The Olden World

by Czar_Yoshi

Planning For Tomorrow

Rain blew in torrents around the Immortal Dream, the storm showing no sign of exhausting itself. Valey and Shinespark shared the pilot's chair, hooves away from the controls as the ship held its own course, leaning against each other and watching the weather.

"...Thanks," Shinespark said after a long silence.

"For laying off the teasing?" Valey knew she wasn't looking and didn't bother raising an eyebrow. "For snogging you?"

"Just... thank you." Shinespark waited a minute before elaborating. "I don't know how you do it. Going from being terrified of offending any of us to laughing while I'm yelling at you in a single day. It's like you're a completely different pony."

Valey gave a small shrug. "Yeah, so now that that's over, did you actually want me to knock it off? Serious question, here. I still, uhh... still don't want to go too far."

"Yes. But that doesn't mean you should have."

Valey squinted. "I don't get it."

Shinespark sighed. "It's hard for me to explain. Ponies breaking the rules irks me sometimes. Like you, kissing me and running off to the tower. Or just now, when I was trying to get it through your head why you're not supposed to do that, and..." She briefly gritted her teeth, then relaxed. "I don't know why I find it so attractive when you make a mockery of the way I want things to be done. It's intensely frustrating. But it also makes me like you."

"So did I or didn't I go too far?" Valey pressed. "Like, at the end of the day I know you're gonna forgive me if I do. You were pretty clear about that back in the cave, and I'm trusting that you're gonna keep your word. But I also don't wanna strain that if I don't have to."

"Ugh, Valey..." Shinespark groaned. "I have no idea! I hate it, and I also love you because of it. And I stand by what I said in the cave. I missed it while it was gone. Sorry. I wish I could tell you better how my heart works, but I'm new at this. All I know is that if you wanted us to keep pretending I didn't have any feelings for you, yes, you've gone way too far."

"Nyaah." Valey stuck out her tongue. "I mean, you're here, and I'm here, and neither of us are leaving. Sharing a chair meant for one? Doesn't seem like either of us have a problem with it."

"That's good." Shinespark closed her eyes and relaxed. "Now it's your turn. How did you do it? After what we talked about in the caves, I thought..."

Valey shrugged. "Thought there would be baby steps involved? Yeah, I dunno, I kinda did too. But it's like a breaking dam, or something? Everything else that happened tonight probably helped. A whole lot of adrenaline, fighting evil... For half a second there, against Gazelle, I actually had a flashback and it was like I was right there fighting Herman back in Ironridge. You know how I killed that guy?"

"Tell me?"

Valey nodded. "Stabbed him through the heart with an icicle. He deserved it. Anyway, Starlight was making a ton of crystals just now, and I got a big old spike, and was jumping and Gazelle was helpless and... I could have done exactly the same to him. Right through the heart. Lights out. I saw it, and it was like I was right back there... and I deliberately took his ear off instead. Just like that."

Shinespark leaned against her. "And that played into you teasing me just now?"

"I mean, kinda." Valey shrugged again. "Like I said, it felt... really good to completely trounce someone I knew was a bad guy. I actually strolled around and lectured him on it while throwing mud at his face. And I do feel sorta bad for him, especially since his sister says he was once a really nice guy, but he deserved every bit of it." She took a deep breath. "Bananas, I needed that. I needed it more than he did. I got to be the good guy again. Sparky, you get, like... You get what this feels like to me, right? I don't need the Night Mother telling me I'm not predestined for evil spookiness, I need stuff like this. I feel fantastic. So I guess I was just in a good mood."

Shinespark put a hoof around her back, pulling her a little closer. "If that's what it took. I'm so glad you're feeling more like yourself."

"Hey, you helped too." Valey nudged her. "A lot. Being in the mood to dunk on Stormhoof was nice, even though it's probably terrible for them."

"Not to try to undo progress, but..." Shinespark winced. "You feel good for beating Gazelle, but not bad for wiping out that keep?"

"Eh." Valey frowned. "I didn't wipe out Stormhoof. I went to save my foalnapped friend. Anything bad that comes of that is on everyone who set this up. Maybe I had a hoof in it, but I'm not apologizing for looking out for you guys."

Shinespark closed her eyes and held her. "That's the Valey I want to see."

"Yeah..." Valey returned it with a wing around Shinespark's back. "About that, though. I do have some bad news."

Shinespark's ears folded.

Valey took a breath. "Felicity and her sisters set me up. I got played. They staged that whole thing with Gazelle that happened on our ship to get me to wreck the fort for them, and apparently had a band of assassins heading to clean up the rest of the royals now that the tower's standing army is down. I, uh... thought we were good friends, and might have trusted them a little too much, and... yeah."

"They what?" Shinespark's eyes widened slightly in alarm. "When did you find out about this? You didn't have us go back to Stormhoof to help? And Felicity is still on our ship?"

"One thing at a time," Valey urged, trying to calm Shinespark down. "They told me themselves. As for Stormhoof, we weren't far out and could have gone back, but to be frank? I'm not a huge fan of Stormhoof and Everlaste either. Assassinations aren't cool, but as far as I'm concerned, at best for those lords this was bad guys versus bad guys. And when I've taken out Yakyakistan's ambassador myself? I sure had good reason. I'm ticked at Felicity and her sisters really hard, but figured this was a conflict I wanted to stay out of. Those sphinxes sure aren't damsels in distress, or whatever."

Shinespark bit her lip.

"Also there was Crystal," Valey continued. "I didn't really wanna upset her by ordering us to turn the ship around while she was having her kid. She's, uhh... pretty emotionally fragile. Anyway, yes, Felicity and Senescey are still on the ship. They told me their roles in the stuff at Stormhoof, know I don't trust them, and I'm pretty sure they won't try anything while I'm straight up watching..." She sighed. "But I dunno. The one thing I know for sure is that I'm not going to be the only one who vouches for them anymore. You guys trusted my judgement, I trusted them, they blew it for me and by extension I blew it for you. So once everyone's rested, they get to explain themselves to everyone, and we collectively decide what to do."

"Valey..." Shinespark sighed. "Right. We'll do that. Thank you for letting me know."

Valey nodded. "Yeah. I've still got some opinions of my own, but like I said, their fate with us is up to everyone. Not making a call by myself again."

"I don't know how rested everyone will be," Shinespark remarked. "We did just spend all night flying here, but Crystal and last night's drama might have kept some ponies awake. We'll see when we can get everyone together and play it by ear."

"Oh, uhh..." Valey's tail twitched. "I dunno if it matters, but one other thing about Crystal?"

Shinespark perked an ear.

"Her kid was a batpony." Valey slumped slightly. "You know that stuff we heard from her and Chauncey about batponies always breeding true? Her lover boy was a griffon. So I'm really hoping we don't run into her again, but if we do, heads up that she's probably going to be even more unstable."

Shinespark groaned. "She cheated? Hopefully Percival is merciful to her..." She shook her head. "Speaking of batponies, would you like to tell me your plans for the newest prisoner of our pantry?"

Valey blinked hard. "Bananas, I completely forgot about him. I'll, uhhhh... I have absolutely no idea."

Comments

[ZanyZapper]

Well, I'm right there with Valey at the end. I've completely forgotten about there being someone locked in the pantry. Who's in there?

[Boopers]

Didn't they want to use an empty moon glass on him?