98. Through the blizzard
As the train began slowing down, Storm in turn slowed down his breathing, as an effort to calm down.
“In through the nose… and out through the mouth… slowly, so the others won’t notice…”
It wasn’t helping.
Storm couldn’t help but feel nervous. He had heard about windigos, of course, but he had never imagined that he would end up fighting one someday. Sir Lightbringer’s explanation that they are, according to Clover the Clever’s research, ghost of ponies, served to add to the fear Storm Clash began to experience.
During their training, they were once told about what are undead, and how it was a paladin’s duty to vanquish such abominations against nature. Sir Lightbringer paused after saying those words, and further explained that there are cases of free-minded undead, and those should be treated the same way living should, but didn’t want to elaborate.
“The point is,” he said then, cutting of their questions, “generally, the undead are unholy creatures, and as such the Light is like fire to them.”
Which would be comforting, given the situation Storm was apparently going to find himself… if he was able to call upon the Holy Light just as his brothers and sister could.
He couldn’t understand why it wasn’t listening to his pleas. Storm believed in the Light; after all, he had seen it help others already, and how could one not believe in something he saw? He also understood how it… worked, for the lack of a better term: paladins could call upon the Light by using their faith and willpower, and often through prayer. But he…
Storm shook his head, as if to get rid of those thoughts. True, he might not be able yet to use the Light’s powers, but he was still a paladin, and he had a duty to fulfill. He would not let his fear to stop him from helping ponies of Northville.
The pegasus took a last deep breath, checked if his armor was properly equipped, with his sword and shield strapped so that he would have no problems drawing them and that they would not make flying impossible. Happy that everything was fine, he followed the others out of the train.
“I just hope that we won’t be too late…” he thought darkly as his gaze rested on the visible from the station blizzard north from the city.
Just like his subordinates, Matthias also glanced at the snowstorm that stretched out beyond Vanhoover’s limits. He cursed as he sensed an unholy power bending the elements to its will, but reminded himself what happened the last time when he acted hastily, and forced himself to focus. While the citizens of Northville needed help, nothing good would come if he would just rush there.
Knowing that, but also that time was of the essence, Matthias was relieved when he spotted a group of three royal guards trotting towards them.
“We’ve been awaiting you, sir.” said the unicorn guard in command, stopping before him and saluting. “Sergeant Arcane Blade, in charge of Their Majesties’ forces in north-western Equestria, at your service.”
“At ease, Sergeant.” Matthias replied. “What’s the situation?”
“Bad.” Arcane Blade said, turning partially, with a clear intent of taking it elsewhere. Matthias nodded and stepped beside him. As the group began moving again, the unicorn continued: “The blizzard is gaining on strength. The local weather team estimated that at this rate, it will reach the city in three days.”
“Has there been any news from Northville?” Matthias asked, although he didn’t expect the answer to lift his heart.
“None.” the royal guard replied, confirming his thoughts. “I’ve tried sending scouts, but pegasi couldn’t fly in this weather, and it those conditions, it would take too long to travel by hoof.”
“How long does it take to get into Northville normally?”
“About half a day. And in this weather-”
“We won’t reach it by nightfall.” Matthias finished for him.
“You are correct, sir.”
“It would be too dangerous to arrive there during night time, especially if we will have to fight a windigo...” Matthias said as the royal guard’s post, which they headed towards to, came into sight. “Are there any good places to make a camp between here and Northville?”
“Yes, I will show you on a map.” Arcane Blade told him as he opened the doors and moved to allow Matthias enter first.
Matthias walked through the doors, followed closely by the others. There were few royal guards, and all of them quickly stood up in attention before him and their commanding officer. As Arcane Blade told them to return to their duties, Matthias glanced at the huge map that was hanged by the wall, showing the surrounding area.
“Sir, didn’t you say that there are only like twenty ponies in Northville?” he heard Tucker ask him as the unicorn stood beside him. He was also looking at the map, puzzled. “If so, then this map wasn’t made on scale. Northville is too big on it.”
“Before the gold vein in the mine was depleted,” the sergeant answered for Matthias, standing by his other side, “the city of Northville, known as Golden Slide at the time, was a rather large settlement. Now, though, almost all that is marked on this map turned into ruins.”
“Well, at least there will be a lot of things to burn up when we get our half-frozen flanks over there.” Tucker commented. “Why do ponies bother living there?”
“There might be no more gold in there, but there some other ores in the mines.” Matthias answered him. “Mostly coal, iron and occasionally silver.”
He turned back to the sergeant, hearing him clear his throat, and nodded to him that he could speak. “Here’s a good place for a camp.” Arcane Blade said, using his magic to point out on a map a small hollow close to Northville. “Ponies often go camping there during the summer; I myself have been there with my family few weeks ago. The terrain should allow a good protection against the wind and snow.”
“Tucker, mark this place on our map.” Matthias said to the unicorn paladin, who sighed and used his magic to pick up a map from his saddlebag. “Have there been more shrieks of windigo heard?” he asked, turning again to Arcane Blade.
“Yes, three more after the one that was reported to the Princess.” the guards replied, and it was plainly visible that he had to suppress shivers at the memory.
“Have there been any signs of… disagreements between the ponies that live there?” Matthias asked, curious as to why a windigo would attack.
“I’ve questioned few traders that been there few days. They did mention that there has been some sort of argument between them. Apparently, something was stolen from somepony, and he accused a pony from a neighbor family.”
“Did the traders talked with them about it?”
“No, the ponies of Northville pretended to act like there was nothing wrong. But the old mare that lived on the outskirts - well, off the center of the village, at least - explained it to them, ‘rolling her eyes at the stupidity of her neighbors’, as the traders said.”
Matthias hummed thoughtfully, knowing that after the windigo would be dealt with, he would have to talk some sense to the ponies of Northville. Otherwise, another one would show up. Hopefully, this ‘old mare’ will be of help.
“We will need supplies for a couple of days, as well as some protective gear for the snow.” he told Arcane Blade, who nodded and passed his orders to one of his subordinates. “Knights,” Matthias said, turning to the paladins, “if you want to drink or eat something warm, I advise you to do that in the next twenty minutes.”
He looked at the Northville on the map. He pondered how long it should take for the windigo to freeze its citizens completely, and how long would those ponies survive.
“We will save them.” he muttered quietly, grinding his teeth.
“This is-” Tucker began again, but Sir Lightbringer cut him off.
“One more comment about the cold, and I will have you on court-martial.”
Storm glanced at the unicorn just at the moment he was rolling his eyes. While he privately agreed that it was really cold out here, and that it was difficult walking through this blizzard with the wind continuing to hit them right in their muzzles, the pegasus got about as fast as Sir Lightbringer annoyed at the continued comments from Tucker.
He turned his head back to watch what was in front of him. There wasn’t much to see. Everything around them was white. The fact that it began getting dark wasn’t helping. He wouldn’t be able to see at all if it weren't for the protective goggles that spared his eyes from the snow and ice that the wind carried.
They’ve been walking for what felt to be hours, although Storm couldn’t be sure, as the his only mean of measuring time was how tired and cold he felt. Of course, Sir Lightbringer helped them with a prayer to the Light, but there was a limit as to how often he could do that.
Storm heard a pony beside him stop, and he glanced, worried. Serenity paused and pressed a hoof to her head, before she shook and resumed trotting. This was about third time she did that. Storm opened his mouth with an intent of asking her if anything was wrong, when he noticed that Tucker, who was taking occasional glances at the map - which wasn’t easy, as he had to shield himself from the snow at the same time so that he could see anything on it - came up to Sir Lightbringer. The pegasus watched as the younger paladin pointed at something on the parchment, then at the rock formation at the side and a big, oddly shaped tree next to it. Sir Lightbringer nodded, and looked at the others.
“The hollow that the sergeant had mentioned is nearby. We will rest soon.”
Storm sighed with relief at that, because even though he immediately felt a new surge of strength and warmth flood through him after Sir Lightbringer’s words, he was exhausted. The pegasus forced himself to put hoof after hoof as they changed slightly the direction they were walking. Storm kept on focusing on reciting few prayers in his mind so that he could take away its attention from his fatigue.
The hollow turned out to be only about ten minutes away, as well as it was far much better place for a camp that they’ve expected. Like Sergeant Arcane Blade had said, the terrain of the area protected them from the winds, and there was far less snow down here than everywhere else they’ve been for the last few hours.
“Storm, Guard: help me set up a camp.” Sir Lightbringer turned to them. “First, we need to clear some space from the snow if we want to have a campfire.”
The two of them nodded and began digging away the snow from a spot near the wall of the hollow, as the Grand Master addresses the other two. “Tucker and Serenity: search the area for something dry enough to be of use. We might have brought a few pieces of timber, but it will barely last enough for the night.”
“Sir, about Serenity…” Storm said quietly when Sir Lightbringer joined him and Guard, while the crystal pony and the unicorn went away. “I’ve noticed that she few times grabbed her head, as if she was having a migraine attack.”
Sir Lightbringer’s eyebrows furrowed with worry, but he quickly returned to his normal stoic demeanor. “I will ask her about it.” the earth pony said, returning to work. “If there is something ailing her, it would not only be bad for her, but for the mission as well.”
Storm, relieved that it was now in his Grand Master’s head, resumed his efforts. They quickly dug up a spot for a campfire and lined it with stones, then placed sleeping bags around it just when Serenity and Tucker returned with each bringing a hoofful of twigs. They are not particularly dry, but by the time they would need them, they should be ready to use.
Soon, thanks to Tucker’s magic - which he used after he stopped complaining about being used for everything - the fire was lit in the small hollow, much to the happiness and appreciation of everypony.
“Serenity, Storm had noticed that you kept reaching for you head.” Sir Lightbringer spoke up as soon as they settled around the fire and were about to eat their rations. “Is there something wrong?”
Storm half expected the mare took at him angry, but instead she seemed puzzled as she responded: “I… don’t know what exactly what’s wrong with me, sir. I keep feeling… as if everything around me was choking me. It feels… a lot like when I was under King Sombra spell, but-”
“Ah… now I understand.” Sir Lightbringer interrupted her. Storm was surprised that he looked relieved. “There’s nothing wrong with you, Serenity. You’re just sensing the evil around us. It is within paladin’s abilities to do that, although I hadn't expected any of you to develop this kind of sense so soon.”
“But what… why does this come from everywhere?” Serenity asked after she took a hold of herself. The pegasus guessed that the knowledge that she had now such ability was shocking. Now, though, she was puzzled again. “Why don’t I sense the windigo?”
“It’s because this blizzard is as much as a product of its power bending the elements, as well as manifestation of its hatred.” the Grand Master replied. “I also cannot tell where precise the windigo is. You could say that it is using the blizzard to hide itself from us, although I doubt that it’s doing it on purpose.”
“So how are we going to find it?” Guard asked. “By waiting for it to wail again?”
Few of them shook at the memory of a terrifying shriek they heard on their way.
“And what’s the plan when we find it?” Storm added.
“Once we reach Northville, we will split up.” Sir Lightbringer answered. “We will have two primary objectives: finding the windigo, and finding the villagers. I hope that they would turn out to be okay, and in that case we would gather them all around in a relatively safe place. Realistically, though, they will be frozen solid. They should be fine for a few days in such state, but we will have to free them quickly. The best way to do that would be dealing with the windigo first.”
“Why, sir?” Serenity asked. “With your connection to the Light, it should be easy for you to free the villagers with a prayer.”
“Yes, this is true. But remember: it was their hatred that brought the windigo. They might become frozen again, or what’s worse, they will power it further. And while I understand perfectly your desire to help them, we mustn’t walk into this blindly.”
“Yes, sir.” Serenity replied, although Storm could tell that she would have preferred to help the ponies of Northville first. “I understand.”
“As for how we will deal with it; I taught you during your training about how to deal with the undead.”
He did. Storm recalled those hypothetical scenarios he guided them through, during which he first presented each one of them with a certain situation, then asked them what they would do. After their answer - often incorrect, especially during few first days of their training - he would tell them what was the best course of action, as well as few others possibilities.
With the undead, it depended on what kind of it was. If it was be a simple ‘zombie’ or as Sir Lightbringer has phrased it, ‘a reanimated remains of somepony’, then the best course of action was to inflict enough damage on its body, which could be accomplished simply by their weapons. However, a windigo was a ghost, and as such it was more complicated. While their weapons were enchanted with a few spells that should make it possible for them to harm such beings, the easiest way was to attack it with magic, or - even better - the Light. There were a few prayers that Storm now recalled that should be able to free the spirit from its shackles… but that required a lot of concentration and willpower, so probably the only one that could do it was Sir Lightbringer.
“Enough of the chit-chat.” the Grand Master’s voice cut through his musing. “We’ve got a long day ahead of us. We’re leaving at dawn; I’ll take the last watch.”
“I guess I will take the first.” Serenity said, shaking her head. “I won’t fall asleep easily with this new-found sense.”
“You will get used to it, eventually.” Sir Lightbringer told her warmly, before he yawned. “Good night.”
As he turned around in his sleeping bag, Storm and the other two stallions quickly decided between themselves the order on which they would be taking watch. Storm’s was right before Sir Lightbringer’s. Satisfied with it, the pegasus yawned, stretching out his crooked jaw uncomfortably far, and tucked into sleep.
Matthias had problems falling asleep. Not only because he was worried about the villagers of Northville, but also due to this mission bringing back the memories of his quest for Mal’Ganis in Northrend.
“Again, I’m going to fight something with hooves, too.” he thought, amused slightly at comparing the dreadlord he hated so much to a windigo, before he realized that it was insulting to the pony it once was. “Damn it, I wish I could at least be able to tell what’s happening in there.”
He tried few times scanning the area ahead with his senses. The blizzard was not only manifesting the evil of the windigo, but also due to the magic in it, it was creating a disruption in the magic field around everything.
“Calm yourself.” Matthias reminded himself before he started to really worry. “Have faith in the Light; it will always shine through, no matter how dark it is.”
Stats
Page generated in 0.035 seconds
Total duration
870 users online
484,354 hits today, 2,244,100 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
3172990 That would be fucking awesome. Although it kind defeats the purpose of the story title
Keep writing and I'll keep reading. Deal?
i'm starting to think it's a Sha but i'm not sure why
You know what would be a twist?
A lich, but no any lich. Starwirl the Beared as a ponylich.
3174095 Because the Windigos and the Sha are very similar in how they form, and in their ability to feed off negative emotions.
3174277 Yes but we are still in "Cataclysm era" and the Sha are only in Pandaria.
Pandaria in that moment was still an unknown land, most of the races of azeroth don't know about it existence until post-cataclysm. the Sha were weakened because the pandaren, now after cataclysm, the war of the Horde and the Alliance made the Sha powerful, these spirits feed off of the negative emotions that cause the war.
is Impossible that a Sha (no matter what sha) be in equestria, unless... Equestria has its own Shas...
3174516 Nightmare Moon should have been Luna possessed by a sha of envy, I doubt it, this story was written before the sha were introduced, but it would make sense... I think that would make an interesting story in its own right.
3174642 Is... possible, Luna's story portray a monster whispering her, the Sha corruct like the old gods (Specially since the Sha are manisfestation of the Old God Y'Shaarj) and this "Nightmare Moon" is the corruction of the Sha of "Envy", the curse of the Old God Y'Shaarj before its death may have extended to Equestria somehow.
3174118
That would be awesome.
3174722 Prehaps no the sha or Y'shaarj itself, maybe the old god N'Zoth extended his corruction with Titans' Relics, canterlot must been builded near one of the Titan Ruin that store this Relic and... you know the rest. corruction by influence and whispering to make Luna mad and insane.
Long Live our Old True Masters!
3174761 If we are going to keep guessing things that are more specific and less likely to happen, the next thing to come to mind for a location for a Titan gateway would be the crystal caverns under Canterlot, possibly being linked to Deapholm which would explain the abundance of crystals, a place that the old god could access. Again this is so far off the rails from what we know that I would call it wild mass guessing, but I enjoy theorizing, even the most unlikely of possibilities.
I SCREAM RANDOM PRAISE FOR THIS FIC FOR IT IS AWESOME!
....Sorry about that, maybe reading 'A Minion for the Night' messed with how I view caps lock? 
3166355. O...M...G... our grandmas are twins! On my mothers side of course my grandma is awesome but on my fathers side...you don't wanna know.
It took me two days to read this monstrous wall of text. By that I mean all 98 chapters. It was well worth it
My only qualm is that you should find an editor to sort out all the typos/misused words for you. You have two or three mistakes per chapter, most recently "Vanhoover" and "Yanhoover" not being constant.
If you did that, I think that this could easily be accepted into EqD.
3178403 Sorry about that Vanhoover thing. You see, when I first mentioned it in chapter 96, I honestly thought it was written on the map of Equestria as "Yanhoover". It wasn't until one guy commented about it that I looked carefully at it again, and realizing my mistake, I corrected it... Only to now realize that I haven't been thorough with that, and left few Yanhoovers there.
Update already!
Hmmmm Blizzards... windigo... Snowlands... And small village as first target... Smells… like someone Arthas Knows… a certain Necromancer Perhaps?
Imagine How that would go if that would really be Kel’Thuzad, Initiates fighting windigos that he would control, and Arthas pale as snow, staring at Kel’Thuzad, even better Ponified Kel’Thuzad, or even betterer... ponified Lich Kel’Thuzad.
Or Even Bettererer Ponified Lich Kel'Thuzad, hell bent on making Arthas into Lich King again, while explaining that he was the one who picked his soul from tartarus.
Also plague injected Apples turning ponies into pony zombies!!
!!Priceless!!
3186509 YOU! ARE! A! FUCKING! GENIIIIIIIIOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUSSSSSSSSSSS!!!
no really.
Kel'thuzad is no even dead, just lost somewhere in azeroth (or just hiding), if he is in Equestria it would make sense the Blizzard (Lich - Cold/Frost Magic) but it would be also too... expected. Kel'thuzad is a very complex character, leader of a cult, planning his own death only to wait for arthas to revive him and making him a lich, he expected all that thanks to Ner'zhul, he told him the future.
All of that was also plan of Mal'Ganis and the Dread lords but Back fired horribly.
3190738
I am a little fuzzy on details since my story with warcraft ended on frozen throne, i do not tolerate what blizzard has done with WoW, but isn't Kel'Thuzad a boss somewhere there? Which would mean he is technically dead.
3191012 He was the final boss of Naxxaramas from the original WoW vanilla, then reintroduced in Wrath of the Lich King as lvl 80 raid, he was never killed as the phylactery (his soul stored in a physical object) remains unknown.
- Wowwiki.com
3191125
Ah yes for a moment i forgot how being a lich works, my bad still. Kel'thuzad woudl be awesome
You are living proof of the "no matter how dark it is" part.