//------------------------------//
// Glimmer Knows Best? 
// Story: The Olden World 
// by Czar_Yoshi 
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"You still think I'm being too generous with those three, don't you?" Valey whispered to Shinespark, leading the group with her as they followed their designated guide griffon to who knew where. "I need you to say this. I care a lot about them, and that led to me getting duped before. And here I am doing all the talking again."

Shinespark glanced over her shoulder, Felicity and her sisters having disappeared to a room somewhere but the rest of their friends in tow. "...Maybe," she replied. "Yes, you do care a lot about them. More than I do, and more than they deserve. Maple also cared about you more than you deserved. Maybe you could give them a chance and they'll take it. Maybe they'll throw it back in your face again. How much energy do you want to spend on them?"

Valey shrugged painfully, having removed most of the bandages from her fight with Gazelle but still feeling the wounds keenly. "I mean... if it was just me, I'd keep beating my head against them for a stupid length of time. I know that's not smart, but I don't know where to draw a line. That's why I'm asking you guys. I need opinions other than my own on this. You guys stand to lose a lot too."

"Maybe," Shinespark murmured. "We did all have an unpleasant time with their drama on our ship. But you were the one who actually went to Stormhoof, and you and Starlight were the two who got hurt fighting Gazelle. You were the one who made the call to trust them the first time, and you were the one who suffered for it."

Valey rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but Gazelle and Stormhoof had it coming. I'm honestly kind of glad I had the excuse to beat them up, because Gazelle was a jerk and spending an entire month slipping from shadow to shadow avoiding those guards got old fast. The part that stings is that they tricked me... and if I ask why, they'll say they were respecting my wishes not to know anything. It just feels weird."

"They have a different way of thinking than we do," Shinespark answered. "I think that much is clear. Valey, you're the one who wants to give them another chance, so no matter how clear you are that what to do with them is our decision too, we're having this conversation at all because of you. They're still your friends."

"Yeah..." Valey folded her ears. "That doesn't tell me anything about what to do with them. And no, I don't want to just sit down and be all, 'Hey, do better this time.' I won't want to just give them another chance. They have to actually do something different. I think Larceny gets it, but, like... they'd have to do something really special to win over everyone else, I bet."

Shinespark glanced again at their friends. "Everyone is still treating those three like they're your decision, you know. But you're right. If they sincerely apologized and stayed, some would probably be friendlier to them than others."

"Right," Valey sighed. "I wonder how Starlight feels about all this. Not that it's a thing she should have to decide, but she was the other one who got hurt by it all. If Gazelle hadn't been on our ship, we wouldn't have gone to fight him, and she taxed her horn..."

Glimmer quickened her pace to catch up, clearing her throat. "She feels like she always does."

Valey blinked at the filly. "Bananas, needing to tell you two apart is weird. I don't suppose you have any super magical advice?"

"There isn't any to give." Glimmer shrugged. "Those sisters currently aren't trustworthy; you're right. But whether they could change isn't set in stone. Because of that, there isn't really a right answer. The question isn't whether they would change if given the chance, it's what you're willing to sacrifice to get what you want. Leave behind the chance at friendship for a chance at safety, hoping to choose one over the other? Or risk your chance at safety for a chance at friendship, and find either neither or both?"

"That's rather philosophical of you," Shinespark remarked.

"Uh, yeah, say that more simply, please?" Valey tilted her head.

Glimmer pouted, sucking her lip. "Stop thinking about whether they will be good if you give them a chance. No one can know that, because they think for themselves and it's their decision. You want to be friends, and you want to stay safe. If you leave them, you'll be safe but not friends. If you help them, they might do the right thing and you'll be safe and friends, or they might betray you and you'll be not safe and not friends. That's what you should be thinking about."

Valey frowned. "Yeah, but that's only weighing what I want. What about what's good or bad for them?"

"Adding that makes things more complex," Glimmer answered. "And so does weighing the consequences to your friends. But you're dancing around what you want, and you're not going to be able to weigh everything accurately if you undervalue what your heart is telling you. You want something out of this too, and trying to counterbalance your own desires to give more weight to your friends is why thinking about this is so hard for you."

Valey slowly furrowed her brow. "Who are you?"

"A friend who knows you well." Glimmer shrugged. "If you want a short answer, you should wait and think about it later. Don't you have other things to worry about, like the tournament?"

Shinespark nodded. "Agreed. We did tell them we're all going to take time to think about it. I'd prefer if we completely got this out of mind for at least a week before coming back to them again."

"Yeah, we probably should." Valey nodded. "The tournament's a bust, though. No way are we going back to Stormhoof after that episode. And besides..." She pulled out the Writ of Harmonic Sanction from Gazelle. "Assuming he gave us the real thing, isn't this what we were gonna wish for? I know I kind of just got a second wind, but what's the point of fighting if we already have what we were after?"

"Have you still not read the rules?" Glimmer asked, shaking her head.

"Uhh... maybe?" Valey winced. "Why, is there some clause that forbids me from bailing at the end?"

"No," Glimmer said. "But the fourth round is usually hosted in Grandbell, and since Stormhoof is having problems with their security and there's only one fight left in the third round, that might be moved here as well. I wouldn't count on it being impossible to continue."

"Well, that sounds like an important thing to find out," Shinespark remarked, loudly clearing her throat. "Sir?"

Ahead, their guide stopped and turned to face them. "May I help you?"

Valey nodded. "Yeah. Where's all the tournament stuff around here handled? We'd kind of like to pay the organizers a visit, just to see what's going on..."