Wild Sky Yonder

by Mysecsha


Chapter 11: Up on the Ice

Chapter 11: Up on the Ice

“Welcome to the Icefields.”

Spitfire couldn’t believe her eyes. After spending the entire night from sunset to sunrise climbing up from the valley below into this place, she and the others had expected to be greeted by a blanket of featureless white ice. Instead she saw fields and forests, flowerbeds and streams, all made entirely of ice and glittering like diamonds in the early morning light. For a moment she thought they were sculptures until she saw that the grasses and leaves swayed in the breeze. She saw a glittering white butterfly that glowed with the same blue light she’d seen in the eyes of the elemental winter wolf.

She also saw the winter wolf, stalking towards her and the rest of her crew in a low, aggressive stance.

Aurora edged out to the front of the group, putting herself between the wolf and her students.

“Lesson time, Spitfire. You feel up to handling this mutt?”

Spitfire checked the straps on the ancient blades she wore on her forehooves. She nodded.

“If it comes to that, yeah.” She advanced to the captain’s flank, wary eyes on the wolf.

The captain spared her a sideways glance. “Good. Tell me what you’re up against.”

She sized up the beast. “Ice elemental. Bites freeze you solid. Very territorial, and it isn’t just one. This single creature…”

The wolf sat back and howled. Five more winter wolves materialized from the frozen turf and joined it, turning the single howl into a chorus which in turn whipped up a fiercely cold wind.

“...Is actually a whole wolfpack. Also? It’s rude.”

Aurora chuckled. “Rude, Spitfire?”

Spitfire called out louder, “Yeah. Rude. What’s the deal with you, pup?” She cautiously sidestepped the captain and crept toward the approaching wolf.

“We go through all that trouble to cut you loose, you help us find our way up here - and now you’re all howling and huffing about it?” She took another step, and another. She was now only steps away from the alpha, and the pack it had summoned had edged around her in a semicircle. Her eyes darted around, nervously.

This is no time for nerves. Show it dominance, it’ll back down.

Red called out in a concerned voice, “Honey? Are you sure that’s the same wolf we met down in the valley?”

“Of course it is!” she called back over her shoulder, “Why else would it be here waiting for us?”

She took one last wary step toward the beast. “Come on, Snowball. We aren’t gonna hurt you. We cut you free! Remember? Friend!”

She held a hoof out. The wolf sniffed at it.

The pack pounced.

Spitfire felt a wave of icy panic flow through her. She dropped to a low crouch and unslung her blades, coiling to strike. Before she could strike at her nearest attacker, a new pair of icy jaws sprang out from the snow between them. The new wolf grabbed the attacking wolf by the throat and dragged it back down into the ground. As she looked around, similar defenders appeared all around her, striking in expert unison to dispatch the attacking pack, seizing them each in turn and disappearing into the ground with a flash of light and a burst of snowflakes.

The new pack’s alpha, taller than the first but painfully skinny with a patchy coat, snarled and leapt at its counterpart, flinging it back to the ground and crushing its neck between powerful jaws. The defeated alpha shattered, its blue glow sinking back down into the icy turf.

It turned to face Spitfire and sat down on its haunches, and panting wagging its tail. This winter wolf had a cracked off ear and showed signs of serious deformation from melting. She recognized this one.

Spitfire gasped. “But if you’re the one from the valley, then…” She looked down at the shattered remains of the first alpha wolf. The distinctive sound of Red’s laughter split the air. Spitfire looked back, embarrassment evident on her face.

“I toldja! I said it wasn’t the same one!” Red elbowed Wedge in the ribs. “Didn’t I say?”

He shrugged. “I mean, you asked. That’s not exactly the same as-” His eyes widened as he saw her glower at him. “That is to say… yes, darling. You did say.”

Red gave a self-satisfied nod. “Good.”

Spitfire felt her cheeks redden in embarrassment. She turned back to the wolf and stood, taking cautious yet friendly steps ‘til she reached the monster’s side.

“Thanks for the save, snowball.”

The wolf barked happily.

Spitfire reached out, tentatively, to touch its coat. It tilted its head to the side, allowing her to scratch it between the ears. The sensation was painfully cold, but the creature seemed to like it. She chuckled.

“Aww, you like that, buddy? You like that? Who’s a good boy!”


Aurora squeezed her eyes shut and massaged her temple with a long white wingtip. Here she had one cadet playing with an ice elemental, and another toying with her son… and her two boys were hopelessly smitten with them.

She watched the malformed winter wolf nudge Spitfire’s hoof for attention, and before long her prized pupil was scratching its belly and asking it, repeatedly, if it could help her to identify a good boy.

Harmony save me from troublesome fillies and lovesick colts.

“Cadets to attention,” she muttered.

That only got a distracted “Hmm?” from Soarin’, who was too busy warily watching Spitfire play with the creature to hear her. For a moment her heart hurt. Her little angel had devoted himself to someone else.

He’s growing up. And she’s so like I was, at her age…

She shook her head clear. This was no time to be sentimental.

“Cadets! Attention!” It was a bellow this time. Four ponies snapped into line, embarrassed at their momentary breach of protocol. Aurora put on her practiced stern instructor face.

“That’s better. Do I really have to remind you that this isn’t a vacation? Five!”

Stargazer called back, “Yes, Captain!”

“With me. Reconnaissance. We need to verify Seven’s information. If the intel she gleaned while cave-diving is correct, there should be an enemy force in the vicinity, well-provisioned and in significant numbers. You and I will scout the area, identify any enemy patrols, and find their base of operations. Six! Eight!”

Two voices this time. “Yes, Captain!”

“Find some shelter and make camp. Something in a cave or a crevasse. Well-hidden. Let’s not be marked and tracked this time. If you do this right, you’ll need to keep an eye out for our return - we won’t know where to find you. Seven!”

“Yes, Captain?”

That was an intensely reckless display.” Aurora began pacing around the yellow mare. “Was your assessment of the initial threat accurate, cadet?”

The color drained from the yellow mare’s face. “No, ma’am.”

“Did you have a plan of action for dealing with that first winter wolf?”

“No, ma’am.”

“Did you have reason to believe that you’d be assisted by this other winter wolf?”

“No, ma’am.”

“And where would you be if he hadn’t showed up?”

“Dead, ma’am.”

Aurora stopped in front of Spitfire and held her gaze for a long, withering moment.

“Do better next time, cadet.”

“Yes, ma’am”

Aurora let out an irritated grunt. She shook her head. “Find out what the mutt wants, wouldja? You spared it. You followed it. It wanted us here. Find out why, if you can.”

“That’s it. Get to work.”

Four voices called out “Yes, ma’am!” in unison.

“One more thing - keep under cover, and keep flight to a minimum. If we’re spotted, our overnight march will have been for nothing.


For several gruelling hours, Spitfire helped Soarin’ and Red carve out a campsite into the walls of a crevasse that ran through the icy forest floor. For all that the icefields looked like a crystalline facsimile of the forests and meadows below, it seemed that they still occasionally cracked and split like a glacier. When she popped her head back up out of the crack, she saw that Snowball was waiting. He’d sat patiently through the entire morning, head cocked slightly to one side like a curious dog. So far, she hadn’t had any luck communicating with him. Nor had he made any real attempts to interact with her or the rest of the squad - except to growl at Soarin’ any time he came near.

She floated over next to him and rubbed behind his good ear. He panted happily. She pulled her hoof back and shook the frost off of it.

“Yeowch. I hope you appreciate this, pup, because it isn’t the nicest feeling.”

He yawned and nuzzled her hoof, begging her to scratch his ears again.

She chuckled. “C’mon, Snowball. I know you brought me up here for more than just playtime.”

Snoball looked at her quizzically, then hopped up to his feet.

Spitfire moved to follow him. Finally, she thought, we’re getting somewhere.

He padded over to the nearest tree and raised his head up to a low-hanging branch. He leapt up, broke off the crystalline branch, then turned and dropped it at her feet, wagging his tail.

She buried her face in a hoof. “Okay, fine. But just one throw!”


Soarin’ gave the campsite a once-over. Five pony-sized alcoves carved out of the icy wall, and an artificial cloud beneath as a makeshift safety net. It wasn’t pretty, but it would work.

He heard a noise from above. The monster was barking like a dog again. He popped up to the lip of the crevasse and poked his head out, just in time to see his partner throw a long icicle for her new buddy to fetch. Red popped up next to him. He furrowed his brow.

“I don’t like it.”

Red smirked at him. “That’s ok, I’m pretty sure it doesn’t like you either.”

“Not what I meant. I mean I don’t like that she’s buddy-buddy with it. Those things’re dangerous. You saw what they did to T-Bone.”

She looked down. “Yeah. I did.” She hesitated. After a long moment, she sighed. “It wasn’t pretty.”

Soarin’ glowered as the beast returned the icicle to Spitfire then rolled over onto its back, its tongue lolling out of its mouth. Spitfire giggled - she giggled! - and rubbed its belly.

He felt Red’s hoof on his shoulder. “C’mon, you old stick in the mud. Let her have this. She deserves it.”

He shook his head. “It’s too dangerous. I’m gonna say somethin’.”

He set his hooves and vaulted up .

“I wouldn’t, if I were you.”

Soarin’ ignored her and stalked over towards the playful pair. Now she was actually letting the beast lick her face. She pranced over to the icicle to give it another throw. The wolf rolled back onto its feet with alarming speed. It bared its teeth at Soarin’ while Spitfire’s back was turned, then loped off to catch the next throw. As he arrived at her side, she looked up at him with frost-covered eyebrows.

“Need something, partner?”

“I, uh, I’m just worried, is all.”

“Nothing to worry about, Soarin’. I’ll be careful. Besides, I’m probably more likely to get my tongue stuck to the stick than to have any trouble from this big cutie.”

The wolf bounded back to her with the stick. Soarin felt a jolt of cold as it nudged him aside to drop it at her feet. Spitfire picked up the stick and swung her head in a wide arc and sent the icicle arcing across the frozen meadow.

“How can you say that? You saw what these things can do! You were almost puppy chow this morning! You know what they did to T-Bone! And the reindeer!”

The wolf returned and sat by Spitfire’s side, and she obligingly scratched it between the ears again. In a sing-song voice, she said, “Awww, but Snowball here saved me! Didn’t you? Didn’t you? Yes you did! And they’re just creatures, they aren’t responsible. Those assholes must’ve driven them down into the valley and forced them to attack. Right, Snowball? Right? Right?” She picked up the icicle and gave it another fling, then shivered.

“He is cold, I’ll give you that. Fine. If you’re worried, I promise I’ll stop before I get frostbite. Okay?”

Soarin’ put a hoof to his face. “That’s not what I… Spit, you know that’s not a dog, right?”

She let out a groan. “Yes, Soarin’, I know it’s not a dog. But at the same time, he kinda is, right?”

The wolf came back. This time, he didn’t want to give up the stick. The two of them played tug-of-war for it.

Soarin arched a skeptical eyebrow as he watched the massive winter wolf easily tear the stick away from her. ”It really isn’t”

Spitfire rubbed her jaw. “Besides, I always wanted a dog. But, you know… Cloudsdale.”

“It’s an ice elemental!”

“He’s friendly!”

“I don’t like it!”

“He doesn’t like you either!”

Soarin looked away. “Red already said that,” he grumbled.

Spitfire shrugged and gave the icicle yet another toss.

He relented. She was attached to the beast, and she was as happy as he’d seen her in weeks.

Just roll with it and be ready to intervene if it goes sour.

“So, ‘Snowball,’ huh?”

She gave a shy little shrug. “He seems to like it.”

He sidled up next to her and watched her give the icicle one more throw.

“And it’s definitely a ‘he’? How can you tell?”

She shrugged. “All dogs are boys and all cats are girls until proven otherwise. Beyond that, I have no idea.”

He chuckled. “Well, I’m just glad you’re having fun. D’you think Snowball will let me throw the next one?”


Spitfire and Soarin bounded and laughed as they played with her new friend. She noted with relief that the wolf had warmed to Soarin quickly once he’d let his guard down. She watched him pluck a transparent apple off of a crystalline tree and throw it for Snowball. The wolf leapt up and caught it out of the air, pulverising it into an icy mist. It chewed at the air for a moment, confused. She giggled and gave Soarin a hip bump as he sauntered alongside.

“See? This is fun.”

He rolled his eyes and shot her a mock glare. “OK, fine. You’re right. It’s fun.”

Snowball bounded up, head low, tail high, ready for the next game. Spitfire looked around. “Hang on, boy. Maybe I can find you another stic-”

“Hey! You give that back!”

She looked up. Snowball had Soarin’s scarf and was bounding away from him. He laughed as he leapt into the air to give chase.

Spitfire laughed as she raced after them. “Hey, guys! Wait for me!”

“I’ll go high, you go low! Get around behind him!”

“Can do, partner!” She put on a burst of speed. The two of them cornered Snowball behind a tree. They both charged in together.

At the last second, Snowball disappeared down into the frozen ground, leaving Soarin’s scarf fluttering in the long icy grass. Spitfire ducked low to pick it up. Then Soarin crashed down into her. The two of them rolled end over end down the side of the hill until they came to rest in a snowbank. Spitfire lifted her head up off of his chest as he laughed and shook the snow out of his mane.

And before she knew what she was doing, she was kissing him.


Pancakes for dinner were a Grandpa Bastion specialty.

The old warhorse suppressed a smile as he watched his granddaughter make a horrible mess of her dinner. Little Dinky had a pancake skewered on her horn, syrup running down her mane, and had successfully flung a pat of butter up onto the ceiling. Dee looked positively flustered.

“Oh no, Dad - I’m sorry. Here, let me get that-” She scrambled about for a napkin and flexed her wings to fly up and collect the ceiling butter.

He chuckled and gently took the napkin from her with his magic. “Never mind that, I can reach it just as easily as you.”

He ducked his head to avoid a flying dollop of whipped cream. As it passed his head, it stopped dead in the air, surrounded by a pale blue glow. He pursed his lips in a mock concerned expression.

“Dinky Doo, is that how your mama eats her pancakes?”

The little filly calmed herself and looked back at him with a solemn expression.

“No, Grampy.”

“And aren’t you both sergeants for your grandma and your daddy now? With big, important jobs to do?”

“Yes, Grampy.”

“And don’t you think you should set a good example for your mama? After all, you were promoted before she was.”

Dinky giggled and stuffed an oversized bite of pancake into her mouth. “Yeff Gampy.”

He saw Dee mouth a silent “thank you,” then move toward the kitchen to grab more napkins. He waved her back down to her seat.

“No, no. Eat up. Relax. You’ve had a long day. I can clean up here.”

Dee returned to her meal. She was as good a daughter-in-law as an old stallion could ask for. Crucially, she was the one member of the family that didn’t treat him like an old fogey, and let him do things for himself now and again.

I’m retired, not bedridden. He let out a little “hmph,” and quickly regretted it when he saw that Dee had noticed.

“What’s the matter, Dad?”

He sighed. “Oh, it’s nothing. Just… wishing ‘Rora had, I don’t know, consulted the ol’ Guard Captain before running off on another adventure.”

From the look in her eyes, he could see that Dee agreed with him, or at least sympathized with him.

“I’m sorry, Dad.”

He gave her a reassuring smile. “It’s fine. But, Dee, I would appreciate it if you could come visit again tomorrow? After your day at camp? I really would like to be kept in the loop.” He winked. “And tell that lazy son of mine I expected him out of bed yesterda-”

He was cut off by an explosion of shattering glass. Jagged shards of the great picture window just above the kitchen table rained down all around him as he instinctively put up a telekinetic bubble around his family. A bulky object scraped across his kitchen table, ruining the finish as it skidded to a stop. A brick.

A brick with Horns Out of Glimmervale! scrawled on it.


Evening found Spitfire, Soarin’, and Red huddled around the dim glow of a small lantern as they waited on the forest floor above their campsite for Aurora and Stargazer to return. Soarin’ held a chunk of ice against his visibly swollen lower lip. Spitfire leaned her head against his neck.

“I’m sorry I bit you… I guess I got a little bit carried away.”

Red snorted. Soarin’ scowled. “You broke the skin!”

Spitfire blushed. “I guess I got a lot carried away?”

Red’s eyes twinkled with mirth. “Now now, Soarin’ there are worse things in the world than a,” She paused and waggled her eyebrows, “spirited partner.”

Now there were three red faces in the lantern light.

Spitfire snuggled further into his side. He wrapped a wing around her. She closed her eyes

“You two are just too cute for words.” Red sounded quite pleased with herself. “Another match made in heaven, thanks to yours truly.” She gave a self-satisfied nod and stretched.

Spitfire chuckled, then looked up at her wingpony. “I did warn you, you know. I told you you didn’t know what you were getting yourself into”

He grumped, “I’m one hundred percent sure you didn’t warn me about this,” and pulled her in tighter. “I’m not mad, I just,” he waved his free hoof around his lip and the ice pack, “I just started using them and now they’re busted!”

Red leaned back nonchalantly and inspected her feathers. “If you’d like to show your affection another way, I can step out for a while.”

Soarin’ laughed. It was a full, easy laugh that reassured Spitfire that he wasn’t actually upset. She turned to address her friend.

“Don’t be silly, Red. There’s nowhere to go.”

“You’re probably right. Besides, it’s better if you have a medic present for your first time. Given the injuries sustained on first kiss, Soarin’ might need immediate medical attention!”

Even Spitfire laughed that time. She nestled herself deeply into Soarin’s strong wings, and for the first time in a long time she had not a care in the world.

The red glow of sunset faded and gave way to moonlight. Spitfire didn’t know exactly how long they sat there in contented silence, it felt like forever and yet not nearly enough. Just as she felt herself begin to drift off to sleep, she heard Snowball bark. Then she heard the hoofbeats.

Wedge galloped into the lantern light alone.