4 — Through the Woods
Chapter 4:
Through the Woods
Wind howled in Trixie’s ears as she stumbled along the snowy path. Her fur coat did little to protect her from the biting chill and it certainly did not guard her hooves from the icy snow. Polaris, and his wife, Astrid, blazed a trail through the mounds of snow just a few steps ahead of her.
“How much farther until we reach Frostvale?” she asked, her voice barely audible above the howling wind.
Polaris paused. He looked over his shoulder at her and said, “At least half a day yet, miss. Likely it’ll take longer if this accursed storm doesn’t let up.” He glanced over to Astrid. She smiled weakly at him. He sighed. “We might need to set down for the night if we don’t at least make it to the Frozen Chasm by nightfall. I don’t want to see neither one of you gettin’ hurt. We can’t be pushing ourselves too hard, miss.”
Trixie cursed under her breath. “It’s already been two days since we left the caravan. Why is it taking so long to get there? I thought from where we were it was only supposed to take a day.”
“‘Supposed to’ being the key part of that phrase, miss. I told you not to count on it,” he chuckled. “The wind is what’s really slowin’ us down. If it weren’t for that we might be making good time.”
“Isn’t there a faster way? Another path we can take that will get us there quicker?”
He shook his head. “This is the only safe way to get there. I know it doesn’t seem like it, but this is actually the easy way. Don’t worry, miss,” he said comfortingly. “We’ll get there in due time. It just may take a little longer than you were hoping.”
Trixie hung her head. “I’m not sure I can stand another night in this cold. I wish there was a faster way.”
“Dear,” Astrid said softly to Polaris. “What if we cut through the forest? That might save some time and shield us from the wind too.”
“We don’t know what lives in there, Astrid,” he replied. “It would be too dangerous. What if we were attacked by timber wolves? We don’t have the whole caravan at our side now. I can’t protect you both.”
“I can fight for myself,” Trixie cut in. “I don’t need to be protected by anypony.”
“Even still, miss. The forest can be a dangerous place, and I couldn’t bear it if something happened to either of you.”
Astrid placed a hoof on his shoulder. “Look at her, dear,” she whispered. “She’s freezing to death out here. At least in the forest she’d have the trees to hold back the wind. We don’t even know if there is anything in there.” She stared at him pleadingly. “We have to at least try, if only for her sake.”
“I don’t like it,” he sighed, “but you may be right.” He looked at Trixie. Shivering, she stood waiting for him to say something. Her face pink with cold, but adorned with a look of determined resolution. He shook his head. “I may end up regretting this, but let’s cut through the forest. If all goes right, we’ll save nearly a quarter of a day’s hike, and keep the wind off our flanks to boot.” He chuckled nervously.
Trixie clapped her hooves together. “Excellent, we should be able to make it to Frostvale today after all. That might put us back on schedule.”
“Don’t get your hopes up too much, miss,” he cautioned with a wink. “We haven’t made it out of the woods yet.”
Astrid rolled her eyes. “Well, come on then. We’ve still got this wind to contend with.”
“I might be able to do something about that,” Trixie offered. Soft, blue light surrounded her horn as she concentrated on creating a magical barrier. It flowed in waves towards Polaris and Astrid, finally coalescing into a pointed wall of light, jutting into the wind and pushing it to either side of the wall. “There,” she said. “That should help a little.”
Polaris whistled quietly. “Been practicing have you?”
A prideful smile played across Trixie’s face.
“Try not to look too pleased with yourself, miss,” he chuckled.
“My, that’s really something,” Astrid said, marveling at Trixie’s handiwork.
“I’m proud of you, miss. I’m glad to see you’re improving so much. But,” he said, his voice becoming suddenly serious. “How come you couldn’t do that before? We’re freezin’ our flanks off in this cold!”
“To be completely honest,” Trixie said sheepishly “I wasn’t sure it would work. I hadn’t been able to cast that spell successfully until recently, and I didn’t know if I’d be able to do it out here.”
He laughed. “Well, we’re all glad that you did, miss. Now,” he continued, “we should probably start making our way through the forest if we want to actually gain any ground.”
“Yes,” Trixie said. “Let’s do that.”
Turning their backs to their previous path, they headed towards the forest. Its ominous presence loomed just at the edge of their field of view. Shadows seemed to be all that were around it.
As they began walking towards it, and Trixie gazed at the forest’s foreboding visage, she was suddenly filled with a sense of dread.
Well, Trixie thought, this should be interesting.
***
“Whose idea was it to cut through this forest?” Trixie asked as she fought off what felt like the hundredth tree branch.
It had been slow going, cutting through the forest. Though, admittedly, it was no slower than their previous pace, and they were making good time. Frustrating and painful time, but good time nonetheless.
“I think you were the one who was asking if there wasn’t a faster way to the Frozen Chasm, miss,” Polaris replied as he helped Astrid shake off a particularly stubborn bush. “I have to admit,” he said. “I didn’t think it would be this... tedious.”
“Well,” Astrid said as she kicked away the remnants of the bush clinging to her coat, “at least we’ve been able to stay out of the wind. That has to count for something.”
“I s’pose so, but I still would take the ice and snow over this,” he lifted his front hooves up, “mud. Snow’ll melt away, but this mud’s gonna be caked into my fur for weeks. And it’s freezing cold too, as if it weren’t bad enough already.”
Trixie sat against a rock that jutted out of the ground at a ninety-degree angle. As she started picking out the leaves and bark from her coat, she said, “I wasn’t expecting it to be so dark here. I know that the trees block out a lot the sun, but even still, it seems... unnaturally dark.”
“Dear, I think your mind may be playing tricks on you,” Astrid said kindly. “I wouldn’t worry about it. So far we haven’t come across any signs of life in this forest, so I doubt anything lives here.”
“Which is good,” added Polaris. “Because I don’t think I could fight off anymore of those timberwolves with all these trees and bushes and whatnot in the way. I’m even having a hard time navigating in here.”
“What do you mean?” asked Trixie.
“Normally I navigate by watching the sky, lookin’ for stars and such. But in here, with all the trees blocking my view, it’s hard to tell which way is which.”
“But you’re not lost, right?” Astrid asked worriedly. “You do know which way you’re going, right, dear?”
“Of course I know which way I’m going,” he retorted. “What kinda guide would I be if I didn’t? I said I normally navigate using the stars. I do have other ways of figuring out where I’m going. Amateur navigators use one method, I use multiple.”
“I’m sorry to have offended you so, oh great navigator,” Astrid said jokingly. “I didn’t realize you were so far above us mere mortals.”
Trixie laughed, and Astrid gave her a wink.
“Oh, ha ha,” Polaris chuckled dryly. “Go ahead, laugh it up. You’ll be thanking me once we make it out of here.”
“Yes, yes, we’re all very grateful to you,” Astrid said, patting him on the back. “You know I was only kidding around.”
“Although,” Trixie said, “now I’m curious to know what your methods are. Is it some kind of magic?”
Polaris grinned slyly. “You, of all ponies, should know a magician never reveals his secrets. But,” he added upon seeing their downcast faces, “I’ll make an exception—just this once. I s’pose you wouldn’t call what I do magic, at least not in the way you know it, but I like to think of it as ‘earth pony magic’.”
“Earth pony magic?” said Trixie. “But, earth ponies don’t have magic.”
“Heheh, no, I don’t s’pose either of would know anything about it, being unicorns and all. Like I said, it’s not really magic, more like intuition.”
Trixie cocked an eyebrow.
“See, I can feel which way I’m going, in a way. I like to use the stars because they’re more accurate, and they’re consistent. But, if I need to, I can feel the earth beneath my hooves. I know it sounds kind of crazy, miss, but believe me, it’s just as real as your magic.”
Astrid’s eyebrow rose right along with Trixie’s.
“It’s not like the ground tells me which way is north or anything like that,” he said. “Heck, it doesn’t really tell me any kind of cardinal direction for that matter. It’s more like, I feel which way I’m supposed to go, but that isn’t always the way I want to go.”
“What do you mean by that?” Trixie asked.
“I guess life sometimes has different plans for me.” He shrugged. “It once told me to take the long way to the train station, and I ended up missing my train. Ended up having to wait another day, and buy another ticket. That’s when I met Astrid. I s’pose you’d call it fate, I called it ‘wasting twenty bits’.”
Astrid giggled. “So that’s why you couldn’t pay your bill?”
“Funny thing, fate. One minute you find yourself being chased down the street by a bartender, and the next you’re meeting the love of your life.” Polaris and Astrid shared a smile and a knowing glance, leaving Trixie feeling decidedly left-out. “What I always wondered,” he added, “was, what was a pretty mare like you doing in that dump?”
Astrid placed a hoof over her lips. “I think I’ll save that story for another time,” she said.
“All right, you lovebirds,” Trixie said, stepping between the two. “Before you get all nostalgic, we should really keep moving. It looks like it’s getting even darker, if that’s possible.”
It was, indeed, getting darker. The shadows beneath the trees seemed to melt into the pervading darkness, making the ground look almost inky black. The sky overhead, what little was visible through the trees, was a mass of swirling black clouds.
Polaris looked up at the brewing storm. “Looks like it’s about to get a lot worse here. We should probably try to find some shelter. If the storm gets bad enough, it’ll be too dangerous to continue on through it.”
“But,” Trixie started.
Polaris cut her off with a wag of his hoof. “I told you before, miss, the last thing I want is to see either of you hurt. If this storm picks up, the chances of that happening increase by a lot. We can’t take that risk, especially since we still need to cross the Frozen Chasm.”
“Plus, dear, you’ll need to keep your strength up in case something bad happens,” Astrid added. “You never know when we might need your magic. Celestia knows I’m nowhere near as versed as you in magical spells. I hardly use this thing at all,” she said, pointing to her horn.
Trixie sighed. “Fine, it’s probably for the best anyway.”
“That’s a good girl,” Astrid said warmly. “We should look for some kind of cave, or maybe a clearing where we can set up camp.”
Polaris nodded. “Shouldn’t be too hard to find something like that here.”
“Hey,” Trixie said as she looked up at the swirling storm clouds. “Is is just me, or is it getting darker... again?”
Harsh whistling sounds filled the air as the wind picked up and lightning crackled around them. Thunder rumbled from the clouds above, and the swirling clouds began to get closer and closer to the ground.
“That’s not a good sign,” Polaris said warily.
Astrid shot him a worried glance. “You don’t think it’s...”
He nodded gravely. “Yep.”
“What?” asked Trixie. “What’s happening? What’s that sound?”
Eyes skyward, Polaris said slowly, “...Wendigos.”
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Story number 65656 lol
I KNEW THIS WOULD GET FEATURED *HIC*
i.imgur.com/U71c7.gif
dun dun DUUUUNNNNN!
But i thought wendigoes only works when all teh ponies hates each other...
1684624 You'd be surprised mate.
This fic will be deleted as soon as that episode pops up...
A pity, really. I just don't understand this fandom sometimes.
OH MY GOD WINDIGOS!?
? Whatever, no matter what it is, be it a horrendous monster or a new type of Shih Tzu this story is still more epic than a cat chasing a unicycle riding elephant.
...What's a Windigo
1704404
Why would a story get deleted just because it's not 100% canon? There's plenty of stories here that are even farther from canon and no one removes those.
1704413
... you seriously don't know what a Windigo is?
watch the Hearth's Warming ep since you obviously haven't, Non-brony.
"Letters From a Friend at the End of the World". What kind of title is that? It just lays everything on the table like a promiscuous 15-year-old. There's nothing subtle or respectable about it, it's just... tasteless. And Twixie? Is there even such a thing as a worse pairing? Jesus fuck, why do you trixiefags feel it's your job to write about her "redeemption"? SHE'S A FUCKING VILLAIN. SHE'S EVIL. That's it. There is no more depth to her character than that, and it's a literary sin to write otherwise.
God damn. Stories like this are the reason the feature box is such a joke. Time to derail this comment section with some pony ass.
i49.tinypic.com/2vs0u2t.gif
1704413 You'd know if you saw the Hearth's Warming Eve episode.
Windigos are creatures of ice who freeze ponies if those ponies have hearts full of hatred.
1704573 You do realize most of us aren't even going to listen to you, don't you, you troll?
1704603
I have the 69th comment. Your argument is invalid.
:O
1704573
Using my own gif against me. You're one devious bastard.
1704625 Really? Can you back that statement up with facts about why that is? And if you dislike this fic so much, then why the buck are you still reading it?!
1704585
Hey I can't remember every single thing.
...But it is sad seeing as how that's one of my favorite episodes...
1704638 I bet you hate this jerk too, don't you?
Good story so far, though I really want to know why Twilight's address was changed to RD's, and what happened to the rest of the letters myself. : )
1704555
Sad thing is I actually did see that episode. I feel like an idiot trust me.
1704638
That's what it says on my vanity plate!
Also. CHECK 'EM
i.imgur.com/1GcTJ.jpg
1704646 It's one of your favorite episodes, but you can't remember what threat caused the three pony clans to find common ground that allowed them to prevail?!
That's disappointing enough for 13/10 facehoofs.
1704697
All I forgot was the name. I get it, it's bad, and I feel stupid enough, but do you really have to be that harsh?
1704707 Sorry, but I think if it was one of your favorite episodes, you would usually remember stuff like the name and the story.
We best be findin' out why Rainbow Dash be stealing Twilight's mail in the next chapter, thats a pony felony.
Wait, windigos or wendigos? Either way, color me intrigued.
1701639 [youtube=http://creepypasta.wikia.com/wiki/File:Let%27s_Play_Flutter_Island.exe_First_Attempt_(blind)]
well if you'll excuse me im going to pop my eyeballs back into my head pick my skin upp off the floor and go get another pair of paints
1704573 I just reported your comment. Let's see how the higher-up on this website react to seeing your comment.
1705055
>Not getting the joke
>2012
Dude... calm down, he's just fucking with me.
Great story with a rather unique premise, I am really enjoying this so far.
1704625 You think my argument is invalid just because you have the 69th comment?
I'm torn between calling that childish and siccing Molestia on you.
1705071 He's being a troll. I don't know about you, but I can't stand trolls.
1704573 You, sir, are awesome. Your comment... So post-modern! Surreal! I love it! See, this is what people need to do. Insult the things you love. Seriously, how can you even think he feels anything less than pure love for this story?
I'm not being sarcastic, this guy is awesome.
1705105
Yeah, and he's my friend. His comment was hilarious and it made me laugh more than once. Let it go, man. It's just a ponyfic, brah.
1696152 What is this thing you speak of?
1704404 Do you even know how many fanfics are still on this site in spite of the fact that they don't match canon?
Fanfictions are done to take canon and change it in some way.
1704498
Shit, dude. Heaven and Hell, Mob Rules, Dehumanizer. Allllllll good stuff. And don't forget The Devil You Know.
this.
this is why i read fics here.
Well, things just took a turn for the Oh Crap, though I didn't detect any disharmony among the trio... Maybe the wendigos are desperate.
I think I’m psychic. I knew that something like that would happen the moment I read the title of the chap.
Also
And considering they’re in the north, which is their natural habitat and for all we know they have their full power without the need of feeding off negative emotions (sorry, just my head canon), I think we can safely assume that they are screwd, BIG TIME.
1705208 Tell that to the writers who seem to think that it is an obligatory duty to conform to whatever the canon seems to throw at us, lest they be damned to banishment to the Nether.
Ex: Vinyl Scratch's eyes, the complete disappearance of S! Luna's personality, and now we have to deal with not only the presence of another damned alicorn, but also a brother and captain of the Royal Guard.
(Not that I dislike Princess Cadence or Shining Armor, which is anything but that.) It.... Its just that whatever past fanon that has been establish is now irrelevant. Hell, I have even some authors go so far as to alter their original fic, just for fitting show canon... And this fandom isn't the only one guilty of it.
Did I mention that now Sombra is in the picture, along with an "empire" that's gonna really rock the fanfiction portion of the fandom?
I've seen it in both the Pokemon and Digimon communities.
I cringe when how something... Is well altered.... Yes, it is selfish of me, but I suppose that's how it seems to my person. Not all change is bad... But that being said, not all of it seems to be for the better.
1707030 But there are authors who just put an alternate universe tag on their fics when they don't match canon.
1704573
Yeah, it's not like this is a series where the first episode is about the redemption of a literal evil goddess or anything!
1705071
I think it's hard for people to recognize jokes sometimes because they've met people on the internet that would have posted something like that totally seriously.
1709419
Well, this got heavy in a hurry!
As for canon... screw it. This is fanfiction. Go where you wanna and who cares? I know I don't!
Wendigo's! Wow, haven't heard from them in a while! Shames me to say that I've neglected the show's reruns...
Very interesting twist to the plot! (glad I found this story, it's proving to be such an interesting read.)
1704573
WELL YOU'RE FUCKED NOW AREN'T YOU. :D
Your characters are still feeling a bit bleak, but with the crises ramping up on both fronts I can feel them coming to life more and more. The plot is getting very interesting at this point, and I would definitely not abandon it if I'd come this far on my first try. Still, I'm not sure I'd have been 'hooked' in the first place. The first big hook comes in chapter 3 and you follow up with another just as big one here, and it works really well - but I'm not sure you can afford to delay that much. The first two chapters feel relatively lackluster compared to what's happening now, and that's a problem I believe you should fix.
Now, wendigos. That's one story element I've never once read of, actually. This'll be the first fic I read to feature them, and I'm curious to how you'll handle them
By the by, I might mention that the frozen north really isn't THAT bad, for the most part. I mean, how cold do you intend it to be exactly? -30C? I mean, sure, wind chill is a bitch at those levels, and I suppose they're not quite as well geared up as I am on a day like that, but it's not THAT bad. Then again, this might just be Trixie - who is very much a novice on handling such extremes, whereas Polaris and Astrid aren't too bothered with it.
As a curiosity - what is the coldest temperature you've experienced yourself? Have you done any amount of cross-country hiking, and any of that in snow? For one thing I can't understand why they aren't skiing, aside from possibly "derp don't wanna have ponies ski because quadrupeds" thing. In early Scandinavian culture, we actually were MORE active during the winter - mainly because the ice and snow allowed us to cross lakes and great distances with ease, skiing and sledding.
Anyway, carrying on.
//N
1704573
Ahem
You're joking? You are joking!
I can't believe my ears!
Will somebrony shut this psycho up? I'm drowning in my tears.
Cookie if you get the reference.
1704555LOFUCKINGL
1704573 Can't tell if serious... oh well, haters gonna hate either way and if your just a troll then whatevs