//------------------------------// // Yakyakistan // Story: The Slumber of Gaia // by Khenlos //------------------------------// Many times, you can find others that question your ability to make judgment on something that you may not have enough knowledge to have an informed opinion… but sometimes it’s just basic common sense, and that’s something that hardly anyone can argue against. I find myself often in these situations, and when the yak capital was on our sights, I was pretty sure it was not the prettiest place. Calling it a primitive and confusing pile of wooden houses would be an understatement. I was able to spot some debris around the place and by the looks of it they look like dilapidated tables made of wood. Well… I should not be surprised. “We are almost there. We know there is not much up in the north but we thought that this was a place to visit before we travel to warmer latitudes,” explained Twilight as she bundled herself with a lot of winter gear, “Are you not going to put something on, Gaia? It’s really cold right now.” Would you look at that! It’s getting pretty nippy… and these creatures live here? Maybe this destructive behavior is to keep the body moving and warm. I think that most of the animals back home would die here without any protection. “I think that I’ll manage, dear. I’ve been out in space harvesting the ice asteroids that pass near my home planet, so I think that some chilly weather would be no issue,” I said, making her pullout her trusty notepad. I need to ask Luna about that. It seems like a useful spell to learn! “Are you sure? I’ll be more relaxed if you had some clothing on you. I don’t want you to catch a cold or worse,” she simply stated with worry in her eyes. I just nuzzled her with a smile. “I’ll be fine, dear. While this is one of the coldest places I’ve ever been, a feat that it’s not easily achieved I might add, I’m not without ways to make myself comfortable,” I told her, earning a spooked look from her, “Don’t be alarmed, little Twilight. I’ll not change the local biome just because it’s a bit cold outside for ponies! No, no… Sometimes one must be flexible and adapt!” “What do you mean? You can’t change what you are, not even changelings can, just on a superficial level,” questioned the bookish pony. She was not wrong though! But she missed one little point, and who can blame her? These days we all learned so many things that sometimes just slip under our noses. “Ah, but here’s the thing, my young pony: This body of mine can change a little bit without being a complete reflection of what’s going on at home. My planet self and my body don’t have that level of synchronicity,” I explained to her as I extended my wings just a bit in preparation, making her look at me with a dumbfounded expression, “That being said, you need to remember that there were some glacial events back home, and as the dinosaurs gained plumage and hair to protect themselves against the cold…” just a little push and… Last time it didn’t make a sound, but I am pleasantly surprised to hear a somewhat loud ‘poof’ sound when my feathers and coat suddenly got fluffier and snuggly. Oddly enough I also gained a weight on my back, and by how it was giggling it could only be one thing. “I am not your pillow, young Pinkie. Come one, time to go down.” “No! You are so fluffy and warm! I’ll hide between your wings and I’ll be all snuggly!” the pink party pony said, not wanting to move out. Twilight was between surprised and giggling herself, but she managed to get her laughter under control and move Pinkie with her magic. “Come one Pinkie, you have to get dressed, unless you can do what Gaia just did,” she mirthfully said with a small smile. “Oh poo, you are right! I’ll be right back!” said Pinkie before disappearing in an instant. Unfortunately it made me the sole focus of the book princess, taking notes on my now thicker disposition. “Now I remember that Prometheus was born during a ice age, right? I think I’ve read it on one of the notes at least,” she said, moving pages of another notepad at great speed, “but I can see the family resemblance right now! At least your mane doesn’t fall over your eyes.” “Indeed! Good memory, little Twilight!” I said while messing her mane a bit, “We lived through several ice ages and while Prometheus can’t change his, I learned how to emulate his thick winter coat… and now I’m ready for our energetic friends down at ground level, right?” I asked her as I was making my coat and wings a bit more presentable. I don’t want to look as if I got out of a dryer after all! “I suppose so. I’m sure it seems capable of providing enough insulation…” she said, looking unsure at my coat. It was at this moment that Luna decided to rise from the dead and wake up from a small nap, yawning a bit before looking at me with a very surprised expression. We stood for what seemed like minutes looking at each other before she closed the door, leaving me and Twilight confused and looking at each other, silently asking what’s going on to each other. Soon enough Luna emerged again with a more serene expression, her eyes examining me from horn to hoof. “I see you are already prepared for the arctic temperatures of Yakyakistan,” she stated, stopping in front of me. I just ruffled my wings as I checked my body and legs. “Why, it seems I am, dear Luna.” I said, making her eyes track my movements as she had now a conflicted expression. “I-I see. Well, I’ll go for my winter tunic then. I’ll see you all once we arrive. Until then…” she finished, walking away in a hurry. Twilight just chuckled at the lunar princess’ antics. “What? What did I miss?” I asked, confused. Twilight just shook her head. “Nothing truly important, Gaia. I’ll check my saddlebags before touching down in Yakyakistan. Be sure to not forget anything!” I think I’m missing something really funny, but I suppose it’s just another of those things that little ponies know. Oh well, I suppose it’s not really that important. Luna was having one of the strangest days of her life, and that’s counting the last few days with her odd alicorn companion. After managing to not squeal when Gaia just decided to go and turn her already long coat into a fluffy and adorable one, she thought that maybe her diplomatic expertise was going to be required between Gaia and the yaks, but she was actually welcomed by an energic prince Rutherford and a doting shaman that was completely taken by the green and now fluffy alicorn. The three were having a very animated conversation between themselves and their laughter could be heard from every table at the great hall. There were some broken things, as expected, but far less than all ponies expected coming from their rowdy hosts. “You know, it’s strange but I’ve seen a similar reaction from a zebra friend of mine that lives in the Everfree,” Twilight said as she calmly observed the loud group from a distance with the night princess. “Truly? Gaia didn’t know our language back then. How was your zebra friend able to communicate with her?” questioned Luna. “Not very well, but I still remember that Zecora told us that Gaia was a spirit of nature and she offered some plants to her after explaining to us about her tribe’s beliefs,” Twilight explained before taking a small sip of hot cocoa that the ponies brought with them, “I don’t know how, but she was able to just felt what Gaia was before any of us and I can’t explain if it’s something regarding her affinity with nature but… I wonder if creatures that are connected with nature and the spirit world like the yak shaman over there and Zecora back home are able to perceive something that we don’t” she concluded, her expression marred by a frown as she thought about the issue. “There are vast fields of mystical arts that the ponies don’t dabble in. It can be because of fear or just by overlooking them, but they are often forgotten and go unknown by the general population. Even back before my banishment we used to look at other species’ beliefs and knowledge with disdain, as if they were not worth our time,” Luna told the young princess as she was overlooking the ponies of the expedition and the yaks just mingling and having a good time,” Even some of the traditional arts known by ponykind have been lost to time. Probably a well-trained pony can be able to sense what these creatures can,” Luna concluded, looking back at Twilight with curiosity, “Now that I think about it, Gaia mentioned that you were able to use some basic level of her powers thanks to her little experiment. Do you feel anything different since you started to work on the little planet?” “I am not sure. I managed once to see something after the oddest communing with nature and see the life energy around us… but it was just a brief moment, and Gaia told me that I should not see for too long or I could lose myself,” the bookish princess said, thinking about her experiences since that day, “I think something is at the back of my mind after that experience. I can feel the motherly aura that Gaia radiates and not just metaphorically speaking! I think I can get a feel of creatures that are very close to me, like you for example,” she told her fellow princess, making Luna blink in surprise. “How so? Please, elaborate,” Luna asked, while a loud crash was heard as Gaia, Rutherford and the shaman were, after reaching some sort of accord, smashing the table and dancing over it while smashing it. Suddenly Pinkie also joined them in the traditional yak activity. “You give a cool and calming aura that reminds me of the night, and that wasn’t something I was able to feel before. Pinkie also gives me this energetic and bubbly feel when she’s around. I think that’s one of the ways that Gaia feels the world around her, you know? But just at a much grander scale,” Twilight explained over the loud laughing of Gaia’s defunct table. “I suppose is just one of the things we need to investigate at a later date,” the moon princes simply replied, taking a sip of her own hot beverage. Gaia then happily trotted towards them and plopped down on her table, “So you decided that smashing things yak-style was worth in the end?” Luna asked with a smirk, making Gaia chuckle. “I still think it’s a waste, dear Luna. I just decided to be polite after they gave me such a warm welcome and explained their traditions to me. Do you know that they thought I was General Winter coming for a visit?” she told the equestrian ponies with a laugh, making them chuckle as well. “That’s silly, but I suppose that for a species that lives between the tundra and the arctic north nature it’s just the sight of perennial winter,” Twilight rationalized, nodding to herself and taking notes. “They seem to be very respectful of what they can get from nature though. They told me that they take special care to use some seeds to expand some of the plants that they eat. They also provide safe haven to small critters that hide under them so everyone wins!” Gaia happily told them, before picking up a mug of hot chocolate with her magic, albeit with no grace whatsoever and spilling some of it on the table and ground, “I found curious about the General Winter thing though. It seems that it’s a common development for societies to create personifications of things that they can’t control,” she said before sipping the hot cocoa. “There is a similar ‘pony’ on the trichordian folklore?” Twilight asked, curious about knowing the aliens that used to live on Gaia’s world. Gaia laughed at the question, spilling cocoa on her. “They are not creative enough to think about that, dear. Still…” Gaia said, cleaning the cocoa on her coat. “Still?” pressed the purple pony princess. “When one fights under extreme weather they tend to blame nature is taking part on the fight. I earned the nickname of General Winter back home after a extremely bad planned campaign that happened on the northern continent about two thousand years ago,” Gaia calmly explained, making the equestrian princesses look at her in astonishment. “You… you need to tell me all about that,” Twilight said in a low voice, and also making Luna finally snap out of it. “General Winter? Seriously?” she simply asked to the older mare. “What can I say? It’s not my fault that I had a slight planetary cool down already in progress. They had advisors telling them not to march during winter…” Gaia said before pouting at the night princess. “Oh! It makes me think about Celestia’s title of ‘The Unrelenting Sun’ after a series of skirmishes against some mercenaries that attacked Equestria four hundred years ago!” Twilight suddenly said, making Luna look at her again with a surprised expression. “I really need to get updated on historical events. When I think I’ve already got everything covered something comes up and tells me I missed a bit,” Luna lamented, groaning and resting her face on the table. “Hear hear!” Gaia said, before slamming the table, making the ponies stumble and fall forwards by the sudden lack of support, and making the yaks laugh and celebrate the energy of the big mare, “So, there will be a traditional yak dance after lunch. Would you like to join me? It will be fun!” The equestrian ponies groaned in response as they tried to tell what just happened and trying to get up from the now destroyed table, much to the amusement of both the locals and entourage alike.