//------------------------------//
// A Common, Fruity Goal 
// Story: The Olden World 
// by Czar_Yoshi 
//------------------------------//

Generosity Two was so close to the water, the living room had a panoramic window with a straight drop down a seawall to the sea. It had a luxurious couch, snack table, and several fluffy chairs, with a kitchen adjacent that Amber immediately went to investigate and another door leading to the bedroom. Felicity took the lead there, finding a spacious four-poster next to a generous, well-stocked writing desk and empty walk-in closet.

Countess Candy Cloud stayed near the middle of the living room, looking oddly at ease in her far odder garb. "Well?" she asked after everyone had taken a few minutes to look around. "How does this suit your fancy, miladies? I apologize that there's only one bed, but even the couch is better than many other places can offer."

Nyala glanced around, staying near the doorway. "I was going to sleep on the roof. I'm used to colder climates, and it's too hot in here for me to rest well."

The pegasus host looked placated by this. "I hope the sea breeze brings you pleasant dreams. Let me know if I can bring you any extra bedding."

"And for how long do we have this?" Felicity implored, poking her head out from the bedroom. "You have excellent taste in beds, I might add. It should be large enough for quite a few of us, and plenty comfortable at that."

Candy tilted her head. "Quite a few of you?"

Amber glanced between her and Felicity. "Well, you're not bailing on the bed, and I'm not bailing on the bed, and from what I've heard Valey's not bailing on us, and maybe she'll talk Shinespark into joining, and if Maple's ribs are feeling well enough she'd probably love it too? Nyala, I think you can actually have the couch, unless Jamjars wants it."

"That's..." Candy did some quick counting on her wing feathers. "Oh my. Cultural differences, I see." She reddened faintly.

Amber held out a hoof for her to stop. "Whatever you're thinking, there are two fillies here, and Maple is basically my sister. It's totally platonic." She blinked, reading Candy's expression. "It isn't normal for friends to sleep in piles here, is it."

"The university has..." Candy Cloud tapped her booted forehooves together. "Policies about that. Which wouldn't apply to you, because you're all mares and not enrolled here anyway. But it's caused problems in the past, and I'm the fated one who gets to help enforce them. So please try not to make too big of a deal about this to the students. You're already an example to them, and they look to you a lot for what's cool to imitate and do."

"To them?" Starlight asked, sitting by the window and watching the sea. "Not us? Aren't you a student too?"

Candy Cloud smiled. "Yes, but my coltfriend is the house Generosity student president and I do enough work helping out that they're my little ponies to me instead of merely peers. Which is why I get to oversee this villa." She stepped across the room, turning to face everyone. "The house student body votes to keep this place open for those in need. You're welcome to stay the night, and come tomorrow, I'll have everyone vote again on whether to lease it to you indefinitely. But you're overwhelmingly popular, so the most I'd worry about are a request for interview or two for the house newspaper. In the meantime, here are some keys, and if you ever have administrative questions or needs, don't hesitate to come find me at the Generosity dorms. If I'm not there, someone will be who knows where I am."

"Cool!" Amber swiped the keys with her tail, offering a wink. "And maybe we'll come hang out sometime anyway. I could do with a look around this place. But for now, I think we need some major rest."

Candy Cloud bowed, retreating out the door. "I will leave you to it."

Immediately after the door was closed, Amber trotted purposefully to the window and flopped on her back, legs splayed.

"...That looks remarkably like you're trying to appear more comfortable than you actually are," Felicity said, trotting over.

Amber sighed, staring out upside-down at the ocean next to Starlight. "Do you ever get the strange feeling of being tired, even though you just spent an entire week resting?"

"I do," Felicity replied. "It's called having zero stamina thanks to a lingering disability, combined with a pregnancy I really should have thought twice before looking for."

"Oh, I'm not talking about that." Amber lazily kicked a hoof in the air, then slumped. "Being cheerful and near ponies has always been how I unwind and relax, ever since I was a foal. But for the last while, especially since we left the north, I've felt more and more like I do it to feel normal instead. And on bad days, it gets to the point where it feels like work, even though it's clearly worth it because if I didn't be happy, I'd... be less happy. Circular logic, but you know?"

Felicity sat down beside her, opposite from Starlight. "I assume you must be feeling a particular way now to even have this on your mind."

"Yep. Maybe." Amber squirmed slightly, but didn't change where she was. "Did you see that girl, though? She was friendly and well-connected. And it's barely evening yet. What I should have done was offer to go with her, meet some ponies, see what's hip and happening around this town, had some fun, and come back at one in the morning with a sore throat and a sugar crash, depending on how much singing and sweets were involved. So why do I just... not want to?"

"Your body's not tired, but your mind is," Starlight replied. "Once Valey gets back, you should ask her to run a lap of the island with you. Two, if you feel like it. Then go to sleep and see how you feel tomorrow."

Amber gave her an interested look. "Well, aren't you a little therapist tonight? You sound like you've been thinking about this. What's on your mind?"

"Mind magic."

Everyone looked at her with interest, especially Jamjars, who was sitting camouflaged atop the couch. "Mind magic?" Amber frowned.

Starlight sighed. "I can probably tell you this without scaring you now that you're off the ship, but... Valey and I thought maybe part of the reason we all felt so bad all the time and the world's problems felt as big as they were was because we were constantly around all those windigo hearts."

Amber instantly paled, her ears going straight up. "Oh... Oh no, no, they... I even knew about this and looked into it, and I brought you four more...!"

Starlight instantly winced, having forgotten exactly how most of their stash caught up with them. "That's what Valey said," she settled on.

"After Hemlock had a mob smash Maple's house," Amber whispered. "I did follow-up investigation, and found that he had fished a windigo heart out of the river while it was receding after the flood. One of the ones you killed that fell in. I showed it to Arambai and Dorable. You remember Dorable, right? The Sosan factory chief who got his job because of Valey and used to be an Icereach scientist? He told me all about the mind effects they could have on ponies..."

Starlight narrowed her eyes. "Why did he even let you take them, then?"

Amber shook her head. "He said they would balance out if they were full of harmony. That's why they can contain it in the first place; because they're opposites and they can attract each other somehow, like a hole waiting to be filled. My suitcase was supposed to protect against them too. But then we always used them up all at once, and had so much bigger things on our minds I completely forgot about the hearts..."

She clutched the sides of her head in distress, but Starlight grabbed one of her hooves and tugged it away. "Stop! It's alright now! We're still all alive, aren't we!? And Valey told me she was going to get the hearts the moment you got here and see if any of the scientists here could help her seal them so they'd leave us alone. If you really do know things about them, you could help us too! And things can be better now!"

Amber exhaled and sagged. "I spent so much time and effort trying to raise everyone's spirits. That's half of why I came out in the first place..."

"Darling?" Felicity interrupted, firmly taking her other hoof. "With all due respect, Starlight is right and wallowing doesn't suit you. There is in fact a bright side, and I can in fact confirm that both Valey and myself have been feeling miles better since arriving here."

Amber took a long, slow breath. "Is that where Valey is now? I could probably use that run right about now."

There was a loud knock on the door, and with the turn of a key, Valey, Shinespark and Maple slipped inside.

Valey blinked at the scene, Amber upside-down between Felicity and Starlight. "...Do I wanna ask?"

"What's going on here?" Maple raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, just discussions." Amber rolled to her hooves. "Hey, Valey, are you busy? We need to catch up, and I feel like going for a run."

"Uhh..." Valey glanced at Shinespark. "Sure, I guess?"

Amber cantered out the door. "Excellent, let's go! Race you around the island!"

The door slammed shut behind them, and Jamjars tsk'd. "Rowdier than my siblings sometimes..."

Maple's eyes roved the building. "There is a kitchen..."

"Would you make food?" Starlight asked, sitting up. "Please?"

As Jamjars joined in agreement, Shinespark quietly stepped over, pointing at Felicity and then beckoning for her to follow into the bedroom.

The moment Felicity's tail was inside, Shinespark closed the door. Felicity gave her a slightly defensive look. "If this is about Valey..."

"Tell me everything that happened between you," Shinespark said, voice quiet. "Please."

Felicity gave her a sorrowful look. "Jealous?"

"I'm not mad," Shinespark replied. "But I want to know. What did you do together, and what does it have to do with how different she's acting?"

"She took pity on me," Felicity answered. "And, in case you haven't noticed, she spends every night snuggling someone. If you're jealous or worried about her moving on, keep in mind she's been absolutely mobbed these past few days by hordes of very attractive, athletic college students, had practically hundreds of far better pickings, probably could have gotten a dozen at once if she wanted, and instead chose this middle-aged, formerly traitorous wreck of a mare out of loyalty to her friends and strength of character, so I sincerely doubt you're about to face abandonment at the hooves of someone else."

Shinespark's eyes narrowed. "I'm not worried about it."

"Well, you shouldn't be!" Felicity interrupted, the other mare clearly not done. "Because even though you have every right to think that just because you're suddenly a cripple and hitting a rough, demotivated patch of your life she would pass you over for more pristine pickings, she won't, because you two have a history and that's just the kind of mare she is! So what if your horn is broken? It's a war wound, you got it fighting a monstrous demigoddess, you can make it look cool! You think she'll leave you for that if she's willing to keep a sarosian who can't fly even remotely on her map!?"

Shinespark blinked at her. "You're a lot more emotional about this than I am."

"And for what reason wouldn't I be?" Felicity retorted. "Fifteen years ago I could make up for the poison with charm and youthful vigor and outward good looks, and all it got me was power and influence. You've... well... got a friend who is very great, and I n-need to remind you of that so you can appreciate her as much as she deserves."

"...You realize," Shinespark slowly continued, "I'm here to say thank you for whatever you did for her, right?"

"I..." Felicity trailed off, halfway lifting a hoof.

Shinespark fixed her with a stare. "Maybe you don't know the old Valey. In Ironridge, she would flirt with the wives of her employees to annoy them when they did things she didn't like. She used her shadow sneaking to hide in inappropriate places, kissed random strangers, and lived for shock and embarrassment. She used to be one of the bad guys."

She took a breath. "After she switched sides, left the city with us and started making friends to keep, for a while she felt so free. She thought she was a new mare and that her past was all behind her. And then she started having feelings for ponies... Amber, not me... and realized some of her past habits weren't as gone as she thought. She had this wall in her mind between new, good Valey, and old, bad Valey. And new, good Valey had a reputation to live down and couldn't go around being disloyal or staring at the wrong flanks while she was supposed to be in a committed relationship, even when Amber just didn't care and told her over and over to do her thing and enjoy herself."

Throughout the speech, Shinespark didn't let Felicity break eye contact, staring straight at her with her sapphire eyes. "It caused her grief in every possible way. She couldn't learn a thing about her history without having a crisis about it. She couldn't give her all in fights because she had no faith in herself, and that carried over to her beliefs and goals, too. We never even tried to do anything together in the Empire, but the heresy was just an excuse. It was because she couldn't. And now...?"

Shinespark finally looked away. "The first thing Valey did upon flying out to me was make a joke about how yours was the only bed she shared every single night here."

Felicity was quiet for a while, making sure Shinespark had finished. "I-I..." She eventually tried to start. "I was aware of some of that, but..."

"So I'll ask my question again," Shinespark interrupted. "The wall in my friend's mind is gone. I know she still cares about me because she just spent the last hour filling my ears with vague promises she has no plan on how to keep, but believes wholeheartedly that she will anyway. What happened between you, and how did you help her?"

"...I honestly don't know that it was me," Felicity murmured sadly. "One evening I settled in to sleep, and I awoke in the middle of the night to find she had snuck into my bedding and was right there with me. She carried me out to the fireplace, and we sat together with blankets and had a midnight talk before falling back asleep in each other's arms."

"...Oh." Shinespark looked away.

Felicity bit her lip. "Is that alright, darling? You were clearly hoping for something different..."

"Yes," Shinespark replied. "Because I have a wall in my mind too, and if I can't do the same then she's going to have to watch me fail while she should be flourishing."

Felicity blinked. "You were asking for... help?"

Shinespark held her tongue, looking uncomfortable.

"Well, just because I didn't do anything doesn't mean I can't do anything," Felicity insisted, sitting down beside the bed. "Our conversation actually started because she wanted me to see if I could do anything for Starlight. Talk to me. If I can help you at all, after all I've done, it's worth it."

Shinespark watched her for a moment, then seated herself atop the bed, resting her chin on outstretched forelegs. "My whole old life is gone," she said. "Everything. And I don't know how to start again."

"Mmm." Felicity hummed, flicking her tail in thought. "Well, that's unfortunately not a problem I have a clear answer for, darling. Because it's what I'm mired in myself."

Shinespark just nodded.

"Among the things I no longer have are siblings, a usable body, thirty-five years of my life and any amount of political power," Felicity continued. "And what I do have are a lot of regrets and a foal I have no idea what I'll do with." She glanced down at herself. "Also a brand that's too manipulative for most ordinary life scenarios, dangerous combat arts that are only good for massage and physical therapy, and some very tolerant friends. I know you have that too, darling. What other largely useless, vaguely positive traits or assets do you still possess?"

Shinespark looked at her hooves. "When you put it like that, I still have all my adulthood. Time I don't know what to do with. I also have a cutie mark that can't do anything without my horn... and a broken horn that hasn't healed yet. Maybe it never will."

"What else?" Felicity pressed with an encouraging smile. "It's perfectly fine for it to be silly or trivial, mind you. Perhaps you're a good singer, or you once worked part time at a barber shop..."

"That's my problem," Shinespark sighed. "I know what you mean and what you're asking for, but I can't remember. It just feels all gone."

"Well?" Felicity took a breath. "You'll want to find out. What I'm doing, at least, and so far it's made me feel at least marginally better about the present, is be shamelessly selfish to a somewhat moderate margin and trust none of you will mind my indulgences too badly." She tapped her forehooves together. "It turns out in exchange for a little Mistvale Monk-style pampering, Amber will do her best to make me feel better about my... ah... you know. Broken record, darling. I don't want to be one."

Shinespark glanced down at Felicity's body. "I don't mean offense, but you're not my type."

"Figures. Ah well." Felicity shook her head. "It's more about the point, though. If there's anything you'd like to do, anything at all, and you're holding back for the sake of your friends... modesty, your image, any of those silly things... the way you'll make them feel by holding back is not worth the way you'll make yourself feel, and if you can make yourself feel better by indulging, I think they'll care enough about you to be happy instead of annoyed. You certainly care enough to do the same for Valey when she tells jokes about cheating on you with me."

"That's..." Shinespark's eyes unfocused for a moment in thought. "Good advice, if I felt like doing anything."

Felicity pursed her lips. "What did you used to do for fun, darling? How did you blow off steam? Everyone has their outlets."

Shinespark muttered something under her breath.

"What was that, darling? I didn't quite catch it."

Shinespark muttered harder, her cheeks turning a faint tinge of red.

"Pardon?" Felicity cupped a wing around an ear.

"I collected and decorated conference room!" Shinespark burst out, reddening harder. "For... reasons! And then did things in them! Hosted meetings, and things."

Felicity blinked in noncomprehension. "Well... this is a school, so I'm sure there's a conference room or two here you can-"

"Don't even start!" Shinespark cried, pressing her face into a pillow. "This is too embarrassing to be productive, and it's not a conversation that's going anywhere!"

"Riiight, then." Felicity cautiously drew back. "Ignoring that, what else did you do?"

Shinespark shifted the pillow to glare at her with her cheeks still covered. "Don't you understand? Sosa is dead and buried! There's nothing frivolous about those days, and trying to make it otherwise is disrespectful!"

"...I see." Felicity nodded. "So the wall in your mind is one of honor to the dead. Everything lighthearted or innocent from those days feels irreverent to disturb once again."

Shinespark gritted her teeth.

"I mean no offense with this whatsoever," Felicity began. "But, darling... Suppose you thought of a memory of Sosa and laughed. Who would hear it to be offended?"

"I would."

"Would you?"

"It would hurt," Shinespark quietly insisted.

Felicity nodded in understanding. "But those memories might always remain painful until you can attach some new emotion to them, darling."

"Does the memory of my home being destroyed after I gave everything to protect it deserve to be anything but painful?" Shinespark's eyes burned. "It's my burden to remember!"

"...Perhaps we'll need to work on that little statement another time," Felicity sighed. "You and I are going to talk about this again, because if you're coming to me to ask for help then I really think I can help you, whether it's my job or not. Now, there's only one important question left before our friends get back."

Shinespark raised an eyebrow.

"You said I'm not your type." Felicity smiled feebly. "But we only have one bed, and I believe there's a method at hoof to make our beloved Valey very, very happy. One that may already have been discussed beforehoof. Temporary truce?"

"Truce?" Shinespark blinked. "On what?"

Felicity shrugged. "Well, she does chronically like slipping into beds with others, and if you and I could get along here and then add Amber to the pile..."

Shinespark tilted her head. "As long as you mean platonically..."

Felicity held a wing to her lips and giggled. "Sometimes, darling? Valey is innocent enough I'm not sure she knows the difference."

Shinespark held out a hoof. "...Alright. I was getting tired of being on my own on the Dream, anyway."