Fortyeight
Kvalhissir landed after clearing the crevasse, panting. The reindeer fell off his back and they all three started climbing up the glacier.
The face of it was steep and slippery, but there was a path of sorts, and huge footprints, as well as strange craters, as if ice had been sucked up into the air somehow.
“I don’t like this…” Saga whined.
“Shhh!” said Tuva. “We’re trying to surprise them!” She was less exhausted than the city fawn, but the sweat still poured off her back and her wound from when the Skoll bit her had opened. She turned back against Kvalhissir. He was taking up the rear, and not to defend it. He panted heavily and snot and drool fell from his muzzle.
“Are you… are you okay?” she whispered.
He nodded, panting heavily.
“Leaping the air…”
He couldn’t finish the sentence.
“Take it easy!” said Tuva. “We’re carrying on!”
Saga looked at her.
“We should just get Vigg out of there and leave,” Tuva whispered. “He’d better rest.”
They struggled on towards the top, and to their relief they realized they wouldn’t have to go the whole way. There was a shelf, with a mound of ice and snow which must be hiding a cave, judging from the path. Saga and Tuva hurried their steps and slipped more as a result.
Then the mound rose and stretched out its front paws.
“Oh my goddess!” Saga whimpered.
It was a huge canine shape, barely visible in the gloom. It didn’t bark or whine, but it did stomp its back paws before it bent forward and snapped its huge, icicle-hung jaws together. Ice fell off it. Other ice and snow rose up and was absorbed into its body. As it moved, the ice cracked and broke yet was repaired once again by the ever present Winter.
“Oh no…” Saga said. “Oh no…”
“Saga”, said Tuva, “listen to me. Can these things think for themselves?”
“No…” Saga sobbed. “Not really.”
“Great, Saga”, said Tuva, “have you ever seen two jays taunt a dog?”
The “dog” above them tensed, somehow sniffing the air without a real nose.
“Yes,” nodded Saga.
“You scramble right, I scramble left!” Tuva said. “NOW!”
They hurried off, stumbled, slipped, each in their own direction. The ice-thing scrambled down as well, less slow than you’d think, but had trouble getting a grip at first. It turned its head back and forth, first at one doe, then another, hesitating. Then it turned towards Saga.
“HEY!” Tuva shouted. “OVER HERE!”
She chucked her hatchet at him. It clattered uselessly against his lumbering shape, but he turned and advanced towards her ponderously.
“HEY!” Saga shout. “YOU BIG UGLY LUMP OF MANURE!” She tossed some snow at him without effect, then clambered closer, which caused her to slip and slide down a few yards.
That got the ice-thing’s attention, and it turned on the spot and stepped outside the old line of tracks. As a result it also slid down and stopped its fall by ramming its front paws into the ground, shattering both the paws and the ground doing so, its arm-stumps slowly growing new paws. As Saga skittered away from it, it rose up and tore its paws free from the ground.
“HEY!” Tuva shouted and flung a huge block of ice she had found in one of the huge tracks at his head. It shattered one ear. He paused, swiveled his head back and forth, and then started to lumber towards Tuva.
“He is really dumb!” Saga shouted.
“We can’t do this forever!” Tuva shouted back as she backed off and Saga tried to toss her belt-knife at the ice behemoth.
“Kvalhissir!” Saga shouted. “Kvalhissir!”
“Yes!” the tired moose bellowed from below, having slowly worked himself up the slope.
“Can you fly?” Saga shouted. “Just for two seconds! Straight up and back!”
There was a mumbling from below.
“Kvalhissir!” Saga shouted. “Can you?”
“What are you talking about?!” Tuva shouted.
“I… I don’t know…” said the moose.
“Try!” Saga shouted. “Please try, Mr Kvalhissir!”
“What are you…!”
Tuva was interrupted by a loud bellow. The moose came rising at the speed of an arrow shouting at the top of his lungs. The ice-dog turned and faced the moose-projectile, and when Kvalhissir stopped screaming to grab his huge mace and throw it at its face, it lunged towards him despite it missing.
That was when Kvalhissir backed, gliding off the sheet wall. The ice-thing leaped into thin air, its paws grasping and its jaws snapping uselessly, and then it first fell, then tumbled down the crevasse, breaking and splitting into an avalanche of ice shards.
Kvalhissir, meanwhile, landed with a nasty crunching sound in one of the tracks.
“We did it!” Saga shouted.
“Kvalhissir!” Tuva said and hastily clambered down. Saga followed her after her first shout of joy.
“How is he?” she said.
“He’s out cold,” said Tuva, “and I think he’s badly hurt. What do we do?”
Saga shut her eyes, then looked up to the shelf.
“Up there,” she said. “It will return. You cannot just crush a mokkurkalfe on the top of Karhu-Akkka’s sainted body. But it cannot get inside the cave up there. And we might - we will meet Vigg there. The cave is large on the inside.”
“Did you see the cave?” said Tuva, trying to rouse Kvalhissir, who was breathing, but heavily.
“No,” said Saga solemnly. “But I saw it.”
They succeeded in waking Kvalhissir during some tense minutes, during which both of them thought they heard rumbling, grinding ice from below. Then they supported the helpless moose as they wearily walked up the slippery slope.
There was a tunnel beyond the cave, not long. Shapes of light seemed to move within the ice. The two reindeer saw spirits moving as well, things they didn’t want to look at. When they came to a t-shaped junction Kvalhissir slipped to the floor.
“Just leave me here… for now,” he panted. “You can come back… soon.”
“No way!” said Saga.
“He’s right,” said Tuva. “Lets find out where we find a fire and something to care for his wounds. And dispatch any guards here!”
She bit into the shaft of her hatchet. Saga swallowed.
“Right or left?” Saga said.
“You’re the seer!” said Tuva.
Saga started giggling.
“Reply hazy, try again later,” she said.
“What?” said Tuva.
“Its’ an Equestrian toy,” Saga smiled. “It just randomizes things. I’m just about as useful right now.”
Tuva tossed her hatchet into the air and it clattered to the ground.
“Left side up says left,” she said
“Left,” said Saga.
Tuva picked up her hatchet and they took off down the left corridor.
“No chance for surprise now?” said Saga.
“We can always hope,” said Tuva as they reached a curtain made of ancient carpets and blankets.
She pulled it aside carefully and came muzzle to muzzle with a grotesque figure, a hairless corpse, its body painfully torn apart and put together, one eye hanging out of its socket, the other an empty socket filled with balefire.
“Hope,” Wiglek said, “is the last thing which dies.”
Saga gasped.
Tuva gave up a little shriek and first tumbled backwards, then leapt forwards and buried her hatchet in Wiglek’s head, down to his balefire-filled eye socket. She stumbled backwards.
Wiglek sort of rolled his balefire eye-replacement upwards and looked at the hatchet with mild curiosity.
“So,” he said, “correct me if I’m mistaken here, but it seems like you want to kill me?”
“So,” said Jarnsaxa as the Skoll and reindeer traveled through the snow, “this place is considered sacred, and we’re its guardians. We’ve all lost our packs to ice or beasts or reindeer, and are too old to found our own.. We also care for cubs who have lost their families somehow. They are raised to be warriors to help us guard it.”
“How do you get any food here?” said Twilight. “There are no prey around here, right? Neither is there any heat to swallow.”
“The other packs bring food and such as tribute,” said Jarnsaxa. She looked down awkwardly and reverted to running on all fours for a while, until Twilight couldn’t contain herself anymore.
“But they don’t, do they?” she said, trying to keeping up with Jarnsaxa.
“No,” she said. She remained silent, shook her head.
“Why?” said Twilight.
“I think,” she said in a tone that meant she hoped, “that they are too far away. The Winter has already become so strong that all animals have fled or died, and most reindeer followed them, so there are no enemies to plunder either.”
She looked at Vidar, next to them with Spike on his back.
“They cannot gain food except leaving their own hunting grounds and going further treewards, and then they have to go back here, at the same time as… well,” Jarnsaxa said and glanced at Vidar.
“At the same time as they are fighting each other for what beasts of prey are left, if there are any,” said Twilight. “If you feel bad about revealing a weakness of your kin, I can tell you that the reindeer cannot even decide who is king right now. Does that make you even?”
Jarnsaxa chuckled.
“Kings! Reindeer and their kings!”
“What is the Skoll saying?” said Vidar. “She keeps looking at me.”
“She’s talking about your feud,” said Twilight. “She’s probably worried you can understand her somehow.”
Vidar snorted.
“That I should end up trotting with Skolls to save my nephew’s life… This is like the crazy adventures of his grandfather!”
“So Winter isn’t only a good thing for you?” said Twilight to the Skoll.
“Not as this, goddesses no!” said Jarnsaxa. “Some think it is so - young and stupid warriors, think it would be something special to fight over who gets to be the last to die. Wise Skoll don’t. That’s why most are so afraid of the Jökelgast.”
“You think he caused the Winter?” said Twilight.
“That’s what he has said,” said Jarnsaxa.
Twilight frowned.
“No,” she said, “that’s not true. I know what caused it. A mistake by Dagbränna concerning the sun, and the antics of Illvilja when he got free. He must be lying to scare you.”
The old Skoll sighed with relief.
“I thought so, but it’s reassuring to hear it from the servant of Nattmara,” she said.
“Yeah… speaking of that,” said Twilight. “I know how reindeer started following her and when and… why, but I know very little of my predecessor here. When did she, erh, reveal herself to you?”
“It was over a thousand years ago,” said Jarnsaxa. “A winged pony from your country, her prophet, came here and preached about her glory. She was wearing clothes just as yours, and if the descriptions are true, looked like you, even!”
“Really?” said Twilight.
“Yes, she had a purple coat and mane,” Jarnsaxa said enthusiastically. “I bet you can tell me what sign she bore on her flank!”
“...a starburst?” said Twilight.
“No, a mirror,” said the Skoll, somewhat disappointed. “Her name - she told us her name was ‘Night Mirror’, Nattspegel in our tongue. Have you heard about her?”
“I’m afraid she isn’t that famous in Equestria,” said Twilight. “As you know, Nattmara and Dagbränna had a… fallout, and things got muddled.”
The Skoll nodded, then walked in silence.
“So, Night Mirror taught you all about… the rites, and the lore, and so on, of Nattmara,” Twilight asked.
“Oh yes!” said Jarnsaxa. “Including the forbidding of sentient sacrifice! She walked with the Goddess, so she should know.”
I must ask Luna later about Night Mirror, Twilight thought. And whether she or Celestia or both knew that making Skoll think of her when they saw me would be a good thing. She must have been a servant during her Nightmare Moon phase thing, just like Wiglek...
“Wait a second,” Twilight said in Equestrian. She stopped and rubbed her horn.
The Skoll and reindeer around her also stopped.
“Hurry, Twilight, Vigg is in danger!” said Spike.
“Wiglek founded the cult, and did so to please Luna,” Twilight said. “He must know that sacrificing… people to her won’t please her, because she had contact with him. So… why would he want a sacrifice?”
“Some dark magics?” said Vidar.
“Sure, but he’s sitting on a glacier full of useful ghosts and is not really averse to killing Skoll,” Twilight said. “Why go to the bother of capturing reindeer, when the Skoll tell me there almost aren’t any?”
“Does that mean he doesn’t want to sacrifice anypony?” said Spike hopefully.
“I don’t think he lied to the Skoll about that… that just made it harder for him to exploit them…” She rubbed her chin.
“Excuse me, mistress, what are you saying?” said Jarnsaxa. “Please, speak Skoll.”
Twilight’s eyes widened.
“Of course!” she said.
“What?” said Spike, Vidar and Jarnsaxa, in three different languages.
“Wiglek was cursed with undeath, and Luna said how hard it would be for him to actually die,” Twilight said. “What is to say he doesn’t want to… to end it all!”
“By killing someone else?” said Vidar.
“By committing a blasphemy so big that Luna, especially the ‘new’ Luna, free from Nightmare Moon, couldn’t help to come to him… and destroy him in her wrath!” said Twilight. “Trust me, I’ve seen Luna react to even the suggestion of sacrifice. I’m sure Wiglek knows what happens when somedeer actually goes through with it!”
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Got to admit, Wiglek's plan, assuming that Twilight is right about it is actually fairly clever.
This story is awesome.
Hey, I'll keep waiting for updates. Even little ones, to break writer's block.
You've set up a pretty intriguing mix of factions, here. I still have no idea how this is all going to end.
He's using the cop to suicide himself ploy.
Heh heh
Perhaps you should turn her over and give her a good shake?
Ah Twilight and your adorkable underestatement!
"Just a small tiff between two sisters. A little bit of jealousy, perhaps some megalomania and a spot of geocide. Nothing serious really."
Well it was certainly worth the wait.
A few minor errors managed to slip in:
Should be "off"
Should be "at"
Should be "slid".
Also, article missing here?
Should be "then"
"I" needs to be capitalized.
Huzzah!
This is either getting complicated... Or really simple...
Hmm, Tarandroland sounds familiar...
The doctor's gravesite? Oh, no thats Trenzalore.
4157531
, I made it up from the latin name for "reindeer" (Rangifer tarandrus). .It's the Equestrian name - the local name is Poatsula, which is a horrible mash of Sami and Finnish - "boatzi" is the name for a reindeer in one of the Sami tongues.
As far as I know
It's of course called that in line with "Equestria", which surely is a place that has something to do with horses.
4156765
Thanks. Corrected. (The last one was supposed to be it, not I, but it was still wrong.)
4157969 it just sounds familiar.
Wiglek actually evokes sympathy. Well done.
I think you mean "off it".
I think you mean "They hurried off..."
I think you mean "she backed off".
I think you mean "when he got free..."
Sorry, about all this.
Despite the long waits, this story is totally worth it. I look forward to what's coming next. A showdown with Wiglek I hope. Keep up the good work.
I love any form of this story progressing whether it be quick or slow updates. Just don't let it die T_T I'm really hoping that some piece of it makes it to the actual show tho, now that would be awesome!
Oh man, if that is Wiglek's goal then our heroes could be in for a world of hurt. Commit an evil act, no response from Luna? Rinse and repeat with something worse every time.
4159580
Thanks for the help!
I've known about the basics about this chapter for two years and more*, and the details for months. When I finally force myself to sit down and write it, I hurry it down to electrons and smash it up so it will be done!
*That's what makes writing more and more boring; I have heard the story a thousand times now.
I'm much less active in following MLP than I once was but stories like this are definitely there to keep me reading every once in awhile.
Bravo!
If I may suggest a very trivial change... In the final paragraph?
“By committing a blasphemy so big that Luna, especially the ‘new’ Luna, free from Nightmare Moon, couldn’t help to come to him… and destroy him in her wrath!” said Twilight. “Trust me, I’ve seen Luna react to even the suggestion of sacrifice. I’m sure Wiglek knows what happens when somedeer actually goes through with it!”
The word "great" might have more impact than simply "big" and "couldn't help to come to him" might be better as "couldn't help but to come to him" This is only a personal observation. I see the word "big" being more limited in value than the word "great."
Thank you for continuing this effort, by the way. You have created a wonderful tale without forcing the behaviors of any MLP:FIM character against what we have seen them do in the series itself. Luna acts like Luna, others act reasonably for their situation, and Twilight acts like Twilight... Have you any idea of how rare that is?
Always glad to see this updating, even if I'm slow to read and comment!
Wiglek demonstrates the uselessness of non-magical weapons against the more powerful undead!
So, Night Mirror? Sounds like a potentially interesting person.
And finally, Twilight's idea of Wiglek's wicked plan sounds unnervingly plausible. I doubt he'd sacrifice Vigg, especially when he's confusing him with Sampo... but now he's got two more reindeer! And even if Vigg can plead for Saga's life as her boyfriend, that leaves Tuva...
I'm caught up! Yes! I did it. I finally did it. I was noticing a lot of errors in the last few chapters but this one and the previous one seem to be cleaning up more, so that's good.
I really like the story. There's plenty of characters to enjoy and a lot of good world building too. The plot started fairly simple, but it quickly grew and branched out. We have past regrets of Luna, the Pirates, the War on Winter, the King coming to grip with reality, the quest for the magic macguffin, the pirates have their own dysfunction between the wanna-be king, the pegasus, and the giraffe, and we have a lich who has the prince that is the decedent of the lich's son or possibly his reincarnation.
I remind you, this started out as, "Hey Luna, go with the diplomats to figure out how to stop the raids on our coastal villages." That in it of itself would have made for a good plot line... but then it became this madness. But I can't complain because it is awesome. Done!
yay!
Finally up to date, took me a day or two to get here from the start. I patiently wait for new chapters.
Pretty good so far (26ch). Keep up!