"Optometry," Melia went on, leading the way past yet another wing of the hospital building. "In Izvaldi, glasses are a relatively... Ooomph!"
Gerardo pitched forward, crashing into her and knocking both of them to the ground. A blur sped overhead, and Starlight ducked, hissing, as a stallion Shinespark's age landed in front of them with wide eyes, skidding and catching his balance. "Woah! Watch your backs!" he hurriedly advised, dashing off around the next corner.
"Hey! Get back here!" Valey hissed, leaping after him, only to lock up midair, crashing and landing in a heap. By the time she could look up, he was gone.
It was all over in a second, and then Maple was checking the way they had come as Slipstream and Chauncey helped Gerardo and Melia back upright. "What was that for?" Jamjars sniffed disdainfully, glancing around.
Regretfully, Gerardo patted himself down, and his headcrest drooped. "Everyone, I do advise checking yourselves, because that was a pickpocket."
"A pickpocket?" Maple's eyes widened, and Starlight was suddenly grateful neither of them were wearing saddlebags.
Slipstream checked her sweater, frowning in concern. "What's a pickpocket doing in a hospital?"
"Birdo?" Valey narrowed her eyes at Gerardo, watching his demeanor. "What did you get stolen...?"
"This is difficult for me to admit, but..." Gerardo drooped harder, displaying the liners of his empty pockets. "While you were preoccupied on the voyage here, I stopped to ask Wallace Whitewing for his autograph, placed it as the only thing in my coin pouch, and figured it would be safe there until our permanent lodgings-"
Valey interrupted with a burst of laughter that lasted until Maple put a hoof to her muzzle, pointing at Melia. The mare was slumped, looking at the ground, one hoof to her chest, and the mood in the corridor instantly stilled. "Did you lose something?" Slipstream whispered.
Melia shook her head, straightening up. "It's not important. Let's continue."
"Oh, hardly," Chauncey interrupted, moving to block her way. "Nothing about you isn't important, my dear. Tell me what was stolen and I'll replace it twofold."
"Is nopony thinking of catching that guy?" Jamjars muttered as everyone else exchanged words, and Starlight had to agree.
"A locket," Melia said, walking around him. "Sirena made it for me after the big concert last month. But it's the sentiment that matters. Please, let's continue."
Gerardo frowned, also stepping forward. "Excuse me, but I hardly feel that would be a good use of any of our time. You're clearly not enjoying yourself, and I'm beginning to feel we're wandering for the sake of wandering. Something is the matter and clearly was long before that young stallion made off with your valuables and my minor trinket, and we'd very much like to help and know what it is."
Maple nodded in agreement, standing firm beside him, and Melia sighed. "Do you really want to press this, right here and now?"
"Uhhh..." Valey slowly got to her hooves, raising an eyebrow.
"Fine," Melia said, a tightness in her voice. "It's work. Since we got here, my sister and I have worked tirelessly to raise the spirits of everyone in Izvaldi. We sing. It's what we do. Gramps here has been our manager, and he does an amazing job, but... the kinds of performances the numbers say are most successful aren't the kind we want to do most, and having to balance between us and our audience is stressful. We've talked it over and know what we're doing and why we're doing it, but it's still..." She glanced at her empty hoof once again. "You should come to the concert tonight. We went to a lot of work to set it up. And you're right. I'm going back to the Principal's office."
She turned and departed, leaving the party alone with Chauncey. Jamjars frowned. "Does anyone have any paper?"
Maple dug around in her cutie mark, and while she did, Chauncey sighed as well. "I always worry about those girls. Some days, I fear I've given them a superhero complex; that they'll take anything they could do but don't far too personally. And they're so talented, it would be a tragedy to see them burn out... Recently they came terribly close to taking things too far, even though they generated their highest ratings of all time. If there's anything you can do to lighten their load, it would be a service to all of Izvaldi."
"And you're sure you are not somehow to blame?" Gerardo raised an eyebrow. "If you must know, their demeanors changed instantly the moment they detected you coming."
"Yes, I'm aware," Chauncey growled. "And as I said, I do take the blame. That does not mean I don't care, or am not invested in their success and well-being. Now, I'm not one for giving tours, so why don't we duck over to a certain physician's office and get young Valey fixed up?"
A dark unicorn with the same set of batpony cosmetics the Firefly Sisters wore closed his eyes in greeting, bowing to Chauncey and shaking Gerardo's talon. Chauncey conversed to him in quiet tones for a moment, and then energy sparked along his horn, pulsing outward in a dark blue wave that made several crackling beams when it connected with Valey. She yelped, hissing, and jumped... and managed to land on all fours, not even wobbling as she hit the ground.
"Ow!" Valey complained, rubbing her side where she had been hit. "What was that... Huh." She flexed a foreleg, then bent her neck, and it didn't crack. "Seriously? It was that easy?"
"You'll have to excuse him," Chauncey muttered back. "Doctor Zybar doesn't speak. But that's how Mistvale arts work, you see: a magical block on your motor functions. Very easy to lift, for anyone who knows the precise way how..." He glanced at the doorway. "Your tour is over. The way out is right, then left, then right. Enjoy your stay in Izvaldi."
"Finally!" Maple breathed, the journey outside completing itself quickly. Starlight felt a warm outdoor breeze wash through her mane the moment they left the hospital lobby, and Valey was hovering, at long last no longer restricted in her movement.
"You can say that again," Valey grunted, flexing and doing a flip. "Seems kinda cheap that I'm A-okay again just like that, but not nearly as cheap as getting monked in the first place. Anyway, we got what we came for in Izvaldi, so where to next? And I'd like one ticket of membership in the weeklong debilitating injury club, thanks..."
Gerardo nodded. "In fairness, weren't you quite injured as well for the aftermath of the fighting in Ironridge?"
Valey shrugged. "Yeah, but I was able to get around. Nnngh... I haven't moved enough. I need to fight someone! And eat something, because bananas, food doesn't taste good when you're practically bedridden. Or maybe I just need to fly real fast and yell at some birds. Anyone want a ride?"
"You could fight him," Jamjars coughed, looking up from what she was doing with her paper and holding it up in her aura.
"Woah..." Valey licked her lips, examining it, and everyone else leaned in as well. It was a drawing of a pony's face, and a remarkably good one, at that. Starlight clearly recognized it as the mugger from the hospital, even though she had only seen him for a second... and Jamjars had added some clearly effeminate touches. "You make the dude look almost hot," Valey remarked.
Jamjars didn't even redden, smiling in self-defense. "I've had more practice drawing some things than others."
"So this is our mugger, is it?" Gerardo asked, taloning his chin. "With such a likeness, it might not be impossible to question citizens to see if they know him. I, for one, have absolutely nothing better to do with my day than quest in the name of recovering a friend's stolen valuables. What say the rest of you?"
"Oh, bring it on!" Valey pounded her hooves while hovering.
"Well, it might be interesting," Slipstream decided, straightening up and joining Gerardo and Valey. "Why not?"
Jamjars immediately scurried to their side, leaving Starlight and Maple. The two looked at each other, and Maple shrugged. "I don't know about hunting for criminals, but I don't have anything else to do. If I do change my mind, how about we meet here by..." She glanced at the sun. "Halfway between noon and sundown?"
"I can dig that," Valey agreed, and Starlight nodded. "Now..." She fluttered higher, glancing around at the hoofful of ponies and griffons enjoying the plaza around the central fountain. "Where should we start?"