The Olden World

by Czar_Yoshi

For The Bits

The colosseum's usual din filled the air as an older stallion stood passively at one side of the arena, making no moves to indicate he felt strongly about the upcoming battle. Howe had given the sarosian two unanswered questions for his rapier-microphone so far, and was trying his best to hype up the crowd despite clearly knowing Valey wouldn't be there, there wouldn't be a fight, and that her opponent knew it too.

Through a sheet of enchanted glass designed to obscure everything not immediately before it, Gondolus Gyre sat in his private box, beholding the proceedings with an equally-passive smile and radiating catlike satisfaction. His tail flicked against his throne, and eventually he glanced sideways with an approving nod. "You do good work, pleasure mare."

Felicity sat stiffly at his side, far enough back that she wasn't visible from outside the window. "Are you certain about that? You realize the Ironridge heroes, famous as they are, are dreadfully cannon-shy after all their experiences. Whatever you hope to gain from this, the moment you overextend and ask too much it will vanish like the wind."

"What? Not going to show a little trust in your employer?" Lord Gyre frowned unhappily. "I didn't build my namesake province up as much as I have with a lack of tack, my snarky little sarosian. I do too have a plan..."

"As you say." Felicity nodded. "And currently that plan involves taking the best fighter on your employment roster and your only serious chance of winning this tournament, whose salary is paid by your treasury, and actively gaming the system to help his opponent after he was hoofed a free round and a foe that can't show up."

Gondolus Gyre shrugged. "I know what I'm doing. He's not champion material if he can't take some unarmored unicorn. Was that you, by the way? I'm not privy to the circumstances this Admiral Valey disappeared under..."

"I'm afraid that's not something you need to know," Felicity calmly replied.

"Oh?" Lord Gyre looked over with a raised eyebrow, then swished his tail beneath his cape, withdrawing a small bag that clinked with bits. "But I'm so curious. Are you sure?"

Felicity failed to hide a smile as she caught the bag, fixing it safely inside her curly mane. "My sisters and I may have had a hoof in it."

The sphinx returned her grin, looking back up at the arena and flicking an ear, showing off a small device attached. "Speaking of your sisters, look what little Larceny got me as a gift. Said she got it on clearance last time she was in Izvaldi. It plays music in my ear! Isn't that a treat?"

"Yes, yes, I'm quite sure it is," Felicity replied, showing him the bare minimum of interest required not to be rude.

Lord Gyre chuckled. "Playing hard to get, aren't you?" He teased the tip of his tail over to her, moving to brush her side.

Felicity immediately moved a hoof, stomping his tail and pinning it to the floor.

"Ow...!" His feline eyes watered. "What was that for?"

"You don't pay me nearly enough for that sort of talk," Felicity answered disinterestedly. "In fact, I'm technically off the clock right now. I'm only here because your room has a very good view and I'm interested in how things are going to go down, and you wouldn't dare throw me out. Indebting Shinespark to you was more for my sake than yours."

A bigger bag landed at her hooves, Gondolus using his paws this time and turning away from the window. "Really. Care to repeat that?"

Felicity's grin broadened enough to show teeth, a second spent sorting through the bit bag before she released his tail contentedly. "I said, I'm only here because a certain someone is very good at knowing my weakness."

The tail didn't retreat, stretching toward her until it wrapped once around her barrel and brushed its tip on her belly. "You're an easy mare to read," Lord Gyre purred, drawing Felicity close. "So how are things with You Know Who? Made any progress in getting me my second province?"

Felicity flicked the tail tip away with a wing, but otherwise leaned into his side, all her aloofness gone. "Give a lady some time," she sighed exaggeratedly, rolling her eyes. "I've been at it for barely a month or so, you impatient cat. But yes, I work quickly, though. It will be a pleasant surprise when it happens."

"Hmm," Lord Gyre purred. "All the more time to expand Gyre's production capacity and recruit more military! Just because the Empire has a history of succession wars doesn't mean they're won without battles. I do like that Stormhoof's army is overseas and Everlaste has split their forces so their ally remains garrisoned, though. The continent's other powers are spreading themselves thin... Ha ha!" He stroked her side instead, coming up with his tail and teasing the underside of her chin. "We make such a good team, don't we...?"

"Shush, you." Felicity poked him. "Looks like your newest debtor is here."

Lord Gyre chuckled. "Oh, relax. She owes me for getting in, but did you see that mare? My champion will be fine. Mistvale arts are obviously..." His jaw dropped and eyes went wide, pointing a claw at the arena. "Well, I... did twist things so she could bring armor, didn't I..."

---

"Look!" Amber nudged Maple urgently, pointing down into the ring. "Shinespark is here!"

Gerardo bustled up at her side. "Is that Nyala?" He stared in bewilderment, Shinespark's body clad in alicorn-shaped gold save for her head. "Quite the unexpected development."

Maple looked on in worry. "That won't reveal Braen's secret, will it?"

"Not a chance," Gerardo reassured. "They've been seen separately together many times, both here and in Ironridge. Everyone will assume she's merely borrowing it for a spell. Though I am quite curious as to just how this will work..."

"She must have had luck with Felicity if she can bring Nyala and the sword at the same time," Amber whispered. "Just getting herself in to fight in Valey's stead must have been tough!"

"I wonder who they asked." Maple swallowed, eyes avoiding the one obvious sphinx she could sometimes make out beyond his window. Starlight was taken to Gyre...

Slipstream watched from over their shoulders, standing up on the box's seats. "Is it worth trying to call Valey again?" she asked, fluttering her wings in anticipation. "She can just decide not to answer if she's being stealthy or quiet. The stone doesn't make any noise until you energize both ends, doesn't it?"

"You think she wants the stress of knowing this battle is happening right now?" Amber countered. "More importantly, we don't have Shinespark or Nyala, and they're the ones who can turn it on."

Maple bit her lip. "I really should think about carrying around mana power, but the last time I remember trying that, it felt bizarre. I wonder if harmonic energy from the windigo hearts is useful for things like this?"

Gerardo cleared his throat. "For what it's worth, I am somewhat worried about Valey as well, despite how capable we know her to be, merely on the basis of what I know Gyre is like. If we're thinking of checking in, I could always call and make sure she's not only safe but capable of handling the distraction before I mentioned anything about what's going on?"

"Power?" Amber cleared her throat. "I mean, if you want to..."

Gerardo shrugged and withdrew a mana battery from his uniform. "It felt like a useful thing to acquire."

"If you want to ask Valey whether she wants to hear about how she's either dropping out of the tournament or having Shinespark stab an old enemy with that sword, I suppose you can," Maple said, distracted by the projected visual of the ring. "Like Slipstream said, she can just not answer it if she isn't safe..."

---

"Feeling any better?" Starlight asked after sitting with Valey for another long while.

"Nngh. I think so, yeah," Valey sighed, her stomach growling again. "Probably about time to decide where to go next? Still got some stuff I'm gonna need to work through later, but not as badly as I want to get home and eat food. Also, Puddles is the one I'm worried about."

"Oh, don't mind me," Puddles' unconscious body said, speaking in her windigo voice. "Nothing wrong with my body, just been magically frozen for however many months after running myself ragged fighting pirates and Meltdown... I've got a lot worse to worry about than a few bumps and bruises. Glad I made my backup plan when I did. You good to carry me wherever we go? I'm going to need it."

"Yeah, sure." Valey shakily got to her hooves, fixing her hat. "Just let me... Buh?" She pulled out the sound stone, vibrating slightly with an incoming transmission.

Starlight plodded over. "I'll get it," she volunteered, lighting her horn... except nothing happened. She frowned and tried again, but it was like her horn was disconnected, or glowing with mana simply wasn't a function it was designed to perform any more. "Or maybe I won't? It wasn't working earlier either, but maybe using a Nightmare Module prevents me from using my horn?" Furrowing her brow, she sat back, trying to query her moon glass voice over what wasn't working.

Valey gave her a look, then shrugged, popping her battery out from her saddlebags. "Well, that's uncool? I'll just... Wait, since when is this thing dry?"

"No clue about the kid's horn," Puddles growled as Valey regarded the dull crystal, "but that place was filled with disharmonic energy. Here's a crash course in magical physics: mana is a stable form of energy, and harmony can make more of it. It's how horns get powered and pegasi fly. See where I'm going with this?"

"Huh." Valey looked at the sound stone for a few more seconds, eventually tucking it and the battery back away. "Welp. I guess they'll get to hear about how I got Starlight back and am on my way home later, then. Hope they had nothing important to say."

Comments

[Viper Pit]

Jesus fucking Christ that umm that is a lot of chapters

[Mini-Joe]

oh boy, sparky is gonna murder a bat

[Zapdroid]

So is Felicity conspiring against her sister who conspired to get Starlight kidnapped, using her sister’s request to help Valey in the tournament to help Lord Gyre instead? Does Lord Gyre not know Starlight was kidnapped to his kingdom? Does he even know about the whole secret area underneath the capital??? So many questions, but so little answers.

[BurningSkies]

"No clue about the kid's horn," Puddles growled as Valey regarded the dull crystal, "but that place was filled with disharmonic energy. Here's a crash course in magical physics: mana is a stable form of energy, and harmony can make more of it. It's how horns get powered and pegasi fly. See where I'm going with this?"

Oooh physics! If harmony can create mana, disharmony can destroy it? Can harmony and disharmony cancel each other out like matter and antimatter?

[sploopy slooder]

i cant tell if felicity is some sort of ridiculous triple agent playing all sides at once, or a complete and utter retard. shes either too bigbrain for me to figure out or a goddamn moron.