(This one feels a bit forced, in my opinion. Then again, the whole point is to write. 1612 words. Goal: 47,335) Melony didn’t wait to think; what she had discovered would have made it worth the years she spent building trust with the griffons. Very few ponies were able to get into her position, and with very good reason; despite their rather brutish ways, the griffons were careful with what they disclosed. Only a hoofful of ponies were ever allowed to travel through the capital of Griffus, nonetheless find a home there. For years the old unicorn had done her duty, lying in wait for the right information to come. Years before the Great War, she had travelled to Griffus to study on ancient Griffon lore and history. Many of her collegues thought she was wasting her time; she was even laughed at on more than one occasion. Still, her work had proved useful, though in a way she never could have guessed. When news of Luna’s uprising came through The Griffon Kingdoms, she was tempted to go back home to Equestria, but the chaos that broke out afterwards soon forced her to stay put above all else. There was nothing that an old schoolteacher like herself could do, even in the best circumstanced. Her place was in Griffus, at least for the time being. When the war first broke out, she had been treated like a prisoner, being thrown into a cell and given meager meals. That much, she had understood; if any pony was let free to walk around the core of the Griffon Kingdom, what would it say about the Kings? She didn’t have to wait long, though. Her years spent in the griffon capitol had made her a regular face around the city. It had been the librarian of the Central Griffus Library that had vouched for her; she was comparatively about the same age as the mare, only ahead by less than 15 years, and had come to known the mare as she spent more and more time at the library. She often took a great interest into Melony’s studies, even suggesting where to look for missing pieces of information. She moved out of the city soon after, though, to head back to her hometown after the war began to slow down. That had left Melony by herself in the city. For a while, she was scared for her life, even wishing to be back in her old cell. The glares and threats that came her way often were made with such venomous hatred that she even considered fleeing. Then the package had come. A dragon egg, primed and ready to hatch, with the only message tied to it a small, yet neat note. Keep it hidden; Send me anything you may know. -C For a while she didn’t consider the prospect of spying, especially after her time in the cells. Her curiosity soon overtook her, though. Hatching the egg was a bit difficult, mostly because of the mare’s old age, but the beautiful dark-red creature that emerged was one of the most beautiful creatures she had seen. It took a while for her to think of how to respond; there were more ponies than she cared to think of who could have written her the letter. In the end, she simply sent a very simple message near the dead of night, in hopes that the dragon’s breath wouldn’t be seen. I named her Ruby; she’s a real beauty. What’s yours? The dragon was still only an infant at the time, and when the response came only moments after, Melony had half thought that she was choking. When the small parchment popped out of her maw, though, she hesitated. All you need to know is that I’m a friend. Below was what really made her stomach turn. The royal seal, used only be Celestia and Luna, before her banishment, sat in plain red wax flat on the paper. You’ve studied the Griffon Kingdom your entire life. I need your help. Melony stopped. I need your help. One of the most powerful creatures in the world was asking her for help. She scrambled for a quill, writing simply, I’ll do what I can. That had been almost a year ago now. There were far too many things that could have been important; Melony took hours at a time wondering what to write in her reports, oftentimes just writing nearly everything down. She took notes on nearly every aspect of griffon warfare, even down to how their armor worked. But up until last week she hadn’t thought to see what the griffons knew of Equestria’s strength. She had written it down in a small scrap of paper; there was one thing she had searched for in the Griffon library for some time. The griffons knew about the Elements of Harmony, but they didn’t know how they worked. Some records numbered four elements, others seven or eight. Overall, though, no records of the element’s strength or their limits existed. The griffons knew nothing about Equestria’s greatest weapon. Melony didn’t need to see the street to know where she was going. Her home was a relatively small building, about the size of her old classroom back in Equestria, only a few blocks away from the library. She didn’t bother saying a “Good Evening” to the usual patrols, didn’t even bother acknowledging them at all. For now, she needed to get back home, back to Ruby. The report she had written up sat hidden in the depths of her saddlebags, latched closed and locked for safety. She looked back over her shoulder every few seconds, making sure it was still there. Melony didn’t even notice the few shouts that came from behind her, only a few yards away when she came to her door. She paused to lock the door, buying herself more than enough time. She hurried through the entryway down into her study, lined with books she had collected over the years. Beneath the section on dragon-lore, she pushed aside a few atlases; “Dragonology and Theory, vol. 3” and “vol. 4” practically flying through the air as the mare hurriedly tore open her saddlebag, producing the papers. The small dragon, Ruby, extended a claw from the makeshift cave she had dug in the wall. Melony took a moment to greet the dragon, still admiring the beautiful shine on her scales. “Mommy needs you to send something for me. Can you do that Ruby?” A knock came from the entryway. “Melony? We need to talk.” The dragon looked away towards the voice. Melony guided the baby dragon’s head towards her, so that she was looking into the dragon’s eyes. “Can you sent this for mommy?” she asked, holding out the small stack of papers. Even as she spoke, she scribbled down on the bottom of the last page. They don’t know about the Elements. Goodbye. The dragon grabbed at the paper playfully, ripping small chunks off of the edge. Melony had caught on to this habit earlier, and wrote everything near the center of the page. The princess would get everything she needed. “Melony, this is the Griffon Elite Guard. Open up.” She looked back towards the door, silently praying that Ruby would cooperate. She heard the familiar sound of paper crackling in fire, and looked back to see a puff of pink smoke rise through an open window. Thank Celestia, she was done. She pulled the baby dragon onto her back. “That’s a good girl.” The knocking on the door became more violent. “Come on, there’s someone that would be very interested in meeting you.” “By royal authority of the Griffon Elite Guard, I demand you open the door!” The griffon sergeant’s voice echoed through the building. Melony slowly opened the door out to the guards. “Calm down, calm down. I’m an old mare, I can’t move as fast as I used to.” The three guards that stood in the entryway all stared at the dragon. Melony nodded to Ruby. “This little fella managed to find its way into my study a few days ago. It gets quiet in there, so I figured I’d keep him around.” She gave the guards a mournful stare. “Is there anything wrong, sirs?” The griffons didn’t hesitate, pulling the mare out of the doorway into the streets. “Housing magical creatures is against the law,” the sergeant said quietly. “By His laws, I have no choice but to sentence you to death.” The last words fell like a boulder. The entire street went quiet, even the small dragon, watching in quiet wonder at the bird-lion creatures that now held her mother. Melony looked towards the dragon, her eyes welling up with tears. “And what about the dragon?” The sergeant looked towards the small creature. “He goes to a caretaker, where he gets raised and then moved back into the dragon realms.” Melony looked up at the sergeant, watched the heavy frown that plagued his face. “I may be old, but I’m no fool.” She struggled against the two griffins, trying to stand as straight as she could. “I’ve lived my life, but she has many years before she’s done living.” The griffins barely had time to react; Melony may have been old and her magic less powerful, but she was still strong enough for a teleportation spell. Her horn glowed in the night, shining onto the street, causing the griffons to blink in surprise. A pop sounded, and then the light faded. The baby dragon was gone, a small charred circle surrounding where she had been moments before. “I’ve done my job. Kill me if you want, but that dragon deserves to live.” She didn’t struggle against the griffons, walking almost with pride to her death.
Posted on: Tue, 03 Sep 2013 01:39:47 +0000