My Little Teelo: Winter's Silence

by Ardwolf

Blind Man's Bluff

In which we learn that watching is not seeing, plans may work all too well, and victory is often bittersweet.

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Tišina watched the cozy gathering of sinners start to bicker and argue. Hardly believing her luck she watched as they split into two groups, each clearly shouting at the other, with the exaggerated forceful gestures such creatures were prone to when angered.

Her glee mounted as the two sides nearly came to blows, standing toe to toe and shouting in each other’s faces. She couldn’t hear what was being said, of course, but then again she didn’t need to, the body language was plain.

Glupava grešnici.

Tišina’s chuckle hissed and echoed around her cavern like the crackling of thin ice under an unwary foot. She settled down to watch and wait.

Her patience was rewarded when all but three of the sinners stormed out of the chamber, leaving only the vainglorious horse, an oversized earth pony, and one of the strange newcomers. The newcomers had an odd feel to them, exotic and foreign. But Tišina brushed that aside, they were tiny creatures and obviously no threat to her.

The cursed horse was clearly exhausted and after eating a meal brought to her chambers she said something to her companions and settled into bed. Always cautious, Tišina checked the horse’s magic level, finding it nearly as low as it had been the night before. She paused, contemplating why her victim’s magic was so much lower than it had been in the throne room, but then decided the sinner must have relapsed from the poison undoubtedly still in her system.

After all, no creature had ever managed to survive it before…

She waited for her victim to fall into deep slumber before starting to build her portal. It was safe enough, the earth pony wouldn’t sense it, the alicorn was too exhausted, and the newcomer showed no signs of unease. In fact, it was dozing while the oversized pony kept watch.

Tišina relaxed as she worked. It never failed. The sinners always made a fatal mistake.

Always.

ooOoo

Tourmaline stirred uneasily in her sleep. Dawn was still some hours off, but the earth pony still shifted restlessly. Something was wrong. The vague unease made the elderly pony’s dreams roil and darken, shapeless fears coiling to strike.

After a particular vivid nightmare the pony woke with a start, too frightened to do more than tremble. As the nightmare reluctantly released its hold and her breathing slowed Tourmaline struggled out of bed to go make herself a cup of tea.

The old pony let the ritual of making tea settle her nerves. She wanted to dismiss the bad dreams and go back to bed, but something wouldn’t let her. Somehow she knew something was dreadfully amiss.

Though the other ponies treated her with kindly condescension because of her advanced years Tourmaline was no one’s fool. As her strength of body had gradually deserted her the earth magic neither unicorn nor pegasus possessed grew correspondingly stronger.

Earth magic was all about the flow of energy. And tonight that energy, normally placid and slow, was churning like river rapids. Closing her eyes she probed deep into the earth, trying to locate the source of the problem. As her cup of tea cooled unnoticed the earth pony felt her way along ancient well-worn paths of magic and power.

She tried finding Garnet Stonespeaker first. The kindly filly was a favorite of the old pony. But the foal was nowhere Tourmaline could find. Since all earth ponies were linked via the earth magic a gifted earth pony could sense them. Tourmaline could feel other gatherings of earth ponies, some as far away as Ponyville, a long way away indeed.

Speaking of Ponyville she wondered if the Pink One was still as unrepentant as ever. In spite of her unease Tourmaline allowed herself to snort in disapproval and grudging amusement. Pinkamena had always been a troublesome filly. After that strange circular rainbow had blown through she’d only gotten worse. Until finally she’d left, vowing to find a place where she could be the pony she’d always wanted to be. Now constant rumors—all manner of disgraceful goings on—reached the settlement. Naturally, Pinkamena was usually involved right up to her frizzy pink forelock.

Dismissing thoughts of the wayward pony Tourmaline returned to her search and brought it closer to home. Now she knew what was wrong—there wasn’t a single earth pony in the entire settlement.

Not one.

And that was impossible. Nothing would have made all the ponies in Rockton disappear like that. The younger ponies might treat her like a doddering old fool, but if something had happened no one would have left her behind, that just wasn’t the pony way.

Leaving her now cold tea untouched Tourmaline went looking for answers.

ooOoo

In Princess Luna’s chambers the Princess, the Bearers and the female humans waited tensely.

“This is a horrible idea.” Twilight said for the fourth time.

“Hush, Twi, we just gotta trust the Princess.” Applejack said soothingly. “She would’ve never agreed ta it lessen she thought it would work.”

“But she’s hurt.” Twilight said. “Teelo, are you sure Matt knows what he’s doing?”

“Trust me, Twilight. He’s a Green Beret. He’s done stuff like this for the last twenty years. If he says it’s worth a shot I believe him.”

“Teelo’s right, Twilight. No plan is ever perfect but if Tišina takes the bait we’ll at least have a chance at taking her down.” Evelyn told the pacing unicorn. “If she keeps hiding and striking when she wants to we’re at a nasty disadvantage. We’ve got to lure her out and this is the only way.”

“You think Matt’s right about Tišina being able to see us?” Rainbow Dash asked nervously. “That’s just creepy.”

“It is not impossible.” Princess Luna said thoughtfully. “We personally know a spell that could allow viewing from a distance. It requires considerable skill to use, however.”

“Which implies Tišina is a powerful magic user.” Twilight said in disgust. “It isn’t bad enough she’s got the portal and she can see everything we do! Now we have to deal with her being able to cast who knows what spells?”

“Calm down Twilight.” Teagan said soothingly. “Trust in Sun Tzu.”

“Who?” Twilight asked, distracted from her pacing.

“He was a general from my world. He wrote a book called The Art Of War.” Teagan replied. “Matt made me read it. It’s a weird combination of absolute brilliance and the blindingly obvious.”

“Sugarcube, the fact somepony in your world wrote somethin’ called the art of war is all manner of disturbin’.” Applejack said in the silence that followed.

“Yeah.” Teagan said, nodding. “Reading it freaked me out. But Matt is counting on Tišina watching us. Well, watching Princess Celestia.”

“Is that why we pretended to be so mad at each other?” Fluttershy asked, frowning. “It didn’t feel right to do that.”

“All warfare is based on deception.” Teagan quoted. “Sun Tzu says ‘Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near. Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him.’”

“Matt made me memorize that.” Teelo chuckled. “Took me a week.”

“That’s how humans fight?” Applejack said, looking queasy. “Hate ta say it, but that’s downright dishonest, Teelo. Like somethin’ Discord would pull.”

“It gets worse.” Teagan informed her. “Sun Tzu says ‘If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant.’”

“Sound strategy.” Princess Luna commented. “But we can see thy point as well, Applejack. Such tactics are distasteful, Lady Teelo. Were not all of Equestria in peril we could not, in good conscience, allow them.”

“With all due respect, Your Highness, it sounds like Tišina plays by our rules, not yours.” The PI spoke up. “She’s already resorted to kidnapping and poison. It’s clear her goal is the death of every living creature in the world. I don’t think we have any choice.”

“Thee has the right of it, Evelyn Lewis.” Princess Luna said heavily. “Not even as Nightmare Moon did I seek to end the world. Tišina must be stopped or she will doom us all.”

ooOoo

Tourmaline made her way toward the Walker homestead. When she saw the roofline torn askew she knew her worst fears had been realized. Coaxing her old bones into a trot she hurried toward the house—only to turn aside when she saw the outline of a pony in the field outside.

“Oh dear Celestia.” She whispered as she got a good look. Slowly she walked up to the statue and forced herself to stare into the horror-distorted features of Feldspar Walker. This close her magical senses could see the way the earth magic was warped and trapped within the statue, making the normal smooth flow as tumultuous as a raging river. Now that she knew what to look for she extended her senses again. A sob tore out of her when she confirmed there were lots of other disturbances just like this one in the surrounding community.

She forced herself to walk into the house, where she found Topaz and little Gypsum exactly as she knew she would. Stone. Greenish in the flicker of the lamp that still burned on the bedside table they glistened like ice. When she dared to touch Topaz she found her cool to the touch, but not freezing cold.

Tourmaline knew about cockatrices, all rock farmers did. They were a menace but nothing like this.

She’d seen one unfortunate stallion that had been stoned by a cockatrice. They had managed to get him to Canterlot where Princess Celestia had restored him. But that unfortunate had been gray, not green. And he had been rough like stone, not smooth like ice.

Whatever had attacked Rockton had left her flesh and bone unturned. She couldn’t imagine why, her home was set apart from the others, but still clearly visible. She shouldn’t have been spared.

Fear was gnawing at her belly but she refused to give into it. That wouldn’t help her neighbors, trapped in this strange icy stone. Only she could do that. Tourmaline headed toward the village of Hayfield five miles away, wondering if she’d manage to get there alive.

She refused to think about little Gypsum Walker…

ooOoo

Mindful that she wouldn’t have a lot of time once the portal opened Tišina attacked as soon as it formed. She aimed for the alicorn, planning to pump the beast so full of poison she’d solidify instantly.

She didn’t expect Celestia to teleport. Her stingers sank harmlessly into the mattress where Celestia had been lying.

She was equally unprepared for the massive yank on her sensitive tendrils. Screeching in pain she instinctively lunged forward, not realizing she was poking her head through the portal until a thunderous bang deafened her and white hot pain knifed through her left eye, blinding her and making the previous pain seem like a caress.

Tišina roared in agony and tried to pull back but the treacherous alicorn had grabbed her with telekinesis and stubbornly refused to let go, her horn blazing white.

The albino giant tossed her head just as another earsplitting explosion rocked the room and something smashed into her cheek, just below her remaining eye. Completely panicked now she saw a blue alicorn and a black unicorn appear.

“DISRUPT THE PORTAL!” The blue alicorn trumpeted. If Tišina hadn’t already been partially deafened from those two unholy bangs, Luna’s bellow would certainly have done the trick.

“He!” Tišina howled in terror as the second alicorn latched onto her and pulled, preventing her from withdrawing her head. If the portal closed now…

Acting from pure self-preservation Tišina lunged forward, desperate to get free of the portal. Aided by her enemies’ telekinesis she shot from the portal like a cork from a champagne bottle. She could feel the portal destabilizing even as her hundred foot length smashed into the forty foot room. Several bursts of magic signaled the teleportation of her enemies even as the back wall of the chamber gave way and the bed simply disintegrated under the multi-ton weight of the insect-like dragon. Tišina howled in agony as the portal collapsed while her tail was still trapped in it. Five feet of tail, including her stinger vanished along with the portal.

Weeping in pain and uncomprehending rage she roared, butting her head into the wall beyond the princess’s chamber, demolishing it. The floor groaned in protest as she forced her way forward, smashing a two story hole through the palace in her bid to reach the outside air.

At that moment Tišina was nothing more than a wounded animal operating on instinct. Blind in one eye, bleeding from her severed tail she was smashing anything that barred her escape. Fortunately at this hour there were no ponies in the hallways she smashed through on her way to clear air.

When she burst through the last wall she literally leaped into the void, wings unfurling to catch the wind. She frantically pumped her wings, seeking the safety of altitude, arrowing into the clear mountain air, feeling relieved that she had escaped.

Until, that is, she heard a loud hissing noise and a massive blow struck her in the stomach. The sound deafened her while the blow knocked the wind out of her, and made her wings fold up. She rolled over as she plummeted, seeing a pink blur standing on a balcony, a pair of long tubes on either side, pointed straight at her. She screamed as something left the tubes trailing fire and smoke, arrowing straight at her.

She managed to twist aside from the things, but one caught her wing and exploded, blowing a hole completely through the thin membrane and nearly tearing the wing completely off.

The insectile dragon tumbled helplessly as she fell, gravity accelerating her massive form mercilessly. Six seconds later she smashed into the rocks below, feeling several bones break from the impact of a seven hundred foot fall.

She roared in agony and bewildered rage, not believing she’d been beaten by a horse. She forced herself to roll over, screaming from the pain and started to limp away, her injured wing dragging and unable to fold.

She flinched at a distant bang. Rocks scattered next to her left foot. A second bang followed, and she felt a solid thud against her back. It hurt, but right now it was the least of her problems.

A half dozen more bangs followed, each accompanied by an impact somewhere on her battered body. None of them caused more than irritation as her scales proved up to the task of protecting her.

Mind racing, she frantically considered her predicament. These ponies had proven far more dangerous than even her beloved enemy. It was inconceivable that they were actually a threat, and she needed to shamefully retreat from them like a—a—mortal. It was humiliating!

She almost missed the surge of magic in front of her. There was a flash of pink and then that dreadful hissing roar and her world dissolved into pain as something smashed her backward, actually throwing her into the air.

She landed on her back, her shredded wing tearing loose. She was in too much pain to make a sound, but she managed to twist her neck around and glare at her tormenter, a bright pink pony with those damnable pairs of tubes that spat horrible pain. The beast actually smiled and waved at her even as it prepared to fire again.

“That’s enough, Pinkie.” A calm voice said as that pompous horse appeared on a cliff overlooking the spot where Tišina lay helplessly.

“But she’s a bad dragon, Princess!” The pink one protested.

“Pinkie Pie!” The alicorn said sharply. “That’s enough. Thank you. Twilight, please take Pinkie back to the castle. Right now.”

“Are you going to be all right, Princess Celestia?” The purple unicorn asked anxiously. “I don’t want to leave you alone with this thing.”

“She is not alone, good Twilight.” A second voice chimed in. “We are with our sister. Tišina is beaten. Now heed her command. Your part is done. Let us do ours.”

“I’ve got my eye on you!” The pink pony shouted down at the albino. “You do anything funny and I’ll make sure you regret it!”

“My faithful student, take Pinkie and go.” The white alicorn said in a firm tone. “Now.”

“Yes, Princess.” Twilight said, casting another look at the downed dragon.

The two ponies vanished with a pop, leaving Tišina staring up at the two monarchs.

Comments

[Celestias Paladin]

Diarchs not monarchs, and Nightmare Moon not wanting to end the world? What did she think would happen during Night Eternal? That there would have been no ecological collapse?

[Ardwolf]

1440294

Actually, to answer your question would be to provide a spoiler, so wait and see...

[Coranth]

Tišina howled in agony as the portal collapsed while her tail was still trapped in it. Five feet of tail, including her stinger vanished along with the portal.

EAT THAT YOU BITCH!