Austraeoh Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Rainbow blinked, then turned to face the rest of the group. "Anypony else wanna stretch their legs in a super creepy building filled with ancient skeletons and surrounded by rainstorms?"
- Urohringr, "Meet at the Instance Gate"

Stratopolis is the modern name for the ancient floating structure located over the Frozen Sea, long thought a myth even by pegasi such as Rainbow Dash, though its legend had been spread to Silvadel and beyond. It is the same place as the Zadubadabu known to Props and Prowse. Its true nature is that it is one of the Sentinels found in the lore of Urohringr. It served as a base of operations for the Changeling swarm for an unknown length of time. The Noble Jury and the Lounge's ship both crash land onto the city during the events of Urohringr. The Tarkington was also wrecked there until it was reactivated by Prowse, Seclorum and the other refugees.

Features[]

The structure itself is composed of several disconnected stone "temples" around a central hub, and is protected on the outside by an almost impenetrable whirlwind which it generates itself through unknown means. In the center of the main temple is an "upper" control room which consists of several rods in the floor which respond only to Pegasus touch. These rods, moved like levers, control the arrangement of the temples around the center. In addition to this, there is a second "lower" control room, sealed behind a rune door and an elevator, which contains four pedestals. Each pedestal corresponds to a cardinal direction, and placing the proper material on one pedestal will steer the city in that direction.

Origin and History[]

The origin of Stratopolis, as with the rest of the Sentinels, is currently unknown. Presumably, they were created at the same time as the world itself as some sort of global control system. The Ancient Pegasi are presumed to be the first who came into contact with it.

"It became clear to us that this structure was older than even the alicorns, belonging to an age when the very foundations of the worldly plane were first set into motion."

The earliest point which Stratopolis appears in the timeline is shortly after the unification of the three Equestrian tribes. Celestia reports that it appeared on Equestria borders "...like a grey phantom, carrying with it boundless tempests and maelstroms." She and Princess Luna were almost unable to remove it from their land, until Commander Hurricane discovered she could control it and volunteered, along with a detachment of Pegasus soldiers, to steer it away forever. Celestia then gave Hurricane the Sword of Solstice in order to carry out this mission.

Hurricane and her troops directed the city to a spot over the Frozen Sea so its influence would not harm any other ponies, and stayed there for about 6 years. During this time, they discovered the Smooze and fought to contain it within the heart of the city. After locking it away, Commander Hurricane died and was entombed in the upper control room. The remaining pegasi presumably died in battle while protecting this room from an unknown invader (possibly the Changelings). After losing contact with the group, Celestia sent three separate expeditions to attempt to locate them and determine their fate. None of them were able to find Stratopolis again, though the purpose of their search became the germ from which the legends of Zadubadabu and "The Lost City of Stratopolis" originated.

Since at least 18 years before the main story occurs, the Changeling swarm used Stratopolis as a prison, an ideal arrangement because of its isolation and high security. In this prison they kept the real Aatxe, Seclorum, Prowse, Lasairfon, Arcshod, and many others who had been replaced by Changeling dopplegangers.

The entire structure was destroyed along with the Smooze during the events of Urohringr. Roarke, disguised as the Naga "Vaughan", met with Pilate to give him an Ocular Array and a piece of Yellow Skystone. She tells him about the lower control room and tells him to destroy the city by directing it off the north edge of the world. Rainbow Dash, armed with the Sword of Solstice, carries Pilate to the lower control room, where he uses the Skystone to steer the city north to the Yellow Skystone deposits at the edge of the ocean. Following a final fight with Razzar, all three of them narrowly escape the destruction of the city, and are picked up by the Noble Jury and the now-functional Tarkington.

Advertisement