If Fluttershy had feared that Tadar would be angry with them for rejecting his generous offer, that worry was quickly dispelled. The zebra pursed his lips and stared off into nothingness for a few seconds before his face split into a smile, nodding repeatedly, quicker and quicker.
“Yes. Yes, I think we can fix something. I have a few friends who owe me a favor or two. I’ve never had cause to call them in, but this is as noble a cause as any.”
“You don’t have to,” Fluttershy said, hoping very much he would insist.
“What she means to say is, you don’t owe us nothing,” Applejack added, the two ponies very much immobile as Tadar scurried about the room rooting around in cupboards and shelves.
“Ah, but you misunderstand. I am glad to help,” Tadar shot from over by a large chest, flinging two cloaks over his shoulder. They were similar to the one he wore; hooded and thin, made by an almost gauze-like fabric, and slightly too large for the two mares.
“It’s not my city, but I care about it. I would rather not fuel the prince’s fey mood, and getting to meet and help two ponies in the process is a bonus!” he exclaimed. “Now, put those on. They’re better than nothing as far as disguises go. I would suggest you stay here, but somehow I suspect you are not the kind to be content with waiting idly.”
Fluttershy nibbled her lower lip. She wanted to protest that assessment, but at the same time, having others risk themselves for her didn’t sit well with her, either. That, and she wasn’t very keen to be left alone.
“Darn tootin’,” Applejack affirmed, snapping one of the cloaks up in her mouth and wiggling herself underneath. With a small sigh, Fluttershy pinned her wings to her sides and did the same.
“It doesn’t bother your wings, friend?”
Fluttershy stuck her head out through the hole made for it and glanced around. There were no other pegasi about, and Tadar was looking straight at her. “Excuse me?”
“Covering them up like so. You carried a heavy load when you arrived, too. I would assume it’s uncomfortable with your wings,” he added with a gesture at their tattered saddlebags over by the bed.
“Oh, no, not at all. Not unless there are straps that go over the wings or if it’s heavy,” she replied with a smile, watching as Applejack struggled to get her garments on straight. “Um. That’s for the head, Applejack.”
“Why in all things good did you have to go give these darn things holes for the legs?” Applejack muttered. Tadar merely chuckled in reply with a glance over at the farmpony.
“You’ll forgive my curiosity. I’ve never before seen a winged sentient. Very rare. It must be quite special, to master the skies, and it is a great gift, to be sure,” Tadar said, dipping his head before making his way over to the door flap.
“I didn’t always like to fly, really,” Fluttershy admitted, following him outside with Applejack in tow, the latter finally properly dressed and pulling her hood over her head as Fluttershy had done, before putting her hat on top again.
“Is that common? It sounds rather tragic, almost,” their guide commented, drawing a frown from Applejack. Fluttershy merely smiled and cleared her throat.
“No, not really. I, um, I was helped by a—a friend, I suppose,” she said, the words suddenly a little harder to find. She heard Applejack sigh, but couldn’t meet her eyes.
Under the full glare of the sun, the city’s narrow streets were twice as cramped, but there was even less energy to it than last night. The sheer temperature had the populus down to the speed of molasses, and Fluttershy was happy that Tadar did not elect to rebel against the slow shuffle the crowd kept. They weren’t even out of sight of Tadar’s own house when she started sweating.
In the shade of the parasols and awnings, those who were not moving from one place to the other lounged or rested, many sleeping the hotter parts of day away. Some, as had been the case yesterday, were tossing dice, playing cards, or engaging in other games. Clearing her throat to get his attention, Fluttershy joined Tadar at the front with a pointed glance at a trio of long-necked creatures sat around a game board.
“Excuse me, you said that people play games when they disagree? Like that? Those three, um, the spotted ones?”
Tadar followed her gaze as they passed them by, the ponderous long-necks paying them no heed. At length, he shook his head. “No, those were probably playing a game to pass time. I realize I may have been lax in giving you the short run-down on things here, since it’s very rare someone wanders in on the Bazaar without knowing of it. Those are called giraffes. The humped ones are camels, and you’ve already met one of the pronghorns, gazelles. Many people make their homes here, but the majority are of those three.”
“Sure, caramels and what-nots. And the games?” Applejack asked.
“I may have overstated their importance,” Tadar chuckled. “Friends may decide to resolve disputes through games or, more likely, gambling. It is a trading town, this. The entire town is called the Bazaar for a reason. Some grow so addicted to games of chance or even battles of wit or skill that they lose everything, so mostly, it comes down to rational debate.”
“And if it’s serious, it goes to the court?” Fluttershy added.
“Indeed, the prince’s court, and as of late, it seems most want to avoid that option,” Tadar murmured. Aside from a brief visit to drink at a public well where all manners of people queued up, they walked on in silence through streets that all looked the same. At length, their zebra friend stopped in front of a sandstone building like most others, this one flying a cloth banner adorned with a set of glyphs.
“Sandy is a friend, and a local, so please try to—”
“Don’t make a fuss, we get it,” Applejack grumped.
With a shrug and small, brief smile, Tadar led the way under the awning of the low building and into what turned out to be a small curiosity shop. Every single shelf was crammed with little sandstone sculptures and puzzles made of wood and rope, and the store itself was packed tight with the shelves that carried them. The three had to walk single file through the empty store to stand before the tall palm-wood bench that hid its sole occupant.
“Sandy, wake up,” Tadar hissed to the giraffe slumped against the wall. Behind the archaic registry and the impeccably polished wooden surface of the bench, a vaguely effeminate long-neck was snoozing, oblivious to her customers.
“She’s, ah, well. There isn’t an awful lot of trade being done this early in the day,” Tadar explained with a small frown. “Sandy!”
At last, the giraffe was roused, her eyes slowly cracking open. She peered down upon them from her higher vantage point, her head nearly up among the rafters. When she spoke, it was in a slow, almost monotone voice.
“You bring guests, but not customers?” she asked, one brow raised. “It is good to see you again, Tadar. It has been many years, now. I did not know you were back. ”
“Came back two weeks ago. I’ve been busy,” Tadar replied with a nod. “It’s good to see you again. These are my friends, Applejack and Fluttershy.”
“Howdy,” Applejack intoned.
“Hello,” Fluttershy said, nodding. It was hard not to be a little nervous under the larger creature’s gaze, but her eyes wandered back to Tadar before long, letting Fluttershy breathe again.
“What do you need?” she asked
“A map, large amounts of pure water, dried foods and some form of shelter,” Tadar rattled off, ending with a little snort. “I don’t imagine a lot of people cross the Dune Sea any more after Summergleam started up that ferry service, but these two are in a hurry.”
Sandy hummed, walking over to the other side of the area behind the counter before sliding open a set of drawers. Apparently dismayed at what she found, she shut it and shook her head. “You ask much,” she finally rumbled. “And if I were to ask you for information, ask you who these were—”
“I would not tell you very much,” Tadar admitted. Fluttershy shrank back and pulled her hood further down over her face, and Applejack shifted at her side, no doubt silently protesting at the secrecy of it all again.
“Then again, you are clever, and if you’ve had an ear-stalk to the ground, you can probably guess. I come to you because you, I trust,” Tadar added, emphasizing that final word.
“That you do,” the giraffe nodded. “Even so, I am not sure I can help you.”
“I was hoping—” Tadar began, but Sandy’s monotonous drone cut him off.
“The prince seized the waterworks after there had been ‘flagrant displays of public emotion’ there. It’s not the first time this has happened.” She rolled her eyes. “Enika left town two weeks ago in protest. I’m sorry. I have little to offer.”
Not for the first time, Fluttershy and Applejack exchanged glances. Tadar sighed and nodded at that before the two exchanged farewells, and the trio made for the exit without another word.
“I don’t really understand what’s going on,” Fluttershy admitted, hoping Tadar would hear so she wouldn’t have to ask him directly.
“The whole mess with the prince is bigger’n you said?” Applejack shot.
“Bigger than I thought,” Tadar clarified. “Like I’m sure you heard, I’ve not been in town for long.”
“Because you travel a lot?” Fluttershy asked, but Tadar made no reply, craning his neck to look over the crowd through which they walked. A second later, he turned to the side, pushing his way through the press of bodies. The zebra shot the ponies a urgent glance and inclined his head towards a nearby alley just as Fluttershy spotted the red-cloaked camels and giraffes up ahead.
“Oh my goodness, quickly,” Fluttershy whispered, nudging Applejack towards the alley. The farmpony blinked, muttering the beginnings of a protest until she saw what Fluttershy saw. The two ponies kept their heads down as they forced their way through the softly protesting crowd, rejoining Tadar in the narrow side-street. There, they hid in an awning by a dilapidated door, empty crates and forgotten trash bags between them and the street proper.
“Because I travel a lot, yes,” Tadar whispered, repeating Applejack’s words. “I had heard that he was taking control of more and more of the city, I just didn’t expect it to be this bad. I should have taken the hint when I saw a couple hauled in last week for being affectionate. It wasn’t at all like this last time I was here.”
Fluttershy peered out from around the corner of a large wooden crate, catching the barest glimpse of red in the crowd before she squeaked and pulled back.
“Then why don’t y’all do something about it?” Applejack asked, frowning. “Well, you, them, whatever. They’re just letting this clown do whatever he wants? That ain’t right!”
“Consider again the people who live here,” Tadar sighed. “What would you have them do? Fight? Riot? How eager do you think they are to react with anger or outrage?”
Applejack’s jaw hung slack as her eyes widened. “You’re kiddin’. So he gets away with carting people off for bein’ a bit loud because everyone’s afraid of being angry? He must be happier’n the kitten in the cream, huh.”
“That’s terrible!” Fluttershy agreed, her very wings trembling. “They can’t do anything?”
“It’s not that simple. Nothing here ever is,” Tadar huffed. “From what I gather, he’s simply taking over certain businesses for ‘public safety’. Protecting people from themselves when they act up in any way. I had heard that a local café was shut down after something the guards had dubbed ‘a raucous party’, but I’m starting to think the reports may have been exaggerated.”
Tadar hummed. “Five years ago, a little noise in a café late one evening wouldn’t even have drawn comment except as gossip. Used to be that people minded themselves. Didn’t need to pull on old laws for it. Regardless, a friend of mine at the court said the prince seemed convinced he’s doing the right thing.”
“Does he now?” Applejack muttered.
“He changed some five years ago, just before I left,” Tadar said with a nod. “His daughter was lost to us, and he was taken with grief. Ever since, he’s not been himself. He used to be a kind person. His line has always been. The princes and princesses of the town never wielded great power, you must understand. They’re merely a rich family with their hooves in a lot of pies, a family that took upon itself the responsibility of governing roads, wells and other such things.”
“Five years ago?” Fluttershy asked. “You said nobody had travelled south of here for five years. Is—”
“Yes.” Tadar rubbed at his face with a hoof and slumped. “Rynna was dear to many, but she was neither a trader nor a governess. She had ideas that made ripples, and she was a wild soul.”
“So the prince’s daughter, she went south and got herself lost,” Applejack suggested, taking her turn to peek around the corner. “I think it’s clear. Let’s go.”
“Right,” Tadar agreed, slipping out from their little hiding place. “Let’s head back to my place for the time being. And yes, she went south, because she didn’t believe there was anything to be afraid of. Despite her upbringing, she could never keep her emotions in check. She set out to follow the ponies’ ancient migration back to its point of origin, to prove that we were all wrong.”
“She set out to prove an entire city wrong,” Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow. “Well, she certainly weren’t lacking for guts.”
“Well, um, except she was right,” Fluttershy added, earning a nod from Applejack and a shrug from Tadar.
“Be that as it may, it earned her no friends and little love from her father, and she never returned,” he said, throwing the three into a silence that stretched on. Fluttershy didn’t quite know where to rest her eyes, and Applejack seemed unusually thoughtful, so instead she busied herself with looking at their surroundings. Just as soon as she’d started wondering if she didn’t recognize the smells of certain spices and herbs—and maybe that one gazelle with his fruit stall—Tadar turned a corner and began mounting the stairs that led to his home.
“So, if you don’t mind me asking, what do we do next?” Fluttershy said just as Tadar disappeared inside, past the door-flaps. She glanced over her shoulder to make sure Applejack was alright. The farmpony was still frowning as if though something didn’t quite sit right with her.
“I think we’re going to see the prince,” came the zebra’s voice from inside.
“Oh? But you said—” Fluttershy began, ducking her head inside. She came face to face with four red-cloaked creatures and one gold-cloaked gazelle who managed to look rather imposing despite her smaller size.
“Oh,” she concluded.
“Wha—oh horseapples,” Applejack groaned, bumping into her as she entered.
“Hello, Captain Shadowtop. I see you didn’t up-end my entire apartment this time. That’s progress,” Tadar said, nodding almost pleasantly at the smaller gazelle as Applejack finally entered. Upon seeing the room crowded with guards, she slipped in front of Fluttershy with as much subtlety as the cramped space allowed.
The slight, twin-horned creature wore a golden cloak with ornate border-work, and her head was covered with a helmet that gleamed of pure silver. The other guards about the room loomed, presumably to try to impress or scare, but for her part, Shadowtop seemed rather disaffected.
“Hello, Tadar, and yes, this time you aren’t being suspected of smuggling local artifacts. That helps,” she replied, tilting her head to look at the two ponies. Behind Applejack, Fluttershy gave a little squeak, but the farmpony held the guard captain’s eyes for as long as she could, daring her to make a move.
“Is there a problem?” Tadar asked, clearing his throat.
“Oh do give up. Distinctive hat, low, squat equines and one of the only zebras in town. I wasn’t born yesterday,” Shadowtop retorted, rolling her eyes as she slipped past the zebra to stand before Applejack. She raised a hoof towards the earth mare’s hood, as if to push it back.
Applejack swatted it away.
The red-cloaked camels and giraffes who manned the room all jerked to, closing in, but Applejack paid them no heed, casually removing her hat while she pulled back her hood, Fluttershy doing the same. Thus revealed in full, Applejack put her hat back on her head where it ought to be and treated Fluttershy to a small smirk.
“See? All calm,” she murmured, catching a glimpse of Fluttershy’s own smile before the pegasus looked away.
“Right,” Shadowtop said, her mouth worked into a thin line. “I am awarding you every possible courtesy in letting you walk freely. If you would follow me, the prince has demanded your presence.”
Applejack raised an eyebrow at that. It was one thing that the folk here were a quiet and reserved bunch because of their beliefs, but Shadowtop seemed downright displeased about that last bit. One of the red-cloaked camels nudged her in the side, rousing her from her thoughts to set her moving.
“Do that again and see what happens,” Applejack murmured, following Fluttershy, Tadar and Shadowtop out and once more onto the streets.
Now, the crowd gave them a wide berth. Two ponies, a zebra, the captain of the guard and a contingent of redcloaks, that was sufficient to create a deep furrow in the populus. At the van of their little procession, Tadar and Shadowtop walked side by side, leading the way into the heart of the Bazaar. Applejack strained, perking her ears up. She could barely hear what they were saying.
“—nothing personal, I don’t like—” she heard Shadowtop murmur.
“—just worry. The prince—” Tadar’s words barely carried over the din of the town.
“—wrong place, keep your words to yourself,” Shadowtop hissed back. Whatever else they said was lost, in part because Applejack only now became aware that Fluttershy was speaking her name.
“Applejack?” Fluttershy repeated.
“Sorry sugar,” Applejack said, shaking her head. “What’s up?”
“You don’t seem very scared,” the pegasus commented, furrowing her brow.
“‘Cause I ain’t. Not yet, anyway. It ain’t exactly some deep and dark dungeon. We’ve had enough of those. Might be we’re in more trouble than ever, but I think I’ll hold off on the panic. You?”
“Um, me what?”
“What’s your excuse? You’re bein’ awfully calm for a self-proclaimed scaredypony,” Applejack grinned.
“Oh. Oh goodness, no. I’m terrified, but I figured they’d just get angry or scared if I started panicking too loud,” Fluttershy admitted with a sigh.
The city was vast. Innumerable low and pale yellow sandstone houses passed by, the majority flying colored cloth to cast shade on their awnings, and it was impossible to even guess how many made their home here. Marketplaces opened up and passed by at seemingly random intervals, and two gardens of dry grass and palm trees came and went. They could have walked from one end of Manehatten to the other in the time it took them to arrive at the tall walls that Tadar explained held the prince’s palace.
Without pomp or fanfare, they marched straight past the guards who flanked the rather unimpressive, aging walls. Dried and dying plants tried to climb their height and failed, and inside the small courtyard, a fountain stood at an angle. Applejack squinted against the sun’s glare as she traced the palace’s height to a cracked tower of stained brass.
“Um, Applejack?” Fluttershy whispered as they approached.
“Hm?”
“If the prince was, um, taking things and everything, why wouldn’t he at least make his garden look nicer?” Fluttershy asked.
“It ain’t much to look at is it,” Applejack agreed, frowning. “Guess he’s not in it for the bits at least.”
“Right. I think I can take it from here,” Shadowtop snapped. “The rest of you, head on over to the northwestern market and make sure all is well.”
At her command, the other guards broke off, sketched various unpracticed salutes, and headed back towards the gates. The palace proper loomed before them, a U-shape multiple stories tall enveloping the courtyard. Elegant yet worn arches and windows with decorative iron grates adorned its facades, and parapets ran the length of the building above.
“You’re taking a bit of a risk,” Tadar suggested. Shadowtop shrugged, the small gazelle glancing over her shoulder as she led them through a grand entrance adorned with flaking gold paint. Inside, plush carpets muted their hoofsteps while they walked down a long hallway lined with stone sculptures and ceramics.
“You couldn’t fight your way out of a pillow fortress, Tadar. You are no warrior, and neither are they,” Shadowtop said, the dismissal making Applejack’s hooves itch. “Even if you three tried to overpower me, where would you run? There are guards all around, and the walls only have one exit.”
“Us three? I reckon I could buck you into next week,” Applejack snorted, eyeing her flank for a likely target spot. “And besides, Fluttershy—”
Applejack promptly shut her jaw, eyes going wide as she realized what she’d almost said.
“I’d like to see you try. Idle boasts are cheap,” their escort retorted, but Applejack made no reply.
“Sorry, what about me?” Fluttershy asked, the pegasus’ ears firmly pinned to her skull in grim anticipation, but Applejack shook her head briskly.
“Right, the prince awaits,” Shadowtop said as they approached a large wooden door. The red-cloaked camels at its side pushed it open with a ominous creak that stung their ears, revealing a throne room not entirely different from Castle Canterlot’s own. Large columns supported a high roof, and a raised dais held a low throne upon which reclined an aging camel draped in silks of deep blues and gold.
All around the room, guards stood at attention, but the main difference beyond the smaller size was the fact that no part of the room had been left idle. One corner was evidently a reading nook with bookcases and plush pillows, and another held a table decked with food. It was hard not to appreciate the prince’s approach of wasting no space.
It was a little harder to appreciate the prince’s expression.
“Prince Enjaryn, the ponies, of Equestria,” Shadowtop called as she led their slightly smaller procession towards the throne. The prince made no reply even when she halted a small distance away, seemingly content to glare down upon them with a baleful stare so harsh, even Applejack felt a little put off.
“Do we bow or somethin’?” Applejack whispered, trying to catch Tadar’s eye. Fluttershy gave a start, already halfway to the carpeted floor with her snout when the prince’s voice boomed across the hall.
“‘Do we bow’, she asks,” the prince repeated, causing Fluttershy to blush. “I suppose that in Equestria, they beg and scrape before their ruler? Do you see a crown upon my head?”
“Or maybe we bow because we respect our princesses,” Applejack retorted, scratching her chin. “I ain’t exactly feelin’ much of that towards you when you drag us in here against our will. What’re you thinkin’ to do with us anyway?”
The prince smirked, a dangerous glint in his eye as the aging camel leaned back against his pillows. He waved a brown-furred leg, delicate silks billowing. “Against your will? Oh no. You are my guests until I decide exactly what to do with you. Of course, if you should decide to protest my generous offer, I have a very frightened citizen, a gazelle who will testify against you on a count of disturbing the peace yesterday.”
“I think we’ll be guests, if that’s okay,” Fluttershy suggested, her wings drooping beneath the thin cloak she wore. Applejack sidled over to stand side by side with her.
“I would lie and say it will be my pleasure, but I won’t sully my lips with that nonsense. Take them away. Place them in the old western quarters, and keep a close eye on them. I need to think,” the prince concluded, dismissing them with a wave before he turned away, lips curled up in thinly veiled disgust.
“Come along,” Shadowtop said, the gazelle captain having remained quiet and immobile for the whole exchange. With efficiency and speed, she circled around them and walked back from whence they’d came, Tadar following her close by, and the two ponies close by him again. Together they left behind the rather understated throne room and wound their way through a rapid series of narrow hallways and up two flights of stairs.
If the palace was less grand than Applejack had expected, it was certainly not dead. Once out of the main hallway, creatures of all species and ages were milling about, in and out of the building’s many rooms. A family of gazelles in a small closed courtyard, a pair of giraffes reclining on pillows and reading; here was life, every single door open, every room in use.
All but two. At the end of a hallway, two identical doors opposite of one another stood closed. Shadowtop angled straight for the one of the two guarded by a single giraffe. Barely stopping to open the door, she powered past him with a snapped “interrogating the prisoners on the prince’s order, let none disturb.” Mere seconds later, once Tadar and the ponies had entered, she kicked the doors shut and let out a deep sigh.
“Well, that was unpleasant,” Shadowtop muttered.
The room was as cramped and efficient as all the other parts of the palace, granted only the luxury of a small balcony overlooking the city; a sea of sandstone spattered with colors. The room itself was quite clearly an old bedchamber, a large bed by one of the walls, and otherwise offering only a table, pillows, some empty shelves and a vanity with a washbasin.
“This isn’t so bad,” Fluttershy said, licking her lips and peering about as if looking for the catch.
“No, which should only make you more worried, if you had any sense,” Shadowtop replied, supplying exactly that. “I have never seen him so angry before.”
“You call that angry?” Applejack asked.
“We’ve been over this,” Tadar commented from over by the balcony. “You may not see the signs as you’re not a local, but had his court been there to see that, it would cause ripples.”
“Yes, which is why he ordered us away so quickly, I assume,” Shadowtop hummed. “I doubt this is political. The prince is very, very vexed by your appearance. Why?”
“I don’t understand, are you helping us now? I thought you weren’t a friend,” Fluttershy said, tilting her head at the gazelle.
“This some fancy talking technique to get us to spill the beans?” Applejack asked, narrowing her eyes.
“Oh,” Tadar and Shadowtop said in chorus, looking to each other. “Maybe—ah,” Tadar added, holding up a hoof. “My apologies. I should have explained. Shadowtop and I are, hm, acquaintances?”
“That will do,” Shadowtop agreed with a lopsided smile that lasted all of a second. “You will also recall that the prince asked me to do no such thing as ‘interrogate’ you.”
“Uh, so, where do we stand?” Applejack asked, scratching her head through her hat.
“I guess that’s a different question entirely,” Tadar mused, staring at Shadowtop. “Is this one of those times where our goals align, or are you playing at something here? Do you mean to stay loyal to the prince in his mad ambition, or are you with the people?”
The gazelle rolled her shoulders and lifted her helmet off of her head. Only when she’d carefully placed it on the large low table that dominated the centre of the room did she reply.
“You are less ‘the people’ here than I, Tadar, and I still don’t think the prince has any ambition, per se. Of course I have noticed the change in him over the past years, and I’m neither happy with it, nor am I in a position to protest. I can’t even speak my mind around my own guards,” she said. Poking her helmet, she muttered under her breath. “Blasted thing is hot as the sun itself.”
Applejack couldn’t quite keep back a grin, sauntering over to join the captain by the table, Fluttershy and Tadar also converging on it. “So you’re with us?” she asked.
“Does it have to be that simple?” Shadowtop asked.
“Uh, yeah? It is. Either you’re trying to help, or you ain’t,” Applejack shrugged. At her side, Tadar chewed on his cheek, apparently far less convinced.
“What she is saying is that she cannot help us in any way that gets her indicted,” Tadar offered.
“But you will help,” Fluttershy pressed, beaming.
“Sandstorm, yes!” the gazelle swore, taking a deep breath and letting it out again. “I simply do not know how. All I do know is that the prince likely has a dark end planned for you. He wasn’t at all interested in your kind until he received a package, a book. He stayed up all night reading and re-reading the thing, wearing a hole in the ground with his pacing, and I swear I heard the sound of something breaking in his private quarters. Ever since, he’s been on the warpath, and you’re at the heart of it. Again, I ask, why? There must be some logic to his actions.”
“He knew we were coming here? The prince knew of us? I thought it was the letter from Celestia that told him of us,” Fluttershy said, but Shadowtop shook her head.
“He didn’t know of you before that, no. A travelling merchant arrived bearing a message he claimed came from the far-off land of Equestria. The guards heard of some noise in a market yesterday where two colorful ladies were involved, but it was all a curiosity, nothing more. If he cared beyond wanting to preserve the peace at that point, he never showed it, but he has been in a foul mood ever since he received that package tonight.”
“Then we really need to have a look at that book, don’t we?” Applejack concluded.
“Do you really think it will help?” Fluttershy asked. It was such a simple question, it gave Applejack pause. The demure pegasus, mane askew, was looking up at her with pure and obvious hope in her eyes. She couldn’t even make herself lie to her friend and say she was sure, but it forced her to think.
“Maybe,” Applejack finally said, all eyes on her. “You said it yourself. It’s got nothing to do with us until that book’s involved. There’s something off about this all, ain’t there?”
“That would be what Shadowtop and I have been saying. The prince has been acting odd, showing ambition where before he had none,” Tadar said, the zebra shrugging. Applejack stifled a small groan and rubbed the spot between her eyes.
“No, I mean, really off. You say he’s makin’ a bid for power? Fluttershy mentioned something about it earlier when we were just comin’ up on the palace. It’s not about the bits, or silver, or whatever you use. He’s expanding his orchards, but he ain’t raising a new barn. It don’t add up,” Applejack explained. Fluttershy nodded and sat down by the table. The zebra and the gazelle were obviously not following, so Applejack looked to her friend as she spoke.
“Sugar, I ain’t one to start making ‘theories’ or whatever like Twi’ does, but help me out here. What do we have to do with all this? If he had some plan, trying to use us for whatever he’s been doing for years, why wait until he got the book?”
“Well, um. If Tadar is right,” she said with a nod at the zebra. “Most here don’t know about the real history of the lost lands to the south. They don’t know we ponies came from there, long ago, but I think the prince would know that. Tadar knew about the migration.”
“He’s well read,” Shadowtop agreed with a nod.
Fluttershy licked her lips and lowered her eyes to the table, lost in thought for a moment. “He’s angry with us because we’re ponies, but why? We haven’t done anything, but if he’s trying to—oh my goodness. Does he blame us for something?”
“That’d make sense of the anger,” Applejack nodded. “But what for?”
“It could only really be one thing. His daughter went missing,” Fluttershy pointed out, swallowing. “That’s not good at all. Why would he blame us for that?”
Applejack poked the inside of her cheek with her tongue. “Ain’t got a clue, but it’s gotta be related to the book, then.”
“It’s a theory, but I still don’t see what this all adds up to,” Shadowtop commented, Tadar silent at his side. “Nor how it matters. I don’t understand what we can do with this if we don’t have hard logic and a clear path. Even if you are right, there was little love lost between the Prince and Rynna.”
“You don’t see because y’all spend your lives trying not to admit you have feelings. You’re looking, but you don’t see,” Applejack retorted. “Maybe it takes a pony to see it, but let me spell it out to you; the prince was a real stand-up feller before, trying to do what was right?”
“Well, yes. He used to do what he thought best, looking out for the people of the Bazaar. He changed when his daughter went missing, and I fail to understand why.” Shadowtop was wearing a faint frown upon her face now.
“I think what Applejack is trying to say is, what if he didn’t change? What if he’s still trying to look out for the people?” Fluttershy suggested, a small smile proving that she was catching on. Applejack grinned even as Shadowtop’s frown deepened, the strongest show of emotion they’d seen from the stoic guard captain yet.
“It’s the best shot we have,” Tadar added, the zebra offering an apologetic shrug.
“I will see what I can do, not because I understand you or know what you plan, but because I trust Tadar’s judgment, and wish the best for the Bazaar and the prince both.”
The slight gazelle collected her helmet and marched for the door, slipping outside without another word. Once the door closed behind her, Fluttershy shook her head.
“You didn’t have to be so rude to her, you know,” the pegasus admonished.
“If she’s not gonna play sides, more to the point, our side, I ain’t feeling too charitable,” Applejack muttered.
“I doubt she took offense, but she’s still a friend to me,” Tadar said, stretching and casting a glance out past the balcony where the sun was nearing the horizon. “Still, mind explaining what you two are on about?”
“Y’all are looking for something ‘logical’ and everything just ‘cause your prince is the one touting this whole show-no-emotion nonsense the loudest,” Applejack replied. “I figure that maybe he’s honestly doing what he thinks best all along. Ain’t sure how it all adds up, but there’s something here.”
“Then for all our sakes, I pray we find it,” he murmured, padding over to sit by the bed. A lazy silence settled over the room in the conversation’s wake, the very air hot and heavy with inactivity that made Applejack’s skin itch. Waiting was never pleasant. After a moment’s deliberation, the farmpony made her way out to the balcony where Fluttershy had wandered off to.
The balcony jutted out from the palace wall, and the low guardrail stonework did nothing to hide the full view of the Bazaar here. Smoke drifted lazily upwards from a hundred chimneys as the city folk took their dinners. For the first time since they had entered the city, Applejack could see its borders, stone and sand stretching off to the the north and east as far as the eye could see. Soon, the sun would set in the distance, but the heat still blurred their view. Fluttershy sighed and reached back with her teeth to grab a hold of her cloak, presumably to take it off.
“Don’t. Keep it on,” Applejack said, halting the pegasus, Fluttershy’s teeth clamped down on the fabric.
“Ph’orry?” she said, letting go.
“They don’t know you can fly,” Tadar called from well inside the room. He sounded almost bored, which gave Applejack’s mirth wings.
“I guess he does pay attention,” Applejack murmured, grinning. “He’s right. Let’s keep that to ourselves for now.”
Fluttershy nodded, shifting her wings under the soft fabric. The pegasus looked very ill at ease all of a sudden. “Sorry, I’m not very good at this. Thinking like this.”
“I ain’t much of a mare of mystery myself,” Applejack said, kicking off with her forelegs to lean them on the railing, resting her head against the cooler stone. “I fit into this about as well as a squirt of apple cider in a cup of black coffee. Just know it doesn’t add up, that’s all. There’s something driving the Prince.”
“I hope you’re right,” Fluttershy said, shuffling a little closer. Applejack nodded and leaned her head against hers.
“It’s a bit of a gamble, but hay, they said people like to gamble here, huh?” Applejack mused. Together, the two ponies stood there and watched as the heat-distorted sun merged with the horizon, melting and flattening like an egg before finally disappearing.
Twice the door opened before they fell asleep, once to admit a gruff guard-camel who dumped their saddlebags inside, and once to a giraffe who bore a tray of foods and a carafe of water. The food and water was made quick work of, Tadar capping off their meal with a half-muttered comment on what to think about those who could afford niceties for their enemies.