//------------------------------// // Chapter 9~ Full Circle // Story: The Alicorn Scrolls // by Terrarian Pony //------------------------------// By Terrarian Pony Story: Terrarian Pony presents The Alicorn Scrolls Chapter 9 Full Circle ... "You've made it so easy for me, coming back to the Everfree Forest, darling." Sally began. "Making a ruckus, and the fireworks display. I almost should thank you." The survivors of the Blacklight slavers began to come out of the bushes, and surround Terran. "You owe me, now. I and own you." "This isn't going to end how you think." Terran said. "You can say that again!" Tulip said, already charging a lightning bolt. "Say the word, and I'll light her up!" "Call off your wyvern, bookworm." Sally demanded. "Or I'll kill him." A couple of the guards brought out a prisoner, his head covered by a brown sack. They removed the sack, revealing Earl Henderson. "Terran. Do not listen to these psychopaths." Terran's eye narrowed, his teeth barred like an angry bear. "Release him." he demanded through his teeth. "Now! Release him!" Without intention, his voice cracked like thunder, in the same way it does when he demonstrates his thu'um. As it did, it sent a visible sound wave in the slaver's direction, just like with the thu'um. "So it is true." Sally said. "You are of dragon blood. I've heard many a story about the great dragonborn, who would rise to save us all. But for it to be you, of all ponies. Well, let's just say you'll be twice as useful." "What is your problem!?" Terran snarled. "Is the situation not bad enough with the dragon apocalypse, that you have to go and chase me as well?" "I'm a profiteer, darling. I'm simply benefiting from a bad scenario. Is that a crime?" Terran had been so occupied by Sally's taunting, that he didn't even notice the glow on Earl's horn until now. Was he casting a spell? Surely the guards would have noticed. Perhaps they're just that dumb? Something didn't feel right. "Terran, look out!" Terran didn't even have time to react to Tulip's warning, before he felt something snap shut around his neck. Terran's eyes were wide as chestnuts. The faint glow around Earl's horn faded as Terran looked at him in disbelief. "Y-you?" Terran asked, trying to rap his head around the concept. "How do you think she learned about you being the dragonborn?" Earl asked with a grimace. "You're friend here, pledged his loyalty to me a month ago." Sally said. "A spy within your own organization. Did you think it a coincidence that you fell right into a trap in Blacklight? Did your powers of deduction not deduce that one of your own had sent you on purpose? You must feel so betrayed. That collar is tough, not even Jar'Wuz would be able to escape it." "I'll kill you for that, you slaver scum!" Tulip yelled. "No." Sally said. "You will leave us, or I will hurt your friend here... very badly." "Tulip." Terran said. "Go." "But..." "I will be alright. Go." Tulip tried to say something, but couldn't find the words. "Go." Terran mouthed. "I'll be back for you." Tulip said. "Promise." Tulip spread her wings, and began to fly towards Ponyville, trying to keep it together. "Now." Sally began. "You will be coming with me." "I cannot let you do that!" Tektus shouted. "We will let no harm come to the dragonborn! Blades! Attack!" All of the undead soldier under Tektus began to charge at the slavers. Earl's horn glowed again, and all the soldier began to fall apart. They were now immobilized. Completely dead, just like Tektus wanted. "Come with me, dragonborn." Sally began. "I won't ask again." Terran looked towards Earl, and he nodded back. "Alright, slaver." Terran said, looking back at sally. "I'll play your game. And I am going to win." "Win?" Sally queried. "Weather one wins or loses is irrelevant. Their are obstacles, and their are business opportunities. You are the latter." "And you're just the former. So I think I'll just have to wait for my opportunity." ... "You could have warned me, you know." Terran whispered to Earl, who was walking beside him from the wooden cage similar to the one Terran entered Blacklight in. "I had no idea about your real mission until the guild leader asked me to enslave you." Earl said. "If you'd have gotten what you needed from her in the first place, we wouldn't be in this pickle." "Of course the guild leader had a spy for Blacklight slavers. Who knew?" "Keep it down. Are you trying to blow my cover?" "It's not my fault I got locked in the box, and then a dragon attacked. But I'm not particularly fond of being her pet either." "Just give me a few hours, and you'll have your opening. Understood?" "Better have my back on this." "You know I do." Earl walked up front towards Sally, his noise pointed upward to evade suspicion. "About my payment." "You will be paid for your services." Sally replied. "Handsomely, after we return to our base of operations." "I thought Blacklight was completely destroyed." "We aren't going to Blacklight." "Then, might I ask... where are we going?" Sally didn't answer the question. Instead, she grinned mischievously. The stallion at the front stopped. He was a yellow earth pony, with a blue mane, and a cutie mark that Terran couldn't quite make out from here. The rest of the group stopped as he looked around. "Why have we stopped?" Sally inquired. "You know how I feel about delays." "Uh... yes ma'am, but... I heard something up ahead." the stallion replied. Sally rolled her eyes. "It's probably just the wind." she said dismissively. "Carry on." "Y-yes ma'am." the stallion replied. They continued on, but Terran felt a chill go down his back. Something was stalking them. Something sneaky, but also left a terrifying chill in it's wake. The sun was descending quickly. Terran began showing Torque the Inquisitive levels of paranoia. He saw the silhouette of a large creature, shuffling in the trees. Then another shortly after. Stealthy, but quick. Terran new that form. "TROOOOOOOLS!!" Terran screamed at the top of his lungs, alerting the guards. "TROLLS IN THE WOODS!" Suddenly, a group of, brown, hairy, ape-like beasts came out the bushes. They had hands like golems, and teeth like a tiger. Their roars were ear-bleeding. A white haired one began to beat it's chest, and attacked the front guard. The others followed suit on the assault. The unicorns fought back, but the trolls were resistant to magic, so it was up to the earth ponies to do the heavy hitting from up close. One of the trolls jumped on Terran's cage, and then a second, and a third. "Dang it!" Terran exclaimed loudly. "Why is it, that when I have plans of my own, they're always interrupted by disaster?" Sally kicked off the troll on the top of the cage with grace. "Disaster seems to follow you wherever you go!" she shouted. "Now be a good pegi, and stay put!" She jumped down to rescue her bodyguards. "Not like I got anywhere else to go!" While the slavers struggled with the trolls, Terran a familiar voice behind him said "Why is it when we meet, you always seem to be in need of assistance?" "Jar'Wuz?" As it so happened, the smug cat was right there in front of him, the cage wide open. "What are you doing here!?" "Jar'Wuz has come to your rescue, but he is not doing so for free of course?" "No. I need to stay in here. I'm under cover, see?" Jar'Wuz looked surprised. "Really? If it were Jar'Wuz, he would have gone as a guard and not a prisoner." "Too risky." Terran said. "If I got to close to her as a guard, she might suspect something. Tell ya what. You help me, I'll offer a great reward." Jar'Wuz glared. "This sounds like no easy task." But then he grinned. "Let's hope she is up to the challenge." "Listen, I need a book that Sally has. 'The Lizard of Steam Mountain'. She keeps it on her at all times, studying it." "Yes, yes. Easy, peasy. Fortunately, I am here for the same thing." "What do you want with that book?" "Let us say that there is a treasure I am hoping to find." "This book isn't supposed to talk about some treasure." "That's where you're wrong. I suppose there are things even the Guild of Knowledge doesn't know." "Wait, you know something." Jar'Wuz grinned. "Everybody knows something the other does not. Khajiit is happy to help you, but anything involving the treasure is to be brought to Jar'Wuz." "Fine. Get me the book, and I'll help you look for this treasure, if it even exists." "Trust khajiit. It is real." Jar'Wuz cleared his throat, as if about to put on an act. "No money, no rescue! Sorry pal. You're on your own." He then slammed the cage shut. "Will meet you at Sally's new headquarters. Hehe. I told you we would meet again." Jar'Wuz began to run off into the forest. But not before throwing something in the direction of the battle. KABOOM! Whatever it was, it exploded, killing a few trolls, and at least three of the slaver guards, and spooking the other trolls back into the forest. Sally glared at Terran in disgust. "What?" he asked. "You have got to be the luckiest pony I have ever seen." Sally stated. Terran could only grin victoriously. "Well hey, if it makes you feel any better, I was about to go free, but I didn't have enough to pay the fee." ... Meanwhile, in Ponyville, Tulip had just landed in front of Bluehorn's home, and began rapidly knocking on the door with urgency. "Bluehorn!" she yelled. "Open up! Terran's in danger, and you're the first pony I thought of, so open this Tartarus forsaken door!" The door swung wide open. "Get your keister in here before you bring forth any trouble." Bluehorn whispered aggressively. "Boy, am I glad to see your ugly mug." Tulip stated as she walked in the door. Bluehorn shut it quickly, and spared no time locking all the locks. "Do you realize what you could have done?" Bluehorn asked. "There are eyes everywhere." "I don't have time for your blasted paranoia. Terran's in trouble, and I need your help! Earl betrayed Terran and sold him out to the Blacklighters!" "Not likely. I sent Earl to act as a double agent within the Blacklight slavers. It's possible that Terran was sent to Blacklight for a specific reason. Which would explain why he took that short cut through Everfree..." "Jee, and here I thought you were just a paranoid old coot." "Perhaps, but I am not Torque. I do not let my fear of my work interfere with my work. I know my priorities. Now, if I am correct, and I usually am, the Blacklighters will have moved their base of operations by now since the dragon attacked." "So what do we do?" Tulip was resisting the urge to zap something in panic by tapping her claw on the floor board. "We do nothing." Bluehorn claimed. "Terran can handle himself when push comes to shove... however clumsy his shove may be. And we shall not interfere with his operation." "So you expect me to wait until Terran pulls himself out of the fire? Screw that. He needs our help!" "No! Terran needs us here. If we were to go in blind, we may risk ruining his plans. And that will reflect poorly on the guild." "Forget your stupid guild! What about Terran?" "If you go after him, you will only be endangering him. You've met the Blacklighters. They are not forgiving." Tulip wanted to say something, but clammed up. She knew he was right, but she didn't want to make Terran stay with that cruel Sally for much longer. ... What the group was approaching was a large, industrial structure, built from black bricks, and protected by a magical barrier. It was designed to keep out anyone who wasn't allowed. It was guarded by two unicorns. One was yellow, the other blue, and their cutie marks covered by pale blue robes. The unicorns' horns lit up, and a breached opened up where they placed their horns. No doubt the barrier was made to only react to their magical signatures alone. Terran wouldn't have believed this was real, if he hadn't been in similar situations. if dragons didn't plague the land with destructive elements, if his life weren't threatened by the Ponyhood of Dusk, if he'd not spent time in The Box, he wouldn't have believed it. But now Terran knew better. This would certainly be his doom, if nothing else. But it was all in the name of the guild. Not only that, it was personal. Deep down, there was something he knew he'd have to do here. Sally's hooves stopped in their tracks. She turned to face the group. "My friends." Sally began. "Welcome to New Blacklight." To be continued...