Chapter III
Information
Lord Argon continued down the stairs while Jayk followed behind, wiping his bloody nose with a cloth. They were making their way to the underground cave of the city.
"I trust you were not attempting to skip this tour?" Argon asked.
"I was considering it."
"But you didn't?"
"You can thank that trader."
Argon sighed and turned a sharp corner. Jayk did the same, but almost ran into Argon. They were now standing in front of a simple metal door, on it was a sign that read Members of the Royal Order Only! Jayk expected some sort of special lock to appear, but was met with an anti-climatic push of the door.
"Holy Horseapples..." Jayk mumbled as the door swung open. Beyond it was a large rocky cavern with ornamental carvings indented on almost every rock. Along the sides of the long tunnel were fancy lanterns that lit up most of the dark cave. At the end of the cavern there was a pulsating light, almost bronze in color. Argon pushed by Jayk and began to slowly walk towards it.
"This is the Hall of Arbor," Argon stated. "It is here in which our city is powered. Our ancestors built their homes above this ancient cave, not knowing it was here. It was only a matter of time in which a seed was planted directly above that light that shines before us. The Earth Crystal."
Argon approached the light, which was emitting from a small brown octahedron. Inside it was a large swirling cloud of the same color. As Argon began to talk about the Earth Crystal again, he noticed that Jayk was examining the walls instead of paying attention. Argon approached Jayk and did the same.
"What's this?" Jayk asked after a moment of silence. Argon looked at the spot Jayk was pointing at. It was a large group of cervidae running angrily towards a large group of gryphons. Both were bearing armor, wielding weapons, and being lead by their respective king.
Argon took a deep breath. "Well..." He said. "It was called The Battle of Stellar. About ten years ago, Concordia's Lord during that time had a daughter named Stella. For her 7th birthday, she and her guards went on a trip to Gryphus, the capital of The Gryphon Kingdoms. She was only supposed to be there for a week, but never returned. After days of frantic searching, the Lord grew angry with the Gryphons. He gathered a company of fighters and battled those who were thought responsible in the middle of Equestria. Soon after it ended, the news of Stella's death spread across Terra, sending Concordia's Lord into madness. He was no longer fit to rule, and was kicked out of the city forever."
"And what happened afterwards?"
"The incident was forgotten by most, but we still do not see eye-to-eye with the Gryphons. You see, Jayk, that is why-"
"-I've always been given the cold shoulder." Jayk sighed, then turned towards the Earth Crystal. "Continue the tour."
"No," Argon said. "I think you would like to know more about your arrival."
Jayk glared into the crystal. "Yes. Yes I do."
"By now, I'm sure you know that you're not from here." Argon said.
"Obviously."
"It was Gunther who found you in a river at Shattered Hoof, south of Equadoe. He got the attention of a nearby citizen, who so happened to be Brisk."
"I take it that it wasn't easy to keep me here."
Argon nodded. "Everyone in the council was against it. They wanted to either send you to Equestria, or kill you."
"Clearly, both of those weren't an option for mum."
Argon nodded again. "She managed to influence the council to rethink your fate."
"I suppose you know nothing about me before my arrival?"
Argon shook his head. Jayk grabbed his mother's amulet and held it in front of him, processing the information. It may not have seem like much, but to Jayk, it was indeed a lot to take in. The duo sat quietly, observing the swirling clouds within the crystal. The silence was broken when the only door clicked shut, emitting an echo throughout the dimly lit cave.
Argon turned to the entrance. "Who's there?"
No response.
"Answer me, newcomer." He said, menacingly.
The two lanterns closest to the door quickly flickered out. Argon motioned to Jayk to duck behind the pedestal that held the Earth Crystal. A floating ball of fire appeared between Argon's large swirling horns. It split in two and each half floated over to an unlit lantern. Besides Jayk and Argon, the room was empty.
"It must have been a-"
"Watch out!" Jayk yelled.
Argon barely managed to jump out of the way when something landed in the spot he was just standing in. It was a caribou, cloaked in entirely black clothing. Only his sapphire blue eyes were visible underneath the dark hood. It reached for the Earth Crystal, but was staggered by a magical projectile. It growled and charged at Argon, who was charging up another, more powerful, spell. Argon was tackled to the floor, he wasn't as good with hoof-to-hoof combat then he was with magical combat.
Jayk watched from behind the pedestal, not knowing what to do. Argon and the cloaked elk continued to fight around the room, both of them clearly growing tired. They ended up standing face-to-face with each other, staring each other down.
"Who are you?!" Argon yelled, charging up another ball of energy between his horns. The cloaked Caribou slipped his hood off, revealing a face familiar to both Jayk and Argon.
"Dad?" Jayk whispered, peeking out from behind the pedestal.
"Markus?" Argon said, taking a step back and slightly diminishing his magic.
Markus smirked, then charged at his opponent. As Argon fired another projectile, Markus performed a swift dodge underneath it, spun around, then kicked his legs into Argon's face. The kick was strong enough to launch Argon into the wall, and cause a loud cracking sound on impact.
Jayk gasped quietly as Argon's head slumped. Markus chuckled, then brushed his cloak with his hooves and began to walk towards the Earth Crystal. Jayk took a deep breath, realizing that he needed a plan. His father just knocked out the Lord of Concordia, and he was defenseless, hiding behind a slab of stone. Markus approached the Crystal and examined it, admiring its glory.
"Buck it." Jayk said, extending his wings.
As Markus was about to grab the Crystal, Jayk swooped into the air, then tackled Markus to the ground.
"Get off!" Markus yelled, throwing Jayk to his side.
Both of them scrambled to stand up, then ran at the Crystal. Jayk barely managed to grasp it before we was blinded by a bright light and propelled across the room. Before passing out on the ground, the last thing Jayk saw was Markus wrapping the Crystal in a brown bag and leaning down to give Jayk a pat on the shoulder.
"Don't come looking for me, Jayk." He said. "You're better off here, clueless to what is about to unfold."