//------------------------------//
// Heads Into Fire 
// Story: The Olden World 
// by Czar_Yoshi 
//------------------------------//

"...So that's the deal," Valey finished, shoulders slumping, most of the Immortal Dream's crew arrayed before her. "Percival and his lover basically begged me. I don't think we can expect much in return, and there are a million ways all this can go wrong. More importantly, if we haven't been sticking our heads in the fire already, this is it. We pick a side for real in the Empire, and we're in it deep. And I don't think this is a side capable of returning the favor."

"There are no good alternatives, aren't there," Shinespark agreed, thinking slowly. "No way to stay out of this while still doing the right thing?"

"Do keep in mind right is subjective." Gerardo stroked his chin, eyes closed in thought. "Remember, the reason they're in trouble in the first place is for defying the highest power in the land. That said, it's also a plight I sympathize with, and we have won against magical immortals before."

Valey's eyes narrowed. "Birdo, you had better not be suggesting we break every rule in the Empire and challenge Garsheeva herself. That's suicide."

"I never attested to its tactical soundness," Gerardo mused. "But you do realize no matter how we go about this, we'd be aiding heretics in escaping righteous punishment from their goddess. If it's suicide, well, that's what this plan of yours amounts to."

"Nngh..." Valey gritted her teeth.

Shinespark cleared her throat. "This is not a binding vote, but everyone who would help if we could do it safely, raise a hoof."

Gerardo's talon instantly went up, and Amber's and Slipstream's weren't far behind. Surprisingly, Jamjars' went up too, Grenada's rising with the rest of the group, and Shinespark nodded around. "Nyala?"

"This is a yes," the winged circuit board said, lifting a set of metallic pinions as best as she could.

Starlight's hoof also rose after a short survey of the group. The only two ponies present who hesitated were Maple and Valey.

"You?" They glanced at each other, and Maple frowned. "Valey, this was your idea!"

"Yeah, but I'm..." Valey fidgeted, torn between endorsing the goal and not. "Bananas, it's complicated. On the one hoof, I feel like I should. On the other... I've met Crystal a few times, and she's really mean. Maybe she'd be better if she's actually accepting our help, but I dunno... and I'm kinda reluctant for your sake, too."

"Oh." Maple looked down. "Probably not a surprise what my issue is."

Amber watched her in concern, slowly lowering her own hoof to half-raised. "Because we'd be taking on someone who's about to have a kid?"

Maple's face creased in a shadow of grief. "Yes. I'm not comfortable with it. I know I have issues with this, that I..." She swallowed. "But I should have dealt with them by now. It probably wouldn't be good for me to have someone like that around, but at the same time, if me not dealing with my problems causes us to fail to help someone who needs it and we could otherwise..."

Valey slowly nodded. "Yep. That's why I'm kinda voting no, even if everything else about this was perfectly safe. So if we do bail, it's not your decision."

The rest of the room held still as the two mares watched each other. "That's not how it works." Maple shook her head. "If you're doing it for my sake, even if it's not me making the decision, you'd be letting her down because of me. And besides, I feel for her. Knowing what it feels like to forcibly lose a child who is the only grounding in your life..." She winced. "And this Crystal has had months to see it coming. It must have ruined her. We need to help her. I need to."

Slowly, her hoof rose higher.

"Yeah, but are you sure you're going to be okay?" Valey gave her a concerned look. "Like, I've watched you have freakouts about this in the past. You basically freeze up and get pale, and if you get that bad merely thinking about this thing..."

"I'm already not okay," Maple sighed. "But I'll be a lot less okay if that stops me from doing something I need to."

Gerardo cleared his throat. "While that's all well and good, even if we want to, are we willing to weigh the risks? I'm afraid Valey is correct when she says we'd be picking a side in the Empire's political fray that won't be able to help us back. We'd gain enemies, have more pieces on the board, and see little in the way of compensation."

Jamjars blew a raspberry. "Having ponies indebted to you is always useful."

"Not if they have nothing to give." Gerardo shook his head. "This would be a charity case, as I understand it."

"Real question," Amber cut in. "How possible would it be to give Crystal a ride to Stormhoof, let her hang out with our batpony friends there, and pretend we had no idea about her and Percival if anyone comes to call?"

"Felicity and her sisters?" Shinespark raised an eyebrow. "You think they'd even agree to that? Felicity left as soon as we arrived, so we can't exactly ask her."

Amber shook her head. "No, the other ones. What was her name, Grapejuice? The ex-pirate who has friends in the underground? They might not have qualms about breaking Garsheeva's rules for us."

"Wait, those guys?" Valey blinked. "I mean, Golbez and Belinda hated batponies, I thought, but Grapejuice... Yeah, maybe she would help..."

"One thing to ascertain." Gerardo raised a talon. "This business Crystal has with disabling Stanza. Does she need our help with that, and do we want to if she does?"

"Yeah, good question..." Valey's brow furrowed. "I mean, her doing it on her own is the impression I got, and that's better for us because there's less chance of us getting in trouble if she's caught. She didn't say anything about needing help, at least."

Gerardo gave her a sad smirk. "Well, I hate to bring this up, but there is one thing here none of us seem to have considered: what if we're all being played?"

"Buh?" Valey twisted her head.

"Observe." Gerardo began to pace, demonstrating in the air with a talon. "We know this Crystal and Chauncey are at odds with one another, if everything you've said is true, yet I haven't heard mention of why. The backbone of this plan is to place her beyond his reach, while protecting anyone she cares about from retribution and getting other factions involved to take care of him themselves. Done in such a way that her hoofprints aren't all over his body, so to speak. Now, our friend Crystal may be in real danger, and Chauncey is likely a cad, but are we certain we aren't enabling one nefarious character against another?"

Valey bit her lip. "Not really sure I see what you're getting at, Birdo. Like, that she'd steal Stanza and use it for something herself when she says she's trying to break it? Dunno if you remember, but the thing's a huge statue attached to a pipe organ. There's no way anyone's smuggling that out of the tunnels by themselves, let alone onto our ship."

"Do you know enough about the statue's workings to say whether she'd need to?" Gerardo raised an eyebrow.

Maple folded her ears. "This is starting to remind me of that breakfast in Ironridge... Do you really think guessing this much at what everyone else is doing will help? It just means more places for us to be wrong and walk into a disaster..."

Shinespark sighed, stepping forward. "It's still better than running in without considering things. The truth is, this is complicated. Gerardo, what are you suggesting we do?"

"Learn more about her history with Chauncey, for one." Gerardo nodded. "As well as the workings of that statue. The more we know, the more room there is for holes to appear. And I'd advise tailing her if she's going down there to perform any acts upon it. Furthermore, while we're still on good terms with her grandfather, I'd strongly advise trying to get his side of things as well. He may have some unsettling goals and methods of getting there, but I think he presently counts us as allies."

"You know what? That's solid." Valey nodded firmly. "Ironflanks, you're coming with me to meet Crystal and Percival... Starlight too. We need a unicorn, since we're going to be staying in touch with the sound stones if need be."

Starlight blinked. "Me? Umm..." She glanced up at Maple, then back at the stairs. "Do you need me to come? I feel like a nap..." She yawned for emphasis.

"I could go," Grenada offered, raising a hoof.

Maple folded her ears and smiled. "I'll be fine. I need to be able to do this..." She took a deep breath, then let it out suddenly. "I'll be fine. You go nap."

Valey nodded, waving the two mares over. "Sweet. Birdo, Sparky, you wanna go see what you can get out of Chauncey? Be discrete about it, but you two are pretty good with words."

Amber saluted as Gerardo and Shinespark walked over to each other. "Sweet. Anything the rest of us need to do?"

"Uhh, cabins, cabins..." Valey counted quickly on the spokes of her wings. "You and Slipstream wanna go clean up Felicity's old room? I lost track, but we might need it for Crystal if she stays."

"So that's it, then?" Slipstream glanced at her with concern. "We're doing this?"

"Nope." Valey raised a wing. "We're finding out more. Bananas, knowing us I'm pretty sure we're gonna talk each other into it, but I am not jumping into this without a better plan and a better idea of what's going on."