//------------------------------// // Iä Iä Windy Fhtagn // Story: Rainbow Dash makes a windigo // by Immanuel //------------------------------// Chapter 1: Iä Iä Windy Fhtagn Twilight peered at the thing contained in a modified Shining Armor shield bubble on her study desk. The tiny creature of animated wind and cloud raced around inside the bubble in circles the size of a dinner plate, before releasing an elongated whinny that would have been blood-curdlingly terrifying had it not been in a volume and pitch more suited to kittens. The windigo foal looked at Twilight with glowing eyes, as it reared back in the air and tapped the bubble with its front hooves. When Twilight failed to pick it up, it whinnied disappointed and lay down on the desk with hooves on top if its eyes. "Well..." Twilight said airily, "it would appear to be a very small windigo." "Okay," Rainbow Dash said, and paused for a whole half second. "So why's it following me around?" Twilight shrugged. "I don't know. Where did you find it, and what were you doing at the time?" "I was just fooling around," Rainbow Dash said waving her hooves nonchalantly, "you know, I whipped around a small hurricane to gather up some clouds in a column, then smashed through with an upward Rainboom to see if I could kick up a thunderstorm, or maybe some new awesome effect. And, well, there it was." "Just like that? It appeared out of nowhere?" Twilight asked. "Yeah, I was cooling down from smashing the cloud into oblivion, and this thing showed up." "Aha," Twilight hummed in thought. "And what did it do when it showed up?" "Well, it yelled, like just now, and tried to ...eh, nuzzle me, I think." Twilight turned her gaze to Rainbow Dash with a raised eyebrow. "Well I wasn't going to hang around!", Rainbow Dash said defensively. "I dashed away!" Then she looked accusingly at the little windigo, who seemed to perk at her attention. "It followed me all the way back to Ponyville!" She looked back at Twilight, who seemed to be in thought. "So, what are we going to do with it?", she asked impatiently. In answer, Twilight dispelled the shield from around the creature. Immediately it whinnied and sprinted in the air, making fast and tight figure eights around the two ponies before settling to circle around Rainbow Dash. "Hey! What gives?!" Rainbow Dash shouted in dismay, and tried to shoo the miniature windigo away with her hooves. The creature dived under her flailing forelegs and pressed itself against her cheek, with its forelegs stretching around her neck. "Aahh! It's ice cold!" Twilight giggled. ("Not funny!" Rainbow Dash cried.) "I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash! But it seems it, she, likes her mommy." "Wait, what," Rainbow Dash stopped and tried to stare both the windigo and Twilight. "Well," Twilight said, "this is the first I've ever heard of something like this happening, but I think you've successfully managed to create a new windigo single-hoovedly." Now she had Rainbow Dash's full attention, despite the tiny spirit creature trying to burrow into her mane. Twilight waved her hoof. "Well what did you expect? You go around constantly fooling around with air and weather, doing things nopony else seems to be able to imitate. Something of this sort was bound to happen." She pointed at the tiny creature, who was now flying around Rainbow's head in leisure, letting out sweet little whinnies every few whiles. "Windigoes are spirits of air and magic, primarily. Hatred and darkness, as well," she added with a shrug, "although I'm not sure whether that's a necessary requirement, or if it has thus far only been a catalyst for the necessary energy to give them birth. She doesn't seem too malevolent," Twilight said. "Yeah, okay, didn't follow," Rainbow Dash said. "What was that with me being its mommy?" "Well," Twilight said with another shrug, "you created her. In a way that makes you her mother. Besides, she seems to be rather attached to you. I doubt she'd like it if we tried to take her away from you." "But...but I'm not ready to be a mother!" Rainbow Dash cried horrified. "I'm not responsible! I can't look after a foal! Especially not a hell-beast!" She grabbed the windigo from air and held it in front of her. It cooed at her. "You take her!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "Look," Twilight said, "if you really don't want to, or think you can't do this, I'll think of something. But she seems to like you!" Twilight said while the windigo rubbed her head against Rainbow's hoof. "I'll write to Celestia, and see if she has advice. And you can count on us as your friends to help you, of course." "What if she becomes a creature of nightmares, bent on the destruction of Ponyville and its inhabitants?" Rainbow Dash asked peering at the cooing little windigo suspiciously. "We'll find some way to deal with it, if it happens," Twilight assured Rainbow Dash, "but look at her! She's just a baby! I don't think she'll become a problem if we raise her with love and kindness." "But," Rainbow Dash said weakly, "what am I supposed to do with her? What do windigoes eat, even? Do they sleep?" "Well," Twilight said tapping her chin, "the windigoes of old were supposed to thrive on hate and jealousy, but I don't know how much alike she is to them. And she seems to be doing just fine as it is right now." She shrugged. "I mean, look at Spike. Dragons are supposed to be huge jerks, but Spike is actually a really nice guy. I'm sure you can raise a nice windigo." She paused for a moment. "Just in case, I'd keep her away from arguing couples." "But... Oh, all right," Rainbow Dash said and slumped in defeat, the baby windigo still in her hooves. "She is kinda cute, isn't she?" "She is indeed," Twilight giggled, then put her head to one side. "What are you going to call her?" she queried. Rainbow Dash studied the creature. "Windy," she decided with a nod. * * * Rainbow Dash was backstroking at her leisure through the air, Windy keeping effortlessly pace close above her. "So, Windy..." Rainbow Dash said uncertainly, "what do I do with you?" The windigo looked at her curiously and rolled her lips at her in a baby raspberry. "I mean," Rainbow continued, "do I treat you like a pet or a foal, or what?" She paused. "Gosh, I don't even know if your kind can speak!" Windy whinnied softly. "And, well," Rainbow said, "you don't need feeding, I guess, so you probably won't need changing or bathing... I mean, are you just gonna hang out and follow me around? That's a bit lame." The windigo looked dejected, her eyes dimming and the weird windy mane drooping. Rainbow regretted her words immediately. "Eh, I didn't mean..." she said quickly, then sighed. "Windy. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have said that." She grabbed the windigo in a hug. "Windy. You're mine and I love you," she said sincerely, looking her in the eyes. "I promise." Immediately, the windigo smiled faintly, and nuzzled Rainbow uncertainly. Rainbow laughed. "You're all right, Windy." She paused and grinned. "I guess it's kind of awesome. Not everypony can say they have a demon of air and darkness as a daughter." She blinked. "A daughter. Huh, I guess that makes me a mother." Rainbow Dash paled. "Oh no! I'm a single mom!" She let go of Windy and covered her face in her hooves. "I've become my mother!" Windy pushed her hooves with her muzzle and tried to whinny comfortingly. Rainbow looked at her. "Windy, if I start to wear chiffon, stop me. Seriously." Windy bounced against her chest and blew more baby raspberries. "Oof! Cold hooves, Windy! Cold hooves!" Rainbow Dash cried. "I wish you were a little warmer. It's gonna be awkward shivering whenever you give me a hug." The baby windigo yawned widely. "Huh, I guess you do get tired," Rainbow Dash mused. "I suppose it's understandable. You're kind of a newborn right now. We better go to my place. I doubt other ponies are quite ready to see you yet." She grinned again. "But it's going to be awesome!" she said imagining herself coolly and nonchalantly walking around Ponyville, ponies hiding and gasping in terror of Windy. 'Oh, her?' she would say with marked indifference. 'Yeah, that's my girl! Say hi to the nice ponies, Windy! Rainbow Dash chuckled as in her mind's eye ponies covered before a bigger Windy's mighty whinny. Dear Celestia, How do you do? I'm writing on behalf of Rainbow Dash on a matter of some curiosity and import. Apparently, during one of her stunts including a Sonic Rainboom, Rainbow Dash managed to create a new windigo out of thin air. The physiology matches, although in size the windigo is far from the titans described in the tales. She is about the size of a standard household cat. Otherwise, the resemblance is spot on: glowing eyes, body made out of wind and clouds and an aura of supernatural cold. However, she doesn't seem destructive, unlike all the known windigoes so far. In fact, so far she has exhibited the behavior of a newborn foal, albeit a mobile one. She is particularly attached to Rainbow Dash. We have named her Windy, and are attempting to raise her as an upstanding citizen. We'll keep you appraised of the situation and would appreciate any input you or Luna might have on the education of hell-beasts. With love, your faithful student, forever and always, Twilight Sparkle Princess Celestia sighed and rubbed her eyes. "I can't believe the things those girls get up to..." After a while she chuckled. Luna's going to be amused.