A Strange New World: CH11

>The following morning, you find yourself in the town square, examining the body of one of the downed golems.

>Evidence of yesterday’s attack was already rapidly fading. You had to admire the efficiency of the town in cleaning up the mess.

>They had even succeeded in removing all but one of the golem corpses, much to your surprise.

>And after seeing Applejack’s brother drag away the stone bodies with nothing but a harness and determination, you could see why she was hesitant to go against his wishes.

>But that was of no consequence now. At this moment, you had your curiosity to satiate.

>”Do you know what you’re doing?” Twilight asks, levitating over an assortment of vials and instruments.

“Alchemy and alternate magic was never my strong point.”

>”Then what are you doing?”

>You plunge your hand into the open fissure of the golem’s wound, pulling out a handful of congealed substance.

“Doing the unpleasant work you. You don’t strike me as a mare who’s willing to get her hooves dirty. No insult intended, of course.”

>”Hey, I’ve gotten my hooves dirty plenty of times! I’ve fought off hydras, stopped Nightmare Moon in her tracks, and-“

>You interrupt her by playfully flicking the blue substance at her, relishing the surprised yell she lets loose.

>”Ew! It’s in my hair, gross!”

“I thought you were a tough mare, eh?”

>”There’s a difference between being soft and having a basic sense of hygiene!” Twilight snaps. “Besides, we don’t even know what stuff that is! It could be lethal!”

“It smells fine to me. Wonder what it tastes like.”

>”Don’t put it in your mouth, for Celestia’s sake!” Twilight groans, oblivious to your sarcastic grin.

“I’m only pretending to be a fool. Go, do whatever incomprehensible procedures that are required.”

>Twilight rolls her eyes before her horn glows.

>An aura of magic surrounds your hand, carefully lifting the substance up and out of your palm.

>You watch it as it hovers over to Twilight, neatly dividing into several narrow glass containers.

“What do you plan to do with that stuff? Is there anything of significance it can tell you?”

>”Yes, in fact there is!” she replies cheerfully, her tone of annoyance replaced with one of enthusiasm. “I don’t even need to perform any tests to come to this conclusion!”

“Which is?”

>”Whoever is responsible for the golems are an absolute genius!” she gushes, her eyes wide. “I’ve never seen anything quite like this, not in all my years of study and all my magical textbooks.”

“This rockslime is the mark of a genius?”

>”Remember what I told you about golem magic? How unstable it was?”

“I remember. What of it?”

>”A consequence of that is that the unicorn casting the spell must be constantly focusing on and renewing the spell. Keeping it charged, so to speak. Otherwise the golem would just fall apart or become immobile, right?”

“Er, right. What’s the significance, though?”

>“Whoever designed this liquid must have charged it with magic, a self-perpetuating mechanism of keeping the golem animate. It must feed off the energy stored in the liquid, but crafting such a spell and being able to enchant liquid in a way to keep the golems alive… It’s brilliant!”

“If you could arrive at that conclusion so easily, why is it so awe inspiring? Wouldn’t it be common sense, really?”

>”Few have the ability to cast spells that are independent of the caster. Even fewer would have the insight to concoct such an unorthodox system for sustained golem animation…”

>Twilight’s eyes appear to glaze over as she stares off into space, a thoughtful smile etched onto her face.

“Twilight?”

>”Hmm? Oh, right.”

>With a blush she goes about her business, labeling and sorting out the vials.

>Bored by the repetition of her actions, you begin to think about the events of yesterday, starting from when you left Zecora’s hou-

>Zecora.

>You had completely forgotten about her during the commotion yesterday.

“Oh, damn it!”

>Twilight nearly drops her vials in panic, wheeling round to face you.

>”What’s wrong?”

“Zecora! She slipped my mind yesterday…”

>”Oh, you don’t have to worry about her!” Twilight says with a sigh of relief. “She came into town yesterday evening, said she had heard the commotion going on in the forest.”

“She wasn’t hurt, right?”

>”Of course not! The golem’s path didn’t lead near her at all.”

“Well, that’s a relief.”

>You sit back and exhale, before chuckling to yourself.

“I never did get the mandragora for her…”

>”She wanted you to pick Mandragora for her?”

“Don’t ask.”

>Twilight raises an eyebrow, before shrugging and returning to her equipment.

>You watch on silently as she produces a strange device, hooking one tube into an empty container.

>”Here, make yourself useful and put this end into the golem, would you?”

>Complying with her request, you grab the other appendage and force it into the golem’s open wound.

“What exactly did I just do?”

>”It’s a pump. Never seen one of them before?”

“I have, just never one that looks so… strange.”

>”I forget you’re from a different world sometimes….”

“So, what do you plan do with all this?” you inquire, gesturing towards the pump.

>”I’ll need to extract sufficient quantities of this liquid, for both my own studies and for others. I’m sure some ponies in Canterlot will be very interested in examining this…”

“I wonder what other uses it’ll have,” you mutter, watching the liquid flow through the clear veins of the machine.

>”It’s too early to tell yet,” Twilight admits. “Only time will tell us.”

>The conversation tapers off, an awkward silence settling in.

“So, um… The boutique seems rather nice, doesn’t it?”

>Twilight was staying there until the library was due to be patched up, and you had gone over there this morning to help her in any way. Which, it turns out, had amounted to helping her drag her equipment out to this isolated golem.

>”Yeah, Rarity’s really generous for letting me stay with her. Not that I’d expect anything less, of course, coming from her.”

>You squirm under Twilight’s accusing glare: social etiquette was not something you were experienced with.

“Look, I’m terribly sorry for what happened yesterday,” you begin, as Twilight raises a hoof.

>”No, it’s alright,” she says with a sigh. “I shouldn’t pin the blame on you, and my accusations yesterday were uncalled for. I was just really, really… annoyed.”

“All that sorting gone to waste, aye?”

>She blushes adorably, an ear tucking back in embarrassment.  

>”Seems rather shallow of me to say, but yes.”

“Don’t fret over it. People have done worse over their obsessions. A few misguided accusations are nothing to dwell on.”

>”Thank you, Anonymous.”

>She smiles up at you for a second, before coughing.

>”Huh, would you look at that. Container’s full already.”

“How many do we have?”

>”Enough,” Twilight says, motioning to the cart you had dragged here earlier, which was stacked high with equipment and boxes. “I do want to keep some on-hoof myself, of course. It’s not every day that a chance like this comes up, right?”

“Of course…” you mutter, your thoughts trailing off.

>”Is there something wrong?” Twilight inquires, an eyebrow raised.

“Well, there’s been something plaguing my thoughts. When the golems first arose, it was in a clearing with some strange box in it.”

>”What was strange about it?”

>Twilight’s attention was now fully focused on you, and you collect your thoughts.

“Well, for a start, it had an unusual name tagged to it. It was called the ‘My Little Golem creation kit”, if I remember correctly.”

>”What? Are you sure?”

“I’m fairly certain. My reading ability isn’t great, but… I know what I saw.”

>”This is certainly an interesting development. I’ve never heard of a creation kit for Golems, and I had assumed this was the direct result of a spell casted by a pony.”

“So we’re dealing with unforeseen circumstances? Wonderful.”

>”Don’t be so dour, Anon. If you know where the kit is, surely you can go back and get it, right? If you’re that worried, I’d accompany you, and I’m sure Rainbow Dash would love to as well, that mare seems to relish fighting…”

“I have some business I need to deal with first. More practical matters, so to speak.”

>”What’s the problem?”

>You motion to your dirtied, dented armour.

“Armour’s sturdy, but it took quite the beating yesterday. I could tend it myself, but it’d take quite a bit of enchanted powder… which I unfortunately lack.”

>Twilight rubs her chin thoughtfully.

>”I’m not sure how anypony here could help you. Rarity’s the resident clothing specialist, but armour’s sure to be out of her league.”

“I thought as much,” you sigh. “In that case, I might as well take my chances and head back in as it is.”

>”Not right now, of course! I’m still not done here.”

“Things may be calm now, but we can’t be sure that time is a luxury we can afford. Besides, it’s not that far.”

>”Half an hour won’t make a difference, will it?”

“It might, for all we know.”

>”Look, I’m not asking for much. Just have a little patience, will you?”

>Twilight’s eyes add to her plea, and you sigh in defeat.

“Very well then, I’ll wait for you. Some company would be nice, I suppose.”

>You take a seat on the grassy road, as Twilight fiddles with unknown instruments.

“Do you plan on draining all of the golems? It seems like you’d need a lot of patience, time and containers for it.”

>”I have all the samples I need for researching, so not right now. I do run the risk of the liquid spoiling due to exposure – if it does even spoil – but I’m betting without a working circulatory system, the majority of the fluid will avoid exposure to the elements.”

“I’ll trust your judgement, then. You clearly have a better idea of what you’re doing than me.”

>You lie backwards on the grassy road, closing your eyes and enjoying the gentle touch of the suns rays on your face.

.>”Right, that’s all my affairs in order!” Twilight exclaims triumphantly. “Any further examining will have to take place in a controlled environment.”

“I suppose you need me to carry this all back, aye?”

>”Well, it’d certainly be useful, heh.”

“Well then…”

>You rise from the ground, stretch, and walk over to the pumping equipment, yanking it out of the golem’s body.

>Twilight handles her delicate apparatus and soon the cart is loaded back up.

>The walk back to Rarity’s abode is uneventful, save for Twilight’s repeated scolding of your supposed lack of carefulness.

>As you pull up outside the boutique, the stark-white unicorn comes out, an eyebrow raised in concern.

>”You’re back? Find anything important in your examination?”

>”I won’t bore you with the details, but yes, it was a rather great find. I still need to analyse it further though, so I’ll be setting up a makeshift laboratory in the spare room.”

>”Er, wonderful!” Rarity says with a cringing smile. “Just don’t make a mess, please? I’ve already got Sweetie Belle to contend with, and I don’t need you blowing open a hole in the wall.”

>”Oh relax, Rarity, that only happened once.”

>”Twice, actually. I’m still not sure of how you managed to make milk and cereal explosively combust.”

>You smirk as the unicorn duo exchange banter, remaining silent in the conversation.

>As Twilight makes her way into the boutique, Rarity eyes you up with a curious glance.

>”Is there something wrong, dear?”

>You blink in surprise, trying to think of an appropriate response.

“It may have been a while since I have enjoyed the company of the privileged, but I have not yet forgotten my chivalry, madam. I would not enter unless invited.”

>Taken aback, she furrows her brow, almost as if distraught.

>"Why, yes, you are correct. Please come in," she mutters, trying to break the awkward silence that stills between the two of you.

>Giving her a modest bow, you enter the building and look around.

>You hadn’t had the opportunity to enter earlier when you met up with Twilight, so the interior of the boutique was yet unknown to you.

>”I must say, it’s a welcome pleasure to meet someone as courteous as yourself,” Rarity giggles.

“Thank you, madam.”

>”I thought perhaps that Rainbow Dash uncouthness would rub off on you – and given the efficacy at which you fought yesterday – my hopes for your etiquette were decidedly low. I’m delighted to have been proven wrong in that regard.”

“Rainbow Dash, uncouth? I would say that’s a harsh statement…”

>”Oh don’t get me wrong, darling, I adore Rainbow Dash as much as anyone else. It’s just… Well, she’s not the most effeminate of mares, is she?”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” you chuckle. “Her headstrongness was one of the reasons we won yesterday.”

>”I suppose. Still, let’s not reduce your role in it, darling. You were the town’s knight in shining…”

>She eyes up your battered defence with a critical eye, frowning at the caked-in mud.

>”Well, perhaps not shining armour…”

“I was hoping you could change that.”

>”Me?” she asks incredulously, raising an eyebrow in disbelief.

“Well, yes. I supposed that if any soul around these parts was capable of tending to my armour, it’d be you.”

>”Well, to be honest, darling, metalwork just isn’t my speciality,” she admits with an apologetic smile. “I mean, I’ve crafted some marvellous headpieces before, but full armour and plating? It’s beyond me, I’m afraid.”

“Bah, it was worth asking…”

>”Although, there is something I could try,” she says hesitantly. “When constructing garments that are just far too complicated to handle, I have a handy little spell I sometimes use.”

“Oh?”

>”It’s a sort of magical binding, helps the clothing stay in one piece, while I tend to the delicate stitching.”

“And you think it’ll work on my armour?”

>”I see no good reason why it shouldn’t! It’d be worth a shot anyway, yes?”

“I suppose. Do you take payment in coin, or souls?”

>”Souls? Er, that won’t be necessary, darling,” she says with a nervous smile. “It’d be simply wrong for me to expect recompense after your valiant actions yesterday... Especially recompense in the form of ethereal souls ripped out of some poor thing’s body. I appreciate the thought, though.”

“In that case, I graciously accept your magnanimous offer,” you chuckle, and Rarity grins anxiously.

>”Wonderful! Now, just hold still for me. This will only take a second.”

>Her horn glows and a soft, comforting aura surrounds your entire body.

>”All done!” Rarity exclaims, the aura dissipating.

>You flex out your arms, internally marveling at the effect of the spell.

>Already, your armour felt different. It felt lighter and less constricting.

“You are too kind, m’lady.”

“I’m just glad to be of help to you, really. Now, why not come in and sit yourself down?”

“I’d love to, but I still yet have business needing attending to. As soon as Twilight’s done here, we’ll-“

>Twilight enters the hallway, sliding up beside Rarity cheerily.

“Speak of the devil!”

>”What?” Twilight yells indignantly.

“Oh, I didn’t mean to offend! It’s just a phrase I heard an age ago,” you hastily reply with a twinge of embarrassment. “Anyway, shall we get going?”

>”Shame to be leaving so immediately… You know the town’s beyond hope when ponies can’t even stay for a nice cup of tea, goodness gracious!”

“We’ll return shortly, Lady Rarity,” you smirk, enjoying Rarity’s reaction to her title. “I would hate to relinquish the chance to enjoy your company.”

>Your less-than-subtle lathering of social etiquette is enough to satisfy Rarity, who simply beams in response.

>Avoiding another potentially awkward conversation, you duck out of the doorway and begin the trek to the forest, Twilight by your side.

“Shall we go ask Rainbow Dash if she wishes to join us on our endeavours?”

>”Go ahead. Good luck getting her attention though, she could be anywhere-“

“RAINBOW DASH!” you bellow upwards, interrupting Twilight with your booming exclamation.

>”Or you could do that…” she mutters, rubbing her ears.

>In the distance, you see a spectrum mane peeking out from on top of a low-hanging cloud, before the pegasus launches herself off.

>Within seconds she’s arrived at your location, her eyes heavy with tiredness.

>”What gives, dude? I was sleeping!” she complains.

“Sleeping? It’s well past mid day, you know!”

>She cocks her head to the side, as if unsure whether to take your words seriously or not.

>”Yeah, so?”

“You shouldn’t still be asleep at this hour… Anyway, I didn’t call you to chastise you for your sleeping patterns. I was wondering if you wanted to accompany me and Twilight into the forest, to do a little investigating.”

>”I’d love to, but I sort of have things to attend to.”

“Things you were planning on sleeping through?”

>”No, actually. Kinda convenient you woke me up now.”

>”What could you possibly have to do?” Twilight asks with a frown. “Weather duties are off today, are they not?”

>”Nothing to do with weather duties. Nurse Redheart wants me to check in with her; she’s not convinced that the magical thingie-“

“Estus.”

>”Yeah, the estrus stuff. She wouldn’t believe that it mended my wings, so I need to go in and get some scans today.”

>Twilight cups her face with a hoof in exasperation, but you ignore Dash’s mistake and instead offer her a reassuring smile.

“Well, I’m sure she’s just doing what she thinks is best.  

>”Yeah, I’m sure too. Doesn’t stop it from being a pain in the flank, though.”

>Dash lets loose a sleepy yawn before groaning.

>”Yeah, I better get going before I fall asleep again. Save some flank-kicking for me, won’t ya?”

“Sure, we’ll try,” you chuckle, as Twilight rolls her eyes. “Best of luck to you, Dash.”

>”You too, Anon. Later.”

>As Rainbow Dash takes off, Twilight gives a small tut of disapproval.

“What?”

>”Nothing, nothing… Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”

“I’ll answer as truthfully as I can.”

>”In your world, Lordran, what all kinds of magic existed? I know the two of us discussed pyromancy back in Canterlot, but surely there’s more than that?”

“Let me think… There’s pyromancy, miracles, soul sorcery, Oolacile sorcery, dark sorcery, and necromancy. Which do you want to know more of?”

>”Er, all of them?” Twilight giggles, flashing you an awkward grin.

“Uugh… This is going to be a long walk, isn’t it? Very well, where to begin… Let’s start with miracles…”

 

>”So he used his necromantic powers to create… wheel skeletons?”

“Most dangerous little bastards I ever had the misfortune of fighting.”

>”But for what purpose? Attaching an animated skeleton to a spiked wheel just doesn’t seem viable as a weapon!”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought as well. After the first dozen deaths, my opinion on them changed.”

>Twilight giggles, before clamping a hoof over her mouth in horror.

>”I really shouldn’t be laughing at the thought of you being mowed down by ridiculous skeletal wheels.”

“At least one of us can find that scenario humorous,” you mutter, Twilight blushing in embarrassment.

>Her eyes avert from you, finally noticing the new setting she had walked into.

>”Wait, for how long have we been walking in the Everfree?” she gasps.

“About 20 minutes, maybe. You make for an excellently rapt audience, Twilight.”

>”I shouldn’t let my guard down like that,” she whispers, moving closer to you. “Even if the conversation topic is fascinating.”

“You don’t have to worry too much. We’re almost there, and there’s been no sign of trouble so far.”

>”Nearly there? That’s fortunate, I suppose.”

>You nod before gesturing to the path through the foliage, marked by felled trees and trampled undergrowth.

>Twilight follows you off the beaten trail, staying cautiously silent as you approach the location of the mysterious object.

>As you step into the clearing, you cautiously draw your longsword, your eyes scouring for potential danger.

>”Do you really need that thing out? If we were going to get attacked, it would have happened already.”

“It’s a force of habit,” you mutter sourly, glancing across the treeline.

>Your nerves calm as silence returns, punctuated by your shared, nervous breathing.

>When it’s clear you’re not going to be in danger, you return your sword to its sheath, before stepping fully into the clearing.

>Twilight inspects the damaged scene daintily, peering into the holes left by the golem’s awakening.

“Oh gods be damned!”

>The silence broken by your outburst, she immediately wheels round to you in fright.

>”What’s wrong?”

“We’re too late. The artifact has been moved, I’m sure of it.”

>You kneel down and examine the ground carefully, before sighing in defeat.

“Heavy tracks, look to be a few hours old. I don’t doubt that the golems moved it. I might be able to catch up with them if I act now…”

>”You’re not going anywhere!” Twilight exclaims with a stern voice. “It’s too late in the day to attempt heroics, especially when you don’t even have an plan to fall back on. Or even a plan in the first place!”

>You remain crouched for a moment, mulling the situation over in your mind.

“Very well. I suppose that the risk of attack on the town is low anyway.”

>”Why do you suppose that?” Twilight inquires.

“If it’s an ambush, then they’ll wait for us to trigger it. If it’s not an ambush, then it’s a retreat.”

>As you stand, you let loose a single, mirthless chuckle, prompting Twilight to raise an eyebrow in surprise.

>”Does something strike you as humorous?”

“In a grim way, yes,” you sigh. “This proves our opponents aren’t mindless beasts, and that makes them infinitely more dangerous.”

>”They may not be as thick as we thought, but don’t forget how you tricked them into fighting each other. Don’t give them too much credit in the brains department.”

>She appears to mull something over for a second, piquing your interest.

“Something the matter?”

>”Well…” she mutters. “This isn’t very characteristic for an aggressive enemy, is it? Grabbing the kit-thing and retreating into the middle of the forest seems like a more defensive thing to do.”

“Are you seriously questioning their aggression after yesterday’s chaos?”

>”All I’m saying is that we should be a little cautious when chasing after them. Who knows? Maybe they’re just overly defensive and attacked you out of fear.”

“What’s your point in saying this?”

>”All I’m asking is that you don’t charge in recklessly. We don’t know a thing about these golems, and it’d be wise to try learning about them before we start killing them.”

>You groan in exasperation.

“Fine, Twilight, but I won’t hesitate to retaliate if our lives are in danger.”

>“I suppose that’s the most I can ask for,” Twilight sighs. “Now, we should probably head back to Ponyville and let the girls know the plan.”

“What plan?”

>”The plan where we solve this problem quickly and efficiently with the help of my friends, of course.”

”You think they’ll come willingly?”

>”I’m positive. They’ll feel much more reassured now that we’ve got the luxury of time, planning, and a big, brave knight in armour protecting us.”

“I won’t be responsible for whatever happens to them, of course.”

>”Relax, we’ve taken on all sorts of beasts before. We’re certainly not new to danger!” Twilight giggles. “Besides, what could go wrong?”