//------------------------------// // Act 3.4 // Story: Echoes of the Ancient // by Wandering Axioms //------------------------------// 3.4 “A Mother’s Love...” This sunrise was gentle, making this mid December morning slightly warmer than usual. It wasn’t much, but Aiden gladly welcomed the sun’s grace. He drew in a deep breath and held it for a brief second before exhaling, watching it blow out into the cold air like steam from a pipe. He sat himself down on the main stairs that led down into the ancient castle’s front courtyard, still paying most of his attention to the slowly rising sun. He rolled his left sleeve up to the elbow again and examined the area where the Praemian Thorn had...implanted itself. The cyan glow had died down so that it was no longer noticeable. While it felt sore for a brief period of time, the pain had recently calmed down. Whether it was a result of the Thorn, or the cold, Aiden was unsure. Speaking of the latter, which was starting to bite at his exposed skin, Aiden rolled his sleeve back down and tucked his hands into his pockets. He tilted his head back and reflected on the past week’s events. His exploration into Taotras, his first encounter with Vanguard, his brush with mortality, meeting Bon Bon and her family, and now this. Aiden huffed as he gently rocked back and forth in a rather futile attempt to keep himself warm. Disappointed with the results, Aiden decided to simply sit there and wait for Celestia to arrive, much like a child waiting for his mother to pick him up from school would. “A mother and her son?” Aiden asked himself with a frown. Back on Earth, he had his stepfather, sure, but aside from maybe the occasional babysitter whenever his stepfather was away, he never had a real maternal figure in his life. Princess Celestia had taken him in, with very few questions asked, and had provided him with food, shelter, and protection from the world. Maybe it was due to the fact he had brought Lyra with him? He cupped his chin in his hands, as the cold air brushed against his cheek, trying to make sense of...well, anything really, at this point. The sun was now well above the horizon, the only obstruction being the Everfree Forest’s canopy. He traced a hand along the facial hair on the left side of his jaw, frowning even more at how long it had become. “I could use a shave,” he thought. “And maybe a shower...” He smiled and chuckled at a new thought. “Actually, I could use a LOT of things right about now...like an assault rifle...and a riot shield...and a tank! Yeah...” His mind wandered even further as the seconds seemed to draw out for the longest time. He shivered again as the temperature dropped with a gust of wind. “Well, if I smoked, this would be the perfect place for it...” Several moments passed; Aiden was on the verge of succombing to his exhaustion, when he heard the sound of wings in the distance. Sure enough, Aiden turned his gaze towards the pale blue, cloudy sky to notice none other than the white Alicorn Princess herself, flying above the ruins in circles, which gradually became smaller and smaller. Aiden calmly stood up, his hands still in his pockets. When it seemed Celestia had noticed him, she began her gradual descent onto the stone threshold, where the main doors of the castle used to stand. Her wings furled back into place as they turned to face each other. Her mouth was agape slightly, pulled into a barely noticeable frown, yet her eyes expressed joyful relief at the sight of his safety. The fur on her cheeks was wet, and the whites of her bright pink eyes bore a slight tint of red to them. She was crying, silently; no sobs, just tears... She slowly trotted over to him. Aiden opened his mouth to speak, to apologize for the trouble he must have caused her. He is stopped when her face is no more than mere inches away from his, and she quickly threw a foreleg over his shoulder, pulling him into a warm, if slightly awkward, embrace. Aiden was thrown off by the suddenness of this royal hug, but he immediately welcomed it by wrapping his left arm around the Princess’s neck. Celestia’s ethereal mane still flowed in that nonexistent breeze, like it always did. After another moment that felt like a lifetime, the two friends released each other. Aiden crossed his arms, but looked down at Celestia’s hooves with his eyes half closed. He hummed to himself. “So I heard you didn’t get my letter?” He asked with a smirk. She sniffled and let out a single chuckle. “I hurried as soon as I felt this energy surge...” She gestured a hoof at the ruins around them “...from this place...” She frowned and bit her lips. “Dawn’s mercy, I haven’t been here in centuries...” She looked around, trying to take in her surroundings. “Not since Luna...” Her ears drooped at her sister’s name. She put a forehoof to her own lips. “Oh, Luna...” she solemnly whispered. “Hey,” Aiden gently whispered as he placed a hand on her shoulder. “Everything’s gonna be okay.” He said with as reassuring a smile he could manage. He hoped it was enough to convince her. “I’m okay, Princess,” he smiled as he pointed a hand at himself. “See?” The Alicorn examined him from where she stood, a lone tear still falling from her right eye. She simply stood there for a moment, looking him up and down for injuries. “Thank Night and Day for that, my friend,” she happily said. “I sensed that energy surge and I...I immediately flew out the Palace’s front doors and into the sky, without saying a word to the Council of Mages, the Guard, or even Cadence. I immediately was on my way to this place.” She paused and blushed at the fact. “I don’t know what came over me...it hadn’t occurred to me to use a teleportation spell until I was past Cloudsdale. If I had thought things out, I could’ve gotten here sooner...” “Princess,” Aiden interrupted. “It’s okay; I completely understand.” Celestia breathed in an attempt to get her words under control. “Right,” she seemed to shake herself out of whatever had come over her. “Would you happen to know what the source of that energy spike could’ve been?” Aiden lifted his left arm in response, pulling the sleeve down. The cyan glow of the ancient weapon he had absorbed was barely noticeable. The Princess examined it curiously. “Do the words ‘Praemian Thorn’ mean anything to you?” He asked tiredly. The widening of her eyes said it all. Aiden smiled, knowing he would finally be getting some answers. “They do, in fact,” the Princess smiled back at him, the tears from earlier having dried up. She turned her side to him and crouched down. It took only a second for Aiden to realize what she was doing. Aiden saddled himself onto the Alicorn’s back, his thighs resting just behind her wings. He had considered asking why not just teleport back to Canterlot, but in all honesty, he preferred to take a more picturesque way to return. --- The desert heat was starting to get to Aiden; even in November, Kurdistan was still almost unbearably hot; in the daytime at least. Aiden quickly snapped back to reality as he and Alex followed Logan through the small village house. The three of them ascended the wooden stairs and into a room that’s been completely cleared of furniture. In this room, they met up with Leon, Mary, Emily, and David. A man in a black suit stood by a boarded up window, with two more Network operatives on either side of them. On the far side of the room, sat one of the villagers on the floor in the fetal position, mumbling to himself in Arabic. Logan raised an eyebrow and pointed at the villager with a finger. “It’s alright,” Leon explained. “He lived in the house next door; he’s just frightened by what’s going on.” “Ah,” Logan replied. “At any rate,” Leon moved on to the next subject. “Logan, Aiden, I’m sure you both know Agent Constantine Becker from Central Authority,” he pointed at the man in the suit. Agent Becker had pale skin, black hair, a narrow nose, and dark brown eyes. “He’s the one overseeing this operation.” The man from Central Authority nodded to acknowledge their presence. “Marsh,” he spoke in a deep voice and nodded in Aiden’s direction. “Somers,” He did the same for Logan. He then turned to Leon and the others. “I was just about to be on my way...” “Of course, Agent Becker,” Leon nodded. “I’ll be sure to inform these three of details of the operation.” Becker and his two bodyguards made their leave out the way Aiden, Logan, and Alex had come in. Aiden turned his head back to the agent and his cohorts as they strided out the door and down the stairs. The seven private soldiers gathered in a semi-circle. “Alright,” Aiden began. “So what have we got here?” “What we’ve got, Aiden,” Leon replied. “Is a group of radicals who have gotten their hands on a bunker full of pre-war weaponry. Dirty bombs, anthrax vials; those kinds of things.” “And the Network has been contracted by the Commonwealth of Baghdad and Jordan to fix this problem,” David finished. “Hmm, sounds simple enough,” Alex commented. “Well, that’s because it is,” Leon replied with a smile. “At least I hope so...it better be!” “And how far away is this bunker?” Aiden asked. “It’s just on the far side of the village,” David answered. “Some of the other Network teams made it already, and they’re just waiting for the rest of us to regroup.” “Well, for once, simplicity sounds like the way to go,” Aiden concluded. “Alright, Leon; lead the way.” Leon nodded and headed for the doorway on the other side of the room that lead outside. Logan was the last one out. Before he crossed the threshold, however, he heard the villager inside calling back at them, as if he were warning them. Logan looked back at the man and tilted his head. The man was still rocking back and forth in the fetal position; he was obviously terrified about something. “What’s the problem?” He asked as he looked back at the others. Emily stepped in, knowing some basic Arabic. “I think he’s talking about the bunker,” she listened closely on the native man’s words. “He says that the Devil’s mother lives in there, or something...” “Come on,” Leon encouraged. “We shouldn’t keep the others waiting!” --- Aiden’s eyes slowly opened. His right cheek was pressed lightly into the side of Celestia’s neck as she continued flying. He could feel the fluctuations of her wings against his knees. Her ethereal mane waved above his head, lightly brushing against the back of his neck. Aiden lifted his head and brought a hand up to wipe some drool from his bottom lip. “Are you doing okay back there?” Celestia called without turning her head. “Doing about as good as I look,” Aiden said with a short yawn. “But I’m glad to get some decent rest.” He was previously unsure if he would be able to sleep soundly while he was saddled on an Alicorn in mid flight. This had proven him wrong. He leaned his face back to the side of Celestia’s neck, with both of his arms wrapped around her. “How long was I asleep?” He asked quietly. “Only about twenty minutes,” she happily answered him as she flew over a few stray clouds. Once Aiden noticed that the gale was silent, he considered asking why he felt no wind or turbulence impacting against his face and whipping his hair about, when he tilted his head up slightly and noticed her horn was glowing, with a pale white colored aura surrounding it. “More magic,” Aiden thought to himself as he turned his head to their right. What he saw nearly made his jaw drop. The orange morning sun seemed so close while it has nearly completely arisen from its resting place on the Eastern horizon. Thin, patchy veils of clouds were all that obstructed the view, and they did little to stop the star’s light and warmth. He looked down to see the sun’s light slowly wash the darkness of the previous night away. The Kingdom of Equestria was soon completely bathed in the sun’s winter rays, giving life to the land below. “Whoa...” was all Aiden could say at the beautiful sight. “You’re enjoying yourself, I hope?” Princess Celestia craned her neck to her right, so that she was able to make eye contact with her young human passenger. “You bet,” Aiden tiredly yawned with a smile as he rested his head into the back of Celestia’s neck. “Just like every other time, your work with the sun is amazing, Princess.” Celestia giggled at his compliment. “Thank you, Aiden. Like I said before, I always try my best.” Aiden breathed in a deep breath through his nose, and was about to drift off to sleep again for the remainder of the trip, when a question popped up in his mind. He looked down at the grassy plains and hills, with the occasional tree dotting the landscape below. He thought about the Earth pony family that had saved his life. He lifted a hand up and weakly tapped on the Princess’s neck to get her attention. She turned her head back towards him, still mostly focused on her flying. She had an eyebrow raised. “Is something wrong?” “It’s about the family I lived with during my time in Ponyville,” Aiden tiredly whispered. “It seems I’ve wandered off without telling them anything about where I was going.” Celestia turned her head even further back to listen intently. “You just wandered off?” She asked with a confused voice. Aiden recounted the events of the past two days he had spent with Bon Bon and her family. He tried his hardest to explain the dream he had before he woke up in the Everfree. He also told her about the strange man that had led him throughout the castle ruins; the same man who was visiting him in his dreams since he came to Equestria. Celestia nodded, her eyes half closed, which always meant she was deep in thought. “I see; well, Aiden, I would like to talk with you more about this strange man you’ve been seeing, but for now, let’s talk about the young filly you’ve become acquainted with,” she paused for a brief moment. “Bon Bon, you said her name was?” Aiden nodded. “Like I said; I must’ve been in some kind of trance during that dream, because when I came to my senses, I realized I was in the Everfree. Now, Praline and Chikki; they’re Bon Bon’s parents; they must be searching around frantically for me.” Aiden finished and waited for this information to sink in. “And you wish to alleviate their worries?” Celestia asked. Aiden nodded, even though he knew how trying to alleviate a friend’s worries had turned out for him so far. “Yes,” Aiden finally gave a vocal reply as he closed his eyes. “If I could maybe send a letter their way, once we get back to the Palace. I figured it would be only fair if-WOAH!” He was interrupted by the Princess suddenly banking to their right, making a complete turn. Aiden instinctively hung on for life as the Princess began a quick descent. “Uh, Princess?” Aiden worriedly asked. “W-where are we going!?” Celestia turned her head back to him, revealing a wide smile. “Well why just write to them,” she paused as her horn began to grow brightly. “When you can tell them yourself?” The aura around her horn became brighter. A pure white light enveloped Aiden’s vision, practically blinding him. --- As the light cleared, he noticed he was standing in the kitchen of Everfree Sweets...with a surprised looking Bon Bon sitting on a chair at the kitchen table. Aiden placed a hand on his brow, dazed from Celestia’s teleportation spell. Speaking of which, the Alicorn Princess of the Sun stood right beside him with an innocent smile on her face, looking back at the filly at the table. Aiden looked towards the Princess with his mouth still agape. Celestia raised an eyebrow, still with that smile. “What?” She asked with a laugh. “Gee, thanks for the warning, your Highness!” He exclaimed, still trying to collect himself, yet sharing in the Alicorn’s laughter. Aiden then turned his gaze to Bon Bon, who still had a spoonful of oatmeal in her mouth. The poor foal looked like she was about to faint right there, at the sight of her ruler suddenly appearing in her kitchen. “Bon Bon?” A familiar feminine voice called from the stairs. “Is somepony at the door?” The filly gave no answer to her mother, which prompted the latter to venture down the stairs. “Bon Bon?” The mare called her daughter’s name again as she entered the kitchen. Chikki turned to see none other than Princess Celestia herself, standing next to the human that she and her family had taken in no more than a week earlier. Her initial reaction was roughly the same as her daughter’s. “I...P-Princess...Celestia...in...my kitchen?” The mare could barely form a coherent sentence. Aiden thought she was about to faint for a moment. The Princess smiled at both of her subjects. “Hello, my little ponies,” she happily greeted the mare and filly, the former of whom only managed a shaky “hello,” while the latter was still eating her breakfast in freezeframe. More hoof steps could be heard on their way down the stairs and into the kitchen. Praline’s reaction was slightly better...or maybe not, depending on one’s point of view. As soon as the Alicorn Princess entered his peripheral vision, he immediately gasped, as if he had been deprived of oxygen. He then immediately lowered his head and closed his eyes in a bow of respect to his ruler. The Earth pony stallion looked over to his wife and spoke in a worried tone. “Honey, what are you doing!?” He spoke through his gritted teeth. “Princess Celestia herself is standing in front of us!” Celestia giggled in amusement at her subject’s immense respect...or possibly immense fear of her. She hoped it was the former. “Believe me, my little pony,” Celestia laughed. “There’s no need for such formality. I ask that you treat me no different from your average houseguest.” Praline lifted his head to meet with Celestia’s warm and loving gaze. Aiden pointed at the pony princess with a thumb. “Told you,” he said with a smirk. Praline looked over to the human. “Aiden...where were you?” He asked with a hint of concern in his eyes. “Long story,” Aiden sighed. “One that I’ve already told her,” he pointed to Celestia again. Praline sighed as he stood at his full height again; he was still at least two feet shorter than either Aiden or Celestia. “You certainly gave us a scare, Aiden,” Praline said with a smile. “When we woke up to find you gone, we just about panicked. Chikki here had to stop me from running outside and frantically calling for you.” He sheepishly laughed. Aiden frowned at the trouble he had caused this family. “I’m sorry to hear that I’ve spooked you guys so much, especially after all that the three of you did for me.” He said softly. The two grown ponies shared in his solemn stare as they hung their heads and their ears flattened. Bon Bon, meanwhile had managed to break free of the trance that Celestia’s presence had put her in. She left her spot at the kitchen table to stand beside her mother, looking at Aiden with a tilted head. “There’s no need to worry yourself about us, Aiden,” Chikki said as her and her husband’s ears straightened up. She trotted up to him slowly as she spoke. “You turned out to be a wonderful houseguest. And this is definitely something I can brag about to the other mares who come to my store; I’ll bet none of them have housed an alien before!” “Yes,” Celestia slowly said with a frown. “About that...” Aiden gave her a light jab on the shoulder with the back of his hand. “They know, Princess,” Aiden smiled. “I asked them, and they promised not to tell anyone about me.” Chikki placed a hoof on her lips. “Oh, my; that’s right! I completely forgot about that!” She smiled sheepishly at the thought slipping her mind. “Don’t worry; we promise to tell nopony, your Highness.” Bon Bon nodded in assertion. “Don’t worry, Princess!” She smiled with her eyes closed as she placed a hoof on her snout. “We Pinkie promise not to tell anypony! Cross our hearts, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in our eyes!” Aiden’s head jerked back slightly, but he chuckled at the altered pinkie promise. Her parents and the Alicorn also shared in his laughter. The Princess closed her eyes and smiled. “Ah, that’s more stress off of my mind, at least.” She turned her attention to the young man at her side. “Well, Aiden, are you ready to return home?” He nodded in response. “Yes, Princess,” he answered. “Very well,” she said before she lowered herself down slightly, signaling him to saddle up. He complied immediately. “Thank you again, Praline for your discretion in this matter. It was a pleasure getting to meet you and your family.” The stallion bowed to his ruler one last time, his wife and daughter following his action. “Likewise, your Majesty,” Praline softly spoke. He looked up to Aiden who had himself situated upon Celestia’s back. “And it was nice getting to know you as well, Aiden!” He and his family waved goodbye with their front hooves. Aiden returned the wave. “Same here, Praline,” he smiled. “And thanks again.” This time he braced himself for the Princess’s teleportation spell. The second he saw her horn glow, he closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. He opened his eyes... --- The two of them stood in the throne room of the Royal Palace. The two guards at the door behind them jumped and yelped in surprise. After taking a few seconds to recover from the teleportation spell, both Celestia and Aiden turned to face the guards at the door. “Y-your Highness!” One of them gasped as they both ran up to their ruler. “You’re back! And with Aiden!?” Celestia smiled at the two loyal soldiers. “Yes, I have returned,” she gestured a hoof towards Aiden. “And our friend here has also returned. I shall notify the rest of the palace staff of our return.” The two soldiers bowed in response. “Please, your Highness,” one of them said. “Allow us to notify the guard and the staff.” Before Celestia could even give a response, the two guards opened the doors and immediately bolted out, excitedly shouting “The Princess has returned!” The subject of their shouts shook her head. “I wasn’t gone for that long, was I?” Aiden chuckled at the guards’ behavior and Celestia’s reaction. Celestia sighed and turned to her throne. “Well, I suppose it can’t be helped in regard to how they take it,” she said as her frown slowly turned into a smile. Aiden followed her up the pearl steps to her throne. She breathed a sigh of satisfaction as she rested upon the seat from where she ruled for almost a millenium. “So,” Aiden spoke as he stood to her right. “What happens next?” The Princess closed her eyes and lifted her head. For a moment, the room remained perfectly silent. She answered with an unsure tone in her voice. “I do not know, Aiden,” she said with a noise at the end of her sentence that sounded like something between a chuckle and a sob. “From what you told me about the other two humans; the one that calls himself Vanguard, and the one from your dreams; it seems like there are odds being stacked against us.” Aiden hummed to himself, like he does whenever he is deep in thought. “It’s obvious from my first encounter with Vanguard back in Taotras that he is an enemy. But as for the other man, I am unsure.” He crossed his arms as he slowly descended the steps about halfway. “He seems more like he was trying to help me; after all, he did give me this,” he said as he rolled down his left sleeve to the elbow. As if on cue, the Praemian Thorn gave off a weak cyan glow from underneath his skin before it vanished again. “Yes,” Celestia said, drawing her word out; the uncertainty did not leave her voice. “You said that this weapon; this Thorn; was the key to defeating the Forerunners?” “From what he told me,” Aiden said quietly. “Yeah...but there are supposed dire consequences to its use.” “Such as?” “He told me that the surface of the World was rendered uninhabitable over the years of the war that the humans waged against the Forerunners.” He half closed his eyes. “But...from what I’ve heard since I came to this place...” He hung his head. “You are not entirely human...” Celestia finished his sentence. “I figured you knew...” Celestia stood up. “A few days before you arrived, I was certain I sensed a very powerful hidden presence appear in Equestria. The day you went to Taotras, I sensed that same presence, only doubled.” Aiden frowned and looked up at her. “So you know that I am one of them...” he somberly spoke as she descended the steps to meet him. As the two deities looked into each other’s souls, she placed a hoof on his shoulder. “Aiden, you are my friend, and I care not for what some apocalyptic legend associates itself with you. You hold no malice towards me, my guards, or any of the other ponies you’ve come in contact with. Seeing how Lyra acted around you only assured my suspicions; you would not hurt anypony.” She gently smiled as she lowered her forehoof back to the floor. Aiden gladly returned the smile. “Again, Princess, you have my gratitude...” The two of them turned their attention to the throne room doors at the sound of them opening. A Solar Guard pegasus and a unicorn Mage stood at the threshold. “A-Aiden!” Tempest Runner yelled as the two young stallions stared in amazement of their companion’s safety. Aiden nodded at the mention of his name. “Yep; that’s me,” he said jokingly. The pegasus and unicorn quickly trotted beyond the threshold and bowed before the Alicorn Princess. “You may both rise, and speak freely,” Celestia said after a few seconds. “Dawn’s mercy, Aiden,” Night Step gasped as he and Tempest approached him. “We thought that...entity had killed you...” His ears flattened against his head. “I’m so sorry, Aiden; we would’ve done something, but I just...we didn’t...” Aiden held up a hand and smiled. “It’s fine, you guys; Vanguard would’ve only killed you both. I’m perfectly fine.” The two stallions shared a sigh of relief. “You’ve been gone for five days, Aiden,” Tempest added. "You had just about all of us worried, to be honest.” He paused and rolled his eyes. “Well, all except for Blueblood, maybe.” Aiden tilted his head. “Who?” “Oh, that’s right, you’ve never seen him; Prince Blueblood? He’s Princess Celestia’s nephew.” Aiden looked back to the Princess with a curious look on his face. “Huh, I never knew you had other family members?” Celestia smiled at the three of them. “Believe me, Aiden; I’ve done you a favor by not introducing you to Blueblood...” She giggled at her own words. Her eyes suddenly lit up. “I do have a niece, also; Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, or just Cadence as she’d rather have you call her. I’m sure she would love to meet you!” “And of course her little crush Shining Armor will probably be the one to introduce you...” Tempest Runner rolled his eyes again. Aiden couldn’t help but laugh at that statement. “Shining Armor has a thing for your niece, Princess?” He asked looking back at the Alicorn who was seated back on her throne. Celestia smiled and shrugged. “He made it pretty obvious back eight or nine years ago when he was a young colt, and again training as a cadet about six years later; what with the sudden nervousness whenever she was around, the silly grinning, the daydreaming.” She chuckled and waved a hoof. “I could go on, but I probably shouldn’t.” Aiden let out a yawn and stretched his arms as he stared up into the ceiling. He had just realized how tired he was with everything that was going on. “Well, that all sounds nice, but...” he allowed his arms to fall back to his sides while he still kept his gaze fixed on the ceiling. “I’ve barely gotten any sleep last night...right Celestia?” The Princess nodded. “It would be best if he got some sleep, especially considering all that has happened.” She paused and directed her attention to Aiden. “But, Aiden, tomorrow I would like you to meet with Archmage Distant Nebula, the head of the Council of Mages. I will be there to discuss the events of tonight with the two of you.” Her attention was back on the two young stallions. “As for the you two, you are both dismissed.” Tempest and Night Step bowed again before turning to leave the throne room. Aiden turned back to look at the Princess. “Well,” he said with another yawn. “I’ll see you whenever I wake up I guess; but I feel like I could sleep for a month.” The Princess giggled again as Aiden waved his farewell to her. As the throne room doors closed shut, thanks to her magic, Celestia uttered three more words: “Sleep well, Aiden...” --- Aiden immediately used what little was left of his strength and threw himself onto his back. The bed rocked slightly before it adjusted to having his weight again after so many days. He let out a sigh mixed with exhaustion and relief. The comfort that the bed offered him was enough to draw him into a half state of sleep. Aiden turned his head to his left to see his helmet and gas mask on the nightstand. He huffed and thought to himself. “They both felt so real in that dream...” He brought a hand to his face; the same one that had the cut on it he had received earlier. He wanted to wonder how Vanguard had managed to infiltrate his dream like the other man did. He immediately shook his head. “No. No more thinking. Just close your eyes,” his eyelids complied; not that they had the strength to resist. He smiled, knowing he would finally get the rest he deserved. “Now...just go to sleep.” Aiden drifted off into a peaceful slumber, despite the sun’s early afternoon rays still shining through the window, painting the room with their light.