47- Song of the Past
Bound by Scales- Song of the Past
It had been nearly a week since the encounter with Five and for me, most of that time had been used to try and not get into anymore fights after the close encounter with the self proclaimed ‘Goddess of the Sea’. While Senu and Bayek were rather helpful during their encounter, they didn’t really stay too long afterwards and left shortly after their business was concluded. So in the days that followed, much of my time was spent doing either one of three things. Rest, help out Applejack and her family at Sweet Apple Acres or spend time with Pinkis & Candy Apple and keep the two of them company. Not only would it help spend more time with those I cared for, but also slowly help get my body to heal.
Though, despite all of this and spending so much time with those I cared for, there was one thought that was still stuck in my mind and just outright refused to leave me alone. Unfortunately, that thought involved the one person I did not want to think about and was the reason behind many things that had happened lately. That being Zero and her dragon, Mikhail, who Revaan seemed to be familiar with somehow. However, what was bothering me was not just how I don’t know a damn thing about her, but how she always seems to stay one step ahead of me. Such was the case when Bayek and I tried to go back to where Zero attacked me, only to have an unexpected encounter with one of her sisters.
“Hey sugarcube, ya doing alright?”
The sound of Applejack’s voice broke my train of thought as I looked back to her. We were on the back porch and she must’ve noticed that I was lost in thought and got concerned because of it. “Y-yeah, I’m doing fine,” I tried to assure her, even though my mind felt like it was all over the place, “Just thinking a bit, that’s all.”
“Ken, ah know ya mean well, but we both know that’s not true in the slightest,” she retorted, before taking a seat next to me, “Ya do this anything you’re lost in thought. Don’t tell me otherwise, because ah’ve seen ya come out here a couple times before this week and do what your doing right now. Something’s clearly bothering ya and ah want to help.”
Well, she got me there. Though, how exactly was I supposed to explain this to her was the question-
“It’s about that dragon lady, isn’t it? The one you said that her name was Zero?”
… Okay, I guess she just took care of the hard part for me. Not quite what I expected, but I’ll take what I can get. “Yeah, that’s right. I know that I’m supposed to be resting and shouldn’t really think about the one who caused this mess… but I can’t help it.”
“How? Doesn’t seem that hard to me, so why are you stressing over it?” Applejack then asked.
“Well, think of it like this,” I began to explain to her everything that had been going on in my head the past few days, “All the other ‘major threats’ that we’ve had to face so far. We at least knew something about them. When it was the Aspects, we knew that they were the tortured souls of dragons that were controlled by what remained of Nightmare Moon. When my uncle decided to throw up a Campaign of Carnage because he felt like it, we knew that we had to fight whoever else had to participate.”
At that, I took a moment to let out a deep breath and gather my thoughts a bit first, before looking towards her, “Yet, with Zero… that’s not the case. Revaan and I don’t know anything about her and that’s probably part of the reason why we were thrown off guard during our first encounter. Not only that, but it feels like she’s always one step ahead. When Senu and Bayek were here, they suggested that we should go look into where our first encounter happened because they believed that location was important. Yet, before we could get anywhere, we ran into one of her sisters who proceeded to flood the entire place.”
Applejack took a moment to process everything, before placing her foreleg over my shoulder. “Let me guess. Since ya don’t know anything about her, ya don’t know what to do next because ya think that whatever ya do, she’s not far behind right?”
“That pretty much summarizes it, yes-” Of course, as I said that, all I got from the earth pony was a faint chuckle. Something that confused me because I was pretty sure that I didn’t say anything that was supposed to be funny, “Uh, AJ? What seems to be so funny?”
“Sugarcube, ah’m pretty sure that the answer has been right in front of ya the whole time,” Applejack replied back, “Think of it like if you’re trying to get apples out of a tree. If ya weren’t able to get anything down the first time, would you try to do the same method over and over again and expect the outcome to change? Of course not! The only way you're gonna find a solution is if ya approach the problem from a different angle.”
A different angle. That idea sounded promising, yet what exact angle would I really be looking for here? I mean, this is Zero we were talking about now. What else would there be to look at? Aside from what little information Five mentioned, and I don’t really know if that could be taken at face value, there wasn’t much to go off of.
Then, it hit me. “Oh, hell. I think you’re right.”
That statement alone had Applejack smile as she moved her foreleg off of my shoulders now. “See? Not so hard now, was it?” she replied as I nodded my head, “So, what was it that you thought about?”
“Revaan and I might not know anything about Zero,” I replied back, “Though, we do happen to know something about her companion.”
“You mean her dragon?” Applejack asked, “How so?”
“Well, aside from our first encounter, do you remember when Revaan, Dad and I made that impromptu trip to that forge in the dragon lands? The one that many dragons would think is just a myth?”
“Ya mean the one where ya dragged your father along without giving him much of a say in the matter?” Applejack’s question was followed with a bit of a chuckle afterwards. Even though my dad was a dragon himself, she couldn’t help but laugh at all the times that he was mistaken for a rabbit. Heck, even Tina tried buying carrots for him at one point.
Anyways, back to the question. “Yeah, that one. Fair warning, this may require some context,” I told her in advance, just to make sure that she knew ahead of time, “When we actually got there, the forge master did this thing where we were only allowed entry if we solved a series of riddles, with the answers for each of the questions being based on previous dragon lords. With me so far?”
All AJ did was give me a nod of the head, which I took as a sign for me to continue, “Alright, well get this. The last riddle was about a dragon and a rider. Since I don’t know anyone else that has a dragon as a companion, who does that leave?”
At first, she seemed to be processing everything. Though, it did not take for her to connect the dots when she realized who exactly I was referring too. “Wait a darn minute. Are ya saying that this Zero lady’s dragon is not just any other dragon, but a previous dragon lord?”
“Based on that, it’s more than likely. Though I have an idea for how to find out more, and this time, the solution is a little closer to home,” I told her, “Back at the Hollow, I remember Revaan mentioning before that the temple had an archive. If that’s the case, then it’s possible that it could contain some records on the previous dragons lords.”
“So, your idea is that in order to learn more about Zero, you try to learn more about her dragon?”
“It’s a starting point at least,” I admitted, “Though, there’s no telling what I would actually find or it would be of any use.”
That had Applejack look back at me and gave me a reassuring smile, “Well, if ya think this is gonna help ya, let’s stop by tomorrow. We were going to go see how Pinkis is doing anyways, so we can just do that while we’re there.”
My only response was a nod of agreement. After all, I’ve had nothing to go off of for the last few days. If a trip to the temple’s archives was going to help answer at least some of the questions I have about Zero and Mikhail, then I was all for it. If anything, it would be better than the alternative of not knowing anything about them at all.
The Next Day
Once the sun had come up and we had breakfast and AJ left Ruby and Magma in the care of Big Mac and the rest of the family, the two of us went back to the Obsidian Hollow. While it had only been a couple of days since the last time I was here, the Hollow would give you the impression that years had passed by since whenever you came in, I would notice something that I didn’t seem to notice was there before. Though, as nice as the idea was, touring around the Hollow wasn’t exactly on our to-do list today by any means. Yet, we weren’t really that much in a hurry for anything.
Before we made our way to the archive, the two of us went over to go see if we could check in on Pinkis and bring her a few Apple Fritters from Sweet Apple Acres. Though, when we got there, we found that she and Candy Apple were both asleep. So, we just decided to leave the treat by her bed with a note and maybe come back later to see how she was doing. Would be a lot better than just accidentally waking them up and disturbing any rest that Pinkis was trying to get.
Once that was done, the two of us began to make our way to the temple. Though, I didn’t notice any sign of Aaron, Shayne, Tina or anyone else on our way over there. Normally, we would run into at least one of them at some point, though perhaps they had other matters to attend too that required them to be elsewhere. It was the only real guess I had since anything else would just be peer speculation. Yet, as we approached the temple and went inside, there was someone I did expect just waiting past it’s entrance.
“Well, isn’t this quite a surprise,” Revaan spoke as he lifted his head and looked towards the both of us, “I did not think that either of you would be back so soon. Are you doing well?”
“Better than how I was a week ago, though that doesn’t really seem like much,” I replied honestly, before looking back towards him, “Revaan, can you lead us to the Temple archives?”
“That… is a bit of an odd request,” the dragon commented, “Don’t get me wrong, I can take you over there for sure, but I have to ask. Why exactly did you want to go there? Is there a particular reason?”
At that point, Applejack and I took a moment to catch him up to speed on what we had talked about last night. At first, he was a bit puzzled by what we were trying to explain to him. Though, once I mentioned the forge master’s riddle and how it hinted at something towards Mikhail, then things began to slowly fall into place and he was able to put it all together.
“I see,” Revaan commented as he looked back at us, “So in summary, based on something you remember from your last trip to the Dragon Lands, you think that the dragon that was with Zero might’ve once been a dragon lord?”
I nodded my head, before putting my hands in my pockets as I continued to speak, “Pretty much, and if the archives happens to have any records on the previous dragon lords, then perhaps there’s something about Mikhail in there that we did not know about before. It might not seem like much, but it’s better than nothing and I think it’s worth looking into.”
He didn’t really show it, but I could tell that Revaan was on board with this. After all, I wasn’t the only one who had questions regarding Mikhail. If there was something in the archives that could help us even in the slightest, then there was all the more reason for him to join us.
When it came to the archives, finding where it was located wasn’t entirely difficult. As Revaan guided us, we learned that it was in a secluded section that was on the left side of the temple, across from where the dining hall would be. In fact, it was only when coming there now that I realized that I had seen the door several times before. Though, I never really took it upon myself to try and see what was behind it because either we had people over or something was going on at the time that was a higher priority.
As we approached, Revaan motioned for the two of us to wait for a moment, before placing a claw on the door and closing his eyes. “Fah Nii Los Onikaan Mu Yah.”
“What did he say?” I heard Applejack ask as she looked towards us.
“If I interpret this right, I think he said ‘For it is wisdom we seek’.” I replied back, even though my knowledge and understanding of the dragon language outside of the words that I most commonly use was a bit rusty. Though, the one thing that we did notice was that after he said that, the doors to the archives began to glow, before opening up.
“Been a long time since this place has been open,” Revaan replied, before looking back to us, “There used to be a time that Coryena would always come here, trying to learn and understand the secrets of the kin that came before us. Though, that was all a thing in the past. Just before she passed on, she sealed the door to the archives, hoping to keep what was inside safe from those that wanted to wish us harm. Now, it’s our turn to see the knowledge the walls of this room contain.”
When Revaan stepped aside and let us go first, it was safe to say that both Applejack and I had no idea what to expect when we went in. Though, when we did step past the door, we found ourselves staring in a room that was as wide as the perimeter of the apple family barn and shelves that were as tall as Revaan himself. Everything was stuffed to the brim with numerous tome’s and even a section that contained what looked to be scrolls of some kind. Whatever it was I thought we were going to find before was nothing compared to this.
“Dear sweet Celestia,” Applejack cursed, “If Twilight were to see this, then she would be passed out on the floor right now.”
Yeah, I can definitely see that happening. Though, there was one thing that I needed to ask, “Revaan, this is… well a lot more than I was expecting. How in the world are we supposed to find what we’re looking for? Do we have to go through all of them?”
“That I’m not entirely sure. Whenever I used to be here, Coryena always told me that she had a ‘little helper’ look after the archives, but didn’t really go into detail on who or what exactly they were,” He told us, which didn’t really help us get anywhere in terms of trying to find anything.
Though, as Applejack and Revaan talked among themselves, I turned to notice something in the back of the room. It appeared to look like an ancient writing desk of some kind, with a melted candle and what almost looked like a bird stand with a metal base and what looked to be an empty socket of some kind. Letters were engraved at the base in the dragon language and when put together, they would make out a name of some kind, Strix. Though, I couldn’t make heads or tails of what it is.
“Hey, Revaan, can you come here a second?”
The dragon looked back towards Applejack, before looking over to me as both of them walked over to join me, “What seems to be the matter? Did you find something?”
“I did, but I’m having a bit of trouble,” I told him, before moving the stand to the center of the table. “I found this on the corner of the table here and there appears to be a name engraved. Do you have any idea what this is?”
When Revaan looked at the bird stand, he took a moment to inspect it from all angles and look at the engravings up close. Though, after a bit of time, he set the stand back down and looked towards me. “This is… strange. It feels like something foreign, and yet there is something about it that feels familiar. I can’t seem to make out what it is though.”
“Maybe there’s something missing?” Applejack then spoke up, before pointing at the empty socket at the base of the stand, “It looks like ya can fit a gemstone or something in there.”
“That may be true, but something tells me that it’s not as simple as that,” Revaan replied as he turned to Applejack. While the two of them were busy talking though, I looked around the desk again to find that there was something hidden under a pile of paper and old books on the floor. After moving some things aside, I happen to find myself looking at what appeared to be a gemstone that was as white as fresh snow just sitting there. It looked to be about the same size as the socket, so maybe it could fit.
“Ken?”
“Yes, AJ?” I asked as I got up with the gemstone in hand, only to find her looking at me with a bit of concern, “Is something wrong?”
“Sugarcube, ah don’t know what ya just did, but your arm’s glowing.”
It was only when Applejack pointed this out to me that I noticed what she was talking about. Yet, something about this whole thing was weird. I had picked up other crystals and gemstones similar to this before and they did not give off the same reaction that my arm was having now. So, what exactly made this one different?
Unfortunately, I didn’t have much time to contemplate on this as the gemstone somehow shot out of my hand and directly into the empty socket at the base of the stand. The markings around the base of the stand began to glow with what I could only assume was magic. I had no idea what the hell was happening, but the whole damn library was reacting to what was happening now. Even Revaan himself looked to be caught off guard by the sudden turn of events.
Then, as a snow white orb took form at the top of the stand, a voice was heard, “Lady Coryena? Lady Coryena, is that you?”
“Revaan, did you… hear that?”
Revaan did not say anything, but just watched as the snow white orb began to shift and change shape. It was now in the shape of a white great-horned owl with gold colored eyes as it looked at us. “My lady, do you realize how it’s been since-” it paused, before looking at me as it’s eyes narrowed, “Wait a moment! You’re not Lady Coryena!! Who are you, and how did you get in this sacred place?!”
“Woah woah woah, calm down,” I tried to tell whoever this owl was, “We can explain-”
“I will NOT be calm, you vagrant! Now, tell me where she is or-”
“How do you know her?” I heard Revaan ask next as he was behind me now. His tone was deeper and more serious than a few moments ago. Was he like this because this owl had mentioned his departed mate?
“How do I know her? What an audacious question! She’s my summoner!! Now tell me where she is or-” When the owl looked towards Revaan, it was as if the attitude that it had before immediately evaporated. Their sharp tone from before was gone and instead was replaced by shock and disbelief, “W-wait… Y-You’re the one she told me about! You’re the l-lady’s mate, Revaan!! Please, tell me what happened to her!! Is she safe?!”
Oh no. This was definitely not going to end well. Revaan please, whatever you’re going to say, think it through first-
“I’m sorry, but Coryena is gone. She died trying to save our child many years ago,” the dragon told the owl. I guess to him, the plan was to answer the question honestly and hope for the best. Though, considering that this owl seemed really devoted to Coryena, I had a feeling that this was not going to end well.
“No… No no no no NO!!” the owl screeched in disbelief, “T-that can’t possibly be… T-there’s no way!!” After what was a few moments, the feelings of defiance from the owl soon dissipated, before it looked down, “I-if she’s gone, then… I-I failed her.”
At this time, a thought occurred to me. Mere moments ago, Revaan mentioned that Coryena had a helper when it came to maintaining the library. With what they were saying about her just now, was it possible that this was the helper he was talking about and that the name at the base of the stand was actually the name of the owl? Well, I guess there was only one real way for me to find out. “Excuse me, but… is your name Strix by chance?”
The owl’s ears shot straight up, before looking back at me, “T-that is my name, yes. And who are you?”
“My name is Ken,” I told him, “I know that this is a lot to take in and you probably have a lot of questions, but maybe there’s a way we can help each other.”
“Help… each other?” the owl repeated, staring at me in disbelief, “Do you really think that it’s possible for you to help me? Me?! I had one job and I couldn’t even do that-!”
“If you can give us a chance, then we can,” Revaan spoke up now, silencing any objection that Strix tried to say, “If Coryena were here now, then she wouldn’t want for you to be in despair. She would want for you to honor her wishes and to help us strive for a better future for our kind. A lot has changed in the years since she passed on to go with her ancestors, but if you will allow it, then we can help you keep the sacred knowledge in these halls safe for future generations to come.”
The whole room went silent shortly after he had finished speaking, but I could tell that his words made quite an impact on the owl. Everything that they once knew might’ve been gone, and yet, Revaan was giving him the chance to honor her memory. It must’ve been a lot for Strix to try and process after learning about what had happened to Coryena only a few moments ago. Though, I really hope that Revaan was able to get through to him somehow. Otherwise, we might have to go back to square one.
“… I’ll do it,” we heard Strix speak as he looked to all three of us, “Though, if I am to help all of you, then you will need to help me first.”
“Help ya how?” Applejack asked.
“As I now know, I’ve been absent for a long time,” Strix replied, briefly glancing over to Revaan first before looking back towards Applejack and I. “It might’ve only been years for some, but for me, it felt like an eternity. If I am to honor Lady Coryena’s final wishes and help you to the fullest extent, then I need to know what has happened in the time that I’ve been gone. If you help me with that, then I can help answer any of your questions in kind.”
For what felt like the next hour, we had to spend the time filling in the gaps for Strix on what had happened in the years that he had been gone. Even though most of the talk felt one sided at the beginning of the conversation, we did happen to learn a few things about Strix as it kept going.
For one thing, he wasn’t exactly an owl, but a Familiar; a sentient magical creature summoned to this world and whose body was made up of magic. Unlike the aspects and Nightmare, where they took form through manipulating the souls of departed dragons before possessing a vessel, Strix’s physical body was maintained through a catalyst that stored the mana needed to keep him here. As it turned out, the gemstone that I found earlier was that particular catalyst.
As for why he was summoned, Strix told us that Coryena had summoned him to not only help her understand the knowledge contained within the archives, but to protect it from those who wished to try and steal it for their own ends. With so many dangerous secrets of their kind tucked within the pages of these books, she could not be able to do such a task alone. Which was why Strix was brought to the archives to watch over it whenever she was away. Yet, he did not anticipate for her to seal the archives and never return.
When we were finished, a lot of subjects had already been covered from what had become of the temple and the hollow over the years that Strix had been absent. Mainly, the focus was on events that had happened recently; including Nightmare, the aspects and what became of them. Though, out of all the things we did tell him, we didn’t tell him anything about Zero or Mikhail since we barely knew anything about them and the last time we saw them, she left us for dead.
The hardest part that we had to explain though by far was about the pact between Revaan and I. Not only had Strix not heard of such a thing before, but had numerous questions regarding what we can and can’t do. Some of which we couldn’t exactly answer because we haven’t either tried it or understand the question. Though, the only thing that he did understand was that the pact was done to ensure that the Onyx dragonkin survived, even though he believed that doing so came with a lot of risks.
Eventually though, it felt as if our conversation was almost done. Though, Strix had one more question to ask us. Not about what had already happened in the past, but more of what was going on in the present. “I think I have a better understanding of what you have been through after hearing your story. Though, what exactly brings you to the archives? Is there something that you are looking for, or something that I can help you find?”
It was around now that felt like the right time to ask, “Do you happen to have anything on the Dragon Lords? Like the previous ones?”
Strix paused at that, before narrowing only one of his eyes as he stretched his wings. In an instant, hundreds of books and scrolls flew off the shelves and were circling around Revaan, Applejack and I, with many of them resembling the size of extra large encyclopedias. “There are a LOT of records in here on previous dragon lords, Kendov. Unless you want to be combing through books for days on end, you need to narrow down what you’re looking for. Is there a specific one you are looking for? Do you have a name at least?”
Well, if that’s the only way that we’re going to get anywhere. “We were looking to see if you have anything on a dragon lord named Michael. Do you happen to have anything on him?”
Immediately, all of the books and scrolls that were floating around were sent back into their respective shelves. When Strix looked back towards us, he had a grim look on his face, “I’m sorry, but I’m afraid that out of all the things that the archives carry, there isn’t anything on that dragon lord in particular.”
“Hold up,” Applejack interjected shortly afterwards, “You’re telling me that out of all the books ya got in here, there’s nothing on one dragon? And a Dragon Lord for that matter?”
“Many dragons see the story of Michael as more of a tragedy than anything else. A bloody stain on their history in which they would prefer to wipe away and forget rather than recall. Lady Coryena herself tried to save the only copy we had years ago, but it was taken from her and burned to ash,” the Familiar admitted, “There’s nothing I can do-”
“Actually, there is something we can do,” Revaan said, before looking to Applejack and I, “But not here. There’s somewhere else we can go look to find what we’re looking for.”
“Revaan, if I may be so bold, just where exactly do you think you’re going to dig up a story of the past that all of dragonkind would no longer acknowledge?” Strix asked.
The dragon had only one answer for him, “From the one dragon whose mission is to preserve the history of our species, no matter how stained it is.”
When Revaan told us that we were going to leave the Hollow in order to continue our search, Applejack and I originally thought that we were going to go somewhere else in the badlands or head over to the dragon lands again like last time. However, much to the surprise of both of us, that was not where we were headed. Instead of going to the east, Revaan flew to the west out over the Luna Ocean and far away from the shores. Both Applejack and I had no idea what to really expect out here, but after flying over the far reaches of the ocean, we could see something in the distance.
It was a small secluded island with a tower that made me think of a lighthouse at first glance. Yet, as we got closer, Applejack and I realized that it wasn’t that and instead just an ordinary tower. “Hey Revaan, is that where we’re going?”
All he could do was give us a simple nod of the head, just as he was beginning to head down and land carefully by the base of the tower, “Here we are. Welcome to the Praeteritum, where all of the history of dragons is preserved.”
“It’s… smaller than ah was expecting, if ah have to be honest,” Applejack now spoke up, before looking to Revaan, “Ah mean, ah don’t want to sound rude, but who even lives here?”
“That would be the dragon that we are seeking. The Archivist,” I heard Revaan reply, “They’re said to be as old as dragonkind itself and they are the dragon responsible for not only chronicling our history, but to preserve it from those who wish to change or erase it. If there is anyone that knows the story of the dragon that we are looking for, it has to be them.”
Okay, hearing that explanation alone gave me some hope. We’ve already come too far to back away now, so we should see this all the way through. Though, one question soon emerged from my mind as I looked towards the tower again. “Revaan, that’s rather promising, but how exactly are we going to get in? I don’t see an entrance anywhere.”
“Hmm. Hold on a moment,” he replied back, before he stretched his wings and took flight as he circled around the tower, before coming back down, “I see where it is. It appears that the entrance to the Praetaritum is actually up top, not down here. I only noticed it now when I flew back up. Hop on.”
Without wasting any time, AJ and I hopped back on Revaan’s back as he began to rise up in the air and fly around the top of the tower. When we came in for a landing, we had ourselves set foot on what appeared to be an open balcony that looked to be made of stone. As for the entrance itself, there weren't any doors around at all. Just what appeared to be an opening in the shape of a triangle as it looked like roots of a tree were along the walls.
“I guess… we just go in?” I ask, not really sure what to expect.
“Ah think so. Though, let’s try and be careful.” Applejack replied.
I gave her a brief nod as the three of us began to walk inside. Yet, as we stepped out of the landing and into the tower itself, the whole place felt dead quiet. Almost as if no one actually lived here at all. Which, to me, really felt unsettling since it reminded me of those particular moments in a movie where a place is ‘supposedly abandoned’, only to realize that was not the case and things go downhill from there.
“Revaan, are you sure that this is the right place? It doesn’t feel like anyone’s here at all.”
After I said that, the center of the room’s floor exploded outward, and a serpentine dragon with bleached scales roared as it’s lengthy body rose from the opening. Just their entrance alone was enough to scare the living crap out of me as I fell backwards onto the floor. Even Applejack, who is normally rather brave in the face of danger, was as startled as I was right now and had her front hooves wrapped around me like if I was getting a hug from Tina.
The lanky dragon’s ferocious cry was interrupted by an almost comedic coughing fit, with the beast pounded on it’s throat as if something were caught in it. After an awkward silence, it spoke in an elderly male voice with a Chinese accent. “Urg, that was a lot easier a hundred years ago… heheh, still got you though~!”
After hearing that, Applejack and I looked at each other, before we both looked over towards Revaan. “W-wait, is that-?”
“I believe so,” the dragon began, before he turned towards the elderly dragon that was in the room, “Though, he’s… somewhat different from how I pictured it when Coryena told me about him.”
“This one is indeed aware you are referring to it.” The ancient dragon rasped, glaring golden irises towards the non-dragons. “And don’t presume to think that we are incapable of knowing when a drake acts above his rank! What be thou reasoning as to bringing mammals, hatchling?”
At that point, I tried to get up off the floor. Though, that was when I realized that Applejack’s forelegs were still wrapped around me. “AJ, could you let go please?”
“Oh! Oh, s-sorry Ken,” she apologized, before releasing her grip as we stood back up. Yet, instead of waiting for me to speak, Revaan took matters into his own claws.
“We came seeking to learn the story of a dragon that our kind would rather forget than accept, Archivist,” Revaan explained as he politely addressed the fellow dragon, “We wish to learn the tale of the dragon lord named Michael.”
“Hmm… I’m not sure why you’d want to know that, young drake. Not many dragon warriors find history all that interesting- and most of our kind prefers to fight or hoard anyways. It won’t help you get a mate.” The elder dragon seemed quite off put by the request, sparing me a glance. “Oh, that would likely explain it. Another one. And with a disgusting appendage to boot, how charming.”
To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I just got insulted or ridiculed. Though, one thing did stand out. “Forgive me for interrupting, but what do you mean by ‘another one’?”
“You ain’t tha firtht hooman dwagownth came acwoth. But tha latht won wath with tha dwagown you menthioned.” I had to cover my face from the barrage of spit he sent at me with each word. Not only that, but I was having trouble trying to make heads or tails of what they were saying.
“Ya mean the one that Revaan just mentioned, Michael?” Applejack took a turn to ask.
“He made a pact with one of your ilk, and their bond was smoother than silk. He would’ve followed her into hell and back, which alienated his brood enough so that they made it difficult to track.” The elder snorted a blue column of fire from his nostrils. “Fools they may have been at the start, but come years later when Michael returned, the dragons found that they were unlikely to part.”
Slowly, things were beginning to make some sense. From the sounds of it, Michael’s bond with his partner made the two of them inseparable. Especially if his own kin found it difficult to separate them, “So, what happened? I’m understanding you so far, but I don’t see why the rest of dragonkind would want nothing to do with him.”
The Archivist cleared his throat and began sinking into the hole. “If you want more, you’ll have to offer up a good reason for me to tell you. I don’t get a lot of visitors, but I’m quite sure that barging into an old drake’s lair and demanding information is considered ‘rude’. I’m not running a library- at least, not to non-dragons.” The old drake smirked up at us as he sank down the tower where the walls were covered in glassed off shelves with everything from tablets to scrolls behind the transparent surface.
At that point, it felt like the only way that we were actually going to get anywhere was to tell him more. “We wanted to learn more, because we believe that Michael is still alive. He’s with a woman named Zero and goes by a different name, Mikhail. Not too long ago, Revaan and I encountered him and the two of them left us for dead-”
“And blah, blah, blah, I heard yee. An’ why should I care? Does mine treasures be in danger? Nay? Then why should I care about a squabble between yee and this ‘Mikhail’? If he be in fact Michael, why should I be picking favorites? Yee may have known an apprentice of mine, but that be nothing compared to what I know about dragon conflicts.” I noticed that there were smaller black dragons circling him while they carried all manners of items about.
“Now, listen here-”
“Both of you, stop,” Revaan interjected, much to our surprise, “It’s clear that he doesn’t plan on just solely giving us what we’re looking for. If we want to find out the end of the story, we need to provide something of equal value,” He then turned towards the Archivist, before speaking once more, “What is your price?”
The Archivist stopped, grinning. “I was afraid you’d become akin to a wyvern, being around the softer races. I’m glad to know I was mistaken.” He coiled around himself, looking through the glass cases around him. “If you haven’t noticed, I’ve been speaking to you with accents from other races, eras and even just lisping to see if you’d notice what kind of hoard I possess. While most of our kind prefer shiny, baser things, I stockpile one of the greatest information depositories in the world. I take pride in that, but my catacombs remain far too barren for my liking. Provide something of knowledgeable substance, and I will return the favor.”
Something of knowledge? That could possibly mean a lot of things. Not only that, but how exactly are we supposed to give him something that he himself doesn’t already own? It’s more than likely that he knows a lot about Equestria as it stands, especially if other species have visited him.
Then, it hit me. There was something I happened to have… and the more I thought about it, the more I began to realize something. He might know a lot of information about the species of this world and events of the past. Yet, what he did not know about was about those outside of it. This may seem like a bit of a gamble, but if it’s enough to peak his interests, then we might actually be getting somewhere.
“You know, I think I have something that might be of interest to you,” I told the Archivist, before I brought forth one of the tokens I had been given, “What would you say if I told you that there are others like me? Others who had been taken from everything they once knew and arrived in their own version of Equestria. Yet, what they choose to make of their situation always differs and their decisions can leave a major impact on that world's inhabitants. Each one of them a different story and no two are the same.”
“You speak of the alterscale theory? Hmm… it is hard to believe a people so powerless such as yours could travel through the Yggdrasil.”
Well, looks like I almost got his attention. Better keep it going, “That may be true… though, there is another way,” I told him, before showing him what I was holding, “Each one of us, who we call the Displaced, have a token that’s centered around them. The appearance of each one is different, but what’s important is how it’s used.”
Then, before I could continue, Revaan decided to take a turn, “Essentially, tokens are used by Ken to summon a Displaced from their branch in Yggdrasil to ours. However, since this goes both ways, we can end up being summoned at any time by another Displaced to their branch if they find the token that belongs to Ken. We have experienced this ourselves and the tokens that we have found or had been given is proof of our encounter with each one.”
“Then how do you return?” The Archivist pondered, and it made me realize that even I didn’t know. “Perhaps a question for another time… or something to keep me busy while I wait for my scavengers. Dost thee have such token for our collection?”
When he asked that, I looked down to the particular token that I was holding, the Cat’s Eye that belonged to Connor and held it out for him. I also brought forth one of my own tokens that I kept in my pocket and placed it with the Cat’s Eye, providing both of them as an offering for him. “The Cat’s Eye belongs to a good friend, while the scale is the one that other displaced use to summon me. If you wish, I can provide more if-”
“Nay, thou hast given us enough for the knowledge thou seeketh.” The Archivist took both tokens and slithered slowly towards a wyvern, giving it both and letting in descend into the depths of the tower. “What did you want again, mammal?”
“We wisheth to heareth what remains of the story of Dragon Lord Michael,” Revaan interjected again, this time matching the Archivist’s choice of dialect- or at least, one of them.
“Ah, very well, hatchling. Long ago, when the pony nation of Equestria hadn’t even been born, the draconic Moonstone clan at the height of its power, gave birth to two sons. S’vantes, and his late bloomer Michael. The two were bitter rivals during their youth, but they mellowed out as they grew older. They never were on good terms, however. They were the sons of the Alpha, so they were bound to hate each other.”
“So what became of them?” Revaan then asked.
“Michael abandoned his kin during a hunt, which nearly cost S’vantes his eye. And his mate. So the youngest was banished for forty years, only to return then. Of course, by the time he’d return, S’vantes would have most likely become the new Alpha of the clan, meaning their rivalry would no doubt have been for nothing by that point.” The Archivist chuckled. “Forty years is not long for dragons, but Michael was… different. He was prideful- moreso than most, and he thought of things that were considered fanatical to most clans. He was a hunter in his youth, but I had believed he would make an excellent military commander. Which he’d prove me right.”
Okay, hold up. What did he just say? “Wait a minute. You actually met him?”
“Many clans met me- I’ve met many an Alpha, many a Warlord, and many a Child of Pride- a royal offspring, to put it in a way that would make sense to a pony.” The Archivist explained. “I met S’vantes as well, both of them a multitude of times. The eldest was much more respectful than his hatchmate. I knew more of your kin, hatchling, then you could imagine.”
That… was a lot to take in. Yet, before I could say anything, Revaan took the reins of the conversation, “It seems you’ve had a great number of visitors over the years,” he said, before clearing his throat, “Though, you mentioned that Michael eventually returned to his clan? Would it be safe to assume that, given what he was exiled for, he was not welcomed with open arms?”
I swear I saw the Archivist’s eyes twinkle with delight, “No, hatchling, he was not. Nor was he shunned. His punishment was severe enough- and I’m not talking about the forty years of exile.”
“Oh?” Revaan asked, “There was something else?”
“He was ousted. His kin would never trust him again- not for years at least. He was already an outcast for his ideals and dreams, but to forsake one’s kin is to forsake the bonds of the clan. He would never have a hunting partner, the hatchlings were allowed to steal from his hoard without reprimand, and he would never be allowed a mate. Such is the way of a short term expellment.” The Archivist chuckled. “I hear he was very much perturbed by the decree. And he could not seek out a mate outside the clan as he was affiliated. No drakaina would trust a drake to sire a hatchling if he was affiliated to a clan. It just about never happened, because it would guarantee a purge.”
Okay, just the word ‘purge’ by itself was unsettling. Because, if Warcraft III told me anything, nothing good came out of a purge.
“Of course, nowadays the Dragon Lord has forbade purges. Bastards are still treated second class, though. I once heard that an egg or two was sold off to Equestria.”
“Sold off?” Revaan immediately spoke.
“You’d have to ask the Princess, she’d likely know about dragon egg ‘trafficking’. Or maybe she’s the buyer, I haven’t had much of a care for the subject myself to investigate it. My wyverns do tell me that there’s even a section of a city dedicated to ‘integrated’ dragons. Whether they’re bastards that survived being abandoned or the bought ones, it doesn’t matter.” The Archivist chuckled. “I’ve long since lost interest in many of these matters. I used to suffer hearing my scribes complain or boast of politics, so I replaced them with the simple minded wyverns. Less whining.”
Revaan grumbled to himself, before speaking once again, “Forgive me, but I believe we’re getting sidetracked.”
“Right, right… so Michael was alienated from his clan, nor could he strike out on his own. Permanent exiles were saved only for murder cases or adultery with the Alpha’s mate, so unless he committed one of those and somehow didn’t die, he could’ve tried to make his own clan. Most of the time, Michael flew out on his own, whether to hunt or go to a secret hoard was anyone’s guess, but S’vantes confided in me that it worried him.” The Archivist seemed to realize something. “It was likely that he feared Michael was acting on his fanatical ideals.”
“And when Michael returned after forty years? What happened?”
“Like I said, he was shunned. That was to be expected, so I don’t recall there ever being an incident upon his return. Like I said, he’d leave the clan for days on end. I theorize that he was taking out his anger on other races, sacking villages to relieve himself and not become suicidal like many before him in his position.” The Archivist stroked his chin with a claw. “Then, there was The Eruption. What you must understand of dragon culture is that clans were not as solitary as many think upon hearing of purges. Clans have a social system of how they view each other. There’s Like-Kin, which are closely linked clans that occasionally intermingle with one another. Marriages, half-breeds and battle brothers all stem from this relationship. There are Allied, which are politically inclined, and will likely fight with your clan to better their relationship with yours. Neutral, which will join conflicts, but rarely fully align with anyone unless a deal’s been made to make them an Allied or Like-Kin. They also mostly avoid conflicts. There’s also the Father-Clans and Hatchling-Clans, which are clans spawned from one clan if an Alpha’s sibling or non-crowned offspring is allowed, taking with them a portion of the clan to be a bloodbound kin to the tribe. A lesser clan, if you will. Then there are Rival, which are clans with a tense relationship, and The Hated, who are… well, hated to the point that a war is either inevitable, already started, or stalled because of outside politics. Such was the case between the Onyx and Moonstone.”
“They’d been locked in a cold war for decades, but everything came to a boiling point when the Moonstones assaulted an Onyx outpost. Skirmishes are a common thing, but this one had the Onyx Alpha’s firstborn there for a hunt. He was slain, and the war began. Michael was given charge of the Pearl Squadron, four dragons under his command to do with as he pleased. And do with them as he pleased he did.” The ancient dragon grinned. “In about a month’s time, the Onyx’s outposts were besieged by ponies, hippogryphs and lurkers! Michael had manipulated the three races into believing that the Onyx clan had sacked their villages and assaulted their Equestrian, Badland and Island outposts. He’d use them to distract the dragons stationed there, and sneak in to cut the heads off before retreating into safer territory.”
Okay, that was new. Even Revaan and Applejack were caught off guard by what the Archivist was describing. I vaguely knew of some events of the past like Nightmare Moon, but nothing about a war of any kind.
“Michael’s ideas made him perfect for the war with the Onyx Clan, who’d spread out more than any other clan of the time. Michael believed that other races held uses that could benefit dragonkind- nothing like believing the pony’s magic of friendship, but their numbers, simple minds, their relics, their magic. He believed that dragons could control those that he saw as lesser races. And excluding the alicorns, I have to agree with him on the lesser part of his ideals.” The elder dragon chuckled loudly. “He met his match almost a year into the war, however, while looking for more creatures to manipulate.”
“Oh? Who would that be?”
“A clever draikina named Tourmaline revealed to a pony military detachment that Michael was manipulating them with a unique ability of her bloodline. Michael was shot down into the Celestial Sea, and that is where he met his partner, the Intoner Goddess of the End, Zero.”
I grimaced a bit at that. Just the mere mention of the name gave me flashbacks to our first encounter and what she did. Though, there was something else that caught my attention. That being how the Archivist described her. “I’ve heard the word Intoner before, but what exactly does it mean?”
“It is the race she referred to herself as. They’re a race of human-like creatures that have special magics that are used via their voice through song. They are Immortal, and have a terrifying regenerative ability, one which I’ve yet to witness an equal. There are some unique qualities that Zero allowed me to document in regards to her child.”
That alone raised multiple red flags. Not just the fact that the Archivist said ‘they’ as in more than one, but also that she has a kid?! Yet, there was one particular fact that stood out the most.
“Hold on, you actually met Zero?”
“The Moonstone clan had her meet with me regularly in case she was a danger to our kind. She tamed Michael, one of their sharpest minds, and he was more loyal to her then his kin. That is a scary thought to a dragon clan. Hatchling, do you see this mammal as kin?”
When Revaan looked to me, all he could do was nod, “More than that. I see hope… the possibility that what was once thought to be impossible could-”
“Yes, yes. And you, mammal. What if he suddenly thought to give his loyalty to another, and be willing to give up his bond with you for another.”
That was honestly a question that I didn’t expect. I mean, after being around Revaan for so long, the thought never crossed my mind of such a possibility happening. Even though it was highly unlikely that it would happen, it was still a rather disturbing thought to think about.
“And now you have a vague understanding of what the Moonstone clan felt when Michael showed his loyalty by threatening the clan. I believe Zero claimed it was ‘like a dog growling at a lady’s new boytoy’.” The Archivist shook his head.
“That’s a disturbing image,” I heard Applejack comment as I looked back towards the Archivist, trying to refocus.
“So wait, if Zero had arrived during the war, then what happened? Did the fighting stop or did the Onyx use Michael’s absence to their advantage?”
“Michael, while a thorn in the Onyx’s side, was not their only obstacle. The strategy for the Onyx was to cut the Moonstone’s Like-Kin, severing their closest allies and isolating them. They obliterated the Deep Ones clan and nearly gutted half of the Shadowblights. Zero surprisingly stepped up to aid the latter, and through unknown means created an offspring of her own, and used the fully formed child to watch over them while they fled to make another hatchery. The war lasted well over four decades before Zero and her two daughters offered a way for peace, the start of which was to have the two weakened clans live in the same lair. It took much convincing, but eventually terms were finalized. Michael even brought up an interesting idea that would prevent the Alpha’s from outright murdering each other.”
Revaan raised an eyebrow at that, “That idea being?”
“Neither side was allowed to procreate with their own clan, and would have to create hybrids for such a period that it’d be impossible to purge the hatchlings. Purgings are exceedingly hard to carry out if there’s more than one pair participating. It would force the beginnings of a Like-Kin relationship. And it worked almost too well. Within one decade, there were already twice as many mixed mates as there were pure ones.” The Archivist looked almost baffled by his own words. “Too many of the younger generations found companionship with their sworn enemies willingly. Be it rebelliousness, attraction or desperation, the clans had to become one clan with two names. Other clans refer to them as ‘Onyxstones’ or ‘Onyxmoons’ more often than not nowadays.”
The fact that Revaan was one such hybrid between Onyx and Moonstones really had me think that at one point, there were others that were like him. However, considering the state of the Onyx and the Moonstone now, something told me that this wouldn’t last.
“Of course, peace is a fickle thing. Both tribes were practically wiped out, with Michael and both of Zero’s daughters falling when the Nightmare Princess exterminated all of their strongholds. There were survivors, but they’ve either died out since then or are hiding where even I can’t reach.”
Dear god. The thought of that was too painful to even think about. To lose everything you worked so hard to build up, including your family, within mere moments. That must have been devastating.
“Archivist,” Revaan now spoke, “You speak of the tribes, Michael and of Zero’s daughters, but what of Zero? What happened to her?”
A mischievous smile appeared on the Archivist’s scaly face. He reached down to a glassed off case and punched it, breaking the seal, and retrieving a long object wrapped in dried blood covered linen. He dropped it at our feet, and watched eagerly. “These are treasures, especially to me.”
I crouched down, carefully pulling back the cloth at one end to see what was hidden. Yet, when I actually saw what the cloth was concealing, part of me felt as if I was going to be sick. Even more so when I heard AJ run outside and throw up over the edge of the Praeteritum. Revaan himself was startled by what I was looking at as I tried to keep it together. For whatever I thought was there originally was nothing compared to what we actually saw.
It was a left arm. Preserved somehow and in the palm of the hand that was attached, there was an eye. At first, none of this was making sense. Why the hell would a dragon keep a preserved arm!?
Then it hit me. When Revaan and I encountered her, Zero’s left arm was metallic and there was a flower where her right eye should’ve been. “Is this… what I think it is?”
“Indeed. These are what remained of Zero, and my scribes collected them for my study. I found the Nightmare Princess’ residue magic on the severed point, and the eye might have, but it would’ve faded before it arrived. Her arm was lost, and I assumed she had vanished. I theorize, with the ‘token’ you’ve given me that she somehow escaped to another branch, possibly stranding herself or biding her time until she could amass a force to return. She seemed a very dragon-like creature, so I assume she and Michael- or his somehow reincarnated self, manipulated those on the other branch into serving her to enact her revenge. She once tried to trick me into believing something called ‘Lavos’ would destroy the world.”
And she picked now of all times in order to come back. Damn, this is getting to be a headache. “Okay, I… think I get it, yet there’s one thing that eludes me,” I told him, “You said that Zero’s daughters died. Yet, just a few days ago, Revaan and I encountered another Intoner that referred to Zero as ‘Mother’. How does that make any sense?”
“Zero can make children asexually. She most likely made more, on top of reincarnating her original two. None of the bodies were there, and I’ve seen Zero come back from the dead.”
By Revaan’s ancestors, that’s a lot to keep track of. While it did at least explain that there was ‘some’ sort of connection between Zero and Five, it also implied that there were others like her… and we had no idea as to how many other Intoners there were. God, why does this keep on getting more complicated?
Though, from those words, Revaan seemed to pick up on something specific to what the Archivist was talking about. “This reincarnation ability of Zero’s… does it require her to have anything with her before she does it?”
“Revaan, what are you getting at?” I asked, hearing the sound of hooves trotting against the floor as Applejack was starting to come back.
“Remember back in Sonsu Gaard, where we ran into Five when she was collecting all those dragon bones?” he asked, the memories of our encounter coming back to my mind as he spoke, “I think that they’re important to Zero somehow. Otherwise, why would Five go so far out of her way to prevent us from getting our claws on them?”
“Hmmm… Five, you say? So there are six Intoners now. Interesting…” The Archivist pondered. “Well, be off, mongrels. I believe I’ve told you all that you wished to know about Michael.” He began to sink down, grabbing Zero’s arm as he descended and placed it back where it was, covered it in sand and blew blue fire, crystallizing the sand into glass.
After hearing this, Revaan motioned for the two of us to follow him back out to the landing. “Well, we were able to find what we came for. I’d say it’s time for us to go.”
“Ya sure that’s all we can get? Can we try to ask him anything else?”
“Doing so would more than likely agitate him,” the dragon told AJ, “We came here to find information from the Archivist, not make him angry. So, we should get going.”
I can agree with that. After all, with everything the Archivist just told us, we definitely needed some time to process everything. Hopefully, everyone else back home was having an easier day than us right now.
Elsewhere
The Badlands are really not my usual grounds, but Two was already on another mission regarding a unique recruit that she’d have to handle. Usually Mother or One handled those, but I won’t complain. Complaining means broken bones and feelings. Not that I had to deal with that, I had the least bruises over the past decade or so than even One, because I didn’t stick out and I got the job done.
That purple eyed changeling was assigned under me. He’s almost as pissed off as Four gets when things don’t go her way, but he’s much quieter about it. I prefer that. Four’s too loud to stick around. No, the changeling preferred to simmer and curse some ‘Thorax’ under his breath. My curiosity tempted me to ask, but I don’t really care about his life story enough to pry.
It’s easier that way.
The bug acts as my guide through the harsh deserts. I think I’m annoying him with all the pitstops, but the heat makes me more tired than usual. I know I can take three hour long breaks every hour since this mission isn’t all too important. If it was important, Mother would’ve told me, or sent Four instead. Even One would be better in the desert, at least she wears white.
We stop at the top of a sand hill, and I look down over the barren landscape with annoyance. I run my free hand - the other carrying my scissors, Dominique - across the back of my belt, feeling the tokens Mother gifted me. Good, I hadn’t lost them like Five did with Winter’s token- Four was still raving mad about the loss of that. I almost pitied the bimbo. Almost.
The tokens I had were my go to. Mother had gifted each after she’d made sure they were useful and not threats. There were an awful lot of Displaced that seemed to hate them for whatever reason. But these three had been vetted years ago and put to good use. Unfortunately, I wasn’t allowed to use them against the other dragon duo that opposed Mother, since she wanted trump cards in case they started using tokens. It was almost like an arms race in who could overwhelm the other with their numbers.
Thankfully I hadn’t dropped any throughout my numerous breaks. Using the changeling as an umbrella helps keep me from keeling over. I was about to ask for an early break, the last one being twenty minutes ago, when a loud explosion rocked the ground beneath us. The changeling yelped and transformed into a boulder like a tortoise goes into its shell. It was very funny.
“HAHAHA!!! BOOM SHAKA LAKA, BITCH!!!” A young, feminine but tomboyish voice cackled.
Well, now that was disconcerting… maybe I can take a detour for threat assessment.
‘This better not last too long.’ I think as I drag Dominique through the sand towards the insanity filled laughter.
End Chapter 47
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That Archivist was something else.
Interesting