The frozen tundra of northern Equestria was a harsh and almost unlivable land. If not for the work of ponies and the magic they wield, few would venture beyond the start of the tundra as snow and ice locked the land in eternal winter. Yet life did bloom there, both within the Crystal Empire and elsewhere. Thanks to the powerful artifact known as the Crystal Heart, the crystal ponies were able to turn the warmth and love they all held within themselves into a palpable energy that banished and pushed back the blizzards that raged across the region and bring a cycle of seasons that made it habitable year-round. With pegasi lending the support they gave to Equestria to regulate the weather here as well, you could almost mistake it for a more tropical or temperate land, save for the still ongoing storms that blew across many of the mountains in the area.
But there were areas of the world where such things were still impossible and dangerous to attempt.
In a parallel to the frozen north, the frozen south was an untamed land of ice and snow that not even the best ponies could best. Legends say that long ago it was a lush and fertile land, much like the Crystal Empire emulated. Towering woods and vast plains, rivers that flowed from every corner of the landmass into the southern seas, animals that ponykind have not seen outside of a few museum exhibits. A paradise that has not been seen since a time before even the oldest of creatures could recall seeing, much less know about with records and eyewitness accounts to prove its existence. Not even Princess Celestia could claim to know of such a time when the frozen land was anything but that, and though nobody had dared to ask it of him directly, never had Discord. For the world it was what it is; an eternal tomb of ice over a land lost to the ages, with howling winds and an eternal storm raging across the entire region of the world. Few creatures aside from the most magical and dangerous could live there, such as Windigos and Frostwolves. The waters surrounding it were filled with deceptive masses of ice, some icebergs towering as large as any castle underneath the waves where only the peak showed above the surface. Temperatures reached into the minus ranges far, far beyond what any sane pony would tolerate even in the most bitter and chilly nights of winter in Equestria. If you were to step foot on this land, it was said that you would most certainly die.
So then why travel to it at all? Well, the answer was quite simple really: They wanted to know why. Why was this land so barren and cold? Why did it become like this, when supposedly it had once been like a second Equestria. Why did the storms never break? Why couldn’t they tame it even a little bit unlike the frozen north. A pony’s curiosity knows no bounds, and so as the years passed and civilization advanced, new ways were found that might allow a pony to venture forth into this tundra and at last search for answers.
The stallion who would do this for the current generation was Doctor Absolut Zero, a weather researcher of some renown. He had approached the diarchy seeking a royal grant to further his studies by exploring the southern land of Antrotica. His hopes were that he could better understand how nature grew to be so wild and apply it elsewhere like the Everfree Forest, as well as perhaps find a solution that would allow ponies to at last begin reclaiming the ice-locked land. Princess Celestia, worried over the health and safety of her little ponies, was initially reluctant. Doctor Absolut was hardly the first pony to attempt an expedition to the land after all, the last one in particular having experienced an especially grim fate. But Princess Luna, seeing the conviction and passion within the doctor, approved and personally aided him in selecting a team of ponies to travel with him to the lost continent. Doctor Absolut eagerly took the advice and aid of the lunar diarch, and together with six other ponies, moved to the south pole to set up camp and begin their work.
However...that was six months ago. Since long months, and now even Princess Luna was worried.
In the time that had followed their departure, reports were sent regularly between the research station and the alicorn, keeping her apprised on their status and progress in unravelling the mysteries of Antrotica. Little was found, the very land itself seeming to fight their efforts, but still they pressed on and hopes continued to stay high. It wasn’t until reports began to grow more spaced out, more infrequent, that any worry about them surfaced. Then all of a sudden there was silence. Concerned as to what this might mean, the princess wasted no time to prep a second smaller expedition force to set out and rendezvous with the doctor’s team and ascertain what was wrong.
To lead this group of three was an earth stallion by the name of Stark Winter. A veteran of combat, exploration and survival in the less tamed regions of the north, his skills would be invaluable at keeping everyone alive and safe both before and after they reached the station. His lack of magic was made up with his skill in the sword arts and although he operated by himself most of the time, he had on occasion collaborated with Shining Armor to better prepare the Crystal Guard to handle any threats that might wander into the empire from the tundra at any given moment. Unlike the other two members in fact, he had approached Princess Luna before she could ask him and volunteered his services, cementing his position as team leader upon learning of his past.
To act as the team medic as well as communication expert was the unicorn mare named Whisper. She also hailed from the north, the Crystal Empire to be exact, and was a crystal pony whose special talent was in enchanting crystals to ‘speak’ what she willed. With a pair of crystals she could transmit speech between them for over a mile, or record messages that would repeat if a touch of magic was applied. She had first been commissioned by Princess Luna to create the communication array that had left Doctor Absolut in contact with the princess for several months. Now with one possibility being that the system had failed, she was an easy pick for joining the team, her expertise the only thing that could repair it if required.
Finally, as the winter weather expert to round out the team, there was Spearmint the pegasus mare. As a member of the Ponyville weather team, she had an abundance of experience with wild weather from the Everfree Forest and oversaw many of the winter time storms. While dispelling the storm would be impossible, especially for just one mare, she could hopefully guide them away from the worst spots and spot anything that Stark might accidentally overlook in terms of natural hazards. She was well suited to this also because of her special talent and reaction to the cold. While most pegasi would slow or freeze up in such weather, Spearmint instead thrived. The cold actually resonated with her magic, speeding her up to the likes of the famous Rainbow Dash, with the downside being that the heat of summer would affect her far worse than most pegasi. If necessary this could let her scout ahead or even rush to the rescue should they become separated at any point.
The intrepid trio, having met and set out some four days prior, were just now approaching the coastline of Antrotica. They had spent the time getting to know one another, comparing skills as well as general histories, while simply waiting out the various transports and changeovers they needed in order to even reach the southern tip of Equestria’s land. The railway only traveled half the distance before they needed to swap to airship, and once on the coast they needed to meet up with the hired boatman to take them further into the choppy waters around the lost continent. A task that had been hard even with a royalty backed fee given to the captain prior to their arrival, since the waters were infamous for shipwrecks that far south. Still, the captain had relented, and for the last day they had been sailing deeper into the sea around Antrotica. It was close to night now, with the sun just setting on the horizon, and they were anchored here until morning so they wouldn’t have to brave the coastline in pitch black. Spearmint, being the most adapted to the cold, was out upon the prow of the boat leaning against the railing.
Tucking a strand of hair behind one ear, the mare gazed across the waters at the just in sight landmass that was their destination. The waters were beginning to grow choppy, in addition to the new masses in the water in the form of icebergs, which meant that this would be the last time she could look upon the scenery without having to battle a blizzard. Even from here the rolling, endless sky of storm clouds could be seen, thankfully with no thunder in them but that was made up for the hail she knew would randomly spawn amongst all the snow. Her pegasus senses were telling her plenty about what the storm was like, even miles away, and shuddered not from the cold but rather the fear that filled her at such a monstrous anomaly existing. Clothing would have to be changed; Spearmint preferred a light attire of her usual yellow wooly shorts and jacket, a short-sleeve shirt underneath of it, pink scarf and white wooly earmuffs around her head, and finally capping it off with long pink booties around her hooves. But the weather ahead was not going to accept such light attire, and already she was dreading having to put on more layers to stem against the cold she normally loved to feel across her fur.
“Beautiful.” Spearmint turned at the sudden voice, seeing her teammate Whisper coming up the deck. Like her name, she was a very soft-speaking mare, always seeming to take time between starting what she meant to say and finishing it to be sure of her words. She was taller than the pegasus by almost a foot and unlike the modestly pretty mare, was incredibly endowed in curves and classic beauty. She had an especially large horn and almost melon sized breasts, which combined with her warm brown crystal coat and long strawberry-blonde crystal mane that draped across most of her eyes, had made stallions all throughout their journey blush, drool and otherwise make an ass of themselves. “...The sunsets in the Crystal Empire are much like this, but somehow seeing it beside the stormfront is...haunting.”
“I’ve never been to the Crystal Empire, so this is new to me.” Spearmint remarked. Looking toward the sunset, she could see how the sun looked different, more orange and inflamed, than what was usual. “I guess this far south - or north like you said - that the sunlight comes at such an angle that the atmosphere distorts it. You’re right though, it feels kind of...eerie, seeing it like that.”
Whisper nodded. “Yes.” There was a pause, as the two mares watched the sun begin to dip past the horizon. A few lights on the boat began to flick on as the captain hunkered the ship down for nighttime on rough seas. “...Winter is coming soon. He said he wanted to make sure you were prepared with better clothing for tomorrow.”
Looking at her teammate, Spearmint saw that she was already wearing the special extreme cold jacket and pants that Stark Winter had brought for them. The thick red jacket looked a bit tight, specifically around the chest area, but did a good job of covering all of her body. The pants were tucked into her thick wooly boots, and instead of a hood she had wraps to make a shawl to leave her horn free. “I have it back in my cabin. It’s not that cold yet and I wanted to take one more look at…” She trailed off, turning her head toward Antrotica. “Hard to believe we’re going into that tomorrow.”
“Mmm.” Whisper wrapped her arms around her waist, which had the effect of pushing up her chest. Spearmint hastily darted her eyes away when she realized that the motion had drawn her attention. “...I’m a little nervous about tomorrow. I don't believe my original batch of crystals could have been damaged enough to break communication. What do you think we’ll find there?”
“My guess? Probably a bunch of ponies too swept up in their research to notice they’ve gone silent. Maybe their crystals are damaged, or maybe they just haven’t made anymore progress and have been hiding.” Frowning, Spearmint had to sigh and add, “But I can’t avoid thinking something’s gone bad too. I mean, I know Doc Zero from a few weather summits up in Cloudsdale. A nice stallion, but he’s dedicated to his work in ways that can be almost intimidating. He’s researched several additional branches of magic in addition to any weather-based ones simply to be able to cover all potential results it could have on weather patterns and distribution across Equestria. If anypony can solve the mystery of Antrotica it’s him, but for him to go silent? He would never be quiet over lack of results, heck if anything that would just have him asking the Princess for more help or suggestions.”
“Spearmint-”
“Please, just call me Minty. I think we’re friends by now.” The pegasus smiled up at her.
Whisper smiled back. “...Then, Minty, what do you think about this storm? Have you ever seen something like this over the Everfree?”
Minty looked back at the horizon, the storm clouds no longer in sight thanks to the sun having set. Even as the moon slowly rose in the east, its own illumination could not pierce the distance the same way to show their destination. “Never. Sure we get wild clouds and storms but usually we can break them up. Rainbow Dash sometimes does it herself even, and if it’s a bigger storm we can just call on the entire team to help wrangle it down. But this is...unreal.”
“I’m afraid it’s very real, Spearmint.” Came a deep, sombre voice from behind the two mares. Turning in tandem they saw the leader of their team walking up, his grey coat and black mane letting him blend into the shadows of the deck until he walked into a spotlight. Draped over his shoulders was a massive black cloak of feathers and fur lining, more normal winter gear underneath along with his sword strapped to a hip. His eyes held little warmth in them although it was not directed at either of them, and with the five o’clock shadow across his muzzle he was intimidating even on a good day. Both mares could always see how he was a warrior of some renown, and treated him with respect fitting his skills and age. “The Storm of Antrotica is not known to many, but its dangers are even greater than that of your Everfree Forest. The forest is simply wild, dangerous. With time you can co-exist with it and its inhabitants, just like Ponyville has. This however is deadly, merciless. It will kill you without warning or hesitation if you misstep.” Stepping between the two mares, who shuffled to the side to give him room, he spared the least dressed among them a critical glance of his eyes. “Spearmint, you should go back inside and change if you wish to stay out here any longer. The temperature is dropping rapidly and a smaller storm is approaching from the southwest. It should pass by morning, but tonight we should bunker down below deck.”
Spearmint nodded silently, letting an involuntary shiver rush down her spine. The cold didn’t bother her either way, even as it approached minus temperatures. What did bother her however was the sensations she kept having whenever she looked at the faraway storm long enough. To a pegasus adept at handling the weather, certain feelings began to relate with certain weather patterns or clouds. Rain made you feel sleepy or calm, lightning twitchy or energized, and snow was fuzzy or mute. Thanks to her connection with winter, she experienced warmth and comfort when handling the latter, but the storm over Antrotica was anything but that. If she had to put it into words, it was like staring at a wall of ice. Frozen, cold, hard and unwelcoming. She was afraid for the very first time to even think about tackling a snow storm, which sent another shiver through her that Stark thought was her feeling cold.
“Perhaps a cup of hot cocoa will benefit us all.” He said, wrapping an arm around Spearmint to give her some warmth.
Looking up at him, she smiled but shook her head. “I’m not that cold yet Winter. It’s just...the storm is really unsettling to my senses.”
“How so?”
“Cold.” Both teammates turned to see Whisper shivering as well. However, this had an effect on her heavy jacket that sent the front of it wobbling long after she stopped, something neither of them could avoid looking at as she once again wrapped her arms under her breasts and pushed them up. They quickly diverted their eyes to her face when they saw her turn to look at them. “...Frozen might be a better word. I feel some kind of magic in the air, and it’s making the air and temperatures even worse somehow to my senses.”
Spearmint nodded in agreement. “She’s right - I’ve been shivering just from the wind blowing over us from the shoreline even miles out. I’m starting to wonder if this is actually natural.”
Letting go of his teammate, Stark Winter stepped forward and braced himself against the iced over railing. His eyebrows furrowed as a deep and contemplative look crossed his face. “A few of the stories and reports of past expeditions mention the same sensations, but nothing was ever found to support this storm being artificial. Outside of its outrageous timespan of existing that is. Wild magic can do many things we still do not understand.”
“I wonder if we’re really ready for this.” Spearmint said quietly.
“That is why I volunteered for this mission Spearmint, Whisper.” Opening his cloak some, Stark slowly unsheathed his sword and held it before him over the edge of the railing. Turning it to the side, his eyes trailed over the polished edge of the sword, noting the various nicks that not even the best blacksmiths had removed. “In the mountains of the north I have faced countless monsters and beasts, braved many trails of nature. Sometimes on my own, often with soldiers and comrades in arms. All creatures faced felled by my blade or forced to flee where no pony would be harmed by their presence.” Tilting the blade down, he stabbed the tip into the deck and leaned into the pommel with a sombre look on his face. A powerful gust blew across the prow and pushed even his heavy cloak to the side as gentle bits of snow began to fall over them. “I have but one thing to say to this new land of Antrotica. Brace yourself, for Winter is coming.”
Looking at one another, the two mares felt heartened by their leader's courage and words. As the storm began to move in on them and grip the seas, they all reaffirmed their word to find the research team and save them. Nopony would be left behind, and if there was danger waiting for them they would stand side-by-side against it. As teammates and friends.
Once the moment passed, there was another filled by silence and the gentle rocking of the boat. As a yell from inside the galley came, Spearmint looked down and coughed as she realized something. “Um...that was really cool Stark. But...I think the captain won’t be too happy about the sword cut in his deck if he comes out and finds you doing that.”
In one quick smooth motion the sword was sheathed. “Ah. Yes. Well.” Turning quickly, Stark gently slipped between the two and marched off. Sharing another look, Spearmint and Whisper waited until he was out of sight before breaking out into giggles.
The ship and its passengers survived the smaller storm during the night and at daybreak weighed anchor to hit the far-off coast of Antrotica. As ordered, Spearmint donned a more protective version of her normal attire and put her favorite goggles on with her scarf covering her head. Flight would be forbidden without a tether to help her should an errant gust yank her away, especially given her average size but above average wingspan making her susceptible to this. All of them in fact were to have one to ensure if one stumbled and fell they would know and turn to rescue them. When they made landfall Stark Winter took the lead and once ashore, the captain of their boat left for safer shores. He would await them for one week before heading back, but warned them to not tally past four days if they could. By then it would be a fight between the ice and himself that he did not want to make a decision over if it could be helped.
To guide their way, the research team had laid out several tall spears with a glowing red crystal atop of each. Even after six months they stood out among the piled snowbanks and led them deeper into the continent. Following them led to what they thought was first a ravine, but upon observing the curvature of the craggy expanse of ice they realized it must be an ancient riverbed. It now was a howling system of overhanging stalactites and stalagmite icicles, the numerous formations causing the wind to twist and whistle in ways that chilled everypony who heard it. A reminder of what this land had become, if the preternatural darkness caused by the clouds didn’t do it enough. Thanks to the limited light being cut off hours earlier than outside this land, they had to camp overnight after clearing an overhang in the riverbed of dangers.
Piling into a single tent with an open-flame stove to provide light and heat, they huddled together to conserve body temperatures. Stark’s cloak proved to be big enough to be a blanket, and Spearmint shared her wings with the huddle as well. The dried and canned food was bland, tasteless, but ultimately all they could have. The company was the best part of it all though as they all talked, laughed and worked further on figuring their next step out.
“Everything hinges on the state of the research team and their outpost.” Stark explained. “If they are well but simply out of contact, we repair the relay system with the help of you, Whisper, and after a day or two of testing return to have the captain pick us up. If he is forced to leave before we arrive on the coast, we simply turn back to the station and radio him to come back. If the station has been damaged, or the research team injured, we assess the cause and move forward based on what we find.”
“We know that.” Spearmint protested. “We’ve been over a lot of this already Stark.”
“It bears repeating now that we’re experiencing Antrotica in person.” He counters. “I want you both to keep your eyes and ears open for anything.”
“Mmm…” They both turned to look at Whisper, who had to shift some under wing and blanket. Which in turn pushed her chest again Spearmint, who jerked back some into Stark’s chest. They quickly gathered their composure before the busty mare noticed. “I wish we had kept going. We could have made it before true nightfall.”
“The cold in the north and south will freeze a pony in minutes at night. Temperatures drop to record lows far past freezing, and with the wind howling as it is…” They all look at the walls of the tent surrounding them, listening in silence to the howling force making their safe haven wobble. “We would be dead in seconds.”
“I’ve been in...dangerous situations before. But not even when...” Spearmint trailed off. “It wasn’t like the threat was so alien, so foreign. This isn’t the winter weather I’m used to, and it scares me to think there can be snow and ice that I can’t just work with like I normally would.”
“Such is the way of the world beyond Equestria. Which makes it all the more crucial we ensure ourselves, and the research team, can one day return home.” Reaching out, he flicked off the stove to conserve fuel and they all laid down to rest for the night. When morning came they quickly brewed hot cocoa to warm themselves and get energy for the day, before heading out once more and following the path.
Like Whisper had expected, the journey was not much longer before the research station came into view thanks to a lull in the storm. Standing on a small hill of snow, they could see immediately that something was amiss. Much of the facility was meant to be made of quick-snap walls and tiles inlaid with runes, a common but costly material for expeditions into dangerous locations. The design according to the schematics they had read should have been a cross with four domes in the center and shorter tips to inhabit, the longer shaft being the main entrance as well as basic supply storage. However what they saw was more like a ‘T’ with the central pillar half buried in ice. The upper dome was completely lost; having seemed to have caved in, only snow and tattered fabric could be seen inside a huge hole in the roof with the passage leading to it missing. The main entrance had what looked like claw marks scarring the surface of the door, and part of the passage seemed to have been rebuilt with thick ice blocks in a similar technique that igloos utilized. The central dome was still intact but all of the instruments that had been on top of it looked bent, broken and ripped out of their moorings, explaining instantly to them all why the station had lost contact since one of the leaning towers was the crystal communication relay. Fearing that the station was abandoned, they all released a huge sigh of relief once they saw that lights were on in two of the domes still intact, showing signs of habitation.
“Let’s get inside.” Stark shouted over the wind. “Keep your eyes peeled for any monsters or animals.” Spearmint and Whisper nodded, and they all hurried to the entrance.
Closer up revealed that the markings were indeed jagged claw marks. At least four marks to each swipe, their spacing indicated that the paws of whatever monster did this was about as wide as a pony’s hoof and strong enough to gouge a few millimeters deep at each pass. Thankfully the door was several inches thick and after working the wheel to open it they all slipped inside, sealing it shut behind them with no trouble. The damage to the corridor was deceptive; the spot where they believed the snow had caved the passage was actually rebuilt with more of the ice blocks, with several lights strewn between the gap and some grating laid on the ground for stable footing. Lockers and sealed containers lined the wall, some left open as the contents were depleted, and to Spearmint’s worry she could see that one or two had blood around the edges, marred by handprints of the pony who had been hurt. Stark noted it too, but didn’t pause as he marched down the corridor to the central dome.
They found a second sealed door that prevented access to the main lounge, and working the wheel did nothing. It had been locked from the inside, or perhaps jammed given the leeway Stark was able to get out of it. Whisper then turned to a comm panel on the wall next to it and began to fiddle with the static emitting device.
“Hm.” The speaker buzzed and something began to murmur through the static. “...I think I have a connection to the inside. The crystal is out of alignment however, one moment…”
“This is Stark Winter, can anyone inside hear me?” Stark called from around her shoulder. “Please respond, is anyone alive in there?”
“Kzzz...Hel...Kzzz..”
“I repeat, this is Stark Winter, do you read?”
“Kzz...Yes this is...Zero...Station…”
“One moment Doctor, our expert is fixing the intercom.”
Looking back at her leader, Whisper then flipped a tiny switch on the inside and gave the small crystal a flick to make it spin. “...never worked from the - oh! I can already hear the static clearing up, wonderful.”
“Doctor Absolut Zero, correct?”
“Indeed I am, and who might you be?”
“As I was trying to say before, my name is Stark Winter. With me are Spearmint and Whisper, a team sent by Princess Luna to ensure the safety of everypony on your expedition after you went silent some time ago.”
“Yes, yes that makes sense. Once we lost the crystal antennae to the blasted storm...alongside the attacks by the Frostwolves-”
“Did you just say Frostwolves?” Stark interrupted, voice growing severe.
There was a small pause, followed by a sigh. “One moment, this would all be better done in person then with a doorway between us. Lupin, get the door please.”
There was a slightly muffled reply, and then several loud thumps as an object, or plural, were moved from the other side of the door. Taking a step back as the wheel turned, the door swung inward and a unicorn stallion with mottled brown fur, green mane was standing in the doorway with a beard lining his jaw. “Come on.” He said with a slight southern drawl. “Doc’s waiting for you and it’s a fair sight warmer in here.”
Once inside the team quickly removed their bulkier clothing as the heating began to kick in. Spearmint was the quickest, almost yanking all the additional padding and cover off to let her limbs breathe. Whisper was slower, but far more distracting as her coat caught in places and forced the stallions in the room to look away. Stark did nothing but open up his cloak, and after sweeping his eyes over the room, locked onto the stallion still standing near the intercom. He was a unicorn with slick black mane and a silver-blue coat, thick black-rimmed glasses causing an odd reflective sheen to cover his eyes from view. Garbed in a lab coat with baggy sweatpants visible underneath, he almost looked relaxed if not for how his jaw was stiff and even twitching at times under his own thick beard.
He stepped forward as Stark moved to talk with him, adjusting his glasses and causing a relieved flash of light to cross the surface. “Stark Winter I presume. Good to meet a new face after so many months.” He greeted, holding a hand out to shake.
“Doctor.” Stark gave him a polite nod, grasping the offered limb and pumping it once. “The pegasus is Spearmint and the unicorn is Whisper - the same pony in fact who created most of the communication crystals used for your expedition.”
“That would explain how she knew to repair it so quickly. We’ve certainly struggled with it ourselves - you are a master of your craft miss.” Whisper blushed at the praise, but Absolut moved on without waiting for a reply. “Let me introduce you to the rest of my team.”
The room was laid out like a lounge, with several couches and tables along the walls while the center held a roundabout covered with any electronics they’d need to cook or store food. At one of the larger table were three ponies, Lupin being one along with two earth ponies, a stallion and mare. They seemed to be in the middle of a poker game and despite the new faces weren’t looking to be ending it anytime soon. “At the table over there is Lupin, who you met and is my primary assistant. The other stallion is Quartz, an associate who wished to come and study some of the ice and earth in this land. The mare, Slick Slush, is his assistant and primarily does lab work while Quartz did the excavating or exploration. You can thank them for the ingenious repair job on the corridor you saw.”
“Simple frozen north ingenuity.” Quartz said with pride. “We never met but I know your name, Stark Winter. You once visited my village to give a demonstration on cold weather survival training.” Slick Slush merely waved, a smile on her lips that looked a bit weary given the bags under her eyes.
By one of the larger couches were two pegasi, one laying on their back across it while another sat in a chair and was inspecting bandages wrapped around the formers arm. Whisper, upon seeing this, moved over while pulling out her medical bag and began administering first aid. “On the couch is Rising Shine, an expert from the Weather Factory in Cloudsdale who specializes in storm disruption in case of emergency or wild weather outbreaks. Sad to say, her services have not been effective here, and when the Frostwolves attacked…”
“Was she bitten, clawed or breathed on?” Stark asked, Whisper letting out a soft gasp that had eyes looking over to her. The swordsman cursed as, after parting a few bandages, it could be clearly seen that the fur had all fallen off and the skin was looking blue. “A bite, should have known. She’s frostbitten - what have you been doing to treat it?”
“Soaking it in lukewarm water and ensuring she remains warm enough to sweat.” The stallion beside the injured mare answered, standing up to face the rescue team. “My name is Keen Sense, I’m the pony who rescued Rising from the Frostwolves and began treating her. Did I do it right sir?”
“You did - frostbites are like a poison that freezes the blood around the bite mark. If not treated or if you take too long to do so, it could lead to the loss of a limb, or worse, death from infected blood breaking off from the location and traversing through the body and causing clots. Did you happen to attend one of my lessons like Quartz?”
Keen Sense shook his head. “No sir, but I did read several books on potential winter and cold environment illnesses that we could encounter before leaving. It’s always been my motto to be prepared when travelling afar.”
Doctor Absolut adjusted his glasses, a proud glint to their lense. “Keen has been incredible help to the expedition and myself for some time now. I dare say we would be in far worse a condition without him.” As the pegasus blushed from all the praise, the doctor would look over the team again and jolt in recollection. “Wait a minute...Spearmint, from Ponyville yes?”
She smiled softly. “Hey doc, nice of you to remember me. Princess Luna asked for my help personally thanks to my skills with winter weather.”
“Yes, I thought your name was familiar. Hard to forget such a beautiful mare as yourself, especially with your usual attire.” Now it was Spearmint blushing. “Hm, with your team and mine, perhaps we can get some results going finally with our mission.”
“Excuse me doctor, but we’ve still yet to discuss exactly how the research station, or your team member, came to be like this.” Stark interrupted. “Maybe we should get to the explanation now before any further distractions hit us?”
“Ah, yes…” Waving them all over, Keen sense joined the doctor, Stark and Spearmint at another table and formed a circle. After clearing away a few errant bits of paper, the unicorn pulled out a crudely drawn map of the Antrotica coastline and levitated over a small sealed box. “Let’s start from the beginning then…”
In a distant section of the land, an ancient presence stirred and looked out across the tundra to the research station. It would sense new life mingling with the others that had come to this frozen wasteland, and it wasn’t happy. Worse was that it could clearly sense that one of them was of their kind, and in response the winds of the eternal storm above in the sky seemed to howl with greater intensity. Across some of the snow dunes, a howl began to echo as a pack of Frostwolves started their hunt. They too, knew of the fresh blood in their midst.