From the Fire
"NO!!"
Before the fire could incinerate him or the hyena pack devour him, he was delivered. Somehow. Fresh air, the atmosphere of safety struck him. He was sure the end was upon him, but now...
Now, he was being stared down by several equine creatures, and the landscape was foreign to him in every sense. He rolled onto his feet and crouched down in suspicion and caution, ready to flee, or attack, at a moment's notice. The several equines around him seemed scared silly by him, and he calmed down as he realized they were just as confused and frightened as he was.
"Where...am I?" He demanded, turning his gaze on several of the strangers, each one backing away when their eyes met his.
"He can talk!" One of the many creatures exclaimed, as though it was odd.
"Amazing," another added.
"Where am I!?" Scar repeated jumping forward and cornering of the strangers; she backed into a wall and literally quivered with fear as he brought his claws closer and closer to her face.
"Hey! Somepony stop him!"
"What is this place?" Scar shouted out, seizing hold of the pony that was barely half his size and holding her hostage, "what happened to me? Where are the hyenas?"
"We...we don't know what you're talking about," came the shaken reply, "we found you unconscious in the plains, alone."
"And just where am I?"
"This is Equestria, the kingdom of ponies."
Scar let the captive pony go and kept his eyes fixed on them as he maneuvered by them and backed away cautiously. He needed to regroup. He needed to figure this mess out-
"I'm terribly sorry about the confusion," a kind and warm voice spoke out from behind him.
He whipped around and saw her, a majestic pony, bigger than he was, and with wings that were fluttered out in a display of truly regal power. He also took note of the long horn on her head, but unlike the rhino's horn, this was a more elegant feature. It's purpose was...more subtle, he felt.
"Welcome to Equestria, I am Princess Celestia. I can answer all your questions, but you first must calm and collect yourself. I will not tolerate a threat to the ponies under my care."
Just being near her made him feel inferior. He hated that. The anger and absurdity of it drove him mad, but he could not stop his body from lowering and his tail from curling inward. In heart and mind, he was ready to stand up to her, but his body was unable to do so. He couldn't even form proper words.
"You will not be harmed here. I promise you."
"I don't know...what has happened to me. I was...on the verge of death. Now I am here. How is this?" He asked her, regaining some of his confidence, but he knew that was only because of her words. She had far too much control over him.
"We cannot give you a proper answer, I'm afraid. As they have said, you were found by a merchant traveling through the country roads. He thought you were dead at first, too."
"And then I was taken here..." Scar finished, piecing together the rest and looking strangely at his surroundings. No such things existed like this in the Pride Lands. Could it really be that these ponies were more advanced than even he was?
"You are in Canterlot, the capitol of the Kingdom of Equestria. Rest assured, we will allow you to leave if you wish, but we will not force you. Stay as long as you want."
"How very...very kind of you, Princess." Scar replied, his eyes staring into those of the ruler of the strange lands.
"What are you called, stranger?"
"I come from The Pride Lands. There, I am called Scar."
He seemed to derive pleasure in the name. Odd. Even still, he didn't seem much of a threat, and Celestia supposed that she too would be edgy if she were in his place.
"Welcome to Equestria, Scar."
He took a bow, of sorts.
"I am unfamiliar with your nation, The Pride Lands, I believe you said. It would be a great pleasure to learn of your homelands."
He licked his lips swiftly as her kindness turned into another opportunity.
"But of course. Consider me your personal delegate, straight from Pride Rock."
His smile was odd, like his tone. It did not bring her extreme comfort, but...she was not ready to let suspicion and paranoia turn away any creature in need. He couldn't be that bad. Right?
"Very well," Celestia returned, "I will have you settled in, and we can begin sharing information tomorrow, if that suits you."
"That suites me just fine," Scar answered, his smile now even wider as Celestia led him out of the place and into the streets of Canterlot.
It was definitely much more of a sight than his home was. The sheer fact that these ponies constructed the magnificence of it all was astounding. It made him inwardly ponder what else they had done and what else they could still do. The citizens in the streets gave him odd looks, at first. The presence of their beloved Princess certainly improved his standings in the realm, though, and he found that a few of them even seemed intrigued by him.
"You can feel free to return to the Canterlot Hospital if you begin to feel ill or weak again," Celestia explained as a grand fortress came into view, "it's not far from the castle, as you can see."
"Magnificent..." he muttered, and noticed that she shot a coy smile at the comment.
"Of course I'll have you accommodated to your liking, but remember now, we have things to learn from one another, so don't get too caught up with everything."
Her warning was feeble. A joke. She had so much, so much more than he could have ever hoped to have had, and yet she took it for granted. What did the Pride Lands have for him now? These lands were incredible, and he would have to make them his. Somehow...
Several ponies in uniform coordination and apparel came forward at the base of the castle. They saluted her with pride and accompanied the two up to the higher levels. The castle was far less crowded yet it seemed twice as elaborate and detailed.
"The guards will attend to you," Celestia told him before turning directly towards them and addressing them in a slightly less friendly tone, "this is the delegate from the Pride Lands, make sure he is taken care of and well kept."
"Yes, Princess," the head guard replied as they all nodded.
"How gracious of you," Scar thanked and followed Celestia into a long hallway and then up more stairs. At the top was a private chamber that was, according to Celestia, reserved for the most honored of guests. It was certainly a good start...
"I trust you will find some comfort here."
"I think I shall," Scar agreed and began to poke around the room. He searched through the odd objects that decorate the lair and inspected the architecture. It truly was a remarkable place. The Princess seemed content to let him explore, but within a minute a strange object appeared out of nowhere and Celestia took hold of it with an invisible force.
He stopped searching through the dresser and stared at the odd sight. The power to take action with just one's mind. The ability to turn thought into more than a passive force. The kind of power he desired from the very second he first observed it.
She didn't seem to notice him, as she was concerned with the object she was holding with the same unseen magical force and stared over it. He posed as though he did not notice her, either, but he secretly observed every second, soaking in as many details as he could. He had been in this land of Equestria for such a short time, but it fascinated him so.
The scroll, sent from Twilight's faithful assistant Spike, was not urgent, but Celestia did not fancy the idea of keeping her star pupil in waiting, and sent a reply as soon as she was finished reading the letter. She also hated the idea of abandoning Scar, especially given how shaken he seemed to be, but she was only one pony, and priorities had to be made.
"I'm terribly sorry, Scar, but a matter has come up that I must attend to. Please excuse me. The guards will see to your requests, and I shall see you tomorrow."
"By all means, attend to your royal duties. I have much to learn today..."
"Farewell, Scar!"
She took off, flying with those enormous, majestic wings of hers.
"Farewell...Princess."
The ruler of the land retreated into the sky and left Scar alone in his new lair. It was furnished with many odd things, many foreign knick-knacks that he would examine, unquestionably the first of many things to study. He had so very much work ahead of him. Who needed the Pride Lands anyways? This was where he was going to rule.
His experience in his homelands had taught him a lot, and this time around, he intended to alter his strategy to reflect his failure. Speaking with the guard had helped him learn the elusive nature of his chambers. The bed, for instance, was for resting upon. The dresser was a keepsake, where one stored important items. Pony society was advanced, at least to him, but he absorbed the knowledge with glee and ambitious intent.
He requested a private tutor, under the guise of preparing for the next day when he would being his duties as a delegate to Equestria. Really, it wasn't so much of a tutoring as a private education. In order to achieve his ambitions, he needed to learn as much as he could as fast as he could.
Magic. Magic was the thing he desires to know of the most. He took in what the tutor told him with covert passion. He needed to find out how one used magic. If it was possible, he wanted to control the magic of Equestria. He needed to control the magic in this new world he had somehow stumbled into.