• Published 23rd Jun 2017
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The Olden World - Czar_Yoshi



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

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A Moonlit Sendoff

"Well, girls?" Felicity stood at the edge of the Immortal Dream, leaning over the railing, her curled mane blowing in the wind as Izvaldi's capital receded in the distance.

"Are you sure you'll be alright on your own?" Senescey gave a worried frown. "It's been almost thirty years since you were in Mistvale last. And you really want to go by yourself?"

Felicity hugged both her and Larceny with a single wing. "Oh, I'll hardly be on my own. Honestly, you two. After the operation in Stormhoof suddenly turned bad, this is... well, probably even safer for me than remaining in the Empire. It's not every day you get a team of dashing heroes offering you protection, no questions asked."

"She means without us," Larceny grunted, watching the capitol's lights.

"I know." Felicity's voice softened. "But there's much to accomplish and very little time. We won't exactly be able to cover enough ground without splitting up."

Larceny flicked her tail in annoyance. "But we might have other problems without each other to lean on. Especially from Valey."

Senescey's ears fell. "What's wrong with Valey? I like her. Out of anyone here, I think she might be able to understand us the most."

"That's exactly it," Larceny sighed. "She's one of the moon children. I don't know the specifics, but she knows it. And the entire point of this quest, according to her, is for her to be able to live with what she is. It's uncomfortably close to our own situation. And Senescey, you've already doubted the Night Mother once on account of her asking you to do something to one of these ponies."

Senescey hung her head in shame.

"Larceny, dear, what's your point?" Felicity frowned, one fang sticking out. "I, for one, think trying to do something about an unfortunate situation is admirable, especially one as confounding as hers. Unless you have any easy answers on why the moon glass came down? Because the Night Mother clearly doesn't. And it's not likely Valey will find anything where there are no answers to be found..."

Larceny gave her a look. "You don't think watching her trying day and night to live with what she is, having no one to talk to, might weaken your resolve to get our own bodies restored?"

"Or get revenge," Senescey quietly added, fiddling with a small blade strapped to her side beneath a furled wing. "And kill all the ponies we have to to get it."

"I'm..." Regret briefly washed over Felicity's face, and she brought a hoof to her belly. "No, that's impossible. You girls will stay strong for me, and I'll stay strong for you. And that means keeping an eye on Gazelle and Lord Gyre while I'm elsewhere in the world. We can all do this for each other, can't we?"

Hesitantly, Senescey held out a hoof. Felicity put hers atop it, and both looked to Larceny.

"...Fine." Larceny completed the shake, then glomped onto Felicity, burying her face in her chest. "You were the one who taught me to be strong. Don't you go breaking before I do."

"Promise." Felicity rested her chin in Larceny's blue mane until the mare let her go. "Only two more months."

"And then we see if all of this was enough," Senescey whispered.

"Go on, you girls," Felicity whispered, voice tight. "Don't make your big sister let you see her cry. It'll cause her makeup to run."

Senescey chuckled, getting a last hug of her own. "Larceny?"

Larceny nodded, spreading her wings. And then the two were silhouettes against the moon, leaving Felicity alone on the deck.

"Dashing heroes, indeed," Felicity sighed, ears listening to the deck behind her. "I wonder if anyone here would have more than a solid punch to do with me if they knew why I was hiding from Stormhoof."

She almost hoped someone would overhear... but the deck was empty. For a while longer, Felicity stood and watched, then turned and walked back inside.


"Your cutie mark is a heresy against the Empire?" Shinespark gasped as well as she could, her ears falling bitterly. "Wow. I... I knew it would be hard for you here, even before we finished crossing the ocean, but... And Chauncey doesn't think it's bad luck?"

"Bad luck that I'm me?" Valey shrugged. "Bananas, I dunno. He said there was supposed to be a mark that could do this made a really long time ago, but had absolutely no explanation for why he thought it would be coming back in the moon glass meteor. Said, like, Luna made it with her powers because there was some other magical artifact she wanted and couldn't have. I'm guessing that other artifact belonged to Garsheeva."

Shinespark almost chuckled. "Well... that's not the worst reason to exist, even if it is unlikely. And it could be somewhat cool, if you wanted to think about it."

"Eh. Unlikely things happen." Valey stared at the ceiling, listening to the faint shimmer of the ship's energy comet overhead. "And when you think about it, if some goddess is going to make a person just like that, whoever it is has gotta be someone. Even if I just randomly happen to have this as a talent, if that story is true, there's someone else out there who just has a really crazy origin instead. I mean, bananas, look at you."

"You're right. I am technically royalty," Shinespark admitted. "Though I doubt anyone's going to call me a princess of Ironridge any time soon. I don't think it really fits me."

Valey nudged her shoulder. "Nyaah, that too. But I was talking about your whole born-on-a-boat thing. First pony ever, right? On an airship? Wasn't that a big part of your claim to fame?"

A faint smile crossed Shinespark's muzzle. "Oh yeah... I need to listen to that recording my mother left again someday. But I guess you're right."

"Heh. And Starlight's something else, too." Valey kicked one leg against the other, scratching at an itch. "But yeah. When you think about it, if Chauncey's not bluffing or wrong, being made like that isn't all that bad of a reason to exist. Kind of meaningless, but it's a whole lot better than being a weapon designed to come down here and mess stuff up. I think I could actually be cool with this."

"So that's why we're going to Mistvale," Shinespark said. "Because you want to be sure?"

"Because I want to be sure," Valey sighed. "Chauncey is... completely insane. Even a psychopath like Herman or a self-centered pineapple-head like Selma is more of a person than him, and I don't mean that as a random insult. I can't take what he says at face value. I just can't."

"Even if there are a whole lot of worse things that could be true."

"Yeah. Even if."

Shinespark watched her for a moment. "I really hope you find what you're looking for."

Valey grinned. "Thanks, Sparky."

"...I should get to working on Braen soon," Shinespark sighed. "She doesn't deserve to be magically dead or in limbo just because I'm not feeling up to working on her body."

"Yeah, uhh..." Valey hesitated, then swallowed. "Bananas."

"Everything alright?" Shinespark's brow furrowed weakly in concern.

"Just got something someone else should probably know," Valey mumbled, changing the subject. "I ran into Kero in Izvaldi. You know, the griffon with the mercenaries. Tried to hunt me down in Ironridge."

Shinespark hummed, following along.

"He told me his mercenaries are back in the Empire," Valey sighed. "Which is really hard for me to believe, since they don't like him and were working for Arambai, and Kero might actually not know I know this. But he said they were going for a target in Mistvale... some place where a creepy evil monk got sealed away with a bunch of Nightmare Modules. He wanted me to find this monk before his mercenaries and stop them from bringing the stuff back for Chauncey."

Shinespark frowned. "That reeks of manipulation."

"Yeah, he was totally lying through his teeth," Valey went on. "And that's not why we're going to Mistvale... but we are going, so it might become relevant. So just in case, keep your eyes out, okay?"

"I promise," Shinespark assured. "Do you want to tell any of our other friends?"

Valey took a breath, hesitating. "I... If it becomes important, yeah. Otherwise, no need to worry them. I just didn't want to be the only one to know."

Shinespark yawned. "I won't let you down. But that won't even matter until Mistvale, so in the meantime..."

"Yeah, I've flown over the Empire enough for a lifetime," Valey agreed. "In the meantime, I need an enormous nap. Nnngh..." She rolled over, burying herself in bedding. "Nini?"

"Heh," Shinespark chuckled. "Good night, Valey."

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