A forest of eyes watched Valey and the Ironridge pegasus, blinking like spectators of a sporting event. Valey's tension dropped slightly; this situation had a completely different feel from the last bar fight she started: this was an audience, not a free-for-all in the making. It was like the air held a silent agreement between everyone in the room but her that duels were serious business and not to be interrupted.
...Most everyone, at least. "What are you, some kinda bounty hunter?" Puddles asked curiously, ignoring the relieved-looking griffon and his pirate hat to wander over to Valey's side. "That doesn't mean you'd be mad if I stole your kill, does it?"
She grinned at Valey, perfectly aware that wasn't what this was about and it would definitely make things more interesting. Valey winced. The entire bar was still, everyone waiting with eager breath on either her or the pegasus to make a move.
Valey's judgement clammed up. What were her options? Punch things? She didn't want enemies, and a fight could get Puddles hurt... or involve Puddles getting everyone else hurt. But the crowd looked like they wanted drama, and if the establishment cared, they'd probably intervene against her. Her best option should have been to run, but Puddles wanted trouble and wouldn't run with her...
"Out of my way, heretic scum!" a crabby, entitled voice snapped, and Valey hopped out of the way as a vaguely-familiar gold-plumed griffonness with two fresh tankards under her wings and no investment in the confrontation whatsoever tried to shove her on her way past.
Valey ducked into the shadows, watching Puddles closely as the Ironridge pegasus evaluated whether this new griffon was backup or just didn't care. The griffonness tried to slide into the same booth as the older griffon Puddles had been bothering... until Puddles bounced up alongside her and crashed straight into her side, giggling. "Hiya, missy! Are we shoulder-bumping? Puddles likes-"
"SCRAWWWWW!" The griffonness whirled, clamping a talon around Puddles' neck and hoisting her completely off the floor. "Are you trying to make me spill my drinks!? Watch your manners, whelp!"
"Waaaaah!" Puddles screamed, crying and kicking and making a show of being helpless. "Valey, help Puddles!"
"Oh, bananas..." Valey growled heavily, taking her eyes off the pegasus to turn toward the griffon. The pegasus instantly slunk away, but the audience didn't even care, the level of tension and eagerness in the room going up with every second. "Okay, lemon bag, the filly's an idiot, and I'd really like to leave, but I'm kinda in charge of her so please let her go."
The griffonness raised an eyebrow at her. "Or what?"
Valey cracked her wing joints. The other bar patrons wanted a show? This griffon was enough of a jerk she just might give them one. "Or I'll take you to town. Don't..." Her cutie mark flared briefly, and she sidestepped a thrown empty mug from behind, shooting a glare in its direction and seeing the pegasus who had supposedly snuck off. "Hey! I'm not here for you! Shoo!" She glared back at the griffonness. "So, name? I don't like beating up nobodies."
"As if I'd give your kind such an honor." The griffonness smirked, pressed her talons tighter around Puddles' neck, and drew a single drop of blood. "Hit the floor, wings where I can see them, or your... What, newbie!?"
A hooded figure was leaning over from the adjacent booth. "Hark, Sister! That's, uhhh... really not a mare you want to pick fights with! My ellldritch senses have spoken!"
The griffonness flicked at him with a talon. "Shut-"
"Waaaaaaaaah!" Puddles drowned out her rhetoric with more crying. "Waaah, waaaaaah! Help, Valey, help!"
"Shut up and stop sniveling, I'm teaching a lesson!"
The crowd began to cheer as the griffonness flung Puddles downward, slamming her into the ground. Valey lunged as she was distracted, trying to jump over her for a blow... but the moment Puddles was within reach of the ground, she flipped and tapped it with a hoof. She still landed hard, but a lightning bolt of ice cracked along the wood floor and exploded directly beneath her attacker, sending an ice sculpture of a clenched talon rocketing upward and punching the griffonness heavily in the gut. Whud!
At exactly the same time, Valey finished her flip, balling her forehooves and bringing a doubled-up blow down on the griffonness's lower back, sandwiching her between two heavy hits. Horribly winded, the griffonness gagged, losing her grip on Puddles and allowing her to scramble to her hooves. "Yay!" Puddles cheered. "Cute Valey's the best!"
"Uhhhhh..." The hooded stallion who had warned the griffonness earlier took a step back, standing on the seat of his booth. "You, uh, failed to heed my advice! Captain, I suggest we run for the hills! Glorious... Retreeeat!"
Crash! The tableside window shattered as he cannonballed through in a reckless display of cowardice and intelligence, garnering a cheer from the crowd and the stamping of tankards being banged against wood. Valey glanced at the hole left in the window. Something about his voice seemed familiar too... Whatever. She had a griffonness to fight.
"Rawwwwk!" The griffonness rolled back upright, spitting and drawing two tiny, curved swords, Puddles now free.
"Okay, look, you're obviously insane with anger, so-"
Valey only had time to take two steps toward her before the griffonness was tackled by a gleeful Puddles. "He jumped out the window! Did ya see? Heehee! It looked like fun! We should do it too!"
"The kid's playing with her," one of the spectators whispered to another. "She looks like a fool, but she's more dangerous than the bat is!"
"Money?" the other replied. "My wager's on the bat to take her out before the kid."
Then the older, black-coated griffon was at Valey's side. "Let yer' quarries go, Belinda. They be too much for ye to handle in such a state."
Belinda only squawked and struggled, completely unable to break Puddles' hug. Valey didn't even intervene; the less she did, the better.
"Come on, birdy, let's go through the window!" As Belinda flailed and whipped around with her swords, Puddles touched one talon with her hoof, freezing her grip to the hilt and rendering her unable to evenly stand on it. Belinda tripped... and the moment Puddles was close enough to touch the ground, she did, and a thin pillar of ice spiked up, catapulting both her and the beleaguered griffonness into the air. Puddles' aim was true, and they hit another window, crashing and both breaking through.
"Arrr." The black griffon walked up beside Valey and shook his head. "At least one o' those is going on me tab... Ye best get yer' companion and leave, heretic, or ye'll be stuck paying for the other."
"You know what?" Valey gave him a suspicious look. "I think that's actually good advice. See ya, old dude."
She flipped through the air as well, vaulting expertly through the existing hole in a window, and dropped to the street below.
Whud! Valey hit the dirt road with a puff of dust, taking a second to straighten up. Puddles was prancing in a happy circle as Belinda lay in a heap on the ground, looking significantly scratched up by breaking the window. The hooded stallion was annoyingly hovering over her, his own cloak cut in places by the glass to reveal a girly lavender coat and pair of wings beneath. "Wallowing windigoes, you've been hexed with fiendish ice magic! Alas, this is far beyond my ken! I recommend... uhh..." He looked up, realizing Valey had joined him outside. "Oh, I'm so screwed, aren't I...?"
Valey tapped her head. "Jog my memory; I've had a lot go down lately. Do I know you?"
"Yaaaaa-ha-ha-haaaugh..." Letting out a cowardly battle cry, the stallion spread his wings and flew for the end of the alley, trying his best to flee.
His best wasn't good enough. Valey's curiosity overrode her desire to leave well enough alone, and she shot after him, overtaking the pegasus in a matter of seconds. "Gotcha!" she crowed, grabbing him and flipping them both to the ground. They bounced once, leaving the stallion on his back with his face exposed to the sun.
A jagged, red-and-black goatee and equally ridiculous mane tarnished Valey's sight as the caught stallion stared sheepishly up at her. "Uhh, heya?"
"Oh bananas, not you again," Valey groaned in realization. "Is two continents and an ocean not far enough away to avoid this? Thanks for nothing in the mines, by the way. Something tells me my day is about to get real bad, real fast..."
"Heh heh... Uhh... there, there?" Howe grinned back up at her. "But look on the bright side! You finally get to see me again! It's your old friend Pancake! Heh heh heh..." His voice cracked to a squeaky whisper. "Please don't kill me..."