Chapter 57: Infectious Fumes
“THE IDOL OF BOREAS! GIVE IT TO ME! GIVE IT!”
The elder griffin could’ve been a mile away and he’d still recognize the object. He quickly jumped into the lake of red vapor and rushed to the young griffin’s side, ripping the artifact out of his claws, and making him drop beneath the vapor level. Gallus tried not to inhale it, gasping for air as he finally got back on the surface, then looking about to spot the assaulter, only to find him sitting on top of the small island in the middle of the lake, cradling the golden artifact.
“King Grover’s legacy… After all these decades, in my grasp at last…”
“Grandpa Gruff,” Gallus coughed, “you’re being overly dramatic over this.”
“You don’t get to tell me that!” he barked back before turning his attention back to the item. “Don’t listen to him. You’re more important than anything in Griffinstone.”
“Aaaaaaand you’ve just lost it… Listen, we can’t stay here, Grandpa Gruff. We have to find a way back to the surface. Grandpa Gruff?” The old griffin didn’t answer, as he held the object and rocked back and forth with a smile on his face. “GRANDPA GRUFF!”
“Be quiet, kid! Don’t disturb my moment of bliss!”
“Grandpa Gruff, you’re being delirious, not blissful. Whatever you think this idol will do for Griffinstone, you’re blowing it way out of proportion.”
“You know nothing! At long last, a new king will be crowned, and the decline of Griffinstone will be reversed… Once more, it shall be a shining beacon that rises over the horizon…”
“It’s been years, and everybody in Griffinstone’s moved on,” the blue one kept going. “And things are improving already. We don’t need that stupid idol, Grandpa Gruff.”
Silence suddenly fell on the underground cave, and the elder griffin slowly turned and gave the younger one a deathly stare. “You know nothing!” his voice echoed. “You can’t possibly know how grandiose our kingdom was a long time ago! The glamour, the splendor… you didn’t live in the era that I did, so don’t you DARE come at me with that!”
“Jeeez, calm down…” the hatchling defended himself. “Yeah, I know Griffinstone wasn’t in a good spot, I grew up in it, remember? That’s why I know things have started to get better on their own, ever since Princess Twilight’s friends came to visit. And it can only get better, I know that because I’ve been attending her School of Friendship - the one which you’ve had me sent to in the first place, remember? All the years I’ve been there with my new friends I’ve learned that lending a hand to others will always help-“
“But they haven’t helped you find your purpose, did they?”
Gallus froze. Did he really ask that? He tried to find words but he just couldn’t.
“Don’t bother trying to lie. I already know,” the greying griffon stated.
“Wait, how can you know?”
“Do you think I have memory problems? Earlier, when I asked you, I quickly realized that you were procrastinating. You don’t really know what to do with your life, do you?”
He caught onto it. He had hoped the elder wouldn’t have noticed, but he was still sharp despite his condition. And he couldn’t master the words to speak, all he could do was lower his head in shame.
“I knew it,” he said in a tone of pride. “I can’t wait for the griffin lords to hear that I was right. That’ll show them never to doubt me again.”
“Wait… you mean you were waiting for me to fail?”
“No. I knew you were going to fail from the start. Four years and you’ve found no purpose in life. And I wonder why is that. Are you sad because you never knew your parents? BAH!” he scoffed. “If your only grievance in your life is that you’re an orphan, then you don’t know what real pain is, unlike me.”
“What makes your pain so much better than mine?!”
“BECAUSE I CAN’T LET IT GO!!! Do you understand?! I can’t because my memories bind me to this place! Every morning I wake from the same nightmare; I was there when our kingdom fell into decline. I was there and I couldn’t stop the arimaspi from taking the idol that gave our people unity! Every morning I wake to see what’s become of our kingdom! I do not wander the streets because I recall what they were like and I don’t want to see what’s become of them now. Every day I was haunted by my life’s greatest failure. That’s why this moment has significant meaning to me…” He gave the younger one a look of anger. “And what are you? Nothing! That’s what! You got sent away because you are a nothing! A NOBODY!”
Suddenly he felt it, a sensation that felt like fire rising up from his belly and spreading throughout his body. The words that the elder just said were like kindling that suddenly turned into a raging flame, and the anger erupted.
“FINE!” he yelled and stomped away through the misty lake, getting to the exit. “Stay here for all I care! And I don’t! I’m getting out of here and I don’t care what happens to you! YOU HEAR ME?!”
But Grandpa Gruff didn’t respond as he kept holding on to the artifact with great affection. Gallus continued to climb regardless, still fuming in anger. He wouldn’t get far past the threshold of the entry tunnel, when all of a sudden, from behind a rock, a gaunt arm reached out and grabbed him by the tail, lifting him off the ground.
“A-HA! Finally got one of you featherbrains,” Tirek said as he finally revealed himself, as a small orb lit up between his horns. “Now, since I’ve no intention of wasting what little strength I have, I’m gonna use you to help me find the Idol of Boreas. I assume you’ve heard about it?”
“It’s in there!” the griffin angrily pointed in the direction from which he came. “That stupid old idiot has it, cradling it like a baby! NOW LET ME GO!” He began swiping at him with his talons.
Out of fear of getting scratched, the centaur let him go. He landed on all fours and proceeded to walk off in anger.
“Wait, you’re not gonna try and stop me from getting to your elder?” he inquired.
“WHY SHOULD I GIVE TWO FLYING FEATHERS ABOUT HIM?!” he yelled and resumed walking.
The centaur was confused as to what had just happened, he shrugged and slowly descended into the tunnel.
The blue griffin continued to march, stewing in rage, when he suddenly saw a bright light approaching him. That must’ve been him - Tirek’s companion and his pet that he sent at them. But he didn’t care, he just wanted… no, he NEEDED an outlet for his frustration.
“You wanna piece of me?!” he yelled, prepared to fight. “Come on! I’ll take you and your stupid goat pet on by myself!”
“Gallus?!” a familiar voice answered.
The bright light suddenly approached faster and soon in the glow, three figures became noticeable, one of them holding a torch.
“Gallus!” Silverstream squealed and rushed in, locking him into an embrace and hugging him tightly.
“Calm down, Silverstream. If the fall didn’t do him in, you definitely will,” the dragon joked.
“Gallus, we were so worried! Are you okay?” the hippogriff inquired.
“Yeah… I’m fine,” he mumbled with suppressed anger.
“Wait, what about Grandpa Gruff? Where is he?” Ocellus wondered.
“I don’t know,” the griffin raised his voice at his name. “For all I care, he and Tirek are probably having a tea party right now.”
“Why would you think that?” Smolder inquired.
“Because I met him not long ago and I sent him there.”
“Wait, you WHAT?! Why would you do that?!”
“Because I don’t care, that’s why! Serves him right for what he said!”
“Gallus, what’s gotten into you?” the hippogriff questioned. “Grandpa Gruff’s said many mean things but you’ve never been this mad about it.”
“Well, this was as much as I could take! I don’t care what that four-legged freak does to him! I DON’T CARE!”
“Whoa, calm down, there’s no reason for you to get angry-“
“If I’m angry it’s your fault!”
“Our fault? What did we do?” Ocellus asked.
“What?! Your stupid mom for starters, Ocellus! Had it not been for her then neither Grogar, nor Tirek, nor the Storm King would’ve returned! And with other changelings suddenly appearing, what’s the likelihood that she’s managed to find a way to turn them back to the old ways?! Are you gonna be next, Ocellus?!”
The reformed changeling put her hooves over her mouth from the words that were said.
“Gallus, that’s enough!” Silverstream interjected. “Don’t blame Ocellus for what Chrysalis did! It’s not her fault.”
“Oh, you’re one to talk, Silverstream! Sending all those messages to all of Mount Aris in fear of Storm King coming, so you could cower and hide instead of trying to fight him! Like you, like your people - COWARDS!”
She gasped in shock at him saying that.
“Hey, back off, featherbrain!” Smolder finally stepped in. “Don’t you dare say things as if you know what you’re talking about!”
“Oh, go blow some hot air! That’s what you dragons are good at!” he walked off.
“Hey, come back! You can’t just leave!” the dragon tried to grab him by the tail only for him to swat her hands.
“Yes, I can! I’m going out and there’s nothing you can do to stop me!”
“FINE! GO! WHO NEEDS YOU!”
“FINE!”
“FINE!”
“FINE!”
“FIIIIIIIIIIIIINE!!!” Smolder yelled so loud that fire burst out of her mouth
Things went quiet, and the only sounds that could be heard were Gallus’ walk and the dragon’s heavy breathing.
The girls walked down the corridor, led by Smolder, still holding the burning branch. She stomped in a huff and puff, while the hippogriff was silently walking behind her, followed by the sniffling reformed changeling.
“We’ll stop Tirek by ourselves and save Grandpa Gruff! We don’t need that fat-headed birdbrained-!”
“Smolder, enough!” Silverstream raised her voice, with a noticeable crack in it that sounded out. “Throwing mean words at Gallus isn’t going to help anyone, even if he were here.”
The dragons stopped. “Silverstream, how can you possibly be calm and unfazed after all the things he said about your family?!” Yet as she moved her torch in her direction, she realized that the darkness was obscuring the truth.
The hippogriff was clearly on the verge of crying, trying really hard not to burst out before she wiped her tears away. “Even if things were said, we have to focus, one thing at a time. Nocreature’s gonna come down here to our rescue, and we three are the only ones who can stop Tirek now.”
“Tirek, maybe. But what about Grogar and his pet?” Smolder pointed out.
“According to Gallus, he didn’t show up with him. It might be that they split up and he’s checking out the other path of the ravine. In which case we just might be in luck. As for how to deal with Tirek…”
“We’ve got our fire,” the dragon proudly said and blew a burst of flame from her mouth.
“And if that fails, we’ve literally got somebody who can change into ANYTHING that’s stronger than him in his current state, right Ocellus?”
She didn’t respond. As the dragon moved the torch closer to her, she was looking at the ground with a despondent look. Silverstream approached her and wrapped her hands around her to comfort her.
“Girls,” the changeling wondered, “do you think Gallus is right?”
“No!” the dragon and hippogriff yelled in unison, then going quiet realizing that their voices echoed, and the latter resumed. “No, Ocellus, of course not. Gallus was probably just running his mouth in a fit of rage from something that Grandpa Gruff said. You’ve seen how dismissive he was of the very thought that we should rescue him. The very fact that he simply let Tirek get to him means he must’ve said something really awful to him. But even without Gallus, we have to save him ourselves.” She scooped the changeling’s face in her hands and gently squished it. “And you’re right now the strongest among us. You’ll help us, right, my dear buggy friend?”
The little compliment finally got her to smile. But they would not have much time, as not a moment later a scream could be heard coming further down the ravine. They quickly got back on their feet and ran as fast as they could. The elder was in great danger.
Tirek didn’t take long to get to the entry of an underground passage where the strange red light was coming from. This is where the young griffin said that his elder was, along with the artifact he was looking for. If he was lying he was likely not gonna get away, what with the turbulent winds barring the only escape from this place. He slowly descended, eventually reaching the red glowing misty lake, and on a small platform in the middle of it, he spotted his quarry. Firstly, he dipped his hooves into the lake to check if it was dangerous, and once it was clear that it was safe, he marched in, quickly picking up the pace. It was only just before he reached the lone island that the griffin finally took notice of him, and as he turned, the centaur noticed the artifact he was holding onto.
“Okay, old timer, let’s make this easy,” he ordered. “Hand me the idol, or else.”
Grandpa Gruff let out a loud feline roar in refusal before getting struck by a hacking cough. But to Tirek that was all he needed to know – he charged at him. The griffin lept over him but unfortunately, the ceiling was too low for him to take flight and make a quick getaway, so he tried to run through the red mist, desperately trying not to sink beneath its surface. By the time he finally got to the shore where the exit was, the centaur was already close by him; he may have been weakened and shriveled, but on flat terrain, four legs easily outpaced three. Climbing the tunnel was another matter though: Grandpa Gruff made a run for it with ease, while Tirek had difficulty getting up the slope. By the time the latter finally managed to get to the top, and with the rocky terrain there was no way he’d be able to catch him even with four legs against three. But then he got an idea. Even in his weakened state, he was still able to use a small amount of magic. A small red orb formed atop his head, between his horns, and aimed between the gap of the two boulders that the griffin was approaching. A long red line manifested itself between the two points, and in his haste, the elder wasn’t able to spot them in time, and he ended up tripping, the idol falling out of his grasp. He tried to recollect himself and quickly rush to recover his most coveted object, only for him to be halted. Something was holding onto his leg as he couldn’t move, and when he finally looked back he noticed a red glowing chain with a shackle around his hind feline leg, it was attached to one of the bounders – he could barely move an inch. By now though, the sound of hoofstepps have already gone past him as his opponent came into view.
“You know if I had a bit more magic, this stupid chase would’ve ended before you even saw me,” Tirek boasted as he went to pick up the Idol of Boreas. “Finally got this stupid thing. Now I just have to get back to Grogar and we can get-“
…eed.
He stopped himself for a moment. He stuck a finger in his ear to unplug it, and after that listened again. He only heard silence. Perhaps he was just hearing things.
…eed.
There it was again. He was sure he heard a really low whisper this time. But to whom did it belong? He closed his eyes and tried to focus on listening, as he felt that whatever was being said was being cut off.
…feed.
Feed? Now there was a novelty; he wished he could. He felt almost as if the voice was taunting him. Speaking of, where was it coming from?
…feed.
He finally managed to trail it and was left in a surprise. Outside of the mist-filled cave, there was now a distinct feature noticeable on the artifact. On the small geological orb that sat in the middle of the artifact, surrounded by gold, there was a tiny crack on it, and the red vapor was slowly flowing out of it. It piqued the centaur’s curiosity, as it cascaded across the surface of his hands. He pulled it closer to his face and took a quick sniff. He almost immediately sneezed. Whatever this thing was it flared up his nostrils almost instantly… and yet, he felt something strange, something familiar about it. Could it be…?
He raised the idol above his head and let the red vapor flow down, while he opened his mouth in the process. After a solid minute, he started to feel the substance already overflowing his mouth and he closed it shut, then swallowed. He suddenly felt it – the sudden surge of energy bursting through every fiber of his being, as his shriveled body hulked up, and the dark grey scarlet skin turned fiery red.
“WHUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! That’s spicy!” he howled, then looked at the Idol of Boreas. “This artifact… it’s a source of magic! No wonder Grogar wants to acquire it.” A smile curled up on his face. “Oh, he made a big mistake in sending me to get it. He probably wasn’t expecting that its power was leaking. I think I’ll be keeping it for myself. And if I can extract more of it- GAH!”
He suddenly felt something biting him on the back of his hind hooves. He finally noticed the elder griffin, his beak biting down on his legs; it seemed that he managed to crawl up to him and drag the boulder to which he was attached while he was focused elsewhere. He shook his hooves, and while managed to shake him off, the griffin then grabbed hold of them with his claws.
“Give me back the Idol of Boreas! IT’S MINE!” he yelled defiantly.
Suddenly, the red orb lit up between Tirek’s horns and he was enveloped in a red aura, levitating Grandpa Gruff in the air, the grip finally loosening, making him suspended in the air. He was just floating there, while the centaur raised the artifact once more, opened his mouth, and let the red vapor fill his mouth again.
“Give it back! You’ve no idea what this means to the griffinkind!” He struggled to swipe at him but couldn’t get close.
“Listen here, old-timer,” Tirek paused his feeding, “I’m gonna need you to hang over there and shut up. I need to have a good fill so I can get stronger, after which I can just blast you into oblivion with one shot. Otherwise, if I do it in my current state, it will just be slow and unsightly.”
He made his intentions clear. And whether or not the old griffin’s zeal to fight diminished, it didn’t matter – he couldn’t do anything but wait for the inevitable end. But then, the centaur was caught off guard. Tirek noticed a sudden burst of bright light after his shadow suddenly appeared on the wall in the direction he was facing. He only had a split second to turn his head and notice an orange flame going in his direction and could only duck from it, losing his concentration and dispelling the grip on Grandpa Gruff. The old griffin didn’t waste a second and grabbed hold of the artifact and made a run for it.
“Hey! Get back here!” Tirek yelled as he scurried after him.
Before he could even reach out for him, the orange flame erupted again, and this time he dodged behind a boulder. When it passed, he quickly peaked over it and noticed the griffin sitting next to the source of the fire - an orange dragon. And she wasn’t alone, as a pink hippogriff stood by her side next to a boulder.
“Brats! Give me the geezer if you know what’s good for you!” the centaur yelled, shaking his fist at them, before dodging behind the rock again as another breath of flame came his way.
“Who do you take us for, Tirek?” Smolder said. “You’re outnumbered three to one.”
“Hah!” he laughed. “More like two to one. The gramps over there hardly counts.”
Suddenly, the boulder behind which Tirek was, began to move, as he gripped it, lifted it above his head, and tossed it in the direction of his enemy. Silverstream grabbed Grandpa Gruff and pulled him away, while Smolder hid behind the boulder that was close to them. Tirek took a moment to recover; he overestimated himself, as in his current form, while finally being strong once more, he still wasn’t strong enough to just toss the boulders almost his size with ease. He needed the artifact to make that happen! He galloped forward, trying to reach the two feathered beings, only for the fire to come his way again, and was forced to duck behind cover again. He quickly became aware there was no way he’ll be able to get the idol; the two avian creatures couldn’t do anything against him, but the dragon posed a considerable threat. He had to take her out… no, he’ll use her as a bargaining chip, he knew all too well there was no way they’d just abandon their friend. He grabbed a big nearby rock and threw it in her direction.
“AUA!”
There was a yell that followed when the large rock hit the boulder, and he assumed that it must’ve hit the target when it bounced off. Knowing his target was distracted now, he lifted the boulder behind which he was hiding and charged in the direction of the enemy cover. The moment she came into view he tossed it, and Smolder managed to dodge it at the last moment. Before she could become aware of her surrounding, the centaur stepped on top of her tail with one of his hooves.
“HELP!” she screamed.
“Smolder!” the hippogriff grimaced.
A smile appeared on the centaur’s face. “Well well well, how quickly the tables have turned. And there you were boasting about three versus one, and one of you was just a dead weight. Now…” He proceeded to grab the nearby boulder behind which the dragon was hiding a moment ago, lifting it above his head. “Tell the old bird to have over the idol, or else I guarantee you that your scaly friend here will not have a good time with this mass over here.”
“No way!” the griffin protested without a second thought. “The Idol of Boreas is mine! I waited too long! Nobody else is gonna get it, you hear me?! NOBODY!”
“Yeah, you heard him!” Silverstream joined in. “You aren’t getting this thing no matter what!”
“Hehe, so predictable. I knew you’d be the one to- Wait, what did you say?” the smug expression quickly vanished from his face, thinking he must’ve misheard what they just said.
“You heard them,” the dragon got his attention after, propping her head with her arm against the ground, looking as if she was bored. “Go on, get on with it.”
“Yeah, get on with it!” the hippogriff followed up.
“COME ON! GET ON WITH IT!” all three shouted in unison.
Tirek was perplexed. They wanted him to do the deed? And they didn’t look one bit bothered by it?
“You think I’m joking here?!” he finally raised his voice. “FINE! YOU ASKED FOR IT!”
He focused his sight on the dragon and threw his arms forward to drop the boulder on top of Smolder. It was gone. The heavyweight that he was holding up this entire time disappeared as soon as he tossed it. But how? Then he suddenly heard a strange buzzing sound above his head. He looked up, and much to his surprise, a little pale blue changeling was flying right above his head. A split second later, in a bright flash, she transformed into a bugbear, grabbed the centaur by his horns, and lifted him off the ground, while Smolder got back on her feet and joined the feathered duo.
The bugbear flew higher, taking Tirek along with him. “Put me down, you mama’s reject!” He flailed about, trying to get himself loose.
He was too late to realize the folly of his demand. The bugbear released him from its grip and he ended up crashing against the solid rock below. As he tried to crawl back on his feet, he didn’t even raise above his knees when a large boulder landed on top of him with a loud thud that echoed quite a bit. When things quieted down, in a magic flash, the boulder disappeared, and in its place stood Ocellus, standing atop Tirek, who was now beaten into the ground.
“That’s for that rock you threw at me earlier! See how you like it!” she huffed and jumped off, joining the rest of the group.
“Told you he’d fall for it,” Smolder boasted.
“I was afraid this wouldn’t work, Smolder. I thought we’d have to deal with Grogar and his beast on top of it,” the changeling said.
“But we didn’t have to, Ocellus,” the hippogriff pointed out. “Luck was on our side.”
As the girl’s attention was diverted, the centaur managed to regain consciousness and crawl out of the hole that was shaped like him. The moment they took notice of him, they quickly positioned themselves in front of Grandpa Gruff to protect him.
“Y… you… cheaters…”
“Oh, now who’s moaning about fair play,” Smolder rolled her eyes.
“You all got lucky that you managed to get the artifact away from me…” he said in a groggy tone. “If I had some more time to feast on its magic, you’d all be done for now…” He suddenly stopped himself, his head turning into the direction of the tunnel where the Idol of Boreas was found, and a realization materialized. “Hold that thought…” A cunning grin appeared on his face, as he crawled back on his hooves and limped into the tunnel.
The group was left all alone now, and they waited for a bit if something was going to happen. Once it became obvious that nothing was going to transpire, the girls focused their attention on the rescued person.
“Are you okay, Grandpa Gruff?” Ocellus inquired.
“What are you little girls doing down here?” he wondered.
“We’ve come to rescue you,” the avian of other variety answered.
“You’re the rescue? That’s hard to believe considering you’re all at the bottom of Abysmal Abyss and you’re all fliers. You just got dragged down by the wind, weren’t you?”
Technically it was only partly true, but none of them wanted to admit it. “We dug all the way down here, Grandpa Gruff. Wind’s not a bother through the solid rock,” Smolder explained.
“Going the way of the dredge, are we? Well, it wouldn’t be my first choice, but at least feather ruffling will be spared. And that fool Gallus wanted to get out by himself. He’ll be in for a surprise when he finds out I was right.”
“Hold on, Grandpa Gruff,” Silverstream halted him, “we need to talk first. We met Gallus some time ago and he had… well, to say his words were meanspirited would be an understatement.”
“Yeah, he got super aggressive the moment we mentioned finding you as well,” the dragon added.
“What did you do to put him in such a sour mood?” the changeling added.
He pondered for a moment. “No idea. I just confronted him about not finding his place in the world yet and I said he’s nothing…”
“YOU WHAT?!” the three girls yelled out in unison, so loud was their voice that they made the surroundings shake.
That’s what they thought anyway. But after a few seconds, the quaking didn’t stop. It was in fact getting stronger and louder, and on top of that, the ground was beginning to rise not far from them where the underground cavern was, where Tirek disappeared.
The centaur scurried away, hoping that his enemy wouldn’t think about trying to catch up to him from the revelation that he just had. He finally reached the bottom of the tunnel and paused for a moment, looking behind his back. Nobody was there; it seemed he got lucky in that regard. He finally turned back to what he was looking for – the giant lake of dense red mist. He still couldn’t believe that he realized only a moment ago what it was: The Idol of Boreas was likely stuck down here for a long time, and the red vapor that was seeping from it, the one he consumed, formed an entire room full of the said magical mist and considering the deep color it had, it must’ve been building up for years.
He lowered himself and bent over to the lake’s surface, before inhaling a mouthful and swallowing it, only to be in for surprise when a moment he couldn’t help but belch a burst of fire. “Sweet mama, that’s strong!”
But that’s precisely what he was hoping for. If the mouthful from the artifact earlier was able to return him to his basic form, then with this much magic… He couldn’t help but grin in anticipation, as he quickly stuck his head into the mist. It didn’t take long for the mist to begin to retreat from the whole room, being sucked into the centaur’s orifice at an accelerated speed; so great was his gluttony that it was all gone in a matter of seconds. And when the lake was finally fully drained he felt it – the sudden burst from within him beginning to rise, he could feel his body expanding, evolving. And in the excitement, he failed to realize that he was going to outgrow the small room he was in right now. The moment his head hit the ceiling, his anger flared up, and he punched upwards, the solid rock crumbling from his fist.
After a few more punches, he finally created the hole to the bottom of the Abysmal Abyss and he crawled out, possessing a form that was four times greater than his original one, his horns now long and curved, a tremendous red energy ball sitting between them, acting as a light source. He felt powerful again but… he still wanted more. He quickly scanned his surroundings, and it didn’t take him long to discover the elder and the kids were still there, completely flabbergasted by the centaur’s sudden appearance.
“How did he get like that?!” Smolder yelled.
“I don’t think he’s in the mood to share! RUN!” Silverstream yelled.
Ocellus quickly changed into a manticore, scooped Grandpa Gruff into her mouth, and they ran off. Tirek laughed; how could they possibly think of evading him in his current form? But the answer soon came, as he realized that his form became so massive he had a hard time moving forward without scraping against the ravine’s walls. In his anger, he just decided to punch the side of the wall to make some room for himself. Sure, it would take some time, but he’ll inevitably catch up to them.
They ran for their lives. Never mind the possibility of encountering Grogar now, they thought they stood a fair chance against weakened Tirek, but this was way over their head. They could hear him fast approaching even though he lagged behind, his source of light could be seen right around the corner. The tremors shook the surroundings, causing rocks to chip away and fall in their path, making the escape all the more difficult. A loud bellow suddenly made them stop, when they noticed that one of the rocks fell on top of the transformed changeling’s chimera tail. She quickly changed back to her original shape, freeing herself, but even the small amount of time they were slowed down was too much as they could see the source of light about to come around the corner.
“Got you now you little…!” Tirek came stomping, only to find nobody in sight. “Hmmm… seems like they got faster somehow. No matter!”
The centaur resumed rampaging through the narrow passage. Little did he know that he just passed his quarry. They huddled together behind a pile of rocks that the quaking brought down. They wouldn’t have even thought about hiding in plain sight, were it not for the blue-feathered griffin who just so happened to appear when they least expected.
“That was close,” he sighed in relief. “You guys okay?”
“Gallus, what are you doing here? I thought you said you were ditching us,” Smolder inquired.
He grumbled to himself as he walked further through the bottom of the ravine in the direction that he came from. He didn’t need him, his friends, or anyone. After all, what did they do? All everybody did to him was… As he went off further, in the dark calm that surrounded him, the fuming rage that had gotten hold of him slowly subsided, and in turn, his thoughts became clear. So much so that he eventually stopped on the spot, and the gravity of the words that he said finally hit him. For Grandpa Gruff it was one thing, but the knowledge that he just sent Tirek his way without even trying to stop him, or the horrible things that he had said to his friends when they were trying to be helpful and reasonable; he simply couldn’t understand what had gotten into him to say such awful things. He felt heat rising again, but not of anger this time – he felt hot shame washing over him. The only people who had ever actually shown genuine care to him and he did nothing but spat venom-filled words at them. He felt so unbelievably awful that he just crawled to the ground and started crying.
This low to the ground, even in a moment of devastated emotional turmoil, Gallus suddenly felt a tremble. And another. And soon another followed. The sound started to get louder by the moment and it was coming from the darkness, approaching him fast. Whatever it was, it was big, and considering he just saw Tirek, it could only mean that the old sheep sorcerer and his pet were likely here as well. The griffin quickly scrambled and pressed himself against the wall, desperately trying to find some sort of place to hide, yet there was no obstruction in sight. As he felt about though, he suddenly discovered a crevice in it, big enough for him to crawl inside and out of sight, and there in lay the problem – it was just barely big enough, and the very thought of his claustrophobia kicking in again prevented him from acting. However, as the rumbling started to get accompanied by a heavy huffing sound he quickly knew what was coming, and he instinctively crawled inside. He could vaguely see it inside the crevice; the walls so incredibly close, closing in on him. He was about to start hyperventilating, but with the sound that was drawing closer, he knew he only had one option left. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, attempting to completely shut down all of his senses, hoping that the danger outside will pass quickly. The noises outside finally reached where he was… and then they went quiet. In their place, he heard a strange mumbling sound, it was almost as if a goat was trying to talk but it didn’t have a tongue to utter proper words.
“No, we do not have time for it, Paramis. Bring him over.”
He recognized that voice. It was him – Grogar! But who was he talking about? Against his better judgment, he opened his eyes and turned his head to try and look outside at what was happening. He couldn’t see anything, it was black, almost as if there was something obstructing the entrance into the crevice he was hiding in. And then a blinding light source lit up. Gallus recognized it because it was staring at him once before and it was no less terrifying than the first time – the Eye of Arimaspi. He screamed in panic but would help him little, as the beast punched into the wall, making the gap he was in even bigger, making it not difficult for him to reach in and scoop the young griffin into his grip with his giant three-fingered claws. Struggling was futile, as the monster brought him out and stared at him for a moment, before once again speaking in incomprehensible gibberish.
“Because this one is yet to serve his purpose, Paramis. Put him down.”
The arimaspi put Gallus on the ground and retreated a step, leaving him confused. The monster’s giant glowing eye illuminated the surrounding area, making it clearer than the red hue did. And from behind the imposing figure, a much smaller shape emerged and then stepped into the spotlight. It was the creature’s maker himself.
“What are you doing, hatchling?”
It took him a moment to realize he was addressing him. “W-w-who? M-me?”
“Is there perhaps any other creature of avian variety here?”
“W-well, Grandpa Gruff’s a bit further down… and Silverstream…” the griffin unintentionally made a snide remark.
“True,” the grizzled ram surprisingly humored him, “and as we speak, the centaur that you so conveniently directed to your elder, is about to make him a mischief, and the same goes for your friends if he manages to acquire the power that your elder is currently holding.”
Gallus was confused. What was Grogar talking about? What power? The only thing that Grandpa Gruff had right now was the Idol of Boreas and it didn’t have any power other than a symbolic one.
“So I’m asking you, hatching,” the sorcerer reiterated, “why are you here instead of trying to help your elder and friends?”
“W-wait…” the young griffin spoke, “you’re not gonna stop me?”
He smirked. “I wouldn’t dream of it. In fact, they’re the ones that are gonna need help when the centaur finally manages to consume some sort of magical essence to power himself up.”
Gallus wasn’t sure whether the old sheep was just playing with him or if was he being genuine. And even if the latter held water…
“I… I can’t,” he sulked, huddling together, trying to hide his face. “I can’t go back and face my friends after the horrible things that I’ve just said… I’m too ashamed…”
The only thing that came out of Grogar was a groan. “Oh, the yammering, the whinging, at least the boy’s easier to push. You on the other hand? You’re gonna just sit here and sulk over words that were said?”
“I-“
“Listen, hatchling let me put it like this: Right now, you have a choice to either go to where the centaur is right now and maybe have a fighting chance against him in greater numbers, or you can stay here, where, even if you were accompanied by your friends, wouldn’t stand a chance against me.”
Once again, Gallus couldn’t comprehend what was happening, yet this time he chose to ask. “Why are you doing this? I thought you and Tirek were in cahoots, so why not stop me from trying to stop him?”
The ram looked to the side and stroke his beard. “I believe the ponies have a saying that goes – “do not look a gift horse in the mouth”. Now I’m not of equine variety by any stretch but do you really want to question these things considering your position? Now, enough prattling, hatchling,” the grizzled ram declared in a tone of finality. “Make your choice.”
There really wasn’t much of a choice even if the old sheep said there was - there was only one option at his disposal. He was still skeptical as to why he was even letting him run off in the first place, yet as he said - “don’t look a gift horse in the mouth”. He still wasn’t sure what to say to his friends, yet he was gonna take the chance he was given. He dashed off.
As he ran, he could hear Grogar’s voice behind him. “A wise choice.”
“I couldn’t….” he said with a hanged head. “There’s no excuse for what I said, I just felt so angry and hurt at that moment that I wanted somebody else feeling hurt as well… Out of everycreature I know, you guys are the ones who never deserved that. You are my best friends and… I don’t know what else I can say but… I’m so sorry…”
A pair of pink claws quickly wrapped around him and pulled him into a hug, squeezing him tightly. “Come here, you big blue goof!”
“Wow… never thought I’d see Gallus so “choked up” thrice in a day,” the dragon snickered, followed by the changeling.
“What did I tell you, Gallus?” Grandpa Gruff finally spoke again. “We’ve got people coming to our rescue right here, so there was no need to try and leave on our own.” The rest of the group finally turned to him, giving him some really ugly looks. “What?”
“From what we understand, Grandpa Gruff, you’re the main cause of what’s happened,” Silverstream spoke out.
“Excuse me? I’m not the one who tossed myself and the kid over the edge of Abysmal Abyss!”
“Grandpa Gruff, please don’t raise your voice, he’s gonna hear us,” the changeling whispered.
“It’s not his fault, Ocellus,” interjected. “He’s been acting up ever since he got his claws on that stupid artifact –“
“DON’T YOU DARE CALL THE IDOL OF BOREAS STUPID!!!” the elder griffin yelled at the top of his lungs at the remark, only to have his beak clapped shut by the dragon.
“You stupid old bird, do you want the big guy to find us?” Smolder whispered with restrained anger.
“Already did.”
The deep voice was followed by a bright light that illuminated the area of their cover; the giant centaur was right there, one of his frontal hooves raised, aiming at the group.
“Guys, this way!” Gallus ordered.
They screamed and made a run for it before the stomp landed, running between the centaur’s legs. Soon Tirek found himself with another inconvenience: With the size he was, he could barely turn, he literally had to raise himself on his hind legs to be thin enough to turn around. Which made things difficult when his target was starting to zip back and forth between his legs each time he changed sides. The little griffin knew what he was doing.
“Okay, that’s it! This has got to stop! I need more space!” the centaur roared in frustration.
The orb atop his head had shot a beam at his feet, running a trail all around him until it connected. The students and the elder were inside of it while they were running back and forth, and the moment they turned once more, they suddenly lost their footing and ended up in a freefall. Luckily, they all remembered that they were able to fly and glided off. Yet one of them was too preoccupied with what he was holding; Grandpa Gruff managed to open his wings so he wouldn’t drop to the ground, but with his attention being diverted, he didn’t notice where he was going and ended up crashing into the side of the house, his artifact falling out of his grip. The rest finally realized that they were back atop Griffinstone and they quickly went back to help the old griffin to check how he is. They wouldn’t have much respite though, as they looked up and saw that there was a doorway in the sky, that’s how they got back… and it’s how Tirek managed to descend through it and landed on the wooden ground with a resounding thud. The students only had a brief moment to find cover behind one of the houses before he could spot them.
“Ah, much better.” Tirek wiggled his hooves. “Now, come out, shrimps! And hand me the artifact!”
The group hid behind the house, and they could clearly see the Idol of Boreas lying only a few feet away, out in plain sight, yet the centaur was so large that his eyes simply couldn’t see the object – with little luck he wouldn’t notice it or them. Yet as Grandpa Gruff finally began to awaken from the accident, he quickly noticed that his coveted object was no longer in his grip and was lying not far. Completely oblivious to the situation, he scurried off, the students being too late to stop him, and when he came out in the open, Tirek locked his sight on him and quickly saw the trajectory. He grinned as he finally noticed the idol, and using his magic he enveloped it in an aura and pulled it in his direction before the old griffin could grab it, making it fly off and land in the palm of his hands.
“NO!” he screamed. “Give me back the idol!”
Before he could fly further to try and take it back, the two younger avian hybrids grabbed hold of him and brought him down. “Grandpa Gruff, stop! It’s not worth it!” Gallus struggled.
“No! Without it, Griffinstone’s going to crumble!!!” he cried in desperation.
“Awwwww, how sad,” Tirek taunted him. “Gramps wants to realize some sort of a dream? Well, we all can’t have what we want in life, old timer. Now then…” The orb between his horns lit up. “Since you’ve given me nothing but trouble while retrieving this thing, I wonder how am I going to dispose of-“ He didn’t even finish the sentence when all of a sudden lightning struck right in front of him, making him jump. “Hey, Thunderhead!” He shook his hand in anger at the clouds. “What’s wrong with your aim?!”
Suddenly, the group became fully aware of their surroundings: The atmosphere wasn’t the same as when they left, since there was no ear-ripping music playing and the heavy rain had stopped. They spotted the Storm King’s face hovering high in the clouds, looking down to where Trixie and Sunburst were out in the open with Trixie’s chest. Then they looked to the other side of Griffinstone and they saw an airship fast approaching, lightning striking at it, only to be deflected by a purple energy shield.
At the head of it was Princess Twilight Sparkle.
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Epic chapter and interested that Idol of Boreas has unknown magic. Also Tirek and Twilight will have a rematch. Also how will Tirek said to Twilight that Gallus willing told Tirek where Grandpa Gruff was.
I am really glad this is continuing
First babysitting Flurry Heart and now his encouragement to Gallus, compared to the other villains, Grogar is definitely the kindest.
This new chapter is great! I'm giving you six stars for doing a good job. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
who would have thought that in order for a positive character to stop being an asshole, wisdom and worldly advice from a villain are needed?
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Funny enough, it's not "unknown" it's just that it's been so long since the previous chapter so the lead-in sort of slipped the memory.
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Hehe, yeah, Grogar's not shortsighted like the other 3 are, he's somebody with a vision; each of his actions has a purpose behind it.
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by "the other 3" do you mean "Tirek, Chrysalis and the Storm King" or do you mean Cozy who hasn't appeared in the story yet? ;)
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Tirek, Chrysalis, and Storm King, although I suppose we can also put her on the list, all things considered.