The Olden World

by Czar_Yoshi

Much To Offer

"I want my parents back," Starlight declared, lip straight, staring Garsheeva in the eyes despite their massive height difference.

Garsheeva rumbled in interest. "Not what I was expecting. Four of you, and neither you nor any of your friends asked me for power, even though you face far greater physical challenges than the likes of Meltdown and Wallace Whitewing."

"I asked for what I asked for," Starlight replied. "Can you do it?"

"That depends on who your parents are and why they are no longer with you." Garsheeva surveyed her, the crystal table glowing softly nearby. "I make efforts to know many things, but outside this continent my sight is limited. And you are from Equestria. You will need to be more specific."

Starlight blinked, slowly realizing she wasn't entirely sure what she had just asked. Who were her parents? The mare and stallion she could remember living with in Equestria? The ones who adopted her, just like Maple, and never made things well enough for her not to want to leave? "I... was adopted there," she admitted. "What about my birth parents?"

Garsheeva's yellow gaze focused her. "And what became of them? Were they unable to provide? Separated by force? Are they dead? Or did they simply not care?"

Starlight racked her memories, but nothing was there. "I don't know..."

"There are many things I can do," Garsheeva said. "If you wanted someone located within the Empire, my senses extend everywhere there are dusk statues, and I have many faithful who would search at my behest. But with such a broad goal, the best you may hope for is help seeking them out yourself. Even if I could find and retrieve them, there is no guarantee they would stay. Why do you desire to see them again?"

Starlight swallowed. "Because I need them. The flame down there showed it to me. I don't know what I'm doing on my own. Things keep hurting me and my friends, and I'm not strong enough to keep them from happening. I need someone to make those things alright without needing to stop them, or teach me how to do it on my own."

"Interestingly put," Garsheeva replied. "Few children have that kind of view of the world. Wallace Whitewing and Meltdown were tired of watching creatures cope and struggle with injustice. They asked for power to change it. And you merely want someone to help you survive?"

Starlight's heart twisted. Garsheeva clearly had a different philosophy from Glimmer and the flame... "I already have the power to change it, and I don't want more! It's never enough and does nothing but make me lonely!"

Garsheeva stared at her, as if she could see beneath Starlight's coat and reveal everything that let her do the things she could do. "Your awareness is fascinating. But you should know one thing." Her tail flicked at the table, causing the Emblem of the Nine Virtues hovering above to spin like a wheel. "Blood is meaningless. Just because someone sired you or carried you in their womb puts them under no obligation and gives them no physical ability to have a connection with you. Likewise, someone born in another world is no less capable of holding you dearly due to their lack of relation. Whether or not this is how you wish things to be, it is true. What you seek does not have to be and likely will not be your birth parents."

Starlight folded her ears. "Then... how do I find it?"

"That is something only you can decide. I cannot control the reactions of your heart," Garsheeva rumbled. "All I can do is ease your hooves on the path. Tell me what wrongs you are struggling beneath the weight of now. Perhaps your wish could relieve you of one instead."

"I don't know." Starlight looked down, her mind suddenly empty when she needed it the most. "I don't want more that I have to do myself."

Garsheeva raised an eyebrow. "Really? You could wish for the seventh Nightmare Module, for the power to heal Valey's sister on your own, to save sarosians' souls when their bodies are about to die, and even to control the brand you yourself wield. You could wish for me to fix your unstable horn, so you can give all you have for your friends and not suffer nearly the consequences. Your words conflict with your emotions. You say you want someone so that you must do less, yet the idea of doing less than your best is fearful for you."

"I don't want more Nightmare Modules!" Starlight's voice rose. "I'm never using the ones I have again, anyway! I don't know what they do to my mind, and I'll get hurt if I rely on them!" Slowly, she frowned, processing the rest of Garsheeva's words. "But you can fix my horn?"

Garsheeva blinked owlishly at her. "Your horn is merely incomplete. It is waiting for you to discover your brand."

Starlight blinked back. "Really?"

"Yes," Garsheeva replied. "I am surprised I asked before you did."

Starlight's mind suddenly tracked back to Glimmer in the generator room. "Is my cutie mark going to be the same no matter what? Does it make me love something? Or does it change depending on who I am?"

Garsheeva's wings spread, tripling the size of her silhouette. "Right now, your brand exists as untapped potential. Anything you wish it to be, it can become."

"So... it's not set," Starlight murmured. "I... need to think. Are you still waiting for me to make a wish?"

"I will not force you. It is your choice." Garsheeva sat, wings still spread. "But the things you seek are found in the realm of mortals, not gods."

Starlight's heart was pounding, but she didn't know what to say. A wish from Garsheeva was given out once in a year, through the tournament. From someone meeting her as the Night Mother, it was an even rarer event. This was an opportunity that should have been invaluable, but as Garsheeva had just said... she wanted to be lower in the world, not higher. All she wanted was to be a normal pony. And no amount of power or resources would help get her there.

"Then I'll be fine with nothing." Starlight nodded. "Thank you for the offer."

Garsheeva frowned, folding her wings. "...In all my millennia of ruling, this is the first time I have ever heard that."

Starlight shrugged. "Then I guess I really am special."

"Some would call it foolish. Others, having character." Garsheeva leaned back where she sat, relaxing with a sigh. "I call it impressive, and worth a reward."

Starlight perked her ears.

"Two wishes, instead of one." Garsheeva beckoned with a paw. "One now, and you can call in the other at any time, when you contact me through a dusk statue. They will work for you. Ask anything now, and you will still be able to think on the other for later."

Starlight folded her ears. "I'm sorry. I just don't know if you have anything I want."

Garsheeva tapped a paw-claw against the crystal table. "...Oh, fine."

"Funny how gambling works, isn't it?"

Starlight jumped, spinning to see Glimmer leaning against the entrance to the stairs below. "How long have you been there!?"

Glimmer paid her no mind, giving Garsheeva a sharp, toothy grin. "I told you she wouldn't want anything you had to offer. Oh well. You win some, you lose some. But since I won this one, you owe me a wish now."

Garsheeva muttered a curse under her breath, then snapped her claws and caused a sealed folder of documents to appear. She flung it in Glimmer's general direction.

Starlight reached out and caught the folder in her telekinesis before it could hit the wall. "What's this?" she asked, walking over to her lookalike and giving it over.

"...You know I can't see," Glimmer deadpanned back at Garsheeva, feeling the folder with a hoof. "How do I know this is what I asked for?"

Garsheeva waved a paw. "I always keep my word with wishes. I know you'd be back later if I tried to rip you off."

"It just says Varsidel and Classified," Starlight read, looking at the big sticker that held the thing closed. "What's it supposed to be?"

"I'll tell you once we're back at the ship. You can make sure it's correct for me." Glimmer shook her head. "Nothing you need to worry about, though. I told you, you take care of yourself and I'll take care of everything else."

Garsheeva turned her back on the two and pouted. Starlight, feeling her time in the table room was up, headed quickly for the exit, Glimmer at her side. "Why was she mad at you?" Starlight whispered when they were out of earshot. "Did she not want you to have that?"

"I frustrate her by existing," Glimmer replied. "And also by winning bets. She thought you were going to ask for the strength to protect your friends. She probably thinks I cheated and warned you not to downstairs."

Starlight folded her ears. "I had forgotten all about the wish. Do you think it was good not to get anything? Will she give it to me later if I need it? I didn't have time to prepare..."

"There's not a whole lot she can give you," Glimmer replied. "Power, which you could get easily enough on your own if you tried. Her specialty is also augmenting cutie marks to make them stronger, and you... don't have yours yet. Knowledge, but she gives that for free to anyone who reaches this place. Privilege, which is what your friends asked for. But peace and contentment aren't commodities to be given, and she didn't title me the Empire's divine seer because she's better at preventing things than I am."

"A divine seer?" Starlight blinked. "I heard that before... You tell her about the future?"

"It's a complicated subject." Glimmer shook her head. "I know things she doesn't, and that's good enough to count. Your friends should be up ahead."

Several more turns passed, during which Glimmer seemed to know the way, and voices started to echo down the corridor. They came to a room with more technology, where Meltdown and her friends were sitting and talking and a machine took up half the space that Starlight suspected was a teleporter.

"Starlight!" Valey brightened at their arrival. "Uh, both of you! So what did you wish for?"

Starlight glanced at Glimmer. "It's... a secret."

"A secret?" Maple asked, tilting her head.

"Yes. And I'm tired." Starlight's shoulders slumped. "I have the hearts filled. Can we go back to the ship now?"

"You will need to come back here for your wish." Meltdown nodded at Valey. "If you are ready to return to your ship, this can take you directly there. Talk to me when you want to comeback in, but remember, I'm only off-duty here. Outside, you live in the designated embassy and I am the head of a government office. We will maintain a professional relationship there."

Valey stretched. "Sounds good to me. Sparky?"

"Ready," Shinespark confirmed.

Meltdown waived them toward the machine's dais. "In that case, please step this way..."

Comments

[alamais]

Geeze, come on kid. At least ask for a pizza or something.

[Boopers]

Interesting wish. I was wondering what she would wish for, but this totally makes sense.

[Alchemik]

9773799
One pizza? Why stop there? Two pizzas!

[Quinch]

11220562
But Maple can *make* pizzas. And I imagine she's a better cook than Garsheeva.

Now I'm wondering what she'd look like in a chef's outfit.

[Person of Stone]

11432009
Then wish for two Maples!

[Venlinelle]

It’s kind of funny how big a deal these wishes are here, when, in Equestria, you can just sort of petition Celestia for whatever you want. I suppose there’s a cultural precedent here that makes them more worthwhile, though.

As this story goes on, I’m becoming less and less sure how it’ll end. For a time, I assumed that the friends would end up separated, and the pain would motivate Starlight to make all the mistakes she does. But that just doesn’t feel right, with how much they’ve all progressed as a group- and it’s certainly possible that that’ll be undone and we’ll have a full-on tragedy, but that feels like it’d have to be incredibly sudden.

Then I thought that maybe the friend group would get a happy ending, but Starlight would separate from them, and that’s why she wouldn’t want to go back north. But now we know that they actually are planning her village, so that can’t be it either.

Then I thought maybe Glimmer is actually the present Starlight telling the story, and the main Starlight we’ve been following is technically a different version who’ll split off due to the changes that are made, and so our Starlight will get an ending happier than storyteller Starlight’s past. But that seems convoluted, and it’d contradict storyteller Starlight saying that there was a reason she never time travelled to this time period, which obviously implies that she didn’t do that and thus couldn’t be Glimmer.

No matter what happens, I can’t imagine Starlight amicably parting from the cast, but beyond that I’ve got nothing.

EDIT: Shockingly, she did amicably part from the cast! It was what happened afterward that was the issue...

[sploopy slooder]

11648142
your comment is everything ive been worrying about the whole novel. i didnt look at the spoiler bit but i just cant imagine the ending being satisfying in any way knowing how it turns out. Knowing starlight ends up miserable and alone in that village just sucks most of the joy out of the novel for me.