November Event Part 2: Frozen Panic
It took a great deal of effort to push through the snow and wind to the north. It became impossible to fly, forcing everypony, no matter the species, to go by hoof. The ice bit at any part uncovered by clothing and the wind pressed down oppressively. The strongest took turns in the lead, while all others followed behind in the path carved through the drifts. If there was nothing to be found out here, they would likely all freeze and perish. Going back alone or in small groups was perhaps even more dangerous, though…and that fact was the only thing that kept many trekking forward.
Eventually they were offered mild relief from the harsh winds as glacial cliffs rose up before them. While it did not affect the depth of the snow or its continuing fall, at least towering shapes shielded everypony from some of the cutting cold. While at a distance it looked like they might be going toward a dead end, a break in the cliffs yawned into view as the visibility cleared. It was only wide enough for three ponies to walk abreast, forcing the group to fall back into a longer line. Jade Castor and Sword Dancer took the lead as they entered, their lit horns illuminating only tens of feet in front of them in the swirl of falling flakes.
Everypony traveled this way for some time. Many a pony looked nervously at the glacier walls as they went. The passage was claustrophobic and had many imaginations running wild. So when odd sounds began to drift on the wind ahead of them, some ponies stopped or retreated back nervously. It didn’t sound like an animal or just the wind…it was a keening sound. Initially it seemed alien or spectral in its strangeness, but as they pushed forward, the wind and snow distorted it less and less. It became more familiar. Sad and scared.
Suddenly the glacial walls parted into the open air. The cries and sobs were close now. It seemed to be multiple grief stricken voices. Jade Castor and Sword Dancer exchanged wary looks before they took careful steps forward. As they moved, their surroundings were slowly revealed by the light of their horns. Ice sculptures in the shapes of trees and small cottages. Then the light splashed over the fur of a pale colored reindeer. He stood partially draped over another sculpture, this one of a similar sized figure. His horns looked either made of ice or covered in it, it was impossible to tell which. A whining cry came from him and he seemed to be crying, though only ice crystals clung to the fur near his eyes. Sobs and cries could be heard from other directions as well.
After a breath of hesitation, Jade Castor asked, “What has happened here?”
The reindeer sniffled and raised his head to look at the ponies. His ears hung back, defeat in the slump of his shoulders and the trembling of his limbs.
“We can’t control it,” He said. “We’ve tried everything…we don’t know what to do. It’ll destroy us all.”
“What will?” Sword Dancer asked, though it didn’t sound much like a question.
“The corruption!” Spat Jade Castor. “Wild Magic.”
Prompt: It seems a group of reindeer with wild magic affiliated with ice has been the cause of the storm! They don’t know how to control their abilities and things are spiraling out of control. Show your character’s reaction to the reindeer. Do they want to help them learn to control it? Do they want to chase them away or destroy them to get rid of the problem? Or is there perhaps another solution?
