Bantam Tales

by Chris

The Greatest Treasure of All

Author's Note:

Many ponies who have read about Griffic fairy tales have commented on how similar they are to pony ones.

Those ponies who have read the Griffic fairy tales themselves tend not to make such comments.

Here is one example of a Griffic fairy tale with a moral familiar to ponies, but... well, but not one that could be easily mistaken for a pony story.

Gather, ye chicks, and hear my tale!

Once, there was a terrible monster who lived in a cave atop a distant mountain. This monster was said to be the most hideous of creatures, but none could know the truth of that claim, for to so much as glance upon it was to be turned to stone. For many years, no griffon dared come near that peak, until the King offered a bounty of ten million golden coins to whoever could bring him proof of that horrible beast’s death.

“Then I shall go!” declared the valliant Sir Gravelle, wielder of the fabled Sword of Impudence. “I shall cleave the beast’s head from its body, and bring this grisly trophy before the King, for gold and glory!”

“Nay, I shall go!” cried the mysterious Lady Gerring, possessor of the magical Staff of Occulism. “My arts shall turn the monster’s power against itself, and its statued likeness I shall bring before the King, for gold and glory!”

“Fools!” bellowed the mighty Gowgaw the Implacable, owner of the fearsome Hammer of Smashing. “I shall crush the monster’s bones to splinters, and bring its bloody ruin before the King, for gold and glory!”

The three might have come to blows then, so intent were they upon being the one to quest forth, had another voice not spoken. “Is there not enough gold for three griffons to share?” asked Gladies the Titleless, a peasant girl of no import. “Surely, you three might undertake this adventure together, and share in the triumph and treasure alike.” As the three considered her words, and she continued, “What say you to this, then: let you all journey to the top of the mountain, which lies many days travel away, and if in that time you are still unconvinced, you may battle it out then. But I do not doubt you will think otherwise once you have reached the peak.”

“And what is it you seek to gain from this?” asked Lady Gerring, eyeing the girl suspiciously.

“There is only enough gold for three griffons as great as yourselves,” Gladies said then, “but I believe there is glory enough for four. I ask only to accompany you, to fix your meals, to set up your camps, and to be at your side. My reward shall be to say that my humble name once was spoken in the same sentence as those of such esteemed griffons as yourselves.”

The three great heroes looked one to another.

“I suppose it cannot hurt to try,” allowed Sir Gravelle.

“If the only price of a traveling cook and porter is to put up with you two a bit longer, then mayhaps it’s worth it,” said Lady Gerring.

“Aye, to crush you later is no more work than to crush you here and now,” rumbled Gowgaw the Implacable.

And so the four griffons set off for the lair of the monster. As they traveled that first day, the minds of the three heroes were filled with thoughts of how they would defeat the other two and claim sole victory upon reaching their target. But as the days went on, a strange thing happened: as they shared one another’s company, the three heroes found they had more in common than they would once have believed. Sir Gravelle discovered that beneath the spell-cloaked mysticism of Lady Gerring lay a brilliant tactical mind, and many an evening did the two stay up late into the night discussing the finer points of military stratagems. Lady Gerring discovered that the rough-and-tumble mask that Gowgaw the Implacable wore hid a surprisingly empathetic nature, and often as they flew together during the day, he would pierce her with some insightful question about her feelings or her past; she found herself opening up to the giant of a griffon as she never had to anyone before. And for his part, Gowgaw the Implacable discovered that Sir Gravelle could belch the entire Griffic national anthem, which cast into doubt all his previous assumptions about the sissifying influence of traditional knightly training.

So it was that when the three of them at last came near the peak of the mountain, they paused.

“Now that we have come this far,” began Sir Gravelle, “I find myself thinking that losing two thirds-share of the reward is a small price to pay to keep your companionship a while longer.”

“Indeed,” concurred Lady Gerring. “I would fain not give up your company, and wish to face the beast not alone, but beside my… my friends.”

“Friends, eh? I like the sound of that,” said Gowgaw the Implacable. And then he turned to Gladies. “And we have you to thank, girl. Without your good advice, I’d have beaten these two to a pulp and been a bit richer in purse, but far poorer in heart.”

“Don’t be so sure of the outcome!” said Sir Gravelle with a breezy laugh. “But yes, we have you to thank most of all, friend Gladies.”

“You came here seeking a fourth-share of the glory,” said Lady Gerring, “and surely you shall have it. When tales are told of this quest, your name shall be set proudly alongside ours.”

“Now,” said Gowgaw the Implacable, cracking his knuckles, “let’s go crush this monster!”

And with a cheer, the three heroes charged up to the cave.

Gladies, for her part, waited until well after dark, when she was sure the monster must be slumbering, before she approached the cave, and the three statues that stood before it.

In the end, she could not claim the ten million golden coins which the King had offered, but she made almost as much by selling the Sword of Impudence, the Staff of Occulism, and the Hammer of Smashing. And she could not claim the glory of having slain the beast, but she did gain the respect and admiration of all in the kingdom for lifting herself out of peasantry’s shackles with nothing more than her wits and a few weeks’ menial labour.

But, even as she hoped, her name has forever since been spoken in the same sentence as Sir Gravelle, Lady Gerring, and Gowgaw the Implacable. Thus, with her profit and fame secure, she lived happily ever after.

Moral: The real treasure is the friends we make along the way.

Comments

[FanOfMostEverything]

And for his part, Gowgaw the Implacable discovered that Sir Gravelle could belch the entire Griffic national anthem, which cast into doubt all his previous assumptions about the sissifying influence of traditional knightly training.

Amazing.

As are the ending and the moral. Such a fascinating culture the griffons have.

[Godslittleprincess]

the ending kind of kills the moral, but hey,, it's a griffon story.

[Meta Four]

10331969
The ending fits the stated moral; it’s just that the griffons interpret that specific sentence differently than you or I would. When most people say, “The real treasure is the friends we make along the way,” what they mean is something like “Though friendship is intangible, it’s still worth more than gold.” But when griffons say it, they mean, “Your friends will put money in your pockets, as long as you’re clever enough to exploit their stupidity.”

[PresentPerfect]

XD

[iisaw]

Lovely!