//------------------------------//
// Sidequest Rejected 
// Story: The Olden World 
// by Czar_Yoshi 
//------------------------------//

Maple stomped both forehooves against the polished floor, looking blatantly afraid. "No! Absolutely no! We are not going to the Griffon Empire to deliver a package containing something we don't know to someone we don't know for a reason we don't know just because we can! No!"

"Please, hold your righteous indignation to the end," Gerardo urged, spreading his wings defensively. "I was hardly suggesting we do such a thing. I, for my part, have quite thoroughly learned my lesson regarding tasks like these, and I must admit the parallels to my delivery job that got us into this mess in Ironridge are already eerily similar. It's quite unnerving, even."

"You gotta admit..." Valey scratched her chin with a spoke from a wing. "That is actually kinda weird, even to me. Someone in Yakyakistan gets you to take a weird package to Ironridge... Someone in Ironridge gets you to take a weird package to Griffonland... It said that princely dude could pay whatever, right? And didn't you say that place has access to those pass thingies you were initially working for from Yakyakistan?"

"A Writ of Harmonic Sanction," Gerardo clarified. "And yes, it is my firm understanding that they do. Additionally, in the Empire's current political climate, I find it quite likely that the High Prince would have the power to procure me one. But like I said, it matters not. This is not a matter I fancy sticking my beak in so soon after damaging quite a few new friendships over it. Perhaps some day, but it would be well after we've parted ways on our own terms."

Shinespark was staring thoughtfully at the drawstring bag. "I've been planning to try scaling the mountains to reach the Plains of Harmony, but if none of you want this, I could take it and try to get a pass from this Gazelle griffon myself..."

"Sphinx," Gerardo corrected. "The Griffon Empire imperial family are sphinxes, as are the lords of the foremost noble houses. And if you feel like sticking your horn in such a proverbial bees' nest, I suppose it would hardly be sporting of me to stop you."

Darkwind cleared his throat, standing to the side with Rainstorm and Bourbon. "Officially, this is Starlight's house, so everything in it belongs to her," he grunted. "This is just my advice, but shouldn't you ask her opinion?"

Starlight puffed out her chest, taking advantage of everyone's eyes suddenly being on her. "I don't like this," she proclaimed, striding over and pressing against Maple's side. "I agree with Maple and don't want to go to the Griffon Empire for this or anything else, but especially not to go to Equestria." She glanced at the tiny bag and frowned. "Valey? We'll be safe if we do nothing, right? No one will come after us now because they know we have it, right?"

"Uhh..." Valey scratched the back of her head. "Yeah, assuming this guy is telling the truth, that might not be the safest assumption..."

Darkwind nodded. "As a mercenary company, we frequently are hunted down by creatures who want to skirmish. Some are loud about their reasons, like wanting revenge for a killed family member. Others are mercenaries themselves, hired to fight us. Sometimes we fight lone warriors who only want to test and improve their strength, though those are rare and usually wind up dead or joining our ranks. And sometimes, we're attacked by those who won't share their motives at all. I don't know of anyone who's specifically come for that stone, nor did I know Kero had such a job in the first place. That doesn't mean nobody is watching."

Starlight gulped.

"Hold on, now," Amber protested, lifting a forehoof. "If someone's watching, can we just give this to someone else very visibly, like Arambai, and hope they see? If Kero just stuck us with a magnet for trouble, that's not fair!"

"First off, nah," Valey said, shaking her head and stepping forward. "Say you've got a goon who starts from the beginning of this thing's trail. They figure out this thing has been given to these mercenaries. Figure the big boss dude has it. Try to track down Kero. His trail goes cold here, right? And now his old room is registered to Starlight. They can probably find all that out just from digging through records. I've got a high tolerance for bureaucracies, but I know I could. So then they figure she must have gotten his stuff, if he never had a chance to move out... They could never figure out she gave it away, and just come track her down wherever she is for it."

Starlight felt like she had been punched. "S-So this room was trapped. With that. And now it's like I'm marked, a-and..." It wasn't fair! Why did that stupid, spiteful griffon have to... She glanced at Willow, and Willow met her eye. The world wasn't fair. Starlight sighed, shuddered and exhaled, head drooping. "It's not fair."

"Okay, hold up. No angsting." Valey quickly strolled over, patting Starlight's head with a wing and taking center stage. "When I said someone could do that... that's only what would happen if you take this letter at totally face value. Which I don't. I'm reasonably sure whatever this thing is, nobody actually asked him to guard it or even cares, but we'll get to that. First off: does anyone think it's weird that this Kero dude would be such a good sport about losing? He's basically like, 'Hey, congrats, you wrecked me, let's be bros, have a nice day.' I mean, who does that?" She raised an eyebrow at the mercenaries. "Is Kero the kind of dude who would do that? Never actually met him."

"Darkwind?" Rainstorm glanced up. "You knew him best..."

Darkwind nodded. "Kero was... enigmatic. He had to be, since it was his job to manage our jobs and be the link and barrier between us and our employers. Thanks to him, we never knew who was hiring us or why. It helps with some of the emotional issues around fighting and sometimes killing for money. Of course, that also meant we never knew when he was lying or not. With him, it almost didn't matter. He kept our pay coming, our ship afloat, our team together and our lives intact, and that was important enough for us to ignore how he did it in payment. Maybe he was a simple griffon who wanted nothing more than our well-being. Maybe he was a schemer who was involved in more than we can imagine. I'm sure he was capable of it. So whether that letter is straight-faced or a manipulation, I can't even tell."

"Sounds almost like Arambai," Amber remarked. "Weird and mysterious, but definitely on your side. Right?"

"Ohhh..." Maple whined, tugging on her mane. "I hate this..."

"Maple?" Willow nudged her, concerned.

"It's just like at that breakfast meeting on the airship," Maple said, eyes hollow. "We're going to get worried, start guessing what someone we don't know is up to, do something rash, and-"

"We're not!" Shinespark snapped. "It's all right. Calm down. We're..." She bit back a sigh. "I think a lot about that meeting too, and this is nothing like that. No civilians are involved, there's no immediate action we need to take, there's no immediate action we can take even if we wanted to, and unless I remember that letter wrong, no one's even threatened us. Kero offered this as a way we could get rich, not a way we would be in danger, didn't he? So if you take that at face value, it's not likely to mean trouble for us. Additionally, nothing about this needs to be kept secret, and if there is a danger, the more ponies know about this, the less danger any of us will be in. If it's common knowledge we don't want anything to do with this, any bad actors would realize they could just pick this thing up from wherever we leave it and there would be nothing worth silencing."

Maple grimaced. "I know what you're saying, but my brain is tuning it out because this kind of logic and rationalization is... Sorry. This shouldn't be anything I can't..."

Starlight watched her helplessly, wracking her memory for some fix-all solution they could use. If only problems like worry and regret could be fixed as easily as the windigoes, with a blast of energy from an exploding filly or a magic tree... a magic tree... She narrowed her eyes, catching onto an idea.

"Shinespark?" she asked, stepping forward. "Do you think you could take me and Maple back down to..." She looked at the mercenaries, suddenly remembering she didn't know how much they knew. "I can talk about important things in front of these guys?"

Darkwind nodded. "The four of us have been briefed on a lot of things and sworn to confidentiality with Arambai, including Braen's identity, the flight function of Shinespark's brand, and the energy source beneath the Flame District. He also told us to leave if you wanted to discuss anything we shouldn't be privy to."

"Oh." Starlight looked awkwardly between them. "Well... that flame down there had this weird effect where it calms you and makes you feel more peaceful... at least for me. So I was wondering if you could take me and Maple back down there, because if this is worrying, maybe that could help."

"If we can go too," Amber requested, leaning against the couch. "I'd like to see this place for myself, and not leave you alone." Willow nodded along with her.

Shinespark scanned them with her eyes, mentally sizing up their weights. "I think I can lift the four of you at once without trouble. It will be slower, but we can. Besides, I'd like to see this place for myself, and didn't get to last time." A hint of a smile graced her lips. "Does everyone think that's a good idea? There's no urgency to this, so we can think about what to do with the obsidian later?"

Maple still looked nervous, but nodded her head.

Rainstorm stepped forward. "Would it be wise to take any of us with you? We've been there before, at Arambai's request, so we know the way. And having more than one flier with you could be important."

"Smart," Valey remarked. "You should take her up on it."

Starlight tilted her head. "You're not coming too?"

"Eh... I could, but..." Valey glanced around the central room of Kero's house. "I kinda figure while you all are taking a de-stressor vacation would be a good time for me, Birdo and whoever else to do our guessing on what Kero's up to. Some of us actually enjoy that, you know. Besides, I've been down below plenty of times, and those pegasi are stupidly tough. I dunno what you're going to fight in an abandoned mine, but if they can clear me out, you should be in good hooves."

"Abandoned mineshafts in traditional storytelling actually make fine breeding grounds for monsters," Gerardo remarked, raising a talon. "Fortunately, it's only been a few days, and this is real life as opposed to a fantastical tale penned by a basement dweller with an overactive imagination, so that should be far less of a concern than..." He blinked. "Why are you all looking at me like that?"

"Stop tempting faaate..." Valey moaned, rubbing her face with a hoof.

Starlight snorted. "If there are any monsters, I can trap them in crystal and we can fly or teleport out. But there won't be, so it doesn't matter!"

"Even I'm not that worried," Maple said, managing a smile. "We'll be fine. Though it probably would be a good idea for the pegasi to come along?"

Darkwind nodded. "I know Kero best, so I'll stay. Rainstorm? Bourbon?"

Both mares saluted with their wings, walking over to the group that was leaving.

"Have fun..." Valey waved lazily, flopping onto the freshly-vacated couch.