The Pony Scrolls: Empires

As Emerald and Iron walked through the wilderness, they conversed about not only the land, but their destination.

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Oh. Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Oh. Are we there yet?"

"Stop it."

"Stop what?"

"You know damn well what you're doing. Quit acting like a foal!"

"Well what else am I supposed to do? I'm bored." Iron paused for a moment. "....Ok, fine. But, in all seriousness, where exactly are we headed?"

Emerald looked around at the trees and then up at the sky as he talked. "Well, the sun seems to be setting in that direction, so we need to go.... that way to head north. Tree moss always grows towards civilization, so we're heading to Reinwood."

"Wait, tree moss grows in the direction of civilization? How do you figure that?"

Emerald took a moment to look around, then whispered to Iron. "The trees have ears. They hear the whispers of ponykind, and  out of curiosity, they listen to what we say," he muttered. "Most trees are kind spirits, ones who are more than happy to be beneficial to the causes of others around them. However, others are less than friendly, and despise our species for our apparent lack of regard for nature. You have to be careful, because if you manage to incur the wrath of a tree..... well, just don't incur the wrath of a tree, ok?"

Iron looked at Emerald with a face betraying nearly no emotion. "So... you're telling me.... that you can hear and talk to trees."

"Oh no, not me, but others can. They're much more in tune with nature than I am, and they can sometimes even sympathize with the plight of nature that the trees feel. Ever heard of a 'Dweller'? They're ponies who have given up on our kind and have taken to living with nature itself, transmogrifying their own bodies into hybrids of the land and ponykind itself. I guess you could say they're, like, super-refined, nature oriented Earth Ponies."

"What."

"It's probably better if we don't meet one. They aren't normally nice to us 'Fleshies', but hey, when we meet one, and we probably will, you can see for yourself."

Iron just shook his head and kept walking. That was just nonsense. Nopony can talk to trees.... right? Then again, he'd just seen a giant fire-breathing demon soar through the sky and destroy an entire village, so he was in no position to judge whether something was real or not at the moment.

Remembering that beast brought an important question to the forefront of his mind. "Emerald? Have you ever seen a creature like... THAT before?"

Emerald thought for a moment. ".....Nnnnope, can't say that I have. Although, I have heard legends of creatures like this when I was... younger. They were called 'Dragons', and it's said that their race died off after their leader faded away to the furthest reaches of Tartarus. They, apparently, nearly wiped out ponykind and took over Equestria, and possibly, all of existence. Seem like a nice race of genocidal giant lizards, don't they?" Emerald had a smile on his face despite the terrifying reality of his story. If that thing really WAS a dragon, then why were they back? If they were all supposed to be dead, then where did that one come from? And more importantly, who, or what, exactly WAS their leader?

Iron's mouth was held agape. "Do you mean to tell me, that in the middle of this massive, decades long war between the two royal sisters, a race of killer beasts from a thousand years ago has returned, and said killer beasts could very well end up killing our entire race and ruling everything like they tried to once?"

"Yes. What, were you not paying attention?"

"No, no, I got it. What I want to know is WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THIS EARLIER?!"

"Eh, you didn't ask."

Iron was more than a little furious with Emerald right now. How could he possibly be so calm and composed knowing that the end of his own race and, maybe, the world as they both knew it, could be wiped out by a bunch of monsters before the year's end? He wanted to yell at him some more, but he couldn't find it in himself to do so. Despite that goofy grin he wore across his face, he knew Emerald well enough after the few days that they had been traveling to see past his facade, if even only a little. His eyes betrayed him, revealing the fear and doubt that he harbored, but he was willing to put aside his own feelings and put on a mask in order to make the others around him worry less. He admired him for that.

It was at this point that Iron realized, with a shock, that despite all the questions he had asked earlier in an attempt to get to know his traveling companion better, he had not asked about his cutie mark, nor even payed much mind to it.

He looked at Emerald's flank. It bore an image of a sword, stuck in a stone. He decided to ask. "Emerald... what about your cutie mark?"

Emerald smiled. "Oh, now THAT'S a story! You see, when I was young, I used to do.... hmm, well, it might not actually be that much of a story after all. In short, I was there for someone who needed it, and the next day, this appeared on my flank. I was so happy about it, but at the same time, I had no idea what it meant. Now, I realize that my mark represents not only my prowess with blades, but my determination and will, to act as a sort of 'rock' for others to come back to."

Iron thought about his explanation. He began to think about his own cutie mark, believing that he too had a higher purpose beyond what he thought.

His insight was interrupted by a deafening screech coming from the air.

Emerald and Iron whipped their heads around and saw none other than the Dragon of Haygen, diving at them and screaming in it's terrible language.

DOVAHKEY!!! AAL AG TARTAURUS FAH FEYNAL!!! DII!!! DII!!!

The massive beast crashed into the ground, unable to focus properly because of the still burning pain in its blinded eye. Iron and Emerald dove out of the way as trees and the ground itself were both turned up and thrown as the beast collided with the earth itself.

It managed to stand up on all fours, albeit with difficulty, and started thrashing it's head and screeching, nearly deafening the two ponies and making it impossible to get near the beast. "IRON!!" Emerald had to yell to be heard over the beast's screams. "IT'S DANGEROUS TO KILL THAT THING ALONE, SO TAKE THIS!" Emerald's stolen sword flew through the air  from behind the monster and landed in Iron's telekinetic grip. He was the closest to the dragon's head, and in it's fury it hadn't actually noticed him cowering near a rock, nearly being flattened with every whip of it's massive head. Iron stared at his own reflection in the blade. Could he do this? There was no doubt that what he was about to do was incredibly dangerous, but for some reason, that just seemed to make it more exciting. He knew Emerald was counting on him, and who knows how many other villages that could end up like Haygen if he failed. He was afraid, but he refused to let it conquer him. This was too important. He waited for the dragon's roaring maw to pass over his head again, timing his movements just right and summoning all of his strength.

And with a fierce cry, he leapt up and grappled on to the side of the beast's skull.

The dragon, now fully aware of his presence, began to thrash and scream even more, cursing in his foul language at the top of his voice.

DII!! DII!! DII!! AUS AHST FEYNAL HAAL!! DII!! DII!! DII!!!!

Iron managed to climb to the top of the dragon's head despite his thrashing, and, clinging to him with nearly all he had, he levitated the sword above the huge forehead and plunged it deep. Blood was everywhere. The blade first pierced bone, then flesh, and finally brain as it sunk deeper into the giant lizard's head. The dragon slowed down considerably, but it didn't stop, a testament to the resilience of it's kind. Iron yanked out the bloody sword, now covered in blood and with a little grey matter still stuck to it's tip, and jammed it back in, screaming the entire time.

This time the dragon stopped.

It's head finally quit flying everywhere and hit the ground with a dull thud. Iron stumbled off of it, covered in blood from the spurting wound and barely able to stand after holding onto the dragon for so long. He was ready to collapse when Emerald had finally made his way over to him, jaw slack in pure awe. "Iron... you just KILLED a DRAGON." The way he said it, it sounded like he still didn't believe it. "I was just expecting you to clip it's wing, make it unable to fly so we could get away or... something.... but this.... THIS is UNBELIEVABLE!!" His green eyes lit up, and for just a moment, Iron saw something in Emerald's eyes, something he couldn't describe.

Just then, as Iron was prepared to black out, the dragon's body started.... dissolving. It's thick scales and flesh simply began to burn away, the golden ash of what used to comprise the beast's skin simply floating away. Then, something unexpected happened. The dragon's ash remained stagnant in the air above the body for a moment, and then it rushed straight at Iron. Emerald leapt back, unsure of what was happening, and completely unable to lift a hoof to help. The ash-carrying wind swept over Iron, and it seemed to just become a part of him, covering him from head to hoof and sinking into his coat. Suddenly, he felt a lot better. In fact, Iron felt really good, like he could take on all of Equestria at that moment. Never before had he felt such power. He thought he could make out a faint voice in the swirling wind, and from what he heard, it sounded like gratitude, thankfulness for a freedom from something. He was briefly surrounded by an unearthly glow, and then.... nothing. The ashes had vanished, become a part of him. Nothing of the dragon remained, save for it's warm skeleton and a few of it's scales.

Emerald just stood there, shocked. His mouth was clamped shut, and his face betrayed his amazement at what he had just witnessed. Iron simply stood there, reveling in his strength, and surprised at what had just happened to him.

"It's.... you." Emerald spoke with reverence, as if he had just learned something of great importance.

"What? Me? I don't understand. Me what? And what was that? And how did-" Emerald walked up to Iron and placed a hoof over his mouth. "Wow kid, you really DO ask a lot of questions. As for what happened, I've never seen it before, but I know what it is. It's the sign."

Iron removed Emerald's hoof from his mouth. "A sign? A sign of what?"

"Not a sign. THE sign. The one thing that can prove it."

"Prove what?!" Iron was getting really tired of all this walking around the subject. "Just come out and say it!"

Emerald took a deep breath, then looked at Iron with a dead serious expression. His scar made him seem all the more menacing. "You are one of a chosen few, one of a handful of individuals destined to carry a Gift of the Dragons. In their tongue, you are known as Dovahkey. In pony, that translates into...."

"Dragon Pony." Iron didn't know how he knew, but he knew. And what surprised him more was Emerald's confirmation.

"Well, that only settles it." As the sun began to set over the mountains, Emerald gathered a small pile of sticks and ignited them with magic. He set the small campfire down near some fallen trees, and instructed Iron to take a seat.

"Get comfortable. We have a lot to talk about."

~-~-~-~-~

Lily was paraded into a small town, shackles and chains connecting her to the long line of ponies sobbing and weeping as they entered. The ponies there didn't make eye contact or try to speak to any of them. The stores were closed, the ponies rushed their foals into the safety of their sandy huts and hovels, and the few who remained on the streets went about their business, not daring to so much as glance at the lines of sobbing ponies being led to the center of town, the Sultan's residence.

It was magnificent. The Palace was a massive sandstone castle, tall enough to reach the clouds and colored in nearly every color of the rainbow, mirroring the sand of the desert surrounding it.  It was easy enough to see why the ponies being paraded with her were so awestruck. Lily could barely keep her jaw up.

They arrived in front of the palace, their entry barred by a massive gate. The mare with the strange accent from earlier yelled up to the guard on duty to get his attention. " 'AY! BLINK, S'THAT YOU UP THERE?!"

The stallion known as Blink soon appeared over the edge of the wall surrounding the Palace, rubbing his eyes as if having just woken up from a nap. "Euuugh... Twirl, is that you down there?" He lacked Twirl's strange accent, but in place of it he looked decidedly different from other ponies. From what she could see, Lily noticed that his legs and fetlocks were completely unshaven, with his coat having grown over his hooves to the point that it looked as if his hooves had been replaced by small, furry stumps. His ears were strange too, having so much extra fur at the tips, but maybe this was just something unique to him. Twirl didn't seem any different from an ordinary pony, and neither did any of the other ponies in town.

Lily's thought was interrupted by Twirl having noticed her looking up at them. " 'Ay, YOU DOWN THERE!! LIL' PINKIE!!" Lily gasped as Twirl lewdly displayed her genitals, blushing furiously and looking right back down. "Like what ya saw? GOOD, CAUSE YOU'LL BE SEEIN' IT AGAIN SOON ENOUGH!! NOW, KEEP THOSE EYES DOWN!" Even Blink seemed a bit perturbed by this. "Twirl? I know he said we could do what we pleased with this batch, but do you really think that's what he meant?" Twirl stared back up at him, not phased in the slightest. " 'Notta all. I'll be havin' THAT one soon enough, anyway. Might as well give 'er a taste o' what's ta' come!" Lilly kept her head down as Twirl yelled back down at her. "YA HEAR THAT, PINKIE?! YER' ALL MINE!!" Lily was scared out of her mind, not because of the threat, but because of the fear of what this mare would put her through.

Blink proceeded to open the gate as Twirl was preoccupied, cranking the large, ornate wooden door open with his hooves. He was a lot stronger than he looked, that was sure. As the gate doors came to a halt, Twirl paraded her 'shipment' into the courtyard, headed directly for the large central tower. Lily didn't get enough time to look around, as the chains connecting her to the other, more obedient ponies were pulling her ahead and forcing her head straight. However, she was able to see the massive crowds of ponies farming the land within the Palace grounds, even noticing some of them actually falling over and collapsing. She was horrified that this could very well be her fate.

As Twirl led them inside, a cool blast of air hit the line of ponies head on, eliciting many muted sighs of relief. As Lily looked around inside the Palace interior, she noticed the guards lining the hall had the same features as Blink - long coats, unshorn fetlocks, furry ears. It seemed to be something native to this particular area.

As they entered what she assumed to be a throne room, Twirl immediately landed and bowed. She yanked the chains hard, forcing Lily and the others down to the ground with her. The curtains in the room immediately lifted, letting through a soothing orange light, filtered by the thick windows around the room. The ceiling cover was pulled back last, allowing a large skylight to fully illuminate the room. A pony in the corner began playing some very soothing music with her harp, and the large pony sitting upon the throne standing above all in the room was finally revealed.

He was overweight, enough so that his folds of fat could be seen even without him moving. He wore overly elaborate clothing, covered from head to hoof in robes with all kinds of jewels sewn into the very fabric. He was an earth pony, consuming an apple being held in front of his mouth by a unicorn in rags and chains nearby, guarded closely by a large stallion. But most of all, he was ugly. He had a large wart on his chin, and as he opened his mouth, his yellowing teeth were clearly visible. He was the most revolting pony Lily had ever seen. And now she was under his control.

"Oh, Grand Sultan, Master ov' the Spectral Sands, and Lord ov' all within the Earth, Sea, and Sky ov' Saddle Arabia, I am here before Your' Grand Hooves." Twirl seemed to be holding back her accent as much as she could.

He began to speak in a deep, drawling tone. "I thank you, Tornado Twirl, for holding your tongue and your FILTHY accent in my presence. I shall see to it that you are rewarded for this new batch of slaves." Lily began to silently weep at the mention of her becoming a slave, but not so silently that she went unnoticed. Twirl, turned her head, still bowed, to hear her quiet weeping, and intended to make her suffer further. "Your' Excellency, if I may?"

The Sultan took a sloppy bite from his apple before continuing, not even bothering to chew and swallow first. "You may speak."

"If at all possible, I would like to have a little.... personal enjoyment' with one o' the slaves." She seemed to silently curse herself for allowing her accent show, but she had been careful in not speaking as such to the Sultan, and luckily, he took no notice. "Hmmm..... you wish this slave for your own pleasure, then?" She nodded silently. "Very well then. Consider this your reward for culling that tongue of yours so well." She seemed relieved. "Yes, Master."

"And make sure to arrive in my chambers at dusk, as punishment for allowing it to slip through your teeth moments ago." He had noticed. She seemed to physically flinch as she rose, walking back towards Lily in the line. She unchained her and attached to her a strong leash, one which seemed to get stronger every time she yanked it. She walked Lily out of line and to the right of the room, into one of the separate corridors, as the royal guards took control of the other ponies' chains.

Once they were out of earshot, Twirl whispered into Lily's ear. "Ye'll naught enjoy this, lil' pinkie. And I promise ya' it will not be over quickly." Lily shivered and whimpered as Twirl licked the side of her face gently and bit her ear. She would not enjoy it. Twirl would make sure of it.

~-~-~-~

Dragon Soul Obtained.