Deer Me: Black Snow

by The Psychopath

Announcements and preparations

"So...what are you doing in my room?" Stelimus asked his sister.

"Oh...I was just curious about how you were living." She nodded approvingly. "A nice home, I must say. Not as impressive as deer architecture, though."

"Even so, who let you out of the hospital."

Yolumay analyzed the cup she held in her hoof. "I did. I let myself out."

"You shouldn't--"

"I intercepted a message along the way."

Stelimus tilted his head slightly. "What message?"

Shining Armor came through the door, fully vested in his armor. He spoke with a dark, monotonous tone. "Stelimus, it's time to meet up with your family in the war room."

Stelimus looked at his sister then at copper, as if wanting them to save him. Unfortunately for him, Yolumay retained her smarmy, better-than-you smirk and waved him off, but Copper wasn't going to accept that.

"If he's going, so am I." The young pony looked at her father sternly.

"What? I will not have you put into danger! The black snow has started falling and that gigantic monster has started moving south. The tundra is being corrupted. Transformed Saber Tyrants have started running amok and destroying everything in sight. The kobold tribes nearby have started hunting them, but they won't last long. There are other abominations 'dripping' off the giant even as we speak and are heading towards us now."

Stelimus looked at Copper. He was extremely worried for her well-being. "I could die, Copper. WE could die if you come with me."

"Then we'll be together even in the after-life." She tugged on Stelimus and pulled him through the door. "Come on, Stelly. I know where the War Room is."

Neither Shining nor Stelimus understood what was happening or what had just occurred. Shining's attention was dragged towards Yolumay's giggling.

"What are you laughing at?" Shining Armor asked.

"Nothing. I just find you pony-songs to be so...varied? IS that the word? Probably. It's amusing, like watching a court jester."

The white stallion lost interest in the deer and left the room to follow after his daughter. The room itself was guarded by two crystal guards and two deer guards, although they were also accompanied by four, static deer of Grimliss. Needless to say, the living were very uncomfortable in the presence of these undead abominations. The room itself was very small. In fact, it was a miracle that the oval table in it had even managed to fit after assembly. Perhaps the lack of chairs helped the fitting, but the few individuals currently present were practically compressed into the wall.

Anglacite and Cadance were at the farthest ridge from the entrance and weren't seeing eye-to-eye. Grimliss was between them and Effervescence was next to Anglacite. Her ears were drooping and she was looking downwards with a depressed expression. Shining passed by Copper and Stelimus to sit next to his wife while Copper had the two sit at the opposite ends of the two 'rulers' of the tundra.

"Stelimus. Good to see you again," Anglacite spoke.

"Yes, yes." Stelimus brushed his words off.

"Are you okay, sister? You seem fatigued," Grimliss wondered.

Effervescence's colors had gone from bright and flowery to a more 'Golden Autumn' shade. She only huffed in response to Grimliss' question.

"Well, now that we're all seated, we need to decide on how to approach this creature. It has started corrupting everything in the tundra and we need to find a way to stop those corrupted beasts while the main force and artillery attacks the giant," Cadance said.

"Well." Anglacite spoke calmly. "The ponies should take the full brunt of the charge while my people attack the black snow."

Shining smashed his hoof on the table. "What?! And have all of our own potentially die while you sit in your cozy tent? Not happening! This is a JOINT effort. Ponies are not your toys to play with and discard when you're 'bored' with them."

"I will not have you speak to me that way, pony-song," Anglacite warned. He was speaking calmly, but his widening eyes demonstrated his growing ferocity.

"Oh? What are you going to do, kill me?" Shining scoffed in Anglacite's face. "I'd like to see you try."

"Very well."

Frost started growing out from under the god-king and engulfing the room. It was not affecting Anglacite's two siblings, but it WAS starting to turn Shining into an icicle, something Cadance was not liking.

"Dad!" Copper and Stelimus shouted in unison.

Below, at the base of the tower, the Crystal Heart began to wobble and vibrate with a great intensity while Cadance's body started to glow a deep, hot pink. A blast of energy melted away the ice and compressed Anglacite against the wall, pushing him deeper and deeper into its crystalline grip. When the pink alicorn looked up, her eyes had become pure white with a black ring at the edges of her eyes.

"NEVER attack my husband EVER again, do you understand me?" Anglacite ignored her threat and tried summoning more of his magic, but it was of no use. The Crystal Heart was reacting too powerfully to Cadance's anger, fear, and love. "I am the 'god' here, King Anglacite. I rule, and you will respect us if you want to get out of here alive."

"Uhhh, Princess Cadance, maybe you should tone it down a bit?" Stelimus suggested.

The young stag soon found himself engulfed in the corrupted magic of the alicorn and started to choke. He grabbed relentlessly at his throat but couldn't free himself.

"She's become Anakin Skywalker from Revenge of the Sith. That's why...he was so...bad at romance."

"Yes. Let the fear grip them, familiar soul. They feed and sustain. It can't be a coincidence."

"Mom! Stop!" Copper cried out.

The mare's yell made Cadance return to her senses and shake her head. A throbbing headache wracked her skull as well as Shining's.

"I hope that these issues are out of the way?" Grimliss teased.

"He's not right in the head," Copper thought to herself. "Why didn't he react to his own family getting attacked?"

Anglacite pushed himself out of the wall and wiped the dust off of his coat. "I haven't had fun like that in quite a while." Anglacite spoke with a monotonous tone. "Thank you for that."

"Brother," Grimliss started. "-this still does not aid us in formulating a battle plan."

"I already gave the proper battle pla--" Anglacite was interrupted by Grimliss' hoof placed onto his mouth.

"That wasn't a plan. That was just you enacting your judgmental issues."

"I have a plan," Stelimus said. He felt a need to tug on his collar when all the heads turned to him in unison...well, all except Effervescence's.

"Well? What is it?" Shining wondered.

"There's a stallion currently residing in the deer capital and helping called 'Clyde of Dale'."

"What is so special about him?" Cadance asked.

"Well, he may not agree, but he's a very efficient hunter."

"Anglacite's army also has specialized hunters. I see where you're going with this, nephew," Grimliss complimented.

Shining started to think. "So...We could send them out into the tundra a few hours before we move towards the giant. If they were efficient enough, then they could significantly cut the number of corrupted beasts and both of our armies could get to their destination relatively unscathed."

"And you could have rows of magic users creating walls to protect from the remainders attacks while the second line fires off their spells, then have those attackers become the barrier makers and so forth. It would give time for the siege equipment to advance unharmed," Stelimus added.

"Then it is agreed." Anglacite snorted. "I shall bring my army forth while my siblings go around the flanks with their own equipment. Together, we will finally bring this threat to its knees and eliminate it from existence."

"Then that just leaves the matter of recovering the wounded, camping equipment to protect them, communication crystals and radio, and so forth," Shining added.

"And this means that both my daughter and Stelimus will see war for the first time," Cadance said. She looked at the couple with worry clearly displayed in her eyes. "I would prefer that you two remain in the back, where nothing will happen to you. I would rather prefer you not be harmed, let alone..." She couldn't finish the sentence that she averted her gaze and looked away. There was a slight hiccup in her voice at the end of her sentence.

"Are we forced to go to the battlefield?" Stelimus asked.

"Yes," his uncle answered stoically.

The stag took a deep breath and felt Copper put her hoof onto his chest to feel his heart beating far faster than it should. "I...Well, my aunt did give me armor and a weapon to use in case something bad happens."

"And I can fly, if that's necessary," Copper boldly stated.

Stelimus' face scrunched up slightly in confusion. "Fly?"

"Yeah. I'm a pegasus. See?" She looked to her back and flapped her wings. "Didn't you notice?"

"Huh. Well. That's something."

"I will go to the capital and find this 'clyde'," Shining said.

"I'll inform everypony that we're going to need hunting squads and to prepare the war machines." Cadance took a deep breath. "I was hoping I would never have to use what Sombra created so long ago, but I guess we have no choice."

"The creature is right at our doorstep, so I would put the time for preparations at one day at best." Anglacite stood up. "Send the hunting groups three hours before our departure."

"I'm not liking this dream anymore. I want to wake up now," Stelimus cried internally.

Author's Note:

I'm really sorry this is taking so long to update now, but I've been busy with my novel Lux Locus and I keep getting distracted. Unfortunately, it's starting to slip off the radar so my views have begun stagnating. S'no fun.

Comments

[Snowfyre]

the "dream" is not what he thinks it is....

[The Psychopath]

7218513 [youtube=kdhhQhqi_AE]

[The Rogue Wolf]

Soooo... "don't fuck with Cadance" is the lesson I'm drawing here.

[Advent Link]

Cadence... why are you so awesome? glad we will be meeting clyde again, he seems like a cool character. is effervescence feeling remorse or is she depressed that she couldnt sway her nephew to her... "feminine charms" (seems strange for an aunt to do that to their nephews, but i suppose she is an odd case). copper is just adorable. i hope she survives.

[The Psychopath]

7218610 Effervescence's attitude is...well, you'll have to figure that out on your own. As for what you mentioned, it's true that I have a tendency not to kill off characters, usually because I don't want to. I like to think of things that are worse.

[wildlander84]

7218610 in ancient Egypt, marriage between siblings and other relatives was common practice.

[Mix-up]

so things are finally heating up now in the story, to what has been more or less eluded to sense the firsts few chapters. I wander what Shining is talking about using one of King Sombra's weapons for the battle. Still Stelanus doesn't despite his part proposing the battle plan doesn't seem sink completely in his mind that he will be in a battle soon even doe he is well aware of the dangers that he be will facing soon. I wander why effervescence seem to have lost some of her colors in being at the Crystal Empire? is it because she is suffering from a magic drain because she is far from her thrown of power, or that it is just a chose she made to look like to reflect the somber mood of the situation. I wander why Cadance also Forced choke Stelanus sense she was aiming for his father.

[Seeking Dusk]

Cadance is getting a little off. Not that I blame her, having to deal with Anglacite on top of the Black snow mess and the upcoming difficulties. Would it have killed you to step in Grimless? Sheesh.

[The Psychopath]

7218684 Yeah. That's what created Tutankhamen. It was common practice but only for the pharaoh as h e was considered the son of Râ and, therefore, a god himself. And since gods had the nasty habit of doing it with their siblings without consequences...

[wildlander84]

7220178 It was practiced a month "lesser folk" as well. Something about bloodlines and such...

[The Psychopath]

7220296 Really? I thought only the pharaoh was allowed to do that.

[wlam]

Stelimus' face scrunched up slightly in confusion. "Fly?"

"Yeah. I'm a pegasus. See?" She looked to her back and flapped her wings. "Didn't you notice?"

"Huh. Well. That's something."

Subtle.

[The Psychopath]

7220924 [youtube=VlrUKF4095Q]

[mastermenthe]

"A nice home, I must say. Not as impressive as deer architecture, though."

You only say that because you've recently been stuck in a forbidden forest for months on end.

Stelimus looked at his sister than at copper,

Then at Copper Heart

The kobold tribes nearby have started hunting them,

For their pelts, teeth and meat, i assume.

There are other abominations 'dripping' off the giant even as we speak and are heading towards us now."

Hello, Sin, what are you doing here out of Final Fantasy X?

The room itself was guarded by two crystal guards and two deer guards, although they were also accompanied by four, static deer of Grimliss.

Ah, yes, the Americans posted on one side, Russians on the other, and the Swiss Guard on either side of both of them as a reminder that dick swinging has nothing to do with badassery.

The room itself was very small. In fact, it was a miracle that the oval table in it had even managed to fit after assembly. Perhaps the lack of chairs helped the fitting, but the few individuals currently present were practically compressed into the wall.

Almost as if the room was originally designed for bipedal beings...

Effervescence was next to Anglacite. Her ears were drooping and she was looking downwards with a depressed expression.
[...]
Effervescence's colors had gone from bright and flowery to a more 'Golden Autumn' shade.

She still hasn't gotten over Stelimus? This must be her first rejection in her living memory that has actually stuck; usually she nullifies such acts by killing the perpetrator, but now Stelimus is back in her face as a living reminder that she has finally failed her own self-image.

Frost started growing out from under the god-king and engulfing the room.

Sorry Shining, plain force shields don't interact with terrain spells. You always were terrible at weaving elemental wards into your casting.

the corrupted magic of the alicorn

How could he tell, guesswork, or did it feel similar to the vibes from Yolumay's detoxing?

[mastermenthe]

"She's become Anakin Skywalker from Revenge of the Sith. That's why...he was so...bad at romance."
"Yes. Let the fear grip them, familiar soul. They feed and sustain. It can't be a coincidence."

OK, this looks silly but is no joke; the voice of probably-death is saying three different things here:
The "Yes" is a humorous "getting warmer" response to the Anakin Skywalker comparison AND as a sadistic approval of the current events.
The "fear grip them" is both a clue of the nature of the plot mechanic Stelimus needs to discover and an open request for similar entertainment.
The "they feed and sustain" bit is a callback to the message it has been trying to communicate to Stelimus all along; it can't directly state its meaning without accepting some form of unwanted liability.
The "can't be coincidence" bit is it hitting Stelimus with a clue-by-four, because of the approaching deadline for Stelimus to get his brain in gear.

[mastermenthe]

"He's not right in the head,"Copper thought to herself.

Of course not; he hasn't got a brain!

"Why didn't he react to his own family getting attacked?"

Grimliss considers his family's eventual deaths to be the perfect opportunity to force empathy and humility down their throats for millennia until they successfully evolve from embarrassingly low functioning psychopaths into mature adults he can consider family enough that he can feel bad about holding their souls back for all eternity. Just because he had a bad experience resurrecting his last two siblings does not mean he has ever given up his original ambition!

Anglacite pushed himself out of the wall

Those were crystal walls! Not enough authors use this imagery literally enough for my taste; Kudos to you.

"I haven't had fun like that in quite a while."

For an immortal, Anglicite has an abhorrently mortal perception of time. The spar with Grimliss was only, what, a month ago?

"There's a stallion currently residing in the deer capital and helping called 'Clyde of Dale'."

An outsider's OC being reused as a plot point? Neat.

"Then it is agreed." Anglacite snorted.

Only because it was a deer of your blood that came up with the idea.

while the second like fires off their spells,

Change "second like" to "second line"

"Then that just leaves the matter of recovering the wounded, camping equipment to protect them, communication crystals and radio, and so forth."

Who is saying this?

"I...Well, my aunt did give me armor and a weapon to use in case something bad happens."
"And I can fly, if that's necessary," Copper boldly stated.

Let's shine a light on the disparity here. Stelimus presents his newest gift as his first resort of many for survival. Copper Heart presents her physiology of birth as her last and only resort for survival. It will take a literal deus ex machina like the one being foreshadowed to keep Copper Heart alive and not-undead. Grimliss would be happy to specially reanimate the girl for diplomatic reasons regardless, assuming anyone survives this.

"I was hoping I would never have to use what Sombra created so long ago, but I guess we have no choice."

Now that it's pointed out, i fully accept that Sombra would have had plans to conquer the rest of equestria, and have installed powerful static defenses to protect Mother Base from non-conventional assaults... Assuming Sombra had not also been planning a survival campaign versus the Black Snow invasion cycle of his time, in light of the inactive Crystal Heart barrier.

"The creature is right at our doorstep, so I would put the time for preparations at one day at best."

Thank you for reminding the audience that geography is real and mercator projection maps are a visual lie. "One day out" at the speed and length of the creatures strides tells us the Frozen North we see on the maps is much larger than in appearance

"I'm not liking this dream anymore. I want to wake up now,"

That's the final clue, isn't it?

[The Psychopath]

7223608 Fixed the dialogue association. Didn't pay attention to the multi-speech I did. Also fixed the typo. Thanks for spotting those.

I love all the analysis you make because it's extremely fun to read and energizing. I'm not really fond of killing off characters, but changing them, like what happened to Yolumay and Effervescence. Simply killing won't do. Sometimes you need to...play with your food.

And I'll already spoil the last part for you: He won't wake up...at least, not this story.

[mastermenthe]

7223735
Thanks!

I am certain that the mystery plot device that will counter the current diabolos ex machina will only become mentally visible to Gregary when he wakes up to the fact that his life as Stelimus is real and respect his new existence as such.

[mastermenthe]

7223735
Side question was the black snow active at Sombra's coup?

[The Psychopath]

7224353 That's something I purposely left a mystery. If you recall, early on, Anglacite mentioned fighting alongside a ruler of the Crystal Kingdom against the Black Snow. I never specified whether it was Sombra or the Crystal Princess.

[Hoppa_21]

Stelimus looked at Copper. He was extremely worried for her well-being. "I could die, Copper. WE could die if you come with me."

"Then we'll be together even in the after-life."

Wow. That's so incredibly romantic!

Stelimus' face scrunched up slightly in confusion. "Fly?"

"Yeah. I'm a pegasus. See?" She looked to her back and flapped her wings. "Didn't you notice?"

"Huh. Well. That's something."

Wait! So he is spending years with her and just now noticed her wings? How did he get his wife in his human life with being so inattentive! I mean, she could dye her hair green and he would after years only notice! He should be glad that love blinded Copper so much that she doesn't care!

Interesting title picture by the way! I only imagined Grimliss to be...um...a bit rounder. You know, the fat nice uncle part? And I thought Eve-, uh, the aunt (the name is not so easy to remember in writing) might be slender. Only wished there was a picture of Copper cuddling Stelimus!

[El Comal]

dreams? giant shadow? Is that Hisoutensoku!

[Tide Hunter]

Stelimus looked at his sister than at copper, as if wanting them to save him. Unfortunately for him, Yolumay retained her smarmy, better-than-you smirk and waved him off, but Copper wasn't going to accept that.

then [insert comma after then]

[Black--Soul]

War is coming, it climax shall change everything...