Starlight stepped alone down the stairs to the dining hall, her counterpart having gone elsewhere for the night. Valey was poking Shinespark about something in a corner while Maple and Gerardo continued chatting with the three visitors, but everyone else had retired for the night, the storm wearing on even though it had been more than a full day.
"Starlight!" Maple perked up, beckoning her over when she entered her sight. "Come join us?"
"Always room for one more," Saffron added cheerfully.
Starlight picked up her pace, feeling slightly empty and disconnected after her talk with Glimmer but not entirely bad. She quickly made her way to Maple's side, sitting down and leaning against her. "Hi."
"Where were you?" Maple asked. "Needed some time alone? I haven't seen you since everyone got back..."
"I don't blame you," Shill encouraged. "It's lovely that you get to grow up with your family on a ship, but sailing parties can be wild. Tonight was much calmer than what I used to see, but those memories will stay with me forever."
Pierre shrugged, having nothing to offer. "Something like that," Starlight muttered. It had to be after midnight, and she felt a thread of sleep tugging at her once again. "What are you talking about?"
"Oh, just trading stories." Saffron shrugged. "The newspapers love a good sensation, but they still can't get nearly as good as talking to folks who were really there. This Ironridge stuff is something else to listen to!"
"Glad you enjoy it," Gerardo remarked easily. "It was certainly brimming with adventure, that's for sure. Though given the chance, I think most of us would prefer not to relive it."
"Hah. That's totally understandable." Saffron waved a hoof. "Speaking of reliving things, though, we've got some friends in the vaudeville industry courtesy of Randorf. Wouldn't be too hard to pull some strings and get you all tickets if watching someone else reliving adventure is more up your alley. Could make a fun afternoon when we're not busy with the tournament and all!"
Maple tilted her head. "Performance and re-enactment? That could be fun..."
Starlight blinked, realizing going and enjoying the city was exactly what Glimmer had asked her to do. Maybe she always had chances like this, and just wasn't noticing... "I'd like to go," she volunteered.
"If you'd ask about that, we'd appreciate it," Maple said, putting her hoof on Starlight's head.
"Easier done than said." Saffron cracked her hooves. "So how about you, little filly? We've been hearing all about this Ironridge business of yours. Surely you've got a side of the story to tell."
Maple folded her ears. "Starlight doesn't really like being the center of attention..."
"Uhh... really?" Saffron blinked. "All the colts and fillies I knew growing up loved bragging and being something special. Okay."
Shill put a hoof on Saffron's shoulder and shook her head, giving Starlight a smile. "It's fine. We understand."
"It's not really a problem." Starlight shrugged. "But I don't have a lot to say right now. You're from Equestria?"
"Only me." Saffron pointed to the other two as Pierre stifled a yawn. "These two are locals, though by lifetime mileage Shill's way more traveled than I am. Comes with growing up on a boat."
"Oh, I don't know. I've only been places anyone with a boat can go," Shill dismissed. "Mistvale, Ironridge, eastern Varsidel. These people have been to more than half of those themselves. You're the one who's exotic."
"Heh. Fair point..." Saffron rubbed her neck. "Well, I've been telling stories all night. Everyone else here has been mighty curious about the place themselves... but I might have one or two more left in me. You dream of going there too, sugarcube?"
Starlight bit her lip. "I just want to go where my friends go. Would you be staying late for it? Is everyone else staying? I would like to..."
"It is already very late," Pierre remarked. "I apologize, but I was going to have to dismiss myself sooner or later. If you are staying, I will head home now. Shill?"
Shill smiled apologetically. "I..."
"I don't want to keep you up," Starlight promised.
"Go on, now," Saffron urged. "I'll just be a little longer. Not like this rainstorm is going anywhere in a hurry."
Gerardo bowed, getting upright. "May I walk you out?"
Maple couldn't stifle a yawn either. "It is getting late..."
"No, you should stay!" Starlight wrapped her hooves around Maple. "I just... Please?"
Maple leaned down and nuzzled her mane. "Of course."
Valey and Shinespark had wandered into the kitchen, and Shill and the griffons slowly left, leaving only Maple, Starlight and Saffron in the room. "So what were you curious about?" Saffron chuckled. "Knowing kids, probably anything and everything?"
Maple nodded, tilting her head. "We have been talking about Equestria a lot tonight... Why do you want to hear about it? I didn't think it was the most interesting thing for you."
"Well..." Starlight pawed at the ground with a hoof, suddenly realizing she hadn't asked anyone's permission to tell her secret... and realizing after that that it was entirely her secret to tell. "Because... I haven't met another Equestrian in a long time."
Saffron furrowed her brow. "Another? There aren't that many of us up here, sugarcube. You've met someone from down south before? Come to think of it, you were asking about ways to get across the mountains..."
Maple gave Starlight a concerned look. Starlight saw it, nodded as reassuringly as she could, and took a breath. "I meant I'm from there. I've never met someone here who knows what it's like, being here but being from there."
"You have a Writ of Harmonic Sanction? A filly?" Saffron blinked in utter confusion. "But how?"
"I don't. At least, I don't think so. I don't know how to check if I do." Starlight folded her ears. "I walked across the mountains. That's why I asked if it was hard. I just wanted to talk to someone else."
Saffron's face shifted to disbelief. "Well, I don't know why you'd be lying, and I know all about running off at a young age in the name of adventure, but I still just don't see how that's possible. Nothing and nopony could survive those peaks. You'd have to fly, be utterly proof against wind and snowstorms... and that's assuming you didn't have them repeat on your for infinity. And you're not even a pegasus filly!"
Starlight shrugged. "I didn't know it was so impossible when I tried. My home was up against the mountains. Nobody told me they were special. I thought they were just as uncrossable as any other direction."
"So you were unprepared, too?" Saffron raised an eyebrow.
"...Yes." Starlight looked away. "And I nearly died for it. I spent a week or two in a cave with a bad cold, and Maple and Amber found me floating unconscious in a river."
"Oh, sugarcube." Saffron's face softened. "Are you sure you weren't just from some off-the-map town on the north side and got turned around in the foothills?"
"Absolutely," Starlight promised. "I was on top of the cliff wall, and I never climbed something like that to get there."
Saffron slowly, slowly blinked. "Well... there's no way you could accidentally forget something like that, and the Equestrian side of the foothills are much less sheer. But still, how did you even get down that?"
"I fell off," Starlight admitted. "By accident. I think I used my blanket as a parachute. It was a long way down."
Now Saffron was looking at her with equal parts disbelief, concern and astonishment. "But... the peaks?"
Starlight took a breath. "I'm not supposed to tell anyone how I did it in case they could misuse it, but if you already have a pass... there were caves. I went in when the slopes got too steep to climb, was inside for weeks, and found myself on the other side."