//------------------------------// // Chapter 12_Winter Nightingale's Ghost Hunt // Story: Kelly Mathews, Equestria's Landstalker // by Leafwebs //------------------------------// Chapter 12_Winter Nightingale’s Ghost Hunt A scratched and dirt covered hand combs through the wilted foliage that makes up Sumac’s body to expose the new greenery underneath. With pruning shears in the opposite hand, Nigel not only cuts off the wilted branches but also mutant cancerous shoots that were growing in under the guidance of Birch Heart and Willow Bark. “Cut the sprouts at the base of the right shoulder blade with the bald clover like leaves.” Birch Heart barks gesturing with her paw at an offending clump of shoots. Even after being treated with detox herbs and anti-poison magic, Sumac was still gravely ill. Nigel was confronted the next day by Sumac’s pack where they informed the timber wolf went to root. His wolf transformation during the fight with Adam caused his foliage to soak up the toxins of Robotropolis mutating and wilting his natural body. The only treatment would be to amputate the unhealthy branches and shoots and wait for Sumac’s body to re-grow. Shoving each tainted branch into a hazmat grade wood chipper, Nigel wipes away the gathering sweet before sanding to clean and applying a special suave to each wound. “That is enough for today Hound, our pack mate needs rest.” Willow Bark barks putting his paw on the shears. “Yes, Willow Bark.” Nigel replies. Putting the shears and suave in his back pack and closing it, Nigel than gets up to close the bag of wood clippings. Once the bag of clippings was closed and strapped to Birch Heart, Nigel was lead by Birch Heart back to Maple Village. The pack originally threatened great harm on Nigel over Sumac’s poisoned condition, it was only after Nigel convinced the pack to give Sumac’s trail a good sniff and proposed a long and painful death for the pack awaited them if he was not left alive to clean up the mess; did the pack come to the current arrangement. Under the arrangement Nigel would be lead into the forest to Sumac’s location at the start of each day to help clean up as he offered. This consisted of digging up contaminated dirt and pruning Sumac of mutated foliage until sunset when Nigel would be escorted back to Maple by two timber wolves and watched. On day three Earth was able to smuggle over Hazmat grade clean up tools to Nigel speeding up his efforts. In addition to the pack’s inspection of Sumac’s health, Nigel secretly collected some of the sap from the clippings and used his Planer Trans-locator’s scanner to send back data to home for analysis against known pollution toxins. A report of contamination levels verse a sample healthy Earth tree sap would be received during the night. It was not the best base line for tests but an educated guess was better than none. “How many days have you been at this?” Sergeant Spur asks a dirt and snow dusted Nigel. “Eight while you were being cleared to return to duty…” Nigel replies with a grown. “Another week and a half since you got back… 8+7… +4… about 19.” “Scorching mid day Nigel, just how dense is the underbrush of that walking clawed hedge?” Sergeant Spur gapes in amazement. “I don’t know how thick a wolfish hedge is meant to be, but Sumac’s had thick and plush greenery all the way down to his gray hound like trunk, and seeing as the greenery is meant to be like muscle and fur it was damn hard to sort and cut through.” Replies Nigel. “All I need to do now is keep the deformed shoots pruned until he wakes up. “ “How are you handling the cold?” Sergeant Spur asks offering Nigel some hot cocoa. “Strangely enough my body here has no problem with it if I’m near trees… or the timber wolves of this area.” Nigel replies holding a hand up to reject the drink. “Sorry I’m taking a bath before I eat or drink today.” As Nigel bathed, Spur began his first patrol of the new night and taking note of Birch Heart stalking between the homes and train station. However under the cloak of night trouble begins to stir. Barricaded in Cornucopia’s kitchen was the body of one of Mayor Vail’s co-conspirators the pony Honeycomb. Her body was partially mummified with the leg the armlet’s melted remains were on being terribly burned. With normal eyes one might notice small wisps of magic light hovering around the room with most centered on the deceased. However any eye tuned to see beyond the normal would see Honeycombs last spiritual moments. ‘Something… feels wrong.’ Thought Honeycomb’s earth bound soul. ‘Where is… every pony? Why am I here?’ Her vision clears and Honeycomb takes notice of a twisted representation of the former kitchen and of the glowing chains attached to her going back to broken glowing runes. ‘No! They… sweet day light no!’ Honeycomb thinks panicking and pulling at her chains. ‘I’m trapped here. That beast… colluding with the Elements, he caused this. Oh Mayor…’ “There, there my loyal friend I’ve not left you.” The voice Mayor Hail Vail calls to Honeycomb. ‘Mayor Vail, is it time?’ Honeycomb replies with joy. “Yes Honeycomb, kiss me and ascend.” A partially shrouded Hail Vail instructs gesturing a hoof causing Honeycomb’s chains to rise and float toward her. ‘Kiss you, but…’ Honeycomb starts only to be cut off abruptly by the Mayor’s lunging kiss as she got near. Struggle as she may Honeycomb could not escape the freezing kiss or the hooves that helped hold her in that embrace. Her spirit body shrinks and her corporal body loses its remaining soft tissues as Vail sucks Honeycomb’s essence away. When the kiss is broken at last, only a strangled death rattle echoes from Honeycomb’s diminished form before Vail stuffs her down an icy maw. In the forest a similar sight played out for Vail’s other co-conspirator Rain Dancer fared no better with his body mostly rotted away under an enchanted false stone hatch concealing a simple shelter. ‘Of all the usurper’s night rotted road apples. The Bearer’s and… that freak corrupted the spell matrix.” Rain Dancer gripes from his shackled spot on a dirt floor. ‘We’re all likely cursed to be bound to our graves for eternity.’ “Not true my disciple.” Hail Vail’s calls back. ‘Hail Vail…’ Rain Dancer replies looking for the source of the voice. Upon seeing the Mayor, every hair on Rain Dancer’s spirit body bristles. ‘No… Stay back Wraith.’ “Don’t be that way my friend, I’ve ascended and so can you.” Hail Vail replies gesturing a hoof causing Rain Dancer’s chains to float toward her. “Kiss me and ascend too.” ‘No Wraith you’re not tricking me!’ Rain Dancer snarls back just as he is pulled close enough to Hail Vail for her tattered wings to wrap around him. ‘I will not kiss the monster you’ve become.’ “Fine, you can prove your love another way my disciple!” Hail Vail replies sneering as she reaches for something hidden under her wing’s feathers that make Rain Dancer’s eyes go wide in horror. ‘No sweet day… Not like this.’ Rain Dancer mentally screams as his lower half is pulled toward Vail and her wing embrace starts rhythmically contracting. Rain Dancer tries to pull himself free only to receive a vicious icy bite on his trapped lower body part and the chains on his upper half retracting more into Vail’s embrace. As Rain Dancer’s physical remains lose there remaining flesh, so to dose spirit Rain Dancer’s screams of protest turn to meek whines. In his last moments Rain Dancer’s face reflected a last pitiful straining against an inevitable act as Hail Vail seductively licked her lips. With nothing but an exhale later Rain Dancer’s head slumps down on to Vail’s chest and a glazed look on his face. Vail’s rhythmic contractions continue as Rain Dancer’s head is pulled out of view behind her feathered wings until nothing was left to be seen. Once done the disheveled Alicorn specter began freezing over to become an egg of cold frost. While this happened the runes in the pony village of Maple were also collecting frost. As the frost starts gathering, Nigel unwittingly gets into bed after finishing his bath. Sergeant Spur after finishing his patrol lands to lock up the hazardous waste from Sumac in an empty train car they picked earlier for the task. “What are the humans going to do with this stuff?” Spur asks to no one in particular. “Nigel says to trust him that his people can dispose of it… It would be better to just dump it at Robotnik’s dump.” A growl gets Sergeant Spur’s attention making him turn around. The she timber wolf, Birch Heart was next door approaching the old community kitchen building. Spur flies to the roofs and moves closer to the wolf, curious to find out what spooked her without making him a next meal. ‘What have you cornered now?’ Sergeant Spur muses as he nears the wolf. When he was just about above the wolf Spur’s ears pick up a frantic banging coming from inside the community kitchen building. “Oh enough is enough with hicks out-smarting the guard.” Sergeant Spur lands near Birch Heart readying to ambush whoever was planning to come out when he gets a better look at the wolf’s poster. “You’re afraid…” Sergeant Spur replies stunned looking at Birch Heart than turning back to the barricaded door as it starts to buckle. “Something isn’t right here!” Deeper into woods and in the dreams of the sleeping Sumac someone tries to make contact. “You must wake up, wolf of wood.” An unfamiliar voice calls. ‘Am I still sick?’ Sumac thought before focusing on the strange voice. ‘I don’t know you show yourself!’ “You’re in danger if you stay asleep. Hear the cries of the land.” The voice continues. “Death is almost awake.” Sumac listened and felt the dying of the forest. In the forest’s pain Sumac sensed the familiar pony magic, but now it also radiated a soul chilling hate that scares Sumac. ‘What must I do?’ Sumac replies. “Use your talent for shadow puppets and recreate these runes in the places shown.” The voice concludes as three places around the pony town are made clear to the wolf. “Go now before all is lost!” Willow Bark and Hickory Knot who were watching Sumac suddenly noticed the ill wind as it begins snaking through the forest. “That breeze was not the season’s cold.” Hickory Knot remarks startled. “Magic and malice taint the air today. Wake the rest of the pack!” Willow Bark commands as he braces himself to defend Sumac. The elder timber wolf turns to the path leading to the pony village certain the enemy will come from there. With a boom that could be heard miles away the icy egg hatches the occupant of which flings deadly ice shards everywhere as it shakes off, a door crumbles, and a fake stone is blasted off a hole. “An Explosion… Shit… I got to get dressed.” Nigel yelps now suddenly awake. The room was way too cold for Nigel’s liking and for the preparation Sergeant Spur did to heat the place. Nigel dresses with as much haste as he could muster. Grasping the door knob rewards Nigel with blistering cold. “Ahh…” Nigel winces grasping his hand and deciding instead to kick in the door. The hall of the communal dwelling was filled with chilling fog and noise from outside could be faintly heard. Nigel runs to the front door and kicks it open. Outside Nigel sees Birch Heart and Sergeant Spur running for toward the train platform and being chased by a line of tiny clouds. As Nigel tried to figure out what they were one cloud with an icy fanged face comes at him from an alley nearby. A quick slash from the elf destroys the cloud monster that Nigel now discerns must be the spirit monster of Land Stalker. Little more than hostile puffs of air at first glance, spirits were the most dangerous close combat threats as they stole life at a touch and mobbed you on mass from a cursed bone pile that endlessly spawned them. Nigel need to quickly end this threat or they would be dead and not even calling a friendly displaced would be of help. So with every bit of haste Nigel runs to catch up with Sergeant. Spur and Birch Heart. On the train platform Sergeant Spur and Birch Heart were frantically swiping at the hoard of spirits with Nigel desperately hacking at any in his way while staying ahead of another hoard. “Nigel hurry up and help us…” Sergeant Spur demands smashing two of the hissing spirits with his armored hooves followed by jumping over and crushing another. “Hound these foul clouds steal life.” Birch Heart barks cutting threw three spirits with her claws but getting tackled by two wilting some of her foliage. The wolf leaps to the top of the coal car to avoid getting buried. “Spur, where’s their source?” Nigel asks getting on the platform. “It’s the kitchen building.” Sergeant Spur replies. “Use this Spur.” Nigel adds tossing Sergeant Spur a stone figurine. “Get to that kitchen and destroy any bone pile you see.” “What!” Sergeant Spur replies swatting another spirit. “Can’t You?” “You fly! Get there fast and call out the name on the statue.” Nigel replies running to the coal car. “It will give you a few seconds to do the job. Now Please go!” Sergeant Spur flies up as Nigel and Birch Heart fight off the hoard from atop the coal car. Soaring overhead Spur turns to the kitchen and dives in past the rushing spirits and trying his hardest to stay near the ceiling pulling some spirits as he goes. “Please Luna let this work… Gaia!” Sergeant Spur yells as he nears the hallway end. The statue turns to dust that surrounds Spur and every spirit that rushes him is destroyed by magic rock shards. The spell fades just as he spots the bones of Honeycomb. With one more desperate flap of his wings Spur dive bombs the bones and smashes them into dust along with two more spirits that were freshly spawned. As Spur was catching his breath a light to his right catches his eye. In front of the abandoned oven appears a pair of odd two toned boots. The boots are marked with the symbols for snow, fire, stalagmite, and poison on its tongue. “I know who… these are meant for.” Sergeant Spur pants. Back at the train Nigel and Birch Heart were starting to tire out when the remaining spirits froze turning to the Kitchen. “Hound they stopped but are not gone, what now?” Birch Heart asks panting. A Howl of alarm is heard from within the forest and the spirits turn back to the wolf and elf. Before a word could be said half of the spirits dive into the snows turning the roads into slick blue ice sheets. The rest of the spirits break off into groups and after a short act of chasing each other in small circles these spirits fuse together growing sickle like claws to become Specters. The new enemies begin to set the town on fire. “My family is in trouble!” Birch Heart yelps leaping to the road to sprint from town. “Birch Heart the ice!” Nigel warns only to witness the wolf land and slide strait into a house’s wall. “I saw and heard everything.” Sergeant Spur yells swooping in to toss Nigel the odd boots. “I think you’ll need these.” “Help!” Birch Heart yelps unable to right herself on the cursed ice. A Specter throws a fire ball at the struggling wolf but is saved by Sergeant Spur blocking the hit his buckler. Spur tries to counter attack with a throwing dagger but the specter dodges by teleporting. The specter conjures another flame but gets stabbed by Nigel and dissipates with a shriek. “Spur can you drive the train?” Nigel asks running up to the pair and helping them up. “Yeah, but it can’t be kept here for too long if you want an evacuation.” Sergeant Spur replies. “I got to go back for the rest of them Sergeant.” Nigel replies groaning as he tries to get Birch Heart up. “Damn if only these boots worked on you as well.” As if the magic could hear Nigel the boots power enchanted Birch Heart’s claws and let her regain her footing. “We must hurry Hound the rest of them are heading into the forest.” Birch Heart snarls as the specters enter the woods. Deeper into the forest Willow Bark and the rest of the pack found themselves surrounded by spirits as Sumac wearily got to his feet. “These things keep coming.” One wolf barks swiping at an attacking spirit. “Their den must be close for them to come back so quick.” “Are you well enough to fight Sumac?” Willow Bark asks. “In this form yes.” Sumac replies flying over to Willow Bark’s ear. The glow of fire and smoke can now be seen off in the direction of Maple Village. Sumac throws a ball of charged lightning blasting a hole in the spirits line. “Now move your paws thru the gap!” Willow bark howls. The pack sprints past the few remaining resistance. The spirit hoard continued to bite at the timber wolf packs heels as raced toward the fire which appeared to be on the way to the hoard’s den. The smoke started getting fog thick when they encountered Nigel, Birch Heart, and Hickory Knot fighting off fire throwing specters and the lesser spirits flooding from a hole in the snow covered earth. “They will stop if we crush the bone pile at the bottom of this pit.” Nigel shouts with his back against the fake rock that was being pelted with fire. The wolves charge the spirits breaking up their grouping allowing Nigel and the pair of wolves with him the opportunity to push the fake rock. Sumac used her lightning to keep the new spirits from escaping the hole. With a few herculean shoves the fake rock was pushed into position at the start of an icy groove in the snow leading to the hole. “Get back!” Nigel orders striking the rock and turning it into a blazing ball of fury which heads strait for the hole. Every spirit even remotely close to the burning rock gets snuffed out on its way to the hole. The rock momentarily gets stuck at the top of the pit only to slip down seconds later burning away Rain Dancer’s remains and stopping the spirits. Any stragglers were easily mopped up by the combined pack and Nigel. But their victory was short lived as a chilling shriek is heard and blooms of icy spikes erupt in patches from the ground. Everyone felt crippling fear that heard this cry of impending death. “We must run, now!” Willow Bark snarls bristling in fear. “To the village we’ll use the train.” Nigel shouts waving over to the wolves to follow as Sumac lands on his shoulder. Running for their lives just ahead of blizzard force snows the group spies the village out skirts building still smoldering. “Nigel we need to change three runes markings in the village to stop this.” Sumac yells over the storm. “Shit Sumac… Everyone else get to the train. Where to first?” Nigel replies with the pair breaking off from the group to head to an unfinished house. As the wolves reached the train the true threat appeared overhead. This spirit had the look of a pony serpent fusion if it was composed entirely of icicles and frost. Its roar alone made the fires shrink as if even their life was being sapped. “That’s not the wind…” Sergeant Spur whispers to no one before hearing the whimper of wolves. “What was that?” Looking up Sergeant Spur’s heart skips a beat. As the wolves enter a train car, Spur sees the specter ice pony. “Wendigo…” Sergeant Spur squeaks getting back in train heading for the controls before yelling. “Nigel drop what you’re doing and run. We can’t fight this thing!” Sergeant Spur releases the train breaks and the engine begins moving. The Wendigo shrieks causing ice spikes to rise up through the tracks ahead of the train and ice to gather on the train. The wheels squeal as the train meets the first ice. The Wendigo begins drifting toward the train intent freezing the passengers. Still a story from the ground the Wendigo is ensnared by chains of magical light. “Sergeant, push her for all it has.” Nigel shouts as he jumps aboard. The train pulls about 300 ft away from the station before the passengers look back and stop the train. A small group walks up to the partial remains of the train station platform. “What did the Mayor… What was that thing?” Nigel asks shivering. “Wendigo it is a monster from legends older than recorded history, but how?” Stg. Spur replies. “The collective suffering mixed with vile pony magic perhaps.” Willow Bark adds. “Whatever the reason we cannot return the land is tainted.” Nigel scans the location just past the ruin logging a new anomaly, and finds to his relief that his Planer Trans-locator could not link to the new location. “I hope no one finds that town. The Mayor and her pals can enjoy their hell.” Nigel remarks as they turn to return to the train. Restarting the train they make for the town of Ponyville. The trip would take a couple days with one driver, but it would give everyone time to rest. No one was sure how Princess Trixie would take the news of Willow Bark’s pack moving in, but a monster of legend was certainly bad neighbor material. Once the train pulled into Ponyville and stopped Nigel got a notice saying Mike Edison found Brian and Tina who were the groups other members. The Planer Trans-locator even displaying a status of their vitals as the connection completed. Before Nigel could celebrate all three suddenly crashed triggering an alarm. Kelly Mathew’s saviors had been reunited, but now their lives hang by a thread. “I must help them.” Nigel says pushing the button that would send him to them.