Bad End AU: Chilling discovery.

Another post in such short time?! YES, i have been very inspired and eager to work in the AU C:, exploring characters and creating more story posts. Hope that you like it!

I got the cutiemarks vectors from @/cheezedoodle96 , @/CloudyGlow and some of my friends characters as cameos!

 : D

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-“This is a bad idea, a HORRIBLE idea”

Was all that crossed the mind of the young Solstice as he climbed up through the path of dirt up the mountain, he shivered and pulled his cloak tighter around him, convinced that the cool air of the night was what made him tremble, but it was actually his fear of what could be at the place they were headed to. Sol turned to see the small village at the distance, only a few houses lit up since most of the adults had duties outside of town, that’s how the group of Victory, Fizzlemint, Tuff Puff, and him had managed to sneak out undetected, maybe if he turned around nobody would notice?  

-“C’mon Egghead! Don’t stay behind!”

He could hear his cousin, Victory urging him to go faster; they were almost at the entrance of the cave, his other friends following behind her leaving him at the back of the line. All of this “adventure” had been her idea, she as well as the other children of the village had been warned about not getting close to the caves up in the mountains, it was dangerous and there was a network of tunnels they could get lost in, but she was convinced otherwise, she could see a faint glow coming from one of the caves, maybe it could be a treasure? There was even a path that led to it straight from the village! She needed to go investigate, and so she urged her friends to go up once the adults were gone. Even if Sol was the oldest of the group, Victory had made herself the leader of it.

When solstice had reached up to the group, he was short of breath, he wasn’t used to climbing “Aw, c’mon cuz, it wasn’t that bad! Even little Tuff Puff made it without problem, see?” at this the little earth pony puffed out her chest and showed a proud smile on her face

“N-no, I get it, I’m a bit worn out myself” Fizzlemint said through labored breath.

Victory rolled her eyes “Of course you two nerds would be the ones to get tired, can’t handle a bit of adventure outside of playing Ogres & Oubliettes?”

Fizzlemint gawked at that, placing a hoof on his chest “EXCUSE YOU?! Ogres & Oubliettes is FAR more entertaining than thi-“

“Sure sure whatever, I need you and Sol to go in the front”

“Ugh why us?! You are the one that had the idea of coming here”

“Because you two are the only unicorns capable of magic in the group” Victory sighed with annoyance “and we need you to light up the cave, duh. Or is it that you are scared of being in the front?”

“Yeah, you aren’t scared right Minty?” teased little Puff. 

“O-of course not! Come on Sol, let’s get going” said the green unicorn as he dragged his friend to his side, their horns lightning up the entry of the cave.

“You know”-whispered Solstice- “I agree 100% with you that a game of O&O would be a lot more entertaining” Fizzlemint smiled “Of course it would be! They don’t get the thrill of getting a perfect roll”

As they made their way inside the cave, the air getting chillier, they spotted the faint glow Victory had talked about. Sol curiosity increased, could it be a treasure just like Victory suggested? Or maybe some geodes like the ones Tuff’s mom had. When they finally spotted what it was, it was neither. A huge wall of what seemed to be crystal stood before them, embedded in the rock of the cave, and inside what must have been almost a hundred…cutiemarks? How could it be possible?

“T-that’s no treasure” said Victory with a trembling voice, she was as shocked as the rest of the group, even with her brave persona.

“What could have happened? Who would not want their cutiemark?” asked Fizzlemint, sure, his own cutiemark was nothing special but it was what made him, well, him. Mint face went pale for a moment “w-what if the cave is enchanted or something and tries to take our cutiemarks?!” he panicked.

“Y-yeah Vicky let’s get out of here, please?” asked Puff, tugging at the unicorn’s cloak “I don’t like this”

“S-sure, there’s nothing really interesting in here anyway” Victory said trying to act tough “Let’s go”

As the group was retreating from the cave, Victory noticed that her cousin had stayed behind, and called out to him “H-hey, you comin’? I won’t come back for you if you stay in here”

The teal glow of the wall fell upon Sol’s face, he was observing all the cutiemarks, were all those ponies so unhappy with them? This was no “enchanted cave” as Fizzlemint suggested; this was magic, unicorn magic, he could feel it. Did the ponies gave their cutiemarks up willingly? Or did someone took it from them? “Who could be so horrible as to do this?” “I don’t know”-replied his cousin, Sol hadn’t noticed he has said it out loud- “and I don’t want to stay to found out, this place creeps me out, let’s go home before anyone notices we are gone” “Y-yeah, let’s go”

  The group descended the mountain, thankfully none of their parents was around to ask where they had been, but none of them even talked about what they saw that day in the cave, maybe they had forgot with the years, but Solstice didn’t.

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Yeah Solstice, who would be so horrible as to do that, huh?