Agate's Vigil

by Wingnut

In and Out

"Now tell her about floewolves," Ice Elation urged Shatterhoof, passing Pine Ponder a bowl of stew.

"Well, I don't know all that much about avoiding them, but there's one critical weakness that they have that every northerner is aware of: they can't actually smell you. They're made of ice, so they don't have lungs or noses. They can still see AND hear you just fine, though, and if they do see you, they'll circle the area for hours even if you manage to hide somewhere. So, I guess you'd best listen to what Ice Elation tells you, and do your best to sneak by," The stallion explained.

"That's precisely right. A normal animal would easily sniff you out if you buried yourself in the snow nearby, for example, but a floewolf cannot. As long as you break line of sight long enough, and your hiding spot is not overly obvious, you can get away just fine," Ice Elation nodded.

"Alright," Pine Ponder nodded back after swallowing her mouthful of stew. "I'm guessing most of the advice is going to be the "hide or run away" kind."

"Yes. We're not here to hunt anything, nor do we have the numbers. The goal is to come and go without any creature even being aware that we were there," Ice Elation confirmed. "There's other predators. Drift burrowers. Blizzard buzzards. Snowamanders. We can avoid all those with ease, though, so the most important thing for you to do is not know the lore about all the beasts in here, but do exactly what I tell you to do. If I say jump, you jump. If I say bury yourself in the snow, you immediately dig down and bury yourself in the snow. No questioning, no hesitation. Can you do that?"

"Of course."

"Good. If we get separated, don't try any heroics. Go right back here, and don't look back. Which really, really shouldn't happen, but just in case... Blizzard buzzards come out during blizzards to feast on whoever got caught out in the open, so seek shelter if that happens. Signs of drift burrowers are nearly impossible to spot, but you can see them in the snow with the amulet of true sight that the shamares gave you. Snowamanders are territorial, but they don't actively hunt ponies, so if you just avoid their nests..."

❅ ❆ ❅

After filling Pine Ponder in about the basics of travelling safely through Ice Land, the northerners shared a few more exciting stories of their adventures before saying their goodnights and dispersing. With how many ponies there were travelers and adventurers, most of the buildings were sort of communally owned, and Ice Elation led her to one where several other ponies were getting ready to go to bed.

Once they woke up, Ice Elation gave Pine Ponder a serious nod, the meaning of which did not escape the southerner. This was the big day. Once they ate, the two immediately got to checking and re-checking their saddlebags, the others helping them out with anything they might need.

Pine Ponder spent some time debating whether she should take a spear or not, but since she barely ever even held one, in the end, she decided that it would just be dead weight. Ice Elation did take a small throwing spear as well as her ice spear, though, shrugging at Pine Ponder's questioning expression.

"We're sneaking, yes, but throwing something can be an excellent distraction. Are you ready?"

"Yes. Food, supplies, clothes... That's everything."

"Let's go, then. Do what you did so far, and we're going to come out of this just fine."

"...What did I do so far?"

"Remained calm in the face of adversity. And didn't make unnecessary noises," Ice Elation explained.

"Alright. I can do that. Let's get this over with. I want to get back to my forest as soon as possible."

"Yes, let's."

The other adventurers saw them off, cheering and smacking them on the back. "Don't take all of the northern secrets for yourselves, leave some for us," Shatterhoof laughed, Ice Elation just rolling her eyes with a faint smile.

And with that, they moved out. Trotting past a few still forms of the guardian statues, they were immediately greeted by the sight of a harsh, completely untamed wilderness. There was nothing but rock, ice, and snow, the terrain very rough and uneven, larger mountains looming in the distance. It was pretty, in a way, but also extremely unwelcoming at the same time.

"Is there really life in such a desolate place?" Pine Ponder asked quietly, pulling her clothes closer to her.

"Yes, though that life took some strange and unusual forms, as you heard. For ponies with warm insides, this place is not pleasant, to put it mildly. There are some shores where it's warm enough in summer for some normal trees and such to grow. Some ponies go there to fish and gather materials and such. Nothing like that in this outpost, however. Here, all you will find are strange beasts and places... Though you can also catch snow crabs around here. Very tasty," Ice Elation breathed.

That was the extent of their conversation for the remainder of the day. Both mares weren't big talkers, and both of them knew the importance of remaining quiet and alert when out in dangerous territory. Step by step, Ice Elation led them further into the depths of Ice Land.

The name of the place was unfortunately accurate. Pine Ponder squinted and blinked as the moisture from her eyes started drying out, frost accumulating on her eyelashes and muzzle. At the same time, though, the rest of her body felt oddly... Protected. Not just by her travelling coat, but by her fur, as well. There was an unusual spring in her step, her muscles feeling coiled and ready to move even when her legs were completely relaxed.

It took her a few hours of pondering and self observation until she finally figured it out. It had to have been the magic, the Breath that flowed from the north. As the weather was getting colder the deeper in they went, so was the magic, which, in turn, made her stronger. It wasn't a perfect equilibrium, but she suspected that she wouldn't be able to withstand such temperatures for long otherwise, even with her long winter fur.

She was wearing the amulet of true sight, which did make their bleak surroundings look a bit more interesting. The rocks and even the snow glowed with hidden power, and there were ribbons of magic flowing through the sky, some of them seemingly even touching the ground somewhere far in the distance. No creatures made themselves present yet, however.

That day, Ice Elation pushed them to trot almost until they dropped again, apparently seeking out a spot to shelter in that was familiar to her. While the land was completely untouched by any settlement attempts anywhere deeper in, the adventurers did leave a few marks on the place. A guidestone was erected near a small mountain, pointing towards its snowed-over side. Ice Elation wordlessly led them there, scanning the snow critically before starting to dig through it. There was quite a lot, and Pine Ponder soon joined in, focusing her magic on plowing through the obstacle. Finally, they dug up a small crevice, Ice Elation crawling in.

"Takes so long to find it every time, but any kind of construction here is a very time-consuming and risky affair," The explorer grumbled mildly. "Come on, it opens up deeper in."

"Oh. It's a whole cave," Pine Ponder noted, once she wiggled in herself.

"Yes. Hard, cold, but, most importantly, safe. That is the most valuable trait a shelter can have around here. There's nothing to start a fire with, but there's explorer's tricks we can use. Come here," Ice Elation gestured towards a small plot full of loose rocks.

"Are loose rocks somehow more comfortable to sleep on than the bare stone floor?" Pine Ponder asked with some confusion.

"No, they're worse," Ice Elation smiled. "But they're better when they're warm. Help me dig them up."

Shrugging, Pine Ponder got to work, shifting the stones. Some had frozen together a bit, but there was almost no moisture on them otherwise. Once the pair reached the bottom of the small depression, Ice Elation nodded, gesturing for her to step back. Digging one of the firestarting charms out of her bags, she carefully set it on the very bottom, activating it with a jolt before quickly pushing the small pile of rocks back into the hole, right on top of the charm.

With a muted fwoosh, light and heat began forcing themselves through the gaps in the stones, some of them cracking apart into even smaller pieces from the sudden shift in temperatures. A short while later, the charm burned out, and they were left with a small bed of hot, faintly steaming stones.

"There we go. Set your bedroll up right on top of that, and it will help you keep warm through the night," Ice Elation nodded.

"Ohh. Clever. I'll have to remember that one... Even if I'm probably never going to use it," Pine Ponder smiled.

"We should probably cuddle up to save warmth, too. Use your coat as a blanket as well. Stack every bit of warmth protection that you can."

"Of course."

Moments later, they were wrapped around each other, laying down on their unexpectedly warm bedding. While the rocks underneath them were still pointy, they were too tired to care, and both of them were soon fast asleep.

❅ ❆ ❅

The next morning started with a dose of strength-restoring potion and a breakfast of dried fish and seaweed. Donning her clothes, bags and equipment, Pine Ponder waited for a minute while Ice Elation carefully stuck her muzzle outside, looking around. After a silent signal from the explorer, the pair were off once more.

This time, they weren't able to completely avoid the strange native creatures. Pine Ponder was slightly more on edge than usual due to all the magic and the cold air making her vision swim slightly, and she almost missed the hidden, coiled form of a drift burrower underneath the snow. Ice Elation did not, though, sticking a foreleg out and stopping her.

"Oh," Pine Ponder breathed quietly, noticing the creature.

She didn't really need for Ice Elation to explain the situation. They were in front of a small hill that was part of the foothills of a mountain to their right, and to the left of them, there was a big stretch of snowy plain, possibly even a frozen lake. Going out in the open was always a bad idea, but the drift burrower dug itself into the only snowdrift that they could use comfortably to climb up the hill.

"What do we do?" She asked quietly.

"Well, it won't leave. That's why I dislike ambush predators. Can't bait them out easily, besides the whole ambush thing," Ice Elation huffed. "One thing left to do."

Hefting her spears, she debated between her heavier ice spear and the smaller throwing one, before choosing the latter. Since there was no rush, she took her time aiming, finally tossing the weapon with all the strength she had. The spear sunk into the powdery snow, finding its target.

The creature didn't make any sounds, though it immediately started thrashing wildly. Taking her ice spear, Ice Elation waited tensely while it tried to find whoever bit into it in vain, eventually diving deeper into the snow and fleeing, taking the spear with it. Blinking, Pine Ponder tried to scan the nearby snowdrifts, but couldn't find anything unusual.

"Did you kill it?"

"Perhaps. I hope I did. Maybe it will bleed out from the injury. I really dislike ambush predators. Anyway, let's keep going."

"What do they even look like? I couldn't even make out its form."

"Very few ponies actually know. They tend to flee if injured, as you saw. Those that managed to finish them off say that they're a bit like a serpent of some kind, with vicious, hooked teeth that they either use to drag you under the snow and finish you off, or tear off chunks of your flesh with. Cowardly, but very deadly if they do manage to sink their teeth into you."

"Eugh."

"Yeah. Stay alert."

Pine Ponder did exactly that, and they managed to avoid their next encounter without much issue. Both of them noticed fresh floewolf tracks, though only Ice Elation actually knew what kind of tracks they actually were. They had to follow them to get where they wanted to go, and they did see the glowing form of the northern hunter spirit in the distance. Swiftly (and silently) galloping away and hiding between snowdrifts and other obstacles, they snuck by without getting noticed.

The rest of the day and the next one passed by in a similar manner. Though the creatures and the environment were very strange and unfamiliar to her, Pine Ponder was happy to find out that most of them could still be avoided using the good old "remain quiet and unseen" method. Finding more hidey holes to sleep in, they got closer and closer to their goal - until they reached it.

"There it is. You can see the glimmers, yes? That's not ice. Those are crystals," Ice Elation said quietly, pointing into the distance.

The mountainous terrain leveled out in the immediate area, making their line of sight a bit more open. And in the distance, Pine Ponder could indeed see a strange sparkling of some kind. She had been seeing similar things from the corners of her eyes for a while now, so she dismissed it as more magical mirages of some kind, but apparently that wasn't the case. They had almost reached their goal.

❅ ❆ ❅

"Now, the crystal forest operates by completely different rules than everything else," Ice Elation lectured her as they approached the trees. "Not a single pony got attacked by any of the previously encountered predators in here, ever. Everything and everyone avoids this place, even though there's seemingly no danger whatsoever... Until you touch the trees. Then, you can die faster than you can blink, if you don't gallop away faster than the wind."

"Can you tell me some more of those rules?"

"Well, the first one, I already told you. Trees are harmless in other places, and predators are dangerous. Not here. The trees are the most dangerous things in the world. The animals, meanwhile, are not dangerous at all."

"What kind of animals live in this forest?"

"Some ponies said they saw some curious-looking spiders in the branches now and then. I haven't seen one myself yet."

"Spiders, really?" Pine Ponder raised her eyebrows in disbelief, swishing her tail before quickly pressing it against her body again.

"Yes. Apparently, their legs look like icicles, and they like to hide on tree branches, camouflaging themselves that way. They're probably too small to hurt a pony, but I wouldn't go poking them if you see one. No idea what they eat. Ice flies? Not that I ever saw such a thing. We're not going to stay here long enough to find out. Let's get what we came here for and be gone," Ice Elation shrugged.

"Of course."

"And if you hear the singing, do not go towards it."

"Singing?! You never mentioned that before!" Pine Ponder hissed in a low voice.

"...It wasn't important. That's all you need to know about it. Don't go towards it."

"What happens if I do?"

"No one knows, since no one tried to go towards it. And everyone that did that survived, so no one else tried to, either."

"...Right, okay. We're not here to experiment with our lives. In and out."

"Exactly."

"Still, um... Can you tell me more about it? What kind of singing is it?"

"The eerie, wordless song kind of singing. Almost like a pony, but not quite. Always comes from the edge of the forest, and only when you're inside. No one ever reported hearing the song from the outside," She explained, crossing the barrier into the forest, the first crystal trees to the side of her.

"Uh..." Pine Ponder looked for something to say, stopping for a moment to appreciate the bizarre crystal tree in front of her before taking after her guide.

"If we hear it, we'll have to stay inside until it stops. No one tried leaving while the song was being sung, and I don't want to be the first one to find out that doing that will kill you. It's perfectly safe to come and go otherwise."

"Alright... Anything else?"

"Ponies still talk quietly while they're here. It's probably habitual more than anything else, but..."

"Alright. That won't be a problem for me," Pine Ponder nodded.

"Good. Now... Do your thing, I suppose. Look for pinecones. Just... Don't actually do anything without talking it over with me first, okay?"

"Of course. These really do look more like firs, though. I'm... Not seeing any around here..." Pine Ponder mumbled, examining the bare branches of the strange trees.

"I suppose we'll have to go deeper in. Come on."

Slowly and silently, they cantered through the magical forest, always choosing the widest possible paths and taking great care to avoid touching the trees. The crystalline firs were small at first, getting bigger and heftier deeper in. The deathly silent atmosphere was extremely oppressive, even though all the dangers were both immobile and very shiny, which made them very easy to see.

"I think I see one cone... But it's quite high up," Pine Ponder whispered, finally noticing a cone in a branch.

"Let's look for a better one," Ice Elation shook her head.

"Alright."

It took them a bit of wandering to finally see several potentially useful candidates. Looking at the shiny cone, Pine Ponder smiled with wonder, biting her lip when she tried to figure out how to actually reach it. Shaking her head, she turned to the expert.

"So, how are we supposed to get them if touching the trees kills you? You had some kind of plan, right?"

"Something like that, yes, though at first, I thought I would need to get a branch," Ice Elation nodded. "Mostly, I was thinking of ways to trick the forest."

"...Trick? What, were you thinking of smooth-talking the trees into giving up a branch?" Pine Ponder raised her eyebrows.

"You're thinking of a scam," Ice Elation huffed quietly. "No, there are ways to outsmart everyone, including strange crystal trees."

"Never needed to outsmart trees before, but I'm listening."

"Well, through painful - no, lethal - trial and error, ponies found out that hurting the trees makes them hurt you back. Some of them got away alive, though, and the main bit of advice was the same as you'd expect - gallop away very, very fast. And you only need to get out of the forest. Whatever invisible tree spirits attack ponies, they don't really chase them far. Still, even that is hardly the best method. I was thinking of grabbing them from a distance."

"How would you accomplish that?"

"My first idea was either rope, or a hefty enough rock. Tell me, of all the creatures that you know, how many of them use ranged attacks? Ponies are just about the only ones that figured out how to throw stuff."

"Oooh. So you'd throw a rope around a branch and yank it towards you, or..."

"Break one off and come back when the trees calmed down, yes. But I don't think it's going to work with a cone, at least the rope thing. It's too small of a target," Ice Elation pursed her lips in thought.

"Does everything make the tree spirits attack you?" Pine Ponder pondered.

"What do you mean?"

"What if it snows? They don't start attacking the snowflakes that land on them, do they? And those spiders? They crawl on the branches just fine, right?"

"I... I don't... It was snowing a bit the first time I was here, actually..." Ice Elation mumbled, deep in thought.

"I'm going to toss some snow. Get ready to run, I guess?" Pine Ponder asked, gently scooping up a hoofful of powdery flakes.

"...Alright," Ice Elation nodded, tensing her legs.

Taking in a deep breath, she blew them on the branch of the nearest tree. Nothing happened. Then, she dumped the rest of the snow on a branch. Nothing proceeded to happen. Biting her lip, she dug deeper, finding a small shard of ice and very, very carefully depositing it on one of the branches. Nothing.

"Interesting," Ice Elation muttered.

"Maybe they only attack when they experience an actual injury. Or maybe they can feel a pony's foreign spirit when it touches them," Pine Ponder nodded to herself. "Could you... Come here? I want to climb on your back for a moment."

"...Very well."

Carefully clambering on top of Ice Elation, Pine Ponder extended her foreleg towards a pinecone. She still couldn't reach it, but she could feel the immense magic of the tree without even touching it. Climbing down and shaking her head with a smile, she turned towards her guide.

"Well, if I had any doubts before... There's unbelievable amounts of power in these trees. As much as I don't want to harm this amazing place, a single pinecone to save the entire forest in the south is a fair trade, I think."

"So how do we get them? Throw snowballs at a cone to knock it down?"

"It's an option. Let's dig around and find something with a bit more heft, though. Cones can actually be annoyingly hard to knock down, and I'd imagine a crystal tree is much strong- oooooooh," Pine Ponder breathed, yanking out a cone from the frozen ground.

"...Is that it? Is it good? Can we go?" Ice Elation asked with surprise.

"No...No, it's empty. The seeds are gone. Sorry," Pine Ponder shook her head, closely examining the cone.

"Of course. It's never that easy," The northerner sighed.

"Give me a few moments... I... Oh, here's another one..." Pine Ponder muttered, smashing through the ice and finding more crystal cones.

"Careful so you don't hit the roots. I think the trees wouldn't take kindly to that, either," Ice Elation cautioned, making Pine Ponder freeze up for a moment.

"Right, sorry. I'll go out more into the open."

After digging around some more, Pine Ponder had four crystal cones in total, all of them dead and inert. Hefting one in a hoof, she lifted it up and down a few times, pursing her lips and tossing it towards Ice Elation. The mare caught it, throwing it back in a neat arc.

"Alright, final plan. Do we try to knock down a few cones, run away, and return later?" Pine Ponder asked, once she was confident with her throwing skills.

"I..." Ice Elation trailed off, licking her lips. "That sort of sounds like the safest option, but no one's actually tried that one yet. You're safe if you get away, but no one tried coming back right after, and no one knows how long the tree spirits remain riled up."

"And you didn't want to experiment."

"Yes."

"Then... I have another idea for you to try. Take your ice spear, and... Touch the tree with it," Pine Ponder suggested.

"Really?" Ice Elation asked skeptically.

"...Leave it upright in the snow, so it would very slowly lean towards the tree while you get away."

"Hm. Now that sounds interesting. Alright," She nodded, doing exactly what Pine Ponder suggested, before gaining some distance.

Holding their breaths, the two mares watched as the spear slowly lost its balance and fell towards the trunk of a tree, resting against it with a thunk. Something did happen, though neither one was quite sure what. Something... Shifted in their vision, both mares blinking. The spear, meanwhile, rolled to the side, almost as if someone nudged it away.

"Did you see that?" Pine Ponder asked, her muzzle scrunched.

"It was like... The tree... Glimmered? Changed? I can't quite describe it," Ice Elation murmured, rubbing her eyes.

"Shouldn't the true sight amulets show us exactly what is happening? Including those invisible tree spirits?"

"I told you, this place works by different rules. Nothing is quite what you expect. Even shamares can't make heads or tails of it."

"Alright, so... Whatever they are, they didn't attack your spear. So if you very gently hook the end of the spearhead around a cone... And then yank it towards me, and then we run very very fast..."

"A good plan. I thought we'd need to climb on each other to grab a cone and then run, or something similar. This is better," Ice Elation nodded.

"Let's do it, before we plan ourselves to death. I can feel my teeth beginning to chatter. We need to start moving again, or it won't end well for us without even any tree spirits killing us," Pine Ponder muttered.

"Right. Strength potions, then. We drink, grab a cone, and we gallop like mad," Ice Elation nodded, hoofing said potion to Pine Ponder, drinking one herself.

Doing precisely that, the mares took a minute to gather their courage and let the potions take effect. Nodding to each other, they took up their positions. Pine Ponder stood a small distance away with an open saddlebag, ready to catch the crystal cone. Ice Elation stood next to the tree, raising her ice spear and carefully working it towards her goal.

Once she actually touched it, there was another shift around them. It was as if the already deathly quiet forest held its breath, becoming even more quiet somehow. Both of the mare's eyes went wide, darting around. Gritting her teeth, Ice Elation huffed.

"Too late to back out now. Do or die," She spoke in a low voice, fiercely yanking her spear back towards herself, a crack sounding out in the silence as the crystal cone broke off and flew towards Pine Ponder.

Then, several things happened at once. The first one was a strange sound, something between a wail, a chime, and a high-pitched keening. The second one was Ice Elation immediately jumping forward the moment the cone broke free, losing the grip on her spear and catching its shaft in her mouth, galloping forward as hard as she could. And the last one was Pine Ponder catching the cone in her bag, suddenly tossing the empty clay potion flask at the tree before turning tail as well.

The snow behind and around Ice Elation exploded, the mare zig-zagging and weaving in an attempt to evade the invisible foes as their slashes churned up the snowflakes. Once the clay flask shattered against the tree, there was another angry wail, and the attacks intensified even more, though they became less focused.

"Go go go! No stopping until we're out!" Ice Elation yelled.

"Uh huh!" Pine Ponder gasped, weaving and dodging between the trees.

Unfortunately, it seemed that the rest of the forest wasn't happy with the theft of the cone, either. One by one, the other trees began sparkling and shifting their colors as well, the song resonating among them faster and faster, slowly overtaking the galloping ponies. Pine Ponder shrieked as she suddenly felt her tail become much lighter, galloping with everything she had.

Meanwhile, Ice Elation was gritting her teeth furiously, keeping her body low to the ground and kicking off the snow with all her strength. Once she saw what was happening, she made a split-second decision, spitting her spear out and grabbing it in her forelegs.

The maneuver slowed her down a bit, but she used the weapon to pole-vault upwards, the invisible slashes whistling through the air as they missed. Doing an impressive mid-air twist, she threw the spear towards the nearest tree with all her strength, the magical weapon actually embedding itself into the crystalline material.

If the forest was angry then, now it was furious. The wail that rose up hurt their ears, but the distraction did work. Every attack became focused on the spear, forcefully yanking it out of the tree and smashing it into tiny, tiny shards of ice, the shamaric magic unable to withstand the frenzied assault of the spirits of the crystal forest.

The goal was accomplished, however. The two mares got away. Panting, they looked back towards the shimmering trees some distance away. Glancing towards her tail, Pine Ponder saw that it was bleeding slightly, the very tip of her tail shorn off along with the tail-hairs. Looking herself over more closely, she wasn't able to find any more injuries.

"Well... It could have been way worse, I suppose. Still, I thought getting away even a small distance was enough?"

"No one really... Tried to take anything from the forest... So deep in. It was always from the edge. They'd make it past the border quickly," Ice Elation gasped out. "Ponies would try to take branches. We're the first ones with a cone."

"Well, at least we got away without much- you're bleeding!" Pine Ponder shouted suddenly, noticing blood dripping through Ice Elation's coat.

"It's a shallow wound. I don't feel it inside me," Ice Elation reassured her after taking a deep breath and holding it for a moment. "Two wounds, actually."

"We need to take care of them right away regardless!"

"Of course, of course. Fortunately, the shamares gave us some wound binding stuff, too," She waved it off with an uncharacteristically huge grin, carefully slipping out of her clothes and saddlebags. "Here, they're in this bag,"

Pine Ponder pondered the sudden peppiness of her precious guide as she poured the medicine on her wounds. She appeared oddly perky, despite the perilous situation of her being injured in a predator-infested place. The always-serious Ice Elation was quite elated, really, eagerly looking east, like she was going to just trot away with ease.

She'd have expected such behavior from Shatterhoof, but not Ice Elation. In fact, the stallion acted a lot more like Pine Ponder imagined adventurers would act. Loud, brash, fearless, and so on. Ice Elation was quiet and thoughtful, but this experience clearly showed that she still had the same fire and love for risk, glory and danger inside her, just... Much more tightly controlled.

Carefully parting Ice Elation's fur, Pine Ponder made sure to work the goop into every bit of her wounds. The cuts were strange - they were singular, more akin to that of a blade, rather than a set of animal's claws. Fortunately, they seemed incredibly clean and even, with no jagged holes and rips.

The thing she was using was called "blood sap" by shamares - a special mixture that would dry quickly when exposed to air, becoming a bit like tree sap and sealing the wound shut without a need for bandages or stitches, something which was incredibly useful at the moment. Covering the second slash, Pine Ponder nodded after a brief inspection.

"I think that's the best I can do."

"Alright. Let me get your tail and we'll be off."

"Oh, it's just a scratch. I completely forgot about that," She shook her head.

"Shush. Do what I tell you, remember? Tail. Now."

"Yes, mother."

Ice Elation snorted, grabbing the clay pot and applying the same stuff to the tip of Pine Ponder's tail. Stowing it away, she put her clothes and bags back on, shifting slightly and testing if they chafed against her wounds. Finding everything satisfactory, she nodded to her companion, trotting away.

"Are you going to be alright?" Pine Ponder asked, glancing at her.

"I'll be fine. Taking some time to recover would be good, sure, but we can't afford that. We'll freeze and starve to death. We only have food for a few more days, remember? We need to make it back to the outpost. The wounds are not nearly bad enough to kill me until we get there," Ice Elation reassured her.

And that was that. The trek back was a bit more nerve-wracking, but Ice Elation turned out to be correct. She didn't get feverish or delirious, her senses and mind remaining sharp and guiding them past all the dangers with little trouble. They used up all of their fire charms and food to keep themselves warm, and had only a few of the strength-replenishing potions left when they reached the outpost. All of the magic items that the southerners gave them paid off, though. Between their determination and all the supplies they were given, they made it back in one piece, with a crystal cone, to boot.

❅ ❆ ❅

Naturally, the other adventurers gave them a hero's welcome. Everyone marveled at the crystal cone, touching it with reverent mutters as Pine Ponder held it in her hoof. Every pony was able to feel the power locked up inside it, whether they were a shamare or not.

It did attract actual shamares as well, a young one named Freezing Point coming out of her solitary meditations to marvel at their prize. "Such incredible power in such a... Well, I suppose it's not really innocuous. It's definitely quite the eye-catcher even by itself," She mused.

"It is nice, but the power is for saving my forest," Pine Ponder nodded, holding the cone close to herself.

"Oh, of course, of course. I wouldn't dream to try and take this from you. This is your prize, and you paid for it in blood. I'd bring terrible shame to myself and my tribe," She waved their concerns off. "Still, such an incredible item..."

"Would... You like to hold it?" Pine Ponder asked slowly.

"You'd trust me? I'd love to!" The shamare shouted eagerly, her eyes sparkling.

"...For a price," Pine Ponder elaborated with a small smile.

"Tease," Freezing Point huffed, crossing her forelegs. "Bit much to ask for something for just holding it, isn't it?"

"Not just holding it. I also have these," Pine Ponder said, pulling out the empty crystal cones from her bags and setting them on the table one by one, making the shamare's eyes grow wider and wider with each one.

"Wait, you kept them?" Ice Elation asked with some confusion.

"Well, of course. Like she said, they're very pretty even if they're not magical, right? And they're still from the depths of the crystal forest. They're pretty valuable, I'd assume," Pine Ponder nodded.

"Well... I... Huh. I should have tried to find some myself," Ice Elation muttered.

"You were focused entirely on the mission. Much more than me, even, despite it being my mission," Pine Ponder shrugged. "And now, I'm going to pay you back for your selflessness. Freezing Point? I heard others saying that you make the ice weapons for the adventurers here. Well, Ice Elation here lost hers during our adventure. For all four of these, and examining the full one, would you make her a new spear?"

Licking her lips, the shamare picked up one of the inert cones. "Well, these are very interesting, but... Then again, I think I know some ponies I could sell a couple to for a good price... Hmmm..."

"I don't need-" Ice Elation began, before Pine Ponder cut her off.

"Just take your just rewards, you goof. You earned it, ten times over. I'm not even giving you anything extra, just replacing what you lost."

"It was a tool. It served its purpose," Ice Elation shrugged.

"And you'll have a new one, uh... However fast shamares make them. If Freezing Point agrees to the deal."

"I'll buy one of those cones," One of the adventurers offered.

"Yeah, me too. I have a few gold nuggets I'd be willing to part with for it," Another said.

That started a flurry of bids, making Freezing Point scrunch her muzzle. "Cut it out, you buzzards, I haven't refused her initial offer yet!"

"Better think fast, then, oh wise mystic!" Shatterhoof laughed.

"Ugh! Fine. I'm sure It won't be a loss, but... I still want to see... Ah, I know!" She exclaimed dramatically, pointing towards Pine Ponder. "I will come with you!"

"Huh?"

"You heard me. What I am interested in most is seeing how you're going to use that thing. And if you're taking it south, then I'm coming with you. That's my price," Freezing Point nodded. "And those other crystal cones, of course."

"Oh! Well, sure. I mean, it's not like it costs me anything if you come along. A shamare might even be a big help during the journey," Pine Ponder shrugged.

"I will, if we can even make it back this season. The sea is freezing already. Instead of kayaking, we might have to trot all the way to Nilas. Or hop and skip across the ice floes."

"No... We need to get back as soon as possible. The forests will die..." Pine Ponder hung her head.

"It's not impossible, but there's a reason why we gather in the warmer islands and almost never travel in winter," Ice Elation said. "Even if we no longer gather to winter in Snowpitt like our kin of old used to do, it doesn't mean that the winters became any less harsh than they used to be."

"So..."

"We'll go," Ice Elation reassured her. "But it won't be pleasant."

"This wasn't exactly a fun trot in the forest so far. I'm sure I can deal with some more unpleasantness."

❅ ❆ ❅

As much as Pine Ponder didn't want to wait, Ice Elation needed to spend at least a couple days resting to allow her wounds to scab over properly, and Freezing Point warned them that she felt the weather starting to act up, anyway. Blizzards weren't anything remotely new to anyone in the three tribes, though the northerners did have the fiercest ones. The next day, she got to see what they referred to as a "whiteout", watching it slack-jawed for a few moments before closing the door with a firm "nope".

The forced inaction gave them plenty of time to talk and plan, though, many of the other adventurers eagerly joining them in their mission and pledging their aid to safely getting Pine Ponder and her precious cargo to the south. They wanted to know what was happening as well, tossing out various theories about dark spirits and strange beasts that could be devouring the southern forest.

In the end, their party grew to eleven ponies, all of them experienced travelers and adventurers, including Freezing Point. The usual stereotype of shamares being strong in spirit but frail in body did not apply to her, the mare clearly enjoying getting some first-hoof experience in adventuring, instead of having other ponies bring bits of magical creatures and plants for her to work with.

Once the winter spirits were done with their furious dance, the now enlarged party set out to the shore. Pine Ponder blinked in surprise at the sight of the once furious sea standing still under a cover of ice as far as the eye could see, while the northerners merely nodded, having expected that. While they did have to dodge a lot of ice floes to get there, now the separate chunks combined into a single, solid sheet.

"Is it... Safe to trot on?" Pine Ponder asked with some trepidation.

"It is. If only you could see how thick some of the chunks are when spring comes and they start breaking up. Either way, I'll be feeling out the ice as we go, so don't worry about that," Freezing Point reassured her.

"Alright. Lead on, I suppose," Pine Ponder nodded, gently tugging at the ropes of a makeshift sleigh.

They didn't really know if they'd have to paddle eventually or not, so they took a number of kayaks with them, as well. Not wanting to waste valuable wood, Freezing Point magicked up a few smooth slabs of ice, freezing several ropes into them and creating a simple way to transport their vessels that she could easily recreate, should they encounter a warm current with clear waters, and then have to travel over ice again.

Doing her best not to think about the fact that she was not even remotely on solid ground, but rather on a comparatively thin and barely noticeable shell over an endless, dark abyss with unknowable, hungry creatures, Pine Ponder followed along her new travelling companions.

Fortunately for them, having a shamare and a bunch of very, very experienced northerners made the journey only brutal, monotonous and punishing, but not actually dangerous. They made their way across the ice, stopping to rest on the various islands along the way, both abandoned and inhabited. Freezing Point was able to warn them in advance when it was time to hunker down and wait, even when there were no signs of a blizzard yet.

Some stretches, they went on hoof, others - in their kayaks, paddling quickly in small channels between massive ice floes, hurrying along before they shifted and slammed against each other. For a couple days, they even rode an ice floe, Freezing Point remarking that it was apparently something the northern shamares liked to do on occasion, though she couldn't really remember who started the tradition.

The inhabitants of the islands greeted them with great respect, feeding and sheltering them at no cost. Most of them remembered Pine Ponder's and Ice Elation's mission when they were going north, and they were very happy to hear that it was a success, marveling at the beauty and the hidden power of the crystal fir cone.

Finally, they made their way to Nilas, Pine Ponder leaning down to hug the solid land while the northerners chuckled. Once they found a place to store their kayaks for a while, they had a brief discussion on what to do next. Some suggested going to Pine Ponder's village right away, while others wanted to go to Snowpitt, since the locals would likely have the most up to date information on how the mission to save the forest progressed. It had been close to two months since they left, after all, and things might have changed.

The thing that decided which way to go was an issue that Pine Ponder had encountered along the way. At first, she was quite careful with the crystal fir cone, but it didn't take her long to notice just how sturdy it was. Incredibly sturdy. She had small metal picks that she could pry open pinecones with that she used to harvest pine nuts and the like, but she was sure she'd break her tools to pieces if she tried. She also knew that pinecones opened by themselves when it was dry, but this one clearly didn't work by the same principles.

"How in the world do I get this to open?" Pine Ponder mused, tapping the cone.

"Smash it with something solid? Like a big boulder?" Shatterhoof suggested.

"I suppose it might be the only way. Shame. I kind of wanted to keep it."

"Perhaps now would be the time to enlist the aid of the traveler spirit. She knows crystals, yes? Perhaps she could open it for you. Less risk of damaging the seeds and letting the magic go to waste," Ice Elation suggested.

"Well, I was only going to open it during the ritual, but that's a great suggestion! I suppose we're going to Snowpitt, then?"

"Snowpitt it is. Let's hope she's there this time," Ice Elation nodded.

"Ooh, I'm sure I can summon her if she's not," Freezing Point suggested. "I had this idea about calling spirits back using their totems, but never really got to use it, since guardian spirits don't usually travel anyway."

"Sounds like a plan. Let's get moving," Shatterhoof nodded.

Author's Note:

Comments

[Wingnut]

c.tenor.com/V6n6v8qdRn0AAAAC/tenor.gif
Fast update!

[MazingerZ]

11852817
Sure was and that art at the end is cute.

[Silver Thread]

I am curious about the crystal firs, and what they are/if they have any mythological basis. And, I expected them to ask, not take :P Of course the forest would be angry at being stolen from.

[Wingnut]

11852863
No mythological basis that I know of. And hey, stealing is great! Many creation myths start with a theft, like Prometheus stealing fire from the gods.
And alas, they truly are snow ponies now, not earth ponies. Communicating with plants is not within their list of capabilities any more, if they even could, with trees that are so strange.

[Bruuuuuuuuh]

11852867
Maybe Agate could have a chat with them
She is the only crystal pony spirit after all

[Oreng Pingvin]

11852817
3 chapters for me in less than a week, and with more than 7 thousand in each and a drawing. Crazy, I like it

It's also quite interesting how the window spears look, I was expecting something like an ice tip, like an icicle

[farfalla2728]

11852817
But was it 'Faster Than Rainbow Dash'?

[BirdsBooksBrownies]

11852863
That was my thought as well. Even if they can't pull an AJ or Fluttershy in literally "talking" to the trees, they could be a variation of Dryads or other tree spirits. And as such asking permission or thanking them properly is of paramount importance. Maybe the spirits would have understood a silent plea of aide towards their arboreal cousins or at least that they meant no harm. But yeah, attacking the trees, breaking branches, would naturally cheese them off.