//------------------------------//
// The Infinite Steaming Explosion Spell 
// Story: Star Knight and the Nine-Tailed Fox 
// by Rakoon1 
//------------------------------//

After hitting Hard Stone with the Water Gun Spell, the former fell on the ground, apparently dead.

“I told you, you fool!” Gusty Blizzard exclaimed. “You’re way too old for this kind of things now.”

At that moment, for his shock, Hard Stone turned into sand that immediately turned against Gusty Blizzard, involving him. He then saw the real Hard Stone coming to Strongpaw’s side over the latter’s sand.

“Oh my…” Hard Stone said, still feeling a pain on his back. “Thank you for that, Chief Strongpaw.”

The sand was involving Gusty Blizzard even more and then he noticed the Third Eye.

“An eye of sand…” he said, smiling. “You’ve been watching Hard Stone this all time, aren’t you?”

Looking to Strongpaw, still smiling, he concluded that he switched Hard Stone with a sand clone after he had crushed the giant clam.

“This one is really interesting…” Gusty Blizzard said. “Such promise…”

The guards threw blades with sealing tags and the one said:

“We got him!”

“No, it’s not working!” another exclaimed.

That was true, as the sand started to get sipped and the blades didn’t get at the place. And the sand that covered Gusty Blizzard fell on, with the king appearing still with his smile and looking to Strongpaw. The leader of the pony-panthers tried to involved Gusty Blizzard, who was starting to enjoy the fight, again with sand, even putting more and more layers of sand until creating a huge pyramid.

“Desert Imperial Funeral Seal!” Strongpaw exclaimed.

Acting as quick as they could, the guards threw the sealing tags again. When they started to seal the pyramid, it seemed everything was over.

“Good…” Hard Stone said, with his hoof over his back. “It seems we got this fight won.”

But after he said that, the pyramid exploded with such intensity that the others had to protect themselves from the shockwave. When it was over, they all became shocked with what was in above of them. A cloud of steam was above them, but the thing was an evil face looked at them.

“What the hell is that?” a guard asked. 

“Is it another illusion spell?” Strongpaw asked.

“No, that’s not an illusion spell” Hard Stone replied. “That’s the Infinite Steaming Explosion Spell of King Gusty Blizzard. It caused to my father real trouble.”

Just the look of that steaming cloud gave some chills to Strongpaw. If that spell was hard to defeat even to King Platinum, then he didn’t want to imagine how they would deal with something like that.

And, all of the sudden, it started to rain, but it wasn’t an ordinary raining.

“Hail…?” Strongpaw asked.

“The air forced upwards by the steam explosion got cooled in the upper atmosphere and turned into hail” Hard Stone said.

And, before them, some kind of clone of Gusty Blizzard appeared, but its faced looked like a white mask. It then started shrinking.

“What is this?” Strongpaw asked to Hard Stone.

“It’s a clone composed by oil and water taken by Gusty Blizzard’s body” he explained. “The exterior surface of its foal-like form is composed of oil, while its interior is water. Its special feature is that it can both heat up and cool down easily. When it moves around, the oil on its surface heats up precipitously what causes a rapid vaporization of the water inside, resulting in a steaming explosion. And when the hail cools it, it comes back down to its original size and is ready to explode again.”

After that explanation, the clone made a blade erupt from its foreleg and then it advanced against them. Strongpaw tried to use the sand, but the clone just dodged, proving to be faster than he imagined. It started to attack guards indiscriminately, keeping the others pursue it.

“The real Gusty Blizzard must be nearby” Hard Stone told to Strongpaw. “Don’t bother with the clone. Go after the original. The weak point of this spell is that it weakens the user while is being used.”

The real Gusty Blizzard was behind a rock formation, recovering energies. He couldn’t believe how much Hard Stone knew about his spell. It was obvious that Platinum must have told him.

A deer with sensing skills started to focus to locate the original king, while saying:

“If it’s not a mirage and he can’t make himself disappear, then I should be able to sense him.”

And he did, telling then, pointing:

“He’s behind that rock!”

Hard Stone turned, but that sudden move only caused more pain to his back.

“Oh, damn…”

But Strongpaw advanced there floating on his sand and found Gusty Blizzard.

“Oh, you found me” the latter said.

“Before it stops hailing…” Strongpaw started, making sand surround Gusty Blizzard again. “…I shall seal you!”

And the returned to do the sealing spell he did before.

Meanwhile, the clone started to grow in size, much to the guards’ shock. Approaching, Hard Stone said, while hail stopped:

“The more it moves around, the faster the oil heats up and vaporizes the water inside. The hail stopped too. Another explosion of steam is eminent.” 

When he was at its maximum size, the cloned turned and saw that its original had been imprisoned in Strongpaw’s pyramid and about to be sealed. When Strongpaw initiated the sealing process, the clone removed the sealing tags and the tip of the pyramid got sipped and Gusty Blizzard’s head appeared and said:

“Hey, there!”

A guard threw blades, but Gusty Blizzard dodged them by hiding inside the pyramid and said, after putting his head out again:

“This really is a very nice hiding place.”

Hard Stone approached Strongpaw and then Gusty Blizzard said:

“I was once one of the most powerful regents of the Enchanted Forest. As long as I have my oil, your sand won’t simply be able to touch me. Unless, of course, you can seal me up really quick.”

“That seems to be the case” Hard Stone agreeded.

“Now, how are you going to take me down, then?” Gusty Blizzard asked.

“Honestly, I was hopping that you could tell us” Hard Stone replied.

Gusty Blizzard made a thinking look and then he replied, with his jovial smile:

“Nah, I changed my mind. I’m done with that. Sorry, everyone.”

“You’re cooperative until just now” Strongpaw said. “Did you decide to help the enemy?”

“You’re wrong” the former king answered. “I mean, I am the former king of Evermist. And, actually, I’m still helping you out, only in a different way.”

“Which way is that, exactly?” Hard Stone asked.

“If you can’t beat me using all of abilities, then you’re worse than I am, you’re old fool!”

And the clone jumped to the fight, while Gusty Blizzard continued:

“You’ll never win against your true enemy this way!”

Using a lot of sand, Strongpaw tried to prevent the advance of the clone, only to fail, as it stopped and prepared to blow up. Because of that all the guards started to retreat and then Gusty Blizzard said:

“Just when I thought I found the golden one between all the regents… Chief Strongpaw, you’re really just a worthless warrior!”

And the shock appeared on the pony-panther’s face when he saw the clone exploding.

Star’s clone that defeated King Alder was advancing along Oak and the rest of the unit to go help Strongpaw. Seeing the explosion of steam, Star exclaimed:

“Over there! Hold on guys, I’m on my way there.”

After the explosion, it started to hail again. When the smoke cleared it was revealed that the guards had been protected by Strongpaw’s Shield of Sand that took the form of Sand Jewel. Gusty Blizzard, who had returned to the inside of the pyramid to protect himself from the explosion, made his head come out again, while his clone started to appear again. It was then that Strongpaw emerged from the smoke over his sand with two amounts of by his side.

“I’m impressed!” Gusty Blizzard exclaimed, while smiling and his clone shrank to the original size by his side. “You protected everyone and attacked at the same time, knowing full well you’d get hurt. But if you don’t stop this, the same thing will keep happening.”

The clone made the blade appear on his foreleg and Strongpaw attacked it with sand to which the clone started to dodge. Strongpaw retreated to the shield he had made and the clone followed him, hitting the shield. After going around it, he continued to try to attack Strongpaw. 

And so the hail stopped, what caused a bigger smile to Gusty Blizzard, who knew that the next explosion was about to happen. The clone continued to attack Strongpaw, who used the sand to defend himself, while the clone started to expand.

“You mistimed getting your shield up because of its sudden expansion.”

But when the clone pressed the attack, it was revealed that Strongpaw was a sand clone.

“Another sand clone, hein…” Gusty Blizzard said. “That’s within expectations…”

Gusty Blizzard’s clone passed through the sand of the clone and then he landed, where an amount of sand was. It retreated, revealing Strongpaw.

“The really one was hiding below, just as I guessed” Gusty Blizzard said. “But what now? It’s going to explode again!”

And Strongpaw threw more sand. 

“The speed of your sand is no match” Gusty Blizzard said. “You’ll never catch it! So, what will you…”

But he didn’t finish, as he saw Strongpaw involving the clone with the sand. But how did he do that? How could his sand get faster?

The sand that was involving the clone started to get sipped, as it expanded due to the expanding clone, and then cracked.

“But then again… Kaboom!” Gusty Blizzard exclaimed.

The sand cracked more and then steam started to get out.

“There’s more smoke” the griffon said, beside Star, as they all approached.

“That’s got to be where they are” Star said. “Let’s go!”

And the sand involving the clone cracked even and then got down, revealing that the clone had turned into gold, before Gusty Blizzard’astonishment. He then realized, seeing the gold, that Strongpaw must have used the gold dust his father left behind.

“There was gold dust in the sand used on that sand clone from earlier” Strongpaw explained. “I took advantage of that thing’s heat to melt the gold and bond it to it. Gold is about twenty times heavier than water, which is way that its movements have slowed down.”

“And the reason why the sand trapped it so easily” Gusty Blizzard realized. “But, still, why didn’t the clone exploded?”

“The sand that I mixed with the hail was more than enough to cool it down” Stronpaw answered. “Gold also has good thermal conductivity, which came in handy to chill its water vapor and steam.”

“That was well played” Gusty Blizzard complimented. “Truly befitting a leader like you. I’m impressed that you came up with such strategy… You’re really a golden one between the regents.”

And he made a big and true smile to Strongpaw.

At the villains’ hideout, Gentle Light was concentrating on the curse and then she said:

“I can’t believe how far they went against the reincarnated beings. But they still need to work on their attention. They still didn’t realized that they still didn’t finish one completely.”

At the place where King Platinum had been sealed, some debris started to be moved and King Platinum appeared, with his body being regenerated.

“How naïve of you, Hard Stone” he said. “You’re my son and also my student. You completely missed me using the Fragmentation Spell.”

The truth was that when Star hit him with his Spiraling Spheres, he fragmenting, creating an exact, and yet independent, clone, with the two hitting the stone formation. While one half was the one being sealed, the other remained. He tried to warn Hard Stone, but he was sealed before being able to finish.

Platinum then approached the place where his other half was sealed and tried to remove the sealing tag, only to find out that he couldn’t.

“I guess I can’t remove this tag, after all” he said. “It is a very impressive sealing spell.”

And he started to move away.

“Platinum’s spell is not a multiplication spell, if I recall” Gentle Light said. “His all body splits in two, a very quick spell that doesn’t need any energy consummation. But, in the same way the body is split, the same happens with his power. However, he may provide some back-up to the others.”

Star Knight arrived to the place where Strongpaw was.

“Are you all right, Chief Strongpaw?” Star asked.

“Yes, I am” he replied. “What’s the news on your end, Prince Star Knight?”

“We sealed King Alder” Star answered. “But we saw something exploding, so we come faster to see what was happening to see if I could help out.”

“I see… We’re almost done too.”

And then Star noticed Gusty Blizzard.

“Wait, is that…” he started.

“Yes, he’s King Gusty Blizzard” Strongpaw replied. “And he’s almost sealed.”

“Well, I have to say, Chief Strongpaw, I never taught you were friends with an alicorn” Gusty Blizzard said. “Even more, one that is still a colt. I guess you can show to your father he was wrong, after all.”

That caused Strongpaw make a little smile and then ask:

“Oh really?”

And he made the sand cover Gusty Blizzard’s head, who thought that had been a while since he had that much fun. The sealing tags were activated and then they sealed the pyramid. When the unit was all reunited, he turned to one member of the communication unit and told:

“Relay our current battle status to HQ.”

“Yes, sir.”

“You all fight well against the former regents, everyone” Hard Stone said. “The victory is ours in this battlefield.”

“Then we must treat the wounds, taking them to the medical team” the griffon said. “All the ones that can still fight must wait for more orders from HQ.”

She then turned to King Hard Stone and told him:

“Your Highness, you should also seek medical attention.”

“No, I’m totally fine, I…”

But he again felt some pain at his backs and the griffon said:

“Okay, I request that you don’t overdo it again.”

“Hey, don’t treat me like an elderly that can’t take care of himself!” he replied, but after another pain he said. “But I guess I can rest up a bit…”

Strongpaw turned to Star and said:

“So, you’re a clone, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“So where’s your original, right now?” Strongpaw asked.

At that moment, the original, as well all the other clones, were advancing towards all the other places that needed him.

At the medical camp were Fluttershy and Cherry were, the latter was observing a patient who was resting. Fluttershy then entered and told him:

“It was told to me that we can’t take any patients for a while. We received orders to only take care of the ones we have now.”

“But we keep receiving more casualties from the battlegrounds” Cherry said. “What will we do about them?”

“I know, but… we can’t tell who the enemy is and who is not” Fluttershy said.

“Yes, that is true…” Cherry said.

The First Unit, that had been fighting the clones, was having the same problems with the infiltrators and the Second Unit was also warry of that problem as well. The Third Unit, although wasn’t having the same problems as the others with the clones, they were still fighting Gina, Thunder Blitz and Lake Splash, the only swordspony that was remaining.

“Hang in there, everyone” the original Star said, while flying. “I’m coming.”