The Gilderoy Expedition

by PaulAsaran

Cptn. D. Design, 01-21-1005, III

From the private logbook of Decadent Design, Captain HRH Aurora Dawn.

We have officially crossed the edge of the Matti Ths Aioniotitas glacier as of forty minutes ago, not ten after passing through the storm. It is a bleak, desolate place, yet also rather lovely in its own way. The ice sheet extends as far as the eye can see, even from this incredible altitude of over two kilometers. It is remarkably free of snow or any other such natural obstruction, instead offering a vast, perfect plane of pale blue as far as the eye can bear witness.

No less astounding is the nature of the storm at our stern. It extends north and south seemingly forever, creating a singularly intimidating wall of gray, churning violence. I sent a scouting team of pegasi led by our best, Major Sleekwing, who came back with a most peculiar report: the storm appears to be stationary. Stationary! Whoever heard of a stationary storm? Yet he adamantly insisted on the truth of the idea, and his four wingmates backed him up with utmost seriousness. Not a one of them dared enter that roiling chaos, as they did not when the ship was bumbling its way through, for even the greatest of them would likely be torn apart by its vicious winds, crackling lightning, and deadly hailstones.

The crew of the Aurora Dawn were chosen as much for their experience in cold environment exploration as their naval abilities. I myself have been on three separate expeditions. The first was prior to the arrival of that black tyrant over a thousand years ago. I was a youth in my late teens on a vessel more aquatic in nature, as airships were not prevalent in those times. It was a simple survey and mapping expedition of the great icy seas in the far south, and I was little more than a deck cadet at the time. In more modern days I participated in two of the three northern surveys, dreary affairs intended to ascertain the fates of the Crystal Empire’s townships, colonies and outposts which had not joined the rest of us in our millennium of slumber. I am not overly fond of recalling those journeys, for they found nothing worth remembering, certainly not of any jovial nature.

I bring this history up only to recall that I have grown quite accustomed to these freezing climes and to remark on how this strangeness with the storm is wildly unnatural. I can think of no weather phenomenon that might explain it. Nor was Major Sleekwing of any ability to explain it, and that pegasus is our ultimate expert on the behavior of wild weather. I shudder to think that we may have to traverse it once more. How far along the horizon might it stretch? When I peer out from the upper deck in either direction, I swear I can see at the edge of the earth a certain darkness, as if the storm is taking on a curve. Could it be possible that the ominous clouds have formed a magnificent circle surrounding the entirety of the Mighty Matti? The thought is preposterous – certainly it gave that fool, Rusty Iron, a laugh – but I cannot shake it from my mind.

Yet I can hardly be called an expert in such matters. I am a navy pony, and no more. Yes, I have much experience with these environments, as my selection to captain this vessel demonstrates, but can lay no claims as to any knowledge in meteorology. Nor am I a fitting captain for combat scenarios; appropriate, as the Aurora Dawn was never intended to be nor fitted as a combat vessel. Her task is surveying, scouting, research, and the occasional rescue mission such as this one. She is also a prototype, and in a sense so am I, being untested for such a role as I find myself. Yes, I confess it in these pages: this is Aurora Dawn’s first mission, and mine as her captain. Why, she is barely a month out of the shipyard!

I write this not to show some doubt on my part. Far from it, I consider myself well-trained and, through both long experience and study, prepared for the task before us, with a capable crew on a capable vessel. I only bring such topics up to point out that there are a great many things I have not experienced, things like storms that inexplicably fail to move even in this wild weather. One must wonder what other mysterious things may be out here, and if Lord Gilderoy and his crew were unlucky enough to encounter them.

The storm must be a recent development. There are no records of such a continuous and strange thing prior to Gilderoy’s expedition. Certainly my great uncle Frost Step never mentioned such a phenomenon, and I pondered over those journals repeatedly in my wild-eyed youth. Perhaps they are a side-effect of the curse that plagued our former Empire – can it formally be called an empire at all if it is only one city, as it now is?

Only now does it dawn upon me that the prior rescue attempts may have been thwarted by that very same storm. Did not our orders mention the “aggressive weather”? But then that would mean this thing has been raging for over a month!

I will include this information in my report back to the Crystal City, which our unicorn communications officer Harmony Heart shall deliver through her prodigious telecommunication magics. Thank the Lady Hope for Equestrian transfers, those ponies bring the most wondrous talents to this otherwise underponied military organization!

Comments

[Jade Dawn]

No less astounding is the nature of the storm at our stern. It extends north and south seemingly forever, creating a singularly intimidating wall of gray, churning violence. I sent a scouting team of pegasi led by our best, Major Sleekwing, who came back with a most peculiar report: the storm appears to be stationary. Stationary! Whoever heard of a stationary storm? Yet he adamantly insisted on the truth of the idea, and his four wingmates backed him up with utmost seriousness. Not a one of them dared enter that roiling chaos, as they did not when the ship was bumbling its way through, for even the greatest of them would likely be torn apart by its vicious winds, crackling lightning, and deadly hailstones.

"Dear Billy. You ever look into a hurricane and decide 'maybe I should fly straight through it'? 'cuz that's what's about to happen!"