"...In other news, there's a certain griffon ambassador who's very ticked at you lot right now. Something about finally getting interesting neighbors, and then you're only in for a single day. She's been by my office thrice to complain that I gave that room to someone who wouldn't be sticking around."
Gerardo's headcrest drooped, seated in the bridge with a talon raised against the morning sun, listening to Arambai over the sound stone. "Ah, yes, that is indeed regrettable. I believe I encountered her once in a hallway while performing some task or other..."
"Gray and pink chick," Valey added with a half-awake nod. "Had a hat. Any other important stuff for me to know, gramps? I was looking forward to sleeping in..."
"Then you do that," Arambai's voice crackled. "It's not like I'm rolling in free time myself. Though, if all this about your kind's reputation in the Empire is bothering you, she'd be the one to ask if it's really that bad..."
Valey blinked. "What, like, a random ambassador has nothing better to do than hang out with us over some magical long-distance telephone? I mean... okay."
"Well, she's not about right now. But I can put her over to you next time she comes poking around, if you're feeling up to it. Now, I have to get back to work. Take care of yourselves, kids."
The sound stone went dim as the connection was severed. Gerardo shrugged, turning to Valey. "Well? It sounds as though nothing ill is afoot in Ironridge. I do hope they manage to make contact with Riverfall soon, however. But as the old adage says, no news is good news."
"Yeah, something like that." Valey's eyelids twitched, and she rubbed them with a hoof from where she sat. "I kinda do want to talk to her. The ambassador. Just to hear what she's got to say about the Empire, and all that. Nngh. I'm going back to bed..."
"That's hardly the only reason she would be of interest to converse with," Gerardo remarked, halting her exit. "She was Kero's neighbor for quite some time. And while we agreed not to trouble Miss Maple or the others with this..." He furtively withdrew a chunk of moon glass from a pocket in his uniform, twinkled it, and put it back away. "She could provide valuable insight about the purpose of this dubious quest."
"Oh, yeah." Valey blinked dully. "That."
"Have you had any further thoughts on the matter?" Gerardo asked, correcting the ship's course by a fraction of a degree. The river still vanished with the horizon; their third day of travel hadn't brought any new terrain to bear that they hadn't seen before. "Considering as we are traveling to the Empire, the possibility of delivering or refusing to deliver it is a good deal more pressing than it may have been before."
Valey bit her tongue. Even though it wasn't logical, her brain refused to stop connecting the ideas that moon glass affected batponies differently and that the Empire didn't like batponies. Merely thinking about things couldn't set off her cutie mark, but it still made her skin crawl unpleasantly. "Nah," she decided. "Still think we should keep the thing under wraps and not show it to anyone. At least, not unless we get a really good reason to."
"Agreed," Gerardo replied.
At that moment, the bridge's door slid open and Shinespark strolled inside, cast still clunking and coat looking freshly brushed... though her red-and-teal mane was as much of a spiky mess as ever. Her sapphire eyes were bright and awake, and she flicked her tail as she walked over to the pilot's chair.
"Ugh. Morning," Valey greeted, once again interrupted on her way back out.
"Good morning!" Shinespark chirped back, relieving the controls from Gerardo. "Thanks for covering the night shift, you two. I've got it for today. I just took a flight to wake up; the weather's nice and it's surprisingly peaceful down below. Can't really recommend it before bed, but hopefully it'll still be this way in the evening."
"I didn't take the night shift," Valey grunted. "Just got up too early..."
Shinespark blinked. "Oh, well, in that case you should definitely go for a fly! There's a storm on the mountains, but we've still got plenty of time before it comes down this low. Unless you're going back to..."
Valey loped straight past her and out the door.
"Mmmmm..." Maple murmured in her sleep, slowly drifting awake. The air was heavy with petrichor, but she couldn't hear the accompanying beating of rain over her head, causing her to lift her head and open her eyes in confusion. There was her room's window, swung open and wafting in fresh, storm-charged air. There was Starlight, snug between her legs and curled up with her head resting atop Maple's side. There was... Valey? The batpony was in her bed as well, respectfully keeping her distance but tucked into a comfortable, catlike ball.
Maple laid back down. She could see the rain outside the window and hear Starlight and Valey's breathing, and that was all she needed to know her peaceful mornings hadn't been lost with Riverfall. Her rear hooves, hindquarters and the tips of her ears were cold, but her sides and belly and forelegs were comfortably hot, forming the perfect mix where she could enjoy her warmth without being overwhelmed by it. The cold provided contrast, or a heat drain, and she shifted slightly, feeling her fur getting bent a little backwards as she briefly broke contact between the bed and her shoulder.
Valey and Starlight both looked sound asleep, and didn't appear to be anywhere close to wakefulness, but now that she was up and had smelled the morning air Maple didn't think she was remotely close to rejoining them. But she couldn't move, either, and that left her with nothing to do but think.
Her and Starlight's room was plain, wasn't it? They had to do something to make it theirs. Get some possessions or decorations, maybe. But it was already well-furnished, and it wasn't like they were stopping anywhere things could be purchased any time soon.
She hadn't had the chance to bring much from Riverfall, either. Her life hadn't been dedicated to accumulating things, especially the past two years, and most of what she had possessed had been smashed in the vandalism. A brief stroke of wistfulness ran down her body, and she brushed it off. Hasty or not, she had made her decision, and so far, it was a decision she was living with happily.
The one thing she had saved from her home was a cracked mirror, formerly hanging by the door on her porch. The shards would have to be reassembled in the frame once she found some glue, but the biggest was propped on her bedside table, right where she could see it. Her pink-eyed expression stared back at her and smiled... and silently, Maple made a wish. Please let Amber, Willow and White Chocolate be happily enjoying themselves in Riverfall...
Purely on instinct, she tried to roll over, reach out and drag Valey closer with a hoof. Unfortunately, she was still pinned by Starlight, and only succeeded in brushing the batpony's hooves. "Buh..." Valey snuffled, squirming in her sleep and cracking an eye.
"Oh! Sorry," Maple mouthed back, quickly realizing her mistake.
"Yo, you're up," Valey mumbled, barely opening her mouth.
"I figured you'd have your own room," Maple murmured with a faint smile. "You're allowed to join us if you want, though. I like waking up surrounded by friends."
Valey sniffed and snorted, nose somehow plugged during her sleep. "Few more hours. Nngh. Pretty sure you'd change your mind if I took you up fully on that offer, Ironflanks..."
"Try me," Maple challenged. "Or don't. I didn't mean to wake you, though."
Valey shrugged, uncurling and stretching heavily, with her forelegs straight forward and her hind legs straight back. "Meh..." She licked her lips. "I was waiting for you, anyway. Just wanted to tell you Arambai was talking to us this morning. Said Dorable went to town on Hemlock, but wasn't specific about whether the old stallion fully forgot you and Starlight. Still gonna keep him locked up in Ironridge, though. No word from Riverfall, and reconstruction efforts are slow. He says right now they're exploring the Flame District with unicorns for light and salvaging parts and tools to try and get the stuff they need to start rebuilding. Also clearing out some jungle to the north using manual labor and trying to drill some inefficient, amateur power wells."
"Any news from Riverfall?" Maple asked, daring to perk her ears.
"Just said there wasn't." Valey shrugged. "Sorry, Ironflanks. He said he'd let us know if anyone showed up. Also that they're running tests on the boats in the graveyard, but pretty much all of them need some major renovation at the very least. But it should be a day trip for a team of pegasi, so once they know it's not a war zone, or something, he's thinking of establishing contact by sending ponies out there by air."
"Huh." Maple stared at the ceiling. "I always thought of Riverfall as a place pegasi flew away from, since there weren't any there. But they could create trade that way, couldn't they?"
Valey rolled over so that she was fully facing Maple, and much closer. "Ask him yourself next time he's on. Anyway. It's raining super hard out, but I think I'm gonna wander, stretch my legs and see if there's anything to do. Being on an airship with six others is unsurprisingly uneventful."
Maple waved, seeing her off as Starlight shifted against her. "Bye..."