The group continued gazing out towards the tundra for some time, but besides some far-off howls and roars, nothing interesting happened. Eventually, their observations were interrupted by a jaw-cracking yawn from True Sight. Stretching her legs, the elder shamare grumbled under her breath a bit before turning away from the wall and slowly cantering away.
"Doesn't look like we're going to see anything interesting tonight. You younglings are free to stay and watch, but these old bones are calling me to bed. Goodnight."
Earthsong weighed her options for a moment before shrugging and following True Sight, after giving a goodbye nod to the trio of spirits. Agate glanced towards the ice wall, her demeanor curious.
"Is this something that ponies do during the Calling? Stand near the walls, and... What would you call it? Monster-watching?"
The other spirits chuckled, nodding in amusement. "Yes," Gnarled Root confirmed. "It's an odd mix between curiosity at what's out there, looking for some excitement without putting yourself in actual danger, and sometimes, showing off that you're not afraid. The last bit is popular among hotheaded teenagers. Fortunately, the sentries tend to step in before they do something really rash, like start jumping over the fence and competing which one of them can get closer to the monsters without getting eaten."
Spear Throw snorted at that, shaking his head and muttering something under his breath. Agate waited a moment for him to elaborate on whatever it was that he said, but the stallion remained silent. Shrugging, she cast her gaze across the tundra one last time. When no strange monsters or spirits showed up, she hopped off the snow ramp she was sitting on, noiselessly landing on the ground.
"Well, it doesn't look like we're going to see anything tonight, and it is getting late... I think? How do ponies manage to tell the time during the dark parts of winter, really? I guess it's possible when the Moon is out, but if the aurora is in the sky too, you can't even see the stars most of the time."
Gnarled Root scratched her head while Spear Throw shrugged. "Honestly, we don't really know. It's a bit easier for living ponies, since they can track the time by how quickly they get hungry, and things like that. When we became spirits, well... We kind of stopped bothering with it. The winter will pass, as it always does."
"Huh. Okay. Well, I think I'll go to my totem now. I'll see you two later."
"Of course. And feel free to drop by any time. We really don't have much of anything to do in winter anyway."
"Will do. Bye!"
❅ ❆ ❅
Agate spent the next few "days" out and about, wandering through Snowpitt and eagerly drinking in all of the new sights and experiences. Between the large number of western and northern tribesponies, the creatures prowling the village outskirts, and the ponies partaking in various odd customs for the Calling, there were certainly things to see.
The new arrivals were certainly a curious bunch. On one hoof, they seemed barely different from the local snowponies of Snowpitt - they had long, fluffy coats, were resistant to cold, loved fish, and, from what Agate had seen so far, they had identical societies. The chieftains led them, the shamares did shamare stuff and gave out advice, and the individual ponies did whatever they were good at.
On the other hoof, all of that changed every time they started telling stories. Though Agate would never even remotely describe the southerners as cowardly, the northerners seemed brave almost to the point of complete recklessness. Even though they all heavily stressed the importance of proper preparations before any expedition and cautioned the listeners not to try something they didn't have the proper experience for, immediately after, they'd launch into the craziest and wildest tales.
"Killing a floewolf? Yeah, no, we never figured that one out. Sure, you can "kill" one a whole bunch of times - not that that's an easy feat, mind you - but their spirits are really strong. Other animals, they live and breathe, and when you manage to take one down, it's not coming back, even if it's bigger, more dangerous and powerful than a floewolf. But those things? Solid ice, all the way through. Smash it to pieces, and it'll fly off to make itself another body, good as new. Ponies say that the wolf's spirit just dives into a glacier or any other large collection of pure ice, and starts working its magic. Takes them less than a day, according to the ones that saw the whole process. Of course, if you find one forming a body and you have something nice and heavy, like a mace or a good sledgehammer, well... Let's just say that, with a few good swings, you can really ruin its mood - and hour's worth of effort, heh heh.
Ah right, the whole "pure ice" thing. Took ponies a while to really notice that part of their behavior, but they really dislike taking ice that has dirt, rocks, or any other impurities in it. Sometimes, they try to stick their old body back together, but if you break it really badly, they'll wander off to make a new one. And if there's no large deposits of ice nearby, you're likely safe for quite a while.
Anyway, floewolves are probably not the worst thing that's roaming the north, but they're really strange and unpredictable. Flesh and blood creatures tend to stick to their territories, and we can understand most of them - they're just doing their part in the great dance of life, just as we are, and we're not angry at them when they try to make prey of us. But the stranger things, like floewolves... Well, they're a part of nature, certainly, but it's not a part we can make sense of. They wander seemingly without aim, riding the currents of the sea from one island to another, sticking around for indeterminate amounts of time before moving on. It's how they got the name - at first, they just look like regular, small ice floes floating in the water, you know? But then, you notice the legs, the claws and the fangs. And even though - as far as we can tell, anyway - they don't actually need to eat, they're still very enthusiastic hunters. With all that in mind, and the fact that breaking one's body only results in its pride getting injured and it coming back even angrier... Let's just say that there have been some creative attempts at getting rid of one permanently.
At first, we just tried to smash them, of course. Again and again and again and again. Surely there had to be a limit to how many times it could come back, right? It turned out that, no, there isn't one. Ponies tried hunting them, too - as in, smash one to bits, then chase the spirit down and keep smashing the body as it's trying to rebuild it. Didn't work either, but we did learn that if you humiliate one several times, it'll give up the hunt and flee far, far away, further than we could chase them, and likely stay away for a long time. Which was great, sure, but ponies are curious and inventive creatures, sometimes too much so.
One old hunter, Smoky Mane, got it into his head that, since the wolves were made of ice, they surely had to be terrified of fire. It wasn't the worst assumption to make, but... Well, the things can produce enough cold to freeze seawater, so I'd doubt that any sort of fire we could make would scare them. Anyway, Smoky didn't think so, and he found plenty of ponies interested in going on a floewolf hunt. His idea was to make a big pit trap, stuff it with easily flammable twigs and branches, and melt the wolf after they trapped it. He thought that the experience would be so terrifying for the wolf, it would never come back.
Some say that he didn't really think any part of his plan through, given all the difficulties that he faced. Firstly, the ground in the north is either very hard and rocky, frozen most of the time, or both, which makes digging pit traps hard. And floewolves never roam in summer, which meant that they had to do it in winter. Secondly, trees aren't exactly common in the north... At all. As such, getting enough fuel was quite a challenge, even with an entire band of hunters helping. And lastly, they had to work both quickly and stealthily once they found one, before it simply wandered away.
Still, they were determined, I'll give them that. It took them weeks, but they managed to gather a fair amount of firewood, stacked it in their kayaks, and went off to find a floewolf. Following the reports from other hunters and fisherponies, they tracked one to an empty island, and set to work. Lucky for them, they discovered a natural divot, which they quickly got to deepening. Soon, the trap was set, and the only thing left was the quarry.
Now, luring a floewolf where you want it to go is actually pretty easy. Unlikely as it is, if you ever find yourself chased by one, remember a few things: they swim fast, and run quite quickly over even terrain. And since they have no fear of death, they charge right at you, heedless of what's in their path. However, their icy claws actually give them absolutely terrible traction - if you make sharp turns, they'll slip up trying to catch you. Some ponies have made them fall off the sides of ravines and cliffs that way, and if you climb a steep hill, you can trip them up and make them crash to the bottom by simply throwing a rock at the right time.
Anyways, the trap was set, the wolf was there, and Smoky took it upon himself to lure it in, while his companions lay hidden in the snow near the pit. After getting the floewolf's attention by tossing a rock at it's head - great for making any kind of beast angry, really - he galloped away, the wolf going right where he wanted it to. Once Smoky dodged out of the way and the wolf fell in, his companions jumped out, swinging at its legs with hammers and maces and forcing it to stay in the pit. Several of the hunters brought fire charms, which they quickly tossed inside.
Now, the wolf didn't exactly enjoy the ground beneath it suddenly bursting into flames, but it didn't seem to be particularly terrified. Not only that, but the heat wasn't nearly enough to melt it, as it kept thrashing around and trying to climb out of the pit, seemingly with very little damage from the fire. After waiting for a bit, the disappointed hunters were forced to admit that the plan was a failure. Still, the creature was badly disadvantaged, so it took them little effort to smash it to bits and leave the island before it reformed.
There have been other attempts, certainly, each one stranger and stranger. One mare got the idea to freeze one - yes, freeze the wolf made of ice. How? Well, she thought that with how cold their bodies are, if one fell into a freshwater lake instead of the sea, it'd just instantly freeze into a block of ice. As I told you, luring one is easy, so setting up a trap was simple enough - all you needed was a lake and a floewolf. The mare got a few thick, long wooden poles, and got to chipping the ice in the right spots.
She was doing it alone, so it took her some time to get things just right, but eventually, she got a floewolf to fall into her trap. To her disappointment, it didn't seem to be freezing solid, no matter how many times she dunked it underwater with a pole. The funny thing that actually happened was that she eventually pushed it under the ice, and with how cold it was, the hole that she cut in the ice froze over, trapping the wolf underwater. That didn't really do anything either, but at least it allowed her to retreat to a safe distance before the thing managed to claw its way through the ice.
Then, there was the drowning attempt... Well, not exactly, but that's what ponies jokingly call it. A few fisherponies got the idea to sink one to the bottom of the sea with weighted nets, tying heavy rocks to the corners. They were hoping that it'd get stuck there, neither able to escape, nor to make another body. Again, not the worst idea, but... Lots of effort for questionable rewards. No net is going to last forever, anyway, especially against a creature that can thrash around tirelessly until the end of time.
Ah, I suppose I spoiled that story a bit, yes? Well, you likely predicted that outcome yourselves, anyway. To make it short - yes, they made the nets, eventually came across a migrating floewolf in the water, and enacted their plan. And it did work - for about an hour. The floewolf managed to take a few bites out of several kayaks as the fisherponies were throwing the nets, but the weight soon dragged it down. They quickly fled before they could sink and join the beast at the bottom, leaving one undamaged kayak with a pair of observers behind. And, as I said, the beast eventually shot out of the water, splashing around furiously.
So yes, we tried all kinds of things. Shamares were brought in several times as well, but they couldn't do all that much, either. They'd help a lot with taking one down, but weren't able to get them to stay away from our lands. There was one shamare, aptly named Wolf Spirit, that actually wrestled and fought the floewolve's spirits themselves, neighing and growling fiercely as she pounded them into submission. Still, no matter who or how badly we beat them, they always, always eventually come back.
Ah well. Not like there's a shortage of dangers in the north, so our outposts and villages are always prepared to fight anyway, if one of them happens to wander by. And every few decades, some ambitious pony decides to call for a floewolf hunt and take the fight to them for several months, heh. Even if we lose some ponies, that makes the things leave us alone for a few years."
The northerner chuckled, reaching for a cup of tea, his story concluded. Shaking her head, Agate trotted away. What was the point of going out to fight monsters that you couldn't actually defeat, only slow them down temporarily? Then again, the northern tribe was apparently thriving, so perhaps you needed to have that kind of attitude to survive in those regions.
❅ ❆ ❅
"Oooh, what is that? A spirit stone? It sort of looks like one, but the color is completely different."
"It's a special spirit stone, made by a special spirit! Agate said it's called "amethyst". She made it herself!"
"You can make spirit stones? Wow..."
After listening to some interesting stories and conversations here and there, Agate went to find Glacier Glider again. While she didn't really have all that much to talk about with the mare, she was interested in befriending her two daughters, now that she was able to communicate with them. After making their introductions and thinking about what to do, Agate suggested that they should go meet with her other foal friends in the village, Autumn Ash and Cindertail.
The fillies enthusiastically agreed, and soon they were tearing through the snowy roads of Snowpitt. Warm Spring happily took the visitors in, and moments later, the foals were chatting away in Autumn Ash's room. Seeing as they were from radically different backgrounds, they certainly had a lot of things to talk about, and the local foals were certainly eager to learn more about their northern cousins.
"So, what's your name?"
"I'm Spinning Flurry, and that's Flurry Spinner. We're twins," One of the snowy fillies explained.
"...Was your Mom trying to confuse ponies on purpose?"
Agate couldn't help but agree with the sentiment as she observed the giggling twins. While Autumn Ash and Cindertail did look alike with their black manes and ashen coats, they were still easy to tell apart. Apart from being a colt and a filly, of course, the splotch of rusty red in Cindertail's tail really made him stand out. Glacier's twins, though, were white through and through. White manes, white tails, white coats, with no distinct markings on either one of them. The only colors they had were the golden eyes they inherited from their mother.
It made for absurdly good camouflage against the snow, something that the fillies happily exploited, as they were all too happy to explain. Apparently, the duo were somewhat of a terror to a great many foals and adults, constantly sneaking about, burrowing through the snow and otherwise getting the jump on them. The adults actually didn't mind, and even encouraged them, saying that it was great stealth practice for when they get older and have to venture out on their own. Those that did get scared would only get teased by other adults for getting snuck up on by a foal, and the other foals eagerly took on the challenge of outwitting the dastardly duo.
The northerner foals, meanwhile, were inordinately fascinated by the pair of young farmers, as agriculture of any kind didn't really exist in the deep north. While they did forage plenty, the northern tribe didn't have any kind of arable land. Even the rather sparse tundra was fertile compared to the rocky islands that they inhabited, and the thought of growing your own food right next to your home instead of going out to forage far and wide was completely alien to them.
"So how do you actually make them grow?" Flurry Spinner asked. At least, Agate was reasonably sure that it was her.
"Make? We don't really... You know, "make" them grow. We plant the seeds, and the plants grow themselves. What we do need to do is to make sure that the soil is nice and fertilized, and that pests don't get to the vegetables," Autumn Ash replied.
"And that's it? They just... Sit there and grow?"
"Kind of? There's lots of other things we need to do if we want them to grow well, though. Bring the plants water, make sure they don't freeze if there's a snap cold, keep the fences maintained..."
"Huh. It sounded easy at first, but now I'm not sure if it's easier to do that all year, or just go out and catch yourself a fish."
After some more back and forth about their lives and daily activities in their respective regions, the conversation turned towards current events. All of the foals, Agate included, were curious about just what kind of monsters were prowling around Snowpitt. They debated whether to go out towards the outskirts and see if they could spot anything for a bit, before deciding to take part in a different tradition first.
"There's no guarantee we'd see something, though. I remember looking for hours and seeing nothing last year. Instead, let's go out and be the monsters ourselves! Heh heh," Spinning Flurry cackled, rubbing her hooves.
"Oooh, you want to go out and scare some ponies, right? Yeah, we can do that. It'd be nice to have more ponies on our team," Cindertail agreed, quickly running off towards his room.
The northern twins blinked in confusion while Autumn Ash went to a chest in a corner with a grin, opening it up and rummaging around. Moments later, she started pulling out various wooden objects. There was a wooden mask that sort of looked like a wolf (Or so Agate thought, she hadn't actually seen a wolf besides some pictures), two pairs of wooden boots with wooden claws attached to them, and a shaggy cloak. One by one, the filly equipped all of the items, turning towards the observers. Her expression was hidden behind the mask, and the way it was painted made her look fierce.
"Grrrrrrr."
Her growl could have used some work, though.
The two Flurries snerked, holding on to their muzzles with their hooves in an attempt not to burst out laughing. Autumn Ash snorted angrily behind her mask, whipping her tail around. Pinning her ears back, she dropped lower to the ground, as if preparing to pounce at the twins. At the same moment, Cindertail came back, sporting an almost identical costume. Noticing what his sister was doing, he took up an aggressive stance as well, managing to pull off a somewhat more impressive growl.
While the snowy fillies still weren't scared, they were certainly impressed. "That is so cool! Your disguises look really great! I wish we could have something like that."
"You don't have any? Why not? And how do you scare ponies?" Cindertail asked confusedly, lifting his mask up.
"We didn't want to bother our parents to make something for us, especially since we'd likely have to leave the things behind when we go back north. And our Mom has been... Busy with other things during the past few Callings," Flurry Spinner explained.
"And we couldn't think up anything better than what we already have, honestly. If we wore something, that'd just make us stand out. But with our coats, we can slink around completely unnoticed," Spinning Flurry elaborated.
"Hmmm. If we work as an easily-noticed distraction, and then you two set up an ambush in the snow somewhere nearby...." Autumn Ash trailed off, muttering under her breath.
The twin's eyes lit up. "Hey, that sounds great! Say, you're pretty good at planning this for someone that hasn't been out in the wilds."
The gray filly shrugged, but Agate saw that she was proud of the compliment. "I listen to a lot of stories. Come on, let's tell my Mom and let's go. Time's a-wasting."
The mare just gave them a good-natured eye roll and sent them on their way. Giggling nefariously, the group of five galloped through the village, eventually regrouping behind a small cluster of pines near a house. Glancing around, Flurry Spinner looked questioningly towards Cindertail and Autumn Ash.
"Alright, so, what's the best spot?"
"Huh? You told us you sneak up on ponies all the time, wouldn't you know better?" Cindertail asked, tilting his head.
"Yeah, but you actually live here, while we're just visiting, so you should know the area."
"Oh. Good point. Hmmm...."
While they were thinking, Agate took the chance to clarify some things. "Alright, so, I heard about this tradition, but I never did anything like this before. There's nothing like this... Celebration? Event? Back in the Empire. What's the goal, exactly?"
"Pretend to be monsters and scare ponies," One of the Flurries said. It was hard to tell them apart in the dark.
"And if they do get scared, they have to give us treats so we don't eat them," The other one added, amusement clear in her voice.
"And it's all to do with the monsters outside? Pretend to be like them so they don't eat you if they break in?"
"It's what the stories say," One filly shrugged. "I don't think you could actually fool a real monster with a disguise, but who knows. Lots of weird things turn out to be true."
"All right," Cindertail clopped his wooden-booted hooves together, getting their attention. "Autumn and I know a pretty good place, I think. There's a narrow place with a few pines near one house. A great cook lives there, and lots of ponies go there to trade food with him and get tasty stew. The narrow part is off the main path, though, so there's still traffic, but not too much. We should be able to sneak in there, and we shouldn't end up having to wait too long for someone to trot by. Let's go!"
The group took off again, dodging and weaving between the homes and the trees, doing their best to remain unnoticed. When they reached the aforementioned spot, the foals quickly scanned the area before choosing their positions. The wolf siblings hid behind the pine trees, doing their best to melt away in the gloom. The northern fillies, meanwhile, went up right next to the path in a spot that was completely exposed. They got to work immediately, digging through the snow and disguising themselves as a pair of fluffy snowdrifts. Once they were finished and closed their eyes, it was near impossible to tell that they were even there.
Agate bit her lip, unsure what to do. Since she never participated in anything like this, so she didn't really know how to spook ponies. Normally, her simply being a ghost would scare the living daylights out of any pony already, but the snowponies didn't care about that part at all. Eventually, she decided to hide and watch, hunkering down behind a small snowdrift a few steps back.
Cindertail's prediction was soon proven correct - the would-be ambushers didn't have to wait long. The foals saw a number of ponies passing by through the main path some distance away, and eventually, one of them peeled off and moved down the side path. It was a stallion, and he looked like a perfect target - his eyes were lidded and he was licking his lips contentedly, likely distracted by a recent meal in the cook's house.
He passed by the two buried fillies without so much as a glance towards them. As he approached the pine trees, the wolf duo let out quiet growls, shuffling in the snow. The stallion froze, one of his forelegs raised in the air, but didn't seem particularly concerned. Pivoting his ears, he turned his head towards the siblings just as they burst out from behind the trees, growling and barking.
Grinning. he swiped at one of the "wolves" with his foreleg, grabbing Cindertail by the midsection. "Ha! What's this, a little pup trying to threaten me? It'll take something far bigger than you to scare me, you know. I've eaten bigger fish than you for breakfast. In fact, if such a small-"
Whatever he was going to say next was interrupted by the twins springing into action. The fillies jumped from the snow, one of them stopping right behind their target as the other used her as a springboard, jumping off her back to land on the tall stallion's rear, bringing a flurry of snow and cold with her. Instead of yelling or growling, she let out a distorted nicker, mimicking the ghostly sounds that Agate heard the windigo make the day before. This had a far more pronounced effect on the pony, making him rear up and let go of Cindertail, shouting in surprise.
"BLASTED HATE SPIRITS! Back, you-" He jumped forward and spun around, looking at the scene with wide eyes.
The foals all sniggered smugly while the stallion assessed the situation. After a moment, he facehoofed, muttering something under his breath. The twin still on his back hopped off, trotting to join her comrades.
"Got too cocky too soon, looks like. Now you're going to get eaten, unless..."
"Yeah, yeah," The grumbling pony rolled his eyes, though he had his grin back. "Got a bit too relaxed here in the south, I suppose. Serves me right. All right, you little hellions, get over here and get your tribute. Little monsters," He snorted, pulling at a large necklace.
Instead of giving them treats, he gave them little shiny shells, carefully removing each one from his necklace. This was apparently a suitable prize, the foals happily taking the trinkets and stashing them in their manes or outfits. With another eye-roll and a wave, the stallion was off, the foals giggling and waving back. Curious, Agate approached the group, examining their prizes.
"It's... Almost like a gem, but... Not quite? Shiny, but... The colors are odd. Prismatic, even. Huh."
"You don't have seashells back in your lands?" Flurry asked.
"Not really. We don't have the sea back where I'm from," Agate shook her head.
Autumn Ash snorted. "We don't have them either, snowbrain! The northerners are the only tribe that lives by the sea!"
"Ooooh. Right."
After some light teasing and bickering, the group went back to planning more ambushes. Agate's participation, or a lack of it, was brought up. The filly insisted that she didn't want any prizes, as she had zero use for them, and said she was fine just watching. However, the rest of the foals were adamant on her at least joining in on the fun. Reluctantly, she agreed, but not before pointing out that she didn't really know how to scare anyone. No one actually saw pony spirits as threatening, after all.
"Right. That's a good question," Cindertail mused, adjusting his wolf mask.
"Stare at them," Flurry Spinner suggested.
"Huh?" Agate tilted her head.
"Don't say anything. Don't move. Just stand there. Menacingly."
"Oookay..."
It took them a little bit to think of a few more scenarios, but soon, they were ready to go again. Moving a little further down the path, they took up positions again, slightly differently this time. Agate was standing a small distance off to the side, while the twins were buried right next to the path. The wolves were in the reserve this time, hiding behind a boulder further away.
This time, their victim was a teenaged colt. He was far more lively than the stallion, moving at a quick trot. Noticing Agate standing there, he raised an eyebrow, nodding at her in greetings. When she didn't react, he frowned, slowing down at first, and then stopping completely.
"Um, greetings, wise spirit. Am I interrupting something? Should I turn back?" He inquired, to no reaction from Agate.
Looking a tiny bit nervous now, he glanced around. Everything was quiet and calm, so he turned back to the ghostly filly. Trying to follow her gaze, he scanned the snow, squinting at the shapes.
"Someone there...?" Me muttered, looking straight at a hidden Flurry Spinner and not seeing her.
Meanwhile, Spinning Flurry shuffled a bit closer to him, approaching from the opposite side her sister was hiding in. Ears cocked, he whirled around, scanning the snow. The filly froze immediately, only for her sister to start approaching the colt, making only the tiniest sounds as she shifted across the snow. Turning around again, the colt scanned the snow furiously, but still couldn't see the hidden filly in the dark. Turning towards Agate, he gulped nervously.
"W-what's going on here?"
Agate slightly tilted her head sideways in a questioning manner, still not saying a word. The colt raised a foreleg in preparation to move, only for more shuffling sounds to come from both sides. Eyes wide, he froze, not sure which way to look. As the shuffling got closer, he shot one last look towards Agate. That turned out to be a mistake.
"Aaaaieee!"
Spinning Flurry got close enough to him to nip at his heels, making the colt jump up in fright. Flurry Spinner moved in closer, the motion at his peripheral vision making the colt run instinctively. Galloping a short way away, he still tried turning around and seeing just what was it that nibbled at his leg, but that was cut short by Autumn Ash and Cindertail, howling and jumping out from behind the boulder. That was too much for the colt, and he galloped away, not looking back.
"Ahahahahah! Did you see his face?!"
The situation was the most amusing to the northern twins, who both collapsed right back in the snow, holding on to their bellies and giggling uncontrollably. The ashen siblings chuckled as well, though they were slightly disappointed at the lack of tribute. Agate approached the giggling fillies, still glancing in the direction the colt ran away.
"What's with the staring thing, anyway? How'd you know that would work?"
"Some - heh heh, some animals do that, apparently. Our Mom taught us about it. Some take staring at them as a challenge, and will attack you immediately. Others, however, will attack you if you look away, as they take it as a sign of fear. It's different, and you have to know how to act around them. And there's some monsters that can pretend to be ponies, but they're almost never able to talk properly. If a pony doesn't greet you back, you should immediately be very, very suspicious. Every foal gets taught that, and if you stay silent like you did, it really raises their hackles."
"I see..."
The group kept their scaring spree up for a few more hours, with various results. Some ponies got startled right away, others chuckled at whichever pair of siblings jumped at them first, but got spooked by the second pair waiting in the wings. Not every attempt was a success, but in the end, they did get a bunch of sweet berries, nuts, and a few more shiny trinkets from the amused adults.
Eventually, they got tired, though they were plenty satisfied with all of their prizes. Before parting ways for the day, they decided to go take a look at tundra, making for the village outskirts. As they got close, the Flurry twins tried to sneak up on one of the sentries, but he didn't so much as blink before effortlessly yanking one out of the snow, tossing her on top of her sister with a soft *floompf*.
"Dang it... These guys are too good."
Agate and the other two giggled at the fillies as they untangled themselves. Climbing on a rampart, they scanned the tundra, looking for monsters. Nothing was immediately visible, but they were content to sit and wait for a while, catching their breaths after all of the excitement.
After sitting for some time and chatting about small things, they heard some kind of cracking sound from far away. Eagerly turning their eyes in the direction it came from, they were disappointed when the tundra remained empty. Cocking their ears, they listened intently, trying to catch more sounds.
Nothing visible appeared, but they did hear something. What it was, it was nigh impossible to tell - it wasn't a roar, a wail, a shriek, a neigh, a growl, a howl, or any kind of other sounds usually associated with living creatures. Rather, it was almost like the sound of a rockslide, some kind of deep, rumbling noise that kept going for an unusually long time. A few moments after it started, the ponies could feel the vibrations in the ground. It really felt like a rockslide, and yet, it came from a patch of perfectly flat tundra. The sentry that previously caught the Flurries frowned, looking in the direction it came from.
"What... What was that?" Agate asked, her eyes wide.
"No clue," Spinning Flurry muttered, swallowing nervously. The other foals remained silent.
Agate bit her lip, wondering. Putting her hooves on the edge of the wall, she squinted into the dark, trying to see something with her spirit sight. Despite her best efforts, though, she wasn't able to make out any sort of shapes or creatures.
"I wonder if I could take a look... Not like anything can hurt me now, right?"
The other foals all looked at her, their eyes wide. Though they seemed fascinated by the suggestion, the sentry spoke up, shaking his head slowly. "I'm not sure if that's the best idea, little traveler."
Agate was surprised by the warning. "Really? Why? I've been told that spirits do this kind of stuff all the time, scouting ahead to see if there's any danger. I did it too, on a few trips. Is there something out there that can actually... Hurt a spirit?"
The stallion held his breath for a moment before slowly exhaling. "Simply put, we don't know for sure. There are stories, about how shamare spirits and other guardians went off to fight windigoes that were harassing their villages. Though they weren't exactly hurt, they did come back... Diminished. Most animals and monsters can't touch a spirit, sure. But creatures like windigoes? They're spirits themselves, and they know how to be spirits better than we do. And the Calling, well..."
The stallion trailed off, looking towards the tundra. No more sounds came from the plains, nothing but the whistle of the wind and the gentle susurrations of the snow being blown about. The foals glanced outside, but almost immediately went back to staring at the stallion with curious eyes. Seeing that they weren't going to give up, he continued, smiling faintly.
"Do you know what our biggest problem here is? What is the main reason for my warning for your spirit friend not to go out there?" At the foal's negative shakes of their heads, he went on. "Our problem is that we have no idea of where in the world these unknown creatures come from. Sure, some of the things we recognize - windigoes, even the occasional floewolf, other nasties that we deal with in the north. But the rest of them, the things we can hear but not see, of which we only sometimes find tracks, and even then we can't make heads or tails of them? No. Idea. At first, it was thought that they come from somewhere in the deep north, but over the centuries, as we kept pushing further and further north, we never encountered anything like them. Ever.
So, the ritual, the one that summons the spirits of our kin - and spirits of all kinds, like windigoes. What else does it summon? From where? There are tales the shamares tell, of great spiritual realms where spirits roam free and there's little to no matter - opposite reflections of our own world, where the Earth and the Sky reign supreme, the spirits flitting about, most of them having little to no power over the physical world. What would the spirits of those other realms be like? Could they hunt other spirits for sustenance, like creatures hunt each other here? I do not know, but if those spirits truly get attracted here by the Calling, then I would say that it is better not to find out."
Agate took a long look at the sentry. He was a stout northerner, judging by the necklace of seashells that was popular in his tribe. Two light spears hung by his side, a thicker and bigger one resting against the ice wall. A thick cloak adorned his neck and back, and he wore some kind of protective leggings. He didn't seem afraid, and given the stories that she had been hearing from the other northerners, the fact that such a pony was telling her not to go out and face whatever monster was out there making those noises made her take him seriously. Her expression likewise serious, she nodded slowly, the sentry nodding back.
"As the saying goes, some things are better left unknown. I cannot order you, of course, but that is my advice," The stallion said, going back to scanning the horizon.
"I suppose not every mystery needs to be solved," Agate agreed, sitting back down on the rampart.
❅ ❆ ❅
Time passed, as time tends to do. Agate spent the days talking and listening, mostly, with the occasional team-up to spook more ponies, with a couple hours spent observing the tundra afterwards. The twin Flurries and the ashen farmer foals became fast friends, clearly enjoying their success at combining their talents and working together.
The noises coming from the tundra slowly subsided, the creatures that were prowling the plains likely either going back to wherever they came from, or getting devoured by whichever one of them was the strongest and the biggest. A week after the Song was performed, everything was more or less back to normal in the village, which almost made Agate forget that, technically, the Calling wasn't actually finished until the lost spirits showed up. Which they did.
Agate was trotting down one of the many snowy paths in Snowpitt, idly thinking about all the things that she learned so far. She kept listening to all kinds of crazy stories from the northerners, which, one day, made her realize that she actually hadn't properly talked to a pony from the western tribe at all, or heard any of their history.
The realization struck her as odd. She simply found a good part of the stories that she listened to randomly, while trotting through the village. Various poets, elders, singers, and other kinds of storytellers would sit around with groups of listeners that Agate would join, if the story interested her. Even by chance, she should have come across a storyteller from the western tribe by then... Right?
She was shaken out of her thoughts by a pony galloping right by her, going towards the village center. Blinking in surprise, she froze, looking at the pony's rapidly disappearing form. It looked like a mare, her hurried hoofsteps sending up small sprays of snow with each step, something which was uncommon for snowponies. Looking around, she saw more ponies heading in the same direction, whispering about something. Moving noiselessly through the snow, she turned to follow, her ears up and alert. Moments later, the reason was made clear as the filly overheard a couple talking in low voices.
"Yes, they are finally here. Took them a whole week, but I heard that it sometimes takes the northerner spirits even longer, if they lose their direction. They really spread out far from Snowpitt, haven't they? A whole week, as a spirit..."
It wasn't hard to guess just who "they" were. The lost spirits of the northern explorers finally made their way back to Snowpitt. Eager to see the conclusion to the week-long event (and kind of curious to see other pony spirits), Agate sped off towards the ceremonial grounds.
Reaching the clearing, she stopped to take in the sight. The usual suspects were there, along with some other ponies. A bunch of shamares were crowded near the firepit, the fire stoked and burning merrily with fresh lumber. Besides the shamares, though, the northerner's chieftain was there as well, along with some ponies Agate didn't recognize. The four spirits were mixed in with the second group, talking with the unfamiliar ponies. Agate started approaching them to listen in, but stopped halfway when she saw a pair of the ponies hug one spirit, sniffling sadly.
One of the shamares saw her, waving her over. Trotting to her side, Agate circled the other group of ponies, joining the shamares near the firepit. The one that called her was young and unfamiliar, likely one of the visitors from the other tribes. Looking the filly over, she raised her eyebrows.
"Have you felt the call, little one? Come to join your kin in the serene quiet and cold of the final resting grounds?"
"Uh, not really. I never saw the Calling before, and I wanted to see how it ended. Also, I'm pretty sure that my kin aren't in the resting grounds of your tribes. Even if all ponies go to the same place, I think that my family's still alive."
"Are you certain, young spirit? I have heard of your plight, you know. Your promise to find your family again, no matter how long it takes. That is a great burden to bear for someone so young. There's no shame in following nature's path and going to your rest. You will meet your family there in the end," The mare spoke in a soothing voice, gesturing towards the firepit.
"Nope," Agate replied, plopping her butt on the ground. "I'm good."
"Oh."
The mare looked a bit put out at Agate's reply, uncertain what to do next. The other shamares, who had been silently watching the little exchange, all sniggered quietly, some of them shaking their heads with small smiles. The young one pursed her lips, but didn't say anything. Eventually, True Sight spoke up, still trying to contain her chuckles.
"Good try, youngling, but this one's will is stronger than some of the mares in this gathering. It'll take more than that to dissuade her from her goal. Keep talking to spirits when you can, though. It's good experience."
"Yes, elder," The mare muttered quietly.
Things went silent again, the only sounds in the clearing being the crackling of the fire and the low conversation between the spirits and the group of ponies. From how they were acting, Agate assumed that they were the families of the ponies that perished, and the chieftain was there to receive their final reports of just what they managed to discover and what killed them in the end. While she was curious about their discoveries, the filly didn't want to be rude and eavesdrop on personal family matters.
As they were talking, the clearing slowly filled up with other ponies that heard of the spirit's return. Like Agate, they too remained quiet, sitting down at a respectful distance from the group. There weren't nearly as many ponies there as when they were singing the Song, but still far too many for all of them to be family members. Most likely, they were tribesfolk, there to pay their respects to the brave pioneers.
It took some time, but eventually, the conversations wound down. There was a moment of silence as the group stared at each other, before the spirits gave a few last hugs to their families. Letting go, a couple of the spirits went towards the firepit, the shamares parting for them. Agate watched them with wide eyes, her curiosity and fascination burning.
The first one was an old stallion, from what she could tell. His face was wrinkled, and his coat bore many scars. His expression was entirely content, though, like the satisfied look of a pony going to rest after a long day's work. He stopped with his forehooves just inside the fire, the tongues of flame passing right through him. Raising a foreleg, he tried caressing the flames, a small smile on his face.
The next one seemed younger, and a bit more troubled. Though his steps were sure, he didn't appear very happy about the situation, which Agate found entirely understandable. Stopping right next to the fire, he stuck a foreleg right next to the coals, looking at it sadly.
"Can't feel a thing," He muttered. "No heat. No warmth. Just faint echoes of familiar sensations."
"Yes. It is over, lad. You are dead, as am I," The older stallion replied, looking sideways at him. "No more cold, either. No more pain. No more joy, and no more sadness. You did your duty. You knew the risks when you went out there with us."
"So I did... So I did."
"Let it go," One of the shamares said. "Do not think of the things left undone. You have earned your rest. Your kin will follow in your hoofsteps, carrying the flame forward. It is brave ponies like you that make sure it happens at all."
The stallion nodded slowly, looking at the fire with a faraway look. The older spirit turned back towards the fire as well, letting out a long sigh and looking towards the heavens. He stepped into the fire fully, his ethereal form getting obscured by the smoke and the tendrils of flame. Agate blinked in surprise, watching the process intently. He stood there for a good minute, not moving or reacting in any other way. Then, he reared up, and galloped away - not on the ground, but upwards, towards the sky, seemingly using the smoke itself as a ladder of some kind.
Slack-jawed, Agate watched him go. The younger stallion watched him too, craning his neck upwards. The spirit's form was already hard to notice sometimes, and before long, the galloping stallion became indistinguishable in the hazy sky, lost between the smoke and the faint aurora still coloring the edges of the heavens. The filly could have sworn she saw some faint motion going towards the moon briefly, but it was gone soon.
And that was it. Just like that, he was gone.
The younger one, instead of following his example, went back to gazing at the fire. The third spirit joined him, looking at the glowing coals contemplatively. Before Agate could take a good look at him, he jumped into the fire as well, not bothering to wait and think. He didn't look back, galloping fiercely and quickly, vanishing into the sparkling heavens. After watching him disappear, the hesitant stallion went back to gazing at the flames, not moving from his spot.
"Do you wish to remain? To become a guardian for your tribe?" One of the northerner shamares asked.
The stallion turned his ears, but otherwise didn't show any sign that he heard the question. After unblinkingly staring into the fire for a few more minutes, he slowly shook his head. "No... No, I don't think so. I greatly respect those that choose to stay on, and to make sure that their kin continue living their lives the best they can. But... I loved life, and now... Well, this isn't it. I feel nothing any more. It's like the old colt said, I'm dead. It's just... A little hard to take in, you know? Heh," He chuckled mirthlessly.
"And yet, you're not quite honest. You don't feel nothing. Something is still weighing you down to the mother Earth, keeping you away from the almighty Sky's embrace. Otherwise, you would be weightless, free, like the spirits before you. What binds you to this world still, brave explorer?"
He kept silent for a while again, mulling over something. Eventually, he raised his eyes, muttering quietly. "I feel like I failed. That I'm a disappointment."
Several shamares shook their heads. "No. There is no failure or dishonor on your part. You bravely ventured forth, to make sure your tribe and your kin had places to live, to learn of the dangers surrounding you, to secure their future. Your duty is done. Go now. Be at peace."
"Have I?" Instead of looking at the shamares giving him advice, he looked back towards where Long Stride, the northerner's chieftain was standing. The large stallion nodded firmly, his expression solemn. After lingering a moment longer, he shrugged, looking back towards the fire. "Well, I did want to meet my great-grandfather for the longest time... The stories my grandparents told me about him..." He muttered, stepping forward with a small, genuine, if slightly crooked, smile.
Agate kept watching, only turning her gaze away when someone came up right next to her. Looking up, she saw the fourth and final spirit, looking at her curiously. He looked youthful, with an easygoing smile and a relaxed expression. His eyes darted towards the bonfire briefly, making Agate look as well. The indecisive stallion was gone, all without making a sound. Chuckling, the final spirit shook his head.
"Well, it looks like it's time for my final adventure. Or is it? No one really knows what happens after you leave, after all. Who knows... I might have a great many adventures yet. Will you take the plunge someday, too?" He mused, taking a step forward.
"Good luck," Agate breathed, watching him. "I still have things to do down here. Someday, maybe. But not today. Not until I find my family, and my tribe."
"Yes... The strange foreign spirit. I heard about you, I think. Never did hear your story, though. Shame. It was one of the things I was looking forward to this winter. Your arrival was the most interesting thing to happen in centuries. So many things left unknown, so many places unexplored."
"I could... Tell you? If you're really interested," Agate suggested tentatively.
The stallion looked intrigued by the idea, glancing at the shamares. True Sight shrugged, waving him off. "Best not to leave anything unfinished, or you will not be able to pass on in peace. Go on, colt. Sit down and listen, if you're so eager to hear her story. I am certain she will indulge you."
With a wide smile, the colt lay down next to the firepit, looking at Agate eagerly. She rubbed her chin for a moment, remembering the previous times she told her story to the snowponies. Nodding slowly, she began the familiar routine.
"My name is Agate. I come from a tribe that are called "crystal ponies". We live - lived - south from here, in a valley past the mountain range..."