The Olden World

by Czar_Yoshi

Don't Wanna Know

When Starlight awakened, the rain was still beating against the roof of her cabin, and Maple was still asleep at her side. Amber and Valey were elsewhere, but no pounding hooves sounded on the deck, no yells came from the corridor, and as far as she could tell, for all the night's drama, everything was fine.

"Mmmh," Maple mumbled in her sleep, shifting against her.

Starlight opted not to get up, lighting her horn and cracking their window and resolving to enjoy the peace. Her dreams that night had been uneventful, loose memories of hills and flying slipping away, and now the unsorted ideas from the last night's talk began returning in force. Glimmer, telling her that losing things was inevitable and she needed to balance dealing with that, protecting her friends and telling how far was too far. Saffron, telling her the opposite: an adventurer's life was perfect for anyone who didn't want to say goodbye, because when she could travel, she could see anyone, anytime she desired.

The idea of tracking Sunburst down rose like a bubble in her heart, slippery and hard to hold yet also buoying. She knew exactly why she had left for the mountains instead of left to follow him so very long ago. It was because she didn't trust the world and wanted to find somewhere where she wouldn't have to. The idea of trying to catch her friend had been too pointless to bear considering. But that was before everything she had done for her friends, and as harsh as her life had been, she now knew she could fight back. She wasn't at the world's mercy, even if it still fought her. She felt... powerful.

So did she have to learn to say goodbye, like Glimmer said? Or was Saffron right, and that was only temporary? Even if her friends finished their adventure and went their separate ways, she could just go find them again...

"You awake?" Maple murmured, rolling onto her belly and folding her hooves in front of her eyes.

"Oh. Yes." Starlight blinked, getting a shoulder beneath her. "Just thinking. Are you?"

Maple slowly exhaled. "We haven't gotten a lot of rainy mornings. Garsheeva used to smash the storms before they went on too long. Them being more common is nice..."

"Yeah." Starlight glanced toward the corner of the room, where she had set Sosa's journal for re-reading. Maybe later, though. "I think it's almost the afternoon."

Maple groaned. "I hope nobody wants us to cook..."

"They'll be fine," Starlight assured. "Do we want to do anything?"

"Well, Saffron did say she'd be back today." Maple sat up and stretched. "But that might not be until evening. Maybe we can just have a lazy day."

Starlight nodded, closing her eyes again... and then her stomach growled. "Maybe we should go get breakfast."

"Or lunch," Maple agreed, sliding out of the bed and onto her hooves. "Let's go down to the kitchen and see what I can make, hmm?"

---

The ship wasn't deserted, enough of their friends hanging out in the library or the dining hall to give everything a lively sense of atmosphere. Jamjars waved, and Grenada and Harshwater looked up from a conversation and nodded. "Looks open enough," Maple mused, stepping into the kitchen with a freshly-brushed mane and Starlight on her heels. "Now let's see what's in the pantry and whether I get any ideas..."

"Hello!" Nyala greeted as the pantry door swung open.

"Hi," Navarre breathed.

Maple blinked, jumping slightly in surprise. "Oh! Hello. I'm still not used to you living in here..." She folded her ears apologetically, then turned to their supply list. Though the trip to Mistvale had dwindled their reserves significantly, the restaurant project had forced them to stock heavily up, and Starlight felt almost overwhelmed from the barrels and bags of food stacked beneath things hanging from the ceiling. Except for Navarre's wall, the place felt more claustrophobic than Arambai's basement.

"Is Valey around?" Nyala asked hopefully, swiveling her camera to follow Maple as she went poking around for food ideas. "I'm not very mobile, and was hoping to talk to her."

Maple bit her lip in thought. "I didn't see her, but I just got up. But if you've been down here for days, maybe talking to just anyone would help? I'm here."

"True. That too." Nyala sounded slightly sheepish. "Navarre isn't a very good conversationalist, but I've been talking to him a lot. He says he can help us if we give him a lot of paper, and has been telling me about his work with Chauncey. Did you know that Chauncey's last big project before finding him and Puddles involved the empress and emperor? He read about it in Chauncey's research records."

Starlight tilted her head. "Gazelle and Lyn's parents?"

"Those are the ones," Navarre breathed, his voice so airy he had to be doing it on purpose.

"Really?" Maple pocketed some materials and looked up. "What was he doing with them?"

Navarre shrugged against the wall. "Genetics experiments. His usual field. No results were recorded, only notes for future observations. Meltdown's predecessor was somehow involved as well. I have extensive records and documentation, but never browsed them specifically as sphinx eugenics were outside of my area. I was a windigo scientist, studying using them to extract Nightmare Modules and transfer brands."

Maple's face fell. "That might be interesting to read. I suppose it's for the best all of it would have gotten destroyed when your lab blew up, though. It's probably the kind of thing that would be dangerous to know."

Navarre shook his head. "I would not be so sure. All of the creatures involved have now passed on, so it does not relate to the living. And I can easily reproduce the reports if you grant me sufficient paper."

Starlight blinked. "You have a photographic memory?"

"Oh, no." Navarre smiled faintly. "My brand can record and reproduce writing. It is the brand of a scientist who wishes to keep his knowledge secure."

"He's been telling me about it," Nyala added. "He says he can make perfect copies of all Chauncey's research if we want it. I was hoping to ask Valey, because I'm not sure if that's something we actually want."

Maple's eyes widened. "I see..."

"I'm not sure if it's something any of us want," Navarre sighed. "It would be an act of good faith, but my knowledge is what keeps me useful to you. That said, this is not a very exciting existence."

Starlight frowned. "If it's stored in your cutie mark, does that mean you have reports and science from when you knew Valey in Icereach?"

"I do." Navarre's repressed smile returned. "Imagine my surprise having that knowledge, but none of my memories. There were stories I had left myself on Valey, enough to reinforce my first impression of her. I could never have did what I did to Puddles without them." His eyes fell. "I know what you are going to say, and there were no notes whatsoever on the procedure used to resurrect Valey from her moon glass. I didn't even tell Chauncey I could recall these, for fear he wouldn't believe me."

Maple stared at him for a moment, evaluating his expression. "...I'll tell Valey when I see her. It wouldn't be a good idea for me to make important decisions on an empty stomach. But I don't think this is urgent?"

"Nope," Nyala assured. "Have fun eating!"