//------------------------------// // Map to Nowhere // Story: War of the Fallen Race // by PegasusKlondike //------------------------------// "Whats the deal? Why would royal guards be destroying the place?" A frantic Rainbow Dash asked as they entered Applejack's kitchen. "Its just like Pinkie said! This is some kind of government cover up. I always wanted to go to Canterlot, but to enjoy the high life, not the prison cells," Rarity cried out. Twilight's horn glowed with her magic, pulling the curtains shut and darkening the room. "Calm down everypony! There is obviously some kind of logical explanation for all of this. We just don't seem to know it yet. Princess Celestia wouldn't outlaw this kind of knowledge for no reason." "So what are we gonna do sugarcube? Hide in mah kitchen until the cows come home?" "No, we are all going to go home, and stay quiet until this all blows over." "What about the map Twilight?" asked a shaken Fluttershy. "I'll see what I can do about interpreting it. I have books on cartography from all over the world, somepony has to have a technique similar to the demons." *************************************************************************** It was blatantly obvious what the map pertained to, it was so detailed it was like a photograph. Stronghold or whatever it was called stood directly west of something called "Surge Source", how far was difficult to say. Several line of different colors crisscrossed the map, Twilight wasn't sure whether they were just on the map or actual lines somewhere out there. Spike lazily sat in a chair on the other side of the table, holding a quill in his claw for the inevitable moment when Twilight would tell him to take some notes. She turned the map this way and that way, looking for anything that might be a clue. Then it hit her. "Wait a second." She rushed over to a shelf, grabbing one of the most common scrolls in Ponyville, a map of Equestria. Twilight spread it next to the demon map, though different in scale, the maps had subtle similarities. "That mountain matches with Canterlot! And that river there is kind of like the one flowing through the Everfree Forest!" But the demon map did not show any sign of the Everfree. Nor did the Equestria map show any of the smaller lines. Or did it? Squinting closely, Twilight saw a roadway on the Equestria map that matched a line on the demon map. "Spike! Are you taking notes? The little red lines are ancient roads! And the blue ones are larger roads. And the really big straight ones are imaginary, like borders to countries! If my conversions are right, the demon base called Stronghold should be about..." she took a couple seconds to calculate, "about two hundred miles due west of here! Oh Doctor Whooves will be so pleased! Spike dropped his quill and looked at Twilight. "Doctor Whooves? Where have you been Twilight? The Doc is on house arrest for some kind of crime." "What? All he did was dig in the dirt and ask some questions." "I know, but a bunch of guards came to the door asking if we had any contact with Doctor Whooves lately, I lied and said we didn't." **************************************************************************** The throne room to Canterlot Castle stood quiet, Princess Celestia waiting between appointments with various dignitaries and bureaucrats. A knock sounded at the massive door, Celestia expected the buffalo dignitary who was here to rediscuss the treaty regarding gemstone tariffs crossing into the Equestria border. "Enter." Princess Luna instead crashed through the door, looking absolutely furious. She stalked up to the throne. "Luna, shouldn't you be asleep?" The blue alicorn stared at her sister with malice in her eyes. "Why did you do it?" "Do what dear sister?" "Some ponies in Ponyville found human artifacts, maybe even remains! Just an hour ago I got a report saying they had been utterly destroyed!" Celestia nodded, as if Luna had said something that was no big deal. "Yes, I ordered the guards to destroy any strange artifacts they found at the site." "Well, why?" "To save those ponies from the past, whenever knowledge of the humans resurfaced horrible things happened Luna. It is as if their very memory taints the world." Luna spread her wings in anger. "We cannot ignore the past! I know more than most about what kind of evil the humans were capable of, and if anything their failed society stands as a reminder to us to never become like them." "Luna, what if they found something? Yes, we find their weapons, their communication devices and vehicles all the time, but what if they found the way to Stronghold? What if they found a new source of corruption that even the humans were too afraid to use?" Luna shivered as Celestia mentioned the dread human citadel. It was where the Defiler had been born and to this day explorer ponies reported strange things happening at the ruins of Stronghold, like the place had been haunted by spirits, vengeful of the alicorn's failure to save them. "So they found one of the funeral pyres from The Day of Judgement?" The horrible image had stayed in her head over the years, clear as the very day she had seen them. Great piles of bodies; human, pony and creature all stacked in the same heap, many mangled beyond recognition. The oily black smoke that filled the sky and the choking stench of burning flesh that clung to anything it touched as flames licked the dead. They had both been there, two thousand years ago on the day of humanity's pacification. "Yes Luna, I also thought it disrespectful of anypony to disturb them. They all died out there for various reasons, and none of their spirits deserved unrest." Celestia squinted at Luna. "You are considering it, aren't you? Letting my student go to Stronghold to find answers as to why we failed. Solve the age old mystery of why the human army disappeared before we could help them. Maybe even find a way to conquer your fear of them. Tell me Luna, have your nightmares ever faded away?" The blue alicorn sighed. "No, they are as vivid as ever. Some part of me is screaming out in warning, but against what? We defeated all of their taint with the Elements. Besides, what harm could come of sending the embodiements of the Elements of Harmony to see if they can give rest to the angered spirits?" "More harm than you can imagine Luna. What if they found another Defiler and accidently unleashed some new horror?" "I would not be able to live with myself any longer, as if I can already." Luna's head dropped and her eyes watered with guilt. The white alicorn stood and walked to her sister. "Don't say things like that Luna, what Nightmare Moon did has no bearing on who you are. You are Princess Luna, raiser of the Moon in the sky, beloved ruler of her people and the most loving sister I could ever ask for." Tears streaked down Luna's face. "I'm sorry Celestia, I just don't know what to do anymore." Celestia laid a wing on Luna, giving what comfort she could to the black alicorn, her past ruling her future and her personal torment unending. ************************************************************************** Twilight Sparkle walked through Ponyville market square, determined to see Doctor Whooves at his home and tell him what she had learned from the map. Approaching his house, she saw two gold armored royal guards standing watch outside of his door. Nervously she addressed the pair. "Uh, hello there! I just wanted to bring the Doctor some books he requested." The stoic, gold armored guards replied, "No can do miss, the individual in current residence is under house arrest, no communication with anypony." "Oh my goodness! What is he in trouble for?" she asked in a disbelieving lie. "Spread of false rumors, propaganda milling, and trespassing on private property." "Well then, when will he be out of house arrest?" "Until further notice ma'am. Please move along." Twilight left in a hurry, heading back to the market. Passing by a flower cart, she heard something from an alleyway. "Psst! Miss Sparkle!" Twilight looked around, then spotted Doctor Whooves waving a hoof at her. "Doctor Whooves? How did you get out?" "Sshhhh! Not so loud!" he said in a hissing whisper, "I have my ways of getting around. What did you learn from the map?" Twilight snuck into the alley. "I found out that it's a rough map of Equestria, but before it was Equestria!" "Yes, yes. Anything else?" "I know how to get to their fortress, its about two hundred miles due west of Ponyville." Doctor Whooves refrained from jumping with joy. "Excellent Miss Sparkle! I have this theory, if the demons were that advanced when ponies were so primitive, they must know something about our origins. I would investigate this theory by going myself, but I can't be gone from my house for more than a couple minutes at a time or else the guards will notice." "What are you saying Doc?" "Twilight, I want you and your friends to go to Stronghold and look for any information about the demons or their knowledge of us. Think, legend says they had a global empire, what if we could somehow find their ancient knowledge from around the world? We would be famous to say the absolute least! And if they actually know our origins, so many riddles of life could be solved without arguing." "I don't know Doc, the very thought of going to an ancient fortress guarded by demon spirits sounds just a tad bit on the dangerous side. What if one of us got hurt out there, or even worse?" "Those ghost stories are just that Twilight, stories! Please consider the possible contributions to science, magic and knowledge! I beg of you to please consider!" Twilight sighed in resignation. "Alright, but only if my friends agree to this as well." "Huzzah! I'm glad you see it my way, of course I will be funding your expedition into the western frontierlands, and you will be needing supplies for at least a month of travel and so on!" The Doctor prattled on for another minute before he realized the guards would getting suspicious of his silent house. "I must go, but remember, the reward of knowledge from this expedition could be priceless! Who knows? There could even be treasure!" The Doctor trotted off down the alleyway. ******************************************************************************** "So that's the deal girls, Doctor Whooves wants us to go on an adventure to a lost city past the western frontiers. It might be fraught with peril, but he says there may be a great treasure at the end." Twilight had gathered her close friends at the library to talk about the expedition. "Twilight, all ya had to say was 'adventure' and I was totally in, the treasure just sweetens the deal," Rainbow Dash said as she set down one of her books. "Yes, the prospect of adventure sure does make one's hooves eager for the road, and what if that treasure is jewels. Marvelous jewels of every size and cut! I would be the talk of high society with my gem studded line of clothing!" Rarity drifted off on a tangent, another gem fueled dream clouding her mind. "Well sugarcube, it wouldn't be right if y'all went out stompin' around the countryside without me by your side. I'm in Twilight." "Oh I can't wait to go! Maybe my Pinkie Sense will come in handy somewhere!" Pinkie bounced around the room, obviously excited at the prospect of a fun adventure. "Fluttershy, that just leaves you. None of us will go if one of us doesn't want to." The pegasus would have shivered in her boots, if she was wearing any. "I...I....I'll go Twilight, maybe I'll be useful somehow." "Then it's settled, with the funds from Doctor Whooves, we're going to Stronghold." "Wait! What about me Twilight!?" Spike burst into the room. He was supposed to be asleep, but instead he had been eavesdropping on their meeting. "Spike, this is likely to be very dangerous. Besides, somepony has to look after the library while I'm gone." "But that's not fair! You and your friends get to have all the adventures while I stay here and write notes." The baby dragon had a realization. "Wait, my claws fit the demon weapon, maybe they had other stuff that needs claws to work! What if there is something only somepony with claws can do?" "He has a point there Twilight. If we are going into their city, we might need somepony that has a bit more dexterity," Rarity threw in. "Ugh! Fine, you can come too Spike! Just don't get into too much trouble. Now, how are we going to do this?" Applejack compared the demon map to a map of modern Equestria. "If that map we found in mah orchard is right, we could hop on the train for Appleloosa and be halfway there in two days. Mah cousin Braeburn would gladly give us a place to sleep and some supplies." "Excellent Applejack, now what do we know about the western frontier?" "The buffalo control most of that territory, but I don't know about anythin' beyond their borders." "Then maybe we can get their help in this, if they live around Stronghold then maybe they know something about the site. That about covers everything, does anypony have questions?" Rainbow Dash raised a hoof. "When do we leave?" "If possible, tomorrow."