Two of the celestial spirits, Pictor and Horologium, were acting strange…

True, Moonjumper never had had the pleasure of speaking to any of their kind and, for the most part, they did what they wanted; however, he'd been in the Horizon for so long that he knew some of their behaviors. Suddenly appearing in the Horizon's all-consuming sky only to race away over another part of his domain was definitely out of the ordinary.

The phantom prince glided along his palace's outer walls, looking out over the now thriving landscape of his home. Everything looked okay from afar. Still, maybe he needed to focus his sight on the ground, cast his all-seeing spell among the trees or even to the mostly vacant streets below.

One of the red Dwellers returning from guard duty at the Alpine Skyline waypoint drifted overhead and he waved them over, "Have you spotted anything unusual?"

A light tenor answered him as the ghost shook his head, "No, Your Highness. My shift went off without a hitch. Should we be on the lookout for anything in particular? I could take a message to the next guard if you'd like."

Moonjumper considered it. He didn't want to worry his subjects over nothing though and shook his head, briefly bidding the other specter on their way. No, first, he would see to whatever might be happening on his own. Moving to the greater seclusion of one of the towers, he braced himself and concentrated. Little by little, his eyes searched throughout his territory.

The Horizon wasn't at all like Hat Kid remembered. According to what she witnessed in a trapped Dweller's storybook, the waypoint should've spit them out somewhere across the ravine from Moonjumper's kingdom—in the middle of a flat, dry, and dusty landscape. Instead, the trio found themselves surrounded by a forest of blues teeming with iridescent, ethereal 'life.' It could've been an extension of the woods just past the town; however, most of the trees were too young and there was far more undergrowth to wade through.

For a moment, she was worried if they were even in the right place. The Horizon was huge, practically endless. She'd only explored a small fraction of it before: They could be several kilometers away from where they meant to go and not realize it within the wide stretch of empty void that made up the realm's atmosphere.

There were new spirits they had to face as well. Bending low at the sign of movement, Hat Kid watched a tiny, mushroom-capped figure idly shamble by along the forest floor before noticing her attention. It froze, then jumped in place to burrow the lower half of its body into the ground. The young alien then had a sudden flashback to one of her last talks with the phantom ruler, when he'd given her the last Time Piece she needed before leaving the realm last time:

"Some of my guard captured it from a few of the nature sprites entering the realm. They're several weeks early, actually… These things can happen if they've dealt with a drastic change in their environment. It can confuse them."

Nature sprites… She straightened herself back up, taking another look around. She already knew that Moonjumper could manipulate the Horizon as he saw fit, but had they done all of this in the short weeks since their fight? It was amazing…

And it also reminded her of the danger they'd be in if they caught him when he was still in a bad mood. She didn't see the red ribbons that had guided her way from the goats' territory to the town before. Hat Kid picked one of the tallest trees nearby and rapidly climbed it. The forest was so wide that it was still hard to see, but she thought she spotted the town's stone walls just at the cusp of her vision. A ghostly red blur flying overhead—which she quickly hid herself from—only confirmed that they were indeed in the right place.

She dropped back down to rejoin the others, "We're not too far away. Let's see if we can find a trail."

Heeding her friend's stories, Bow Kid already had put on her Dweller Mask, reminding Hat to do the same. Looking at Kit, a new worry fell over her. The fox woman didn't have one. Normally, as a spiritual being, she wouldn't need it, but there was no telling how the Horizon's power would affect her. Acting as a kind of limbo, the realm would often send visions to its mortal occupants as a way of helping them let go of whatever weighed them to their former lives—and Kit had a lot of baggage to manage. It wasn't a bad thing if it helped, but they didn't have time for her to run away from illusions.

For the moment though, Kit seemed content. Her golden eyes shown with wonder at their surroundings and she busied herself by picking the fruit off a cluster of plants at their feet, "I can't remember the last time I had strawberries!" she cooed. No doubt thanks to the Horizon's ether though, these were blue instead of their usual, ruby color. She plopped one of the bulbs into her mouth, ears flicking and tail swishing, humming in delight.

She certainly was in much better spirits compared to her fearful, albeit still curious, attitude towards Subcon—probably because this was her first time seeing a place filled with so much light beyond the Fireland's eternal flames. The Horizon was admittedly a mythical place, but if she responded like this to being here who knew how she would react if she ever saw the sun again after countless years.

Hat Kid exhaled in relief. Based on her own experiences, the visions only came when she was alone with little else to distract her. So long as they made sure to keep Kit at their side and their focus on the task at hand, maybe it wouldn't matter that she didn't have a mask to protect her.

Kit's berry-picking also reminded the girl of another fact about the Horizon: Its ether was dangerous to the living. Prolonged exposure would make her and Bow sick before inevitably turning them into ghosts unless they ate the realm's food. Taking a few berries from Kit, she shared them with Bow. They each helped themselves to a few hearty bites.

"So, where to?" her friend asked, adjusting the straps of her pack.

"Let's see if we can find the snow women first," Hat offered. With all of these other spirits moved in, she hoped they hadn't left the realm. Maybe it wasn't the best option if Vanessa was indeed closing in, but she hadn't figured out what to even say to Moonjumper yet and their territory was probably closer from where they were anyway. Maybe they could find a place to cross over the ravine via the floating rocks she'd used before. She pointed further into the woods with her umbrella, "Let's go that way for now."

The group started to look for a path, but the area was so overgrown that it was hard to navigate through. It wasn't long either before any of them spotted their first true obstacle: A vivid, red eye manifested along the bark of one of the older trees. Hat was quick to drag herself and Bow out if its field of vision as it flickered around. Kit needed no warning, startling back like a deer at the strange and unnerving apparition.

Fortunately, it didn't stick around long, but it did still mean that Moonjumper and his subjects were watching. Hat Kid grimaced. Maybe he's increased his guard since last time. It's not like she'd ever planned on coming back, especially so soon, but he could've even been specifically looking for her. She hoped not…

From that point forward, they walked through the maze of foliage with a cautious tread. A thick wall of briars tried to cut their path, and Hat stopped Kit from igniting it for now. A fire definitely would draw attention to themselves. Instead, she and Bow used some of the radiant mushrooms to bound over while the fox woman took to the trees to get across.

Anywhere that they couldn't jump over the mess of undergrowth, they tried swinging over instead, using Kit's whip and the girls' hookshots to cling to some of the low-hanging branches. The deeper they went in, the more spirits they found. The majority of them were green sprites that, similar to their lightning counterparts, were small with often slightly humanoid forms and indistinguishable faces. They mimicked the surrounding flora; capped with mushroom tops, crowned with flowers, or coated with wide leaves.

Other spirits included half-submerged shoots in the earth that they had to avoid stepping on; sleeping creatures whose wood-carved eyes would fly open as they made an infantile scream whenever they were disturbed. Most jarring were the bushes that came to life before their eyes. In the distance, a little off-course, the two girls thought they'd heard an odd purring sound come from one or two of them. They worst though were the large, viny bundles that would suddenly come to life and try to drag either child into their waiting maw of coiled branches. When they did, Hat and Bow would quickly wriggle free and lash out at the carnivorous plants before they could chomp down on them, Kit anchoring them back with her own weapon.

There was no telling where they all came from—possibly from all across the planet, or at least whichever hemisphere was headed into its colder seasons. Either way, it was the most Hat Kid had seen all gathered in one place. She wondered if any of them might've once frequented Subcon at some point in its distant past. If they did, it was likely the miasma keeping them away now, the powerful gloom too great for them and their wild gardens to push back against.

All the while as they traveled, the trio had to avoid more of Moonjumper's spying eyes. Sometimes they peered from the bark of trees as before; other times they were imprinted on stones before burning away. Sometimes all they had to do was wait for them to fade before racing past; other times those stubborn stares lingered for so long that they would have to find another way to slip around them.

Eventually though, they managed to reach the ravine. It appeared without warning behind the veil of greenery, and if the trio had been in a thoughtless rush, they might've tumbled down into its abyss. As it was, they had to walk for a little while longer before finding a way across.

The floating rocks Hat Kid remembered were now covered in a thick cascade of plant-life that acted as a natural bridge. It made it easier for them to get across, but it left them out in the open. There was a cluster of some greenery similar to a giant butterbur growing not far from them. Kit's glowing form would be hard to hide, but Hat and Bow plucked two of the leaves to cover themselves out of view from any passing Dwellers.

They weren't far away now: The young alien could already see the snowfall on the other side, meaning the snow women had to still be around. Compared to most of the other nature spirits, they must've made the Horizon their permanent home. It can't be easy, being born from ice, a small part of her thought with sympathy. Based on what she'd seen from space, there weren't too many places on the planet where it already stayed bitterly cold year-round and any hint of warm weather seemed to make them recoil.

There was still a small piece of forest left before they reached the supernaturals' territory. This was where Hat Kid at last found a familiar trail and where they caught a small group of nature sprites rolling a Time Piece to one another in some kind of game. They were easy to chase off, the young girl ripping the hourglass away from them and tucking it in her backpack while they scattered in different directions.

They found the snow women resting along a fallen log, lounging around and brushing their hair with elongated fingers—just as callous and carefree as ever. At the sight of the children, they lifted themselves up with happy surprise. At the sight of their fiery companion, however, they quickly sank back down with displeasure. Despite their angry pouts, Hat Kid was doubly glad she thought to bring the fox woman along now. Their possessive gazes concerned her, and while she was undoubtedly still 'marked' by the fire spirits, she'd likely lost Moonjumper's added protection. Kit's presence kept Bow safe as well.

Her only worry was that they might turn aggressive, but while they did glare with fury at the snow melting unwittingly under Kit's feet, they didn't turn aggressive. They wouldn't risk becoming nothing more than slush themselves. The fox woman, who knew nothing about their state as natural enemies and was too oblivious to truly notice, tried to offer them a friendly wave and was snubbed at in turn. The wintry wraiths looked at the girls instead.

"So, the little snowdrop actually came back," began one, suspicion in her eyes, "And you brought… friends, with you."

"We thought our dear Moon finally locked you away to keep all to himself," said another.

"I can see why, if she keeps this kind of heated company."

Only the blatant insult jarred Kit enough for her to at last muster some outrage right back. Clenching her fists at her side, she sputtered and open her mouth to fire a retort herself only for Bow Kid to stop her by taking her hand in a calming way. Now was not the time to make enemies.

Hat Kid took the lead, cutting right to the chase, "We need your help. Vanessa is turning Subcon Forest into a frozen wasteland! She's left the manor and is heading this way!"

A whole range of emotions fell over the trio of snow women. The first set of reactions were expected: Pride and bewilderment. Of course they were undoubtedly thrilled to hear that Vanessa was working hard to cast the forest into an early, cursed winter—it was an act after their own, frozen hearts. If anything, they'd probably normally join her side if they thought she'd let them, so why bring the matter to their attention at all? The smug, snickering looks on their faces asked the two children why they thought they would even consider coming to their aid?

Then the full weight of what Vanessa's actions meant dawned on them. In seconds, one by one, they each silently came to terms with that Hat Kid had already realized. She left the manor to find her prince: She was coming for Moonjumper—their Moon. Did they really care? Maybe not. After all, Vanessa and her prince's story had been a good source of entertainment for them for a long while. This kind of action was worth watching play out. However, the Horizon's ruler had done a good job tending to every spirit's needs since he arrived there. Vanessa stealing him away, or at least her attempt to do so, would disturb their charmed life in the realm. That was probably bad…

The snow women's final display of emotion, concern, was the most jarring. They never acted with genuine concern for anyone; even their regard for Moonjumper existed solely because he was a plaything to them, a puppet acting out his role in a very good show. This was different. They looked to each other, brows scrunched, as they conversed in mute words. Their expressions asked the obvious: Why had Vanessa suddenly been stirred from her centuries of isolation, and how did she know where to find Moonjumper or even where the Subcon's waypoint was?

But they didn't question any of that openly. The trio seemed to come to their own, quiet conclusions before turning to face Hat and Bow again. They didn't look any less troubled, "Have you seen her? Was anyone with her?"

What…? Now it was the two aliens turned to be confused. Hat shook her head and glanced over to Bow who mimicked the gesture, "No! No, we haven't seen her yet: She's pushing the ice ahead of her."

The answer also gave them no relief. Besides them or her statues, who in their right mind would side with the queen? They looked at each other again, but quickly began to stifle their inner thoughts. Whatever they believed was happening, they clearly weren't willing to share their theory.

"You haven't seen any strangers in that forest?"

"No…" Although that was hard to say since the forest already had so many 'strange' creatures living there.

"When did she start moving?"

"Only a few days ago. Everyone's trying to push her back, but we want all the help we can get," she pressed, "You said you three and Vanessa were practically one and the same, right? Please, you have to know something we can do to stop her!"

Hat Kid expected that they'd want to bargain: They'd want her to give or do something for their amusement in return. This, their stern silence, was as unexpected as it was disconcerting. Their plain answer made the bad feeling twisting in her gut all the worse.

One of them sank further in their seat in the snow, more defeated now than relaxed, "Hmm… we really hate admitting it, snowdrop, but Vanessa is stronger than the three of us."

"How?"

"It's because of her humanity. Human beings—and most mortals—are tied to the earth, whereas we are born of pure snow," the third spirit explained, a small hint of pride returning in her tone before she continued, "Any mortal being transformed by spiritual power still maintains some of that natural affinity, like… that thing…" Here, she pointed to Kit with disgust. "She is earth and fire, while our sister is earth and ice. That is what makes her stronger, at least to what would normally threaten us."

Hat Kid felt her heart rise to her throat. Was that true? Was Vanessa even stronger than they thought? If that was the case, were they gathering all of the spirits for nothing? Would the fire spirits really be able to keep her ice back? She bit her lip firmly, shaking off those thoughts. No, Snatcher had hold her off for all these years practically alone. They had their own advantages.

Bow stepped up, "There must be something you can do."

"We will not help you," they dismissed, "nor will we hinder you. Whether she knows it or not, she is as good as any of our own."

"Besides, this sounds like an interesting turn of events. Sisters, I say we wait until the show is over before we act."

They giggled lightly to one other, but it didn't contain its usual tinge of venom. They almost sounded nervous. No matter what the girls argued though, their minds were made up. No amount of warnings, begs, or bribes could deter them.

So, they were forced to turn back, setting their sights on the ghost town in the distance.