//------------------------------//
// Regularly Scheduled Romance 
// Story: The Olden World 
// by Czar_Yoshi 
//------------------------------//

"Valey," Amber greeted, slowing slightly at Valey's tone. "You... sound a little down. Did anything happen?"

Valey sagged in midair, wings beating to keep her aloft. "Yeah, you could say that."

"Well, I'm in Ironridge at the moment. There have been some developments you might want to hear about, but... you come first." Amber sighed. "Is it about Nyala?"

"Err... uhh..." Valey blinked, realizing just how much had happened since she last spoke to Amber. "Long story. Mega-long. Short version, remember that windigo I was talking about? Puddles?"

Amber sadly paused. "Did you talk to her again and have something happen? I can listen, if..."

"Something? Yeah, you could say that." Valey glared at the ocean and the grass and her hotel room far below. "Specifically, she broke out. Bailed. Flew the coup. Made all of us look like idiots. And, uhhh..." She reddened in embarrassment, drooping harder. "Froze me solid, or at least enough that I blacked out. Yep. I lost again. And instead of being dead or having all my friends dead for it, I wake up to find she somehow foalnapped me and dragged me halfway across the continent. So, uh, all on my own except for a crazy windigo, back in the land of ponies who think I'm automatically a criminal because of my eyes and wings... and I've been spending probably hours talking to her, and it's just as emotionally draining as you'd expect it to be, and... ugh."

"Oh, Valey..." Amber sighed in sympathy. "That must have been rough. Must still be being rough. Are you safe, at least? You can talk, can't you?"

"No, she, uhh... She didn't wanna hurt me..." Valey cringed harder. The conversation was rapidly approaching the point she really, really didn't want to talk about. "I might have... gotten her wrong a little after our first conversation when I was telling you about her. Apparently she doesn't actually care about the whole ponies-fighting and hatred thing and is just really selfish and egotistical. She completely loves the fact that she has a physical body, since windigoes don't normally get those or something. Is kind of obsessed with it. And, uh, is... pretty definitely hot for me."

"Oh." Valey could hear Amber suck in a breath. "Oh, and you said she took you and you alone, and ran far away, and..." Amber's voice started to catch. "Valey, what happened!? A-A-Are you... Did...?"

Valey wiped her nose, grimacing and preparing to unload everything in a single sentence that couldn't be stopped once it was started. "I didn't mean it, I'm serious! I woke up and she was hugging me and I could totally have bailed but I was so cold from the ice I needed to get warm and she's really fuzzy and actually not like eldritch cold or anything, but every minute I was there she kept trying to talk me into living it up and cuddling just for the sake of enjoying it, and I lasted like way over a month on the airship and then in Stormhoof and now here but like just the other day I was poking around for information and got baited really hard this dumb maid so I was already feeling frustrated or something and I dunno, Puddles must've smelled it or locked on or whatever and it's not my fault she's actually really cute but I'd just messed up and lost another fight and she was going on and on and on and I was really frustrated so I gave up and hugged her back and tried to enjoy it but now I just feel even more terrible and even she decided I was being a killjoy and left me alone and I didn't mean it and I'm sorryyyyy..."

She trailed off into a hiccup, rubbing her nose and eyes again, curled into a ball midair and only hovering on instinct. "Bananas... sorry... I gave it the best I had..."

Amber was silent while she wailed, and might have been frowning... but when she spoke, it was in confusion more than anything. "Wait, you... hugged her? She wanted to cuddle with you?"

Valey sniffed heavily. "Yeah..."

"And... that's all?" Amber sounded cautious. "You didn't get hurt? Nothing dangerous, or below the tail?"

"Huh?" Valey blinked. "Uh, no, unless you count making someone cold so they have to rely on your body heat to warm up. Like, ears and chin and belly rubs and all that. No kissy stuff."

Now Amber sounded almost more concerned. "And that bothers you? You said she was attractive, didn't you? I thought you liked that."

"Yeah, I do!" Valey exclaimed with a frustrated growl. "Amberrr! My co-captain from the Ironridge Defense Force kicked out all the mares just to bother me, I like them so much! And that's the problem! I'm in a relationship now, or something! At least, I thought we are..." Her pupils shrank. "We are, right? Were? I didn't... I... Bananas, I've been trying so hard to turn over a new leaf..."

"Oh." Amber sounded hollow, as if it was her that had just made the terrible mistake. "I... didn't even think we needed to talk about what a relationship meant to each of us like that. I guess I forgot, or it slipped my mind since so many in Riverfall are the same. I... You... Cuddling?"

Valey hovered, silent and awaiting.

"Valey, this is important," Amber said. "You said you let yourself enjoy... platonic cuddling with another pony? And that you feel badly for it? Who do you feel like you wronged, me or yourself?"

Valey cringed. "I've never been in a real relationship before! I thought you're supposed to be, like, devoted and loyal and stuff! Bananas, I tried really hard at this!"

"Is that how you wanted it to work? Or how you thought I wanted it to work?" Amber's voice was tight. "Valey, please."

"Huh?" Valey rubbed at her eyes. "Bananas, I dunno. I just don't wanna lose my friends. I thought that's how it's supposed to work, but am I wrong?"

There was a hint of pleading in her voice, and Amber picked up on it with an apologetic sigh. "Valey, it works however both sides agree it to. I'm so sorry we didn't talk about this beforehoof. I thought... I thought we enjoyed each other and were close, and there were crushes and we could flirt and I'd be there for you for serious emotional things and..." She trailed off. "Did I ever say it? I don't even remember any more. I wanted to say, right before you left, that I enjoyed your company and would be happy to be your marefriend, but absolutely didn't want to be someone thousands of miles away who was preventing you from having fun just because of the vague promise we'd someday see each other again. I didn't want to prevent you from enjoying yourself for my sake..."

Valey blinked. She hovered. She turned the sound stone over in her grasp, swallowed, and couldn't say anything.

Now it was Amber's turn to sniff. "Heh... I was imagining if we did meet again, I'd get to ask you to tell me about all the cute mares you snogged while I was gone. Guess that would be in poor taste now, huh? I really messed this one up, didn't I?"

"Hey, uhh..." Valey folded her ears. "You okay, there? Bananas, I feel like I've been ran over by an emotional boat this last day or two, but I didn't mean to make you sad too..."

"Friends are for being sad together," Amber halfheartedly giggled. "So, you feel like you messed up with this... really cute windigo, which I'll need to hear the full details on later. I feel like I messed up letting you stress about this, and... hopefully not with what I've been up to while you've been gone. Think there's any chance we could forgive each other, have a distance-hug, and try again?"

"Please?" Valey begged.

"Deal," Amber hummed, sniffing again. "Now, just so we're clear: I don't care what you do over there as long as it isn't evil and remorseless. Have fun and take care of yourself, and if you find someone you'd rather be with than me, that's fine. But otherwise, no matter how many cute mares you hug that aren't me, even if you go a lot further, I'd still be happy to try to be marefriends. Do be careful with that windigo, but that's just common sense, right? Now cheer up! Being a sad pony doesn't suit you, and somehow, I doubt this windigo wants to give you hugs of comfort."

"Yep. Heh." Valey put on a brave grin, wiping her eyes for what would hopefully be the last time. "And you know, you might actually be surprised. Puddles is... really weird, and honestly reminds me of myself more than anything. My old Ironridge self, and all that." She frowned. "Oh yeah, and she knows. That I'm, uhh... not this body's original owner, just like her. Not the details, but I kinda let it slip while she was messing with me. So I hope that doesn't come back to bite me."

Amber sighed. "Yeah, there might not be much you can do there but hope... Valey? You said she reminds you of yourself. Are you going to try to... you know...?"

"See if there's maybe a tiny chance she could try to do something good or be a decent person?" Valey raised an eyebrow. "Pretty sure talking her into it is my only way to get out of here without her throwing a fit and blowing something up to guilt-trip me into coming back, so yeah, I sorta have to. Definitely not planning on having any harrowing combat escapes against elite military goons with her, though, and bananas, this'll make it awkward if I ever have to tell Morena the thing possessing her kid is a good guy..." She sighed. "Guess I don't have to worry about that with getting the old Valey back. All that matters there is what'll happen to me after I... y'know... give her back her body."

Amber was silent. "Let's not think about those things."

"Yeah." Valey shivered, the high altitude and her recent freezing combined was starting to get to her. At least she had Amber's permission to enjoy Puddles' company now... "Bananas, this would be easier if I could hug you in real life. Puddles is cute and all, but when there's no emotion behind it, it's like hugging a marionette. Or worse, since she technically is one and I am too. Heh. Two puppet masters with their cute pony bodies..."

"You're going to be comparing yourself to her a lot, I can tell," Amber sighed. "I... don't know what to tell you, Valey, except this: what you do and who you care about matters more than what you are. You could transplant me into Braen or a batpony or anything else and I'd still be Amber, right? Maybe there are some people who are put together or assembled through unnatural circumstances, but I'm starting to not believe in things that are inherently good or evil. There doesn't have to be anything in common between you and this Puddles at all..." Her tone shifted to teasing. "Except that you're both cute. Feeling up to dealing with her yet?"

Valey winced. "Give me... five more minutes?"

"I could give you a lot more than that, if you're feeling up to this," Amber sighed. "I was doing this for Shinespark, but you could do it too... I got Dorable to agree to talk. With you, specifically, though I imagined you and Shinespark would be there so she could ask her science questions. He's not happy about it and this might be a one-time offer, so... I'm sorry to put any sudden pressure on you, but if there's anything you need to ask him, it might have to be today."

"Dorable." Valey flapped, keeping up her hover. "Yeah... Bananas. And I need to know stuff from him, too. Maybe actually more than I used to, now. You know what? Put him on. Better to deal with a scientist I've got a little leverage on than mess with Puddles again just yet, and I have no idea where she is."

"Okay," Amber replied, sounding as though she was stepping away from the sound stone. "See if you can wait one minute."

Valey waited. Seconds ticked into minutes, and then she had gone two, five... and finally, the sound stone crackled.

"Who is this?" a weary stallion's voice asked, sounding as though it belonged to someone big but wasn't accustomed to gruffness or yelling.

"Yours truly, the one and only former terror of Ironridge's Stone District Defense Force, wholesale stealer of Dangerous Karma's bananas, yak trouncer and the cutie who got your ugly scientist butt into a job in Sosa after your experiments practically murdered my sister, Ex-Admiral Valey." Valey did a midair flourish, smirking grimly. "Heya, Dorable. It's quiz time: tell me everything you know about Nightmare Modules."