The Olden World

by Czar_Yoshi

Contemplation

Maple and Starlight tramped through the muddying streets of Riverfall, the filly once again riding on her new friend's back. The poncho Maple had had the forethought to bring presently shielded both of them, and they afforded a leisurely pace, not being stopped or followed nearly so often now that the other ponies had the weather to worry about. Between the gray chill of the world around and the warmth of being pressed against another pony, Starlight had a perfectly content shell of isolation to slip into while pondering things slightly less certain.

She would be leaving Riverfall. How long had she been there? A week? Probably less. When she had left Equestria, it was simultaneously the hardest and easiest thing she had ever done. In order to sever herself from all the things she had called home, she had needed to harden herself, to forget about them and pretend they were already gone... which had been helped along by the world actually taking them away. But once she had, leaving had been a matter of getting the proper supplies and simply walking away. There hadn't been any fanfare, any heart-wrenching goodbyes, or anything of the sort.

And when she had arrived in Riverfall, she'd been prepared to do the same at a moment's notice. She hadn't wanted the kind of attachments that could keep her in place, should she need to leave again. She had known the kind of tenderness she would be missing out on by keeping her distance from Maple, Willow and Amber... and ultimately chosen them over the ability to leave. She had trusted that Riverfall would be perfect.

It clearly wasn't, looking back. The town's reputation for keeping secrets had crumbled around her, to the point where she could tell her decision to let the mares in was making the difference that kept her there. The situation she found herself in was exactly the kind of thing she had wanted to be able to run from. And suddenly? She could.

Maple wanted to go with her. In fact, Maple wanted to go more than she did. Having stayed in Riverfall through as much as she had already, a part of Starlight felt a stubborn reluctance to go, as if the city was trying to get rid of her and to go after resisting so long would be to capitulate. And besides, after Riverfall had seemed like the perfect paradise and then turned out not to be... what exactly was she still looking for? How would she know it when she found it? Did it even exist?

She might have to settle for living in a place that was imperfect. To do that, she would have to learn to tolerate a place that was imperfect... and would running away from Riverfall now do that? Wasn't she making a start at tolerating, there and then? Maybe leaving would make all her work count for even less than she'd thought.

That didn't change that she still wanted to leave. She'd had to push down reservations last time, too. But what part of herself was she supposed to trust, then? Crossing the mountains had been hard, but so had been staying home. And now, she had friends. One friend in particular who wanted her to leave... and who wanted to go with her. Suddenly, the best thing to do became a lot clearer.

"Starlight?" Maple murmured, breaking the silence. "Are you thinking about whether or not we should leave, too?"

"You mean you are?" Starlight's eyes widened slightly. "I mean, yeah. I am. But I'm going."

"Yes," Maple breathed, rain falling around her. "I am. It's weird, you know? I've wanted to do this for so long, and from such a young age, that now that I can... I almost can't believe it's happening. After all the bad things that have happened to me before, within a few days of each other, both of the things I wanted most and never got are coming true... Part of me thinks it's a cruel joke. If Arambai hadn't been so nice to me in the past, I'd wonder if he was pulling my tail with this. And another part is worried about all the things that could go wrong, going by ourselves... What if I really do never see Willow and Amber again? Or what if we make it there, and all my expectations for what the city is like are wrong? I mean, I've never done something like this before. What if I mess it up myself?"

"What's there to mess up?" Starlight shifted around on Maple's back, wiggling to get more comfortable. "You said you didn't have anything you really needed to do, and we won't be in a hurry."

"I don't know. I guess I'm just nervous." Maple sighed into the evening, daylight already banished by the clouds and now sinking away entirely. "But you must know how that feels, right? Leaving the place you've lived your entire life and going somewhere completely unknown? I've only heard stories about Ironridge, most secondhoof from Willow." Her eyes flicked up. "How much did you know about what was north of the mountains before leaving? Probably not much, huh?"

Starlight shrugged. "I think I've heard of Yakyakistan before, and someone said something about that. Nopony really cares about far away stuff in Equestria. They're always things you hear about and never see. Maybe if I had lived in Canterlot, or something. That's the capital."

"Oh... that reminds me." Maple stiffened slightly as she walked. "We invited those ponies over to hear about Equestria tonight. When I said that, I was thinking it would be one night, so it wouldn't be so bad... I hope you're okay with that. If we promised that and then disappeared, they'd be so sad..." Her tail drooped along with her ears, and only a quick save kept it from being dunked in a mud puddle.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Starlight thought... and decided that if going to Ironridge really was running away and giving in to Riverfall, she would at least have the last word. "Okay. I'll talk to them."

---

When they reached Maple's house, not a soul was to be seen lurking in the rainy darkness outside. Curious, Maple pushed open the door... and was greeted by bright lights and at least a dozen ponies huddled within the ground floor of her shop. The doorside towel rack that was a staple of every home in Riverfall was completely empty, and the distinctive odor of wet pony filled the air.

Maple's nose wrinkled as she wiggled out of the poncho, aided by Starlight's magic. "Umm... hi? Let me go see if I can find more towels."

"Thanksies!" A gleeful mare waved back at her, jumping slightly. Starlight watched the exchange, standing in the doorway, and decided to prop it open in hopes that some of the humidity and warm air would find its way outside.

"Hi, Starlight," another mare said in a softer voice. "And Maple, too. I really hope we're not being imposing. I mean, I heard about what happened earlier..." Her aquamarine ears folded.

Maple bit her lip, rummaging behind a counter. "I know I know your name from somewhere... what was it... Papyrus, maybe? Something that started with a P..."

"Ponderosa," the mare answered. "Though I did have a second cousin named Papyrus who left when the boats were running... but we're not here to hear about Riverfall history!" Her eyes lit up. "Starlight? We, umm... really don't want to pressure you, but we're really excited."

Heads all around the room nodded, leaving Starlight staring nervously at them. Hopping up on a table so she could at least see all the mares at once, she asked, "How do you even want me to do this?"

Shrugs. "Just talk about anything!" a mare in the back offered.

"Well... okay..." Starlight scuffed at the table surface with a hoof, gathered her concentration, and looked back at the crowd. "So the place I'm from is Equestria, and it's ruled by an alicorn called Princess Celestia. Alicorns are ponies with both wings and horns, and she keeps the sun and moon moving across the sky..."

Comments

[alamais]

LIES! Equestrian propaganda!

[Texus]

I want starlight to call her mother in the future, I just noticed Maple is still at friend status.

[GMBlackjack]

Papyrus: NYEH-HEH-HEH!

-GM, master of I'm not sorry.

[Lab 39]

8980581
I want Starlight to call Maple mom too.

[TheAbsoluteRadiance]

Damn, wanted to know what she said.