Fun & Fantasy

by Yosh-E-O

Chapter 6 - Tutorial?

Spike grumped as he and the band of heroes went through a peaceful forest filled with nothing more than birdsong and the chattering of squirrels, chipmunks, and other woodland creatures.
“Where’s the trolls?” he pouted. “The werewolves? Ogres?”

CHIRP-CHIRP
RUSTLE

“…ANYTHING!” the purple dragon exploded.

FLAP-FLAP-FLAP

Birds took to the skies as Spike’s roar boomed throughout the woods.

“Hey!” cried Leon as he turned to face Spike. “You scared all the birdies away!”

“This isn’t ‘Happy Foal Trotting Mane’!” the emerald-spiked dragon replied.

“Someone is not enjoying the tutorial?” slithered Discord.

“Tutorial?” glared Spike. “We can have this sort of adventure by just walking to Zecora’s hut!”

“Okay, big boy,” gleed Discord as he took hold of Spike, slipped him into his archer’s bow like an arrow, and shot him towards the crystalline destination ahead.

“Waah!” Spike cried as he flew into a crystal that, for whatever reason, seemed to cushion his crash rather than enhance upon it.

“Anyone else not enjoying the tutorial?” winked the draconequus.

Big Mac, Parker, and Leon said nothing.

“Alrighty,” clapped discord. “Let us continue and play with our new friends’ abilities while Garbunkle, how you say, scouts ahead for us?”

***

Spike had expected to feel a lot of pain and be sent back to The Castle of Friendship by taking lethal damage as a result of Discord’s antics. However he instead found himself perfectly intact sitting on a rubber street in front of a pillow-like crystal spire.
“What the…?” he pondered.

“Crystals…,” hissed a voice from what seemed like everywhere. “Someone has crystals…”

Spike took to his feet and prepared to cast a protection spell. However there was nothing to be seen as a threat.

“Best save my MP,” he said to himself with a bit of a shiver. He then reached into his bag, popped some jewels into his mouth, and blew a massive blast of white flame into the air that resulted in a cascade of crystal-like snow to twinkle all about him and the surrounding area.

“Hmm,” wondered Garbunkle as his crafted revealing spell showed nothing to be hiding in secret. “Maybe I’m just hearing things?”

“Crystals…,” the voice came again. This time it was deeper and felt like it be mere feet away. “More crystals…”

Spike gulped as he found himself instinctively reaching for the pacifier.
“You got this, Garbunkle,” he said to calm himself. “You’re near god level. Nothing can-”

“-Crystals!” the deep and vile sounding voice cried. “Mine! All mine!”

SPOP

Spike popped the jeweled pacifier in his mouth and felt the magical relaxing effect of it kick in.
“Hurry up, guys,” he thought while scanning the bizarre environment for the encompassing danger.

WHOOSH!

“CRYSTALS!” was the last thing Spike heard before seeing a blur of red, purple, and green rush towards him in a see of black shadow.