• Published 23rd Jun 2017
  • 8,247 Views, 4,585 Comments

The Olden World - Czar_Yoshi



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

  • ...
21
 4,585
 8,247

PreviousChapters Next
The Cheer Squad

Wallace didn't return for nearly an hour, but Valey and Shinespark never budged from their vigil at the mouth of the cave, even as the sun moved visibly across the sky. At some points, they were quiet, with light banter at others, but never anything deep. Valey teased Shinespark's tail with her own, and Shinespark flicked her ears in embarrassment, but they never drew further away. At long last, a speck appeared on the horizon and quickly drew closer, manifesting in the broad wingspan and shining grin of Wallace Whitewing. He flew at an angle, shielding his back from the wind, and the two mares moved aside to make room for his landing.

"Hah. Sorry to keep you waiting," Wallace rumbled, landing and keeping his back hidden and wings spread. A pony quickly used one of them as a slide, landing on her hooves and staring around the cave in awe.

"Amber?" Valey blinked.

"Wow," Amber remarked. "This is a neat place. I dig it, Wallace!" She winked, then turned to Valey. "So, a little bird told me you were in trouble and needed my help. Glad to be asked, by the way. What's up?"

"Ahem..." Wallace lowered his shoulders as close to the ground as they could go. "Presenting one more."

Valey watched as a chubby yellow mare with a pink and teal mane, about Shinespark's age, climbed rear-first down from Wallace's huge back. She turned to reveal a broad face with abundantly squishy cheeks that were clearly meant for smiling, threw a wobbly salute, and chirped, "Doot doo dooo! Hi, I'm Puddles!"

"Uhhh." Valey's jaw dropped, forcefully reminding herself that this wasn't windigo Puddles, it was the kid they had kicked the windigo out to put back in. "Hi?"

"Hi." Puddles put on a heroic smirk, utterly comical on her broad face and only learnable from spending too much time looking up to Wallace. "I know who you are. You're Valey! Uncle Wallace says you're having a bad day and the only thing that can make it better is a hug from Puddles, but don't worry! I am here, and here I come!"

Valey's brain couldn't quite pull itself together as Puddles half-waddled, half-marched across the cave, walked right up in her face and flung her forelegs around her in a hug so forceful it nearly tipped both of them over. "Heehee, yaaay!" Puddles crowed as she happily nuzzled Valey's neck and the sides of her head. "The day is saved! Puddles gives the best hugs!"

As Valey struggled to respond, Wallace stepped into sight around the huggy mare. "Say there is anything morally wrong about accepting a hug like that and you will make her cry," he dared, voice quiet enough that anyone not paying attention would miss it.

"Uhhhhh," Valey repeated, slowly hugging Puddles back. "Bananas, you've put on weight, kiddo. Weren't you a bone bag last time I saw you?"

"Heehee... yeah." Puddles grew more gentle now that Valey was reciprocating. "Momma says the windigo didn't know how to eat properly and kept me alive on magic instead."

Valey groaned, remembering Puddles' encounter with the wedding cake and its aftermath. "Yeah, that's definitely true, alright..."

Wallace hummed somberly. "Indeed. We must be gentle with her. Those scientists' experiments and that windigo's antics have not left her the paragon of physical health, though with care she is recovering. Part of that means keeping her out of the public eye, but... you deserve to see her."

"And so you brought her here to cheer me up? Huh." Valey blinked, growing more contemplative in Puddles' cuddly embrace. "Uh, bananas. Thanks. She is really cute..."

"Just don't forget she's six years younger than she looks," Wallace requested. "But yes. When you suffer from a compounding of failure after failure, I wanted you to see your victories face to face. Returning the dead is a feat even the Night Mother can only dream of, yet for all intents and purposes you've done it here."

Puddles smiled into Valey's neck. "Uncle Wallace tells all sorts of stories about windigo Puddles. I don't remember any of it, so being real Puddles is definitely nicer. Thank you a lot, Valey. You don't deserve a bad day. You're nice..."

"Aww. Kiddo, I... Look, I'm kinda emotionally fragile right now..." Valey gave a watery smile. "Don't make me turn on the waterworks again, okay?"

Wallace stepped forward. "There is nothing in the world that takes a stronger spirit than being an unsung hero. Being selfless, making sacrifices and doing good in ways that will never touch you again is the height of injustice perpetrated against you, by you, in no other name than that of doing good. Life for everyone is a series of successes and failures, setbacks and triumphs. I felt you were in severe need of a thank-you for the times you've saved someone by being a hero."

"Heh... yeah... Come to think of it, no one in Ironridge even knew me and Starlight saved them by the time we left..." Valey lifted a hoof from hugging Puddles to wipe at her eye. "Bananas, she might need something like this too."

"One thing at a time, young Valey." Wallace smiled gently, then pointed a wing at Amber and Shinespark. "And look at your friends. How do they look like they're feeling right now?"

Amber and Shinespark were watching proudly as Valey was squished in Puddles' embrace, and Amber stepped forward. "I'm feeling kind of like I wanna get some hugs from you two too."

Valey beckoned with a wing. "Yeah, yeah, come here..."

"Yaaay!" Puddles cheered, glomping Amber into the embrace. "Valey gets hugs from everyone!"

Shinespark stepped closer too, but didn't join despite Puddles staring at her with pleading eyes. She looked up to Wallace instead. "We... had a talk while you were gone," she began.

Wallace chuckled, shoving Shinespark toward the hug with a wing. "Talking about talking later, my little pony. Right now you're going to smother young Valey in more care than she can shake a stick at."

"Thanks, bathtub," Valey gasped as Puddles hauled Shinespark into the embrace as well. "Means a lot. But it's actually getting hard to breathe here..."

"Heehee... aww." Puddles hugged everyone for a few seconds longer, then slackened her grip, stepping back and surveying her work. She nodded, putting back that same silly, heroic smile. "Good job, everyone. Puddles is proud of you."

"Whew." Valey stood and panted for a moment when she was finally free. "Bananas, you all are enthusiastic. Thanks though. Heh..."

Wallace patted Puddles on the head with a wing, scooping her slightly closer. "Feeling any better after that? Or at the very least not like you've screwed up again?"

Valey sat back, letting herself decompress. "Yeah. Thanks for bringing her. I think Sparky was saying, though, me and her had a talk..." She winced slightly, but soon banished it, adding a wink at Shinespark. "Yep. A talk. And I still don't know if we're fully on the same page, but it ended with us laughing."

"It went well," Shinespark agreed. "And I'm glad it did, because I really put my heart out on the line, but it did."

"That's great." Amber smiled, keeping a respectful distance. "So what can I help with? Wallace dropped by the Dream on his way back from getting Puddles and told me I might be needed. It seems like we're having a good time already, though?"

Valey tiredly nodded. "Yeah, and I'd like to keep it that way. Just some stuff I was feeling like I'd messed up on about how our relationship went that really wasn't playing nice with everything else I was dealing with and turned out to be kind of a keystone in the dam..."

Amber's face fell into concern. "I thought we left things off amicably?"

Valey blinked and raised a hoof. "No, yeah, we did. I mean, it was just for me, like, the whole..." She glanced at Puddles. "What are you looking at?"

"Are you in love?" Puddles asked with an innocent, eager smile.

Shinespark winced, Amber's eyes widened, and Valey quickly backpedaled, glancing desperately at Wallace. "Uhhh..."

"It's perfectly fine," Wallace chuckled. "She's curious about everything, and we've had to start giving her the relationship talks early now that she looks older than she is. Bound to pick up some unwanted eyes that way..." he muttered slightly. "Thinks it's a fascinating subject, as usual."

Puddles nodded studiously. "This is the kind when a filly kisses a filly, right?" She blinked. "Why are all three of you turning red?"

Valey rubbed self-consciously at her mane. "That's... Grown-up things. Look, I actually am doing better, so maybe we should just party for now and Amber, I'll talk with you later? Probably would be good to do sometime..."

Amber slapped the floor with her tail. "Look, if it means you having a good time, I'm on board. You've been way too gloomy lately. So Wallace, back to the ship?"

"Oh yeah. Back to the ship." Valey nodded. "Relax, do stuff... bananas, actually it's getting kind of late..." She grinned at Amber. "Maybe I'll haunt someone tonight. You, Maple and Starlight have room for one more?"

"Haven't heard you ask in ages." Amber winked. "Sounds like we're good to go!"

"Excellent. I can easily carry four." Wallace knelt down again. "Though prepare yourselves. You may not be able to relax quite immediately on getting home."

Valey frowned. "Oh? Why not?"

"We've got some friends over," Amber explained. "Felicity and her sisters. Came looking for you to congratulate you after the tournament, then stuck around. Felicity in particular said something about waiting for you and Harshwater, then doing something with Crystal. Don't ask me what. But if you need me to get you out of it..."

"Oh, great," Valey groaned. "Yeah, no, I asked for this... Just gotta push the world's pickiest mare into letting some nonprofessional field medics give her a checkup since no one's properly gotten a look at her since Izvaldi. Don't worry, this will feel great to have taken care of. And then we'll party and have a great time."

Shinespark raised an eyebrow, then nodded. "Good luck, and let me know if I can help. Wallace?"

Puddles was already atop Wallace's back, waving for everyone to join her. "All aboard the Wallacemobile! Yay!"

Chuckling, Valey flapped up to join them as Amber jumped and Shinespark flew behind her.

PreviousChapters Next