Unmarked

by Croswynd

Chapter 4: Gathering Chill

Chapter 4: Gathering Chill

-Illustration courtesy of Master Shake

With the sky steadily transforming into an inky black and the stars piercing through in preparation for the night, the clearing was the last bastion of clear air to Novell. He itched to find a cloud somewhere in the heavens to avoid sleeping on the ground again, dealing with the hard surface and creatures that wandered around. However, he seemed to be the only one uncomfortable with the situation, the Professor having no doubt dealt with such adverse conditions regularly and the mare already blissfully catatonic.

“I suppose we could spend the night here,” Professor Search announced, no longer affected by the magic pollen, though his eyes were still puffy and red. “It’s as good a place as any and the Dazies will be a deterrent for any local wildlife.”

“Didn’t you say there were Sasquatches in this forest?” Novell asked nervously, staring around the slowly darkening woods. The sun was no longer visible, its last rays reaching across the auburn sky, staining the clouds with a yellow glow. The young pegasus felt like shrinking into the ground, having no way to fly away from his fears. His wing was still throbbing unpleasantly, as if reminding him there was no escape.

He glared at the other pegasus snoring on the ground beside him, silently blaming her for his troubles. The snail that accompanied the mare everywhere she went stared up at him with a bored expression, its shell a steady orange as it fought to devour a large leaf. He figured that meant it was back to a normal mood.

“Well, of course, but they’re smart enough not to bother a grove that has Dazies in it, just like any other animal. Regardless, they don’t like civilization, so they stay well away from any roads. I expect if we were to venture nearer the mountain and further away from the trail, we could find an enclave of the beasts to study,” The Professor paused, raising a hoof to his mustache and stroking it. “You know, I haven’t finished researching into the mating habits of the Sasquatch. Perhaps we could make a little side trip before moving on to Canterlot?”

Novell fixed the unicorn with a glare, feeling uncharitable at that moment. “No, Professor, no more trotting off task. No more random forays into possibly hostile areas and no more research until we get to the capitol. I’m sure you’re used to such things, but I’m just a regular pony with no talent and I sincerely doubt that almost getting myself killed is going to get me a cutie mark!”

“It was only a suggestion,” the ash-colored unicorn mumbled in reply, sitting on his hindquarters and staring at the orange pegasus currently sawing logs. “By the way, you never introduced me to your friend.”

“She’s not my friend,” the alabaster pegasus grumbled, crossing his hooves in front of his chest as he sat down. “Her name’s Whisper Wind. She’s annoying, domineering, thinks she can do anything, and frequently gets herself into trouble. Supposedly she’s a weather mare, but she goofs off so much I’m not even really sure she has a job. The snail’s name is Swirley.”

“It is very nice to meet you, Swirley,” Professor Search said in greeting to the mollusk. The snail looked up from his meal and shifted through a spectrum of blue, yellow, and green before returning to his customary orange. “Ah, marvelous. He’s communicating with me. You see, these mollusks are a rather strange breed, capable of astonishing sentience. According to research done by one of my colleagues, these animals are native to—”

“I’m going to go get some firewood,” Novell muttered, walking away as the Professor regaled the snail with its own history and habitat. He rolled his eyes as he neared the edge of the trees, mocking the stodgy, old professor with an exaggerated expression and silent mimicry. The young pegasus sighed, his wings itching to open up and get him to the edge faster. All this walking is getting old really fast.

Staying within sight of the Professor, Novell ranged around for firewood and chewed on some grass while he was at it. The ground was shrouded in warm colored leaves, forcing him to nudge the carpet aside with his hoof or nose as he looked around. Finding a suitable stick, Novell grabbed it in his hoof and flung it over his shoulder to land in his open saddlebags. He lowered his head back down to search for more when a slight breeze sprang up, bringing with it the hint of the mountaintop frigidity.

Novell frowned at the wind, inwardly glad that he couldn’t feel chill like other ponies did. There was definitely need for a fire for the Professor at least. Not that I’m being entirely selfless here, the young pegasus thought as he looked around at the shadowy forest. The trees around him were less sinister looking when there was still light enough to see more than five hooves in front of his face, but that wouldn't be the case for much longer.

He spent the next few minutes gathering more wood for the fire, the comforting drone of the Professor’s voice in the air. After amassing as many twigs and branches as he could hold, Novell trotted back to the group. He felt more cheerful at the prospect of a fire keeping the darkness at bay.

“Ah, good, you brought the wood,” The Professor said, pausing long enough in his long winded explanation to look at the sticks Novell had brought with him. The young pegasus gathered them in a neat pile like he’d been taught to after his father had taken him camping in the forest near their house. Satisfied, he nodded and stared at the sticks for a second before realizing he hadn’t brought any flint or tinder with him.

“Uhm, do you have a fire spell in your repertoire, Professor?”

“Oh, yes, yes, apologies,” the unicorn replied, a concentrated expression coming over his face as his horn glowed white. A second later, a flame sprang up from the wood, wavering in the chilling breeze. “And not a second too soon. I tell you, lad, I dislike the cold months. Though I suppose it makes no difference to you, seeing as you’re immune to the temperature. Yet another ability I envy in pegasi.”

The pegasus laid down by the fire on the opposite side of the Professor, near Whisper, and stared at the flames. The warmth of it made his face itch, but he inched closer just the same, trying not to look into the forest. He relaxed and listened to the sounds of the night begin to arise as the last vestiges of light disappeared. The scent of the burning wood made him drowsy, his eyes drooping and his mind cataloguing the weird day he had experienced. A yawn escaped him as he realized he had been up since before Princess Celestia had pulled the sun into the sky.

*****

Novell woke up with a start, his brain instantly active the moment his ear twitched. He opened his eyes, his heart beating in his chest like a drum, looking around for the sound of wood snapping. The pegasus glanced at the fire, now nothing more than embers, then to his two companions. Both of them were asleep, the professor laying with his hooves in the air, mumbling and twitching as he dreamed. Whisper was in the same spot she had been, snoring loudly with her snail perched in slumber on her curly mane, the leaf only partially eaten.

Another crack sounded to his left. The pale pony raised his head, looking into the woods with his eyes widening further in panic. His imagination automatically transformed the shadows in the foliage into frightening figures as he watched. The air was dead in the clearing and the moon bleached his surroundings the color of his coat, the celestial light filling him with comfort despite the night’s best efforts otherwise.

“Search,” Novell hissed, picking himself up, keeping his eyes on the forest and his ears high in alert. “Professor.”

A light appeared in the trees, distracting him from his attempts to wake his companion. His eyes followed the pale radiance as it twirled through the trunks. He couldn’t see a distinct shape, just the general glow that rivaled the moon’s bathing light. The young pegasus felt mesmerized as he watched it, frozen in terror as the luminosity grew closer. A mist sprung up in the trees as the thing glided toward the clearing. He trembled, one hoof moving by itself toward the illumination, followed by another.

The pegasus’ brain felt like it was frozen over, all his thought processes dulling as if covered by a thin sheen of ice. A whispering chill entered his thoughts, a seductive melody filling his head with its soft song, pulling him toward the edge of the clearing. His eyes glazed over, the sound of his mother’s lullaby echoing in his ears, pulled from the back of his mind with a cold calculation.

There was another crack of wood to his left, causing his head to instantly swivel toward it, the spell broken. A shower of sparks greeted his vision, the wood stirring in a collapse as it burned. Novell stared back at the forest, the white light no longer showing through the branches and the haunting tune no longer playing. The sound of its absence tugged on his heartstrings like a friendship withered away. He stood there for a few more minutes, waiting for the melody to reappear, unable to move his body even he slightest bit as the mist dissipated. What was I just doing? He glanced down at his hooves, confused as to why he had moved.

“Just my imagination,” he laughed nervously, his whispering voice loud in the quiet, still transfixed by the darkness. A stuttering snore broke his trance, the orange mare annoying even in her sleep. Novell nudged the wood with a hoof, trying to get the flame started again. Thankfully, it caught, burning brighter as the fire once more gnawed on the fuel, casting color into the pale night. The pegasus lay back down closer to Whisper and stared into the forest, waiting for any hint of the light to show up again as he hummed his mother’s lullaby.

*****

The next morning came, the sun blaring into Novell’s eyelids enough to make him stick his hoof in front of his face. He groaned against the sudden illumination, opening his drooping eyes with reluctance, still feeling the effects of little sleep. The pegasus rubbed them, groggily sitting up and taking stock of the situation.

The fire next to him was nothing but ashes now, the outer edges of the sticks blackened from the heat. Shafts of light danced over the remains, streaking through the branches of the trees all around them. He glanced around at the edge of the clearing, the will o’ the wisp still clear in his mind from the night. Nothing but the warm shine of the sun flashed at him, a slight tugging sensation on his hindquarters causing him to turn around and investigate. He blinked at the image of Whisper Wind chewing on his tail, still asleep and drooling all over it with a cute expression on her face.

“Hey!” Novell yelled, standing up instantly to get his tail out of the orange pegasus’ mouth, his mind suddenly becoming lucid.

“Huh, wha, what’s there that?” Whisper replied, sitting up herself and wiping the drool from her mouth with one hoof. She stared at him for a second, one eye still closed and the other blinking confusedly. Suddenly they both snapped open, surprise in her face as she fell backward, her hooves scrambling in the air and her wings fluttering in panic.

“Wha-wha-what are you doing in my room?” the orange pegasus cried out, the snail on her head burning bright red in surprise, yet still managing to hang onto his leaf. The mare suddenly spit into the grass. “Pthew, wha’s on muh thongue!”

“Uh, uh,” Novell replied, his mind not ready to handle the information overload. He stamped his hooves in a nervous tempo, some dried grass falling out of the saddlebags he had never taken off for the night. “Hay! Yeah, hay! That’s, uh, my hay! Stop eating it!”

“Did somepony say breakfast?” the Professor said groggily. Whisper looked at the unicorn in surprise, suddenly glancing around at her surroundings.

“This isn’t my room! Oh, mare, oh, mare, I am so gonna get it,” the cream soda maned pegasus panicked, shooting into the air and instantly falling back down. Whisper looked around again, confusedly, raising a hoof to her face. “Whoa, my head. Why is everything spinning?”

The Professor chuckled as he stretched. “Why, you’ve been exposed to a yellow Dazey, dear. Quite a full dose, I must add. It’s a wonder you’re not still soundly asleep. The pegasus metabolism is truly astonishing sometimes. Now, you were saying something about breakfast, I believe, lad?”

“Uh, yeah, hay,” Novell replied absently, staring at Whisper as her eyes crossed and uncrossed again. She pointed a hoof in front of her and shook it, glaring hard at it, no longer worried about her tongue. The pale pegasus sighed and rummaged through his saddlebags, finding two more carrots and a couple of hay sandwiches. He pulled them out one by one, setting one of each in front of his two companions.

Whisper Wind looked up from her foreleg and stared at the food for a few seconds. “Carrots? Do I look like a rabbit to you? What about apples, do you have any of those, blank flank?”

“My name’s Novell and you’ll eat what I give you or not at all,” he growled in response, the headache from last night returning with full force at dealing with the mare. She looked at him in surprise, blinking a few times before looking down and picking one of the sandwiches demurely, avoiding his gaze.

The Professor, happily ignoring the two, crunched into one of the carrots with simple joy. The pale pegasus picked up a sandwich of his own and bit into it, the grass tangy against his taste buds. Remembering the doctor’s orders, Novell stretched his damaged wing in a slow motion of flapping. Pain shot through the appendage, but it wasn’t as bad as before, even if it did feel a little stiff. I guess I forgot to stretch it last night.

They ate in silence, both pegasi glowering at one another and the unicorn deigning to graze when the carrots ran out. Novell closed his eyes as he finished his sandwich, his lids heavy and a yawn escaping once again. I really need to go to sleep earlier, Novell thought, rubbing his eyes again. He looked around to spy the Professor inspecting the Dazies once more, writing in a notebook with a quill, both pulled from nowhere and held aloft with magic. That reminds me...

“Professor?” the alabaster pegasus called to his friend. The unicorn finished writing one last sentence before closing his notebook with a snap and sending it behind him to disappear, turning around to look at the pegasus. Novell squinted his eyes, wondering where the items had gone before shaking his head and muttering ‘unicorns’ again.

“Yes, lad?”

Novell glanced over at the other pegasus trying to feed bits of her sandwich to the snail. Swirley looked up at her in annoyance and ate more of his leaf with a determined expression, ignoring the mare’s offer. Novell rolled his eyes and trotted over to the elder pony, out of her range of hearing. “Have you ever heard of a light appearing in the trees at night? In this forest, I mean.”

“Mysterious lights?” Professor Search asked in a conspiratory whisper, not nearly soft enough.

“Yes, mysterious,” he replied, glancing back at Whisper to make sure she wasn’t listening. “I woke up in the middle of the night this morning and I saw some kind of light through the trees. I vaguely remember some kind of tune before the fire crackled next to me, but when I looked over, I was further away from it than before.”

The Professor rubbed his chin with a hoof, staring into the foliage for a few moments. “I can’t say I’ve ever heard of something like that happening in this forest. If we were in the Everfree, I’d suggest you saw a sprite of some kind, but they don’t live anywhere near here. Are you sure you don’t remember anything else?”

“I think I remember feeling cold,” Novell began, screwing up his eyes and trying to remember. “It felt like an icy claw was...”

“Yes, yes, was what?”

“What was I saying?” the pale pegasus asked, suddenly confused.

“You were talking about an icy claw, boy!”

“Icy claw?”

“You don’t remember, do you?” The Professor lifted a hoof to his chin again, looking back and forth from the forest to the young pegasus. “Perhaps we could stay another night and find out? There are certain magical entities that might fit the description you gave me, but I can’t be sure until I’ve seen it for myself.”

Novell suddenly felt the urge to leave, his hooves pawing the grass nervously. “No, I think we should go. Right now.”

“Whatever for?”

“I...I don’t know, I just feel like we need to leave.”

“Well, alright then, I suppose we do have to get along to Canterlot. We should be able to find shelter in Ponyville for the night if we hurry. Just let me make a few more notes on these Dazies and we’ll leave.”

Novell nodded, walking over to Whisper and wondering what she was doing here. The mare glanced up at him for a second before pointedly ignoring him, grabbing her snail and arranging him on her mane like a hat. Swirley stared at him with his customary expression, his shell a ruddy red as he clutched his half eaten prize.

“So, we’re leaving to go to Canterlot,” Novell started, raising a hoof to help her up. She glanced at it and hesitated for a second before standing up herself.

“That’s nice. I’m going to Cloudsdale for the week, to watch the Wonderbolts practice. Not that you need to know.”

The pale pegasus sighed, shaking his head as he marveled at her stubborness. “Alright, well, you’re free to come with us if you want company, but do what you want. You always do, anyway.”

“Fine, I will,” she replied haughtily, flapping her wings to start flying when she fell over onto her side. “Ow, my head.”

“Look, you’re in no condition to fly like that. At least come with us until the effect wears off, Whisper,” Novell grudgingly said, not really sure why he was offering to help one of the most annoying things in Equestria. He offered his hoof again, which she glared at before accepting. He pulled her to her hooves, where she wobbled unsteadily.

Concentrating hard, she widened her stance and took a step forward. And then another. Novell watched the mare struggle to take another step and almost fall to her side again. He rolled his eyes and walked up to her.

“Lean on me.”

“What?” she snapped, eyeing him warily, or at least trying to with her eyes wobbling in their sockets.

“It’ll be easier for you if you just accept help every now and then,” he replied in the same tone.

“I don’t need your help!”

The pale pegasus stared at her hard for a few seconds before shrugging and continuing on ahead. Professor Search had finished his notes and was waiting at the edge of the clearing, glancing around with interest at everything. After a few steps, he heard a sound from behind him. He glanced back to see Whisper staring at the ground with a grimace across her muzzle.

“What was that?” he asked innocently as she took another step and fell flat on her face.

She glared up at him when she regained her hooves, a bit of dirt on her forehead. “Help me.”

“I thought you didn’t want my help?”

“Please,” she hissed, the snail on her mane rolling its eyes and shifting through a spiral pattern of blue, red, and pink.

“Swirley just added ‘Help the mare before she falls and crushes me’,” Professor Search supplied helpfully from behind Novell.

“Traitor,” Whisper said to her pet just as Novell reached her and helped her up again. She leaned against him and Novell opened his undamaged wing to enfold her. “What are you doing?”

“Making sure you don’t fall the other way,” he replied, luxuriating in the feeling of having his wing fully extended, even though he still felt awkward at the situation. They walked slowly forward, Whisper stumbling slightly but not falling down. Novell moved with her, supporting her gently on both sides. “See? Much easier.”

“This is just until I can move by myself,” she growled, falling against him as she lost her balance again. The pale pegasus shook his head and continued on toward the road, Professor Search happily bringing up the rear.

*****

By noon, Whisper began to shake off the effects of the Dazey, enough that she had been able to walk unaided. Unfortunately, that was also the time the bickering began in full as their hooves ate up the miles.

“Were you the one who kept buffeting me with those winds?” Novell asked, the question on his mind all day. The other pony turned to look at him with a roll of her eyes, prancing ahead and sending a cloud of dust into his face.

“Well, duh. I was bored on my way to Cloudsdale, so I thought it’d be funny to mess with you, especially since you couldn’t fly and catch me,” she glanced at him mischievously as soon as he wiped away the dirt. “I was right.”

Novell glared at the mare, his normal irritation reemerging. “You are the most ann—”

A cough from behind him interrupted his line of speech, the Professor stamping forward heavily in between them.

“Now, now, younglings, enough of your fighting. Since you seem intent on not getting along like you have been for the last few hours, allow me to regale you with the tale of how I researched and wrote a thesis on the tiny parasprite race.” The dapper old stallion harrumphed in preparation for his speech, prancing with his eyes closed and his mustache quivering with each breath. “I was giving a speech at one of the universities at Canterlot, discussing the reproduction of the small, insufferably cute ball of insectoid when the hall erupted in uproar. Reproducing by just eating? Madness! The potential destructive capabilities of such a race would be terrifying to behold and that leads me directly into my next point which is, you see, one of the better experiments I’ve run, although the Princesses did not take such a liking to the insects when I released them into Canterlot square in an effort to see exactly which-”

“Oh my Goddess, my ears are going to fall off,” Whisper groaned aloud, covering both ears while simultaneously lifting off the ground with no effort. A breeze formed as the orange pony rose into the air, her eyes screwed closed. Novell looked at her with surprise, the look mirrored in the Professor’s face, as if the older stallion hadn’t even heard the insult.

“Astonishing, Miss Whisper,” Professor Search said around a slackened jaw. “You shouldn’t be anywhere near recovered from the Dazey. Marvelous.”

“Huh, what?” the orange mare replied, opening her eyes and then instantly spiraling from the sky. She landed in the middle of the road, kicking up a dust cloud on impact. Novell shielded his eyes, waving his hoof in the air to get rid of the particles.

The sight of Whisper with a mouthful of dirt and eyes crossed to glare at the ground made the alabaster pegasus guffaw. He raised one hoof to his mouth in an effort to stop the mirth from bubbling forth, succeeding only in muffling it. Unfortunately, the mare’s ears were sharper than he thought.

“What’s so funny, blank flank? You want some of this?”

A blast of air threw Novell backwards, both of his wings opening in panic and taking the full brunt of the current. He fell onto his back, twisting his body so he didn’t land on the injured wing. Grunting with both the impact and the pain of the fall, the young pegasus felt tears gather in his eyes. The wind took on a chilling temperature as it tousled his mane and tail.

“Miss Whisper, that is quite enough,” the Professor’s voice cracked out, causing Novell to wince at the tone. “This pegasus has suffered quite enough pain on my account. I will not have you adding further injury to insult.”

The pale pegasus got to his hooves, keeping one eye shut in pain and cradling his wing close to his body. “I’m fine, Professor.”

“No you are not, my boy. Miss Whisper, I must ask you to apologize to Novell this instant. And enough with that breeze. It is cold enough without having to deal with wind chill, too.”

“But I’m not—”

“Apologize and divert the wind, dear. As you know, his wing is damaged and I can only imagine you’ve lengthened his recovery time with this stunt,” Professor Search said humorlessly, moving forward down the trail. “Hmmph, the gall of ponies today - basic kindness is a teaching Celestia herself imparts daily in Canterlot.”

Novell started after the other pony, wincing as his trot jostled his wing. A gentle touch like the feeling of a hoof on his shoulder caused him to look back momentarily, Whisper standing where she had been with her head down. He felt the wind ruffle through his damaged wing, gently stroking it.

“I’m sorry,” the mare began, looking up at him suddenly and staring him in the eyes in her customary way. However, unlike her normally hardened agate gaze, this glance was filled with regret and sorrow. The snail on her head turned a solid blue, shifting slowly through a leafy green and ending back with blue. “I didn’t mean to, uhm, hurt you. I can’t imagine how much not being able to fly...”

The young pegasus sighed and walked toward her, bumping his shoulder into hers. “It’s fine. Let’s just get going. You can pay me back by keeping the Professor out of this wind you keep stirring up. We may not be able to feel it, but he definitely can.”

“I’m not creating this wind,” Whisper replied quietly as they started trotting to catch up with their companion. “That’s coming from the mountains. But I can still divert it around us.”

Novell looked up at the mountains around them, their looming forms foreboding and dark. He noticed the tell-tale signs of snow in the higher reaches, clouds lapping at the rocky ridges. The pegasus shivered despite not feeling the cold, Whisper keeping her promise of diverting the winds around their little party.

Still, even that didn’t stop him from the feeling of discomfort threading its way through his body like the clutch of icy talons.

*****

Contrary to their calculations, the three ponies did not make it through the pass that day. The sun was just beginning to set on the second day of their journey, the shadow of the mountain bringing an early end to the rays. Clouds swarmed above them, roiling around in irritation as the wind blew around them, diverted thanks to Whisper’s natural control over the currents.

Yet even with the breeze no longer hitting them, the biting chill and sudden snow that plagued the land outside their bubble of comfort could not be stopped. Novell glanced up to look futilely for the sun, its warm glow hidden by overcast clouds and the curtain of snow falling all around them.

“I never expected the mountain pass to be this clogged with snow so early in the year. Such an interesting behavior for the weather, though I suppose mountains can be somewhat unpredictable in their patterns. Wild magic roams through those heights,” Professor Search confided aloud, lifting his hooves higher to traverse the snowy ground. The older pony was puffing mist from the long climb they had undertaken as the path threaded its way higher, but was still moving at a swift trot.

Novell and Whisper, on the other hoof, were barely keeping pace with the gray pelted unicorn, despite the difference in age. They stared ahead, wearily lifting one hoof in front of the other, unused to such walking. The pale pegasus’ legs were growing harder to move with each step and he idly noticed his counterpart’s own were wobbling. Conversely, the snail on top of the mare’s mane had withdrawn into his now-purple shell, tucked into the warm hair and insulated from the chill.

“But it’s just the middle of autumn,” Whisper breathily replied, almost back to her grumpy self.

Novell raised his head to look at her. “Well, we are higher in elevation than usual. Up here, autumn is pretty much winter. Still, you’re right, it shouldn’t be this bad. Why aren’t the local weather ponies doing anything to stop this, Professor?”

“Ah, there are two reasons, my young assistant,” Professor Search began, his horn glowing almost imperceptibly as he weaved a spell. Novell rolled his eyes, knowing what was coming next.

The mysteriously magnificent unicorn looked up to the toweringly terrifying heights above their heads, recounting with gusto the reasons why the pegasi cannot brave such dangerously disasterful...

“Domes?” Novell put in, noticing the Professor’s floundering.

“Well, they’re not really domes, but I suppose that could work,” the unicorn replied grudgingly. “Victim of my own literary genius. At any rate, back to the reasons!”

“Can’t you just tell us?” Whisper complained before the elder pony could continue his telepathic rant. “My head is fuzzy enough without you vibrating my brain inside it. Even Swirley is annoyed.”

The snail chose that moment to peek out from underneath its shell, swiftly transforming through various patterns and colors. The Professor smiled at the small mollusk, nodding and responding in kind. Novell’s eyes widened as the unicorn’s horn shifted through the spectrum and designs like Swirley’s shell had. After a few moments of silent communication, and Whisper staring suspiciously at her pet, the Professor spoke again.

“Very well, the reasons are twofold. One, like I said before, the magic in these mountains is wild. Princess Celestia’s own mountaintop is the only one in the chain that even has moderate weather and that is only through her force of will. Not even a fleet of pegasi could control these clouds. The second is because mountains are naturally cold and have formed an ecosystem around such a temperature—breaking that environment would have adverse effects on the flora and fauna. Combined, that is why the weather is left well enough alone.”

“Well right now, this place is having an ‘adverse effect’ on me,” Whisper said, mocking the Professor as she wobbly took another step forward. “Is there anyplace for a pony to rest? I’ve been controlling these currents all day and walking isn’t helping me any.”

Professor Search nodded and pointed with one hoof at the hill they were even now cresting. “Just beyond this should be a rest stop for travellers. I would normally continue on, myself, but I suppose younglings like you two are not used to such conditions. We’ll spend the night there and continue on tomorrow.”

“Rest would be nice,” Novell added, looking up at the darkening sky as thunder clouds gathered above—there would be a snowstorm soon if he was any to judge. “Being out of the snow will be great, too. Even if I don’t feel it, I hate walking through it.”

“Just so, my friend,” the Professor replied happily, trotting off at a swifter pace. The two pegasi kept up, their eagerness to find shelter outweighing their weary limbs.

*****

Novell’s eyebrows rose appreciatively at the large, wooden inn that served as a rest stop for ponies in between townships. A chimney spewed smoke into the air, valiantly battling against the whipping wind and thickening snowfall. Scorch marks coated the top of the chimney, testament to the heat provided by the fire inside. The roof was made of slatted ceramic tiles carefully arranged by hoof to be both neat and insulating, looming out over the deck and supported by large wooden columns. Halfwise hewn logs served as steps to the abode, covered in a thin sheen of ice. An old earth pony with an enormous beard and unkempt mane rocked back in forth on a chair, smoking a pipe and nodding at them as they carefully ascended to the porch.

Novell glanced at the door and was surprised to see how elaborate the designs in the heavy oak were, depicting ponies mining, panning for gold, and having a seat around a warm fire. The fire, especially, caught his eye. The wood was chiseled just so to make the flames seem to be alive, dancing hypnotically. He stood there, mesmerized, until Professor Search pushed open the door.

Whisper followed quickly after the unicorn, leaving the alabaster pegasus in their wake. He shook his mane as he went inside, his gaze lingering on the design for a few more seconds. The young pony was already thinking on how to create something like that himself, more elaborate possibilities stretching before him in his mind’s eye.

As soon as the door slammed shut with a flick of Professor Search's magic, the temperature rose and caused the unicorn to start perspiring in the sudden heat. Novell glanced around at the surroundings, the acrid stench of smoke attesting to the fact that the chimney wasn’t completely open. Pillars throughout the establishment looked to keep the roof in place even if it snowed heavily—Novell guessed it going to later that night. He rustled his wings unconsciously as he glanced up at the wooden beams and arches, the construction seemingly sound to his eye.

Banishing thoughts of the roof caving in on top of him, he stared through the slight haze, round wooden tables littering the room. There were four other ponies in attendance, all gathered around the fireplace to ward off the chill. They were all earth ponies like the one outside, though they were dressed in winter clothing and seemed to know what bathing meant. The dull murmur of conversation and the oppressive heat started to make Novell’s head swim and his eyes droop just as they reached their destination.

"Well, howdy there, travellers,” a plump unicorn said from behind a wooden counter, her horn glowing as she cleaned a metal cup. “Oh, Professor. Stopping in for once, are ye? Always nice to have a handsome unicorn like yerself show up in my inn.”

The pegasus hid a grin at the elder pony’s expression, a blush creeping across the Professor’s face. “Yes, well, the pleasure is mine, Miss Hops. I see you’re as charming and delightful as always. How's your husband?”

“He's out in the back, choppin' firewood and gettin' things ready for tonight. Ye know how Chipper is,” the purple pony tittered, setting the rag down and placing the cup on the table in front of her. “And call me Florid. Now, what can Ah do ya fer? Lookin’ for a room for the night or are ye just stoppin' in to say hello?”

“We’re here for the night, Florid. My young companions are less resilient when they're forced to walk rather than fly. Do you happen to have anything available for three?”

“Hmm, got two rooms open right now. You and this stallion can share a room and the lady can have her own. It’ll be fifteen bits for the lot of ya, but only because Ah like ye, Search,” the innkeeper replied, magically spiriting out two more tin cups and eyeing Novell with a smirk. The pegasus looked away, blushing for some reason—obviously the Professor had good reason to be flustered. “Anything Ah can get ye for now?”

“I’ll take some spiced wine,” he replied, counting out bits and plopping them on the counter.

“Just some water for me,” Novell said as the innkeeper looked politely his way, her smirk gone. He waited for a reaction to his bare flank, but she just nodded and shifted her eyes to the other pegasus. For a second he was confused, but the weight of his saddlebags reminded him his curse was covered.

“Mead, two cups,” Whisper replied briskly as she threw some bits of her own down, causing both Search and Novell to look at her with widened eyes. She glanced over at them, the defensive expression on her face matching her snail’s suddenly down turned eyebrows. “What? You think I can't handle myself?”

“My dear, you are still under the effects of the Dazey. I’m not sure you should be drinking as much as you’re asking for—,” Professor Search started, raising a hoof in objection.

The glare on the orange mare’s face was enough to stop his sentence cold. Novell wisely said nothing, not wanting to be the reason for another fight between the two of them. Miss Hops smiled and turned around to ready their drinks, humming all the while. With nothing better to do, the pegasus examined the columns he had noticed earlier, more designs chiseled into them like the door.

Monsters of all kinds littered the mosaic, from dragons and gruesome depictions of yeti to more mysterious figures that seemed like a blend of pony and ice sculpture. He lifted one hoof to trace the whorls of the wood, marvelling at the craftsponyship. The pegasus idly wondered if he could even come close to the skillponyship shown here.

“Like my work do ya?” a voice said from behind him, the pegasus instantly turning around in fright. A tall, built out pony with a beard that reached up to his mane stared back at him, imposing in size. Despite the horn that marked him as a unicorn, muscles rippled under his coat, an unusual sight to the pegasus.

“Oh, uhm, yes,” Novell replied nervously, shrinking down and backing into the pillar.

An apologetic smile broke out on the pony’s face, the massive unicorn sitting down on his haunches to bring himself to equal eye level. “Sorry ‘bout that. Sometimes Ah forget my size can be startlin’ to newcomers. Ah’m Chipper Hops, the co-owner of this ‘stablishment. Like what ya see there?”

“Novell,” he replied, relaxing now that there wasn’t a mountain of pony towering above him. He glanced back at the carvings. “You made these?”

“Indeed Ah did,” the unicorn replied with a nod. “Ah’ve always been an artist at heart. Those monsters are just some of the things Ah’ve seen in my life around these mountains. Don’t worry, though, none of ‘em come down this far into the pass and even if they do, Ah’ve fought off a few of them in my time.”

The pegasus nodded, lifting a hoof to his chin before pointing at the half pony, half ice sculpture. "I've never seen something like this. What kind of monster is that?"

"Hmm," the chestnut colored unicorn said as he investigated the design. "Ya know, now that Ah think about it, Ah'm not sure what that thing is. Kinda looks like a pony, but Ah don't rightly recall seein’ anything like it out there. Might be a—."

“Stop scarin' the customers and go put some more logs on the fire, Chipper,” Miss Hops yelled across the room and interrupting her husband's ruminations. “Yer water’s ready, dearie.”

“Yes ma’am,” the two ponies both replied, sharing a knowing glance between them.

“If yer interested, Ah could show ya a few things later. Not sure how well a pegasus can do with just his hooves, but it’s definitely possible to work wood without magic,” the unicorn offered amiably as he walked off to do his chores.

“Thank you,” Novell called out after the pony, Chipper nodding without looking back.

With a smile, the young pegasus turned to walk back to his drink, Whisper already finished with one of her cups and well into the second one. He rolled his eyes at her back, wondering if the mare knew what she was doing. Pegasi had a high metabolism—they had to in order to fly—but drinking that much after everything that had happened that day didn’t seem like the best plan.

The touch of concern for her well being surprised him—he had never really thought about her in a worried light. He had usually dismissed her accidents, knowing the pony always managed to keep herself from serious injury. Mostly he’d just wanted to be as far away from her as possible, but she always managed to find him and show off more doomed to failure tricks. As he picked up the cup of water in his hooves, Novel wondered for the first time why she always found him, when everyone else was worried of catching his curse.

*****

As the evening drew on, the sounds of the snowstorm outside increased to a whistling roar. The pony that had been sitting outside had long since retreated to the comfort of the inn proper, struggling up the stairs on old joints to the guest rooms. After downing two drinks in the space of ten minutes, Whisper went on to order two more, not even the slightest bit dizzy. Novell watched in awe as she quickly made her way through the third cup, slowing as she reached the fourth. The snail on her head had taken up residence within one of the other cups, to the owner's dismay, lapping up the last bits of mead within.

Wondering at the thought of how a snail could lap up anything, the young pegasus shifted his attention back to the co owner of the restaurant as he demonstrated how to wood work with hooves. The process was difficult for the unicorn, Chipper repeatedly resorting to using magic to steady the knife or the carving as one or the other slipped out of his hooves. Novell watched the pony's actions diligently, the piece of art slowly forming itself.

"The key is to release the sculpture already in the wood. It's just a matter of removin' the chaff. Goin’ into this with any other thought is just gonna end in substandard work. Ya have to have the image ya wanna create firmly in yer mind before ya even make the first cut," Chipper was instructing, putting the finishing touches on the piece he had been using as an example. The wooden image of a pegasus similar to Whisper greeted his eyes as the unicorn completed the work of art. "See? Ain't my best work, but it's still somethin' interestin’. Here, you take it and give it as a gift to yer little friend over there."

Taking the sculpture with a glance at the orange pegasus, who was now talking loudly with the Professor and slurring her words, Novell ruffled his feathers. A slight twinge of pain from the motion reminded him he still needed to stretch for the night. I suppose I can stretch it and sculpt at the same time, he thought, painfully extending his wing.

"Do you think I could try?" the pegasus asked, another piece of wood next to the unicorn's hoof calling to him as he placed the sculpture in his saddlebags.

Picking up the small piece, Chipper gave him the knife and tossed the wood for Novell to catch. The pegasus' hoof shot out to catch the falling object, picking it out of the air with a small smile on his face. The unicorn raised an eyebrow in appreciation, motioning him to go ahead and start.

“Remember, there’s an image in that wood yer holdin’. Bring it to life.”

Novell nodded, holding the knife awkwardly in his hooves as he made the first cut into the wood, the potential of the carving already revealed to him as soon as he touched it. He stuck out his tongue in concentration, spending the next few minutes gingerly making more incisions, shavings piling up around him as he worked. He almost dropped the knife a few times, but he was more proficient with it than his voluntary instructor, having no magic to fall back to. A clanging from the left caused him to jerk in surprise, cutting deeper than he intended.

Before he could investigate the noise, the unicorn’s deep voice caught his attention. “Don’t worry about yer surroundings. Continue as ya were and let the mistake serve as a lesson in future attempts.”

Forcing himself to focus on the tiny object in his hooves, the pegasus went back to it, time flying past him. There was nothing but the act of shaving away the excess wood, releasing the creation trapped inside. The wood grew softer as he went deeper, his hoof instantly reacting to this fact by drawing back the power with each stroke. He heard a grunt of approval in the back of his mind, an ear twitching his only response to the outside world.

Presently, the shape manifested itself into coherence, Novell taking a break to examine his efforts. A three dimensional flame danced in front of him, his eyes following the designs to make it seem as if it were alive in his hoof—the effect was similar to what he had seen in the door earlier. With a warm glow flickering inside him, Novell picked up the knife for the last stroke, a piece near the top still unblemished.

Bang!

The pegasus slashed forward, his trance broken and a cold wind blowing snow into the heated room. It hissed in the air, alpine aromas floating on the breeze to combine with the heady scent of the sheared wood in his hoof. Frustration flowed through the young pony, his eye twitching as he turned to look at what had interrupted his carving and reduced it to so much kindling.

A stallion in a white cloak had entered the inn, a pale teal magical glow exuding from under the hood as the door slammed shut once more. With a flourish, a matching colored hoof threw back the snowy hood, a pale blue-white mane spilling out in a haphazard fashion. It settled into long, spiky locks that seemed as though they were frozen solid, the unicorn’s tail similarly styled. Eyes the color of ice stared out coolly at the assembled ponies, a spark of interest appearing in the orbs as they settled on Novell.

However, the young pegasus was not even paying attention to the gaze, nor the seemingly frozen mane, nor cursing the newcomer for the dramatic entrance that caused him to ruin his carving. There was one thing about the pony that drew his attention more than anything else. A fact that became even clearer as the cloak was magically deposited on the rack next to the door.

This unicorn’s flank was completely devoid of a cutie mark.

Comments

[Croswynd]

Thank you, thank you! It took some doing, but somehow I managed it. Hopefully I can continue to hold enough attention to warrant the full 40 chapters I wish to make this.

[Starlight Nova]

How do you post links in the comments?

[Starlight Nova]

When does Havoc appear? I'm kinda looking forward to seeing him...

[Mother3Forever]

I'm loving that snail.

[Enderstorm]

basic kindness is a teaching Celestia herself imparts daily in Canterlot.”

Are you sure?
Have you been to Canterlot?
The usual types of ponies that live in Canterlot are the furthest from kind.