//------------------------------// // Heart Of Ice // Story: My Little Teelo: Winter's Silence // by Ardwolf //------------------------------// In which we discover cowards can be quite dangerous and even the best laid plans may lead to disaster. Teagan shivered as she stood on top of the glacier. Three-quarters of a mile away she could see a flag snapping in the brisk wind. The flag marked Tišina’s lair, buried hundreds of feet below. Exactly how deep no one was quite sure, not even the Alene. Several pockets existed in the ice and the compasses weren’t accurate enough at this range to pinpoint the depth. Matt had merely sighed at the development and decided that since the ice caverns lay in a fairly tight cluster they’d simply bomb all of them. The shallowest cavern was 700 feet down, the deepest almost 1,300. A female Horn named Dawn Spire stood next to Teagan. She was monitoring the portals for changes. Unfortunately the spell wasn’t terribly precise so they couldn’t use it for targeting the correct cavern. Teagan watched the unarmored pegasus carrying the first bomb soar high above the target zone, a good thousand feet above the ice. He nosed over, falling fast. Something small separated from him, arrowing toward the ice even as the pegasus curved into level flight and sprinted toward them. No one knew exactly what the blast of a hundred pounds of tannerite would do to the immediate surroundings, which is why the first bomb was dropped from so high and so far from the observers. The tapered metal cylinder hit the ice a mere eight seconds after the pegasus released it, the pegasus still only a quarter mile from ground zero when the bomb went off. The shockwave made Teagan stumble like a drunken sailor. Dawn Spire fared better, having four legs but the look on her face made Teagan burst into hysterical laughter. Around them the pegasi were startled into the air like sparrows fleeing a cat. The trolls swayed like trees as the blast passed by, but otherwise didn’t deign to notice the mini-quake. The plume of steam and ice rocketed high into the sky, the wind catching and dispersing it rapidly. The blast wave had rocked the bomb-dropper but didn’t appear to have injured him. He stopped sprinting toward them and curved back toward the crater to observe the results. He orbited the large hole for a minute or two then started flying back to them, descending as he came. Matt strode to meet him as soon as his hooves touched the ice. The pegasus saluted. “Sir, mission successful! There’s a massive crater in the ice, at least twenty feet deep and thirty feet across.” “Gotcha now, Tišina!” Matt said with a savage grin. “Very good, let’s get this show on the road. Load up the bombers. One minute separation, no more than three flights an hour for each pegasus. Remember, those bombs are dangerous. Let’s make sure everybody comes home from this one, Sergeant!” “Sir, yes Sir!” The pegasus saluted again and trotted off, yelling orders. The battle of the glacier had begun. ooOoo A hollow boom from above made Tišina whip up her head and stare at the ceiling. It had sounded like a cave in. Concerned she focused her vision into the cavern spaces above her. Finding nothing amiss she widened her gaze, until hints of magic made her focus. Only to curse in fear as she saw what looked like a small army of ponies directly above her lair. The pink pony’s jeering words came back to her. They’re coming for you, Tišina. They know where you are. No matter where you run they’ll find you. Forcing herself to stay calm she watched a single pegasus soar directly above her lair and dive. A metal object fell away from the pegasus and the dragon watched the flying pony level off and start racing away for all it was worth. When the object fell into the hole there was another boom and her cavern shivered the slightest bit. On the surface the hole erupted violently, and grew deeper. She cursed as she realized what the sinners were attempting to do. They had a large stockpile of those pointed metal cylinders. She watched a line of pegasi waiting to have one of the canisters attached to them before taking off. Even as she watched another pegasus dived, and another metal cylinder fell into the hole. Grimly she turned to her escape portal and added the layer necessary for it to open. She left her lair and emerged in a jumbled mass of ice not too far from the ponies. She took to the sky and flew stealthily across the ice, barely skimming it like some monstrous draconic sea gull. They would pay for this outrage. Mrazot ḱe se kandidira crveno so krvta, she snarled silently. ooOoo A unicorn teleported next to Matt. “Sir, Tišina is moving! And she’s close. The compasses on both legs of the baseline are visibly swinging! She’s coming toward us! That way!” She pointed directly east, into the early morning sun. “Damn it!” Matt snarled as he realized how badly he’d miscalculated. Rather than running away the dragon was attacking. “Pinkie!” He bellowed “Get ready, she’s coming right at us! Earth ponies and unicorns, under the tarps! Twilight, get ready to tip her! Rainbow Dash, we’re gonna need your Sonic Rain Bomb! Pegasi, scatter! Don’t let her catch us in a group! Remember that breath weapon! Bombers, up high! If you get a chance to blast her before she gets here, do it! Go, go, go!” He grabbed his rifle, which was already loaded with a clip of AP rounds. The ponies scrambled to obey him, the earth ponies and unicorns slipping into the ditch the trolls had dug. It was covered with a white tarp to match the ice. He was glad he’d planned for the unlikely event of Tišina attacking. Looked like she wasn’t as big a coward as he’d hoped… Beware the Hun in the Sun, he thought grimly, squinting even with his polarized sunglasses. The unicorn messenger teleported out and he dropped to the ice, covering himself with a white tarp, leaving only his head and rifle exposed. Grimly he waited. Suddenly there was a boom as a bomb exploded in the distance. Using the sound to help orient him he aimed his scope downrange, thankfully somewhat out of line with the early morning sun. “Thirty seconds!” The unicorn gasped as she teleported back. “Acknowledged. Get under cover. The fewer of us out here the better!” Matt said, spotting his target at last. She was skimming the ground, barely ten feet between her tucked up legs and the ice, so low her wingtips almost slapped the ice on each down stroke. She was coming hard, not bothering to evade. Another bomb exploded behind her. The shockwave made her bounce hard against the ice. She absorbed the blow with her legs and literally leaped off the ice without slowing at all. Matt centered his crosshairs between her eyes and exhaled slowly. He fired. By the time the bullet struck home she was close enough for Twilight to use her magic. Unexpectedly the dragon banked violently, almost ninety degrees, her lower wing smashing into the ice and shattering before she could recover from Twilight’s unexpected pull. The massive beast crashed and started tumbling out of control, still travelling at sixty miles an hour. Had she been a mortal dragon the crash would have torn her wings off, snapped her neck and probably smashed every one of her ribs. But she wasn’t mortal, she was a goddess. Matt watched her slide to a stop, just in time for a rainbow colored mushroom cloud to erupt around her as Rainbow Dash flashed by. The shockwave lifted him off the ice. Between the crash and the multi-colored blast she was stunned. She moved slowly, raising her head. That gave him an opportunity to throw the rifle to his shoulder and put a bullet into her eye. Since she was only fifty feet away it was an easy shot. He felt satisfaction as she screamed in pain, sounding just like Godzilla. It seemed at least one of the shots had done some brain damage too, her left hind leg was completely limp and the wing on that side trailed like a leather cape. The other wing was a crumpled mess from its impact with the ice. She wasn’t going to be flying off any time soon. Tišina lurched to her feet and roared, nearly deafening him. A hissing noise was the only warning he got as Pinkie fired. He threw himself flat and covered his ears as two pounds of tannerite detonated only fifty feet away from him. The shockwave picked him up and threw him tumbling across the ice. When he came to rest he wasted no time scrambling after the rifle which was still skittering away. Everything was eerily silent. He prayed Pinkie’s shot hadn’t deafened him for life. After an eternity of seconds he retrieved the rifle. Spinning he crouched, ready to fire if the dragon had come after him, but it wasn’t necessary. She was down. Her neck was stretched full length on the ice and her skull was a smoking ruin. Pinkie had gone for a headshot. Too relieved the dragon was dead to consider the implications of that he ran toward the corpse, rifle at the ready in case this was some kind of ruse. He doubted it, but this was a magical land and Discord had pulled a similar trick on Teelo. Such a trick didn’t fit what he knew of Tišina’s personality but making assumptions was a great way to get killed. Matt hadn’t survived 20 years in Spec Ops by taking chances. That’s why the muzzle of his rifle never strayed from the corpse. When he got close enough to Tišina to see the actual damage he relaxed. Not even a being as tough as she was could survive two pounds of tannerite in the face. The blast had removed the top of her head. All that remained was a green slimy cavity where her brain should have been. Everything above the line of her muzzle was simply gone. Matt slung his rifle. Teagan came running toward him, only to skid to a stop when she saw the remains of Tišina’s head. With a horrified expression she turned, fell to her knees, and was violently sick. Pinkie came trotting over, Berry Fudge Gumball already back in her saddlebags. “Guess she lost her head from all the excitement.” Pinkie laughed, her long straight mane hiding one eye. She pulled out a large rusty spoon and flung it into the remains of Tišina’s skull. “Bon-appétit, Tišina.” “Cerise?” Matt asked, one hand sliding toward his knife, keenly aware Cerise weighed four hundred pounds... “Yeah, it’s me. Don’t worry, I’m not staying. Just had to finish the job. As soon as I get Pinkie away from this garbage I’ll settle down for a long winter’s nap.” The pink pony said. “Too bad Pinkie didn’t get to turn this overgrown creepy-crawly to stone like she wanted, but hey, into every life a little rain must fall, right?” She turned to go, and paused. “Glad I met you, soldier boy. First one I ever met around here that had a spine. When they ask tell them I killed Tišina, not Pinkie, ok? And tell them I’m going on a nice long vacation. I may not even bother to come back. This place gives me diabetes anyway.” She streaked off, her hair fluffing even as she ran. “Bye Cerise. Don’t bother to write.” Matt murmured and watched members of the Sun Shield start to return. He moved away from the corpse and signaled them to form on him. Teagan recovered enough to join him, her face pale and drawn. “You ok, Squirt?” He asked. “No. I’ve never seen anyone killed before. Did you do that?” She asked, wiping her mouth with her glove. “Nope. Cerise.” He said shortly. “Cerise? Does that mean—?” “Dunno. She said she might not bother to come back.” “Please, God!” Teagan said fervently. They met several hundred yards from the corpse, none of the ponies daring to look at the remains. The Alene and Snøskred weren’t so squeamish. In fact, the Snøskred had a big grin on his face. “Victory!” He bellowed with good cheer. Not even Sun Hammer returned his grin, shaken by the reality of what lay behind them. “Not yet.” Matt said grimly. “We still have to find that portal array and destroy it. No need to leave such a tempting toy lying about. Then we’ve got to destroy the bomb cache, and do something about Tišina.” “What do you suggest?” The Alene asked. “Even using my magic it would take several days to bury her in the ice. A blizzard is moving in, Lieutenant. We have hours, not days.” Matt stared at the troll. “And you were going to tell me this, when? You said we had at least a week of good weather!” “Tišina must have summoned the storm.” The Alene shrugged. “She is not called the Mistress of Cold without reason.” “All right. New plan. I want half the Sun Shield in the air headed east. Scour the path she came in on. She had to have used a portal and if we’re lucky she left it open so she’d have a line of retreat. It had to be big enough to let her pass, so it’s bound to be easy to spot. Once you find it come back and get the rest of us. Alene, Snøskred, we’re going to need your expertise with caverns and glaciers when we find the portal.” Bevis nodded. “Sergeant, you have your orders. That storm won’t wait.” “Yes, Sir!” The pegasus trotted toward his ponies. “Where’s Dawn Spire?” He called to the assembled ponies. A small commotion announced her location and she made her way toward him. “Once we find the array how long will it take you to destroy it?” He asked mildly. “The portal spell takes about six minutes to cast.” Dawn Spire said. “One spell per portal.” “We don’t have that kind of time.” Matt said, shaking his head. “Cerise said there were at least fifty portals.” “I can’t change the laws of magic, Lieutenant.” The rose-colored unicorn said crossly. “Nor can I cast that spell more than a few times a day. It gives me a raging migraine to cast it once.” “Terrific. What else can disrupt a portal?” Matt asked with forced calm. “Well, magically speaking they’re extremely fragile.” She said, considering. “But most magic passes right through it as though the portal didn’t exist. Only insect magic like Tišina used can disrupt it.” “Subtle Dancer managed it.” Matt pointed out. “What did he do?” “Nearly gave himself a hernia.” Dawn Spire said drily. “He sent out a massive burst of power. I’m not as strong as he is, Lieutenant.” “But I’m stronger.” Twilight said excitedly. “Much stronger.” “Stronger than the Chief Horn?” Dawn Spire asked incredulously. “He’s an initiate of the thirty-eighth circle! I know you’re Princess Celestia’s personal student but—” “I may only be eleventh circle.” Twilight interrupted her. “But I’m strong enough to lift an Ursa Minor while casting two other spells!” Dawn Spire blinked. “Whoa. Ok, so you shouldn’t have any trouble disrupting one portal. Maybe two or three. How about fifty?” Twilight hesitated, remembering the awful day the Princess had freed the residents of Rockton. “I don’t know.” She admitted. “Is there anything else that could disrupt a portal?” Matt asked. “Anything at all? What about physical force? Can we use the bombs?” “No.” Dawn Spire shook her head. “Tišina was going to use them to channel the energy of the Sun, Lieutenant. They’re totally impervious to physical force.” “Um, how did Tišina close the portals?” Fluttershy asked nervously. She split her attention between Dawn Spire and the sky. The other pegasi were starting to steal glances upward as well. Dawn Spire blinked. “Um, good question. I don’t know. I dismiss my little portal by peeling the final dimensional layer, but—” “Why can’t you do that to a big portal?” Matt asked reasonably. “If I were strong enough I could.” Dawn Spire said. “Even though I’m a twenty-third circle mage I don’t have the kind of power it would take.” “But I do.” Twilight said in satisfaction. “Can you teach me to do it?” “No.” Dawn Spire shook her head. “You’re only eleventh circle. You’d have to be at least eighteenth before you could feel the layers properly.” “What about Wind Spear’s Succor?” Twilight asked. “I could give you my power.” “Oh no!” Dawn Spire shook her head emphatically. “If I tried to take enough power to pop fifty portals, assuming you could give up that much, it would make me explode.” “Explode?” Twilight’s eyes widened. “Literally.” Dawn Spire said grimly. “I’m fairly powerful as mages go, Twilight Sparkle, but I don’t have anything like your capacity. Only one of the princesses could safely hold that much power. Since you can only cast Succor once a day it wouldn’t help me that much if I only took enough power to stay within my limits.” “Um, guys?” Rainbow Dash broke in nervously, glancing uneasily at the sky. “We need to hurry this along.” “What’s wrong?” Matt asked sharply, looking at the sky but seeing nothing but a beautiful blue expanse without any clouds. “That storm the troll was talking about? It’s getting bigger.” “What do you mean it’s getting bigger? There isn’t a cloud in the sky.” Matt said with a creased brow. “You’d have to be a pegasus to feel it.” Rainbow Dash explained. “But I’ve never felt a storm like this one before. We’ve got maybe six hours before it hits. And when it hits I don’t want to be anywhere near this glacier.” “I thought pegasi had weather magic?” Teagan asked, confused. “Can’t you just kick the clouds and break it up in ten seconds flat?” “Ha!” Rainbow Dash flashed a grin. “Stealing my line there, Teelo!” Then she turned serious. “If this were a normal storm, sure, no problem. But this thing isn’t normal, it’s huge. Beyond huge. There’s enough snow coming to bury this glacier ten feet deep. The hail’s no picnic either.” “Hail?” Teagan asked. “Yeah, hailstones bigger than a chicken’s egg. Get hit with one of those and you’re gonna feel it! If we’re not gone before that storm hits, we won’t be leaving. Ever.” “How do you know all this, Rainbow?” Matt asked. “Um, call me Dash, Matt. Rainbow is just so girly.” Rainbow Dash said uncomfortably. “Anyway, every pegasus has weather magic. Lets us walk on clouds and break them up and stuff.” “Including the ability to predict the weather?” Matt asked. “Yeah. So when I say the mother of all storms is headed this way you better believe it! Even Fluttershy can feel it, and she’s not exactly a top-flight weather worker.” “It does feel pretty scary.” Fluttershy mumbled. “Sir, pegasi incoming!” Sergeant Stormwind called from the air. He’d been hovering, watching for his returning guards. “They must have found her portal.” Matt said. “Alene, if you and the Snøskred would come with us? Dawn Spire, the Bearers, and Teagan you’re with me. Sergeant! I want a wing of the Sun Shield to fly cover. Everyone else, pack up! Make sure you don’t leave anything behind you aren’t willing to lose. I want the bulk of the expedition ready to leave within the hour. Dismissed!” Turning to Teagan he grinned. “Let’s go take a look at Tišina’s lair, Squirt.”