Chapters I was lost. Despite my efforts to make sense of what was going on, I was useless. I was nothing more than an essence, weightlessly floating in an empty void. My name is Rarity, by the way. A citizen from a quiet town called Ponyville. The last I remember was a bright light... but I knew I was doing something. I couldn't have just appeared here. What happened to me?
I looked around, and things remained the same in every direction. White. Endless. Silent. I tried calling out for anyone, but my voice froze at any attempt to speak.
"Where am I? Am I asleep? Unconscious? Oh dear... could I be... dead? I don't know what to believe." I wondered, the sound of my own mind breaking the silence. I merely drifted in the empty area, losing sense of time and location. "If something doesn't happen anytime soon, I'll surely go mad... " I thought, growing bored of my state.
But as if on cue, I got my wish. The white abyss regained color, shape, and form. I felt myself laying on the ground. Sand, apparently. I found myself in my physical body again, laying on a dune of sand. The sun harshly beamed down over me, and the sky was cast a dry orange, scattered with wispy, dull clouds. I sat up. There was a cloth wrapped around me. A white cloth, that covered my head like a hood and gently draped over myself. The trim of the robe was similar to my cutie mark. Light blue diamonds bordering the edge of the cloth. My face had also been covered, a gray veil that let my eyes peer out and held my mane back, while allowing my horn to rest gently on my head. It felt odd, but it kept the harsh sunlight off me. Fashionable, yet functional.
"What is this place? Am I even in Equestria anymore? " I wondered. My voice still wouldn't work. I stood up, and got a better look at my surroundings. Sand. Nothing but orange dunes of sand stretching on for eternity.
"Wonderful. I'm lost in the middle of nowhere." I thought, pouting behind the soft veil. Something then streaked over my head, leaving a trail of light in the air behind it. As I turned to see where it came from, the view was blocked by a very tall dune. Nothing could fly that fast except for Rainbow Dash... but there's no way she made something like that. I wondered what to make of it. I started galloping up the sandy hill. As I reached the top, I began to trudge, and tried to catch my breath.
What was on the other side made my own eyes widen. A tall mountain loomed in the distance. It seemed to be bifurcated near the peak, as if some towering god had took an axe and cleaved it right at the top. Between the edges of the split, there was a light. A beacon that stretched up into the sky, and dulled at it's apex.
By simply looking at the pillar of light, I felt overwhelmed. It was beauty and bliss combined into a single essence. There had to be a way up to it. I didn't care if it took forever. I had to climb that mountain. It was my only hope. After a short moment of thought, I took a moment to look down at the desert that separated myself from the mountain.
Endless dunes and sand filled the gap. Near the bottom of the hill where I stood, small markers stuck out from the ground. I slid slowly down the dune, beginning my trek. Upon closer inspection, the markers were simple stone slabs buried in the sand. Each one bared a hexagon hole near the top, and a unique mark underneath. The marks were simple images, etched into the stones. They consisted of a few rectangular lines and squares making up a glyph of some sort. Was this some sort of writing? How can anyone possibly know what this is? It was a language that I did not know existed, let alone translate.
I had to kept moving. More markers and sand. I soon approached an odd stone structure. Chucks of rock shattered to form a small altar. But it wasn't any regular stone. From the looks of it, there was a building here, decayed and crumbled by the relentless ravages of time. I found myself hopping up the chunks, expecting to get over the obstacle. But something rested on the top. A glowing symbol, similar to the ones on the stone markers.
Stepping closer,I felt captivated by the golden shimmer of the symbol. The sign melted into a shining dust that swirled behind me. I turned to see what appeared behind me. A short purple strip of cloth, clinging to the cloak and gently flapping in the desert wind.
"Curious... " I thought. I looked in front of me again. Smaller strips of red cloth drifted around in the air, paying no heed to gravity. They hovered around my ribbon, emitting a pleasant hum that made the purple strip glow dimly. I hopped off the stone building to keep moving, but slowly ascended upward.
Shocked, I hovered a few feet into the air, before dropping, and landing lightly on my hooves. I saw a few more red ribbons floating ahead. Perhaps they would work again...
I trotted closer to some more flying ribbons, letting them hum and glow around me. I lept once more, resulting in the same short moment of flight. I couldn't help smile a little as I found this a little fun. I began trotting forward and glided across small distances of the desert, but I realized something else. The stone buildings... were they part of some civilization? Were the markers... graves? It felt awful for me to think about it, but for once, I felt well and truly alone in this arid wasteland.
It wasn't long before I lost my train of thought and slid down into strange building. An arena? A stage? No matter the purpose, it was clear of it's shape. A large, circular wall of stone. Despite its towering, unclimbable walls, the open air gave her a good view of the distant mountain. In the center was another large altar, were four cloth ribbons, suspended with the hot wind.
Slowly climbing the stone column, I looked at the rags. They were dried, faded, and tattered. A metal grating made up the floor, with something moving underneath. I held the cloth in my hooves, inspecting it's dry surface. What a waste of fabric...why would somepony bother using them like this? They could have been a tapestry, or a flag, but no. They were just drifting.
The cloth I held began to warm up. Where my hooves grasped it, the red and yellow color and softness returned. Soon, the entire thing began to regain an essence. It almost seemed... 'younger'. The cloth retracted into the metal grate, and the structure shook as a CLANK resonated within. Some sort of mechanism, perhaps.
I mused over a thought and decided to give it a shot. I rapidly approaching the remaining three cloths. As I brushed against them, the same process took over them. They too retracted, and more mechanical rumbling. The metal grate seemed to open slightly, allowing a swarm of cloth to flourish out.
Each one darted in the air above, and made an odd noise. Was it music? An animalistic language? I felt compelled to speak, or at least cross the language barrier. I tried to say anything, but my voice failed. I tried again, with more force. Nothing. I took a deep breath and expelled it, like I was screaming at the top of my lungs.
I did in fact make noise, but not the one I expected. It was a calming hum, and the clothes above seemed to notice. They stopped in mid-air, pointed toward me, and swirled underneath myself. The clothes glowed and formed an odd whirlwind of the strips, and lifted me into the air.
Surprised at the sudden ascension, I flailed my hooves for any sort of leverage. This struck me as an opportunity. I leaned forward, and the swarm followed. I managed to descend to a ledge that faced the mountain, leading to a giant closed door. I landed, and looked up. Three stone markers sat on both sides of me, and led to a statue. An intricately carved statue of a slanted figure.
What could this be? It had eyes...but it's a statue. Could it be... alive? As I stepped closer, I had unknowingly caused the markers to glow, and form a circle of light in front of the statue. I took a deep breath and sat in the circle, looking up at the carving in front of me.
More white. Again a misty white area. But this time, I felt the tug of gravity, and saw the mountain, towering in the distance of the void.
"Wonderful. I'm stuck here again." I said aloud. I perked up, happy hearing the sound my own voice again.
"Welcome, traveler... " A voice spoke, but it was not my own, but it seemed familiar.
"Who's there?! Where am I?" I asked, looking around for the source of the mysterious voice.
"You are not in your own world. I understand your goal. " the eerie voice said.
"How did you know?"
"Every being that wanders into this world wants to get back to their own. The key is the mountain. "
"Well, why? What's at the top of the mountain?"
An image took up my entire view. A dark surface, etched with lines of light. It appeared to be some ancient picture, painted on a mural to see. It showed a shape similar to the mountain in the distance, with light pouring out the top.
"Long ago, the mountain created an energy. An energy that descended from the sky in the form of symbols. " The voice said, and the story told itself.
"That energy created all life in the land. " The symbols rained down on the picture, forming crude pictures of birds, plants and... robed figures. People, perhaps. "The sentient beings were able to harness this energy. They compacted the energy into strips of cloth that held the very essence of life. "
I wondered how all this was possible. The mountain... what if the streak of light I saw earlier came from the summit?
"You are aware of your task, Rarity. Find the brothers and sisters. They will show you the path. "
The imagery faded away, and soon, I felt the white world collapse around me. "Wait!" I yelled. "How do you know my name? What happened to the energy? I still have so much to ask!" I shouted at the remnants of the void.
"All in good time, traveler. This is just the start of your journey. " The voice said, fading from the world.
"Journey.... ." The last word echoed through my mind, as I snapped back to reality.
The wall behind the statue had opened, revealing a hallway. I stood, and took a deep breath, and walked down the path, taking time to reflect on what I heard.
Author's Note
For those of you who do not yet grasp what I'm getting at, it's the PS3 game Journey.
That vision raised more questions than it answered. What happened to all the life here? Who are these brothers and sisters? I kept asking myself things like this as I walked down the hallway, which was more like a tunnel, with stone pillars holding it up.
I soon came to the end, the sunlight resuming to heat up entire world. I stopped, and looked around. I was on a platform, high above the ground. It was a valley, and on the other side was a wall of rock with a platform similar to the one I stood on. Between the two, were three columns of rock, sticking out of the sandy ground below. The columns raised in height the closer they were to the other side, like a staircase. But they were at least 30 feet apart, and broken near the edges. From the looks of it, I'd say it was a bridge that was destroyed ages ago. I hopped off the platform, using my scarf to ease my decent.
Look to the left and right of this canyon, I saw the same thing. Sand. There's no way I could go around this wall. I figure I must climb this broken bridge. There were large chucks of metal buried in the ground. And each one had a long ragged cloth sticking out, like the altar.
That's when I heard a noise. It was a pleasant, soft tone. I looked over to where the sound had came from. Off near the second column, I heard the familiar CLANK of a mechanism, and the pillar was surrounded with the small red cloths I've seen before. The strips drifted into the air, attaching to one another to form something. The longer I watched, I could see what was happening. The strips of cloth combined into a giant carpet which spanned the gap between two stone pillars.
I was stunned. There could be a way up to that second gate. But what caused the cloth to be released in the first place? Standing on top of the metal box, was a figure. A figure in a red cloth, and an orange scarf drifting in the wind. It's face was a dark gray with two small white eyes. No mouth. No nose. Just two eyes. I noticed its red robes were similar to mine, embroidered like mine, but had a small yellow pattern in place of the diamonds on mine. The thing's feet were simply two stubs, but managed to support it's weight. On its head, were two points, ears, perhaps? Horns?
My heart froze when it turned in my direction. It just stared, and I did the same. I was curious and intrigued by this creature. It probably felt the same way. I found myself walking toward it, and it did the same. As we were close enough, it 'spoke'. It made a low hum, and a symbol formed over its head. Then it made another noise. This one didn't make a symbol above it's head. It sounded almost inquisitive. Was it asking me a question?
"Come on, Rarity. Try something. " I thought to myself. A tried my best to create any noise, or at least express who I was. I too made a noise, and the being looked over my head. I looked above me, and I could see a symbol, different than the one created by the being.
The creature paused, then repeated my sound and sign. It made a happier noise, and I managed to piece it together. It told me its name, and I told it mine. However, I don't think I could pronounce the sound it made again in normal tongue. I might as well give it a name I could understand, but what? I wasn't sure if it was a male or female, how would I adress it? Looking down at it's robe, I thought of a simple name. Red.
It was then I spoke its name and repeated it's symbol. Red seemed more positive, and then started walking toward another metal box. I followed shortly behind, curious to know what "he" was doing (or "she", I wasn't really sure. I can't call it "it" if it has a name, can I?).
Red hoped onto the box, where the tattered rag blew in the wind like a flag. He made a little hum, and a small part of the cloth was restored. However, the rag pushed the color out, returning to its gray, dull texture. Red then looked toward me, and took a step back. I felt obligated to hop on, and inspected the rag. The noise I made before the first statue... maybe the sounds acted as some key.
I readied my own voice, and made a strong, light hum. The whole cloth turned red, and retracted into the box. With another metal CLANK , the metal frame shook, and more smaller strips drifted out. On their way up, they attached one by one, fusing into bigger pieces before connecting two more pillars, leaving two gaps left.
I looked at Red, who started dashing off toward the last box. I trotted after him. He hopped onto the last metal box, which had two clothes sticking out and flapping in the breeze. I followed him, and he bent his head down as I readied another 'call'. As if we had planned this, Red and I both made soft, louder hums, which lit up the rags simultaneously. Both were pulled back into the metal shell, resulting in it to shake. Twice as many rags were swept into the wind, both swarms combining, piecing together two separate lengths of the bridge to be completed. Despite hovering in the air, the wind had no use blowing away. Gravity didn't even affect the cloth, it simply sat in the air, in a near perfect arc.
As the whole bridge was rebuilt with the cloth attachments, a small ripple of light resonated through it. Ecstatic, I took off toward the foot of the bridge, where the ground met the cloth. Red followed me to the start, as if we were thinking the same thing. We reached the start, and I was hesitant. The cloth clearly spanned the gaps between the pillars, but would it be able to hold the weight of a unicorn? Turns out it didn't have to.
I expected the cloth to hold my hoof up as I took my first step. However, I started hovering a few inches off the carpeting. I looked by my side, and Red was floating in the same manner. He effortlessly glided forward, and I tried to follow him. I moved forward, without using my legs. It felt wonderful, it gave me an idea of how pegasi felt when they fly. I couldn't help but smile under my viel. When I reached the top of the first stone pillar, I began sprinting to get more momentum upon reaching the next cloth. I would have laughed in delight, but my normal voice was gone. I just made a light hum, and Red looked back to let me catch up.
We then reached the statue at the other side of the canyon. Red emitted his hum, sounding like a musical note. The markers near the statue began to glow, forming another disc of light in front of the slanted stone. He knelt before it, and so did I.
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The white space began to get a little redundant to me. It was just as you expect. Empty, dull, lifeless. But the mountain from the vision before was closer. And another figure stood in front of me. A being that gave off a divine essence. It looked an awful lot lke Red. Except, well, it was white, which made it harder to see it against the bright background. And much bigger, might I add. There was no scarf on its back, and no points on its head. It then looked to me, and spoke.
"Greetings, traveler. I have heard of your arrival from my bretheren." It said, in a soothing, motherly voice.
"Hello. I'm trying to get to the mountain... but I have so many questions..." I said. Now that I think about it, my voice started to sound unfamiliar to myself.
"I see. Listen closely, and I will tell you my part of the legend." . It said, and the image returned to my mind. It was of the beings, hunched over the cloth, which I remembered was told was made from an energy created by the mountain." Our people, known as the Ancestors, had learned that the cloths possessed the magical energy from the mountian, and built large structures to harness it. "
The image showed the beings creating towers of stone, not unlike the pillars I used to cross the gap. It described the short cloth strips being sucked into a tunnel, like an aqueduct.
"The ancestors then created mechanisms that ran of the energy, creating power for themselves and their village." The Ancestor said, as my vision faded away from the image. "There is still much to learn and overcome, Rarity." It spoke. I kept finding myself dumbfounded over how they knew my name, but no matter. The seemed... godlike and omnipotent. Perhaps it not that complex.
The white faded away, and I looked down. My scarf was a little longer now, and so was Red's. As I stood, he followed, and entered through the next tunnel. I must say, I've never had someone (or something ) like this as a friend.
Red and I reached the tunnels end, out into the blinding sunlight. The sand seemed paler in comparison, bleached from the sun beaming down on whatever remained. I didn't have any better a grasp of what happened to the precursors here. This place is a barren wasteland. How could something so full of life just disappear to sand? Now that I think of it, that white being... it reminded me of Celestia a lot. Great, now I'm thinking about Ponyville again.
What was I doing before I came here? I remember talking with something. Something with someone. Wait! It was Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash was in my boutique, and then I just... disappeared. What did she see? Was she panicked? Is she looking for me now? How did I even get here?! Why me?! I felt myself getting a little worked up. I centered my thoughts. Now, where was I?
Ah, right. Why am I here? If anypony would be assigned to climb a mountain, I'm the least concern. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy could easily fly to the top in a span of a few minutes, Twilight would use some advanced teleportation spell, and Applejack and Pinkie Pie would have the strength to carry on longer than I could. And don't get me started on my sister Sweetie Belle. She's so geared to get a cutie mark, she'd up that mountain so fast for a destiny in pathfinding. Am I so out of touch?
My thought process was interrupted as a noise broke the silence. It sounded like a cooing, from a pigeon, but there was nothing above me. No reason to look up, anyway. The soft chirping came not from the sky, but under the sand. Red and I stopped, looking around. The sand around the dune we stood on seemed to be upturned, forming a streak of rippling sand. Something alive was burrowing nearby. But what?
I found my answer shortly after. Right in front of me, a creature dove out of the sand. If I didn't know any better, I'd say it was a fold of crimson cloth with ribbons streaming behind it. It darted through the air like a dolphin in water, carelessly drifting in the wind. Red began to run after it, and glided in the air before dropping to the sand.
I began to follow the two red creatures, and lept off the dune to get some air. I drifted a little longer than before, probably due to my scarf being longer. But I couldn't really understand how that worked. As Red, the cloth creature, and I crossed dune after dune, more of them popped up from the sand. Each creature that surface joined the pack, making more chirping noises in the area. Red made his own hum, making the strips of cloth trailing the creatures glow dimly. One had slipped underneath him, scooping him off the ground and across the next few dunes. I decided to try it as well.
A creature burrowed under the sand, and appeared under my hooves, carrying me off like a magic carpet. As it dropped me off, I slid down a particularly big slope, stopping at Red's side. He was glancing up, at the structure I hadn't noticed before.
A giant stone building, towering in the desert pit. Clouds of sand swirled around it, and blocking out some sunlight. It seemed rather frightening at first. But Red kept walking. I followed him, naturally. We hopped up a few stones to make it up onto the steps, encircling the structure before reaching the first flat roof. I stopped to catch my breath, and looked up at the rest of the building looming over me. Now that I mention it, it looked very familiar. My eyes widened to realize something. This was the structure built by Ancestors as the power source; a generator, if you will. The roof I stood on was connected by a narrow bridge to the stairs that wound around the building. The sides had windows with metal grates that emitted more cooing. I trotted closer to the grate, and inside, there were at least 30 cloth creatures floating inside. Was there a way to release them? I couldn't just let them sit here forever.
I walked up more of the steps, with Red shortly behind. After hopping up on the highest roof, I felt almost relieved to see another slanted statue. I used my tone to light the markers up, and as the light illuminated the ground around it, I sat, and closed my eyes as Red joined me.
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Ready for a surprise? More white. I wished for a little more color or shape in this void, but the distant mountain slowly creeping closer and the Ancestor standing before me was the only things worth looking at.
"You have come far, traveler. I have heard about you." The being spoke, in a deep, masculine voice. Clearly different from the more soothing, feminine voice I met at the bridge. But despite the Ancestor's authoritative presence, it still felt heavenly and god-like.
"Yes, I have. I'm beginning to miss my friends..." I said half-heartedly.
"I feel your pain. There are very few Ancestors left, and a strong spiritual essence hold us apart. Only a being's death can bring us together. " It said, sounding just as solemn I was, if not more. And I thought I had it rough.
"I'm terribly sorry. It must be an awful way to live." I said, trying to reassure the white being.
"You speak the truth. My brothers and sisters haven't seen one another in decades. Death is scarce here." It spoke. I still felt a little worried. If they only see each other during death, how would they even feel friendship or passion anymore? I felt a little down on the topic.
"Now, I must teach you more of the legend. I trust my brethren have told you their parts." The Ancestor stated, and once more, the primitive imagery flashed before me. The buildings powered by the energy, just like the last Ancestor showed me.
"The more energy the Ancestors collected, the more determined they grew. They built massive towers, reaching into the heavens themselves. They wanted to go beyond their world."
The image depicted the villagers around smaller glowing towers, like a staircase. Near the top was a single being, surrounded by glistening stars.
"You are making progress, young Rarity. Do not lose hope. "
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Excessive chirping had filled the air, snapping me out of the trance. Red stood next to me, and I looked behind me. Over the egde of the building, were cloth creatures, happily swimming in the air. Red hopped off the building, and I saw the cloth creatures helping him hover across a stone wall.
I had to follow after him. I slowly approached the edge, and looked down. Vertigo nearly took over. It was a long way down, and if I screwed up... I don't want to think about it. But, despite my stubbornness, a cloth creature circled me, and as it's trailing cloth brushed me, I began hovering over it. If my voice was working, I would have screamed as it carried me over the gap....
They say its better to hit the ground running. Or, in my case, sliding.
The cloth creature set me down on a sandy, steep slope, which I expected to be solid. Oh, Celestia, I was wrong. The sand shifted underneath my hooves, making me slide down at a dangerously fast pace. If my voice wasn't gone, my screams would have pierced the dry desert air. I tried to get a good stance, hoping to avoid and chucks of stone that stuck out of the ground. As I glanced around, I saw Red way ahead of me, effortlessly drifting downward. The least I could do was keep up with him.
I kept my balance, doing my best to avoid toppling over or smashing into something. The cloth creatures followed me, and I soon looked ahead. The path's walls was narrowing, into a little tunnel. I focused, and slipped through, still gliding on the sand. But at the end of the tunnel, was sand pouring over it like a waterfall. I burst head first through it, and landed on a sturdy stone structure.
I collapsed, breathing hard and my hooves aching from the walking and sand scrapes. Red loomed over me, and gently hummed. Somehow, the aching in my muscles faded away, and any sort of hunger or tiredness within me just vanished. I stood once more, feeling more energized and active then ever. I than began to wonder, if there's no life here; no plants, no water, then could this be some sort of food source? Perhaps the magical energy doubles as nourishment for the creatures here?
Before I could wonder any more, Red hopped off the stone ledge, the winds carrying him off to the sandy slope. I wanted to follow him. Does he have the same goal as I do? What's at the bottom of this hill? What if he knows something I don't? I shook my head. I ask too many questions to myself. Well, no point in sticking around for nothing. I too jumped off, sliding down the sandy slope. I've gotten a better handling on my movement, shifting my weight and a little fancy hoof-work here and there. A large stone protruded from the ground, like a ramp. It was just begging to be jumped off. And so I did. With some finesse, I soared through the air, landing with no trouble. As the stones dwindled in numbers the further down the slope, I saw one of the most beautiful things in my life.
The sun hit the sand just right, giving the illusion of surfing of millions of glimmering gold coins. A wide smile appeared on my face, and my heart grew light and fluttery. And then... I was astounded. After a short turn, I found myself gliding through a tunnel in the side of a rocky cliff. To my right, was the mountain in the distance, with the bright red sun radiating behind it. In the foreground, there were buildings. Perhaps temples, shrines, maybe a village? Anyway, it looked truly marvelous, and I couldn't help feel inspired by its beauty.
A sharp turn returned my focus to my ever speeding trip downward. The hill grew steeper and steeper, rocketing me down dangerously fast. The path quickly stopped, launching me off a ramp. The mountain and sun were shrouded from view as I then was free falling straight down. I wanted desperately for myself to avoid smashing into the ground below, and sure enough, my scarf had eased my fall. Looking back, the long purple cloth behind me was at least as long as I was, and glowed with a white light. The light faded from the scarf the longer I hovered, and as it grew dry of its energy, I hit the bottom of the pit.
The orange glow from the sunlight was gone leaving a more nightly essence to the area. Red stood a few feet ahead of me, another circle of light ready in front of a statue of an Ancestor. Might as well join him.
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The white world possessed nothing new. An Ancestor stood before myself and the mountain, but faced way.
"Is something wrong?" I asked, hoping for something like 'Oh, nothing.' or 'Don't mind me.' But that was not the case.
"I'm afraid so. For you see, it is time we tell you of our demise. " The being spoke. Again, it's heavenly, feminine voice reminded me of a princess back home. It sounded almost like Cadance.
I swallowed hard, seeing the dark imagery the other Ancestors presented me. The figure standing atop the tower to the heavens.
"In a moment of confusion, the energy began to fade, and lose power. The only source of energy in the land were the cloths, and even then, they became significantly weaker."
The pictures showed the towers losing their glow, and the cloth strips disappearing. It then showed two figures grasping two ends of a single cloth.
"Soon, it was too late."
The beings faced away, and the cloth they held split in half.
"Our people grew greedy for all the energy they could scavenge. War had broken out."
The word 'war' had nearly crushed me along with the next image. Beings facing each other, standing on large gray shapes that wound around. They emitted a blue beam that was focused on other figures. War machines.
"Rarity. You are unlike anything we have ever seen. You have a strong heart, and you will go far. "
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The vision faded, and Red stood in front of the pathway leading into a dark tunnel.
War or not, I couldn't turn back. My friends will have to wait for now.
The interior of the mountain passage was dark. Instead of the orange glow of the sunlight, blue beams of light hit the sand. Moonlight, perhaps. The sun was setting while ago. The corridor felt colder, too. Maybe it was night. Red and I were silent the more we walked in the path. Well, we were quiet to begin with, but there was a distinct difference. It felt like we were alone. Were we? What if there were more beings like Red? Other creatures wandering the desert, following the same path up the mountain? Where would they come from? What happens if they reach the top?
Red began to pick up his pace. I found myself trotting after him, up a small hill of sand. What I saw over the dune surprised me. There were stone pillars, supporting one another like ruins of a temple. There were red cloths reaching upward, gently swaying, without a breeze. The short strips of cloth glided around in groups, looking an awful lot like a school of fish. And in the dim blue light, I would have said we were underwater. Red drifted up at the plant-like cloths on the stone, and effortlessly swam through the air, enforcing my visions of a marine setting. I followed him, and every piece of fabric I brushed past allowed me to flow upward after Red.
As gravity became weaker against me, I felt like another being all together. A creature that's been here her entire life, who understands every aspect of the world around her. But something new had made itself in my path. Cloth creatures that resembled jellyfish, with tops that were made from rolls of red fabric and longer, thinner strips like tentacles. As I brushed against it, it seemed to notice my presence and let out a low hum, sending me bounding of the others. I bounced on their tops, and I would have been giggling if I could. Red passed me by, and I followed him. We landed on a stone surface, and left the 'watery' world behind. As the orange glow returned, I looked around, confused. Was it morning already? How long were we down here? Had we lost sense of time, or was the cycle of night and day different than before? We had entered a larger building, with a towering ceiling, almost like a cathedral.
In the center was an ornate, metal statue. A giant, serpent like structure, with a single circular eye in the center of it's head and three sets of short, serrated wings. Now that I think about it, it bared a frightening resemblance to the war machines in the Ancestor's imagery...
Oh, Celestia, why did I have to be right? An innocent cloth creature had drifted infront of it, and the building resonated with a metal groaning. The eye of the metal statue lit up an eerie blue, and shined on the cloth flying away. But the machine was too fast. In a swift charge, the beast sliced through the creature, making a gold dust rain down. Shocked, Red and I hid the ground to avoid detection. The war machines were alive?! It was to scary to think about as the beast growled and flew out of the room, hungry for more. Then, it was quiet. Red and I stood up, shaking the sand off our robes. It would be best to keep moving. We traveled to the end of the corridor, and after a few turns, things got a little rougher.
Another long hallway, with more flying serpents scanning the room with their beams of light for any other life. I figure it would be best not to get caught. The edges of the path seemed to be out of their view. It would be the best course of action. I took the right path, and Red went left. As each serpent scouted about, there were moments of opportunity where we could stealthily rush from pillar to pillar, lurking in the shadows. At the end of the tunnel, Red and I reconvened, stopping at the edge of a slope. It looked like a massive staircase, with sand coating the ground. More serpents. We'd surely be caught. But at the bottom, there was another statue. An Ancestor statue. If we could just elude those beasts...
Without thinking, I hopped down, and Red gliding down next to me. The monsters let out primal groans, and began tailing us. Our speed wasn't enough to lose them. They gained on us, bit by bit, attempting to take a bite from us. Then, we reached the statue. We slid through wall of light, and the beasts simply bounced off it, and slithered away.
I was breathing hard. "Get it together, Rarity." I told myself. "You can do this. How much harder could it get?"
The area near the staute was wonderfully lit with glowing glyphs on the pillars and walls. I sat beside Red, ready to meet the next Ancestor.
<><><><><><><><><><>
The mountain was even closer than I imagined. The Ancestor stood beside me, looking up at the peak.
"You have come far. Your voyage is nearly complete. " The being spoke, turning to me.
I felt a little relieved to hear that. "Finally. I just want to go home." I muttered, making my heart get a little heavy. Without any sort of warning, I was shown the next chapter of the Ancestor's story. A grim reminder of the past. The bodies of the beings laying on the sand.
"After the war, there was no one left. Only six beings of our people survived. And as the city grew weaker in time's relentless grip. The energy of the fallen gathered to us, making the remaining Ancestors deities to watch over the remains of the realm."
The image depicted the stone buildings buried by layers of sand. The glowing symbols then condensed toward a single point.
"However, something happened we did not foresee. What ever energy did not give us power, became another being."
And there, standing on a hill of sand, was another being. What stood out the most was the robe, colored a bright crimson.
"Red?" I whispered under my breath, as the story's depiction faded.
"You're quite a resilient being. I can tell we chose wisely."
"Wait, what? You chose me?" I asked.
"Yes, the remaining Ancestors picked you to fulfill our true task."
"What true task? What more could I do?"
Before I could ask anymore, the white realm faded, sending be back to reality.
<><><><><><><><>
I stood, and glanced over. My scarf was at least twice as long as I was, and then I looked at Red. He was the remnants of an entire mortal species. If he should die, what would become of him? Would the entire civilization just be... gone? Literally dust in the wind?
But the most confusing thing was what the Ancestor told me. I had another task. Not to climb the mountain, but what? I tried to push the thought aside. All in good time, I suppose.
We entered the next chamber, and I wanted more answers.
Sigh. More climbing. I never would have guessed.
The next chamber didn't stretch on like the last one, but rather, extended upward. It was a circular room, that reached up to a ceiling about four stories high. Taking up most of the room was a pillar, stretching up to the third story of the room. I kept staring up at it as Red wandered off to some part of the room. I was perplexed. The center pillar had no stairs, no ladder, not even a rope to pull yourself up. Around the walls of the chamber were a few scattered platforms. They extended from the edge, and pointed toward the center pillar, each one with a hexagon panel to stand on. I suppose it would be possible to glide across the gap between each one, but that would be a stretch. The space was a little far apart, and the height difference would be to hard to over come, even with our extra long scarves.
But then, it appears Red found a solution. I heard his low hum, and I saw him staring at a glyph on the wall. It depicted himself, standing on a sandy hill. It wasn't much to look at, but it told it's story just as well. Soon, a low rumble rang over head, like stone scraping against stone.
I looked up, and nearly panicked. I saw a dim liquid pouring out from the top of holes in the ceiling, and filling up the chamber. Water, I asume. The water level rose rather quickly, and I found myself up to my neck in it. But it didn't feel like water. It smelled rather exotic, and tingled against my fur. I was surprised to have myself floating out of it, and just being near this liquid allowed my scarf to lift me up and onto the first platform. As Red floated up beside me, the liquid filled up a little higher. A quick hop sent Red onto the next one, clearing the gap in a single bound. I took the same leap of faith, and sure enough, I glided farther than I ever did before.
I looked to the wall, and I saw another glyph, showing Red and broken fragments of stone pillars. I saw this before. I met Red there. How was all this depicted? If I was with Red the whole time, how was anyone able to know what we were doing and carve this image on the wall? I kept moving, as the strange liquid started to catch up to me. Red was already way ahead of me. He kept bounding amazing distances, lighting up more runes along the way. I followed his tracks, and glanced at each one as I passed it. The further I got, the more I recognized it. This was the entire path Red and I took on the way here. I reached the half-way mark of the pillar, and was amazed at what was happening below.
Cloth creatures. So many of them. The air-swimming ones with strips flowing behind them, small schools of fabric 'fish' darting together, and the jellyfish I had encountered a little while ago. But something much larger surfaced. The biggest cloth creature I had ever seen, a large whale-fish creature composed entirely of red fabric. It let out a low hum that made the liquid vibrate and ripple. As I kept staring downward, I had to stop short as Red stood on the last platform, with nothing ahead of us. The liquid was no rapidly rising, and the cloth-whale had breached the surface, right in front of us.
Red lept forward, and I instinctively jumped too. The cloth-whale had caught us, and swam through the air, carrying us on its back. We rose higher and higher, leaping onto the very top of the central pillar. The giant creature then descended into the liquid below, which stopped rising.
I turned to a giant opening in the room, showing a clear view of the mountain. A cold wind drafted in, and light flakes of snow blew in. I had almost forgotten what snow even was. Red and I looked around the other parts of the high ceiling.
Orange glowing runes seemed to drift off the walls, and create the circle of light in front of a slanted statue.
"Perhaps now I'll get some actual answers. " I thought.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><>
I noticed two major details of the new white realm. First, the mountain in the distance was extremely close, and second, the ceiling of the stone temple was still there. It glowed of its runes, but cast a light blue hue on the area instead of the one on the orange stone.
An Ancestor stood before me, as expected.
"Alright. I have so many questions. What is my other task?" I implored.
"The task you seek is not determined by the Ancestors." He said, which made me quite upset.
"What?! I come all this way, and I still don't know what I'm supposed to do? Who is it determined by?" I shouted, exasperated.
"I believe your companion holds the answer. "
I then paused. Red knew my task? Why would he want me to do anything? We could barely speak to each other, let alone express our thoughts with each other.
"You are very close to your destination. But there is more. Your hardest trial yet." The Ancestor continued, showing me another vision. But this was different. Instead of occupying my entire field of view, the image was hovering in front of me, like it was woven on a tapestry.
It was like the temple glyphs all strung together at once. But I saw a minimalist figure, standing amongst dunes. I inspected it closely. It stood on four legs, and had a white robe covering its purple mane.
I then realized, it was me. The minimalistic picture of myself and Red were shown crossing the bridge, the desert and sliding down the slopes of the hills. It even depicted the ancient serpents hunting us in the tunnels and finally, climbing the tall tower. I expected it to stop there, but I was wrong. The image kept scrolling, showing Red and I so close to the mountain's peak. Lines that symbolized wind marked the air above us, and our illustrations were hunched over and kneeling.
"What does this mean? What's going to happen to us?" I asked, feeling worry and anxiety gather in my heart.
"The mountain is a harsh terrain. Very little venture up it, and none have truly returned." The Ancestor replied, with an almost solemn tone. "Your destination is close at hand. The Ancestors have trusted you since your arrival." The deity spoke, as the image faded from view. "You are strong. The mountain is your final adversary."
<><><><><><><>
Without any opportunity for me to reply, I was back at the temple's exit, a little worried. What would become of Red and I? I found myself standing and walking toward the door, watching the cold winds gust inside. I had gotten used to the scorching heat, and now I faced the blistering cold.
It really was now or never.
I thought a little change in temperature would be nice. I would no longer be sweating in the sun like a pastry in an oven. But now that pastry was suddenly freeze-dried. Cold icy wind whipped around me, but my white cloak did a surprisingly good job at blocking the wind. Most of it, anyway. I felt myself shaking as my hoof prints made my trail in the snow, only to be covered instantly by the wind.
Red seemed to be just as cold. Our scarves were about twice as long as our own bodies, but now, frost formed on the cloth, causing whatever energy inside to fade away. The mountain's peak was so close, I could see the snow forming on top of it.
We kept climbing. The path we followed twisted and turned, winding up rocky hills. My mind began to wander. How long ago was it when I arrived? It felt like an entire day, if not more. If the mountain truly is as treacherous as the Ancestor said... will I ever go back to see Ponyville again? Will my friends miss me? I don't want them to think I abandoned them.
Luckily, there was a small hut at the edge of the stone wall. We quickly went inside, not questioning an opportunity to get out of the wind. There were more stone markers inside, and a strange object in the center. Our scarves brushed against the markers, and the object began to glow. It was a lantern of some sort, bringing a soft, warm glow to us. I felt a wave of relief rush through me, sitting in the warm orange light to gather myself.
"Right. We can do this. It'll just take a little effort and dexterity, that's all." I told myself. As the last of the frost on our robes melted away, we left the hut, staying close together in order to share heat. We hiked a little higher, and I felt the warmth quickly vanish. We came across metal segmented boxes, like the ones we encountered in the desert. They were big enough for both of us to stand under, despite being half buried in snow.
But a familiar, gruesome roar rang through the air. The sky was obstructed by thick gray clouds and the light flurry of snow. Panicked, I crouched under the metal box, peering out for an answer.
A beam of light began to shine down onto the snow, as if scanning the area. The light waved over the box we hid in, but moved along. As the light moved further, I saw what made the growling. It was another metal war serpent, like the ones under the desert. That's when two new facts struck me. One, the serpents looked a cloth whale covered in a metal coating. Most likely because they were. Second, the box we hid in was the metal shell of the flying monsters. A tad unnerving, if you ask me. Looking out of the shell, I could faintly make out shapes drifting through the thick clouds. It was starting to understand that the cold wouldn't be the only peril up here.
Up ahead, I saw an archway made of stone, leading up the mountain. I was so close! Red and I quickly moved through the snow, avoiding the spotlights by hiding under more metal boxes. As we passed under the arch, I felt something well up in my chest. The rest of the mountain was just a snowy hill, leading up to the peak. Lightning crashed over head, and the light snow was now more of a total blizzard. But scattered along the slope, were stone markers.
Markers like the ones I encountered before, and now, they really were graves. Other beings that attempted to scale to the summit, but failed, their bodies buried with snow. Red was walking up already, not bothering to pause. I followed him up, my hooves sinking into the heavy, loose snow. Red's movements were a litte more nimble, but not too much. The snow was coming down hard, and I felt myself shivering. I took a quick peek back toward the base of the mountain. Nothing. Just an endless flurry of snow and wind chilling every last square inch of me. I kept trudging up the mountain, struggling to keep up with Red. He just kept going, not even bothering to wait up. But suddenly, the wind died down.
The thunder stopped booming over head. It was almost total silence. Except for the sound of our footsteps crunching on the snow, and my own breath shaking. I hadn't noticed it earlier, but my head was throbbing and my vision grew blurry. I began to feel dizzy and weak. I tried to convey some message to Red, but I found myself too tired and gasping for breath to make any sort of noise. Not even a hum. The cold was starting to wear away at my body, and soon, my will. I didn't want to suffer this any longer. I just wanted to leave this mountain. But I kept walking, despite my crushed spirit.
Red wasn't looking any better. With my eyes struggling to keep open and focused, he was moving as slow as I was. I then felt my heart break as he knelt down, in the snow. He then fell forward, and ceased movement.
Frightened, I stepped up to him as quick as I could, and fell to my knees beside him. "Red...?" I thought, looking for any response.
"I need you... please... get up." I nudged him with my hoof.
I felt myself trembling at this awful truth. There was nothing I could do to fix it. We had come so far, but now he had just left.
I then thought, "This is it. I've done all I could." I just couldn't move anymore. I failed.
I rested my head on Red's cold body, and shut my eyes. My head felt lighter, and my muscles relaxed. The cold had made me go numb.
I'll tell you this. Death does not feel good. After a few seconds of silence and void, I felt movement again. I hovered over my body, which was just laying in the snow. There were shapes moving toward me. Six tall figures, with white robes that nearly shrouded them in the wintery area. The radiated a powerful aura, which made the air feel heavier and denser. I then realized what happened.
The Ancestors had all gathered, for my death had brought them together. They looked down at my body.
"Quite a shame. Another has fallen."
"She has a beautiful heart. She would have made it to the top."
"She can prevail. We must not let death stop her."
The Ancestors closed their eyes, and let a single, heavenly hum in unison. My body was picked up from the snow, and I felt my essence become sucked back into it. My scarf and robe had vanished, exposing my purple mane and cutie mark.
I opened my eyes and jolted awake, gasping my new breaths. I felt the numbness fade away, and new power filling me.
"Your true task has yet to be completed. Go, Rarity. Complete your journey." They spoke to me, as I began to glow with a gold light.
The mountain was close. I lept up into the sky, burrowing through a tunnel of clouds with a new determination. A pinpoint of light grew closer as I flew closer and closer to it. The war serpents roared at the sides, dashing through the tunnel in an attempt to stop me. I easily outmaneuvered them, and reached the point of light.
It was then I felt awe. The mountain top was high above the clouds, with a clear blue sky. The sun was rising behind me and golden runes slipped up from the clouds, sparkling in the air. Cloth creatures of all sorts were following my path, beside me and in front of me. I was so amazed! It was a truly wonderful feeling, and I just let out a cry of joy and laughter, which delighted me even more. My voice was back! I felt a wide smile appear on my face, as I was free from the bonds of gravity and suffering. Why, I looked up to see my own mane glimmering a divine gold!
It was truly perfect. I kept flying upward, taking in all the sights and sounds of the sky. The shining runes and misty peak, the hums and chirps of the cloth creatures, and the true feeling of freedom. The peak was literally right in front of me. I would finish what I had started, and achieve what seemed impossible from the start. I was then enveloped in a gold streak of light, which propelled me at a faster rate.
When I reached the peak, I dropped down. I stood on the edge of the cliffside, the center of the mountain emitting a golden light which obscured whatever was on the other side. My mane had lost its glow, and I could no longer fly. Red stood a few feet in front of me, and I was happy to see he was alive. I trotted up to him, and he strolled beside me as we made for the center. A short walk.
"You've done well. I must say I've never had a companion quite like you before." It was Red's voice. He was speaking to me in my language. But the odd part was, he sounded like a male and a female being speaking in perfect unison.
"Well, thank you. I'm glad I had a friend along the way." I said, just happy to finally connect with Red.
"Friend..." He said, a little perplexed at the word. "Well, 'friend', I must ask you something. Your final task." He said, instantly getting my attention. The light grew a little brighter as we moved toward it.
"I know you are not of this world. When you get back, chances are this world will be gone. Maybe forever."
"So... what do you want me to do?" I asked, as the light enveloped us both.
"Leave a trace of us. If even one other being discovers something of our world, it will open a new ray of hope to us, even if we do not truly understand how." Red said, as the the light made everything disappear.
Everything just...stopped. The ground below me vanished, and the sound of the wind was silent. I heard Red's voice one more time.
"To each day I am given. I say this. 'Tis my time that I fare from you. Lost is my homecoming. Along this road goes no-one. Do not pity me. I was born for this."
I then heard another voice. The realm changed around me, and I heard singing. It was a beautiful voice, like from a goddess, or Princess Celestia herself. I caught my eyes watering at the heavenly lyrics.
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"Stat sua cuique dies Stat sua cuique dies Mael is me to feran Aleto men moi nostos Aleto men moi nostos Cest pour cela que je suis née Kono michi ya Yuku hito nashi ni Kono michi ya Aki no kure Cest pour cela que je suis née Ne me plaignez pas Cest pour cela que je suis née"
And now, I knew was going home.
I awoke with a shock as I found my face on the floor. Rainbow Dash leaned over me.
“Rarity! Are you alright?” She asked, helping me up. I found myself in the same spot as when I ‘left’, talking with Rainbow as if I never gone anywhere. “What happened? You just started staring off into space, and then collapsed! Wait. Are you... crying?” She asked raising an eyebrow.
Now, my eyes were watering, in fact, as the heavenly song still rang in my head. “Terribly sorry, Rainbow. I-I think I just had a moment there.” I said, hoping to cover up what I experienced.
“Alright. Want me to come by later?” The pegasus asked. I simply nodded, and she drifted out the door.
It was all so strange. I felt like I spent days in the desert, but Rainbow sounded as if a second had passed. But for now, I had a job to do.
It had taken me hours to gather all the red silk I had. It took even to craft them into the closest I could to fulfill Red’s wish. After a solid chunk of my schedule out the window, I was finished. I had made two replicas of Red’s cloak. Bold and dynamic, yet simple and graceful. Since I wasn’t sure wether Red was male or female, I made one for both. Both designed with red hoods, orange embroideries, and red and orange scarves that draped over the shoulders. But now, was the hardest part.
Weeks had passed, and I left the outfits at the center of my boutique, for all to see. No buyers. Not even a second glance. I was starting to think my efforts were in vain, despite my own attempts to reassure myself. Something told me they would just gather dust.
Moments before I was ready to close up for the night, I took a curtain and was ready to drape it over the ponyquinns of the cloaks. But then, there was a voice entering the shop.
“Hello there! Are you the owner of this boutique?” It was a cheery, young voice, and I turned behind me. Two ponies. A gray and brown unicorn stallion and a white and red pegasus mare.
“Why, yes... I am.” I responded, setting the curtain down.
“We were going to take a trip up to Canterlot, and we wanted some outfits.” The stallion said. “Would you happen to have anything for a long walk together?”
Those words struck a chord with me. “Well... I have these.” I said, motioning toward the red robes.
The pegasus smiled widely. “Ooh! Those look wonderful! And they’re matching! What do you think?” she asked, turning to her partner. The unicorn scratched his chin, and smirked.
“I like it. Looks like you read our minds.” He said to me.
“Well, I’ve also fitted them with sleeves for any winged ponies or for holding saddlebags. Perfect for hot or cold weather.” I said, hopeful. I might actually have a buyer for these.
“Well, my mind is made up. We’ll take them.” The unicorn said, and the pegasus clapped excitedly.
“Wonderful. Thirty bits, then.” I said, and the unicorn summoned a pouch of coins. He passed them to me, and slipped the robes over himself and his mare. The two thanked me, and set off into the night with their new crimson robes. As I watched, I couldn’t help but feel satisfied as a small part of me felt complete.
“I did it, Red... ” I thought, wondering if he would hear me.
