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The crystal mines beneath Canterlot have been abandoned and sealed for over two hundred years. Recently, with the help of new techniques and technologies, more deposits were discovered, and the mines were temporarily reopened for excavation. After the Changeling attack, however, damages to the mine's supports shifted the rock, making the tunnels too dangerous to traverse, and the mine was closed again--this time for repairs.

Enter Sand Scout, an ambitious and adventurous young mare on a quest to prove herself in the world of treasure hunting. Having heard rumors that several artifacts of unknown origin had been uncovered in the semi-defunct mines, she and her companions Kiwi, Nifty, and Jinx hatched a plan to snag some of these artifacts for themselves.

What they would find would redefine everything ponykind knew about the history of their world.

This is an idea I got while watching 'Hearts and Hooves Day'. The scene with the mattress in the hole, more specifically. Yeah.

I've looked around quite a bit for a story like this, and while there is an overflowing arsenal of HiE fics, I've decided on a slightly different approach, a sort of middle ground between human and non-human stories.