It had been about an hours after the ships had landed. All around you was thigh high grass that seemed to stretch on for miles on one direction, and died into a rough rocky landscape in the other, which is where you were headed. You sit on a nearby rock, making small talk with Spike who had just finished packing. Beside him was a large rucksack, full of ink, papers, quills, what have you. Around you were many soldiers, armed with all sorts of physical weapons that would help them combat the danger in the Badlands. Celestia had yet to appear. She told you to give her half an hour. But it was now going on an hour and thirty.

"She's certainly taking her time.." You say, staring up at the large airship in front of you.

"I'm sure she just wants to make sure everything is fine before we all get goin'. Can't hurt, can it?" Spike asks. You consider it. She and other unicorns would be without magic once you approached the Ishtar. A lot of preparations would have to be made.

Spike nudges your arm as he offers you an apple and you take it. He had been a great help recently. First saving your life, now helping you take your mind off the attack. Another hour passes and you're just about fed up with waiting. If you had a mind to, you'd march right back onto that airship and tell her to get her ass-

"Hey look! She's coming!" Spike nudges your arm once again and you turn to face the gangplank. Princess Celestia descended gracefully. Not too rushed but not too slow as to keep you waiting. She took her time, but also maintained a sort of haste. She wore an outfit similar to yours. Though with a more solid white shirt that had a very high collar, covering most of her neck. Atop of that was very light leather vest that hugged her. She wore pants oddly enough that hugged her long legs and curved around her flanks, covering the sun she wore so proudly. Her mane was done up in a pony tail, it no longer flowing freely on the magical winds. Beneath her eyes were black lines that curved along the underside of her eyes and stretched out past the corners. Possibly to give her some protection against the overbearing sun. Strapped under her left wing was a very long and narrow a blade. It's hilt shining like solid gold and encrusted with a single azure stone in it's center. She was ready for the trek into the Badlands. Celestia approached the pair of you and you stood. Spike did no such thing as he continued to check his bag for anything he missed for the tenth time.

"Princess, are we ready to depart?" You say so with a very slight irritated tone. If Celestia picked up on it, she did not show it as she only smiled a nodded.

"We will be leaving immediately. Are you ready? You aren't forgetting anything are you?" You shake your head and Spike confirms, placing a keffiyeh over his spined head. Celestia spends a few minutes organizing everyone into a orderly fashion. You three in the front, leading your expedition team behind you. With her order you move out. Leaving the three airships to their respective crews and trudging out into the rocky terrain up ahead. You don't expect for the walk to take long but you look forward to being able to take in your surroundings. So far the grassy fields in which you landed now shifted into hard, dry rock. The entirety of fifty or so ponies now marched through a canyon cast with great cliffs and steep falls into the valley below. Several times your party would have to stop. The walls that towered over you would give way to loose rock and sometimes block your way. A number of times you almost went tumbling over the side due to loose footing. And as always there was always someone their to catch you.

"We have? How can you tell? I could feel no difference." You look around, trying to find the even the slightest change in the area, but you find nothing.

"No, you wouldn't. For those more attuned to magic, unicorns and beings such as myself, it feels like a limb falling to sleep." Celestia demonstrates by illuminating her horn. As you can see, the golden aura that usually encases the entirety of her horn, only stays at base level. And tiny sparks fly off the tip with a low hum of a sound.

Before Celestia could give you an answer, the fire in question summons another scroll from Princess Twilight."Woah, I guess not." Spike says as he unravels the parchment.

"Dear Princess Celestia, Anon, and Spike,

By now I'd say you've crossed into the Badlands. If so, this is merely a test letter to see if Spike's fire is indeed magical. I myself never having the opportunity to test it myself. If this letter has made it through, feel free to write me back whenever you need to. "

"Thoughtful." You say, peering over Spike's shoulder to see the very neat writing. "She always has been." Celestia says. Spike continues.

"I don't think I need to remind you but, be safe. Don't take any unnecessary risks. I have complete faith in all of you. And Spike, I hope you find what you're looking for. Same for you, Anon.
-Twilight Sparkle"

Spike rolls the scroll back up and places it in his bag. You notice a slight spring in his step now as he now walks ahead of your pair. He seems determined and dedicated now. Though you hadn't been walking very long, your feet were starting to hurt and you started to look forward to rest. Celestia notices and smiles as you three round a corner that gives a perfect vista of your destination. You three stop in your tracks. A trail led straight down into sand that lead into high jagged mountains. The sun seemed to illuminate all of it, especially the gate that stood almost as tall as those great mountains. The Ishtar. To see it for yourself left you stunned.

"It has been about two hundred years since I last saw the Ishtar. There isn't the slightest change." Her wings pat you on the back as she begins to walk ahead. "Come Anon, we've finally reached our destination." You snap out of your trance and you nod to her. Following the trail downwards into the hot sand you feel you are getting smaller as the gate and mountains loom over you. The entire party is now in shadow as you draw closer to the gate.

Spike is just as impressed as you are. Once you're close enough he pulls out a charcoal pencil and paper and begins to sketch the entire body of the mountainside.

"You will see many such wonders such as this Anon. There are things out there that will dwarf the gate entirely." Celestia says. It's quite hard to believe her. How can something so massive be dwarfed by anything else man-made.

You find it even harder to believe as it seems the closer you get the taller it grows. Finally, you all come to a stop. The many stallions branching off to explore a little and marvel at the ginormous gate. You and Spike approach it. It stood on great stone steps that spanned a hundred feet left to right. Symbols and pictographs were carved into the base of the great gate. The thing you can note mostly is the two titanic columns that stand as sentinels. Crumbling and eroded statues stand on a ledge just a tier above you. And as your eyes climb higher you can see even more. They exuded an air of pride and power. Something that your people once knew hand-in-hand. Spike traces the base of the great columns and you watch him as he tries to grasp the full reality of it's composition.

"You're people built something like this out of stone. It must have taken years to make! I don't think that even Canterlot is a match for human buildings."

"You're exactly right Spike." Celestia says as she joins you. You can see Spike slightly shy away, fearing that he may have insulted the princess in some way. "We are infants compared to the majesty of the humans from long ago. Most of their cities were underground or carved out of stone."

Celestia continues. "They understood the rock completely. It's composition. It's properties and values. Even the age of it. You could say it was their element."

Stone. Stone and rocks. In hearing this you feel a connection to the earth around you. Though you couldn't remember a thing, you knew that the ground was what felt right. The truth laid within the gates. Possibly under the earth, deep in the corridors and great halls of the rock.

"I can't wrap my mind around it. This seems like something that only gods could construct."

You shrug it off. It's hard to believe that you came from such a race. But if you did, then you'd want to learn anything you could about them. "I suppose. Now that we're here we should start looking for clues." Celestia nods to you and says she'll take the norther side and splits off from you. Leaving you and Spike alone, who was still sketching out the gate looks around. "I can't see anything worth noting. What exactly are we looking for?" He said.

"I don't actually know.." You say to yourself more so than to Spike. All you knew was that you were to come here and some sort of clue would be revealed to you.

"Hey, what about that platform down there. Looks like something important." Spike points at a slightly risen dais at the base of the great stairs. Something you passed in your excitement to see the gate.

You nod to Spike and make your way down the stairs. As you grow closer you find it hard odd that you just simply ignored it. It was like a large mirror, reflecting the sky almost completely. Hesitating before stepping up you note the runes around it's edge. A familiarity to the stone that rested in your pocket. Retrieving it, you examine the runes along it as well. They shared the same basic principles and shapes. The ones on the dais more complex and elegant. Whilst the stone's were crude and simple. Finally you step onto the platform.

Your footsteps sound like they are treading on metal. Looking down you could almost see your face perfectly reflected back at you. As well as the sky, the tall mountains now inverted in the reflection. It made you feel unbalanced. Like you could fall downward into the never ending sky.

Now you stood in the middle looking about you. There was nothing worth noting but Spike now observed you from the stairway. You slowly rotate, looking around to see if there was anything that could draw your attention. When there is nothing, you settle your gaze on the gate. Then, your entire body freezes as a incredible chill runs down your spine and your eyes shoot open.

It was the voice. The voice you heard in the Everfree. The voice that beckoned you here. To the Ishtar. You find yourself without words and your vision begins to obscure. Unable to move at all, you stand still like a statue.

The voice booms at you from all sides. It was the voice of someone regal. Someone ancient and wise and powerful.

"I am here. What is it that I am supposed to do?" For a moment there is nothing, only the silent air around you and you begin to worry that voice had retreated.

//We know each other. And it pains us that you do not remember yourself or us.\\

There is no change in tone with the voice. It still remains indifferent to you. Almost as if it can hardly notice you're there.

//You have come a long way. But this is merely the prelude to your journey. An overture to the song of your heroic deeds.\\

"Heroic deeds? I just wish to find out who I am. I have no intentions on being a hero."

//There is no changing fate. For once you walk through that gate, you will fall into the hands of destiny.\\

"And what if I did not? What if we ended the quest here and returned to Equestria?" For a moment, you can pick up the slight sound of laughter.

//We know you. You've always been curious. Too inquisitive for your own good. You -will- step through the gate because it fascinates you, no? You wish to see what lies beneath the sand. It literally calls to you, does it not?\\

A cold sweat now runs down the back of your neck. The voice was correct. You were bluffing about leaving. In no way would you abandon this opportunity to discover what it was that called out to you so.

"When we spoke in the Everfree....you said that I would find my first clue here."

//Ah yes. We did say that. Didn't we? Very well, a hint to start you off on your journey.\\

Ahead of you, you can see a light from beyond the Ishtar. It had always been there, though you did not notice. It prevented you from seeing inside, to seeing the vast desert that ruled over the landscape. The light shined brightly. It called to you. Rather, you called to it to show you the way.

//In the heart of this desolate land is a city. A city that is very familiar to you. Agartha.\\

The name hits you like a truck. You instantly recognized it. An ancient city that rested deep beneath the surface. You could almost see it in front of you. The memory of the city as well of others start to clarify within you. "Agartha, a city beneath the sands. Destroyed by Angels. The effect of Heaven's Door... " You mumble.

//You will find what you have been seeking. Yourself. Your past and many other things. They all wait for you, beneath the sand.\\

The voice was now starting to fade. Retreating into it's own mysterious realm of which it spoke to you. "Will we speak again?" You call to it. Rather, you call to the silence. It seems like a small eternity before it returns. This time more faint and distant than before.

//Aye. We will speak again. But of our choosing. Now go. We will wait for you in Agartha.\\

Now the voice faded completely. Beyond your call and you find your self able to move once more. You fall to your hands and knees, now noticing how exhausted you are. Around you can see the many ponies rushing up to the dais to help you. You can hardly stand without any support; your knees were just short of completely sending you to the ground.

"Anon? Are you not feeling well?" The many ponies make way for Celestia as she approaches.

At that, Celestia recoils slightly and takes you away from the crowd, resting you on the stairs and now asking for a full explanation. You tell her without hiding anything. The voice had told you to journey far into the Badlands. And down into the earth. In the sunken halls of Agartha was your identity. It was there beneath that ever shifting sand that blew indifferent to you on the other side of the Ishtar.

"Agartha..? I thought as much..." Celestia stiffens a bit, your words seeming to have turned her to stone.

Celestia turns to look at the gate atop the stairs. The light shining from beyond. "Indeed. When Starswirl and I first came to the Badlands, we found you, of course, but we found that the gate was sealed." Spike now joins you two. While you spoke with the voice, he took his time taking notes and sketching out the surrounding areas. In his excitement he had passed through the gate without anyone noticing and peered out over the colossal desert. He found it amazing and rushed back to tell you, only to see you on your knees and breathing heavily. As he approached he heard most of your conversation. "Could that place be the giant pillar way out in the desert? I just saw it, hold on a sec..." Spike flipped through the small leather journal and flipped around until he found the correct page, marking it with a claw. He held it out to you and Celestia, tapping the charcoal black pillar on it's center. "This thing here." You look closely at the black tower. You had no idea Spike was such a talented artist, it looked like it could have been ripped straight from Starswirl's grimoire. It looked somewhat familiar but it isn't until Celestia names it that you can truly recall it.

"The Tower of Babel. It's the gateway into Agartha." Celestia shifts nervously on the stairway. It worries you but you decide to save it for later.

"Tower? The city is a tower? Well, that would make sense as to why it's so huge I guess.." Spike pulls back his journal to eye the drawing himself.

Celestia merely shakes her head, Spike not noticing. "No Spike. Agartha is actually submerged deep below the surface. There was some myth revolving around the tower. Though in this very moment, I cannot recall."

Celestia's eyes never find yours. Instead they once again return to the Ishtar. "Indeed. It's very dangerous. On our first- and only- expedition, we lost a number of ponies to the sands alone." She now stands and you stand with her, feeling more at ease now that you had time to catch your breath.

"Really? It's that dangerous? I've read some of Starswirl's notes on the Badlands, but most of it is impossible to believe." Celestia chuckles, seemingly more at ease than she was before. She starts up the stairs and you and Spike follow.

"Just a week ago you awoke to a strange land of talking ponies. And flew through the air on a boat. What else seems impossible to you, Anon?"

Spike laughs at you, but it didn't seem like he was laughing at you and more so the idea of you being surprised by anything after you've seen most of the wonders in Equestria. Including flat-out magic. The three of you reach the top of the stairs. As you look into the whiteness, you can hardly see the billion grains of sand on the other side that most likely caused the phenomena with it's reflections.

"How soon are we to move on?" You ask while pulling your shaded lenses up to your eyes.

You look to Spike who stills scribbles in his note book. "I'm ready when you are." He says. Behind you are the fifty-some ponies who would accompany you on this expedition. They all seemed ready enough and more than willing to move on. The cloak that had idly draped over you now blew gently in the slight valley breeze. Small bits of dust and sand blew across the ground to give you way to walk through the massive gate. For a moment you were hesitant. Somewhat afraid to pursue what you came here for. But the voice reminded you of why you wouldn't break away from the path before you. Why you wouldn't live the rest of your life here without somewhat knowing who you were or what your people were. The voice had indeed known you completely. You were curious. As all humans were. You wanted to see what sat waiting for you beyond this light. And you wanted to discover. Explore, seek out the unknown! It was your adventurous spirit calling for you!

If you stepped through this gate, there would be no turning back. You would fall into the hands of destiny and be carried along to whatever destination it chose for you. You nod to Celestia and she nods back at you. She turns to the ponies who now organized themselves at the base of the stairs. They were just as eager as you to find out what sort of adventure waited for them. With a single command you all move out. The white light enveloping you as you walk into it.

For moments, there is nothing but light. Then, as if an artist had taken his brush and painted his masterpiece in the matter of seconds, the grand desert faded into place. Everything looked different on the other side. More....yellow, and beige, and brown. Sure enough in the distance was the Tower of Babel. It loomed over the horizon, like a great thorn protruding from the skin of the earth. In between there and here was seemingly nothing but sand and the mountains surrounding it. But as you look closer you could make out individual landmarks and shapes. You stood atop a cliff side, had any of you rushed forward, you would have surly fell a length of fifty feet or so. To the side were carved stairways that lazily lead down to the ground and disappeared. Above you, the sun seemed to beam ten times brightly and there was no more of the gentle breeze from before. It was like you were in another world.

"Well then, shall we?" Celestia is the first to move onwards, starting down the stairs. You follow, careful not to walk to closely on the steep incline. You gingerly hug the cliff wall as the stairs wind this way and that, zig-zagging it's way down. Spike nearly fell due to the heavy load he was carrying on his back. And several over times you misplaced a step that could have sent you stumbling forward down the steep stairs. Before long you're down and into the hot sand. Your boots sink into the delicate grains of quartz and it takes a bit more effort to trek across, while Celestia easily trots along top it. The heat had not yet been severe enough for you to complain, the sun now past high noon and settling along the edge of the western mountains.

For hours you all walked on. And though you walked far, the great tower ahead of you seemed to grow no closer. Spike had started to tire so you offered to hold his bag for him. He refused at first, but after a few more paces he reconsidered and relinquished the heavy rucksack to you. There was no talking, there being little to talk about. The entire march had been completely uneventful. Not so much as a single bird flew overhead or a snake made its way across the sands. Then, from what sounded like a distant thunder caused you all to stop and listen. Celestia was stone still, her ears slightly moving back and forth to listen carefully to the sand.

"It sounds...like the sand is shifting.." She said quietly. The soldiers had now enclosed you, their weapons to the ready. Spike stayed close and you stayed closer to Celestia.

You break away slowly, making your way up the steep dune that blocked your view of the tower in the distance. It was hard climbing up, the crumbling sand yielding to your foot steps. Soon your able to peer over, lying on your stomach. What you see is baffling. Bewildering. It instills fear in your very being and for a moment you can't bring your legs to move.

"Anon? What do you see?" Celestia calls to you. The roaring was getting closer and a shadow now extended past the dune.

Immediately you spring up to your feet and run downward, stumbling and rolling until you get back on your feet again. Celestia catches you and asks what's wrong. More urgently this time.

By the time any of you can act, it's already here. A hundred foot high wall of swirling sand. The sound, louder than anything on this earth. Like a great cat, it pounces on you, blotting out the sun and swallowing you whole.

The Last Human

by Crooked Djinn

The Burning Gobi