The Olden World

by Czar_Yoshi

Immortal Dream

"Starlight? Starlight, are you okay...?"

Starlight groggily swam back to consciousness, head pounding, fuzzy images swirling in her memory of a platform surrounded by water and a frantic tussle. "Nnngh..." She groaned, muscles feeling limp.

"Starlight!" Her vision focused on Maple, standing over her and looking her straight in the eye. "Oh, you're awake..."

"Was that a nightmare?" Starlight asked, in the vain hope that it would be.

Valey was also in the room, which she identified as somewhere on Shinespark's airship. "You tell us," the batpony said with a shrug. "We were rooting through Maple's place, found Jamjars, she said a bunch of stuff, and you completely freaked out and teleported off with a bang. I followed you, which was kinda hard because you kept teleporting, and eventually found you standing up on the riverbank at the top of the waterfall with Hemlock. Looked like you were standing back and glaring at each other, and he was backing off and slipped over the edge. You were doing something with your magic that gave me chills and looked really, really furious, so I might have had to knock you out and haul you back here. You've been out for maybe... fifteen minutes? Sorry for doing that, but you're not going to lose it again, are you?"

"You also have a fever," Maple added, eyes dry.

Starlight touched her forehead, dizziness mounting. "At the top of the waterfall? No, we were on a platform at the bottom. Where his crane used to be. And he was fighting me! And laughing about how evil he was! He kept going on about teaching me a lesson, and calling me a varmint and hussy and laughing! We were surrounded by water and I burned my horn out, so there was nowhere to run! I was defending myself!"

Valey frowned. "You were definitely on the riverbank. You know, that stone thingy with the railing that looks kinda touristy? There was a wall, but neither of your backs were to it, and he just slipped. And I didn't see any fighting, either."

"I know what I saw," Starlight mumbled, a spike of fear and denial rising up inside her. She had just wished it was a nightmare, but...

"What did you say Hemlock did, again?" Amber glanced in concern at her... was she also in the room? "Laughing about how evil he is doesn't sound like him at all."

"He..." Starlight swallowed. "He did! He was talking about how I needed to get out of town, and kept smirking and laughing! He had a recording and was sneering and was in my face! He said he was there to watch and see if we bothered to return, and that I was a menace! And I... I..."

Now Amber looked a lot more concerned. "Starlight, Hemlock is a coward, and not all that bright. Whenever I confront him about something, he makes excuses like crazy the moment he realizes I'm actually mad. He doesn't go looking for fights, and he doesn't attack ponies. He is petty and does hold heavy grudges, but always, always deals with them indirectly. I've never seen him directly confront another pony."

Starlight's heart rose again. If this was all a nightmare... "So then Maple's house..."

"Is wrecked," Maple finished with a sad sigh. "I'm dealing with it. And I'll deal a lot better if you're all right, Starlight. The ponies in my life are a lot more important than the... other things."

"Am I okay?" Starlight shuddered, her horn giving an uncomfortable pulse. "I fought him! I did..."

Valey gave an apologetic shrug. "Kiddo, the only bruise you've got is the one from where I knocked you out. I checked you on our way back. But if you really want to know, I guess you could ask him yourself before we teleport him off to Arambai to deal with. Haven't called the old stallion yet, but he's probably going to need to know that Riverfall just had a mob vandalism."

Starlight felt her eyes bug out. "He's alive!?"

"Yeah, I fished him out of the river the moment you were subdued." Valey shrugged. "Shinespark's got him locked up in another room with some towels right now, but I don't think he's a threat. He's mostly blubbering like a maniac about how you're a demon and are going to murder him in his sleep."

"I..." Starlight gasped and bit her lip at the same time, and the result was a faint strangled sound. "I told you he hates me..."

Valey shook her head. "Yeah, but this isn't mad cackling like you described. I'm pretty sure the dude's wet himself at least twice since we got here, though it's hard to tell since he's already dripping. And to be honest? You were scaring me, too. Like, I don't like getting butt danger tingles from my friends, Starlight. You're probably not going to want to hear this, but as much as Hemlock definitely did just ruin your and Maple's lives here... I think you really did lose it and get just as dangerous as he thought you were."

Starlight gulped, head pounding and ears folding.

"So, I'd love to go deal with stuff so we can get this show on the road, and all that jazz..." Valey looked between Amber and Maple. "Whatever you did back there, it's not gonna happen again, right? You've cooled off now, so I can leave you alone?"

Shaking, Starlight nodded. "I d-don't know what happened. I think so?"

"Cool." Flicking her tail, Valey turned around and left, leaving Starlight, Maple and Amber alone in the cabin.

"Oh, Starlight..." Then Maple was hugging her.

"I don't know what happened!" Starlight sniffed. "I was telling the truth! That's what I did! He fought me! He was dangerous! That's what happened, right?"

Maple grimaced against her. "I didn't see, Starlight. But from what I know of Hemlock, I agree with Amber and Valey. He can be petty and spiteful, but..."

"He said I was the one who sabotaged and broke his crane," Starlight went on. "It was his fault! He blamed me for everything!"

"Okay, now that's weird," Amber cut in. "Because I know for a fact he thinks I sabotaged his crane. Me and Gerardo did a publicity stunt to convince him of that and try to take heat off you for saving the boat when it fell, remember? There's a good chance he's ticked at our entire friend group, and to be honest, we might have deserved it just a little. He always was saying uncouth things about my tail and never listened when I told him to knock it off, so I always treated him like a silly old fool to be made fun of. And that last time on Arambai's roof..." She hung her head.

"That doesn't excuse what he did," Maple said stiffly.

Amber shook her head. "No. It doesn't. And it didn't last time, when he found out and told everyone Starlight was from over the mountains, when she really didn't want attention. I don't know why Hemlock went after her again with this now, but if you want my guess? He's afraid of outsiders and change. He's not touching Gerardo because he's popular and everyone likes him, but Starlight is... well, not a performer. But I think Hemlock likes his world, doesn't understand that he shares it with other ponies, and..." She sighed. "I'm analyzing too much and putting words in his mouth. Either way, whether he specifically intended it or was just trying to stir up public sentiment, he set a mob on my best friend's house while we were on vacation, and I won't forgive that."

Starlight shuddered again. "But I saw him..."

"I know." Maple hugged her tight.

"My magic..." Starlight sniffed. "It felt weird. While I was with him. I was angry, and... it made me feel bad... but I was really powerful. I made a sword out of crystal, and was going to kill him."

She couldn't articulate what she was feeling past that, and if she could have, she didn't want to. What if she hadn't seen what was really happening, after all? What if someone had slighted her, and her mind made them out to be worse than they had been, and her having no choice but to end them? A part of her still felt cheated; a death that was his own fault was what Hemlock deserved... even if Arambai might not be that merciful. But she had wanted to kill him, and it wasn't worth denying that she had lost control. She sniffled again, harder. What if one of her friends did something she didn't understand, and she-

"Starlight."

Suddenly, a pink light enveloped her, and for a tiny second, ghostly flames leaked from Maple's coat, wrapping around her as the mare released some of the harmonic tree's energy she had stored. The magic melted into Starlight's muscles, and when it stopped, her body felt significantly less achy and battered. Even her headache had alleviated some.

"It's okay," Maple said, sitting on the bed and rocking her back and forth. "If you had, I would have said he deserved it. I'm okay with what you did on the dam, remember? Herman left us with no choice there. And remember, he had just stabbed me with that sword right in front of you. You used some pretty powerful magic saving us there, too."

"I'm not an expert on magic, or anything," Amber offered, with a hopefully-helpful smile, "but do you think whatever spells you used were affected by how you felt? Like, can powerful emotions change magic? Maybe you... I don't know... accidentally magicked yourself into seeing something that wasn't there?"

Maple silenced her with a hoof to the shoulder, still holding and rocking Starlight. "It doesn't matter. What happened with Starlight and Hemlock doesn't change what Hemlock did, and I don't feel sorry for him. Whether he attacked her on a platform with nowhere to run or not, whether he sneered in her face or hid behind a wall of ponies and muttered propaganda, he still destroyed my house and tried his best to turn the town against us. Don't forget that, and don't start feeling sorry for him."

Amber gave a wry smile. "There's a difference in understanding why someone did something and agreeing with what they did, Maple. But yeah. I sure won't miss him, regardless of how he goes."

"W-What about you?" Starlight's voice shook, and she pressed on Maple. "Your house is gone."

"Not gone," Maple corrected. "But very damaged. I'm not sure I could live in it like this, even if we clean it up. It's like White Chocolate's new house, and how I had to move out..." She shivered, and squeezed her eyes shut. "But I'm not going to be knocked down by this. Not again. I'm done getting hit by life, over and over again. First Ironridge, then my husband, then Aspen, then Ironridge again, and now this. I'm tired of this. I've had it, and I am not going to collapse on my bed again and drown in my own sadness."

Starlight's ears straightened.

"I know you've had reservations about Riverfall," Maple went on. "And now it's told us that it doesn't want us. Loudly and clearly. Jamjars said it was only five ponies, but five is a lot of ponies to do something so extreme, and who knows how many there are that would gossip about us or run and hide when we got close?" She gave a lonely sigh. "I had friends in town, but being a recluse for two years isn't the best way to stay in social circles. And you never knew anyone but us, did you?" Pausing, she finished, "It's like Riverfall just isn't home any more..."

A thought caught in Starlight's mind. "Valey said she knocked me out," she said. "I thought I blacked out on my own. But before I did, I saw somepony disappearing around a building, like they had been watching us. And before that, I teleported to the plaza, and everyone was scared of me. If I really did push Hemlock over the edge, and someone saw..." She swallowed.

"You two are thinking of leaving again, aren't you?" Amber asked with a regretful smile.

"I don't think there's any way we could stay," Maple replied with an equal amount of sadness. "Even with Hemlock gone, our lives would be an uphill battle for acceptance. I want to live in peace, and that's exactly what Starlight left Equestria to run away from. You could come with us?"

Amber blew on her bangs, holding her expression. "On this ship? I could drop everything and fly away with you, couldn't I...?" For a moment, she seemed to seriously consider it, then shook her head. "You know Willow would be alone here if we did that. And an adventure to places unknown... she'd never leave her foals, but Yew is only a year old and the road is nowhere to raise someone that young. And then there's White Chocolate, and..." She closed her eyes. "Besides, I'm pretty well-connected with the locals. If anyone stands a chance of some day repairing your reputation, it's me."

Maple's smile cracked. "With Ironridge, I was always planning to return quickly. We were only a day away. This wouldn't be a trip; it would be me leaving. Amber, I don't know if I'd ever return."

Amber shrugged. "Give it a few years, then. I doubt I'll be able to work instantaneously. Let us get river traffic to Ironridge, let them fix their airship stuff and get back on the map. Remember that high-up lookout Arambai once showed us? Bet that would make a great dock for airships that can't land in the river, even. We get some foreigners in here, maybe some pegasi and griffons and more batponies, and get the locals into the idea of leaving... Some day, I bet you could come back and be right at home."

"Some day," Maple echoed, touching Amber's outstretched hoof with her own.

"So make your home be the road for a few years." Amber shrugged. "This ship is nice. Probably nicer than your place in Riverfall, even. Go have adventures until Yakyakistan calls, and maybe even see Equestria. Let your home be where your friends are, and take it on your back wherever you go. Do it! And we're both pretty young. You could be gone ten, twenty, thirty years... I bet I'll see you again." She gave a faithful wink. "I'll make sure Riverfall is still standing for your return."

Maple gave a long sigh, then prodded Starlight. "What do you think?" she asked gently.

"She's right," Starlight glumly muttered. "This is exactly why I left Equestria. I don't want to leave again. I hate being alone. But I can't make an effort to live in a place for you when you don't want to be there either. There has to be something better somewhere else in the world, and we can find it. And if there isn't, we make it. Right?"

Maple stood up, patting Starlight and leaving her in the bed. "You can come with me, then, or stay here on the ship. If we're leaving for good, I think I have some goodbyes to say."

---

Starlight rode on Maple's back through the central corridor of the airship, lost in thought.

Hemlock had ruined her future in Riverfall. Not that she was looking forward to it in the first place, but he had. He started a mob, whether deliberately or as a byproduct of his rhetoric, and that had torn Maple's house apart... and after everything in her life, more hardship working against her was the last thing Maple needed. Starlight was honestly confused how the mare was still standing, with this after everything that had happened in Ironridge. She must have been so used to taking blows like this, she was getting better at it.

And in the end... Starlight had gone to confront Hemlock, and he had fallen in the river. She had been justifiably angry. Her horn had done something that felt bad. And when she came to on the boat, there was no way to know whether it was him or her who had been the aggressor, but it didn't matter, because he had been cheated out of his death, they were leaving and so was he.

Did she want him dead? Starlight shivered. She had. She knew she had. And if she had hallucinated... if something had caused her to imagine she was in a position where killing him was justified, and the only way to defend herself... maybe that wasn't a good thing at all.

Teeth clenched, she pressed her chin into Maple's neck and tried not to think about it.

They passed a door with Shinespark standing in front, her aura telekinetically holding it closed. Vague muttering could be heard from within, and Shinespark greeted them with a frown. "Up and at 'em already?" She shook her head. "I wish Gerardo would get back to watch this loon. I need to call my dad and talk about this so we can arrange what to do."

"Who's there!?" Hemlock shouted from behind the door. "It's that filly, ain't it! Someone, help! This goes beyond aggravated battery! She pushed me in the river, I tell you! Waved a sword around in my face and everything! I did not slip! That there's lies and slander! I fought for self-defense! They'll uphold me in an Ironridge court of law!"

Amber closed her eyes and sighed. "He really does sound ridiculous. Like you're not supposed to take him seriously. I should have realized he wasn't as harmless as I made him out to be..."

"Gerardo?" Maple frowned. "Where is he?"

"Taking it personally," Shinespark replied. "Something about leaving your door broken to allow the vandals a way in. I told him anyone with an axe like that could break in, locked door or not, but he's... well, probably in the plaza making a speech. I doubt there's anything he can do for you, though. Ponies have a herding instinct when it comes to public opinion, and scaring them is the best way to change their minds. Working to unite everyone behind a good example takes years, and I would know."

Maple folded her ears and hung her head. "Well, now I feel even worse for yelling at him about it. I hope I didn't accidentally convince him to stay here instead of coming with us."

"Coming with us?" Shinespark tipped her head. "You want to leave?"

"I don't see how we can stay here," Maple said with a sad smile. "Riverfall has made it clear they don't want me or Starlight. Assuming you're leaving and will have us, that is."

Shinespark took a breath and nodded. "We're still in the air above Riverfall. As far as I'm concerned, we don't even need to land. We can take Hemlock to the teleporter and then fly away, and never look back."

"Where are we going?" Starlight asked warily.

"That's her!" Hemlock yowled from behind the sealed door. "I heard her voice! She's coming for me! Someone, do something about that disrespectful miscreant! Tell her to mind her elders!"

Ignoring him, Shinespark looked at the roof. "Haven't decided. Let's wait on that until everyone who's going is with us."

"Yo." Suddenly, Valey popped out of the shadows on the roof, dropping to the floor. "So, I snooped around Riverfall and rounded up enough mares with cutie marks who feel kinda badly about what happened to power that teleporter and kick this bozo back to Ironridge. I'm thinking I'll grab him, shadow sneak him out the window, and fly him straight there, and if you wanna stay here and make your call or fly along behind or whatever, you can do that. Also, Ironflanks, if you wanna hear anyone say sorry, you ought to come too. Cool?"

Shinespark nodded, stepping back and releasing her lock on the door.

"Sweet." Valey didn't even bother to open it, shadow sneaking under the door. "Get dunked on, old crone!" her voice echoed from the other side. There was a brief cry of surprise, and then the air was still.

Eventually, Shinespark shrugged, standing up. "Want me to fly you to Arambai's house? I just need to go grab the sound stone."

Maple and Amber glanced at each other, shrugged back, and agreed.

---

Starlight blinked, taken aback at the number of mares in Arambai's living room. It seemed just as packed as the time she had told tales of Equestria in Maple's storefront. "You need this many ponies?"

"To power a teleporter?" Valey asked, having already tied Hemlock up somewhere. "Beats me. I figured better safe than sorry."

Shinespark gave a wry smirk. "I think three or four would do it. Brand power behaves unusually when you try to make multiple ones resonate together. But this is definitely more than we need."

"Well, we're here anyway," a pink mare with dusty reddish-brown bangs a similar shade to Maple's announced. "Someone had to let you know that not all of us take Hemlock seriously, or want you gone. We're here to collectively apologize, Maple and Starlight."

"Cinnamon, right?" Maple asked, brushing the corner of her eye as she surveyed the packed couches and chairs that lined the edges of Arambai's second story.

The pink mare nodded. "That's me. I was at your house that night a week ago, before you left. Apparently, when everyone in Riverfall remembered that being from far away makes ponies interesting, not bad."

"I heard Gerardo's rendition of the battle for the dam," another mare volunteered, pointing an ocean-blue hoof at Starlight. "He made it sound like that yak person forced someone to make the dam blow, and Starlight did it so no one else would have to. Hemlock had a recording that made it sound worrisome, but he only played one line. I'm sure there was context he left out, right?"

"I saw you at the plaza just now," a third said shakily. "You looked so terrifying. I don't know what everyone was thinking, making enemies with someone so strong. Even if we wanted to, we should know better than to fight you! But everyone who's in their right mind would like to be friends..."

Starlight straightened up, facing them. "Would you? Would you actually like to be my friends as opposed to just leaving me alone or being on my good side? I know you're scared of me."

"We are," another mare admitted, folding her ears ashamedly. "Please forgive us..."

"...Thank you, everyone," Maple sighed, hanging her head. "I forgive you, but we can't stay here. We're leaving, again, and I'm not sure for how long. I'm sorry we brought so much drama to this town..."

"I forgive you, too," Starlight added, feeling like it was the right thing to do.

A collective sigh of relief swept through the room, and one by one the mares began narrating their stories, about contact they had had with Sosans before the boats stopped, or about where they had been and what they had done when the mob had occurred. Starlight tuned it all out; they were strangers, and she had made up her mind. At least she could leave without bearing them any ill will.

One of Maple's regular bakery customers spoke. A mare who helped Willow care for her foals on days when she was tired. Someone who swore she was Amber's cousin, but had no proof. A mare who had been at the plaza when Hemlock was playing his recordings. He hadn't called for a mob, just public awareness, she said. Another mare was Juniper, Willow's friend who lent them her balcony at the plaza to watch Gerardo showing off. Starlight looked, but didn't see Acacia, Maple's reddish neighbor with a newborn foal she had once thought about becoming friends with. And none of the mares tried to heckle, or be unpleasant in any way.

"Hey, we did it," Valey announced, stepping up with Shinespark from the basement.

"Hemlock is gone," Shinespark agreed. "Arambai wasn't pleased when we called him. He'd like to talk to you as well before we leave. And Dior's in the basement and would like to say farewell, too."

Amber licked her lips, a pencil held in her mouth and scratching on a piece of paper. "Will do," she said, spitting it out. "Here. I took notes, and it sounds like we've got a pretty solid idea on who actually did the busting up. Might wanna excommunicate them, too."

Valey raised an eyebrow. "Pretty sure that word doesn't mean what you think it means, but sure, let's do that."

Maple bade farewell to the roomful of well-wishers and descended the steps into Arambai's basement. Starlight waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness, head still faintly pounding as they navigated the maze of shelves and boxes that clogged access to the entrance, and when she reached the teleporter chamber, she realized that once again, there were far more ponies than she had been expecting.

Along the wall, beside the dais, Dior stood, and immediately next to him was Willow. Then, White Chocolate, missing her husband and signature bathrobe and waiting with an awkward shuffle to her step. With Shinespark and Valey at their backs, the only one from her adventure who was still missing was Gerardo.

Dior spoke first, hanging his head in shame. "I didn't even know about what was happening," he lamented. "For that, I sincerely apologize. I have a lot to learn to fill my father's horseshoes here, it seems."

"Willow?" Maple tipped her head after nodding to Dior. "When did you get down here?"

"Gerardo offered me a ride when he came down," Willow replied. "So you're leaving again, are you? Hmmm..."

"...Sorry." Maple's voice cracked, and she rushed forward to hug her friend, nearly throwing off Starlight. "Sorry! I thought we were going to live happily ever after, and sometimes go back to Ironridge and enjoy our life in Riverfall and raise our families together and... and..." She sniffed, then wiped her nose on the bigger mare's shoulder. "I guess it wasn't meant to happen..."

"I suppose everyone has to go their own way eventually," Willow murmured back. "Our lives have been moving too quickly and changing too much recently to think they would stay the same forever. I just want to know if there's anything I can do for you, one last time."

Maple swallowed resolutely. "Don't make it goodbye. We're taking a sound stone with us, and Arambai has the other. Amber's staying too, and she's going to fix up the boat to Ironridge. I might not see you or her again for a long time, but stay in touch. Write letters for him to read us, and maybe come visit and talk for yourself, okay? I got lonely after just three days, and this time will be a lot longer."

"I promise," Willow assured her, hugging back. "And Starlight? Is there anything I can do for you?"

Starlight thought, and swiftly realized what she wanted. "Your foals," she said, pointing a hoof. "Don't let them worry about things like what the world can do and keeping their friends and parents safe. That means keeping yourself safe too, and protecting them so they don't end up like me. Okay?"

Willow leaned in and rested her cheek against Starlight's. "You're stronger than you think you are," she whispered in the filly's ear. "And I don't say that lightly. But remember, Starlight, your friends are here for you just as much as you are for them. It's okay to let other ponies solve your problems for you."

Starlight folded her ears.

"Take care of everyone," Willow instructed, breaking away. "But especially yourself. I'm glad I got to meet you, Starlight."

"I'm glad I met you, too," Starlight echoed, feeling slightly emptier.

"White Chocolate," Maple said, eventually turning to Willow's shyer look-alike.

White Chocolate folded her ears. "I had no idea what was happening when Valey came to our new house, but she came back and said you might be leaving..."

"I am," Maple announced with a sigh of finality. "In the end, it... well, Riverfall gave me what Riverfall gave me. I've been knocked down more times than I can count, and there's nothing to do but stop or keep going. And right now, I'm tired of letting everything that's happened get the best of me."

"I can understand." White Chocolate closed her eyes and bowed. "I feel like I finally have a chance to get back on my hooves myself, thanks to you. Dior's offered to let me use the workshop here to tinker with things whenever I like, and that mechanical hand we found might give me enough dexterity to work like a unicorn if I can learn to use it right. Thank you for giving me that chance."

Maple wrapped a hoof around her neck and hugged her. "I had to. And you deserved it. And all your children, too."

"My children..." White Chocolate glanced back at her belly. "Some part of me has felt like I've been wasting my life ever since I was a teenager, and hoped that if I had foals, they'd be able to do better when I couldn't. But I did such a bad job of giving them that chance to, and felt like I needed to try harder, but could never start and didn't know what to do..."

"Start by taking care of yourself," Maple insisted. "The same thing Willow just told Starlight to do. She'll help you, too. You can't and don't need to raise every one of them by yourself. Let Riverfall help, and trust that it will work out, doing as much as you can to help it on its way, and not worrying about what you can't. I know how much easier it is to say don't worry than it is to actually do it, but... I believe in you. And then you'll be able to give your foals what they deserve."

"I'll get one more chance to start fresh, soon," White Chocolate said, still looking down.

Maple tugged sharply on her shoulder for her attention. "No. Your chance to start fresh is now. It's always now. It's never too late to do something with your life or all the lives you've been responsible for. Take care of yourself, White Chocolate."

Then, Starlight felt her tense, saw a tiny second of hesitation... and Maple knelt down and stretched her neck forward, briefly nuzzling her cheek against the silvery fur of White Chocolate's womb. "You too, little one," she whispered, nosing gently as White Chocolate looked on. "I hope your future is a bright one."

"Thanks to all of you, it's already looking up," White Chocolate promised. "I heard Arambai can talk to you from Ironridge? I'll be sure to have someone send a message telling you how I'm doing."

"Speaking of me," a voice growled, and Starlight jumped, noticing the stone floating in Shinespark's aura. "Angry mobs in Riverfall the moment I turn my back? Not what I like to hear, ponies. Ah well... Hoped I raised 'em better than that. Oh well. I'm counting on young Amber and Dior to keep me posted on what's going on there, and if I need to, I'll come back to whip everyone back into shape. Sounds like you've got at least the start of some level-headedness going on in my house. I'll see what I can do about Hemlock and any other troublemakers you send my way. Apparently, there's this place called the Flame Barracks that will make an excellent jail if we can't find a better solution. But that ain't for you to worry about. Wherever you go, stay in touch, and good luck."

Shinespark lowered her stone as it went dim. "Maple, Starlight. If you've said your goodbyes, do you want me to take you back to the ship? This will likely be the last you see of Riverfall in a very long time."

"Hold up," Valey interrupted, raising a wing. "I've got a bit to say first myself." She turned to Amber. "Yo..."

"You're going too, aren't you?" Amber gave a wry smile.

Valey shuffled her hooves apologetically. "I figure they're gonna need me to keep them safe on the open road. I guess you're not going, though? Sorry about... you know..."

"Getting my hopes up?" Amber winked. "Hey, listen. I enjoyed meeting you. No regrets. And the only way you could give me regrets is if you went and moped around and didn't enjoy yourself because I'm not around. Got it? When Arambai gets Ironridge back in the air and I come to your defense for the epic final battle leading an armada of airships, I wanna hear about how hard you made Shinespark blush, got it?"

Valey snapped her grin back on. "Well, then, enough said. If that isn't a challenge, I don't know what is. Be sure to get your hooves on that sound stone from time to time though, got it?"

"Sure thing." Amber saluted proudly.

"This is making me slightly nervous," Shinespark remarked, averting her eyes.

"Oh, don't you worry about that..." Valey's grin broadened. "Anyway, that's my piece. Anyone else? Back to the boat?"

Dior raised a hoof. "You can use this teleporter, if it would be faster."

Valey shrugged. "Sure, you do that. I'll go bag Birdo and be right behind you. Don't want him to miss out."

---

Starlight, Maple and Shinespark appeared on the deck of the hovering airship in a burst of multicolored magic, the teleporter easily letting them make the trip. The treetops of Riverfall bristled and needled beneath them, and there was no sign that the town had any cares in the world.

"Hey," Maple said after a moment of silence. "If all of us were down in Riverfall, who was piloting the ship?"

Shinespark pointed toward the bridge door. "Go see for yourselves."

Starlight hopped off Maple's back and trotted over. She didn't feel like using her horn just yet, after she had gone and hurt it once again, so she reared up and used both forehooves to pull the door aside. Grunting, she wedged it open a crack... and backed off, not liking the voice she heard coming out.

"That's why Snow's the best. I had three different bottles of conditioner perfectly lined up, and he knocked all of them over while getting out of the tub! I got to heckle him for a whole hour about it, and if he hadn't, I'd have been bored."

"I have no idea if you're being sarcastic or not," Slipstream's voice chuckled in response, "but that sounds like quite the sibling rivalry. Did you ever get him back for the time he pinned that poster in your corner of the room?"

"Well, I was going to use this," Jamjars muttered. "But it's actually nice, and he'd probably deface it. Besides, I want to keep it for myself."

Starlight pushed the door all the way open. "You two are awake?" she asked, stepping in warily.

Slipstream was sitting in the pilot's seat, occasionally watching the meters and making adjustments, and Jamjars was laying in the seat next to her, levitating an unrolled poster that was probably the one she stole from the Spirit hideout. Both were bright-eyed and awake, and somehow looking much better than when they had been discovered beaten up. Inexplicably, Jamjars even had her gigantic, bushy mane back.

"Oh. You're back." Jamjars broke off her conversation, looking over her shoulder at Starlight. "Did you pound them good?"

"I..." Starlight swallowed. She had just managed to stop thinking about what she had done with Hemlock, and how she didn't even know.

"You're looking better," Maple remarked, strolling into the room behind her. Starlight glanced back, and could see in the mare's eyes that she was slightly in a daze, but trusted that she'd eventually be all right.

Jamjars leveled her eyes at her. "You're looking weirdly okay for someone who just had their house smashed, too. Are we leaving?"

"Leaving?" Maple asked. "Well, yes, but-"

"Then I'm coming with you," Jamjars stated. "No questions asked. I just got beaten up defending your dumb home. My mom is a wimp and a walrus and all I'll do in Riverfall is grow up to be a boring old lady who gossips for fun. I'm already great at that! I don't want to live the rest of my life doing what I've already spent it on, and you're going on to bigger and better things. I'm coming too."

Maple and Starlight both hung their mouths open, thinking of something to say... until Slipstream spoke up in the filly's defense. "She did put herself on the line for your home, you know," she pointed out. "She's rough around the edges, but once you get to know her..."

Jamjars proudly puffed out her chest.

"Hold on," Maple said, cutting her off. "First off, what happened? Speaking of looking weirdly okay, you two got trampled only an hour ago!"

"Varsidelian combat draughts," Slipstream explained. "They're enchanted potions you can drink that will heal you. War technology. There's a lot of varieties, including enchanted bandages and other things, and they range everywhere from painkillers that can get you back on your hooves to actual healing magic, like a doctor would use but distilled into a less-effective, universally-applicable form. The purest ones that don't leave you weaker or temporarily more prone to re-injury are very expensive and hard to get, but Shinespark said we had some that a team of mercenaries in Ironridge gave us as a gift." She shrugged. "I don't know the details. That's just what Shinespark said when I woke up, and what was on the dossier bundled with the supplies that she gave me."

"You hear that?" Jamjars looked smug. "War wounds. From defending your house. You owe us."

"I'd like to come too, if you'll have me," Slipstream continued. "Riverfall was new and exciting, and the two mares I stayed with really made me question aspects of myself I had taken for granted..." Her face heated up. "But the more I think about it, the more I wonder if I was just caught up in the moment. When they came back from the plaza and were talking about how bad you were and had sabotaged the Steel District and were going to hurt a lot of ponies... They had been going on about how you and Gerardo were heroes the day before. And I thought about what I was doing with ponies whose opinions could change that fast, and it's not worth it for some thrills and being made to feel special just because I have wings. So I went to watch your house, and then hid in a tree when I couldn't do anything, and now..." She sighed, meeting Maple's eyes. "I'd like to come with you. Both of us would."

Maple hesitated, taking everything in.

Slipstream nodded. "I'm not a fighter or very strong, but I've been working at the skyport since I was a teenager. I know airships enough to figure out how to keep this one in the air, and I can answer any question ever about the world travel system or foreign tourist agencies. I could be useful as a guide."

"Your mother is okay with this?" Maple asked, looking at Jamjars.

"Does it matter if she isn't?" Jamjars shrugged. "I think she's relieved I can take care of myself and have been staying out of her mane these last few days. She always goes on about how she wants her kids to grow up more successful than she did. She'll probably be thrilled."

Maple shrugged, and had nothing to say in protest.

"So wait," Starlight cut in, one more thing tickling at her mind. "Jamjars? This potion regrew your mane?"

Jamjars curled her lip... the lit her horn, and her mane floated right off, causing Starlight and Maple to jump. "No," she pouted. "I had my old one made into a wig that fits in my saddlebags."

Before anyone could react, the door opened behind them, and Shinespark, Valey and Gerardo walked in. The griffon's head was noticeably hung, and as soon as he saw Maple, he drew a deep breath. "Convince me to join you," he requested.

"What...?" Maple hesitated, one forehoof suspended as if mid-step.

"What he said," Valey remarked, pointing with a wing. "Dude's feeling just a little edgy about his role in all this. Breaking your door, and whatnot. So tell him to cheer up." She shrugged. "Or send him packing, if you don't want him around. He'll listen."

Maple's face creased into a grimace, and Gerardo solemnly went on. "It was my own lack of foresight that got away from me," he lamented, feathery crest drooping. "Had I not so foolishly told the truth regarding the dam and Starlight's actions, the fiend Hemlock would have had no corroboration from me for his story! I should have told everyone Herman did the deed... Furthermore, had I not damaged your door in a fit of jubilation, it would have repelled-"

"They had an axe," Maple interrupted wryly. "Or something similar. One working door would have been left in just as bad of shape as the broken one."

"And Hemlock had a recording," Starlight continued, trusting her memory and wondering if she somehow had imagined that. She knew what she had done and seen in the fight, but best not to get caught up on it... "He would have convinced ponies whether you said that or not. And some of the ones I talked to said you made me sound heroic, so they knew Hemlock was lying."

"Nevertheless..." Gerardo raised a limp talon.

"Look, Gerardo," Maple sighed. "During our first trip to Ironridge, you definitely put us in danger and might have stressed me out. More than a little. But since you broke my door, you've been... working to do better. If you want to come with us, you can come with us. If you feel like there's some reason you need to stay in Riverfall or Ironridge, you can do that too. I won't hold it against you either way."

Valey nudged his shoulder. "Pretty sure she says she forgives you, Birdo."

"I..." Gerardo's beak hung open. "Well, that's good to know." He closed it in a hopeful smile. "As much as I do regret what's happened, I'd also very much rather not find myself abandoned in the middle of the world until Ironridge restores their air program, so if you are not averse to my company, I shall do my best not to change that until we decide to form a permanent alliance or find a more convenient point to part ways. Until then, you have my gratitude."

"Me. Sparky. Ironflanks. Starlight. Birdo. Cute pegasus. Other unicorn kid someone told me my nickname for was weird." Valey glanced around the room and shrugged. "Is that it? That's our team for challenging the unknown?"

"It looks like it is," Shinespark said, motioning to Slipstream. "May I have my pilot's chair back?"

Slipstream obliged, rising to her hooves. "Where are we going?"

The room was silent.

"Well, what are our options?" Maple asked, standing in the middle. "We can't reach Equestria and aren't going back to Ironridge. I don't know too much about the world's geography other than that Varsidel is in the north, Yakyakistan the west and the Griffon Empire the east."

Valey raised a hoof. "Can I vote not Ironridge?"

"I think that's a given," Gerardo remarked. "I suppose I'll cast my vote for the empire. I've had my recent fill of yaks, a war zone sounds like an unfortunate place to go if we're seeking to avoid trouble, and I have enough of a familiarity with my homeland that I should prove a better-than-useless guide."

"Ugh." Valey shuddered. "I'm changing my vote. Not yaks, please."

Maple nodded. "I've had enough fighting, so I suppose it would be bad to go somewhere we know there's a fight. But what about Kero and that package? You told me you had it taken care of, but..."

"Don't worry about it," Valey assured with a wink. "We've got it taken care of."

"Then I can agree with the empire." Maple shrugged and sat down.

"Anywhere," Shinespark said from in front of the control panel. "I'm just the captain. I get us there. I guess I would like to see the cities my mother mentioned in her audio log, but that's not important if we'd likely be in a war zone."

Slipstream nodded. "A lot of the Griffon Empire's shipping and travel situation has been difficult right now, since they've been relying on rented Varsidelian ships and Varsidel is pulling those back for the war effort. That means there's fighting in the skies, so by flying there we'd have to defend against being boarded and likely fired on with cannons."

Valey shuddered. "Ooh, yeah, pretty sure no amount of Valey power is going to help against that. I might be able to board a ship and take out the whole crew, provided they weren't as strong or prepared as those mercenaries, but there's nothing I could do if we got shot out of the sky. Griffons for sure."

"This is starting to sound unanimous," Gerardo remarked. "Is there anyone specifically against the Griffon Empire?"

Everyone looked around, and none said a word.

"Then that settles it." Shinespark pulled a lever, and the ship's engine shimmered. They were already facing east, the post-noon sun to their backs, and began to inch forward. "We fly east! Toward the morning sun." She put on a determined grin, leaning into the windshield. "Any last words for Riverfall and Ironridge? Because I'm ready."

"Ready!" Valey saluted.

"Ready," Slipstream and Jamjars chimed in unison.

"I guess we're ready," Maple murmured, patting Starlight on the shoulder. "Shall we go set up our room? I still remember which one we used the first time. And this will probably be a long trip..."

Starlight nodded. "Sure. Let's do that."

"Goodbye, home..." Maple breathed a wistful sigh, and this time, Starlight saw a tear slip free. "I wish I could still call you that. But I don't have a home any more. Or... I do, but it's right here. In search of something better." She hugged Starlight with a foreleg. "Isn't that right, Starlight?"

"Yeah..." Starlight breathed.

"One final thing, actually," Gerardo interrupted right as Shinespark reached for the throttle. "It seems our adventure is truly beginning. This is, as it were, the end of the beginning, and uncountable horizons lie before us. How many years, I wonder, will we continue? However, unless I've missed it and am terribly unaware... would this not be a fitting moment to christen our vessel?"

Shinespark winced. "Oh. Right. I was going to do that on the maiden voyage, but then was absent for that. I was also going to call it the Spirit of Sosa, but that name doesn't have the same connotations it once did..."

"So we're suggesting names?" Jamjars tilted her head. "How about the Take That, Hemlock?"

Maple visibly shuddered. "We are not naming such a nice boat after that horrible pony. It needs a nicer name. Something that would fit a boat. How about the Skywind?"

Valey shrugged. "Eh, that's kind of generic. There are three boats on Ironridge's registry with that name last I checked, and I checked pretty regularly." She hesitated, and added, "I was adding a phantom ship called the Herman's Sweaty Armpit. You would have done it too, if you had the chance."

"What's your idea, then, Valey?" Shinespark raised an eyebrow at her.

"Eh, well..." Valey shuffled her hooves. "This actually sounds kinda cheesy now that I'm about to say it out loud, but there's this story a very close friend once told me about a thing called the Immortal Dream. Supposedly, it was a fallen star that could grant wishes if you found it, or something, and is the reason everyone talks about wishing on shooting stars. Now, based on where I heard it, it's probably either bogus or way off, but the name has a ring to it, right? The Immortal Dream? Besides, it's kinda fitting. All of us here are working in pursuit of a common goal, and that's finding somewhere we can one day call home. All of us have failed at that at least once, too. I came to Ironridge and it was nasty. Starlight bailed on Equestria, and then Riverfall bailed on her. Maple, you got kinda steamrolled too, trying to set your new life up. Birdo... you're just hanging out, I think, but didn't you say your home was on the road? And Sparky, Sosa was your home, and you're trying to bring Ironridge back even though it's basically gone now. So am I insane, or what?"

"I like it," Slipstream volunteered. "I suppose I'm along for the ride too, but don't let me get in your way."

"The Immortal Dream..." Shinespark rolled the words around on her tongue. "Back to the Dream, everyone! Sure, let's just take the Dream around and land it over there... Hmmm... I suppose it has a ring to it. Nice job, Valey. I've never heard that story myself, but that just means it'll be harder for other ponies to steal. The Immortal Dream!"

The rest of the room cheered, some halfheartedly and some with all their might. Shinespark raised her hoof, saluted the sky... and punched the throttle, sending the newly-christened ship speeding toward the cloudless horizon.

Comments

[alamais]

Engage!

"No," she pouted. "I had my old one made into a wig that fits in my saddlebags."

Muh Amberlay tho

...But muh Birdostream...
Oooh, or maybe Sparkstream~

[ZanyZapper]

I like how you're working in all the little details we know of Glimmy from canon. Now seeing the start (I assume) of her anger issues and how they can take form ala "All Bottled Up".

Cool name for a ship! Glad to see Jamjars taking along. Always felt like she provides a good counterpoint to Starlight.

So Austraeoh has the Jurists and Lunar Ninth. Does this make us the Dreamers? I like that!

[Lexicon_Spark]

They forgot the champagne!

[Sypher]

Goodbye Riverfall, hello the Immortal Dream!

I’m happy that Slipstream’s coming along; she seems like a cool pony. Sad to see we’ll be missing Amber once more, though.

[Cold Bolt]

The end of the beginning...

how long is this story going to be

Well, I've read this much. May as well see how far the sunk cost fallacy will take me, eh? No, but I wouldn't still be reading if I wasn't enjoying. Looking forward to catching up, too - I don't have a daily to follow now that Ofolrodi is on hiatus and SSI is finished.

[Phoenix Kitten]

...why does it feel like the Prologue just ended?

[Oberth Effect]

9095170

What’s SSI, if I may ask? Could always add another story to my already-too-full bookshelf

[Czar_Yoshi]

9854981
Surviving Sand Island, a daily by The 24th Pegasus. It was going at the same time as TOW for a while.

[Quinch]

...is Valey lying? Because Hemlock is kinda corroborating Starlight's version/vision of events.

[bobbananaville]

Wow, this feels like a good stopping point! Feels like a denouement, one that'll lead into an epic sequel! I wonder how many more chapters are there to - oh my god i'm not even halfway through

You've got my upvote. I haven't favorited this story only because I prefer to only favorite stories I've caught up with.

ngl I feel like I miss a lot of details. There are things that happen and I'm not entirely sure why. But the protagonists and their relationships keep pushing me through and keep me invested even when I'm confused.

Except Jellyjugs. I hate him so much.

[Czar_Yoshi]

11333625
Upvotes are more valuable than favorites anyway

Glad you're enjoying things, though!

[Celestial Petrichor]

Wew, gotta say, this is probably the longest story I've ever got into. I've had many that come close and generally prefer longer stories, but two million words is a lot. Having a great time so far though!

Wasn't sure how much I'd like the Interludes but after finishing the first one I think they're the perfect thing to break up the story and take it all in - as well as a nice, forceful break to my binging, hah.

[Venlinelle]

Well, the last time we had a chapter with this much dramatic tension it started the Ironridge arc, and that sure paid off well, so onward we go!

Reread edit: The title of this chapter has such a fun---well, "fun"---double meaning in retrospect. It's the title of the ship, yes---but it's also Starlight, who is the Immortal Dream, choosing to leave, again. Which is exactly what the tragedy of her nature is.

[sploopy slooder]

theres definitely some mind fuckery going on with starlight.