• Published 23rd Jun 2017
  • 8,247 Views, 4,585 Comments

The Olden World - Czar_Yoshi



Equestrian culture loves cutie marks. Filly Starlight Glimmer hates them and never wants one. So, she leaves Equestria.

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Zero Sensitivity

The scene Starlight and Valey walked in on in the ship's dining hall was a lot louder and more colorful than expected. The table was down, streamers festooned the ceiling, and nearly two dozen Riverfall mares crowded the space, walking around or sometimes sitting two to a chair. Platters with too many different kinds of food for Starlight to count sat ready for serving next to stacks of smaller plates, and as she watched the kitchen doors swung open, two mares lugging through a tureen that steamed and smelled of apples.

"Buhhhhh." Valey's mouth hung open, beginning to drool.

"Good morning," Dior greeted, strolling out from the observation room with a cup held in his aura. He stopped and nodded appreciatively when he saw who they were, smiling and adding, "Did you smell this all the way from Maple's house? I thought you lived near the other side of town."

"Lucky guess," Valey said, quickly regaining control of her faculties. "What's this?"

Dior beamed out at the happy crowd. "After our party concluded last night, I figured I'd invite everyone for a breakfast and open house on the ship. Enough thought it was a good idea that I went ahead, and enough talented chefs volunteered that we decided to make it a community breakfast. There's more than enough for everyone, so feel free to help yourselves."

"You don't need to tell me twice!" Valey bolted, grabbing a plate and scooping up entrees like a green whirlwind.

Starlight was slower to follow, though the pull of the food was impossible to resist. She noticed Dior keeping pace with her as she loaded up on hash browns, and raised an eyebrow. "Hi?"

"Hi," Dior repeated as Valey drifted past, flying upside-down with her plate balanced on her belly. "Are your friends coming too?" he asked, looking hopeful.

"We didn't know about this," Starlight muttered, looking at her food, suddenly worrying if they were being left out. "I might be able to run back and see..."

"Meh, I'll do it!" Valey called, orbiting the table. "Just gimme a minute to pig out first. This is epic."

Dior relaxed a little. "I wouldn't want anyone to miss out. Do enjoy yourself, okay?"

Starlight nodded, her mouth already too full to respond. As he wandered off to rejoin the crowd, she glanced around the room and shrank: in every direction, ponies she had never seen before were chatting loudly and completely ignoring her. It was preferable to being the center of attention, but the crowd's energy and volume still made her slightly uncomfortable, too short to see past the wall of mares and unable to keep a lookout on everyone at once. Quickly, she slunk to a wall and pressed her back against it, feeling much better.

Ears drooping from relief, Starlight ate what food she had gotten and thought. The energy and good cheer of the room were probably infectious, especially evident in that every last pony seemed to be having a good time. She followed mare after mare with her eyes, watching as a conversation would wind down, they'd return to get more food, bump into someone and start talking anew. But it almost felt like there was a wall of glass insulating her from the emotions in the room. It was too contrary, too surreal next to how she had experienced the world in Ironridge and Equestria and even her previous trip to Riverfall. It was like she was dreaming, and she even kicked herself just to make sure.

When she didn't suddenly wake up next to Maple, Amber and Willow, she sighed. Her plate was empty, she wasn't full, and she suddenly felt self-conscious for not having a good time like every other mare there. Frowning at herself, she narrowed her eyes and straightened her shoulders. There was no reason she couldn't have fun like everyone else! She marched toward the table, resolving to get more to eat and then mingle.

With her plate piled high with some kind of pastry in sauce, Starlight approached a group of four mares chatting aimlessly, keeping her ears forward and stopping just outside their circle when they didn't move to let her in. Actually, they didn't seem to notice her, period. The two that were facing her had their attention fixed on a large mare with her back to her, going on about proper interior decoration.

"...Which is why hanging plants are dreadful and should never be used. Tapestry drapes, on the other hoof, are going into style next month, and I know a pony who can cut a premier deal on..."

That wasn't a conversation Starlight wanted to listen in on or force her way into. Snorting, she turned away to check the rest of the room, when the large mare took an unlooking step back. Her hoof came down suddenly on Starlight's tail, causing the filly to trip and sending her plate rolling away with a crash. "Ow, hey!"

That got the mares' attention. Instantly, all four were looming around her as she struggled to get back to her hooves, frustration mounting. "Oh no!" the big one exclaimed. "I'm so sorry, Dearie! Did I step on your tail?"

Yes, she had, and Starlight didn't appreciate being-

"Ohhhh..." the mare cooed, leaning down and pushing her friends aside. "Can I get you anything to make it feel better?"

Starlight scowled, opening her mouth to excuse herself-

"Sequoia, you're making her mad! Look at her face!" Another mare probably intended to jump to her defense, but wasn't helping. "Please don't be mad at us, okay?" She leaned in far too close, eyes pleading. "You're such a cute thing, and we'd feel terrible about it!"

Starlight blanched, but another mare was looking half at her, gaze somewhat haunted. "Girls?" she said to the others. "Actually please don't make her mad. Please don't be mad at us," she added to Starlight. "I recognize her. That's the river filly who turned Mangrove's head into a crystal."

It wasn't what she wanted to be remembered for, but if it would let her get a word in edgewise...

Of course it wouldn't. "You can turn ponies' heads to crystal?" Sequoia slowly gasped, eyes widening dramatically. "That's so impressive..."

What was it with Riverfall mares and personal space? Starlight glanced desperately around; at the party the day before, sticking next to Willow had made everyone keep a normal distance, but she didn't see a single familiar face to cling to. Even Matryona and Valey were nowhere to be seen... granted, she couldn't see far at all thanks to the taller ponies crowding around her. It was like everyone assumed a foal who wasn't immediately near an adult was fundamentally traumatized by it and needed to be helped as soon as possible. Didn't Riverfall let mares raise their children collectively? Shouldn't they know better?

"Don't worry," the fourth mare reassured the others. "I know Mangrove. She once dated my sister's ex. She's a jerk, so she had it coming." She winked at Starlight. "Good on you for getting her for us!"

Starlight's frustration was quickly evaporating to blank confusion. She had little doubt that blasting them would be effective... even if they'd take something far different from it than intended, and it would ruin Dior's party. But they were interrupting her so effectively, it was like they wanted her to lash out. Was it possible for four grown mares to be that socially clueless about what she wanted?

Sequoia opened her mouth to say something, but this time it was Starlight's turn to interrupt. A tiny, precision jet of light from her horn turned the bigger mare's mouth to crystal just long enough for Starlight to say, in a voice far calmer than the situation warranted, "Please stop interrupting me, patronizing me, getting in my face and making me want to blow you up. I can talk, you know."

The four mares stepped back, Sequoia looking especially dumbstruck as she rubbed her now-freed jaw. All of them looked at each other, suddenly not wanting to be the first to speak.

"I need to get more food," the one who had called Starlight cute mumbled, awkwardly excusing herself.

The one who remembered her from before left without even that much, wordlessly slinking away, looking like she badly wanted Valey's shadow sneaking power. The last one to speak put on a strained smile, waving a little as she left. "Sorry! We're, uh, still friends, right?" She didn't stick around long enough for a response.

"What?" Starlight asked when Sequoia remained, staring at nothing and still rubbing her jaw.

The bigger mare's eyes suddenly focused on her. "Freaky..." she mumbled, then trotted away, leaving Starlight alone.

If Starlight had been uncomfortable with the crowd earlier, now it felt like they weren't even there. She strolled past the table, getting a new plate, barely even registering the ponies around her.

What was wrong with everyone? Or with her? Was it because she was young? She didn't see any other foals at the banquet... Every other group chattered as happily as ever, and she sat several steps up on the staircase, watching from above as several of the ponies she had ran into overcame the awkwardness of their encounter and melted seamlessly into new groups, the other ponies moving aside for them as they happily joined the conversation.

Starlight sighed. It was probably Ironridge... or Equestria, before that. Everyone there probably just had a completely different idea of what good and bad were than she did. Not like they had ever lost someone they cared about... Okay, maybe they had, but not like they had ever been chased around a giant mineshaft by a bunch of bloodthirsty mercenaries, or had to pull the trigger on a bombed dam to stop anyone else from fighting over it. She knew how bad the world could get. They probably thought the vilest evil one could encounter was a hanging plant. And good things... She set her plate aside and buried her head in her hooves. The one thing that came to mind as something she enjoyed was waking up with her friends, and that was because it was peaceful and had absolutely nothing bad happening. There had to be more good things than that. Maybe it was her perspective that was off, after all. Maybe it was Ironridge that had been the dream, and Sunburst, and all of Equestria, and things were only bad because-

"You look lost in thoughts," a nasally voice said, and a hoof settled on her shoulder.

She blinked upwards, seeing Shinespark looking down at her with a slight smile. The unicorn's nose was red, evidencing what she had done when the rain caught her the day before. "Don't feel like joining the party?"

"I tried," Starlight said, looking back at the room. It was all she could say.

"I didn't," Shinespark answered, rubbing her nose. "Partly because I have a cold, but I'm not ready for that so soon after everything."

"Yeah," Starlight agreed, intrinsically sensing they felt the same way.

Shinespark seemed to sense it too, standing up and turning around. "It's quieter in my room, if you don't feel like eating alone. Mrrgh..."

Sniffing, she wandered off, and Starlight had nothing better to do than follow.

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