Griffon of Canterlot
Chapter 92: Welcome to...
“-Dragonlands!” Gale exclaimed with a talon out to the rough rocky landscape around the land of Nowhere, with lava vents to sulphur fumes and the dark gloomy skins.
Silvite crossed her arms. “Dragonlands... Look more like a lifeless barren landscape full of toxic fumes, heat and lava endless venting out of those volcanoes...” Silvite said in a unimpressed tone.
Anubis looking out to the landscape. “Indeed it seem to be that, but this is what dragons of these lands on the far edges of Equestria like to live in, with Nowhere suddenly appearing the middle of it with a environment not like the Dragonlands it will create a differential effect, it won't be felt now but will be in time.” Anubis explained in a calm voice.
Gale looked around. “And all the creatures here on Nowhere having to adapt to the fact the endless 17 years of rain won't be happening now, that not exactly my concern...” Silvite looked to the west side of the mountain, near was a large forest, large marsh lands within it to what look like a settlement and a lake within the centre of the marsh lands.
Anubis noticed it. “I thought there was only feral beasts here, I never seen or even knew of a settlement in the No-Yantic Marshes...”
“That because the storm and rain created a endless fog around and over it, only for one minute and seventeen seconds standing here you could see it.” Silvite explained. “It home to the tricksters of Nowhere, the Kit-Yantic Clan. A bunch of transformative ability kitsunes with magical powers that are greater to the number of tails each have.”
Anubis was surprised upon hearing this. “I read and seen the myths and legends of the Kitsunes... I always thought they were created from tales about foxes...”
Silvite staring out to the barren lava fields. “Here they exist and most likely their leader blinded your ability to know of them through out time..”
“Sound like you know of this leader.”
“Oh I do.”
“Then ho-”
“Her magic of foresight is scarily impressive for a trickster of a fox she is, told me outside of the marshes not to speak of her, the settlement or her race period cause she felt there was something out there that could be watching. And I didn't and she was right.” Silvite smirked looking over to Anubis. “How does it feel not knowing anything about a small part of Nowhere?”
Anubis smirked back looking back at her. “Refreshing, just like what Gale did to Thunderous, I thought his life was going to end and it didn't, but now a new problem awaits us.”
“Oh?”
“The sudden appearance of Nowhere would draw the attention of the Dragon Lord, and if I am not mistaken it would be Torch.” Anubis looked out into the Dragonlands once again, the staff purple glowing symbol between the two dragon curved heads pulsed. He glanced at it, eyes narrowed upon the glare of it pulsing glow. “Dragon Lord Torch is on approach.”
Silvite crossed her arms. “Anything else I should know about this Torch?”
Anubis turn to the south-east of Nowhere looking out into the horizon. “He a titan dragon and been the Dragon Lord for a very long time, so long that by the laws of the land he will soon have to give it up in a contest what called the Gauntlet of Fire.”
Gale listened to them talk. “How does contest work?”
“The Bloodstone Sceptre is thrown into a island volcano, the dragons that were summoned by the Dragon Lord through the Bloodstone Sceptre are eligible to compete to become the new Dragon Lord of the Dragonlands, also if a dragon ordered through the sceptre within reason of not taking another life they have to obey said command.” Anubis gave a experimentation and what power the sceptre holds over dragons.
Silvite snorted. “Only one that get that job is my sister.”
Gale and Anubis turn to her. “Sister?” They said together.
“How do you think I know the leader of the kitsunes so well?” She gave a sly fanged smirk at both of them. “We watch out for each other, she most likely was there during Thunderous rampage in my underground Eden.”
“If th-”
Gale cuts in on Anubis. “Super griffon pure magic right?”
Silvite nodded. “Correct, she saw as you saw Anubis, as I said, 'her magic of foresight is scarily impressive for a trickster of a fox she is', don't you remember?” Silvite turn her head to Anubis.
The Death Dragon sighed rubbing the bridge of the muzzle. “I am really out of my element here...”
“Tough bloody-” She glance at Gale. “-Luck.” She finished saying the sentence. “Now your their god right?”
“Yes...”
Silvite looked out to the Dragonlands. “They know it right?”
“Yes, my staff's magic overrides the Bloodstone Sceptre power.”
“Does it effect me?”
“My staff?”
“Yes your stupid double dragon head staff! What other staff is out here!?” Silvite growled.
Anubis raised it to her with a pulse of magic washing over her in attempt. “Now here is my attempt...”
“Don't bother trying, I can tell you now it won't work.” She glared at him.
The staff flashed and he spoke out at her ignoring what Silvite just said. “I command you to bow.”
Silvite raise a eye staring at him with annoyance. “You might be the god to them, but your no more a dragon as I am, part from some magical abilities that beyond me, so stop before you really piss me off you bloody ass.” Silvite irritably said to him.
Anubis tried again. “BOW!”
Silvite snarled. “How about I sucker punch you to bow to me Death Dragon!” She turn around to him, her eyes narrowed with a fist clenched, white flames bursting out from the sides of her muzzle showing the rage that was building within her. “Say it one more time, I dare you!”
Anubis lower his staff with a calm smile. “As I thought, Dragons of Nowhere can not be commanded by my staff and thus the Bloodstone Sceptre will not too.” He turned away looking back out to the lands beyond Nowhere.
Silvite stared. “Jackass.” She snorted out some flames.
Gale looked into the bag at Shadow. “You confused?” The chick tilted his head. “Yeah me too.”
Anubis raise his staff to the air. “Time to direct the Dragon Lord to us.” A burst of magic shot off into the sky turning into a massive purple flame dragon, they stared up at it till it faded away. “Now all the dragons of the Dragonlands know their god is present...”
“The way your talking, it as if you do not want them to know their god is here.” Silvite said from what she saw in the corner of her eye.
Anubis clenched and unclenched his free claw hand. “Being the dragons God of the Dead isn't what it crack up to be...”
“Cause we longed lived?” Silvite asked with a bit of snarky tone.
“Yes...” Anubis grumbled, his gaze shift towards the south-east. “Dragon Lord Torch is here.”
Silvite and Gale turn to see the titan dragon slowly coming into view, massive grey-blue dragon with two massive long curved horns on either side of the head, one with a gold band around it, blackish grey vest plate with shoulder plates, orange under webbing of the wing and tail fin at the end, also wearing a orange crystal like crown on his head.
Silvite looked very unimpressed by the large dragon on approach, to her Thunderous was more imposing, Anubis eyes narrow upon the Dragon Lord and a smile fell upon his muzzle. “I just thought of a crazy idea to get Torch to accept the land of Nowhere on arrival.” Anubis raised his staff up the purple symbol glowing brightly. “Be back in a giff.”
Silvite turn around to Anubis. “What a-” A blinding flash of purple energy erupt and all was left a outline of where he once stood. “What the bloody hell!?” She looked around for him.
Gale also looked around. “Where he go?”
“I have no bloody idea...” She looked around till both of their eyes set upon Anubis walking up to them. “Good to see you two again after all this time.”
Silvite stepped right up to him and punched him hard in the gut, he cringed and bent down holding his gut. “That for disappearing on us you jackass!”
“Y-yes I know...” He managed to say slowly lifting himself up using the staff to support himself a little. “I didn't explain but I will now... I did travel 1010 years into the past to cut out this land into the shape of Nowhere before it became part of the Dragonlands. And foretold to the Dragon Lord of that time ten years later this land will be returning 1000 years to that day, which is today...”
Gale blinked and realised what he did. “You created prophecy?”
Silvite grumbled under her breath.
Anubis smirked. “Yes I did, but getting back without being noticed by myself proved a little eventful, and ended up crashing into Pom-Pom's home.” Anubis glanced to her. “That happened a year ago, and I am still repaying my debt.” He lost that smile getting a slight glare from the Silvite. “And I understand how you two got to be sisters too...”
Silvite shook her head. “This is one heck of a bloody stunt you pulled Anubis...” She glares at the Death Dragon.
Gale tilted his head. “Soooooo confused...”
Silvite crossed her arms. “I gather you prepared the dragons for Nowhere arrival with that stunt?”
“Indeed I did.” Anubis calmly said to her. “But my magic to transverse time becoming erratic of late, it took many trips through time to get back to Nowhere a year ago, Pom-Pom advised against trying to use it again.”
Gale tilted his head. “Pom-Pom? Is that your sister Kitsune?” Gale asked Silvite.
“Yes, she is.” Silvite answered. “A kitsune standing at seven feet tall, yellow with pink piecing eyes.” Silvite turn to the Dragon Lord closing in. “We'll meet her after dealing with this bloody mess Anubis put us in.”
Anubis raise a eye. “Mess? Your suggesting I created a mess?”
Silvite took a quick glare at him. “Yes... You interfered with events, gave me a life that I lived for the last 500 years, you even looked into taking it away to take Gale's magic, I can see Gale saw your start of redemption. That a small step in the right direction, but it will take more than a simple stunt like this to clear yourself with me Anubis.”
Anubis closed his eyes. “Yes I know...”
Silvite put her claw hand on the staff, Anubis looked at the silver scaled claw hand closed around it near his armoured one. “While Gale was unconscious, didn't you tell me your magic come from your staff, and it was restored by Gale's pure magic jumbo griffon event?”
Silvite let go of it, Anubis raise his staff looking over it. “My travel back to this point was far more troubling, each one became more tric...ker...” He slowly looked over to Gale. “My time travel magic is fading... How could I overlook this?”
Silvite crossed her arms. “Simple, Your a idiot.”
Anubis growled. “Idiot, I'll-” He went to cast a spell on her to get the silver scaled hand grabbing the staff.
“And you proven my point.” She smirked pushing off the staff causing him to stumble back a few steps.
Anubis magic flared for a second before fading away. “You insulting bloody dragon!”
“That I am a dragon and you are the reason for it, God of the Dead.” She slyly said back to him. “Also your dealing with a dragon that take no crap from others.” She recrossed her arms turning to face the incoming titan dragon. “At the end it all comes back to you.”
Anubis flared out some more magic in frustration. “Silver dragons...” He grumbled.
“Yep and your the reason one isn't dumb as a rock and sleep almost all the time on the biggest horde in the universe.” Silvite snarlingly responded. “Thank you for that Anubis, that another plus to the road of recover, your getting there.” She flared open her wings with a few flaps of display and closed them back up again.
Gale recalled the witty returns at his dad back in the day, another scattered memory finding it way back. “Oooo I remember that wittiness response!” Gale laughed.
Anubis rubbed the bridge of his muzzle. “I am far too old for this bloody crap...” He muttered under his breath glancing over to Torch, he then notice the smaller light blue dragon flying alongside him. “Princess Ember...”
Torch and Ember stop near the peak seeing them all. “EMBER JUST AS THE PROPHECY HAS FORETOLD!” Gale, Silvite and Anubis all looked up at Torch hovering near them with each flap blow the snow dusting around. “NOWHERE HAS RETURNED.”
Ember crossed her arms. “It has dad and there she is the silver star.” Ember's orange red slitted eyes locked into eye contact with the sapphire blue slitted eyes of Silvite, and with that Ember spoke out the words of the prophecy to them all.
“Upon the peak of Nowhere the Silver star shall shine
She shall hold up high the Torch of Embers fire to the Lord of Dragons
On the Phoenix flame a Gale of light
Nowhere will return upon the mark of Purple Flame.”
Torch lands just behind them on the plateau peak just above them wrapping his tail around the lower part, foreclaws on the ground in front of him. Ember land with a fist to the ground with a knee casing the snow to explode upwards and away showing cracked rock under her.
Torch bow his head so did Ember to Anubis. “DEATH DRAGON ANUBIS, WE WELCOME YOU BACK TO THE DRAGONLANDS ONCE MORE, HUMBLY FOR YOU TO STAND WITH US MORTALS AGAIN.”
Anubis bow his head slightly too. “As it is a honour to stand before the Dragon Lord of the Dragonlands and fellow dragons once again.”
Gale stepped up to the foreclaw of Torch looking up at him, he looked back down at the teenage. “Hi! I Gale!”
“GALE? WELL.” He laughed. “ISN'T THIS A SURPRISE, YOU ARE THE GALE OF LIGHT! BE IMPRESSED GRIFFON!”
Gale tilted his head. “How I Gale of Light? You know of pure magic I have? Why be impressed?” Gale asked in confusion.
“MAYBE IT IS LITTLE ONE, PROPHECIES AND LEGENDS ARE NOT ALWAYS WHAT THEY SEEM TO BE!”
“You I more like then big meany Thunderous.”
“THUNDEROUS YOU SAY? THE DARKEST OF DARK DRAGON LORDS, YOU ENCOUNTERED HIM?”
Anubis stepped up beside Gale with a claw hand on the back between the wings of the teen. “Indeed he did, and with his pure magic imprisoned the former Dragon Lord of times past in a marble statue form.”
Torch burst into another bellow of laughter before responding. “THIS LITTLE THING THAT LOOK SO ADORABLE DID THAT!?”
“Indeed.” Anubis looked right into the eyes of Torch. “Also he carries a black phoenix chick.”
“HMMM... THE PHOENIX FLAME... NOW THIS IS SOMETHING TRULY IMPRESSIVE AND I TORCH THE DRAGON LORD IS IMPRESSED!” He laughed once again.
Anubis frowned. “Yet you would of prated a creature as weaklings and a waste of time, even belittling the dragons you rule over it showing your strength and telling the dragons what to do, as in praise me, laugh and so on.” Torch stopped laughing with a bit of fear looking down at Anubis seeing that look the Death Dragon is giving him. “Yet you do not want me to see that when I appear.”
“NO YOU GOT IT ALL WRONG DEATH DRAGON ANUBIS! I-I-”
Anubis raise his staff it pulsing with magical purple energy. “Oh the God of Dead is wrong is he?”
Torch groans in defeat. “NO YOUR NOT...” He took a deep breath and huffed whipping his tail about.
“Just a hint of warning, the cub is also Princess Celestia's son.” Anubis smirked, Torch gulped loudly upon hearing that name. “Now your scared.”
“PLEASE FO-!”
Gale flew up to Torch with a warm smile. “Can I draw you?” Gale pulled out his pencil and drawing book interrupting the titan begging forgiveness to Anubis.
The titan dragon blinked. “DRAW?”
Gale nodded. “I draw, show and you keep! Okay?”
The pleading look Gale was giving, Torch couldn't say no to that look, it was too cute, a weapon of cuteness... “YES... GO AHEAD...” Torch said with confusion in his voice staring at the tiny griffon as he started to draw away into the book.
“Well it seems Gale's good nature wins again.” Anubis frowned. “Even studying all about the cub through time, he still is a surprising youth...” Anubis curious watched Gale do a drawing of Torch, the Dragon Lord staring at the hovering griffon and unsure what to do at this point.
Ember rolled her eyes seeing her dad been knocked down a few pegs of Dragon Lord pride by their god again, and was impressed with the teenage griffon speaking so candidly to her dad. Her interest was now set upon the legendary Silver Dragon, she stepped up to Silvite to see she was looking at the chest level of Silvite, she raised her head up to have Silvite look back down with arms crossed.
Ember crossed her arms back at Silvite trying to look a bit intimidating to the taller silver dragon. “Stories say your the Lord of Dragons, the only dragon not to take the Bloodstone spectre and on purposing greed grew to defeat our darkest evil Dragon Lord Thunderous.” She didn't seem impressed looking up at Silvite. “I would of thought you be as big as dad.” Ember hinted to Torch.
Silvite saw the sly smile Ember was giving, the egging on for a reaction, even she knew Anubis was created that whole story for Nowhere really had existed in this world when it truly never did. “I'll play along with your stupid stunt Anubis, but I am going to rip you a new one for this you bloody ass.”
The silver dragon returned her own sly smile with a calm look upon the young dragon. “One; size isn't what truly matters, but who you really are and that impression counts more.” She raise a claw hand up with one finger up, the second raised. “Two; I do not recall what I did back then, greed endorsed growth and kept like that for hundreds of years does a number on the mind, I only recall flashes and shattered memories of who I once was, only in the last 500 years or so I clearly remember.”
Her third finger raised. “Three; even I shrunk and been around this size for the last 500 years, I have no regrets and liked who I am now. I gained a quite unique sister, and even dealing with that oversized lightning throwing hot head through out those years, I created something I found true happiness and peace in my core.”
“That sound un-dragon like.” Ember curiously frowned.
Silvite uncrossed her arms turning to a bolder unleashing a burst of white fire upon it turning snow to steam and rock to molten lava slab quickly cooling from the fringed air, Silvite showed her thumb. “And finally four, I believe my strength, my flame and being proud of being quite the bad ass of a silver dragon with a hint of kindness, even to have her own legendary story to you youngsters doesn't need a stupid title of Lord of Dragons to prove how tough I am.”
Silvite turn around to Ember to punch the rocky side to cause a massive smash impact splitting damage coming from it. “Is this un-dragon to you?”
Gale curious watched Silvite's actions. “Why Silvite doing that? She strong, why show it like this?”
“It all down to dragon culture Gale, it has a very strange mix of messages that could easily get lost.” Anubis answered.
Ember stared at the cooling lava that once was a rock, and the impact point of the punch, her eyes slowly raising up to Silvite. “Now I believe you are really the Lord of Dragons.” Ember smiled.
Silvite snorted out some white flames. “That easy to impress?”
“No, your just legendary.”
Silvite rolled her eyes. “Legends are not always what they seem to be, I seem like that to you but what I am really is two different things, my home is under this mountain and not so barren as your Dragon Lands are, I guess it what dragons like, but I like what I made myself here on Nowhere.”
Ember listened to her. “Barren? It got stones that get under your claw feet, solphue fumes, lava rivers and pools, it barren to the eyes of others but this is what truly makes a dragon tough.” Ember said with a claw hand out stretched to the lands beyond.
Silvite clenched her claw hand into a fist feeling a bit frustrated with Ember. “Well Nowhere isn't like that, it has barren areas, snow, forests, mashes, desert, ruins and even large sums of water in lagoons to lakes. And with that brings creatures and many dangers that would test your metal kid.”
“Kid!? I-”
“I out live you by a factor of 100.” Silvite countered instantly. “Also as titles go, I think I'll use that Lord of Dragons and say this, I am the top dragon here on this land and what I say goes, got it you bloody little brat!?”
Ember grinned. “Now that a dragon, committed to protecting what is theirs, like my dad to the Dragon Lands! No wonder the tales from the Death Dragon Anubis that were told the new Dragon Lord over 1000 years ago w-”
“Anubis witness this event?”
“What the stories say, he used the magic to trap the land in a pocket universe by your demand, also says-”
Silvite tones out what else Ember was saying as she turn to Anubis, seeing a nervous gaze in return quickly shifting away, she walked up to Ember. “Really now?” She put a claw hand to Ember's shoulder. “Kid, thanks for telling me that.” She move the claw hand away walking towards Anubis.
Ember frowned. “Stop calling me kid!” No response and kept walking with her back Ember. “Hey don't turn your back on me!” Ember growled and got ignored, she let loose fireball from her mouth, the silver dragon calmly use her wing to deflect it harmlessly into the sky to explode, Ember stared dumbfounded by how easily Silvite reacted without even looking.
“Oh Anubis!” Silvite tone of voice gave the dragons a cold chill.
Torch felt uneasy and tense, he watched from his height the silver dragon so ever calmly walk up to Anubis. “AS THE LEGENDS FORETOLD... SHE TERRIFYING... EVEN FOR HER SMALL SIZE.” Torch thought as his watched.
Anubis gulped before responding. “Y-Yes Silvite?”
She stopped a few feet from him. “Your magic, you have a spell to silent a area?”
“I do why?”
“Oh so we can have a little chit-chat out of ear of everyone else.”
Anubis felt even more terrified of her, his heart racing. “I erm... Well...”
“I will give you two choices, you either do it or I'll snap those large horns of yours and put them whe-” Anubis quickly use his magic from the staff to create a purple translucent dome around them.
Gale and the two dragons watched as Silvite started to shot at him and point in their direction, he tried to say something but got grabbed by his horn screaming into his ear, they continue to watch and none seem to be sure what to say or even do.
“Well it seems Silvy really going to town with Anubis, I told him this would happen, she'll be at this for a hour or so, less if Anubis is lucky enough to let her rant at him.”
The female voice beside Ember made all their eyes trail over to fall upon a seven foot tall yellow kitsune sitting on her hunches, twelve tails with different colour flames shimming above each white tip of the twelve yellow tails, blue bandanna around her neck with blue braids through hair like long fur to the sides of her head.
The kitsune was eating something, she raise the forepaw up with a paper bag resting on the paw pads, the head turn with pink eyes look into the orange red ones of Ember and cheerfully said. “Like some candy? It gem flavoured.”