A great pressure, hard and unrelenting, fell upon their necks as the gateway relinquished its grip. Light became twisted and shadowed while the tendrils of mist and unseen things were scattered into the ether and became nothing. All around a gaping void that tasted like poison descended upon them and consumed their senses until the very air was vile to the lungs.
Celestia stumbled out of the gateway and steadied herself in the dim twilight as Ford struggled to remain upright, gasping and gagging for a clear, safe breath and collapsing to his knees as his choking continued.
“Ford!” She was beside him in an instant, doing her best to help steady his lungs and forgo panic, keeping an eye on the bright fear that resided in his gaze. “You’re alright, you’re alright. In and out and you’ll be fine, I promise.”
Ford spluttered but his uneven rasps faded and became rhythmic once more, though each breath he took sounded like glass against his throat, and he returned to his feet with a stumble.
“What was that about? Are you alright?”
Ford continued to concentrate on his breathing, his eyes darting back and forth as if seeking a perpetrator, sharp-eyed and cold as the steel instincts of the soldier came into play. “Something foul is in the air,” he said grimly. “There’s a reek of smoke, as if the very air is burning.”
“I feel nothing…”
“Be grateful,” he replied, looking about and taking in the desolate surroundings. “Where are we?”
The two seemed to have arrived in a great plain bereft of life, a vast, empty place without even the sight of grass of water, only an endless expanse of bare earth and rock that lay darkened beneath the twilight, occasionally pock-marked by great holes that still smoldered. Off in the distance was the grumbling of a continuous thunder, its steady rumble ill to the ear and unfamiliar.
“This is strange,” Ford remarked, kneeling down and feeling the burnt earth against his skin. “It’s so hot, unnaturally so. This place feels scorched somehow, just like the air. What could have done this?”
Celestia’s attention, however, was now beyond what lay beneath her feet, casting far upward and into the sky. The source of the twilight, far beyond their reach, was a distant sun that still burnished its flame in the night, a pale and sickening light that was marred by black void that seemed to eat its way across the once-beautiful star like a spreading sickness. “No…”
“What’s wrong?”
“That star- it is dying!” She cried, her heart twisting as she gazed upon it, watching the rays filter down weakly and feeling its pulse against her own. “Something is eating it alive!”
“What are you talking about? Something’s happening to the sun?”
“I can hear it crying out- faintly, with its dying breaths,” she said, closing her eyes and reaching out far beyond self and earth and void until she at last fell upon it: the burning spires and flames that licked across its surface, great tongues of fire and energy that had once given light and life to dozens of planets and moons now called out faintly to one who had known its kind, begging for release and an end to its suffering, as all its power and former majesty was ripped from its heart, and sucked into an endless abyss of black.
“There’s a black hole inside that star!” she said. “The sun is being consumed from within- and it’s pulling everything in range right into its void.”
“Celestia, I don’t understand. Try to explain- the gateway!” Ford’s confusion turned into alarm as he rushed to the side of the wrought-iron gate and watching it fall apart before him, the metal twisting and falling upon itself before turning into dust and floating away in the wind. “What in heaven..?”
“Ford, you have to listen to me- that sun is dying. There’s something consuming it from within its own heart and it has us in its grasp, too!” Celestia said, taking her husband in her grip and forcing him to focus on her words. “If we do not find the gateway soon, we are going to die! This world is doomed, and so are we if we stay here.”
Ford’s fear was palpable, but his will helped him stay steady and hold down his terror. “How much time do we have?” he asked, a slight tremor to his voice.
“Little- a few days at most, and that is a generous guess. Once the sun goes, everything else will be pulled in, and that includes us! We have to hurry!”
“OK- so w- so we move,” Ford declared, forcing himself into action. “Which way do we go?”
“Anywhere we might have a chance- come on, Ford!” Celestia cried, practically dragging her husband along with her as she ran, her mind pushed to the brink of terror as the sun’s fading screams echoed within her. The connection had been brief, momentary, but enough to set her blood to freezing. Their time was limited, and she feared their doom was closer than she had predicted.
Their movement across the plain took considerable time, the empty flatness deceiving them of the actual distance. With no real sign of which way to go, they decided to move towards the sound of thunder, with the hopes that the rain would lead them to civilization and life.
“That thunder isn’t natural,” Ford panted, struggling to keep pace. “It’s- odd. Like it’s not really thunder.”
“This whole place is not natural,” Celestia added, unnerved by the emptiness of the world around them. “Something terrible happened here. I can hear whispers all around me.”
“I don’t think it’s a storm at all, I think it’s an ex-” Ford came to a halt as the plain suddenly fell into a valley that smoldered and burned, where what had once been a great city now sat crumbling, a battered and broken ruin of humanity that spoke of a civilization in its death throes, where the sound of explosions and machine metal were grating and painful to the ear, and spoke of battles, hatred, and death beneath the finite rays of a dying star.
“What is this?” Celestia gasped, appalled at the carnage that lay evident before them. “I’ve never- not in all my years have I seen anything like it.”
“Explosions. Similar to cannonfire, but- worse. Much worse,” Ford said, surveying the area for any signs of nearby activity. “I don’t know what to say, Celestia. I’m trained for war and combat, but this, this is… this is something beyond it all.”
“The city is huge- and looks far more advanced than what we know of,” Celestia surmised. “If this place was any sort of political power before its destruction, then maybe there might be something down there that could lead us to the gateway.”
“I don’t like the looks of it,” Ford said, remaining unconvinced. “You may not yet notice it, but the condition of the air is getting worse, and I doubt it’ll be any better down there. The more I think about it, the more it feels like the ground was scorched by some kind of fire, but- but not like any fire I’ve seen. It’s like magic, how it leaves a mark. Whatever happened here I think may have killed the soil permanently.”
“Any suggestions, then?”
“We remain hidden. Move quietly and out of sight until we know what’s going on,” Ford said. “If you know the sun is dying, then others might know it also. They’ll be as desperate as we are to find a way out.”
They crept along the outer edges of the long plateau, veering far enough back from the cliff face so as not to cast a silhouette down below, afraid that one wrong move would alert a foe even in the dying light. In the distance, an opening that fed into the valley below could be seen and they cast their way forward in the hopes of finding a path down. Though Ford’s misgivings at the sight of the war-torn city remained, Celestia’s insistence continued to be that their hopes remained hidden somewhere within it and so he relented.
“I’ve got eyes on something ahead. Can you make it out? Looks like a seam of silver in the ground,” Ford said.
Celestia squinted, taking note of the object still far in the distance. “It is some kind of train rail, but it has no twin that I can see,” she reported. “Either way, it leads down into the city. It might be an easy path for us to follow.”
“Are you sure of this, Celestia?” Ford asked. “I don’t like this- any of this. Something very, very bad happened in this place. I am hesitant to go forward without some kind of solid plan if we come into contact with whatever’s down there.”
“You are with me. Let that comfort you.”
“I wish I could be,” Ford replied grimly. “But whatever down there… it is worse than what you or I could imagine.”
Celestia could not find it in her to falter, and insisted they move forward. The two continued on until the singular guiderail that led down into the city lay before them, a pristine metal wire the likes of which they had never seen before, circular and smooth to the touch.
“What can you make of it?” Ford asked of her, reaching out and tapping it with the edge of his trident, afraid to lay flesh upon the object. “I’ve never seen such a thing. It looks more akin to rope than metal.”
“I wish I could tell you.”
“Well… you’re the one leading the charge here. Where to next?”
“Down into the city. I do not believe it is the safest course of action, but we need to find some semblance of civilization here and find what we can,” she replied. “We do not have the luxury of time if we wish to pass through- any information we can find will be more than enough.”
“May I at least say that I find that a very bad idea?”
“If you have an alternative, I will gladly hear it-”
“Stay where you are! Hands up!” The call was so furious that the pair of them fell back upon one another out of fright rather than fight. The figures of men appeared from the dust and out of well-concealed tunnels beneath the earth, their faces concealed by strange masks and brandishing weapons and armor the likes of which had never crossed their paths before, all of them clearly filled with a hostility that threatened violence against them. Ford fell into a defensive position, his trident raised and ready for release at the slightest provocation, whilst Celestia’s hands began to glow with the dim light of the energy that resided within as the rhythmic hum of incredible power rose to meet their challengers.
“Hands on your head, down on the ground!” came the cry, one of the hostile figures creeping towards them with some kind of weapon facing towards them. “You’ve got three seconds!”
“We offer no harm against you! We merely seek to pass through your territory!” Ford called, the booming voice of the warrior now wrathful and primed for ferocity.
“Three!”
“Tia, you’ve got to have a way out of this-”
“Two!”
“Stay close to me and hold tight!”
“One!”
The instant the weapons blazed, Celestia raised her hands and set to work, an iron barrier the color and sheen of gold rising from their feet to surround them, their foe’s projectiles bouncing off harmlessly or passing through and promptly dissolving into mist-
A forceful push and the barrier flung itself out into the crowd, forcing through the hostile onlookers and throwing them onto the ground-
She reached out for the leader and, with the strength of a great beast, held him in the air by the might of her magic, dangling him several feet above the air in an unforgiving vicegrip. “We do not wish to harm you!” She called, her voice reverberating and crackling like thunder at the onset of a storm, “but do not take us for fools! If you try to harm us again, not one of you will walk away. Now lay down your arms!”
The leader, who had spent his moments in the air seemingly petrified, suddenly was resuscitated by her words. “For God’s sake, do as she says!” he cried to his men. “Do it or I’ll kill you all myself! Drop your weapons!”
The sound of metal clattering against rock and earth met their ears, and hand after hand was raised into the air, each man laying down his weapon at the sight of such a display of power and force- yet only a small fraction of what she was capable of.
“Tia,” Ford said, his voice calm and soothing as the trickling of a forest spring. “Tia, it’s alright. You succeeded. You can release him. If you want someone to talk to, this might be what we need.”
Her original confidence had disappeared, now filled with dire mistrust. They had been willing to kill them without any hesitation. Was this the kind of person she wished to negotiate with? One wrong move could see the end of this expedition, of Ford. It was a dangerous bargain to be making.
“Please, you’ve won already! Kill me if you must, but spare my men!” the leader cried, still hanging high in the air. Slowly she set him down, letting him land somewhat gracefully on his feet and shake free his terror, though his eyes remained sharp and cold against hers. “Who are you?”
“We’re travelers. We mean no harm, we merely seek a way to pass through this place,” Ford said, taking the role of peacekeeper.
The leader laughed, a harsh grating sound like rocks breaking against one another. “There’s no land left to travel in this world. This is the last region that has yet to fall to the radiation, so either you are immortal, an Adherent’s Acolyte, or a liar.”
“We mean what we say,” Ford pressed. “If we meant harm to you, I promise you that not one of your men would have been left standing. This has no reason to end in violence.”
“Then let me promise you something, warrior,” the leader said, slowly walking towards them, “these men do not take kindly to liars. No mere traveler can do what she does. No mere traveler walks with the air of a king like you. So do not dishonor them and tell them the truth. They deserve that much in these dying days.”
Ford turned to his wife, his every misgiving apparent on his face. “This is your call, beloved,” he said quietly. “I will follow your lead.”
Celestia took a breath, steadying herself in the light of a dying sun. “We are travelers from a world that is not your own,” she said, deliberately toeing the line of truth and falsity. “We arrived not even three hours ago and found ourselves on the plateau. What we seek is a way through this land, a gateway that will lead us to our prize. If you have any idea of what that might be, pray tell us so that we might be on our way.”
“There is no place left to go on this world, Woman,” the leader said- did his voice betray a deep grief? “The radiation has eaten away the world, only this small patch remains, and the Adherent holds tight its grip on the Astrellory. The only way to escape this place is to leave this world behind and venture into the stars.”
“The venture would kill anyone who tries.” Celestia’s words were sharp, cutting through the man’s frail hopes and silencing them. “The black hole that now eats away at your sun has this world in its grasp- and that includes all who would try to escape its pull. Anything that tried to leave this world would be sucked in and destroyed, do not fool yourself.”
There was a sudden deflation that rippled amongst the crowd, the figures of men suddenly weighed down with despair and hopelessness, some falling to their knees while others cried aloud in their futility. Their leader was visibly shaken, though he seemed to possess the fortitude of will to hold himself strong. “So there is no hope for us, then?” he asked. “We truly have doomed ourselves?”
“I do not know,” Celestia said softly, “we seek a way to pass through this place. If the gateway we seek is open to us… perhaps its master would see fit to grant you passage.”
“Do you know where this gateway is? Anything that you know-”
“Colonel! A cry from one of their outlying scouts, suddenly racing towards them as a fell breeze pressed against their faces. “Radiation storm inbound!”
“Everyone into the tunnels!” the leader called. “These two, they travel with me. If any harm comes to them, I will slit the throat of the one responsible- now move!”
Celestia gazed out into the wilderness and saw, in the distance and roaring closer, was a mighty storm that grumbled with the deep thrums of a dread monster, green flashes of lighting in black clouds that ate away at the landscape beneath it, and carrying a sickening stench towards them that seemed eager to weaken her senses and carry her off into the void.
“Hurry! With me, my friends!” the leader of the group called, beckoning them down into the tunnels. “You will not last against that storm, no matter what strength you have in you! Please, the life of my people relies upon what hope you have! In!”
“Go. Into the tunnels, quickly!” Ford said, his voice suddenly thick and wheezing. Whatever foul substance that storm carried had struck him with force, and he staggered towards the burrow with what strength still availed him.
The sudden relief from the oppressive atmosphere of the surface was euphoric, and Celestia found herself marveling at how weakened she had become. The ill effects that Ford had suffered were now apparent, as well as their slow predation upon her. Her head was clear, and the air she breathed no longer musty and bitter on her tongue.
“Come, my friends,” the leader said, taking a metallic torch in hand and beckoning them on. “There are better places for talk than here. I would be glad to hear what you have to say there.”
The trail into the earth was a cramped, winding road down deep beneath the surface, with each step further down allowing the air to become clearer and cleaner. A musty, earthy scent came to meet them, and the sounds of the roaring storm above soon faded into the nothingness. The lights around them soon dimmed, and Celestia wondered if they had been led into this deep place to be killed.
“I must ask that you follow me without light any longer,” the leader said, his gravelly voice thick and thunderous in the confined space. “In case you are not who you say you are, I cannot risk you revealing our hiding place. There are too many lives that would be at risk.”
“Who would be at risk? More of your soldiers?”
“Them, and what families we still have.” The path continued and each member of the group shuffled along in silence and before too long the sound of metal moving and voices began to come into range. A menagerie of sounds that she could not recognize met Celestia, and as the dim shine of lights came into view she was left astounded as the tunnel opened up to reveal their destination.
“Welcome to our home. The last functioning shelter left in the world,” the leader declared, raising his hands as if in proclamation. “All that is left alive and not part of the Adherent dwells here.”
Ford came to Celestia’s side, mouth agape at the sight. Before them spanned a great hall built of metal the likes of which they had never seen, with great machines rumbling and marching far in the distance. All around them were lights and movement, people running to and fro as they attended to various duties. The young and old, the sick and the healthy, men and women all worked together in their tasks as they traipsed in and out of adjacent hallways and doors carrying supplies of all kinds. All wore the same brown, thick-coated uniform that helped to hide what their emaciated faces could not: the desperation for food, hope, and a future.
“They’re dying,” he murmured, affected by the activity before him. “Aren’t they?”
“What little food we have is not being replenished any longer,” the leader said. “The radiation on the surface has killed all the soil and what little animal life that survived the war. What was stored and kept safe is all we had- and it is beginning to run low, even with rationing.”
“What is your name, warrior?”
“My name is Warrior, my friend. Gedeon is my name, and a warrior I am. I am the last leader of the Colonialists, and these people are under my protection for as long as I can manage.” The mask fell from his face, revealing a heavily scarred, foul-looking man whose eyes were as gray and cold as stone, yet a sternness rested upon his visage that spoke of a leader’s courage.
“You do not have much time to protect them,” Celestia said, wishing she had no reason to bring such cruel tidings to an already weary people. “This world is doomed and there is nothing you can do about it.”
“So we know,” Gedeon replied, “but you also say there is no way to escape- save for the one way you seek.”
“It is a longshot. If this radiation you speak of has already consumed most of the planet, then it may not be alive any longer.”
“What does this thing look like? Perhaps we have seen it before.”
“It-” Ford hesitated, remembering their prior struggles to describe the gateway properly. “Paper, I need paper. Something to draw with, quickly!” Before too long a pen and paper was set in his hand and he went to work, creating a quick sketch of the wrought-iron gates. “This is what it looks like. If you got up close to it, it would sound like it was whispering, like thousands of voices were just behind it and they were trying to speak to you… is any of this familiar?”
Gedeon peered at the quickly made picture and sighed, falling back against the wall as he buried his face in his hands. “Please tell me,” he croaked, “why I should bring you to this treasure? The Adherent sacrifices to it. Those of my people who were unfortunate enough to be captured by them have been killed before it, their blood poured out upon its metal.”
Celestia gasped, her face pulled back in disgust. “How dare they!” she breathed. “It is a holy thing, a gift granted by a being far more powerful than they could imagine. And to desecrate it with living blood…”
“Perhaps we have more to say to one another, my friend,” Gedeon remarked, giving himself a shake and gesturing towards a nearby hallway. “My quarters are this way. I believe we have tales to tell to one another.”
Ford made to follow the man but hesitated as he walked before his bride. “I want to believe him,” he said, “I cannot see a lie in his eyes, nor hear it in his voice. But how much of our own story should we tell, and would he even need to hear it?”
“We… tell him enough. Enough that he knows why we are here, and what we plan to do.”
“Tia…”
“You wish for me to be careful.”
“More than that. Tia, if what he says is true, and these people are struggling to stay alive…” Ford gazed out into the crowd, his pitying eyes finding the sick and weary, the hopeless and fearful. The soldier in him was evolving into something more and the fairness of his features began to shine all the more magnificently. “We cannot simply pass through this land. We came here to this place for a reason, and I want to say it is to help them find a way to live. If we find the gateway… they need to pass through alongside us.”
“That may not be possible, Ford. We do not know if it would grant them ingress.”
“I do not believe we would be forced to witness such a thing,” Ford said firmly. “We are here to follow after Sombra and defeat him. I have to believe that we are also healing the damage he’s done in this place, and that includes here. I cannot believe otherwise.”
“We’ll have to find the gateway first, if it yet remains on this earth,” Celestia replied. “And if it does, I will be there right alongside you.”
Ford smiled, his eyes beginning to glow with a light she had not seen since they had first left their homeland many years ago. “We are united in thought once more,” he said. “And to think it only took an apocalypse to bring it about.”
Their meeting with Gedeon went as well as they had hoped, though their story seemed to pale in comparison to their new friend’s troubles over dark years. Revealing what they deemed necessary, Ford and Celestia divulged the story of their journey and whom they sought, speaking little of their home and what gifts the Sanctelior had graced upon them. What little they spoke of, however, seemed to leave Gedeon in shock and he looked upon them both with fearful eyes.
“I am speaking to a living war machine, dressed in the garb of an angel,” he remarked. “A Lady of Light and her beloved defender. Ha! It is like the stories of long ago.”
“It is of no consequence who I am any longer,” Celestia replied brusquely. “Our only goal is to find our foe and bring an end to this long trail of suffering he has wrought- nothing more.”
“Well, he has certainly done his work well here,” Gedeon grumbled, staring up into the ceiling as though he could see the blighted lands that lay above him. “If only we’d been wise enough to… ah, what can I say to fix it all?”
“What did happen here?” Ford pressed. “We only spent a few hours on the surface ourselves and it felt as though the air was poisoned. I’ve never seen the kind of damage that your world has suffered.”
“It is radiation poisoning. The bombs that dropped rained fire and death upon us all, and we fought over the scraps of what survived. When the mission to calm the Sun’s fury failed, desperation set in. Blame was thrown everywhere and the superpowers of the world slaughtered each other. Now, with so little left, all that remains is the last of the Colonialists and the Adherents. And still we claw at each other’s throats, even when the world is dying around us!” Gedeon breathed. “The storms get worse every year, the radiation seeps deeper into the soil where even the shelter walls struggle to keep it at bay. We have no new food store, no fresh water… we have destroyed ourselves in our arrogance, hoping that we would control the flesh of a giant. Instead…”
His misery was so abject that the two could hardly bear to look upon him, and they pitied his state. “How long ago did this begin?” Celestia ventured.
“Oh… perhaps thirty, thirty-five years ago,” Gedeon answered. “When that blasted Sombra first suggested the Sol mission, and then the war that followed-”
“He introduced himself as Sombra?” Celestia was astounded by the boldness of the move.
“Yes. Seemed to have come out of nowhere, and what brilliance he brought with him. The technology and weaponry he helped the world conceive was unlike anything we had ever seen before!” Gedeon scrutinized their looks of shock. “Why is that name so shocking to you?”
“Because Sombra is our prey!” Ford cried. “We’ve been hunting him for years now, and this is the closest we have come- we just missed him! Where did he go once the war began? Did he flee?”
“Not a soul knows. Namaria was one of the first countries to be destroyed, and that is where he dwelled. I can hardly imagine that he survived the initial attacks when the whole world held him culpable.”
Ford and Celestia excused themselves momentarily, taking to a corner to discuss the new development. “He was here- but could the weapons of this place have killed him? It would mean our journey is over.”
“I do not believe so. Even the might of the Crystal Heart was not enough to erase him in entirety,” Celestia replied. “But it is so strange…”
“What is?”
“Sombra is a creature of darkness. It is difficult for him to hide his true nature because of the virulence he bears. To be able to deceive people like that, and so easily… how could he hide himself in such a way? Even at the height of his reign in the Empire, it was difficult for him to withhold completely.”
“Is he getting stronger?”
“I’m almost certain he is. If he is able to deceive people on a mass scale-”
“I am sorry, my friends, but time is short,” Gedeon cut in, trying to reel in his guests. “You will have time to muse upon your prey, but I must ask for your aid. There are nearly three thousand souls that dwell within this shelter, and you bring me news that I have no way of bringing them to safety. Is that true?”
Celestia hesitated. Am I to give him false hope? “There may be one way. But I need to know more of what we stand against.”
Gedeon, his patience seemingly endless, began to show signs of cracking and he stood before her with an expression of both fear and consternation. “What more can you possibly ask for? Have I not been vetted enough? Do I need to tell you the stories of all my people? The Adherent has driven us to the edge of extinction when they aligned with Sombra to cool the Sun, and look at the handiwork they have left for us!”
“And what would the Adherent say of you?” she challenged. “Would they defend themselves, justify their actions? Or have they become so lost that they would do nothing?”
“They would call me monster, and I would have earned that title for the decades of blood that is on my hands. I have killed more than you can imagine, I have slaughtered and bathed in the blood of countless thousands. I have committed massacres, thrown pleading souls into the fires and ashes, but I did everything to try and give my people a fighting chance!” Gedeon fell to his knees as he increased his pleading. “When the High Command fell I began to believe all hope was lost- but the Astrellory remained! We have spent years trying to breach its walls and take to the skies, yet here you come telling me our doom is nigh, and then speak of a last great hope that you now dangle before me just out of reach. If you are to pass through and leave this dead world behind, I beg you to bring my people with you. Kill me if you must, make me pay for my crimes! But save them, for they have done nothing worthy of a death like what awaits them.”
Celestia felt her doubts begin to fade and she pulled back, knowing his emotions and words were no façade. Yet how could she promise him a hope even she had no certainty in? It would be cruelty beyond anything she had ever done to offer him a chance that may yet deny him. As she hesitated, a hand fell upon her shoulder and Ford took the mantle from her.
“The gateway we seek,” he began, “you spoke as if you had seen it before.”
“It dwells in the Astrellory. A device of immeasurable strength that no one can open. It was found long before any of us who still dwell upon this earth were even born, and has been the greatest mystery to all who look upon it.” Gedeon gave a sigh. “How would you know to unlock its doors? What secret do you hold?”
“It will open for us, and us alone. We have passed through its brethren before, it is how we came here. I am certain we would pass through- but for you and your people…”
Gedeon sensed the words left unspoken. “Would it kill us?”
“I do not know what it would do. It obeys the judgements of its master, and it would be upon him to grant you passage. I guarantee you nothing.”
“You have guaranteed either doom or one last fighting chance for a future,” Gedeon said wearily. “Would you offer us aid in our passage? We have a plan to take the Astrellory, but our efforts as of late have been to stockpile supplies and food for the launch. If what you say is true, we would have no need of it.”
“What would you ask of us?” Ford inquired. “To kill your enemies?”
“No, my friend. My men have more than enough skill for such things. Instead I would ask for your protection, to safeguard our journey and keep us from harm,” Gedeon answered. “If we were to pass through and find this place untarnished and whole, it would be more than any of us have dared ask for. All our estimates suggested it would be a pyrrhic victory to take the Astrellory. But with you- with her,” he added, staring straight at Celestia with unwavering intensity, “then we would have a chance to remain unbroken.”
“We will help. But only on one condition,” Celestia anwered.
“Name it and it will be done.”
“Will the Adherent come to face us?”
“With certainty.”
“Then allow me one chance to persuade them to surrender and flee. They are doomed, just as you. I wish to give them a hope- even if they do not deserve it,” she said, taking note of Gedeon’s vehement objections. “You speak of yourself as a man who has done wicked things, Warrior, and here I stand offering you a chance for a new life. Do not deny them a mercy that should be denied unto you.”
“Your mercy is great, fair lady,” Gedeon answered after a pause, “but I fear it will be denied. The Astrellory is where our world once gazed into the stars. They likely know of their doom already, and have chosen not to care.”
“Then I will make them care, and cast aside the spell that blinds them-” Celestia’s breath was taken from her and her gaze fled from the confined, metallic room before her eyes and sped off through the blackened space, across shattered rock and molten cores that were torn across the darkness and towards dying fires and an infinite blackness- where a last, shuddering scream of a dead star burst in her ears like a deafening thunderclap and a great shudder echoed through the void.
“What has happened? Is she alright?” Gedeon cried, leaping back in terror.
Celestia fell to her knees unseeing, a shriek of her own erupting from her mouth-
“Celestia! Return to me, wherever you are out there!” Ford said, taking his beloved in his arms and holding tight as she writhed and shuddered in some great phantom pain, shrieking to split the rocks. “Whatever has you in its grasp, be released from it! Come on, now!”
The return was so sudden and abrupt that for a moment she knew not where she was and stared about wildly, a great fear so deeply settled in her heart that the doom she had seen felt more vivid and real than the hands that held her, the clothes that graced her form, or the metal beneath her feet.
“Calm yourself! The moment has passed!” Ford called, trying to soothe Gedeon and his cohorts from their fear. “Leave her to me.”
“It’s happened. It’s happened,” she gabbled over and over again.
“Tia- it’s alright, you’re not hurt. It’s OK. You’re right here.” Ford’s tone was calm and placid as a lake in the morning, coming to stand before her and taking her face in his hands. “Breathe, you alright. You had some kind of stroke or a seizure-”
“I had no such thing!” Celestia cried, her voice revealing her panic. “The sun’s heart was just consumed, there is nothing left but a husked carcass for the void to feed on! We need to leave, we need to leave now!”
“How much time do we have?” Ford asked, trying to block out the shouts of fear from behind him.
“None at all- hours, a day at best!” she replied, her heart still pounding inside a chest that did not feel as her own. “We cannot wait any longer, we must leave!”
“We cannot wait, then,” Gedeon said, rising to his feet and trying to settle himself before turning to his commanders. “Ready the shelter. Everyone will board the Borealis immediately. Only critical supplies will be taken, and personal belongings will be left behind. All your men will be fully armed and ready for combat.”
The shuffle of feet was heard yet Gedeon remained, waiting for Celestia’s terror to be soothed at the hands of her husband. Her panic was quieted, yet the fear remained as that last lingering scream of a kindred folk still rang in her ears, calling out for aid from the only one left on a broken world that would hear its agony.
“Dear lady,” Gedeon said softly, kneeling before them both, “I see that your fear is great. But please, my people depend on you. Can you protect them on this last journey? All our hopes will lie on your shoulders.”
How could she say otherwise? “I will do what I can,” Celestia said, taking her fear in her hands like a blade and honing its edge. “Ford will be my guard, and I will guard all you in return. Simply grant us passage to the gateway, and- and from there your judgement will come.”
“It is all I can ask for,” Gedeon said. “Come, my friends. One final effort yet remains.”
Their path led them out of the small room, back into the main hall and further on into the man-made shelter, following a widened path that was dimly illuminated by pale pulsing lights far above their heads that flickered in a staccato rhythm and only added to the growing horror. How little light was still even left in the world, beyond these spare few that still clung weakly to life? Celestia forced the dying screams of the now-consumed star from her head and forced herself to focus upon the people that now surrounded her, looking upon her with a terror and reverence that had been all-too-common among her own subjects in a land all too far away.
“Behold, our white horse,” Gedeon declared, coming to a halt as the path opened up into a vast loading station, with a magnificent, gleaming train sitting before them, the unearthly hum of its powerful, streamlined engine adding to the rumble and chaos of the harried soldiers that now shuffled about it. Weapons the likes of which Ford had never seen were being tightened down onto the tops of the compartments, while rows upon rows of ammunition was pushed into the interior for eventual loading, and all around walked great hulking machines that were built like giants, each carrying a weight and firepower capable of unfathomable destruction.
“I’ve never seen a machine like this one,” Ford breathed, feeling the cold, unblemished metal of the locomotive against his skin. “Or those golems, the munitions…”
“The Borealis was originally constructed to be a supply loader for the Astrellory; high-capacity engines and munitions were transported within it. However, its defensive capabilities are lacking, so some of our men will be riding in the Defender Frames to alleviate pressure from the Javelins. All our firepower will be put into this last expedition.”
Ford was trying his best to keep up with the terminology, but found himself lost beneath the myriad technology that far surpassed his knowledge or experience, leaving him and Celestia both rather at a loss. “They make the new cannons along the palace wall look ancient in comparison,” he remarked to her.
“I would say I feel unnecessary, but they ask me to keep them protected. If these things are not enough, what worse arms must the enemy possess?” she replied.
“We need to be boarding. I must coordinate our defenses, and I need you two in position the moment we reach the surface.” Gedeon beckoned for them to join him and they slipped through the doors of the Borealis and into a sleek, pristine compartment that now lay cramped with weapons, rag-tag soldiers and terrified souls that wondered if the end had finally come at last. Gedeon led them through the mass and towards a rough-shod table where a series of maps and images now lay open for his viewing, a surplus of information beyond their reckoning but seemingly a wellspring of information for their cohort, who examined it all with a hardened intensity that spoke of a leader’s bearing.
“So what would you ask of us?” Ford inquired.
“The Astrellory shows no signs of movement. Either they are preparing for a siege or they do not know we’re coming yet,” Gedeon muttered. “If you wish to parley with them, the moment will be brief. As soon as we enter the city their alarms will be tripped and their guards will be upon us. I can only give you a few brief seconds before we have to return fire.”
“It will be more than enough,” Celestia replied. “You asked for me to play the role of guardian- where do I go?”
“Once we leave the tunnel, head to the front of the train and go topside. Get above the engine and ensure the train remains intact,” Gedeon answered. “If this machine is crippled, we will be left exposed and no amount of protection could keep us safe against the Adherent for long.”
“Colonel! Everyone is accounted for and we are ready for departure!” A voice cried, echoing as if from the very walls of the locomotive itself.
“Take us out. To those who stand at the ready- my Gunners, my Defenders: let your aim be sharp, your eyes steely. Today we ride to freedom!”
There was a lurch beneath their feet and the train began moving forward, the sleek hum of the engine now turning into a powerful thrum as each motion forward only added to the momentum. It was apparent even to the uneducated that the Borealis was no frail machine- the path forged into the Astrellory would be hard and fast.
“We will be meeting the surface soon. Josef! Take the Lady and her guard to the engine compartment, show them the way topside!” Gedeon barked before turning to the two waiting souls. “Godspeed, my friends. You know what now counts on you.”
They had followed Gedeon deeper into the locomotive than they had first supposed, and the path into the main engine took them some time for them to navigate to, the throng of people crammed into every available space making for a difficult journey. When they finally arrived, they found the engine compartment alive and whirring, with the faint smell of electricity in the air as the engine rumbled with all its effort.
“The door to the top is just above you, friend,” Josef said, looking down at the watch on his wrist. “When we reach the surface, move quickly and do your best to stand, the wind will be hard against you. On my mark!”
Celestia braced herself, feeling the cold metal of the latch beneath her hand-
A sudden rush of sound and the roar of wind thrust its way across the train-
“Go! Go, go, my friend- and good luck!”
Celestia flung the hatch open and was blasted by a powerful, acrid reek that was borne by a fierce wind, and she threw herself out onto the top of the vehicle with Ford coming up behind her, struggling to hold himself up against the fierceness of nature-
She gave no thought to the elements and turned her head upwards, gazing into the skies and finding exactly what she had feared: the skies were dimming with every passing moment, the thick blackness within the sun now enveloping the last of its strength and thrusting them into a deeper, more absolute darkness that now lashed out for the worlds that had once been in orbit. Only the pull of the black hole within held them tightly now.
“Celestia…” Ford’s voice sounded as though he were preparing for an argument, and she knew full well what it would be.
“I have to try, Ford. You know I could not live with myself if I didn’t do something.”
“It’s not that. I think what you’re wanting to do is right. It’s Sombra…”
Celestia hesitated. Ford had only ever known Sombra as a specter, a demon of the deep black that haunted children’s tales, not as a reality, as the relentless force he had once been in elder days- or as she had once known him. “How could he convince a world to madness?”
“I feel his presence everywhere in this place,” Ford said, the wind now howling past them and almost stealing his words away. “It’s a poison worse than what these people did to themselves. It’s something else. Like a shadow I can breathe… how could people be so easily fooled by someone such as him?”
She bit her tongue. How much should she reveal? The truth would have to come out soon- but here, now? Not in its entirety. Her spirit trembled and she forced the words from her lips. “Sombra was not so dark and foul as you have seen him, Ford,” she said heavily. “He could wrap himself in light, though great would be the pain against him. He could deceive, use beautiful words and thoughts to poison the minds of others. As more darkness came into him, the harder it became for him to hide it- but here, in this place where he has had millennia to grow fat in strength… even great men would not be able to see him.”
“Was that how he gained power, all those years ago? He just… deceived everyone?”
It was worse than he could have imagined. “Yes.”
“Even you?”
“I should have seen it sooner. I will always wish I had.”
The roar of wind racing across the metallic hull of the Borealis consumed the silence as the decayed structures of buildings rushed by them, the outskirts of a dead city that now lay on the edge of disaster, their first forays into the occupied territory of the enemy. Celestia felt it only for a moment, but was sure that a hardened gaze had already seen them and felt their presence. She rose to her feet and steadied her hand- the time was coming soon.
“We’ll have tripped their sensors by now. Their sentries will be upon us to ward us off in moments!” Gedeon’s voice boom from beneath them, barely muffled by the thick hull of the locomotive. “I will only be able to halt our progress for a few moments. Whatever words you have to convince them, do it quickly. It is all I can offer.”
The roar of the wind lessened against their faces, and beyond the now-dying howls was the rumble of furious thunder in the air, as though a controlled explosion raced out to intercept them. Ford looked to the skies and saw a fiery glow, small but growing ever larger, racing towards them with clear intent of hostility.
“Starboard side!” he called.
“I see it!” Celestia’s hands grew hot, the strength of her powers beckoned for combat at a moment’s notice, though she felt no desire to see it come through. I have to save them. Please, let me save them, she thought desperately.
The furious aircraft came in close, the pilot of the vehicle easily evident in his cockpit, and began to encircle the slowed vehicle below, a vicious-looking weapon pointed directly at the two travelers and likely ready for war.
“Trespassers, you are in the territory of the Adherent, glorious remnant of the World’s Empire!” came a voice from inside the craft, bellowing out in a metallic crackle just as Gedeon’s had. “You are ordered to surrender your vehicle and depart from the area at once, or else we will be forced to take defensive measures!”
“I come to parlay! You are in danger here!” Celestia cried, her voice suddenly booming like thunder across the plain and Ford winced as it struck his ears. “The sun has been consumed, and this world will soon be swallowed along with it. These people seek to escape it, and mean no harm. Allow them to pass!”
“There will be no exceptions. Surrender the train and depart immediately!”
“Please, listen to what I say! You will die if you do not accept my help! I can offer you a means of escaping this place, but it must be done now! There is no time left!”
“There is no escape any longer. Now depart from this place immediately, or I will open fire!” the weapon aboard the aircraft began to stir, rotating slowly as the barrel remained fixed on Celestia.
“Don’t condemn these people to death! Let them be saved- save yourself!”
The weapon spun all the faster, a simple red beam emanating from its center and pointed at Celestia’s exposed chest-
Ford dared not wait a moment longer and threw his weapon with all his might, the trident flying through the air like a bolt of lightning and striking the cockpit, shattering through the glass and killing the pilot instantly, the craft suddenly spinning out of control and falling to earth in a smattering of metal and fire-
“Get ready!” the train came alive again and pushed hard, the already overworked engine suddenly roaring as the speed was increased and the steel beast plunged into the city, miles and miles separating them from their goal.
“You just gave away your weapon!” Celestia breathed.
“He was going to kill you!” Ford barked. “Keep yourself ready, I’ll call out targets as we go!”
“Incoming!” the call came from somewhere behind them, one of Gedeon’s Defenders raising its metallic fists and opening fire on a low-flying target, its array of weaponry eager to take down the oncoming train-
Just as the armaments were released, Celestia was upon them, a great shield of crystalline energy encapsulating them and controlling the explosion in a tightened sphere, the spasm of fire disappearing in a tiny blip-
A host of aircraft suddenly came into view, the host filling the skies until it seemed a great flock of murderous birds of prey had come to assail them, while a gathering of footsoldiers took positions along the streets and buildings along the tracks, their every weapon and focus now upon the mighty train that sped towards the heart of their territory-
Ford and Celestia worked seamlessly, Ford’s instincts for combat coming into play with his newfound defensive role, calling target after target for Celestia to block and deny and allowing Gedeon’s soldiers to continue their barrage. The world above them was a hellscape of fire and explosions the likes of which they had never seen; each new weapon brought a new sickening flash, a new prism of light that rained poison. As they worked relentlessly to stop the oncoming barrage they found themselves overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of it all, knowing that this violent frenzy was only a small skirmish in what had been the war to end all wars, a last gasping breath of a world that awaited the death blow.
“Up ahead, two o’clock!” Ford cried, a great bipedal machine raising its hand and firing a jet of light straight for the engine-
A portal opened up before it and consumed the blast, a second opening up above them and sending the great blast into the sky, flying harmlessly into space-
“Keep it up, you’re doing great!” Gedeon’s voice came through again, nearly unseating Celestia from her position-
A hulking explosive round seared past her head and she fell to her knees to avoid it, feeling the heat sear against her skin as it cut through the air and crash into a broken skyscraper just behind them-
“We’re almost to the Astrellory! Hold on just a moment longer! A few minutes and we’ll be inside!”
“Aerial targets, 9 o’clock!” A team of low-flying craft came roaring through, releasing a volley of fire on their position-
A great barrier of energy appeared and they crashed into it, the Borealis shielded from the explosion and kept safe from hearm-
The aircraft darted just above Celestia’s handiwork and raced towards the craft, the hailstorm of gunfire crippling their power but they careened through the barrage nevertheless, spinning wildly as they prepared to crash into the tracks-
Celestia screamed and threw them aside, the sudden pull against the aircraft tossing them into the ground, the rush so sudden and fierce that no spasm of fire escaped from their wrecked hull-
“They’re getting more desperate, I can’t call out targets this fast!” Ford said, pointing in every which way as he tried to keep tabs on the continued assault. “We need to slow them down, do you have anything?”
“Nothing safe!” Celestia fired back, now wildly throwing her powers about against their hostile foe, each hand moving about wildly as she sought to stupor them, any way she could find to stop the relentless fire-
“Artillery incoming!” The team of Defenders further back on the train fired out into the skies as the blackness was suddenly lit up with a great throng of fire: thousands upon thousands of burning flames now covered the air until it seemed the darkened sky had been set ablaze, a last, desperate attempt by the enemy to halt their relentless advance-
A round of weaponfire hit the hull. Then another, and another- Gedeon’s soldiers pulled back, trying to shield themselves from the barrage as the sheer volume of firepower threatened to overwhelm them before even the great fire overhead had even come close to harming them-
“Tia!”
Celestia closed her eyes, concentrating with all her might, trying to focus upon only the sound of her breathing and the pulsing of her beating heart. No thought, no feeling, no emotion came to her. The rush of wind against her face disappeared; the tugging on her arm by Ford dissipated; the sparks flying from the raging chaos were no longer. All that she knew was a quiet, serene peace, and a gentle thrum of a calmed heartbeat like that of a drip of water in an endless pool of water. Endless, timeless, unalterable, overflowing, and mighty was she, and out into the waves she reached, tapping into the strength that she knew was her own- and in her hand she grasped it, and surely made it so.
Ford, who had been trying to break her from her reverie, stepped back in fear as the form of his wife was transfigured before him. Her body was no longer part of the world around her, the wind and fire did not press against her. From her chest came a bright glow of a deep, verdant green that raced like blood through her veins until her entire body glowed, her eyes suddenly opening and shining bright, like a beacon in the deep.
Celestia brought her hands together as though in prayer, a simple solemn sigh escaping her lips. And then, in a single, fluid motion, she released.
A great, violent thrum coursed through the air and the world was ignited, a great flashing pulse escaping from her form and racing through the air, crashing against rock and steel and earth and sky, nothing within this dying world escaping her reach. Buildings shook and were crumbled, machines and vehicles that stood against them were pushed aside and disappeared, the terrified screams of enemy soldiers rang in their ears and were suddenly silenced. On and on the great flow went until it seemed the whole universe would be consumed in its grasp-
An explosion, more mighty and terrible than any had ever known, struck out into the ether and the whole world trembled as it was pushed aside.
Ford dared to open his eyes and was met with no sound except for the hum of the engine beneath his feet and the rushing win against his face. No building had been left standing, no foe flew or stood against them. All that seemed to have survived in the city, and perhaps the entire world, was the Borealis, its occupants, and tracks on which they still rode-
Celestia’s brightness faded and she fell to her knees, gasping for breath as though she had run an endless race, the sound guttural and painful like glass in her throat-
“Tia! Tia, are you alright?” Ford cried, holding his bride close in fear that she would lose balance and fall.
“Still breathing,” she said, her voice weak but still filled with determination. “I am sorry… I should have warned you.”
Ford let his eyes break from her and he looked out into the now unrecognizable emptiness, knowing that what he now looked upon was because of the power she possessed and, for the first time in his life, he looked upon her and felt fear in his heart.
The train carried on until the tracks at last came to an end, the locomotive coming to a screeching halt and nearly sending the two wayfarers toppling. Celestia, barely able to stand, much less stay conscious, fully relied on her husband to stay on her feet and she leaned heavily against him as they descended back down into the train.
Gedeon stood there waiting for them, looking upon Celestia with a terror beyond all hope and reason. “What sort of creature is she? No mere human could lift a man from the ground with no hands upon him- but this-”
“She is beyond us both,” Ford said quickly, pushing towards the door. “Is this the Astrellory?”
“What remains of it. But she has destroyed everything in our path- there is no place to go any longer!”
“It will have survived,” Ford replied, with a certainty that did not feel like his own. What made him so sure of his answers? “The one who crafted the gateway is greater than even she, and no power of hers could destroy it. If this is the Astrellory, then it is here.”
“Is she-”
“She will live, but she has wounded herself for you- quickly now!”
Soul after soul poured out into the devastated landscape after them, staring about in horror at the desolation that had been unleashed, Gedeon’s orders perhaps the only thing that kept them safe from the terror of the survivors who now looked upon them as a dread power from the deep. Even Ford, who still felt a stirring sureness in his blood, wondered if perhaps Celestia’s actions had indeed doomed them all.
“Where do we look, my friend?” Gedeon asked sadly, gazing out into the emptiness.
Ford trudged through it, trying not to wonder if his feet shuffled through more than just rubble and ash. “It is beneath us,” he said. “Dig with whatever you have, quickly now!’
The further they went into the wreckage, the more Ford’s confidence began to slip away. What had stirred him so? He had no great power, no mighty strength of mind or will! He may be telling them to dig into futility simply to try and keep their hopes alive, or buy precious seconds of life for him and his beloved. Please… please…
“We’ve hit something!” the call was so triumphant that the words swelled the hearts of all who heard it. The digging increased as the wrought-iron gateway slowly came into view, the doors shut tight even as its entire breadth was revealed for all to see.
“What is wrong? You said it would open!” Gedeon cried.
“It should. I don’t know what’s wrong!” Ford said, clearly dismayed. He pressed his head up against the cold metal, listening intently for any sign of activity and was only met with darkness and silence. “Celestia, it’s not opening. What am I doing wrong?” Celestia stirred herself enough to look at the gateway with bleary eyes for only a brief moment before her head fell back against her husband’s shoulders. “Aagh, open up!” Ford fell down to his knees against it, his head bowed and unable to bear the myriad gazes that now fell on him. They had gambled everything they had on this one last hope for survival, a hope that now lay shut against them. “Please… please,” he begged, “Do not condemn me to lead souls to death. I wish for better than this… I wish for more.”
A rumble echoed through the sky, a sound that came from the now blackened skies above them as the monstrous eater of worlds took the world in its grasp, eager to consume its new prize. The crowd cried out in fear, Gedeon looked about wildly for any last shred of hope, and still the door remained shut.
Those that first heard it wondered if it was madness that had overtaken the man. A strange tongue poured out from his mouth and came wildly, each word newer and stranger than the one before. Ford spoke rapidly, a wild word upon his lips and all who heard it were left strengthened, each word and sound as fresh and clear as a new dawn in spring.
The gateway rumbled and a great fury of whispers suddenly poured forth from within it. The doors, once sealed shut, now opened up and light flowed out into the blackness, and when they looked at their guides, there came from them a radiance and light that was beyond all thought and comprehension, and before the crowd they stood strong.
“Follow us. You will be safe where we lead you,” Celestia said, suddenly standing strong beside her husband, a great figure of sunlight and beauty that struck terror in the hearts of those before them, for she now seemed more solid, more full and real than any soul they had ever seen.
“Mercy has been shown to you today, my friends. New life now awaits.” Ford stood beside his bride, his appearance like that of the greatest kings who had ever walked the land of any world that had ever been, a great nobility upon him that seemed like garments on his flesh.
Those watching stood dumbstruck as the pair turned to the opened gateway and strode in as though they belonged there, disappearing in a flash of light that now beckoned to them also.
They moved with eyes unseeing, hearts barely beating, their memories clouded and overwhelmed with a power beyond them both. They strode through the whiteness and saw brightness growing ever stronger in their eyes.
A flash of blue. A gentle breeze against their cheeks. And then blackness.
“My lady… Dear lady, please… please awaken…”
Her rise from the calming slumber was slow, ethereal. As though she had wakened from one dream and stepped foot into another, each movement felt sluggish and unreal. Her body moved slowly and when her senses truly became her own once again, the land that now surrounded them seemed to be more dream than anything she had ever known.
The land was beautifully bright and glorious, a pristine landscape that so perfectly mirrored the destruction and emptiness they had left behind. The land they now dwelled in was a great valley, mountainous peaks capped with snow far off in the distance on either side, with beautiful grasslands in between. Far away, at the foothills of the mountains east of her, was a deep green that could only be a vast forest. Above them in a crystalline blue sky was a brilliant, beautiful sun that showered down warm, gentle rays of light upon her skin. The sound of birds met her ears and a gentle breeze brushed along her skin with a whisper held deep within it. Even in her weakened state, the joyous cries of the land was palpable- a young world, and a newfound sun that had only just begun to find its strength.
“Where are we..?” Celestia asked, struggling to rouse herself from weariness.
“We are safe, thanks to you,” said a voice, one that she recognized as Gedeon’s. She looked up at the war-weary man and saw a fresh brightness upon his features as though the newfound world had rejuvenated his shattered spirit. “You were right, and gloriously so! Surely this is Paradise, and you have brought us to it.”
Celestia was astounded by the gloriousness of her surroundings and desired to see it, though her first immediate step was unsteady and she stumbled forward.
“Please, my lady! Don’t try to rouse yourself. Your husband has asked that you remain here and continue to heal” A multitude of hands held her from falling, and around her came a crowd that gazed at her with a great reverence.
“Where is Ford?”
“He is awake and safe, my lady,” Gedeon answered. “He regained his strength before you and is leading an expedition of my men to find water. He has not been gone long.”
Her will was to rise and seek him out, but the weakness that struck against her frame remained strong, and she was forced to submit to it and simply to take joy in her surroundings, allowing the bright birdcalls and swishing of the long grass to fill the void.
“Dear lady, we are indebted to you,” Gedeon said, falling before her on bended knee with his people following suit until the great throng had fallen in honor. “You have brought us to a fairer land than any one of us could have dared to dream of, and given new life to a dying people. We can give you no honor too great for what you have done for us.”
“Please- I did no such thing,” she began to protest. “I merely tried to protect you, and- and…”
“Surely you remember the great power you sent out!” Gedeon said. “Nothing like it has ever been seen, no weapon our fathers created could match it in power.”
Celestia felt confusion, but forced herself to nod as though she recalled it all perfectly. Perhaps, for the time being, it would be best to simply wait for Ford’s return and speak with him in private.
There was soon a great cheer from the throng of people who rested in the grass as a group of soldiers, led by Ford, returned with their prize of clean water, distributing it out amongst the crowd with a feverish joy. “Take as much as you need!” Ford called out, his voice more clear and strong than any of the souls surrounding him. “The stream we found is not far, its water cold and clean. There is more than enough for all of you for many years to come!”
“My lord! Your lady is awake!” Gedeon beckoned, and Ford joined the two and began to divulge to the man all his findings; peaceful forests filled with wild creatures, sloping rivers teeming with fish, open spaces that seemed to beckon for tilling and crops.
“But we know nothing of such things! We are soldiers, warriors and killers of men. How are we to learn such things?” the older man asked, his expression suggesting he hoped for a particular answer.
Ford remained impassive, simply giving the man a smile as he settled beside his bride. “If you would be kind, my friend,” he said, “allow us time to speak to one another. I must tend to her needs.”
Celestia was grateful for the water he gave her, the cold substance rolling down her ashen throat and giving strength to her tired bones, each gulp as fresh and wondrous as a child’s first breath. “What do I not remember, Ford?” she asked. “He spoke as though I did something- something-”
“Incredible?” Ford suggested. “There were parts I did not recall myself, but what you did- not even I have seen such things. It was a force strong enough to shake the very foundations of the earth itself. When you thrust out your hand… it was unlike any power you have ever unleashed before.” Ford continued his story, drawing from his own recollections as well as what had been divulged to him by Gedeon and the others, answering every question Celestia brought forth. Their conversation continued even as the sun reached its highest point in the sky and began to lazily drift towards the western horizon.
“I wish I could explain to you what happened in detail- but this is beyond my knowledge, Ford. I can’t say,” Celestia surmised. “What I did is easy to explain- I drew from the depths of my power and used nearly everything I had. But everything else-”
“It would explain why you’ve slept for so long,” Ford mused. “You have been asleep for nearly two days now.”
“Two days?”
“We tried to wake you but nothing could rouse you,” Ford said. “I would have been here when you awoke but Gedeon’s soldiers don’t know environments like this. They didn’t know where to search for fresh water. But back to what happened… Celestia, what happened to me?”
“That I cannot say,” she replied, displeased that she was so mystified by it all. “I am an Alicorn, strange magic can erupt from us because we never fully know the scope of our own power. But for you, a mere human to display such high things… I do not know whether it is some secret gift of the Sanctelior bestowed upon you, this place, or- or whether it is just you growing in strength.”
“Could it happen again?” His voice was hesitant, perhaps with both desire and fear mingled together.
“I don’t know. You and I are diving deep into powers no Alicorn or mortal Man has ever encountered. What we see here within the Palace may never be seen again.”
Ford nodded slowly, his gaze slowly drifting from his beloved and out into the crowd, who had begun to settle and prepare for the coming sunset, more than an occasional yawn erupting from their mouths. “They’re finally knowing what real rest is like,” he remarked.
“This place awaited their arrival. It was made for them,” Celestia said. “It is a young world, clear and ripe for the taking. They will flourish here as they become its steward. I only wish we could be here to see it happen.”
“We might be- at least for a time,” Ford coughed, noticing Gedeon’s prying eyes flickering towards them. “Tia, we found the gateway. It’s not even a mile from here- but it’s sealed tight. I was hoping it would awaken when we discovered it, but…”
Celestia felt Gedeon’s gaze upon her and she looked back at her husband, her mind beginning to put the pieces together. “Gedeon hopes it does not open, doesn’t he?”
“He takes it as a sign that we are to remain here with his people- as their queen and king,” Ford admitted, a sheepish sort of grin forming on his face. “I told him I would speak to you about it- he was so adamant, I did not wish to disappoint him.”
“Ford, we couldn’t… we have our own land to return to.”
“I know. Full well, I promise,” he replied. “But they’re inexperienced in caring for themselves. No technology of any kind, a pure fresh start. They need teachers for every simple task: building shelter, growing crops, hunting for meat, foraging- pretty much everything that would let them survive out here. And with the gateway sealed shut for some reason, maybe… maybe we should help them until we can leave.”
“It could only be for a brief time,” she said. “The gateway could open at any moment- and when it does, we must continue on.”
“I know, I know, just…” Ford sighed, looking out at the great throng of people, taking in sallow faces and bony figures, the emaciation of these people evident upon sight. “That place they lived in… I want to give them a chance at making something better. Something more. So I don’t have to live with nightmares of that broken world and see our home in its place. I think- I think I could do genuine good for them here.” His conviction rang strong in his words, and as she regarded him she thought there was a change in his countenance, the rugged, travel-worn features of her husband beginning to glow with a subtle light, a kingliness that seemed so much more than his own.
Celestia looked out into the land before them, taking in its beauty and new life, letting its untouched perfection fill her heart and she closed her eyes, picturing these broken people being restored and transfigured into something greater, and a desire in her own heart grew stronger as she found that she, too, wished to see it come to pass. “For as long a time as we are given,” she decided, falling against her husband as the need for rest overtook her once more. “We can give them our aid.”
Long, long ago, when our fathers first left their broken world behind, they were led by a great Lady of Light and her Beloved. The Lady and her Beloved were fair to behold, mighty in word and deed. All who listened to them were blessed, for their knowledge and skills in our world were great. To us did they bequeath their wisdom, giving us strength and power to bend nature to our desire and tend to its growth. We planted seed, took the fruit of both tree and vine, hunted for meat and gave thanks for its sustenance. We learned how to grow and flourish in a world that was not our own because of the Lady and her Beloved, for gentle were their words and deep was their wisdom.
Though their skill and craft was great and powerful, though it brought life to a weakened people, their time among us was short, for only three years did they dwell among us. When the Holy Gateway at last awakened and beckoned to them, so did the Lady and her Beloved depart from us, granting us blessings and farewells in words that stirred the hearts of all who heard it, and the words written down still bring comfort to our people today. For their greatness we guard the Holy Gateway, in the hopes that after these thousands of generations that have gone before us, the Lady and her Beloved may yet return to us, so that our people may yet again dwell in union with their saviors.