The Northern Sky

by DashTillDawn

The Way Out

It was evident that whatever we had found, it must have gone on for miles. As North had predicted, the way we had came in was now sealed off, leaving us stuck in the shadows, with only our horns for light. There was a constant low rumble, which we had originally mistaken for creatures just beyond our view. Though the sound may not be a living being, I couldn't hake the feeling of being watched.

On the bright side, it wasn't as cold down here as it was farther up. Not that it would matter to North. He seemed to be immune to the cold. The nurse had predicted that he had adapted to the cold, but would that be permanent? Would North forever be as cold as the ice we found him in? Would that be a bad thing? Only time would tell.

We trotted on, looking for a way out. The rumble was getting louder as we pressed on, and I pondered what it might be. It sounded like water, but that wouldn't make sense. I asked the others.

"Does anypony else think that's starting to sound like water?"

"With all the ice above us, it's possible that this is where some of the meltwater flows. I read something about that in one of my books." Twilight answered.

"That could be our way out." North offered.

"How so?"

"If there's flowing water, it may have carved a path to the surface."

"Yes, that make sense!" Twilight realized. "We could travel upstream and find a way out. Water always flows downwards, so we could go against the current to get out, or at least get closer to the surface."

As we got closer, the rumble became a roar, and I had to shout my next question.

"Sounds like a pretty serious current! Are we sure we want to oppose something like that?"

"I'm not sure we have another choice!" Twilight yelled back.

Eventually, the floor started feeling damp, and if the roar got any louder, It'd damage our ears. That's when we found the falls. First the air became thick with moisture. Then we saw the edge of a fast-moving river. Tracing it upstream, we discovered the source of the thunderous percussion . the top was beyond the illumination of our horns, leaving us only to guess how tall it was. We didn't, however, need to guess how cold the water was. On a scale of cold to freezing, it was pure ice, and if it had been stagnant, there was no doubting that it would be ice. We got into a tight huddle, just to hear what the others had to say, though Twilight would probably note that I stood slightly closer to North than her.

"Are you girls ready?! This is going to be one cold flight!" North shouted.

"Who's carrying Starlight?! Twilight wondered.

"I'll do it!" North replied, flashing me a wink. Twilight caught it, but let it alone. Either she didn't want to try shouting over the roar again, or she just didn't want to bother. She clearly saw what was going on now, but didn't show any problems with it.

We faced the monstrous falls, turned shades of purple and green with the light of our horns, and prepared ourselves for the ascent. When everypony was ready, the two with wings took off, and North grabbed me on the way. I didn't like the feeling of helplessness I had when I was being carried like this- especially when I could do my own flying- but having North right by me made it slightly better. I didn't know if I would ever fully understand the feelings I felt towards him. What would he do when he learned about my past? Better not to worry about that right now. We had more pressing matters.

---

The falls didn't appear to be very perilous. In fact, with the light from our horns giving it purple and green hues, it had an aesthetic appeal to it. But because of how fast the water was moving, it was truly dangerous. Just being near it made me feel unsafe. For the sake of the others, I didn't let that show. I always tried to look calm in situations, even if I was scared. I just had to pray that nopony ever figured out how insecure I really was under pressure.

With Starlight in my hooves, our trio flew to the top of the falls, several hundred feet above. Though it wasn't much distance to cover, we took our time. The tunnel leading up the waterfall was surprisingly narrow, and getting smaller. It crossed my mind that there may be a point where there was no more room in front of the falls, and we would either have to fight the current, or turn back. I hoped that wasn't the case.

As we made it farther up, the walls turned from stone, back to ice, meaning we were much closer to the surface. If the cave tunnel did get too narrow, maybe we would be close enough to teleport to the surface. The walls came close enough that I could feel water brushing against my side, but didn't go any farther. I could see a light that didn't belong to one of us ahead. We had almost made it!

Pushing farther, the light got brighter, and the walls stayed at bay. Twilight, who had taken the lead, as we could no longer fly side-by-side, doused her horn, as we could see on our own again. Soon, Starlight and I followed suit. Excited about being out of these caves, Twilight sped up. I picked up my own speed, as well. By the time we finally broke the surface, we blasted from the exit, and didn't stop there. When we finally slowed enough to look back, the exit of the cave had become nothing more than a speck.

I tried to take in the new surroundings, but all of the white nearly blinded me. I let my eyes adjust, before attempting to gain my bearing. I could see the Crystal Empire on the horizon, and a meltwater river running along the ground, before vanishing into the hole we had flown out of. Everything else was just white. The wind was extremely strong, this high up, but then, it was always strong in this frozen wasteland. I turned to ask Twilight how cold she was, but she was gone.

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

Does Northern Sky sound like North from the movie North?

[DashTillDawn]

8330547
I hadn't even realized that was a movie.