For a thousand years, Equestria was a peaceful world where understanding deterred any form of aggression and the protection was from the Elements of Harmony, but now with the news of the fall of Mount Aris, that peace was shattered. For the first time, battles were fought between the Alliance of Pony, Skylanders, etc and the Grublin Hordes of the Dark Master. The unification of these factions was done by the Fellowship of the Purple Dragon, led by Spike Solaris, Son of Princess Celestia. But with successful negotiations with Hippogriffs and Sea Ponies, this Alliance was growing rapidly because of the skirmishes between various units and the Horde. The hippogriffs fought with vengeful ferocity with the phrase ‘Remember Mount Aris’ being the battle cry as they await the day where they march on Malefor’s Fortress and take back their home.
But as for Spike, after speaking with the Sages of the Temple regarding the Elders, Ancestral Dragons that came to Equis centuries ago, he realized that Seaquestria’s temple was the only ‘Active’ Temple which means there are six more temples, six more artifacts of the Elders and six more chosen wielders. Silverstream got her bracer from Seaquestria’s temple which scratches her off the chart since the temple was built by the Sea Ponies.
That would mean that the other races of Pony, Yak, Dragon, Hippogriff, Griffin and Changeling had a temple built in honor of the Elders. But the locations of these temples were lost in time and the fact that there’s a lost kingdom and a prophecy of the Dragon King foretold by the Pillars of Equestria? The dragon was confused by the concept of what he was told at the temple...but he knew there was one pony with the lifespan who would know this - His mother.
So here he is in the Portal Chamber as Princess Celestia talks with Master Eon over the situation regarding the effectiveness of the Imaginators against the Doomlanders leading Grublin Raids and talks regarding the upcoming liberation of Mount Aris since the mountain itself was turned into a heavily armed fortress. Although, Eon did notice Spike’s presence as he ended their conversation and excused himself from the chamber - with Spike and Celestia being the only occupants. The Alicorn asked,
“Spike, you wanted to speak with me regarding the prophecy that the Sages told you?”
The purple dragon asked, “How did you know?” “Queen Novo told me of the first negotiations at the temple and how the events starting from your first victory over Malefor to this point meant something.”
Spike figured since he did defeat Malefor at the Crystal Empire and the events leading up to his visit to the temple meant that he is the Crystal Savior. But he remembered the real reason why he's here, so he asked,
“The temple carvings suggest that there are seven temples, one for each race with the Seaquestria temple being one of them. The other six temples were lost to time - I must find them since they could be the key to ending this war.”
Celestia was a bit skeptical about the temples since the rumors of temples that are dedicated to ancient dragons were either discarded or laughed at, even for Equestria of Today. But she's lived for millennia and knows that there's a shred of truth behind the legends, Seaquestria's temple being proof that the Elders exist. She apologized,
“I’m sorry Spike, most of the information regarding the other Temples were indeed lost to time, not even the books in my private collection had any insight of where the temples are, but there are four dragons that I know who would have the answer.”
Spike asked, “Who are they?” She smiled, “The Oracles of the Dragon Lands, they know more about foreign magic than I do. As a matter of fact, I brought you there when you were just an egg to figure out what you were and they told me you would hatch in five years.”
Spike was a bit surprised by this since he heard mention of the Oracles from Ember on their journey to Griffonstone and from her explanation, they spoke in a different language when speaking to them before switching to Equestrian. It's also noted that very few ponies had ever had the opportunity to speak to them. They mostly act as teachers of their language, speaking with those who made pilgrimages to their cave or answering questions regarding magic artifacts. If they have information about the Elders and the other six temples, it could help him greatly in finding the rumored locations of each temple.
He decided, “That means I have to go back to the Dragon Lands to speak with them.”
“Never a dull moment when it comes to you, Master Spike.” Said Starlight as she entered the chamber, having overheard their conversation. The dragon asked his apprentice,
“Starlight, you're back earlier than I expected. How are the refugees doing?”
The unicorn assured him, “The refugees are doing well in the settlement, Sky Talon is doing a good job keeping the peace as well as helping out in maintaining and caring for the refugees.” She smirked, “Although Wind Blast keeps egging him on about how many children they should have.”
The Purple Dragon remembered the relationship between the air team’s commander and the general’s son. He even chuckled when the general asked regarding his son blaming an old bird for wanting grandkids. But brushed it aside as he said, “It's good to know that they're living well until we march on Mount Aris.”
Starlight soon asked, “So I overheard a conversation about going back to the Dragon Lands to speak with the Oracles regarding the other six temples and I was wondering if I could join you?”
Spike decided, “You are my Apprentice after all and we’ve been through at least two quests since I took you in and you have unlocked the Earth ability. I'm sure that Twilight has been teaching you about using your Earth Shot wisely.”
Starlight nodded, “Yes, of course, she's been teaching me about it before we set off for Seaquestria.”
“I’m glad to see that you're keeping up with your studies.” He smiled before turning to the Celestia, “Well, I guess we should be off then.”
The Alicorn nodded as she used her magic to set the Portal of Power’s destination to the Dragon Lands. But before both Master and Apprentice stepped onto the portal, a voice shouted,
“WAIT!” They turned to see a small dragoness entering the room, arms spread out and eyes widened as stared at them. Celestia recognized her,
“Smolder, you're out of class earlier than expected.” The orange dragon stated, “Master Tae-Kwon-Crow let us out early due to good behavior. I was on my way to see more of the Skylanders train until I heard your conversation about going to the Dragon Lands?”
Spike decided to step in, “There's a question that requires the Oracles to answer and it could be important for the war effort.”
The young dragon was curious about it and figured, “If you're going to meet the Oracles, I would appreciate it if I joined you.”
Starlight asked, “But what about your own classes?” Smolder stated, “I grew up in the Dragon Lands and I know where the Oracles are. So in a way, you need me to guide you to them.”
The two thought about it before Spike looked to Celestia, “What do you think about her request?”
The Alicorn had a thought regarding her request and seeing that Spike has never been to the Oracles outside his eggshell, stated, “Smolder has a point, she knows the way to the cave of the Oracles.”
The dragon figured she would say that as he turned back to the younger dragoness, “Smolder, you will be accompanying us to the Dragon Lands. But since you're also a student at Canterlot’s Skylander Academy, I will see to it that you receive extra credit for joining us on this quest.”
Smolder smirked, “The extra credit is nice, but also I wanted to speak with them as well.”
Celestia guessed, “You want to know why you came here?”
The Dragoness sighed, “It's no secret that I didn't want to come here in the first place, but it was the Dragon Lord’s orders.”
Spike had a feeling that it was a personal reason for her joining them. So he decided, “It's best that we don't delay, the Oracles may have the answers that we seek.”
Soon enough, the trio stood on the portal as it powered up and worked its magic. But as they vanished in a flash of light, Celestia stated, “May your Ancestors look after you.” As the light faded from the portal, she finished,
“May they look after us all.”
In the volcanic regions of the Dragon Lands, three flashes of light appeared near one of the hot springs close to several dragon caves. When it faded, Spike, Starlight and Smolder stood in its wake as the dragoness looked around before taking a deep breath and sighed,
“Home sweet home.” Although Spike has been here before, Starlight was a bit nervous by the volcanic activity and lava pits, but still she had to be brave like her teacher. The unicorn noticed,
“There's a lot of volcanoes in this region although I read that some of them are actually dormant.”
Smolder stated, “Yeah, some of the dormant ones were used in special events…”
Spike asked, “Like the Gauntlet of Fire?”
“Yes.” Smolder took notice of the surroundings and recognized the area, “We're actually getting close to some of the residential caves. There's also the Dragon Lord’s palace and the Oracle’s Path just across from it.”
Starlight asked, “Oracle’s Path?” The dragoness turned to the unicorn, “It's the path that leads to their monastery, it's mostly a set of stairs going up to the side of the mountain. It was once called ‘The Thousand Steps of Enlightenment’ but it's mostly called the Oracle’s Path.”
Spike asked as they made their way passed the residential caves, “Are there any sort of dangers while walking the Oracle’s Path?”
“There's a common infestation of Lava Toads, they're mostly scavengers, but on rare occasions, a pilgrim would sometimes face giant spiders - they're big, mean, ugly and have too many eyes.”
Starlight shuddered, “How could they survive here?” The dragoness shrugged, “Those spiders actually feed on the toads in some areas of the Dragon Lands, but are rarely seen in the Path, the dragons are very careful to make sure that a spider nest doesn't form in the Monastery and fun fact: A charred spider’s corpse makes for a tasty snack.”
Starlight felt a bit uneasy about the fact that the dragons would eat the fried remains of the giant spiders. But then again, Bulb Spiders in Avalar were a nice source of protein for dragons as well, although Fluttershy once told her that Rainbow Dash took a bite out of a charred Bulb Spider. Spiders and Lava Toads are mostly what they will run into on the Oracle’s Path until she heard Smolder add,
“And there's also the Spider-Woman…”
This caught her Master's attention as he asked, “Is that a type of special spider?”
“The Spider-Woman is a strange type of creature with a spider’s lower half and the upper half being the torso of a human. Only a few dragons have ever seen her in person and only appears in the Oracle’s Path.”
Spike asked as they passed the palace and went to the base of the steps, “Anything else to know about the Spider-Woman?”
The dragoness shrugged, “Nothing else, it's actually rare for a pilgrim to encounter her on the path to the Oracles, but some of them would get the feeling that they're being watched.”
It brought a bit of uneasiness to Starlight when she heard about it. She spoke, “I guess it's not as easy as just walking the path without any obstacles.”
The purple dragon stated, “Nothing is ever easy, my apprentice. But we should keep our eyes open in case we encounter any trouble.”
Soon enough, the group had reached the base of the Oracle’s Path which was marked by a stone archway. As the trio entered the path, they immediately came across an etched tablet, written in a dialect of symbols as Spike, being able to understand it, read the carving,
“Ko faal Bok do Tarvok,
Dovah Gahrot ahrk ruuv,
Erei nust genun,
Ahrk drun mindah.”
He read it again in Equestrian,
“In the Age of Greed,
Dragons Stole and Hoard
Until They Appeared,
And Brought Knowledge.”
Smolder noticed this, “These are tablets that tell the history of our kind before the Oracles.”
Spike chuckled, “Twilight and Ali would be giggling while holding pieces of parchment and charcoal at this.”
Starlight realized, “Master, how were you able to understand it?”
He pointed out, “It's carved in a dialect that exists only in the Dragon Lands and I was able to learn much about this language from Ember before we set off for Flurry Heart’s Crystalling.”
Smolder looked at the stairs leading further up the mountain before looking back at the two, “They must've left more of those tablets on certain spots of the Path which we’ll most likely encounter along the way.”
So they continued their trek up the path as they spotted a few lava toads playing with a bunch of bones, Spike recognized those pests because for some reason, they managed to make their way to this world via the Portal Network. How they did that was anyone's guess, but a little flame or melee attack would knock them down. Before they continued, Spike spotted another tablet written in that dialect as he read in Dragon,
“Nahkiv ko strunmah,
Hir Dovah Nus praan,
Erei faal Diist Rahwunduniik rund nii,
Ruz nust qethserod.”
Then he translated,
“Discovered in the mountains,
Four Dragon Statues rest,
Until the First Pilgrim found them,
Then they spoke.”
Starlight figured, “It must have been the point that they were discovered.”
Smolder stated, “There were stories about the First Pilgrim, a dragon struggling with his nature of stealing treasure and hoarding when in reality - he wanted to be different from everyone else. Dragons battle for dominance, the will to determine the largest hoards and how much territory they hold. The First Pilgrim wasn't a hoarder or a seeker of dominance - he discovered his calling when he found the Oracles. But it's hard to say since I rarely spoke to any pilgrims.”
Spike stated, “We’ll find out more as we go. Let's continue up.” As the trio continued their trek up the steps, the purple dragon’s senses went off as he felt like someone was watching them.
Hiding in the shadows, a strange figure watched as the trio progressed as her six eyes took notice of the purple dragon as she thought, “He doesn't look like a pilgrim to those dragons. I can already tell by his amulet that he's important.”
She smiled as she brought a clawed hand to her chin, “It's been a while since something caught my attention and I’ve been bored ever since coming to this world. Well then, Purple Boy, let's see how you handle the path.” And soon enough, she vanished.
The trio continued to walk up the steps until they stopped at the sight of a lava toad making a jump at a conveniently placed bone until it was suddenly strung up as it was revealed to be a trap. But it's not the trap that surprised them, it was the material used to cocoon the unfortunate fire amphibian as Starlight asked,
“Is that...webbing?” Spike inspected it and determined, “It looks like it…” He turned to Smolder and curiously asked,
“Does the Spider-Woman attack any pilgrims?”
The young dragon shook her head, “She mostly lays web traps for lava toads or any unlucky dragon to venture up the mountain. Some of them come back with webbing in their wings, horns, etc. and it's rare for her to take an active role.”
The purple dragon figured that if they end up trapped in a web cocoon, they're pretty much spider food in case there are giant spiders around. But he would need to think of an idea should they encounter the Spider-Woman, but Starlight pointed something out in the webbing passed the cocoon. The unicorn used her magic to cut away the sticky substance that was covering the object - revealing to be another etched tablet with the Dragon tongue. She called her master to her as the dragon read it,
“Ol nus qethserod,
Kiibokin lost ofaal,
Zeymahmaar lost buld,
Ol nii lost zos fariik wey umriid.”
Which translated to,
“As the Statues spoke,
Followers were gained,
Brotherhood was formed,
As it was more valuable than treasure.”
Smolder felt something pull in her heart as Spike’s translation hit her as the purple dragon stated, “It seems as if these Oracles have brought some form of knowledge and they saw knowledge as more valuable than treasure.”
The young dragon understood this as she added, “Although there's no doubt that this would be met with opposition from any hoarders.”
Starlight noticed, “Smolder, are you feeling alright?” She quickly stated, “No, I’m fine, I’m fine!”
Spike knew what she was doing, “You're anxiously trying to deflect the question while claiming that you're fine when really something is bothering you.”
She was about to fire back until Starlight shook her head before saying, “Master Spike can tell that you're lying, he's done this before when he discovered that my old friend Sunburst lied about his life.”
The young dragon, realizing it was no use lying to them sighed and said, “The truth is that I feel a sense of calling while hearing you translate the tablets. While most dragons would seek to hoard, dominate and fight, the Oracles gave them the option of knowledge and in rare cases - magic. There are still hoarding dragons, but they are very few and some ponies would come here to see the Oracles for knowledge while some dragons would feel a sense of calling from the Oracles.”
Spike pointed out, “During the Gauntlet of Fire, the dragons were connected to the call of the Dragon Lord, can the Oracles reach out and communicate with the dragons because of their connection?”
“Some of the big dragons can feel a call from the Oracles, dragons my age even dreamt of being in their presence.”
Starlight figured, “I don't know if they can appear in dreams like Princess Luna can, but it is something to look into.”
The trio soon continued their trek up the steps as they passed through various ups and downs of the steps, charging through lava toads and getting surprised by an ambush of giant spiders before encountering another etched tablet which was read,
“Ol zeymahmaar buld,
Faal Tarvokus bo,
Ahrk vodein niist ven,
Ko hindah do faan.”
Which translated to,
“As brotherhood forms,
The Greedy arrived
And abandoned their ways,
In favor of a new calling.”
The trio realized that it speaks of how the hoarder dragons that entered the Oracles cave had given up hoarding to embrace their new calling. It was the call to learn from them and gain knowledge from their teachings. As they progressed onward, Spike’s senses kicked in again as he felt the feeling of being watched. When he checked his group’s surroundings, he thought he could see six red eyes gazing at him before they vanished in the shadows. This made the dragon know that something was wrong as he informed the two,
“We’re being watched.”
Smolder asked with suspicion, “Are you sure?”
Starlight stated, “Trust me on this - Master Spike has the ability to sense whether or not somepony is watching us.”
Spike stated, “I’m pretty sure it wasn't Tempest or my robot duplicate.”
Smolder was a bit confused until Starlight stated, “There was a unicorn with a broken horn and robot version of Master Spike that we encountered at the Crystal Empire. They tried to keep us from restoring the Crystal Heart, but we stopped them and forced them to flee.”
It would be impossible for those two to even be here anyway. But as they made their way closer to the top of the mountain, they spotted something peculiar - a dead giant spider and a dragon sitting beside it as it silently shouted, “Yol!”
Upon shouting it, a small breath of fire drenched the spider corpse as the dragon sat down while it cooked. It was a male dragon with blue scales, maroon underbelly and ram-like horns. His wings were blue and maroon as the lizard sat by his currently cooking meal until he turned his green eyes towards the group,
“Ah, it seems that I have guests, I never expected anyone to brave the path after seeing those spiders.” He took notice of Spike, “But it seems like you are the exception, Prince Spike.”
The trio was surprised that this camping dragon knew of the purple dragon until he stated, “You are surprised? Every dragon knows about you and word of your victory in the Siege at the Gauntlet of Fire has reached this very strunmah - this mountain.”
Spike asked, “Who are you? What are you doing up here?”
The dragon introduced himself, “I am Sentinel Roxen, the Leader of the Oracle’s Knights - the Guardians of the mountain. My brothers and I would camp out on this trail, greeting pilgrims or…” He gestured to the spider, “Keeping those things from making a nest in the monastery.”
“So you're the guardians of the Path?” Roxen nodded before stating, “I made the journey myself and upon speaking with the Oracles, I had a sense of calling that drove me to create an order of knights to look out for pilgrims to welcome and to keep out the beasts that plague this path. As for you, Prince Spike, I can see a bit of your mother in you.”
Smolder asked, “Wait, you're saying that the Princess of Equestria came here?”
“Yes, young one. She came here with a reason to see the Oracles for she carried a small purple and green dragon egg and questions regarding its origin.”
Starlight figured as she looked at Spike, “That was you as an egg, wasn't it?”
He nodded, “She told me about her journey before we set off.” The silence between the group was due to the fact that Celestia came here when he was just an egg, but soon enough, it ended when Spike noticed another carving, he walked passed the Sentinel and read the engraving,
“Ko Tiid do Faastiid,
Faal Nus ofun mindah,
Do suleyk do faal Zul,
Ahrk ko sahrot Zaan,
Faal Tarvokus lost viik.”
“In Times of Crisis,
The Statues shared knowledge,
Of the power of the Voice,
And in a mighty shout,
The Greedy were defeated.”
Spike finished reading as he stated, “This one tells that the hoarders that didn't change decided to sack the mountain, but were pushed back when the Oracles taught their disciples an art called ‘The Voice’ and literally shouted the hoarders to pieces.”
Roxen knew this, “Each Dragon Knight is taught how to use their voice when they swear their loyalty to the Oracles. If the monastery was ever invaded, we would use our Thu’um - our Voice to shout down the invaders.”
Starlight asked, “How is it possible to generate that much power into your voice to use your Shout?”
“It's about learning the language of Dovahzul, understanding the Words of Power and generating it into a shout.” He turned to Spike, “For you, young dragon, I offer you two words for you to learn and study. Your elemental abilities are well-known throughout the world, but even with that power and an apprentice, you still have much to learn. You’ve already possessed the ability to learn their tongue and now you will learn the words that were granted to us Dragon Knights.”
Spike was hesitant for moment before nodding his head, signifying that he was ready as Roxen explained the first word, “Fus means Force and is the ability to blow away enemies or stagger them. It's also the wind all around that's generated with this word.”
He explained the second, “Feim means Fade which bends the world around you, making you into an ethereal spirit for a short time which you cannot be harmed or harm others.”
He soon looked at the ground and whispered both words as an echo cracked the ground as several symbols appeared as he stated,
“The words call for you.” The Purple Dragon soon approached as he felt the words echo in his mind from ‘Fus, Force’ to ‘Feim, Fade’ as they echoed in his mind before he came to a full understanding which Roxen noticed as he stated,
“I will now give you my knowledge of Fus and Feim.” Soon enough, a strange aura with a mixture of orange, red and blue surged from the Dragon Knight and into Spike as he felt the knowledge of those two words hit him with the knowledge of how to use them. That's when the sentinel declared,
“Now show me your Thu’um! Greet me as many Dovah Kendaar do.”
Spike turned to face Roxen albeit a bit hesitant before opening his mouth and shouted, “FUS!”
A powerful burst of force emerged from Spike’s maw as it hit Roxen who was a bit stunned before laughing, “Yes, studen! The voice is strong within you, Dovah Kulaan.”
Starlight was a bit worried, “Are you okay, Master?” The purple dragon put a wing to his mouth as he felt the power from the word radiate off his tongue, “I don't know what happened, but the minute I shouted, the power of a thousand voices surged through my body.”
Roxen stated, “Many initiates feel pressure after their first shout, but you are the Purple Dragon and you can feel many things from the power of a thousand suns to the power of a thousand voices. The will to use that power is in your blood.”
Smolder was curious about what the dragon knight was saying since they were formed to protect the monastery of the Oracles and wield the power of the voice only in desperate situations. It made her question her thoughts more and more as the dragon knight bid them farewell as they continued their journey.
Unbeknownst to them, as Roxen watched them go, he felt a presence behind him as he whispered,
“Laas.” He turned around and saw the shape of a large creature with the legs of a spider and the body of a human woman. The creature chuckled, “I saw your whole conversation with those three. Especially with that purple boy, you taught him how to shout like you.”
Roxen sighed, “There's a reason why I taught him how to shout, he's unique and knowing you, you had tested him with your traps.”
The woman, crawled down from her perch as her head was partially shown with her six red eyes and silky violet hair, “He’s actually more cunning than I thought, this Spike has definitely caught my interest. If he's unique as you say, I would follow him.”
Roxen raised a brow as he sat at his makeshift bonfire, “That's the first time I have ever seen you this entranced by anyone since arriving in this world, let alone the Dragon Prince of Equestria.”
The Spider-Woman smiled, “And a prince as well? Interesting.” She soon slipped back into the shadows and continued to follow the trio.
(To Be Continued)