//------------------------------//
// Focus anew 
// Story: Legends of Equestria: The Long Road Back 
// by JimmyHook19 
//------------------------------//

Having arrived in a new state, they were closer to the sight of their next major stopping point, which was further into the state than their current location. As they relaxed over breakfast, today hopefully being an easier day in mileage and events occurring the them, Starswirl looked at the coordinates again. ""42°12'46.9"N 122°43'08.6"W. Now I just need to put this into my magic compass and find the location markings." As he did so, his horn glowed and energy flowed into it, lighting up the machinery and causing it to whirr into life. The needles spun and twitched back and forth, before eventually settling on the correct direction. "There we are."

"Are we ready to set out?" Mistmane said.

"Yes, we are," Starswirl replied. "Let's go."

Once they had finished, it was time to get back onto the road. The pair exited the stop point and stepped onto the cold, albeit brightly lit street, and began to set off on their way, heading north as they did so. After that move, they then took a left and then turned straight ahead after that, changes in direction being very common in their mode of travel. Not long after that the pair made not one but two left hand turns, then moved into the second lane (rather suddenly, and to the annoyance of a truck driver) and accessed a new road, with far higher speed limits than last time. They merged from one road onto another, and then crossed over yet another river, on yet another river. Starswirl consulted his telescope and looked forward and out into the skies, where the sun was still rising in the sky, a glowing golden ball of light.

"Does it remind you of home?" he asked Mistmane, who had paused as well.

"In a sense," she replied. "Though sunrise was very late back in my village due to how high up we were. Some days it was as up late as 8 in the morning. The entire country was one giant time zone rather than being broken down into several ones as it was in other lands. The Emperor before Sable Spirit said it was to do with 'fostering national spirit'. In reality it just made everybody very tired and sleepy."

"And I thought I had some early mornings," Starswirl sighed. "Oh well. We must continue on our way, and then we can find our destination and the clue that we seek."

And onwards they went, leaving the bridge deck and this city behind, but then walked through another city after several hours of walking, with towers that scraped the skies and buildings that seemed to shimmer. The last time Starswirl had seen buildings like this was his sojourn into the Crystal Empire, and that had been a long time ago. Perhaps this land had access to crystal as well? It was entirely feasible for this to be the case. Oh well. Such things were not the direct concern right now, and this meant that they had to proceed onwards.

After they had passed through two more towns on their route, they stepped another river, this time also on a bridge as fording the river would have been very awkward indeed, and then went up a mountain pass so high it seemed as though they would leave the ground, go straight through the roof of the world and out into space. After the pass and descending the other side (checking vehicle brakes on the way for heat), they followed along the river again, or at least they thought it was the same river, as it wasn't easy to ascertain which river was which. After leaving on exit 30, they turned right and then left as they approached somewhere. Suddenly, as they entered what seemed to be town limits, Mistmane and Starswirl's horns lit up as they received magic telegrams.

Mistmane opened hers first. "Start by heading to the following address," she read aloud. "362 Oxford Street, Ashland, Oregon, OR 97520. Here you will find the evidence."

Starswirl opened his. "Start by heading to the following address. 362 Oxford Street, Ashland, Oregon, OR 97520. Here you will find the evidence." He smiled. "Somnambula always thought of everything."

"One can always have hope in their heart, but at the same time preparing for all eventualities is wisest," Mistmane noted. "Hope for the best, prepare for the worst." And onwards they went into the town, passing several building and intersections, including the town university with many students, mostly stuck inside their dorm rooms and not in lecture theatres. A most sensible decision, the pair thought.

After a pair of left turns, and then a right, the duo stopped outside a fairly nondescript home of the typical American style. "Ahh, Oxford Street," Starswirl said. "A good street name, unlike Fairmount Avenue, the most generic street name possible. Where is the clue?"

"Wait a second," Mistmane said. "There is psychic residue here. I should check it to be safe." Her horn lit up, and suddenly there was a bright flash as what appeared to be holographic projections appeared before and around them.

They stood to one side further down the street as a truck rolled to a stop outside the house, and an entire army of people appeared to help carry items inside, though mostly smaller ones such as boxes and personal items. After they were done, two individuals, a man and a woman got out of the truck and spent a moment looking at the house, presumably their new home. The man, who was complemented by an impressive beard, said something, and then the pair went indoors.

After that, time seemed to go into fast forward mode, showing various moments from the past. Quite suddenly, the number of people living there increased from two to three, and then to four, after brief periods where the woman was visibly pregnant. The last notable moment was the four of them outside together.

And just as suddenly as it had all started, it ended. The sequence stopped.

"What was that all about?" asked Starswirl.

"Maybe they used to live here," Mistmane suggested. She trotted over to a plantpot that had been left in place and picked it up, revealing a letter underneath, in Flash Magnus' mouth writing. It looked rather messy, but that was to expected, as he was clearly writing in a great hurry. "But we have our clue. Let's go."

Starswirl nodded, and the pair trotted away. He didn't spot a single tear roll out of Mistmane's eye.