//------------------------------// // I See Fire // Story: Legends of Equestria: The Long Road Back // by JimmyHook19 //------------------------------// The very next morning, the sun would rise once more, but with it also came a thick cloud of Louisiana fog that blanketed and controlled everything that was in the ground and on the sky. Sorry, that's not quite right. The very next morning, the sun would rise once more, but with it also came a thick cloud of Louisiana fog that blanketed and controlled everything that was on the ground and in the sky. There. Much, much better, good sir. Or Madame. Or whatever you self identify as these days. It was most certainly time for them to awaken, and Mistmane rolled out of bed with a grumble and looked over to the door, to see Starswirl looking out of the window. "What are you looking at?" Mistmane asked. "There is a cloud bank closing in," Starswirl noted. "And that normally means rain is closing in on our position. And based in my research, the rain storms in this part of the world are especially fierce and will drown practically anything in a mass of water." "We had best make sure we're not outdoors when that happens, then," Mistmane sighed, and headed for the shower. Starswirl, on the other hand, got his cloak on and headed out of the door, looking to his right and seeing Flash Magnus already up and fully armored. "You're up early," Starswirl said. "And in full armour too! Expecting an altercation?" "We haven't seen anything of our old foes. The Sphynx was last seen running off, and based on what Mistmane was saying she hasn't seen anything of Sable Spirit either. That is very suspicious." "Maybe they're busy," Starswirl suggested. "Military training has taught me otherwise," Flash replied. "When the enemy falls quiet, you're about to fall straight into an ambush. And I've been through enough of those." Somnambula emerged from the same room, also fully equipped. "Good morning," she said, glancing up and down the corridor. "I wonder what we shall see in this 'Lousie Annie'." "They don't like people called Annie around there," Flash joked. "Louisiana," Starswirl corrected them. "It was originally settled by the French, and they named it after their King, Louis. Mistmane should be ready soon, so we can go eat pretty soon. That sound good?" "We certainly need plenty of food and water if it's as hot today as it was yesterday," Flash sighed. "This muggy air is very different to the dry heat of the desert." "And not the dessert," Somnambula said quickly. Mistmane was the last to emerge from the rooms, and seemed ready to go. "Have we got all of our items with us?" she asked. "Flower, check." "Spellbook, check," Starswirl added. "Shield, check," Flash said. "I have a blindfold on me, but I sincerely think that will not be much help," Somnambula finished. "Then let us go!" Starswirl called, and our four heroes headed off downstairs to have their breakfast. After eating and having their first taste of Cajun music, it was time at last to set off for the next destination. The first stage of their journey took them to the north west, after which they turned right and passed over a bayou on a bridge, where a buffalo was busy lecturing others about how this land was his and saying this was also true 'for his father before him. And his father before him. And his father before him. And his father before him'. They were all rather tired, and so went on their way through this town. They took a slight right next, and then went onto another of these ramps, before merging onto the road it connected to. They crossed another bayou, this time with a group of alligators making ticking noises, and then crossed another river. Not long after that, they passed over a river. According to the notice, it was the Lost river, which does rather raise the question of who misplaced it in the first place. They then crossed yet another river, before a massive rainstorm hit the area, and the quad took shelter at a rest zone inside the big building there as the rain splattered down for what seemed like hours, but in reality was only a few minutes. But it was the heaviest rain that any of them had ever seen, and based on the warden's comments, rain of this ferocity was very common, sometimes happening several times a day. Following the rain stopping and the area becoming much nicer to walk through, they set off on their journey once again. They held to the left to stay on the correct road, and then crossed over another river. This part of the world loved its rivers. Flash had removed most of his armour and had stowed it as it was so hot that he was sweating ocean of sweat. They passed over another river, and found themselves in the mythical land of Louisiana, a land of alligators and nice music, not to mention great food and even greater hospitality. They stopped at the welcome centre, amazed at how green everything was around here, and then they were on their way. They passed over another river on a long bridge, before taking an exit and merging onto another road. "That's not a good sign," Flash said, pointing up ahead. "See that trail of smoke? It's where we're heading." "Good grief!" Starswirl explained. "There's a lot of smoke and fire over there!" "What happened?" Somnambula asked. "I fear that may be our destination," Mistmane said, worry in her voice. "Let us continue. We shall find out more when we arrive there." They turned right, and then right again, before a left turn and found themselves in the middle of a burning hellscape. Everywhere they looked, something was smoldering. Mountains of rubble had spilled over the roads and fallen into the river, and the few buildings that still stood were charred and hollow, their interiors having long since collapsed into rubble. It was a vision of Tartarus itself. "What happened?" Mistmane asked, seeing a pony nearby. "Torch happened," the pony replied bitterly. "He burned the entire town to the ground, and now we're trying to clean up the mess. If you see Rockhoof, tell him thanks for failing to save us." He then walked away. "Rockhoof?" asked Flash. "He tried to stop this?" "That tells us that he is near!" said Starswirl. "But reports of this 'Torch' concern me greatly. Is this another being allied to Project 722? And if he can inflict such devastation on this town on his own, what chance do we have against him?" Mistmane shook her head. "We can worry about that later," she said. "For now, we will assist with the rescue effort."