Agate's Vigil

by Wingnut

Final Farewells, New Greetings

Time marched on.

Slowly, the region that the shamares battled in was restored, to an extent. The raging spirits were calmed, the random storms and rogue avians no longer plaguing the travelers and peaceful inhabitants. The northerners returned to their islands, while the westerners returned to their shores, both tribes slightly wary of each other. The cautiousness didn't last long, though, as the ire for the whole thing was wholly directed towards the shamares that caused it.

The forests would take many generations to regrow to their former splendor, though it wasn't a complete loss for the western tribe. A great many ponies descended on the ravaged shoreline during the summer, salvaging useful lumber for rebuilding and reinforcing the local's homes and other projects, while the less useful parts provided a great bounty of firewood, both for themselves and for trading. Given that most trees were uprooted, they didn't even have to bother digging out the stumps, which made scattering seeds and planting new saplings that much easier.

Though some expected the western shamares to try something again, no news of anything fishy came from the west. Even if they did do something, Firm Root clearly dealt with it too swiftly for anyone to even catch wind of it. Either way, his entourage during the Gatherings had changed. Instead of the old cabal, the chieftain was accompanied by several younger shamares and an older stallion, something which made a lot of shamares curious.

Polaris wasn't entirely happy with his calm life getting uprooted, but there weren't many older shamares that weren't somehow involved with Birdsong, and the new generation needed a reliable mentor. The stallion was very powerful, and though he sometimes had his problems with talking and passing his knowledge on to others, his students were always very attentive. Realizing that he had a duty, he reluctantly accepted his position, quickly becoming the leader of the western shamares.

A stallion shamare was always an interesting sight, and with how they were eyeing him, Agate was a little concerned that the other shamares were going to harass him. She once saw him getting dragged into a southern shamare's home during one Gathering, which made her quite angry. Knowing that he didn't have much experience in social situations, she stuck her head through the shamare's wall, ready to give her a piece of her mind. Once Agate saw just what kind of harassment was going on, though, she immediately ducked out, deciding that the stallion could hold his own just fine, from what she was able to see.

❅ ❆ ❅

Unfortunately, the march of time also meant saying goodbye to more ponies. Earthsong was the next to go, the elderly shamare breathing her last a couple years after the spirit war concluded. Much like True Sight, she died close to winter, deciding to remain until the Gathering, and move on during the ceremony.

She wasn't a famous hero or anything of the sort, but she was still highly respected, both in her tribe and in others. Earthsong was the kind of pony that was always there, rather than showing up for world-changing events and disappearing on the next adventure. As such, no small amount of ponies showed up to pay their respects.

Agate was present, of course, having returned to Snowpitt from her travels. Once the ritual was over and the bonfire was burning brightly, the two spirits stood before each other, neither one of them breaking the silence. Agate was tracing the lines of Earthsong's form, counting the years that she knew the shamare and charting a path through her memory of the changes she slowly went through. Earthsong, meanwhile, had a small, sad smile on her face, looking at Agate with compassion. Eventually, Agate turned to look her in the eyes.

"You're the first snowpony that I met, you know."

"I know. I remember. It was quite the embarrassment for me."

"Do you think you'll meet True Sight?"

"If I do, I'll make sure to rub in the fact that I lived a whole decade longer than her."

The two mares laughed, their mirth slowly running out. Once it was finished, they gave each other another long look. Without words, they moved to an embrace, holding each other tightly for quite some time. Eventually, though, even that had to end. Still holding their hooves, they looked into each other's eyes.

It wasn't the first time either one of them had to say goodbye, and neither one felt like speaking. The words felt trite and worn out, and both knew their positions quite well by that point. Earthsong had enough worrying and fretting about what calamity might come next, and wanted to go to her rest. Agate's long vigil, meanwhile, was far from over.

They held their gazes for a little while longer, the two spirits barely visible against the backdrop of the enchanted bonfire's glow. Eventually, though, they let go, going their separate ways. One spirit ascended the path towards the resting grounds of her people, while the other one sat down, remaining bound to the Earth.

❅ ❆ ❅

The next one was just as inevitable, though no less painful. Agate knew it was coming, of course. The mare had been moving less and less as time went on, while her grandchildren were turning lanky and restless, their teenage energy making them restless and headstrong. The signs were all there, the generational wheel about to turn as the elders were replaced by the youth. Still, foreknowledge could only dull the feeling, not remove it completely.

Landing in Smoky Bay, Agate trotted over to Glacier Glider's house. She found Flurry Spinner outside, lazily fiddling with a harpoon. A couple of her foals were fiercely wrestling on a mostly dry patch of higher ground nearby, the melting snow turning everything else into a muddy mess.

"Hey, Flurry," Agate greeted the mare.

"Oh... Agate," She breathed after a long moment, her mind clearly elsewhere.

"You're distracted. Tired from wrangling the teenagers?" The spirit asked, watching as great clumps of hair flew everywhere from the vigorous battle, the youths losing their winter coats in an accelerated manner.

"Well... Partially, I suppose. Fortunately, they are now at the age where they mostly tire themselves out, if you give them the right task or challenge. They're eager to prove themselves, and I'm happy to provide some good tests. I think they'll do well when they strike out on their own," She nodded, examining the harpoon's shaft.

"Partially. And the other parts?" Agate asked, feeling that there was something important that Flurry wasn't telling her.

"The other part is the circle of life, Agate," She said with a small, sad smile, putting the harpoon down and looking the spirit in the eyes. "The circle of life - and death."

"...Ah. Glacier Glider?" Agate asked softly.

"Mhm."

"When?"

"About a month ago. We knew you'd want to know, but we also didn't really have a way to contact you. It'd take somewhere around a month just to get from here to Snowpitt, so we figured that sending a message would have been pointless. Spring was coming, and you usually arrive around that time, so we decided we'll wait for you. Well, Glacier Glider did. The others are done."

"What do you mean, done?"

"Sorry, I'm not making sense, am I? What I meant to say is that the funeral is done. We had the procession, the farewells, all of that stuff. Most of our family lives around here, so it only took a week or so to gather up the closest ones. We all said our goodbyes... Except for you. She wasn't going to leave without saying goodbye to her daughter, after all."

"Where?"

"The ritual grounds. Do you know where they are?"

"Yeah, I've been there a few times. Thanks, Flurry. Do you want to come?"

"Not... Really. I kind of do, but... I said my goodbyes as well. Made my peace with it. It'd just be... Weird to do it again. You go. I'll watch the foals."

"Alright. I'll just, I'll... I'll see you later, then."

"Take your time. No need to rush."

"Right. Later, Flurry," Agate nodded, trotting off.

Smoky Bay's ritual grounds weren't hard to find, though they did take a little while to get to. Unlike the ones in Snowpitt, which were in the very middle of the village, the shamares picked a place well outside the settlement's bounds. The main reason was a simple lack of space, as Smoky Bay was built into a forest, though the shamares also quite liked that the place was a little more private.

It was a large, barren hillside, the rain having washed away the sparse soil from the volcanic rock, only the hardiest grasses and mosses managing to cling on. The ambiance and the available space meant that it could be used for a great many purposes, not just the seasonal rituals and other gatherings.

Various explorers, including Agate, found that the volcanic island contained a fairly large amount of stunning and fascinating caves, their walls made of solid obsidian. Some also had incredibly clear pools of water, or other beautiful features. The shamares made great use of the caves, turning the locality into a place for meditation, as well as training. Both the locals and even travelling shamares from other tribes liked it very much - caves were always an excellent place for a quiet retreat, but in other places, they would always be inhabited by yetis, bears, or a host of other predators.

As such, the entire area became dotted with all sorts of mystical symbols, practice runes that trainees attempted to carve and enchant, remains of ritual circles, bits of herbs and scorch marks from candles and fires, glowing crystals, warding poles, and so on. Some shamares even started constructing homes in the smaller caves.

Agate trotted towards the areas that were set aside for the public ceremonies and rituals, keeping her eyes peeled. Though she had been there before, the residue from the constant magics performed by the shamares left the place looking like a kaleidoscope to her spirit sight, and she had to double-check she was going towards where the funerals were held, so as not to end up in the wedding ring, instead.

It took a bit of poking around to find Glacier Glider. Though there was no vegetation, the occasional boulder or rocky ridge still blocked Agate's line of sight, and the mare wandered away from the cremation pit. Agate found her higher up on a hillside, perched on a rather pointy rock that would probably be quite uncomfortable for a pony that was still alive.

As ever, Agate's immaterial hooves made no noise, and she was able to approach her quarry without getting noticed. The mare's eyes were closed, though she was not asleep. She was humming a simple melody, slowly swaying with the rhythm, lost in her own world. Agate sat down next to her, choosing to remain silent.

They stayed like that for some time. Agate silently watched as the remained of the day went by, the Sun slowly dipping towards the horizon. Once twilight colored the skies, she finally spoke up, turning towards her adoptive mother.

"Hey, Glacier."

It took a few minutes for the spirit's mind to come back from wherever it wandered off to. Blinking a few times, she turned towards Agate, looking her up and down like a stranger. Recognition shone in her eyes immediately after, though, and a wide smile split her muzzle. Rising up from her rock, she moved to hug Agate.

"Hello, daughter. You finally came. I've been waiting for... I honestly don't know. I lost track of time, really."

"They said it's been a month since you died. I would have come earlier if I had known."

"Of course you would have, silly. Don't blame yourself," She waved it off, breaking the hug and sitting back down.

"So... This is it, then."

"I'm afraid so. My family is strong and prosperous. I don't need to stay behind and look over them. Moss told me not to wait for him, either. Said he'll be around shortly, most likely. And, quite honestly, being a spirit is strange. I can't feel a thing, and my sight is weird. I can't see some things without focusing, but at the same time, I keep seeing strange stuff from the corners of my eyes when I'm unfocused."

"It takes some getting used to, yes," Agate nodded, remembering her own troubles with her sight and the lack of sensations.

"Well, I'm afraid I'm not interested in getting used to it. I don't have hidden wisdom to pass on, nor a grand goal like you do, Agate. I'll be going to my ancestors."

"I'm not asking you to stay. It's just... Earthsong, now you. And the others will follow suit eventually."

"You'll have to deal with it somehow, Agate. Either you accept that your quest means you will see dozens and dozens of generations pass by, or you close your heart to it all and become distant and cold. And that's probably a bad road to go down to."

"I accepted it, or at least I told myself that I did. That's not the only problem, though. I... Do you remember Warm Spring and her foals? Autumn Ash and Cindertail?"

"Of course. I visited them when I was still able to travel, though my daughters were too busy with their own broods for a while. I imagine they'll be able to rekindle the friendship between our families a few years later. Their children will certainly want to see the Gathering, they have that traveler's itch that I had in my youth. What's the matter with them?"

"Well, I still visit them both regularly, but their families... They're not like ours. Their children and their kin don't see me the same way yours do. They're all very... Respectful. No, actually, worse," Agate sighed with a roll of her eyes.

"Oh dear, that sounds horrifying," Glacier Glider chuckled. "What could be worse than being respectful to a famous spirit?"

"They're formal."

"Ooooh. Oh my. I see. They don't see you as family or a friend, do they?"

"No, not really. It's not that they don't like me, but I'm more of a mystical boon for them brought on by the ashen siblings, or something of the sort. Both Autumn Ash and Cindertail told me that their families think they're hiding some kind of secret adventurous past from them, too, what with how often I go to them to tell stories of my own adventures. They laugh about it, but it's pretty clear that the idea of me being a friend is a bit too strange for their families."

"I see. You're afraid of losing your connections one by one, then?"

"Yeah. I had other friends or acquaintances, but I barely even know any of the current southern shamares, for example. After Earthsong left, the elder shamare became, ah... Her name is Cloudberry, I think. Not someone I'm familiar with."

"Well, you'll just have to figure out how to make new friends, won't you? Didn't you get a whole bunch of ponies in that expedition with Thundersnow?"

"Kind of, yes, though they were there for the adventure with me, not... For me. You're right, though, I'll just have to think something up."

"And how are things in general? Not getting bored or hopeless?"

"No. No grand adventures for a while, but there's always small things to do for a spirit, like accompany a yeti hunting party to the southern foothills, or go look for rare herbs in the bogs. I'm not going to die of boredom any time soon," Agate reassured her.

"You won't... Ha. Very funny," Glacier Glider snorted as Agate giggled.

"Right. I have things to do. And... So do you. I won't hold you any longer."

"Very well then. Let's go," She nodded, trotting downhill.

There was a relatively flat spot on the hillside, one that was deliberately smoothed down even more by enterprising ponies. A circle of rocks and boulders surrounded the place, the stones covered with various runes and scribbles. In the middle, there was a pile of ash and a few barely glowing coals, faint trails of smoke rising upwards. Agate assumed that someone else quite recently held another funeral there.

It was a bit unusual, as the northern tribe still preferred burial at sea, but with more access to firewood, cremation became a viable option as well. Agate guessed that it was more convenient for a family to gather together on land, rather than in a bunch of boats or have to wait on the shore.

"This is it, then. Goodbye, Agate. I hope you manage to return to your people someday."

"I will. It's not a question of if, but when. The curse will decay and fall apart, some day. And I'm going to be there. Goodbye... Mom," Agate said, making Glacier Glider whip her head back, looking at Agate with wide eyes.

"You... Never called me mother before."

"Yeah. You called me daughter plenty of times, though."

"Yes, but... Your birth mother..."

"I'll come back to her, one day. But... She's not here. She didn't get to watch me... Grow up, even though I didn't... Really grow up, but... You know what I mean. You weren't like a real mother to me, no. I didn't exactly need a warm place to sleep and life lessons any more, and I'm pretty sure I spent far, far more time away on my adventures than with you. I learned a great many things from all kinds of ponies. Still, it was... Nice to have a place to come back to. I have my totem, of course, but, well. It's not exactly a warm hug from a loving parent."

"Sounds like I have been a mother to you, then. You had to grow up fast, your childhood ripped away from you far too early. But, when your children venture out into the world on their adventures and build their own lives, a warm hug is exactly what you can offer them, should they ever return. That's not a lesson you'll ever get to apply yourself, unfortunately, but... Never mind, forget that last part," Glacier Glider shook her head.

"Right. I guess you have been," Agate breathed quietly.

The two mares looked at each other for a few moments before hugging again, holding it for quite a while. When they finally let go, darkness had fully taken over the land, the Sun having disappeared already. Giving Glacier Glider a nuzzle, Agate led her to the firepit, glancing around.

She could see the way the runes interwove and infused the place with magic, made stronger by a set of crystals that someone hid under the boulders. Tapping on the ground, she channeled her magic, awakening the enchantments as Glacier Glider curiously observed her. Moments later, the lukewarm ashes flared up, a small, magical fire springing up from the last few unburnt bits of charcoal.

"Oooh. Fancy magics, daughter. I can almost feel it... The path so many of my kin and ancestors went..." Glacier Glider whispered, playing with the curls of smoke with her hoof.

"Go, then, Glacier. Go, and don't look back. Maybe we'll see each other again someday."

"Maybe. Don't forget the family that's still here, though. Keep an eye on them. After a while, you'll be able to tell them about your adventures with their great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandmother Glacier Glider," She chuckled, nodding to Agate and galloping off, into the heavens.

"I will, Glacier. I will."

❅ ❆ ❅

The years went by. Young ponies grew up, while adults grew old. Eventually, Agate had to say goodbye even to the very youngest ponies that she met back in the day. Autumn Ash was the first to go, while her brother lasted an entire decade longer. Regardless, his time came, as did everyone else's.

Despite the Flurry twin's efforts at keeping in touch, the families of the southern farmers and the northern fisherponies did drift apart, and Agate stopped visiting them. Of the twins themselves, they remained in their family home in Green Land, refusing to separate from each other. It was a bit unusual to have two families living in the same house, but their husbands didn't mind, working hard to enlarge the place, enough for all of their children.

Agate had a number of adventures with them, acting as a scout and sentry as the younglings zoomed across the waves. Once they were firmly established in Green Land, the northern tribe began scouting outwards again, though with a little less enthusiasm than in the past. There was enough space on the warm island for dozens more settlements, and with the thunderbirds continuing not to cause any trouble for them, they were fairly confident that it was safe to expand.

Still, some ponies wanted adventure, while others sought glory and immortality in the songs and stories of the lorekeepers. Before long, they re-discovered and mapped the southern shores of a massive island, or perhaps even a whole continent. They couldn't be too sure, since it was the border of what the snowponies dubbed "the cold north", something which greatly amused Agate.

While others considered the Crystal Empire to be the far north, the crystal ponies likewise thought of whatever lay beyond the northern mountain range as an inhospitable, frozen-over wasteland, and it looked like the snowponies had finally discovered a region that even they found too cold and icy for their liking. It was quite easy to see why the old explorers that found the place in the past abandoned any efforts to claim it for themselves.

They named it "Ice Land", in stark opposition to Green Land. Not only was it an incredibly cold and iced-over place, it was also incredibly magical. The shamares of the three tribes already noticed long ago that the further north you went, the stronger the wind of life became, replenishing your spiritual strength and filling you up with magical energy. However, that meant that they also found the landmass from which the floewolves came, not to mention other spirits.

Ponies that went deeper into the interior claimed that they saw herds of dozens, if not hundreds of windigoes fly across the sky, heard strange whispers and echoes, saw multiple floewolves prowl about, and witnessed strange glows and lights in the distance, as if the aurora itself sprang from the ground. None of them had the guts to try and push on, abandoning their expeditions in a day or two.

Brave as they were, the northerners were not suicidal, and there was little they could do to make the place more hospitable or even habitable. Sure, there were shoals of fish along the shores they could feed on, but with how dangerous, magical and cold the place was, the choice between the warm and completely safe Green Land and the incredibly inhospitable Ice Land was obvious. No one gave any effort to any real settlement attempts, and Ice Land was left alone, save for some exceptionally confident, or simply outright mad hermits and other loners.

Turning inwards, the northern tribe began trying to build up and improve the territories they already held. It took a bit more effort than just claiming a new place, but they persevered. Several curious families of farmers were invited to Green Land, the northerners laughing at their seasick expressions as they ferried them across the waves. Fortunately for everyone involved, they found the local soil quite agreeable, and the northern tribe soon had farmers of their own for the first time.

And the years kept going by.

❅ ❆ ❅

"...And that's the story of my life up until now," Agate summarized.

"Woooow. That's amazing. How long... How old are you now?" A young mare asked, looking at Agate with sparkles in her eyes.

"A hundred and fifty next year."

"So you're almost as old as that spirit you told me about when she left - Gnarled Root, was it?"

"Yes, though it's funny to think that fifty years is "almost". For some ponies, that's half a lifetime or more. It's a little strange to be that old, but... The strangeness comes more from myself rather than the age itself, I think. I expected something to happen, but decade by decade, I just kept going, and before I knew it, I was a century old. And I just kept going."

"And you'll need to keep going for over eight hundred years, right?"

"Yes, Dream Step. I visited the site of the Empire a couple times over the years, but nothing's changed, at least nothing that I could see. It looks like they were right when they said that the curse could last a thousand years."

"Do you think you'll-"

"Hold up there, my student. We agreed that you will exercise and meditate after I tell you my story. I allowed a few questions, but don't think that I forgot. Now then, if you please?"

Agate smiled as the grumbling mare got into a position better suited for meditation and focusing. Agate never forgot the promise she made to Dreamcatcher, namely, to teach any young dreamwalkers that she came across, if there were no other shamares with that skillset around. That was the case this time, as Dream Step was the only known living dreamwalker.

As it tended to be for those with a natural affinity towards something, the young mare already had skills beyond what Agate could accomplish. Despite her advanced age, the spirit never really improved in dream magic all that much past what she could already do. Dream Step, meanwhile, already had occasional prophetic dreams, potentially having saved a few pony's lives already.

It apparently caused a bit of a ruckus of some kind back in her village. The mare was from one of the outlying frontier settlements of the southern tribe, which was quite small. As such, they didn't have many shamares passing by, and among their own population, Dream Step was the first one to show a capacity for the mystic arts. Seeing as she was already of an adult age, her parents brought her to Snowpitt, where the local shamares promised to take her in. Agate was the one that ended up being her teacher, though.

Of course, natural affinity didn't provide discipline and self-control, something which was notoriously hard to achieve for dreamwalkers already, and Agate did her best to pass on the techniques that Dreamcatcher taught her. She also tried to describe the dreamcatcher designs to the mare, as she had been plagued by night terrors when she was younger herself, and wanted to protect others from the same unpleasant experiences now that she became stronger and learned to fight them off.

Agate did what she could to try and track down some ponies that still had a dreamcatcher made by Dreamcatcher, but it wasn't an easy task. No one else took up the craft after the shamare left, and over a hundred years of time weren't exactly kind to the relatively delicate implements. The best she could find were a few (mostly) undamaged frames, kept as mementoes of their ancestors by the families.

Dream Step was still eager to see them, studying the construction with a frightening intensity she didn't show in other tasks. She wasn't lazy, but she was leery of delving too deeply into the dream realm, especially when Agate told her about all the weird side effects that had on Dreamcatcher, such as having trouble being able to tell whether she was awake or asleep. As such, she preferred to try and work on something concrete and physical, first.

Still, that didn't mean that her abilities left her alone. She still had dreams of all kinds, from scary to confusing, and Agate used various arguments to gently nudge her into trying to get a better grasp on the whole thing. Progress was slow, but it was happening, at least.

As Dream Step sunk deeper into her meditation, Agate slowly stood up, beginning to circle her student. She brought her muzzle right next to the mare's face, studying her closed eyes. After a few moments, Agate nuzzled her, to no reaction. Continuing her circling, she would occasionally nip at Dream Step's ears, poke her in the side, or otherwise try to mess up her concentration.

To Agate's approval, none of it worked. The mare's breathing remained steady and even, and her eyes stayed closed. After a little bit, Agate stopped, laying down in front of her and waiting patiently. After a couple hours, her eyes fluttered open, Dream Step stretching her legs one by one before standing up.

"How does that help me with my dreams, anyway?"

"It exercises your magic, your spiritual senses, and overall self-control. It's not direct dream manipulation, but it will still help you."

"I don't get to use any magic in dreams, though. It's all like a memory. I'm just getting strung along for the ride, without any choice in the matter."

"And it was the same for me, until Dreamcatcher taught me how to lucid dream. You'll get it in time, don't worry. It took me many years, but with your talent, you should get there much faster."

"Can't get there fast enough," Dream Step muttered quietly.

"Grumbling isn't going to make it happen faster."

"I know, but it makes me feel better about it."

Agate chuckled with a shake of her head, while Dream Step grinned in the way cocky youths that hadn't experienced true adversity often did. Agate knew that her student had a good head on her shoulders, though. Patting her on the back, she shooed her away.

"Alright, you spent far too long sitting around. Go eat something, and go for a trot before it gets dark. Stretch those legs, or you'll become an old and hobbling shamare a bit too early."

"Yeah, yeah..."

Agate smiled as she stood up as well, trotting around her garden and inspecting her crops. It wasn't a real garden and she didn't have any crops, but that's how she referred to it in her head. In reality, it was just a bunch of crystals scattered across her clearing, some of them much bigger than others.

After all of her exploits and adventures, ponies slowly began bringing Agate tributes and gifts. And, since she couldn't really use anything practical, or even need anything, the only item the gift-givers apparently could think of were crystals. She wasn't sure herself, since she never actually caught any of them in the act, and didn't know who they were. She could only guess that they thought being surrounded by crystals would remind her of home, or something to that effect.

It was a bit silly, like scattering a bunch of bricks for someone who used to live in a brick house. She'd have told them to knock it off if she ever caught them, but she was quite certain that they were fully aware of that fact, and were avoiding her on purpose. She even suspected that leaving the gifts unnoticed was a bit like a game or a challenge between multiple ponies, as some of the crystals appeared during the night, right in the field of view that she'd see the moment she opened her eyes.

Either way, the crystals remained, as no pony would dare to touch another's gift to a "powerful, wise and ancient" spirit like Agate. She ignored them at first, though when she had periods of free time, she did play with them, changing them a little, charging ones while leaving the others dark, growing some of them larger, and so on. After several decades of that, her formerly empty clearing was dotted with glimmering crystal spires of varying color and size, attracting curious visitors to come and see the fascinatingly exotic display.

The biggest spire of all, though, was her totem. Over the years, it had crystallized completely, becoming more like a solid chunk of crystal, rather than a tree. While there were branches of sorts, sticking out from the sides where the original crystals had been embedded, they were far too even and symmetrical to look like an actual tree. Given the crystal's transparency and how charged with magic it was, the pictures and the runes that were carved into the wood were still visible, glowing faintly from within. Sometimes, Agate mused if she could somehow prune it or make it grow differently to make it look more natural, though she never really tried anything. Those were purely cosmetic changes, and she cared about function more than form.

And the totem's function had only been improved by the extra material. It worked not only as a beacon and a resting place for Agate, but also, as a reservoir of magic. With the crystal coating, Agate's magic reserves increased quite dramatically, though the effect greatly decreased with distance. Still, it did mean that she could mess around with the crystals that ponies kept leaving a lot more, and she had fun growing some into the size of a pony, or transmuting them into different forms that she hadn't tried to make in the past.

Tapping a few crystals to cause them to glow, she chuckled. It wasn't the Crystal Empire, the crystals weren't even the types that were used in the Empire, but she had to admit that it was kind of nice, in its own way. Giving one final long look to her crystal totem, she shrugged before stepping inside. It was quite late, and she did need to sleep as well.

❅ ❆ ❅

*knock knock*

"Hunnh.."

"-aveler spirit?"

Agate shifted in her sleep as she felt someone knock on her totem and call for her. Blinking in surprise, she hopped out. It was still dark - in fact, it didn't look like she slept for more than a few hours. Getting visits in the middle of the night wasn't something that happened often. In fact, she couldn't even remember if it happened before. Looking around, she found the culprit.

It was a completely unremarkable, aggressively average middle-aged mare. Agate combed through her memory, but nothing about her stood out. Chestnut coat, black mane, brown eyes... Fairly common colors for a snowpony. Agate wasn't even sure if she ever saw the mare in the past. While she was doing her examination, the mare performed a short bow.

"Traveler spirit, I am sorry for interrupting your rest, but I must beg for your aid."

"There's really no need to beg, especially before I even know what is it that you need. What happened, and how could I possibly be of help?"

"It- it's my daughter, Light Step. She's young, and filled with that youthful energy. She's a clever filly, and she decided to become a messenger and put that energy to good use, making herself some profit in the process. She'd make rounds between all of the southern and western villages, galloping across the tundra like the wind itself was carrying her. But..."

"Go on?"

"Well, she never overran or missed a day. And I do mean never. She'd promise to get from one village to another in, say, three days, and she would, no matter the weather or terrain. She's only been at it for a couple years, but she already built up a reputation and earned respect from many ponies. And she left home eleven days ago for another run, to a settlement in the west. She said she'd take five days to get there, and five to return. She always joked that she'd never be late unless something ate her, and even then, she would complete her task as a spirit. And, and she hasn't been back, and I'm so worried..."

"Well, uh... I suppose I could go look for her, but I can't exactly do much even if I find her. Despite my age and experience, I'm still just a spirit. I can't interact with the material world, save for crystals and some minor stuff."

"I know, but I'm at a loss at what to do! You can fly and find her, maybe call for help from whichever settlement is the closest! My husband is out on a fishing trip for several more days to one of the lakes, and I'm not the best runner, and even if he was here, it'd still take days for us to scour the route on hoof, and-" The mare kept babbling, her worrying having brought her to the edge of hysteria.

"Alright, alright. Um... I never looked for ponies before. Some shamares can track them down with magic, but I don't have those kinds of skills. I'll see what I can do, but I can't promise anything. I spent no small amount working as a scout, but I'm not familiar with that area. I never really travelled to the westerner's lands," Agate said, thinking back to the brief foray to the western shores, all those years ago.

"Oh, thank you! Thank you!" The mare shouted, hugging Agate and clearly not having heard much besides "alright".

"Right, well. I need someone to tell Dream Step where I've gone. I can't just disappear without a word..." Agate said, extricating herself from the hug. Just as she did, someone began to mutter behind her.

"The great thunderbird flies west, and the winds follow at its behest..."

"...Dream Step?" Agate asked, recognizing her student in the moonlight.

She looked like she was sleepwalking, her eyes unfocused and bleary. As Agate and the mare watched her, she slowly looked around, seemingly coming to. Letting out a huge yawn, she stretched her legs, smacking herself on the side of her face several times to finish waking up.

"Dream Step? Did you have a vision of some kind? A prophetic dream?" Agate inquired, the unnamed mare suddenly looking concerned.

"Something like that? Maybe. Bleh. Woke me up in the middle of the night, and I felt that it concerned us in some way. Feels like I somehow actually fell asleep while I was trotting here," She grumbled.

"Can you describe it?"

"Not much to describe, and it was nonsensical. I remember being in Snowpitt, just... Being there. Talking with someone, maybe? But I don't remember those parts, so I guess they're not important. Suddenly, a great wind rose up, tearing the entire village to bits. I looked for the source, and saw a great bird of some kind in the sky, flying west. As it flew, it was like it dragged a great wall of wind behind it, and carried all the debris in its wake. As everything fell apart like dust and got dragged away, even including the ponies that stood around me, I started galloping after the bird. It felt like days, as the light changed from day to night and day again, and... Then, I woke up."

"You... Did not dream about my daughter, shamare?" The mare asked.

"Uh... I'm sorry, who are you? And when did you even get here?" Dream Step asked, blinking sleepily at the third member of their meeting.

"My name is Wildflower, and I was asking the traveler spirit for help. My daughter is missing, and I was hoping..."

"Missing where? In the west?"

"Yes."

"Huh..."

"Do you know what the dream meant, Dream Step? Is it somehow related to Wildflower's daughter?" Agate inquired.

"Ha. I have no idea, obviously. Who could make sense of that kind of nonsense? I highly doubt that it was a premonition about a thunderbird attacking Snowpitt. I don't even know what they look like, I only heard stories!" She scoffed.

"Maybe it was some kind of metaphor," Agate suggested.

"Ughhhh, those kinds of prophetic dreams are the worst! Why can't all dreams be normal and straightforward, like the one where I dreamt a stallion got caught by a yeti when he was out in the woods and I warned him when I woke up! Now I gotta sit here and waste time figuring this nonsense out!"

"Well, I've been told that the spirits only communicate in ways that they understand, and that a lot of them don't really understand the way ponies talk. So, I guess some helpful spirit wanted to tell you something, but didn't think you didn't talk its language," Agate supplied, trying not to laugh at Dream Step's plight.

"Great. Just great. Thanks a lot, spirits."

"Well, while you ponder the meaning of that dream, I should probably get going. I don't know how long I'll be gone, but it shouldn't take more than a few days, I think. Take care, Dream," Agate nodded, stepping away and preparing to shapeshift.

"Wait! I'm going with you!" Dream Step shouted suddenly.

"What? Why?"

"There's nothing really for me to do here in Snowpitt, and I'm at the age where shamares usually start their journeys, and you're the only one that I ever learn anything from around here. The other shamares are nice, but they can't teach me anything. If you're going west, I'm going with you."

"Hold up there, youngling," Agate held up a hoof. "You're half-asleep and completely unprepared, not to mention that you wouldn't exactly be able to keep up with me. I'll be going by wing, after all. You also need to gather some supplies and travelling equipment first. So, go finish your sleep, and then gather supplies and prepare. Hay, this isn't even me going west, this is a search and rescue operation. But, if you do want to travel west... I'll gladly accompany you - if you show me that you're serious about it."

"Okay. Yeah, you're right, I wasn't thinking straight. Uh... Good luck on your search, and good luck with your daughter, ah... Wildflower. I'm going back to bed."

"Thank you," Wildflower replied in a small voice.

"Right. I guess I'll just... Get going, then. Which settlement was your daughter travelling to, Wildflower?"

"River Rock."

"Alright, well, at least I know the route... Theoretically. From other ponies. Here goes nothing," She sighed, nodding to Wildflower before changing her shape and flapping away into the night.

Comments

[Wingnut]

And so, Agate is finally going west.
I changed the chapter name a little as I was writing it. It was originally only "Final Farewells". I wanted to keep it to mess with this guy
11754358
And make him think that the story is over.

[StarzGecko]

11760870
Yay!! A whole new story arc that isn’t so far from Day 1 and finally exploring West! Man… I’ll miss the wonderful snow ponies Agate has meant and can’t wait to see her and her student off to adventure to save a lost filly, explore Western Lands and their secrets… and finally something about Thunderbird coming to town?

Btw last comment it’s not a big deal of knowing whatever happened to Agate friend… a mystery is fine with me

messing with a viewer’s comment

[origami]

Feel bad for Agate. All the ponies she knew since coming to Snowpitt are almost all gone, and all the ones that remain are putting her on a pedestal instead of treating her like a normal pony.

[StarzGecko]

11760924
ikr? It’s sad… she is a friend

[Danger Noodle]

Curious...

[midnight arrow]

great chapter

[Nari]

Bittersweet chapter. I like it a lot.

Agate's handling time amazingly well. Kind of funny to think that she's existed for over ten times as long as an incorporeal spirit than she did as a flesh and blood crystal pony. I wonder if that's why she's acclimated so well. In addition to having a strong goal, she didn't live long enough to miss as much about living.

Time is really passing for Agate. Creeping ever closer to her goal. I'm looking forward to this arc, and the return of the Crystal Empire. Can't wait to see what Agate grows to become in another 850ish years.

[Eversong]

I wonder if agate can upgrade her home to create a magic barrier.

[KMCA]

You know... They're probably running out of time.
Soon they won't have the skills to make a new totem (if they haven't lost them already)

Agate's totem isn't even a good example for study anymore since hers has almost become a block of crystal.

[Wingnut]

11762530
Interesting concern, but that's not going to be an issue. There are other totems being made and guardian spirits around, just not in long-settled and safe places like Snowpitt. Agate just doesn't interact with them, so I don't explicitly mention that.

[Zanec]

Agate's long vigil

Madlad did it!
Title words are in the same sentence!

[Zanec]

As Dream Step stunk deeper into her meditation

That's a pretty funny method xD
(think you meant 'sunk')

[Wingnut]

11763233
Huh, yeah. Thanks.

[new55]

That was a good chapter.

[AliCentaur Br0ny]

She'd have told them to knock it off if she ever caught them, but she was quite certain that they were fully aware of that fact, and were avoiding her on purpose.

Get off my lawn.