A Himaneighan Tale

by MasterFrasca

Galearis's Garret

Galearis pushed hard on the door, but the arctic winds outside were fighting her the entire time. It was as if a small battle was taking place until the pegasus came out on top and the door slammed open. A wintry nightmare blew in from outside, the snow so thick that even the statue of Busdarna was completely blocked from view. The wind whipped at our clothing, biting through my many layers of scarves almost instantly.

Galearis looked back at me a gave a nod before turning and trudging into the winter wasteland. I followed closely behind, turning and giving a burst of magic to slam the door shut behind us before Galearis and I scampered down the steps. I was eager to get out of this cold as quickly as I could. My sweater and scarves felt like paper in the middle of this storm.

Galearis stopped at the base of the steps and turned to look for me. It looked like the coat she wore obscured her vision something awful. I still envied her though. She didn’t seem to be shivering quite as much as I was. Once she saw me, she pointed off to the left of the Monastery towards a row of houses barely visible in the whipping snowflakes.

Waving a hoof, she trudged towards the rows of houses slowly as I followed her hoofsteps. The snow had miraculously risen a couple of inches in the short time we had taken to visit Elder Rosensarch. What was fine to walk in earlier was now becoming a bit difficult as my hooves sank almost up to my elbows. At the rate the storm was going, it was completely possible that a snowin would be greeting us in the morning.

After the short journey down the snow-covered street, Galearis walked up to one of the houses that had a huge pile of snow nearly covering the right side. The two story building had a heavy wooden door as well as two unlit windows caked with the white powder furling around us. The upper level had a smokestack, but nothing was coming out of the chimney as of yet. Galearis walked up to the edge of the house and I followed her, heading for the main door, but as I got closer I realized she was heading for the right of the house.

She stopped for a moment in front of the pile of snow before brushing the stuff off with her forearm, revealing a stone step beneath the frozen dust. Pointing up at the second story, Galearis shouted just loud enough to be heard over the howling wind. “Up there!” she shouted to bring my attention to a door located right at the top of this pile.

What I had thought was a snow pile was actually a staircase leading to a landing on the second floor of the house. Trotting up next to her, I put a hoof on her shoulder and pulled a bit to tell her to step back. She seemed confused at first, but heeded my warning and took a few steps away from the staircase.

Closing my eyes, I focused on the layout of the stairs, sending out signals with my horn to determine how deep the snow was on each layer. It was a neat trick I had learned in my studies about bats. The stairs had quite a bit of snow on them, but each step was covered in about thirty centimeters of it by my calculations. I took off my glasses and threw them in my bag, not wanting to lose them with what I was about to do. The scene in front of me blurred out significantly, but I knew my dimensions purely from my signals.

Closing my eyes, I focused all the energy I had into my horn, feeling the magical pulses within grow with each passing second. I kept building the pressure in my horn, letting the magical energy compact itself into a dense ball of heat. I started to sweat as I felt heat leaking from my horn, drops of energy hitting the snow with an audible fizzle, leaving tiny holes for the snowstorm to soon fill with ease.

A few more seconds passed, and the energy I built up felt close to bursting. I waited as long as I dared, trying to keep the energy beam controlled. Realizing it was as large as I could muster, I thought back to the dimensions I had formed in my head, adjusting the shape of the energy to match that of the stairs. My horn leaked again and again, and I realized if I didn’t let go of the stored energy soon, there was a good chance it could burst out unexpectedly.

Giving a large grunt, I released the energy, my horn flashing brightly as a beam of pure light blasted into the snow pile, cutting away at it as a hot knife to butter. Within seconds, the snow on top boiled into steam and the staircase was perfectly clear, snow hitting its surface melting at the touch. I gave a quick tap with my hoof onto the first step to test the temperature and noted that it was quite warm, but rapidly growing colder as entropy kicked in.

I looked back at Galearis who stood in awe at the show I had just put on. I couldn’t help but smirk at the pegasus. It was probably the best display of magic she had ever seen. I gave a bow before righting myself and waving her on to tell her it was safe to go. She nodded, her agape mouth forming into a shocked smile. Galearis trotted up the steps and I followed closely behind, noticing how warm and cozy the steps beneath my hooves felt.

I was kind of amazed at myself for pulling that off. It was just a simple extrapolation of the spell I had used on my glasses earlier in the woods, but at a much larger scale. The energy I had expended in getting to that stage was noticeable. My legs felt weak, and my head was pounding ever so slightly. My horn felt much hotter than it should have been in the cold weather. I chalked up the feeling to the spell still bleeding off excess energy I had procured for the hearty zap I had given the staircase.

Galearis stopped at the top of the steps, fumbling around in her jacket pocket for a moment before pulling her hoof from it’s depths along with a large skeleton key. She took the key in her mouth and leaned over, placing it gently into the door in front of her before giving the head a generous turn. I heard the lock click and watched as the door suddenly swung open, being pushed ever so slightly by the wind around us. It’s heavy wooden frame kept it from knocking violently about.

Galearis waved me through the doorway before stepping in herself, closing the door behind us and leaving us both in utter darkness. I focused what little energy I had left into my horn to produce a faint glow just light enough to illuminate Galearis’s face. “Give me just a second and I can get us some proper light,” she said with a smile, throwing her hood back and letting her mane out.

I nodded before letting the light fade to black again, hearing Galearis trot over to my left as floorboards creaked and groaned under her weight. Then a brief silence interrupted the creaking of the old wood as I pulled my scarves down from my mouth, feeling my numb nose start to warm up after being assaulted outside.

The sound of a sharp crack hit my ears as I saw a faint spark jump on the far side of the room, illuminating Galearis’s face for a fraction of a second before the darkness returned. The crack jolted over to me again, another spark coming with it. I realized that Galearis was trying to start a fire with some flint, seeing now the outline of a fireplace in the dull moments of light that the sparks were giving off. “Do you need any help, Galearis?” I called out, hearing one last clack as the fireplace ignited, a small piece of wood finally catching fire in the cold room.

Galearis ignored my comment, too focused on getting the fire started to hear my weak voice. Instead of waiting to get a response, I focused my magic into my horn, breathing heavily and zeroing in on the tiny flame Galearis was gently blowing on. Giving a small spurt of energy, I watched as the flame grew triple in size, engulfing the wood and setting it ablaze with a symphony of crackling.

Galearis gasped and took a sharp step back at the sudden blaze before turning to me, her shocked expression softening to a smile. “There we go, fire’s started,” she said, shrugging off her coat and hanging it on the side of the fireplace to dry. She sat down on a rather large pillow and held her hooves up to the flame to warm them. I stood there as the flame grew, and with it the light of the room. I levitated my bags over next her coat, noticing now how spent the last few spells had gotten me.

Looking around I saw the quaint place Galearis owned up here in Yakyakistan. A black kettle sat to the left of the fireplace, it’s metal stand bent a little over, but otherwise intact. To the right was a set of pokers and kitchen utensils, haphazardly mixed together on a metal stand, the ends looking charred and heavily used. In front of the fireplace was a chair and some pillows that looked big enough to sleep on, albeit a bit worn out and lumpy.

Beside all the worn out utensils and cookery, a wool hammock was tied onto the ceiling, draped just low enough to keep a pony airborne should they get in for the night. A bookshelf rested underneath one end, with a glass of water suspending a blue flower in it, a papaver somniferum if I wasn’t mistaken. How Galearis was managing to keep a poppy plant alive in this climate was beyond me. The hammock itself was next to a window, but the storm outside had covered it completely in snow, the windowpane itself blurred through by a thick layer of ice. It looked like a stained glass window that somebody forgot to paint.

To my left was a small kitchen setup, cabinets in rows from floor to ceiling. Had the room not been so small to begin with, it would have been an impressive amount of storage space. A bookshelf sat next to it with dusty old hardcovers lining the few shelves there were to spare, various crystal geodes breaking the monotony of the lines of books here and there.

I walked over to the bookcase to see many familiar titles about herbology, something I studied back when I was learning about the magical properties of different floral organisms. I noticed that this small library went a lot deeper into the biological workings of plants in extreme environments than I had done during my studies. It was obvious that Galearis still loved her studies in plants.

I few books caught me by surprise, such as titles on poetry and the psychology of species in harsh climates. One particular book took my attention more than any other. A hardback book was stuck in with the others with noticeably more dust on it than its neighbors. The dust wasn’t what caused it to stand out to me. That honor was for the text on it’s edge: Song on the Northern Wind: A Memoir by Galearis Melody.

I blew the dust off the cover and opened it up to the first page, seeing the title with a distinct picture of the same pony that was currently sitting next to me, warming her hooves in front of a fire. I hadn’t realized that she was a published author. Galearis hadn’t stuck me as the writing type, outside of scientific literature. Turning the page, I saw the dedications page and my heart dropped when I read the words inked into the page.

Dedicated to the three researchers who lost their lives on Mount Everhoof:

Flurry Wings

Greenshield

Stratostepper

Your memories will always live on in this book – Galearis Melody

I shut the book softly and looked over to Galearis, adjusting my glasses before clearing my throat. I was always awful about handling awkward situations. “I had no idea you were a published author,” I said, grabbing Galearis’s attention from the fire.

She gave a confused look before seeing the book I was levitating in front of myself. “Oh,” she mumbled. “That’s probably because that book has yet to be published.”

“So are your friends…” I started, not really sure how to proceed.

“Buried under six feet of snow?” she finished for me. “Yes. They all perished up there.”

“I’m truly sorry for your loss, Galearis,” I said, trotting over and sitting down next to her on one of the lumpy pillows in front of the fire.

“Thank you, but it’s really alright,” she said with a sad smile. “I had planned to get that book published soon so their story would get out there.” Her smile was soon replaced by that of a slight frown. “I didn’t tell you guys earlier because I wanted to get you to Elder Rosensarch quickly.”

“So is this a story of what happened in the mountains?” I asked, taking off my scarves and bags and levitating them onto the hook next to Galearis’s coat.

“It’s based on the story,” Galearis said, taking the book from my hooves and flipping idly through the pages. “I changed their names and some of the things that were said. It was a tough time for all of us, and some of the ‘conversations’ we had were too private for me to send to the public.”

“So can you not find a publisher for this?” I asked, taking off my sweater too, the heat finally melting the chill that had been in me all day. It felt odd having it off in front of another pony. I had always worn clothing in public.

“No,” Galearis responded, bringing my attention back to the topic at hoof. “In fact, I have a company who is willing to publish it once it’s completely done. The problem is that they’re waiting on my final draft, this final draft.”

She held the book in front of her before closing it and setting it on the ground. “I’ve been wanting to send it out for some time now, but I haven’t trusted the traveling traders enough to give it to them for delivery. I’ve been meaning to make the trip myself, but things kept coming up. First I got heavily involved at the Monastery, then became the spokespony for the town itself, and now the Yeti attacks…”

She hesitated as we both sat in front of the crackling fire. “And if I must be honest,” she started, giving a hefty sigh, “After reading through that story again, my fear of the mountains has come back to me.” Another brief silence passed before she gave a forced laugh. “Heh, who ever heard of a mountain dweller who’s afraid of mountains? Am I a card or what?”

“No worse than somepony who studies friendship yet is seriously lacking in the friendship department,” I commented, thinking about my own past. I was trying to make new friends, but the theory and the practice were almost two separate worlds of difficulty.

“You got me there,” she said, the smile returning to her face. “Feel free to read through it. I might not be getting it published anytime soon.”

“Where is the publishing company who accepted this at?” I asked, levitating the book in front of me to see about how long it was. A few hundred pages later and I hit the back cover. The book seemed to be a respectable length from what little fiction I had read in my time.

“It’s a publishing company located in Canterlot called Magnum Opus. They accepted my story years ago, but I haven’t kept in contact with them. I don’t know if they’d remember me at all after this huge period of silence.”

“Well,” I started, shutting the book once more and setting it down in front of us. “I live in Canterlot, and Magnum Opus is actually one of my favorite stores. If you’d like, I could take your book myself once we settle all of this yeti business.”

Her eyes lit up when I mentioned the small quest, although it may have just been a stray flame flickering beside us reflecting in her pupils. I had never been good at guessing other’s emotions from facial cues alone “Could you?” she asked, giving me a bright smile. “I’ve been wanting to get it out of this town for years. I just never thought I’d have a visitor from Canterlot itself.”

“Sure,” I replied, levitating the book over into my bags next to the fireplace. “It wouldn’t be too much of an issue. I already end up there almost once a week to see all the new scientific journal entries.”

“You really are a pony of study aren’t you?” Galearis chuckled as she got up and walked to one of the sets of cupboards. “You seem to be an avid reader at the very least.”

“I suppose you could say I am,” I responded, pondering how I was around books and the like. “I do enjoy learning new things, especially when they can be applied to my magical studies. After all, my special talent is magic. I learned that back at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns.”

“I can see that you’re a pretty powerful pony,” Galearis said, pulling a large can from the cupboard with a picture of a steaming cup on the side. Bringing it over to the glow of the fire, I saw that it was a can of powdered hot chocolate. “That feat you pulled off outside my house was something else.” She opened the can lid and shook the tin about. I noticed that it’s contents were a little lacking. The can itself was barely a quarter of the way full. Probably only a few more cups of the powder were left. She replaced the lid before walking over to the kettle next to the fireplace. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen magic of that sort before. Was that an advanced spell.”

“Well, magic actually works a little differently depending on what you’re trying to do,” I started as Galearis put down the tin of powder next to the fireplace and picked up the kettle in her teeth.

“Keep talking,” she said in a muffled voice. “I’m just going to go outside real quick and snatch some snow for the drinks.

“Ok then,” I said as she slowly made her way to the door, the pot swinging back and forth, the momentum making her stumble every few steps. “Like I said, magic is very dependant on the task, but very few tasks require a simple spell. Even levitation requires you to know what object you’re holding in your aura.”

I saw Galearis kick open the door as a blast of snow barraged her and cold air whipped around me, threatening to put out the warm fire. A second later, the door was closed, and the kettle was filled to the brim with snow, Galearis covered with the powdery fluff as well. “So where did you learn that spell?” she asked through gritted teeth, walking over with the kettle still in her mouth before dropping it on the bent stand once more.

“That technique was a bit of a homebrew take on some other spells I’ve found.” I said, readjusting my glasses before recalling what techniques I had mashed together to make my “snow-destroyer” spell. “I mixed it in with my reading on heating spells and energy transfer spells as well as my geolocation spells. See, these spells were used mostly separately in applications now commonly needed together. The heating spells were for the winter months and cold areas where it was hard to get natural heat, and the geolocation ones were used mostly in unfamiliar and dark places. They helped track your surroundings.”

“Uh huh,” Galearis idly commented, tending to the pot for a bit as the snow melted away.

“Anyway, I had used both techniques before and I was in an experimental mood when we got up here. I figured with the snowy steps I’d have the perfect chance to field test it. The stairs worked well because they were linear enough for the geolocation spell to find the right surfaces, and the weather is cold enough to warrant it. I figure I’d go for it, so I used them together to heat up a very specific surface, that of the stone steps themselves.”

“Fascinating,” Galearis interjected, the water having begun to boil in the intense heat of the magically-stimulated flames. “Sorry to interrupt, but would you like some hot chocolate? It’s not anything fancy, just instant powder I have from the last supply run.”

“I would love some, thank you,” I responded as Galearis went and grabbed two mugs from the same cupboard. “And no need to be sorry. I was pretty much done with everything. The only thing I didn’t mention is how exhausting the spell was. I feel close to passing out.”

As I finished up, a yawn escaped me as if to prove the point of the degradation the spell had caused me. “Hopefully you’ll wake up early tomorrow so you can get out there and nip those Yetis in the bud,” Galearis chuckled, dipping a mug into the kettle and pulling it out with hot chocolate steaming inside. She handed it to me as I yawned once more, my eyes seriously feeling heavy.

“Thanks,” I said, enveloping the mug in my magic, chilling it down to a drinkable level with a small pop before raising it to my lips. I smiled when the warm liquid hit my stomach, feeling cozy after all the cold today.

“Feel free to sleep wherever you like,” Galearis said walking over to yet another set of cupboards and opening them to reveal a couple thick blankets. “The hammock and pillow there are all I really have to offer though.”

“I’m fine taking this pillow,” I said, patting the cozy fluff around me. “Reminds me of all the times I fell asleep during my attempted all-nighters in the Canterlot Archives.”

Galearis threw me a blanket before dragging one out herself and making her way to the hammock. Throwing her blanket on the lofty bed, she grabbed another mug and dipped it into the hot chocolate, setting the cup on the small desk near the hammock. “Well, I’m going to call it a night. Remember to move everything away from the fire before you nod off.”

I nodded before picking up my hot chocolate and taking a hearty gulp. Rubbing my eyes, I realized that I probably should be getting ready to sleep as well. I levitated my drink away from me just so I didn’t kick it over in my sleep, and pushed the pillow around, moving the lumps so I could easily lie down in a comfortable sleeping position. Settling in as cozily as I could, I levitated my blanket over me, and closed my eyes, feeling the extra warmth seeping into my body as well as the dark edges of sleep. Opening an eye just enough to see the fire, I willed what was left of my energy into my horn, pulling the blankets tightly around me as I felt the warmth engulf me. After a few seconds of readjusting myself, I closed my eyes once more and let sleep take hold as the wind howled above us and the fire crackled softly beside me.

Comments

[redmar]

Moon Dancer's spell was pretty impressive as was the way she used other spells to make it.