“Always go right,” Starlight Glimmer said in a mocking singsong voice. “Always go right and follow the wall and it will lead you out of a maze. I’ve had experiences with mazes, Discord put me in one—”
“Normally it works!” Twilight snapped.
Starlight shook her head with enough force to make her ears flop around. “Yeah, but the walls keep moving—”
“We don’t know that for certain. We’ve failed to gather empirical evidence!” Twilight paused mid-step to glare at her student.
“Because something keeps removing the markers from the walls,” Trixie said.
Sumac, wrapped in a cocoon of protective magic, thought the adults all needed a timeout and he wondered if he could get away with giving them one. They were safe at the moment, nothing had attacked them since coming into the labyrinth, and he was feeling bored and more than a bit irritated. He decided to intervene.
“Starlight?” he asked.
“Yeah, what is it, Sumac?” she replied.
“Starlight, you said that your special somepony was one of the most powerful wizards you know.”
“Yeah I did, Sumac.”
“But a little while ago, you said that you, Moondancer, and Trixie are the most powerful unicorns of our age.”
Starlight’s ears drooped. “Yeah, I said that too.”
“Mister Teapot is supposed to be a powerful unicorn.”
Starlight inhaled with so much force that there was a whistling sound. “Tarnish is a druid. That’s different. Plus, he uses zebra hoodoo and minotaurian stitch magic and Tarnish, well, Tarnish cheats…” A deep scowl of resentment settled over Starlight’s face.
Twilight began moving again and Sumac angled his focused stare upon Starlight Glimmer. “So… is your special somepony powerful or not? Or was everything you said about his knowledge of magic making him powerful just a load of horseapples—”
“Sumac Apple!” Trixie turned tail and gave Sumac a disapproving glare of maternal fury.
Ignoring Trixie, Sumac waited, staring at Starlight, and watching her squirm. She turned away from him and stared ahead, but Sumac continued to give her the business, knowing that she had eyes in the back of her head. Ahead, there was a fork in the passageway.
“I got too caught up in my own destructive power once again,” Starlight admitted in a huffy, almost foalish voice. “Even if Moondancer was here, it is unlikely that she’d do much. She’s a powerhouse, but she never uses more power than actually needed to finish a task. She’s all about the conservation of energy. Trixie and I know a lot of destructive magic and it feels good to let it out. The pony that I’d like to have as my special somepony…” she paused before she continued, “and ponies like Tarnish, they’re powerful too. And I shouldn’t’ve said what I said. My apologies, Sumac.”
“I think you owe me an essay,” Sumac said in a low voice.
Starlight’s jaw fell open and she turned her head to look at the colt.
“What?” She blinked in astonishment.
“I think so too,” Twilight agreed. “Two thousand words should be suitable.”
“You’re only doing this because we argued!” Starlight’s accusation came out as a petulant whine.
“Maybe.” Twilight grinned. “How about writing two thousand word essay on why it is wrong to nurture a raging superiourity complex and how careless words can send a damaging message to a student.” As she spoke, she chuckled.
“Twilight, you owe me an essay too.” Sumac cringed, fearful of reprisal or retaliation, and then added, “A master should not gloat over their apprentice’s misfortune. What sort of message is that sending me? Is this a lesson you want me to learn?”
As Twilight began to grumble, Trixie said, “Twilight, I told you he was smart. Didn’t I warn you that if you slipped up, he’d nail you for it?”
“You did,” Twilight mumbled as she glared over her shoulder at Sumac, whom she carried behind her. “Fine, Starlight and I both will work on two thousand word essays together.” As she spoke, her ears drooped and her tail sagged in shame
“We’ve walked the length of Ponyville several times. I know that we have to be crossing over the same places over and over again, even if something is removing our marks. We need to figure out something else, otherwise, we’ll be doing this forever.” Trixie let out a cough and cleared her throat. “My leg is holding up well though, better than I thought it would.”
“I have an idea.” Twilight stopped and stood blinking. “I am going to see if I can tap into the elemental plane of shadow… Luna’s been teaching me a few spells… if I can, these walls won’t be here and I’ll be able to see what’s really around me. Might give me a better idea of what is going on here, or how to escape.”
“I had a fascinating discussion with Princess Luna about shadow magic… she theorised that shadow magic is actually earth pony magic and it is how earth ponies jaunt.” Starlight turned her head to look at a rusting, crumbling iron sconce on the wall.
“What’s jaunting?” Sumac asked.
“It is how Pinkie Pie can step behind a tree and then pop out of a cupboard a second later,” Trixie replied.
“So, like unicorn winking?” Sumac looked at his mother.
“Similar, but a very different method. We unicorns harness the aether all around us and bind it to our wills.” Trixie drew in a deep breath. “Earth ponies and pegasi have more passive magic, for the most part. When jaunting, an earth pony can step behind something and reappear someplace else.”
“Hold on, I’m going to try it,” Twilight said as she closed her eyes. “Here we go!”
Something had gone horribly wrong. Twilight had gone dim for a moment, becoming a little less than real, and then she had become solid again. All around them, the walls were melting like candle wax, distorting, and collapsing. Sumac could feel his heart thumping in his barrel. There was a distant roar that did nothing to make him feel better.
The walls became sludge and dribbled through cracks in the floor, vanishing, and revealing that they were in a room. Sumac had no idea of how big it was, as the light did not show the distant walls, but he could see a single corner not too far from them and a rough ceiling overhead.
The floor shook and heavy thuds could be heard. Something was coming and Sumac braced himself. There was another roar and Trixie let out a worried cry as Starlight began to power up her horn. Meanwhile, Twilight was trying to recover from stepping into the shadow realm, she looked confused, disoriented, and a bit dazed.
When Sumac saw what had roared, he screamed with so much force that his voice cracked. A massive golem lumbered towards them, stomping along on two enormous feet. It was bipedal and had no real features, no face, it had no fingers, just two big arms that ended in blunt lumps. Starlight Glimmer turned her head, pointed her horn, and blasted it.
Nothing happened.
The magical lance of fire just vanished as it struck the golem.
Starlight tried again, this time firing a crackling stream of lightning, and it had the same effect. It vanished, leaving the golem unharmed. Starlight, a powerful practitioner of magic, who now had no means to defend herself, screamed.
Trixie winked, vanishing and reappearing someplace else with a bright flash of light. A shimmering shield bubble sprang up around her and she withheld her magical attacks, knowing it would be a waste of energy.
“It’s a null golem!” Twilight shrieked. “We can’t fight this with magic!”
“We need a very strong earth pony to kick it to death!” Starlight cried as she retreated, backing away, her ears drooping. Without magic, Starlight was nothing—and she knew it.
“Wait, I’m part earth pony now!” Twilight’s wings flared out from her sides. “Trixie! Starlight! Take Sumac and stay away as much as possible! A null golem will smash right through your shields!”
Sumac found himself being lifted in Trixie’s magic and he was yanked away from Twilight, who took to the air. The room was quite large, big enough to fly in, large enough for the tall walls of the labyrinth. Now airborne, Twilight swooped around the golem’s featureless head, trying to distract it.
The golem gleamed with a metallic sheen and Sumac guessed that it was made of iron. The iron somehow moved as though it was a liquid, such was the power of magic. Terrified, almost paralysed with fear, Sumac somehow managed to marvel at the amazing construct as it took a swipe at Twilight.
“I feel stronger and faster than I usually am… I guess I never really pay attention to the physical parts of myself,” Twilight said as she ducked beneath the golem’s arm. She bucked out her hind legs and kicked the golem in the head, causing cracks to appear.
Cracks that did not heal or close themselves.
“I’ve never fought something immune to magic!” Starlight cried as she moved near Trixie. “I don’t like this, not at all… I’m powerless without magic! I don’t like this feeling! I’m… I’m… I’m scared!”
Twilight flew in circles around the golem’s head, punching and kicking. The alicorn struck with surprising force, causing cracks and splits to appear. The terrible monster was taking damage. She managed to kick at an arm, bucking her hind hooves outwards as it passed, and she scored a glancing blow that left a long, forked crack near the shoulder area.
“Don’t let it hurt Sumac… I can’t keep him safe… I can’t keep him safe! I can’t keep my friend safe! He’s one of the few ponies that like me! What do I do?” Starlight stood shivering near Trixie, her eyes wide with terror and moist with tears. “I’ve never been helpless before! What do I do?”
Front legs pistoning, Twilight unleashed a flurry of blows upon the golem, bearing down with the full force of her amplified earth pony strength. Each blow caused the metal golem to ring like a bell, and a series of cracks began to run down from the creature’s head, down its neck, and into its torso.
Wiggling in the air, Sumac maneuvered himself around and put his forelegs around Starlight’s neck, trying to comfort her as Twilight pounded the golem into submission while dodging its clumsy attacks. The two mares huddled in the corner, helpless, depending entirely upon Twilight to protect them and defeat this terrible foe.
A large section of the creature’s head crumbled and fell away, the brittle iron coming undone. Twilight continued her relentless assault, focusing on the damaged places. The sound of her hooves striking the golem caused echoes that were almost deafening as they pealed through the room.
But Twilight was a little too focused. As she kept up her piledriver assault, the golem clipped her as she struck a fatal blow. The creature crumbled even as its arm smashed into Twilight’s backside and sent her flying through the air. She smacked into the wall with a wet splat, bounced, and hit the floor. She came skidding to a halt in a heap as the golem collapsed.
Starlight, now hysterical, let out a terrified shriek.
Sumac had trouble looking at Twilight, as seeing her made him want to cry. She wasn’t moving and Trixie was sitting on the floor beside her. Twilight’s right hind leg was twisted and jutting out at an unnatural angle just below her hock. He felt his ears twitching with every one of Twilight’s pained cries.
He clung to Starlight’s leg and didn’t know what to do. Neither one of them did. Starlight, powerless in this situation, was bawling, and so was he. Sumac wanted to go home, he hated this place, he was scared, and he wanted to be at home, in bed with Trixie, with a blanket over his head.
“Twilight, I know a spell that will help… it’s a bone setting spell and it leaves behind a temporary binding around the bone that lasts for a few hours.” Trixie stroked Twilight's neck, trying to comfort her. “It should do until we can get you to a hospital.”
“Where’d you learn a spell like that?” Twilight asked as she squeezed her eyes shut and tried to stop sobbing.
“From Tarnish,” Trixie replied, “it is one of the few bits of unicorn magic that he’s good at. He lives such a dangerous life, I’m sure he’s had lots of practice.”
Nodding, Twilight choked back a sob. “Do it.”
“Twilight, it hurts… it does nothing to dull the pain. It’s bad, Twilight, real bad.” Trixie rubbed Twilight’s neck some more and her horn began to glow. She turned to Starlight, nodded, and then returned her attention to Twilight.
As Sumac watched in wide-eyed terror, Twilight’s shattered leg began to jerk and flop around. He saw Twilight’s mouth open and she began to pound on the floor with her two front hooves. He couldn’t hear anything and as he felt Starlight squeezing him, he realised that she was blocking the sound. She was saving him from the terrible sound. At that moment, she was more than his friend, he loved her, he loved her in much the same way he loved Trixie.
Twilight’s lumpy and misshapen leg ground against itself as the two shattered ends of bone tried to match up with one another like two puzzle pieces. Sumac couldn’t bear to watch. He turned and pressed his face against Starlight’s neck, causing his glasses to mash into his cheeks and eyebrows.
Castle Midnight was the worst place in the world and he wanted to go home…
I think I'm gonna throw up.
It's lucky Alicorns have enhanced abilities, only Twilight's enhanced earth pony toughness is going to get them though this.
Also Starlight needs to learn about :indirect" magic attacks. Telekineticly hurl a HUGE rock at a target and it doesn't matter if they null magic momentum a solid mass do the damage. Also blowing stuff up near a target helps too, can't counter spell a collapsing wall.
7494967
Earth pony toughness talk comes next chapter. Twilight's never really focused on her other aspects before, as hinted at in this chapter.
So, is Sunburst another "special unicorn" like Tarnish?
Says the one who used psychological tactics against him avoiding direct contact. .
7494978
Sunburst is a genius that understands the nuts and bolts of magic. That's all.
7494982
So he is not powerful, is he?
7494989
He is. His knowledge of magic rivals Twilights. He has instinctual knowledge and strong instincts.
7494967 Normally you can also enchant yourself to become stronger and tougher, but that might not apply to a null golem (it probably dispels on contact).
'Drop it in a giant pit' usually works just fine on golems, though.
aww dang, why'd you do that to poor Twily? mean ol' Kudzu.
Wow, this was intense!
And not in the camping way. Ba-dum-tish.
That was awesome but gruesome all the same. Poor Starlight panicked and nothing went well after that. I did like the banter between everyone before the fight. XD
Sunburst unlike Twilight learned maximize the effect of his spells maybe not the most effiencently but certainly better than Twilight
7494967
Agreed, my current Pathfinder character is an Enchanter, and our DM loves throwing Fae and Undead at us - both immune to mind spells (Also undead fae a couple of times. Damn Bodaks, immune to lightning, my usual way of dealing with enchantment immune creatures...). After having most of your spell arsenal rendered useless you start to get creative.
- Remove the floor/bridge/balcony etc they're standing on and drop them onto a hard surface. Most things that can't fly go splat after a couple of hundred feet.
- Reverse gravity, smack 'em into the ceiling, reverse polarity, smack 'em into the floor. Rinse, repeat until they stop moving.
- Rock to mud, let them sink then dispel. Nicely trapped.
Or, get the meatshield to hit them with something heavy...
Always bring a diverse skill set to a dungeon.
Will they even press on at this point?
7495064
Hey, we're super magical unicorns and one alicorn! We'll wreck this place! What could possibly go wrong?
**A null golem appears**
How come no one responded to the comment I made in the previous chapter?
7494301
True, that's why you don't transmute just anything and everything.
Also, it's easier to turn one metal into a different metal, than to go from wood to metal, or from liquid to solid, or from matter to energy.
So I would assume that I would need to train my skill in Alteration to be able to do that.
7495074
"My one weakness~!"
7495201
I can only assume that they, like I, are not worried about Starlight and Sunburst's burgeoning relationship. Not to speak for them, but it is somewhat of a foregone conclusion in my mind. Or, if you will, head-canon.
7495538 I didn't ask you, sir.
7495585
I'm sorry. As the question was not directed to a specific respondent, I thought that you were throwing it open to the room. My apologies.
Midnight is most pleased that he has finally entered a Kudzu story..
though... he wishes he hadn't put out something as tribalist as a null golem. :V completely innefective against non unicorns, huh?
and now the fault of bringing no pegasi or earth ponies is obvious, I feel there will be another trial centered around a flying feathered pony.
though couldn't one of these powerful unicorns cast an augmentation spell on themselves? Can Twilight not pull a little bit of enchantment?
Where's Bucky when you need him?
Castle Midnight has a most pleasent ring to it.
Fortress Midnight feels better.
I can sympathize with Twilight, busted ankles/fetlocks hurt like a B@#*H, although I can understand Kudz's leg is hurting him more at the moment. It's terrible to be incapacitated, I think mine's permanent now.
There's only one use a pony with three good legs is good for...
Someone get me a shotgun.
s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/72/e5/02/72e5020f5c56a2cc915cb4006f7afd2d.jpg
Oh lordy, poor Twilight. Great chapter.
And that, kiddies, is why you don't go dungeon delving with a party of nothing but mages, unless you like getting TPK'd by the first magic immune monster you come across. Luckily, Twilight's taken some good character options that effectively allowed her to melee.
7494969
One detail :In what chapter of the prequels did Tarnish learn minotaurian magic?
7496675
Umm... he hasn't yet.
I have a question. Does Sumac's Zap Apple Jam ability multiply or add to magic? And does it work on other sources? So then would it work if the Elements of Harmony were gathered, then used their elements (whether that means they actually have to use the artifacts or they can just use that rainbow power of theirs) on the Tree of Harmony, then it could supercharge it, or something. Or does it only work for pony magic? Therefore, unicorns and alicorns?
I'm assuming it multiplies magic. Unless this question was asked already.
7497155
All forms of magic.
7497157
Oh... oh... does that mean they could accidentally power something they don't want to, right now? Or did I forget something?
7497165
Yes they could.
7492674
My favorite is D&D conjuration: you don't have to be a dps, tank, healer, a magical specialist, etc.. Just bringing an extra "friend" to do the work for you.
Twilight will need to learn healing spells herself. I hope they have a quick way to leave Midnight Castle if it becomes necessary. I think that Sumac is considering having Moondancer as his Master.
7506128 Getting rid of Hiccup is easy
Tracking...
7494994
Honestly, I don't think that saying this is 'power' in the same way that every other unicorn is is really a good description. Magic is powerful in a much more tangible way than intellect, in a way that is far more exaggerated than anyone has in real life... and that's not even counting that he might not actually be smarter than Twilight, who was born with phenomenal magic power and gained two more kinds of magic and might be immortal.
... Just let it be unfortunate that he has no magical power. Let it be that he's smart, this makes him a great theoretician and advisor that still has a lot of value as a person and leave the 'this makes him just as powerful as the rest of us who could waltz in and destroy him at any time with just our horns' comparison a out of it unless there is some actual way he can leverage his intelligence on his own.
Heh.
Hah!
Bwhahahahaha!
Oh wow, I was more right than I expected about the need for a non-unicorn for the expedition.
Oh yeah, that's true.
Oh wow x2, that got unpleasant. Poor Twilight and poor Twilight's leg.
.... I've decided there is another failing not just in ficitonal schooling but in real schooling: There is no lessons nor classes nor cirriculum meant to develop lateral thinking in a public setting, and that is sad.
OUCH!
F-ing pick up a rock and smack it across the chops!