//------------------------------// // New Journey // Story: Agate's Vigil // by Wingnut //------------------------------// ❅ ❆ ❅ As she trotted off, Agate thought about her goodbye to Earthsong. Unlike what ponies would usually assume, dropping by in a dream was not a euphemism or poetic expression, but a very real option for her, if a bit hard to pull off. Her many, many lessons with Dreamcatcher over the years paid off, to an extent. She still wasn't remotely a master dreamwalker like her old teacher, but she did manage to learn a few tricks here and there. Visiting other ponies in their dreams was one such trick, though there were some caveats to it. The main catch was, it worked best while she was resting in her totem, which made going to ponies in the southern tribe while she was out travelling in the north a bit hard. Overall, nearly every ability that she learned had some drawback or other due to her being a spirit, though she eventually learned how to turn some of them into advantages. One such case was travelling in a dream. Agate still remembered the first time it happened, when she went through the mountain and emerged in Dream Valley when she woke up. Normally, a pony's essence would immediately return to their body, but for a spirit, the border between dream and reality was a bit more blurry. While she did have a substitute body - her totem pole was exactly that, in a way - it was still a substitute, and she was still a spirit. When she slept in her totem and dreamt about going somewhere, she would return to it upon waking, but if she slept outside, things got a lot more interesting. For a living pony, their dream journeys being reality was probably not a pleasant prospect at all, given how many of them veered off into either completely ridiculous or lethally dangerous territory. Such risks weren't a concern for Agate, though there was the simple issue of getting completely turned around and ending up somewhere strange and unfamiliar. Despite learning how to be mostly lucid during her dreams, the dream-haze fogging her mind while she slept never fully went away, which made her miss the occasional critical detail. Still, since her totem pole doubled up as a beacon, she was usually able to find her way back from wherever she ended up. Usually - unless she happened to "sleepwalk" a bit too far from where she fell asleep. There was one time she dreamt about going to Nilas and galloping through the tundra when she was in some northern island, only to wake up and find herself in a nondescript patch of the southern plains, with no real idea how she got there. Needless to say, that made her panicked. Not because she was in danger or anything of the sort, but because she vanished without any explanation to her travelling companions, who must have been very confused, and she was almost a week's worth of travel away from the island she was in. Doing her best to get a grip on herself, she immediately began meditating, falling into a trance and returning to a dreamlike state. Though she didn't like it, there was only one real option for her to get back to where she vanished from - flight. That was another trick she managed to learn. It was a known fact that, despite being weightless, spirits couldn't fly - though that didn't mean they couldn't cheat. A great many limitations on both living ponies and spirits didn't apply when one was asleep, and, over time, some clever shamares learned to make full use of it. Dreamwalkers were able to shift into myriads of forms, from birds in the highest skies, to fish in the bottom of the sea. They used that ability to travel swiftly across the world and commune with various nature spirits, but, unlike them, Agate didn't have to return to her body when she woke up. Shapeshifting was truly a fascinating ability, though it didn't come entirely without risks. She'd sometimes notice faint outlines of feathers stuck to her forelegs when she woke up, but that was a minor inconvenience at most, one that would solve itself once her sleepy mind realigned and she remembered that she was, in fact, a pony, and not some exotic northern avian. No, the bigger risk was that her sleepy mind would carry her off somewhere she really, really didn't want to go yet. After the first time she managed to fly in a dream, she was absolutely thrilled by the experience, and immediately wanted to do it again. It was wild, exhilarating, stunning - simply magical, in more ways than one. It took her a few nights of meditation to pull it off again, but fly she did. Though it started simply, just gliding above the roofs of Snowpitt, she soon rose above the treetops, flapping her ethereal wings faster and harder, barely able to stop herself from shrieking with joy at the sensation of unparalleled freedom. Rising higher and higher, she looked downwards at the fascinating bird's-eye view of Snowpitt and its surroundings, hardly being able to believe just how far she was able to see. The forest, the tundra - she could see everything, save for maybe the tops of the southern mountains. That wasn't exactly a big issue, though, as with a chuckle, she just continued rising, heedless of how far from the ground she was getting. Only when the lights of Snowpitt looked like barely visible fireflies and even the mountaintops appeared no bigger than a pointy rock did she look upward. She was far above the clouds, and the sky looked much closer here - including the Moon. Gazing curiously at the silvery orb, she examined the darkened splotch of the space narwhal for a moment before the Moon turned to look at her, too, its eye seeming to squint at her. To this day, Agate didn't know whether it was a conjuration of her mind or if she actually caught the attention of some kind of Moon spirit, and she didn't want to find out. She barely even remembered the moment, only recalling the sudden sensation of sheer terror gripping her entire being as something far, far vaster than her considered her being. Faster than she could blink, she bolted downward, waking up splayed out on the ground face-down next to her totem, with the sensation of having fallen out of bed lingering in her mind. While she wasn't certain whether the Moon spirit was hostile or even real, she knew one thing - galloping high, high into the sky was how snowpony spirits went to their eternal resting grounds, and the stories concerning that did mention going past the Moon. She certainly didn't want to end up there, whether by accident or if her dreaming mind forgot that she still had things to do back on the ground and went there anyway. As such, she became a lot more apprehensive about flying around, which also served to make actually performing the fickle dream magic that much harder. Still, she didn't forget Spear Throw's lessons about being brave and overcoming your fears. Not to mention, save for that one mishap, flying really was fun, not to mention expedient. Sure, she already could gallop non-stop without getting tired, but even that was slow compared to the speed of flight that was unbound from most laws of reality. And it allowed her to cross the sea without needing someone to carry her, as well! Given all that happened, she decided to do something special and fly out ahead of the migrating mass of ponies, going all the way to the very end of the route. She did visit Green Land before, so she was quite certain that she'd be able to retrace the path by air, even in her sleep (literally). And if she got lost or ended up on some random island, she'd just pick it up next day - Agate certainly felt confident enough in her knowledge of the Thousand Islands by now. Trotting outside the village boundaries, she considered her options for a brief moment before turning southwest, towards a wooded area. It didn't particularly matter where she went for this, as long as it was a sufficient distance from the totem's draw, but she liked the ambiance of a tiny grove that she found, the faintly glowing spirits of the old trees and the susurrations of the wind moving through the branches giving the place a feeling of mystique and timelessness. As usual, the grove was empty, save for a few faint forms of northern birds that she could see in the trees. Besides the odd attraction that Agate felt, it was a really unremarkable place, especially considering some of the more interesting islands that she saw in her travels, but something still drew the spirit there. Glancing around for the dozenth time to try and notice whatever it was that made it stand out, she shrugged, moving to the bare patch in the middle and lying down. Though it was still "day", the sky was dark again - it was just the beginning of spring, which meant that the Sun only showed up for a brief moment. Gazing at the patch of starry sky, she began her meditation. ❅ ❆ ❅ Agate dreamt of Dreamcatcher. Or, more accurately, she thought of Dreamcatcher as she slowly slipped into a dream, carefully treading that fine line between being awake and lucid dreaming. She needed just enough dreaminess to make her forget some of the rules that bound her, without descending into the total, uncontrollable chaos that regular dreams were. She wondered whether the shamare would show up or not. Thinking about her sometimes summoned the mare, though it was quite a small chance. Most ponies would be confused that there even was a chance at all, seeing as they were well aware that Dreamcatcher had been dead for almost a decade. While that really wasn't an impediment for snowponies, much like with everything else in her life, Dreamcatcher hardly behaved like an ordinary pony, or even shamare, for that matter. Even her death was unusual, leaving all the elders and wise ponies scratching their heads. It was generally accepted that the shamare was near-permanently sleepy, her bouts in the dream realm often leaving her more tired when she woke up than when she went to bed, even if she "slept" for a whole day or longer. Despite that, and the added relative physical frailty due to the sedate lifestyle, her spiritual strength was both well known and highly regarded by her peers. Which made it all the stranger when, one day, she just didn't wake up. While her family were used to Dreamcatcher's long dream journeys, they became concerned when she slept for three days straight, without showing any reaction to attempts at waking her up. As other shamares confirmed, though, she was definitely still alive, just... Very, very, very sleepy, apparently. The few that had some talent in dreamwalking tried contacting her, to no avail. The herbalists likewise tried some tinctures that would rouse a pony from even the deepest slumber, with no results. Uncertain what else to do, they were forced to just let things run their course. Dreamcatcher kept sleeping, with a periodic visit from a shamare to check whether her spirit was still in her body. There were some stories about dreamwalkers appearing dead to other shamares if their spirit was off travelling some far-off dream realm, but that wasn't the case with Dreamcatcher, either. If the mare was dreaming, then she was clearly sleeping in her dream, as well. As the days turned into weeks, something which would have certainly killed a lesser pony, some began joking that the elder was going to catch up on the entire life of missed sleep before going on her final journey. She was getting on in her years, and with her talent, ponies were expecting that when she went, it would happen in her sleep - but they certainly didn't expect it to go quite like that. By the end of the third week of Dreamcatcher's extra-deep slumber, Agate was thinking about the mare as she went to sleep in her totem. They never stopped their lessons, and while it took a great many years, Agate did slowly improve her dreamwalking skills, though still not nearly to the level of her teacher. Whether it was the fact she was thinking about the shamare, her somewhat meditative state of mind as she thought about her past lessons, or Dreamcatcher finally having had enough sleep, they met in a dream. "Ah. My young apprentice," Dreamcatcher spoke, startling Agate so badly she almost woke up. "Waugh! Dreamcatcher?! Where, what? Wait, I'm asleep... And so are you!" "Why yes, that is a prerequisite for ponies to talk in their dreams," The shamare pointed out with a snort. "No, I mean... You're really asleep. You've been sleeping for a long time." "Hmm? How long, exactly?" "It's been... Around three weeks now, I think," Agate replied, tapping her hoof as she counted. Stretching out her legs one by one, Dreamcatcher hummed quietly, looking entirely unbothered. "Huh. Bit longer than normal, but I needed to get some real shut-eye forever now." "So you were catching up on sleep? Ponies are saying that... You probably won't be waking up," The spirit ventured carefully. "Eh, what is waking up? Are you sure life isn't a dream, with the dreamworld being the true dominion of reality?" "Uh, well..." Agate trailed off, scratching her head. "Heh! Don't think too hard on it, Agate, I'm just messing with you. Maybe. Or perhaps I'm entirely correct. Much like other dream-related stuff, it's often hard to pinpoint where, exactly, the truth lies with these things. Either way, yes, I was aware that my time was coming. It was getting harder and harder to roll out of bed every morning. Even more so than usual, that is. I don't feel very dead, though. Wonder what's that going to be like." Agate slowly shrugged. "It doesn't feel much like anything. You lose most of your senses. Smell, touch... Though you can still touch some things. There's not much to say about it, honestly. There's some magic you can do as a spirit... But you know much more about that than I do." "I suppose. Anyway, I don't really feel like going to my final rest just yet, but the waking world doesn't interest me much, either. There were times when I thought I might not find my way back as I wandered the dream realms, seeing things and places beyond description. I think I shall go explore them, now that the risk of me not waking has already come and gone." "I see. Is this goodbye, then?" Agate asked, not without sadness. While her relationship with the dreamwalker was always somewhat formal, given their teacher-apprentice status, she did like the mare. "Quite possibly, though I might drop in now and again. Honestly, there's really no telling what it's going to be like for me when I'll become truly untethered. It was hard for me to tell the passage of time already, and now that I won't be waking up any more... I honestly have no idea," She replied thoughtfully. "Well... In that case, thank you for everything, Dreamcatcher. You kept teaching me even when it was no longer needed and we already figured out what happened to the Empire. I never did learn how to summon the echoes of the past like you did that time..." "Mm, yes, I could see that your true talent does not lie with dream magic. Yet, you persevered, and you did learn and develop a few tricks of your own, haven't you?" "I suppose I did," Agate smiled faintly, thinking back to her first flight. "Then the time was most certainly not wasted. There are too few of those who know how to truly wield the power of dreams anyway, and having more ponies with at least some skill is good. Who knows, with you planning to stay around for so long, you might end up teaching some young dreamwalkers yourself. If not the advanced stuff, then the basics, at least. If you hear of any young shamares like that, and there aren't any older masters around to teach them - help them out, will you?" "Of course, Dreamcatcher. I promise," Agate nodded solemnly. "Very well. I suppose this is goodbye, then. I should try to wake up one last time and say goodbye to my family, I think... If I can even manage that. Or, I'll just pop over to their dreams as well," Dreamcatcher mused, weighing her options. Nodding, Agate didn't say anything more, blinking and appearing next to her teacher, choosing to skip the walking bit. Rearing up, she hugged the older mare, Dreamcatcher reciprocating and laying her neck on Agate's. After a few moments, she stepped back and nodded to Agate as well, the two dreaming spirits coming to a consensus. Both of their forms became blurrier, as one went back to slumber while the other one tried to wake up. As it turned out, it wasn't the final goodbye, as they still managed to meet every few years, spending their time catching up on Dreamcatcher's travels through the dreamworld and Agate's adventures in the waking one. Agate never knew whether it would be their last meeting, but even as the years without seeing the shamare dragged on, she still heard the occasional story about some ponies that would come bearing gifts for Dreamcatcher's family, claiming that the deceased dreamwalker's spirit saved their foals from night terrors or gave them useful foresight. Which meant that Dreamcatcher was still out there, somewhere. Thinking about her seemed to increase the chances of getting her attention, but it was far from a sure shot. After reaching the right frame of mind and waiting a little bit, Agate shrugged, and got to envisioning herself as a bird. It was time to fly. ❅ ❆ ❅ Flapping her ethereal wings, Agate soared across the skies. She never really knew whether she looked like a specific bird, or if she just managed to get the general shape of one. She did see a whole bunch of northern birds, but she didn't concentrate too hard on a specific one while shapeshifting. In fact, she couldn't even be too sure that she looked entirely like a bird - while she could see her wings and part of her body, she couldn't exactly look at her own face, so maybe she looked like a strange bird-chimaera with a pony's head attached. A fleeting thought about asking someone what she looked like came and went through her dreamy consciousness, Agate's entire diminished attention being consumed by what lay below. Even swifter than the tireless spirit could gallop on hoof, she crossed the tundra plains, the monotonous landscape being somewhat easier to navigate from the air due to the increased viewing distance. She saw the indistinct forms of the northerner's caravans, one of the few things blocking out the reflection of moonlight on the snow. Thinking about the Moon made her glance upwards, which resulted in a sudden shudder as she instinctively dived lower, the sudden jab of fear almost making her wake up and lose her avian form. Trying to shake the feeling of someone staring at the back of her head, she flapped harder, gaining more speed. Flap by flap, the landscape passed by, the details barely registering in Agate's mind. Soon enough, she reached Nilas, circling it once before aiming north once more, crossing the barrier between land and water. She could almost feel the winds change as the sea below her churned, but the fierce seaborne gales mattered little to the immaterial spirit. Flying effortlessly against the wind, she continued on. One by one, the shapes of familiar islands began appearing beneath her. She circled and almost landed at some of them, only remembering at the last moment that they weren't her destination this time. Lifting up again and continuing onwards, she did her best to hold the image of Green Land in her mind. She was mostly successful in that endeavor, save for a few minor sidetracks. Eventually, the massive island appeared in the distance. A mere blink later, she was already approaching its shores. Though Agate could remember many moments like this during her dream journeys, she wasn't able to tell whether she crossed the distance in an instant due to her magic-enhanced way of travelling, or if she simply forgot that stretch of the journey. Much like during an extremely long and monotonous trip, the dreamlike state of her mind didn't particularly care to register or remember some bits of it, only focusing on moving forward. Finding the settlement wasn't too hard, the many protective wards and enchantments glimmering faintly in her vision and guiding the spirit to her destination. Weaving between the trees, she circled the village, trying to remember the specific place she wanted to get to. It was not meant to be, though, as her approach triggered some of the very defenses that guided her there. A shamare down on the ground suddenly raised her head as an ever-silent crystal windchime suddenly rang out. It was enchanted to only make sound from the ripples of magic made by the passage of spirits instead of the wind, and they were considered to be quite reliable. Squinting her eyes suspiciously at an odd bird, she snorted, pressing her lips into a thin line. "No mere spirit of a bird would have the strength to produce even the tiniest sound from the chimes. Come here, you, let's see what we have here," She muttered, gathering her strength. Meanwhile, Agate suddenly felt something yank her sideways, the spirit squawking in surprise and trying to right her flight. Flapping erratically, she went down, feeling oddly compelled to go towards a mare that was staring at her with glowing eyes. Landing on the shamare's outstretched foreleg, she blinked in confusion, shaking her head as her captor examined her. "You're no bird that I ever saw, that's for sure, and I highly doubt you're just an unfamiliar kind," The shamare exclaimed confidently a mere few moments later, dropping Agate to the ground. While the mare-turned-bird was trying to right itself, the mare reached for something on her back. "Let's see who you really are, you sneak! No errant spirits will bother the ponies in this village on my watch!" Shamares were quite often bedecked in dozens of trinkets and charms of all kinds, from bones of exotic animals to bits of metal. This one was no different, though she had something extra with her. She was wielding something that wasn't quite a stick, yet was far too short to be called a staff - a baton, perhaps? Either way, she swung the rune-covered implement towards Agate, unceremoniously bonking her on the head. "Reveal your true form!" With a soft fwoomph, ethereal feathers exploded everywhere, fading from sight before they could hit the ground. Where the bird once was, Agate stood, rubbing her head and swaying slightly as her eyes spun in her sockets. Trying to get her bearings, she blinked rapidly in an attempt to shake off the dizziness, with limited success. Meanwhile, the shamare was staring at her, confusion and disbelief written on her face. She glanced at the baton contemplatively, pulling it back as if to strike the spirit again. "The heck just happened?" Agate managed to ask. "You... Hrm," The shamare spoke, before stopping herself and examining Agate again. "This isn't some kind of layered trick? You're the traveler spirit?" "Yeah?" Agate confirmed it, examining the shamare as her vision slowly returned to normal. "How'd you do that?" The mystic asked, slinging the baton back on her back, her suspicious tone replaced with curiosity. "Do what? And what did you do?" Agate shot right back, feeling like someone kicked her out of bed. "Whacked you with my spirit-whacker," The mare replied succinctly, a wry grin on her face. "Thought you were something other than what you were pretending to be, which I turned out to be right about. I don't think I heard about pony spirits being able to shapeshift like that before." "I wasn't really... Pretending. It's just a way to travel faster. And some spirits can shapeshift. My dreamwalking teacher taught me how," Agate replied, huffing grumpily. "You weren't asleep, though." "Actually, I was." That left the shamare nonplussed. "Sleepwalking? No, sleepflying? Sleep... Shapeshifting? What?" This time, Agate had a wry grin as she explained. "Lots of rules that bind us in life - and even in death - don't really apply in dreams. Even if you're not a dreamwalker, I'm certain you experienced it yourself, elder. And I'm sure you heard that dreamwalkers can travel both the spirit planes and the waking world, watching ponies, observing omens, and all that stuff. Well, I figured out something interesting - a dreamwalker has to go back to their body when they wake up, obviously. I, however, do not. Bodiless spirit, and all that." "Huh. That is... Hm. That is a very neat trick," The shamare concluded after some thinking. "Sounds like only spirits can really take advantage of it, though." "Can't help it. Just something that I discovered by accident," Agate shrugged. After another short pause, the shamare snorted and shook her head, turning to walk away. "You younglings and your crazy foreign magics. Watch it, young spirit - if you act suspicious, you'll attract attention." "Yeah? And then what? You'll bonk me on the head again?" "You better believe I will! Don't think your fame allows you to engage in weird shenanigans!" The shamare confirmed resolutely, reaching for the baton and brandishing it in Agate's direction. With a roll of her eyes and a small smile, Agate pulled on her several decade's worth of experience of hanging around shamares to come up with the best, most appropriate reply she could think of. Squaring her shoulders, she stood up as straight as possible, and, while looking her adversary right in the eyes, took a breath, blowing a massive raspberry at the baton-wielding mare. "Why you cheeky-" Laughing, Agate galloped off, weaving between the trees and homes. She knew that the mare wasn't really mad, but it was still fun to mess with her a bit and have the final word. Glancing around as she moved, she tried to discern which part of the village she ended up in. Given that it was still being built and many things kept changing, it wasn't an easy task, and it took her a little while of wandering through the wooded settlement to find her target. Eventually, though, she was certain she found the right place. "Knock knock!" She yelled, actual knocking still not being something that she could do. It took a minute for the door to open, a surprised-looking Glacier Glider stepping out. "Well now, there's only one pony that shouts instead of knocking, yet I know it can't be my wandering daughter. It is far too early. Not a single boat from the south has reached our shores yet." "It's me, Glacier. I... Took a shortcut," Agate said with a smile. Though she never referred to the mare as "mother", something Glacier Glider fully understood, given that Agate's real parents were still alive, the mare still called the spirit her daughter, which Agate didn't mind at all. It was a little strange, but it did make her feel a tiny bit warm inside. "Well well well. Learning new tricks, eh? You'll have to tell me about that. And what made you rush over here so fast. We're not in some kind of danger, are we? Don't tell me we need to evacuate." "Nothing like that, no," Agate reassured her with a shake of her head. "Didn't really have to rush here either, but I did want to practice that magic a bit. And there were some things that happened in the Gathering that I wanted to talk about. I'm... A bit at a loss at what to do." "Sounds like you have a story to tell, then. Let me gather the girls and we can all talk." ❅ ❆ ❅ The air was filled with the shrieks of snowpony foals, the rambunctious youths engaging in the usual childhood pastimes of roughhousing and playing games with very ill-defined rules. While the stallions were busy with other things, the mothers were taking the chance to "chill" while watching their young ones play, a snowpony term for relaxing outside that Agate found amusing. Outside usually meant cold, but with the unseasonal warmth the island had, it was pleasantly cool at worst, at least for the snowponies that still had their thick winter coats. Agate was sitting with Glacier Glider and her daughters, the twins keeping an eye on their own foals. Glacier's family chose to move to Green Land when the opportunity arose, eager to have more space for themselves. The Flurry twins both found husbands and had three foals each, which usually meant splitting up and the younger generation moving away to a less densely colonized island. Instead, they traded their house on the Fanged Shore away, working together to build a much larger family home in the new frontier. "So you really can grow feathers and fly?" Flurry Spinner asked, lazily stretching out on a flat, mossy rock. "Kind of, yeah. I change my whole shape, though, not just sprout wings," Agate explained, holding up a foreleg and thinking about her journey to the island. "You can only do it while sleeping, though? That sounds strange. I thought magic requires you to be as awake and focused as possible," Spinning Flurry mused, brushing her coat with a comb made of bone. "Heh. Yes, dream magic is strange like that. If you focus and strain too hard, you just wake up. You need to achieve just the right amount of balance between waking and sleeping. The sleeping bit lets you forget that what you're doing is supposed to be impossible, while the waking part allows you to put the ability to do crazy stuff to practical use, instead of just having weird dreams." "Sounds fun, though I'm not sure just how much practical use I'd get out of such an ability," Glacier Glider mused, watching her grandfoals goofing off with a small smile. "Yeah, it's not really something useful for a regular snowpony, I think. It's all shamaric magic, and it took me decades to master just that much," Agate agreed with a shrug, squinting and picturing feathers over her forelegs. She blinked in surprise when she was actually able to see faint outlines for a brief moment, right before they vanished. Flurry Spinner caught that, though. "Whoa. So maybe you don't have to be asleep?" "...Maybe. Huh. I really don't know. I'm still learning what I can and can't do. Given my situation, what works for shamares doesn't always work for me, and vice versa. Some of the stuff I tried just blows up in my face - most of it metaphorically, at least." "Heh. Any funny magical mishaps?" Agate pursed her lips, her ears folding a little as she recalled one of her earliest forays into dreamwalking. "Well, there was this one time I tried to talk to a pony in their dreams. At first, I trotted around Snowpitt for a while, though to this day I don't know if I was sleepwalking through it in real life, or if it was just a dream version of it. I barely had any control over the dream, and it took me a while to even find a dreaming pony. I approached the dream like Dreamcatcher taught me - or, at least, I tried. It didn't exactly work. It was a foal I was unfamiliar with, so I tried to say hello. I couldn't quite make the connection, though, so it sounded like we were in two different rooms, with both of us only getting strange, distorted glimpses of each other. My attempts to get closer failed, and eventually, I just gave up and went to sleep for real. What happened the next day was the best part, though. I wanted to find out if the foal I tried talking to was even real, or whether I just dreamt it all up. I did manage to find the house, and when I got closer, I overheard the foal telling his mother about the dream, where some strange-looking, not-quite-pony spirit tried telling him to "come closer". He mentioned that it looked a bit like me, but was way off the mark. The mother praised him for his cleverness and being able to recognize an obvious trickster spirit, and that there was no chance whatsoever that it was actually me that visited his dream. I was so embarrassed that I didn't ever tell them that it actually was me. I just turned around and trotted off, glad that spirits don't make sound when they move." Her story was met with hearty guffaws, the audience clearly amused by her misadventure. They chatted about casual things for a while - how the settlement's construction was progressing, the catch around the island, the ways the locals managed to harness the unusual warmth of the locale, and so on. Eventually, they came to the reason that drove Agate to fly out ahead of the migrating northerners. The group listened to her recounting of the meetings, largely managing to keep their expressions calm and remain neutral, though there were a few moments when they pursed their lips and pinned their ears back, clearly unhappy about what Agate was telling them. When she was done, they remained quiet for some time, digesting the news while watching their foals. "Sounds like a mess," Flurry Spinner finally spoke, shrugging. Her sister snorted, rolling her eyes. Glacier Glider leaned back on the log she was sitting on, taking a few more minutes to think before speaking up. "I can see their point, but I do think they overreacted. On the one hoof, the waters are our territory, there's no question about that. While one should welcome any and all ponies into their abode during hard times, it is still important to know which foraging grounds belong to whom, precisely so that they don't get depleted due to too many ponies using them. On the other hoof, the salmon is unique in the way that they migrate to the western tribe's rivers to spawn, even if they live in our seas. That was a mistake on Thundersnow's part, I think. There are other fish in the waters." "Yeah, the general feeling was similar in Snowpitt," Agate sighed. "The whole thing is bad, but not as terrible as the western tribe is making it out to be, and the northerners did apologize. I think the westerners are just mad because they view the salmon migration as a sacred event or something like that, from what I heard." "Fish is fish," Spinning Flurry snorted derisively. "It's tasty and filling, simple as that. No need to add any needless drama to it." "Heh. I wonder what would you say about them claiming that seals are pests that eat up all the fish along their shores," Glacier Glider grinned, shaking her head. "WHAT?! How dare they call our seal friends "pests"?!" "Different values, youngling," The matron laughed, deliberately using the term, despite the mare being a full adult with foals of her own. "That's dumb. There's loads of fish in the waters, even if there's seal colonies around. They're just terrible at fishing, and they blame the seals for it, like a bunch of foals," The mare grumbled angrily while her mother slowly shook her head with a small smile. The conversation died briefly while Agate considered what she just heard, her thoughts running in circles without coming up with anything useful. The mares kept watching their foals in silence before Glacier Glider shook her head, turning towards Agate with a furrowed brow. "What in the world does all that have to do with you, anyway? Why are the southerners bugging you to fix this? You're as uninvolved in this whole thing as it gets." "It's one of the reasons, I think. Neutral observer, and all that," Agate replied with a shrug. The mare didn't look particularly impressed with that argument. "And you said it was a southerner shamare that asked you, yes? That sounds a tad patronizing, honestly. We are the fiercest and bravest tribe, not a bunch of foals. I don't see how their shamare's word overrides ours." Groaning, the spirit rubbed her head. She didn't really get headaches any more, but the reflex remained. "If there was a clear authority on this, I'm fairly certain it would be resolved already, one way or another. But like I already said, the southerners largely feel the same. They're not really supporting either side in this." "What are you going to do, then?" "Same thing I always do, I suppose... Watch quietly from a corner somewhere and try to learn as much as I can. I already told Earthsong that I can't make any promises. I'll try to help, but... Only if I'm completely certain of what I'm doing. I hate to see you guys infighting, I truly do, but being some kind of... Peacemaker isn't something I have the faintest clue about. I'm not sure I have nearly the amount of influence Earthsong seems to think I do, either." "Not just going to follow orders from her to tell Thundersnow to cut it out, then?" Glacier Glider asked with a small grin, her daughters watching the exchange curiously. "No. It doesn't feel like the right thing to do." "Good. You're really becoming your own mare, Agate. You've spent so many years galloping around at other's requests already, it's nice to see you trot your own path," The mare stated with a satisfied smile. Agate digested what she just heard for a moment before snorting and shaking her head. "It's not like I had anything else to do while I wait for the Empire to come back. Also, you seem to forget that the vast majority of that time was spent helping the northern tribe find more crystal deposits. I suppose I should just go my way and never help you guys again, huh?" "Hey now, let's not get too crazy..." The Flurry twins laughed as Agate stuck her tongue out at their mother, the mare rolling her eyes with a small smile. ❅ ❆ ❅ Agate didn't really keep her speedy arrival or her presence on the island secret, which, naturally, aroused the curiosity of more than just Glacier Glider's family. She had to repeat her story a few times to fascinated listeners, the locals simply laughing and shaking their heads, already used to the spirit dabbling in unusual - for them, at least - magics. The ranks of interested ponies included some shamares stationed in the village, a few of the old mystics asking Agate to demonstrate her abilities. It was a little hard to fall asleep with several ponies intently staring at you, but she eventually managed, flapping away while the curious elders watched. Flying around the strange volcanic island was interesting, especially with the massive forms of the thunderbirds looming in the distance, snoozing away in their mountain nests. She was tempted to fly in closer, but no matter how much she rationalized that the humongous avians probably wouldn't even see her, there was an undercurrent of fear that kept her away. There was almost an aura of sorts, a presence that they projected, one that even spirits were wary of. The locals held similar views, preferring to stay far away from the birds, even if they never made any display of even noticing that the island had more inhabitants than it did before. She passed the time talking to various ponies, thinking about the world at large, and wandering about, not really engaging in anything important. A few weeks later, the migrating northerners returned to the settlement, greeted by cheers and jubilation from those that stayed to winter on the island. Much like the locals, they were also surprised to see that Agate had beaten them there, and by several whole weeks, too. Predictably, they wanted to hear how she pulled it off as well, laughing and grinning with approval at Agate's methods of conquering the vast distances between the islands, more than one pony jokingly remarking that they also would have liked to be able to travel while sleeping. And one of the curious listeners was Thundersnow herself. The shamare was likewise impressed with Agate's new skills, listening with a both thouhtful and intrigued expression, working something out in her head. Once Agate was finished with her retelling and the crowd dispersed, Thundersnow remained, clearly intent on speaking with the spirit. Agate didn't know whether Thundersnow approached her because she gleaned what Earthsong told Agate with her mystical skills, simply guessed it, had her suspicions, or just plain wanted to have a conversation. Either way, she was happy that she wouldn't have to think up a reason to approach the shamare herself. "Greetings, traveler spirit!" Thundersnow exclaimed loudly, her voice full of strength and vigor. "Hello, Thundersnow," Agate replied in a simpler fashion, with a nod and a smile. "That was quite the feat you pulled off. Very creative, I have to say. Very impressive. If a living pony could do that... The possibilities would be amazing. Now, while I would love to chat with you, I'm afraid I am also very eager to see what the ponies that stayed here during the winter managed to achieve. Mind if we trot while we talk?" "Not at all. Lead the way," Agate nodded. "Excellent," Thundersnow smiled, turning towards the newer parts of the settlement. ❅ ❆ ❅ Engaging in building projects during winter was usually a bad idea, though there were a number of things ponies could do even while snowed in. Not that there was much snow on the warm island, which made things much easier. Having built the essential parts during the summer, the settlers mostly turned to improving the interior parts of their homes, while the shamares worked to weave their magics into protective wards and runes that they carved into various strategically placed boulders and walls of certain buildings. Thundersnow was examining said wards with a critical eye, quietly humming in approval. At first, she kept quiet, likely gathering her thoughts. Eventually, she glanced at Agate, a faint smile on her lips. "I could guess the reasons why you came here in such a rush," She carefully ventured forth. "Go on," Agate replied neutrally, raising her eyebrows a little. "Ha! Well, let's see. Perhaps this is merely a coincidence, and you simply wanted to exercise your magic a little. However, since you said that you learned to fly some time ago already, I think that that's not the likeliest option. No, the more likely reason is the whole commotion back in the Gathering, though that doesn't tell me anything about the why. Did you decide to come here by yourself, to confer with your kin here? Did the leaders of the southern tribe put you up to it, to move out weeks in advance of my arrival and sow discontent at my actions by accusing me of causing strife between the tribes, in some effort to shame me? Still, while I can't speak for the southerners, I know you, of all ponies, certainly wouldn't engage in something dirty like that." "Those are... Pretty good guesses," Agate confirmed with a hum. "You seem rather certain of what I would and wouldn't do, though, despite us not really knowing each other all that well. I think we only talked briefly, and no more than a few times." "Oh? You do yourself a disservice, traveler. Your reputation precedes you." "Ponies keep telling me that," Agate replied, furrowing her brows thoughtfully. "But how much of that is true, really? I'm not the only guardian spirit around. I don't spend all my time watching over other ponies like they do. Sure, I help out where I can, but is that the only reason? Because I travel to more places instead of just protecting one village, more ponies know of me?" "Hmm... Ah. I see. Yes, the things you did do give you a certain level of respect. You have helped our tribe a lot and treated us like kin, despite being from far away. And yes, I am aware of what your answer is most likely going to be - you don't exactly have anything else to do while you wait for your people to return. However, that is no less of a cause for respect than choosing to spend the time helping instead of sleeping the centuries away. This quest, this burden you chose to take on - that is actually what ponies most often talk and whisper about whenever the topic comes up, not your travels and your deeds that you have accomplished. In other words, your personal actions speak of the integrity of your character and strength of will no less than what you do for other ponies." "I just want to see my family again... I don't want them to wonder what happened to me until they die," The spirit breathed out wistfully. "And you decided to wait a thousand years or more to accomplish that. Surely, even with your humble nature, you can see the enormity of the task ahead of you," Thundersnow pointed out, giving her a look. "I suppose. I'm not letting Sombra get away with tearing my family apart," Agate confirmed with a shrug. "Ahhhhh. So it is also righteous anger that fuels your determination," The shamare chuckled. "Would that I be able to help, but alas, for all my power, I don't think I can affect that... "Frozen time" curse your people were afflicted by. Whatever that Sombra creature was, he certainly had skill in the most unusual magics." "It's okay. No one could, not even the Equestrians. I made my peace with waiting it out," Agate shrugged again. "Eque- Ah yes, those other tribes far, far to the south. I wondered about them sometimes, you know. Entertained idle thoughts of maybe travelling to meet them someday. "Perhaps my shamaric skills would help me cross the frozen mountains and the cursed valley without starving", and so on. Still, I don't think it'll ever go past being idle thoughts. Too many things to do over here. The duties just keep piling up. Get one thing done, two more spring up in its place." "Like corralling a bunch of fish into your fisherpony's nets?" "Precisely," Thundersnow grinned. "Ponies need food, and construction is hard work, which means that they need even more food. And when it gets cold, they need even more food. This island may be a warm paradise, but the rest of them are still as cold as ever." Agate didn't say anything as they trotted on, Thundersnow still glancing at the various protective enchantments. Runes to make the gaze of malevolent spirits pass by, enchantments to befuddle the sight of any would-be predators, and so on. While the thunderbirds were the only potential danger on the island, the northerners were taking no chances, fortifying their new capital with the best and strongest bewitchments they knew of. The glimmers of magic reminded Agate of the Crystal Empire a little bit, the northerners beginning to incorporate crystals into the enchantments they built into their houses and walls more often. Soon, they were done, Thundersnow nodding in satisfaction. "Well, it looks like the others did good work in my absence. And, much as I enjoyed the reduced workload while I was away, I suppose it's back to the grindstone for me. Thank you for your company, Agate. Don't let what others told you to do bother you too much. We are our own tribe, and we're plenty capable of solving our problems, including any slip-ups with other tribes." Agate thoughtfully rubbed a hoof against her chin. "Do you need any help with anything?" "Help? Why, I have dozens of spirits I can call on, but... Goodness, what an interesting proposition. You're quite capable yourself, aren't you? Not a master, perhaps, but your skills lie in areas of foreign magic that most shamares are not very good at, yes? Crystals, and... Those interesting new dream-travel skills you're experimenting with," Thundersnow wondered, wide-eyed and shocked, clearly taken by surprise by Agate's proposition. "More or less, yeah. Progress has been slow, but I am improving... Slowly. But steadily." "And... You have no other obligations at the moment? No scheduled scouting trips for more crystal deposits?" Though she recomposed herself, it was obvious that the shamare was highly intrigued by the prospect of having Agate as an assistant. "No. I've been doing those for decades, anyway. I might not have visited every single island out there, but I'm fairly certain that I'm done scouting." "Outstanding! I'll admit, the stories about you always made me curious, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to learn more about the strange kinds of magics you might know. Even if you only have second-hoof knowledge and not how to actually perform them, well, it still tickles the mind and might inspire new creations of our own," She talked excitedly, turning to trot towards the central part of the settlement. "Well, I'm glad I won't be a bother if I stick around." "Hah! The legendary traveler spirit, a bother? Please," Thundersnow snorted, shaking her head. "That title always sounded odd to me," Agate mused. "I never travelled before. I'm not sure I can call my trip outside the Empire travel, either. I... Fled. Yes, that would be the word. I was fleeing, not travelling. But I think some ponies were calling me that even while I was still staying in Snowpitt all the time. And then, I just... Got into travelling, somehow. Not too sure how that even happened. It all started with Blizzard Heart finding out about my ability to see crystals through solid stuff, and things just took off from there." The shamare nodded sagely, a wistful look on her face. "I know what that's like. The expectations and perceptions of others can steer your life in the strangest ways, even if you yourself don't see the things others supposedly see. The shamares told me that the circumstances surrounding my coming into this world were highly unusual, which signified something of importance about me. I never thought much of myself, really, but my mother always told me that I was destined for great things since my birth. I don't know what those things are, but I decided that if I'm really blessed with this strength of spirit, then I'll do everything and anything in my power to make sure my tribe thrives. Is it fate? My own choice? Who knows." "Anything, huh?" "Anything." "I see..."