring didn't respond. Ahuizotl shrugged.
"So much for conversation. I'll keep this short and sweet Ms. Do, I intend to.."
"Doctor."
"Doctor Do, alright. As I said... I intend to forgo the complicated traps this time. I'll execute you once and for all, for good this time. I'm afraid it is good-bye this time."
"Hasn't worked for you yet."
"But it will," insisted Ahuizotl, fiddling with the crown, "If you're not crushed by the impact, you'll be stuck and freeze to death. Either way, there’ll be no escape for you this time."
He snapped the fingers on his tail-hand, and a sled drawn by timberwolves came up and over the snowy hill. Daring's gaze observed the sled. The wooden form was empty save for rope. They weren't carrying any gear?
She was suddenly grabbed forcefully, and though she flailed and kicked at her captors, the multiple leopards and the timberwolves pinned her down. She felt tight ropes squeeze into her sides painfully. A knot was tied, her hooves bound as she was thrown into the sled face-down. Another set of ropes lashed her to the sled, leaving her attached and helpless to break free. She might as well be part of the sled.
"Our final parting deserves more pomp and circumstance, but I've nothing better to say than adieu, adios, and good riddance," Ahuizotl said with a malicious grin. Daring could only watch as the trees and snow slid past her as the sled took off with her helplessly strapped in for the ride.
She couldn’t see Ahuizotl and his minions disappear behind her. The rocky hills, scrubby tree coverage and the endless snow was the only thing she could see. Blasts of it hit her when the sled went over a bump, acting like a whitewash to add insult to injury. She blew the snow off from her face as best she could, but the sled was now going so fast that every small bump resulted in her getting pelted in the face.
She tried leaning to the side, seeing if she could press her weight to move the sled. It seemed to work, and the sled veered to the left. It did not slow down in its downwards decent at all. Daring tugged at the knots bounding her to the sled, but they were too tightly tied.
A thought crossed her mind, a realization. Ahuizotl had purposely sent her zooming off this way for a reason. The cliff was ahead! She could make out the drop through her snow-covered face.
She frantically tried swerving violently. If she could only tip the sled over! The possibility of that happening ended as she went over the edge of the cliff. The snow was blown away as quickly as it had coated her, and searing wind batted at her now. Far below was the rocky bottom and an icy river, rushing up to meet her as the sled dropped like a rock.
****
“How does she look? Has she gone over?” Ahuizotl asked giddily, coming up to the edge of the cliff himself on the way back to base camp. He scanned the ravine, immediately picking out the dropping form of the wooden sled and its pony occupant. He had done it! She was hurtling towards certain doom, and....
His grin subsided instantly. The sled wasn’t falling. It was growing smaller in the distance by the second as it flew away. From the top sprouted Daring’s wings, acting like the wings on a glider.
“Better luck next time, Ahuizotl!” She shouted from afar.
Daring felt like she had dodged a bullet. She had been very fortunate that the goons hadn’t thought to tie her wings. Maybe Ahuizotl had assumed them broken, but her ability to extend them and control the sled’s flight path allowed her to turn the death trap into something of an aircraft.
“Curse you Daring Do!” Ahuizotl shouted to himself as the craft disappeared out of sight into the clouds.
Though he had the crown in tow, he had been looking forward to being able t be rid of Daring, and once again he had been robbed of his satisfaction. In his frustration he punched what he thought was a mound of snow with a pawed fist, and recoiled in pain as it struck solid rock.