Sauron's Second Chance
Chapter 22: Ch 22: A Stroll Under the Sun...End
Previous Chapter Next ChapterSauron noticed that someone was behind the corner and heard everything, how could he not notice that pony before? It's strange, it feels familiar, as if he already meet that pony. But that’s just bad, he has to now locate that pony and talk to it, with a very, very serious voice. However now, he had to think, how to destroy what he has now build. He said too much and he said it to formally.
Celestia looked up, he saw that red on her cheeks, what happened? Why did he even say those words? Something is wrong, this world must be affecting him. He needs to be more cruel and brutal, or else he will fail in his mission in conquering Arda. But for now at least, he will this be, and be more careful next time he says something.
“Thank you for your kind words, Lord Sauron.” Celestia said, her voice became a little quiet and not motherly, but seemed to be familiar to a teen that just asked her crush out.
Celestia still red, but pink thanks to her white fur. Looked at Sauron and with a smile, that seemed to be a little forced for some unknown reason. But that didn’t matter, he wanted now to do something and forget about what happened, all these years without his ring did make in fact him soft.
“I think we should continue.” He said, and gestured with his hand down the hallway.
“Yes we should.” She agreed, still red.
And they both went further down the hallway, only one more floor till the end. And from there, she will guide him through the city. She will show him basic shops, what they sell, where they are. Maybe he will enjoy the little tour around the city. From time to time she looked at him, and her blush intensified. But quickly after that, she again looked down at the floor, and her blush begin to disappear or be weakened.
Without a word, they went through the hallway. It was rather strange, Sauron thought what to do, he need to somehow find a way, to make Celestia forget what he just said. Or to make her stop thinking in the wrong way, he was an idiot, it was the worst thing he has done to himself right. He was a great diplomat and he did something like this?! This can risk everything, what if this horse will start to like him? That’s rather impossible, but he can’t allow them to get attached, nor he can get attached to them for too long.
Celestia was thinking what Sauron just said, did he truly mean that? Or was it just to make her feel good? Was that a part of his plan, to deceive her with words that are kind? She won’t fall for that, but hearing them was just so good! She would sell her crown to hear more compliments coming from him. She looked from time to time on him, quick glances to see his face.
She blushed and remembered those words every time she looked at him, those were special and she can feel it. The last time when she felt like that was I her youth, when stallions, be it a Pegasus, unicorn, or earth pony. Tried to win her young heart, but they failed. She had Luna on her side, of course her sister was far younger than she was. But still she was a great help, when those cheeky bastards tried to gain power and a good life.
She saw the final stairs, separating her and him from the outside world. Where ponies live and work, love and sing. Build and think, merge and talk, buy and sell, steal and fell. Sauron surely will be interested in the history of the city, lucky for him she has the right knowledge to tell him most thing about the city. She wondered how she will react to Sombra, and his evil thing he did here.
Maybe he will even tell more about his world? That would be interesting thing to hear and listen to, now sheknows enough to think that his world is very unique. Celestia did have one thought that bothered her, why was the ring, he wore on his finger. Emitting dark magic, and overall made everyone look at it greedy? Surely he is a nice person, he can be a little angry sometimes, and he doesn’t want to talk about things that are hard for him. She wouldn’t also, but he is clean, is the dark magic a part of the ring that just emits away its presence?
They went down the stairs, Celestia carefully steps on each stair not to slip again. But a part of her wants that to happen, a tiny piece want her to be again in her companion's arms. What was wrong with Celestia? She felt feelings sometimes similar to that now, but never they were so strong. That burning feeling, this familiar stress while being around someone, that caused her stomach to hurt.
Celestia shrugged it off, it probably was the fault of his kind words, but she has to be more careful. She can’t just be charmed by his words. They bare definitely empty, he said it all with no emotion even, as if he really said it all while forcing himself to find detail in her. That thinking hurt her a little, and she didn’t like it.
‘Don’t think about it, just let it go’ She though and with a deep breath.
There were two guards, waiting at one of the four doors that lead into the palace, the guards seeing Celestia and the royal guest approach. Opened the gate and let them through, Celestia and Sauron were blinded only for a bit from the light coming from the outside. Sauron together with Celestia next to him, stepped out, and now they found themselves, where the crystal heart was located.
Celestia and Sauron stepped outside, the door slowly closed behind them. Sauron didn’t look at that palace with much detail, when he arrived here. But now he can clearly see that this is a rather public area. Ponies were using some strange devices, that looked like a box and it had a cylinder on it. On the top of the box there was some buttons. When a pony clicked the button, the device flashed light.
In the middle there was two pillars, those pillars remind him of the long growing stalagmites in caves, together with stalactites and stalagmites. They looked as if they were made out of diamond, so maybe in this world diamonds can grow? That would be interesting, he would takesmall gem and grow it to the size of a mountain, and from it build a castle.
‘That isn’t so dumb, but it would take millions of years.” Sauron thought to himself.
He wonders however why didn’t they mine it? Surely it looks prettylike that, but it will take some time before these two will merge. But that space between, it has some magic in it, low, very low, enough to maybe make something levitate in between. He has to ask what is it for, and if this magic is there for a purpose, or just an strange coincidence
“Princess Celestia…” Sauron started, she turned to him.
“Yes?”
“Are those.” He pointed at the diamond, gem like cones. “Here for a purpose? I feel magic in between the space that they make.”
Celestia raised an eyebrow at that, she doesn’t notice any magic coming from there. Sauron is maybe from a different world, but she would feel the magic if it was there. But there was none, what’s more trouble making, was that if he can feel magic she can’t. It makes his potential combat skill above her, this isn’t something good. But she already has made some kinds of… bounds.
‘He surely won’t harm my little ponies’ she thought, and the word “bounds” made her blush a little.
“I do not feel any magic coming from there, but hose serve the purpose in holding the crystal heart.” She said.
“Crystal Heart?” He asked. “May I know what it is?”
“It’s a very old artefact, that is powered by the citizen of this city and country. The shield you took down, was casted by it.”
Now for Sauron it made sense, the artefact that did cast the barrier. It was this so called “Crystal Heart” and it is powered by the life force of this city, interesting but risky. But he can’t blame those ponies, most of them are useless when it comes to defense, he already saw those spears and those armors. Gold wasn’t the best idea to make armor with, and they looked just as they came from the first age.
‘Good old times…’ Sauron said to himself in his mind.
“What is the first thing you would want to see?” She asked him.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, we are in the city now, I want to show you some things that are here, I’m sure you will be interested in the local history.” Celestia said and with her hoof she pointed everything around.
Sauron could indeed learn some of those ponies culture, maybe he will find a blacksmith and show them how to craft good weapons. Because for all of Melkor's thin patience. He won’t stand by and look as these ponies die out, craft those weapons and give them for bloodshed and to execute their enemies!
He also need those ponies to return home, for now and only now he is allies with them. But when a portal, or any other way to Arda opens, he goes there and doesn’t give a F what they will think, or beg him to stay. He will just leave them alone and maybe do a little magic there and there, to leave a little scar in their history. That surely won’t make them xenophobic.
Sauron happy that his past self is returning, smiled and said. “Gladly, I would like to see, the trade district.”
“As you wish, Lord Sauron. Please follow me or else you will get lost.”
‘I’m not a child, I’m older than the time itself from where I come from.’ He barked in his mind.
And with that, Celestia and Sauron went to the trade district, while going there. A Pegasus with golden armor landed on the other side of the palace, he then knocked on the door. The guards and the Pegasus talk a bit, and they let him it. He had gold-yellow fur, and had blue mane, his eyes were also blue. His armor was different because wasn’t made completely out of gold, but had some cloth underneath, it was lavender and hasa symbol of a light lavender star, surrounded by other white ones.
/hr
Sauron while going with Celestia through the city, noticed that the ponies looked at him with scared or impressed eyes. Some also whispered when he passed them. He heard them thanks to his magic what they said, mostly they were questions if he is the black giants that had Flurry Heart in his cold and dangerous grasp.
And yes it was him, he also heard that some ponies heard rumors he is a spy or something, these ponies were really more talkative than the humans or old people back in Arda. Not that it bothered him, he heard also interesting news that this princess Celestia told him, will arrive today here for a visit to his brother and sister in law.
Of course the first thought in his head was that they meant Shining Armor and princess Candy. But Celestia didn’t mention that she is his brother, did she? His memory is really not like before, he forgets sometimes important things, especially when he has to find a way himself to go back to Arda, he only agreed to go with Celestia to know her better, and turned out to be more of an chat about our countries then actually ourselves.
He would also gladly meet this Twilight Sparkle, she was a librarian, maybe finally he will meet someone with big intellect to much his own. He will have also more time and reason to talk to them. While also in this world, he might give them some gifts to make their minds more open onto his words. Some minor magical mind control ,or brainwashing won’t do much harm to them. Mordor’s laws are very good and very effective.
He could start and see shops, that sell magnificent dresses. As if these ponies mixed the fashion of elves and human, adding their own idea to it. From blue to red, green and yellow. All sorts of colors were to be seen, some even had rainbows on them, that was actually a bit hilarious and he wanted to laugh at that, but he won’t, it can cause some minor disputes.
But the homes were the most beautiful things, he never imagined there can be a home made out of crystal exist. This world definitely is interesting, but still he needs to go back. Those reflecting the sunlight walls, these perfectly clean streets. It’s just so perfect and so good, it can’t be real. There has to be some powerful magic all this, but he can’t feel it
Maybe it is so powerful that, he is just too weak to feel it? That would be an interesting theory, he would surely be interested in getting such power. Maybe he would become a Vala? It’s so unlikely and so impossible that it can be at least a theory and a dream, only Eru could make someone a Vala if he wanted to, he could have easily wiped him and his master out, but he didn’t.
“And here we are.” Celestia stopped and together with her Sauron also did.
He looked around, he noticed some shops that sold spoons, forks, vegetables. There was also a big open space that had four ring of little shops probably build quickly by merchants passing by. He looked around and also notices other ponies, and an… Great Eagle? No it can’t be, these only exist in Arda, what could an eagle be doing here? Did Manwë have an impact on this world? Was Arda and this Equis really related?
“Princess Celestia… are you completely sure you never heard of Arda?”
Celestia looked at him, she never heard of Arda. How could she even think there is a place called so, it was his world after all. But why did he ask her that? She looked where he was looking, she saw that he was looking at a gryphon, can it be that in his world gryphons are rare? Or are a bad race or something? This look in his eyes is really troubling her, but she decided to play it cool
“No, it’s your world” Sge said in whisper “How could I’ve known about Arda.” The ponies around didn’t hear her say that, it was a good thing. Reporters and others would trouble him.
Sauron again looked at the “Great Eagle” it was too small for being an adult. So maybe killing it wouldn’t be smart, but he has to do something, what if the Vala spot him? He will have to run and will be at war with all of those ponies, no that they can do something to him. But he would prefer keeping them close, for personal causes of course. But also he seemed to get a better view on them, he can’t get attached though.
“Maybe you are right.” He still looked at the gryphon.
“Is it the gryphon troubling you?” She finally asked.
Sauron looked at her, with his head little bended to the left and with and raised eyebrow. What was even a gryphon? He knows a manticore,dragons, Balrogs, and the ungoliant. But what was a gryphon? It was definitely a Great Eagle and he isn’t going to buy that lie, but he will use the name they use. It won’t cause misunderstandings in the future.
“Yes, in fact very much. These are responsible for helping my enemies, in the most important battles, duels or just simple talks. These appeared and destroyed everything I build.” He said really angrily and aggressively.
Celestia looked at the gryphon, yes in fact they are aggressive and all that. But it can’t be that bad, surely she can tell him that these here are friends and won’t do any harm. She can feel that it will be very hard to accomplish, she can feel the hate from his way of speaking. She did solve worse problems sometimes, and she will succeeded in that one, Celestia knows that he is a diplomat. He will surely understand that war isn’t the only thing to solve problems.
“You wish to go and talk to that gryphon? He can say a few words and you will know that he isn’t a bad creature. Maybe they are a little aggressive nowadays and all, but they are friends and trade partners.” Celestia explained.
“I’m going to trust you on that Princess Celestia.” He said and added after a very short pause. “Let’s look around, This city look beautiful I have to admit.”
“I bet I would say the same about your capital.”
“Oh Princess Celestia, it would be literally breathtaking.” Sauron said really seriously, the poisonousfumes and hot like boiling water air would definitely make her stop breathing.
Sauron and Celestia got onto talking again, this time about what ponies sell and buy here. What can he expect to buy or sell himself. He could also maybe buy a piece of space and build his own shop, however he would have to ask Cendence first to allow him. And fill up some papers, have founds a hire some workforce to build and work.
Celestia With Sauron approached the first shops, they sell spoons and all that kitchen things. He wasn’t interested in that, but knowing where to find a good and sharp knife is always a good information, and so on, they looked at all shops. For Sauron it really was a hard time. He wasn’t the one to talk about shopping, however he find out some interesting information.
Then there was the time for the music shop, this one did sell pianos,violins,guitars and other instruments. These guitars looked strange, some had very weird style and design. The violins and pianos were normal but some of the guitars had cables or something similar attached to them. He just eyed it, maybe this world invented a new patent for creating music? And it involved those thin cables.
Then the mall, he saw as the ponies came back with food and all that, he even saw someone drop his eggs and say something. Having an building with already prepared food, and sell it to people so that they don’t have to do the washing or cooking at home, was really an interesting idea. He would test if it would work back in middle-earth.
Then with Celestia he approached a smaller than the others building, it had a cross on it, he also saw a pony inside that sold strange bottles made out of colorful glass like material. Of course normal glass bottles were also sold. Celestia said that this the local chemist’s if anyone feels dizzy while at work he can come and buy some drugs.
All in all it was rather interesting, he understands that there are doctors coming to someone’s house and tell what illness he has. But to allow there to be a building, and not a shamans or doctor's house, that sells potions that heal is rather an absurd. What if someone stole all that? They would have to wait long for new ones to arrive, and many can die in that time
Celestia with Sauron then approached another smaller building, this time it was a little bit bigger than the chemist’s. But he already knew what this one is, he knew it thanks to the giant glasses on the rooftop. Why would they even make something like that? A giant or troll could have used those glasses, but it would hardly help him thanks to his stupidity.
And so they spend next ten minutes on talking about shops, and the trading district. Sauron saw this time definitely horses going around the town. These weren’t ponies in any way, and they were much bigger than a normal pony. He still wanted to know why some of those looked like made out of crystal and some did not.
There could have been many reasons for that, but he doesn’t care for now. If becoming crystal makes you invincible like a crystal or any other kind of gem, then he will gladly know about the technique to turn someone crystal. But for now he also thought about that Twilight Sparkle, he wondered how she looks like.
“That was most of the shops Lord Sauron, where do you wish to go next?” Celestia asked, when finally she showed him all of the trade districts important shops.
Sauron thought about that, he didn’t want to go around and learn what to certain building work for. Maybe a cultural side of the city? Learning about the culture and the inhabitants of this land would be beneficial, besides that he will also look like interested ,and he will give the immersion he is interested in their country.
“The cultural district of this city, if there is of course such.” He answered her.
“Really? The history is grim and sad for the most part, but the ponies and overall traditions sure will make you be in awe.” She said and started to pass the local book store.
‘Finally something interesting’ He thought when he heard the words ‘Grim’ and‘sad.’
Together with Celestia Sauron went down the main path, the ponies eyeing him. He had worse sometimes, and being an dark lord doesn’t help it even a little. But at least he could somehow scare these ponies off, or make them more sloppy and make them trip. He did that once, and the strange maned ash gray pony that later growled at himself.
‘He really needs to go and see a hairdresser.’
While following Celestia Sauron couldn’t help but sometimes laugh, these ponies really are very bizarre and strange. He saw a stallion accidently falling on a Pegasus mare and had his muzzle in her wings. She blushed heavily and smacked him four or five times for this. What was wrong with a muzzle in someone’s wings? It’s not like he was sexually insulting her, that would be ridiculous.
The next thing that almost made him laugh was that two unicorns that were crystal, drunk from the same cup that had something similar to a liquid cake in it. He saw a cherry on the cream on the top, what caused him to laugh was that the mare was angry that he ate the cherry even when she said he is allowed to do it.
‘A woman commanding a man. Who even allowed for a chance for that to happen?’ He thought to himself.
Sauron's idea was that a woman(mare) was actually not allowed to do that. And that is because you can compare them to a knight or a rider and a warg or normal steed, the rider gives orders to the warg that helps him move, fight, or anything like that. The females are there to help their males counterparts, to support them while they fight and do the business to have someone there to hug or talk to when you are alone. And the whole commanding thing is, because most of leaders thinker or tacticians are males, so the genes and some skill passes down they children mostly males.
Their mind is already made to think like a warrior, to fight and to kill and defend what is precious. Because without a woman what is there? The humans even if they are greedy are good example for that. They can sell their friends, their family and give all their money up to save the love or female they like. And there can’t be a warrior that fights for nothing, there is one if he fight for something.
That’s why there are countries that the citizens call motherland, because a mother is a woman. And she is loving, caring, soft and warm to you. And a soldier even a filthy gondorian human that doesn’t have a family or wife, he fights and is a warrior that protects and loves his motherland. And there is often a king, that guides the motherland and commands it, because it’s often attacked and only a male has to fight.
‘No woman, no girl or teen age girl.’ Sauron thought of his idea of what creates the gender gap.
“We are here.” Celestia said in her usual motherly voice.
Sauron looked in front of him, and saw a statue of a strange creature, made out of diamond or crystal. That had his arm stretched into the air, and held a perfectly polished and light blue crystal heart. It kind of looked like a wingless dragon, but he didn’t think of it like that, it can be something different that doesn’t exist in his world.
“This is the statue build for spike the baby dragon.” She started. “Twilight was sent on a quest when the whole empire reapered, because it was stuck in time by a powerful spell that Sombra the enslaver casted. When it returned I send her, to help her brother and sis in law to fight off Sombra that returned together with the empire after a millennium.” She said with her eyes closed while the last words escaped her mouth.
Sauron now was sweating, he didn’t expect there to be ponies equal with power to the Vala or even Eru himself to make an empire just vanish for a thousand years. Aman is one thing, Manwë gave Arda to Eru and he “saved” Aman, but this is totally a different story. There is a creature, or was that could do the same thing. He can’t even do that, he now has to carefully watch his words. Who knows what the Princesses are capable of.
He simply nodded. “I can’t even do such things, he had to be powerful, was he?”
“Yes he was, I and Luna together defeated him. We turned him into a shadow over a millennium ago. It was a little hard to do, but we managed to do that, when we sealed him in the shadow he cursed the empire and made it disappear for a thousand eyes.” She answered with concern motherly voice, making everyone hearts bleed from sorrow.
Sauron was too cold hearted to be affected by that, but she was good at it. He has to maybe learn from Celestia some things, that way of talking can help him in the future. Who knows how much he can gain, and the more he gain the more he has. The more he has then more powerful he is and he puts power above all things.
“You mentioned that one thousand eyes ago, your sister was banished because she was embraced by darkness-”
“-Yes it is the truth” She cut him off. “Weeks before Luna turned into nightmare moon, we defeated Sombra, one success for the ponies, but also it was followed by a great loss for me.” She said with her head hanged down.
That made him feel sorry for her, he didn’t understand why. He couldn’t help it but he had to put his arm on her shoulder. That made not only him smile, and he didn’t even know he did. She looked up at him and they eyes met, their gaze hard and stable as a diamond that couldn’t be broken. Sauron when he finally shook mentally his head, he said softly and somehow he managed to say it with a heavenly fatherly tone.
“I’m sorry for that, but what was, doesn’t mean it is now.”
“Yes, you are right.”
“Shall we continue or stop your little tour around?”
“Let’s continue, Cendence won’t have much time to talk about the ponies for some time with all her work” She said with a smile on the end, while turning her head to the side and closing her purple eyes.
Celestia then continued her story how spike the baby dragon, with the crystal heart in his arms. Run up from the high tower to her friends and Cendence and all other. She also said that if he would like to know more details, he would better ask Twilight herself when she will come back. Of course Celestia didn’t know she comes for a visit, she missed the messenger that was sent to inform them about that.
All the details how he tripped and lost his grip on the crystal heart made Sauron think, how much seriousness did their mission have. She also told him with a little girlish tone that shining, decided to throw his wife, so that she can save the heart from Sombra’s dark and evil grasp. Twilight was imprisoned by his dark magic, in the crystals that he made.
And finallyshe told about how Cendene with her magic and the ponies love and energy filled the crystal heart with power and it “exploded” in a burst of light blue energy that made everyone crystal ponies for some time. Sombra couldn’t believe that, Sauron also and he really did have almost his mouth hanging when he realized it all sounded as if taken from a book for small children.
“That’s very interesting, and here I though we have bad demons and other creatures in Arda.” He lied of course, and he lied so much that it was clear as day that he did lie. Well not for Celestia that shrugged her feeling of and bought that answer.
“So our world have something in common, let-”
