Preview: Golden Sun's Zenith, Part 2 · 12:51pm Dec 30th, 2017
Just to prove that I haven’t forgotten about the things I’ve written, here’s a bit of a snippet from the next chapter of Sideboard Stores. Spoilers, obviously:
If the Emperor’s palace could be described in a single word, it would be “lush.” The entire structure was massive, crafted from painstakingly carved stone, but the building itself paled in comparison to the multitudes of plants growing around it. Before the palace was a large, gated courtyard, where dozens of ferns and bushes were planted along the pathways, all of which surrounded a central reflecting pool. Beyond it was the palace proper, the walls of which were crawling with flowering vines that grew along specially-placed grooves in the stonework. Multiple holes were carved into the palace walls and ceiling, allowing dozens of trees to grow organically through the architecture.
As General Ihhuitl led the group through the courtyard, Celestia couldn’t help but marvel at the sights. The palace incorporated nature into its design in a way that was unlike anything she had ever seen. Tecoli seemed to take notice of this, and gave her a wide, toothy grin.
“Not bad, huh? This palace has been around for practically forever!”
Celestia returned the smile. Despite the cuetzpali’s obvious predatory nature, she already found herself more relaxed than before. “I will admit, it is quite impressive.”
“We are here,” said Ihhuitl. The group came to a massive set of silver double-doors just at the palace entrance, surrounded on either side by a pair of guards. Ihhuitl gave a nod to the two guards, and they stepped to the side, allowing the others through.
What happened next was very far from what Celestia had expected. Rather than opening the door with her own hands, Ihhuitl instead held out her right hand. There was a sharp shwing noise, and her body began to glow. A similar glow surrounded the doors as they suddenly then swung open.
Celestia blinked. What she had seen looked like magic, but it felt like nothing of the sort. In fact, it felt like almost nothing at all, barely skirting the edge of her magical senses.
Ihhuitl gestured for the others to follow and Celestia wordlessly complied. She shot Daring Do a glance, and it was clear that Daring Do saw the subtle unease written on her face. She motioned with a hoof and briefly touched the gemstone on her amulet.
Daring, do you know what that was?
Daring Do raised an eyebrow. Um... that was magic, wasn’t it?
So it may appear, Celestia replied. But it is nothing like any magic I have seen. You would not have noticed since you lack a unicorn’s thaumatic sense, but what General Ihhuitl did left behind no perceptible magic aura.
Really? Nothing at all?
I’m afraid not. I couldn’t sense even the slightest hint of... Celestia paused, as her mind turned back to what she had experienced only a moment prior.
Something wrong, Princess? said Daring Do.
...I may have been mistaken. I think I did feel something just then. It was barely noticeable, but it was there.
So what was it, then? said Daring Do. Do you have any idea?
Alchemy, Celestia replied. The magic of alchemy is very distinctive to a unicorn’s sense, as it operates on principles different from traditional spellcraft. It was difficult to notice beneath the aura surrounding her soldiers’ weapons, but spell Ihhuitl cast was undeniably alchemical in nature.
Daring Do’s eyes went wide. Her mouth opened, as if she were going to say something out loud, but quickly closed, as though she’d suddenly realized she was still communicating telepathically. But how is that possible? she said. I thought alchemy involved the creation of potions and artifacts. I didn’t think it could be used to cast spells directly!
Neither did I, said Celestia. So you can understand why I feel this is a worrying development.
Hmm. Discworld swamp dragons come to mind, though the Empire's citizens don't seem as prone to exploding. Probably not the kind of internal alchemy you're going for.