The afternoon commotion that was the Saddle Arabian bazaar continued in earnest as the powerful rays of the desert sun shown brightly down on the citizenry. Across the market, angry shouts from haggling customers to enticing calls from vendors created an overall air of hustle and bustle in the marketplace. Ponies to horses to even a minotaur or two walked through the bazaar, either looking for the correct stall to buy needed goods or simply passing through to another part of the city.
Yes, many a kind would walk through this market, a sea of faces that garnered little attention from any particular source, save for the vendors hoping to make a quick sale. So, no one cared to notice a unicorn mare slowly make her way toward the bazaar, small saddle bags along her side packed near to the brim with various goods. No doubt thanks to a full morning of shopping. The mare's plain brown saddlebags blended in nicely with the small beige tunic she wore, her face partially covered by its hood.
The unicorn moved calmly along the busy streets of the Saddle Arabian city, clearly in no rush to get to the busy bazaar. She smiled as a warm gust of desert air made its way through the city before washing over her, the hood hiding her head falling back as well.
The unicorn was a young mare, not necessarily too young, but clearly in the early years of adulthood. Her face still held the exuberance of youth, her brown eyes alight with life. Her coat was the same color as the very sun warmed sand she walked on, it managing to almost glow in the radiance of the cosmic orb. Her chocolate mane was surprisingly, tied in a pony tail fashion, very similar to the look of her own tail. All in all, the mare would have been considered very attractive among pony standards, evening garnering attention from the stallions of Saddle Arabia. Unfourtantly, she actually had that very problem upon moving to the city all those months ago.
Seeing that her hood no longer covered her face, she looked back toward the fallen clothing article, unsure if she should even bother putting it back on. Shrugging, she left her hood down, continuing on her way toward the bazaar with a smile on her face. Approaching the increasingly loud market, she began to weave through its crowds with practiced skill, careful to avoid getting to close to anyone. Thieves and pickpockets were rampant in these tightly packed spaces, simply waiting for a chance to swipe anything they could. She knew that from experience.
Avoiding a passing Minotaur, the mare was roughly halfway through the market before a familiar voice pierced through the white noise of the bazaar's crowd.
"Lullaby! There is my favourite customer!" The thickly accented Saddle Arabian voice spoke out to her. Looking around slightly before pinpointing the source of the voice, the mare's smile widened as she trotted over to a particular wooden stall.
Manning the booth was none other than a Saddle Arabian. The larger equine had a dark grey coat that clashed badly with the bright blue robe he wore. Across the robe was rather intricate gold stitching that glistened slightly in the afternoon sun. The stallion also had a few golden earrings along his ears, while even sporting a golden tooth. The stallion smiled happily down at the smaller mare, pleased to see his returning customer.
"Ah! It is good to see you again my favorite customer! Out shopping again are we?" He inquired.
"Oh! Yes actually" she said, looking back toward her full saddlebags as if they had just appeared," I am quite done for today"
The stallion suddenly adopted a shocked expression. " That cannot be! Done already? But I just received a new batch of Zazzle fruit!" As he said this, the stallion ducked under his stall, only to reappear a second later with a large crate of red fruit. The Zazzle fruit was a unique fruit to Saddle Arabia, only growing in the warm desert climate. Looking like a mix between a tomato and a strawberry, the fruit was well known for its flavor. That was of course if eaten fresh, for should it spoil, it is incredibly disgusting.
Lullaby looked worriedly at the fruit before her and then to her saddle bags, and repeated the action a few times. Shaking her head slightly, she looked up into the happy face of the larger equine.
"I'm sorry Rapul, but I don't think I can carry anymore" she smiled apologetically. Rapul on his part, acted as if struck, holding a hoof to his chest.
"But my dear Lullaby! I was holding these especially for you! Surely you cannot turn down my generosity?" He leaned in closer with a hurt expression on his face. The smaller mare uncomfortably rubbed her leg, unsure of how to answer. It would be rude to turn down his offer...
"Well, I am fairly loaded, but I suppose I could buy a few..." She looked to the fruit," They're fresh right?". The hurt expression instantly disappeared from the stallion's face at the prospect of a sale. A large grin appeared on his face, showcasing his golden tooth.
"The freshest in all of Saddle Arabia my dear!" He exclaimed happily. Lullaby smiled as well at the now cheerful vendor and soon purchased a few fruits as she had done many times before at Rapul's stand. Normally, the purchase would have occurred and she would wave a goodbye to him before leaving. However, this cycle was broken as a horse bounded through the bazaar, frantically looking around before spotting the fruit stand. Rushing toward the stall, the stallion nearly ran into the wooden frame, a frantic look on his face.
Rapul's mood seemed to change instantly as he laid eyes on the stallion. Gone was the welcoming smile, now replaced by a small scowl. His eyes seemed to take on a new look like that of a predator. Clearly, the new addition was not a welcomed sight.
"My dear Lullaby, I'm afraid I must cut our business short" he spoke neutrally, handing the fruit over for her to levitate into her saddlebags. She looked worriedly between the two, avoiding biting her lip.
The mystery stallion continued to fidget in place, glancing around rapidly toward the bustling crowd of the market. Rapul continued to display his small scowl, almost appearing to border on annoyance.
The unicorn seemed to decide that whatever business was clearly not her own and wisely avoided getting into it.
"A-alright Rapul, but before I go, I wanted to give you this" she levitated a small blue box wrapped in a yellow bow," It's a thanks for all your good fruit, these may be the last I purchase for a while" she smiled weakly, placing the box on the stands counter. The Saddle Arabian gave the box a quick glance before nodding.
"Thank you Lullaby. I am sorry to be losing your business, now if you'll excuse me.." He waved his hoof as if shooing away a small child, his eyes never leaving the new stallion. Lullaby reluctantly chose to leave the two to their business, quietly backing away from the stall.
"Well, I guess this is goodbye Rapul" she said, turning back one more time. The saddle Arabian acknowledged the mare with a simple nod before disappearing behind his stall, the other stallion close behind.
With no further reason to be in the area, the unicorn mare trotted back into the sea of customers that flooded the area. In moments, her figure was lost among the crowd. What everyone failed to notice, save for a small glance, was the serene smile that graced her muzzle.
"What do you mean they're all dead?! What about the guards I hired? No one would dare approach those warehouses!" Rapul resisted the urge to shout as he interrogated his subordinate. The other male wilted under the hardened gaze of his boss, mumbling rapidly in an attempt it form an answer.
"They came in...so quick...no mercy...no chance!" The brown stallion attempted to communicate. He had ran the entire way to relay the information to his boss, let alone avoiding the attackers that raided their warehouses.
Rapul growled under his breath, messaging his temple with a hoof. Idiots. He worked with nothing but idiots. First that mare had decided she was no longer going to be shopping with him, not a major loss. Though he would no longer be able to con her. A pity, but an acceptable loss. Now, all his secret warehouses had been raided?! All his men dead?! And worst of all, his subordinate didn't even no who attacked them?!
His teeth clenched as he felt a headache coming on. This was definetly going to be difficult to recover from. He could already tell it would be months before he could begin reproducing weapons for those griffon clans, let alone dealing with their angry squaks at his supply drop. Still, he was alive though. With his mind, his operations would be back in business soon enough.
"So. Was there any clues to the attackers? The sultan? Mercenaries? What?" He asked while grabbing the small present that idiot mare had left.
The other stallion gulped nervously, sweat pouring down his face as he glanced around.
"No, I don't think it was the sultan, we had too many guards under our payroll right? They would have known...but, they were dead too! I'm lucky I managed to miss whoever attacked our warehouses! I came over to tell you as soon as I could boss!" He whispered frantically.
Rapul felt his eye twitch as his grip tightened on the small box.
"You...came...directly...here?!" So infuriated was he at his lacky's stupidity in running directly to his location that he ripped the lid off the present box. He took some satisfaction in the scared face of the weaker willed stallion before confusion suddenly crossed him. Why was this idiot staring at him wide eyed? And at his hoof?
Looking down at his hoof, he noticed the contents of said present box. A small charcoal colored sphere sat in the box.
With a small fuse poking out of its side.
A very small lit fuse.
A very small dwindling fuse.
It this moment, pure and unfiltered frustration erupted from him.
"BUC-"
The marketplace was rocked as a small explosion erupted from its depths.
Across the city, two unicorns made their way toward the outskirts of the Saddle Arabian town. Both were covered in bland brown tunics. Through their thick covering, one would be able to notice that one appeared to be a mare with a coat similar in color to the desert sand. The other was obviously male, with a plain grey coat.
They continued their walk undeterred, even as a small smoke cloud continued to grow in the distance. While a few other citizens inquired at the strange sight, these two did not even glance back.
"I take it he opened the box?" The stallion asked, his smooth voice causing the mare to smile.
"No doubt. Serves him right. That was for all the bad fruit he sold me" the mare replied happily.
The stallion chuckled lightly. "I bet he was surprised. It must have been quite, shocking" he laughed.
The mare shook her head, her dark brown ponytail nearly falling out her hood.
"That doesn't even make sense" she teased, before her voice suddenly turned unusually serious. "Did the others complete the mission?"
The stallion matched her seriousness with his own.
"To the letter. We let that one escape to lead us right to him. Heh, I'd like to see the griffons expressions at finding their weapons supplier going dark".
The mare shot the stallion a quick glare under her hood, her one visible brown iris drilling into her companion.
"Too much talk Strider. Control yourself" she ordered.
The stallion stiffened slightly, well aware of his mistake. He nodded quickly and let out a relieved sigh as the mare smiled again.
"But after all, the sun's light.." She started.
"Finds all those in the dark" the stallion finished automatically, a smile on his own muzzle.
The two quietly left the outskirts of the city, entering the rolling desert that divided Saddle Arabia from their homeland. From their people. And most importantly:
From the sun they served.