The Olden World

by Czar_Yoshi

Banter Before Bed

Maple rolled into one of Stormhoof Keep's plush beds, all four limbs pointed upwards, and released a long, pent-up sigh.

"Sounds like someone will sleep well tonight..." Slipstream yawned, slouching towards the bathroom.

"I don't think so." Maple sadly smiled at the roof. "At the rate my brain is going, I might not fall asleep until midnight. There's just so much that happened these last two days, and I doubt I can even close my eyes until I've tried to process it."

Shinespark walked past the curtained window, a few final tinges of dusk on the horizon beyond. "I know how you feel. I don't like being this out of control, and nothing in this empire works the way it should!" She sighed too. "This is probably how you felt when you arrived in Ironridge."

"Something like that," Maple replied, her muscles relaxing even as her head continued to spin. Her stomach was heavy with food, and even if she didn't feel like sleep, lying down was a sensation she sorely needed. "I suppose I expected it, this time, but that doesn't make it any less strange. I don't think a single thing happened the way I expected it to, except for Valey finding her way back..."

"It's good to be able to count on each other," Shinespark agreed. "What did you think of the food? I'm not enough of a connoisseur to know what it was, but you were trying a meat dish."

Maple looked down at her legs. "I don't know. I suppose I was so far out of my comfort zone already I felt like I didn't have anything left to lose. I guess I don't know what I was expecting, either. It's not something that crossed anyone's minds back in Riverfall. Where did I hear about using meat as food before? Was that from you?"

Shinespark's shoulders slumped. "Probably. There was some broth as a delicacy at the breakfast I put on when we made the decision to evacuate. It was..." Her breath caught in her throat, and she looked away. "I mostly had it for Grenada. She enjoyed it. Nnngh..."

Maple glanced over, seeing her shiver. "You still miss her, don't you?"

"I'm mostly back on my hooves after Ironridge, but Grenada is someone I still have to remember not to think about," Shinespark said, walking closer and leaning on the side of Maple's bed. "Gunga went the way he wanted to go. All my friends who were on the dam with me knew what was at stake. Grenada... thought she knew what she was risking, but she didn't. To an extent, I lied to everyone in the Spirit, telling them what would keep their spirits alive rather than the truth. I wonder what Wallace would think of me if we had gone that deep in telling them about Ironridge... But Grenada was different, because I kept her in the dark about so much more. Do you remember Elise?"

"Your oldest half-sister," Maple murmured. "Who got caught in the middle of Ironridge politics twenty years ago. I don't think I could ever forget."

Shinespark stared off into the distance. "Shortly before Elise left Ironridge to escape the fallout from everything that was happening, she found Grenada as a newborn and brought her back to her friends. She said Grenada was another of Mobius's lost children, and was someone who would need taking care of. But she was leaving, Matryona and I were under Arambai's protection, and she couldn't be sure if her other friends Pearl and her son Fernand would be able to withdraw into a quiet life outside the public eye. As far as she and Arambai hoped, the story of Mobius and Project Aslan was over, so they made the decision to find foster parents in the Earth District to raise Grenada, neither of whom had knowledge of her heritage. Around a decade later, when I earned my brand and vowed to save Sosa and our airship program, Elise returned, and I found out from her about my other siblings, including Grenada."

She sighed, closing her eyes and continuing. "After that, I started trying to make myself a part of her life, becoming her friend and role model and trying to carve out a position for her in the Spirit. Most of the Spirit ponies joined because Braen's message resonated with them, but Grenada joined because I wanted her to. I was even younger than I am now, thought we could be crusaders together... I wanted to help her, and thought that was the way to do it. I always thought about telling her eventually, but kept saying I'd do it when the battle was over, or when she was more mature and thinking for herself. Then I found out she had a crush on me, and thought I'd wait for that to pass..."

Maple waited, but Shinespark didn't continue. Eventually, speaking for the unicorn, she finished, "And then she didn't make it."

Shinespark shuddered. "It was worse than that. I was there with her, in the tower, right before it was torn away. I think she realized she was in too far and needed to go back, but that could just be what I want to remember. I told her to go back... I hope. I could have stayed with her, followed her, made sure she got out, and instead I went further, chasing every pony but her. I had already lost the ones on the dam, and thought... I got everyone but her out, and for my reward, they turned on each other and started to fight. I always ask myself what I should have done, and I always know that there was no right answer in the tower because I made the wrong choice before, but I don't know what the right choice was then either..." She sighed, laying down on the floor. "Sorry. Just the one part of Ironridge I can't ever move past."

Maple rolled over, dangling a foreleg off the bed and brushing her hoof in what she hoped was a comforting way against Shinespark's side. "Well, I'm happy to listen."

"You shouldn't have to," Shinespark muttered. "But thanks."

"I never knew either of my parents," Maple decided, searching for something to say. "That's usually how things were in Riverfall. Your mother might raise you herself, or in a pool with several other mares, or leave you in a pool and not be a part of your life at all, like mine. And everyone's fathers were visiting Sosans, who would come in on their ships, stay for a night, and leave. Nobody knew how common it was to have siblings you would never have heard of, but depending on what else my parents did, I could have a lot. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if I had a brother I had never met in the Spirit, and we did find out from Arambai that my old husband died on the dam bridge... though he isn't a pony I'll ever miss. But when I think about it this way..." She closed her eyes and smiled. "You get to choose your friends. Amber and Willow and I probably aren't related by blood, but we stood with each other for everything life had to throw at us, and that's more important than family. And even then, you got to know Grenada for a while. If things had been different, you could have never met her at all..."

Shinespark nodded. "Knowing Mobius, I still have many siblings Elise was never able to find. Maple, I know you're right, but..." Her ears folded. "It's not something I'll be able to listen to reason on for a long time, still. Some day, I'll be able to do something in her memory, and until then, I'll just have to wait."

"Hmm," Maple agreed, stretching. "Well... thanks for giving me something different to think about than the Empire, at least. I don't even know where to start with that..."

"How about Wallace?" Slipstream asked, emerging and wiping a hoof across her mouth. "That's the kind of person I wanted to meet on an adventure. What did you two think of him?"

"Wallace Whitewing?" Maple blinked, mouth hanging open. "I don't know; I... still need to think about him more, I suppose. He seems loud, but I don't mind as much as Gerardo."

"Wallace..." Shinespark frowned. "I hope he's what he looks like he is. Someone that well-intentioned and powerful could be a great force for good, but at the same time, he reminds me of myself. I thought I was a hero too, and treated the world like it acted according to my ideals, and all I did was get ponies into trouble."

"He invited us to Izvaldi," Maple realized, nodding slowly. "But isn't that where Kero is from? I suppose he could be bad. Would anything not make sense if we assumed he was?"

"Yes," Starlight announced, raising her voice from where she was doing something quietly in a corner. "There was that colt in the arena who was obsessed with him. He couldn't have been put there to trick us. Nopony can plan that."

Maple thought harder, then grimaced. "I hate doubting people. I'm sorry..."

"Gerardo would be offended if we didn't trust him," Shinespark mused. "I'd really like to trust Wallace and his friends. We need friends in the Empire, and they're both strong and know a lot about how it works."

"Their explanations aren't intuitive and seem weird," Maple slowly agreed. "But that's how I felt in Ironridge, so I guess the world can be weird sometimes. It would be nice if they would help us..."

Slipstream rubbed her chin with a hoof, leaning against the bed and steadying herself with a wing. "They talked so much about this tournament. I wonder what they would wish for if they won?"

"That's a good question," Shinespark agreed. "And I think it matters, too. Wallace talked about needing to commit yourself beyond one hundred percent to a cause if you wanted to win, and if you know what someone would do that for, you understand them completely. We'd know for sure whether they were genuine."

"Morena said Wallace had won before, though," Maple pointed out. "Didn't she? She said she was embellishing, but he said he really had. So whatever he wanted, he already got it. And he also said the real winners are those who don't need to win to get what they want. I could believe that, watching him fight yesterday. He seemed more interested in helping his opponents than actually winning..."

"But he also said he wanted to win," Starlight cut in, not looking up. "He said Valey would need to go through him if she wanted to win, right? That means he wants to be the top, whether he's gotten it before or not."

Maple frowned. "But if he already won, he'd already have gotten his wish! Are there two different things he wants? How could he be as committed as he said you needed to be if he did?"

Shinespark shrugged. "I suppose we could just ask him."

"There has to be a place to look up what winners have asked for before," Slipstream decided, straightening up. "In a history book, or something. We could see what he got last time, since Morena said she was exaggerating about him pardoning her. While we're at it, we could see what all the previous champions have looked like, and see how they compare to Valey!"

Maple's eyes widened slightly. "I wonder if he won but somehow didn't get what he wished for... They were always talking about how this tournament is for the entertainment of the nobles, right? What if they decided not to give him what he wanted as a surprise ending?"

Shinespark shook her head. "They couldn't. If the winner didn't get their wish, nobody would participate. It's like gambling; others will only play if the chance of victory is greater than zero. If even the winner doesn't win, it would fall apart."

In the corner, Starlight coughed. "Why does Valey want to enter this tournament, anyway? I thought we were trying not to get in trouble, and they said that monk already tried cheating to stop her from entering. We'll just get in trouble again and all get hurt."

"Hmmm..." Maple stretched, rolling back upright. "I suppose I should see how she's doing, too. She's probably trying to sleep in the other room again, isn't she?"

Slipstream nodded. "I saw her go in there. Gerardo might be there too, or maybe he's still somewhere else. I know he was a little upset at missing out on so much of the conversation with Wallace and his friends. Maybe he went looking for them?"

"He's making sure the Dream is paid for," Shinespark said. "I asked him to do it. If my boat gets impounded for missed payments, that'll be a big problem. I also looked at a map, and Izvaldi seems to be landlocked, so if we decide to take them up on their offer, we'll need to find a way to deal with it."

Groaning, Maple got to her hooves and climbed off the bed, her body protesting at being put to use so soon after she had finally relaxed. It was a short stroll through the darkened doorway to the back bedroom, and she had to pause in the entrance, letting her eyes adjust to the dim light.

"Hey," Valey's voice greeted from a bed at the far side.

"I hope I'm not waking you when you're trying to sleep," Maple apologized, pacing quietly over on the carpeted floor. "I just wondered if you wanted to talk."

"Eh, I'm not doing anything important." Valey's silhouette began to enter Maple's vision, sitting straight up in the bed. "Just flexing."

"Flexing?" Maple asked, further adjusting to the gloom.

"Yeah." Valey lifted a forelimb, grunting and tensing it. "...Ow. Trying to decide if that crazy lady was right, or if I really just ran myself ragged and need to take better care of myself."

Exhaling, Maple jumped into the bed beside her, keeping a respectful distance. "It certainly surprised me, hearing that."

"Meh. Everything that shouldn't be dangerous in this place is," Valey snorted. "I'm trying to remember exactly what I said and what order things happened in, because I really don't think my cutie mark warned me while he was supposedly fixing my wings, and it totally should have if that was what did it. I mean, though, you've been completely gored by a magic immobilization sword, and I can at least walk, so I shouldn't be complaining..."

Maple looked thoughtfully at the curtained window. "I did something else before that, though. Hearing them talking about those magic nerve attacks and seeing how stiff you look reminded me... the first two days in Ironridge, I was extremely sore and tired, and even resting couldn't fix it. I thought I had just overtaxed myself with all the climbing and carrying I had done, but it turned out to all be because I was carrying a windigo heart in my cutie mark. Starlight was the one who figured it out, and the moment I dropped it, it felt like I was a whole new mare. That must be like how this feels..."

Valey stretched, groaning. "Ugh. Yeah, too bad I'm not carrying around any strength-sapping evil artifacts..."

"How long has it been since you took this off?" Maple whispered, tapping the golden pendant around Valey's chest.

Valey glanced down at it, tensing slightly. "Bananas, this? I don't even know..." She swallowed. "It's kind of important, though. To me. And I felt fine for however many days we spent in the airship getting here! You're not thinking this could be making me feel like garbage, are you?" She glanced up, and from her eyes Maple realized that whatever her word on it, she would trust her.

"I think..." Maple hesitated, badly not wanting to misjudge. "I hope it isn't. But... maybe it's worth a try? I know neither of us like moon glass, so even though this piece contains something good..."

Closing her eyes and gritting her teeth, Valey reached behind her neck and unclasped the pendant. Away it came, the fur on her chest matted in its ornate outline from how long it had been worn. The gold twinkled faintly in the room's dim light, the moon glass contrasted it like a pit of emptiness in a starless sky, and for several seconds, Valey sat there, holding it in her forelimbs and not moving.

"...Nah," she eventually decided. "Doesn't make a difference."

"I bet you're relieved," Maple murmured, scooting closer and wrapping a foreleg around Valey's back.

Valey shifted uncomfortably. "Yo, Ironflanks... I know being kinda hug-happy is your thing, but I just got tricked into a paralytic massage by some heretic monk and then suplexed over a table by a mare with muscles the size of watermelons. Sorry... not really feelin' up to it right now."

"Oh!" Maple pulled back immediately, feeling her face redden. "I didn't even consider... Sorry!"

"Eh, it's fine..." Valey tried to shrug, wincing and looking down at the pendant in her hooves. "Yeah. Anyway. Moon glass." She sighed. "You hate it too, huh? Or are you just saying that because I told you it was bad way back when some time in Ironridge?"

Maple shook her head. "White Chocolate. But you probably don't need to listen to me talk about her..." Slowly, her gaze wandered to the antichromatic stone set in the pendant. "Sorry if I forgot, but I can't remember if you said why this one was important to you..."

Valey flopped back against the bed, bouncing once. "Nah, I didn't tell you. It's just important to me."

Maple nodded, but didn't press.

"You know what I wish?" Valey asked. "I wish that Stormhoof bozo would hurry up and give the sound stone back. I wanna talk to Amber. There's something I told her back in Riverfall, and sooner or later... Eh, never mind. I'll tell you guys when it's important."

"Are you asking me to ask?" Maple guessed, wondering if she should say anything at all.

"Nah. Just thinking out loud."

For a moment, the room was silent, Valey turning the pendant over and over in her hooves, eventually clasping it back on right where it had been before.

"Eh," Valey finally decided. "I think I'm gonna try to catch some shut-eye. Got a few new things to think about besides contests and monks and our crazy new allies. If you go to bed, just try not to sleep on top of me, or anything."

Maple nodded. "I'm going to check on Starlight, and soon I think I will."

"Ni-ni..." Valey mumbled, rolling over and hugging her face with her forelegs. "Dream of hot mares..."

Smiling to herself, Maple walked back into the lit room, figuring that wouldn't be very likely. When she arrived, she realized Gerardo had returned and was presently engaged in an animated debate with Shinespark, Slipstream watching uncertainly and Starlight crossly reading a book on the sidelines.

"My good Shinespark," Gerardo was sputtering, "I know you don't mean to insult Wallace's honor, but I was raised on his legacy! Tales from the height of his adventures pervaded my childhood! His trustworthiness is supreme, and the mere idea that we shouldn't leap at an invitation to visit-"

Shinespark cut him off with an exasperated cough. "Gerardo! I'm not talking about your precious Wallace! For the last time, this is about my boat! I'm not leaving it in Stormhoof to go running off across the continent unless we get a very good plan to keep it safe!"

"Am I walking in on something I shouldn't be?" Maple asked, hesitant.

Immediately, Slipstream bolted to her side. "Gerardo came back and wanted to start packing for Izvaldi, which is figurative because we don't have anything to pack, and I'm not sure this is how decisions are supposed to be made."

Maple bit her lip. "Can't we decide what we're doing in the morning?"

"That is precisely my point," Gerardo agreed. "A decision should not even be on the table, because we are obviously-"

"Quiet down!" Starlight commanded, locking his beak with a jet of crystal for long enough to get her word in. "Ponies are trying to sleep."

Sighing, Shinespark tossed her spiky red mane and walked away. "And I think I'm going to join them. Go where you want, Gerardo, but I'm not rushing into anything, and we can't forget about Kero."

"I agree," Maple quickly decided. "It's bedtime. Starlight? Do you want to join me?" She glanced toward the dark room, much quieter than the site of Gerardo and Shinespark's bickering.

Without a word, Starlight put her book down and got up to follow her.

The bed Maple chose was the farthest from Valey, assuming she and Starlight would talk slightly and not wanting to disturb her friend's slumber. She reached her forelegs up and started to climb in.

"Get your own bed," a camouflaged Jamjars growled from within.

"Eeep!" Startled, Maple jumped backwards, nearly tripping and making far more noise than she had hoped. "Jamjars! You need to be easier to notice..." She swallowed, stepping away. "Well, we'll take the middle bed, then..."

The final bed in the room was unoccupied, and no sooner had Maple hauled herself in and curl up than she felt Starlight join her. It was a welcome, familiar sensation, and she lifted a foreleg for the filly to cuddle closer, letting herself relax once again for the night.

"How did you like today?" she whispered, mindful of the other ponies in the room.

"Fine," Starlight muttered back. "Stormhoof was weird. Wallace was too loud. I didn't recognize some of the food."

"Hmmm..." Maple hummed. "It's hard to talk when you keep getting talked over, isn't it? I know I always have trouble when Gerardo is around... But we'll find someplace that's calmer and less chaotic soon, and get more used to the places we do have."

Starlight shrugged against her. "I don't mind."

"Well, thank you." Maple closed her eyes, already starting to feel herself nodding off. "I hope tomorrow is a good, productive and enjoyable day..."

"Mmmph," Starlight agreed, and Maple drifted into slumber.

Comments

[Hap]

Valey stretched, groaning. "Ugh. Yeah, too bad I'm not carrying around any strength-sapping evil artifacts..."

BOY I WONDER IF THAT GOLDEN TICKET MIGHT BE THE PROBLEM

[Venlinelle]

"Yes," Starlight announced, raising her voice from where she was doing something quietly in a corner. "There was that colt in the arena who was obsessed with him. He couldn't have been put there to trick us. Nopony can plan that."

Normally I’d agree, but this is a world with Celestia in it, so the sentence “nopony can plan that” has no meaning.