//------------------------------//
// Trouble's Last Chance 
// Story: The Olden World 
// by Czar_Yoshi 
//------------------------------//

The Immortal Dream idled, harmony comet dim, grounded in a valley between hills across the river from the crater of Izvaldi's capitol. It was hard to see in the stormy night, but flying in they had observed the old concert field, converted into a work site for sifting through the explosion's debris, attempting to recover any valuable affects or materials. A month after the blast, the river had broken through its clog of cinder and sludge, changing course slightly and flowing with all its old intensity west to the sea.

A new construction on the hilltop nearby, the relocated governmental offices were an incomplete affair, and Starlight watched them from beneath a rain-streaked poncho, standing on the ship's unprotected deck. The gangplank was extended to a hillside, and as she and everyone else awake sans Gwendolyn stood watch, a party was slowly returning.

"Hey!" Amber called out, stepping onto the walkway with Slipstream and Harshwater behind her. "Everything went well! But why are we grounded?"

Gerardo welcomed the party back with a gracious nod. "Shinespark doesn't get to stress-test her creation often, and wanted to take readings and measurements on the equipment while we were idle. She said it oughtn't take more than an hour. We're welcome to stay, I presume?"

"Percival was there." Harshwater frowned from beneath her poncho. "He and Crystal were remarkably shameless for a couple who have managed to keep their relationship secret for this long. They have medical personnel there who are better trained than we are. Some of Chauncey's old ponies who are in on her secret. So she'll be in good hooves for the rest of her delivery."

Beside Starlight, Maple's shoulders sagged in relief. "Good..."

Valey nodded too, standing with a watchful eye on Felicity and Senescey. "And what about Gazelle? No longer our problem?"

"He had a very eager talk with Percival," Harshwater replied. "He told them he had successfully taken over Everlaste and no longer needed Izvaldi to have a lord. Said Percival could depart with his blessing, and then walked away laughing. As long as he isn't here, I don't care where he is now."

Valey watched her for a moment, shoulders slowly sagging. "So it's really over, then? He's leaving us alone, no more Crystal... Bananas. This night was gross."

"It seems so," Amber added, nodding. "Crystal and Percival were really happy to see each other. I didn't think it after what a crab she is, but it seems like they really care about each other. Maybe they can retire and actually be happy."

"Yeah..." Valey looked at the deck.

"So what now?" Slipstream asked. "You said it'll be a while before we're in the air again?"

Gerardo nodded. "I'd have to ask Shinespark to say for sure, but it should be within the hour. Personally, I vote for a proper chance at rest, then retreating to the skies for a few days to let whatever transpired in Stormhoof blow over. If Stormhoof is truly being victimized by enough assassinations to make Gazelle the new Lord Everlaste, we might want to steer well clear of the ensuing revelry..."

"Agreed." Felicity shuddered.

Valey raised an eyebrow at the crimson-maned batpony. "Yeah, rest sounds good... but we're gonna have to have a chat, sooner rather than later. All of us. About what went down in that place with you three."

Felicity winced. "That we will, darling..."

"Sounds rather ominous, but not unspeakably urgent." Gerardo ruffled his wings. "Very well, then. I, for one, feel the call of putting my feet up for a spell..."

Maple wiped her brow as he went below, only brushing more rain in through the hood of her poncho. "I hope everything turns out alright. But we did our best, though."

Slipstream followed Gerardo, and Harshwater unceremoniously tailed them. "I know," Amber groaned, almost collapsing against Maple's side. "I'd been up all day, and now I've been up all night with Crystal, and could really use a job well done..."

"Job well done," Maple hummed, catching her and setting her upright. "Amber? Starlight? Do we go back below too?"

Starlight bit her lip. She wanted to, and after a night of fitful not-sleep, maybe she could. But another part of her wanted to stay vigilant until the ship was in the air, and Glimmer had just told her to trust her instincts... "I'll come once we're flying again. I need the fresh air."

"Same." Valey waved, careful not to splash herself beneath her own poncho. "You two get some shuteye, though. And you as well." She nodded pointedly at Felicity and Senescey.

Felicity nearly wobbled on her hooves. "Believe me, darling, I need it..."

The last four mares went below, and then it was only Valey and Starlight on the deck, alone beneath the driving rain.

"Can't sleep, huh, kiddo?" Valey shifted so she was sitting right beside the filly, both of their eyes trained on the darkened silhouette of the new Izvaldi buildings where Percival was. "Or you just don't trust anything not to go wrong at the last instant?"

"You don't trust it either," Starlight pointed out. "And you can't blame us."

"Nope," Valey agreed, no further explanation needed.

"...Is your cutie mark warning you of anything?"

Valey bit her lip. "Nah. Not really. But it fails to detect stuff a lot more often than it gives false positives. A threat to my friends and not to me? Doesn't do it. Something that worsens my situation, but doesn't actually hurt? It's finnicky. Sometimes it'll pick stuff up, like if someone wants to mug me. Other times it'll be stuff like someone trying to ruin my reputation, and that sails right past it. If there was anything bad going down out there? Stuff that affects them, but not us? Maybe if it was a bomb, but nah." She shook her head. "No warnings."

"Just a feeling that if something's going to go wrong, it's going to be now," Starlight muttered.

"Yeah." Valey rolled her shoulders. "And that's just experience talking."

The wind came in gusts and varying bursts of intensity as they waited. Valey and Starlight tracked time by the light on the horizon: dawn had arrived. Blotted by the storm, it had no color to it, merely lightening the clouds with a faint sheen of gray and making the temporary Izvaldi headquarters slightly more visible. When they turned around, they could see the crater through lighter waves of rain, a black scar where a hilltop had once stood, blasted away in a caldera that had formed into a gray, muddy lake. Any tunnels that survived would be utterly flooded, not that any could have managed it. The distant sky held the ghost of the outline of Wallace's ship, but the rain blotted all sound from the outlying city.

"You think Shinespark is ready?" Starlight eventually whispered, nerves causing her fur to bristle and her skin to crawl even harder than the cold.

"Nah. We'll know when she is." Valey put a hoof on Starlight's hooded head. "Sparky knows what she's doing."

"Right."

Next time, it was Valey who spoke. "What do you think Gazelle's up to?"

"Do you want to know?"

"Nah. But I wanna know more than I wanna not know."

Starlight frowned. "If he was up to anything, we'd probably know when he was."

Valey bit her lip. The sky continued to lighten.

"Audio system test," Shinespark's voice declared, the ship's speakers lacking all of their normal volume for the sake of everyone who was sleeping. "I'm sorry for the delay. The ship is fine, I'm putting things together again. This was very interesting, and thank you for letting me stop here to do it. I'll need a little longer, but we'll be back in the air soon."

Valey and Starlight continued their vigil. "How do you think Crystal's doing?" Valey eventually asked.

"Do you care?" Starlight raised an eyebrow. "I didn't meet her a lot, but she didn't seem nice." She glanced back at the storm. "Hopefully good."

"Yeah... I care." Valey folded her ears. "Not sure why. Probably really bad for me, and I'm never messing with her again no matter what. But it would be neat if she got to live her life and be happy."

In the distance, filtering from the buildings through the rain, there was a scream.

Starlight folded her ears.

"Welp." Valey adjusted her forehooves. "That sounds painful. And like Crystal. Guess we got her here nicely in time."

Starlight glanced up at Valey.

"I hope she makes a good mom," Valey continued, putting a hoof back on Starlight's shoulders. "Kids like you probably know a whole lot about when someone messes up at that."

"Sort of." Starlight tried not to look at the Izvaldi headquarters, but had nowhere but clouds for her eyes to wander. "Even in Equestria, I was adopted. I don't know who my real parents were, or why they gave me up. Maybe they were selfish or stupid. Maybe they were poor. Maybe they were dead. It doesn't matter, because my home is here now, with you and Maple."

"Yeah... Not everyone gets that opportunity, kiddo." Valey leaned back and listened as Crystal screamed again, the rain seeming to lighten and pause to let the sound through. "I dunno what kind of power good wishes or happy thoughts have without actions to back them up, but I hope her kid gets a good family from the get-go and doesn't have to go through all the dumb stuff we did to find one."

"We?" Starlight's ears perked. "We're family to you?"

Valey grinned, eyes shadowed by her hood and the rain. "Well, hey. You did just name me and Maple, talking about your new family, right? What goes around comes around. And yeah. I love you guys. A whole lot more than I ever did anyone in Ironridge, that's for sure."

Starlight leaned into her, listening as Crystal screamed again. This one was cut short in intensity halfway through, causing Valey's ears to flick. "You really wanna stay out here for this?"

Curling her tail, Starlight opened her mouth to reply... when suddenly, she was cut short by another scream from Crystal, this one completely different from the others. Even filtered through the rain, it was undeniably not a scream of pain, but one of surprise, panic, disgust and horror.

"Oh bananas." Valey sat up hard. "That doesn't sound good."

"Valey?" Starlight's ears twisted back, and she stood up worriedly.

"Oh bananas." Valey's face visibly fell. "Oh bananas, I'm suddenly really glad we're not over-"

She was interrupted by the sound of raucous, gleeful, arrogant laughter undeniably belonging to Gazelle.

Valey was on her hooves in a flash, poncho off and lightning in her eyes. "Okay, whatever just happened is ten steps too far. I've been holding back from kicking his tail all night long, and my tolerance has officially expired. Bring it, prince."