• Published 15th May 2015
  • 622 Views, 29 Comments

The Sands of Saddle Arabia - Paradise Oasis



Four pony friends journey to a distant and exotic land

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Pyramid Power

The great Pyramid in the desert appeared dark and foreboding, a towering monolith among the ever turning and shifting sands. Few Saddle Arabian ponies were brave enough to even venture within a mile of this terrifying, evil place... and none had the courage to actually trot right up within a few feet of it's weather worn surface. But there were four unsuspecting foreign mares who were, even now, heading towards the Pharaoh's tomb.

"You should head out to the pyramid yourself, Surprise. Fire and I will stay here at the Palace. You can tell me about it when you get back."

"Paradise, you should head out to pyramid! It's simply full of the legends and lore of Saddle Arabia!"

"I heard Paradise and your other friends were headed towards the Pyramid! Vanilla, you'd really better get out there, and try to stop them before they get hurt!"

"Friend Daffodil, isn't that Vanilla trotting towards the pharaoh's tomb? You'd better get out there, she may need your help if she is going to be bold enough to enter!"

And so, the four different ponies approached the structure from the four different directions. Seeing their friends approaching the same place they were each heading , they all quickly galloped towards the same spot at the Pyramid's entrance. Three of them all started talking at once, breaking it out into a scene of total and utter chaos!

"Girls, there you are! I'm sooo happy I found you before all of you went inside! Listen, it's way too dangerous to go inside, and-"

"What?! Vanilla, I have to go inside! I need to learn some more about Saddle Arabia's legends and folklore! And I was told this is the perfect place to do so!"

"Are you sure, Paradise? I mean, it could be really dangerous! Maybe ve should just turn around, und go back to ze capital!"

The three stood just outside the ominous stone structure, arguing up a storm, while Surprise trotted over and put her hoof on the pyramid wall. The stone doorway rumbled, slowly rolling open, leave a long and dark passageway before the white Pegasus.

"Ohhhhh, Spooky!" The mare declared, flapping her way through the passageway. "I wonder what's inside!"

The others ponies continued to stand outside arguing, until Daffodil noticed that one of their number had disappeared into the pyramid itself.

"Vhat? Hey girls. vhere di Zurprise go?" The earth mare looked around, realizing what the silly filly had gotten herself into. "Oh, no, ve haff to go in avter her!"

"Come on, ladies! Let's take on this big ol' scary pyramid!" Vanilla exclaimed, galloping into the tomb ahead of the others. "There's nothing in there that could possibly scare me!"

The ponies made their way inside the pyramid, Vanilla lighting her horn as they trotted into the darkness. Quickly catching up with the excited Surprise, the four mares slowly made their way through the dusty and cobweb filled passageways. Darkness seemed to creep in all around them, as the light of Vanilla's horn made the shadows dance against the wall.

"Oh vow, zhis place is really zpooky." Daffodil whispered nervously, looking around at the maze-like passages. "I'm starting to zhink it really vasn't zuch a good idea to come in here."

"Oh come on, Daffodil! Stop being such a silly filly!" Vanilla replied, looking around, and noticing some strange markings on the wall. "Hey Paradise, can you make out what all this writing means?"

"Oh, these are hieroglyphs, the writing the Saddle Arabian's ancestors!" The white Pegasus exclaimed, taking a closer look at the hieroglyphs. "It speaks of the Pharaoh, a majestic and immortal alicorn, who came to thier herd in what you call the paleopony age, and taught the Saddle Arabians's ancestors the arts of civilization and culture. Naming the country Saddle Arabia, Pharaoh ruled over our lands with wisdom and kindness for three thousand years, building our civilization to it's greatest heights, and making our ancestors the envy of every other equine nation."

"Wow, this must be his tomb." Vanilla said in awe. "So he was a good ruler, then?"

"Not entirely... see, around the time of the first hearth's warming eve, a great change came over the Pharaoh. The gentle and just ruler suddenly went mad, and ruled over them as a petty and cruel tyrant. Their herd was reduced to slaves, beaten by the lash to construct his massive Pyramids, which their forefathers had once constructed willingly under his rule. As they died by the thousands under the whips of his overseers from abuse and starvation, the day finally came when one of his mortal earth horse sons rose up in revolt against the old tyrant.

It was a terrible war, but their horse ancestors proved to be too strong and cunning for the armies of pony thugs the Pharaoh had hired and brought in from other lands to keep us in line. Ultimately, the young prince managed to sneak into the royal palace, and slit his own father's throat in his sleep. This heartless but necessary act finally ended the immortal alicorn's life, and brought a new age of peace to the kingdom."

"Zo zhey had to kill zhier own king? How horrivle!" Daffodil gasped. "Vell, I zertainly hope zhier lives got better avter zhat!"

"Yes, but there was another problem." Paradise replied in a worried tone. "It says here, that if Pharaoh's rest is ever disturbed the wrathful ruler will return to take revenge on those who- Wait, Surprise, NO!"

While the others had been listening to Paradise's story, the white Pegasus had flapped off to a far corner of the great chamber, where a brightly colored sarcophagus lay off in a corner by itself.

"Ohh, what a brightly colored box!" Surprise squeed in delight, trying to push the heavy lid off. "I wonder if there's any candy inside?"

As she slid the heavy stone slab off the sarcophagus, a loud roar coming from inside the casket.

"GRAHHHHHHHHH!"

"Great B'zekre! Pharaoh has awakened!" Vanilla screamed. "EEEEKKKKK! Girls, run for it!"

And so the four mares took off running... and that leads us back to the present.