"Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings."
-Salvador Dali
"I honestly don't know what's scarier; the miniature talking windigos following you around, or you doing something out of the kindness of your heart..." Grey favored Azalie with a skeptical look before glancing around at the ponies occupying the various spaces of his back office. His eyes finally got to Discord, who seemed completely bored with the present company as he was currently entertaining himself with a nail file he was using to trim his beard... Azalie didn't catch Grey's reaction since her own was to promptly wipe the scene from her mind before she could think too much about it.
When her mind finished copeing with what she hoped would not be a regular occurance, she found that Grey had taken a seat and looked more preoccupied with trying to find a comfortable position in his cushioned armchair than actual conversation. Being flung into a shelf of his own wares had dampened his mood considerably, but that was more for loss of profit than any injury he may have sustained-which he apparently hadn't much to Azalie's annoyance.
She decided to humor him regardless. "What's that supposed to mean? If I wasn't so kind hearted, you'd probably need an apothecary right now... or a priest."
"I swear, the wrath of a woman scorned is a terrible thing to behold," he quipped, managing a chuckle.
"Hey, I let Applejack help you out from under the door, didn't I?"
Grey frowned and looked to the orange mare in question, who was finishing off one of the scones he'd offered them along with a pot of tea. "Only because they insisted. That puts them way above you in my book."
"..."
With their usual exchange over Azalie rubbed her hands together nervously before taking a seat herself.
"So, what have you heard?"
Grey shifted his eyes away from her, inspecting an empty corner on the room as he became absorbed in his own thoughts. "Not much. That's what worries me. It's the same no matter who you ask. Smoke rises from the north-east, and no merchants or travelers have been seen on the forest trails in weeks..."
For a moment Azalie felt a chill creep up her spine. "So it's true then..."
Even Grey's flippant nature couldn't conceal the unease hiding behind his brown eyes. "The Guild Union believes as much at least. I heard they called an emergency conference in secret not but a few days ago. Planning for the defense of the city, or so they say."
"I guess all we can do is wait and see..."
Fluttershy took that moment to look up from her food and hear the tail end of the conversation. "... I'm so sorry for interrupting you, but wait and see what? -If it's okay to ask. If you don't want to say, that's fine too..."
"Sorry love, but we don't want to worry you with hearsay," Grey said in a surprisingly soft manner. "Besides, it's nothing you'll have to worry about while you're in the city."
Fluttershy nodded but looked concerned all the same.
"..."
"So, about why I'm here... Can you do it?" Azalie asked, cutting right to the chase.
In response to her question the gathered ponies stopped eating and waited for Grey's answer. They didn't know what she and the peddler were talking about since most of what would have been said was mostly silent communication and assumptions, but they could sense it somehow involved them.
Grey stood up and began pacing what little floor space was left in the cramped office, picking up a wooden pipe that sat alone on the window sill. He chewed on the end without lighting it and mumbled to himself in hushed tones before looking back to her.
"If you're talking about your usual materials, then yes. After you busted up my door I could use the business..." He paused, looking out his window for whatever good it did him. The view from it was mostly taken up by the adjacent building. "But offering these... creatures-"
"-Ponies," Azalie supplied, always a stickler for proper terms.
"...Offering these 'ponies' sanctuary isn't in my best interest." She wanted to argue with him, but he continued, holding out a hand for silence. "Hold on, Azalie. I didn't say no, but you'd have to make it worth my while. There are many in this city that would go to great lengths to acquire them, several of whom I do regular business with."
'Acquire' was the word he used, but what he really meant was 'enslave'. Azalie didn't even want to imagine how much some snooty, upper class merchant or nobleman would pay for a legendary unicorn, let alone two previously unknown species, or for that matter, how far they would go if they weren't for sale.
"Uh, beggin' yer pardon," Applejack spoke up, drawing everyone’s attention at the sudden interruption, "But we don't need no sanctuary, not that yer offer ain't a kind gesture. We're just lookin' fer Twilight, and the quicker we find her the better."
Azalie became instantly nervous that they would insist on searching the city themselves. Not only was such an action dangerous, but it also allowed for the possibility that someone else could file the discovery before her, and that was unacceptable.
"No!" the mage stated firmly, startling the ponies. She had to think fast if she wanted to keep them there. "Uh-I mean, you'll be too limited if you try searching Midrassis by yourselves."
"Then what do you suggest we do, dear?" Rarity asked, levitating a cup and saucer up from the table to take a sip, "We cannot simply sit around and do nothing while Twilight could be in possible danger."
Azalie grabbed her own cup in a most unlady like fashion and downed the contents, preparing to make a deal that had the potential to end very badly for her. "I'm not saying you should do nothing, but doing something without a plan in a city you don't know is the height of stupidity."
"And your proposal?"
"Stay here-" She held out a hand to quite the protests rising from the gathered ponies, "-wait, let me finish. Stay here for the time being and let me see if I can dig up some information on your friend. If I find out where she is, I'll let you know immediately, and we can go get her. But as it is, she might not even be in this city. Grey, have you heard anything?"
Grey was still chewing on his pipe as he listened. "...No, I haven't, and if anyone were to be selling something as mythical as unicorn horns, let alone whole unicorns, I wouldn't be left in the dark." He paused and turned to face Azalie with a perturbed expression. "And while your plan is solid, it does hinge on me harboring these ponies until you find something, and you have yet to offer me anything in exchange."
Biting her lip, Azalie thought about what might be valuable enough to dissuade Grey from simply selling the ponies behind her back. She had plenty of magical items to trade as she was, after all, an enchanter by trade, but the peddler had no shortage of arcane trinkets.
"What do you want?"
"Hmmm..." He looked around the gathered ponies before focusing on Rarity and idly muttered, "If the legends are true, the dust from a unicorn's horn would make quite the powerful enchanting base..."
The unicorn in question looked aghast and promptly fainted where she sat, slumping against a cowering Fluttershy.
"What?!" Rainbow Dash yelled, flying up into Grey's face, "You touch one hair on any of my friends, and I'll-"
"Pffffft!" The peddler inadvertently covered the prismatic pony's face in spittle as he broke into uncontrolled laughter, falling back into his cushioned armchair with his hands clasped at his side. "Y-you should s-see the looks on your faces!"
Azalie folded her arms in disgust, and though she tried her best to look purely outraged by his comment, she couldn't help but imagine a few of the possible applications of a unicorn horn. Academic curiosity aside, Rainbow Dash looked on the verge of violance, and Azalie needed to take back control of negotiations before the brash mare sunk any hope of an agreement. "You're not as funny as you think... I mean; what do you want that is mine to give?"
"How about a night in the sa-aaaaahhhhhh?!" Before he could finish, Azalie found herself of a mind with Rainbow Dash, and Grey quickly found out that hot tea was indeed hot when applied to the face. As an added bonus, Rainbow didn't seem to mind at all that it was her tea that was used for what Azalie considered a group answer to his antics.
"Cut the jokes, Grey! Name your price before I name it for you!" It was a bluff. Azalie didn't think for a second she could get away with crossing the shady shop owner if the exchange went past their usual banter. He was too well connected for her to just bully him into accepting a deal, at least, not without angering his mysterious backers, none of whom she knew. When dealing with underworld elements, it was usually what you didn't know that got you killed.
When Grey recovered, he didn't get angry or lash out. Instead, a large wolfish grin spread across his face. "Actually, there is something you can do for me. A favor I've been dying to ask you for a while now, but I just didn't have the leverage to get it from you."
Sweat began to bead under Azalie's hood at the thought of what Grey could possibly want from her enough to wait until he had her in a position where she couldn't refuse.
The first words of his offer made her blood freeze. "It's about your father..."
"Wow..." Twilight managed to breath, gaping at the spectacle before her. She wasn't alone.
There weren't many in Hollodrum who ventured as far west as Kaldoon, save a few merchants, and it showed on their faces. Just to one side of the caravan was a sheer cliff down into the rocky shoals of the coast, but not a single glance was spared for it in lieu of the cliff face on the other side.
Instead of layers of rough sediment, the many delicately angled juts of colorful limestone wall were smooth as polished glass and wept tiny rivers of water that formed into miniature waterfalls and pools. The light from the noon day sun caused the water to refract the already impressive display of color into a light show that only nature could produce. Like so many crystals, droplets of water splashed over the lips of naturally formed pools and gathered into small manmade tunnels carved under the path to be drained into the sea.
Next to her, Morenth wore an almost imperceptible smile as they made their way to the head of the caravan, passing by many onlookers just as enamored with the sight as she was.
"The Fairy Falls are one of the natural wonders of the world," he explained, his smile widening slightly as he recalled his lessons from the Abby. "You can't imagine how livid the elves were twelve-hundred years ago when they discovered humans had built a city next to it. It actually sparked a series of minor wars with the elven territories some decades after Kaldoon's founding."
Twilight sighed in disbelief. "What I can't imagine, is how humans could fight with other races when the deceased rise up and cause disasters. It doesn't sound like the wisest thing to do when every soldier that dies becomes a problem for both sides."
"That's the funny thing about us humans..." Morenth began, his smile falling, "If given enough time, no matter how horrendous the circumstances may be, humans will find a way to rationalize them and adapt, until they only think of them as minor issues. This facet of human nature is a double edged sword as you can imagine. It gives us the courage to overcome almost anything, but it can also numb us to the problems around us, especially the problems of others."
Twilight glanced away from the delicate waterfalls and looked at Morenth with a bemused expression. "You've put a lot of thought into this, haven't you?"
The paladin tried and failed to hide the heat that came to his face. "No!... Just an observation from my travels."
"But the fact that you took the time to see it proves you were putting a lot of thought into the subject. That at least proves that not all of you are like that. Besides, from what I've seen, you choose to involve yourself in the problems of others on a regular basis."
Morenth looked away from Twilight's warm smile, ashamed by her undeserved praise, "If only she knew how much I've had others sacrifice for the sake of my duty. If she did, would she still look at me the same way?" Instead of voicing his guilt, he said, "I think the same could be said of you, Twilight. This world is not your own and yet you risked your life to defend complete strangers. For you to possess such character, I can only imagine you are someone of great import in your own world."
His attempt to redirect the conversation caused Twilight to turn a bright red and sputter for a moment. "O-oh, well, I don't know about that-I mean, sure I was chosen as Princess Celestia's student, but that was more luck than anything else, and it's not like that gives me any authority on matters of state!"
The paladin didn't even try to hide his surprise as he looked at his companion in amazement. "You mean one of the immortals you mentioned before? I can't imagine one just happens across such an honor by accident. Frankly, I thought this would be something you would be proud of." Certainly not an achievement to be explained away by luck.
The shock on Twilight's face was almost scandelious. "Oh no, I didn't mean to imply I'm not proud to be the Princess' protege!-I mean-I don't... Urrggh!" Any impact her angry outburst would have made was stolen by the childish pout that found its way to her lips. "Don't do that!"
Morenth couldn't help but notice his smile was beginning to return in spite of his best efforts to remain straight faced. "Do what exactly?"
"Twist my words around like that. It's not nice."
"If you calm down a little, you'll find that you're the one twisting words, Twilight," Morenth replied calmly, stopping for a moment to face her. "I didn't mean to imply you don't value your position. I'm just confused as to why you would under rate your importance when your own ruler acknowlages your potential enough to teach you herself."
Pawing the ground at her hooves, Twilight seemed lost in thought. "You know, my friends said the same thing. Not in so many words, but they did tell me to have more confidence in myself..."
"Sound advice. You should listen to them. There's nothing for you to gain from doubting yourself." For the second time that day Morenth spoke words not of his own making, and though the slight ache that accompanied them was pushed away with practiced discipline, the paladin was becoming worried by the increasing frequency of resurfacing memories best left forgotten.
Unaware of her companion's troubles, Twilight beamed up at him. "Thanks, Morenth... Sometimes the important lessons need to be reviewed for them to really stick. I'm just glad I still have a friend to remind me."
Morenth's discomfort with the word 'friend' was slightly dulled by the warmth in her voice as she said it. Even so...
"Twilight... I don't-"
"-My lord, Morenth!" A town guard cried from further up the road, running with reckless abandon as refugees scattered out of his way. "Come quickly! The gate to Kaldoon is closed! They refuse to allow us entrance!"
Morenth clicked his tongue in annoyance and cursed. "Eternal night take us all, and save us from useless dullards!" he spat, turning back to Twilight with a curt nod. "Forgive me, Twilight, but this matter needs my immediate attention. If these refugees begin to think they will be refused shelter after all they've been through, we may have a riot on our hands." Twilight gave him a look. "... And hooves," he amended apologetically.
The refugees around them were already starting to talk in hushed voices as the pair made their way to the head wagon. Tefflas stomped their feet nervously as if sensing the distress of their drivers, and even the battle hardened guards looked at a loss as to what they should do.
As they neared the head wagon the gates of Kaldoon rose up to meet them; massive white stone walls cut from the very cliffs they guarded. Morenth couldn't help but assess them from the prospective of an invader. They were too high to climb with spikes, and with no individual stones in the construction there were no weak spots for long range siege weapons to damage, even if one could fit such a thing on the cliff pass in the first place. Murder holes and fortified ramparts made the paladin pity any soldiers ordered to take it. They would not, however, bar entrance to him.
Just outside the imposing structure a few Hollodrum guards and a large group of refugees were engaged in a shouting match with what Morenth assumed was the gate captain. Their exact exchange was lost as they yelled over each other, and little progress was being made toward securing passage.
"In Yuelith's name cease this pointless bickering!" Morenth bellowed, glad his voice had recovered enough to accomplish his intent. "Who's in charge here?!"
Many of the refugees scattered at the sight of the paladin, not wanting to be the focus of his apparent anger, but the guards held fast in silence, some standing at attention in difference to Morenth's authority. With Pythoes' death most of the guard recognized him as their defacto leader, despite being outside their command structure.
"I... suppose that would be me, my lord," a nervous looking older guard said, glancing around at his fellows as if waiting for someone to disagree. When they didn't he scratched his balding head and wiped away the sweat beading on his brow. "...Or so it would seem."
Morenth cocked an eyebrow at his skittish display. "So what is the issue here, guardsman?"
"My lord, the gate captain says they cannot open the gate for so many refugees. He says there isn't enough room in the slums to hold us."
The gate captain took a step forward. He had the pompous look of someone who thought his position was indisputable. "That would be the situation, sirrah."
"Then it's a good thing they won't be put in the slums," Morenth said matter-of-factly. "These good people are under the jurisdiction of the church and will be treated as such. Any excess the church cannot house will be taken care of by the Archduke himself."
"Sirrah, I don't know what title of nobility you hold, but one does not simply demand favors of Lord Daius." The air of superiority in his voice was beginning to rub Morenth the wrong way.
"He will make an exception," the paladin intoned harshly, handing a scroll to the gate captain.
It only took a moment of skimming the contents of the scroll for the captain to lose the smug look he'd been wearing.
several minutes of groveling and apologizing later found the caravan moving under the massive arches of Kaldoon's gates unhindered.
"Take the main road until you come to the city square in the Merchant's District," Morenth instructed to the lead wagon's driver, "From there take the road following the coast until you find the church. They should have enough food and beds for most of you, and I'll be heading to the Sea Spire to negotiate for the rest and any indulgence the Archduke will provide to get your lives back on track."
The driver bowed in his seat, sweeping his straw hat across his chest. "I will, my lord, and thank you for lookin' after us like you have."
"Please, this is the least I could do."
"And I likely owe all of you a debt I can never hope to repay."
Looking past Morenth, the driver tipped his hat to Twilight as he placed it back on his head. "And thank you as well, Lady Twilight. You may not know it, but havin' you with us was like a beacon of hope for the faithful. It kept a great many of us from losin' spirit."
Twilight's face was aflame as she hastily returned the gesture with a bow of her own. "Oh no, it was nothing, really! I just hope you all can recover some portion of your livelihood soon."
"Aye, and when we do, know that you will always be welcome. You're practically one of our own, my lady." With that the driver snapped his reigns, starting his teffla down the road Morenth had shown him. The rest of the wagons followed suit, and soon the whole caravan was on the move.
Beside the paladin, Twilight donned an inquisitive expression. "What could have possibly been in that scroll to change the captain's mind about the refugees? Did it say you were a paladin of the Church?"
"No," Morenth answered, turning his gaze to the Sea Spire in the distance. "It was a writ from the hand of the Archduke, naming myself as his Adjunct. It gives my voice the same weight as his in all matters domestic."
"How'd you get something like that?"
The paladin sighed and set an easy pace toward the red keep. "It's a long story..."
Up above the noise of the greatest port city known to man, in the tallest tower of the sea spire, a young man poured over endless sheefs of parchment seeking his signature.
The sleeves of his crimson robes were rolled back over his elbows to prevent ink stains from ruining his attire, and his usually unruly auburn hair was pulled back into a short ponytail to keep strands from finding their way into his unnaturally colored eyes.
He was putting the last of his alterations to a new transport tariff when a light rap on his chamber doors interrupted his focused thoughts.
With a gentle sigh, he favored the offending door with an agitated glare. "Yes? Why am I being disturbed in my private study?"
"I apologize, Your Eminence," came the reply from beyond the closed door. The young man recognized the disciplined voice of his personal aid immediately. "But there's been an incident at the southern gate."
"By 'incident' you'd best mean we're being invaded if your standing outside my door with something better reported to the Knight Commander."
There was a uncharacteristic pause that didn't fit with the man's aid at all, and for a moment he dearly hoped that what he'd jokingly referred to was not the case.
"...Well, not exactly, my lord. It seems that a large group of refugees was allowed entry into the city." Something in his voice suggested there was more to the story than that.
"If I remember correctly, the slums are in no condition to house any more occupants without risk of spreading disease."
"Yes, that is correct, but it seems a man claiming to be your Adjunct was with them. He also carried official documents proving such, that is, if the report from gate captain Wilhelm is to be believed."
Setting his quill back in its ornate ink well, Daius moved over to his favorite sitting chair situated next to a large window overlooking the bustling ports of his beloved city. With precise control unbefitting the task, the Archduke set himself snuggly back into the armchair, leaning forward and cupping his chin in his palm.
He only glanced at his door passingly, his thoughts elsewhere. "If that's all, then return to your duties, and hold off on brunch. I'll be indisposed for a while yet."
"Very good, sire," came the dutiful response.
Daius listened to the footsteps of his aid become distant as a weary grin began to form on his face.
"Seven years without a word and he just barges in with the very writ I asked him to keep discreet." The Archduke started tapping his cheek idly with a finger. "Morenth... we will have words."