The Olden World

by Czar_Yoshi

Past Ghosts

Gnarlbough's entrance took the form of a simple widening in the road, grassy banks peeling away to either side with the forest held at bay as if by an invisible wall. The terrain, which had been flat as the surface of a lake for the entire trek from Grand Acorn, suddenly rose and fell in tremendous hummocks that jumped straight past rolling hills to the point where it looked as if a storm had passed by, so powerful it tossed dirt like giant waves. Were it daytime, Maple imagined it would have looked like an illustration in a whimsical foal's book, but by night it was mazelike and more than slightly foreboding.

"Mmm... yep..." Valey stretched, still hovering above the muddy roadway. "Here's Gnarlbough. You guys know what you wanna do here, right? Because seriously, at this point I'm just along for the ride."

"Right now," Maple said, suppressing an instinctive shiver, "what I want is to climb on top of one of these hills so I can actually see how big this town is. It's making me nervous."

She waded off the road into a sea of long, healthy grass that brushed her belly and instantly soaked her legs with held rainwater... with the benefit of washing the mud from her hooves. Howe floated behind as she scaled the nearest hill, climbing carefully against the steep rise, and Valey soared overhead, depositing Starlight at the top so the filly wouldn't have to press through the tall grass herself. No thanks were given.

Maple exhaled upon reaching the top. In the distance, she could see a perimeter of trees ringing the town, marking its border with a leafy wall that stood out as black against the dusk. Countless hummocks were visible in the space between, randomly spaced and occasionally divided by winding roads with a mortal fear of being straight.

"Remember to stomp around extra loudly up here," Valey advised from the air. "This is someone's roof, after all. It would be a shame to waste the opportunity!"

"'Scuse me, but before we go making enemies of the locals..." Howe leaned closer. "Mind filling the Howenator in on exactly what we're here for? Our true mission thus far has eluded my grasp..."

"Ironflanks?" Valey tipped her head at Maple.

"Well..." Maple sucked in a breath. "A... friend of mine asked me a favor when he learned I was going to Ironridge. There was a pony, or maybe some ponies, here he used to know, I think. He asked me to find them and make sure they were doing alright."

"Really." Valey's eyes narrowed. "And that's all he asked you to do?"

Howe tipped his head. "What's this? Is there some secret knowledge to which I am not privy?"

Maple gulped. "I'm not stupid, Valey. I know how to not say anything dangerous."

"Sure you do." Valey landed, patting her on the back with a wing and smiling gracefully. "Just checking. It would make my job really difficult if... let's say... one of the big powers in Ironridge got some of their important secrets spilled, and disrupted the balance that keeps everything working and not exploding."

"...Do you know something I don't?" Maple asked, staring suspiciously at Valey.

"Hey, that's what I said!" Howe complained. Again, he was promptly ignored.

"I've got a hunch what this could be about." Valey shrugged. "But anyway, that's your business. Know where to find them? This place isn't as big as, say, Blueleaf, but if you want a specific pony, it's still about as hard as combing my mane."

Maple reached down and pulled out Faron's scrap of paper, the address of his request still written cleanly on one side. "I have this. It's good enough, right?"

Valey swiped it, scanning it closely by the dim light filtering down through the clouds. "Hmm... mmm... Yeah, I can find this. Here. Be right back!" She stuffed the slip back at Maple, before taking off and soaring away into the heart of the town.

For several seconds, Maple, Starlight and Howe stood in silence... before the pegasus started talking. "This seems to be a well-wrought mystery!" he mused, twirling his goatee with the edge of a hoof. "A foalhood friend, asking a life's boon of you, a traveler, to breach contact with a mysterious party in this of all cities! All the pieces are in place for eldritch powers to be in play..."

"Excuse me?" Maple's eyes nearly bulged. "Eldritch powers? What?"

Howe grinned. "Well, it's a possibility! In truth, I haven't a clue what's going on. If I'm going to guess, I might as well make it entertaining, might I not?"

Maple sighed. "Howe, I'm on edge right now, and I don't know enough about you to tell when you might really be serious. So... please don't."

Howe bowed earnestly. "Your wish is my command, my lady!"

"Thank you..." Heaving a breath, Maple sat down, trying to make out Valey's dark form flitting on the horizon.

"What's so special about this city?" Starlight cut in, head poking above the tall grass.

"Hmm?" Howe looked aside at her. "Special in what way, little one?"

Starlight pointed a hoof. "You said 'in this of all cities.' What's so special about Gnarlbough?"

"Errr..." Howe backpedaled, biting his cheek. "Well, specifically I was referring to Ironridge, the city of ships, mountains and fruit! Though that isn't to say Gnarlbough doesn't have its own trove of local legends to draw from! In fact, its population is one of the least superstitious in Ironridge!"

"Really?" Maple squinted. "How does that add up?"

"Well, you see..." Howe ominously drew a wing across his face. "Despite its reputation for spacious, beautiful homes and close proximity to Grand Acorn, Gnarlbough does not suffer from overcrowding like elsewhere in the city. Much of this... is because it is widely believed that this town is haunted! As a result, the only ponies who live here are ardent disbelievers in story and science, and those who find it more fascinating than terrifying!"

"Haunted?" Both of Maple's eyebrows rose, and she couldn't keep a chuckle from her voice. "With what?"

"Nopony knows for certain," Howe intoned, slinking backwards. "As best as I can guess? They are the spirits of the old Sosan ships, left to their dusty fates at the graveyard not far from here. Of course, there are some who would fiercely contest me on that."

Maple stared. "What does the haunting actually do?"

"Well... that's just it." Howe sighed, staring at his hooves. "Reports are so inconsistent, it is impossible to truly discern the truth. Some go as far as to tell tales of disfigured monstrosities roaming the lands, while others act as though they've stared into the abyss, before returning right to normal! Sometimes, ponies disappear without a trace, though that was largely debunked when one such prankster was discovered weeks after vanishing having moved to the Stone District, and a quick records search reveals most of the others anyone can be bothered to remember did the same. If you want the less-glamorous and more real truth, I think lower Ironridge merely doesn't want its past to die."

"...How do you know all this?" Maple eventually asked.

Howe grinned. "I hang around in bars. There's no better way to stay up to date on happenings and hearsay than the drunken gossip of the impoverished! After all, they have little better to do than talk about the things other ponies are doing."

At that moment, Valey came winging back, triumph written on her face. "Hey, yo, I found it! Not super far away, either. Ready to go? I found a window to do some spying through, too, but figured I'd give you first dibs on that, you know?"

Maple grimaced. "I'll settle for knocking on the door..."