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The Frost Mare1,815 words
The Windigo Council1,607 words

The Windigo Council

Chapter Two: The Windigo Council

As the two mares came upon the outskirts of the city, the frost pony stopped. Daring halted as well.

The pony lifted her head high, and a strong wind whipped around her. It pushed her up from under her hooves, lifting her up off of the ground. Manipulating the wind, she rose above the rooftops of the buildings.

Daring Do stared in amazement, then shook it off and began to flap her wings. She flew alongside the mare, knowing what would happen if she did not follow the mysterious winter creature.

They flew for a while, most likely an hour or so, when Daring saw a huge mountain on the horizon. It seemed to pierce the sky, its pointed peak rising above the other mountains surrounding it. Green pine trees covered in snow dotted the range. After another hour, they reached it. Daring spotted a cave with a large opening on the side of it, a gaping hole in the massive expanse of rock. The two ponies flew inside, landing on the frozen ground within the cave.

Daring looked around the place. It was more of a cavern than a cave. It was quite large. Ice, frost, and snow were everywhere, covering every single wall and stalagmite. The light from outside shone into the cave, reflecting on the ice and making the place seem to sparkle. Daring took a good long look, taking in the terrifying beauty of it all.

Then the frost mare revealed herself. She whipped off her cape, uncovering her body underneath. She was transparent, made up of air, cloud, and and icy mist. Just as before, her eyes shone brilliantly, a soft white light emanating from them. Crowning her head was a sharply pointed unicorn horn.

Smiling cruely, the mare’s horn became shrouded in a swath of magic, and she began to morph. Her snout elongated, and her front legs grew thin. Her back legs disappeared, vanishing to become a collection of mist and cloud. She was a Windigo.

Rising into the air and giving a whinny, the mare was soon joined by a dozen other Windigoes, all neighing and looking harshly down at their pegasus visitor. They entered through the cave opening, bringing gusts of cold air with them. Some simply materialized beside the frost mare.

Pretty soon, the cave was unbelievably freezing. Daring shivered, the cold surrounding her inside and out. Windigoes were creatures of myth, only having been mentioned in the Hearth’s Warming Eve story about the three tribes of Equestria uniting. Daring Do was shocked to find out how real they were; certainly were real enough to kill her. Celestia had mentioned a problem she and Princess Luna were having with Windigoes. What kind of trouble were these wind spirits causing? More importantly, why had they returned after thousands of years?

Failing to hide her overwhelming surprise at seeing the wind spirits, Daring stared wide-eyed at the Windigoes, her mouth open slightly.

“Daring Do, you have been summoned before the council of the Windigo tribe to serve us in our quest to recover our sacred amulet,” the frost mare boomed, her voice reverberating around the cave.

Their sacred amulet? Daring’s brow furrowed, but she did not speak.

“I am Nimbus, the leader of the council,” said the frost mare, eying Daring Do. “I speak for all of my tribe. You have been chosen by us to obtain the Alicorn Amulet and bring it to this cave before the end of one full cycle of the moon. Do you understand, pegasus?”

Daring nodded, her teeth chattering. She felt the weight of her saddlebag press down on her back. The bottle of dragon’s flame was in there. If she could somehow break it without Nimbus noticing, perhaps the Princesses could arrive quickly and get her out of this situation.

Nimbus shifted slightly, gazing at Daring. “If you ever try to defy us, break orders, or inform others that you are serving us, you will be frozen immediately. This includes releasing the dragon’s flame hidden within your saddlebags.”

“H-how did you-” Daring Do stuttered, taking a few steps back, a feeling of horror rising in her chest.

Nimbus gave a small but recognizable smile, giving a slow blink. “My ice crystals are in your bloodstream. Your brain needs blood pumped up to it to survive, does it not?”

Daring’s breathing began to quicken. Her vision became blurry, and she suddenly felt sickeningly dizzy.
Nimbus could read her thoughts. Nothing was private in Daring’s mind anymore. She was an open book; completely vulnerable to the Windigo. Naked.

“By Celestia...” Daring croaked, feeling tears slide down her cheeks. She put a hoof on her throbbing head, and squeezed her eyes shut. She couldn’t do this.

“Why me?” Daring asked in a whisper.

“You are the one chosen by the Princess,” Nimbus spat. “The only one besides her to be looking for it, and knowing much about it. You are the ideal choice.”

“Why not look for it yourself?” Daring retorted, feeling a swell of anger rise within her. “You are immortal spirits! Can’t you go find your own amulet without torturing a lowly pegasus?!” Daring cried, grating her teeth.

Nimbus gave a long exhale, staring down at Daring with her incandescent eyes. “You can gather information much more easily. You blend in.”

Daring narrowed her magenta eyes. “Why do you need the amulet?”

The Windigo raised her head. "Your time for questions is through. The amulet is due here in one moon cycle. I would suggest that you get started, else you may find yourself a permanent part of this ice cave.”

The Windigoes all gave a loud neigh, and rose their hooves to the ceiling. Daring Do’s breath escaped from her lungs as a huge gust of wind smashed her in the gut, propelling out of the cave and into the open air. The wind continued to push her all the way back to Trottingham, sending her crashing head-first into a stallion making his way down the street.

***

“Blimey!” said a stallion, his accent Austailian. “Are you ok, mate?”

Daring groaned as she opened her eyes. Her head throbbed. “What-?”

"You could have killed yourself, crashing into a unicorn like that!” said the stallion. “Could ‘ave gotten stabbed right through the noggin’! Unicorn horns are dangerous things, trust me.”

Daring looked up. She was on the sidewalk of the street she had landed on in Trottingham. Her body was sprawled on the ground, her saddlebag a few feet away. A few mares and stallions were gathered around her, looking down with concern. Daring got up, brushing her hat off. She must have blacked out for a short time after the crash landing. Looking behind her, she saw the unicorn she had collided with. He was also sprawled out on the ground, his black mane a mess.

The pony with the Autailian accent looked relieved to see that Daring was alright. He then helped the unicorn to stand up. The unicorn gave Daring a glare, using his magic to pick up a few things off of the ground that he had dropped when he had been so rudely knocked over.

The crowd around the two ponies began to drift apart once they saw that Daring Do and the stallion were unharmed. The Austailian pony left as well.

“Well. That definitely wasn’t on my afternoon agenda,” said the unicorn, brushing off his light blue coat. “Do you have a name, my unannounced assailant?”

“Uhm, yes. I’m Daring Do,” said the pegasus, noticing the stranger did not have a Trottingham accent like most of citizens of the city.

“Clarion Ravenhoof,” said the stallion, gazing at Daring Do. “I’m from Manehattan. I can tell you’re not from around here, either.”

Daring nodded, slinging her saddle bag over her back. Quickly looking inside, she silently cursed as she saw the bottle of dragon flame was still intact. “I came here from Canterlot,” she said, raising her head. “Barnett College.”

Clarion suddenly looked interested. “Barnett College, you say? What do you do there? Are you a student?” he asked.

“No, I’m a professor. Of archeology,” Daring Do explained, just about ready to walk away from the unicorn. She needed to get information about the Amulet, and fast. No time for socializing.

“Really? What a coincidence! My father worked there as a professor of archeology. Did you know him?” Clarion inquired.

Daring’s ears perked upward. “Wait, Professor Ravenhoof? Yes, I knew him. He retired a few months ago... You say you’re his son?” Daring Do remembered the old professor. He had always been like a father to her, helping her to get started on her most memorable quests. Everpony in the college had been very sad when he had retired and left the school for good.

Clarion nodded. Suddenly, a look of bewilderment crossed his face. “Of course,” he said, his eyes widening. “You’re her! The adventurer he was always talking about!”

“He was always talking about me?” Daring asked, feeling a bit proud.

Clarion nodded once again, a bright smile adorning his face. “He said that you would be the only one I could trust to find his most sought after artifact. You must help me to find it!”

“An artifact? Which one would that be?” Daring questioned. “And... why isn’t he looking for it with you?”

Clarion’s smile slowly drifted into a frown. “Oh... you haven't heard the news,” he sighed, grimacing. “Daring... he passed away only a month ago.”

Author's Note:

Yes. AusTAILian. Aren't I clever? :D

Feel free to comment correcting grammar usage or giving a critique on the story if you wish. Comments are always appreciated!

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Albi

Albi #1 · Jan 30th, 2013 · · ·

oh darn. I was thinking of writing a story like this. Oh well, you seem to be doing a terrific job. I await more.

InkRose

InkRose #2 · Jan 30th, 2013 · · ·

2045727 Aww, sorry about that.
Anyway, I'm glad you like it! Thanks!

mercenaryx

mercenaryx #3 · Feb 2nd, 2013 · · 1 ·

Make sure to write more for the next chapter. Like 10,000 words long min.

FimFan14

FimFan14 #4 · Feb 5th, 2013 · · ·

This review is brought to you on behalf of the group: Authors Helping Authors
Name of Story: Ink Rose's Daring Do and the Alicorn Amulet

Grammar score out of 10: 8

Pros:

-Interesting idea with the windigoes
-Good build up of mystery and setting up of plot
-I like your characterisation of Daring*
-Indiana Jones reference!

Cons

-Paced a little too fast; try to draw out the main events a little, or your story will be very short.
-Be a little more descriptive
-Having thousands of ice crystals rushing through your blood stream would kill somepony very quickly. Even a few millilitres of oxygen can do that. I only say this because I needed a third con.
Notes Section:

*Since little is learned about Daring in her episode, I enjoy seeing the way authors build her character. While there has been, so far, little character development, I like what I see.

-Your Austailian accent is better than some I've seen, but needs a little work. Try looking up phrases and terms they use (Being Australian myself, I have never heard anyone use the word noggin). Also keep in mind that we tend not to pronounce or emphasise the letter 'R' in latter-syllables (e.g: "I suRe do like reading when it's cold and rainy outdooRs." The capitalised Rs. would not be emphasised, and doors would be pronounced the same, with the 'R' skipped.

Enjoy your review! Please help me out by looking at my story: FimFan14's Stereoheart

InkRose

InkRose #5 · Feb 8th, 2013 · · ·

2078468
Hey, thanks for your in-depth review!
Seriously, this has helped a lot.

I will be sure to read your story too and provide a review! Thanks again! :D

Inky Jay

Inky Jay #6 · Feb 15th, 2013 · · ·

This review brought to you by the group: Authors Helping Authors.

Fic: Daring Do and the Alicorn Amulet
Grammar: 9.5
Pros: The references to earlier material (Sombra, Amulet, Windigos... etc) are not scattered randomly. There is a cohesive nature to it all.
I like that the fic takes the Indiana Jones nodd from the actual ep and expands upon it.
Your presentation of the Windigos is rather unique. There are not many fics with the Windigos as major players, but I find your depiction of them as a more organized force rather than a pack of wild monsters to be mroe fitting.

Cons: Daring seems OOC. From little we saw of her in the ep, she didn't seem to the type to get flustered or show overt signs of fear in times of danger. In the fic, she seems rather amateurish in her dealing with the inn keeper and seeing all the Windigos.
Your sentence structure needs work. The way it's set up, there isn't any major grammatical issue. However, there is an abundance of simple sentences, which creates a very choppy narrative, which leads into my next point.
The pacing, oh the pacing. Well, to put it straight, it's way to fast. The simple sentences contribue to this, but a lack of description (you'd be amazed how a little description can really balance out pacing), jumpy time slots (an hour went by in the span of a couple words), and lack of important scenes. Now, I don't want to sound like a nitpicking butthead, but it would have been nice to begin the fic with Daring receiving Celestia's summons, meeting and receiving the mission, and traveling to Trottingham. Think of it like a movie. Even if there is action at the beginning, it is rarely of the immeidate climatic kind.

Notes: If you can sort out your pacing issues, this fic will go from good to great. TBH, I don't think there are enough Daring Do fics, and she's such an interesting character to explore. Keep on keepin' on with your writing! When you can, please review my story, Marks of Harmony. I don't expect you to read it all at once, that would be too much even for me! If it's easier, you can review groups of chapters rather than the whole thing. I know a lot of people do that.

Cheers!
Inky Jay

Dark-Rainbow

Dark-Rainbow #7 · Apr 12th, 2013 · · ·

Love it! WRITE MORE!

Quillbit Marelor

Quillbit Marelor #8 · May 23rd, 2013 · · ·

This story has been reviewed by the Equestrian Critics Society

Story: Daring Do and the Alicorn Amulet

Author: InkRose

Reviewed by: Quillbit Marelor

From her first appearance on the show, Daring Do has become a popular character amongst fanfiction writers. Seeing as there was somewhat little time to develop her character in the show, writers go wild giving her creative and interesting traits and adventures. The possibilities are endless with Daring, her capabilities only limited by the author’s creativity. InkRose’s Daring Do and the Alicorn Amulet brings readers another somewhat creative Daring Do tale, though this trait may be the only one that may prolong its survival.

Full Review

Score: 5.7/10

InkRose

InkRose #9 · May 23rd, 2013 · · ·

2616630
Wow, this really helped me to see what needed to be fixed in my story, even more so than what the pre-readers of Equestria Daily said.
I thank you very much for this review, and highly appreciate the time put into it.
I especially thank you for giving me some actual positive feedback. Usually in-depth reviewers just point out negative traits of a story, but you balanced it out with both negative and positive.
Thank you very much, you have really encouraged me to rewrite this story into a better form.