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.