//------------------------------// // Dreams // Story: The Olden World // by Czar_Yoshi //------------------------------// Thunder rumbled across the sky in a long, slow wave, proceeded by the beginnings of a torrential downpour. It clashed poorly with Maple's awkward smile as she waited for someone... anyone... to say something, be it encouragement or condemnation. But the house was silent. ...Until a high-pitched eeeee began to fade in, building in volume until its source was identifiable as Amber. "Eeeeeyes!" She flew across the table, knocking Maple out of her chair with a hug, eyes radiating an unstoppable force of personality. "Do it. Don't you dare not do it." Maple's apprehension melted like a flower springing up from the ground. "Then you think it's a good idea?" "Wait, what?" Starlight got up, a hoof held defensively across her chest in imitation of the older mares' mannerisms. "Hold on! I told you I wanted to stay here! What are you talking about?" "Only for my sake," Maple answered, regaining her ability to talk. "Now that doesn't matter." "But..." Starlight folded her ears, scuffing the ground. "But what about your friends!?" "I'm inclined to agree with Starlight," Gerardo interrupted, rapping the table. "To be frank, have you lost your mind? You have all the makings of a perfect life right here! Friends, family, peace and stability..." He tilted his head. "Even I, an avowed adventurer to the core, only go to Ironridge on a mission. Whatever do you even hope to accomplish there?" Amber darted across the table, getting firmly in both protesters' lines of sight. "You two, listen to me. We wanted to go to Ironridge, to see the world outside Riverfall. It was our dream. And if one of us has an opportunity to go... even if it's only one of us... it is worth it. It's worth it all the way." "We'll see her again, of course," Willow broke in to say. "I don't think you would be moving there. That was never what we planned, ten years ago. Even if you did find somewhere else worth living, I'm sure you'd come back some day?" "Of course." Maple nodded vigorously. "It wouldn't be goodbye forever. I couldn't turn my back on you for the rest of my life, no matter what I found." "Erm..." Gerardo's headcrest drooped, the griffon slightly put out. "You can't mean to say you wish to go purely as a sightseeing tour or a vacation..." Amber grumbled. "When you put it that way, it makes it sound silly." Maple, however, vehemently shook her head. "It's not about that at all. I don't have anything specific I want to do, and that's the problem! What would I do if I stayed in Riverfall forever, and never left? Sit around and watch Starlight get old? Maybe help some ponies pack a few boxes for moving between houses?" She sighed loudly at the floor. "What I want to do in Ironridge is find something to do with myself. I have a brand... er, cutie mark. It just doesn't make sense that I could have that and yet not have anything to do with my life! Not when they're so rare..." "Ah." Gerardo sat back down, turning to his abandoned cider. "You want to make a difference in the world, but have no idea how... only the knowledge that you can't do so here. Is that it?" "Yes. And I'm not alone." Maple's eyes shone back at him, glowing with determination. "That's the way it always used to be in Riverfall. Ponies would come here for peace and quiet, and they would leave when they wanted to do things, to make themselves useful. And right now, I have had it with sitting back and just taking everything that comes my way. I hate being powerless. I want to do something. I always have. And this is my opportunity." Starlight watched the conversation with narrowed eyes. "So you want to go, then? You're not just trying to leave your friends behind because you think it would make me happy?" Maple blinked, looking slightly hurt. "Well, I mean... Starlight, isn't this best for both of us? You told me you wanted to leave. Things in Riverfall aren't going to get any quieter or easier for you. I thought this was what we both wanted!" "But you'll be leaving your friends..." Starlight repeated, tail drooping. "Real friends want what's best for each other," Amber answered, "even if it means not being side-by-side forever. Even if it means living in different cities for a while." Willow nodded from where she sat. "Starlight, this was our dream. Last time, we didn't have any plans either. We just wanted to see the city and the world for the sake of it, to make something of ourselves and learn things and have new experiences. When that failed, well..." She hung her head, then raised it and smiled. "If Maple went now, even without me or Amber, it would be like bringing that dream back to life. The dream that's there, on her flank." Starlight surveyed the room. The three mares were looking at her with identical expressions of hope, pride and thankfulness... and everything they had said made sense, or at least they did to each other. Still, one more question tickled at her brain. "So if we're just going to come back, what's the point in me leaving? Won't that just make me more famous?" "I..." Maple bit her lip. "I guess I didn't think that far ahead. I mean, at least it'll put it off for a while? You'll be the center of attention now, if we stay here. And maybe you'll learn or do something in Ironridge that will make it not as bad anymore?" Finding herself unable to continue protesting, Starlight bit back a sigh, brightening to cheer Maple back up. "Okay. When do we leave?" The mares' faces nearly split from beaming, and even Gerardo Guillaume swatted a speck of dust from his eye. A four-way hug ensued, and didn't stop for at least a minute. When it did, Maple said, "I wanted to see what everyone thought before I made any solid plans. But, I don't see why we couldn't do it tonight?" "If you do," Willow said, "this is the most fitting goodbye dinner I can imagine. Shall we dig in?" She was greeted by a hearty roar of acceptance, mostly backed by Amber and Gerardo with valiant assistance from an already-teary Maple. Eagerly, they dug in. "Rommfff..." Amber crammed another serving of salad down her throat, mouth opening wide to accommodate it all. Willow rolled her eyes at the antics, but did nothing to stop it. A feast deserved to be a feast, after all. "I imagine," Gerardo said between daintier bites, "that it would be useful to inform Arambai of this turn of events as quickly as possible, so that he might prepare? I can notify him myself after dinner, if you wish to spend your time packing instead, miss Maple." Maple smiled cheekily back at him, still elated by her announcement and its acceptance. "Well, I imagine, mister Gerardo, that I'm far more packed than you think I am. Still, that would be very useful, if you don't mind?" Gerardo nodded. "My precious cargo that Starlight saved was left in his care for storage. I'll need, at the very least, to inform him that it is to be moved. On the subject, having additional bodies will make it much easier to transport once we reach the city proper!" "How much is it?" Maple frowned. "I'm already going to be carrying a lot of weight from our supplies, though I am pretty strong... And I don't want to make Starlight carry anything." "Hey!" Starlight narrowed her eyes. "I can manage heavy saddlebags!" "Two crates," Gerardo answered, "each cubical and approximately the length of one pony along each side. Standard issue, the type designed to be easy for earth ponies to carry on their backs. Regrettably, they are not small enough that I can manage both, despite being considerably larger than your average pony." He blinked, and added, "And they're moderately heavy. I don't know what's in them, this being a confidential, anonymous and no-questions-asked type of job." "Speaking of that..." Maple nodded as she ate. "You haven't said all that much about what you'll be doing in Ironridge besides delivery. Is that really it?" "Is it really that these two crates were of great enough importance to justify a trip through a long-dead byway that will not be patrolled over sending them through main air transit routes?" Gerardo lifted an eyebrow. "Whoever is paying my compensation certainly thinks so. Of course, we'll be able to talk all you like about the exact details during the ride. If the maps I obtained are accurate, Ironridge is nearly two hundred miles west of here. Upriver, that will likely be quite the lengthy ride." "What are you getting in compensation?" Willow asked, nibbling at a slice of bread. Gerardo's headcrest drooped. "I regret to say that I'd rather not say, if it's alright with you? At least, not until it is safely within my talons. Safe to say that I do not consider it a laughing matter, and will feel much better divulging potentially sensitive information once I have what I want and know nothing further can go awry because of it." "Yeah, sure." Amber shrugged. "If you're still hanging around with Maple and Starlight when they get back, though, definitely remember to show it to me, okay?" "There is a nonzero chance I will find myself passing back through Riverfall once my business in Ironridge is completed," Gerardo replied. "Granted, that will likely be in a matter of days rather than months or years, and I'm unsure if your friends will be ready to cut their adventure so short. But, consider it a possibility." Amber slapped a hoof to her chest. "Consider it considered!" Then she dove at a slice of pineapple, attacking it with gusto. As they continued to eat and laugh, a solitary figure watched from the staircase. Willow was the first to notice him, and waved. "Hello, Faron. Care to join us for dinner? It's special..." The stallion blinked, and descended to the floor, pacing closer to the table one hoofstep at a time. "You're really leaving Riverfall? And going to Ironridge? And Arambai is letting you?" "Uhhh..." Maple fumbled with a utensil, caught off-guard by Faron's dull, uncelebratory tone of voice. "Yes, we are. Myself, Starlight, and Gerardo. I asked Arambai, and he said it was okay." Faron stopped, sighing with a heavy note of bitterness. "Then times must be changing. I don't deserve it, but can I request a favor while you're there? Only if it's convenient, of course." Amber's eyes narrowed in concern. "What's eating you? You're not usually this talkative..." "I asked them," Faron replied dully. "They're the ones who are going." "I..." Gerardo tapped a talon to the table, contemplating. "I don't see why not? Name your boon, sir Faron, and if reasonable, I shall fulfill it to the best of my ability." "I'm curious what this is about as well," Maple added, leaning forwards across the table. "In the Earth District," Faron muttered, voice quiet and head minimally raised to maintain eye contact without bowing. "In an area called Gnarlbough. You'll know it by the houses, which look like hills in the ground. Go to this address." He lit his horn, floating over a small scrap of paper with something scrawled on it. Maple caught it and tucked it away. "Find the ponies that live there," he continued. "I don't know if they still do. You'll know they're the right ones if they remind you of someone familiar. And if you do, tell them... tell them I'm sorry." Gerardo squinted. "No offense, but that is incredibly vague and mysterious. Might I ask for clarification? A motive, perhaps? At least some better means of identification?" "I can't," Faron said simply. "Again, I apologize. There's one other thing, though. It isn't a request, just advice. If you're in Sosa, stay away from the graveyard at night." Eyes widened all across the table, but Faron gave no further explanation, retreating to the stairwell and climbing, the sound of his hooves against metal the only break in the silence. "OoOoOoOoOo!" Amber waggled her forelimbs. "Spooky!" Gerardo shrugged. "Graveyards at night do tend to be favored haunts of practitioners of foul magic. Grave robbers, as well, and even hideouts for bandits! Once again, would it kill him to be a little less vague?" He sighed, and turned back to his meal with a flopped headcrest. "Ah, well. As a connoisseur of heroic cliches and all the trappings that come with them, I can't say I haven't faced worse. We'll simply have to make a note to avoid any tombs we happen to run across, shan't we?" "I suppose we shall!" Maple smiled, in a successful effort to lighten the mood. Soon, the room was returned to its former festivity, five friends sitting around a table and talking about the future. Outside, the rain continued. Farther away, above the canopy and above the clouds, the sun began to set, time ticking away until they would be called to the docks to depart.