private The Elements

[P-Jay 1,987]

caliber had long since finished his book, and was walked warily behind the others.

 

his ear twitched, and he heard whimpering. "anyone else hear that?" he asked, "sounds like someone's trapped." he shrugged, and kept walking. his friend arcing came before some pony he didnt know. "so, refresh me here, whats the plan?" he asked.

[AmberDust 1,116]

"We find Starchase and get out of here?" Amber suggested, as she followed the golden glow of her horn down the dank and dreary tunnel. She squinted at the wall, which was indeed covered in thick, black goo.

"Hang on," she said, stopping abruptly. She stared intently at the wall. A lover of all things ancient, Amber took out her notebook and began copying out the ancient, crusting text.

"These letters are new to me, but the carved images...it looks like..." Amber paused and cast a glance into the dark depths of the tunnel and gulped.

"...it looks like we're in this for the longhaul," she said.

[LordSwinton 759]

Something at the bottom stirred, making a sort of hearty noise, a half roar half snore sort of sound like a sleeping dragon.

 

"Eeek!" A meek screech came from behind the group. It was dark but if one was sharp eyed they could see if was the librarian, hovering in the air.

 

Meanwhile

http://liracrown.deviantart.com/art/Starchase-With-Lighting-541058286

[Lektra Bolt 2,337]

I looked over at the symbols on the walls as we descended deeper and instructed Sparky to take scans. I'd try make sense of it once we had a complete record, and if I couldn't probably one of the others could. The light coming from Sparky's eyes illuminated our path for us as the only sound that could be heard was the sound of our hooves on the stone.

 

I wondered if Storm and Starchase were alright. That roarsnore and whimpering was definitely not reassuring. I did calculations on how deep the spiral staircase was to take my mind off that. We might be here a while. "This staircase goes on for a good distance. Anyone got any stories to tell while we descend?"

[P-Jay 1,987]

"tons." caliber said, "now, whattaya wanna know?" he got out a book. "this here book is packed with stories from my adventures! ill start with the changeling incident!"

 

"now, it all happened when i was about sixteen..."

 

he kept up that story all the way to the bottom of the stairs.

[LordSwinton 759]

"Guys!" Starchase ran towards the group and slammed into them and scooped them into a big hug, including the librarian. "And you came too!"

 

Another loud roar came and shook the ground. "Come on, let's go! I don't want to meet whatever made that noise."

 

"That's probably too late..." The librarian pointed to the glowing embers in the dark.

 

Then rose a magnificent beast, tower high, a large mouth of sharp fangs, it's nostrils flared and standing high. It's tail was longer than any train and it's carriages.

 

"Who are those brave enough to seek safe passage?!" It bellowed with a mighty roar and swished its tail.

[P-Jay 1,987]

Caliber grinned, and stepped fourth. "Caliber, the wanderer!" He declared at the beast. "Fourth strongest swordspony in equestrian!!"

 

He took a step further. "And, I ask in return, who're you to halt our progress?!" He yelled.

 

All this was nothing new for caliber. He's dealt with this guy's type before.

[Lektra Bolt 2,337]

"You're not hurt then? How the buck are you not hurt from the fall?" I spoke to Starchase as I dislodged myself from the hug and saw the dragon, narrowing my eyes.

 

"I'm Lektra Bolt of the Ponyville branch of Bolt Solutions." If he thought he could intimidate me he was sorely mistaken. I sensed there was enough iron in the rocks in the cave to bury him. Or I could just shock him. Shocking is also an option.

 

"Now you. State your name, and are you friend or foe?" If he wasn't friendly, somepony who wasn't a vegetarian would be having fried dragon.

Edited June 26, 2015 by bronislav84

[LordSwinton 759]

"I have wings remember?" Starchase looked smugly at Lektra as he ruffled his rather matted messy wings and folded them neatly at his sides. "I'll need some preening after this." He looked at them and winced.

 

 

"I am Flipnote the Librarian! " He proclaimed loudly and proudly but backed off a bit as he saw the smoke rising from the great beast's nostrils. It swiped it's tail about impatiently, waiting for a reply.

Edited June 27, 2015 by Swinton

[LordSwinton 759]

"I am Prince Starchase of Canterlot. We wish to pass into the Crystal Empire." He stared at the mighty beast, clearly annoyed.

 

"STOP!

He who would cross the Bridge of Death

Must answer me

These questions three

Ere the other side he see."

 

The dragon sat there blocking their only way forward, clearly not intending to move anytime soon.

 

"We don't have time for this!" Starchase groaned. "Besides, we've already answer your question haven't we? You asked who we were."

[Lektra Bolt 2,337]

I was incredibly confused how someone who claimed to be a weak flier and had fallen into the hole to begin with now said he saved himself with wings. Utterly bizarre, but here he was fine. I didn't feel like questioning with a dragon here in front of us.

 

"Starchase is right. You've already asked us one question. You have two left. Also, you didn't tell us who you are." I was this close to collapsing the tunnel on top of him in a shower of metallic rocks and calling it a day.

[LordSwinton 759]

"Silence! The bridgekeeper asks the questions." The dragon narrowed its reptilian slit eyes and stared at Starchase, then at Lektra. He was quite done with those two. He carefully considered his next question as he scanned through the group. He stretched out a sharp talon and pointed at Amber."What is your quest?"

[AmberDust 1,116]

Amber blinked in surprise? Me? What's my quest?

 

"To find Arcing Storm," Amber said, before her mind could catch up with what was happening. She was still taking in the sight of this glorious dragon, and Starchase's sudden appearance. She looked around at her friends, getting back up to speed with just what was happenening. They all seemed eager to get by as quickly as possible.

"What is your next question?" she asked the beast.

[LordSwinton 759]

The dragon scratched his scaly chin and contemplated his next question. This one seemed more, sincere. And she didn't threaten him or patronize him.

 

"For you and you only," He lowered his head to almost her level and tried to be subtle. "What is your favorite colour?"

 

"No fair!" Starchase cried out.

Edited June 29, 2015 by Swinton

[P-Jay 1,987]

caliber narrowed his eyes. "bridgekeeper, why cant we ask questions?" he asked quietly. "it only seems fair that we ask questions in return."

 

this was unexpected. and fighting a dragon, even with flight, was gonna be hard.

 

i mean, sure, he's fought an ursa minor, and came out on top, but a dragon is a huge step from that.

[LordSwinton 759]

"Well, do you guard the passage to untold riches and treasure? Or be imprisoned here for all eternity? Or left to rot here for a thousand years with absolutely no company?!" He bellowed and the world seem to tremble. "For you, what is the air speed velocity of an unladden swallow?"

[Lektra Bolt 2,337]

Maybe he wanted to be imprisoned here for all eternity, hmm? I'd just bury him in rocks. I sighed. "He wouldn't know that but I do." Besides, he didn't say only Caliber. "The air speed velocity of an unladen swallow is it's normal speed, because it's not carrying anything. Nineteen to twenty five miles per hour sounds about right to me. If I had to be more precise, I would say 24 miles per hour." We could just kill him and get the treasure, but I wasn't heartless. If he got on my nerves then I'd kill him. So far he hasn't yet.

Edited June 30, 2015 by bronislav84

[LordSwinton 759]

"Ah, but that's for a European swallow. What about the African swallow?" The dragon scratched his scaly head and cleared his throat.

 

"But that's another question." Starchase quickly cut in. "Can we go now?!"

 

"Very well," the gatekeeper stood aside, almost like he was shifting the ground. "The road to the Empire is paved with great riches, do be careful and not give in to temptation." He spoke in a monotonous voice.

 

The bridge was deadly dangerous, it was a rocky path the connected two inner mountain caves, it was old and much of the path had worn off and crumbled away.

 

"Come one!" Flipnote waved to the group as he darted ahead of them. The winding tunnel ultimately led to a dead end, a wall of solid crystal. No doubt a false wall to deter potential travellers.

 

"What now?!" Starchase pushed at the wall. It wouldn't budge. "Someone cleave it in half." He sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

Edited June 30, 2015 by Swinton

[AmberDust 1,116]

Amber gazed at her comerades with a stern look of disapproval as they trotted on past the gatekeeper dragon. Didn't they listen to the Dragon's rhyme? About the bridge of death, and being on the wrong side and whatnot? Not to mention common courtesy--this poor thing must have been sitting down here for ages waiting for somepony to show up, and to just brush him off seemed like such a shame. She shook her head before trotting up to the dragon.

Amber cleared her throat, then tapped the beasts taloned hands gently with her hoof to get his attention.

"It's blue," she said quietly with a smile, trying not to be heard by her fellow ponies. She looked up into the dragon's huge, reptillian eyes.

"Thank you for your help--I hope my friends didn't offend you." she continued, offering her cutest smile in an attempt to gain his favour once more.

"Its just that they're very worried about our friend, Arcing, and they want to get to him as soon as possible. Do you think you could help us out? Please?" she added hopefully. He seemed like a reasonable dragon, so it couldn't hurt to try a little kindness.

Edited July 1, 2015 by AmberDust

[LordSwinton 759]

The usually lazy beast squeezed himself into the small tunnel. He was like a compacted dragon sausage, wiggling his way in.

 

"That shouldn't be there," He was about to scratch his chin before he realized it was physically impossible. He reached over the group and tapped on the blockade. To his surprise it didn't shatter. He wiggled back out and went to his stash. "The one time I need something but don't have." He murmured to himself as he dug through the mountain of bits and gems. He thought he had some magical sword somewhere. Though he'd probably used it as a toothpick or something and discarded into the Gorge of Eternal Peril.

 

"Sorry to say I seem to have run out of pointy things." He called outas he wiggled back in. His wings were feeling rather tender. "You're free to come over and take a peak if anything tickles your fancy, take it and be on your way." It wasn't like he earned his horde. They were all 'gifts' from dim witted nobles of the past who wished to cross. Nobody had ever had to turn back though.

 

He hoisted them up to cave he kept his treasure. To say it was a palace of riches old be a an understatement. If it was shiny, he had it.

[AmberDust 1,116]

"Wow," Amber said, eyes wide as we was lifted up onto the hoard of gems and other relics. A broad grin stretched across her face.

"Some of these artefacts must be hundreds of years old," she exclaimed, rooting through the pile. "And we can really take whatever we want? Thank you so much, mister...sorry, what was your name?" she asked, still smiling.

[LordSwinton 759]

"Don't mind if I do." Starchase surveyed the golden landscape. Flipnote was content to flit about, soaking in the treasure. "There's so much gold." He caught a glimpse at his own reflection in the shiny platter. Kicking it away in favor of prettier objects, he nudged around the piles.

 

"I am simply known as Bridgekeeper," The dragon shrugged. "As far as I can remember, that has been my name." He slunk off to his nest and circled it a few times before curling in it.

[P-Jay 1,987]

caliber didnt really show much attention to the gold. "while this is nice and all, our friend is still in danger." he said, annoyed. "we gotta come up with some sort of plan."

 

he was a little miffed some treasure caught his friends eyes, and that they were looking about. hell, arcing''s life was on the line!!

[Lektra Bolt 2,337]

We got hoisted up to a cave with gold and jewels? So basically metal and gems. I was looking at it in terms of materials, not how much it was worth. Not like we could carry any out, especially with needing to rescue Storm. "Don't worry guys, I got this. Just give me like a half hour. I can make a one time use drill out of some of this hoard. Gold is a weaker metal, so even enchanted it wouldn't work for very long how I want it to. Still though, it should be able to do it's job."

 

I had taken measurements of the cave tunnel and how wide a hole to make so we could fit through. Pulling some gems out of the pile, I got to work. I didn't have my Magic Booster with me so this would be a weaker Magitek than I usually made, as well. Concentrating, I focused my magic and made three gems into Mana Cores using my Directive Spell. Then I fitted them into gears made out of gold. The Mana Cores acted as perpetual energy generators by collecting ambient mana in the environment and spinning necessary components. The actual drill would take a bit longer.

 

"You guys go idle or something while I do this." I sat down on my back legs and began to carefully shape the gold into the drill we needed to make a pony shaped hole through to the other side of the cave.

Edited July 1, 2015 by bronislav84

[LordSwinton 759]

(Not posting is killing me!)

 

"Take all the time you need, Lektra." Starchase laughed as he muzzled around some gold bits and picked up some jewels. He was a sucker for jems, precious stones. "What are you picking up,Caliber? Amber?" He asked as he sorted through another pile of treasure as the bridgekeeper rested in his own nest, looking rather dopey and sad.

Edited July 7, 2015 by Swinton