Chapter 21: The Ancient Cult
Ache.
Spring Mist pushed himself off of the ground, straining every muscle to rise. His headache had thankfully not returned, and the night was free of nightmares and whispers. Despite the tiredness of his body, he felt surprisingly well-rested and refreshed.
He looked around, at the rest of the group. They were all sleeping peacefully, it seemed. No room for tents, so they were open, exposed. Mist looked over to Luna. How he missed walking up to that sweet face, blissful in rest.
He sighed, as he looked to the cave opening. Or where it should have been. A massive rock had blocked the entrance. Mist held up a hoof to test it. He barely recovered from the fall as he stepped through the rock, stumbling out into the open Badlands. He looked back, and tried the rock again. He moved through freely, as though nothing was there.
Huh, somepony must have put it up when the storm died down. Can’t imagine anypony wanting to stay up for watch. Still, pretty irresponsible.
No worse than anything you’ve done.
Not the point. Ponies should do better than me. I’m honestly surprised I didn’t become a cautionary tale.
Yeah, that sense of self-importance? No idea where that came from.
Well, I’m just saying. Of all of the stories to survive a thousand years, one would think that a fable about a foolish pony who gave in to fear and selfish desire would be top of the reading list.
Oh, you’d be surprised.
I’m really not anymore.
Oh, becoming jaded, are we?
Perhaps.
Mist scanned the area. It was a desolate place. A desert could look livelier. Large hills dotted the landscape, vapors spewing from many of them. Large crags opened the ground, like massive wounds in the earth. Then a sound: a howling roar in the distance. Large, guttural. Mist looked to the skies immediately, searching.
“It’s far off,” said a voice. “Don’t worry.”
Mist jumped, turning to face the source. An off-white Pegasus, with a wild orange mane stood behind him with a slight smile. Mist cocked his head.
“Chaser?”
“You seem confused.”
“You… you have a coat. And a mane. And… normal wings.”
“Yes, I am a normal pegasus…”
“Sorry, just not used to seeing you without your armor… It’s different.”
“Guard don’t like parting with their armor when with company. There's kind of a code. But to Tartarus with decorum and opinion. Out here, anything goes.”
“You really think that?”
“Over course, Prince Consort. Aside from my loyalties, I choose to be free out here.”
“‘Prince Consort’? Really?”
“Hey, I love my Princess. I’ll serve her until death if I have to. And any pony she deems worth of respect, I will respect too.”
“I’m not so sure… she hasn’t exactly supported that idea.”
“She’s still on this journey, isn’t she?”
“Yes, but-”
“‘But’ nothing. She could easily have sent an entire expedition team. Instead, she chose those closest to her to accompany her as she personally oversees your recovery. You can’t tell me she doesn’t care.”
“I… I have no argument.”
“Damn right.” There was a prolonged pause, as neither said a word.
Mist broke that silence first. “So… what are you doing out here?”
“Guards never sleep long. And when I saw you weren’t in your spot, I went out for a look. And I wanted to talk to you about yesterday.”
“What about it?”
“Well, the others told me about what you did, with your shield-thing. It seemed pretty impressive.”
“Heh, tell that to Runner.”
“That colt. Pay no mind to him. He’s impossible to impress. Princesses know, I’ve tried. For years.”
“Really? You? You don’t strike me as a pony who especially cares about what others think.”
“No normally, but Runner... he- wait. What? You’re like Radiant!”
Mist shook his head. “What?”
“You get into ponies’ heads.”
“I really don’t think I do.”
“But I was about to say that I- There it is again! Getting me to talk. You say a word to anypony, and I swear…” She walked away, back to the cave, leaving Mist sitting in the dust, and blank look firmly settled on his face.
**********
The sun beat down as the party walked through the Badlands. Every so often there would be a distant roar, certain members skittish, jolting at the sound. Mist shifted uncomfortably under the weight of his pack.
The group slowed as the unmistakable form of Flare Chaser appeared in the sky, drawing closer. They all eventually stopped to wait for news, just in case it was unpleasant.
The Pegasus mare finally landed, only slightly out of breath. She took a moment, then made her report.
“We’ve got some kind of structure, just up ahead. Looks like something we should check out. It’s not far, and it’s on the way out of this infernal place.”
Luna nodded slowly. “It may be one of the ancient temples. Is the way clear?”
“Yes. Nothing around for miles. Spotted a dragon headed over the horizon, but no other life.”
“Good, then that’s where we’ll go.”
The group pressed on without a word. Around a hill, they came to an empty valley, only a large tor-like set of rocks in the middle. Mist guessed that that was the destination. Without concern, they moved on.
Only a few steps in, there were cracking sounds. They all stopped, exchanging glances. Mist looked at Radiant, who, with not a sound, disappeared into the earth below.
Mist rushed to where she had been, finding instead a gaping maw in the earth. Radiant dangled over the edge, clinging desperately. Mist dove forward to grab her, only just catching her hoof in his before she fell into the chasm.
“Chaser!” Mist called.
Perfectly of cue, Chaser dove into the opening, below Radiant, and began to push her up. Mist groaned as he lifted, and so enough all three were back on ground. Solid it was not.
More cracking sounded from beneath them, and they quickly picked themselves up, running with all of their might away from the hole in the earth. It was growing rapidly, nipping at their hooves as they ran. The others were just ahead, galloping too.
Finally the collapse ended, and Mist and Radiant could breath. He looked up, seeing the new cavern formed into the ground, cutting it like a wound. He looked at Radiant, who was silent save for her panting.
“You okay?” he asked.
“You… you saved me… I-” she swallowed. “I- thank you. Both of you.”
Chaser merely nodded. Mist smiled and wrapped a hoof around Radiant’s neck. “Please be careful next time.”
“I will,” Radiant laughed.
The group all exchanged glances and dusted themselves off.
“Well it was bound to get interesting sooner or later,” said Bleedingheart. “Any injuries?”
“No, I think I’m okay. Thank you,” replied Radiant sweetly.
“Wow, would you look at that!” declared Starlight, cutting off any previous conversation.
Her gaze was drawn to the massive rock formation before them. Mist had not noticed that they had run all the way to the structure. And a structure it was. A building façade had been carved into the rock face with expert precision.
Radiant’s face lit up as she too looked at it. “I know what this is!” she announced. Everypony in the group turned to look at her at once. She turned only slightly red before continuing, “It’s a temple of the Cult of the Heavens!”
“Cult of the Heavens?” asked Chaser. “Sounds weird.”
“Oh, not so much,” shrugged Radiant. “It was fairly popular for a time. A small group of ponies who worshipped a basilisk god.”
“What?” asked Runner, incredulous. Mist looked over to Luna, who said nothing.
“They believed that this basilisk walked across the desert, dragging the sun behind him, every day. The sun would rise with his arrival and set when he departed. It’s how they explained it.”
“But what about the Princesses?” asked Runner.
“What about them?” Radiant cocked her head.
“Didn’t ponies know about the Princesses?”
“Well… Princess? Do you have anything for us?”
Luna inhaled slowly. “I have no memory of this.”
That statement stunned most of the group. Mist had become well-acquainted with the fallibility of the Princesses, so nothing surprised him.
Jaded.
Quiet.
“The cult has been long gone, but apparently this is still here. Hey, they were interested in all kinds of eldritch creatures and magical spirits. They might have something on the Nightmare in there. I mean, assuming that anything was left in there.”
“It might be worthwhile looking inside,” stated Luna. “We may gather some information, or at the very least have some shelter for tonight.”
The team collectively nodded, and they began their steps into the temple.
***
Mist looked at a bas relief on one of the walls of the temple. He wasn’t really sure what he was looking at, so he diverted his attention away, looking for something else of any interest. It didn’t take long for him to find something. Something more animated, and by any measure, adorable.
Radiant darted around the room in a blur, moving from carving to statue, to indeterminate piles of debris, squealing like a little filly on her birthday, streaming off facts and information about the artwork, the meanings, the age, most of which Mist couldn’t follow. But he couldn’t help but smile as he watched the mare happily explore everything the building had to offer. And he felt a pang upon seeing her face when she was told to stay in the room with the rest of the group.
Luna gathered everypony together to make a plan. “As it should be, safety will be our first concern. Much as I understand your… excitement, we must remain vigilant. These ruins are ancient, and may be near collapse at any point. As such, nopony is to proceed without at least one other at any time. We will split up” - Radiant immediately moved next to Mist - “to cover more ground, so it is imperative that we remain careful and observant.”
“Do think that wise, Princess?” asked Runner. “Shouldn’t we stay together? No sense in dividing us up, especially in case something goes wrong.”
“While normally I would agree with you, in this case, if something were to go wrong, it may be better to have it go wrong for only some of us, rather than all of us,” Luna replied sagely. “And we do need to give Radiant Bloom some time with these ruins. If there is anything to be found here, she’ll know it. That said, if anypony say something that looks to be of interest, be sure to bring it when we rendezvous back here.”
“So who’s going where?” asked Chaser.
“Radiant Bloom, Flare Chaser, and Spring Mist will form one group. The second team will be Rough Runner, Starlight Secret, Bleedingheart, and myself. We will meet back here in an hour.”
Radiant looked heartbroken. “Just an hour?” she complained.
Luna smiled sweetly. “You will have your time to explore, fear not. I merely wish to clear the immediate area. Once it is surely safe, then you can have your fun.”
Radiant perked up a bit at that. The group collectively nodded, breaking off in their respective groups. Most of their gear was stowed away in the main room. Mist walked over to Radiant and Chaser. The Pegasus was trying not to burst into laughter. Radiant was jittering up and down, a huge smile plastered on her face.
Mist chuckled. “Could you try looking a little less bored, Radiant?”
Her eyes widened. “I- Wha-? Oh.” She stopped bouncing, a kicked her hoof, her pink face getting darker.
“Come on, Mist. She’s just excited. And it’s adorable.”
“Hehe, yeah it is. Aww, look – she’s all pink… Well, more than normal.”
Mist and Chaser shared a chuckle while Radiant pouted. “I hate you both.”
“No you don’t.” Chaser bumped flanks with Radiant as she took the lead. “Come on, let’s go look at these ruins of yours.”
***
“Oh my goodness! Look at this one!” Radiant squealed at Mist and Chaser.
They both peered at the object Radiant was holding.
“It’s another pot…” Chaser stated slowly.
“Urn,” Mist urged quietly.
“Um, urn,” the Pegasus corrected.
Radiant continued unabashed, “It’s another part of history! Just one more thing that we are discovering! Think of all we could learn!”
Chaser looked at Mist, who just shrugged with a smile. “Let her be. She might actually find something useful.”
The two watched as Radiant ran around the area like a filly on sugar, each new piece of debris like a birthday gift. It didn’t take long for Mist and Chaser to begin to doze off, but what sleep may have brought was interrupted by a shriek.
They jumped up, alert and ready to charge at whatever threat was near. They heard the shriek come from down a passage leading away from the room. The bolted down the narrow path, careful not to run into each other. A room opened up, small, but enough to fit the three. A storage room.
Radiant stood stock-still in the middle, staring at something. Mist and Chaser rushed to her side. Her face was frozen, eyes wide, mouth agape. They looked to find what her gaze was aimed at, finding nothing noteworthy. Mist tentatively poked the catatonic pink mare.
I slight touch jolted her from her stasis, and the another shriek issued from her throat, causing Mist and Chaser to flinch. A large, almost impossible, smile appeared on Radiant’s face, and she began to jump up and down.
“Do you see it? Do you see it? Do you see it?” she asked repeatedly, voice a few octaves higher than normal.
“See what?” asked Chaser with a confused head-shake.
Radiant rushed forward, to a shelf on one side of the room. She picked up an odd carved stone. It was shaped like a long, cut crystal, only the red-brown matched the surroundings. Mist and Chaser looked on in confusion as Radiant held the rock, cradling it like a newborn.
“Um… Radiant?” Mist tried, “Care to explain?”
“It’s a memory shard!” she almost screamed.
“A what now?”
“A memory shard! It holds memories of the pony who enchants it!”
“And… that’s good?”
“Good?” Radiant looked flabbergasted. “Are you nuts? Good doesn’t come close to what this is! This… This is a treasure, worth more than an entire library of books.”
“I don’t get it… why?”
“Think of this: a first-pony look at what happened, any time in history. No book for information to get lost, no burning, missing pages, changing things. This shows what really happened in the past!”
“Huh… well, I can see that as valuable…” Chaser pondered.
“Ya think?” Radiant glared, then eyed the shard, rubbing it against her cheek.
“Okay, well I’m glad we found something. Just… please try not to give us both a heart attack again…” Chaser complained.
Radiant wasn’t listening, instead rocking the shard back and forth. Chaser gave a sigh and walked away. Mist walked up to Radiant, leading her out of the room. “Come on, let’s go tell the other’s what you’ve found.”
***
Mist, Radiant, and Chaser waited in the entrance hall. There was a loud rumble, and the room shook slightly. A few loose pieces of stone fell from the roof, clattering on the floor. Dust stirred as the three ponies rose, looking around.
Hoofsteps could be heard, fast, as if the owners were running. Sure enough, the other half of the team rushed into the room, looking panicked. Somepony yelled, “Run! It’s coming down!”
Without thinking, Mist, Chaser, and Radiant ran from the temple and out into the Badlands. Radiant turned around suddenly rushing back into the now clearly collapsing structure. Only barely noticing out of the corner of his eye, Mist turned too, following Radiant back.
She was inside, frantically searching the room. Dust poured down from the ceiling, walls cracked, showing the two ponies with broken bits of stone. Mist yelled, but in the collapsing noise, Radiant didn’t hear him. He barely moved as a large piece of the roof descended rapidly, shattering.
Mist stood by Radiant, who was still looking. He yelled, but she ignored him. Finally she ran back out of the temple, dodging the roof as it fell piece by piece, Mist following closely behind. They both leapt out of the structure, just as the entranceway broke down, forever closing off the temple.
Mist panted heavily. He looked around at the others, disheveled and worried. He looked back at Radiant, who lay prone on the rocky ground. He rushed over, falling next to her.
“Raidant!” he said, shaking her “Are you alright?”
She shrugged him off, “No need to shake me up. Got enough of that from inside.”
Mist sighed. “What were you doing in there? You could have been killed!”
“Calm down, I’m fine. Besides, I have what I was after.”
“What did you go back for?”
“This!” She held up the shard proudly. The other ponies eyed it skeptically.
“A rock? That’s what you went back for?” said Runner, who Mist noticed was a bit bloodied.
“A memory shard,” said Luna. “Good work, Radiant.”
Radiant looked please with herself as she stood. The others mostly looked confused, but quickly went to checking themselves.
“Anypony hurt?” asked Bleedingheart. No response. “No? Alright. Runner, let’s look at you.”
Mist watched Bleedingheart look over Runner, who bore a few light wounds. Not from the collapse. They were slices, like “… a sword.” Mist paused. “What happened to you?”
“Well, we found a burial chamber,” said Bleedingheart as he wrapped one of Runner’s legs. “And shall we say the cultists there weren’t exactly… dead.”
“What?” said Mist, Radiant, and Chaser.
“A couple of them jumped us when we were looking around. Not too many, but we were taken by surprise.”
“Wait, wait… there were living cultists in there?”
“‘Living’ isn’t how I would describe them either.”
“Don’t tell me – ‘zombie’ ponies?” Mist asked sarcastically.
“Oh, don’t be absurd. They were just reanimated corpses.”
“And the difference?”
“Those were haugr,” said Luna, approaching them.
“Haugr?” Mist asked.
“Corpses taken over by the spirits of those dead. Dark magic. Truly ancient.”
“But why?”
“Any number of reasons,” said Radiant, entering the conversation. “Mostly fear, and that thing every pony strives for – eternal life. Well, almost every pony.”
“Does that ever work?”
“Not really. The spirits are eventually driven mad. We just aren’t meant to stay here, I guess.”
Mist and Luna looked at each other. Understanding. For the first time in a while, they were on the same page. But the connection broke when Runner spoke.
“I hope that rock of yours is worth it, Radiant.”
“Oh, it will be!”
Let’s truly hope.
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yes keep up the good work i like this story so far
o by the way does anyone mind telling me how to add a pic for my avatar please
1997031 glad you enjoy!