Celestial Omens
The very first thing Agate's guides did was rest. They needed a good night's sleep (preferably two) and lots of good meals, which their hosts were plenty happy to provide. While they were taking a break from paddling, though, it didn't prevent them from talking. Glacier Glider grilled the mares on their experience with "icewalking", which was apparently separate from their snowwalking skill.
"So, how good would you say you three are?"
"Well, it's not something we did very often, but we're definitely not completely inexperienced in it."
"Ahhh, I see. Enthusiastic beginners, then," The older mare chuckled, making the three purse their lips.
"Hey now, we're not some helpless foals. The chieftain wouldn't have let us take this on if he didn't think we were capable of it," Harpoon bristled.
"Oh, sure, but I doubt he thought you would have to engage in anything but ferrying Agate. Do you think you're skilled enough to sidle up to a slippery, uneven-surfaced ice floe in a kayak, climb out while dragging the kayak with you, and navigate the treacherous landscape until you reach the shore without slipping through a hole and having to take a swim?"
They frowned, folding their ears back and glaring at Glacier Glider with narrowed eyes. For her part, the mare was completely unbothered, brushing one of her twins with an amused grin. She didn't bother saying anything else, waiting for the three to come up with a satisfactory answer, which didn't appear to be forthcoming. Shaking his head with a similar grin, the stallion spoke up as well.
"Speaking of swimming, how good are you at that, hm? Taking a dip doesn't have to be the end of the world, but it can be, if you're completely unprepared for it."
This time, surprise and confusion colored the mare's faces. "How? I know some mad ponies take dips in the sea to try and learn, but it's a waste of time and good firewood. You barely have enough time to try before your limbs go numb, and have to spend ages afterwards warming up again. I think I heard that some southerners swim in their lakes during summer, but the sea is still barely above freezing, even in the warm months," Seaweed asked, skepticism in her voice.
"Yes, all of that is correct. Surely you heard of certain special places that keep some of the northern islands warm, though? The hot springs on this very island, for instance?"
"I... Heard of them, yes. Ponies say they're used for healing and relaxation, though, not... Training?"
"Mmm, well, when you get inside one, then it gets really hard to do anything but lie there and enjoy the warmth, I'll admit that much, heh. But, you can paddle around in them a little and get a feel what actually happens if you end up treading water. And I don't mean "paddle" as in a kayak paddle, I mean paddling with your legs. It's a way of swimming," He explained.
Silence descended on the home again. Agate herself didn't have any part in the conversation, so she did her thing and listened quietly. The two older adults clearly felt that they made their point, waiting for the three young mares to come to some kind of conclusion. It took a while, but after a lot of glancing between each other and silent facial mimicry, Seaweed sighed and shook her head.
"I suppose we're not qualified for this leg of the journey, then. What do you suggest? Are you going to take over from us while we wait for you to come back?"
"Well now, there's no need to sound so forlorn, dear," Glacier's grin changed to a more soothing smile as she measured Seaweed up. "And no, I wouldn't dare to ask you to sit on your flanks like foals while we run off with your spirit guide. How about we give you a few lessons, hm?"
The mare's expressions turned a bit more hopeful. "Yeah?"
"Sure. I do think that I should be the one to go to the Spires with Agate, though. It is not an expedition someone completely unprepared should take, I think, even if the risks are relatively low. However, you are more than welcome to disembark on the ice and have a few lessons with my husband. It's where most of us go to get some real experience in icewalking when we're old enough."
"Can we come, Mom?" One of the Flurries asked.
That made the mare go silent, her gaze turning blank as she pursed her lips. Absent-mindedly, she squeezed the twin she was grooming too hard, making the filly whine quietly. She didn't seem to notice, though, her mind clearly somewhere far away. Her husband had to take her hoof and gently, but firmly pull the mare away from her daughter for her to come back to the present.
"They're going to be fine. Nothing can hide on the naked ice, and we'll have Agate's companions with us, too. And the fillies have to start learning," He spoke firmly in a low voice, looking Glacier Glider in the eyes.
"...Right, of course. Can't keep them at home forever. Would be even worse for them later on if they don't get any experience. Alright, you two," She turned towards her twins, her blank expression turning stern. "You can come, but no shenanigans. No goofing around, and you follow every command. If I, Moss, or even any of Agate's friends tell you to get back from somewhere, jump, or hide, you do it. No talking back, no thinking about it. This is going to be the real thing, so you'd better act like it."
"Yes, Mom," The pair chorused, slightly spooked, but obviously excited as well.
The traveler trio were a little confused by Glacier's reaction, but they didn't pry. Clearing her throat, Seaweed raised an eyebrow. "So, what's our plan of action for the next few days, then?"
"We'll start with the hot springs, of course. Nothing quite like a good soak for your sore muscles after a long trip. You're going to love it, you'll see," Glacier replied, gesturing to the other twin with her hairbrush.
❅ ❆ ❅
"This is weird," Agate remarked.
Currently, every still-living pony was soaking in a large, steaming pool of water. Agate was sitting on a rock nearby, examining the thing. She never heard of a "hot spring" before, not even from the Equestrians. Her travelling companions were slightly less surprised, seeing as they at least knew about their existence, but they never actually saw one before, either. It took a bit of coaxing and cajoling from the locals to get them to enter the seemingly near-boiling water, but once they did, their skeptical expressions turned to brief shock, and then, wonder.
"The north can get pretty weird, yes. Far as it goes, the hot springs aren't even that strange," Glacier Glider shrugged, holding one of her fillies up as she paddled in the water.
"I thought it would be even hotter than this, what with so much steam and all," Wave Splash remarked, attempting to mimic the filly's motions and swim through the pool.
"It's not that hot here, but yes, if you go upstream, you'll end up as mare soup," Glacier Glider explained,
They weren't sitting at the source of the water, which was another heavily steaming pool some distance away. The one they were in looked like it was dug out on purpose, with a neat wall and a shallow bottom made of smooth stones. The water drained out into a small stream that was still steaming as it ran towards the sea.
Obviously, Agate couldn't feel the warmth any more, nor could she learn to swim, so she decided to poke around, instead. Seeing as they told her that they'd be resting for a couple days, she had plenty of time to explore without having to worry about leaving at a moment's notice. Leaving the others to their relaxation and awkward paddling and splashing with a wave, she trotted off to examine more of the island.
Fanged Shore (or just Fangs, as the locals told her), was a little unusual compared to the other islands. It was still rocky, windy, and relatively flat, but there was a layer of soil that supported fairly abundant plant life. Trotting about, the filly even saw little copses of pine trees among the grassy meadows. It was a bit hard to tell whether they were there naturally or whether it was more fertilizing and planting efforts by the northerners, but either way, they seemed to be doing well. Perhaps the strange underground heat that warmed the hot springs made the whole island warmer, too?
Since she had been travelling for a good couple months, days were far longer now than when she began her journey. While she got used to the dark, both seeing sunlight and having a greater line of sight still felt satisfying in some strange way she couldn't really properly describe. She took her time aimlessly trotting about, looking at the unusual rock formations and whatever other things that caught her eye.
"Maybe I needed a break, too..."
After exploring some of the land, she went to the seashore, staring out across the alien landscape. The "fangs" were a curious sight. Given all the other crazy stuff she heard about the north, she almost expected them to be actual petrified fangs of some ancient beast, but they really were just weather-worn rock spires. Looking at the splashing waves, she fidgeted in place for a bit before shrugging and slowly stepping into the water.
Though she went through a river a few times, having the waves close over her head still felt odd. The sea was much louder, the crashing and splashing still audible even underwater, echoing through her entire being. Shaking her head, she stepped in deeper, where the sounds became more muffled, fading to a low murmur in the back of her head. Finding her target, she approached the spire.
It didn't look much different underwater, except for a bunch of small, shelled creatures stuck to its surface. Nosing around, Agate went back and forth across the sea floor for a while, though she didn't dare go deeper when things started getting dark and murky. She didn't really feel afraid, but it still felt wrong, somehow. Glancing at a crab scuttling by, she decided to leave the sea to the sea creatures, turning back to shore.
Trotting back to Glacier's family home, she saw faint movement by the mossy boulder next to the house. Squinting, she managed to recognize Glacier Glider's husband as he went through the door, carrying a bucket in his mouth. Shaking her head, the filly tried to remember his name.
"Moss, moss, moss... That's what Glacier called him yesterday, but I know the Flurries told me his full name... Come on, Agate... Moss... Hoof?"
There was something strange about that stallion. He was aggressively inconspicuous, managing to actively blend into the background without even doing anything, especially if he was in an environment that matched his dark, moss-colored coat. If that was his special talent, he was pretty darn good at it. Most of the time, you couldn't even tell he was there unless he talked. He certainly didn't seem to mind remaining unnoticed, either.
Shaking her head, she kept trotting towards the house herself, ready to get some sleep.
❅ ❆ ❅
They spent another day relaxing and having swimming practice, while Agate went wandering once more. She got to play with the Flurries a bit, and they showed her a bunch of nooks and crannies that they liked to hide in. The day after that, though, it was back to business.
Glacier Glider and her husband rustled up two double-seater kayaks, one of them their own, and a second one that they borrowed from another family. After gearing up, they carried them down to the beach, setting them down and giving one last warning to their daughters.
"Remember. No fooling around."
"Yes, Mom," The two chorused, though they were obviously tired from the constant reminders.
"Alright then. One to each kayak, off you go," Glacier nodded.
Agate's companions retrieved their own kayaks, and minutes later, all five of the slim boats were in the water. The twins couldn't contain their giggles when they saw Agate's method of travel, and even Glacier Glider snorted at the way the filly was hugging the prow like a pony-shaped limpet.
The locals took point this time, moving parallel to each other while the three travelers followed in their wake. Their destination was "pretty close", which still meant a few solid hours of non-stop paddling until they saw it on the horizon. As promised, the island wasn't visible at all, their line of sight blocked entirely by a mass of bluish ice bobbing in the water.
"Turn westwards now, we need to approach it at an angle. You can probably feel your kayaks getting pulled ahead, yes? That's the very same current that brings all those ice floes here. It's manageable, but for someone that hasn't done this before, it's better to be in the calmest waters possible," Glacier Glider called out, making the course adjustment herself.
The group followed obediently, and soon enough, they were all staring at the massive wall of ice in front of them. The surface wasn't high above the water at all, but it still wasn't low enough that a pony could just reach out with a hoof and step out of their kayak. Glacier Glider glanced left and right with a contemplative expression, looking for the best spot to disembark.
"Give me a minute," She shouted, paddling away to the left for a few minutes before turning around and going in the other direction. Finding a smoother spot that she deemed suitable, the mare whistled to the others, waving them over. Once they got close enough, she patted the filly in her kayak before tossing the paddle onto the ice. "Watch me closely."
Moss Hoof clearly knew what to do already, backing his kayak up to the ice and stabilizing himself. Agate's companions followed Glacier's command, though, intently observing the mare as she put her forehooves on the edge of the ice floe, getting a good grip before using both her hindlegs to hop forward, and her forelegs to pull herself. The kayak rocked a tiny bit in the water, but remained upright.
"You have to get the angle of your hindlegs right. Push down, as straight as possible, and try not to do it too hard. Use your forelegs as much as you can," She explained, pulling a length of rope out of a saddlebag. Tossing it to her daughter, she waited until she had a good grip on it before helping her climb onto the ice. Pointing to the filly to stand next to her, she made a sliding loop with the rope, carefully maneuvering it into the water and onto the prow of the kayak. "I could ask Moss to do this, but this is how you do it if you're by yourself. Just get a good knot on the kayak, and you can pull it out pretty easily. You could do it before you jump onto the ice, but then you need to either hold on to the rope somehow while you jump, or throw it first, and that could end badly if your hoof gets caught in it, or something. Slipping backwards into the water is bad enough without also being tangled in rope."
Moss Hoof went next, picking up his Flurry twin and lightly tossing her into her mother's waiting hooves with a small "whee" coming from the filly. Just like with Glacier, the act barely rocked the kayak, the stallion clearly an expert at keeping his balance. The paddle went next, and lastly, the stallion himself grabbed on to the edge, hauling himself over without bothering to jump. Working together, the husband and wife team easily pulled his kayak up, depositing it on the ice.
"Well, younglings, your turn. Don't worry, even if you fall in, we'll fish you out," Glacier grinned at the three watching mares.
To their credit, the mares didn't get riled up, approaching the edge carefully. Pursing their lips, they rubbed their hooves back and forth on the ice, testing their grips and looking for a suitable spot. Reaching out, Agate found that her supernatural grip and weightlessness worked as well as ever, so she took the liberty to clamber on while the trio figured things out. Glancing around, she examined the ice floe.
It was hard to tell just how large it was, which meant that it had to be quite large, the bluish ice extending into the distance. The surface was relatively flat, though it wasn't completely even, occasional dips and rises marking the frozen landscape. It almost felt like solid land, the waves unable to shift the large mass in a significant way.
"There you go, just grab onto my paddle. If you help someone up, always make doubly sure that you have a good grip yourself," Glacier Glider said from behind Agate.
Turning around, the filly watched as her guides disembarked, Harpoon getting a hoof from Glacier. They weren't doing that bad, in her opinion, but it was still obvious that they needed to expend much more effort than the local pair did. Helping each other with their kayaks, the entire group and their transports soon were secure on the ice, a few dozen paces away from the edge of the water.
"Well, this is big. Bit hard to imagine that there's actually nothing but water under our hooves," Wave Splash remarked, tapping on the thick ice.
"Some of the ice floes that float in do get quite massive. Now then, let's warm up our hindlegs after sitting all this time. You need all your legs at their best for this," Glacier Glider ordered, doing some stretching exercises with a quiet groan.
The mares complied, the twins and Moss Hoof joining in as well. After a few stretches and hopping in place, Glacier Glider took off, galloping at full speed across the ice. Stopping their stretches, the mares and fillies watched her with slightly wide eyes as she laughed, making impossibly sharp-looking turns while circling the group.
A chuckle from their side forced their attention away as Moss Hoof nodded towards his jubilant wife. "Well then, what do you think? I'm certain you were still going to make a case for going with her to the island. Think you can keep up?"
Glacier Glider lived up to her name as she alternated between gliding and galloping on the ice, seemingly able to control precisely just how much grip her hooves had on the slippery surface. She had a massive smile on her face, clearly enjoying the experience as her mane and tail flowed freely behind her in the northern wind. Galloping towards a sharp rise, she climbed up the almost vertical chunk of ice before kicking off and flipping over once she reached the top, twisting her body in the air and sliding down the same path until her momentum ran out. The twin Flurries oooh'ed at her acrobatics, clearly impressed. Panting lightly, the mare returned to the group, beaming. "Stars, I missed this. Go on, then, don't wait on me. Show me what you got."
Their ears pinned back, the trio tried to emulate the older mare, but, once again, their lack of experience showed. They really weren't bad in any way, but their galloping was marked by the occasional stumble, even if they never fell over completely. They did have problems with turning and slowing down as well, hitting the ice hard with their hooves and sending small shards flying in all directions. Observing them, Agate flicked her ears at the loud clip-clops as something felt off to her. It took her a minute to figure it out that actually hearing the sounds of hooves was the source of her confusion, seeing as she got used to snowponies being completely silent while moving through snow.
Moss Hoof shook his head with a click of his tongue at their performance. "That's not bad, sure, but there is a lot of room for improvement," He remarked, his wife nodding in agreement. "Not much that can attack you on the ice, but the environment can be your enemy just as fine. Let's say, the ice floe cracks, and you're stuck on one side while the chunk with your kayak starts floating away. You need to react immediately, and gallop as fast as you can so you can jump across the gap. A single stumble can mean the difference between making it and taking a swim."
"Yeah yeah, we get it," Seaweed breathed out in resignation. "We need more practice, and we'd take much more time going back and forth between the island."
"It's more than just time. If that was it, I'd happily send you off myself. It's actually much trickier to get back on to the ice from the shore, and vice versa. Bits and pieces tend to break off, and you sometimes need to hop from one to another to get to land. Or, there's big gaps between the ice and the shore, and you have to gallop back and forth a lot until you find a suitable spot... Either way, I assure you, this isn't for me to show off how I'm better than you. You could get into real trouble out there if you went in unprepared," Glacier Glider explained, picking up the paddle from her kayak and slinging it across her back.
"Alright, well... Good luck, then," Seaweed nodded.
"You too. Listen closely to Moss here, and you'll be as good as me in no time! Coming, Agate?"
"Sure. Lead the way."
Agate trotted over to Glacier Glider as she tightened the straps on her saddlebags, making doubly sure that everything was secured. Despite the ice and the island supposedly being safe, she still had a spear with her, along with the paddle. A lone scarf hung from her neck, the air apparently warm enough to forgo more clothing. While the mare was checking herself over, Moss Hoof got to instructing the others.
"Alright. Line up, all five of you. Now, if you truly want to master this skill, the first and most important thing to remember is this: snow and ice are not the same. I know it's a reflex to fall back on your experience, but this is different. To begin with, watch the way my hooves land when I..."
His voice faded into the background as Glacier Glider yanked Agate upwards, depositing the filly on her back. The filly let out a quiet "meep", unused to physical interaction. Smirking lightly, the mare patted Agate before rearing up and galloping off towards the south. "Hold on tight. It'll be quicker this way," She quickly explained, her hooves thundering on the ice.
Sitting on the mare's back, Agate got to see the extent of Glacier's skill first-hoof. She galloped forward without the tiniest slip-up, managing to avoid getting her hooves caught in any of the cracks, dips, jagged edges or holes in the ice. On the smoother sections, she'd just slide ahead using her momentum, going back to jumping and dodging obstacles when the surface turned rough again.
Though they spent a few hours paddling already, the northerner mare was clearly as tough as the rest of her tribe. She kept up a steady pace, her gait unfaltering and her breathing even. Fortunately, for Glacier Glider, though, she didn't have to test her endurance too harshly. It didn't take long at all for the island to appear in the distance, which seemed to be partially hidden behind large pieces of ice that washed ashore.
Glacier's previous prediction turned out to be entirely true, however. When they got closer, they saw that instead of an easy path to the shore, there was a large gap of open water between the island and the jagged edge of the ice floe, riddled with smaller bits of ice. Critically examining a few of the larger floating chunks, she silently shook her head. Squinting as she looked into the distance, she glanced both ways before choosing to go to the right.
Whether it was a hunch or keen observation skills, the mare quickly found what they needed. As she galloped near the edge of the water, they both saw the ice slowly curve towards the shore. A long tendril of badly cracked ice extended from the ice floe to the ground, laying motionless in the water.
"Perfect," Glacier Glider muttered under her breath.
"Um, is that safe? It's all broken to bits," Agate asked tentatively.
"Yes it is, but don't worry. See how it doesn't move with the waves? That means it's firmly stuck against the sea floor, even if it's broken to several pieces. My weight isn't going to displace that much ice, even if it's unstable," She reassured her passenger, only slowing down marginally as she hopped across the sizeable cracks.
Some crackling sounds emanated from below her hooves, but the bits that broke off were small, falling down into the water with quiet splashes. No more than a minute later, Glacier Glider was triumphantly standing on the edge of the ice, the shore several pony lengths below her. Frowning slightly, she began hacking at the ice with her hooves, chipping it off bit by bit.
"Is... Everything alright?" Agate inquired.
"Of course, but this is a bit high for me. You might be weightless, Agate, but I'm not," She explained, trying to smooth the jagged edge down a little.
"Oh, right. Sorry."
Nodding wordlessly, the mare continued her work, loud cracks echoing around them. It took a few minutes of constant pounding, but eventually, she managed to make a sharp slope out of the sheer drop. Sliding down, she still had to fall a bit, but the distance was manageable. Landing with a small "oof", she picked herself up, looking around.
"Well, Agate, welcome to the Twisting Spires. Both the region and the island are called that, so I suppose I should welcome you the island of the Twisting Spires. Where to now?"
"Oh, right... I keep forgetting that I'm technically in charge of the whole exploration part. Alright, what I really need is rocks. Cliffs, hills, mountains, stony flats, whatever is out there that is not sand. Can't find any crystals in sand," The filly explained, tapping the shore soundlessly.
"Well, it's been a while since I've been here, but I think there's a hill sticking out on the, hmm... East, west... Yes, the east side of the isle. Let's go see what we can find," Glacier nodded, removing the paddle from her back and resting it against the ice.
"So what was the paddle for?"
"Oh, just in case I had to improvise and use one of the ice chunks as a raft to reach the shore. Still might have to do it to get back on the ice," She explained, tapping one of the smaller bits of ice that was slowly melting on the shore.
"That sounds risky. Couldn't you bring your kayak, instead?"
"Technically, yes, but it would take a lot of effort, and you saw how thick and tall the ice actually is. I wouldn't be able to actually climb back on the ice floe from a kayak, or I would have to leave it behind even if I managed to clamber up."
"This place sounds all kinds of complicated."
Chuckling, the mare shook her head. "It is, but we got it all figured out. Sure, it sounds risky, but only if you go in without knowledge or backup. If someone knows you came here and you get stuck, they can come and pick you up, no problem. Anyway, let's get a move on."
Agate nodded, following along as Glacier Glider led her onward. The island didn't look different from all the other islands that the filly visited, being a mix of sandy shores and a rocky middle part. The only unique bit was the occasional patches of frost and snow still remaining in shady spots, the nearby ice floe clearly keeping the temperatures low.
The next part was fairly routine to Agate by this point. She followed her guide, scanning her surroundings for any interesting rock formations and the like. Their journey went on without interruptions, as even most of the northern birds avoided the perpetually cold island.
Stopping to stick her face into the ground now and then, Agate heard Glacier snigger quietly. As she glanced at the mare, she shrugged helplessly. "Sorry. You just look silly like that."
Snorting, the filly shook her head, continuing her prospecting. She did manage to find some deposits deep down in the earth, which meant that Silent Hoof's hunch was correct, though she still needed to find something closer to the surface for the whole thing to be of any actual use to the northerners. Their time for the day began to run out, though, the Sun slowly setting in the west.
Noticing the lengthening shadows, Agate turned to Glacier Glider. "You should find a place to camp. I can keep working in the dark just fine, but you'll end up stumbling about. if you keep following me."
"My night vision's not that bad, but I suppose I might as well rest. It has been a long day," The mare shrugged, looking around.
They found a dip in the ground that was filled with soft sand, Glacier Glider happily setting up a thin bedroll and having a quick dinner of dried fish. They talked a while about Agate's travels and adventures in the northern tribe's lands before going to sleep, the mare curling up while hugging her spear.
❅ ❆ ❅
The next day, they had lots more time to explore, given that they didn't have to spend time travelling to the island. Agate kept trying to sniff out good crystal deposits, but didn't manage to find anything useful until midday, when they reached the hill Glacier Glider mentioned. When they did, however, she found the motherlode.
"Is that... Ice? It's covered from top to bottom... I'd have thought it would have melted by now, even with all the ice floes around the island..." Agate mused, squinting at the sparkling hill in front of them.
"Ice, where? I think that's just the color of the rock, Agate. I guess the milky white looks a bit like ice from a distance. Bit too dull to be ice, though," Glacier Glider disagreed, scanning the hillside.
"Dull? But it's so sparkly, it can't- Hold up a moment. Could it be?"
Suddenly excited, Agate galloped off towards the hill. Glacier Glider blinked in surprise for a moment, before tearing off after the filly. With her longer legs, it wasn't too hard to catch up, and she kept the pace alongside the excited spirit, curiously glancing at Agate from the corner of her eyes.
After a few short minutes, they reached the foothills, Agate immediately latching on to the rock. She poked, prodded and nuzzled the hillside, muttering something under her breath the entire time. As she ran her hooves along the white veins, they would sparkle for a few brief moments before turning dull again. Glacier watched the filly for some time with amusement and curiosity, but eventually, her restraint ran out. Clearing her throat, she addressed the intensely focused spirit.
"Find something interesting, Agate?"
"Yeah. Milky quartz, if I'm not wrong. Lots of it, though I hope it's not too opaque. There's veins all over this hill, and probably a bunch underneath, too. Hmmm..."
"Quartz... That doesn't look like the flame-colored spirit stones. What is it?"
"It's... It's basically the same thing, just a different color. Citrine, the crystals you call spirit stones, are a form of quartz, with a bit of color from the impurities mixed into it. Pure quartz is completely colorless and see-through, and then there's this, which is called milky quartz. It's still a crystal, but the cloudiness makes it almost worthless as a gemstone, though there's some uses... And there's a chance that if you dig deeper, you'll be able to find purer crystals below," Agate explained, still slowly rubbing the rock.
"So you're saying... This entire hill is stuffed to the gills with spirit stones?" Glacier whistled, running her gaze along the hill. It was fairly large, extending in both directions for quite some distance.
"Well... Yeah, and I could be wrong about the quartz being mostly milky quartz, too. Maybe it's only the surface of it that got scratched and rough due to erosion. Really, there's no way to know besides cracking it open and taking a look."
"Huh. Well, I have no clue how to dig through stone, but parts of this hillside do look quite loose..." The mare mused, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.
"You don't have to. I'm sure there are experienced miners that would love to have a go at it. A deposit this big and so easily accessible will get them excited, I'm sure. Well. The deposit is accessible, but getting to the island is trickier... I'm sure they'll figure it out, though. I wonder how no one discovered this yet, with it being so big and all," Agate pondered, climbing up and down the hillside in a zig-zagging pattern, examining the surface texture.
"Hey, the majority of us northerners have no clue what's hidden in the earth and how to recognize it," Glacier Glider shrugged. "Most of the miners and smiths live in the western tribe. Only the ponies living in Shear have a bit of knowledge about it all, and even then, these look different from what they dig up on their island. Also, this place is mostly used as proving grounds for our youths. The lack of dangerous beasts and suchlike makes for a great place to get some real experience without much risk, but again, the younglings aren't likely to go digging in the hills for rocks when they're busy learning."
"I see... Well, either way, it looks like this mission was a success, to say the least. I should still examine the western half of the island, but this alone should be enough to keep ponies busy for... A long time."
"Oh? Truly a grand discovery ponies are going to immortalize in stories, then. If that's the case, then I really want to get a memento for myself," Glacier Glider grinned, tapping the stones and looking for loose pieces. "Can you help me out here, Agate? Not quite sure what I'm supposed to be looking for."
"Oh, uh, knowing how to use crystals and digging for them are quite different things... But... Well, let me see if I can find some fragile rocks..."
The pair spent the second half of the day nosing at the hillside, trying to find a good trophy for Glacier Glider. The mare didn't have the tools or the raw strength to just smash the rock apart, so she had to look for a really easily accessible deposit. Fortunately, Agate was quite good at locating them, and found a large spike of quartz that was sticking out of the rock.
Locating a few loose stones with various shapes, Glacier Glider got to work. Some, she used as chisels, tapping them against the hillside, others she tried to use as pickaxes, grunting angrily and pounding at the rock. Her lack of experience at mining clearly showed, but was overtaken by her sheer persistence. A good few hours of smashing, grunting, and cursing later, she was left with a (mostly) clean spire of quartz that was milky at the bottom, becoming almost completely pure and see-through at the top.
"My goodness, would you look at that. It's... Beautiful," She breathed, admiring the crystal.
"It's a pretty nice piece, yeah," Agate agreed, inspecting the piece.
Glacier Glider was about to say something else, but was interrupted by the sky getting dark. Blinking rapidly a few times, she shook her head. "Wow, the sunset really snuck up on us. I didn't think it was this late. I guess I lost track of time while smashing those rocks. Still, it got dark so suddenly- Wait, that's not right. What is... Happening?"
Her voice turned fearful, her expression completely flabbergasted. Glancing around in surprise, Agate tried following the mare's gaze. She was looking skywards, towards where the Sun was, or... Should have been. Instead, the Moon moved to block out most of it, bathing the land in premature darkness. There was something obviously magical and unnatural about the phenomenon, waves of darkness emanating from the normally silvery satellite. The filly was immediately reminded of Sombra's dark magic, and the way it seemed to crawl across the sky in a vile, sickening fashion.
"Don't you dare... Get away from her, you sick bastard..." Glacier Glider muttered, glaring angrily at the Moon.
"Huh? Who are you talking to, Glacier?" Agate looked at the mare in confusion. She couldn't have meant Sombra, could she?
Flinching, she turned to look at Agate with wide eyes, as if she forgot that the filly was there. "N-nothing, Agate. Just... Silly old legends about the world that I didn't really believe in. Until now. Maybe you should... Maybe you should look away."
Not Sombra, then. "Why? What is happening?" Agate asked, completely lost.
"I... The Moon is... I honestly don't know," Glacier sighed, shaking her head.
"Well, it only seems to be happening in the sky, so... We shouldn't be in danger, at least? I think?" The filly ventured forth hopefully, trying to make some sense of the situation.
Pursing her lips, the mare considered it. "Yes... Yes, I suppose that is true... For now, at least. I'm not sure what this omen means for the rest of the world, but... I suppose we should just wait and see what happens."
They did exactly that, gazing at the celestial phenomenon. It didn't take too long for things to change, with some kind of bright, rainbow-colored beam rising from somewhere in the south, streaking across the sky and smashing into the Moon. There was a bright flash, and a dark scar formed across the bottom side of the silvery sphere. Waiting with bated breaths, they watched as the Moon slowly moved away from the Sun, the light bathing the land once more.
"What was that?!" Glacier Glider shouted.
"I don't know, but for a while, it almost looked like Sombra's dark magic," Agate muttered, shifting uneasily.
That made Glacier whip her head around at alarming speeds, looking at Agate with wide eyes. "What? Are you sure?"
"Kind of? I don't think he was powerful enough to mess with the Sun or Moon, though... He blocked out the sky with his magic back in the Empire, but day and night went on as before."
"Right... And whatever happened, it seems it was stopped fairly quickly... Whatever that attack was that struck the moon, it didn't look like the darkness that was pouring from it, except... What was that scar that was left on the Moon? Did you see it?"
Agate thought, nodding slowly. "Yeah... I can't really make much sense of it, though. It didn't look like anything recognizable, just a dark splotch with a sharp bit sticking out of it. A unicorn's horn, maybe? The white spot at the bottom almost looked like an eye..."
"Unicorn? Not sure what that is. Looked like a narwhal to me," Glacier Glider shrugged, going back to scanning the sky.
"Narwhal... I heard of those before. Never saw one yet, though."
"Average-sized whales that live in the north, Agate. They don't bother us, and we don't bother them. They have these huge horns on their foreheads that make them stand out, but otherwise, there's nothing terribly unusual about them. They eat fish, they swim around, and occasionally, they get hunted by the mighty thunderbirds. I never heard of a celestial narwhal, though..."
Agate slowly shook her head, pursing her lips. "This is pointless. I think we need to ask a shamare about what happened there, because it doesn't look like any one of us has any clue. I wish True Sight or Dreamcatcher were here..."
"Ah... Very true, Agate. Far from every island has a shamare, so we don't get to talk to them as often as the ponies from other tribes do. But this does look like a job for them to figure out. I suppose we should... Get some rest and prepare to move out? I'm sorry, I know that you haven't examined the other half of the island, but I think I'd like to return to my kin now."
"Of course. If this means some kind of danger... Let's find a place to rest. Don't forget your crystal, though. You worked so hard for it," Agate pointed out, trotting downhill.
"Right, right," Glacier nodded, scooping it up and depositing the shining piece in her saddlebag.
❅ ❆ ❅
Despite their apprehension, nothing else out of the ordinary seemed to happen. The sunset appeared to come a bit late, and the scarred moon looked like it was slow to rise, but they weren't able to tell whether it was happening for real, or their nervous minds were just making things up because they expected to see something strange. Shaking their heads, the pair went to sleep.
The Sun rose on schedule the next morning as well, and the sky was clear of any signs of dark magic or other tampering of any kind, which gave them a boost in confidence. Quickly galloping towards the northern shore, they found the spot where they landed, the ice still in place - and still rather inconvenient to try and climb up on.
Huffing, Glacier Glider immediately got to work, smashing the ice with both her hooves and a some rocks, making a series of hoof-holds. Gesturing for Agate to get on her back, she retrieved her paddle and backed up a fair distance before galloping furiously straight at the ice floe, using her momentum and impressive grip on the ice to run almost straight up the slippery surface. Landing on all four hooves, she didn't stop for even a brief moment before thundering off.
Alas, whether it was her previous angry bucking at the ice or simply bad luck, the piece they were on rose from the water with a series of grinding cracks, shifting and floating away from the main mass. Glacier Glider was completely unfazed, though, the event barely earning a roll of the eyes from the mare. Using the paddle as a pole-vault, she used it to jump across the gap, swiftly slinging it across her back once more and galloping away.
Agate was highly impressed by Glacier's skill and reflexes, but she remained quiet, not wanting to disturb the hyper-focused mare. Despite her rattled demeanor, the highly experienced northerner kept galloping across the ice with her previous grace, without tripping or slipping up.
By the time they reached the edge of the ice floe where the kayak was stashed, Moss Hoof was already waiting, along with Agate's companions. The trio looked slightly on edge, always keeping a hoof close to their harpoons. Galloping straight into a hug with the stallion, Glacier immediately got to business, speaking in quick, clipped sentences.
"The fillies?"
"Safe, back home. We had a good couple days of practice with them and Agate's friends, but obviously, I didn't bring them here today."
"Any clue what that was all about?"
"None. We were paddling as it happened, and just thought some storm clouds passed across the sky in the distance. Other ponies told us about the event, and we had to see the Moon afterwards to be sure they weren't making it up. I'm guessing you have no clue, either?"
"No, but I know when I shouldn't test my luck. Let's get back to Fangs and our children," She nodded firmly, getting a nod in return.
"You alright, Agate?" Seaweed inquired as the filly went to her usual spot on the mare's kayak.
"Sure, I guess. A bit confused, but really, not like anything bad can happen to me," The filly shrugged.
"Right, right. Let's just... Go back, I suppose," Seaweed nodded, her eyes darting about, looking unsure at just what to say.
The return journey went by silently, the adult's entire focus and energy spent entirely on paddling and getting to their destination as fast as possible. Stowing their kayaks and returning the one they borrowed, Glacier returned home to her daughters while Moss Hoof went to trot around and see if anyone had any news.
Meanwhile, Agate and her guides sat glumly in Glacier's home, resting and gathering up bits of supplies for their return trip. No one even said anything, but it was rather obvious that Agate's exploration trip ended with the strange celestial event. The usually stoic northerners weren't really panicking, but they still were somewhat spooked, and clearly not interested in taking unnecessary risks at such a time.
There was little talking overall, and after the day ran it's course with no significant news, they all went to sleep. The next morning, there were many farewell hugs and invocations to various spirits for a safe journey for Agate and her guides. Glacier's family escorted the traveler group to the beach, sharing some last-minute advice.
"And remember, you have two choices of islands after the third one - Seal's Tail is closer, but then you'll need more time to reach the next island the day after," Glacier Glider explained, gently petting Agate's mane.
"We'll remember," Wave Splash assured the mare, carrying her kayak into the water.
"Then... Spirits be with you. Get home safely."
"Well be back yet, you'll see," Seaweed said with a small grin. "Still have to get better than you at navigating the ice floes."
"In your wildest dreams, youngling," Glacier Glider snorted, smiling.
With a last nod and a few splashes, they were off. The journey back to Shear was not going to be easy or short, but the mares were clearly determined, and now, they were armed with more navigating experience and advice, steadily pushing their way southwards.
❅ ❆ ❅
As they traveled, the situation was largely the same. Nothing bad actually happened to any of the ponies that they visited, but the northerners were apprehensive at what the strange omen could have meant. They were only a couple months into spring, and they had to catch a lot of fish to restock their stores. And if the celestial event meant that they would have to flee to safety in the south, that would mean almost definite starvation with just what they managed to catch so far.
As such, even those that usually only travelled, like other explorers or merchants, were mostly busy fishing and foraging, nervously waiting for word from the shamares about what to do. For their part, the couple shamares that they did meet along the way were as lost as the everyone else, saying that they would need the wisdom of all three tribes in the Great Gathering to crack this mystery.
Once the group reached Shear, there was a short meeting with Silent Hoof. He was delighted to know that nothing untoward happened to the intrepid trio, and happy to hear about Agate's findings in the Twisted Spires, but did point out that, most likely, no one would be interested in going mining for the next year or two. There was some discussion about what to do with Agate, seeing as the elder wanted for the three young mares to get to stocking up on food as well.
They felt that they were honor-bound to escort Agate back to Nilas, but the filly talked them down, saying that she could wait for an opportunity or even gallop along the bottom of the sea, if it came to that. Fortunately, they didn't have to do anything quite so drastic, as they found a merchant that was preparing to travel south soon.
He was a bit leery of taking on extra passengers, until they pointed out to him that Agate didn't actually weigh anything. Sheepishly apologizing, the stallion agreed. A couple days later, Agate waved goodbye once more, this time to her northerner companions that she spent months travelling with.
The merchant stallion barely talked, his focus fully on paddling and periodically glancing at the sky. Before she knew, Agate was standing on the shore of the large bay, glancing around at the inhabitants of Nilas. They were curious to know whether the merchant brought any news, but after some short explanations that no other significant events really happened, everyone went back to their business.
For her part, Agate didn't really have anything to do in Nilas. Climbing the cliffs, she gazed upon the familiar, endless plain of the tundra, the sight bringing a small smile to her face. Closing her eyes, she sought out the tiny flicker of warm flame that was her totem, feeling the familiar pull towards her home. Rearing up with a whinny, she galloped off towards Snowpitt.
Passing by unfamiliar guidestones, the filly galloped day and night, forgoing sleep in exchange for covering more distance. Her mind felt really sluggish and foggy by the time she got back, and she didn't even think about talking to any of the ponies she knew, simply bee-lining straight towards her totem. Diving in, she fell asleep almost immediately, carried off to a deep, dreamless slumber.
❅ ❆ ❅
"Hmmmm..."
Agate shifted lazily, half-awake, but not quite lucid.
"What was I doing again? Looking for crystals? Shouldn't sleep in, the others are waiting..."
For some reason, though, that sounded completely wrong. The confusion and slight concern slowly brought her awareness back, and with it, the memories of the frantic, hurried journey all the way from Fanged Shore to Snowpitt. Now that she was back, the whole trip seemed like a blur that passed by in an instant, even though it took more than two weeks.
"How long was I even in the north? I think I completely lost track of time at some point..."
She spent some time with her eyes closed, doing her best to sort out her memories. Eventually, though, she felt like she had to wake up, even if she still felt a bit out of sorts. Hopping out of her totem, she looked around, trying to tell the time of day. Seeing the Sun in the west, she surmised that it was afternoon, which meant that there was still time to find some shamares to talk to.
Scratching her head, she tried to decide whether to go to True Sight and Earthsong, or try finding Dreamcatcher. True Sight was the most respected elder among the shamares in Snowpitt, but Dreamcatcher was the one with the knowledge about the future, and Agate recalled the sleepy shamare telling her about something happening with the heavens and the dream realm before she left. In the end, she decided to visit Dreamcatcher first.
The locals all greeted her with polite nods, but didn't bother the filly with any questions, despite clearly being curious about her return. Making it to Dreamcatcher's home, Agate politely greeted her family members, asking if she could visit the elder, quickly receiving a confirmation. Still wishing she was able to knock, Agate entered the mare's room, looking around.
Dreamcatcher had been busy while Agate was gone, that was for certain. Several dozens of new dreamcatchers hung from the ceiling, the mare herself busy putting together another one as she sat by her crafting table. The filly sat down out of sight and waited patiently until she was finished, not wanting to interrupt the delicate work.
When she was done, Dreamcatcher rubbed her chin, stretching her back with a small crack. "Hmmm. Was there a visitor, or did I fall asleep and dreamt while working again..."
"Right here, elder," Agate made herself known, stepping into the mare's field of view.
"Ah... Agate. Yes, the young traveler. Well then... Back from your expedition, are you? How long were you away? Sorry to say, but I never was all that good with time, what with trotting the dreamworld and listening to the echoes of the past and future so much."
"Well, I lost track of it myself by the end, but I think I spent around three months away from Snowpitt. I would have stayed longer, but... Well, something happened. I don't even know what to call it, but I'm sure you know what I mean."
"Yes, the celestial clash. That's what most ponies took to calling it, anyway. Not sure if that's an entirely accurate name for it, but it's definitely not inaccurate, either. There was some kind of fight, a battle of supreme celestial spirits, but that is the extent of the details that I managed to glean. Who, what, how, why, or even what the end results of it were still elude me, and I'm doubtful that I will ever manage to unravel that mystery. The faint echoes of the magics spent in that conflict were completely unfamiliar to me," The elder explained with a shrug.
"When the sky was covered in darkness, I thought that it could be Sombra... But thinking on it, I'm not convinced that it was. Do you think there's going to be some kind of danger for your tribe coming from this?"
"I considered such a possibility at first, but as the days went by, it didn't appear like that was going to be the case. I did hear echoes of furious snarling and gnashing in the dream realm for a short while, but none of it translated into events in the waking world. The Sun still rose and set, and the Moon didn't attempt to usurp its place in the heavens again. There were no drastic changes in the weather, sudden monster attacks, or anything else that had any effects on our lives. It seems that whatever happened, it is far beyond our sphere of concern. Or understanding."
"I wonder if it's anything to do with Equestria..." Agate muttered.
"Hm? What's that, Agate?"
"Oh, nothing, just something about that nation of ponies far to the south that I told you about. According to the stories they told us, their princesses - their rulers, they're kind of like shamares and chieftains at the same time - move the Sun and Moon with their own magic every morning and evening. I wondered if they had anything to do with it, even though I'm not too sure I even believe that story. Lots of adults said that they had to be bragging and making it up in order to impress us or scare us, or something like that."
"Hmmm... A single pony moving the Sun? Or the Moon? Wielding such power over the heavens? The strength of spirit... No, surely not. I'm afraid that I agree with your kin, Agate. That sounds impossible beyond any belief. Perhaps the spirit of the Sun could take the shape of a pony and visit the Earth, but even then... The being would not be a pony. And why... No, the whole premise sounds absurd," The mare muttered, thinking it over.
"Like I said, I wasn't sure I believed it myself," Agate shrugged. "I guess there's really no way to know. What do you think that black splotch on the Moon is?"
"Mm. Looks like a narwhal. Some ponies are already claiming that it was a celestial beast that was slain by the beam that struck the Moon, and now its corpse is lying across the bottom, with the top if its head visible from the ground. Some say it fed on stars or tried to eat the Moon and got punished for it, others claim that it was some great hunter in foreign lands that launched the mighty spear of magic, aiming to kill the creature for no reason other than empty glory. Ponies are quick to make up stories, but there's no real knowledge yet, if there ever will be."
Agate nodded, not even bothering to try and bring up unicorns. Even though she told them about Equestria, the snowponies didn't really know what a unicorn looked like, so she couldn't really blame them, not to mention the fact that she wasn't sure herself. What would a unicorn be doing on the Moon anyway, and such a big one, at that? The only thing she knew for certain was that she really wanted to see a narwhal.
"Alright, well... Thank you for your time, elder. I'm back now, so... If you're free, we can resume our lessons again," Agate said, standing up.
"Hmm. Well, I think I'll need some rest for a little while, but yes. Barring any other strange events, I think I'll have enough time to teach you a thing or two. See you later, Agate," The mare replied with a nod, turning back towards her crafts.
"Be well, elder," The filly waved goodbye, exiting through the closed door.
Next, Agate went to True Sight's and Earthsong's shared home, but the shamares weren't there at that moment. Shrugging, the filly trotted off to try and find her other friends, mentally preparing for the inevitable barrage of questions and requests to recount her travels through the northerner's islands. Despite all the strangeness and confusion, life continued on.
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ryanmarciniak.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Moon-observer-1024x791.jpg
Fun fact, you see different parts of the moon depending on where you are in the world. For ponies living in other parts of the world, the face of Nightmare Moon might be only partially visible, or even not visible at all.
And for descendants of earth ponies that don't know what unicorns are, a dark face-like smudge with a pointy horn sticking out of it clearly means "space narwhal". I mean, what else could it even be? It just makes sense.
images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/4e00d402-cb48-4811-8da1-82f3008b8e49/d662owl-94373623-ad83-4983-bbca-99ea0f13b57a.jpg/v1/fill/w_900,h_690,q_75,strp/space_narwhal_by_lucky978-d662owl.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJpc3MiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwic3ViIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl0sIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiIvZi80ZTAwZDQwMi1jYjQ4LTQ4MTEtOGRhMS04MmYzMDA4YjhlNDkvZDY2Mm93bC05NDM3MzYyMy1hZDgzLTQ5ODMtYmJjYS05OWVhMGYxM2I1N2EuanBnIiwid2lkdGgiOiI8PTkwMCIsImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9NjkwIn1dXX0.Fv82edpYNvCNAt6idwRpveGdrw9UNMPVMNKQlqrirw4
How long has it been since Sombra's attempted coup? The time feels weird in this story at times, After this weird event and her subsequent nap I partway expected A Rip Van Winkle thing to happen. "What? Dream catcher? Oh you mean my 5th generation great granddam she died oh...200 years ago or so I am told".
11508063
Those big timeskips will be coming later. For now, it's only been over a year since Agate came to the southern snowpony tribe.
She came in winter, right at the end of it, when the other tribes were about to go their own ways. Then a year passed, and she went along with the northerners to examine their islands for crystal deposits. She spent the entire spring there, and now she's back in Snowpitt.
11508071
So about a year and a half or thereabouts. Thanks for clearing this up, a frame of reference to keep track of things is helpful.
great last few chapters
The crystal empire must be so isolated to not even know that Celestia and Luna move the sun and moon, but it's understandable tho they had no sunset celebrations to witness the magic.
11508063
If we assume thousand-year banishments are a standard spell module in Equestria, it makes perfect sense that Luna's big snit would have to have happened within a couple of years of the Crystal Empire's vanishing act. It also explains how a guard could burst into the palace and say "It has returned" and have anypony understand what the hay he was going on about. Celestia would have known it was likely Sombra used a standard kiloyear exile package, so she wouldn't have built the train station and set a watch on the place until it was just about due.
That was a good chapter.
11508280
I've always considered that the 1000 year thing was (from our perspective) an easy way to say "a long time ago" to the audience. Spike actually makes a note on this in one of the comics, where he snarks that if all the bad things REALLY happened 1000 years ago it might have been one heck of a year.
In context of Equestria, I consider the idea that it's easier to explain to the average pony on the street that a big bad monster happened 1k years ago then to go into the real details because ponies don't seem to be the most reliable narrators for events outside of their own sphere of influence.
11508358
I've heard the "long time ago" bit as well and it could be applied to some events, but it doesn't entirely fit Nightmare Moon's situation. There was a rather specific prophecy concerning her return (Apparently, unless the entire book that Twilight was reading was faked by Celestia), pinpointing the exact day/night she would return, even. So I'm going with events not happening precisely a thousand years before, but still very close to it.
11508381
That's fair, and yeah, outside of the "Celestia is a god-tier chess mistress" or rewriting history to cover her tail, NMM was pretty specific. I was thinking more about how ALL of the baddies seemingly came from 1000 years ago. Of course, that's presuming an Equestrian year is the same as our own, which adds another layer to consider.
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Ain't late night musings fun?
11507952
That’s really funny. I really enjoyed this chapter and it’s great seeing the NM event happened during her journey, which I noticed the comments talked about the time and stuff which I have to wonder I guess the world wasn’t really aware about Celestia and Luna or even what an Alicorn is?
I’m a little worried about the upcoming time skips. I would love to see the filly spend as much time with the snow ponies has she can, since I don’t want them gone so soon. I love to see her explore more of this Northern ice age like world.
Also, I never thought that how whatever you are on earth you see a different part of the moon so it makes perfect sense for the Snow Ponies to be confused on thinking it’s a narwhal which is funny! Agate definitely should see those narwhals and whatever else is in the sea which I’m hoping maybe she’ll meet like either a siren or sea pony, not the odd transformation ones we gotten in the show a real one!
Btw, I’m a Native American so I love the Thunderbirds! I can’t wait to see if you add them to the story. Those birds are said to been really big and powerful enough that wings sounded like thunder.
I have to wonder if Agate will ever take a trip to Equestria to see Celestia one day… which makes me wonder if Agate would be a reason why Celestia has a outpost over at the Crystal Empire was at? Like what if all this time Celestia thought they were simply gone till Agate came to the picture. Though she’ll likely be heart broken of Agate being a spirit now since Celestia is like a mother to all ponies as the famous saying in the show or fandom said.
Oh yea, the island… kind of wished there was more to it tbh like maybe seeing those snow wolves or something. Great she found more crystals so the snow ponies can be crazy rich later on and who knows maybe their civilization will improve by a lot.
Oh yea, another thing! I was hoping that while she was traveling with the trio that she would accidentally fell into the water and experience wild moments in the deep which I hope that happens unless you don’t plan to do that…
Anyways can’t wait for more!
Edit: More wall! I forgot to talk about what I saw in the comments about how Equestria is counting years. I definitely believe there have at least thousand years when NM returns and I have to wonder if Equestria was actually really small country like how America started since the official content doesn’t really showed that much from what I recall… though I agree it would been wild if everything happened in a year so it makes sense for events to have happened separately but not far apart since the Royal sister’s ages are like 1100+? So I would assume that they were young adults when taking the thrones as well handling whatever evils they faced which begins the question they can’t be everywhere at once so I wonder what evils the world has faced that a different hero’s had to face them?
11509474
That is a long-ass comment.
The Crystal Empire were aware of course, seeing as they were allied with Equestria, the snowponies obviously weren't, as they were completely isolated and unaware of other ponies until Agate showed up.
The crystal ponies didn't really believe that Celestia or Luna can move the Sun and Moon by themselves, though. Their knowledge of how the celestial bodies worked consisted of pre-unification history, which stated that the entire unicorn tribe was needed to raise/lower them (or it was implied as much, even if it didn't take all the unicorns), so they didn't believe that a single pony would be capable of such a feat.
11509527
Sorry I got carried away with the comment
Holy shit this story is so hypeeee
Is this story going to have an impact at all on the main story with Twilight and co? Or is this more of a "Equis is an absolutely massive planet and there's more then one end of the world plot going on." idea?
Also, are there any other races out on the tundra? Like Diamond dogs or Griffons? Like on the periphery of their lands? Do you plan to add any, or add your own custom race?
I have come across the idea while reading other fan-fictions that the planet Equis was physically expanded by discord during his reign, and that there are HUGE patches of land to the FAR west and east of Equestria that are unexplored. Is this why your extra top of the world exists? or is it something else?
PS: What if Celestia DIDN'T move the sun?! Think about it, if she makes everyone THINK she moves it, then all the other nations/peoples in the world would fear conquering her nation as she could simply move the sun slightly closer to their kingdoms and turn the entire region into a glass desert! Or conversely if the kill her then they've just doomed their world into an icy/charred existence!
11510987
Not really.
Nope, snowponies are quite isolated.
Honestly, I've been trying to at least partially work off the canon maps, and there's nothing that says snowponies couldn't exist in the canon universe. Take a look at this thing.
https://mlpforums.com/uploads/monthly_10_2015/post-35434-0-98666200-1444951186.jpg
Find Mt. Everhoof, and look right. There's a bunch of land/ice islands over there, with a landmass in the distance, with "into the unknown" written over it. Also, flat maps are bad at depicting the planet's curvature, so there's no telling how big/small that territory might be.
11510625
Glad you're enjoying it.
how long did the eclipse last? It just seemed to me that the battle lasted several hours.