The Alicorn Scrolls

By Terrarian Pony

Story:

Terrarian Pony presents

The Alicorn Scrolls

Chapter 4

Legends of the Dragonborn

...

Terran woke up with a headache, but in a warm, comfortable bed. Something he would never be able to afford on his own salary, that's for sure. Everything seemed so bright, but his vision eventually fixed itself. "Dovahkiin!" he heard a familiar voice shout. Tulip was on the eastern side of the room, staring at a small stack of jewels, obviously trying hard not to eat them. That is until Terran woke up, then she pounced right onto the bed in front of him, being careful not to get too close to him. She grinned widely as she tried to find a comfortable sitting position.

"Princess Celestia said you needed to rest, and that you should be left alone, but I said that I was your bodyguard and I couldn't leave your side as long as you were vulnerable, so you're welcome!" Terran blinked, try to comprehend what she had just said, as his brain was working slower than usual after having been unconscious.

"Umm... thanks?" he replied, gratefully. "How long..."

"At least three hours." Another voice interrupted. It was Princess Celestia. Her regal smile brightened the room. "Yes, I do believe your friend here was quite insistent on staying with you. A truly loyal bodyguard if I've ever seen one. In fact, it reminds me of a certain pony and dragon in particular." Tulip tried not to look to offended in the face of royalty, but she just couldn't let it slide.

"I'm a wyvern."

Celestia nodded. "Yes, I am quite aware." Princess Celestia frowned, looking towards Terran. "I am also aware of the ruckus you've made earlier. Were you aware of that you have held such power?"

Terran blinked in confusion. "Power?" he asked. "What power? You mean that... whatever that was after the dragons died? I don't know what that was."

"So you've never heard the legends of the Dragonborn?" Celestia asked. Terran had to dig deep inside his own mind.

"I remember that Starswirl the Bearded was the last known Dragonborn..." he said. "And that the Dragonborn has the ability to kill a dragon, permanently."

Celestia nodded again. "And absorb their soul, to channel it into a thu'um. A shout. Like what you did before you collapsed. That power must have been too much for you the first time you did it, but you'll get used to it, I'm sure."

"Wait..." Terran started. "Are you suggesting that I am Dragonborn? That's ridiculous. Starswirl never had any heirs."

Then, as if on que, a new voice said, "You are correct. I have not had any heirs." It was low, old voice, but a cheery one. Suddenly, a grey unicorn, with a blue had and robe, and a long, white beard revealed himself. "Well, as far as I remember, I've never even been with a mare. Ho ho. But perhaps this was happenstance. A Dragonborn appears, just as we need one."

Terran blinked, rubbed his eyes, and then blinked twice more. Was this real? Was this actually Starswirls the Bearded? He'd heard the rumors that he was back, but he didn't believe them. But here he is, standing right in front of him. "Uh... Mr. Bearded... I-I mean, Starswirl! I mean Starswirl the Bearded, er... what do you prefer?"

Starswirl raised a hoof. "Just Starswirl is fine."

"Hold on a minute." Terran said. "You think that I just became Dragonborn, the moment the dragons started rising against ponies?"

Starswirl shook his head. "No no. Of course not. One does not just become Dragonborn. They have to be born with the blood in them. Which means, someone else must've been Dragonborn during my time, but never unlocked their full potential. But it seems that you have already started."

"So what makes me so special, to be this Dragonborn?" Terran inquired.

"Well, you have the blood of a dovah." Tulip suggested. "Not to be rude or anything, but that's pretty much it."

"Dovah?" Terran asked.

"Dovahkiin, means Dragonborn in the dragon language. Coincidentally, we wyvern used to speak the same ancient language, and still learn about it in our land to this day."

"So that is how you can understand what Alduin is saying." Terran said.

"Yup!" Tulip said, grinning proudly. "I know a little bit, but I am still young in a wyvern's life." Terran arched a brow.

"And just how old are you?"

Tulip thought for a moment. "Somewhere in my early thirties." Terran looked legitimately surprised. Wyverns were awfully rare in Equestria, mostly residing in an area called the Great Ravine Lands. Tulip gave a big, wide grin. Oh, it was joke. "Nah! Just kidding! I'm at least eighteen in pony years."

"Huh..." Terran thought aloud. "So if I really am this... Dragonborn... what do I do next?"

"I suppose that's up to you." Starswirl suggested. "But Alduin is still at large. So if you are going to stop him, you should at least learn what it means to be Dragonborn. I may be able to help you in part of that. But first, I would like to confirm what I hear. Come, let me taste of your voice." Starswirl and Terran move to an empty spot in the room. "Now... let me hear it."

"Are... you sure about this?" Terran asked, concerned.

"I may be old" Starswirl started. "But I am still Dragonborn. I can handle it."

Terran shrugged, and took in a breath. Then, just like before, he shouted the single word from the wall. "FUS!" The shout carried past Starswirl. He didn't move an inch, but his robe and hat flowed in the gust of the shout.

"Ah, yes." Starswirl said. "It seems you are indeed, Dragonborn. Tell me... where did you here this word?"

"During the battle with the dragons." Terran stated. "I crashed in front of... some sort of wall. It was... whispering to me. Then there was this glowing word. I couldn't read it at first, but once I got closer..."

"It felt like the language integrated into your mind?"

"Y-yeah. Is that how it was for you?"

Starswirl nodded. "I did not learn many words in my time, but I learned enough to know that this power is delicate. It could consume you if you let it control your actions. But it nothing to fear. Keep in mind that this power, is a tool. And if used properly, it can either bring the world together, or destroy it. The choice is yours."

Tulip raised a wing. "Uh... I vote for bringing it together." Everpony looked down at her. "Just saying."

"What does this word... mean, exactly?" Terran asked.

"Fus" Starswirl said. "Is dragon tongue, for force. However, each shout can be used with a total of three words. Fus is the first word of the power of unrelenting force. I will now teach you the second word." Starswirl inhaled deeply, and then whispered at ground. "Ro!"

Another word from the dragon tongue began to write itself into the floor between them. At first it looked like the ancient writing, but as Terran looked at it, the word became clearer to him. "Ro" he said, still trying to wrap this whole thing around his brain.

"Ro" Starswirl said. "means balance. When you consume the soul of a dragon, you gain the knowledge to power a word that you have learned. I will now gift you my knowledge of the word... ro, or balance." Suddenly, it felt as if power was being transferred from Starswirl to Terran. "Now... shout at me again. This time, use fus and ro together. Go on now. I can take it."

"Fus... RO!" Terran shouted. This time, the shout was stronger. More powerful.

"Yes. Yes!" Starswirl said. "Now, let's see how you learn an entirely new word. Follow me outside."

...

Outside, it was dark out. The remains of the two dragons were still in the center of Canterlot. Tulip eyed them as if they were going to jump to life again.

"I will now teach you the first word of the next shout." Starswirl said. "I want to charge at me."

"Charge... at you?" Terran questioned.

"Come on now. Charge."

Terran looked towards Celestia, who shrugged as if to say "He teaches in mysterious ways." Terran looked back Starswirl, and then began to charge when suddenly he heard Starswirl shout "TIID!" and suddenly, Starswirl was no longer in front of him, and Terran fell flat on his face. When he recovered, he looked around and realized that Starswirl was behind him.

Terran's eyes widened. "How..." he started before Starswirl interrupted him.

"I just used the shout 'Slow Time'." Starswirl said. "With the manipulation of time, I was able to pace over here faster than your eyes could follow."

"Okay." Terran said. "Now I'm impressed."

"Tiid." Starswirl whispered the word at the floor, and just like before, Terran absorbed the word and the power into his mind.

"Wow... so is it this easy for everyone, or just us?" Terran said, looking towards Celestia and Tulip.

"The power of the thu'um can be taught." Starswirl said. "But it takes years of practice for a simple pony. And even then, ponies of the past have abused this power. I hope you would not make the same mistake."

"I don't even know what to do with this power." Terran said. "I want to stop Alduin, but I need to know my own limits."

Starswirl nodded. "Then explore them. Throw caution to the wind. But remember what you fight for, or you lose everything about you."

"Speaking of throwing caution to the wind," Terran started. "Princess, I would like to ask for full access to the Canterlot Crypts."

"Oh?" Princess Celestia inquired, studying him. "May I as why you would need to be in a place like that? Official guild business?"

"Something like that." Terran said. "Princess Sparkle's student, Starlight Glimmer asked me to go there to find some sort of ancient stone tablet for her research into the dragons."

Celestia studied him further. "Hmm..." she said. "Very well. You may have full access to the crypts. However, I must warn you that not everything in there may be as inanimate as they seem."

Terran nodded. "I know. This isn't exactly my first spelunking trip."

"You mean to say that that your life revolves solely around diving into dangerous dungeons?" Tulip observed. "Being a pegasus, I'd guess you have serious claustrophobia issues , but as a wyvern, I have really big wings, and small spaces make me vastly uncomfortable."

"You're the one who asked to follow me, so don't you be complaining." Terran replied. "Besides, I had to spend three weeks in a dark dreary dungeon filled with many flesh eating creatures as a part of an initiation for the Guild of Knowledge."

"I'm sure you've had plenty of space to move around, though." Tulip responded. "Remember how I said I've spent that same amount of time in the box, with no space at all?"

"You don't have to come." Terran said.

"And let you hog all the adventure?" Tulip replied. "No sir."

...

The entrance to the crypts was ominous and depressing. It was guarded by a white unicorn guard, with a red mane. When Terran showed his badge, the guard nodded, and let them through.

Crypts in Equestria were highly dangerous. Anyone who would be caught inside one would be bombarded by reanimated corpses. This is actually a result of Equestria's magical influence, which allows the dead to rise if disturbed after long. That is why some ponies burn the remains of their dead, or bury them deep with their belongings, where no one will be attacked by them.

There are also stories of vampires and the like. Other undead types that roam Equestria. Terran had his doubts, but in the back of his mind, he wandered if they were true.

Entering the large tomb, the smell hit them instantly. Terran was used to it, but Tulip gagged a little. "Phew!" she said. "Smells like someone died in here. Oh, wait." Terran shot a glance at the grinning wyvern. "What?"

As they descended, the smell got worse. But it wasn't just death and decay they smelled. "Is that... oil?" Terran's wyvern companion asked.

"That may help in stopping any zombponies that we encounter." Terran suggested. "I have a flame spell at the ready, in case we need it."

...

Tulip was impressed by the architecture of the tomb, but more concerned with how old it. She kept tapping the walls every few minutes to make sure they were going to collapse on them.

"These walls have been here for thousands of years." Terran commented. "It would take a really big explosion to make it fall on top of us."

"You saw those traps back there, right?" Tulip replied.

"You mean the ones that you triggered?"

"Don't change the subject."

"I wasn't."

"Well what if there is some kinda bomb trap in here?"

"I highly doubt it."

Suddenly, they heard a noise. Stone moving against stone, and loud clanking sound. Tulip backed away as Terran peeked around the corner. In the middle of the next room, was a stone coffin, from which a rotting corpse of an earth pony began to crawl from. More corpses also began to crawl from little nooks in the walls.

Terran swung his sword at the nearest zombpony, cutting into it's chest. It pounced on him in retaliation, and with precision aim, Tulip dusted it with her lightning."And I thought you were the one doing all the fighting." she said, grinning.

Terran got to his hooves, and bucked one of the zombponies with his hind legs himself. "Tulip. Not the time!" he said, indignantly. He then picked up his sword and cut off the head of the third one. Tulip then disintegrated the one Terran kicked.

"Be careful up ahead." Terran said. "I'm pretty sure there is more where those came from."

"Can't I just dust all of them with lightning!" Tulip asked.

"You can try." Terran answered. "But I'm pretty sure many of the things down here are resistant to shock magic. See, zomponies, despite being dead, can still use magic of their own, and the best way to beat them is all up close and personal-like. You should leave that kind if stuff to me."

"Guess that makes sense." Tulip replied. "I mean after all, it takes magic to reanimate them, right?"

"That's a different kind of magic. It's like us breathing in oxygen, except they are breathing in mana, in an atmosphere of arcane properties."

"I understood... most of that."

"Basically, the only thing keeping them going is Equestria's magical field. But they're brains are all rotted, and they've all feeling or sense of reason."

"That part I get, but why? What's the purpose? Aren't these kinds of things always supposed to happen for a reason? How does this benefit the natural world?"

Terran thought about that for a moment. That's a question he'd never thought to ask. And he was pretty good at asking questions like that. "Huh." he blurted suddenly. "I don't actually know. I suppose it could be that they are reanimated to serve the element of darkness, but even then, that doesn't explain their artificial role. If something dies, it should obviously stay dead. But clearly, Equestria itself has other plans. I have to give you credit, though. That's a pretty good question to ask."

"It's just something I tend to notice." Tulip said. "Like, why do we need the seasons? Or, how is Tartarus even a thing? What's up with those laylines?"

"You know, you might be the smartest wyvern I've ever encountered."

"I'm also the only wyvern you've ever encountered."

"Good point."

...

The farther they went, the more walking corpses they had to dispose of, and the more traps they had to get past, including a small gem on a pedestal that Tulip wanted to take, but it was trapped by a pressure plate. Terran knocked it off using his Unrelenting Force shout, and Tulip grabbed it and ate it.

"You know, that shouting thing comes in handy." Tulip said. "You think you'll get even more powers like that?"

"I don't know." Terran replied. "But I do know one thing. The Guild of Knowledge will definitely take an interest in it."

"You make them sound like they'd want to do some kind of experiments, or dissect you or something." Tulip said, adding the fear of possibility into his head.

"No, I don't think they would do that. More than likely, they'd want me to progress my power for their own benefit."

"Hey look! An opening."

There was, indeed, an opening, which lead into a cavern, untouched by ponies for a long, long time. Bats flew all around the cave, occasionally swooping over their heads. They noticed a large, metal coffin in the middle of the cave, and next to it, a chest. Terran opened the chest, finding gold bits, a plain gold necklace, and a steel armor helmet, which he didn't need.

"There's a friendly amount of gold here." Terran said. "But no tablet."

"You think that unicorn's information was wrong?" Tulip asked.

"More likely something is here. Otherwise it wouldn't have been so well protected."

"What about that... over there?" Tulip pointed to a wall, just like the one in the plaza of Canterlot, with all the words written in the dragon language. And just like the other one, was a single, glowing word.

"Yol." Terran whispered as the word appeared to him. Behind him, the coffin's top hit the ground.

"Terran, watch out!" Tulip cried. The zombpony came out slowly, but furiously. Terran thought this would be a good time to utilize his newly learned word.

"YOL!" But nothing happened. Why didn't it work? He saw Alduin and the other dragons use it hundreds of times during battle in Canterlot.

"Shouts are powered by dragon souls, remember?" Tulip said. "Use one of your other ones."

But it was too late. The zombpony unicorn only casted a single spell, and it sent Terran flying into the stone wall, causing it to collapse on him. Tulip tried to kill it with lightning, but the shock barely anything to it.

"Fus..." the zompony said, with a gravely voice.. "RO DAH!" Tulip went flying back, but caught the wall with her talons.

"Fus..." Terran said from inside the stone pile. "ROH!" The rocks on top of him flew off of him, one of the stones hitting the zombpony in the head, breaking it's neck. The zombpony stayed still for just a moment, and then toppled over. "Phew. That was rough. You alright, Tulip?"

"How good of you to think of me." Tulip said. "But I'm fine. My scales may not be as armoring as a dragon's, but they can still stop sticks and stones." Tulip flew over, and noticed something sticking out of the coffin. "Hey! Check it out!"

Inside the coffin, was a large, stone tablet. It seemed to have some sort of map carved into it. "Inside the coffin, eh?" Terran said. "Clever."

"You knew all along, didn't you?" Tulip guessed.

"Hey, I don't know everything." Terran replied. "For instance, how many wyverns does it take to change a light bulb?" He was grinning from ear to ear.

Tulip was less than impressed. "Ha ha. Sooo original." she said, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, just trying to lighten the mood. It's how I get by."

"Yeah, I guess. But you're gonna make jokes, at least make it a good one. Like, why did the pegasus cross the road on hoof? Because a wyvern clipped his wings."

"Hahaha! Okay, okay. I'll keep my terrible puns to myself, you take the lead and find the exit."

...

Back in Ponyville, after a long flight, and a few rest stops, Terran was able to return to Starlight, with the dragon tablet. "Yes! This is exactly what I needed for my research!" she Squealed. "Now for your payment, I promised you an ice spike spell, didn't I?"

"That would be correct." Terran said. Starlight gave him the spell, and began studying the tablet. "So, any knowledge on what it all means?"

"Well," Starlight began. "it seems my earlier assumption was correct. It is a map of some sort. But I do not yet see the connection between any of these locations. Maybe if I ask Twilight? She's so busy already, though. I'm rambling. I have another favor to ask."

"Shoot."

Starlight pulled out a map of Equestria, and placed a hoof on a specific area in the south eastern parts of Equestria. "This spot here," Starlight said. "Is where a piece of the tablet indicates to. I would like you to check out that area, and report whatever you find to me. I will pay you a great sum of bits."

"Th-that spot?" Terran asked. "There?"

"Yeah." Starlight said. "Something wrong?"

"That area..." Terran began. "That's where the Guild of Knowledge resides."

To be continued...