The Tower Part 1:
Old Legends
Three Guards led the elements and Faust through the palace. The journey was oddly quiet, only Pinkie oohing or aahing at this or that breaking the silence. Faust glanced at the pink party pony for a moment, then rolled her eyes with a smirk. It was nice to see that the Sea-Ponies had endured. Then thousand years had destroyed many civilizations. Either having been completely erased, or simply changed. Many species she'd befriended in ancient days had been lost, Fur-Bobs, the Bushwoolies, The Stonebacks, the Grundles, and the Flutter Ponies. But, at least the Sea-Ponies had endured.
It was a small victory, but still a victory in her mind.
"So Faust, what's your tower like?" Rainbow suddenly questioned, breaking the ancient mare from her thoughts. Faust regarded the prismatic pegasi for a moment, then tilted her head with a frown.
"What do you mean?" the ancient alicorn questioned. The prismatic pegasi gave a grunt and shot the older mare a look.
"Oh c'mon! We've been hearing about the Tower all day, yet we have yet to really learn much of anything about it!" the cyan mare exclaimed.
"U-um, if it's not too much trouble, I'm a b-bit curious as well, you know, if that's okay," Fluttershy timidly admitted.
"I have to admit, I've been curious about this 'tower' of yours since hearing about it," Twilight admitted with a sheepish grin.
"Oh yes Darling, you simply must tell us all about it," Rarity pleaded with a flutter of her eyes. Applejack merely grunted, while Pinkie hummed happily. The apple-mare was more interested in getting to the tower and out of all this water. So long as she wasn't beneath tons of water, she could care less what they were getting into. Pinkie, well, Pinkie was just being Pinkie as she often did.
"Ah," Faust commented and then hummed thoughtfully. "Well, my tower is approximately two-hundred stories tall at it's best, with several lower levels, has over a thousand rooms, dozens of halls, a four floor library, a two floor record room, a map-room, a fully functioning alchemical lab, an observatory," that admission caused Twilight to slow and begin to drool, "an entire cellar filled with some of the best cider of the passed ten thousand years," Rainbow's eyes glazed over as a grin crossed her face, "a conservatory, a servants quarters, indoor hot spring, indoor pool," the ancient alicorn continued.
"a scullery, sitting room, lounge, entry hall, long gallery, a Colosseum, about three dozen bedrooms, pantry, kitchen, more than five hundred secret passages, a few hundred rooms I barely know the use of, a Hall of Echoes, a Trophy Room, a room that's basically just stairs going in random directions into infinity," Pinkie blinked and then giggled something about 'crazy stairs', "a room that's literally made of stardust and starlight, a room filled with portraits of some of the most famous ponies in history, a room that's a scale model of the world, the Golden Door," Faust continued, much to the ponies shock.
"Oh wow, your tower is, uh, really really big," Pinkie noted with wide eyes.
"Huh, oh yeah, I guess it is," Faust replied sheepishly. "Honestly, there are probably more rooms I'm forgetting, and a couple I've just never found," the mare admitted with a shrug.
"How in Celestia's name did you build it?" Twilight demanded with wide eyes. "Canterlot alone took over a hundred years of work done by hundreds of unicorns, pegasi, and earth-ponies to build!" the little lavender mare exclaimed. "Meanwhile your tower can potentially hold Canterlot, Cloudsdale, and Ponyville combined! The kind of time and the labor force needed to build your tower is immeasurable, you'd have to have thousands of ponies working together to build the place, and that's only the actual floors, I can't even imagine with the added lower levels!" the purple pony exclaimed with wide eyes.
"Yeah, well Majesty and I actually did a lot of the work ourselves," Faust admitted with a quiet smile. She closed her eyes for a moment to remember how it had been back then. Even when she'd been working to help her ponies finish the tower, it'd been so nice to be with Majesty. Before Twilight could question her further, the guards suddenly turned to them.
"Alright, here we are," one of the guards stated. The elements plus Faust looked to see that they had been stopped in front of a large ornate door. Unlike the other doors they had seen, this one more closely resembled a large hatch for some kind of portcullis. It was made of the same odd blue stone and silver as most of the castle, yet it had what appeared to be an onyx depiction of Faust's Cutie-Mark / Symbol.
"I know this probably isn't the best time, but what is this blue stone we keep seeing everywhere?" Pinkie suddenly questioned with a frown. "I may not know much, but I know rocks, and I've never seen a stone that's actually blue before!" the pink party pony declared. The trio of guards rolled their eyes and their leader, a blue / black mare, swam forward.
"It's actually just Lapis Lazuli," the mare replied calmly, a slight quirk of her lips in an almost smile.
"I've never heard of Lapis before," Pinkie admitted with a confused stare.
"It's not common in Equestria, it's native to Zebra lands," Faust explained, a slight frown across her face. Two of the guards nodded and swam to either side, working with an old rotating lever system to move the door to the tunnel. The third guard, whom seemed to be the leader, nodded her head.
"Yeah, we've actually had a few dealings with the Zebra, the Lapis was something our queen liked so we traded them some things for it," the guard explained with a shrug. Faust suddenly snorted and giggled at the admission. In her mind, no pony was dumb enough to actually trade anything for Lapis. It was one of the most notoriously useless stones in existence.
"You traded for Lapis?" Faust asked incredulously. She took a moment to stifle a laugh, then smirked at the guard playfully. "Okay, what did you trade for 'em? And please don't tell me it was silver," the ancient alicorn pleaded, Silver, unlike Gold, was actually a very useful metal. It wasn't soft and weak like Gold, and it was easier to enchant. Certainly gold was more abundant, as Equestria's basic currency was Gold Bits, but Silver was far more useful.
"Nah," the guard replied with a wave of one hoof. Faust nodded her head, happy that the sea-ponies had at least some sense. "It was actually a bunch of chests of gemstones, we have less use for them down here," she finished, causing the ancient alicorn to groan.
"You mean to tell me that you actually traded gemstones for one of the most useless ores in existence? And that you're actually using it in construction?" Faust demanded of the guard with a confused expression. "I mean sure, it's really pretty and all, but the walls must be really weak, especially with how much of it you've used down here," the ancient alicorn noted with a frown. The guard pony merely rolled her eyes, glanced back at the door and frowned. It seemed that time had not been good on the old doorway. While they had taken great care of it, it still required far too much time to open.
"It's actually really easy to enchant," the mare admitted with a shrug.
"So you mean this palace is enchanted?" Twilight questioned of the guard. She merely nodded her head, then turned to Rainbow Dash as the mare looked her over.
"Say, how come none of you look alike?" the mare questioned with a frown. The guard raised a brow and glanced to Faust for an explanation. The ancient alicorn sighed and rubbed her forehead with a hoof.
"Princess Celestia and Luna have given their Guards enchanted armor that gives the appearance that all of their guards are identical," Faust explained with a shrug. The guard hummed and nodded her head in understanding, then turned to face Rainbow Dash.
"We don't do that down here, our armor is enchanted but instead of useless aesthetic spells we enchant them to be stronger and lighter," the mare stated. Rainbow frowned for only a moment, then shrugged her shoulders. She could kind of see how the idea of making the armor stronger and lighter made more sense. Especially since it was probably hard to tell all the guards apart.
"Um, ma'am, w-would you mind telling us your name?" Fluttershy questioned, and then backed up behind Faust, "I-if that's okay," she finished timidly. The guard merely smiled, and nodded her head.
"My name is Radiant Corral, Queen Aquaria's guard captain, but most every pony just calls me RC," the blue mare replied with a smirk. Pinkie suddenly giggled and jumped over to the mare.
"Arcee huh? Nice name, makes a lot of sense what with Orion back home," the pink mare declared and then bounced away. The sea-mare raised a brow and looked to the other elements.
"It's just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie," the group droned flatly, Faust releasing a sigh when they did. That saying was quickly becoming the bane of her existence. She honestly liked the pink party pony, but it seemed like she broke reality and did strange things where ever she went.
"Uh right," RC replied with a frown, then turned as the door finally opened. "In any case we better roll out," the sea-captain stated and motioned her fellow guards over. The two nodded and quickly spun around Faust and the elements, creating a bubble around them once more.
"Hey! What's with this junk again?" Rainbow demanded as she looked to the captain. "I thought these necklaces let us breath down here?" the prismatic pegasus questioned with a frown. RC merely rolled her eyes and then swam forward and shot the cyan mare a look.
"You don't need us, it's just faster if we push you to the tower," RC stated flatly. Rainbow blinked for a moment, made an oh with her mouth and then smiled sheepishly. That made sense.
"So you girls will just push us all the way to the tower?" Faust questioned with a worried frown. She knew that Sea-Ponies were much like the 'pegasi of the sea' in many ways. But she worried that they didn't have the stamina for such a lengthy journey, unlike the pegasi.
"We'll be fine," RC replied curtly and then shot forward. The other two guards followed her lead and all three spun around the bubble. Rainbow instantly noticed that the guards were far faster than Bubbles and the others had been. This was further proven when they shot off with twice the speed of the three civilian sea-ponies. With their transportation taken care of, Faust sighed and looked around to the elements.
"So, what do you girls want to do to pass the time?" Faust questioned as she sat down to rest for a moment. The other six mares looked amongst themselves for a moment before Pinkie hopped forward.
"Ooh ooh! How about a story Faustie!" the pink party pony cried with a grin. The other five mares slowly nodded their heads in agreement. A smile worked it's way across the ancient alicorn's face as she hummed for a moment.
"What kind?" Faust questioned with a smile. The six mares quickly looked between themselves and thought for a moment, before Pinkie clicked her tongue.
"Well, Fluttershy already got to suggest a story," the pink party pony noted while looking to the butter yellow mare. Rarity nodded her head, remembering how that had gone. However she then frowned when she remembered the story of Majesty. Much as she didn't want to admit it, she had had a story as well.
"I must admit that I've also had a story of my own," the marshmallow unicorn admitted sheepishly. Twilight raised a brow, she honestly wondered about the stories that Faust had told her friends. Besides the fact that Faust was ten-thousand years old, she was also Celestia's mother. While it'd been rare when she was a filly, Celestia had always told some of the most amazing stories. The little lavender unicorn honestly had to wonder if perhaps Faust had told those stories to her teacher. If so, then what other stories did she have? Then again, she'd technically gotten a 'story' of her own as well.
'At least if you count that imaginary world she made for me a story, it was certainly an interesting adventure,' Twilight mused to herself. She then frowned as she wondered if that did count as a story. True, it'd been an adventure all it's own, it'd been inventive, and she'd been surprised by it all, but did that count as a story? The weight of her pendant caught her attention and she glanced down with a frown. Much as she would like to hear a story from the mare, she could admit that the strange lesson had been it's own tale. Though, now she was curious about the necklace again.
"I guess I technically had a story as well," the little lavender unicorn mused with a sigh. One hoof idly tapped the necklace, while Pinkie, Rainbow and Applejack looked to one another.
"Okay, so it's between me, Pinkie, and AJ then," Rainbow guessed. Faust silently nodded her head and the three ducked and started to talk in hushed whispers. The ancient alicorn silently closed her eyes and swiveled her ears to listen to the three. Applejack didn't seem very enthusiastic about hearing a story. Pinkie and Rainbow however were. The apple-mare allowed them to argue as she went to the side and tried to calm her nerves. The ivory alicorn frowned as she realized the orange mare was still scared of drowning.
Regardless the ancient alicorn returned to listening to Pinkie and Rainbow. The two talked and talked, they bounced ideas around and then ultimately Rainbow suggested one to Pinkie. The pink party pony was confused and then curious, thus agreed to the idea. Rainbow pumped a hoof and turned around to face Faust with a wide grin.
"Alright Faust, how 'bout a scary story?" Rainbow questioned with a grin. Fluttershy immediately yelped and jumped over to hide under one of the ancient alicorn's wings. Faust silently raised a brow as she looked to the butter yellow mare, then turned to regard Pinkie and Rainbow.
"Why a scary story?" she questioned honestly. As far as she knew, the two should have picked a comedy to lighten the mood. True, she was giving them a choice in what story she would tell. But a scary story from her was like asking her to retell the worst monster in Equestrian history.
"'cause we're already on an adventure so that would be redundant, Flutters got a slow story, Rarity probably got a romance or something, and knowing Twilight she asked about the princesses or something," Rainbow began, which got her looks from the said mares, "so we figured we'd go with something exciting, and what's more exciting than a scary story?" the prismatic pegasus finished with a grin.
"Yeah, besides that, my favorite uncle is Death itself, my favorite holiday is Nightmare Night, and I love spooky stuff! Just cause I like seeing ponies smile doesn't mean I have to have comedy all the time. Sometimes being scared is fun too," the pink party pony added with a smile. Faust merely rolled her eyes and then hummed, a thoughtful frown crossing her lips.
"The Deathly Hallows," she offered casually. However Twilight frowned and looked at her when the story was mentioned.
"I remember that one, I researched it for school once," the little lavender mare noted. "My classmate Harry actually had one of them too," she added with a shrug. Pinkie and Faust glanced to one another at that, then the ivory alicorn cleared her throat and clicked her tongue.
"The Rainbow Factory?" Faust considered aloud. Rainbow's snout curled and she huffed with a frown.
"No way!" the prismatic pegasi cried with flared wings. Her friends looked to her strangely and she shifted nervously for a moment. She then cleared her throat and crossed her forelimbs over her chest. "That's more of a song anyways," the cyan mare stated with a huff. Faust rolled her eyes and then clicked her tongue, idly going over her mental list of stories. She also made a note to clear some of them out, as it seemed she had far too many. Or at least she would find a way to better organize the stories.
"Right, Godfather Mort?" the ancient alicorn suggested. However Pinkie widened her eyes and rapidly shook her head.
"We are so not hearing a true story about what happened to my Uncle Rudy!" the pink party pony stated. That got looks from her friends, while Faust rolled her eyes.
"Alright, alright, so how about the Story of The Blanks?" the ivory mare continued. Applejack suddenly shuddered and rapidly shook her head.
"Not only have ah heard 'at one, but it hits a might too close ta home," the apple-mare stated with a shudder. Faust frowned and blew a breath into her mane. She also had to wonder why these ponies all had something against her stories.
"Fine!" the mare grumbled and rubbed her face tiredly. Fluttershy was holding out on the hope that Faust couldn't think of a story to tell. That way she wouldn't be utterly terrified by whatever story she told. "Then how about 'The Tree-Mane'," the ancient alicorn suggested tiredly. The other mares blinked and looked at her in confusion. Even Fluttershy was a bit curious about the story, still scared, but curious nonetheless. None of them had ever heard of a story by that name before.
"Tree-Mane? What's a tree-mane?" Rainbow questioned as she scratched her mane. Faust smirked and then allowed her magic to flow as the light within the bubble seemed to dim. Much as it had done in Rarity's home. A moment later an eerie fog formed within the bubble. The ancient alicorn closed her eyes and a white portal seemed to form in the center of the bubble, the other mares silently sitting around it. Fluttershy however stayed beneath Faust's wing, quietly looking out as the portal showed old Equestria.
"Once upon a time, in the age where Griffons and Ponies warred with one another, a scout team of four griffons were lost in a storm," the ancient alicorn began. "The five flew for what felt like days, lost and alone, until finally they were released in a place no pony nor griffon had trotted in ages. The land was barren on all sides, the water undrinkable, the sky dark and gloomy, cast in eternal twilight. Only a dim and dismal light could even hope to enter that horrid place, it was a land with only death, and yet the griffons wandered to a nearby forest," the ivory mare whispered with a smirk.
Much as it had been for rarity, the story was shown within the portal. However this time, they could see details of each object as if it were real. The five griffons were individuals, none of whom seemed familiar to the mares. They were even dressed in armor that was appropriate for the time-period, something Twilight took note of. In fact, the little lavender unicorn frowned as she thought something about the story sounded really familiar. She could almost swear that she'd heard it, or even a version of it somewhere before.
"Not even the forest was alive, the bark of the trees was pallor gray, the trees themselves were tall and skinny, and bore only blackened leaves. They reached height into a canopy that blocked out the feint light. Beneath their branches it was as if the griffons had wandered into the night, for the light that shined through was almost as stars in it's scarcity. Onward the griffons wandered, searching for some sign of life. Yet none was to be found in that barren place. When Night finally fell, there was no stars that night, only darkness." Faust continued. The elements silently watching the story unfold.
"They rested for the night, eating from what little supplies they carried with them, and come morning they continued to search. As the day waned they stopped and decided that they would need light, warmth and shelter. One of the griffons pulled an axe from his back and set about chopping down a tree. The first fell, and a great howl tore through the forest, a shriek that could deafen any griffon or dragon," the mare continued, taking a brief moment to glance at the elements. Fluttershy was the only one scared of the story thus far, but then again it was only just beginning.
"Come night the griffons had light and warmth, they heated their meager supplies and ate. Their rest was fitful, but none more so than the axe-griff among them. His mind was plagued by horrible dreams and worrisome thoughts, and soon he awoke with a fright. In the distance he saw a figure, pale as the moon and staring at him silently. He rose up, but rather than awake his fellows, instead he hefted his axe and grabbed a bit of wood in his beak. He lit the wood and rushed into the brush, seeking out the pale being," Faust continued, a soft and steady beat echoing in her own and the elements' ears.
"The axe-griff wandered through the forest, he sought out the strange figure relentlessly. Yet every time he thought he'd caught it, the figure would vanish among the trees. Onward and onward the griffon sought after the pale figure. Through the brush and trees, he sought it out yet a feeling told him to turn back. He searched and he searched, till the night grew dark and cold. His torch lit so little, and soon his feeling of unease grew worse. He found the being and watched it from a distance, shocked by what he had found," Faust continued, then closed her eyes, an odd sound echoing with the beat.
"A tall white tree, unlike any of the others stood high like a beacon in the night. His eyes scanned for the pale figure, certain he had seen it, yet not a sound echoed in the dark. Then, a rustle of leaves and a groan of old wood as a pair of branches reached down. The griffon yelped in fright, swinging his axe wildly as the branches hefted him up. With a sudden snap the branches knocked his axe away. His next and last sight what appeared like a gnarled and mottled head of a pony, no face to speak of, only endless white..." Faust continued as Rainbow's pupils dilated, she knew this story.
"Come morning, the axe-griffs' fellows awoke with a fright, a shriek echoed out and sounded in the distance. In an instant they left to find their lost comrade. They searched for three days and three nights for their friend, yet all they would find of him was his axe. On the fourth day, they rested once more, two of them wandering into the forest alone as the last prepared the fire. The two wandered deep into the forest and cut down another tree for more wood. Another unearthly shriek tore through the forest and chilled the griffons to their bones," Faust whispered as the noise grew worse than before.
"Spooked by the sound they quickly turned around to make their way back to camp. But alas for them for in the distance, a figure pale and white. In an instant the younger axe-wielder of the two rushed after the white figure, his fellow quickly chasing after him. The older griff rushed through the brush and trees, soon finding himself all alone. The hour grew late, the sky grew dark once more, and the sounds of voices echoed. He searched high and low for the younger griff, till suddenly he was attacked," Faust said suddenly, the elements yelping and falling back.
"Biting and clawing he struggled and fought, though his assailant was quick and strong. They turned and twisted on the ground, till the old griff knocked the other away. With a screech and a lunge he slashed at his enemy, drawing blood. He bit and he clawed until it was done, the enemy silent and still. Only then did he realize, with horror and guilt, that it was the young griff he had killed," the ancient alicorn stated quietly, a whisper added to the increasing noise. The beat was still there, like a heart, yet added to it were many other sounds that unnerved the little ponies around her.
"He reared and he squawked, then brought his face down into the dirt. Then his eyes went wide, his ears swiveled to the side. A rustle, and snap, and the old griff turned with a snarl, wings flared and claws let loose. He looked for the source, and yet of course, nothing was there at all. His breathing came in labored breaths as he tried to see where it was. Then with a yelp he was hefted from the earth, and as his fellow before, he met with a pale ponies face. Taller than before it stood in the armor of his fellow, then in an instant, all was silent and still, the pale pony and griff were gone," Faust continued.
"Much as before, the last of the griffs awoke, this time all alone. He searched for his fellows, he searched high and he searched low. But this time, the thing did not wait. In the day it appeared in the distance it stood, staring and silent. The griff, all alone felt no compulsion to chase and so ran away instead. He ran through the forest, away from the thing, yet every where he turned, it was there. A lowly drone echoed amongst the trees, a quiet groan, a horrid moan, as the creature stalked its prey. The longer he ran and the more often he saw it, the taller the thing would grow. Soon he was alone, the night coming once more, but unlike his fellows he found a place," Faust continued and then smirked.
"A grand old tower stood in the forest, piercing the very heavens like a sword. He cared little for such things, instead he clawed and he pounded against the doors. He tried desperately to alert someone inside. He turned here and there, as the thing came near, closer and closer. Soon he lost his strength, and so he fell down, shaking and shivering in the cold. He turned to the thing which stood on six branches. It's gnarled and mottled head tilted to one side, gleaming griffon armor protecting it's hide. Then at long last, the final griffon was lost, and the thing had won," Faust stated as the noises suddenly ended.
"Years later one was found, lost in the griffon lands. Skinny and weak, driven mad by his fears, he spoke only in gibberish. The Griffon king himself spoke with the mad-griffon only once, and learned only one thing from his ramblings. A warning of a fearsome creature hidden in the trees. His warning was passed to young chicks and cubs, so all would know his tale. Beware the Black Forest, for within it is a thing, a pony yet also not, body pale and white, in armor that gleams and with branches that grasp and reach, the Tree-Mane is a fearsome sight. Beware young ones, for he is still there, merely watching and waiting among the trees. Watching and waiting for thee," the ancient alicorn finished with a bow of her head.
The light returned to normal, and the fog dissipated within the bubble. The elements instantly calmed, the portal fading as Faust smiled at them all. "That was actually a pretty scary story," Rainbow admitted with a shudder. Gilda had told her a version of that story, more modern, the creature called 'Slender'. There were no references to the massive dead forest, to the strange tower, and their had only been one griffon. The ancient version was more frightening, four griffons trapped in a dark forest. Each of them lost in the span of what seemed like a week. One driven to madness, the others simply gone.
"Perhaps, but what happened to the other three griffons?" Twilight inquired curiously.
"No pony knows, the Tree-Mane simply took them," Faust replied honestly.
"W-well darling, I must agree with Rainbow Dash, that was most certainly a frightening tale," Rarity admitted with a shudder. Pinkie suddenly giggled to herself and hopped over to Faust, taking a brief moment to look at the trembling Fluttershy. The butter yellow mare was shaking so bad that she had pulled Faust's wing over top her body to hide. The pink party pony giggled quietly to herself and then turned back to her friends with her usual wide grin.
"Well I thought it was a great story," Pinkie declared with a smile. Her friends clearly didn't share the pink party ponies enthusiasm. While Rainbow liked scary stories, she at least had a limit to how much scary / creepy she could take. Pinkie on the other hoof had no such limit, and seemed to love creepy and scary things just as much as she liked sweets. Clearly that was really saying something about the party pony.
"In any case," Twilight began with a frown, "perhaps Faust should tell us about her tower," the little lavender unicorn suggested. Faust nodded her head, glanced to Fluttershy and then thought about what else she could tell them about her tower. The ancient alicorn furrowed her brow and closed her eyes, tapped her chin and thought hard about what they may need to know. Not only to locate Celestia and Luna, but also so they didn't wake something up by accident...
Deep within the tower, the Golden Door shuddered. It shook and then from within it a dark shadow crawled out. It was the same shadow that had once whispered to Nightmare. The shadow grinned evilly and then hid in plain sight. A moment later a massive claw reached out of the golden door. The door itself almost seemed to grow, or the being within it shrank, as it pulled its way free. The beast slithered out of the door like a great serpent. The shadow grinned as it watched the beast come out of it's prison at long last.
Soon the massive body of an enormous green dragon pulled itself free. It took a moment to shake it's body and stretch once it was free from the door. It's body was oddly small for a dragon, its underside a dull orange color. Upon it's head rested a crown and great jewels were worn around it's neck. It's wings seemed strangely small on its frame and were ripped and tattered from age. The ancient beast glared about with dangerous crimson red eyes. It's forked tongue flicked out as it crawled into the tower.
"Where am I?" the ancient beast questioned. Its voice was little more than a guttural rumble that could easily shake stone. It then halted as the halls of the tower seemed to grow to accommodate its size. Admittedly he was not the largest dragon in the world, but he was certainly larger than the average pony. The dragon king frowned and stalked away from the golden door. It's tail twisted and flicked from side to side. The shadow that had lured him out of the Golden Door grinned to itself. It had a great many plans for this tower, but it's primary concern would be keeping Faust and the others busy.
So who better to keep them busy than the Dragon King?
The shadow chuckled darkly as the ancient king marched forward. It glanced here and there as it traveled through the hall it found itself in. The ancient king was unsure how he should react to his sudden freedom. In ages long passed he had been freed for a time, only to return back to the 'Land of Legends' shortly after. He had had a reason for his return of course, within that realm he was virtually immortal. His subjects were the many beings who existed in that land. Yet as centuries passed he had come to despise his captivity, and longed to return to the destructive ways of his youth.
However his thoughts, and those of the shadow, died at a sudden deafening roar. The sound alone reverberated out through the tower and shook it in its entirety. The sound brought a sudden chill down the dragon king's back, yet he steeled his nerves all the same. "Another of my kind?" the dragon king questioned. However the monstrous roar came once more. Although ancient, the Dragon King had not aged since he was trapped within the Golden Door. He was every bit as powerful as he had been, and every bit as wise as well. The sound of the roar rumbled and echoed in a deep terrible tremor.
"Big, very big," the dragon king whispered with a frown. His eyes then widened as the enormous magenta dragon appeared down the hall from him. The halls even shifted and grew even larger than they had been before. The beast was perhaps double his size and length, it had crushing jaws and dagger like teeth, enormous wings and sharpened claws that were more like razors. The enormous dragon saw him and narrowed its eyes dangerously. The dragon king felt a grin cross his features as he crouched and prepared himself.
The beast wasted no time, nor did it charge, instead it opened it's mouth and expelled a stream of flame. The dragon king rolled out of the way of the flames, his eyes quickly darting back to the beast. Unlike most dragons, who 'blew' their fire out of their mouth, this beast had to keep its jaws open in order to breath fire. He inwardly assumed that the heat from its flames was too great for its mouth to contain. That didn't help him much, the creature was physically bigger, its flames hotter, and its body built for utter destruction. The chances for him to survive such a fight were slim to none...
But he lived for such odds, to partake in such a one sided battle.
He had not been named the dragon king because he was smartest or biggest of the dragons. He had been named dragon king because he'd beaten down all who opposed him. After that, he had managed to stomp any and all who had dared to challenge him for his crown. Not long after he'd gotten bored, thus started to attack ponies at random for his own amusement. That was until he'd been trapped inside of the Golden Door. Within that place the legends and myths of the world came to life. They could never die, and some had been true challenges to his might. It'd been a perfect world for him.
And now, when he was bored of that world, he found a new challenge just waiting for him. His grin widened and smoke drifted from his snout. The opposing Dragon let out a rumbling roar and then lunged at him. Its eyes narrowed on him dangerously while the dragon king smirked to himself. The dragon king lunged forward at the same time, and slid underneath the beast. He rolled slightly and landed on all fours behind it, the massive dragon stumbling as it tried to turn and face him.
Small he may be, but he was faster than most dragons. The dragon king lunged at the larger beast and leaped onto its back and tried to bite into its neck. However he grunted in pain as his teeth could find no purchase. The beasts hide was thick, too thick for even him to bite through. However it managed to bite into his tail and threw him from its back. The beast then inhaled and breathed a torrent of fire at the dragon king. He cursed and rolled out of the way, his crown falling from his head where it was melted down into smoldering junk.
The dragon king snorted and narrowed his eyes on the massive beast. He had no love for his crown, in fact he felt it and his necklace were worthless. Unlike other dragons who were ruled by there greed and the size of mountains, he just wanted to fight. That was all he desired, to tear down anything that thought he was too weak to rule. He didn't need or even want to have a hoard. All that mattered was that he defeated any and all challengers. Right now, he had a challenger, and he was looking forward to defeating him.
The shadow watched the two dragons for a moment, then quickly left the two dragons to fight. He was a shadow, there and gone in a flash. But the light of their fire was deadly to him. He couldn't risk stray fire destroying him when he was so close to his goal. He slithered and slunk down the many halls of the tower in search of one of the older creatures trapped within the tower. His shadows slipped under doors to look inside of rooms to find what he was seeking. He passed dozens of doors, ignored the sounds of battle from the warring dragons, and soon found his prize.
He slipped into a large chamber and found dozens of old crystals. The remains of 'Lavan' a demonic entity from the past. It had been one of many creatures to be annihilated by the ponies of Dream Valley. However he knew of some who had survived the ages. The Dragon King was but one of those creatures. Squirk the undersea octopus had also survived, though had been banished to the bottom of the sea where he was held prisoner by the Sea-Ponies. He had been greatly weakened by his defeat, and without his 'FlashStone Amulet' was utterly powerless.
The Flashstone Amulet would have made an excellent tool for him to use against his enemies. However there was an unfortunate problem with the Flashstone Amulet. It had been one of the artifacts lost to the creation of the Elements of Harmony. Another survivor of that age was Arabus, a storm demon, who had been trapped somewhere in the tower by Faust. However he was in no hurry to find that creature. It devoured shadows and he was in no way foolish enough to meet with such a creature. No, he was not that foolish, and he doubted anyone in his place would look for such a being.
That was why he was making his way passed the broken remains of Lavan. Placed in this room as a deterrent to anyone dumb enough to face Faust. He had to admit, while the mare was a bit too noble for his liking, she still had some ruthlessness in her. Yet that was of little consequence to him. He grinned to himself and shot further into the tower, he had a certain 'old goat' he needed to visit. After all, he had been the only creature in existence to ever match Majesty in terms of raw magical power and the use there of...
Light Bringer decided that he really hated caves. The dark and dismal place he trotted was barren of life save for that of the malformed creatures. His hoof steps echoed out in the depths of the cave as he traveled. His single glowing eye glanced here and there the further he went. He was concerned about encountering more of the creatures, and did not want them to surprise him in the tunnels. He followed the glow regardless, and knew that it was not from an exit. Something else had made the shining glow, and he was curious about it.
It was on his way, that was reason enough to investigate. He only hoped that he wouldn't waste any time on this search. His ears twisted and swiveled around in search of even the slightest of sounds. He listened intently for any indication of one of the creatures approaching. The shadows shifted around him, yet still the light beckoned the undead stallion closer. He knew not what produced the light, but he was intent on finding out what it was. His armored hooves made several splashes in the water of the tunnel as he continued on his way.
He noticed the shifting shadows all around him and narrowed his eyes. It was clear that the creatures would soon be coming out of hiding. Once they did, the undead stallion had little doubt he'd be swarmed by them. After all, that was the only kind of strategy the creatures really knew. He glanced to the side, the shadows became more and more persistent as the moved all around him. He turned his eyes back to the light in the distance and narrowed his eyes. He wondered what it could be and why it was in these tunnels?
Better yet, why were the creatures keeping their distance?
It was obvious that they were too. They stayed away from the water, merely watching him as he trudged through it down into the cavern. Their sickly glowing eyes glared at him from the shadows and his own glared right back at them. He had no fear of these creatures. He pitied them at best, and at worst he was merely apathetic to their existence. Regardless, the fact that they were keeping a distance unnerved him. He glanced around to find a reason, but besides the fact that the water was unnaturally fresh, he could see nothing that would cause such odd behavior.
Wait a second.
His magical senses suddenly alerted him to an odd feeling in the water. He slowed but did not stop as his senses picked out the feeling. There was dust in the water, Flutter-Pony dust to be perfectly precise. How it could possibly be in the water when Flutter-Ponies hadn't existed for millenia was a mystery to him. Their dust was an interesting substance to say the very least. It was able to remove parasitic magic, destroy corrupting influences, and even helped plants grow. Their dust had also been an integral part in the defeat of the Smooze.
It had covered the Smooze to remove its hold, and their 'Utter-Flutter' had then blown the creature away. Without the Flutter-Ponies dust, the Smooze would've clung to the land and likely never been stopped. Even without the 'Utter-Flutter' of the Flutter-Ponies, their dust was necessary to defeat him. A number of Pegasi could potentially do the same as the Flutter-Ponies so long as they had access to their dust. 'So how did it end up down here?' the undead stallion internally wondered to himself.
He frowned and then glanced back to the creatures. One tried to come at him, but it hissed as the water burned its body. He felt another moment of pity for them. Their bodies had been so completely ravaged by corrupting magics that the mere presence of Flutter-Pony Dust was like acid to them. It was a sorry fate that these creatures had found themselves in. Light-Bringer frowned as the dust had no effect on him at all. His entire body should've burst into flame by this point. Yet instead the water was refreshing and cool.
'Best not to question it,' the undead stallion decided as he continued on his way. A second later he looked on and braced himself. Their was a pulse of magic before a burst of Flutter-Pony dust was sent out from the source of light in the distance. The creatures cried out in agony as it seared their flesh and slowly destroyed their bodies. Light-Bringer noticed a brief moment of discomfort, before continuing forward. He did not bother to look at the shrieking and pained creatures this time. No. He instead broke out into a full gallop and raced down through the tunnel.
He only inwardly noticed more of the creatures shrieking in agony further down the river. Yet as before it mattered little to him. He didn't have time to fight and kill all of them, nor was he inclined to try. He just wanted to find the light, find a way out, and get to Faust's tower. His thoughts halted suddenly and he slid to a halt. Four holes were the source of the glow, each one closed off by rocks. Light-Bringer narrowed his eye and approached the glow, then began to pull down the rocks. He didn't stop for even a moment, his armored hooves worked quickly and soon the first hole was opened.
Within was a curious sight. Several glowing golden spheres surrounded by deadened blackened spheres. The ancient warrior raised a brow and touched one of them with his armored hooves. It felt warm, it felt so warm he was surprised. He brought his hoof back for a moment and stared at the strange sphere. Within it there was a brief bit of movement, and an idea of what it was suddenly struck him. He turned and looked for more of the creatures, many were still howling in pain but others had started to approach as well.
He turned back to the spheres and grasped one with his hooves. If they were what he thought they were, he wouldn't dare to touch them with his magic. Oh so slowly, the undead stallion pulled them out, then moved his cloak with his magic. Beneath it was a pair of saddlebags, which he opened and began to fill with the glowing spheres. He was careful not to damage any of them. He noticed some were dim, and then felt his heart break as a few turned black in his hooves. He had to hurry, they had very little time left.
He finished with all the spheres in the first hole and moved to the next. He unearthed it and was horrified to find even fewer spheres were still alive inside. He moved them quickly yet equally carefully into his saddlebags, then moved to the next hole. He continued this pattern for a time until all four holes were empty and his saddlebags filled to capacity. He, for only a moment, wondered how the spheres had survived, before shaking such thoughts from his mind. How didn't matter to him, all that did was that they had. Clearly not all as he only had a few dozen of them in total from what looked like hundreds...
Hopefully it would be enough.
"Now I have another reason to find Faust," the undead stallion noted under his breath and then glared at the creatures at the sides of the river. He could see an exit this time, a dim light at it's end. But the creatures now stood in his way. Of course this time he had little reason to pity them. He not only had his original mission, but another, and he would not fail either of them. Nor would he allow these creatures to stand in his way. His horn gave a sudden glow and the ancient war-horse caused the water around him to explode outwards.
The creatures shrieked as they were covered and burned by the Flutter-Dust laced water. Light-Bringer merely broke into yet another gallop. He did not stop for anything, ramming through several of the creatures and rushing up the length of tunnel. He heard their shrieks no matter how far he ran yet also heard another sound. Their chattering sounds grew loud and obnoxious the further up the tunnel. He glanced around to see numerous holes in the walls and took a quick breath. With nary a pause he galloped through the tunnel full tilt, never stopping and with his horn lowered.
If anything stupidly stood in his way, he'd impale them for it!
His thoughts were soon brought to life as several creatures came from the walls. One was impaled and he quickly threw it from his horn. Its body bounced back along the tunnel knocking over several other creatures. Light-Bringer made certain the creatures never touched his saddlebags, a mighty buck here an icy sword through the heart there, and none got within a distance to harm the spheres inside. The stallion continued to gallop full tilt, his horn impaled several more of the creatures, his magic even more.
Soon he rushed out onto the surface and slid to a halt. The border of the Black Forest loomed before him, the creatures rushed to catch him from behind. He turned and watched as the creatures slid to a halt, they looked on in fear toward the forest. Light-Bringer knew why, the forest was dangerous, its guardian even more so. The undead-stallion watched the creatures hiss and slink back into the darkness. Their glowing eyes trained onto him with hate clear in there sickly green depths. He didn't really care, merely turned and trotted into the Black Forest.
He knew what lay within, he knew the horrible creature that had lived in this forest for so long. But he had two reasons to get to Faust's tower now. The spheres in his saddlebags were precious, even the creature would not harm them. More over, it would protect them. They were a lost part of this land that had once been so beautiful. If they survived it was highly possibly that their dust could be used to restore some of Dream-Valley to its former glory. The creature wouldn't jeopardize the possible restoration of its home.
No matter the fact it was a monster, it loved its home more than anything else. Light-Bringer knew this, however the bones of a griffon gave him pause. It was in a tree, several branches holding it up from an angle that showed how those same branches once impaled the creature. It was one of the fools who had woken the guardian of the Black Forest up. He had heard of them, but seeing their fate was quite different. He looked at the skeleton for only a moment, noted its armor was missing, and then moved on.
The fallen mattered little to him, and he would not resurrect the griffon as a slave. The days he damned others to the same curse he bore were long behind him. Yet as he trotted through the Black Forest, he heard a lowly drone, a quiet moan, and suddenly came to a halt. His eyes narrowed and he turned quickly to find a blank faced creature looking at him. The undead stallion was startled and moved back. The creature tilted its head as he did, no eyes to see, no snout to smell, no mouth to taste, its ears merely twitched on his head yet heard no sounds.
Yet even without any of that, the creature was always watching its forest.
It was tall and thin as the stories said, remarkably to him it was much like Faust in its build. its flesh was naught but bleached gnarled wood, its head like that of a bald earth-pony. Contrary to myth, looking at the rest of it's body showed only a being of wood, no flesh nor blood. Six blackened branches rose out of its back and curved like eerie spider legs to lift it up further than it could stand. It towered over Light-Bringer, and it would certainly tower over any other pony it met. It's only clothing was an ancient suit of armor, worn since the griffons had dared harm its forest so long ago.
Whether the guardian was a mare or stallion he couldn't really tell, and really, he didn't think it mattered much right now.
The creature had no name, it was merely a guardian to the Black Forest and all within it. It also took great pleasure in protecting Faust's Tower from any would be intruders. She was the only being living or dead to whom this creature would swear allegiance without question. She was the only pony who still remembered when Dream Valley was beautiful. She was the only pony left who had once protected Dream Valley when she was young. The creature would not harm her, for she had protected it when it was young.
Light-Bringer was certain that Faust didn't like this creature. In fact he would wager a guess that she truly despised it. After all, it was the living breathing vision of what horrors had been done to her home. It was a bi-product of her ponies horrible actions so long ago. A mutant tree-spirit which harmed any pony or thing that dared to invade its home. Sometimes through impalement, sometimes by burning them, sometimes by simply taking them. Only once had it driven a griffon mad and then freed him, deciding that madness was a suitable punishment. But that had only been one time...
Right now however, it was staring at him. Or he assumed that it stared at him, its lack of eyes made that difficult to tell. Its head was tilted slightly and with a creak it tilted its head the other way. Light-Bringer fought off a shiver as the eerie sound echoed in his ears. The creature seemed to grow as it stared at him, becoming larger and larger. Light-Bringer knew that the guardian didn't like him. He'd helped destroy its home in ages long since passed. What was left was a cheap mockery of the glory of Dream Valley.
The creature started to approach, Light Bringer lifted his cloak to reveal his saddlebags. The creature did not slow nor stop until he opened his saddlebags and showed the glowing spheres. Its head tilted suddenly, a jerking motion as its body halted completely. The undead-stallion stayed perfectly still as the creature leaned forward to look at the spheres. Its forelimbs rose and it touched one. It was gentle and careful, because it did not wish to harm them. It drew back as suddenly as it leaned forward and stared at him. Light-Bringer breathed a sigh of relief.
"I need to reach Faust, her tower is covered in dark magics," he explained then nodded to his bags, "and these little ones may not have much time left," he finished. The creature twisted its head from side to side. It then turned and pointed a hoof in a direction before trotting off without so much as a word. Light-Bringer followed behind, closing his bags and pulling his cloak over it. He dared not speak again, for fear it decided he was useless. It could easily take the spheres to Faust itself. It would likely be even more careful with them than he was being.
So instead, he remained silent as the creature, the guardian of the Black Forest led him into its domain and to Faust's Tower. Where hopefully he would be able to make up for the evils of his past, and finally reclaim what he had lost...
TBC...