Some of the guards remained behind to watch Valey cook her gourd, while others wandered off in search of someone who could properly deal with her and the Prince. Gazelle was the real obstacle; she had no doubts if she was alone in the corridor she would have gotten a chuckle and been booted out immediately at best.
But Gazelle was on her side, or at least she had been recruited to his, the guards could no more remove her with him sitting there making light of the situation than they could unlock a door by saying please, and her onlookers continued to pile up as a result, more and more patrols arriving from both directions and stopping to listen to Gazelle with catlike curiosity. For her part, Valey just maintained nonchalance and focused on cooking the squash, though for all she knew it was charred on the inside and about to messily explode.
"Clear the way, noble defenders, clear the way!" a chiseled, macho voice boomed in the distance, sounding like it belonged to the protagonist of an ultra-cheap romance novel. "I have arrived! Let's see what kind of spectacle has you all in such a hurry to crowd the corridors!"
Valey blinked. She wasn't sure if this was the top brass, but it definitely sounded like the big guns. If someone was going to clear her out, it was now. Stoically, she forced herself to continue disinterestedly paying attention to the squash, noting a hint of exasperation on Gazelle's face and the same kind of twinge she got in her cutie mark when near a cart that could run her over if she didn't watch where she was going.
The crowd of guards was stirred fiercely in a commotion, then forcibly parted, a speckled, snowy griffon pushing his way through with such immense girth that even the full-body suits of armor seemed to squish with their guards as they were sandwiched uncomfortably between him and the walls. The newcomer was utterly unarmored and unclothed, sporting a muscular double-chin and a jagged, up-and-down mustache that looked like a string of Ws poking straight out to the sides from above his heroically-grinning beak. So buff was the griffon that Valey decided she'd bet in his favor in a wrestling match with Herman, and the multitude of battle scars across his proud chest suggested even with a weapon it could be the fight of her life to take him down.
"Well well," the griffon said, admiring Valey's hoofwork with his chest thrust forward. "If it isn't Prince Gazelle! I thought I smelled your pawwork in this night's shenanigans! Tell me, is this a distraction for the guards, or the reason for this inconvenient lockdown in the first place?"
"Wallace Whitewing." Gazelle nodded respectfully, and probably would have sipped tea had he possessed any. "Just as respectful of off-limits areas as ever, aren't you? Yes, this is the mare you're looking for."
Wallace coughed into one of his namesake wings. "If you mean these misfortunate Stormhoof guards that expect me to stay put when villains are on the loose, yes. Their dedication to their orders is admirable, but sometimes, common sense must be allowed to prevail. Now..." He turned to Valey. "Hail, young sarosian! Your stunt has inconvenienced a great many creatures, and justice demands an explanation!"
Valey opened her mouth, but Gazelle interrupted smoothly, standing up and taking two steps toward Wallace. "She was-"
"Pipe down, little prince! I asked the sarosian." Wallace Whitewing patted Gazelle gently on the head, still with such force that the sphinx was flattened against the ground. "I'll have you know I've spent the better part of the evening chasing Meltdown and pestering her to finish her investigation so that the newcomers from Ironridge might be released to join me in hanging out and the swapping of tales! And now her attention has been stolen! What gives, my little pony?"
Valey stood fast under his stare, suddenly realizing he might know where her friends were and could be a potential ally. Did she want to try her luck with him over Gazelle? Did that mean throwing the sphinx under the cart and blaming him for her being in a restricted area? Swallowing, she licked her lips and asked, "Newcomers from Ironridge? Any chance that's a griffon dude, one each of earth pony, pegasus and unicorn mares, and one or two fillies?"
Wallace perked in unconcealed recognition, revealing he definitely had. "Oh? So you're familiar with this adventurous band, then, are you?"
"Wallace!" Gazelle snapped, suddenly no longer playful. "If this is going to veer into discussing sensitive information, I'm sure Garland would be grateful if you used your... force of presence to clear the area, then waited patiently until someone important arrives. Else, I'll handle this my way."
Wallace bowed. "Of course," he intoned, standing up and facing the solid wall of spectating guards blocking the other direction of the corridor. "Brave defenders!" he boomed, pointing an assertive wing. "Your time of service here is at an end! Return to your posts and stand vigil until the danger has passed, lest you be scattered like villainous leaves by the passage of my mighty breadth!"
That did the trick. The guards, severely frightened by the prospect of a Wallace trampling, bunched up and pressed against each other and after a moment of traffic and clogs, drained entirely from the hallway in both directions. Wallace proudly bowed once again, and Gazelle was about to say something when Valey beat him to it.
"Yo, Bathtub." She zipped to his side the moment the retreating guards were out of earshot, abandoning the roasting squash where it lay. "Starlight. Maple. Shinespark. Gerardo. Those are my friends. Ignore that guy; he dragged me into making this a stunt." She pointed a wing back at Gazelle. "Whoever this Meltdown is, tell her I'm with them and will blab to absolutely everyone about whatever she's trying to do this confidential investigation stuff on unless I get put in the same place as they are, given a hot meal, cozy bed and time to take a nap, and am left completely alone by psychopathic bat haters. And don't even think about trying to lock any of us up, because this place is terrible at stopping bats from sneaking around. Savvy?"
The temperature of the air rose slightly as Gazelle and Wallace both regarded her. The sphinx looked perfectly pleased with what she had said, but the big griffon was visibly taken aback. "You too hail from Ironridge, do you?" He raised a shaggy eyebrow. "What are the chances your name is Admiral Valey?"
"Would it matter if it was?" Valey asked, carefully keeping her reaction neutral until she knew what it would identify her as.
Wallace's face broke into a winning smile. "I should hope so! Kero spoke very highly about you, indeed!"