The Alicorn Scrolls

Story:

Terrarian Pony presents

The Alicorn Scrolls

Chapter 10

New Blacklight

...

Jar'Wuz was stalking from a distance. After Terran had disappeared into the huge magic bubble, he was convinced that, after everything... Terran had no idea what he was doing. Jar'Wuz knew that those two unicorns were the key, but he also knew that there were other ways to force a lock.

"Ah... a sly move, Sally." Jar'Wuz commented. "Well, this one may have a few trick up his sleeve, too." He pulled out three small, glowing blue orbs, and chucked them at the magic barrier. The magic around the area of effect dissipated, creating a hole in the barrier. "No one keeps Jar'Wuz in, nor out."

...

Terran finally had to admit to himself, that he had no idea what he was doing. Once they brought him passed the barrier, he was be all alone. There's no way the bipedal cat would be able to follow him. This was bad. Very, very bad. Well, he wasn't completely alone. He had Earl with him. But was that enough? Would the two of them be able to get what they need on their own? Something bothered him, though. Jar'Wuz knew more about the book than he did. What did the cat want with it? Okay, he wanted treasure. But what kind of treasure? Was it dangerous? Was it real?

Terran realized it didn't matter as Sally brought him into her office. The floor was stone, and the furniture, made of wood. Terran could smell birch, but it looked like dark oak. There was a fire place to the left, and most interesting, a giant hole in the wall, behind Sally's desk. "Uh... nice place you have?" Terran said, confused. "No really. It matches your... well, no. It doesn't. There would have to be more lava dripping from the ceiling."

"Curious." Sally said. "Did you think I wouldn't come back for you? Or that I wouldn't catch up to you?"

"There are ponies, if not, other creatures, who will stop what you're doing."

"Is that what you think this is? You're the hero, and I'm the villain."

"Well, I'm not saying that, but... I think we both know one of those things is true. What you're doing here. It's not just business. These are lives you're playing with."

"You misunderstand." Sally turned towards Terran with tired eyes. That menacing smile was no longer there. "You have no idea, what I have sacrificed. I'm trying to make Equestria a better place."

"Are you trying to tell me... that you're the hero in all this?"

"Oh, you fool. I'm not a hero. And neither are you. You are pawn in a much larger game. And I am simply..." She looked away for a moment. There was an awkward silence. Terran looked in the direction she was, but there was nothing there. She looked at Terran again with that tired expression, walked up to him and whispered "...inevitable. I am the inevitable cause of Equestria's survival. I'm the only one who can make Equestria strong again."

Terran looked at her with a blank expression. He was confused. He hadn't understood what madness she was spewing. "What?" he asked, aggressively. "What in Tartarus are you talking about, you mad mare?"

"I am talking about those creatures you put so much faith in. Zebras were bad enough, but then the dragons came in. The changelings? The yaks? The Kirin? Don't even get me started about Discord! Equestria used to be built on the strength of magic, not friendship! We used to be the pinnacle of society! Each of us had our own roles! This cannot continue! Equestria must fend for itself. Now do you understand?"

Terran looked at her for moments. It felt like hours, just staring, occasionally, his eye twitching. "Survival?" he uttered finally. "You're saying we have to... survive? Survive what? Barely anything happens in Equestria, that requires such rash action! Survival is for those who have nothing! Survival is when everything goes wrong! Sure, there were a few country-wide disasters, like... the return of Nightmare Moon, or... the changeling attack on Canterlot, or... the attack on the crystal empire... and now the attack of the dragons... er."

Terran began to realized that his argument was becoming more and more invalid. "Okay, so there have been a lot of attacks on Equestria. But some of them were caused by actual ponies! Like uh... the shadow pony! Or Kind Sombra! Or... Starlight Glimmer, even though she eventually became Twilight's student. Technically Nightmare Moon was Luna, one of Equestrias princesses!"

"It is because of those princesses that Equestria has become weak. These alicorns weren't there before, and they won't be soon."

"So what? You're just gonna save us all, then? Come on! Most of your victims ARE ponies! And you're working with Zebras! And the worst kind, too! You're the one putting our kind in danger!"

"Necessary sacrifices. Everything I do, I do for Equestria. And I'm not trying to save it. No, I'm am trying to remind Equestria of who we are." There was another pause as Sally stopped to think, and then spoke again. "And thanks to you. I finally have a plan to make that happen."

Sally walked past Terran, and outside of the office. Terran was panting now, from frustration. He felt as though a vein were about to pop. "This is not how things were supposed to go." he whispered under his breathe.

"Ah, but it worked out so well, did it not?"

Terran blinked twice, looking around. Jar'Wuz appeared out of thin air. He had an odd grin on his face, as he waved a book in front of Terran. "After all, we got what we came for." Terran looked closer. That was it. The Lizard of Steamy Mountain.

"H-how did you..."

"Please. Jar'Wuz has been doing this for years."

"You said Sally had the book on her at all times! How did I not..."

"See me? Well, Jar'Wuz thinks he should leave that up to pony's imagination. Now, let us go!"

"Wait! We need to tell Earl."

"Who is this, Earl? And why does Jar'Wuz not like this name?"

"Earl is a buddy of mine, working undercover with the Blacklighters. He's been helping me get this book."

"Ay ya ya! Is one favor after another, pegasus. Pretty soon you have to pay up!"

"I will. I always pay my debts." Jar'Wuz gave him a glare, crossing his arms.

"Jar'Wuz does not believe you." he says, as he reaches for the collar on Terran's neck. "I'll disable your collar, but keep it on. Find this friend of yours. Than meet me at the west entrance. Do not take long. Three hours, or Jar'Wuz leave you."

The khajiit leaps out of the hole in the wall. Terran doesn't hear any landing, though. He rolled his eyes. Typical khajiit. "Okay." he said. "Find Earl, then find Jar'Wuz. Easy. Ugh. Nothing is ever that easy."

...

Terran walked through the halls with one of the Blacklighters, who was escorting him. The guard told him that Sally wanted him in the library. Of course. It wasn't what he thought, however, as there was a specific topic that Sally wanted him to research. His workspace already had a stack of books, all pertaining to the topic of dragons, and ancient dragons.

"Sally is attempting to use the dragons against the Princesses." Earl whispered. "Do you know what will happen if even one of the Princesses goes under. We'll all pay for it."

"Not all of us." Terran thought aloud. "Sally will benefit."

"What do you mean?"

"Sally has connections. She can help the dragons kill Celestia, if she can even reason with them. If that happens, she will be able to come out of hiding, blaming the dragons, and leading Equestria into her own utopia. She wants to lead us into an era where we have to fight to survive, all because she thinks the Princesses have made Equestria weak."

"Well, I don't agree with her methods, but she has a point. Even I know that Equestria wouldn't have what it takes to defeat this dragon crisis, if not for you. The princesses will probably just sit and watch the country burn, while Twilight's entourage does a magic trick, or throw friendship into the mix. I mean, what is it with all this friendship nonsense? It's a bandaid, and the cut is to big for it!"

"Hey, I get what your saying. Twilight and her 'friends' are a terrible example for Equestria in chaotic times. They don't have what it takes to make the real hard decisions. But that's why they and the princesses have us. They may not know it, but we've been behind the scenes the entire time. Remember the changeling invasion in Canterlot?"

"Heh. Yeah, we practically did all the real work. A subtle suggestion here, a gentle nudge there. But those were the old days. Equestria has a motive for surviving, and they won't take it! We have to literally be part of the action now. You ever think we're getting too old for this?"

Terran rolled his eyes.

"Right, well..." Earl started. "Better find make that opening for you, eh?"

"Actually, the book is already recovered." Terran said.

Earl's eyes were like balloons, and then they narrowed. "You think you might start with that next time before I go off on a rant about how much I hate Celestia's cake flank?"

"I felt you needed to vent. Now, let's go meet Jar'Wuz at the west entrance."

"Who in Tartarus is this Jar'Wuz?"

Terran opened his mouth, then closed it, then said "Long story. He's a friend. Well, more like an associate. Sort of."

"Jar'Wuz is a khajiit name, isn't it? Where do you pick up all these strange bedfellows?"

"Usually in slaver camps."

"Hah. You got me there. Let's go."

Terran took another glance at what was supposed to be his workspace. "I'm taking these books with me." he said. "They may come in handy when we're facing the dragons." Terran grabbed the books, and began to stuff them in Earl's saddlebags.

"Where's the book?" a familiar voice interrupted. Sally's eyes were twitching with anger. She charged Terran with rage, pinning him to the ground, sending the books flying. "Where! Is my! BOOK!"

Earl tried to say something, but a spear levitated right under his jaw. A green unicorn guard with a red mane, and a cutie mark of a bent up sword was holding the spear with magic.

"Hello Mercucio." Earl said. "I half expected you to be in the dungeons, listening to the screams of misbehaved slaves."

"I'd be more worried about the metal pressed to your neck right now." Mercucio said. "I always knew there was something off about you. I'm going enjoy this."

"You thought you could take what's mine?" Sally muttered in anger. She was now choking Terran under her earth pony hooves. "Kill my ponies? And the hammer wouldn't swing in your direction? Goodbye, dragonborn."

Earl blasted a spell at Mercucio, causing him to drop the spear, screaming. Sally became distracted enough for Terran to kick her off. Earl levitated the spear, and flipped it so the sharp end was pointing in her direction. With a mad glow of his horn, his magic thrust the spear into her chest. Her eyes were wide as golf balls. She was coughing up blood now, but she was trying to say something. Terran came in close, but he still couldn't understand what she was saying. Suddenly, she fell limp. Both Terran and Earl heaved a big sigh. Earl grabbed the books in his magic, and put them into his saddlebags.

"What about the other one?" Terran asked.

Earl looked down at Mercucio's unconscious body and shrugged. "He's nobody. He won't be a problem. But please, feel free to kill him. It won't affect our mission."

"You know I don't like to kill someone when their defenseless."

"Then don't. But we cannot stay here much longer. What was it you said? West entrance?"

"Y-yeah. That's where he's waiting."

...

Moving through the halls, they acted as if nothing had just happened. Earl had a long talk with Grunt, a black earth pony stallion, with a black mane, and a brown robe covering his cutie mark.

"Can't it wait?" Earl asked. "I have a transfer for going through. High priority."

"Really?" Grunt asked. "Because I never heard anything about this one."

"Like I said, it's high priority. The order was... last minute."

"Even so, it's a little early for a transfer, isn't it? Considering your little buddy there just got transferred here."

"There has been a new development. I'm afraid the details are... classified. And I'm sure it's not something you want Sally to have your head for."

"Oh, I'm not worried about that. See, Sally knows the importance of paperwork. So when you don't have the paperwork I need, naturally, I become a little suspicious."

"This is something we can't have being tracked. Do you know who this is? This is a member of the Guild of Knowledge. If we leave a paper trail..."

Terran interrupted by stunning the earth pony with his right wing, and then bucking him with his hind legs to knock him out. Earl looked surprised.

"I had it handled."

"Sure you did." Terran said, grinning. "But we don't have the time to go through the specifics of why keeping keeping a ledger is important or unimportant."

"Admit it, you just wanted to show off."

"A little. Come on. Jar'Wuz only gave us three hours."

"You do realize, once we walk out that door, without Grunt to escort us out, we will be bombarded by Blacklighters."

"And you lost your job here, so it doesn't matter if you kill them."

"I really hope you know what you're doing. My life depends on it."

"Have a little faith. I've gotten us out of tighter spaces."

"Correction, 'I' have gotten us out of tighter spaces. But fine, here. I brought all of your gear they took. Put it on, and let's go."

Terran put on his armor, and drew his sword. The two ponies rammed the door open, alerting every guards on the other side. Terran charged at the first slaver he saw. Earl picked his targets less randomly, dodging arrows, and casting firebolt spells. Terran flew up to gain the attention of the archers, while Earl made a break for it. An arrow or two may have pierced his wing, but he was barely paying any mind as he dove into one of the marksponies on the roof. He yanked the disabled collar off of his neck and threw it over the ledge.

"Alright." he said. "Let's get this party started right." Terran pulled out his sword and started clashing with some of the guards, whilst attempting to avoid any arrows burying themselves in his hide. One of the sword wielders was a purple unicorn. She had two. Terran crinkled his nose. "Well that's hardly a fair fight, now is it?"

The unicorn was about to dart one of her swords at him, when she received a set of feline claws on the nose. She yelped, and then reached a hoof up to her bleeding snoot, only to be kicked in the same spot. The slaver lay unconscious, and Jar'Wuz stood over her like a vulture.

"Heh." Jar'Wuz chuckled. "Sally is wrong. You ponies are always so reliant on magic." He then looked towards Terran, grinning. "This will be your downfall."

"Nice of you to join us so late, Jar'Wuz." Terran commented.

"Better late then never, wouldn't you say? Come, the magical disruption orbs won't last for long. Your friend is on the other side."

To be continued...