The Olden World

by Czar_Yoshi

Killing Time Until Castoff

"Hey!" Valey strolled up to the engine room, peering through the door. "Sparky? You hiding in here?"

"I'm not hiding," Shinespark answered, looking slightly put out at her lack of a functional horn as Grenada fiddled with the contents of a metal cabinet and the two guard pegasi watched intently. "What is it?"

Valey tapped her forehooves together. "Long story short, I got Jamjars to give back your room, but me, Ironflanks, Amber and Starlight are now your roomies. Is that cool? We're gonna have to crunch a little to fit all the guards on this ship."

Shinespark sighed. "I have more important things to worry about than whose room I'm sleeping in... but thank you." She managed part of a smile.

Valey winked. "Knew it. So how legit were her claims to winning it in a bet, anyway? She keeps rubbing it in my face how it was her idea on how to get me back."

"Technically?" Shinespark's ears fell. "She's telling the truth. It was her idea to modify the pendant so it would work automatically. There was also a lot to her plan that didn't happen, and she had nothing to do with separating you out of the rest of the obsidian. All I know is that was all Starlight."

Valey winced slightly. "Yeah... I really gotta talk with her and Ironflanks. Been sorta hoping they can hold on, and there's so much to do..."

"Speaking of so much to do." Grenada cleared her throat. "If you are having a conversation, could you have it elsewhere? This work is difficult and I need to focus."

"Oh! Sorry. Shutting up now." Valey sealed her lips, just watching. Shinespark nudged her shoulder, though, heading out to the staircase.

Valey followed, and Shinespark let out a breath one they were on the deck. "Working with the Equestrians is difficult," she said. "We have the same laws of magic and physics... I hope. But our sciences and levels of technology are different, and we have different terms for everything. And this is ignoring all the harmony equipment and only trying to get sea propulsion back like we had in the Empire."

"Yeah, but you're feeling good enough to try?" Valey nudged her back, sitting down on the partly-ruined deck.

"Do we need to talk about this?" Shinespark's voice quieted. "I'm working, and that's what matters. We can deal with my problems once we've reached a better place to deal with them. Somewhere that isn't the middle of an ocean where we've been stranded for weeks and weeks already. You understand, right? They'll wait until then."

"Don't you worry," Valey insisted. "This time, we actually are going to find that better place."

Shinespark frowned. "You take care of yourself too. We're being held back from leaving by the power system being broken, and there's nothing you can do to speed that up."

"Except provide moral support to you." Valey leaned back and winked. "You've got this."

"Grenada and I will figure this out." Shinespark shook her head. "You take care of yourself and the rest of the crew so that when you are needed, you'll be ready. Or work on the logistics of boarding three dozen pegasi on this ship..."

"Got you covered." Valey grinned, then tapped the deck for emphasis. "You, me, and the Riverfall gals get the big room. Should be able to fit up to three beds in there, since Ironflanks is injured and I dunno how snuggly you like to get. The other rooms will hold one bed at best, but have some room for bedrolls. Felicity gets one bed 'cause she's frail, and rooms with Nyala and Saffron, who's sticking on with us until we reach this university. Next room is Slipstream, Harshwater and Jamjars. They're on decent terms with that kid, and I figure those two pegasi are gonna spend most of their time elsewhere anyway. Grenada will probably be on call in the engine room, Howe and Neon Nova will be gone, and hopefully the guards have a plan for what to do with Meltdown and Gazelle. That leaves us six rooms for about three dozen pegasi, so all we have to do is have them sleep in shifts and boom. Don't even need to set up bunks in the dining hall!"

Shinespark had tuned out slightly halfway through the listing, and snapped back to attention at the end. "Right... Valey, my thoughts are on mana circuitry and conduits and how to rebuild a broken power supply almost from scratch. Sorry... Can you clean the ship, or talk to someone who needs morale, or anything else? We're working on getting us moving."

Valey slumped. "I got like all of us down to three rooms, though! Isn't that cool? I mean... right. Will do." She got up and trotted toward the entrance. "Good luck."

---

Moments later, Valey stood in the doorway to Shinespark's room, watching as Amber dragged and positioned a bed in accordance with the plan and Harshwater helped clean up the last of Jamjars' regalia.

"Easy does it, now," Saffron urged, helping Maple along, her new quarters not all that different from when the room had been used as an infirmary. "There you go."

Maple winced as she settled back into the bed. "I need to move around more," she mumbled, trying to lie down without moving her ribcage. "It's hurting less, and is good for me..."

"Hey, Ironflanks." Valey stepped closer as Harshwater left, and nodded to Saffron. "I got this from here."

"You've been busy," Maple murmured once they were alone.

"There's been a lot to do. Sorry for not being around sooner." Valey shrugged, then looked at her. "So, do you wanna talk about it?"

Maple glanced down. "Which it do you mean? There are a lot of things."

"I went for a fly," Valey said. "I saw that ginormous trench. Doesn't take a genius to figure out what happened when that thing's there, the engine room is fried, and the local Starlight impostor is nowhere to be seen." She tried to meet Maple's eyes. "You alright? I know she wasn't our Starlight, but it probably brought back some memories."

Maple shook her head. "I don't think anyone here hasn't been dealing with bad memories since the moment we left the Empire. I'll be fine as long as there's an end in sight. And it's easier this time."

Valey bit her lip. "Easier doesn't mean easy. Look, you say everyone, but I know how hard bad memories can get you down and that's no excuse to make light of-"

"No," Maple cut her off. "I mean easier in that my cutie mark isn't broken this time from harmonic overload. It's not painful and I don't have to try constantly. I can fall asleep this time without dropping her."

Valey blinked hard, gaping slightly. "Wait, you... Really? In your cutie mark?"

"What else could I do?" Maple's ears fell. "It worked when Starlight did this. I don't know her lookalike very well, but she hurt her horn in the first place saving you from that fireball, she used the harmony extractor to save us again, and I definitely would feel worse if I stood by and did nothing when I knew there was something I could do."

Valey's jaw sagged. "But... didn't Starlight get brought back by the flame in Ironridge, after you pocketed her? We're nowhere near a harmonic flame. Or, we are, but it's way north across the mountains!"

Maple closed her eyes. "I'll be fine," she whispered. "Like I said, it's easier this time."

"Yeah, but..."

"Valey." Maple's voice grew firm. "I have spent the last few weeks bedridden with broken ribs and an impaled hoof. I have stayed here in the infirmary while everyone else fixes the ship or goes scouting and risks their lives trying to help all of us survive. I've watched as even ponies like Howe and Felicity work together to help us survive, seen it feel like everything's falling to pieces around us, and the only thing I've been able to do is sit here and try to stay sane and hope that somehow everyone else will come through for me. This is something I can do to help. It's a burden, but I need it. Please. I'm glad you're concerned, but I can do this."

Valey stared for a moment longer, then closed her mouth and grinned. "If you say so. I believe in you, Ironflanks. You got this."

"Thanks..."

Maple relaxed, and Valey tilted her head. "Seriously, though, you got an idea of how long you plan on doing this? I know we've got that land title thing, but land title sort of implies it's on... you know... land. Where are we even going to find a harmonic flame to bring her back with that's accessible by water? Even if Sparky's a genius and gets this ship fully fixed, it's all out of fuel. And that's saying nothing of whether the guards would let us go find a flame even if we knew where one was..."

"As long as it takes," Maple replied. "I owe it to her."

Valey almost said something else, but stopped at the last moment, just sitting down beside the bed. "Nyaah... Been on my hooves all morning. You mind some company for a bit?"

"I'd love it," Maple murmured. "Bring me some books and find Starlight, and we could even read together for a while."

"Sounds like a plan." Valey stretched, getting up to go look for the filly. As for books, finding those would be easy.

Comments

[alamais]

I thought Gerardo was staying for now? No mention of him in the list of room arrangements.

[Phoenix Kitten]

Starlight is probably hiding in her shadow cloak somewhere I'd gather.

[Oberth Effect]

"Technically?" Shinespark's ears fell. "She's telling the truth. It was her idea to modify the pendant so it would work automatically. There was also a lot to her plan that didn't happen, and she had nothing to do with separating you out of the rest of the obsidian. All I know is that was all Starlight."

Welp, I stand corrected. After looking back at the chapter where Jaljars explains her idea, it seems some of the other characters also pointed out that Jamjars’s plan also was missing a lot of pieces. I really should go back and reread things before commenting...

Now I just have to wonder why the plans for Valeys’s pendant were on the ship’s computer, and how they knew how to modify it. I’m also curious whether the parts of her plan that didn’t happen were things that just haven’t happened yet or parts of the plan that won’t happen now due to things going a different way.

9912380

Maybe Valey is assuming he’ll be “roughing it” elsewhere on the ship because he said that he’s quite used to it? Otherwise, I have no idea.

[Oberth Effect]

Something I’ve also been wondering: now that Starlight has a cutie mark, will her horn start working normally, and will it stop working again if/when she gives up the artifice? Or does her horn need her mark specifically?

[Sky_Shield]

9912438
I imagine the plans in the ship's terminal were on how Braen's armor worked. Armor that had a cutie mark receptacle and a way to keep said mark powered. Using those plans to modify Valey's pendant - which itself was likely based on the Braen tech - probably wouldn't be too hard with one of the ponies who made them in the first place.

[Oberth Effect]

9912514

That's a good point! Wish I could remember these kinds of details better

[Czar_Yoshi]

9912438
Shinespark's terminal had a bunch of blueprints and data relating to all her inventions, including Braen and the harmony extractor. The reason Jamjars needed them from the terminal in the first place was because Shinespark wasn't playing ball and refused to help her with the pendant.

[Oberth Effect]

9914215

Thanks for clarifying!