# Ponyfinder: Roots of Stone

## by David Silver

### 26 - Uprising

Maud twisted the key in the lock, unleashing her allies, new and old. "They're coming."

The blue ones emerged with the others, but seemed in no rush to get ahead of the armed and ready adventurers.

Paul swung his mace in a few testing arcs. "If you hadn't bust us outta there, I woulda smashed the door down."

His allies gave faint looks of disbelief, but there was no time to consider that as two gnomes hurried in. Unlike the slaver, they wore plated armor that ran in thick slats across their torso and helmets with great plumes. They drew swords at the sight of their fallen ally, which turned into a new fear when the escaping prisoners came into view. Their words were quick, but unintelligible as one gestured to the cell, perhaps hoping they'd return where they came from without a fight.

Fast raised a brow. "Thanks, but I must decline." She stepped forward, lance directed at the small figures. "Run."

One took the advice, dashing off into the darkness as the other advanced, drawing a pick in his other hand and swinging both in a wild pattern as his form began to blur and shake as if he was being observed through an intense heat.

Tree pointed at him. "He's not as scary as the big thing. Go ahead, Bright, show them your stuff."

Bright took off with a powerful flap of wings and circled around the gnome in a rapid flight, perhaps waiting for an ideal time to strike, but that time hadn't yet arrived.

With a sudden enthusiastic shout, Paul charged past the others with his mace up high. Flint thrust a hand towards him as he ran. "Damnit fool, keep yer weapon in front of ya!"

Paul brought down his mace, trying to use his superior reach against his foe, but his weapon found only air as the gnome ducked under it and rolled forward to drive one of the pick's sharpened tips into the man's shin and drawing a pained shout from Paul. Bright came down in a flash of black feathers, driving his talons into one of the gnome's shoulders and crushing through his armor with an implacable grip.

Fast entered the melee, lance first. With Bright Feathers holding the gnome still, she knew where to plunge the deadly point, and rode past Paul, taking the gnome with her to pin to the far wall like an ugly butterfly to be examined. He coughed up blood and thrashed weakly as he brought up a shaking fist. His weapons fell to the ground with a clatter from limp hands as he cursed in his odd tongue.

She recoiled from the gnome, yanking her lance free to let him fall to the ground. "Twice damn it all! I can't see!"

Tree hurried to Fast's side, but could see no physical injury, just that Fast's eyes looked clouded over. "Not cool. This has to be some kind of magic. I don't know what I can do about it..."

Fast clopped against the ground. "We have to press on. The only way out is through them, and there will be more of them. The one that ran away is probably getting help as we speak. Paul!"

Paul looked up, one hand still on his new battle wound. "Aye?"

"You're my new eyes, make sure I don't run into any walls." Fast moved towards his voice, almost running him over before he put a hand on her shoulder and started guiding her.

Blue Dude pointed at the fallen gnome and said something that had two of the other blue figures rushing forward and grabbing at the weapons, arming themselves. One of them frisked the body and found a crossbow, which he tossed to another blue one. Smiling maliciously, Blue clapped his hands. "We're ready!"

Maud pointed forward. "Let's go." She began to trot down the hallway, with everyone else following behind her. Moving hastily, she looked quickly for sources of danger, but it found her first. Streaking from the darkness, several bolts of magic slammed into her. There was no time to consider it, she charged into the darkened corridor, where the shadowy presence of a small humanoid could be barely made out, already preparing another spell for her.

Tree reached up for her friend and touched Bright. "Shine on." He began to glow a soft green light, and she pointed forward, sending him flying in behind Maud and shedding light over the sorcerous gnome.

With a hiss of dismay, he fanned his fingers out, flames rushing out to catch Bright and Maud in their charge. Despite the licking heat, Maud galloped through it and lowered her head, meeting the gnome with her skull with the dull thump of hitting flesh.

"What's going on?" asked Fast as the melee unfolded before her blind eyes.

Flint broke into a sprint into the fracas. "Nothing we can't handle." The ground beneath him and Maud suddenly went slippery and his footing went with it, stumbling, but not quite falling.

Maud raised a brow. "Again?" She reared up on hind legs and brought her forehooves together on the gnome's rock brown head, then pitched forward, slamming her head against his in a test of which was more attuned to the forces of the rocks around them. She won. The sorcerer slumped to the ground, unconscious.

Just as Maud began to turn back towards the main hallway, the ground trembled beneath her. "Mica against a sedimentary mix--" Her words were cut off as a rough fist punched up through the ground, catching her in the belly and knocking her aside. From the same place emerged the rest of a vaguely humanoid figure of stone and crumbling earth.

Flint brought down his sword in a quick slash, but could only prize a few little scrapes from its literally rock-hard hide. "Well, things just got tougher fer us."

With a soft twang, one of the blue figures fired their looted crossbow, narrowly missing Maud and striking nothing but the wall. It said something likely unpleasant as it struggled to reload.

The elemental paid it little mind and swung its crudely shaped fists at Maud in slow but potentially crushing motions. She flowed around them, pushing aside its fist and hanging on with her forelimbs as she swung around and drove a hind leg into its face, shaking loose some bits of rock and pebbles.

Flint edged around it to come at it from both sides, studying it intensely even as he drove his blade into its side, finding where two plates met and with a deft twist, shearing off a sizable stone from the creature. "Ya best stop pickin' on mah friend there."

In silent reply, it erupted a new limb from its back and slammed it into Flint's surprised chest, rocking him back as spots swam in his vision from the sudden pain. Practically landing on the rock's head, Bright pecked and scratched, worrying away bits of rubble as he furiously assaulted it.

While they brawled, Paul looked aside at Fast. "I think they're winnin'. Ya sure I can't help?"

"I'm sure you can, but you won't. Please, unless you're needed. I'm flying blind here, pun intended." Fast snorted softly.

Standing close by, Tree shook her head. "I just have to figure out the song for that..." Her words died as the sound of crashing stones distracted her. The elemental fell to pieces before the combined fury of her friends and she smiled. "Radical." She saw a few spots of blood seeping into Maud's frock from beneath and her smile turned to a frown. She rushed Maud and banished some of those pains. "Be careful, righteous sister. I don't have much green left for you."

Maud nodded at Tree, then at Flint. "Thanks, both of you. We should keep moving."

"Right behind ya, Maud." Flint kept his sword at the ready as he moved with her.

Bright Feathers landed lightly on Tree's back and she took the time to give him a little nuzzle before she joined the others in advancing through the gnome territory. "Blue Dude, do you know which way lets us split this scene?"

He dashed up ahead and came to an abrupt halt as he pointed to a small grate. "There, get that open!"

Flint knelt beside it and yanked the metal grate out, rusted with time and neglect. "Not so hard as it looked."

Before he could even set the grate aside, Blue Dude and the others began pouring through it. "Goodbye!"

Tree tilted her head. "Hey, wait, what about the crown?"

"You're on your own from here, we're getting out while we can. Be smart, stay alive. You not so smart, maybe die. Good luck." He reached for the grate on the ground and pulled it shut, sealing himself and his people in before they all hurried off, presumably to freedom.

Fast sighed softly. "Well, there goes that ally. We should be grateful for what we got. For what he was, he was very brave." She waved a hoof in the air, slowly feeling her way forward. "We have to keep moving. I don't want to fight our way out through their entire military."

"Then you may want to surrender." A gnome emerged with two others at his side. He carried himself with importance, had slate grey flesh, a long moustache, and a sparkling crown on his head. "Or we can slaughter you, that sounds like as much fun in the end."

Paul sucked in a harsh breath. "He's got the crown!" he excitedly whispered.

The gnome raised a brow. "Yes, yes I do. You didn't come all this way just to admire it, did you?"

Fast turned towards the sound of the voice, looking in its vague direction. "We need that crown, for the sake of all ponykind. Can we convince you to sell it?"

He frowned sharply. "After you cut a path through my men!?"

Tree raised a hoof. "Actually, we didn't kill any of them."

Fast perked an ear, speaking quietly, "Even the one I impaled?"

Tree quickly nodded. "I asked the green to keep him safe. He's fine, but does need some love and attention."

The leader of the gnomes gave a sudden laugh. "You horses are beyond understanding, and I love it." He drew a heavy looking warhammer just to put it down head first and lean on it. "We're birds of a feather, you know that? We can both trace our lines to the forces of the world. We're fey creatures. You're of the seelie variety. Me and my boys, we're unseelie. Classic enemies, born and destined." He flashed teeth. "But not beyond an occasional deal, when the time's right."

Fast cleared her throat. "Ah, yes, is the time right then?"

His fingers danced over the grip of his weapon as he eyed their motley group. "You've already been abandoned by the pathetic promises of another unseelie, but you're willing to try again? Classic. Classic! Boys, what do you think?"

The one on the left shrugged his shoulders. "That crown's really part of your image, Ronfiz. I can't imagine you without it."

The one on the right laughed. "We should take everything they have if they want it so bad. Look at that one's lance. It looks real shiny."