//------------------------------//
// On Our Own 
// Story: The Olden World 
// by Czar_Yoshi 
//------------------------------//

Valey, Shinespark and Nyala had barely made it halfway across the plaza when they were stopped by an eyebrow-raising sight: Wallace, Morena and Diego, fully kitted for battle, marching in formation across the plaza, armed with weapons and armor that looked more for use than show. Pouches and bags strapped to their sides were filled with rations and supplies, and they made their way steadfast for the administration building.

"Woah." Valey paused so they could pass, eyes widening. "You guys are serious about something."

Wallace nodded in greeting. "Hello, little Valey. And yes we are! The heroic search for young Melia deduced that she fled town using the Teleportation Guild! As a matter of guild policy, patrons' travels are protected information except in the cases of royal inquisition into villainous activity, so to find out where she went, we are off to Grandbell to beseech the aid of Meltdown, the best mare for authorizing such things."

"The Teleportation Guild?" Nyala asked, quickly picking up that Wallace was a trusted acquaintance. "What's that?"

"Actually, I'd kinda like to know, too," Valey added. "I think I might'a heard the name, like, once before..."

Morena pounded a hoof against another. "The Empire's fastest form of fast travel. It costs a tail and a leg, but there's a network of hubs spread across the land where unicorns powerful enough to teleport a guest over a mile at a time work and live. Best-paying job in the Empire, if you have the horn for it. Pay up, and they'll teleport you along the chain to any place in the continent, like fireponies passing a water bucket down a line."

Diego nodded. "Izvaldi's is in the administration building's basement. It's relatively small, since they're hard to staff and not many patrons here can afford it. But we discovered an amount of money missing from the school's safe that's well within the range for fares on a single pony, and only Melia, Sirena and the school treasurer knew the combination. We also found several witnesses who saw a disguised, hooded pony in the administration building while the riot was going on. So we're off to give them notice that we're about to do this, just in case they decide to break policy and help in the name of a cultural icon, and then we're taking the Sky Goat to Grandbell."

Valey blinked. "Wow, so she really bailed, then. You guys'll be alright doing this?"

"Hah! This is what we were made for!" Wallace slapped a proud talon across his chest. "What better reason to set out than in search of an ally vital to the spirit of the country? We've scoured all of Varsidel before, multiple times on end. This'll be a cinch, young Valey!"

"Who's your companion, by the way?" Morena asked, angling her head at Nyala with a ready smile. "Don't think I've met her. That's some nice armor."

"I-I'm a friend," Nyala answered, tripping on whether to identify herself as Valey's sister and looking to the batpony for guidance.

"You like the armor?" Shinespark interrupted, trying to steal the focus and keep Nyala out of the spotlight. "Took me years to make that in Ironridge. She's a friend of mine, trying it out."

"A friend? Hmm!" Wallace nodded in approval. "Making new allies already. Good! We'll be gone for two days at least, and likely longer. Hold down Izvaldi for us in our absence, heroes of Ironridge."

Valey and her friends saluted and watched as Wallace, Morena and Diego left, then turned to each other. "Well," Shinespark cheerfully remarked, "guess we don't have to worry about Melia anymore! With those three on the case, it should be handled easily."

"Not exactly what I was thinking about." Valey frowned. "I was kinda... hoping they'd handle whatever was going on with Chauncey and the things Jamjars saw instead, but if they're leaving, there goes one of the big reasons I said we shouldn't do it. More importantly, if they're not here and we stick our noses too deep into trouble, we're gonna have to bail ourselves out on our own rather than relying on a bathtub worth of griffon meat to fix things for us."

"You could always stop them," Nyala suggested. "They haven't left yet."

"And do what?" Valey lifted an eyebrow. "Tell them we're spooked that something's up to no good? I can hear Wallace already. 'Villains are always making trouble!'" She waggled her forehooves, pantomiming an epic pose. "Besides, if there's anything going on, it could play out over a long period of time, and they really should find Melia now. Wish we could trade places..."

Shinespark rubbed her chin. "Maybe this is too conspiracy-oriented... but what if someone wants them out of town just so they can try something?"

Nyala's armor clanked as she crouched slightly. "You mean Chauncey? You think he did something to send Melia away just so they'd be out of town?"

"Well, Jamjars did say he knew something about why their concerts kept raising tensions..." Shinespark continued to stare, deeply in contemplation.

"Okay, hold up." Valey rounded on both of them. "Are we certain Chauncey is a bad guy, or just that he's suspicious? Maybe we need to go dig around in that lab he invited us to see after all. I was kinda ticked at him for how he treated Meyneth and Crystal earlier, but after seeing what Crystal was like, I almost don't blame him. Maybe they deserve each other. Shouldn't we at least go check him out really, really fast before running up to Wallace and telling him a kind of suspicious filly told us someone else was being suspicious enough to not go looking for Melia just in case? They didn't say they'll be leaving immediately, and we can fly faster than their ship."

Shinespark furrowed her brow in thought.

"Let's do it. Right now." Valey nodded at the hospital. "You, the scientist, me, the bat, and Nyala, the technological cool thing to prove we're nerds about this stuff. I need to move; I'm still wound up after earlier. Go?"

"...Is any of that a coded message for danger?" Shinespark whispered, carefully meeting Valey's eyes.

Valey raised her muzzle and breathed deeply. "...Nah. I don't think there's anything super bad. I still smell Puddles, and it's still unnerving, but no butt tingles. Whatever's going on in this place, it's not a trap that will physically hurt me. Trust me, though, I'm keeping both eyes out."

"Then let's go to the hospital," Shinespark decided. "Absolute worst case, we weigh anchor and let the river push us away from Izvaldi. But we need at least some idea of what's going on here... of what we're chasing in this strange country town."