The Olden World

by Czar_Yoshi

Please Believe Me

Valey slowly sighed, perched in the shadows on the edge of the Varsidel camp. While there were ponies here who hadn't participated in the fighting, they were in the gross minority, and the shelters were filled with the injured and resting. Still more sat around and commiserated, licking their wounds or doing anything to avoid inaction. It wasn't hard to guess how they felt.

"Is this the end for us?" one of the camp's few mares moaned, favoring her side and sitting awkwardly on a bench. "They took Grenada, and with this many injured, we'll need all our resources just to survive. Even if there are no more strikes, it could take months before we work on the ship again..."

A unicorn next to her shook his head, defeat in his eyes. "We all knew this might happen if that kid spoke for us when help actually came. Now we've gone and alienated them!"

"If they weren't working with the sarosians to begin with," a third bitterly pointed out.

The unicorn frowned, his lip torn and bleeding. "Doesn't matter. We would have treated them the same either way. Grenada didn't want nopony's help." He sighed heavily. "That was a decision all of us made. We got these shelters and this boat and everything else for it, and might have lived this long because of her, too! I guess now we get to decide if it's worth it.."

"There might have been things I would have done differently," the mare sighed, giving him a regretful look with lots of buried emotion. "If we knew we only had a few months. But... we're not dead yet." She shifted a little and winced, holding her side. "Maybe we got them good enough they'll leave us alone."

"Yeah. Maybe."

All three of them stewed, and after a few minutes a healthy unicorn walked by and refilled their drinks from a ladle of water, earning two thankful glances and a sigh.

Valey decided if she was ever going to make a move, she'd have to get started. "Hey," she called, low enough not to make a scene, still hiding in the edge of the forest.

"Who goes-? Aah!" The mare took too sharp a breath and winced, eyes watering. The unicorn to her side got up and frowned.

"Don't freak out," Valey urged, showing herself at a distance. "I'm friendly. Not with the locals!"

"It's you," the unicorn said, recognizing her quickly, watching for a second and sitting back down. "What do you want?"

Valey stepped forward, taking the lack of aggression as an extension of peace. "Well, what I did want was to get a truce going between you and the locals, since it's pretty obvious you don't speak the same language and there was some sort of misunderstanding. Now? Bananas, beats me. What do you want?"

"What do you think?" The third laughed bitterly. "To survive? To go home? And what have we got now?"

The mare just shook her head. "Anyone who knew what they were doing. We... If you're from that ship, you took Grenada. And our other leader, a pegasus, always wanted us to organize and attack or defend ourselves. Way to remember we're just a bunch of civilians, not soldiers..."

Valey looked away. "Every one of you who knew how to fight kicked the bucket on the pirate ship, huh? They were all on the front lines and stuff?"

"That's about it," the unicorn sighed. "Don't know who told you about that, or if we're just that famous wherever you're from. I even joined up with my crew in the first place because I couldn't stomach the war at home! Thought I'd get out and live in the sky or the more peaceful parts of the world."

"Didn't know Ironridge would go to war and then the Empire would rob us to go fight in it too," the mare chuckled weakly. "It's like the whole world's on fire. I never gave up on seeing my kids again, but... if it wasn't for the sarosians here, building a new life somewhere away from all that didn't sound so bad. Did either of you ever daydream about the best possible scenario?"

She was met with silence and ashamed looks.

"This stinks," Valey whispered, throat tight. "Hey, look... The dude in Ironridge who started a war there? Yakyakistan's ambassador. His name was Herman. Real jerk. He was my boss. We actually wrecked him, and the city's under new leadership and probably not at war any time soon. And then me and my friends all got to Stormhoof like, a day or two too slow to tell them what was up and stop them from sending off all your ships. And the stuff you had to deal with on that pirate ship is a little personal too. So... bananas, tell me what I can do."

By then, more ponies in the camp had noticed the conversation. Realizing that a batpony was there to talk and not fight, they approached slowly, an audience gradually building, though Harshwater was strangely absent. "I don't suppose you have a talented doctor?" a stallion in the crowd asked wryly, though he couldn't hide a bit of hope. "Or at least some medical supplies?"

Valey's ears fell. "Uhh... I'm pretty sure we don't, dude. Maybe a few supplies. The ship's supposed to be well-stocked. Whatever we do have, we're gonna use, though, trust me." She thought a little harder. "We do have a library with a bunch of science books, though. Probably some stuff about medicine in there, if any of you wanna learn."

A few faces perked at that, though most of the ponies continued to watch her without expression. "So why are you here?" another from the crowd asked.

Valey took a breath. "Complete coincidence. We were heading from the Empire to the grand temple to do some stuff. Saw your signal. Some batponies came and asked us pre-emptively to keep going and not come down. Said we'd stay or get involved and not want to leave. Guess they were right, huh?"

"Of course they did," someone muttered.

"Wait, you can understand them?" The first mare tilted her head.

"Yeah, sorta." Valey nodded. "They're not completely unable to speak. Speak non-batpony, that is. But you gotta be patient and work with them and make an effort to understand each other to get anything across. Of course, we have someone with us who speaks their language too, which helps."

A few ponies looked interested. "Did they say anything about why they keep us here? I always thought they'd want us gone, but then why try to attack the ship we're building to escape?"

"I dunno, dude." Valey shook her head. "We were trying to learn that when you guys threw a net over us and made all them go berserk. I think all the locals think we led them into your trap or something now. If they ever work with us again, especially for a reason other than all being half dead, it'll be a miracle."

Several more ponies averted their eyes in shame.

"Get this, okay?" Valey looked around, insistent. "They're not bad guys. We wanna help them. We want to help you, too. This whole thing is a nasty mess, and as ready to blow as it was, we were still the ones who blew it up. Will you work with us if it means forgetting about fighting, swallowing your pride and maybe trying to work with the locals as well?"

"Like we have any pride left to swallow," someone said bitterly.

Another pony cleared their throat. "You really think those savages will have anything to do with us? Even if you threaten us all into peace, what stops us from fighting again once you leave? I know a liar when I hear one, and that's not you. You're just an idealist."

Valey frowned. "Ideals are cool, thank you very much. They give you something worth living for. And yeah, I think if you guys really haven't properly communicated, especially if they were getting spooked by Grenada who did want to stay, actually understanding each other might, just maybe, be a solution. Like, they're almost dead. They're not gonna make it without help. You guys are pretty messed up too. And we might be able to airlift whoever's worst off to the Empire if they can hang on for a week, but if you could work together? Bananas, you guys could come back from this! You can still get home!"

Several in the crowd shook their heads, and some turned to leave.

"What... Hey, wait...!" Valey reached out a hoof, but didn't move.

"Glad to hear the world is nicer wherever you're from," a downcast stallion sighed. "But that's not the way things work around here. You haven't had to live in constant fear of those fiends for as long as we have. Put all that aside, work with them? You're nice, kid. Never grow up." He winced, and added, "Please don't. It's a much better world you've got yourself to live in."

Valey swallowed, feeling her chest hurt as the lump in her throat grew. "No, bananas, you don't get it. I know about... No, come on!"

More of the crowd drifted away, and some others gave her apologetic looks. "If you want to help," the first unicorn said, "those medicine books you talked about might save a life or two." He glanced at the mare with the injured side. "We certainly wouldn't mind those."

"Yeah, I'll... We'll get those," Valey sighed, squeezing her eyes shut. The Varsidelians being angry or chasing her away would have been one thing, but defeated rejection and disbelief just sat in her heart and stung. "...Hey, any of you know where Harshwater is? I kinda want to talk to her."

The remaining ponies glanced at each other, and most shrugged. A stallion frowned. "Don't know and don't care. She was always the one pushing us to fight for ourselves. She'd weakened them enough; we could take the sarosians with an organized assault, she said. Then she doesn't even show when we need her the most. Grenada's apparently out. I don't know how many are going to listen to her, either."

A mare who looked like she hadn't been fighting hesitated, giving Valey a look and disappearing behind a stack of de-branched logs.

"Well, that's cool." Valey looked away. "I... guess that's all I've got for you dudes. We'll be by soon with the best help we can offer. Good luck, and all that."

"Luck," someone snorted, and the remaining ponies ignored her or went about their ways.

Valey dove into the forest shadows, ears pressed back and trying not to cry. But there was too much frustration. If she couldn't prevent a war, couldn't finish it before there were too many injuries... It took Starlight to end it at all, and that in her book was tantamount to divine intervention. And everyone had made it through all that, yet the Varsidelians weren't even willing to try! For a brief moment, she hyperventilated in the shadows, muzzle barely above the ground, then steeled herself and drifted behind the log pile, looking for the mare who had watched her oddly.

The mare was still there, and gave a slight start when Valey appeared. "I-It's you," she said, looking overly nervous. "Are you Admiral Valey?"

Valey's ears went back down. "Yeah, that's what everyone here would call me. What's up?"

"Here..." The mare pulled out a piece of thin bark that was pinned inside her mane. "It's a message addressed to you. Sorry if it's primitive. We don't have any paper."

"Oh?" Valey took it in her wingtips, instantly skipping to the end. From Harshwater. "Cool, thanks. This is..." She began to read, gradually paling as she got further. "No, come on... Not cool. Not cool!" Her eyes urgently shot up to the mare. "When did you get this? How long ago?"

"It was a while," the mare admitted. "Shortly after Harshwater got back from her last fight. I was supposed to give it to you when you came here with help, but then Grenada gathered everyone and left, and I waited and didn't know what to do."

Valey paled further. "Yeah, uhh... Thanks. Good job, and all that. Listen, I gotta go."

Taking the bark in her teeth and not leaving time for a farewell, Valey spread her wings and bolted, flying for the Immortal Dream as fast as she could carry herself.

Comments

[Zapdroid]

Starlight’s use of the nightmare module and divine intervention mentioned in the same sentence, HMM?

[Mini-Joe]

i hope theres no killing. this situation got way outta hand

[Hap]

That's an ominous note.

[alamais]

Buncha dummies.

[Venlinelle]

It took Starlight to end it at all, and that in her book was tantamount to divine intervention.

Don’t worry, that’s how we feel about her in the show too.