//------------------------------// // Songs of Snowpitt // Story: Agate's Vigil // by Wingnut //------------------------------// The drummer started a slow beat in the background, though the stallion didn't start to sing, narrating the story instead as if he was the protagonist. Still, the story did rhyme, making it like a poem of sorts. "So, little ponies, you wish to hear the story of how I became a spirit? Very well, though I have to warn you, it's probably not what you're expecting at all. So there I was, a stallion hearty and hale I feared no northern beast, nor freezing gale! My family's home was getting a little tight, So I decided to venture out and claim new land one night. And although I had little experience and no accompanying band, I still thought my odds were quite grand! So I took a map, built a kayak and ventured out alone - I would not back out of a challenge that I myself had thrown. I travelled far and wide, Through the Thousand Islands and other places beside. Through the seas and the waves, By the evening tides and the island caves. But no matter where I went, the best places were already taken, And bit by bit, my resolve was slowly shaken. Then I realized my mistake and almost snapped - I was "exploring" lands that were already mapped! "What a fool," Angrily said I. "If you want unclaimed land, away from the map's boundaries you should fly!" And that's what I did, after I slept - This defeat I would not easily accept! So I packed my gear and went north, Fearlessly venturing forth! After a travelling a while, I saw a large island dotted with trees - The joy almost brought me to my knees. The place looked completely unclaimed - And I felt that it could be tamed. So I disembarked and set out to explore on hoof - Before I made any claims, I wanted to see proof. Everything appeared tranquil and silent - Though unafraid, I was happy I would not need to get violent. Then I got my gear and set up camp, Starting a fire even though the wood was damp. My sleep was fitful, and of frightful things I did dream. It got worse and worse, and I woke with a silent scream. Evidently, the island was not as peaceful as I thought. I heard beasts outside that my smoky fire must have brought. I was oddly feverish, shivering and weak. Though brave, I was forced to admit that my odds looked bleak. Instead of arming up and charging outside, I decided to hunker down and for the dawn to bide. The cold seeped into my body and my mind, Fogging my thoughts and nearly making me go blind. But then I suddenly saw a beautiful mare - With slender features, gorgeous beyond compare! I thought I might be going fruity - Was I hallucinating this magnificent beauty? I cried, "I swear, you are the loveliest creature I ever saw in my life! Your presence is reassuring even in this terrible strife." The mare whinnied in surprise, looking around. In my delirium, she appeared to be floating off the ground. Then she saw me and approached, looking shy. And what I did was inappropriate, but I already thought I was going to die. I puckered up and gave her a kiss - Might as well have a last moment of bliss. But a sudden freezing shock lifted the fog from my mind - And I found myself in quite a bind. A large windigo was staring me down, His ghostly muzzle twisted in a frown. A small, svelte one was floating off to the side, and... Was that a blush on her ethereal hide? "What happened?" I was trying to comprehend, While the windigo was preparing for my life to end. I pondered as I was contemplating my upcoming slaughter, "Did I just make out with this windigo's daughter...? Hoo, boy..." The drummer then picked up the pace suddenly, other musicians joining in as the stallion's slow and calm narration turned into a frenetic tumble of words. "Well, I jumped up like I was stung, I didn't want to end up a windigo's frozen dung! I galloped, I rolled, I tumbled out from the cave, I didn't want it to become my grave! Ooooooooooh~" He trailed off, taking a breath before breaking into song as the music got even faster, painting a picture of a panicked retreat. "Oooh there's a windigo after my flank, oh my! Nope nope nope, don't want to die! Come on, fool, get down that slope! Just gallop, no time to get a rope! Get out quick, you dope! Forget your spear, no time to mope! The kayak's still there, or so I hope! Seriously, how hard can I shout "Nope"?! Quickly, grab an oar! And flee like a panicked boar! And even though my legs are sore, I'm fueled by the terror in my core! Oooh there's a windigo after my flank, oh my! Nope nope nope, don't want to die! I hope his daughter can buy me some time, Or never again will I rhyme! Paddle like mad, move with the tide! And maybe I'll escape with my hide! Maybe I won't keep my pride, But I'd rather be shamed, but alive!" Some of the audience members got up before the song started and stood in a circle, starting to dance wildly to the frantic drumbeat, moving clockwise. The goal appeared to be to move as fast as the music, without falling over and breaking the circle. The participants were all laughing, hooting and hollering, the routine apparently already familiar to them. Almost inevitably, a pony tripped up, and a good chunk of the dancers ended up in a tangled heap, laughing merrily. The narrator, meanwhile, caught his breath and continued the story in his normal tempo while the dancers untangled themselves and sat down again. "So yes, as hard as it was to believe, I managed to get away from the furious windigo with my life. Yes, that was not the event that led to me becoming a spirit, but it's part of the story, and it wouldn't make sense if I just jumped to the end. Now then... I made it back to our village, and got my frostbite tended to by a shamare... As I told her what happened, she looked at me like I was dumb - Perhaps it was because my lips were still quite numb. While I pondered on how to believably tell my story, Half of me was worrying about becoming a windigo's quarry. Before I could think something up, she was gone - And I fell asleep from exhaustion with a yawn. Waking up from my rest, I saw no one around. So I sat and thought, making plans with a frown. Although my first attempt did fail, I was not going to bail. I didn't care if the path was hard and rough. I'm a northerner, I'm made of tougher stuff! I thought long and hard, doing my best. Eventually, I decided I'd head out towards the west. Preparing more tools and supplies, I took a breath. I muttered "No, this will not become my death.". It took several days of exploration, But eventually I found a promising destination. A large rocky island, but with bounty of the sea - Seaweed, fish, and wooden debris. In the middle, there stood a tall hill. I thought, "I'll climb it to get a good look around, I will." It took me a while to clamber on - By the time I reached the top, the Sun was almost gone. Still, the amount of light was enough - I saw the rocky shores, the island, and a steep bluff. I was satisfied, but also tired. Wrapping myself in my cloak, I lay down right there, having found what I desired. Waking up next morning, I stretched with a yawn. Rubbing my eyes, I smiled at the coming dawn. Standing up, I went to answer nature's call. If only I knew that it would lead me to a brawl... For you see, at the bottom of the bluff there lay a fearsome beast - And on my bones it would have loved to feast. Sadly, my act got it's full attention. When I heard it's terrifying roar, it caused me no small amount of apprehension. Unnerved, I stepped closer and peeked down - And the sight I saw gave me quite the frown. For I have accidentally relieved myself upon a beast most dire - A floewolf looked back balefully, it's cold eyes afire. I immediately realized I once again stepped into some deep crap. Yet all I could think of was "Oh, snap." With another roar, the beast immediately gave chase. Sighing, I fled, a pained grimace on my face. Fortunately for me, I was quite high on the hillside. My position gave me time to flee while it raged for it's injured pride. Still, getting to the kayak was a close call. It did it's best to chase me down, with clear intent to maul. I paddled deeper into the water, it was time to bail. Yet the beast gave a mighty leap, it's claws shearing half of my tail! The splash as it hit the water caused a mighty wave. I rode it, taking the opportunity to get away that it gave. As I went further away, I gave a sigh of relief. However, my relaxation turned out to be very brief. Glancing back, I saw it right behind me - Turns out, floewolves are excellent swimmers in the sea! Uh oh..." Agate knew what was coming this time, holding back a smile as the musicians picked up the pace again, even faster than previously, the spectators once again jumping up to dance along to the beat. "Aaaah! There's a floewolf chasing me, oh no! Why does this happen wherever I go?! Gotta paddle faster, paddle away! And I might survive another day! Dodge it's closing jaws, quick! The spear's useless, no matter how thick! Keep paddling and flee! And you just might get free! Find a current, ride it! Even if the beast won't quit! Make sharp turns, behind the bend! Misdirect the beast, my friend! Use your smaller size! Ignore its furious cries! Zig-zag, don't go straight! Force it to pull its weight! Keep going, come what may! And I'll live another day! Best get someplace safe, or I'll regret Not giving proper respect to this threat!" Although the story of the unnamed stallion was filled with misfortune, the audience seemed to find great amusement in his antics. Given what the storyteller said in the beginning, Agate suspected that the whole thing was made up after all, but she knew better than to ask. She had enough experience with performers in the Empire to know that they never gave you a straight answer, just vague replies, cheeky smiles and sly winks. As the music slowed down again, the storyteller continued on. "Once more, I returned to the safety of the village to recuperate and restock. I thought, "Twice now I had to flee from harm. Perhaps the third time will be the charm?" Yes, twice in a row I did fail. First losing my pride, and then my tail. Still, confidence rose in my chest. Others might have died in such events, but I lived, I did my best! So I fell to my bed in a tired heap, Ready to have a good night's sleep. In the morning, I was fresh and rested, Reassuring myself that I would not be bested. To the north, the furious windigo may howl, And in the west, the prideful floewolf might prowl. My options limited, eastwards I went away - And I saw nothing but water for more than a day. I asked, "Is the east nothing but the ocean?" I was not thrilled by such a notion. As I mused, in the distance I heard a ghostly bray. Was that the windigo, still trying to make me it's prey? Shaking my head, I pressed on. I was nervous, but my determination was not yet gone. Finally, I saw a sight that made my heart soar. Land loomed ahead, and I hastened to get ashore. I was badly tired, looking for a place to rest. Luckily, I found a thicket, making me feel quite blessed. The place turned out to be the right choice. It was impossible to get past the brambles without causing noise. No predator could sneak up on me, Not without waking me up and giving me time to flee. The ground was mossy, and made for a soft bed. With a tired sigh, I laid down my head. I vaguely heard some noises in my sleep, But due to my exhaustion, my slumber was still quite deep. Waking up, I furtively looked around. All was silent and empty - I had not been found. Eating quickly and packing up, I went to explore. Though not before memorizing the quickest path to the shore. After trotting for a few hours, I was overtaken by confusion. There was no northern shore - that meant only one conclusion. This was either a peninsula, or an island of a massive size. Which meant that it would be difficult to claim it as my prize. "Smaller islands have smaller and fewer beasts," explorers tended to say. Meeting monsters worse than I already did made me want to run away. Pondering my choices, I sat down with a scowl. My mood was not improved when from behind me came a growl. Looking back, I could scarcely believe my eyes. In the distance stood the floewolf, clearly intent on my demise. "It must've took our meeting as a personal insult," I did surmise. And then I jumped up and galloped away, for to daydream would have been quite unwise. I wove between trees and obstacles, to force the beast to slow. It worked, but its fury only seemed to ever grow. It growled and barked, its voice like breaking ice. But I kept going, and the increasing distance made me feel quite nice. However, it was not meant to be. Galloping on, I saw pursuing windigoes in the sky - not one, not two, but three. "You're here too?! Come on, give me a break!" I yelled as I came across a frozen lake. Taking a breath, I charged forth. With my retreat cut off, I had to keep going north. The sound of my hooves on ice must've been quite loud, For it attracted an even bigger crowd. Galloping across the ice, I angrily grit my teeth - As massive ice worms started bursting from beneath. "This is ridiculous, what's going to come after me next?" I asked as I was getting quite vexed. Perhaps making such guesses wasn't for the best... As I reached the shore, I tripped , falling into some beast's nest. Quickly glancing around, I saw that it was a snowamander's lair. It wasn't hard to figure out - the lizard was staring at me with a baleful glare. Scrambling away, I yelled, "Don't mind me, just passing by!" But the best wasn't content to let it lie. It swiped it's claws at me, a near miss. Then, it turned and gave chase with a freezing hiss." The musicians had been slowly ramping up the music in the background, creating a tense atmosphere. Now, they picked up the pace again, starting another sequence of frantic drumbeats as the narrator's voice turned from tense, but collected, to panicked again. "Oooooooooh~ There's windigoes on my left! Even though I'm fast and deft, The snowamander's right behind! I'm really in quite a bind! Ice worms burrowing underground, Gotta gallop, climb that mound! There's a floewolf on my right! The future's not looking bright! Something else burst from the snow. You know what? I don't want to know! Seriously, I don't care anymore! All the monsters are after me by the score! Now there's also wings beating in the sky, Making me wish I could fly. There's strange sounds beyond comprehension, With growls and howls galore, keeping up the tension! I really couldn't take much more. "A curse upon you all!", I swore. Yet to my immense surprise, My pursuers stopped, making me rub my eyes." Quickly catching his breath, the stallion continued more calmly, the music slowing down a little, but not by much. "Looking around at my pursuers, I was slack-jawed. Dozens upon dozens of monsters, both familiar and completely unknown, had me awed. They were gathered in a semi-circle around me, yet they did not charge. Was this a dream? It couldn't be. Yet they hesitated, though their numbers were quite large. Feeling a presence behind me, I turned back, seeing the reason for their hesitation. The massive star beast Canis Major, the Spirit of All Wolves, was the cause of the situation. It was staring down at the collected menagerie of monsters that I managed to infuriate. Clearly, their fear of the greater monster trumped their hate. I could only guess that the hullabaloo got the star beast's attention. With a yip, Canis Minor stuck its head out from behind the star beast, raising the tension. The larger one immediately pushed it back with a hindleg. It kept the small one behind it, even if it tried to whimper and beg. The larger star wolf glared at all the gathered creatures, growling and baring its teeth. Even the bodiless windigoes flinched back in fright - in this hierarchy, they were clearly beneath. The message was clear: there would be no mercy for daring to encroach upon its lair and its pup. With a sigh, I composed myself and retrieved my spear, hefting it firmly. It was time, and I was fed up. I was completely surrounded on all sides, And exhausted from my long gallop besides. "Let's get this over with, then," I challenged, breaking the silence. That was the signal, instantly turning the standoff into violence. Now, I won't bother describing the awesome carnage and destruction that followed my proclamation. The beasts all fell upon one another, tearing into their foes in ways so terrible, they defied narration. However, I did not escape their notice, much to my frustration. A great number of them charged towards me as well, sending me to my final destination. Well, now I'm a guardian spirit, protecting tribe and kin. In the end, I did not manage to win. And ponies ask me, "Is there anything to learn? Surely from your story, some kind of wisdom you can discern?" Well, there's really not much. Still, I can tell you such: There's beasts galore out there, both known and unknown. So when exploring, don't be like me - take your friends, never go alone. And if you really want to avoid being part of such a slaughter... Well, all I can really tell you - don't go kissing a windigo's daughter! Hold on, what's that in the distance? A mournful windigo's neigh? Oh, ah, excuse me while I go... Chase her - I mean, it - away." Most of the audience laughed, Agate joining in. None of them seemed the slightest bit sad for the stallion's ultimate fate, which convinced the filly that it was a made up story after all. Well, that, and the impossibility of accidentally stumbling upon and getting a hundred different monsters all chasing after you. She didn't know all that much about animals, but both from what her uncle Obsidian Spear used to tell her, and what she learned from Spear Throw, they all tended to be quite territorial, and wouldn't live so close to each other. She was also pretty sure that windigoes didn't have daughters, or other kinds of siblings. With a shake of her head and a smile, the filly got up and went to explore some more as both the musicians and their audience tucked into their food. ❅ ❆ ❅ Elsewhere, a matronly-looking mare was sitting in front of a gaggle of foals, holding up various mushrooms and explaining something, throwing some of the mushrooms into a bubbling pot nearby, while setting the others aside. What caught Agate's attention was the fact that several of the fungi seemed to be glowing faintly in the dark. Curiously, she approached the group, sitting down to listen once more. "So what should we do if we eat one of the bad ones by accident?" One of the foals asked. "Throw up," The mare replied immediately. "Shove a hoof down your throat and make yourself gag if you have to. And then, go find a shamare or a herbalist and tell them what happened. Remove as much of it from your stomach as you can first, though. Better yet, drink some water and then throw up. Gets more stuff out that way." The foal's reactions were rather predictable, most of them grimacing in disgust. The mare wasn't having any of it, though. "It's far better than what will happen to you if you don't, believe me. Obviously, the best way is to not eat any of the bad ones. You should bring them to your parents first, anyway, but some of the worse ones, you shouldn't even touch. Want to stay safe? Then listen and memorize..." Clearing her throat, the mare began to rhyme. "Now listen, foals, which mushrooms are good and bad for you. You should not try to eat those with caps of blue. If you see spots of any kind, best trot on by. If you so much as lick those, you might well die. Some with caps of red are edible, my foal - But not the pointy ones, only those shaped like a bowl. The small, bright orange ones that grow in one big group? They are delicious, and make an excellent soup. The plump, large brown-caps with undersides white like snow? Magnificent when fried, but look carefully - for hidden under fallen leaves they grow. Luckily for you, there's only one mushroom that's green - And you can eat it without worry, just make sure it's clean. The round, white and brown bulbs shaped like a ball are good and tasty. But only while they're young, so when they start sprouting, go foraging and be hasty. The flat-hatted, light brown ones grow twice as big as your hoof. They're good at any size, so you're safe to bring them under your roof. There's lots of other mushrooms galore, But the rest of them you should probably ignore. Some taste bad, some will give you the trots. So don't go tasting them, or your insides will tie themselves in knots. You might find some magical mushrooms as well, but best beware: If it's glowing, to eat it you really should not dare. Yes, the purple ones might interest a shamare. But if you try it, it won't be a pleasant affair. Tell the shamares about ones with glowing veins of blue, And they'll make a potion to restore lost strength, just for you. But do avoid the charcoal-black ones with a skirt. If you even look at one long, you'll end up hurt." "Really? Just looking is enough?" Another foal asked, disbelief coloring her voice. "Simply noticing one won't hurt you, but if you stare at it, you'll start getting dizzy, yes," The mare confirmed. "And then you'll start throwing up, as if you ate something bad already. So don't go around getting into staring contests with the magic mushrooms. You won't be able to win them. Given how crazy the effects are, I don't think I need to repeat myself about the dangers of trying to play with the magical ones. They might look very pretty, but they're best either left alone, or for the shamares and herbalists to deal with, am I clear?" "Yes, elder," The foals chorused. "Good. I know that it seems odd, collecting mushrooms when so many of them are dangerous, but we're never in a position to pass by good food. Speaking of, I think the stew should be done by now. Get your bowls, and you'll see why it's worth to put in the effort. Properly prepared, they're really quite delicious." As the sounds of talking were replaced with quiet slurps of eating, Agate got up, seeking the next interesting conversation to listen in on. ❅ ❆ ❅ After wandering around a little more, Agate was almost ready to turn back to her totem. The ponies were all eating, not really talking much, and she didn't want to interrupt by staring at them and being creepy while they had their feast. Some of them finished their food, though, continuing their conversations and lessons while others ate. She came upon a mixed group of ponies from different tribes - a number of the younger nomads hailing from Snowpitt, and a hoofful of older ponies that were (probably) northerners. It was still a little hard for the filly to differentiate between the snowpony tribes. She did notice that the other two tribes tended to wear clothes and accessories far more often than the southerners. Other than that, though, there didn't seem to be any real physical differences between them. The northerners seemed to have a little more white-coated ponies among their number, and their coats tended to be just a little shaggier and longer, but that was it. The only other tell seemed to be their slight accents. Listening in, she tried to figure out if her assessment was correct. "So, you have to go by kayak to get around anywhere in your territories? It sounds so different than the tundra. You just gallop where your hooves take you. I mean, we have lakes and rivers to paddle around in, but you can just circle around them," One of the nomads mused. "It's not called the Thousand Islands for nothing," The northerner stallion confirmed. "It's all water. There's stories about bigger islands and some kind of landmass further out, but they're too distant to settle - yet. We're hopping from island to island, going further north every year, though. The chieftain is really hoping we'll reach a large enough island to build a proper settlement on eventually." "Really, why? From what the others told me, you're doing just fine. If you keep going like you are, the northern tribe is going to be more numerous than us in a generation or two," Another southerner mused. "Yes, but we're terribly scattered. We'd like to have our own safe settlements that our tribe can gather in, like Snowpitt or Highglade. Sure, Nilas is a nice and secure place, but it's really not very large. Some of the islands are big enough to house several dozens of families, but others can barely fit a group of hunters or a family. Some of us spend almost the entire fishing season by ourselves, only meeting with the rest of our kin at the same time we meet the other tribes in the Gathering. " "Can't you expand Nilas? I know Snowpitt used to be much smaller than it is now." "Not exactly... See, the winds get terribly fast and raging over the sea, even worse than they do over the tundra. Sometimes it gets so bad that the shamares have to step in. Nilas is built in a natural depression, next to a cove that provides excellent shelter from the storms. The village itself is safe, but if you try to build anything outside of the safe boundaries, you can expect your house to literally get blown away. Or freeze to a solid block of ice - if there's so much as a hole the size of a nostril in your walls, the wind will get in, and your walls will be covered in frost faster than you can blink." "Wow... And I thought the tundra gales were harsh. I mean, we have to plug every tiny hole in our walls as well, of course, but that sounds wild." "It most certainly is wild, that's for sure. We try to make our territory as safe as we can, but we can't just chase away the worst of the monsters from our borders like the southern and western tribes do," The northerner chuckled, shaking his head. "It's not like we can take a deep breath and dive to the bottom of the sea and hunt them, after all." "And yet, you keep going further and further north," The nomad said, in a slightly confused tone of voice. "And yet, we keep going further and further north!" The northerner exclaimed proudly, jumping up and spreading his forelegs wide, his demeanor the complete opposite of the southerner's. "The beasts might gnash and roar, and the northern wind may blow, but we forge on, no matter who or what tries to blow us from our course! Just like our great ancestors before us! Glacial Plains, the great explorer, or Alpine Glow, one of the first northerners! Haha!" The nomads laughed, amused at the northerner's fiery reaction, though there was no disrespect in their amusement. In fact, many of them looked at the rugged traveler with admiration. One tilted his head, asking curiously while scratching an ear. "So, who's this "first northerner"? I think I heard how the tribe was first formed - there were great fishing grounds around Nilas, and a number of ponies decided to build a permanent settlement there - but I don't recall hearing specific names. Was it the first foal to be born in the village, or something?" "Not quite," the stallion shook his head, still grinning. "She was actually from the western mountains. As for the firsts, she ended up being one of the first permanent settlers in the north, after rediscovering the northern shores. " "Do you know her story?" "Hmmm, I think I do. Give me a minute... *Ahem*. As the morning sun looms over the mountains And the howling wind echoes throughout the land. A young pony now descends from the summit To start on a journey that few can withstand. From her lonely summit home atop the peaks To the frosted forests of trees evergreen Alpine Glow travels in search of adventure In search of places she has yet to have seen. In her heart lay the feeling of wanderlust A desire to explore the great unknown. Though most all can be seen from the mountain peak There is one place hidden, a forbidden zone. She remembers the tales her kin used to tell Of a lost realm far beyond normal reaches. Through the hail and the ice she goes heading north In hopes of finding the fabled snow beaches. There is said to be an abundance of fish, And strange avian creatures who like to play, As well as another one known as a seal If all these await then she shouldn't delay! Alpine Glow is strong, she's handled worse before Even this fierce blizzard is no match for her, Since she's always got on her favorite poncho Passed down now for ages, it beats any fur! And finally through the harshest of blizzards Alpine Glow arrives to a sight for sore eyes The legends, they were true, the beach is right there! Overcome with joy, the poor mare nearly cries! There really are puffins and even seals too And look at the fish jumping out of the sea! But perhaps what is most surprising of all Is a pony awaiting, just who is she? An ethereal glow radiates from her Something suggests an otherworldly presence. She approaches a nearly speechless Alpine And imparts her a gift, one of strange essence. A mystical looking relic, quite unique With a curious mark never seen before. "You have come far and have earned this, now go forth." And with her task done, she vanished from the shore. Young Alpine Glow was still very unaware Of what truly she had been entrusted with. What she held in her hoof was no mere trinket But a key once thought to have been just a myth." "Wait, what was that about? The spirit that she met on the shore?" "I'm not too sure, actually. As I said, she rediscovered the northern reaches. No one really knows how many ponies found them before her, but it never went anywhere. Small groups or individuals ventured out plenty of times, tempted by rumors of untapped lands and bountiful food, but they were often ill-prepared, and it never ended well for them. The only knowledge about the north ponies of the time had were stories told by shamed and embarrassed spirits of the fallen pioneers, warning their kin not to get blinded by temptation for the great bounties of the sea, as it held even greater dangers. As such, the north was relegated to myth and rumor for a long time, especially seeing as the western forests and mountains were a plentiful and safer alternative to settle in. Once the western tribe formed and truly took root, though, there were two tribe's worth of ponies interested in poking around the north, which led the more ambitious southerners and westerners to break away and form the northern tribe. There were some stories of the first settlers discovering ancient lost spirits of those first explorers, still wandering the beaches. Perhaps Alpine Glow met one of those spirits, one that stayed there on purpose to give her blessing to whoever successfully followed in her hoofsteps? Either way, Alpine Glow ended up being one of the great pioneers of the northern tribe. Despite being born in the mountains, she took to the icy plains and seas like a fish to water, learning and teaching others a great many things about adapting and surviving in the harsh northern conditions. They say that when she passed on, surrounded by her family and kin, she just laughed, saying "I'm off for a trot. See you on the other side!". Her spirit rose up and immediately galloped off northwards, laughing and goading the rest of the tribe to keep up with the northern expeditions." "Did she eventually come back?" "According to the old stories, no, she actually didn't," The northerner mused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Perhaps she went to her final rest one day, when she had enough of exploring. Or perhaps she's like that spirit, resting somewhere far in the north, waiting until her descendants manage to reach her. Time will tell, I suppose." Agate listened in for a little while longer as the ponies discussed the differences between their respective territories and stories of distant ancestors. Soon enough, though, they decided to retire for the evening, the rest of the village going quiet as well. Following their example, the filly went to her totem, eager to get some rest. ❅ ❆ ❅ The next morning found Agate surrounded. After waking up, the filly decided to keep her eyes closed for a while, feeling a little lazy. Various images ran through her head as she daydreamed, remembering all the stories that she listened to the day before. Eventually, though, she decided to get up, opening her eyes. The sight that greeted her was rather unexpected. Her usually barren and empty clearing was occupied by a good dozen different ponies, the visitors spread out across the clearing, talking between themselves quietly with the occasional glance towards her totem. One of them noticed Agate looking at them, approaching closer. "Traveler spirit? Are you awake?" Agate blinked, examining the pony. He was a young stallion, white-maned with a gray coat that slowly faded to white on his belly, with black socks on his legs. Judging by the accent, he was a northerner. She was quite certain that she never saw him before. Mentally shrugging, she closed her eyes, hopping out of her totem and landing on the ground. Seeing her appear, the other members of his band got up, forming around the pair. "I am, yeah. Been for a little while, but I felt like staying in for a little bit today. Can I help you?" "Possibly. I was in the meeting in the Great Hall yesterday, and after discussing your story over food with a number of other ponies, we decided to form a band," He explained, gesturing widely across the clearing, his companions standing up straighter and puffing up their chests. There were twelve in total, all of them quite young, barely into their first true adult years. "We want to go to Dream Valley and see the place with our own eyes. Oh, my name is Icicle, by the way." "Alright... My name's Agate, but you probably knew that already. Do you need my help for anything? You don't really need my permission to go there, I already told Long Stride that yesterday. Oh, and I think he mentioned about going there himself, didn't he? I think you need to talk to him, too." "Yes, that was the first thing we did," The stallion confirmed with a nod. "He told us that he would allow me to lead the expedition, which is a great honor. Normally, we would never undertake such a trip in the cold months, but if the southern mountains are as barren as you say, there should be no true danger in traversing them, even in the dead of winter. As the chieftain said, it will be both a good test of our skills, and useful experience, as well." "Alright, so do you need anything? I think I told Frostbeard everything I knew, but I guess I can try to tell you in greater detail, if you want to." "Oh, yes! Apologies, spir- uhm, Agh- Agate. We had some questions that we thought up while we were making our plans. We actually wanted to know more details about Dream Valley and your people's settlements, not about the southern mountains." "Really? Okay, but the Empire is gone, so... I don't know how much it'll help." "That's not... About your main settlement," The stallion replied, rubbing his chin. "From the way you told your story, you made it sound like all of your people lived in the one, single village. But that couldn't be entirely right, could it? Was the settlement so large, it sprawled across the entire valley? Surely your people still had some kind of outposts or other settlements?" "Oh... OH!" Agate smacked herself on the forehead, realization flooding her. "Yes! Well, not exactly. See, pretty much everyone did live in the city because of the shield's protection, but a few ponies had homesteads on the mountainsides, mostly the shepherds and woodcutters. Also, there were lots of quarries and mines on the eastern side of the valley... I'm not sure if ponies actually lived there, but... Hm..." Agate trailed off, raking her memory. She really wasn't too familiar with anything outside the city, her entire knowledge consisting of short snippets from the conversations she had and a few stylized maps the teachers in school used to show the foals. She moved her hoof across the snow, feeling the urge to smack herself again when nothing happened. "Draw a circle," She told the stallion. "I'll do my best to remember where the outposts were." Icicle happily obliged, marking out a sizeable circle in the snow, the others taking a few steps back to give him space. Agate looked at the shape with lidded eyes, doing her best to impose the map of the Empire on it. After a minute, she started giving out instructions, the stallion adding small markings to the circle. "Let's start with the biggest things. I'm sure you'll go to the place where the city used to stand, right there, in the middle of the valley. Due east from there, there's a worn path to the quarries, you can't miss it. I don't really know if ponies lived there or not, but even further east, there's a number of mines in the mountains, and my uncle told me that the Guard had outposts there..." Agate spent the next hour doing her best to recall any and all details about the outlying locations that crystal ponies lived or worked in. She really didn't know much, and felt bad at the possibility of accidentally misleading the stallion, but he was insistent on knowing every potential place where they might find clues, gently prodding her for information about every corner of the valley. "Alright, I think that's the best I can do," Agate finally finished, looking at the snow. It was now decorated with small twigs, X's, and other markings to denote various areas of interest. Icicle nodded silently, his lips moving but not making a sound. Several other ponies were doing the same thing, likely memorizing everything that Agate told them. One mare rubbed her chin thoughtfully, reaching into a saddlebag and retrieving a very thin wooden plank, scribbling some stuff on it with a stick of charcoal. After a few minutes of memorizing and marking, the stallion nodded, stepping back. "This should help a lot. Thank you, Agate. We'll see if every trace of your people vanished, or whether the other places that you told us about are still intact. We'll bring you something to help remember your home if we find anything." "Thank you. I completely forgot about about the other places I could have looked at. I feel a little silly now." "Don't," He shook his head. "You are still young. You're doing remarkable things for your age already. Anyway, I'd love to stay and talk about your people, but today's meeting is starting soon, and I don't want to miss it. Will you join us?" "Today's meeting? Oh, I completely forgot that you have those all winter. What is it going to be about? More stories and learning?" "Not yet, the elders need to get the important business out of the way first. The shamares will ask the chieftains whether they'll need to perform the Calling this year - which they will, since there was a group of explorers of ours that never returned, dead or alive. That's what the first meeting of the year is always about, but everyone was more interested to know about you this time," Icicle chuckled. "I hope I haven't held up any important business..." Agate said quietly, folding her ears in embarrassment. "You haven't. Now, we really must be going. Will you...?" "Sure. Lead the way." The filly got up, the other ponies following Icicle as he went towards the Hall at a hasty trot. A few of Icicle's companions kept curiously glancing at Agate as they went along, but none of them asked anything. A couple of them whispered quietly about something between each other, but other than that, the trip went by in silence. As they entered the building, Icicle gave her a parting nod, turning towards the stairs to the upper floors, his herd of followers clopping along. Looking around, the filly wondered where she should sit down so as to be the least obtrusive to other ponies. Eventually, she decided to climb on the rim of the stone-lined firepit, laying down with her back to the fire. The meeting had begun about when the group entered the building, and Long Stride was talking, the three chieftains all sharing the platform. "...Doing quite well. Another successful season of fishing, stocking up, and slowly building up our outposts. No major discoveries of new lands or strange creatures this year. A few more islands added to our maps, but I doubt you want to hear about those. Honestly, at this point, we're running out of names for them." "Not much to say here, either," Oak Bark shrugged from his sitting position. "Times have been peaceful lately. No big projects or threats that would require your assistance to deal with. No calamities either, thank the spirits. Some of our ponies are emboldened by the northerner's tales of exploration and are looking for passages through the mountains, to see if there are any more habitable valleys beyond. No results on that end yet, but we'll be sure to inform you all if we find something interesting." Frostbeard went next, shaking out his mane and rubbing his beard. "And we did have some excitement here in the south, but you already heard about that. Our guest provided a lot of excitement and head-scratching moments to many ponies here in Snowpitt, but sadly, that was it. Agate's tribe is still lost to us, and there is little else to tell you all. A number of ponies are planning to go south to explore those lost lands more thoroughly. We'll see if anything comes from that, I suppose." That seemed to be it, the three chieftains going quiet. A few murmurs passed through the crowd at the (lack of) news, the ponies seeming pleased, for the most part. After a moment of silence, True Sight stood up from where she was lying down, clopping her hoof on the floor twice. Straightening out as much as her old back would allow, she addressed the three chieftains. "A lack of calamities is always good news, I would say. With that done, we are left with but one important question - the lost. We did not lose any spirits here in the south this year. What of the other tribes? Do you have kin that need to be called back home?" Oak Bark shook his head, but Long Stride nodded, a solemn expression on his face. "Yes. A group of four explorers. They left well over two months ago. I don't think that they'll be able to find their way back on their own. All of them are quite capable, and I've no doubts that they managed to get quite far away before they met their demise." "Then we shall perform our most sacred duty once more. None of our kin shall be left to languish in the dark and cold. We should go and start our preparations," True Sight confirmed solemnly, sweeping her gaze across the gathered shamares. The group nodded, muttering amongst each other as they slowly got up and started shuffling out. The chieftains nodded as well, discussing the things they'll need to do. "We'll handle most of the walls, of course," Long Stride began, to the nods of the other two. "I'm sure we'll have no shortage of willing sentries, both young and old, so the perimeter should be fine. The westerner's sharp eyes will be of use, no doubt..." Agate listened in for a few more minutes, but this meeting seemed to be more about logistics and preparations rather than snowpony history or other things that interested her. Ponies called out from both the lower and higher floors, volunteering for one task or another, the chieftains either approving or denying their offers. A few left the Hall with messages for others, and after a short while longer of them talking about things she didn't really understand all that well, the filly decided to go do something else. As she got out of the hall, she heard a shout. Twitching her ears, she turned towards where the sound came from. The shamares were still in sight, moving slowly due to all the elderly members of the group. True Sight waved her over, before turning and shuffling along with the others. Trotting quickly, Agate caught up to the mystical mares, moving in alongside True Sight. "Hello, elder. Was there something you wanted?" "Just your company, if you're free. I didn't think that meeting would hold your interest for long, and the others became quite interested in you after I told them you've been teaching us magic," True Sight replied, gesturing towards the other shamares with her head. Most of them were completely unfamiliar to the filly. She recognized Sky Breath, and Earthsong was off to the side, talking with a pair of younger shamares. One elderly snow-white mare caught her eye, though. Something about her was oddly familiar. Catching Agate's eye, she raised an eyebrow. "Yes, youngling? Something you want to know?" "Uh, no, it's just that you look familiar. I think I met you briefly, almost a year ago, but I can't place your name. Sorry." "Blizzard. Blizzard Heart," The mare replied laconically. "I helped teach you some words. I suppose you didn't really understand my name yet, so it didn't stick with you. No matter." "Oh. Yes, I think I remember now. I was still a bit confused back then. Well, more than a bit confused, really." "Hrn. Understandable," The elder grunted. "From what True Sight told us, though, you've come a long way. Teaching shamares your foreign magic? Quite interesting." "As I keep telling them, it's barely anything. Making crystals glow is the most basic thing you can do with them. I can't really do any of the impressive stuff, like mold them into useful shapes and the like." "Anything that helps cut down the time we spend on it still helps," One of the young mares cut in. "It's a dreadfully tedious task, important as it is. Are you going to be teaching us?" "I guess I can? I wasn't planning on a magic lesson today, but I don't have any other plans," Agate shrugged. "We'll take the lead," True Sight interjected. "We should see if we can teach Agate's techniques to others ourselves, without her help. You're welcome to join in afterwards, though." "Alright then." The slow-moving gaggle of shamares made their way towards Dreamcatcher's home, asking Agate questions about the kinds of magics crystal ponies could perform the entire way there. The Crystal Heart caught their interest the most, the mares comparing it to the wards they used to protect their own villages. "It sounds immensely powerful. Just one artifact, able to push away everything? Not just creatures with ill intent, but also the cold itself?" Blizzard Heart asked with some skepticism. "Yes, but it's not just the Heart's power alone. Literally every single pony in the Empire helps power it. It's more of a... Conduit? By itself, without the people, the Heart would be just a shiny prop. Also, it has to be placed in the right spot to work, too. The Spire, the roads, the whole city is used to channel the magic. It's like a... Like a spiderweb of sorts. Each part has to be connected to the other," Agate explained. "Like a one, giant rune that covers the entire village? Fascinating..." A number of shamares muttered among themselves, wondering if they could learn to replicate at least some of the things the crystal ponies did. Soon, they made it to their destination, swinging around the house and moving towards the storage shed. One by one, the shamares started retrieving the baskets with crystals, setting up right outside. Agate waited patiently as they stomped the snow down a little, stacking the crystals up in small piles all around in a circle. In a short while, they had a properly mystical-looking setup, with a bunch of slightly crazy-looking mares sitting in a circle chanting strange words, a bunch of glimmering crystals surrounding them in strange shapes on the ground, and a ghost of a filly watching it all. True Sight, Dreamcatcher and Earthsong took the lead, the three shamares that Agate taught now teaching the rest of their colleagues. The lessons went mostly smoothly, and a couple hours later, the rest of them were charging the crystals one by one, remarking how much easier this was. Agate joined in to help, her rather meagre skills having improved significantly over the summer that she spent both teaching and practicing magic. She could charge a crystal in a few minutes now, without having to focus like crazy or getting drained completely like she used to before. She still wasn't able to reliably do anything bigger, like making crystals grow or transmute them, not without "help" from True Sight. And that usually went sideways in some way or another. The old shamare enjoyed encouraging Agate to experiment and discover more about her magic, usually by prodding and needling the filly until she gave in. The results were mixed, including some crystals that grew bigger, several that changed from citrine into amethyst, a bunch that cracked and broke, and even one that exploded rather impressively. After that last one, Agate vowed to be more careful, even though True Sight insisted that it was perfectly fine. "Well, it's not like anything can happen to you. All we have to do is find a tree to hide behind," She argued while Earthsong was busy picking out shards of crystal from her coat with her usual eye-roll. Unsurprisingly, by the time they were about halfway through the pile of crystals, True Sight stretched, cracking her joints. With a nonchalant expression (but a voice with an undercurrent of mischief that Agate had learned to recognize), she spoke, addressing the others. "You know, this could go even faster, if we could convince Agate to try out something she told me about earlier." Her suggestion was met with raised eyebrows from every shamare except Earthsong, who let out a long groan. "Elder.." Earthsong's reaction seemed to put others on alert, the group apparently already well familiar with True Sight's antics. "I know better than to trust anything you're about to say," Sky Breath snorted. "True Sight you may be, but True Speech you are certainly not, you foal. So instead, I'll ask the subject of your claim. Agate, what is she talking about?" While True Sight made faces at Sky Breath, the filly shrugged. "There's a way to charge these all at once instead of one by one, I think. You'd need to spread them all out evenly on the ground, so they all would be touching as much as possible, and then all do it at the same time. Crystals are quite conducive to magic, and with lots of them resonating at the same time, it should work. It helps that they're all the same kind of crystals, too." "Resonating... Crystals..." Sky Breath spoke slowly, tasting the foreign terms. "We're still not half as good at this as you are, Agate. Are you sure we could do it?" "Yes we could, if Agate took the lead on the ritual," True Sight interjected, speaking confidently. "Riiight. You don't think she's too inexperienced for that? Did she even see a group casting before?" "I think I have," The filly spoke, her voice thoughtful. "Way back when I just came here. You were all there, by the huge firepit in the middle of the village. After some talking - presumably about me - a bunch of you dispersed into small groups and started doing... Something. I think I recall Blizzard Heart and some of other shamares summoning an actual blizzard, True Sight and some others were throwing... Dice? No, I think it was something else..." "Bones, youngling," Blizzard Heart explained. "And we were communicating with the spirits of the world, the wind and the earth, and other things besides. Some of us with talents in similar fields can pool our strength together to achieve greater effects. But I don't see how we'd be able to do that in this case. No one here has a talent for working with spirit stones except for you. Also, merely seeing it once doesn't remotely mean you can actually do it." "But she keeps going on and on how this is the most simple and basic form of magic," True Sight argued again. "We're already able to charge the stones, so there's no reason why we couldn't do it as a group, much faster and quicker. We could be done with the entire task in an hour, instead of days that it used to take us." "Agate?" Sky Breath turned towards the filly once more. She was clearly interested, but still deferred to Agate's opinion. "It's kind of true," She squirmed awkwardly as all the shamares were now looking at her intently. "All kinds of ponies use crystals for magic, even those Equestrians that I told you about. My people just kept refining their skills for a... Long time. I guess- I guess we could try it." After a few thoughtful glances between each other, the mares all nodded, standing up and pushing all the crystals into one place in a circle, leaving a small spot empty in the middle. Surrounding the circle, they all sat down, their sides and shoulders touching as they started breathing rhythmically, slowly synchronizing their breaths. Agate lay down in the empty spot, performing a few focusing exercises as well. A few minutes of focusing and breathing later, the silence was broken by a quiet, but slowly rising hum coming from the gathered mares. *HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM* Agate felt the gathering magic around her, breathing in and out. She didn't need to breathe for a long time now, but it was a way to focus, and to feel her surroundings better. She could feel herself breathing in tiny parts of the magic, making her skin tingle. She raised a foreleg, slowly circling it in the air as if she was stirring up water. It was an odd sensation. It wasn't hers. She couldn't command it. It was a lot like when she rode on her father's back when she was younger. She could feel his muscles work and move to carry her, even though they weren't hers. However, with a tug on his mane, she could ask her father to change course, to direct all that power that she was currently riding. Something similar was happening here. She couldn't forcefully command the magic flowing out of the shamares, but they were trusting Agate with it. She could direct it. So she did. "Put your hooves on the nearest crystal," She breathed, doing the same thing herself, wrapping the magic around her hooves and directing the flow. The shamares followed her directions in unison. The hum increased, the crystals beginning to vibrate as well, some of them chiming like a bell. The one Agate was touching started to glow instantly, but that was to be expected. Biting her lip, Agate kept pouring the magic in, watching the surrounding crystals. Slowly but surely, they started lighting up too, both from where she was sitting and where the shamares were charging theirs. She almost faltered once she saw that, but managed to keep her focus. "It's working. It's really working. Now, just... Keep it up for a little while longer." They all sat there for some time, the orange glow getting brighter and brighter, making all the shamares look as if their coats changed color. Agate listened carefully to any changes in the hum's pitch, waiting for the point when the crystals would be fully charged. Once she heard it, she immediately took her hooves off, breathing a sigh of relief. "Okay, that's enough, now stop. They're fully charged now, and if we keep going, things will get unpredictable. They might grow into more crystals, but they also might break or explode. I'm not good enough to control the more advanced effects." The shamares heeded her advice, removing their hooves as well. One by one, they came back to reality, their eyes fluttering open and darting about. Judging by the rather pleased expressions they wore, the sight that greeted them was more than acceptable. A carpet of crystals covered the snow, all of them glowing brightly. "How long did that take?" One of the younger mares asked. "No more than an hour, I think," Sky Breath replied. "An HOUR! This is great! Oh, wise spirit of the south, you're a gift most wonderful! Usually, this would take us two days, at least!" Agate blushed at the praise, folding her ears. Several mares laughed at her reaction, Sky Breath reaching out and petting her mane. Slowly, the shamares all got up, examining the crystals more closely. Blizzard Heart tried to pick one up, only to find out that it had fused to two other crystals that were lying next to it. "What the...?" "Oh, that happens sometimes," Agate explained. "They're just stuck together, though, you can separate them quite easily. The elder nodded, breaking the crystals apart with a crack. Holding one close to her eyes, she squinted at it for a minute before putting it back down on the ground. She muttered "Adequate," which was her only assessment. "So, is this it?" Agate asked. "You're going to set them up in those glowing paths, and then... You're going to summon the lost spirits?" "Not us, Agate," Sky Breath shook her head. "Well, I mean, yes, we're going to summon the spirits of our kin. We're too old to be galloping through the tundra dropping spirit stones, though. Other ponies will take care of that. We'll tell the chieftains, and they'll rustle up some energetic ponies with sleds, and they'll extend the paths." "Extend?" "Yes, when the other tribes move towards Snowpitt, they leave trails of spirit stones leading from their lands as well. They wouldn't help all that much if we'd only put them so close to the village." "Alright. And then... The Calling? From what the others told me, it can get... Scary. You pull in all of the spirits, not just ponies, right?" "Yes, an unfortunate side effect. However, it is our duty to our kin. They brave the wilds to protect and expand their tribes, with the knowledge that should they perish, we will always bring them back home, to share warmth and say our goodbyes to them for one last time, no matter what. Even if all the monsters of the north come galloping to Snowpitt, we'd do it anyway," The feathered shamare explained, her voice firm and without the slightest waver of doubt. The rest of the shamares nodded at that, all of their expressions serious. "I... I can understand that, I guess. Being lost in the darkness was... Not pleasant." "Exactly. We'd never leave our kin to languish like that. Now..." Sky Breath blinked a few times, looking confused. "Oh, well, I suppose we don't actually have anything left to do now, heh. Well, I'm a little hungry. I'm off to my lodgings to get some food. Some of you younglings go tell the chieftains we got things done ahead of schedule, yes? And, Agate - thank you for your help. We should talk some more later. Be seeing you." With that, the group began to disperse, a few mares going to the chieftains at Sky Breath's behest, others going to get some food or warm up. With a few waves and goodbyes, Agate was left alone. Checking the sky, she saw that it was getting late already. After a few moments of thinking, she decided to wander the village some more before retiring. Maybe she'd hear some more poems or songs. Those were fun.