//------------------------------//
// Ch 3: Journey to Nowhere 
// Story: The Legends of Lore 
// by ChaosDragon 
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As soon as he and Lucky had returned from the tavern, Lore had set about deciphering and memorizing the map with a passion. He devoted every moment he could to unlocking its secrets. So engrossed was he in his frenzied study that he often forgot food and sleep entirely. After a few days, the image of the map had been burned into his mind so thoroughly, that he could see it clear as day every time he closed his eyes. 

Yet the map wasn't alone in his mind's eye. The knife was always right beside it, glinting in some unseen light as it haunted his dreams. He had almost lost his best friend that night at the tavern, and thinking about their narrow escape still sent a cold shiver through him. If he had been a second slower, that knife might have hit Lucky's spine and paralyzed his friend for life, or worse. Lore did his best not to dwell on the possibilities. In truth, the incident at the tavern had been nearly a month ago now, yet sometimes he still woke at night, fleeing visions of that bloody knife dancing in his head.

Nightmares did not plague Lore this night, however. Tonight, that honor belonged to anticipation. Three large candles sat atop the desk, their flickering light holding back the darkness of night as Lore pored over the ancient map for what seemed like the thousandth time. Strictly speaking, further study of the map wasn't necessary, but simply knowing what tomorrow held made Lore far too excited to sleep, and studying the map put his mind at ease. He handled the worn parchment with the utmost delicacy as his eyes flitted over its contents. The depicted landmarks and geography aligned almost perfectly with that of Equestria, and Lore felt certain his theory was correct. Equestria was the 'non-existent land' that the zebras had spoken of. This map had to be of Equestria, it was the only possible conclusion the evidence would allow. This put their mystery destination somewhere to the northwest, hidden in the vast area of uninhabited land that stretched between Canterlot and the frozen north. 

The map would get them close, of that he had no doubt, but Lore felt certain the real key to finding the city was in the flowing script that ran along the edge of the scroll. A bolt of excitement shot through him as he ran a hoof along the strange words, remembering the wonderful puzzle they had presented him. The writing didn't match any known language he had ever come across. It didn't even seem to be derived from any known language at all! In fact, the only clues he had been able to find were some vague similarities between the unknown script and the first three known languages of ponykind. Each had born a faint trace of the mysterious script, yet each one was similar in a different way and showed no connections to the rest. A lesser pony might have given up at that point, but Lore was nothing if not clever and determined, a most potent combination. Seen separately, these similarities weren't enough to suggest which language could have spawned the strange script. In fact, the similarities appeared as nothing more than coincidence, certainly not enough evidence to decipher anything, but when viewed together they suggested something completely different. 

Throwing accepted history right out the window, Lore had flipped the problem around and looked at it from the other side. What if this strange script hadn't come from these ancient pony languages, but instead, was the source of those languages? That had been the key to the whole puzzle. Once he had shifted his thinking, the rest fell into place. Using all three languages together, he had been able to work backwards and piece together a rough translation of the text on the map. He smiled to himself as he remembered the moment seven days ago when he had finally cracked it. The translation was by no means perfect, but Lore was confident in his results.

A low chuckle brought Lore out of his contemplation and he turned around to find Lucky standing behind him with a sly grin on his face. "What?" he said, perplexed.

Lucky held in a laugh as he gestured to the map that Lore was still unconsciously running his hoof over. "Should I leave you two alone?"

Removing his hoof from the map, Lore rolled his eyes and sighed. If there had been any doubts as to whether or not Lucky had fully recovered from his injury, they were gone now. His friend was definitely back to his old self again. "Yes, yes you should leave 'us' alone. And since you are feeling so much better, you should go check the packs as well..." Lore's words began to trail off slightly as his gaze shifted to the scar over Lucky's cutie mark. Despite his friend's full recovery, his eyes were still inexplicably drawn to the injury on occasion. The surgical precision of the scar unnerved him for some reason. The way it only touched the cutie mark, cleanly splitting the number twenty and perfectly bisecting the die; it seemed almost unnatural to him, and it sent a small tingle up his spine every time he saw it. The feeling lasted only a moment before disappearing as swiftly as it had come. Ordering his thoughts, he quickly recovered and moved on before his slight lapse could be noticed. "We leave in a few hours and I want to make sure we haven't forgotten anything."

Rolling his eyes right back at Lore, Lucky let out an exasperated sigh and headed toward the stairs. "Right, because I obviously wouldn't have noticed if anything was missing the other fifty times you've had me check those same packs in the last week."

"Please, Lucky? I just want to make sure nothing goes wrong..." Lore's eyes flicked back to Lucky's scar for an instant as he whispered to himself "... this time." Those last two words held a weight all their own, sounding more like a promise than a simple continuation of thought.

Lucky hadn't heard Lore's last words and didn't bother to break his gait, simply waving a hoof behind him as he headed down the stairs. "Fine, but this is the last time." Just as his head was dropping out of site, Lucky called back to Lore again. "You two crazy kids make sure to use protection now, you hear me?"

All the guilt and concern Lore had been feeling for Lucky suddenly dimmed as his friend's old teasing self shone through. He smacked a hoof to his face and groaned, already feeling his excited energy leaving him, "Why did it have to be the flank? Why couldn't it have been his tongue! I might have gotten some peace then!" He felt a little guilty saying it, but it also felt good to pretend the tavern had never happened, at least for a moment. Surprisingly enough, Lore found his nerves calmed by the complete normality of the brief exchange. The knot of tension in his stomach had melted away, and he found himself suddenly craving the bed he had been neglecting. After carefully packing the map away, he finally gave in and crawled between the sheets. He began to wonder if this had been Lucky's true purpose in coming upstairs, but sleep claimed the weary stallion before he could give the matter any more thought.

The rest of the night passed in uneventful silence, and the first rays of the sun saw the pair depart their home loaded with packs. Their final destination lay far to the north, and before their journey could really begin they needed to reach their true departure point, and that meant taking the train. They arrived at the station early and took the first train of the day several hours north to Canterlot. Rather than exiting the train in Canterlot proper, the pair disembarked at the foot of the mountain instead. After all, there was no reason to climb back down the mountain if they didn't have too. 

Stepping out onto the platform, the pair took in a deep breath and stretched, loosening stiff muscles and readjusting packs as the train took off again. They both moved jauntily to the north edge of the deserted platform but came to an abrupt stop at the top of the stairs, their momentary cheerfulness forgotten. Staring out into the vast tracts of empty grassland, the enormity of what they were about to do finally hit them, and it was daunting to say the least.

They stared wordlessly out at the flat horizon, and it was several long moments before even Lucky could break the silence. "That's an awful lot of... nothing."

Lore didn't even blink at the statement. Still a bit overwhelmed by the full weight of their task, he was only able to manage a simple "Yep."

"And we're just going to follow your ancient map out into the middle of nowhere here and pray it's the right place?" Lucky asked.

"Yep."

"You know we're probably going to get lost out there." Lucky said flatly.

"Probably." Lore replied.

"But you're going to go anyway, aren't you."

"Yep."

Lucky finally looked away from the horizon, turning his gaze to Lore. "Are you sure about all this?"

"Not even a little." Lore answered with complete seriousness. And with that, he stepped down off the platform, and finally began their journey into nowhere.

Lucky, however, remained on the platform, still debating the wisdom of this decision as he watched his friend walk out into the empty land. Lore was almost out of earshot when Lucky finally started trotting after him, calling out as he drew closer. "I want a raise!"

Lore didn't bother to stop as he called right back to Lucky. "Not going to happen."

With a metaphorical shrug, Lucky resigned himself and quickened his pace, catching up with Lore and falling in beside him.


* * *


The first day saw Cloudsdale pass by far to their left, while the dawning of the second day saw it disappear behind the horizon. By the third day the pair had become completely lost, their compass reduced to nothing more than a paperweight as the needle spun endlessly, refusing to guide them. Though neither admitted their predicament or were even overly conscious of it, they both knew deep down that they were simply wandering now. 

It felt like being in the middle of the ocean with no land in sight, such was the disorientation. An ocean of rolling grasses and only the sunrise and sunset to tell general direction, for neither of them were versed in navigating by the stars. The best they could hope for at this point was to stumble upon the small isolated forest which the map had indicated was their goal. The chances of that however, were about the same as wandering into a thriving town out here - i.e. not very likely. They still had hope though, and continued to trudge as straight north as they could; Lore trusting that they would find the lost city of Taurelond eventually, and Lucky trusting that Lore would find them a way back eventually.

Four days later, Lucky was past beginning to think the entire trip was a waste of time. They hadn't seen another living creature since they left, and nothing more than a large rock had broken the endless expanse of swaying grasses in nearly three days. That rock had been such a welcome reprieve from the sameness of their surroundings that Lucky had actually run up and hugged the pony-sized boulder. Whether it had been sincere or part of a joke wasn't clear even to himself, but either way the rock was far distant by now and the answer mattered not. The landscape was once more as it had always been, flat and empty.

As Lucky looked out over the swaying grasses in the noonday sun, his stomach gave a lurch. Looking down in surprise, he frowned at his belly. Was all this gently rolling land and swaying grass actually making him seasick?! That just wasn't fair in his opinion, and it left him in a decidedly bad mood.

Seeing that Lucky had stopped, Lore came to a halt and turned back to his friend. "You okay, Lucky?" He said with concern.

Lucky looked up at him, still frowning, and decided that no, he was /not/ okay. "You know, I'm really starting to hate this whole trip. Bad enough that we've been wandering around lost out here for days, but now I think all the swaying grass is actually starting to make me seasick!"

Lore opened his pack and tossed Lucky a nausea pill with his magic. "We aren't lost, Lucky. We just need to go a little farther. We're close, I can feel it." He pointed north into the distance, toward a gentle rise. "Look, I can see a sort of 'bump' in the horizon there. Maybe it's what we're looking for."

Quickly swallowing the pill, Lucky headed off toward the rise. "About time, I was beginning to think we had wandered into the *Fields of Asphodel! The sooner we find this place, the sooner we can go home."

As the hopeful duo drew closer their hearts sank. Lore's 'bump' turned out to be nothing more than another rock. Lucky sank down onto the ground dejectedly and sighed. "Well that settles it, we're definitely lost."

Lore rolled his eyes and nudged Lucky's leg. "Oh come on. So it's just another rock, that doesn't mean we're lost."

Lucky didn't answer him, simply pointing a hoof toward some scratches at the base of the rock.

"What is it?" Lore said curiously as he peered down. The scratches coalesced into letters, and Lore moved a little closer, squinting his eyes and tilting his head slightly to get a better angle. "Let's see... 'Lucky was here'..." There was a long pause before Lore spoke again, his words coming forth grudgingly "Well then... I guess we really are lost... well... fudge." Despite the singular innocence of the word, it certainly seemed to sum up the feeling of the situation nicely. 

Lore was about to look away when he realized that there was a lot more than just three words scratched onto the rock. "Jeez, what did you do, write a novel on here?... 'P.S. I have named this rock Jeffrey, king of the grasslands'..." Lore knew he should have stopped then but another line below it caught his attention "'P.P.S. I told you we were lost Lore'..." That last line was just too much for him. He knew Lucky would never let this one go, if for no other reason than the insane odds that were against it working in the first place. Rather than lift his head and face Lucky's undoubtedly grinning face, he closed his eyes and began to lightly bang his head again the rock. Part of him silently vowed to get Lucky back for this one, while another part couldn't help but grudgingly respect his friend's jest and grin along with him. He decided to ignore both parts however, and instead used his magic to toss the map toward Lucky. "Alright then, smartass, you lead the way and we'll see just how well you do."

Catching it deftly, Lucky gave his friend a little bow. "I thought you'd never ask!" His mood was much improved now that Lore had found his little message, and after unfurling the map and looking it over briefly, Lucky nodded to himself and struck out in a northwesterly direction. "Come Jeffrey, it's time to be off! And bring your sidekick as well. We can always use another strong back to carry the luggage."

Groaning in exasperation, Lore laboriously trailed after Lucky. He had a feeling the days were going to become tediously long, at least until Lucky found something else to latch onto, that is.

Lore's feeling turned out to be correct, though not because of Lucky's attitude. Though Lucky did continue to rib his friend good-naturedly, a solid week of endlessly walking the grasslands had simply begun to take its toll on the pair. In the days that followed, each hour dragged on longer than the last, and a fatigue that no amount of food or rest could relieve seemed to creep over them. It was as if the weariness were slowly seeping into their very bones with every step they took, and not even the deep dreamless sleep they fell into every night could banish it. This led to increasingly sour moods all around and the pair soon began to walk in silence, having neither the energy nor temperament for their usual idle banter.

They carried on that way for three full days without change, accompanied only by the sounds of the wind over the tall grass. They might have continued on in that manner for a good deal longer, but the two wayward travelers had come to a grim realization that morning, and it lay upon them like a heavy lead cloak fastened too tight around the neck. It had been ten days now since their journey began and their supplies were dwindling. The growling of their bellies soon joined the wind as they began to ration their remaining food. At most they had another four days before their supplies ran out; eight days if they continued to ration the food carefully. After that they would have to live off the land. While it's true they could graze on the tough, reedy grasses around them if they had to, the pitiful nutrition they provided would not sustain them for any extended period of time. 

Despite their food problem, they had an even more pressing concern, namely water. Rationing it as they were, they had another four, maybe five days before their water was gone, but even now they were already starting to feel the nagging thirst build inside them. If they didn't find more water in time, they would be finished. After three days of no water, they would be too weak to ever make it out of this place without a clear path and considerable help, and by day six they would be dead. That was the worst case scenario though, for now at least they still had time, but the gap between scenario and reality was steadily closing in on them. 

Spirits were at an all-time low and hope was in short supply as they went into their eleventh day with nothing to show for it. On the twelfth day they tried to abandon their search and head south, but even the sun seemed to have turned against them. No matter what they tried they could not get their bearings. Some ponies might have become panicked or disheartened, but the looming threat of their deteriorating situation only served to harden the two friends' resolve. They continued to press on through the silence as best they could, determined not to give up without a fight. Their stomachs had stopped growling by now, making it quieter than ever before. At another time this might have been unusual, but the knowledge of an impending slow death by exposure tends to have that effect on a pony's appetite. Yet they managed to stave off despair throughout the day, telling themselves that today would be the day they found the key to their salvation, be it water, Canterlot, or Taurelond. As night began to fall however, their determination and resolve began to drain away as the duo's wanderings once again found them in front of a suspiciously familiar rock.

Lucky didn't need to see the scratched words near the bottom to know it was the same rock. The way their luck had been going, it couldn't be anything else. The map slipped from his hooves and drifted down to lay against the base of the rock. If his body had had an ounce of moisture to spare he might have cried then, but as it was, he simply sank to the ground in defeat.

The last vestiges of Lore's will to continue flowed out of him as Lucky slumped to the ground, confirming what he had already suspected to be true. An even greater weariness swept over him then, and with leaden hooves, he made his way over to Lucky in the rapidly fading light. "Hey there, Jeffrey," he said with a defeated sigh and not a hint of sarcasm or amusement to be found. "Hope you don't mind having some company for the night." He patted the rock absently and slumped down against it as he joined Lucky.

"Hey Lore?" Lucky said as he turned to look at his friend.

"Yeah, what is it?" Lore replied as he closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the rock.

Lucky rolled onto his back and looked up at the darkening sky. "I don't think we're ever going to find Taurelond... or a way out of here for that matter."

A heavy silence stretched on for what seemed like eternity before Lore finally opened his eyes and answered him. "... you might be right." He said, his voice little more than a murmur, as if he feared hearing the words himself. He didn't need to hear them in order to know them though, as the voice in his mind cried out far too loudly to be ignored. Lore had done it again; he had failed yet again. They would never find Taurelond. Not because the map was wrong or it didn't exist; he was certain it did, but because he couldn't get them there. Worse, he couldn't seem to even get them out of this place. They would just continue to wander aimlessly until they finally collapsed. To Lore, that was the worst part of all. Not the failure to find the city or find their way, but the failure to his friend. Lucky had gone to the tavern because of him. Lucky had saved him, and he had nearly gotten him killed not ten minutes later as thanks. He had promised himself never to let his friend be put in harm's way because of him again. He had told himself they were prepared. He had promised himself that he wouldn't let anything go wrong this time... and yet, here they were. He had failed, again. He had let his friend down, let himself down. Lucky had come because Lore had been certain they would find the ruins. Now Lucky was going to die out here and it was all his fault; not Lucky's, his. He had killed his best friend.

They stayed silent for a time, too tired to talk and too depressed to want to. They watched as the sun finally disappeared below the horizon and the night sky began to unfold before them. The stars bloomed in the darkness and ran across the sky like diamonds spilled across black velvet, and in their very heart, shining bright and full, was the moon. It rose in their midst, pale and perfect as it shone down upon the lost travelers, indifferent to their fate.

"I guess there are worse ways to go," Lucky mused somberly. "At least it's peaceful out here." 

Whether or not Lucky had actually been speaking to him, Lore didn't know, but he remained silent all the same. Lucky didn't seem bothered by his silence though, and it was only a few minutes before he was talking again in that same dull tone.

"You know, you never told me what it said... the map, I mean. All that stuff along the edges that you were trying to translate, you never told me what you came up with."

Lore sighed with the weariness born of pain and guilt and closed his eyes as he began to recite his translation. The one he had counted on to find Taurelond, the one he wasn't even sure was right, the one he had never been able to understand. "Friends of pure heart, we bid welcome. Those of noble purpose, we bid enter. Go with 'estela' into the sea of land. Walk not upon it with doubt in your mind. Greet the 'heru' of the plains as the sun dies, and give unto his care your guide. When 'arvandor's eye opens wide to the world, his light will guide the way."

Lucky lifted his head slightly to stare over at Lore in disbelief and confusion, "That's it? That's the big clue?! That's how we were supposed to find Taurelond?!"

"Yep, that's it." Lore intoned.

Lucky flopped back in a huff of righteous indignation and continued to berate the universe. "That isn't a clue! Clues are supposed to be vague, and rhyme! That thing is about as clear as mud! Poorly rhyming mud at that! I demand a new clue! One that rhymes properly!"

"Translated text doesn't rhyme, Lucky. The syllable structure and pronunciation from one language to another is just too different to allow it." Lore said flatly.

Lucky was too busy venting his frustration and anger at the world to listen though. "And who the hay are Estela and Arvandor anyway!? We haven't seen another pony since we left the train station! This entire thing is rigged! Rigged I tell you!"

Sighing, Lore shifted against the rock before answering, already beginning to sink slowly into a defeated sleep. "They aren't ponies, Lucky... at least I don't think they are. Some of the words I just couldn't translate. I told you it isn't perfect. I was hoping it would become a little more clear once we actually got here."

Lucky still wasn't really listening, but he was apparently done ranting now and had settled into an angry sulk. After a few minutes of grumbling and muttering unintelligibly he finally spoke up again. "Lore."

"Yeah?" Lore grunted sleepily.

"I hate your map... and I hate this trip... and I'm sick of all this grass."  Lucky said grumpily, starting and stopping as new annoyances came to him.

With a yawn, Lore adjusted his head and mumbled back to his friend, "I know you do, Lucky."

After another minute of silence Lucky spoke up again. "Hey Lore?"

Lore didn't even bother to form coherent words this time and simply grunted.

"I still want a raise." Lucky said.

Lore roused himself enough to use actual words this time. "And it's still not going to happen. Now go to sleep, Lucky."

"Fine." Lucky closed his eyes and rolled onto his side, doing his best to get what little sleep he could. Sleep, however, had other plans, and was proving to be very elusive. Not only was the ground uncomfortable, but the continuous gentle breeze was making him cold. As if that wasn't enough, there was also an annoyingly bright glow landing right on his closed eye and it was driving him crazy. After trying to ignore it for a solid twenty minutes Lucky simply couldn't take it anymore. He opened his eyes to find the source of the irritation, which didn't actually take very long since it was sitting about six inches away from his face. "... Oh, you have got to be kidding me!"