Fifty-four
The nidhoggs came. They scrambled down the mountain sides, sinuous bodies twisting, jaws snapping, throats screaming. Many fell, more slammed into rocks or ice-blocks. They roiled over the forested hills, their blasts of chill freezing the stunted trees, the tarns, the bushes, even the turf and soil down to the rock, killing the small things that hid from the winter together with every root and bulb. They snapped and chewed, the trees, the turf, the brush, each other, maddened by hunger, but soon they stopped and hurried on.
Something drove them. Something forced them to hurry, somewhere, further down the snowy slopes and frosted forest. Towards death, their own, but mostly the death of summer.
A shape came flapping through the gray sky, down towards the northern edge of Sarvvik through the haze of the falling snow.
“Princess Celestia!” Twilight said. She almost rose from her wheelchair as the alicorn alighted in front of her. Celestia were wearing her heavy armor in orchalcum and crystal, just as resplendent as her sister’s lunargentum one. The others around Twilight Sparkle, ponies and reindeer both, bowed. Except two.
“Sister,” said Luna, “you are finally here! Good!” She was also armored. Unlike Celestia, her helmet levitated by her side.
“Hi Celestia!” said Spike. “How is the evacuation plan going?”
“There are troubles, but I don’t think King Ukko’s men will do worse than me,” said Celestia. “I took off from the harbor when a messenger told me Twilight had woke up, and it seems I left them behind.”
“What kind of troubles, your highness?” said Mustikka sharply.
“Some ship owners don’t want to let their ships be commandeered to evacuate non-combatants if necessary,” said Celestia. “Lord Skiold and Lord Heikko are negotiating with them.”
“Skiold and Heikko negotiating!?” said Mustikka. “Not doing worse than you?! Freeze me, I have to get over there! You there, you’re in charge!”
He pointed to a vaja in armor and helmet who nodded, bewildered.
“You and you, follow me! Sorry, your highnesses, I have to leave this to you!”
He galloped off followed by two other guards.
“He reminds me of someone,” said Celestia to Twilight, who merely arched an eyebrow.
“Your highness,” said Oak Wreath, “welcome back. We were just showing Lady Sparkle the lines of defense.”
“Ditches! Stakes! Mines!” said Spike. “Those monster won’t dare get near here!”
“You’ve done a lot in so little time, Oak Wreath,” said Twilight Sparkle. “Well, you and everybody else!”
She looked out over the defenses. Walls slapped together from a mix of chopped down trees and torn-up buildings, ditches filled with water or burnable matter, stretches of mined and trapped ground. Reindeer, ponies, aurochs and a scattering of other ungulates were still digging, building and dragging material here and there.
“You have done a good job, Oak Wreath,” said Luna, “but I fear it won’t be enough.”
“I hope it will be,” said Celestia. “We are here to help!”
Luna nodded silently. Twilight’s spirits fell.
“Good that you are here, sister,” said Luna, “since I need to leave now.”
“Why?” said Twilight.
“To warn the pirates,” said Spike, more solemnly than before. “They’re first in the line of the… of Winter.”
“Be careful!” said Twilight. “They have artillery, and…”
“I know,” said Luna. “That means little during the circumstances. I’m well-armored and ready. I’m more worried they won’t see reason and abandon camp.”
“Surely they must see the danger,” said Celestia. “Most of them are reindeer, they should be able to tell the weather is worsening.”
“Jarl Ahto is proud,” said Luna, “and his deer are loyal.”
“Don’t they think you’re a goddess?” said Spike. “Shouldn’t that matter? I for one think we should have done something like this earlier!”
“I don’t know,” said Luna, “not that I like to foster that lie…”
“Better do that than leave those poor fellows to die foolishly,” said Oak Wreath.
“Mmm, Your Highness,” said Saga, “I have an idea. I think you could do a lot with the right presentation…”
“Presentation?” said Luna.
“You have an image to consider, Your Highness;” said Saga and grinned. “As your prophet, I take it very seriously!”
“Saga,” said Twilight, “I hope you aren’t kidding, things are really serious…”
“Of course I’m serious!” Saga snorted. “I think I’ve never been more serious about such a thing…”
The turso came. One minute they were hunting for food, or rather grazing for it. Their miasma poisoned and sickened sea-life around them as they paddled through, then they slowly munched it up as it couldn’t escape. It was rare, very rare, and they were all so hungry. Some were far out at sea, some deep down in the abyss, many scrabbling along the coasts.
The next minute, they were all scrabbling along one coast, close enough to touch. Scared and angry they spouted plague and poison, which didn’t do much, since all turso are immune to such things. Then they bit each other, slammed each other using their heads as flails, as turso do during mating season. Hungry and hurt and angry and scared, they only let up because something drove them on, south, along the coast, almost up on land. Screaming, bellowing, belching out their miasma of death.
The coast died, inch by inch, as they travelled down to Sarvvik.
“What’s the meaning of this?!” shouted the nobledeer and stamped her hoof.
“The meaning is your ship is confiscated,” said Skiold. “It’s for ferrying non-warriors and provisions south if things, well…”
“Go south!” said Heikko and laughed. He poked the lady’s bodyguard in the side. “South! Eh?”
The guard frowned but didn’t voice her displeasure.
“That’s my ship!” she said. “It belongs to my family, and we need it!”
“Sure, if you don’t think you can stand and fight, you and your kin can jump aboard,” said Skiold, “but we will need space for others as well, so that - “ and he pointed to a huge trail of baggage carried by servants - “won’t fit. Now, either get on board, or get lost!”
“This is brigandage!” shouted the nobledeer. “Those things are valuable! They are all we have in the world!”
“What’s bridangage?” said Skiold.
“Brigandage!” she shouted, red in the face.
“Is that a word?” Skiold asked Heikko. “Is she insulting me or something.”
“I think it has something to do with being a robber,” said Heikko.
“Look, lady, I’ve been a robber - “
“Ah, yeah, I remember that!” said Heikko. “That was fun!”
“ - and this isn’t it,” Skiold finished. “This is saving as many as possible if we need to.”
“If the monsters break down the walls,” said Heikko.
“If!” said another deer in the noble’s retinue. “We are all doomed! The old gods have woken and come back, and they’ll end the world in ice and plague!”
Skiold was about to protest when Heikko interrupted him.
“Well, then it doesn’t matter if you die in Trotholm or here. Or in Hestaland, if you want to go across the sea which I guess is getting doomed too then. In that case, you might as well stay and help. It is the last age for heroes anyway. The Hestalanders and their civilisation is coming along, and they won’t need deer like me soon. If it all is gonna end, might as well do it fighting.”
Skiold looked at him. Heikko looked grim, and that was a rare occurrence. The retinue must have sensed it too, or known him by reputation, because they didn’t protest, they let him continue.
“But if the world really isn’t ending, there is a chance, then we must use that, to save all the ones who cannot stand by the walls and fight. And then we need every ship and all space aboard them. See?”
They looked at each other and nodded.
“Good. I really don’t want to fight any reindeer today. I might get hurt early and miss the real fun. So please, all of you take what you really need, and as much food you can carry, and come on board!”
“Well, except for anydeer who think they can fight or build!” said Skiold hastily. He pointed at the guard. “Like you!”
She swallowed.
“You can come with me,” said one of the servants, who put down his burden.
“What?” said the guard.
“I was gonna go join the temple militia anyway,” said the servant. “I have a spear and an amulet they say protect against frost! And poison! And… and my winter coat. We have trained. You can fight next to me.” He smiled.
“I think I will,” said the guard, nodding.
“Lady Hreidunn!” she said to the nobledeer. “With your permission…”
“Well… go!” she said. “But be careful!”
The two volunteers left, and the refugees-to-be started to board the ship, like the reindeer did on the ships around them.
“Wonder if there’s any lingonberry juice to be had?” said Heikko out loud as he watched them embark. When Skiold stared at him, he followed up with:
“I don’t want to get drunk yet! Far too long until any real battle!”
Mustikka came galloping down the street.
“Now what’s going on here!” he shouted.
“Heikko wants some juice,” said Skiold, “and I was gonna tell him, wasn’t I, that we cannot leave because we are overseeing the ships?”
“Juice?!” Mustikka sneered. “Where’s the crisis?!”
“Well,” said Heikko, “I think all the places serving food are closed, seeing as how the city is under siege and all…”
Mustikka facehoofed.
The hraesvalg came. They had found themselves suddenly circling a mountain bereft of the frozen meat they needed so badly, and in a big whirlwind of cold winds and eternal hunger they circled, screaming so loud that their voice were heard on the mortal plane. The spirit world was scoured of everything else, fleeing or hiding or shattering in fear.
The corpsetearers, always bravest in a group, where now a horde and hence braver than ever. Screaming, they swooped in a cloud of famine and frost down south, circling as they moved, and a snow-filled tornado swept across the land, uprooting trees and rearranging the landscape.
Luna had tried to turn down the Night Guards as a retinue, not wanting to risk their lives, but Ukko - who had turn up, scaringly sober, inspecting the militia - had convinced her.
“You cannot let them miss this chance for glory, Dream-sender,” said the king. “Have they ever flown out with you like this?”
She had refused the chariot though when Celestia suggested she borrow one. She’d rather fly with her own wings.
No monster was visible yet as they flew over the snow-covered pine forests and alder-rimmed marshes. Luna didn’t know how long they had, and was nervous when she noticed she was that faster than her guards, but it did give her some time and mental space to work some magic and follow Saga’s suggestion. She sent out a silent call over the land below, a rather specific one.
Hours later, they drew closer to the small open area where renegade camp was situated. It was easy to find once you knew it.
“We should just have scourged the coast until we found it sooner…” Luna thought, but it was easy to be wise after the event.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a bolt from a ballista.
Luna swerved aside, even if it wasn’t that necessary.
“Fools!” she said. “Those things aren’t meant to be shot - “ she easily dodged a second bolt “ - at a single - “ she dodged another “ - flying target!”
Soldiers began to mass on the ground below. Luna hovered downwards and grabbed the ballista itself, throwing it off the tower. Her guards did a sharp swerve as a huge glob of flaming goo shot past them, a flame cannon with better aim.
A few crossbow shots and lobbed javelins came from the mass of warriors, missing rather pathetically but showing they meant business.
“FOOLS!” she shouted, strengthening her voice magically. “I HAVE COME TO SAVE YOU! WHERE IS YOUR LEADER!”
The crowd opened and let past one reindeer, not yet in armor but with his helmet on.
“I AM HERE, PRINCESS LUNA! I AM JARL AHTO, TRUE KING OF POATSULA! EVEN THOUGH YOU ARE A GODDESS, I WILL NOT STAND DOWN! I WILL FIGHT TO THE BITTER END!”
“NODEER IS GOING TO FIGHT ANYDEER!” Luna shouted. “I AM HERE TO SAVE YOU! YOUR DOOM AWAITS UNLESS YOU RETREAT TO SARVVIK!”
“WHY SHOULD I TRUST YOU WORDS, WHEN YOU ARE ALLIED TO MY SWORN ENEMY?” Ahto shouted back, having more trouble keeping screaming.
“ALL MONSTERS OF WINTER ADVANCE, AS ONE ARMY, COMING THIS WAY!” Luna shouted, but in the meantime she kept up her magic call, like a song stuck in your head. “KING UKKO GIVES YOU ALL AMNESTY DURING THE ATTACK, IF YOU STAY AND DEFEND SARVVIK’S WALLS!”
“YOUR LIES ARE RIDICULOUS!” shouted Ahto. “THERE ARE NO SIGNS OF WHAT YOU TALK ABOUT! WINTER EVEN SEEMS TO HAVE RECEDED!”
There were murmurs of agreement from the crowd.
“Y’know, Your Highness,” said one of the guards, “the weather hasn’t been this calm in forever…”
“Of course!” Luna said. “Sampo’s power actually pulled away all winter wind spirits from here…”
She shut her eyes and smiled.
“But here they are… my little friends…”
They didn’t arrive as a cloud, darkening the skies. That’s not how they fly. No, they came skipping, flying short steps from one bush, one tree, one snow drift to another, a small skirmishing army of little brown birds, exiting the forest and entering the camp.
“Jays!” gasped one soldier.
“Thousands of jays!” shouted another and stepped back from one that bravely strutted up to his hooves.
“The birds of ill omen!” wailed another.
“DO YOU SEE IT NOW, JARL AHTO? THIS PLACE IS DOOMED BY POWERS GREATER THAN MINE! RETREAT TO THE SOUTH, BY SHIP OR SKIS, AS FAST AS YOU CAN!”
The soldiers were looking about in fear and shifting their feet. They seemed far more scared of the horde of birds than of the alicorn hovering above them. Ahto looked around him, then scowled.
“NEVER!” he shouted. “THIS MUST BE SOME KIND OF PONY SORCERY!”
Luna sighed… remembered Twilight’s reports and their plans in full, and landed in the snow in front of the jarl. The soldiers nervously and ineptly directed their weapon at her, while looking around at the little birds.
“Jarl Ahto… not only must you retreat to save your deer, but to save the rest of Poatsula,” Luna said gently, ignoring the spears and axes.
“The armies of Sarvvik has too few soldiers to meet the forces of Winter,” she said. “We need your reinforcements, and we need them as soon as possible. You are our only hope!”
The jarl looked at the alicorn, then to his followers. Hakon, his aide, stepped out from the crowd.
“She is right,” he said, talking a bit awkwardly, his damaged jaw not fully healed. “You have to listen to her. I… I know you’d rather save your deer than your own life. Please Ahto, listen to her.”
Ahto nodded.
“You’re right… Ah well,” he looked at Luna. “It’ll have to be by ski. The weather might be better but I don’t want to take a ship out now.”
A rough voice coughed somewhere behind her. Luna turned and found herself face to face with a motley crew of pegasi, donkeys and zebras, sprinkled with a few other folks. In front of them was a small, winged pig.
“Uuuh.. Your Highness, but as a wholly neutral partner, and not very good at skiin', we thought that t' Crimson Kraken could just depart, as smartly as we can, without disturbin' t' evacuation process.”
“Try that again, Mr. Moccus,” said Luna and scowled. “If you don’t pack that ship of yours full of every civilian in this camp and sail as quickly as you can to Sarvvik, I’ll sink the ship right now.” She stamped her foot and sent off a thunderclap to give emphasis to her threat.
The pirates stepped back nervously.
“And if you stay and defend the harbour when you reach Sarvvik, seeing as your ship is armed, I might look in another direction later if you sneak away without standing trial for piracy. Otherwise, you’ll be the top priority for every law enforcement agency and every navy force in Equestria and among all of our allies. And I will have hanging for piracy reintroduced just for you. Is that understood?”
Mr. Moccus nodded vigorously, then looked back to his crew and scowled. As a person, they also nodded and grinned as nicely as they could.
“Good!” said Luna. “I’ll follow you to keep an eye on you. Night Guard!”
“Yes, Your Highness!” shouted the batwinged ponies.
“I leave you under Ahto’s command, as messengers and scouts,” she said.
They saluted.
“If you will have them, Jarl?” she said.
“I’ll be glad to,” said Ahto. “Let’s get moving, folks! We have trained this! Pack only necessities!”
“Let me show you t’ t’ ship, Your Highness,” said Moccus and made an attempt at a courtly bow.
“Very well, Captain,” said Luna.
“Oh… not really Captain,” said Moccus and waved his wooden trotter. “T’ captain became… indisposed, and we haven’t really chosen a new one yet! I’m merely t’ first mate here…”
“Whatever you say!” said Luna. “Get moving, as the jarl ordered!”
“Of course, o’ course…” jabbered the megasus.
They hadn’t arrived with their kin, swarming free and disembodied above the mountain. They had arrived possessing corpses, to their despair and horror, for to suddenly find themselves embodied in frozen flesh is for a hraesvalg is like for a pony to wake up rolled up in a wet blanket. They stumbled, screaming voicelessly, down the slopes of the nameless mountain, landing in a heap that would have been comical if it wasn’t for the torn limbs and cracked backs. The worst damaged were abandoned by the hungry spirits possessing them, screaming over the mass of stiff, walking corpses.
For a short while the other embodied stopped and tore the icy flesh apart, trying to sate their hunger. However, soon, they, like all other those who had been rudely teleported to this place, there was an urge to march south, and so they did. Their ridden bodies had arrived with their gear, and so they eased into their barding and grasped their weapons, even bowed down and put on their helmets.
So marched they did, the armies who once had marched against each other to gain the Sampo, tore from their icy tombs, reindeer and ponies, aurochs and moose and ice-wolf, except this time, they marched as one. It was easier than it should be, for the nidhoggs had torn up the trees and hills, and their disembodied kin had swept away the worst snow, and they felt filled with some kind of purpose, as if there was a memory in the soulless corpses of how you should do it when you marched to war. And from untold throats, a hoarse song of sorts was almost heard, as holdraugr came marching along.
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Yay, good to hear.
But I must say, Ahto is being an utter idiot regarding this whole civil war thingy he's obsessed with. While he would make a better king, he's picked the worst timing possible.
These chapters are always worth the wait.
Premise is interesting but what is Spike's role in this? Does he have a part in what will come or is 99% of events happening around Luna and Twilight?
6516283
Spike has some chapters to himself - and I'd say he's very important. But I'm biased - I'm the author. :)
Huzzah! Update!
And we reach now the climax!
Always worth the wait.
6518537
I'd prefer if it was Twilight and Luna reaching climax, but alas, this is an adventure, not romance.
It will be sad to see this story end, it's been a long and verbose (but that's necessary) journey.
My joy knows no bounds for a great epic I had feared dead has been brought back to my attention. Let us all celebrate this happy day.
In other news. Interesting way to depict the advancing monsters. I kind of like it.
6515534 I'm not so certain that Ahto would be that much better king. He strikes me as far too proud to see other points of view than his own until it's shoved down his throat and too much of an opportunist with far too little understanding of the long term effects of his actions. Not that I consider Ukko to be any better but at least Ukko had a understandable reason for his weakening ability to rule. A parent forced to bury their own child is a horrible thing to happen and can break the best of us. Not that Ukko was ever especially wise but at least to my understanding he didn't piss of some of the largest super powers in the world by using pirates to terrorize their merchants and other civilians.
EDIT: That thrice cursed auto-correct is starting to pies me off.
6517773 That is good to hear. I know he comes along but it would be a little sad to see him sideline.
Going to be fun to see how he reactions to the situation. Thanks for the answer.
The battle is about to begin and it seems Luna have finally got the pirates to get their act straight enough to help out. And I like how the monsters is coming together, nice build up to the whole situation.
C&Cs will be PM.
The descriptions of the winter monsters heading south would make for awesome death metal album covers.
That being said, it really feels like things are escalating. Everything is just rushing to one spot, like a tidal wave pulling back the ocean before slamming down with its full might, the build-up is intensifying.
Army of the dead FTW.
I hope you plan to continue this epic tale, I've been waiting for it for so long now. Please continue this story.
*Puts on scary Halloween mask*
Knock-knock-knock!
*Door opens*
"A full year has passed from the earth! Death calls from beyond the veil! Repent, ye! E'er all is lost!"
Just hoping to scare you into updating.
Did it work?
7613457
It just might have...
The descriptions of the monsters heading south are beautifully done -- they're very evocative.