Valey snuffled in her sleep in a dark cabin as Gerardo guided the Immortal Dream westward, standing with Nyala in an ever-lit room at the prow of the ship. The rest of the crewmates did whatever they were doing; Maple didn't care to find out. She was sitting against a wall in the dormant engine room, holding the sound stone and listening to Amber.
"...And by the time she called, Valey was completely terrified I'd think she was being disloyal to me for getting hugged by this windigo. I'm not, of course. I mean, you know me, right? Heheh... I tried to reassure her and cheer her up as much as possible, but honestly, I'm scared that I just don't know her enough for this. Me, telling her it's totally fine if she maybe accidentally gets in a situation where she could be perceived as enjoying another mare's company? I think that's great. I want her to enjoy herself and not feel lonely because I'm so really far away! But what if that's just my idea of a relationship and how it's supposed to work? She's gotta have something she wants, and now I feel like maybe I didn't consider that at all. Maybe she's feeling bad less because she's worried she did something wrong by what I wanted and more she did something wrong by what she wanted? But I just don't know enough about her to tell. Honestly, Maple, I just had fun flirting with her when she stopped by Riverfall and thought we could have something short and fun. You... Well, after what happened to you, you know how I feel about commitment in relationships. I'd much rather have something that doesn't risk anyone getting hurt."
Maple sighed, cradling the sound stone. "Amber, I had a husband once for only a few months, and he left without even telling me why. Whether that was my fault or his, I really don't think I have enough relationship experience to give advice to something like that. I think... you should talk to her, and..." She shook her head. "I don't know. Have you asked Willow?"
"I... umm... can't." Amber hesitated. "For reasons. Mostly because I'm not really in Riverfall at the moment, but you'll see. Anyway, my love life drama aside, that's where Valey was when I talked to her last. From the sound of things, Puddles wasn't so much hostile or malicious as an incredibly strong and needy foal who doesn't know how to take no for an answer, and Valey isn't the best parent. Still mentally exhausting, though more through stress and worry than actually trying to tear her down. Unless that was all an act targeted specifically at Valey, but I don't know."
"So she was under pressure," Maple murmured. "But she said she found something else out, unrelated to that? Something you might have told her?"
It took Amber a while to respond. "...Yeah. Not my greatest moment. In my defense, I didn't know what was going to be said, since I actually let her talk with someone else, and it seemed like a limited opportunity to learn something that could benefit all of you."
"Can you tell me about it?" Maple asked.
"Sort of? Not... not really." Amber sounded regretful. "It involves some things in Valey's past, from before she came to Ironridge, that she told me and I don't think anyone else. She asked me not to tell, and she's afraid of what you might do if you knew, but... I really think you need to know..."
Maple nodded. "If she trusted you with a secret, don't betray her trust."
"She needs friends where she is who she can count on, not halfway across the world," Amber insisted. "And why me? Aren't you the one who kept trusting her over and over in Ironridge even though she kept telling you not to, or something? Maple, you should practically be her best friend. And this is worrying her, and even if nobody else on the ship knows, she really needs someone there for her. Really."
"Then I'll ask her as soon as she wakes up," Maple promised. "I'll tell her that you said she had something to tell me, and I'll bring this sound stone just in case but I won't push her past there."
Amber gave a sigh of relief. "Okay. That's... okay."
Maple let the silence sit for a while. "Anything else you want to talk about?" she eventually asked. "You know, about you and me? Not necessarily about Valey, or Puddles, but just about how we're doing because we're friends?"
"Heh. Funny story, actually..." Amber sounded more grim than amused. "Stop me if this is reopening old wounds or you don't want to talk about it, but I finally found the full story on what happened to Hemlock and why he went from an offensive, entitled codger to a paranoid psychopath who had your house vandalized and attacked Starlight on the river. Wanna hear it?"
Maple sucked in a breath. "There was a story to it? I had just... let that go..."
Amber took that as a yes. "There was. It took a lot of trips between Riverfall and Ironridge, a few interrogations, getting the right witnesses and a map of the flooding when the dam broke, getting punched in the face, and a successful robbery, but I figured it all out and it makes so much sense now. Do you want to hear?"
"I... Yes," Maple decided. "Tell me."
"Okay," Amber began, "Here goes. I'll tell the pieces and see if you can assemble them. Hemlock spent a long time by the river, right? Especially after his crane broke trying to lift Gerardo's boat, way back when Starlight had just arrived. When the flood hit, at its highest, a little bit of Riverfall closest to the docks got swamped. Not badly, and just a little, but enough to wash in a lot of debris we had to clean up. Hemlock would have been right in the middle of that. And, you know, with how much got hit by the flood... there was a lot of debris. Following?"
Maple hummed, though she didn't see Amber's endgame just yet.
"Can you think of anything at all... that might have fallen in the river at Ironridge while the flood was high, and gotten washed down to Riverfall? Anything magical and pretty that could appeal to greed or vanity, make whoever found it covet it and slowly grow angry and paranoid? Any cursed things like that, freshly created around that time?"
"Oh..." Maple gave a little gasp, feeling her eyes widen and suddenly realizing where this was going. "Windigo hearts... They said there were a lot created when Starlight killed the windigoes...! And one landed in the floodwater, and washed down to Riverfall where Hemlock found it?"
"Yep. That's about what happened, Maple."
"So he was cursed." Maple hung her head with a sad sigh. "It wasn't any pony that vandalized my house. It was all because of one of those things?"
Amber gave a sorry hum. "No, there were definitely ponies involved. I've been talking with certain ponies who know how they work, and while these hearts are a little bit stronger than the ones you found due to being so fresh and recently exposed to feelings of conflict, they're not that strong. How much it affects you depends a lot on who you are, and if you need proof of that, the thing I said I stole was the heart. One of Hemlock's friends, a mare called Mangrove, had it. She probably stole it from him. And I can... feel it, a little. You probably know what it feels like since you had one for a while. But I'm still me."
Maple instantly stiffened. "Amber, if you have one, you should get rid of it immediately. Give it to Yakyakistan, or bury it somewhere safe. If you're feeling at all sad or guilty about what happened with Valey..."
"I'm not sure," Amber cut in. "Apparently, the hearts' strongest effect is that they make you afraid that what you have could be taken from you. That includes the hearts themselves; most of the conflict they can cause is ponies fighting over who gets to possess them, but I'm being careful. I have it wrapped up and stowed away, and full of harmonic fire just in case. I don't look at it or touch it. And you're a lot more susceptible to them if you're already prone to feeling that way. Hemlock was always worried about being left behind in history and the world changing and leaving him without a place. I've been spending my time thinking about my friends and wanting what's best for them. I know me saying I'm fine having it is what I'd say if it was having me in its sway, but I really think I'm..." She trailed off. "No. Hold on. Me saying I trust myself with these doesn't work. Do you trust me not to lose myself around windigo hearts, Maple? You know what they feel like. If you say no, I promise I'll get rid of this right now, even though I don't think I should, and do everything I can to stay as far away from them as possible."
Maple looked around the engine room, her eyes falling on the dormant windigo heart tethered to the extractor that had once been used to power the ship, before it ran out of energy. There was a heart right there, and she could imagine herself taking it... but it was only a fleeting idea. The hearts really didn't have much sway over those resistant to them.
"I trust you, Amber," Maple replied firmly and calmly. "I don't think you'll lose yourself. But... I do think you'll feel better without it around, because I carried one for only a day and couldn't believe how much better I felt with it gone. If you can put it down, see what that feels like, and still be fine with guarding this one, then I trust you to do it safely."
"Thanks, Maple," Amber sighed. "I really do think these will be able to help, or be used for good, though. You used one to power the airship, after all. Anyway, remember that Yakyakistan said there were eight windigoes, which means eight hearts fell, and they all technically belong to you and Valey and Starlight as payment for stopping Herman and killing those windigoes. Someone from Yakyakistan came back to Ironridge and I got to talk with them, and apparently the heart Hemlock had was the last of those eight they hadn't recovered. All the others, they found where they landed a while ago, so they were grateful I had it, at least. Anyway. Your reputation in Riverfall... I've worked on it, and there are a whole lot of ponies who feel badly about what happened, but just enough still who want you gone that it might not be pleasant moving back. Sorry."
"That's okay," Maple murmured, slumping a little lower down the engine room's wall. "Thank you for telling me, Amber. And for finding all that out. With everything happening here in the Griffon Empire, I really just can't tell if we'll stay here a long time or get all of us back together and just leave. I don't think we have the power to make it across the ocean, though, and I don't know where we'd go. Like you said, I'm not ready to come back to Riverfall and Ironridge, and if we're worried about not being safe here, Varsidel is a war zone. It would be so nice, someday, to find a town where we could all settle down and live in peace..."
"Yeah," Amber added. "Without having to worry about invading empires, and where all your neighbors are your friends instead of greedy or cursed enemies, and where Valey wouldn't have to get so many cold shoulders just because she's a batpony. I'd come settle down there, and I might even see if I could bring Willow. Speaking of which, White Chocolate's still doing well. Hasn't had her foals yet, but is enjoying playing in Arambai's old workshop and actually has a social life. Thought you'd like to know."
"That's nice," Maple murmured, forcibly tracking her thoughts to warm things at the mention of White Chocolate. "Poor Valey. She's probably stressed from just being in the empire, too. I know she had it hard after being separated from us the first time... I hope she's alright through all this. She's the one I'm worried about most."
Amber hummed. "Same. Glad none of the rest of our friends are doing worse. Listen, we've probably got hours more to catch up on, but... do you want to call it a night? I'm getting a little sleepy, and you sound like you want to check up on Valey before you go to bed."
Maple blinked long and hard, then rubbed her eyes. "Sure. Okay, Amber. I'll talk to you tomorrow. From what Valey said, we first need to pick up Shinespark, and then make a plan about what we're doing, and I need to be rested for that too. Good night..."
"Night, Maple. Take care of yourself. I'll see all of you again, I promise."
The sound stone winked out, leaving Maple alone in the engine room. Quietly, she waited for several minutes, then got up and stepped out the door.