//------------------------------//
// Living Dream 
// Story: The Olden World 
// by Czar_Yoshi 
//------------------------------//

"I can't believe how fast that went by," Maple said appreciatively, relaxing in a comfy reading chair in the airship's library. "We were there for three days, weren't we? Well, counting this morning and the evening we arrived as full days, but still! That's as long as our previous trip, and that felt twenty times longer..."

Gerardo chuckled, carefully tending to his feathers. "I wouldn't call it that long, but you're more than right. Danger and adventure have ways of warping one's perception of time, be it for the shorter or longer. And we certainly had an adventure, now!"

Amber shook her head. "I think it's more that having fun makes time fly. It's an old adage, right? And if you can call that an adventure, I can call this fun. As many conflicting feelings as I have about Ironridge, I think this is a trip I'll never regret, and remember for the rest of my life."

"It's certainly a turning point in our lives," Willow added. "All of ours. We've seen the world now, even if it's a small corner of it. We can finally say we're not small-town mares any more, even if I have no doubt where the rest of my days will be lived out."

"Yeah, Riverfall ain't bad." Amber stretched, folding her forelegs behind her head. "Nice place to raise a family. Peaceful. Worst thing that ever happens is Hemlock saying weird things about your tail, and between all of us, I think we can handle him."

Valey winked, once again wearing her bow even though nobody had asked her to. "Yeah, leave the codger to me. Sounds like a fun punching bag to mess with, and knowing me, I'll get bored otherwise with nothing to do."

"How about you, Starlight?" Maple looked across to where the filly was sitting in a corner, examining a book but not really considering giving it a read. "I know you and Riverfall didn't have it perfect in the past, but now that our lives are returning to normal, how do you think you'll be with settling down there?"

"I don't know," Starlight grunted, not making eye contact. "I don't know anyone besides you, and I think the other ponies are afraid of me. I'll try, but right now, I don't love it."

"You can get to know my foals," Willow offered. "I know Alder and Fir love talking about you, and they think you're interesting. We all have friends with children, also. You'd probably have an easier time making friends with ponies closer to your own age instead of adults like us."

Starlight considered that. On the one hoof, she had met Fir and Alder once before, and while they had seemed eager to be friends, she recalled feeling that they thought about things on a lower level than she had. Or had she shut them out because she was still reeling from Alder's similarities to Sunburst? Then again, making friends with a pony when she was the one who wasn't clicking would probably be easier than making friends with a scared or grumpy adult who didn't want to be friends with her. And maybe she felt the way she had because she was worrying about things they didn't have to worry about, since the world had never hurt them the way it had her. Although, being friends with foals wouldn't help the adults to be more comfortable with her... but she might as well try. "All right," she said, swallowing. "That could work."

Willow beamed, and Maple smiled too. Amber pumped a hoof. "That's the spirit!"

"Hey, speaking of spirit, I wonder what happened to all the old Spirit ponies?" Valey quirked an eyebrow. "A bunch croaked during the battles, but I bet a lot of them survived. You think they went back to live with their families and denounced their military ways, or what? Some of them didn't have families or even houses. I know there was this underground bunker at least a few of them called home, but fat chance that's still around after the flood."

"That reminds me of something," Shinespark's voice said, participating in the conversation from the bridge using the ship's intercom system. "Arambai gave me a packet this morning with a complete report on the death toll of the battles on the dam and in the skyport. I don't want to look at it. I know it will be nothing but names of my friends and Defense Force, and I already know who some of them are. But he also said to show it to Maple and Starlight when both of them were in good enough states of mind. Starlight, I get, because of what happened on the dam, but I'm not sure why he mentioned Maple. Either way, I have it with me and will give it whenever you want to see it."

Everyone in the library looked between each other for answers, and Maple shrugged. "I have no idea why it would be for me. I don't have any connections to anyone in Ironridge, do I? And we already saw that our friends like Elise are safe. Starlight?"

Starlight shrugged too, putting her unopened book back on its shelf. As she did so, Sosa the explorer's journal caught her eye, dumped on Shinespark as a means of getting rid of it and now archived idly with other books about whatever. She pointedly ignored it. "I don't know. Probably me because I pressed the button that blew up the dam, so I killed all the ponies that died by falling off it. But I didn't really have a choice. Herman was making someone do it, and any of you probably would have felt worse about it than me. I don't mind looking at it."

"Hear that, Sparky?" Valey craned her head toward the intercom, rising from the cushion where she lounged. "I'll be right up to bring that down so we can check it out. Might as well see if Ironridge has one last surprise for us. You're cool with that, right, Ironflanks?"

Maple nodded. "I'm more curious than anything. And things are going well. If it's anything bad, I might as well see it now."

Amber smirked ruefully. "Given that a ton of ponies probably died, I'd say it's pretty definitely going to be bad, girl."

"Something I've reminded myself of frequently is that every member of the Spirit went into their last mission with the intent to risk their lives for their home, and the Defense Force likely did the same," Shinespark said over the intercom. "It doesn't change the tragedy that they died, or that they lost, but they were ready. Every one of them could have saved themselves by walking away, and thanks to our evacuation and the skyport being closed for the night and the storm, innocent casualties were kept to a minimum. It changes nothing about what happened, but will help if you keep it in mind."

"Noted. Thanks." Amber nodded at the intercom.

Gerardo patted the sword sheathed at his side. "All this is making me feel rather fortunate I possess a means of dispatching my enemies nonlethally."

"How long have you had that thing for, though?" Amber pointed a hoof at it. "Not all your life, right? You had to have fought some stubborn foes before that."

"I acquired it... hrm." Gerardo rubbed his chin. "I don't rightly remember, but it was years ago. It must have been... Well, let me think. It was to the north, on the coast, at that one llama port city that keeps changing its name. I specifically recall that because at the time I was heading inland and needed to pawn off my boat for some form of wealth I could take with me. The pony I obtained it from was a unicorn filly who said she was selling wares for her mother, an enchantress. And while there's a strong possibility she was lying and it was a hustle, or perhaps an auction of stolen goods, I certainly got a quality weapon out of the deal. It was in one of those shadier parts of town, where... ah!" He snapped his talons. "Now I remember. Some crone attempted to sell me a piece of obsidian for it, which I as a griffon would have no use for even if I were into that type of thing. That means it would had to have been at most seven or eight years ago, since that was when the obsidian first fell. Though it was close to the start of my adventuring career, so it certainly can't have been from much later. That is when I got it."

"Cool story, griffon dude," Amber said with a grin. "Though I was a little more curious about how you took out bad guys before that."

Gerardo blinked, then wiped his brow. "Ah, yes, my misunderstanding. In terms of fellow treasure hunters, I regularly tried to keep the act to a competitive sport, while with true villains my aims were usually to subdue them and turn them in to the local authorities. Of course, neither task was always as bloodless as I'd like, and even after obtaining this weapon of mercy I've occasionally had an ally I couldn't save or an enemy I had to dispatch. Regrettable, but not something one becomes an adventurer without growing accustomed to, and hardly a thing that keeps me up at night."

"I'm not sure it's fortunate or unnerving that you aren't disturbed by the idea," Willow said, folding her ears.

"I blew up the dam and am fine with it," Starlight offered, shrugging in solidarity with Gerardo. "I really didn't like Ironridge, and it had it coming, but still."

That earned a worried frown from Maple, but before she said anything Valey returned, a thin envelope tucked beneath one wing. "Yo, here's mail!"

"Should I open it?" Starlight offered. "If there's a lot of names, I could just let you know. I can handle it."

"Don't read them all out loud, please," Shinespark requested.

"Actually," Gerardo volunteered, "since I likely have no connections to any of the afflicted, perhaps I should be the one to initially investigate. I've seen my fair share of things dark or misfortunate not to be disturbed by a humble casualty report."

"Okay." Starlight relented, and Valey passed the envelope to Gerardo.

He slit it neatly with a talon. "Hmm hmm hmm... a single sheet. That's a good sign. It looks like there's a letter in here as well, addressed directly to Maple. Odd. I say, for a conflict of that magnitude, this list is quite puny."

Shinespark had been leaning on the receiver, and suddenly sucked in a breath.

"...I can't say I see anything wrong or disturbing about this," Gerardo went on. "The subject matter aside. It lists the most likely cause of death for each pony... interesting. He must have been thorough in conducting interviews and getting accounts of the battle. Some ponies here even have honorable mention for heroic deaths! Out of request, I won't read them, but this seems an ordinary death report to me." He passed it to Starlight.

She scanned it as well. It was hard to count the names, even though they were arranged by column, but whatever she had been expecting, this was lower. Only four ponies listed as deceased in the skyport? One was Grenada, and she held back a sigh for Shinespark's sake. On the bridge, the toll was higher on both sides, and looked about even. Some ponies that perished in the fighting, some who were accountably alive when the bridge blew and not after, some who had been wounded and were indiscernible... Her eyes scrolled past Gunga and Gigavolt's names. She knew them, but hadn't had a particularly strong connection to either. The only thing that truly stood out was at the bottom of the page, in bright red capital letters: HERMAN - CAUSE OF DEATH: CHEST INJURY, DOUBLE IMPALEMENT, LONG-DISTANCE FALL, BLIZZARD. Good riddance, she thought.

"Here." She floated it over to Maple. "I didn't think it was that bad, and there's nothing weird in it. Maybe you'll see something?"

Maple took it with an optimistic smile, folding the list open and taking a breath. "Well... here goes!"

Slowly, Maple's eyes went back and forth over the list. Her smile grew strained, and Starlight folded her ears sympathetically. Maybe they had different definitions of what a lot was. Then, suddenly, Maple froze, and the room halted along with her.

"...Oh," she said after what felt like an eternity, face looking like cracked glass. "I... definitely wasn't expecting this..."

"Give it here!" Amber demanded, looking angry. "Maple, what happened!?"

"See for yourself," Maple said, expressionlessly passing it over. "I might need a minute or two to think, here."

Amber scanned it, frowning, muttering under her breath, until her eyes flew wide and she shoved the paper back. "What!? Wait, what? There've gotta be two ponies with the same name. Except Arambai said it was for you, and he'd know, so..." She blinked several times. "My mind just got blown."

"What is it!?" Starlight and Valey demanded in sync.

Maple looked up, smiling uncertainly as if she had received news and wasn't sure whether it was good or terrible. "One of the ponies listed here is my old husband."

Willow's eyes widened. "Oh. Oh, Maple..."

"Hold on a moment," Shinespark demanded. "You mean a Sosan who I sent on the ferry to Riverfall? That's impossible. Going to Riverfall was a one-way trip. We never let anyone back for obvious security reasons, since Arambai needed himself and Riverfall kept a secret. You three were the first in years."

"It doesn't make sense to me, either," Maple said, looking dazed. "After what happened, Amber followed him to the southwest corner of Riverfall, and we told Arambai and he said he would deal with this. After that, we agreed never to speak his name again, never went looking for him and never saw any trace. I suppose in the back of my mind, I thought Arambai had already... you know..."

"Solved the problem his own way," Amber darkly finished.

Gerardo held up an additional piece of paper. "Well, there always is this letter, and I suppose it likely contains an explanation."

Amber nodded, waving it over. "Give it here. I'll read it."

He passed it, and Amber started to narrate, not bothering to read ahead first.





Hey, kids. A particular name on that list probably caught your eye, didn't it? If you haven't already read it, you might want to do so now, and if you did and nothing looked interesting, then throw this letter out and forget all about it. But I figured you'd want an explanation.

The idea behind letting ponies who were down on their luck escape Sosa and find refuge in Riverfall was one of second chances. It's always something I've been good at; providing ponies with a way out. Ever looked at my brand? It's an open door, and not because I'm good at building like most ponies think. And I did my best to make sure Riverfall was as close to a paradise as could be found in this world, where ponies could take their failures and die with them in peace.

Sometimes, though, my best isn't enough, and I wind up with ponies on my hooves for whom playing nice and respecting that paradise just isn't an option. I bet you can guess who I'm talking about, Maple. It's not fun, but I ain't about to give one pony their chance at the expense of others'. And that calls for a more permanent option, like killing them... or, in this case, brainwashing.

Shinespark, if you're reading this, you might be mad at me for going behind your back, but you should realize that I always kept a second route back into Ironridge. It's that teleporter in my basement. Keeping in mind that teleportation requires a concentrated burst of energy rather than a steady supply, our usual issues didn't stop it from being operational, and that weird resonance effect lets me power it with just a hoofful of ponies. I used it to get back here when the dam blew up, even. So I used that to send him back.

You're familiar with Factory Chief Dorable, right? Actually, Maple, odds are you aren't. He showed up about seven years ago, right around the time I left for Riverfall for good. I don't know his history, but Shinespark will tell you he knows a lot about weird, esoteric types of magic. He was very helpful putting together some of the concepts and ideas we used to make that airship, and especially Braen's armor. Anyway, I asked him about it way back when, and it turns out he has some spell that lets you selectively damage a pony's memory.

He said it was something called a Nightmare Module. Your guess as to what that means is as good as mine, but he was very clear that this is the bad kind of magic you don't go around fiddling with. Told me he'd use it if I needed it, but to understand that it wasn't a toy. Anyway, I had him use it there. Teleported you-know-who directly to him in Sosa, and let him do the rest.

Anyway, he wiped out every recollection this fellow had of Riverfall, and maybe some others to boot. Not actually sure what he did leave him with, for that matter; my involvement ended there. Apparently, he wound up with few enough attachments to join the Spirit of Sosa and wound up as one of the ponies who died on that dam.

So congratulations, Maple. Your adopted daughter wound up murdering your ex-husband. And believe it or not, that's still a family history much cleaner than the likes of me or Elise.





Maple breathed a long sigh when Amber was done. "Well, that's a chapter of my life I never expected any further closure on."

Starlight was numb. "So I killed the pony who hurt you that badly two years ago?"

"It sounds like it," Amber said, scanning back over the list. "He's named here as one of the ponies who definitely died when the dam collapsed. Wow. I thought I had put this behind me, but... wow."

Willow moved closer, putting a foreleg on Maple's shoulder, and Maple leaned into it. "At least we know what happened, right?"

In the corner, Valey was scowling. "Nightmare Modules, huh? I knew they had other spells..."

"Hmm? What's that you say?" Gerardo leaned closer, smiling eagerly.

"Nothing!" Valey snapped. "I mean... never mind. I was just suspicious of Dorable earlier. Knew he was doing weird magic stuff for Shinespark, and was always trying to figure out just who he was and what he knew. Guess this puts me a little closer, even if not really?" She shrugged. "I dunno."

"I've never heard about any of this," Shinespark added over the intercom. "I knew the teleporter was operational, and Dorable has helped us with some of our projects. I don't know anything about his background either. I'm just a little worried Arambai did this and didn't tell me."

Maple shrugged. "You have that sound stone we stole from Howe, right? You could always call Arambai and ask about it, if you want to talk to him."

"I think I'll do that once we land. We're not too far away from Riverfall, and I'll need to focus on the landing."

"Perhaps we should discuss what we'll do upon arrival?" Gerardo suggested. "To turn the conversation to more pleasant things?"

Maple nodded. "Grilled pineapple. Still the plan. I'd like to make it at Willow's house, like for the going-away party we had when we left for Ironridge the first time. It'll be the perfect way to close off what has been an eventful, and ultimately successful period of my life..." She took a big breath, then let it out. "And to remind all of us, but especially me, that even though there are those who hurt us... everything will be okay in the end."

Everyone nodded back, murmuring in agreement.

"A celebration to adventurers returning and departing," Gerardo proclaimed. "I can't predict how long I will stay around, myself. It's quite likely I will leave at my earliest convenience. Be that if Amber deigns to give me back my boat... though it was a gift, and she is under no obligation to do so... or if Ironridge provides an opportunity for escape, or if Shinespark decides to depart or even promotes me to temporary steward of her ship, I shan't stay in place for long."

"Well, I think you're the only one," Amber chuckled. "I know I'm going to take the easy life for a bit before charging off to the edge of the world!"

"I doubt I'll leave immediately either," Shinespark added. "I don't know if I'll stay the full..." She trailed off. "Hold on. Can somepony go check the deck? We're too near to landing for me to do it, but I think something just landed on our ship."

Valey frowned. "Landed? Like a pony? I thought Riverfall didn't have any fliers..."

"That's why I'd appreciate someone checking."

"Okay." Valey swiftly rose to her hooves. "Not getting tingles yet, but this is weird, and weird things can be dangerous. I'll check this out."

"And I'll provide reinforcement," Gerardo vowed, drawing his sword and standing alongside her.

"I should come too..." Maple got up to follow them. "If it's something to do with Riverfall, neither of you are from there."

Starlight stuck by her side, and Willow and Amber followed as well.





The entire party sans Shinespark stepped out onto the deck, wind trailing around them and the pink energy comet shining above as they descended swiftly toward Riverfall for a landing. The deck was deserted, save for a small bundle of color wedged against the stern entry.

"Hmm?" Gerardo frowned in alarm. "I say, that resembles the colors of our friend Slipstream. Yet she isn't coming forward to greet us..."

Valey launched herself forward, soaring to where the pink pegasus lay crumpled against the deck with a single beat of her wings. "Yo, you guys should come look at this!" she called, raising her voice above the wind. "She's out cold, and looks pretty busted up!"

Everyone charged across the deck to meet her, Maple, Amber and Willow kneeling in concern around their fallen ally. Starlight stared from behind them; Slipstream's feathers were bent and in disarray, her mane looked snarled and there were multiple scuffs and tears on her sweater.

"Lemme see..." Valey carefully sized her up, lifting and prodding and checking the pegasus's wings and limbs and vitals. "I know my ponies who've lost fights, and this doesn't look like a duel. Maybe she was slammed against a wall... Took two or three dirty blows and fled. Nothing sharp or burny. It wasn't clean, though; more like collateral damage than something targeting her. And if she was targeted, whatever she was fighting didn't care to finish the job. Either way, that's bad news."

"In Riverfall?" Maple gulped. "She had to have come from there, right?"

"Eeyup." Valey nodded grimly, then took off back for the bridge, flinging the door open. "Hold off on the landing, Sparky! We've got trouble."