• Published 13th May 2018
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The Desert Prince - Sparky Brony



New to a strange land, a strange culture. A single pony is lost, no memory of how he got there, what he was before. He has no understanding of the powers, of the prophecies around him and concerning him.

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Chapter 15.

Ghaliya stands there for a long moment, her eyes narrowed. “No? You are telling me no?”

The venom in her glare has me taking a step back. “Ghaliya, I don’t want Dawn, I want you.”

Ghaliya growls. “I know that, and I want you just as badly. But Dawn is here, and it is permissible…”

I slam a hoof into the carpet of the tent. “I don’t care what is permissible.” I look over at Dawn. “Please, lower your tail, Dawn.” I look back at Ghaliya. “I am content with waiting for the right time. And I know that once we are able to, it will be amazing.” I look down. “But I don’t need to succumb to my primal lusts just to get my rocks off.”

She answers with a hard hoof to the carpet herself. “I see I must educate you, Ki.” She sighs and shakes her head. “I’m not just demanding for my own prurient interests. Though I will admit.” Her voice gets small as she blushes. “I would get pleasure watching you being pleasured. It is satisfying for me to watch what I cannot have.” She shakes her head strongly. “But Ki, I’m not just wanting you to mount Dawn for my own benefit. Please, sit down.”

I look over at Dawn, who is sitting, curling her tail around her forelegs. I copy the posture, my own tail wrapped around. “Okay?”

“You are a stallion, Ki. Now, in Equestria, the morals of the ponies are a lot…” She glances over at Dawn before looking back at me. “Different, would be the best word. With the disparity between births of stallions and mares, it’s very rare for a stallion to not be sexually active from shortly after puberty on. I’m not making judgements, ponies do what is best for ponies. If I believed for a moment one of the other mares that are slaves would be worthy of your seed, I would bring her here immediately. I told Dawn to take care of you because she was a fellow pony, and she does like you, Ki.”

My eyes shift to Dawn, who is nodding, back to Ghaliya. “But, she’s not interested in me…that way.”

Ghaliya’s smile is the one of a mother to a recalcitrant youth. “Oh, Ki. Did you see how quickly she offered to comply when I demanded it of her?”

Dawn pipes up. “My Lady. Please do not associate my willingness to do as you ask as desire, to be mounted by Ki here, with the will of my heart.” She stops for a moment, her ears flicking as she thinks, forehoof scuffing the ground slightly as she tries to figure out how to put her thoughts to word.

“Go on,” Ghaliya says softly tilting her head.

She looks up at the taller mare. “I will confess that the idea of sex with this stallion would be fun. I really don’t view him that way though. To me he’s safe, he’s comforting, and I would do anything for him.” She looks over at Ghaliya, “Yes, even being mounted by him, if he asked me. But he hasn’t, and that’s one of his appeals for me. One of the reasons I am so loyal to him. I don’t think he wouldn’t ever take advantage of me.”

Ghaliya looks at Ki and smiles with a nod.

Dawn looks down shaking her head, “I’m not even sure I would call it taking advantage of me, personally. He would though, because its who he is. He is the most noble of ponies I’ve ever met. He doesn’t think of himself first, like so many others do. He thinks of others before himself. And yes, while that has gotten him in trouble, and as much as I’ve asked him not to or to think of his needs, I’ve come to understand that’s his nature. Trying to change his nature would be like trying to change the nature of the sun. Only Celestia could do that.” She smiles. “And I don’t think even Celestia could change his nature.”

Ghaliya holds up a hoof. “I admire that you see the same nobility in him that I do. His desire to help others is something I find equally endearing. But there are real reasons why a stallion needs regular servicing. That’s why the padishah has his harem. That’s why the brothels of the City are always busy. It’s not just horses going about satisfying their baser desires. But their needs. Actual, real need.”

She stands up, walking back and forth, her tail flicking back and forth. “If a stallion doesn’t get serviced on a regular basis, the hormones in his body actually get quite out of balance. At first, it shows in their being aggressive. And I’m not just talking the occasional kicking of another horse, or a small fight. I’m talking killing rage. The rage will be expressed on other stallions, and to a lesser extent, the mares and the foals. Stallions without proper servicing have been known to kill younger colts. This is from our less civilized times, where stallions would fight for dominance over a herd, and would exclude the other stallions from being able to mount the mares. Those stallions would be fine at first, but as time progressed, they would start fighting among themselves, and swiftly move to take over that lead stallion spot. Death in such battles was quite common. And what’s worse, if that hormone imbalance wasn’t rectified, even a quick mounting every so often would at least ameliorate the problem somewhat. But that hormone imbalance would play havoc with the stallions. Their mental health would decline, and they would end up enraged all the time, yet not have the understanding to comprehend why they are so angry. That is one reason we have moved away from larger herds like the ponies have. You see, at that point, it’s quite often those horses would end up having to be sequestered from the rest of society. They would be the abandoned ones. Shunned by the herds, shunned by society at large. And they would quite often strike out on the sand by themselves, sometimes with some supplies, but by and large, by themselves with nothing. Stallions died because of a simple lack of sex. And as restrictive as our society is when it comes to sex, and there are good reasons why we have things the way they are. We have to acknowledge the stallion’s needs. So, we have outlets available for stallions to have their needs taken care of.”

Dawn frowns. “I’ve heard of that happening, but that was several thousand years ago when it happened.” She smiles over at me. “While we do have herds, breeding rights don’t just go to the lead stallion, but usually all stallions take part. But ponies are different from horses, and Ki’s an alicorn.”

Ghaliya nods. “It’s been centuries for the Saddle Arabians when it was widespread. But it’s been fairly well clamped down. The problem is now relegated to being taught about in university. But culturally, we keep our stallions satisfied, with good reason.”

I frown. “I’m not hyper aggressive, though. I don’t think about sex all the time.” My ears fall. “I mean, when I think of you…”

That gets a giggle from both the mares. Dawn points and I look back, my wings are up and vibrating slightly. I grimace and focus on my left wing, and it resists for a long moment before it complies with my direction before I then focus on the right. When both are secure against my side I blush. “Yes. You incite my desire, Ghaliya. And I dream of the night where I can be with you.” I ruffle my feathers. “But I’m not going to attack some horse simply because you can’t give me what I desire at the moment.”

Ghaliya looks at me for a long time. Her eyes flicking from Dawn to me. Finally she huffs. “I will accept that for the time being. But I want you to understand something, Ki. The danger is not just to other horses. If that were the case, I would say fight it out with them. Though the horses of the caravan all respect you, so I doubt that you would have any problems with them. But if you find that you are angry without reason. If you find that nothing you do calms yourself down. Please, I beg of you, let me know, Ki. If you continue to refuse to mount Dawn, I will find a mare among those in the caravan to take care of your needs.”

Dawn sits there, blushing. “If it’s truly required for your health, Ki. I will insist you mount me.”

I look from one mare to the other. Then I huff. “I’m good, okay? I don’t need to mount a mare for my health. I’m not unreasonably angry. I’m good!”

Ghaliya lifts her forehooves in a placating motion. “Okay, Ki. I won’t demand it of you.” She looks back at Dawn, then over at me. “Though I will admit I wanted to see your proficiency in such matters. For when we spend our first night together.”

“Proficiency?” I find my own face coloring more. “I have no real memories from before I met you. I don’t know if I’ve ever had sex. But I do understand the basics, Dawn’s education has been pretty thorough. I’m not going to mount some mare willy nilly. No matter how receptive she would be. I’m happy with how things are, and I look forward to our time together. And if I’m unschooled, you’ll be able to give me some pointers.”

“Umm.” Dawn interjects. “Not really, Ki. Ghaliya is a virgin herself.”

I flinch. “What?”

Ghaliya clears her throat. “Dawn speaks the truth, Ki. I am unmarried, and I am of breeding age. There are health problems for a mare if she cycles too often without being bred. But I am years away from that becoming a problem.” She smiles brightly. “And you and I will be married well before then. I would think in a month or two for us.”

I gulp. “You haven’t, and I haven’t.” I look at Dawn.

Dawn looks over at Ghaliya for a moment. Then she clears her throat. “One side effect of the stallions having their needs met before they marry, is they can gain knowledge of sex, I mean, you do know the basic mechanics. But how to please a mare, what most mares like, that is taught to them.” She stops, her eyes going wide. “I’m going to have to teach you about that, Ki.”

My face heats. “So…”

She takes a step back. “Oh, no, no, I’m not saying you’ll have to mount me. I can teach without practical instruction on this subject. Though I will, at times, have to probably use my body as a visual reference so you know some of what you’ll have to do once you are alone with Ghaliya.” She smirks. “I suspect Ghaliya believes that I’m fairly well experienced in such subjects. And her suspicion would be entirely correct.” She smiles over at Ghaliya. “But that simply means I will have to take you aside, Mistress, and instruct you on how to best pleasure your stallion.” She looks over at me. “Without having an unattached stallion with us for visual reference.”

I am surprised to find myself wilting a bit. The thought of being a visual reference for teaching Ghaliya about sex is, admittedly, appealing. But again, we aren’t married, and I would certainly desire to do more than show off for Ghaliya.

Ghaliya claps her hooves together. “Okay, you shall start instructing me immediately.” She looks at me. “You may withdraw to your tent, Ki.”

I stand up, wishing I had my robes on, I’ve got tight control over my wings. But a certain other part of my anatomy is not listening well at the moment. The bright giggles from both mares chase me from the tent as I dash towards my own. If it weren’t for the fact that Dawn was in Ghaliya’s tent as well. It would be fair for one to assume that Ghaliya and I had been up to something that would get us both in trouble while I was in the other mare’s tent. I don’t even really trust my magic at the moment, so I lean over and blow out my lamps, one by one, before crawling into my bed and drawing up the covers. It’s amazing how hot the day can get, when the nights get so cold. As I wait for my body heat to warm by blankets, I watch my breath as I breathe out. The little puffs of vapor entrance me as my consciousness slowly flows to sleep.

***

I’d like to say our trip back to the City has been uneventful, but Ghaliya mentioning that this is very much bandit controlled land has been the case. After the first couple of nights after I returned to the caravan, another attack happened. I don’t remember much, though. Ghaliya had told me to retire to the wagon while she dealt with them with Farris. I remember the boom of the the muskets of our guards, the more distant crack of the return fire, the screams of the attackers, and shortly, the shouts as they retreated. Our wagons remained unmolested, and our guards have done their jobs admirably. Dawn had stayed with me during the ordeal. I wanting to help though. So, I ended up being held as I heard the sound of fighting. Ghaliya didn’t want me to insert myself in a situation that the guards of the caravan were paid to handle. I knew I could scare them off, with less loss of life. Though Dawn did point out that giving them a bloody nose once in a while means they might think twice on attacking us again. We do fly our flags and pennants so we are easily identifiable at a distance. But knowing we are a tough nut to crack doesn’t mean that nohorse isn’t going to try.

The weight of the wagon shifts slightly as Ghaliya boards. She takes a moment to dust off her own robes. She smiles brightly at me. “Don’t worry, Love. Farris has done his usual exemplary job.”

“Is anyhorse hurt?”

She shakes her head. “Not among our guards this time. The bandits fled after the second salvo. Leaving their dead and wounded behind. But don’t worry, Dawn’s little friend is busy doing her healing. The few who lived will likely be released before too long.”

I lay my head down. “Same group as before?”

Ghaliya shakes her head. “No, their territory is about fifty miles behind us. We saw some of their scouts as we passed through on the way home, but they didn’t do more than watch as we made our way through.” She sighs. “Well, these ones have hopefully learned their lessons. I don’t think their leader was killed in the scrum. But they do know not to mess with us.”

I shake my head. “What a sad way to let them know to leave us alone.”

Ghaliya moves closer to me. “Ki, this is the way of the sand. You either are strong enough to deal with rivals and brigands. Or you aren’t. And not being strong enough means a caravan might go out, but doesn’t return. It is sad, but it’s a part of life. Where there is potential of profit, there is risk.” She smiles. “I’m better equipped for such risks, with my family connections I had royal guards. And you know they stayed with us after that unfortunate turn of events.”

I look down. Because of me, her wanting to marry me. She seems to notice my melancholy, she reaches out a hoof and lifts my face to look at her. “I don’t regret that decision one little bit. So don’t you worry, love.”

I find myself sighing. “I wish things had gone differently.”

“Why? You would expect my uncle.” She stops for a moment, taking a deep breath. “The Padishah to overturn thousands of years of history and custom all because a new alicorn shows up?” She smiles. “That is a lot to expect. He didn’t have you killed. He didn’t banish you from the city. And we will still be together. There is no gain without risk. And considering the possibilities, we got off pretty well.”

I look down. “I know.”

“Ki, don’t worry about things outside of your control.” She’s interrupted by the scampering of Hadi into the wagon, Where we learn he had heard the engagement, and had waited until things had died down before approaching the caravan. He had not seen them as he had come through the area, otherwise he would have headed back sooner to report in. As always, he is a joy to be around. And after some time and more miles churn behind the caravan, the wagon fills further with Dawn and another pony. At first I would think she was a filly, with how small she was. Then I see the prosthetic foreleg, glowing slightly from a few points as it moves. I brighten. “You must be the immortal Sparkling Purity!”

She stops, her real foreleg raised slightly in surprise. She cocks her head to the side. “Do I know you?” She looks at me for a moment, me wearing my robes conveniently hides my wings, I bring one out. “Oh, you’re the alicorn Dawn was talking about. Ki right?”

That gets a nod from me. “Yes, and Dawn has told me a lot about you.”

“Hopefully some good parts.”

I smile. “All good.” I extend a hoof. “Yes, I’m Ki, it’s wonderful to finally meet you!”

She glances over at Dawn before tapping my hoof with her real one. “A pleasure.”

The butter yellow mare’s withers barely reach the middle of Dawn’s barrel, very much filly sized. Her burgundy mane is brushed and neat, but has a bit of wildness to it. Though the horn on her head is very much adult sized, the only part of her that is. She looks up at Dawn. “I got the last of the bandits healed.” She looks down, her ears flattening to the sides. “The ones that would let me. A couple hobbled away, screaming that they didn’t want some pony witch cursing them.” She rolls her eyes. “I’m just a unicorn. And I’m a healer. I have responsibilities. I want to help them.” She huffs, looking very much like a disgruntled filly. Absolutely adorable to my view. Looking at Dawn’s face, I think she agrees with my assessment there. She nudges her friend, getting a bright smile.

“Don’t worry, Sparks. We know what kind of healer that you are.” Ghaliya says softly.

Sparks bows before Ghaliya. “I’m merely doing my duty, as Meadowbrook would have desired for all healers to do.”

“Meadowbrook?”

She nods. “Oh yes, Meadowbrook, one of the pillars! She’s the one who started modern Equestrian medicine. An earth pony who understood magical healing better than anypony. She’s wonderful!”

I must say, when Sparks starts on a subject, she is entirely committed to telling us everything. I sip my tea as the mare excitedly tells us about her hero, and all of the magical maladies she was able to combat, and how she set up the beginnings of Equestrian medicine before she disappeared.

Finally she winds down, Ghaliya looks at me before thanking the mare for her help.

She shrugs. “I do my duties, you are paying for the best, and I’m going to give you my best, Mistress.” She reaches up to nuzzle Dawn quickly. “I need some food after all that hard work. I’ll catch up with you all later!” She turns and scampers from the wagon. Dawn smiles after her, then she turns to me, fixing a beaming smile at me as well.

“So, that’s Sparks.” I say softly. “I like her.”

“Her enthusiasm is infectious, isn’t it?”

Ghaliya and I both nod. “For certain.” I say.

***

Once again, the night is cold. We are within a few days of the City of Gardens. Though I find I really prefer to be out in the sands with the horses here. Ghaliya is in her tent with Dawn, presumably to work on preparations for the next caravan, we will be heading out within only a few days of arriving. So she’s busy with her preparations. There is a lot of work to do when it comes to leading a cargo company like Ghaliya’s. Though for some reason, I think she’s getting more instruction from the blue mare than having her write numbers in her ledger. I walk through the cold night, enjoying a nice calm evening before I retire to my tent. I nod at the various guards as I walk. We are close enough to the City that bandits operating would be suicide. So they are vigilant as always, though they are not as tense as when we were farther away from civilization. I make my way to the back of the encampment, where the water barrels and the other basic cargo for travel are sequestered. A single fire is lit here, away from the horses, also carefully sited where the smoke from it doesn’t drift into the encampment.

“Almost got all your meat smoked?” I call out.

Guerina’s head snaps to look at me before she smiles. “Yeah. I had a good hunt on the way to catch up with you.” She gestures to the smoking racks set up. “Griffons don’t live by meat alone.” She shows me the bread she’s got in her pack. She reaches out and taps a dripping chunk, which she grabs and gulps down. She looks over at me. “You are an alicorn. You can eat meat, like the pegasi do. Try a piece.”

I catch the morsel that she flung to me in my magic. “I don’t think so, Guerina.”

She cocks her head to the side, “Don’t knock it til you try it, Ki. Lots of pegasi eat mostly meat. Remember, pegasi are quite often nomads, eating what they can scavenge or catch. And I guarantee you, any pegasus would be drooling looking at the meat I’m smoking.”

I look at the meat, and being this close, I can smell it quite well. I have to admit I have to swallow a couple extra times to not drool. But I shake my head, “No, Ghaliya. I’m good.”

She shrugs her wings. “Remember, I offered, of my own free will.” She laughs. “Of course, I’ve watched pegasi grab birds in flight.”

At my flinch, she laughs uproariously. “Yes, the whole thing, just gulped it down.” She grins at me. “Of course, I’ve done the same. Not as good as well smoked meat, but nourishing. A nice sized sharptail or some of the desert birds around here will keep a flier up in the air for a day or two. And catching them on the wing means the meat is fresh.”

I shake my head, trying to assuage my roiling stomach. “I’m quite happy with the food we have here.”

She clicks her beak a few times. “Well, baked goods travel well, and as long as you can find some water, rice is a great ration. Though it has to be cooked, which means you can’t keep in the air.” She gestures to the meat. “With a good supply of dried meat, though, I can keep in the air for days. And that means I can deliver my dispatches that much sooner.” She sighs. “But I’ll admit, I much prefer fresh cooked food. Staying with your caravan is making me soft, Prince.”

“Oh don’t you start in on that.”

She shrugs her wings. “Ki, you have done amazing things. You are an alicorn, you have more magic in a single hoof than most any magic user in the Kingdom, with the possible exception of Dawn or her friend.”

I look back into the camp as it is closing down for the night. Only a few patrolling horses are around. “I’m not a healer, especially not like Sparks.”

“But you are magic ponified, Ki. You shouldn’t have submitted to the Padishah’s demands so quickly. You have power, you have strength. You could…”

“Overthrow him?” I look at her, and something in my face causes her to wilt a bit.

“No, I’m not saying that. I really don’t mind the old pervert. He truly does have his subjects at the forefront of his mind. He wants them to have the best life that’s possible. But you should be at the very least standing at his side, or he at yours. You, Ki, were born to rule.”

I shake my head emphatically, my ears flopping. “No, Guerina. I don’t know what’s going on, I’ve only been here a few months. I close my eyes, casting my mind back, only to see electrical discharges, hearing screams. I shake my head again. “I have no desire to rule the horses, I have no desire to rule ponies. I just want to marry Ghaliya, have a stable full of foals, and live my life the best that I can.”

She clicks her beak a few times. “Ki, I suspect that a simple quiet life will escape you. You are what you are, you are who you are. And what will you do when Ghaliya ages and finally dies?”

My ears flatten back. “I’m going to prevent that from happening.”

She grins. “So, everyone you care about, you are going to make sure they live as long as you do?”

“If necessary.”

“Even me? Even if I don’t want to?”

That gets me to stop. “Why wouldn’t you want to live longer?”

She cocks her head to the side. “While I am a messenger, I am a griffon. That means I’m a warrior, the descendant of a long warrior tradition. We fight, we kill, we die. It is the way of things. No amount of wishing by a pony alicorn stallion can change that fact.” She grins. “And you don’t know the magic that would extend life like that. And I sincerely don’t believe such magic exists. You would have to have to raise Dawn to an alicorn, and would have to see about doing the same for Ghaliya, and I know there’s no such thing as griffon alicorns. Don’t you think that Princess Celestia would have made her closest friends live longer if she could? But I sincerely doubt that an everlasting life spell is going to be in some dusty library, or in the head of the most powerful alicorn in known history. Face it, Ki. You are going to have to say goodbye to everyone you love.”

I turn away from her, walking a few steps. I stop and look back at her. “I will cross that bridge when I come to it Ghaliya.” I shudder, Dawn’s words from earlier resonating through my skull. “But I’m not prepared to see those I care about dying, under any circumstances.” I narrow my eyes. “But if you must die, it will be of old age, not in glorious battle.”

That gets a guffaw from the griffon. “Best of luck on that, Ki. But remember, I’ve already put my life on the line for you. And yes, I do it for profit, but…” She looks down. “It’s more than that, you are worth more to me than gold, you crazy alicorn. Just…” She shifts her wings uncomfortably. “Don’t get yourself killed, okay?”

I smile at her. “I have no plans on dying any time soon, Guerina.”

“You’d better not.” She says with a huff.

I walk through the expansive encampment, while the guards don’t challenge me as I walk, they do note my passing. I nod and smile as they acknowledge me. I’ve been curious to see our cargo. Ghaliya has informed of what it is. But seeing it is something else. In the very center, four large wagons are parked, each are large heavy duty flat beds with removable sides. The cargo itself is covered by a tarp and very securely tied down. It only takes a thought to assume the void and seize my magic, the tie downs untie quickly and I lift the tarps. Gold, in large bricks fills each of the four wagons to their weight limits. I marvel at the beautiful gold sitting there.

“There are jewels as well.” Ghaliya’s voice comes from the darkness.

I smile at her. “I can see why you had as many guards as you did, and hired Dawn’s team.” I look where she’s pointing, my magic pulling the lids off of a dozen barrels. Brilliant cut and uncut gems fill every single one of them. I stop and pick up one, then I bring it closer. “This one isn’t a ruby.”

“It’s a spinel.”

I look over at her. “Oh?”

She comes over and touches the gem. “They aren’t as valuable as rubies, but they do have their uses. And they are still pretty, and I know a buyer that would love a spinel of that size.” She gestures to the gold. “Once this is melted down and made into new coins, we will profit quite a bit getting this from the mines to the city.”

“Is this a contract for the Royal family?”

She shakes her head. “No, the Padishah has concluded that my caravan is not reliable enough to haul freight for him needs.” She growls softly in her throat. “I still have contracts with some of the moneychangers though. I’ll get a nice pile of coins for this. So don’t worry, a good portion of my yearly profits sits in these wagons.” She picks up lid to one of the barrels, she looks at me as I deposit the spinel back among the fortune of gems before she places the lid back on, and with a sharp crack of the hoof, she drives the lid into its proper position. I bring up the tarps and take the time to tie them back down how I found them. She moves up to me. “Dawn has told me that you are upset about the idea of her aging and dying.” She leads me away from the wagons towards the front of the caravan.

I follow her towards our tents. “Yeah.” I walk next to her, though I notice Farris is walking a respectful distance away. “I just talked to Guerina, what if I can find a way to stop your own aging? Make you as long lived as an alicorn?”

She laughs. “Oh Ki, such a thing is impossible!” Then she turns, her ears perking. “Something is wrong. Follow me!” She streaks off. I take to the air, following the mare as she streaks through the night. Only a few moments has us at the head of the encampment. A full dozen guards are surrounding a young gray griffon male. Though they don’t have their weapons bared, he’s in pretty bad shape. Ghaliya rushes forward. “What’s going on?”

“This griffon landed just outside the perimeter, he seems to have been injured.”

Ghaliya steps closer. “I am the mistress of this encampment. Who are you?”

The disheveled griffon tries to salute. “I’m a member of the royal messenger corps. My name is Guran.” He puffs a few times, trying to steady his breathing. “The City of Gardens is under attack!”