Rusted Iron
Lord Saladin Forge sighed heavily as he trudged up towards the Iron Temple. Vostok Observatory had a beautiful view of the surrounding countryside, but the battle weary Iron Lord had no mind for that now. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw that WRETCHED room, his comrades falling one by one… and SIVA covering the body of Jolder and her sad smile as she detonated the explosives that sealed the door.
With a grimace under his helmet, Saladin made his way to the temple doors, looking up at the statues of his fallen comrades… with a single exception. Looking around a final time, and with a heavy heart, Saladin douses the fire pit that provided the only source of light in the room. The doors sealed behind the Iron Lord as he left the building. He didn’t turn to look back as he left.
`~`~`~`~
Saladin had barely crossed the bridge when he heard it. A soft cry, mostly of fear sounded over the falling snow. Bringing up his Ghost, Saladin said, “Can you pinpoint where that’s coming from?”
“I can try, but the wolves may have already found it,” the little drone said as it hovered in his hand, “I’m getting a massive spike of Light though. It seems to saturate the entire area.”
“Really now?” Saladin asked, his grief not quite hidden behind curiosity. This new development would require his focus for the moment, and so, he followed the wolves as they followed the cry.
After a while, the wolves and Saladin’s Ghost led the man to the path leading to the old tram system for the mountain. The cry was still soft, but loud enough now that Saladin could follow the sound. What he found was a small animal with goldenrod fur and a two-tone red and gold mane and tail. When he approached the young one, he also noticed a small pair of wings on its back.
“What.. is it?” Saladin asked as he leaned down, his Ghost hovering over his shoulder.
“Almost looks like a horse… but smaller,” the drone replied as it hovered in for a better look, “Kind of adorable to be honest.”
The small one had stopped crying for a moment and looked at the Ghost and Iron Lord with wide eyes, small tears in the corner of her teal colored orbs. Saladin blinked for a moment and saw his Ghost hovering over him, concern radiating from the Light in its eye.
“Uh… we MAY need to be careful with it,” Ghost said, worry in its tone, “I just had to revive you and all it did was LOOK at you.”
“What… with just a look?” Saladin asked, “That kind of power…”
“No,” the Ghost said, “Not power. She killed you with her cuteness.”
Embarrassed beyond reasoning, Saladin looked back down at the being who was playfully swatting at his Ghost, trying to get a hold of it. The little one sat suddenly and started crying again, her forehoooves holding her belly much like a child would.
“She’s hungry,” Saladin’s Ghost said.
“She?” Saladin asked, “How do you know that?”
“Took some scans while she was swatting at me like a cat,” the drone replied with an aerial equivalent of a shrug, “Its physiology mostly matches some of the records that Efrideet managed to find in an old library before… well.”
The ghost stopped then, thinking carefully of its next words as it saw Saladin’s expression, “Anyway, it’s similar to a pony, but at the same time I’m getting a reading of Light from her that is leaps and bounds stronger than anything I’ve ever seen before, including the passive readings from the Traveler!”
“That’s… incredible,” Saladin said slowly, thinking of the implications and what it would mean for the young… pony.
“We need to keep her safe,” the Ghost said, “That much power and she’ll be a walking target for however long she’ll be alive.”
“Agreed,” Saladin said as he scooped up the pony, the young one calming for a bit, “I don’t suppose those records mentioned what to feed a baby pony?”
“They did, actually,” the Ghost said.
`~`~`~`~
A short while later, Saladin had traveled to The Last City as quickly as he could, the pony cradled in his arms sleeping soundly as his ship flew over the walls and was permitted to land in the Hangar.
“Lord Saladin!” a voice greeted as he stepped out of the cockpit (he wasn’t sure how the pony’s body would handle transmatting), “Not very often we see ya around here. What brings ya by?”
The voice belonged to the hangar mechanic, Amanda Holiday. She walked up, wiping greasy hands on a clean cloth and continued, “Must be somethin’ big if it brought you down from the mountain.”
“Indeed,” Saladin said as he cradled the sleeping pony in his armored arms, “I must see the Speaker. A matter has come up and I would appreciate his insight.”
“I think he’s in a meeting but should be done by the time you get to his tower,” Amanda said. She finally took notice of the pony in Saladin’s arms and said softly, “Well I’ll be… it looks like a sunset…”
“She does,” Saladin says softly, almost to himself before turning and heading out towards the courtyard, “Thank you, Holiday.”
“Y-yeah, no problem,” Amanda replied, a bit unnerved by the suddenness of the Iron Lord’s departure, “What was she…?”
`~`~`~`~
Saladin made his way through the tower, the snoozing Sunset in his arms stirring a little as they made it to the courtyard from the hangar bay. There was a bit of a hang up with an alarm, but otherwise nothing of note happened. Coming out into the sun, Saladin made his way past the Eververse storefront and the postmaster, various Guardians working around in their Vaults raising their heads and nodding in greeting as he strode on by.
Finally reaching the Speaker’s room, the Iron Lord spoke up, “Speaker, I believe there’s something we need to speak about. And perhaps get this little one some food.”
“Little one?” the Speaker asked curiously, the mask he wore shielding his surprised look as he saw Sunset’s alien form.
“We found her on the way down from the mountain,” Saladin’s Ghost explained as Sunset yawned and teared up, her hunger apparent once more, “She’s radiating Light like a beacon!”
“I… see,” the Speaker says thoughtfully as a few Ghosts start crowding around Sunset, “She appears to be fairly related to a horse… a vegetable stew would be ideal.”
Looking over to one of the people working the large Armillary Sphere, he nodded to him and off the man rushed, returning shortly with a cart of food.
“From the ramen shop?” the Speaker asked curiously, to which the tech nodded and headed off with a smile and a wave.
“I’m curious… how did you come to find this little one?” the Speaker asked as he looked Sunset over. The foal herself looked up at the masked man with wide, curious eyes as Saladin explained the story. She managed to squirm loose from Saladin’s grip, such as it was, and toddled off to explore a bit. She stopped when she sniffed the steam coming off the stew and got a bit closer to the cart.
“Here you go, Sunset,” Saladin said gruffly, but not unkindly as he set the bowl down in front of the filly, “Eat up. You sounded hungry.”
Sniffing gingerly, Sunset took a quick sip, then, finding it to her tastes, she sat on her haunches and in a surprising display of dexterity from her front legs, she lifted the bowl up and drained it dry with a smack of her lips and an adorable burp. Giggling, Sunset clapped her hooves, unaware that Saladin and the Speaker were watching the spectacle with wide eyes.
“She certainly is something,” the Speaker said after clearing his throat, “And as your ghost said she is radiating Light like a beacon.”
Looking over to the foal, Saladin and the Speaker both noticed the Ghosts floating around Sunset, some getting close enough for her to grab… and occasionally put it in her mouth, much to the chagrin of the Ghost in question.
“The Ghosts certainly seem to enjoy her,” Saladin says, “What are your thoughts on her?”
“Thoughts?” the Speaker asks, “She appears to be a child, no more than a baby. Immensely powerful in the Light to be sure, but a child all the same. Perhaps you should raise her?”
“What?!” Saladin asks with alarm, “Raise her? I don’t know if that would be a good idea, especially after…”
The Iron Lord went silent at that, his thoughts turning dark and a brooding look coming over his face.
“She will need guidance,” the Speaker says simply, watching as a Ghost with a red and gold shell comes over to Sunset, curiosity clear in the way it moved, “She will need structure so her Light does not burn either herself or those around her. Come now, I believe you and I both know you were going to do this anyway, regardless.”
Looking over at the foal, who was eyeing the red and gold Ghost with the same level of curiosity that the little drone was eying her.
“I think I found my Guardian!” the Ghost says in a happy trill of a female voice. She pulsed brightly and as she did so, the Traveler did as well, a gasp of shock coming from the Speaker and Saladin both.
“A Ghost bonding with the living…?” the Speaker asks softly, the brilliant pulse of light from the Traveler fading slowly, “I have not seen this since Shin Malphur…”
“’Mena!!” Sunset says happily, clapping her forehooves, “p’lomena!!”
“She can talk?!” Saladin asked.
“Yes!” Sunset’s Ghost chirped happily as she floated around Sunset’s head, “And she gave me a name!! Philomena!” The foal giggled happily as the Ghost flew up and nuzzled Sunset, a very pleased look in its eye.