//------------------------------// // What a chef can do // Story: The Equestrian Gourmet // by Gamel_Lightshow //------------------------------// The clanking of armor fills the void that would normally be filled with the sound of voices and laughter. Richard, the Elements of Harmony, and guards move through the destroyed and chaotic environment of hallways that used to be seen in a beautiful light. Broken windows, smudges of blood, and weapons lay across the environment leaving everyone on edge. Richard's head hangs low despite being given a second chance to prove himself to everyone here. He failed to do something when it all happened except run and watch things take place. To his credit, he had assumed he would be dead by now from all the fighting or the group he's traveling with. The pony at the head is an earth pony known as Wild Feet. He wields a spear at his side and his ears are perked to their highest point. The swivel on the side of his head trying to hear for any sort of ambush from our enemies. Despite they've probably already moved from this area. From what Richard can remember, or what he tries to forget, these things attack like animals. And from all the carnage that they're seeing right now, they don't seem to be holding back. More importantly, they probably can't hold back seeing as there isn't even a corpse around. Perhaps they hadn't killed anyone and merely injured a couple before giving chase. Or maybe they never left. "So what is it that you can exactly due to attract all this?" Rainbowdash asks glaring at Richard, "I don't really see how you're all so dangerous. I don't you can use magic and you don't have wings to fly." "I... I cook," He starts slumping a little bit more, "Everything I cook changes people in different ways from making them healthier, stronger, faster, etc. The other stuff I have is to help further my cooking ability apparently and I don't have a way of attacking. Makes me realize I have to sit on the sidelines for these fights..." "Really? That's it? You can't just tear these things to shred?" "I... I can't. They have health bars and all the guards are doing a pretty good job at holding them back and dealing damage. I attempted to learn how to fight, but I'm restricted from wielding anything for the purpose of fighting. Most I can do is just keep feeding you guys things to stay alive." "So useless but not entirely useless. Great." Rainbowdash says snorting and moving back to her group of friends. "Now Rainbowdash, obviously Princess Celestia wouldn't have sent him with us if he was useless. Didn't any of those friendship lessons teach ya anythin?" "Yea yea. I just don't like him. He seems spineless and weak." "Rainbowdash! You never judge a book by its cover." Fluttershy says wiping a few tears away from her eyes, "I-I'm still n-nervous and sad and distraught about all of this, but I'm willing to try for everypony that needs our help. Doesn't that count for something?" Rainbowdash goes quiet as she averts her gaze from Fluttershy's. Applejack and Twilight nod their heads. "Tell me, Richard. Why hadn't you thought it was good to tell Celestia about your unique power? You know you can trust the Princess." Twilight says stepping around a flipped over servants cart. "We have a different experience with government. Remember what I said, Twilight? About how the different countries in my world have different sort of government. Well, my countries government was believed to be an entire body of corrupted and non-corrupted people where the corrupted people would slowly consume the non-corrupted people before they can think of never abusing their power some way. A lot of people didn't like or trust our government." Richard says looking out the window towards the calm and quiet city below the castle that know not what's going on currently. "Than why not put people into power you could trust?" "That's the funny part, we always think we do," Richard says shrugging his shoulders. "Dat don't make a lit of sense to me." Applejack says scratching under her dirtied Stenson. Wild ace suddenly stops and holds up a hoof. The two others on either side of the main party quickly move to the point's side. Every one of us tense up looking down the hall. Their ears begin to swivel as Ace begins to take his spear into both of his hooves and stand on his hind ones. Quite an impressive feat Richard would say if t wasn't for the fact that he knows his life is in danger. "Do you guys hear something?" Richard asks leaning over to Pinkie. "Nope! I just like moving my ear around!" Pinkie replies cheerfully before flopping her ears up and down. "R-Right." Richard says pulling away from her with a curious look. Ace begins walks again making sure everyone stays close but far enough back that he can use his spear effectively. "We're getting close to the target. I really hope you don't disappoint us." Ace says with the guards nodding their heads as well "I won't. Not this time. I'll put my heart into it." Richard says his eyes never leaving the carnage or floors. "I think all hostiles are behind us Ace." One of the two unicorns says whose on the back right of the front line, "Pretty sure you can let-" Before he can finish something black and snake-like shoots out of one of the rooms and wraps its slenderness around the unicorn's throat before dragging him into darkness. Screams are heard from the main sex and the guards hope into action. The last unicorn begins to charge up a spell until something heavy lands on it. That something is one of the creatures Richard had seen when he first started encountering them. It stands taller than a pony and yet shorter than Richard at four foot six with spikes running down it's back and across his head. A tail that seems to be a battle ax swishes behind it as claws at least 4 inches long extend from its three finger hands. The claws swipe through the thick neck of the unicorn separating it cleanly as he laughs all too happily. Ace swings back around and thrusts his spear shoving it straight through its chest. Richard watches as the health bar above the creature shoots down and it staggers back. It growls and strikes out towards the Pony, but true to his position he's quite good. He ducks under the overstretched attack and hits the dark figure with the other end of the staff causing it to turn into a black liquid and splatter across the floor. Meanwhile, the other soldiers chase after what took one of their comrades. Ace point s hoof towards me and points down the hall, " Go! Now! It's just around the corner!" "Right!" Richard says recovering from the shock of watching that quick battle and the possible death of two ponies. Richard moves through the group of ponies and takes off running as more of the black creatures begin to rise from windows and rooms equipped with spikes, claws, and wings. Richard looks back to see that most of the other ponies have recovered and are fighting off the other creatures as well. Beams of magic fire off in different directions one shotting or pushing creatures back to only be destroyed by a rainbow blur, a spear, Earth Pony kick, or a cannon filled with more than what it should have inside of it. "Damn," Richard says returning his vision forward knowing what his objective has to be. He turns the corner and runs head first into something making him stumble back as well as the creature. The creature is the same one has before and growls at him before swiping his claws. Richard's eyes go wide as he jumps back and falls on his butt in fear. The creature spins aiming at his head with his battleax like tail. Richard falls to his side and attempts to get up while it rightens itself on him. "You're a big guy aren't ya!" Richard yells backing away from the creature as it drags its left set of claws on the wall beside it leaving deep grooves in the stone. Richard grits his teeth and runs towards the creature hoping to catch it off guard. The creature reacts without flinching bringing its other clawed hand up and into Richard. Richard's eyes go wide as he feels the sharp digits sink into and through his body. Richard gapes and yells. Not in pain, but in shock that he just got skewered by this creature and is still somehow alive. Its hand retracts and begins to swipe the other one at the dazed Richard. Magic suddenly blasts the creature apart as Richard stand there trying to catch his breathing and not pass out at the feeling of what should've been death. "Richard! Are you alright?" Twilight asks running up to his side while eyeing other creatures rounding the corner. Richard's eyes go wild as she backs away from the creature rounding the corner. He heartbeat quickens as he begins to realize how outmatched he is. He can't take one of these creatures. He's supposed to be a cook, not a fight. He can't shake off the dread and the thought of dying keeps flashing through his mind. He finds himself frozen in fear even as the creatures are destroyed before him. These creatures are weak to them but are far stronger than himself. "Richard!" Applejack yells while knocking him down and slapping him across the face with a hoof, "Snap the hay out of it right now or so help me Celestia!" "I-I can't! What the hell am I doing! I can't do this! There isn't a person I know that would just do this! Why do you need me! Why can't I go home!" Wild Ace quickly whips around towards Richard, "We need you cause her highness thinks so! You see what happened back there! She thinks that you prevent that from happening again, and I'm happy enough to think it. I've got three dead for this mission, Richard. So you better get your flank up now and get to work while we hold them off. They knew we were coming therefore whatever you can do is more important than you think!" Richard just stares ahead fear still evident in his eyes. He knows what needs to be done and perhaps he could help prevent others from dying. Three of the soldiers that came with them are already dead. The least he can do is uphold their deaths and not treat it like it means nothing by falling over in fear before creatures he can rely on other people to handle. "I'm... I'm sorry." He says slowly getting up while shaking, "I'm so sorry..." "If you're sorry, hurry up and get in there before we all die!" Ace yells while pushing a small bat-like creature away from him before a bolt of purple light arcs through its body turning it too into liquid. Richard nods his head as he makes his way around the corner and into a storage area filled row to row with boxes and containers. His still shaking hand pulls up his recipe list. He begins to go into autopilot mixing things together and making sure they all have the effect he needs to keep them alive. If he can keep them alive, he can keep himself alive. "Survival." He mutters to himself slowly calming down from the adrenaline rush. His head throbs and his body feels slightly heavier as he slowly regains his breath he hadn't realized he lost. He slowly starts making bard from grain, paste, and clovers each giving the stat increase of bonus health and defense. The bonus of health is 50 and the bonus defense is a measly 10. But even a little bit counts. Perhaps it stacks up, or is it on a time limit? This was the only thing he never really tested or took notes on. "Just gotta..." He says shaking his head still making more even as his vision begins to go blurry. He wipes sweat from his head and suddenly a message appears that tells him he can't make any more low-grade health bars. He blinks slowly and his shoulders slump as he looks at how many he has made. Before him is a pile of at least 80 of them. Not much compared to how many ponies are risking their lives, but still a pretty good amount for however long he's been in here. A few minutes? Felt like seconds. He slowly starts shoving them into his inventory trying to stay awake as a wave of sleep attempts to take him. He can't understand why he would be tired all of a sudden as the last big of them are shoved into the inventory leaving nine left for the ones outside. He scoops them up and pushes himself forward and out of the door. The scene before him is quite something. Wild ace is spinning wildly slamming and stabbing his spear into various creatures that never seem to stop while Twilight runs guard on anything that might attack the ones in the front in the back. Applejack is using her hind legs to basically cave in the heads or bodies of any of the creatures that get too close while Rainbowdash does air control by either knocking them out of the air or smashing them against the ceiling or wall. Pinkie Pie and Rarity are at the side of Fluttershy trying to calm her down to the best of their abilities. "I. Have. Them." Richard manages to get out his legs feeling like jelly under him. Rarity eyes the food in his hand, "Is that it darling? I expected something a bit more... eloquent and large." "More. In. Inventory." Richard says as his eyes close and he takes a deep breath. "Well if. Darling! Are you alright! Richard? Richard!?" Richard's world suddenly flips on him as he feels something hard slam into his body. After that, darkness takes him.