//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: Where Cold Winds Blow // by ProfCharles //------------------------------// Twilight shivered as the biting cold tore into her despite the fur coat she wore. She then shivered again, forcibly reminded that she was wearing the coat of a once living animal. “Do I have to wear this?” Twilight asked, the freezing wind ripping the words out of her mouth. “Aye, lass,” Andfanga replied, turning to speak to her. “Tis the best way to keep warm out here. It ain’t pretty, but then, not much is this far north.” Twilight grumbled, but pulled the fur coat tighter around her. Logically speaking, she understood that the many violent animals that roamed the Everfrozen Forest had to be killed, and that it was a waste to just leave the bodies out in the snow. On an emotional level, however, she was revolted by the article of clothing. I hope Rarity and Fluttershy never see this. The group, which consisted of Twilight, Andfanga, Aneria, Seiðr and the Night Ponies Shadow Flight and Nightwing, had been trudging through the knee deep snow for half an hour now, and could still see the gleaming spires of the Frozen Palace above the treeline. Tall, snow draped pines surrounded them, closing off much of the cloudy sky, yet also protecting them from the snowstorm that swirled around them. Twilight shivered once more, before realising that she was falling behind the long-legged deer. Trotting as fast as she could through the thick snow, she came abreast with Aneria and Shadow Flight. “Hi, Twilight,” Aneria said. “Shadow was just telling me about the Night Ponies—I’ve never met one before.” “Oh, yes,” Twilight said. “The Night Ponies have a long and rich history...” she paused, catching Shadow Flight’s look “... and one the good corporal here is better qualified to tell you about. Heh.” “Thank you, Countess,” Shadow said, rolling his eyes. “Anyway, as I was saying, we’re not a separate group of Ponies, like the Earth Ponies or the Unicorn Ponies, but rather a type of Pegasus Pony. The first of my kind were actually normal Pegasus Ponies, who made a pact with Princess Luna in order to help her guard the night. This was shortly after the Chaos wars, when many dangerous beasts threatened the stability of what was left of civilisation.” “A pact?" "Yes, the Pact of Night. Princess Luna instilled a small amount of her power into fifty Pegasus ponies—forty mares and ten stallions—transforming them into the first Night Ponies, granting us the many powers that allowed us to take the fight to the forces of Chaos." "Wouldn't that have weakened Princess Luna?" Aneria asked. "Yes, it did—it's also what allowed the Nightmare to take hold, to our eternal shame." Twilight blinked in surprise. “I never knew that.” “It’s not widely spread knowledge,” Shadow Flight said, his voice dropping. “By creating a link between the first Night Ponies and herself, Princess Luna grew vulnerable to the whispers of the Nightmare. Princess Celestia was too busy trying to rebuild the country to notice, and my ancestors spent too much time holding back the many beasts that threatened Equestria. Our negligence allowed our patron to succumb to the Nightmare, and for that crime we exiled ourselves far from Equestria, to the Deep Caverns.” “The Deep Caverns? I’ve never heard of such a location,” Aneria said. “It is a hidden and secret location, it’s whereabouts known only to Princess Luna and the Night Ponies,” Twilight said. “It was a refuge for her Night Ponies that she created shortly before the Nightmare took over. All that’s known is that it lies deep within a mountain far from the borders of Equestria.” “And that’s all you’ll ever know,” Shadow Flight replied. “We take our isolation very seriously. Only those under the direct orders of Princess Luna may leave, not even our leaders, the Black Council.” “I thought you were ruled by the Equestrian Government?” Aneria asked. “Hah! No, after our exile, we renounced Princess Celestia—for we served the Princess of the Moon, not the Sun—and set up our own Government. On it sits thirteen councillors, three from each of the four castes along with a High Councillor whose loyalty is to the city, not the castes. Together they make the laws that bind my people together. Only Princess Luna can overrule the Black Council’s decisions, a right she has yet to use.” “And the... castes? What are those?” “Each Night Pony is sorted into one of four social groups, depending on their talents. There are four castes, not counting the casteless, in total. First is the New Moon caste, who are the military and the police. Both myself and the Sergeant are New Moons, as will be any other Night Pony you are likely to meet. We protect the people, the Princess and the government, in that order. We are the arbiters of justice, and it is by our will that the city stands strong, bound by ties of brotherhood and loyalty. “Next is the Waxing Moon caste—the farmers who grow our food. They are the most respected caste as they vital to our survival, for they cultivate the mushroom farms and other low light crops. They are also the smallest caste, as not many Night Ponies have an affinity with farming, and there are no Earth Ponies amongst our kindred. “The third caste is the Full Moon caste, who are our scholars and researchers, our teachers, librarians and academics, as well as our doctors. Much of the day to day running of the Deep Caverns is delegated amongst the Full Moon caste, but they also keep our records, and many chose to explore their own fields of study. You’d probably get along well with many of them, Countess.” Twilight blushed, spinning a hoof sheepishly. “You can just call me Twilight, you know.” “Old habits die hard, ma’am,” Shadow replied with a grin. “The fourth and final caste is the Waxing Moon caste. Those of the Waxing Moon are artisans—sculptors, architects, woodworkers, painters and their ilk. Their duties are divided into two aspects; building and maintaining the physical city itself, and also producing the many luxuries we furnish our homes with." "Wow," Aneria said. "That sounds really organised.” “We have to be,” Nightwing said, joining the group. “Food and space are both scarce within the Deep Caverns, and as such, a strong sense of discipline is required to maintain law and order. Everypony has a place and a duty, and they must follow through on it, or become casteless.” “Casteless? As in, ponies who don’t belong to a caste?” Twilight asked. “Yes, that’s right,” Nightwing said. “All Night Ponies are entitled to certain things—food, shelter, education—as long as they are a member of a caste. Some, however, are not members of any of the castes, and lack such privileges.” Twilight frowned. “In Equestria, those are basic rights.” Nightwing snorted. “Do you not have to pay for your food, for your houses? Do you not have to work for the money that pays for such ‘basic rights’? Pay taxes for your education? It is the same in the Deep Caverns, except the Black Council provides such things directly to those who work. Those who refuse to work for the benefit of the city find that the city owes them nothing.” “But how do they survive?” Aneria asked. “Most are already criminals thrown out by their castes, so they simply steal what they need,” Nightwing said. “Others quickly get their act together and become productive members of society once more. Our civilization stands on the precipice, and everypony needs to play their part.” “That’s quite harsh, even by our standards,” Aneria replied. Shadow Flight shrugged. “The Deep Caverns are a harsh place.” The group fell to silence, trudging through the snow. Above them, dark grey storm clouds loomed ominously, and Twilight felt a shiver of fear at the sight of such violent weather. The wind shrieked through the branches of the trees, and the clouds rumbled with thunder, the undersides occasionally lit up by lighting. The winds fierce howling made Twilight shiver with fear, and caused the Reindeer to halt. Twilight looked at Aneria, only to see a look of horror etched on her face. “Frost wolves!” she cried, sprinting forwards, quickly followed by Andfanga, who drew a large battle worn axe, and Seiðr, his antlers glowing with arcane energies, all three looking back fearfully. The Night Ponies’ training kicked in, immediately leaping forwards, keeping pace with the longer limbed Deer, but Twilight was so surprised by the sudden movement she found herself quickly left behind. Another howl echoed behind her, and Twilight realised with a start that it wasn’t the wind. Panic gripped her heart, and she lurched forwards, her movements restricted by the thick snow. Even under ideal conditions, Twilight was no athlete, and now she was trying to outrun some unseen threat through thick snow, whilst burdened down with thick furs and a heavy saddlebag. “Wait!” Twilight managed to call out, before tripping over a buried root and falling flat on her face. Climbing to her knees, she spat out a mouthful of snow, only to pause as another chilling howl came from behind her. Her blood chilled, Twilight slowly turned around. Loping through the forest behind her, a pack of indistinct creatures, dozens at the least, closed in on her at a terrifying speed. Frost wolves! the one part of her mind that still worked cried out. Facts about the wild constructs, learned before the safety of a fireplace back in her library, flitted through her mind. They were magical constructs formed from snow, ice and wild nature magic, the primal fury of the north made real. Icy skin as hard as steel, razor sharp fangs and breath colder than the grave; a single bite could induce severe frostbite—assuming that they did not simply rip the limb off. Twilight could only watch in fear as the pack descended on her. There was no time to act, no spell that could save her, no knowledge that she could utilise. The lead wolf was in mid leap, mere cubits from ripping out her throat. Twilight gulped, and thought of home. There was a flash of light, and Twilight flinched back with a cry. When she looked again, she saw that the lead wolf was sprawled on it’s back, a large crystal of ice lodged within it’s body. Twilight watched with amazement as the wolf melted before her eyes, the magic which bound it’s body together dissipating into the Æther. A cry caught Twilight’s ears, and she turned, seeing Andfanga leap over her, his large axe held within his levitation, spinning and wirling, its very presence causing the wolves to back away wearily. “Countess!” another voice called, and Twilight turned to see Shadow Flight land beside her. “Are you alright?” Twilight sucked in a breath, the freezing air biting her lungs. “Yes, Corporal, I’m fine.” Twilight blinked with surprise. Apart from the bruise she had gained when she had tripped, she was completely unharmed. Footsteps in the snow behind her caught her attention, and Twilight turned to see the rest of the group approaching at a fast pace, Aneria and Seiðr’s horns glowing with magic. Shards of ice flew from between their antlers, shattering against the coats of the wolves and driving them back as Andfanga bucked and hacked through them, destroying the constructs one by one. But no matter how many they felled, more kept charging out of the trees. First dozens, then hundreds of howls reverberated through the air as a veritable horde of Frost Wolves charged into the fray. Andfenga was driven backwards, and Aniera and Seiðr began to obvious signs of exhaustion. "There must be every frost wolf in the forest out here!" Aneria cried. Twilight felt a hoof at her side, and she saw Nightwing stood next to her, supporting her weight along with Shadow. Together the two Night Ponies pulled her backwards, away from the melee and through the trees, the three Reindeer following closely behind. Faster and faster they began to move, galloping through the snow, away from the wolves, neither pulling ahead of the pack, nor falling behind, instead maintaining their distance. More howls echoed around them as more wolves joined the hunt, thunder and lightning crashing overhead as the wind blew up a fierce blizzard. Visibility shrank, until Twilight could barely see anything in front of her. Had it not been for the Night Ponies on either side, guiding her every step, she would have become hopelessly lost. After what felt like hours of running, but was probably minuets, the group bust out of the forest into a clearing, which ended at the lip of an impossibly deep chasm. Twilight came to a stop almost immediately, only narrowly avoiding falling into the gorge thanks to the quick actions of the two Night Ponies supporting her. Shadow Flight tried to take to the air, but the fierce blizzard battered him back down again. “Over there!” Aneria cried, pointing towards a long, rickety rope bridge that hung across the gap. Twilight felt her stomach drop at just the thought of crossing the precarious bridge in these conditions, but the sound of the rapidly approaching frost wolves killed any apprehension she had. As quickly as she dared, Twilight walked onto the bridge, trapped in single file between the two Night Ponies, the Reindeer behind her, with Andfanga bringing up the rear. Snap Twilight yelped with surprise as one of the ropes holding the bridge snapped. The bridge lurched and she fell to her feet. "Run!" cried Andfanga, turning to face the frost wolves. "Ah'll hold 'em off!" Twilight sprinted to the other side, collapsing in the snow. Howls from across the bridge drew her attention, and she saw that Andfanga was the only Deer left on the bridge, single hoofedly holding of the wolf pack, their overwhelming numbers negated by the narrow bridge. "Andfanga! Get over here, we'll cut the bridge!" Aneria shouted. The burly Reindeer warrior gave no indication that he heard. "Andfanga!" Snap The other hoof rail snapped, rocking the bridge and sending several wolves, along with Andfanga's axe, into the darkened abyss, whilst Andfanga clung to the bridge, buffeted about by the force winds blowing. Andfanga looked behind, and briefly locked eyes with Aneria, before turning back into the melee, antlers lowered. He hit the first wolf head on and flipped it over the side of the bridge, his momentum knocking down the next few wolves as well. Twilight felt her heart leap into her throat. The bridge was now clear, but if he turned his back to cross it, the wolves would easily catch up and tackle him. Rather than turning back, however, the warrior chafed once more, back into solid ground. As he passed the bridge supports, he kicked them, breaking the ageing wood and sending the bridge tumbling into the abyss. "No!" Aneria cried. "Andfanga, get back over here! Fly! I know you can!" There was no way he could have heard her over the sound of the wind, and yet his horns glowed with magic anyway, his body levitating into the air. However, strung up in the air like that, the old warrior was at the mercy of the cruel and capricious winds, and he found himself buffeted away from the chasm. Distracted, it was foals play for a wolf to leap up onto his back. The added weight quickly brought him back to earth, where the other wolves pounced upon him in a frenzy of ice and blood. "Andfanga!" Aneria cried one last time, howling into the winds as the pile of frost wolves tumbled towards, then over, the lip off the cliff. "No!" She ran to the edge herself, almost falling in as she did so, before falling to her knees. Twilight climbed to her feet and approached the doe. "An-Aneria?" She turned to face Twilight, tears streaming down her face, freezing in the cold. "He's gone... My father's greatest warrior... his best friend... and he's gone." Twilight said nothing as she simply held the distraught Reindeer close, watching impassively as the the pack of frost wolves slowly, one by one, turned and disappeared into the forest.