//------------------------------// // 9: The Black Root Burrows // Story: Ori And The Dragon In The Blind Forest // by dragonfan101 //------------------------------// Spike and Ori proceeded through the cave, they then stopped to see a dark pit which was apparently they're only way down. "It looks really dark down there..." Ori said scared. "Don't worry, I'll be right beside you" Spike said as he held his hand out, Ori then took it and they both proceeded to jump down into the darkness. Spike and Ori had then landed down next to a glowing mushroom. "Man its almost pitch black down here, i can barely see anything" Ori said worried, Spike then saw a nearby torch and got an idea, he walked over to it carefully and picked it up, he then lit it up with his fire breath making a green fire glow to the area. "This should be able to help us" Spike said as he walked back to Ori. "Good idea Spike, We should be careful we don't know where any pits or monsters could be" Sein says with caution, they then proceeded through the cave spike and ori staying close to each other. It was a bit difficult making they're way around the glowing mushrooms and occasional grass weren't enough to help with the fact that it was almost pitch black, even with the torch Spike and Ori often got surprised by a few monsters lurking down there but were able to fight them off, they then came upon some strange floating platforms and walls of light. "Are these solid?" Spike asked Sein as he proceeded to feel it. "Yes they were made to help those traverse tougher areas down here, it should help us move forward." Sein explained "Then lets be careful when moving" Ori suggested as she jumped on one Spike then followed after. They had to be careful when jumping on the platforms of light as some of them moved around the place, Spike and Ori stayed very close to each other in order not to get lost. "Man how are we gonna find our way out of here?" Spike asked worried "We'll find a way Spike" Sein tells him, they then came upon what looked like an alter with an orb of light in the middle. "Oh! This is a piece of light from the Spirit Tree! It was a gift from our kind! It was given to Naru as thanks for standing by our side" Sein tells them. "You think we can use this to help get around here" Ori asks "Yes, there should be a shrine that will help light up the area we should find it in order to get around" sein suggests, Spike and Ori both agree to it, Spike picks up the piece and they try to find the shrine. With the piece of light they found they were able to help make walls of light in they're way disappear and solidify into platforms for them to jump across, Spike had to be extra careful as the light as preventing him from doing any fighting as his hands were full. "Wow, to think magic like this exists here and not in Equestria! Celestia would be very impressed" Spike says with a smile. "Who is this " Celestia" you speak off Spike?" Ori asks her friend. "She's the princess of the Sun, she and her sister, Luna both have the power to Rise and Set both the Sun and Moon, they are both thousands of years old and have been doing this for over a millennia" Spike explained. "Wow! She sounds really powerful!" Ori said surprised. "She really is, I'm glad to have had her as an aunt of sorts because Twilight my mother figure, was her student, she learned everything from her and always did her best to make her happy" Spike says with a smile. "The Spirit tree actually knew Celestia and even met her a few times before" Sein adds in. "Really? when did that happen" Spike asks surprised with Ori wanting to know as well. "It was centuries ago, Celestia had come to visit to meet the Spirit tree as he's the source of the worlds life" Sein begins to explain. "Every couple centuries or so she would come to visit once or twice in order to help keep him strong, she would often use her magic to strengthen his light as thanks for keeping the forest and world safe, because without him the world would fall into decay, it's why its important we have to save Nibel in order to save the world, because it might reach Equestria after some time" Sein says the last part worried. "Don't worry we'll save this forest no matter what" Spike assures her with Ori agreeing as well. "He's right, the spirit tree must keep its light" Ori adds in as they continue on. They soon finally come upon the shrine which has a stature that looked like the one that they saw before they entered. "Finally! My arms were getting a little tired" Spike says as he puts the light on the shrine. The statue then proceeds to rise and the tablet spike placed the light on, the light then proceeds to glow brightly until it emits a shockwave of light and the entire area is then lit up letting them finally see clearly. "It worked!" Spike and Ori both shout happily. "Yes! Even though our light had grown weak in this haze, it lifted the darkness that held claim of this place, now we can move around faster and find our way out!" Sein says happily. Spike and Ori then look ahead and see yet another ancestral tree they then towards it. "Spike are you sure you should absorb this one as well?" We may have been lucky about the last one but this one might not be so much." Sein says worried. "If it helps save the forest and my friends, I'm willing to put myself in the danger to keep them safe" Spike says determined as he steps forward. "Eki was looking for Naru, but she was gone when he came, He was swift like the wind an d sprinted with haste, but surrounded by darkness he lost his way" Sein says sadly. "He was looking for help" Ori says sadly. "But was lost in the darkness and never found it" Spike says sad as well, they then proceeded to absorb the light, and landed with another power. "This is the Dash power, using it will help you run at a much faster pace for a small time, it will help you avoid traps and make your way around faster" Sein explains as Spike and Ori tested it out, she and Spike dashed around the area with incredible speed and they were amazed. "This is great! We'll be able to avoid those deadly traps much easier now" Ori says happily, but she and Sein hear spike groan as he falls on his knees again with his body glowing white. "Spike! Not again!" Ori says as she and Sein rushes over to him, Spikes body glows for a little bit more and it then fades away, but now a few of Spike's scales are now white and they look at him and shock. "I knew it was something we should be worried about" Ori says regretfully, but Spike then gets up. "I'm fine i don't feel any pain now" Spike says trying to calm them down. "Spike this is NOT fine, i think i know what's happening, if you continue to absorb more light, you might risk in becoming a Spirit like Ori entirely, nothing being left of your current form" Sein warns, Spike then looks at himself in shock, but he takes a deep breath and looks at them both. "Like i said before, my life before anyone else's, if i become a spirit so be it, as long as it means my friends are safe that's all i need." spike says determined. "Spike are you sure?" Ori asks worried for him. "I'm positive, my friends may be worried, but i care about them more then anything, i don't want anything bad to happen to them, so if i become a Spirit, at least it will be in order to keep them safe" Spike says with confidence. "Very well, but if you completely turn into a Spirit, we tried to warn you my friend." Sein says sadly. "It will be fine, i promise, now lets find a way to the rest of Naru's home." Spike says as he runs ahead ori then looks at Sein. "do you think he might actually become a Spirit like me?" Ori asks worried. "I don't know, nothing like this has happened before, but we could be wrong, lets hope thing ends up with a positive note" Sein says worried as she and Ori follow after Spike.