The Crimson Kraken had docked so Twilight and Spike had went ashore. It might have been more proper to say that they were taken ashore. Twilight hadn't been carried off the ship bound and gagged, but she was "escorted" by two rather burly reindeer. They seemed to be as happy to get off the ship as Twilight and Spike. A small herd of reindeer had gathered to meet Jarl Ahto and receive the news of his mission. He held a little speech to them and any others who happened to be present.
Twilight listened to the speech, but Spike didn't understand what they were saying. He wasn't terribly interested anyway. Mostly he was happy to be on solid ground and hoped to soon be in a warm house. To idle the time away, he watched the pirates unload their ship's cargo.
While they were fairly efficient, they were very noisy about it. They shouted, cursed and laughed and stopped to discuss how to get one crate down from the deck. Finally, someone called for Mr Motelele, and the giraffe stomped over looking annoyed. He projected crackling magical energy the colour of a gray mist from the horns that must be hidden within his battered fez, and the crate levitated off the ship and down on the ground. Mr Motelele then stomped ashore and busied himself with something else. Spike could see his tall neck in the distance.
Mr Moccus led the unloading, shouting and cursing as if he was on some sort of more enlightened level of disorder, and slowly the crates and barrels and bags came ashore. One half of the cargo was carried off to a cluster of buildings to the south of the Crimson Kraken.
Another half was turned over to some waiting reindeer who were using their usual ackjas to pull their cargo. This started a heated discussion between their leader and Mr Moccus. The subject was whether there were enough ice for the ackjas to work with their load, which meant to Spike that those small crates must be heavier than he thought.
Wonder if there are gold and gems in the crates? Spike thought.
One of the crates was too big to be loaded on an ackja. It wouldn’t stay on, no matter how they loaded it. A pegasus of the crew flew off, presumably to get help. To Mr Moccus undisguised disappointment, the reindeer foredoe knew her ice, and the rest of the ackjas were pulled away without getting stuck in the gravel. Spike noticed at the place had roads, if crude ones. Somepony, or rather somedeer, had gathered sand and gravel and spread it to make roads. Spike felt a bit proud over his deduction skills when he realised the sand and gravel must have been taken from the beach. He could see where they had dug it up. There was even one of those newfangled little steam-driven digging machines sitting by the hole, covered by a tarpaulin.
It looks just like the one they used in the great building project in Ponyville the other year, Spike thought. The one with all the accidents... Maybe it was stolen or bought in Equestria... I wonder if pirates let baby dragons operate digging machines?
The pegasus returned with Mr Motelele. Spike had never seen the giraffe walking at full stride while on the ship, and it was a strange sight to see him do it on land. His whole body swayed up and down, especially his neck, and his strange tufted tail, more like a zebra’s than a pony’s, twirled and undulated. Mr Motelele scowled and listened to the crew and the reindeer. Then he reached with his magic down into the mess of necklaces, baldrics and pouches he carried around his neck. He pulled out two pouches and barked to the workers to stand back.
As they moved off (the reindeer further than others, presumably out of superstitious fear of the giraffe) Mr Motelele threw powders at the crate, in a way that reminded Spike of seasoning a stew with salt and pepper. The seasoned crate reacted by starting to shrink. The process was slow and created a nasty sound as if something was torn. It looked as strange as you could assume, but apparently it looked worse if you had the Sight. The reindeer all grimaced and looked away as if the shrinking crate had been a really bad chariot crash.
The pegasus pirate who had fetched Mr Motelele was more morbidly curious, and got a bit closer to the shrieking crate. This was not the right thing to do. Some of the light dusts from the pouches must still have been dancing in the air, because the pegasus gave up a shriek and pulled back from the crate, flailing his wings. As the others looked on in horror he landed and rolled on the ground screaming. His left wing had begun to shrink, and the process was painful. Now the crewmembers looked away in horror as well. A couple of the pegasi tried to get close to help their colleague but they were still scared, and he was moving around violently, and it was not like they knew how to help him.
Mr Motelele just scowled at the pegasus and turned to the reindeer who was in charge of the ackja.
“These,” he said as he handed her a small jar into which he poured some dust from a pouch,”will restore the crate. Don’t be stupid when using it!”
Then he strode off again, ignoring the commotion.
Twilight didn’t. The noise and shouts had finally made her turn her attention from the speech and towards the unloading.
“What’s happening?” she asked Spike.
“He’s just walking away!” Spike said.
“What?” said Twilight.
“The giraffe!” Spike fumed and pointed at the disappearing Mr Motelele. “He caused an accident and he just walked away from it!”
“Accident...?” said Twilight and looked at the sobbing pegasus and his colleagues trying to help him up.
Spike quickly explained what happened, very upset. Meanwhile, the reindeer shrugged and left with their ackja. The crate had shrunk to one fourth the size, but it still weighed as much, which gave them some trouble.
“Perhaps I can help him,” Twilight mumbled. “Zecora has described something similar... but it’s not like I can just whip up an antidote. I have nowhere near her skill, no materials, and I seem to remember the process was... immoral.”
“I think the reindeer got some antidote or something...” Spike mumbled.
“Then we’ll try to talk to her as soon as possible,” said Twilight. “I just have to talk to Ahto as soon as possible... erh, make that even sooner as possible.”
“Can’t you just demand the giraffe helps him?” said Spike. “He caused it, and shouldn’t he be responsible?”
“It is not like I have any influence over him,” Twilight said. “But I might have to talk to him about it, if only to know what to do.”
“It’s nice of you to help the poor guy,” said Spike. “He is kinda the enemy...”
“Well, he won’t become more of a violent criminal by me helping him,” said Twilight. “Besides, we need all the friends we can get here!”
Twilight Sparkle had thought Jarl Ahto would sleep in one of the houses. He didn’t. Sure, his kota hut was bigger than the average one, and he only shared it with Hakon and Guthrun, but you could say he was roughing it with his deer.
Ahto must have seen her eyes wander around the sparsely furnished hut.
“When I was relieved of my post, I spoke out harshly against the king’s folly,” he said. “I realised no good could come from it, so I quickly signed over my property to my family, gathered some personal gear and went into exile. I didn’t have much with me, and I don’t take trophies in the raids.”
Strange, Twilight thought. I distinctly remember Jarl Einar saying that before he became an alcoholic Ukko would have loved a deer who dared tell him he was wrong. Did he succumb to vodka earlier than I thought, or is Jarl Ahto a spectacularly bad judge of character?
“When was this, Jarl?” she said as a soldier stuck a wooden jug with coffee in her hooves.
“The King had dismissed four fifths of the fleet! That meant he only needed one of five admirals,” Ahto scowled. “We others were dismissed as our sailors. Only that old fool Heikko remained, though I had the most victories under my belt. It’s clear the king feared my influence, since I am of royal blood myself!”
Or maybe he just wanted to favour an old friend, Twilight thought. You do have an ego the size of Cloudsdale Stadium, Jarl Ahto.
Twilight drank her coffee and said nothing. Spike slurped from his cup. One of the soldiers cautiously sniffed him.
“While I’m sure these accommodations are lovely,” said Twilight, “I must know when I can leave this place. You promised me guides back to safety, Jarl Ahto.”
Ahto fidgeted a bit.
“I’ve... talked to my advisors, and it seems now is not a good time to do so,” he said, looking down into his coffee jug.
“Why not?” said Twilight and forced a mocking smile. “Are you and your pirates holding me hostage?” Inside her, Twilight felt an icicle stabbing her heart.
What if that is the truth... how do I get Spike out of this?
Jarl Ahto drank some coffee and looked desperately at Guthrun the Seer. The vaja coughed.
“There are simply too many report of the beasts of Winter around, Lady Sparkle,” she said. “We don’t want to risk either you or any of our deer.”
“What kind of beasts?” said Spike suspiciously. He had been eating a brooch by carefully sucking out the amber like raisins from a bun, and now he was gnawing on the bare silver.
The jarl and his seer looked at each other again, but one of the soldiers acting as servants quickly found his voice.
“Oh, permission to speak, Sir...” he said. His Tarandrian accent was much heavier than that of his superiors.
“Granted!” Ahto barked.
“A turso attacked the harbor a little more than a week ago,” he said. “Many deer and some of the southron pirates fell ill, and several of them died, but the beast was killed. The Strimmaland giant burned the corpse, but the bones remain on the beach.”
“It was probably drawn here by fish, which in turn was drawn here by offal,” Guthrun said.
“We have changed the routines for handling garbage,” said Ahto. “We were lucky the victims’ poxes didn’t spread to other people.”
Twilight fell silent. Spike looked a bit pale.
“I’m sorry for the loss of your comrades,” she told the soldier who looked at her with astonishment, her voice tinged with genuine concern. Jarl Ahto snorted and Guthrun sneered, looking at each other.
“Is there anything I can do to help the survivors?” she continued.
“The giraffe has already done his work,” Ahto said. At this Guthrun snorted even more.
“How much did you have to pay Mr Motelele?” Twilight said. The eyes of all the reindeer widened a little, Guthrun’s the slightest.
“Too much for what should have been his duty,” Ahto grunted. “Though he used his magic for free to help kill the beast and burn the body to stop its plagues.” Again, he and Guthrun shared a glance, and the soldier looked a bit uneasy.
“Of course, since he himself was threatened by it. Did he suggest floating that carcase into Sarvvik?” said Twilight.
Jarl Ahto’s nostrils flared.
“No, but that vinghest wench did!” he barked. “How did you know?”
Lucky guess, said Twilight. Either him or Captain Cloak would have suggested it...
“They have a history,” said Twilight, trying to be smooth, so she had to involve her fan to hide her face. “Ask the good Captain about... oh, the dock fires in Las Pegasus some time, and what she was doing in the city.”
Ahto and Guthrun looked at each other, and the soldiers looked like they had some fresh gossip.
Cloak was from Las Pegasus, Twilight thought. She has to have been there some time since she went renegade, but when she tries to tell him that... And I am sure there has been at least one dock fire in Las Pegasus in recent history. Statistics tell me so.
Ahto and Guthrun switched their looks back to Twilight. They both looked angry in different ways - Ahto fuming with righteous indignation,Guthrun’s eyes narrowing while remaining stoic - but they were clearly not angry with Twilight.
It is easy to lie to people who want to believe your lies, Twilight thought. Luna was right.
“Anyway, might I have a look at the corpse of the turso?” she said.
“Only bones remain, my lady,” said the soldier.
“They would still interest me as a naturalist,” said Twilight, “and since the good Jarl seems determined to keep me here...”
“That... should be no problem,” said Ahto, a bit distracted. “You are my guests here in my kota. I have other business to attend to, but I am sure one of my deer can show you the way. I’ll send for somedeer who is free to guide you. They will be with you soon.”
Twilight thanked him and he and Guthrun left the hut, soon followed by the two soldiers.
“Twilight,” Spike said, “why do we have to check out some scary bones that can make you so sick you die?”
“Because I want a chance to be alone and check for things that can help as coordinates,” said Twilight. “If I wave around instruments, they will hopefully think it is unicorn magic, and I don’t think they will get too close. They will still be afraid of disease.”
“Yeah, disease,” said Spike, dismayed.
“I’m sure the things are sterilized now,” Twilight said.
Spike didn’t look convinced.
“At least we have a cozy place to sleep,” he sighed and looked around the kota, with fluffy blankets and actual linen.
Equestrian linen, Spike realized. I wash stuff like this every week!
“Yep,” said Twilight, “right under the nose of Ahto and his closest retainers. Of course, if I were really who he thinks I am, it would be very stupid, but now it is actually very smart. Too smart.”
“Why would it be stupid... oh,” said Spike.
“Yeah,” said Twilight. “It’s even odds I would curse, poison or enchant him if I really was a villainess and slept this close to him.”
Spike snickered. “Sometimes it sucks being a nice pony. Besides, looking at the bedrolls, Hakon sleeps next to him, almost cuddled up like a foal. You’d have a hard time reaching Ahto without waking his attendant dude.” Spike turned toward the Jarl’s bed.
Seriously, is he using the Jarl as a teddy bear? he thought.
Twilight stuck out her tongue at Spike, but quickly retracted it when one of the soldiers returned with a guide.
“We’re here to show you the way to the turso, my lady,” said their leader.
“Delightful,” said Twilight. “We will come at once. Spike, will you get my instruments out of my luggage?”
“Okey Twi - I mean, yes Mistress!” said Spike.
Twilight rolled her eyes.
Twilight scowled and said some foul words to herself as she carefully walked among the rocks on the beach.
First, her guides had been more wary of her than of the charred bones. She could understand why when she saw how the corpse must have been thoroughly and very quickly burnt to ash. The flames had not only left only the sooted bones of the pox-hydra, they also had left their mark on the boulders on the beach and the sand beneath them. In some places it had been glazed.
Hence, the deer remained close to her and gave her suspicious looks. During these circumstances it would be hard to surreptuously determine her coordinates with enough precision for a planned teleport.
Second, her guides weren’t soldiers properly, but sailors. Two came from the navy, another one had been a merchantstag. They would recognize a sextant if they saw one.
Twilight consoled herself with doing what she had claimed she wanted to do. She studied the bones and took measurements, had Spike make a couple of sketches and take samples of the bones. There wasn’t any ash to take, which was a pity. It would have been interesting to see what method Mr Motelele used to burn them, but the waves had swept all ashes away.
The sea was still unfrozen, even if ice formed near land and floes could be seen in the water. Snow slowly turned into ice close to the beach, like in this place, and the edge of the ice was lapped by the waves. Burning the huge carcass had formed a hollow in the snow and ice, down to the frozen ground, and ice-cold seawater rolled in over it, beneath her booted hooves.
“How do you fight a turso, anyway?” she asked the closest sailor as she poked with her magic at what looked like a reindeer bone buried in the half-frozen sand. He was standing on a rock, like his two colleagues.
“With missile weapons, then with back-mounted lances, then with antlers,” he said. “Not that it helps much.”
“You need artillery,” said another sailor, the former civilian. “Couldn’t bring any of the pieces to bear, really.”
“The giant... used his magic to strike it,” said the first sailor again. “Then the vinghestar - the pegasuses, I mean - threw rocks at it, and then oil and pitch. Then the giant cast a powder at the turso, and it caught fire.”
Twilight turned towards him and looked in his eyes.
“You hurt because your friends died, and you needed the foreigners to avenge them,” she said.
“Who wouldn’t?” he snarled.
“I’m not accusing you of anything,” she said. “I just try to understand things. Always have.”
“You’d think we knew how to fight a turso...” he sighed.
“It was our job,” said the third sailor and spit. “Before the old drunk fired us.”
“He thought the nobles would hire us again,” said the first. “That they would pay for the ship and deer to defend the land, since he had lowered their taxes.” He joined in the spitting.
“And then they didn’t,” said Twilight, matter-of-factually.
“Just a few of us,” said the sailor.
Twilight fell silent. She pulled out the bone, levitated it up to her and looked at it.
“They tossed the dead on the burning turso,” said the former civilian uneasily. “To burn away the plague.”
“Then you plundered my homeland,” said Twilight.
“What else should we do?” said the first sailor, his gaze avoiding Twilight. “We had lost our jobs!”
Twilight looked with him with actual sympathy.
“The crisis had hit,” he said. “There was no honest job to be had!”
“Those ponies could afford it!” said the second sailor. “Yours is a wealthy land!”
Twilight looked less sympathetic.
“In the slums of Sarvvik,” she said and studied the bone, “lives poor reindeer who never had it as good as you. If you go there, say to visit a house of ill repute, you mean the harlot would be fully justified to steal your purse? Since, after all, you have more than she ever will have? The thieves on the street, you would not dispute it if they emptied your saddlebags? If one of the factory workers, who surely makes less than you do in a year and has a family to support, gore you and take your money?”
“That’s different!” said the second sailor.
“How?” said Twilight. “Because you get robbed this time? Because your need is greater than their need?”
“No, but... they’re reindeer!” he said.
“What crime’s all right to commit if you are of a different species than the victim?” said Twilight. “Is it right and proper if I kill you?” Her magic aura crackled close to his throat.
“It’s not a matter of right or wrong!” he said urgently. “It’s what you have to do!”
Twilight let the magic recede.
“Have to do? Really? I can think of at least three alternatives. Alternative one,” she said. “Join the grazers. Go back to eating lichen and sedge. Make your own clothes. Raise your huts.”
“They wouldn’t have taken us in,” said the sailor.
“At this point, Winter had already grown worse and they might have needed guards,” Twilight said. “Did any of you even try? Never mind. Alternative two.”
She handed the bone to a worried Spike.
“You could do as the urox. You know, the cattle your ancestors killed or drove out of the country because you wanted their lands? Simply travel to Equestria as guest workers. We don’t have a crisis. We have lots of both forests and sawmills who could need reindeer. Did you try?”
“That’s... that’s work beneath a deer of war!” said the sailor.
“So, is that the case? Equestria lacks much of an army these days, and the navy is useless,” Twilight said. “Oh you know, you have attacked us! You know our weakness. Gather under one of the sacked admirals or generals, sail to Equestria, offer your service as mercenaries to protect our borders. Tried that?”
The deer looked at each other.
“Alternative three,” said Twilight. “The money that should have ended in your pockets ended in the vaults of the nobles and rich merchants, correct? And there is no army or navy which defends the cities anymore? Because Ukko sacked you? So why didn’t you march on the deer who wronged you, took your wealth back and put another king on the throne? Took the money and lives from those who actually harmed you, instead of innocent foreigners? The Urox, workers and slum dwellers would have cheered you on. Probably the Russ as well.”
“I... Jarl Ahto wouldn’t have liked that...” one of the sailors said.
“We had once... we were the king’s deer,” said another.
“I’m just saying you didn’t have to do what you did,” said Twilight. “I know you aren’t bad deer. Few ponies were killed. None were carried away. But you still did what you did and ‘I had to’ isn’t a good enough excuse for me. I just wanted to understand why.”
“You’re a strange one to talk, my lady,” said one deer sullenly.
“When the most evil sorceress in the world questions your ethics, perhaps you should think them over,” said Twilight and smiled sardonically. She turned to Spike.
“I think we should go now,” she said. “I’m done here, and the weather doesn’t get better.”
Spike nodded, uneasy about the conversation.
“Wait,” said one of the sailors, the former merchant mariner. “About this... there wasn’t any big raids first. Just some small ones, because we were seriously stumped for provisions and money. Then more of these guys turned up,” and he gestured at the former marine soldiers, “and we got more ships. We started talking again, about what you said, about rising up against Ukko, against the fat wolverines in Sarvvik. But... it is our land, it was like wrong in our bones... Then the Admiral came along, and he organized this place, he organized the raids... to keep us going. He wanted no war inside Poatsula. We listened to him... he is the kind of reindeer you listen to. Trust me, I was never in the navy, and I listened to him. It’s... it’s not easy doing the right thing. But I chose to do this.”
“Thanks,” said Twilight and smiled towards him. “Knowing that helps a lot.”
“You want to leave now?” said the first sailor. “My lady,” he added.
“Yes please,” said Twilight.
She followed her guards, and Spike jumped up on her back and followed as well.
In his own way Jarl Ahto is a good deer, I suppose, she thought. In some way that uprising would have been just... but it would have been a civil war, and all my studies tell me what they do to a kingdom. But this means that if this ever comes out... if anyone ever digs in this... we can never switch sides and support Jarl Ahto. He is primarily responsible for the raids against Equestria. We can’t put him on the throne, even if he is better for both us and the reindeer than Ukko. There would be an outrage... unless every trace of this story is wiped out.
Thanks again to my proofreaders!