"Hey! Who goes there?"
The flashlight unicorn's voice was jumpy, as if Gerardo had scared him slightly more than intended, his beam of light searching for the source of the sound of the griffon landing.
"Egil, if this is a prank..." The unicorn sighed, rapidly calming. "All right, har har. Now if-"
"Ahem." Gerardo stepped squarely forward, intent on introducing himself. "I am Gerardo Guillaume, griffon adventurer extraordinaire. Pardon the intrusion into your very nice warehouse, but I very much need to talk to someone important. Can you, perchance, take me to Shinespark?"
"What the..." The unicorn blinked, horn flickering, jaw slack against his gray uniform.
Gerardo nodded. "Once again, I apologize for this somewhat awkward and hasty meeting. If at all possible, might I see someone important?"
The unicorn took a step back. Then, he called over his shoulder: "Egil, get your fat rear over here! There's a giant griffon standing right in front of me!"
"Seriously?" a distant voice called back, accompanied by the clatter of hooves. "No way! Be right there!"
"A... giant griffon..." Gerardo shook his head. "I can't tell whether to take that as an insult or a compliment, but please!"
With a burst of teleportation, a very round stallion appeared by the first's side, sporting a beard and a uniform that might have been custom-tailored. "Whooo," he breathed, whistling. "Well, I'll be. It's a griffon." He nodded in appreciation. "And it's a big one."
Gerardo's words caught in his throat, torn between what he wanted to say and what needed to be said. "Actually, as far as griffons go my size is quite average," he hastily interjected. "But that is beside the point. Once more, I very much apologize for barging into your domain, but it is imperative that I talk with someone and..." He frowned. "Are the two of you even listening to a word I'm saying?"
"Think he's with the Spirit?" said the first stallion to his partner, who was apparently named Egil.
Egil shook his big head. "What would give you that idea? You know of any griffons in the Spirit? Besides, what if he is? The Spirit think they're on our side." He eyed Gerardo beadily. "It's not like stuff to actually happen on night shifts, though, let alone when it's still evening. What even is his story, you think?"
"Hello?" Gerardo suspiciously waved. "I am right here!"
"Well, then..." The first stallion looked at his friend, then Gerardo as if for the first time. "A couple questions, if you please. Friend or foe, how'd you get in here, and if those answers aren't nefarious, how interested are you in being really popular?"
"I..." Gerardo cleared his throat. "Friend, I assure you. I flew in through that window there, which was already broken when I arrived, and while I'll never say no to friends and allies my number one goal is to speak with someone important, namely Shinespark. Is that at all possible?"
The stallions sized him up, and eventually the first extended a hoof. "Name's Bardal," he informed with a nod. "You don't seem like a saboteur, though I can't really say what you do seem to be. What's this you want to meet with the chief's daughter on?"
Egil rolled his eyes. "Buddy, it's not gonna make her like you any more whether you say her name, don't say her name, use a ton of honorifics or what, so just say Shinespark like the rest of us! Seriously..."
"...Important matters," Gerardo managed. "I've come from the Water District with information relating to this district's security, as the recently-appointed facilities inspector for the Defense Force who has presently felt the need to change sides, as it were." His eyes narrowed. "In short, I have things to say your superiors would very much benefit from knowing."
"So you're big and important. What do you know?" Egil laughed like a drum. "Should we take him to the Oasis?"
"Hmm... I sure want to..." Bardal hummed. "We did just start our shift, though, and nopony'll want to cover for us if we turn in with an excuse like this."
Gerardo tipped his head. "Pardon?" he queried, looking between their hairy faces. "The Oasis? That sounds less like the name of a leader's office and more a bar of some sort."
"...You could say that," Bardal said with a shrug.
"You couldn't, if we didn't have Shinespark," Egil added. "I'm getting a feeling you don't really know her so well, do you?"
"That..." Gerardo grimaced. "Technically didn't answer my question..."
"Question?" Egil's thick, conjoined eyebrows rose. "You made a statement, bud. And what I say is that evening shift can be done by Mobius, if it's so important." He turned to leave, waving for Bardal to follow. "You two coming, or what?"
Suddenly, there was a disturbance in the air behind Gerardo, and Sharpie softly landed. "That was reckless," she whispered, stiff-faced. "You're lucky they didn't impale you."
Egil turned back around, and his expression rose. "Well, I'll be. It's a mare." He whistled in appreciation. "And it's a hot one!"
Gerardo and Sharpie groaned, each for different reasons. Wisely, Gerardo stepped back, just in case things got violent... but his precaution was fortunately unnecessary.
"I'm not eligible," Sharpie grunted, "so don't waste your time. He's telling the truth." She pointed a wing at Gerardo, who stared back in uncertainty. "We know something important to the Sosan leaders that we can't tell just anyone. So if either of you two could take us to someone's office, rather than this Oasis place... it would be appreciated."
"...The Oasis kind of is the chief's... Shinespark's office, though," Bardal offered awkwardly.
"Oh." Gerardo blinked. "Well, I suppose that is a sensible destination after all, then! If you wouldn't mind leading the way..."
Egil nodded, jowls swaying, and began a long march outward and to the side of the room. "The only way I'd mind it less is if you made me go back on duty once we get inside! It's been far, far too long since we've had anything new to talk about down there..."
"Hold on. Are you okay with this?" Sharpie halted Gerardo with an outstretched wing before he could follow. "This doesn't feel too easy? Like you're in danger? My job was to know when things don't smell right, and right now, you just broke into a warehouse, ran into two guards, and now they want to take you to a hidden, underground location with a code name that could either be Shinespark's office or a bar. Are you okay with this?"
"Well, when you put it that way..." Gerardo muttered, looking closely at the guards once again.
"Lady, please." Egil waved a hoof. "Have you even heard of Sosa? There's so much nothingness and depression here the last thing anyone wants is to make others feel bad. The Oasis is about having a good time even when the world's buried your dreams under the number of dumps it's taken." He sized her up, eyes wandering over the stress lines all across her face. "Something you kind of look like you need."
Sharpie's pink eyes gazed back. "How do I know your definition of a good time isn't the complete opposite of mine?"
Bardal frowned. "We're trying to be friendly, here! This is the best Sosa has to offer, and frankly, you're right about yourselves. You did just trespass on a technically-closed part of the factory without any clearance whatsoever." He huffed, and looked away. "Earth District hospitality, and all that? You know? Do other ponies just not even want us hoping for the best?"
"If I may..." Gerardo raised a talon, interjecting. "Shinespark did tell me more or less any pony I ran across here would happily take me her way. And if we can't trust ponies who seem friendly and willing, how precisely are we to find her?"
"This guy gets it," Egil belched, pointing a hoof.
"...Fine," Sharpie sighed, relenting. "I..." She gritted her teeth. "Apologize for being less trusting than a complete and utter optimist, and don't expect me to stay any longer than I have to."
Bardal whistled. "With an attitude like that, once you see it, you might find yourself changing your mind in a pretty quick hurry..."