Chapter 51: Clash of the Titans
To the far east of Equestria, across the Celestial Sea, there is a land of vast mountain ridges that griffons called home. Situated atop one of these mountain peaks, a great tree had grown, and among its branches, a prosperous heart of the kingdom had thrived – Griffinstone; the vast settlement of nesting houses has been built from the very tree that supported it, and every morning, the golden sun would rise to signal another glorious new dawn for these majestic and proud people.
Today, however, things were a bit different, as a storm was approaching the radiant kingdom, and among the residents, a lone guard was hurrying across the sky. He fell asleep and he didn’t want to miss the change of the guards as he was next on the schedule, not to mention he didn’t want his armor to get wet in the incoming rain. Atop the highest branch of the mighty tree, a towering wooden fortress overlooked the city below and that was his destination, as a group of guards was already waiting at the entrance, along with what looked like their superior.
“Gruff, you’re late!” the commander scolded the guard as he arrived.
“I’m sorry, captain! I meant to come on time but-“ he tried to apologize only to be cut off.
“No excuses! I won’t have the guard exchange be late. Any longer and we’d all be sitting wet in the rain. Now get in line! We’re about to begin.”
The guard Gruff stepped next to others and the commanding officer opened the main gate into the fortress. As they opened, a radiant glow washed over them all. A great hall opened before them, with a group of griffin guards surrounding the heart of the room, as they guarded their charge; a golden item, whose shape resembled a flame surrounding a small rock-like object that sat in the middle of it - the Idol of Boreas, brought to them by King Grover, the first griffin king, the symbol of their unity and pride. And now it was his turn to watch over it. On the far end of the room, an elevated throne stood, and upon it, the current griffin king Guto presided over all of them.
“Guards! Commence change of ranks, now!” the captain ordered.
At his command, the guards by his side walked over to the stationary ones, stepped next to them, and soon after, the other ones stepped away from their current positions and walked out the main gate. As all of them left, the captain saluted his king, who in turn nodded, after which he walked off and shut the doors behind him.
Silence fell over the throne room, while outside it turned dark and it began to rain, followed by the cracking of thunder. It was going to be several hours of simply being stationary, but the guards didn’t mind; in fact, they relished the chance to stand by the side of the symbol that united them all, to be washed over by its radiance. Gruff was the same, and this time he got lucky, as he was facing a large window, and with the dark outside, he could see the idol’s reflection in it. It filled him with pride, knowing he was there acting as its protector; any griffin would… But that feeling of glee would soon vanish. As he continued to watch the reflection in the window, every now and then it was disturbed by the flashing light of thunderbolts outside, and when the lights flashed again, he noticed something foreboding through it. The light was partly obscured by a large shape that stood outside the window; he couldn’t see the details, but its outline showed that it was massive, had large horns on its head, but most foreboding of all, a single big yellow glowing eye. By the time he finally registered, it was already too late.
CRASH!
The glass along with the wooden wall came crashing down as a huge form broke through and landed in front of the guards. It was a grey goat-looking creature, with a stocky torso and opposable hands, its back and arms were covered in thick hair, all the way to its head, its giant orange-yellow eye sat in the middle of its face, its body adorned with accessories made from gold. It let out a bellow.
“ARIMASPI!!!” King Guto yelled.
The guards quickly acted to try and stop the creature, but it was too strong, as it quickly countered two attempts of an attack with its giant arms. On the third attempt, Gruff aimed for its eye – if he could take it out, the beast would become helpless. But the monster noticed him, responded quickly to his attack, and slashed him with its claws, making him fall to the ground like the rest of the guards. He reeled from the sharp pain on his face; something was wrong, he couldn’t see clearly. But he did see the creature lumber over to the pedestal where the Idol of Boreas was, and it wrapped the artifact in a single hand, before charging for the gate. He didn’t use them; instead, crashing through the fortress wall. He couldn’t let it happen! That creature was getting away with the symbol of griffin glory and pride, their unity! There was no way he’d let some giant goat-like monstrosity get away with it even if he is grievously wounded! And it seemed that other guards were thinking the same thing, as they all rose.
“AFTER HIM, MEN!” their king commanded as he flew out the hole in the wall, and the guards followed.
The arimaspi was not going down the road into the settlement below; he was moving towards a narrow branch that was connected to the bigger one and was leading down the side of it. It was trying to avoid getting attacked by the resident, and that’s how he managed to get here in the first place. They were going to use this chance to stop him. As the monster got to the middle of the natural bridge, the king and his army blocked his way, stopping it in its tracks, however, just as it seemed that another clash would follow…
KRAKOOM!
A lightning bolt shot from the storm clouds and snapped the middle of the narrow bridge. The griffins were flying so they avoided any damage, but the arimaspi wasn’t so lucky, as his half gave out from under his weight and he fell into the chasm below. Gruff gasped, as he saw their beloved idol fall with it, and he quickly swopped in on the remaining half of the bridge and grabbed it before it could be taken with the monstrosity, who disappeared into the dark depths. He couldn’t believe it… He did it! He managed to save the glory of his people! Suddenly, a powerful force pulled him and it was only thanks to the sturdy edge of the artifact that he was still holding on to the remaining half of the broken bridge, but it was bending! He was confused as to what was holding him, only to discover to his horror that the arimaspi that he just saw disappear into the darkness beneath, was holding on to his hind legs, trying to drag him into the abyss. He couldn’t move, the beast was too heavy and any moment now the other half of the bridge was about to snap. There was nothing he could do but cling to the artifact until the very last moment in despair. The remaining branch bridge collapsed, and the loyal guard fell into darkness.
Grandpa Gruff snapped awake, drenched in a cold sweat. He needed a moment to recuperate, to catch a breath, to realize his surroundings. The half-blind old griffon got out of bed and walked over to the window that overlooked the streets, and as expected, there wasn’t a soul in sight. The sun hasn’t even risen yet, but at this point, it was part of the course for him to wake up this early, before the rest of Griffinstone residents did. He needed to clear his mind before dawn came, so he put on his fez and left the house. He flew up to the highest branch of the great tree, the one that was holding up the giant wooden fortress; nobody had been living there for decades, as it clearly showed that it has been abandoned for a while, broken down and rotten away from the passage of time. He landed inside and took in the scenery. On the far end of the room, the vacant throne stood, abandoned, as, without the object of legitimacy, no griffin could ever be crowned the rightful king again, while the wooden pedestal in the middle of the throne room, now moldy and covered in fungus, was left without its purpose. He was here… he was here all those years ago, and the dream he had reflected that, and it certainly wasn’t the first time he had it. He was present for the event which lead to the decline of their glorious kingdom, time and again he wondered, whether he could’ve done better, done more to protect his kingdom. Yet every time he believed he had succeeded, the beast that destroyed his home would return to take him to his doom. No matter what he did, the dreams would never end… all because of that one stormy day. After a prolonged pondering, he sighed and finally turned back to the hole through which he flew in. It was about time, the sun would soon shine over the mountain peaks, announcing the dawn… but not the one that he was hopeful for. This time, however, he was wrong as well, as the sun did peak over the mountains, but only for a brief moment before thick storm clouds obscured it. As it turned out it was going to be a rainy day; just as well, it was fitting for his mood. To him, it always would be.
The storm was beginning to roll in, covering the nearby land in darkness. Most people would take cover from it, but some could not afford it, not now. On solid ground, beneath the colossal tree, a large ravine stood, strong winds from the far end of it pulling through, so much that it prevented anybody from flying. Yet deeper into it, small ledges have been carved by the passage of time, and its recent occupants quickly became aware of the thundering weather above.
“Took him long enough; a whole day even,” a voice said, belonging to a figure that stood up and walked to the ledge’s wall, standing next to a horrific visage of a long-since departed being. “Prepare yourself for what’s to come next… boy.”
Storm thundered above the area of Canterlot and its surroundings, all the way to the opening on the far end of the Everfree Forest that was previously occupied by the diamond dogs; the place where the Pillars of Turmoil had emerged to advance on their quest, yet now it was empty, with not a living soul in sight… but that was about to change. On a mountain ledge, just outside the pathway to the lair, a portal opened and the grizzled ram and the centaur fell through, as well as a large yellow orb before it closed again. Tirek was still holding on to Grogar’s horns, siphoning magic out of him. And every moment that it passes he felt growing stronger - a feeling that started to reflect his physique: The shriveled body began to expand, hulking up, growing in the process, the slender arms began to inflate to form bulging muscles, his horns grew to an extended length, and his skin turned from dark grey scarlet to raspberry, and a white mane trailed from the top of his head, down his back. And then it finally stopped; he couldn’t draw a single sliver out of the ram’s body anymore now that it had gone limp, as he held him in a single hand, before dropping him on the ground.
He stretched, flexing to get the feel of the body he didn’t have in a long time, raising his arms and kissing both of his biceps. “Hello, babies. Daddy missed you.” He chuckled. “Finally, out of anyone’s possible grasp. If those idiots thought I’d end up becoming somebody’s pawn they have another thing coming.” He looked about to check if the walking statue they left behind at this place got wind of his presence, but couldn’t spot him anywhere. “Huh, I guess that one also wised up and ditched them. I wonder though…”
There was something he had to make sure of. Earlier at Grogar’s old ziggurat, he used the minimum of the power he’s drained to escape, he wondered if he could do it again to someplace else, someplace more… familiar. A red orb lit up atop his head between his horns and he raised his hands. He was thinking of a particular place, he wanted to see it for just a moment. And at his command, a portal opened. He recognized the place, this barren scorching wasteland where life was barely possible… and in a distance, a dark tower rose from the earth. He closed it once again; he had seen what he wanted, but it wasn’t the place he wanted to return to… not yet anyway. But even so, it confirmed what he wanted to know: He had far more power than ever before, almost as close as the time when he drained all the pony magic apart from the alicorn, and this time he was not going to let anyone take it from him. And that’s when he remembered there was one more thing he had to do to ensure that he wouldn’t lose his power again. His gaze turned to the old sorcerer who was still laying on the floor, hardly moving. He bent forward and reached for him; he was determined to make sure he would not use his tool again.
Meanwhile, high above, the thunderstorm started going increasingly louder, the flashing inside the clouds getting constant when all of a sudden something odd happened: As Tirek reached for Grogar, he heard a strange sound in the air that made him stop; it should’ve been the sound of thunder to correspond with the flashing from above, but instead it sounded as if somebody had plucked electric strings. And not a second later… a giant thunderbolt shot down from the clouds and on the ledge where the centaur lord and the Father of Monsters were, electrocuting the former, and on top of that, the ledge crumbled, causing a landslide, and dragging them both down into the valley below. As the rumble settled, a huge pile of rocks was all that was left of the ledge. Another lightning struck from above not far from it, and once it passed, the satyr appeared.
“HA! How do you like me now, you decrepit four-legged freak!” he boasted. “Didn’t see that one coming, did you? Who got you all THUNDERSTRUCK? THIS GUY!” He pointed to himself and proceeded to dance in a clanky fashion.
His celebration wouldn’t last long though; he slowly went still in the middle of the dance, as he saw a pile of rocks rising, and a giant hulking muscular figure with an equine lower half emerged from it, his back turned against him.
His head slowly turned, a glance of yellow glowing pupils was all that was showing. “You struck me…?”
“Oops…” he yelped. “I missed.”
“And nobody’s going to miss you, pebble!”
A red orb appeared above his head between the horns, and it kept growing, as he turned in the direction of the obsidian construct and aimed at him. A squirming sound escaped his mouth and quickly raised his arm in the air. Thunder roared above and soon a lightning bolt shot down at him, and just a moment later the centaur unleashed a devastating attack at his location, causing a destructive explosion upon impact. Some time passed, and as the dust cleared, the only thing that was left in the satyr’s place was a giant smoking crater.
“Serves him right,” he hmphed. “Would’ve had to wipe him out anyway if I spotted him beforehand; I can’t risk him reporting back to those two.” He scratched his scorched rear end. “Stupid statue. He honestly thought that would be enough to deal with-“
Then he heard it again – the sound of electric strings being plucked, and this time he knew precisely where it came from. He raised his head and saw the flashing thunderbolts in the clouds, but instead of the crashing sound, it was creating an aggressive melody. He couldn’t understand how this was possible; who was making that? And soon he got his answer: As the electrifying sounds continued, a powerful source of light lit up in the dark clouds, illuminating what looked like a side shot of a horned, big-chinned face, with a squashed nose. The centaur recognized it - it was him! But how? He was certain his attack landed!
“YOU DARE TO CHALLENGE THE KING OF ALL STORMS?” the Pillar of Fear’s booming voice resonated all around. “YOU DARE TO TEMPT THE WRATH OF THE SL/SK?”
“The what?” Tirek yelled, not understanding a thing he said.
Almost instantly the flashing ended and the music died down, leaving only the flowing silhouette active. “Oh… Yeah, I suppose you really don’t know what that means, so allow me to elaborate.”
“No… No that’s really not neces-“ he tried to decline but was cut off.
“As I pondered my existence, the same answer to the question always became back to the fact that I’m made of ROCK – I can’t feel anything,” the glowing face in the clouds explained. “That’s when I realized that, while I cannot feel physical contact, I can still feel in my consciousness, I can still feel emotions. I needed to feel them strongly, I needed some way to make me feel alive in some way! And so, I realized I can make the storms act as I please, to make that booming sound change into what I desire, to pluck at the strings of my soul and make it move! Alas, I still needed to solve the matter of WHO I am. I can’t stand the name Scourgelord, yet I cannot shake it off now, and I will always be the Storm King, but I have long since transcended it… So I thought to myself, why pick one over the other when I can be BOTH? And so, I rebranded myself: I’m both the Scourgelord as well as the Storm King – the SL/SK!”
“Listen, Storm King or Scourgelord or whatever you choose to call yourself!” the centaur answered in irritation. “I didn’t ask for a soliloquy! You’re a liability because if Chrysalis comes back I’m not gonna risk you blabbering about where I went. We both may be villains, but we’re not on the same side, and if the failed zap earlier is any indication, I have the power to take you down with ease!”
The being in the sky laughed, so hard that the storms roared and the electrifying music resumed. “Oh wildebeest, that’s where you’re wrong. You might be a VILLAIN, but I, on the other hand, am a SUPER villain!”
“Oh yeah?! What’s the difference?!”
And then it came. The silhouette of the head in the sky turned forward and came forth. The clouds parted, and a gigantic form made of even darker weather mass descended. For a moment, Tirek was taken aback as the giant head of the Storm King came face to face with him, as it was about ten times bigger than him until it stopped a short distance from him. Suddenly, it opened its mouth, revealing the obsidian construct standing inside.
He opened his right palm, and the Staff of Sacanas lit up, creating several lines of lightning bolts to resemble guitar strings in front of him, before he lifted his other hand in the air, preparing to bring it down. “PRESENTATION!”
He swung downwards, across the electrified strings, and the storm cloud head lit up like holiday decorations, generating a huge amount of electric energy, creating a beam that shot past him and out the head’s mouth, right at the centaur. The latter had only a split second to react, erecting a magical shield before him, just before the full force of the attack hit him and pushed him against the nearby cliff. He recovered, the orb above his head flared up, shooting a powerful beam at his opponent, and the giant head moved with surprising speed, dodging it. It flew high in the sky and quickly made a U-turn, opening its maw again and shooting a lightning beam at its adversary. Tirek could only prop up his barrier again, and the force sent him flying a considerable distance, before quickly retaliating with a shot of his beam, only for the giant flying head to evade it. It quickly became apparent that despite his immense power right now, his opponent had the advantage with high mobility and speed; there was no way he’d be able to take him down with power alone, so he quickly ran off to try and find cover before the image of the satyr came in for another attack.
“RUNNING ALREADY?” he cackled. “I THOUGHT YOU SAID YOU HAD THE POWER TO TAKE ME DOWN.”
The maw opened again and the electric beam followed, leaving a trail towards the fleeing centaur, and just before it reached him, he dashed around the corner, missing him by an inch. But when the sentient cloud came around to further peruse his target, he found out it was gone; he couldn’t have gotten far – at this distance, he’d still be able to see him, so where did he disappear to? Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, the Storm King’s cloud face spotted something flying in his direction, hitting him, and then passing through, coming out on the other side of it. A large boulder rolled on the ground, and the satyr’s manifestation quickly turned in the direction from which it came. There he was, standing right past the corner, and soon after noticing him, the centaur quickly ran around the corner again! He went after him, but when he reached his destination, he was gone once more, and not a moment after another rock was flung at him and passed through undeterred, only to notice him on the opposite corner again. When it happened for the fourth time, the Storm King had finally lost his patience and flew further into the sky, then facing the rocky hill that was obscuring his view and allowing his enemy to evade his sight… but no more. He concentrated a giant attack at a single point and unleashed it, causing a giant electrifying explosion. When the dust began to settle, the geological formation was completely shattered, torn to pieces, and a figure could be seen not far from its remains. The giant head charged forward, but by the time the dust cleared completely, it was revealed that the centaur was holding a giant boulder in his hands and then tossed it directly at him, and it dodged. Afterward, he quickly turned and began running in the opposite direction, pursued by the Pillar of Fear. He galloped a considerable distance until he suddenly stopped, his hooved grinding against the rock and dirt, and for a good reason, as his path came to an end with an open ravine before him. He peeked over the edge and then continued to run alongside the borderline, while the giant sentient cloud continued to trail after him, unleashing his attacks. Eventually, however, the centaur stopped moving and halted completely, as he gazed over the edge again, noticing that this was the deepest part of the ravine, after which he slowly turned around and face his opponent.
The being in the sky stopped as well. “SO, YOU FINALLY DECIDED TO MEET YOUR END HEAD-ON? GOOD! SAVES US BOTH A LOT OF TROUBLE.”
It opened its mouth, preparing to unleash another lightning attack, and at the same time below, Tirek prepared himself, the orb between his horns flaring up. A few moments later both of them unleashed their power manifestations, the two attacks connected, causing an explosive shockwave. The giant floating head easily resisted the push, but the centaur wasn’t so lucky as the force from the blast pushed him back and over the edge of the ravine, making him scream.
“DON’T WORRY, WILDEBEEST! YOU WON’T FEEL A THING WHEN YOU HIT THE GROUND… OH WAIT, THAT’S A LIE, YOU’RE NOT MADE OF STONE!” the Pillar of Fear laughed.
The centaur continued to scream as he fell, but halfway down, he went quiet, knowing that the charade had gone for long enough. He faced the incoming rocky floor, reached out with his hand, and opened a portal in the ground, whose exit point stood directly underneath the animated storm cloud. He passed through, and the momentum from the fall carried him onward, making him fly at high speed upwards. He roared in the heat of battle, garnering the face’s attention, but by the time it looked down, it was already too late, as Tirek flew straight through the cloud with his grasp wide open, grabbed hold of something inside of it, and then coming out on the other side. All of a sudden, the giant head-shaped cloud dispersed, while his momentum came to an end and he began falling again, before crashing into the rocky ground, raising dust in the process. When it finally cleared, he was sitting in a crater, and in his hand, he was holding the obsidian construct who was desperately trying to wriggle out of his predicament.
“Ho… how did you-?”
“Figure you out?” he chuckled. “You made a huge mistake by revealing yourself to me, pebble. You showed me that you were present inside the face the whole time, which gave away that you weren’t remotely controlling that imitation head of yours; I just needed to figure out where you were inside of it. Those boulders I tossed at you? I was testing whether or not you were actually in a fixed position inside the cloud face, and as it turns out, you never even tried to dodge those attacks. The only time you decided to actively try and avoid my assaults… was when I was aiming for the dead center of your face. So much for “presentation”!” he laughed and pulled the construct his hand was grasping off the ground.
“But… but how did you manage to avoid me and make distance quickly?” the satyr wanted to know. “You don’t have super speed, there’s no way you could’ve evaded me.”
“And yet I did, didn’t I? But you’re right. It wasn’t speed that helped me pull one over you, but the very thing that helped me to deliver the finishing blow.” He raised his arm and opened a portal, showing the perspective of being held from behind the construct’s body. “Remarkable how useful it is to have a doorway between two different points of space.”
“W… wait, if you can just travel to any place you want… why didn’t you just try to escape?”
“Simple - I wanted to see you crushed…! But also…” He grabbed his right arm, pointing out the staff that was wrapped around it. “Where did you get that?”
“You’re gonna have to ask my former lieutenant about that.”
“That was a rhetorical question, pebble! You have MY FAMILY’S heirloom with you! The symbol of our sovereign! The staff is MINE by right, and you have the nerve to use it?! I’ll be taking it with me.”
“Wait! You can’t just-!” the satyr tried to resist only to suddenly hear the sound of cracking rock, as the centaur lord began to squeeze him in his grip.
“Be quiet, pebble. Once you’ve been reduced to a pile of gravel, you won’t have a reason to complain when I take your arm with me.”
The Pillar of Fear struggled, but it was no use, as his limbs started to make a cracking sound. Tirek in the meantime could do nothing but grin, feeling the sensation of literally crushing his enemy and knowing he was going to get away with it; he was going to have it all: The power, the glory, the symbol of the power of the Nether Lands! There was nothing that could stop him now…
KLING-KLING!
The pressure upon the Storm King’s body ceased, giving him a chance to look at his bringer of doom, and all that he could see on his face was absolute dread. A cold sweat washed over Tirek, as genuine horror took over him. That familiar clanging reminded him of something very important – the Bewitching Bell! He was planning to take it away from Grogar while he was still indisposed, to make sure the magic he took couldn’t be removed from him again. However, in a moment of anger, in the heat of battle, the thought slipped his mind, because the old sorcerer’s body had disappeared from his sight - the most critical thing he had to achieve. And now, the bell’s sudden ringing gave the sign… that its master had awakened. The artifact’s magic activated and the magical force grabbed hold of him, making him release the obsidian construct, who fell to the ground. The wonderful, immeasurable power was leaving him by the second, he could feel his body getting weaker as he shrank in the process, along with his mass, until the centaur returned to his withered state and collapsed on the ground, panting in exhaustion. Suddenly, he heard the sound of hooves approaching, but they didn’t stop near him, they continued past.
As the Pillar of Fear tried to get up, in fear that something may have been broken, he saw the grizzled blue ram approaching him. “Phew, I gotta tell you, gramps, that was a close call. I really thought for a moment that I was gonna get-“
His words came to a halt, as Grogar’s horns glowed in dark light, summoning a collar and dragging the satyr to his side without a warning, his face not showing any enthusiasm. “Tell me something, rug rat. What did you mean earlier, when you said “oops, I missed”? What or WHO were you aiming your attack at?”
“Well… him, of course!” He quickly pointed at the recent victim. “I was aiming at his head and instead I hit his… rear end. If I didn’t miss I’d have probably dealt with him at the start.”
The satyr smiled awkwardly, while the Father of Monsters judged him. “Whatever Fear did to you, it certainly didn’t rob you of the ability to make quick-witted excuses. But considering that you managed to deal with him while I was indisposed, I’ll consider us even in that regard.”
The grip around the construct disappeared and he fell with a loud thud. He seemed alright, yet as he tried to get up again, he felt something was odd - he didn’t get up even though he ordered his body to do so, and it became clear why, as he looked past his bulk and saw the lower half of his body standing up and walking around.
“Hey! Get back here! Turn around! Now go left! No, my left!” he loudly commanded his legs to come back around and they kept stumbling about.
The ram sorcerer rolled his eyes, his horns lit up, freezing the sentient lower half in place, and then levitated it and the torso, smashing them together and fusing them, before putting the construct back on his feet.
“Hey… thanks, gramps,” the Storm King said in a genuine tone of appreciation.
“You’re welcome,” Grogar answered. “And now… you owe me a favor.”
He quickly erupted in response. “Wait… you did that on purpose!”
The Father of Monsters glared at him. “Would you prefer me to undo the restoration then?”
“… no,” he quickly shut himself down.
“You wouldn’t be of use to anyone if you were half the creature, construct. And considering what I saw, that would’ve been a pity.”
“Oh sure, rub it in, why don’t you? It’s not like a moment ago I was-“ the satyr suddenly stopped mid-sentence. “Wait… you didn’t just call me a rug rat.”
He chuckled. “Well, I suppose you're finally showing some merit since we left you to your devices a while ago. Am I to assume you’ve finally found yourself, construct?”
There was a strange stir inside of the Pillar of Fear; he recalled how often the elder sorcerer would equate him with being little more than an immature child, and be shown even a slight modicum of respect… it felt unusual. “Can you call me SL/SK?” he hopefully inquired.
“No,” was as blunt of an answer as it could get.
He sighed in disappointment. “Hey, you can’t blame a guy for trying. So, what do we do about the wildebeest? I think he’s trying to make a run for it.”
He was being facetious. The withered centaur was clawing his way from his current location. The drain of the wonderful power had taken a toll on him and he wanted to find refuge before he could feel the wrath of the victim. He heard the sound of hooves quickly approaching, and the dread in him only got worse, forcing him to move quicker but in the end, it was for naught. Dark light enveloped him and he got lifted off the ground and turned towards the caster.
“You really are something special, boy,” Grogar addressed him. “Calculating, cunning, and resourceful. You’ve shown you know how and when to exploit your opponent’s weaknesses and use your limited abilities. Quite a few things that I value, I’ll admit.” Suddenly, the atmosphere around the grizzled ram turned dark. “That being said, boy, one thing I do not tolerate… is BETRAYAL.” A beam shot from his horns at Tirek, creating chains made of dark light that bound his equine legs and his hands, and lastly, creating a closed muzzle for the centaur’s face, before dropping him to the floor. “For that reason, I will be keeping you on a very short leash.” And as he said that a chain appeared and trailed over to his prisoner, where it transformed into a collar around his neck. “From now on, you will do as I command. You step out of line, and I assure you, you will beg for a swift end by the time I’m through with you.” And the sorcerer spoke, there was an unspeakable dread emanating from him, and the weakened centaur felt it. “Did I make myself clear, boy?” The four-legged prisoner raised his chained arms in a vain attempt to try and ward himself off from a potential attack, and a mumbling sound was coming from him; it became apparent to Grogar that he couldn’t speak with the overly restricted muzzle he had put on him, so he poked a few holes in it for Tirek’s voice to finally come out. “You were saying, boy?”
“Okay, I give!” he quickly answered. “I swear I won’t go against your will again! I won’t say a word on the way to Dragon Lands-“
“We’re not going to Dragon Lands,” the grizzled ram quickly interrupted him.
“What? But Chrysalis-“
“Can deal with it by herself along with the wisp. As I said earlier, we’re taking a detour and you two are coming along.”
“Wisp? What wi-“
“Hold on!” the Pillar of Fear jumped in. “Us two? As in him and I? What do I have to do with this?”
“Because I’ll be collecting on that favor now, construct,” he regarded him. “Besides, with the power you have displayed, you will be able to provide a suitable distraction for an entire kingdom. Are you in for some terrorizing?”
“Well, I’m not against it… but what about, you know, the consequences?”
He chuckled. “Consequences follow only if you get caught, as you witnessed firsthand. Now, here are my instructions: Travel east, across the sea, and spread your storm across the Griffin kingdom. We’ll need it to act in the cover of Griffinstone. I and the boy will be waiting for you there.”
“Wait, hold on, why do I have to go there on foot? You can open portals, right? Why can’t you just let me come with you guys instead?”
“Because I don’t want suspicions getting aroused. The arrival of your storm must be seen as a natural occurrence, otherwise, somebody might call for help.”
The Storm King groaned. “Fine.” He turned eastwards, raised his right hand, making sparks fly about, and then the lightning struck from above at him and he was gone, manifesting a shape of a giant head-like cloud that began to move, along with a part of his storm, only for him to stop and look back down at the two dots on the ground. “Wait, how will I recognize Griffinstone?”
“A giant tree with houses on a mountaintop will be difficult to miss!” the blue ram answered.
“Ah,” was the only word the giant head uttered before it disappeared into the cloud, and it began to move.
With only the Father of Monsters and his prisoner left, the former turned his attention to the latter. Fear began to overcome him as his horns glowed brighter, and then cowered when a beam shot in his direction. After realizing nothing had happened, it came to him that the shot went past him and hit the giant pile of rubble that was left from the ledge above. It began to levitate, rising high above the ground until a yellow orb fell out of it before it was enveloped in a glow of dark light and levitated over to the sorcerer’s side, after which the rubble was instantly dropped.
“I would’ve had you dig alone through all that rock, but that would be a waste of time for me,” the grizzled ram regarded him. “You will have your due yet, boy, but not here.” He opened a portal of dark light. “Go on. After you.” He pulled his chain, motioning him to move.
Tirek got back on his feet and slowly walked over to the portal, his shackles clinging with each step he made, before stopping at the doorway. “What’s on the other side?” he inquired.
“Our destination. Where Arimaspi met his end,” his captor answered, “at a bottom of a ravine.”
Hearing that put him on alert. “Wait. How do I know I’m not going to fall to my doom when I step through?”
“You don’t, boy,” the ram said. “And you should ponder how can you trust that the one you chose to betray, won’t return the favor in kind.” He chuckled. “Now go! Or I’ll make you…”
The centaur hesitated, he knew not what awaited on the other side, but he was far more afraid of what the male sheep would do. He gulped and stepped through. The moment he did, his frontal hooves failed to find perches, and he instantly fell, fearing that he was right, that this would be the end of him, only to land flat on his stomach. The only thing he didn’t hit was his face, only because it ended up right over the edge of the small ledge he ended up on, staring into the abyss below, while the strong wind blew. A moment later, the caster stepped through the portal and landed close by his side, closing the opening, before leaping forward. For a moment Tirek thought he was going to jump to his demise, only to then notice there was another ledge just a bit further away that he landed on. And that’s when he spotted it: On the far end of the said ledge was a large pile of dried-up bones, on top of which, a giant horned skull with a single eyehole rested.
“Is that him?” Tirek wondered.
Grogar stepped closer to the remains and placed his hoof on the skull, slowly running it down. “Unmistakably… He was big, really big… There is no other creature in the world to whom such design would belong…” He levitated the yellow orb before him. “And this is where his memory concluded… it’s him.”
“Well, go on then,” the centaur urged him. “Do your thing and bring him back.”
“No,” he bluntly stated. “There’s not enough room for him, nor do I want him to plummet to his demise again. His remains will have to be taken up top, but I cannot perform the ritual for everybody present to see and try to stop it in some way.”
“So, what do we do then?”
“We wait for the construct, of course. He’s going to provide the aforementioned distraction. As to when he’s finally going to turn up…” He turned and sat down beside the skeleton so he could have his prisoner in sight. “We’ll just have to wait and see.”
“You’re naïve, Grogar,” Tirek responded. “What makes you think he didn’t just run off like I was about to do, never to be seen again?”
He chuckled. “Because not every living creature is like YOU, boy. If the Queen of Changelings was like you… she wouldn’t have survived as long as she did. And as ironic as it is for me to say it, trust me, he’ll be here. Now sit.”
The centaur grumbled to himself and tried to make himself comfortable on the small ledge upon which he barely fit, the restraints making it all the more difficult.
Stats
Page generated in 0.045 seconds
Total duration
698 users online
1,039,422 hits today, 2,205,040 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
You could probably make this it's own paragraph if you wanted to.
Breaking down text when you can is generally a good idea. All thing considered, it's a nice chapter.
I recognized the fight you were referencing, but that doesn't mean it wasn't good.
Tirek's strategy was fun to see in action and explaination.
I'm kinda of disappointed that he was owned so easily and early, but I wasn't really expecting anything different.
Plus it's interesting that Gruff was around during the time of the griffin kings.
It's a bit of much appreciated backstory, especially for someone who is probably the oldest bird in Griffinstone.
Pretty nice
Also posted on my birthday too \ovo/
11366830
Cheers.
11366953
Yee
11366711
Sorry, but with how over-the-top Storm King is I just couldn't resist referencing it. XD
Also, a callback to what I said in chapter 45.
Greatest chapter I've read. Tirek's attempt to steal Grogar's magic turned against him, the Scourge Lord's act of aiding a comrade even though he still wants to be called by his old name and necromancy. Tirek will have to earn Grogar's trust after his act of betrayal and Cozy Glow will have to try not to manipulate the most powerful villains or become their servant and/or test subject
11366711
Yeah well, it's the Storm King, and considering how eccentric he is, he's the only one who could pull that off and make it work. XD
And ye, Gruff's the only one who seems to know a lot and care about Griffinstone at all. Not to mention there's been this speculation that he was one of the guards in the flashback that seemed to have a slash over his eye.
Sorry for the late response, but it slipped my radar...
wow. The battle turned out to be quite epic and exciting, but did none of the outsiders witness an action of such magnitude? It seems to me that it definitely should have attracted attention.
I can't help but note two movie references in this chapter. :)
1) The scene on the bridge and the crown of griffins is very much like the scene of Gandalf the Gray from the first part of "Lord of the Rings"
2) The Storm King's cloudy appearance is a clear parody of Megamind's similar appearance in the film of the same name.
11390668
Well, considering there was already a storm raging around Canterlot and the surrounding areas it kind of obscured the battle happening in the far distance.
As for the reference, the first one I didn't even realize.
But yeah, Storm King's the only one eccentric enough to pull that off and make it work.