Under The Northern Lights

by CoastalSarv


Three

Their arrival at Sarvvik and journey to the castle somehow managed to be both boring and stressful. It was the former because it took an abysmally long time with not much happening, and the latter because you had no control over what happened to you – not even Luna. Everything had to happen here and now, and they were pulled along quickly by their hosts. It didn’t matter whether they had to disembark, or turn over their luggage to porters, or were forced into a semi-circle for an official welcome. Luna coped best but fumed the most inwards, constantly holding back barked contra-orders. Spike just wished that they would have done it in a way that would have let him nap. It was really cold here, and he always got sleepier in cold weather. Twilight, meanwhile, spent all her worry on not having a clue where her luggage was and on not speaking Poatsi, the reindeer tongue.

A lot of the deer meeting them spoke perfectly understandable Equestrian, it was just that Twilight somehow felt lost when one of them would say something to her and then turn around and say something incomprehensible to their colleague. Twilight had brought a phrase-book, but it wasn't much help (”I will not eat this lichen, it is moldy”), though she had tried at first. She knew some Ancient Cervine from school but suspected that unless she needed to converse with old tomb inscriptions it would be pretty useless. She did have a solution, a perfect solution involving her beloved magic, but it simply wasn't possible here at this moment and she deeply regretted not using the ritual on the ship. She was itching to get it taken care of.

She especially regretted it when they were actually welcomed by the representatives of the King. The King wasn't even there himself, just a small herd of Very Important Reindeer, jarls and lords and courtiers and such. That was when Twilight feared Luna would bring some heavenly body down on Sarvvik right then and there. For a second she could see before her inner eye a raging Luna quickly checking with her sister whether there was some planet they didn't need, and when Celestia suggested Saturn (”Those rings are so hard to keep clean”), down it went on Tarandroland with a whistling howl and a huge fireball. Twilight was so scared she didn't really perceive what happened until Spike kicked her because the Princess wanted to greet her.

Not Princess Luna (who had kept her temper) but Princess Ljufa, the only daughter of the reindeer king. Her family was one of the things Twilight had read up on before she left. At least officially Ljufa didn't care much for politics, and had happily let her father name one of her many kids heir instead. The political reports and gossip magazines maintained she spent her time managing the royal castle and raising a family. She seemed pleasant enough and got a smile from Luna when she talked about the city and an annoyed frown from Spike when she petted him assuming he was a pet. She didn't say why King Ukko wasn't there, but apologized profusely on his behalf. Twilight tried to catch sight of Lord Eminence and see what the irritating statesmane thought of this, but he was nowhere to be found.

Not soon after they were actually escorted to the castle, but not soon enough – they first had to wait for the Equestrian consul, a Russ merchant named Pine-cones who wanted Princess Luna to listen to a long line of litanies of limited interest and relevance. The miniscule Earth Pony would probably have kept them longer, if not Luna had given Twilight the secret sign they had agreed on (which she would have missed had not Spike kicked her again) and they had played their little skit about the tyrannical, easily angered princess and the foolish, unlucky handmaiden. Pine-cones reached Rainbow Dash levels of speed – backwards at that – as he excused himself and left. They could finally follow the servant taking them to the castle and their room in it.


Unlike Canterlot castle, which reached for the sky, Castle Muorra stretched out in several directions with broad, long fir-log houses within a large wall actually made out of stone, boulders fitted together so well no mortar was needed. Some of the houses were a couple of floors high, but most were not. The highest was a squat tower, which was also made of logs with a tall stone base. All the buildings had birch-bark roofs, except for the long, tall central house that was the King's own, which was roofed with silver plates.

”All the roofs are sloping and like, very pointed,” Spike observed after looking at the silver roof for while and wondering how that tarnished silver would taste. Not that he usually went for noble metals; that was more for grown-up dragons.

”Yes, sire, it is the snowfall. Impossible for roofs not break unless pointy,” said the sarv (a sarv being a reindeer buck, Twilight explained) guiding them to their rooms.

”Isn't this very flammable?” Twilight mused. ”All this wood and bark.” The reindeer laughed.

”Oh, cannot burn," he said. "Is sorcery in walls, see? Good runes.” He pointed a cloven hoof at the wall right behind him.

At that, Twilight noted that every single log and plank had been carved with angular letters, stylized symbols and long rows of what looked like insect gnaws under bark, but were clearly deer-made patterns. Her horn glowed as she probed the wall for magic, curiously. The reindeer, in turn, watched her probing.

”Ooh, not all of them are magic, though many!" Twilight said. "Are the others just decorations, or what?”

The reindeer was dissatisfied with the first unicorn magic he had ever seen being so lame, but kept being amiable. ”Verses, names... sometimes stories," he said. "You can read the walls, if you bored guests!”

”Great, now Twi' will spend her time reading the castle and you won't get any work out of her!” Spike whispered to Luna.

”No! I won't. Not at all,” said Twilight who found that while angular and odd, there were phrases in Ancient Cervine here. ”I didn't know reindeer had magic...” she mumbled.

”Some do,” the porter said, ”but most of us just see stuff.”

”See stuff?” said Spike. ”What stuff?”

”...stuff...” said the porter, suddenly a little wary.

”Anyway,” he said, trying to change subject, ”good thing Castle Muorra cannot burn, because name means 'firewood', sort of.” He laughed at his own joke and picked up Twilight's saddlebags, which he had insisted on carrying.

”I remember how it got that name,” said Luna. ”The first king of the reindeer – the first reindeer to say he was a king – wanted a castle built. A king should have a castle. However, back then, almost all reindeer just wandered and grazed, so they didn't see the point. 'It will be gone soon' they said, 'but at least you'll have wood to burn'.”

”Many reindeer still wanders. Grazes. Gathers lichen and sedge. Up in forest and tundra,” the porter informed them as they reached their rooms. ”Backwoods deer. Hard life.”

”Is there anything left of that old castle?” said Spike.

Luna shook her head. ”I don't recognize much. Most looks new. The reindeer got very, very good at making things out of wood, and I am sure they have rebuilt everything when they had to or thought it was needed.”

”Here is your room, Your Highness,” said the porter. The room was suitably huge, and their big trunks were sitting in the middle of it. ”And your lady goes in here,” he said and showed a smaller room connected to it.

”Heh, Your Highness, I won't have to sleep just outside the door or at the foot of your bed!” Twilight joked.

”I might order you to anyway, filly!” Luna joked back, but the porter didn't get the joke, paled, and excused himself.


”Should we have tipped him?” Spike worried.

Twilight smiled. ”It is a castle, Spike, not a hotel. Just think of it as being as when we lived in Canterlot, just we don't recognize the ponies who work here.”

There was a knock at the door.

”That would be them,” said Luna, who had stretched out on the big bed. ”They were probably just waiting for the porter to be done with his work.”

Twilight opened the door and found two young vajas outside, curtseying, one white-coated, one black-coated, both with shawls and caps and aprons in front of the forelegs.

”We were sent to serve you, Your Highness,” said the white one. ”I am Saiva and this is Lif.”

”I did bring my own handmaiden, little reindeer,” said Luna. ”Though I appreciate the gesture.”

”We are to help you with anything you might need in addition,” said Lif. Spike jumped up from his trunk.

”Hey, I – we – are really hungry," he said eagerly. "There was to be that banquet but that will take like aeons. Get us something to eat and drink, will you?” The reindeer gasped and Saiva blurted out something in Poatsi. Luna laughed and Twilight looked confused.

”Yes, he can talk," Luna said. "Spike is no pet but the assistant to my handmaiden lady Sparkle. As such, he is part of my entourage and should be treated like any other of my ponies. Understood?”

”What – what is he?” Saiva asked boldly.

Spiked preened himself. ”I am a dragon!” When he saw their incredulous gazes, he added: ”A young dragon, OK?”

”How does one have... a dragon for an... assistant?” Saiva asked further, while Lif made furious gestures for her to shut up.

”Oh, Twilight brought me up – she hatched me with magic!” Spike said casually. ”She is the greatest sorceress in Equestria!”

”I will go get that food!” said Lif and headed for the door then hesitated. ”Uhm, pardon me, sir, what do dragons... eat?” She and her fellow maid looked worried.

”Gems!” he said happily, but suddenly amended it to, ”But anything is OK, really, I am just really hungry.” Relieved that he hadn't asked for a virgin or something similar, Lif disappeared.

”Anything... I can do?” Saiva asked nervously.

Twilight and Luna looked at their trunks. They both thought they would rather have Twilight do the unpacking or they wouldn't find their things next time they were to dress. And if the rooms were cleaned and ready... Then Twilight facehoofed and said some words not covered in Saiva's school Equestrian.

”Of course! How could I miss it!” She went up to Saiva and pointed at her. ”She is a reindeer!” Luna looked confused, Spike incredulous.

”Yeah, and the world is a flat disc, Celestia is an alicorn, and manticores poop in the Everfree Forest” he said. ”So?”

”That means I can do my ritual!" said Twilight, her eyes gleaming with frenzy. "Oh, I have waited so long for this!” . She dove into her trunks and started throwing out magical paraphernalia and scrolls telekinetically. ”Oooh, I know just what I am going to do with you!” Saiva looked less than happy.

”What is this you are doing, mylady...?” Luna watched frowning. ”Twilight... lady Sparkle... if this is the ritual I am thinking of, this might not be the time...”

”It's the perfect time!” shouted Twilight as her telekinesis formed a circle of talismans on the floor.

”Now, come with me in here,” she ordered Saiva is she herded the vaja into said circle. ”Stand here, in 90 degrees to me... like that!” She failed to notice the girl trembling as she built up magic in her horn. Twilight started chanting.

”Now,” she said, "put your muzzle next to my face. Left side."

The reindeer complied, but continued to tremble, and had to twist her head so her antlers didn't bump into Twilight's face or her sparkling horn.

”Now – shut your eyes...” Saiva obeyed, less than pleased. The magic had reached a build-up and Twilight's horn was oscillating. ”And now... lick my left ear!”

Saiva had no idea why she did as she was told then, but she did. The magic was discharged into Twilight – the only visible effect being that her mane became slightly frizzled.

”Yes! I can feel it, it worked!” Twilight said and reared in happiness. Saiva had disappeared from the room in a panic. ”Uh... where did she go, I didn't have time to thank her?”

”You scared her, lady Sparkle!” said Luna with a deep frown. ”Reindeer aren't as used to casual magic as ponies, and there was no hurry to do that spell, even if I can understand why you did it.”

”What did you just do? I don't think I have seen it before?” said Spike.

”Oh, just a perfection of meta-lingual manipulation rituals and cognitive transfer!" said Twilight. "I have only used it once, I was doing a project with Zecora and her constant rhyming kept getting in the way of me attaining full understanding of the underlying principles of magia naturalis. Then I remembered she had said she only rhymes in Equestrian!”

”Yeah, that will be the language you use to explain this to me, again,” said Spike. “Equestrian, you silly filly! Do you speak it?!”

”It is a language transfer spell, Spike,” said Luna. ”Twilight copied miss Saiva's knowledge of Poatsi, just as she apparently copied Zecora's native Nuuban so they could avoid her geas to always rhyme in Equestrian. Twilight, this is all very clever, but there is no need to be that rude, understand? You must adapt to local culture for us to succeed at this mission.” Twilight blushed.

”I – I am sorry," she said. "I have been so frustrated with this all day, not having full understanding... When I had the chance to perform that ritual... I got ahead of myself...” She looked unhappy.

”As soon as I can I must get a hold of that poor girl and apologize!” There was a knock at the door again. “Oh, I hope it is her!”

Luna opened the door with her magic and it swung wide. Outside was Lif with a tray balanced on her antlers, it rattling with her visible trembling a little so the glasses and china clinked.

”Uh... here is the food you asked for, Your Highness, mylady, sir...” She shakily put it down on a little table next to the door. ”And if... is there... anything, I mean...” She started to back out the door.

”Oh, I am so sorry! I need to speak some more with your friend, Miss Saiva!” Twilight blurted out, trying to smiled widely but only managing a rictus grin, since she was fighting back tears.

Lif stiffened, swallowed deeply, and then dive out into the corridor, shouting: ”Idon'tthinkIknowwheresheisnowImustreallygoIthinkIhearmyQueencallingme!”

”Awww...” said Twilight and started to actually cry. ”I didn't mean to...”

Luna had purely technically been furious, but she didn't like to scold anyone crying, so she and Spike hugged Twilight until she starting hiccuping instead of crying. Then, they ate that food, at Luna's insistence.

”It would be a shame to waste it considering the problem it brought the serving maid,” she said. And when it looked like Twilight would start crying again, she added quickly: ”Besides, believe me, the last thing you get at banquets is a full stomach!”


Thanks to krdragon for help with proofreading!