Part 34 Snow Storm
 
>It took you eight hours to make your way out of the tunnels
>Although they weren't as elaborately designed as the ones outside of Ponyville, they still were challenging
>You actually got the feeling that these tunnels were built hastily, and were more of a simple Forward Operating Base, which means the Main Operating Base is somewhere else
>Somewhere possibly more hospitable
>New Objective: Prevent the invasion of Equestria by the (improved?) Diamond Dog army
>Main target: Boss Paw
>Permission to die killing him?
>....
>...Yes
>You've accepted your new mission: Protect the country you love, despite your banishment
 
>Finding yourself at the entrance that you found earlier, you pause
>Carrying Snow Storm's body is tiring, but you can't let it go
>He needs a proper burial
>In your other arm, you have your rations, also not exactly light
>You've gone at least 56 hours without sleep so far
>The night outside is cold, blowing snow
>However, you can see some light from the moon
>With your new coat, you're actually quite warm
>You go to make a step, and suddenly weakness engulfs you
>Dropping your rations carelessly, you try as hard as you can to not drop Snow Storm's body as recklessly
>The body lands softly, and you go to your knees
>That lack of sleep is catching up to you
>No, come on, this is no time to sleep...
>You cannot bring yourself up
>Closing your eyes, you're already asleep
>Slowly, you fall face-first into the frozen ground
 
>That familiar black background fills your eyesight
>It doesn't surprise you when you hear that voice
>"Didn't I tell you she was bad for you?"
>Awwwww not this shit
Yeah, you did.
>"Didn't I tell you that the princess didn't trust you?"
>....
Fuck you.
>"Didn't I warn you?"
....Fucking A-...Yes alright!
>"But you still seem intent on being loyal to Equestria..."
Yes. What of it?
>That voice laughs maniacally
>"What a fool you are! Have you forgotten all your service to Equestria?"
No...
>"There was the Diamond Dogs the first time-"
Yes, and Gilda with her rebellious Griffon Army after that..."
>"Your imprisonment with the Griffons..."
 >You can't help but shudder from that reminder
>The Griffons weren't kind to you behind the cell
>That was one hell of a POW experience
>"And the Changlings..."
Your point?
>"Where has it gotten you so far?"
.....
>"In a frozen mountain range. That is how your precious ponies thank you."
So?
>"Does that not infuriate you? Does that not make you wish for vengeance?"
Honestly, no. I do wish things didn't come to this. I do wish that I could have learned what was going on, because clearly something happened. I was either framed, or...magically coerced into...
>"Killing all those ponies."
Yes, that. I will atone for it, and I will find the truth. So I will protect Equestria.
>"But letting it fall to the Diamond Dogs would be so easy."
Which is why I must protect it.
>You can feel yourself waking up, and feeling angry. It's a rather unpleasant dual feeling
>"Have it your way, Anon. But you know that the battlefield is full of...chaos..."
>That voice screams laughter into your ears
>As you start to regain consciousness, one thought remains with you:
>What is with your subconscious with disorder?
 
>You wake up to a still-dark night
>Anger, hatred, fury...
>All those negative emotions fill your being
>You can't tell what it's towards...
>The Diamond Dogs?
>The Changlings?
>Your own subconscious?
>Or...is it against the princess?
>Or even...Twilight Sparkle?
>The answer: Yes
>You pick up your rations
>Fucking rations, taking up your fucking space
>You then pick up Snow Storm's body
>Fucking Snow Storm. Had to die like a bitch-
>You catch yourself
>What the fuck? You normally wouldn't think like this.
>Snow Storm was a comrade. He died in pain, and it's not his fault he did.
>In fact, you yourself took up the burden of giving him a proper burial
>Your anger slightly subsides...
>...Whoa....
>Where in the fuck did all this hate come from?
>You cannot determine, but you quickly decide to move forward
>Your body feels rested, at the very least, and you can now proceed on your path
>With the Head Crusher's pelt, you feel much warmer
>Moving forward, you can barely see what appears to be disturbed snow
>With the surrounding area looking rather settled, you deduce that you've found where the Diamond Dogs ran off to
>Luckily, it appears that they were running towards the base of the mountain
>Anger still envelopes you
>You need to find some Diamond Dogs soon, to get rid of some of this pent-up emotion.
 
>Hours later...
>You don't seem to be making progress, but that's not possible
>Another thing is wrong
>It's still dark
>You check your watch
>1123...
>Is your watch wrong?
>Your stomach growls
>Apparently, your body seems to agree with the time displayed
>Still angry, you settle Snow Storm's body with care
>You drop your rations with attitude though
>The wind starts to pick up
>Picking out a nice slice of unidentifiable meat, you notice the weather getting colder
>The meat is frozen, but you bite into it anyway
>It takes a tremendous amount of effort to consume a rather small part of it
>It tastes fantastic, being the first meat product you've consumed for a while
>However, it feels like you're chewing ice cubes, and you feel your teeth freeze
>Enraged, you scream, dropping your meal
FUCK YOU CELESTIA! GODDAMN BITCH!
>Understandably, you were frustrated. She did send you here without a second thought
>Icy wind pierces every inch of exposed skin
>Your delusional screaming continues
WHEN I GET YOU PAW, I'M GOING TO MOUNT YOUR HEAD ON A PIKE AND PARADE IT ALL ACROSS THE LAND SO ALL MAY FEAR ME!
>Though the weather was dramatically getting worse, it felt really good to just yell at the sky
I WILL FIND YOU GILDA, AND WHEN I DO, YOU'LL WISH YOU NEVER CROSSED MY PATH!
>Rapidly, you start losing feeling in your fingers, your hands, your arms...
>Screaming at the sky never felt so relieving...
>You see movement in the sky
>Close examination in the dark reveals only a slightly familiar form
>Pony-like, but a bit bigger. More like a horse...
>Coat color blends with the night(?) sky
>No wings...
>Oh shit.
>Windigo...
>You remember reading about them in the library with Twil-
FUCK YOU TWILIGHT! YOU'RE THE REASON THAT ALL THIS HAS HAPPENED!
>Your legs lose feeling, your waist, your chest
>The only part of your body you can feel right now is your head, and even now you are becoming numb
>You only have seconds left before you lose consciousness
>Taking a deep breath, you relax
>You force yourself to let go of all negative emotions
>And you laugh
>You laugh at the sky, feeling being regained
>Remembering some of the good times in Ponyville, you laugh
>Times drinking with Dr Whooves, fun as hell
>Flying in your jet with Rainbow Dash
>Working on Applejack's farm
>Being taken care of at Fluttershy's
>Designing your uniform with Rarity
>Pinkie Pie's crazy parties
>Twilight-
>You stumble a bit
>She really was a lot of fun, no matter what you did, whether it was studying, being studied, or helping out with her experiments
>Hell, walking with her was an exhilarating experience
>You can feel yourself warming up
>The Windigo trots down from the sky at an alarming speed
>You've had such a wonderful time in Equestria
>Even the battles you've fought... You'd be lying if you didn't enjoy the thrill of combat
>Resisting the torture wasn't fun, but getting back at them was
>Earning the nickname "Beast of Sparta" had meant you were accepted, and that's what you wanted
>Now the wind starts to die down
>The Windigo is closing in on you
>The feeling in your body returns, and you try to take a step...
>Success!
>Lifting your arms, you feel ice crystals breaking
>Warmth is back in your body, and the weather is cold, but calm
>With that, you take another step...
>And the Windigo is in your face
>It glares at you with hateful eyes
>You smirk back, taking note of its strange appearance
>This particular one is definitely black, and though it is still ghostly, it's rather opaque
>It howls right at your face, and you smell its rancid breath
>Hatred becomes a corporal substance, and you feel tempted to give in
>Thoughts return to your friends, and the fun times you've had
>The torrent of loathing stops, and you stand your ground
I know what you are, and what you want.
>It seems startled, surprised at your blunt resistance to its hateful aura
I am so full of anger and hatred, or rather, I was. That's what you want. But you won't get any more of that from me. I know I'm going to be fucked over, but I'm going to defend Equestria anyways.
>The Windigo takes a step back
What a pitiful creature you are, a parasite for negative emotions. Never knowing a happy moment for your own life. I'm not afraid of you, but I see you're afraid of me, afraid of what I can do.
>It takes a few steps back
I'm not going to kill you. That would be too nice. You get to continue living, surviving in suffering.
>You turn, feeling its presence leave you
>Picking up Snow Storm's body and your rations, you notice your shadow
>Turning your heading, you see the sun has come out of the previously pitch black sky
>The Windigo is nowhere in sight
>Facing forward, you see the mountain range continue in that direction, but to your left is the path down towards the base
>With the way that the sun is facing, you determine that it is this direction is south, the direction you need to go down
 
>It takes a little more than an hour, but you make it to the base of the mountain, and fuck it's awesome to see living trees again
>Immediately, you look for a clearing for Snow Storm
>Without much effort, you find one, and lay his corpse down and the rations not too far away
>Taking out your bigass knife, you start digging
>And digging
>And digging
>And fucking digging
>It's inefficient, but you manage to dig a hole five feet into the ground in two hours
>Climbing out, you take one last look at Snow Storm's body
>He looks like he's at peace, no longer suffering from his wounds
>No tears fall, but you feel the anguish of failing to save a life
>Slowly, you take his bloody helmet off, revealing a messy brown mane
>Up close, you see the wound that claimed his life
>Lowering his body into the grave, you can't help but feel sorrowful that you couldn't give him a proper burial
>His body in the best grave you could dig with the tools available to you, you cover him with the dirt
>You spend another three hours looking for stones to make a cairn atop his grave
>As the sun starts to set, you place his helmet on top of the cairn
>You stare at the cairn
I didn't personally know you Snow Storm, but you were a brother-in-arms. I should've been able...to save you, but...I couldn't. I'm sorry. I am so sorry I couldn't save you.
>Weakness grows in your legs, and soon you collapse onto your knees
I swear your death will not be in vain. I will keep the Diamond Dogs from succeeding in their plans. Equestria will survive, even if I have to sacrifice myself in the process. Please, rest in peace, Snow Storm of the Foal Mountains. I will not let you down.
>You get up, and weakly gather your rations
>You start your journey southward, the sun to your right
>What a beautiful sunset...Snow Storm would probably enjoyed seeing this
>You stifle a tear, and continue going