//------------------------------// // Side Story 2 // Story: An Iron Sunset // by Dragon Angel Knight //------------------------------// Side Story 2 Ikora smiled a little to herself as she watched Sunset head up the stairs and out to the Courtyard from their little meeting. “The little one is definitely different than most other Guardians, that’s for sure,” she said as she stood back up. Following Sunset’s initial path, the Warlock Vanguard instead peeled off and headed towards her own personal office. It was smaller than Zavala’s, but that was fine by her, the Warlock finding all the clutter of a large area a little too much for her meditations. When she arrived, she sat down at the small desk she normally used for paperwork and brought up a list of her Hidden operatives. Quickly scanning through them, Ikora found the Hunter she was looking for and tapped on a button. “Ikora-sensei,” came the voice over the coms, “To what do I owe the pleasure?” “Something of a mission for you, Rei-2”, Ikora responded, “I need to get in touch with the Reef and I know you’re on friendlier terms with them than I am.” “Why not ask Lord Shaxx?” Rei asked curiously, “He seems to have a… relationship with their Queen.” “You know Shaxx,” the Warlock Vanguard replied with a laugh, “He’d likely have me in the Crucible for a sparring match with the New Lights just for trying to ask him a favor. In any case, this isn’t for the Queen, though I know she’ll likely hear of this anyway.” “Alright, who am I going to contact?” the Hunter asks, her curiosity piqued now. “Petra Venj.” `~`~`~`~`~ It took another three weeks from when Ikora called Rei and asked her to get in touch with the Queen’s Wrath to get a response. What the Warlock Vanguard hadn’t expected was for the Queen’s Wrath to show up on her doorstep for their chat. “Ikora Rey,” Petra said as she entered the office, “I heard you wanted to speak to me?” Surprised, the Warlock looked up from her paperwork and nodded in welcome. “Yes. I had a few questions for you, if you don’t mind. Can I get you anything to drink while you’re here?” Ikora asked. “Tea, if you have any,” Petra responded, “Earl Grey, if you have it.” After the tea was served and both parties settled in for a comfortable chat, Ikora started speaking. “I had a Guardian come to me with an… interesting look on a problem we’ve been facing for quite a while,” Ikora began, “I don’t really know how to answer her questions either." “Oh?” Petra asked as she sipped on her tea, “What problem would this be?” “Peace with the Fallen,” Ikora said softly. Looking up, a little surprised, Petra set her tea down on the desk in front of her and asked, “It was Sunset, wasn’t it?” “How do you…?” Ikora asked hesitantly. “There was an incident not too long ago,” Petra replied, “The Queen noticed an incredible paracausal anomaly while speaking with Lord Shaxx. Apparently Sunset tagged along with Shaxx for their meeting, though they split up not long after arriving. When the offending party was questioned, all they said was that ‘Sunset Shimmer needed to be prepared’, whatever that meant. When I asked the Queen about it, she mentioned that Sunset was unlike any Lightbearer she’d ever encountered before.” “I see,” Ikora said with a wry smile, “And Sunset is indeed vastly different than any Lightbearer before her.” Tapping on the screen of her computer, Ikora brought up a recording of her first interaction with the Speaker and an image of what she looked like now. Petra had to struggle to keep a ‘squee’ from escaping her lips when she saw the foal drink an entire bowl of ramen broth. “She’s… not human,” Petra remarked quietly. “No,” Ikora agreed, “But perhaps because of that, she doesn’t have the same prejudices as humans do. She asked if we could be friends with the… Eliksni.” Petra looked up, a little surprised that the Warlock Vanguard even knew the word the Fallen used for themselves. Looking back at the image of the pony Warlock in her Iron Lord robes, the Queen’s Wrath hummed a little to herself, then sipped on her tea again. “It may take some doing, but I’ll see what I can manage,”: Petra said as she finished her cup of tea, “I need to speak with Queen Mara about it, but I think something can be done.” “That’s all I ask,” Ikora said with a smile, “Thank you for your time.” `~`~`~`~`~ Deep within the European Dead Zone, far from where a Warlock conferred with the Wrath, the Tree shone again. The branch in question held a dull purple crystal that flickered to life and began shining like the red one before it. The radiance from the branch grew and grew until it was equal to the radiance given off by Loyalty, both red and purple shining brightly and bathing the cavern equally in their glows. “...Generosity...”