Secret Garden 2
The Ruins: The Temple
POV fluttershy
A gentle light shines on my eyes as I lay on the ground; waking me, bring me back to the world of the waking. A gentle sun light directly above me as I lay in a bed of yellow flowers, slightly unnerved by the lack of wind I see why as I look around and find myself in a large cave. Looking up I can see the sky, but there was an odd tint to it. Something told me that it would be no use trying to fly out the way I came, or fell I guess. Getting up I take a good look at the flower bed I fell on. Small yellow flowers stand around me in a circle, somehow not disturbed by my presents. Looking back at the sky and the distance of the fall I can only thank my Pegasus heritage and the flower’s for me making it out of the fall unharmed.
Looking around I took note of the cave around me. Circling the cave’s uneven but uniform walls are many old broken pillars. Old brown grey dirt and rock surrounding the patch of flowers save for a single old path of light brown dirt. Looking further I can see what looks to be a set of old doors at the end of the path.
Looking around I can’t see any other way forward or out of the cave. Mustering my courage I waked toward a set of old broken down double doors. They were old and falling apart. Only one of the doors actually still attached but even then it was only by the top hinge. There was an odd symbol on it but it was too faded to make out.
Waking though into the next chamber, following on an old worn path I came across an odd sight. Sitting there in the middle of the path was a single yellow flower. It was bent down facing away from me. I could even see dark spots and lines on the petals and stem as thou to simulate bruising and other wounds. As I waked closer I stopped as the stem suddenly straitened up and the flower began slowly to turn toward me. I couldn’t help but gasp at the sight before me. Much like the back there were many cuts and bruises but most starling, was the fact it had an actual face.
Gritting its teeth in painful grimes, the flower looked up at me with one eye as the other was currently swollen shut. “Oh no” He as I could tell from his voce began to speak. “I thought I was safe here dam it. Please don’t hurt me!”
Multiple emotions and thoughts ran through my head at the flowers plea. First I felt insulted at the thought I would ever willingly hurt another living being. Then sorrow at the thought of what could have happened to make him so afraid.
Unable to just leave him like he was, I slowly kneeled down in front of him and reach a hand forward. Frowning slightly at the way he flinch back I did something me and the other element bears only learned about a little while ago. Each of the elements gives a unique ability to there bearers. Well the others are still trying to develop their powers I already unlocked mine, even if it is week for the time. Focusing a light golden light comes from my hand and shins on the flower. Gasping in surprise he looks at me as the bruising slowly fades away and the swelling around his swollen eye fades to the point he can open it again.
Unable to heal him completely I am still satisfied with my work. Now having the chants I examine him closer, taking note of his green stem and six yellow petals around a white androecium. There on his androecium as well was a small mouth with two pure black eye’s lacking pupils. Checking over my work I could see that the bruising was gone but his pestles still had numbers chips and pieces missing from the edges.
“Y-you heeled me?” caught somewhat off gaud by his sudden question I could only star at him a moment before smiling gently. “You must have just fallen from the surface haven’t you?” Surprise by his guessing I was unable to question how he knew before he answered my unspoken question. “You heeled me. No one is that kind down here. It’s a world of kill or be killed.”
Gasping at his word I couldn’t help but feel both appalled that there could be a place so cruel to live by such a philosophy, and a bit of fear at what it would mean about any others I would meet here. Looking around before turning back to the flower I finally spoke for the first time sent the interaction started.
“Do you know the way out of here? Or can you at least tell me where we are right now I-I-If that’s alright with you?”
He looked at me a moment longer before answering. “You’re in the underground. The ruins of the grand temple at the edge of old home to be exact.” Seeing my confused face at the unfamiliar trims he spoke again. “You really aren’t from around here are you?”
Shaking my head I slowly began to stand up as he continued with a sigh. “I jus I should of known with how you heeled me. No one down here even knows heeling magic anymore. Or if they do, they don’t use it on anyone. To answer your first question the only way out of the underground is at the other end of the underground through the castle at new home.” He looked at me for a few minutes, seeming to debate something with himself before sighting and turning around. “If you want to get there I can take you to the end of the ruins but after that you’re on your own. Just follow me and well get there in no time.”
Shortly after he said that he pulled himself into the ground and reemerged further down the hall. Further down the hall we come to what I believe is the exit of the temple and the entrance to old home. Going through the empty doorway the worn dirt was traded for worn tiled and stone. The ruins of old home were made of old stone colored purple of all things. Old pillars were seen lining the walls as dust covered everything in sight. We continued on down the path of darker shaded tiles leading down the center of the rooms we passed through.
Following after him as he led me through the ruins we went through many halls and rooms before we came to a room with an odd mannequin dummy. It was an old thing made of an old white fabric that had long since become greyed by time and dust.
Before I could do anything else flowy popped up next to the dummy. “As I said before”, here in the underground its kill or be killed. If you’re going to make it down here you need to know how to defend yourself. Trey it out on this dummy. Just hit it as hard as you can.” He motioned to the dummy as he spoke before moving further to the side.
Standing for a moment I study the dummy. It was an old thing made off an old white fabric that had long scents dimed to a dull grey thanks to time and the dust covering everything in the underground ruins. Sitting on a simple pole stand it had a pear shaped body with stitching holding the upper and lower haves together just under the center. The heed was shaped almost like an oval save for the dip on top were it like the body was held together by stitches. Oddly enough it all also had a single arm on the left side barely holding on with worn threads.
Looking I could see a number of hole’s on the dummy both torn and simply worn in to the fabric. Looking around I saw the other arm on the ground next to the dummy. Looking back at the dummy I couldn’t help but feel like I needed to do something here. Mentally shrugging to myself I picked up the arm and brought it to the side of the dummy were I could see the remains of the stitching that had held it in place.
I don’t know what brought me to try but as I held the fallen arm to the dummy’s side I held out my other hand and tried to heel it. I knew it would not work, healing magic works by using the soul as a templet of sorts and mending the body to mach. Imagen my surprise when the spell took. The old dummy glowed in my magic as the rips and tears closed, the stitching holding the left arm tightening as the right bound itself back together. The greyed cloth gained back its white color as what appeared to be a small black dot’s appeared were the eyes would be.
Ending the spell I stood back and stare in aww at the now pristine dummy. Be for I could wonder what happened the dummy, to my shock began to move. Moving its arms to test the motions before it looked at me with its small black dot eyes. Be for I or flowy could do or say anything the dummy bowed its head as if in thanks be for flouting up to the ceiling, stopping only a moment to glow with magic before it continued and passed through the ceiling as though it wasn’t there.
I stood there staring at the place in the ceiling the dummy disappeared before slowly turning to look at flowy. Like me he was staring speechlessly at the ceiling.
Finally braking out of his super flowy looked to me. “Err let’s just keep going.” Was his only response before pulling himself into the ground, calling me to the next room.
Travelling through many more rooms and halls we eventually came to and old but sturdy looking door. Unlike the others before this one was framed by multiple old broken pillars on either side. Popping up next to the door flowy addressed me. “This is it, the door to the ruins proper. Once you go past here there’s no going back. You sure you want to keep going? There aren’t many other monsters as nice as me.”
I would be lying if I said that I want scared, but the map had sent me here for a reason and I had to find out what it was. Taking a deep breath I square my shoulders and slightly flared my wings before nodding at flowy. He sighed be for a large vine came up behind on of the collapsed pillars and pulled a switch I hadn’t seen beforehand. As the door opened a gust of air blows around me and quite pleasantly through my feathers.
Taking one last deep breath to calm my nerves I waked forward through the door in front of me, and took my first steps into the underground ruins of old home.