//------------------------------// // - XIII - // Story: Solem Perditum // by PropMaster //------------------------------// - XIII - Celestia stalked down the corridors deep beneath the Crystal Palace, Twilight and Cadance at her side. All three of their horns lit up the deep black of the ancient, labyrinthine dungeons, an bleak addition made by King Sombra during his reign over the Crystal Empire. The glass-like walls of obsidian were like an evil echo of the beautiful halls above. “So, tell me about this spell,” asked Celestia. “Well, Cadance and I had been working on cleaning out the dungeons. We were thinking of converting them into storerooms and making use of the lower part of the palace once more, but we had to be certain that King Sombra hadn’t left any nasty surprises behind,” said Twilight. “And had he?” Celestia inquired, her brow arching with interest. “To say the least, yes. He’d filled the lower dungeons with his black magics. Twilight and I were able to destroy or disable many of the spells he’d woven into many of the rooms, but there was one that was far beyond us,” Cadance replied, frowning. The three alicorns halted before a ordinary looking door, made of old wood. Twilight carefully pushed it open. “This is it.” Celestia blinked as the door opened, revealing a small, square, empty room. “This?” Twilight nodded. “This one is positively diabolical. Watch.” Twilight glanced around, and retrieved a small shard of obsidian from the floor. She hefted it in her hoof, then lightly tossed it into the room... … only, the crystal disappeared as soon as it crossed the threshold. Celestia frowned. “Ah. A translocation spell, hidden behind a powerful illusion. Very dangerous indeed.” “We figured we might be out of our league on this one,” Cadance said, sounding embarrassed. Twilight looked frustrated, her ears flattening and her eyes narrowing as she glared at the doorway. “I did my best, Princess, but no matter what I did I couldn’t figure out how to unmake even a single part of the spell.” “King Sombra was very powerful, my faithful—” Celestia caught herself, and smiled at Twilight, chuckling softly. Twilight blushed, giggling. “Old habits, huh?” “Indeed.” Celestia’s horn lit up as she tested the power of the spell, and nodded. “This is a very complex trap. You did well to call me here.” Celestia felt the magic through her horn. The entrance of the doorway was like a web of tangled arcane energy, almost visible to one such as herself. The weaving of the magic was like staring at a complex and beautifully made knot. Experimenting, she tugged at one edge of the web, and with a sudden snap, the spell unraveled. The doorway shimmered, and revealed a room with several shelves of tomes and books. One such book sat open on a pedestal, a black silk bookmark placed on the page. Twilight and Cadance’s eyes widened in surprise, and Celestia’s face mirrored their own. “Wow. I guess I still have a lot to learn, huh?” said Twilight, looking sheepish. Cadance smiled at Twilight. “Maybe it was like when I bring a jar of pickles to Shining Armor to open after I can’t get it. I loosened it up, and it just took a little extra muscle to finish opening.” Twilight and Cadance shared a laugh, and Twilight took a step forward into the room. “Well, let’s check out those books! If I’m not mistaken, that one looks like a—” “Twilight! Wait!” Celestia felt it, just as it happened. A second trap, hidden within the first, was sprung, and with horror Celestia saw that Twilight was blissfully unaware as the lines of arcane energy descended around her as she entered the room. Celestia reacted on instinct, as something deep and motherly threw her into harms way, as if she was protecting a precious child. In a sense, perhaps, she was. Celestia’s teleportation spell reached out, grasping Twilight like a lasso of golden energy, and returned her to the hallway. The magical trap Twilight had sprung was far more crafty, though, and instead of catching Twilight in its grasp, it clung to Celestia’s teleportation spell. Celestia felt an insistent tug, which she resisted. The trap’s magic suddenly doubled in intensity, and Celestia’s gold-shod hooves dug into the floor as she was pulled by her horn towards the doorway. Celestia knew she could defeat this spell. She could win... but to do so would unleash energies that would be devastating, not only to the surrounding foundation of the palace, but to Twilight and Cadance, who were so close by that they could not help but be caught in the conflagration of magical energies. So it was with a sense of serenity that Celestia let her defenses drop, and she fell into the trap.