Sandra released the magic and Twilight looked surprised for the moment before she vanished in a fit of sparkles.
Spike blinked at the empty space. "That looked unpleasant. Is she alright?"
"I'm still here!" came Twilight's voice from nowhere. "That felt strange. At least I can talk now. Alright, so, when I'm doing that, I fall unconscious. So, make sure I'm somewhere comfortable before accepting that call."
Garble marched past the voice. "If you plan to help, why'd you go? It's time to get on to the next floor." He hiked a thumb at the obvious elevator waiting for them. "Nothing else to see here."
"I just wanted to be sure that worked normally." Sandra traced the circle in the air, calling for Twilight.
It was different that time, with a moment of delay before the alicorn burst free of the pattern to join them. "I wanted to be sure I was already on the ground before I passed out," could be heard in Sandra's mind. "Let's do this."
Their team, ready, marched for the marble platform with golden rails. Smolder hopped onto it first. "Fancy. At least they treat the winners with class."
Garble leaned against the rail with his back, facing the others are they got on. "So we have Pony Princess with us? Can she even fight? The only time we mixed, she ran away, with you." He thrust a finger at Spike with a smirk.
Spike let out a chuckle. “Oh yeah. Twilight is great at fighting. She’s the most powerful magic user I’ve ever met! No offense, Sandra.” The platform began to raise of it’s own accord.
“None taken,” Sandra said. “But, if her magic is limited to my magic…” Sandra tapped her chin. “She won’t be able to do almost any of those things.”
Twilight blinked, moving her head. She moved her head again, making a face.
“I bet Twilight’s trying to say something smart right now,” Smolder said.
“Well, good thing she can’t,” Garble said, belting out a laugh. “If we had to start from ground zero, so does she.”
Twilight looked thoughtful, but got distracted by the lights dimming as they entered the next floor. It was patterned after the marble and golden rails, with fountains and light coming from… somewhere up above.
But most importantly, with treasure chests. Each on a podium in their own little niche.
“Ha! They do treat the winners with class!” Smolder said, hopping up. “It’s a whole reward floor.”
Garble grinned ear to ear. “Awesome. Dibs on the first chest.” He sped off to the nearest podium with a chest on it. He got up to the chest while the rest of the party was still approaching, and he quickly slotted his guildchain into the box.
Instead of the box opening, though, the wall behind it began to grind and open. Garble’s eyes widened, and he grabbed at his guildchain, but it was stuck to the box. "Dang it, what's goin' on?!"
The others caught up with him. Twilight pawed at the stuck chain even as Spike yanked on it, joining in the struggle, but it wouldn't move. The wall opened wide, allowing a heavy stone form to step free with glowing green eyes.
Sandra pointed at it with her staff. "Company! More fighting, less chest playing."
"No argument there," agreed Smolder, surging forward so fast she seemed to blink from the ground to on top of the lumbering stone figure. "See how you like a little knife play."
Her small swipes didn't seem to impress it, bright sparks dancing from where metal struck stone. It brought down a great fist on Garble with the groaning of bending rocks, but the blow never arrived on him directly, caught with both Garble's great sword and Spike's shield. The fist slid suddenly off of them, smashing into the ground beside them. "Did it!" excitedly cried Spike, successfully deflecting the blow away.
Sandra wasn't entirely sure how her new summon worked, but tried to go with the flow. She directed her staff at the enemy, sending the mental urge to attack she usually did with the investment of her power.
Twilight was backing away with wide eyes from almost being flattened by a stone fist. "Are you crazy?" echoed in Sandra's mind.
"Welcome to our world," said Sandra out loud. "Your friends need you. If you can't fight, I have to change summons."
"No no! Alright." Twilight took a calming breath as the golem reached up to pluck Smolder free of itself. "I'm on it!" She launched herself forward, springing off a purple plane that appeared just long enough for her to leap from, its form decorated with countless intricate runes and her cutie mark worked into it in places.
Twilight blinked and looked down. That was an awful powerful jump. She yelped, a strange raspy noise, not too like her usual voice, as the rock creature was turning to face and punch her. She flapped her wings and swooped around him, raising up her horn. She could feel the magic, but it was… different. She could still concentrate it, and concentrate she did, firing off a starry cutie mark missile, not a beam as she was used to.
It struck the rock creature in it’s shoulder, knocking it back a little. There was a crack where her missile struck it.
"Woo!" called out Spike as he charged to join the melee with a bright green spark where his staff slammed into the side of the thing's leg, adding to the small cracks. "Don't let it hit you, but it's not invincible."
"My partner gives pro details." Garble slammed his great blade on the other side, striking the opposing legs with a low grunt. "Kinda obvious, even if that sinks your sails."
"Big words coming from the pinned one," laughed Smolder. "My knives are just not up to this task. Bash this thing open so I can get at something important." She began to bounce down, winged flight bridging the gaps as she quickly descended.
“I’m on it!” Spike announced, swinging his staff into position but not making contact, instead drawing its vitality free in a brilliant burst of glittering green magic that began to wash out over the party, even if they weren't yet injured.
“Don’t count me out!” Garble said, hefting his sword above his head. “I’ll make you pout!” He brought it down, expecting a crash of elemental energy that didn’t come. “Make you… pout!” He swang it down again, nothing. Frowning, he spun around, trying it the other way, “Rolling Crescent.”
No swoosh of energy came, no crackle of a sword, no icy wave. Garble frowned, looking at his sword, and a rocky hand swatted at Garble, knocking him away.
Twilight’s eyes widened as the first real injury was suffered by the party. The rest of the party was still moving. None of them had panicked. Spike hadn't even stopped what he was doing, draining the golem.
She felt an urge. Sandra was directing her staff at the golem, their empathic link ringing clearly in Twilight's ear. Attack the crack she had started. "Alright," she thought to herself with an audible whinny, stamping the air that flared in temporary platforms of purple, lightning sparking from where her hooves touched.
She had to attack. She was just a… mental projection. She couldn't be hurt, in theory. She had to protect her friends! Magic gathered at her horn, like usual, but she could tell it was… different. Not even a little different, a lot.
But there was no time to ponder that, there was a fight on! Magic was still usable, and it formed a magic star, and she forced the missile at the enemy, blasting into its torso with a shattering impact of broken stone, knocking a great chip out of it.
Garble was on it, leaping up and bringing his sword down where the broken stone fracture was. "Mess with the best, get a sword to the chest!" Green swirling energy leeched at the point as Spike directed his magic, joining in the effort. The stone was flaking away, battered and broken.
Smolder flew up and dived at the golem even as it moved to wine up for a fresh punch. "Perfect, good--" She didn't get to finish her words, half-crashing into the front of the golem and digging with her knives at the glowing interior behind the cracks. The golem began to spasm and twitch, its innards rapidly failing at the precise assault.
With a craggy roar, the rock monster began to flail, and Smolder hopped off of him, the monster largely in place but with his torso in one place. Sandra called out, “Twilight!” Verbalizing her command.
Twilight felt a surge in magic. Not her own magic, but the strange new magic. Sandra’s magic. Whatever she did was causing a surge in magic coming to Twilight. So she raised her horn up to the sky, the magic forming at her command. It was instinctual, partway, and without concentration stars and magic circles appeared leading up to the vaulted marble ceiling. Twilight could feel the magic, ready to shoot, and she brought her horn down, pulling a star through the magic circles, blasting through the torso of the monster, which fell down.
Twilight whinnied and nickered in excitement hopping up and down. The monster was dead, but Garble just walked straight up to the chest, licking his lips. It was glowing like it should, and his guildchain popped out with a little acquisition noise, and he threw it open, reaching in with glee. Smolder looked around, and Spike began to cast a spell on Garble as he pulled something out of the chest.
Twilight stopped hopping, opening the mental link with Sandra. “Is this… alright? Everyone is so normal.”
“Oh! This is your first fight,” Sandra said aloud. “Good job, Twilight. It looks like there are…” She looked around. “Three more on this floor.”
“One for each of us!” Spike announced. “When we get to my chest you’ll have to be ready to fight faster because I won’t be around to heal you.”
Garble laughed. “Don’t think we rely on you that much, pipsqueak. When I get my attacks back I’ll be crushin the monsters.”
Twilight looked out as they bantered and started heading toward another chest basically without hesitation, even Sandra. She turned back. “You’re coming, right Twilight? Except for the one with my chest we’ll need your help.”
"Spike?" Twilight trotted up to be at his side, but her words did not reach him.
Sandra shook her head. "Twilight, he can't hear you. Summons don't talk, um, out loud." She laughed a little at that. "To their summoner, yeah. I've talked to all of my summons now."
Spike looked to the side where Twilight was walking with him, looking a bit frazzled, then over to Sandra. "Is Twilight alright?" He smiled up as his adoptive sister. "Everything's cool. Thanks for that last move, good job!"
The others shared general agreement, giving thumbs up at Twilight's effort. It was a shame she didn't seem to agree. "He's been facing dangers like this so much he doesn't even see it anymore?"
"Do you?" retorted Sandra with a little smirk. "Spike mentioned the things you got up to, and it didn't sound peaceful to me."
"Well, I mean, most days were peaceful." She softly whickered, able to make equine noises at least if not actual speech. "Once in a while, something came up."
"And you handled it." Sandra reached to pat the side of her summon's great barrel. "Just like we are. Come on, Smolder’s turn next."
"Be something good!" Smolder cried as she slotted her guild chain into the slot and the battle began. There were no cries of surprise or fear, just a determination to win through the battle.