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.