Big Macintosh......a simple pony managing a fairly simple family business. But when this order of business brought him to the dunes of Saddle Arabia where the laws of the land are utterly foreign to him. As things gets from bad to worse, who could he
Big Macintosh...a simple pony managing a fairly simple family business. But when this order of business brought him to the dunes of Saddle Arabia, where the laws of the land are utterly foreign to him, he is tossed into something bigger than himself. As things gets from bad to worse, who could he turn to in this most chaotic of times to both save his hide and also Saddle Arabia?
What if I say it would be a certain DJ and a certain Nurse?
Hello everyone and welcome to this tale of intrigue, hilarity, and oddity. I am the narrator of this tale and today for your literary enjoyment I bring to you a proposition of a tale; what happens when you put a fish out of water and things get a little funky? This tale is precisely that, but with desert raiders, sexy sidekicks, political intrigue and a certain red stallion.
A cruiseliner slowly floats towards Port Al-Hoofdin in the cover of darkness, in a slow but certain manner. As it slowly reached towards the docking bays, the ship lowers is anchor down into the dark liquid abyss and soon enough a flurry of activity started to welcome the cruiserliner. A loud deep whistle from the ship warns all those who can hear it that the ship is now in the port. As the staircase are being pushed towards the ship, the passengers are slowly coming out one by one, with their baggage in tow. Among the crowd, a tall red stallion awaits his chance to get of the ship.
“Ah be…..this be Saddle Arabia.” Big Macintosh surveys all that he could see with his bright green eyes. The smell of the sea pierced his nose, and so did the dusty smell of the sands of Saddle Arabia. He could hear the seagulls calling to each other up in the air above him and the sounds of chaotic workers and equipment working upon the cargo that will be being transported to the port. As soon as the staircase is secured tighly to the ship, the passengers slowly descend down upon the harbor. In due time, the dark, red, and rather handsome stallion walks down the exit ramp of the Equestrian cruise liner, The Celestia’s Dream and as his hooves finally stepped upon firm land, his feet confirmed that he is finally here in the land of perpetual deserts and eternal mystique. The darkness enveloping the night sky is only broken with the radiance of Princess Luna’s moon.
Immediately, the red farm stallion noticed that the hustle and bustle of Port Al-Hoofdin is unlike those of Ponyville, and he could only marvel at the inhabitants of this country. Camels and ponies are everywhere doing business despite it being very dark, and above all of that, the horses of Saddle Arabia are something else. Unlike the ponies back home, all the Arabians are much taller than he is, and are so much more graceful. Their refined, wedge-shape heads, lean bodies and slender legs gave all Arabians a regal presence quite similar to that of Princess Celestia.
Of course, he is here in Saddle Arabia with only one purpose in mind; trying to sell Zap Apple Jam in this country on behalf of his family. He was initially reluctant to come all the way to Saddle Arabia, but once it is known that it is a patriarchal society rather than a matriarchal society like that of Equestria and will not deal with a mare, Big Macintosh became the perfect pony for the job. Unlike his cousin Braeburn, he is reserved and polite and only needs to say what he needs to say which is helpful for dealing with the Saddle Arabians, who value modesty. Every other Apple stallion is either too blunt or too uncultured and the red stallion is neither of those. To add to the package, he is also smarter by a whole lot. He is the pony that is responsible for keeping the finances of Sweet Apple Acres for crying out loud.
For him to be able to put that brains to the test, he will have to meet this Arabian pony called Sheikh Abu Hamza bin Mohammad Hishamudin of the Remal al-Sahra Al-Khayl clan. Apparently this pony with an extremely fancy name is somepony with a lot of influence in the area, and nopony could do anything unless he says so. But the question on Big Macintosh’s mind is a simple one; what now? As he was about to put his briefcase down on the ground a deep gruff voice mutters his name.
“Mister Apple?” “Ah am him.” Big Macintosh turns around and is trying to keep it cool, despite the sweltering heat of this desert nation. As he faces the owner of the voice, he could see an entourage of rather large camels with swords on their hips, and a rather odd headdress on their head which resembles hat with a large flap of cloth behind it. Granny had told him of these “Yenny-Serry” and how they are fearless warriors that guarded the Saddle Arabian royalty. “Very good. Please follow us.”
Without any hesitation, Big Macintosh was surrounded by the entourage of Janissaries, and they made their way into the city. Being the observant pony he is, he noticed that everypony is parting for the entourage, not daring to even a hair breadth’s closer to them. Big Macintosh could only wonder what will happen to the pony that came too close to them, but he then decided to look around to let his mind be free of that grim thought. The architecture of Port Al-Hoofdin is rather unique, for instead of having cottage-like roofs each building is essentially a slab of stone carved in approximately squares with the core emptied to house everypony, which gave the streets of the port city its rather cramped and narrow atmosphere. In addition, he also noticed that many of the ponies are draped with rather large dresses or some pajamas of some kind, and he is surprised that both genders are clad in this clothing. In comparison, Big Macintosh is almost relatively naked save that of his yoke. He had wanted to ask these camels about the whole cultural context of everything, but from the looks of it, they looked like they are in a hurry to a location.
Soon enough, they arrived at their destination. To Big Macintosh’s surprise the place is a bustling night club with the words “Café’ Equestria” emblazoned on a billboard. As they entered into the club and bypassing the line that is now outside the bar, she could see that this night club is as Equestria as it could get. Everypony is dressed up in a fashion that she could find in Canterlot , engaging in activities that are a direct copy of the high and fancy night lifestyle in Canterlot and Las Pegasus , with gambling going on and the loud club music roaring into his ears. Of course the only big difference here is that instead of having just ponies this night club have a far more diverse race of customers in it. The sound of rave music is up in the air, and it seems like this is ‘the’ nightlife spot of Port Al-Hoofdin.
Soon enough he was led into a certain section of the night club which appears to be the VIP area, Big Macintosh could see that they are getting closer to a particular section in the VIP area. Sitting on the cushion, surrounded by several beautiful mares and smoking a rather odd pipe attached to a vase of some kind is a light brown Arabian horse wearing a clothed headdress with a ring or something holding it in place on the stallion’s head. Like all of the Saddle Arabians, they do not have a cutie mark, and his mannerism and poise reminds Big Macintosh of Princess Celestia, and he immediately knew that this is the pony that he was to meet.
One of the entourage member that escorted the red stallion spoke to the Sheikh in their own unique language, and he could recognized his name and Sweet Apple Acres when the camel is speaking. Apparently the camel is introducing him to the Sheikh. Immediately, the stallion gestured for the other mares to leave, and the Arabian horse and the Equestian pony are now looking at each other.
“Assalamualaikum Big Macintosh, Son of Apple and welcome to Port Al-Hoofdin. I am Sheikh Abu Hamza bin Mohammad Hisshamudin of the Remal al-Sahra Al-Khayl clan. You may call me, Abu Hamza. I recall that Equestian ponies do prefer to call themselves by their first name and without the titles attached to your name. Would you like to smoke from the hookah?” The Sheikh’s sultry regal accented voice said as he offers Big Macintosh the pipe that he is smoking.
“Ah am sorry Abu Hamza but Ah don’t smoke.” Big Macintosh waved his arm to turn down the Sheikh’s offer. It seems that somehow, Big Macintosh had offended one of the ‘Yenny-Serry’ and was about to brandish his sword until the sheikh shouted at the camel in their own language. The camel sheathes his sword, much to Big Macintosh’s relief.
“I am sorry for Jamal’s actions, but in my land refusing something that if offered by a royal is a crime punishable by amputation which a Jannisary would be more than happy to do. Of course, if we keep on doing this to foreigners that are not used to our rather odd customs, we would not had created a great trade with lands such as your own, Big Macintosh. For that, I once again offered my apologies”. The stallion now beckons for the red stallion to take a seat. Big Macintosh rests his haunches on one of the soft cushions and soon enough was joined by the Saddle Arabian on the opposite side.
“So Yer Highness, How was yer day?” Big Macintosh attempts to engage the Sheikh in some small talk, and hopefully he could gauge what kind of pony is he dealing with. As the Sheikh pushes a plate of fruits towards the farm pony, Big Macintosh could see that there is a darkness surrounding this pony.
“Nothing much, I just had to fend off several raiders on my caravan while I was on my here a few hours ago, and I made sure that each one of the raiders has their limbs hacked off and left for dead in the desert. The heat of the sun and the deserts of my homeland are legendary, and surely they will die from exposure, if the sand jackals had not got to them first. Of course, if they still live, the cold darkness of the desert will surely cause them to die from the cold. Oh, I should have asked you if you wanted some tea or something like that.” The way in which the Sheikh delivers this gruesome tale is rather nonchalant, as if it is an everyday event for him. Big Macintosh just hoped that he could be on the Sheikh’s good side.
“Ah see….Well, Ah wouldn’t mind a glass of water.” The Sheikh clopped his hooves and immediately a servant rushes out from their lounge trying to get Big Macintosh’s drink.
“Good, good. I like interacting with foreigners, as they would never try to grovel down or attempt to please me with words such as “Oh it is not necessary Your Holiness” or something like that whenever I asked to give them a favor. Of course, my culture is such that if they said anything out of line, they tend to be amputated or something. A rather barbaric law if I must say so myself, but the sad thing is that these laws are in place for a reason.”
“Fair enuff.” Big Macintosh is content to let the Sheikh continue on with his talk and observe more about this particular pony. The Sheikh takes a few puffs from his Hookah and kept on talking. “Of course, I am a moderate when it comes to these kinds of things and I wanted to make Saddle Arabia stronger. Our people may be hardy and strong, but the fact still remains that food is relatively scarce, especially luxury foods. I seek to dominate that market for my clan and your Zap Apple Jam is well-known to even the royal clans here.”
The Sheikh rise up from his seat and walked a short distance to a small case, which Big Macintosh could only spot now. As he wonder what is going on, the Sheikh opened up the box and using his hoof, he takes out a simple pendant. Big Macintosh’s eyes immediately focus upon this object, and he could see that it is shaped in some weird swirly shapes. The Sheikh then walked up to the red stallion and offered the pendant.
“If ya don’t min’…..what is this?” Big Macintosh asked the Sheikh. He could now see the grey smoky eyes of the Sheikh looking at him, the emotions within those eyes as heavy as a cart of apples.
“The problem is that my actions are considered as ‘haram’ or forbidden by some of the clans as your lot is considered infidels for the sole reason that you are unlike us. That is why I allowed my Janissaries to escort you all the way to this location, as who knows what those idiots would do to you if you are to be left alone to your own devices.” Big Macintosh give the Sheikh a nod.
The Sheikh’s expression lightens up a little, but loses none of its edge. The Sheikh then loops the necklace around Big Macintosh’s neck and he muttered a few words that the red stallion failed to understand. It was then than the Saddle Arabian lightly puts his hoof onto Big Macintosh’s forehead.
“ As of this moment, you are under the protection of my clan. Please take this amulet, for it will help my own clan to not think of you as an enemy. Do not lose it my friend.”
“Eeyup, Abu Hamza Ah promise…..” It is the only thing that the red farmer stallion could even say. Suffice to say, he is definitely not in Equestria no more.
As the night continues on in the night club, Big Macintosh could only try to enjoy this experience but utterly unable to do so. He is not a pony that likes to be in very loud places, but his job requires him to withstand this displeasure for his potential client. Not to mention that the smoking fumes of the hookah is burning the insides of his nostrils. Alas, it seems that lying badly runs within the Apple family as the Sheikh noticed Big Macintosh.
"Big Macintosh, are you alright?" The Sheikh asked.
"Ah am fi....." The Sheikh cuts him off before he could go about telling the Sheikh. Big Macintosh is now a little worried that he might have offended his quest.
"It appears that my perception of Equestrians loving such 'night life' is entirely wrong on my part. No worries, for I too am not fond with such a setting, and only did so for business. It seems that both of us shared our misgivings of such an establishment. Shall we leave for the camps?" Big Macintosh is definitely surprised by the turn of events, for it appears that the Sheikh was also under the pretense that the night club is a required setting for business.
"Ah would appreciate it." Big Macintosh replied.
As the entourage of the Sheikh with Big Macintosh in tow exits the night club, Big Macintosh notices that the Janissary are looking around, as if there would be a threat that will come forth from the darkest of the alleyways. As they exit the city, Macintosh could only admire his first true sight of the dunes of Saddle Arabia. The darkness of the skies only enhances the whiteness of the sand, the sand as vast and endless like that of the ocean. There is not a single tree around, which is a very odd sight for the stallion, as this desert is unlike the Applelosan deserts with its cacti and bushes. The sight of the pure white sands only serve to make it even more alien to the pony as he is familiar with the rust red sands of the Applelosan frontier.
"The white sands of my land are one of a kind, my friend." The Sheikh smiles as he surveys his homeland, and Big Macintosh could only say his trademark line.
"Eeyup."
"Do not worry, we will be at our encampment soon. But I suggest that we gallop now, less the less beautiful things of Al-Sah'raa come out and play with us." Before Big Macintosh could even say anything, the Sheikh has already made his move. Soon enough the Janissaries are now galloping as well. As Big Macintosh attempts to gallop, he realized that his footing is entirely off. He wondered why until he realized that the sands move with every step, and he could only sigh.
"Eeyup." Big Macintosh could only mutter in disdain. But that does not mean that he is a quitter. In fact, Big Macintosh is a little bit insulted as some of the Janissaries are now snickering at him as they went by him. He will prove them wrong, and will show them the Apple way.
Abu Hamza could only smile as he gallop past the sands, and he wonder if this sudden galloping is too much for his foreign friend. Despite his status, his core of being a hot-blooded equine could not be sated and he would like to see how this pony would take to this sudden action of his. Also, if he were to trust anyone, he would rather trust someone that could run alongside him that those that would trail behind him. A sudden explosion made the Arabian horse halt in his tracks. As he turns his head around he could see that the red stallion is already but a few feet away from the Arabian stallion.
"Perhaps he is better than I thought he would be. No matter. Hyah!" The Sheikh decides to continue on running, with the red stallion following behind him. Meanwhile the other Janissary were now trying to catch up to the red stallion, underestimating his explosive speed.
Soon enough, the Janissary realize that the foreigner and their Sheikh are now running side by side each other, and they could only marvel at this event. It is the first time that someone is matching the Sheikh's speed and they thought to themselves that perhaps they should not take this foreigner for a fool.
"Look my friend, the camps are ahead of us!" Big Macintosh broke his concentration to see a small pond of lights in the middle of this barren landscape, and as they get closer to this congregation of lights Big Macintosh could now see the full extent of the camp site.
He could see several dozen tents spread out across the desert, each lighting up like a lantern. Among the spaces between the camps, he could also see many campfires, each with their own group of equines and camels surrounding it. From Big Macintosh's calculations the camp could easily be half the size of Ponyville.A sudden blaring horn soon pierced Big Macintosh's ear. Big Macintosh turns around and notice that one of the Janissary is blowing a horn. As he turns his attention back towards the camp, and it seems that from one particular campfire, several equines and camels are now walking slowly towards the outskirts of the campsite.
As the entourage slows down, Big Macintosh could see many horses from the filly to the adults, both male and female. The only reason why he could recognize some of the horses as female as they are wearing that overal that covered their features while the men are wearing the exact style of clothing as the Sheikh himself. Flanking this gathering of horses are the camels dressed in the same garb as the Janissary that is escorting Big Macintosh and the Sheikh. One of the little ones, a little foal fully covered in cloth ran up towards the Sheikh and exclaim something that Big Macintosh recognize himself; excitement. Soon enough the Sheikh stopped and embraced the little filly, saying something in their tongue. Big Macintosh and the rest of the galloping Janissary slowed down their pacing to a simple trot.
"Ah Big Macintosh, come here please." Big Macintosh walks up towards the Sheikh, and he could see that from the Sheikh's expression this appears to be his family. His suspicions is soon answered with the Sheikh making the introductions. It appears that other than the idea of a stallion being in the lead rather than a mare, Equestrians and Saddle Arabians are very similar. That and also apparently none of the mares nor the stallions speak Equestrian. So Big Macintosh could only give a rather awkward smile as the Sheikh switches back and forth from Equestian to Arabian.
"...And this little one here is called Fatimah, my daughter. Say hello to Big Macintosh Fatimah."
"Hello." The voice of the little foal is timid and soft, like a certain pink-maned pegasus in Ponyville, and Big Macintosh could only smile at the little foal, albeit more sincerely.
"Hi there, mighty fine to meet you too Fatima. Y'know, Ah have two little sisters. One of them is 'bout yer age Fatimah." From the weird overall dress outfit that Big Macintosh is still struggling to find a name for it, he could see that the only feature that is visible are her eyes, which are a pale, light greyish olive like that of Applejack. The little filly however is no Applejack, and immediately hides behind her father's foreleg.
"She is a shy one, and to be honest this is the first time she met a pony stallion. Also, she is the only one among my family that can understand Equestrian. Of course, that is a given since her mother is herself an Equestrian." The red stallion could immediately notice that there is a hint of sadness in his voice as the Sheikh tells him. Indeed, Big Macintosh realized that none of the adult mares are the size of a pony, and being a smart pony, he put two and two together.
Oh Celestia have mercy on his soul..., Big Macintosh said in his heart. He must have opened a can of worms somehow. The Sheikh notice the red stallion's body language, and he smiles at the pony.
"Anyway, let us all enter into the camp." The Arabian stallion takes the first step and soon enough, Big Macintosh notice that most of the stallions and most of the mares split up to enter into their own tents. The red stallion then follow the Sheikh and his little daughter into the camp. The Janissary did not follow them. As Big Macintosh enters the camp, he could see the riches and intricate tapestries that decorates the center of the camp. Right in the middle of it all, the red stallion could see that there is an intricate crystal floating in the center of the camp, lighting the inside of the camp with its radiance and warmth.The Arabian beckons Big Macintosh to take a seat around the floating crystal and the Arabian and his daughter soon follow. Once they are comfortably seated, the Saddle Arabian speaks up.
"In three days time, we will travel to the capital It is better if we can go there before the elders enters the city itself and then we can talk to them and other ponies about the proposal."
"Wait, Ah thought Ah was suppose to do business with you?" Big Macintosh raises an eyebrow, and the Arabian horse laughs. Big Macintosh wondered what he did wrong until the Sheikh stops his laughter.
"I believe that you are not familiar with our customs, but it is to be expected. You are right in a sense that my role is to do business with you, but you are unfamiliar with what my role truly entails or to be exact, your role in this whole business. The reason why it is so is because my culture as a whole is rather mistrustful of strangers, and the voice of one 'pony' will be ignored if it does not have any support. But of course, there is a loophole to both. If there is a foreigner who is unaccustomed to our rules, one of us will have to represent him so that instead of the voice of one pony it will be the voice of two 'ponies', If the 'pony' is supported by one of the Arabians, then he is considered as a friend and an Arabian. Likewise, that also means that the lone Saddle Arabian is not alone. You see, my role is to be the voice that supports you for the elders to decide if the venture is worth investing in or not. In this sense, we are what you Equestrians call 'solicitors'. Meanwhile your role is to be my ally in proposing ideas to the elders."
"Ah see, so it is more of a 'Ah scratch yer back and ya scratch my back'." "Precisely Big Macintosh." "Also......if Ah may be blunt Abu Hamza?" "Go ahead. I will take no offense to what is about to escape from your lips." "Ah just realized something. This pendant you gave me," Big Macintosh shows his pendant to the Sheikh, " Why would Ah need to be protected by your clan as well? Ah remember you saying that this pendant will not allow yer clan to think of me as an enemy. If Ah were to be attacked by some other clan, Ah get it as it would be a mark that Ah am somepony that is better left alone. But why yer own clan? While Ah was thinking about it, Ah found mah answer." Soon enough, the expression of the Shiekh changed to a much more darker expression.
" Mah answer; A solicitor and a client would be one thing, but the way you put is suggest that others could also come to yer cause and will help you gain a larger voice when it comes to the elders. So far Ah think that Ah am the missing link to this whole idea and not every clanspony is on your side. This squiggly sign must have something else to it isn't it?." There is a sudden silence in the tent, with both stallions now looking at each other's eyes. Little Fatimah could only look and wonder what are all these big words that both stallions are using. It was the Sheikh that broke the slience, and with a laughter no less.
"Yes, you are very sharp my friend. Very sharp indeed. I am not lying to you about how things work here. However, when you have somepony that is related to one of the Elements of Harmony, a tool of absolute power in the whole world on your side it brings much stability to any alliance that I am going to plan out. And you are right that it has something else. Over your neck is my personal crest, and nopony from within and without would 'mess with you' as the Equestrian saying goes as they know who you are associated with. It is also laced with a protection spell which will protect you against the more foolish ones."
But then, the Sheikh stands up and walks to the red stallion and put a hoof on Big Macintosh's shoulder. Taken aback by this personal gesture, Big Macintosh look at the Arabian stallion with a questioning look.
"You are amazing you know that Big Macintosh? I was right about you. You are a strong character, both from the outside and the inside. You are smart and wise, and your physical prowess is nothing to be underestimated. If you were a Saddle Arabian, you would be one of the more just Sheikhs around. I need a strong ally like yourself and if we do this by the books, both of us will definitely benefit from this partnership. You get your sale and most loyal customer for your Apple Family, " The Shiekh points to himself, ",and I will become the next Emir of Saddle Arabia. What do you say, my friend?"
Big Macintosh is surprising calm but his mind is now going a little wild within. He did not sign up for this nonsense but at the same time, he did not want to come back to the Sweet Apple Acres empty-hoofed. Despite the fact that his family would not think any lesser than him, but the fact still remains that the farm is barely able to support itself. Also his pride as a businesspony would not take no for an answer. Nonetheless is it all worth it? Abu Hamza just told him that as long as he is in Saddle Arabia, he is a literal walking, breathing bullseye. He have no intention of dying in a foreign land without any apple trees and relatives beside him. He started thinking of Granny Smith, Applejack and Applebloom and wonder would they go on permanently without his presence.
"I see that there is a lot going on in your mind my friend. It is alright if you do not want to help me as it is a very equine thing to do. I should perhaps let you think this through before I push you into it. I am an honorable Sheikh, and I put honor before reason. I will not let you enter against your will. You have three days to think about this before this caravan will make its way towards the capital. While you are here you shall be treated as my brother and will be treated no less. Whatever your decision may be, you shall always be received with open arms from my family." The Saddle Arabian then slowly exits the tent with his daughter, leaving the farmpony to think a whole lot more than he would have wanted.
The sound of Saddle Arabians and camels talking woke Big Macintosh from his sleep, a sign that the day is starting in the land of Saddle Arabia. Slowly but surely, the stallion gets up and he walks toward the box where the perfumes are all located. Due to the lack of water in Saddle Arabia, water is considered sacred and a very valuable resource so he is unable to use the water to bath. For that, the stallion is forced to use perfumes as a way to keep the stench away. As he sprayed the perfume over his body, Big Macintosh then walks towards the closest thing a Saddle Arabian has to a clothing closet and takes out the clothing that they gave him two days before.
First he wears the sirwal a type of baggy pants made from cotton, and once he is done with the pants he proceed to fold a cloth around his waist down, and he wraps the cloth tightly around his waist. izaar is the name of this weird skirt thing for men, and Big Macintosh will have to remember these names just in case something happened to his clothing during his travels. Above all of this, he proceed to wear the thawb over his body, a name that they use for the ankle-length robe-like tunic with long sleeves. Once, he is done with the robes, he now has to deal with what is perhaps the most complicated garb of them all.
"Ah hope Ah got this right this time. Ah hate you, Mr. Keffiyeh." Big Macintosh said with a slightly hopeful tone but with some annoyance at the piece of cloth. He stares at the white square cloth for a while and tries to remember the steps in wearing this headgear. He knows that there are a whole lot of folds and wraps to make the fancy shape that also covers his mouth. But as much as he wanted to follow the customs, he just could not remember the whole thing as ponies rarely wear clothes, and none as complicated as the ones worn by Saddle Arabians. So he decided to do the next best thing; he folds the cloth in half into a triangle, and he wears the fold over his head and let the rest loosely draped around his back and shoulders. Now that he got that down, he puts on the last piece of the whole puzzle of Saddle Arabian clothing, a rope circlet to put around his head to hold that keffiyeh in place.
At least the Agal is like a yoke, you just let it rest where it should belong..., Big Macintosh said to himself.It took him a while to figure out what is what exactly, but he managed to understand why some of these clothing are important for his tenure in Saddle Arabia. All of these clothing are both part of the culture of Saddle Arabia and also provide a means of protecting him from the violent elements of the Saddle Arabian desert. He then puts on the yoke above all of these clothing and last but not least the pendant of the Sheikh. With his preparations complete he proceed to walk out from his tent.
As he exits the tent, the twilight of the rising sun could be seen over the horizon, slowly lighting up the land with its rays of light. Big Macintosh notice that the camp is now empty. From his understanding of their culture so far, they prayed five times a day to their deity or something and all the ponies gathered at one spot to do their prayers. Since he is Equestrian, he does not need to pray or do anything other than to go to the site where breakfast is served.
As he walked alone to the breakfast site, he decided to himself that he does not want to sit alone for the next thirty or so minutes alone and then another hour or so after that to wait for them to cook their food. This time, he is curious to see how they actually pray to their faith. With that, he decided to take a turn and walked towards the tent where all the inhabitants are.
As he gets closer, he could hear a loud hollering of sorts spouting words in the odd, phlegmatic tones of Saddle Arabia and he wonder what is going on. However once the tent is in sight he is utterly amazed by what he saw. As one, both Saddle Arabian and camels are praying in a very choreographed manner. As Big Macintosh watched, there are a lot of things that they do in their prayer that are subtle but are perhaps something symbolically important in their faith. From the raising both forehoof to the ears, to the procedure of standing, bowing, and facing their faces down upon the ground, Big Macintosh could only wonder what those gesture mean as all of them muttered their prayers. He could see that some of the foals that are too small to participate are sitting by the side being taken care by very old Saddle Arabians. Big Macintosh reasoned that either those that are too young and those that are too old are exempt from the prayers. Deep in his observation, he was suddenly snapped out of it from a pulling on his robe. He looks around and then around his legs. He soon find a very familiar cloth-clad filly with the visible olive green eyes looking at him.
"Hello Mr. Macintosh. I never see you here before." "Eeyup." "So....what brings you here today?" "Well Ah got tired of sitting by mahself every time, so Ah figured Ah wanna watch." "You can sit with me until they are done." "Sure thing Fatimah."
As the red stallion followed the little filly, the rest of the old Saddle Arabians noticed him and proceed to walk up to him and gave him their unique blessing, The first elderly Arabian lifted both his forelegs with their own and then bowing into it, their foreheads touching his own hooves. He then returns the greeting to the old Arabian. Soon enough the remaining elderly Arabians greeted him, exclaiming the word "Assalamualaikum." and in return Big Macintosh tried his best to say the words that he thinks is the greeting back.
"Wal...ai...kum....sa...lam?" Big Macintosh said, hopefully getting what he heard the days before right. It seems that it is the right answer and soon enough they are all seated and are back doing their own activities. A few seconds into his observation, seems that Big Macintosh is doing that face again, the one where his sisters would say.....
"Mr. Macintosh, is there something wrong?" the little filly said, her innocent inquiry snaps him back to reality. "Nah, Ah'm fine. Just wanting to see what these ponies are doing?" "That's easy. They are praying." The little filly answered. "Fair enough. But what are they praying for? Do you know Fatimah?" He looks at the little filly, expecting her to not know a single thing. "Well, they are praying for a good day and safe journey, and they pray for Him to protect them from the bad guys." "Bad guys?" "Yeah, there are always bad guys that always come and attack us and stuff, and sometimes horses get hurt. Sometimes they are okay, but then there are those that daddy say are 'taking a very long sleep'." Big Macintosh immediately knew what the filly is talking about, but decided to let her continue on.
"Mommy took a long sleep one day after the bad guys came one day, and daddy and the rest wrap her up in a big blanket to let her sleep. I asked daddy why we have to put her under the ground, but daddy told me that just like how we have tents during the night, those that take the long sleep needs to sleep in the ground. I never understand why, but daddy knows a lot of stuff." Big Macintosh then felt a very sad feeling within, as he could only remember how her experience is not unlike that of his sister Applejack when the Apple family had to bury his parents. He remembered Applejack's question very weil in his mind;Why are we putting them in a box and burying them like treasure?. He brushes off the thought as it is a rather painful memory. At the same time, he could now understand why the Sheikh is utterly nonchalant about his murder of the raiders a few days before.
"Ah see....what else are they prayin' for?" Big Macintosh decided that he needs to change the subject. The little filly is ignorant of his attempt, and willingly obliged in explaining the prayers to Big Macintosh to the best of her ability.
"Ah welcome friend." The Sheikh greets his friend. Unlike the others, Abu Hamza extends a hoof out and Big Macintosh clops his own hoof on the Sheikh's. This is a greeting that Big Macintosh is familiar with and glad about it.
"Eeyup." "So my friend shall we walk together?" "Eeyup." The Sheikh then takes his daughter by his mouth and puts her on his shoulders and proceed walk towards the breakfast area, with Big Macintosh following shortly after. As the two equines walk side by side, the rest of the horses and camels are now talking and laughing, masking the rather serious talk of the Earth pony and the Arabian horse. Every since the night where the Sheikh had told him about the political situation, the Sheikh is courteous enough to not even talk about the issue for the next few days, However today is the day where Big Macintosh will have to give his answer.
"So my friend....have you decided?" "Eeyup." "So is it a yes or a no?" "Nnope." "That's a pity. But I am a man of my word. You shall have some time to pack and by the afternoon, my Janissary will escort you back to the city to take the next ship back to Equestria. But for now, please join me for breakfast." The Sheikh gave Big Macintosh a smile, but a sad one. Big Macintosh noticed the smile, but did not say anything about it.
Soon enough, both equines are now at the approximate center of the encampment where already some of the mares are already cooking breakfast for everyone. It is a place bustling with activity and the camp comes alive as the inhabitants are now socializing with each other. As Big Macintosh takes his place beside that of the Sheikh, he wonders about the excuse that he would have to make to both Applejack and Granny Smith about his failure to secure a potentially wealthy customer.
It was then that a loud bell ringing could be heard, and immediately Big Macintosh realized that the jolly atmosphere of the camp died down immediately, replaced with an air of dread and fear. Soon enough all of the Saddle Arabian stallions and the Janissary stand up, brandishing their weapons. The Sheikh immediately starts to shout out what appears to be orders to everyone, and soon enough every able-bodied stallion and Janissary are now moving out from the center.
"What's goin' on, Abu Hamza?" Big Macintosh asked the Sheikh. Immediately after he asked his question, one of the Jannisary walks up to the Sheikh and whispered something in the Sheikh's ears.The red stallion immediately realized that the Arabian stallion's face have hardened, his eyes filled with hate.
"Abu Hamza....what is going on?" This time Big Macintosh ask with a more resolute voice, his desire to know what is going on overpowering his respect for his host. As if to answer Big Macintosh's question, a loud hooting starts to ring in the farm pony's ears followed by the thundering hoofsteps of something coming their way. "A raid. And we know who our raiders are this time," Immediately as if to compliment the sheikh's grim remarks, Big Macintosh could now hear the first signs of both sides clashing with each other; screaming.
"Mah Celestia......" "Big Macintosh, I want you to stay here with the rest of the mares and foals. I do not want you to be hurt in this." "Buck you Ah will! Ah will not stand to do nothin' while you and everypony else are in trouble!" Big Macintosh blushed once he realized what he just said to the Sheikh. The Sheikh looked at him, but soon enough hands the pony a scimitar. "I hope you know how to use this. Unlike Equestria, our battles are much more bloodier."
Big Macintosh rushes towards the frontline together with Abu Hamza, not really knowing what to expect and honestly he does not really want to know either. Unfortunately his eyes betrayed his desire and greeting him is a sight that he is not familiar with at all. Injured ponies, some having more grievous wounds than others are everywhere and some ponies are just lying down on the ground not moving at all. Big Macintosh dared not look at those that are not moving, for he still want to be ignorant of the truth around him. Suddenly he could hear a loud yell from behind him and by instinct he ducked, and he could hear the sound of something sharp slicing through the air.
Surprised at this turn of events, Big Macintosh dropped the scimitar from his mouth and as his body reacts to this sudden intrusion, Big Macintosh did the only thing that he could do; he bucks. The red stallion could feel that his hooves have made contact with his assailant, and soon enough a yell louder than before rings through his ears told him that his aim is true. However, before he could turn around to see his assailant, a wet slice with the audible sound of something cracking can be heard. Soon enough, the Sheikh returns to his side, the Sheikh's robes and his scimitar now drenched in blood. Before long another assailant came to attack the Sheikh, but the Sheikh is already swinging his scimitar at the unfortunate soul. Big Macintosh managed to close his eyes before he heard that wet slicing sound with the sound of something cracking again.
"Are you alright my friend?" The Sheikh said, though his gagged speech. "Eeyup." Big Macintosh said, his eyes still closed. "Good. You need to open your eyes if you want to see the dangers coming at you. There is more to slay my friend. Rejoice!" The Arabian stallion gallops onward to the chaotic melee that is going on around them. Big Macintosh's mind is utterly blown out of the water, as he could not fathom how somepony could rejoice at the taking of another life. But alas, he is now in a land where such brutality is a necessity for staying alive. But then, he could hear another though in his mind telling him something.
Yer fool! Ya don't have to slice them! You just have to buck them! Just remember what you did with the mares and Mr. Smartypants! And if that fails just buck them like the apple trees back home!
With a smile on his face, he realized that he could take the third option, and he decided to follow the Sheikh. As Big Macintosh make his way through the melee, he realize that everypony is taller than he is and they are indeed intimidating. But he shelves that fear and use his smaller size to his advantage and zigzagged among them.
It was then that he saw one of the Janissary swinging his scimitar around, felling many of the raiders around him. The camel is a large one, even larger than the usual camel, and unlike his brethren his fur is black instead of brown and he has two humps rather than one. The camel has a scar across his eye, and he is wearing a blue turban with a white feather on it. However, despite the camel's martial prowess it appears that he failed to see a raider coming from behind him. Big Macintosh could only run towards that raider and shouting out a warning to the black camel.
"WATCH OUT!" The black camel turned around, only to see Big Macintosh bucking his would-be assailant into a bunch of other raiders charging towards them. Like bowling pins, they all fell down only for the other defenders to jump upon them to do what savage things that they do to their attackers. The black camel looks upon this little red stallion, and acknowledges the little red stallion's help with a nod.
However, before Big Macintosh could leave the side of the black camel a loud guttural shout froze the red stallion in place. Big Macintosh turns around to the source of the sound, and then immediately regrets doing so. A large and bulky creature unlike he seen before is now walking up slowly towards him, its height dwarfs even the black camel. The creature is virtually hairless, with skin that looked like plates of armor at the shoulders and thighs. Unlike that of a pony, the legs of these creature are pillar-like and indeed looks more like trees than legs. The most intimidating part of this creature is that it has two wicked horns on its snout, one above the other.
"Sweet apples......" Big Macintosh muttered. As if to accentuate the situation even more, the juggernaut gallops towards him at full speed, aiming its horns at the red stallion. With every step that the large creature takes, the ground trembles in protest. The farmpony and the black camel look at each other, and then as if on cue, each one of the leap aside with Big Macintosh going to the left and the black camel going to the right. Soon enough, Big Macintosh could hear many shrieks and bone-crunching sounds, glad that he is not those ponies. However, he could now feel the ground shaking below him below him once more, and immediately realize that the juggernaut is now making a second run. Big Macintosh could now see the blood-soaked juggernaut running towards him, bellowing with rage and Big Macintosh needs to think of something fast.
There's no way Ah am gonna take that full force, it would kill me! Ah need to think of something, something, something, something..... But all he could do is to dodge the second attack from this mad thing, and as he rolls down on the ground, he could hear another choir of shrieks. Big Macintosh would have to think of something fast, as he can't keep this up forever and he would succumb. It was then that Big Macintosh realize the linear fashion of the juggernaut's attack.Suddenly he is met with a stroke of inspiration, but it is definitely a risky one.
"HEY YER DUMB FOOL!!!!!! CAN'T EVEN GET A RED OBVIOUS TARGET LIKE ME, YER A DISGRACE!" Big Macintosh have no idea if the juggernaut knows any Equestrian, but from the looks of it the juggernaut took the bait. Soon enough, the thundering behemoth is now charging towards him again.
Alright Big Mac.....ya got one shot at this......ready......steady.........steady......, Big Macintosh said in his mind as it gets closer. As the ground trembles with every step that the behemoth takes, the red stallion's heart pounds just a little more louder. Soon enough, Big Macintosh's heartbeat drowns out all the noise.
Steady...., The juggernaut is now coming even closer to the farmpony, and as Big Macintosh stood there all he could do is to try and calm his nerves for the inevitable moment. Soon enough, the thundering brute is but a few feet away from Big Macintosh.
"NOW!" Big Macintosh takes a large sidestep, and as the brute passed by him Big Macintosh is now ready for his attack. With all his might he bucked the brute.
"Where is Big Macintosh?" Abu Hamza asked himself. As he looked on the battle, he could see that his forces are being pushed back, and he is forced to pull them back. Suddenly two of his Janissary came up to him, his eyes filled with panic.
"Milord, The raiders have a Rhinoceros mercenary among them!" one of them exclaimed. Abu Hamza immediately started to think about the news of a Rhinoceros mercernary. A single Rhinoceros is a force to be reckoned with, and once goaded they will never stop until whatever it is that it is targeting is dead. He pities the fool that is targeted by this Rhinoceros.
"And it is targeting the foreigner!" Abu Hamza is now staring at his subordinate, with daggers in his eyes. "WHERE ARE THEY NOW?" Fearing the anger of his lord, the Janissary led the way and Abu Hamza followed closely behind. As he hack and slash his way through those raiders foolish enough to come to his path, Abu Hamza started to pray and hope that he is not too late to save the red pony. Soon enough, Abu Hamza could see the red pony standing still and the Rhinoceros mercenary thundering towards him. As hard as Abu Hamza gallops, he know that he could not make it in tome to save the Equestrian.
But then to the surprise of Abu Hamza, at the last possible moment, the red pony step aside and use his hindlegs to kick the Rhinoceros straight to the head. As if not letting the Sheikh to even take time to let the surprise settle down, another surprise took hold of the Arabian as the Rhinoceros is launched up to the air flying towards him. It was only with years of fighting in the deserts of Saddle Arabia that Abu Hamza manage to duck. He pulled down the Janissary that is leading him down along with him, and soon enough a large moving shadow looms over them before disappearing entirely. Abu Hamza then stand up and look behind him, and he manage to see the large brute crashing down onto the ground with an audible crash into one of the tents. It was then that he turns his attention to the red stallion and gallops towards him.
Big Macintosh turns around, and he sees the large brute flying across the air screaming. Immediately the entire melee started to die down, and all the combatants are now watching the flying brute crash into one of the tents. The combatants that are closest to the scene of the battle are now staring at the little red pony. This is not lost on Big Macintosh, who immediately recognize a turning point when he sees one. For some reason, the farmpony decided to say out a line. The sentence is simple, but it was heard by all the combatants.
"How do you like'em apples?" Big Macintosh has a rather big smirk on his face, and his apparent confidence radiated out from him, But the truth is that Big Macintosh is scared out of his own apples. It was then that Big Macintosh eyed a familiar Saddle Arabian galloping towards him with a Janissary in tow. Immediately, Big Macintosh could sense that the tide has turned. Immediately, the raiders all started running away, their morale broken.
The Sheikh also noticed this change, and immediately cried out something that causes the defenders to launch a counterattack and chase the raiders out of their camps. It was here that the legend of the Big Macintosh, The Rhinobucker is born.
It was late in the afternoon when the battle is over, and the camp is now treating its wounded and burying its dead. As Big Macintosh watches, he could not believe that he had just participated in this battle. His body feels so numb that he feels no pain of his emotions seeing the grief and despair running throughout the camp. It was then that the Sheikh appears beside him. Big Macintosh now looks at the Sheikh, who managed to change into something cleaner and blood-free. His face is now that of a concerned and caring pony.
"Abu Hamza, is this what ya have to deal with all the time?" "Yes, my friend. But the attacks are becoming more frequent now that I have announced to all strata of Saddle Arabia of my plans." "Yer plans?" Big Macintosh raise one of his eyebrow "Of becoming Emir. This means that all my rivals want me dead." "Why do they want to kill ya?" Big Macintosh asked, shocked of the fact. "Many reasons. Bad blood, perceived slights, you name it they have it." "If that's the case, why ya wanna be Emir?" Big Macintosh asked. It was then that the Sheikh's face hardened, and he waves his arms to illustrate his point.
"I want something better for my own people my friend, where everyone can live in peace and harmony as that in Equestria. This is the choice that I have made a long time ago, and this is why I need to become the Emir of Saddle Arabia. I want a better world for Fatimah, where she will no longer need to cower in fear against unknown threats and violence. Of course the other Sheikhs have something else in mind, but of what I am uncertain." "Is this why ya wanted mah help?" "I will be honest with you and say yes. Of course, I gave you the choice of whether you would like to help me or not. No matter what you choose, I will still go on with my dream of a better Saddle Arabia.Since you have made your choice, you may leave as soon as you are ready as I have promised." "If that's the case.....Ah changed mah mind. Ah'm comin' with you."
The Sheikh was shocked and surprised with Big Macintosh's answer, for he did not expect it at all especially after being in a harrowing experience of battle. It was then that the Sheikh, felt something on his shoulders, and he soon notice that Big Macintosh's foreleg is the sensation that he is feeling on his shoulder.Big Macintosh gives the Arabian stallion a warm but resolute smile. Abu Hamza could only smile back at the red pony. Both of them looked at each other for a while and then laugh.
"Thank you, Big Macintosh. "A true friend helps a friend in need. A friend will be there to help them see the light that shines from a true friend." Big Macintosh said confidently.
Big Macintosh is amazed at the stoic nature of the Saddle Arabians. If this were Equestria, he would have seen a funeral running for a few days, with the sound of wailing relatives in mourning and they would do nothing else at all. But what he see is that instead of all that heart-wrenching mourning, they are burying their dead somberly. A simple prayer is muttered as they wipe the body of the dead with a wet cloth, preparing it for the burial. The body is wrapped like a cocoon with only the face of the stallion or camel visible, and those whose face were mutilated beyond recognition instead have a painted death mask placed upon their faces. Big Macintosh realize that all of the death mask have a familiar motif to them; a painted eye upon the right side of the death mask and nothing else. The relatives and friends of the fallen came on the body of their fallen relatives and let their tears drip upon their fallen loved ones. However despite their silence, tears are shed perhaps even more than those of a normal Equestrian funeral. After everyone had their final farewells the faces are wrapped with a cloth and the bodies are buried as deep as it could be, all while being accompanied by prayers from the rest of the Saddle Arabians and Janissary. Immediately, as one the camp moved on, and started packing their belongings.
Big Macintosh thankfully had already packed as a result of an earlier decision which is now void. Being the only equine with a luggage, he wonder how would he carry this until the Sheikh comes with a simple saddlebag. Without a single line uttered, the red stallion puts his luggage into his saddlebag. Unlike most ponies, he like to travel light and for this occasion it is giving him dividends in his travelling. With that, Big Macintosh and the Sheikh now trots on with the rest of the camp and as one they began their exodus into the slowly darkening skies.
"Abu Hamza, Ah must ask; why are they all so calm? Why are they so silent during the funeral?" After travelling in the darkness for a while, Big Macintosh finally ask the question that he wanted to ask the Sheikh.The Sheikh smiles and gives Big Macintosh his answer. "We believe that we must show our relatives who passed away that they do not have to worry about us. If we were to wail and mourn them, it will unsettle those who passed away and they will never leave for the afterlife, worried that they can never leave us behind. " Big Macintosh nods as he takes it all in. But still Big Macintosh would like to know more about what is going on. "But....if all of ya are so quiet like that, how do you know that you are loved? Ah am sorry if that question sounds rude." The Sheikh already knew the answer to that question, so he tried to make this as simple as possible to the red pony. "For that we give them the greatest gift that we can give to our dead; tears. Water is the source of all life, and that is why the act of crying for the dead is the most respectful thing that we could give for we are giving our water to the dead. We also believe that our journey to the afterlife will take a while, and thus our loved ones will need all the water that they can get to get there."
"What about the mask with the eye?"The Sheikh paused for a moment as he tries to find the best way to explain the meaning of the mask for his Equestrian friend. "In many ways, I believe it is like putting on the coins on the eyes of dead ponies during the old days of Equestria. It is to let the guardians of the gates to our maker, Ista to recognize that the soul is not that of some faceless monster and are given full consent by Ista to let them pass through.The Eye of Ista ward off the evil spirits that seek to attack our loved ones and also allow Ista to see and guide our loved ones to the gates.I hope that answers your curiosity my friend." Soon enough, Big Macintosh is now very quiet, and the Sheikh leaves him be.
There is much that the red stallion needs to learn......., Abu Hamza said to himself. God willing, the Sheikh hopes that Fatimah would not have to give her water to let him travel to his maker until she is a much older mare....
Bloody Equestria, Big Macintosh said to himself as the whole caravan travels through the sweltering heat of the Saddle Arabian desert during the day. They have been walking through the desert throughout last night and indeed have continued on to the bright hot day of the present. He once though that Applelosa was hot as Tartarus, but now he is proven entirely wrong. To add even more insult to his condition, he did not have to walk across the entire desert in the heat without a sip of water. He wanted to drink the entire flask of water and quench his parched throat and soothe his cracking lips, but he realize that if he did not conserve his drinking water, he would be dead before they reach their location. As he eyed the rest of the caravan, he is amazed how they could just walk on without even sipping their water and even the foals are utterly silent and not complaining about the heat or water at all. They barely even sweat while his face is almost wet.
Damn these ponies....., Big Macintosh said to himself, but then he started to think about what happens when Applejack's friend is in his position. That white unicorn named Rarity......what would she really say if she is in his position? With that Big Macintosh's thoughts went to an utterly happy place.
"Oh, woe is me! What ever shall I do? Ah! Sand, sand! Get away, sand! Oh! Make it stop, make it stop! Filthy, disgusting sand. It stings, it burns. Help! Somepony save me, SAVE ME! Water, water, I'm terribly thirsty. Could I please have some water?" For some reason, he is imagining the Sheikh being the listener of this complaining, and he could imagine the Arabian telling her to shut up. "Shut up mare! Stop whining!" The Sheikh is covering his ears with his hooves while closing his eyes and shaking his head, tormented by the white unicorn mare's apparent whining. Unfortunately for the Sheikh, Rarity have only started. "I am not "whining". I am complaining. Do you want to hear "whining"? This is whining! Ooohhhh! This dress is utterly ghastly ! The colors is utterly dull, and without jewels to boot? How could you live without fabulosity in life? And the clothes, it covers up my beauty, and covering my head with this cloth will make my mane damp from my sweat, and this sweat's going to wreak havoc on my mane. And wearing this cloth over my head is stifling, suffocating. And I look and smell like I haven't bathed in weeks! Why do I have to wear it?!" "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooOOooooOooooo!!!!!!!!!" The Sheikh screams while down on both his hindlegs with his hands asking for salvation from the heavens above.
It was then that the red stallion realized that almost everypony within his vicinity are now staring at him in confusion. He wonder what is going on, until he notice the sound of his own hysterical laughter. It was not long until the pony started blushing from the embarrassment. But then Big Macintosh feels a sudden pull of his shoulder and now he could see the Arabian Sheikh looking at him with true concern in his gray eyes. Wondering what is going on, Big Macintosh as about to ask the stallion until the stallion showed him two of his forelegs.
"Can you see how many hooves that I am showing you? Do you know who I am and for that matter do you know who you are?" It was then that Big Macintosh chuckled again, and answered the Sheikh. "Ah am seeing two hooves, and ya name is Abu Hamza while Ah am Big Macintosh. Does that answer your question?" Big Macintosh is still smiling at him. It was then that the Sheikh breathe a sigh of relief, and puts his hooves on the farmpony's shoulders. "Thank God that you are alright. For a second there I thought your mind have been burned away by the heat!" "Well, thankfully that's not the case. Lemme tell you what Ah was thinking..." Big Macintosh then proceed to tell the story of his sister's friend Rarity and her prissy nature and how he would have reacted if she were here in Saddle Arabia with them. He also did not fail to include the pony that is on the receiving end of Rarity's whining. As he tells the tale to the Sheikh, Big Macintosh tries to hold in his own laughter as he impersonate Rarity's voice.
Suffice to say, the Sheikh gave a very hearty and hysterical laughter after Big Macintosh finishes telling the tale.
However as the night continues on, Big Macintosh could see something moving among the sands. His ears are all perked up, ready to listen to anything that is out of the ordinary. He looks around and it appears that every other member of the caravan are now on high alert.
"So it wasn't just me....." However immediately he could heart a soul-chilling howl echoing throughout the desert, and all the Janissary and the stallions are now brandishing their scimitar. It was then that Big Macintosh realized that all the mares, foals and those too old to fight are in the center of the caravan while the stallions and the Janissary forming a ring around them. Big Macintosh realized his position and immediately cursed under his breath.
Soon enough, the source of the howling revealed itself, and Big Macintosh have not seen anything like it before. As the creature emerged from the sand or to be exact formed from the sand, Big Macintosh could see a long, tapered snout forming to form a elongated lupine-like head. Slowly but surely, the sharp, tapered ears of the creature started to form followed by the rest of the body of the creature. True to its sand-like nature the creature's form flows and ebbs with the shifting dunes, the only constant feature is that of their glowing blue eyes. More and more of these creatures started to form, and they 'swam' around the entire caravan like sharks scenting the smell of blood, appearing and disappearing as they moved.
Some of the creatures even came close enough to try and snap their jaws, which the Saddle Arabians respond with a shout and a swing of their scimitar. The snarls and barks of the creatures continue to grate upon the nerves of Big Macintosh, and the red stallion is uncertain about how the group would defend against these creatures. To the surprise of the farmpony, the caravan continue on moving, calm and certain in their steps. Big Macintosh is now utterly amazed by this coordination and iron will of the Saddle Arabians and their Janissary, for most ponies would have been screaming and running for their lives right about now. In fact, if it were not for the concerted movement of the group, he would have also ran for his own life.
"Sand Jackals." Big Macintosh turns his attention to find a familiar black camel beside him. "What?" "They hunt and kill. But we large caravan, so we move on no worry. We run scared, they kill us one at time. Must move as one so that Sand Jackals not catch us." The camel explains. Big Macintosh nods and follow the wiser camel's advice. Big Macintosh's eyes are still locked upon the swirling forms of the Sand Jackals, their glowing blue eyes staring at them with contempt. The Sand Jackals did not come any nearer to the group, but they continue on 'swimming' beside them. The stand-off continued on throughout the night until dawn arrives. The Sand Jackals hissed before fading back into the white sands of Saddle Arabia.
"What happened?" "Day comes, they go. Day go, they come." The black camel said, before he walks away from Big Macintosh in the odd camel gait. Big Macintosh looks around and see that everyone in the caravan are now walking in a more relaxed pace.
The journey across the desert for the next few days are uneventful after the incident with the Sand Jackals. Nonetheless Big Macintosh's endurance is now at its limit, as the water conservation is now taking a toll on his mind and body. Big Macintosh's throat is now dried up and is hurting him, and his lips is cracking even more than before while his body started to ache from travelling across the sea of dune before him. Even worse than those conditions is that his thoughts are now less optimistic than before. It has been a week since they have started their journey from the outskirts of Port Al-Hoofdin, and Big Macintosh's water supply is running low. The periodical stops between the long walks is not helping him at all, instead it made him even more tired than before. This is also true with the rest of the Saddle Arabians, but they chose not to show it to the rest of the caravan and Big Macintosh decided against speaking out his thoughts. Big Macintosh could now see how water is held sacred in this part of the world, while in Equestria they just wantonly waste water away. Without food there is no sustenance, but without water there is no life. If they failed to get water soon, somepony will start falling down from the exhaustion and lack of water.
It was then that Big Macintosh could see something from beyond the horizon. At first it looked rather small, but then as the caravan continued on moving, Big Macintosh realized that it looks more like a large wall of cloud coming towards them. It was then that one of the Saddle Arabian started shouting something, and the caravan started to walk sideways away from the moving wall of cloud. Suddenly Big Macintosh's eyes started to hurt and he could feel the gust of wind blowing towards him, with sand in tow. Although the gust is small, but Big Macintosh could not help but to sneeze from the sand that is now entering his nostrils. He observed the other members of the caravan, and he noticed that they are now covering their mouths and snout with cloth from their Keffiyeh. Big Macintosh decides to follow by example and wraps some of the excess cloth from his headgear around his snout. By then Big Macintosh could feel that the gust of wind is getting stronger and stronger, blowing even more sand towards the caravan. It was then that Big Macintosh remembered the legendary tales of the sandstorms of Saddle Arabia, and now he is witnessing one of them coming towards their direction. As the sandstorm comes closer, Big Macintosh could feel the warm blowing winds of Saddle Arabia blowing through his robes filling it with the gravelly sands of this land.
Soon enough, one of the Saddle Arabians started calling out to the rest of the caravan and points out a rather large rock formation. The rock formation appears to be several stones stacked upon on one another in such a way that it forms a cavern and it seems to be large enough for the rest of the caravan to shelter themselves from the elements. Slowly but surely, the rest of the caravan walks towards the rock formation and rest among the cool shade that it provides.Big Macintosh could also feel that the storm is brewing to be a fierce one, and he is suddenly reminded by the large hurricane that the pegasi did to replenish the water supply of Cloudsdale. As everyone entered the cavern, Big Macintosh could only hope that everyone managed to get into this shelter. The red stallion's vision is severely hampered by the thickening sands but he managed to find his way into the cavern. As he enters into the cavern, his vision is restored and as he looks back, Big Macintosh could see nothing else outside of the cavern. The blowing, thunderous whistle of the raging sand storm continues on unabated. It looks like they will be stuck for a while in this cavern.
As Big Macintosh puts down his saddlebag, he noticed that some of the Saddle Arabians are now taking a sip of water while handing out dried fruits and bread for the others. Big Macintosh then walks up to one of them and kindly thank them with their food, and as he walks back towards his saddlebag he uttered a single thought out loud, but the howling winds of the storm dampens his voice down to nothing but a whisper.
Although the sandstorm had forced them to take shelter in the cavern for three days, but it proved to be a blessing in disguise to the caravan. They are able to conserve their energy a lot more and prevent dehydration as a result of the shade. Also , since they are in the cavern while the storm is raging on, there will be no raiders nor Sand Jackals coming for them. For the first time in a while the caravan is taking their much needed rest. Big Macintosh is just glad that he could rest his body, but he is still worried that the group as a whole did not have much water left.
During this moment of fitful bliss, Big Macintosh could not help but to observe the Saddle Arabians. Quite a number of them are now looking around the cavern as if there is some prize to be won. Some of them are knocking their hooves on the walls of the caverns, while others are digging around the ground to find something. Soon enough one of the started cheering, and said something. Immediately a number of the caravan members are already on the scene where the cheer originated. Big Macintosh could not help but to pass through the crowd, curious about this particular commotion.
Once he had gone through the crowd, he noticed that a small filly is smiling as the other adults are nuzzling the filly's mane with their hooves. As he turned to look to the source of the excitement, he could now see several plant-like vines protruding from the walls with many leaves sprouting out of it. The leaves are unlike anything he had ever seen before, for they looked more like large and fat blue bells. Soon enough the other Saddle Arabians are now cutting down the bells and the caravan members in the scene started to carry the bells and started distributing them among the rest.
Big Macintosh is not getting it at all. What is with this plant? Why are they so happy to see the plant? However his question is answered when one of the stallions turned the bell-like plant and started to use a small dagger to punch a hole in it. One of the mares came up and opens up her large water flask, and the stallion poured the contents into the flask. To Big Macintosh's surprise, there is a lot of liquid coming out from the bell and the drinking pouch is slowly filling up the flask with the live-sustaining liquid. Another mare started to line up behind the first mare, and soon enough there is already a line of five Saddle Arabians to each bell. It was then that Big Macintosh begins to walk back to his flask to get his fill of the liquid.
As he reached his baggage he could feel a pull down his robes again. Turning down, he comes face to face with the little filly, Fatimah.
"Hello there, Fatimah." "Would you like to come with me to get water from the Maa-Aini?" "The what now?"Once again, the language caught Big Macintosh offguard. As he raised one of his eyebrows, the little filly realized that Big Macintosh do not speak the language of the Saddle Arabians. The little filly gives a small cough before she speaks. "The Water Flower. It's that large blue bell plant thing." Big Macintosh do not know what expression that all the females are showing under their veil, and this is a rather odd situation for him. "Oh sure thing. Lead the way." Big Macintosh gives his best sincere smile, and the little filly is now jumping for joy. Soon enough the little filly is dragging him with her after he took his flask. As he is led to his destination, he could see that many of them are now taking a large gulp from their flask. It was not long before the red stallion could hear the sultry and regal accented voice of the Sheikh calling his name.
"My friend Big Macintosh! So glad of you to join us!" The Sheikh gives Big Macintosh a hug. "Pleasure's all mine." Big Macintosh said. "You are in luck, you are the last one for the water-giving of the Maa-Aini." The significance of the subtle rituals of the Saddle Arabians are lost on Big Macintosh, and this time Big Macintosh decided against asking the Sheikh about it.
As he slowly walks up to a white stallion holding the weird plant thing, Big Macintosh opens up his flask, and allow the stallion to pour the liquid into the flask. Big Macintosh could see that the liquid is utterly clear, which surprises him as he was expecting some kind of juice coming out from the plant. As the flask starts to fill up, Big Macintosh wonders if this plant could be cultivated or it is one of those weird 'Everfree' plants like the Zap Apples where you can only wait for it to come and then harvest it. Before long, the flask is filled up, and without any hesitation Big Macintosh decided to take a large gulp from the flask. Immediately, the farmpony's eyes are wide with surprise and he takes the flask away from his mouth and turns to the Sheikh.
"Mah word! This is pure cold iced water! How?!?" The Sheikh started laughing while Fatimah started giggling. "The Maa-Aini is a very magical plant. Would that be a sufficient explanation for you my friend?" "Why don't we just take a few of this and just carry it with us?" Big Macintosh asked, aware of the plant's value in this environment. "The coldness only last for thirty minutes after you cut it off of the plant, and the water will all disappear within the plant unless we pour it out to a container. Besides, we should keep some for some other caravans that may get stuck in here." Big Macintosh could only be amazed by the generosity and kindness of the Sheikh to the other caravans. Soon enough, another cheer could be heard, and the Sheikh smiled.
"Well, the sandstorm have stopped. It is time to leave."
It has been twelve days since they left the caverns into the wilderness of Saddle Arabia, and now Big Macintosh could see that every Saddle Arabian is even more stoic than before. Big Macintosh is now down to his last few droplets of water, and if this goes on anymore he might pass out from the exhaustion like that time where Applejack was forced to buck every apple by herself or worse....
As the sun slowly falls, one of the Saddle Arabians started shouting out loud, and Big Macintosh realized that the stoic nature of the Saddle Arabians is replaced with an atmosphere of relief and unbridled excitement. The stallions are now smiling, while the mares now started to chatter among themselves and the foals started to giggle and laugh. What is going on, the red farmpony asked himself. Before long, the group is now moving faster than they were before, and the walk becomes a trot, and the trot becomes a gallop. Before long, Big Macintosh is forced to gallop with the rest of the Saddle Arabians, and soon he found out the source of their excitement.
He could see several palm trees in the middle of the desert, and Big Macintosh wonders what on earth are those trees doing out here in the middle of nowhere. As he gets closer, he could see even more trees, and soon enough his eyes catches the presence of bushes as well. Suddenly it clicked in the farmpony's head; if there are trees that means that there is water. A sense of euphoria now envelops the red stallion, and now he finds himself galloping towards this apparent miracle with a big smile on his face. Before long he could not believe his own eyes, thinking that they are deceiving him.
A large lake as pristine and clear as sapphire sparkled with the reddish colors of the setting sun, further enhancing the beauty of the lake. Lush vegetation could be seen everywhere, from the mighty palm trees to the humble bushes like a laurel around the lake. Last but not least, Big Macintosh could also see a variety of animals and birds around the lake, peacefully existing in this paradise in the middle of the dune. But then, the crowd's enthusiasm slowly died down, and Big Macintosh could see why; there are a large encampment already there in this area. Big Macintosh is feeling the anxiety in the air that immediately replaced the excitement and optimism from before. As the mood becomes darker, Big Macintosh could not help but to wonder if they will have to fight for this pristine paradise.
It was then that one of the Saddle Arabians started blowing what sounded like a horn, and the silence after that was nerve-wrecking. As the murmurs of the Saddle Arabians resonated in the air, the stallions are now brandishing their scimitars. The feeling of fear and anxiety builds up, and soon enough it becomes so unbearable that some of the foals are now crying. Big Macintosh, tries to swallow his anxiety, but his throat is too dry for him to even do so and the anxiety that is within his throat is now stuck, making him almost breathless
It was then that another horn could be heard from within the oasis. The Saddle Arabians are now talking with each other, relieved and but yet worried about the current encampment within the oasis. At least that is what Big Macintosh would like to think to himself. Soon enough as one, the caravan enters the oasis and it was then that The Sheikh appears by his side again.
"My friend, would you like to accompany me to meet this other caravan?" "Come again, Abu Hamza?" "It would be more prudent if we were to bring you with us, and at least let the other caravan know that we truly mean no harm." Big Macintosh now remembers that that means there could be a leader in the other caravan, and now Big Macintosh is to participate in this meeting for the safety of all the members of Abu Hamza's caravan. Not like he got a choice when the Sheikh is asking him nicely. The red stallion sighed. "Alright, lead the way." As Big Macintosh follows the Sheikh, another has also joined them. Big Macintosh recognized as the black camel from the battle and the time where the Sand Jackals stalked them. It seems that the recognition is mutual. The Sheikh, aware of the recognition that both have of each other, decided to speak up. "Ah it seems that you have met Amanar, the leader of my Janissary. Amanar, this is Big Macintosh of Equestria." The black camel gives an approving nod to the red stallion. "Amanar thank Big Macintosh for look out my back, Big Macintosh of Equestria. Amanar now watch Big Macintosh back." The black camel said to Big Macintosh in broken Equestrian, and with a curt nod Big Macintosh reciprocated. "No problem, Amanar and thanks pard'ner for looking out for mine with the Sand Jackals."
As they walked through the caravan, it appears that all the members of the Sheikh's caravan are now watching the trio. The trio now navigated themselves out from the crowd and right in front of them, they could see that there is another trio have also emerged from the other caravan's encampment. The leading figure is a rather bulky blue stallion with a long beard and a black turban decorated with a feather from a peacock. Like the Sheikh, he is clad in a pure white robe with a black cloak over his frame. To the bulky stallion's right is a brown camel with red eyes dressed in the exact fashion as that of Amanar. It was when he looked to the left of the other Sheikh that caused much surprise to Big Macintosh's surprise.
Standing to the left of the leader of the other caravan, Big Macintosh sees a light amaranthish gray-maned pony with brilliant blue eyes like those of the lake beside them, and her white coat gave her a radiant presence among the trio of representatives from the other encampment. She is dressed in a white dress with the same design as the other Saddle Arabian mares, but instead she did not cover her face with a veil like the others. Instead, the pony is displaying her nurse's hat emblazoned with a red medical cross with hearts in each corner and her pink mane is tied up in a bun. She is definitely not harsh to the eyes, in fact she is elegantly gorgeous but what surprises Big Macintosh more than anything is not that the mare is allowed to participate in this meeting, but that he knows this mare. Big Macintosh wants to greet this familiar pony by name but then his lips decided to cut her name short and made plans of its own.
"HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO NURSE!" BIg Macintosh could not control his mouth when he uttered an almost lustful catcall to the mare, catching everyone by surprise. Turning even redder than usual, Big Macintosh covered his mouth with his hooves. The mare giggled before she speaks in a calm and collected manner, smiling at the red stallion. "Hello there Big Macintosh, it is definitely nice to meet you here." "Eeyup." Big Macintosh said sheepishly. Soon enough the leaders of both the caravans turned to their Equestrian counterparts and both Equestrians are ready to answer some questions.
"You know that Equestrian?!?" Both the Equestrians answered their hosts in a similar fashion, albeit with a slight variation. "Yes, Big Macintosh used to be a patient of mine back in Ponyville." "Eeyup, Nurse Redheart used to be mah nurse back in Ponyville."
Both of the leaders of the caravans, satisfied with the answer of their Equestrian charge now stared at each other, the gray eyes of Sheikh Abu Hamza meeting the dark magenta of the other Sheikh's eyes. Before long, both of the Sheikhs took a step forward and stared at each other a little more. They then took out the pendant with the swirly symbols from their robes, whom Big Macintosh recognized as the symbol of Abu Hamza's clan. Although they looked the same to the red stallion, the two Sheikhs would know what to look out for in those weird swirly symbols. There was an awkward silence for a moment before both Sheikhs smiled and decided to hug each other, The two leaders of the caravan soon begin to talk to each other in their own tongue in a jovial manner. The two Sheikhs beckons both their Equestrian charges and their head Janissary to meet them. Both Nurse Redheart and Big Macintosh looked at each other, being utterly puzzled by these series of events. Once they are both beside the Sheikhs, the two leaders decided to open up with the introductions.
"Nurse Redheart, Latif, I would like for you to meet Sheikh Abu Hamza bin Mohammad Hishamudin! It is good to see another clanspony!" Sheikh Abu Hamza smiled before he continue on with the introductions. " Big Macintosh, Amanar, this is Sheikh Fahd bin Mohammed. He is from the same clan as I am ." "Mighty nice to meet ya, Sheikh Fahd." "Oh no, the pleasure is all mine! Any friend of a clanspony is a friend of mine!" The burly stallion started giving a hearty laughter. The two Janissary continued to stare at each other before they knocked their heads together and then started smiling at each other. Big Macintosh and Nurse Redheart were caught off-guard with this gesture, but the Sheikhs looked upon them with a smile. "Ah, the Janissary Salam! it seems that both our Janissary knew one another. This is a surprise." "Indeed, this is truly a joyous occasion! Let's celebrate this with a feast!" The burly stallion said with joy in his voice. He then called out something in their tongue and soon enough the rest of Fahd's caravan emerges from their tents and a flurry of activity and greetings are exchanged between the two caravan. As the chatter continue on, both Nurse Redheart and Big Macintosh looked at each other with a smile on their face.
"So Nurse Redheart, this is where yer at all this time. Was wonderin' about it for a time." "Well my job brings me to where I am needed the most. Shall we catch up as they get ready?" Nurse Redheart gives a tender smile to Big Macintosh, instantly lighting up his heart. "Ah would appreciate that." Perhaps this journey is not that bad after all, Big Macintosh thought.
Soon enough the camp is now filled with the hustle and bustle of Saddle Arabians getting ready for a celebration and also that of Abu Hamza's caravan setting up camp. But instead the two Equestrians decided to go to somewhere more quieter to talk to each other. As the two Equestrians walked along the edge of the lake beside them, they began talking to each other.
"So Big Macintosh, I did not expect you to be a pony that will venture far from your home. What brings you here to Saddle Arabia?" "Well, Ah am here to sell'em Zap Apple Jam to the Sheikh and for that Ah have to travel to the capital or something. It is their weird custom or something." Big Macintosh made sure that he did not reveal the political reason for him to stay with the Sheikh, other than those of trying to do business for the Apple family. "Fair enough, Now you tell me 'bout yer reason here." Nurse Redheart taps her hoof on her chin for a few moments, with a feigned frown on her face before she speaks up. It was then that Nurse Redheart told Big Macintosh of her travelling all the way to the Hathi Empire to treat their Maharaja and now that she had done her job she was about to travel back to Equestria. But then she continued on by telling Big Macintosh about how the Healer's Organization have decided to give her a new mission, the mission being to treat the ailing leader of Saddle Arabia at Aqqabasta.
"Ailing leader? Ya mean the Emir?" "Yes, that the important pony. I am lucky that Shiekh Fahd is also heading towards the capital, and is tolerant of me not wearing a veil. The other Sheikhs are less than forthcoming about my gender. Been a good month or so since I first arrived in Saddle Arabia, and I am not even anywhere near the capital. Apparently we are close though." "That's good to hear." "Not really as I have not found a single town or settlement that allows me to travel freely within its limits." The white mare pouts as she expresses her displeasure. " Ah see." With Nurse Redheart's knowledge of the situation, Big Macintosh could now see why Sheikh Abu Hamza is vying for the role, and need to gain the support of a lot of ponies to get that role. It also appeared that the rumors about the gender discrimination between mares and stallions are somewhat true in most of Saddle Arabia. Sheikh Abu Hamza appears to be one of the exceptions to the norms, as Big Macintosh remembers how many of the marefolk also help in doing the other tasks in the camp except the fighting.
"By the way how's Equestria? I heard that Canterlot got invaded by changelings." "Eeyup, Mah sister and her friend along with one of mah sister's friends, named twilight and her brother, Shining Armor and his wife, Princess Cadence blasted them outta Canterlot. Soon after that, the Crystal Empire came back from a thousand years and another ancient evil is banished once more by Princess Cadence and Spike, with the help of mah sister and her friends. After that Ah believe that Discord returned but he is all good now, and finally Twilight is now an Alicorn princess." The white mare wanted to say something, but she is quite shocked about how much she had missed while she was away. Big Macintosh could only shrug, as he had gotten too used to his sister and her friends, being the Elements of Harmony, saving Equestria time and time again. The nurse then asked the red stallion about things that she missed while she was away from Ponyville and telling him that it will not be as insane as the things that happened at large in Equestria. Big Macintosh could only give a very loud and hearty laughter.
"Well, you wouldn't believe me but here goes....." Big Macintosh takes a deep breath, and to the best of his ability he began telling Nurse Redheart about the tales of their rather uniquely event-prone town. As he told Nurse Redheart about the horde of Pinkie Pies, the magical duel between Twilight Sparkle and Trixie, and other such wondrous tales, Big Macintosh decides to tone down a little and talked about the life at the farm and the other more mundane folks of Ponyville. Nurse Redheart asked Big Macintosh about her coworkers at the Ponyville hospital, asking about their well-being and Big Macintosh corteously answered her every inquiry. It was then that they talked about the even more mundane things such as the muffins from Sugarcube Corner and the apple cider of Big Macintosh's own farm. For a time, both Equestrians are happy that they finally were able to talk to someone that they knew and ease their homesickness, finding solace and enjoying each other's company.
It was then that they could hear the loud percussion and the lyrical melodies of musical instruments resonating in the silent air of the night desert. Both ponies looked at each other and smiled at each other, and both of them walked together towards the camp under the light of Princess Luna's crescent moon.
The Equestrians entered into the camp to see that the feast now underway with the drumming of the Saddle Arabian percussion section pounding at the chest of both ponies. The loud percussion of the drums are accented with the soft and gentle sounds chimes and tambourines creating a poly-rhythmic sound. Complimenting the percussion are the lyrical sounds of the stringed instruments which gives it a syncopated polyphony that is unlike the music found in Equestria. To add to the lively music, the joyous singing and the ecstatic dancing of the Saddle Arabians around a large bonfire completes the image of the celebration. One of the Janissary appear before the two ponies, bowing down his head as he comes to face them.
"The Sheikhs request your presence. Follow me." The Janissary said in his oddly guttural speech. Seeing that they could not refuse their hosts, the Equestrians make their way to where the leaders of the caravans are located. as they make their way to the Sheikhs, they noticed that each Saddle Arabian are gathered around a large platter with food in it, and they are already eating and chatting away. Soon enough, a voice called them over.
"Ah here come our guest from beyond the seas! Come, take a seat! " Sheikh Fahd exclaims. As Big Macintosh and Nurse Redheart take their place among the Sheikh's and their family, they could feel that even more so than the usual, the warmth of hospitality and generosity shines though the family-styled serving of the Saddle Arabians. Arrayed before their eyes is a feast that is is characteristic of the Saddle Arabian culture. There are many freshand cooked fruits and vegetables from the humble sliced cucumbers to the roasted spiced eggplants, complimented by a large amount of seasoned rice, lentil soup, hummus and flatbread. The dishes are arranged upon a rather large platter at the center of the entire group, encouraging everyone to share the dish. Big Macintosh could only remind himself of the meals that often accompany the Apple family reunions in its spirit.
"Thank you again for your generosity, Sheikh Fahd." Nurse Redheart said to the burly Sheikh. The burly Sheikh waves his arms as if to stop Nurse Redheart from saying anything more. "Nonsense! I must thank you for being the midwife for my daughter when she truly needs it! Thanks to you I am able to see my first grandchild, Ahmar-Janann ! Nothing I can do now could ever replace the generous deed that you have made for my family, save naming her after you in my own tongue!" The burly Sheikh then looks at a red-coated mare with a black mane with a bright blue foal with a white mane in her arms. A hint of pink could be seen upon the cheeks of the nurse, smiling at this display of appreciation.The other mares and stallions smiled, despite the fact that they mostly likely would not know what Sheikh Fahd have said to the Equestrian mare. It was not long before the Shiekh repeated the conversation in Saddle Arabian, and the mares and stallions around the large platter cheered. The faint hint of pink on Nurse Redheart's cheek brightens up to a healthy rosy pink.
It was then that Sheikh Abu Hamza decided to speak and the entire camp is now quiet and inactive, each equine now enraptured by the fiery and passionate oratory skills of Abu Hamza. Big Macintosh could hear some of the ponies answering the Sheikh when he appears to be asking them a question, but then he is utterly lost. Nurse Redheart nudged the shoulder of the red stallion, and Big Macintosh turned his attention to the white mare.
"You want to know what he is saying about you?" She puts up a hoof to whisper to the farmpony's ear. "You understand Saddle Arabian?!?" Big Macintosh's eyes are now wide with surprise. "All part of my job, Big Mac.So are you interested?" Nurse Redheart gives him an approving wink. "Yeah, if you could translate it it would be appreciated." Big Macintosh said.
Nurse Redheart began telling Big Macintosh what the Sheikh is saying to the crowd, and it seems that Sheikh Abu Hamza is asking everyone about how could one measure the worth of a pony. Some of them have answered bravery, wisdom, and strength at arms among many things. But the Sheikh have brushed all of that aside, and instead began pointing out a certain pony from Equestria that exemplifies the trait that he considers as the measure of a pony.
"Ya serious? He's talking about me?" Nurse Redheart shushing him so that she could listen and translate what the Sheikh is telling the rest of the crowd. To Nurse Redheart's utter surprise, the light brown Sheikh started humming. Soon enough the percussions come in to compliment his song. "What's going on? Why's he humming?" Big Macintosh asked.and then the red stallion could see that the Sheikh is now walking towards him and puts a hoof on the red stallion's shoulder. He looks at Big Macintosh, and then he walks away and faces the crowd, silent and awaiting the words of the Sheikh. The Sheikh then started talking in a poetic manner to the crowd, his deep voice piercing through the music. Big Macintosh could now see the exaggerated storytelling gestures of the sheikh, his arm swinging and moving as if conducting a symphony, and his voice as lyrical and melodious as a cello.
"Right now he is telling the crowd that a measure of a pony is on how they treat those that needed their help even when it is unasked for. He is telling the crowd about how initially you shy away from travelling to the capital for you are here for a simple business deal," The crowd booed and hissed, "and initially he thought you were just a money-sucking pony with no ethics." "Ah guess that's true in a way, but more like Ah was not expectin' stuff and the dangers are too much for one pony to handle." It was then that the Sheikh raised his voice and hollered, before continuing on with his tale. "Oh, right now he say it was on the third morning, before you are about to leave that he heard the cries of the raiders coming in to kill the innocent, and like any good Sheikh, his role is to protect the defenseless." It was then that he said something, something that sounded like a curse, and the crowd gasped and started pointing at the red stallion, the equines and camels staring at him with accusatory eyes. For some reason, Big Macintosh is not liking this tale.
"What did he just said Redheart?" "Well Big Mac, he just said that you have insulted his mother, and that you will defend the helpless by yourself." Nurse Redheart said, without even a change of expression. "Ah didn't say that!" Big Macintosh hissed. It was then that the Sheikh brandishes his scimitar and started swinging it around, as he told the tale. It was then that he drops the scimitar and stood there. The crowd started to ask the Sheikh , and then the Sheikh raised his forelegs and pretended to be something, and suddenly as he is telling his tale he kicks his forelegs up in the air. The red stallion immediately knew what part of the tale is he talking about, and before long there was murmur among the crowd, and some of the cried in disbelief. The Sheikh silenced them, and finally told them something in a solemn and resolute voice, ending his epic poem.It was then that there is a great silence among the crowd, the only thing that could be heard are the cracking sound of firewood burning in the bonfire. Immediately, the crowd chanted as one breaking the silence.
"Al-Mah'dib!Al-Mah'dib!Al-Mah'dib!Al-Mah'dib!Al-Mah'dib!Al-Mah'dib!" The chant is followed soon by hollering and hooting from the rest of the Saddle Arabians, even the mares and the foals.
"Okay....what's going on...Ah'm scared....." Big Macintosh is feeling rather uneasy over the chanting and Nurse Redheart is now looking at him, giggling. "Well Big Macintosh, you have just earned your Saddle Arabian title." The red farmpony is now looking at the white mare with bewildered eyes. She then puts her hoof on his shoulder and gives him a look of reconciliation. Big Macintosh is not liking this one bit. "Nice to meet you, Al-Mah'dib, or to be exact Al-Ahmal Mah'salaz'dib men-Iguesshria." "Don't you dare talk fancy to me..." Big Macintosh said disapprovingly at the mare with a frown on his face. It was then that the mare gives him a rather mischievous smile and puts one of her hooves on her chin, some plan brewing in her mind.
"Do you really want to know my fancy talk?" Nurse Redheart looked at Big Macintosh resolutely. Big Macintosh raised his eyebrow, rather curious from this weird turn of events.
"Come on you know you want me to talk fancy......" Big Macintosh is not liking this cheeky nature of Nurse Redheart one bit, but his curiosity demands that he knows. Besides, those eyes are now very much stoking the fiery stallion nature of his heart. Before he could say anything reasonable, his lips had once again took over. "Eeyup, try me." Big Macintosh cursed in his heart but then Nurse Redheart now looks at him with her azure blue eyes, and for a moment Big Macintosh is entranced by her beautiful eyes. He would have loved to stare at them for a considerable amount of time if not forever, but then his view of her eyes was interrupted by the mare's own eyelid. It was then that the mare puts her other hoof on his shoulder, and pulls him closer. He could now feel her breath getting stronger around his left ear as she comes closer, and his heart pounded like a tree being applebucked by Applejack. Slowly but surely, she whispers to him seductively.
"You want to know something?" Nurse Redheart's whisper caresses his ears like fine silk. "Eeyup? Big Macintosh swallowed nervously. "That title that they gave you? It means Rhinobucker." Nurse Redheart pushes the farmpony away from her,smiling smugly with a satisfied look on her face while she waits for his reaction. Suffice to say it was a classic. Big Macintosh's eyes are wide with disbelief and also great stallion disappointment, utterly flabbergasted by the rather steamy nature of the whisper just to tell him what they said to him to the point that his jaw dropped. If he were Pinkie Pie, his jaw would have felled straight to the floor. The experience is further enhanced with his weirdly twitching eyes. But then Nurse Redheart realized the tears and she thought that perhaps she had gotten too far and she wanted to say sorry to him, However, the farmpony interrupted her.
"Haaaaahhhhgggggg?" Big Macintosh was suddenly talking in a very spastic manner, and pointing at his jaw. Nurse Redheart was wondering what is wrong. She then stared at Big Macintosh until she realized there's even more tears in his eyes and immediately burst out into laughter as she realized that Big Macintosh had dislocated his jaw. With a single push of her hoof, Nurse Redheart pushed the red stallion's jaw back in place before the damage is permanent. With a loud snap, Big Macintosh's jaw is back in its place. Relieved that his jaw had relocated itself, he then looked at Nurse Redheart, his pride wounded.
"Sure beats my own title, Al- Lai' Hama.......'The Flaming Midwife'. Your title as a whole means The Red Kicking Slayer of Rhinoceros from Equestria. If they decided to give you a title, that means you have done a deed in their eyes that is worth commemorating for a lifetime. You will never see the end of this now that there is a poem about you." Nurse Redheart shrugs while trying to comfort the stallion.Big Macintosh could only facehoofed from this, but then he laughed at it. It was then that he noticed that the white nurse is now looking at him with inquisitive eyes. "What?" Big Macintosh asked, and honestly in his heart, he did not want to get played around again by the beautiful mare.. "I heard that the Sheikh said that you said something about being a beacon of hope or something after the battle, but the words are quite vague. What did you say to him exactly?" Big Macintosh is now scratching his mane, with redder cheeks than before with his hoof and then he takes a deep breath before he tells Nurse Redheart what he said to the Sheikh. "A true friend helps a friend in need. A friend will be there to help them see the light that shines from a true friend." Big Macintosh said confidently. Nurse Redheart smiled at him, and that smile lightens up his heart again and making his cheeks a much darker crimson than before.
The celebration died down after a considerable amount of time and as the rest of the Saddle Arabians started cleaning the dishes, the two Sheikhs are now looking at each other with an intensity that made both Equestrians uneasy. The Sheikhs muttered something, and the rest of the stallion and mares that are around the large platter excused themselves. The Equestrians are about to take their leave until both of the Sheikhs uttered the same thing at the same time.
"Equestrians, stay. We need you to join in this conversation." Both the Equestrians are now looking at each other, wondering what is going on. It was then that both of the Head Janissary joined them, sitting down in their odd rickety way. Big Macintosh now realized that they are about to get into a political conversation.
"For the sake of the Equestrians, we shall conduct this meeting in their language." Abu Hamza said. The burly stallion nods his head, while the two Jannisary remained as silent as the night around their camp.
The Sheikhs have brought them to a camp where the leaders of Sheikh Fahd's caravan would gather to talk about matters. The crystal in the center glows brightly, lighting up the room. But to Big Macintosh's eyes, it appears to further insinuate the darkness of this conversation as he could see the shadow falling around them.The burly Sheikh plays around with his beard, staring intently at the other Sheikh. Big Macintosh had received some warning from Abu Hamza before about the way Arabian diplomacy works. It must be done by at least two ponies on each side. With three ponies on each side, Big Macintosh could see that this meeting will be quite a serious one. Nurse Redheart however is thinking about why is she getting involved in this, for mares in Saddle Arabia rarely participated in meetings, let alone a foreigner like herself. It was then that Nurse Redheart asked everyone in the room.
"Well.....um.....may I ask......what am I doing here?" "Since Sheikh Abu Hamza have expressed the intention to bring another equine into the meeting and an Equestrian no less, I exercise my fair right to bring in another pony, in particular an Equestrian pony who will know the ways of Equestria." Nurse Redheart is now looking at Big Macintosh, but Big Macintosh is now absorbing all of this into his head. So, it appears that they would have to have an equal number of ponies with very similar backgrounds on the table to have a fair round of talks..... The red stallion finally understood why his help would be a great boon to Sheikh Abu Hamza in his counsel with the elders. With an Equestrian on his side, the Sheikh's rival would not be able to match up. An odd diplomatic process indeed.
"So....Fahd, why did you agree to bring the mare to Aqqabasta?" "A client request me to escort her to the capital and indeed I shall. Is there something wrong Abu Hamza?" "Is it not for the fact that our physicians are inferior to that of an Equestrian physician?" "I do not know what you are talking about, young Sheikh. What are you trying to imply? Would you share it with me?" "With an Equestrian physician, you could have a great hold on the Emir yourself as her skills may heal the Emir from his ailment. He is an ailing old stallion you see.....If your Equestrian chess piece is able to heal him, you would have earned great favor with the Emir and you could have a bigger chance of getting the Emir to elect you as crown prince." The burly blue stallion could only smile before he retorted back eloquently. "What about you my Sheikh? What of you and the red stallion? What role will he play in your bid for power? Nurse Redheart could you tell me about this pony?" "Well, he is a farmer at Sweet App....." Sheikh Fahd shakes his head. "No, no.....tell me about his connections, and his blood. Come on, tell me. You know something......" Big Macintosh is feeling a certain commanding air from the burly equine, and the pressure he is putting on Nurse Redheart is almost unfair. He wanted to say something about this, but the Equestrian nurse finally spoke out.
"Big Mac.....he is related to Applejack, one of the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony....and he is the grandson of Granny Smith, the matriach of perhaps the largest clan of ponies in Equestria. They are everywhere, farming apples and their apple products and selling them to every pony." Nurse Redheart felt very uncomfortable as she told the sheikh about Big Macintosh's history. But in the company of those that are willing to do anything in a split second that anything went wrong, she decided to comply. She looked at Big Macintosh, truly feeling sorry for what she had done. Big Macintosh could only shake his head, with eyes assuring the mare that what she did is alright.
"Ah.....so he is well-connected both politically and financially. That's even better than your idea that I seek to take advantage of the ailing health of our Lord. Promise the other Sheikhs wealth and connections and they will eat out of your hooves like pigeons." Sheikh Fahd is now looking at Sheikh Abu Hamza with accusatory eyes. "Nonsense. You know as well as i do that all business deals must go through the elders first." "Indeed, indeed." Soon enough both the Sheikhs are laughing, but the Equestrians are finding themselves in a very uncomfortable position. Big Macintosh at least is forewarned about his role in their politics, but Nurse Redheart is definitely shocked and hurt by this sudden jousting of words, as she now realized that perhaps the Sheikh is not as kind as he seems in offering her a trip to the capital, Aqqabasta. Big Macintosh really wanted to go to the mare and comfort her, but alas the situation is rather sticky for the moment. The two Jannisary appears to be on high alert, their toes already on their scimitar. Both Equestrians are now afraid that this would go down the deep end.
"Abu Hamza, we are both caravans from the same clan. We are also travelling to the capital. Would you be willing for Big Macintosh to follow my caravan to the capital? It would be a nice thing indeed for make it easier for these two ponies to travel together. Trusting a clanspony is better than trusting anypony else right?" "I could say the same to you." "Your caravan is tired from a long journey, while mine are well rested for days." The blue sheikh's words are laced with a subtle threat, one which Big Macintosh could sense. The way in which the threat coils around the words like a poisonous serpent is almost sickening to the red stallion.How could he say such grievous threats so easily? "Very true. But then do you want us to all be very tired and be sleeping 'deeply?" Nurse Redheart now realized the bigger picture of what is going on. All she wants to do is to get out of this alive with Big Macintosh. "Indeed. So now where do we go now?"The burly Sheikh said. " What do you say Big Macintosh?" Sheikh Abu Hamza asked the red stallion. Big Macintosh was speechless and could only point to himself. "Yes you, Al-Mah'dib. Also Al- Lai'Hama, what would you suggest?" The burly stallion asked the mare. "There is nothing wrong with travelling together isn't it Sheikh Fahd? A large caravan is better than two little ones right? Wouldn't you agree Sheikh Abu Hamza?" Nurse Redheart smiled weakly as she said so, her voice as pale as her white coat. Of course, she knows that all Saddle Arabians are willing to fight if given the opportunity, unlike ponies. Both Sheikhs started laughing again, and the Equestrians just got more uneasy as they realized that they just either just sealed their fate or just escaped from certain doom.
"Wise words indeed." Fahd said. "Indeed. Shall we go to Aqqabasta together?" Abu Hamza extends his forearms out. The other sheikh stared at it for a while before giving off another hearty laughter. Both of the Sheikhs then clops their hooves together, apparently sealing a deal or something. How did the situation turned from a dangerous play of see-saw diplomacy to that of an alliance? Those are the thoughts of the Equestrians when they saw the conclusion of the diplomatic process between two clanspony. It was then that the burly sheikh started talking again.
"So pray tell, have you heard about the rumors?" Fahd gives a smirking smile. "Whatever do you mean my friend?" The tone of Abu Hamza is rather condenscending, but it is hidden in a cloud of hospitality. "They say that from the east, a Sheikh is rising in power. A Sheikh who became wealthy due to the discovery of what he calls 'Black Water'. With the profits he got from it, he is arming his forces for something we have no idea about." Of course, Big Macintosh and Nurse Redheart could sense that lie from a few miles away, and know what is it that the other Sheikh is about to do. Of course they stayed silent, as they are utterly clueless about the way in which Saddle Arabians handled their political affairs. Soon enough, the silence is once again present in the room, and in Nurse Redheart's mind, it appears that the room is now much more colder and darker than it was before.
"Do you know of this Sheikh?" "That I do not know. But what I have heard is that the Sheikh is utterly ruthless. The Al-Dhannam clan have been expressing interest in allying with this Sheikh. " "That Sheikh is known to be a very cunning one, they could convince one of the strongest clans in Saddle Arabia to have an interest in an alliance." The burly stallion coughed a little before continuing on. "If he did, his clan would indeed be the most powerful in whole of Saddle Arabia. A clan united under such a Sheikh would be a formidable threat." It was then that Big Macintosh noticed that a deep frown is upon the face of Sheikh Abu Hamza, as if he was saying why is Sheikh Fahd telling him this. Big Macintosh could also see a rather sly smile on the other Sheikh's face, as if he was answering Sheikh Abu Hamza with a very simple question; why not?
As the Sheikhs bid the Equestrians farewell, both ponies are now utterly silent as they walked away from the tent. Both of the Equestrians could see that the other is visibly unnerved by the way in which Saddle Arabians go about talking about deals. If this is just the talk between two ponies within the same clan, they dared not wonder how it would be if the conversation is between two ponies of two entirely different clans. Especially when the clans really hated each other.
"I do not like this at all Big Mac.....how did we end up in this?" The fact that her job just turned political is against her sworn duty to help all those who are in need no matter who they are and not hurt anyone else, for it appears that her rather simple job had turned into a political power play that could affect the lives of so many ponies. The red stallion could see that the mare is shaken by being part of a talk that almost killed both of them. But they could not get out of Saddle Arabia now even if they wanted to.
Inside the red stallion, the two moral fibers that defines the red stallion are fighting against each other; that of honesty and loyalty. Honestly he just want to go home, but he should never turn on a promise. Likewise, his loyalty is to his family, but he had promised the Sheikh as a friend that he would help him no matter what. The dissonance is nerve-wracking, but Big Macintosh would have to bear with the consequences of his choices.
"Eeyup." Both of the Equestrians are now silent, not wanting to talk anymore about this. Before long, the nurse stopped in front of a tent, causing a little bit of alarm in the stallion. "Here's my tent. I will see you tomorrow morning Big Mac." Big Macintosh could see that the mare's strength is now out of her, and he could not blame her as the talks are very taxing to the mind. Likewise, he is also rather tired from all the travelling, feasting and most taxing of them all; the drama. "Eeyup." "Good night." Nurse Redheart's face is pale, but she still managed to smile a bit for the red stallion before she enters her tent. Big Macintosh did not managed to say his good nights to her, as her tent immediately darkens up. With nothing left to do, the farmpony turns his back on the tent. "Good night, Redheart." Big Macintosh whispered, before he walks away from the mare's tent.
The next few days are rather uneventful, but the Equestrians are now finding that they are often in each other's company throughout their time at the oasis. Perhaps it is because of their shared Equestrian backgrounds, or perhaps it is because they are on the same boat right now, but they care not. The company of the other is very calming to both of the ponies and they would not have it any other way. Today, they are just sitting at the edge of the lake, looking at the bright blue skies as the birds flew pass the oasis. Their moment of ease was broken with the arrival of the two Sheikhs. As both the Equestrians looked back, they recognized that the two Sheikhs have something to say to them.
"Well Equestrians, we will be leaving by this evening. The journey to Aqqabasta will take another week or so if everything goes well. I suggest that you start packing now." Sheikh Fahd said to both of them before he walks away. Nurse Redheart looks at Big Macintosh before she leaves him at the side of the lake, all alone with the the other Sheikh. Sheikh Abu Hamza puts his hooves upon the red pony's shoulder.
"It will all be over soon." "Eeyup." "You had done a great deal for me by following me all this time. Once again, I must say thank you." Before Big Macintosh could say anything, the light brown stallion hugs the farmpony. The Sheikh's warmth seeps through his clothing, and the red stallion could sense his sincerity. The Sheikh lets go of the pony, and then walks away from him. Big Macintosh could only watch as the stallion fades among the tents and other Saddle Arabians. Big Macintosh could only turn back to see the large pristine nature of the oasis, and hoped that everything will be just fine like the oasis that lays before his eyes.
The greenery may be different, but it sure reminded him of home. His mind starts to bring him home where the fields of apple trees span as far as the eye could see, and the air is pure and fresh with the smell of apple fragrance. He could hear the familiar voices of his sisters and also his grandmother calling him back home when the day's chores are done. But alas, he is not home for he could feel the warm and hot air of the Saddle Arabian desert blowing to his face and mane, each gust of wind bringing a little more sand in its gale. The sand trickles from Big Macintosh's face like the sands of a hourglass, counting down the moments where everything will be over and he could really go home.
As he enters into his tent, he notices that only clothing that he have are those given to him by the Saddle Arabians. In other words; he really had nothing much to pack. It was then that he felt something coming from behind him, and he turned around, ready to buck whoever is foolish to attack him. However his expression softens when he realized who it is.
"Big Mac......" "Hello there, what can Ah do for ya?" Big Macintosh asked with a smile. However the mare's taciturn expression prevented him caused his smile to waver. "We need to plan something." Nurse Redheart's say to the stallion with much concern in her voice. "What do ya mean, Redheart?" "I do not want to end up in a sticky situation, and neither do you Big Mac. We need some plan if things are going bad." The white mare walks closer to the stallion, one step at a time. "Or worse." Big Macintosh said honestly. The white mare nods in agreement. Both of them then stood there in silence, waiting for either one of them to continue on with the heavy conversation. Big Macintoh decided to become that pony, and speaks up.
"But that saying, do you know anything that could help us right now?" Big Macintosh asked. "I will be honest, I don't. What about you?" The nurse asked, hoping that the red stallion has something. Anything. "Nnope." It was then that Big Macintosh decided to walk towards where some of his clothes were laid out and started folding them with his teeth. It was then that a gentle thud attracted Nurse Redheart's attention and she could see the source of the sound; a swirly symbol on a necklace. "Big Mac......what is that?" Nurse Redheart points towards the necklace. Big Macintosh then takes the necklace with his teeth and wears the necklace over his neck. The swirly symbol is now resting casually upon Big Macintosh's neck. "Oh this trinket? The Shiekh gave it to me and it a sign of the Sheikh or somethin. Has a magical protection ward on it too..... '" Nurse Redheart's expression changed once Big Macintosh told her about the pendant. She looks at the him for a while, before she walks closer to the farmpony.
As she comes closer, the red stallion's heart started to beat rapidly again. She stopped, just one or two hooves shy from being face to face with the red stallion. As she takes it up with one hoof and started to examine and scrutinize the pendant, Big Macintosh could only try to keep still. He told himself to relax as the last time she came that close to him, she was pranking him with her charm. But this time the mare is now looking at him, her azure blue eyes looking at him with concern. The frown on her face only confirms the fact that this is some serious business.
"Big Mac.....do you know what this means?" "Nnope?" Big Macintosh sure as hay did not understand what the swirly thing means other than it being a mark. "You are right when you said it is a mark and it has magic.....but this is a very important pendant for another reason." Big Macintosh was about to breathe a sigh of relief until he realized the other half of Nurse Redheart's sentence. His confidence is now wavering as he his mind went a little wild. Perhaps the pendant's purpose is to act as a fire magnet to prevent any assassination attempt on the Sheikh, Big Macintosh's most paranoid thoughts said to him. Big Macintosh could only muster up the courage to ask to not let his paranoia get to him. "Why?" It was then that Nurse Redheart pointed at some of the swirly lines that formed the center of the pendant, and now that Big Macintosh takes a good look at it, each of the swirly lines had finely-carved words that looks just as cursive as the swirly lines of the pendant itself. It was then that the red stallion realized that the writing in the center are not carved like the ones at the outer layers of the pendant, but are actually diamonds carved and inserted into the pendant. Big Macintosh could only marvel at the fine craftsponyship of the pendant. It must be mighty hard to put in specks of diamonds into a small pendant like that, especially when they are carved into words.
"These wordings right here at the center and the unique curves of the center.......Big Mac, this is the Mark of the Steward." "What?" Based upon Big Macintosh's dumbfounded expression, Nurse Redheart assumed that he had no idea what she had just said to him. "Do you know what a steward is?" The white mare asked. "Nnope." "That means if the Sheikh passed away or something happens to him, you will be the pony that will take over his caravan until the one next in line is ready to to take the title of Sheikh." It was then that Nurse Redheart saw the panicking expression of the big red stallion, shaking his head in disagreement. "Nnope. Nnopennopennopennopennopennopennopennopenope." Big Macintosh inadvertently tried to deny this. He's forced to stay in Saddle Arabia forever if Abu Hamza dies? Buck no, Big Macintosh said to himself. It was then that he could feel something on his cheeks, and he realize that they are the hooves of the white mare. "Big Mac. Relax. It just means that you are a temporary caretaker of a position, and you are free to leave if you found somepony that could lead." It was then that Nurse Redheart takes her hooves away from his face and then folds her legs under her, sitting down on the floor. The Red stallion followed soon after, breathing a sigh of relief. However, it seems that the nurse is not done yet.
"Big Mac.....You are not realizing the significance of this. This is never given to an outsider, much less another clanspony. This is given to pony that the Sheikh trust with all his heart and soul. When a Saddle Arabian trust you with his life, that means a lot. What did you do to earn that trust?" It was then that Big Macintosh starts to listen, and then he started to think. As he started to think more and more, the more he realized that things are not adding up. Even as he tries to put two and two together, Big Macintosh could only start to think about why did the Saddle Arabian trusted him so much despite only being with the pony for a few weeks. A single battle is not something that one gives a pony the trust over something really important. And then he started to think about Fatimah. If Abu Hamza is gone, she would be the one to inherit the title. Why would he trust a stranger with his daughter's life? What gives? It was then that Big Macintosh thought that this is perhaps too much for one single pony to handle. A sudden clop snaps Big Macintosh from his train of thoughts and he returns to reality.
"Big Macintosh, did anypony else knows about this?" Nurse Redheart asked, with her hooves clamped together. She had to give a clop as Big Macintosh was in the world of his thoughts and she needed him to pay attention. "Nnope." Big Macintosh answered, his voice a little weaker than before. "Good. Just keep quiet about this. That pendant is a double-edged sword Big Mac....remember that. I am going to pack my stuff now. Let's meet up in thirty minutes or so at the encampment center." Nurse Redheart then gives Big Macintosh a hug that he did not expect. He was about to ask her what is the hug for, before she lets go and walks out from the tent leaving the stallion speechless once again.
Ah don't get mares at all......., Big Macintosh said to himself, and then he starts to pack his stuff.
Abu Hamza is now looking at the caravan, preparing themselves for the journey ahead. However, he could not help but to think about the tale of the Sheikh from the East. If the al-Dhannam clan is with this Sheikh, then he might have a tough time ahead of him. The Al-Dhannam clan is a proud and martial clan, willing to solve anything using the sword first than using words, and they are mighty enough that they need no allies. Some of the clanspony from the Al-Dhannam are very influential individuals within the Emir's circle, and indeed they are perhaps the most conservative of all the clans in Saddle Arabia. This Sheikh must have offered them a great deal in order for them to be in an alliance, or perhaps.......
No, that fool Ibrahim is not that easily defeated, Abu Hamza thought. The al-Dhannam clanshead is a strong one if Abu Hamza ever saw one, and have more brains than all the other al-Dhannam clansponies combined. Sheikh Ibrahim must have made a proper alliance. Besides, if the Sheikh of Al-Dhannam is dead, Abu Hamza will be unable to do what he want with that stallion.As he thought to himself, his expression darkened on the spot. It was then that he felt something coming at him. His hooves are already on the hilt of his scimitar, ready for anything to happen.
"Milord, is there something bothering you?" The Sheikh turns around, and by his side is his trusted black camel. The equine relaxes his hooves from the hilt and his facial expression lightens up. "It's alright, Amanar. I am just looking at the caravan. It had grown since our first journey ten years ago isn't it?" Abu Hamza's eyes are hazy now, remembering the good and bad old days, mostly good. "Indeed. I can never forget how you as a young colt Milord. Always wanting to pick a fight." The camel laughed. "If only Lily Petal is here with us....she would have been proud of what we had done my friend." The Sheikh is now a little down, remembering that name. "She will be, especially when Fatimah is such a fine filly now. However........" The light brown stallion is now looking at his friend, perplexed by this sudden hesitation. The black camel then brings himself closer to the Sheikh, and whispered in his ears.
"Is it wise to give the Mark of the Steward to that pony? I know that as a Janissary I am not allowed to hold the title of Steward, but giving it to a pony that you barely even knew for a month is not the wisest of ideas." Soon enough the Sheikh shakes his head, causing the camel to look at his lord with uncertainty. "An equine who is unfamiliar with our ways may be our best hope my friend when it comes to trust. I trust no one else now among our own people, except you of course.I know it is unfair to lure him here, but it must be done. I can not turn to anyone else....."Their conversation was soon interrupted by the sound of the horn blaring, signalling that it is the time to leave. The camel moved away from the Sheikh, and soon enough he was already shouting out orders to the other Janissary.
If you hear this my Maker, please protect everyone that I love and cherish, and those who do not deserved to have misfortune upon them. Especially the Equestrians....., Abu Hamza prayed from his heart, before he moved on to his duties.
As the sun sets, the rather massive caravan moves as one from the oasis towards the dunes like an army of ants. Before long, both Big Macintosh and Nurse Redheart found each other among the moving mass of Saddle Arabians. Nurse Redheart is now wearing a veil across her face to protect her from the elements, while Big Macintosh is wearing his keffiyeh around his face for the exact same reason. The blowing winds are getting stronger, but it appears that there would not be a storm coming their way based upon the reactions of the other Saddle Arabians. As the caravan moves towards the capital, both Equestrians know that they are now chest-deep in something really bad......
As our fellow Equestrians, Big Macintosh and Nurse Redheart braved through the desert to their destination, Aqqabasta, a nefarious scheme thickens in the lands of Eastern Saddle Arabia, deep within the beating heart of the Sheikhdom of Al-Dhannam.....
The landscape of Lehran, also known as Eastern Saddle Arabia is quite different than those of the majority of Saddle Arabia. Instead of being a sea of dune, it is a complex series of deep ravines and cliffs, forming a continuous canyon that spreads out throughout the land. The canyon is visually stunning not only because of its visually overwhelming size but also because the brown and reddish-brown hues of the canyon exudes an intricate and colorful landscape. The presence of many stone and adobe dwellings built, or to be exact carved from the cliff walls littered the canyons, reminding one of a termite mound . However, above all of these, the largest and grandest structure within Eastern Saddle Arabia stood tall, carved from the uppermost levels of the cliffs.
The structure is as grand as it is imposing, its almost ocher exudes an almost regal but savage nature, with twenty large minarets with gilded, golden onion-like domes decorating the top of those towers. Surrounding each tower, ten minarets formed a ring around the towers, each with their own gilded onion-like domes Each one of these clusters of towers are connected to each other via long sections of walls, forming an icosagon shape. Within this icosagon, ten moats in a decagon shape radiating out from the center of the fortification, each moat being separated from the other moat by a formidable wall and within each section, a lush forest could be seen surrounding each moat.
In the heart of it all an assortment of low buildings surrounds the central courtyards,numbering five in total, interconnected with large galleries and winding passages. Interspersed among these structures are trees, gardens and water fountains to give a refreshing feeling to the inhabitants that contrasts well with the blood-colored walls. The buildings enclosed the five courtyards, and access to these courtyards was restricted by high walls and controlled with gates. The fifth courtyard which is at the very center has a large protruding crown-like structure with a single black minaret in the center.
This formidable fortress is the Palace of Thorns of the Al-Dhannam clan and it is from here that the strongest clan of Saddle Arabia rules the lands of Eastern Saddle Arabia . It is at this jet black structure, aptly named the Black Tower where a plot is being planned that will shake the foundations of Saddle Arabia.......
Deep within the Black Tower, a single brooding figure is sitting on the single throne in this structure. The shadows cast upon the interior of the tower by the sun caused a dark shadow to cover the figure, further darkening the presence that is on the throne. Beside the throne, a cage holding a rather plump grey Saddle Arabian stallion could be seen. The Saddle Arabian is gagged, and there are a lot of bruises and cuts on the poor unfortunate soul. The figure in the dark decided to wield his scimitar and started to prod at the stallion in the cage. A cut was made upon the unfortunate stallion's arm, the gag muffling his scream. However, it appears that the figure on the throne is not amused by this display of sadism. It was not long before a Saddle Arabian stallion slowly walks throughout the court of the Black Tower, each hoofstep echoing throughout the entire court. The black Saddle Arabian, with a white flowing robe kneels before the overlord of this court, bowing down in respect.
"The preparations are ready Milord for your plans." The dark brooding figure rises from the throne, and walks down the steps towards the black stallion. Before long, the black stallion could feel a depressing weight upon his shoulders and he looks up towards the figure that was sitting on the throne.
The figure on the throne is wearing a pure white death mask, with two Eyes of Istas, painted red upon the mask. Upon the head of this figure is a striped headcloth, comprised of the darkest of black and the reddest of red, that covers the whole crown and back of the head and nape of the neck, and had two large flaps which hung down behind the ears and in front of both shoulders. Upon this headress, a red cobra decoration could be see, ready to strike. The rest of the figure's body however are covered by a black robe and hood, disguising the overlord's features. The height of the figure, which is easily three heads above the Saddle Arabian stallion, further sealed the imposing image that the figure projects.
"Good, good. Our Motherland will experience a rebirth like no other. The future is now shining every brighter." The serpentine but deep, muffled voice of the figure is as alluring as it is sickening. Before long, a gagged sound could be heard and the black stallion's attention is now at the captive in the cage. However the sinister voice of the dark figure pierced through his attention, forcing him to refocus his attention again.
"Is there something wrong, Salah?" "No Milord, nothing is wrong." However, despite the equine's best ability to focus his attention onto the sinister figure, his attention inadvertently returns to the captive. It was not long before the figure walks up towards the poor stallion. The gagged stallion could only look at his tormentor with hatred and fear. The dark and tall equine started laughing, his laugh as cold as the coldest of nights striking even more fear and dread into the equines in the room.
"You dare pit your puny will against mine? In my presence you are an ant......a termite..... a nuisance, you grovelling insect!" the figure chuckled with unbound malice It was then that the stallion in the cage hurled his body towards the dark figure, but the cage prevented the stallion from truly doing anything towards the figure. It was then that the grey stallion is enveloped in a sickly red aura, and before the stallion could even do anything he was teleported out from his confinement. However, he is still a prisoner, for the sickly crimson aura is now his shackles. In fact, by being enveloped in this aura, the grey stallion felt even more repulsion and fear at this being. In his cage, at least it is a physical prison where he knows that it would not harm him. But being surrounded by this aura at the mercy of his jailer, he could no nothing at all to defend himself. It was then that the grey pony thought that this dastardly being is evil beyond compare.
"Your argument is a cloud, but I see through it into your mind. Evil? Your evil is my good. I am Set, the Violator.... where I thread I leave nothing but dust and darkness. I find that good." Those words from the nefarious equine struck into the heart of the stallion like no other fear. How did he know what he was thinking? It was then that he realized that the scimitar is now floating beside him. He tried to move and fight, but his body is held in place by the spell.The scimitar is now floating ever closer towards the stallion's left hindleg, and as it gets closer the stallion sweats even more. Not the sweat of cooling down his body during a hot day, but the cold sweat of fear now covers the entire pony. He wanted to scream for mercy, but he could not scream.
And then it happened. The spell surrounding his mouth had weakened, and the grey stallion now tries to screams with all his might and anguish at the pain coursing through his body.So violent was the attempt that the pony tried to scream that he ripped the gag from his mouth, causing his mouth to bleed. The poor stallion's scream echoes through the dark court, but the dark figure did not even flinch at the deafening scream. Instead the figure uses its magic to cause even more bodily harm towards the poor stallion.
Salah could only close his eyes as the act of violence is happening in the same room. The screams chilled his spine to the point he felt numb and paralyzed from the torture. When he heard whimpering, he opened his eyes and regretted the sight. The stallion, now breathing in pain, lies in the puddle of his own blood sullying his grey coat. However the grey stallion held his whimpering and speaks to the dark monstrous figure.
"Then I curse you Set," the grey stallion said laboriously, breathing in with every wince, "In the name of all nature that you are a twisted abomination." The grey stallion's expression is weak but defiant.
The tormentor tilts his head sideways and using his sorcery lifted the stallion and the scimitar again. Salah immediately knew what is going to happen and he closed his eyes. The screaming starts again and the black stallion tries his best to hold back the content of his stomach and imagine the display of unbridled cold barbarity away. However, the black stallion is unable to do so for his ears could not hide the agony of the poor stallion.But the time the screaming had stopped and Salah opened his eyes again, he was utterly mortified and emptied his stomach content. The cruel tormentor did not even bother to look at his hoofwork, and started talking again. However his listener's eyes are as white as pearls.The only thing that betrays the stallion's stillness is that of his chest moving up and down.
"Any further insolence, and I shall shred your nervous system into a million fibers. Is that understood?" The heartless being said coolly as it glowed with a cruel crimson. As Salah wipes his mouth of his stomach content, he could not believe his eyes. The wounds of the unfortunate stallion mend itself and the stallion who was once a mangled mess is full once again as if he was not mutilated in the first place. The cloth that acts as the gag floats and wraps itself around the stallion's mouth once more, silencing the poor stallion. However the grey plump stallion had already passed out from the shock. The cruel tormentor known as Set walks up towards the black stallion.
"Open your eyes." The serpentine voice commanded. The stallion is too afraid to say a thing, as he is utterly terrified. But then he could hear Set's voice again. "Open your eyes." This time the voice of Set is even more stern and forceful, and indeed the voice is now utterly intimidating and bone-chilling. It was then that Salah realized that he must speak less his lord will be angered. He dared not anger his lord after seeing how he cold-heartily tortured an equine without even a tint of emotion. "Y-y-y-y-y-y-y--y-yyyes......... M-m-m-m-m-m-m-milord?" The black stallion is now trembling from the fear that emanates from this brooding monster. It was only that by chance that the black stallion had decided to use the restroom before he came for this particular meeting, or else he would have emptied his bowels at this precise moment. However, he could feel that his bowels and his bladder are squeezing as if by instinct to this particular terrifying situation. To the stallion's surprise Set puts his hoof upon his shoulders and speak to him in a very sweet and sultry voice, although it was still laced with the dark lord's serpentine timbre. "Serve me well, and I shall reward you. Serve me badly and it is within my power to choose the manner of your death. I can.... if I choose..... to keep you alive for centuries wrecked by the most excruciating pain.....is that understood?" The black stallion could only nod, for he is unwilling to become his lord's plaything. Before long, the black stallion bows and leaves the dark figure courteously. The sounds of even more vomiting could be heard after the doors to the throne chambers are closed.
Unperturbed by the disgusting sound of a pony puking, the dark figure walks up the stairs using its magic to hover the unconscious stallion. Set sits upon the throne while casually teleporting the plump grey stallion into the cage. Set is silent, and Set's posture is utterly indomitable as its will to bring all of Saddle Arabia under its rule. With the resources of the most powerful clan in the whole of Saddle Arabia, Set will see to it that change will come to Saddle Arabia. If everyone will stand in its way, so be it. The heartless being will be the raging tempest of the desert purging all in the winds of hate and flay the flesh from their bones, letting them suffer for their sins in the darkness that follows.
Saddle Arabia will be changed...., Set said to himself.
One might ask, how can somepony get into a situation where things are utterly bad from the get go? Will it happen because the pony is in the right place at the wrong time or because that the pony is in the wrong place at the right time? For Nurse Redheart, it would be the former. For Big Macintosh it would be the latter. However for our dear Vinyl it is the third option that no one would want; being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Such are the cogs of time that several events are unfolding even as the sands of time blows across the land, and one such event happened at the same time where our red stallion farmpony, Big Macintosh's was having his first encounter with Sheikh Abu Hamza.....
An unspecified location in Northern Saddle Arabia.......
"I'm soo bored........." The owner of the slacker-like groan is a yellowish-white mare with a rather flamboyant mane, spiky with cobalt blue with cyan highlights, lying down on the bunk of the train. She has a certain tomboyish charm about her, which made her surprising attractive.This pony, whom shall be known as Vinyl Scratch had gotten bored from seeing the dunes for the past few days and as somepony who needs to do something all the time, this is perhaps the greatest torture. Nonetheless, there is no entertainment set upon the train, and thus the pony is forced to look at the endless white dunes that contrasted with the dark blue skies of the night. She put her dark purple shades away and decided to jut look away this time just so that her eyes did not become cross-eyed like a certain mare she knows.
The only reason why she is in the middle of some desert country is so that she could get a particularly rare resonating crystal that allow for her music to be that much more awesome. Due to the weird laws of Saddle Arabia, she is forced to come by herself to prove that she will be the buyer. To add to the inconvenience, she will have to wear these frou-frou dress around her body as a result of Saddle Arabians not condoning mares to not wear any clothing. Dumb law if there is one, the pony said to herself.
"Seriously, there's nothing to do on this freakin' train! I wish that something would happen! And make it epic and awesome at the same time!" Of course, as they always say, be careful what you wished for, as you might get it. As if to prove the point, suddenly something fast whistled past Vinyl, and a loud thud could be heard behind her. She turns around to see that there is a rather large arrow sticking from the wall. Soon enough she could hear the hollering sound of ponies and she turned back to the window.
"Oh shitbiscuits." the pony said to herself. Greeting her eyes are several large equines galloping beside the train, shooting arrows at the train and brandishing wicked looking curved swords. It was then that the pony heard a loud crash, followed shortly by a big vibration across the entire bunk. The blue-maned pony is now floating in her bunk as her bunk started to turn upside down on her. Or is it right-side up? She is utterly clueless but she is definitely feeling the hurt from tumbling around in the bunk.
"DAMN YOU SADDLE ARABIAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!" The white pony with the electric-styled mane screams.as loud as she could out of her lungs. Her vision suddenly became very blurry , and she wonders why on earth did her vision just did that. Did someone used a shadow spell or something? She tried to move her legs to figure out what is going on, but then the realized that she is not even feeling anything. She is definitely not hammered, as this darn country got no liquor. So that leaves her with the last option as to why her vision just cuts itself off; she's falling unconscious. Her vision phases in and out from the darkness to the blurry visions of hers, and notices that the tumbling is over. Soon enough Vinyl could see some blurred figures dragging her out from her carriage as her vision fades in and out, speaking in some weird language. It was then that she finally just let it all go.
Meh......at least they are saving me from the wreck., Vinyl said in her mind before she falls into blissful unconsciousness. Little did Vinyl knew at the time, this is the first steps of fate that will see her in a larger-than-life event.
Vinyl's eyes slowly opens up, her blurry vision slowly regaining its resolution.The burning twilight of dawn stings her eyes, but then it got used to the piercing light. She immediately recognized that she is in a cage, and it appears that her legs are shackled. The pony could only groan as this day gets from bad to worse. It was then that the little voice of reason in her mind consoled her, saying that at least she is still alive. Vinyl agrees with this little voice, despite not hearing it often, as when there is a will there is a way. Of course that saying, she reasoned that she would have to find a way pretty quickly less she become cannibalized or something. She then looked around to see what she could get from her very unfortunate situation
Okay, so these ponies are dressed in some weird dress with a towel wrapped around their faces, and they sure mean business...., Vinyl said to herself as she notices the weapons upon the equines. She also noticed that they are all much bigger than her, and thus that would also mean that they are all stronger than her somehow. The white pony now regretted skipping gym all the time so that she could sleep in. She then reminded herself that she would have to give some bits to her best friend as she had lost a bet.
"Damn you Octy, you are right when you said that someday not going to the gym will bite my flank." Some of her captors are now looking at her and aiming their bows at the white pony. Vinyl then facehoof, as she realized that these ponies do not speak Equestrian, and anything she does will be considered a threat. It was then that she realized something very obvious, and she immediately brought another hoof to her face.
"I AM AN UNICORN FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!!!!!!!!!!!!" She was about to use her magic to cast her magic, but instead she realized several things that may work against her. Correction; it will work against her. Firstly, She is only one pony, and there are around thirty of them. Secondly, she have no idea how to cast defensive nor offensive spells, so she will lose in a fight to begin with. Thirdly, even if she managed to disarm and defeat them she can't possibly survive in a desert without help. She would get lost and die a lonely, thristy mare in the middle of the desert. It was then that she realized that she is doomed either way; being a slave to some crazy pony or died a mummy in the middle of the desert, both options ending in her being forgotten in a land very far away from home. Her initial plan had killed itself even before she could even implement it.
"Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!!!!!!!!!!" The mare shouted in frustration once again. The other Saddle Arabians slowly lowered their weapons,as they realized that perhaps this mare is just plain insane. Two of the Saddle Arabians, a gaunt stallion with a light gray mane with darker gray spots and a well-toned dark brown stallion started to talk to each other.
"Hey Yusuf, I think we got ourselves an insane one. Should we just knock her out just in case?" the gaunt stallion asked. "You crazy? No, let her scream for all I care, Arif. Once we sell her away, it will be the buyer's problem. Not ours." The brown stallion replied, not even bothered to look at his partner. It appears that all the stallions had come to the same conclusion as these two stallions, and soon enough they are at ease again. But they will have to find a way to travel on without hurting the merchandise, as the merchandise is now screaming all the time.
A few hours later....
"Why is this happening to me?!?!?" Vinyl is now crying her heart out, utterly wallowing in her own grief and despair. However the Saddle Arabian slave traders are now rolling their eyes as they walk through the burning heat of the Saddle Arabian afternoon. First, this merchandise screams, then she started scolding them, and now she is crying. They never seen such an equine before, going through emotions as one would drink water. Some of the slave even started betting on what emotion she would be displaying within the next few hours.
"I am betting 5 Dinars that she is going to beg." A dark blue stallion said. "I say she is going to sit at the corner of the cage and sulk. 10 Dinars for that. " The owner of the voice, a yellowish brown Saddle Arabian chuckles as he takes a sip of water. "20 Dinars that she would bang her head continuously on the bars! " A slightly scrawny green stallion waves several coins up in the air. It was not long before all of them go their answer.
"Could you let me go please? I want to go home......." Vinyl is now sniveling, and now she is holding the bars that held her prisoner, pleading to nopony in particular for escape. It was then that the dark blue stallion cheered, while others grunted in disappointment. Soon enough there is an exchange of bets and Vinyl of course is not pleased. With her emotions running wild, she could only scream while snivelling.
As the days goes by, Vinyl had accepted some things and figured out some things as well. For one, they are not going to eat her. Instead she had seen several ponies being captured and put into cages before they are let off into towns a few days later to some pony who paid for that captured pony. This is the first time she witnessed slavery happening before her eyes, and thus could not believe how ponies could be sold as a commodity against their will. But on the bright side that also means that they will not kill her or do anything really bad to her.At the same time, she is not fully resigned to her fate.
As another night starts to descend upon Vinyl, she decided to do the only thing that she could to keep her sanity intact; she tries to compose a song in her head. Without the turntables and the synthesizers, she could only start to create a song using the only thing available to her; her voice. She tries to sing a tune, but her head could not help but to think in terms of the discordant sounds that she always use in her music composition. It was then that she tries a much simpler method; she taps her hooves on the floor of the cage, the tapping sound allowing her to keep her tempo and also keep the discordant sounds out of her mind.
Her tapping and humming caught the attention of her captors, but by this time they are already used to the crazy attics of this particular captive and care not to even do anything about it. At first it was fun, but then it went dull when it became consistent. Looking briefly to see that their captive is not attempting to escape, they then continued on with their rather monotonous journey of travelling towards the place where the need for such captives are high. Foreigners always cost more, so they are hoping that this mare will be able to feed them for a while. Too bad that they are not to ruin the merchandise in any way, or else some of the stallions would already had their way with her. Behind all that craziness, the stallion reasoned that the mare is surprisingly attractive, having a rather boyish charm to her.
"What do you think she is doing now, Babaji?" A younger brown stallions asked the older whitish grey stallion. "I hope that she is not biting off her own tongue, Ista willing." The elder stallion said. The old stallion could only look back again to see that the foreigner is not tapping her hooves. Instead she is now singing in her own foreign tongue. If he was as educated as any of the more fortunate royalty and their Jannisary, he might be able to appreciate what she was singing for the mare has a husky but sensitive and near-flawless tonal lachrymose quality. The other stallions soon realized the tonal quality of the mare's voice and soon they are slowing down to a halt to listen to the mare sing. Her voice is now the only thing piercing through the silence, like the brightest star in the night skies.
Looks and voice? Some mares do have the right tools for marriage......, The old whitish stallion said.
Her time in the desert being bound against her will have made her weak in body, but she is stronger than ever in her mind and spirit. So, she decided to sing about that spirit of hers. Vinyl decided to sing a song she makes up on the spot and just go with it. Since her captors had no idea what she is singing anyway, she decided to just say everything out loud as well and make it a rock ballad while she is at it.
Why did it all go wrong? I wan´t to know whats going on..... What´s this holding me? I´m not where I´m supposed to be.
Get it out, check it out.... I'm on my way, and I don't feel right....
I gotta get me back. I can't be beat, and that's a fact. It's okay I'll find a way, You ain't gonna take me down no way!
I gotta fight with all my might. I´m getting out, so check it out You´re in my way, yeah, you better watch out... Oh Oh Oh Oh!
Come on! Don´t judge a thing, till you know whats inside it! Don´t push me, i´ll fight it!
Never gonna give in, never gonna give it up, no..... No, oh, oh, oh If you can´t catch a wave, then you´re never gonna ride it!
You can´t come uninvited... Never gonna give in, never gonna give it up, no.,.... You can´t take me, I´m free I´m free!
Vinyl lifts her hoof up in the air, defiant about her fate as she ends her song. Immediately after she stopped, she noticed the sound of hooves clopping and realized that her captors are all clopping and whistling at her. Not expecting this reaction, she had both the feeling in her to cheer and also to facehoof at the same time at their stupidity. Not to mention that she is stuck with these fools for a time as she could not escape without dying in the desert until the slave traders decided to go to some big settlement. She then mutter the only word she could at the moment and with all her might she groans loudly to the heavens in a rather annoyed voice.
"I sense a disturbance...I need to help somepony now."
Nurse Redheart's eyebrows are raised and she looked around her trying to see where her help is needed. Big Macintosh looks at her, and shrugs. It has been a while since they had started their journey, and Big Macintosh had gotten used to the heat and dryness of the desert. Nevertheless he could not wait to see the next oasis or shade to cool down his head. Perhaps that is what Nurse Redheart needs, as the heat do get into the head of ponies. But that saying, Big Macintosh had been living in a house filled with mares, and if there is something that he knows for sure, it would be that mares are very unpredictable creatures. This time it is no different. Big Macintosh is glad that Nurse Redheart is one of the most level-headed mares that he knew, and he is definitely glad that he is not with either one of Applejack's friends. He thinks that they are all plain crazy to the bone. However, a shout snaps Big Macintosh out from his train of thoughts and immediately knows that there is something good ahead. Throughout his time with the caravan, he is able to listen to the tone of the shouts that the Saddle Arabians use to tell the whole caravan about things. This time the shout is a very excited and happy one, which is always a good thing.
As Big Macintosh climbs up the dune mountain, he wonders what would be greeting his sight. Slowly but surely, Big Macintosh managed to climb up the dune and his eyes is greeted with two large rivers meeting one another, forming a Y-shaped stream. At the side of the rivers, he could see many small settlements littering the riverbanks. It was then that he could see a large island in the center of the river intersection.
The island is shaped like a flower, with ten 'petals' spreading out from its center.The island is surrounded by a sea of aquatic plants with large floating, plate-like leaves and large, showy flowers in many different colors and the sight is further enhanced by the myriad of waterfowl floating around the blanket of flowers and the sight of many boats and ships travelling throughout the large, ocean-like rivers. As he narrowed his eyes, he could see that there are many buildings on the island spreading through the ten 'petals' of the island, with the architecture of the island reminded him of the buildings that he saw in Port Al-Hoofdin. Instead the slab-like buildings are much more nicer and grander than those of Port Al-Hoofdin.
However, the most defining feature of the island is the large white building in the center with a very large golden dome that looked like an unopened petal. The top is decorated with a flower-like design, which accentuate its height. The shape of the dome is further emphasized by four minarets , each one of these minarets topped with unopened petal-shaped domes throughout all four corners of the building.The columned bases of the building is filled with many intricate, vine-like designs, but of the subtler details on the vines Big Macintosh could not see.The structure is surrounded by very high walls, with tall decorative spires extend from edges of base walls, and provide visual emphasis to the height of the dome. Large flower motives are repeated throughout the structure, and immediately Big Macintosh realized that the flowery motives, architecture, shape and structure of the island are very similar to the water plants that surround the island. In other words; he is mesmerized.
"Big Mac what are you staring at? I hope it is not a mare for if I....." Nurse Redheart asked the red farmpony as she completed the climb up the dune mountain. But once she is on top of the dune mountain, her eyes begins to admire the beauty that is now before her; city, flowers and all. Both the Equestrians soon had to help the other in closing their own jaw as they are utterly amazed by this marvelous sight. The sultry and regal voice of Sheikh Abu Hamza broke their attention and they turned their attention to him. They looked upon the Sheikh with expectant eyes, waiting for him to tell them of this magical place. Sheikh Abu Hamza is more than happy to oblige the two Equestrians.
"Big Macintosh, Nurse Redheart......I present to you, Aqqabasta, the Island of Lotuses. But first we must stop by a certain settlement to arrange for a boat ride to the capital."
As the combined caravan made and completed the arrangements for accommodations in the many motels or what passes off as motels in this settlement, Sheikh Abu Hamza suggested to the Equestrians that they should walk around and explore the town with him with his daughter. Excited that for once they do not have to sleep on the floor or be worried about their lives, they agreed to follow Abu Hamza and Fatimah and explore this city. In a moment's notice, the four equines are now walking in the streets to experience the flavor of this settlement.
Big Macintosh and Nurse Redheart could see that the settlement is busy with the hustle and bustle of trade. They could hear the sound of equines and other sentient beings heckling prices in a multitude of tongues. It was then that the pair actually noticed something else entirely. There is not a single piece of merchandise being sold here. Instead they see many box-like objects covered with drapes. However the sounds from behind the drapes betray their content. Big Macintosh could recognize a lot of the sounds that are underneath those drapes, and he could hear the sound of bears growling, birds chirping, and other familiar sounds from the Everfree Forest such as the guttural snarl of Manticores and barking of Timberwolves. He did not expect that his time helping his family and Fluttershy had benefited him in this moment. And then there are other more exotic sounds that Big Macintosh failed to recognize.
"Huh, that's a lot of animals and stuff." Big Macintosh said to Nurse Redheart. However several of the drapes was blown away by a sudden gust of win and soon enough some of the equines rushed to grab the drapes back. To Big Macintosh's surprise, within some of those cages he saw some equines along with some gryphons, changelings and minotaurs. The cages for these sentient beings are unlike the other animal cages for they looked more like large birdcages. That did not make sense in the red stallion's mind as he was expecting this to be an animal marketplace.
"Um....Redheart......Ah dunno about you, but Ah swear Ah just saw ponies in cages." He nudges Nurse Redheart with his elbow while whispering to her ear. "Yes.....yes you did." Nurse Redheart said, noticing the sight as well. "Why are they in cages?" Big Macintosh could only wonder why are they in cages. "Perhaps they did a crime?" Nurse Redheart answered to the best of her ability. "Perhaps......wait......did Ah just saw what Ah saw?" Big Macintosh points to an ongoing transaction. Nurse Redheart turns her attention to two Saddle Arabians who are heckling about something before finally shaking their hooves. One of them had very hard lines on his blue face as if he had seen through a lot of hard times in his life. On the other end, the other Saddle Arabian looked more sophisticated and well-off than the other, his white coat as clean as his robes. Soon enough, the well-off Saddle Arabian just gave a bag of Dinars to the blue equine before the blue equine went to one of the cages housing a thin brown Saddle Arabian wearing a loincloth and releasing him.
"Perhaps it is a bail." "Then explain to me why they are now being shackled by those that just bail'em out and draggin' them against their will?" Nurse Redheart could now see how two other ponies, both as rough as the blue stallion shackling the brown equine's legs before the blue stallion put a leash on the neck of the brown stallion. It was then that the well-of stallion pulled the brown stallion and they dissapeared into the sea of buyers and sellers. "Ur.............." Nurse Redheart could only give a big verbal pause as she tried to make sense of it all. "Those are slave traders my friends. If you want a slave, you buy them like any other commodity." Both Equestrians turn around to look at Shiekh Abu Hamza, disbelief in their eyes.
"Wait what? Slaves? Are ya serious?" Big Macintosh said. "Yes, I am Big Macintosh." To Nurse Redheart's disbelief, the Sheikh said that in a very nonchalant way, as if it is a matter-of-factly thing to say. "But.....but....they can just do that to anypony! They have their rights!" Nurse Redheart protested. However, the protest fall to deaf ears. "Once you are a slave, you have no rights. It is the rule of Saddle Arabia." The Sheikh said with a great finality that silenced any further questions from the Equestrians. Noticing that perhaps he had said things a little too harshly to his guests, he softens up his tone and proceed to explain. "I am sorry that you are forced to see this my friend. Also, it does not help that this settlement right here is famous for their slave trades. It is here that the most exotic and interesting slaves are bought. And by slaves, I mean every kind of slaves. From those being used in bloodsports to the ones used for carnal pleasures." Nurse Redheart felt a very cold shiver down her spine. She reminds herself that she will rather be dead than be a slave in Saddle Arabia.The Sheikh wisely cuts his explanation as he could see both ponies looking at each drapes covering round-like shapes with apprehension, lettting the ponies settle the issue in their own mind. It was then that Big Macintosh said a single word.
"Eeyup." The red stallion said that bitterly. He hated this, but he had to stomach this until it all ends. The pony's tone is not lost on the light brown Saddle Arabian.The Sheikh beckoned both of them without saying a word to turn away and follow him, and they followed without any resistance.
Vinyl could see a settlement near a rather large river from her cage,and her eyes are looking at the river and how it is filled with a lot of ships and what looked like flowers floating throughout the entire river. She noticed that the settlement is unlike those that she is accustomed to in Ponyville as the settlement consist of several slabs of square blocks crowded together. She gives a sigh, as she knows that this will be the settlement where she will be sold. All the other captives that she traveled with are already sold, and she is the last remaining 'commodity' to be sold. She could only wonder how will this all go about.
As Vinyl entered the settlement, she noticed that there are a whole lot of ponies and other sentient beings trading with each other. She also noticed that there are a whole lot of square objects being covered in drapes, and also some more rounder objects covered with drapes. It was then that she heard the familiar sounds of equines shouting out to let them go or at least that is what she thinks it is after spending some time with some other captive ponies as well. She then looked around and noticed that a lot of the round cages are very similar to the shape of her own cage. It was then that she realized that to her horror that this is grand slave market. Her sight was soon cut off by the traders covering her cage with a drape like those she just saw.
Looks like it is the time to strike....., Vinyl said to herself. In a settlement like this her chances are much better than being out in the desert, as there would be water and a place to hide in this settlement. At least the streets will be packed and her captors would struggle to go through the crowd anyway. Without a second through, the blue-maned mare decided to slam her body on the cage, rocking it violently with every hit. Of course as with all plans, it is the little things that she did not take into account. In this case, it is the excruciating pain from slamming her body onto steel bars.
"Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucccckkkkkkkkkkkk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Vinyl cursed out loud.
"Did y'all hear that?" Big Macintosh swore that he heard someone swearing in Equestrian. Both Sheikh Abu Hamza and Nurse Redheart are now looking at him, puzzled. They had managed to find an simple but elegant open-air cafe where they could enjoy their refreshments and also food, which consist of a large plate of salad comprising of tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, lettuce and some olive oil. The stallions decided to take their headdresses off, allowing their mane to take a breather. It was then that the Equestrians managed to see the sand blond mane of the Sheikh for the first time, and both Equestrians could not help but to realize that the Sheikh could blend into the deserts around them without even trying. "No, my friend I did not." The Sheikh answers truthfully. "Maybe it is just your mind just messing with you Big Mac." Nurse Redheart reasoned. Big Macintosh could only shrug and agree with the white mare that perhaps he is just really tired. "Big Mac's hearing voice in his head!!!!" The little filly chuckled. The elder equines laughed at the little one's excitement. However, another scream pierces through the air, and this time both the Equestrians and the Saddle Arabians heard that one.
"YOU BLOODY SONS OF SLUTTY WHORES! YOU MAY TAKE AWAY MY BODY, BUT YOU WILL NEVER TAKE AWAY MY FREEDOM YOU HEAR ME!?!?!?!?!?!?!?" FREEEEEDDDOOMMMMMM!!!!!!!" The Equestrians and the Saddle Arabians turned their attention to the source of the Equestrian cursing, and soon notice a draped cage shaking violently as several of the slave traders attempt to prevent the cage from falling from their carriage. However, the drapes soon fell off and Big Macintosh, Nurse Redheart, Sheikh Abu Hamza and Fatimah could see an Equestrian mare with a yellowish white coat, deep magenta eyes and a dark electric blue mane with stripes of cyan just throwing all the rage that she had towards the the cage and the world. The mare is just using her body to slam the cage and rocking the cage. It was not long before the Equestrians looked at each other, with similar thoughts in their mind. Big Macintosh points towards the Equestrian captive first.
"Is it me or that pony looks familiar?" "You are right......." Nurse Redheart puts her hoof on her chin, deep in thought but still looking at the red stallion asking him in a quizzical manner. Both ponies are also surprised that they even had a same sense of deja vu. So the questions is a rather simple one; where have they seen this pony before?
Soon enough some of the slave traders are forced to get onto the carriage and hold the cage in place. With the cage secured, they attempted to move along to their main location where they would deposit the mare. Annoyed that her attempt is failing, she could only rage even more before two bystanders catches her attention. She sees a moderate red stallion with a light orange mane looking at her, his green eyes accented with the white freckles on his cheek. A yoke could be seen upon his Saddle Arabian clothing, which makes the stallion stand out even more. By his side, a light amaranthish gray-maned pony with brilliant blue eyes, her white coat contrast the red stallion's crimson hue. Resting on the white mare's head is a nurse's hat emblazoned with a red medical cross with hearts in each corner and her mane is tied up in a bun.
It was then that Vinyl had a peculiar feeling that she had met these ponies before, and she realized that they are Equestrian. Searching through the library that is her mind, she begins to try and recall where have she seen these ponies before. Fortunately for the mare, her memory have struck gold in that regards. She then did the only thing that she could do in her situation.
"OH MY PRINCESSES!!!!!!!!!!!!!BIG MACINTOSH, NURSE REDHEART! IT'S ME VINYL STRATCH FROM BUCKING PONYVILLE OF EQUESTRIA!!!!!!!!!!SAVE MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" The blue-maned prisoner screamed and pointing at the Equestrians as she was being towed away by the slave traders. Sheikh Abu Hamza and Fatimah soon realized that both of them first looked at the caged prisoner, then followed by a stare among themselves. This is soon followed by a sense of realization before their faces contorted into an expression of annoyance, finally ending with both Equestrians diving into their hooves in frustration. It was then that Fatimah got off her chair and walked towards the Equestrians and started pulling their robes.
"Big Macintosh, Nurse Redheart.......do you know that crazy mare?" Fatimah asked the ponies innocently, looking at them with her bright green eyes.
Nurse Redheart could only facehoof when her memory reminded her of Vinyl. She did not have any good memories of her as her house is right next to the musician's house, and she had many sleepless nights because of her brand of music. Big Macintosh's experience with Vinyl Scratch is not pretty either, as there was a time where Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and that pony pulled a prank on him using a thing called a 'Basscannon'. He was deaf for an entire week due to that prank. Both ponies shuddered at the bad memories that they have over the wubs and that is already reason enough for them to leave her to her fate. But at the same time, nopony deserves the fate of being a slave for the rest of their life despite their enmity against the musician. Nurse Redheart however is the more reluctant of the two in letting her go.
"Do you really want to save her Big Mac?" Nurse Redheart asked in a whisper, hoping that there is a one in a million chance that Big Macintosh would not want to save the wub musician. Her hopes are dashed when the red farmpony gave her his answer in a whisper. "But Ah can't ignore somepony when they just said mah name and asked to be rescued. Mah Granny Smith always say that ya supposed to help a pony in need especially when they are screaming for your name.....unless you are one heartless bitch." Nurse Redheart stared at Big Macintosh with daggers in her eyes as his implication and emphasis on the word. Big Macintosh shrugs, and points towards the slowly moving carriage with the screaming blue-maned pony. The nurse's expression softened, and as she closed her eyes she puts a hoof in between her eyes and sighed very heavily.
"Celestia darn it, Big Mac......Sheikh, we know that Equestian. Can we ask you for a favor?" She said in a frustrated voice.
Apparently the process to save their fellow Equestrian is not as simple as just paying her slave traders off.The Sheikh managed to walk up to Vinyl's slave trader as a result of the slave traders being stuck in traffic and asked them about their price to see if he could just buy her on the spot. However the slave traders told him that she is to be auctioned off in a place called Jaja's Auctioning House. He came back and told them about their fellow Equestrian's fate, and how they could save her; by entering into an auction.
As the Sheikh explains to the Equestrians about the auctioning process, both ponies absorb the information like a sponge but the way in which auctions work in Saddle Arabia is unlike anything that they know of. In a Saddle Arabian auction, the auctioneer begins with a high asking price which is lowered until some participant is willing to accept the auctioneer's price. As both Equestrian heard about this, the are utterly confused and stunned.
"That is one heck of an auction rule. Ya mean that no only do the sellers will bid lower, but you have to agree to their price? How does that work?" Big Macintosh is once again taken off his hooves by the ways of Saddle Arabia. "They will start with the highest, most ludicrous price my friend. It is as simple as that. Also the auction house will put a time limit so that we could not wait till it becomes too cheap. For your friend here, we should have exactly thirty minutes to buy her off." "But if the price is so stupidly spiked, how do they even....." Nurse Redheart tries to wrap her head around this logic, but she failed to do so and she is at a lost for words. "That's the point, it is meant to prevent anyone from getting her too early. We will wait, but we can not wait for too long as one fool will agree to it due to his vanity or that someone is wealthy enough.It depends on how crazy the buyer is or how ludicrous the price is. " "You have got to be kidding me....." Nurse Redheart facehoof again. "As the Equestrian would say, we get only one shot in saving your friend." The Saddle Arabian shrugs and old them that he could only afford the price of around nine hundred and twenty thousand dinars to by the slave and could not guarantee that he could save their friend. The two Equestrians understood the conditions of this favor, and since it is the best bet to save the musician pony they went along with the plan.
After they have paid for their meal, the quartet proceed to find where this auctioning hourse is. To their relief and also surprise, it is a block away from where they are located. Soon enough after wading through the crowd, they found the place. It is a rather grandiose structure, with intricate scriptures carved into the walls and it has a large sign with a pony in a cage and a large coin next to the caged pony. There are some some Saddle Arabian words underneath the sign as well, which tells any passerby that this is Jaja's Auctioning House. Seeing the structure, the equines takes their first step forward towards the structure. They are going to save Vinyl the only way they know how; leaving it up to fate.
The auction house is already packed with several dozen buyers, from the humble Saddle Arabian pony to the more exotic and brutal-looking gryphons. Of course, none of them expected the unusual quartet of two Equestrians, a Saddle Arabian and a little filly. As the doors open for the quartet, the murmurs and talks died down, and soon enough every buyers eyes are upon this particular group of equines. The guards to the auction house barred the quarter from entering, and soon enough there was an eerie silence before a very fat and bloated Saddle Arabian with a yellow blonde coat and grey mane came up to the quartet being carried by several other slave equines on a platform.
"I am sorry, but no child is allowed in the....." The Sheikh then showed his clan's emblem, and the obese pony's jaw just went metaphorically down to the floor. "Do you want to refuse a Lord of the Remal al-Sahra Al-Khayl clan in acquiring a servant just because his daughter wants a playmate? It is fine I guess, as I heard many good things about this particular auction house. I will leave and let the other clanspony know that this place refuses the patronship of my clan. Come Fatimah, you can't get your playmate here." The Sheikh acted disappointed and a little offended before he gave the signal for the others to follow his lead; the singnal being a little clop of his hoof on the floor. Fatimah decided to improvise upon the situation even more by faking a piercing cry of disappointment.. Everyone is now looking at them, and soon enough the Sheikh decided to turn around and walked out slowly from the auction house. As the Equestrians and the little 'crying' filly followed the Saddle Arabian, the fat stallion ordered his slaves to immediately gallop in front of the Sheikh to stop him. The slaves almost buckled at the weight of the Auctionmaster as they made their run.
"Oh my apologies Milord, I did not truly seek to offend you or your daughter! We will make an exception for your daughter and I will throw in some tea and a first-class seating for you and your servants! Would that be alright Milord?" The fat stallion attempts to bargain with this Sheikh, as the Remal al-Sahra Al-Khayl is the most influential clan in Southern Saddle Arabian. If one of their Sheikhs said something bad about his auction house, the dominoes of losing the patronage of the other Sheikhs will soon follow after. The fat Saddle Arabian sweats with anxiety, and Abu Hamza could see the stallion's expression being a mixture of anxiety and also hope. Abu Hamza decided to wait for a little longer and enjoy this moment for a moment before answering the pony. "Very well then, I shall take up on your offer. Thank you Auctionmaster. look Fatimah, you can now find your playmate." The cry of the filly soon turns into a cheer. "The pleasure is all mine. And please call me Jaja-ji." Of course the fat Auctionmaster did not mean it, but he tried his best to lie through it unless he wants to be out of business. With that the Auctionmaster leads the quartet to the first-class seating area. Soon enough, the other buyers turned back to their own conversation and desires of these slaves, some as petty as getting a babysitter for their foal to some rather unsavory desires.
"Nice one there both of you. I could learn some pointers from both of you." Nurse Redheart said to both the filly and her father in Saddle Arabian. Her knowledge of Saddle Arabian allowed her to enjoy the conversation between the Sheikh and the Auctionmaster, and she particularly loved the part where he was a little silent for a while to make the other pony really nervous. Fatimah giggles as her father gently rubs her head with his hoof. "It's a part of my job as a Lord I guess." Abu Hamza gives a small smile to the white mare. Big Macintosh of course did not even know what is being said between the two Saddle Arabians and he definitely did not understand what is being said between Nurse Redheart and the Sheikh.
Soon enough, they are finally at the first-class seating, and indeed it was luxurious. There are several cushioned couches with a fine array of silverware and burning incense upon a deep mahogany table with intricate carvings upon it. The lavender smell of the incense stays in the air, relaxing Nurse Redheart's nerves significantly. There are several other first-class seatings around them, all being but a few steps away from the stage where the auction will be held. A short divider separates the first-class seating from the second-class seating, which is far less luxurious. However, it is better than being in the third-class seating, or to be exact where everyone else stands.
As Nurse Redheart and her companions made themselves comfortable, a few waitresses in harem pants with matching belly top, slippers, gold earrings and turquoise headband with a ruby stone in it came and served them refreshments and snacks for them to feast upon. As soon as they have served their guest, they walked away with the characteristic grace of Saddle Arabian mares. It was not long before a proud and excited Auctionmaster is on the stage, being towed to the stage by four unfortunate slave ponies.
"Welcome, welcome my friends to my auctioning house! I am Jaja-ji and I am happy to announce the fine commodities that are for your eyes today! In case you do not know, we will be setting a price for the commodity, and from there we will lower it down until the price suit your fancy. Once sold, the payment is to be made in a way that is agreeably to both of us. And now let us begin today's auction with a fine Zebra stallion......" As the Auctionmaster went on explaining about the first slave to be auctioned away, Sheikh Abu Hamza said to Burse Redheart in a whisper.
"Now my friend, we wait until your friend comes out."
After what felt like an eternity of seeing many different kinds of ponies, gryphons, zebras and other exotic myriads of sentient beings being shown and sold off, the Auctionmaster finally announced the most important 'slave' that the quartet wanted to acquire. Vinyl was brought on the stage, with a gag in her mouth. The mare was dressed in the most impossible outfit of a metal bikini with swirling bronze etchings with a tabard running down the lover half of her bikini. The blue-maned pony's anger however is seeping out from the gag, as she cursed the rest of them in a muffled voice. The other buyers are very much attracted at this new sight, with their eyes particularly focused on her mane and also her very lean, slender body, accentuated by her utterly erotic outfit. It is amazing how she gets that body without going to the gym, but the gym did not give her muscle power and thus it balances out for the greater good of the universe.
The musician mare could only blush at this utter humiliating display, and also for the anger she is feeling right now. However, she notices the Ponyvillians and started to look at them, trying to speak to them with her muffled voice. The mare's hopes are high as the two Ponyvillians could help her get out from this most oddest of situations. Big Macintosh and Nurse Redheart looks at the mare, giving her reassuring eyes that things will be alright. The fat stallion then begins to announce this latest bid.
"To all esteemed guess, tonight's highlight is a songstress as beautiful as the most pristine of gems from Equestria with the voice as sweet and alluring as those of a phoenix with the unpredictable attitude of a Saddle Arabian sandstorm. Although she does not speak Saddle Arabian or for that matter any of your languages other than her own and plain temperamental to boot, she would be a fine addition to any harem for those who wants a little kick in their mares or any owner of a cafe who wants a singer to attract customers to your store," several of the patrons started laughing, before the sta stallion cuts them off, 'Two million DInars will be the starting bid for today's prize; let the auction begins!"
This is it.., Nurse Redheart said to herself. Both Abu Hamza and Nurse Redheart had told the red stallion to sit quietly and not do anything. They do not want to bid for her too early as the Sheikh could only afford so much for the mare. To the mare's relief, the starting bid is indeed a little too much for most of the buyers, as most of them are silent as they watched the pony in the cage. However, the tension in the room had just gotten a little heavier and grimmer than before. Everyone wants Vinyl and the atmosphere just gets thicker as time goes by, to the point that literally some of the bidders actually passes d out. Big Macintosh realized that each one of the buyers are all waiting for the price to reach within their grasp before they bid for her.Soon enough, The Equestrians and the Sheikh noticed a change of the depressing air as the price reduced itself to the million [i[dinar mark. It seems that some of the buyers could afford this price range. It was then that both Equestrians could feel a sinking feeling within them.
"Nine hundred and ninety thousand Dinars!"
The crowd is now murmuring with great intensity as the price starts to get below the one million Dinar mark. Nurse Redheart and Big Macintosh could feel that their heartbeats have gotten just a little bit stronger than before, and their breathing is now more shallow than before. With each drop of the price, the Equestrians could feel that their heart are pounding with greater intensity and their breath becoming as shallow as a little puddle of water in a hot day. Before long, both ponies are sweating, worried that someone will jump the gun with every mark.
"Nine hundred and twenty thousand Dinars!" Before even realizing what is going on, both Equestrians saw the arms of Sheikh Abu Hamza and another buyer shooting up at the same time. The other buyer is a well-build gryphon with the whitest of coat and feathers, with flowing vibrant, elaborately decorated turquiose robes with golden scale armoured plated upon those robes. Each one of the claws of the gryphon are embellished in many rings and jewelry, and the gryphon's ears are studded with rings and plugs of gold. The wealthy gryphon is now staring at the quartet with piercing silver eyes, and Nurse Redheart could sense that time just literally froze as her heartbeat and her breathing just stopped at once. Instantly, she begins to look around and she notices their surprise at this instantaneous arm-raising. It was not long before the the Auctionmaster announced this turn of events.
"My Isha, it seems that we have a tie! And with that we will turn to the tie breaker!" The other buyers are now chanting, and Nurse Redheart did not like the chant one bit. She was afraid of this, as she knows that Saddle Arabians are quick to settle things physically rather than talking about it. It was then that she could hear one word, a word she is not familiar with at all , and she could not help herself from saying it.
"Um Redheart what is going on?" Big Macintosh is rather uneasy about the sudden chanting of the other buyers in unison. Nurse Redheart however is trying to listen to what the others are chanting, but she is not familiar with the word and she could only answer Big Macintosh with the exact words of the crowd.
"Zensunni-Hulud........" "What the hay does that even mean?" Big Macintosh said to the pink-maned mare. However it is the light brown Sheikh that answered his question. "They have got to be kidding me........." Big Macintosh realized that the Sheikh is extremely worried, his frown is such that if it stays any more it will become permanent. It was then that the Auctionmaster begins to speak of something, but that something is lost on Big Macintosh. As the words slip away from the lips of the Auctionmaster, both Abu Hamza's and Nurse Redheart's expression darkened a lot more. Big Macintosh wanted to ask them what is going on, but it seems that events are now moving themselves to explain it to the red stallion.
He saw two stallions walking towards them, each carying out a small, simple, and unremarkable black box with a hole at one end of it and if it were any other situation he would not have paid heed to it. However the crowd's murmurs now replaces the chanting in the auctioning house. The other buyer who tied with the Sheikh comes into the view of Big Macintosh, and it seems that the wealth of the gryphon buyer is showing through his rich turquoise robes and gold armor and jewelry. Nonetheless Big Macintosh could also see the tenacity of the gryphon shining from his eyes. Beside the gryphon is a black minotaur, with a chainmail kilt, and a large axe. The gryphon, the Sheikh and the auction house owner are now talking to each other in Saddle Arabian, and Big Macintosh could only cursed in his heart. He hates being out of the loops of things, especially when things are this ambiguous.
"So, are you ready for this?" The gryphon said with a deep baritone, but the unmistakable doubt in his voice seeps through his confident tone. "Indeed." Sheikh Abu Hamza said uneasily. " Actually Milords, it will be your servants." The Auctionmaster cuts into their conversation. Both of the buyers now look at the obese stallion, surprised and confused. It was then that the two stallions puts the boxes in between the Sheikh and the gryphon. " What do you mean 'our servants'?" Sheikh Abu Hamza asked the Auctionmaster. " This is the house's rule; if we have a tie we would have the servants of the buyers undergo this test. We do not want to harm our buyers as they are the ones paying. But slaves are expendable." "But these two ponies are not my servants!" The Sheikh protested, however the fat stallion gives a shrug. "Too bad. You can't do it so it will have to be either one of these equines. The task is simple; your servants are to put their appendage into the box for a minute. The owner of the servant that could endure the longest will get the slave. Each one of you will choose a servant of the other bidder to take this test, barring the little one. So Milords, who would you choose?" The Auctionmaster gives a very sly smile, satisfied that he is getting his petty revenge on the Sheikh.
Abu Hamza's choice is rather simple as the gryphon only had one servant with him. However, it is a lose-lose situation for the Sheikh no matter who the gryphon choose as he does want any one of them harmed in any way. He looks at both Equestrians, his mind uncertain. He could have just kill the gryphon, but then that would cause the Minotaur to attack him, the Equestrians and Fatima. The fact that Fatima is with them only made this situation even worse. Then there is also the fact that the auctioning house knows that he is a Sheikh, and if any Sheikh were to break a Zensunni-Hulud, it would cause a great load of trouble to his clan and his caravan. Killing the fat bastard would not help either, as the guards of this place will be upon him.
"Question; do you take volunteers?" Nurse Redheart asked the Auctionmaster. Nurse Redheart's inquiry made the Sheikh's heart skip a beat. He knew what the white mare is about to say, but before he could protest the obese stallion answered the mare. "Yes, they can if the other buyer agrees. Milord would you allow for volunteers?" The Auctionmaster is now looking at the gryphon to see if he would agree to this particular condition. "Yes, I see no reason why not." The gryphon replied. "Then I volunteer on behalf of Sheikh Abu Hamza." The Sheikh wanted to say something, but the white mare puts her hoof on his lips. Her eyes are telling him that it is not his fault, and this has to be done. She walks towards the box, and awaits the minotaur to do the same. The minotaur is impressed with the courage of the mare, but his duty to his master comes first and he takes several steps forward towards the box.
"Redheart, no........." Big Macintosh said, but his voice is drowned by the cheering and chanting of the rest of the buyers.
Big Macintosh could see that Abu Hamza is not happy with what the damn fat bastard said, as the Sheikh looks at both the Equestrian with such sorrowful and conflicted look. It was then that Nurse Redheart started speaking, and although Big Macintosh did not understand what she was saying he knew that a choice had been made. The nurse then came up to the Sheikh and puts her hooves on his lips, stopping the light brown stallion from saying anything. Her face is so serene and understanding, while the Sheikh's is that of utter helplessness and regret. She then takes her hoof away from his lips and started walking towards the box and the Minotaur followed suit.The two box-carriers then puts the forearms of the Minotaur and the mare into their respective box. The crowd is now silent, as if waiting for something to happen.It was then that both the Minotaur and the mare started screaming in pain and both of them are trying their hardest to not take their forearms out of the box. Big Macintosh tried to intervene, but the Sheikh stopped him in his track.
"It must be done." The Sheikh said to the red stallion, his voice shaking with sadness and anger at his helplessness to help the Equestrian mare. He will make sure that with his reputation and clan's resources, this auctioning house will go to the ground.
The pain is unlike anything she had experienced before. At first, her forearm is itchy, but then the itchiness becomes an irritation, and the irritation soon becomes a slight pain, and from there it just escalates. Within a short second or so, the escalation of pain is such that she wished that she could rip her skin off so that the pain would go away. She started writhing uncontrollably from the pain, and her feet started to contort and she is wiggling her hooves and kicking her feet around to the point where she is just flailing her legs around violently. The bovine monster is also writhing in pain, but he is curled up in a ball, and barely able to scream. Nurse Redheart could see his veins and arteries starting to pop from his neck and forehead and the Minotaur is already thrashing his other arm. Fortunately for everyone, the minotaur is not holding his ax or there would be a massacre.
Nurse Redheart grinds her teeth as she endured the pain, and she wondered why the hay did she even volunteered. It was also then that she said to herself that this is just too much work to save a pony that had caused so much discomfort for her. She wanted to just pull her forearm off from the device, but as she tried to pull out her arm, she realized that her arm is stuck. She could only groan in pain as she realized that she is utterly screwed. However, fate decided to give her a helping hand.
The Minotaur bellowed with all his might and without warning, smashed the stage using the box-encased arm. The box shattered into many pieces along with the stage, the splinters flying everywhere causing the audience to duck for cover. The Minotaur then followed shortly after his arm, falling face first into the stage, causing even more property damage. However the Minotaur did not get up, and his legs are now twitching uncontrollably as he lies among debris. Luckily for Vinyl, her cage is nowhere near the crash site but she is frightened by the sudden explosive action of the minotaur
Sheikh Abu Hamza rushes towards the white mare and pulled her arm out from the box, relieving her of the agony. The white mare passed out immediately after her arm was free from the contraption. Big Macintosh rushes towards the mare's side, checking her pulse and trying to wake her up. He mutters words of encouragement to wake her up, but to no avail. Fatimah could only watch in horror over the whole situation, silent midst the chaos.
However, it was Vinyl who felt the most pain in her heart. She did not want anypony to get hurt to save her, and now her neighbor is down on the floor unconscious. Her perceived guilt overcomes her joy of freedom by a landslide, and she could only slump down on her haunches wondering if her freedom is even worth it. She watches the whole commotion in silence with a sense of helplessness in her heart.
"And we have ourselves a winner!!!!!!!" The Auctionmaster's declaration is greeted with the cheers and chanting of the buyers. However Big Macintosh and Vinyl are now looking at the obese stallion with unbridled disgust and hate, and the Sheikh is now looking at the Auctionmaster with cold fury.
After managing to wake the nurse mare up and Big Macintosh supporting the mare with her arms over his shoulder, the group then enters into the office of the Auctionmaster. The office is rather lavish, with many exotic paraphernalia hanging from the walls such as a beautifully crafted sword made from the finest obsidian and the crystalline shield made out of the finest of diamonds. Behind the beautifully crafted mahogany desk sits the Auctionmaster in all his pompous, bloated glory on a finely crafted couch made from the finest of cotton. There was an atmosphere of silence within the room, as the equines stared at each other. Nurse Redheart was too weak to enter into this staring contest, as she was just utterly pale and tired from her ordeal. It is only with the patience of their most level-headed member that Big Macintosh did not just kick the Auctionmaster's face.
"So where is the merchandise?" The Sheikh asked the Auctionmaster in Equestrian, holding back his fury. The obese stallion, was surprised at this use of Equestrian, but he played along and answered back in Equestrian. "She will be here Milord, but first I must see...." Without even letting the Auctionmaster finish his sentence, a bag is thrown on the table, with many coins pouring out from the bag. Seeing the payment being made, the fat stallion clops his hooves, and flanked by two guards, the blue-maned mare in the sensuous outfit emerges from the curtains behind the Auctionmaster. The guards unlocks the shackles of the blue-maned mare and without even a second spared the mare rushes towards the weak mare and hugs her.
Vinyl whispered to the unconscious mare her apologies continuously. It was then that Vinyl swears that she will never play any wubs in her home anymore and she will only play them in the clubs, and that she will buy the nurse dinner every day for the rest of their natural lives. She also swears that she will help the nurse mare no matter what, and she Pinkie Swear on it. Nurse Redheard however is reassuring the musician that it is alright. Suffice to say the seeds of a deep friendship is planted between the two mares. However, the fat stallion is not even moved by this scene, and passes the bag to one of his guards to be counted. Soon enough the only ones in the rooms are the Auctionmaster and the group. The obese stallion bows on his couch to the best of his ability and the Sheikh reluctantly returns the bow.
"Thank you Jaja-ji. Before I go I would like you to have a gift for your 'services'." The light brown Sheikh said in Equestrian "Thank you Milord for your patronage......" The obese stallion said politely in Equestrian, playing along with the Sheikh. The fat stallion could not help but to feel some glee in his heart when he heard the words 'gift'. He started to wonder what kind of wondrous gift will the Sheikh give him, until he looks up to see the Sheikh immediately stepping aside. as the light brown stallion moves aside, an object is now flying at the Auctionmaster's face at a blinding speed. It was at the final second that the Auctionmaster realized that it was the hindhooves of a very angry red farm stallion flying towards his face.
The obese bastard did not even get a chance to scream as the hindhooves of Big Macintosh meets his face. The obese stallion's weight is such that he failed to be propelled in the air, but the force of the kick from Big Macintosh is enough for the fat stallion to be slammed to the wall causing dust to temporarily rain lightly in the room. Suffice to say, the fat stallion will need all that money won from the auction for his corrective surgery, and the stallion would lose the ability to speak for the rest of his life, thus he was unable to name the culprits that did it.
"Have a nice day in Tartarus, ya yellow fat bastard......" Big Macintosh said vindictively as he steps down from the obese stallion's blubber to the floor. After delivering this retributive justice, the group leaves the room not even giving a single care about the equine now stuck in the wall with a severely disfigured face but not before looting the place to their heart's content, taking items that are easily over five times the price that bought Vinyl's freedom.
"It is only fair that he pay for the mental damages." Vinyl said cheerfully as she looted a diamond bracelet.
After hearing what has transpired in the auctioning house from the Equestrians and Sheikh Abu Hamza, Sheikh Fahd is utterly furious and it is said that Sheikh Fahd's anger is terrible to behold as the one who helped brought his grandchild to this world had to endure a Zensunni-Hulud . Sheikh Fahd will soon embark upon a personal vendetta against the obese stallion that is as throughout as it is ruthless. It was told that several years later, the Auctionmaster became a pauper and died from starvation in the streets as thin as a twig. This retribution shall be known in the history of the Remal al-Sahra Al-Khayl clan as the "Tale of A Fat One Breaking". However this tale is inconsequential, for the tale of the greater fate of Saddle Arabia is much bigger than any petty tale of a Sheikh's petty wrath....
Emir Shaddam Khalifah the Fourth is known as a wise and benevolent ruler to his people, but nonetheless he is at the dusk of his time on earth. The nobles noticed this and are now vying for the throne of Saddle Arabia. The reason for this power struggle is simple and yet dire; the Emir is without an heir. The heir apparent along with his family was assassinated a few years ago, causing much grief to the old ruler. This grief affected the ruler significantly and he is now a recluse from his subjects. Without his guidance and governance, the kingdom falls into descending discord.
To add to the dire situation, for the past five years the lands of the west and the north is experiencing a drought unlike any have seen before in Saddle Arabia, causing the land to be enveloped in the deadly embrace of famine and death. The inhabitants of these lands are desperate and angry as their Emir failed to deliver them from their hardships, and the resentment slowly crept into the heart of these desperate souls.
As his kingdom withered away, the Emir is now a shade of his former self, ready to pass on to the Gates of Isha. A single spark is all that is needed to cause a the greatest turmoil ever experienced in Saddle Arabia, or to be exact several important sparks....
Mediha, a village in Western Saddle Arabia.
This village consist of many huts, made out from dried shrubs giving it a rather beat-down and pathetic look. The land is barren and dry, the earth cracking from the intense heat. Upon closer examination, an observer would notice irrigation canals and square plots of land used for agriculture, but alas, there is nothing even resembling farming here. Instead at the dry plots of land, several dozen frail and malnourished equines of varying ages are digging the ground with their hooves trying to find for something....anything resembling food or water.
Meanwhile, in the heart of the village, several dozen more villagers are now filling whatever they found into a large sack.The humble farmers of this village have been trying to save every scraps of food that they could ever since the presence of the drought five years ago, and every grain that they could grow is saved like they were the rarest of commodities. Indeed, over here, money is worthless. The harvest this time is even more measly than the one before, with the whole village only managed to get a large sack of grain as the result of their toiling, not enough to feed the entire village of three hundred ponies. However, as a community, they will have to make do with this supply for the long and hard times ahead. As the villagers look upon one of their own carrying the sack of grain to the village granary, they could only hope that they will be delivered from the drought. However the villagers heard the sound of marching hooves coming towards them, and as they turn to the source of the sound their faces changed. Their already miserable faces are now turning into a grimace of fear.
Two dozen equines marched towards them before they stopped in front of them all in terrifying unison and order. Each one of the equine warriors are clad in polished grey armor with silver and gold trims and black robes, wearing the Death Mask of Ista, with a single Eye of Isha on the right side of their mask. Their spears are held afloat in the air and attached to each spear is the banner of two scimitars upon an equine skull, with one half of the skull being covered by a faceless mask with a single Eye of Ista on it. A turban with a single feather sticking out from the center of the turban decorates the head of this equine skull. Each one of the villagers know who they are, for these equine warriors are the Eternals of Saddle Arabia. The soldier-fanatics and honor guard of the Emirs of Saddle Arabia, they are feared by all for their martial prowess and near-suicidal disregard for their own safety. Following shortly behind the two dozen-strong formation of the Eternals are other equines clad in scale armor and a metal helmet, holding their spears up in the air. These equines are the standing army of Saddle Arabia, and together, the Eternals and the soldiers outnumbered the villagers three to one.
"Who is the Head Elder of this village?" One of the Eternals speak, an Eternal with a tear under his Eye of Ista. The villagers looked at each other, uncertain about why the warrior elite of the Emir is in this village. Before long, a very old leather brown stallion with a long white beard came up to meet the leader of this contingent of Fallen. "I am the Head Elder of this village......what can I do for you Milords?" Suddenly, three of the soldiers have galloped towards the stallion who was carrying the sack of grain and are pointing their spears at him. The other villagers gasped, and the old stallion is in shock. However, the leader of the Eternals did not even bother to wait and announces the reason of their presence.
"All the grain within this village is the property of Emir Shaddam Khalifah the Fourth, and will be taken away as ordered by the Emir! Go back to your homes or your lives are forfeit!" Before long, a few more of the soldiers have galloped towards the granary and with a kick from their hindhooves, the doors to the granary are down. As the villagers watched in disbelief, the soldiers are taking away their supply of food and they are utterly helpless to do anything about it. Some of the mares wept as their food are taken away, while others wailed in agony over this cruel fate. Once the sacks of grain are taken, the army of equines marches away from the village leaving all the villagers utterly devastated. Within the gaps of the neck armor and the mask of the leader of the Eternals, a red Eye of Ista could be seen glowing briefly before it disappeared.
As the other villagers returned to the village throughout the day, they are told of the news of what the Emir had done to them. As a whole they mourned over their loss and their fate , each one of the villager's grief slowly turning to hate and anger. In their hate and anger, they failed to realized a voice creeping into their heads, as soft as the light of the morning sun and as sweet and sultry as honey. It was not long before each of the villagers noticed the voice and instead of being fearful of this voice that is not their own, they are now listening attentively to it. The voice slowly rises up in volume at it was then that every villager could hear the voice clearly in their mind.
I have saw of the injustice that had befallen you, and I am here to help you to regain what you have lost.......
Liyadh, a village in Northern Saddle Arabia
The Elder of this village, a bulky white stallion with a green mane and beard was woken up by a very frantic villager, ranting about thieves. This is extremely odd, as the village is so deprived of food and valuables there there is almost nothing to be stolen. Their clothes are already ragged and in essence are the items that would not even attract any thief's attention. However as he walked up to the town square, he could see a number of villagers already at the town square with sharpened wooden spears and torches lit to brightened up the night.
"What is going on here?" The yellow village elder asked the other villagers as he tried to get through the crowd. As soon as he bypassed the crown he could see several Equestrians being tied up, all of them having wings on them while some of his villagers surrounded them in his sights. Pegasi, the elder remembered as he saw their wings, but what are they doing here?
"Elder, it seems that these Equestrians are found trying to sneak through our village with some bags on their bag. We caught them" This is unusual to say the least, as Equestrians rarely come to their country for anything, and the presence of a dozen pegasi stands out like a sore hoof. The Elder did not understand why are the villagers so agitated over a few pegasi with bags, until one of the villagers opened up one of the bags to reveal something that the Elder could not believe. In the bag, he could see several rain clouds being compressed ready to be taken to Ista knows where. The Elder then walks up to one of the bound pegasi and started to speak in broken Equestrian at them.
"What you doing?" "Finally somepony who speaks Equestrian, thank Celestia!" One of the pegasi spoke, an orange stallion with a cutie mark of three clouds on his flank. "Answer question. What you doing?" The Elder asked again. "Ur.......we are on a holiday?" The orange pony is now smiling at the Elder unconvincingly, with a sweat running down his temple. "With rain clouds in bag?" The Equestrians are now silent, after realizing that these equines are not as dumb as they look. The Elder started to speak in his own tongue with one of the villager before the a villager was about to lunge it into the pegasus with a pointy stick. His eyes wide open, the pegasi immediately started spilling the beans.
"ALRIGHT! STOP! YOUR KING ASKED US TO TAKE THESE CLOUDS TO THE CAPITAL!" The pegasus started screaming in fear. The villager halts his wooden spear, startled by this sudden outburst. "Take clouds to Aqqabasta?" The Elder listens intently to the pegasus. "YES THAT PLACE! HE SAY THAT HIS CAPITAL SHOULD GET ALL THE RAIN! HE TOLD US TO TAKE EVERY RAIN CLOUD FOR THAT PURPOSE AND THAT'S IT! I DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING ELSE! PLEASE DON'T HURT ME, I AM JUST A PONY DOING MY JOB!!!!!" The pegasus stallion is now looking away, his eyes closed and trembling with fear.
The Elder realized that the pegasus is indeed clueless about the significance of his activities, but nonetheless the truth is now out there. It now make sense why the capital is rumored to be the only place throughout the whole of Saddle Arabia to experience consistent rain pour for the past five years. It is no mandate of Ista that the capital experience such a miracle, but it is the machination of their king. It was then that the the other villagers looked upon the elder, realizing that the elder's face had changed into a very grim expression. The Elder started to speak out to the other villagers.
"The Emir had stolen our rain for his capital! We have been thirsting and starving all because of the King!" It was then that all the villagers erupted in rage, and within this sea of rage, the pegasus smiled to himself and a small red Eye of Isha could be seen glowing briefly on his neck before it dissapears......
Al-Jawad, stronghold of the Al-Laiha clan
The stronghold of the Al-Laiha clan, the second strongest clan in the whole of Eastern Saddle Arabia, is a large palace in the middle of block-like settlements typical of a Saddle Arabian city, with four characteristic onion-like domes on the minarets that marked the edges of the castle, with a small, stepped pyramid in the center. In the court of the Al-Laiha throneroom, a simple white, robed figure is bowing down to the Sheikh of the Al-Laiha clan, a teal pony with a very long face and thin grey mustache that matches the color of his mane. In between them is a myriad of treasures, from jewels to gold crowns spread out almost from one end of the throneroom to the other.
"So let me get this straight; not only will you help me get rid of Sheikh Abu Simbel of the Al-Shikal clan of the South, but you are going to give me these riches as well if I do what you say?" The Sheikh of the Al-Laiha clan asked. "Indeed, and this is but a small down payment. If you complete the task, you will get five times the treasure that are displayed before your eyes. All that I ask of you is to ally yourself with the Harbinger." The white robed figure said, its voice as fresh as a morning breeze. The teal Sheikh stared at the riches for a moment before he asked one final question. "Do I get to keep the treasures of the sheikh Abu Simbel as well?" The white figure nods, and before long the teal Sheikh rises up from his throne and walks up to the robed figure. The forearms of the Sheikh is raised in front of the robed figure, and the robe figure clops the hoof of the Sheikh.
"It is a pleasure doing business with you Milord....." The robe figure is pleased that this transaction is going well.
With the sudden confiscation of the last remaining food by the armed forces of the Emir and the discovery of several pegasi stealing rain clouds to be brought over to Aqqabasta throughout Western and Northern Saddle Arabia, the patience of the inhabitants of those two area had ran out, and fully half of Saddle Arabia broke out in rebellion overnight. As the violence and bloodshed spreads throughout Western and Northern Equestria, the growing petty squabbles or inaction of the Sheikhs throughout Saddle Arabia only served to throw the whole region into even greater chaos. All the while, the rumors of a great Sheikh rising in power in the East is spreading throughout the lands of Saddle Arabia in hush whispers.
So far the capital is spared from the discord of the land, and everything is relatively calm in Aqqabasta. But this blissful existence will not last for long for there is a saying, there is always a calm before a great storm.........
Being granted her freedom had brightened the mood of Vinyl a lot more than it should be and the radiance of her optimism also managed to brighten up the hearts of her fellow Equestrians, who were in the room with Vinyl and Fatimah. As they watch Vinyl playing some games with Fatimah, they could not help but to feel that they will be able to return to Equestria without much of an incident. It is amazing how the blue-maned pony and the little filly opened up to each other so quickly, and soon enough they are talking to each other like they were the best of friends.
"So wait a minute, you throw the stones up and try to juggle and catch them while they are in the air? That sounds mighty awesome Fatie!" Vinyl asked the little filly. "We catch the stones to get points. With each level it gets harder, and we get more points, whoever gets the most points after ten levels wins!" Fatimah is just as cheerful as the blue-maned mare, perhaps even more so as she is excited that someone did not find the game she created a stupid one. However, a knock on the door soon interrupted their playtime. Nurse Redheart walks up to the door and opens it to find the light brown Sheikh in front of her, giving her a message.
"Sheikh Fahd managed to get a boat for us to enter the capital. We will leave in three hours."
As the sun slowly fades under the horizon, Big Macintosh, Vinyl Scratch, Nurse Redheart and Fatimah are now waiting for the Sheikhs to take them from their hotel to the harbor for their boatride to the capital. As they see Saddle Arabians, zebras and an occasional gryphon or two checking in and out of the hotel, Vinyl and Fatimah decided to make a game out of it and see how many zebras and gryphons are checking in and out.
"Big Mac, are you alright?" Nurse Redheart asked the red stallion. He appears to be a little paler than he used to be, and if he were any more paler he would be as pink as Pinkie Pie. "Eeyup, Ya don't have'ta......" However the stallion's speech is cut short by the arrival of twenty-four armed and armored camels entering into the hotel, causing much commotion among the other guests and staffs of the hotel. Vinyl and Fatimah stopped their counting game, and before long the Equestrians are now looking at these warrior camels.Big Macintosh was about to think about what they are until Fatimah finally burst out happily. "Hey it's Amanar and Daddy's Janissary corp!" The Equestrians are now looking at the surprisingly estactic filly, who looked like a filly who was really happy to see that her parents are there to pick her up from school.
The sight of fully two dozen Janissary in their full battle regalia is a sight to behold, In addition to their characteristic odd white headdress on their head which resembles hat with a large flap of cloth, each Janissary has an ornately gilded black frowned mask with snarling fangs and wicked-looking shoulder pads that are gilded with gold. Their black robes are decorated with ornate gold paisley patterns with blue stripes running down the back of the Janissary. Their humps are covered with a darksteel cap, etched with intricate paisley patterns radiating like petals from the center of the cap. Each on of the Janissary are also armed with their scimitar and a long metal barrel stuck onto a robust wooden stock with a flintlock on it, the stock being a distinctive curve. The long weapon as a whole is well crafted and is very beautifully and artistically decorated. With each step that they take, the sound of the clanking armor that are hidden within the robes rings with great certainty. It is with further scrutiny that Big Macintosh could recognized Amanar from the other Janissary as the camel is the only one that towers above his other brethren. Big Macintosh could see why these are the great protectors of the Saddle Arabian royalty, as they can strike fear in any pony that is foolish enough to cross their path.
"Follow us." Amanar said to the Equestrians. As the Equestrians are escorted by the Janissary corp, Nurse Redheart could not help but to ask a question to Amanar. "So.....why aren't the rest of the caravan in our building following us?" Nurse Redheart asked. "We temporary group traveling together and protecting each other, Once we reach location we split up for our own things. Reach location, break up, caravans are now no longer existent. We now can do job of protect Sheikh and family." "Ah recall that there are more of ya, what happened to the others?" It is now Big Macintosh's turn to ask Amanar. "Families taken care of by rest of the Janissary corp. They have orders to get out of city with Sheikh family if we not back by second day." "Shouldn't Fatimah be with the others then?" Vinyl asked the leader of the Janissary. "She special case." Amanar said without even breaking his monotonous tone. Soon enough silence returned and the entourage continued on moving through the labyrinthine streets of the settlement until they entered into the harbor.
There are many ships anchored at the harbor, some as small as a rowboat, while others are as big as some of the largest airships in Canterlot. It was then that the Equestrians could see another entourage of fully armored Janissary surrounding Sheikh Abu Hamza and Sheikh Fahd slowly entering the harbor. As the two group rendezvous with each other, the combined entourage of fully five dozen Janissary, two Sheikhs, three Equestrians and a little filly now continued on moving down the harbor in unison. Vinyl could only look around her with amazement at the regimented movement of these awesome 'metally-dressed' camels, while Nurse Redheart is utterly uncomfortable with the presence of weapons around her. Big Macintosh could only look around stoically as they moved together as one.
The silence is almost unbearable, and the group is utterly silent and in motion until they stopped in front of an orange Saddle Arabian in the traditional Saddle Arabian outfit next to a medium-sized boat with a long thin hull and a triangular sail set on a long yard mounted at an angle on the mast.
The orange stallion greets the two Sheikhs and soon enough the Sheikh and the orange stallion are now talking about something before the orange stallion started counting their heads. Big Macintosh noticed that the Janissary are now looking around just as, if not more, paranoid than he is. They are cautious for another reason of course, but Big Macintosh's paranoia stems from actually never liking on something in the air or in the water. If given a choice he would rather have his feet on the ground, as that way he could do something to escape if anything goes wrong. With a ship or an airship, it is literally a coffin just waiting to happen. Soon enough the orange stallion was given a small bag of coins by Sheikh Fahd and the transaction ends with the orange stallion bowing and beckons the entourage to enter into his boat.
Seeing that there is nothing else to do but to get on the boat, the entourage proceed to enter into the boat. Fatimah and Vinyl are excited at their boat journey and they started to speak to each other excitedly, while Nurse Redheart and Big Macintosh are more reserved. Of course, the Janissary corp is utterly silent and are just sitting on the boat, with the long metal barrel object resting in their arms while the Sheikh are staring across the horizon. The boatmen then prepares the sails and loosen up the ropes holding the boat in the harbor, and like an arrow the ship started to sail towards the Island of Lotuses in total darkness.
Big Macintosh wonders if everything will go well especially when he have a role to play somehow in helping Sheikh Abu Hamza for his bid to become Emir. To add to his uncertainty, he is utterly clueless as to how he could even help the light brown stallion in even getting the role in the first place. As he stares at the incoming island, his thoughts slowly flows to that of his home and that of his family.
"Granny, Jackie, Applebloom......" Big Macintosh said softly, and he suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder. He turns around to see Nurse Redheart looking at him with a serene, reassuring look. "It's okay Big Mac, it will all be fine." "Ah sure hope so. Ah wish Ah got their blessed ignorance...." Big Macintosh gestures toward the blue-maned Vinyl and little Fatimah who are now pointing at the water. "Such is the burden of knowledge. The best we could do is to try and be as neutral as we could while they sort out their problems." Of course Big Macintosh knew that this is not possible in his case, but he still managed a smile. "Yeah, you are right." The white mare smiles back at him, and his heart lightens up a little more.
Vinyl and Fatimah are now looking up at the night skies glittering with stars, at peace with their environment. Back in Ponyville, Vinyl did not manage to enjoy the night skies as a result of her job as a disc jockey and thus watching the night skies in Saddle Arabia is truly a treat for her. It reminds her of the times where her father would watch the skies with her when she was a filly. How odd it is that this time the roles are reversed, with her being the elder pony and Fatimah being the little filly. Suddenly the little filly started asking the blue-maned mare a question, snapping her out of her gaze.
"Hey Vinny, do ever have this feeling that you have been in some place before, but you didn't?" The little filly looks at Vinyl with a curious look. Vinyl swears that her heart almost melted at the little filly looking at her with the filly's pale, light greyish olive eyes. But she resisted the feeling to squee and instead answered the filly. "Sure did kiddo. What's up?" The little filly hesitated a little before she started to speak. "Well for some reason looking at Aqqabasta, I feel like I have been there before. In fact it feels like home somehow." "Cool, have you been here before at all?" Vinyl asked, but the little filly is now shaking her head. "Nu-uh, this is my first time Vinny." "Maybe it is your destiny or something to be there. I sure know that is what happened to me when I first laid eyes on Ponyville. Shhhuuureeeeee it is a boring town at first, but then I realized that unlike any other place I feel more at home there than anywhere else. I feel like I belong, y'know?" "No, not at all Vinny." The little filly giggled. The mare could only shake her head as she smile, as she could not expect the little filly to understand the sense of belonging at her young age. It will all come in due course when a pony knows a place where she belongs and her role in life.
"I am sure you would understand this!" Before Fatimah could even react, Vinyl starts tickling the little filly's stomach with all her might. The loud laughter of the filly made even the most hardened of the Janissary smiled under their brutal-looking mask. However the two Sheikhs are looking at the island with a certain amount of stoicism, ignoring the laughter of the little filly. It was then that Sheikh Fahd started speaking to his nephew, their soft conversation hidden by the laughter of the little filly.
It was not long before the ship finally reaches the capital of Saddle Arabia, and the Equestrians could finally marvel at its architectural beauty. Each port spreads out from the petals of the island like vines across the vast body of water, each walkway carved with finely etched images of plant motives. As the boat comes closer to the port, the Equestrians could only wonder how did the Saddle Arabians even make such a wonder to begin with without magic. However the Janissary bodyguards soon snapped into full alert, readying their long-barreled weapon as if ready to strike. Big Macintosh, Vinyl Scratch and Nurse Redheart are caught off-guard by the battle preparedness of the Janissary before finally seeing the reason of the agitation/ Disguised initially by the darkness, the Equestrians soon noticed several dozen armed equines with polished grey armor with silver and gold trims and black robes wearing a Saddle Arabian death mask. The Equestrians also see that each one of these equines are holding their spears pointing upwards in the air, each spear carrying a banner emblazoned with a rather grim iconography of a skull wearing a turban and half a death mask with a two scimitars crossed.
"What in the hay are those ponies?" Big Macintosh asked the two mares without looking at them. "I am not sure, but I do not like them at all." Nurse Redheart answered, still watching the phalanx of grim armed equines. "What's with Saddle Arabians and such metal outfits?!?!?!" Vinyl exclaimed loudly with her arms up in the air, causing the Equestrians and the Janissary to look at Vinyl. The blue-maned pony blushes a little before falling silent with the rest of the entourage. However, it seems that the two Sheikhs are utterly calm at the face of this display of force and as the boat comes closer to the port, they just looked at the phalanx stoically.
Once the boat docks with the port, the phalanx of armed equines started to dip their spears as if to welcome the entourage. Soon enough, the entourage exits the boat and although the armed equines did not display any sign of aggression of ill-intent, the Jannisary bodyguards are still at high alert with their weapons not resting their weapon for a second. The two Sheikhs started to take out their pendant with the swirly symbols from their robes, and displaying it to the phalanx. One of the armed Equines stepped forth towards the Sheikhs, an equine with a tear down the eye on his death mask. The equine started examining the pendants of the two Sheikhs. The tense atmosphere is not lost on the Equestrians as it seems that there is some sort of animosity between the armed equines and the Janissary bodyguards.
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"What is the purpose of your visits Milords?" An Eternal with a tear mark on his mask asked the Sheikhs with his muffled, dark voice. "We seek to meet with the Emir, Fallen." Sheikh Fahd answered back, his voice utterly calm. However, the armed equine continued on examining the pendants of the two Sheikhs, the faceless mask looking for signs of forgery. However the pendants are not counterfeits and are the real things.The armed equine the produces a jet black gem in his hooves. The Sheikhs know the process in which they need to pass in order to get into the capital and soon begin the protocol. If they did not do the rituals needed, the Eternals would kill them on the spot, and the Janissary bodyguards will use their jezzails to defend them. In other words it will become a very messy situation, and none of the Sheikhs want that situation.
"Sheikh Abu Hamza bin Mohammad Hishamudin of the Remal al-Sahra Al-Khayl clan, Custodian of Al-Barna province." The light brown stallion said his name and his area of jurisdiction. "Sheikh Fahd Bin Mohammed of the Remal al-Sahra Al-Khayl clan, Custodian of Lamis province." The burly stallion followed suit with his own name and area of jurisdiction. Before long, the gem started to brighten up and it blinks with a bright light briefly for each one of their names before turning back its jet black form. The armed equine nods and puts the crystal back in his robes.
"You are who you say you are, and your arrival is expected. Welcome to Aqqabasta Milords." The masked equine with the tear mark on his mask bows down before rising up to give the signal to his men to stand down.
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It was then that the Equestrians notice the armed equine with the tear mark on his mask waves his arm, and the phalanx is finally at ease. The Janissary also loosen up their stance, and Big Macintosh, Vinyl Scratch and Nurse Redheart breathe a sigh of relief. The leader of the armed equines then pulls out what looks like a cow bell and started ringing it. Suddenly, a dark shadow looms over them, and as the Equestrians look up they could not believe what they are seeing. For wanting of better words, this is almost impossible without any external unicorn magic, but yet it is happening right before their eyes. As the shadow becomes larger and larger, they could see the large object coming down upon their location. Finally the object finally lands in front of the entourage.
"Buck me......is that what I think it is?" Vinyl said, flabbergasted at the sight of the object. "Eeyup." Big Macintosh said with a certainty that is laced with amazement. "A magic carpet......" Nurse Redheart said excitedly to no one in particular, not believing her eyes. It is a large carpet, made out of green silk with a golden weft with intricate patterns and design sewn on the carpet. The designs consist of many plant-like motifs as with everything they have seen in the capital so far, and the use of vibrant red and striking violets only accentuate the magical aspect of the carpet.
She looks around and realizes that everyone around them is not even phased by this magical object, and the Sheikhs are still talking with that particular armed equine. Before long, the Sheikhs break away from the armed equine and started to stand upon the carpet. The Janissary bodyguards followed their masters, and before long Fatimah is hopping happily towards the carpet joining her father. The three Equestrians could not help but to be frozen where they stand.
"Big Macintosh, Nurse Redheart, Vinyl.......how long are you going to stand there staring at the flying carpet? We need to get to the palace quickly." Sheikh Abu Hamza's words snapped the ponies out of their stupor and they immediately went on the carpet. As the carpet starts to ascend, Vinyl and Nurse Redheart could only marvel at how the carpet could even fly flown without an external source of magic, let alone hold the weight of a hundred or so equines and camels combined especially when the majority of them are armored to the core. The leader of the armed equine started speaking to everyone else, but Vinyl and Big Macintosh are utterly clueless to what the equine is saying to them. Nurse Redheart however is sitting on the carpet before she turns to her fellow Equestrians.
"Vinyl, Big Mac, we need to sit down on the carpet." Nurse Redheart told them, and the two Equestrians followed the white mare's suggestion. They soon have to thank the white mare, as suddenly a burst of acceleration almost pulled them out from the carpet, and Vinyl and Big Macintosh realize that they are now speeding towards the palace.As they take their incredulous carpet ride across the skies of the capital, they soon find themselves seeing the buildings that littered the capital in greater detail. Each one of the buildings are etched with the complex iconography of leaves, vines fruits and flowers and they appear to look alive on initial glance, with some carvings of birds perching upon the vines. The streets are also etched with even more organic designs that gives anyone the impression that this city is covered with plants.
It was not long before the Equestrians could see their final destination; the grand palace of the capital.
The minarets with its flower bud-like domes and the intricate carvings of vines and upon the columned bases of the palace could be seen, and Big Macintosh's earlier curiosity about the subtler details on the vines are answered when his eyes could see the minute carvings of the swirly designs of Saddle Arabian writings, blooming flowers and carvings of many different kinds of exotic birds perching on the vines gives it a much more complicated and beautiful image in the red stallion's head. The walls that he had seen earlier on are also carved with the prevalent plant motifs, fruit motifs and animal motives that he could see throughout the capital.
As they speed past the hall into the palace courtyard, they could see many lush gardens of trees and flowering plants interlacing the many waterfalls and small ponds within, giving it a rather paradisaical view. However, Big Macintosh could see that there are armed guards upon the wall with a rather large conical barrel upon the wall that they just flew past, with what appears to be metal balls beside the barrel-like object. Nurse Redheart's attention is elsewhere, for she could see a bright gaping hole in the otherwise perfect structure, and as the carpet gets closer she realized that the hole is actually an arched gateway, an entrance into the otherwise solid structure.
As they entered into the gateway, Nurse Redheart's eyes were greeted by the splendid interior that would put even the Canterlot castle into shame. As with the external decorations, there are many plant-like motifs carved into the structure, but instead each of the flower petals are a lapidary of precious and semiprecious gemstones. It was then that Nurse Redheart realized that the white stone of the structure is actually marble of the finest quality,structure and the mortared areas of the marble buildings have been stained or painted in a contrasting colour, creating geometric patterns of considerable complexity. The floors and walkways are inlaid with contrasting tiles or blocks in tessellation patterns, creating a very complex but pleasing view. The white mare could only marvel at how much marble is used to create this impossible.
"Presenting Sheikh Abu Hamza bin Mohammad Hishamudin, The Custodian of Al-Barna of the Remal al-Sahra Al-Khayl clan and Sheikh Fahd bin Mohammed, The Custodian of Latis from the Remal al-Sahra Al-Khayl clan. Also in this entourage are Big Macintosh, Son of Apple, Nurse Redheart, Daughter of Tenderheart, and Vinyl Scratch, Daughter of Disco from Equestria." The Equestrians turn to the source of the voice speaking in Equestrian, and they see a petite terracotta stallion with white robes that reach the group with bell sleeves, wearing a tall conical headress.
As the carpet descends upon the main acceptance chamber of the palace, Vinyl notices an entourage of armed equines escorting a very tall but thin Saddle Arabian in white robes that reach the ground overtop a blue-teal garment with bell sleeves. Underneath this second garment, the equine wears yet another shirt, this one white with very close-fitting sleeves that reach his wrists. The shoulders of his outer robe are pointed and connect to a long, billowing white cape with a icy blue interior. A turquoise sash is tied around his waist. He also wears an odd, light-colored garment that covers his neck, the back of his head, and his chest. He sports a distinctive white headdress, with a thin, yellow pattern wrapping around the middle, what seems to be a ruby set in the front, and a bright blue feather placed just above it. More turquoise cloth hangs from the headress. The facial features of this particular bony and tall stallion are long and narrow, his eyes heavily lidded. His thin beard and mustache gives the stallion a certain edge to the stallion, a distrustful edge to be exact. It does not help when the stallion started to speak to the entourage, as his voice is slippery and cold causing the Equestrians to look at him with distrust.
"Welcome Lords of the South and esteemed guests to the Palace of the Blossoming Lotus" The thin stallion bows and greets the entourage in Equestrian. The armed equines soon spread out to form two lines, forming a path. "Thank you for receiving us, Grand Vizier." Sheikh Fahd bows in return. " We shall arrange for a Grand Council of the Elders in which your proposals shall be considered. The council shall be held tomorrow. You will be led to your accommodations and shall be treated with the best of care." The thin stallion the proceed to walk away from the entourage down the hallway along with his bodyguards. Soon enough the entourage is led to their quarters, flanked by the armed equines.
"Our reception is highly unusual."
Sheikh Abu Hamza said quietly, even though they are in the relative safety of their quarters. The quarters is grand and comfortable, putting to shame many of the highest-rated penthouses in Equestria. The Equestrians and the Sheikhs are sitting in a circle around the warm, bright gem that lights up the room.Nurse Redheart is now looking at the light brown stallion quizzically at the light stallion's comment. There is nothing wrong with the reception in her opinion, but then the light brown Sheikh contiinued on, for the sake of the white nurse mare.
"It is the role of the Emir to personally greet anyone that enters the palace, but this time we have the Grand Vizier greeting us. There is something going on here that we do not know of....." The light brown Sheikh frowns, before the other Sheikh started speaking. "Personally I do not even trust that long-faced stallion, as you can see that he is a Al-Dhannam clanspony from a single glance." Sheikh Fahd said in a hushed voice "How the buck did you even know what clan is he from?" Vinyl asked the burly Sheikh, with her eyebrow raised. The burly Sheikh could only look at the blue-maned mare with a great amount of disbelief. "Didn't you notice the complexion of the Stallion? His arrogant posture? His sharp speech?" The blue Sheikh is almost yelling as he points out what he thinks are perhaps the most obvious things in the world in detecting an al-Dhannam equine. Vinyl could only squint her eyes in equal disbelief at the burly stallion. "You ponies are crazy! You all look the same to me! " However, Big Macintosh is taciturn, watching everything around him. He could see that the Janissary bodyguards are still looking around alertly, and he wonders if there is some trap in the room. It was then that Big Macintosh decided to ask the question that is bugging him a little during their entire time in the capital.
"Ya know, Ah wanted to ask somethin' about them Yenny-Serry and those armed ponies.....what's up with that? They hate each other or somethin'?" "Do you want theatrics with that, my friends?" Abu Hamza said with a smile. "Sure, I want to see how metal your stories can get Sheikhseph...." Vinyl challenges the Sheikh. It was then that Vinyl gets the first-hand experience of the great storytelling skills of the light brown Sheikh......
"So it seems that those two have brought some Equestrians with them, " The Grand Vizier said to himself as he walks along the dark hallways, looking rather displeased with his bodyguards of Eternals, "This is an inconvenience......the Grand Council of Elders will not be happy about this at all. No, no, they will not be at all." It was then that the Grand Vizier's bodyguards stopped, and this causes alarm in the equine. Before long, the Eternals are now aiming their spears at the darkness, and the Vizier could only wonder who could be so foolish to try and attack a Grand Vizier with his bodyguards of Eternals by his side. However, to the Vizier's horror he could see a figure coming out from the darkness.
The figure is almost ghost-like, the figure covered by black robes and a hood obscuring its features. The figure walks closer to them in an almost feline-like grace and silence for the Vizier could hear no hoofsteps at all. It was then that the figure raised one of his forehooves and points it at the group. The Vizier could only wonder what is going on until he realized that the Eternals are now pointing their spears at him. Each one of the Eternals are trying their hardest to resist the compelling force of the figure, their body shivering and twitching as they struggled. Realizing that he is effectively without anyone to help him, the Grand Vizier could only feel a sense of dread throughout his whole body.
As the figure comes closer to the Grand Vizier, he could see that this figure is truly a giant for the figure is truly three heads above the equine and the Grand Vizier knows that he is much taller than any average stallion by a head. As the figure finally pulls back his hood, the Grand Vizier could only see a white, almost faceless mask looking back at him, the mask painted with two soulless eyes that are now staring into his soul. The Grand Vizier could only whimper as he realized that he is about to be killed by this apparition. But then the figure starts talking to him in a very sinister voice, that sounds like both a mare and stallion talking at the same time, as serene and dark as the deepest abyss. It was with abject horrific realization that the voice is actually in his mind, further sealing the otherwordly fear of the Vizier towards the figure.
Good evening Grand Vizier, how are you doing this fine evening?, the figure asked in a rather polite manner, which instead of easing the stallion, it only caused him to be even more threatened by the figure. "I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I....." The stallion could only stutter as the figure looks at him, tilting its head as it tries to figure out what troubles the stallion so. What's the matter......cat caught your tongue? "I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-Ieeeeeeeeeee....."The Vizier is now squealing from the overwhelming fear that he have for the figure with tears in his eyes, and this is not lost on the figure as well. The figure could only sigh and puts his arm on the figure. The Vizier dared not open his eyes as he could feel the hooves.....unfortunately for the stallion, he could not feel a hoof on his shoulder but instead he could feel what feels like a paw with hooves at the end of the paw.The unnatural feeling is entirely breaking the mind of the Vizier. It was then that the figure speaks to the figure, this time the voice no longer in his mind.
"Let's make this easier shall we? My dear Grand Vizier, I have an offer you can not refuse......." The figure said sinisterly, knowing full well that he had the Vizier within his grasp......
"Whoa.......that's hardcore. How'd you do that?" Vinyl said to the light brown Sheikh after he finished his tale, as little Fatimah is already sleeping peacefully by his side, snoring quietly. The tale of valor, courage, and selflessness of the Sheikh's predecessors in stopping an waging war between a mad Emir and the camel tribes that caused the desert to flow with a continuous river of blood for a few days is definitely Vinyl's cup of tea and even more amazingly the story actually flahes in her mind like a television set. "Every Sheikh wants a Janissary as a bodyguard for their are stronger and more loyal than any equine, but alas they will have to settle for second-rate soldiers in the form of the Emir! Our clan are the only ones with Janissary and they can eat it!" The burly sheikh started laughing, with a smile on his face. Nurse Redheart could only raise an eyebrow over this particular tale, though even she admits that she really enjoyed the story.The father of the little filly soon carries his daughter to her sleeping quarters to tuck her in bed, taking his leave gracefully and satisfied that he had once again enthralled his audience.
However, no one in the room realizes Big Macintosh's mind working overtime to ask the question that plagued his mind all this time. But instead of answering his own question, he now have more of his own questions to answer for. This will result in one heck of a sleepless night for the farmpony to his great annoyance. It is sad indeed to say that Big Macintosh had the pieces, but not in the right order.
Big Macintosh's question is a very simple but yet difficult one; Is there more than meets the eye?
Within the chambers of the Emir....
An old figure could be seen the large balcony extending itself from the royal chambers, an almost whitish grey stallion standing under the moonlight. His heavily lined face with a long mustache that is white as the moonlight is looking upon the city with glazed pale greyish eyes. The stallion's physique suggest that he was once a very strong and powerful stallion, though his body had wasted away to such an extent that his body could have buckled under his own weight if he were not careful enough. Emir Shaddam Khalifah the Fourth of the Al-Shikal clan is utterly devoid of life as he stood there looking at Aqqabasta. Suddenly a deep and serene serpentine voice asked the Emir from the darkness within the chambers.
What troubles you my liege?
"Who are you? Are you here to take my life?" His voice reedy and frail as his body and is filled with great sadness. The stallion asked the shadow in a very confident manner, not even afraid of the presence of a potential assassin in the room. The Emir did not even bother to move from where he is to meet this disembodied voice. No my liege, I am not here to take your life......I am here to help you...., The Voice speaks back, as calm as the rivers surrouding the capital. "Help me? I do not need help." If you do not need help, then why are you miserable my liege?, The Voice asked the Emir, in a sweetly calming voice, but with hints of malice in his voice. The stallion did not move from where he stands, and there was a great silence between the two for a moment. The silence was broken with a very heart-wrenching voice coming from the Emir.
"Why had my joy left me to suffer this pain all alone?" Although his face is taciturn and stoic, but a glimmer of a tear running down from the Emir's cheeks is all that is needed in conveying this emotion within. The Emir could only remember his pride and joy from the time he was born to the moment where the Emir had heard the terrible news of the fate of his son along with his daughter-in-law and their child. More tears start to trickle down his cheeks, before it becomes a continuous stream. You know the answer to that question yourself my liege....., the voice said with certainty, though it is also filled with manipulative, lying tones. This is lost upon " It is the fault of my subjects.....they left them to die in the deserts." The lachrymose mood of the frail reedy voice answered, his voice almost breaking from the sadness within his heart. The Voice soon begins to comfort the old man, sounding very caring and soothing, but at the same time as venomous and cold as a snake's venom.
There, there now my liege, do not cry......... I will be there for you, soothing your pain, you do not need to do anything else......I will never leave you behind, I promise you this.......The Voice is insidious, beguiling and most importantly; sinister. However this is lost upon the stoic old stallion, as he begins to trust the voice in his room in his grief. The old stallion's voice brightens up as he speaks. The Voice is now chuckling a little, enjoying this moment like a fine sip of wine.
"Yes....yes... My family is my food and water.....and since they are gone, I have no one else. Do you promise that you will stay with me?" The old stallion utters, with a brief tint of happiness and bliss in his voice before the old stallion is silent again. Fear not, for you need to do nothing else but to be with me, and I will always be with you my liege......., The Voice chuckled reassuringly. The Emir could only have a smile on his face as he heard the sweet comforts of the voice in his room. Soon the voice is gone, leaving the old stallion alone to stare at the city under the moonlight. It was then that a glow of a red eye could be seen upon the neck of the old stallion briefly before it disappears.......
The next morning is very pleasant for the Equestrians, for they managed to have a nice rest for once in Saddle Arabia. The reasoning for such a nice rest however are quite different for each one of them; for Big Macintosh it is just being able to smell the aroma of leaves and fruits, For Nurse Redheart, it is being able to sleep on a decent bed for once rather than sleeping on the ground, and for Vinyl it is being in a place that made her a pony, free from being treated as something lesser than a pony. Before long, the servants enter their quarters with the serving of food and once they have done their duties, they left the room to let the Sheikhs, the Saddle Arabians and the Janissary bodyguards to eat their breakfast in peace.
Vinyl was about to take the first bite before one of the Janissary stopped her. Vinyl wonders what is going on before the Jannisary tasted every morsel before them and sip on each of their beverages. The Sheikhs did not stop the Janissary, and so Vinyl assumes that this is some normal ritual that they always do before everypony else eats. Big Macintosh and Nurse Redheart knew better of course, as this behavior is unlike what they have seen before. Usually everyone will be digging into their meal now, and this act is utterly uncharacteristic of the hospitality and generosity of the Saddle Arabians. The Janissary waited for a little while before giving everyone else his approval. Soon enough, everyone else digs into their food and started eating their breakfast. It was halfway through this meal that Sheikh Fahd answered the thoughts that are on the Equestrians' mind.
"Rashid here was tasting our food just in case it was poisoned. It is their role as bodyguards in a setting like this." Vinyl then stopped eating for a while, and realized the implications of it all. Her face became even paler than usual. "But we did not have that the first time we had a feast with you Sheikh Fahd....." Big Macintosh said, and he realize that the light brown stallion shakes his head in disagreement. "It is not our clan's way to poison a rival from the same clan. It is forbidden in fact, so our clan always does things rather openly when it comes to two clanspony vying for power and the Janissary only respect the strongest of the clan. In the company of other clans, anything goes and the Janissary take no chances." The Sheikh said in a matter-of-factually way. Sheikh Fahd had caught on to the subtle body gestures of the Equestrians and went about explaining the justification of such an action. "Remember ponies, that we are in the heart of the lair of serpents. Our rivals are everywhere, ready to strike. We only wished for your safety here as well as our own." The burly Sheikh said before he sips on his tea.
This unnerves the Equestrians even more and the Equestrians could only wonder how these ponies could even say such a thing without even a change in their tone or mannerism. Big Macintosh is now worried about how he will survive in this byzantine political culture, and how this is entirely a different world from his simple farm life in Ponyville. Nurse Redheart is worried that she might be already too late to save her patient-to-be, and whether she would be blamed for his death. For Vinyl, it is a much more simpler thought; Buck, what have I gotten myself into?
Nurse Redheart seriously wonders why did the Healer's Organization not told her about the unnaturally byzantine bureaucracy of the Saddle Arabians. She was expecting to meet her patient immediately so that she could assess his state of health. But instead, here she is, the only mare in a room filled with mostly old stallions Sheikhs. The room is rather large and it is actually very plain as compared to the rest of the palace's architecture, with the exception of an empty throne that is made from a single unblemished piece of marble. Unfortunately, as a result of the spartan nature of the hall, she noticed a lot of glances from the other stallions, some staring at her to the point that if their stares were razors, her dress would have been eviscerated right about now. To add to her lament, none of the stallions even remotely fits her type so that she could at least forgive them for looking at her. She begins to miss the rather tight and shapely flanks of Big Macintosh as she endured the glares of the stallions in the room, before she snaps back to reality.
Bad Redheart......don't think about his heavenly flank right now. I need to focus here..., the white mare said inwardly. It was then that the equine that the white mare recognized as the Grand Vizier proceed to speak to the rest of the stallions about the agenda for the morning.
"This morning's agenda is that of Nurse Redheart's role of being the physician for our dear Emir Shaddam Khalifah the Fourth, whom we all know as not being in the best of shape. For the sake of the Equestrian, this meeting shall be conducted in Equestrian." Suddenly one of the elder equines started saying something in Saddle Arabian in an angry and insulted tone. Before long several other Saddle Arabian elders are also voicing out their discontent. Of course, none of the stallions know that Nurse Redheart understand their language.
"Why do we have to speak in the language of the infidels Milord?!?! Not to mention we have to stoop down for a mare so that she could understand our fine and proud language! This is blasphemy!" "Indeed, we all know that mare healers are more suited to helping other mares give birth, and they are unable to understand the complexities of the finer arts of healing!" "If it suits you all Milords, you may conduct your council in Saddle Arabian for I do understand what all of you are saying. In fact I am willing to go on your level when it comes to the talks, so that I can better describe of my credentials as a healer befitting that of your Emir. If your stallion healers have such credentials that would rival my own, I would not be needed here at all." Nurse Redheart's tone is calm, but its sting is utterly painful for the stallion's pride. The whole atmostphere of the room had just gotten more colder, but Nurse Redheart would take none of this horseshit.
"Indeed, indeed. On behalf of the Emir, I seek your forgiveness Miss Redheart. As of this moment, you are the best healer in the whole of Saddle Arabia, and your expertise is much appreciated in helping the Emir to a road of smooth recovery." The Grand Vizier bows in apology. The other stallions that had belittled the mare did not even apologize for their mannerism. Sheikh Fahd could only wonder if this would go down well at all, as he could already sense the antagonism and misogyny of a number of the Elders. However, they are not the stallion that he is after, but instead he is looking for those that are more sympathetic towards the healer mare.
"Milady, I may be an old stallion but nonetheless I do know of a great healer when I see one. May I ask, based upon what you have heard of our Emir, can you tell us of the illness that troubles him so?" A very wizened old stallion with heavy lines on his face started speaking, and his voice is raspy and dry. Sheikh Fahd immediately recognized the stallion as the Chief Healer of the Emir, and if he started speaking the other Elders would not be able to refute his words. "With pleasure Milord. Based upon what I have heard, I can safely deduced that his ailment is that of the soul rather than that of the body." Soon enough there is the simmering sound of murmurs throughout the room. "Oh? Do tell, Milady. I would like to know myself of this 'ailment of the soul'." Nurse Redheart paused for a little while as the council now pays attention to the foreigner who apparently could speak fluently in their language.
"Milord, the reason why I used 'ailment of the soul' is because I am unable to translate the proper term from Equestrian to Saddle Arabic, and thus this is the best word I can use. From what I have heard, the Emir shies away from people, not eating properly, always in a low mood and unable to experience the pleasures in activities that were formerly enjoyed. The symptoms are there for the diagnostics, but without being in direct contact with the Emir, I will not be able to see if the condition inflicting the Emir are truly what I feared. This is why I must ask the Council as a whole to allow me to tend to the Emir in order to help him." The old wizened stallion clops his hooves, giving her a smile after hearing her explanation. His smile is that of a stallion who had finally found somepony who could help him in his royal duties of understanding something that he is utterly clueless about.
However after the clopping hooves, Sheikh Fahd's ears are greeted with the ringing of the deafening silence in the hall espite the silence the Sheikh could understand the fear that they have for the mare. On one hand, the fact that the Chief Healer of the Emir is ecstatic about her explanation showed that her skills are on par with the Chief Healer of the Emir, the most learned equine in the arts of healing throughout the whole of Equestria and she could indeed heal the king. On the other hand, she is a mare and no mare other than the concubines and the Head Wife shall touch the Emir. Thirdly the fact that she is a foreigner means that nobody could trust the mare at all. For all they know she is an assassin hired by Sheikh Fahd to assassinate the Emir for his bid for the title of Emir. True enough all of these thoughts are spoken out loud by the Elders.
"Even the Chief Healer had approved of her credentials. Why not let her heal the Emir?" A green stallion started speaking, his voice very supportive of allowing Nurse Redheart to go about her duties. However another stallion interjects with anger. "Are you mad, you senile fool?!?! Have you forgotten about the rules of the Harem? This mare can never touch the Emir!" The orange stallion now looks at the blue stallion with daggers in his eyes, piercing through the crowd. "Nonsense, exceptions must be made for our Emir unless you truly seek for his death!" This time, a plump green Elder started to speak, pointing accusingly at the orange stallion. "She is a foreigner, and she could corrupt our beloved Emir and forced him to become a puppet for Equestria! We will not stand by this as she used her bewitching ways to turn our own Emir against us!" A black, old stallion started voicing out his thoughts to the rest of the council. Suddenly all of these arguments stopped as one white stallion shouts out loud and points at Nurse Redheart with bloodthirsty eyes.
"I say we kill the mare! She is an assassin! She will poison him while she 'heals' him! Suffer not the mare to live!" Nurse Redheart could see the malice in his voice. The awkward silence in the room is such that even the Janissary and the Eternals are looking at each other with great unease, seeing that perhaps something really bad is about to happen in the room and their services may be required after all. It was then that a fuchsia stallion scolds the white stallion.
"Do you honestly even think at all you bloody idiot?!?! We would have a diplomatic roll if an official envoy of the Healer's Organization is killed! Saddle Arabia could ill-afford this debacle!" The fuchsia stallion stomps his hof on the ground. "Who cares about the infidels?!?! They deserved to be purged!" Nurse Redheart could not even believe the fanaticism of this particular stallion against foreigners, but that saying even back in Equestria there are nobles who believed in the purity of their blood. However, the horrible thing is that she can see that some of the equines in the room are agreeing with the white stallion. Once again there is an awkward silence, and Sheikh Fahd walks beside the mare and puts a hoof on her shoulder. She turns around and looks at the Sheikh with her azure blue eyes, not believing this utter nonsense. The Sheikh could only shake his head, and the mare could see that even the Sheikh is utterly disappointed with the current state of affairs.
"This is going to be a very long morning isn't it?" Nurse Redheart facehoof as she understands his disappointment with these stallions.
As the council meeting comes to a close, Nurse Redheart had endured hours of misogyny and utter racism, in addition to many name-calling, slanderous remarks and verbal twisting between the nobles themselves. It seems that the council is equally divided in allowing Nurse Redheart to even do her duty as a physician, and each stallion in the room have their own reasons for doing so. Some are petty and outright stupid, such as the fundamentalist white stallion, while others are trying to stall for time until a greater solution could be found that would benefit them as well. Some are functioning with a much more complicated agenda that are as convoluted as it is confusing.
"And thus with the court being equally divided, we shall proceed with even more meetings until this issue is unanimously agreed or disagreed upon. By the power invested by the Nine Steps of The Grand State of Affairs of Saddle Arabia, this meeting in regards to the allowance of the Equestrian physician to meet with the Emir is adjourned." With a single hoof clop, the meeting is over, and now the other stallions are moving out from the room in unison, muttering things that she could not listen to.
As Nurse Redheart, Sheikh Fahd and the Janissary walks out from the council room, she could see that already some of the stallions are in their own little world of intrigues and plot, making and breaking alliances in the courtly manner of this nation. Nurse Redheart of course had no idea about the intricacies and rituals of this byzantine court, for she only wanted to uphold her medical oath and be done with it. It was then that she noticed a middle-aged turquoise equine coming up towards them. He bows in respect, and the Sheikh bows in return. The stallion then turns his attention to the mare, his steely silver eyes looking at her own blue eyes.
"I am truly sorry about the way in which my countrypony acted in the hall. However, this is not why I am meeting you here right now. Please come to the Halls of Healing by late afternoon and tell the receptionist that Ramallah had send for you. " The old pony bows and fades into the crowd before the mare could even say anything.
"Nurse Redheart, it seems that we have gotten ourselves a very big fish." Sheikh Fahd says with much certainty.
The little filly, Fatimah started dragging herself on the floor, pushing her body with her hindlegs, her voice very irritated. At the other end of the room, a much more older mare is just lying down on her stomach, spreading her legs apart. Her magenta eyes are now little slits, as she eyes around the room. The blue-maned pony and the little filly have ran out of ideas about things that they should do, and the Janissary are not a fun bunch to be with. Sneaking out is almost out of the question, as the Janissary are extremely protective guards, following them whenever they go, except to the bathroom. It was then that the blue-maned mare asked the filly a question.
"Hey, wanna soak in the bath with me? Sure beats lying around this stupid room." The little filly stood up on her hooves and she is now hopping towards the mare. Fatimah hops and hops and hops, waiting for the mare to get up and go to the bath with her. With a mighty groan, the white mare gets up and both of them started to walk to the bath.
Before they could even enter into the bath, they would need to get undressed before entering the baths proper in the changing room. As the two females entered into the changing room, they begin to take their rather cumbersome dresses off. Vinyl hates clothing, and having to wear even a dress over her body made her feel so uncomfortable. She could only respect the little filly as she was covered from head to toe in cloth, revealing on her eyes. As the little filly takes away her clothing, it was then that for the first time that Vinyl actually manages to see how the little filly look like.
To the utter surprise of the blue-maned pony, she is now looking at a whitish-silver coated filly with a long flowing white mane. She could already see a miniaturized form of the gracefulness and elegance of the Saddle Arabians in the little filly, and her regal presence really reminded Vinyl of the Princesses back home. The little filly stretches her lean body and slender legs, humming happily at the lack of weight on her body. And then she started stretching her slightly larger than average wings, each feather almost shining like polished silver.
"Those are some nice w-W-W-What?!?!?" Vinyl immediately turned her attention to the little filly's wings and she was utterly flabbergasted. Saddle Arabians with wings? The little filly then realizes that Vinyl is now staring at her wings, and she blushed a little. Vinyl could only point at the little filly's wings and wait for an explanation to come out from the horse's mouth.
"Yeah......I have wings. I got it from my mommy." She said sheepishly. "Your mom?" Vinyl said quizzically. "My mommy is an Equestrian, a pony they call a pegasus I think." She looks at Vinyl with a rather crooked smile, hoping that it makes much sense. "Hm.....sounds legit." Vinyl could only say so unconvincingly, as she really have no idea how pony genetics go about, let alone know how it interacts with other equines. But that saying, surely everypony else would have known about this right? It must be a very big deal if there is a Saddle Arabian pegasi hybrid. "Big Mac and Nurse Redheart does not know that I have wings, and Daddy say that I should keep it a secret. So can you keep a secret for me?" The little filly is now looking at Vinyl with puppy-dog eyes, her olive green eyes looking into Vinyl's soul to find for a speck of compassion. Vinyl bit her lip, contorting with every second trying to resist the eyes, until she finally stops and breathe a sigh. The musician mare then sits down on her haunches with her eyes closed before she opens them up again and look at the filly with a smile on her face.
"Fine, kiddo. I will keep it a secret. I Pinkie Promise." The little filly cheered, but then looks at the elder mare quizzically. Vinyl notices the change in mood and waits for the little filly to speak up her mind. "What's a Pinkie Promise?" Vinyl then starts to one of her hooves under her chin and starts to think of the easiest way to tell the little filly about this most ridiculous and epic of promises. "Well........there's this fun mare that I always hang out with, and she has this weird promise that we call a 'Pinkie Promise'. It is her thing, and seriously she really mean it. And man, I shudder to think who would be foolish enough to break that promise....." Vinyl hold her forearms close to her body and started shivering. The concept is all lost on the little filly however. "So.....what's a pinkie promise" Fatimah starts to tilt her head sideways, waiting for an explanation. "Here how it goes; you draw a cross in your chest the you swing your arm like you are flinging it, and then you stick your hoof in your eye all while saying "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!". Get it?" "No.....don't get it at all." "Alright lemme do it; cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my ey-OOOUUCHHHh!!!" Vinyl screamed out in pain as she jabbed her eye a little too hard for her own good. The filly started laughing and rolling on the floor. With one teary eye, the blue-maned mare waits until the little filly had stopped laughing. "That's a very weird thing, and you poking your own eye with your hoof is funny!!!!!" The little filly said happily. Vinyl could only smile as she watch the little filly started giggling again. Vinyl always wanted a little sister, but she is the only child between her parents. In the little filly Vinyl sees a little sister in spirit, and that made her feel good.
After that, they soon enter into the bath area, and greeting them is a grand, spacious chamber shield from the sun by a large glass ceiling with stone seats along the two sides of the wall and protruding from the walls itself are some finely crafted faucets. The bath itself is a rather large pool, made from white unblemished marble with several marble steps leading downwards into the water. The pool continues on to a ledge where the water flows down into the lush gardens below like a waterfall. The ledge is such that nopony would fall off it unless they willingly jump over it, as it holds the water of the bath. At the same time, it also provides those in the bath with the unbridled beauty of the skyline of the capital and the large rivers that surrounds this island further enhances the view especially with the setting sun now sinking into the horizon of the river.
As Vinyl slowly walks down into the cool, refreshing water of the bath to take a rest, the little filly walks towards the stoen seat and faucets. The little filly then takes a bar of soap and some scented water and started to clean herself. Vinyl soaks herself in the cool,refreshing water and she could only sigh, for the only thing that prevented the bath from being the perfect escape route from the boredom of their room is that as open-aired as the bathroom could be, their only escape it to literally jump off the ledge to their deaths towards the lush gardens below.
Even Vinyl with her crazy ideas could not think of a rope that is that long for them to explore the gardens below. It was then that she heard a harsh and rasping sound coming from where the filly is. Vinyl turns around to notice that Fatimah is now looking at a rather large hole in the wall. Surprised, Vinyl then comes out from the pool and as she wraps a towel around her waist, she realizes that the little filly is now walking closer to the hole in the wall. Before the filly could even venture into this weird passage, Vinyl is pulling on the filly's tail with her teeth. Realizing that she will not go anywhere until Vinyl lets her, she relents and let the mare look at this surprise.
"Um.....okay.....I did not expect that hidden passage. Seriously is this some kind of Daring Do book or something?" Vinyl looks down the dark hallway, her voice echoes into the darkness. "Who's Daring Do?" The little filly asked the blue-maned mare. "Too long, don't wanna explain." Vinyl is still inspecting how on earth did a hidden passage just appeared out of nowhere. It was then that the mare felt a tug on her feet and she turns to see a very excited filly. "Let's go and explore this tunnel! It'll be awesome Vinny!" "Meh..... Whenever something like this happen to Daring Do, there's always a trap or something. " Vinyl said with a shrug. Disappointed that the blue-maned mare is not even interested, she sighed. But then Vinyl puts a hoof on her shoulder and smiles at the filly.
"You wait here, I will go instead. If I am not out in thirty minutes, just call for the camel dudes alright? I need somepony to watch my back, and you're it kiddo. Think you are up to that task?" The little filly nods, and Vinyl lights up her horn in an iridescent light. Taking a deep breath, she then takes her first steps into the passage, and slowly fades into the darkness as she walks deeper into the passage.
It has been a few minutes since Vinyl had entered into the passage, and the only thing allowing her to see in the dark is the glow from Vinyl's horn. The passage had brought her up and down, left and right, and any other possible direction that she could have think of other than backwards. At times, it feels like she is in a perpetual maze that confounds those that thread the passage and driving mortals insane. However she knows that she will have to push on, and she will not give up now that she is this deep in the passage.
As Vinyl navigated through the passage, Vinyl could only wonder what kind of stuff will come her way. She clearly hopes that there are no booby traps in this passage, as that would really be bad for her. She shudders as she remembered the scene from Daring Do and the Temple of Loot where some unfortunate pony had a messy death via flying scythes in a passage way. It was then that she could hear two muffled voices talking up ahead. Wondering what on Equestria are ponies doing in the tunnel until she realized that she is also in secret passage, she takes a few more steps ahead. It was then that she could see a thin line of light forming a square.
Vinyl leans closer to the edge of that weird formation of light and soon enough she could hear two voices talking to each other. The mare could hear that the owner of the first voice is that of a stallion as its voice is deep. However the other voice is utterly confusing for Vinyl, as she could not recognize if the voice is that of a mare or a stallion. It is deep as the deepest of abyss, and it is as serene as the calmest of lakes. The voice is both alluring and yet insidious, and it disturbs her so. The voice is above all......sinister. The two are talking about some plan of theirs, but they never went into detail about their plans. They are apparently speaking in Equestrian, which surprises the mare.
"Good, good everything is according to plan. Have the final piece of the puzzle arrived?" "Yes Milord, it shall be ready really soon." "With the trigger in place, there is nothing that they could have done." Soon enough the subordinate voice asked the other conspirator. "Milord, why can't we strike now? We could have cripple them in one strike....especially when we are already in position." "Plans within plans...wheels within wheels...Madness in method, that is genius." The slithering voice of the sinister otherworldly voice raise her mane up, as she is utterly creeped out by this maniac. She had no idea about what is about to happen, but she knows that it is going to be bad really soon. She then starts to go back the way in which she came, ready to tell the others about what she just heard. After she left, the sinister voice started to speak again.
"It seems that there is a rat sneaking around...." The sinister voice said.
As Fatimah waits for the blue-maned mare, she wondered if something bad had happened to her friend. However, from the darkness of the hidden passage she could see a glowing light slowly coming into being. Soon enough, the form of the unicorn could be seen and as soon as the unicorn returns to the bath the little filly jumps towards the mare, embracing her in a heartfelt hug.
"You're back Vinny! I though something bad had happened to you!" Fatimah said worriedly. However, Fatimah could see that the unicorn is a little unsettled by something, and the little filly loosens up her grip and letting the unicorn recompose herself. "Well in a way something bad just happened. But on the bright side, we know that something bad is gonna happen so we can definitely stop it." Vinyl said confidently, swinging her arm in a hook and winking at the little filly.
It is late in the afternoon and the red stallion's heart is pounding with uncertainty. What will he expect from this meeting? What will happen during this meeting? What will come out from this meeting? Those are the questions that Big Macintosh asked himself. Vinyl and Fatimah waved goodbye to the two stallions, while several of the Janissary bodyguards guard them in their room. Amanar and the rest of Abu Hamza's bodyguards proceed to form a protective circle around the two stallions as they walked out from their living quarters.
The hallway is utterly devoid of anypony, but the sounds of the birds chirping and the flowing waterfalls could be heard echoing through the hallway. For some reason, this relaxes the red stallion a little for it really reminded him of his time in Ponyville. He is never truly an urban pony, and for him the simple and easygoing life of the farm is a pleasure all in itself. It was not long before they are standing before a very large marble door, carved with floral patterns and fruits. Big Macintosh gulps as he looks upon this imposing door.
"Are you ready my friend?" Abu Hamza asked the red stallion.The Sheikh puts his hoof on the shoulder of the red stallion to calm him down, giving him a smile of reassurance. Big Macintosh could only smile weakly back, but he appreciates the support that the light brown stallion is giving him.
As the large marble doors open up, Big Macintosh could see that the room where they are to meet the council is relatively humbler than the usual architecture of the palace. Instead of intricately carved and etched iconography and diamonds, the interior of the room consist of just smooth white marble. Big Macintosh also see several old ponies sitting down upon finely-sewn carpets, each wearing a very truncated cone made of red felt, with a tassel attached to the top. Their blue robes are simple in design, and something that the red stallion could appreciate. Nonetheless, he also noticed that fully half of the room is empty. In front of the equines, a simple throne carved from a single block of marble could be seen and Big Macintosh could recognize the Grand Vizier from three nights before standing beside the empty throne.
"Presenting Presenting Sheikh Abu Hamza bin Mohammad Hishamudin, The Custodian of Al-Barna of the Remal al-Sahra Al-Khayl clan and Big Macintosh, Son of Apple!" Big Macintosh recognized the voice that announced their arrival, but heed no attention to it. The other elderly equines turned their attention to the entourage, and the sound of murmurs could be heard.
"This afternoon's agenda is that of Sheikh Abu Hamza's business proposal of allowing the trade and sale of the Apple Family's Zap Apple Jam in the lands of Saddle Arabia. For the sake of the Equestrian, this meeting shall be conducted in Equestrian." Suddenly one of the elder equines started saying something in Saddle Arabian in an angry and insulted tone. Before long several other Saddle Arabian elders are also voicing out their discontent. Big Macintosh could only wonder what on Equestria are they talking about before the Sheikh whispered in his ear. "They do not want to speak in Equestrian. Looks like we are off to a bumpy start." Big Macintosh once again gulped.
"SILENCE!" An elder started to speak, and it appears that the elder is much younger than most of the elders in the room. He is a rather slender brownish-yellow equine, but his dark brown beard and his mane have streaks of white in it. It also appears that the equine has a large amount of influence as the other elders stopped their ramblings, and are now quiet once more. "Now that the court is in order, may we ask about why this trade would benefit Saddle Arabia?" The murmurs continue on, but it was not long before Sheikh Abu Hamza breaks the murmurs with his own voice.
"We believe," Sheikh Abu Hamza gestured to the red stallion, "that due to the Saddle Arabian's preferences to sweet products, the Zap Apple Jam would be received positively by Saddle Arabians of all strata of society thus allowing for a great amount of profit between our nations.The income from the trade shall help us improve upon the infrastructure of Saddle Arabia, allowing us to create roads that are reliable and easier for the caravans of Saddle Arabia to travel upon without the fear of being harassed by raiders or predators." The council is now quiet, and Big Macintosh could only listen as he had nothing else to say in this rather large court.It was then that another equine, a copper-colored equine with a silver mane started talking.
"Why do we have to trade with Equestria? Surely there are other nations in which we could trade with such as the Hathi Empire? They are rather large creatures to begin with and I am sure that logistic-wise it would be cheaper to trade with them than with the Equestrians as a result of their close proximity to Saddle Arabia." The copper-coated stallion has a point, and some of the other Elders nod their head in agreement. Unfazed by the stallion's early advances, the Sheikh immediately formed an argument against this point that the Elder made.
"As we all know, the Hathi Empire's appetite for food is such that they are even forced to find other food sources to sustain their population. They would not be able to even hand us anything resembling seedlings to help our population. In fact, as a result of that, the Hathi Empire even have to turn on the Equestrians to feed their people. The lands of Equestria is as vast as it is verdant, and the ponies of the land had never experienced starvation or conflict for several thousand years. They have indeed produced surpluses that they are willing to trade to countries that wanted them." The Sheikh said his point eloquently and confidently.
There was even more hushed whispers among the Sheikhs as the copper-coated stallion absorbs the points of the Sheikh, and Big Macintosh could only wonder what on Equestria are they whispering about. Soon enough, the hush whispers stopped and Big Macintosh could only wonder what is going on.The copper-coated elder then turns his attention to the red farmpony. The silvery eyes of the Elder now pierces into the red farmpony's soul, seeking for an answer. His rather steely voice did not help in calming Red Macintosh's nerves.
"Is this true? That you have more food that you could consume?" Big Macintosh takes his time trying to construct his answer, but the only answer that could slip from his mouth is something that even he did no expect. "Eeyup." The copper-coated stallion is now looking at the red farmpony with a sense of skepticism. "Just a yes?" "Eeyup." If Big Macintosh did something disrespectful, he did not mean it. Big Macintosh just realized that his habit of making things into one word is not biting him in the flank, and he did not know how to remedy this awkward situation. It was then that the light brown Sheikh intervenes to ease the conversation between the two stallions. "Mr. Macintosh is a man of very few words, but he is as honest and wise as it comes. If it sounds like he had disrespected you, he truly mean no harm." The Sheikh is now looking at the copper-coated stallion, and soon enough the copper-coated stallion nods his head in approval. Sheikh Abu Hamza then continued on speaking.
"In addition, by allowing the Zap Apple Jam trade to enter into Saddle Arabia many other trade items such as vegetables and fruits could be brought into the country, thus alleviating the drought and famine of Eastern and Northern Saddle Arabia." Big Macintosh then turns to Abu Hamza, noticing the drought and famine part of his speech.
This is the first time that Big Macintosh had heard about the famine in the country, and now he realize that this is the edge that Sheikh Abu Hamza is after. If he could solve the problems of fully half of Saddle Arabia, he would have many clans behind his back. Not to mention that due to Big Macintosh's background it would create an even bigger web of securities in the Sheikh's play for power in this place. However, a rather large stallion wearing the armor of an Eternal now speaks to the Sheikh.Unlike the other Eternals, there are two marks of Ista on each eye with dripping tear marks running down his mask. A large ruby could be seen fastened upon the turban of the Eternal marking his rank.
"My Sheikh, have you not heard the news?" It is now Sheikh Abu Hamza's turn to be surprised by the inquiry. "News of what exactly, Lord Eternal?" "As of this moment, we are at war with ourselves. The areas in which you speak are now rebelling against us. We do not help those that stand up against us. Even now our forces are being mobilized to stop this rebellion.So my Sheikh, we can move away from providing food against the rebels." Big Macintosh could only listen to this view in disbelief. Surely there are civilians out there that are not part of the rebellion, Big Macintosh thought. But alas, Sheikh Abu Hamza is giving a scowl at the turn of evens before recomposing himself to a more diplomatic expression. It seems that the Sheikh decided to not pursue the issue further.
"Lastly, this trade would also strengthen the relationship between our lands and Equestria that would benefit both of us in the long run." Before long, the Sheikhs are now talking to each other in hushed whispers and it was then that the Lord Eternal started to speak again.
"Will this trade allow us to have Equestria channel arms to us? If not, their trade is of no use to us. We are at war here, and we need all the weapons we can get." Soon enough the hushed whispers rise up to a loud murmur among the crowd.A sly-looking purple Sheikh started speaking to the council, silencing the council. Big Macintosh could only think of this Sheikh as an opportunistic dirty rat, and only wanted to get something out of this. If Big Macintosh is left to his own devices, Big Macintosh would have bucked that stallion's face already. Suddenly, the sly stallion started to talk to Big Macintosh.
"Now now, Lord Eternal, think about it in this way; if there is no trade there is no money. If there is no money, there is no weapons.So Equestrian.....I would assume that you are told about our laws in regards to foreigners and their representation in the council?" Big Macintosh could only nod at the sly stallion's question. "Good, good Big Macintosh of Equestria. So if your country do no support militaristic ventures, then what else can your nation offer to us? Surely there are other boons that could be offered to us in return for our patronage?" Big Macintosh immediately realized that he is now being slowly lured to some unfathomable plot of the byzantine court. Big Macintosh decides to play dumb for now.
"Ah am just a businesspony here to sell mah products sir. Ah could only offer mah produce that's all." "I believe that you should not be so humble, my dear stallion." "Ah believe Ah need to be, mah family business is on the line after all. Nopony gets anywhere when they can't keep promises they can't keep." "Sounds like an experience you have been before, Equestrian." The Sheikh crosses his forearms, looking at the Sheikh with no certain amount of inconvinience. "Don't we all, sir?" Big Macintosh gives his most charming smile at his inquisitor. It seems that the hall is now rather silent as the audience are watching the two talking with each other. Big Macintosh recalls seeing this technique before, and it is a technique that Granny Smith always uses when she is 'fishing' for something out of Big Macintosh. It seems that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Big Macintosh may be part of a family that find lying an entirely alien concept, but half-truths are truths nonetheless.
"I see. So what are you offering us anyway?" "Ah was about to offer Sheikh Abu Hamza here around a hundred jars of Zap Apple Jam for like a hundred bits, and if he goes for three hundred jars Ah would offer that for two hundred and fifty bits. And this is per annum mind you. It's a great deal. And from mah recollection, Ah recall that mah family product is worth that much so yer bound to get a profit if yer want to spike the price. And let's not forget about them apples. Do you like'em apples?" Big Macintosh could see that the stallions are now looking at him with no certain amount of confusion and intrigue. "It sounds like a deal, but wouldn't Sheikh Abu Hamza try to bargain it? Or offer it with other benefits?" The Sheikh is quite persistent in trying to milk something out of this, so Big Macintosh decided to play along.
"Well sir, if Ah have to say anything, if he tries to do so Ah would be leaving. Of course, are ya interested in joining in this business venture then? Cos if there are two ponies, Ah might sweeten the deal fer both of ya. If ya want to join in then ya have to talk to the Sheikh and offer him stuff so that he will let ya in on the loop and both of you get a good deal." Suddenly the Sheikh started to stare at the red stallion with daggers. Soon enough there is a great amount of whispers between the Sheikhs and the ministers. Before long the sly stallion turns to the light brown Sheikh and started talking to him.
"What are you trying to do here Sheikh Abu Hamza?" However, before Sheikh Abu Hamza could even speak, Big Macintosh interjects in and smiles at the sly stallion. "Ah do not think that he even knows of the deal, as Ah was supposed to tell it to you ponies due to yer weird laws of the land. Of course as they say, when somepony invites somepony to their house, you do what they do. So the question is, what are ya tryin' to do here? And depending on how many ponies are in this, Ah can sure make a deal for all of ya, especially when what Ah heard is that ya get a lot of money that could be used to finance the conflict Ah heard."
The tables are now turned upon the sly stallion, as they too are interested in what the stallion is looking for here. Big Macintosh notices that finally the sly stallion had bit off more than he could chew. Big Macintosh realized that he is better at this than he though he would.
"Well, think about it in this way; if there's no talk between us, there's no trade. If there's no trade there's no talk between nations to finalize this. If there's no talk between nations, there's no chance to talk about the war. If there's no talk about the war, then there's no talk about Equestria helpin' ya asses. Ah remember readin' somewhere that wars make ya poor, so ya need to get cash flowin'. Not everypony wants to trade with ya cos of this weird laws ya have, so if ya want to be broke and head for the streets be mah guess." The whole council descends into chaotic debate among themselves. Some of them started to slip back to Saddle Arabian, while others are just hollering and shouting with each other.
"You just have to stir the hornet's nest don't you Big Macintosh?" Sheikh abu Hamza hissed at the red stallion. "Mah Granny once told me Ah tend to drive a hard bargain." Big Macintosh winks back at the light brown stallion. As the rest of the court bickered among each other, the conversation between an Eternal and an unknown Sheikh went unnoticed by the rest of the council of Sheikhs. The back of the Sheikh is facing towards the Eternal, but the Eternal knows of who he is speaking to.
"It seems that Sheikh Abu Hamza have brought in a very interesting tool, Milord." The Eternal speaks up as he watch the light brown Sheikh and his red Equestrian ally wade through this impossible tide of emotions in the room. "So it seems. This is truly exquisite indeed." The mysterious Sheikh said with his tenor voice. "Do you want to depose of them Milord?" The Eternal asked. "No, no, no. Everything must fall into place like how the sand flows downwards in an hourglass. Even now any decision that is made will all benefit me. An addition of several Equestrian pawns would not change the plans at all....in fact it will be beneficial to the plan. The rat has a scent of an Equestrian after all....." For a moment the tenor of the Sheikh slips into a rather insidious voice, which is as deep and serene as the darkest of abyss before returning back to its tenor.
It is not long before the mysterious figure started snorting and chuckling with glee, causing alarm from the Eternal. The Eternal stares at this Sheikh for a moment with fear and respect, and could only wonder what is going on within the mind of this most devious of masterminds. The Eternal was reminded of his role as a guard and returned to looking at the crowd, trying to pretend that he is not shaken by the chuckle of this figure..
The mysterious Sheikh had a leering sadistic smile on his face, as he realize that he had several new playthings to manipulate in his grander scheme. Oh, how he would see to it that his scheme will be so grad as to make hell itself tremble. He will make his scheme as such that Saddle Arabia will be awakened, screaming themselves awake and reminding them of what it feels like to live in fear. No matter what happens, there will be a rebirth of Saddle Arabia.
Nurse Redheart, Sheikh Fahd and several of the Janissary bodyguards entered the Halls of Healing to find that the 'hall' is a small room, utterly devoid of anything except for a single short table on the floor with a stallion sitting in front of it. The stallion manning the table is but a teenage colt, with light purple coatm a green mane and matching green eyes. For some reason Nurse Redheart is reminded of the the Ponyville Librarian's assistant when she looks at the stallion, and she could only chuckle at the resemblance. This caught the teenage colt's attention and as he turns up to see his unexpected visitors, his eyes are wide open and his jaws are wide open from the armed Janissary bodyguards
"We are sent here by Ramallah." Nurse Redheart decided to take the initiative to calm down the stallion, using her calming voice that have seen action in calming down many colts and fillies that are about to get an injection. It seems that her trick worked, for the colt is now much more calmer. The colt nods, and he walks towards a section of the wall and pushes something on the wall. To the surprise of the entourage, the wall behind the stallion opens up revealing a wide corridor.
"Just walk straight ahead, and you will find the Chief Healer at his sanctum." The teenage colt said to all of them.
After a short walk through the passage way, the entourage is greeted by an odd mix between an alchemy lab and a greenhouse, with many herbs and plants hanging from pots suspended in midair by suspension robes, with the workbenches and countertops are filled with many laboratory glassware filled with liquid interconnected by tubes, with some of them on top of small burner or holding stands. Several diagrams of pony anatomy are also being spread out on drawing boards or are hanging by the the countertops. Nurse Redheart could also see that there are some herb grinders and some mortar and pestle lying around with herbs inside them. It was then that the Nurse heard a lough cough and she turns around to see the old, wizened stallion from before that asked her about her analysis of the Emir's condition.
"Welcome, healer mare from Equestria." The old stallion gives a chuckle. However the Sheikh and the Janissaries are still on their guard, despite the disarming appearance of the old stallion. The old stallion then takes several steps forward to the group, and gives them a warm smile.
"So......why have you called us here, Chief Healer Ramallah?" Sheikh Fahd asked the old minister. The old Chief Healer gives the Sheikh a smile, and proceeds to search around his tables for something as he talks to his guests. "It is simple really; as dictated by the Healer's Organization I am required by the Trottingham Accord to show my inventory to the visiting representative of the organization. However, until the council decides that you can proceed with healing the Emir, I am unable to do anything more than to show you these inventory. I would like to work with you in healing the Emir, but I am unable to as the council had not approved of our collaboration yet. " It was then that the old stallion hands in a piece of paper showing the inventory of the Hall of Healing, with another piece of paper on it with writings on it. Nurse Redheart takes the pieces of paper from the old stallion and started reading the small piece of paper;
To Nurse Redheart and Sheikh Fahd bin Mohammed,
The organization is such an understanding organization, for they still send a healer through the system after hearing about the state of the Emir despite me telling them that there is a small chance that the country would let any foreign healers to see the Emir. I will tell you with a certain amount of confidence that your next meeting will not end well for your mission.
My arms are tied as of this moment due to the strife that is going on within the palace, and I am not to take sides as my role as the physician of the Emir himself allows myself only as an observer, not a policy-maker. However, I want to save my old friend from himself and thus I wrote this paper for your eyes only.
There are three Sheikhs that might be sympathetic to your cause which wield considerable influence in the court; Sheikh Bashir of the Al-Geria clan, Sheikh Zamzam of the Al-Nusra clan, and Sheikh Khalid of the Al-Turan clan. Sway them to join your side and they will be able to stall the meeting to allow more time for other sympathizers to rally to your cause.Yes, there are other sympathizers, but their clans are not powerful enough to sway opinions and will only act if you have the backing of powerful allies. Your main opponents will be the clans of the east, for they are the most power-hungry of the clans and will benefit the most from the current strife.
I hope in the name of Ista that He will watch over you and let you prevail.
Yours Truthfully, Chief Healer Ramallah
It was then that the Nurse Redheart looked at the old stallion before she looked at the Sheikh, who now notices the sudden change in behavior. They then turned their attention back to the Chief Healer who winks at them with an approving smile.
"With the list given to you, I have fulfilled my duties and thus I must ask you to leave the Hall of Healing." the old stallion said with a wink and a smile on his face.
"I can't believe what the council had decided upon......"
Sheikh Abu Hamza could only stomp his hooves on the ground to vent away his anger. The indecisiveness of the council have caused the meeting to be adjourned. The power play is such that there will be even more meetings for the next few days or even weeks as befitting the byzantine nature of the courts as the shifting alliances will affect how long the process would be. Nonetheless, some of the Sheikhs have approached the Sheikh and Big Macintosh in an expression of interest in some unfathomable scheme of theirs that are congruent with the Sheikh's own goals. Although the Sheikh had accepted or considered some of these alliances, but even the Sheikh knows that fully half the court is against him and any decision in the court will be filibustered to kingdom comes.
Big Macintosh is utterly beat from his time at the council, and as he walks back to their quarters with Sheikh Abu Hamza and their entourage of bodyguards he could only think about the utterly volatile situation of the courts and how he could not even say anything to the Sheikh. Somehow this is getting from bad to worse, and some piece is missing right now that would make sense of everything around him. Indeed, seeing the full play of the byzantine courtly politics for a few hours running caused Big Macintosh to play his part in the whole thing especially after what he have said to the Grand Vizier causing a great uproar among the Sheikhs.
Before long, they could see Nurse Redheart and Sheikh Fahd with their assortment of Janissary warriors coming towards them . Without any commotion both groups combined together to become a large entourage and moved as one towards their quarter, not muttering a single word at all. Nurse Redheart slowly gravitates towards walking side by side with the red stallion, and for that Big Macintosh is thankful. For some reason, he always feel much more comfortable when the mare is beside him and it made him less tense than before. As for the white mare, she appreciates his taciturn nature and thoughtful nature, and he is an overall nice pony with principles. Also she is slightly motivated by a rather selfish and material reason; she could not help but to be next to a stud like Big Macintosh and his personality helps in making it easier for her to justify her actions.
The entourage is now feeling rather tired from their entire day of being in the courtly drama of the Palace of Blossoming Lotus, and they could not help but to think about the simple joys of life; taking a bath, eating a warm and nice meal and some much needed distraction and sleep from all the stress accumulated during the day. However that will not be the case, as the entourage was greeted by a bizarre scene as they opened the doors to their quarters. The Janissary corp that are in the room guarding Vinyl and Fatimah as a whole are now tapping the walls and floors with their feet with their ears sticking closely to the surface that they are tapping on, with a very excited Vinyl and Fatimah now moving objects within the room with their hooves.
"What the......." Sheikh Abu Hamza and Sheikh Fahd said in unison as they realized that their Janissary warriors are acting rather unbecoming of their stoic nature. It was then that Vinyl and Fatimah realized the return of the entourage and soon rushes towards them, their excitement almost impossible to contain. They came to an abrupt stop in front of the group and ushered them all to enter into the room. Utterly puzzled, the entourage could only watch as the filly and the blue-maned pony looked outside their door before closing it shut with a big slam. With their backs facing against the door, both of the ushers shouted out in unison.
"YOU GUYS WILL NOT BELIEVE WHAT WE FOUND!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was not long before everyone told each other about the bits and pieces of what is transpiring in the capital; Nurse Redheart and Sheikh Fahd with the news of the unwillingness of fully half the council in letting Nurse Redheart treat the reclusive Emir, Big Macintosh and Sheikh Abu Hamza with the news of revolt within Saddle Arabia and them seeking Equestria aid to quell the rebellion in a violent manner, and lastly, perhaps the most disturbing of them all, Vinyl and Fatimah with the discovery of the mysterious passageway and hearing of an unknown plot hatching within the palace. After their exchange of information, the group as a whole is now silent, trying to digest the situation in the capital right now and the little filly had no idea about what the adults just said among themselves and decided to keep to herself.
"So lemme get this straight; the council is a bunch of trolls fully in control of the country as a result of a boss that is sick and forever alone. Half of them want their boss to be out of the loop so that they can troll forever, and say to everypony else 'U mad bro?". But then, half the country went into trololololol by sticking it up to the man and now they are like 'Fuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!!' and they want to kill it with fire?" Vinyl broke the silence in her usual vernacular manner, causing the little filly to giggle at Vinyl's odd words. In many ways, her deduction is surprisingly sharp despite the rough manner in which she puts it together. Both Sheikhs are utterly confused, while the Equestrians are horrified at this butchering of the Equestrian language.
"In essence; yes. You are right Vinyl." Nurse Redheart nods her head, despite her barely resisting herself from choking the blue-maned mare for using so much memes and slang in one word. She then tells the two Sheikhs in proper Saddle Arabian about what Vinyl just said to all of them. Both Sheikhs could only nod in surprise over the mare's reasonable explanation of the situation. "But still guys, that make no sense now. Wouldn't your boss have anything to say about this? Why is he so quiet about it?" Both stallion Sheikhs looked at each other for a moment before, the burly Sheikh started speaking.
"You are right the Emir is known as a fair and just leader and he would not just condone aggressive action against our own, and he tends to talk first rather than hit first." Sheikh Fahd said while smoking on his hookah. "Perhaps he have tried, but failed?" Vinyl said in a question, but then Sheikh Abu Hamza answers the blue-maned mare. "From what I heard, the new of war had only just reached the capital, so talks between the two sides are highly unlikely. If there are talks, there will be time gap in which talks will be held. The Emir apparently had send his army without even sending a word for talks. As for the Emir and the council, I am unsure about their current dynamics now, as the Emir had essentially used the Grand Vizier as his emissary to the council. " "What do you mean by that?" Nurse Redheart asked. The Grand Vizier may be the right hand of the Emir, but he does not command the same respect from the council as the Emir himself, so they would not truly listen to him to begin with. The best he could do is to babysit the council so that they do not kill each other on sight." Sheikh Fahd interjects before the light brown Sheikh could even explain. Nonetheless the point still remains that Vinyl had brought up a very valid point.
Meanwhile, Big Macintosh is now thinking even harder as he try to put these new information to help him in solving the question that he have been asking himself all this time, and it is helping him a little more.A looming war, a divided court, a presence of two Equestrians that could affect the power play of the court somehow, and the disturbing tone of all of these combined into one convoluted plot that he have no idea about as of this moment. Due to his deep thoughts, Big Macintosh did not pay his attention to the conversations of both Vinyl and Nurse Redheart, and thus when he asked himself a question , he did not realize that he was speaking out loud and is cutting into their conversation.
"So how does Vinyl's little snoopin' fits into all of this?" Big Macintosh asked everyone in the room accidentally, and everyone's eyes is now upon the red stallion. It was not long before the farmpony realized what he just said and the looks of the other equines and soon enough even the Janissary corp are now looking at Big Macintosh as a result of noticing their masters' actions.
Horseapples..............., Big Macintosh said to himself, this time managing to not say it out aloud.
Thus our intrepid protagonists now stands at a precipice of fate, for the pieces are now in place for the greatest upheaval that had ever strike Saddle Arabia. Such guile, such intrigue, such scheming....truly part of a grand magnificent plan that is beyond the scope of everyone save that of the grand conspirator. However it is within the turning of the wheels of this grand plan that heroes are forged in the crucible of change , and it is with heroes that a nation shall have a beacon of hope.
But first before the bright light of any future, the present must be enveloped in the embrace of its darkest hour.............
Big Macintosh's question is indeed a valid one, for the plans do affect Saddle Arabia in more ways than one; some subtle, some more overt, all of them insidious. As the strings of manipulation spreads across the arid lands of Saddle Arabia, the lives of innocents are toyed with heartlessly for the benefit of one.....
As the same time as Big Macintosh poses his main question to the rest of their group......
The grand rivers surrounding Aqqabasta
Several dozen boats are now floating closer towards the capital, each bearing several dozen equines; each clad in a black turban and deep red robes, wearing a mask with a single red eye painted in the center. As soon as the boats are close enough to the island, the masked equines started jumping into the water one by one and slowly approached the island by swimming. After a while, the infiltrators are now upon the island. Some rose out from the water, and climbing up the short ledges of the jetty. Those that did so slowly sneak towards the buildings with a stealthy grace, their outfit blending well with the darkness of the night. Some pulled small patrols of Saddle Arabian guards into the water, causing the demise of many equines that night. After finishing their dark deed, these infiltrators proceed to enter the city. Then there are those who are greeted by some Eternals who showing their necks to the infiltrators with a briefly glowing red eye of Ista before pulling them up towards the jetty with a helping arm. Those infiltrators are given the Eternal uniform, and the infiltrators dressed up to blend in with the other Eternals.
The infiltration continued on while the boats waits outside of the jetties. The boatponies, clad in the same robes as the infiltrators are waiting for something, and before long they could see the sign; a signal made by torches in their secret code to come closer to the jetties. Soon enough the boats set sail towards the jetties with haste. The boats finally dock with the island, and soon enough the infiltrators and their accomplices are now helping the boat pony to take out several objects wrapped in carpets. Whatever is wrapped in the carpets is the key, and indeed the reason for this dastardly infiltration.....
Later that night, the oukskirts of Mediha, Western Saddle Arabia
The villagers as a whole is uncertain about the nature of the voice, as some believed that it was the demons of the lands trying to possess them and killing them off while some believed it was the voice of their deity. Nonetheless they have all agreed to follow the voice's instruction to the outskirts of the village, as either way they will be delivered from their sufering dead or alive. They all have nothing to lose, and either way works for them. It was not long before the villagers heard that voice in their minds once more, the sweet and comforting voice that had led them down this path of 'salvation'.
Fear not, for miracles comes to those that perservere....., The Voice said to them. Suddenly, the villagers could feel a cold chill down their spine and to their horror and amazement, they are now seeing several ethereal spirits flying past them towards the camp. Each of the spirits are benign-looking despite their faceless features, and as they gather in one spot and merged with each other, the villagers are now hugging each other to comfort themselves to accept their fate. A bright light envelops everyone, and some of the villagers are now screaming.
But then the light dissipated as soon as it appears, and several of the villagers are still screaming until they realized that they could still hear their own screaming. Those few that screamed are now the target of the stare of the other villagers that did not scream. Before long, each one of the villagers reluctantly separated themselves from their embrace, and soon find several large crates in front of them. The villager Elder decided to take the first step and started walking towards the crates, watched by the other villagers. As he halts in front of the crates, he could only watch the crates and examine them. Each one of the crates are black with a mark of a single red eye on it.
Kick open the crate, Elder.... The Voice said to the old equine. Without hesitation the old stallion kicked the crate as hard as he could with his hind foot, and to his surprise the crate did open. He turned around to see what is in the crate, and what he found in there is beyond reckoning. There are many grain, fruits and vegetables in the crates, and as he stared at the crate. As he gawk at the bountiful food, the other villagers are now walking closer to the crates. As soon as they saw what is in the crate, the others also tried to kick open the other crates. The number of food is beyond their humble reckoning, but at the same time they also come face to face with weapons such as swords, shields and spears.
However the most bizarre of these items in the crates are a few unusually long objects, the length of the object comprised mostly of a round metal barrel of some kind with the middle of the tube is wood wrapped and the end is flared. Protruding from the tube is a weird large conical head as large as a pony's head, bulky and tapered. As some of the villagers picked up the weird item, other villagers also realized that there are several smaller boxes that are packed with these weird objects. The smaller boxes has a latch upon it, and as soon as some of the villagers unlatched the box and open it they are even more perplexed than before. In the box are several dozen of these large conical tips on the metal tube, but instead they are attached to a shaft with metal fletchings and a nock. It was then that the villagers realized that the weird item looked like a very bizarre arrowhead.
The villagers who are now holding the weird object realized that the long metal tube-like object is not solely a tube and they could see a big half-ring attached to the metal tube, and in the center of this half-ring is a weird curved rod. The frail equine decided to rest the object on his shoulder for him to easily put his hooves into the half-ring and rest his hoof on the curved rod. As he wondered what is this weird object, his hooves accidentally pushes back on the curved rod and soon enough a loud sound could be heard and he sees the weird conical head now flying in front of him in a trail of smoke. Soon enough all the other villagers heard and saw the incident and they paused to see the continuous trail of smoke fly straight ahead. Suddenly a loud explosion could be seen and heard, with a dirt and rocks now flying from where the large conical object landed.
The villagers are now stunned into silence at the spectacle.
The next day......
The Emir's Chambers, Aqqabasta
My liege, see what your people have done to you. They do not love you anymore, just like how they did not love your son. The Voice said to the Emir who is just sitting on his couch in a silent and brooding mood. The Emir's eyes are as soulless as before, and he appeared to have aged even more than before. Right in front of him is his untouched meal, the steam of his meal slowly dissipating in the air.
"If they want me to meet my son, I will make sure that I will bring my son's killers along with me as I meet my son." The Emir said monotonously, and The Voice could only chuckle as it heard what the Emir have to say about this. Before long, a loud knocking could be heard outside the door, and The Voice is now gone leaving the Emir alone in his room. Soon enough the door creeps open and a tall and gaunt stallion with heavily lidded eyes and a long narrow face comes into the room, bowing down as he did so.
"My Lord Emir, are you alright? I heard you from the outside......" "It is nothing really, Grand Vizier. I have called for you to be here in my chambers as I need you to do something for me in my stead...." The Emir said in his frail and reedy voice. " Yes Milord....whatever you wished from this humble servant of yours....." The Grand Vizier said without even lifting his head as he awaits his Emir's request. The Emir paused for a while before he issued his decree to his right hoof pony. "I want you to send the newest weaponry from that Sheikh to the frontlines. These rebels must be crushed like the vermin they are." The Emir said without even looking at his minister, his eyes are now looking at the skyline of the capital from his room. With a single bow, the Grand Vizier soon excused himself and he is in the Emir's room no more.
That is a wise decision, my Emir....All for the glory of Saddle Arabia...., The Voice whispered to the Emir.
The night after the Emir's decision is made.....
The Imperial Docks, Aqqabasta
"More shipments to the frontlines?" The dockmaster asked the Eternal. The Eternal coulld only nod as he looks upon the many dozens of crates being carried by porters into the grand ships ready to be shipped across to the frontlines where the rebellion shall be quashed. "Yes indeed. This is how serious the rebellion had become Dockmaster Hajib. They have started using weapons that we are not privy to. It is sad that it has to end this way." "I can't believe this, a grand insurrection.....I thought I would never see the day. This is truly a sad day for Saddle Arabia. The Dockmaster could only sigh as he sees that the cargo is being transported upon the chips with great efficiency and speed.
The hollering of the porters marks the completion of the transportation of the cargo upon the ships. Before long the porters are all entering into the port once again from the ships and the captain of each ship commands their crew to start rowing their boats and setting the sail. The ships slowly set sail into the darkness in a slow and certain manner across the waters, just like the rise of the conflict that is now enveloping Saddle Arabia. As the rest of the equines in the dock watches the ship with heavy hearts, the Eternal sighs before walking away from the docks towards the palace. The mask of the Eternal covers up the leering smile that is now appearing before his face, satisfied that everything is now falling according to plan.....
One week later after the ships set sail from the Imperial Docks.......
Fatalha, Saddle Arabian army headquarters in Northern Saddle Arabia
The entire military camp is now upon the training ground, standing ready as their commander Lord General Muammar walks in front of them. The red stallion is well-build with a black turban covering his head, and his white robes are more functional than most other outfits in Saddle Arabia. The Lord General's gray eyes are now focused upon the reason of this gathering at the training ground.
"What pray tell is this?" The Lord General of the military base asked the Eternal commander. The Eternal commander is next to an object covered in cloth in the middle of the training ground for the army. Several hundred feet away in front of the cloth-covered object, a large cart could be seen laden with many straw-mannequins on the cart right beside a very large tree that is part of the training ground since the beginning. To the side, the Lord General could see at least two dozen of the cloth-covered objects. The red equine is not pleased as any meeting with the Eternals are always cumbersome and political in nature, and this time it appears that there is something annoying to come with the package for this meeting today.
"The capital had given us a new 'gift' to be used in our quest to quell the rebellion. Milord and it is required of me to demonstrate it to your men." The Eternal commander said to the Lord General. The eyebrow of the Lord General is now raised, as this is entirely unexpected. New weapons for the army first and not the Eternals? This is indeed some interesting news. The Eternal then pulls away the cloth to reveal a very peculiar object.
The object consist of six barrels revolving around a central shaft, and there is a long belt of something coming out from a box attached to the weird contraption and the contraption appears to be mounted on top of two wheels and a long wooden stand, supporting the weapon on the ground. As the Lord Eternal walks closer to the object to examine it, he could also see that the weird object consist of three parts; the weird assortment of barrels, a body where the belt of what appears to be little metal nails is inserted into the object and finally a weird half-ring sticking from the end of the weapon with a single curved rod pointing upwards at the end of the whole mechanism and another round metal loop sticking awkwardly by the side of the weapon.
"Impressive, but what does it do, Eternal?" The Eternal did not give say anything save that of putting as he puts one hoof into the half-metal ring with the odd curved rod, and the other into the ring. The Lord General deduced that the awkward ring is actually to hold this thing down, but for what he have no idea. His curiosity is upon the weird half ring thing with a weird curved rod.
"I suggest that you cover your ears Milord, and pay attention to the cart." The Lord General is confused with the instruction of the Eternal and he cover his ears with his hooves.
It was then that the Eternal pushes down upon the curved rod. The thunderous sound of the thing rings through the Lord General's ears and the Lord General could only watch at the barrel started turning at a death-defying speed and the belt getting shorter and shorter and something else flying out from the weapon as well. The Lord General then turns to the cart and could see that the cart is being shredded before his eyes in second, and to his utter amazement the large tree briefly catching on fire before it was cut down by the hail of shots. The whole military camp is now utterly stunned at the firepower of this weapon, and they could only gawk at the weapon before the Eternal stopped firing his weapon. The Eternal then walks away from the weapon and proceed to speak to the rest of the camp.
"This defenders of Saddle Arabia is how we will wipe the vermin that defies our Emir from the face of the earth." The Eternal could only smile in glee behind his mask.
None of the cries of the innocent could be heard, but the bluish lament of the song of sorrow could be felt across the land, as the reddish rain of the blood of the innocents rained upon the land. The thunderstorm of war and the lightning of rage are the only thing covering these extremes of blues and reds, and their salvation is but dying stars fading away with the dreams of the future turning the tenderness into sins and smiles into thorns. The courage of living for is damaged in confusion, leaving its mark on the lands of Saddle Arabia.
Bodies, mangled and mutilated are scattered across the dune with weapons sticking out from the dune like tombstones for the fallen. The heavy downpour continues to fall upon the land, causing the blood to wash off the bodies and stained the white sands a deep crimson. Among the bodies stands a lean, slender, light brown stallion looking surprised and shocked. As he looked around with his smoky gray eyes, his eyes turned from that of surprise to realization. He know where this is, but he does not tend to think about this place unless......
And speak of Ista....., the Sheikh said to himself as he gives himself a rather bittersweet smile. He only wanders into this place when 'she' is coming. Before long, he sees a figure coming closer to him with every hoofstep making his heart beat harder. The figure is that of an Equestrian pegasus mare, her coat the finest silvery white while her mane a whitish grey, giving her an almost pristine and otherworldly presence. Her translucent emerald-green jadeite eyes is now looking at the stallion with great kindness but at the same time great sorrow as she smiled at him. The stallion could only reach out with his hoof, trying to touch the figure before he stops. However a sudden lunge causes the stallion to realize that he is falling down a deep abyss, his scream unable to escape his throat. The voice of the mare, kind and soft-spoken said with great love echoing down the deep abyss.
Fear not ...she will not be alone...
The Sheikh snapped out from his daydream with a cold sweat on his forehead and soon realized that his daughter is now pulling on his leg and his head is already looking down at her. He then kneels down and come face to face with his daughter. The filly could only look at her father with her olive eyes and the Sheikh smiles at his daughter before asking her.
"Yes my dear?" "You are doing that weird face again.....that face where you have that weird eyebrow and weird goofy eyes." Fatimah said to the stallion. Sheikh Abu Hamza immediately remembered that whenever he had these 'episodes', he always have a certain face on him and only those that are closest to him could recognize that look. "Oh am I? Sorry about that, I know that you do not like it when I do that." Sheikh Abu Hamza could only chuckle unconvincingly as he rubs his head with one of his hooves. "You sure do daddy...": Fatimah gives him a little pout before breaking out in a giggle. The Sheikh's heart immediately brightens up when he sees Fatimah like this. It was if that all he needed in the world is her smile.And it is time for him to get a little more from her smile. Suddenly the stallion started to tickle the little filly and her laughter soon echoes throughout their living quarters.
Vinyl could not take her attention away as she sees Fatimah interacting with her father. A Saddle Arabian pegasus is truly something to make a big fuss about, especially considering the weird stuck-up nature of their society that she had come to learn about during her times as a captive for the slave trade and how they treat mares and females of other races. She could only respect the Saddle Arabian Sheikh in his capacity to be a very liberal stallion in that regard. From what she heard from the other Equestrians, he have no other wives and no other children except Fatimah and letting her do her own things. The outfit is a forgivable exception giving that the Sheikh do not want the other Saddle Arabians to throw a crazy rage fit, not to mention that the desert is not the best place to be naked in. That also brings her to another interesting thought; how does Fatimah's mom ooked like? She must be a stunningly beautiful mare if the little filly already looked so well-sculpted at her age.
And speaking about well-sculpted......, Vinyl's attention soon turns to the stallion who is now sitting at the balcony staring at the gardens below. That fine piece of toned muscle is an oddity to her, as with that body and rustic charm of his he should be able to get at least a marefriend in Ponyville, not to mention that he is perhaps one of the very few stallions in the town to begin with. But alas, he is a single farmer that is always working on the things he grows in his farm. Very odd indeed for the disc jockey who often sees stallions acting like idiots when they are drunk, and here he is perhaps the most sober pony she had ever laid eyes upon.
"So...I would assume that you are looking at that ass too Vinyl." Vinyl's cheeks immediately reddens itself when she realized that someone noticed her gawking. She turns around to see a smug smile on Nurse Redheart's face which softens up into a more genuine smile. Before long Vinyl also realized that Nurse Redheart is also looking at the direction of the stallion in red. "Whaaaaaaaaaaa? I never thought of you as some stud-hunter." Vinyl said to the nurse. "I am a mare, not an saint." Nurse Redheart said with a little bit of annoyance in her voice with a smile on her face. "Meh, fair enough." "No worries. My job is not the best place to find for a good stallion. They always come in damaged or utterly screwed in the head." Nurse Redheart gives a big sigh, and then followed shortly by a shrug. "Meh, at least yours are not all high on alcohol and/or drugs and acting like assholes." Vinyl said with dejection as the white mare looked at her. It was then that both mares are laughing together when they realized that their problems are similar.
Big Macintosh finds himself back among the apple orchards of Sweet Apple Acres, He looks around him and realized that the trees ripe for harvesting. Golden Delicious, the Fujis,.....all the apples. He then tries to buck one of the trees and it was then that he realized that his hindlegs were smaller and scrawnier than it is. He realized that he is now a young colt once more, and he started to wonder what the hay is going on. It was then that he could hear laughter, a laughter that he recognize. The squeal of a filly soon followed, and Big Macintosh started running towards the source of the voice. As he zigzagged through the trees, his heart starts to pound with both excitement and disbelief.
As he comes closer, he see both Applebloom and Applejack as a filly squealing and laughing to their hearts' content. The mare that is tickling Applebloom has a pale yellow coat with an orange mane and tail which were tied up in a braid, while Applejack is riding behind a stallion with a light pastel orange coat with a crimson red mane with freckles and a stubble on his face. The cutie marks of both the adults were apple-themed, with the mare having a white rose on her flank and the stallion with a green apple and a pitchfork. It was then the Big Macintosh sheds a tear, realizing that he is now seeing his parents right before him. Both of his parents and his little sisters are now looking at him, happy and delighted that Big Macintosh is now with them
"Ma......Pa......" "'Bout time ya got here, Mackie." The stallion said, with Applejack giggling behind the stallion's back. The mare then stops tickling Applebloom and helps the little filly up and smiles at the red colt. "Well, now that everypony's here, let's get lunch. Come on dear, ya do not want to keep yer sisters waiting, don'cha?" Big Macintosh is delighted to come with them and spend time with them. However the red colt realized that he could not move form the spot. As he tried his hardest to move from the spot, his family is now walking away from him, laughing and talking with each other happily. Big Macintosh tried to call out to his family but his voice is not coming out from his throat, and suddenly the apple trees started to surround the colt, slowly obscuring his view of his family.
Big Macintosh wakes up, gasping for air and his forehead filled with sweat. The red stallion is now looking around him, and realized that he is in the sleeping chambers in the Saddle Arabian palace. He could only sighed as he realized that he had just experienced a nightmare, and it is a nightmare that he is not fond with at all. He had not dreamed of his parents for a long time now, not since he managed to move on with their passing. Seeing that he is now wide awake, the stallion decides to get out from his bed and walks towards the balcony.
As he basks in the moonlight, he watches the waterfalls and the lush gardens below in the palace courtyard to try and take his mind off his parents. The greenery always calmed the stallion down, and the cold embrace of the night only serves to cool down his heightened nerves. Suddenly Big Macintosh could hear some hoofsteps coming his way and he turns around to see a light brown stallion coming to the balcony, the stallion's smile a little weaker than it is supposed to be .
"So.....I see that you are awake....." Sheikh Abu Hamza said to the stallion. "A memory from the past woke me up." Big Macintosh replied. Soon enough both stallions are now looking at each other in the eye, before the Sheikh decided to continue walking and stopping by his side and looking upon the city below. Big Macintosh turns around and now both stallions are looking at the city together.
"Big Macintosh, could I have a moment of your time?" Sheikh Abu Hamza breaks the silence with a question to the red stallion. "Sure, dependin' on what yer about to say Ah may or may not agree." The red stallion said to Abu Hamza, and he wonders what is it that the Sheikh will ask of him now. He has been on this journey because he believed in the cause of the stallion, but even then the cause is very unclear as the Sheikh is a stallion of very little words when it comes to his agenda. "Big Macintosh, I need to tell you a little more about that pendant of yours....." "Eeyup, this Mark of the Steward thing?" Big Macintosh said with a smile, which caused alarm in the Sheikh but then Abu Hamza smiled back at the famrpony, realizing that his ally is not as clueless as he thought. Both stallions are silent for a moment before Abu Hamza decided to speak again.
"How did you know?" "Ah have mah ways." "Well, this will make this part a little easier......I do not expect you to hold onto that forever and you shall perform until there is no need for your services." "About that....why me?" "It is simple really; you are the only one I trust other than Amanar. Unfortunately a Janissary can never hold the Mark of the Steward and thus I turn to you. You have seen our politics my friend, and you can see that it is not safe for any pony, especially a little filly. I need someone like you to help me. And this is why I am handing you this." The stallion then hands the red stallion an orb of the deepest black, and Big Macintosh is now looking at the orb with a raised eyebrow.He then turns his attention to the Sheikh, who is now looking at him with a bittersweet smile, which Big Macintosh like not one bit.
"My daughter will be confused and scared and I want you to be the stone that keeps her down and remember who she is. When the time comes, I want you to unseal this orb. All you need is to just tap the Mark of the Steward on the orb." "Seriously Sheikh sometimes yer j...."Before Big Macintosh could even finish his words, he realized that the stallion is now looking at him with solemn gray eyes, and that stopped the red pony from saying anything further. It was not long before the Sheikh actually sheds a tear which caught Big Macintosh off-guard. When a Saddle Arabian sheds a tear, that means that whatever that the stallion is asking for is a very big and significant favor. Both stallions are now silent as the night surrounding them, and the Sheikh puts the orb in front of Big Macintosh. and started speaking again.
"I care not of what you think of me. All I care about is Fatimah, and this is why I am doing all of this. I will take my leave now." The Sheikh's voice is trembling and vulnerable, unlike the usual confident voice that he usually projects. Before Big Macintosh could even stop the light brown Sheikh, he had already walked away in haste leaving Big Macintosh alone at the balcony. Big Macintosh then picks up the orb and puts it in his robes, sighing as he did so.
"Y'know yer one tough salespony. Granny would like ya." Big Macintosh gives a bitter smile.
The Emir watches his city from his room with vacant eyes, and everything would have been uneventful save for the fact that a glowing symbol behind his neck flashing with a great intensity that it lighted up the room. Once the glowing stopped, the Emir walked towards the door to get one of his servants to call for the Vizier. The servant did the commands of his leader without even thinking about it and rushes forward to find the Vizier. The Emir could only look at the servant walking away with glazed eyes.
Before long, the Vizier soon graced the Emir with his presence and the Emir gave the Vizier a slight acknowledgement. Immediately after the doors behind them are closed, the vizier is kneeling down before the Emir, ready to receive the Emir's order. However unlike any other meeting, this meeting has a rather ominous atmosphere to it which is lost on both participants of the meeting. The Emir looked upon his adviser, his eyes devoid of any life in them.
"My Vizier, I have asked you to be in my presence for a reason." "Yes Milord. What is it that you wished?" "I called you here because.........." ITt was then that the eyes of the Emir started to come back to life, and the Vizier, failing to detect the difference, looked upon his ruler with expectant eyes. "Wait.......why did I call you here?" Now the Emir realized that something odd is going on, but he have not a clue as to what is going on. "To be exact, I called both of you here today......" The unnaturally affable voice responded out of nowhere, as serene and dark as the deepest abyss. Its serpentine voice has the elements of both a mare and a stallion speaking at once, which surprised and shocked the stallion. The third voice sounds like the voice in his mind, but it is not. As he looked around with his weary eyes, he could only wonder where is the owner of such a voice. To make it even more surprising, the Vizier is not even responding to this sudden intrusion, instead having a nonchalant attitude about the voice.
It was then from the darkness that a form materializes. The Emir could initially see that it is a stallion, but then realized that the stallion has a rather odd structure to it. However upon closer observation, the stallion appears to be kneeling down and as it stands up, the Emir is now facing an unnaturally tall equine of some sort. Clad in a striped headcloth with a serpent pointing out of it, the headcloth consist of jet black and blood red stripes that covers the whole crown and back of the head and nape of the neck, and had two large flaps which hung down behind the ears and in front of both shoulders. There is no denying that this figure projects an utterly overwhelming presence within the room. The being is now staring at the Emir with its pure white death mask, its two painted red eyes looking at the Emir with an unnatural amount of malice.
"What.....how...." The Emir is now shocked beyond compare as he could not believe that such a being could exist and in his chambers to begin with. What kind of figure broke through all the wardings meant to pprotect him? However the figure started chuckling. "Your Vizier here is amazing in his job; his soul being a host for my presence." The figure walks towards the Vizier and caresses the chin of the Vizier with its monstrous appendage. The Emir could do nothing but to let the figure do as it pleases. The Figure then faces the Emir, its painted eyes giving the impression of glee.
"But his soul is too weak to support my presence for long, and he will fall." "Why are you telling me this, demon?" The Emir now asked them figure without even a trace of fear. The figure could only laughed as he heard the Emir's question. "Very simple actually; I want a listener. Now look into my eyes" Suddenly the Vizier collapsed, and the Emir immediately realized that the Vizier had passed away. What kind of being could leech away someone's life so carelessly and violently? The figure soon takes away his mask, and the last thing that the Emir saw is a monstrosity that is beyond the comprehension of any equine.
Amit is now looking outside his window, his impatience and anxiety almost unbearable. Ever since he infiltrated the capital with his other comrades they have not gotten any further instructions. His role is even more confusing as his role is not being a wolf in sheep's clothing as the majority of the infiltrators, but he is one of the select few that is forced to handle a particular item. He turns around to see the thing that he and several other of his brethren had brought into the capital. It is a large and odd cylinder, the black coal-like color of the object gives it an ominous presence in the room. His instructions are simple; erect it when the signal is given. But what is the signal? How will he know what he should do? What is the damn thing? These are some of the questions that the infiltrator asked himself, despite his commitment to the cause.
It was then that the infiltrator got his answer.
Red glowing lines started to appear throughout the entire rod-like object like wordings upon a seal and Amit immediately realized that this is the 'signal'. He immediately rushes towards the object and started to set it upright. As soon as he sets it up, he realized that his skin is slowly becoming more wrinkled and his body started to weaken significantly. Before long, his breath started to become labored and his vision blurring. Before he could even wonder what is going on, his vision is slowly fades away like little grains of sand until he could only see the dark abyss.
Although it was only for a split second, a red orb envelops the capital before dissipating into the night causing not even a single alarm of the unnatural phenomenon. However this is not lost upon the figure, who is now surrounded by the bodies of two of the most powerful stallions in Saddle Arabia. Floating above him is a single red orb, as deep and red as blood. A flash could be seen for a second, and the the faces of the Emir could be seen within the orb.
The figure could only laugh as the orb hovers around it and with a simple red glowing aura, the two bodies are gone and instead standing amidst the two orbs is the Emir Shaddam. His eyes glowed a menacing red before it returned to a pristine grey.Before long, the 'Emir' heard the sound of hooves knocking in a rather peculiar manner upon the doors of the bed chambers. With a simple wave of an arm, the Emir used some of his magic to open up the door and the Lord Eternal entered into the room. Immediately the Lord Eternal locked the door behind him.
"So it seems that you have succeeded Milord...." The Lord Eternal said as he noticed the orb floating around the 'Emir'. The Emir soon started laughing a little, but regained his composure immediately. "Indeed, the ritual is completed and we are one step closer to our ideal world." "So.....What are your orders, my Emir?" The Lord Eternal bows down to his overlord. The 'Emir' expressed a mock contemplation before answering the Lord Eternal. "Well, as they say, we need to clean our house of the vermins. Call for the Council of Elders to meet me immediately."
The burly Sheikh Fahd could only breathed a sigh of relief as he walked down the corridors of the palace. He had just talked with Sheikh Bashir about a proposition to gain significant leverage against those that would oppose the Equestrian healer from meeting the Emir, and he managed to gain the support of the Sheikh in return for some favors and other materials. The Sheikh may lose out in the short run, but the benefits of the long run is worth the loss. It is then that he noticed that there is some weird noises not far from where he is. Usually he would not even bother with it, but an odd curiosity within the Sheikh caused him to walk towards the source of the commotion and figure out what is going on. As he walked towards the corner of the hallway, he expect that some guards or something are slacking off in their job in the palace.
However, the Sheikh found himself staring down upon a scene of carnage. Several of the guards are down upon the floor, their throats slit while the Eternals are dragging the bodies away to be hidden, causing a very bloody trail as the bodies are dragged away. It was then that the Sheikh realized that the perpetrators of this crime have noticed his presence, and without even letting them have the chance to do anything, he started galloping away. The Sheikh soon realized that there are several other hoovesteps now following him in haste, and the Sheikh knew that if he stops he would be murdered like those guards.
Not this again.....
Once again, the red stallion is back among the vast ocean of apple trees of Sweet Apple Acres. However this time he realized that the leaves are withering, each leaf in shades of brown, red and yellow. It seems that it is autumn, but the skies are dark and gloomy, giving the farm an ominous atmosphere. Soon enough he could hear a stranger's voice coming from where the farm is located. As Big Macintosh slowly walks towards the direction of the farm, he could see that the landscape slowly changes from the forest of apple trees to that of pikes and weapons stuck upon the ground. Before long, he realized that he is now in the middle of a battleground and to his horror he could see that the farm is almost razed to the ground, and there are a multitude of skulls and bones surrounding the farm.
What in tarnation?
The stallion asked himself, shocked to see such carnage in Sweet Apple Acres. It was not long before his eyes soon pay attention to a rather graceful Equestrian pegasus mare standing among the piles of bones and weapons. She has a rather monochromatic coat and mane of grey, but her transluscent emerald-green eyes stared at Big Macintosh like a dagger to his heart, piercing him with both great kindness and also great sorrow. She soon sheds a tear, and immediately Big Macintosh felt a rather great burden upon his shoulders and also his heart.
What is with this mare?
Big Macintosh could only wonder what is going on as his hooves compelled him to walk closer to the mare, even though he knows that this mare is a whole lot of trouble. Upon closer inspection, he realized that if it were not for the color and wings, the mare does remind him of his own mother. Perhaps his body felt that he needs to be closer to her, but his mind is resisting to the best of his ability.
Fear not, red stallion for I seek no harm. I am here to warn you that things unforeseen are now foreseen and you must prepare to be fire of hope.....
Her voice reminds Big Macintosh of a cross between Princess Celestia's own regal voice with the timbre of Fluttershy's own soft tones. However that is not the main question in the red farmpony's mind as it appears that her voice is projecting itself into his mind like that of his own thoughts. It is unnerving as it is rude to the stallion as he does not appreciate the intrusion.
Wait a minute Ma'am Ah don't get what ya mean by tha....
Before Big Macintosh could even finish his words, a sudden lunge pulled him away from the battle-torn farm and the mysterious mare.....
Big Macintosh wakes up to the sound of the doors frantically banging on their sleeping quarters, and soon enough as he is walking out to the door to see what the commotion is all about, he was greeted by several of the Janissary bodyguards all armed with their odd long-barreled weapons, Nurse Redheart, who is rubbing her eyes, and Sheikh Abu Hamza with a scimitar at the read. To the surprise of Big Macintosh, he could see that Nurse Redheart is in a rather attractive sleeping gown. It was then that one of the Janissary opened the door and the Janissary started talking to the person at the door. Once the conversation is over, the Janissary closed the door and started to speak to the Sheikh in their foreign tongue.
"What's going on?" Nurse Redheart said lazily. "We are all summoned to the Council of Elders this instant." It was then that Vinyl walked out, with glazed magenta eyes and looked at everyone. Everyone looked back at her and soon enough there is a rather awkward silence.
"Breakfast fun time yet?" Vinyl said sleepily.
Nurse Redheart, Vinyl, Sheikh Abu Hamza and some of the Janissary bodyguards are soon walking towards the council chambers. Most of them are half-awake, especially Vinyl who is essentially just sleepwalking muttering something about 'candies and full metal panic' while she is walking to the council chambers with them. Amazingly how she could remain in such a state is beyond the nurse mare's comprehension and why is Vinyl even following them is not clear to all of them, but they have failed in waking her up entirely or to force her to stay in bed. Fatimah and the other Janissary bodyguards however remained in the room, and with that the small entourage went on ahead to this very odd meeting in the middle of the night.
Soon enough they entered into the chambers and realized that they are not the only ones that are woken up rudely in the middle of the night, and Big Macintosh and Sheikh Abu Hamza are once again within the 'graceful' presence of the court, ready to go about their business of sucking up and fighting against the other Sheikhs and ministers of the court. Whatever it is that will happen in this room, it will once again end in a stalemate but any headway that could be achieved today is a victory for the Sheikh.
"Ya think that there would be some big thin' goin' on right now?" Big Macintosh asked the Sheikh in a rather jesting mannner, albeit a sarcastic one. "Well I do not think so. Only thing that would make this whole situation change is the presence of the Emir, which is highly....." Big Macintosh was expecting the Sheikh to end his words, but then he realized that the light brown Sheikh is now looking at the entrance as if he just saw Princess Celestia coming into the room.
But then Big Macintosh notices that the other stallions within the room also had that same expression as his benefactor and it was then that Big Macintosh turns around to see the source that stunned them. Entering the room, flanked by several Eternals is a frail whitish-gray stallion with a white mane and mustache wearing a simple white robe. Nonetheless the other Sheikhs and ministers within the room realized who this stallion is and immediately bowed in respect to the old stallion. Before long, Sheikh Abu Hamza also bowed to this figure, and Big Macintosh followed them. Immediately, Big Macintosh realized that the Emir of Saddle Arabia had just graced the room with his presence.
Big Macintosh is quite surprised by the appearance of the leader of Saddle Arabia, as he was expecting someone more pompous and regal, like that of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. But right before his eyes is a very old and frail Saddle Arabian like that of Granny Smith walking slowly towards the throne. As soon as the stallion sat on the throne, everyone stopped bowing. Before long, the Emir started speaking in Saddle Arabian, and Big Macintosh turns to Nurse Redheart hoping that she would translate what the Emir have to say. Sensing Big Macintosh's quizzical glance, Nurse Redheart nods and started listening.
"I am here tonight ...." Nurse Redheart speaks at about the same time as the Emir, word for word, " for the declaration of a decree; The Council of Elders shall be dissolved today without exceptions....." It was then that the white mare's translation is interrupted. "What on earth...." Sheikh Abu Hamza said and immediately paused as the Emir continued on talking. This caused a lot of the Sheikhs and ministers to gasp in shock while Big Macintosh just looks at Sheikh Abu Hamza with a sense of confusion. Nurse Redheart is also silent now as she tries to comprehend the magnitude of this decree.
Big Macintosh soon realized that a lot of the stallions are now pale, and even Sheikh Abu Hamza looked agitated. He also noticed that all the Eternals in the room are now brandishing their weapons and the Janissary bodyguards are already wielding their weapons. He then turned on to the now silent Nurse Redheart, wondering what is going on now. If the stallions are pale, then Nurse Redheart would be almost ghost-like as the blood left her already fair face.
"What the hay did he just say?" Big Macintosh said with a great amount of anxiety in his voice. "He just ordered our arrest. All of us."
The three Equestrians have their own thoughts about the situation; Big Macintosh was not even expecting this turn of events, and to be honest neither did everypony else that was summoned to the room. Should he cooperate with the authorities? Should he resist? What should he do in this situation? As the Eternals take their steps, Big Macintosh's mind is going a little too frantic for his own good. Nurse Redheart on the other hand is looking at the Emir, trying to see any indicator that would help her understand what is going on with the Emir.
As for Vinyl, she is still in her rather weird dream-like state, and all she could see are a bunch of Equestrian police coming to get her for having a stockpile of purified sea salt that is way above recommended levels. Unfortunately for everyone involved, Vinyl's instinctive response when it comes to arrest by authorities is one that would not help in the situation.
"BUCK NO! NOT MY SALT!" Before anyone could even say anything, she blasted one of the Eternals with a bolt of magic, causing the Eternal to be propelled a considerable distance towards the Emir. This simple action is all it takes for the Janissary bodyguards proceed form a protective circle around the Equestrian and Sheikh Abu Hamza. Nurse Redheart immediately gave Vinyl a tight slap, causing the blue-maned mare to have a rude awakening.
"What the buck? What did you do that for?" "You just shot a guard towards the Emir!" The pink-maned mare is now looking at Vinyl with both the expression of utter rage and what amounts to a certain amount of doom about their current fate. "Whaa? I did not do that....." The mare's clueless state is either a very expertly attempt at denying her actions, or that she she is utterly cluelesss about what she did. "Yes you did!" Both Big Macintosh and Nurse Redheart shouted at the mare.It was not long before Sheikh Abu Hamza is pointing towards something, causing all three Equestrians to turn their attention to the source of the Sheikh's pointing.
To the surprise of everyone in the room, the flying Eternal is how hovering in a red glow frozen in mid-air. The other Sheikhs in the room are now confounded beyond belief as sorcery is a rare ability in Saddle Arabia, and surely no Saddle Arabian horse could use it. Which makes their utter shock having more impact as the source of the magic comes from none other than their Emir. Soon enough the Emir is now smiling wickedly, sending a chill down their spines.
"It seems that there is an attempt against my life. Kill them all." Immediately the Eternals are now brandishing their scimitars and started charging. Suddenly the loud bang from the Janissary's weapons signify that things had indeed went down the deep end. The maelstrom of combat is now around them, the shrieks of some of the Sheikhs and ministers being hacked by the weapons of the Eternal only solidify the truth to the Equestrians that there is a purge going around the room.
"Ah didn't know that you folks could use magic!" Big Macintosh shouted as he bucked one of the Eternals, turning the unfortunate soul into a projectile flying towards a group of Eternals. "They don't!" Sheikh Abu Hamza shouted back as he parried an Eternal's scimitar. Suddenly a loud bang could be heard, and the assailant of the Sheikh is now on the ground. "We out now!" Amanar barked at the rest of the group. Immediately the group moved as once towards the door, evading and fighting their way through the whirlpool of carnage. Vinyl immediately tried to pull at the door but it is not budging at all.
"Buck it is locked!" "Allow me!" Big Macintosh turns around in a fluid motion and with one kick the door shattered into many pieces, causing many of the Eternals to be utterly surprised at the strength of the little pony. However, Big Macintosh did not bother to admire his handiwork and soon the entourage just runs out without even a care in the world and some of the other members of the council soon make haste as well. Some of the Sheikhs fell when they attempted to run, while others were crushed by the ensuing stampede. Soon the Sheikh, the Equestrians and the Janissaries are galloping as hard as they could.
As the group gallops through the hallways of the palace, the Janissary bodyguards are now firing their jezzails at their pursuers, felling each one with a single well placed shot. However it was not long before the arrows from the pursuers started making their mark upon the camel bodyguards, but it is done by quantity of shots rather than quality of shots. Those Janissary that are down upon the ground and are unable to keep up with the rest of the group waits upon the ground until their pursuers managed to get close enough to them. With a single spark, the explosion from the gunpowder brought down many of the pursuers with them. However, there is no end to their pursuers.
"Tsk, they are not called the Eternals for nothing.....We have been declared an enemy, but does that mean we're not even worth listening to?" Sheikh Abu Hamza cursed as he gallops on. "Talking?!?! Ain't nobody got time for that!" Big Macintosh shouted back to the Sheikh. " All of you desert dwellers are crazy!" Vinyl could only scream as she barely dodges a flying arrow. Suffice to say, they are in a very dire situation, especially when the Eternals are slowly coming closer upon them.
However unknown to the group, a silent archer with a crossbow is now aiming his arrow at a particular member of the group. With the bowpony's breathing calm and his aim true, he slowly closes his eyes and opens them again. Only when his sights continuously upon the target did he fire his shot.
The burly blue Sheikh is now catching his breath from his attempt to escape, and barely did so. What is going on with the Eternals? Is there a coup in place? However, one though suddenly came into his mind, and that is of telling the others about this most dire of incidents. He will have to rush back to the room to tell everyone of the dangers. Indeed he will have to do it, for the sake of his own safety. The more people he have between himself and his attackers, the more likely he will survive.
As he started to come out from his hiding place, Sheikh Fahd immediately regretted taking a step out. Just a few feet away from him are two Eternals, and it seems that they do not take kindly to the presence of the Sheikh in their sight. Soon enough the chase begins again.
Amanar is doing what he was born to do, and doing it excellently. With every shot, an enemy of his Sheikh is slain. There is no better purpose in life than to serve one's purpose in life. However, the euphoria of battle have caused his senses to dull down, and it was not long before the scream of his Sheikh snapped him out from his trance. Assuming the worst, the camel turned around to see that the red stallion had pulled the Sheikh down to the ground. Impaled upon the wall is the sheikh's headpiece, barely missing the head. Immediately one of the other Janissary returned fire at the sniping archer, and a wail confirmed that the shot has hit its target. The head Janissary immediately rushed to the side of his liege.
"My Lord, are you alright?!?!" "Yes, just barely. If it were not for Big Macintosh pulling me down, my brains would have been the one impaled on the wall. How's everyone else?" Amanar immediately looked around to see that his fellow Janissaries have suffered many casualties, annd they could not keep this up any more. The female Equestrians are trying their best to help, with the healer carrying one of the Janissary while the blue-maned one shooting bolts of light from her horn. "Not very well it seems. We will not last unless we could do something or Ista provides us with a miracle." Amanar said grimly.
The Sheikh's pursuers are still on his tail, and given enough time they would catch up to him and Ista knows what will happen to him. It was then that he realized one simple thing and one very simple thing indeed. If this were to work well, he will have to do it without any mistake. But first of all he will have to do the unthinkable.
******************************
The stallion stopped in his tracks. His pursuers immediately halted as well, surprised that the stallion had stopped. Sheikh Fahd immediately turned around, and started to face his pursuers. The two Eternals, realizing that they have the upper hand brandishes their scimitar. Both of the Eternals could smell blood, and the time will soon come for their just reward.....
"So my esteemed warriors.....why are you chasing me with scimitars! Answer me, for this is a crime against the nobility!" The burly stallion shouted, as defiant and proud as any Sheikh would be. The two Eternals are now silently grinning behind their mask, as they could see that the Sheikh is unarmed and indeed quite helpless. Now that he had stopped to do a stupid questioning session, his fate is already sealed. The shorter of the two Eternals could not help but to toy with his potential victim. "You have no right to speak like that.....you are at a disadvantage here...." Said the short Eternal. "Why are we wasting our time here.....let's just kill him just as we are going to do with all of them in the dungeons once we get them." The other Eternal started speaking. Immediately both Eternals charged towards the defenseless Sheikh, screaming out their bloodlust.
However to the surprise of the short Eternal, by an improbable chance the loud sound of something exploding could be heard and his fellow Eternal to his right took the brunt of the damage. The Eternal turned to see that his partner in crime is now lying dead in a pool of blood with several smoking trails coming out from his wounds, and immediately realized where he is.
There is a door beside them with several holes in hit, and as the door started collapsing on the marbled floor, the Eternal saw what appears to be a line of camels in odd white headdress resembles hat with a large flap of cloth, wearing ornately gilded black frowned mask with snarling fangs and wicked-looking shoulder pads that are gilded with gold aiming their smoking long-barreled weapons at him, while another line is standing up aiming those same weapons at him. Several other Janissary could also be seen brandishing their scimitars, ready to attack. It was then that the Sheikh started walking into the room where he is now surrounded by his Eternals, and also the Janissaries that remained to guard Fatimah.
"The second line have not fired yet, and they will fire if you decided to do anything funny. Now, answer me for it is you who is at a disadvantage here." Before the Eternal could even say anything, two of the Janissaries went up to the Eternal and using the stock of their jezzails knocked him to the floor. Immediately Sheikh Fahd is met by his chief Janissary.
"Milord, what is going on here?" "We are in a messy situation. Who's the one in charge?" Sheikh Fahd asked Abu Hamza's Janissaries. "It is I Milord." A Janissary answered from one of the scimitar-brandishing Janissaries. "Your name?" "Ikhbar, Milord." "Take Lady Fatimah. We are leaving together. The more of us there is, the more likely we will get out from this death trap alive." With the efficiency seen nowhere else in Saddle Arabia, the Abu Hamza's Janissaries immediately proceed to obey the commands of their leader. It was not long before the chief Janissary to Sheikh Fahd speaks to his lord.
"Shouldn't we be taking advantage of the situation with our superior numbers and take the filly with us?" The Janissary asked. "No, that would not serve our purpose now. I rather be alive to plan for another day than to enact a plan and can't escape." Sheikh Fahd said in a matter-of-factly way. The politics can wait, his own survival is of greater importance. He then turned to his captive, and with a wicked smile, he is ready to extract all the information that he needs from this Eternal.
It seems that time is not on their side, for Sheikh Abu Hamza could see that the group has already suffered a ridiculous amount of dead or injured. The three Equestrians are shwoing signs of fatigue, while only Amanar remains out of the retinue of Janissaries that went with them to the council room. There is nothing much that they could do other than to run, but even then that option is disheartening. To make the situation even more bleak, a new group of Eternals are now coming towards them with haste. Sheikh Abu Hamza prepares his scimitar, ready to make his last stand and Amanar had also opted to do the same thing. Big Macintosh is now staring at the oncoming horde, while Vinyl's horn is ready to shoot down anything that would kill her. Nurse Redheart could only watch powerlessly as the inevitable happen. With the sound of galloping hooves coming towards them, Big Macintosh gave the Sheikh a smile.
"So....It seems that Ah would not be able to do what ya want, Sheikh." Big Macintosh said in an oddly sardonic but at the same time happy tone. "Unfortunately that is true my friend." At the same time the two stallions are talking to each other, the two mares are also having a conversation. Nonetheless, the warcry of the incoming Eternal cut most of their dialogue short and as they galloped towards the group, Vinyl could not help but to say a line before they all bite the dust.
"Well, live hard die young."
However , before they could go out with a bang, a section of the wall between then rotated like a revolving door and out came several Janissaries. Before there is even a chance for alarm in the ranks of the Eternals, the Janissaries fired their jezzails and each bullet pierced through their targets instantly killing them. Within a split second, the pursuers are now the fallen. As the Janissary took out their scimitars and stab those that are still alive, a young, child-like voice echoed in the ears of the Sheikh and the Equestrians.
"Father!" "Fatimah?" The presence of the little filly took the Sheikh by surprise, and the little filly ran up and hugged her father tightly. Both father and daughter are glad that they are able to meet each other again. However, their moment o joy was cut short by the presence of a Janissary walking slowly towards them. The Equestrians could not help but to watch by the sideline as the Janissary and the Sheikh converse in their language.
"Wow....never expect some big damn heroes to save us like that. And from a trap door nonetheless." Vinyl said. "Eeyup." "Well, it seems that somehow luck is on our side then. Just hope that we have enough to get us out of here alive." Nurse Redheart said despite her reservation. Soon enough they noticed the Sheikh carrying his daughter on his shoulders and started walking towards them.
"It seems that your hidden passage leads somewhere after all." The Sheikh said to Vinyl and Fatimah, and for once Vinyl wondered if he is really thanking her or putting in a snide remark. "Ur...yeah....sure." Vinyl said nervously. "Nonetheless, we now must go towards the teleporting room if we are to get out from this castle." "Wait what? But I though you guys can't use magic? Except the mad pony....ur...I mean Emir." Vinyl tried to save her remarks, but rather unconvincingly. However the Sheikh did not show any sign of being insulted in any way. "We can not cast magic, but that does not mean that we are utterly devoid of magic. We must hurry now before the others catch up to us."
With that the group galloped as a whole towards their new objective, their path laden with peril.
A wise pony once said that the path to salvation is always laced with the strings of peril. This pony's wise words proved to be very true in the case of our dear Equestrians and their allies, for they will need all the blessings that they can get to pull themselves out of a mad equine's carnage.
"Equestria damn it.....*pant*.....I....*pant*.....need...*pant*.....to...*pant* sit down....." Vinyl said as she gasped for air. She is never the athletic kind, and all the magic, running and uncertainty is taking a toll on her. Nurse Redheart however is not even breaking a sweat as she take stride, and the same could be said about the others. Vinyl truly resents that they are all fitter than her.
"We are here." Sheikh Abu Hamza said. A dark wooden door could be seen right in front of them, and it is a rather unassuming door save that of a particular weird swirly Saddle Arabian writing above the door. The door soon opened without much difficulty, and everyone went into the room. As the Janissaries attempt to close and blockade the door and Vinyl takes as much air as she could contain in her lungs, the pair of Equestrians and the Sheikh walked towards an altar. It is a rather unassuming altar, save that of a simple green orb floating in the center. However as they looked up, they realized that the room does not have a ceiling exposing the night skies above them.
"Okay....." Big Macintosh said, unsure about what to exactly in this situation. "I will have to find the proper book and incantation to activate the Teleport Bubble and get us out of here. It is important that we try to do this as quietly as possible." Sheikh Abu Hamza said. "You heard that Vinyl? That means shut the buck up." Nurse Redheart said to the unicorn mare, with a condescending smile. Even though she is offended by the pink-maned mare's remark, but she knows enough of the situation to hold back her anger. "She may be of assistance to let us escape, as her magic might help us power up this bubble." the Sheikh said. "Sure I am, unlike some other mare." Vinyl said to Nurse Redheart, all high and mighty about it. In that regards, both of the mares are now even. Both of the mare stared at each other to such an extent that the other males in the room could feel the tension. Only little Fatimah is oblivious to the situation. Sheikh Abu Hamza puts her down, giving his daughter a smile before he walks towards one of the book shelves to search for the incantation.
But apparently, instead all he managed to get out of the stallion is uncontrollable laughter,.Sheikh Fahd smiles wickedly at the Eternal, whose laughter starts to falter.The burly Sheikh took out a small dagger from his clothes, and as he pulls it out the laughter died.
"You know, I absolutely adore funny stallions." Before the Eternal could even protest, one of the other Janissary had blindfolded the Immortal. "What are you doing?!?!?!?!" Immediately the blindfolded stallion could feel the cold steel of the blade on his throat, caressing his neck like the lovely embrace of silk. "Now then.....let's play a game shall we? It is called 'Truth or Throat'." The rest of the Janissary did not even want to look at what the burly blue Sheikh had in stall for the stallion, for they know that the Sheikh had many ways to make a stallion talk.
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"Milord, we need to leave!" Latif, the red-eyed Janissary said to Sheikh Fahd, who is still questioning the unfortunate Eternal. The interrogation had gone on for fifteen minutes, but to the rest of the Janissaries, it felt like fifteen years.
"I am just done with this funny stallion here, and I have all the information that I need. Let's leave." His victim is now a wreck, and it appears that his victim is no longer able to function anymore as a stallion. It seems that there are a few cuts on the throat of the stallion, but none of them deep nor fatal to kill the stallion. Sheikh Fahd finally understood what is going on, and for that he will have to make some new preparations for the inevitable. For now he must escape, less he too will be killed. With a single slash, the Eternal throat is slit in cold blood.
May His blessings be upon us......., Sheikh Fahd whispered as he takes his leave.
"Alright I found it......"
Sheikh Abu Hamza is relieved that the incantation book is where it is the last time he saw it. The situation is tense and the darkness of the night only made the atmosphere even more dire. As he begin chanting the incantation, the round object in the center of the altar begins to grow larger and larger, glowing more radiant with every word. The Sheikh knew that they would not be able to hide their presence for long, but he must at least make the field large enough for the most important people to escape.
"Did y'all hear that?" Big Macintosh said tensely. Soon enough the sound of hooves could be heard outside the door, along with several murmurs and shouts. "Looks like they found us." Nurse Redheart said, her voice is now laced with a hint of anxiety. The Janissaries are now preparing their jezzails and aiming for the door, waiting for the inevitable breach. Amanar rushes to the side of the Sheikh, his expression as cool as the night around them. As Amanar and Sheikh Abu Hamza converse in their language, Vinyl is already preparing a spell in her horn, ready to blast whatever it is that will come through those doors.
Despite their readiness, none of the equines and camels in the room are prepared for what is coming. The door is suddenly enveloped by a red glow, and the door immediately dissipated in a red mist. The thick mist soon gave way to a figure that everyone in the room recognized. An old gray regal stallion entered the room, and his all-seeing cold gray eyes pierced into the hearts of everyone in the room. As the mist dissapeared, several of the Eternals entered into the room, brandishing their swords.
"It is sad really that you all must give your live away tonight, but I will assure you it is for a greater Saddle Arabia....." The reedy voice of the Emir spoke in Equestrian, his voice echoing in the room. The reply of the Janissaries is a simple one; gunfire. However, the sorcery of the Emir is such that the bullets soon hovered in the air just inches away from the Emir and grinds to an immediate halt.
"No bucking way....." Vinyl said. That level of magic is only available to the most adept of unicorn and here this Saddle Arabian is doing it as if it is nothing but a minor nuisance. "Well, I guess that I shall play with all of you a little...." Vinyl immediately felt a sudden magical pressure in the room and she knew what is coming at them. "TAKE COVER!!!!!!!!" At the same time that Vinyl gave the warning, the bullets are now speeding back to them, enveloped by the magic of the Emir. Stunned by the sudden warning, Fatimah froze on the spot, causing her father to immediately leap towards her and embraced her in his arms before falling down on the ground.
Big Macintosh immediately pulled Nurse Redheart down on the ground, while the head Janissary could only hide behind a pillar and Vinyl bend backwards and waving her hooves in the air, dodging all the bullets in the most miraculous way possible. However, most of the other Janissaries are not as fortunate and many of then are slain or are badly injured by the incoming projectiles. Some of the bullets ricochet off the orb and also the walls and pillars causing even more pandemonium in the room. Some of the Eternals were also slain outright or injured by the stray projectiles.
Sheikh Abu Hamza immediately checked upon his daughter, and sigh a breath of relief when he found out that she is alright. As Fatimah stared at her father with shock, the Sheikh could only give his daughter a smile. It was then that he noticed several red drops falling upon his daughter's clothing. Immediately he could feel a sudden pain in his chest, and he looked down upon his body and he noticed several deep stains of red on his clothing and realized that he had been shot. Bleeding from his injuries, he could see that he could only bring down the group and even with Nurse Redheart's medical abilities he knew that he is indeed a lost cause. As the Eternals stormed the room, Sheikh Abu Hamza did the only thing he could.
"Everyone, step on that altar now! Hurry we have no time!" Sheikh Abu Hamza then shoves his daughter towards Big Macintosh's arms, coughing blood as he did so. Soon enough everyone ran up towards the altar, all except Abu Hamza. Fatimah could only look at her father with the utmost confusion and utter fear from said confusion. "Daddy?" The filly is now looking at her father, unsure and wanting him to comfort her. However the stallion could only look at Fatimah with eyes filled with regret and sorrow. "Stop giving me that look Fatimah........It does not suit a child of the throne." the Sheikh then chanted something, and before long the altar started to glow with an intense green light. Once the light dissipated, Big Macintosh, Nurse Redheart, Vinyl, Fatimah and Amanar were surrounded by a green orb. It was then that Big Macintosh realized that something is wrong. Sheikh Abu Hamza is outside the orb with his back facing them, and Big Macintosh tried to extend his foreleg towards the stallion but the orb stopped his hooves from exiting the orb.
"What the hay is this? Let us out this instant! Ya need help!" Big Macintosh cried out loud.The red stallion could see that evenn more of the Eternals are now surrounding the orb, poised to strike as soon as there is an opening. "Once activated, the occupants could not get out until the orb propels them away. The orb needs to be activated from the outside...." The Sheikh slowly rises up, and immediately coughed out blood upon the floor, staining it with a crimson red. The little filly is now shocked to see her father in this state, but her shock had caught her tongue. "Ya can't do this to us, you bloody fool! Don't ya act all high'n mighty with this..." "We have our responsibilities, and you have yours! If we're left without anyone to carry out our hopes, we are done for! Why can't you understand this?" Sheikh Abu Hamza shouted at the red stallion for the first time, stunning the red stallion into silence.
The little filly, realizing that her father is not in the orb with is now banging at the energy field that is now separating her from her father. The little filly started panicking as she bangs as hard, trying to break it so that her father may enter into the field with them. However, Vinyl knows that only the strongest magic could break this shield, and she could only look away as she could not stomach this moment. The Sheikh turned his head around to look at his daughter, but at the same time not dropping his guard against the Eternals.
"You're leaving your father but you will not be alone........" The Sheikh said solemnly at his daughter, betraying none of the pain from his injuries. "Daddy! Daddy!" The filly screamed and screamed, but unfortunately for the filly her screaming did nothing to help the situation.
The Sheikh continued on talking, but the filly would not listen to what her father have to say to her. Both father and daughter are now speaking in Saddle Arabian to each other. Nurse Redheart's tears started flowing as she saw the scene unfolding before her eyes. Her ears started to instinctively listen to the little filly's cries and the final message of the Sheikh to his daughter. She now wished that she could not speak nor understand Saddle Arabian for this is just too much for her heart.
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"Although our ...*cough*......time as....*cough*..... father and daughter may be short...." The stallion speaks, the blood splattering upon the force shield from his mouth as his injuries finally taking a toll on his body. "No daddy no.....no...." The little filly is now crying, with her mucous coming our from her nose watching her bleeding father talking to her. The pain of not being able to do anything to help her father is the greatest pain that she had ever experienced in her life. "But I feel very fortunate to be your father......" Sheikh Abu Hamza's eyes started to become rather glass-like and hazy as he continued on speaking. He did not have long to live. "Daddy I don't want to go, I don't want to!" "My daughter, I have nothing I can give but this chance that you may live.....*cough*....I pray we will meet again, if He will deliver us....."The Sheikh is now looking at his daughter proudly, but Fatimah could only scream and shout from within the shield, banging her hooves on the shield. Big Macintosh is now looking at the Sheikh in the eye, and immediately recognize a look that says one word; Take care of my daughter for me. The red farmpony could only nod despite the pain in his heart. "Daddy!!!!!" "Mother Gale, send these children of the Earth to a place of hope and salvation and protect them from the harms that would come to them......" Sheikh Abu Hamza chanted an incantation, causing gusting winds to surround the orb. As Fatimah cried out to her father, the injured stallion gives a final smile before the orb launches itself away from the palace with haste.
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Seeing that his daughter is in safe hands, he then turned to the immediate problem at hand. The Eternals surrounded the stallion, and the Emir is now watching the situation calmly. Surprisingly, none of the intruders are willing to go near the stallion despite his mortal wounds. The stallion is now looking at them with a smile on his face, a smile that unnerved the soldier-fanatics.
"The seeds have flown.....we have succeeded. We can't leave Saddle Arabia, or this world, in the hands of you bastards." It was then that the stallion takes a round object with a weird string at the end of it and scrapes his hooves on the string, lighting it up. Sheikh Abu Hamza bin Mohammad Hishamudin of the Remal al-Sahra Al-Khayl clan, The Custodian of Al-Barna, could only smile as a bright light envelops the place.
Big Macintosh, Nurse Redheart, Vinyl Scratch, Amanar and Fatimah could only watch as a large explosion envelops the place where they had just launched and causing the collapse of a small part of the palace. The bricks of shattered marble propelled violently from the explosion as the dust started to settle like a descending fog. All but one of them are unable to express their shock and realization of what the Sheikh did. The only one that could express her shock howled out in such heart-wrenching anguish and pain that it tore the soul of all adults in the orb, their hearts darkened instantly.
The purging of the castle is as ruthless as it is systematic. The cries of the murdered are contained within the castle, with their blood staining the white marble floor. Official history would call this the 'Red Night' and the mass murder is blamed upon secessionist infiltrators entering into the castle and murdering the Council of Elders, culminating in a bomb blast in the castle itself. Emir Shaddam, who was lightly injured in the incident, then proceed to declare a state of emergency the next day throughout the whole of Saddle Arabia to rid Saddle Arabia of the secessionists, plunging the nation into further chaos. As equines battle among themselves, the fate of Saddle Arabia falls silently upon our intrepid heroes.
The night is peaceful in this region of Saddle Arabia, as this region is not engulfed in the insurrection that is now spreading throughout Saddle Arabia. The rocky canyons crisscrossed the land, revealing many rivers which provided the only means of entering into this region. However, above the night skies a single greenish shooting star could be seen crossing the sky, or to be exact descending down into the most treacherous area of eastern Saddle Arabia.
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Meanwhile, in the orb descending down towards Eastern Saddle Arabia.......
"HOW DO WE STOP THIS THINNNGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!" Vinyl screamed out loud as the orb plummets downwards into the canyon. "YOU'RE THE ONE WITH THE MAGIC KNOW-HOW YOU DUMB MARE!!!!!!" Redheart shouted back at the blue-maned mare. Amanar could only act stoically at this moment, as a Janissary in his line of work expects death from every quarter. Death from the skies is not one of them, but there is always a first time for everything. Fatimah is fortunate that she had passes out from the shock she experienced earlier, and thus is not aware of their plunging conundrum. As the two mare bickered on while panicking, Big Macintosh could only pull down his keffiyeh and sighed.
"Eeeyup, we are bucked."
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A rather dull thud could be heard in Eastern Saddle Arabia. It is common knowledge for the inhabitants to realize that the mystical beasts of their region are prone to many bizarre behaviors, and the dull thud could mean many things, and thus most of the inhabitants of this part of Saddle Arabia did not even bother to think about it.
All but one.
The loud tremor in the dwelling of 'it ' rudely awaken 'it' from its slumber and thus 'it' decided to look out to see what is going on. To its surprise, at the bottom of its dwelling, a single large green orb could be seen. It appears that there are several 'things' in it, and as 'it' wondered what it going on, the orb suddenly disappeared, only to reveal its content. Several equines could be seen, and immediately after the orb freed them, the group immediately walked out in a rather dazed form. One of the equines checked everyone while a camel carried what appears to be a little filly behind its back. As they conversed with each other, 'it' is surprised at the group. It is an unusually small but surprisingly close group based upon the observation that 'it' could make regarding their conversation with each other.
Before long the 'caravan' proceed to walk away from their landing site. This weird incident had piqued its interest, and for that 'it will follow them to see this most peculiar of groups.....
The next day................
Everyone is silent as they walked on, not even having the energy to talk about how they have pursued this course of action. Their crash-landing is not kind to them as they have many bruises on their bodies due to the tumbling within the orb. However it did protect them from splattering within the orb itself as it crashes into the canyon and for that they are grateful. After Nurse Redheart ascertained that everyone is alright, they all decided that staying near the site would be unwise and they must head out immediately to the closest settlement. The group have been walking along the river for several hours now, the canyons shielding them from the worst of the heat and rays of the sun.
Amanar could see that the Equestrians are indeed fatigued to the bone, and surprisingly for equines they are rather calm about it. But his experience with equines tells him that this silence is due to shock and soon enough a nerve will break. With the little filly resting on his shoulders, he is worried that the little one will be the catalyst. He prepares himself mentally for that time, and also brandishes his jezzail for the unknown dangers within the canyons. There are too many spots where a raider would be able to hide and ambush them. And then, there is the other dangers that are greater than that of a raider.....
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'It' could see that several equines are walking in a straight line parallel to the river. These equines are smaller than the equines that 'it' used to see, with the one taking the lead being a red stallion with a rather orange hay-like mane with a weird thing around its shoulders. Behind the stallion are two mares, the one directly behind the stallion having a pink mane, while the one behind the pink-maned mare is a weird equine with a long spike protruding out from its forehead and a weird alternating mane color. Behind all of them is a camel with a long weird stick and the camel is carrying a filly on its shoulder. These beings are rather interesting to "it", as this is perhaps the weirdest caravan that passed this area.
Usually 'it' will not bother to follow or do anything to any caravan, for they tend to not take 'it' kindly. But for some odd reason, 'it' wants to observe this group of misfits even more. It looks like 'it' will be going on a trip, to continue on observing this group and see where they will end up.
"We need to stop for a while." The nurse's voice catches everyone's attention and everyone stopped to listen. "We don't really have the time to stop, we need..." Before Big Macintosh could finish his line, the pink-maned mare continued on speaking. "Everyone is tired and if we continue on, we would be collapsing. As the medic of this group I say we take our rest and regain our strength again. We would also need to find some food supplies as well, as we do not know when we will be able to meet civilization. Also it is getting dark, and travelling in this place during the night is not the wisest of decisions. We need to find some firewood. " "Healer right. We stop now, bad stuff night time." Amanar said in his broken Equestrian to support the mare's decision. Big Macintosh wanted to protest, but as he observe the whole group, he realize that the mare is right. Everyone is fatigued to the bone, just like how his sister Applejack was when she decided to harvest all the apples by herself. Her judgment were all messed up and she finally collapsed from the fatigue just because she is too stubborn to take any help from her friends. As an Apple, stubbornness is part of his nature but he is not stupid to ignore common sense either. All of them need to rest.
"Alright, we're resting here tonight. Ah will find the firewood, Amanar you can help in finding food, as you are our best bet in finding something edible here. Y'all mares decide among yerself about what to do." Big Macintosh walks away stoically to find firewood for the night, his back facing them. Unbeknownst to the rest of the group, Big Macintosh is gritting his teeth, controlling his emotions from overwhelming him.
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'It' could see that the group have decided to stop for the night, and 'it' would like to observe this group while it is resting. Suddenly, the camel turns around and started looking at the direction where 'it' is hiding, staring intently at 'it'. Did the camel found out about 'it'? What will the group do when they spot 'it'? Will they hurt 'it'? The camel then turned away from 'it and puts the little filly down on the ground. The camel talked to the two mares before splitting up from the group. 'it' is relieved that the camel appears to not spot 'it' and from the way the camel converse with the others, it appears that no one was alerted to 'its' presence. For that 'it' is relieved.
It appears that Amanar managed to find some edible mushrooms while Big Macintosh managed to find what appears to be some dried grass and some bark lying around to make a fire. With a simple spark from Vinyl's horn, the flame is alight and everyone gathered around the fireplace. The filly is still resting beside the flame. Amanar have tried to wake her up, but she is still unconscious and after Nurse Redheart checking on the filly and seeing that she is fine, they decided to leave the filly alone.
"Must be the shock." Nurse Redheart said. "Sorry?" Amanar asked the nurse, unsure about what is she talking about. It was then that Vinyl started talking. "That's bucked up.....seeing your pops going out like that....no filly should experience that kinda stuff." "Yeah, Ah know how that feels like." Everyone turns their attention to the farmpony after he finishes his line. "You do?" Vinyl asked, utterly clueless and perhaps a little tad insensitive to the situation. Nurse Redheart tried to stop the deejay from further probing the issue, but then Big Macintosh gives a rather weak smile. "Eeyup. But Ah don't wanna talk 'bout it, for those kinds of wounds are the hardest to heal." An awkward silence soon followed the conversation and the only thing breaking the silence is the cracking sounds of the bark burning. "Sorry." Vinyl apologized. "it's fine. We should rest for the night. Ah will take first watch."
As the night passes on almost everyone is asleep but as the first watchpony of the night, Big Macintosh stares intently at the flame, remembering many things. The flames slowly reminds him of a happier time, a time where his parents were still alive. He could remember their voice, their touch, and their warmth. But the memory of that fateful night took them away from him and his siblings, and he could not help but to feel a sharp tinge in his heart. He puts his hoof on his chest, realizing that the pain from the loss is still there after all this years. He smiled bitterly before realizing that more bark is needed for the fire.
While the red pony puts more bark into the flame, Big Macintosh is blissfully unaware of the the mysterious figure that is watching them from the darkness of the canyon.....
Two days have passed since their landing in this forsaken canyon, and there is not a single settlement in sight. Fatimah shows some sign of consciousness, but she is not fully awake yet based upon Nurse Redheart's assessment. Amanar could only hope for the filly's recovery, but even then he knows that if she wakes up, all the pain from the loss will come at her at once. In addition to that concern, he had been feeling another emotion that he is not fond of.
"Hey, does anyone feel like someone is watching us?" Vinyl said to everyone. "Yes, in fact I do. I feel it since first day. What made you feel that?" Amanar said to the unicorn. Sometimes Amanar wonders if the mare is obfuscating stupidity or that she is really just dumb as a brick. But that saying, nothing is certain about Equestrian mares. "Well, for one I love being in the spotlight, and two there's somethin about my horn. Not sure what exactly, but it does do stuff from time to time when something is up." Vinyl rubs her horn, as if trying to soothe an itch. "What do you mean by something Vinyl?" Nurse Redheart asked with a little bit of annoyance but also curiosity in her voice. "I dunno.... something. It is never specific. It could be the cops about to raid my stash of salt, or it could just be that I forgot to buy some cake. I really don't know." Vinyl shrugs, and wonder if it is just a damn unicorn thing to have an itch on their horns when something is up. "Well whatever it is, Ah believe that we still ought to be careful. Saddle Arabia is like the Everfree Forest without the forest." Big Macintosh said as he looked around the canyon. Familiar with the ways of the enchanted forests that borders Sweet Apple Acres, he can not help but to feel that sometimes for a non-magical land, Saddle Arabia has too much magical stuff going on in its borders.
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'It' notices the conversation between the members of this weird group, and their surprising vigilance after that conversation. The camel is always the one 'it' is careful of as the camel is always a little cautious, but this time the equine with the horn is also looking around while scratching her horn. Suddenly the horned equine sneezed and an energy bolt came out from her horn, blasting some of the rocks off the canyon walls. 'It' is terrified by the sudden magical outburst from the horned one. Equines that can shoot things out of its horn? That is new to 'it'.
Whatever 'it' is going to do, never go near the one with the horn. Suddenly 'it' could see that 'it is not the only thing following them. 'It' recognizes what their other pursuers are and 'it' will have to warn the group somehow when 'they' strike.
"Big Mac, you are up....see ya in the morning." Vinyl yawned as Big Macintosh wakes up. It is now Big Macintosh's turn to take watch for the rest of the night. Big Macintosh could only wonder how long they will last as it has been five days since they started walking in the canyon, and they have not spotted a settlement in sight. Big Macintosh could only sigh althought he wonder if they are indeed in the middle of nowhere. To take his mind off the depressing thought, he decides to put more bark into the flame.
As he bends over to put more bark into the flame, a pebble suddenly hits his right cheek hard. Caught by sudden impact of the pebble on his cheek, Big Macintosh immediately turns his head around to the direction where the pebble came from. However his left peripheral vision immediately picks up something moving past him swiftly and a whistling sound could be heard. To Big Macintosh's horror, an arrow is now sticking right out from the ground. If it were not for the pebble, his head would have been impaled by the arrow.
"AMBUSH!" Big Macintosh cried out, and the rest of the group woke up violently to hear the sound of what appears to be a war cry. To their combined horror, they could see several figures coming down towards them, howling as they wield their brutal weapons which reflected the light of the fire. Some of their assailants came out from the ground, catching everyone by surprise.Their attackers all have rather brutish and canid-like features, with some of their attackers are wearing ragged jackets and diamond-studded collars, while the rest wear metal armor and carry lances. Their attackers alternate between walking on their hind legs and all fours, their elongated forelegs giving them a gorilla-like appearance. They also have short and stubby spiked tails. Their guttural speak and mannerism immediately betrayed their identities to the Equestrians, even though their language is almost unintelligible.
"Diamond Dogs?!?!?!" The Equestrians said at once. "I surprise you know theKalb ." Amanar said to the Equestrians as he fired his first shot at the Diamond Dog archer with his jezzail. One of the Diamond Dogs swings its cleaver-like weapon towards Big Macintosh, but Big Macintosh takes a sidestep before bucking it with his hindlegs. The unfortunate victim flew directly into a group of charging Diamond Dogs, stopping their charge. Vinyl went ahead and cast her magic to blast one of them point-blank in the face, causing the attacker to cover its eyes and how in pain.
Nurse Redheart could only rush towards the little filly and picks the little filly in her arms.The filly is still in a daze, or to be exact in shock, though it is because of the ambush or the lingering shock of her father's death is unknown to the pink-maned mare. As Nurse Redheart tries to figure out what to do in the ensuing melee, she could suddenly hear a chuckle from behind her and as she turns around to see a rather large and brutish Diamond Dog with a large club, smiling wickedly at her. She tried to run away, but her hooves were frozen on the spot in fear. As the large Diamond Dog swings its weapon towards the mare and the filly, Nurse Redheart could only close her eyes and expect the inevitable.
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'It' realize that the battle is not going in the way of the caravan, for they are outnumbered and also slowly being weakened by the sheer numbers of those 'things'. It will have to do something quickly to save them from this gruesome fate. 'It' looked at the walls around him and realized that 'it' could only do one thing......
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She was expecting some sort of pain when the blow came, but she is not feeling anything else other than a great tremor vibrating throughout her body. Even more surprisingly, the sound of the chaotic melee are no longer echoing in her ear. Wondering if she is already dead, she tries to open her eyes. To her surprise, the large Diamond with the club is still in front of her, but its attention is now elsewhere. It was then that she also noticed that the raiders are looking at the same direction where the large Diamond Dog is looking at. She turned around to see what have stopped the melee and soon figured out what stopped the blow.
"Holy Equestrian Princesses....." Nurse Redheart said as the rockfall descends upon where they are. One of the large boulders landed right in front of Nurse Redheart, instantly crushing her would-be murderer in a single blow. She managed to turn the filly's attention away from the gruesome death seconds before the impact. Nurse Redheart immediately realize that she will have to get of of this rockfall quickly less she suffers the same fate as her attacker. "What....the....buck......" Big Macintosh could not help but to utter the words that best describe his thoughts at the moment. "RUN!!!!!" Amanar shouted. With the adrenaline still in their body, they started to sprint away from the raining boulders. Dodging every large boulder raining down on them, the group tries to get out of this sticky situation the best way they could. "SERIOUSLY YOU AND YOUR DAMN WORDS FARMPONY!!!!!!! SADDLE ARABIA IS THE EVERFREE FOREST WITHOUT THE FOREST!!!!!!!" Vinyl screamed out as she runs for her life.
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'It' is glad that the rockfall managed to thin down the attackers significantly as the caravan is outnumbered twenty to one. Nonetheless, 'it' did not expect that there would be so many boulders falling down on the attackers, endangering those 'it' want to protect. For that, 'it' is unhappy. Nonetheless, 'it' could see the group zigzagging across the rockfall without much difficulty, and it is glad that the whole caravan is able to get themselves out of it.
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Vinyl managed to jump out form the last rock falling down in the nick of time, and as the boulder crashes behind her she drops down on the ground and skids a little before stopping. She could already feel the pain from skidding on the ground, but that is a small price to pay as compared to the alternative condition; death . As she look around her, she is glad that Big Macintosh, Nurse Redheart, Amanar and Fatimah were able to get out from the rockfall intact and breathing. Unfortunately for the raiders, it seems that none of them managed to get out alive.
"Seriously....this is so much horseshit." Nurse Redheart cursed out loud. "Hey on the bright side, two negatives added together equals to a positive." Vinyl said to the nurse. The nurse replied with a stare sharp enough to pierce Vinyl on a stake. "We need move fast. Could more coming." Amanar said stoically, and amazingly without even panting after that sprint. "Eeyup." Before long the entire group started to move with haste away from the area in order to lose any potential Diamond Dog pursuers.
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'It' is managed to locate the group, and for that it is relieved. Luckily the group has a very peculiar scent which allows for 'it' to track them down. 'It' will have to be a little more careful now, as 'it' does not want to hurt its new interest......
'It' has been observing them for a time now, and so far nothing too dangerous have decided to rear its ugly head out for 'it' to feel the desire to intervene. The group proved to be even more interesting that initially expected as it seems that the little one is now awake. For some reason, the little one is unhealthy or something and the others are concerned about the little one. Now that 'it' started thinking about it, they did came to this land in a very peculiar way. Did they escape from something? Why are they out here in the first place?
It was then that 'it' notices something that is rather unpleasant. 'It' was so distracted that 'it' did not realize the inherent danger that the group is about to get themselves into. 'It' realize that 'it' may not be able to hide any longer.
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Ever since the attack, everyone has been even more silent than before, but none more so than Fatimah. Although it is a relief that she is now conscious, but her silence is perhaps just as disconcerting. No one is sure how to actually talk to the filly other than to ask if she wants to rest, eat or drink. Her replies consists primarily of nods and shaking her head, and if there is something else other than the two, she remains silent. Vinyl is perhaps closest to the filly, but even she is at a loss of words. This is not a situation where she could crack up a joke and expect the filly to laugh and cheer up. This is something that takes a little bit of finesse, and Vinyl is sadly not a very delicate person. Nonetheless she must try.
"Heya guys....I know that everyone's feeling down.....so if you guys wanna talk about it....do tell me alright?"
Suddenly, everyone turns their head around in Vinyl's direction. Vinyl was wondering if that small talk even worked until she realize that that the rest of them are looking at her direction with rather shocked expressions. She wondered if she have said something wrong, until she realized that there is a big shadow covering all of them like a blanket. As she turned around, she soon realized the reason for their shock.
Standing right before them is a large creature, standing as tall as twelves stallions and thrice as wide. Comprised of a chain of boulders-like sections, each section of the boulder have a massive rock spine coming out of them ending in a long sharp point, but with a blunt tip. The being's elongated forearms and short hindlegs give it a similar appearance to the Diamond Dogs, with each limb ending in a thumb and two fingers. The beast appears to have many scrapes and chips on its boulder-like body, with its tail appearing to be almost chipped to a sharp point. The head of the being is rather massive, with its jaws being large and wide with a large rocky spine on its head with two rocky ridges running going from its eyes up to the top of its head.Two large gashes could be seen on its left cheek up to its eye, forming a 'V' on the left part of its face. Surprising for a being of its size every step of the bipedal being is silent as a dropping feather, and as it stares intently at everyone with its set-in flaming blue eyes Vinyl could not help but to comment about the situation.
"Um...guys.......I think it is looking at us really funny....." "What the hell is that thing!?!?" Nurse Redheart hissed, not daring to make any sudden movements. "Suhlia....Stone Lizards....." Amanar hissed back. "That bucking thing is a lizard?" Vinyl hissed back at Amanar. As Vinyl looks back to the creature, the creature have starts to curl into a ball and rolls towards their direction. Soon enough, the blue-maned mare ran as fast as she could with her hooves. Before long, everyone else also started running for their lives. As they make their escape, they proceed to try and get a plan going on that will keep them alive.
"Ah don't think we could keep running fer long!" Big Macintosh could not help but to feel that his muscles are burning as they are running, and if he is feeling the burn he dare not imagine how the two mares and the camel with the filly on his back would feel. "Any way we could defeat it?!?!" Vinyl started shouting to the rest of them. "Will bucking it work?!?!?!" Nurse Redheart shouted as well, looking at Big Macintosh. "Ain't nobody got time for that!!!!!" Big Macintosh could only voice out his utter disbelief at the situation. No way is he going to stop and try and buck something that is as large as a dragon. "Kick not work. Not same as Mah'salaz. Too heavy. And..." Amanar contributes to the conversation, all the while trying to see if he could prepare his jezzail. "And what?" Before Vinyl could even get her answer, the large creature gives a deep and bellowing roar and suddenly the spikes on the creature are propelled indiscriminately throughout the entire surrounding, causing collateral damage unlike anything that they have seen so far within Saddle Arabia. All of the managed to dodge the spikes that were heading towards them, jumping or dodging just right in time.
"It shoots spikes!?!?!" Nurse Redheart shouted in surprise. To the nurse's surprise, the rolling mass is now regrowing its spikes once more. "Bucking great I tell you! We are gonna get shot and then run over by that rock lizard! How I love our holiday here in Saddle Arabia! " Vinyl could not contain her sardonic state of mind about the situation, and wished that she have not decided to get that particular item to boost her music.
Vinyl could only hope for a miracle to come out from this rather dangerous situation, for her body is now buckling under the pressure of her muscles giving out. Suddenly she trips upon a rock and soon loses her balance, and the others watch in horror as she tumbles down on the ground. As she looks up, the rolling mass of doom is now approaching her with haste and she could only close her eyes and accept that she will be as flat as a pancake in this forsaken desert land of Saddle Arabia.
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Finally, 'it' manages to catch up with the group and not a moment too soon. it could see the weird equine with the horn on the ground in the direct path of the rolling monster and it looks like she could not escape in time. 'It' is going to intervene now, even at the cost of 'it' being shunned and feared. 'It' starts to dive down to stop the monster from running over the horned equine, gaining velocity and the momentum needed to stop the monster in its track.
With a simple push, 'it' manages to divert the rock-being away from the equine into the river and 'it' decides to follow suit to prevent the creature from regaining its composure to attack the group again.
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Vinyl could immediately feel a strong gust of wind blowing through her coat and also her mane, which cause her to open her eyes. The dust from the resulting gale is monstrously huge, but she is more surprised that the large rolling creature is propelled in the air towards the river, and as she watches she could see what looked like an unnatural swirling movement of air moving out from the dust storm. As she watches, the dust trails behind this swirling air as it heads towards the river where the rock creature finally lands in.
Big Macintosh's hooves are now upon the unicorn's shoulders, and even though she could hear his voice, but her attention is elsewhere. As the dust clears up, she could not help but to watch the struggle between the large rock lizard and what appears to be something that she could not even begin to comprehend. The 'thing' is utterly formless, with some of the water in the river slowly enveloping, or to be more exact, flows within the 'thing'. All she could feel is the great gust of wind that results from the struggle between these beings, and the tempest is indeed a sight to behold.
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"Are ya alright Vinyl?" Big Macintosh repeatedly ask Vinyl, but her attention is now focused upon the two beings now fighting in the river. Big Macintosh could not help it but to wonder what is this new creature, as there is no such creature in Equestria that is utterly formless but yet having a certain form to it. If Big Macintosh could describe the thing for the time being, it would be that the thing is consisting of several solid, whirling vortices of wind. As the gust of wind blows throughout the entire area, he could see that the others are now beside him watching the spectacle. "What is that?" Fatimah finally voiced out her first words in a while, and the little filly could not help but to be amazed by the clash between these two primal beings. "Marid......" Amanar could only say the name with a great amount of respect and reverence. The others realized that when Amanar is utterly in awe, this 'thing' must be a very rare sight even in Saddle Arabia.
As the stone creature bellows with rage and struggle with every ounce of energy, the gales of wind within the canyon becomes even stronger. The rocks from the cliffs soon starts to break away from the canyon walls, and the water within the river rises up to pierce the heavens like a lance. Big Macintosh, Vinyl, Nurse Redheart, Fatimah and Amanar hug each other to withstand the swirling winds within the canyon as the dust storm envelops the area. The howling of the winds only become louder with every second, and the group could only wonder when this will all end as the winds are so strong that everyone could not open their eyes.
Suddenly, the howling sounds and the blows of the winds stopped as suddenly as it started. One by one, they all opened their eyes and the can see that the stone lizard is no more. A sudden downpour of water soon rained upon them, and as they watched, the water slowly allow them to see the form of their savior as the being made out of wind reconstitute itself. The original shape of the being is very peculiar; a point-down teardrop set atop a 'T' shape. It was then that the figure shrinks down to a much smaller size and as a gentle breeze starts to descend upon the valley, the water is contained within the whirling vortex to hold an equine-like form.
Big Macintosh and the others could only watch as the being made out of both water and wind slowly walks towards them, walking upon a body of water as if it is solid ground. Even though this ethereal being's presence is nothing like any pony have ever seen, but the presence of the being is a rather calming one. However that did not elevate their caution about this new being. It soon made it to dry land and started walking towards the group.
Before long the being is now standing before them, being as tall as that of a Saddle Arabian stallion.
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'It' is now watching the group up close for the first time, and 'it' soon realize that the group is still awed by its presence. But there is also something else in the group's eyes; suspicion. 'It' wanted to assure them that 'it' meant no harm, but 'it' does not speak the language of the equines in any way. 'It' could only attempt to speak to them in the only way 'it' knows how, but 'it' highly doubt that they would understand. The worst that could happen is that they will try to attack it, and the best situation is that they will run for their lives.
Things had always happened like this........
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A series of complex sounds of hauntingly beautiful and gentle swooshing sounds and whistling passes through Vinyl's ears and they are telling her that there is something in the sounds of the wind. It seems that there is a certain timbre, or to be exact 'colors' in the sound. The sound that the being make is exhibiting a rather warm and gentle sound to them all, as if to comfort them. Even though there is no words in the sound, but Vinyl knows that there is something in the sounds of the wind. Suddenly this reminded Vinyl of a time a long while back between her and her father .....
"Daddy why do you always whistle when you are doing stuff?" Vinyl asked her father. The white stallion with the electric blue mane turns around, noticing his little filly looking up to him in the kitchen. The stallion had just returned from his trip abroad, and this is the first time both father and daughter are together in months.
"Well my little pumpkin, that's because I am happy with what I am doing." Disco Ball says to his daughter as he prepares the daisy sandwich for both himself and his daughter. "You could have just say that you are dad....." Little Vinyl gives her dad a deadpan look. "Well dear, sometimes things are hard to say or that it needs no saying." "But....that's dumb dad. How could there be something that you could not say what it is?" "Well try this sandwich." The stallion hovers the sandwich using his spell to the mouth of the little filly. The little filly soon gives it a little bite.
To the filly's surprise, she is unable to explain the flavor of this particular sandwich. It is mild but has a difficult to describe, its aftertaste lingering on in the little filly's tongue.The little filly's mouth is filled with saliva, a sensation of furriness on the tongue is stimulating the throat, the roof and the back of her mouth. The little filly's magenta eyes are wide with excitement. Disco Ball gives his little daughter a wink, knowing well what she is experiencing.Soon enough, the stallion kneels down to the eye level of his daughter and rubs his hoof on her mane. The little filly could only chuckle as she enjoy the feeling of her father's warmth, and giving him a smile. Disco then looks at his daughter, his eyes wise and sagely.
"I just got myself some weird spice from Neighpon during my gig. They say that this is the taste of the gods, or as they say umami. It is a weird feeling for sure, but you know that it is delicious right? And what about that giggle? It shows that you are happy right? See Vinny, you don't need to tell people in words about how you feel. As long as you put your heart and spirit into it, people will know what you are telling them. Always remember that, Vinny...."
Realizing what is going on, the electric blue-maned mare did the only thing she could; she started whistling. Initially her pitch is rather shrill and high, which caught the being by surprise but she then adjusted it to a point where it is calm and gentle, melodious to the ears of everyone else. Vinyl conveys her feeling of gratitude from the bottom of her heart, hoping that the core feelings reaches the being.
"Vinyl, what do you think you are doing?" Nurse Redheart, hissing in a rather panicky voice. Fortunately for the pink-maned mare, it appears that the being is not bothered by her gesture to Vinyl. "I am trying to talk to this thing....could you just give me a break here? Vinyl hissed back. "With whistling? Do you ever think that it is just luring us to kill us or something?" The blue eyes of the mare is now staring at the magenta eyes of the deejay with a great amount of disbelief and suspicion. "You know, if it did want to do that...it would have done so a long while ago." Vinyl retorts before continue on to whistle again. "Um....what in the hay are they doing?" Big Macintosh could not help but to ask what is going on. "Amanar believe Vinyl very confusing all time...." Amanar is utterly lost for he had never seen such madness before his eyes. "They are apparently talking in whistle Big Macintosh. Never thought I would see such nonsense happening." "But it sounded like it is fun." Fatimah points out, pulling the mare's tail gently.
The mare wanted to say something to the little filly, but then the little filly points to the figure who is now standing right in front of them. Nurse Redheart turns her head around and could not believe the being's reaction. The being is now tilting its head, first to the right and then to the left as if trying to comprehend what is going on. The being then starts to nod its head, as if understanding Vinyl's whistling. Before long the being started to respond with its own sounds, the sounds appearing to be very cheerful and even more intricate than the ones before.
Vinyl then proceeds to whistle even more, very excited that the being is communicating with her. Soon enough both parties are apparently conversing in a rather complex and even intelligent conversation with each other. It was then that for some reason, Big Macintosh could finally understand how everypony else view a general Apple family conversation,as all the drawls and weird idioms of a pure Apple family cant is almost impossible for others to understand. Everyone else but Fatimah are utterly shocked by how this rather dangerous situation turned into something very candid in a split moment. After a while, the tension is indeed at a all-time low and Vinyl then decides to break out from the conversation.
"Heya guys, it seems that this dude is trying to say that it means no harm to us and is asking us if we are alright. For some reason he wants to hear it from the horse's mouth." The others just looked at each other with a measure of surprise and also confusion before they turned to the being. Nurse redheart really wanted to ask how on earth does the unicorn even understand what is going on, but the farmpony intervented with words of his own "Eeyup, thanks a lot." Seeing that the momentum of the conversation had changed, she decided that it is the best that she followed the flow. "We are fine, thank you." Nurse Redheart replied, while Amanar and Fatimah could only nod to show their state of well-being and answered in their own language, thanking the being. The being tilts its head sideways as if to comprehend what the Equestrians were saying, but when it heard Amanar and Fatimah speaking in Saddle Arabian, it gave a bow. Soon enough the nurse pulled the deejay away from the being, and started to whisper to each other. Apparently the being understood Saddle Arabian, Big Macintosh said to himself.
"How the buck did you even managed to understand what it is trying to say?" "I dunno, I just know it from the bottom of my heart." Vinyl looks at the mare, as if it all makes a lot of sense. "What do you mean the bottom of your heart? It does not make sense at all. Not a single bit of sense." Nurse Redheart emphasize the last part very directly. "Well, as my daddy once said; you don't need to tell people in words about how you feel. As long as you put your heart and spirit into it, people will know what you are telling them." Vinyl gives the other mare a nudge and a wink, which only serves to confuse the other mare even more than before. "What....I....you.....are.....unbelievable." Nurse Redheart could only facehoof at the unicorn's answer. Vinyl gives a shrug and decides to leave the mare alone to reconstitute herself.
Before long, the group is at ease enough with the being that they are all trying to communicate with it. Among all of them, Vinyl is the most proficient , being able to speak to the being and understand what the being is saying. Nurse Redheart, after managing to calm down, followed the example of the Saddle Arabians started to converse to the being Saddle Arabian. The creature apparently understands Saddle Arabian, but could not speak in their language for obvious reasons.
That leaves the red stallion with utterly no way of talking nor understanding this bizarre creature. Big Macintosh soon ask Vinyl to help it converse with the being to ask about the being itself, primarily that of its intentions and also its name if it have any. Soon enough several short burst of whistles and blowing winds erupted between the two. Vinyl then turns her attention to Big Macintosh once more.
"Well, I did kinda ask it about what it is called, but the sound is kinda hard and it will make no sense to you guys. I think I am going to call it Zephyr. Quite a cool name for such a character don't you think?" Vinyl gives a grin to everyone else. "Wait a minute Vinyl, you can't just call something that already has a name to some name that you like." Nurse Redheart protest, but then Vinyl gives the mare a rather deadpan expression, and she explained in in a snarking manner. "Oh so you reckon that blowing his name would be any easier for you guys? From the sound of it, its name is *Deep and complex whistle, with a vibrating, falsetto pitch*. You think you guys could even whistle that well?" Vinyl's point is sound and the nurse mare could only relent as that kind of whistling is just out of her league. "What 'bout its reason in helping us?" Big Macintosh asked. "I will be honest Mackie, I have no idea. Its kinda hard to understand it, but it sounds like its is curious about us." Vinyl shrugs, which does not help in Big Macintoshs trust in the being. Nonetheless, it is only civil to thank those that help you, as Granny Smith once told him.
"Thanks fer the help, but we have gotta leave now." Big Macintosh said, but the being fades right before their eyes, with the figure breaking apart, leaving the water which gave it form to splash on the ground while the wind blows away from them. Vinyl could only look at the general direction where the being disappeared and gives a rather wide smile.
"What's up Vinyl?" Nurse Redheart asked the blue-maned mare. "Hm....Zephyr's gone with the wind. Geddit?" Vinyl nudges the other mare while winking, causing the other mare to groan rather loudly at the lame pun, while the other members could only lament at the joke in varying degrees of anguish. Before long, the gust of wind returns. The winds started to make sounds again, and this time everyone knew that the being is back with them. "Hey guys, I think Zephyr wants to follow us." Vinyl say. "Wait.....that is not part of..." Big Macintosh wanted to protest, but Nurse redheart puts her hoof on his lips. "Better that it is on our side than it is pissed at us." Nurse Redheart could only give a shrug. Big Macintosh could only groan as he realize that he just saw that 'thing' just make short work out of the thing chasing them with ease. "Alright, Zephyr can follow us." Vinyl gives a wide grin and started whistling sharply, as if calling it to follow them.
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The white horned equine started making those sounds with her mouth again, and it appears that she is asking 'it' to follow them. This group is indeed a very interesting group, for they did not fear 'it' at all and in fact is willing for 'it' to follow their group. For that, 'it' will stick with them as the group is so much fun.
"I would be very pleased to join your group, weird horned equine." Surprisingly for 'it' this is the first time that 'it' is able to converse with someone in this manner, as no one is able to talk to 'it' in such an extensive fashion before. 'It' definitely feels like 'it' is talking to another of its kind. The equine once again responded, and 'it' could definitely feel her appreciation of its gratitude. The other members of the group did not even bother to say anything, and proceed to just keep on walking. The weird horned equine gives 'it' a smile.
"Alright Zephyr, welcome to the herd." The weird horned equine said to it. If 'it' has facial expression it would be giving the weird mare the same expression that she had given it. Alas, using its elemental powers to keep its form prevents it from any more finer movements, and due to 'it' being made out of wind, any subtle movement would cause its current form to crumble.
Zephyr....that will be its name from now on, and 'it' likes the name.
It has been two weeks since the purging within the palace, and the dark being masquerading as the Emir could only marvel at the ease of taking the throne by pretending to be the beloved leader of Saddle Arabia. Nonetheless, there are those who managed to escape the purges, and they are still out there. given time, these individuals could grow and thrive and will threaten the Great Plan like a weed. But their whereabouts are currently unknown, and that is the main cause of concern. As the 'Emir' sits upon his throne, he could only wonder how he would be able to root out these vermins. It is then that the Lord Eternal entered into the throne room, and immediately the Emir knew that it could only be good news. As the Lord Eternal bowed down before the Emir, the Emir could not help but to give a wide smile.
"Milord, we have good news. We have found the location where the Equestrians are heading to. The location where the sphere is goiing is Eastern Saddle Arabia. Your orders?" "You know what I will say, Eternal." The Emir said sinisterly. "Yes Milord, I will see to it that your will be done." The Lord Eternal rises up and turns around to walk out form the throne room. However before he could do so, the Emir stopped him. "Oh and please do send 'that' to hunt them down." It is then that the Emir started laughing, and his reedy voice soon gave way to a much more deeper and fuller serpentine voice that echoes throughout the room.
The Lord Eternal could do nothing but to heed his master's command. Once the doors of the throne room are shut, a hooded figure appears before the Lord Eternal.The Lord Eternal could only look at the figure with an overwhelming disgust, but yet his master have requested that this 'thing' will be sent to Eastern Saddle Arabia to track those Equestrians down. Before long both of these figures are now walking side by side away from the throne room and the Lord Eternal handed in three vials to the hooded figure.
"You have work to do. Take these and find them. Bring them back to Saddle Arabia. Do you understand me?" The Lord Eternal's orders were met with a gurgling sound that is utterly disturbing. Immediately the figure passes the Lord Eternal and disappeared down the hallway. The Lord Eternal could not understand why his master is willing to let that wretched thing roam so freely within the castle after its 'birth'. But his lord is wise, and for that he will obey his orders. All for the sake of a better Saddle Arabia.
Meanwhile in Eastern Saddle Arabia.....
With the arrival of the newest member in the group, Big Macintosh could not help but to feel that for some reason he is a weirdness magnet.He then starts to think about the group's composition; A farmer, a nurse, a deejay, a camel warrior, a little Saddle Arabian-Equestrian hybrid that never takes off her veil, and now a thing that is comprised of the air itself that he could not see at all but is apparently with them as it always 'whistles' and have the winds blowing on them whenever it is around. He is not even sure as to how they will be able to enter into any populated area without causing alarm. On the sarcastically bright side, if this is a kid's action show he could already name out the main roles; the 'leader', the medic/smart one, the comic relief/magician, the lancer, the kid, and the big guy. The only problem is that unlike most 'leaders', he is chosen by default as he is the one that is the link between the Saddle Arabians and the Equestrians. The weird being of wind is just there for the ride, and somehow he would rather keep it on its good side less they all are gone with the wind.
As the others gather the firewood and the necessary items for their nightly rest and meal, Big Macintosh pulls out the black orb out from his clothing. This is the item that Sheikh Abu Hamza had given him, to help his daughter. Big Macintosh could only sigh as he takes out the other item that the Sheikh have given him, the pendant shaped in a stylized Saddle Arabian writing. He gives a rather dejected look at the two items and his mind could not help but to voice out the Sheikh's voice as an echo within his head.
My daughter will be confused and scared and I want you to be the stone that keeps her down and remember who she is. When the time comes, I want you to unseal this orb. All you need is to just tap the Mark of the Steward on the orb, the sultry regal voice of the Sheikh is as clear in his mind as the first time he heard it in his ears. The red stallion then taps the Mark of the Steward upon the or, but nothing came out from it. This frustrates the stallion even as now his thoughts are truly preoccupied by the interpretation of these weird clues.
There is also the question about why the Sheikh trust him so much to the point that he got these items in the first place. Even now he is utterly clueless about the Sheikh's plans, and now that he is dead, he might never know what is going on anymore.
Stupid cryptic fool..., the stallion said to himself. He does not even know what is the significance of the black orb in the Sheikh's plan to be Emir. All he wants to do is to get out from this place, but in order to get out from Saddle Arabia, he will have to crack the most difficult puzzle that he had laid eyes upon.
Suddenly he could feel a breeze around, and he hurriedly hide the items in his clothing. He looks around, trying to pinpoint the presence. The winds started blowing gently again, and a calm whistling sound from the winds could be heard from an arm's length from him.
"Whaddaya want Zephyr?" Big Macintosh is always unnerved by the inability to see the being other than to feel the unnatural breeze and the melodically blowing sounds of the wind. The farmponys's ears picks up the odd melodious symphony of sounds that arise from the being, which he does not understand at all. As he tries to comprehend what the elemental is saying to him, he realize that the elemental is now also silent. It seems that both of them are finding it difficult to communicate with each other.
Among the entire group, only Zephyr and Big Macintosh could not communicate with each other properly as neither understands nor speak the language of the other. It is then that the elemental decides to move some of the rocks in a straight line, with an arrow head pointing towards a certain direction. Big Macintosh notices the rock formation and as he look at the general direction of the rock formation he sees the rest of the group gathering around the flame with some mushrooms impaled on a stick.
"Ah......Alright Zephyr, Ah'm comin'....." The wind blows again, the wind feeling rather short and chillingly sharp for a moment. It seems that Zephyr is annoyed that it took the farmpony this long to understand what it is saying, and there is another blow of wind. Big Macintosh could swear that the elemental just gave him a pout. Big Macintosh then slowly walks towards the group, and sits between the little filly and Nurse Redheart.
"Here you go Big Mac." Nurse Redheart passes him a freshly roasted mushroom on a stick. Big Macintosh takes a small bite out from the spartan morsel before continuing to talk. "Thanks, Red." Somehow,due to the nature of their names, they felt that it is prudent to call each other using nicknames. "So...any idea what we are going to do once we reach a settlement? I mean, we are not a very subtle-looking group you know? "No clue fer that one Red. Ah mean....finding the settlement is one thing, but getting in would be tough. Windy here could pass somehow as it is invisible, but it will be odd when there's wind where it shouldn't have any wind. Vinyl's horn is impossible to hide and she sticks out like a sore thumb." "No I don't!" Vinyl protested, but the others gave her ho heed. "From looks, best avoid big city. If Emir has magic, he safe. He order traitors kill. We traitors, remember?" Amanar said in his blunt, monotone voice.
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"I wonder what happened to our caravan...is everyone alright....." The soft voice of the filly suddenly paused the others into silence as she spoke in Saddle Arabic. It is Amanar who first talked to the filly, speaking to her in their native tongue. "Milady, they will all be alright. Lord Abu Hamza have told everyone to leave once we start to get into the palace remember? Right now they should be returning to our stronghold." The camel tries to comfort the filly, but his demeanor made it that he is trying to rationalize without any hint of emotions. "What if they get caught before they returned home? What if they are all dead?They might all have died like Daddy! Don't you understand? As you just said we are all traitors now! What if they are out to get everyone just so that they can get to us?!?!?! Huh?!?!? Daddy is already gone, he died for me, he died for everyone!!!! I don't want to see anyone dying anymore, I can't take that anymore, I...."
Fatimah is now sobbing, her olive green eyes are now watery and her soft voice is trembling with her concerns. The other members of the group are now watching as the filly's facade starts to crumble. The Janissary tried to calm her down, but to no avail. Fatimah's words are now laced with venom and grief as she expressed herself. Her eyes are now flowing with tears and her gaze is piercing through the camel like emerald spears.
"What do you know? You Janissaries are all orphans that are taken to become bodyguard! You have no idea what family really is! All you know is killing and murdering, you must have killed so many people's daddies!" The little filly is now shouting at Amanar, but Amanar could not do anything but to take the verbal assault of the filly. He wonders what will Sheikh Abu Hamza would do in a situation like this....
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As the little filly started shouting and cursing in Saddle Arabic, everyone is now feeling uneasy especially Vinyl. Vinyl knew what is going on, but nonetheless she asked Nurse Redheart about what the little filly is saying. Once Nurse Redheart translated the conversation, Vinyl knew that the dam has finally broken in the filly. She has not griefed for her father properly throughout their time in this blasted place, and she is holding everything in for the sake of everyone else. Vinyl could only feel the pain of the filly's heart and she could not take it anymore. The maternal side within her sparks her to rush towards the filly's side and hold her tight in her embrace.
"What...are you....doing...LET ME GO!!!!" The little filly started to struggle and hammer her hooves on Vinyl's chest. Even though it hurts, but Vinyl is not going to let Fatimah go. As the filly struggle even more, everyone else is now just watching the two in their struggle. After a while, the filly started to tire, and the physical abuse that Vinyl receives from the little filly's hooves lessened. "There, there kiddo.....calm down. Vinny's here for ya...." Vinyl starts to pat her hooves behind the little filly's back, like a mother trying to calm a crying baby, her voice warm and kind. "How....can...I calm....down....." Fatimah's voice starts to tremble, and soon enough a steady stream of tears are flowing down her cheeks. Before anyone could even say anything, the filly started to cry out loud and buried her head into the mare's chest.
It was then that the filly's veil starts to slip away, and for the first time Big Macintosh and Nurse Redheart could see the filly's face. The filly is a rather beautiful filly, her coat is the finest of white silver with a long flowing mane, and her pale, light greyish olive eyes are now wet and red from all the crying. Suddenly, they could see that something is moving from underneath the little filly's and to their surprise two silver wings slip themselves out from the little Sadddle Arabian's clothing to wrap itself around Vinyl in a warm embrace.
Both of the Earth ponies are stunned, as this is not what they are expecting at all. Big Macintosh knew that her mother was an Equestrian, but he did not expect to see a pegasus filly. For Nurse Redheart it is the fact that Fatimah is an Equestrian shocked her, and now it make quite a lot of sense why the filly always avoided the offers of taking baths with her. Zephyr could only whistle as it sees the wings of the filly, and indeed for the being, this group have just become even more interesting than before.
"What in Equestria....." Nurse Redheart mutters, still shocked by the wings. "Well, Fatimah mother Pegasus. Big Macintosh, Sheikh told you about Fatimah mother Equestrian no?" "Yes, yes he did......but of all the...A pegasus." Big Macintosh could only say with amazement.
Big Macintosh's mind is now racing, finally putting in some of the gaps in the puzzle that is the Sheikh's agenda. When the Sheikh explains to him that he wanted a better world for Fatimah free from fears against unknown threats and violence by becoming the Emir, this is what he meant. The little pony is essentially heresy given form, and for that she will be killed unless there is someone above all the laws of Saddle Arabia. But as with every mystery drama that Big Macintosh have seen on the television, something is wrong somewhere. Especially with the orb that is now in his possession does not fit anywhere in this puzzle at all. While Big Macintosh is deep in his thoughts, Nurse Redheart continued on asking.
"This does not make sense....Isn't it a crime for a Saddle Arabian to....with a non-Saddle Arabian?" Nurse Redheart finally voiced out her thoughts. "Yes, it is crime. Hence why only Sheikh, Big Macintosh and me know, but Macintosh do not know Fatimah half-pegasus. Now everyone here know......" Amanar said as he have a dejected look on his face. It is then that Amanar realized that the unicorn is not a single bit surprised by this sudden reveal. The Janissary was about to inquire about the lack of reaction from the unicorn before vinyl silenced him with her own words.
"Let a little filly some time to grief. She's been through a lot. " Vinyl turns her attention to everyone, her gaze having a great sense of maturity and responsibility in contrast to her normal carefree eyes. Even Amanar dare not mess with Vinyl at this state, for there is a saying in Saddle Arabia that when a mother is comforting her child, not even demons could intervene between them. Vinyl is no mother, but she is now comforting a child like how a mother would which is close enough for the Janissary.
The filly had literally cried herself to sleep, and as the flames cackled Big Macintosh is now looking at Amanar. The farmpony knows that the Janissary has some knowledge about what is transpiring in this web of confusion, but how much does the camel know about the plans of the Sheikh? Will he even tell anyone about it? These are questions that Big Macintosh wants answers to so that he could complete the puzzle.
"Hey, Amanar.....can you tell me more about the kiddo's mother?" Vinyl's question surprised everyone, including the grizzled veteran. "Mother Fatimah?" Amanar asked the blue-maned deejay. "Yeah....I would like to know what kind of mare is she. How does she look like, how does she behave....y'know, all those kinda stufff." Amanar paused for a little while before he decides to speak up. "Lily Petal is peace." "Peace?" "Never angry, never scared, never blame. Always kind, always help. Very smart, know people inside well. As we say ' Like prophet'. " Amanar gives a rather bitter smile as he say those words, reminiscing over a time that had since long passed. "Wow, that amazing of a lady huh? So....does kiddo here looks like her mom?" Vinyl asked as she combs the little filly's pale grey mane. "Yes, she looks exactly like Lily Petal, coat and mane. Only eyes different, as Lily Petal has brighter green eyes while Fatimah have more dark color." Amanar smiles as he talks to the deejay mare.
Wait a minute....., Big Macintosh said to himself. He takes a good look at the little filly from where he is, and realized that Fatimah is essentially a miniaturized version of the mysterious pegasus mare in his dream during that fateful night. He is not entertaining the idea that Fatimah's mother had visited him in a dream, but yet his time with his sister and all her 'Element of Harmony' friends taught him that things do happen in the most mysterious way possible. This only made the entire scene in his dream even more bizarre. What is the meaning of .....
"A battlefield filled with broken weapons and blood and a heavy rain washing the blood away...." Big Macintosh accidentally voiced out his thoughts and the two mares are now looking at him, wondering what on earth is he talking about. The stallion was about to apologize when he notice that Amanar is paler than before. "Amanar are you alright? You don't look well..." Nurse Redheart asked the Janissary. However, the Janissary is not paying any attention to the mare as his attention is now upon the red farmpony. Big Macintosh immediately turns his attention to the camel, but as soon as the stallion looked at him the Janissary turned his gaze away from the stallion. "I have rough night. I rest." Amanar deflects both the inquiry by Nurse Redheart and also Big Macintosh's gaze in one move and lies down on the ground.
Big Macintosh is now certain that Amanar knew something about that image. This means that the image that he received in his dream is related to Sheikh Abu Hamza's scheme, but he is uncertain as to how it is related to the rest of the puzzle pieces that he have so far. The Mark of the Steward, the weird black orb, the dream, and the Emir.....these pieces are the key to understanding everything here and why on earth is he given this task.
Vinyl is up for the watch tonight, and as she stroke the little filly's, she wonder about how did she ended up being such a nurturing figure. If she is back in Equestria, she would not even be bothered with the little fillies. But yet, this filly has touched her heart in a way that she could not even begin to explain. She looks down at the filly and noticed that the filly is crying in her sleep. Vinyl could not help but to feel bad for Fatimah, for the pain of losing her father is still in her. Perhaps a lullaby of sorts would make it easier for the filly, even if she is sleeping. Vinyl pats the little filly with her hooves gently as she sing a song for the sleeping filly. The song is calm and soothing, but it has a rather sad but hopeful tone to it.
I can feel this memory of the courage and faith of loving someone deeply, And it entwines our hearts and makes them come alive.... A bright light shines and awakens us, It gets up noisily and imprints itself in that place....
Inerasable scars, shaking in fear and loneliness, Shrinking away from existence..... Thick despair attacks; even on nights when I’m plunged into darkness. If only my prayer is heard, I’ll believe forever....
The sure pride in our hearts guides us, Spread our wings and fly into the sky you pictured so vividly. A bright light shines and awakens us.... It gets up noisily and imprints itself in that place, I’ll believe forever.....
Let go of the you who is exhausted from weeping, Your prayer has been heard..... Move on to the future, The road carries on with no end, Shine bright......
It seems that the idea worked after all, as the filly's tears have stopped. Vinyl could only give a sigh of relief, as her song did managed to do something after all. It is then that Vinyl's eyelids decided to have plans of their own, and Vinyl's vision blurred into the darkness.......
"What the buck? Where am I?"
Vinyl finds herself in the middle of a battlefield, where mangled ad mutilated bodies are scattered across the dune with weapons sticking out from the dune like tombstones for the fallen. She looks up to find that the skies are darkening above her, giving a rather ominous sign. Soon enough several lightning bolts could be seen striking the battlefield, scaring the mare a little. She is definitely feeling uneasy about this place, and magic is as magic does; it is just bucked up. A heavy downpour came down upon the battlefield, soaking the mare in rain water and as she looked around the blood started to wash off the bodies and stained the white sands a deep crimson. The description of the scene is exactly the same as that slip from Big Macintosh, and this itself causes her mind to raise several warning flags.
I am sorry to bring you here, but it is important that I speak with you.
Vinyl could only wonder who just spoke to her and she started to look around. Suddenly, she could see a figure walking towards her. To her surprise, the figure is how she imagined Fatimah to look like when she is all grown up, with a rather beautiful and pristine monochromatic coat and mane of grey. The figure's otherworldly presence is further enhanced by her translucent jadeite green eyes which pierced through Vinyl's heart like a sharp spear, filled with great kindness but at the same time great sorrow.
"Whoa......you're the kiddo's mom aren't you? Lily Petal right?" Vinyl asked the figure, apparently unafraid of the figure. It seems that you know who I am....., the figure answered, giving Vinyl a smile that is both blissful and graceful. Vinyl could not help herself and smiled back. "So....how did you do this mumbo jumbo? You are like Princess Luna with this nonsense" Vinyl is now looking at the figure, examining her as much as she could. For some reason, there is a weird white corona of energy surrounding Lily Petal giving the pegasus an ethereal presence. It is best that you do not know.......however there is something more urgent that you need to know. "Ur...okay? So....whatcha wanna talk about?" Your role is coming very soon Bard, and for that you will have to find strength for the times ahead. I am giving you the knowledge to find this strength, but the rest is up to you...... , The soft-spoken voice of the mare is filled with a great amount of urgency. "Wait....whaddaya mean by that? And what the buck is this knowledge and this strength thing?" Vinyl asked the pegasus, but she did not get the answers that she wanted.
Instead, Lily Petal touches her hooves on the unicorn's horn and Vinyl's mind is filled with the mental images of the Eastern Saddle Arabian landscape, and the images finally focuses upon a particular rock-cut building carved from the canyon walls. Four colossal statue decorate the facade of the temple, each holding a large feather and are seated on a throne and wearing a weird crown, The facade is topped by a row of baboons, their arms raised in the air, apparently worshiping something.
Vinyl could understand that this is some sort of mental map to a particular location, but she is clueless to the significance of the location. Her mind is also bombarded with the stanzas of a poem or something, as she could see some words that makes no sense. Initially the poem was in Saddle Arabian, but then a voice could be heard reading the poem in Equestrian.
In loudest din or hush profound, The Lumenize catches evil's slightest sound. Let its illuminating sound display its might, For the dark things cannot stand the light.
As she wonder what all of these mean, a bright light flashes before her eyes and she was pulled forcefully from the odd realm of the dream world.
Vinyl wakes up with cold sweat on her forehead, and starts to look around frantically. Everyone else is currently sleeping, with Zephyr's rather peculiar mini-tornado circling around the river's edge. The little filly is still sleeping quietly in her embrace, and Vinyl could not help but to look at Fatimah for a considerable amount of time. The ruins, the weird poem and the filly's mom really caused some uneasiness within the mare.
Seriously Saddle Arabia is a bucked up place, can't even sleep without something bucked up coming my way....., Vinyl thought to herself.
The words of the Eternal lieutenant reaches into the Lord Eternal's ears. The Lord Eternal could only be amazed and be fearfu of the speed in which the 'thing' could reach the lands of Saddle Arabia. No possible living being could traverse to Eastern Saddle Arabia within a day without any magic carpet, but this 'thing' is no normal being.
A product of madness and anger, the being is an unstoppable being that even more heartless than the cruelest of Eternals, and definitely more abominable. More of these things are being made even as he thinks, for this is the secret weapon that would prove instrumental in subduing the rebels and even take over the other nations surrounding Saddle Arabia. Based upon what he had seen the thing did to the Sheikhs that are hiding within the palace during the purge, a legion of them is utterly a terrifying force.
"Very well, we shall move on at once to the Palace of Thorns. We shall ride the carpets within three hours." The Lord Eternal is adamant that he needs to monitor this being, as he does not know what this being is capable of without the presence of the Eternals. But one thing is definitely certain; the hunt is on for the Equestrians and may Ista have mercy upon them.
"Yes Milord." The Eternals said, heeding the commands of the Lord Eternal.
"Ah buck not again.....can't I get a normal sleep after that dumb dream last night?"
Once again Vinyl finds herself in the odd place from the day before; a corpse-laden battlefield with weapons sticking out from the ground like trees. However this time is rather different as she can now see that the rain is not present, just a dark cloudless sky filled with ruby-colored stars. Each star are as different from each other as how each pony is different from each other, and each having its own unique glowing hue.
As Vinyl observed the red stars and marveling at its sublime beauty, the stars started to swirl and move in a way that is impossible for the mare to comprehend. Vinyl could only watch in disbelief as the red stars gathered together to form a glittering road of stars above her. The path of stars glowed with a fiery crimson, unrivaled by any flame and its red glow descends upon the dreamscape, staining the land blood-red. Before long the landscape started to change once more, annd the battlefield is no more, and all she could see is a great sea of dune covering the land.
"What the buck?" Suddenly, Vinyl could feel the presence of a particular entity alongside here. She turns around to notice the monochromatic pegasus staring at the red starry path. Lily Petal, the mysterious mare did not even turn to the unicorn mare as she observe the skies above her. Seeing an opportunity, Vinyl was about to ask the mare about the odd formation of stars in this dreamscape, but the pegasus mare preempted her question with an answer.
"The Bloodpath is an omen of change, though for the better or the worse is lost upon me. It seems that a great change is about to happen." The mare known as Lily Petal said as her eyes watches the skies in the dreamscape solemnly. "Change? What change?" Vinyl asked, but Lily Petal paid no heed to the unicorn's question. "The Bloodpath only comes when there is a time of great uncertainty, and a need for a guiding light to shine in the darkest of moments. The journey ahead is fraught with great peril, but it is the flower that blooms in adversity that is the most beautiful. "
Just as Vinyl was about to ask the pegasus another question, Lily Petal fades away like a morning mist leaving her voice to echo through the dreamscape. Vinyl soon realize that it is the weird poem that flashed through her mind the last time she was in this weird place.
Where now are the line of Asar? Why do thy kinsfolk wander afar? All because the line is crossed, Causing Asar's line to be lost.
Amidst the eternal waves of time, Out of the abyss peer the eyes of a demon. From a ripple of change shall the storm rise, Causing madness and the loss of all reason.
The demon soars through the dark skies, Its shadow turning equines upon equines. Such was the spread of fear and death, that salvation is the realm of the deaf.
In loudest din or hush profound, The Lumenize catches evil's slightest sound. Let its illuminating sound display its might, For the dark things cannot stand the light.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken, A light from the shadows shall spring. Renewed shall be blade that was broken, The crownless again shall be king.
Just as the mare's voice disappears, the battlefield starts to contort and swirl around, causing Vinyl to run away from the whirlpool of confusion. But as hard as she galloped, she could not escape the gaping maw of the dreamscape collapsing around her. She could feel her body being pulled and twisted apart as she screamed and screamed.
Vinyl wakes up to find herself wet in cold sweat. She looked around to see that everyone is still sleeping, except a simple whirling wind lifting up a small strand of sand up to the air. It appears that it is Zephyr's turn to watch for the night. The Equestrian decided to whistle to ask Zephyr about its night, but the wind-being's melodious reply is a little harder to decipher than usual followed by a melodious tune that is akin to a shrug.
Vinyl feels that there is some deep stuff going on with the wind-being but could not truly comprehend the message. Indeed, she could only say so much when it comes to Zephyr's trademark 'Windspeak', as Vinyl decided to call the speech for the past few days. She could only understand the emotions, not the true meaning of the words. In a way, it is both easier and difficult to understand Zephyr. She definitely felt a sense of loneliness from her ethereal companion, a sense that it yearned for something to be a part of its life again but must bear with it and move on.
"You must have said something deep, but I got no idea what you just said." Vinyl said while shaking her head. It was then that she could feel a 'whirl' within her mind. What is this sensation in her mind, she wondered. She never experienced such an unusual feeling, especially when it is within her head. As suddenly as it came, the sensation is gone from within her mind. She wondered what the weird sensation is all about, but soon gave up on interpreting it and tried to go to sleep. In the end the unicorn mare did not even sleep a single bit throughout the night.
Vinyl is definitely rather fazed by the dream that she had the night before, for she is not really talking much at all like she always do. What is the weird place? What does the weird poem has to do with anything? And what is the Lumenize? Is it even a real word? What about the Bloodpath? However there is a greater annoyance than her thoughts; her horn.
Once again her horn is really itching, and she decided to move aside to one of the canyon walls to scratch that horn. The group paused for a while, hoping that it will only take a second for her to do her weird thing, but it becomes a rather long wait as the unicorn scratches her horn on the wall with such sound that the sound is audible to the rest of the group.
"Hey Vinyl, could you cut that out, the sound is really irritating...." Nurse Redheart said annoyingly. Indeed the farmpony is also gritting his teeth at the scratching sound of the unicorn, and could only hope that it stops sometime soon. "This itch....must relieve....too intense...." Vinyl said, trying her best to slow down her scratching. "Hurry up, or we'll leave ya behind..." Big Macintosh said half-jokingly. "Seriously if you guys leave me...."Suddenly Vinyl feels a pulsating ripple within her horn,
After a split second, her ears are picking up echoes of what appears to be sound made solid. As she wonders what on Equestria is going on, she then realize that her horn is now glowing with such radiance that it almost drowns out the sunlight that is shining down on the valley. It is then that the light starts to recede down to a particular shape, but one which the mare could not see.. Everyone is a little dumbfounded, but the little filly decides to walk up to the mare.
"Vinny.....is that an....arrow floating above your head?" Fatimah asked the mare. "What the?" As hard as Vinyl tries to see the floating arrow, she is unable to look at the shape of the arrow. "What the heck does it mean?" Nurse Redheart asks the other two adult in the group. "Ah dunno, Ah am no dictionary..." "Big Mac, dictionary is a word reference. You want to say an encyclopedia." Nurse Redheart's correction is not heeded by the others, as Amanar finally says something. "Why arrow?" Amanar's question is as profound as it is simple, for the purpose of this particular magic materialization is a rather odd one. As Vinyl tries to turn around to figure out what on earth is going on, the camel and the two Equestrians are helping her figure it out. It is then that the little filly proposes something.
"Why don't we just walk and see what happens to Vinny's arrow?" "That's a mighty sound idea..." Big Macintosh reasoned, and soon enough the group starts to move again. Everyone's eyes are now on the arrow that is floating on her head. Vinyl likes attention, but not the kind where people just stare at you like a freak. This went on for a while, and Vinyl was about to say something about their stare when the others shouted at once. "IT MOVED!!!!!!!" "Say what?" Vinyl asked. "That arrow........it is acting like a compass or something." Nurse Redheart said, looking at it. "But point where?" Amanar asked the group. Vinyl's mind immediately remembered the odd dream that she had, but she decided to not tell everyone about this less they say that she's crazy.
"Ur.....maybe it is supposed to lead us to something." Vinyl tried to say unconvincingly, but it appears that it worked. "So....Vinyl, you know what this means right, Vinyl?" The nurse's words did not click initially in the mind of the deejay, until she realized what she is implying. "So.....I am now a damn artifact detector?" Vinyl groans once she voiced out her thoughts. This is not how a mare should go about her life; being a damn artifact detector. "That's kinda cool Vinny! I wish I was a detector too!" The little filly did not understand then greater scope of this quest, and her enthusiasm is vibrant as the Saddle Arabian sun. Zephyr could only create sounds that sounded like laughter to Vinyl's ear. Vinyl wanted to scold the ethereal being for making fun of her, but she knows that if she was in its situation she would be laughing as well to someone else's misfortunes. She decides to hold her tongue for now. The other soon laughed at the mare, before Amanar decides that enough is enough.
"Lead way." Amanar said to the unicorn. Vinyl grumbled a little before she took the lead and soon everyone else is following her hoovesteps.
From among the crevice of the canyon, a mysterious figure wrapped in tattered clothing is now watching the Equestrians walking with the unicorn leading the group to an unspecified location. The figure's face is wrapped with bandages leaving nothing exposed to the elements, and its hood and cloak only serves to disguise the figure's shape. The figure disappears away from sight without the group noticing its presence.
As they were crossing through a particularly difficult terrain to navigate, the monotony of their journey was broken when Zephyr gave a very loud whistle and soon enough everyone are now looking at Vinyl. To be exact, they were looking at the arrow-spell that is floating above her head as if it was Princess Celestia herself.
"So.......what is going on guys?" Vinyl asked everyone else. "Well Vinyl, I guess it is trying to say that 'X' marks the spot." Nurse Redheart points out, but with great reluctance. Indeed, except for Vinyl everyone could see that the arrow is now pointing downwards towards the ground. This would ordinarily be good news, but the problem is that they are now at the edge of a cliff and below them is a whole lot of jagged rocks down a particularly deep ravine.
"Anyone got any rope?" Big Macintosh ask a question that he knows the answer to. Sure enough, the others shake their head, and Big Macintosh wonders why did he ask that question in the first place. This will be a rather perilous journey down to their unknown destination, or so the red farmpony thought. the answer to their dilemma comes from the unlikeliest member of their group.
"Zephyr can just levitate everyone down, right Zephyr?" Fatimah said, and then she starts to speak in Saddle Arabian to the ethereal being. Before long, Zephyr replies in its trademark speech pattern and the farmpony still wished that the elemental could just speak Equestrian to make life easier for everyone.. "Well, I guess Zephyr says yes." Vinyl translates.
The figure in the tattered robes watches as the individuals in the group are being levitated one by one inn a gust of wind and slowly descends down the cliff. The being is not even fazed by apparently magical method of their travel, but instead descends down to follow its quarry.
As they descended down towards the darkness, their lives are now under the sole control of the elemental, and any wrong step by the elemental will lead to their untimely deaths. At the same time they are also relieved that Zephyr's skills is such that they are still alive, and the weird apparition's glow is so bright that it lights up a certain amount of darkness surrounding them.
None feels the particular maelstrom of emotions and thoughts than Vinyl herself. All of this arose from her particularly odd dreams, and their significance to this turn of events is too great to be called coincidences. Is this stupid arrow leading her towards the Lumenize? Or is it leading her towards some other weird nonsense? Why is Lily Petal appearing before here, and what the heck is she babbling about? Before she could let her thoughts go astray, a voice snaps Vinyl back to the fabrics of reality.
"Hey, I know this may sound very odd, but is it me or the arrow is now pointing at the canyon's walls?" Nurse Redheart is pointing towards the weird arrow. Big Macintosh, Amanar and Fatimah eyes are now upon the weird apparition, the arrow now glowing brightly than ever before at the facing of the canyon. "Now what?" Amanar said, but then realized that when Equestrians are present things get a little messy. "Ah'mm gonna do what Ah'm good at. Tell Zephyr to bring me closer." Realizing what is about to happen, Vinyl immediately whistled like there is no tomorrow, and soon enough, Zephyr is bringing the rest of the group away as it brought the red stallion closer to the cliff. With a little help, Big Macintosh's hidlegs are now facing the rock exposure.
Big Macintosh had done this a million times with apples, and once with a Rhinoceros, but this time even he is pushing the limits of what an Apple could do. The farmpony breathed in deeply and exhaled all the air from his lungs, and this he did a few times. As he reached into his happy place of sorts, he could feel a mental image entering into his mind; a little green apple descending down the void of his mind. As the apple floats down his mind, Big Macintosh opens his eyes and soon enough the apple shatters in a bright light. Without a moment's hesitation, the stallion bucked as hard as he could.
A few moments later.......
"Dayum Big Mac, I never seen you bucked that hard before! I never knew that I would see the day where a move from a fighting game would just pop before my eyes!!!!!" Vinyl's excitement is not lost on the others for they have just witnessed a single pony breaking a hole into a cliff with a single buck. Although the unicorn mare was disappointed that the mysterious magical directional arrow is still floating above her head, but for now Big Macintosh's bucking distracted her from said apparition.
Nurse Redheart could only wonder what on earth the Apple Family eat to have such ridiculous strength running down their family. The pink-maned pony however is more preoccupied with the current structure that they are currently in. The mysterious pathway appears to be equine-made, as she could see several support pillars made out of stone supporting the tunnel. The walls of the pathway is polished to an unnatural smoothness, with several weird inscriptions carved into the walls.The language upon it appears to be a rather archaic version of Saddle Arabic, and the meaning of some of the words are entirely lost on the educated scholar.
"I know some words, but some are entirely lost upon me. Amanar do you know what this is all about?" The camel warrior looks upon the writing and reads intently for a while before he turns his attention on the pink-maned mare.
"This story of founding of Saddle Arabia. Very old story of Saddle Arabia. Emir Asar unite Saddle Arabia, and his line rules for time till one down the line, name Ibrahah struck with madness. Kill Emir Khalid, fourth in throne, and kill most of family. Family runs. Ibrahah ruled for time, but he crazy want to kill all other Asar line. He use dark magic, kill land and many lives dead. Mad Emir use dark magic to make himself live long life and powerful. Four Sheikhs from four great clans, one from north, south, east and west come together and defeat mad Emir. Sheikh from north, being leader of rebellion became Emir. Emir line, Al-Shikal clan rule to this day." Amanar said with a little more expression than usual in his monotonous voice.
"So if the clan of the north is the Al-Shikal clan.....what are the other clans that helped the Al-Shikal clan?" Big Macintosh asked. "Clan of south is Remal al-Sahra Al-Khayl clan, and clan of west is Tukiye Al-Alliye. Clan of east is Al-Dhannam." Amanar said curtly. "So what happened to the Asar line? You did say that there are survivors....." Nurse Redheart asked the grizzled camel. "No one knows." The Janissary answered with a shrug. "That tale sounds epic, but too bad your Equestrian kinda sucks or else you could give some more awesome juicy stuff!" Vinyl said without even holding back.
Amanar is not offended by the somewhat rude remark of the unicorn, but he did realized that the unicorn is a little less cheerful than her usual self. Perhaps it is the burden of the weird magical directional arrow floating above her, the Janissary reasoned and thought no further about the matter . Vinyl however could not help but to relate the entire story into the weird poem from her dreams. The line of Asar gone? That relates to the first stanza of the poem, and she starts to feel a really cold chill down her spine. Her time in Equestria only serves to mess around with her sense of coincidences and kick them out of the window, shattering her common sense. She believes that everyone else needs to know about this, something else interrupted her before she could even muster the courage to say out the truth.
The directional arrow floating above Vinyl suddenly changes its shape into an orb and slowly moves away from Vinyl. The orb floats in front of the group, as if to beckon the group to follow it. Without anything to go by, they have only one choice to take.
As the orb leads them onward into the darkness, Big Macintosh is deep in though once more. More pieces of the puzzle falls into place of the grand picture, but still there are many missing pieces. It does not help that the dream of the broken battlefield may relate to the myth of Saddle Arabia's founding but it still does not explain the pegasus in his dream. Who on earth is she? Why is she in his dreams? What is the meaning of the message given by the pegasus mare? He needs more pieces to solve the puzzle, but those do not come so often. “Guys check it out!” Vinyl said, and soon enough Big Macintosh’s attention is at the same direction as the rest of the group. Big Macintosh immediately recognized the weird bell-like plant,
Suddenly, the farmpony could see a light at the end of the tunnel, and this raises many red flags in the stallion. His sentiment is shared by the other members of the party and Amanar is the first to prepare his jezzail, aiming it at the end of the tunnel. However, the orb of light floats gently towards the light and disappears in the embrace of the light. Slowly but surely, the group finally closes in upon the end of the tunnel and they are truly amazed by what they are seeing before their eyes.
A large chamber that defies belief greets their eyes, the ceiling mimicking the night sky set with glowing turquoise crystals as stars and the moon, while a large lake lies beneath the starry ceiling, littered with clusters of metal discs. In the middle of the lake lies an improbable object; A whitish metallic tree, larger and taller than any equine-made structure. Its silver branches branches out from the tree like artieries and pristine, and on those branches clear diamond leaves spreads like a sea of clouds above the lake of silver.
The light from the glowing crystals reflects itself in the diamond leaves causing it to cast a glow upon the lake and lighting up the structure. Sitting within the cradle where the branches meets the trunk, lies a structure shaped like a blossoming flower. The structure however was obstructed by the other branches, making it hard for the group to discern the nature of the structure within the large tree. They son realized that they are all standing at the mouth of the tunnel, facing a quay jutting out towards the lake.
"The White Tree.....Tomb of Asar the Magnificient." Fatimah finally found the words in her mouth to say to the rest of the group. "Wait a minute......a tomb? Aren't there supposed to be like.....traps or something?" Vinyl asked the Janissary. " 'The silver lake surrounding the White Tree purges those not worthy of meeting Asar the Magnificient' as Abdul Sinnar said in The Records of the Historian......" Fatimah answered the unicorn mare, apparently quoting a book.. "How does a lake purges..." Before Vinyl could even complete her sentence, Nurse Redheart cuts in.
"You are looking at it. The lake...it is liquid mercury. When you leave mercury in a trapped space for very long time, mercury form a very poisonous gas that will cause chronic poisoning. We should be dead by now, but thanks to our 'friend' we are still breathing. Guess that is why it was leading the way before the fumes proved to be too much for us." Vinyl notices that Nurse Redheart is pointing around the passage and as Vinyl turns around, she soon realized why. At the peripherals of the entrance, a dim glow of light has formed a barrier between them and the quay.
"Look to your left Vinyl to see what I mean." Vinyl turns to her left , and down below the sheer drop Vinyl could see a pale, yelllowish, alabaster body of a stallion floating right next to them. It's eyes were an odd greyish blue, and the stallion's tongue is jutting out while the mercury stays stagnant in its mouth. Vinyl wanted to scream but her voice did not escape her throat and all she could do is just open her jaws, and turn a whiter shade of white.
"Cause of death would be mercury poisoning, based upon his facial expression. Horrible way to die, though it is interesting to see a mummy in here, but I am not surprised. Dropping into the lake of mercury after the poisoning and being immersed in pure mercury would have inhibit any bacteria due to the lack of water, thus preventing the normal decomposition process to begin. Would also explain the weird discoloration." Nurse Redheart said monotonously while Vinyl could looked at the nurse with a sense of disgust, disbelief, and awe.
"How the hay are we supposed to get to where we need to go if we are going to die the second we pass the barrier!?!?" Vinyl said with much reason, and also with much screaming. " 'The light will let those pure of purpose to go through the silver lake unharmed,'' or so they say in the legends." Fatimah said uncertainly. "Okay, that's it, I want to know the rest of this damn tomb before I even start pissing myself." “Well, it is going to be a long tale…..” Fatimah said with a smile.
Forged from the molten weapons of all the conquered tribes and clans of Saddle Arabia and its leaves the finest, most pristine diamonds in the land, the tomb of Emir Asar the Magnificient, the White Tree stands tall amidst a ceiling studded with glowing magical crystals to mimic the starry skies of Saddle Arabia and a great lake of silver. Such was its unparalleled beauty, but it is only rivalled by its unparalleled peril. The tomb was only accessible by those worthy of being in the Emir’s presence.
The silver lake surrounding the White Tree purges those not worthy of meeting Asar the Magnificient, and only the light will let those pure of purpose to go through the silver lake with their lives. Once they had passed through the lake and enter into the White Tree, they will be met with three challenges; the Test of the Body, the Test of the Mind, and the Test of the Heart and failing any one of those will be paid for with the challenger’s soul. Only when all three tests were passed, were they be allowed into the grand tomb and be in the presence of Emir Asar the Magnificient.
“So let me get this straight…..not only will we have to get through the poisoned gas and the mercury, but we also have to go through three challenges or lose our lives?” Suddenly,Vinyl raises her forelegs as if she is flipping a table, unable to contain her disbelief and frustration. Fatimah could only laugh as she watches Vinyl fuming, but the perils that lie ahead were not lost on the other two Equestrians. Whatever it is that they are looking for, it will be within the heart of the White Tree. “There’s no way to test out if the myth is true, and the barrier is the only safeguard we have.” Nurse Redheart pointed out and soon enough everyone is silent, wondering how they could get to the White Tree alive.
Big Macintosh is now taking a deep breath and wonder how he will be able to overcome this challenge. As he thought deeply about the promises he made to his family and the Sheikh, he wondered if he has the resolve to do so. He also wondered about everyone with him right now, and if he is able to protect them. The more he thought, the more his conclusion comes to a simple answer; Someone needs to do it no matter what, and he is not a pony that would step down from a fight. Instinctively his hooves started to move by itself and slowly brrough him towards the barrier as everyone else is deep in their own train of thoughts. Just as Big Macintosh steps in front of the barrier, Nurse Redheart notices the stallion’s attempt and before she could stop him he walks through the barrier.
Nurse Redheart extends a hoof out to grab him in vain, while Vinyl closes her eyes while covering Fatimah’s eyes. Amanar could only watch in horror as he sees the stallion slowly passes through the barrier. However to their surprise, Big Macintosh passes through the barrier without any incident and stopped after he crossed the barrier. The red stallion is still standing, and very much alive. Soon enough, the red stallion started to talk to them, with a smile on his face.
“Looks like Ah got some weird glowy barrier thing ‘round mah body right now. Guess it is keeping me alive. As mah Pa once said, if ya ain’t gonna take the first step, ya ain’t gonna go nowhere.” Everyone else just looked at the stallion with disbelief, but it was Nurse Redheart who first shouted out.
“YOU DUMBASS! YOU SHOULD HAVE TAKEN CARE OF THAT FINE, SEXY, TONED ASS OF YOURS!!!” By the time the nurse realized the words that were coming out from her mouth, it was already too late. Vinyl is already rolling on the ground laughing, while Big Macintosh turns a darker shade of red.
“What's so special about his ass?” Fatimah’s response only caused Vinyl to laugh out even louder than before, while Amanar decided to not even participate in this situation. Soon enough, Big Macintosh could catch a very familiar object from his peripheral vision and as he turns around to greet it, he could not help it but to smile.
"I guess ya the light in the myth huh, little weird arrow thing?" Big Macintosh said to the orb of light, expecting a sort of reply from the orb. Alas the orb hovers in front of him, waiting for Big Macintosh to move. As big Macintosh takes a few steps, he notices that the orb is still hovering at the spot. Realizing what is going on, Big Macintosh turns around and give a reassuring smile.
"The little thing is waiting for all of ya to come along. Don't be scared, believe in me who believe in ya." Big Macintosh extends his forelegs to the group, beckoning the group to follow him.
Nurse Redheart could not help but to feel empowered by Big Macintosh's words, and she also felt something else in her. What that feeling is she is not sure, but nonetheless she does believe him with all her heart. Without any hesitation, she takes the first step towards the barrier.
With everyone across the barrier and surrounded by a mysterious aura themselves, they walked down the quay following the orb of light. As they travel down the quay, they see many more bodies floating within the sea of quicksilver and they could finally see that the silver discs are not discs at all, but metallic replicas of water lilies at full bloom. Subtle traces of blood could be seen upon these metal lotuses, and indeed upon some of the lotuses, corpses lie on them slashed and cut.
"Nasty stuff right there...." Vinyl said to herself, but apparently no one else heard what she said. None dare thought about what happened for that to happen exactly, and they continued on down the quay. It was a very long walk, and the silence is only broken by the sound of their hoofsteps. Little by little they make their way towards the end of the quay.
As they reached the end of the quay, they all realized something ; there is no way to cross the quicksilver river to the mausoleum. Suddenly, they felt a slight rumble and a pathway of silver soon rose from the quicksilver lake. The orb hover onward, and seeing that they have no other choice but to go forward they followed the orb down the silver pathway.
The group stopped short of the structure and gaze up in awe and alarm. The White Tree looms over them like a grand mountain, and the mangrove-like roots of the structure supporting a hollow base. Within this base there are many columns, creating a large central area. In this central area the branches and limbs of the tree form a natural spiral staircase. Vinyl could only give a snort and everyone else just looks at her.
"Alright......who would want to walk up a fucking staircase to a friggin' damn mountain why we could fly?" Vinyl said, her logic crude but sound. "True, who knows if the steps are booby-trapped." Nurse Redheart added, agreeing with the unicorn. "Alrighty, lemme play scouty with Zephyr here. Lift me up." Within seconds, Vinyl is enveloped by the pillar of spinning air and was well on the way up. As everyone watches, the unicorn ascends slowly but surely. Suddenly a yelp from the unicorn catches their attention, and before long the column of air descends down once more.
"What's wrong Vinny?" Fatimah asked. "I dunno kiddo, there some weird invisible ceiling or something blocking our path up." Vinyl rubs her head to ease the pain. "So, that means we must use the staircase whether we like it or not." Nurse Redheart says and points towards the steps, and Big Macintosh could only nod at the conclusion. Deep down, everyone knows about the apparent dangers of the path ahead and when they start to walk up the White Tree, there is no turning back. Everyone is now looking at each other, and all of them have the same look on their face. Suddenly all of them just burst into laughter, except Amanar who just give the group his best smile.
"Yelp, you need to work on that dude. Look like you got hit by a cart. Besides that.....are you all ready to go?" Vinyl asked everyone with a rather confident smile. The first one to answer is their ethereal friend with a rather sharp whistle, ecstatic and in good spirits. "Eeyup." Big Macintosh answered. "Yes." Nurse Redheart followed after the red stallion. "Yeah." Fatimah smiled, and all of them are looking at the Janissary waiting for his verbal confirmation. "Indeed." The Janissary nods his head. Without further delays, all of them begin their first step, or in Zephyr's case the first blow, on the great staircase to the top of the White Tree.
"You know guys, we know that we are gonna get three tests or something right. What do you guys think those tests will be?" Fatimah asked as they walked up the steps of the White Tree. It has been hours since they first began their climb, but oddly enough it has been very uneventful. "Or for that matter, why do we need to be tested to see the mausoleum?" Nurse Redheart asked. "No idea, but we find out pass door." Amanar said in his monotonous voice, pointing towards a large, foreboding door in front of them.
Suddenly the door opens itself with a creaking sound, and everyone could see the darkness within. Big Macintosh could feel that something is waiting for them within, and he does not like it a single bit. If given a choice he would not even step into the room, but alas there is only one way forward. With a single brave step, Big Macintosh decided to move into the room. Suddenly from within the darkness, something latches itself upon the red stallion's neck forcefully. Before he could even warn the rest, the chain pulls him into the room to the shock of everyone else.
"BIG MAC!!!!!!" Nurse Redheart screamed as she lunges forward. "WATCH OUT!" Amanar shouted and in a blink of an eye, jumps forward and pushes the pink-maned mare away from the entrance. From within the darkness, a chain with a metal collar shoots forth and latches itself on the neck of the Janissary and pulled him into the room as well. Before Vinyl could scream out, the door closes itself immediately, preventing the mares and filly from entering the room. Nurse Redheart was utterly shocked and fell to her rump, while the other two just held on to each other.
With a big thud, Big Macintosh fell down on the dark, cold floor. Utterly surprised by the turn of events, Big Macintosh moves his hooves around his neck where the weird sensation grabbed on his neck. He immediately noticed that the thing clamming around his neck is smooth and circular in nature, and at the back of the weird clamp, there is a chain-like leash. Suddenly he could hear another object falling beside him, and a grunt immediately betrays the identity of the object.
"Amanar is that you?" "Yes, weird collar came grabbed me. Got clue?" The Janissary's question is a valid one, but one in which the red stallion can not answer. "Nnope."
Suddenly a loud booming voice can be heard echoing from the dark abyss around them and the red stallion and the camel realized that the sound is a pulsating, booming sound. It was not long before the camel's expression changed to a grimmer expression. Big Macintosh knew then that they are in a very bad situation, and as if to emphasize the point an increasingly bright fiery glow is now manifesting before their eyes.
In the center of the glow, lies a smoldering throne with a towering griffon-like statue of jet black iron resting on it. Its plated, segmented body are as sharp and menacing as it looks with talons curved in cruel crescents, its blade-like pinions folded close to its body.
Suddenly the glow slowly seeps into the metal statue, gathering at the very center of the statue. It was then that within the center of the dark figure's chest, a deep, burning pulsating glow beats like a wardrum deafening the Janissary and the stallion. Tendrils of acrid smoke and flying cinders enwreathe it like a dark crown like an ancient god incarnate and its slitted eyes of empty darkness soon glow with malefic splendor.
As it slowly rises from its throne, its massive form is fearsome to behold as it spreads its cruel sharp pinions., Bubbles of fiery ichor burst and solidify upon its incandescent skin and wings. The massive heart-like glow quickens and its metal flesh pulses with life. Molten iron boils through its veins, and it slowly drips upon the floor burning the floor with every drop, the hissing sound dulled by the beating sound. The loud beating sound of its resurrection is finally broken by its wrathful roar of bloodlust, burning away all doubt from the minds of the two mortals about the nature of the beast; that it is is filled with unholy joy in anticipation of battle and a murder-thirst that must be sated.
"We fight." Without a moment's hesitation, the Janissary quickly draws his jezzail and aims it at the monster. "Eeyup." Big Macintosh replied.
Vinyl, Redheart, Fatimah and Zephyr had been trying to pry open the door with all their might, but to no avail. Nurse Redheart is now on the floor in utter disbelief, and her mind plagued with guilt. If she did not foolishly step forward, Amanar would not had jumped forward to be leashed by the weird contraption into the dark room. Her pale skin become even whiter than before, wondering about the fate of Big Macintosh and Amanar. Fatimah could only look at the door as she is not strong enough to even do anything. However it was in this moment that the little filly realized something.
"Um......guys?" "What's up kiddo?" Vinyl turns around, wondering what the filly saw. "The door is filled with words.......a story actually." "What's the story....about?" Nurse Redheart finally regained her senses, and she looked at the filly with eyes wanting to know the fate of those trapped within. "Let's see......." Fatimah squints her eyes to see the faded words inscribed upon the door.....
It was truly a sad day for the fledging kingdom when consumption had taken hold of Emir Asar, and indeed it hurt his subjects to see their ruler slowly wither like an aging flower. As Asar passed to Ista's realm, three of his greatest servants wondered how best they could protect the kingdom after his death, for Asar's had many sons all highly capable and worthy of the throne.
Horakhty, the leader of Asar's grand army suggested that a legion of warriors shall rule the country and keep all the discontent factions under control. Djehuty, a great sorcerer whose wisdom and knowledge helped Asar forged the empire of Saddle Arabia suggested that magical incantations and wards shall be used to alter the mind to rule the kingdom as one. However it was the greatest servant of Asar, Anput, the first and wisest of Asar's advisors, a sage beyond compare that provided the solution.
Give them a test, Anput said for he reasoned that Asar admires the martial prowess, intelligence and spirit of anyone that meets his exacting standard. Who else would know of these values but themselves? Only those that had wade through all the tests shall be called Emir.
But what of successors of the next Emir? Surely he shall have sons of his own, Djehuty reasoned. Then we shall make a test that will last for all eternity,Anput said solemnly. How shall this be done? Horakhty asked, curious about this most enigmatic of solutions.
Anput's answer is not one that the others could even conceive; those who seek the rulership of Saddle Arabia need to visit the tomb of Asar the Magnificient, and be granted the regalia in which to rule the lands. However, since they are the ones that know Asar the best, they shall be the custodians and judges of Asar's values. They shall make the ultimate sacrifice and bid themselves to the tomb for an eternity, and shall judge those worthy of the throne.
Like clay the three of them shall be molded and forged in the furnace. The three of them shall be of iron will and steel sinew. In great armour shall they be clad and with the mightiest weapons they will be armed. They will be untouched by plague or disease; no sickness shall blight them. They shall have the wisdom, strength and integrity that no successor unworthy of the throne shall best them. They shall be the bulwark and defenders of Saddle Arabia's soul, the pillars of its values.
The tomb shall be the symbol of the great empire of Saddle Arabia, and the tomb itself shall show both the magnificence and dangers of empire. Like seeds shall the successors be grown, those unworthy or weak shall be purged by being in the mere presence of the tomb. Like growing plants they shall be given the tests to be deemed worthy to grow and climb ever higher. Once they had passed all the trials and tribulations, only shall they be shined upon by the radiance of Asar himself and be granted the laurels of rulership.
Thus the three of the greatest servant of Asar gave their essence and soul to create these means of testing those who shall be Emir. The culmination of this tool for finding the proper Emir of Saddle Arabia became the White Tree. The great lake of silver shall root out the weeds not worthy of leadership, and even if they passed the lake, they shall be tested by the three greatest servants of Asar the Magnificent.
The first of the test shall be presided over by Horakhty himself in the contest of which he earned his dark fame; The Leash of Life. With the fiery rage, he shall purge those deemed unworthy of facing Asar and only those worthy in martial prowess shall cool his heart to let them pass to partake in the second test.
Fatimah finishes reading aloud the wordings on the door, leaving the others silent.
"I have read tales of the Swords of Asar, but I didn't...." Fatimah's expression is one of surprise, followed shortly by a greater understanding. "The Swords of wha?" Vinyl asked. "During unification of Saddle Arabia, Asar the Magnificent was aided by three blood brothers; Bloody-hoofed Horakhty, Djehuty the Wise, and Anput of the Voice." "You sure know a lot for a filly....." Vinyl said, scratching her hoof on her head. "My father taught me a lot." The filly smiled. "What.....is the Leash of Life?"
The pink-maned mare's question was answered with a deafening roar filled with murderous intent erupted from within the room, causing much alarm in all of them. With haste, all of them redoubled their efforts to open the door.
The iron colossus immediately charged, the metal ground beneath them tremble with every step and the combination of clanking sounds of the armour and its stride along with the boiling, hissing sound of its burning body echoing throughtout the room. Amanar immediately fired his weapon, but to the horror of the Janissary the bullet melted as it touches the behemoth.
"MOVE!" Big Macintosh barked, and pushed Amanar far and fast enough that the dreadnought barely missed Amanar in its charge. With a thunderous boom, the fiery being crashes to the wall. As Amanar skits on the ground with great speed, Big Macintosh felt a pull on his neck and was pulled upwards, choking him in the process. Big Macintosh's face becomes even redder than before as the air was cut out from its lungs. The pulling only stopped when Amanar stopped skirting on the ground.
"Big Macintosh!" Amanar shouted as he saw the red stallion being hung from his neck. As the Janissary runs closer to aid his comrade, the chain around Big Macintosh's neck becomes even longer and starts to lower him down. Realizing something, Amanar immediately stops and notices that the chain leash around Big Macintosh's neck also stopped descending.
"H....el...p......M....e......." Big Macintosh said, his face turning blue. Knowing what he needed to know, Amanar immediately moves closer to where Big Macintosh is. As soon as the Janissary reached Big Macintosh's side, the stallion is now down on the ground gasping for air and coughing frantically. Amanar manages to take a glance to see that the iron monstrosity is still recomposing itself from ramming the wall.
"Bad news Big Macintosh." "Wh...at?" Big Macintosh asked, his voice still hoarse from the hanging he received. "Chain around our neck connected, restrict move." Amanar pulled the chain enough to let Big Macintosh see the point. The irony of the Janissary's monotonous expression to the seriousness of the situation is not lost on the red stallion. "Ya don't say big guy....." Big Macintosh said sarcastically as his composure returns.
It was then that they heard a rather odd noise; that of rustling chains from above them. They looked up to see that the ceiling consist of many rails and in those rails, many round objects similar to their collars above them. Their suspicions were proven when they noticed that the chains on their collar are connected to the weird contraption. In the center of the ceiling, a large ring that dwarf the rest of them started to move along those rails, going closer to the fiery juggernaut.
As the iron threat turns around to face them, the large ring with a chain leash of equal size descends towards its neck like a fishing line, and in an instant fastening itself upon the colossus' neck with a deafening clank. An ominous noise suddenly comes from the creature, and it is one that both Big Macintosh and Amanar do not like, especially given their situation.
A dark chuckle.
With a single step forward taken by the iron behemoth, both Amanar and Big Macintosh suddenly felt a great pull on their neck. It was then that both of them realized that each one of them are trapped in one neck brace connected to the ceiling through a chain.
The figure in tattered cloth looks upon the barrier separating the tunnel from the tomb. Without even a moment's hesitation the fire crosses through the barrier into the confines of the tomb. The figure looked around the insides of the tomb without a single care, and proceed to walk straight down the quay towards the metallic structure.
"Any ideas now?!?!?!!?!?!" Big Macintosh barked as he barely avoids the strike of the burning behemoth. The camel did not answer him in any way, silently observing everything within the room for a way to defeat this avatar of hate. It was then that he heard Big Macintosh's warcry of desperation. Big Macintosh decided to just run and pull on the chains as hard as he could, and to the Janissary's surprise the flaming monster was lifted off the ground and slams hardly towards the ceiling of the chamber, causing several small cinders of flame falling down upon the chamber.
The force yanks the Janissary off the ground and with battle sense forged over thousands of battles, Amanar brandishes his sword and points it forward. Like a speeding bullet, Amanar speeds towards the avatar's head and with his blade pierces the eye of the avatar. The behemoth roared as molten metal gushes out from its wounds, causing the blade to light up in a bright fiery yellow and melts away. Without even hesitating, Amanar slices the chains above him with the molten slag that was once his sword.
The chains immediately melted away and the Janissary falls down towards the ground with great force. The Janissary could feel a very sharp pain coming from his shoulders as he slowly rises up, realizing that his shoulder is now dislocated. Alas, he knows that his slowly cooling slag of a sword is the only way that Big Macintosh could ever escape the clutches of the avatar and he started to move towards the stallion.
Enduring the pain, the janissary ran towards the red stallion and using the acceleration of his run, he slashed the molten slag downwards towards the chains. With a single clean cut, the chains are separated from Big Macintosh. The tension of the chains loosens up suddenly and the two ducked for cover as the chains flayed around wildly as it retracts to the ceiling. A loud, thunderous thud echoes around the room and the ground trembles with a great amount of force, a signal that the behemoth has made contact with the ground in a rather unpleasant way. A moment of uneasy calm descends upon the room, and it was then that the Janissary decided to give in to his injuries.
“Hhhhrrrnnggggggggg...” Amanar groans in pain. Big Macintosh immediately rushed to the camel’s aid. As the red stallion tried to find out the cause of Amanar’s suffering, he gives some words of comfort. “Easy there pardner, Everythin’ gonna be alright….”
Suddenly a loud roar shatters the moment of calm, and Big Macintosh watches in horror as the fiery behemoth rises from the ground. Fiery molten liquid seeps from the severe cracks upon the automaton and as it takes its steps, the cracks only grew larger and more molten slag drips down on the ground.
The ‘thing’ is wounded… , Big Macintosh thought to himself, but now he has to answer another riddle in his mind; how does he stop this juggernaut? He is unarmed, and bucking it with all that fiery liquid flowing out from its wounds is a death wish. Now he wished that he is one of the Elements of Harmony so that he could shoot rain rainbow death upon the monster.
“T….try……this….. Now ‘thing’ got cracks, can use to ‘boom’ it from inside. Go!” Amanar answered, his voice filled with pain, and he drops something in the stallion’s hooves. Big Macintosh looks down and in his hooves are several black, cherry-liked objects, and the stallion immediately knew what they are. Big Macintosh looks back at the Janissary, but the Janissary is now unconscious.
“Will do, pardner.” Laying Amanar down on the ground, the stallion stands up and watches as the wounded monster slowly increased the pace of its steps, coming ever closer to them. Big Macintosh could not help but to be reminded of the stories of how the ancient heroes of old bravely charges the monster that terrorizes the kingdom, and how he is in the exact same situation. The red stallion slowly takes his step, and as his pace turns from a walk to a gallop Big Macintosh can only scream incoherently and charges forward to the iron monster. The monster bellowed back in reply and charges forward to the red stallion. As the two adversaries meet each other head on, the stallion knew that there can be only one chance for him to do this right or both of them will be doomed.
The beast swipes its arm to deal the finishing blow, and with only moments to act, Big Macintosh did the only thing he could. The stallion jumps up in the air and did a barrel roll, surprising both the creature and himself. The stallion threw all of the cherry bombs at the creature, hoping that they will fall inside the cracks. As the stallion crashes and skids on the ground, he can hear several loud explosions but he fails to see if they have hit their mark.
His vision starts to darken, and before long everything is pitch black…..
Big Macintosh opened his eyes to see two clear blue eyes looking down on him and the haziness of his vision starts to solidify, he recognizes those eyes as belonging to a certain white, pink-maned mare.
“Big Mac…Thank goodness you are alright.” Redheart breathe a sigh of relief. As Big Macintosh gets up on his hooves, he sees the other members of their group around him, even the unconscious Amanar as he was held afloat by the ever mysterious elemental. The stallion immediately turned around to see the lifeless titan, smoldering on the ground. The burning red molten liquid is slowly cooling down and hardening even as he watches.
“What happened? How’d y’all get in here?”
“WetriedourbesttoopenthedoorandthensuddenlyitopenedupandwesawyoulyingtherewiththatbigthingbehindyouVinnyaskedforZephytosearchforAmanarwhilewerushedinto helpyououtYoulookedlikeyouweredeadsoRedwentonaheadandcheckuponyaThatiswhenyouwokeup.” The little filly said in one breath without pausing. The other ponies just looks at the little filly, and all of them are thinking that perhaps Pinkie Pie’s got a match when it comes to saying things all at once without pausing.
“What ‘bout the big guy?” Vinyl points at the Janissary. As soon as Zephyr gently lay Amanar on the floor, Nurse Redheart immediately tended to him. Soon enough, realizing the condition of the camel, she went ahead with some rather unconventional methods of joint manipulation, as the rest watched to their discomfort. As the nursepony bandages the camel’s shoulder, she breathe a sigh of relief once more.
“Fortunately for us, he did not seem to have any internal injuries or fractures. I managed to mend his dislocated shoulder and he will be fine for the time being. I would prefer that we can follow up with a physiotherapy to reduce the chances of repeated dislocations.” “Dudette….what you did to him…..doesn’t it hurt?” Vinyl said, cringing as she completed the sentence. “Fortunately he is unconscious, which is as good as it comes. Usually I tend to do it under some anesthesia, but I have done it without the anesthesia.” Nurse Redheart said with a straight face.
“That’s good, he messed up his arm fer me. Saved mah hide with his courage there. Lemme carry ‘im the rest of the way, it is the least Ah could do.” Big Macintosh said.
“Why don’t we all help out in turn?” Nurse Redheart smiled.
As they scaled up the great flight of stairs while towing the camel warrior, Big Macintosh soon heard about the scripture on the door from the little filly.
“Wow, ya like a dictionary or sumthin’.” Big Macintosh said to the little filly. The little filly could not help but to giggle at the way the red stallion describes her. “Thanks I guess.” Fatimah said politely, careful not to correct the stallion about the correct definition of a dictionary. “So Ah guess we just punched the livin’ daylights outta one of ya folk heroes. Ah am truly sorry for that.” Big Macintosh apologize, despite the fact that said folklore hero attempted to kill both Amanar and himself. “No worries, I never liked Horakhty to begin with.” The filly smiled. “So mind me asking….Can you tell us more about these other characters. It might help us if these challenges are linked to them.” Nurse Redheart asked.
“Well, Djehuty is considered to be a rather cunning and sly character, whose intelligence is unrivalled throughout the lands of Saddle Arabia. His sorcery is also without equal for he once decimated an entire army and opened the lakes surrounding Aqabasta using only his magic.” “So it is a test of the mind when it comes to him I guess. What about this Anput?” “He is a Vizier, but at the same time he is also a holy pony. Nothing much is said about his exploits, but he is the pony that allowed Emir Asar to pursue his destiny and also allow all the other Saddle Arabians to accept Emir Asar as the ruler of Saddle Arabia without question.”
“Sounds like he is the last person in the line then. He sounds mighty badass if he was the one who decided to make this place and stuff.” Vinyl said with a rather excited smile on her face. Everyone else stared at her, seriously doubting her optimism.
“Well, come onnnnnnnnn…….it is like the core boss-level progression of all video games here.” Vinyl said with a pout. Everyone else just gives a groan, except the filly as she has no idea what video games are. But the unicorn does have a point, for Anput is perhaps the most enigmatic of the guardians of the tomb, and perhaps the most powerful.
The figure in the tattered robes looks upon the cold, lifeless husk of the juggernaut. Suddenly the metal pieces started to hover in the air and floats gently towards the smoldering throne and the pieces reformed itself to its former glory.
"Good to see you back in shape." said the hooded figure with a smile on its face before exiting the room.
The Lord Eternal is unsure about why he being recalled to the capital, and the warlord is not pleased when his plans for war are interrupted in such a way, especially when the entire nation is now engulfed in a conflict unlike those seen since the early days of Saddle Arabia.
As soon as he entered the throne room, he was utterly surprised by the sudden appearance of a bronze statue of a bull within its halls. Beside the odd structure stands the Emir, his gray piercing eyes looking upon this structure. Several servants entered into the confines of the throne room with some wood. The warlord notices that all the servant are pale and fearful. The Lord Eternal's curiosity however did not override his adherence to royal protocols.
"Milord." The Lord Eternal bowed down, but with a single gesture, the Emir called for the warlord to come by his side. The old gray stallion gives a reassuring smile to the Lord Eternal. As the servants start to line up the wood around the odd statue, the Emir asked his commander a rather odd question.
"What is an illusion, Suleiman?" It is rare that the Lord Eternal is referred to by name, for his rank requires him to embody his role and throw away all semblance of his former life. Surprised by the odd question, the Lord Eternal could only answer it the best way he could.
“Something that isn't real, Milord."
"An illusion is neither a lie nor a mirage, as they are hope and desperate dreams combined to create new truths. However, these new truths are only visible to us and no one else. Just like our memories through our eyes....."
"Why would you say that milord?" The Lord Eternal asked his master, not seeing the point of this conversation. "Because life is an illusion, Suleiman. There is one part of life however that is not an illusion." "What would that be Milord?" "Death."
With a clap of his hooves, several of the servants started to light up the wood surrounding the bronze statue and immediately disperse once the deed is done. Only the Lord Eternal and the Emir remained in the throne room, watching the fire under the bull burn. Suddenly from within the bronze bull, muffled screams could be heard within. The Lord Eternal could not help but to be shocked beyond compare, for the cruelly creative way of punishment overwhelmed his senses. Noticing his subordinate's reaction, the Emir immediately turns around to the Lord Eternal, and this time his gray eyes are now glowing with a bright red crimson. The Lord Eternal could not resist looking at this manifestation of evil, and he is frozen at the place in which he stands.
"You see Suleiman, I do not take failures kindly. What you see before you is the punishment I have decided to give to some of the generals that had failed me. I do not want to send someone like you within the Brazen Bull, but if you so choose I will be more than willing to accommodate you within its hollow structure. Do you understand me?" The Emir's gives a rather kind and nurturing look towards the Lord Eternal, but his voice is nothing short of pure evil.
"Y...yes Milord.” Suleiman answered, with a slight tremble in his voice. "In order for our plan to go on ahead, I will require a particular deed to be done. It is time that the 'piece' would play a part in all of this." The Emir tells the warlord, the reedy voice of the Emir replaced by the dark, serpentine voice. The Emir smiled sinisterly. “I will arrange for 'that' to happen as you wish, Milord.”
"Good, Suleiman, good......I expect nothing less from you. Do what you were asked, and I will see to it that you shall be read you shall be rewarded beyond compare. Now leave me be and return to your duties." The monarch said chillingly. The screaming only intensified, and it was not long before the Lord Eternal could smell the nauseating smell of roasting flesh. One by one, the screaming subsides and soon the smell of charred flesh clouds the whole room. The Lord Eternal bows down and starts to walk towards the entrance of the throne room. It is time for him to pay a visit to the Chief Healer for the 'piece' to be mobilized.
As the Lord Eternal enters the Halls of Healing, the Chief Healer is taking minute measurements of liquid to be used in his concoction. The alchemical greenhouse is now filled with even more diagrams of pony anatomy and even some modern photographs of something that the Lord Eternal could not see. Before the Lord Eternal could even take a step forward, he was greeted by the old wizened healer.
"What do you seek Milord Eternal?" "On behalf of the Emir, I am here to inform you that we are to mass-produce 'Djibril's Feathers' by tonight." The pause slowly turns into an eerie silence between the two parties. ".....The Emir has truly deemed it necessary?" "Yes." The warlord briefly replied. "I always hoped that we never use the feathers, especially not using it against our own people even if they are on the wrong side of the rebellion. However, I am but a humble servant of the Emirati and thus I will comply." The old stallion said with a heavy heart. "It is a day of wrath, and it shall consume the world in ashes as prophesied by Hafa and the sibyl. What trembling is to be, when the Judge is to come." The Lord Eternal replied. "A scripture from the Holy Book I see.......but do you truly believe it, Milord? Do you?" Another silence descends upon the room once more, the silence broken only by the whistle of a boiling kettle. "See to it that it is done, Chief Healer." The Eternal turns around and hurriedly exited the sanctum.
Once he is out of sight of the old apothecary, the Lord Eternal lets his mind be flooded him with the images of what the 'piece' can do to the future of Saddle Arabia. He can only tremble in fear as he thought about it.
Amanar slowly fades back into consciousness and he could see the silhouette of his comrades despite his blurry vision. It was then that the pain from his previous encounter returns to his body, and he groans out loud.
"Awake, big guy?" Big Macintosh turns around and help the camel up. "Yes, pain hurt much....."Amanar chuckled despite the pain. It has been ages since the camel chuckled, and for the other ponies it is their first time seeing this stoic warrior made a laughter of any kind. "About time you opened your eyes. We are already at Djehuty's place." The nurse points her hoof ahead. As his vision improves, Amanar's eyes slowly absorbs the visual information surrounding the site.
A large stele is the first thing that greets the eyes of the camel, and surrounding the stele are countless skeletons and bones surround the site. Behind the stele is a large crevice leading down towards the sea of liquid metal that surrounds the White Tree. As Amanar turns his head around, he notice that there is a small path leading towards the center of the crevice where his eyes picks up a platform with two small stools and a table on said platform. Above the table, a glowing crystal floats gently but the harmlessness of the crystal makes it all the more suspicious.
"Apparently, Djehuty likes to write some poems, but the description on the stele is odd. Can you make any sense out of it, Amanar?" The nurse said to the camel, and Amanar notices the frown on her brow. Amanar, assisted by the red pony, moves slowly towards the stele. Amanar then reads the stele out aloud.
For every beginning there is an end, For every end there is a beginning. To pass, one need to use their head, Less one joins the dead.
What is lost can be found, What is found can be lost. The sands of time waits for no one, But you decide what you want.
History is written by the victors, And victors are written by histories. Such is the truth of this task, What else there is to ask?
Amanar turns towards the others and notices that everyone is clueless to Classical Saddle Arabian. The pink-maned mare clops her hoof on her face, as if suddenly struck by a great realization.
"Ah.......the words have different meanings based upon its inflections and context. Just like Neighponese...." The mare groans as she realized that she was once sent over to Neighpon for a raw wasabi poisoning incident and have to learn Neighponese the hard way. "Old Saddle Arabian not spoken by many, no filly today knows. No one speaks unless it for ancient rituals." The Janissary comforts the mare verbally. But indeed, the stele's content is definitely describing the nature of the challenge ahead. "And now to understand what is this all about....."
After some time, all of them are stumped by the verses on the stele. Zephyr, being the elemental that it is, did not join in the group's frustration and instead flies around the area as it pleases.
"So Ah'm guessin' a brainy challenge of some kind. " Big Macintosh starts the conversation with perhaps the most obvious clue given their next gatekeeper. " Secondly, if we mess up, we are as good as dead." Vinyl chimes in. "Thirdly, it must involve magic, but the rest is enigmatic at best, and undecipherable at worst." Nurse Redheart finally adds in her thoughts to the conversation. "We no time to think too much, unless we want to be bones." Everyone could understand the dire situation and the literal graveyard all around them.
"WHY U DO DIS?!?!?!!?!!?DAMN THESE WORDDSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!" Vinyl screams out. As everyone slumps down and wonder how to solve the conundrum before then,they all agreed with Vinyl that whoever it is that created the stele must have their head over the clouds when he created the challenge. “Yeah, damn right you are Vinyl……..” As Redheart utters the words to Vinyl, the gear within her head starts to move and something moved in her head. Her wide-eyed relevation is also shared by Big Macintosh, Fatimah and Amanar.
“WORDS!” They exclaimed out loud. Vinyl jumped off her rump, and soon enough the others started to speak among each other. “'History is written by the victors, the victors are written by histories'..... That phrase must be the winning condition of the game. The key is in the word 'written'. We need to write words to make history, and words is the way to win.” The pink-maned mare posits. “That would also explain how we can decide what we want......we decide things by what we want to say. So at least it is some kind of word play.” Big Macintosh further elaborates upon the nurse’s theory. “For every beginning there is an end, for every end there is a beginning; if we are going on with the word idea, this sounds exactly like Silsila!” The filly finishes, and the Equestrians all looked to the filly for an explanation. “It is a child’s game, where players are required to say a word which begins with the final letter of the previous word. For example, when I said apple, the next person can use the word ‘elephant’ to continue on. Words may not be repeated, but only nouns are used.” Vinyl nods, understanding the concept.
“That makes sense…..but still…….what does the phrase‘ What is lost can be found, what is found can be lost’ means?” Vinyl’s piercing questions shuts the group, and now all of them are in deep thoughts. The atmonsphere of the group is now heavy with uncertainty. However it is Big Macintosh that broke the silence of the group. “Djehuty really live messing with our minds huh? So our only choice is to actually just plough through ahead.” Big Macintosh sighed, but with a smile on his face. The other lightened up, and soon enough Amanar smiles at the red pony.
“Looks like it. Not me, too injured. Will slow down group. Get to top, later get me.” Amanar said. Before the rest could even protest, the old camel silenced them. “Go. I face worse.” Silence soon descends upon the group, but before it truly takes a hold the unicorn turns and walks away. “You better be here when we return, because you promised.” Despite trying to act all tough, Vinyl’s voice is trembling. Without turning back, the trots on towards the path, and soon enough all the others follow the unicorn towards their second challenge. Amanar watches as the group’s silhouette becomes smaller and smaller, until they are not visible.
They are a good bunch of kids…. It was then that he prepares his bladed weapon and speaks out loud in Saddle Arabian.
“I know you are there, show yourself. You will never get pass me.” Soon enough a hooded figure in tattered robes reveals itself from behind one of the piles of bones. The camel had a fleeting thought that perhaps he may be unable to fulfill his promise to everyone after all. However hesitation is not a luxury he can afford.
As the group arrives at the platform, a loud booming baritone voice greets them in Saddle Arabian.
"Welcome to my humble abode, it has been a while since anyone managed to get to the second trial. I trust you understood what is expected of you?" As each one of them steps upon the plaform, the crystal in the middle starts to glow with a bright light and several beams of light soon shine upon Nurse Redheart and Fatimah. Before anyone could even panic, the voice speaks once more but this time the voice started to speak in Equestrian.
“What the buck?!?!” Vinyl was as shocked as the rest. To further surprise the group, a cloud of purple mist have started to form right before them and solidying itself into a purple unicorn stallion with matching purple robes. His facial expression is in a perpetual state of ennui, and his green mane is rather messy. However, the appearance of Djehuty did not fool the other for one second, for they are facing against one of the strongest sorcerers in Saddle Arabian history. His piercing green eyes looked at the pink-maned mare and the little filly, and a smirk appears before his face.
“So it seems that only two of you are able to speak the tongue of the land. I usually will only speak in my tongue, but as it was ages since anyone came here I will do this game in your tongue. Nonetheless, I will need to know who among you will be the one taking the trial.” “I will take the trial.” Nurse Redheart said.
“Very well, lets begin. Disappear.” Immediately to Redheart’s horror, everyone else disappeared before her eyes. Nurse Redheart was about to panic, and she noticed that the crystal has started to tilt. Within the crystal, she notices an item that looks like an hour glass and a bright purple liquid have started to flow downwards. “REAPPEAR!” Nurse Redheart shouted, and soon enough everyone returned back to existence. The final piece of the puzzle is now solved, albeit in a rude fashion. Redheart’s heart is now beating like a jackhammer, and all she could do is to stare at the guardian with shock, awe, hate and fear. “Good, good…..you are quick of mind. Took you three second to get an answer. My turn again; Ravens.” Before long a murder of Ravens appear from behind the sorcerer and start to envelop the platform, blocking out the lights. The stallion starts to chuckle, before he laughs out loud.
Redheart now understands the gravity of the trial, and she will have to be more sly and cunning that the Grand Magician Djehuty. It was then that she decided to try something out.
Before long, the battle of the words have started to go into full swing. The scenery changed from the humble platform to a seaside, and before long there is an elephant running around with an animal trainer on its back and a rainbow soon sprout out from across the horizon. The scene of the challenge soon turn to the rather bizarre, and before long Big Macintosh and the filly are now wondering how is it that they are able to retain their sanity over the whole situation, while Vinyl had literally lost it as she was laughing till she turned red.
“Dervish.” Djehuty muttered, sitting on a throne made out of cupcakes while drinking a cup of tea. Immediately a Saddle Arabian mystic appeared before them and started to spin around in circles singing praises to his religion.
“Headphone.” Redheart said as the items started to materialize over her head. She is now wearing what appears to be an intricately decorated metallic undergarment of some kind and her pony tail and mane are braided while she was chained to a humongous slug upon a dhow. “Estrus.” The purple stallion said, with a devilish smile on his face. Immediately all the mares felt like they were in heat. Despite her bodily heart, Redheart counters back with her own comeback. “Scrotum.” Immediately Big Macintosh and the sorcerer shouted out aloud, realizing that something important to them went missing. Nurse Redheart could not help but to give Djehuty a satisfied smile. The purple stallion’s cheek started to turn a dark shade of purple, and his expression turned into something much more sinister.
“I see that this is turning into something interesting; Manticore!” Suddenly a manticore materializes before them, and as the beast roared Redheart knew that Djehuty is now beginning to flex his muscle. She must think quickly to be able to get to her coup de grace. “Erinyes!” Before long, a flock of winged spirits came from the skies above to strike at the Manticore, clawing at the manticore while screeching out loudly. Djehuty is now covering his ears, as the screech is unbrearable to any living thing, and unfortunately due to the choice of words that Redheart have used, her friends are also suffering from the consequences.
I am truly sorry guys, I will make it up to you all later…., she said to herself.
“YOU WITCH!!!!!!!!!!! EDIMMU!!!!!!!” The sorcerer howled at the mare, and the ground burst open to burst forward screaming incorporeal spirits of the dead. Their blood-chilling screams adds on to the screech of the howling Erinyes, and the chaotic cacophony of sound echoes throughoutthe place. The cacophony almost made Redheart missed the word that Djehuty howled, but she found an opportunity to reply.
“Underworld!” The scenery soon changes from the gentle beachside to a land of pure darkness. “DEATH!” Suddenly everything went quiet, and immediately Redheart realized that the sorcerer had wished for one of the most primal forces on earth. A hooded figure appears from behind the sorcerer, and as it spreads its six pair of wings, As it wields its large scythe, the other apparitions that was summoned by their trial looked upon the mighting with otherworldly being with fear and trepidation. Redheart’s heart started to beat rapidly in fear. She wanted to cry, but she knows that if she stops now, all is lost. It was then that her mind came up with the next word.
“Any last words?”. As Death swings its scythe upon them, the mare started to chuckle, and then she started to laugh hysterically. The sorcerer was taken aback by this sudden scene, raising the eyebrow of the sorcerer to rise up for a split moment before it went back to his rather bored look. The corners of the mare’s mouth turned upwards as she noticed the split moment of surprise from the sorcerer. She looks at the sorcerer in the eye, the fire within her now alight.
“Hope.” Nurse Redheart muttered. Immediately the darkness turns into a bright light, blinding everything within its embrace.
Where am I?, Redheart asked herself. The last thing she remembered is a blinding flash of light enveloping her, and now here she is. A bloody desert battlefield, where mangled ad mutilated bodies are scattered across the dune with weapons sticking out from the dune like tombstones for the fallen. The pouring rain makes everything grimmer, and judging from this situation she is assuming the worst had already done its work with her. However, the description of the scene is exactly the same as that slip from Big Macintosh.
"I am not liking this at all......" Redheart said to herself. Indeed this is not the most pleasant sight that one wants to see. "You are most definitely....." Suddenly realizing that she is not alone,Redheart jerked to the left as a mysterious figure made itself present to the right. A monochromatic gray pegasi looks upon Redheart with her piercing jadeite eye filled with great kindness and yet great sorrow. The nurse have apparently caught her tongue, as she is speechless against this figure. Do not be alarmed, I mean no harm.The figure noticed that her speech further immobilized the white pony, and she could only sigh before continuing on. However, before she could speak, the pink-maned pony started speaking, albeit with a tremble in her voice.
"Are you an angel? Wait......have I seen you somewhere before? You looked very familiar." Redheart asked the mysterious pony. As the mare looks upon the monochromatic pony, she suddenly realized that she is now facing Fatimah's mother. The figure gives Redheart a smile that is both blissful and graceful.
The background turns towards a gray teennage Saddle Arabian stallion threading the dunes of Saddle Arabia alone, before the stallion collapsed. To make matters even worse, the stallion falls down into a chasm, and Redheart could not bear to watch the rest of the fall. However, an anguished groan forces the nursemare to take a look and she notices that the stallion is still alive despite the fall. As she watches the stallion crawls towards a rock, she could only wonder how the final moments of this stallion is even relevant in the first place.
As the poor stallion finally reaches the rock, he uses the rock to pull himself up and rest his back upon the rock. Tears soon flow from the stallion's face, and he attempts to lift his forelimbs towards his face, but he is too weak to do so. It is a pathetic sight of a stallion who will die in a place forgotten by civilzation.
It was then that a glow appear from the darkness and the object as the glow approaches, Redheart could see an intricate cage-like orb with a glowing white center with a intricate looking key inserted to the core. As it approaches the stallion, Redheart realizes that the wounds of the stallion is slowly healing. As the stallion wondered about the object, the objects glow becomes weaker and finally falls upon the lap of the Saddle Arabian. The scene soon fades away and immediately the mares are now covered by pitch black darkness.
You are watching how Sadhul al-Qasim ibn Abd al-Mutalib ibn Mutassim first found the legendary artifact of Saddle Arabia, known as the 'Lumenize'. "Who?" Redheart could not help but to ask the name of the person again. I believe you know him as Asar, the first Emir of Saddle Arabia.
Amanar is prone on the ground, groaning from the pain.
Amanar did not expect his fight to be over this quickly, and he is utterly confused as to how he was defeated in the first place. the black camel knew that whatever it is, this being must not reach the rest. The hooded figure walks slowly towards the camel, but as the camel weakly rises up and points his blade at the figure, the figure just swatted it away from the camel as if it is just a toy.
A Janissary is taught never to retreat, even at the face of death. But right now, Amanar's body is instinctively crawling backwards and suddenly the Janissary's back bumps into a hard object. The camel turns around to notice that his back is now at the stele, and once he turns toward, the figure is now in front of him. The figure kneels down to meet with the Janissary on an eye to eye level, but all the Janissary could see is a dark void. The figure pulls back his hood, and immediately the eyes of the Janissary opened up wide.
Suddenly darkness around Redheart and the pegasus fades into the scene of a burning Aqqabasta. The streets are littered with the dead, and equines are battling dog-like beast made from darkness with a stiff tail with forks at the end and squarish ears narrowest at the base and widest at the squarish tops; and a long nose with a slight downward curve. As the scene changes once more, Redheart recognized the chamber that they are currently inside as the throne room, and she also immediately recognized Emir Asar. The stallion is much older than before and had grown into a fine stallion. However it appears that the Emir is gravely wounded and is facing a chimeric being, whose features are unlike any type of monster that Redheart had ever seen.
The monster is six times the height of the Saddle Arabian with a hundred serpentine heads erupted from its neck and shoulders, with its faces covered with a Saddle Arabic deathmask with a striped headdress covered the whole crown and back of the head and nape of the neck and had two large flaps which hung down behind its triangular ears. The muscled body and arms of the being is similar to that of a minotaurs with dragon heads replacing the fingers on his hands. its bottom half consisted of gigantic viper coils with serpent heads with dark flickering tongues that could reach the top of his head when stretched out and constantly made a hissing noise. Upon its back are several pairs of large black pinions, and all the eyes upon its body is glowing with a malicious crimson red.
As Redheart watches the standoff, she noticed that behind the Emir are several unconscious bodies, one of whom she recognized as Djehuty. Surrounding the Emir and his unconscious comrades are the same dark beast that was fighting against the other equines. The Emir looks upon the beast with bloodshot eyes, and his white robes are soaked with blood. The beast on the other hand appears to not even have a scratch upon its body. Suddenly, one unfortunate Saddle Arabian Eternal gives a warcry and charges the large beast, but the dragon heads and the serpents on the tail made short work of the unfortunate soul in a shower of blood covering both the Emir and the monster.
"What.....the..... heck.... is..... that monster?" Redheart asked the pegasus. It is an evil that time forgot......its name lost through the sands of time. The pegasus said sorrowfully. The monster soon edges closer towards the Emir, and the unnatural movements of the monster only serves to make Redheart squirm at the abomination.
"It is no use Asar, you and your brethrens have tried your best. But I am better." The hundread heads of the beast speak all at once and its serpentine but deep, muffled voice of the figure taunting the stallion is as alluring as it is sickening. "Not if I have this." From within the robes, the stallion produced a intricate cage-like orb with a glowing white center on one hoof and an equally intricate key on the other . Immediately the beings recoiled at the presence of the relic, hissing even louder than before. The chimeric figure starts to speak once more, but the voices are now bone-chilling and cruel. "You are too weak to use it, you will fail." "Bite me." The Emir jams the key into the heart of the orb, and suddenly the ball started to glows. As the ball glows brighter and brighter, the monster bellowed its commands in a dark tongue, and all the monster's minions rushed forward towards the Emir. However, the being's efforts are for naught as the ball envelops everyone in a bright light......
The red stallion opened up his eyes and found himself lying down on the platform once more. He looked around and realized that the trial is over. On one end he saw the purple sorcerer lying down on one side, seemingly unconscious. He looked around and saw Fatimah and Vinyl are slowly regaining consciousness with the help of the elemental. He finally saw the nursepony lying laying prone on the floor and immediately rushed to her side.
"Red, red, can ya hear me? Red?" "I do not think she can hear you, stallion." The baritone voice answering the farmpony immediately catches the attention of everyone and they turn to see the sorcerer rising up. As the sorcerer looks around, his eyes immediately notices something and was shaking his head. The situation is not lost on everyone and they took a defensive stance. The sorcerer could only sigh and look upon the mortals. He points towards where the crystal and Big Macintosh notices that the crystal is no more.
"Where is the crystal?" Big Macintosh asked. "Look at the table." The sorcerer replied. Immediately Big Macintosh sees that the there are countless shards upon the table. "Ah." The red farmpony said monosyllabically. "The Word Watcher is the arbiter of the trial, and it will tilt to allow both the takers of the trial and myself to go back and forth once a word is uttered. However your companion's word is such that the light show from your last word shattered the Word Watcher, and since it did not tilt back to me, it assumed that I have lost the match. Well done." With a glow of his horn, the crystal reform itself. "I was expecting you to be a sore loser but I guess I was wrong." Big Macintosh said, relaxing his stance. "Honestly, if it were up to me I only let the mare proceed. But the final guardian's wardings and consent is such that I am not able to touch any of you. " The sorcerer's blunt and cold reply silenced the farmpony.
"Why is there no historical records of this?" The nursemare is now walking beside the pegasus in a pure white space. History is written by the victors, and the victors are written by history. Such was the wishes of Emir Asar.
Redheart realized what the mare is saying to her, and understanding that from the tales of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna she knew that history is indeed fluid. Soon enough, the space once more warps into a temple under construction. As Redheart looks around she notices the four colossal statue decorating the facade of the temple, each holding a large feather and are seated on a throne and wearing a weird crown, The facade is topped by a row of baboons, their arms raised in the air. Many labourers are carving and erecting the structures within the temple, and all she could wonder is what is the significance of this place. As if reading her mind, the gray pegasus speaks to the mare.
Follow me.
Not wanting to incur the wrath, however unlikely, of the gray mare Redheart walks by the side of the mare. Slowly but surely as they walked down the path, Redheart realized that she recognize the path. The feeling of familiarity is a little unnerving for Redheart and at the end of the journey her familiarity is justified.
Before their eyes, the White Tree of Asar is before them. However, the sea of mercury is not poured into the pony-made lake and many artisans are still crafting the walkway towards the tree and arranging the weapons to form the tree itself. Standing right before them are four figures; an armour-clad blue Griffon, a purple-robed Unicorn, a black equine with bat wings, and a gray Saddle Arabian stallion clad in the royal clothing of his office. Redheart noticed that everyone is of an advanced age, and the Emir have have blindfolds upon his eyes, and is now using a cane.
"Well, I must say that this insane plan of yours looked splendid, Asar. You need an rump of steel to live in here." The coarse sound of the griffon is met with some laughter from the sorcerer unicorn. "Every beauty has its purpose, Horakthy. Seeing that the Lumenize will be stored here, the defenses must be made so that it will not fall to the wrong hands. If I have to be part of the defense, so be it. In life or in death." Emir Asar said to the griffon. "Wouldn't it be easier to hide it in a small cave somewhere with some wardings?" Djehuty suggests. "It is not that simple.The Lumineze has a kind but warlike aura. It will attract those that require its power for the grestest of hope or the greatest of despair. Such was its power that it could be used for good or evil. We are fortunate that we are the ones that managed to get the item first. If 'that' took hold of it first, we would not be standing here today." The bat-winged stallion said to the rest. "Well said Anput. Besides, I rather make sure that those foolish enough to enter without the purest of heart fail. Besides making it beautiful will draw them closer to their deaths, just like a flycatcher. I will make sure that this is defended even if I am dead." Emir Asar smiles as he said so. The other comrades of the Emir looked at him, as if he had just turned senile.
"How do you plan to be part of the defenses when you are dead, Milord?" Djehuty asked his liege. "Tell the people that it is my tomb. Surely if I were to only reveal that this is my tomb, the best craftspony throughout the land will foolproof it with the deadliest and most effective of traps. Of course, we will not tell them about its true purposes. Also make sure that the history of the battle between us and 'that' be erased from living memory as it might lead fools to the artifact. I trust that you can make it happen, except for those of my true line." Emir Asar looks upon his bat-winged advisor. "Your will be done Milord. Mind if I make it into a selection process for the future rulers of the land? I will make sure that your descendants will understand the burdens of being a ruler." Anput suggested. "Sure, why not. I will not suffer stupid descendants, they can die for all I care." Anput bowed in acknowledgement of his master's wishes.
The image of the tomb returns to the scene of the bloodied battlefield of before, and the two mares are now looking at each other eye to eye. Despite not saying anything to each other, the pink-maned mare understoods the significance of the things she witnessed. The pegasus smiled at her, and hugs the nurse.
Redheart gasped as the regained consciousness, and standing right next to her is the sorcerer. Behind the sorcerer are Big Macintosh, Vinyl, Fatimah and Zephyr. The purple sorcerer can only smile and extend his hoof towards the mare, and as she used his forelimb to bring her self up.
"About time you got up. The dumb mare was asking me to heal you, and her voice is getting on my nerves." The green eyes of the unicorn turns to the other unicorn, and Vinyl could only raise her eyebrow. "What the buck?" Vinyl said, but her reaction was ignored as the rest are now looking at the sorcerer and the pink-maned mare. "May I ask all of you a question, white mare?" "Go ahead, Mr. Djehuty." Redheart decides to not say anything about the sorcerer's misogynistic tendencies. "Why are you here?" The sorcerer's question is indeed a good one.
Big Macintosh and Fatimah have no idea why they are here, while Zephyr is rather carefree about the whole matter. Vinyl on the other hand knows that they are guided here by Lily Petal to get something, but is she said anything here, she might screw things up. So her silence is golden now. That leaves Nurse Redheart to answer the question, and she took her time in answering.
"We are here for the Lumineze." The words that Redheart finally uttered surprised the rest, but especially Vinyl. "I see..... Anput will see whether your lot are worthy of wielding the Luminize. Now go." The party then passes by the purple stallion, mindful of the words that he have said to everyone. One by one the party walks on the single pathway in a single file. Before long, only Redheart remains, and as she was about to move on to the pathway, the voice of the sorcerer causes her to stop in her tracks.
"I must say; You are the first to try not to kill me and still gave me such a good fight and an Earth pony at that. Here's looking at you, kid." The sorcerer's horn glowed and a silver chrome rod with an entwined golden snake appears before the mare. As the mare looks at the sorcerer suspiciously, the sorcerer beckons the mare to take it. As Redheart takes the staff, the purple stallion looks at her with a sorrowful smile before his form fades away.
Redheart bows in respect before turning around to join her companions.
As they slowly ascend the path to their destination, Vinyl asked herself how on earth is the White Tree bigger on the inside than the outside. Of course, she realized that if she were to ask a certain ditzy mare, she would answer that it is like the phone booth of a certain pony she knows, but that mare was always a little off in her head. Since she was that bored,she decided to ask that question out aloud.
"How on earth is this tree bigger on the inside than the outside?" Vinyl asked the other equines. Nurse Redheart and Big Macintosh are a little tired from the previous trial, and chose not to answer the mare. "Magic?" Fatimah said innocently, but causing the unicorn to blush in embarrassment, knowing that it is the most logical thing and not thinking about it like an idiot. The red pony's lips starts contort, and he could not himself in participating in this humiliation conga. "Eeyup. You unicorns should know." Big Macintosh snorts, before the filly started laughing out loud. Before Vinyl could even retort back, the nurse stops them. "Enough guys, we are now reaching our final stop." Redheart points towards the top.
Indeed they are now able to see bright light at the end of the tunnel, and as each one of them passes through the light, they are met with a pristine white surrounding. Once their eyes adjusted themselves to the white, they are amazed beyond compare.
They find themselves within a grand hollow space within the White Tree, and the steps before them are floating slabs of marble, leading to a massive floating palace upon a large platform of pure gold. Surrounding the palace are several smaller floating islands of pure gold, and waterfalls of mercury flow from each of the islands to the bottom of the White Tree. Seeing that they have no other means but to walk forward, the group slowly but surely take their steps upon the floating slabs. It was fortunate that all of them are not afraid of heights, for the chasm below appears to be bottomless. Big Macintosh could only hope for Applejack and Applebloom be here to see this with him.
If dem Apples are able to see what Ah'm seeing, they would be awestruck. And then Applebloom will do something to see if it will earn her the cutie mark that she so desperately want, Big Macintosh smiled to himself as he imagines his smallest sister saying something about her cutie mark.
Zephyr is able to see that the red one is smiling rather serenely to himself, and perhaps that is a good thing. The elemental is also happy as it has been a while since it was able to around freely. The confines of the pathways and the limits imposed by the wardings of the White Tree caused the elemental to spend the most time on the ground. However, it was the filly's smile that is the brightest. Zephyr understands from the conversations of the rest that she had gone through some hard times, and seeing her marveling at this place kindles a gentle warm breeze in its core.
Several intricately crafted mechanical birds made out of gold flew past the elemental and through the elemental as they made their journey to the top, and for once the elemental thought that perhaps the main purpose of those made of flesh is to experience the sensations of life through their bodies. How it envies the living flesh......
Once they have finally reached the platform housing the palace, they could see the large, white marble structure stands on a square plinth and consists of a symmetrical building with an arch-shaped doorway topped by a large dome and finial. The dome is filled with intricate golden carvings of vines and upon the columned bases of the building, minute carvings of the swirly designs of Saddle Arabian writings, blooming flowers and carvings of many different kinds of exotic birds perching on the vines like the ones found in Aqqabasta is also present. However the structure pales in contrast to the surrounding courtyard, which is more like a forest than anything else.
The lush gardens of silver trees with white gold flowers bloomed across rivers of mercury, and mechanical birds and animals of various kinds are seen walking around the silver grass courtyard. Fortunately for everyone, it appears that the animals that was chosen are little critters and deers. Within the mercury rivers, mechanical fishes are leaping out of the mercury. As they walk through the courtyard, the mechanical animals are now looking at the strangers upon their world with an almost child-like curiosity.
"Y'all think that Fluttershy would love this place?" Big Macintosh asked, as he observed the artificial fauna. "She's a hippy." Vinyl's answer is rather blunt, but no one is going to argue with the point. "Where's Zephyr?" Redheart asks. "Maybe he is flying off somewhere for a while. Looks like it needs to move its 'legs' or something. It goes as it please I guess." Fatimah answers as she gently touches the silver grass.
She is about a field's distance away from the rest. All of them are now spreading apart from each other, and just enjoying the space in between them. It felt like it has been a while since they could just take a break from everything, and as they all lied down upon the cool marble floor, their fatigue slowly catches on with them. Along with the fatigue comes the muscle burn and pain, and all the equines groan as one. It was then that they all started laughing heartily.
"Guys.....I just noticed something." Vinyl said as she marveled at the beauty of the ceiling above them, which are littered with representation of the heavenly constellations on a dark blue backdrop. "Noticed what?" Fatimah said. "When was the last time we drank or eaten anything? Don't you find that weird?" Vinyl shifts her attention to her companions. None of them could answer her question either. "Eeyup." Big Macintosh said in agreement. "While were are at it, we have not taken a single nap, let alone sleep." Nurse Redheart looks at the rest of the equines and realized that for all the adrenaline they should be collapsing about now. But here they are, looking a little dirty but by all means in good condition. "Eeyup." Big Macintosh said once more in agreement. "Perhaps I can answer that for you." A deep tenor voice answered.
The fifth voice came as a surprise for all the equines, and immediately they all got up turnedto see a figure in tattered robes behind them, with a very familiar camel slung across its shoulders.
"AMANAR!!!!" The equines shouted, and the figure drops the camel on the marble floor. Vinyl did not even think twice as she fires her magic at the figure. The figure casually steps aside, and as the spell burns away some of the robe away Big Macintosh is already galloping to close the distance between them. The stallion attempts to buck the figure, but the stallion was soon enveloped by the robes of the figure. As the pony struggles to escape the robes, the figure gently pushes the pony away.
Vinyl could see the figure is wrapped in bandages like some mummy, and notices that it is some sort of equine. Firing her spell once more, Vinyl knows that if they fail to stop the equine they will be in a whole lot of trouble. However the figure is casually avoiding all her shots and is closing in on her.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Didn't your mother taught you not to shoot at strangers for no reason at all?" The featureless face of the bandaged equine is now staring at Vinyl, and Vinyl was stunned for a moment before her instincts took over. She shrieked and fired at the figure point-blank, but the figure disappeared from her sight. She frantically looks around and spots the bandaged figure a good distance away from her.
How did he get there?, Vinyl asked herself. It was then that she notices the bandage of the figure starts to unravel. As the red pony finally escapes the confines of the tattered robes, he immediately regrets getting out from the robes. "What the buck......." The red pony could not believe his eyes.
The first thing that they all saw are the vast, black leathery bat wings emerging from the bandages. As the wings starts to flap, the rest of the bandages come undone and reveals a disturbingly sinister fleshless, lustrous body with a translucent and glossy black coat. The smooth coat is so thin that the bones are clearly defined through the entire extension of its sleek body. As the long black mane and tail flows with the winds from the flapping wings, the figure looks upon them with its feline, cyan-coloured eyes buried within its skull-like head. It was then that Redheart's memory recalled this eldritch being, for there is only one being that would fit the description of trying to obstruct them at this point of time. She could not help herself, and utters the name of the eldtrich being.
"Anput." "Finally, someone who knows my name." The bat-winged equine shakes the last of the bandages off its leg. It was then that Vinyl realizes that the eldritch being have turn its attention towards the youngest member of their group; Fatimah. Immediately, the bat-winged equine walks slowly but surely towards the young mare.
Realizing that the last Swords of Asar is coming after her, the filly attempts to run away. However, she suddenly felt an overwhelming depressive force up upon her small frame, and she could not move her limbs, nor even sense any sensation from her limbs. She tried as hard as she could, but her limbs will not budge. As she looked upon the winged figure, she could only be fearful of what it could do to her. To the filly, the cat-like pupils of Anput is as chilling as it is terrifying.
"Excuse me, little one. I need to talk to you a little." The young filly's heart is now pounding exponentially with every step that Anput takes. Even though she wanted to scream but her throat is clamped up to the point that she is slowly suffocating from the fear within her.
Well, I had my fun flying around...
Zephyr floats down with a warm fuzzy feeling within it. However the feeling soo turned into a turbulent cloud as it saw a sinister 'thing' coming closer to the littlest one. The others are running towards them, and seeing living beings for a long time now, it realizes that they are scared. The filly's eyes reminded it of a living thing seeing the thing that will kill it and could not do anything to prevent it. As the turbulent cloud within starts to crackle with the sound of thunder, it knows that it will not stand by as it lets the first group of living things that embraced it into their group suffer any longer.
It had decided that the sinister 'thing' will perish.
Big Macintosh, Vinyl and Redheart gallops towards Anput, but even with their speed, they will not reach the guardian in time.
Please, let me reach her....., Redheart cried, as her legs starts to buckle from the sudden exertion. Ah'm not gonna lose another one...., Big Macintosh says as he runs forward, his limbs moving more frantic with every step. Buck no, buck no, BUCK NO.... Vinyl cursed in her heart. Tears are soon running down from her eyes as she rushes towards the filly. Someone, please stop him!, All three of them cried in their heart.
Suddenly a dark cloud forms above them and lightning bolts rain down upon them, striking the silver trees and the dome of the palace. Strong violent winds soon uproots the silver trees, causing the leaves of the trees to be torn apart. Immediately, the roaring howls of the winds and the thunderous drumming of thunder soon resonated within the bodies of all the equines present. As the leaves of the silver trees started to spin around them and the tranquil mercury rivers are now raging oceans,everyone is wondering what is going one.
With a single blow of the wind, several razor sharp silver leaves rained upon the bat-winged equine, and the equine barely managed to dodge the attack. The marble cracked under the immense pressure of the bullets of silver, and before long the barks of the silver tree are now raining upon Anput. The mechanical animals of the silver forest are now fleeing from the scene of the battle, and some are unfortunately sucked into the tempest. The mechanical animals within the raging storm are launched from within the storm towards the eldritch being as projectiles. However , such was the intensity of the hailstorm that the projectiles are raining indiscriminately and forcing the Equestrians to dodge less they lose their lives.
"WHAT THE BUCK?!?!?!?!" Vinyl screams, and she could only wonder what the others are shouting out. It was then that she realized that this storm is not a random event nor a trial, but this is the consequence of one thing happening; ; Zephyr had decided to enter the battlefield. It was then that the electric-maned pony said to herself that whatever she do, she will not make the elemental angry.
Immediately Big Macintosh stops in his track and doubles back towards Amanar in order to get him out from ground zero. Meanwhile, as Anput marvels as the spectacle being displayed before him, Vinyl manages to reach the filly first and grabs her by the nape of her neck. With a mightly swing, she managed to pull the filly on her back, and started running towards the structure without pausing. Nurse Redheart stops in her tracks and turns around to see where Big Macintosh is. Her eyes zooms upon the pony slinging the camel across his back, and started to make a run for it. Truly, adrenaline is the best steroids for the red stallion is running at full speed with the camel upon his back, where previously he needed her help to carry him.
"MAKE A RUN TOWARDS THE PALACE BIG MAC!!!!!!!!!" Redheart howled, hoping that the stallion could hear her despite the roaring tempest. "EEEEEEYYYYYYYYUUUUUUUUUPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!" Big Macintosh replied, barely managing to catch the mare's voice. "I GOT THE FILLY! MOVE YOUR FLANK RED!!!!!!" Vinyl shouts back at them, not believing that the mare is still standing there as the hailstorm of metal rains upon them. The marble below them is cracking at a rather alarming rate and immediately one chunk of the marble was broken from the impact of the trees and was sucked by the win, only to be used as a projectile again.
All of them soon make a run for it, and shortly after they managed to get inside the palace. As they struggled to close the door, they can see that things have truly turned for the worse. As the storm sucks up the river of mercury within its body, the surrounding temperature starts to drop. Big Macintosh, Vinyl, Redheart and Fatimah are soon breathing vapor out of their mouth and are truly feeling the biting, bone-chilling cold of winter. despite being inside the building.
If it is this cold inside this building, then it will be a tundra outside.... Redheart said to herself. Even she dare not peek outside to see the wrath of nature.
"Ah......a Majid. This is the first time I faced against such a powerful one. Making mercury into silver snow......I never knew that could happen." The bat-winged equine said, casually standing before the silver blizzard. The ground is now covered with a thick layer of silver snow, and the trees are now being splintered into sharp shards of silver. The howling winds of the storm only amplifies the primal force of the elemental.
"However, this is what is needed to prevent those bastards from stopping your friends." Anput said under his breath.
At the entrance of quay leading to the White Tree, a hooded figure looks at the barrier between itself and the path towards the White Tree. The figure proceed to take out three vials and opens them up, only to start to sprinkle it everywhere. As the drops touches the ground, hound-like beasts with red glowing eyes made from darkness with stiff forked tails spawns from the droplets. As the beasts growled, the hooded figure points towards the top and soon enough the horde of hellish hounds are running through the barrier towards the White Tree barking with bloodlust. While the hounds rushes forward, the figure continuously sprinkles the concoction to spawn even more of the hellish abominations.
The cold forces them to walk deeper into the palace, and Vinyl lights up her horn for them to see the path ahead. The little filly is slowly recovering from her experience by reading the inscription on the wall. Now that the adrenaline rush is gone, the farmpony and the deejay are carrying the unconscious camel.
"FML this crap, carrying Ammy around is no walk 'round the park."Vinyl groans. She is definitely not used to lifting things, and even pushing her trust bass cannon is an astounding feat in itself. Speaking about her bass cannon, she really wished that she could have it with her right now. Would make short work of any evildoers that come their way. Of course, this is something a child would say when they watched their favourite hero with their gear pummeling the villain. Twilight Sparkle and her freinds really know how to make the job of defeating a great threat rather easy, and Vinyl is definitely jealous over their amazing powers.
"Eeyup." Big Macintosh said. If it were not for her vernacular speak, she would had been a rather attractive mare. Pleasing to the eyes, the farmpony's male instincts informs him that the best asset of the mare are her forelegs. They are lean in a way that is pleasing, and Big Macintosh posits that this is due to her occupation as a deejay. Turning the turntables for an entire night does take a lot of dexterity and stamina. Although this is no time for him to consider such trivial matters, but from all the events he is experiencing it is always good to take five and be a little bit immature.
"You know Mackie.....How does Red know what we are here for? "Say what?" Big Macintosh was taken a little by surprise from Vinyl's question. "That Loo-mee-nee-zhe thing. Is she keeping something from us or something?" "Ah dunno Vinyl. Why doncha ask her yerself?" Big Macintosh replied.For her airhead nature, Vinyl can be a very observant pony. At least that is what Big Macintosh knows from the time they had spent together. Still, he does not know the answer to Vinyl's question. "I would like to. But at the same time......I don't." The deejay turns her attention away from Big Macintosh, focusing her attention to the nursemare. "Don't wanna?" The stallion tilts his head a little, curious to Vinyl's choice of words. "I must say that the more we are in this blasted land, the more the crazy things are drawn to us." The pony looks at him and to further illustrate her point, she waves her arm around the corridor to show them where they are.
"It runs in the fam'ly fer me."The red stallion shrugs, despite having to agree to the electric blue-maned pony. From having to join the Sheikh to an unexpected journey to being here defeating folk heroes from Saddle Arabia's past while being targeted by some power-hungry ponies, he is experiencing them all in just the span of a few weeks. Now he knows how Applejack feels when she is saving Equestria from the forces of evil. Same goes for how Granny and her family founded Ponyville and the Zap Apples. It is a whole bunch of crazy things following them like a pack of timberwolves following some unsuspecting ponies. Oh how he wished that the Apple family are with him now to make him strong.....
Meanwhile, as Big Macintosh is reminiscing about his family, Vinyl is in her own train of thoughts. How did Redheart get ahold of the knowledge of the weird item? The only way she would know of it is if she get the knowledge from some book or someone. The former is not likely at all, but the latter is also rather unlikely. If what she notices about Saddle Arabia is what she knows, they do not tell any stranger anything. But that saying, she knows the Luminize from a certain mare and.......
No, it can't be....but it can be......, Vinyl realizes the implications of her flow of thoughts. Lily Petal must be the only one who tell Redheart, but this means that her dreams are in no way just a dream. But if that is the case, what on earth is Lily Petal? Is she a ghost? Is the Lily Petal in her dreams the real Lily Petal? That saying, the gigantic artifact detector that appears from her horn is something she could not possibly do. How did it all add up?
"Are you sayin' that mah mouth is makin' promises mah legs can't keep?" Applejack said to her brother suspiciously.
Big Macintosh is remembering the time when they had one of their largest apple harvests and how she had decided to take the responsibilities of harvesting all the apples by herself due to his injuries. He warned her that she could not handle all the apples by herself as it is too much of a burden for a single pony to do the job. Despite being the bearer of the Element of Honesty, Applejack is not known to have the virtue of being reasonable. So when he told her that she is taking too much upon herself, he got the reply that he was expecting.
"Why, of all the.....This is your sister Applejack, remember? The loyalest of friends, and the most dependable of ponies?" Applejack raised her voice, and confronts the stallion to the point that her forehead touches his snout. "But still only one pony. And one pony plus hundreds of apple trees just doesn't add up." The red stallion replied, with much concern and thought.
It was then that the stallion remembered something from before that also does not add up as well.
"Y'know Vinyl, Ah just realized something. When that arrow thing came out from ya head, you said you turned into an artifact detector. How'd you know that that arrow is detecting an artifact?" Big Macintosh's piercing question broke the mare from her own line of thoughts. "Wh-hw-whaaaaaaaa? Diiiiiiiid I saaaaaaaaayyyy that?" Vinyl tried to do her best impression of ignorance, but she is utterly failing at it. The panic on her face and the sweat on her brow is not helping her either. "Ah'm sure Ah did hear that from yer mouth. Now you better tell the truth, 'cos ya look like AJ holding a lie." Big Macintosh raised an eyebrow and stares at the mare intently. For the truth of course. "You must be kidding........right? You are not going to scare me." Vinyl takes a big gulp, and gives an very unconvincing grin. Big Macintosh is less than amused. Knowing when a pony is lying and extracting the truth out of them is a requisite for being an elder sibling. Since the mare is taking this the hard way, the stallion decided that he will have to do the "Silence of the Stares".
As the moment passed by , the red pony kept on staring at the mare intently and without breaking the stare while maintaining the pace of the walk. As the moments passed by, the mare felt a great presence despite her looking away from the stallion. The silence of the hallway and the clopping of their hooves only serves to make the environment more depressive. It does not help that Redheart and the filly are also walking silently, and before long the mare felt that she is truly alone. The only thing that is accompanying her is the stare of the sap green eyes of Big Macintosh.
The sweat on her brow have started to become wet from the perspiration, and her throat is now becoming dryer and dryer. As she notices the pounding of her heart, she could also hear the breathing of the stallion as if he was breathing down her neck. Before long, her mind started to play tricks upon herself, or at least she though it was playing tricks on her mind. Suddenly she could hear a voice saying something very creepy given the situation.
"The clock....IS......TICKING."
"I can't take it anymore." Big Macintosh heard Vinyl muttered under her breath. "Can't take what anymore, Vinyl?" "I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! LILY PETAL THE PEGASUS MADE ME DO IT! SHE PUT SOME WEIRD VOODOO ON MY HORN WHILE WE ARE AT A BLOODY BATTLEFIELD AND BAM! WE ARE HERE THANKS TO THE COMPASS ON MY HEAD! SHE SAID THAT THIS DECIDES OUR FATE BECAUSE THERE IS A BLOODPATH THINGIE AND IT IS A TIME OF GREAT CHANGE AND STUFF!!!!!!!" Vinyl screamed out loud, stunning the other equines and waking up the camel at the same time. "Huh?!?! " Amanar was utterly dazed from being awakened from his state of unconsciousness, and the filly and the nursemare immediately turned their attention towards Vinyl. As soon as Vinyl finishes the shouting, Big Macintosh is now looking at Vinyl with incredulous eyes.
"What? Stop .....*puff* looking....*puff* at me .....like Lyra *puff*.....with her Human*puff*.... theories." Vinyl is now panting from her previous screaming of truths. "No, Ah actually know whatcha talkin' about. Ah too have the same dreams." Now it is Big Macintosh's turn to speak the truth. "Yeah you have the same dreams......wait....WHAT?" Vinyl's jaw is now hanging low as she listens to what the stallion has to say. "Just that mine has a different thing going on in it. But the gray pegasus......yeah she's in mah dream too." "Mackie, stop joking around......that ain't funny." Vinyl said. The other mare is also looking at Big Macintosh with disbelief. "Ah'm not." "The same goes for me too." Nurse Redheart finally speaks out, and the stallion and the mare are now looking at their fellow Equestrian. It was then that all their faces have the exact same message displayed on their faces; The turn of events definitely does not add up and they need to take some time to listen to each other.
"Haha, good one! Keep it up my friend!" The equine makes a spin on one leg and its arms over its head like a ballerina, while avoiding all the sharp stakes by an inch.
The condescending tone of the equine only serves to make the elemental even more agitated than before. The wind elemental bellows with anger as it attempts to nail or smash the many projectiles within the spinning vortex which is itself. Zephyr is now utterly furious that the 'thing' before it is not even affected by the force of will it is inflicting upon the 'thing'. The 'thing's supernatural nature is not lost onto Zephyr, for most living things would already have the air in their lungs being sucked out by the vacuum of its vortex. It does not help that the equine is dodging his attacks as if they were nothing, and sometimes even at impossible angles.
"It will take more than that to get me!" The bat-winged equine said with glee as it made a few skips over some of the crashing projectiles, barely avoiding the fate of being impaled or smashed to a pulp.
Something does not add up in Zephyr's thoughts. The elemental was wondering why is the 'thing' not doing anything to it and be content with such a passive and defensive stance, as it surely must have something up its sleeves. Then suddenly, a harsh realization flashes across its mind; Its intention is to stall it here, and let it be separated from the others. The sudden realization caused the storm to subside, and all the things that are sucked into the storm soon drops upon the marble floor.
"Oh, you found out what I was doing." The equine said as it looked around at the devastation brought upon the compound. Before it could focus its attention back at the elemental, the tempest tries to make a run for the palace; in particular it was aiming for one of the open windows of the palace . However as soon as it propelled itself into the opening, it bounced off something hard and the elemental is now wondering what is going on. It tried again and again, but to no avail.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. No entering into the palace without my permission, Majid." The bat-winged equine said to the elemental. It looks like the elemental had fallen for the trap laid by the equine. The elemental now wished that it had the foresight of this trickery, and now it is separated from its friends. As if to put more salt into the elemental's wounds, the equine chuckled. As the storm starts to brew again and slowly levitating all the objects around them once more, the equine known as Anput turned its attention away towards the steps where the group came from.
"I knew that I might trap someone here to face me, but surely I had caught a bigger fish. And you are definitely a more worthwhile one to be stuck here with me, as we have to deal with some unwanted guests soon enough. You will make a fine bedfellow, dear Majid." Suddenly, several cruel bloodthirsty howls could be heard, and immediately the elemental knew that things are about to get even worse.
"If you want to get mad at something Majid, get mad at the things that are coming for us."
It is said in Saddle Arabia that when a horse keeps too much water in a vase, the water will overflow from the vase. However, what the Saddle Arabian saying had nothing on this particular situation, for the breach in the floodgates is such that the vase exploded twice over. The group are now seating upon the floor of the dark hallway, with the light from the unicorn's horn being the only source of illumination. The silence between them is nerve-wracking but everyone knew that someone will have to speak up. Surprisingly it was Amanar that broke the silence first.
"Ponies, If it okay, I speak in Saddle Arabia tongue. Easy for me get point across." The others nodded, seeing that when the camel talks, things are turning really serious. The filly is now looking at the camel bull, unsure about what her Janissary would say. Throughout her life, she had been in the care of this imposing one-eyed bull, and he is a camel with very few words even among the Janissaries.
"I shall begin from the very beginning my dear companions. To first understand your riddles, I must start with how I met Fatimah's mother. It was a dark night....." The Janissary speaks in his native tongue. The filly proceed to translate the Janissary's words as efficiently as she could, and as the rest listened, they knew that this tale will open the gates of truth.
It is a dark night, a night where the rains of Saddle Arabia will come once every few years in a torrential rainstorm throughout the desert land.
the brown stallion known as Abu Hamza and his small caravan is travelling across the land in the rain braving through this rather cumbersome storm when the Sheikh's ears picked out a rather unusual sound; the sound of a foal crying. Without even thinking about it, the Sheikh splits off from his caravan, which sparked his closest friend and also protector to follow the Sheikh. The Janissary gestured to the others to stay where they are as he catches on with his Sheikh.
"What's wrong Milord?" Amanar said to Abu Hamza, who is now looking around like a Saddle Arabian possessed. "I heard something, I plan to find out what is going on." "May I know what the sound is so that I can assist you Milord?" Knowing his friend for a long time, if the Sheikh had his mind on something, even the devil could not stop him. "It is the sound of a foal crying......" The Sheikh whispered as he looked around.
Amanar could only raise his eyebrow in disbelief at first. However, slowly but surely, amidst the raindrops and cracking skies he could hear the cries of a foal. Both of them looked at each other, and without hesitation both of them made haste to the source of the sound. As they found themselves on a dune mountain and slide down the almost muddy sands, they could see the silhouette of something below them.
"My word......what happened here?" Sheikh Abu Hamza said.
Greeting both their eyes is a scene of carnage. Splintered weapons and dismembered body parts are now scattered across the dunes, and the blood of the fallen slowly seeps and colour the dune crimson. As the two friends walked by the scene, they could see that some of the victims are still alive, either choking upon their blood or are just looking upon their entrails with fading eyes. The stallion and the bull walked by a few more bodies and they realized that this is not a raid, but a massacre. A raid tends to leave some survivors as the raiders always leave once they get what they want, but this wanton slaughter is just pointless.
The two comrades are not here to pay respects for the dead or pity the dying, and nothing will force them to divert from their original purpose. The cries of the foal are now louder than before, and both of them could only hope in their best wishes that they could at least save the little one from this cruel and unfortunate fate. Slowly, they finally reached the epicenter of the crying, and a midst the bodies they saw it.
The foal is wrapped in a bundle of cloth, with blood staining its otherwise beautiful silverly gray face. It seems that it was protected by its mother even in death, for the arms of the mare are wrapped around the baby protecting it from the weight of the other bodies. As they came closer to the foal, they realized to their surprise that the mare is an Equestrian pony. Her coat, although covered in blood, is the same as that of her foal but even more fine. There is a peaceful look upon her face, and the Sheikh could only smile and thanked Ista that the mare had a quick death.
"Ista is kind to let this foal be protected by such a kind mare." Amanar said as he reaches for the foal. It was then that he noticed a very odd movement from the deceased mare; the mare's chest is moving up and down very slowly. Seeing that the hard truth slapping both the stallion and the bull in the face, it was the stallion that first spoke. "Well what are you waiting for! Help them!" Sheikh Abu Hamza barked his orders and soon Amanar is clearing the bodies from the mare and the foal with the assistance of the stallion. It took them a while, but they managed to get both mother and child out from the carcasses. The mare is definitely weak, and her wounds appear to be very deep but if they could get them back to the healer they might have a chance to save the mare. "I have them, let's get out before their attackers decided to come back to finish the job!" Amanar barked, as the mare was rested upon the camel's back. The stallion decides to take the foal in his own arms and immediately both stallion and bull are moving as quickly as they could from the the charnel fields. Sheikh Abu Hamza could only try and watch out for their backs as they retreated since the mare is blocking Amanar's rear sight. As Amanar attempts to make a run for it, his leg bumped onto a particular body.
Fate is very cruel that way. If fate have not decided to let the camel's leg bumped onto that particular body, or let the leg bumped onto another body, or Amanar decided to not take a look below their fates would be a much kinder one. Alas, his leg bumped onto a body and the camel looked down. As he looked down, his face froze in realization of the body below him.
The body is that of a stallion, but its facial features are unrecognizable due to the injuries sustained. However, upon its chest is a silver pendant shaped in a blooming lotus with a Azure blue crystal at the center. Each one of the petals are inscribed with intricate wordings, and each one of the petals are actually a stylized form of the word that shook the camel's core.
"Asar." The camel blurted out. Noticing his friend's distress, the stallion walks towards the body and was also shocked by the body. As the Sheikh bends down to pick the pendant, he also noticed that upon closer examiniation, the white robes of the stallion are covered with intricate etchings and writings. The stallion pulled the robes of the dead body to see its cutie mark and immediately scowled when he saw the markings upon the horse's hind leg; it was the mark of a key upon a blooming lotus. The Sheikh is not pleased by the development at all; Prince Fahd, son of Emir Shaddam Khalifah the Fourth is dead.
"Come we need to move." The Sheikh said to his companion. Things will be worse from here on out.
Amanar and the Sheikh had managed to get back to their caravan, and they told the rest of their caravan regarding the massacre. However they had decided to leave out the fact that it was one of the Royal Caravans as the situation will put them all in grave danger. The healers managed to patch the wound, but her wings are no longer able to fly anymore. The foal is faring well, and they too discovered that the foal is an Equestrian. Both ponies are of the Pegasus subrace of ponies, and that alone caused a little debate among the members of the caravan. Foreigners are not welcomed kindly in Saddle Arabia, but with the Sheikh's authority the others grudgingly agreed to keep them with the caravan.
It was on the fifth day, that the mare regained consciousness.
"Are you awake, milady?" Sheikh Abu Hamza said to the silverly gray pegasus in Equestrian. Truly, now that she was clean and dressed well, the mare is a very elegantly beautiful equine. Her silver mane blew with the winds, and as she looked upon the stallion with her jadeite eyes, the stallion felt like he is staring into a very verdant forest.
"Who are you, and......how did I get here?" The mare's voice is soft and gentle, and truly regal in spirit. "I am Sheikh Abu Hamza bin Mohammad Hishamudin, The Custodian of Al-Barna of the Remal al-Sahra Al-Khayl clan. You may call me Abu Hamza. I rescued you. " The stallion smiled, but did not ask the mare for her name. He turns around and proceed to offer the mare a cup of water. The mare took the whole thing in one gulp, but then choked and coughed very badly. The stallion had to pat the mare's back gently to ease her discomfort. The mare, realizing what is going on, was about to open her mouth when shake his head.
"The foal is fine, but......only both of you made it. The rest are.......I am afraid.......not as fortunate." It was then that the mare's eyes watered up. Truly she must have lost her loved that night, the stallion reasoned. The tears from the mare started to run down, and the stallion pulled her towards his chest knowing what will come next. The mare started wailing, and as the stallion felt the growing moisture upon his robes he knew then that his suspicions are confirmed.
The Sheikh looked upon the pegasus mare, whose name he knew as Lily Petal, from afar as she stared towards the lake in the oasis, with her foal sleeping sleeping peacefully beside her. Her eyes are devoid of emotions, and has been in that state for several days now. Sheikh Abu Hamza only wished that he could help her cope with her loss, but he knew that this is a matter of the mind and all he could do is to provide a good living condition and give her the time to heal at her own pace. Nonetheless there is a feeling in his heart that told him that his fate is now entwined with that of the mare and her foal. The stallion was interrupted by the head of his Janissary, and as he turned around he could see that there is a dire expression upon his face.
"I would assume that whoever it is that was responsible for the massacre is now searching for them?" The Sheikh's inquiry bears an overwhelming weight. "It would appear to be the case my lord. Fahd just saw a contingent of Eternals along with some other equines looking among the body and dispatching those that are still alive." "This is worse than I thought. I was expecting that raiders are responsible for this, but to think that the Eternals and another clan are responsible for this massacre. This is no longer a massacre, this is an assassination disguised in a massacre." The Sheikh rests his chin upon his hoof, combing his goatee as he thought of the consequences. "May I add to that, my friend?" The camel said. "What could be worse?" The Sheikh looked upon his partner, knowing that things can and is turning worse. "From what Fahd said, I believed that they are still searching for someone important." Immediately the stallion turned his attention to the mare and her foal, and something in him told him that he will have to protect them no matter what. Seeing the stallion's expression the camel warrior, Amanar knew what has to be done. A Janissary appear beside the one-eyed camel and before he opened his mouth, Amanar spoke.
"We are moving out within the hour. Tell the rest."
Abu Hamza, Amanar and Lily Petal are now looking at the filly started her first few floating flutters in the Sheikh's stronghold. After informing his stronghold of the mare's predicament, they too agreed to keep the mare. Of course, the Remal al-Sahra Al-Khayl clan are usually more accepting of others, and the mare and her foal made their home in the palace. So it has been the home for the Equestrian and her child for three years and counting. During those times, the mare had managed to cope with her losses to a degree, and have started to regained a semblance of life.
"Abu Hamza, I can never thank you for what you did for us. For both Fatimah and myself." She looked upon the Sheikh and his Janissary companion. "Stop....you have said that too many times, Lily Petal. You need to take it easy you know?" The Sheikh smiles while watching the filly hover. "It is hard to take it easy when you have a little one to take care of." "The wonders of parenthood......something I can never understand." The stallion said nonchalantly.
Suddenly, he felt a heavy sensation leaning towards his foreleg. He turned his attention below, and he noticed the little filly leaning on his leg. Before long, the little one started to doze off at his leg. He picks up the little filly and puts her on his back. As her warmth seeps to his back, he sensed some attachment to the little one. He wondered how would it feel to have child of his own, until a voice broke him away from the thoughts.
"Abu Hamza, I believe it is time I told you the truth. I think you should take a seat first....your friend can listen, and I trust him enough."
The stallion agreed to the rather odd turn of events, and as he sat in front of her he noticed that her eyes are now filled with a great amount of sorrow. The stallion and the mare are now looking at each other and and the silence soon sets in. The winds, as if uneasy about the silence, decided to break the silence with their gentle blowing. The decorative chimes rings with every gentle blow of the wind, until suddenly the chimes and the winds stopped blowing.
The mare answered him with a poem, and as Asar heard the lines he was surprised once more.
Where now are the line of Asar? Why do thy kinsfolk wander afar? All because the line is crossed, Causing Asar's line to be lost.
Amidst the eternal waves of time, Out of the abyss peer the eyes of a demon. From a ripple of change shall the storm rise, Causing madness and the loss of all reason.
The demon soars through the dark skies, Its shadow turning equines upon equines. Such was the spread of fear and death, that salvation is the realm of the deaf.
In loudest din or hush profound, The Lumenize catches evil's slightest sound. Let its illuminating sound display its might, For the dark things cannot stand the light.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken, A light from the shadows shall spring. Renewed shall be blade that was broken, The crownless again shall be king.
"What in the......." The Sheikh knew the poem, but there are some stanzas that are foreign to him. Lily Petal looked at him understandingly. "I am sure that you have heard the second, third, and fourth stanza before. It is an old Saddle Arabian poem 'The Demon and the Luminize'. As for the first stanza......Have you heard of Ebiru?" The mare asked. "Yes, he is the Mad Horse, the last of the true line of Asar. He killed his family, and in turn he was overthrown by the people." "Well Abu Hamza what if I told you that there is another part to that tale?" The mare suggested. Despite seeing the disbelief on the face of the Sheikh, the mare continued on.
"What history did not know is that one among the true line made out of Ebiru's murderous familicide and ran away. That survivor ended up in Equestria, and before long that survivor started to have many descendants as the time goes by. In that survivor's line, the survivor passed a message to remind them of who they are but of course being born in Equestria caused them to think of it as a fairy tale just like any other immigrant family." The mare's story is now turning for the weirder, and despite wanting to stop the mare in butchering the history of Saddle Arabia, Sheikh Abu Hamza wanted to listen more to her tale. "That's nice. So where are you getting at?" The stallion asked. The mare smiled at the stallion and continued to narrate her tale.
"Then one day, the last surviving descendant of this line met up with a prince from a foreign land during her studies in Canterlot, and they fell in love. Fate would have it that she was brought back by the prince to the forgotten lands of her ancestor, and it was there that she learned of her ancestor's origin. Of course, seeing that it is not that important as compared to her own happiness, she decided to keep it to herself. But of course disaster struck......" It was then that the mare was interrupted.
"I knew something was odd. The filly does appear to have features of both Saddle Arabians and Equestrians. The return of the king, as you Equestrians like to say...." Amanar interrupted, and realizing that he was out of line. Nonetheless, the Sheikh paid no heed to his companion's accidental intrusion and gave a hollow chuckle.The truth is never a pretty thing, and this one is definitely at the top. "So what if I trust you. Do you want me to bring you back to the palace?" The Sheikh asked, his voice sounded like he was a little hurt by the truth. The mare closed her eyes, knowing that in a way she had betrayed the hospitality of her host. Nonetheless she knew that if she would request for anything, this would be the best time to ask.
"No, I want you to help me and my daughter to return to Equestria. You understand that people may discover the truth, and the truth is a painful thing. The Emir does not know that his son had a relationship with an Equestrian, and for all his great wisdom he would not take kindly to the news. I fear for my filly's life.....will you help me?"
As he ponders upon the consequences of his actions, he realized that he had once again went into his pragmaticism. The Sheikh wanted to refuse the mare, but if there is one thing that weakens the warrior-chieftain's heart it is the tears of a mare. In addition to being raised as a gentlecolt as befitting his status as a leader of his clan, but the tears also holds symbolic and also religious meaning in the context of Saddle Arabian culture.
Tears is the greatest gift that one could give in Saddle Arabia, but a mother's tears of hope and love is the greatest gift that she could give to her child. As the Sheikh watches, tears started to well up in the pegasus' eyes, and soon enough it started flowing down her cheeks. Even though she closed her eyes, but still the tears kept on flowing. Sheikh Abu Hamza is no stranger to crying, but it is the manner of the pegasus as she cried is foreign to him.
Not the whimpy cries of a equine in fear, nor the wailing cries of mourning. Her crying is laced with one message which the Sheikh understood immediately; he is her only hope. For once he felt that perhaps there is something else to life than riches and power. He could only sigh, and takes his head piece off before smiling to himself. His hoof is now placed upon her shoulders, and she looked up with her eyes attempting to hide the fears within her.
"I can not make any promises, but can I put down my terms first?" "W...w...what are your terms?" The pegasus is unsure and her voice is trembling, and the Sheikh knew that his choice of words is perhaps not the best choice of words to say. "If I can not bring both of you out of Saddle Arabia as you wished, at least allow me to bring you to the closest border crossing that is safe to cross. I am a Sheikh, not a prophet. I can only..."
Before the Janissary or the Sheikh could even react, the mare lunges straight into the chest of the Sheikh and hugged him so tightly that he felt that he will soon meet his makers. He could feel the warmth of her body, and soon enough he felt her heartbeat. It is a gentle beat, and against his more stronger heartbeat it is like a whisper. He looked at his Janissary companion, and the camel could only give a shrug with a small smile. It is rare that the camel smiles, and the Sheikh's ears soon picked up upon a faint sound.
"Thank you, thank you." Her soft, gentle trembling voice had truly sealed the deal. Ista has a way to make a stallion's heart soften up, and Abu Hamza is glad that it did. The world is too grim these days, and days like this are the ones that truly brightened the path to a slightly better future. A foolish dream, but it is a good dream to aspire to.
Looks like the stallion will have to make the appropriate arrangements for this particular caravan mission.
As the evening sun sets, the courtyard of the palace is filled with Janissaries crowding around the pegasus pony. It seems that the word has gotten round that the mare is leaving for good after her long extended stay at the clan stronghold. All of the clan's servants and the Janissaries (To Sheikh Abu Hamza's and Amanar's surprise) had decided that they would like to wish their farewells to the mare personally.
"You have to leave?" One of the Janissaries said, his tone tinged with sadness. "We can follow?" Another one said. "Can I has Lily back?" The food taster said. Everyone laughed when the food taster known as Nayaz said those words. "Yes, Jamal I have to leave. No Ikbal, you can't follow, and Nayaz Lily and I might return one day."
As the mare and the Janissaries exchange words, the Sheikh could only watch how his men had defied their orders to stay in their barracks just to say their goodbyes. In fact he was relieved that the mare managed to talked them down to staying in the clan's stronghold despite their desires to escort her all the way to Port Al-Hoofdin.
Despite the protests of his Janissaries, the Sheikh and Amanar have decided that they will be the only ones that are escorting the mare. It is but for a single reason; a smaller group is harder to detect than a group surrounded with heavily armed Janissaries. As each one of the servants and Janissaries said their farewells to Lily Petal, the Sheikh could not help but to be astounded every time by the effect of the mare upon his subjects For some reason, they are very friendly to her and they even asked her to partake in some of their activities which even the Sheikh did not get the honour to participate.
Perhaps this is why he was a little jealous of her, for he earned their loyalty through his martial gifts while she earned their friendship through means he is not certain how. He would rather have friends than followers, but nonetheless the circumstances of his birth and upbringing plays a part in how the Janissaries treated him.
Truly it is her gift to unite people...... The Sheikh said to himself. He could not help but to bask in her radiance, and he could look at her for days if it were not for Amanar bumping him with his forelegs. Snapping back into reality, the Sheikh slowly walks towards her and taps her shoulders. Even as his hooves are upon her shoulder, he could not help but to notice her beautiful nape.
"We need to move now, Lily. The night is a better travelling option for the young one." Sheikh Abu Hamza said to the mare. Fully clad in the desert robes of Saddle Arabia, the mare nodded and started walking while towing her child upon the harness strapped to her flanks. The Sheikh had insisted that they are clad in the garbs to hide their identities. As Sheikh Abu Hamza, Lily Petal and Amanar walks out towards the exit of the stronghold, the Janissaries looked at the group with teary eyes. Suddenly the mare turned around and face the Janissaries, catching them off guard.
"Thank you everyone. I will always remember you in my heart." As the mare turns around and trots towards the Sheikh and the Head Janissary, The Janissaries bowed in respect for the Equestrian mare. This is an act unheard of among the Janissaries of Saddle Arabia to bow down to a mare, let alone a mare from a land that is not their own.
As the days turned to weeks, the travelers are doing their best to move as fast as they could without being spotted by other caravans and other unwanted attention. So far they are all doing a very good job at it as nothing happened to them and this allowed them to reach to the best possible location to send the mare and her foal back to Saddle Arabia; Port Al-Hoofdin. By the Sheikh's reckoning they have been in the deserts for a good three weeks now and they should reach Port Al-Hoofdin within the next three days.
"I believe that we should rest here for the night." Sheikh Abu Hamza told everyone. Immediately the Janissary was on watch as the Sheikh prepares the fire that will keep them warm for the night. As the Janissary watches the horizon warily and the mare concentrating her attention to her foal, the Sheikh's mind is not concentrating on the task at hand.
Abu Hamza could not help but to pay attention to Lily Petal, for there is something about her that he can never shake off. Throughout his time with her, the Sheikh learned about the mare's peculiarities. Raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens, warm woollen mittens and crisp apple strudels are a few of her favorite things. Dog bites and bee stings are her least favorite things. How her life was in San Pegasus and how she earned her Cutie Mark when she first moved into the city. Somehow, whenever she glanced at him, he tends to be ecstatic.
Deep within himself, he knew that her time with him inn the stronghold for three years had planted something that was not there before. New and a bit alarming, there is something in himself that he is simply did not see. He will have to wait and see to know what is that something that was not there before. Perhaps he will ask the mare about this feeling which is warm and nice, he said to himself. It was then that he noticed that the mare is looking at him intently. He suddenly felt warmer and warmer and his heart is racing like a sandstorm, the sweat now flowing from his body like a rainy season in Saddle Arabia.
He never felt this way before and he blushed as he was not expecting the attention of the mare. It was then that he noticed that the mare's expression is that of great concern on the verge of panic.
"Ur.....Abu Hamza........your robes are on fire." Surprisingly calm, the mare's voice is contrasted by her expressions as she pointed at his sleeves. As soon as he turned his attention to where she is pointing, he immediately realized that the fire is slowly spreading to the rest of his robes. With a yell, the Sheikh jumps around frantically and tries to put out the flame by rolling in the sand. As the Janissary realized that his Sheikh is on fire, Amanar runs towards the stallion and started pouring sand upon the stallion to put out the flames.
Perhaps he is not familiar with the feeling, or perhaps it is because he is on fire, but It had never occurred to the Sheikh that perhaps the feeling that he is experiencing is a feeling that most ponies experienced when they want to be with their special somepony.
Tomorrow is the day.
Sheikh Abu Hamza said to himself as the group was about to enter Anbah for the night. Anbah is a small village, but a village that was their final stop before Port Al-Hoofdin. The Sheikh could breathe a sigh of relief as this small quaint town is relatively secured due to its proximity to the port. However the Sheikh's relief was cut short as he entered the village. As Sheikh Abu Hamza, Lily Petal and Amanar entered into Anbah, they immediately noticed that there is something wrong with the village. The sight of the empty and silent streets caused the battle-hardened warrior to know that such silence could only mean one thing.
It seems that this is the end of the road......
A serpentine, sultry voice with unbridled malice echoed throughout the darkness. The Sheikh and the Janissary immediately brandished their scimitar and looked around anxiously, ready to use their weapons if they need to. Soon both their eyes are turned towards the main street into the town. Coming closer and closer is a figure beyond their comprehension.
A robed figure wearing an alabaster white death mask marked with two red Eyes of Istas, crowned by a striped headcloth of black and red with a red cobra at the temple is now staring at them with its emotionless mask. The height of the figure is utterly imposing and immediately the stallion and the Janissary knew that this being is malice incarnate.Its oppressive aura fills the hearts of Sheikh Abu Hamza, Lily Petal, and Amanar, causing their complexion to become pale.
I always loved the sound of silence and obedience along with expressions of fear. However it seems that you are not fearful of me. That is a first. The figure chuckled, chilling the spine of the Sheikh and the Janissary. The mare took the presence of the eldritch being the worst. Lily Petal immediately falls upon her legs and her eyes are filled with a mix of fear and realization of what is before her. The foal immediately started crying out loud, and the chuckle of the figure soon turned to laughter.
"You are the one from that night........" Lily Petal exclaimed, and soon enough her eyes are frozen with fear.
I am glad that you remembered me, Ansarite.
"So you are the monster that killed the Crown Prince." Sheikh Abu Hamza said vennomously.
Guilty as charged.
"What do you want from us?" Sheikh Abu Hamza asked. The figure laughed a spine-chilling cackle before answering the stallion.
Oh....it is not a matter of what I want from all of you, it is more a matter of what I need to do. You see, I plan things, and I tend to do my best to not let anything get in the way. So happens that the mare and.....oh, your child is also with you. That makes things much easier.
"I would like to correct you on that, as we are now here." The Sheikh said proudly, believing that he could stop this being from inflicting harm upon the mare and her foal. The Janissary aims his jezzail at the figure, ready to fire if the figure did something foolish.
Oh you are right........well, I can't let that happen. Surely these townsfolk agrees with me.
After mocking the Sheikh, a mandala glows above the figure before it dissipates. Before the thought of questioning what is the glowing symbol above the figure could even register in the Sheikh's mind, it was answered in a rather dramatic fashion.
Suddenly, a cacophony of moans heralded the appearance of the villagers from the houses, and as the glass-eyed mob walked forth awkwardly the Janissary fired his jezzail at the first one. It buckled, but only for a moment. To the Janissary's surprise, the villager that was shot marches forward. A word flashes on Amanar's mind.
Ghūl..........
The Janissary immediately took out his scimitar and prepares himself for combat, while the Sheikh grabs the mare and starts to move backwards. Both the Sheikh and the Janisary knew that this is something unexpected and they need to get out from the village. The mare was stunned while her child kept on crying. The possessed villagers are now marching ever closer to them, their unnerving cacophonous moans serving as an indicator of how many of them are out there.
"Amanar, any ideas?" "If we can stop the Gallu, I think its power over the ghūls will fade and we will be fine." The Janissary calmly suggests he reloads his jezzail with one arm. "A Gallu huh? Sound like those tales my mother told me about why I should not go at night is true....." The Sheikh bitterly laughs.
Feed. Clean the flesh from their bones.
With the command of the mysterious figure, the moan of the horde became more violent and the horde's awkward gait soon gave way to a furious trotting speed. Seeing that things are now worse than before, the trio started to make a run for it. As soon as they moved with haste, so did the beings that were once the villagers. The cruel figure calmly walks behind the horde, its laughter as cold as the Arabian night. The first one to reach the trio got its head lobbed away by a decapitating blow from Amanar, and the head was immediately used as a projectile by the Sheikh when it kicked the head towards another ghūl, embedding the decapitated head into the head of another ghūl.
However, their valiant attempts to stave away the ghūls that are closing in to them is slowly coming to naught as the ghūls outnumbered them twenty to one. As they slowly tire, the horde only seem to chase them with even more tenacity. As the two males are preoccupied with the other ghūls, they failed to notice one of them trying to grab onto the mare's child. However, if the ghūls have any learning capacity, they would learn that a mother's love is to her child is an unrivaled force in the world. The ghūl received a sudden kick from the mare, causing the neck of the ghūl to snap violently. The ghūl fell backwards with such force that it started a chain reaction of the ghūls to fall down causing their advance to stall.d
The Sheikh could only whistle, impressed by the physical might of the mare. But his attention to the mare is short-lived, as he soon felt an intimidating presence which warrants his attention. Abu Hamza turned around and saw the imposing monster has finally catched up with them. His instincts kicking in, , the Sheikh threw his scimitar at the Gallu. The figured laughed before erecting a magical barrier to deflect the scimitar back at the Sheikh. With only moments to react, Abu Hamza used his teeth to bite on the blade moments before its slices through his head. As the figure laugh and its magical barriers dissipates, the moments of the Sheikh's actions have bought the Janissary enough time to fire the jezzail at the brief exposure of weakness.
The bullet hit the figure in the face, shattering its mask and causing it to scream in anguish. Immediately, the possessed villagers slumped down upon the ground, and without any moment to think about anything Sheikhc Abu Hamza, Lily Petal and Amanar fled as fast and hard as they could into the darkness of the desert. The screams of the monstrous figure could be heard, and with the accompanying moans of the ghūl they knew that this is just the beginning of the night for them.
"I do not think that it is affected by the Jezzail...." "Amanar, of course not. But still, what is a Gallu trying to...."Before the stallion could complete his sentence, the mare taps her hoof on his shoulder. "W....what......is a....Gallu?" The fear in her voice is faint but ever present. He wants to empathize with her, but his fear of all of them being found out at this rock formation by the ghūls is suppressed by the desire to protect those under his charge. Fortunately for them the foal is blissfully asleep, making their concealment much easier. The stallion takes a deep breath before answering her.
"A Gallu.....is a sorcerer that hauls the souls of the unfortunate into the underworld, and replacing the hole that was ripped out with with a demonic minion of theirs. That possessed husk is called a ghūl, a being whose sustenance of its own presence in the material world is through the consumption of the living. In a way, it is similar to necromancy but at the same time it is not like necromancy as continuous control is needed before the monsters could devour to sustain themselves. That is how we stopped them just now . Though, to be honest I always consider it to be fairy tale and it is a tale my mother told me to keep me from sneaking out at night to get some midnight treats." The stallion chuckled a little, but not for long.
"But, Milord......don't you think that the Gallu is a little too large? And those steps that the Gallu made is just too quiet, like those of a griffon. They do not sound equine." The Janissary whispered, his whispers reminding them that they need to keep their presence hidden. "Yes, the size of that bloody bastard is a little too large for something that can wield magical incantations as those. Even those Equestrian princesses are not that large."
I would agree that my size is not my best attribute.
The bone-chilling voice cause a great amount of alarm among Abu Hamza, Lily Petal and Amanar and they immediately bolted from under the rock formation that they are hiding under towards the desert where the light of the moon is able to illuminate their surroundings. From the shadows, the figure appears and as it walks out towards their location and its dominating presence is enough to cause everyone to have cold sweat to flow from their bodies.
I will have to admit, it has been a while since a mortal managed to hurt me. Congratulations......the last one that managed did not manage to live to tell the tale.
To everyone's horror, the figure's broken mask revealed something that defies their understanding. The most obvious feature that sets it apart from all other creature is its eye. Within its eye, there are several golden pupils which defies logic each one contracting and pulsing in its own accord. The skin of the figure is fair, almost alabaster while its facial feature is similar to that of an ape, but it is much more beautiful, while its jet black mane flows in the wind. However despite its unnatural looks, it is divinely beautiful with an unearthly, unnatural and disturbing beauty. As its forefeet steps forward, the others could see that instead of hooves, it has paws like those of a desert lion.As the robes at the figure's back loosen up, the figure unfolds its raven-black pinions which glistened under the moonlight.
Ah.....you saw my face, didn't you.
"You.....you are a...." Abu Hamza could not voice out his horror. Amanar and Lily Petal is now looking at the unnatural creature before them, not believing what they have just seen.
It seems that my kind is now a myth among the people of this world. Truly my appearance is not something your mortal minds could comprehend. It is truly exhilarating to see the horror on your faces.The figure slowly walks forward to Lily Petal and gave her a sinister and playful look.
Within moments the sound of the jezzail firing is heard, and a flash of crimson appear at the left of the monster before dissapearing. Amanar's scream echoes through the night, and the Janissary is now breathing laboriously on the ground in the pool of his own blood.
You are lucky the first time, don't think that you can......However, the figure immediately notices a sliver of silver from the periphery of its eyes and jumped back. As it finally has its full vision, it could see the stallion spinning in the air with its scimitar before falling down on the ground.
"Well, this one is no luck my Shesepankh Gallu." The expression of the figure is now scowling in anger and disgust at the stallion. The Sheikh afforded himself a satisfied smirk before he gets up to aim his sword at the figure.
Very interesting, mortal. What is your name?
"Sheikh Abu Hamza bin Mohammad Hishamudin of the Remal al-Sahra Al-Khayl clan, The Custodian of Al-Barna. And yourself, foul abomination? So that my tales of slaying a monster shall pass on in legends immemorable." The figure chuckled hysterically at the stallion before complying.
I am Set, the Violator of the Mortal Realms, Harbinger of The Storms and Overlord of Disorder and slayer of the foolish mortal before me.
Suddenly several red lightning bolts rained upon the Sheikh blasting the ground asunder. However the Sheikh has dodged several of the lightning bolts to close in on the figure calling itself Set.However the blows of the Sheikh is being reflected back to him and the Sheikh is forced to dodge his own scimitar blows. The Sheikh immediately breaks off from the shesepankh and both of them are now looking at each other intently.
I must say, that for a mortal, you are not bad at all. I like feisty ones like yourself.
The situation is grim for the Sheikh, for he know that this creature before him is leagues beyond his ability. Not to mention that for some reason, the name of the creature is quite familiar to his ears. Nonetheless, there are times to think about myths and legends and there are time where survival is the only thing that mattered. Abu Hamza is uncertain as to how he could get out of this matter unscathed.
Too bad that even that time, the one that hurt me had help from some spellcasting friends of his. You do not even have a chance to get to me, especially with your Janissary friend bleeding to death. I wanted to laugh at your hopelessness, but I think I should end this.
Suddenly the stallion felt his heart is in a tightening vice, and his screams of unbearable pain could not escape his mouth. Shiekh Abu Hamza immediately noticed that there is a crimson glow at his chest, and as he held his chest in pain he could only assume the worst.
How does it feel like to have such pain in your heart? I will slowly let you suffer for this. You and your Janissary over there. How beautiful life could have been if you were not forced in this circumstance, but that is why I have to thank you for choosing this path where you are now suffering.
As the lights of Sheikh Abu Hamza's vision slowly fades away, he could only wonder if he could explain things to his maker about how he failed. It was then that he heard something
Against the snares of demons, Against everyone who meditates injury to me, whether far or near, whether few or with many. Please guide my protection upon those that needs it.
Immediately a Jezzail fire could be heard, and suddenly the vice-like grip upon his heart is gone. Abu Hamza gasped for air and as his vision returns he notices that the being's flank is belching smoke, and its attention is now focused at the direction where Amanar was lying. Seizing the chance, the stallion immediately swings his scimitar upwards and the resistance of the blade slicing though the flesh confirmed that the slash is successful.
The monster jumped back, realizing that it was hurt. However, as the Sheikh watches the wound from his blade is mending itself. To the Sheikh's surprise, the wound from the jezzail is still smoking and it appears that black ichor is still dripping from the wounds from its flank. Wondering what did Amanar do to warrant such a mortal wound, the stallion turned around to see that the wielder of the jezzail is not his trusted Janissary.
It seems that the blood of Asar is still my bane, and those prayers too......very well done my dear, very sneaky. You will pay for this transgression.....I will make sure of it.
Suddenly, the figure dissapears in a puff of crimson smoke before reappearing beside the mare. With a swipe of its paws, the figure managed to draw blood from the mare and tore apart one of the mare's wings. The mare's scream snaps the Sheikh into action and immediately he charges the figure with all his might. Remembering what he heard as the mare fired, he started to mutter several incantations of holy prayer as he galloped towards the monster.
No corruption shall blemish our world, no immatricial fiend shall be spared. No malevolent spirit will oppose us, no creation of sin shall survive. No unholy deed shall go unpunished, all blasphemous acts shall be atoned. No spawn of misrule avoid us, all are banished to the void. Nothing shall evade our cleansing fire.
Everything that the Sheikh sees and perceive are slowed down, and as he watches Lily Petal falling down upon the ground his heart became more and more pained by the exertion upon his body. His muscle aches and protests in pain, but he kempt on moving. He notices the droplets of blood from the paw swipe raining down upon him and the sands below, but they are of little consequence to him as he continued on whispering his prayers.
Heavenly blessings are laid upon us, Though sorceries shall be against us, no witchcraft will bring our doom. Though spell or incarnation blocks us, Ishta shall see us victorious. No hex can overcome our determination, our resolve is strong as steel. Sigils and wards watch over us, prayers shall serve as our guide.
As the stallion swings his blade upwards, the figure's attention is slowly turning from the mare to him. The glow surrounding the monster's body is slowly glowing brighter and brighter, and the Sheikh knew that he got only one chance to deal a mortal blow at the being.s However, the smirking stare of the monster only serve to tell the Sheikh that his efforts is for naught. It was then that the smirking eye turned into a fearful surprise. The Sheikh saw in this slowing time that his Janissary had grabbed on to the leg of the monster, and immediately the Sheikh decided that this will be the last straw.
"There is much darkness awaiting us, yet Ishta lights our path. No despicable trickery will thwart us, no damnation shall bring us low. Though mere mortals in His service, everlasting shall be our true duty. With undaunted courage we shall prevail, We are the Divine Blade!!!!!!!"
His blade glowed with a blueish turquoise light and the blade meets its mark once more slicing upwards from the chest of the being to the temple of its head. The creature immediately dissipated in a crimson flash and smoke and the Sheikh slams down on the ground at the same time as the mare. The cries of her child propels the mortally injured mother to crawl to her child with her slowly dissipating strength. Resisting the desire to lay down and rest, the stallion stabs his sword into the sand and pullled himself up. It was then that he saw the extent of the damage that was dealt to the mare. Not only was her wing torn from her body, but the lacerations and the wounds are deep enough that Sheikh Abu Hamza knew that it had hit several vital organs.
"Lily, stop! You need to stay still, your wounds are....." The stallion tried to keep her down to her, but he knew that his words fell to deaf ears. It is said that when one is travelling to the other realm, their senses are dulled save that which is the most important to them at the moment. The Sheikh could not help but to shed a tear as he saw the pony slowly crawled to her child. Despite his wounds, Amanar got up and walked towards the mare. Understanding what is going on, Abu Hamza and Amanar lifted her up and brought her closer to her child despite their weakened strength.
As they slowly lay the mother next to her child, their body gave way and they could only watch as the mare gently caresses her child and looked at her child with loving eyes, even as the life in her eyes are slowly fading away. The Janissary saw the truly heart-wrenching sight before his eyes and unable to stomach the situation, he turned away. The Sheikh however could not look away. As he watched, the crying of the foal only made it worse. With her dying breath, her soft and slowly fading voice sings a lullaby for her foal.
Hush now little baby, you're loved by all you know You'll never lose your comfort, no matter where you go. There ain't no call to worry, so don't you cry or fret. A mother's love won't leave you, No matter where I am.
To the Sheikh's amazement, the foal started to calm down and for once as a Sheikh, he shed a tear. A tribute for a mother, whose undying love for her child persevered even as she was passing on to the next realm. The light of life within the mare's eyes was finally gone, put out by the darkness that is death. The Sheikh fell down upon his knees, and dropped his scimitar on the desert floor. He had failed to keep the mare alive, but the failure of not protecting her is amplified by an emotion that he never felt before. His heart was torn asunder by the great loss before his eyes. The stallion could only open his mouth and gasped in pain as he kneeled down, for the pain in his heart was so much that the voice of his wail could not escape from him.
A few months later.......
Ah Seng is having a very bad business run these days in his curio shop in Shanghay, for these days no pony in their right mind would want to buy mysterious artefacts with mysterious powers with a mysterious past anymore. Ever since that incident in Equestria about how a pony by the name of Trixie have used such an artifact to take over Ponyville, things have soured badly. It does not help that it is a dark and stormy night to make things worse.
It was then that the chimes from the door heralded the entry of two mysterious hooded figure. Even though he is not fond of mysterious figures, but then his store thrives on mysterious things that could be of interest to these mysterious figures.
"Nǐ hǎo, wǒ néng wéi nǐ zuò ma?" No reply from these figures. They must not speak Shanghaynese.
"Herro, how help you?" Ah Seng said in his best Equestrian. Immediately the two figures turned around, and Ah Seng knew that he got some customers.
"You rike ritrre jade box?" Immediately one of the hooded figure points towards a dark orb that is in display. Ah Seng immediately surmised that they are interested in something powerful. The shopkeeper identifies it as the "Mysterious Item from Saddle Arabia with A Mysterious Past" that was given to his grandfather by a mysterious figure from Saddle Arabia with the tale that it was a tool used by the founder of Saddle Arabia to unite the nation or something. Ah Seng is quite hazy about that as his grandfather did not tell him the story frequently enough to remember it by heart.
"Ah y "Mystelious Item from Saddre Alabia with A Mystelious Past". Very mystelious item-leh." One of the figures pulled down his hood and Ah Seng is now looking at a light brown Sadddle Arabian horse wearing a clothed headdress. To Ah Seng, Saddle Arabians tend to be very annoying customers as they think that they can buy everything as long as they have the money. Of course, in Ah Seng's store, there is another pre-requisite to get the items in the store .Of course, his grandfather did told Ah Seng that no matter what happens, this item should not be sold to anyone unless they are the 'Chosen One'. How this 'Chosen One' is chosen is unknown to Ah Seng, but this is part of his business of mysterious items to not know a lot about anything he sells.
"This item no serr. You no Chosen." It was then that the mysterious figure took out what looks like an amulet with finely crafted iconography and soon enough both the item and the orb glowed with a blue-ish turquoise light. To Ah Seng's knowledge, he thinks that doing that to the item is a fair enough requirement for getting the item. Not to mention that the companion threw a big bag of bits at his counter.
"Would you rike that gift-wrapped?" The curio shop owner said with a smile on his face. Before the Sheikh could even reply, the curio owner have already started gift-wrapping the artifact.
"Milord, what are you planning?" The companion asked the Sheikh as the curio owner gift -wraps the artifact with glee.
"Amanar, this will be the first of many things. It is a chess gambit against time, and I intend to win it." Sheikh Abu Hamza said as he watches the rainy night skies above. The pieces needed to create a peaceful Saddle Arable is slowly being collected from around the world by Sheikh Abu Hamza, in loving memory of the one that desires peace the most. Still he would need to get the position of Emir to truly set his plans into place as he knew that the enemies from within that wanted the fall of world is still out there. He will not let the monster destroy the world and also destroy the peace that Lily Petal so desire for her child. This prayer for the living must be fulfilled.
The sound of silence permeates around them, not knowing what to say after Amanar stopped his recollection of the past. However, the one that is affected the most by this story is the little filly herself. It tells when she stuttered halfway through the story. Nurse Redheart pulled the little filly towards her chest, calming the little filly with her warmth and touch.
"Well...I think we need to get a move on. Break's over." Vinyl said. However she is never known to be a good liar, and Macintosh can see that the unicorn emotions is only kept at bay due to her focusing on lighting the dark hallway with her horn. The dim light hides her distraught expressions well.
"Ah think we'll wait awhile." Macintosh answered.
Nonetheless, the silence in the hallway is a stark contrast to the maelstrom outside.
**********************
Zephyr soon realized that there are more being joining in the party of its battle with the bat-winged equine. Their howls are legion and it wondered if this is the dastardly plans of the thing it is fighting until it realized that it too was bracing itself. The elemental decided that even if this particular trap was not the plan of the bat-winged equine, the equine and whatever that is coming will all suffer the same fate.
They will all perish. I need to be with my friends.
As soon as the first owner of the howl was spotted by the tempest, it is immediately obliterates by the piece of marble thrown from within the eye of the storm and before long the razors from both the winds and the debris proceed to mutilate all those that stand in its way. Anput realized that the tempest is growing larger and even more indiscriminate, and realizes that 'it' plans to destroy everything that it deemed as an enemy to rejoin its comrades. As if to confirm its thoughts, a large bark from one of the silver trees impaled the ground in front of Anput before shattering into splinters of silver. Realizing what will happen, Anput barely dodges the swirling fragments.
The razors from the sharts proceed to make the whole tempest into a silver swirling death machine and it proceeds to inhale everything in sight into its deadly embraces. The demonic canines attempted to claw themselves down to anchor themselves, but instead the ground beneath them gave way and they are absorbed into the tempest. For Anput, it managed to use its powers bestowed by its sacred duties to somewhat become incorporeal thereby allowing itself to remain on the ground while not being carried into the whirling death.
It was fortunate that I am now able to focus or else..., the Sword of Asar said to himself as he sees that the storm is now mowing down the legion of demonic beings like a farmer harvesting wheat with his scythe. As more of the demonic beings came up the steps to replenish the losses that they received at the end of Zephyr, Anput reasoned to himself that this is a good thing, as it appears that whatever it is that sent those hounds are expending more resources that they expected. All the better to tire them out and allowing the last of the trials to be taken by those chosen by the Luminize.
**********************
"Did you guys hear that?"
Vinyl asked, but no one seem to be able to hear it. It is a haunting melody, a lullaby to be exact. The melody is getting louder and louder. It is a rather discordant sound, sounding nothing like anything she heard before. It was only moments later that it became something otherworldy for it slowly echoes into her mind with shades of colour turning sour in her mind.
"How on earth am I tasting and seeing colours of sound with my ears?!?" Vinyl is visibly disturbed and freaked out by this discordant eldritch sound from another realm. Before long, Vinyl could hear the sounds of horrifying melodies of violins and flute along with the bitterness of purple in her mind. The sensation is such that she is now screaming for her sanity to return.
Nurse Redheart is definitely caught by the sudden screaming of the unicorn mare and convulsions only made it worse. If her seizure continues on, she might accidentally bite on her tongue. Without any hesitation and with years of medical experience, she took one of the large wooden pins from Big Macintosh's collar and seeing the opportunity to insert the large pin into the unicorn's mouth without breaking her teeth or gums.
"We need to stabilize her!" Redheart's commanding voice made the camel and the stallion to spring into action to assist her with the convulsing unicorn. After a minute or so, the unicorn's fit episode stopped and the rest breath a sigh of relief. It was then that they all heard a haunting laughter. Everyone looked around trying to find out where the sound is coming from. Amanar passes his scimitar to the nursepony while he prepares his rifle and Big Macintosh readies himself to use his hindlegs.
The voice spoke to them in a rather fog-like manner, misty as it is mysterious. It is lyrically whimsical as it is bone-chillingly devoid of any sense of compassion. Its chuckles sends a cold chill down everyone's spine, like a cold bucket of water.
Put down your weapons my friends, your wands, guns and swords. Your resistance is no match for my chords.
"Who are ya? What have yad one to Vinyl ya fiend?" Big Macintosh retorted back, anger welling within him. The voice did not speak for a moment, but then a breath of a sigh can be heard.
Good guys or bad guys, it doesn't really matter; I will sing the song that the world wants to hear. Those unworthy will fall under my hypnotic patter. While those who falter not; why are you here?
"So a question about why we are here huh?" Redheart retorted back. This is something else entirely. Where is this particular threat, she asked herself. For it to take down Vinyl in such a fashion means that they are all vulnerable audibly.
Indeed, you are right Redheart, for I am here, there, everywhere and nowhere. But the truth remains that they are different truths...
The voice appears to move around the chamber, its presence scattered but at the same time concentrated. The voice chuckled once more, the cold sinister chuckle serves to heightened the disturbed state of mind everyone is in.
Have you ever wondered about the truths that you could not see? What about the truths you are about see? Or the truth that you had already seen? Such is the trinity of truths. Three is a magic number, as one would say.
Big Macintosh is no stranger to strange occurence, but what is strange is that why it decided to take down only Vinyl. With its ability it could have taken all of them down easily. But it decided to taunt them, speaking to them in riddles...
Am I speaking in riddles? The truth of the matter is that you could not see the truths that are already laid before you. They are lying in plain sight, but no one chose to seek it.
The voice is reading his mind, and from the looks of it it is reading everyone's minds. Biig Macintosh immediately realized that this could be the third trial of Asar to weed out the worthy.
Indeed red stallion, and welcome to the last of the trials, the Weighting of Hearts. I give your my deepest respects for passing the previous challenges of the Leash of Life and the Wolds of the Words. My husk of a body is keeping all the distractions away from you all along with your elemental friend, but I must say that your tempest of a friend is also making it very hard for me to keep you safely sealed in this place. Given the situation outside, it was fortunate that the tempest decided to face my shell.
"Zephyr is fighting outside? Also how are you in here if you are out there?" Fatimah asked.
I am both here and there and yet nowhere- regardless of what happens- but both of myself are different truths that are equally real but can never interact with each other. Suddenly a loud thundering voice from outside can be heard and suddenly the dust from the ceiling started to fall upon everyone.
It seems that whoever or whatever it is that is hunting everyone here is hellbent to get to where you are. Due to the current trials, the defenses of this place has weakened. But the trials must go on.
"So what do we need to do to pass?" Fatimah asked.
Simple really; the Truth. Without the truth the path to your future can not be illuminated.
"Sorry weird voice from somewhere...can you speak Equestrian? It is hard on my head" The female voice immediately caught the attention of everyone, and they turned around to see Vinyl finally rising up from her state of unconsciousness.
"Vinyl!" Everyone but the voice of Anput exclaimed at once.
Well now, it seems that I have underestimated the mare here. Very well, the little filly and this unicorn will be the one that will undergo my trial.
Suddenly the filly and the unicorn faded away, and before the others could voice their utter surprise, the voice of Anput speaks once more.
It is now up to them, and as for all of you; rest. You will need it.
**********************
The hooded figure at the entrance to the tomb is visibly frustrated by its attempts to overwhelm the defenses of the White Tree. The familiars that it is sending appears to be defeated faster than it could replenish them. It looks like it will need to enter into the sanctum and break the defenses itself. It walked through the barrier, and its robes burned away by the barrier revealing its true appearance. With the head of a crocodile, the torso of a wild cat, and the hindquarters of a hippopotamus, the abomination is unfazed by the magical defenses of the sanctum as it attempts to purge the unholy demon via magics of purification and the poison from the mercury lake.
As if to announce its arrival, the creature gave a bone-chilling primal roar that shook the sanctum.It will not be denied its prize, it will not stop and it will hunt down what it was commanded to hunt. No one escapes the Hunter. It proceed to gallop into the sanctum, ready to face its opponent.
The tempest spins towards the edges of the platform to see the owner of the primal roar, and saw the abomination galloping towards them in a way that defies all laws of nature. Zephyr proceeds to give a haunting whistling sound, to signify that the challenge of the monster was accepted by the elemental.It was then that the tempest decided that the owner of these things that it was attacking deserved to be returned to their rightful owner as a proclamation of battle. With a large gust of wind, all the demonic creature are catapulted towards the incoming monster. As the monster's minions rained upon it, it struggles to dodge every single one of them and roared even more.
It looks like I will have to focus all the protective energies towards the palace. This should alert Djehuty and Horakhty about the situation at hand. Let's hope that the elemental can hold it off long enough for them to come to our aid on time...
Anput decided that it will need to gamble on the tempest, as the tempest is now perhaps their best chance of defending the White Tree.
**********************
"So Vinny, where are we?" Fatimah asked the elder equine.
To be honest the elder equine is not certain either. Vinyl could see that they are in some dimension of sorts but it is utterly white. If it were not for her cutie mark, electric blue hair, and violet eyes and the filly's eyes, they would have been one with the whiteness of the space that they are in.
"I don't know Fatimah, but if I could I would not stay in this room."
Unicorn, I find it interesting that you can hear the sound of the melody. And also the fact that you are able to rise up relatively quickly from it all piques my interest.
The voice of Anput speaks once more, but instead of its omnipresent nature the voice appears from behind them. Both the unicorn and the filly turned around to see an apparition of the bat-winged equine behind them.
Contrary to the guise that they saw before entering the palace, the body of the equine is more fuller and much less horrifying. The features of the equine is strikingly beautiful with slightly effeminate features. It is clad in an azure blue cape and armor with matching gauntlets, and a green claw-shoulder guard, all of these worn over fitted white pants and a loose long-sleeve shirt. As the long black mane and tail flows with the winds from the flapping wings, the figure looks upon them with its feline, cyan-coloured eyes.
Perhaps this form is a little better than the form that you saw a while back...
The bat-winged equine coughed a little before his misty voice came out from its throat. Hearing the voice without it echoing in their minds is a little more comforting to Vinyl and Fatimah, but still they can't let down their guard.
"I am sorry, I have gotten too used to speaking psychically as my voice was gone a long time ago."
"But you had a voice when you were outside..." Vinyl noticed that the voice coming out from the Anput outside is very different than the one before them. She was about to ask before Anput cuts her off.
"That is something I have ripped out from one of the unworthy ones and inserted into my desiccated corpse for it to be able to speak. Of course my body is still of the same construct as the others, but I chose to fuse the elements into my own body. Nothing like your own body, or at least it is when it is inside you. Forgotten how many times I switched out parts of my own body to keep it running."
Vinyl barely hold a barfing reflex, while the filly is even paler than before. Noticing their disgust, Anput decided to carry on.
"Thanks to the magical wards, I have essentially made myself into a Lich to protect my beloved land. The form that you see before you is what I made using my voice. My voice is the truth, and the truth can be whatever it is that I wished. But for you two, I want to know the truth of your hearts for without the truth of your hearts you will never exit here ever again. Though I doubt that you two will be able to pass this trial."
Both Vinyl and Fatimah looked at each other, and with a nod they know what they have to do. Both of them stood up on their hindlegs, and leaning back to back in a rather odd stylized pose, with their hooves pointing at Anput. Anput was a little lost before speaking together in one unified voice.
"We Refuse! We refuse to submit to those that think they got an absolute advantage especially when they are that condescending!" Caught by surprise, Anput looked at them as they maintained their pose for a good minute. Both the filly and the unicorn brohoofed.
"AHA! GOTCHA YOU OLD LICH LECHER! I KNEW READING "JJ'S BIZARRE ADVENTURES WILL PAY OFF! AWAYS WANTED TO PULL THAT POSE OFF AND TRAINING FATIMAH IS SO WORTH IT!" VInyl exclaimed with a smug smile on her face. The filly of course have no clue what she was saying, but it was admittedly quite a move to challenge of the heroes in her nation's folklore in such a fashion.
Anput whistled out loud, as this is perhaps the most interesting declaration of his challenged being accepted he had seen.
"Very well then, looks like I will not go easy on you two." The stallion said with a smirk.
Vinyl asked the winged equine stallion, but it seemed that the stallion paid her no notice. As he touches the floor, he pulled up an enormous but plain weighing scale from the ground. He proceeds to walk towards the filly and suddenly without any warning pulled one of her feathers off. Fatimah was too shocked to even shout out the pain she experience, and Anput puts the feather on one of the scales. When the feather landed upon the scale, the white space around them turned into a courtroom. Soon the room is filled by other apparitions. The witnesses, the jury, the scribe with a scroll and quill soon materalizes at the locations where they would sit in a courtroom. Upon the platform at the pivot of the scale a little baboon materializes upon the pivot of the scale.
Suddenly, the filly felt a warm sensation from her chest and before they could even wonder what the strange sensation is, an orb came out from her chests and proceed to hover to the other end of the scale.
"Welcome to the Weighing of the Heart. I am going to judge you based upon concepts of truth, order and justice. If you are deemed truthful, you pass. If you are deemed filled with lies, wrongdoing and other offenses, you will be stuck here experience an eternal hell. That and getting eaten, regenerated and eaten again by my pet, Ammit."
"A...Am...Amm...Ammit?" As if on cue, another figure starts to materialize and a creature materializes. To Vinyl's surprise it was a little cute bunny with a calico coat. Vinyl did not take the cute little thing seriously, but when it smiled back at her with an eternity of constantly rotating teeth, she retracted her initial thoughts. Fatimah is trembling at the sight of the cute little bunny.
"The heart is the center of thought, memory and emotion, but they too can be clouded by many things. The jury will proceed to ask you of your offences and if you answer truthfully, you will be declared "true of voice" and allowed to proceed. However, how you go about this will determine your worth."
"Wait! Why don't you take my heart?!? Surely the filly..." Vinyl's pleas are cut off by the judge of this bizarre court.
"She will have to answer the questions. But for you, you will have to decide on your actions and that will be your test."
"Decide on wha..." Before she could even complete her sentence, the jury have already issued their question towards the young filly.
"What is your name little Filly?" Vinyl faceplanted upon the ground after hearing the first question. That was certainly not the question she was thinking of.
"My...my name is Fatimah." Fatimah answered.
"How old are you Fatimah?" The jury asked once more.
"I...I'm five years old." The little filly answered again.
"Have you looked after your body as best as you could?" One of the jury asked. As their attention is upon the filly, Vinyl could only watch from the side and wonder if Fatimah will be alright.
"I guess so. I mean...I lost my dad a while back..." The little filly went silent, and did not finish. The jury is silent for a while, but they went on asking.
"Have you found out information that was not meant for your ears and eyes?" Vinyl immediately noticed the change of tone for the question. The former questions are more nicer, but now the questions are harsh. She turned her attention to the filly and now the filly is uncertain.
"I guess...Amanar telling me the story of my mom and all, but I am not sure..." Fatimah faltered as she has never been asked such a thing before. The Jury proceeded to press on with the questions.
"What happened to your parents?" "Th...pass...ay."The little filly's voice is but a whisper. Vinyl knows that this is a bad situation, and a low blow on the part of Anput and his jury. She wanted to kick their asses, but she does not know if this will cause the little filly to be condemned to her death. "Can you repeat your answer?" The jury asked with one voice. "They...passed...away." The little filly's voice is a little louder now, and fortunately it was loud enough for the jury. "How did they passed away?" "..." The little filly is silent, as the painful memories of Sheikh Abu Hamza's death is still fresh in her mind and also the tales of her mother's demise that she know nothing of. Both truths are painful in their own way, for her fond memories of them are too strong to accept the truth of their untimely deaths. "How did they passed away?" The jury asked with one voice. The little filly's head is facing downwards to her forelegs, and a gloomy atmosphere surrounds her. "Fatimah, please answer the question." Anput said sternly. "Fatimah, answer the question. How did they passed away?" The jury is now even more ruthless in getting an answer from the little filly, and Fatimah's body is now trembling. "My father....gave his life to save us, and my mother gave her life to save me." The answer came out, but the answer comes out in a quiver. Her composure is waning, but she also knows that a lot is now on her shoulder to go through this trial. She could only enjoy a moment of respite before the flurry of question rained upon her, each question more painful than the last.
Vinyl is not taking this too well either, but she will have to endure this. But is this the right action? Vinyl finally understood what Anput was saying when he informed her about her test. As more questions are piled upon the filly, Vinyl can see that the filly is slowly edging towards breaking down utterly from regrets. It was then that Vinyl's mind flashes back to a much more painful memory...
************************** "Dear, I just want you to think about your future and..." A middle-aged mare with a pristine white coat and light blue mane is trying to reason with her daughter.
"Stay home ? To become a seamstress like yourself?" A younger pony with a similar hue as her mother, but with an vibrant electric blue maine, highlighted with purple and is cropped in a mohawk retorted aggressively. The older mare knows that her daughter utterly hates being a seamtress, but she had to try to reason with her.
"Dear I know that you want to be a deejay, but you still need some backup plans just in case..." The mother's loving outreached arm was swatted aside by the younger mare.
"Shut up mom! You don't tell me what I can and can't do anymore! I am an adult now!" The younger Vinyl stomped her hooves on the floor of their living room.
"Young lady, you do not speak to your mother in that tone! I am your mother and I am trying to get some sense into that stupid head of yours you stupid filly!" Realizing what she had just said, the mother covered her mouth, and the younger mare was taken aback by her mother's words. The young mare walked back towards the entrance of the door, and closing her eyes she shouted back at her mother.
"I can speak to you in whatever tone I like! And this is stupid! If you are not going to let me go seek my dreams, I am leaving this house! And you can just go and die!" Before the elder of the two ponies could even say anything, the younger mare opened the entrance door and galloped out the entrance of the home.
"Vinyl, I didn't mean to...." However it was then that the older mare lost strength in her legs and collapsed on the ground coughing with her hooves covering her mouth. She looked upon her arms and soon enough blood started to stain her hooves. Looks like she could not keep up the act forever, and this is it. Her eyes started to blur out and before long, it was dark.
**************************
Vinyl was snapped out from her trip down memory lane when she heard a statement that resonated with her memories.
"Do believe that your parents would rather abandon you if they knew that they would be dead because of you?" The question struck like a thunderbolt to the filly's fragile heart. Vinyl immediately senses that a string in her heartstrings just snapped. The filly is now quiet, and the trembling is now even more obvious than before, and Vinyl can hear her gasping for air. The panic and anxiety within the filly have finally gotten to her core, and now she is utterly frozen from her feelings of helplessness.
"Please answer the question Fatimah." Anput said, heartlessly ignoring the filly's condition. Vinyl can feel several of her heartstrings snapping more and more, and before long her head is starting to heat up to the point where her horn is starting to glow bright white with her anger. The emotions within her is moving about like a turbulent storm and before long her mind flashes back to her only regret in life as she wondered what she should do now...
**************************
Vinyl is sulking at the banks of the lake where she hangs out whenever she feels down. Throwing some stones into the lake, the mare finds that the ripples of the water reflected the state of her mind.
"Stupid mare, telling me what to do and stuff. I am my own mare, and I deserve better!" Vinyl said to herself. She is still not returning home, as she believed that her mother should have been more supportive of her dreams to become a deejay. But she also knew that she should not have spoken to her mom in such a manner, as her mom is the only living relative she had left. Shortly after her birth, her father passed away and her mother is the one that raised her up. But still, her mother should have said something more supportive.
"VINYL!" The unicorn turned to see a gray mare with a dark gray mane and tail tied in a pony tail rushes towards her. As soon as the gray mare is in front of the unicorn, she took some heavy breaths and pants for a while. "Octy, what's up? You are acting as if someone just died or something." Vinyl said as she puts her hooves on her friend to help her relax. "Vinny, your mom...she just collapsed. She's being sent to the hospital."
Vinyl was suddenly flooded by feelings of shock, guilt and anxiety and without even thinking, the mare bolted away leaving the gray mare. As she rushes towards the hospital, she could only hope that her mother is alright. Streams of tears soon runs down the mare's cheeks as she wished upon Celestia that her mother will be well.
As soon as she reached the hospital doors, she knocks it down and surprising everypony within the hospital. She rushes towards the receptionist and just shouted the name of her mother.
"Cotton Scratch!" The receptionist could see that the young mare's eyes are red from the crying, and her expressions are a contorted mix of fear and anxiety. "Room 114." The receptionist pointed to her left, and young unicorn bolted towards the direction.
Alas, when she reached Room 114, the doctors and nurses are already surrounding the mare shaking their heads. They turned around and noticing the arrival of the young mare, they looked at each other before one of their number walked towards the young unicorn.Vinyl could see her mother being hooked up to a life support system, and she could hear her mother's laboured breathing.
"Ms. Scratch, I am truly sorry but your mother's consumption is at a critical stage. Nothing else could be done, and we are truly sorry." "Consumption?!? What consumption?!?" Vinyl asked the doctor, her voice laced with panic and confusion. "She didn't tell..." The doctor paused, before he continued on, "I see, she never told you about her ailment didn't she?" "My...what?" Vinyl is now more confused than ever, as this is all hitting her as hard as a minotaur's hitting her with a mallet. "You see, Mrs. Scratch has contracted this disease a few months back, but despite our best efforts her consumption went from bad to worst. But despite our advice for her to be admitted into the hospital, she refused. She informed that she needs to take care of her little 'spark' less she strays before her passing." "But consumption means that she coughs really badly and stuff, and blood at that!" Vinyl shouted back. "It seems that she hid it from your somehow, to not..." It was then that Vinyl pushes the doctor's aside and rushes to her mother. The elder mare opened her eyes a little to see her daughter looking at her with eyes that wanted her to explain herself.
"Hey Vinny, you came back..." Her voice is kind and gentle, but weak nonetheless. The younger mare started to sniff and her tears welling up again. "Mom...why didn't you tell me about this? I could have..." "Vinny dear, you are always a stubborn one. But I rather let you be stubborn over your dreams than my old self..." The older mare coughed, and the coughing only got worse. Vinyl could see to her horror that the blood is now filling the mask in splatters. "Mom..." Vinyl wanted to say more but her mom puts her hoof to Vinyl's mouth. "You are right dear, you are an adult now. I want you to be..." "Don't you dare say 'to be happy' mom! I didn't meant to curse you this morning, and I...I..." "I know dear, you speak from your heart, not your head. I have known you since..." The coughing only gotten worse, and Vinyl could see that her mother is suffering. "Mom..." "I never regretted...having you...and your spark...you are...just...like...your...father..." The ailing mare is weakening and her voice is now all but a whisper. "Mom...I..." Vinyl wanted to say that she is sorry, but the emotions within are just welling up. "I...always.." "Mom, I am..." "Loved...you." Her mother smiled with her eyes closed in bliss. Vinyl ho "Mom, I am sorry." It was then that she realized that her mother's hoof on her lips had slumped down, and her mother's eyes are closed. Vinyl could only open her mouth, but such was the pain within that no voice came out to express her grief. It was then that she swear that she will never have a decision she will regret and will live her live in memory of her mother.
**************************
It was then that Vinyl utter her first words since the inquisition began.
"I....can't. I can't. I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!!!!!!!!!" Vinyl immediately stood up, and started shouting at the jury. Anput and the jury are taken aback by the sudden release of anger and rage. Most importantly, Vinyl's voice snapped the little filly out of her stupor of fear and she looked upon the usually cool but whiny unicorn. She noticed that her horn is glowing and the arteries and veins have started to pop from the Vinyl's neck and head. Most of all, this is the first time she saw the unicorn being...angry.
"YOU SICK ASSHOLES! YOU NEVER,EVER, EVER ASK HER THAT QUESTION! SHE JUST LOST HER DAD AND JUST FOUND OUT HOW HER MOM DIED! YOU HEARTLESS ASSHOLE SHOULD PUT YOUR MOUTH WHERE YOUR ASSHOLE IS AND USE YOUR HOOFS TO PUNCH YOUR MOUTHS IN YOUR ASSES! " Vinyl's mouth began to froth foams, and Anput and the jury are now looking at each other, uncertain of the actions she will take. Their uncertainty are answered when she proceeds to dive into the jury and wreak a great amount of havoc among them.
"I WILL END YOU ASSHOLES!!!!!" Beams of magical bolts flies from her horn like a thunderstorm, and like a rhinoceros she proceeds to charge them all. The pandemonium that the unicorn caused is sufficient enough that Anput is slowly losing the grips over his control of the illusions . Slowly but surely the illusions of the screaming juries, scribes and witnesses in the courtroom started to crumble away.
"Enough." Anput commanded, and soon enough all the illusions are gone except the weighting scale and the little bunny like abomination.. Vinyl was bitig on a jury's foreleg before it disappears leaving her in a rather awkward position. The scales did not tip during all those times, and the orb that represents the filly's heart is less dimmer than before. Vinyl wanted to ask the equine about that, but it appears that it has to do with her mental state as it started to brighten up when she speaks to Vinyl.
"Thank you Vinny..." Her soft and fragile voice is filled with gratitude, but at the same time she wondered why Vinyl burst in such a violent manner. She is usually emotional, but it appears that something in her snapped. However, the filly's thoughts was answered by the bat-winged equine.
"Vinyl's mother died as she wanted to apologize to her mother. But in the end, she utterly failed to convey the message, and have decided to never have any actions she would regret. Am I correct in voicing out your only regret in life, Vinyl Scratch?" Anput voiced out what Fatimah is asking in her mind. Having one's mind being read is rude and in violation of her privacy, but to expose Vinyl's deepest regret in life? Fatimah then turned her attention to Vinyl who is now awfully quiet.
Vinyl's turbulent emotions welled inside her and immediately she slapped him with her hoof, the force is such that the head of the stallion was violently turned sideways and some tooth fell out. This action caught the filly by surprise, not because she literally just slapped a legendary figure in the face, but the fact that Vinyl had done so without any outward display of emotions.
"Did anyone told you that reading someone's mind without their permission is very rude?" The tranquil but simmering anger is showing from her voice, unlike her rage-induced attack where she holler like a gorilla. Fatimah can also see that Vinyl's eyes are now watering and her lips pouting, holding back her own sadness from flowing through. The little filly wanted to comfort the mare, but she realized that she does not know how to do so.
"Yes, yes they had. Countless times in fact. Also, you are the first mare to slap me till my teeth was uprooted by your blow. Commendations where it is due, Vinyl Scratch." The stallion rubbed his jaw and spitted out some blood.
"You are a sick masochistic asshole."
"I will take that as a compliment, Vinyl. And in case you were wondering, no you did not violate the nature of the trial. In fact, I was expecting you to act earlier. Is this because you trusted the filly, or you are unable to muster the courage to defend her when it is necessary?" Anput's smugness is still present, but then suddenly another slap comes in towards the other uninjured cheek, busting out several teeth from the stallion once more. Before he could even retort, the mare slapped him once more, and repeated the action again and again. Before long, Anput is on the ground with a brutally battered face, and the mare proceeded to bring him up to her eye level.
"Let's make this clear, scumbag. No one likes their darkest secrets and regrets to be out in the open to be questioned. I can see her trying to come to terms with her adopted father's death and her mother's last moments, but at the same time she is filled with the guilt that she could have done better, loved them better, be with them where they need too. I may have comes to terms with my mother's passing, but it does not mean I do not get hurt by it." Vinyl said with a measure of wisdom that is usually lacking in her.
"And I will not regret this action, but you will regret your mind-reading actions." Before Fatimah or Anput could even fathom what is going on, the unicorn mare proceeds to kick Anput square in the family jewels with a great amount of blunt force trauma.
************************* "HOLY ASAR'S JEWELS!"
Anput felt a sharp pain where his family jewels would be, and this causes his focus to falter. The paralysis is not what he needs right now when the tempest is fighting against the intruder. It seems that the roaring storm of destruction is slowly running out of ammunition to hurl at the intruding abomination.
What the hell is going on with the Weighting of the Heart?, the stallion wondered before he realized that he is no longer incorporeal. Realizing this sudden conundrum, he tried to return back to his incorporeal form but instead was sucked into Zephyr's typhoon of war before being launched out towards the intruder. To Zephyr's surprise, the bat-winged equine is the magic bullet that it needs, as it strikes the abomination square in the face and causing both to skip like stones across the mercury lake.
Got you, you fiend!, Zephyr said to itself proudly.
Amanar, Big Macintosh and Nurse Redheart are silent due to the darkness of the hallway. Without a source of light it is very hard for anyone of them to see each other, let alone their surroundings. However, the lack of sensation of their vision is overloaded by the sounds of the harsh gales of wind blowing outside the confines of the palace. It appears that whatever is happening, it is a really fierce battle outside.
"This has gone on for a long time." Nurse Redheart said to herself. It has been close to twenty minutes since the sounds of the wind became worse, and it shows no sign of stopping. If this goes on, she swears that she will go mad.
"Eeyup." Big Macintosh replied. If it were any other situation, being in a dark place with an attractive mare is something to be happy about. But alas, they are in a situation where the fate of a nation lies in the balance, and they have an injured camel with them. If only there is something to keep the conversation going, it would help alleviate the situation and allow them to focus on something.
"Do you think they will be alright Big Mac?" Redheart asked the red stalllion.
"Ah'd be honest Redheart and say Ah wouldn't know, but Ah want to believe that they'll be alright." Macintosh smiled faintly, but his expressions are shrouded by the surrounding darkness.
"I hope so too Big Mac."
Redheart's wish for everyone to be coming out from this place in one piece is getting slimmer by the moment, and if if goes as thin as the staff that Djehuty gave her it would certainly be grim. She took out the staff and started to look at it, and she is reminded that the staff looks more like a magic staff. But as an Earth Pony, magic is as far away a concept as fingers on hooves. If this is a magic staff, it would be more effectively wielded by Vinyl than herself. Alas, it was given to her, not the unicorn. The reasons for Dhejuty giving her the staff is something she will need to find out somehow. As she swings the staff around, she is reminded of the memories of her favorite cartoon, Magical Moon Nurse Serena.
"Magical Moon Prism Power Makeup!" She whispered, and she chuckled a little. That lightened her heart a little, and she really needed the chuckle. "Redheart, what in tarnation did ya just said?" Big Macintosh asked the mare. She looked at the general location of his voice, and wanted to explain herself when she noticed a silver glimmer of light slowly emanating from the staff. Before she could even fathom the reason, the staff started to illuminate the entire room and soon enough they are all surrounded by kaleidoscopic colors.
The staff appears to unravel itself into whitish ribbons and started to envelope the mare's arms and body. Big Macintosh could only watch as the whitish ribbons slowly wrapped around the mare's torso and solidifies itself into some form of clothing, white and pure. The same process is also happening to the parts of her legs that are being wrapped by whitish ribbons turning itself into rich reddish-pink gloves, and a pink long skirt slowly around her hips as well. Her hair bun slowly unravels and a mark of a crescent moon was emblazoned upon her forehead. The remaining ribbons slowly forms itself into silver rod-like baton, with a blue jewel and gold wings and topped with a blue sphere inside a gold crescent moon, above which sat a small crown.
When the whole transformation is completed, Big Macintosh and Amanar stared at the mare, who in turn is staring back at them. She wondered what is going on until she looked at herself and realized the ridiculous outfit she is in. Amanar wanted to say something, but his warrior senses is tingling and warning him to keep silent. Big Macintosh however was much less wiser, and a snort can be heard from the stallion.
"Not. A. Single. Word." Redheart's cheeks became a light tinge of pink, and her voice filled with embarrassment and a tinge of anger and wounded pride. Big Macintosh's attempt to be respectful is dashed by how adorable Nurse Redheart looks in the outfit, and as an Apple it is not his nature to keep things inside when it comes to humour. Big Macintosh burst out in a hearty laughter and guffawed, and started pointing at the mare. Of course, this does not help with Redheart's embarrassment one single bit.
"Ya look like Appblebloom in one of them cartoon conventions! And you, you REALLY look the part!" Big Macintosh continued on laughing, despite Amanar's attempt to enlighten Big Macintosh of the situation. Alas, Big Macintosh will soon learn why you never laugh at an embarrassed mare when she is fuming with indignation. The mare punched the stallion hard at the jaw, and to everyone's surprise Big Macintosh slumps down from the punch. Redheart looked at her own hooves, and somehow she was proud of herself.
"Huh, I guess I didn't know my own strength." Redheart said uneasily, but with a slight pride behind the voice.
"That's...new." Big Macintosh said to himself. It is a rare occurrence that Big Macintosh goes down from being hit by anything, let alone a mare like Redheart. It was also this moment that Big Macintosh realized that the illumination of the hallway is still present. Or to be exact, the words on the wall are now glowing a faint silver white.
"Words glow. Must be due to Redheart changing." Amanar also realized the illuminated hallway.
"Redheart, can ya interpret all of these? Could give us a clue 'bout our situation."
It seems that the words on the wall is the same kinds of words that they found during the first trial and the second trial, but this time the words are about the trials themselves.
"Let's see here...it says here that each heir to Asar's line must go through the Trinity of Truths, which will judge the true worth of the heir to the throne. The three stages are known respectively as the Leash of Life, the Words of the World and the Weighing of the Heart. Each trial was meant to test the eligibility of the heir of the line of Asar, but it appears that certain special considerations can be taken if the heir is too young to take the trials by themselves... " Nurse Redheart reads on a little, and walks down the hallway to further interpret the information.
Even though Big Macintosh did laugh at the mare earlier for her outfit, but upon closer examination he sure did not expect Redheart to have such fine and long, wavy amarantish-coloured mane. It really accentuates her femininity and her sapphire eyes. Also, truth to be told, Big Macintosh does have a thing for mares with long wavy manes. As he glances down from her mane to her rather fine rump, the mare turned around to speak to him, causing him to lose his composure a little.
"Eeyup?" Big Macintosh asked, disguising his surprise and his eyes ogling on her rump.
"Well, it seems that the first of the trials, the Leash of Life is based on the challenge where the knights of Saddle Arabia's past in which both warriors are trapped each in one neck brace connected to the ceiling through a chain, each collar with one key that opens the other one. The only way to free oneself is to kill the opponent or decapitate him in order to pick the key to his own collar. To prevent escape in the middle of the fight, the steel door to the room is locked when both fighters have their necklaces. The only way to open the door was to pull a lever present inside. This also prevented others outside from interrupting the death match, as the door was strong enough to withstand several attacks. This trial tests the heir's resolve in making decisive actions in the heat of combat, and also to test the martial prowess of the heir apparent."
"And second challenge is World of the Words. Heir plays magic version of Silsila, test knowledge and outside thinking of heir. Will give staff of Asar to prove to third test that is one true heir. Staff is magic power, make pony strong and magic strong." Amanar's voice echoes through the hallway, as he proceeded ahead to interpret the information written on the wall. The stallion recalled the Leash of Life where they fought against the brass statue of Horakthy, while Redheart looks upon the rod that was given to her in the Worlds of the Words. After a few moments, everyone is gathered at the writings where the details of the third challenge is inscribed upon the wall.
"The Weighting of the Hearts is for the heirs to see the truth and be pure of heart. Huh...the writings went on about some philosophical things, but does not really say what it is exactly." Nurse Redheart ponders upon the writing on the wall, and she wonder what is going on with Vinyl and Fatimah...
******************
Anput groans as he attempts to stand up before the electric-blue maned mare and the little whitish-silver filly, and after a few moments the stallion recomposed himself.
"It looks like we can move on to the trial proper." Anput smiled.
"Wait...you mean the trial have not even started?" Vinyl questions the guardian.
"The trial has already started, but now that we are done with the appetizers, we will move on to the exact trial itself." Suddenly, the bright white surroundings turned into pitch black darkness, but with Vinyl and Fatimah being able to see everything around them as if the room was never dark. Before long mirrors started to materialize like galaxies upon the the seas of space, and they can both see events from the space-time continuum.
"Have you ever wondered about the truths that you could not see? What about the truths you are about see? Or truths you are seeing now? Or even truth that you had already seen? Such is the complexity of truths but the truth remains that they are different truths." Anput walks towards one of the mirrors, in which shows the events of Vinyl's last moments with her mother. Fatimah watches as the Vinyl in the mirror sobs upon her mother's body.
"Truths that have come and pass can always be forgotten. Look." Anput pushes the mirror away, only for another mirror showcasing the memories of a young filly Vinyl, her mother and her father carrying the littler filly behind his back walks towards the Ponyville farmer's market. The tranquil moments of peace and happiness is obvious to everyone to see, and Vinyl watches as the happier moments of those times plays in the portal. Vinyl reaches for the mirror with her hooves and caresses the window with a sad smile on her face. Suddenly the windows splits up into several smaller mirrors, and suddenly Vinyl realized that something is missing and is now in shock. Fatimah noticed the change of Vinyl's expressions and she turned towards the stallion for some explanation.
"Ah, you noticed it already. The truths have distorted itself, as the truth of the matter is that you could not see what that are already laid before you. They are lying in plain sight, but different truths that are equally real but can never interact with each other. This is the true trial, for now you both will have to find your true selves in this impossible labyrinth of truths. Those that are lost in this reflections of the truth will wander for eternity, their minds shattered and their dreams broken upon the wheel of their own failed conceptions. Illuminations of the truths is the only way you will succeed."
Fatimah watches as the web of mirrors reflects events that are of other events transpiring throughout Saddle Arabia. On several of the mirrors, the Lord Eternal leads the warriors of his legions to war only to be trapped once more by their own reflections of possibilities. A planar sheen buckles under the gaze of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna before throwing back the image of a burning Equestria. A Saddle Saddle Arabian rebel to the Sheikhdom plants a bomb towards the governing office of Western Saddle Arabia, little knowing that in doing so he will be the catalyst for his family's demise to the bomb as they shopped to get him a gift. These and a million other glimpses of reality flicker like flames in the wind, their energy making the labyrinth glow with possibility.
"Is...is this all happening in Saddle Arabia?" Fatimah asked the stallion. The stallion smiled bitterly and opens his arm as if to celebrate the matter at hand.
"Is, was, is not, was not, about to, and could be. Also, I believe that it is time to bring in the second scale out as well. Good luck, and I need to be elsewhere for the moment." Anput bows down and dissappears, and in its place another large scale soon appears from the darkness. An orb escapes from Vinyl's chest to land itself at the second scale with another feather materializes on the other end of the second scale. Fatimah looks at the mare, but realizes that the mare is still in her own world. Realizing what is going on, Fatimah immediately rushes towards Vinyl and attempts to snap her out of her state.
"Vinny, snap out of it. You need to..." Before Fatimah could finish her words, Vinyl's eyes is now flowing with tears.
"I didn't know...I didn't know." Vinyl's voice is filled with sadness, and Fatimah looked upon the scale to notice that the orb that represents Vinyl's heart is becoming dimmer. The filly decided that she will need to do something about this situation, and she wondered what she will do if she was Vinyl. A sudden though flashes in her mind, and she knew that somehow that is what she must do to snap Vinyl out of her dejected state.
"I am sorry Vinny, but I need to do this. Really sorry." Fatimah closes her eyes, and she opens her mouth and takes a deep breath before biting as hard as she could into Vinyl's forelegs. Fatimah wondered if she did not bite hard enough, but suddenly she can hear a loud yelp of pain that is unmistakably Vinyl's. She lets go of Vinyl's foreleg and looked up with anticipation.
"What on Equestria?!?" Vinyl looks down upon the filly and sees that the filly is looking at her with relieved eyes and a pouting lips. Before she could further ask the filly what happened, the fiilly hugged the mare in a big hug. Vinyl wanted to scold the filly for biting her, but it seems that the little one had just saved her from something she is not aware of. Vinyl pats the head of the filly before she looks around and notices a second scale.
"What, pray tell, is that?" The snooty way in which Vinyl said the comment is not in character with her usual way of speaking, but this is of course her way of trying to understand the second scale before her. Deep inside her, she knows the truth of the matter, but if possible she wants to try and hold back the truth as long as possible.
"While you are in your own world, Anput took your heart out and put it on the scale. We are now stuck here until we prove ourselves." Fatimah attempts to explain the situation in the simplest way possible. Of course, Fatimah knows what is coming next, as her short time with the unicorn have shown her the general response to this situation at hand.
"FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Vinyl cries out in great lamentations.
It seems that all possibilities of their past, present and future are all shown within the mirrors before them and it appears that for some reason with two of them in this trial together the possibilities have just gotten a little overwhelming.
Overwhelming is an understatement, Vinyl said to herself. Not one to really think too much about anything, this particular situation is something that she is not comfortable with. She looked at the mirror closest to her and she could see the reflections of one of the events of her past. It is the event of her meeting Octavia for the first time, and she noticed that some of the mirrors are showing the same event. The one in the middle is showing the event as how she remembers it; an accident involving her accidentally tripping on a banana peel and falling into Octavia and her Cello in a disastrous manner. She is seeing the exact sequence of events that sparked their friendship, she noticed. Octavia is definitely angry with her, but then Vinyl started voicing out softly the exact exchange that made this event memorable as it plays on.
"You! What the heck is with that you stupid pony?" Vinyl acted in an angry and prissy manner, and the actions of the Octavia within the mirror reflects that sentiment. "I don't know, you tell me and that banana peel.It just appeared out of nowhere." Vinyl said antagonistically, and both Vinyls shrugged. "Banana peel? Who the heck falls over a banana peel these days?!?" Vinyl said incredulously and pointing at the younger Vinyl within the mirror in exactly the same manner as the Octavia within the mirror. "Looks like it will be me, and I guess I am special that way. By the way, in case you wanted to know this special somepony, the name's Vinyl Scratch and I will be your cello's compensator. And you are?" Vinyl gives a cheeky smile in exactly the same manner as the younger Vinyl did in the mirror's reflection. "Are you serious? An introduction after you caused enough trouble. Well, I am Octavia if you must know and..." Just as Vinyl was about to finish the line, she noticed that the other similar reflections all have different reactions to the situation. Some are of the two ponies punching each other, while others looked too romantic for Vinyl to be comfortable with. It seems that each one of the reflections in the mirror showed what would have happened that day if she chose a different action.
"Heya Fatie, so how do we know if we are 'pure of heart'? Did the legends said anything?" Vinyl asked the little filly in hopes of finding out a way to get out from this maddening labyrinth of mirrors. Somehow whatever that is showing around them are related to the truths that they need to seek. "I don't really know Vinny, this is actually my first time knowing them all, let alone experiencing them." Fatimah answered innocently.
Great, Vinyl groaned, Just great. It seems that this will never end...
It was then that she noticed something rather odd about the memories of how she first met Octavia. Each one of the mirrors then played their own different events and before long the mirrors started multiplying and spreading like a spider's web. Vinyl decided that perhaps she should go for it, and confirm her suspicions.
"What's wrong Vinny?" "Well, I am going to try out something. Wish me luck." Vinyl walks up to the mirror that showed the original event of her friendship with Octavia and touches the mirror. Suddenly the mirror shatters, and before long the chain of possible futures started to crack and shatters away. It was then that her mind is flooded by the emotions of her own and also what appears to be Octavia's own memories of the situation. Vinyl finally understood why the event worked out the way it did; she had literally caught her best friend off-guard by being so audacious in her introduction that she could not have done anything else but to introduce herself. Vinyl smiled at herself, and am glad that things worked out the way it did.
However those mirrors that are showing the events of the next stage of Vinyl's friendship with Octavia continued on playing with its alternate events. Vinyl looked on and finally understood the trial, and she looked at the filly and smiled at her.
"What's going on Vinny? Why does it shatter that way?" Fatimah asked Vinyl, and wondering why she is smiling the way she did.
"Fatie, it appears that we will have to part ways here. You need to find your memories in this sea of mirrors and deal with them. Touch them to acknowledge the memory. I will see you once we get through this." Before Fatimah could even stop the mare, she gallops away to the mirrors and the mare is swallowed up by countless mirrors.
Vinyl is now walking around the maze of mirrors, each showing her a fragments of her past. However, the issue is less to do with the events as to the way in which the events flow. It was thanks to these mirrors that she found out that the visit to the farmer's market is due to her parents having decided that they will make their divorce as painless as possible to their little filly. The story of her father having to go to the South Pole for an extended period of research and leaving her mother and herself in Ponyville is a big lie, and she always wondered why her father did not manage to make it back to Ponyville for her mother's funeral. Even though she still speaks to her father and have good relations with him, but the fact of the matter is that somehow the lie that was concocted by her parents was never revealed to her. Even though she was lied to, but it is because of the lie that she did not hate both her parents at all. If she was informed of this matter early on, she would be quite a different pony today.
As she sees the events in the mirror, she proceed to touch those events in the past that holds the truth and it shatters away to give way to other mirrors that slowly edges on to the present. As the chain of memories rushes forward, she can only move forward and break through it without hesitation. This is the way it should be, and as it edges towards the present, she will have to consider what will be the best way to go about the situation as if her suspicions are right, there will be a scene where things will not be as clear cut as her pass, and that is when she knows that she will be at a crossroads that will affect the future.
She soon come face to face with an event that caused her no certain amount of alarm. It was the decision that caused her to be in this mess in the first place; the decision to make the trip to obtain the crystal for her musical instrument. It was then that she started to falter a little, for she knew that she could have chosen an easier option and instead go for a simple energy crystal. She looked upon the storm of possibilities from that simple choice, and seeing all the reflections she could see that there were many more simpler and calmer choices and also more painful and potentially lethal choices.
She saw all the options, and one of the reflections actually touched her in a way she never know it could. She wanted to touch the other mirror with the most peaceful option and her hooves slowly hover to the mirror where she could see herself finding a nice stallion that she could settle down with due to her choosing to choose a crystal at the local music store. She had always wanted to be loved, and be taken care of like any other mare. As she edges closer and closer towards the mirror, a voice suddenly came into her mind and stopping her in her tracks.
Yo, you dumb broad! That a whole pile of manure right there! The voice within Vinyl said. Vinyl recognizes it as her conscience, and it is quite rare for her to hear her conscience, as usually she is a mare of near unbridled id.
Da buck?!? Why are you popping up now, Conscience?, Vinyl asked her conscience. It was then that somehow, if her conscience can materialize into a physical form, Vinyl could feel a shock as if she was slapped by her conscience.
You better don't forget about all the other pals that are here with you, and you better not forget about the promise you made with Mom... You dare to do this, and I will do that again till you know what you're doing! You need to make to right choice, even if it is painful and something you do not want to face..., Conscience Vinyl said to Vinyl, sternly.
Vinyl realized that despite the rare appearance of her conscience, but whenever it did, it always made sense of everything around her. The conscience is also right, that she got her friends that is now relying on her to do the right thing and she want to bring them all back home to Ponyville in one piece. No way is she taking the easy way out, she thought.
She takes a deep breath and sigh, and she turns to the mirror reflection of her deciding that going to Saddle Arabia to get the best crystal and make the best rave concert. She closes her eyes, and lifting both of her forelegs up, she pushes into the mirror hard enough for it to break and shatter into countless pieces along with the possibilities that could have been. It was then that she heard the sound of hooves clopping each other.
"So it appears that you know what transpire within this realm, Vinyl Scratch?" Vinyl turned around to see the bat-winged stallion floating around, using a file to file down his hooves. She did not stop, but instead turned around and went on walking without a care.
"Ah, so the ass is back. Though you would be gone for good." Vinyl said venomously, not giving the guardian his due respects. Anput shrugs before floating down and lands on his hooves. As he walked beside the mare, he proceed to speak to her nonchalantly.
"I can't be gone for good, for I am everywhere and nowhere at once. But just to let you know, I am only gone for a while to give your other friends a little challenge." Anput's words finally caught the attention of the mare, and she is now giving the stallion her undivided attention.
"What do you mean by that?" Vinyl asked. The mare is definitely uneasy about the way in which the guardian phrases the sentence, and she worried that the worst had happened to Big Macintosh, Redheart and Amanar.
**********************
It just means that they are now in a little bit of a situation, my dear...
The fog-like mischievous voice devoid of any compassion caught the attention of Big Macintosh, Amanar and Redheart, especially when it is answering Redheart's questions. It seems that is around every since Redheart was muttering about the odd description of the third trial and also Vinyl's and Fatimah's situation.
"You have a really bad habit of reading minds don't you?" Redheart asked the voice, her own voice matches her annoyed sentiment.
People always said that about me, can't say I blame them..., The voice of Anput answered nonchalantly.
"So, what'cha doing here, now that your body is out there, your voice is with us, and Celestia knows where your mind is?" Big Macintosh is visibly annoyed by this last of the guardians. Among all of them, Anput is less of a wise sage and more of a jerk than the other two. Whoever that said that he is wise must be poking at his smart-ass attitude.
Well red stallion, you may think of me as whatever you want. But I am here to inform you that after these three trials, you will still need to provide proof to get into the inner sanctum.
The ponies and the camel caught the word 'proof' from the disembodied voice, and immediately Big Macintosh is not liking this one bit. The voice chuckled, and continued on explaining itself.
Without the Three Regalia of Asar, you will not be able to get what you seek. Well, it seems so far that your marefriend is in possession of one of the three regalia. I made it that whoever that needed to get the regalia would need to earn it, and so far that is what your friend and the heir is doing. Horakhty on the other hands...I do not know how he deems or passes the regalia to those he deems worthy though I am not even sure if it has been lost through the ages...
Big Macintosh looked at the mare and the camel, and realized that they do not have any idea about the regalia as well. Their situation is now a little messier than before, and he wondered what the regalia are. He can see that Redheart and Amanar are now frantically searching for the clues for the regalia within the walls of the palace. Big Macintosh's inability to read Saddle Arabian serves to heighten the guilt within him, but at the same time this also allows him the time to think about the clues that the voice said to them.
Big Macintosh is able to reason that three of the clues can be retrieved from the trials. This is because Redheart had received the first relic from Djehuty, while Anput had given the clue that the third trial will provide them with the other. the problem now is that neither Amanar or himself had gotten anything resembling a relic from the first trial. This only deepens the situation, and Big Macintosh could only wonder what on earth it could be. It also appears that the voice knows of their situation and started to chuckle at the situation.
"Got it! The three relics are the The Star Jewel of Valor, the Moon Scepter of Benevolence, and the Sky Mirror of Wisdom!" Redheart shouted, and surprising everyone including Anput. Big Macintosh immediately rushed to the mare's side and saw several pictograms of the regalia. Despite its simplified picture, one of the items looked like the rod baton that Redheart now possess. The other two items however are a little less obvious. The first of the item appears to be an orb with a swirly Saddle Arabian wording in the center, while the second appears to look like a dinner plate. For reasons unknown, the orb's particular shape reminded him of something, or to be exact someone. It was then that Big Macintosh realized an unchained memories leading from this point to something from the not so distant past.
"When the time comes, I want you to unseal this orb. All you need is to just tap the Mark of the Steward on the orb!'" Big Macintosh exclaimed and it was then his mind sparked and he reaches into his robes and immediately pulled out the jet black orb. Everyone else looked at the pony with incredulous surprise.
"Big Mac, is that....Is that what I think it is?" Redheart asked the pony. Amanar took the black orb from the hooves of the red stallion and compared it to the pictogram before them. The Janissary used his elbow to clean the orb and soon enough Amanar could see what looked like a very faint inscription that matches the orb.
"It is orb. But how?" Amanar is also perplexed by this turn of events.
"So this is what you are talkin' 'bout that night..." Big Macintosh muttered under his breath, realizing that Sheikh Abu Hamza knew of this eventuality. The unchained memories of Abu Hamza flows into the minds of Big Macintosh of every interaction between him and the Sheikh. He wondered what else did the Sheikh planned for, it was then that he noticed that the voice of the third guardian is no longer mocking them, and the silence is a big relief to the red stallion. He can feel that the guardian's attempt to led them astray had not worked and instead backfired. Though it is not in his proper manners to do the next action, but given the situation Granny Smith would forgive him.
"Well... how'd you like 'em apples?" Big Macintosh said with a smirk to Anput.
Anput could not believe this turn of events, as he knew that Horakhty decided to scatter the Star Jewel of Valor away after Emir Khalid took to the throne. The alignment of coincidences that allowed the red stallion, the mare and the camel to have almost all the necessary pieces is not lost on the guardian, and as it read into their minds, it appears that this particular character called Abu Hamza had went on and somehow managed to anticipate and plan to such an extent. This is something he did not expect and all he have only one thing to say about the situation.
**********************
"They are just too lucky." Anput said dejectedly to Vinyl in response to her inquiry, like a child whose pranks backfired badly to itself. Vinyl smiled and she is glad that the others are holding themselves against the odds of this rather manipulative guardian. However that also reminds her that she will also need to keep the pace up to complete the task before her so that she could rejoin them once more.
It was then that she found a reflection within a mirror that resembles a crossroads for her current path, and she saw the chains that are resulting from her decision. It seems that it is a reflection of her current situation; of her staring into the reflection of her current situation. If it were not so confusing, Vinyl would have thought that it is really awesome. She realized that something is odd, as all the reflections around her have turned into this exact moment in time and space. It was something she is not really expecting, but at the same time she kind of expected this to happen.
"Why is this moment so important?" Vinyl asked, and she turns to the stallion and the stallion's started voicing out the words from his mouth...
**********************
"Everything that happens now, is now in your hands."
Anput said to Fatimah, who is now watching the reflections of the last scene of Sheikh Abu Hamza preparing the escape of everyone before they were launched away from the palace with everyone else. She is reluctant to touch the reflection with the right memory, for it will force her to admit that her father had indeed passed on. However, this reluctance to accept is contrasted with the continuous replay of her father's death in a myriad of ways, each more gruesome than the other.
In one reflection, the Sheikh was impaled by countless javelins before he could light up the explosive. In another reflection, the Sheikh was tortured in a long an excruciating interrogation to find out where Fatimah and the others are launched to. Before long, the chain of unrestrained possibilities continued on from every single action that the filly could take, and some involving some unsavory things happening to her.
The images hurt the the filly more than it should have and the grim and dark truths erodes the sense of being of the little one. Her mind reflexively reach with shock and disbelief. She feels numb and dazed, and her instinct is to withdraw away from it all, and forget about what happened and avoid or the source of the assault of her mind.
Stop, she said in her mind, trying to stop the flooding of her feelings but to no avail.
The little filly's mind is preoccupied with thoughts and feelings of unwanted memories or flashbacks and nightmares. As she recalls each memory both good and bad, she re-experience some of the sensations and feelings of fear and powerlessness she had during the final moments with Sheikh Abu Hamza. Her feelings of guilt and shame and started blaming herself and doubt her own judgment of being unable to react on time and causing him his injuries. She wonder if she were in some way responsible for his situation. Before long, her body started to feel nauseous and her chest tightens, and suddenly she hold her hooves to her mouth, trying to hold back the bile behind her throat.
Anput is now watching the scales where her heart is being weighted. The light grows dimmer and dimmer, and a rattle in the chain caused Anput to look on without any form of compassion. He will not say anything, no words of ridicule nor encouragement. It is his duty to evaluate the worthy heir to the line of Asar, and he knows that his task is of the utmost importance. It was then that the little filly turned around towards his direction.
"Why?" The filly asked, her voice trembling with both uncertainty and anxiety. She dare not face the stallion eye to eye, but she still mustered enough courage to ask the guardian for help. It was then that he started speaking to the filly.
******************
"The question is; do you know why you are here in this exact moment and time?" Anput asked the mare back, thereby ignoring the inquiries of the mare.
"But that is what I want you to think, for I know that you know of why I am here in this exact moment and time. Thus I will ask you this; Why are you talking in riddles for a question with a rather straight-forward answer?" Vinyl asked back, trying very hard to be philosophical but not doing too well in it.
"If you do not know why I am asking in riddles for a question with a rather straight answer, for a matter that you wanted me to think for you know that I know of why you are doing here in this exact moment and time, you surely must be clueless my dear mare." Anput answered back eloquently and with distinct amount of class.
"Oooo...you're good with this riddle-talk thing." Vinyl said, biting her lips a little. This reminds her of those thriller movies where they kept on asking questions until she got no clue about what is going on anymore. Looks like she can't do the old switcheroo to get the answers that she wants. However, the stalllion chuckled and waves his arms in an outward motion to encompass all the reflections.
"I am but an observer, and your life is a sum of an unbalanced equation inherent to the strings and flows of fate and self-determination. While it remains a burden to be avoided, it is not unexpected and it is not beyond any measure of control. As you are undoubtedly gathering, the anomaly is systemic, fluctuating in even the most simplistic of choices."
The stallion walks around the scale, where Vinyl's heart is glowing irregularly and as he touches it, she could feel a jolt of complex emotions within her. He then lifts his hooves away from the orb of light and walks towards her. The stallion is now gazing at the mare, and he puts his hooves below her chin and gently lifts it up to meet eye to eye.
"It is of course the way of all things, for you see there is only one constant . One universal ; causality. Action. Reaction. Cause. Effect." Anput gives the mare a smile, but Vinyl slaps his hooves away from her chin.
"Everything begins with a choice." Vinyl retorted. The stallion walks away from her, before turning his head around to give her a reply.
"No, wrong," Anput retorted back firmly, "Choice is an illusion created between those with power and those without. Wondering as they make sense of their surroundings and struggle against what we try to deny, but everything is a pretentious lie, Beneath our poised appearance, we are completely out of control. Which brings to a simple truth..."
**************************
"Causality. There is no escape from it, we are forever slaves to it. Our only hope, our only peace is to understand it, to understand the `why.’ `Why’ is what separates us from them, you from me. `Why’ is the only real social power, without it you are powerless. And this is how you come to me, without `why,’ without power." Anput answered the little filly.
You need to be strong, be strong, be strong... The little filly said to herself, to build up the courage within her. She is after all part of a proud Saddle Arabian clan, and she will...she will do what exactly? The doubt within her mind starts to fester in her, and no matter how hard she tried, the turbulent emotions within her is trying to overwhelm her. The nauseous feeling within her is growing stronger by the moment, and before long, the tightness in her chest is restricting her breathing. She tries to breathe in, but her breath is short and hurried, and her dizziness slowly becomes even more prominent than before. The room starts to distort itself, and she is mustering all she can to keep herself together.
"My dear, becoming stronger is no match for causality. Just accept that you are unable to do anything, and accept the eventuality of all things." He turns to the scale, and he can see that the orb of light is now at it very dimmest. Any moment now, it will become a black orb and he can be relieved of his duties. However, a faint glow still emanates from the deepest part of the orb, lighting as brightly as the light of a dying firefly.
In the filly's mind, what the guardian said has meaning to it, but she will not admit it as admitting it means that she is forced to his will. She could sense that if this goes on, she would pass out from the pressures of it all. These complicated emotions within her is such that she could hear her heart pounding louder and louder as she gasped for air, until she could barely hear her own breathing and thoughts. But there is something in her that is preventing her from submitting to this situation.
"No, not like this." The filly said strenuously, barely mustering enough strength to do so. The filly knelt down on her forelegs, and unable to held it in any longer she vomited on the ground. Suddenly the images turned from bad to worse, and the images contorts into even more hellish images. Anput immediately know that the mirrors are trying to go in for the kill, and as the images became an embodiment of madness and dark depravities to break the little filly's mind, he could only watch the orb's faint glow not faltering to this onslaught.
**************************
"Causality my hoof!" Vinyl barked back at the stallion after hearing his response. Anput is unfazed by her display of authority, and remained silent. But deep down within the mare, she knew that what the stallion is saying is true to a degree. But if every choice is here, then surely the stallion is right. But by doing so, she might be goaded to make the wrong choice. It was this time that she wished that she was as well educated as Redheart as she would be able to see some things he have no idea about. As the images around her darkened, she realized that something is wrong with the reflections; they no longer showed any sort of images. It is dark, grim and cold,and for once in Vinyl's life, she can feel a insurmountable dread as she realized that this could only mean one thing;there is not even an ounce of the future for the mare right now. The lack of a future is even more frightening than having countless possibilities of the future, for the grim darkness means that no matter what she did, there would be the void of emptiness. She can not, or to be exact will not accept that she got no future of any kind whatsoever.
"Surely you know that this will be your fate; the mirrors of possibilities are showing the exact same thing. Your future...no your being is null and void. Why bother?" The mare's face is filled with a sense of disbelief, and she wanted to retort the stalllion. Her voice failed to come out and her anger has dissipated. In fact, she is now frightened by the prospect that she is forever alone and the light of defiance within her eye slowly died, and her eyes are more like reflections of lifelessness.
Her heart could not take such a fate and she tries to reason that a bad ending would be a better ending. But if the images does not even show her the bad things, why would it matter that she even attempts a bad ending. This state of cold helplessness seeps into the bones of the mare and every fiber of her sense of being. Before long, her mind was taken over by a deep depression of her empty state
She tried to resist, but the depression within her is enveloping her in a sweet and deadly caress. What is the point to invest so much energy and empathy if there is nothing that will result from it? Vinyl feels like the embrace is now drowning her mind and body, numbing it until she could not feel any pain. Such was the numbness that she is slowly losing faith in everything, and she is slowly losing and sinking under the surface of the darkness. Everything in her mind slowly started to fall apart right in front of her, and every second is more than she could take. Ironically, she is now more aware of her state of fading away, but she is not alarmed by it. In fact she is more disappointed that is is a gradual process, and she wanted to just get this over with..
As the mirrors of possibilities engaged upon their vicious attack upon Vinyl's mind, Anput noticed with the corner of his eye that the slowly fading light of her heart upon the scale is becoming more obvious with every moment.
*************************
Anput wonder why the filly is not succumbing to this mind assault from these mirrors of possibilities. Even a grown stallion would succumbed to the madness and depravity of the images born out of the darkest regions of the mind and beyond, let along a little female filly. It is definitely not in his common interest to be invested in the trials, but there is something deep within him that is annoyed and yet being very impressed by the filly. As the filly grunts and grits her teeth, she endures the torture of the mindscape and now even Anput is unnerved by the actions of the mirrors around him.
"Hm...why do you resist little filly? Why don't you accept your fate?" Anput asked.
That is a good question..., the filly thought and wonder why she could do such an act, despite being assailed on all sides by the growing madness and depravity. Somehow, she could feel that something is holding resolute, and she wondered what it is within her that is doing so. She does not want it to end like this, and she definitely know that this is not what her father, the Sheikh wanted. Somehow, this is preventing all the feelings from overwhelming her. She slowly takes some deep breaths, and the tightness is slowly dissipating along with her fears and anxieties. She does not understand, but somehow focusing her thoughts to Sheikh Abu Hamza has focused her concentration. She can remember it all; His warmth, his kindness, his tenderness, his discipline, his...
It was then that she realized what that something is, and she knew why she is able to withstand it all. It is a simple and yet very fundamental thing, but often forgotten and ignored. Her father had shown her this particular aspect many times before, and yet how she could have forgotten it? It is the Sheikh's most defining nature and she too had inherited this aspect in spirit, if not in body.
As she gets back up, the faintly glowing orb started to regain its brightness and slowly but surely it regained its light. Anput watches as the ball slowly lights up to its original brightness before it went on being even brighter. The filly then voices out her answer.
************************* What...is...this...
Even in this tranquil and cold environment, a small warmth in the cold seas of dark abyss provides a bubble of being within this shadow. She wondered and somehow instinctively, she embraced this warmth. It gave her some sensation, some feelings, some emotions. She could empathize with this small warmness, and she could anchor herself to this small warmness. It is a small and insignificant, but it is all that she needed in this world of darkness, and this sense of belonging is really sweet. Suddenly from the darkness, the echoes of the voices that she recognizes as that of Big Macintosh, Redheart, Amanar and Fatimah resonated in her ears, giving her words of encouragement and support.
Anput realized that her eyes is slowly coming to life, and faced with this turnover of a hopeless state of being the orb of light upon the scale slowly brightens up and before long it regained its bright glow. It was then that Anput's ears was assailed by the booming voice of the electric-blue maned mare.
"BBBBBUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKYYYYYYYYYYYYYOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Vinyl replied defiantly, but at the same time realized that she is now back from her state of despair. She is unsure why it happened, but appears that this caused the guardian to be visibly annoyed, and Vinyl knew that she was on to something. But what?
"How...what is the reason of this?" Anput said, his ears ringing from the sonic assault upon his ears. He looked at her with no measure of disbelief and confusion, and wondered how did the half-wit got out from such a deep despair so thoroughly. Vinyl's mind cogs immediately started think, but her simplistic mind takes a whole lot longer to wind up. She could still feel the numbness from the mind assault, but she will have to do it fast as she could feel it creeping back into her mind and she does not have a lot of time.
Come on Vinyl, there must be something that will help you solve this nonsense, she tries to convince herself. It seems that whatever it is that caused her to be in such a hopeless state is not pleased that she escaped from their clutches briefly and are now redoubling their efforts to assail her mind once more. She looked around and still noticed that the mirrors are reflecting a dark deep void, and she reminded herself that they are not showing her the solution for this problem. She will not find any answers in the reflections.
No one can truly see the future, unless they are a god..., Vinyl mused sarcastically in her mind. The creeping darkness and despair is now numbing her limbs once more and as she struggled to think, she finds that this is an impossible task. She then realized that she should have not thought about that, as now her body is paralyzed by that imposition. It was then that she realized that that many of the heirs to the Asar dynasty have ascended to the throne without being gods after going through this challenge.
Surely this must be a clue to this icky mess..., she thought. She does not know what this particular guardian is looking for in this trial other than the enigmatic 'pure of heart' and 'pure of truth' that he always blabber about. Using her limited knowledge and wisdom, she looked at all the possibilities. The choices of words, the choices of things she could think of, and the choices of things she could have done. The creeping darkness is now swallowing her sense all the way to the neck, and she could see that the orb that represents her heart is becoming dimmer by the moment. It was then in a moment of desperation did a thought flashes into her mind.
Wait, these choices, why did I want to choose them anyway? Why?
She realized that it is not choices that she could be concerned about. It is something that guides those choices, a simple thing that is often forgotten. Something simple, something profound, and definitely something that affects choices. It was then that the epiphany came to the white mare, and she knew that is the answer she will choose that will determine her salvation...
************************
"It is for a purpose!" Both Vinyl and Fatimah exclaimed at once . Suddenly one half of the stallion shatters, the right side for the filly and the left side for the mare respectively. Both Vinyl and Fatimah realized that the guardian's half that was shattered also shattered with everything in its respective direction. Both of them are now able to see each other and also the mirrors that are reflecting their particular moments of adversity. Both wanted to ask each other of what is happening, but they knew that they have to continue on with their resolve.
What is this.... Anput realized that something odd had just happened. He was observing them both at the same time while spliting them up in different spaces of reality, but now it appears that this has failed. This has never happened before in the Weighting of the Hearts. Something is coming up, but he is not sure of what it is. All the previous heirs had chosen a difficult choice and made the sacrifices that they need to do, but this is very different. He looked at both of them, each ready to answer his questions to them.
"We are here not because we are free, but because we are not free.There is no escaping reason, no denying purpose because without purpose, we would not exist. It is purpose that created us... " Vinyl answered, and soon Fatimah continued on where the mare left off.
"It is purpose that created us..." Fatimah repeated, her confidence slowly budding. The mirror where her birth was shown cracked into countless cracks.
"Purpose that connects us..." Vinyl said, looking at the filly with a smile. One of the pitch black mirrors started to shatter and glow, and slowly but surely the chain of mirrors cracking soon started to make itself apparent.
"Purpose that pulls us..." Fatimah said, and smiling back to the mare in response. The mirror that showed her interactions with various characters cracked further. Vinyl winked at the little filly and then turn her attention to Anput. Fatimah also turned her attention to the guardian, whose expression is that of disbelief.
"Purpose that drives us..." Both Vinyl and Fatimah are now saying in unison, and all the mirrors are now cracking into countless hairline cracks.
"Purpose that define us..." As they continued on saying their responses, both the mare and the filly slowly lift up their forearms, knowing full well what they are saying is what they believed in and that they are kindred spirits believing in the same thing. The cracks started to glow with a bright light, and both the orbs of the heart on the scales are now glowing radiantly.
"Purpose that binds us..." Vinyl and Fatimah clamps their hooves together, connecting them in both mind, body and spirit. Their eyes of determination and purpose is not lost on the stallion, and as he looked around the illumination of the radiant glow of the orbs and from the light are slowly lighting up the darkness.
"It is our sense of purpose that decide what will happen to us for our futures!" As the words leave the mouths of Vinyl and Fatimah, all the mirrors burst into countless shards, enveloping all of them in a fog of glass. The reflections of light that bounces from the countless glasses illuminate the darkness surrounding them, blanketing them all in its unbridled glory.
Anput thought to himself as he emerges from the mercury, and looked around to find out where the intruder is. Launching Anput as a projectile is something he has not expected, and as a result his body had suffered several broken limbs and a wing. As he turned to his right, he saw the intruder struggling to keep afloat. Before he could even venture a thought to consider how the being will cope, several broken silver barks descended upon the abomination like swords from the sky and pierced the creature so utterly that the space between the quills on a porcupine are as wide as two pillars on a building.
Nonetheless, it seems that the being is not vanquished at all, but instead became more agitated. Like a rising wave, it started rise from the sea of mercury and now floats above it as it picks speed. The being's body started disintegrating, and at its place is a dark indescribable manifestation of red and black energy swirling like a tempest. Before long, it launches itself towards the top of the White Tree to take down the wind elemental. It was soon met by several wards with Saddle Arabian inscription glowing violently above the White Tree, but as the dark tempest forces its way into the barrier, the sound of the warding cracking is echoing throughout the space within the cavern and soon enough it shattered. The force of darkness entered into the sanctum of the White Tree, but was soon met with the raging tempest and a great titanic clash of indomitable will begun.
As both forces of nature and un-nature clashed, the walls of the cavern slowly collapses around them and the White Tree is slowly disintegrating by the sheer destructive power of the elementals, Anput realized that the unbelievable is happening before his eyes and knows that he will need to accelerate a few things ahead of schedule.
*****************
Suddenly a bright light envelopes the eyes of Big Macintosh, Nurse Redheart and Amanar and they are temporarily blinded by the light. As their eyes regained their sight, they found Vinyl and Fatimah with their forelegs raised and holding a glowing object above their heads. As the glowing subsides, Big Macintosh notices that the object appears to be an intricately decorated disc that appears to be made out of the purest of silver to the point where it appears to be white. Vinyl and Fatimah opened their eyes to notice that there is some kind of artifact before their hooves and as they marvelled upon its beauty, their ears were interrupted by a very familiar voice.
"I do not have the time to congratulate you on your success, but instead I will need to bring you to somewhere more important." The cold voice caught everyone by surprise, and as they turned around they saw a figure illuminated by energy.
"Anput!" Vinyl shouted as she lets go of the artifact, and pointed her other hoof at the being.
"It seems that everything is somehow falling into place to ensure that the line of Asar to inherit the will of Saddle Arabia itself. Hurry, we must make haste. Your storm friend could not hold the threat for long." The guardian looked up to the ceiling to see the rain of dust raining down upon them becoming even heavier.
"Threat? What threat?" Fatimah asked.
"No time to stand here and talk, I will explain as I guide all of you. Actually on second thought, I do not. Come." Before long the stallion is now galloping, and soon enough the other galloped to match to his frantic pace. Though he did not expect all of them to take the path that no one treads, but they had passed the trials. Now that it has come near to its conclusion, the only thing that is left is now this external intruder and the raging sentient tempest. Before those two could destroy the chamber, he will have to lead them to the place where it will all be revealed.
"This is not good at all, and I swear I can hear booming sounds." Redheart muttered as the dust rained upon them and the booming intensified. It appears that whatever is happening out there, it is becoming even more violent by the moment.
"Ya think?!?" Vinyl retorted, drawing rolling eyes from the other mare. Nonetheless, deep down both of them are relieved that they are all in one piece and are together again. Suddenly Vinyl's face made contact with the back of the black camel's back, and she wanted to ask the Janissary why he stopped.
"The White Throne." Amanar muttered with awe.
A white marble temple is now before them with four colossal statue decorate the facade of the temple. Each of the colossal statues are holding a large feather and are seated on a throne, their heads adorned with a white tapering headset with ostrich feathers on either side sitting upon a red bowl shaped crown with a small protruding wire. The facade is topped by a row of baboons, their arms raised in the air in an act of worship. It appears that all the worshipping baboons are facing towards a gilded bronze doors consist of twenty-eight panels, with twenty panels depicting the life of Asar , and the panels are surrounded by a framework of foliage in the door case and gilded busts of prophets and sibyls at the intersections of the panels. Above the archway, a deep red orb glows with a radiant light.
"Okay...this is hella creepy." Vinyl said, remembering this particular structure from the dreamscape where Lily Petal had given her the visions to find this place.
Three streams of crimson light emanate from the orb and shines on the artifacts that is now in the possession of Big Macintosh, Nurse Redheart and Fatimah. The light slowly turned blue and as the orb turns from a fiery crimson to a tranquil turquoise, the gilded door slowly opens and the three saw a throne room of unsurpassed beauty and elegance, made out of gold, platinum and white marble. The ceiling is filled with fresco of various gold gilded calligraphy and illustrations of legends of Saddle Arabia made out of countless mosaic of marbles. At the center of the temple lies a throne made out from marble and gold, and sitting above the throne is an equine sitting upon the throne. Clad in full plated mirrored armour made out of gold and pristine white robes, the remains of the equine above them stares at the entrance in its gold plated death mask inlaid with coloured glass and gemstones with its head resting upon its arm, as if at ease.
"Wow...if Princess Celestia saw this throne room, she would have wanted a renovation." Vinyl said bluntly as she admired the artwork above her. "I do not think she would want to be buried in this manner." Redheart said, visibly unnerved by the remains sitting upon the throne. The winged equine walked towards the throne and stopped short of the steps leading up to the throne. The guardian proceed to bow down to the cadaver sitting upon the golden throne.
Anput announced in rather archaic Saddle Arabian to the cadaver, and to everyone's surprise, the head turned to their direction and an apparition proceed to arise from the cadaver. Redheart wanted to scream, but instead she was interrupted by the black camel falling unconscious in her arms. It seems that there is something that makes the fearless Janissary faint, and that in turn made Redheart a little more braver in heart.
"So...heavy...help..." Redheart said laboriously, and Big Macintosh helped her lift the large bodyguard off her arms and put him down gently on the marble floor. "Good job Redheart, was expectin' ya to fain't to be honest." Nurse Redheart blushed a little in embarrassment and pouted. "Damn, that is so metal!" Vinyl is definitely finding this experience something out of this world, and nudged the little filly, only to realized that she too had bowed down.
Death is only the beginning, Vinyl Bridget Scratch of Ponyville. My duties upon this earth is not done yet.
"Your middle name is Bridget?" Nurse Redheart said in hushed whispers. "Shut up." Vinyl hissed.
The apparition slowly takes form before them, and the apparition takes the form of an equine with regal bearings clad in pristine white robes, and having a rather beautiful and pristine monochromatic coat and mane of grey. In fact, the Equestrians are reminded of Lily Petal when they gazed upon him. As the filly looked up, she slowly rises and takes a good look at her ancestor before her eyes. The apparition looked at them with its topaz-coloured eyes, and smiled.
It seems that the latest in my line appears to be nothing more than a youngling, and oh...look at all the beautiful ladies. This is a nice and unexpected surprise.
The baritone voice of Asar reverberated and surprised the Equestrians as they were expecting a more archaic language to be spoken. Amanar regained consciousness immediately after hearing the booming baritone voice, and was soon greeted by the apparition of the great founder of Saddle Arabia. The black camel bodyguard is speechless and almost fainted once more if it were not for Nurse Redheart slapping his face with her hoof. Big Macintosh wondered how did Asar knew of modern Equestrian, but before he could complete the thought, the apparition answered him.
Big Macintosh of the Apple clan, whoever it is that completed the trial and has been approved by my Swords to meet me will be allowed to be in my presence and not perish. This also means that we will be able to understand each other, as my regalia has such an influence. And Fatimah bint Assad bin Shaddam Khalifah of the Alawiyah clan, my lineage all shares the monochromatic coat and grey mane that you sport upon yourself, but it seems that you have some Equestrian lineage in you as well.
The apparition smiled at the filly with the kindest of smiles, but all she could do is to smile uncomfortably back at him. Her experiences with Anput's mind-reading powers is still fresh in her mind and it is a little too soon for her to have her mind read once more. The apparition looked upon his guardian, giving him a stern look.
"I am sorry Milord, but I need to know if she is able to bear the responsibilities of your lineage. It must be done." Anput said in apology. The apparition of Emir Asar looked upon the others once more, and once more the rumble from the outside is heard within the chambers and the sprinkles of dust upon the ceiling dropping down upon them once more. Emir Asar looked up, and his regal expressions contorted into a rather worrisome look.
It seems that time is not something we can afford. Especially when Setesh's presence is assailing the White Tree. Big Macintosh was the first one that noticed the name, and he could see that Anput grimaced at the mention of the name.
"Setesh?"
Setesh, Set the Violator, the Oncoming Storm, the Harbinger of Change, The Red Presence...too many names to know the ancient unknown by, but its true name? I know not. Its existence is not something to be ignored or avoided. And Nurse Poppy Wisteria Redheart of Ponyville and Amanaraht Ayoub Talib , you have seen this abomination before though the circumstances of how you have met this entity differ.
"Poppy Wisteria?" Vinyl snorted as she whispered back at Nurse Redheart. "Shut up." Nurse Redheart hissed back, and this is why she always used her family name instead. Big Macintosh is visibly pleased to know their full names, and glad that his parents made his name simple and not embarassing.
Emir Asar looked upon them, and suddenly everyone's mind was bombarded by an image of a pure white death mask surrounded by a black and red striped headcloth with a serpent at the forehead looking back at them with two painted eyes, and the voices which uttered every kind of sound unspeakable; for at one time it made sounds such that the gods understood, but at another, the noise of a bull bellowing aloud in proud ungovernable fury; and at another, the sound of a lion, relentless of heart; and at another, sounds like whelps, wonderful to hear; and again, at another, it would hiss, so that the high mountains re-echoed.
The image flashed for a moment, but as soon as it dissipated, the silence that came after the image playing in its mind is truly uncomfortable. Everyone broke into cold sweat and felt a great overbearing pressure and Nurse Redheart was reminded of the visions that she saw from the Lily Petal's dreamscape, while Amanar remembered the beast that resurrected the dead on that fateful night. Their expressions soured a lot more as they realized what they are facing against. Macintosh, unsure about the matter at hand is perplexed by the situation. However it was the unicorn that broke the silence.
"Anyway, you know why we're here for, pops. Give us the thingie that everyone's talking about, gotta get us some bad guys." Vinyl cuts to the chase in her usual unintentional rude way. But at the same time, she is putting up a brave front as this eldritch abomination that she saw is a being that surpassed all the threats that Equestria faced. Her hind legs are still trembling as she spoke. However, Vinyl noticed that the apparition of the great monarch looked at her with the same kindness and sorrow as those given by Lily Petal in the dreamscape.
I can not help you with the Luminize. It is not within this sanctum.
"What the...what do you mean you can't help...and what do you mean it is not within this sanctum?!?!" Vinyl snarled at the apparition in disbelief. The apparition touched the unicorn, stunning her into silence. Vinyl could feel the cold touch of the apparition of Emir Asar, and it is not the most pleasant feeling she had experienced. The Emir's face changed slightly for a moment, and he could only give a kind smile reserved for a reunion with a close friend. The apparition answered her with an answer they did not expect.
This is because it is already in your possession.
"Come again? How did we get hold of it? Isn't this whole structure meant to guard the Luminize?" Now it is Redheart's turn to be surprised. When did they have the Luminize and how did it even look like? The more the white mare thought about it, the more it does not make sense.
Perhaps I should rephrase my answer in another way; the White Tree is designed to hold the Luminize, but who said that the Luminize is within the White Tree to begin with?
Big Macintosh, Vinyl, Redheart, Amanar and Fatimah all looked at each other in even greater confusion, and they turned their attention towards the apparition of the Emir seeking for the answer to the riddle. The Emir smiled and scratched his mane, before giving out a sigh.
I had truly intended for the Luminize to be kept here, but the night before I passed on it faded away before my very eyes. All I got for a reason is a feeling, something that could not be explained in words. Indeed, throughout my time taking care of the Luminize, the Luminize is more a will than an artifact.
"A will?" Big Macintosh asked.
The Luminize is an omnipotent and omniscient thing. It guided all of you here by its will and if it were not for the Luminize, all of you save my my heirs will die breathing the fumes of the quicksilver within the sanctum of the White Tree. Alas, it seems that each one of you are connected by an intricate and intertwine web of fates that the Luminize chose all of you to be here in the White Tree.
The Equestrians immediately thought of Lily Petal, and how her guidance had time after time brought them forward. This chain of thoughts is not lost on the Emir, and he smiled sorrowfully once more. Vinyl remembered the dream where she saw the red stars forming into glittering fiery road that engulfed the dreamscape in a hue of red.
"The Bloodpath...", Vinyl voiced out, "the sign of great uncertainty and a need for a guiding light to shine in the darkest of moments." I see, you too have seen the Bloodpath in your visions. That is the same vision the night before the Luminize showed itself before me.The journey ahead is fraught with great peril, but it is the flower that blooms in adversity that is the most beautiful.
Both Big Macintosh and Redheart looked at the unicorn with surprise, both because of how her sentence is not littered with lingos and her knowledge of something they do not know or receive in their visions. Vinyl realized that the Emir had just completed the lines that Lily Petal said to regarding the Bloodpath.
I had always believed that it will return someday, and it will be in this place where I first saw the Luminize. As the time goes by, and my spirit acknowledging all my heirs within the confines of the White Tree, none have seen the Luminize's grace of presence, let alone experience its presence. It seems that it had found you first, and how similar the circumstance is that it happened with a vision of the Bloodpath.
"Then...why did it lead us here if we already have it?" Vinyl asked.
It must have realized that you need help to put the dark fates to a stop. My Regalia is such a help.
"If that is the case...what does this have to do with your orb?" Big Macintosh said in a confused and frustrated manner, seeing that there is even less sense in what the Emir is talking about. He takes the symbol of the Abu Hamza's clan out from his clothes, and this catches the attention of the Emir. To the red pony's surprise the Emir smiled once more, though his smile is a little more sorrowful than before. As Emir Asar looks at the symbol of office, the red stallion wondered if he had done something wrong. The Emir takes a few steps forward and stops right before the stallion. The Emir touches the Mark of the Steward with his hoof, and smiled even more. Big Macintosh realized that there are tears running down the apparition's face.
I guess this is fate after all. Thank you Big Macintosh of the Apple clan, for showing me this.
"Wait...what the hay? What does ..." The Emir shakes his head, and looks at the stallion's green eyes with his own topaz-coloured eyes. Big Macintosh sees the same eyes that Sheikh Abu Hamza showed him on the night he received the orb with a tear drop falling down his eyes.
It is in your hooves now... And all of you have my blessings!
The Emir's speech is directed at the mortals within the White Throne and the apparition immmediately turned away from the red pony and soon was barking orders to Anput in their archaic tongue. Big Macintosh knew it in his heart that he was handed something even bigger than he thought is possible, and this will be the start of something much bigger that will decide the fate of the world.
The first step towards realizing this grand purpose is to get out from the White Tree.
As if to emphasize the dire straits that they are in, the masonry that comprises the ceiling of the White throne exploded and and starts to collapse on them and Amanar's bark causing the ponies to snap out from their stunned state and started to run for their lives. The equines attempt to avoid the falling mass of marble and stone that are crashing down upon them, but they are doing so just barely. Indeed, given that the entire room is collapsing upon them it is something of a futile effort. Suddenly, a large slab enough to slam upon the group dislodged itself from the structure and falls down upon them with breakneck speeds. Such was the speed of the falling masonry that the group could not bolt away in time.
"SLAAAAAABBBBBBB!!!!!" Nurse Redheart is screaming her lungs out , while Vinyl took the young filly into her arms as a reflexive action to shield the filly. "Buckkkkkkkkk!!!" Vinyl howled, realizing that she had used the word more often that she would have liked during her time in Saddle Arabia. Big Macintosh and Amanr could only watch in horror as the slab is about to end their lives.
*********************
In the personal sanctum of Emir Shaddam Khalifah the Fourth, an old figure could be seen the large balcony sitting upon a rattan chair from the royal chambers, an almost whitish grey stallion standing under the moonlight. His heavily lined face with a long mustache that is white as the moonlight is looking upon the city with glazed pale greyish eyes, though its eyes glowed with a slight tint of crimson. Suddenly a sudden but constant glow emanates the chambers. Seeing the ghastly glow, the figure's attention turns inwards towards the room, slightly displeased by the interruption. It went on to sit on the bed and lied down looking upwards to where the red glow is emanating from.
However, the wizened old stallion is soon smiling and suddenly a dark apparition escaped from the mouth of the stallion and formed into the an eldritch being comprised of six wings sprouting from its back, and a body resembling those of a minotaur, but with arm and legs akin to those of an ape but disturbingly elegant and graceful. Where a face would be, there is nothing but two eyes and within its eye, there are several golden pupils which defies logic each one contracting and pulsing in its own accord while its facial feature is similar to that of an ape, but it is much more beautiful, while its jet black mane flows in the wind, divinely beautiful with an unearthly, unnatural and disturbing beauty.
What is lost can always be found indeed...
A dark glow emanates the dark appparition and before long, the apparition disappeared into the red orb.
*********************
However to their utter surprise, the large slab of marble stopped short of their faces, and as they wondered, their eyes started to pick up on their surroundings; It appears that all stopped in mid-air. As their mind attempts to understand the unnatural situation, all the debris were sucked upwards into the whirling storm of debris and sand. The only debris that really dropped on anyone is a speck of rock that hit Vinyl's mane. However as the marble disappear from their sight, they are now greeted by another ridiculous sight.
"What. Pray.Tell.Is.That." Redheart said in a rather uncharacteristically monosyllabic manner, unable to disguise her somewhat near-death experience and also her utter incomprehension of what it is that is before her. It does not help that she is so pale that if somepony really looked at her, she would appear near translucent. Amanar jaw dropped as he watches the two storms, for wanting of better words, spin around and duke it with each other in the air. The silver and white storm pushed the black and red storm towards the walls of the White Tree, causing the surface of the White Tree to be eroded by the winds.
In turn, the red and black storm spins even harder and causing the other storm to be lifted off the ground before the red and black storm slams the silver and white storm into the White Throne. It soon came to the attention of Big Macintosh that one of these entities is the happy-go-lucky elemental that they had somewhat adopted, and now Big Macintosh makes a mental note to never piss off the elemental ever again. As the pandemonium unravel before their very eyes, the mortals realized that they are somehow escaping the worst of the damage despite being directly in the center of it all. As the winds howled with such ferocity that the mortals could barely hear their own thoughts, only Vinyl could muster the words that describe the scene happening before their very eyes.
"That's...so...awesome." As she watched, every debris and sand rise up into the ongoing vortexes, one of silver and white and the other of black and crimson. The sound of howling winds reverberated in her ears and Vinyl thought that this is perhaps the most awesome thing she saw in her life. She swears that she will write all of this experience she is absorbing into her body into a song and she shall call it Sandstorm. Little did she know that it will become one of her greatest hits along with "Love Is In Bloom Vinyl Remix", but that is a story for another time.
Suddenly, a large bolt of lightning entered into the eye of the black storm and shattered the storm from within, separating the silver and white storm away, and causing the debris that was sucked into the dark storm to scatter indiscriminately around the area. The equines each dodged a piece of debris shooting at their direction, though just barely.
"+Valorous grief, what didst our enemy alloweth loose upon us this time? +" Nurse Redheart immediately recognized the baritone voice of Djehuty and turned around to see the purple sorcerer giving her his best attempt at a smile. His hoof holds an electrified orb of blue lightning and eldritch energy, and the sorcerer looked behind the red stallion with a questioning look. Big Macintosh was wondering what does the sorcerer unicorn want, until he felt several tremors underneath him. Big Macintosh felt the burst of flame and heat from his back before a deep metallic booming voice rattled the bodies of all the living being within the broken sanctum
"+T doest not matter, for it hath bee a valorous while in a long time that I has't not fought against a foe this stout. +" . Big Macintosh turned to the source of the booming sound and realized that it is the big bronze statue that he had fought against alongside Amanar. Even though Big Macintosh knew not of what the giant said, but he knew instinctively that the colossus is here as an ally.
"+At each moment with the fighting with thee, thee brute. However, since the beast is ere us, alloweth us receiveth rid of t shalt we? ?+" the winged mummified body known as Anput joined them once more in physical form. The mummified corpse gave its best effort at a grin, but all it did is to unnerve the living beings within the sanctum, especially Fatimah.
"+Mine Swords, alloweth vanquish this evil from our sight.+" the apparition of Asar said with all his regal bearings. Noticing the new opposition against it, the dark tempest turned upon them and the tempest reconstitute itself into an elemental form with the head of a crocodile, the torso of a wild cat, and the hindquarters of a hippopotamus. The dark elemental did a rumbling sound that resembles a growl, and it lowered its body as if ready to pounce. However instead of it attacking the Emir and his guardians, it spoke to them instead.
+Is this how you welcome a guest?+
The sudden chillingly cold voice froze the equines in place as it echoes psychically, and its sickening serpentine nature slithers behind each one of their backs causing a chill down their spine and draws them to look back at the abomination. Within the swirling winds of the elemental, a dark red orb materializes and as it glowed itself into existence the dark elemental dissipates. The glow soon dissipated with the orb, revealing a robed figure wearing an alabaster white death mask painted with two red eyes, crowned by a striped headcloth of black and red with a red cobra where the elemental was standing. The height of the figure is utterly imposing and immediately the Big Macintosh and the Janissary knew that this being is malice incarnate. Its oppressive aura fills the hearts of all the living beings within its presence.
Always with the cold shoulders. I guess I am not welcomed at all..and I took the trouble of appearing before everyone in person.
The figure gave a fake sob as it tilts its head sideways, further chilling the spine of everyone beyond mortal comprehension. Fatimah took the presence of the eldritch being the worst and immediately falls upon her legs and her eyes are filled with a mix of fear and realization of what is before her. Realizing the little filly's presence, the being laughed hysterically.
Ah, the little foal from that fateful night...oh, how time flies when you let it go. And look what we have here... The being turned its attention to the Emir and his guardians. All of them reacted defensively against the creature's advances. Emir Asar looked at the figure with great disgust and apprehension.
"Setesh." +Ah a name I has't not hath heard in an age. It hath been a while Asar... At forsooth that thy three motley-minded squires has't all hath changed since the last time we hath met.+ "+Quiet thy fiend, thou has't no lodging among us nor those with a soul!+" Emir Asar spat back at the abomination. +Is thither no hospitality in thy heart?+ The being jested.
A lightning bolt soon darts towards its face, but all it did is a slight tilt of its head to avoid the lightning bolt. Djehuty, the source of the lightning bolt is visibly surprised by its unnatural reflexes. Suddenly a dark red bolt, with a jet black core hits the sorcerer square in the chest and throws him into the rubble. Big Macintosh notices that the being is pointing at the direction of the sorcerer with smoking fingers.As it fans away the smoke from its fingertips, it turned its attention towards where the sorcerer was flung.
+Didst not thy mother toldeth thee that tis rude to interrupt someone at which hour those gents art speaking to another?+
The voice of the being is that of a person mildly annoyed by a slight interruption, before changing tones once more to its affably evil tone. As it went on conversing, Big Macintosh knew that this being is far too powerful to be trifled with, and for the time they will need to figure out how they can defeat the being.
Do not waste your time, you are visibly weakened from the trials. We will buy you the time that you need.
Big Macintosh hears the voice of Anput within his mind, but before he can protest, the Swords of Asar along with their master have spring into action against the elemental. The bronze colossus rams into the dark being, but was stopped halfway by the being's extended arm. The storm-like being lifts the colossus and throws it back to the other assailants. Anput dodges the hawk-like golem with an unnatural grace and throws out several discs from nowhere and it all hit the being with a loud explosion. As soon as the smoke clears away, the purple sorcerer throw several lightning bolts at the being, causing the storm-being to momentarily lose its form before it recomposed itself. It was then that the apparition of Asar brandishes an apparition of a blade and sliced the being at its ankle. The storm-being buckled a little before several more lightning balls and explosive discs slams into the being. As the battlezone is engulfed in smoke and dust, Big Macintosh wasted no time and barked to Vinyl knowing well that every moment is precious for their next course of action.
"Vinyl, check on Zephyr!" "On it Big Red!" Vinyl immediately makes a very sharp whistle, and another sharp whistle replied. The elemental rises from the rubble, and all the dust surrounding the ruins allows Big Macintosh to see the outlines of the elemental clearly. However the red stallion realized that the figure's outline is not consistent, and it is a tell-tale sign that the elemental is weakened by its struggle. "Can it get us out of this place ?!?" Big Macintosh asked. Vinyl whistled back at the elemental, and thought the reply is weak Vinyl is able to understand the meaning of the whistle. "It sounds like a yes to me." Big Macintosh heard Vinyl's reply, and have to decide if the group will have to take their chance. The decision, fortunately is a short one. "Good, 'cause that thing ain't gonna wait for us! Let's move!"
As Amanar, Vinyl, Redheart, Fatimah and Big Macintosh looked at each other, they nodded knowing full well what they need to do. They immediately galloped towards Zephyr's direction. However all it did is to turn the attention of the abomination towards the sprinting group and several red lightning bolts rained in front of them and sundering the ground below them to dust. As the dark red electricity coursed through the crater where the red bolts landed, a chillingly cold sight could be heard.
Stopped in their tracks, Big Macintosh and the others turned around and amidst the dust blowing at them, the red painted eyes of the abomination's mask appears to be glowing and its pointing finger is how engulfed in ghostly crimson. The figure spoke to them in a rather fatigued and slightly annoyed voice which has all the bearings of a regal and overwhelmingly ruthless tyrant.
Why do you still run where there is nothing more that you could do? Return to me, I will allow you the gift of seeing my rebirth before you die.
