Old Spin trudged past the palisade wall of Windshear. If there ever was a guard or something, they gave up long ago and hit the saloon like he was getting ready to do. The old pegasus still had some life in him, and every time he earned a few bits selling his furs down at the docks he would typically burn through them at the saloon.
Occasionally Pinch Penny, the owner of the bar would give him free drinks to tell some of his more interesting stories. They were indeed interesting, but nopony believed a word he said. Pushing open the door to the saloon, he halfway received the standard yells for closing the door, but they were silenced at the sight of the old pegasus. Wearing a deep hood and cloak, Spin took his usual place in the corner, near the hearth.
He only had to sit for a minute before that pretty unicorn mare Aurora stopped by.
"The usual, Mr. Spin?"
"You know it," he grumbled.
The mare walked off, very promptly bringing back his typical bottle of whiskey and a block of salt. Old Spin dropped a couple of bits on the table, then shook a few more out of his coinpurse. "Keep the change, buy yourself something nice."
"Thank you sir." Aurora walked away to attend to business with other patrons. Spin filled his glass, beginning his nightly ritual of drowning his sorrows and making an ass of himself as he told insane stories to those ponies that bothered to listen.
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Klondike flew as fast as he could, occasionally looking back to see if that monster had somehow followed him.
"Have to keep going, have to warn everypony. Have to keep going, have to warn everypony." he chanted his mantra, hoping that he wouldn't be too late, that maybe the militia in Windshear could do something about it. He stayed low so as not to lose his bearings, and hopefully stay out of the sight of any monsters that might be lurking in the clouds.
Windshear was in sight, the beautiful glass pane windows alight with candles and lanterns. Only a few more miles and he could be safe from the beast that haunted the mountains. The storm that had lightly spat on his wings earlier had fulfilled his prophetic clarity, and now torrents of heavy rains poured on the fleeing pegasus.
Klondike strained to keep going, to keep himself in the air. But the howling wind forced him to the ground to run the rest of the way to Windshear. Running along the muddy road, he panted as he tripped over something. Landing face down in the mud Klondike scrambled to stand up and clear his face of the muck.
Whatever he tripped on groaned, Klondike turned back, wings outspread, hoping he wouldn't have to fight whatever it was. No, it was a pony, a unicorn that had collapsed from exhaustion. He recognized this fellow, it was one of the miners that had taken off and decided to go back to panning. Klondike helped him to his feet, supporting the unicorn's weight with his wing.
"We need to get to safety!" he shouted to the unicorn. The unicorn's head drooped, not having much life left in him. With his charge partially slung over his back and a wing keeping him standing, Klondike trudged towards the fortified town.
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The door to the saloon burst open, the patrons all lining up their standard greeting. But they shut up the moment Klondike trudged in with the unicorn miner slung over his shoulder.
"This pony needs help!" he screamed. All the various patrons dropped their glasses and rushed to relieve the pegasus of his burden. Two miners lifted the unicorn off of him, placing him on a bench that lay near the fireplace.
"By Celestia's flank, it's Chipper! Chipper, what happened to you?" one patron said as he shook the mostly unconscious unicorn.
"Out of the way!" Old Spin muscled his way through, carrying the bottle of whiskey. He wrenched open the unicorn's mouth pouring a shot down his throat. The burn of alcohol brought him to, but when his eyes opened Chipper began to scream, terrified at the memory of something. Old Spin slapped him with a wing. "Calm down! What happened?"
"MONSTER!" he screamed.
Spin placed his hooves on either side of Chipper's face, holding him still and preventing him from struggling. "What monster? What did this monster do?"
"Beech Nut, it killed Beech Nut!"
"What killed Beech Nut, Chipper?" Old Spin proffered the bottle for the unicorn to drink from, he grabbed it and gulped down the firey liquid. "Slow down, now what killed Beech Nut? A troll? Wendigo? Something else?"
Spin forcefully removed the bottle from the unicorn's grip, Chipper gasped as he calmed down slightly.
"A monster killed Beech Nut." he whimpered.
Spin looked directly into his eyes. "What kind of monster?"
His eyes watered as he gasped out the words. "I don't know."
"Yellow eyes, like those of a cat. Great big wings like the sails on a ship. Breath worse than frostbite. A head with two horns, like some kind of devil, but one horn broken off." The entire patronage of the saloon turned to Klondike, sitting by himself with a thousand yard stare.
"Yes, it killed Beech Nut!" cried the unicorn.
"What are you saying Klondike?" asked one of the miners.
"I saw it, up close. It was a monster, and I've never seen anything like it before. It killed the entire caravan from Yellowblade, and ate their corpses." He pointed a hoof to the mantle over the hearth. "That, that's it!"
He pointed to a piece of mammoth ivory, scrimshawed by some troll long ago. The minute scratches and ink fillings on the piece depicted a beast similar to a dragon, wings spread as it sprayed death on whatever stood in its way.
Old Spin removed the mostly decorative piece from the mantle, inspecting it closely. "I've seen these beasts before. And if Klondike is right, we are all in horrible danger."
"Is this some kind of joke Old Spin? That's a religious piece from some tribe of trolls, that monster isn't real! I'll bet it was that wyrm Obsidian, I think he got bored and went on a rampage!" Many of the group agreed.
"This thing is more real than you could imagine. The trolls call it a Sun Eater, and I've seen them before; high up on the tundras past the Dragonspine Range."
The door to the saloon creaked open, Boss Tweed and some of his toughs walking in. "Another one of your crackpot stories, Old Spin? Don't go around slinging slander like that, we all know that this was the work of Obsidian."
"THIS WASN'T OBSIDIAN!" shouted the old pegasus. "Several years ago I tried hunting bigger game to help fill my fur quotas. I got on the trail of a huge saber cat, I tracked that creature up into the mountains for days. When I finally confronted it, I managed to wound the cat with my crossbow. It fled north into the Dragonspines. If you didn't know, saber cat pelts are some of the best selling furs in Kali'Gryph, killing this brute could have easily made my year."
"Do go on, old foal." snickered one of the company toughs.
"Keep that tongue behind your teeth before I rip it out. I chased the cat all the way to the other side of the mountains, when I reached the other side I lost the trail, but I discovered a new land. Snow and ice as far as the eye could see, howling winds drowning out the cries of dire wolves, bears and whatever other predators stalked the snow fields. I got lost, there was no way I could find my way back through the blinding white snow. That was when I saw them."
"Them?"
"Yes, an entire colony of these creatures. They're huge, able to pick up a mammoth with their claws. And they breathe an elemental attack like a dragon, but instead of fire, they breathe ice. There were dozens of the little ones, all striped with red and yellow. But they were subservient to a really big one, a foul creature that was mottled brown and roared like a dragon. I fled their territory, only to blunder into a tribe of ice trolls that were herding their mammoths. They saw pity on me and took me in. I speak some Jotun, and they told me that those monsters were called Sun Eaters, as whenever the sun came out, the little ones would fly up and try to consume it. They said that the Sun Eaters fear nothing, they consume everything and are the reason why nothing up on the tundra makes fires anymore."
"And we are to believe this story from a drunkard who probably dreamed up the whole experience?" Boss Tweed said snidely, his toughs laughing behind him.
"I am not lying! And if what Klondike says is true, we are all in horrible danger!"
One of the toughs bellowed with laughter, "We're supposed to believe that some ice breathing dragon made its way down here just to scare a couple of ponies? Tell us another one Spin! How about that one where you were taken by that flying dinner plate out near Las Neighas?"
"That one was never true, but I warn you, if we ignore this threat then no place is safe!"
Boss Tweed stamped a hoof, "If it will shut you up Old Spin, I'll call a town meeting. One hour, back here at the saloon. Boys, fetch everypony in town." His toughs nodded, running out the door to fetch all the miners and everypony else from their homes.
"Idiots! Sheer idiocy runs this place!" Spin kicked over a chair, returning to his place in the corner to nurse a glass of whiskey.
Klondike still sat in his chair, back to the wall, staring at the horizon. Aurora walked up to him. "Are you alright? Are you hurt Klondike?"
"I'm fine." He quietly said. "I'm just a little frightened is all."
Aurora telekinetically grabbed a glass and a bottle of brandy. Opening it carefully she poured him a glass. He took the politely offered glass and sipped the drink. "Thanks, I really needed that."
"Is there really a monster? Are you sure it isn't that awful dragon?"
"I've seen Obsidian more than any five ponies put together. This wasn't Obsidian, it wasn't even a dragon. I'll never forget that thing, how its breath felt like frostbite and how it stank of death." He looked Aurora in the eyes, only now he realized he wasn't a shivering wreck and stumbling over his words. "I know Obsidian, he would never attack us like this. He's too docile and content with his books."
"It's kind of brave of you, talking to that dragon every month. And even braver to stand up for such a creature."
Klondike's lips curled in a small smile, "Yeah, I guess it is."
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Windshear, being a corporately established settlement of the North Enterprise Co. had no official mayor. It was for this reason that all town decisions fell on the shoulders of the board of directors back in Equestria. Or on the regional branch executive in times of emergency, which every issue seemed to be an emergency with Tweed as the regional executive. Boss Tweed stamped a hoof near the fireplace, calling to order all the various employees and denizens of Windshear. The saloon was packed, even the top floor was filled with ponies leaning out over the railings.
"If anypony hasn't already heard, a few incidents have occurred which require our attention and possible action."
A pony in the back shouted out, "Yeah, your foremen run us like slaves in the damn mine!" Several of the miners shouted their anger at the treatment.
Another called out, "And where is our pay? Most of us have been breaking our backs in there, but we still haven't been paid in weeks! A lot of us have families in Equestria that rely on the money we send back to them!" More ponies became riled at the mistreatment of the miners.
"You all can thank Obsidian for that! He is sucking us dry with his monthly tax! But I did not gather you all here tonight to discuss your labor union woes. A few incidents have occurred which resulted in the deaths of a few ponies."
Klondike shoved his way to the front. "A few?! An entire caravan was slaughtered out there!" A company goon placed a hoof on the pegasus' chest.
"Yes, a caravan was sacked. And we all know the source of our woes! Our 'landlord' Obsidian has become displeased with our progress. Therefore, I have taken the liberty of sending out a missive to Equestria requesting dragon slayers!"
The saloon became a mad house, ponies shouting their cheers at the company finally doing something about Obsidian, others jeering because they believed that even after the dragon was dealt with their conditions would not improve.
"NO! Venerax is innocent! You have to listen to me, this is something far worse than any dragon!" But Klondike's cries fell on deaf ears, the sound of everypony shouting easily drowning him out. With a curse he left the saloon turned town hall, kicking a post on his way out. Dejectedly he stalked to the library, opening the door he wondered if this was some kind of nightmare or not. A great monster was out slaughtering willy-nilly, and they all wanted to cross swords with Venerax!
Klondike climbed the stairs to his bedroom, pausing by his wash basin and mirror. He looked at himself, muddy, bedraggled, with even some flecks of blood on his hooves. Grabbing a wash rag he diligently cleaned himself. Any other night he would have heated up a tub full of water and bathed properly, but he was too tired and still boggled from the creature's attack.
Shaking off the excess water, Klondike lay on his bed, head up so he could preen his wing feathers. They had taken on quite a bit of grime between hiding from the Sun Eater and carrying Chipper on his back. Delicately nibbling on the edges to realign the shape of a feather, it gave him time to think.
"That's all I can do, think. Pine Fresh is right, I can't fight this thing, I'm no warrior." He finished preening his wings, laying his head down he slept fitfully, having horrible dreams about that creature freezing the whole world, feasting on the flesh of everypony he cared about.