Author's Notes:

All right, I know it's been a bit but I got stuck here for some reason. The words just didn't seem to want to flow right and I wrote like three different chapters trying to make it work. I combined them together intending it to be only one chapter but it was so long I'm breaking it apart into two separate chapters, maybe even three. I wanted to post them all at once but I still have some editing to do so I just decided to post this so you know more is coming. I've been at this for days and I am beat. So here's this for now and the others will follow suit. You may also realize that I altered the title slightly. This is now The Pony Scrolls: Flesh and Iron. I wasn't sure what direction I wanted this story to take but I think I got it now and I came up with two more ideas that will be their own stories. Anyway, thanks for reading I hope you enjoy it.
-B

Chapter XII- Welcome to the Herd

Lielle?

“Huh- wha?”

A mental “ping” roused the young girl from her slumber. She sat up on the bench she was lying on and rubbed the sleep from her burning eyes. Though there were no torches to speak off, the lights in the ceiling were absurdly bright and Lielle had to blink the spots away before she could properly see her surroundings. The hallways of Ponyville General Hospital were as busy as they had been when she arrived, with mares and stallions running around, all wearing white coats and hats as they did their best to tend to the sick and wounded races of Nirn. She had been helping them, along with Esmerelda and her fellow healers. Lielle had just sat down for a few minutes and must have fallen asleep. She spotted Shahk leaning against the wall by the bench. His forehead was bandaged and his arms were folded over his hammer and across his chest.

“Hey there.” He grunted. “Don’t know how you fell asleep with all this racket.”

“How long was I out?” Lielle asked blearily as she ran a hand through her hair.

“I don’t know.” The Orc shrugged his massive shoulders. “About fifteen minutes?”

She grimaced and clenched her head as another “ping” echoed through her subconscious.

Lielle?

“You all right?” Shahk asked.

“Yeah.” She muttered rubbing her temples. “Bastian is trying to reach out to me. Be quiet for a second.”

She closed her eyes and focused just as Bastian had taught her. She thought of only him, not just of his face but his essence. How the room felt when he was in it. The hospital suddenly became silent as all other noise ceased.

Bastian? Is that you?

“Who else could it be?” He replied. He heard her scoff in his head.

He stood in the doorway of Sugar Cube Corner, watching Twilight and her friends speak with the Princesses on the street ahead of him. Ponies were beginning to tentatively peer out from their homes and shops, curious to see what was going on.

“I’ve spoken with the princesses. They are allowing us to stay.” He said.

“That’s great!” Lielle exclaimed.

“How is everyone?”

“We’re all fine here. They call this place Ponyville General Hospital. It’ a place of healing similar to a temple but it doesn’t seem to be a religious institution. There are physicians here doing what they can for us but considering that they’ve never even SEEN creatures like us before-”

“I understand. How is it looking?” Bastian asked.

“Several are gangrenous and will require amputations.” Lielle replied. “They have whole teams of surgeons working on them now. Esmeralda and the other healers are helping their doctors treat the diseased. They’ve managed to take the edge off of those suffering from rockjoint but they aren’t using magic of any kind that I can see or even potions.”

“Interesting.” The mage said thoughtfully. “But I just wanted to check in. I’m going to see what we can do about the others. I’ll come for you all when I know what we are supposed to do from here.”

“Okay. But Bastian?”

“What is it?”

“Things are going to be better now, right?” She asked cautiously. “I mean, we made it. Everything’s going to be okay?”

Bastian stared at Twilight and her friends as they talked with the Princesses by the fountain in the middle of town square.

“… Yeah. Yeah I think so.” He replied.

The mage broke the mental link he shared with Lielle. There were hoof falls behind him. He turned his head and saw the Cakes looking at him in curiously.

“Good day.” Bastian said bowing his head. “And thank you for the tea.”

“Uh don’t mention it?” Mr. Cake said grinning awkwardly.

"Any time." Mrs. Cake said kindly.

Bastian smiled politely, stepped out onto the street and approached the ponies.

“Your majesties.” He said addressing the Princesses. “There is still the matter of the rest of my people to discuss.”

“Yes, we were just speaking about that.” Celestia said with a smile. “And I think that Miss Pinkie Pie has come up with an excellent idea.”

“Right!” The Pinkie pony said with a bounce. “Since all of you are new here and you’ve all been through so-so much, I was thinking what better way to welcome you all to Equestria than a super huge welcome-to-Equestria-congratulations-for-surviving-the-apocalypse-party!”

“A- a party?” Bastian repeated. “Well I- I guess we could do that if you really wanted to but honestly it isn’t necessary to go to so much trouble.”

“No trouble at all!” Pinkie declared. “Parties are my business and I, Pinkamena Diane Pie, will make it my solemn vow that the party that will be held on this day, will the biggest, bestest, most amazing party that any Bastian man, woman, or child has ever seen!”

“We’re not- We’re not all called-

“You go and get your people Bastian Prime!” Pinkie said taking the mage’s hand in her hooves. “And I promise, neigh, I PINKIE promise that this day will bring smiles to all of the heartbroken Bastians of your homeland! Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!”

With that, the pink pony galloped into Sugar Cube Corner, determined to make good on her promise. Bastian was dumbfounded. He blinked and turned to the other ponies, clearing his throat awkwardly.

“Just to- Just to clarify once more.” He said. “We are not all called Bastian.”

“I’m sure that it is a name unique to you.” Celestia smiled. “In the meantime Miss Pie will need time to prepare. Twilight will tell the mayor to address the town while you go and collect your people. My sister and I will take our leave now Twilight. I would appreciate it if you would bring Bastian to Canterlot tomorrow to discuss the matter of his people's citizenship in more detail.”

“Of course.” Twilight said with a bow. "You can count on me Princess!"

“Thank you your highness.” Bastian said.

“Until tomorrow Mister Bellrend.” Celestia said nodding her head.

Bastian bowed again and the princesses boarded their chariots. The Pegasus ponies took to the skies and flew away, vanishing into the clouds in a matter of seconds.

“So uh, why do they have those chariots?” Wally asked Twilight.

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked.

“The princesses? Why do they have those chariots? They have wings. Why do they have chariots pulled by Pegasus ponies if they have their own wings?”

“Wally they are the royal sisters! They’re princesses!” Rarity said. “You don’t expect them to fly themselves everywhere do you?”

“I would!” Wally cried. “If I had wings my hooves would never touch the ground again!”

“I like the way you think.” Rainbow said nudging him in the side.

Twilight shook her head and turned to Bastian.

“You go and gather your friends.” She said. “Spike, Mayor Mare must still be up at the hospital. Send her a message telling her to meet us in the town hall.”

“On it!” The baby dragon said. He withdrew a roll of parchment and a quill from behind his back and began to scribble away.

“Bastian it might be a good idea to hang back a bit before you bring everyone into town. Wait just outside the bridge and we’ll come for you once the Mayor has had the chance to inform the other ponies.” Twilight said.

“That might be best yes.” Bastian nodded.

Spike finished writing his message. He rolled the scroll up and breathed a thin jet of green flames from his mouth. The scroll glowed as it was enveloped in the magical fire and then it vanished in a puff of smoke. Bastian’s hand went to his crossbow but he didn’t draw it right away.

“You… You breathe fire?” Bastian asked cautiously.

“Uh, yeah?” Spike said. “I am a dragon after all. That’s kind of our thing but you should know all about that huh?”

The baby dragon said this jokingly, not meaning any offense towards the wizard but if he had spent even just a few more seconds thinking about it, he may have realized that this might not be the best thing to say to someone who literally just had their entire planet destroyed by scaled horrors. Panic and/or horror spread across the ponies faces as Bastian’s cold eyes narrowed at Spike.

“Oh you’re a dragon?!” Wally gasped. “That’s so cool! I’ve never met a real dra- ooooh.”

“Well yeah!” Spike said. “What did you think I was?”

“I assumed you to belong to a beast race similar to an Argonian.” Bastian said. “You don’t much look like the dragons that I “know all about" as you so put it."

“Come on! I’m as fierce as they come!” Spike said. “I got claws, spines, scales and I can even do the tongue thing!”

His tongue rattled out of his mouth with a hiss, the dragon completely oblivious to death standing less than five feet away from him. Twilight however sense the tension and quickly stepped in.

“What Spike means is that he isn’t like the dragons you described from your home world.” Twilight said grinning nervously, jamming a hoof into Spike’s mouth and shoving him behind her. “Nope! No soul devouring here!”

“Eyup!” Applejack said a little too loudly. “Why, little Spike here is one uh the gentlest critters I ever met!”

“Oh but of course!” Rarity said rubbing Spike’s head with an affectionate hoof. “Our little Spikey-Wikey wouldn’t hurt a fly!”

“Except for the time that he actually ate a fly.” Rainbow remarked.

Rarity exclaimed in disgust and removed her hoof from Spike’s head as the dragon flushed a deep red. Twilight chuckled nervously at Bastian. The mage’s eyes glowed faintly as he looked into Twilight’s eyes. The change was so subtle that the pony didn’t even realize that he had cast a spell, that he was probing the deep recesses of her mind. Bastian saw an adorable little filly hatch an adorable little dragon from an adorable little purple egg. He saw her take him home and raise him as a member of the family like a baby brother. He saw them laughing and growing up together. He detected fear as she thought of the idea of harm coming to him. He saw that she was telling the truth. Bastian blinked and the glow vanished.

“All right calm down Miss. Sparkle.” He said gently. “I meant no hostilities. I am a rational creature and you do not have to convince me that Spike is an innocent. Our war was with our dragons from our world and I wish no ill will towards your friend.”

Twilight sighed in relief. While Spike was fire proof and his scales were as hard as steel, she wasn’t sure how the baby dragon would fare if Bastian began hurling lightning bolts at him.

“Good to know.” Twilight sighed. “But uh- what about the rest of your group?”

Bastian stared at them for a moment, his face devoid of any emotion as he pondered the new and troubling thought.

“It… shouldn’t be.” He said putting emphasis on the word “shouldn’t. “If we came through the portal with the original Blades that fought alongside the Dragonborn then this would be a cause for concern. To them slaying dragons was their sacred duty and they didn’t tend to see things in shades of gray. However after the Dragonborn died the Blades more of less disbanded, hanging up their swords for good or wandering Skyrim alone fighting dragons until they drew their final breath. It was my older brother Bartleby that brought the current Order of the Blades together to protect people from the dragons rather than actively hunt them. Besides, we came here so that we wouldn’t have to fight dragons anymore. We’ve all seen enough blood shed to last the next several lifetimes.”

“I promise you won’t have to worry about dragons attacking any of you here.” Twilight said. “You guys are perfectly safe.”

Spike stepped out from behind Twilight and approached the Breton. He extended a clawed hand towards him.

“We good?” He asked.

Bastian took the clawed hand and shook it once.

“We’re fine.” He said.