The Olden World

by Czar_Yoshi

Another Dinner

Maple and Starlight sat together in their well-lit upstairs kitchen, the oven timer ticking softly in the background. A book lay in Maple's hooves, still open to the last page even though they had finished some time ago, and Starlight leaned against her shoulder, tucked beneath a foreleg like a warm blanket.

"This was one of my favorites when I was your age," Maple murmured, resting her head atop Starlight's and basking in the calm. "It's part of a series. There are twenty-one in total, and except for one or two direct sequels, you can read them in any order. I bet the author's life was busy... Did you like it?"

Starlight shrugged. "It was nice." What was nicer was making Maple happy, and suggesting that they read something together had done plenty to take her adoptive mother's mind off White Chocolate. The book hadn't been bad either, but listening as Maple read aloud about heroes having swordfights with villains was a little less exciting when she had seen those weapons in action against her in real life. "We should read another some time."

"Some time," Maple agreed, setting the book down and wrapping Starlight in a full hug. "Right now, I think dinner's about to be ready. I made more than enough for two, but I wonder if Willow will be here..."

"Dunno." Starlight didn't resist, sniffing and taking in the scent of nearly-done biscuits. Some kind of gravy wafted steam from a pot atop the stove, already finished and just staying warm.

"Hmmmmm..." Maple sifted her muzzle through Starlight's mane, tugging here and there and trying to drag her teal stripes back into clarity. "Tomorrow, I think we should go back to Sycamore's."

"Who?" Starlight blinked. Riverfall mares all being named after trees didn't do much to help her memory.

"The bathhouse," Maple explained. "Where we went to fix you up last time. I bet you could use it again, know I need a deep cleaning after spending so much time in caves, and don't even get me started on what happened to Valey's mane. I know she was fighting to stop Herman and protect Ironridge and save your life, and I know she could have gotten hurt so much worse, but..." She smiled, adding, "If we go before waiting too many days, Amber might not be feeling up to splashing us too hard this time."

Starlight nodded, remembering that trip. She supposed she wouldn't mind.

Suddenly, a knock on the door sounded from below, and they heard it creak open. Maple's ears twitched with interest. "That's Willow's knock," she remarked, loosening her grip on Starlight and leaning towards the staircase. "Willow? Hello!?"

Heavy hoofsteps sounded, and soon Willow climbed into view, the fur on her back matted from a light drizzle. "Hello, Maple, Starlight," she greeted, panting lightly, walking over and taking a seat.

"Willow?" Maple asked, voice briefly cracking with anticipation. "It's been hours. White Chocolate's foal... did it arrive safely?"

Willow shook her head, meeting Maple's eyes and giving an understanding smile. "It was a false alarm. We spent that time talking, and I walked her back home after a while. I also stopped by to check on my foals. They miss me, and I think we'll need to work out our living arrangements sooner rather than later."

Maple stared in thought. "Well, what if you gave her-"

A sudden rapping interrupted her from the window, and she started, turning to see both Valey and Amber's faces plastered against the second-story glass, sporting silly grins and waving. Maple rolled her eyes, still holding Starlight. "Do one of you mind letting them in?"

Before Willow could get up, Starlight's horn lit, undoing the latch and swinging the window open. Valey chucked Amber through, then swooped in herself, furling her wings so she could fit. Both of them hit the floor, chuckling, and Starlight had to close the window again behind them.

"Hey, Ironflanks," Amber said appreciatively, sniffing the air. "What's cooking? It smells great!"

Maple blinked, looked between her and Valey, saw the batpony doing her best not to explode with laughter, and slumped, clunking her head against the table. "Not you, too..." she moaned, looking as far away from Amber as she could.

Both of them instantly broke down, Valey cackling and slapping the floor. "See? I told you it would be hilarious!" She punched Amber in the shoulder. "Hah hah haaa... Heh heh. Sorry, Maple. But that was worth it."

"What was funny about it?" Starlight asked, blinking in confusion.

"At least you remembered my real name," Maple grumbled, getting back up. "Biscuits in gravy. I added carrots, celery, green beans, peas, onions, and some Ironridge spices from the ship's pantry I hadn't seen before but thought would taste good with this. And I made plenty, so I hope you like it."

Amber got up with some assistance, putting a hoof around Maple's free shoulder. "Yeah, sorry, Maple," she apologized. "We've been having a fun day out, and almost anything is funny to us right now. Too much laughter, you know?"

Maple shook her head. "It's all right. What were you two doing?"

Valey started counting on the spokes of her wings. "Well, we got to watch the crowd listening to Gerardo ramble on about how cool he was in the Flame District, which is totally bogus but who cares? And when I say watching the crowd, I mean it. Had a nice long discussion about how hot or not hot various mares were. Personally, I prefer cute to hot, but you know how it is."

Amber flailed a hoof at her. "We did not!"

"Pfft. Uh-huh. Right. Like anyone buys that." Valey stuck her tongue out in retaliation. "Then I learned that there's no such thing as money in this town 'cuz everything's free, so we raided like three candy shops and didn't quit until I got a massive stomachache. Then we hung out on this random roof with some open windows right below and listened to this couple having this ridiculous argument about dresses and each others' fashion senses, which is especially weird because I think Birdo is the only one I've seen in this town who even wears anything. Their voices were cute, though. And then there was a brief shower, so we went-"

Amber tapped her mouth closed. "Maybe don't tell that bit," she advised sagely.

Valey blinked. "Oh, yeah. Good point. You never know who might be afraid of spiders. So after that, we got more candy, but I was smart enough not to eat even more so we stashed it and brought it back here." She lifted her beret, sending dozens of pieces of individually-wrapped taffy rattling across the varnished wood floor. "Then we checked on Sparky, then we flew a circuit of the city just because we could, and then it started drizzling again so we came here. So what have you been up to?"

Willow sighed fondly, nodding at the pair's antics. "I just got back from seeing my foals. Maple is making dinner, and we had just started talking about the future of my and White Chocolate's housing situations."

"Oh, her?" Valey tilted her head as Maple nodded. "She's the one who we picked up in Ironridge, right? Where Sparky packed up and shipped her husband over here, and he got with you instead?"

Willow gave her a stern look. "That's a crude way of putting it, but yes. White Chocolate's husband came here to Riverfall and became mine for a time, and I'm trying to help them reconcile and return their lives to normal. We'll need to decide soon what to do for housing, since they're presently both staying in my home while I stay with Maple."

Maple smiled awkwardly. "Not that I mind having the three of us together again. It's like when we were younger..."

"Just give them my house," Amber offered. "I mean, it's big, near you, and was originally meant for starting a family. It's not like I use it for much."

Willow nodded. "That's what I was thinking, though I'm glad to hear it from you. Tomorrow, I think I'll talk to them about it. As much as I've enjoyed spending the last two days here, it will be nice to have my foals back home and sleep in my own bed again."

"Hold on, wait a minute." Valey tapped a hoof. "So they were an item, right? And then you were an item? What's all this about sending them off again? Seems to me like the easy solution is to just all do romantic stuff together."

"I..." Willow blinked for a moment, then tilted her head at the batpony. "Valey, you know White Chocolate is likely my sister, right?"

Valey shrugged, grinning. "Identical twins? Even better! Isn't that supposed to be the dream? That Faron guy would probably dig being naughty with two of you at once."

Willow closed her eyes and grimaced. "Perhaps it would be for the third partner, but even if I wasn't straight, being intimate in a three-way relationship with my pregnant sister doesn't sound very appealing, Valey."

"...Okay, yeah, maybe that's overdoing it." Valey pretended to be interested in the oven, turning away and huffing. "Just saying, though. Someone gets turned on by that. If you don't want to believe me, never look inside Jamjars' mane."

"I think," Maple announced, letting go of Starlight and standing up, "that this conversation is making me very uncomfortable, and dinner is probably done. Anyone? Biscuits? Gravy?"

"Hear, hear!" Amber demanded, and the tide of the conversation gradually drifted to food, bed and other things.

Comments

[alamais]

Valey shrugged, grinning. "Identical twins? Even better!

Twins, Basil! Twins!!!

"...Okay, yeah, maybe that's overdoing it." Valey pretended to be interested in the oven, turning away and huffing. "Just saying, though. Someone gets turned on by that. If you don't want to believe me, never look inside Jamjars' mane."

"Hear, hear!" Amber demanded, and the tide of the conversation gradually drifted to food, bed and other things.

Well technically it was already kinda on 'bed'.

[FloydienSlip]

And then there was a brief shower, so we went-"

Amber tapped her mouth closed. "Maybe don't tell that bit," she advised sagely.

Valey blinked. "Oh, yeah. Good point. You never know who might be afraid of spiders.

Wait wait wait. Hold up. There was a shower that Amber doesn't want Valey to talk about, and Valey mentions spiders.

Spiders have eight legs... as do a combination of two healthy ponies.

...Did they do what I think they did?

[Czar_Yoshi]

8947624 ...You know what?

I'm not going to weigh in on this. Noodle Incidents are for headcanons.

[readsponies]

"At least you remembered my real name," Maple grumbled, getting back up. "Biscuits in gravy. I added carrots, celery, green beans, peas, onions, and some Ironridge spices from the ship's pantry I hadn't seen before but thought would taste good with this. And I made plenty, so I hope you like it."

The dish is called "biscuits and gravy", but if you had way too much gravy they could be "in" it. But with carrots, celery, green beans, and onions, if you thinned the gravy down and put the biscuits in it, you'd almost have chicken and dumplings, only without the chicken.

[Venlinelle]

Ah, and so begin the running incest jokes (not a criticism).

I didn’t realize on my first read how bad Starlight’s inability to think of her own interests is. No wonder that scene with the Griffonian Flame of Harmony made both her and me cry so much.