"I need to be severely lacking in exercise if this mountain is giving me trouble. I can't envy pegasi more than the fact they travel with ease." He adjusted the pack on his back and continued through the animal trail leading towards the mountain top.

It took more effort than natural as it felt like boulders were being put on top of him with each step. It didn't help that he had an extra layer of clothes on his body. He realized that waiting to get to the destination would have been the best course of action before wearing them, but it was the fact that he had no room in his pack left that caused him to wear it all. As he came climbed above a less than sturdy looking formation of rocks; he stopped to look down at his destination.

"Finally, they weren't kidding when they said this place was practically impossible to reach. At least not without some serious effort on the climber. Still, to think that the further you go the harsher the weather. I haven't seen any pegasi in the area, and it sure isn't anywhere near winter for this kind of weather to be here."

The sight below was full of nothing other than snow, clouds, and winds that could hinder even a dragon. Everywhere he looked in front of him was covered in white and the sudden drop in temperature made him feel less of an idiot for wearing the extra clothing. He took a look behind him and saw rocks, trees, and rivers dotting the landscape.

"Strange weather we're having lately…" he said before breaking into a half-hearted laugh. "I need to come in contact with somepony soon otherwise; I might go crazy, and start having a conversation with myself."

Gathering his thoughts for a moment, he set about making notes of the change in weather, the trails he used to arrive at the top and the possible path he would use to get to the winter valley below. The map he brought had only gone as far as the forest surrounding the mountain itself; nopony had made a proper map of the local area for fear of the strange weather. Pegasi had tried to clear it several times before, but it had proven harder than the Everfree and deadlier than the Frozen North. Not even when unicorns had come to help did the weather budge even for a moment. It was unrelenting to all who tried to seek passage into the valley. All of this was the reason he had been hired to attempt crossing the freezing barrier.

"Deadly as all this seems at least I got paid in advance, though, I got the feeling it was more out of pity for dying young… Nah, I'm over thinking it… right?"

Climbing down the snow-covered rock face was perilous, but manageable for him in the end. Once at the bottom, he was pelted by icy winds and his vision was pure white. The only way he knew where to go was thanks to his thermal vision that would normally be useless in any other situation. It was simple enough to switch over from regular to thermal only that it left his eyes dry if used for too long. The path he followed was complicated, and he would make turns upon turns avoiding dead trees and snow covered boulders. He walked for what seemed like hours following the small traces of heat left behind by whatever made them.

It wasn't until the light died down in the sky that he lost the heat trail at the entrance to a small cave. It was big enough for a regular sized pony, but it was a tight fit for one of his size. He had to walk on all four and strap his back to his stomach to pass through the entrance. The cave itself was a straight path, and despite the tight fit, was not freezing. It was a strange thing indeed that the further he went the warmer it became, he stopped to collect his breath and switched to his thermal to see if anything had changed. It was a terrible decision as his vision was bombarded with a stream of red coming from the exit on the other side.

"Ow, damn it! That stings!"

He rubbed his eyes going back to normal, and it was obviously not the best decision he had made recently, but he was known not to make the best decisions most of the time. He continued forward despite temporarily blinding himself. With the cave being a straight path he didn't have much to fear. It was what seemed like another half-hour before he started to feel the heat from what seemed like sunlight. He forced himself out of the exit of the cave and felt for the wall beside it, taking off the pack and leaning against the wall he took off the extra layer of clothing. Digging around his by habit alone he dug out a bone and started smoking, it was a habit he picked up soon after starting his current profession. It didn't go well with everypony else when they learned of it, but the side-effects of such things didn't matter to him as he was practically immune to the smoke itself and the ingredients.

His vision was about slowly returning, and he could finally make out shapes, the noises around him alone were enough to make him draw a conclusion as to his surroundings, but he knew better to make such conclusions before seeing everything. As the dark was dissipating, he began to see greens, blues, and even yellows. He looked around to find himself on a grassy hill with what seemed like the sun shining in the sky. That didn't explain the yellow, though, that is until he looked to forward to see a yellow furred light blue-maned pony frozen in fear staring in his direction.

He stopped and began to move towards the mare only for said pony to step back each time he did. He sighed and before he could so much as say a word an ear shattering yell split through the air as the mare ran.

"Dragon!"

"Well, this is probably going to end badly. Might as well go after her." He picked up his pack and began walking after the shrieking pony.

It wasn't until the sound of bells rang through the air that he started to feel nervous at what was to come. As he pushed past some brush, he was confronted by a pack of ponies wielding spears. He put his hands up and released the last bit of smoke from the bone before letting it drop and stomping it out.

"Great, not even through the day and already hated. Good going, Spike."

Author's Note

New story! First Chapter! This is a story I've been meaning to start for a while after Paradox Scholar. Personally, I love Spike and the possibilities of his character as a whole. This story is not so much an adventure as it is more mystery, and while I still have Astral Exodus, Dear Twilight Sparkle, and Paradox Scholar in the to-do pile I can't help and feel like this is just worth it.

As always, thank you for taking the time to read my story. Please leave a comment or critique below as any critique helps me grow as a writer. Have a great day!