The Olden World

by Czar_Yoshi

This Is Our Dream

"Alright. Listen up," Valey said an hour later, having gathered everyone except Shinespark, Grenada and the visiting pegasi, who were all hunkered in the remains of the engine room and running errands to the cargo bay. "I've talked to the guards and we potentially have a deal: they don't have the authority to let us stay, but are willing to take the blame and tell their princess honcho it was for the greater good if they let us stay for a bit while we use our ship to ferry them to some school a ways away that will let them call for reinforcements to defend the border."

She paced back and forth, gesturing with a hoof. "Their princess isn't going to be back for a few weeks. Now, personally, I think helping her guards and getting in good with them is a good way to build some favor, but the only reason they're our allies now is because they're decent ponies and their boss asked them to protect us. I didn't talk to her and I couldn't try to read her for myself, but I think this is a risk we need to take: help the guards, let them take us further into Equestria, and then hope the goddess we're dealing with is nice."

Slipstream raised a hoof. "And what are the consequences of this risk?"

"You mean what happens if something goes wrong?" Valey shrugged. "I dunno. Anything from us getting kicked out to us getting wrecked like the last time we fought a goddess. Either way, let's try not to let that happen. The bigger question is what would cause something to go wrong, and there's exactly one thing I'm worried about: we're in Equestria and playing by their rules, and the moment someone isn't cool with that and breaks them, it's gonna look to them like we're the bad guys. So if anyone wants out now, speak up. I can ask them to take you back across the border, or something."

"That's us," Neon Nova called from the back row.

Maple shot him the only grateful look she had ever dared to give him.

Valey folded her forelegs, scanning the crowd. "And is anyone else right off the bat not cool with following their rules?"

Her eyes found Jamjars, who had an impish look on her face. "Oh yeah?" Valey pointed a hoof. "And how about you?"

"What rules? Just to clarify." Jamjars flipped her mane.

Valey sighed. "Number one: everything they say goes, period. They get to make up new rules, and we get to deal with them, like it or not. Two: we don't go wandering off without Writs of Harmonic Sanction. We stick together and don't make trouble for them. They've already laid that one down. Three: I want them on our side, so if it turns out someone does cause trouble for them... please don't make me choose whether to bail you out or try to save the situation. Please."

"It's important to note," Gerardo added from the side, "we don't know precisely what deal Princess Celestia was preparing to offer us. But at the very least, we do have two writs as a last-minute contingency, for what they may be worth."

"Yeah." Valey pointed a hoof. "Anyone who's already got permission to be here shouldn't need to be worried. That's Starlight, Saffron..." She sighed. "And you two."

Meltdown nodded, seated and trying to look small. Gazelle was as blank as ever, an occasional tremble running through his shoulders.

"And two more of our choice," Maple whispered. "Do you think the land title we have would help at all? That I got from Garsheeva...?"

"Honestly?" Valey shrugged. "If we really did get in deep trouble, showing that off might just get it confiscated if you're not a citizen. Who knows? But if we got banned, would it even matter if it got stolen? Up to you what to do with it, but I wouldn't count on anything."

"Land title?" Harshwater looked over her shoulder. "What's this about?"

Maple smiled and winced. "Valey, could you explain?"

"...Sure." Valey took a breath. "I dunno why a lot of you are here, and I'd guess some of you don't either. Sometimes circumstance brought us together. Other times, there's been no good place to get off, or you don't have anywhere else to go if there was."

The last phrase drew a small chorus of nods, particularly from Slipstream, Felicity and Harshwater.

Valey noted all of it. "For me, at least, I've got a dream I've been chasing for a while now, on and off. I've gotten distracted a few times, especially with the tournament and the Nightmare Modules and everything else that's been happening, but getting moon glassed and seeing how all of you have fared during the past few weeks has really brought it back to the front of my priorities list. I want a home."

Her gaze drifted over the crowd, a small forest of pony ears punctuated by the occasional tufted pair or beaked face. "My home for a while has been with you guys, flying around and traveling, and I'm definitely grateful and know there are a lot of worse places out there. But... I know there's more that's out there. I wanna settle down in one place, where I can know more ponies than just the ones I hit it off with after one talk and decide to invite along. You guys are fabulous, but there's like a dozen of you, and most of you I don't even know that well. It's cozy, but I want bigger. And I know that's weird to say, like sailing the entire world somehow isn't big enough, but it's true. I want a place where I can put my hooves down and not have to worry about the first food place I walk into trying to either rob or poison me because of my wings and face. I wanna feel like I'm where I belong, rather than I'm looking for somewhere I don't not belong. And that's where this comes in."

She pointed a hoof at Maple. "Ironflanks here has a thing that says she owns some land in Equestria that's right above a Tree of Harmony. If we built there and developed it, we could have a town on top of a power source that can run this airship. Some of us could settle down, and others could stay on the go, flying everywhere and seeing new things. I know some of us like this adventuring life just for the sake of keeping moving." She nodded at Gerardo. "And who knows? Having a harmonic flame nearby could help Sparky somehow in her dream of someday rebuilding Sosa."

Valey stepped into the crowd, ponies parting to let her through until she was in front of Maple, Amber and Starlight, the latter wearing a Riverfall rain poncho that covered her flanks. "You three in particular," Valey said. "I don't wanna speak for you, but..."

"I will." Amber cleared her throat and spoke up. "We had good lives in Riverfall, Maple and me, and we still have a lot of friends there. But even if we want to see Willow again... after what the town did to Maple and her house, we're done with them. We can't live there anymore. From the moment Starlight showed up, it was never going to work, and we choose her over a home that won't stand by us when we need it. It's not even a decision."

She put a hoof over Starlight's back, and the filly frowned at the memory. "I left Equestria because there was no one left at my old home who understood who I wanted to be. I just want to live somewhere with all my friends and have the world leave me alone."

"Yeah." Valey looked up at everyone else. "We just got this land title, like... a few days ago, for me. I've got some serious catching up to do. But that's what we're doing. That's our end goal, me and Ironflanks and everyone else here. So, for all the rest of you guys: is that a dream you're on board with? Sticking with us doesn't have a lot of guarantees, and if there's something else you'd rather be chasing, now's the time to get off. You'll have whatever good luck I can offer you."

Gerardo smiled wistfully. "At the end of the day, I know my name will be written on the list of horizon-chasers. I don't think I'm quite ready to throw in the towel with you all yet, but at some point I'll be going on my way. I do have a third writ waiting for me in Yakyakistan, after all."

Slipstream blushed. "Same, honestly. Scares and drama aside, I've enjoyed it here. But I originally joined for something new to do after my old job was destroyed and my prospects in Ironridge suddenly lessened, and... well, I might be moving on at about the same time as Gerardo. Maybe someday I could become an adventure novel author and write about our experiences, or publish a world almanac of the north."

Harshwater shrugged. "If I'm going to talk about my thoughts on this, I'd kind of rather it be in private."

"Noted." Valey nodded, looking to Nyala and Felicity. "And you two? Pretty sure I already know..."

"I haven't all that much better to do, do I?" Felicity shrugged. "This place is my life now. I might have some things to prove, but I will follow you loyally for as long as I can."

Nyala smiled feebly. "Someone needs to keep an eye on you, right?"

"Yeah, yeah." Valey affectionately ruffled her mane, then turned to Jamjars. "And you."

Jamjars gave her a look. "I have places to be and things to take care of. If sticking with you and following your rules will get me a Writ of Harmonic Sanction, I will be friendly, studious, and keep bailing you out when you need me."

Valey narrowed her eyes. "You're a kid. What places and what things?"

"Oh, this and that." Jamjars shrugged. "It was my idea to use that pendant to bring you back, by the way."

"And you're saying that like I owe you?" Valey raised an eyebrow. "This is a really bad time to be threatening me."

Jamjars' eyes widened, and she backpedaled. "No, no! I'm saying it like I came up with it. Like I'm smart. The point is, I know how to make my own goals and plans, and they're usually helpful to everyone. Trust me. I've got things to do, and I'm smart enough not to get you all in trouble for it."

Valey pursed her lips. "I'm gonna need some proof."

"Collateral?" Jamjars asked hopefully.

Valey sighed. "Giving back Sparky's room would be a nice start, since we're going to be low on space with a pile of guards on the ship and it's the biggest room we have. You wanna show you're helping us and not going to use us for personal gain, prove it by not taking spoils."

"Fine..." Jamjars slumped. "But you're getting someone to help me move all my things back. I just finished setting up my posters again."

Harshwater looked skeptically at the exchange. "Are you really alright with this?"

Valey stood, ignoring Jamjars again. "No, but if anyone's going to make a mess of things, a filly is the least likely one the Equestrians would think speaks for all of us, and she's smart enough to know I won't think twice about throwing her under the cart if she tries anything. And she wouldn't be able to take care of herself if I sent her packing with the Pancake bros. Do you wanna leave a kid alone with them?"

"What do you think you're implying?" Neon Nova piped up. "I resent that!"

Harshwater glanced at the brothers out of the corner of her eyes.

"Eh. Good point." Valey shrugged. "It would probably be meaner to leave them alone with her. Now speaking of all this, we gotta talk about rooms, space and how we're gonna accommodate this many guards..."

"I resent that even more!" Howe called, leaving Jamjars snickering.

Comments

[Phoenix Kitten]

Pancake and Blueberry are getting off, I think harsh water is going to try and join the royal guard at some point. No surprise Gerardo, Slipstream and Jamjars are gonna split once everything is stable.

[Boopers]

I know the two are annoying, sure, but leaving them on their own in that place?

[alamais]

Eventually they should probably get word to Garsheeva that they've got Lyn's soul in a crystal. And a bunch of bathoers souls in another. And Starlight's got her mark. You know, just in case she'd like any/all of those back.

9910268
Less annoying, more entirely untrusted and there are going to be a bunch of soldiers breathing down their necks.

[Oberth Effect]

Their princess isn't going to be back for a few weeks.

That is a lot longer than I expected. I would have imagined that she could move a lot faster just carrying something instead of needing to travel with an entourage.

Her eyes found Jamjars, who had an impish look on her face. "Oh yeah?" Valey pointed a hoof. "And how about you?"

inb4 Jamjars flaunts the rules, gets caught, and has to use a Writ to get out of trouble, earning her the ire of everyone on the ship and taking her down a few pegs. Or she just goes out and continues to make trouble because she now has a Writ.

the latter wearing a Riverfall rain poncho that covered her flanks.

Does anyone besides Valey know of Starlight's new cutie mark at all?

I have places to be and things to take care of.

Her own plans or carrying out something for Glimmer?

It was my idea to use that pendant to bring you back, by the way.

This feels like Jamjars taking a lot more credit than she deserves. There's a pretty huge missing piece between "Valey, along with a bajillion other marks/souls are trapped in a big obsidian sword" and "Place the (small) piece of obsidian containing Valey's mark/soul into her pendant". I don't feel that using the pendent on Valey's obsidian is a particularly unique idea, unless the pendant is a lot less well known among the crew than I thought it was. Amber was also the one who pulled out the pendant; did Jamjars tell her beforehand to expect to use it?

[Hap]

9910250

Pancake and Blueberry are getting off

[sploopy slooder]

ok now im REALLY wondering how this devolves into everyone leaving and starlight miserable and alone. I can imagine scenarios where starlight leaves them all for sure, but what is the trigger that turns her into a miserable shell of a pony? Were approaching the endgame here, and its the one big question ive been waiting for answer to the whole novel. whats the breaking point, the event that tears it all apart? I kinda thought it was gonna be the chrysalis apocalypse, but nope.