//------------------------------//
// Short End of It 
// Story: Odrsjot 
// by Imploding Colon 
//------------------------------//

    “That… uh…”  Kera fumbled on her petite hooves, staring up, up up.  With a gulp, she stammered, “That is a big door.”

Dalen looked back at her.  “It’s hardly big enough, child.”  Levitating the book at his side, he approached an enormous stone barrier fitted with circular runes and mana-etchings.  A pair of crystals rested on either side of him, affixed to metal poles.  “It is simply meant as a veil before the altar of Nagu’n.  The Goddess Immortal could tear through this as if it was made of silk.”

“Then what’s stopping her, huh?” Kera asked.

“I cannot venture to guess,” Dalen muttered.  “All of Nagu’n’s actions have been curious and alarming as of late.  Nopony has had the brash courage to question it, much less bring such an issue to the threshold of Her holy Domain.”

The walls shook, showering dust and loose pebbles onto the equines’ heads.  Kera gritted her teeth and squeaked, “No time like the present, right?”

“Normally, it would require the combined magic of the penitent priests and priestesses to open this door without incident.”

“Weren’t those the bodies we passed along the way here?” Kera asked.  She took a shuddering breath, “The ones… y’know… with the bloody daggers in their own chests?”

Dalen hung his head with a sigh.  “Malaas rejunaan semaat thiulen Nagu’n.”

Kera craned her neck.  “Huh?”

Dalen murmured to the walls.  “I wonder if perhaps this was my purpose.  To bring the flame to Nagu’n in her time of need.”  He shuddered.  “Perhaps that would explain all of the trials and tribulations that I have been forced to endure.”

“Hey… maybe we can bring a stop to them both, huh?” Kera said, trotting forward and resting a hoof on his forelimb.  “At least prevent the roof from collapsing over our heads?  How about it?”

“And what of the Goddess Divine?”

Kera smiled nervously.  “The flame of Austraeoh was meant to be seen by Her eyes, right?”

Dalen stared at her.  Then, with a determined breath, he trotted until his head rested at an even level with the two crystals.  He closed his eyes, concentrated, and produced a faint glow of magic through his horn.  The light intensified, and soon he was focusing a beam in two directions at once.  The crystals lit up, then shot streams of brimming manafire into the door.  The etchings illuminated, as if burning with an unquenchable flame.  Serpent designs writhed alive in the architecture, then strobed all as once in a swirling, circular pattern.

At last, the door shook and rotated within its frame.  The rumbling of the Hold intensified as it rolled counterclockwise and towards the left, vanishing within the walls surrounding the door.  Beyond was nothing but cold, black space.  The temperature of the chamber dropped significantly; both the stallion and the filly could see the vapors of their breath spreading through the rancid air.

“No offense, buddy,” Kera said in a hushed tone.  “But your Goddess’ home smells like a paper mill.”

“I think it would be best if you let me speak with the Deity of my civilization.”  Dalen strolled forward, holding the book like a lavender lamp.  “Though you’re small and have very little meat, I doubt it will stop Her from trying to consume you on a whim.”

Kera’s green eyes bulged.  “You mean She eats ponies?”

“I gave you the option to abandon this sojourn.”

“Hey, not saying I regret it!”  Kera nevertheless trembled as she scampered after the adult’s stride.  “Just… wondering if I should have poured some mustard and mayonnaise on myself before trotting down here…”

The two of them, like drops of dew, dissolved into the darkness beyond.