First steps into the dunes.
A high pitched whistle announced my arrival at the trade city of Kahma. The most important thing that I realized during the trip was that those chairs where as comfortable as you would expect, they were as uncomfortable as a crystal table. And because of that uncomfortable chair, my back was cracking like no tomorrow when I got up. The blazing sun was scorching the sands, a large city stood in front of me, a city that barely changed from all those years before. The yelling of merchants filled the streets as they were trying to attract as many customers as they could.
After summoning the cloak and scarf I got from Canterlot, I wrapped the scarf around my neck and head before leaving the train. I quickly started walking into the market, not bothering to look at any of the wares the arabians had. Since I made sure my robes look the similar to the nobility from Saddle Arabia, the only difference between me and an actual noble was my horn. It didn't take long before I found myself in the middle of the market, surrounded from every corner by a great crowd. I continued walking forward while looking for a certain symbol, hoping at least they still exist. The scenery around me started changing while the symbol was nowhere to be seen. Soon enough, I was greeted with a familiar scene, in front of me was the Great Saddle Arabian slave market.
Ponies, griffons, zebras and arabians alike were being sold in cages along with hyenas and lions. Their state said a lot about them, the wounded and starving ones where nothing but common, slaves that can be easily replaced, all of them had lost hope. Next was the ones who were actually properly fed, ones that either had great skills, beauty or used to have a high status, fallen nobles. Last were the ones that held a certain trait or skill you can rarely find. The most beautiful mare and the most skillful warriors along with the most exotic were being treated almost like a citizen, being properly fed and bathed, they were the ones which will bring fortune upon the ones who sold them. Only the last held a slim interest in me, but I had no time to waste on some slave that would bring more problems then help.
"How barbaric..." I heard someone mumble from behind me. Those words were something only a pony would say, and I have a vague idea on who the owner of the voice may be. A quick glance I confirmed my suspicions. Closely behind me was the cloaked mare from the museum. 'She managed to follow me all this time? Impressive.' Looking around, I quickly spotted what I was searching for. A tight alley hidden away from the public a few meters ahead. I started walking a little faster before abruptly dashing into the alley. "What the-? Where did he go!?" I heard the cloaked mare's voice say before the sound of hoofsteps started getting louder.
Luckily, I managed to time it right and managed to pull the mare into the alley. Shoving her against the wall, I force her mouth shut with my magic, preventing her from screaming. "I know you've been following me. Quite a bold move to follow me here, especially thinking that I wouldn't be able to see you." She kept struggling, trying to get out of my grasp, but luckily, even in this weakened state, I was stronger then her. "Calm down already! From your earlier reaction I can tell you've never been here before, do you even know what will happen to you if somepony finds that out?" She stopped struggling and started to calm down. "Now, unless you want to spend the rest of your life as a slave, you better be quiet." I said before letting her go.
The cloaked mare fell to the ground coughing while holding her neck. "Why the hay did you do that!?" She barked at me as she got up. It would have been quite intimidating, especially with the look she was giving me, that is if she was actually intimidating to begin with. Spoilers, she wasn't. I rolled my eyes at her pitiful attempt to intimidate me before repeating the same question.
"Do you know what will happen if somepony realizes no pony here knows you?" I say as I gave her a light glare.
"N-no?" She said as she was looking around for somepony else.
"No pony knowing you means no pony will know when you disappear, and no pony will care that you become a slave. So if you want to avoid that fate, shut up and listen." I said as I let a growl escape my mouth. "First of all, I don't know who you are or what you want, nor do I care. What I care about is if you can help me, if you can't, I suggest you leave before you get captured and sold into the salve trade." The mare nodded before taking off her cloak revealing a dark cream colored fur along with a mane with different shades of grey. Her magenta eyes looked nervously at me, her cutie mark had the shape of a compass. She was wearing what you could call an 'adventurer's outfit'.
"I got it, but just listen to me for a second. My name is Daring Do, I explore temples, ancient fortifications and the like for artifacts. I came you because I had a feeling you knew something about that scroll. I know who you are and I know that you are up to no good Sombra, but I'm willing to help you find what that scroll sends you to as long as I can at least get some kind of artifact out of it. So, do we have a deal?" She spoke with confidence, but I could see the sliver of fear that appeared in her magenta eyes. 'Oh, why not? I could use her help, worse case scenario, I can use her as a meat shield. I only care about Sallahudin's scimitar anyway, I'll just give her his crown or something.'
"Deal. Now come, we need to get you some clothes so you fit in." I tell her as I start walking back towards the market, I was immediately followed by the so called 'Daring Do'. "Put back on the cloak, you won't attract as much attention as you would without it.".
"Right!" She said before quickly putting the cloak on before running to catch up to me.
"Do I really need to wear all this? It's not easy to move in it." Daring said as she pointed at her veil. She's spent the next half an hour after we got her clothes complaining nonstop.
"Yes, you need to look like a local after all. Now will you shut up? I spent half an hour in that shop to make them accept my crystals." I said while shoulder bashing an arabian mercenary that asked for payment to get out of the city. "[The only payment I'll give you is a free castration!]" I yell back at the mercenary in Saddle Arabian.
"Fine, but this is still ridiculous! Also that guy that you yelled at pulled out a scimitar and is currently running towards us." She responded with a little panic in her voice. Turning around I confirmed her words, the idiot was actually running at us with a scimitar. Rolling my eyes, I summon a crystal in front of him, crystal on which he tripped and fell down. The scimitar slipped from his grasp and ended up cutting him in the leg.
"Look where you're going you imbecile!" I tell him as I pull Daring forward. "Get moving, that guy can't even run properly." I think she found that guy tripping and cutting himself rather amusing since she giggled quite loudly, which only angered the mercenary even more. In his anger, he got up and started running at us again with his scimitar raised, seemingly ignoring the pain in his limb. In response, I just shook my head and made him trip again, but this time I raised another sharp crystal in front of the one he tripped on. This resulting in the stallion impaling his neck on it, and with that, the world a one less idiot on it. Luckily, Daring didn't see his second fall, so I don't have to deal with her idiotic sense of pony morality. 'I'm really not in the mood for a five hour speech about how killing is wrong and all that shit... I got sick of that when I had to train the crystal ponies for war, and they were considered the more brutal ones. Bah, I saw rabbits more brutal then those morons were. And I couldn't even find the markings of the Sand Crystals, so I guess they got caught by Celestia too, a shame really. Oh, I'm rambling again...' Shaking my head, I try to clear my thoughts and concentrate on where I'm going.
"So, what exactly are we searching for?" Daring asked as she looked at the compass in her hoof.
"An obelisk with a dark purple crystal on top." I said while casting a quick spell. 'Yep, still standing.'
"How do we know its still there?" She said while glancing at me. 'She sure is full of questions, isn't she?'
"I just checked, it's still there, but it'll take a while. A long while." I respond while summoning a crystal apple. Said apple quickly found itself in my stomach as I devoured it. 'Ugh, summoned food still tastes like rotting troll meat...'
"Hey, can I have one too?" Daring asked as a small grin made it's way on my face.
"Sure, eat up!" I said as I summoned another crystal apple in front of her. And to my amusement, she ate the whole apple in one bite. Her face quickly contorting into pure disgust as she started chocking, all of that only making me laugh.
"What the hay is with that taste!?" She screamed as she tried to clean her tongue with her hoofs.
"Summoned food. It tends to taste like that." I said before summoning another. "Want another one?"
"No thanks." She said while shuttering.
"Suit yourself." And like that, the apple had the same fate as the last one. Devoured in my stomach.
The sun blazed the ever expanding ocean of sand, all of this was once a great Empire, now in its place stand empty ruins and the deathly dunes. The once great Empire of Sand who slowly decayed into ruin with the death of its great ruler. The only thing keeping that Empire together was the alliance with the Crystal Empire, but once their greatest ally disappeared, so did their crumbling empire. I could still remember its glory, standing proudly in the fierce sun and icy moon. Ah, such a great time that was, the era of empires. But now, I must focus on current events, instead of ancient ones. The sight of the ruins made me and my companion waste time. I need to gather my thoughts before I become a dreamer. Pushing forward, I walked past the once great walls of Sal'Urla and into the land of raiders and thieves.
"Be careful, this is the land of the outlaws until we find another city." I say while turning to my follower. "Trust none and assume that everyone will try to get you, in this land the ones most paranoid are the survivors." At my words, the mare started glancing around in search for a possible enemy before turning towards me.
"Can't we stay here some more? It's getting really late and I would wish to study these ruins." She said hopefully while waving her hoof towards the destroyed walls.
"Mistake one, this is the place were most ponies get attacked by bandits and taken as slaves. This place is often visited by criminals in search of explorers and historians who study these ancient structures." I tell her before giving her a push with my magic. "We should hurry, I'm really not in the mood to deal with bandits." Daring seemed to be annoyed by my statement, but followed me nonetheless.
After a short while, I realized something quite important. If we ignore the sound of our hooves moving on the sand, it was complete silence. 'And here I thought I would be able to get to the next city without trouble...' And with those thoughts, I stopped walking and stepped on Daring's tail to stop her as well. My actions resulted in Daring tripping on her robes and falling on the ground, which I had to admit was quite amusing.
The fall made her release a short grunt before she huffed and jumped back on her hooves before getting in my face. "What was that for!?" She said while poking my chest with a wing.
"Look around us, we're surrounded by bandits." I said before lighting my horn and letting the dark mist emanate from my eyes. 'Well, at least I'll get a feel of the old times.' Daring immediately turned away from me to look out for them. It seems she managed to spot the bandits quite fast, before taking a step back.
From every corner, bandits started to appear. Like rats to garbage, they quickly swarmed us, and just like rats, they are mere pests. The fools are blinded by greed so they rush into the fight, a fatal mistake done by that one mercenary. Sadly, this time some of them may be smart enough to look where they're going. I won't lose anything by summoning crystals from the ground since the spell is like simple telekinesis to me. With a quick flick of the horn, crystals erupted from the sands, completely surrounding us like a shield.
The bandits who were unlucky enough to run at full speed towards us had no time to turn or stop, so they were impaled. However, there were five out of the twenty bandits who managed to not be turned into horse kebab. Actually that doesn't sound like it would taste bad... I need to pay attention, they are still a threat, even though they are one only to Daring. But I have more use out of her alive then dead so I suppose I'll limit my fun. "Just sit back, I'll deal with them." I said as I ripped eight crystal pikes from the ground with my magic.
"Don't worry, I can help, I've been in fights before!" She said before taking a fighting stance, I'm sure she knows how to fight, but because its quite obvious that her robes will hinder her movements. But before she could try anything, I gave her a hard glare which made her sit back down with a nervous smile.
"[Damned unicorn, you'll pay for it!]" The bandit with a small shield and scimitar called as he and his friends started circling us. "[You have no time to cast your spells! Surrender and we'll make sure not to kill you!]" He screamed as he and the other bandits made a bad attempt at trying to intimidate me.
My response was short and effective. With a little magic I sent one of the crystal pikes right at him. The bandit panicked as he shoved his shield to defend himself, but his shield was a little off and, instead of the pike hitting the shield, it slid on it and was implanted in his shoulder. His scream was the signal that made the other bandits rush at me, but they didn't get too far before they had to stop themselves from getting hit with one of the many pike I circled around me. That move lost me one of the pikes, seven pikes remaining.
"[What are you waiting for!? Attack him!]" Their 'boss' said as he started limping towards me. His underlings gained some confidence from seeing their boss still moving forward. 'And here I hoped I'll be able to get rid of them without using too much magic, oh well.' I had the seven pikes circle around me and Daring, keeping the bandits at a distance with the threat of impalement. A few minutes passed as the bandits kept trying to find an opening. I raised the speed the pikes were circling me before pulling one of the pikes from the circle without them noticing, and burying it in the sand. I continued to rotate the pikes as I looked at the angry bandits. I waited a few minutes before throwing them a bait, as the pikes circled me I left an opening for one of the bandits exactly over where I hid the missing pike. Said bandit immediately took the opportunity and rushed forward with his spear, sadly he didn't get far as the hidden pike bolted from the ground and pierced his barrel, sending him to the ground with a pained scream. Another one down, but with the cost of one pike, four bandits left with six pikes.
"[Filthy pony!]" Their leader screamed as he jumped forward, angry at the loss of his friend while ignoring his wounded shoulder. It was a brave move, a brave but stupid one since he can't dodge in midair. His action was rewarded with two pikes straight in his chest, piercing his poor armor and sending him a few meters backwards from the force of the impact. His body slammed the ground, blood pouring from the three wounds made by the pikes. Three bandits with four pikes left.
The bandits were shaken, not really understanding what they should do without their leader, they continued to circle the two of us. Clearly hesitating, fearful of what will happen to them if they charge. It was obvious they were scared, fact being enforced by their weapons slightly shaking in their grip.
"[I'm sure this is enough, now how about we have a deal?]" I say as the bandits look nervously at their friends. The three remaining had two spears and one with a short sword and a small buckler.
"[W-what kind of dead?]" The one with a short sword and buckler said as he was trying to hide behind his buckler.
"[How about you three run away and I swear that as long as I'm a pony I won't attack you.]" At my words the bandits all gave each other a look before bolting away. But before they could get too far, they all got impaled by a pike in the back. "[Too bad I'm not a pony, hah!]"
"Why did you do that!? They were running away!" Daring screamed at me as she made herself known again. Her voice filled with anger and a sliver of fear, the fear was probably from how I didn't hesitate in killing the bandits.
"Oh, please. They were going to beat us to a pulp, rape you then sell us into slavery, I did the world a favor by getting rid of that scum." At my words her face slowly lost color as she gained a nervous expression. "Now come, I don't want to waste more magic on some other idiotic bandits and raiders."
After the short encounter with the group of bandits, the two of us have continued our walk for a few more hours. I would have preferred to walk all night, but, unlike me, my follower needs to sleep. So, with great annoyance, I was forced to camp with her. I made a fire with a quick spell while Daring made her tent. Our camp was extremely spartan, just a fire and a tent with a mattress for Daring to sleep on. I wasn't going to rest, especially in these conditions.
My horn shimmered with magic as I forced the sand to turn into crystals to form a circle of smooth white crystals. I was watching my surroundings, going as far as making a few wards and traps around the small camp. I know I told myself that I shouldn't waste that much magic, but my paranoia took the better of me. There was a really slim chance of something happening, but a chance nonetheless.
The dunes where silent, Daring's soft breathing was the only thing breaking quietness of the surroundings. The scenery looked like a painting, frozen in time. In this quiet moment, I wanted to sleep like I did on the train, but I was restless. For most sleep is the same as rest, a way for your mind and body to finally take a complete break, but I was different. What I call sleep is nothing more then a trance, a spell to make time go faster. I don't dream, since dreaming can be abused by those with knowledge in its magic. That fact is true for all creatures, all but the ponies. They have the mistress of dreams to protect them, a guardian by the name of Luna. But I am no pony, I may look similar to one, but I'm far from the truth. I won't forget that fact, especially after my methods of dealing with the other Umbrum.
Some may feel guilt after they do what I did, but I am not one of them. Those fools thought they could use me as a pawn to set them free? I gave them what they wanted and something more. They were useless creatures anyway, only spreading terror among anything they can find. Terrified creatures are as useful as a corpse anyway.
Looking up, I could see Luna's treasure and love, the sprinkling stars surrounding her moon arranged into many pieces of art. Even now I still wonder how could they think she represented the dark? How dare they say she rules over MY domain?! She represents the stars and the moon, the beacon of light in eternal darkness. All the hard work I put into releasing all those demons I created after I eradicated the rest of the Umbrum was credit given to her, I was supposed to be the one who eats foals at night, not her! Oh how much I hate how they forgot about me, all the things I did to scare my enemies were given to her. However, right now I shouldn't worry about my forgotten deeds, I will make sure I'll take back the throne with the magic of the scimitar and make them remember all I did for those ungrateful crystal ponies. Those ponies are trying to undo all the work I put in to gain independence.
But for now I should worry about that same dream walking mare deciding to enter Daring's dream and asks her a few questions, and since the ponies think of them as gods, I can guarantee that she'll tell her everything. But there's no way for me to stop that at the moment, so all I can do is hope for the best.
A slight movement trough the dunes quickly pulled my attention towards the them. There stood an motionless figure that stood in the moonlight. The figure was extremely thin, extremely so. Its body was completely covered by black robes, the only thing visible was its head. Its head was a snow white skull with skin loosely hanging on it. Suddenly, before I could do anything, its voiced came out like the howling wind. "[Release us, King Of Shadows...]" And with those words, the figure disappeared with the a soft wind, turning it into sand. The creature reminded me of somethings, the lost Ethernal Army. An army I know exactly how to use.
Stats
Page generated in 0.024 seconds
Total duration
936 users online
430,202 hits today, 2,073,628 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
nice work so far, Daring Do & Sombra, this is going to be interesting i cannot wait for the part where Rainbow Dash learns about this adventure