Chapter One: The Frost Mare
“Oh, horsefeathers,” said an agitated pegasus explorer as she dodged a machete flying through the air towards her. She hadn’t meant to start the bar fight; she really hadn’t. How could she have known that mentioning a single artifact would have gotten the unicorn she had been speaking with to spit out his drink? Who would have guessed that the spit would splash in the face of the most agitatible, toughest griffon in the bar? And who would have predicted that the griffon would get enraged, flip his table, and involve everybody in the bar in a brawl? Daring Do hadn’t, that was for sure.
Dodging thrown chairs, punching fists, and razor sharp beaks, Daring slowly made her way to the bar door.
“How many bar fights can one pegasus start in a lifetime?” she thought to herself, flapping away from a giant dragon’s boot that almost crushed her.
Finally, she made it to the door, gasping as she spilled out into the night. Navigating through a deadly ancient temple filled with traps was easier than dealing with thugs. Sighing and brushing a stray griffon feather off of her hat, Daring Do trudged through the snow of Trottingham, heading toward a small hotel where she would stay for the night.
She had originally come to the bar to contact Fredrick Von Pear, a unicorn specializing in the black market. Though Daring never usually associated with the buying of stolen goods, she needed information on how to obtain the Alicorn Amulet, preferably by legal means. But the amulet was powerful--so powerful that Daring needed to get it for her client by any means possible.
Ugh... just thinking about the Amulet sent shivers down Daring’s spine. Legend said that it had been crafted by a student of Star Swirl the Bearded who had wanted power as great as the Princesses.’ But such magic came with a cost. The student soon became corrupted and evil. He used the Amulet to enslave an entire empire. In the end, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were forced to use the Elements of Harmony to wrench the horrible thing from his neck. But after being connected to the amulet for so long, the student’s body had grown used to feeding off of the Amulet’s power to survive. Without it, the student withered away to only a shadow.
An item of such dominance could not be kept safe within a museum. Attempts to steal the Amulet would happen too often. That was why Daring Do’s client had commissioned Daring to obtain the artifact and bring it to a safe place.
The pegasus entered the hotel, and climbed up the steps to her room. It had been a long day, and she was ready for some good old-fashioned sleep. She took off her hat and shirt, and bandaged a few cuts and bruises she had acquired from the bar brawl. No pony could get through one of those fights unscathed.
Before she could go to sleep, however, someone knocked on her door. Daring opened it and saw a tall stallion standing right outside. It was the owner of the hotel she was staying in.
"I have a letter for you from Canterlot, madam,” said the unicorn with his dapper Trottingham accent. “It arrived only a few minutes ago.” And with that, the unicorn used his magic to place the letter in Daring’s open hoof. The pegasus closed the door.
Perhaps the letter was from her client concerning the amulet? Daring opened the letter. Reading it over, she realized that she had guessed correctly.
Dear Ms. Daring Do,
I have written to inquire about the status of your mission to aquire the Alicorn Amulet. You have not contacted me in a few weeks, and I grow concerned about your whereabouts. I have used my magic to send this letter to the area in which you currently reside, as I have not been informed of your location. Please contact me as soon as you deem possible.
I also have some concerning news. It seems that another pony, a unicorn, has also been reported to be looking for the Alicorn Amulet. You need to aquire the Amulet before this pony does, else I fear great chaos will befall Equestria should the unicorn choose to use the Amulet’s powers for evil.
I have the utmost confidence in you, since you come highly recommended from Barnett College as an explorer and archaeologist extraordinaire.
If you ever need the assistance of Princess Luna or I, open the enclosed bottle of dragon’s flame, and we will come to your aid. Be wary, though. Only use this in life or death emergencies. My sister and I are excruciatingly overburdened with the present Windigo incidents.
Thank you for your assistance in this matter,
Princess Celestia
Daring set the letter down on her bedside table, and pulled a glass bottle from the folds of the envelope. Inside the bottle was purple dragon’s flame, a sign for help in the world of magic. Once she broke or opened the bottle, the flame would go straight to the Princess, warning her of any plight Daring would be in.
Daring Do put both the bottle and the letter inside her leather saddlebag. She would write to the Princess tomorrow, once she felt rested enough to articulate a coherent sentence.
Slowly setting herself down in bed, Daring drifted off to sleep, the distant sounds of royal guards trying to subdue a bar fight echoing through the night.
***
“Well, this is certainly an awkward situation,” thought Daring Do as she fluttered her eyes open to find a revolver pointing at her chest. It was being held by the magic of the hotel owner, who was standing a foot away, staring angrily into Daring’s maroon eyes.
“Get OUT,” he said, motioning with his revolver to the door. “Take your things and leave! I don’t want you bringing any more trouble to this fine establishment!”
Daring Do got out of bed, packing up her things quickly. Always listen to the pony holding the gun, even if they don’t make any sense. She slung her saddle bag over her back and looked at the unicorn.
“What trouble have I caused?” Daring asked, staring hard at the hotel manager. “Why have you ordered me to leave?” He looked nervous, certainly not used to handling a gun. His magic wavered, and the revolver was shaking.
“A pony arrived at the front desk just a few minutes ago... sh-she said that if I didn’t hand you over to her, she would k-kill me,” the unicorn said, trying to sound calm.
A sudden tremor shook his body. Daring Do could see the veins in the stallion’s neck bulge. “Now, come with me down the hall,” he said, gasping.
Daring trotted down the hall, the unicorn with the gun behind her. “You’re the one with the pistol,” she said. “Why did you have to listen to her?”
The stallion whimpered silently, but did not answer.
Soon, they reached the hotel lobby. A strange mare stood squarely in the center of it. She wore a blueish-white cape and hood, frost covering it. When she looked up at Daring Do and the unicorn behind her, Daring could see that her eyes were glowing white. They rest of her face was covered in the shadow of the hood.
“Good,” said the mare, her voice sounding like a winter breeze. “You have served your purpose, unicorn.”
And once her sentence had finished being spoken, Daring heard a cry of alarm behind her. She turned her head to see the hotel manager screaming as a heavy coat of ice and frost traveled up his legs and spread across his body, eventually reaching his head and freezing him in an everlasting expression of horror. The revolver clattered to the ground.
Her heart pounding, Daring lunged for the revolver, only to have it frozen over before her eyes. Her head whipped around to see the frosty mare give a glowing smile.
“Come with me, Daring Do,” she said. “Or you will end up like him.” She motioned toward the frozen hotel manager.
Daring Do hesitantly followed the frost mare outside, and down the streets of Trottingham. As Daring walked, a cold sensation ran down her back. Her blood went cold. “What-what are you doing!?” Daring cried, starting to panic. “I’m doing what you told me to! I'm following you!”
The mare kept looking forward. “I am just letting my power set in to your body. Nothing to be concerned about. That way I can command my frost to overcome you wherever you are. So if you make one wrong choice you will become one with winter.”
Daring Do’s heart began to race again, making ice cold blood run even faster throughout her body. “Letting your power... set in?”
The frost mare smiled and said, “Yes, right now I am telekinetically pumping thousands of tiny frost crystals into your bloodstream, ready to activate whenever I give the command. Once they are activated-”
“I turn into a pega-sicle...” Daring Do finished, letting the idea of having thousands of foreign objects floating around in her bloodstream sink in. She gulped. “So, what do you want me to do, steal something? Why are you doing this to me?”
The mares kept walking through Trottingham, passing a plethora of brick buildings and carriages. None of the ponies in the city seemed to notice the strange mare with the frosted cape and glowing eyes. In fact, they didn’t seem to see her at all.
“I want you to find something for me... for usss...” said the mare, the last word coming out like a hiss of steam.
Daring Do stepped backwards. “Well, I’m kind of already looking for something for a very important pony already, so if you don’t mind, I really have to be going-”
A severe chill swept through Daring’s body, putting her figure in shock for a few seconds. The frost mare turned to face her, her cold glowing eyes seeming to pierce through Daring’s soul, seeing everything within the adventurous pegasus.
“You no longer work for the Princess,” said the frost mare, a cold rage seeping into her voice. “You work for me, and me alone. You will find the Alicorn Amulet and bring it to me else you will DIE. Do you understand, filthy mortal?”
Daring Do just nodded in reply, the feeling of the cold still lingering in her nerves. This mare must have been the pony Celestia had warned her about in the letter. Plus, she was a creature with mystical ice powers, and if Daring Do did not do what she commanded, she would be frozen to death.
Oh, joy.
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!
