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The next time Agate woke up, she decided to stay in "bed" for a while longer. Earthsong said she'd come to get her, so the filly decided to wait instead of getting up. She took the opportunity to explore more of the curious sensations the totem pole made her feel.
There was that feel of flow, like a faint breeze. Or warm water in a bath. It made her feel relaxed, but she deliberately fought it to focus on where it was coming from. It led her downwards, to the strange, branching limbs sunk into the ground. They weren't hers, yet at the same time, she could sort of feel them.
Roots.
It must have been part of the enchantment. She recalled Gnarled Root's story, and the ritual when they made her own totem pole. They poured a bunch of things into the pit dug in the ground, bound the roots with strings and ropes, and buried them in the earth. So this was how trees felt, sort of? It wasn't too bad, but only because she knew she could get out and move any time. Spending all her time half-asleep didn't sound very fun.
"I don't think I'd like to be a tree..."
A knock brought her out of her thoughts, reverberating through the totem pole. Opening her totem-eyes, she saw Earthsong standing next to her abode. Closing her eyes again, she jumped forward, landing noiselessly on the ground.
"Morning, Earthsong."
"Good morning, Agate. Are you ready to go?"
The filly briefly considered the question. Was there even something she needed to do? Not like she could brush her teeth or comb her mane to look more presentable.
"As ready as I'll ever be, I think. Let's go."
The mare nodded, turning northwards. Agate trailed along, lost in her thoughts. She wondered where Gnarled Root was. It was probably too late to go look for her now. She did promise to be there though, so maybe she just went straight to the Hall.
The two trotted along quietly, neither of them speaking. It was a little unusual. Earthsong usually talked to Agate about something, but perhaps that was simply because she wanted to teach the filly their language. Now that she considered it, Agate didn't know at all whether Earthsong was a chatty pony or not.
There were far more ponies out and about that day, and they all seemed to be going in the same direction. Some of them noticed Agate and whispered to each other in hushed voices, obviously excited. They didn't try to talk to her, but they did turn to follow her from a respectful distance. By the time they reached the Great Hall, they acquired quite a crowd trailing in their wake.
The huge double doors were open, sounds of chatter coming out of the building. Ponies of all ages and sizes were entering in small groups. Earthsong turned towards Agate, giving her an encouraging smile. The filly smiled back, trying to keep calm. She could handle doing talks in front of her class, but she never enjoyed it. She always tensed up her muscles so much that it left her shivering afterwards. Learning was fun, but having to "prove" that you learned something while the teachers poked and prodded you was annoying.
Even though this was far bigger and more important than her class, for some reason, it was easier for Agate to keep her composure this time. Maybe because she couldn't feel her heart frantically beating in her chest any more. Or tense up her muscles. She went through the doors, examining the interior of the huge structure.
There were three stories there, sort of. The reason she could see all three was that the upper two levels were more like extra-wide balconies, with the middle space left open. Likely so that everyone on every floor could hear the discussions and stories. Her previous comparison to a longhouse was accurate, as it was much longer than it was wide, not that it's width wasn't impressive. A pair of stairwells on both her left and right led to the upper floors. A number of windows dotted the walls, though most of them were closed. The floor was made of wood, with some rather nice looking rugs placed around the central area. Tables and chairs were arranged on the sides, with a rather impressive firepit made of large stones set roughly in the middle of the Hall.
A fire was crackling in the firepit, which obscured what was behind it. Making her way towards the other end of the building, Agate expected to see some kind of throne or platform, where this "chieftain" would be sitting imposingly over his people. However, that didn't turn out to be the case at all. There was a tiny, barely noticeable patch of floor that was slightly higher than the rest of the building, with a large rug laid out on it. A large stallion - though probably just slightly above average size for the snowponies - sat there, watching their approach.
Agate tried to remember her talk to True Sight before yesterday. She said his name was Frostbeard. He did have a rather impressive beard, though it didn't look frosty. It was a light chestnut color, along with his mane. His coat was a very light gray, with darker patches around his hooves and muzzle. He wasn't armed, though he did look like he could wrestle a yeti if the need arose. His eyes were sharp too, examining Agate intently.
"Good morning, chieftain," Earthsong spoke, stopping a few steps from the rug. There was no bowing, kneeling, curtseying, or scores of titles, either. Agate only knew tiny bits and pieces of how to behave around the royals, but even from what little she knew, the snowponies really did do things very differently.
"Good morning, Earthsong", the stallion nodded to the mare with a wry smile. "I would ask who is it that you brought before me, but I'm already aware that our guest has been residing in our village for a month now. And yet you bring her for me to greet only now? Are you trying to make me look like a bad host?" Much like Spear Throw, his voice was deep, rumbling, like the creaking of ice in winter.
Earthsong rolled her eyes. Agate tried not to smile. Between True Sight and now Frostbeard, it looked like the ponies in charge liked to tease Earthsong a lot. Or maybe all of the snowpony leaders were smartflanks. Meanwhile, the chieftain continued. "I jest, of course. I am well aware she wouldn't have understood a word I said back then. Now, though..." He turned towards Agate, getting up from the rug, towering over the little spirit.
"We open our doors and tend our hearths for you, guest of far away," he rumbled, swinging his foreleg in a wide gesture across the Hall. "I would offer you our warmth, but alas, I see that it is too late for that. Fortunately, I am aware that the shamares took care of providing you with a place to rest.
Now, as I'm sure you know, we never met any of your people before. Usually, any pony that perishes in the wilderness and makes their way back here warns their kin of what befell them. You, however, hold knowledge far more important and wondrous than that. I am aware that you are young, yet I'm certain that even what little you've learned so far would change our understanding of the world significantly. Would you do us the honor of sharing your wisdom?"
Agate nodded slowly, digesting all of the things that the chieftain said. It was strange, being addressed as some wise old pony traveler from far away. Foals didn't really get treated as having "wisdom".
"Yes, chieftain. Your ponies saved me and took me in. Telling them what I know seems like the least I could do."
Frostbeard nodded, moving away from the rug. "Then the floor is yours. Everyone is eager to start, I'm certain, but let's make sure that there's no more stragglers coming in." He moved away, making his way towards the double doors.
Agate glanced at Earthsong, who nodded to the filly. Slowly, she made her way onto the rug. looking all around. There were ponies everywhere, peeking from the balconies, sitting on the chairs, or just lounging on the floor around the firepit. Some were still finding their seats, while others were well prepared, with snacks and mugs of steaming drinks on hoof. Earthsong went away towards the firepit, where True Sight was sitting with another old mare. Agate hadn't seen her before, though judging from a number of amulets and trinkets on her neck and mane, she was a shamare as well. Curious.
A heavy thud echoed through the Hall. Raising her eyes up, Agate saw that Frostbeard had shut the doors, and was walking towards her. "I believe that is everyone that wanted to come," he proclaimed, his voice cutting through the quiet murmur of conversations ponies were having. Everyone quieted down, turning their eyes towards the spirit. The chieftain found a spot between her and the firepit, laying down and nodding to the filly. She bit her lip, wondering where to start.
After a few moments of composing herself, she began. "Hello, everyone. I'm sure all of you heard of me by now, though you probably don't actually know anything about me. My name is Agate. I am a pony from far away, across the southern mountain range. I am not a snowpony, either. My people are called "crystal ponies". I know the word "crystal" doesn't mean anything to you. You call the things "spirit stones". It's not the best translation, but it's as close as I can get.
My nation - my tribe, I guess you'd call it - is called the Crystal Empire. As you might have guessed, crystals - or spirit stones, if you prefer - are very important to us. It's what we use to build our homes, how we express our magic, it's what we're made of. Sort of. We're not really made of them, but we look like we are."
The news that they were made of crystal caused a small stir across the crowd. Some craned their necks, trying to get a closer look at the filly's shimmering coat. While she lost her hope and her luster in her run from Sombra, spending the time with the snowponies brought the shine back to her eyes and coat, even if it was harder to see now that she was a spirit.
"There is a great city, in the center of our tribe's lands, where most of us live. Beyond the mountains, there is a large circular valley, surrounded by even more mountains on every side, except for one narrow pass southwards. There's a number of outlying settlements and mining encampments as well, but the vast majority of us live in the Imperial City. It has stood there since ancient times, even before the great Windigo winter, though the current buildings have all been built long after it."
The mention of windigoes made some ponies' ears perk up. "I could just tell you about myself, but half of the things wouldn't make any sense without context. I... Don't know the ancient histories very well, but I'll try to remember as much as I can. Ours is not the only pony tribe your people have never met. There's a great amount of ponies, even more kinds and tribes that you never saw or heard about, that live even further south from the Empire. Earth ponies, pegasi, unicorns...
As the story goes, all ponies used to live in Dream Valley - the same valley the Empire is in - since the very first generation. It was lush, warm and green. It was so long ago that no one knows what happened, but over time, different ponies started to dislike each other. They grouped up into three separate tribes, and became outright hostile to others. Maybe there wasn't enough space in the valley any more, or maybe there were other reasons. Either way, it kept getting worse and worse.
Until one winter, when things got really bad. The winter would not end. Ponies were starving and freezing. No plants grew, and fuel was being used up in alarming amounts. Naturally, the tribes all blamed each other, unknowingly making things worse. We now know that it was the windigoe's doing.
Stoking their hatred against each other only led to things becoming even colder, which eventually forced the tribal leaders to wise up just a little and recognize a hopeless situation. They all fled south, ordering their people to go along with them. The windigoes rushed after them, though some still remained to haunt the valley. I don't know exactly what happened to the tribes after they fled. Apparently, they managed to work with each other in the end and drive out the windigoes, barely in the nick of time. They built huge new cities and multiplied in those southern lands, combining their separate tribes into a new, big tribe that called themselves "Equestrians".
However, the valley was not abandoned completely. The pegasi all flew away, down to the last one. They were unfettered to the land, and they didn't mind migrating. But the earth ponies loved their land, and many of them were loath to flee. A hoofful of unicorns refused to run as well, not wanting to abandon their wizard towers with centuries of accumulated knowledge. While they were from different tribes, the two groups found kinship with each other in their plight. They formed friendships, and started to work together, desperately trying to find a way to stave off the cold. Uh, wizards are a bit like shamares - they were wise and powerful in ways of magic.
Ironically, while the unicorns wrote down the knowledge some time ago, it was the earth ponies who found out about the windigoes. With so few unicorns left, the earth ponies took to reading through the huge libraries. As they sifted through the thousands of tomes of the old wizards, they brought the relevant books to the remaining unicorns. Many ponies felt a great amount of embarrassment when they read exactly what caused the windigoes to grow stronger and freeze the world. But they also felt hope, as the books detailed their foe's vulnerabilities as well.
The precise details were lost to time, but together, they created a powerful item they called the crystal Heart. It struck right at the windigoe's weaknesses - as long as there were ponies that had love in their hearts, the Heart would strengthen those emotions, and cast them in all directions around it.
The windigoes had already mostly left the valley alone, since there was no more animosity between the remaining ponies. However, the hateful cold had seeped into the very being of the land so much that the unicorns said it might never thaw out again without magic. The Heart brought that magic, driving out whatever windigoes were left forever, and bringing summer to a small patch of land again.
There was much rejoicing and cheering. The remaining ponies had very little food left, little time to grow more, and only a small patch of land, but they had hope, and the firm knowledge that they just lived through far worse. They got to work rebuilding, and eventually, the small bands of ponies too stubborn to leave grew into a mighty and magnificent new tribe. Over time, they noticed that their coats were getting shinier and translucent, much like the crystal Heart. The artifact turned out to have some side effects, though the ponies wore them with glowing pride. They took to their new appearance with enthusiasm, discovering new talents for manipulating crystals, as well.
Eventually, the Equestrians discovered us. I don't know how that went, except that they were very surprised. They expected to find a frozen wasteland instead of a thriving people, I guess."
Agate quieted down, thinking on how to proceed. That was the story of how the Empire was founded. Now she needed to tell them of current events, and how she ended up in the north. Before she could open her mouth, though, Frostbeard raised a foreleg.
"I am sorry to interrupt, and it is best to ask questions after a story is finished, but... Those other ponies you mentioned, the pegasi - did you say that they flew away?" There was some mild disbelief in his voice.
"Oh yeah," Agate nodded. "Seeing a pegasus for the first time really was weird. They're just like regular ponies, except a bit leaner, and they have wings growing out their sides," she said while pointing with her forehooves towards her back, roughly where she remembered the wings were on a pegasus. "It looks strange as heck to see a pony fly, but fly they do. The Equestrians come to put on shows from time to time. We have a few unicorns of our own, but seeing pegasi is always interesting."
Murmuring broke out again, slowly rising in volume. After a minute of this, Frostbeard clopped his hooves loudly, making everyone quiet down. "Enough. Let her speak. We shall have plenty of time to discuss the idea of a winged pony later, impossible as it sounds."
"She's not lying, Frostbeard," True Sight butted in. "Not that I can see. And I can see a lot."
That made the disbelief vanish from some pony's faces, though others just looked even more flabbergasted. Did they think Agate was just making things up like a foal? She frowned a little. She didn't do things like that, and she certainly wouldn't do it during something so important.
The chieftain shook his head. "I did not intend to accuse our guest of lying. I just find the idea hard to wrap my head around. Then again, there are stranger things than flying ponies out there, are there not? As I said, our very understanding of the world is being challenged. This "Dream Valley", the windigoes, the fleeing ponies... It all sounds terribly familiar to certain parts of our own history. Could it truly be? The lands of the old green age?"
True Sight considered it, holding a hoof to her chin. Many ponies held their breath, looking at her in anticipation. This was clearly something important to the snowponies, but Agate had no idea what. Eventually, the old mare's eyes turned towards the filly. "Tell me, young Agate... Did ponies tell you stories of our people? Did any of them tell you the old tale of how we came to be here, in the snowy north?"
The filly shook her head. "No. I heard some stories, but never heard that one before. "
The shamare opened her mouth, then closed it again, shaking her head. "Sorry, force of habit. There will be time for that later. There are actually many stories of how the snowponies came to be. The Earth and the Sky, the snow and the wind coming together to birth a life, other somewhat silly ones... But there is one tale about us running from the windigoes, fleeing a terrible cold from a wonderful land that used to be green and warm forever. The similarities with what you just told us... It matches your story very, very closely. Perfectly, even. Given that our tribes have never met before, well... Could be that our tribes are very distant relatives, completely lost to time. It sounds like our ancestors did something similar to those "Equestrians", except they went in a different direction."
Everyone quieted down at that, pondering the possibilities of such an event. It made sense to Agate, though the snowponies seemed a bit more skeptical. No one in the Crystal Empire was too surprised when the Equestrians showed up one day, but the snowponies likely thought that they were the only ponies in the world. They clearly were very good at passing down knowledge as stories if they remembered the windigoes, but it seemed that the parts about the unicorns and pegasi got lost regardless. Or perhaps their ancestors just thought that every other pony froze to death, and didn't bother mentioning the other tribes in their retellings of the past.
Frostbeard shook his head. "The implications of this are interesting to consider, but this is ancient history by now. Seeing as your people successfully lived in Dream Valley since time immemorial, but you only came to us recently... I can only assume that something changed, for the better or for worse," he intoned, addressing Agate. "Will you tell us of what kind of upheaval drove you to cross the mountains?"
The ponies quieted down again, turning towards the little spirit. She sighed, collecting her thoughts. Recalling the horrors Sombra wrought on the Empire was unpleasant, but she would manage. "Sure. This next part is going to be unpleasant, though. Let me see... I'm just a regular pony. My parents made amulets and other accessories. We were just living our lives when everything just turned upside down all of a sudden.
Not literally, of course. One day when I came back home from school - ah, it's a place where foals go to learn things - my parents were waiting at home, discussing something. They told me that some ponies ran into their shop in a panic, shouting that some mad pony named Sombra had killed our chieftain, and was wreaking havoc in the city. It was so sudden and unthinkable, my parents weren't sure whether to even believe it or not. They weren't able to get more details out of those ponies, though. They ran off in a hurry, to "flee the city before it was too late".
Still, they decided to close the shop early and head home, just in case. Dad told my mom to pack essential travelling supplies, while he went out towards the city center to try and find out what was happening. We got our saddlebags and packed some food and blankets, before dad came galloping home. He didn't even need to get close to see what was happening. Those ponies that came to the shop were telling the truth.
Sombra must have stolen the Crystal Heart - the sky turned dark, and the shield protecting the Empire was gone. Cold winds blew through the city's streets for the first time in centuries. The Spire - the resting place of the Heart, home of our chieftains and an important building for defending the city, kind of like the Great Hall - was being twisted before our eyes. It used to be a beautiful tower of pure crystal, shining all across the land, as tall as a small mountain. Now, it was turning pitch black, sharp, jagged crystals growing all over it.
And the ponies... I don't even have the words to properly describe what Sombra did to the ponies. Not in your tongue, nor in my own. He twisted them as well, taking their very minds, binding them with evil magic. Groups of ponies wearing some kind of cursed helmets patrolled the streets, shouting to "surrender to their glorious chieftain Sombra". Anyone that resisted would get brutally beaten, a helmet would be forced on their heads, and they would immediately lose their free will as well. Anyone that surrendered would get tied up with ropes and dragged away somewhere."
"Madness," someone in the audience hissed with absolute disgust. Agate was paying only half of her attention towards the listeners while reliving those dark memories, so she didn't notice just how furious some of the ponies were getting. It was rather jarring, as she barely saw a snowpony frown, let alone get truly angry in the whole time she spent with them. It seemed that Sombra's actions were rather universally despised.
The hissed remark broke the dam, and a number of various curses, epithets, and ill wishes towards Sombra flooded forward. Almost immediately, Frostbeard stomped his hooves again, glaring at everyone with a silent scowl. The hall quickly went quiet, though everyone was far more tense now. Laying down, Frostbeard nodded towards Agate to continue. She gave a small nod back, picking up where she left off.
"It appeared that it was indeed too late by then. The captured ponies were combing the streets, and breaking into homes one by one, dragging out any ponies that tried to hide. Still, we managed to get away from our house with our supplies before they got to us. My uncle is a warrior, and he often gave advice to my dad, which let us slip by their patrol and hide in my parent's shop.
We... They made a plan to get away from the city. It sounded like a good plan. We managed to sneak through the entire city without anyone seeing us. But in the end, just when we were on the outskirts, a group of Sombra's ponies ambushed us. They got both of my parents, and they... They..." Agate quieted down, memories of her parents getting dragged down to the ground and beaten flashing before her eyes.
"Did they kill you? A foal?" Frostbeard rumbled angrily.
"No. No, they didn't get me. I managed to escape them. I was honestly surprised that it worked. I think those cursed helmets make the ponies a little bit dumb, actually. Uh, but that's not important. Anyway... I ran away from them, but I got completely lost. And I didn't know how to find my way very well. I knew that I would likely have to go back and surrender, but I was really, really scared that they would kill me if I did. So, I set off away from the city.
I didn't want to waste the chance my parents gave me, either. I had some food and a warm blanket, so I decided to try and find the way that led to Equestria. Like I said before, there is only one clear pass through the mountains. As you can probably guess, I didn't find it. When I reached the mountains, there was nothing there. I decided to climb up higher to get a better vantage point, just in case it was somewhere nearby. It wasn't. I was surrounded by mountains on all sides, with nowhere to go. Nowhere but back to the city, and Sombra.
I tried to go back, I really did. But he twisted the city with his magic in such a horrible way that it was hard to even look at it. The shining beacon of the north, a symbol of hope and warmth for everyone who saw it, was now a terrifying nightmare. The Spire was spewing out black clouds, blotting out the entire sky. Just seeing the sight filled me with unnatural terror, making me want to scream and run the other way. No matter how much I forced myself, I couldn't take a step towards the city. I don't know why Sombra did it, but the effects were the same either way.
I was trapped in the mountains, with nowhere to go. So, I just kept going north. I tried to survive, I really did. I ate pine needles, I found shelter to sleep in, but eventually... A blizzard came out of nowhere, and, well," she shrugged, pointing at herself. "It was too much. I didn't make it. I woke up in the darkness, blind and deaf. It took me some time to pull myself together. I didn't know what to do at first, but in the end, I decided to try and go back to the Empire and see if I could cause Sombra some trouble.
Something very strange happened while I was lost in the darkness, and I don't even know what. When I climbed the mountain to take a look at the city, it was gone. Not destroyed or damaged, but gone completely. There was nothing but bare ground where all the buildings and roads used to be. I couldn't understand it at all, didn't know what to do or where to go next. In the corner of my eye, though, I saw a tiny glowing line, no thicker than a hair, shining somewhere in the distance.
It was one of your paths, the ones you lay out with cry- spirit stones. With nowhere else to go, I went in that direction. It took me... I don't know how long it took to gallop all the way through the mountains to reach your lands. A week, maybe several? I couldn't see the sky properly, and wasn't able to tell the time. Eventually, I reached the path, found where it led, and... Here I am. You know the rest."
Agate expected another outburst of questions or exclamations after she finished, but everyone remained quiet. A number of ponies were glancing at each other, unsure whether to break the silence or not. Others were pensively looking at the ground or somewhere off in the distance, lost in their thoughts. It looked like her story really rattled them.
Frostbeard slowly sat up from his position on the floor, shaking out his mane. "So, if I understood this correctly... Your city, your tribe, your people - all of it is gone? Vanished from the face of the earth, without the tiniest trace that they even ever existed?"
Agate nodded, a frown on her face. "Yeah. I don't understand it. The ponies could have broken out and fled, sure. But they couldn't just uproot the buildings and take them along. Don't see how Sombra could have done it, either. I don't know much about magic, but I don't think there's anything that lets you stuff a whole city into a sack and run away with it. Sombra had to be powerful, to do everything that he did, but... I don't know. I just don't know."
Frostbeard raised an eyebrow in True Sight's direction. "A trick?"
The old mare rubbed her chin, considering everything that she heard so far. After a few minutes of consideration, she slowly shook her head. "I doubt it. Certainly, there are creatures that can beguile and bewitch even the most seasoned trackers, distracting them with false images and trickery. But it is much harder to fool a spirit's sight. Not to mention, the way Agate described seeing the place where her home used to stand is not how those tricks work. They drag your attention away from where you want to go, luring you off a safe path. Attempting to hide a village this way is far too blatant, as it doesn't actually stop anyone from finding it at all. If she could see the bare ground where the buildings used to stand, then anyone could just walk up to the place and effortlessly disrupt the illusion."
"That's not all, elder," Earthsong added quietly. "Remember what Blizzard Heart said about the northern wind, when we communed with the spirits? A vast open plain, one that was previously denied to it. This is no trick, unless someone learned how to trick the wind itself. Agate's people are gone, spirited away to who knows where."
True Sight frowned, raising her head. Her gaze settled on Agate, the shamare's emerald green eyes glowing faintly in the gloom of the Hall. It reminded the filly of the first time she saw the mare. After a few seconds, the elder spoke. "You don't have to say anything, youngling. I can see it in your eyes. And believe me, every single pony here feels it in their spirits. You want our help, understandably so. And we would gladly give it, even though we never met your tribe before. But, it seems that whatever strange magics this "Sombra" pony wrought - if he even is a pony - are beyond our ken. I have never heard of any power that would let you steal away an entire village either, nor how to reverse such a thing."
Agate sighed, lowering her head. Deep down, she knew that the city's disappearance was likely beyond the scope of any regular pony to solve. If the Empire was still there, perhaps they could have went there and kicked out Sombra. But now that it was gone completely, there was just nothing to do.
"I want to scream," she chuckled lifelessly. "I want to be angry, I want to be sad, I want to say that surely there's something you can do. But I just feel empty. I went galloping through the mountains to find the tiny light in the darkness because I had nowhere else to go. I think I kind of made peace that I might not see the Empire again. Still, it was nice to hope." A few quiet gasps came from the audience as they saw the faint prismatic effect fade from her ethereal coat.
Some ponies shuffled in place, likely debating whether to go up there and comfort the distraught filly. A transparent form soundlessly made its way through the crowd, quickly reaching Agate. Raising her eyes upward, she faintly felt a pair forelegs wrap around her from behind.
"Gnarled Root... You came," Agate said quietly.
"I did say I wouldn't miss it for the world, little one."
The filly nodded, leaning against the ancient spirit's side. Silence came upon the hall. Once more, Frostbeard was the one to break it.
"These are grave news, certainly. Much like everyone else's, my spirit was alight with curiosity and interest at meeting a new tribe of ponies. To find out that such a tragedy befell them is a painful blow, though I don't think this is the end. As Agate explained, this beast's Sombra's goal was conquest, not destruction. I doubt he went through all that effort to capture her people only to destroy his prize when he was finished. And if her tribe fell in combat against him, the city would still be there, and so would their spirits. Wherever her tribe was taken, they are likely still alive. I cannot imagine what kind of being could have the power to take them away like this, but if it was done, then it can be undone. Perhaps we will yet get to meet them someday, if they manage to find their way back home."
Agate sat there, chewing on his words. She already came to the same conclusions, more or less. It didn't look like the Empire was destroyed, rather it was taken away somewhere. Of course, that didn't help much with finding her parents, or the rest of the crystal ponies. The "where" could be anywhere.
"Don't beat yourself up over it, youngling," True Sight spoke up. "It's not a foal's duty to led the rescue of an entire tribe. They will manage, one way or another. Even if you never meet them in their life, you will meet them again afterwards. Either way, that is likely out of your hooves. However, you're more than capable of telling us more about them. Who knows? Perhaps some brave explorer might discover wherever your people ended up someday in the future."
Agate nodded slowly, sitting up straighter. It wasn't much, but perhaps making sure that at least someone remembered the crystal ponies was better than nothing. And perhaps... The filly shot a glance at the spirit she was leaning against. Gnarled Root decided to stay around for a long, long time. Perhaps she could, too. Long enough to find out what happened to the Empire.
"Alright. There's a lot that I don't know. I'm only ten years old, after all. But I really don't have anything else to do, so... If anyone has any questions for me, go ahead.
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"Really?"
That was probably the dozenth time this came up. Of all the things she got asked about, the part about everything in the Empire being made of crystal (including the ponies) seemed to cause the most disbelief amongst the snowponies.
"Yes, really. Really really. Really really really. Our houses are made of cry- spirit stones, and the ponies look like they're made of them, too. But it's only a look, we're not walking statues. We're flesh and blood, we eat and sleep, just like all other ponies."
"I can understand the "look" part. I mean, everyone can see your eyes," a pony somewhere in the audience spoke. "But houses? Those paths you mentioned - roads? The northerners barely dig up a few sledloads of spirit stones every year, to replace the ones other tribes lost and to trade. I don't think that'd be enough for even the foundations for a house."
Agate sighed, tapping her chin. It seemed completely natural to her, since she grew up surrounded by everything crystal. Everything. The crystal ponies sure loved their crystals. But with them being so scarce here, she could mostly understand the snowpony's skepticism.
"We don't just mine them and stick them together, though. Experienced artisans can shape, mold, and even grow crystals. A great amount of them are actually grown, not mined. Crystal ponies usually start testing their capabilities for crystal magic around their teen years, but... Well, maybe I can show you a little, if you bring me one," Agate said, remembering how she managed to make the citrine crystals light up a few times when she was out and about.
There was some shuffling and a low hum of conversation while they debated on who would go to retrieve one. Soon enough, a young mare showed up, carrying a sizeable chunk of citrine in her mouth. She gently set it down in front of Agate, retreating back to the crowd. The filly leaned down towards it, examining the piece with a critical eye. It was raw and unpolished, an off-white base of quartz that turned into a smoky orange with angular spikes dotted with flecks of dark red on top.
"Alright, no idea how much I'll be able to actually do. But... Here goes nothing. Watch closely," she said, while bringing her ghostly hooves towards the crystal. The audience all leaned in, holding their breaths.
Some foals exhibited the ability to work with crystals from a young age, often ending up as apprentices to various masters. Agate wasn't one of those foals, so being able to light up the crystals still surprised her a little. Almost as soon as her hooves touched it, the piece started to glow faintly. She focused, trying to remember what her mother told her about it. Something about resonance... Trying to find the right frequency for each crystal. Humming under her breath, she slowly ran her hooves up and down the crystal's sides, observing the effects. This made its core shine brighter, while putting her hoof there exposed the fault lines...
Slowly but steadily, the crystal lit up, bathing Agate and Gnarled Root in an orange glow. She didn't stop there, though. Doing her best to listen and feel out the crystal's vibrations, she tried charging it even more, but that just made the glow brighter. Scrunching her muzzle, she examined the fault lines again.
"How do I get you to grow?"
It took her a few minutes of groping, but she found a way to put her hooves just right in a way that made the whole crystal vibrate noticeably. She wasn't actually sure if that was good or bad, though. Biting her lip nervously, she hummed louder, trying to reach the breaking point.
"Here's to hoping I won't blow it up."
A few more minutes, and the crystal was glowing like a fire, with a loud, musical chime permeating the room. It still refused to change in any significant way, however. Agate noticed that her surroundings were getting dimmer, too. She recognized the symptom. If she kept going, she'd lose her senses again.
"Magic... It's all magic. I think I get it now... She tried to recall the feeling of resting in her totem, the sensation of a gentle breeze caressing her coat. She directed it towards the crystal in one final push, hearing a loud crack for her efforts.
The world went dark after that. A small shiver of fear ran through her, though she held herself together. "It's alright... I'm okay. Gnarled Root was holding on to me, and I'm surrounded by hundreds of ponies. They know how to bring me back. I'll be fine."
A wave of indistinct whispers rolled over her, almost like the sound of wind rubbing tree branches together in the forest. Cocking her ears, she looked around. She could still faintly see the closest ponies, though they were no more than black silhouettes framed in a faint orange glow.
"Wait, orange glow?"
Looking down, she saw that the crystal she worked so hard on was still visible. For all the effort she put into it, there were barely any changes. A few impurities disappeared, and one of the small citrine nubs on the top extended by about a hoof. That was to be expected, really. She was honestly surprised she got it to grow at all.
Stretching out her right foreleg over it, Agate took a closer look at herself. She was kind of translucent already, but she could barely see herself now. Squinting her eyes, she tried to bring the world back into focus. It didn't do very much, until she felt a hoof pat her on the head. A song reached her ears, and the dark shape of a pony in front of her resolved into Earthsong. The mare had her eyes closed, rhythmically tapping on the ground with her left hoof, her right one on Agate's brow.
Soon enough, Earthsong finished her song, opening her eyes. Smiling wryly at Agate, she raised an eyebrow. "That was quite the demonstration, but try not to overdo it next time, alright? You gave some ponies a bit of a scare there."
"Sorry. I saw it coming, but I felt like I was really close, too. I know I didn't do much, but it's actually pretty rare for foals my age to be able to work crystals like that."
"Didn't do much?!" True Sight asked indignantly. It was strange to hear such a tone of voice from the normally calm mare. "It takes shamares days to light up the spirit stones like that, and making them grow? We can't do anything remotely like it," she explained while picking up the citrine chunk, bringing it right up to her muzzle. After a few minutes of muttering something under her breath, she put it down, shaking her head.
Gnarled Root snorted, still hugging the filly from behind. "Well, Agate, it certainly looks like you made the doubters quiet down. And you have some rather impressive skills there."
"Like I keep saying, it's nothing impressive... For a crystal pony, anyway."
"Well, we're certainly not capable of the things your people are, so it's rather impressive to us," Earthsong refuted. "Perhaps you can teach us how to work the spirit stones better, since it comes so naturally to you."
"Uh, well... I'm not really sure I can. I mean, I can try, but I barely know what I'm doing myself. I'm not sure I can even put into words the things that I did there. This was the first time I actually did something with a crystal."
"Take your time and find the words, then. We're not going anywhere," Earthsong said, while back to her seat. True Sight followed her, leaving the glowing crystal on the floor. The onlookers took a little while to appreciate the crystal's glow before the questions started up again.
"So you look like you're made of spirit stones and your people grow them, but you really don't eat them?"
Agate sighed silently. "Looks like some ponies still have some silly questions left..."
❅ ❆ ❅
Without being able to see the passage of the sun, Agate lost track of time in the dimly-lit building. Judging by the fact that the gathered ponies took to frying fish and other foods over the huge firepit a few times, she guessed that her story time and subsequent questions and demonstrations took up the whole day. They really took learning seriously, or maybe they were just that curious about her.
The latter seemed likely, as they questioned her about the tiniest things - from the foods ponies in the Empire ate, to the kinds of plants and animals that roamed the countryside. By the time they were finished, the few rays of light coming in from the windows were gone, and the crowd looked a lot less energetic as they shuffled out. Agate was sitting down near the firepit with a few of her acquaintances and new ponies, wrapping up the evening.
Frostbeard, Gnarled Root, Earthsong, True Sight, and the old shamare that had been sitting with them were all there. The nameless shamare remained quiet the entire day, not saying a word. By the looks of it, she was almost asleep, her eyes half-closed all the time. Her ears were up and alert, however. The others didn't say anything about her, so Agate decided that the best course of action was to wait until they did.
"These Equestrians you spoke of still interest me greatly," Frostbeard mused. "If they are even half as numerous as you say, then their tribe must be truly successful. But if your people were several week's travel across the mountains, and they are farther south still... I am not sure we could reach them safely. Especially if we don't know how far they are. If every trip took several months of rough travel back and forth, contact between us would hardly be of any use for either tribe."
"Yeah. I really don't know the distance between us and them, but I know that it's far. It took them, um... I don't remember the exact amount, but it took them more than a few hundred years to rediscover the valley after they fled the windigoes," Agate supplied.
"A shame, but I suppose it is out of my hooves," he shrugged. "No matter how much I'd like to see a winged pony."
"That'd certainly be a sight I'd like to behold," True Sight agreed. "Though I suppose we're not going to, not in our lifetimes. Not without some help, at least. What do you say, Dreamcatcher? Seen any winged ponies in your visions?" She addressed the sleepy shamare.
She was indeed awake, opening her eyes a little more. They were cloudy, though she didn't seem to have any problems seeing her surroundings. "No wings. Strange things, strange ponies, angular buildings and unusual colors. No wings, though," she said in a raspy voice, stretching her legs. A few cracks emanated from her joints. "I have been trying to find out more about our guest for weeks, though the things I saw defy explanation. She managed to explain some of them today. Perhaps she could explain a few more."
Agate blinked, looking at the mare with some confusion. Earthsong leaned in closer to explain. "Dreamcatcher here is a master of visions and dreamwalking. She spends a great amount of time in a trance or asleep, wandering the spiritual world and trying to understand it's often strange and cryptic omens."
"She's right. I'm always half asleep," the old mare agreed. "More asleep than awake as I get older. Doesn't get easier, though. Trying to make sense of the stuff I see is like listening to the echo of an echo. Echoes of the past, echoes of the future... Always confounding, rarely useful. But I try. I tried looking for your home, for instance. A few shamares were worried that something terrible befell your tribe, and wanted to know if it would come for us. I was sad to learn that something bad did happen to you. But then, my dream trip doesn't make any sense, given what you told us."
She went quiet for a moment, likely trying to recall some detail about her dreams. "Right. Like I said, I tried to look for your people, a few weeks ago now. Visiting other places in dreams is possible, though not easy. I flew over the mountains you came from, and I think I found the valley you spoke of. A huge place, ringed by mountains. A giant of a mountain loomed on the northern side, standing sentinel over the valley."
"Yes! That's Dream Valley. The mountain - wait, I don't actually know its name. But yes, you're describing my homeland," the filly happily confirmed.
"Mmm, good. You see, I saw something else, though. A huge spike rising out of the ground in the middle of the valley, like it was trying to compete with the mountains. You called it the, what was it, the Spire? A central point of your people's city and power. I didn't know what it was at the time, but it stood out in the landscape, so I went to investigate. When I got closer, though, it vanished, leaving nothing behind.
Other shapes were dancing in the corner of my eyes as well. Houses of blue and red, shining in the mists of the dream. Yet every time I tried to examine them, they would vanish, then reappear, as phantom images. Still, I know a few tricks in dreams, and willed myself to appear near them. However, it was like I hit a wall. Finding something so solid is very rare in dreams, but there it was. I could wander through the empty valley, seeing echoes of your city, but if I tried to witness the city itself, I kept smacking into something. Like the place was frozen in ice."
Agate sat there, frowning deeply, a hoof on her chin. She pondered, thought, and analyzed, trying to figure it out. The others waited patiently for her to speak up. Eventually, she came to a conclusion. "You described the city correctly, so I think you were in the right place, but I have no idea what that dream could mean. Sorry."
She expected disappointment, but Dreamcatcher just cackled. "A rather common result from dabbling in dreams. Don't worry about it. Perhaps it will become clearer in the future."
"Now I really want to see this place for myself," True Sight mused. "It sounds like some kind of trickery after all. But I'm too old and my legs are too creaky for such a trip. However, in a few years I just might get my strength back..." She trailed off, a wry smile on her muzzle.
"What... How will being even older make the trip easier?" Agate asked, tilting her head.
The adults all shared a glance, unsure how to go about explaining the mare's joke. True Sight rolled her eyes. "She's already a spirit, you twits, you don't have to dance on the snow about it. What I meant, Agate, is that I am old. I have seen ninety winters, and I will be ninety one this summer. Now, some ponies reach a hundred winters and more, yet others fall earlier than that. I don't know how many years I have left in me, but the number is probably not very high. I'll be joining the ranks of spirits myself soon. And spirits, as I'm sure you learned by now, don't get tired from galloping any more. Before I move on, I am terribly tempted to go take a peek at this vanishing village of yours."
Agate lit up. "Really, you can do that? I mean, you would do that? Thank you!"
"Of course I can do that. Heck, you can do that. Spirits are not tied down to their totems, they can roam wherever they want. They just tend to stick close to their villages to help ponies. You could take the trip back to your tribe's lands yourself, if you felt like it."
The filly pursed her lips, considering the notion. It was true that she didn't get tired, and she didn't have anything preventing her from disappearing for a few weeks. Was it worth it, though? Would she see anything new? Going back and seeing the empty field where the Empire used to stand would just cause more pain.
Seeing her indecision, Dreamcatcher stepped in. "Don't tear yourself in half like this. Take your time, think it through. You don't have to do anything you don't want to."
"She's right, you know," Gnarled Root added. "There's no rush anymore. You have all the time in the world. Trust me, I'm speaking from experience," the elder spirit pointed out.
"Alright," Agate acquiesced. "Thanks for all the advice. And thank you for taking me in. I'll... I'll see what I can do about teaching you more about crystals. And I'll think about going to take a look at Dream Valley."
"We only did what was proper," Frostbeard insisted, standing up. "Needless to say, you are welcome to stay here as long as you want. And thank you, for telling us everything that you did today. I am certain that ponies are going to be retelling your story for many generations to come. The other tribes will certainly want to hear about you as well, when winter comes along."
The others stood up as well, signifying that the long meeting was over. Dreamcatcher swayed a little on her hooves, though Earthsong held her steady. The group made their way out of the Hall, Frostbeard closing the huge double doors behind them.
"I'll see if I can find out anything more about your people's fate, Agate, but don't get your hopes up too much. The ways of dreams are rarely straightforward," Dreamcatcher said, waving goodbye. "I wish you luck in your journey. Farewell."
With a few more farewells and goodnights, the ponies went their separate ways. Frostbeard accompanied Dreamcatcher, while Earthsong and True Sight made their way southwards towards their shared house. Gnarled Root was the only one left, trotting alongside Agate towards her totem.
"Well, I have to say, that was the most interesting story I have heard in ages. No one could have guessed there were such strange and amazing ponies living so close to us."
Agate snorted. "Us, strange? Please. You're the strange ones, with your crazy fish-eating, snowwalking, spirit calling, cold resistant fluffy ways. I am endlessly confused every time I see you strange ponies doing your strange snowpony things."
That made Gnarled Root laugh. "Hahahahah! No, no way. We are certainly not stranger than ponies that look like they're made of spirit stone, who grow their buildings and use their magic to keep summer forever in their valley. Ask any other pony, they'll agree with me."
"Well of course the other strange ponies would agree with another strange pony..."
They kept needling each other, pointing out the differences in their tribes in lighthearted jest as they made their way through the silent village. Upon reaching the clearing where Agate's totem stood, the two stopped, a little unsure of what to do next. Gnarled Root looked up at the sky, measuring out the Moon's position.
"It is quite late now, and Spear isn't here. And I think you've done quite a bit of talking and listening today. A whole lot of it, in fact. I think we can skip story time this evening. You should get some rest, especially after that performance with the spirit stone."
After a moment's thought, Agate nodded. She actually felt tired - not physically, but her mind felt sluggish again, and darkness was flickering at the edges of her vision. Apparently, it was still possible to tire yourself out even as a spirit. Trying her best to memorize the symptoms so they didn't sneak up on her in the future, she waved goodbye to the mare.
"Yes, I think I better go to sleep. I'll see you next time, Root."
The elder spirit went her way, while Agate went towards her totem.
"Hmm. One of these days, I should go visit her, just to see what her totem looks like. One more thing to remember," was her last thought before she drifted off.