Dark Conflict: The Solaris Chronicle

by Six Quills

The Sanctum

Chapter 3:
The Sanctum

The path from the village lead westward through the frozen mountains. Apart from short passages that lowered in altitude, the trail was as treacherous and storm-ridden as the way in. The freezing snow stung their coats as the strong winds provided incredible resistance. Properly geared and supplied, the four alicorns bravely made their trek through the icy way.

"So, Vortex," Solaris asked as they rested in a cave along the trail, "What exactly is The Sanctum? I'm sure it's a safe place just by the title, but I'm curious about the details."

"The Sanctum was discovered shortly after Malicious Shadow came to power. A small band of ponies sought to escape from his rule, and in their search for a safe refuge they stumbled across it. It is a massive underground cavern surrounding an ancient alicorn temple. It’s situated at the base of these mountains, directly north of the Galloping Gorge. The entrance is well hidden by both natural defenses and enchantment spells. Its existence has been kept an absolute secret to all but a few. I myself have only been there once before." Vortex replied as he poked a newly made fire.

"That’s incredible," replied Solaris, leaning forward with interest. "What about that temple, though? I'd like to hear more about that." Vortex turned his head to Solaris.

"How much do you know about the Ancient Ones?" he questioned.

"Do you mean the demi-god alicorns from the legends? Not much I'm afraid. I've heard a few stories before, but that’s all." Solaris replied, leaning forward even more as his interest increased.

"I don't know all that much myself. The temple is believed to have been constructed by the Ancient Ones, long before the discovery of Equestria by ponykind. It is a complete mystery. The entire temple emanates a strange aura, and not even some of the wisest alicorns who have visited it can make sense of it. There is, however, one unicorn that learned to draw from that magic." Vortex turned his head back to the now-roaring fire. "She calls herself the Oracle... she's a seer."

"A seer?" Gaia responded, injecting himself into the conversation. "You mean she can see the future?"

"We believe so, but very few ever get to see her. She lives within the temple with a few other unicorns, and doesn't let anyone else inside." Vortex laid himself down close to the fire. "That's really all I know."

Solaris lay down as well and stared into the warm flames; his thoughts focusing on the information he had just been given. The Sanctum would hopefully prove to be a safe place for them to live their lives, and all the talk of these mysterious things, somehow made him feel safer.

"So, Vortex," Solaris said, breaking the silence. "What about you? We hardly know anything about you. Tell us about yourself." Vortex smiled as he shifted his body to face Solaris and Gaia.

"Well, as you probably guessed, I was born in Winterspeak, roughly thirty years before Malicious Shadow took power. I never knew my parents, but I've come to know the entire village as my family. I've been a leading figure in the village for almost twenty years now. I'm happy to say the village has been safe from the Emperor's armies... mostly at least."

"Mostly?" Solaris questioned with a concerned look. "Did something happen?" Vortex turned his gaze and stared out of the cave and into the harsh storms.

"Compared to the other acts committed by the Emperor, I suppose it's not nearly as tragic, but I still think of it as a failure on my part. Shortly after Malicious Shadow took over Equestria, a small battalion of soldiers were sent to my village to acquire... 'recruits'. Many of the villagers were taken away and forced to join the military. There was a Unicorn General who was put in charge of the entire mission, and I'm sad to say, he was quite powerful. I wanted to stand up to him, but I knew that if I did, it could mean the lives of the entire village." Vortex laid his head down against the cold stone ground; his eyes filling with sadness.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Solaris said in a consoling tone. "But you did the right thing. You saved as many lives as you could."

"Thank you," Vortex responded without lifting his head. "But sometimes I feel there was something more I could have done." Vortex snapped away from his blank gaze and curled up next to the fire. "I think we should get our sleep. We still have a ways to go." Vortex swiftly fell asleep, leaving Gaia and Solaris staring quietly into the fire.

"How's Selena doing?" Solaris whispered.

"Alright, I think," Gaia quietly replied, turning to look at Selena as she lay sleeping just behind them. "She's been asleep for a while. All this traveling must really be taking a toll on her."

"I'll try to convince Vortex to delay our leave tomorrow. We should allow her to get her rest." Solaris looked down upon Selena, and a small, caring smile came across his face, one that Gaia took immediate notice of.

"Don't forget our bet, Solaris." he silently snickered. "I'm holding you to that until the day I die." Solaris tensed up, returning an exhausted look to Gaia.

"I know, Gaia, but I think you can agree that under the circumstances it's not a good time. Perhaps once we've settled down in The Sanctum." Solaris laid himself down and curled up. "We should get our sleep, too. Good night, Gaia."

"Good night, Solaris." Gaia plopped himself down next to the fire, and soon all in the cavern were fast asleep.

---

For the next three days, the four alicorns pushed through the raging blizzards of the mountain passage, struggling to keep their footing against the brutal winds. The sheer cold only got worse and worse as they travelled; it chewed and gnawed at their bodies as well. Not much conversation was made for the remainder of the trip, as the harsh gusts made it impossible to speak, and by the time they settled each night they were too drained to even mutter a sound. Finally, at midday on that third day, the path brought them to the edge of the mountain range, where the storms subsided tremendously, and the warm light of the sun shone through brightly. Vortex lead the others into a small clearing surrounded by cliffs, and in the center stood a large jagged stone.

"We're here," said Vortex as he stared at the stone. "This is the entrance. Stand back while I dispel the enchantments that hide it." As the others stepped back to the edge of the clearing, Vortex's horn glowed fiercely with a bright light, and in a sudden flash of brilliant radiance, the center of the clearing and the stone had been replaced by a downward spiraling staircase into the depths below the mountain.

"Descend quickly," Vortex ordered. "It's only a matter of seconds before the entrance will seal again." Just as the last of them jumped into the stairwell, another bright flash occurred, and the space above their heads filled with solid rock.

The staircase was dimly lit, but there was enough light to see the steps in front of them. The staircase continued to descend a long three hundred feet before exiting out to a massive pair of doors. The doors were fifty feet high by thirty feet wide. They lacked any sort of ornamental qualities, and presented a flat, smooth facade of steel. Vortex positioned himself firmly in front of the hulking metal portals and began to charge his horn with magic. He lowered his horn to make it parallel to the ground and unleashed the magic from his horn into the metal work. The magic jumped around the sturdy metal frames of the doors for a few seconds before finally nestling into the cracks between them and the rock face of the cavern. A completely silent moment passed before heavy clicking and clunks were heard from within the large sheets of metal . Finally, the doors began to move, opening slowly inward. As they opened, Solaris, Gaia, and Selena looked into what lied beyond with awe in their eyes.

"Welcome," said Vortex with a large smile on his face. "To The Sanctum."

Their astonished gaze continued as they walked through the massive opening that stood before them. Although it was a deep underground cave, the cavern was filled with structures of stone and marble, decorated in an old but very appealing fashion. A central, wide walkway lead straight from the gate and through the small town-like settlement for a thousand feet before stopping at the footsteps of a large temple. The temple stood at least fifty feet higher than all surrounding structures. The temple seemed a rather simple design as it possessed no ornate details. It was merely a large rectangular building with a wedged roof, constructed entirely of a white marble stone riddled with dirt and cracks. The only truly pleasant sight to behold of this temple was its small entrance. A double door made of marble and ivory, adorned with exquisite carvings of ponies, stood proudly at the top of the temple steps. The door was bordered by two large alicorn statues, also carved from white marble, which stood upright in a rearing position; their wings spread wide.

The Sanctum was moderately populated. A fair number of ponies were out and about, attending to their daily business, but not so many that the streets were horribly crowded. The crowds, however, did take notice of the four alicorns that had just entered their haven, several of them looking on in curiosity.

"Do... do they not like alicorns?" Gaia asked quietly. "I don't like the way they're looking at us." Vortex responded with a chuckle.

"Don't worry, Gaia. Alicorns are a rare sight around here. Your presence is merely a surprise to them." Gaia gave a doubtful nod has he turned his head to meet the awkward gaze of a young filly colt staring at him from behind his mother. However, Gaia could easily sense the young filly's sheer curiosity of him, so he gave a cheerful smile, and much to his delight, he received a smile back.

The four alicorns brought themselves to a halt in front of the massive temple. They began to feel the magical aura that Vortex had talked about before. It wasn’t a strong presence, but it could definitely be felt, like a warm ray from the sun on a chilly winter day.

“Feels a little strange, don’t it?” came an unfamiliar voice. The four turned their heads to the right, looking at the figure who had just spoken to them. “I can tell by the looks on your faces that you’re feeling the aura.” The figure was a male alicorn, roughly the same height as Solaris. He had a fierce red coat and a bright orange and yellow mane that resembled a roaring bonfire.

“The names Crimson,” he spoke, giving a light bow. “And this is my good friend Aurora.” He pointed his hoof to his side, but to everyone’s confusion, nopony was there.

“Uh, what?” Solaris asked first. “There’s no one there.” Crimson averted his eyes up and to the left, and began quietly whistling a small tune to himself. Solaris quirked his eyebrows, completely baffled with Crimson’s behavior. He turned his head around to address his friends, when suddenly,

“BOO!!”

Solaris jumped backwards, hurling himself onto the ground; his heart skipping a beat. Just as he had turned his head, a bright yellow face popped out in front of him. As he lay on the ground, he regained his composure and calmed himself down. He looked across at a new figure on the floor across from him, spazzing with uncontrollable laughter. Despite her erratic movement, Solaris could easily make out that it was a female alicorn. Her entire body was a bright, practically blinding, yellow.

“You must be Aurora.” Solaris asked, slowly getting up.

“I am indeed!” she replied breathlessly, still somewhat consumed with laughter. “Crimson and I saw you two coming in, and we figured you’d probably want some more alicorn friends, so we greeted you in our usual way!”

“By scaring the living daylight out of me?” Solaris asked sarcastically, nursing a small ache from the fall.

“Yep!” Aurora resumed her laughter. Crimson, who had been sharing in the laughs, stopped to speak up.

“I take it you will need a place to stay. You can come and stay with us; it’s large enough for all of us.” Crimson turned and began to lead them through the streets of the Sanctum. Now that they were off the main street, they got a closer look at what the living conditions were like for those who lived here. Above on the Sanctum's ceiling were several large semi-spherical stones, eight feet in diameter and spaced thirty feet apart, spanning the entire cavern. These stones were heavily enchanted to support life underground. They emitted light to illuminate the entire cave and mimic the day and night cycle of the world above. In addition, these stones would absorb toxic air, such as smoke from fires, and expel breathable air. They were ancient stones, as old as the alicorn temple itself, and how they were created remains a complete mystery.

Shelters were not the worse they had seen. Most ponies had managed to make small homes in some of the decrepit stone buildings, while others lived in small wooden shacks. However they all managed to make comfortable livings and seemed content with what they had. The food seemed decent and abundant enough, but it was far from any type of luxury. It remained a constant cold temperature at this depth underground, so the encampments were littered with fires. By looks alone, it seemed the Sanctum was far from being a comfortable haven, and appeared more to be a town of poverty. However, the residents were more than thankful for it. It was safe from the eyes and ears of Malicious Shadow, and there was an incredible sense of community and friendship among the inhabitants.

"I assume you've come to escape the hunt." Crimson spoke as he led them into a slightly degraded stone hut that he called home. "That's why Aurora and I are here as well... Oh I'm sorry; I haven't gotten your names yet."

"My name is Solaris, and this is Gaia, Selena, and Vortex." Solaris and company gave a small polite bow.

"It's nice to meet all of you." Crimson replied. "Alicorns rarely come here, but we can expect more now that the Emperor is out to gather them up."

"Do you have any idea as to what exactly is going on?" Solaris asked. Crimson grabbed a bundle of logs with his magic and stacked them in squares in the center of the room. He then opened his mouth, and with an exhale of his breath, unleashed a spray of fire upon the stacked logs.

"I don't know all the details, but I'll tell you what I know. Perhaps almost two weeks ago, the Emperor gave an order to his armies to hunt down all alicorns in Equestria, and bring them to the coliseum for a census. The order was not public, so most alicorns were not given any warning. Others, like ourselves, were lucky, and had a chance to escape before being captured. The armies claim it's just for a census of the alicorn population, but we know better. Anything having to do with that coliseum can only mean horrible things. No news has reached us about the fate of the alicorns who were captured, but we fear the worst."

"Why do you think he's doing this?" Vortex questioned. "He's known to do horrible things, but why hunt down alicorns?"

"I don't know, but it's definitely not good." Crimson poked at the fire with his magic. "Well, let's stop thinking about that. It'd be healthier for us to think happier thoughts. Tell me about yourselves; you said you were from Haven?"

"Well Selena, Gaia, and I are from Haven. We've been orphans there since we were still barely newborn. Vortex is from the village of Winterspeak, which is deep in the frozen mountains just north of Haven. We snuck out of Haven when the soldiers showed up, and made our way into the mountains. From there Vortex gave us shelter, and then we journeyed here." Solaris explained.

"That’s quite a journey, having to travel through the mountains like that." Crimson replied. "My journey was also somewhat difficult. I come from a small village in the deserts to the far southeast of Equestria. I come from a family of dragon-tamers, but I'll talk more about that later. When I first heard word that soldiers were hunting down alicorns, I fled through the forests along the eastern shore until I came to a small village called the Hollow Shades. That's where I heard about the Sanctum from a small band of unicorns seeking to travel here. I traveled with them all the way here, but upon arriving, they insisted I don't stay with them. While wandering the Sanctum aimlessly, I bumped into Aurora, and we've been friends ever since." Crimson smiled and turned his head to Aurora, who gave a big smile in return.

"Well, my journey wasn't quite as hard," she started. "I lived in a small cloud village of pegasi south of the Galloping Gorge. When we heard that alicorns were being hunted, the village leader told me about the Sanctum, and more specifically, how to enter it. So I just flew here!"

Solaris and the others listened intently as Crimson and Aurora began to talk about their lives. Aurora, too, was an orphan, and had never met her parents. Crimson was the only alicorn born into a family of unicorns. Just like Solaris, they had managed to live comfortable lives, safe from the reaches of the Emperor, and yet it seems that strain of luck had run out.

After conversing for about an hour, their chats were interrupted by a pair of unicorn mares, dressed in very clean white robes, who entered unannounced and stood firmly in front of them. Before anyone could address them, one of them pointed a hoof at Solaris.

"You with the mane of gold, you are the one called Solaris, correct?" the mare spoke. Solaris, surprised by the intrusion, stuttered his answer.

"Uh, y-yes I am. How do you know me?"

"Follow us," the other mare said. "The Oracle wants to speak with you. Ask us no questions. The Oracle will answer everything." Solaris hesitated, giving a questioning look at Crimson. Crimson, however, had no clue as to what was going on, and could only reply with a shrug of his shoulders. Solaris slowly got up and began to follow.

"Wait, can my friends come with me?" he asked. The mares looked at each other, and then looked back at Solaris, giving him an approving nod. With that, the six alicorns were making their way through the streets of the Sanctum and quickly found themselves outside the doors of the temple. The two mares grabbed the doors with their magic and swung them open. Solaris and his friends followed the mares inside. The temple's interior was magnificent. The walls and ceiling were decorated with shimmering marble stone, and the temple floor was covered in marble statues similar to the ones who stood by the doors outside. A long red carpet lay on the floor beneath them, leading to a raised platform, on which stood what could best be described as an altar of some sorts. Standing facing the altar, was a very old unicorn with a pale white coat, a pale blonde main, and a cutie mark that greatly resembled an eye. She turned slowly to face the alicorns that had just been lead into her presence.

"So," the old unicorn spoke with a surprisingly youthful tone. "The prophesied one has arrived." Solaris, whose mind was still boggled with all kinds of thoughts, was rattled by the statement.

"Excuse me?" Solaris answered shortly.

"You, young alicorn... are the heir to the Throne of Equestria..."

Comments

[Mr Pones]

Recognize that art style from RBD presents.

I'm guessing you're in contact with the artist?

[Six Quills]

2011677
Well I haven't spoken to him in a while, but yes I am.