//------------------------------//
// Evening Reunion 
// Story: The Olden World 
// by Czar_Yoshi 
//------------------------------//

With a soft hiss, the door to Kero's old house reacted to Starlight's will and slid open, beckoning her and her friends inside. The room lit automatically, bathing Kero's furniture in a warm, encompassing light as if power shortages were nothing more than a bad dream. Starlight stopped beside the entrance, watching as everyone else walked in.

"Hooray, we're back!" Amber limply pumped a hoof, collapsing on the artsy couch with all four limbs in the air. "Well, that was interesting. Looks like the others aren't here?"

Maple paced over to a prim, tidy-looking table that was good for a vase and nothing more. "There's a note from Valey," she said, preparing to paraphrase. "It says they figured out everything they needed to and were going to the mercenary base to hang out, and would be back later tonight."

Shinespark shrugged. "It's later tonight now. We spent a long time down there. Sorry if I kept us for ages, but ancient magic like that is something I enjoy."

"I think all of us enjoyed it," Willow added. "I know I found it interesting, but Ironridge is already so far from the world I know, I'm afraid it wasn't as special to me as it could have been. I'd probably be just as impressed by anything else in this city."

"I sure know how you feel," Amber muttered, laying on her back. "We just saw a buried magical castle! Like, how amazing is that?" She grinned. "I've never seen that before. I've also never seen houses made from stone or metal before. Like, this room right here is... woah. You know?"

Maple nodded. "It's kind of overwhelming. Everything seems special, so you can't tell what's truly special, or-"

Amber cut her off as she passed by with a foreleg to the shoulder. "That's because everything is special, doofus." She motioned with her tail for Maple to stop pacing and join her on the couch. "We're three friends from a backwater town out seeing the big, wide world for the first time! What's not special about that? This whole trip is... Well, you had a bad experience, but that's why we're doing it right. Everything should be enjoyable."

"We're glad you had fun," Rainstorm interrupted, standing next to Bourbon in the open doorway. "Are you going to stay here for the night? If so, we'll head back to our own quarters and see you again in the morning. It's getting late, and we both need dinner."

"Oh, dinner sounds wonderful," Amber groaned. "What is there to eat in a place like this? There's gotta be food in Skyfreeze, right? They wouldn't make you go all the way back to the Stone District, would they?"

Starlight shook her head. "I was blind when I was here the first time, but I know Valey went through a place with a sandwich shop. There's food somewhere."

"There's also room service!" Bourbon helpfully announced, nudging open a drawer in an ornamental table and withdrawing a laminated pamphlet. "If you put one of these cards outside your door to show what you want, a staff pony will see when they walk by and bring it to you. It's not as fast as going to get it yourself, but it's very convenient."

"Huh." Amber smirked. "And that's free? Well, since we're here to live the good life..."

"Not free," Rainstorm corrected. "But Arambai is running the city now, and you're here on his invitation, so any expenses you incur will be covered by the city budget. Besides, Kero's will left you an entire safe full of griffon money, and there are money changers on the ground floor and by the skyport tunnels who will convert that to Ironridge currency if you want to provide for yourselves."

Willow nodded. "Let's do that, then," she decided, getting a look of approval from Maple and a shrug from Starlight. Rainstorm and Bourbon both waved, disappearing out the door.

Starlight climbed up on the couch next to Maple, leaving Willow to take a single plush chair. "Hmmph," she said, leaving the door open in case Valey and Gerardo showed up.

"Hmmph?" Maple asked.

"Just tired," Starlight muttered. "It took a lot of walking to get to the crystal palace."

"And flying," Maple added. "Everything was dark and without power, and slightly flooded from melting snow."

Amber scooted slightly, making more room for Maple and Starlight on the couch. "They probably have pumps or something to keep it from flooding when the power's on. I bet those are all dead, now."

Starlight flicked an ear. "Or all the water evaporated when everything was on because it was so hot down there."

"It was cooler, wasn't it...?" Maple hummed. "The pipes in the tunnels probably weren't full of steam to heat everything up, this time."

"Speaking of heating things up, should we see what kind of hot food they have on order?" Amber glanced across to the menu cards Bourbon had left by the door, and Starlight obligingly floated them over. "Huh." Her face scrunched, reading them. "I haven't even heard of half of these."

"I wouldn't mind picking something exotic," Willow volunteered, nodding gamely. "Maple? Did you try anything last time in Ironridge you liked?"

Maple thought. "I mostly ate mangoes Valey stole from the Earth District," she answered with a sigh. "There was that breakfast Shinespark hosted, though I was thinking about other things at the time..."

Shinespark nodded. "A little hard for me to think about that, too, still. Can I see that menu? And how well do you like spicy things?"

Willow shrugged. "I'm happy to try new things."

"Maybe some comfort food for me, if they have it?" Maple looked hopeful.

"Bring it on!" Amber grinned wickedly. "Like... not maximum, though. But show me what Ironridge can do."

Starlight jumped when she realized Shinespark was looking at her. "I'll have what Maple's having," she decided noncommittally.

"Having? What are we having?" Valey's voice sounded from the door, causing everyone to look up.

"Valey!" Amber cheered. "And Gerardo! You guys are back!"

"Indeed we are," Gerardo greeted, touching his brow and wearing a pained look. "I hope we're not intruding?"

Maple shook her head. "Deciding what to have for dinner. You're welcome to join us."

"Hey, are you okay?" Amber asked, rolling upright and looking at Gerardo in concern. "You look a little uncomfortable."

Valey smirked. "Yeah, basically that Harshwater chick was the one who did in Birdo when we were fighting on the elevator, and she was like, 'Want a rematch?' and he was all 'Yo, bird, I'm down,' and they fought a bunch. Brutally and for honor and all that. He got a little roughed up."

Gerardo frowned. "I got a few good licks in, as the saying goes..."

Valey rolled her eyes. "And you also messed up your wing enough that me and her had to haul you back to the tower since you didn't feel up to flying yourself. Whatever floats your boat, I guess."

"Fighting for fun?" Amber grinned. "Wish I could have seen that. Maybe Maple, too. Probably would be good, after all the stuff that happened last time."

"Yeah, I just spectated, and I enjoyed it." Valey tossed her mane, her gifted flash club sitting atop her back. "For some reason all those dudes are afraid to fight me, though. I wonder why."

Amber chuckled, leaning back. "Yeah, who would be scared of a cutie like you?"

"Ahem..." Gerardo cleared his throat, glancing at Shinespark, who was watching with a strange expression.

"Yes, what do you want to order?" Shinespark hovered the cards over near Gerardo and Valey. "Everyone's hungry, so let's do this quickly."

Gerardo plucked one out of the air with keen interest. "Ah, wonderful! They have Griffish cuisine? If I missed my homeland terribly, I would never have left, but it is quite refreshing to have a taste of my own culture every once in a while..."

Valey's eyes widened as she stared at the card catalogue. "They have something called a Fruit Medley Supreme? Ohhh ho ho ho..." She hovered and rubbed her forehooves together. "Hello, Ironridge, why yes, I do have a sweet tooth..."

"Fabulous." Gerardo quickly swept everyone's choices from Shinespark with his good wing, striding towards the still-open door to post them. "I'll just leave these here..."

"Hey!" an unfamiliar voice echoed the moment he stepped outside. "You're not Kero..."

"Oh, hello!" Gerardo glanced to the side, eyes widening at someone out of sight, prompting Starlight to get up and trot over. "Greetings. My name is Gerardo Guillaume, griffon adventurer extraordinaire, and myself and my friends have inherited this estate. We were just putting in a request for dinner. Who might you be?"

Starlight rounded the door to see another griffon standing further down the hallway. She was dusky gray, with pink highlights on her wingtips and crest that might have been dyed, and stood about a head shorter than Gerardo in stature, though part of that was due to her sassy posture. She wore a well-pressed business suit that was completely open down the front, a set of saddlebags made of glossy black briefcases, and a tipped-back boater hat with a ribbon that matched her eyes. Starlight wasn't the best judge of griffon ages, but she clearly wasn't elderly.

"Glisette," she said, extending a gray talon for Gerardo to shake. "Looks like I finally get to stop being the sole sane resident of the ambassador wing in this place. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

Shinespark showed up in the door behind Starlight. "You're the griffon ambassador?"

"Yeah," Glisette answered, narrowing her eyes and fingering her chin. "I know you... You're the Sosan leader who was occasionally in the news for doing stuff in the lower districts, aren't you? Sorry about your home, if you are."

Shinespark exhaled. "Formerly. Should I invite you in? We're having a little housewarming party tonight. Ordering dinner."

Glisette smiled apologetically. "Listen, I'd really love to, but there are thirteen cargo ships and five passenger freighters that all arrived from the Empire after the skyport went down, and it's my presence that keeps the captains and crews from freaking out and saying it's the end of the world. Bunch of chickens, really. I wish they'd hurry up and get some way for ships to resupply so they can leave this place, but apparently a bunch of expensive equipment got irreplacably damaged, and the equipment to make that equipment got washed away in Sosa, and no one can leave the city to request that someone else ship more in, and blah blah excuses..." She rolled her eyes. "But I'll find a way to make time. Tomorrow, or the day after. Anyway, gotta run. See ya!"

She dashed off with a tip of her hat, rounding the corner to the staircase with feline grace, and was gone.

"Well," Gerardo remarked, "Pleasant to know we have a pleasant neighbor, mmm?"

Shinespark shrugged. "She sounded a little bit clueless about things outside of Skyfreeze, but that's the case with most diplomats, I guess. She's probably busier worrying about the relations between Ironridge and the Empire than she is worrying about Ironridge internal affairs. Though without airships, we may have brought that relationship to a halt..."

"Eh, think happy thoughts." Valey cupped a wing around her back and dragged her back inside, motioning for Gerardo and Starlight to follow. "We'll have dinner soon, right?"

Amber nodded gratefully. "I know I'm starving. Who was that? Someone said the griffon ambassador?"

"Sounded like it." Valey shrugged. "I've ran into her a few times, but never really interacted. She seems to mind her own business instead of poking into everything in the city like Yakyakistan's psychopath. Probably a cool cat. I just figured if she leaves me alone, I'll leave her alone. No sense in making enemies with a place that calls itself an empire, right?"

Maple nodded in hearty agreement. "I think I've made enough enemies to last myself a lifetime."

Valey glanced at the ceiling. "Eh, you get used to it. And you'll probably make more, simply because someone in Riverfall is bound to get jealous that you get to come here twice. Hey, speaking of which, how'd your little trip go? On our end, we figured stuff out, have a good idea of what's what, and basically everything's handled and no sweat about Kero."

"That's good," Maple sighed. "It was... tiring. I had forgotten how far it was to the palace, but once we got there, and to the tree, it was..." She hummed wistfully. "I think I just took a long nap. Starlight said I did. She was down there with me while everyone else played with that table. I dreamt that everything was nice..."

"Oh hey, you had fun with that table too?" Valey grinned. "Cool. I spent hours just watching that thing spin. No idea why it does that, but whatever proto-magical being made it work like that is a genius. Probably just wanted a toy to amuse themselves. Hey, was the eleventh dot back, by the way?"

All three Riverfall mares and Shinespark frowned in confusion.

"Eh, probably means not." Valey shrugged. "Doubt it's important anyway."

"You took a nap, though?" Amber glanced at Maple and Valey. "What did Starlight do? She was down there with you the whole time, wasn't she?"

Starlight looked away. "I tried to take a nap too, but eventually didn't feel like it. So I decided since my magic doesn't get tired there, I would practice with it."

Valey pursed her lips in interest. "Practice, huh?"

"I tried your armor spell idea," Starlight said. "It's really hard, since I have to point my horn straight at something to crystal it. But I found a way to get my chest covered where I fire and then immediately teleport into my shot. You'd probably think it's cool, but it's hard enough making that many crystals already, so I'll never be able to use it."

"Crystal armor?" Amber grinned. "What's this?"

"Eh, an idea we worked on." Valey smirked, turning and taking a chair of her own. "Anyway, wow, this place looks a lot nicer without the decorations. Think you'll be able to sleep here, knowing it's the former lair of the world's most self-absorbed griffon?"

Maple smiled gently. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it..."