The Mare and the Draconequus(Plot Twist)

by ADenter1

Chapter One: The Merchant and the Cave of Wonders

Chapter One: The Merchant and the Cave of Wonders

“Ah, salutations,” the hooded figure greeted. “Please, come closer,” she gestured with her hoof. “Wait, to close,” she raised her hoof. “Good, close enough. That could have been rather rough,” she chuckled. “Welcome to Saddle Arabia, city of mysteries and enchantment,” she pointed to the large, yet quiet buildings around her. “Most ponies here are more horselike than pony. But with their own sources of magic, they are far from phony.”

She walked towards her small stand. It held an large assortment of magical and mystical items. Not from Saddle Arabia, or any place pony related. It was to foreign and exotic for that. Ever and free in one, that was the forest in which it was from. “I can see that you have an eye, and if I were to show you the lower-class items you would merely sigh,” she removed her hood, revealing her face.

A zebra from the Everfree Forest of Equestria, near the outskirts of Ponyville. Whatever was she doing in Saddle Arabia? “And you are interested in only the exceptionally rare?” she grabbed an item from the shop. A lamp much like a genie’s lamp, but differently shaped. It had two horns on each side, but they were different. One was blue and could have belonged to a goat, and the other was a deer’s antler. Also, instead of a little hand it had a red tail with white ‘hairs’ on the tip of it. It also was colored brown and gray, with a green dragon’s leg on one side, underneath the blue goat’s horn, and a cloven hoof connected to a golden brown leg underneath the deer antler. It had red, yellow, and white swirls and patterns on it’s green body.

“You might think that this lamp is rather odd and others would agree, but there is a story behind this that involves danger, love, and the wish to be free,” her dark teal eyes looked to the sky. “Because it is not what is on the outside that counts, but rather the inside. Oddities and interesting things and even magic can come in such powerful amounts, and I would hope that it would never again have to ever hide,” she sighed with a smile. “This is no ordinary lamp for it changed the course of a young colt’s life, and its tale is actually quite interesting and magical itself and how not one, but both, managed to snag a mare for a wife,” she grinned, eyes gleaming with humor.

“Perhaps you would like to hear the tale?” she smiled, pouring a silvery and white substance from the lamp into her hoof. “Well, it begins on a night just like this one. On a dark night,” she through the substance into the sky, and they turned to stars. “Where a dark stallion waits, with a dark purpose filled and the memory of his hates...” her voice trailed off.
**********

Sombra stood in the desert, waiting in silent fury for the peasant to arrive. Hours after impatience, he did. “You are late,” he growled, eyes gleaming red in the dark shadows he’d grown to know and love.

“A thousand apologies, oh patient one,” the shorter stallion sneered hideously.

“You have it then?” Sombra raised an eyebrow.

“I had to slit a few ahem, throats, and do some nastier business,” he said, holding out his hoof with the golden half piece in it. Sombra reached and he retracted, waving the other hoof in front of his face. “Ah, ah, ah, the treasure-- Ow!” he said, clutching his hoof with the other as the ‘parrot’ snatched the gold away and dropped it into Sombra’s own gray hoof.

“Trust me my pungent friend,” Sombra crooned. “You’ll get what you deserve,” he finished and the ‘parrot’ spoke up.

“What you deserve,” she squawked out.

Sombra grinned toothily, fanged toothed, as he connected the two pieces together and Tricky Hooves watched in a silent awe. The pieces connected, glowing bright yellow, and the wings began fluttering together. It sped off, leaving a trail of golden wisps in its path. “Quickly! Follow the trail!” Sombra ordered, racing after it as fast as his hooves would carry him. Not at all truly caring what happened to Tricky Hooves.

“FASTER!” he bellowed out, voice dark and in-horse(inhuman). Thunder rumbled in Luna’s dark sky and the two pieces once again split apart and dove into the sand. It would appear as though the dune had two golden glowing eyes.

The sand began to quake and both Sombra and Tricky Hooves, how the shorter thing kept up with him he had no idea, fell backwards. The sand rose and took the form of a tiger’s head, a goat’s head, as well as a serpent’s head, with its mouth glowing an orangish gold. It breathed in the magical life it possessed within itself. The Cave of Wonders possessed not one, not two, but three heads. Of the mystical chimera from the legends.

“At last...” Sombra breathed out, unable to belief his own eyes. “The Cave of Wonders...” he gaped. A ‘parrot’s squawk.

“Cave of Wonders...” she grinned birdlike.

“By, Luna...” Tricky Hooves gasped.

“Now, you fool. Do you remember the plan?” Sombra gripped the stallion’s ragged scarf.

Tricky Hooves glared, but answered nonetheless. “The lamp is yours and yours only. I am to only touch it and bring it to you, the rest is mine but the lamp is yours,” Sombra smirked darkly and patted his head mockingly.

“Good stallion,” the ‘parrot’ snickered with amused double greened eyes. Light green around darker green, with slits for pupils. But Tricky Hooves did not ask questions. That had been part of the deal after all.

He slowly walked towards the cave. It roared at him, and in three voices it bellowed at him in an almost godly voice. “Who dares disturb our slumber?” they asked in unison, glaring with their white pupil-less eyes.

“It is I, Tricky Hooves...” he bowed. Pathetic thing. Sombra shook his head as he heard his companion snort in disgust.

“Some humble, thief,” she whispered in his ear.

“Shh,” he replied.

“Know, this, only one may enter...” the tiger’s head began.

“One who is worthy the treasure within...” the goat head continued.

“The Diamond in the Rough...” the serpent finished.

“Diamond in the Rough?” Sombra looked thoughtful. That was when he knew something was wrong. Diamonds, although some could be jagged, were beautiful and strong no matter what. They were the strongest of all stones and jewels. A Diamond in the Rough would be a purer soul, one who had not committed the unforgivable act of murder(Tricky Hooves) and one who was honest as honest could be, who could also represent the Five Elements of Harmony. Tricky Hooves was none of the above.

Tricky Hooves looked back to Sombra with scared chocolate eyes. “Well? You’re the diamond you fool,” he lied through his fangs. “Go on,” he gestured with his hoof.

He complied slowly, almost reluctantly, and cautiously trotted up to the cave mouth. Which belonged to the tiger. It opened wider, and a stairwell made of sand led down into the orangish/gold light. He shakily pressed his front hoof on the first step and... Nothing.

He sighed in relief and then began screaming when all three began roaring out in fury. He tried to run back up, and the tiger’s mouth slammed shut, trapping him into a sandy death, with the goat slamming onto the tiger’s head and the serpent slamming into the goat.

“NOOOOOO!” Sombra yelled in fury as he protected his eyes from the sand.

“The Diamond in the Rough... Diamond in the Rough...” they repeated in unison.

The ‘parrot’ began coughing and spluttering as she dug herself out of the sand. She burst into green flames and when they died down, she was no longer her parrot disguise. Her coat was ebony, with buglike and see through, holey wings, with a cobwebby mane and tail that was long but also holey. As were her legs. Her eyes were still the same, but she too had fangs. She was no parrot, but a Changeling. The Queen of them as well.

“I can’t believe it!” she coughed out, grabbing the two pieces. “I just can’t believe it, give up now Sombra! We will never get a hold of that stupid lamp,” she tossed them into Sombra’s hoofs, in which he placed them inside his cloak pocket.

“Patience, Chrysalis. Patience. It was obvious that Tricky Hooves was less than worthy of the treasure within the cave,” she snorted.

She shook her head. “BIG SURPRISE!” she shouted out. “I think I’m finally gonna die from a new disease you should warn Medical Ponies about, it’s called ‘Not Surprised’, what are we going to do now? We’re going to--” he pressed her mouth shut with his magic, a red aura.

“Yes, only one may enter. If anything, we will need to find the One. This...” he narrowed his eyes. “Diamond in the Rough...” he seemed to say that last part with a growl.

Author's Note:

Do I suck with Zecora's rhymes?
Anyone know the plot twist yet?

Comments

[MinionsFanatic]

is this Fluttercord or Twiliscord?

[flowergirl13]

Interesting story, I'm excited!

[Fluttercordfan]

This is fluttercord

Love it so far

[bloodfire312]

So a retelling g of adladin?

I approve