"Should we actually be going with you? We don't really have anything to talk about with them," Radiant Cut asked as they left their home the next morning.
"Well, I'm going either way. I hope I'll be able to have at least a short conversation with the Emperor," Obsidian Spear shrugged, a couple ice spears and a set of snowpony saddlebags on his back.
"It's really up to you, I suppose. I don't know if they're going to want to talk about snowponies or me, but if they do talk about me, you'll probably want to hear it. There's still a lot I haven't told you," Agate shrugged.
"I suppose we'll simply excuse ourselves if it's going to be just diplomatic talks," Garnet Necklace nodded.
As they trotted down the street, scenes similar to the ones the day before played out as the passers-by stopped to stare at Agate in confusion. No one tried to stop them, though, and they approached the Spire with no issues. The guards that were by the outer doors just so happened to be the same ones that saw Agate the day before, their eyes going wide and their postures tensing once they saw the spirit once more.
"State your business," One of them said, his voice not quite one of a confident guard.
"We have an audience with their Imperial Majesties," Radiant Cut said.
"Very well, sir. Follow me. Your companion will be required to surrender his armaments, though," He said, nodding towards Obsidian Spear as the other guards opened the doors.
"My niece insisted that they were necessary for her," Obsidian Spear nodded towards Agate, the guard pinning his ears back slightly as his attention was brought towards the spirit.
"I'm sure the Imperial Majesties won't mind. Could you send someone ahead and ask for permission?" Agate politely asked the guard.
"...Very well, ma'am. Please wait here."
They waited in the lobby for a while, the guards trying (and largely failing) not to stare at Agate too hard. Eventually, the guard came back with a servant, Agate recognizing the stallion that tried to get rid of her the day before and trying not to smirk. For his part, the majordomo gave her a glare, but otherwise refused to acknowledge her, turning towards Radiant Cut.
"The Imperial Majesties are ready for your audience. You have been given permission to bring your weapons with you. I suggest you do not do anything foolish with them. Follow me, please."
They were led towards the large double doors that were the entrance to the throne room, the snowponies already waiting there. Agate greeted them, directing Shatterhoof, Freezing Point and Ice Elation towards Obsidian Spear, the northerners retrieving their weapons and bags from the stallion.
"Are you all... Presentable now?" The majordomo asked.
"We are, yes," Agate nodded.
"...Open the doors," He directed the guards.
The moment they stepped inside, the group immediately saw the difference from the day before. There were a lot more ponies this time, lined up all along the wall of the throne room. A couple trumpeters even announced their presence, a crier shouting out their names the moment the instruments stopped.
"Announcing citizens Radiant Cut, Garnet Necklace and Obsidian Spear of the Empire, Traveler Spirit Agate of the Empire and the far north, and snowpony visitors from beyond the mountains!"
"I bid you well, guests. Come forward," Cadance called out from the throne, a scribe at the base of the steps writing everything down as the other ponies whispered quietly at Agate's title and her looks.
"Well, this is terribly official. We should bow when we reach the base of the steps," Agate muttered to the snowponies.
"I'm guessing they're trying to make up for the whole debacle yesterday," Trailblazer muttered back with a faint smile.
They did as Agate said, Cadance nodding immediately. "You may rise. Now, Agate, as I understand it, you are the only one who can fully communicate with your friends there. If you would be so kind, could you translate for us? Word for word, preferably. First meetings between different peoples don't happen every day, and we would like for this moment to be recorded as accurately as possible."
"Certainly, Your Imperial Majesty," Agate nodded.
"Please, call me Cadance. And my husband Shining Armor. There is no need for titles between friends. And you do come to us as friends, yes?"
"Of course, though I was simply coming home," The spirit nodded again.
"Some ponies will be very curious about that part. Could you tell us more about it, please?"
Agate gave her the abbreviated version of her escape from the Empire with her parents, the chase, the flight, and her eventual death. Then, she got to the snowponies, similarly cutting out all the unnecessary bits and focusing on just the most important parts.
"They visited Dream Valley back in the day?" Cadance raised her eyebrows.
"Yes. Since they thought that everything south of them was dead, my arrival really shook their society up. No matter what they did, though, they couldn't manage to break the curse on the Empire, unfortunately. Some adventurers visited it now and then, but most were too afraid of the cursed place."
"Hm. We had an observation post there for... I don't know how long. It's odd that no one from Equestria ever saw them," Shining Armor mused.
"Is it the place in the southern pass? Or did you build a new one? That one would be over a thousand years old by now... Anyway, with such a long stretch of dead land - both the mountain range and the valley - none of them really tried going south. They'd usually approach the northern lip of the valley, trot around a bit, and go back. With Dream Valley being so big, I guess none of your ponies ever saw them. And they were quite rare to begin with," Agate shrugged.
"And none were adventurous enough to try and find Equestria? Did they even know about its existence?"
"No, and yes. They knew, but all they knew was what I knew, which was barely anything, except that it was somewhere to the south. And, again, hostile, unfamiliar terrain and massive distances. The north is a hostile place, yes, and the snowponies go into all sorts of crazy and dangerous places, but they like to do it step by step, with having safe locations to retreat to nearby. That was just a touch too big of an undertaking for them."
"But not anymore," Cadance nodded. "We are here now. And ponies in Equestria will certainly be amazed to hear that there's yet another group of ponies that survived the Windigo Winter."
"I'm sure they will, Cadance. That's for you and them to deal with, though. Like I said, I only came back for my family."
"I understand. I can't imagine being separated from my family for... A thousand years," She trailed off briefly, her expression becoming thoughtful. "Could you introduce your friends to us, please? Can you translate their names?"
"I think I can. That huge stallion is Shatterhoof, an adventurer of the northern tribe and a hunter of floewolves, a kind of terrible ice monster. The one next to him is Goat Hop, an adventurer from the western tribe, and his mare is Spring Hoof, a westerner as well. The mare with the long bangs is Ice Elation, a famed adventurer and explorer. The final stallion is Trailblazer, son of the southern tribe's chieftain, and finally, Freezing Point is a shamare, a... Magician of the northern tribe."
The introductions took a while, Agate translating as the snowponies exchanged their traditional greetings with the royal couple. The adventurers added a few more things about themselves, which needed to be translated and clarified, and so on. Eventually, though, Cadance clopped her hooves with a smile.
"Well, while that is very fascinating, I'm sure we would all prefer to retire somewhere more comfortable, since this will clearly take quite some time. Let us go to one of the sitting rooms, yes?"
A lot of the ponies in the throne room left, though a good half a dozen followed along. Agate recognized the pegasus that Cadance named as Fluent Tongue the day before, as well as the scribe and a bunch of other scholarly-looking ponies, many of which were giving her skeptical looks.
Giving them a smile, she chuckled, turning towards the snowponies, who were trotting on her right side. "So, how did you all end up here anyway? They didn't beat you up and drag you here, did they?"
"No, they saw us and brought us here while we were admiring the city," Goat Hop shrugged.
"They did almost have to drag us out of the snow," Shatterhoof huffed, Ice Elation nodding.
"You might want to consider shearing your coats a little. Spring is around the corner anyway," Agate chuckled.
They were led to an opulent sitting room, with many couches, chairs, huge pillows and other comfortable sitting surfaces. There were multiple pitchers of drinks of all kinds, as well as servants waiting for anything else the guests might request. One by one, the ponies found their favored sitting spots, the scholars making a small island of their own as they stared at Agate and the snowponies, while they made a rough semi-circle around Cadance. Agate's family, meanwhile, ended up closer to Shining Armor, Obsidian Spear talking to the stallion in a low voice as her parents added a few things here and there.
Lots of talking ensued, as expected. Questions about Agate and her existence, questions about the snowponies and their territories, requests to take a look at the Empire's maps and roughly point out where their people are and whether they had any territorial disputes now that the Empire returned, and so on. A few demonstrations happened as well, Shining Armor and Cadance examining the northerner's weapons with wonder.
"At first glance, they look purely like an art project. Just a piece for an ice sculpture. But when I scan them with magic..." Shining Armor wondered, waving the spear around, Cadance nodding along as she carefully ran her hoof along the length of an ice spear herself.
They were also curious about Freezing Point and her description as a "magician", trying not to look too skeptical when she described all sorts of spirits and magical creatures of the deep north. She even demonstrated a fire charm at their request, tossing it into a bubble that Shining Armor conjured, the stallion nodding respectfully at the strength of the flames that erupted from it.
Hours passed, food was brought in, eaten, and the conversations continued. Unfortunately, the first meeting was not going to go entirely smoothly. A pegasus guard suddenly burst into the room, his voice alarmed.
"Your Highnesses! I am sorry to interrupt, but I have urgent news! An army of-"
"What is the meaning of this, colt?! I'll have you cleaning latrines for this!" An older voice sounded out from behind him, a crystal pony guard trotting in.
Sighing quietly, Shining Armor grimaced. The crystal pony was the current captain of the palace guards, and it wasn't hard to guess what happened. The pegasus, who used to be a soldier under his own command, went straight to him instead of following the local command structure, and the local guard was not happy.
"Sir, this is extremely urgent! The-"
"Silence yourself right this moment, or I'll kick you outside the shield for this breach in discipline myself!" The captain shouted angrily.
"Stand down, both of you," Shining Armor ordered firmly, getting up and getting closer as two more crystal guards entered the room. "Report."
Glaring at the pegasus, who was opening his mouth but stopped at the last moment, the captain nodded. "Sire. We have a report of an... "Army" approaching the Empire."
"What? Where from? When? Full report, now."
"Yes, sire. The previous evening, some of the pegasi guards noticed strange glimmers and faint lights in the northern mountains as they were flying. They inquired about the nature of those, but no one knew what they could be. Several pegasi volunteered to fly over and examine them, but I denied their offer. I did not know what manner of creatures could have taken up residence in the mountains over the millennia we were gone, and ordered them to do it the next day instead, when we had daylight.
A blizzard started outside the shield overnight, and it continued throughout the day. Once it calmed a little, the pegasi assured us that they would have no trouble in it, so I gave two of them permission to go. Once they returned, though, they kept babbling something about an army and rushed off instead of reporting properly, in a completely undisciplined manner."
"We can talk discipline later, captain. This army takes precedence."
"Of course, sire. I will not forget this, though," The captain glared at the pegasus again.
"Right. Now, private. Report. Can you describe the army?" Shining Armor turned towards the pegasus.
"Yes, sir. They were ponies with heavy winter gear, armed with spears. From what I was able to see, they were earth ponies, sir. I was not able to tell their number, but my partner and I estimated that it could be anywhere between one and three hundred of them."
"Earth ponies from the north..." Shining Armor muttered, turning towards the rest of the ponies in the room, all of whom were listening with wide eyes. "Agate?"
"Oooooh. Darn. I completely forgot about Inner Fire," The spirit nodded calmly.
"And who is Inner Fire? No, wait... That's Trailblazer's father, isn't it? I think he mentioned the name," Cadance asked.
"And why is he here?" Shining Armor inquired.
"He is, yes, and he wanted to make contact with the Empire. The six adventurers were simply the toughest bunch that agreed to come along as fast as they could, since I wasn't in much of a waiting mood," Agate nodded.
"But then... Private, was this "army" actually aggressive in any way?" He asked the pegasus.
"Yes, sir! One of them even threw a spear at my partner!" He confirmed, making Shining Armor frown. "And they were shouting something I couldn't quite understand, but it sounded like some kind of war chants, sir. "Cwalu", and I believe I heard them shouting "Sombra" as well, sir."
"Cwalu is old ponish for "violent death", "killing", or "slaughter"," Fluent Tongue supplied.
"Death... To Sombra? Or for Sombra?" Shining Armor mused.
"Oh, spirits," Agate groaned. "Freezing Point!"
"Huh? What did I do?" The shamare shrunk under Agate's glare.
"Remember when I returned after Sombra's defeat to your group when you were still in the mountains?"
"Yes?"
"And remember when I wanted to go to Snowpitt to tell Inner Fire not to worry, but you vehemently insisted that I stay and tell you what happened?"
"Yes..?"
"Well, he left before I returned, and it looks like he brought the entire army of the ponies that participated in saving the forest, and they don't know that Sombra has been defeated, and they're marching on the Empire, and they're out for blood," Agate concluded.
"...Oh. Ooops?"
"I swear, if I still had my body, you'd get such a spanking, youngling."
❅ ❆ ❅
"So they're not here to fight us?" Shining Armor asked as they trotted down the street towards the northern part of the city.
"For the dozenth time, no," Agate shook her head. "I rushed back to my totem to recover my magic and told the chieftain what was happening, like I said. They're not bad ponies. This is the proof. They rushed across the mountains to liberate this place from a monster they barely know anything about, for a people they never even met."
"Their valor is commendable, but they're not the kind that will be disappointed that there isn't going to be a battle after all, are they?" Cadance asked.
"Oh no, I'm sure they'll be fine. Snowponies are quite a peaceful bunch, save for rare occasions," Agate waved her off.
"And on those occasions?" Shining Armor asked.
"Then you don't want to get in their way," Agate grinned.
A platoon of guards was trotting behind them, with even more guards already positioned at the edge of the shield. While they mostly trusted Agate's word, they really weren't going to take any chances. They met the spirit and the snowponies just the day before, after all, and it was a bit too short of a time to build up real trust.
"Alright! Formations! Stand at the ready, and show no fear!" The captain shouted, giving orders to his troops as the royal couple slowly approached the edge of the shield, the others following along.
"I think I can hear them," Cadance nodded, the faint chants of "cwalu Sombra" sounding out from the blizzard, though they were mixed with "freodom for Agate ceasterleod" as well. "Freedom for Agate?"
"Freedom for Agate's people. They're almost here," Agate confirmed, looking at the shapes of the ponies with her spirit sight.
It didn't take long for the snowponies to show up, the warriors of the three tribes stopping right at the edge of the shield, their forms looking otherworldly in the falling snow. The crystal guards tensed up, gripping their spears tighter as the arrivals examined them intently through the shield, many of their eyes glowing as they employed their spirit sight to try and discern whether the ponies before them were evil spirits of Sombra or not.
For Agate, it was a heartwarming sight. For the locals, it was terrifying. Shamares were chanting, strange forms of their tuurngait dancing in the snow, making the crystal guards shiver in fright. Several large wolves prowled the edges, some of the westerners having brought their beasts with them. The northerners brandished their ice weapons, looking like incarnates of the fierce polar cold and ice. Some ponies carried charged quartz crystals for light, but their shine only added to the spooky effect.
"Traveler spirit?" Someone noticed her.
"Yes, it's me," She confirmed. Turning towards Cadance, she nodded. "Give me a few minutes."
"Here's to hoping this isn't where she reveals her evil plot," Agate heard Shining Armor say before she stepped out into the blizzard.
"OI! Anyone know where Inner Fire is?! Or whoever's leading this expedition?!" Agate yelled into the mass of ponies.
"This way, traveler spirit!" A bunch of ponies shouted back, waving her over and clearing a path for her.
"Ancient one!" He yelled happily once he saw her.
"Chieftain. Inner Fire. I'm sorry," She shook her head.
"About what?"
"Sombra is dead. He was defeated. But I didn't get to you before you left Snowpitt, and I didn't think to chase you down while you were going through the mountains. You're all burning for a battle, but I'm afraid there will be none. My people are safe," She explained, everyone around her listening intently.
"Oh. Well. This is anticlimactic," The stallion nodded after a minute, stroking his short beard.
"The monster is truly dead, then?" Another stallion asked.
"Yes. I saw him get utterly destroyed myself," Agate nodded.
"Sombra is dead! Agate's people are free!" He shouted, the shouts spreading across the entire mass of ponies, the snowponies considering what it meant before shrugging and cheering.
"I'll be right back, chieftain," Agate chuckled, turning around and trotting towards the shield.
Once she entered, she noticed that the guards, who were previously standing at battle ready positions, were now a lot more relaxed, standing in a parade line. A large number of civilians had gathered behind them as well, listening and watching the strange ponies behind the shield with small, uncertain smiles on their faces. Though the language changed, evidently someone still managed to translate "Sombra is dead", and the crystal ponies clearly decided that whoever the foreign ponies were, cheering so hard for Sombra's death meant that they couldn't be all that bad.
"Is that enough proof for you?" Agate asked the royal couple.
"...I'll take it," Shining Armor shrugged.
"Well, they might be taking just a bit too much joy from Sombra's death, but I guess I can't blame them too much. I'm assuming you told them stories of him, Agate?" Cadance asked.
"Yes, and part of their reaction comes from their philosophy. They consider enslavement a fate worse than death, and whoever does it is considered the worst monster of all," Agate explained.
"I see. Well, this is a bit sudden, but... I suppose we're going to have more guests, aren't we? That's quite a number," She mused.
"I'm sure they brought supplies, and they can just as easily set up outside. They don't fear the cold," Agate assured her.
"Set up in the snow?! No, no, no. I'm sure the crystal ponies will take them in, or we can let them set up camp in one of the farming fields, at the very least," She protested.
"If you insist. Anyway, may I bring the leader of the expedition through the shield?"
"Go ahead, Agate."
The spirit nodded, going back out. After she quickly explained the situation to Inner Fire, the stallion nodded, putting his weapon on his back and putting on his "serious chieftain" expression. Following Agate through the shield, the stallion and the royal couple spent a long moment analyzing each other, Inner Fire giving them a bow.
"Welcome to the Crystal Empire," Cadance proclaimed, making a wide gesture with her hoof.
"I'm assuming that that was a greeting, yes, Agate? Is she the chieftain of your people?" Inner Fire asked.
"She is, yes, as well as her husband. Our chieftains work a little bit differently," She nodded.
"Oh, she even has wings, too. I didn't even notice at first, with just how incredibly pink she is."
❅ ❆ ❅
It didn't take long, and with Agate translating, the rest of the snowponies were soon invited to step through the shield. The fact that they were even able to do that removed even more apprehension from the crystal ponies, and there were several long minutes when a whole bunch of crystal ponies stared curiously at the several hundred snow ponies and vice versa, both sides examining the radically different, and yet similar, equine forms.
"Well, this is awkward. Let's get them somewhere warmer and comfier, yes?" Cadance asked eventually, breaking the silence.
"If you get them any warmer, they'll overheat," Agate chuckled, pointing to the snowponies, some of whom were already stepping back into the blizzard to cool down.
"What the hay?"
After that, they had a continuation of the conversation they were having before, only this time, with Inner Fire and other ponies involved as well. The royals elected to remain outside, allowing everyone who wanted to listen in to reassure the public that it was nothing dangerous, given just how dramatic the snowponie's entrance was. Word spread like wildfire across the Empire, and the crystal ponies were soon coming and going in droves to see the mysterious snowponies from the north, a number of them already saying that they needed to throw a celebration for the brave warriors that galloped across the nigh-impassable northern mountains just to battle Sombra and free them.
Before long, the day was over, and everyone went to their respective resting spots. Some ponies were taken in by the crystal ponies, some set up tents inside the shield, while a few northerners still went outside to make igloos anyway, making the crystal ponies stare at them with utter disbelief.
The next morning, Cadance made a proclamation to the people from the balcony, explaining the situation and the source of their unexpected visitors. Just like the royals, the citizenry were also completely stunned when they learned that ponies could not only survive, but also thrive past the northern mountains, but they couldn't exactly deny the fluffy, cold-resistant proof in front of them, as the snowponies happily showed off their snowwalking, ice sculpting, and other cold-related skills outside the shield for anyone interested.
A friendly celebration and a feast were had, pretty much becoming another crystal faire as the visitors were delighted by the warm welcome and the exotic foods. Some overate, though, fortunately, it didn't end in anything worse than some pained stomachs and having to lie down, or rush to relieve themselves.
The next few days went by in a similar manner. Agate was happy to see that many snowponies were learning some basic words, while Fluent Tongue, who stalked Agate and the royal couple while scribbling down words the entire time, was rapidly becoming, well, fluent in their tongue. One by one, groups of ponies that were able to communicate began to form, ones that didn't need Agate to translate every word for them.
That gave Agate some more free time to keep telling her story to her parents, though Cadance still insisted that a scribe follow her around and write down pretty much everything. Her parents were amused, while she just shrugged, already used to being a source of interesting stories for the snowponies for many centuries.
Some of her free time also included learning about new things, such as the "train" that now connected the Crystal Empire and Equestria, which was apparently what the metal carriage was called. She watched as it began moving, slowly at first, but by the point it was disappearing into the distance, the contraption had really picked up the pace.
While the snowponies were happy to finally meet the legendary crystal ponies at last, they did have obligations back home, and with winter ending and their spears not needed, they started making plans to leave. Once they rested up and restocked their food supplies with generous donations from the crystal ponies, the vast majority of the ponies that arrived with Inner Fire declared that they were leaving, confusing the locals when they said that they did want for the mountains to have snow instead of waiting just a bit longer for spring, as snow apparently made travel easier for them, not harder.
A week later, most of the ponies from the expedition left for home once more. Hundreds of crystal ponies gathered to see them off, waving and cheering for the selfless warriors that came to their aid. The snowponies hugged them and waved as well, inviting the locals to see their lands as well some day, though not without warning the poor coatless ponies to acquire some serious clothing if they did, lest they suffer the same fate that Agate did.
Meanwhile, the citizenry of the Empire weren't quite sure what to think of Agate. Even though Cadance and Shining Armor themselves proclaimed that she was a spirit in their speech, just about every single crystal pony that she met still began with a "So are you really a spirit, or is this some kind of clever trick?"
Either way, the first meeting between the snowponies and the crystal ponies went by flawlessly, the locals impressed by the bravery and selfless nature of the northern ponies, while the travelers were happy to see that the crystal ponies also shared their traditions of hospitality, leaving with their bags stuffed with various crystals and trinkets that they were gifted, or traded off for bits of stuff from their own supplies.
❅ ❆ ❅
"Don't be afraid," Agate reassured the filly.
"But ghosts are spooky," Sugarberry protested.
"Nuh uh," Agate argued, employing the wisdom of the ages.
"Yuh huh!" Sugarberry countered.
"Oh. I guess I'll leave, then," Agate smiled.
"Wait, no! Don't go!"
"But I thought I was spooky?"
"Yeah, but... I'm a brave filly! I'm not afraid!" Sugarberry screwed up her lip, trying to look tough.
"Oh, alright then. I guess I- Boo!"
"Eek!"
"Haha! Not so brave, are you?"
"Agate, you butt!"
Agate sniggered as the filly glared at her, their mothers giggling some distance away. Meeting her old friends, much like meeting her parents, was weird when she was much older. Still, it was a pleasant experience, and she at least got to say her goodbyes, bittersweet as they were.
"So when are you going to leave?"
"Not just yet, but... There's not much holding me here any more," Agate mused, tapping her chin. "The snowponies mostly only know the basics, but Fluent Tongue is already good enough to talk normally and learn the rest on his own, and teach others, too. Inner Fire and Cadance already signed an agreement that says that the northern mountains are no-pony's land and that neither one of our people have any kind of territorial disputes, and that crystal and snow ponies are free to come and go to each other's lands barring special circumstances, like natural disasters or someone being a villain of some kind."
"Oh..." The filly slumped, her ears folding.
"Sorry, Sugary," Agate patted the filly on the back, Sugarberry not even flinching from her touch.
"So... You're going to go back across the mountains?"
"That's what I need to do, yes. I'll need to disable my totem... My parents want to come with me, though I really don't think they're up for the journey on hoof."
"What are you going to do, then? Dig through the mountains?" The filly asked, raising her eyes up.
"Heh! A bit too much effort. No, Shining Armor told me that he sent some pegasi to scout out the mountains, and according to them, the weather there isn't too bad for flying something he called a "pegasus chariot". Apparently, the Equestrians thought them up for military use some time ago, though they became popular among the civilians almost immediately. He said that we should be able to make the journey in a chariot in a matter of days, and that he'd provide one to my family, on the condition that they come with me, and I come along as a guide," Agate explained.
"Coooool... You're so big and important now... Hanging around with the Empress and Emperor..."
"It's not all it's cracked up to be," Agate chuckled, shaking her head. "Lots of pompous declarations and talking about silly stuff, though Cadance and Shining Armor aren't too bad in that regard."
❅ ❆ ❅
"Well... Here it is," Cadance held up a sizeable scroll with the celestial seal.
"Sure is," Shining Armor agreed.
"I guess... We should open it," Cadance sighed after a minute.
"You're really worried that Celestia will think that we both went nuts?"
"Yes. Aren't you?"
"Yes."
"Here goes, then," She nodded, breaking the seal with her hoofshoe and unrolling the letter. "Ahem..."
"My dear niece and Shining Armor,
I must admit, your latest missive caught me quite flat-hoofed. Both Luna and I pored over it for hours and hours, scrutinizing each word and photo with utter fascination. Such amazing ponies! So fluffy and hardy! And to think, they have been living in the north for millennia, all without our knowledge - much like the Crystal Empire did, I suppose. And the two peoples were not aware of each other either, despite being neighbors. It was truly an incredible chain of events that brought you together.
It is a crying shame that the spark to that chain was the death of an innocent filly. All for Sombra's hunger of power, may he rot forever. Though, I will admit, hearing what became of the filly gave me pause. Although the vast majority of ghost stories - just about all of them that are known in the modern day, really - are completely made up, there is no smoke without a fire. Think: just how many ghost stories are out there? Why are they so pervasive? Why are ponies so certain that there is something after they die? I will tell you this: ghost stories may be fake, but... Necromancy is not."
Cadance stopped reading there, sharing a long look with Shining Armor. "Well, that sent shivers down my spine."
"Agate is not some kind of brain-munching zombie, though," Shining Armor shrugged. "From what we saw, and from what both she and the snowponies said, she can barely even do anything."
"Right. Still, though. It's not like we didn't have similar concerns, when they explained to us what "totems" and guardian spirits are."
"I know, and that's why we're going north to take a closer look at how those ponies live ourselves. Keep reading, please."
"Now, I did read the part where the ponies described their own lives and the lands that they live in, and, I'll admit, it sounds like a fairytale. If you're expecting some kind of wisdom or simply an all-knowing nod - don't be silly. I'm as flabbergasted as you are about all this. I am old - but I have spent my entire life in Equestria.
I have never been that far north, and I have no idea how any of what they're describing is possible. A land so magical that spirits roam free everywhere, and even the spirits of the dead wander the lands, with no necromantic intervention whatsoever? Entire herds of windigoes fly through the skies, and stranger creatures besides? I have never, ever heard of anything like that. And here we thought the crystal ponies were exotic! These "snowponies" clearly live in a land that's quite alien compared to ours, to say the least.
I am very happy to hear that they're so friendly, though. Congratulations, by the way! Your first successful meeting with a foreign people - not that I honestly expected for that to ever happen. Or, at least, not with actual neighbors - I'm sure you're going to have plenty of official meetings with delegates from far away, ceremonial as they might be. Best of luck in all your future dealings - as curious as I am to see these "snowponies" myself, given how averse to warm weather you said they are, I have a feeling that most of them won't be all that interested in visiting Equestria during spring and summer.
And yes, I'm not coming to the Empire just yet. It sounds like you have everything well in hoof, so why would I? My visit would just put lots of completely unnecessary strain on you and the Empire, especially now that the train line is about to open, and the tourists are about to flood in. I am old - and I am patient, as is Luna. We will wait until things settle down a little more - though it might take a bit longer now, given the revelation of the existence of the snowponies - and let you work out all the kinks. It's not like we're remotely needed there, anyway - as you said yourself, the snowponies are next to your border, not Equestria's. We have nothing to do with this situation, and it'd be rude to butt in just to stare at another exotic offshoot of the earth pony tribe.
Twilight will most certainly lose her head once she hears about this, though I'm not sure if it's going to be in a good or a bad way. She might spend hours talking magic with those snowpony "shamares" of theirs, or she might spend hours talking to spirits, trying to prove to them with logic that they're not scientifically possible and that they don't exist. You're free to call on her if you wish, but it doesn't sound like this is something that needs the attention of her and her friends - unless the snowponies turn out to have some kind of less than savory practices in regards to the dead, in which case, please write to me immediately.
Other than that, I have nothing else but praise and the best of wishes to send your way. You're both doing wonderfully, and I'm very proud of you, Cadance. You're going to be a fine ruler.
With love,
Celestia."
"Well, she doesn't think that we went insane," Cadance smiled.
"Yeah. I wish she'd have warned us about the whole political tension thing, though," Shining Armor rolled his eyes.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean the "My visit would just put lots of completely unnecessary strain on you and the Empire" part. You know that she's not talking about housing her, catering, royal procedures, or anything else of the sort. You noticed it yourself - it's not just the guards. There's a small, low-level, but pervasive distrust of Equestria and princesses Celestia and Luna over here," Shining Armor explained, tapping the letter.
"Right. Alicorn installed by Celestia taking the throne. They're either afraid they might have exchanged one tyrant for another, or that we're going to sell them out in favor of Equestria's interests. And Celestia arriving personally would be taken as her coming in to claim her trophy," Cadance nodded.
"Especially if she gives us any orders or even advice. It will instantly make it look like we're just her subordinates. It's doubly important that we do this ourselves for a while, with no interference from Equestria," He sighed.
"Come on. We managed just fine so far, even with the arrival of the snowponies."
"I know, I know. And we're going to keep doing just fine. I just wish we didn't have to deal with this silliness in the first place."
"Well, from their point of view, their concerns are not baseless. We are a pair of foreign rulers that came from Equestria," Cadance shrugged. "We'll just have to prove to them that we're not lying."
"True."
"Let's talk about something else. How are the chariots? Did they arrive in one piece? And do you think we should invite Twilight on this trip?"
"Well, no, they were disassembled for the transportation," Shining Armor chuckled. "But the guys put them together, and they're saying that they should do just fine. As for Twilight... Honestly, I'm not sure," He pursed his lips.
"This needs a bit of a delicate touch, yes?" Cadance grinned knowingly.
"Twilight means well, but you know how... Intense she can be once she focuses on a subject. As friendly as the snowponies have been so far, I'd rather not violate some kind of strange local custom and get us all in trouble," He shook his head.
"Fair enough. She'd need to learn the language first for any kind of meaningful deep insights anyway. How are the preparations coming along?"
"The scouts are combing the mountains, and they already found a number of places where they said they could land and set up a temporary camp, rough as it would be."
"Well, the snowponies do with the cold just fine. I'm sure we'll manage, with some proper modern winter clothing. I mean, spring is already starting, how cold could it really be up there?"
"Cadance... Did you really just ask...?" Shining Armor facehoofed.
"What?! I didn't say "what's the worst that could happen"! I just asked how cold it could be!"
"We'll find out soon enough, with our own hides," He rolled his eyes.