//------------------------------//
// Story by the fire 
// Story: Angel by your side 
// by H550 
//------------------------------//

	Learning new things is one of Truth Seeker's most loved adventures. Nothing, absolutely nothing beats the satisfaction of seeing an ancient mystery unfold or a theory being updated by his data. He crawls through the ruins of some old and decrepit civilization long passes.
These mysterious metal structures, recently unearthed, are some of the most advanced in the world.
What happened to this race that used to occupy them?
Where did they go?
How were they so advanced that they have better tech than us?
Those questions plagued the minds of all the ponies on the team.

But we had just hit a breakthrough, the largest deposit of "Human" relics ever found.
We don't know much about them. They were very technologically advanced and didn't seem to use much magic. Some scientists theorize that they were the precursors to ponykind. They stood and looked the same. No wings or magi gems though. The skeletons show that they could practically eat anything and their legs let them run for a very long time.

The magi have come up with a spell that allowed you to peek into any souls that have not passed into the afterlife either by choice or because of a *shudder* violent death. A quick glance shows that all of my companions are out of the range and giving me the thumbs up.
My soul gems glow as the spell is cast.
A pulse of pure magic spreads around me and searches for a memory to lock onto, it finds one.

The buildings straighten and clean themselves into a decent shape and the road gets repaired. "Humans" are sprinting down the same street, past and through me.
Screaming.
I look around at the flaming buildings, the running humans, and the fallen humans.
With conspicuous red pools below them.
I gasp as a child falls to some strange red energy blast to the back.
A guttural roar tears my attention to the source of the blast.
A beast that can only be described as a demon shoots past, and through, me.
With eyes red as a flame, claws a black as night and magic as sickly as a changeling's legs, it pushes towards the people. Even through the spell, I feel fear.

"Now do you understand why we are gone?" a mysterious voice breaks me from my thoughts, "We found an enemy we could not beat, not that we didn't try."
At the last word, the beast is cut down by thunder cracks and flashes of light.
Humans in a strange grey and brown uniform with a pattern that would give a fashion designer a conniption and strange complex looking muskets in their hands.
The musket type weapons,

"Stop calling them muskets, they're m4's with blessed rounds. Only thing we found the hurt these bastards." The voice interrupts my musings, "You need to find your own way to fight these things, they will come for you."
I look away from the carnage and search for the ghostly voice. 
"Who are you? Where are you?" my small voice echoes across the landscape and over the sounds of battle.
"Who I am doesn't matter, neither does where. All you need to know is that this is a warning. You must defeat them. They come from the gate of Tartarus, we sent many of our best to keep these demons down there until you could fight them off. I'm afraid to find out what happened to them." My eyes snap around and see a human sitting on a bench a long brown coat draped over his shoulders, a wide brimmed hat I have seen some of my more adventure oriented friends wear. "I have aided your race throughout the ages. From the Golden age of the Elements, to the revolution and even in recent times. My gifts and will have echoed throughout the ages."

"What are those gifts? What is your will." I shout as the past viewing spell wears off.
"Who were you shouting at, what were you talking about, what's going on?" My team's questions swirl around me as I gave at the place where the man was. No bench, no man. Just a burn mark in the shape of outstretched wings.

"So explain this to me again," Celestia asks as I stand before her in day court, "What's this about Humans, Demons and Tartarus?"
"We need to prepare for when these things attack us, your highness" I plead, "He says we don't have much time!"
"Come walk with me." Celestia rises from her throne and beckons for me while ordering the guards, "Close up day court!"

We travel down stairs I did not know the castle had and through tunnels lit only by Celestia's magic. "I have known about this person for a long time. He spoke to my sister and I when we ascended to the throne, warning us of this threat. If he says that there will be a problem, then there will be. He has never lied before." She muttered the last part under her breath.

Our conversation continues as we enter a large cavern with to large arching columns coming to a point at the far end. A palpable aura of hope radiates from the arches.
"He called them the broken doors," Celestia's voice pulled me from my musings "He said that when all was lost they would open, and I quote, 'bring down the wrath of a race long gone on the fuckers'. He was not very couth when talking with us."

I giggle at the conspiratory voice she had said the last bit in. "What's his name?" I ask.
Celestia grows serious, "For him and his kind, names have power. He never told us his true one. All he said was his name was..."
A loud crash from the staircase cuts Celestia's sentence off as we rush out of the room to see what happened.

"Names do have power, even false ones Celestia. Or shall I call you Solaria Regina?" A figure standing beneath the arches whisperes to no one.