A Dangerous Sparkle

by David Silver

55 - Night on the Town

Long Road carefully balanced the cake on his back as he followed Pinkie Pie and Soft Mane. None of them wore armor that evening. The noise of the city had changed subtlety with the sinking sun as the lights of the streets were set to burning by a small team of pegasi.

"This is going to be the best," proclaimed Pinkie mid-bounce as she led the way. "Glad you could make it, Soft."

Soft's eyes followed the bounce of Pinkie as she replied, "I couldn't find Spike anywhere, and a party sounds fun." She looked over her shoulder at the cake riding the donkey, "Did you make that?"

"Me? Nope! Long did it all by himself," said Pinkie in proud tones. "He used to run a super yummy food stand with all kinds of baked treats." She slowed enough for Long Road to catch up and asked him, "Did you know I used to do that?"

"You had a food stand?" he asked with curiosity.

She shook her head, "Nuh uh. I worked for a bakery."

"Why did I bake this then?" he asked. She opened her mouth to reply but he held up a hoof quickly, "Never mind, Pinkie. I'm sure it's a good reason."

She bobbed her head and led them to a strip of two story houses that seemed to flow into one another to conserve spaces. She approached the one with the lights on and welcoming and rapped her fore hooves on the door, "The party has arrived!"

The door opened swiftly to allow more light to spill out onto the street. The house had a dozen ponies of various types chatting agreeably with one another. The one who opened the door was a stallion with a neutral expression that brightened on seeing them, "Ah, you must be the one Daisy Chain mentioned." The three entered past him as he looked over those behind Pinkie, a confused expression building, "Assistants?"

"Nope," cried Pinkie as she paused to accept the cake and carefully get it onto the already cleared table. With a swish of her hooves, a harmonica appeared, "Now where are the happy couple?"

Soft Mane smiled at the stallion, "We're her friends." He nodded skeptically but didn't press the issue. She closed the door behind herself and joined the festivities.

Pinkie had already gathered up the couple, a leg around each withers and singing a joyous love ballad in a rhythmic beat. By the time she had finished, the bride and groom had a large lollipop shoved into their snouts and a party cap placed on their brows. They looked a little stunned but not entirely displeased. Their friends stomped the ground in applause as the song reached its conclusion and let loose hoof fulls of rice at them as if they were just being married.

Soft Mane scratched at her left arm with her right hand as an itchiness seemed to build there. She bounced on her hooves a little, rocking and looking increasingly energetic. She began to wander the home, and found herself before the sack that the rice had come from. It was still half filled and the scent of the uncooked rice tickled at her in a strange way and she crouched in front of it, reaching her trembling hands to sink into the dry food with the soft hiss of displaced grain.

"What are you doing?" came a new voice. One of the friends, a unicorn mare, looked down at Soft Mane with a perplexed expression, "It's a little late to throw rice."

"I... am not sure, but, this feels r--" he words cut off as the rice suddenly combusted in bright pink light. The rice was rapidly eaten away as the mare danced back in shock. The bag was not harmed, nor did the flame try to spread away. "I need more," said Soft Mane in the grips of this unexplained hunger. She started snatching up bits of rice on the ground, each one consumed in the pink flames.

The mare moved over to Pinkie, who was eagerly serving up cake slices. "Pinkie." Pinkie looked up at her name being spoken, "Your friend is acting strangely. She isn't trying to... burn the house down is she?"

Pinkie let the slice she was serving splat back to the table, "What?!" She looked left and right sharply. There was Long Road, hovering by the wall but not getting into trouble. She'd have to cheer him up later! Ah, there was Soft Mane, grabbing things off the ground with her hands lit up in pink fire. Pinkie left the cake behind and bounded over to Soft, "Whatcha doing?"

Soft grabbed another handful of rice, sending them away in the flames. No smoke emerged from the consumption, but they were just as assuredly gone. "I don't entirely know. I need more rice, or wheat? I think wheat would work too." She jumped forward and stumbled, landing on her belly as she claimed more of the fallen rice for the pink fire.

Pinkie began to hunt for rice or wheat when the bride came up beside her, "Pinkie, is everything all right? Your friend is acting more and more strange."

Pinkie waved a hoof, "Oh don't worry about it. That's why I brought her."

"You brought her to act strangely?" asked the pegasus mare.

"She's an orawatsit for a love god! Say do you have any rice or wheat?" asked Pinkie as she pulled open a cupboard.

The mare's confusion only deepened. This is what they get for hiring an adventuring team to throw a party... She let out a soft sigh and moved to retrieve a second bag of rice about three quarters full, "This is our cooking rice. Will it do?"

Pinkie snatched it in her teeth with a "Thanks!" and dashed it over to the hunting Soft. Soft scrambled to her hooves and hugged the bag. Flames erupted from the end of it, even while it was held in Pinkie's jaws and the rice within was quickly consumed. Soft staggered in place, arms trembling lightly before she clapped her hands together loudly. The pink flame that had taken them suddenly spread out in a wide circle from which emerged a strange figure. She was only about as big as a foal in grade school, with bright pink fur and short legs. She had a brand of destiny identical to Soft Mane's and wrapped around a fore leg was a whip that ended in a heart shape.

The little mare had a sense of power around her despite her small stature. She turned around in place and moved towards the groom and mare. She found the groom first and smiled at him, "Please come with me." The party had gone quiet, all eyes on the strange new guest as the groom followed her with a confused expression. Once the little mare had the groom and mare standing side by side, she reared up onto her hind legs and tapped each on their chest, leaving a pink horse shoe of a mark that faded quickly, "May you know nothing but love for another, foals be as plentiful as you desire, and nothing tear you apart."

In the silence, only Pinkie was clapping her fore hooves together excitedly.

The bride shook her head, "Thank you, whoever you are, but who are you? What are you? You don't look like any tribe I've seen before."

The bride's words seem to cut deep in the guest, who's soft smile fell to a sad frown. "I am a soft kind word from the past," she said, "And my time is already gone. Please be happy together." She faded away with a soft puff of pink energy, leaving little sign of her being there. Just as she vanished, Soft Mane collapsed against the wall and slid down to her butt, looking like she just ran around the city a few times without pause.

"Lashtada be praised," said the exhausted Soft Mane before her eyes closed and she fell to a quick slumber. Long Road was at her side in a moment, carefully getting her up onto his back.

"I'll bring her home," he said as he looked at Pinkie, "You calm down the party goers."

"Calm them down?" asked Pinkie, "That was terrific!"

One of the other party goers asked, "What was terrific about it?"

Pinkie made a wide gesture, "Duh! The happy couple were just blessed, by a god. It's like Celestia showing up for your anniversary!" They had no idea who Celestia was, but the concept of a god being called to wish the couple well was impressive enough. Congratulations began to renew even as questions began to fly asking about the strange pink goddess that had visited them. Long Road left them to ask the excited but largely uninformative Pinkie Pie as he strode for home with the passed out Soft Mane carefully perched on his back.

---

A rough female voice demanded, "Give up your money and you might walk out alive."

The stallion she was mugging quaked even as he fumbled to produce his money pouch, sniffling in terror at her wickedly sharp dagger. As she gestured to the ground, he dropped the coin bag and then fled away from her. With a laugh she advanced and reached down to snatch the bag in her teeth before pain erupted in the back of her head as she was knocked forward, missing the bag. She spun on her attacker, wielding her dagger angrily, "I'll cut... you?" she gaped, dagger falling from her mouth as she beheld an angry dragon snarling at her. It wasn't the largest of dragons, but any dragon is a dragon. She turned and fled away as fast as her hooves could carry her.

Spike was faster. He tackled her from behind and drove her to the ground and started to hog tie her right there on the spot. Every time she flexed or wriggled he would growl at her with menace. The chills running down her spine made her stop her struggles and soon she was bound securely. "Fine!" she said defiantly. "You have me. What do you want? Looking for an easy mare? You need my money? You can have it."

Spike shook his head, "I'm going to return the money you took first, then you're going to jail." He was gone before she could scream her frustration. When did the guards start hiring dragons?!

Author's Note:

Spike does some good for the sake of doing good. Pinkie parties, and a goddess drops by to visit briefly. We get our first look at Lashtada!

Divine appearances often conceal the approach of typos.

Comments

[terrycloth]

So Spike isn't capturing a thief to round out the party?

[chronocrosser]

Good Chapter

I have to say I feel as though you are being to generous with the appearances of the gods. They just waisted what will probley be the only yearly appearance of Lashtada for a party. Im I the only one who feels that her appearances should have been use for something more significant like a question to a great dilemma or something. So unless those guards will have a major impact later they might have just waisted a god summoning. Like I said before one of the first rules when involving higher powers in D&D is to not use them so often. Otherwise the players or The Returners of Dawn in this case might turn into chess pieces on a divine playing board. And in chess even knights or a queen can be sacrificed to win the game.

I did not expect Spike to be doing that with his free time. Is that Rouge going to try and plea-bargain her way out of this situation with Spike. I don't see her joining the party and frankly I feel two pony's and a hybrid are enough pony's for the Returners of Dawn. No, she does not seem like the joining type and even if she was I seriously doubt Twilight, Spike, Long Road and even Soft Mane and Pinkie would want a mugger on their team. I personally feel the team could go for some more racial diversity. I would love to see you add a Griffin or even a Feline to the team Spike could use another meat eater to hang with. I would suggest human but that's been done to death and I feel Soft Mane count as Human as well as Pony. I personally think that the thief will try unsuccessfully to bribe Spike and then try to talk her way out of the situation. After talking to Spike the thief will realizes he is a Slayer, or she won't but the thief will pro-belly will offer to teach Spike some of her rouge tricks in exchange for her freedom and maybe some gold. After all Spike has to learn Trapfinding and the Disable Devise skill from someone. Because like I have said twice and will keep on saying. A adventuring party without a trap-finder is likely too soon be a dead party.

[zimmerwald1915]

5529439 Spike has a level in Slayer now. A thief would just be horning in on his turf.

Speaking of which, Comrade Silver, I take it you have a complimentary opinion of the Advanced Class Guide?

[David Silver]

5529825 Lashtada has a whole one worshiper (Soft Mane). This follower doesn't even know how to... follow properly. A nudge was given and the rules were followed, though it was a paltry offering that only allowed her to exist for a very short period of time. What is more important than showing up at the party is the knowledge of how to call to her, and what oblation is required. This could not be done elsewhere, as one of the requirements is a happy romantic couple, which the group lacks, but the party had in supply.

You put a lot of thought into the party composition, but this act was more for Spike's sake, as he will explain/demonstrate in the next chapter. Spike needed some 'me' time and it ended with a little vigilante justice.

[Xaldon Ajide]

Hmm, Whelp, next chapter will be a treat. I wonder how powerful Twi's gonna be at the end of this.

[David Silver]

5531016 She's not gaining a level, if that helps, just dropping a class archetype. All of the characters obey the power limits of the system, as it were. Pinkie Pie's sudden party cannon? She cast glitterdust the pinkie way. The only exceptions are literal divine intervention, which have been very not combat effective in the form of a divine being having a brief chat.

[albedoequals1]

joyous love ballad in a rhyming beat

I may be misunderstanding this phrase, but I don't think beats can rhyme.

The bride's words seem to cut to the deep in the guest

This sentence might be clearer without the highlighted words. Or perhaps it's an idiom I haven't heard before.

[Tartarusbound]

5607275 I believe the term he was looking for is rhythmic.

[David Silver]

5656794 Good catch, fixed!

[Vault-Dweller Reborn]

Spike is batman!

[David Silver]

5721486 And not Hum drum.

[Mad Pancake]

Divine appearances often conceal the approach of typos.

Who are you to question and "fix" the will of the divine, Scribe?
Lay down your implements before you cause further damage and be named Defiler.

[David Silver]

5740354 I'm sorry! Please forgive me of my sins.

[Bugsydor]

had changed subtlety

Subtly, not subtlety.

[Seeking Dusk]

While Lashtada's appearance might be considered something of a waste (at a private gathering rather than at a ceremony), I think It's actually a more fitting appearance for her. Her first divine act now that she's starting to get back into the world is to lay blessings on a happy couple. Not smile and wave at masses, but to act on love, which is what she stands for. It might take time, but the rumours of that, especially in a large city like Valjatown, will start spreading the word of Lashtada to the general population and commonfolk, not just to those who go looking for religion and gods.

[David Silver]

5856599 It is in her nature, and she acted through her tool, that being Soft Mane.

[Spell Check]

ground in applaud as

applaus

[David Silver]

5997643 Fixes applied for justice!

[albedoequals1]

5998688 applause, actually

[Seraphimus]

I almost feel sorry for the bandit XD

[Autumn Maize]

Pinkie had already gathered up the couple, an arm around each withers and singing a joyous love ballad in a rhythmic beat. By the time she had finished, the bride and groom had a large lollipop shoved into their snouts and a party cap placed on their brows. They looked a little stunned but not entirely displeased. Their friends stomped the ground in applaus as the song reached its conclusion and let loose hoof fulls of rice at them as if they were just being married.

I may be misparsing this since I didn't sleep as much last night as I should have, but I get the impression that Pinkie is being described here as having arms rather than forelegs.
Applause is misspelled. Edit: Which albedoequals1 apparently already caught; seems even Spell Check can typo.

Soft Mane scratched at her left arm with her right hand as an itchiness seemed to build there. She bounced on her hooves a little, rocking and looking increasingly energetic. She began to wander the home, and found herself before the sack that the rice had come from. It was still half filled with the rice. The scent of the uncooked rice tickled at her in a strange way and she crouched in front of it, reaching her trembling hands to sink into the rice with the soft hiss of displaced grain.

I feel "rice" is overused in that paragraph, and that merging the third sentence into the second would be far more elegant. Like, "...and found herself before the still half-full sack that the rice had come from."
(or "...from which the rice had come." if, for some reason, you care about ending sentences with prepositions.)

[David Silver]

8077143 Fixes applied, for Lashtada.

[Chrome Masquerade]

Pinkie made a wide gesture, "Duh! The happy couple were just blessed, by a god. It's like Celestia showing up for your anniversary!" They had no idea who Celestia was, but the concept of a god being called to wish the couple well was impressive enough. Congratulations began to renew even as questions began to fly asking about the strange pink goddess that had visited them. Long Road left them to ask the excited but largely uninformative Pinkie Pie as he strode for home with the passed out Soft Mane carefully perched on his back.

Okay, I was wrong.

[The Weaver]

"Nope," cried Pinkie as she paused to accept the cake and carefully get it onto the already cleared table. With a swish of her hooves, a harmonica appeared, "Now where are the happy couple?"

Where is the happy couple?