//------------------------------//
// 15- The Black Garden 
// Story: Destiny- Shimmering Sun 
// by FrostTheWolf 
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Moments after Ray and I initially arrived in this place, it took both of us some time to try and figure out exactly where we were. The first thing that we attempted to do was try and make contact with the rest of my fireteam to let them know I was okay. We tried reaching out to Mac, Indigo and even tried getting in contact with Twilight and the vanguard, but each one of our attempts were unsuccessful. Ray tried recommending for us to get to a better vantage point to see if we could try contacting them again, but in my mind, doing that right now wouldn’t exactly help us right now if we kept trying all over again.

Yet, aside from the communication issues, the fact that we ended up in a place like this after jumping through a Vex Gate that only a gate lord could access led to me coming to one solid conclusion. This was the Black Garden. The very thing that the Stranger had told us about. To me, I saw this as a relief. Because it meant that all of the trouble that my fireteam and I had to go through on Venus, Mars and also making a deal with Queen Novo had paid off.

Yet, for Ray, his thoughts on the matter were somewhat different from mine. “This is beyond what I was expecting.”

“Something the matter, Ray?” I asked, holding out my left hand as he began to materialize over my palm.

“No, no. It’s just… I can’t seem to get a grasp as to where we are right now,” He explained to me. If a Ghost can feel uncertain about something, then right now, he was definitely showing that to me. “If this really is the Black Garden, then it’s not recorded on any map known to Space and Time. It’s, in a sense, it’s own reality. It’s something that I’m having trouble making sense of.”

All I could do in that moment was let out a brief sigh, taking a look around for a moment before turning my attention back to Ray. “Since when have the Vex made any sense?”

Ray just narrowed his gaze and looked away for a couple of seconds, possibly to try and come up with some kind of retort. But after a bit of thinking, his gave me an answer. “Fair point.”

“Besides, if this is the Black Garden, then its heart has got to be around here somewhere,” I reasoned with him, while taking a look back at the pulse rifle that was in my other hand. “How many ammo synthesizers do we have right now?”

“Five for primary, four for special, though we only have two for heavy ammo and we’re currently low on rockets right now.”

“Let’s save that for later,” My response was followed by Ray returning back to my equipment as I tightly gripped my pulse rifle. “Right now, we need to keep moving. Watch my back, alright? I rather not walk into any traps that might be in this place.”

“Got it. I’ll do what I can. We are dealing with the Vex after all.”

With that in mind, I began to proceed under a circular archway and continue forward. The surrounding architecture was almost identical to the Vex structures that we had seen before on Venus, yet there was one key difference that stood out immediately. Moss and plant life had taken root throughout this place. Growing up the walls and hanging off the edge of some rectangular shaped blocks that were stretched out from some of the structures that were in each of the particular rooks.

Turning to the left, I cautiously proceeded into the next room. For a moment, I stepped back and had my weapon aimed forward at the sight of what looked like a few Vex goblins. However… something was off about these ones. Normally, if a Vex saw me or any other guardian, they wouldn’t hesitate to try and kill us on sight. But these ones weren’t moving at all. They just stood there like eerie statues in different places across the room, and the moss that covered their bodies did not help any.

“Ray, what’s going on?”

“I think… they’re in some kind of stasis,” My Ghost told me. “Nothing’s coming up on the radar at all. It’s like they’re empty husks. Bodies without souls. Tread lightly though. I don’t think they’ll be like that for long once they realize that we’re here.”

Hearing that was enough of a reason for me to switch to my shotgun. If these robotic freaks were to awaken while my back was turned, I needed to have something that could help me defend myself. It would be better than having the burning feeling of getting shot in the back by Vex weaponry of all things-.

“Sunset, we got movement.”

And speak of the devil. “Where?”

“Four of them a few meters ahead. Goblins,” As he was speaking, I looked up to see only what appeared to be a row of the Vex that were in stasis. Yet, the radar had a red indication that something was nearby. “They’re hiding among the goblins that are in stasis. If you get too close, they’ll break position and open fire.”

A part of me felt that this seemed a little bit too clever for them to do, but then again, this is the Vex we’re dealing with. Fortunately, I still had my solar grenade. Conjuring it in my hands, I tossed the grenade forward as it landed in between where the four Vex were hiding. The burning flames forcing the goblins to leave that position as I stepped forward with my shotgun at the ready. Firing two slugs into the core of the two goblins that were the closest to me while my grenade turned the remaining Vex to nothing more than ash.

“Well, if that did not get their attention, something else will.” I muttered, loading two more shells back into my shotgun and readying it as Ray and I continued to press on. A minotaur and a swarm of Vex harpies arrived shortly afterwards as I had to engage them in a constricted hallway between rooms. The shotgun was enough to handle the harpies, but I had to switch to my rocket launcher to break the shield around the minotaur. Using one out of three remaining rockets that I had left at the moment before taking it down with my pulse rifle.

Now though, it hit me. If this was going to be how difficult it would be for me to continue moving forward without having to use my rockets, I needed to make a change. “Ray, do I have anything I can switch with my shotgun? I don’t think it would be ideal for me to be charging in if a minotaur is going to try and flatten me.”

“Actually, you do. You have a sniper rifle. I think we picked it up as a drop from one of the Cabal legionaries on Mars.”

“Switch it out and use a special ammo synth,” I instructed him, reloading my rifle and holding it at the ready. “If what we’re experiencing now is going to get even more difficult the closer we are to the heart, I’ll need to keep my distance.” As I continued forth, Ray followed through on my instructions. The shotgun icon that was originally on my helmet’s interface was switched out with the sniper rifle and the special ammo synth replenished its magazine to max capacity. I took a moment to switch to the sniper rifle, just so I can get a feel of what it was that I was going to be using before changing it back.

It might not have been the best kind of sniper rifle, but given the kind of situation that Ray and I were in, it will have to do for now.

Going up the stairs and heading to the right lead us into another room with multiple different pillars and stone ledges cast around the place. Though, we couldn’t really take in the scenery for too long because right away, more Vex began to swarm the room. Like before, it was a group of harpies and a minotaur. Yet, by now, my grenade had finally recharged and I was able to throw it out at the group of harpies before using my sniper rifle to make quick work of the minotaur. Taking it down in three shots before I had to reload and switch to my pulse rifle to get rid of some of the harpies that my grenade did not burn to cinders.

Luckily, the fallen Vex had dropped a couple of ammo blocks that Ray was able to transmit and add to my weapons magazine. Refilling it as if I never fired anything. Which came in handy because as we took a left turn and went to leave, we encountered some goblins. They didn’t put up much of a fight, but at least I did not have to reload while they were shooting at me.

“How are we looking, Ray-?” I now asked him as I moved past the metal bodies of the broken Vex that were on the floor.

“Careful, you got a hobgoblin around the corner,” He said, just as I noticed it and readied my sniper rifle. One of the shots from the hobgoblin grazed past my head and landed in the block behind me, before I fired a shot at its exposed core and it collapsed to the ground. “Now, as for your question, there’s an exit not that far. Yet, there are a few goblins and another minotaur blocking your path.”

“They won’t be there for long.”

“You know, the more that you stay stuff like that, the more that you sound like Rainbow-6. For my sake and yours, please don’t get cocky.” Duly noted.

As we continued forward and kept on taking down the numerous different Vex that were coming after us as well as taking down another minotaur with sniper fire, I was able to see the exit that Ray was telling me about. But as we stepped outside, I began to feel something. An overwhelming sense of dread and despair. And I was not the only one. “Sunset, not to alarm you… but I’m detecting something massive beneath us. Like an overwhelming mass of darkness.”

“You think it's-”

“No doubt about it,” He interjected before I could finish. “That’s the Black Garden’s heart.”

I wasn’t sure why, but just hearing that sent a shiver down my spine. However, I knew that I couldn’t just sit around out here any longer. Considering that the next section of the garden we were in had a lot more open space than the corridors we had just gone through, it was more than likely that Vex were going to try and pin us down from every possible angle.

Fortunately, there were also a few ledges that I can be able to utilize to get a better view of the area. Not to mention get a better understanding of what enemies we had to take out before proceeding. A few goblins scattered the area along with some harpies and two hobgoblins looked to have been guarding a ledge with a circular structure behind it. Similar to that of the Vex gates we had to destroy back at Campus 9.

Immediately, I focused my attention on the hobgoblins first. Aiming for the core in the center, I fired off one shot to take down the first one. Yet, when I aimed at the other one, my next shot bounced off its chassis as a solar barrier formed around it. Which was a problem. Because not only did I alert that hobgoblin of where I was, but I also gave away my position to the rest of the Vex in the area.

Thinking quickly, I aimed my sniper rifle again at the hobgoblin. Pulling the trigger as my next shot actually hit the hobgoblins’ core. From there, I brought my pulse rifle back out and tossed my recently recharged solar grenade towards the group of harpies. As they were burning, I fired off several bursts of ammunition at the goblins that were inching closer to my position, using up half of my clip to take them down. The other half of my clip was fired at the harpies to make quick work of them.

Yet, as I was reloading, something new happened. “Sunset, we got an unknown Vex signature incoming.” Unknown? Just how many different types of these things are there that we don’t know about?

As I looked around again, I began to see what Ray was talking about. It was indeed a different kind of Vex. It did not have any legs or have any movement capabilities from what I could tell since it was held down by a metal ring, but when its gaze was locked onto me, I had to move immediately. My helmet visor now labeled this Vex as a ‘cyclops’ as its eye was firing off void blasts at my location with as much destructive power as a rocket.

But it was not just its artillery that was the problem. “Sunset, take that down quickly! It’s summoning more Vex!”

Crap! That was the last thing that I wanted right now. As another Vex cloud began to take form by the cyclops, I did the only thing I could really do in that moment. Switching to my rocket launcher, I took one of the remaining rockets that was left and aimed at the cyclops's eye. Squeezing the trigger, the rocket propelled forward, exploding upon contact. Unfortunately though, it did not entirely destroy the cyclops. 

What the blast did though was… well, the best way to describe it was that it seemed disorientated. Because it was firing off more void blasts than usual, but they were landing all over the place. Hitting some of the goblins that it had just summoned mere moments ago. As the last of the goblins were turned to scrap metal by their own ally, I was now using this chance to finish off the cyclops as I focused my fire on its core. Getting it to drop to the ground within a matter of seconds.

Letting out a deep sigh, I was relieved that I could be able to catch my breath in that moment. “Hey Ray… I think now would be the best time to use one of our heavy synths.”

“Alright, using it now,” Seconds after saying that, I now found my rocket launchers ammo count at max capacity, shortly before he continued to speak. “Also, I’m picking something up in the next room that the Vex have a large barrier put in place in the next room to try and slow us down.”

“Any idea how to disable it?” I asked, entering the hallway that lead to where my marker was directing me to go.

“There’s a Vex Mind in the next room that is directly powering it and they got a squadron of goblins with them. Take it out and the barrier will be taken down.”

Sounds simple enough. Though, in reality, with everything that we have learned about the Vex up until this point, nothing ever really seems simple.

Right as I was sprinting to the end of the connecting corridor, I saw the goblin squad as they immediately began to fire at my position. Forcing myself to back up and hide behind a nearby wall for a second and wait until they stopped before returning fire. 

As a few of them dropped to the ground and I was working on finishing off the remaining goblins, I was now able to see the Vex Mind that Ray was talking about. When I originally thought of a Vex Mind, I thought it would be some kind of minotaur. Yet, this one turned out to be rather different. The ‘Divisive Mind’ as it was called was a hydra. The same kind of hydra that we had to face on Venus. Only this time, this mind was firing multiple shots from the weapons mounted on its chassis in quick succession.

Engaging the mind out in the open would be suicidal. So my only option was to try and find a new position where I can be able to land my attacks from while also being able to hide behind cover. “Ray, I need some new cover! Any ideas?”

“There’s an upward path to your right with a column and a makeshift wall. Go!”

Without even giving it a second thought, I was on my feet. Moving up the small as fast as I could before sliding behind the pillar. Seconds after making it, my solar grenade was no longer on cooldown as I peeked behind cover and threw it at the hydra. Landing at the tail end of the Mind, but it was not doing a lot to harm it.

Switching to my sniper rifle again, I took a second to peek out and fire off all four rounds from my current magazine, the first three hitting the Hydra in its singular eye while the fourth was blocked by the Mind’s barrier. The third shot seemed to stagger it for a brief second, but not enough in order to stop its assault as it continued to fire.

Now though, the only thought in my mind that I had to get out of this was to activate Radiance. Surrounding myself in solar light, my grenade began to quickly recharge itself as I threw several of them at the hydra once the barrier was no longer in front of it. Two grenades were on the floor, a third one hit the middle of its centipede like chassis while a fourth hit its head. Before I could conjure a fifth though, the Mind began to attack once more, forcing me to seek newfound cover as the Radiance wore off.

After finding new cover, I changed weapons to my pulse rifle. Focusing all of my shots on the Mind’s eye while also maintaining my position behind a stone wall. Thankfully, my choice to activate Radiance had paid off, for my grenades had burned away at its chassis long enough to the point where there was now a delay between volleys of void blasts. Exposing an opportunity that I was planning to utilize to the fullest.

Two minutes into the fight, one last burst-fire shot from my pulse rifle was enough to have the Mind crumple to the ground before exploding. The barrier behind it falling seconds later as we kept on going.

Who dares set forth in this place?!

I stopped immediately. I can feel my heartbeat race as I began to look around me. Trying to find where that voice might be coming from. What… what the hell was that? “Ray, did you hear that?”

“Hear what?” Oh great. Please tell me that I’m not hallucinating now. The last thing I want to have right now is two voices in my head.

Traversing through the downward path, we were beginning to encounter more Vex as they tried to block our approach to the garden. At the end of the path, a swarm of harpies and a minotaur emerged to stall our progress, but a few rounds of gunfire and punching a harpy or two was able to help me push through once they were all turned to scrap metal as we kept going down. Going left, I moved farther in and into another section, encountering more goblins and hobgoblins that appeared to be on standby. Having to return fire and make quick work of them and go forward.

At one point though, as we approached a section that looked like a huge gate was in the distance, Ray did not exactly share the best of news with me. “Sunset, we got a problem.”

“Define ‘problem’.” I asked.

“Vex blocked the way forward. The heart is just beyond there, but the way forward is a dead end.”

“So? Is there a way around it?” I now proceeded to ask. “We have not gotten this far into the garden, just for us to get blocked by a stupid wall.”

“Hmm… now that you mention it,” I heard him speak as if he was pondering something, just before coming up with a plan. “This entire place… it’s just one big machine. Sunset, I’m picking up a set of Vex Clusters nearby. I need you to get me to them.”

“What’s your plan with them?”

“Well… it’s less of a plan and more of a theory… but if the theory works, then it becomes a plan.” Well, at least he’s being honest about it.

The idea of blindly following my ghost towards the unknown in hopes to get something to work was not what I would really consider as the best course of action. Yet, right now, the amount of options that we had were very limited. Two markers soon came up on my map of the cluster locations that Ray wanted me to look at that were close to what looked to be half dome shaped doorways. Yet, just to get to the closest one on my left, I had to fight through more of the Vex that we had already encountered so far. Most of them being harpies with a couple of goblins and hobgoblins at certain locations and a minotaur directly blocking the cluster.

Once it was cleared, I deployed Ray to scan the cluster that he marked. Which was the right time for me to make sure that the magazines on each of my guns were full in case I had to defend him. Not a moment too soon though did Ray return though. “Alright, perfect. Now we got ourselves a plan.”

“Care to share with me what that plan is?” I now asked.

“Well, after scanning it, I learned that I can be able to manipulate this cluster. I just need to break the manifold encryption that they have set up and… I’m in.” Ray informed me. Seconds later though, I began to feel the ground shift under my feet as I turned around. Finding a column of white light emerging on a plateau nearby.

“Ray? Is this… part of your plan?”

“Actually, yes… based on what I’m seeing here, if we can get that other cluster to activate, we can get a spire to form like the one on Mars.” He explained to me while I was already moving over there. As I was engaging more of the Vex that continued to try and stop me, everything was piecing itself together rather slowly. And once we got the second one, the tower of light was quickly replaced by a spire. A new marker emerged moments later, highlighting a conflux that was just outside the wall that was considered a dead end.

“Now there’s one last piece,” He told me as I deployed him to scan the conflux now. “All that’s left is permission to enter… as a gate lord.”

Mere seconds afterwards, the conflux soon began to disappear. Shortly before something else began to take form. A rectangular tablet that was a navy blue, with an eye like shape near the top. It rose up into the air above us, the eye separating itself from the rest as everything else shattered to pieces. As the eye flipped itself around, a beam of light was released from the spire and hit the eye, before reflecting onto each and every piece that was broken off as all the beams of light began to converge at the center of the door.

When the door began to open, the overwhelming feeling of dread that I felt from before returned. The teal colored environment that we have been seeing so far immediately changed, turning into an abysmal dark brown. The plant life from the garden looked like it had been sapped of all life and dried up as looked past the opened door.

Immediately after going through the door, I laid eyes upon what we were looking for. A massive mass of black was beating at the center of the altar. Pulsing with electricity as statues of what looked to be three minotaurs stood below it. Just behind that, many goblins and hobgoblins knelt before the altar. Their arms stretched out to the sides.

As I stepped inside though, the goblins themselves began to move. Coming to life and turning around to have their gaze be focused on me. But for me, my attention was mostly focused on the heart. Because for a moment… I thought I saw a pair of white eyes gazing at me.

“So um… this might not be the right time to ask this… but do you think you can kill a god?”

All I could do was turn to Ray, who was floating around my shoulder, and give him an honest answer. “I don’t really think I have a choice.”

A lightbringer is here in this sacred place!?! Rise, my soldiers!! Make the light from this bearer flicker out and die!!

I couldn’t even contemplate what was happening as I heard that. Before I could even catch a breath, all the goblins in the middle began to attack. As I brought out my rocket launcher and fired off a round, most of the Vex were killed by the blast. But seconds later, something new happened. A powerful black pulse was released from the heart as it hit one of the statues on the left, cracks forming in the stone and growing. Yet… something about that pulse… felt familiar-

“Sunset, move!! The heart’s bringing the statue to life!!”

Arise, my Sol Progeny! Finish what the others cannot!!

Before I could even finish thinking, the statue shattered. A minotaur the size of a gate lord broke through moments later, draped in shadows as it pulled the torch hammer off of its back and turned to me. Immediately, I ran for cover as massive blasts of void energy were crashing into the ground. I tried to aim and shoot at the minotaur, which now came up as ‘The Eschaton Mind’, but any attempt to try and give myself some space was met by it coming directly at me.

At one point, I channeled my solar grenade to throw it at the Mind’s feet. Even though it did hurt it, it did little to slow it down as I had to hide under a ramp that overlooked a section of the altar. Looking through a crack in the stone wall and waiting for the mind to turn its back as I fired off a full clip from my sniper rifle. As it turned around to face me again, I switched weapons again to my heavy and fired a rocket at its feet. The explosion hurting the mind, but not fully destroying it.

“You have got to be kidding me…” I groaned. Clearly my weapons weren’t doing anything against this guy. So I needed to try something different. My grenade was still on recharge, but my super had finally come back after using it against the divisive mind. I needed something to turn the tide against this thing.

Immediately, I activated Radiance without a second thought. The fiery warmth of solar light revitalizing me as my power coursed throughout my body. As soon as my grenade was restored, I began throwing it at the minotaur again. Not just once, but multiple times in quick succession. The flames burning through the drifting shadows on the Mind’s body as I continued to open fire and fight it. Even firing another rocket at the minotaur to stagger it and give me the chance to aim at its core again.

All it took was another full clip of special ammo to take the Mind down, its body disintegrating into ash as if it never existed in the first place. Yet, just as I told Ray to activate another ammo synth, I began to hear that other voice from before.

No… You can’t be! This isn’t just the light of the traveler! You’re… You’re from the other side!!! How is this possible?!

Hold up… did that just-?

I will not let a being such as you end my existence now!!! Soldiers!! Kill this harmonious filth!!!

“We got move Vex incoming! Keep it up!!”

Ray’s words had me snap back to what was going on as I turned around to see another squadron of goblins arriving at the altar. Running towards them, I scorched the first one that came into contact with me before blasting out the cores of several others. Two more were on a ledge and attempted to snipe from afar as one shot grazed my left shoulder. Fortunately, I was able to switch to my sniper rifle in time in order to destroy them before they could be able to land a shot on me a second time.

When the platform was cleared though, another pulse was released from the heart as the next statue began to come to life.

Limbo was not enough to contain me!! Only in the farthest depths was I able to emerge from the deep!! Watching. Waiting for the day where I will come forth again. I will not let you interfere!!!

Okay, how the hell does it know about Limbo? Just what was this thing!?

“Sunset, look out!!”

When I snapped back to reality, I found a second gate lord sized minotaur, known now as The Imminent Mind, looming over me as it attempted to slam its mechanical fist into the ground. I was lucky enough to move out of the way in time, but if anything from the last fight taught anything, this minotaur was going to give chase. That and it was going to take more than just my weapons to bring it down.

“Ray, are my synths on cooldown?”

“No, they’re all ready! Which one do you need?”

“Special synth, quick!” What I told Ray was soon followed by hearing the synth activate and the ammo count in my sniper rifle fill back up. Taking down the Vex that I have been fighting so far can easily help me with replenishing ammo for my pulse rifle. However, with how much I have been relying on my sniper rifle and how little that kind of ammo drops from everything I’ve been fighting, it’s better to be safe than sorry right around now.

Fighting against this Mind required for me to rinse and repeat most of what I had to do during the last fight. Unlike the last fight though, I needed to keep moving and make sure that it did not catch up to me and strike me within close range. If the Eschaton Mind was attempting to try and kill me from range, the Imminent Mind was going to try and stomp on me like a bug.

There’s no way in hell that I was going to let that happen. I’ve come too far just to be killed by a giant over sized robot while the voice of somebody other than my ghost is screaming in the back of my head.

Gliding up to high ground, I threw my grenade at the Mind as it ignited around where the minotaur’s head would be. Taking the opportunity, I unloaded a clip of sniper ammo into the core of the Mind and then re-positioned myself again, taking cover behind a broken pillar. As it turned around and began to fire off its Torch Hammer, I waited for a pause in their attack before firing another full clip of ammunition. The last of my shots seemed to have staggered it, yet it was not enough to finish it off as I switched back to my pulse rifle to conserve ammunition.

Part of me wanted to use my rocket launcher right now, yet, I only had four shots left and it was likely that my synths were still on cooldown after using my special synth most recently. So I was having to aim and time my shots with my pulse rifle carefully while subsequently hiding from incoming fire. “Ray, tell me when to move. I need a better position.”

Just as soon as I asked him, we noticed that the Mind had stopped firing and Ray told me what to do next. “It’s stopped firing. Get to the ledge on your left, go!” Not missing a beat, I jumped up and use a broken pillar as a way to get myself up in the air and on a ledge that was overlooking the Mind. By now, I now my grenade had finally recharged and I was quick to activate it as it exploded around the Mind’s legs before opening fire.

By the time that I went through two clips of ammo from my pulse rifle, the second Mind was down for the count. Turning to ash once more. Yet, there was no way in hell that the fight was over just yet.

I have waited for so long for the chance to finally take revenge against those who banished me to this plane!! Against the elements!! Against the pillars!! ALL OF THEM!! I WILL NOT HAVE YOU END MY EXISTENCE SO EASILY!!!

Before I even had the chance to think or process what I heard, the heart released another wave of darkness as it struck the last remaining statue by the altar. It’s power forming cracks in the statue as the last of these Sol Progeny’s, the Primeval Mind, emerged from the statue. Yet, it was not the only thing that I was up against.

“Sunset, more Vex are coming in to fight with this mind!”

“Which ones?”

“Goblins, hobgoblins, even a pair of minotaur's! The heart’s throwing everything that it has at you!! Be careful!!”

Oh hell, this is going to be brutal.

Immediately, the first instinct that came to mind was for me to get rid of the extra Vex that were now setting foot in this place. Switching to my rocket launcher, I got in the air and fired off a rocket where a cluster of vex goblins and a hobgoblin were gathered before sliding behind a stone wall. With three rockets left, I reloaded my weapon and emerged from cover, aiming at the two minotaurs that were closer to the altar and firing again. As the rocket collided, I switched to my sniper rifle just as a bolt from a hobgoblin’s rifle flew past my head. Prompting me to turn around and fire a single shot at its core as its metal body crumpled to the floor.

“Ray, I really do hope we have a plan for this. I’ve got two rockets and one heavy synth left, yet these Vex just keep coming.” Right on cue, a few more spawned in, this time being a swarm of harpies as I got out my pulse rifle and shot them square in the eye.

“They’re more than likely following the orders given to them by that Mind,” I heard him tell me. “Focus your fire on it! If you take it down, they’ll probably stop fighting.”

“What gives you that idea!?” My response was followed by throwing a grenade at the harpies, quickly getting rid of them before seeking higher ground to avoid incoming fire from the mind.

“Remember what we found at the Ishtar Collective? A Vex Mind is shared across a million units. They’re the commanders giving the orders,” I heard him explain even further. “So in theory, taking down the mind will leave them without any orders or directives to follow.”

Okay… part of me sees how that would kind of make sense. Though right now, I was a little more focused on other things. Mainly, not dying. Still, what Ray told me at least gave me some kind of idea as to what I should be doing now.

Getting out my rocket launcher again, I fired off the last two rockets that I had on hand. One towards the vex that were attempting to give the Primeval Mind back up and then one at the Mind itself. Without missing a beat, Ray activated the last of the heavy synths that we had on hand. Restocking my heavy ammo supply while I was switching weapons back to my sniper rifle.

When it came to minotaurs, especially gate lords, they generally had two weak points. The head and the core in the center of their chassis. Now, instinct would have you try to aim for their head. Yet, if you did not know a thing or two about the Vex, aiming for the head would be a fool’s mistake. Destroying a minotaur's head would cause them to go into a berserk state, where they endlessly unleash a torrent of blasts in your direction and charge at you like a raging bull the size of a two story building. I did not know if the same thing would apply to that of a Mind… but honestly, given my situation, I did not want to take any chances.

I maintained my position behind cover while firing off several sniper rounds at the core of the Primeval Mind. Damaging it, but only barely as I had to hide behind cover once again when it's blasts were coming back towards my position. Pieces of it breaking off and scattering behind where I was. I had to keep moving, this time to the section underneath where I was on the ground level of the altar. The moment that my grenade finished recharging, I threw it forward as an orb of solar fire took form around the Mind’s chassis. Burning at the dark shroud that was covering it as I fired off another rocket before switching to my pulse rifle and opening fire. 

It took mere moments for it to lock back on to my position and return fire, but by then, I was already moving. In my mind, I was going to get killed if I stayed in one spot and just fired from there. There wasn’t going to be any kind of ledge that would just so happen to keep me out of their attacks range and if I was not aware of everything around me, something will throw me off guard and make everything vulnerable.

Once again, I fired off two rounds from my rocket launcher, bringing my remaining count to just three as the rockets exploded upon contact with the Mind’s chassis. Switching to my sniper rifle, I began to open fire at the core again. This time using every shot that I had before changing back to my pulse rifle. Come on, how much longer am I going to have to put up with this before it would just die already?!

“It’s almost done for! Finish it!!”

Without any hesitation, I continued to fire at the Mind. With the final burst round of my clip finally piercing through its core as the Primeval Mind fell onto its knees and disintegrating.

Yet, there was still one other thing to face. “I-i don’t get it… The heart should be done for! I felt it dying when you killed the minds,” The sounds of concern in his voice now echoing in my head. “Then why-?”

Do you think that I will be STOPPED SO EASILY!?! RRRRRRRAGH!!!!

“Sunset, shield your eyes!!”

And like that, everything went white.



When my eyes opened up once more, I did not find myself in the black garden… or for that matter, on Mars. Instead, I was in a place that was a white void. One that looked to go on for miles. “Ray? Ray, are you getting this?”

However, I heard no response. All I could hear was silence. Something that made my heart race. What’s going on? What happened to me? Am I dead... again?

Your little light cannot be able to help you here.

That voice… it was the same one from the heart. As I turned around, my eyes widened. A being that was as black as night stood before me. It was in the form of what looked to be a massive beast. It had eyes of white, a slick black body and wings where the feathers looked to be as sharp as blades. Pure shadows dripping all over the ground underneath him like black ink on a white canvas.

“What… the hell… are you?”

It looked to me, before grinning as the shadows around it began to rapidly spread everywhere. I am from the place where you came from, yet banished and separated from the one that created me. A student of a master… much like yourself, Sunset Shimmer.

“How the hell do you know my name?!”

I know everything now… In this plane, I’ve seen your memories. I’ve seen all the things you’ve done before. Even to the point where you had met your end. And even with the amount of times that you had been wronged by humanity before, the amount of times that you have been stabbed in the back by them, you stand here and fight for them. The shadows were now all around me, hands emerging from the ground to try and grab hold. Dragging me down into the unknown EVERYPONY THAT YOU CARED FOR, ALL OF YOUR SO CALLED ‘FRIENDS’ NOW ARE NOT THE SAME AS YOU REMEMBER THEM TO BE!! THEY DON’T SEE YOU THE SAME WAY EITHER AND OTHERS BLAME YOU FOR THEIR OWN TRAGEDIES!!! SO WHAT MAKES YOU SO SURE THAT ALL THE PAIN, SUFFERING AND REGRET THAT YOU HAVE BEEN THROUGH IN THE PAST WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN!!?!

In that moment, I didn’t say anything. Instead, I was trying to fight back as I was being pulled in. I couldn’t give up now… There were too many people counting on me now. It pulled me down waist deep. I began to think of everyone. Everyone I knew. Not just everyone at the tower… but everypony back home. My friends… my family… my friends here… everyone at the tower… My fireteam.

My mentor.

Ignite your spark!!

As I opened my eyes, a surge of light filled every fiber of my being. The flames from my hands pushing the shadows away as I looked back to this being. This vessel of darkness. A blade of pure fire forming in my right hand as I channeled my power into it and swung forward. Cutting through the beast as my light began to burn it.

As I aimed the newfound blade at its head. I only had one response as I shoved it through its body. “Because my past is not today.”

And once more, everything faded to white.



“Sunset? Sunset, wake up!! Sunset!!!”

The voice of my ghost echoed through my head as I began to slowly rise back to my feet. As my vision began to return to me, I found myself lying on the ground in front of where the altar for the black gardens heart was. Now though, there was some notable differences. The lighting in the garden was back to the way it was and the heart itself was gone.

“Sunset! Oh, thank the Traveler!” I heard Ray speak, the ghost flying right by where my head was. “I thought I lost you for a moment.”

“W-what happened?” I asked him.

“When the Black Gardens heart was destroyed, the shock-wave from it had you flying back into a wall,” He told me. “You’ve been unconscious for the last half hour. H-how do you feel?”

“Sore,” I mumbled, finding my pulse rifle on the ground and picking it up. “Please tell me that something good came out of this.”

“Well, for one thing, I was able to establish contact with not just the Vanguard, but the rest of your fireteam. Secondly, with the heart gone, the lights coming back to the traveler. It’s healing again,” Well, at least that’s a good thing. “Let’s go back to the Tower. The Speaker’s calling us home.”

I just let out a sigh as I looked back at him. “Personally, I think it’s going to be more than the Speaker we’ll be talking too.”



The Tower and its people looked as if they were in celebration. Many of the people, whether they were guardians or just regular civilians that lived there were gathered in the main plaza. The Speaker looked over the crowd and began to address those who were present. Saying that we once were those who hid and cowered behind a broken god, but not anymore.

Yet, while I could hear him speak, I was not actually there. Instead, I was in the shipwright docks with Ray right next to me and wearing a newfound set of robes that I received from Twilight. Walking over to the end of the dock as I noticed someone familiar. It was the Stranger from before. Almost as if she was waiting for me.

“So you did it,” She first states. My only response back being a simple nod. The exo turns around, facing me directly as she took something off of her back. A rifle that was yellow in color, but the same one I saw her hold onto before. “Today might be a day for pretty speeches, medals and recognitions of honor, but we know where the real fight takes place. What you did is only the start of something greater.”

Then she did something that I did not anticipate at all. She handed the rifle over to me. “Take this… A symbol of my thanks.”

“Wouldn’t you need it though?” Ray then asked her. Her only response being shaking her head.

“No… and I don’t plan to die so easily,” Was her only response. “Know this. There are horrific things born out in the Darkness. Every waking moment brings them closer. Our fight is far from over… so prepare for whenever that day may come.”

As she walked away, the stranger disappeared in the same blue-white energy that we had seen before. Fading away as if she was never there to begin with. As for me, I placed the weapon on my back, looking back to Ray as he had a new question for me.

“So, what do you want to do now?”

I let out a breath. “Honestly, part of me wants to get back out there… yet, after everything we’ve been through just now, I think I need to do a few things in the Tower first. Maybe even get something to drink?”

“I understand,” He replied. “Though, afterwards, we need to talk to Twilight. She said that there’s something that we need to handle once we’re well rested.” All I could really do was nod my head. Yet, one thing to me was clear.

Whatever was out there, I’ll be ready.



Meanwhile...

“Are you sure that this is a good decision, Twilight? Such an operation like this?”

“Flash, we need to do this,” The voice of the warlock vanguard could be heard as she was talking to the titan vanguard across the table. “Ever since Twilight and her fireteam have been going after the Black Garden, multiple reports from Rainbow’s scouts have shown increased Hive activity. Adagio has been helping us push them back and after discussing it further, we learned that the Hive are attempting to resurrect one of their gods.”

“Yes, but such an operation like this would require two fireteams-”

“That’s not what the issue is at all and I know it, Flash. You’re against this not because we don’t have the reason or the resources, but because of who has been helping with this, isn’t it? You don't trust her.”

“We have tried to reclaim the moon before and failed. Each time has led to the deaths of all the guardians who have tried-” Flash was cut off when Twilight slammed her hand on the table, shaking everything that was on it as the warlock glared at her.

“Flash, that’s enough. This is a chance that we only get once in a lifetime. We may never have another opportunity like this. We can finally push back against them,” The warlock told her. “I don’t care if you had problems with her in the past or whatever is the reason for you not trusting her, but she has more knowledge on the hive than anyone in the tower. Even more than the Speaker.”

The titan paused for a moment, before looking back to the warlock as he let out a sigh. “Fine… just explain something to me. What is the overall goal of preparing a group to raid the depths of the Hellmouth? What do you… No… what does Aria plan for them to do?”

“Something that should have been done long ago…” A new voice spoke, one that was deep and somber voice echoed throughout the chamber. Both vanguards looked to the opening as the new figure entered the room. Pieces of her armor and regalia looked to resemble the chitin and appearance of the Hive as her hands grasped onto a green orb that flickered like fire. The figures face had a wrap around their eyes as three green circles glowed from them.

“Slay the Eater of Hope that stole my light. The Hive Prince, Crota.”