The Pony Scrolls: Empires

Iron listened intently.

"Long ago, before the rule of Celestia, dragons were the sovereign leaders of all sentient races. However, they were not kind. Ponies were used as slaves, and the other races were treated even worse, if possible. The dragons ruled with an iron claw, putting down any rebels hard with their mastery of the Thu'um, their Voices. It was like that for hundreds of years... until Celestia came. She was the first pony ever to master the Thu'um, and her legendary proficiency, especially with the skies and storms, earned her the title of "Savior from the Sun". Even the Pegasi, who at that time were the sole masters of the weather, respected her. Now, what many don't remember is that Celestia was no Alicorn at this point."

Iron found it difficult to sustain his disbelief. "What!? How do you know that? It doesn't really seem like somepony would be able to... I don't know, just grow wings. That seems like the sort of thing a lot of ponies would have trouble believing.... or at least getting over."

Emerald turned the snark on. "Well, I happen to know because of my good friend Nunya. It happened, and you need to accept it."

"Who's Nunya?"

"Nunya damn business."

"Geez, wasn't trying to pry..... rude."

Emerald cleared his throat and continued. "Anyway, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, Celestia wasn't born an Alicorn. Though that is widely accepted as popular belief, the true is actually that she received her power from an outside source. She was given 'The Gift of Magic."

"By who?"

"Akindrog-Dov, the God-King of Dragons." The fire momentarily seemed to roar at the mention of the name.

Iron felt the need to stop again. "Whoa whoa whoa, slow down... There was a Dragon-God-King? And why would he choose to help Celestia?"

Emerald continued. "I think he was just a really powerful dragon, but to them, he was a God-King. I really don't have much to say on that, since I've never even seen the guy, but hey, history is just that - history. If that bit of info managed to survive despite the success of the Pony Rebellion after Celestia took charge, then some truth must be in it. After all, history is written by the victor."

"I've never heard that."

"You're from a backwater farm town on the very outskirts of Equestria. I didn't expect you to know too much at all, really. No offense."

Iron couldn't really disagree. He himself was surprised that he knew as much as he did, but that was only through the old books he'd found around his home. His mother had always encouraged him to read whenever he could. 'Your father wouldn't have wanted you to grow up illiterate, and I certainly won't stand by and watch you do so either' she had told him once. He kept himself from dwelling on the past too much, and went back to the conversation. "...None taken."

"Now, as for why he aided Celestia, I can't say for sure either. The older legends, especially those of the dragon followers, held that he held the power to move the sun. Maybe Celestia took the burden from him in order to gain his aid. Or maybe there was a bigger threat, and they realized that the only way to overcome it was to work together. Again, I can't say for sure. Now, as for the Rebellion, after Celestia's ascension, she utilized her enormous gifts to call to her the greatest aspects of Ponykind and utilize them as the ultimate weapon against the dragons. They were called..."

"The Elements of Harmony?" Iron guessed.

"Yes! You really do know more than you let on." Iron shrugged, and Emerald continued. "The Elements were the ultimate tool of conquest, but even with all her power, Celestia couldn't utilize them alone. And so she brought forth her sister, Luna 'The Midnight Knight', and shared her power. Together they were able to overpower even the Thu'um and put the dragons right where they belonged - in the ground. And so their reign lasted for a thousand years, until Luna, for some reason or another, felt betrayed and split from her sister. And so the Five Hundred Year War began. If those two keep going at it, it may end up becoming the Six Hundred Year War."

"And here we are, I guess. But what does any of this have to do with me?"

Emerald continued to explain as the fire crackled and popped. "When Celestia defeated the dragons, Akindrog-Dov deserted them, or so it goes. Before he left them to their fate, Akindrog-Dov split his most powerful aspects into the Gifts, gifts that anypony could receive.... if they were worthy. One was the Gift of Magic - Massive magical talent and power, immortality, and even the ability to manipulate the very fabric of Space and Time. Celestia received it, but the creation of the Elements and her split of power with Luna has weakened her, as far as I know. The Gift of Form - it's said to give the abilities and form of the dragons themselves. Strength, power, even the Voice. I have no idea if anypony has ever been born with this or claimed it for themselves, so I wouldn't know of this one for sure. And finally, the Gift of Blood - the blood of Akindrog-Dov and the power to absorb the souls - and abilities - of any dragon. That's you."

Iron would have had to sit down had he not been doing so already. This was a lot to take in for him. "...So... I'm...."

"In less formal words, you would be called a Dragonpony, yes. If I'm correct, then that would put you on the same level as Celestia herself."

"But I'm nowhere near that strong! I can barely lift two carts of hay - she can MOVE THE SUN. I doubt we're anywhere near the same level."

"Your strength is in your pontential. With the ability to absorb dragon souls, you become more and more powerful with every soul taken. As such, if you were to slay enough dragons, your power could possibly be limitless. Don't count yourself out, Iron. You're much more than you think." Emerald smiled at him as he stood up, his scar stretching strangely over his cheek as he did so.

He levitated a torch from the fire before kicking some dirt over it. "Now, we still need to get to Reinwood if we want to get to Canterlot. We could find a way to earn some money, and take a cart from there. But we won't get too far now - it's a bit dark out, and soon night will fall completely. We're going to need to find an inn."

Iron stood up behind him and followed as Emerald lead the way. "Where though? If Riverwood's as far away as you say, then wouldn't an inn be tough to find so far out in the wild like this?"

"You'd be surprised, actually. Lots of ponies are adventurers here, and that means a lot of money can be found in having a warm bed ready for a weary traveler. Now, we'll just need some bits..."

After walking for roughly fifteen minutes, the sky was nearly black. The beautiful and eternally present moon was brighter and even more gorgeous at night. The landscape seemed to change almost completely with it, as well. Bright green trees and shrubs teeming with life became dark towers and shadows hiding the unknown in their grasps. The sound of the river, though soothing before, was seemingly far more relaxing in the darkness. And the main roads were especially more perilous, for bandits and highwayponies were far more common now than at any other time of day.

As if on cue, as the duo made it out onto the main path towards Reinwood, a pony leapt out in front of them. His face was hidden by a black bandana, and in the moonlight, his only distinguishing feature was his fiery orange mane. He spoke in a thinly disguised gravelly voice. "HEY YOU TWO, uh.... G-GIVE ME ALL YOUR MONEY OR.... OR I'LL KILL YOU.... AND LEAVE YOU FOR DEAD!"

Iron was startled by his appearance, but quickly regained his composure after seeing how uncertain the stallion seemed to be. Emerald, on the other hand, didn't even blink. "Wow, that was piss poor, especially considering the redundancy of what you just said. I mean really, if you're going to trail us for upwards of a quarter mile, then you could AT LEAST make the presentation better."

The thief recoiled. "W-what? But how-"

"You make too much noise. I mean really, I could hear those bushes moving from a mile away if I wanted. Even my partner here noticed you." Iron actually thought it was some kind of animal, but he had no chance to correct Emerald before he continued on. "Now, did you really think you could take me AND my friend on?"

The thief stammered as he pulled out his dagger. "B-Back up or I'll--"

Emerald didn't even use his magic. He dashed forward, blindingly quick it seemed, and before the bandit could gasp his knife was in Emerald's hoof. "You'll what? Try kicking us into submission while I stab you to death?"

"Aaah!" The bandit cowered. "I-I'm sorry! I won't do it again!"

"Damn right you won't. If you do try again, the next guy probably won't be as nice as me. Tartarus, we should be the ones robbing YOU. You know what? We'll let you go... given that we get all the bits you have on you."

"Ahhh, ok ok TAKE THEM!" The bandit threw a moderately-sized sack of bits on the ground before running away, diving back into the brush.

Iron was amazed. "Wow, you handled that... really well!"

"Eh, you just have to know what to say and when to say it. Now, I do believe that's an inn at the far end down that way." He picked up the sack and pointed towards the tiny bright dot further down the road. "Let's go before a more competent bandit shows up."

The pair continued walking for what seemed like an hour before coming upon the inn, called the "Embershard Inn". It was a large, three-story building that had light pouring out of every window. There were loud noises coming from within, ranging from laughing and shouting to singing and songs. All in all, it definitely looked lively. Iron had a small bar back in his village where travelers would come and rest every now and again, but it was nowhere near as rowdy-sounding and big as THIS.

When the two entered, the establishment quieted down instantly as everyone stared at the door. Drunkards, adventurers and stewardesses alike stopped and stared at the duo. Iron was nervous. He'd never had this many eyes on him before. The only one who paid no mind was a cream-coated earth pony stallion, who continued to drink.

Emerald simply walked over to the counter and sat, while Iron quickly followed, unsure of what to do. The noise and music quickly returned as everyone went back to their own business and the bard continued to sing her song. He ordered two mugs of ale and a shared room for him and his 'friend' from the stallion working the counter as they sat. "So I take it you aren't used to bars. You ever drink before?" Emerald asked. Iron replied in kind. "I'm familiar with bars. I'm familiar with cider. What I'm not familiar with is SO MANY PONIES." Emerald laughed as the stallion returned with the key to the room and the mugs of ale. "That'll be fourteen bits - ten for the room, and four for the ale." The stallion spoke with a rough voice, as if he had swallowed sandpaper. Emerald payed the man and got up. "I'll be checking the room. You come on up when you're done, 'cause I'll be staying there for the remainder of the night." He turned back to the barkeep. "Uh, where-"

"Upstairs, second floor. Third room on the right."

"Thanks." He took the mug of ale with him as he ascended the stairs. Iron was alone, but he was comfortable. Now he had time to think. Where would she be? Who could have taken her? He knew that his sister was pretty, so maybe someone would have bought her. If that were the case, who? Maybe he'd find answers in Canterlot - somehow. He took a swig of ale. Suddenly the music coming from the bard in the center of the room near the hearth seemed much louder, pounding. The room seemed to tip for a moment before he shook his head, clearing his swimming mind. That Equestrian Ale was some strong stuff. Much stronger than the cider he was used to.

As he sat there pondering his course of action, two stallions trotted over to him, a look of scorn on their faces. One was a lanky earth pony, covered in yellow fur that was absent from patches of his skin, and bald of a mane. The other was significantly taller, at least by a head. He had a dirty orange coat, thick, unshorn fetlocks, a scraggly goatee, and piercing yellow eyes. He was a pegasus, and his wings looked large and ruffled next to his sides.

The yellow one leaned up against the counter as he spoke, his voice crackly and somewhat coarse. "Hey." He tapped Iron on the shoulder to get his attention. "I don't like you."

Iron was confused. "Oh, I'm... sorry, I guess?" He went back to his drink for a moment before being tapped even harder by the stallion again. "HEY."

He turned to see the stallion staring him down. "My friend doesn't like you either. You'd better watch yourself. We have bounties that'd get us executed in three holds."

Iron was really confused now. "I'm sorry, I don't--"

He was interrupted by the stallion again. "You and your queer friend had better take your perversion elsewhere, you hear? Otherwise we might have a problem here."

The barkeep tried to talk to him. "Look, Pitch Patch--" He was interrupted as Patch slammed his hoof on the table, causing the inn to go silent around them. Everypony was staring at them again. Iron was still extremely nervous. He didn't know this pony, and he had no idea what he wanted, so he decided to play it safe. "Look, I'm sorry. We'll be more careful around you."

"YOU'LL BE DEAD!" He pulled out a shortsword from the side of his pack as he attempted to slice Iron's head off. Iron ducked and rolled back out of his stool. He was unarmed here, save for his magic, and the larger stallion pulled out a sword as well. It was two on one, and as far as he knew, Emerald was probably asleep. The Bard began playing a more upbeat, quicker song, though it seemed like an incredibly inappropriate time for music.

As soon as the lanky pony lunged, his hoof, high over his head, was struck by a dagger, the same one that Emerald had taken earlier. He dropped his knife and screamed in pain for a moment before staring up at the level above them to see who had had the nerve to throw that. Emerald was standing there, hoof outstretched. He sighed. "Couldn't help getting into trouble huh? Well, there goes my nap." He leapt over the railing down to the lower level and landed with a thud, startling some bar patrons. He began to pull his sword out, but the lanky stallion charged him before he could notice and tackled him to the ground, trying to stab him with the thrown knife he had pulled out while Emerald forced his hoof up with magic, struggling against his wiry strength. The customers jumped out of the way and watched in awe as the fight unfolded, keeping their distance.

The large stallion ran at Iron as he watched the fight unfold, intent to cleave him in two. However, as his blade fell, it was met in midair by a horseshoe, worn on the back left hoof of the cream-coated stallion. The sound of clashing metal drew Iron's attention back to him. The pegasus tried again, but the cream pony spun on his forehooves and clashed with his right horseshoe, this time knocking the blade out of his hoof. Iron caught the blade in his telekinetic grip before it hit the ground, readying it in case he had to fight. It turned out to be unnecessary, as the cream pony landed on all four of his hooves again and raised his hoof, rounded by two straps, to the stallion. Suddenly, a tiny arrow was poking out from the stallion's throat, and soon after another from his forehead. He fell to the ground, dead.

The lanky stallion, Patch, heard his friend's fall and turned his head to see what had happened. Emerald used the the opportune lack of concentration to direct the blade through his assailant's head, instantly killing him. He shoved the body off as he stood up.

Emerald trotted over to Iron and his savior. His cinnabar coat hid the streaks and flecks of blood very well, but his mane didn't. There was a large stain surrounding the hair around his horn and the horn itself, and it seemed that during the struggle Emerald may have actually gored his opponent with it.

The barkeep sighed and began trotting to the back room behind the counter. "Some ponies, yeesh. Always killing each other or beating the crap out of one another," He muttered under his breath. He spoke up to the group as he unlocked the door. "That's a hundred bits for the clean-up. Fifty a body."

Emerald didn't at all seem daunted. "No problem. Our good friend would be happy to accommodate us." He nudged toward the dead pony and produced a large, nearly overflowing bag of bits, apparently lifted from Patch's body. Emerald turned to the cream-coated stallion and raised his hoof in a show of thanks. "And to whom do I owe the gratitude for saving my friend's life?"

The pony pushed Emerald's hoof back down to the floor, and just smiled at the two of them. He had a short cut teal mane, just a few freckles, and eyes as big as saucers. "No thanks necessary! I'm Kicks, full name Flippity Kicks! I have no idea why my parents named me that. Maybe it was to break the mold or something? Either way, I loved it! It also goes really well with what I do. I like fighting things with my legs a lot. And my hoof-bow! Wanna see my hoof-bow?" The stallion quickly raised his foreleg to show off his weapon. A small crossbow, with room for at least three bolts before reload, was mounted on the underside. The arms appeared to be made of spring blades, allowing the device to work as a melee weapon as well. The small pack of bolts was just underneath the miniature bow, rigged in such a way that pulling back on the container would eject new bolts directly into the bow after it had depleted it's volley. Iron had never seen anything like it, and to say he was amazed would be an understatement.

"WOW!! That's really neat!! How'd you get that!?"

Flip beamed with pride. "I made it myself! I KNOW RIGHT!? Yeah, it's a work of art, but hey, no big deal really. I've made lots of stuff that's just as amazing! I mean, look at my horseshoes! They're lined with strips of refined steel under the softened iron, making them comfortable AND functional!! And did I mention...."

Emerald had payed the barkeep and long since left his companion with his new, very talkative friend to go get a good night's sleep. To him, the less he had to hear of Iron's innumerable questions and rants, the better.

~-~-~-~-~-~

Twirl had thrown Bloom onto the bed. She was helpless. Her magic was still unable to be used because of that damned binding paper, and she could take it off, not with Twirl threatening her with that whip. She clamped her eyes shut tight, hoping for it to end quickly.

"Alright lil' pinkie, we're gonna have some FUN!" Twirl undressed herself and threw her whip to the side. She wouldn't need it.

She leapt on top of her.

Bloom waited for what seemed like an eternity before Twirl began moving. She opened her eyes to find Twirl awkwardly trying to hump her. She seemed clumsy, and only ever touched her correctly every minute or so. She didn't really seem to be getting much pleasure out of the act.

"U-um...Miss--"

Twirl stopped and snapped at her. "Quiet, you! Or Ah'll take your tongue out!"

Bloom tried to mask her fear. She put on a brave face and stood up to her abuser. "...No. I want to help you."

"Whut did I just-" Twirl stopped for a moment, then continued on. "Wait, whut did you say ta' me?"

"I... I want to help you." Her voice squeaked when she spoke, and she quivered then and again. "You don't seem to be... d-doing anything.... and I'd like to help you...."

Twirl was incredibly confused. "Wait, WHUT!? You....Ya wan' ta help me RAPE YA!?"

"Well, I... I think...." Bloom was incredibly submissive. Back in her village, she had always obeyed whenever somepony had told her to do something. She never questioned, never rebelled, and because of that the adults always enjoyed her company. She hadn't had any stallions though, as they all went after the girls with more, how they said, 'Fire in their hearts, and in their loins'. Even the one colt she had her eye on (and even mustered up the courage to talk to, after some prodding from Iron) stopped seeing her after a while, calling her 'too much of a pushover'. Even now, it took her incredible amounts of willpower just to speak up against her molester.

"...Y-you'ra strange one! I don't even want ta have mahway with ya anymore! Yer too soft! But I'll toughen ya up!"

She jumped out of bed and reached for her whip. Her wrist and it's tip began to subtly glow, and she cracked it against Bloom's hide once again. Bloom held her voice in, even as she felt the blood trickle down her flank. She refused to scream again. Twirl continued to whip her, yelling at her to "SCREAM! SCREAM FOR MEH, PINKIE!!"

Strangely, after a few whips, Bloom began to.... enjoy the sensation. Sure, it was still painful, but it was also arousing strange feelings within her, feelings she couldn't describe. This continued on for half and hour, with the feelings increasing with each tip that smacked her. As Twirl smacked the whip against her again, she bit her lip as a powerful sensation wracked her body, the pleasure and pain mixing into a perfect cocktail of sensation. She felt herself wet the bed sheets as her entire body was wracked with an orgasm, unable to contain her moans. "MMMmmhhhh...."

The whip stopped. Bloom's flank was a crimson red, with several streaks of blood from the bits coating her flank. Her feminine ejaculate, still dribbling from her marehood, formed a large stain on the mattress.

Twirl was at a loss for words. She was, quite frankly, stunned at what she had just seen. "Did you... did ya just get off ta me whippin' ya?? W-well, er, Th-there's plenty MORE WHER' THAT CAME FROM!!" She raised the whip again, and Bloom closed her eyes, biting her lip harder and letting a small smile slip. Twirl instead lowered the whip. She just couldn't do it. Her arm was too tired. And there'd be no point to it. After all, what was the point of beating a slave if they just got a sick kick out of it? She sighed and collapsed on the bed. "...Well now, this's unexpected. Ah was gonna just beat and rape ya, but.... Ah can't. Ah... Ah..... Er.... that is...."

Twirl looked up at her, a small blush on her cheeks. "Ah've never seen a mare like ya! Ya just took all the whippin's ah gave, and all Ah have ta show fer it is a soaked bedsheet..." She was flustered. She couldn't tell whether she wanted to make out with this mare, or just beat her some more. Either way, she'd be getting enjoyment out of it, but... it just felt kind of wrong now.

Twirl moved up next to her on the bed. Bloom flinched as she did so, but Twirl tossed the whip to the side to show that she meant no harm, at least for now. "Listen, Ah'd... um..... Ah'd like ya ta help meh out a bit... if ya could. Ah... Ah'm kinda bad at this...." She pointed down between her legs. When Bloom momentarily hesitated, she considered yelling and threatening her again, but knowing that she couldn't even back up her words, she instead tried something a little more drastic. She cleared her throat, and tried to speak clearly. "Could ya... *ahem*... PLEASE help meh with this?"

Bloom was a bit surprised. After all, she had heard this pony do nothing but yell and threaten her for the past few hours, and now she was being... civil? Maybe Bloom's little outburst and subsequent climax had a hand in this, but she didn't question it. She just nodded gently and placed her hoof between Twirl's legs.

"Hmmm... that's alright' Ah guess. Hmmm.... Ok. Keep it up, now'. That's..... that's actually..... really nice! I.... like that a lot.... I... REALLY LIKE THAT...." Twirl kept speaking to Bloom, egging her on as her most sensitive parts were fondled in suxh and expert manner. Among other things, one of the few books that she had read and re-read alongside her brother dealt with Equine anatomy, and, having had more than enough time to try it out for herself, she was more than adept at it.

Twirl head swam and lights seemed to flash before her eyes as she came.

She wanted to yell and scream, but the only sounds coming out were squeals of unrivaled ecstasy, such as "URRRAAAAAGHHHAAAAAAAAAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"and "MMMHHHAAAAAHAHAHAHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" and "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!". Her legs quivered as she lifted her haunches a few inches up off the bed. She squirted out what equated to a small river, with the soaked area ending up even larger than that of Bloom's. "..............hah..............hah.........." She couldn't even form words at this point. She was so exhausted from her incredible finish that sweat poured off of her in rivulets. Her tongue lolled out of her mouth, and her eyes seemed to be able to actually see her brain, far as they were rolled up. She looked down to see Bloom's face just above her moistened mound. Her face was scrunched up from the blast of liquid to her face, and it came upon Twirl that she had transitioned in the middle of the act without her notice, so enraptured she was in her sexual release.

Twirl hugged Bloom closely in the aftermath of her orgasm, reveling in her afterglow and ignoring her own juices all over Bloom's face. "Wh-what... is your.... name?" She managed to pant out.

"Er, I'm L-Lily...Lily Bloom..." Lilly was actually happy being held this close, despite the abuse she had received from her attempted rapist not more than an hour before this. She believed that maybe this mare wasn't too bad after all.

Twirl saw in Lily a great sex toy, and was determined to have her all to herself. But she felt more than that. She was confused, but she had begun feeling.... attached? She didn't know, and she didn't care. All she knew was that she would be holding this mare close by her side for quite a while. Nothing else mattered. Not even the dirty Sultan.

And so the frightened mare, afraid for her life but ready to aid the soul in bed with her, unaware of her own approaching change, lay with the repentant slaver, still harsh and cruel but shown a new wilder side of life by her slave, a slave whom she had put herself below, if only for a moment, as the moon shone bright in the Saddle Arabian night sky.

~-~-~-~-~-~

LEVEL UP. Level 10.

One-Handed increased to 34.

Speech increased to 40.

Perk Gained: Quick Wit - You may now be as skilled as others in the trade of the tongue, but you sure as hay are good at talking an ear off. You can now 'stall' certain enemies by stunning them with rants and speeches.