Chapter Two: The Windigo Council
As the two mares came upon the outskirts of the city, the frost pony stopped. Daring halted as well.
The pony lifted her head high, and a strong wind whipped around her. It pushed her up from under her hooves, lifting her up off of the ground. Manipulating the wind, she rose above the rooftops of the buildings.
Daring Do stared in amazement, then shook it off and began to flap her wings. She flew alongside the mare, knowing what would happen if she did not follow the mysterious winter creature.
They flew for a while, most likely an hour or so, when Daring saw a huge mountain on the horizon. It seemed to pierce the sky, its pointed peak rising above the other mountains surrounding it. Green pine trees covered in snow dotted the range. After another hour, they reached it. Daring spotted a cave with a large opening on the side of it, a gaping hole in the massive expanse of rock. The two ponies flew inside, landing on the frozen ground within the cave.
Daring looked around the place. It was more of a cavern than a cave. It was quite large. Ice, frost, and snow were everywhere, covering every single wall and stalagmite. The light from outside shone into the cave, reflecting on the ice and making the place seem to sparkle. Daring took a good long look, taking in the terrifying beauty of it all.
Then the frost mare revealed herself. She whipped off her cape, uncovering her body underneath. She was transparent, made up of air, cloud, and and icy mist. Just as before, her eyes shone brilliantly, a soft white light emanating from them. Crowning her head was a sharply pointed unicorn horn.
Smiling cruely, the mare’s horn became shrouded in a swath of magic, and she began to morph. Her snout elongated, and her front legs grew thin. Her back legs disappeared, vanishing to become a collection of mist and cloud. She was a Windigo.
Rising into the air and giving a whinny, the mare was soon joined by a dozen other Windigoes, all neighing and looking harshly down at their pegasus visitor. They entered through the cave opening, bringing gusts of cold air with them. Some simply materialized beside the frost mare.
Pretty soon, the cave was unbelievably freezing. Daring shivered, the cold surrounding her inside and out. Windigoes were creatures of myth, only having been mentioned in the Hearth’s Warming Eve story about the three tribes of Equestria uniting. Daring Do was shocked to find out how real they were; certainly were real enough to kill her. Celestia had mentioned a problem she and Princess Luna were having with Windigoes. What kind of trouble were these wind spirits causing? More importantly, why had they returned after thousands of years?
Failing to hide her overwhelming surprise at seeing the wind spirits, Daring stared wide-eyed at the Windigoes, her mouth open slightly.
“Daring Do, you have been summoned before the council of the Windigo tribe to serve us in our quest to recover our sacred amulet,” the frost mare boomed, her voice reverberating around the cave.
Their sacred amulet? Daring’s brow furrowed, but she did not speak.
“I am Nimbus, the leader of the council,” said the frost mare, eying Daring Do. “I speak for all of my tribe. You have been chosen by us to obtain the Alicorn Amulet and bring it to this cave before the end of one full cycle of the moon. Do you understand, pegasus?”
Daring nodded, her teeth chattering. She felt the weight of her saddlebag press down on her back. The bottle of dragon’s flame was in there. If she could somehow break it without Nimbus noticing, perhaps the Princesses could arrive quickly and get her out of this situation.
Nimbus shifted slightly, gazing at Daring. “If you ever try to defy us, break orders, or inform others that you are serving us, you will be frozen immediately. This includes releasing the dragon’s flame hidden within your saddlebags.”
“H-how did you-” Daring Do stuttered, taking a few steps back, a feeling of horror rising in her chest.
Nimbus gave a small but recognizable smile, giving a slow blink. “My ice crystals are in your bloodstream. Your brain needs blood pumped up to it to survive, does it not?”
Daring’s breathing began to quicken. Her vision became blurry, and she suddenly felt sickeningly dizzy.
Nimbus could read her thoughts. Nothing was private in Daring’s mind anymore. She was an open book; completely vulnerable to the Windigo. Naked.
“By Celestia...” Daring croaked, feeling tears slide down her cheeks. She put a hoof on her throbbing head, and squeezed her eyes shut. She couldn’t do this.
“Why me?” Daring asked in a whisper.
“You are the one chosen by the Princess,” Nimbus spat. “The only one besides her to be looking for it, and knowing much about it. You are the ideal choice.”
“Why not look for it yourself?” Daring retorted, feeling a swell of anger rise within her. “You are immortal spirits! Can’t you go find your own amulet without torturing a lowly pegasus?!” Daring cried, grating her teeth.
Nimbus gave a long exhale, staring down at Daring with her incandescent eyes. “You can gather information much more easily. You blend in.”
Daring narrowed her magenta eyes. “Why do you need the amulet?”
The Windigo raised her head. "Your time for questions is through. The amulet is due here in one moon cycle. I would suggest that you get started, else you may find yourself a permanent part of this ice cave.”
The Windigoes all gave a loud neigh, and rose their hooves to the ceiling. Daring Do’s breath escaped from her lungs as a huge gust of wind smashed her in the gut, propelling out of the cave and into the open air. The wind continued to push her all the way back to Trottingham, sending her crashing head-first into a stallion making his way down the street.
***
“Blimey!” said a stallion, his accent Austailian. “Are you ok, mate?”
Daring groaned as she opened her eyes. Her head throbbed. “What-?”
"You could have killed yourself, crashing into a unicorn like that!” said the stallion. “Could ‘ave gotten stabbed right through the noggin’! Unicorn horns are dangerous things, trust me.”
Daring looked up. She was on the sidewalk of the street she had landed on in Trottingham. Her body was sprawled on the ground, her saddlebag a few feet away. A few mares and stallions were gathered around her, looking down with concern. Daring got up, brushing her hat off. She must have blacked out for a short time after the crash landing. Looking behind her, she saw the unicorn she had collided with. He was also sprawled out on the ground, his black mane a mess.
The pony with the Autailian accent looked relieved to see that Daring was alright. He then helped the unicorn to stand up. The unicorn gave Daring a glare, using his magic to pick up a few things off of the ground that he had dropped when he had been so rudely knocked over.
The crowd around the two ponies began to drift apart once they saw that Daring Do and the stallion were unharmed. The Austailian pony left as well.
“Well. That definitely wasn’t on my afternoon agenda,” said the unicorn, brushing off his light blue coat. “Do you have a name, my unannounced assailant?”
“Uhm, yes. I’m Daring Do,” said the pegasus, noticing the stranger did not have a Trottingham accent like most of citizens of the city.
“Clarion Ravenhoof,” said the stallion, gazing at Daring Do. “I’m from Manehattan. I can tell you’re not from around here, either.”
Daring nodded, slinging her saddle bag over her back. Quickly looking inside, she silently cursed as she saw the bottle of dragon flame was still intact. “I came here from Canterlot,” she said, raising her head. “Barnett College.”
Clarion suddenly looked interested. “Barnett College, you say? What do you do there? Are you a student?” he asked.
“No, I’m a professor. Of archeology,” Daring Do explained, just about ready to walk away from the unicorn. She needed to get information about the Amulet, and fast. No time for socializing.
“Really? What a coincidence! My father worked there as a professor of archeology. Did you know him?” Clarion inquired.
Daring’s ears perked upward. “Wait, Professor Ravenhoof? Yes, I knew him. He retired a few months ago... You say you’re his son?” Daring Do remembered the old professor. He had always been like a father to her, helping her to get started on her most memorable quests. Everpony in the college had been very sad when he had retired and left the school for good.
Clarion nodded. Suddenly, a look of bewilderment crossed his face. “Of course,” he said, his eyes widening. “You’re her! The adventurer he was always talking about!”
“He was always talking about me?” Daring asked, feeling a bit proud.
Clarion nodded once again, a bright smile adorning his face. “He said that you would be the only one I could trust to find his most sought after artifact. You must help me to find it!”
“An artifact? Which one would that be?” Daring questioned. “And... why isn’t he looking for it with you?”
Clarion’s smile slowly drifted into a frown. “Oh... you haven't heard the news,” he sighed, grimacing. “Daring... he passed away only a month ago.”