During one of their conversations, the topic of the pegasus chariots came up again, and the royals invited Agate and her family to take a look at the things themselves. They were set up outside, since the crystal guards didn't have anything like that, and didn't really have a place to store them.
"Okay, these are interesting," Agate nodded, examining the chariots.
"And you're certain that they're safe?" Radiant Cut asked Shining Armor.
"Positive. These are the same things we use in the military," He nodded, tapping the side of a chariot.
"Well... Whatever works, I suppose," Garnet Necklace shrugged, though her voice did have a tinge of uncertainty.
"Relax, mom. Flying's fun. Although, I'm not sure what it's going to be like when you can actually feel the cold and the wind," Agate pondered.
"We're not going to freeze, don't worry about that. The pegasi were just fine, we're going to be fine as well, and we'll have clothes," Cadance reassured them.
"Three days, then?" Obsidian Spear asked.
"Yes. A day for the train travel to open and two days to see if everything runs smoothly without us having to intervene," Cadance confirmed. "After that, we'll have a small trip northwards."
❅ ❆ ❅
The train was a source of curiosity for the crystal ponies, especially since they were told that they would be able to use it just as freely as anyone else, as long as they had the bits for a ticket. Before embarking on any journeys, though, they still wanted to see that the thing actually worked, and wouldn't crash or blow up or anything like that as it brought in the Equestrians.
Cadance and Shining Armor did their best to explain the concept of "tourism" to the native population, pointing out how train travel made brutal, exhausting journeys on hoof through hostile terrain that could take weeks into swift, easy journeys that could take less than a day, inside a comfortable carriage in which you could even sleep, and arrive refreshed.
And the ease that trains provided meant that strange, far away exotic places suddenly lost the "far away" part, but not the exotic appeal, and instead of listening to the odd traveler telling tall tales or reading books about somewhere, just about any pony, not just the rich nobles, could go and see those places themselves.
The fact that such travelers also always brought at least some coin with them was the most important part of the explanation, of course, the damaged economy of the Empire badly needing a boost to recover properly. The knowledge that hordes of Equestrians wanted to come and see the beauty of the Empire also stroked the local's pride as well, relieving some of the concerns that it was going to become some kind of forgotten, run-down backwater province in the new age that they found themselves in.
The train came and went, releasing the first batch of Equestrians into the cold air of the north. Some of them complained that they actually had to trot a fair distance through the snow towards the shield, huffing and conveniently forgetting that all of them had been warned about the fact both by the newspaper articles about the Empire, and the train conductor beforehoof.
"So, anything to report?" Shining Armor asked his guard officers, having gathered them by the end of the day.
"The sudden influx of so many ponies is jarring, but the guards are saying that they're dealing with it fine so far, sire. As I understand it, though, even more ponies are going to arrive soon?" The captain asked.
"Yes, ponies tend to stay on vacation for more than a day. Usually, it's a week or two," Shining Armor confirmed.
"I see now why you insisted that we reorganize the Guard as swiftly as possible, sire. We will need them all to keep order," The captain nodded.
"Precisely. Any issues?"
"Minor infractions. Lieutenant?" The captain turned to a crystal guard next to him.
"My guards reported that they fined several ponies that were obstructing traffic and illegally setting up stalls in the street. Some overly large gatherings had to be broken up by the guards, when too many of those "tourists" swarmed some object of interest all at once and blocked traffic completely," The lieutenant reported.
"Setting up stalls? I guess the locals saw the potential to make some money. Perhaps we should overlook those for now?" Shining Armor mused.
"They were Equestrians, sire," The lieutenant corrected him.
"What? What were they trying to sell?" He asked, confused.
"From what we saw, they weren't merchants, sire. It looked like some kind of gambling game that involved cups," He explained, making Shining Armor groan in frustration.
"I swear, those ponies... Opportunistic as all Tartarus, I'll give them that. Must have thought they could make it big from some unsuspecting crystal ponies."
"Sire?"
"To put it simply, lieutenant, the cup game is a scam. A con. A trick, to fleece ponies out of their gold. A pony offers you to guess which cup a ball or some other trinket is under for a coin or two, with a chance to win much more if you guess correctly. But the pony that's offering it simply hides the ball with some sleight of hoof tricks, so what appears to be a one-third chance to win is actually zero, unless the scammer allows the pony to win, to lure in more ponies," Shining Armor explained.
"...I see. Should we arrest those ponies?" The lieutenant asked with a frown.
"Tempting, but probably not outright. Gambling is a risk, and there's no law preventing ponies from making risky bets. Do keep shutting them down and fining them when they set up their stalls, though, and if you catch a pony multiple times - then do arrest them, and confiscate their gear. Best to nip this in the bud."
"Understood, sire."
❅ ❆ ❅
"Mommy, look! A ghost pony!" An equestrian filly pointed towards Agate.
"Huh? Oh! I didn't know crystal ponies could do illusions," The mare smiled.
"They can't. I'm a spirit," Agate grinned.
"What?"
Still grinning, Agate kept trotting, her family chuckling. While news travelled fast, the equestrians still only knew about the Empire, and not the encounter with the snowponies that the crystal ponies had, which also meant that they were not aware of Agate. Still, the locals happily shared the news of their new northern neighbors, though most equestrians seemed to think that the locals were simply telling tall tales to make their country look more interesting than it already was.
Reaching the Spire, Agate nodded to the guards, who were already familiar with the spirit, now nodding back respectfully instead of fearfully. Agate's story was slowly filtering through the population, and the guards especially came to respect her when they heard of her indomitable will and the fact that she defied death and time itself just to meet her family again and even battle Sombra, when the time came.
"Lady Agate," A guard nodded to her, Agate having acquired yet another title somehow. "Here for your snowpony history lessons, yes?"
"I am, yes."
"Very good. I believe their Imperial Majesties are already waiting in the usual sitting room."
"Thank you. I'll find my own way," Agate nodded.
She and her family were welcome guests in the Spire now, the guards no longer escorting them everywhere. After the rush with the snowponies was over, the royal couple eagerly insisted that they'd be allowed to listen in on Agate again, having their sessions in the palace. Agate's family didn't protest, feeling that what Agate did was most certainly worthy of the royal attention, and being written into the history books.
"And there she is. Punctual as always," Cadance nodded to Agate as they entered the room.
"The traffic was a bit heavy, but we made it here in time," She nodded, her family going to take their seats, the scribe preparing his quill.
"How bad is it? I imagine the Empire never had such a sudden influx of foreign ponies before," Shining Armor asked.
"I barely remember. Ask my family," Agate shrugged.
"It's certainly new, yes, unless something happened before my time," Radiant Cut confirmed, looking towards his father.
"Not that I can recall. But it's good to see the streets bustling with life again. Better than when everyone was sitting at home and thinking "well what the hay do I do now?" Some ponies are still a bit lost at what to do next, but at least the inns and shops aren't going out of business any more," Coal Hoof nodded.
"And no one's bothered by your... Spirit-ness?" Cadance asked Agate with a smile.
"Heh. Most of them are just confused. Some of them have heard about me from the crystal ponies, though. There was this one crazy pegasus that must have flashed his, what's it called... "Camera" thing at me at least a hundred times, while babbling questions faster than I could answer them," Agate recalled.
"Ah. A paparazzi," Shining Armor rolled his eyes.
"A what now?" Garnet Necklace asked.
"Remember when we explained newspapers, and how fast news spread now? Well, it highly depends on who gets the news first. And in the rush to be the first one, some ponies completely throw out basic decency and work ethic out the window. And pegasi tend to be the worst ones, given that they can fly and get around quickly. What did you tell him?"
"A few things about who and what I am, though a couple of patrolling guards saw that he was bothering me and chased him away after he blinded my mom after flashing the camera right in her eyes."
"Yup. No standards," Shining Armor sighed.
"He was pretty rude," Garnet Necklace agreed with a frown.
"There are upsides and downsides to all the modern inventions, yes," Cadance shrugged. "Though it's mostly how ponies use them, really. And how are your adventurer friends doing, Agate? I half-expected them to leave with the other snowponies."
"They thought about it, but there was no way they could skip experiencing flight. It's something they'll be bragging about to other adventurers for years to come, probably," Agate laughed. "For now, they're still exploring the city or going outside to play in the snow. Without their equipment, they're not all that different-looking from equestrians, and they told me that no one's been bothering them."
"One more day?" Obsidian Spear asked.
"Yes. We'll see if the guards are managing well enough, and we'll go. Feels a bit irresponsible to leave at such a time, but..." Shining Armor shrugged.
"I'm certain the citizens understand. This is a massive event, and an important diplomatic opportunity."
"So it is," Cadance nodded.
"Right then. Story time," Agate spoke up after she saw that no one else was going to say anything. "So, I left off when they all went to sleep and I remained awake to act as a sentry. That was the first time I saw an akhlut..."
❅ ❆ ❅
"So, uncle, did you and Shining Armor talk about the whole Guard thing yet?" Agate asked as they were trotting home after finishing the storytelling for the day.
"A few times, yes," The stallion nodded. "It's been... Interesting. At first glance, their doctrine seems shallow and mercenary, focused more on bits than fealty. But when I really started digging into it, I couldn't actually find much fault with it."
"Could you try and summarize it for us?" Radiant Cut asked.
"Well... To begin with, Equestria is... Massive. There are ponies that never saw Canterlot in their entire lives, and possibly never even saw princesses Celestia or Luna, either. There's no Spire looking over the entire population. Same thing with the guards. As such, they're much more focused on operating independently, given how orders from the top might take days or weeks to arrive. As he explained to me, the Royal Guard oath is one that swears to protect Equestria and her people first, rather than the crown. A different philosophy, as he said."
"That sounds well and good, but what's a nation without a competent ruler, though?" Coal Hoof asked.
"Have you heard about the Celestial Schism yet? About how princess Luna apparently only returned around a year before the Empire from her banishment in the Moon?"
"That one's still confusing, but yes."
"Well, apparently, after that debacle, Celestia realized that alicorns were not infallible, nor undefeatable. Since then, she tried to organize Equestria in such a way that it would not collapse should she be removed from power in some way, changing the Guard doctrine to be able to operate as much as possible without her direct input in case of a crisis, creating a more independent command structure, as well as a much more standardized and rigid service contract. It's still odd to me that a piece of paper holds more power than an honorable oath of fealty in Equestria, but the arguments are sound," Obsidian Spear shrugged. "As Shining Armor said, with so many ponies, someone down the line inevitably makes some mistake or other. A veteran gets incorrectly denied their pension, some papers get lost, and so on. "And while everyone hates bureaucracy, they're all too happy when it's on their side", as he told me."
"So you'll go back to being a guard?" Agate asked.
"I think I will, yes. Once we return from this trip," He confirmed.
❅ ❆ ❅
"Excited?" Agate asked the adventurers the next day.
"Yes. A little fearful, but even if we die, ponies will talk about us for centuries to come," Shatterhoof chuckled.
"I'm sure our chieftains wouldn't travel in this way if there was such a high chance of death," Agate rolled her eyes with a small smile.
"Yes, but I'm much bigger than the local ponies. I hope they'll be able to carry my weight," The large stallion grinned, flexing his muscular foreleg.
"I'm sure they'll manage, even with your massive winter bulk," Freezing Point chuckled.
"Hey, it's all muscle!"
"Then how did you not freeze to death?"
"...Alright, some of it is fat, obviously."
"Just remember to get all your things and souvenirs," Agate reminded them while shaking her head at their antics. "We leave first thing in the morning tomorrow."
❅ ❆ ❅
The next morning, Agate, her family, and the adventurers made their way towards where the chariots were parked. There were eleven of them in total, which was actually too many for the twenty pegasi that were dispatched to the Empire. As such, Shining Armor pulled in another squad of pegasi from Equestria to help out, the stallions hitching themselves up and preparing to take off.
"Alright, everyone, listen up. It's two ponies per chariot, so pick your pairs. Those three chariots are for the six adventurers, one for Cadance and I, one for Radiant Cut and Garnet Necklace, one for Fluent Tongue and Obsidian Spear, two for the scholars and their supplies, and one more for a pair of guards. The remaining three are for supplies," Shining Armor explained, gesturing towards the empty chariots.
"You're not going to fly?" Obsidian Spear asked Fluent Tongue.
"Well, while my love for languages came from me flying around a lot and hearing different dialects, it was through mild Equestrian weather, not brutal mountain cold," The stallion grinned and shrugged. "I'll probably fly alongside for a short while to relieve the weight a bit and stretch my wings, but I am a scholar. My physical endurance is... Not the best, especially compared to a guard."
"You're sure you don't want to come?" Radiant Cut turned to his parents.
"I'm a bit too old for crazy, breakneck adventures in the mountains, colt," The old stallion laughed.
"And it's a tad late for last-minute changes, dear," Crochet Hook pointed out.
"I guess this is goodbye, then," Agate nodded at them, her expression serious.
"It is, little filly. It is," Coal Hoof nodded.
"By the Heart, I do wish I could hug you," Crochet Hook sniffed despondently.
"You sort of can, grandma, if you hug me very gently. Or, I can simply hug you," Agate smiled wanly.
"P-please do."
Agate did just that, her expression solemn. Crochet Hook carefully ran her hoof through her mane, marveling at the wispy, almost nonexistent, yet still somehow there presence that Agate had. Once they disengaged, Agate hugged Coal Hoof next, the two old ponies sharing a silent, knowing nod.
"I thought I saw some snowponies interact with you by touch before," Obsidian Spear noted.
"It's a snowpony thing. They're much more attuned to spirits and stuff, and some of them are experts at it," Agate explained.
"Well, if everyone's ready, shall we go?" Cadance asked.
One by one, everyone got into their chariots, the snowponies looking the most apprehensive, but also the most excited. The crystal ponies looked a bit doubtful that the chariots were even going to take off at all, while the royal couple took their seats with the practiced ease of someone who did this many times before.
The public knew about their journey, of course, and a number of curious crystal ponies had gathered to see them off, or just to see the pegasi in action. A smaller number of Equestrians were there too, simply interested in what the hubbub was about, with a few that actually heard about the snowponies and the diplomatic mission to the far north from the crystal ponies, pointing at the group of adventurers and taking photos.
"You'll notice bundles of clothing on your seats. I suggest putting them on now. Agate's adventurer group are the only ones with cold weather gear of their own," Shining Armor called out. "Alright, colts. Ready to go?"
"Route is memorized and the weather is clear, sir," The lead pegasus confirmed.
"Go, then."
With a hup, the stallions began galloping forward, down a stretch of street cleared out from traffic by the crystal guards. Gaining momentum, they spread their wings in a synchronized fashion, adding wing flaps to their leg movements. The takeoff was gradual, and the passengers weren't even able to tell that the wheels were no longer touching the ground, until they started gaining more altitude.
Agate, meanwhile, flew above them, her family and the crystal ponies staring at her with wonder. She watched with fascination as the long line of chariots formed up into a bird-like "V" formation once they had the space, one chariot taking point while the others trailed behind in, five on each side. They crossed the shield without hesitation, the pegasi faltering for only a moment as the warmth in their lungs was suddenly replaced by the colder air from the outside.
The pegasi guards seemed to be holding up just fine, though the same couldn't be said about the crystal ponies. Once the cold hit, they immediately began pulling their winter cloaks closer to themselves, trying to close every possible gap through which the wind and cold could reach them.
The snowponies, meanwhile, had varying reactions. Freezing Point was having the time of her life, cheering and whooping as her mane was flying in the wind. For all his talents in jumping, Goat Hop seemed the most uncomfortable about not having solid land under his hooves, while Spring Hoof sniggered quietly to herself. The others were calm, observing the landscape passing by with wonder and appreciation for the new and unusual perspective.
The wind stole their breaths and any words that they tried to say, so there wasn't much talking done during the trip. They stopped briefly once they cleared the valley's edge and the first levels of the foothills, everyone eating some rations and relieving themselves behind a few boulders nearby. After that, they took off again, going towards a flat spot deeper in the mountains that the pegasi scouts deemed safe to land on and make camp.
There was some light left in the day when they reached the location, but the next spot deemed to be suitable was some distance away, and no one felt like taking needless risks. The charioteers circled the area, landing one by one on the narrow strip of (mostly) flat rock, immediately moving out of the way for the next chariot in line. Once they were all down, the ponies immediately jumped out, hopping in place and rubbing their numb legs as Agate landed and looked around.
"By the Heart, this is cold," Garnet Necklace hissed.
"Mountains usually are, dear," Radiant Cut grimaced, trotting in place and trying to warm up.
"I-it's colder than I expected," Cadance breathed.
"Don't you have some pegasus in you?" Shining Armor asked with some mild amusement, the bulky stallion looking fairly comfortable in his winter gear.
"Says the mountain goat," Cadance rolled her eyes with a pained smile as the snowponies clicked their tongues in disapproval, studying the alicorn's lithe frame.
"She's really far too thin. Equestria must be incredibly hot for her not to get cold like that," Freezing Point surmised.
"Even so, she clearly needs at least some kind of a layer of fat if she ever wants to travel through the mountains," Goat Hop nodded.
"We'll have to feed her some good, oily fish when we reach Snowpitt," Trailblazer agreed.
Cadance had learned enough of their tongue that she was able to understand most of it, though that didn't mean that she really knew what to say. Scrunching her muzzle, she pulled her cloak off, turning towards Shining Armor.
"I'm going for a short flight, to get the blood flowing to my limbs."
"I suggest you lose the royal accoutrements for the rest of this journey, dear," He nodded. "And don't go far, the crosswinds in the mountains can be very powerful."
"Hey, I know how to fly, thank you very much," She grinned at him, taking off all the metal accessories and stowing them in her chariot.
"Says the cold pegasus," He chuckled.
"Shush, mountain goat!" She shouted, taking off.
"Pegasus not get cold?" Ice Elation asked, examining the pegasi and glancing at Cadance as she flapped about.
"They are quite resistant to cold, yes. The higher you go, the colder it gets, and pegasi can get pretty dang high," Shining Armor explained, nodding towards the snowy mountain peaks. "I do wonder who has a higher cold resistance, pegasi or snowponies."
"We find out. They can visit northern tribe, see what white blizzard is like," The northerner nodded.
"I'm sure some adventurous ponies will, sooner or later. But we're only going to this... "Snowpitt" for our first visit."
While they were talking, the guards were setting up camp. Trotting over to help, Shining Armor joined in with his magic, making the process easier. Regardless, the bare mountainside really wasn't the most hospitable place, and after a few minutes of thinking, he conjured a shield over the place, the wind dying down immediately.
"This is the best available spot to camp on our way north, huh?" He asked no one in particular, several of the pegasi choosing to answer.
"I'm afraid that is correct, sir. Perhaps the winds would be calmer somewhere lower, but there's really no place to land safely. It looks like contact with the snowpony tribes will be severely limited due to the terrain, unless something changes. I highly doubt many civilians would find this kind of journey palatable, unless it was done in summer. Even then, it's not exactly a pleasant, scenic trip."
"Or unless they come to us, sir," Another pegasus added. "I saw that "snowwalking" skill of theirs, it's really something. They're amazingly hardy folks, though that apparently still puts a limit of when they can visit, which would be the opposite of us - since they use sleighs for transport, they need the snow to cover up all the jagged bits of rock to be able to take supplies and cargo with them."
"Resting spots can be built, though at what cost?" Shining Armor mused. "Transporting materials to build cabins? Digging or blasting through the mountainside to excavate a cave?"
"What's this about blasting the mountainside?" Cadance asked, returning from her flight.
"Just musing about how to make contact with our new neighbors easier," He shrugged. "It seems that it's going to be severely limited in scope for a while. Which is not entirely a bad thing - the culture shock would be huge, I imagine - but we might want to do something about it in the future. Might as well toss out some ideas," He shrugged.
"Well, they seem to have no trouble at all visiting us. Hundreds of them crossed the mountains like nobody's business," She chuckled.
"Hmm. Yeah. Maybe it's for the best. I'm sure some enterprising ponies will think something up, if there will be a demand for it. Maybe we'll find out they have some amazing trade goods, or something to that effect. Perhaps some kind of specialist airship for crossing the mountains? We'll see, I suppose."
"Indeed, those are future concerns. For now, slow and steady wins the race. And this racer is hungry. Set up a camp stove and let's heat something up."
❅ ❆ ❅
The next few days went by in a similar fashion, the chariots landing on inhospitable mountainsides and taking off the next morning. All together, they had to stop three times, with the fourth day being the one where they crossed the mountains, though it was also the day the (relatively) calm mountain weather turned unpleasant.
"Sir, there's snowfall and wind," A pegasus reported to Shining Armor the moment he got out of his tent.
"Great. A blizzard?" He asked, squinting through the partially opaque shield.
"Depends on your definition. This is barely mild snow, but I'm used to northern weather," Agate supplied.
"I say we get the hay out of here anyway. I don't feel like hunkering down when we're on the very final stretch of the journey anyway. Aren't we, Agate?"
"Oh yeah. At the pace we've been going, we should cross the mountains... Before it even gets dark, I'd say, though there's still some ways to go until we reach Snowpitt," She confirmed.
"Well, even if the pegasi end up pushing themselves too hard, I'd rather rest on the foothills or plains rather than here."
"We can deal with some wild weather, sir," The pegasus assured him. "As the... Spirit said, this isn't too bad - yet. We should be able to punch through."
"Don't give me that look," Cadance told Shining Armor as she left the tent as well, pulling her cloak around her.
"I wasn't giving you any looks," Shining Armor said innocently.
"This is completely wild weather. This could have happened at any point."
"Of course."
"What happen? Snow?" Ice Elation asked, trotting towards the edge of the shield and sticking her head through it for a moment. "Not bad. Fine trotting weather. Clouds thin, can still see Sun and navigate. Can pegasus fly?"
"They should. In fact, we could probably just get above the snow clouds, even if it would be a touch colder at that altitude," Shining Armor nodded.
"Colder. Great," Cadance sighed.
"Here. Thin pony need better clothes. Take mine," Ice Elation nodded to Cadance, taking off her winter gear. "Trade. Give me," She gestured towards Cadance's garb.
"I can't do that, you'll get cold yourself! And if mine's not as warm..."
"Is good. Winter is over. Spring now. Don't need winter coat any more. Warm outside. Yours thin, but strong. Look good for travel. Mine old now, will get new next winter. Can throw away after this journey," Ice Elation argued, tugging at Cadance's cloak.
"Warm outside..." Cadance muttered with a sour expression as she slipped on the adventurer's clothes. "They rather build houses out of ice and snow outside the shield than stay inside, they call this weather warm... Are these ponies even warm-blooded?"
"They are," Agate chuckled. "Though their cold resistance is something to behold."
"Alright, enough chatter. Let's eat and take off," Shining Armor ordered, helping the others break down their tents.
The snowfall created a wall of snow around their campsite, seeing as it was blown against the side of the barrier. Making a triangular shield and shoving it forward, Shining Armor cleared a path for takeoff, the snowponies observing the foreign magic with fascination. With a nod to the pegasi, they all began hitching up, the others shoving the last bits of food in their mouths and getting into their chariots.
"Sir, this was actually the last spot the scouts reached before turning back. We don't know where we're going from this point on," A pegasus warned.
"Agate says that this is the final mountain, so just go due north. The moment we clear the last ridge, we'll be good," Shining Armor nodded, the pegasus saluting and starting to move.
Once they were in the air, Agate and the snowponies got to see something that was quite unfamiliar to them all: pegasus magic. They didn't simply force themselves through the snow as they climbed at a steep angle, aiming straight for the clouds the snowflakes were falling from. Instead, they projected an aura of force in front of themselves, cleaving the air in half and pushing everything away before anything could even touch them, the entire formation ramming right through the snow clouds.
Seeing Freezing Point leaning out of her chariot, Agate landed on the edge in her bird form. "Everything alright here?"
"Oh, yes. Some of the more air-inclined shamares would give up a leg to get up this high and experience this," She laughed, sticking a foreleg towards the clouds. "I only learned to listen to the air spirits a tiny bit to hear the coming blizzards, but this is still amazing. Though the bird- the pegasi seem to be pushing the spirits away from their path. Very interesting magic."
"Well, don't fall out while you're listening to the spirits, I'm not sure they'll be able to catch you when they're hitched to their chariots like that," Agate warned her, taking off again.
As Shining Armor suggested, they rose above the clouds and skipped on top of them, the whole scene looking almost like the chariots were rolling on a solid surface rather than flying at the level of some smaller mountain peaks. The crystal pony passengers were clearly cold, huddling up together, but Agate was sure that they'd manage for a short while longer, given that she could already see the tundra stretching off into the distance.
The clouds stopped at the edge of the mountains, the pegasi immediately angling their flight path downwards and picking up speed. The angle allowed the others to see what Agate saw, the foreigners looking with curiosity and fascination at the endless plain that opened up before them, while the snowponies and Agate smiled at the familiar sight.
"Right, my turn to lead! Follow me! Onwards to Snowpitt!" Agate shouted to the pegasi, once she saw that they weren't going in the entirely right direction.
Unlike the crystal guards, the pegasi were still wary of her, especially the ones that came from Equestria recently. Still, they were disciplined enough not to get spooked when she darted in front of them, keeping the formation and following behind her.
While getting out of the mountains only took a few hours, the foothills stretched on for a while, slowly turning into forest, and finally, the plains. The days weren't all that long yet, and, despite their speed and the fact the pegasi were descending instead of putting effort into climbing, the Sun was already setting by the time they finally reached Snowpitt.
Landing on Shining Armor's and Cadance's chariot, Agate glanced downwards. "I don't actually know where you should go. The snowponies obviously don't have anything like these chariots, so dropping down in the middle of the settlement is probably a bad idea. The plain is mostly flat, but I don't know how flat you need it to be."
"I'm sure we'll manage. You heard her, lieutenant! Slow down and circle around, and we'll provide some light," Shining Armor shouted to the pegasi as he and Cadance lit up their horns.
"Yes, sir!"
They would have more than likely gotten spotted anyway, given that snowponies were quite used to noticing movement in the darkness given the long winter nights, but the light show pretty much announced them to everyone in Snowpitt. The royal couple sent a couple wide cones of light aimed ahead of them, lighting up the ground for the pegasi. For their part, the guards landed with barely a bump, the passengers taking a few moments to realize that they actually stopped moving.
"Excellent job, boys," Shining Armor nodded to the pegasi as he got out.
"Happy to finally put all that rough terrain deployment training to use, sir. Didn't think that it'd happen in my lifetime," The lead pegasus grinned.
"Pegasus strong," Shatterhoof nodded with respect as he got out of his chariot. "Journey south take twelve days for us, and we go hard and fast!"
"Flight very fast. Like traveler spirit," Ice Elation agreed.
"It certainly helps when you can just cut corners and ignore going up and down the mountain slopes," Shining Armor agreed. "Agate? What happens now?"
"Well, with that show, ponies most certainly saw us approach. I imagine Inner Fire will show up to greet us in a moment."
"Is there anything special we need to do? Traditional greetings? Offerings?" Cadance asked, pulling down the fluffy hood of her new snowpony coat and levitating her crown on her head, forgoing the other accoutrements.
"Well, it is traditional for unknown travelers to ask for permission to enter. You don't need to offer anything, though. A snowpony would only deny you entry into their home in the most extreme circumstances. I haven't seen it happen even once yet," Agate explained.
"They'd be fine even with strange ponies from unknown tribes?"
"I believe the linguistic term for this tradition is called "sacred hospitality", Your Highness," Fluent Tongue supplied. "A concept that's become obsolete in modern day as the wilderness between cities in Equestria became tame and almost completely harmless, but in places where being left outside means almost certain death, denying someone shelter is considered more or less killing them for no reason."
"Southern tribe land is oldest and safest, but no one dare deny warmth," Trailblazer nodded. "Great shame. Great dishonor. All ancestor spirits turn away, and kin shun such pony."
"Well, I'm just about ready to get inside somewhere warm," Garnet Necklace huffed. "I can barely feel my legs."
"Travelers!" A voice boomed from the direction of the village, Inner Fire and a number of other ponies trotting closer, staring at the arrivals with fascination. "You come, borne by wind and wing, like traveler spirit herself! Very, what word... Big? Impressive!"
"Well, we weren't trying to show off," Cadance smiled. "We just had to pick the fastest way to cross the mountains. We don't do with the cold as well as you do, so going on hoof was not an option."
"Good, good! Each pony stick to strength. Warrior strong, shamare clever, and bird pony fly fast!" The stallion chuckled, more ponies gathering behind them, those that visited the Empire explaining and pointing to various things to the ones that didn't.
"Well, the bird ponies are tired, and our passengers are a little bit cold," Cadance cleared her throat, standing up straighter and speaking formally. "May we enter your village?"
"Of course. We open our doors and tend our hearths for you, guest of far away. Come inside," He spoke in snowponish, Agate translating for him.
❅ ❆ ❅
After a quick exchange, the pegasi remained hitched to their chariots and formed a line, following behind the others. Seeing as their journey was over and they were back in their lands, the adventurers all lined up, bowing respectfully to Agate.
"Thank you for the amazing adventure, traveler spirit. Quite different and lacking danger compared to my usual jaunts, but an amazing adventure nonetheless," Ice Elation said.
"It has been an honor," Shaterhoof added.
"Being the first pony from my tribe to see the Empire has been amazing. And thank you for all the language lessons," Trailblazer nodded.
"Not to mention being the first ponies to experience flight," Freezing Point grinned.
"Spring Hoof and I fancied ourselves travelers as well, but you've shown us what real travel means," Goat Hop chuckled, Spring Hoof nodding. "Yes, here we thought this was going to be a mild challenge across some unconquered mountains, and then we'd just go back a few days later. We got a lot more than we bargained for."
"Eh, don't mention it. You could have easily made the journey yourselves. Plenty of others visited Dream Valley over the years, though, of course, the Empire wasn't there yet. Best of luck in all your future journeys. I'd say we might meet in the future, but the odds of that are quite low," She smiled wryly, the adventurers nodding solemnly at her words, knowing exactly what she meant. As they turned around and joined the crowd, Agate could see Ice Elation jab Freezing Point in the ribs.
"You still owe me a new ice spear."
"I know! Calm down already, I didn't forget!"
While they were talking, the others formed up around the royals, the two crystal guards flanking them while Fluent Tongue and the other scholars and scribes trailed behind them, followed by Agate and her family, and then, the charioteers. Inner Fire led the procession deeper into the village, eventually reaching a large longhouse with an empty plot nearby. Agate recognized the place as one of the locations the northerners liked to set up their igloos in during the Gathering, sleeping in their shelters and gathering in the longhouse to talk and eat.
"Here, big space. Enough for... Hmm..." Inner Fire trailed off.
"Chariots," Shining Armor supplied. "Alright, everyone, lose the weight. Line up and get yourselves unhitched."
"Yes, sir."
There was a brief period of organized chaos as the guests squared their things away and pulled out some tarps to cover the chariots with, which allowed the locals to keep studying them with curious gazes. Someone in the crowd apparently pointed out who Agate's parents were, which brought a lot of attention to the family that the legendary ancient spirit waited a thousand years to see once more.
"Really drives it home, doesn't it," Radiant Cut muttered quietly, glancing at all the gawking snowponies.
"Drives what home?" Obsidian Spear asked.
"That our little filly is not our little filly any more. Seeing and hearing her talk like she did was one thing already, but this... She's a... Folk hero? Legend? And probably lots more to these ponies. It sounded like a fairytale when we were just listening, but no, here they are, all the ponies who have been listening to the same stories about Agate for a thousand years, some of whom were active participants," Garnet Necklace explained.
"...You can be proud of her, at the very least. She's an amazing filly," Obsidian Spear supplied, though he knew how hollow his words rang.
"Of course we're proud. And a bit jealous, to say the least. All these ponies got to experience lifetimes with Agate. And all we got was a goodbye. A long and impressive goodbye, but still," Radiant Cut frowned.
"Make the most of the time you have left, then," Obsidian Spear nodded towards Agate, who was chatting with the chieftain.
"I suppose it's all we can do," Garnet Necklace sighed.
"Guests ready? Good! Come eat! Trailblazer say Cadance need some meat on bones! Come, come! We prepare good food!" Inner Fire announced once he saw that the chariots were secured. "Had big feast in Crystal Empire, now we make good food for crystal pony! And bird pony too, of course!"
"And what kind of food would put meat on my bones?" Cadance asked with a wry smile.
"Fish! Fish great, give thicker hide and make coat shiny! Very good, my son speak true, crystal chieftain really thin! Need eat many fish!"
"Oh. Oh my..."