Time Stops For No Dragon

by FluttershyLover55

Chapter Twenty-Five:The Gauntlet Of Marelantis

Time Stops For No Dragon
Chapter 25-The Gauntlet Of Marelantis

After explaining everything to Twilight, she was understandably excited about their unique predicament.

"Oh my gosh! There are SO many possibilities! Think of all the experiments!" She exclaimed, her eyes slightly glazed over.

Neither Spike nor Thorn liked the idea of enduring potentially painful experiments, so they prepared to leave as soon as possible. While Twilight was distracted by her fantasies, Thorn guided Spike to where the book was. Once they had it, he stuffed it in his jacket and they slowly backed away, towards the door.

"Uh, Twi, all of this is over." Spike announced, opening the door and shutting it behind him, receiving no response from the lavender unicorn.

The sound of the door closing, snapped Twilight from her reverie. "Where did they run off to?" She asked the air, looking around the library in confusion.

"Also, who stole my map? I needed that to…Oh, never mind."

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A few hours later…

Spike and Thorn had just finished visiting all of the places on a map that they had found in the book, which was actually a map of the best restaurants around Ponyville. Twilight was probably missing it already, since she had been using this hoof-made map as a bookmark, for some reason.

Spike stopped walking, all of the sudden. "Wait a minute, this isn't a map of Equestria! This is just all of the best restaurants! Twilight must have been using this as a bookmark." Thorn realized.

"So, that's why everyone thought we were crazy, when I asked about Marelantis! They kept asking, if I had had too much to drink! At least we finally have a lead, though. That weird stallion wearing a brown fedora said it was near a lake, not too far from town. For some reason, I got the feeling that he was some type of treasure hunter. I wonder what he was doing at a place like 'Filly Cheese's'?"

They were walking through a forest outside of Ponyville, opposite of the Everfree forest.

"I don't know. It should be around here somewhere, though." Thorn replied.

A moment after he said that, Spike tripped over a tree root and went tumbling down a short slope. A branch shifted down with a cracking noise, as he rolled over it and reached the end of the slope. Spike stood up, surprisingly unharmed. To his confusion, a hole with a set of stairs leading down into it was right in front of him, at the edge of a lake.

"When did THAT get there?" Spike wondered, vaguely remembering rolling over something during his fall. He looked back up the slope and saw a branch bent at an unusual angle.

"That must be the lever, which opened this secret passage." Thorn said.

"I guess so." Spike agreed, turning back toward the stairs.

"I just hope that this isn't a total bust." Thorn sighed.

"That guy seemed pretty reliable." Spike stated.

"That's the key word there, SEEMED." Thorn said.

"Well, either way, I'm going to check this out." Spike concluded, lighting an emerald flame in one hand and descending the steps into darkness.

The dim light that the flame provided was just enough to see a few feet ahead of them in any direction.

"Be careful, Spike. Places like these are almost always booby-trapped."

"All right, I'll try." Spike said, just as they reached the bottom of the stairs.

He turned the corner, emerging into a beautiful cavern full of light-radiating crystals and a waterfall.

"Whoa! Rarity would LOVE this place!" Spike commented, extinguishing his handheld flame.

"I'm sure she would, but…What's that over there?" Thorn said, directing Spike's attention to what looked like a mural painted on the side of the wall.

It had to be a few hundred years old, at least. Spike walked over to it, attempting to get a closer look, but over half of it was obscured by overgrown lichen and vines.

"Hmmm…let me see, if I can clear this stuff off of here."

Spike decided to go old school and inhaled deeply, exhaling a stream of brilliant emerald flame. The fire burned away the vines and lichen, effectively clearing the mural for viewing. He gasped as its contents were revealed, never having expected to find something like this. There were a series of pictures depicting what appeared to be ponies and dragons, as well as…pony-dragon hybrids?

If these images were anything to go by, dragons and ponies had been getting together, probably in secret, for a much longer time than anypony could have ever guessed. So, Spike's dream of marrying Fluttershy and being together forever seemed more like a reality than ever before. There was an inscription that had been carved into the stone under it, that had all but faded over years of erosion, although the words could still be made out, if one examined it closely.

"Hmmm…that's interesting, to say the least. Can you make out what it says?" Thorn asked, curiously.

"I think so, but it's kind of hard to read." Spike leaned in closer, squinting to try and see it better. Even with the natural light from the crystals, the mural was in the shadows, so he lit it up with a flame in his palm.

Now that the mural was illuminated by his convincing impression of a flickering candle, it was much easier to see what he was supposed to be reading. In this light, it reminded him of the similar paintings contained in that hall at the castle in the Badlands. The art style was very much alike, although there was one major difference, which was the fact that while the other paintings he had seen featured him in them, this one didn't seem to have him in it at all.

"There is a legend, an old mare's tale, some might say. A story of ponies, long hidden away. These equestrians are special, belonging to a different breed. They lurk in the shadows, where they are forced to feed. Born as a pony, wearing their skin, but a raging fire burns within. They are known as the 'Drakenshire', the forgotten link. To discover what they connect to, all one must do is think. Ponies and dragons, an unlikely fusion. Their existence is a source, of constant confusion. No one knows, if they are real or not. This mural is the only proof, that anypony has ever got. Beware if you see one, for they are a menace, unwanted. It is a difficult task, to remain undaunted."

"The 'Drakenshire', huh?"

"Yeah, do you think they're real? I've never heard of them." Spike said.

"Well, I wouldn't rule it out, considering how many different species of monsters and other types of creatures there are all over Equestria. Whether they exist or not, isn't what worries me, though. What worries me, is that we found what is likely to be the only proof they exist, hidden away, buried underneath multiple layers of soil like some kind of forbidden secret. Let's just say, that if they ARE real, we probably don't ever want to meet them." Thorn pointed out.

"I agree with you there, but at the same time, I sort of wish that we knew one. I mean, how awesome would it be, to have a fire-breathing pony on our side?" Spike admitted, with a chuckle.

"Spike, if you realized how serious this situation was, you wouldn't be joking around right now." Thorn scolded him.

"Thorn, I hate to break it to you, but if anypony realizes how serious this is, it's me. You're not the one whose mind is slowly deteriorating, as a consequence of his actions. You're also not the one who got his ex-marefriend possessed by the soul of an evil chaos lord, because of his inability to see what was happening the first time around. Not only that, but you're also not the one who unleashed the most powerful, evil unicorn in history upon the world. And, on top of that, have you thought about the fact that if I die, you will too, since you're trapped in my mind, which is also my fault?" Spike ranted, his voice full of emotion.

"Spike, I'm sorry. I know you have a lot on your plate. However, as for my death, it will still happen, no matter what you do. If all goes according to plan, and it HAS to if we want to keep you alive, then my future will be wiped from the board and I, along with it. This is no time to be breaking down and you know it." Thorn apologized.

"Yes, I know you're right. I can't afford to waste any more time on these stupid emotions of mine. All they do is make me weak and I need to be strong, now more than ever. Let's just forget about this mural for now…" He gestured to it. "…And go find that gauntlet you were talking about." Spike concluded.

Twilight had always taught him that there was nothing wrong with showing emotions, even though normal dragons thought otherwise. Since he was raised as a pony, Spike was more open to those kinds of things than others of his kind might be. Despite that, it was imperative, at least in his opinion, to shut off his emotions for this mission. He had to deaden his feelings to the best of his ability, if he ever hoped to accomplish the monumental task that had been set upon his shoulders.

It was almost a certainty that he would have to kill Starswirl at the very least, and if worst came to worst, well…He hated to even think of it, but if it came down to it and there was no other way, he might have to kill Fluttershy. That was the main reason he would have to block out his emotions, but that option was only a last resort. He would try everything he could think of to save her first and if it came down to it, he wouldn't even be above sacrificing himself.

Spike surveyed his surroundings once more, spying a path that led deeper into the underground cavern. On his way there, he broke off one of the smaller light-radiating crystals that was only slightly larger than he could fit in his palm. To his disappointment, it stopped emitting light the moment it lost contact with the cluster. Even though it seemed useless without its power, he stuffed it in his pack for later, just in case. He continued on down the path, heading deeper and deeper. The further away he got from the crystal cavern, the darker his surroundings became.

He was expecting to have run into a few traps by now, but due to the entrance being hard to find since one had to trigger that seemingly random stick on a hill, maybe, they thought it wasn't necessary. It wasn't often that somepony would stumble across it unless they knew exactly where it was, and Spike doubted that HE would have, if it weren't for his accidental tumble.

After a while, he reached a dead end. It seemed that way at first, anyway. "What do you think we should do?" Spike asked.

"In my experience, caves like this one have one or two secret passages. Well, besides the obvious secret entrance, of course. An artifact like the 'Gauntlet of Marelantis' should be hidden somewhere off the beaten path." Thorn informed.

"That's what I thought, too. I've been artifact hunting with Twilight several times now, so I expected there to be a secret passage or two around here. I didn't think this was the end of it." Spike examined the wall nearby and found a crack on its surface.
He reared back and let loose, slamming his fist into the rock. The crack got wider, splintering off in all directions, until what was once a wall, became nothing more than a pile of rubble. Spike grinned, stepping over the remains and moving towards a small hole in the stone, which he had revealed.

"How much are you willing to bet, that this leads straight to the treasure?" Thorn asked, certain that he was right.

"I may not be the smartest dragon around, but I know enough not to take that bet. I think you're right about this one." Spike said.

The hole was almost too small for him to fit with his increased stature, but Spike managed to squeeze through with a little effort, hoping against all odds that he wouldn't get stuck. Thankfully, the tunnel wasn't all that long and he made it to the other side with minimal difficulty. On the other side, just like they had expected, was the gauntlet they had been searching for. It was placed on a pedestal in a small alcove. The artifact was cyan in color, with pictures of what looked like seaponies on it along with swirling waves and it was made out of metal like a suit of armor.

"Wow! It's beautiful." Spike exclaimed, his mouth open in awe, as his eyes sparkled in wonderment.

"That it is. Be careful, if you want to grab it, though. You know that these things usually, activate a trap. If nothing else, you must have learned that from every 'Trotiana Pones' movie. Come to think of it, that guy who told us about this place bore a striking resemblance to…never mind. It's not like a fictional character from books or movies, ever turns out to be real. I'm sure it was just a very passionate fan, dressed up in costume. Anyway, Spike, you'd better…"

In the time it had taken him to finish his rambling and get back on track, Spike had been inching closer and closer to the artifact. Now, he was right next to it. Strange as it seemed, it felt like some unnatural force was reeling him in, drawing him towards it. All he wanted was to reach out and touch it. The gauntlet was calling him to it, like a mythical siren song, attempting to lead him to disaster. It wanted him to have it and he wanted it, more than he could ever recall wanting even a particularly appetizing gemstone. Which was a lot, since those were always hard for him to resist.

"…He's not listening, is he? We're doomed." Thorn finished, as Spike finally laid his hands on the ancient artifact. For the first time, his older self realized that this thing, as powerful as it was, had probably been hidden in this place for a very good reason.

As soon as Spike made contact with the gauntlet, touching it with his right hand, his claws sunk into it slowly, like it was made entirely out of water. In fact, for a moment, it was liquid in form, until it suddenly swirled up his arm in a spiral, stopping once it had covered most of its length, ending just below his elbow. It was a little big on him, but it soon condensed, molding to his arm like clay and then solidifying back into its original silver, metal form.

"What the?" Spike had never seen anything like this before and neither had Thorn.

He tried to slide it back off, but it was like it had been glued down, becoming sealed to his flesh. Although he was worried about it, he shrugged it off, figuring that it wouldn't harm him any more than it already had. He needed to be prepared for anything, so he would probably want it on, anyway. Now that he had acquired it, his next order of business was to go after Starswirl and then save Fluttershy.

"Are you okay, Spike?" Thorn asked in concern.

"Yeah, I think so. That was weird, though. For a minute there, it was like I had fallen under its spell. Now, it's like it's connected to me, somehow." Spike explained, to the best of his ability.

"As long as you're all right, I guess, we can worry about that other stuff, later." He grinned. "You know, if your intention was to become a knight, you're much closer to that goal than ever before. You've got an awesome sword, which was already good enough and now you have what is essentially, a piece of armor. Not only that, but it's magical armor." Thorn chuckled. "Spike the Knight."

Spike blushed a bit, embarrassed by his mentioning of something that he had never really told anypony about. "You saw that, huh? That was just a fantasy I had about being Fluttershy's knight in shining armor or scales, heh heh."

"Of course, I did. It wasn't exactly hard to find, considering the fact that I'm stuck in your mind. I can see all of your memories, as well as any fantasies you might have. In fact, I'm sure Fluttershy would LOVE to hear about that dream you had a few nights ago. It was a bit inappropriate, but I'm sure that she wouldn't mind doing some of those things with you. What was it she said again? Something about agreeing to bear your foals, if I recall."

"She doesn't need to find out about that!" Spike protested, frantically waving his hands.

"Duly noted. Also, would such a thing even be possible? I'd do some research on the subject, if I were you." Thorn pointed out.

"I'm actually, not sure. I hope so, though. I mean, if it was painted on an ancient mural, that pretty much cements it as a fact. I'd like to think so, anyway." Spike shrugged. "Anyway, let's get back on a more relevant subject."

"You're right, we're supposed to be talking about the gauntlet. Speaking of that, Spike, you know that if this was hidden in such a hard-to-reach place, it's probably very powerful, as well as dangerous. I'd be careful with it, if I were you." Thorn warned.

"All right, all right. Let's go give this book back to Twilight. We don't need it anymore and it's time for us to focus on finding Starswirl. I feel like this is the last thing we needed, to be able to take him on."

"Yeah, I think so, too. Even with this, though, I'm not sure how big our chance of success is. Starswirl is older and more powerful than either of us can imagine, so I'm not sure anything can fully prepare us to face him. We'll just have to do our best." Thorn agreed.

Spike was more than ready to get out of there, at this point. He was tired of breathing that stale air. He didn't want to have to squeeze through that small hole again, so with a wave of his hand, he teleported back to the entrance. His range wasn't as large as it used to be, since he no longer had the pendant to channel and empower his magic, but he was able to get that far, at least. He might be able to go even farther, but he didn't exactly have the time to test it.
He took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air after spending several hours underground.

After that, all he had to do was walk back to town and visit Twilight.

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Twilight was surprised to see Spike back so soon, but she was even more surprised by what was on his arm.

"Hey, Spike. Wait a second, is that the 'Gauntlet of Marelantis'? Oh no, this isn't good at all!"

Author's Note:

Hey there! I just wanted to say that the whole trilogy up until this point was written around the same time. The first part of this chapter was already written when I stopped working on it for several years. But now, I've finally returned to it and it will be finished. Starting with the legend of the Drakenshire part, is where I continued it, so if the writing quality is different, then that's why.

I don't really write the same way as I used to, so I was just pointing it out, so no one will be confused. I also used to write shorter chapters, and now I write longer ones, so these last five chapters are longer. Hope you're enjoying the story so far! I worked really hard on these new chapters, and I'm proud of the ending I came up with, so I hope you'll stay to the end and enjoy it.