//------------------------------// // 1. Sleep of the Statue // Story: The Stone Temple // by Salchipipe //------------------------------// "C’mon Twi! Just a little try?" "No!" Starlight walked down the Ponyville streets as the conversation she had with her mentor a while ago replayed in her mind. While her main motivation for magical studies in the first place was morally questionable, she had always been generally interested in magic, perfecting spells, trying new ones, making her own, sometimes with ambitious objectives that went past what typical unicorns would think of. She had spent a long time on her own reading darker books, even studying the abhorred practices of occultism to satiate her hunger for knowledge. However, even being a gifted unicorn, she never found what she was truly looking for, which is to say, something that broke with the typical conceptions of magic, maybe even the universe itself. Now, in her new life, changed by another experienced magic user, she had tried to drift away from such thoughts. However, the opportunity was far too tempting. Simply suggesting that her mentor try some dangerous spells wasn’t a good way to approach the subject, now that she thought about it. After a sermon of how trying to mess with reality is dangerous -if you don’t know how to control it- and that she has to take responsibility with her great power, Starlight had accepted Twilight’s suggestion to enjoy normalcy for a change and take a walk around Ponyville. She decided to take her saddlebags in case she found something interesting to buy. She was a bit upset that Twilight immediately discarded her idea. It was true that she told her in a precipitated way, but some explaining might get her to understand. In any case, the day was one of the best Starlight had seen. The sun was high in the sky, bathing the little town in its warmth and light. Ponies ran around doing their chores, others merely talked. Everypony was giving off a nice vibe, which Starlight appreciated. For a long time she was worried ponies may fear or hate her for her past actions, she was lucky Ponyville was so forgiving. Even then, she still felt a deep boredom dragging her down. Just a tiny harmless spell, that’s all she wanted to try. I just need an excuse, she thought, but what would be good enough? Nothing in Ponyville gave such a chance. Everything was calm and the best she could do was a stronger levitation spell to help a mare carry her oranges. Unless, it’s not in Ponyville. Her face lit up, surprisingly, no bulb appeared over her head. That’s it! I just need to find some place where Twilight and I can be alone and away from town. The first place she thought of was the forest that laid on the outskirts of Ponyville. The Everfree was a place filled with mystery, despite the many times she and her friends had gone into it. While she was not really into things like camping, something about the forest always called to her, and nopony had ever explored it in detail. As long as she went with care, she should be fine in scouting it as a place to experiment, or even find something worth telling, maybe even historical. Hope filled her chest. Thinking about what to bring to be prepared, she trotted over the stalls; a snack would do nicely for the walk. As she approached an apples stand, conflicting thoughts crashed with her plans, and her eyebrows lowered in doubt. Would Twilight approve of this? Maybe I should ask her first. The conversation of a few minutes ago joined her mindscape. No, of course she wouldn’t. I’ll just go take a walk around, she won’t find out. And if she does, I can explain. Managing to ignore the little guilt she felt, she reached for some bits on her bags, still wondering what she may find in the old woods. The smell of the humid dirt entered her nostrils. Ugly roots emerged from the ground, like worms that crawled on mud, accompanied by dark mold and dead branches. The ones that hadn’t fallen, wavered to the gentle wind, projecting shadows that danced to inaudible music. Between the tall trees and green bushes Starlight went, careful not to cut herself with the sharp appendages. She started to understand why most ponies feared the forest; it felt much darker and colder without her friends. Nonetheless, she kept a steady pace, knowing that she had magic on her side. I think I’m lost though. She looked around the trees, all basically the same. Maybe I can spot Ponyville or something else with a higher view. Her horn flared with aquamarine energy, which enveloped her body. Carefully, she levitated herself upwards, surrounding herself in a magic shield that protected her from the long branches. Rising out of the endless woods, she put a hoof over her eyes, covering the sun’s blinding rays. As the shield faded away, she squinted her eyes, looking for any point of reference that could tell her where she was. Surprisingly, she couldn’t see Ponyville anywhere. Her brow curving with worry, she turned her head one way and then the other, hoping to see any hints of the cozy town. She could have sworn she didn’t travel that far. No luck graced her, only a sea of dark green with faraway mountains meeting her pupils. She didn’t even see the old castle Twilight had talked to her about, or the ravine were the Tree of Harmony was located. Was the Everfree forest that big? Her worry was replaced with surprise, as she spotted something very different. “A tower?” She spoke out loud. A stone building poked above the treetops ending in a short conic roof. It was covered with brown and putrid vegetation, suggesting it had been up for a long time. What really caught her attention about the structure was not only that the roof and walls seemed to be fused with one another, but that it was covered with weird carvings and shapes with seemingly no order or purpose. Of course, the weeds were covering the scriptures, and erosion probably participated in making the lines seem random. It didn’t have any windows, neither cracks or lines were rock was put together. Curiosity taking over, Starlight levitated towards the turret. Upon getting closer, she saw that the markings were more like angles overlapping each other, like one of those weird paintings she had seen in art expositions. Something about it doesn’t feel right though. A shiver ran down her spine. Why is this even here? Stopping at what she guessed was the front of the tower, thanks to a noticeable difference in the markings; she gently lowered herself towards the ground. Another bubble generated around her as she submerged into the green ocean. Reaching the floor, the bubble popped, revealing the great building in all its ancient glory. It was some kind of temple, the chapel simply being rectangular prism with its vertices smoothed by age. Like the tower, it was covered by moss and didn’t have any windows, but the markings were more prominent, and at some points, they seemed to represent nebulous shapes, none recognizable. Looking over it, Starlight couldn’t find any dentations that suggested individual walls being put together. It’s like whoever made it, went and molded it right on a giant stone, she thought. What are these lines though? They don’t make sense. A short staircase led to a small platform where the only possible entrance lied. A door, or rather, a stone plate covered a rectangular hole. Painted on it was a single white line, with five smaller ones branching out of it. Neither plants nor time had affected the rock or paint, being in a perfect state. It must be a sigil, Starlight thought, but it doesn’t look like any sigil I’ve seen. She slowly walked towards the stairs, taking notice of their decrepit state. She stopped. Once again her gaze landed on the unknown sign. Her muscles tensed. Something about this place didn’t feel right. It was like something that should never be disturbed, sealing ancient secrets that nopony should know. It radiated malice and warning, making Starlight’s heartbeat faster and the fur on her back stand straight. She felt like she shouldn’t be here. She shook her head. “What’s getting into me?” She took a deep breath, which took her tension with it as it was let out. “It’s nothing, it’s nothing, it’s just a stone house… with weird, incomprehensible markings… a-and no windows…” She raised one of her hooves to her forehead, and tapped it lightly. “Snap out of it Starlight!” She put it down and took another breath. “You’ve been through worse. Besides, look at what you found!” Her confidence had returned, and she smiled. Talking to herself always reassured her. “Twilight is going to be so excited when I tell her!” Resuming her walk, she stepped up the stone stairs, feeling the humid moss squish against her hooves. Her eyes stayed fixated on the painted plate, making great contrast with the rest of the building. She’s definitely going to explore it, so why not do some of my own? She reached the platform, almost in front of the door. Maybe I’ll find something of… personal interest inside. She faced the smooth stone plate, with its purifying symbol. It had a calming aura, even though it looked rapidly painted, lines of dripping white adorning it. Without hesitation, magic flowed from her horn as she levitated the door to the side, unlocking the age-old temple. Immediately, a new feeling pierced her body. The inside was pitch black, only the faint light of the entrance revealing a small part of a red shiny floor. It was abnormally clean compared to the outside of the church, and it filled Starlight with confusion. “M-maybe I should just… close it back up,” she said, as the darkness looked like it could swallow her whole. Her facial features tightened, and she frowned. “No, no I’m not leaving. I found an ancient temple, I’m not about to leave it untouched.” She penetrated the blackness, ready to face whatever she would find there. Her horn lit up again, this time only its tip, dissipating the darkness around Starlight. Now with more visibility, she saw that the whole floor was a shiny crimson, the only difference being that two lines of gold drew a path into the dark. Slowly, she walked forward, the sound of her hooves echoing through the empty chamber. Her body was shaking slightly, the feeling of warning and malice returning. She decided to speed up, breaking into a trot, turning her wide eyes here and there, expecting to see something in the shadows, ready to jump at her. Her mouth started to feel dry, and her teeth were clenched in terror. The small rectangle of light looked much more inviting now, leading to the bright and safe outside. She stopped walking, and begun to breath slowly. Deep breaths, deep breaths. She put her hoof on her chest, taking a slow gulp of air, and let it out while motioning with her hoof to the side. Twilight had taught her about some breathing exercises against stress, nervousness or fear. It managed to help her gain some control of her berserk senses. She trotted forward, fighting against the dread that built up in her chest. Her gut told her to sprint towards the exit and never come back, but her mind insisted going forward, solve the mystery of this place. What was she afraid of? What expelled such threatening vibes to make her almost crumble in fear? While this internal fight continued, she realized something about the inside of the building. She didn’t see how long the building was, but judging by its front, it shouldn’t have been bigger than Equestrian churches. She assumed she was simply losing time, with all the mental strain she was put through, but even then, she was sure that she should’ve reached the end a while ago. Either the temple was much longer or magic was at work here. She stopped cold on her tracks. A shape had revealed itself to her, still shrouded by the blackness that resisted against her light spell. As she slowly approached it, the gray mass was slowly freed from the abyss. A lump or protuberance was the best way to describe it. It was an amorphous stone, definitely done with purpose, for no stone could have such an unnatural shape. The hard blob extended in the ground, like liquid stretching out on the floor, roots reaching out for more land. Dark holes were present all around it, like countless eye sockets, which absorbed all the light her horn projected. It was gigantic; occupying three times the length of the path Starlight was walking on. It was marked with various symbols or letters, unintelligible hieroglyphs of forgotten times. “What… is this?” She exclaimed, her eyes wide open and glassy, glancing upon the statue of old. Curiosity had started to take over her once again, even if the statue was certainly repulsive. She decided not to approach it, just close enough to see if anything in ponish was written on the base. It surprised her to find some known letters in between the ignored lines, and she assumed they were trying to name the foul thing represented in stone. “Masogda?” Starlight pronounced, baffled at the seeming jumble of letters. She stayed pensive for a while. Maybe this was for worship. It is inside some kind of weird temple. She felt the tension return to her chest. Who would revere a deity this hideous though? Keeping her distance, she went around the statue to check if there was something else behind it. She looked at one of the “eyes” of it, deep and dark. It had a weird attraction to it, like the further she stared, the more she would know. About what? She wasn’t sure, but she kept staring anyways, unto that infinite vortex. She started to feel lightheaded, and for a while she forgot of the world around her, as it faded away. She felt herself floating towards the opening, as it seemed to grow out of its seams, engulfing the whole room. In complete tranquility, she saw small and numerous spots of light appear in the vast emptiness, the great stars of history revealing their light. Peaceful and beautiful, they went past her, floating in the blackness that supported them for ages unnumbered. She started to understand, as she traveled towards a place not from this small universe, but beyond the angles of space. “Gate… way…?” She whispered, as her eyelids lowered with relaxation and tiredness, as it, reached out to her. Her eyes shot open, and she freed herself from the trance, shaking her head and backing away. She rubbed her eyes with her hooves, still dizzy and disoriented. Something had stared back at her, something that waited in the deepest gulfs of the outside. Shaking in fear, she realized she was back on the temple, the sickening statue with its numerous gaps lying in seeming contempt. “I need to leave,” She said in between agitated breaths. “I need to warn Twilight… something is not right with this place…” She caught something in the corner of her eye. While backing away she got closer to the other side of the statue, and her light revealed a tall bookshelf, that looked more like a wall, filled with different books, all looking anew. It distracted her from her worries, and she quickly levitated one of them to her face, scouring through its pages. It was filled with diagrams and drawings of all sorts, and it was written in the same letters she found on the accursed idol. Of course, she didn’t understand any of it, but she opened one of her saddle bags and put the book in, so she could inspect it calmly back at the castle. One of the books called her attention. It was at the center of the bookshelf, as far as she could tell, and, like the floor, it was bound in a shiny scarlet material with its seams being covered in gold, and it was thicker than the rest. Next to it was a green book, less shiny and smaller, but likewise seamed with gold. Taking both with her magic, she looked through the first flipping through it rapidly. The same symbols were on this book, but with less diagrams. It could be the main book of this… religion thing, I guess. Putting it in her saddle bags, she opened the next. Extreme surprise hit her when she found it was written in old ponish. Going to the first page, she read a short subtitle, giving context: NETHERMOST ASTRAL PLACES. WRITTEN CONSENSUS ON THE SKY-SPAWNED RACE “SAGAE”. HISTORY AND NATURE. BY FALLING STAR. “No way… ponies already knew of this place?” She inspected the open book throughout, and let her findings sink in. “Why is there no records of it in pony history?” She read the passage again. “Sky-spawned? Sagae? Are those some kind of extraterrestrial race?” Closing the book, she put it along with the random book in her right bag, and stared at the bookshelf. The red book occupied the whole of her left bag, and only two of the others could fit in one of them. Thus, she was already full, making her regret that she didn’t bring the bigger bags. Well, it’s not going to disappear, I can come back for more. The events of a few minutes ago hit her with force. Whatever was waiting in there, it wasn’t good. I have to tell Twilight. Something dangerous is going on with this place. She kept looking at the bookshelf, merely thinking. The statue, the carvings on the buildings, the diagrams on the books, the visions on the black eyes. She looked down at the bright floor and exhaled heavily through her nose. Closing her eyes tight, she put everything on the back of her head. She opened them slowly, contemplating the shelf one last time, and turned for the exit.