Chapter 11
A Cave and a Crag.
The dragons had always lived there. This mountain had been their home since the beginning of time. Long ago they had walked freely under the sun, all across the land. In those times it had been their land, but as alicorns and griffins spread the dragons chose to pull away and hide in the depths of the mountains. Some people thought that they were scared, others believed the dragons had a reason for this retraction from the world above, and many more simply thought that dragons no longer existed. Their exploits had faded into legend, and their existence, slowly forgotten until they were creatures that occupied bed-time stories and dreams.
After a few minutes of searching the group came upon the entrance to the mountain, a cave whose mouth was dotted with stalactite teeth and exuded a warm wind. It had been a few hours since the five of them had read the letter meant for Greathoof’s armies in the griffin lands.
“So this is it?” Cliff asked, “I would have expected something a little more… I dunno, grand.”
“It’s probably far different from the cave you’re used to, Cliff” Sothe replied to the unimpressed griffin, “Don’t judge it.” Cliff just shrugged.
“What should we expect inside?” Celestia asked warily.
Treeflame giggled a little, “Dragons of course.”
The group approached the entrance cautiously, wary of every sound around them as they stepped into the cool of the cave. They began walking, slowly at first, but after a light spell from Celestia illuminated the path around them they began to push on faster.
“Sothe?” Luna whispered as they traveled.
“Yeah?”
“What do you think is happening in Athelta? I mean that letter was… ominous…”
Sothe sighed, “Likely when Greathoof realizes that no help is coming he’ll send a messenger to bring more soldiers back home. From there it’ll likely devolve into military rule until… well until we can do something about it.”
“… I want to go home…” Luna murmured.
“I know you do, but we have a job to finish. The moment we get Scar’s artifact, we’re heading home.”
Luna sighed and gave her sister’s mate a long look. She had never given her standing in his eyes thought before now. She had always assumed she was just Celestia’s sister to him, but this journey had brought about a change in her mind. He came across as a brother to her, which made sense. He was strong, and a leader, the kind of pony she would look up to.
Luna let herself fall a few steps behind the group. She gave each of them a turn under her gaze, first Celestia, her sister who had always been there with her, next Cliff, the slightly awkward griffin who she was proud to call a friend, and then the newcomer Treeflame. Luna knew very little about this dragon, but from the short time they’d spent together she could tell that Treeflame was full of life and laughter, and that had been enough to prove that she was at the very least, and enjoyable person to be around. She smiled to herself and then quickened her pace to catch up.
As the five traveled deeper into the caves, lead only by the light from Celestia’s horn, they slowly noticed a change. The air began to get warmer, and the tunnels wider (not that the entrance itself hadn’t been wide in its own right).
“We’re getting closer. I can feel it.” Treeflame broke the silence, sounding slightly giddy as they approached the place of her birth. The tunnel slowly began to grow wider and wider until it gave way to a full blown cavern. Stalactites littered the ceiling and the floor in front of them gave way to a chasm after about a hundred feet. A rope bridge that looked to be ancient spanned the gap as if creatures of their own size were once accommodated here. Far off to the left there lay a vast underground lake, big enough to have its own set of small islands within.
The most stunning feature that met them was a grand statue of a great wyvern that looked to be carved from milky quartz with eyes as deep as amethyst. It appeared to be a statue anyway, and the travelers were quite certain that it was, until it moved.
“What have we here?” mused a voice both ancient and wise, “In a hundred years we have had but ten visitors from the surface. All of them were griffin, and thus all killed, but here, unless my eyes fail me, I see alicorns and one of my own people. Very curious.”
The group stood in shock, unsure of how to respond. Sothe, always the diplomatic one, attempted to croak out a greeting.
“H-hello d-dragon…” His words were too quiet for the beast before them.
“Excuse me? Speak up boy, my head is rather far from yours and words don’t carry well in here.” The drake almost seemed to smile; perhaps he enjoyed seeing Sothe scared. Sothe had right look rather frightened. He had never in all of his life seen a creature so BIG!
Cliff took Sothe’s silence as a chance to speak up.
“You killed all the griffins? Why?”
The dragon looked down at the smaller creature, and appeared to almost smile.
“You know that my kind are a reclusive bunch yes? We have not had affairs in the world at large for at least three centuries, and as such many of our achievements have been forgotten through time.”
Luna quickly spoke up, her vast knowledge of dragons finally getting a chance to shine.
“Yeah! Uh, the dragons were the first beings to live in the world. Many scholars of draconic lore even say that dragons created most of the world.”
“Well, well,” the wyvern mused, “This little alicorn knows her dragon lore. Yes, yes we did create most of what you see today on the surface. The land was first barren, but with time and effort we took that land and shaped it into something magnificent. Then, we populated it.”
“Dragons lived on the surface?” Celestia asked, seemingly intimidated by his size.
“Yes. We did for a time. But that isn’t what I meant by ‘populating’ the land.”
“what did you-“
“We have been standing here for quite some time.” The white lizard interrupted, “ I believe that introductions are in order. I am Crag, the gatekeeper. And you are intruders.”
Sothe finally managed to speak, “Uh, yes. We are travelers. My name is Sothe, and these are Celestia, Luna, Cliff, and Treeflame. We… well all of us but Treeflame, are seeking a… an object.”
“And what sort of object might that be?”
“It is called the Flame Orb.”
The great dragon’s face grew solemn.
“And artifact such as that… the surface must be in dire times indeed… we have felt the rumblings of the earth. The stones above tell us of battles and bloodshed on the surface. This dragon is very curious of your reasonings to seek the Orb. Follow me, we shall talk in a more… comfortable place.”
He lead the group even deeper into the mountain, crossing the caverning with a single wingbeat. The travelers were forced to take to the bridge and inch their way across. Needless to say, the conditions of travel were not easy for the five. Keeping pace with the dragon was a rather daunting task.
A day. A full day Greathoof had been without a reply. The letter couldn’t have been lost in transit, magic didn’t work that way. What could have gone wrong? Punishments would have to be doled out for this lack of punctuality. He tossed around the idea of sending a second letter; possible one that would scare the generals into actually responding.
A loud rap to the door shook Greathoof out of his thoughts. With a slight thought and a small burst of magical energy, the door opened to reveal a soldier from the front who quickly fell to a knee in a respectful bow.
“Stand.” Greathoof barked blankly, not in the mood for this sort of interaction at the moment.
“Sir.” Said the soldier as he stood once more, “I’m here to fill the dragon’s post.”
Greathoof stood, confused.
“You’re here to do what?”
“Take the dragon’s post. My companion outside will escort her back to the front.”
“There are no dragons here soldier.”
“But… we sent her with the soldiers you requested. She was the fifth.”
Greathoof’s eyes narrowed as the implications became clear. The soldiers he had been sent had lost the dragon. His secret weapon. He turned his harsh gaze back to the soldier.
“Send your companion back to the front with a message. Tell him I need forty soldiers here as soon as possible. They are to come no matter how detrimental to the war losing them may be. Holding Athelta is far more important than the griffin lands.”
The soldier nodded slowly before leaving the house once again. Moments later, Greathoof returned to his thinking.
No dragon… that throws a wrench in the works… no matter though. The time will be made up once the city is under full control. He then turned his ponderings to a map laid out on the table in front of him. A map of the northern mountain range.
Of all the walking the group had done, this trek through the caves was by far the most tiring. Even Treeflame, who before had been unable to shut up about how great it was to be in a cave again, had quieted into nothing but the occasional grunt brought on by sore feet. Crag on the other hand seemed to be completely unaffected, save a little annoyed by the slowness of the visitors.
Through the trudge, only Cliff seemed to remain with the ability to talk.
“What were you saying before? About killing griffons?”
“your kind are not held in high regard with my people.”
“And why’s that?”
“You invaded this land, claimed the east for your own. We had populated this land with creatures of our own creation. To the mountains we gave diamond dogs, to the wastes, blood wolves. Of all the creatures we crafted, only one was our true pride.”
“Alicorns” Whispered a tired Luna.
“And again our little dragon scholar speaks the truth. Yes, we dragons fashioned alicorns from our own magic. We gave them the lushest land and the knowledge and power to care for it. We were more than content to watch them from atop the mountains, prospering. And then your race came and tried to claim the land.”
“… Not my fault… I wasn’t there.”
“No, I do not hold you specifically at fault, but your people, all griffins. I believe the saying is, it’s nothing personal.”
“Alright…” Cliff murmured.
The journey eventually came to a halt at the entrance to a vast cavern lit by the light of a pillar of what appeared to be stone that glowed with heat from within. The pillar gave off a warm, orange light that permeated every corner of the cavern, serving to also illuminate the three other dragons in the room, each matching the size of Crag, or greater. Although their bodies were ancient, they still appeared strong and their eyes burned with the same fire of life.
“Outsiders, Crag?” The central of the three spoke up, his voice seeming to rumble and shake the stone around him. His scales may once have been blue, but all the time away from sunlight had dimmed them to the point that only hints of color shined through.
“Yes,” Crag responded, him voice betraying no sign of weariness from the multi hour travel to this deep cavern, “They came from the surface, bringing one of our own, and coming with a request. Their prize is a troubling one to say the least.”
The dragon that had spoken leaned forward, as if to get a better look at the small creatures below him.
“Who is your leader?”
Celestia and Cliff nudged Sothe forward.
“I am…” Sothe murmured, clearly intimidated by the giant lizards.
“… well? Get on with it. What do you and your group seek.”
With a deep breath, Sothe explained their mission for the second time that day.
In the grey of the morning, five bodies lay on the dirt with slit throats. The five were the soldiers who had been sent with Treeflame. Around them, fourth-three alicorns stood, staring at the sight.
“I’d make a speech,” Greathoof began, “Something to make an example out of them, but I think it’s already apparent what happens to those who get in my way.” A soft murmur of agreement flowed through the crowd.
“Good. Now, all of you return to your posts. This city is to remain under my control.”
The group quickly dispersed.