//------------------------------//
// Let It Go 
// Story: The Olden World 
// by Czar_Yoshi 
//------------------------------//

With a slicing of wings, Valey glided to a stop on the Immortal Dream's deck, crouching and letting Starlight hop off her back. "Well, here we are," she sighed, looking at the door below. "Wanna place bets on the odds of that prince still being here?"

Starlight didn't, so she kept quiet. But the bridge was empty and so was the library, and at the sounds coming from the hall below, everyone there was at least having a good time. "Hello?" Valey flipped down the staircase, the ship's dining hall brightly lit and smelling of laughter and food.

Around the table, everyone was present, from Gazelle to Wallace to Shinespark to Senescey and all her sisters. Gerardo helped Maple carry a deep, steaming tureen from the kitchen while Amber sat next to Slipstream and giggled at a joke, and even Jamjars lurked in a corner, laying on one of the room's side benches with a plate of scalloped potatoes. Shinespark sat limply, propped up in her chair with pillows and eating using her horn, and Amber immediately waved.

"Uhh... Hey, everyone." Valey blinked, nose sniffing, smelling stewed carrots and leeks and mushrooms and onions and turnips and everything savory anyone could ask for. "Bananas, what's the occasion?"

"Who needs an occasion for a feast, young Valey?" Wallace grinned, holding a plate that was smaller than his talons.

Maple carefully set her vat down, adding more rich, earthy smells to the room as it steamed. "Well, I had already started preparing something fancy when Gazelle showed up, and I didn't want the work I had done to go to waste..."

"It's quite simple, really," Gerardo proclaimed, marching around and pulling out two chairs, then pushing Starlight and Valey toward them. "We've all come to the joint consensus that things are entirely too stressful for you around here, especially following that conversation on Wallace's ship. Which is frankly ridiculous, considering we have resources aplenty and no one around who wants to be our enemies. If you still want to go to Mistvale, you'd be hard-pressed to leave us out, but first, we are all going to sit down and have a good time."

"It's been quite a show of a good time already," Felicity sang, her long, carefully-styled mane tied back so it wouldn't risk touching gravy. "Your friends here really know a thing or two about letting loose."

Maple blushed. "Mostly those three," she murmured, pointing to Wallace, Morena and Diego.

"And Amber!" Gerardo jumped to his friend's side. "And Slipstream. And also Prince Gazelle."

Gazelle looked up from a loaf of bread that was half-bisected by his razor teeth. "I'm a prince," he said with his mouth full. "You expect me to not take my revelry seriously?"

Senescey folded her ears. "Serious or not, it's very nice of you all to put this on for us."

"Sounds like it has as good a reason as any to me!" Gazelle proclaimed, patting her hard with a wing on the back and nearly making her choke. "So what's all this reaching my ears about an excursion to Mistvale?" He raised an eyebrow at Valey.

"Uhhh..." Valey hesitated, completely unsure of what he knew and what she should say.

Fortunately, Wallace jumped to her aid. "Prince," he boomed, a twinkle in his eye. "What say you we leave worrying about the future to the future itself? Some of us actually don't take the chance to let loose every hour of the day."

Gazelle actually listened, and the room suddenly went about its jovial atmosphere as if Valey had been there all along. Starlight sat to her left, the filly's initial surprise having been pushed aside in favor of sliced bread and a bowl of soupy stew for dipping, and Shinespark was on her right, slowly lifting things to her mouth that didn't require a lot of chewing, watching Valey all the while.

"Hey." Valey gave half a grin. "Good to see you up and about. How much better are you feeling?"

A small notepad hovered up beside Shinespark, set itself on the table, and she quickly wrote something. Just whispers, but hard to hear here. Writing fine?

Valey tilted her head. "Your horn works, again, though?"

Shinespark smiled.

"Hey, good to have you back, though." Valey returned it with a grin. "Maybe once this quiets down a little, we should hang out sometime?"

Please visit. Lonely sometimes.

"Oh. Uh, yeah." Valey's ears fell. "Sorry about that. Been a little busy with everything... Yeah, though. But hey, at least this helps with that?"

Absolutely, Shinespark scribbled. And it's okay. Heard you have it bad.

Valey rubbed an ear, scanning the table for what she wanted to indulge in first. "Yeah, it's been a ride... So this is all Maple and Gerardo's idea, or something? Sure seems successful."

Amber and Wallace's. Maple and Gerardo helped. Very successful. You enjoying?

Valey took a deep breath, surveying the entire room. Maple, Amber and Shinespark... friends she deeply counted on. Gerardo and Slipstream, less-close friends who were still friends anyway. Wallace and his crew, whom she was fighting desperately in the tournament, yet were completely on her side. Gazelle and the batponies, who seemed to want to be friendly even if she had no idea what they were up to. And all of Izvaldi outside, with an insane adviser and desperate ruler and rotten core, yet still peaceful and determined to be nice to her anyway.

"...You know what?" She nodded slowly at Shinespark. "Yeah. I think this is actually exactly what I needed. Thanks, Sparky. Thanks for doing this, everyone."

She raised her voice a little so the last part could be heard, and immediately got nods from around the table. "Oh, no no no, thank you, darling," Felicity assured, waving a hoof. "We can't just go about having parties like this for no reason, or it would completely spoil the special quality and become simply normal. And from the limited tidbits I've heard, this is in your name, is it not?"

"I mean, I guess?" Valey glanced at Maple. "It's Ironflanks who did all the cooking..."

"And it's you who wants to go to Mistvale," Larceny muttered over her food. "Don't know why. But it's sounding like you needed cheering up."

"Uhh... heh heh..." Valey folded her ears. "Yeah, so maybe I had a bad day. Look, if you guys are trying to talk me out of-"

"Going? Oh, quite the opposite." Felicity gave a reassuring smile. "Mistvale is actually quite a nice place, provided you enjoy magically-perpetual fog and eternal twilight. I haven't been briefed on the specifics of your quest, but if you stick to the backwaters, it could be a very relaxing or pleasurable getaway. And that's rather easy when the whole entire place is basically a backwater."

Valey grinned nervously. "Heh heh... Thanks?"

"We're actually thinking of a little more than just vacation," Maple murmured. "But is it actually nice? When I think of Mistvale, I sort of imagine... pirates. And wastelands."

Amber shuddered.

Felicity sighed. "Well, yes. There are pirates there, mostly along the coast. But the whole place is actually quite heavily forested and green, so I'd hardly call it a wasteland. Really, all you need is a guide who knows the area and you'll be perfectly fine." Her eyes widened, and she reddened slightly. "Well, not to self-promote, or anything..."

Valey tilted her head. "You want to come too?"

Gazelle cleared his throat. "Political bother in Stormhoof. You wouldn't want to hear about it. Felicity here might be trying to lie low for a bit. You know..."

"Batpony things?" Amber folded her ears.

"That's one way of putting it," Larceny muttered.

"The point is," Felicity politely insisted, "all of us still feel dreadful about that incident with Starlight and the hospital and until you're absolutely sure we've made it up to you, we're in your debt. Now, I may not have been in Mistvale since I was a filly, but I am still a local and I owe you and I feel like it would be better for everyone were I to take a little siesta of my own from life in the Empire for the time being. It's a win-win-win, darling. I don't suppose you'd feel badly about letting me help?"

Valey thought for a moment, then stared at her food. Her stomach rumbled. "You know? Hold that thought. I'll think about it. But for now, I got some stuff to do."