The trio finally reached their destination, the final bastion of the princesses' hold on the North just ahead of them. The heavy portcullis of the fort was lowered with guards patrolling the top ramparts, clearly this fort was no stranger to enemy confrontation.
"Halt!" A chestnut stallion called out from above the fort's gate, causing the trio to stop and look up at the pony.
"State your business"
"We were sent from the Ponyville fort, we have supplies for the front" Misty replied, gesturing a hoof at the cart.
The stallion looked at Vvulf with a scrutinizing gaze, but finally conceded. He waved his hoof above his head, signaling another pony inside to raise the gate as he descended his perch. Misty, Vvulf, and Jade waited for the portcullis to open, allowing them entry to the fort. The trio made their way inside the courtyard, Vvulf releasing his hold on the carts as the gate closed behind them.
"We had word there was a resupply coming in, but it was a party of five on caravan..." The stallion said, pausing to swallow the lump in his throat as he stared at the blood-splattered wolf visage.
"W-Where's the rest of your unit?"
"Here" Vvulf said, nodding his head back at the two corpses on the cart.
"I see..." The stallion sighed, bowing his head.
"Faust rest their souls. We'll give them a proper burial, thank you"
The stallion waved a pair of soldiers over, instructing them to handle the bodies. With the remains of their compatriots and cargo being attended to, Misty, Vvulf, and Jade moved off to the side with the chestnut stallion to continue their conversation.
"So I take it you... three were the reinforcements mentioned?" The stallion asked, his eyes lingering on Vvulf before returning to the two mares.
"Two," Jade corrected, causing Misty to give her a look of confusion.
"My orders were to take over command of this fort while General Bubbles is deployed to the front"
"I was wondering when they were going to send somepony" The stallion said to himself, rubbing his chin with a hoof.
"So it's just you and I? " Misty asked concerned, turning to Vvulf.
"Yes" Vvulf replied simply.
"And that doesn't worry you... At all?" Misty asked, trying to get some sort of response from the stoic companion.
"Should it?" Vvulf asked rhetorically, looking down at Misty.
"I don't know what you are, mister, but I admire your enthusiasm" The chestnut stallion chuckled, while Misty was left mouth agape by Vvulf's nonchalant response.
"Is there a room I can use?" Vvulf asked the stallion, ignoring Misty's look of disbelief.
"Sure thing" The stallion chuckled, waving Vvulf to follow with a hoof.
"Might as well make your last night comfortable"
With Vvulf and the stallion gone, Jade pulled Misty aside to talk in private.
"You're not actually considering going with that... Thing?" Jade asked Misty, genuine concern in her voice.
Misty looked at where Vvulf had enterd the fort, letting out a long sigh.
"I don't really have a choice" Misty admitted solemnly, her ears flattening against her head.
"You don't- What do you mean you 'don't have a choice'?" Jade asked, obviously irritated that Misty was so complacent with traveling with Vvulf.
"I'm doing this on request..." Misty admitted, rubbing her leg with a hoof.
"On whose request?" Jade asked with venom in her voice.
"The Princesses'" Misty mumbled in response, avoiding making eye contact with Jade as she kicked her hoof idly at the dirt below her.
"What!?" Jade asked in disbelief, whipping her head around to look at where Vvulf had gone inside as well.
"The princesses asked you to accompany that bucking thing!?"
"Keep your voice down!" Misty whisper-hissed at Jade, her cheeks flushing red.
The two mares remained there in silence for a moment, looking at the door Vvulf had gone into. After a while, Jade let out a sigh and shook her head.
"Faust be with you, Misty" Jade chuckled, putting her hoof on Misty's shoulder.
"And with you, Jade" Misty replied, the two of them locking eyes that had sorrow behind them before Jade stepped away, disappearing into the fort.
Misty woke the next morning and exited the room she had stayed the night in, gathering her belongings as she left. Unsurprisingly, she found Vvulf already standing in the fort courtyard, the steam from his hot breath steaming in the cold morning air. Misty just shook her head with a small smile and made her way over to the man.
"Good morning" Misty greeted, trotting up to stand beside Vvulf.
"It's a little cold" Vvulf replied, watching the courtyard slowly come alive as ponies began their duties for the day.
Misty nodded her head, but then snapped her attention to Vvulf.
"Did- Did you just make a joke?" Misty asked in utter disbelief as her armored companion silently headed towards the portcullis.
Misty followed shortly behind, a wide and giddy smile across her lips. Vvulf ignored the childish mare as she practically bounced next to him, his stoic demeanor juxtaposing her excited display.
"Stop" Vvulf warned, turning his gaze to stare down at Misty.
"Right... Sorry..." Misty apologized, flattening her ears against her head as she calmed down.
Vvulf and Misty waited for the fort's gate to open, a small group of ponies stood waiting for them outside. All of them wore heavy cloaks of woven cloth over their armor, a similar fabric covering their snouts. One of the ponies approached the duo, a stallion with a deep blue coat that barely showed through his tightly wrapped scarf. Vvulf tensed slightly as he approached, readying himself and clenching his fist.
"I'm Commander Lightning Moon, I'll be guiding you to the Northern front. You're going to want these" Lightning said, holding out a cloak and scarf of the same heavy cloth for Misty, as well as a set of snowshoes. Vvulf relaxing as the pony introduced himself, the stallion looking Vvulf up and down.
"Why?" Misty asked, genuinely curious, pulling Lightning's attention back to her.
"The weather gets unpredictable towards the front. A snap-freeze will kill an unprotected pony in a matter of minutes, and Faust help you if you get separated in the whiteout" Lightning warned, insisting Misty take the clothes and wear them.
"I- Thank you" Misty said, taking the coverings and wrapping them around herself.
With Misty now properly outfitted for the frigid climate, the duo followed Lightning's group of ponies away from the fort and towards the Northern front. The cleared section of snow around the fort quickly gave way to deep piles of the frozen powder, the steady crunch of ice under foot and hoof being occasionally drown-out by the whipping wind. Misty did her best to cover her grey coat to the cold climate, pulling the scarf up more so her eyes just barely peeked out while she held the cloak closer to her body with her magical grasp. The snowshoes worked wonders for the ponies with them, the flat footwear keeping their entire bodies above the deep snow. Vvulf trudged through the frozen landscape, still managing to keep pace with the ponies, even though he was up to his knees in snow.
"Sorry about the slog, we didn't realize you would have such a... Unique stature" Lightning joked, turning back to address Vvulf, the armored man remaining silent as he continued his march.
"He doesn't talk much" Misty explained to Lightning as she trotted alongside him.
"Something wrong with him?" Lightning asked, taking a cautious look back.
"No... Or... At least I don't think so..." Misty mused, looking back at the snarling visage of her companion.
"I just think he doesn't like to, or doesn't need to"
"So he's a pony of action?" Lightning asked, trying to get a good sense of this foreign creature he was leading into a war zone.
"That would be an understatement..." Misty replied, a shiver running down her back as flashes of Vvulf's brutal nature came to mind.
One of the ponies at the front held up a hoof, stopping the rest of the group.
"The winds are picking up, there's no-doubt a whiteout coming in" She said, dropping her saddlebags onto the snow and digging out a length of woven rope, tying herself in before lighting an enclosed lantern.
"Tie this around yourself, the last thing we need is to lose what little reinforcements we have in a whiteout"
Misty followed her instructions, looping the rope around her barrel and tying it. Misty took the other end of the rope with her magic and offered it to Vvulf.
"What?" Vvulf asked coldly, looking down at the levitating length of rope.
"You heard her, tie yourself in so you don't get lost" Misty instructed, offering the rope to Vvulf again, more insistently this time.
"I won't get lost" Vvulf replied, still refusing to tie himself into the chain of ponies.
"I know you won't," Misty agreed, gritting her teeth with a smile.
"Because you'll be tied in, right?"
Vvulf stood silent for a moment, looking down at Misty with the unchanging expression formed onto his helmet. Finally, he took the rope in his hands, tying it around his waist and finishing with a knot.
"If it gets us moving again" He conceded while Misty let out a squee of delight, quickly recomposing herself.
"See?" Misty said with a sly smile.
"Was that so hard?"
"If you two are done flirting, we need to get moving" Lightning mocked, causing Misty's cheeks to flush.
"The less time we're in the whiteout, the better"
Vvulf just started walking again, trudging along as the group continued forward. The frozen winds finally reached them, and Misty understood why they used the term 'whiteout'. She could barely make out the rope securing her to the rest of the group or the lantern glowing at the front, her entire vision consumed by a white blur of frigid winds. The mare at the front consulted the compass hanging around her neck as they slowly progressed, holding it up to her snout, making sure they continued to go in the right direction through the storm.
"Something isn't right!" The mare at the front called back, having to yell over the winds.
"What's wrong, Mistral?!" Lightning yelled back, making his way towards the front, plodding along in his snowshoes as he used the rope to find Mistral Morning at the front of the pack.
"The compass isn't working" Mistral said at a more regular volume, holding the compass up to Lightning's snout to examine.
Just as Mistral had said, the compass wasn't operating in its usual manner. The needle span wildly, settling on a direction, only to whip around and settle in another.
"Group up!" Lightning called out, drawing his sword.
"What's going on-" Misty began to call out, but was silenced by Vvulf's hand over her mouth.
"Quiet" He whispered into her ear, her heart beating out of her chest with the armored man looming over her.
"Listen"
Misty strained her ears, trying to make-out anything. She focused her hearing, closing her eyes to strengthen her other senses, if even a little. With her focus all on hearing, Misty could barely make out something amongst the howling wind and shifting armor of the ponies somewhere ahead of her, Vvulf releasing her muzzle as she finally picked up on the noise. The sound of a ghastly whinny could just barely be made out over the wind, the sound making Misty's blood run cold.
"W-what was that?" Misty asked, turning her head to look at Vvulf.
"Cut the rope" Vvulf instructed, moving to draw his axe as the ghastly sounds grew nearer and the air grew colder.
Misty was about to protest Vvulf's order, but before she could, both her and Vvulf were pulled forward violently. Misty tried her best to right herself as she was pulled along, her armored side cutting a trough through the snow. Misty flailed her legs, kicking wildly as she and Vvulf were pulled along by the source of the otherworldly cries. Vvulf grabbed ahold of the rope he had begrudgingly fastened himself to, pulling his hulking, armored form closer to the panicked mare. Misty felt Vvulf's armored hand grab onto her barrel, wrapping his arm around her midsection. Vvulf's other hand went to Misty's sword, drawing the short blade and swinging it at the rope leading to the group of ponies ahead. With their tether severed, Vvulf and Misty slid to a halt, the two rolling over one another and ending up lying in the snow beside one another.
Misty hadn't even had time to comprehend what just happened before Vvulf was already back on his feet, axe in hand as he scanned the blinding white of the snowstorm. Vvulf lowered his stance, gripping his axe with one hand while he used the other to pull Misty from where she was buried in the snow.
"Get up" Vvulf ordered, setting her on her hooves. Misty's legs sunk into the snow below, having lost her snowshoes somewhere during their drag.
"Back to mine, keep your weapon at the ready"
Misty did as she was told, trusting in her companion to get her out of this situation like he had done before with similar circumstances. The two stood with their backs to one another, Misty trying to keep from sinking completely into the snow, shifting her weight on her hooves as the chill of the wind and snow hit her. Vvulf and Misty's positions were disrupted when the frozen body of one of Lightning's comrades fell from the sky, shattering like glass on Vvulf's back as he was knocked forward. Misty's eyes darted around with terror, trying to find anything in the swirling storm. Vvulf pushed himself back up, snow falling from his body as he moved back into position with Misty.
The duo snapped their attention to a flash of light, the spectacle illuminating the storm for an instant. The flash of flame from Mistral's lantern breaking silhouetting her alone as her attacker let out a howling shriek of pain, the storm around them consuming the short display as Mistral let out a scream of pain herself.
"Pour the oil from your lantern onto my axe and light it," Vvulf instructed, turning and lowering his weapon to be directly in front of Misty's muzzle as he loomed over her.
"Now!"
Misty tried her best to fight the terror in her body, every single fiber of her being telling her to gallop away as fast and as far as possible. She unclasped the lantern from her saddlebag, opening the case and pouring the dark fluid onto Vvulf's axe. Another ghastly whinny screeched out above the howling of the wind, whatever made the cry approaching at a high speed.
"Light the oil now, Misty!" Vvulf ordered, tensing his muscles and readying himself for whatever was charging for them.
Misty tried to follow the command, frantically using her tinderbox in hopes of producing even just a spark. Another ghastly cry sounded out, the source now only mere feet from the duo. Misty's heart quickened, trying over and over to ignite the oil, but to no avail.
"Misty!" Vvulf yelled, the glowing of ice-blue eyes shining through the storm as the two felt the air get even colder around them.
Finally, a spark lept from the tinderbox, landing on the oil-covered blade. In an instant, the flammable liquid ignited, the orange glow of fire illuminating the storm around Misty and Vvulf. The light revealing the horse-like apparition charging for them with its cold, piercing gaze as well. Vvulf shoved Misty aside, tossing her into the snow like a rag doll, swinging his axe upwards. The flaming edge connected with the neck of the creature, the spirit's eyes going wide for an instant before Vvulf's ignited weapon cleaved through its neck. The monster dissipating into a blueish smoke around Vvulf with a final, piercing cry.
Misty crawled out of the pile of snow Vvulf had tossed her into, shaking the cold powder from her body. The first thing she noticed, was the lack of howling winds and piercing cold, as if the storm had disappeared as quickly as whatever creature Vvulf had traded blows with.
"Vvulf!" Misty called out, remembering her companion.
Turning around, Misty found Vvulf standing where he had struck the last blow to the frigid creature. Frost covered his armor, even his heavy fur cloak was frozen stiff, jutting out behind him as if it had stopped moving mid-billow. Misty let out a sigh of relief as thin sheets of ice cracked and fell to the snow below Vvulf as his shoulders rose and fell slowly, her concern for her companion's well-being lessened slightly, seeing as how he wasn't currently frozen dead. Misty rushed over to Vvulf as he broke free of his icy shell, his hot breath billowing out of his helmet as he knocked the ice from his cloak with his now-extinguished axe.
"Are you alright?" Misty asked with genuine concern, looking up at Vvulf.
"Yes" Vvulf groaned, rotating and bending his joints to cause more ice to break off of his armor.
"You... You killed it, didn't you?" Lightning asked in disbelief, Misty and Vvulf's attention going to the relatively unscathed pony, his apparel similarly frozen, but to a lesser degree to Vvulf.
"What was that thing?" Misty asked, remaining at Vvulf's side as he approached them.
"I think it was a Windigo, spirits that supposedly feed on hatred and conflict" Lightning explained, staring at Vvulf with amazement.
"But those are just old mare's tales, things to keep fillies and foals from fighting..." Misty contested, remembering the stories her grandmother had told her.
"Obviously not" Vvulf said blunty, putting his axe back on his back.
"Yeah... Obviously not..." Misty agreed, wondering what other storybook monsters she would come across whilst in the company of Vvulf.
"Wait! What about everypony else?!"
Lightning's focus returned as he snapped out of the disbelief that this foreign creature had presumably killed a fairytale.
"R-Right, now that the storm has cleared we need to look for anypony who survived" Lightning instructed.
"There" Vvulf responded, pointing an armored finger at two mounds of snow several feet away.
Lightning and Misty rushed to the piles of snow as fast as they could, Vvulf trudging through the snow behind them. The first pile revealed the body of the last pony of the group, frozen solid with an expression of pure terror on his muzzle. Misty turned her head away, moving on to the other pile with apprehension as Vvulf buried the deceased pony in the snow.
"D-Did I g-get i-it?" Mistral stuttered out with a weak smile, her teeth chattering from the cold and frost that coated her body.
"Mistral!" Lightning exclaimed, helping the mare up and out of the snow as best he could.
"I- I d-dont t-think I'm g-going to b-be m-much help-p anym-more, S-Sir" Mistral chuckled grimly between her stuttered words, her body succumbing to the cold bit by bit.
Before Lightning or Misty could say anything, Vvulf scooped the frigid mare up, wrapping her in his thick, fur cloak.
"We need to find someplace warm if she's going to survive" Vvulf instructed, ignoring the different looks he was getting from all three ponies, even the one currently in his arms.
"Right," Lightning replied, focusing back on the important matter at hand.
"There are some old mining tunnels nearby that we could use"
Vvulf nodded his head and allowed Lightning to take the lead, Misty following close to Vvulf's side. Something small inside of Misty was jealous at the special treatment Mistral was receiving from her armored companion, but she scrunched her muzzle and kept her mouth shut. Misty focused on the fact that she was alive and mobile, something that couldn't be said for the other ponies of Lightning's group. Pushing the images of broken shards of pony gore from her mind, Misty followed Vvulf as Lightning lead what was left of the entourage towards their temporary respite.