The Olden World

by Czar_Yoshi

Interlude Ten Point Five

"...She fell asleep mid-sentence. Woah."

"Starlight...?"

Princess Twilight shook her head with an expression between worry and a smile. "I guess it was a little harder to finish the rest in one sitting than she thought. This might even be the longest we've gone between breaks yet."

Cadance looked between Twilight, Rainbow Dash and the slumbering unicorn. "Well, I suppose it wouldn't be very hospitable to leave her here," she said, taking Starlight in her aura. "I shall make her more comfortable for the night. I trust you two know your way around enough to find accommodations on your own? I..." She stifled a yawn. "Don't have the energy for staying up late like I used to myself, anymore..."

"Of course we can," Twilight reassured. "Though I certainly don't think I'll be making it to sleep any time soon."

Cadance nodded and headed away. When she was gone, Rainbow Dash stretched, flexing her wings. "So much for finishing in one more sitting, huh?"

Twilight stared at the door Cadance had retreated through. "I can see why she wanted to, though. It's probably for the best she's asleep and we can't ask questions. Ever since the part with Chrysalis, it's felt more and more like she's getting closer to the pony she was when we met her..."

"You think?" Rainbow raised an eyebrow.

"Rainbow, she was terrified of herself." Twilight shook her head. "And with what everyone was telling her, she had good right to be. You remember my magic surge when I got my cutie mark? I think I turned my parents into potted plants! Imagine how I would have turned out if instead of making me her student, Celestia had told me my talent was something to be afraid of."

"I guess." Rainbow Dash shrugged. "Both of us are pretty awesome, Elements of Harmony or no."

Twilight nodded. "From what I've researched, magic surges happen to most unicorns when they get their cutie marks, and are proportional to how strong they already were. But I sure didn't know that as a kid. And Starlight... Even her friends were treating her like being powerful is a challenge to overcome. No one ever told her that being skilled is a good thing."

"Yeah..." Rainbow finally stopped stretching. "I guess really wanting to be normal yourself is reason enough to try to take away what makes everyone special. Maybe she was living vicariously through the ponies in her village, or something."

"Well, think about it." Twilight waved a hoof. "If that Staff of Sameness is her sword, and she's using that one Nightmare Module to remove ponies' cutie marks, she needs a cutie mark of her own to control the sword, right? She must have just... figured out a way to hide or remove the runes. So she really couldn't just remove her own... if that has anything to do with the source of her powers."

Rainbow rolled over. "She doesn't even have it yet! Whatever hers does, wouldn't that mean she doesn't have its powers?"

Twilight bit her lip. "I haven't... studied cutie marks enough to give a concrete answer, Rainbow. But ponies do typically display affinities for their talents before they earn them. The direction of cause and effect hasn't been established, of course, but one other possibility I think is more likely is that she was hanging on at the end and getting her cutie mark somehow pushed her over the edge."

"You know what I think pushed her over the edge?" Rainbow raised an upside-down eyebrow. "Us."

"Us?" Twilight blinked. "She had clearly lost her friends and given up on everything long before we-"

"What did you say she went back in time to undo?" Rainbow pointed a hoof. "My super-awesome rainboom that linked us all together as the Elements of Harmony? And what do you think Celestia was honestly after, asking questions like that to her friends?"

Twilight took a little breath. "She was worried about Nightmare Moon's eventual return. She was looking for ponies who could wield the Elements of Harmony. But we..." She violently shook her head. "No. Celestia would never do that. She would never abandon Starlight's friends or let something bad happen to them just because she later found us instead."

"I'm just saying," Rainbow pressed. "Doesn't Amber go on about how she's inspired to help everyone stay positive through bad situations, and Felicity get in big trouble because she never lies about her own feelings as some kind of personal oath? And Maple literally used Kindness to fend off those mercenaries without harming them. You really think there's nothing, nothing, nothing here?"

Twilight sighed. "I wouldn't be surprised if Starlight is aware of the connection, and I believe you that's what Celestia was doing, but Starlight didn't mention a word about that to me while we were in the time loop. It wasn't about righting things for her at all. All she was interested in was revenge for what we did at her village."

Rainbow shrugged. "Eh, I guess... You were the one who was stuck with her. But if you really had a terrible lot in life and knew how to time travel, why wouldn't you just go back and fix things for yourself before harrying others?"

"That's part of why I don't think the time travel had anything to do with helping herself." Twilight got up and took three steps, stopping and standing in the middle of nowhere. "I don't think Starlight was willing to intervene or change things on her behalf, and it has to be because she knew it would be pointless."

"Doesn't seem that pointless to me..."

"Not pointless to do what? Try to improve her life when she's clearly miserable?" Twilight gave Rainbow a look. "I know that's wrong, but it fits her old mindset! What if Starlight wouldn't change the past to benefit herself because she won't do anything to improve her own situation because she's still afraid of herself after everything she's been told?"

For a moment, Rainbow Dash blinked. "...That would really stink."

"Starlight hasn't been a non-evil dictator for long," Twilight sighed. "And we shouldn't be under any illusions that she's alright. I don't even care about the story for the story's sake anymore. I just want to have my suspicions confirmed or denied so we can help Starlight move on."

"Cadance did give us Writs of Harmonic Sanction," Rainbow pointed out. "You think her old friends are still out there somewhere, and we could go and get them back?"

"Maybe." Twilight shook her head. "I don't really want to guess. But if they are, I can guarantee you she could go find them on her own, and chose to found that village instead."

Rainbow Dash pursed her lips. "That's messed up."

"Since when has Starlight ever claimed otherwise?"

"Meh..." Rainbow groaned, hauling herself upright. "You were right. I'm never gonna get to sleep now. Let's see if it actually ends tomorrow..."

Twilight watched her go, and then teleported, heading straight for the wing where she and her friends usually stayed when they came to visit overnight.

A sleepy Cadance was already there, stepping away from a room and closing the door. "Twilight," she greeted.

"Cadance." Twilight nodded, realizing she had accidentally beaten Rainbow Dash. "...Think you'll really be able to get to sleep after all that?"

Cadance nodded. "This would not be the first time I have had the woes of my citizens placed on my mind. Don't forget who the crystal ponies' old ruler was, Twilight." She stepped closer. "That doesn't make it any easier to hear that trouble has befallen a friend, but Starlight isn't alone."

Twilight bit her lip. "That isn't exactly a reassuring thought."

"Celestia didn't make you an alicorn because the world had no need of ponies who could right wrongs, Twilight," Cadance insisted. "Don't forget that. My job as the crystal empress is to heal the souls of over a thousand ponies who have been trapped in stasis for a millennium. Being a ruler who can do good in the world requires knowing that there is good to be done."

Twilight hesitated, knowing her speedy friend was about to arrive. "I know you need your sleep, but can we go somewhere and talk?"

Cadance blinked. "Well... for a few minutes, alright? I will need my sleep."

"Of course. Thank you."

Cadance's horn flashed, and in a bright pulse of teleportation, the two were gone. Stars appeared over Twilight's head, and they were surrounded by a warm breeze, not at all one that belonged in the foothills of a frigid mountain range.

It was the deck at the very top of the palace, where the crystal heart had once been stored. Cadance sat down by the railing and nodded, looking out at the shining city and the snowscape beyond. "What's on your heart, Twilight?"

"Tell me it's not just me," Twilight begged. "Starlight's fear of her potential... Glimmer telling her it's a bad thing, her friends treating it like something to be lived with instead of something to be proud of... This isn't right, is it?"

Cadance sat for a moment. "I suspect if you subjected yourself to any of the measurements that could have been done on a filly like her, you would find yourself only more potent and capable. You're an alicorn, Twilight. You and your friends have saved the world many times, and you battled Tirek with all of our powers, all on your own. Are you afraid of what you could do if you made a mistake?"

Twilight giggled nervously. "You've clearly never seen me study for a test."

"Not the consequences to yourself, but to others," Cadance corrected.

Twilight looked down. "I've had to be saved by my friends before when I failed in high-stakes situations. Of course I'm afraid of the consequences. But this is different! I had Princess Celestia teaching me to be responsible and correcting me when I failed! I had all of Ponyville to make a mess out of Winter Wrap-Up for or cast Want-It-Need-It on, and I... well, learned some lessons the hard way, but still without getting anyone hurt, let alone endangering the world. But Starlight didn't have any of that. The one pony who knows enough to provide real guidance is actively refusing to, and her friends have no idea how to teach her to make mistakes with her power."

Cadance sadly nodded. "Then her fear is prudent. Unfortunate, certainly, but at her level of abilities, there is real damage that could be caused should she make the wrong choices. It is both entirely justified and a tragic way for her life to be."

Twilight winced. "You mean if you had been there, you would have given her the same advice?"

"Twilight, we're alicorns," Cadance sighed. "Our circumstances are completely different than her friends'. If we had been there, we could have had better options that could have done more good in her life, but we weren't and one of the lessons you need to take to heart is that there's no use dwelling too hard on what could have been. Learn from the past, but don't yearn for it beyond creating goals for the future."

"Well, I do need goals for the future," Twilight insisted, "because I offered to become her mentor and it's my job now to help her. Sooner or later she's going to finish this story and our lives are going to go on. And I don't think it's right for her to live in fear of what she's capable of."

Cadance shrugged. "Well, there's likely no one better suited to helping her learn than you, Twilight. You successfully stood up to her and made her back down, and I think she could trust that you can do it again."

"Yeah..." Twilight slowly nodded. "I think that's why she came back with me and is staying with us. And why she trusts us enough to tell this story. But what if I'm not ready for this?"

Cadance shook her head. "If Starlight trusts you to watch over her and guide her through her mistakes as she tries to live a more normal life, I think you can also trust her to understand when you fail yourself along the way. You could even teach her by example."

Twilight exhaled. "Part of me still wants to run off to the north and see if there's anything I can do to fix what happened back then. You did give me this, after all."

"A writ is good for a lifetime, Twilight," Cadance replied. "You could wait a year or even ten, and it will be just as potent as ever. The writ wasn't given to you because you needed to go now, but so that you could choose to go if you ever decided the time was right. But I wouldn't be surprised if that lies somewhere in your and Starlight's futures."

Twilight folded her ears. "She probably wants nothing more than to settle down in Ponyville and live normally for a while. We went sledding with Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash during a break in the story the other day, and she loved it."

Cadance wrapped a wing around her. "If it makes it any easier... once Shining and I have our foal, I suspect their magical prowess could be hard to keep in check." She glanced down and softly giggled. "It will be quite the hoofful, raising them properly. But you won't be the only one trying to teach someone who's too powerful to know what to do with it."

"Yeah..." Twilight glanced down as well. "Thanks for the talk, but I should let you get to bed. If you're tired these days, heh..."

"Don't remind me." Cadance groaned and stood up. "Just remember, once the story is done, you'll be back to living the rest of your life. It's the future that matters, Twilight. And there's a whole future out there for you to help Starlight do better than anywhere she's been and anything that's happened before."

"Right." Twilight resolutely nodded. "I won't let her down."

Comments

[Phoenix Kitten]

Fear, and Valey's declaration that at worst Starlight would end up like her in Ironridge...
Twilight earlier accused Starlight of holding back when they were dueling in the past, and she was. Not because she was arrogant.
She was scared.
Scared she would do the impossible yet again.

[Oberth Effect]

Noooo, not another interlude. I wanted answers, not more questions

Completely missed Felicity being Honesty somehow.

Curious what the Rainboom would have looked like north of the Aldenfold, if it even showed up. Wouldn't be surprised if it caused something bad to happen, though.

I can't help but feel overwhelmed whenever one of these interludes come up, and I'm not sure how to express why. The first thing that comes to mind is that it sort of feels like there's a distinct set of plot threads, and there's just more to consider when trying to tie them back to Starlight's story, but I'm not entirely happy with that explanation. Wish I could give better feedback, assuming this is not just me

Edit: Like Phoenix's comment up there. Why can't I figure that kind of thing out? It feels like I'm missing out on too much

[ZanyZapper]

10024131
I like it when interludes happen, but I know what you mean, especially about feeling like missing things. I had already forgotten that Twilight received a writ from Cadance, for example.
I feel like I'm going to need a Cliff's Notes summary at the end of this!

[Czar_Yoshi]

10024131
10024407
Okay, some context here: TOW is a two-million-word daily with a lot of details I make up on the fly and never use again, and a lot of important stuff I hide right next to bigger plot twists I know will draw away readers' attention on purpose. If people even remembered ten percent of what happens, I'd say you're geniuses, insane or both - even I only remember the stuff I know will be relevant, and even then I have to fact-check myself around once a week. So, yeah, if people don't remember that a character who's been absent from the story for 200,000 words got an item that long ago that she's not likely using any time soon and doesn't have any bearing on Starlight's journey in the past?

I'd be pretty impressed by anything else. And when there are important details, the story will remind you when they're relevant. I don't want to require people to work to follow along with this story.

[Venlinelle]

"Don't remind me." Cadance groaned and stood up. "Just remember, once the story is done, you'll be back to living the rest of your life. It's the future that matters, Twilight. And there's a whole future out there for you to help Starlight do better than anywhere she's been and anything that's happened before."

This feels like reassurance that things are okay even though the ending of this story is going to make us all miserable.

And damn, I was set on Gerardo being the element of Honesty. I don’t think he’s lied a single time, and he’s often been more honest to everyone than is necessarily a good idea.

While I’m speculating, Maple is obviously kindness, Shinespark has to be generosity- again, arguably too much generosity- Valey is magic/friendship, Starlight or Felicity as loyalty, and… I have no idea about laughter.

[sploopy slooder]

i think ive come to lowkey hate most of the characters in this novel for what they did to starlight. they failed her. the world failed her.

[Venlinelle]

"A writ is good for a lifetime, Twilight," Cadance replied. "You could wait a year or even ten, and it will be just as potent as ever. The writ wasn't given to you because you needed to go now, but so that you could choose to go if you ever decided the time was right. But I wouldn't be surprised if that lies somewhere in your and Starlight's futures."

A year, ten, three weeks; you can wait as long as you want! Provided it isn't more than three weeks.