The Olden World

by Czar_Yoshi

Riverfall Returns

A breeze laden with cool, forest scents brushed past Starlight's muzzle, and she stirred, lifting her head from the plush cabin bed. "Nnguh?"

Her eyes were opened forcibly by the presence of indirect sunlight, and she rubbed the sleep away to see Maple awake, fussing with a retracting curtain and a large, now-open porthole. Maple saw her, and smiled warmly. "Did you know this room had windows? I must not have noticed last night! Hmmmmm..." She stretched her chin upward, basking in the breeze.

"Wow," Starlight muttered, running a hoof through her mane and sitting up. "You're in a good mood today. Mmph..."

"Mhmm," Maple hummed, prancing back to the bed and only wobbling once. "It wasn't as hard to get to sleep as I thought it would be, and aside from being starving, I'm feeling much better! Besides, it's morning. The sun rose less than an hour ago, I'm finally home, and as soon as you're up and ready we can see everyone again! We've been through so much, and now we're finally here!"

Starlight rubbed her eyes. "Ready? I'm ready..."

"No, you're not," Maple insisted, collapsing onto the bed with a bounce and grabbing Starlight around the shoulders from behind. "Hold still, you. Your mane is a disaster and I don't think I've fixed it in days. This will only take a minute."

Starlight could do nothing but hang there as Maple combed and brushed, gently teasing out snarls with her teeth and carefully separating the strands of her mane so that the teal stripes were at their sharpest and most defined. At least the room had a small vanity on the bedside table so she could watch. As great as it was that Maple was feeling well, though, Starlight hadn't fallen asleep until the sky started lightening in pre-dawn gray, and now that she had getting up was the last thing on her agenda. If staying awake until sundown was what it took to become a normal pony who slept during the night again, she might be able to do it, but it wouldn't be fun.

"Amber found us last night," she remarked with a yawn. "She came back after you were asleep. I pretended to be asleep too."

"Yes, she did," Maple agreed, pausing between licks and tugs to make sure Starlight's part and bang were properly centered. "I'm surprised you can't hear her snoring right now."

Starlight's ears folded as Maple stepped back, letting her get up and move. That wasn't natural rocking of the boat? She hopped off the bed, landing drowsily and blinking back the sudden urge to fall asleep then and there. "You're not going to tie my mane like last time?"

"No mane ties," Maple hummed sadly. "We'll have to stock up."

As Starlight trotted around the base of the bed, she saw the room did, indeed, contain Amber. The yellow mare was sprawled on her back, all four hooves in the air, leaning against the side of a dresser to keep from rolling over with one hind leg kicking fitfully as she dreamed. Her eyes were scrunched closed, her mouth hung wide open, her orange mane was spilled out like a puddle on the floor beneath her and it looked like she had been drooling for quite some time.

"Silly filly," Maple giggled. "That's the other part of why I'm in a good mood. It already feels like my life's getting back to normal..."

Starlight watched curiously as Maple tensed... and then sighed, with nothing happening. "Right," she muttered. "My cutie mark is empty... We'll have to go shopping today or tomorrow. Come on, Amber, wake up!"

She prodded the sleeping mare squarely in the belly with a dusty hoof. Amber yipped, hooves flailing as her eyes flew open, then settled on Maple with a sly pout. "Aww. Is it morning already?" She glanced at the opened window, shining sunlight at an angle against the room's back wall. "I missed you too, Ironflanks."

Maple's eyes widened in horror. "No! Please no don't you start calling me that too!"

"Heh heh heh heh heh..." Amber wiped her mouth with a hoof, clearing away the drool, and would have collapsed giggling had she not already been on the floor. "Don't you worry, Maple," she chuckled, getting up. "Guess it's time to face the day?"

"Mmmm..." Maple straightened her posture, smiling warmly. "I have a feeling it's going to be a good one."

---

The deck of Shinespark's airship was bathed in the rising sun, just enough heat to feel pleasant without becoming oppressive like the Earth District. Starlight's coat fluffed out to better expose herself to the passing breeze, the wood beneath her hooves gently rocking with the river's flow.

A healthy murmur of voices rose from the shore, and when she looked, a crowd of at least fifteen ponies were standing on the riverbank, speculating about the ship with eager awe. A steeply-sloped gangplank connected the deck to shore, but none of the mares seemed quite bold enough to try it. In the distance to the south was some kind of roar, but Starlight didn't pay it too much mind.

"Look!" The ponies below started to notice them, blinking and smiling in recognition. "That's Amber! And there's the filly from over the mountains, Starlight!"

Starlight felt a familiar prickle of irritation run down her spine. Right, Riverfall knew where she was from... but for Maple's sake, she wouldn't let it get to her. Her mother badly needed a good day, and she had discovered that it was possible to survive without being concerned about the things that had once dominated her thoughts. Besides, Amber looked more than happy to prance down the gangplank and take their attention for herself.

"From over the mountains, they say?" a dreaded voice suddenly whispered in her ear. "You crossed mountains? Which ones were they?"

Feeling like she had been doused in icy reservoir water, Starlight turned to see a camouflaged Jamjars grinning at her, her smile and orange eyes seeming to hang in midair without a second look. She deflated, preparing for a confrontation in which she'd probably have to use magic to put the other filly in her place. "Jamjars, I don't want to deal with-"

"Okay," Jamjars interrupted, instantly backing down. "Speaking of dealing with things, I just talked to Mom. She said there was some stuff you brought us all here to do, like seeing Dad and getting a house and some help to raise all her kids. I told her your mom has other things to do first though, so she's ready to wait and you can do what you need to, and stuff. Just letting you know."

Starlight blinked. "You're being helpful?"

"Well, yeah, of course," Jamjars huffed. "I don't know why you keep acting surprised. We're friends, after all. Anyway, she probably won't panic until noon or something. I'm going to explore and check out what there is to do in this town. If you want to catch up, I'll be heading for that big noise first, but you've been here before so you probably don't need to. Bye."

Like that, Jamjars was gone.

Starlight shrugged, following Maple and Amber down the ramp to let them know.

On the shore, Amber had one foreleg around Maple's shoulders and the other waving through the air, excitedly narrating. It sounded like their accompaniment of Gerardo on his departure to Ironridge had been un-publicised, and Amber was simultaneously trying to excite the ponies about how great that was and not cause Maple to get bogged down with attention, all while knowing none of the details other than that Ironridge had been a bad experience for everyone involved.

"You all," she was saying, "should go see my friend Gerardo instead. He's practically had professional training in telling stories. We'll probably just trip over our tongues and tell events out of order and make it sound all weird, and I wasn't even there! If you want to hear some made-up stories about Ironridge, though, I can tell you about what I would have done the time I didn't go...!"

Her audience, though, looked thoroughly engaged. One mare, whom Starlight wouldn't have been surprised had she been among those who came to Maple's house to listen to her talk about Equestria, cut Amber off with a wink. "Oh, we came from there," she explained. "Gerardo's telling stories in the plaza just like last time. You can hear it from here." She pointed a hoof at the distant noise. "Still, hearing him talk about all the fights he was in is one thing, but actually seeing the ships?" She practically glowed, her already-pink cheeks shining as she craned her neck at the anchored airship. "I must have been your age last time a ship like this came through! Actually seeing it is so much different than hearing the stories! It feels like it's real again!"

"You don't think the ships are going to start coming again, do you?" an older mare asked, several streaks of gray in her teal mane. "I remember the days when you could meet the same sailor twice, and they'd remember you. Ahh, if I could relive that feeling..."

"Sorry..." Maple smiled awkwardly. "The river's running high right now because there was a flood, and it destroyed all the Sosan riverports. Even if they wanted to, they have nothing to make the ships with. Maybe in a year, though..."

The pink mare chimed back in. "You don't think we could...? Would it be all right to go on board? I never actually got to see what the old Sosan ships were like on the inside..."

Amber mirrored Maple's expression. "Well, it's not my ship, so I can't really say that. Sorry..."

Feeling it was her duty to do something, Starlight stepped up beside the two. "There are still some ponies from Ironridge aboard who need space for now," she announced, drawing the attention of over a dozen ponies and summoning her willpower not to freeze. "Maybe you can later, but if you can tell everyone the ship is off-limits for now, that would really help. You can only go on with direct permission from someone who's been to Ironridge, and Gerardo doesn't count."

The pink mare smiled understandingly. "Right," she murmured, sad but accepting. "I'll spread the word, Starlight. And I'm sure everyone else will too." She was met with nods from the crowd.

Starlight squinted. "Do I know you?"

"Cinnamon," she said, bouncing her appropriately-colored mane with a hoof. "Probably not, but I live close enough to Amber and Willow to have seen a lot of what's happened recently. We met the night before you left, when you were talking about the Plains of Harmony."

So she had seen the mare there. Another face in the crowd called out, reminding everyone that if the ship was off-limits, they might as well go back to listening to Gerardo. Perhaps a quarter of the mares left, though the rest were content to sit and stare at the ship, leaving a path open for her, Maple and Amber to leave. For good measure, Starlight lit her horn and hefted the gangplank back onto the deck, using up most of her now-shallow reserves thanks to the object's weight.

"Where do you live?" she asked Amber when they had gotten sufficiently far from the ship and the noise of Gerardo's crowd was growing louder. "I don't think I've ever seen your house."

Amber shrugged. "I've got an old shack in the far southeast part of town that's mostly used for storage. It was our base when we were little, and I just started crashing there as I grew older. My actual house though is right next to Willow's. It used to be Maple's, back when she was trying to start a family, but..."

Maple filled in for her with a bitter sigh. "It was a wonderful house, perfect for a big family and a long future, but not for one mare and especially not one mare who has a lot of painful memories associated with it. I moved while I was recovering. My current house is unfortunately far away, but also a much better fit for me, I think. I don't like empty bedrooms."

"Pretty much." Amber loped along, keeping her shoulder ready in case Maple stumbled from the sword's curse. "But we didn't want to get rid of it after we spent so much effort trying to get such a nice place so close to Willow, and my living situation was basically to be popular and make it up as I went along, so I took it. To be honest, it doesn't fit me either, and I spend less than half my nights there. But it is my house."

Interesting. That explained why they had never been there last time, at least. "So where are we going now?" Starlight asked.

"Looking for Willow," Amber promptly replied. "And at a time like this, I can only think of one place everyone in the city would be."

---

The town's biggest plaza was somehow more crowded than Starlight remembered it for Gerardo's last appearance, perhaps because everyone knew things were ahoof in Ironridge and had been expecting it, and more likely because the weather was glorious instead of dismal and rainy. Beams of sunlight filtered in at low angles through the canopy from the east, painting the upper trunks in dappled bands of vertical yellow that made the forest's dust motes shine like pixie trails.

Starlight's hooves clicked on the glass as she walked close to Maple, keeping clear of the crowds and encampments of ponies in the streets even before coming into view of the plaza. Groups of mares had set up stacks of crates and boxes they reclined on top of, trying to get higher to hear above the crowd and forcing the ones further back to climb even further, blocking the sight of all involved. But Amber navigated the crowd with a suave deftness, passing out hoofbumps and cheery winks to so many ponies Starlight started to suspect she was going it at random.

"If there's one place Willow would be..." Amber raised a hoof and knocked, tapping out a secret code on a fancy tower double-door so close to the plaza entrance they were swimming in mares. "Cedar!" she called, raising her voice over the crowd. "Hellooooo?"

It took two more tries, but the door eventually swung open, revealing the well-groomed stallion Starlight recalled having lent them his balcony to watch Gerardo the first time. "Hey there, girlfriends," Cedar greeted with a grin that spoke volumes about how privileged he felt in life. "Here to petition for access to my..." His grin fell away, replaced with another one that was far more eager. "Milady Maple?" He beckoned the three hurriedly inside. "You were there, weren't you? Score and double score! Get your respectable selves inside right now, my treat. I insist!"

Amber rolled her eyes. "Knew you'd come through. Got anything cold and fizzy to drink? Something tells me we're about to kick back and enjoy a show."

"Actually, is Willow here?" Maple asked, interrupting Cedar as he prepared to swagger off. "I am looking for her, and if she's not..."

"Willow? No, she is," Cedar reassured without looking over his shoulder. "Mother invites her each and every time. On the balcony's my guess. Now, fair Amber, do you prefer strawberry, pomegranate or lemon-lime? My cooler is the second-best stocked part of my house!"

Amber tapped Starlight on the shoulder, moving her muzzle close by her ear. "Ask what the best part is," she whispered furtively, concealing a smile. "He's hitting on me and you could make this really awkward!"

Starlight had no idea what Amber was talking about, but asked anyway.

"Only for you, girlfriend, it's my fruity-" Cedar realized who was asking, and turned bright red. "Okay, never mind. Wow, rest in peace that mood..."

Amber grinned apologetically. "Cedar, if you'd just accept that I don't work that way, you'd be so much happier in life. And can I raid your pantry? I skipped breakfast."

"Oh, food would be great," Maple groaned in agreement, staggering after Amber as she made for a staircase.

"Food. Got it." Cedar winked, then tried to do a cool pose with his forehooves that fell flat at the end. "Give me two seconds to throw something together and I'll have it up there pronto!"

Amber just shook her head as they ascended, leaving the hapless stallion behind. "Some ponies..."

---

"Willow?"

Two heads turned, looking back from a swinging seat suspended over Cedar's balcony, one an older mare and one unmistakably kind and silvery. "Maple?" Willow whispered.

"Willowwww!" Maple launched herself forward with a burst of strength that completely defied her condition, wrapping her forelegs around her friend and burying her face in her coat. "I missed you I missed you I missed you..."

"I missed you too, Maple," Willow gently hummed. "And you, Starlight," she added, looking over Maple's shoulder. "Thank you for keeping her safe for me."

"What?" Starlight stepped back in surprise. "How did you know I-?"

"A lucky guess," Willow murmured, rubbing Maple's back. "It looks like someone was eager to see me."

Amber pouted. "Yeah, Maple, why don't I get a greeting like that?"

"Mrmmph," Maple muttered into Willow's fur.

"Well, this is certainly a happy reunion," Willow's companion remarked with a kindly gaze. She straightened the thick fur coat around her shoulders, swinging gently in the rocker as Gerardo rambled epically below. "First time since you're back, I take it?"

Maple sniffed, pulling back and wiping the corner of her eye with a hoof. "Yes..."

Willow held her shoulders still, staring at Maple's face. "Maple, what happened to your eyes? They're pink!"

"Huh?" Amber perked in interest. "Wow, they are. I guess I assumed those were contact lenses, or some kind of Ironridge souvenir, or something. No offense, but they look pretty cool."

"Magic," Maple replied, falling back into Willow's embrace. "It's not permanent. I've had a hard time."

Amber shrugged apologetically. "Yeah... Sorry I didn't let you know last night, Grandma. Apparently Ironridge wasn't all sunshine and rainbows like we hoped. I don't know the details, but it sounds like Maple and Starlight got wrecked."

Starlight snorted; she had forgotten how Amber called Willow that. "Gerardo enjoyed it, though."

"Gerardo is insane," Maple mumbled without a hint of sarcasm.

"Are you all right, Maple?" Willow asked softly. "I was enjoying talking with Juniper and listening to Gerardo tell his stories, but if you need me..."

"All I needed was to see you again," Maple said, pulling back with watery eyes and a smile on her face. "Really. It was bad, but I've been doing better. Tonight, I'll need to tell you everything that happened, but for now, I just want to sit back and enjoy life and being with you and feel like things are normal again. You have no idea how hard it's been waiting for this."

Willow hugged Maple one final time before letting her go. "I'm proud of you for making it," she said, softly letting the mare down. "And I definitely can't wait to listen."

Starlight warily kept her distance, but eventually Willow saw her looking and beckoned her over, giving permission to do exactly what she wanted. Starlight was at her side in a flash, seated against that thick, silvery coat. "Hello, Starlight," Willow murmured.

"Hi," Starlight said back.

"Are you all right too?" Willow asked.

"Yeah." Starlight stared into the crowd, not focusing on any one thing amid the sea of yellows and teals and pinks. "Sort of."

"Once we're done here," Willow told her, "I'd love to talk with you, too, if you don't mind. We can do it alone or with others, wherever you like."

Starlight nodded. It was like Willow could read her mind, offering exactly what she was about to ask for were she to get up the courage. Despite the calming pink flame and her lack of physical injuries and getting to watch hour by hour as Maple recovered and grew stronger and more stable, she still felt tired and strained inside, and a part of her she couldn't explain knew that only Willow would understand how she felt and know what to do to fix it. She hadn't felt at peace the first time she was in Riverfall either, but somehow, this time she knew it could be fixed.

"Drinks are on the house!" Cedar suddenly announced, trotting out the open door with a tray of beverages and sandwiches on his back. "And the price of the food is a smile when you receive it. For you." He bowed to Maple, offering the platter for her to take.

Maple took her offering, a double-decker pile of thick-sliced wheat bread with spinach, lettuce, sprouts, tomatoes, cucumbers, arugula, guacamole, cheese, some type of sauce, and other colored vegetables Starlight couldn't identify. She frankly wondered if it would be easier to fit in someone's mouth by trying to eat it vertically.

"I'm going to make a mess with this," Maple promised as she bit down, sending shreds of green tumbling everywhere.

Starlight eyed the rest of the things on the tray as Cedar set it down. Rather than presenting the same for everyone, it was a sampling platter, with a set of spiced buttered biscuits in particular making her eyes water and her horn light in greed. Her stomach told her she wasn't in dire want of a meal, but her tongue promptly silenced it, insisting that anything not fruity Earth District plunder was exactly what she needed. Down her throat the biscuits went.

Amber belched, sipping from a glass of something red that seemed to sparkle in Starlight's ears, as Maple tried in vain to eat without exploding her sandwich and Willow looked on calmly and contentedly. Above the trees, the sun was shining, and below, Gerardo Guillaume stood in a pavilion addressing hundreds of ponies with stories Starlight automatically knew were terribly exaggerated. Hemlock was conspicuously absent, his role of interviewing Gerardo replaced by a thoroughly flustered and very-much-enjoying-herself Slipstream, and it wasn't raining, but the scene could have just as easily been its twin from a week earlier in Starlight's life.

Riverfall was back. The crowd was cheering, her friends were smiling, and for a moment, Starlight truly understood how Arambai had considered the city forged into a paradise, a final destination where lost and weary ponies could find the chance they needed in life. Last time, she had let the pressure get to her, and fled while insisting nothing short of perfect was good enough. But this time, she knew better. Riverfall wasn't perfect, but it was home, and it was good enough. And Starlight knew that whatever it took, whatever compromises she had to make and ponies she had to appease, for the sake of her friends she would ensure she didn't make that mistake again.

Comments

[Hap]

"Mmmm..." Maple straightened her posture, smiling warmly. "I have a feeling it's going to be a good one."

Hmm. Indeed.

[Hap]

This was one hell of a chapter.

[Alchemik]

I hope they get to rest here for a year or three before events and/or wanderlust drag them away. They could really use the break.