It wasn’t apt to say that Griffonstone had a library, it hadn’t. Not officially, nor unofficially, for decades. Since King Guto had lost the Idol of Boreas, any and all interest in reading had been thrown out the window.
Constant infighting had torn the griffon kingdom apart in the decades following the Idol’s loss. Thousands of griffons had lost their lives in the chaos, fighting, illness, famine. Things settled out slowly, based more on pride than with anything else. Tensions had been tight, but so long as griffons had bits to help keep the peace, things had remained mostly stable since.
The introduction of friendship had unsettled this tense peace, with the griffons now suddenly, keenly aware of how much their infrastructure had fallen apart and fallen behind.
A council had been put in place, one that was rough and had too many sharp edges, but was necessary to put an end to the griffons isolating tendencies. If ponies, and other creatures, were going to visit Griffonstone needed to look good. For the pride of the griffons if nothing else, especially as news trickled back to them about the praises that were being sung about them.
They could get more bits if the city lived up to the tales surrounding it.
Gallus hadn’t shared much of this history with the others, even though they’d been nagging him with questions on the train. Even Princess Twilight had been too excited to sit still for long, going through saddlebags bursting with books and eagerly sharing what facts and figures she did know.
Some of it was accurate, from Professors Pinkie and Rainbow’s visit. But a lot of it was still wrong. Griffons weren’t so keen on friendship like the ponies were. They were working at it, and things were improving, but it was still very easy to poke at the wrong thing or uncover a raw wound.
“Why am I doing this again?” He huffed. He was flying above most of the group. Acting as a guide, mostly. “I live here, I know all about Griffons. I don’t need to write a paper about it.”
“It’s not just about the assignment, Gallus.” Twilight sounded too chipper. A lot of ponies did. It was something the other creatures...well him and Smolder, anyways, usually found annoying. “It’s about teamwork and helping your fellow griffons! They asked for my help specifically, and there’s never too much you can learn from a library.”
“The books are so old.” Gallus huffed. And most of them had been sitting out, uncovered, for a long time. Griffonstone was usually dry. Dry and cold, considering how far up they were, but snow and rain did happen. “And most of them are ruined, what can we learn from them?”
“Oh, well,” Ocellus’ voice was almost lost because of the mountain winds, but her excitement was enough. “There are lots of cool spells we can use to restore the books. And you never know, there could be some cool stuff we can find-”
“Like lunch?” Smolder asked, voice dry and thick with sarcasm.
“Yona hungry.” Yona agreed.
Sandbar sighed, “I’m sure we’ll eat when we get there, right Princess?”
“Yes. We’ll break for lunch.” Twilight sighed, “And Ocellus is right. Old books can be the most valuable ones around, especially if they haven’t been read in a long, long time. Don’t you remember us all telling you about the Castle of the Two Sisters?”
There was a chorus of ‘yes’ from the students, even Silverstream who had been uncharacteristically silent most of the walk through the winding paths. Maybe the mountain was reminding her of the Storm King or something? Gallus wasn’t going to ask, not after seeing how terrified she was of him and his goons.
“Well, we wouldn’t have found out so much about the castle if I hadn’t read that diary.” Twilight continued, looking far too pleased with herself. “And I’ve learned a lot from old books, old magics that have helped my friends and I on adventures-”
“Oh, ohohohoh! Is that it!?” Silverstream suddenly shot into the air, flapping her wings excitedly as she pointed up ahead.
The ‘gate’ of Griffonstone loomed above them. It wasn’t so much a gate, so much as it marked a boundary of where the city started. In ancient times, it would have gleamed in the early morning sun. With red, spun glass as thin as gossamer stretching out to the sides, shaped like wings. The glass had broken hundreds of years ago and had been replaced, reluctantly, with wood. As were the smaller sections of red and blue glass above the main wings. Painted the requisite colour, the monument to Griffonstone’s glory spoke volumes of what time had done to the magnificent kingdom. Even the metal was dull, though the fact it was still standing said much about its construction.
Gallus nodded, pointedly looking away from the others. “Yup. That’s it.” He didn’t want to see their disappointment. Griffonstone was changing, and for the better, but the years of neglect would take a long time before they vanished out of sight completely.
At least the homes nearest to the gate were fixed up by now. No longer looking like they would fall apart if the wind blew wrong. Which had happened, often, in the last couple of years.
“Wow, it’s pretty!” At least Silverstream was sheltered enough that she genuinely meant it and wasn’t lying.
Twilight’s grin was forced, Gallus could tell, but she led them resolutely onward. Deeper into the heart of the city, where the ruins of the library remained.
Since Gallus had left for Twilight’s school, a few things had changed. Buildings were being built, new ones, and older ones were being fixed. Roofs were no longer threatening to cave in, and the palace even looked better.
The library had a giant tent around it, presumably to protect the ruins from further weather.
The library was a crumpled heap of wood, thatch, and wattle and daub. A few shelves were still standing, but most of the library was buried amidst the rubble. Books strewn about carelessly. Though a few of them had been shoved under the tent’s boundaries.
Even the statue of Grover had made it under the tent, though his lower jaw had been knocked to rest between his feet.
“Wow.” Smolder said dryly, “That’s uh..impressive?”
“Isn’t it supposed to be a library?” Silverstream asked, head tilted to one side and scratching her chin.
Gallus spun around to face them both, ready to start protecting his homeland, but Sandbar easily stepped in between them.
“It’s not so bad! With all of us, it won’t be too bad to pick the worst of the rubble off. And come on, I’m really excited to see the books once they’re all restored. It’ll be cool.”
Smolder opened her mouth, but must have caught something in Gallus’ expression. Shutting her mouth, and dragging Silverstream away before she could say something that might get Gallus going.
Sandbar smiled at Gallus, flicking his forelock of his eyes. “Come on. It isn’t so bad. Won’t take us long at all.”
“That’s the spirit!” Twilight grinned. “So we’ve been given this tent, and this tent over here. So please go put your things down and we’ll get started. Any ideas on how to get started?”
“I-um, can start taking the books out we can see. Put them under the second tent.” Ocellus offered.
“Yona can start by smashing the roof!” Yona cheered excitedly, though Ocellus, Twilight, and Sandbar all winced.
“Yona, you could try pulling that section of the roof off. Or maybe Silverstream and Smolder can lift it off?” Sandbar suggested. “We shouldn’t smash until we get the books out, right?”
“Right.” Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay, everycreature. We have a plan of action. So go put your things down and get started. I’ll go see about finding something for lunch, alright?”
Six creatures nodded, not waiting for Twilight to indicate to get started before they did.
Ocellus focused mostly on the books. Transforming herself into several large creatures so she could hold them all and take fewer trips between the ruins and the tent where they were going to be working.
The others used the tools provided, namely rope, to start trying to bring down the rest of the building, but hopefully pulling the ruins away from the innards of the library. Silverstream and Smolder attaching the rope to the ruins, leaving Sandbar and Yona to pull the crumbling upper section of the roof.
Gallus made a paltry effort, but ended up turning tail to help Ocellus. The library was a ruin, but it was a ruin every griffon on Griffonstone was familiar with. The idea it would be gone, replaced with an actual building...Well it was weird.
“There sure are a lot of books.” Gallus said, picking a couple up, almost hesitantly. One was water damaged, feeling soft and bloated in his grip. Another was covered in mold, the smell gross enough he had to fight not to gag.
Ocellus was smiling in her bear form, laden with books. Tottering to the tent to set them all onto the large table before switching back to her normal form, spreading them all out. “There are! Lots of them are damaged, but it’s still super exciting! Look, this one is about-” She squinted down at a book, clearly straining to read, “-agriculture!”
Gallus resisted the urge to look around at the desolate cliffs nearest to Griffonstone. The only place that could grow crops was south, near the shore, and even that was difficult. “”Uh-huh. Super helpful.” Putting his down near Ocellus’, following her lead to spread them out over the table.
“You guys don’t really remember what the library was like, do you?”
Gallus shrugged, “It’s been a ruin for as long as I can remember. Grandpa Gruff talks about it sometimes, what it used to be like, but even he doesn’t know.”
“Well, we could find some lost knowledge in these books! About griffons, about your history.” Ocellus went back to the ruins, Gallus reluctantly following behind. “What if we find pictures of the Idol? Or-or maybe find out more about it?”
“Professor Dash said it got knocked into the ravine.” The bitterness in his voice was natural, springing forth from somewhere that all the griffons possessed. Their great treasure gone forever. To have their Idol so close, only to have it be cruelly shoved away...Even the detractors, those that claimed the Idol had never existed, mourned its loss. “Don’t see how learning about it now can rescue it. It’s a bottomless gorge, no one can get down there. It’s a death trap.”
Ocellus deflated a little at that, but shook her head. Using her telekinesis this time to hold the books she was picking up above her head, “We can still find out about it. Why it mattered so much. I know the legends say King Grover found it, but maybe there’s a way to reproduce it or something like it that’s lost in these pages.”
“Oh.” Gallus and his mind froze for several seconds as he processed that information. Ocellus was right, it wasn’t often that she was ever wrong, maybe they’d lost the treasure but maybe they could find or make something better.
The pair lapsed into silence after that. Listening to the muffled conversation going on between the others as they bickered about the best way of bringing the roof down.
Eventually, and once the books were clear, it was decided that Yona and Sandbar would pull the roof down, with Silverstream and Smolder working together to take most of the weight of the section of the roof, in the hopes that doing so would mean less damage to the building overall.
Gallus and Ocellus watched. Ocellus, mostly because she was keeping an eye out for books in the worst of the rubble, and Gallus because he could watch. He couldn’t help tear down this...integral part of his home down, but he could watch.
There’d be a library in the town soon, a proper one. One like the one at school, maybe, or in Twilight’s castle proper. It was hard to imagine what it could look like. The only building left that was made of stone was the palace, and that was mostly abandoned. Griffonstone was a tree, as well, making it difficult to build out of stone in the first place.
Maybe it would be like the other buildings then. With timber frames, wattle and daub walls, thatched roofs. All resources found in the Griffon kingdom, ranging from the plains to the east to the forests up north.
The chunk of roof came off easily enough, with everyone working at it. Sliding off with a crash, even with Smolder and Silverstream helping it down.
Gallus and Ocellus both winced at the noise, though for different reasons.
“That was easy!” Yona declared, stamping her hooves.
“Yeah, do you think we could do it again?” Smolder asked.
Silverstream laughed, “Oh that could be fun! Don’t you think Sandbar?”
“Honestly I just want lunch.” Sandbar was already wiggling free of the rope. “Is there anywhere good to eat, Gallus?”
Gallus blinked at the sudden attention, what with all his friends turning to look at him. He shrugged. He was used to being left alone, most of the time. The griffons ensured he didn’t starve or anything, but his lack of blood family made it difficult to grab anything more than a griffon scone to eat, and even then that was a treat.
“No need, Gallus!” Twilight’s voice echoed, making everycreature turn to face her as she landed gracefully. “I’ve brought lunch!” Several boxes were strapped to her back, tied in place with string. A griffon carried a similar stack upon their back, landing seconds after Twilight.
Gallus didn’t know them, but that didn’t mean much. They dropped their food onto the table, got their payment, and left as quickly as possible. Leaving Twilight to set everything up.
“I see you got the roof down! Excellent work. What did we learn?”
“Working as a team is easier than trying to do something alone.” Sandbar answered confidently.
“Yona very strong.” Yona said, just as confidently, smiling. This earned some giggles from everyone else.
Talk ceased, though, once the food was dolled out. Sandwiches, and griffon scones, with fruits and vegetables that had been imported. Probably from Equestria, Gallus thought. Considering their colour.
“Alright, so anyone have any idea what we do next?” Twilight asked, once most of the food was cleared.
Ocellus, who’s attention immediately turned back to the books they’d rescued, shot a hoof into the air, “Rescue the rest of the books?”
Twilight chuckled, “Yes, that’s what I hoped for. Though we might have to take a wall down to get into the rest…”
“I can transform into something small,” Ocellus offered. “Push books through.”
“I can grab the books,” Gallus volunteered.
Twilight blinked at that, “Oh...Okay, yes that sounds good. I can help the rest of you figure out a plan to get the rest of the library down.”
“Princess?” Ocellus asked.
“Yes?”
“When, um, when we get all the books out, can I start working on restoring them? I memorized all the spells in the book you suggested.”
Twilight’s smile only increased. “Yes of course. You and Gallus can even start trying to catalogue them if you like. If we find more as we dig through the rubble, we’ll let you know.”
Ocellus and Gallus both nodded. And with that, everyone got back to work.
It was slow-going and boring for Gallus, but working mostly by himself was better than risking snapping at his friends. They didn’t deserve it, they didn’t know. It was like when he didn’t understand why Silverstream had been so frightened of some shadows.
Change was important, and after years of stagnation and decline, Griffonstone could use some growth. Maybe even find something in all these stupid old books.
The ones they were pulling from the wreckage weren’t so prone to mold and water damage, thankfully, but the pages were old and yellowed. Ink was faded to the point of illegibility. Books with broken spines, torn pages.
It hurt Ocellus and Twilight to see the books so torn up, but they’d save what they could. Even Gallus, someone who hadn’t been very interested in book or reading, was starting to see how poorly his people had been doing.
All this knowledge, lost. Thrown away because of what? Pride?
He was all too happy to join Twilight and Ocellus under the tent, watching as their magic worked to restore the books. It wouldn’t be perfect, some were too far gone, but many were salvageable thanks to Twilight’s Alicorn powers.
Once the books were finished being saved, Gallus was supposed to flick through them, to figure out what they were about. Even just broad categories, for now anyway. Others could read through them properly later.
Some were about agriculture, which just seemed stupider and stupider the more of them he found. What had they been hoping for a miracle? So little could grow around here, it was why the griffons ate so much fish.
“Oh wow.” Ocellus murmured suddenly, stroking a book cover with her hoof. At Gallus and Twilight’s questioning look, she turned it around to show them.
It was a leather cover, one that wrapped around most of the pages. The tooling had faded when they’d found it, but the restoration spells had done wonders to it. It was gilded, stamped with golds and silvers that depicted the Idol surrounded by griffon figures prominently King Grover.
Even Gallus had to admit the cover was intriguing. So when Ocellus offered it to him as the next book he was supposed to flip through, he was surprised at how heavy and dense it was.
It had been written by a griffon too, he could just tell. Unicorns were too flawless, and when ponies used their hooves how they wrote was different. It was...subtle, but there.
Gallus didn’t mean to be drawn in, honest. But it was such a neat looking book, and as he started to read, he found it was illustrated. With...oh what were they called, watercolours? The drawings took up whole pages, and it was fantastic-
Queen Tina and King Gregory overthrew the Mad Queen Gertrude. Saving Griffonstone and her peoples from terrible hardship and an endless Civil War. They bore the first sons in the royal household since King Grover’s eldest child, who died before the Idol’s discovery.
They also heralded the building of the forts, along the eastern border, to protect from the dragons. The harsh winter of 5 years ago has quieted them, and they’ve not been seen since, but I agree that vigilance must be upheld.
Dragons? To the east? But the dragons lived on the mainland of Equestria, south and east of Celestia’s borders. Everyone knew that.
“Gallus? You okay?” Twilight asked.
Gallus handed the book over, “It says that dragons live to the east of here?”
Twilight took the book, brows furrowing as she read, “Huh.”
“But they don’t, though…” Ocellus murmured. “They live far away from here, have as long as anyone in the Hive remembers.”
“I’ve read histories, and while some say that the dragons didn’t use to live in the Badlands, it’s clear they have for a long, long time.” Twilight said, flipping through the book, hoping to find more answers. “Do you know anything about these griffons?”
“Well, Mad Queen Gertrude was the ruler after Grover.” Gallus said, “But we don’t count her, she’s not one of the fourteen kings and queens. Her daughter ruled after, she’s the second. But that was a long, long time ago. Well over a thousand years. Tina, the second ruler, was still young when Griffonstone was finished being built.” He shrugged, “Other than that, I don’t know.”
“Hmmm.” Twilight’s gaze was affixed to the book for a few more minutes before she handed it back. “If you’d like, you can keep reading. This could make for an excellent history paper.” When she turned her attention back to restoring the books, her pace had quickened significantly.
Ocellus knew better than to try to compete with a princess, but even she looked thoughtful as they continued to work.
Gallus couldn’t help himself. He continued to read the book.
The fancy cover was weird, as were the illustrations. It didn’t seem like a proper, historical book. The author spoke about themselves a lot, and about these ancient griffons like they’d known them personally.
But it recounted the Civil War, a period of about five years where Tina and her husband fought against Gertrude to take control of the kingdom. And in a way Gallus had never heard before: the author sounded like they’d been there. It was so personal.
He lost himself in the book, ignoring the growing stacks of restored books he was supposed to sort. Gallus didn’t realize when Ocellus, too, saw a book that was too tempting to resist, nor did he notice Twilight finish a stack, and start looking through the restored books. Levitating groups of them around her head, skimming through them and sorting them automatically as she discarded or kept reading.
“Umm...Guys?” Silverstream’s voice cut through the sounds of reading. “Aren’t you supposed to be working?”
“Yeah, I didn’t know you you were such an egghead, Gallus.” Smolder chortled.
“Did dragons ever used to live this far east, Smolder?”
“Err...no?” Smolder shrugged.
“I’ve found several more references to dragons living east of Griffonstone.”
“There’s mountains out that way.” Gallus added, “But not much else. Caves, I think? Maybe? I’ve seen them from a distance.”
“No way, dragons live in the badlands!” Smolder crossed her front legs over her chest, shaking her head, “It’s impossible.”
“How do we know if the books aren’t just lying?” Silverstream asked.
“Yona smash bad books?”
Twilight sighed, “No, thank you. Well...the book you’re reading. It said there was forts, right?”
“Yeah?” Gallus said, “North and east of here, toward the plains. Why?”
“Anyone up for a field trip?”
“Anything’s better than staring at old books.” Smolder scoffed.
The others all nodded, with various levels of excitement.
“Go gather your things. Let’s see if we can’t get to the truth of the matter.” Twilight grinned. Stuffing as many of the books that she could fit into her saddlebags.
It took surprisingly little time for the group to get packed, and back on the road. Making their way down the winding, narrow paths that led up to Griffonstone proper.
By the time they made it to the plains, the sun was beginning to set. The long grasses were...welcoming, somehow. Begging to be flown over, but Gallus resisted the urge and stayed near the group. Flying above them alongside Smolder and Silverstream.
Twilight and Ocellus were reading as they walked, though Ocellus was reading much less intently.
“Hey, what’s that!?” Silverstream pointed.
In the distance, there was a ruin. Mostly collapsed, it was clearly made of stone. It was larger than Gallus had thought, right on the edge where the grasslands faded and the rocky mountain ground started.
“Looks like a fort to Yona.” Yona said, head tilted slightly in curiosity. Eyes searching for details amidst the neglect.
“It looks cool!” Silverstream squealed, flying forward to zoom around it a few times, excitedly taking in the details.
It had clearly been some kind of building once, probably two stories, Gallus guessed, judging from the height of what remained. Plant matter, dried and dead, crawled up all along it. Mostly, honestly, it was half buried in the long grasses that grew thick here. It was the only thing that really grew this far east, aside from a few scrabbly trees and farmland along the coast.
Everything else along this piece of land was...well dead. The grasses the only thing that came back, year after year. Which is why griffons still thatched their roofs. Even the trees, the forests that surrounded the city and sprinkled up north...well they were slow growing. It was through careful understanding that Griffonstone would die if the griffons went about chopping everything down. The one thing that hadn’t changed in hundreds of years.
“Is it a fort?”
“Maybe.” Twilight hummed. Using her magic to take some of the growth off. “This is...odd. It’s all older than it should be, it’s all dried out though.”
“Things here tend to mummify. It’s too dry for much else.” Gallus offered. Dry and cold most of the time, with one or two weeks of serious rainfall towards the end of winter. Even then, that was mostly around Griffonstone and the coast.
“Ew.” Silverstream made a face at that fact, with Yona nodding along beside her.
“That’s fascinating Gallus.” Twilight said, “But this...this isn’t what happened. It’s like the magic was sucked out of them? It might be part of why they haven’t decomposed...But I don’t know.”
Smolder, who had flown up higher than the others, looked pensive. “Um..guys, does this look like the fields outside Ponyville? You know, where you and Tirek fought?”
All creatures capable of flight took to the air, Ocellus transforming into a bug bear so she could safely carry Yona up.
The field, in spite of the long years, did bear the marks of such a battle. Deep, unnatural grooves were dug in the ground, shallow at first but larger. Some the size of griffons, other the size of fully grown dragons. Stretching for miles around.
This high up, it was possible to see scorch marks on the rocks and things on the rockier ground. See skeletons of trees, looking rather like the plants Twilight had pulled away. Even on the opposite side of the fort, there were scorch marks. Obviously made by dragonfire.
“This...is incredible.” Twilight murmured. “And look! I think that’s another fort there, and there!” Pointing to rough shapes in the distance. To the north and south of them, following this border. “The book you picked up as right, Gallus!”
“But dragons don’t live here.”
“They did, look!” Smolder pointed, flying over the last of the grass to the base of the mountains, “See all those scratches? That had to have bee from dragons sharpening their claws. They’re all over the place back home...And that cave there, that’d be awesome for a lair.”
The group touched down, following after Smolder as she pointed out other features. Where magma had once flowed, where rocks had been warmed, where there was obvious signs of dragons digging for wealth that had once laid under the dirt.
The group came to a sudden stop outside a very small cave, one small enough that it was difficult for Smolder to crawl into.
“Yes?” Twilight asked hopefully, scribbling notes in a notebook.
“If I were a dragon that lived here, and there were others, or griffons who wanted my hoard, I’d have stashed it here.” Smolder offered in lieu of other explanation. Squeezing inside before Twilight, or the others could protest.
There was a few heartstopping seconds of silence, before there was a louder, “What?” from inside.
“You alright in there?” Sandbar called.
“I can come in if you’re stuck or something!” Ocellus offered.
“I’m fine! You are all such worry warts.” Smolder snorted, a touch of smoke curling out of the cave. There were a few grunts as she pushed her way back through, and when she returned she held something that none of them recognized.
At least, none of them recognized immediately.
“Is that...a bit?”
“It’s ancient. That’s the old carving of the Castle of the Two Sisters,” Twilight pointed out, “But it’s wrong. Even tarnish wouldn’t make it look like this.”
“It’s soft,” Smolder complained, pushing a claw into it before anyone could stop her. It...it didn’t quite ooze, but that kind of texture would be impossible for gold or silver otherwise.
“What could have done that?” Silverstream asked.
“I’m not sure.” There was not a hint of panic in Twilight’s voice. Nope. Not at all, nor was the muscle under her left eye beginning to twitch.
Gallus wasn’t certain if she was freaking out or if she was excited. He and Sandbar shared a similar expression over Twilight’s back. Both. Both seemed most likely.
“Huh.” The group pondered the coin, now incredibly misshapen, in Smolder’s grasp.
“Well it wasn’t a spell.” Twilight said after a long moment. “No spell I’ve ever heard of has done anything like this.”
“Are those...teeth marks?” Silverstream got in really close, eyes narrowed.
The group, almost inunison, leaned in to look.
“Maybe?” Sandbar said after a few seconds.
“Yona can’t see.” Yona stepped back to examine a few of the rocks instead, looking thoughtful.
“I think I see them. Here, and here, and here!” Silverstream pointed, pulling back so the others might get a better look.
Reluctantly, Smolder leaned back, “I think I see them too.”
“And me.” Sandbar admitted.
“But what has teeth like that?” Ocellus asked.
Twilight took the coin from Smolder, analyzing it, “Could you go back in and grab a few more things out of there?”
“They’re all like that. All...mushy.” Smolder shuddered, but obligingly went back in. Complaining under her breath about it the whole time.
Twilight started going through the books she’d brought with her, the titles flying around too quickly for Gallus to read them.
Ocellus’ magic caught hold of the books once Twilight gasped, her focus going entirely onto a book she was flicking through. It was leatherbound and plain.
“A lustermite is a small, round creature with wings like a dragonfly. They reproduce asexually, needing only magical energy to do so. They get this energy by sucking the magic out of precious metals and gems, primarily gold, though it is well known that they can subsist off of other, inorganic materials.
A prolonged lustermite infestation can lead to...severe damage in the land around the creatures as they suck up all the magic that ponies and other beings naturally use to farm, and what naturally occurs. If the infestation lasts long enough, or there are a sufficient amount of lustermites, land can be damaged permanently. Making it almost impossible to grow crops. Whole forests-” Twilight’s voice died as she began to read silently once more, mouth forming the words but not saying them aloud.
Gallus’ heart squeezed in his chest. Was that why...was that why the land was so barren? That the only things that grew were grass and trees? Why they had to be so careful with those resources?
Smolder came out of the cave again, with more treasures...Well, with what had been treasures. Several more coins, dull and mushy, and gems that were much the same. The colour so drained from them that it was impossible to even tell what kind of gems they’d been.
“I’m not eating it.” Smolder said, before anyone could pose that thought. Several mouths closed, some more guiltily than others. “It feels...bad. And I think they have teeth marks too.”
Twilight’s voice interrupted them, cracking a little at the edges, “The last time lustermites have been seen was during the time of...Before dragons became enemies of the griffons. Before King Grover united the tribes into one...Griffons and Dragons fought the beasts together, but it was too late.”
Gallus felt like he’d been doused with cold water. Enemies? With dragons? What was going on-
“As the land died around us, we fought bitterly for whatever resources we could. Many dragon hoards had been destroyed, leaving only the griffons wealth untouched. The fight for resources only escalated once the Idol was found, and Griffonstone founded. By consolidating their power, and taking the last of the land capable of sustaining food and game, the griffons all but declared war against those who had been their allies.
What had been skirmish fighting, escalated. Into the last great Dragon War, where countless griffons and dragons fought. Spilling their blood, dying, for the chance to live.” Twilight’s voice wavered, before she cleared her throat and continued.
“While hostilities wound down as time went on, the conflict continued off and on, finally ending five years before Queen Tina came into power. The dragons vanished before a harsh winter, and haven’t been seen since.”
“They died?” Smolder’s voice was suddenly rather fragile.
“Or they left.” Ocellus pointed out. “Otherwise you wouldn’t be here...right?”
Twilight shut the book, swallowing dryly. Looking rather bereft as she stared around. “That...might explain a lot of things. Why the dragons haven’t really left the Badlands, why you’re all so territorial.”
“Why we thought friendship was stupid?” Smolder offered.
“It… makes sense.” Twilight admitted. “Even if none of you remember what happened.”
“How...how could everyone just forget that happened?” Silverstream sounded odd, not like her usual self at all. Though, considering all she and her people had lived through, Gallus didn’t blame her.
“The dragons don’t keep written records.” Smolder shrugged. “At least, not until recently. Parchment can dry out too much, and one wrong sneeze and you can burn down a library like that.” Snapping her talons.
“Griffons won.” Twilight said softly, “And with the loss of the Idol, the overall decline. I imagine there’s much to be learned about their history.”
Gallus swallowed around a sudden, painful lump in the back of his throat. Staring at the things that Smolder was still holding. “Why didn’t griffons just share?” Yona asked.
“Before the Idol, griffons were greedy.” Ocellus said, voice weak. “It was the Idol that stopped them from being so prideful in the first place.”
“We were still prideful.” Gallus snapped, turning to gesture to Griffonstone. It was faintly visible over the horizon. “Look what we built! The dragons would have been able to see that! See us! We knew! Grover had to have known!” He turned from the group, running his talons across his head and face. Not able to look at them for the shame burning away in his chest.
“It’s not like it’s your fault.” Smolder said, after several seconds of silence. “Besides, this is pretty cool. Sad but...shouldn’t we learn from our history to make sure we don’t make those mistakes again?”
Twilight nodded, “Smolder has a point.”
“I guess it’s like what you all have been teaching us.” Ocellus said. “If they’d been using the elements of harmony, not the actual elements but the..oh-”
“Generosity, kindness, honesty, loyalty, laughter, and magic?” Sandbar supplied.
Ocellus nodded. “If they’d used them, just in their daily life, they could have avoided most of this. Lived peacefully with each other.”
Which felt bizarre to Gallus, but Ocellus did have a point. Generosity and kindness might have gone a long way to save everycreature from a lot of heartbreak. “Well...what do we do then? With this information?”
“Spread it?” Silverstream suggested.
“This ground good for smashing. Might find more clues.” Yona added.
Twilight nodded, “It could be good to get archaeologists out here. See what they can uncover. They could find out more than we have.”
“We should have griffons and dragons involved, though.” Sandbar interjected. “So they can see this history first hand, so it can travel. So...any remains can be put to rest properly.”
The idea that this area could be filled with skeletons hadn’t occurred to Gallus earlier, but it was a little worrying. “Yeah. Maybe we should warn them of that. Just in case.”
“Agreed. We don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings.” Twilight sighed. Looking between Gallus and Smolder, “You know, Gallus and Smolder... “ She trailed off, clearly thinking.
“What?” Gallus turned around.
“Yeah, what?”
“Well, I thought you two might be the best ones to contact everycreature. You could tell them of what we discovered and request their presence here in Griffonstone. I can contact some ponies and see about getting a research team together.”
“Does this mean we have to write our history paper on something else now?”
“You know what, I’ll consider what we’ve found out here together as your history papers. You all did really well today, and I’m very proud of you.”
Everyone but Ocellus sighed in relief at that. Chattering amongst themselves excitedly for a bit.
Twilight let them, knowing they needed the morale boost. Before clearing her throat delicately, once more garnering all of their attention.
“Maybe you two should get started: I think it’s well past time for the griffons and dragons to know about their shared history.” Twilight’s smile was gentle, with a knowing spark in her eye, her eyes shining with barely contained excitement.
“I should go write to Ember then.” At that prospect, Smolder usually would have complained, but considering all they’d learned, all they’d found out, Twilight had a point.
“I’ll go tell Grandpa Gruff, he’s sure to know who’d be interested in this.” Gallus agreed. The two launching themselves into the air near-simultaneously. Both of them flying back towards Griffonstone at near breakneck speeds.
Twilight watched them go, wondering exactly how much they’d just changed the world with their new discovery.
THE END