Griffinstone United

"Uughh..."

Blaze watched with wide eyes, unsure of what to feel. The last thing Alexander had said to him was a petty insult, and he was never really nice to him in the first place, so now, he just didn't feel anything for the moaning and groaning griffon. No chagrin, sorrow, grief. Nothing.

"I am so sorry for what I've done," a hand rested on Blaze's shoulder, giving him a sudden start. He saw that it was just Tawil, however, and turned back, head in his own hands. The medical unit of the camp had been a large tent of rough, white fabric, cots set up around the room, many figures moving around, all in robes. It was trivial now, but the dragon was just slightly disappointed that none of the women centaurs' breasts stuck out as much as Meril's had.

"What did you do wrong?" he mumbled in response, looking back up. Something he hadn't noticed before, on Tawil's right horn were two rings, one silver and the other gold, but both were encrusted with diamonds.

Tawil sighed, looking up from the ground with two yellow eyes. "I was the one who sent him to this area of the camp. It is my fault that this has happened, and for that, I am deeply sorry."

"It isn't your fault, it was the Unrights'." After hearing the term 'Unright,' he had asked and found out that those were what centaurs corrupted by the Empty were called, though the term could also be used to name a corrupted pony. Or a griffon, in Alexander's case.

"It is my fault, and I shall take all responsibility," he said solemnly.

After a moment, Blaze sighed. "Where's Carolyn?"

"Well, Blaze, I'm not sure how to put this, but she had passed out drunk soon after arriving. She sure can chug a bottle, though," he said, friendly punching Blaze's shoulder lightly, trying to cheer the mood. After no effect, he pouted, sitting down at a nearby chair that creaked in protest, watching as Alexander slowly rolled from side to side under the covers of the bed, the whole thing drenched in sweat.

Eventually, a centaur came by, a bowl of a strange slime-like substance in her hands. "We must apply this," she told Blaze after a glance. "It will not stop or prevent the Empty, but it will lessen his pain and slow the infection process. I am very sorry for your friend, Lord Blaze." Blaze scooted away, watching her. Everyone had been calling him, Alexander, and Carolyn 'Lord' while addressing Tawil and other authorial centaurs as 'Master.' It made Blaze feel uncomfortable, but he'd get used to it.

She slowly lifted the sheets, setting the bowl on a nearby table and proceeding to dip her fingers into it. This gave Blaze an eyeful of Alexander's arm, making him gag once again.

His claws and some of his arm was a sickly purple, dark cysts and blisters sticking out, as well as a small pocket of pus. There was a deep gash that ran along his arm — it wasn't long, but it had cut deep. As soon as the green substance touched his skin, he winced, muttering intelligibly. It was all just too much for Blaze.

He got up and left, trying to stay out of everyone's way before slumping against the trunk of a tree. Tawil slowly walked after him, but not before a much older and skinnier centaur did. Blaze gazed up at him, confused at why the stranger had stopped by him.

He had an ash grey coat and wore a thick cloak that must've been made of a bear, but it was gnarled, strange veins popping out. A Touched bear. One of his horns were a mere stub, ending in a jagged stump, while the other rose and twisted, sticking through the cloak. He wore multiple rings, both in his nose and on his black horn. Foggy eyes traveled to Alexander's cot before roaming towards Alexander.

"Oh, Ray," Tawil acknowledged, stopping. The elder centaur smiled at his approach, waving him onward.

"I see that your friend has been Touched, dragon," he said in a gravelly voice. "Before anyone can get your hopes up, there is no cure for the Empty, and there never has been."

Tawil gave him a glare. "Ray, that is a little harsh."

"Oh, relax, he certainly seems fine, doesn't he?" Blaze just listened, slightly annoyed but still feeling hollow. He should be feeling something, anything, but instead he was emotionless of Alexander's state.

"Dragon, I'm sure that Tawil has told you of me and my student, Ellie. As has he told me how you were traveling with her."

Blaze nodded, slightly annoyed that he was addressed as 'dragon.'

"Well, she must have progressed, and if you can find her, she might have something to help us rid Alexander of the Empty, or at least prevent it."

A thought occurred to Blaze. "What about amputation?"

Ray chuckled. "Oh, amputation won't work. The Empty has Touched him, and it is a part of him now. It is only momentarily until it spreads physically." He glanced at Tawil before clasping his hands together. "Now, I actually came baring some news. That little monolith has been spying on our camp again."

"The same one?" Tawil asked, Ray nodding eagerly.

"Yes, the blasted little thing, and it's started to stray off to our friends, the Tallows. That's why I was hoping that our guests could help us with it."

Tawil looked like he was ready to slap the old man. "Are you insane or inconsiderate, Ray? Do you not see what our guest is going through?"

"I am both, actually," he corrected, making Tawil's brow furrow in frustration.

"No," Blaze interrupted, standing up. "You all have been so hospitable, so nice to us. We're going to return the favor."

Tawil held up a hand. "No, you do not have to."

"Please, it's the least I can do. And I want to help you people," Blaze said.

Tawil looked from him to a smiling, hunched over Ray, and then back again before giving a sigh of resignation. "I suppose, but you really do not have to do this for us."

"I want to," Blaze said before his stomach growled loudly, gesturing that it wanted food, and it wanted it now. He blushed slightly. "Well, maybe after some food."

Tawil finally grinned, bowing, glad that he could do something for Blaze. "It will be ready in less than an hour," he promised.

***   ***   ***

Despite his previous hunger, all Blaze could do was pick at the kabob of various berries and fruits that had been prepared for him. The sun shone down on the camp outside, the massive food hall tent's entrances completely open. A kitchen tent was next to it, where the food was all prepared. The tent that he sat in, however, was occupied by rows of benches and roughly made tables, which in turn seated many centaurs. They all laughed or chatted with one another, but Blaze didn't feel like doing any of it.

Meril had been the one to make the food and bring it out, giving Blaze a little boyish entertainment, as well as some other ladies who were bringing out plates, breasts big enough for the plates in their hands to be laid down on them. To Blaze's dismay, they all wore robes.

I guess I'm not too different from all the other dragons, he thought absently, picking at his food further. More masks and colorful displays of handiwork hung on the walls, the breeze that passed through the brown tent causing the banners to flap around. Tawil had told him that Carolyn would (hopefully) be ready once he had finished his meal, though he suspected that it'd take a while for him to eat.

He began to wonder why he even offered to help. It was just a sudden rush of events, him unexpectedly wanting to help out of the blue. He guessed he wasn't too hollow, after all. Eventually a lone centaur took a seat next to him, looking at him.

"We are very sorry of what happened to your friend, Lord Blaze, and we cannot thank you enough for any small amount of help that you give. Not saying that you agreeing to defeat a monolith is small." He grinned, offering him a handshake that was gladly accepted, though it felt like Blaze's hand was getting crushed in between two boulders. None of the dragons back in the reserves had respected him, but they also didn't pay him any attention. While he was usually a shy little thing, he was beginning to like this.

After a couple minutes and a small bite of food later, Blaze saw the centaur's head whip around as a woman holding a plate with two baywraps appeared, setting it down and bowing to Blaze. It was getting harder and harder to suppress the urge to just stare, even more so the stirring of a particular region once again. Despite himself, he grinned. Nope. Not too different at all.

***   ***   ***

They flew in an awkward silence, which was fine by Blaze. The wind had picked up as soon as they'd left Gladendale's boundaries, but, for some reason, it had stopped snowing. The weather was actually quite nice compared to previous days, which was odd to him.

The two had two goals, though Carolyn was rather cranky about it. First was to defeat the monolith, then check up on the Tallow Wicks, which had sparked Blaze's interest ever since their first mentioning. But until then, they'd fly over the hilly lands.

Eventually, Carolyn spoke up, muttering more to herself than Blaze. "Damn, Alexander..."

"Huh?" Blaze looked over.

"I could care less about that jack ass," she snapped, frowning.

"I didn't even say anything," Blaze said, genuinely concerned for her. He had saw moments when the two warmed up to each other — albeit, those were before Alexander pulled them all into the mountains. He had always suspected the two to have a relationship of some sort, but she didn't even bat an eye when she heard the news, or at least that was what the centaur who'd told her told him.

They flew quietly until Blaze pointed down at the ground. "There's the cave that Tawil told me about." They both descended silently, unholstering their weapons. He only knew what Tawil had told him about monoliths, so he didn't want to take any chances.

"The hell even is a 'monolith?'" Carolyn asked as they walked down the slope in the earth, the endless sheets of snow eventually giving way for a rough, stone floor. Crystals shone from the walls with magnificent blue auras, giving off an odd light.

"Well," Blaze began, reciting what Tawil had told him as they walked, "they're creatures of stone and ice, like a golem or something close to one. They can vary in size, from something as big as us to a grand giant, and-"

"Save the lecture and just tell me what they look like," she grumbled, looking at the luminescent crystals with interested eyes, the light reflecting off of her eyes.

"Oh. Um, they, er, well..."

"Spit it out!" she barked. Her voice echoed across the dark cave, a booming rumble coming back in response, sending a shiver up Blaze's spine.

"I think we're about to find out," Blaze mumbled, backing away when a loud crash sounded from deep within the cave. Eventually, two glowing blue dots that Blaze realized to be eyes stared at them from the darkness. And then it charged.

"Ah!" Blaze yelped as he leaped away, hand over his head, shaking as the mass of ice skid to a halt. He quickly stopped, however, and recovered, his brow furrowing in determination as he aimed at the creature with his rifle.

Just like Tawil described, it was a sharp mass of ice with rocks jutting out from him. Crystal spikes jutted out from his head, and two enormous eyes ringed with stone staring at him. It stood on two stubby legs and had two large arms that were probably strong enough to squeeze him to death. The monolith's jaw stuck out, sharp rows of stone teeth lining it. A disgusting smacking sound came from its mouth.

Crack!

Blaze hastily grabbed another enchanted metal ball to stick into the rifle as cracks spider webbed through the impact zone, making the thing furious as it charged Blaze. He ran to the side as Carolyn's revolving musket rang out, rounds smacking into the back of the creature. More cracks began to form, and a piece of the creature shattered and clattered to the ground, making it stumble before veering off course and crashing into the wall, a piece of its jaw cracking off.

Huh. Blaze was hit by a sudden thought. No wonder the centaurs talked of these creatures so badly. They didn't have any proper tools to shatter them, besides brute strength perhaps. That's the monoliths' weakness.

Carolyn let loose another burst of three before her musket clicked, the rounds once again smacking into the creature, sending more shards to the ground. In the time that the small monolith slowly recovered, Blaze had gotten far enough away to use his rifle properly. He held his breath as his cross hairs aligned with one of the glowing blue eyes, and slowly pressed down on the trigger.

The gun bucked back, the metal ball whirling towards its eye in a fraction of a second. The round, however, simply went through its eye like it was a strange, thick fog. Something important for the thing must've been inside it, for cracks began to form all over the creature once the ball impacted him through the eye. Blaze watched in awe and mounting curiosity as the thing raised his arms, screeching.

Carolyn took aim at the creature after reloading her revolving musket, smirking. A single round from her weapon was enough to release all the tension in the monolith's cracked figure, shards and rocks showering to the ground as its blue eyes extinguished. Carolyn and Blaze looked at each other once all the pieces had settled on the floor.

Carolyn snorted. "That was what the fuss was about?"

"I guess it was a little easier than I anticipated," Blaze said, grinning sheepishly.

***   ***   ***

"So what even is a Tallow Wick?" Carolyn asked, confused on what they were doing. She'd been more open for conversation on their continued flight, and surprisingly, Blaze was fine with it.

He just shrugged as a response. "Nobody really told me much about them, besides that they're somewhat like a pony. That, and they protect all the children centaurs in times of danger, which would be now, since there's the whole 'Queen Lilac problem.' They all live in this giant cove."

"Is that it?" Carolyn said, stopping and pointing towards a large gap in a steeply rising mountain, the stone ground bare of snow. It was set just a couple feet above the ground. Flickering torches lined the entrance on poles, most rusted or bent.

Blaze and Carolyn slowly descended until they landed. A dim light came from the right of the cave, which Blaze gestured to. "I think it's over there."

Carolyn nodded and they both walked quickly. After taking a couple steps, Blaze was hit with a wave of warmth, and a feeling of coziness. Like he could lie down right there, despite the rough ground and chance of frostbite. He could see that Carolyn's muscles became less tense as well.

They stopped at the corner, where the warmth had grown enough so that he felt a little uncomfortable with the thick and bulky coat on. The two looked at each other and nodded, stepping out only for their jaws to drop.

It was like an entire village build underground. Buildings of stone and logs were set up all around, hanging from the ceiling, on the ground, stuck on the walls, on poles, everywhere! Bridges connected almost all of them, creating a breathtaking web of paths that winded around one another. Candles were in every place imaginable, from the ground up, giving the place a beautiful dimness, yet still visible.

However, Blaze was more fascinated by the things that trotted about. At first, he thought that they were ponies, but then he saw how they dripped. Their forms were goopy and didn't look quite solid, and some had candles sticking out from their heads, which Blaze had at first mistaken them to be horns. Some even had wings, though he couldn't fathom how one could get off the ground with their forms.

And then one approached them.

She (Blaze thought it was a she) trotted forward at a brisk pace, waving happily with an ear-to-ear grin on her face. Her coat (or body, Blaze didn't know what to call it) was an orangish-beige, and her mane that dripped freely was a lighter hue, though it seemed to glow. She wore a loosely-hung striped sweater that complemented her bright blue eyes, and she also had a candle sticking from her head.

"Hi!" she said once she had stopped, extending a gooey hoof. Blaze hesitated before shaking it, a sticky residue getting on his claws, Carolyn getting the same treatment. Curious, he raised it up to sniff it, and he perked up. It smelled like pumpkin pie! The pieces clicked together further. And this is wax!

"Welcome to our home," she continued in an overly-enthusiastic voice, "and we haven't seen a dragon, or a griffon, in a long time. My name is Pumpkin Spice, but who are you guys?"

"I'm Carolyn," she said, still looking at the Tallow Wick curiously.

Blaze realized that it was his turn to speak. "Oh, um, I'm Blaze. Tawil sent us, if you know who-"

"Oh, so he sent you here?" she said. Blaze nodded. "Well, the children are doing great, and we haven't seen any threats nearby. Well, if you don't count the Queen's magic, but that's been here for a while. Come on in!" she waved for them to follow.

"So, are Tallow Wicks like candle ponies or something? Er, no offense," Blaze added, pulling out a slip of paper and a piece of charcoal.

Pumpkin Spice laughed. "Pff, offense? Why would I take offense? But yeah, pretty much." Blaze scribbled this down as they walked past more goopy ponies, his eyes straying to each of the Tallow Wicks. A blue stallion with dripping wings and a sharp tie that seemed to be melting, his spiky mane a glowing turquoise. A bright pink mare with an even brighter smile, who seemed to be more gooey than the others, caught his eyes especially with the strange orb that hung around her neck, like a pink candle trapped inside a sphere of glass.

Those were just two, however. There were a group of various Wicks chatting as they left a humble shack that looked to be a store, each one a color of fall; brown, gold, red. The red one had a candle coming out from his head, just like Pumpkin Spice's. At first, Blaze was assuming that it was like a unicorn's horn, but the red Wick was carrying nearly a dozen bags in his saddlebags, rather than levitating it all above him. Maybe it was just a preference? Or it could be that they can't use magic, Blaze brainstormed. Then again, it could just be a preference of his.

None of these Tallow Wicks have cutie marks like normal ponies, he noticed, tapping the charcoal against his chin as they went up a wooden ramp, the railing on the right partially destroyed, the tips of broken beams splintered.

"Heh, yeah," Pumpkin Spice said, grinning sheepishly once she noticed Blaze's looks around the place. "We really need to repair this place when we get the chance."

"Oh, er, no, I wasn't," he stumbled through his words, blushing before stopping himself from saying anymore. He was already a bad talker, he didn't want to screw anything more up.

Something sparked in his mind. "Just wondering, could you give us a tour around, maybe?"

Pumpkin Spice waved a hoof dismissively, sending some globs of wax flying off to splatter against the floor. "There really isn't much to show. I mean, every single building here is home to someone, and most double as stores so that they can make a living." She pointed towards a much newer-looking building, saying, "That's where all the children of the centaurs sleep. Right now, we're heading up to my dad's house."

Blaze shot a curious glance that Pumpkin Spice perked up at and elaborated. "I thought that we'd make dinner for the new guests."

The warmth inside Blaze increased, but it was a mental warmth from these Wicks' generous hearts. Suddenly, he raised an eyebrow. "You all are vegetarian, right?"

"What? Why wouldn't we, who eats mea-" Her foggy eyes widened. "Oh, right, the whole dragon thing-"

"No!" Blaze interrupted, holding up his hand. "Nonono, I, er, I don't eat meat either."

She cocked her head. "I thought dragons always had a strict meat-and-gemstone diet."

"This one doesn't," he mumbled quietly. Though, he did enjoy a gemstone from time to time. That was one thing that all dragons loved.

They continued through the winding bridges, ramps, and platforms, Blaze gazing about in awe. Even with its state of disrepair, the underground village was beautiful in its own way, what, with the hanging buildings and spiderweb of bridges, along with all of the candles that were placed in every possible location.

They stopped in front of a more pretty shack that clung to the cave wall, connected with what looked like wax. Blaze questioned whether this was safe, but he quickly remembered that nothing around here could even be marked as 'safe,' with all the monoliths and freak earthquakes. Beautiful amber curtains hung from two cavities, dripping candles that Blaze thought of as a fire hazard set right next to the silky fabric.

After a second knock from Pumpkin Spice, the door swung open to reveal a disheveled stallion, a smile lighting up across his face (literally) at the sight of Pumpkin Spice. He had a dark bronze wax coat, which was especially drippy. Unlike most, he bore no wings nor candle, instead what must've been the earth pony variant of a Tallow Wick, which Blaze reminded himself to write down later. He wore a brown coat that blended with his wax coat, a lighter, toffee-colored undershirt coming out of the coat in riffles, along with a bright yellow bow-tie. He had a glowing chestnut mane and tail, both in ruin, small flames coming off from it, and his eyes both literally and metaphorically glowed.

"Pumpkin!" he said sweetly, embracing her in a warm hug before opening an eye at Blaze and Carolyn. "Oh, and guests! Well, where are my manners, come in! I've got some coffee almost done brewing." He hurried to usher them inside, Blaze gawking at the house. He'd expected it to be cramped just by a quick study from the outside, but it actually seemed quite cozy.

The house cut into the wall, offering more space, where there was a fire place with multiple candles on top of it, two everest green sofas to either side, able to seat two persons each. Decorated plates hung from the walls, and the floor's many fanciful rugs were covered in dry wax drips and splatters spots. There were three beds that ran along the wall, decorated plates on shelves on the wall above the comfy-looking cots. One of the beds had a large lump under the checkered sheets, making Blaze guess that someone was asleep.

There was a metallic ding! that signaled the coffee to be done brewing. The brown stallion's swirly eyes turned to pinpricks and he started prancing on the tips of his very-rounded hooves before zipping towards it, getting several mugs of coffee ready in a blur. He slowed down for only a moment to hand Carolyn, Blaze, and Pumpkin Spice a steaming mug before getting one of his own, taking a sip and giving a sigh of relief.

"Welcome, strangers," he said in a pleasant but quick voice, "my name's Coffee Bean, and I'm sure you've met my daughter Pumpkin Spice. I run a coffee shop just below here," he nodded towards the hole in the ground in the middle of the room, a metal firepony's pole running down.

"I'm Blaze, and that's Carolyn," Blaze said, pointing towards the cream-colored griffon who was mixing a bottle of rum with her mug of coffee. His gaze shifted to the counter that the chocolate-colored stallion was leaning on as he took a rather large gulp of his red-hot coffee. "Er, who are those for?"

"Hm?" Coffee Bean followed where his claw pointed to the other five mugs of coffee. He looked back confused. "Me, of course, who else?"

Blaze was going to say more, but stopped himself. So, he likes coffee, he noted as the hyper Wick reached for a second cup. ...a lot.

"So," he started, slamming the now empty mug down, "the kids are doing fine, but how are things back in Gladendale?"

Blaze scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Well, I don't really know if I could say. I've only been there for a day. You see, we kind of got lost traveling north," he didn't want to elaborate, and thankfully, that was enough for Coffee Bean. Before he could speak, however, there was a dull thud from behind. Everyone glanced at the figure that scrambled around to the side of the bed, tangled in sheets.

"Oh, Whacko, you're awake!" Coffee Bean exclaimed, trotting towards him (Or was it a her?) once he was out from the sheets. Unlike many of the Wick's kind that Blaze had seen so far, this one was very dark. His wax coat was a purple so dark that it was almost black, and his mane and tail didn't even glow! Rather, it just fell straight in front of his eyes, only a little bit brighter than his body. Whacko gave Coffee Bean a glance before trotting past him, not even acknowledging the visitors.

"No coffee?" he shouted after him, holding a mug. Whacko frowned, shaking his head before scampering away and out the front door, two dark wings spreading to either side of him.

"What's his problem?" Carolyn asked once he was out of earshot, leaning against a table.

Coffee Bean gave a troubled frown. "He's always like that. Never wants to talk, always wants to be somewhere else." He silently tapped a hoof on the ground, seemingly waiting. Blaze was about to ask what he was doing before there was another ding!

Coffee Bean grinned and waved for everyone to sit. "Dinner's ready!"