//------------------------------// // The Windigo of Despair // Story: Grey Little Pony // by Dusty Miller //------------------------------// “The road that is built in hope is more pleasant to the traveler than the road built in despair, even though they both lead to the same destination.” ― Marion Zimmer Bradley, The Fall of Atlantis Zuko: There is no honor for me without the Avatar. Iroh: Zuko, even if you did capture the Avatar, I’m not so sure it would solve our problems. Not now. Zuko: Then there is no hope at all. Iroh: No, Zuko! You must never give into despair. Allow yourself to slip down that road, and you surrender to your lowest instincts. In the darkest times, hope is something you give yourself. That is the meaning of inner strength. Avatar: The Last Airbender: Season 2, Episode 5 Avatar Day (28 Apr. 2006) In an enchanted forest there is an open field at the end of the field there is a citadel that backs to the river. The palace of the Emprise of the Night. To her, it is only a small manor. A place of solitude, her personal sanctuary. Princess Luna is an Alicorn, a powerful demigod and co-ruler of an empire. Standing sentry in front, a small insignificant, flightless, magic-less, nothing nicknamed Grey. Grey stood at his post in front of the palace. Snow and ice crystals blew in Grey’s face. He wore a brown course cloak. The hood would not stay on in the wind. The rock he stood on pulled warmth from his legs. The frozen ground would do the same. It would be time to go for a run soon to warm up. Dark clouds hung just above the palace roof. The field was covered with drifts of snow. Where the wind had exposed the grass, it was tan and lifeless. The Everfree forest was black and quiet except for the wind whistling through the baron trees. The weight of the world settled on Grey’s back and heart. A lifetime of anguish, despair, grief and sorrow smothered him. For a moment he felt as if he was standing alone in a crowd in Ponyville. A thought went through his head. Sad to be all alone in the world. What a poetically sad or sadly poetic thought. Too bad it wasn’t mine. Grey yelled at the sky, “If there is a Windigo near, I order it to appear.” A sickly looking horse materialized in front of Grey. Its long narrow face looked like it was being stretched from below. Its eyes were red as if it had been crying for days and dark bags hung from them. Its colour was pale, and it looked neglected and abused. Its mark was on its shoulder, a hypnotic swirl. The hind end disappeared in tatters. Its voice was ghostly miserable. “So many regrets, disappointments. So alone, so sad.” Grey said, “Can’t be alone if you like the one you’re with.” “Tell yourself what you want. They all left you to stand out here all by yourself on the coldest darkest night of the year. The only way out of your endless torture is to offer me your life and your soul.” Grey said. “True, this is one of the longest nights of the year, a time of celebration for the followers of the Princess of the Night. You want to eat my soul?” Grey chuckled, “I assure you it is black and toxic.” “All you have to do is let go. It will be the easiest thing you have ever done. Let the pain that is your life fall away from you. They will give you a special day where they will finally honour you. They will sing songs of your accomplishments and cry at your great loss. I will be nourished, you will be free, you see, we both win.” “You’re talking about my funeral. I can wait. It will come soon enough.” “Your name is Dusty Miller, the sad grey flower that shall never bloom.” “Bitch, please! The negative thoughts that usually go through my head are a lot cleverer than you and that’s just background static. I am not my negative thoughts.” “You are standing on a cold rock in the middle of nowhere. Your princess won’t even offer you shelter on her special night.” “And I wouldn’t take it. It would make me soft. We can’t have that in the Everfree forest can we? It’s a great day when my food walks right up to me.” “I beg your pardon.” “Yes, I expect you’ll be doin’ a lot of begging.” “You presume to threaten me. You are delusional. Depression has touched you. There is only one way out for you. Offer me your life and your soul. You are a sad herbivore.” "Vegetarians in the Everfree forest in winter? You must be young and naïve for your species. A lone pony standing in the middle of the Everfree forest. That didn’t set off warning bells in that skinny head of yours? I like your skull by the way, I think I’ll polish it up and offer it to my mistress as a gift on this special night. If she doesn’t want it I’ll hang it in the forest and the spiders can nest in your eye sockets.” Grey took a step forward. “You bluff your way through life. No magic, no flight, she has everything and you have nothing. So heart-breaking. You chew grass between flat teeth.” Grey said. “The Mantacord tears flesh with his sharp teeth and swallows it in gulps. I grind my food between my teeth and savour the taste and texture of flesh. And a warm meal has just appeared before me.” Grey took another step forward. The Windigo stepped back. “You can see my mind. You can see that I speak the truth when I say the Mantacord is my acquaintance. And before you say it, I have no friends because it would be dangerous for any creature to get close to me. Well there is Old Sod.” Grey focused on Discord’s smiling face. Grey, you old name dropper. The Windigo shuddered. There was foam at the corners of Grey’s mouth. “Can you see that I have a Demon Badger for a pet?” Grey used his meditative training and forced out any thoughts of ponies and concentrated on the animal appropriately named, Teeth and Claws. “Perhaps I have made a miscalculation.” Grey walked forward. The Windigo moved backwards. Drool hung from the left side of Grey’s mouth. He tilted his head to make it more obvious until the wind blew it against his face. “Oh we’re not done yet. If I ever hear of a Windigo harassing any creature anywhere around here, I will hunt you. If I hear of a Parasprite waking up in a bad mood because of a Windigo, I will come for you. You’re right: I own nothing. But my hard training has given me one thing, a very particular set of skills. Skills that make me a nightmare for creatures like you. If you and your kind never come back, that will be the end of it. But if you don’t, I have your scent, I will peruse you, I will find you and I will kill you. And there is just one more thing. You lost your meal. You must have been watching me for a while to pick this moment in time to tempt me. You lost your prey. A lone earth pony troubled you, disturbed you and defeated you. Your species feeds on the souls of the miserable. Be careful if you go home. Your kind may be cannibalistic.” The Windigo shrieked and disappeared. Grey lifted his knees high as he trotted back to his rock. The wind and snow stopped blowing. Hey, I changed the weather! I must be a weather Pegasus. The ever-present eyes at the edge of the Everfree forest retreated into the forest. Probably shouldn’t tell Fluttershy about today.