A Dangerous Sparkle

by David Silver

51 - Behind the Oven

Sunshine led the way with closed lips until she nudged open one of the large double doors of the castle. She looked over her shoulder at the others as she spoke, "Most of the normal workers were given the day off." There were very few in the castle, with a few other guards stationed at intersections that watched the group as they went. They were not challenged after a glance at Sunshine.

Pinkie snorted softly, "This place was way busier last time. Do you guys get a lot of problems like this?"

"Only rarely," said Sunshine. "First time this year, and it's already well into summer. I would give you the tour," she raised a hoof while she walked and indicated a hanging tapestry that had a likeness of the Queen on it. "But you have a mission to complete. Have you dealt with an unbalance before?"

Pinkie quickly answered, "We've dealt with worse." Not an exact truth, but not an outright lie either. "We'll show them who's boss."

Long Road strode upwards with Soft still on his back, "Forgive me for asking, but how would you recommend we resolve this quickly?"

Sunshine nudged the next door open to reveal stairs heading upwards, "It's refreshing to see Seekers willing to ask for advice. Too many of them think they know how to handle anything until they're already buried in it. I suppose that's a donkey for you." She paused half way up the stairs, offering the guards at the top a salute before turning to the others. "What you will want to do," she looked Long Road in the eyes, "is find the largest of the elementals. They tie the others here. You banish or defeat it, the unbalance is tamed."

Long Road darkened at the mention of his race, unsure how to take the comment but nodding, "You said earth elementals are the issue?"

Sunshine reached the top of the stairs and pushed onward, "We're coming to the kitchen now. There is a ladder leading down to the deep pantry. That's where the issue is, and yes, it is an earth unbalance."

The kitchen was quiet. One guard stood by a stove, but it was otherwise abandoned. There were rows of large ovens, looking ready to prepare a feast for the city entire if need be. Pots and pans hung from hooks, while one wall seemed to have a strip of every cooking utensil imaginable in triplicate. "Let them through," said Sunshine as she came on the guard. "They're clearing it out."

The two soldiers exchanged salutes before Sunshine moved to depart and return to her post. The stallion they were left with leaned down and grabbed the iron ring of the trap door behind the oven and pulled it open. "Here you go. Two knocks, one knock, then three, and I will let you out. Iliana watch over you."

Spike nodded at him, "No problem. Smash the biggest thing we see, then two, one, three." He imitated the salutes that had been given before he leaped down into the darkness that held little secrets to his eyes. He floated easily as he looked around. "I see a little one right at the bottom of the steps," he called out before zipping at it, "I'll get it!"

The elemental was little more than a loose pile of rocks smaller than a pony. It shuffled on occasion though, making its living nature clear to Spike. He watched it for a moment, deciding where best to attack before licking his lips. "One hit," he declared to himself before he made the final plunge. The small elemental barely noticed Spike was there before he was on it and sinking his teeth into its mineral body. It exploded like chalk into his snout. It didn't have much gem content and tasted about as brittle as it was. He spat out most of it before calling up, "All clear!"

Soft Mane was next, climbing easily with her clever fingers. The quadrupeds followed, using their fetlocks for hands as they descended carefully. As Twilight picked up the rear, the trapdoor shut, sealing them in darkness. Twilight's horn began to glow quickly as she clutched to the ladder, almost knocked free in surprise. Spike suddenly grabbed her at the sides, drawing a surprised squeak from her as he air lifted her down to the ground.

"Thanks, Spike," she said with an embarrassed smile. "I would have made it on my own."

"Course you would," said Spike in a supportive tone. "I just thought I'd return the favor from so many rides you gave me."

His kind words earned him a hug. Long Road was looking out against the gloom, "Miss Pie. You can make light too, can you not?"

No sooner requested than Pinkie Pie sang a brief little tune on the wonders of light and held up her fore hooves. Motes of light burst into existence and darted around under control her whimsies, offering much more light to see by in addition to Twilight's glowing horn.

Soft Mane raised a hand, "I can do that too. It was one of the first tricks I learned," she said with a proud voice, then clapped her hands together. "Lashtada light the way," she said in simple prayer, then reached out and touched one of Spike's hanging sashes, making it glow a soft pink color.

Spike blinked, "I can already see." His complaint made Soft's expression fall and he raised his claws quickly, "But pink's a nice color, good job." She rebounded into a smile and gave Spike a warm embrace that made him less comfortable than the sisterly one he had received from Twilight moments ago. Was this how Rarity felt?

Long Road looked around the small room with its two doorways, "Everything feels off, and there's a strange scent in the air." The scent was an exotic blend of rare minerals, and the doorways appeared bent and warped into crude carvings instead of the straight designs they were surely built with.

Twilight nodded, "I've read about this. Elemental Unbalance causes an area to deform with the influence of the affecting element until fixed." She raised a hoof to tap at the wooden door frame and it made a very rock like 'tink', "The longer it's allowed to stay, the worse it gets and the larger it becomes. No wonder they evacuated the wait staff."

Spike sailed past her, "Well let's find that big bad pile of rocks and we'll be done." His eagerness let him walk into a waiting elemental that crashed into him as he entered the next room full of herb racks. The blow sent him sailing into the opposing wall and Spike slid to the ground, dizzied and bruised.

Long Road galloped after him, bringing his sword out of its sheath to his mouth in time to intercept the elemental's next crushing swing. Bolts of force sprayed out of Twilight's horn in a spread that drove the creature away as Spike scrambled to his feet and peered at it. This one was a uniform brown in color, and much more solid than the first. It appeared to be made of several large slabs of rock that could flex minimally for movement instead of a pile of small rocks. "No big deal," said Spike with growing confidence, until a second emerged from the wall behind him and shoved him harshly, knocking him into Long Road. "Uh, you handle that one," said Spike as he ducked under Long Road and focused his attention on the first.

Pinkie Pike bounced into the room, music on her lips as she played an upbeat tone on a flute she was surely not holding a moment ago. Despite a lack of fingers, different notes played effortlessly as she swayed left and right.

Soft Mane reached for Spike, "Lashtada heal him," she asked as the same soft pink erupted from her fingers and soothed some of the aches Spikes had suffered. "Get them!" she cried. "They don't stand a chance against my Knight!"

The first elemental clashed with Spike. It brought down a club of an arm at the dragon, who brushed it aside while dodging out of the way. His teeth cleaved through the stone with ease. Mmm, this one had a more cinnamon like flavor. Spike could get used to fighting earth elementals. The creature made a grating sound of pain as it brought its other arm across Spike, smashing him but barely dislodging his teeth from the rocky hide. "You'll have to hit harder than that."

Long Road advanced on the second while it eagerly met him. This one was a more grey color and was about the same size as the first, human sized and even somewhat bipedal, though it was made of those great slabs of unyielding stone. Sword clashed against its stone arms with loud ringing of steel and jumping sparks. Every time left the creature with new chips taken off of it. One swing caught Long in the side, making him gasp for breath before snorting, readying a fresh assault.

Twilight moved up until only Spike stood between her and the elemental he was fighting and let loose electric fury on the both of them and the herb rack behind them. The rack exploded in shards of broken glass and scattered herbs to join the rocks of the former elemental on the ground. Spike was unharmed and gave a thumbs up before turning on the one that menaced Long Road.

"You've gotten better, Spike," said Longroad as he sunk his blade into the arm of beast, only to rip it free and quickly parry the other arm, "Help me finish this."

"With pleasure," said Spike with a grin before he made a powerful leap, smashing into the elemental head first. Though the hard stone made his vision swim a moment from the impact, his horns were more than effective against it and it fell to a pile of broken stone at his feet. "If that's the best they can do," he said as he flopped against a wall, waiting for his vision to come back together. "We won't have any problems."

Soft Mane shook her head a little before she took a slow breath. The pink glow of her magic gathered at her chest before washing out over the group of them and easing the minor pains in Spike and Long Road. She frowned a little. "I have to get a lot better." Despite her efforts, it was clear that Spike still had some bruises, not that they seemed to bother him.

Pinkie Pie bounced up, flute abandoned. She gave Spike a soft pat on the back. "You're doing great, Spike, Soft." She patted Soft Mane on her head along with her name's mention. "It's not a contest, silly. We're a team." Her patting caused Spike's few remaining injuries to vanish under her bardic magic. "Let's show all these mean rock things what the Returners of the Dawn can do!"

Author's Note:

Back in the action of things! Returners of the Dawn, assemble!

Tiny sized earth elementals may be typos in disguise.

Comments

[Skillfulist]

<sprayed out of Twilight's horns>

horns should be horn

[David Silver]

5524408 Typo ground to dust.

[PetuTheViewer]

Soft Road shook her head a little before she took a slow breath.

When did Long Road and Soft Mane learn a DBZ style fusion technique and why didn't they call out when they used it? You are breaking some serious anime laws here

Great chapter once again.

[David Silver]

5524488 All those rocks have shaken my typing!

[FanOfMostEverything]

I do like the concept and effects of the elemental imbalance. Still, I get the feeling that I'd like it a lot less if I were actually there.

Spike's flight could give him a huge advantage against the elementals, but the kitchen may not have enough room for that. Also, I hope Twilight doesn't have to pay for those spices.

Soft Mane has the first level blues. Don't worry, Soft. These are well above your recommended CR. You'll be leveling up in no time.

Also, I found a small chunk of typoite:

It brought down a club of an arm at the dragon that brushed it aside while dodging out of the way.

"dragon, who"

Looking forward to more.

[David Silver]

5524703 The tiny typo elementals are the worst kind.

The challenges so far have been well in the party's resources, and Spike is enjoying crushing them to pieces. Long Road isn't as good at delivering amazing crushing blows, but he's a very solid front liner with bounce-back ability.

Party dynamics, go! Twilight has to spend some time collecting spells so she casts something besides lightning bolt and magic missile at her problems.

[terrycloth]

5524703 If Soft Mane was higher level, she could summon elementals to fight them. Or would that just make things worse?

[David Silver]

5525246 Elementals make everything better, except when it doesn't. Elementals summoned via summon spells are very temporary and don't make much difference to the local balances.

[albedoequals1]

and the doorways appear bent and warped into crude carvings instead of the straight designs they were surely built with.

appeared

[David Silver]

5607167 Fixed!

[Dusk Raven]

Spike suddenly grabbed her at the sides, drawing a surprised squeak from her as she air lifted her down to the ground.

Think it should be "he" there.

[David Silver]

5709623 Fixed!

[Seraphimus]

. I suppose that's a donkey for you."

I feel like this was MEANT to be a compliment but it still sounds really racist.

[Adenbadens]

She pat Soft Mane on saying her head,

Not sure what to make of this one.

[David Silver]

11006189
About 3000 views, and you notice this typo 3 days before retirement. The pity.