Wyvern

by PegasusKlondike

Windshear

It is commonly noted that pegasus ponies live for the freedom of the open sky, to stretch their wings and dance amongst the clouds. It is for this reason that pegasi hate claustrophobic environments, like caves or mines. So in the small mining town of Windshear, along the farthest frontiers of civilization, pegasus ponies were as rare as decent literature.

Windshear was a rough and tumble town, built hastily along a large river in the far northern territory of Snowreach after a gold rush had brought fortune seeking ponies far up from their normal haunts in Equestria, hundreds of miles to the south.

The signs of gold in the riverbeds had been promising, yet the streambeds had run dry of the precious metal in a few short months. Looking for another source, prospectors had left no stone unturned looking for that vein that could be the tip of the mother lode. And indeed they found such a vein, deep in the heart of a mountain. The standard gold pans were replaced by a deep mine shaft owned by an enterprising explorer company. The prospectors all got hired out as miners, filing into the mine daily with picks and shovels to extract the ore from the rock.

There had been problems starting up Windshear. Diamond Dogs also sought the same veins of precious metals for their consumption, but a few bands of hired mercenaries and a show of force had the Dogs packing for the other end of Snowreach. Trolls, rare in Equestria, were abundant in the pine forests and windswept tundras. There were a few scattered tribes of caribou in the area, but they seemed incredibly superstitious about the mountain range known as the Dragonspines and thus stayed far to the south. But the biggest problem of all had been Venerax, the great black scaled dragon that called this particular stretch of the north home. Due to his deep black color, the migrant ponies had taken to calling him Obsidian.

No amount of coercion, intimidation or even pleading with the wyrm could get him to leave, and the company had considered shutting down the mining operation for fear that Venerax might get a wild idea to attack Windshear. But Venerax had been the one to call for a compromise, a share of the mine's gold and gems for leaving the town alone. And if they behaved, he just might keep his fellow dragons from infringing on their agreement.

Though pleased the dragon had made such an offer, the heads of the company were outraged at his request, a full half of what came out of the mine was to go to Venerax! No way in Tartarus could they make a profit with such lion's share going to the dragon. But Venerax considered himself generous and offered another deal.

Unlike his brethren, the great black dragon of the north craved knowledge as well as gold. One pony saw that, and offered books to the dragon to lessen the monthly tax. Venerax agreed heartily to this deal, only demanding a quarter of the mine's production in exchange for getting a few books delivered to his cave each month from the town library. Venerax's payment of knowledge was the only reason one pegasus stuck around town, the company demanding that he stay on to manage the company ledgers and keep Obsidian content. A shy pegasus stallion named Klondike.

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Klondike moved carefully amongst the dusty shelves and bookcases, looking for last year's pay roll documents. Finding the ledger he needed, he carefully grabbed it with his mouth and pulled it from the shelf. He carried the logbook to his desk at the front of the library, setting it down it let off a cloud of dust. Stifling a sneeze, Klondike opened the ledger to the right page. Scanning employee payments he spied the error that had been reported by corporate headquarters back in Equestria. Gripping a quill in his teeth he marked it out and fixed the problem.

With a sigh he snapped the ledger shut, not liking his job like he should have. His cutie mark was even a quill. But he just couldn't seem to draw any joy from reviewing old income tax forms that had been improperly filled out by the miners. He pushed the ledger back to the "shelve" pile. He would reshelve it later, right now he felt content to sit in boredom at the front desk, listening to the clock tick, looking at a calendar of a tropical beach.

"One day, one day." he said to the calendar. His parents had been a part of the gold rush here to Windshear, planning on settling down when they had panned enough gold. He had been just a young colt when they came to harsh wilderness of Snowreach, leaving all of his friends and family back in Equestria for this forsaken corner of the world. By the time his parents had given up on the prospect of striking it rich, he was a teenager that The North Enterprise Company had sunk their claws into. He was indifferent about the higher ups that ran this operation, but they snagged onto him, paying fairly well for softening the problem of Obsidian's exorbitant landlording over Windshear. It was odd, for some reason the dragon seemed to tolerate him more completely than the other ponies. It was actually very simple, Klondike knew what kind of book Obsidian liked.

Klondike's parents had just left one day, leaving the young pegasus here to fend for himself. They never really seemed attached to their son, being a unicorn and an earth pony made having a pegasus colt an awkward topic for conversation. They had no clue what to do when he started getting his wings about him, and there are certain things pegasi should know about themselves that his parents didn't know.

In desperation they turned to the only other pegasus in Windshear, a drunkard aptly named Old Spin. After they turned to him, his parents gathered their meager earnings, sold their claim and took off for warmer climes on the next cargo ship to Equestria.

Suffice to say, Old Spin won the title of town drunk and fool without question. Crazy old coot had come up as a miner, but found a different trade when he discovered the forests of Snowreach filled with the furbearing critters whose fur lined the fanciest garments in Canterlot high fashion. Another reason most ponies avoided him, he constantly smelled of partially rotted polecat.

Klondike was trying to make a game of synchronizing his blinks with the ticking of the clock, head leaning on a hoof that was propped onto the desk. A pounding knock sounded at his door; not really his door though, technically it was the library/archive door, but he lived here regardless.

"Come in." he shouted to the other side of the door. The door burst open with a rush of subarctic wind, his long time friend muscling through the gales. "Pine Fresh, can I help you find a book?"

"You always open with that librarian crap, and the answer is always 'no'." The light orange furred earth pony shook off the cold.

"Wipe your hooves before you come in, I don't like mu-."

"Yeah yeah yeah, you don't like mud being tracked in the library." The earth pony obliged, going through the typical ritual when he visited his friend. Pine was a miner, having just got off his shift in the shaft. And it goes without saying that he did not live up to his name. Pine was the opposite of clean, being very filthy from his line of work.

"If you don't want a book, why bother to come in here?" asked the red pegasus.

Pine Fresh sauntered over to the front desk, "I don't know, maybe I just want to visit a friend or something. Nothing major."

"Alright then." The two stallions stood there for a while, neither one knowing what to talk about, the ticking of the clock and the howls of the bitter wind outside making the most noise.

"So, you want to hit the saloon?" the earth pony asked.

"Not until I can clock out for the evening."

"When is that?"

"Two minutes." Klondike stared at the clock, waiting for the precise time for his evening freedom.

Pine Fresh was stunned. "Unbelievable, of all the ponies in Windshear, only you would actually wait two minutes to get out of this place." He waved a hoof at the stacks of books, scrolls and ledgers.

"Somepony might come in during those two minutes. Who knows? They might actually want to check something out for once."

"Klondike, I hate to say this buddy, but nopony ever comes in here. Except for those creepy stallions that check out that old, ratty edition of that book on ancient art. You know, the one where the mares are..."

"I know, and please don't remind me of that one. I scrub off with hot water every time I touch it." The pegasus shuddered at the thought of the barely held together book that saw more checkouts than any other three books combined. He looked back at the clock and smiled. "Well would you look at the time, I ran overtime for a whole minute."

"Good, now let's get out of here."

Klondike turned down the oil lamps, blowing out the flames and locking the door on his way out. The pair trotted to the saloon, Pine Fresh shivering as he walked. Klondike trotted along comfortably, something his parents had neglected to mention was that pegasi didn't feel cold like the other ponies. Something about living high up in the clouds just made them more tolerant of it. Pushing open the door to the saloon they were greeted by yells of 'shut the damn door!'.

Taking a seat by the bar, Pine Fresh gave Klondike a kick under the table. "Hey lover boy, your dream girl is working the bar tonight."

Klondike warily turned his head, whipping back when he noticed Aurora indeed serving drinks. "Don't look! She might notice."

"You need to stallion up Klondike, if you like her just talk to her."

"No way Pine."

Pine Fresh grinned like a madman. "Waitress!" he called out. The snow white unicorn mare walked over to the stallions, levitating a tray of drinks and salt blocks with her magic. She flicked a strand of her honey colored mane out of her face.

"What can I get you gentlecolts tonight?" she asked.

"Get me one of your bottles of Fillydelphia whiskey and two glasses. Klondike my old pal?"

The pegasus was on the verge of flying out the door with nervousness, he mumbled something under his breath.

"What's that? I didn't quite catch that sir."

"Just a block of salt." he croaked.

Pine Fresh had a devious look in his eyes. "Don't mind him Aurora, he's just a tad bit flustered around pretty mares."

The mare giggled, walking away to get their drinks. Klondike looked Pine Fresh in the eye. "I'm going to murder you." he said with all sincerity.

"Please, you've never held a weapon in your life."

"I'm serious. I'm a pegasus if you didn't notice, we pegasi are proud warriors!"

Pine Fresh's face squelched up, then he burst out laughing. "Good one! Klondike, you've never met another pegasus in your life except Old Spin, and he can't even fly anymore!" The tangerine earth pony nearly rolled off his stool, laughing until his eyes watered. "Proud warrior, phew, you made my day with that one! Maybe you should have been a comedian instead of a librarian."

Aurora returned with their alcohol and Klondike's salt block, setting them on the table. Pine Fresh covered tonight's round with a nugget of gold from the mine. Klondike grabbed a glass, filling it with whiskey and draining it in a single gulp, filling it again he slammed another.

"Woah there, slow it down. The night is still young, 'proud warrior'."

Klondike slammed down his glass. "You make fun of me for my heritage, but what was the bravest thing you ever did? Hmm?"

Pine Fresh had to think about it for a second, "Well, there was that time I kicked a troll straight in the nether regions. Ooh, and there was this time I got frisky with the other barmaid, but then that night actually turned out really good for both of us. And then this one time, me and the boys got stupid drunk and grabbed some weapons from the militia armory, and then we went and hunted down that wendigo that was causing problems around the mine."

"Alright I get it! But I think I've got you beat, I confront Obsidian, MONTHLY!"

The earth pony's face turned serious, "Klondike, that takes some serious machismo. Seriously, I'd wet myself if I had to go talk about my favorite books with a fat lazy dragon!" His smile was ear to ear and he snickered uncontrollably. "Come on, let's see your flank! Maybe you drew that cutie mark on there, let's rub it off and see the comedy mask."

Pine Fresh was a bit tipsy, and he actually leaned down to look at Klondike's flank, just to make the quill and ink were really there. Klondike swatted him with a wing.

"Seriously though Klondike, maybe Aurora would warm up to you if you told her you tango with dragons regularly. If you weren't a complete chicken. Look, your wings even look like chicken wings!" Pine Fresh began to cluck like a barnyard fowl.

"Knock it off!" Klondike's wings flared, threatening to knock over some poor bar patron as he walked by.

"Easy there, we're just having a conversation. That's all." The earth pony's nose wrinkled. "I smell dead fox nearby. Better cover that nose of yours before Old Spin-" The door to the saloon creaked open, some ponies prepared themselves to yell at the newcomer, but noticing the old pegasus they stifled themselves. "Too late." Pine Fresh muttered.

The old pegasus lived in a cabin outside of town, which was a blessing to everypony. Thankfully the wind typically put the odor of his fur trapping and skinning operation downwind of town. He always seemed solemn and even depressed until he started drinking or licking salt. After that he was the town fool, spouting ridiculous stories about how he used to adventure across Equestria and fight monsters. Mostly made up, but occasionally he told one that might have made sense had anypony else but him told it.

"Uh, yeah. I think I've had enough for the night." Pine Fresh grabbed his half full bottle of whiskey as the village drunk took his traditional seat in the corner, his hood up until he had some liquor in him. Klondike stuck around the saloon to lick his salt block. Old Spin always seemed to have an eye on Klondike, like he knew something about the only other pegasus that Klondike didn't already know.

Klondike shuddered at the thought of the weird old trapper watching him all the time. Taking a final inebriating lick off his salt block Klondike stood up from his table, walking out the door. For him it was a gorgeous night out, a fine time to work his wing muscles after sitting behind a desk all day. Spreading his wings he stretched them out good, not wanting to cramp up or tear something in mid flight.

Taking off he headed up the river that Windshear relied on for transport out of this hostile territory. He followed it up to a place he knew to be peaceful and quiet, where he could watch the stars and relax himself. The miles ate up under his gentle glide, he soon spied the cloud covered peak where he would lay some nights. Landing on a nimbus perch he turned back to look out over Snowreach. If you tried to look at it from a different angle than fighting for your survival, it really was a beautiful place.

He never grew tired of the way the stars gave their shining vigil over the forested lands, twinkling at their mirror images in the placid waters of a glacier fed lake. Some nights he would get lucky, and a shimmering aurora would dance across the skies. All the more recent migrants would stare in awe at the aurora, saying it shone like the mane of Princess Celestia herself. Klondike smiled at the thought, in his mind nothing could compare to the beauty of nature in its full purity. Untouched and untouchable, a soothing show of light that calmed the heart of the most wild beast.

Klondike thought about sleeping out here on this cloud, under the lights of heaven. But he had to be up early tomorrow, another day of being a corporate drudge behind his desk for The North Enterprise Company. God he hated it.

Leaping from his cloud, he drifted lazily back to Windshear. Dropping to his hooves by the door, Klondike pushed open the library door. Stepping inside he wiped his hooves on the doormat, making sure he was not being hypocritical. Climbing the broad stairs to the right of the door he turned to his sparse bedroom. It was mostly books with a rough bed in the corner, but it was home. Laying on his bed he wanted to snuggle up in his blankets and sheets. But he had to give that up quite a while back. For some reason he would wake up and his sheets would always be torn to shreds, cut to ribbons somehow.

Comments

[Iron Sides]

Good chapter, keep it up!

[Detective Chmilewsky]

@PegasusKlondike There is no need for you to change your story in anyway just to appease me! Just because I am a HiE buff doesn't mean I won't read your story =P