The Olden World

by Czar_Yoshi


Ideals Still So Fresh

"You know," Valey remarked, "I really thought more of us would be willing to brave this cramped submarine to get to the island however many days sooner."

"One really would think so," Felicity agreed, looking both deeply uncomfortable from the close walls and hard surfaces and not at all unnerved by being well inside the personal space of others. "It must be these beds. Not everyone is willing to put up with such a non-luxurious sleep just to get to a working shower and spa, apparently..."

Starlight hadn't shed her poncho, sitting vigil by the bed where Maple lay, a few extra blankets arranged as cushions and helping her rest comfortably with her ribs. Gazelle was also present, his cutie mark inky black and his face filled with an uncharacteristic, impatient worry. Gerardo's voice echoed up from a level lower, and there were three guards holed up elsewhere on the ship, and that was everyone who had joined.

"Darling," Felicity complained, patting her bed. "I did remind you that you don't have to stay on that bare metal floor, remember? I know doubling up was floated as a joke or contingency, but I really am willing to take one for the team."

Valey chuckled. "Yeah, right. It's the middle of the day, and I need to stretch my legs, not hole up harder. And like bananas you think that's 'taking one for the team'. I think I'm gonna wander for a bit."

Leaving behind a disappointed Felicity, Valey flipped down the ladder hatch to the next level, wishing the lights were dimmer so she could shadow sneak to save space. It wasn't hard to follow Gerardo's voice to the cockpit, where Ebb and Flow held the two seats and the griffon was sitting in the aisle between them. "And then," Gerardo was narrating, "we tracked the ruffian to an apartment complex, confronted him and successfully liberated the stolen locket. There wasn't much of a fight, of course, because he was a common hooligan and we were hardened adventurers. The Firefly Sisters were of course grateful..."

"Hey, Birdo." Valey leaned into the room. "What's up in here?"

"Your griffon is the best," Flow gushed, her smile almost wider than her bow. "I haven't heard something this real in forever!"

"It's pretty real, alright." Ebb wiped back his bangs. "Imagine if they hired you to speak at Kinmari. Hey everyone, we get to meet folks like this in the voyage program! Demand would rise so high, they'd have to expand it and give us more resources to help Professor Sea Star get closer to her dream. It's not like Kinmari is boring, but you lot could be the most exciting thing that's happened all year."

Valey waved a hoof. "Hey, don't let me interrupt. Hopefully we won't be too popular, though. Really trying to actually have a normal life after all the stuff we've been through up north."

Flow winced. "Was our first impression good enough? Ebb got carried away..."

"What? No, you're fine." Valey squinted. "A little goofy and carefree, but that just means there's nothing at your school that regularly goes around crushing souls and making you despondent and stuff. Believe me, I'm glad to see some good cheer."

Flow looked cluelessly at her. "I think we might have different definitions of soul-crushing. If you had ever done the homework for Professor Dot Product's integral calculus course, we'd be able to see the scars."

Valey burst out laughing, then wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "Stay innocent, kiddos. Bananas, I'd rather eat your calculus homework for lunch any day of the week than relive certain days again. Literally. Paper is surprisingly palatable when you're trying to hide the evidence."

"Only goes to show that real-world experience has everything over what you can learn in a classroom," Ebb replied, checking a meter and making a small adjustment. "This has been utterly surreal. You're like something out of a story. I wish everyone could have these kinds of experiences and actually live what's really out there."

"Well, it isn't for everyone," Gerardo chuckled. "But the life of living horizon to horizon is one I live for a reason."

Valey shrugged. "You sure are passionate about something, though. What's your story?"

"What's not to be passionate about?" Ebb swept a wing across the control panel. "This is both of our first time in the Arc Manta. Our parents run an accessory store in Kinmari College Town, so we were born and raised on the island. All my foalhood, I would sit on the beach or at our second-story window and stare at the sea, and just imagine what was out there beyond or under it all. And look where we are and what we're doing right now! I don't know if you believe in fate up north, but this is my destiny. I know it."

Flow giggled nervously. "That's Ebb for you, passionate about everything! I was so excited for him when we got into this class..."

Valey tilted her head. "Oh yeah? And what about you?"

Flow fidgeted. "Oh, you know, this and that. It's exciting, isn't it? Being underwater? Not too exciting, I can keep my cool, but I totally understand when you can't, you know, haha?"

"Sis here has issues with speaking for herself," Ebb said fondly. "It wouldn't be too polite to get into it, but she's thrilled to be here too."

Flow reddened and shrank into her sizable mane. "Oh, I do not! I mean, you know, I just wouldn't want to brag in front of guests, right? Ebb, be a better host and tell them about the ship!"

Ebb winked apologetically to Valey and Gerardo, and Valey nodded, indicating she'd play along. "Yeah, so this thing's fast and goes underwater?"

"You can say that again." Ebb grinned, leaning against the wall and polishing it with a loving hoof. "This baby is less than five months old, and was a decadelong project using the most advanced technology in Kinmari. There are finance documents showing they collaborated with the new space program, but honestly? Some of the tech in this ship is so secret, even Professor Sea Star might not know it exists. That's my opinion, at least. But take the engine, for one: it lets us go over ten times the speed of Equestria's existing models of submarines."

Gerardo nodded appreciatively. "I certainly wouldn't mind if it got us to our destination quickly."

"It's fast," Ebb confirmed. "I couldn't tell you the first thing about what's inside, other than that it was developed so we can chase down fluctuations and magical wave propagations that occur on a geologic scale, or more accurately follow them. If the tech that went into building this is special, the things it was made to measure are so cutting-edge, understanding them could revolutionize science as we know it. Imagine if we could learn where the world came from, or create a unifying theory for the principals of magic, life and physics!"

"You and your buzzwords," Flow giggled. "It's okay not to leave them impressed, Ebb. We're not that far along in our track, after all, what would we know when we're just students?"

Ebb winced. "Okay, so I know most of what I know from reading research papers and following press releases when I was younger. So what? There's so much out there that nobody knows, and it could be discovered in our fields within our lifetimes! That's what's important!"

"Honestly?" Valey shrugged. "As inspiring as that sounds, I think I'd just take a snooze and be cool with what I don't know. It's not very inspiring when you learn stuff about the world and it isn't cool. Have fun with your dream, though."

"Oh, girl," Ebb chuckled. "You need to talk to Professor Sea Star. Give her one lecture, and she'll change your tune."