Archmage: Beyond the Crystal Mirror "Saddle Arabian Nights"

Tags: Erotic, Normal

Fair warning: These chapters do have erotic elements, up to and including sex. To be fair, the impact on the overall story has been reduced. You’re welcome to skip these chapters, and you won’t miss much.

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The searing heat of the Saddle Arabian desert had little to no effect to the wagon train. Twilight was worried how much body heat and odor six mares riding through the hundred-plus degree heat would fare, but much like many of the other things in Saddle Arabia, the wagons were enchanted. Twilight made it maybe halfway through the first day before she commented on the prevalence of magic.

“Saddle Arabia has a larger concentration of unicorns.” Rarity waved her hoof dismissively. “Pegasi are exceedingly rare, and earth ponies make up maybe a third of the population. Thus, many of the Saddle Arabians are magic-users. I’m surprised you didn’t know that already, I’d have figured you’d study social structure while you were in Equestria, Dusk…”

“I studied enchantments almost exclusively.” Twilight shrugged Rarity’s implication off nonchalantly. “You know how easy it is to devote years of your life to one field of study. I’m just surprised that so many things in Saddle Arabia are enchanted. The amount of magic in any one area is astounding.” She waved a hoof at the wagon around them. “The wagon, our bracelets, even some of the clothes and books you have in supply are enchanted, either to protect against the heat or decay over time.”

“Saddle Arabia has existed for much longer than Equestria.” Emerald chimed in. “The ponies here have had much more time to perfect their magic and make living in such an inhospitable climate easier.”

“I suppose that’s true.” Twilight tapped her lower lip thoughtfully. “It’s just strange when you get to thinking about it. How many thousands of spells have existed for this long? How many of them are new? When you take into consideration things like degradation or the decay of the fourth arch, or-“

“Hon, you’re getting into specifics now.” Fig Leaf purred. She was an Earth Pony herself.

“Right.” Twilight furrowed her brow and thought of a better analogy. “Spells are not unlike ponies. They grow old and die. I’m just surprised that so many enchantments exist for so long. There’s a bolt of fabric in your collection that shows signs of aging from sixteen hundred years ago. It’s still enchanted, though, so those sixteen hundred years are probably much longer. It’s ancient, yet still very strong. I’m amazed.”

“I can’t answer your question, Dusk.” Rarity shrugged. “You’ll probably learn more in Diamond Bay. It’s the oldest city in Saddle Arabia.”

“I didn’t get much of a chance to explore Neighgrabah as it were.” Twilight shot a look at Emerald, who blushed faintly. “I’d love to walk around the city.”

“Just be cautious, Dusk… Diamond Bay is a lot more rough around the edges. And let’s just say anypony not willing to perform cunnilingus on the street will stick out like a sore hoof.”

“Great.” Dusk sighed as she laid a hoof on her pendant once more. The days spent around the alluring Emerald and all the other beautiful mares in Rarity’s marem wer beginning to wear on her. “I’m going to walk alongside the caravan for a while, clear my head.”

“Alright, dear. Don’t stay out too long, the bright sun hurts your eyes.”

“Will do.” Twilight slipped past Fig Leaf and Peridot on her way towards the back of the wagon. She hopped down onto the hard-packed sand, quickly trotting to the side of the wagon so she wasn’t run over. Some of the stronger stallions and mares of the marem were tasked with pulling the enchanted wagons to their destination. They were given heavy-duty hydration spells and allowed plenty of water in enchanted canteens. Twilight went to relieve one of them. The switch was handled on the fly, and Twilight was soon pulling the lead wagon. The wide-open desert was actually rather refreshing with the comfort of the hydration spell. Twilight kept her gaze focused on the wavering horizon, enjoying the physical strain. It felt good to work her muscles once more.

Her relief came two hours in, switching out with ease. Twilight didn’t feel quite ready to re-join Rarity, though, so she stayed and chatted with the bulky stallion happily. He was a weaver by trade, and had many stories to tell about how he enchanted his own works. He made baskets and bags that were enchanted to keep the dust out, allowing a long shopping trip at market without fear that the sand would harm your purchases.

Twilight chatted for close to half an hour before she realized the sun was beginning to dip lower in the sky. They would arrive at the Sapphire Shores by nightfall, and spend the next day gemhunting. She re-joined Rarity then, glad to find her little group had settled down for a mid-afternoon nap. She quietly read while they slumbered, smiling at Emerald’s soft snoring. When nighttime fully descended outside of the cart, Twilight gingerly roused Rarity to inform her it was time to set up camp.

When Twilight emerged into the warm night, she was astounded. The late-evening sun had just touched the horizon, dousing the sky in crimson red. The other side of the night sky was dark blue, showing just the faintest touch of twinkling stars. Between the two was a vast, expansive ocean of deep amber-colored water, twinkling faintly. Waves lapped peacefully at the shore, and the only sound was the faint whisper of wind in her ears, and the crashing of breakers out past the surf.

The silence was soon broken by loud cheers. Twilight watched with a slight bit of glee as everypony emerged from the wagons to sprint full-tilt towards the surf. After a whole day of being cooped up in shaded, rocking, uncomfortable wagons, they were all relishing the chance to exercise and play.

“Go on, Dusk Hoof.” Rarity nudged her flank. “Go swim. Enjoy yourself.”

“But what about camp? I wanted to help set up…”

“Dusk, go now.” Rarity chuckled. “Before me and my girls join the fray. Trust me, you don’t want to be in the water when that happens. Those who are usually have no choice but to join in.”

“Oh.” Twilight blushed as she turned away. “I’ll go have my fun now, then, I suppose.”

“You do that.” Rarity swatted at her flank, making Twilight yelp and blush even deeper. She shed her cloak and jewelry, save the pendant, and made for the water with a little bit more restraint than most of the other ponies. She waded in, feeling the surf tug and pull at her hooves, making the sand shift beneath them. In all her years, she had yet to visit the ocean. She had seen it from afar, and traveled over it by boat a few times, but never once had she had the chance to actually experience the vastness of the ocean.

The tension of the water passing over the sand literally scooped it out from under her hooves, making Twilight feel almost as if the whole world was slipping away. She waded further until the surf was up to her knees, pushing and pulling at her with each ebb and flow. She let the feeling of the water and the wind carry her away, her eyes closing as she took a deep, relaxing breath. The world was so calm to her just then, nothing but the breaking surf and stiff breeze. The water was delightfully warm, but carried with it a hint of night’s chill.

Twilight opened her eyes with a snap and charged forwards, thundering through the shallows until a breaking wave picked her up and slammed her into the water fully. She tumbled with the wave, losing track of up and down as she flipped over and over. Losing herself to a wave like that was intoxicating. She surfaced with an explosive breath and a giddy smile before wading far enough back into the shallows to take another headlong charge at the incoming waves.

She lost track of time for a while, dashing through the knee-deep water, kicking up spray and thoroughly enjoying herself. It was only when she noticed Emerald and Fig Leaf making their way towards the water did Twilight actually remind herself that there was something greater about to happen here, and she didn’t want to be a part of it. She hastily scrambled out of the water, blushing furiously as she dried herself off with a spell and donned her cloak once more.

“You really should join us, Dusk!” Emerald called out from the very edge of the lapping waves. “You might just enjoy yourself!”

She waved patronizingly at the alluring earth pony before making her way back to the wagon train. Their procession of wagons had been circled, and in the middle a massive tent erected. Twilight knew it would sleep all of them comfortably, but she wanted to do a little exploring anyways. An area had been sequestered off for cooking and dining, but it seemed the rest of the tent was bedecked in thick rugs, comfortable pillows, and a wide assortment of blankets, sheets, and small mattresses. These were all scattered about haphazardly, meaning they would all communally sleep under the same tent tonight.

Twilight helped herself to one of the early bits of food and settled down in a shadowy corner with her book. As she read, ponies began to trickle in, some still wet, others wet from different means. A steady drone began to build up as more and more sought the shelter of the warm tent. Conversation and sporadic cries of pleasure kicked up here and there, until Twilight could hardly concentrate on her book anymore. Rather than subject herself to the incessant drone of everypony in her marem, Twilight went for a walk.

Outside, it was surprisingly quiet. The black night sky shone with millions of stars, and a chill wind bit at her withers. She spun the hydration spell off of her bracelet and huddled down in her cloak, making her way around the interior and exterior of the wagon train. At each of the cardinal directions was a guard, keeping steady watch over their livelihood. Twilight held a brief conversation with each of them, even settling for a kiss from one of the cute unicorns who had seemed genuinely interested in her bracelet.

But something about the night unsettled Twilight. She couldn’t pin it down. ’Maybe it’s the conversation, or I’m just cabinsick… I was in that carriage for what felt like a week. And I’ve hardly been doing anything that active, save for pulling the cart… Why do I feel so… Eerie?’

She stopped halfway between two of the guards, standing and looking out at the rolling waves of the ocean. The moon hung half-full in the sky, casting a beautiful, healthy glow over the sands, turning them into molten silver and the waves into frosted steel. She inhaled the cool air deeply, smelling water and salt and wet sand.

“This is a nice place.” She said quietly, closing her eyes.

*tssu~*

The sound was almost lost on the whispers of wind and crashing of waves. Twilight very nearly dismissed it. But a nagging suspicion that she had heard something out of the ordinary caused her to open her eyes…

And find herself staring down a silvery bolt of energy.

With a clipped cry, Twilight ducked, grunting as the bolt seared through a healthy portion of her mane, catching the hood of her cloak on fire. Panic erupted in her gut, making her cry out in pain and shock. Her mane was on fire, as was the cloak. She shook off the latter, her horn sparking to quell the growing flames. Her scalp throbbed in the aftermath, but she had no choice but to act as another bolt of dark blue energy jetted through the night, intent on hitting her. She rolled to the side, kicking up a plume of sand in her wake. The bolt followed her halfway, slipping through the thinnest hairs of her coat and impacting the sand directly behind her and to the left.

She scrambled to her hooves and ran around the back of the carriage, her eyes wide as she stared at the water. As she watched, another bolt of silver energy and a red one streaked out of the shallows, aimed straight for her.

“Bastards!” Twilight cursed as she ducked back around the cart. “They’re aiming for me, not the wagon!” Indeed, the spells had been keyed directly to her. They would seek her out, though they held inertia and could be dodged with good timing. Both streams of light bounced off of the wooden planks of the cart and curved off into the night, hissing as they went. Twilight cursed once more as she broke cover, leaping over a third, green bolt of light that shot right under her stomach. There were at least four of them, possibly more. Twilight couldn’t see her assailants, but they were aiming at her from the water’s edge.

“Fuck this.” Twilight glanced back at the tent, where nopony seemed to quite notice the danger just yet. To her far right, one of the guards had noticed and was making his way towards her curiously. She waved him off as she dove underneath one cart, wincing as the wheel immediately to her left exploded in a rain of splinters and scintillating magic. Several slivers of wood imbedded themselves in her flanks, sending another sharp jolt of pain into her system. She rolled out from underneath the now-imbalanced load of what appeared to be vegetables, just as the whole thing tipped towards the destroyed wheel. She had a moderate barrier now, which served to block two more projectiles.

“Alright, you fuckers.” She shoved the pain into the back of her mind. “Time to see where it is you got this hook…” Certain spells could be keyed to a recipient. A skilled unicorn could manipulate these keys into specifically-targeted spells, ones that banked and curved and followed their quarry. Twilight settled her mind, her horn glowing as she sought where it was these ponies had hooked their magic into her. Two more bolts impacted the cart as she worked, but she paid them little mind. She was searching inside of herself for the whispers of power that were directing this magic towards her. Sure enough, she felt them. Five hooks, each of the embedded in her horn. These ponies had undoubtedly read her magical energy from the one unicorn she had detained and brought to Rarity for questioning just yesterday. They were now using that signature to target her and her alone.

“Haah…” Twilight’s horn sparked brilliant orange for a moment as she plucked the five strings from inside herself. They broke apart in thin air and she tossed them aside. No more pre-existing advantage. Twilight grimaced as she flung herself from out behind the upended cart, her horn glowing brilliantly.

“What?!” One of the assailants cursed as his green spell missed wide, not even bothering to turn towards her.

“She’s figured them out! Get her!”

“No more running, eh?” Twilight grinned as she watched two ponies emerge from the shadows at the water’s edge. They sprinted towards her, casting disjointed and weak spells. She dodged one, blocked the other, and cast two of her own in rapid succession. One pony sprawled into the dirt, his mouth and hooves bound by a glowing, brilliant wire of energy. The other one reared up, clutching his bloody nose. Twilight dashed past them, intent on reaching the water and whoever else was waiting for her.

“Bail!” One of them cried, casting a panicked stunning spell to slow Twilight. She side-stepped it and poured on the heat, closing the distance to the other attackers. Last time, she had settled for one. This time, she’d have all five. Her magic pulsed into the night, impacting the air and driving a shockwave of sand before it. The three remaining ponies cried out in shock as she gripped them all, dragging them back through the sand towards her.

“Mercy!”

“Please, spare us!”

“Pathetic.” Twilight spat at them, her horn pulsing yet again as she pulled the earthy sand into iron-hard cords around the three ponies. “You’re bested, and all you can do is beg for your lives. Quit squirming.” The sand clamped around the three assailants, keeping them and their horns plastered tight into the desert floor.

“P-please, just let us go! We’ll leave you be!”

“Pah.” Twilight grimaced. “Twice now you’ve attacked me specifically. You’re lucky I haven’t beseeched Scorch to have your hides on this matter. How’s the leg, by the way?”

“F-fine, Miss Rarity healed me right, b-but, you’re just going to leave us here for the night?”

“For now.” Twilight surmised, finishing her spells. The three unicorns were entombed in rock-hard sand, their horns clenched tight with suppression spells. A skilled unicorn could break free in a few hours, but she didn’t plan on leaving them there that long. Instead, she returned to the two stallions she had left groaning in the sand a ways back.

“Break your nose?” Twilight asked, nudging the one stallion whose hooves were clamped against his bloody muzzle.

“Fuggin’ bihh.” He managed to choke out. Twilight just grimaced at him and turned to the other, still bound tight with glowing spellthread.

“You look comfy. Let’s get you two to Miss Rarity. I’m sure she’ll want to know why Diamond Bay won’t be receiving any carrots this time around.” Sure enough, the camp was in an uproar by the time she returned. Twilight hoisted her quarries and carried them both back towards the burning, upended cart, and everypony trying desperately to douse the flames around it.

“Dusk! Thank the stars!” Rarity sighed in relief as Dusk emerged into the circle of light provided by the flames. “I feared the worst when we couldn’t immediately find you… Who are these?”

“Scorch’s followers.” Twilight replied, dumping both stallions onto the sand at Rarity’s hooves. “I’ve three more incapacitated on the shore.”

“Five of them?” Rarity looked at her dumbfounded. “Dusk Hoof, I thought you were a simple enchantress…”

“Yeah, well…” Twilight blushed, rubbing the back of her neck with a hoof. “Adrenaline and all that…”

“Very good. I’m glad you’re unhurt. This one, however…” Rarity kicked the broken-nosed stallion roughly. “That’s twice now you and yours have attacked us. If it weren’t for Dusk here, we’d have lost much more. Not to mention some, aah… ‘Unwanted’ injuries, hmm?”

“Fugg you.” The stallion choked, glaring up at Rarity. “Ou don’ deserff to bee ‘ead mare. Filheh haff-bood.”

“Now, now…” Rarity stood over the stallion, one hoof planted on his foreleg. “That’s no way to speak to a lady, is it?”

“What are oo- AUGH!”

*snap*

Twilight winced as the stallion’s leg broke, twisting and a disgustingly wrong angle. Rarity bore her entire weight on the joint of his knee, breaking his leg in one of the worst ways imaginable. Everypony gathered around seemed to shrink back from the sudden cries of the wounded pony.

“I’ve dealt with your attacks long enough.” Rarity growled, loud enough for everypony to hear. “You tell Scorch if she has a problem with me being head mare, she can say it to my face. I’ve had enough of your under-hoofed night time raids and your ‘innocent’ injuries against my ponies. I’ve lost more bits than I’d care to count to you and yours, and I think it’s about damn time I start taking back what I lost.” Rarity glanced up at Twilight, her eye twitching a little at the sight of the bloody splinters and her singed mane.

“What’s more, you harmed my best mage. If I were a less forgiving pony, I’d have her skin your hide and leave you bleeding and dry in the middle of the desert. Instead,” She shifted her hoof, moving to his other foreleg.

*Pop*

“AAAAIIIIEEE!”

“I’ll send you back to Scorch on a litter. And tell her should she send another night time raid my way, I’ll send her back to Tel-Applebim on a stretcher of her own. Dusk, fetch the others. I want them to watch.”

“Yes, mistress.” Twilight bowed her head and went to fetch the other three unicorns from their place in the sand. When she deposited them in front of their wounded brethren, Rarity stood on the injured stallion’s hind leg.

“I was just telling your friend here,”

*Crack*

“How I’m not terribly keen on you constantly raiding our wagon trains, and in tonight’s case, very nearly killing my most skilled mage. Thus,” She shifted to his other leg, even as the four ponies watched her with wide, horrified eyes. “I’m making Scorch a promise. Should she send more of you my way, I will send you back…”

*Ker-crack!*

“In pieces, if I must. You’re going to return to Tel-Applebim and tell Scorch that if her quarrel is with me, then with me she shall settle it. Furthermore, for all of my assets she has destroyed, I’ll take their price out of this dear stallion’s hide.” Rarity’s horn glowed as she lifted his foreleg, bending the broken bone at another excruciating angle. “Hmm…”

”AAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!”

She spun his hoof around in a full, slow circle, eliciting the highest-pitched, most tortured scream Twilight had ever heard. He writhed on the ground, his mouth open and drooling with delirium.

“There we go,” She dropped his leg unceremoniously. He whimpered and cried on the sands, unable to move any of his legs for fear of worsening the breaks. “That ought to make us even. Hammer, Daffodil, fetch a stretcher for our crippled guest. He and his friends have a long walk ahead of them tonight.”

“Rarity?” The one named Hammer spoke cautiously. “They’ll freeze before they reach their destination-“

“Such a shame.” Rarity frowned at the four remaining unicorns. “If only there were some sort of magic they could use to shelter and warm themselves… I’m sure they’ll manage, considering they’re perfectly fine using magic to harm others.” Rarity glanced at Dusk, a sort of rage boiling behind her eyes. Twilight had never seen her act this way, and after that night, she had trouble equating this world’s Rarity to the memory of her dear friend.

She turned away from the group then, stalking back towards the tent.

“Get them out of my sight. If I see them anywhere near this caravan, I’ll do much more than break some legs. It’ll be necks next.”

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“Rarity.” Twilight approached her old friend cautiously. Her scalp still tingled from the healing spells that had been cast upon it, and her left side was sore from the splinters removal, but she was otherwise unharmed. Her primary concern in that moment was Rarity and how well she was taking the most recent development. “Rarity?” She was behind the tent, opposite the largest group of her marem as they helped see the five assailants off into the night.

“Dusk Hoof, sorry.” Rarity wiped a hoof over her face as she turned towards Twilight, sniffling a little. “I don’t mean for you to see me like this…”

“Nonsense.” Twilight stepped forth, cupping Rarity’s chin tenderly. “It’s only natural for us to cry when we’re hurt…”

“I’m not the one who’s hurt here, Dusk…” Rarity sniffled, though she nuzzled into Twilight’s hoof gently. “It’s that poor stallion. He was only acting on his orders…”

“Orders that were flawed and hurtful in the first place.” Twilight wiped away one of Rarity’s tears with her other hoof. “I think that’s the difference between you and Scorch. You’d never order any one of us to do anything that would hurt another. You’d rather do that on your own.”

“Still,” Rarity choked, stepping closer to Twilight. She obliged and wrapped her hooves around Rarity’s quivering form, stroking her mane tenderly. “I shouldn’t have gone so far. He’ll never walk again…”

“I’m sure he’ll recover.” Twilight cooed to Rarity. “One of the stallions was the one whose leg I broke just last night. He’s already walking, so I’m sure Scorch has a skilled healer in her marem. And you shouldn’t blame yourself, Rarity. You needed to send a message. And send one you did.”

“Things are different here, Dusk.” Rarity shook her head slowly. “Scorch will be out for blood now, more so than she was tonight. We’ll be lucky to make it to Diamond Bay unmolested, but she has ponies in her marem there too.” Rarity pulled away, looking at her with wide, teary eyes. “I may have more need for you now than ever, Dusk…”

“I’m here to help.” Twilight whispered, cupping Rarity’s chin once more. “Nopony will be harmed, not as long as I draw breath. I promise you.”

“Until we reach a solution.” Rarity sighed, nuzzling Twilight’s hoof eagerly. “Considering your trepidation at being involved in a marem, I’ll gladly release you from your obligation to us after Scorch’s marem has been dealt with, one way or another.”

“I’ll consider that a promise.” Twilight nodded, pulling Rarity into another hug. “But right now, you need some sleep. Come on.” Rarity didn’t protest as Twilight pulled her into the tent, searching for a quiet, shadowy corner. There were close to a dozen ponies inside, but they were quiet and somber. Twilight nodded understandingly to each of them in turn, taking Rarity to a comfortable-looking pile of pillows. She deposited her old friend there, smiling when Rarity immediately closed her eyes and drifted off.

“We’re going to want to double the watch tonight.” Twilight spoke to the first pony who arrived at her side. “I’ll take the first shift. Give me seven others, all of us at eight intervals. No fires outside of the ring, I don’t want us too easily visible.”

“Of course, Dusk. I’ll send you our best seven.”

“Split the best in half. I want the other half to rest now, and relieve us at two in the morning. Understood?”

“Will do.”

“Thank you.” Twilight nodded as the mare slipped off, gone to find Twilight’s requested watchers for the night. She took her place outside of the ring of wagons, next to the smoldering wreckage of the vegetable cart she had used for cover. She was exhausted beyond measure, her whole body throbbing with pain. But she needed to remain vigilant. There were ponies out there who meant them harm.

As quiet descended upon the camp and the other seven ponies posted to take watch, Twilight pulled her bracelet off.

It hadn’t hummed even once when she was attacked by Scorch’s assailants.

“I guess there are some spells I don’t coincide with in this world…” Twilight grimaced and slipped the bracelet back on, looking out over the ocean. A thought came to her, and she smiled as a presence appeared beside her.

“Hello again, old friend.”

”So, Twilight Sparkle…” The Night whispered as it sat next to her. ”Another world, eh?”

“Are you familiar at all with the Crystal Mirror?” Twilight spoke quietly for fear of waking anypony, or alerting he guards to the night’s presence around her.

”I cannot say I am. Please, enlighten me.”

Twilight spent the rest of her watch chatting with an old friend, almost as if it were just another night spent in Luna’s hooves.

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She was relieved promptly at two by a sturdy unicorn mare who assured her the rest of the night would be safe without her. She retired to a pile of pillows not too far removed from Rarity and her little clique, but not far from the entrance of the tent either. Thankfully, nothing happened. She slept into the next day, and was one of the last to rise mid-morning. Breakfast had been left out for her, and she nibbled on fried cactus and oatmeal, washed down with delicious crystal berry juice.

When she emerged into the bright sun, almost nopony was around. There were a few tending the baggage, and they pointed her out into the desert. She followed the well-worn tracks of well over sixty ponies out into the sands. After about a half an hour of hiking, she saw dark dots appear on the horizon, and some curious-looking holes littered throughout the sand. They burrowed deep, going into the hard-packed sand as far as seven or eight feet. Some of them went even further than that.

The dots became larger and more distinct as she followed the trail of deep holes, and she saw nearly all of the unicorns in their marem with their heads bowed low to the sand. Now and then, they would mark a spot, and another unicorn would come by, shoveling sand away from the mark. Twilight realized now what was happening. Rarity was leading them on a gem-hunting expedition. Each pony wore large saddlebags, and as she watched, two of the mares filled theirs up and made their way back towards camp. They passed Twilight with a wide smile, which she returned readily.

“Hello, Dusk!” Emerald greeted her cheerily, a shovel stuck in the sand next to her. “You’re awake, I see.”

“Much to my chagrin.” Twilight joked, going to give Emerald a quick hug and a tender kiss. “Gemhunting?”

“My mother’s trade,” Emerald nodded, offering Twilight a pair of saddlebags. “It’s mostly magic, so you’ll have to talk to her to learn the spell, but this is how we make the majority of our money in trades. Sapphire Shores is aptly named, since we owe the majority of our claim to the gems taken from the sand here.”

“Why so many gems in one place?” Twilight asked curiously, watching as one unicorn hauled up a large ruby, roughly the size of her hoof.

“Legend tells of a great dragon that once roamed these shores.” Emerald began, leaning against her shovel with a smile. “He was known as Ilyragos, Scorcher of Sands. He terrorized Saddle Arabia for many, many generations. He would swoop in on whole marems, decimating them with terrifying blasts of fire and sand. Then he would pick through the remains, taking all of the gems with him. His hoard was second to none, and he kept his den to the South, on the Fire Isles. Some say the Fire Isles were his creation.”

“But that doesn’t say how the gems arrived here…”

“Well, let me finish, silly.” Emerald stuck her tongue out at Twilight with a wink. “It’s the one time in all of history there was a documented case of an Equestrian assisting Saddle Arabia. A great unicorn named Starswirl from Canterlot travelled out here, and using his powerful magic, destroyed Ilyragos and the Fire Isles in one massive blast of arcane energy. Ilyragos’ hoard was scattered to the bottom of the ocean, flung hundreds of miles up and down the coast. Some of it reached the mainland, while most of it was cast out to sea.

“But the tide in this area is very strong, fluctuating hundreds of miles within a few short years. Once, this whole part of the desert was underwater. Now, it’s been barren for the past six years. Every time the tide shifts to cover the desert, it brings remnants of Ilyragos’ hoard here. Then, when it subsides, the gems are left, and we reap the benefits.” Emerald gestured with a hoof to the wide expanse of pockmarked sand.

“We came to the area west of here just six weeks ago and took one of our largest hauls yet. Now, we’re on to an even larger portion of Ilyragos’ wealth. Rarity’s certain we’re going to hit the jackpot this time around. Normally, it takes us a full day to even fill a half-dozen saddle bags. As you saw already, we’ve filled two and we’ve hardly been here an hour. So get to it.” Emerald swatted at Twilight’s flanks, making her yelp suddenly. She drew many curious looks from nearby ponies, causing her to flush brightly.

“I’m going to get you back for that.” Twilight growled playfully at Emerald.

“I look forward to it.” Emerald waved her off as Twilight looked for an open portion of the sand. She remembered Rarity’s gem-seeking spell from long, long ago, when she had ‘saved’ her friend from the Diamond Dogs. She put it to good use now, finding and excavating small pockets of gems. They weren’t very large, but they were numerous. Twilight enjoyed testing her elemental magic in pulling the gems from the sand, digging as deep as nine or ten feet in some cases. She lost track of time in pulling them out, and before the sun had reached its zenith, she had filled her saddlebags to the brim.

“Good work, Dusk! I knew I could count on you for a full bag.” Rarity met her on the way back to the caravan, where close to a dozen of them had already finished filling their bags. “This is our best take yet.”

“You’re sure Ilyragos is dead, though, right?” Twilight asked carefully. “I don’t remember reading anywhere that Starswirl ever even visited Saddle Arabia.”

“He never did,” Rarity shrugged. “He took a boat from a very early Horseshoe Bay straight to the Fire Isles. Never set hoof in Saddle Arabia.”

“Still,” Twilight shook her head. “I don’t remember anything about it, and I’ve read almost all there is to read about Starswirl the Bearded.”

“The bearded?” Rarity arched an eyebrow. “There’s no such thing as Starswirl the Bearded. Wherever did you get that notion?”

“I thought-“ Twilight paused. ’So there’s something else that’s different in this world. In mine, the Fire isles were swallowed by the sea in a storm… And Starswirl was most definitely bearded.’ “I must be mis-remembering.” Twilight muttered. “That’s right, it was Blaze the Bearded. I go the two mixed up.”

“Well I don’t remember any Blaze the Bearded either, but I remember next to nothing about Equestrian history anyways.” Rarity smiled and nudged Twilight’s flank, their bags pressing against one another. “Come on, let me show you the proper way to clean a gem.” Rarity led Twilight past the wagon train and straight for the ocean edge, where Twilight was surprised to see a portion of the sandy shore had been hallowed out and filled with seawater. Everypony who had fished gems up out of the sands dumped their load indo the shallow wading pool and then jumped in, picking up brushes and taking them to the ever-growing pile of gemstones. Rarity and Twilight followed them, taking two brushes of their own and picking one out of the pile of sparkling, beautiful gemstones. Rarity carefully and tenderly caressed the gem before scrubbing and rinsing all of the clingy sands off of it.

They spent most of the rest of the day cleaning gems, placing the clean ones in one of the baskets brought to them, and saving one out of every ten for a smaller pile, left unscrubbed. “Why aren’t we cleaning those?” Twilight asked, depositing her own moderately-sized sapphire back on the pile.

“A tribute,” Rarity shrugged, buffing one last grain of sand from a pretty, circular peridot. “We offer one-tenth of all we take back to the ocean, to please Ilyragos’ spirit. Some say he still lives under the waves, and if we incur his wrath, he’ll flood all of Saddle Arabia with terrible storms. It’s an old mare’s tale, but it’s still tradition with all the gemhunters who come to Sapphire Shores.”

“I see.” Twilight grimaced at the pile of sandy gems, each of them to be returned to the ocean. She smiled then, realizing that traditions, silly as some of them may be, were actually quite nice. She returned her attention to the dwindling pile of gems to be scrubbed, working hard as the sun began to sink towards the waves. At long last, they had finished them all, leaving nine baskets filled almost to the brim, and another pile to be returned to the ocean.

“Dusk Hoof,” Rarity drew her attention quietly. “We usually just carry the gems into the sea and drop them, but I have a better idea.”

“Oh? Do tell.” Twilight smiled as Rarity approached the pile of gems, her horn glowing faintly. She cast some sort of spell on them, each of the gems taking a measure of the light from Rarity’s horn and amplifying it. As she watched, the gems grew brighter and brighter until each of them sparkled as brilliantly as if the mid-day sun itself were shining on them.

“Launch them.” Rarity turned to her with a smile. “We’ll get a nice little light show, and none of them will wash ashore on tonight’s tide. How far do you think you can send them?”

Twilight grinned as she took Rarity’s place beside the gems. Everypony gathered around her, watching with wonder in their eyes as Twilight’s own horn began to glow a brilliant, dark purple. She cast two spells, the first was a ball of energy nestled in the center of the pile, ready to expand quickly and smoothly in an instant. The second was to clump all of the gems together, forming a loose sphere of glimmering light.

“Ready?” Twilight asked, smiling at Rarity.

“Ready.” Rarity and everypony else in the marem nodded their approval, and Twilight gripped the ball in her magic. She paused for a moment, looking out over the waves and the stormy horizon. The ball hovered in front of her, dripping sand down into the lapping shallows.

“Ilyragos,” She spoke loud enough for everypony to hear. “We thank you for your boon. We offer the fruits of our labors back to you, as thanks for your parting gift to this world. Your fury was great, and your legend lives on. Spare us your wrath, and slumber peacefully tonight.”

With a great vocalization, Twilight shot the sphere of gems off into the evening. The setting sun caught the ball, further illuminating the multitude of gems. Twilight smiled as the second spell took effect, dispelling the first and propelling all of the gems out in a circle.

“Woah!” Everypony gasped as the glittering gems fanned out into the evening sky, glittering like a million stars falling from the heavens. They winked and wavered as they fell, landing out past the swells in the calm parts of the ocean.

As Twilight watched, the storm clouds on the horizon dissipated. There would be no anger this evening, for Ilyragos had been sated.

-----------

Diamond Bay loomed on the horizon, like a glimmering jewel set in the sands of the desert. Twilight breathed a sigh of wonder at the sight of the city, like a tear drop on a dark mare’s cheek. They had been travelling from the Sapphire Shores since that morning, and even the ponies who hadn’t pulled their wagon train were wearing thin. There had been no resting for them, not since they left the Sapphire Shores and turned for Diamond Bay. The city loomed closer and closer as they trodded along, and before she knew it, they were on the dusty outskirts of the city. The wagon train wound its way through a full mile of what looked to be off-set sandstone blocks, rising as high as twenty feet above them.

“They’re for sandstorms,” Emerald explained when Twilight brought it up. “The way the blocks are staggered, the winds die down between them before ever reaching the city proper.”

“Genius.” Twilight muttered, noticing how as they continued on, less sand and more pavestone could be seen between the massive blocks. Indeed, after a full mile of winding through the sandstone blocks, they left them behind for paved streets and homes, businesses, and taverns. Diamond Bay was the outlet by which almost everything reached the south-eastern reaches of Saddle Arabia. Further north along the shore was Diamond Bay’s sister city, Onyx Bay, bordering the North-Eastern edge of Saddle Arabia and the impassible mountains. It was named Onyx Bay for the ever-present shadow the mountains cast, and the dark waters there. The shore between the two cities was unmarred by city or structure, thanks to the harsh weather that plagued the Eastern seas. But further inland by a few miles were several other cities, chiefly Tel-Applebim and The Spire, which Twilight knew would be one of the only places to find Pegasi in Saddle Arabia.

Intrigued as she was by Saddle Arabian geography, she was more interested in getting out of the sun and getting into a nice, cool bed for the evening. She had spent almost the whole trip on top of one of the carts, using a hastily-erected platform to keep an elevated eye on the sands around their caravan. Thankfully, none of Scorch’s unicorns attacked them, and they made it into Diamond Bay unmolested, save by the high winds that picked up around the coastal city.

Their wagon train approached a rather large charter near the Northern edge of the bay, where Rarity paid healthily for the protective services of a warehouse owner. He would keep their livelihood safe during their stay, and Rarity could barter their goods without having to worry about them being ransacked in the middle of the night. Scorch could attack them all she liked out on the sands, but here in the city, there were laws in place. One marem specifically targeting another was almost expressly forbidden, and punishable by death or exile.

If Scorch wanted to harm them here, she’d have to do so through legal means, and Twilight didn’t think the rival marem’s head was that patient. She would wait for them to leave Diamond Bay once more. Here, each one of her marem was known, as was Rarity’s. Twilight herself had to visit a registrar who held books on each marem and its known members. She allowed the registrar to sketch her cutie mark and showed her bracelet as proof she belonged with Rarity.

After that, it was night time. Rarity knew of several inns and taverns that would fit them all, and sought one near the heart of the bustling coastal city. The rooms were spacious and plentiful, and several had been reserved for them in advance. Much to Twilight’s chagrin, she was given a room with Rarity and her daughter, along with the other mares she had shared her first day with. She wouldn’t be getting much sleep, and if she did, it wouldn’t be unmolested.

Then again, after all the stress and fatigue of the past few days, Twilight felt like she could certainly use a little company in her bed that night. As she joined the others at the communal bath underground, she found it hard to resist seeking Emerald out for a little foreplay. In fact, too hard. She spotted Emerald slipping into the steamy, wide bath at the far end of the room, and went to go join her. Halfway there, she bumped into another pony she didn’t recognize.

A flash of pain lanced through her side. Twilight looked back, spotting a wickedly-curved blade sticking out of her flanks. The mare who had just bumped into her had her hoof on the hilt, glaring back at Twilight viciously.

“Scorch says hello.”