The Olden World

by Czar_Yoshi


Returning The Favor

Shinespark stepped confidently into the tavern, disguised completely in gleaming, white-and-gold armor, projecting the certainty that only a pony who had been leading for their entire adult life could exude. She belonged in that tavern, not by rank or class or time spent there but because she decreed it, and conversation died in a ripple of silence and whispers around her.

A door banged in the distance, and the only creatures who didn't stop what they were doing were two unicorns and a griffon blocking up a pair of smashed holes in the windows. Moments later, a griffon in a tweed suit with an incredibly slick crest stepped out of a back room, strolling up and giving her an oily, appreciative smile.

"Well. Someone important," he greeted, giving a too-cordial smile and stepping around a melting stack of ice protruding from the ground. "Thank you for blessing my humble establishment with your exalted presence, Your Eminence. I trust you're here for the obvious reason?" He gave the ice a fearsome scowl. "If someone who does things like that isn't a criminal of the highest notoriety, they should swiftly become one!"

"I'm just looking for somepony," Shinespark interrupted, worried that she was about to get patronized without end. As much as she was trying to look important, her level of success was almost startling... "Two ponies, both mares. A yellow earth pony who can make ice with her hooves, and a sarosian with a green mane who was with her. Is that who did this?"

Before the greasy owner could answer, a pegasus who looked like he'd seen better days peered over a bench, eyes widening. "N-No way," he stammered, straightening up. "I know you. You came all the way from Ironridge with her? A-Are you hunting Valey, or in league with her? Tell me!"

Shinespark winced internally. Of course someone recognized her... but before she could act, the bar owner threw the pegasus a cutthroat smile, telling him to mind his own business. "Of course! Of course it was," he insisted, waving a wing at the broken windows. "Everyone will tell you that description matches perfectly."

"Can you tell me where they went?" Shinespark pressed.

The sleazy owner drooped. "Only guesses, Your Eminence. They were consorting with another group of patrons who started their business here only a week ago... Good, law-abiding sailors, every one of them. It would be terrible if anything happened to them as a result of bad business."

Shinespark frowned beneath her visor, certain there was a code within his words that only certain ponies would know. She wished she had Valey's danger sense, but had to rely on her own abilities... "Very terrible," she agreed. "Where would they have gone?"

"What?" The owner looked mock-offended. "You don't think it's my business to pry into my customers' affairs, do you? This is a respectable establishment, Your Eminence." He sidled closer, whispering. "But just between you and me, the crew were all fliers, so they would certainly have anchored offshore. May Garsheeva aid your investigation."

"Thank you for your help, sir... griffon," Shinespark acknowledged, stepping back and bowing. "I'll leave you to your business, then."

She turned and left, confidently not checking over her shoulder until she was outside. That owner thought he had played her for a fool, she could tell without a doubt... but Valey and Puddles had been there, and recently, too. She was closing in. They had to be nearby.


"How are you feeling now?" Maple murmured, still sitting in bed and holding Valey against her.

"Mmph. Don't make me think about it," Valey grumbled, tucked close against her. "Just gonna have to get up again tomorrow and be Valey again and deal with this and that and everything. Lemme keep pretending a little while longer. Five more minutes..."

"It's not pretending," Maple gently insisted. "Your friends really are here for you. I promise."

"Oh yeah? You think Birdo would be chill with it if I dumped all this and acted like this to him?"

Maple sighed into Valey's mane. "Different friends can trust each other with different things. Yes, maybe you couldn't have been this open and vulnerable with Slipstream, or Gerardo... but it doesn't mean they don't want the best for you. But I am here for you, and you can always let down your guard like this around me. Nothing will happen to you here. I promise."

"Nyeh." Valey clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "Love you too, Mom."

Maple smiled and shook her head. "I might be older than you, but you're an adult, Valey. I'm not babying you. You can call me Ironflanks, but not that."

"Heh." Valey chuckled against her. "You sure? You totally adopted Starlight, too. Seriously, you just have a thing for trying to take care of sad ponies, or something. Besides, I really wanna say 'I love you,' but not make it weird."

"You can love someone platonically, Valey," Maple hummed. "I love you too. And Starlight is... well, she needed someone, and I needed someone to need. It isn't like I'll ever have children of my own, any more, but I have her, and I'm glad for it."

Valey looked uncertainly aside. "You think she feels the same way?"

"Oh, I'm sure she does." Maple gave a warm little smile. "She needs me. I need her. It works out perfectly for each other."

"Are... you sure about that?" Valey asked hesitantly.

Maple's breathing stiffened. "You think something different?"

"Well, I mean, it's like..." Valey fidgeted. "Not exactly the greatest expert on parents and kid stuff, here, you know. Probably super bad with kids, even. But you were totally mothering me here, right? The whole 'I'm here for you, you don't have to worry about a thing' deal? Yeah?"

"It's what Willow always did for me," Maple replied. "Me and Amber thought of her as a big sister, more than anything, but she did take care of us like that whenever we needed it. Both as foals and later, when I... got depressed. Why?"

Valey frowned, pulling back so she could look at Maple. "Because that's... super not an equal relationship, you know? Like, the opposite of what you and Starlight have going on. I mean, you just said you both need each other, and it's all back-and-forth and stuff. But, like, what you're trying to do for me right now isn't that at all. Being here, taking care of anything that worries me, keeping me safe even though that's totally supposed to be my job for you... you know?"

Maple's breath caught in her throat. "What do you mean...?"

"Look. Bananas." Valey sat up further, then scooted in the bed and turned around so she and Maple were side-by-side, leaning on each other. "You're super awesome, Ironflanks, and I do feel better. Not a hundred percent, but you were right. I needed that. Just... a bit of time to feel like I didn't have to worry about a thing. And I'm totally not doing this because I feel like I've got a favor to repay, or anything. You're right, I'm an adult. Even if I need a break from them, I do have responsibilities and stuff to worry about. But Starlight is, like... actually really a filly, and she totally does need someone to do that for her. Maybe not nonstop all the time, because she's gotta grow up, but..."

She trailed off, then sighed. "Look. I ran into her up on the deck when I showed up. She looked super stressed. And just now, when I was thinking, I'm like... How often do you see her playing with stuff? She reads books every now and then to pass the time, but that's not the same. Especially since they're usually nonfiction. And especially, how often do you see her smile? Bananas, I'm not even sure what that looks like. Like, maybe I needed a break? Just a little, to get some ground beneath me? She's a kid. She shouldn't even know what kind of stuff adults need breaks from. So the last thing I wanna do after you were so awesome to me is criticize your parenting, but when you say she needs you, yeah, she totally does. But then when you say you need her... Being there for us shouldn't be the kind of thing that weighs on her. Not when we're constantly getting into life-and-death danger and high political drama and all that. And again, the last thing I wanna do is make you sad, but... I dunno. Thanks. And sorry. Just thinking aloud, here."

Maple couldn't answer, left staring at the wall. "I... No... Valey, that's what... you think... Have I?"

She looked over in horror, meeting Valey's green eyes. "You meant it, didn't you?"

"...You know what?" Valey frowned at her. "I seriously shouldn't have brought that up right then, but now I've got a favor to return. Stop. Worrying."

She reached out and tried to pull Maple against her just like Maple had been doing moments ago, but Maple pushed back, trying to stand. "I need to go talk to her!" Maple insisted, wobbling against the bed's deep cushiness. "Valey, come on..."

"Wait! Really. Please." Valey grabbed her shoulder with a forehoof. "Maple, hang on. Starlight cares about you super hard, and I don't need one bit of experience to tell that if you run up blubbering about having not done enough for her she'll take it exactly the opposite way and... Wait!"

Maple stopped, staring at her from the edge of the bed and waiting for her to say more.

"Please," Valey insisted. "You just got me to sit down and talk about some seriously painful stuff with you, okay? Trust me here and slow down. Can we please, please talk about this? I don't even know if what I noticed was right, I was just thinking aloud."

Maple sagged, slipping partway out of the bed by gravity alone. "Do you think Starlight noticed?"

"Noticed what? That you care about everyone ever?" Valey pulled her partway back in. "Starlight probably thinks her life is normal, or something. And she totally cares about you. So, wait a bit. First let me apologize if I freaked you out, and second, let's talk this though. Please?"

"Don't apologize," Maple sighed, relenting and settling back in. "I never thought about exactly how to parent beyond doing what came instinctively. If I was doing something wrong, I-I needed to know."

"Bananas." Valey patted her on the back. "Well, I'll be here all night. Let's keep talking."