Adventures in the TARDIS

by Scroll

Part 15: Secret Sect

Over the past four days that we traveled, a lot of anxiety built up within me. I keenly remembered that at the beginning of this journey, there were a whole lot of other ponies that I traveled with and I counted on every single one of them to help keep me safe. The more that were there, the wider my safety net seemed to be and I felt that I really needed that in this great unknown place. Conversely, to even conceptualize each loss was like imagining another hole in that safety net. A new area of vulnerability in that protection which tried to guard me from a bed of spikes beneath it. Knowing that, it was why I was so determined to protect them all even if I didn't feel confident in my ability to do so. I also wanted to protect them for their own sake. I want more ponies to come back home safe to tell the tale we shared together.

But now it is down to just the three of us and our guide, of whom I learned was named Turok. Just three of us to rescue the whole rest of the team. To do that, we have to put ourselves in a great deal of danger against an evil race with advanced technology who uses it for malicious purposes? Who knows what the ultimate fruition of those goals truly are, but if they are willing to capture slaves and make sacrifices of sentient beings to achieve those goals then I don't think I want to find out what their ultimate purpose is.

Essentially, though, it all boils down to the fact that most of the ponies I counted on to protect me have now become a burden. I have to rescue them first before any of them has a chance to protect me again. This feels backwards, yet this goal feels too important to allow my anxiety to make me falter. I keep on taking that next step forward because it honestly feels like I have no choice. I either find the courage to do this or we're all doomed.

Turok didn't remain that close to us these past few days which honestly made me even more nervous. Every time we lost sight of him I feared we'd never find him again, yet repeatedly he'd reappear somewhere along our path and point the way we'd need to go with his spear before shortly disappearing again, presumably to patrol for more dangerous encounters and perhaps even chase them off in advance. He also provided us food and some shelter wherever we can find it. I certainly appreciate the shelter, but snacking on giant bugs isn't a scenario I would normally call ideal. My race are herbivores anyway so I am surprised, in two ways, that I managed to keep this down in my stomach.

Turok may have traveled in our visible compony the minority of the time, but we kept trekking on and our guide remained reasonably confident we were not led astray. His attitude also seemed to suggest we avoided any major unforeseen complications. There were some challenges but they were at a level our guide regarded as downright normal other than the destination we were ultimately heading towards. All the while I kept on thinking that there will come a point when our guide will abandon us because it is taboo for his tribe to get close towards the society we are going for.

But on the fourth day, he surprises us by waiting next to a cascade of vines. When we catch up, he does not flee for once but instead waits for us to catch up. Since that is a break in the pattern he's demonstrated so far and the day is young enough not to take a break for the night, we aren't certain why he's acting differently all of the sudden.

Our surprise doubles when he uses his spear to brush aside some of the vines beside him which reveals a hidden door. That door obviously looks constructed and it has an image of two serpents coiling around a pole. When their heads meet up at the top, the twin serpents face towards each other and they are almost close enough to kiss each other. Turok approaches this door then brushes a clawed hand over some symbols on the door. In doing so, hidden runes on the door glow. Those groups of symbols collectively form a larger symbol before fading away when he is done.

“Ask him what he's doing,” Tanon requests to Doctor Smith as he regards our guide with sudden suspicion now.

“I'm showing you the door,” Turok says to us in apparent ponish with definitely startles us. He also turns to face us.

“YOU COULD SPEAK PONISH ALL ALONG?!” Tanon roared incredulously as he hovers up his crossbow to aim it menacingly at our guide.

“No,” Turok answers with a shake of his head. “I still can't. In fact, I am not speaking this 'ponish', as you call it.”

“So this is telepathic translation,” Doctor Smith guesses with both surprise mixed with delight. “That's interesting.”

“What?” I ask Doctor Smith in confusion.

“Why now?” Doctor Smith asks Turok, seemingly ignoring my question other than sparing me a quick glance to non-verbally show that he did notice my question but thinks gathering more information right now is more important than answering me. “What has changed that allows you to communicate with us now?” Doctor Smith goes on as he looks back at our guide.

“We are now close enough to the Divine Serpent,” Turok answers. “He is telepathic and his mental blessings help to translate other's tongues.”

I wince slightly when I finally notice something amiss. I am hearing ponish from our guide, but his lip movements do not match what he's saying. Moreover, when I listen more carefully, I can hear his native language beneath that. He is still hissing, gurgling in a way our throats can't do (for it is more akin to a purr of a cat), or clicking.

“Divine Serpent?” Doctor Smith echoes questioningly. “Tell us more,” he says with a disapproving glance at Tanon's crossbow for a brief moment then passing that same expression at Tanon himself, non-verbally telling the unicorn to put the weapon away.

“The Divine Serpent is the Quetzalcoatl,” Turok answers. “He's also known as the Knowledge God and Healer, The Great Sage Mezsizethelar. He was once known as the Great Teacher that both my own people and the Naga revere. Some of the Naga still do.”

“Most fascinating!” Doctor Smith says in delight. “And I think you are alluding to one other very important fact. This Great Sage you speak of . . . he's on our side, isn't he?”

Turok nods before he declares, “But it is still forbidden by my tribe to associate with this being for they believe that nothing stemming from this society has any sanctity left in it. I used to believe the same until they saved me, and even then I was slow to trust them.”

“By 'them', I am assuming you mean this secret sect that still reveres Mezsizethelar?” the Doctor checks.

“I'm surprised you said that properly on the first try!” I say in surprise at Doctor Smith before looking at Turok questioningly. “He did say it right. Right?”

Turok nods at me briefly before returning his attention back to the Doctor in order to answer his question, to which he says, “Correct. The sect I'm about to introduce you to is the minority of the Naga, but they still secretly adhere to the old ways of spreading knowledge and prosperity. For their own sake, they've kept themselves a secret from the rest. Unlike my tribe, however, they hide in plain sight.”

Tanon finally floats his crossbow away as he says, “If what you say is true, then it means we have secret allies in the temple we're going to. This is most fortuitous for us for it means they'll at least be able to provide us information about what is happening inside the temple. Perhaps, with that information, we may be able to rescue our herd more safely.”

“Exactly,” Turok agrees with Tanon. “This is why I volunteered to guide you all here. My tribe merely wanted me to guide you to this valley, but I guided you a lot closer because I was aware that you could find yet another guide within this valley if I lead you to the right place and people.” He then gestures to the door beside us.

Doctor Smith lifts a hoof to rub the bottom of his chin thoughtfully as he asks, “If this Great Sage is powerful enough to be regarded and revered as a god, why would he need any of us? Why would any of the rest of these Naga not revere him and some other evil entity instead?”

“Your question would be better answered by speaking to the Great Sage himself,” Turok replied, then amends, “Well . . . communicate at any rate. Speaking is a problem for him now.”

“Too old or ill to speak?” Doctor Smith guesses as he lowers his hoof back to the ground.

“Again, it would be best if I showed you,” Turok replies with another gesture to the door. “The Divine Serpent is far wiser than I am. He will know what best to say and not to say to you. I trust his judgment now and those who secretly remain loyal to him.”

“Then lets delay no further,” Doctor Smith decides as he passes the two of us a questioning glance to see if we agree with him as well.

“Cautiously,” Tanon agrees in a tight and distrustful voice. “You,” he points a machete at Turok as he goes on to say, “will travel on ahead of us.”

Turok wordlessly agrees by simply doing it. Shortly later, we all follow our guide into the tunnels of a hidden temple.

---

The population beyond really is quite sparse. This also means I got my first look at the Naga. As was described to me earlier, they are very large serpents except they have arms and hands extending from them. On average they are pony sized, but I have seen some which I suspect are young versions of them that are about the size of a pony foal, but a few fully grown adults about twice the size and girth of an average pony. The majority of them seem young, though, and they fearfully keep their distance from us yet also close enough to peek at us curiously from their hiding spots.

As for the tunnel itself, it is quite obviously constructed. Geometric is probably my best word for it. The architecture seems unusual to me but very mathematically stable. In fact it just might be much better than the majority of construction I've ever seen from Equestria because I get this sense that this tunnel system might be very old. Ancient, even. For artificial construction to last this long, especially without apparent maintenance, it suggests that its architects at least once had knowledge beyond anything I had ever seen.

There are some decorations on the walls too and a shape to the torch holders that remind me of serpents in general aesthetics. Both of those also seem more recent to me compared to the walls themselves. This seems to suggest that the tunnels are indeed very ancient, but not the sentient beings that moved in since it was first built. What these Naga have added doesn't seem nearly as advanced as what was once built before them which seems to suggest that there is lost knowledge here, even if they live within this place.

Eventually we are led to a stone bridge that, unlike the majority of the construction we've seen so far, this bridge appears much more natural. It kind of looks like a rolled out tongue which rests on a series of stalagmite rising up from a cavern floor too low for us to see the bottom. At the other end of this “bridge” is a waterfall cascading down from somewhere above this cavern roof. There is a large coiled object within the water which looks like a coiled serpent but with very intelligent looking eyes. For some reason there is light emanating from within the waterfall. I do see some glowing crystals of various colors behind this waterfall (which is wondrous to behold), but by themselves do not seem to explain why the water is as bright as it is. My best guess is there is more light sources connected to this waterfall that is beyond our sight. Either that, or the water is magical in its own right.

A few paces closer to us but still near the waterfall is another Naga that is the largest specimen I've encountered so far. If this one stood at full height, I imagine this one to be about eighteen feet tall. This Naga wears a veil over the face. I get the feeling this one has religious significance and for some reason I also get the feeling this one is female. Physiologically there is no obvious clue about that to me. It's just a feeling I get. Perhaps the jewelry, veil, and poise of this one is a very minor clue but that's all I really have right now.

When she sees us, she lifts a single hand before her towards us as she bids, “Come. The Master wishes to speak to thee.”

“Then I'm honored by the invitation,” replies the Doctor with a diplomatic bow. “I have to say, it feels nice to be invited rather than chased out with weapons fire. Believe me when I say I've had more than my fair share of the latter experience.”

“I do not doubt the sincerity of thy words,” the lady Naga responds with a smooth and soothing voice. “Be at ease here, travelers. Thou shalt not find enemies here unless thou seekest them. Rather, guidance and sanctuary shall be your fate here.”

“Excellent!” Doctor Smith cheers as he rises from his bow. “Guidance and sanctuary. I'm quite a fan of those when the time is right for them.”

“I see thy wit is as sharp as ever,” the lady Naga says in amusement and with a curious sense of familiarity.

“We've met before?' Doctor Smith asks curiously.

The lady Naga shakes her head as she says, “We have not had the pleasure prior to this encounter, but legends of thee abound beyond thy travels.” She pauses for a moment before she adds mysteriously, “That, and others thou travel with.”

At first I thought she meant Tanon Burrows, but my instincts mysteriously insist she's actually talking about me for some reason.

“Come,” the lady Naga requests of us again.

“Onwards and Upwards, then,” Doctor Smith cheers as he trots on ahead of us. Tanon and I glance at each other quite a bit more warily before we, too, proceed to follow.

“Welcome travelers,” telepathically booms in our minds when we get to about halfway across the bridge. The experience is kind of hard to describe because I heard these words in my mind with far greater clarity than anything I ever heard verbally. There is a curious way it resounds in my mind. It also comes with this curious sense of “knowing” as if I am actually recalling these words with unusual intensity and depth. I guess it simply is downloaded into my brain?

Glancing at Tanon, I notice him pause too which tips me off to the fact that he also “heard” that and in the same way I did. However, if this also happened to Doctor Smith, he shows no outward sign of it. He does not pause for even a moment. He just keeps on trotting.

“Be at ease, travelers,” some male sounding entity continues to speak in our minds from somewhere. “I do not have, nor ever shall I, the intention to harm you. Rather, it is my purpose, pleasure, and intention to enlighten knowledge seekers. Such is that you seek, and such it is you found.”

Okay. This is . . . strange.

Yet also comforting. The “words” that resound within my mind isn't merely just words but also feelings. Emotion is attached to the message as well. I simply “feel” this beings benign intentions. In fact, I also feel such intense love from this creature that I can barely describe it. While mysterious, it also helps to put me at ease. As such, I advance forward.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Keystone,” the still unseen being booms in my mind. “I see you have been through a great journey so far. Much you have seen, and if you wish it, more there will be to come for you.”

Testing a theory, I decide to mentally reply, “Why do I feel like I know you? With every word you utter to me, or as close to 'words' as this level of communication can be considered, I feel a sense of déjà vu and familiarity with a being I sort of recently met.

“Oh, and by the way, where are you anyway? Are you invisible?”

“Invisible? Not at all, dear lady. I'm right in front of you,” the being replies.

I freeze, feeling startled as I realize that this being that is communicating to me is coming from the giant serpentine statue in the waterfall.

“You've been turned to stone?!”I mentally ask with horror.

“Yes,” the being replies with unexpected ease. “I have been locked in this state for a very long time now.

“Or, at least, 'time' as you have come to know it. For me, time is not linear. That affords me a much higher perspective of reality. It is for that reason I can well afford to be patient and at ease with my state. There are certain aspects to my condition which can be considered an advantage of sorts.”

“I'm afraid I can't sympathize,” I mentally reply. “It would be quite horrifying to me if I were trapped in stone, especially if my mind kept on going and noticing the state.”

“Well, for me, it is not as bad as you are imagining,” the being I'm assuming is the Great Sage Mezsizethelar is “saying”. “And yes. I am the one known by mortals as The Great Sage Mezsizethelar. I have also been known by other names as well. If you wish, you can come up with another of your own choosing. I shall not take offense at this. I know that name is difficult for you to pronounce, even in your own thoughts.”

His offer intrigues me. I definitely did not expect it.

“May I have your permission to introduce myself in a more comfortable setting?” the being requests kindly.

Once again, his offer intrigues me so I reply mentally, “Ahhhhh . . . sure? I guess.”

“Thank you!” he replies with a deep well of depth to his gratitude that I can actually feel. Moments later I begin to grow a tad dizzy as my senses wash away to a blank whiteness.