Author's Note

Back by popular demand, or whatever you wanna call it

Here's that world-building...hey guys! I'm cutting this off and putting it before the chapter. This chapter is SIGNIFICANTLY longer than it originally was. The first version was 5,148 words long, while this one is at 8,321 words! Yikes!

But...this has to be my most cherished one of them all. The world-building established, the historical significance added to their history, and even giving it a more formal feel...it makes my heart melt. I had to stop several times during the revision process because it felt...real to me. Even my hands are shaking while writing this....

All I can say is...thank you. Thank you for pushing me to learn, to become better in my storytelling, and leaving critiques/comments on it. They truly made me better and have a sense of direction with this book, and I couldn't be more thankful! You guys are so frickin' awesome and you know it!

-Harpy

Edit: I revised this chapter on July 6th, 2023. To me, the story feels much better. Last year, my writing style hadn't been as developed. I was still new to this. Now, with a lot of time on my hands, I've gotten more practice and can safely say we are doing great. These revisions help with contextual clarifications and fixing the tone it gave off. Hope you all can understand and will like the changes.

A Painful Trip Into The Winter Wonderland {revised}

Chapter 12: A Painful Trip Into The Winter Wonderland

[...]

“...”

“...hey, Alex. You good?”

“...no,” my mouth coughed out. “I’m…mmm….”

sigh “...what’s going on now?”

I appear to be in a snow embankment. It’s crystal white all around me, and…and it’s so ‘cold.’

The cold was…everywhere.

How long would this feeling last? my brain began to reboot, eliciting my first thought. Wh-What is that?...that…prickly, tingling sensation on my….

It was the cold. It traveled all over my skin and through my body, the tense embrace of the cold weather trapping me within. Instantaneously, the thought of warmer clothing nagged at the back of my head like some infectious worm.

I wish I had that darn jacket Rarity made for me this past winter, I thought while attempting to shift my body left and right. It was doing me no favors as I couldn’t…‘feel’ anything. The wool was from Yakyakistan, and the fur made it feel not-so-hellish during the HeartsWarming time.

That part returned to me as I continued moving back and forth. I didn’t know…where I had ended up, but one thing was for sure. I had launched my body away from the ocean’s deadly surface tension and somehow landed headfirst into the snowy mound nearby.

As seconds became minutes, I did my best to breathe slowly and softly. My body began reclaiming control, the nervous system sending pings of shockwaves through my veins. They alerted my brain to work harder, resulting in my muscles thrashing violently. The freezing temperatures around me were beginning to settle in, forcing me to try and remain calm.

As I felt the snow above me get lighter and lighter, my muscles tensed up and started to cramp from the tight space. I gritted my teeth and held on firmly to the rope of life, wiggling my body and climbing up to the surface.

Just a little bit longer, I thought to myself. Then we’ll escape our frigid confines.

Suddenly, the shivering sensation in my arteries…went away. The snow around me ceased to freeze my frame, which…was certainly alarming. I may have grown up in a state where people don’t see snow as often as the northerners, but being trapped in a snowy mound for a long time?

“I know what that feeling means. Get yourself out of there!”

I’m tryiiinng…trying to dig out, my mind feverishly thought in vain. My arms slowly moved above my shoulders and dug at the snow before me, the feeling not reciprocating to my brain.

Something is not right, I fadingly thought in pain. I h-have to hurry….

“Hurry up, Alex….”

Time was ticking.

O-O-On th-the…clock h-here….

“Come on, Alex! Move it!”

My brain began to flicker in and out of consciousness. Then, numerous scenarios plagued my mind on what could happen if I did resurface. They festered like toxic spikes upon my deathly freezing skin, stabbing my heart as I cried internally in agony.

The two Royal Sisters know where I am, I thought while digging upward. They’re waiting for me to reappear from the snowy deathtrap I am working tirelessly to climb from. All they need to do is deliver a quick and decisive stab through the neck.

Or, I continued thinking while beginning to lose sensation in my limbs, I could be trapped beneath a thick sheet of ice. Ye…Yeah. That makes sense. The snow was just a distraction to the simple fact I was imprisoned within these icy walls...

O-Or, my thoughts ran rampant, my mind stumbling in response. A pony living in this region knows of my escape from Canterlot. They’re gonna find me once I emerge, reporting me t-

poof!

========================================<>========================================

gasp! “Aah…gah!” The morning blue sky greeted me as I finally punched through the top of the snowy mound. My lungs took in the environment’s natural air, allowing me to replenish it fully.

huff! huff! “Fuuh….” I was gasping for air the moment I had resurfaced. My sight was severely impaired, and my limbs had no feeling. It felt like they weren’t even there, having lost a ton of circulation from being buried in that frozen tomb.

“It’s a good thing you dug yourself out in time.”

No kidding. I began to pull my upper body out as I breathed at an even pace. My mind raced while my heartbeat strengthened, thumping loudly inside my ear canal. I was about halfway out when my arms suddenly gave way, the soft snowy excess unable to hold my weight.

I stopped moving as I sank back down, coming to a stop with my armpits above the snowline. I brought my hands to my eyes and wiped off the snow that covered them. I plucked the icicles that had formed on my eyelashes, with some of them coming off from being frozen for too long.

shudder! “H-Holy sshii….” My breath had come out as a vapor cloud, floating through the air and disappearing without another moment of realization. After blinking my eyes to ensure they were there, I squinted and placed my palm on my forehead, barely making out my surroundings.

Although, at the time, I couldn’t see that well, the vast snowy horizon appeared to be endless.

“Where were you? Where did you end up?”

I initially thought I had launched myself a tad bit farther than intended. Probably somewhere in the vicinity of the North Polar Lair. I pushed upon the snow again, this time getting a better result and having my torso eject from the vertical tunnel hole.

“H-How did I g-g-get all thuh wa-wa-wayy-”

“Alex, I would recommend you remove your body from the snow as fast as possible,” I heard a voice faintly say. “In other words, get the hell out of the snow. Now!”

I complied and flopped backward onto the mound. My back gave a resounding poomf! as it made contact with the fluffy underside, and my legs lifted up and out of the ground. A sigh of relief befell my personal space, only to notice they were thickly covered in solid snow and ice.

But, for me…it was a good sign to see that I still had my leg-

“Body temperature approaching severe levels of hypothermia,” the monotone voice commented. “Standby for immediate correction of the body’s health.”

“Wh-Whaa…?”

fwoom!

========================================<>========================================

“AAAH!!” I cried out in horror as a burning sensation rocketed across my frame. The flames, oddly enough, were…not that bad, but it still felt like a roaring blaze…like I had spontaneously combusted. And now…the watch reignited inside my memory and made me acknowledge it.

“M-M-Mikey! Turn it o-off! TURN IT OFF!!” I yelled.

fwoomp!

huff! “H-H-Huuh…ssshiit!” I heaved, having lost most of my voice. “Th-The fffuck, Mikey?!”

“Good to see you are back to normal, Ale-”

“Whuh-Why’d you set me on fire, y-you p-prick?” I responded to my watch in an angry, albeit softly sounding tone. “Gah!...th-that huurrt.”

“Well, Alex,” the watch’s voice calmly replied. “Would you like me to return your body to its previous temperature of 32 degrees Celsius?”

“I didn’t ask for you to….” I paused momentarily as the numbers began to crunch themselves.

“Wait. WHAT did that watch tell you your body’s internal temperature was?”

gulp! “M-Mikey? S-Say that…‘again’…b-but slooower.” I nervously shook as I awaited the watch to answer my question. My heart’s thudding had slowly faded into the background, with only an odd ringing plaguing my eardrums. Still, my mind raced in thought.

There’s n-n-no way my body temperature went ‘below’ 90 degrees Fahrenheit….

“Then, allow me to repeat that, Alexander,” the watch’s monotone voice bit back. I sensed the ferocity inside its voice as it elaborated. “Would you like for me to reverse the body temperature inside you back to its previous state of 32 degrees Celsius? Or, for your ‘American’ ass…89.6 degrees Fahrenheit?”

Holy shit, I thought in fright. I was nearly on the brink of losing my life….

“Indeed, you were about to die, Alex,” the watch responded, which caused me to turn my head swiftly toward it. “So, I’m going to give my current recommendation. We must immediately seek shelter in a nearby region, preferably one that is habitable by a group of creatures that can see to it we warm ourselves up before departing.”

I nervously bit my finger as the watch’s screen flickered. “Apologies,” it said softly. “We can’t see to it that the creatures nearby will ‘allow’ you to seek refuge…knowing you are a wanted man.”

“Mikey, shush,” I hushed. “Hold that thought for a second.” I tried looking into the horizon but found my vision had gotten severely blurred. It was returning a bit with the help of the hanging clouds covering up the blue sky, but….

It’s…It’s a bit dim for my vision right now, I thought to myself. I can barely make out what that thing is on the horizon.

“Your eyesight has been damaged,” the watch assisted. “Standby for immediate recalibration.”

Just hang o-

slap! “Fuck!” I loudly uttered, the goggles sticking to my face painfully. I had my eyes closed during it, the computer within my super-watch doing its best to correct my vision back to normal.

“Alex, you need to open your eyes,” the voice commanded. “That way, you can get them readjusted properly to ensure your vision becomes 20-20…as you do.”

“M-Mikey, can I just get a second to breathe?” I seethed through my teeth. I was getting upset by the watch’s lack of patience. However, I couldn’t be mad at it for trying its best to heal me. Begrudgingly, my eyes blinked as they opened, the outlines of the goggles clouding the sides of my face.

“Perfect. Please standby for recalibration.” The watch buzzed briefly as the goggles’ lenses flicked back and forth between clear and fuzzy. As soon as the ping! came from my left wrist, my eyes hotwired the image of a distant spire far ahead of my location.

“Oohhh,” I sighed in absolute agony. grumble! “That’s not good….”

”Snowball Fiiiight!”

========================================<>========================================

`poomf!

“Hey, Alex, watch out!” I turned around as my brother shouted the warning a little too late for me. I staggered back after a snowball struck my face, falling to the ground on my back. The scarf around my neck protected me somewhat, but my vision was impaired for now.

“I got your back, Alex,” Mikey shouted before running after the kid that hit me. “Hey! Don’t you attack him when his back is turned, hahahaaa!”

Kentucky wasn’t fairly known for its abundant winter storms, but this day was much different. It snowed like crazy the night before, racking up nearly a foot of snow. My brothers and I would shovel the sidewalks and driveway nicely before we briefly visited our neighboring buddies.

That day, another winterly snowball fight was announced as the forts were being made. Our house had been chosen again because…the front yard was too darn big. And with more kids showing up as the hour rolled on, we got our friendly greetings and banter out of the way quickly and quietly.

Most of my friends growing up had known my brothers and me over the years, and other than the summertime, this was our favorite activity. It was hours of fun, playing in the snow and duking it out to see which of us reigned supreme. Followed by cups of hot chocolate with bits of marshmallows and all of us sitting around the fireplace.

I was the youngest of the bunch, the fifth child of my mom and dad. Somehow, they managed a household of four boys and one girl, and with me being a massive ball of energy, it was an arduous task. Not anything my parents haven’t seen before…especially with the other brothers.

Speaking of which, it was mostly my siblings who had to keep track of me, seeing as I was considered the prodigy. Learning how to play guitar by age 4, picking up basketball and swimming by the time I was 9 years old, I was still young and tiny compared to them….

But they made it all worth it. We grew up and made the most of our childhood, the hide-and-seek games being the funniest. Due to my stature, I could easily evade and be nigh invisible to their watchful eyes. When they found me, usually it was in a cupboard, on top of the fridge, or inside the hamper of our closet.

What am I doing? I’m getting sidetracked!

I was sitting in the snow on my bum, trying to create a good snowball to throw back at my ‘traitorous’ friend. I spent nearly a half-a-minute on it, ensuring the curvature was round.

“Nice,” I whispered in the cold. “All set for launch.”

I kept the snowball hidden within my jacket, rushing to the right side of the yard and hiding behind a tree. I surveyed the battlefield with my watchful eyes and took in the landscape. A truck was parked on the driveway between the two houses, walls of snow spanning out on both sides endlessly.

Our side had a monumental wall on its right flank, closer to the sidewalk, to prevent bystanders or enemy attackers from getting through. I eyed it and then waited, the rush of snowballs ceasing as we began to build our supply again.

I quickly rushed forward and dove behind the large makeshift tower. The thing was cute but intricately designed, with carved windows and a brick design. I had scribbled ‘King Alexander’s Tower’ on it earlier to mark it as my own.

As I lay there on my stomach, I set aside the snowball and took a stick out, pushing it through the deep wall. I made a slim hole to peek through, surveying the enemy line as they popped their heads over it.

“Now then,” I muttered. “Let’s see what our enemy is plannin-”

poomf!

“Gah!” I startlingly yelled, a snowball hitting me on my back. After the attack, I flopped like a fish out of water, a distant laugh being heard from the adjacent side.

“Haha! The ‘More-Tar’ strikes again, Alexander!” my friend Henry exclaimed. I sighed as the horrible nickname we bestowed upon him rang out. I grabbed the snowball and prepared myself to stand up, but my oldest brother placed his hand on my back, scaring me slightly.

“Hold on, Alex,” my brother Michael pointed out. “Henry’s on the left side. Roll over there, and when we yell ‘advance,’ take a good shot at him.” I firmly nodded as my brother smiled, calling over the rest of our team to begin the diversion tactic.

chuckle “Henry won’t know what hit him once I complete my revenge, heh,” I giddily chuckled. I hustled my movement, and sure enough, peeking over our left side of the wall, Mr. ‘More-Tar’ launched another high-arcing shot over the wall toward the middle of our base.

“Ready the cannons, Commander Alex,” I whispered formally. I clutched the snowball to my stomach, squatting in place as I waited for the cue from Mikey. “Prepare to fire the shot on my command.”

“Alright. Advaaance!” our eldest brother screamed, joined in by John and William. The team jumped over the entire wall, bombarding the opposite side with many snowballs. The enemy lines were unprepared as they hastily fired theirs, including a snow shovel full of it. Henry continued to imitate a mortar, funneling three snowballs sky-high and letting them rain.

Mikey dove to the right and rolled onto the walkway, running for the tree. John got hit by one, falling to the side as he scrambled for our fort. William ran and jumped over the enemy wall, as did Kenny with his small frame. I silently rounded our left tower and ran toward Henry’s spot.

“Aim….” I breathed out a calm breath, the cold air visualizing it. Henry turned his head and saw me jump over the barricade, unable to counter as he brought his arms up to cover his face. My friend’s fleeting attempt to prevent me from hitting him didn’t work, so I threw my arm forwa-

“FIIIRE!!” The snowball left my hands and rocketed into his stomach, splattering across his jacket. Henry brought his hands down as he rolled over, laughing along with me as he nodded.

“I’ll get you back for that, Alex,” I heard Henry say under a fit of laughter.

“I still got you!” I retorted, standing over him with a smile. Once satisfied with taking down the mortar, I looked to my right and noticed three of our neighbor friends aiming at me with snowballs. My eyes widened as I nervously stood still.

chuckle “Heh heh…Heyyy guysss….”

“Get him!” I quickly retreated to our side, taking a snowball to my leg and upper back. I mimicked the aftermath of the shot, diving over the fort’s front wall and landing unceremoniously on my back. I lay there for a bit before making a snow angel, enjoying my time with my brothers and the neighborhood friends I made over the years.

The snow kept falling as I stopped my movement. I stared upward and smiled warmly to myself.

“I don’t want this to ever end,” I happily thought aloud. “No matter what happens.”

This feeling I’m having…it wasn’t new to me. It made me feel like…like I belonged. Like I belonged here.

I don’t ever want to let go of this feeling.

Please…don’t let me go.`

========================================<>========================================

“So, Alex. Tell me what that distant spire was all about?”

My breathing had ground to a screeching halt, with the air around me getting colder. The hairs on my arms and legs rose off the skin as I stared ahead into the vast snowy distance.

With my vision readjusted, I noticed a colossal plane of snow rising from the ground. There appeared to be hundreds of trees littered atop its surface, but my attention was squarely focused on the gigantic tree towering above the rest. I audibly gulped, remembering the urban legend Nacreous told me when he once ‘visited’ the Polar North.

That sh-shape on top of the tree, I shuddered within my own mind. I-It can’t be true….

“M-M-Mikey?” I stammered, trying to retain a proper breathing cycle. sigh “Do you recognize wh-where we are…?” It took the watch’s computer a while to process the thought, giving a response that made my heart thud uncontrollably against the walls of my ribcage.

“Approximate region area generated,” the watch’s voice analyzed. “We are in the outer perimeter of a region registered in my database over a year ago.”

There was a long pause before I got some useful information. “Location identified as ‘Hailberg,’ population…two hundred and two moose. Their leader is a moose double the size of Yakyakistan ruler, Prince Rutherford, and it rarely leaves the safety of its ornamented tree home.”

I shivered, rubbing my arms to remain warm. The watch realized I was only in a sweatshirt and jeans, changing my attire to best fit the weather. A pair of winter boots and snow pants adjusted upon my lower half, while a comfy snow jacket and leather gloves adorned the upper part of my body. Finally, a winter beanie attached itself to my skull while containing my hair and an oversized scarf with a brown, red, dark orange, and navy blue pattern hanging from my neck.

“Th…Thank you,” I sighed in relief as I stood there idly, allowing the warmth to coat me in endless bliss. “Now…wh-what’s the n-name of their leader?”

“My apologies, Alex,” the watch responded. “And to answer your question, the leader’s name is Chief Haali…Hollee…hmmm.” The watch stopped as it ran a check of the name, my eyebrows raising at its unableness to identify the pronunciation.

“It’s a weird spelling of the word ‘holiday,’” the watch assessed. “Clarification for you, Alex, the name is spelled H-A-E-L-I-D-A-E.”

My brain’s gears churned before settling upon my own version. “Umm, so…‘Hay-lee-day?’” I inquisitively thought aloud. A snicker! nearly escaped my mouth as I held my hand up.

“Yeah, let’s go with that,” the watch said in concession. “Chief Haelidae is the leader of the moose tribe. Now, I’m going to assume it’s a ‘he,’ and it says here in my database that the Chief is over…48 years old! That is…quite impressive.”

“How so?” I asked while shrugging my shoulders. “Doesn’t seem that long of a lifespan to me.”

“Well, if you recall, typical moose on our Earth live for fifteen to twenty-five years,” the voice answered. My mind was shocked but thoroughly impressed by the fact. “So, judging by this, if an Equestria-based moose is this old here…he may be on the tail-end of his life. Hence the fact he doesn’t leave the tribe…ever.”

My body shook slightly from the steps I took through the thick snow blanket underneath me. I took a long and deep breath as I began to get closer to the cluster of pine trees adorning the perimeter of the snow plane, blindly unaware of what lay ahead.

“So, the way I see it,” the watch rambled, “there may be a small chance we can ask for directions southward. I believe the Changeling Hive should be south of here, but if the Chief has lived for that long, he would have the most knowledge on which direction it’s exactly in.”

huff! “Well then,” I reluctantly exhaled before lifting my head. “Let’s get a moooove….”

“A moooove on?”

gulp! My eyes widened in fright as I stopped dead in my tracks. There was one…creature nearby that instantaneously made me quiver in my boots. My ears picked up on the rush of blood circumnavigating my frame, and my heartbeat got even louder.

Out of all the creatures in Equestria to run into…to me? This was the scariest one by far….

“What? Was it a moose?...”

Yeah. It was a moose…armed with a spear.

========================================<>========================================

Be careful, Alex, were my mind’s first thoughts. You never know how they’ll react to seeing you. I took a deep breath and tried keeping my balance, creeping ever so closer to get a good look at the bovine creature. The moose, meanwhile, paid me no mind, casually standing on its four legs at the base of the pathway.

The moose…‘guard,’ if Equestria has taught me anything about creatures with weapons. The guard was a burly creature with thick brown fur all over. Its tail was fluffy and coated in snow, and those massive, buff legs of the moose hid the iron padding beneath them.

Its face remained composed as the snow continued to pelt its face, its eyes fixed on what was in front of it. My eyes slowly moved up to notice its antlers sprouting from its head’s crest. The middle was held together and pointed on the ends, branching upwards and solidly.

I held my breath as I approached the pathway, keeping my eyes on the moose across from me now. Then, the moose guard turned its head, its eyes locking onto its target. I immediately brought my hands up to my shoulder height and stopped, not wanting to have a confrontation.

grunt! The moose lowered its spear and aimed it at me. I raised my arms higher and watched in fright as the guard brought the spear’s tip to my chest. I winced as it looked at my face, not taking its eyes off me as I calmly exhaled.

grunt! Another moose descended the path, carrying a spear of its own. My eyebrows went up as it motioned for the other to guard the entrance. The other moose delivered a softer grunt! before standing at attention in the snow.

I looked back at the other moose, who flicked its head and huffed at me. It began to walk up the walkway, stopping within seconds to notice me not moving. My arms came down as I slowly followed the pathway, the moose letting me pas-

grunt!

poke!

“Gah!” I silently exclaimed in shock. The guard’s iron spear poked my back, pushing me forward. I looked back as it grunted again, nodding as I continued walking forward. I didn’t say another word as I put my arms up again, showing the moose insistently that I was not a threat to them. And not to the other moose I saw standing by the trees up ahead.

“Wait…‘they’ were all staring at you?”

A ton of eyes honed in on my tall frame, wondering what I was. Their heads tilted to the sides in mild confusion, the guard behind me making sure my pace was even as its pace. I said nothing, my shaky breathing dissipating through the cold, windy air.

We ventured up the long and winding pathway towards the towering gate ahead. Once we stopped before the barrier, the guard moose behind trotted past me, eliciting a loud huff! in my face. I coughed slightly, its breath being a bit rancid. It didn’t say anything as it walked ahead, nodding to a few other moose guards nearby.

creak! The large gate lifted upward, as did my eyes. They looked at the massive sign above it and noticed some strange words. It appeared to be written in some hieroglyphic language, the markings undecipherable. The watch buzzed as I held my arms up, crunching the language as the moose motioned for me to move forward.

“Alex, the language…it’s not fully registered in my data files.” the watch said. “Keep yourself calm, and don’t pay attention to the blood splotches below the symbols.”

I stopped after the watch’s voice said that, looking up and finally realizing what he was talking about. My eyes caught what looked like red paint on the underside, sending a nerve-tingling shock straight up my spine.

gulp! Blood splatter, my mind eked out in terror. The moose guards all lowered their spears, grabbing my attention as they grunted loudly. They ushered me forcefully through the barricade, with the wooden gateway shutting me inside the tribe’s protected walls.

Slam!

========================================<>========================================

I was pushed forward by the threatening spears of the moose tribe’s guard, walking through the middle of their village. My eyes darted to and fro, noticing all the wooden huts and hollowed trees scattered through the plane. The snow entrenched their homes, and the packed barriers were situated at the edges of their huts to keep them in place.

The moose that occupied this region were out and about, the soft little grunts and huffs traveling through the cold air. They mostly lay on their sides with tinier moose nestled near their fuzzy brown fur. Other moose sat on their haunches, and some began taking notice of me….

grunt! I was poked with a spear as I had slowed my pace, jerking me forward and causing me to stumble. I caught my balance just in time as I raised my hands again, reinforcing the idea that I was not a threat to them or their tribe. The moose all continued to stare at me as I walked.

I just need some directions, my mind painstakingly thought. I didn’t think it would have to be this time-consuming. Time chugged on as we reached the end of the road for the village, approaching a large open area in front of the central pine tree. It was like the town square for the moose tribe.

It felt like spiders were crawling across my skin as the hundreds of moose we passed kept turning their heads to watch. Their beady eyes all looked into mine as I pivoted my head around, sweat nearly pouring from my body as my mind panicked. The moose guards decided to raise their spears, now threatening to stab my throat and chest area.

I kept my arms up as I turned my attention back to the massive tree towering overhead. It was a beautifully well-colored pine tree, the needles stretching outward like branches. The trunk of it was wide in diameter, planting it firmly for however many ages it has been there for.

`“There’s a legend about the moose, Alex,” Nacreous told me. “Legend has it that if the sacred pine tree were to ever freeze over and die from an arctic blizzard, Equestria would plunge itself into an eternal winter. It would spell the end of Equestria as we know it, dooming the future to whatever it may hold….”`

The hippogriff’s quote about the mythological doomsday theory corresponding with the moose tribe echoed as I got closer to the base of the colossal pine tree. Two of the moose guards quickly made their way before me, still aiming their spears at my body. I stopped my movements, as did they, the stalemate becoming unbearable for my contained thoughts.

God, they are being forreal! my mind exclaimed in surprising admiration. Nacreous truly was right about them and their battle-hardened minds. Dang…I now owe him 50 bits. Eh, he’ll never know about it since I’ll be dead soon….

I shrugged the thought off as a moose had meandered over to the tree’s base. It brought its hoof up and knocked twice upon the bark, confusing me. But, as I had suspected, it was a door, and the structure opened up.

grunt! The moose on my left grunted at me, motioning with its head to follow. I stared on as the guard moved, my hands remaining up as I followed. The entrance was right before me when I saw it was a wide-enough doorway. It was tall enough to have me pass through without hitting the frame’s top and wide enough to safely allow Prince Rutherford through without damaging it.

After entering the hollowed-out tree, I saw how decorated and winter-themed it was. The smell of fresh pine coated the air as my mouth hung open in awe. The trunk bark was carefully carved out, keeping its rigidness and smooth feel down to a tee.

The guards surrounding me kept their spears trained on me as a few moose lit some candles nearby. It was after that took place when a massive silhouette appeared from across the room. It loomed over my body as I looked at the creature, my eyes widening in shock.

HUFF!!

It was an older-looking moose sitting at a wooden table, its eyes remaining shut and covered by its fur. It inched forward barely, making the ground beneath me quake slightly. I noted the bovine creature’s stature, appearing gigantic compared to the guards that occupied the room. The moose had a lot of weight on it, with its breathing visible to me. Even in a warm room….

As I looked up at the creature’s frame, the sight of a small circular wreath sat like a crown atop its head, appearing pine-green and wonderfully frilled. It looked old in its design and secure placement, noting how impossible it would be for anycreature to remove it due to the colossal antlers the creature had. One thought edged out everything else, making me forget my conversation with my watch earlier.

Who are you? was the first thought, and what in the world of Equestria did I just walk int-

grunt! The moose commanded my attention again as they aimed their spears closely, the pointy iron edges beginning to touch my skin. I shivered in place as I closed my eyes, hoping they wouldn’t provoke any unnecessary reactions from me.

Huff! The larger moose raised its right hoof and motioned for its guards to stand down. It made a sweeping motion downward, to which the moose reluctantly retracted their weapons from me. Then, the giant creature beckoned me to step forward, allowing me to sigh with relief.

I walked up to the table and found a cushion had been placed on my side. I pointed at it, to which the colossal moose nodded firmly after a hardy grunt! I took a well-deserved seat and relaxed, rolling my shoulders before realizing it was staring hard at me. The silence grew within the room, the noise from the wind outside continuously howling over the crackling candles’ fire.

Only after another moment or two did I finally notice a wooden plank standing on the creature’s side of the table. The weird-symbol markings looked similar to the ones atop the entranceway I passed earlier, with some standing out to me and the watch.

There was an inverted ‘e’ here, a thickly long ‘l,’ and a half-crushed and emboldened ‘a’ all rising prominently from the carved piece of wood. My mind put the pieces together as the watch buzzed to life, computing the information and delivering its report.

“Ah, so this is the moose leader we were looking for,” the watch exhaled, my ears perking in wonder. “Alexander Walkerson? Meet the moose leader of the Hailberg region, Chief Haelidae the Second.”

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“Uh, heh heh…he-hello?” I stammered while waving my hand, shivering from the cold. The Chief stared back at me with its eyes half-open, appearing to me like it was about to fall asleep.

“Uuhh, heh. Nice w-weather yo-you’re having here, h-huh?” was my only response. Again, there was no answer from the moose sitting five feet in front of me. I stayed completely still as the other moose appeared on both sides of me, their stances going to attention.

“Psst, Alex,” the watch whispered. I looked down and raised my index finger, asking the Chief to give me a second.

“What’s up, Mik-”

Huff! My awareness raised itself as I looked back at the colossal moose. Its head slowly nodded as it relaxed back, a grumbling sigh coming from its mouth. My mind’s antennas shot up, as did the watch’s brain.

“Alex!” the watch exclaimed again. “Did you just see that?”

“Yeah, of course, I did,” I whispered into the watch on my left wrist. “It’s almost as if-”

“The Chief understood you,” the watch finished. I nodded and hummed to myself, thinking for a moment. “Oh! That’s great! That seems like a good start for us.”

“How so?” I asked dumbfoundedly. “It’s just a single sound the Chief produced in response to me holding up a finger. What kind of answer can we assume that was?”

“Well, Alex, you motioned to the moose to give you a second, right?” the watch elaborated. I nodded in approval, and the screen buzzed to life momentarily. “So, if we can somehow use symbols and…sign language.” gasp! “Sign-language! That’s it! Alex, let’s try sign language.”

I stared back at the watch as the idea made sense in my mind. It’s worth a shot, my brain thought convincingly. First, we have to establish a few hand motions and, from there, deduce whether or not the Chief is saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to us.

“Okay, we need to know two things, Mikey,” I announced under my visible shaky breath. “One, is Hailberg’s moose tribe in contact with any other region in the area? Specifically…Canterlot.” I paused as the watch began to jot down the task questions.

“And two, but more importantly, what direction is the Changeling Hive? Let’s try and find out those two facts, and then we can get out of here…hopefully…in one piece.”

“IT’S REA-”

========================================<>========================================

I immediately got to work. The table before me was decked out nicely, with a small map across its wooden surface. I aimed the watch at the drawing, its blue light scanning the carvings quickly. After another few seconds, the map was saved inside the watch, dissecting the region’s design.

“Okay, so. Here’s what we know,” the watch told me. “You’ve got a speck of land to the left across the ocean called Outpost…Machina. Then, there’s the large mountain mass above this area.” I looked at the picture on the table as the watch’s robotic voice instructed me to look.

“That’s the Polar Lair, Alex,” the watch warned. “Be careful when mentioning it. I see some X’s carved into that part of the picture. It probably indicates hostility toward the ampitheres and hydras that live there. And then, to the right of that…the Frozen North, and…Yakyakistan!”

My mind shook as it did a double-take. “Wait? Yakyakistan?!” I exclaimed in shock.

“Yakyakistan is on the map!” the watch replied enthusiastically. “They know of their existence! Which begs a huge question…if they know of the yaks’ existence…does Yakyakistan know of the moose tribe’s existence?”

I shrugged and dismissed the topic. “Stay focused, Mikey. We need a directional compass first,” I reaffirmed to the watch. “We still don’t know which way is south.”

“Right,” the watch corrected. “Ummm…shoot. Wait! I got it! Right there on the bottom left!” I looked down at the carved picture and saw a good sight. It appeared to look like a picture of the Changeling Hive…rather, it was the older version of it. The spires were jagged and pointy, and the illustration of the structure was taller than the current one I knew of.

“Hmmm. Doesn’t seem to me that the moose know of Queen Chrysalis’s defeat,” the watch reiterated. “I don’t know if they have an alliance with them, but it would make a lot of sense. I’m going to see if I can render a mask of Queen Chrysalis so you can imitate her and find out.”

“Wh-Why?” I asked hesitantly. “Th-That doesn’t seem like a good idea, Mikey!”

“Because, then, the moose Chief can react if they see changelings as hostile or friendly,” the watch concluded. “If Queen Chrysalis established a treaty with them, then the Chief won’t be alarmed by our presence. If not…well, you have to run.”

I prodded my chin as I weighed the options. The odds sat at 50-50, making this risk seem not worth it. After much deliberation with the two sides of my mind, I nodded in approval and turned my attention to the burly moose sitting before me.

ahem! I cleared my throat to catch the Chief’s attention. Its eyes opened again as it peered down at me, a slow huff! exiting its mouth. Moment of truth, Alex, I told myself internally. Let’s hope this works….

I pointed back at the map and dragged my finger toward the top part of the map. After landing on the Polar Lair, I jabbed my finger on it a few times and wagged it. I looked at the Chief, whose eyes slowly narrowed, and it bellowed a loud Grunt! at me. I didn’t say anything as I recalled the burly moose’s attention back to the map.

My finger dragged over to the region of Yakyakistan and pointed at it several times. Only this time, I gave a nodding thumbs-up, gazing at the gigantic moose’s eyes. The Chief huffed lowly and carefully nodded before leaning back in its seat.

Perfect, I thought. I got the reactions I needed. Time to find out if the Changelings are good or bad. Carefully, I redirected my finger past the carved picture of Hailberg to the bottom left corner. I jabbed it multiple times and gave another thumbs-up.

Only this time, the Chief’s reaction was different.

========================================<>========================================

Its eyes blinked once before it tilted its head toward one of the moose guards. A grunt! followed, to which the moose lowered its spear and aimed it at me. I raised my hands above my face and looked back at the Chief, who squinted at me out of suspicion.

“Come on, Mikey. Anytime now,” I begrudgingly whispered to my left wrist.

“Tap your forehead three times,” it replied. “I have a fully rendered Queen Chrysalis disguise ready.” I did just that, quickly tapping my forehead and shutting my eyes in anticipation.

poof!

gasp! Grunt!

As my vision straightened out, the Chief of the moose had raised its hoof up, hastily motioning for the guard to retract its spear. As the guard bowed its head to me and stepped back, I nodded and extended my…‘hoof’ out. The Chief shook it gently, nodding in approval.

Friendly, my mind instantly realized. The changelings are their allies. I released my grip and brought my ‘hooves’ up to my face. I took the disguise off and watched as the colossal moose grunted hardily to the guards, motioning for them to move back. As they did, I pointed at the picture of the Hive and then fanned out my other hand in multiple directions.

After the Chief of the moose saw my display, its head shook as it brought its hoof up. It pointed at the Changeling Hive and raised its hoof. Then, turning slightly in my direction, the Chief’s hoof stopped in front of my right shoulder and remained still. I looked behind me in shock and pointed that way, getting a resounding huff! and a firm nod from the Chief in response.

“Mikey, analyze the directional pattern,” I instructed. The watch churned out a vibrant green beam, creating the fictional direction and plotting the approximate location of the Hive.

ping! “Changeling Hive located!” the watch’s voice declared. “Location is pinpointed as being nearby the Wandering Forest and on the precipice of the Pranceific Ocean.” I sighed in relief as I brought my arm down, turning around and nodding to the moose Chief in thanks.

========================================<>========================================

One more to go, I thought painfully. This one’s going to hurt if the Chief answers yes. I snapped my fingers, getting the Chief’s attention once again. Its eyes bore back into mine, the moose leader slowly getting drowsy by the second.

Crap, we need to hurry, my mind worriedly thought. It might fall asleep soon. I put my left hand atop my forehead and raised my index finger. Next, I bent my right arm to the side and mimicked the motion of wings, flapping them up and down slightly.

Finally, I gave a thumbs up, wondering if they knew about the existence of the alicorns. The Chief brought his hoof up to his chin and huffed before giving me a shake of its head. My eyes widened as my mind began jumping for joy….

Huff! The Chief brought his hoof up and motioned for one of its guards to go somewhere. I didn’t know what was happening, so I relaxed my shoulders and chilled for a bit. The moose guard on my left returned with what looked like a book, opening it up and placing it on the table before me. It flipped a few pages before stopping, landing on the picture of a…‘hippogriff.’

My heart began to beat as the creature’s picture felt recognizable to me. It certainly was a picture of a hippogriff, albeit three of them. One was armed with a spear in one claw and a shield in the other, while the other two wore regal armor and had massive swords. The words ‘Paladin of the North’ were carved into the bottom of the frame, followed by the words ‘Rulers of Hippogriffia.’

A caption lay underneath it, written in old Ponish. The watch translated it, saying, “The ‘Paladin of the North’ and the ‘Rulers of Hippogriffia’ join forces with the Hailberg moose tribe in fending off the attacks of the North Polar Lair drakes,” I read aloud. “The Paladin’s armor fended off the disastrous flames whilst the two regal rulers brandished their mighty swords and fought valiantly to protect the region of Hailberg.” I paused as the page continued.

“Addendum: Upon further interviews with the moose tribe’s citizens, nocreature could recall the memory of the Paladin warrior,” I read with surprise. “The artist who carved the image said they could vaguely remember drawing the picture but had forgotten the memory after a day’s time. Thus, the moose tribe of Hailberg has heralded the ‘Paladin of the North’ as their savior and its blessing to protect us will forever be cherished.”

“As for King WaveRider and…” gulp! “Q-Quen Novo,” I stammered. “Their alliance has been recognized and appreciated by the Hailberg moose tribe. However, after years of trying to get in contact with them again, it seems as though the alliance has been broken. Their untimely demise has forced our hoof, and we regretfully retract our alliance. Signed, Chief Haelidae the First.”

I looked up and saw the moose Chief nod while a single tear brimmed at the edge of its eyes. I gulped silently and nodded with a warm smile, bowing my head in respect for the moose leader’s grace to share the tribe’s rich history. I pointed at the picture of Queen Novo and nodded, earning a respectful nod from the Chief.

Finally, I pointed at the entire book and held up my right index finger, to which the colossal moose nodded again with a reassuring hoof. I quickly scanned the pages and went through them, landing on certain pages to copy. Some were of the Yakyakistan relation and alliance, while some included the Changeling Hive and Queen Chrysalis.

But the most interesting part was the inclusion of the Crystal Empire’s early history. The mere mention of the war between ‘King Sombra’ and ‘Princes Amore’ sent a shiver down my spine as I continued to scan it. Please, don’t mention them, my mind repeated to itself.

And there, on the last page of the chapter, the image of two creatures caught my terror-stricken eyes. The depiction of two warrior ponies with wings and horns defeating the tyrannical King Sombra made my mind shake in fear. Their names were imprinted onto my brain as I quietly closed the book, bowing my head in thanks without another word.

Huff!

========================================<>========================================

As I exited the large hollowed trunk of the tree, I quietly walked ahead and allowed for the moose guards to take me back to the gate. The new coat I had received and the stored away wooden staff made me feel a certain way about the moose tribe.

They don’t seem so bad, I warmly thought. It seems like they just want to live in peace. But, when push comes to shove, they will fight. That much has been proven from their history….

As I followed the two moose guards down the center walking path of the village, I couldn’t help but think about the staff I was gifted from the moose Chief. It was…enchanted by some kind of ancient magic spell, along with some weird inscription carved into the handle. It appeared to be written in the same serf-like font as the sign, but the lack of writing area made it harder to read.

I think one of my pony friends could translate it, I pondered. After all, he just loves this kind of stuff. Ancient artifacts, trinkets, and languages recently deciphered? Psht, he’s got a knack for it!

grunt! The moose guards ahead stopped and nodded to another moose to open the gates. After waiting for it to open, they turned around and motioned for me to pass through. I bowed to them, walking across and standing outside the wooden fortress’s walls.

Huff! I turned around and saw the moose guard from earlier nod his head. I bowed my head with an affectionate smile, waving to the guards. The moose turned his head and nodded, the gate shutting in front of my face loudly.

SLAM!!

I was knocked harshly onto my butt, quivering at the force the wooden gate had expelled. The snowy region quaked as the sound of birds flying away caught my ears’ attention. I looked up, taking notice of the clouds covering the sky and the snow beginning to fall once again.

As I held my left wrist up, the watch activated the map once more and delivered the directional angle of the Changeling Hive. As I slid down the side of the snow plane on my shield, I landed at the base of the ramp and caught my breath for a second. Panting heavily, I stretched for a second before shaking my body. The warm feeling of the new coat kept my body temperature in check as I breathed a sigh of relief, my eyes finally opening with a determined fire inside them.

After that, the destination had been set. My boots lifted up out of the snow, moving forward as I began to proceed in the direction of the Hive. The snow continued to fall as I kept my eyes forward. Time ticked onward without a second thought.

A single thought then came to my mind. It was something I had thought about ever since learning of the hippogriff’s disappearance, and after seeing the picture in the Chief’s history book, it became far too apparent to me.

“What became apparent to you?”

The reason as to why the queen of the hippogriffs acted the way she did to me when we first started discussing a potential alliance. She had every right to act that way…especially regarding my future alongside her daughter, right after ‘courting’ her.

========================================<>========================================

`“You will encumber the responsibility of ensuring my daughter’s safety if you agree to this,” Queen Novo’s words rang out. We had already exited the dining room and spoke face-to-face in the adjacent hallway…alone.

“I can handle it,” I replied fiercely. “You got no idea what I am capable of, Queen Novo.” The hippogriff queen chuckled as she leveled her eyes with mine. The following line stuck with me, seeing as her beak neared my ear to whisper it.

“No…YOU have no idea what you’re up against, Alexander Walkerson,” the hippogriff queen ominously stated. “I have seen too much in my earlier days as a ruler…and, judging your character now, you aren’t prepared for what lies ahead. That much…I know.”

“Not prepared?” I seethed, glaring at her hard. “I will be when it happens.”

scoff! “Funny,” she firmly dismissed, waving her claw. “That’s exactly how I was back then.” Queen Novo shook her head and began to walk back, leaving me standing there by myself. I looked down as she cleared her throat.

“And, Alex?” Queen Novo called out, turning her head toward me. I slowly raised my head, staring somberly into her eyes. “Trust me when I say this. If you say you’ll be ready for whatever comes your way, I know you’re lying. In fact…you’re already too late….”

“...”

sigh “Just like I was….”`