//------------------------------//
// Helping One 
// Story: The Olden World 
// by Czar_Yoshi 
//------------------------------//

Maple sat in the darkness of the conference room, no light from Braen's horn shining to brighten it. It wasn't pitch-black, though, a soft gray blanket of illumination filtering in from somewhere... The broad window further into the warehouse, she realized. It was light enough that she could see her hooves and the table and make out the boxes stacked against the room wall, but dark enough that Starlight's nap continued, undeterred.

Having nothing to busy herself with, she stared out the window, lost in thought. The warehouse's cavernous interior housed walkways, hanging pipes, and innumerable shadows that could have been independent or all part of one gigantic structure. It was the ceiling that was letting in light, she realized; despite its hopefully-sound construction the walls were slightly brighter near the tops. She couldn't make out rain trailing past, and either way hoped she wouldn't have to deal with the likely-drafty interior. The conference room seemed to have trapped jungle heat from earlier, though even it was slightly below the temperature a drying pony would most appreciate.

Images of Riverfall drifted across her mind, of Willow's serenity and Amber's smiling face, and of Arambai's mysterious ways. She thought of all the times she had been to his house in the past week, seeking his help or advice or for something to do with Starlight, and sighed at the memory of his machines. His teleporter, with which Starlight had once tried to escape, and subsequently been knocked unconscious... How long ago had that even been?

Arambai had been mystified by the malfunction Starlight gave the device, she remembered. They had been back later, and he had wanted to perform further testing. It had produced the same result, providing a power surge before resetting the fatigue on her horn... and Maple had resolved not to tell her, worrying what the filly would do against scientific evidence that she worked differently from everyone else. Arambai had speculated the power was due to her being from Equestria... the Plains of Harmony.

In the end, what did it matter? Starlight hadn't complained about cutie marks for what felt like years... though was more accurately the two days they had been in Ironridge. Was it still something she cared about? Maple looked down at the filly's cuddled form, her wet mane softly rising and falling with her breath, the distinctive teal stripes impossible to make out in the darkness. Of course Starlight cared. She just... had other things to worry about more, didn't she?

Maple sighed, shifting in the chair she had taken up. She certainly had other things to worry about, even if worrying didn't seem to do any good. Howe was out of the picture, it seemed, and once again she and Starlight were in the hooves of a pony they had no choice but to trust... though Braen at least claimed to be a friend of a friend of a friend. Idly, she produced the sound stone in her hooves and turned it over, but it was dull and unpowered. What even had happened to Valey? Was it possible Howe really had done something to take her out of play?

Dryly, she licked her lips... when a blue light shone under the door crack, and a hasty hoof shoved it open. "Braen," a cross voice panted, "are you...?"

It was Shinespark, breathing heavily and covered in mud. "Oh." Slowly, she took in Maple and Starlight sitting in the darkness. "It's you guys." She tried to manage a smile with her small mouth, and half-succeeded. "I got... the 'come here now' alarm, and... was it for you?" Her brow furrowed. "What are you even doing here? I don't remember telling you about this place. I thought you were just going to wait in Grand Acorn."

"It's a long story," Maple murmured from her chair. "Braen was here, but she left to take care of a pegasus who was with us. I think you met him? His name was Howe? And she was supposed to be here, right?"

"Yes, I remember him..." Shinespark largely ignored them, scanning the boxes by the wall.

"Looking for these?" Maple held up her stack of partially-used towels. "There should still be some clean ones..."

"Yes! Thanks." Shinespark eagerly seized them, applying them liberally with telekinesis to her face, mane and legs. "Running here in a rainstorm is the worst. I'd get that road fixed up, if it wouldn't tip ponies off something important was here... ugh..." She blinked, tossing the towels aside. "Why is it so dark in here? Didn't Braen turn the lights on for you, or anything?" Her aura stretched across the room, throwing a switch and causing a clean yellow manalight to snap to life.

"Nnnnngh..." Starlight groaned, rolling over in Maple's grip.

"Because Starlight was sleeping," Maple whispered, holding her close. "Oh well. I guess that won't last for long. Shinespark, do you mind explaining what's going on here? Because we're kind of confused."

"Oh! Sorry..." Shinespark grinned sheepishly. "Should I leave it off? Or keep my voice down, then?"

"I'm awake," Starlight growled.

"Okay! Okay." Shinespark shook, trying to dry her short mane. "In that case, yes, I can explain anything. Last two questions from me first, though. Are we alone, and is there anything else you need to do?"

"I don't think anyone else is here," Maple answered. "And all we need to do is get back home, to Riverfall. Err..." Her ears folded. "Well, we promised someone in Gnarlbough we'd visit again in the morning. So we can't leave tonight, even if this is where the ferry leaves from."

"The ferry?" Shinespark blinked. "Actually, this is just where we figure out if ponies are ready to go. There's no water here to get the boat up with; we use a downstream dock that's out of sight. That's fine, though. So." Throwing down a towel on a chair for safety, she sat down, folding her muddy hooves. "What do you need explained? Everything?"

"Everything would be very welcome." Maple nodded. "First, though, who is Braen? Is she really on your side? And you're on our side, right?"

"One hundred percent." Shinespark's smile was earnest, leaving Maple with no doubt she was telling the truth. "And Braen is definitely on our side. As for who she is... it'll be easier to show you when she gets back. Trust me on this. It's... something you have to see to believe."

"Okay." Maple swallowed, preparing another question... but suddenly, her mind blanked, and instead of whatever sensible thing she was going to say, she opened her mouth and words poured out, raw and unchecked.

"In Gnarlbough," she began. "When I was in Riverfall, my best friend's husband learned that I was coming to Ironridge. The Sosans there never talk about their pasts, but he asked me to go to Gnarlbough, find a certain address and make sure whoever lived there was all right. It was his former wife; his Ironridge one, who looked exactly like my friend and said he had abandoned her one day without explanation or a trace. She gets money from Sosa, so she isn't poor, but she has twelve foals and no friends and is miserable and overwhelmed. Her house is lawless, and her children do whatever they want. She's so desperate, she found and used a piece of moon glass, not because she wanted a talent but because she was lonely. Why?" Maple took a breath, ears folded, eyes large and watering. "Why do you have a system that tries to help so many ponies... but does so by hurting others?"

Shinespark's face fell further and further as she listened to Maple's lament. When she was finally done, she hung her head and said, "What you saw was one family, Maple. How many families do you think there are in Ironridge who have been pushed over the brink since Sosa fell, twenty years ago? I've personally met with hundreds, who either came to me to petition for help... or I found on my own, while wandering the city. I've tried to help everyone, but there are too many to even come close, and so many take what I have to offer and then fall again. Why do we let ponies go to Riverfall? You saw the sign by the entrance, didn't you? The ponies who come here are usually one step away from..." She closed her eyes. "Something worse. You know."

"No, I don't, actually," Maple replied, voice strengthening. "What I do know is what I saw, and it was unacceptable."

"She's talking about suicide," Starlight grumbled, trying to block her eyes with a hoof. "They don't care what happens to them anymore."

"Yes. That." Shinespark nodded. "Maple, reality in Ironridge isn't pretty. Lots of things happen that are unacceptable, because the ponies who could stop them don't and the ones who want to stop them aren't listened to. We can't just fix everything by waving a hoof, and no matter how many ponies you help, there are always more who need it. It wasn't something I liked learning, but... this is my home, and it would be worse to pretend it wasn't the way it is."

Maple glared. "Is that a way of saying you aren't going to do anything?"

"Would you like to do something?" Shinespark countered. "I'll give you whatever you need to do it. You'd be free to, because society doesn't expect anything of you. I have to be everything to everyone..." Her ears folded. "And sometimes, that means I have to focus on the big picture. But we are doing something. Someday soon..."

Silently, Maple watched, listening.

"...You could also go back to Riverfall, without helping whoever you met," Shinespark offered. "At least you'd be better off. Or, you could help them and then go back... but what about the tens of thousands of other ponies in this city who might need help? You could even dedicate your life to this city and public service, and not be enough. It isn't a problem with an easy answer."

"At the very least, I have a promise to keep," Maple sighed. "When I left Riverfall, I wanted to make a positive difference in the world. Maybe I didn't realize how big the world was, and I'm not trying to be a hero or savior. But even one family makes a difference."

Shinespark nodded. "Then I'll do what I can to help you help them. It sounds like you're doing this nearly as much for your sake as theirs."

Maple said nothing.

"Anyways!" Shinespark brightened, changing the subject. "You'll hopefully be pleased to know I found your griffon friend, Gerardo. He was what called me away in Grand Acorn, actually. He's pretty worried about you. I'm offering him a place to stay in Sosa for tonight, and I imagine you'll want to spend the night here, but tomorrow, you should be able to meet up with each other again!"

"Oh, really?" Maple blinked. "Huh. It feels like I haven't seen him in forever..."

"Does he still talk as much as he used to?" Starlight grumbled.

Shinespark flinched. "He... really likes talking," she admitted. "But he's a good griffon. I'm still going to need to head back to finish talking with him, but I'll ask if he wants to stay around and help us, I think. If you feel like your time in Ironridge doesn't need to be done yet, you'd be in good company for as long as you decide to stay."

"We'll see." Maple's gaze drifted. "I want to help White Chocolate, but this city seems to have it out for me and Starlight. Not that I doubt you, but I'm afraid of whatever will happen next..."

"Really?" Shinespark gave a bemused smile. "I'm actually excited for the next few days. You said you wanted to make a difference, right? To do something positive for the world?"

"I did..." Maple hesitated, wary.

"And Starlight?" Shinespark leaned closer, a loose drop of water falling from her mane. "How about you? I've heard you aren't too fond of places that are unfair for no reason... Ever thought about trying to build a better world yourself?"

Starlight sat up, blinking owlishly. "Maybe."

"Huh!" Shinespark beamed. "Well, we've got something interesting to talk about, then. If you don't mind staying up a little longer, I think it would be worth it to do it tonight... though I need to get cleaned off, and I'd like Braen to get back first." Ruefully, she held up a hoof, which was still caked in mud alongside her chest, tail and most of her belly fur. "And don't worry, we won't ask you to commit to anything."

Stretching in her chair, Maple nodded. "I'll hold you to that."