"What do you mean she's sick!?"
It had been well into the day before Twilight had asked Applejack if she might take her to see the Grand Cleric. It isn't that Twilight was an impatient pony, rather that deep down she knew the longer they waited, the less likely it was they'd be able to save anypony. It was all she could do to ignore the very real possibility that the rebellion had ended already, with everypony she ever knew on the sword of a Templar.
"She had fallen ill by this morning" stated the Templar. "Terrible it is. She's barely conscious for most of the time, and when she is, she speaks things that don't make sense."
Applejack pushed her hat up to scratch her head. "... But she seemed fine the other day... how would an illness jus' sneak up on 'er like that?"
"No idea ma'am" said the Templar guard. "All we know is that she's not well, and is in need of her rest."
"Please tell me she at least wrote a letter?" shouted Twilight, trying not to grab the Templar by his withers and shake him as she got up into his face. To his credit, he did not flinch. "Please tell me she said something about sending a missive or a scroll or SOMETHING somewhere!"
The Templar seemed to think this over before shaking his head. "No, I don't rightly recall her making such a claim. If you wish, I can talk to some of the cloistered and see if any of them knows anything."
"Would you?" Her eyes had faint hope, although even she knew it was unlikely. The Templar nodded before stepping inside, leaving guard duty to his partner, who simply stood there, staring at the two ponies as they waited.
"Ah jus' don' understand..." said Applejack. "She looked so healthy. Ah ain't no doctor, but Ah don't reckon Ah've ever heard of a sickness so bad jus' swoopin' down on anypony..."
"Swooping is bad!"
The two ponies jumped at the sudden appearance of Pinkie Pie, Applejack scowling at her. "Will you stop sayin' that?"
"What? It is!" said the pink mare with no shortage of confusion in her features.
"Where did you even come from?"
"A rock farm, silly!"
Applejack facehoofed, dragging her hoof down until it fell off her chin, and turned back to Twilight. "Anyway... like Ah said. This is all very strange..."
"Psst..."
The two ponies turned to face the Templar guarding the gate, whose eyes were shifting. "You're not entirely wrong..." he said, biting his lip. "I can't say much, 'cause he'll be back soon. Meet me tonight at the Chipped Hoof tavern."
Twilight and Applejack exchanged glances.
Just then, the door opened again, and the Templar straightened up as the other returned to retake his position. "Yeah, nopony has heard a word. I'm afraid that until the Grand Cleric is feeling well, your issue will have to be put on hold."
Twilight looked to Applejack, ears folded back, who simply nodded to her. "Right, thank you gentlestallions" said the country mare. "Come on, Twilight. Let's go on back to the room at the inn. Who knows, maybe she'll feel better in the morning?"
The Templar who had just returned smiled. "There's the spirit. It's faith that keeps the world strong." With that, the two mares made their way away from the Chantry.
"Well... that was..." began Applejack before looking around. "Hey, wait... where did Pinkie go?"
Twilight began to look around as well. "... Wasn't she just..."
"We're gonna have to put a bell on that filly..."
As the unicorn nodded in agreement, her mind returned to the matter at hoof. "Alright... so... let's get this straight... " she spoke in a hushed tone, "... the Grand Cleric is suddenly so ill she can't do anything... just as we get here with news of the Circle being attacked... while I can't say it's impossible, the odds aren't exactly in favor of this happening..."
"Ah know what ya mean, Twi..." said Applejack with a hint of worry. "Somethin' fishy is goin' on here, an' Ah ain't likin' the looks of it. Maybe it's some kinda conspiracy or somethin'?"
Twilight nodded. "I don't know what else it could be... only way to know for sure though is to talk to that templar tonight at the Chipped Hoof..."
"Ooo! That tavern right there? That's a GREAT idea!"
Both ponies jumped and turned to see the pink pony who had just disappeared between them, smiling and waving a hoof.
"Pinkie Pie, I think I know just the right accessory for you...."
***
"Dingaling ling ding ding-a-ding!"
Pinkie continuously poked and prodded at the bell on her neck, occasionally shaking around to make it ring. Twilight was holding a hoof on her head as Applejack seemed to be trying to pull her hat over her ears. "Pinkie could you stop that, please?" said the unicorn.
"Why? It's so fun!" she shouted with a grin. "You were right, Twilight, this IS an awesome gift! Now it's like a little party everytime I move! Every! Single! Time! JINGLE JANGLE DINGLE DANGLE!" She began to bounce and jump and spin to make the bell ring more, much to the annoyance of her friends.
"So" said Rainbow Dash, setting her mug down. "We've got to come back here tonight to meet somepony?"
Twilight held a hoof up and shushed at Rainbow. "Not so loud... but yes... we've got to come back here tonight to meet somepony important, and I am fairly certain he'll have information that we will find very useful."
Rainbow grinned. "Aww yeah, shady deals and possible conspiracy? This adventure just keeps getting better!"
"Well... if it isn't little Rainbow Dash..."
Rainbow seemed to stiffen up, her pupils becoming pinpricks as a unicorn trotted behind her, a grin on his face. Twilight turned her own eyes to him - he didn't look like any unicorn she had ever known. In fact, he wasn't wearing unicorn robes at all - he wore what seemed like chain mail armor, and his staff was not your typical wood or iron staff, having a blade on one end of it as if it were built for direct combat like a sword.
"My it has been a long time, Rainbow Dash. Things have been so quiet in the Alienage without you."
Rainbow scowled, not even bothering to look at the unicorn speaking to her. "Go away, Nebula Cloud..."
He chuckled and shook his head. "Oh Rainbow Dash... such a frisky mare... I am quite glad to see that hasn't changed in you..." he placed his hooves on her shoulders, which caused her to visibly shudder. She shoved him back and, in a quick motion, drew her wingblades, staring at him dangerously.
"Back. Off. I nearly killed you last time, and I won't hesitate to do so again."
The unicorn chuckled. "Oh, so feisty..." He growled lecherously and let out another disgusting chuckle. He turned to face Twilight and Applejack, quirking a brow. "And such lovely friends... so diverse... the orange one looks like she'd be quite the beast in bed..." Applejack's jaw fell open, her face turning red. "... and the unicorn? Well, she looks like she would know a lot of... interesting... spells..." Twilight's own face turned crimson and she looked away.
Finally, Applejack found words. "Hey, listen here pal, y'all don't jus' go up to random mares an' start... sayin' such indecent things about 'em!"
The unicorn grinned. "Oh? I thought girls loved flattery and attention?"
"No" she said, grimacing. "A mare likes to be told she's pretty and that she's important. Interpretin' her in.... intimate ways without any previous affiliation is just a dern poor first impression!"
"Oh!" he said. "But where are my manners... as you may have heard, I am Nebula Cloud. Mastermind, gentlecolt, and... if I may say so myself? One... FINE lover..."
"You can't say so yourself" said Rainbow, growling. "That's not how it works."
He shook his head. "Well, Rainbow, if you care to be the judge, I do believe we can--"
"If you finish that sentence you'll be breathing out of an extra hole."
Once more, Nebula just laughed. "Suit yourself. I do believe I must run now, however. Important business transactions to attend to." With that, he turned and bowed to the other mares. "Good day to you." He turned about and trotted out of the room, leaving the three (wait... where did Pinkie Pie go?) to wonder what just happened.
"Sorry girls... that was Nebula Cloud... he's sort of an... old acquaintance."
Twilight shook her head, turning to Rainbow Dash. "How do you know that guy?"
Rainbow, however, seemed to sink into her hooves. "I sorta ran with his gang back in the Alienage a while back."
"Why is he in an alienage?" said Twilight. "I thought those were for pegasai?"
"They are..." said Rainbow Dash. "His mother was a pegasus... a... 'mare of the evening' from what I am told. He was always sheltered there... given nopony likes to go into the Alienage for any reason, it also makes for an excellent hiding place for an apostate unicorn. Plus, he's pretty crafty, so anytime they DO come looking for him, he's usually long gone..."
"So... why did you leave?" said Twilight.
"Ah reckon we jus' saw why..." said Applejack, her expression flat and annoyed.
"Actually, that was only a bonus prize..." said Rainbow. "Annoying as he is, I could tolerate his flirting. It was the jobs he was having us do... it started off small things. We'd steal from nobles... take some coin purses... grab some fancy expensive swords... that sort of thing..." She sighed and shook her head. "Then one day, on a mission, out of no where he decides he wants to off an entire family of nobles." The two ponies looked to each other, then back to Rainbow, who smirked. "Don't worry... I didn't. I asked him why he would want to... what they did to deserve it... all he said was 'that was none of my conscern.' Well, I refused, and the next day, I left the Alienage for parts unknown... came to find out, one of the nobles was a guard who knew about him. He wanted to kill them all so it wouldn't look suspicious."
"That's awful..." said Twilight. "Just so he could save himself from the circle?"
Rainbow laughed. "The circle? Please. For all the thefts? For all the prostitution? For all the murders I've been hearing of? That guy is looking at the sharp end of a Templar's sword."
It fell quiet then, the three ponies sitting in silence.
"So... am I to assume we're gonna just wait here for our meeting?"
"I got nothing better to do..."
"Actually..." said Applejack, "Ah wanted to take a look at this fancy blacksmith Ah heard about earlier today. They say he's a master smith, an' that he can make any kind of armor!"
Twilight quirked her brow. "But isn't your current armor good enough?"
Applejack smirked. "Course it is! Still, Ah'd like to go window shoppin'!"
***
As Applejack and Twilight opened the door, they were instantly able to recognize something about the establishment.
It smelled of sweat.
"Woo-wee!" said Applejack. "Smells like somepony's really workin' out in here!"
"I dare say you're right on the money..." said a nearby Earth Pony, who stood waiting behind a counter. "After all... this is a BLACK SMITH shop, and if somepony weren't doing taxing manual labor, I'd think we weren't doing our jobs right."
Applejack huffed. "Well, ain't you just a golden ray of sunshine..."
He simply shrugged. "I'm here to make money. Not to smile. Now, what is it you'll be having?"
"Oh, Ah'm jus' browsin'..."
"Oh for the love of... fine... fine, just... don't touch anything."
Applejack wandered around, looking at the various armors on the walls. Some of them were your run of the mill armors - shiney, could get hit by a sword and not feel it, that sort of thing. But some of them seemed to be more creative, having unusual designs etched into them, seeming to be made of exotic materials...
"Ah wonder, do y'all think you could make an armored hat?"
"That is the silliest idea I ever-"
"What!? What did she say, Wensly?" The stallion in question groaned as a mare stepped from behind a wall - she was green with a bright yellow mane, and wore a black smith's apron. "Did you suggest I take a hat... like yours... and put armor on it?" she pointed to Applejack's trademark skull-topper.
"Uhh... yeah?"
The mare stared at her.
"Nopony does that. Nopony would THINK to do that. That idea is outlandish, and it's never been heard of."
"You see? Even she--"
"I MUST DO IT!"
Applejack was caught slightly off guard. Wensly turned to the mare. "What? You can't be serious."
"I'm deadly serious" said the mare, staring at him with the eyes of a pony who knew what she wanted. "It's so simple, so unusual... I must do it. I am an artist! I wouldn't even consider NOT doing it! What kind of... of... horrible.... thing would I be to deny the world something different?"
"But I don't understand, why not just make a helmet?"
The mare laughed. "Hah! Any fool can make a helmet! What I'm going to do will potentially change the way ponies wear armor for years, neigh, DECADES.... dare I dream? CENTURIES to come!"
"Please reconsider Sweet Smithy-"
"No! I will hear not another word of it! For this, I must have fitting materials..." She looked to Applejack. "Now, I can forge it with what I have... OR you could bring me some drake skin, and I can create for you something seamless, something masterful, something AMAZING."
Applejack grinned. "A drakeskin hat..." She sighed and shook her head. "But where can Ah find Drakeskin?"
Sweet Smithy shrugged. "I hear you can buy some, traded by the occasional adventurer who manages to down a drake and/or dragon."
Twilight winced. She hoped Applejack wouldn't get any ideas about returning to Spike and... 'borrowing' the materials. "Well shoot..." said the mare. "... Ah don't imagine you'd be willin' to simply make a normal hat with some plate armor on it?"
The mare sighed. "Well... it would steal away some of the exoticism... but, I will do it! Since you inspired this, you will get the work for free."
Applejack shook her head. "Oh no, Ah couldn't dream of takin' it for free..."
"I won't hear of it! Now, away with you! Your armored hat will be ready tomorrow! Oh... should it be a helmet...? Maybe a... hat-helmet?"
"Yes... please go before you give her more ideas..." said Wesley, his head dropping into the counter as the mare babbled various ideas to herself. Taking the hint, Applejack and Twilight turned about and left the small shop.
***
After spending much of the day wandering about the market, returning to the Wonders of Equus to see if Twilight could afford anything, going on a quest to stop an illegal trading ring of laurium, and reading to orphaned pegasai, Twilight and Applejack had returned back to the tavern where they had promised to meet the Templar from earlier. As they stepped in, they immediately took notice of a colt - his coat was a golden brown, his mane blue, his eyes green. He seemed quite nervous, and then he looked to them and relaxed, if only for a moment, before trotting towards them. "Follow me to my room. Don't say a word. Don't look at anypony. They maybe watching." The two mares exchanged glances, and then the group began to walk.
Eventually, they made themselves to a room and shut and locked the door. He turned to them, worry still in his eyes. Applejack, more than a little suspicious, stepped forward. "Bud, Ah hope you ain't here thinkin' yer gonna take advantage of two helpless mares, cause yer gonna be sorely disappointed."
"Nono, I've been honest" he said. "There is a conspiracy... and... and nothing is what it seems..." Twilight and Applejack once more exchanged glances before looking to him again. Suddenly, his expression turned from worried to a sort of dark calm.
"And you can't be allowed to get in our way."
"Well lookie what we've got here brother of mine; it's the same in every town!"
"Oppressive Templars and broken unicorns scattered all the world 'round!"
The two ponies turned to see two unicorns step from the side, wearing casual, colorful clothing and hats as opposed to the usual robes worn by unicorns. Their coats were both a buttery yellow, their manes a mix of red and white, like candy-stripes; the only defining difference being that one of them had facial hair.
"Maybe they're not aware there's no need for this dreary despair?"
"But quite frankly they're a problem, so we really don't care!"
Their horns glowed menacingly as they approached the two mares, the Templar behind them drawing a sword.
"Well horseapples..." said Applejack, her attention shifting between the unicorns and the Templar. "Seems this conspiracy jus' got a whole lot more complicated..."