• 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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Nothing To Fear

Shinespark was already on the bridge, determined to do something with herself beyond sitting around in bed all day. Pillows propped her in the captain's chair, and her horn gently made tweaks to controls as her eyes scanned various meters, relying entirely on the ship's instruments not to hit a mountain in the all-obscuring fog.

The door to the deck slid open, and Maple paced inside, trailing wisps of fog that seemed entirely at ease with the usually weather-repelling harmony comet that carried the ship. Valey had been on the bridge too, and Gerardo and Slipstream were sleeping, so the only newcomers she brought were Amber and Starlight. Felicity brought up the rear, offering everyone a well-groomed smile as she closed the door with her tail.

"Well," she said, wings folded at her sides. "I suppose everyone here could do with a word or two about Mistvale, hmm? I was about to go off on the longest tangent about the society here with Maple, and then realized it might be dreadfully useful for others to know too..."

Valey shrugged, laying atop a navigation chest that doubled as a bench. "Sure. I'm always down to hear what I'm getting into. More down than I am for stumbling into it blind, at least."

Amber nodded too, and Felicity daintily cleared her throat. "First off, it's rather important you decide where it is you're wanting to go, darling. It's not too likely we'll be accosted merely by floating around. Mistvale knows what airships are, and as long as they see us going somewhere and not lollygagging around, they're likely to leave us to our own devices. But the moment we touch down, local culture will matter a lot."

Valey nodded. "That's cool. I'm looking for someone important, who knows a lot about religious things. I'm pretty sure I can pull rank and get them to listen to me, but I've got questions. So, I wanna go for the top of the top."

"Pull rank, darling?" Felicity tilted her head. "However do you plan on pulling that off? Shows of combat superiority aren't the bragging right here they are in the empire, and these are Mistvale Monks we're talking about. Even with me to fix you up should you survive, it will hardly be pleasant."

Valey watched her... then sighed. "If you're gonna be guiding us, it's going to be awkward if you don't know. But... I can trust you one hundred percent, right? This is something that could be really bad for me if the wrong person knew."

Felicity nodded solemnly. "With all due respect, aren't you all doing the same for me? I've all but warned you when we first met, I'm an unsavory character with unscrupulous connections who's had to do some... rather unfortunate things, in the past." She looked down at herself and briefly frowned. "Hardly a paragon by any means. Yet, you're trusting me as your guide regardless, and I truly do appreciate it at heart. If nothing else, darlings, I wouldn't lie to you. So no, I swear I won't betray you."

Everyone else looked at each other, and then Valey sighed. "My cutie mark warns me when I'm in danger. I thought it was just a useful thing for fighting, but apparently that counts as seeing the future around here, which is... you know."

"...Hmmm." Felicity solemnly closed her eyes, thinking. "I can see why you'd want that held close to your chest. So something tells me the whole point of this excursion is a search for answers, because you're not confident in going to the Night Mother or Garsheeva and asking them about why you have this power directly."

Valey blinked. "Uhh... yeah, pretty much. I mean, I'm not either of their biggest fans, and something tells me I shouldn't wave this around in their faces?"

Felicity sighed. "Well, it's your quest, and I'm merely the guide. I suppose you'll want to head straight for the grand temple, in that case. And yes, if you can demonstrate that in public, you very likely will be able to pull rank after all... Hmm."

Everyone watched her, waiting. "So what should we look for in the grand temple?" Shinespark whispered, her voice as loud as she could comfortably make it.

"Yes, sarosian society." Felicity folded her wings and nodded. "Everyone who isn't Valey first. Mistvale is... tolerant of outsiders. You're likely to get a lot of looks, and the two biggest things you can do to make the sarosians happy is be respectful and look like you're passing through. If you appreciate their society without looking like you want to join it, that's the sweet spot. I'd advise taking inventory of anything on this ship you'd be willing to part with, since they're particularly fond of merchants and traders. Never any pretense of staying, and you're there to reach arrangements that benefit everyone. In terms of divine commandments, the Night Mother doesn't make many statements on outsiders, so you can largely do as you please so long as you don't entice sarosians to do wrong. That mostly means... ahem... no flirting."

Valey curled her lip.

"For everyone else, as I said!" Felicity insisted. "The rules for you are quite different, darling, and if you're really that set on that sort of satisfaction and enjoyment, I'll tell you later and alone." She glanced apologetically to Starlight, who frowned in confusion.

"Um... no, I mean... uhh..." Valey's ears folded. "Yeah, no, I'm good."

Shinespark smiled faintly, and Felicity gave an understanding nod.

"Either way, though!" Felicity flicked her ears and her mane. "If it's the grand temple you're looking for, I'm afraid that's at the far northwesternmost end of the country. Positioned about as far away from Garsheeva's capitol as they could manage it... so it'll be more than a week's flight there, and the same amount back. And since the coastline is curved, the most direct route there will take us quite near it, meaning the next big question is whether you want to stop anywhere on the way. I'm not heavily advocating for it, but since we'll be passing both coastal and mainland cities, it is an option if any of you feel like sightseeing."

"We'll, uhh..." Valey hesitated. "We'll think on it. If it's two whole weeks of travel time, though, that's like, half of what we have before the tournament or more. I'd really rather not cut it close, so let's at least save that for the way back?"

"Dutifully noted," Felicity sang. "In that case, I'm not sure there's much more to say. Don't worry too much about being familiar with the ins and outs of things; the sarosians are able to tell the difference between innocent ignorance and being a curmudgeon. And like I said, if we're really going that far, it won't matter for another week. So in the meantime, enjoy the view!"

"The view...?" Maple blinked, and everyone turned.

Beyond the windshield, the clouds were finally starting to clear away as the ship rose above Mistvale's perpetual bank of fog. A vivid night sky greeted them, the sun shining as bright as the moon, with no clouds or anything to blot out the stars. Nebula upon nebula spun and twinkled in the distance, the clouds bordered on either side by two long mountain chains. The mountaintops protruded from the clouds like islands, some covered in evergreens and blue luminous moss, space cleared in others and shaped into step-like terraces. There was never a trace of snow, and in the distance, a higher peak seemed wrapped in constructions that sent a faint beam of light into space, glowing like a beacon. Instead of dimming the sky, the projection seemed to enhance it, like all the stars above were reflected in the plants reaching to meet them.

"Woah," Shinespark breathed, tensing in her chair. "That's a city...?"

"There isn't very much land here," Starlight murmured, standing on Maple to look out.

Felicity smiled at her. "Also not the highest population to fill it, darling. And these mountains stretch on for thousands of miles, and there are plenty of valleys for anyone who prefers an even-more-secluded lifestyle. But it's beautiful, isn't it?"

Amber frowned. "If there's so much land here, how come so many batponies live in the Griffon Empire? Especially why did they do that when that incident happened three decades ago and made them not want to live in the cities?"

Felicity winced. "That... might be a story for another time. But I promise I'll tell it?"

"That's good enough for me," Maple whispered, putting a hoof on the console. "I just want to watch this for a moment."

"Take all the moments you need, darling," Felicity chuckled. "Take all the moments you need."

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