//------------------------------// // Revelation Part 2: Lost City of Aldiram // Story: Sa'Dalarim: The Preservers. // by firelordzx5 //------------------------------// Revelation Part 2: Lost City of Aldiram "T-that's a... I have no words for that!" Exclaimed Lucky Bone. Twilight's eyes widen while looking at the floating structure in front of them, the small group was in awestruck; Lucky was taking notes along with Twilight, while Rainbow was examining the structure. It is Golden in color with a blue light glowing in various parts, the crystal itself was the strangest part, she could feel a tingling sensation inside of her while she approached the crystal. The group noticed that it was floating, the rings were moving around the large crystal in the middle, the altar itself has its own illumination, with glowing runes marked in the floor just below the two other statues, unlike the entire temple made only of stone, this structure's rings are made of metal and aren't affected by time. "I cannot believe... unlike the entire temple, This... Relic, looks like new!" expressed Twilight, She and Lucky were examining it. Twilight was looking at the golden metal rings while Lucky focused on the Crystal alone, Rainbow was just looking at the statues while making faces at the stone's face. She didn't care to much about this whole expedition now, if it were gold, she would be interested, but Crystals, Jewels and Rubies are the most common thing in Equestria, and the Crystal Empire's theme is basically self-explanatory. Heck, even Spike eats gems for breakfast! "Wow... this is... I have no words for this Relic.." Said Twilight, examining it from top to bottom. The external ring seems to stop its rotation suddenly, gaining the attention of Lucky and Twilight, Rainbow gets amused. "Heck, now you broke it, good one, Twilight" The Pegasus grinned while Twilight frowned, Lucky was just staring at the duo, while the guard didn't look too happy with Rainbow's comment. "I didn't even touch it, not even with my magic, How can you can blame me so fast?" Objected the princess. "Geez, Twilight, every time you see something new and unknown, You always..." as Rainbow and Twilight entered into an argument, Lucky observed the rings by herself noticing a symbol, the same one as the banner, however it looked more glorious in the ring rather than in the banner, it gives off a faint glow compared to the rest... "Princess, I think I found something odd on the external ring." This caught the attention of Twilight and Rainbow, both finishing abruptly with their discuss ion. "What is it, Lucky?" She pointed to the symbol in the ring, the symbol had a round blue circle, similar to... "A button?" Said Rainbow Dash, surprising the brown and lavender mares, the guard chuckled. "It cannot be a button, it's too flat." Injected the brown mare. "Of course it can be button, this place is so weird like Pinkie Pie during summer days" Twilight's shuddered remembering these days, a complete parade of nonsensical and inexplicable things and with Pinkie Pie and Discord... thanks to the reformation of the chaos god and Pinkie's randomness, Ponyville's Mayor called these days, as "Pink Days" in the town, laws of physics during these days doesn't exist. "Well, I can assure you that It's not a button." Said Twilight. "Then, Press it! Prove it!" Challenged Rainbow, Twilight's eyes narrowed and rise her hoof carefully touching the relic's button, feeling relief that it is a flat texture and not a mechanism. "See? It's not a button, a flat structure such as this doesn't have any-" Before she could finish her lecture, the Relic's crystal began to glow with enough force that blinded the ponies, few moments later, the crystal stopped glowing resuming it's normal faint glow confusing the group slightly. "What was that?" Asked the unicorn guard. "See, I told you it was a button!" Exclaimed the Rainbow. "Alright, I see your point Rainbow... So, Lucky Bone what do you think just happened?" Asked Twilight. No response. "Miss Bone?" Twilight asked again, she was puzzled by the lack of response. "S-she is no t here Princess!" Shouted the guard, it was true, she was missing, not even a yell or anything similar, she just... disappeared without trace. Twilight tried to use a search spell, but she got nothing but residual energy. This can't be good she thought. "Eh Twilight?" Rainbow Dash said weakly. "Not now, Rainbow" Twilight used the same spell, even other search spells, but she got nothing. Rainbow called Twilight again, but this time, she said something she wouldn't have thought to hear in Rainbow's Voice... "H-help..." Twilight shifted her head toward Rainbow Dash, her expression of confusion changed to horror upon seeing what was happening to her Pegasus friend. She was vanishing rapidly before her eyes, her hind legs, wings and great part of her body was already missing, leaving only her forelegs and head. "Rainbow!" Screamed Twilight, her horn glowed and started using multiple spells to help her friend, but every attempt was in vain as only the head of rainbow remains, she was in tears as well as Twilight, she was losing to whatever was happening to her friend. "Twiligh-" Rainbow's voice cut off... Twilight crumbles to the floor with tears streaming down from her eyes. She's gone. "No... this is not happening... Strident Spear! ... Strident?" She look up for her escort only to notice that... He was gone too, she was alone in front of the relic, sobbing openly, she couldn't do anything to save her friends or even notice her group was disappearing. She couldn't believe it, she was useless, not even her most powerful magic did anything, not even- I don't feel my hooves or even my lower half.... NO! She looked at herself, to her horror, she was disappea ring like Rainbow Dash, the mentioned areas are already missing and her forelegs are quickly vanishing. No, no, no, no, no, no, NO! I don't wanna d-die... she thought in fear, her entire body was already missing leaving only her head, surprisingly alive. But quickly vanishing.. She closed her eyes, accepting her fate... *** "Executor, I got news from the prelate and his dark Templars, they got most of the Equinoids and are heading back to Albiram in a Shuttle." "Most?" Said the Executor. "Yes, reading the mind of one of them, they discovered that the leader of the Equinoids are inside the ancient outpost." "Inside of the Narezim's designated outpost? Now I understand why he wanted go there personally." Said the Executor. "There is more, Executor. The outpost's Pylon has activated and teleported the leader of the Equinoids and her group, they are now near the City's perimeter." "Send a small group of warriors to bring them to the Palace for questioning." Ordered the Executor. "It will be done. The Council and the Judicators are here,but we received a message from Preator Solam." "What's wrong in the Province of Alkior?" Asked the Executor. "It seems that the Gryphons finally discovered the island, there are detachments of troops and explorers landing on the coasts. Preator Solam are awaiting orders from the capital." "Answer him, tell him that Alkior's cities and bases must remain hidden, if the Gryphons get any further... Attack, leave no survivors." Said the Executor. "It shall be done." *** "Princess!" Nothingness was the first thing that Twilight saw, she wondered herself if this was the afterlife? However.. However, she could feel her limps. Twilight! Wake up! She could feel her body as well, her heart was beating and pumping blood, she could feel the air through her fur and mane, the sound of water falling and somepony calling to her. "She is waking up!" Yes, it was voices calling her name and title, these were the voices of Rainbow Dash and Lucky Bone, they are alive? She opened her eyes, her vision was blurry, but she saw a blue, white and brown forms, looking down at her. "Rainbow Dash, Lucky Bone, Strident Spear, are we alive?" Her vision adjusted allowing her to see her friend, the archeologist and her escort. Rainbow was embarrassed, Lucky was relieved, Strident was glad to see the princess alive, they were in a dead end now. In another part of the temple, there was some light shi ning in at the end of the hallway. "We are alive princess, it's good to see you healthy as well." Answered Lucky Bone, who gained the confused glare of Twilight, all of them vanished, disappeared thanks to the relic in the altar that Twilight activated. She thought they were all dead. "But how? I thought that all of you were... dead" Twilight didn't wanted to remember how Rainbow vanished, Lucky Bone only giggled. "It didn't kill us it seems, but teleported us instead." Lucky began to explain "It seems that the relic, was not really a relic, but a device, it teleported us to another part of the temple." Twilight's started to get up with help from the guard and Rainbow Dash "Now lets us start to make sense that why the temple was unprotected from Treasure Hunters and Raiders? There weren't traps after all." "But... why send us to a dead end with a exit?" Twilight pointed down the hallway, sunlight entering the possible exit for the group. "It probably isn't a dead end, Look" They looked back to the wall, there was the same symbol of the relic glowing faintly. "We just touch it and get back easy as-" "NO!" Rainbow's little speech ends abruptly from Twilight's outburst. She looked quizzically to her ascended friend. "Sorry... but we can't risk to use that again, what happened if we got separated or worse? We would be trapped here forever!" Said Twilight. "The Princess is right, we can't use it again, Miss Dash, we don't know what will happened to us next time, we got lucky to be together rather than separated in different rooms and trapped with no way out." Said the Escort. "Alright... so.. . what are we waiting for?" Said Dash, her hoof pointing to the end of the hallway. They began to trot toward the exit but the walk was a quite long one. When they finally reached the exit the feeling of air flowing through their manes and fur they were starting to miss the feeling of fresh air, but for Rainbow Dash, she loved the feeling. "We are getting closer, I wonder what lies on the other side.." Mused Twilight. "I think there would be more ruins, probably from a different architecture." "I hope so." Dash commented, still uneasy by how tricky that the last relic or "device" and worse... Twilight saw her in a weak moment and crying. "Eh Twilight... Can you not tell anypony that I was... eh... crying? Twilight looked at her friend quite confused, but smiled. "Rainbow, You and I thought you were dying, it's normal hav ing those emotions in your last minutes of life, I thought I was going to die. I was desperate, but when it reached my head I... accepted it, I thought that there was no point in fighting it." "Still I don't want anypony knowing that. I have a reputation you know!" "We are here!" Announced Lucky Bone, they reached the outside, "I never thought I would miss the sunlight." Muttered the guard, Rainbow Dash quickly flew outside, Lucky and Twilight were conversing in about many other possibilities, and what they discovered, including the Relic Device from earlier, Lucky and Twilight came up with a new theory, traps in disguise and teleporters, the temple is probably built with closed rooms and dead ends, making it near impossible to steal such structure. Suddenly Rainbow lands next to the guard she pointed toward the edge of the cliff to him, for a minute he thought it was a trap or eve n a prank, the worst case, was a murder attempt, but what he saw while in the edge of the cliff surprised him.. "Princess? you need to come and see this..." "Not now, Strident, we are coming to a conclusion that the Protoss could have been the most advanced race in the history!" "Well, I think they are FAR MORE advanced, look at this..." signaled the guard, for curiosity, both Lucky and Twilight decided to take heed and observe what he was seeing, Lucky thought it was a trap, and the guard was attempting to kill the princess, but when they reached the cliff's edge.. They could't believe what they are witnessing. Rainbow landed next to Twilight, all of them with mouth gaped open. "Twilight... I think that... we found a city sized treasure..." whispered Rainbow, Lucky was no better, she was basically in trance on the golden structur es, all of them looked like new and shining proudly, there were structure similar to the one found in the temple but the rings looked more simple than the former, all of them held in the air, but the most farther looks like tiny gem compared to the Pyramid-like buildings. "This is... a city?" Asked Twilight, the city itself could rivalize Canterlot. "This proves that the Protoss race may still be alive!" Said Lucky Bones "May? why not alive and waiting?" The sudden voice in their head startled the group of the ponies. "Who said that?!" Shouted Rainbow, looking around for the source of the voice, the guard became alert as well. "Behind you." Analyzing the voice, it was masculine and rough, his voice echoed in their minds like a telepathic message. The ponies turn around only to see three grey bipedal beings in golden armor with b lue markings, the most shocking part of the bipedal giant it was his face. He had no mouth or nose and his eyes were glowing blue. "Y-you a-are a..." Lucky got suddenly interrupted by one of them. "A Protoss Warrior, a Templar, a zealot... You all are under arrest!" Two blue energy blades appear from his bracelets startling Lucky and Twilight. Rainbow Dash and Strident enter a defensive posture between the three warriors and the two mares. "Why we are under arrest? For what charge?" asked Twilight, she didn't like it, first contact with the harmony bringers and suddenly arrested? "Entering into restricted area! Now cooperate peacefully or we will be complied to use force!" "What the hay, I don't who you are or what you are, Protoss or not, I will not be arrested!" Yelled Rainbow Dash, before she coul d fly and attack the zealot, a force field appears around the group, including Rainbow Dash and the guard. Behind them a hovering metallic golden snake with a single blue eye and a sphere on its back observing them from the outside. The guard and Rainbow Dash were attempting to break free, but it useless the force field was to strong. "Please, Stop, I am Princess Twilight Sparkle, my team and I didn't know-." Her plead was cut off by the same warrior that talked to them interrupted. He turned and started to speak to the metallic snake. "Electrify the force field." They all screamed in pain... *** "Executor, news from the city's inner perimeter, the warriors managed to capture the rest of the Equinoids, they're coming back to the palace" "Good, Preator. Any news from the Province?" "Yes, Executor. The Gryphons reclaimed the island for their kingdom, still unaware of High Templar Solam or the existence of our domains." "I still don't understand why we should remain hidden in a planet full of primitives.." A new "voice" enter to the conversation "Judicator, we are hidden to no cause a disaster to the young species, they are not ready for us and our reveal might cause ill on the masses." "I still don't see the necessity of conserving such waste of civilization, even more we shouldn't still be doing this and claim this world for us if we want to study the rest of this planet for more relics. At side note: Why are we studying these artifacts if we aren't allowed?" "the Conclave never approved our studies on the Xel'Naga's relics, only the Shelak Tribe were allowed to do such task. Indignated, W e self-exiled from Aiur searching for the right planet. This world was touched, visited by our gods, we are here for millennium, and we still have many to discover, many to see, but also this planet is our home, but is more to the actual natives of this planet, we shouldn't do such thing just for knowledge" Said the Executor. "But we must remind you that we held contact with Aiur until its downfall by the Zerg, We send our warriors to defend our home world until their last breath, we rescued civilians and we even rescued you and various members of the Judicator Caste, you and few others requested to live here, while the rest found their way to Shakuras" Said other "Voices" this ones is more annoyed from the Judicador's claim. "We allowed you to spread the light of the Khala to our cities, we allow you to advice us, to help us govern." Said Another voice, this one was more old and dominant. "We are one of the lesser members in the Heraichy, they don't pay much heed for us, but we still got a voice in the protectorate." Said a female voice in the group "Indeed" Mused the executor. "Then if we must remain hidden to no cause 'ill' to the younger natives of this planet, why are we revealing ourselves to these Equinoids, why not kill them?" Asked the Judicator. "They are a special case... They hold holy relics" "Holy Relics? Xel'Naga Origin?" "No... our own." Finished the old voice. *** "Ugh... my head where I am?" She woke up still in pain by the shock from the force field, she got up to see that she was in a golden room, instead of a door, it had a blue force shield. A prison. "T his is incredible... just incredible, first contact only to be imprisoned by a supposed lost race.." She said with sarcasm. "Twilight, you're awake!" "That voice... Rarity?!" it was indeed Rarity, not only that, but the archeologist team is here along with the guards, the Pegasus, all of them, have their wings tied to a rope made of energy, the source of this energy comes from a small silver device on their backs, the unicorns horn are covered of what looks like a "jammer", jammer's are made for unicorns or magic users to hold them in dungeons and prisons, the unicorn prisoners can do only very limited levitation, but these Protoss jammer's seems to be unique, Twilight notice that they can't do even the levitation spell, making them looks like earth ponies with a horn attached to their forehead. For being an Alicorn she got both the rope and the jammer. "Rarity! Why and how are you here, why is the team here!?" Rarity started to explain everything, the attack by these Protoss "savages" and getting unconscious, the other last thing she remember was waking up in a cell. "Horseapples, I can't believe they throw us into prison, us, the holders of the Elements! They should adore us instead!" The voice of Rainbow can be heard from the rest of the group, she sounded angry, indignation and tired, possibly for trying to break the device on her back by herself. "I don't know Rainbow, I can understand the reason toward us, we entered in a temple of what it seem to be restricted, but they shouldn't be so aggressive toward us, we didn't really know if they still existed until now." "I don't know, maybe because they want to maintain their secret society intact?" Lucky Bone's voice is heard, but su ddenly the sound of a door opening and a shield weakening is heard, nopony moves or said anything. Twilight rushed toward the force field along with Rainbow, Rarity and Fluttershy, the former was trembling in fear. Waiting to see their captor's face to face. "It seems that you and your companions are awake, we were really expecting your arrival 'ponies'." It said a voice in their heads, startling Rarity and Fluttershy and most of the archeological team, this voice was different, while masculine, not only sounds rough, but also old and deep. "I am Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Magic. My team and I want to know, why we are being imprisoned? We are just a-" "Archeological group wanting to know about us and our the ruins?" He come to view, revealing his form, he was using the same armor but with purple markings instead of blue, he also had glowing purple eyes. "Yes, but how.." "We can read minds, Young One, we only do that if we want a piece of information we require from others." "Yes but that's no answer my first question." Objected Twilight. "And I have no rights to answer you." He replied. "Watch your mouth Freak, she is the Princess of Magic and you will treat her with respe- Ack!" Rainbow was interrupted when she suddenly began to levitate, the power of the Protoss chocking her, scaring the group, but Rarity and Fluttershy protested, Twilight's protested too but her friend was still in the air. "I am not talking to you, Pegasus, I'm talking with your leader" His voice sounded only to Rainbow Dash, but she was running out of air and was suffocating fast, she grew weak, her strength leaving, her life abandoning her... "Talk again and your dead shall be swift." He let her out, falling abruptly, her lungs filling with air greedily, she is quickly being treated by Fluttershy and other ponies with medical experience. "Why did you do that?!" Shouted Twilight, Angry for what the Protoss did to her friend, he was trying to kill her or to prove a point? "She has no right to interrupt me." Twilight grew more uneasy with this Protoss, he just chocked her friend without even moving this was magic? She thought, even with a jammer she can feel magical flow in a unicorn or magic user however, she didn't felt nothing in this Protoss, and that's what is worrying her. "Tribal Leader Shakum, requested you and three companions to the palace's briefing room." With a calm attitude, he said to the princess, the small mob of ponies fills with hope, their princess will liberate them! "Very well... Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash?" mentioning their name each one stood next to her princess friend, each one with different expression on their faces; Fluttershy in fear, Rarity in disgust, Twilight unsure, Rainbow Dash angry and indignation. "These are your companions? very well" The Protoss Warrior deactivate the force shield of the prison, "Princess, Please, tell them that we do not represent a threat, that we are a peaceful folks." the voice of Lucky is heard from the group of ponies. "I will do my best..." She smiled at the ponies before leaving the prison... *** The trek was silent, no one of them talked, the golden and blue corridors were a sight to behold, very spacious too, but they didn't used candles, they used energy, the walls emitted their own Illumination from these orbs, the ceiling has more of these orbs plus blue patte rns that flow with these energy, coming from crystals similar one found in the temple. there were even holograms on the walls. It was too alien for them... "Psst! Twilight, we must stay alert, these guys really play hardball" whispered Rainbow, gaining the attention of her friends. "I know Rainbow, but these Protoss are incredibly advanced, we must be primitives to them, like thousands of years a head." "No mention the architecture, it's simply divine." Commented Rarity, gaining the confused glare of her friends. "What?" She asked. "Rarity, these guys attacked an archeological team leaving them all unconscious including you and Fluttershy and you praise their architecture?!" Rainbow almost hissed, whispering a little loud. "Hmnf! I confess, they are brutes, but these armors, the architecture and, oh Celestia! Even the prison design was incredible!" Rarity's eyes shine in delight, Twilight has to confess, everything looks so clean, elegant, smooth and majestic, this is not like the temple, no rocks or stone, not even dust. "I think that I should let Spike-" "Spike has a muzzle, he can't even talk." How did they knew about Spike's fire?! Twilight thought after hearing Rarity's immediate reply, nopony outside the town knows about Spike's magical fire, messaging between her and the princess is almost exclusively how they possessed that knowledge that fast!? "I can hear you, even in your thoughts." The voice of the Protoss startled them, reminding them that point. He said earlier that they can read minds for information they want, probe their heads for knowledge. "It would be wise to stop talking." He calmly told them and they did, they stopped murmuring between themselves, Rainbow gave him a nasty glare. "interesting, You, Blue Pegasus, seems to be the most aggressive of the group, I can feel your anger." This surprised them, all of them looked at Rainbow Dash who was still staring at the Protoss warrior in front of them. Suddenly the warrior stopped. "You want to fight me?" He turned to the ponies, they yelped except Rainbow who slowly entered in a battle stance, his psi-blades activated. The blades' size are a bit large compared to the other Protoss zealot they encountered, also glowing in purple energy. The mares gasped in the sudden realization. "I accept your challenge, Pegasus. Outside of the ancient temple. I'll meet you there" Rainbow only nodded, the warrior turn back, deactivating his blades, and resume guiding the ponies toward the briefing hall. "Rainbow, please, don't tell me that you gonna fight him..." Twilight pleaded, the same as her friends, but she already made her mind, she wanted this, he humiliated her back in that prison almost killing her, she wanted revenge. "Please Rainbow, don't." Rarity begs for the well being of her friend, she did stupid things in the past, sometimes questionable things, but this was the most far stupidest thing she will ever do, dueling against a experienced warrior, she didn't know if he was gonna to fight her with these blades, but she hoped not. "We are here, Tribal Leader Shakum is waiting inside." A golden mechanical door opens. *** The room was nothing they ever expected, like a normal briefing room, there is a golden desk in the middle of the room, some chairs to complete it, the chairs had no legs but, they hover in the air and the desk has a holographic projection on it. . ...of the world... "En Taro Tassadar, Ponies, I am Shakum, Leader of the Sa'Dalarim Protoss. Pleased to meet you..." The The Tribal Leader was in the other side of the desk observing the ponies from the other side, unlike the armor of the Protoss warrior, he wore a light version of it, has some robes behind it had a actual cape the most surprising thing was... He was hovering in the air in his own. "Greetings, I am Princess Twilight Sparkle, pleased to meet you too, Lord." She tried to be presentable as possible, her friends behind her. "I'm very confused on the behavior of your people, Why your soldiers were so aggressive toward us? We barely knew about your people." "Yes, I'm sorry for the behavior of my warriors. My friend, Executor Veriom doesn't trust outsiders usually and Dark Templar Zuram and his Narezim brethren we re recently designated to the area that your ponies wanted to study, he wanted to prove himself worthy, thinking that you were a worthy adversary, he was disappointed for the easy victory..." "I wont forgive that brute for what he did to us, savage is what he is" She muttered, Rainbow snickered, Fluttershy just hid behind her mane, Twilight hoped that he didn't hear that comment, but then again, he was a Protoss he could just "hear". "We can forgive these details, maybe we could just start over?" Twilight hoped that he could accept. "Very well, Miss Sparkle. I supposed that you and your archeological team will be liberated and assigned to temporary quarters, you will all will be staying in the palace as form of apology until you're ready to go back to your land." After hearing this, the mares brightened, Twilight sighed in relief, it's a good thing that he knew the flaws of his underlings actions or things would be mighty difficult to explain to him.. "I welcome you... to the Sa'dalarim's capital city, Aldiram."