Chapter 2: Ice Night for Flying
A sense of being trapped broke the pegasus out of his slumber, his mind disoriented by the surroundings for a few moments. The remnants of an unpleasant dream wrapped around him like a cocoon, causing a flutter of nervousness to jerk him fully awake. His eyes flitted down to stare at the moonlight filtering through the window, casting his blanket-wrapped body in sharp relief as his heart thudded in his chest.
The pegasus' eyes closed as he tried forcing the panic down, rolling over and slowly extricating himself from the sheets. It slowly subsided as he freed himself, one hoof running through his mane in an attempt to curb the unruly curls. Sensing no luck at taming them, he shivered to get the last of the dark thoughts out of his mind. A yawn escaped his lips as he stretched, feeling the moonlight on his skin like a cool breeze.
Since I'm awake anyway, I might as well fly, he thought, pointedly ignoring his parent's ban on nighttime flights. The wooden floor was solid and uncomfortable against his hooves as he dropped down from his bed, his mind eagerly anticipating the thrill of being airborne. Being cooped up in an enclosed space felt too much like being in a cage for the pegasus.
His window opened with a slight squeak, a rush of air wafting through his mane and caressing his face. The moon was full, sparkling against the deep velvet, night sky. Stars twinkled all around it, accenting its beauty. Pale, violet clouds coasted lazily across the starscape, drifting into one another and swirling together into peaceful shapes. A smile ghosted across his face as his wings lifted him out of the confines of his room and into the open night air. He paused a moment, having the presence of mind to shut the window with one hoof on the way out.
His mood lifted with each beat of his wings as they brought him ever higher, the sound of crickets performing in the forest next to his house blending with the wind rippling through the trees and grass to form a heavenly surge of music. Crisp, clear air filled his lungs, burning the inside of his nose with the cold as he swooped and dove languidly above Hoofington, his short tail streaming out behind him.
The rooftops glistened in the moonlight, lamp posts filled with cheery flames still burning bright against the darkness. Grass swayed in shadowy patterns around the town, painting the landscape as mysterious as the light spattered sky above. A mist had sprung up through the cobblestone streets, twisting and twirling in a vaporous sanguinity, a result of the earlier storm.
Novell twirled through the air, taking in all the sights, smells, and sounds, closing his eyes and feeling the steady burn of his wings keeping his body aloft. A sense of melancholy swirled inside him, the surroundings matching perfectly with his mood as he flew. Clouds passed him by as he entered the plain land at a steady pace, the moon his constant companion, celestial and unbelievably huge.
He gracefully slowed into a glide, coasting onto one of the more corporeal clouds. The fluffy consistency was a welcome relief under his hooves compared to the hard, unforgiving floorboards in his home. A slight breeze blew through his mane, cool against his heated body. Novell unfurled his wings to their fullest extent, closing his eyes and savoring the sensation of the wind pulling against his feathery appendages.
Dropping to his hindquarters, the pegasus stared at the moon and fell backwards, reclining against the cloud as it shifted into a chair like shape. He had memorized all the shadows and shades of the heavenly body, the familiar curves and craters sharper and clearer than most nights. A cloud higher in the atmosphere ghosted across the pastel surface, its shadow drifting across his eyes. He yawned again, feeling his melancholy melt away in the pale radiance.
His eyes drooped as he relaxed, content to while away the rest of the night there. Before he could surrender to the seductive pull of sleep, a small flash of light caught his attention. Both eyes opened again as another shooting star streaked across the sky, followed by three more in quick succession. He watched the action with awe, his eyes drawn toward the mountains silhouetted against the sky far in the background as they fell.
Something glimmered near the top of one of the mountains, Novell furrowing his brows as he stared at the phenomenon. It wasn't a star, even though it twinkled like one, and it couldn't be natural. For a moment, it winked out, then returned a few minutes later. With his curiosity piqued, he ran through quick calculations, wondering if he could investigate it and make it back to his house with plenty of time to spare, using the stars as a guide.
Satisfied that he had enough time to check the glittering light out, Novell roused himself. With all four hooves on the cloud, he bounced into the air with a new determination, all previous thoughts of relaxation disappearing in the face of this new discovery. New things fascinated him, his curious mind always trying to find the greater meaning to it all, ideas swirling around until they coalesced as words in his heart. It was a private endeavor, though, since he knew his father would have little interest in such things. Thundermane was a pony of action, rather than contemplation, so Novell never shared his insight into the surroundings.
Shaking his mane, Novell grinned and raised his alabaster hooves in front of his face like he had seen some of the ponies do earlier during the storm. It was an exhilarating feeling, his wings flapping harder and faster as he moved through the air. The sensation of the night urging him onward toward his goal was ever present, even though he knew it was nothing more than his own excitement. Still, whatever the reason, he made good time, passing over the forest near his home in a blur, sounds of nocturnal animals running together into a peaceful harmony.
Sweat began to bead on his muzzle and his breath steadily became labored as he drew closer to his destination. He slowed to a stop, his wings aching with the exertion as he flapped in place to catch his breath. He glanced around, momentarily confused before seeing the mountain looming over him, clouds gathering near the tip as if drawn there by its immensity. Surprise filled him as he turned back the way he had come, glimpsing the town far away from the mountain chain he had arrived at. He had never flown so fast in his life. Filing the information that he was a swift flier away for later, Novell turned back to the mountain and looked for the glittering light once more.
Trees covered the mountain for the most part, dense from the forest floor up to around the middle, becoming sparse as the landscape transformed from a healthy green to a grey, rocky color. He couldn't see any evidence of the light from earlier, but he wasn't going to be deterred so soon after coming this far. He flew up higher, feeling the chill start to grow as he neared the mist covering the top of the mountain. His eyes scanned the rocky ledges and icy waterfalls, intent on finding the light again, an urgency growing in his chest. Where is it? There!
Novell dove toward the light with a determined expression, having passed it up unnoticed before. His curiosity grew even further as he tried to imagine what kind of object would radiate this kind of light. It couldn't be a campfire, since he would have spotted it in his climb, so it had to be something that cast light intermittently. As he neared his destination, an icy ledge nestled against the mountain and surrounded by two caves, the origin of the light became clear. It was magical radiance, from a unicorn, no less. As soon as that fact hit him, so, too, did a deep voice that materialized in his mind.
And so the intrepid explorer steadily lost hope, staring out over the foreboding forest below in bemused bewilderment as he realized his situation was surely becoming less and less likely one he would survive. If only he could reach up to stroke the marvelous mustache one last time as the cold started to creep in, a final act of vanity. If only somepony was around to listen to the last monologue of a heroic, handsome unicorn the likes of which Equestria has never seen before!
"I can hear you!" Novell yelled over the wind, which was becoming stiffer and harder to fly through, appearing as if from nowhere. Sleet started to pelt his body as the unicorn came into view, the stallion's gray coat almost blending in with the rocky surroundings. There was a bright, almost white light coming from the large horn that sat directly in the center of the pony's forehead. A mustache the same color as the rest of the unicorn's body drooped, icicles dangling from the ends.
What was this? Could the suitably old unicorn hear the cry of some creature's recognition of his speech? He glances around, squinting his eyes against the downpour of sleet that swirled around him but did not touch thanks to the unicorn's amazingly capable magic, seeing nothing. Was it perhaps just the addled pony's mind envisioning a welcome respite from the cold despite the hopeless situation?
"No, I'm real! I'm here. Hold on!" Novell yelled over the wind, pushing his wings to their limit in order to reach the unicorn's perch. He strained, falling a few feet as a gust blew him down, rising again with resolute wing beats. The ledge was only a meter away, so he dug into the last reserves of his strength and flew toward it with all his might. A sudden gust hit him from the top, the rock wall looming in front of him as he veered off course. With an ice cold clarity, Novell knew he was just about to end up splattered across the side of mountain. He closed his eyes and waited for the impact, wondering if it would hurt.
When he didn't feel his body slam into the wall with enough force to turn him into paste, he opened an eye, peeking out to see a white light shining around him, moving his body upward toward the ledge. He was deposited face first into the snow coating the edge, somersaulting until his whole body felt the welcome rigidity of solid ground in a tempest. Novell gasped against the wind, tucking his wings in so they wouldn't drag him away like sails and drive him over the cliff. His eyes slid around his surroundings once he had ensured his safety, taking stock of his situation.
"Well, hello there, lad!" a voice came from his right, a shade of the strength that the voice in his mind had owned, but still recognizable as the same one. "You know, I've never seen a pegasus fly against a snowstorm like this without any degree of control of the weather. You must have been flapping for all you were worth in order to get through this. In fact, you wouldn't have made it if I hadn't seen you at the last second. Has anypony ever told you that your coat blends in well with snow? If not for your rather clashing hair, you no doubt would have been smashed to a pulp! I believe a thank you is in order."
Novell gaped at the unicorn, trying to make sense of what just happened as his eyes glossed over the magnifying glass cutie mark on the unicorn's flank. He had never felt magic taking control of his body, so that was one thing he was trying to get a grip on, but the other was that the unicorn in front of him was halfway frozen in what looked like an ice cube. All four legs were encased in the substance, but the unicorn didn't look the least bit concerned about the fact, looking at him curiously behind a pair of very old glasses.
His brain caught up to the last part and his manners returned. "Oh, thank you. Yes. Uhm. Why are you, I mean, who are you? What? How?"
"You shouldn't leave your mouth open like that, boy. It makes one look so uncouth," the unicorn replied, his horn pulsing with magic. Novell felt his mouth shut against his will. "Now, you're very welcome. My name is Professor Renaldo Eduardo Search and I just telekinetically spirited you to this ledge. As to the 'why' of this situation, I am currently in quite the pickle, but that can wait until introductions are finished. Your name is?"
"Uh, Novell. My name's Novell."
"Very good, that's more like it. You're quite the interesting pegasus, if I do say so myself. Now, to answer your question of the 'why' I'm here, well that is because I was looking into the monster known as the 'Yeti'. It is a somewhat vicious beast that prefers the cold climes such as the one we find ourselves in now. Its intelligence is so limited that it is almost like that of an animal." The unicorn had the grace to look embarrassed, looking down at his icicled hooves. "However, it is still dangerous and has the ability create traps that even the most respectable pony can fall into, such as myself."
The dashing unicorn took that opportunity to look out across the forest beneath them, eyes far off as he recollected a similar experience he had experienced as a young pony in the southern reaches of-
"You shouldn't say 'experienced'," Novell said, his mouth moving against his will, but this time not by magic. He just couldn't stand the thought of somepony making such an ungainly statement.
"Excuse me?" the unicorn asked, looking at the young pegasus sidelong.
"Uh, I mean, you know, you should vary up the sentence a bit. It's not very interesting to listen to if you just repeat words in the same sentence."
"Apologies, you are quite right. What's a good choice of words? Oh, perhaps 'participated in'? Yes, that will do. Now, where was I? Ah, yes!"
"Wait, that's not the point," Novell replied before the unicorn could start telepathically rambling again, gathering his hooves underneath him. "I sort of get why you're up here, but why are you stuck in that ice? And why aren't you using your magic to get out of it? You seemed like you were in trouble from that monologue you were having earlier."
"Oh, I can't get out of this ice. This is a magical trap from the Yeti that captured me. It is quite untouchable by unicorn magic such as mine. Perhaps one of the Princesses could release me from the prison, but no ordinary pony has the power to break this ice. I suppose I should have added that into my description of the Yeti before." The gray unicorn paused, as if realizing something. "You know, lad, you could help me out of this situation."
"But I thought you said your magic couldn't break that ice? What can a pegasus like me do?" Novell asked confusedly.
The unicorn looked at the pegasus with an eyebrow raised, as if the answer were obvious. "You can carry me away, of course! There is a Yeti about, you know. I believe he is, in fact, saving me as a meal for later. Now that I think about it, the average time of digestion of the previous meal would have been completed several minutes ago. I've actually been wondering what is taking the monster so long. This is simply not according to the timetable I've put together from researching the beast," Professor Search sounded put out as he said the last.
"Carry you? Through these winds? I barely got myself onto the ledge with your help," Novell replied incredulously, starting to doubt the older pony's sanity.
"Pish posh, I'll help, of course. I can keep the winds from bothering us too much, but you will have to do the heavy lifting, unfortunately. Here, grab me by the middle and I'll cast the spell. It won't work without physical contact."
Raising an eyebrow with disbelief, but willing to try anyway, Novell opened his wings carefully and grabbed onto the other pony's midsection. The winds instantly died around him, the world seeming somewhat dulled as if he was encased in some kind of shield. He spread his wings, marveling as the sleet passed over his wings without touching them.
"That's so cool."
"Interesting choice of words there, lad. I am, in fact, feeling a bit nippy myself. Perhaps it is time to relocate to warmer climates. If you would?"
"Oh, right, sorry," Novell grinned, his wings pulling him up over the unicorn's body. With a heave, he lifted the unicorn up, nearly falling back down with the weight. His wings strained against the effort of lifting not just himself, but the unicorn and his icy prison, too. "This. Might. Be. Tough."
A roar shook his concentration, causing him to drop the Professor back to the ground, the shield around him instantly dropping. Uh oh, Novell thought, just as his wings caught a burst of air that flung him backward toward the mountain, the spell no longer affecting him. He slammed into something furry and bounced to the ground, stars orbiting his head as he lay there dazed. Shaking his head to clear them, he looked up at the Professor, who was now facing toward him, on his side and unable to move.
"I must say, this is quite an uncomfortable position to watch a Yeti in action in," Professor Search said, sounding fascinated. "But that is quite the specimen. Just look at those claws! And those teeth! The size of them, my goodness, just gazing at them makes me want to get a closer look."
Novell's eyes widened as he looked behind him and up, up, up. The face of an angry beast looked back at him, black lips open to reveal teeth the size of his hoof. Beady, black eyes stared out from a shaggy white coat, glinting malevolently in the moonlight. One clawed hand reached down for him, slowly, the beast only now reacting to his intrusion. It didn't seem the least bit fazed by his impact into it, smiling at him as its claws flexed in anticipation.
"Oh, haystacks," Novell cursed, rolling to his hooves. Keeping his wings close to his body, he galloped away from the beast, toward the edge of the mountain, careful to avoid slipping and falling. He turned around to see if the beast was chasing him and paused as he took in its actions. The Yeti had stopped reaching for him, frowning and looking confusedly at the space he had just occupied. When it looked up, its black nose sniffed the air until its eyes alighted on the Professor, the smile reappearing on its face.
"Oh, it's spotted its next meal. Such a dim witted creature, but studiously devoted to something once it sets its tiny mind on a goal. Fascinating insight," the unicorn sounded awed, snow starting to cover his head as he lay awkwardly on the ground.
Deciding now was the best time to get out of there, Novell rushed toward the Professor before the beast could make its move, grabbing the unicorn around the middle and opening his wings to their fullest extent. A gust of wind filled them, almost tearing his wings off as it lifted both of them into the air. His heart leapt as his idea worked, dashed almost instantly as he felt a jerk that almost caused him to let go of the unicorn. He looked down to see the Yeti grasping the ice with both hands, roaring at them with a sound that rivaled the heavy winds.
"By Celestia's Mane, this beast is single minded in its pursuit. I had no idea it could move quick enough to catch us in mid air. And these claws are so delicately holding my legs, not even piercing the ice or myself. I wonder if it is smarter than it appears. This bears further investigation. Let go of me would you, boy? I want to see what it does!"
Novell gritted his teeth as the wind pulled on his wings. "It's going to eat you, and me, if we can't get it to let go! Do something before my wings break off!"
"Oh, right, yes, yes, you are correct. I cannot let a young pegasus like yourself come to any harm, especially due to the fact that you are a rare case, what with you having no cutie mark. Such an interesting phenomenon! Now what's a spell I could use? Teleportation? No, that only works on me. Perhaps…ah, yes! Ahem, this should do nicely! Close your eyes, lad!"
Novell complied, a searing brightness piercing his eyelids. Suddenly he felt himself drawn backward by the wind, sucked into the air greedily. The Yeti roared in what sounded like either anger or agony. The pegasus' eyes popped open as the current spit him out into clear air, not a hint of sleet or snow pulling at his body. He marveled at the ball of white in front of him, seeing the snow and sleet roiling around where the ledge had been. Was that part of the Yeti's magic? His thought process was broken as he realized they were losing altitude at a swift rate, wind rushing through his ears and the mountain slowly returning back to its green state as they fell.
"Uh, lad, I'm not sure you realize this, but we are currently on a collision course with the forest floor."
"Working on it," Novell gritted out, beating his wings so hard he had to close his eyes against the pain. They had been so abused the past hour he didn't know how they were still functioning. Their pace started to slow, but they were still heading for the ground, his energy steadily fading. Don't let go, don't let go, he thought resolutely, the edges of his vision blackening with the effort. He looked down and saw the top of the trees coming closer, beat his wings through a few more flaps, and passed out.
"Lad! Novell! You, there!"
Novell swam back to consciousness slowly, his ears picking up dull sounds as his brain reactivated. His eyes opened and closed groggily, a moan creeping out of his throat. He felt dirt and grass against his back and wings, something digging painfully into his neck. Novell shifted in response and winced as his wing spasmed in pain. The sudden spike jolted him fully awake just as a deep, melodious voice vibrated inside his mind.
The brilliant researcher stared helplessly down at the young pegasus, unable to move and hanging upside down so that the fantastic facial hair on his face drooped toward the ground, no longer bound by icicles. He looked around, trying to find something with which to poke the pegasus with, spotting a tree branch cracked near the trunk. He cast a spell under his breath, breaking off the branch and-
"I'm awake!" Novell growled against the pain, his eyes still shut. Something heavy dropped next to him, causing his body to jerk away involuntarily. He opened his eyes to spy a giant limb impaled into the dirt next to him. "That could have killed me!"
"Ah, lad, you're alive. Jolly good. I had thought you were a goner, laying there like that with one of your wings splayed out in an awkward way. I have to say, that injury looks extremely painful, though I'm no doctor. Just a professor and researcher," Professor Search babbled on, unaware of how close he had come to crushing the pegasus.
Novell rolled over on his uninjured side, wincing as his wing jostled against his back. He pulled it in close to his body, glad it still worked enough to do that. He must have sprained it during the fall. So much for getting back to the house before my parents find out. Novell glanced around as he got unsteadily to his hooves, trying to figure out where he was.
Dark trees that rustled in the slight wind stared back at him. Their claw like branches and bark formed the images of grotesque faces that seemed to delight in his misery. He shuddered, pulling his wing in harder to try and shrink away. He glanced up to look for a reassuring glow, the Professor still droning on about a visit to a hospital. To his relief, the moon was still overhead, though the sky had become more violet as the sun started sneaking toward them. It couldn't have been more than a couple hours away from dawn. The pegasus groaned, looking up at the Professor in consternation, who was still going on about hospitals.
"…and I replied, quite shocked, really, 'Oatmeal? Are you daft, good sir?' Such an affront for a nurse to ask me if I liked the food when it was clearly written as an allergy of mine! Humph, the audacity."
Rolling his eyes, Novell broke in before the Professor could continue on in his ramblings. "Are you okay, Professor?"
"Hmm? Oh, yes, I am quite fine, aside from hanging upside down. Still, it is an interesting perspective from which to view the forest. I feel like an opossum," Professor Search replied, enunciating the 'o' in the last word.
"The 'o' is silent," Novell said under his breath, knowing the unicorn wouldn't listen. He tried to figure out a way to get his companion out of the tree, the branch managing to go right through the middle of the ice in between both sets of legs. His mind worked at the problem, eager to ignore the surroundings in favor of a puzzle. Maybe he could fly up there and- no, his wing was damaged. He frowned at the thought of not being able to fly, noticing the ice was starting to drip. "How are we going to get you down? Can't you teleport yourself over here or something?"
"Unfortunately not, my young pegasus. This ice prevents me from manipulating my entire body like that. Telekinesis and conjuring light are about the limits of what I can perform at this time. Though, I seem to remember reading somewhere that the ice of a Yeti's trap cannot survive long out of cold enviro- oof!" The unicorn plummeted from the tree, the ice prison melting away into mist. Novell watched with amusement as the unicorn rolled over and got to his hooves, spitting out a clod of dirt and shaking his mane to clear it of debris. "Well, that was unpleasant, if enlightening. Now, where are we?"
Novell looked around before replying. "In the forest below the mountain, I think. We're about four hours away from Hoofington which is," he paused, staring at the stars through the canopy. "Over that way." He pointed with one hoof to the town's direction, double checking before nodding.
"Ah, you can travel using the stars? Smart lad, you are," Professor Search replied warmly, a smile breaking out underneath the gray mustache. "By all means, lead the way, then. I haven't visited Hoofington in quite a while."
Novell unconsciously ruffled his wings at the compliment, feeling a twinge as his injured appendage moved the wrong way. Taking a breath, he started walking in the direction he thought the town was in, trying not to look at the sinister trees again. He still felt a little bit woozy, but the night air was steadily curing the affliction and causing the edges of his vision to clear up. A moment after he started moving, the unicorn strolled up beside him, trotting along and gazing at the forest all around them. An owl hooted somewhere in the distance, causing the pegasus to twitch involuntarily. It set his teeth on edge to be grounded like this, his wings itching to open and carry him above it.
"Hmm, a stroll through the woods at this hour is quite the experience. I confess I have never had the opportunity," Professor Search said, seeming at ease as they passed through a particularly murky mist. He looked at Novell with a pitying expression. "Though, I suppose this is novel for you, pardon the pun, running around on the ground. You seem jumpy."
Novell nodded, staring at the ground so he wouldn't trip over any roots that decided to spring up. He didn't like being in the woods at night, where anything could get him. The alabaster pegasus had heard stories of cockatrices and manticores that roosted in the forest, waiting for young ponies to explore and gobble them all up. He glanced around nervously, huddling closer to the older pony unconsciously, his ears flicking every which way as they picked up mysterious sounds. They had seemed so innocuous when he was flying over this place, but now the sounds were transformed into dragons and saber-toothed tigers in his mind.
"Not to worry, lad. I am more than capable of handling anything in this forest, though I suppose a dragon would be a bit above my pay grade," the unicorn continued cheerily, sobering when he realized what he said didn't help the young pegasus calm down. "You are safe with me. I promise. The likelihood of a dragon appearing here is quite astronomical."
"I don't like this," Novell admitted, his voice quavering as a branch moved in the wind. "I feel like I'm as taut as a rope about to snap."
"Oh, ho, quite the vocabulary for one so young. That feeling is natural, dear boy - part of the pegasi's natural urge to be in clear skies soaring above all the problems of the world. I once wrote a thesis on it back in the university in Canterlot. Did you know that most pegasi are claustrophobic, as well? I'm sure you do, but I simply must say it's an interesting fact, especially when compared to a unicorn or earth pony. We have a lower percentage of the fear, whereas you and yours almost entirely seem to have the same phobia."
Novell slowly relaxed as the Professor rattled on about the winged ponies, though he still flicked his ears back and forth and kept his eyes wide open. He wanted to spread his wings but knew that would only injure himself further. Until he found somepony to take a look at it, he wasn't about to let it become a bigger problem.
The forest steadily grew brighter as the hours went by, enough that Novell didn't have to watch his feet as much to avoid tripping over something. The ash colored unicorn continued to talk into the early morning twilight about random subjects that ranged from a study he had once performed on pony precognition to an encounter with a teenage dragon. Novell grinned as Professor Search described how he almost had his entire mustache singed off when the dragon had mistaken his study as an effort to steal the jewels it had collected.
Despite his fears, no monsters jumped out to attack them as they made their way to Hoofington, though Novell continually imagined the worst possible outcome every time a twig snapped. Birds began to flit around among the trees as the morning shone through the branches, lifting up their tiny voices in sing song. Nocturnal creatures returned to their dens to sleep, another owl hooting at them as it buried itself in its feathers inside a hollowed tree trunk. Rays from the early morning sun threaded through the gaps of the foliage, turning the frightening forest into an idyllic environment.
"Ah, I think there's a house over there," the Professor observed with his customary cheeriness. Novell looked to where the unicorn was facing, spying the familiar form of the garden gates against his house. Relief washed through him as he saw it, his pace picking up into a gallop as he ran toward his home, leaving his companion in bemused silence.
"What an interesting pony," Professor Search muttered, watching the pegasus in question rush into the arms of an airy, teal pony whom had been floating in apparent agitation. The concerned expression on her face melted away into relief as she nuzzled the younger pegasus. A dark grey pegasus streaked with yellow opened a door and stood there, staring fondly at the colt. The absence of a cutie mark on the young Novell was striking against the two other pegasi's own, the Professor thought, trotting up with a smile on his face.
"An interesting conundrum, indeed."