The World Tree: World of the Frozen Moon

by Artaelian

Chapter Five: Aboard the Serpent's Revenge

Scootaloo had not slept during the night the strange mercenary and his crew had taken them aboard a flying ship. Across from the cell she was kept in were Rumble and Applebloom, both of whom had slept and now were slowly waking up.
The pirates had been quick to take them aboard the ship, she was sure she had heard the fire of weapons and a few later complaining how close they had come to being captured. Through the night, one of the mercenaries made to watch them had a device which emitted voices. It repeated the same information through the night, but one of the voices had simply said aloud.
“Three foals abducted by mercenaries in forest near Manehatten, taken aboard their ship Serpent’s Revenge, reward of four million bits for capture of its captain, and further rewards for safe return of the taken foals.”

Applebloom yawned, smacking her lips, she looked half asleep at Scootaloo.
“Ya still awake?” she questioned.
“How could I not friend? I tried to not land you in trouble, yet this seems to be the biggest trouble of all for the three of us.” Scootaloo replied.
Rumble said nothing as he woke up. Applebloom seemed to be in thought.
“I wonder why there’s no guard now?” she questioned.
“Who knows? At least the device one of them used emitted voices, the voice has told them that we have been taken and a reward set for our return and their capture.” Scootaloo informed the other two.
“All the more reason we need to escape. They’re not likely to keep us alive if we’re a liability.” Rumble stated, examining his cell.
“Regardless, for the moment, they’re on the move. This seems a good time to answer your questions at last, Applebloom.”
Applebloom nodded her head. She had so many questions, so many places to start.
“What’d you mean another world?” she picked.
Scootaloo sighed, and trotted to a window in her cell. She looked out, the view was breathtaking, green fields, so full of life, and little villages dotted about. So very unlike home.
“The mercenary leader told us a story when we first met him, do you remember? The two elven ponies.”
Applebloom nodded, even Rumble looked genuinely curious.
“They say for one world’s stories, another world lived it. It is so very true. The elven ponies, the couple cursed, it happened. Somewhere, in a world like this, yet so very different.”
“So what you’re saying is,” Rumble spoke up, “like that story which happened in another world somewhere, you too come from a world like ours, but different?”
Scootaloo nodded.
“The truth is, while I don’t look it now, I came from the world where that story was recent history. I’m an elven pony, somehow I’ve ended up here.”
Applebloom looked shocked, but Rumble looked sceptical.
“I know it is hard to believe, since I look like you, but I believe the walls around your world changed me to give me a chance to seek help. Something is wrong with my world. The moon, it has replaced the sun, the fields are frozen, we are cold. I am sure if someone, anyone can help us, they would be rewarded far more than they realise. A king’s ransom would pale in comparison, they would be our saviours from the frozen moon.”

The sound of slow moving hoofsteps filled the air. From around a corner, High Wind appeared, and slowly he walked towards the cell where Scootaloo was. He came to a stop and studied her.
“So, I was right, lass. An elven pony. A real, breathing elven pony.”
Scootaloo didn’t waver, though she very much wished she could hide at that minute. The mercenary had clearly been there long enough to hear the whole story. High Wind however sighed.
“Me daughter, bless her soul, loved the stories of elven ponies. Her mama died in birth, and she was never the best in health. But her smile,” his eyes glistened, “she loved the stories. On her deathbed, I shall never forget. Her last words, I see them papa. The elven ponies. They look cold, but so happy.”
He rubbed his eyes with a forehoof.
“I became angry, at the world. I had to lie to my only flesh and blood to the end, and not a damned foal could care at her passing! I became a mercenary, t’get me revenge. But it wasn’t a lie, was it lass? Me daughter did see your kind, cold.”
He turned around and walked towards the stairs where he paused. He took a set of keys from a coat pocket, turned back, and unlocked each of the cell doors.
“I, don’t understand?” Applebloom questioned.
“Yer friend, the elven pony, said we’d be her kind’s saviour. To warm up the elven ponies, to maybe give me daughter the chance to rest knowing her papa warmed them from the cold, that’d make me happy enough to retire on what I have.”
“Oh come on! You don’t believe her too do you?” Rumble shouted.
“Ah, sceptic are ye lad? Well, how can you know what she be saying ain’t true until we exhausted all options?”
“Its bucking simple! The band, the gem, they’re clearly a tracking ward meant for an asylum, she got out, we need to find it and get her back, then get home!”
High Wind studied Rumble with calm eyes. Then he chuckled and walked away.
“Fine, if ye wish, stay in the cell lad, no skin off me muzzle. Come lasses, we’ll figure things out now yer guests.”
Rumble groaned and sat to the floor, annoyed.

Up on the deck of the Serpent’s Revenge, Applebloom and Scootaloo looked around as High Wind led them to the helm. Around, low lying clouds floated past, and the ground was far below that. Both fillies looked in awe at the sight. From the deck, they were indeed led to the helm, and looked around.
The crew worked the ship, making sure that it and they stayed afloat. High Wind smiled.
“We get a bad rep, I feel,” he said, “we live outside society, yet have our own, and do what we do for money to keep it going. Is it wrong?” he asked, mostly to Scootaloo.
“That depends I think, on which side of what you do someone is on.” she replied.
High Wind nodded.
“So, where do we head?” he wondered.
Scootaloo had no answer.

Time Twister stood on the unnamed ship, as it departed Canterlot. He looked like a foal in a candy store, as he stood on the command bridge. Just hours ago, Maakera had confirmed other worlds existed, and now he was getting to see the way there.
Of course there was still the fact of the missing foals, lost under his guard, but he had ordered his men to look out for the ship, Serpent’s Revenge. The foals, now including the colt again, but he wasn’t sure how that had happened.
“Sir,” Shining Armor spoke up, “we’ve left Canterlot behind, can you give us a bearing?”
“Of course, head on bearing two-two-nine by six-four. Full power for six hours, then steady pace.” Time Twister replied, taking a seat.
“I needed to ask sir, what are we looking for?”
“Really? Going to keep calling me sir? Come on Shining, we’re still friends right?” Time Twister asked, with a grin.
“Alright, I guess. I was just trying to keep appearance and stick to ranks. So what’s made you look like you found the love of your life?”
“She told me what I always wanted to find was real,” Time Twister stared ahead at nothing in particular, “other worlds, Shining. Worlds like ours, where something went different. Just imagine it, a world where we could all be griffons instead, or our genders are reversed. We’re heading to secure the way there, the Princess fears something is trying to get to our world, using it.”
“You mean,” Shining Armor trailed off.
“That’s right, Yggdrasil. The world tree that grew when, in legend, Maakera had to banish her own flesh and blood from our world, lest they destroy it. And the tree took the Elements of Harmony to secure our world. But now she thinks someone has taken them, or the world tree has just stopped using their power. Even she doesn’t know, and that’s frightening.”
The words made them both shiver. Princess Maakera always knew everything, for her to not know was unheard of.
“Ship sighted ahead! Identified as Serpent’s Revenge!” one of the crew shouted.
Time Twister stood up. Looking ahead, he saw the infamous ship.
“Any sign of the foals?” he asked.
“Heat sensors show two at the helm, one under the deck.”
He looked to the ship, and begun to think of what he should do.

High Wind had fallen silent for a few hours, as they travelled. Scootaloo was annoyed by this, but soon, he cleared his throat.
“I know a way back to your world, lass. Yggdrasil, the world tree. We’re heading there, should arrive in a few more hours.” he replied.
“Sir, unidentified ship following behind us.”
High Wind turned, followed by Scootaloo and Applebloom. They stared in awe at the airship that was trailing behind the Serpent’s Revenge. The ship, which held no name on the side, was easily triple the size of the ship they were aboard, with cannons lining the side in three rows. There was only one thing about the ship that made Scootaloo and Applebloom think they were in trouble. Nothing good came from a ship that had to be overloaded with weaponry, and it looked as if it could handle an entire enemy fleet by itself.
“Well lads, seems the Princess herself is fed up o’us.” High Wind grinned. He pushed Scootaloo and Applebloom together, and led them back under the deck, even forcing Rumble to join them.
They were half way down another set of stairs when the cannons of the bigger ship began to fire.
“What’s going on?” Rumble shouted, as explosions rattled the Serpent’s Revenge.
“The Princess of the land is fed up it seems of me, and having you three was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Now you three, in here.”
High Wind pointed to a metal walled room that looked out of place. Scootaloo, Applebloom and Rumble looked at him with suspicion.
“Its clear we can’t survive this battle. That thing had enough weapons to blow a fleet out of the sky, but, this room is designed to fall and survive the landing. I want you three to stay inside it until all the noise outside goes away.” he said, as he pushed Scootaloo inside.
“But what about you?” Scootaloo asked him, as Applebloom and Rumble wasted no time in going inside. High Wind turned around. He was shaking, but they were unable to see the fate accepting grin on his face.
“I’m gonna go see my daughter, tell her the elven ponies are warm again. Just make sure I ain’t lying to her, ya hear?”

The next few minutes were a blur for the trio of friends as they waited inside the safe room. Explosions could be heard outside, and some even hit just outside the room itself, but nothing ever blew into the room, just as High Wind had said.
At some point, the gravity disappeared and they were floating just above the soft floor of the room, which became the wall, and then the ceiling, and rolled. This bit didn’t last long, and it was more by chance they landed back on the soft floor again.
The explosions outside eventually died down, and it was Rumble who opened the door first. Around them lay the bodies of the mercenaries and the fragments of the Serpent’s Revenge, and further in the sky, hovering ominously, was the unnamed ship.
“They killed them all,” Scootaloo whispered, “not a single one of them was spared.”
Fires of the Serpent’s Revenge crackled and popped. She was, in a way, thankful that High Wind’s body couldn’t be seen, that allowed her at least to believe he had survived, despite all the evidence.
And then there was the footsteps. In the crash, all wildlife nearby had fallen deathly silent, and had left their words and the fires the only sound. All three looked around for the source of the footsteps, and it became clear quickly it was multiple footsteps, from all around them. Scootaloo gasped as she saw the stallion from Ponyville, the one who had chased them days before, leading a lot of soldiers in a slowly closing circle around them.
“Well now, I’m overjoyed to see that you three survived. Perhaps my reputation as Captain of the Guard can be salvaged. I can see the headlines now, Royal Captain slays notorious High Wind, saves foals,” Time Twister was grinning, “and the best bit, you’ll lead me to the source of your power, not only will I be praised for saving you, I can bring about a new age for Equestria not seen in a thousand years!”
“No! I won’t help you! Not after what you did to High Wind, he was just trying to find elven ponies and show his daughter that he never lied to her!” Scootaloo yelled.
The circle of soldiers drew closer.
“Really? His deceased daughter? I suppose you’ll believe she died a young filly, believing such tales,” Time Twister’s grin was almost big enough to make even a sane pony believe that he was far beyond insanity, “he never told you that she grew to adulthood, and was executed for attempting to assassinate the griffon ambassador? I should know, I was there to pull the lever and watch his own sanity break! I made him the mercenary he was, and I’m now the one who ended his life!”
Time Twister’s horn glowed and the burnt coat of High Wind dropped to Scootaloo’s hooves. She could only stare at the blood soaked and burnt coat lay there, as the soldiers shackled her hooves and wings.

Author's Note:

Why yes, there is two chapters this week. Chapter five was partially written when I became too busy to continue due to real life work.
So now its finished and we're getting closer to the end of the story. Things aren't looking up for Scootaloo and friends, but its far from the end, and the story isn't at the titular frozen moon. I'm starting work on chapter six now, so I hope you all look forward to it!