Chapter 12: Forum
“If they do break through, run as if something very nasty were after you, because something very nasty will be after you” ~The Doctor
Entry Ten:
We’ve been traveling for two days now, the mountains of the border are beginning to recede beyond the horizon behind us and before us are with rolling hills covered with a tan grass. The occasional tree stands out against the grass marking the few wet spots on a plain were little water flows. There haven’t been any attacks on the caravan since yesterday, and everyone seems a bit happier. The fledglings were playing around today, instead of staying near their parents quiet and withdrawn. For our camp tonight, we are on the top of a hill with a freshwater spring; nearby are some freshly scorched patches of earth from the training Drake and I were doing earlier.
This evening was our second attempt at tapping into the power of Greed. For now we are just attempting to induce mild growth then snap out of it. We both agreed to start with me since we knew I had done it before and he doubted we could stop him while there was a chance he could stop me before I grew too strong. Last night we got nowhere with it. Nothing happened. Drake things it might be a hoard thing, since neither of us have one. We decided to focus on other stuff after an hour of trying.
This evening however we had some success. I was just barely able to tap into my Greed by thinking of my home as my hoard. I experienced growth as intended. Unfortunately, when he tried to get me to think of Ponyville and Rarity, I went on a bit of a rampage looking for it and her. I wound up starting a fire which forced Drake to tackle me, and use me to start a back burn before he scolded me harshly enough that I snapped out of it. Most to these details are from what he told me happened. My memories of the event are pretty fuzzy. Though, they are better than my memories of the day after my birthday, when I was first and totally consumed by Greed. One detail that does stand out to me was that I was a bit bigger than Drake. Normally I’m only about three-quarters, maybe a bit more, the size of the Cider Twins.
After that, we focused of other things. A couple of Griffin saw what was going on and brought some of their own books over. To my surprise they use the same alphabet, and for the most part similar spellings as the ponies. Drake seemed intrigued by it and said something about it lending strength to the empire story he had been told. I guess that means if we find a library in these ruins we will be able to read whatever they have there. Now it is time to grab some food and rest up. Walking all day before training is exhausting.
-Spike
Entry Fourteen:
We have arrived and are now sitting on the outskirts of the ruin. It is an impressive sight to be sure. It is massive, sloping gently up a large hill and completely covering it in stone. A wall rings the ruin at the base of the hill. Although it is crumbling, it is still an impressive fortification. At the center, above all else, stands a large stone building with marble columns leading to an entryway that seems largely intact from here. It is creepy too. Nothing is moving in the ruins.
The Griffins are really nervous about being this close to it. From what I’ve heard, most of these ruins have some Ogres in them. Truly twisted creatures, or so they claim, but exceeding lazy. That isn’t important right now though because there aren’t any here. That’s why we are here. Drake is certain we can make this city a base of operations for whatever he has planned.
Speaking of Drake I think we have cracked the Greed control issue for him. It is not perfect but he gave me a list of twelve things to say: Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent. I don’t know why he picked these, he doesn’t exactly fit many of them, but we gave it a try this evening and it worked. Triggering his greed was kinda funny. We used books. That’s right, books. Apparently, Drake has a love of knowledge, kinda like a certain unicorn I know. It shouldn’t be that surprising, now that he can read, even if it is at a foals level, he reads everything he can anytime he can.
My Greed control is coming along as well. One thing we had to do was come up with a way for others to snap us out of our greed. I won’t write down here how it works for me, but sufficient to say Drake is way too creative for his own good. Flim and Flam got a laugh out of it too since Drake insisted they know how to snap us out in case we ever both fell into the control of our Greed.
Tomorrow we are going into the ruin and making straight from the center structure. We are walking the whole way as well, just Drake and I against whatever might be in there, because I can’t fly yet. I can feel my wings, I can flap them, but I am not coordinated or strong enough to fly yet. So we are going to walk right up the main road and to top it off Drake want me in Greed mode, far enough that I am as big as him until we get to the center. Tomorrow will be interesting.
-Spike
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Morning came, and with it storms blocking much of the sun’s light. As Drake and Spike prepared to enter the ruin, rain poured down, lightning flashed, and thunder crashed. The Griffins, already nervous, became fearful; nature itself seemed to be condemning their decision. Regardless of the weather, Drake was determined to go forth. He’d already waited nearly a week to reach this ruin, and he had grown increasingly curious about what was held within.
“Are you ready for this Spike,” Drake asked as he and Spike stood alone a short distance from what seemed to be the main gate to the city, getting drenched by the storm.
“Ready as I’ll ever be, but are you sure about this? What if I lose control, or you can’t snap me out of it,” Spike replied, still concerned about using Greed for this endeavor.
“Yes. If you can’t use it for this when there may well be something that can kill us inside, at least according to Swiftwing, then how will you be able to use it later?”
“I hope to be much better trained on it by then, but here goes nothing.” Spike began to focus on his desires, what did he want, what was his hoard and such as that. Not but a short moment later Spike stood shoulder to shoulder with Drake equal in size and nearly equal in strength.
“Spike, do you remember our plan and our goal,” Drake asked. You see, the more a dragon gives in to Greed the duller they become. Often forget anything aside from their base desires.
“Go center. Stay together. No get hurt,” Spike answered, proving he retained enough sense to be an asset and not a liability.
“Then off we go.” They began their trek into the city, passing through the gatehouse and into the ruin. They found nothing but crumbling buildings and rusted metal, any wood, or other less durable materials, having long since vanished with the passage of time. Here and there plant life struggled to survive amongst the stone, but it was very sparse.
Even in the desolation, there were sounds. Rain hitting stone, thunder, and, Drake was certain, footsteps belonging to something else. He couldn’t see it, the rain and dim sky reducing visibility, but he though he saw something move from time to time within the ruins. ‘Might just be nerves, might be trouble,’ Drake thought as he continued moving up the main avenue keeping all his senses peeled.
Beside Drake, Spike plodded along, the rain bugging him. Nowhere did he see gems, or other things his Greed fueled mind desired at that moment. Yet, his rational side held strong, keeping him on task and preventing him from falling further. They had gotten far enough into the ruin that, on a clear day, they would have been visible on the side of the hill to people outside the ruin, even as far away as the Griffin camp. On a clear day, there was a chance that someone from the Griffin camp would see what was moving in the side streets and alleyways. Perhaps they would warn the pair with the scale Flim and Flam still carried. Alas, the rain obscured any such views, leaving the dragons unaware of the threats gathering around them.
The city was theirs. Theirs to protect. Theirs to guard. At one time, they had protected it for someone or from someone but they no longer remembered who. The enchantments that gave them life were old, and had been passed down onto new bodies as the old ones degraded beyond usefulness. Now intruders came into their city, and intruders must die.
These were dragons, and dragons required everyone. They waited and followed as the dragons continued into the city towards the center. If they reached the library it would be too late. Fortunately the host had almost gathered; just a moment longer and all would be set right.
About two thirds of the way to the center of the ruin, Drake became certain he heard something other than rain, thunder, and the footsteps of dragon. There were sounds of metal on metal, stone on stone, and heavily weighted footsteps whispering all around them.
“Spike, get ready to run for the center of the city. If we can get in there, we should be able to defend ourselves better than out here,” Drake said to his companion, hoping it got through to him.
“Why run? What wrong?” Spike asked. He hadn’t noticed anything aside from the annoying rain which continued to fall, and the lack for gems or other things he desired.
“Something is trying to surround us. When they attack we run. Fight only to keep your path open.”
“Okays,” Spike replied. From the shadows and through the rain they came. Lighting stuck, illuminating them.
Easily nine feet tall, if not more, they were bipedal constructs of stone and rusted metal. They lacked a defined head. Instead, they had a rounded rectangle body, if any shape accurately describes it, wider at the top then the bottom. Two arms attached at the top; two legs at the bottom. The arms ended not in hands but in weapons, clubs and maces and hammers. Even swords and axes on those whose bodies were made of rusted metal. The legs ended like trees trunks without the roots; simply large circles that supported the whole weight of the constructs. Spike and Drake did not have long to marvel at these details, and consider the skill it must have took to create them. They were busy running away.
Drake shot lighting. Spike belched flame, Both swept with their tails and claws. They ran through the city, clearing the path before them in an attempt to prevent the constructs from closing in to closely. Drake roared in pain as one jumped from an alleyway into his side. It knocked him down and slammed its hammer-like arm into his gut. Drake swept at it with his claws, but it had moved up beyond their reach. It was preparing to slam its hammer down on his spine when Spike’s tail slammed into it, sending the construct flying into a building. Drake got up and continue on. It was in this fashion that the two of them made for the center of the ruin.
Hours had pasted since Drake and Spike entered the ruin, and those in the camp had no way of knowing what had become of them. As the rain poured down, Flam and Flim had taken refuge from the deluge with the Griffins in the McFarweather’s main meeting tent. They had Drake’s scale, keeping it nearby as a way to remain informed as to if he lived or not. While waiting, they listened. The Griffins shared tales among themselves as a way to stave off fear. They told tales of great feats and lost homes. As Flim and Flam listened to the tales, enjoying the peace they created, there was a roar from the ruin. Everyone stopped and listened intently. Another different roar rang out a moment later; then the first voice again not long afterwards.
“And so they are beset by the monsters that claim this place and keep it theirs,” Swiftwing said. “Let us see if they can fare better than all others who have tried to investigate or claim it before them.” The McFarweathers listened while Flim and Flam stayed in contact with the scale, still feeling it direct them to Drake, reassuring them he lived.
His side throbbed, his tail was cut, and blood leaked from his claws where repeated blows to the constructs had hurt him as badly as it hurt them. Beside him, Spike fared no better, suffering many similar injuries. Drake’s lightning had proved more effective against the constructs, seeming to interrupt whatever magic powered them, but Spikes flames still did the job. At last, the central structure was in sight; just a short distance away. Yelling at Spike to push it out, Drake burst into a sprint, digging deep to get out of the open. Spike followed a step behind, hoping the threshold to the structure would deliver him from the pain he felt.
As they crossed into what seemed to be a courtyard or perhaps a plaza before the building, the constructs backed off. When they reached the entryway, Drake noticed the constructs had stopped pursing them. Instead they took up posts surrounding the plaza. They had the dragons trapped, but refused to enter the plaza to bring them down.
Turning to Spike, Drake decided it was time to have him return to normal. Whatever was in the building, Drake preferred a fully sensible, if smaller, Spike with him rather than the brute he had beside him now.
“Ok Spike, time to snap out of it,” Drake said. He looked to see if Spike could break free of Greed on his own, or if he would have assist him.
Spike heard Drake’s words, and entered a mental battle with himself. His Greed side insisted that he didn’t need to give it up. The power it offered would allow him to gather riches; more than he could comprehend. If he gave in further, he could overpower Drake and have anything he wanted. His rational side argued that the Greed had served its purpose. It was time to return to normal. He needed to trust Drake so he could keep training. Training he need to return to Ponyville and his friends. Plus, he didn’t want Drake to put those images in his head.
Just as Drake was preparing to snap Spike out of it, the dragon in question shrunk down to his new normal size, and shook his head to chase away the dizziness the process invoked. “Okay, all good let’s see what’s in this place.”
“Very well. Shall we,” Drake said, motioning towards the entryway before stepping off and crossing the threshold into the unknown yet again. Spike followed a moment later and was stunned. This building, this center of the city was a massive library. Rows upon rows of books and scrolls turned into floors of books and scrolls as Spikes eye adjusted to the dark interior, letting him look around better. Noticing that Drake had continued onwards into the library, Spike jogged to catch up. He saw they were following the main aisle towards something he couldn’t quite make out.
Drake saw what he was heading for, and it brought up more questions than it answered. At first, he’d merely been walking down the main aisle. He was astounded this building was a library. Even more astoundingly, its contents seemed to be intact. As he got further in, he noticed a round desk, or perhaps information center, at the center of the library. What threw him for a loop was in a chair facing the main door. Sitting in the chair was the body of a gray Minotaur with a massive beard flowing down its front. When Drake reached the desk, Spike asked the question that was on both their minds.
“Is it alive?”
“Only one way to find out,” Drake said, pointing to a small bell and hammer sitting on the desk. Spike took the hint and rang the bell. What happened next shocked them both to their very core.
“Welcome to the Grand Library of the Empire of Order, I am the Custodian. How can I help you today,” said the body as it stood up and dusted itself off. As Drake and Spike stood stunned, Spike burped up a letter, adding to the growing silence in the library.
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