"So, have you been doing this for long?"
A rather tall unicorn was slowly cantering down a dimly-lit crypt along with a teal earth pony. The unicorn had no part of her skin or coat showing, as she was wearing a grey cloak that somehow covered most of her body. The hood of her cloak covered the entirety of her head, apart from her horn, which had a continuous yellow-blue pattern. It was also abnormally long for any regular unicorn. Her front legs were not covered by the cloak, but instead, covered by a pair of black socks which barely managed to fit. The earth pony was an adventurer, not very widely known. Her mane and tale were both a dark green, with a small streak of baby blue. Her cutie mark looked like a emerald with turquoise rays beaming off of it's dazzling surface.
"Yeah, I've actually been hunting treasure since I was nothing but a filly. It's always fascinated me, how ponies can leave behind such valuable items for just any random schmo to grab." The earth mare giggled. The unicorn slowly turned her head to face her.
"By the way, what did you say your name was again?" she asked in her deep, elegant voice.
"Gem Hunter." She replied, smiling. "You sure don't have that big of a memory, do ya?" Though slightly offended by this remark, the unicorn smiled. "I guess not."
"Hey, do you know who left this treasure behind? You promised there would be riches!"
"I did, didn't I?" Replied the Unicorn, her gaze returning ahead of her. "It was left behind by... the Goldponies."
"The Goldponies?" Asked Gem Hunter, curious.
"Yes. They're a forgotten race of ponies that once roamed the lands of Equestria, along with all the other races. Oh, how elegant they where. How magnificent they were!" She bellowed enthusiastically.
"Really?" Said Gem Hunter, intrigued by her words. She'd never heard of the Goldponies before, let alone known of any treasure they may have had. The unicorn smiled under her hood.
"Yes, really. Their bodies were made of solid gold, they were a sight like no other!"
"Tell me more! Tell me more!" Gem hunter begged, her face lit up with happiness and curiosity.
"Of course, darling. They had their own buildings, their own monuments, their own queen-"
Her speech slowed, and her voice quietened.
"...and even their own elements of harmony."
"No way!" Gem hunter smiled. "Why aren't they in Equestria any more then? They sound amazing!"
"Ah.. you see..." The unicorn continued. "Their ruler, Queen AU, felt as if the rest of Equestria should be exactly like her people. She began to terrorise other empires, turning the citizens into Goldponies using her magic. However... she was soon stopped."
"Really?"
"Really. You see, Equestria was ruled by a Selfish queen, who's power was much stronger than Queen AU's. She wanted everypony to stay the same, full of imperfections! Impure! Horrific!" She became restless, and even yelling. Gem hunter was thinking of trying to calm her down, but she soon stopped. "And so..." she whispered, "She banished the Goldponies underground, forced to stay in an ugly, dusty crypt for thousands upon thousands of years..."
Gem Hunter was about to ask where it was, but it soon clicked in her mind. "So this is..."
"The very crypt they were banished to."
Gem Hunter's heart raced with excitement. An entire forgotten race, that she was about to see before anypony else. She was so exited that she raced ahead of the unicorn, eventually nearing a dark stone door covered in indescribable and unreadable symbols, gems that glittered, and even pure gold. It was such an amazing sight, that Gem Hunter almost fainted.
"Oh do be careful, darling." The Unicorn called out. "You have to open the door in a specific way."
"How?" Gem hunter called back, exited and tense. She looked around for any sign of a lever or a button that might trigger it to open, but there were none to the sort. However, her eyes soon fixed on a golden plaque, surrounded by a stone frame. "...Whats that...?" She quietly asked herself, before trotting over and taking a long glance at it.
"Beware..." She read aloud, "This crypt contains unimaginable beings that-"
"Hold on!" Yelled the unicorn, only just catching up. It was obvious that she was short of breath, as she was panting and wheezing as if she'd just ran a marathon. "I... I know how... to open it..."
"Really?"
"Y-yes... hold on..." She quickly caught her breath, and her horn began to glow a strange gold colour filled with patterns and... what seemed to be... the same symbols that littered the door. Those very same symbols soon began to light up in miraculous colours... golds, blues, yellows... you name it, it was there. And very soon, the door began opening painfully slow, but Gem Hunter could wait. It was the suspense that kept her going, and the hope and excitement from seeing a long-forgotten species, left alone underneath Equestria for thousands upon thousands of years...
And finally, it was open.
The sights... the smells... they were overwhelming... The crypt smelled of dust and decay, but why wouldn't it? it'd been forgotten for so many years, with nopony even stepping near it... but the size of the crypt... it was humongous! You could fit about five ursas in there, and there's still be room for a couple more ponies to fit in. However, the most overwhelming thing was the army of solid gold ponies faced directly towards the door, as if they had been awaiting their arrival... However, they seemed unusually... stiff.
"These... aren't ponies! They're statues!" Yelled Gem Hunter, shocked and disgusted by the unicorn's lies, However, the unicorn didn't seem to be offended... in fact, she was smiling!
"Finally... I get to see my kind again... "
"Wait... what!?"
Suddenly, the door behind them slammed shut, as if commanded to. The sound echoed through the enormous room, creating a symphony of echoes.
"Oh dear... seems I forgot to introduce myself..." the unicorn giggled. "I am Queen AU!"
Suddenly, the unicorn flung the cloak and socks off, revealing the rest of her body. Her mane was a crystal white, and it flowed through the air as if it where light as a feather. Not only that, but her legs were decorated with stripes of yellow and blue, and the most surprising thing about her...
where her wings.
"Y-You're an alicorn!?" Gem Hunter yelled, scared and surprised. "A-and you're... the queen of the golponies!? But... you said that the goldponies where banished down here!"
"Oh... seems that I forgot to mention one tiny detail..." Queen AU grinned. "I escaped, and i've been living in hiding ever since that awful Queen banished my subjects. I suppose I should thank you for accompanying me... You see, I can only awaken the ponies you see before you with a... short ritual."
Before Gem Hunter could reply, Queen AU quickly restrained her with her magic, and lifted her up into the air.
"I have to turn an earth pony into gold..."
Suddenly, Gem Hunter felt a horrific sensation throughout her entire body. It felt as if a million spiders were clambering all over her... however, it wasn't long before she felt...
nothing.
Her entire memory was wiped, and her entire body had been turned into shimmering gold, her legs decorate with similar stripes that decorated the legs of Queen AU.
She was suddenly dropped to the floor, and she struggled to stand. However, when she did, she began to talk in a slow crawl.
"Hail... our queen..."
Suddenly, there was a cheer coming straight from the statues as they began twitching and galloping. The goldponies had finally been awakened after thousands of years, and it was a momentous occasion.
"Finally... The age of the goldponies can begin!"
