Disclaimer- I don’t own My Little Pony, Hasbro does. But I’m willing to discuss prices.
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NORTHBOUND- Prologue
It was cold in the North.
It had always been cold, and it always would be. Nothing lived there, nothing grew there, and nothing warm belonged there. Among all the rocky mountains and valleys, nothing drew breath.
Nothing, that is, except for the two ponies standing at the mouth of the cave.
On a tiny plateau halfway up one of the larger mountains, the two equines were hard at work. The smaller of them, a wide-brimmed hat affixed over his parka, was enthusiastically examining the stone around the cave's entrance. His larger companion, meanwhile, was busy cursing his luck and life choices.
I'm an idiot, thought Head Lamp dourly. A greedy, gullible idiot. Under his double-layered parka, the earth pony shivered. He shouldn't be here. He should be home, back in Canterlot, not on a wild roc chase in a sun-forsaken wasteland. He spat in contempt, watching the tiny glob of saliva freeze solid in mid-air. That settled it—this job was a mistake.
An excited shout from his companion forcibly derailed his train of thought. "Heady, mate, I think this it!" shouted the small unicorn, joy mixing in with his thick accent. Head Lamp rolled his eyes. His partner, Exmarks, had said the same thing about the last six caves, and he'd been wrong each time.
With a deep, long-suffering groan, he trotted over. "What'd you find, Ex?"
The unicorn, in contrast to Head Lamp's sour mood, was practically dancing with glee. "Come look, mate, come look! Crikey, Head, we found it!" The Gallowegian pony began bouncing in barely-restrained happiness.
A hoof shot out, forcing him to be still. Behind his goggles, Head Lamp narrowed his eyes. "Ex. Slow down. What did you find?" he asked evenly.
Exmarks beamed under his balacava, then turned back to the cave, horn alight. Carvings began to glow all around the opening, a harsh green against the blinding white.
Head Lamp's eyes went wide, his previous skepticism forgotten. They were letters, cut deep into the mountainside. A shiver unrelated to the cold shot through him as he took a closer look.
"It's not Equestrian," he muttered, his muzzle inches away from the shining runes. The carving was deep and straight, with none of the faults and cracks a chisel would have left. Magic, then. Powerful magic.
Deer magic. The words were in Deerish, and even if he couldn't read them, he knew what it meant.
It took him a moment to realize he was smiling. "This is the one," he breathed, amazement plain in his voice. "We found it."
A sense of accomplishment washed throughout his body, banishing the cold and fatigue that had been weighing him down. They'd found it. They were going to be rich.
He whirled, pulling his companion into a tight hug. "You're a genius, Ex, a genius," he roared into the unicorn's ear.
"I know it, mate. Now put me down, would ya?" the unicorn laughed. With a deep chuckle, the earth pony obliged.
Ten minutes later, the two ponies were sitting a few yards from the cave, passing a flagon of cider between them. "So, here's the plan," began Head Lamp. "We go in, we find the rocks, we drag 'em out here, and then we pack up and gallop back to Equestria as fast as we can. Clean and simple."
Exmarks nodded, lost in thought. "You're sure that's it, then? Fallfeather said they'd be... protected somehow."
"Come on, Ex," scoffed the earth pony. "Protected by what? We're the only living things for a few hundred miles. And we're both professionals, Ex. If there is something in there, we can outsmart it. Or just run."
The unicorn's smile returned. "Yeah, yeah, you're right. I'm just nervous, I guess." He shook himself, sending excess snow flying. "So, mate," he asked, eyes aglow beneath the goggles, "what're you gonna do with your cut?"
Head Lamp snorted. "After we pay Fallfeather? Retire. I'll be the richest stallion in Canterlot after this." He rose and began to head for the cave again. "How about you?"
The unicorn trotted after him. "Well, I figure I'll head back down to Adelmane, buy a new place, get myself a nice filly... or several," he said with a wink.
The two ponies stood before the cave, looking deep into the darkness within. Exmarks turned to his fellow treasure hunter. "You ready, mate?"
With a flick of his hoof, Head Lamp's namesake came to life. The amber cone split the shadows before them, revealing damp stone walls and long stone spines. The earth pony gave a firm nod. "Born ready."
The two explorers ventured into the waiting cave.
-Hours Later-
He ran.
His lungs were burning, his vision was blurred, and his wounds were bleeding, but Head Lamp ran on. He had to get out, had to escape. Had to survive.
They'd been fools, he and Exmarks. Overconfident, suicidal fools. The rocks were not worth this. Nothing was.
He ran on, and he ran alone. Exmarks was dead, somewhere back there in the cave. He knew he was dead—he'd heard the panicked scream, heard that shriek of pain and fear. And he'd heard it stop suddenly, far too suddenly.
Light. There was light ahead. The exit.
Celestia and Luna be praised, he was going to make it. Desperation turned to hope in his heart.
And just as quickly, hope turned to terror. It was behind him, the thumping clatter of its footsteps echoing off the cave's walls. He tried to run faster, but he was losing consciousness. He was slipping away. He felt something cold and hard wrap around him, and he was helpless against it.
And then he was airborne, flying out through the air, sliding to a stop outside the cave's entrance. He lay on his side, taking deep, ragged breaths.
He'd escaped. He'd survived.
He tried to rise, to find his hooves, but he couldn't move. Nothing worked. He felt a sharp pain in his back. His spine. His spine was broken.
He lay flat, coated in sweat under the shredded remains of his parka. He was dying. He felt himself fading as the wounds on his chest siphoned his life away. Blackness crept in at the edge of his vision.
The last thing Head Lamp saw, before it all went dark, was the blood around him freeze solid, a sheet of red ice against the white snow.
It was cold in the North.
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Gallowegian- From Galloway, an island country to the Southeast of Equestria. Analogous to Australia.
Hope you didn’t get too attached! You can find more of “Northbound” on my DeviantArt page! I also have a blog you can check out at rinellawashere.blogspot.com! Comments and feedback welcome and begged for!