Destiny DLC: The Gathering Light

by observer of dimensions

Guardian 101

There are two rooms in Canterlot Castle that are rarely used. One of them is the dungeon. Built when the castle was first constructed, it was used for criminals caught on castle grounds or for the very disobedient guard. Now, it is a room filled with empty cells, only to see visitors when it was time for the monthly maintenance. The second room was none other than the war room, a place many were glad hadn't been used for hundreds of years. Yet, after the attack by the Fallen, it would finally see use.

The room itself was circular in nature with a large round heavy oak table in the middle. The walls were covered by all sorts of maps depicting several locations, including other countries. A number of cushions had been placed around the table to give the room's occupants some comfort in such a dreary place.

The ponies who had gathered inside were considered to be of the highest within their field of work. From agriculture to astronomy and everything in-between. This council of ponies had been called on by none other than the Royal Sisters to handle the aftermath of the attack and to figure out the next course of action.

"I, Princess Celestia of Equestria, requested the gathering of this council in response to the attack on the Crystal Empire and Canterlot. My sister, Princess Luna, will commence with roll call." Celestia turned to her sister, who sat next to her. Replying with a nod, Luna lifted up a sheet of paper with her magic and begun to call out names.

"Princess Cadance."

An amethyst colored Crystal pony answered. "Absent. I, Crystal Clear, will act as her proxy."

"Prince Blueblood."

"Absent. Still too afraid to come out of his home," an elder white unicorn stallion with greyed blonde hair answered. The following eye roll some of the council members gave was ignored.

"Prince Blue Cross, head director of Equestria Medical."

“Present." The Same elder unicorn answered.

"Green Glade, Head of Cantorlot's agriculture department."

"Present" A Yellow Earth Pony mare with a green spiked mane replied.

"Shooting Star, Grand Astronomer."

A black Pegasus mare with a powder blue mane jumped slightly at her name being called. "Pre-Present." She stammered out.

"Gear Box, Representative of the Engineering core."

A brown Earth Pony stallion with a short reddish orange mane paused from cleaning his glass and looked up. "Present" he said before placing his glasses back on.

"Fancy Pants, Minister of Foreign Affairs."

The white, monocle wearing stallion Spoke. "Present."

"Shining Armor, Captain of the Royal Guards.

An old red Unicorn stallion with a mane turned white from age answered. "'Absent. Former Captain Stronghold standing in his place.

"Princess Twilight, Head of the Friendship Council.”

"Absent."

"Princess Luna. Present"

“Princess Celestia."

"Present."

Once again, Princess Celestia spoke up to the gathered ponies. "Now that role call is over, we shall get down to business." Celestia's regal face darkened as she continued to speak. " Captain Stronghold, do you have damage reports?"

The old stallion nodded. "Yes, your Highness." Stronghold cleared his throat stoically observing the other ponies in the room before recalling the report from memory. " Several structures in both Canterlot and the Crystal Empire have been damaged or destroyed by the Fallen forces. It is believed that it will take at least four months to complete repairs. Most of the damage was caused by the drop ship in the Empire and by what I have been informed is called a spider walker in Canterlot. The total number of casualties is 243." The former Captain paused for a moment to let the number sink in. The most notable reaction came from Blue Cross, who lowered his head as if he had failed an important task. "131 of those deaths were Guards, the remaining 112 were civilians."

The gathered ponies shuffled uneasily hearing the death toll. Only the Princesses, Blue Cross and Stronghold stood still. Green Glade slammed her hooves on the table, surprising the others. A hoof lifted up and pointed at the old veteran "How can you be so... so emotionless about this?" she cried.

Stronghold remained stoic. "As much as I hate what happen, there is nothing I can do about it but learn from it. Getting all emotional will help nopony."

"He is right, Green Glade. We can all mourn for the lives taken, but we can not do it here. Ponies are counting on use to lead them after this tragedy. We must be strong for them." Green Glade sat back down, her argument weakened by Princess Celestia's short speech.

A brown hoof raised in the air indicating that it's owner wanted to speak. When all the attention was drawn to him, Gear Box finally spoke. "This maaayyy be a bit too soon, but I want to announce the engineering core's request to study the spider walker and the dropships."

"And why do you want to do that?" Luna asked.

"Well, there is a lot we can learn from these things. It would also help Equestria develop a means to combat these Fallen. We fought them off, but look at the cost. If we are attacked again how many more lives will be lost? It was Princess Celestia who destroyed the Spider Walker and Luna the drop ship. The Unicorns in the Empire got lucky. We can't rely on luck and powers of an Alicorn." Gear Box answered.

Luna and Celestia shared a look between each other before addressing the issue. "We will discuss this in more depth at another time. but for now, let us continue with the next matter of business." Gear Box's body slumped at Luna's words, but made no attempt to press the issue.

"Fancy Pants, do any of the other countries know about the attack."

Fancy shook his head slowly. "Not yet, though, in due time, they will considering that the residents of their embassies bore witness to it. I have already started drawing up letters to address any concerns they may have."

Celestia nodded in approval. Here focus then turned to Shooting Star. "Have you or any other astronomers spotted anything in the skies."

Once again, Shooting Star jumped at the sound of her name. "I-uh, no. Neither skilled or amateur astronomers have seen anything, and if Princess Luna can’t- well, I don't think there are anymore out there." Celestia looked at Shooting star with a concerned expression. Shooting Star noticed it and turned her head away. "I'm sorry, it just... Night Light was a good friend. To hear he passed. I just..."

"I understand." Celestia intervened. One death is heartbreaking, so many is devastating."

The room passed into silence for a moment. It was disturbed by the voice of Green Glade. "What about this Nox-23 character. Can he be trusted? How do we know he didn't bring them here on purpose."

The princess were slightly surprised by the mare's questioning. It was, however, answered immediately. "Yes, Green Glade. He is trustworthy. Me and my sister determined that during the time we were with him." Celestia answered.

"I have been told by the doctors and nurses that I sent to Crystal Empire that some of their patients spoke of a biped named Nox-23 who save their lives by risking his own. I may not know of his past, but his actions have convince me that he has no ill intentions," Blue Cross added.

Green Glade nodded once, accepting what the three of them had told her.

Celestia glanced around the room, seeing if anypony else had concerns. None were forthcoming. "Alright, if there are no more questions, we shall continue on to the next topic on our list."

"No Twilly you can't go it's too dangerous!" Shining Armor yelled. The Captain of the Guard, and Prince by marriage, was not happy. He had woken a day ago in the hospital and learned that his mother and father were dead and his sister now had a permanent change in hair color. He had requested to be left alone that day to mourn. Returning the next day with his wife and Nox-23, Twilight had just explained to him that she was going to leave with the Guardian.

"Shining, I need to do this. Nox-23 told me there are more of them out there, along with other creatures of Darkness. Every... everyone from where he comes from are fighting against them. I want to be a part of the fight. I want to help them, and then maybe they can help us. Besides, I just can't stand around going about my day knowing what's happening."

Shining lifted himself up from the hospital bed to confront his sister, only for Cadance to gently push him back down. "Cadance, talk to her, tell her how dangerous this is. She needs to stay here."

Candace turned her gaze away from her husband. "Maybe... maybe you should let her do it."

Shining's jaw dropped, even his wife was against him. Taking his eyes off his wife, he looked passed Twilight, at the foot of the bed, toward Nox-23, who was leaning on the wall next to the door. "You... You’re the one who put her up to this. You did or said something to convince my little sister to go with."

"Hey, she was the one to come to me about it. I didn't do anything." Nox-23 lifted his hands defensively.

"Yet you’re letting her go with you," Shining countered.

"Where is Twilight going?" A new arrival spoke upon entering the room. To everypony's surprise, it was none other than Princess Celestia.

"Finally, someone with some sense." Celestias eyebrow rose at Shining's outburst, but let the wounded stallion continue. "Twilight wants to go with Nox-23 and fight against those aliens! Please, you have to convince her not to go."

Celestia's attention turned to the Purple Princess. Her heart dropped a bit at the sight of the white mane. "Is it true?" asked the alabaster princess. Twilight nodded, looking up pleadingly at Celestia. "Is it for revenge?"

Twilight jerked backwards, hitting her rump against the bed. "N-no...well, maybe a little." Her head drifted to the floor, but stopped. As her head rose she had an expression of unbreakable determination. "I may want to get back at those monsters, but there is more to it than that. The Guardians and the Traveler need help. The stakes are high and the danger is great, but have we ever stopped ourselves from helping others just because we may get injured or… or die? No, we haven't." Twilight turned her head slightly and smiled at Nox-23. "Nox-23 is my friend, and, if there is one thing to take from my lessons of friendship it's ‘always be there for them’. He was there for us, why can't I be there for him? Besides, Celestia, you want the Traveler to return, right? Right now, it can't, and I don't want to just wait around hoping that someone else can heal it. That is why I want to be the first to step forward and bring our worlds together to stop a threat and fix something that has been there for both our worlds."

A very deep and warm smile spread across Celestia's face. Before anypony knew what happened, Twilight Sparkle found herself in the White Alicorns’ embrace. "I am so proud of you."

As quietly as she could-hoping not to disturb the special moment-Cadance leaned down to her husband's ear. "Four to one, it looks like she's going.” Shining Armor only grumbled in reply.

When the two ponies finally separated, Nox-23 was the first to speak up. "As much as I like it here, we need to leave soon. Go say goodbye to your friends and pack things that you want to bring, we will meet at my ship in a few hours."

"Right, I'll start now." Twilight trotted out of the room before pausing and poking her head back in. Shiny, Cadance; congratulations. I'll be back to give you a proper goodbye before I go." Once her piece was said, she once again trotted away from sight, not seeing the blushes on both her brother and sister-in-law's faces.

Shining shifted in his bed in order to sit up more. "Okay, I understand that she is the only one going with you Nox-23, but why. Wouldn't her friends be allowed to come too?"

Incapable of frowning, Nox-23 lowered his head a bit before bringing it back up to address Shining. "Normally, they would; but there are different factors playing against us. One is that my ship is too small. It could fit a pony, but six... it would be too crowded. Also all her friends are busy with the relief efforts. Rarity and Pinkie Pie are taking care of orphans of those who died in the attack. Fluttershy has volunteered to become a temporary nurse. Rainbow is on duty with the Wonderbolts, and Applejack is helping by supplying food to everyo-everypony working on relief efforts. Spike is too young to go, so he’s staying with Rarity." Nox-23 let the information sink in before asking his own question. "Can Twilight's mane turn back to normal. I mean, it's possible through magic, right?"

The mood of the room changed from relatively good to depression in an instant.

"No, there isn't" Celestia answered. " There are illusion spells that can make her mane and tail look normal again, but it would constantly put a drain to her spellspring. Her condition is very rare. So far only six cases including hers has been recorded in history and, because of it, nopony has developed a spell to reverse it. In time, somepony might find a way, but as of right now, we have more important things to do."

Nox-23 nodded in agreement. "I hope she’s ok with it."

"My little sister will be ok. It looks like she has already gotten use to it... or she’s ignoring it." Shining Armor's eyes narrowed at Nox-23 "I can't be there to protect her, so YOU need to keep her safe. Promise me that you will keep her safe, even at the cost of your own life."

"SHINING!!" Cadance gasped.

Nox-23 raised a hand in front of him to stop Cadance from saying more. "It's okay, I understand. Shining Armor, I promise to keep Twilight safe so that she can return to you unharmed. She's my friend, and I don't let friends die."

Satisfied with Nox-23’s proclamation, Shining armor relaxed into his bed. He did, however, cringe slightly once noticing his wife glaring at him. Nox-23 was quite amused by the two love birds, but he needed to go. He was about to make his leave, but noticed Princess Celestia walking towards him.

Her soft smile could not fully conceal her worry. "While my captain may have been a bit... tactless with his words; I, too, wish for you to protect Twilight. She is like a daughter to me."

Nox-23 nodded. "Of course, Your Highness."

The goodbyes between friends were both sweet and sad. Rainbow Dash was the only one not teary eyed out of the six mares and one dragon, and even then her tough mare act was taking a hard it. Eventually, the hugs and friendly nuzzles ended and Twilight was left alone with Nox-23 and his Ghost.

The three of them made their way to the castle's garden, walking in silence the whole way. Twilight was in deep thought, wondering what kinds of things and people she would see and if she brought enough paper in her saddle bags. Nox-23 was thinking about how he was going to deal with the possible reaction to Twilight from the other Guardians and workers of the tower. the Ghost... well, it was keeping to itself while calling the ship to come by and pick them up.

"Alright, this place is as good as any," the Ghost spoke. Nox-23 stood still, as well as Twilight, albeit with a confused expression on her face.

"What do you mean?"

The Ghost rotated itself to look at Twilight, then it looked to the sky. "I'm transmating us to the ship. I wanted to do it in a more private setting, that's why I asked for us to come here," it answered.

Twilight was even more confused than before. 'transmating? Neither Nox-23 or his Ghost mention such a thing. breaking the word down, trans means across or beyond. Mating is...' Twilight sudden realized what it could mean. "Wait, is that how you got out of your ship?"

"Yep," the Ghost replied just before all three of them were engulfed in a silvery light.

It took Twilight a moment to realize that she was no longer standing on dirt and grass, but on metal. In fact, she was surrounded by metal on all sides. "So, what's it like to be the first pony to step inside a Spaceship?" The Ghost said interrupting Twilights observations.

Twilight turned to see Nox-23 and Ghost standing next to a chair. "oh, well... I really don't know what to say. Though, the transmat felt like a teleportation spell, but slightly different."

Nox-23 wished he could smile because he knew what will cause Twilight's jaw to drop. The robot took a seat in the pilot's chair and motioned Twilight to come up beside him. She raised a brow but moved next to him. "Take a look out the viewports. We are about to break orbit."

Twilight watched as the blue sky around become darker and darker. Soon, tiny lights started appearing. Very quickly did Twilight recognized familiar constellations. Her eyes widened as they became clear in the now black background that was space. While she looked out the right most viewport she did not see Nox-23 and his Ghost glance at each other. Nox-23 nodded and turned the ship to the left. "Twilight, look through the left one." Nox-23 said, hiding his mirth.

Twilight did as she was told. A moment later her jaw dropped comically to the floor. Before her was her planet, her home. She could she oceans, seas and landmass with Equestria being the most recognizable. The lovely continent stood out against the seas on both sides of it's form. "No one... no one has ever seen our planet like this before... well, maybe Nightmare Moon, but still... It's so beautiful." She turned her head to Nox-23, and he, her. Twilight was grinning ear to ear.

The next thing Nox-23 knew was that there was a purple furry creature hugging him awkwardly in his chair. "Thank you. thank you Nox. I will never forget this moment for the rest of my life." She hugged him tighter.

Nox-23 was unsure how to react. This was the first time anyone, or anybeing, has hugged him. He was smart enough not to ask his Ghost for advice, for it would ruin the moment. Eventually he returned the hug, hoping it was the right thing to do. When Twilight nuzzled his neck he knew he had done the right thing.

Normally it would take just over twenty minutes to get to Earth by jump. The Ghost, however, thought it would be better to go at a slower jump speed. The repairs were making it flight worthy, but Nox-23’s partner didn't want to push it without taking it to a real engineer. Instead, it would take them an hour to reach Earth. During the time traveling Twilight had fallen asleep, the excitement of few past days had finally drained away. Nox-23 and his Ghost remained silent to let the pony rest.

At some point during the journey through space, the pony awoke to find herself, not in her comfy bed, but on the hard, metal floor of Nox-23’s jumpship.

"Are we there yet?" the young pony asked with a yawn.

The Ghost turned around, witnessing the Alicorn getting up onto her hooves. "Actually, we just got out of the jump. Come here and see for yourself.”

Rubbing sleep from her eyes, Twilight once again took her spot next to the pilot's seat. One look out the viewport and her sleepiness was gone. "It- It almost looks like my planet."

"Indeed, but what I found more surprising was that both our worlds have the same animals. The chances for such a thing to occur is so low that I did not think it possible, yet here we are talking with a 'magical' pony which just so happens to look like equines from Earth." The Ghost replied.

Twilight narrowed her eyes. "You make it sound like you don't believe in magic."

The Ghost floated back a few inches defectively. "No...I didn't mean it like that. Beside, with the things Nox and I have seen and done, I'm not sure what to believe anymore." Twilight raised an eyebrow but did little else.

"Now, now, children; we're about to reach orbit. Ghost, can you contact Holiday and tell her the condition of the ship?" The Ghost responded by expanding it's pyramid like prongs in a blue light. Twilight watched intently, filing away some questions for later.

It took a few seconds before the Ghost spoke again. "Holiday is busy, but I got one of the her mechanic Frames instead, patching you through.”

"This is Megas-XLR26, how can I help you, Guardian?" a robotic voice asked.

"I was attacked by the Fallen a week ago and my ship received damage. I did basic repairs, but I want an experienced mechanic to take a look at it and make sure everything is alright."

"Certainly, Guardian; we will get right on it as soon as you dock." With nothing more needed to be said, the Ghost closed communications.

Nox-23 looked over to Twilight and she did the same. "Ready to meet the people of Earth?" The Purple Alicorn nodded nervously. "Good, cause it's going to be completely different from what you know." Twilight gulped.

Finally reaching the dock the Ghost transmated the three of them just outside the ship as it landed next to them. A second later, the ground underneath the ship dropped taking the ship with it. Twilight jumped back, surprised at how fast it lowered.

Nox-23 laughed. "It's alright, Twilight. The lift just took it down to the hangar where the mechanics will look at it. Now let's head upstairs, and from there we will head to the Speaker's location. He would want to see you." Twilight eyed the lift curiously for a few more seconds before following Nox-23 to the stairs.

Upon reaching the top of the stairs Twilight took a good hard look at her surroundings. to the left was a small walkway leading to some more stairs to the right she could see a group of people surrounding a male with pale skin. The man seem to be in deep conversation with the group. On the opposite side of the platform was a droid standing behind a table. Behind it she could see weapons in all sorts of shape and sizes. There were stairs leading down to someplace and stairs leading up to another platform.

"Top platform is where Amanda Holiday, the shipwright, is. she fixes up and sells ships. The droid is called Roni 55-30 and he is the Vanguard quartermaster. on the other side is Arach Jalaal, head of Dead Orbit, one of the big three clans here in the tower. and while you might not see it from here, there is another set of stairs leading up to a small lounge. That is where you would find Lakshmi-2, head of Future War Cult, another one of the big three. Downstairs is the bar." Nox-23 explained to the bright eyed pony.

Twilight gaze up to Nox-23 with a wondrous expression of interest, "What are clans...I mean I know what clans are, but I want to know what they mean to the people here. Is that pale guy with the shiny eyes, Arach? An Awaken that you told me about... and-"

Before Twilight could go on Nox-23 motioned with his head to stop. Luckily for him, she did. "Okay, I'll explain, but you need to stop asking questions so you can hear me." Twilight blushed, embarrassed by her actions, but remained focused on Nox-23 as he began to explain. "Clans are groups of people that come together with certain goals in mind. Those goals depend on the ones who make the clan. Some clans become popular like Dead Orbit who have grown into a big organization that even sells gear and weapons. Requirements to join the clan are made up by it's members, but most just let you in by request."

Twilight nodded sagely, absorbing the information. "I see...two more questions, if I can?" When Nox-23 did nothing to reject her request she continued on. "Ok, first, are you part of a clan, and second, where does that lead?" Twilight pointed to the stairs leading away from the walkway.

"I was, once, but things didn't work out, so it disbanded. and second..." Once again Nox-23 wished he could smile. "It leads to a place full of discovery for you, my furry little friend."

Nox-23 stepped forward and Twilight followed, neither of them noticed Arach Jalaal or his followers staring at them awestruck.

The stairs lead to another hallway in which they walked through. Reaching the end, Twilight started to hear voices from beyond the exit.

"-coming back today." "How many Strange Coins do you have?"

"-Not much, just waiting for Syfis to return."

"BOOM, HEADSHOT!" "Want to join Femme fatale?"

"-bar and get drunk."

Twilight stopped just short of the exit. Her heart was beating faster than normal. She, the only Equestrian on Earth, was about to meet Nox-23’s people. She needed to calm down. It wouldn't do her any good to get too excited.

Nox-23’s Ghost noticed the pony's hesitation right away. "Losing our nerve, are we?"

Twilight's ears swerved back. What?! No! It’s just a really big moment me. Wasn't it the same for you when you found out that my species had a connection to the Traveler?"

"You have a point," the Ghost admitted.

"Don't worry, we'll be here for you all the away." Nox-23 patted Twilight’s head before walking beyond the exit, his Ghost right by his side. Twilight raised a hoof to her chest and breathed in. A second later, she breathed out, her hoof following the direction of her breath. Now a little calmer, Twilight when to join her companions.

In an instant she was introduced to new sights and smells. So many people were walking around. Exos, Humans and Awoken, All walking and talking, not noticing the little band of friends.

Nox-23 glanced down to the equine, who was busy taking in the sights. If she truly wish to stay, he would need to give her a tour of the tower. There was a lot more people here than he had expected. Originally, he planned to get Twilight to the Speaker, then find out what to do from there.

"WHAT IS THAT?!" Well, that plan was a bust.

When someone yells 'what is that?' people tend to subconsciously look at what has been pointed out. Thus, Twilight Sparkle, Alicorn Princess of Equestria, was now in full view of at least three dozen Guardians.

"Is that a pony?" "Animals aren't allowed here...wh-a horn and wings?"

"Looks kind of cute."

"Looks weird if you ask me."

Some of them started to advance toward the group wishing to observe the mystery that was Twilight. Panicking, Twilight backpedaled away from the oncoming crowd of Strangers. Nox-23 backed up as well, but more slowly. People in the crowd seem to be yelling questions which got lost in the sounds of everyone else doing the same thing.

"Nox, where is this place you wanted to take me to." Twilight said loud enough for Nox-23 to hear.

"It's on the other side of the door is straight ahead.” Nox-23 pointed. "Why?"

In a flash; Nox-23, Twilight and his Ghost disappeared from view. The next second they reappeared on the other side. Nox-23 and the Ghost felt strange, but otherwise ok. "Teleport spell?" the Ghost asked.

"Yes." Looking back, the crowd seem completely confused as to where they went. Some were stating that Titans can't blink while others started to look around trying the find the trio. The three took off, escaping the view of the crowd. "Why are there so many?"

"It must be because the Seclusion Zone on Mars was broken barely a month ago. " The Ghost flew ahead. "I just sent a message to the Speaker. He will meet us at his spire."

A short run through the corridor lead them to the eastern tower section and the Speaker's location. A figure clothed in white robes and mask stood infront of the Spire. A Ghost floated next to him. The Speaker noticed the three right away, but waited patiently for them to get closer. The Speaker's head tilted forward a bit as if he was focusing on Twilight more than Nox-23 as Twilight and Nox-23 slowed down to a walk.

Once they were close enough, the Speaker spoke. "I heard you have something important to talk to me about. I am guessing it involve this Equine." The speaker's voice was gentle yet stern.

Nox-23 was about to speak when Twilight beat him to the punch. "I am Princess Twilight Sparkle and I would like to help you and your people."

The Speaker was silent for a time. His mask hid his expression, but he was most likely surprised by the talking Equine. Eventually the speaker found his voice. "I see. Though, I do not wish to look a gift horse in the mouth, I must ask why you wish to do this."

This time Nox-23 spoke before Twilight could even open her mouth. "She helped us fight off the Fallen that followed me to their world. besides, their kind had been in contact with the Traveler. Even before us. I am sure she can be of great help in the long run."

The Speaker looked at Twilight with more interest. "Is that so?"

"Yes. It led our kind into a golden age; but, due to unforeseen events, my ancestors decided to restart our culture, and the Traveler agreed to leave and return when we were ready."

The speaker studied the mare. "Very well. But I expect you to help her." He said to Nox-23

"That's a given."

Suddenly the Speaker's ghost, who had been silent the whole time, flew down until it was just above Twilight's head. It then circled around her slowly. Twilight followed it with her eyes, unsure as to how she should react. Once it was finished with whatever it was doing, it returned to the Speaker's side.

"I have a question." the Speaker's Ghost announced. "does your species go into heat?"

The purple mare instantly became a red mare. She slowly backed away from the Speaker and his Ghost, all the while looking toward the ground. Nox-23 face-palmed and his Ghost shook itself side to side.

“What, it is a serious question. She is very much like the equines of Earth. It would be problematic if she were to go into heat on a battlefield. Both for her and those with her."

Nox-23's Ghost flew closer to his counterpart. "It is highly insensitive to talk about such things... but to answer your question, yes, they do; but, thanks to years of evolution, they are not as mentally affected as they were hundreds of thousands years ago. Basically, they will know they are in heat and feel the changes, but other than that, they act the same as if they were not."

"If we were, there would be a much bigger pony population," Twilight murmured.

The speaker held up his hand to settle down the others. "I think we shall move away from this topic. I will make an announcement about our new ally and I would like you all to be there. While I get things ready, I think it is best to get Twilight her armor. She will need it and it will provide cover for her currently exposed body. Many of the people here are respectable, but there are some shady characters that may take advantage of her."

Twilight's tail hugged her rump tightly as she heard those words. She carefully looked around to see if anyone was watching her. To her relief, there were no voyeurs.

"Take Twilight to Eva." The Speaker then looked down at the young mare. "Eva Levante is the Tower's outfitter. If anyone can help put together armor that can fit on a body such as yours, it would be her. Now I must go, I will see you at Tower Watch for the announcement.” Having nothing else to say, the Speaker and his Ghost returned to the spire.

The three of them watched him leave before turning to each other. "So, where is this outfitter that we need to meet." Twilight asked.

The Ghost shot in-between the two of them.

"Not far, follow me." True to it's word, the Outfitter's location was a simple hop, skip and a jump from where they were. Armor, shaders and cloth lined the dead-end corridor, and at the end was an old woman. She smiled sweetly at the trio.

"what can I do for you, Guardian." She paused for a second to take in the sight of the curious little pony. "And you brought a little friend, how nice."

At the word of 'little friend' Twilight's ears perked up. She stopped and tilted her head to one side. Nox-23 had to avert his gaze to keep himself from blurting out the word cute. "Um, you are Eva Levante, right? I'm Twilight Sparkle, I was told by the Speaker that you can help me." Twilight finally said.

A moment passed and Eva's smile grew bigger. "Alright, dearie, what are you looking for? Anything in particular?" From there the two females entered a conversation that Nox-23 could not follow. He simply stood there, stunned.

"Wait, wait, wait." he said grabbing, the girls attention, both of whom raised an eyebrow. "aren't you surprised by Twilight's appearance, or ability to talk?"

The old woman giggled. "Dear, when you have lived as long as me, you tend not to be surprised by every new creature that comes your way." Nox-23 fell silent as the girls continued talking. Eventually, their discussion came to a close. "Alright, Twilight, I think I know what to do; if you don't mind waiting, I will contact a friend and have him bring over the materials I need."

"Can I wait here with you?" the Alicorn asked politely. The woman nodded with a smile.

Nox-23, having long since recovered from his surprise of Eva’s lack thereof, realized that while Twilight was getting armor she also needed weapons, and he just happened to have a few in his vault. "Hey, Twilight, I'm going to get a few thing; I'll be back shortly." The mare responded with an “ok” while taking a book out from her saddlebag. From the short time he had been with her he knew that pulling her away from a source of information would be hard, so he gave Eva a wave goodbye and left for Tower Watch.

As he walked away his Ghost disappeared in a flash of light, but it's voice indicated that it was still there. "So, where are we going?"

"rearrange my weapon inventory and take some out of the vault for Twilight to use." Nox-23 explained, turning a corner. He quickly passed two humans talking to each other. His mind went back to their arrival. Those who saw Twilight would have seen him to. He looked down at himself. There wasn't much he could do to change his appearance to hide himself. The one thing he could do... "Ghost, I'd like to change my shader; I'm thinking Thunderdevil."

"Why do you wa-...oh, I get it. Okay, changing shader now." Nox-23 watched as his armor changed to a sliver color. Now he was ready.

Slowly, he exited the corridor. Looking around, he could see some people looking around cautiously, but most had returned to going about their day. Quickly and quietly, Nox-23 walked toward the Vaults.

"Hey!" someone called out. Nox-23 froze. Had someone recognized him? He turned to see a male human with blonde hair walking to him. "were you here when that weird creature showed up?"

"...uh, no?"

The man sighed. "Damn, I wanted to see if anyone else could tell me about it. oh well, thanks any way." The man turned and left, most likely looking for another person to ask.

Nox-23 took up a slight jog in hopes it would make people think he was busy with something. He finally reached the vault terminal and opened it. The terminal instantly recognized who it's user was and brought him to his belongings. First order business was to remove all the weapons he didn't really use. Once that was done he searched through the list of weapons he wanted to give to Twilight to borrow. For a primary weapon he decided he would like her to have his Shadow Price and Crusader I. Special weapons would be his Ice Breaker and 77 Wizard. lastly, he took out his Swarm as the Heavy. Nox-23 also brought out his Truth, but for himself.

Done with the transaction, he logged off and stepped away from the Vaults. "You know, we could give her Super Good Advice."

Nox-23 blinked. "wait I thought you hated SGA. Wait, you aren't trying to pass it off on her, are you?"

"Yeah, I still dislike it, but I'm not trying to pass it over to Twilight. Either way, it would need to be stored in our ship's storage since she doesn't have one, or a Ghost to perform a weapon switch on the field if she had something else in use. And, ok, I admit that having a talking gun can be of some help to her."

Nox-23 thought upon it, but could not really decide whether to do it or not. In the end, he would wait and see how Twilight handled the other weapons. Before heading back, Nox-23 took a look around at the shops, buying what he needed and what he would eventually want. What's more is that, now that he had a biological creature with him, he needed to get sustenence. Luckily, his Ghost made the orders for food. An apartment was also needed for Twilight; and, once again, the Ghost proved to be of help. It had gotten one that was close by the Tower and was made for Guardian use, the rent wasn't bad, either. Once that was done, the two of them headed back to the Outfitter.

In just a few minutes Nox-23 and his Ghost reached their destination, but something was off. Eva was standing outside of her little makeshift shop. Spotting them, she waved them closer. "Where's Twilight." Nox-23 asked when they got close enough.

The woman smiled and pointed to her shop where a large piece of cloth was being held up by a purple aura. "Twilight, you can drop it." Eva called out.

In an instant the cloth dropped, revealing a purple armored pony. Twilight blushed a little under Nox-23’s stare. Even his Ghost appeared to be looking at her in awe, the front bottom triangle comically falling open like a jaw.

Eva leaned over to Nox-23 and spoke in a low tone. "From what she told me about herself, I pegged her for a Warlock. However, the clothing that Warlocks wear just doesn't look right on her, so I did without; and I have to say, it looks better that way. And don't worry about exposure to the elements with her hooves and wings. she has specially made boots for when she needs them, and armor pads will enclose her wings, if need be. I have a Tengu Operant VII that is still being modified for her longer face and horn, but it should be ready in a day or so.

Twilight scraped a hoof on the ground as she lowered her head. peering up through her white mane she asked "Wh-what do you think?"

"It looks good on you." the Ghost replied.

Nox-23's eyes slowly drifted over to where the Ghost was floating before returning to Twilight. "I think he means you look stunning."

The Ghost jolted backwards. It's eye shifted between Twilight, Eva and Nox-23. "That is not at all what I meant.… Well, not to say she doesn't, but… stop putting words into my mouth!”

Nox-23 stared blankly at it. "You’re a floating ball of metal and energy... you don't have a mouth."

The Ghost floated away from the three of them. Eva and Twilight were giggling and Nox-23 was doing his best not to. "You guys are just-" The Ghost suddenly stopped. "The Speaker wants us to meet him on the top steps of Tower Watch." It said in a more serious tone.

Twilight and Nox-23 met each other's gaze. Nervously, Twilight nodded at him, then turned to face Eva. "Thank you for making me the armor and giving me that Provincial Royal shader."

The Outfitter nodded. “You’re welcome Twilight, please come by If you ever get the chance."

Nox-23 was definitely surprised, Eva had modified armor to fit the pony and had given it to her with a Provincial Royal Shader equipped to it. "You gave her all that for free?"

The women nodded. "Yes. I know it is a bit extensive, but as she told me about herself, her friends, and your arrival I came to the decision to give her these things for free, as she and her countrymen have done it for you. Besides, while the Glimmer is nice to have sometimes, it is even nicer to help out someone-or somepony-who needs it. Now go, your friends are waiting for you."

Turning away from Eva, Nox-23 found that Twilight and his Ghost were already at the corridor entry looking back at them. "Thanks" he called out to the woman as he left to rejoin the others.

Throughout the Tower, Guardians received a message that the Speaker had something important to say. Any who could attend found a spot to listen to what the man had to say. In the Tower many people gathered at the Tower's Watch looking up to the Speaker on the top stoop, waiting for him to... well, speak. Some spoke in hushed voices about the possibility that this announcement was about the creature that showed up earlier. Others simply wanted to get it over with, so they can return to what they wanted to do.

Finally, the man in white spoke. "We have been fighting this battle against the Darkness for a very long time. Many sacrifices have been made to keep the rest of us safe. In all this time we have fought the minions of darkness alone. That is about to change." The Speaker tuned slightly to the right and held out his hand. In the silence the sound of hooves clopping against pavement could be heard. Gasps could be heard, as well, as a small armored pony with wings and a horn stepped into view.

Twilight took a deep breath and opened her mouth. "Greetings, People of Earth. I am Twilight Sparkle and I come from the land of Equestria. A week ago, a Guardian landed on our planet. It was then that I learned that our ancestors once followed the Traveler's light as well. Unfortunately, we were also attacked by the Fallen. The Guardian who landed on our world stayed and help my kind fight off the Fallen. He did so at the risk of his own life. After the battle I realized that this is what all of you go through almost every single day, while we ponies live unaware of your struggles. In my country, we believe in the power that comes from friendship. So that is why I am here, I am to extend a hoof in friendship and help you take back what the darkness has stolen from you."

Twilight was met with silence. No one spoke and no one moved. She began to fear that she had not reached them. As she was just about to slink away, someone began to clap, shortly followed by more. In a short few seconds, everyone was clapping, yelling or fist pumping. Twilight could not hold back a smile.

A hand touched her withers making her look up to who it was attached to. It just so happened to be the Speaker. "I can finish it from here, why don't you rejoin your friend?” With an affirmative nod, Twilight trotted off to Nox-23, who was leaning up against the wall.

"So, what do we do from here?' she asked, smile still on her face.

Nox-23 removed himself from the wall and crouched down to Twilight's level. "Now, we teach you how to be a Guardian." Nox-23 once again wished he could smile.

The Ghost received word not long after the speech that the ship had been fixed of any lingering problems. The material that had been gathered in Equestria had also been sent out to be analyzed. It did not take more than an hour for them to return to the ship and set off for the Cosmodome. The Cosmodome was chosen as the place to teach Twilight because it was a relatively safe spot; the fallen around the area are, to our knowledge, not prepared to fight even a guardian of Twilights experience. Once again, Nox-23 did not go full speed-which would have made the trip much faster. Instead, he held back opting to teach the new pony Guardian about the weapons that they used to protect their people.

"Okay, I think I know all the weapon types and I understand how arc, solar and void work, so what’s this thing about quality, rating and upgrades." Twilight rubbed her chin.

"All weapons and armor are given a quality rating base on how good they are and how hard it is to find them." the Ghost answered. "The rating goes from Common to Uncommon to Rare then to Legendary and, finally, Exotic. Now, all gear above a common rating can be customized to increase it’s functionality. Higher rated gear is usually more upgradable than those of a lower rating. Unless given to you by someone, they are most likely not upgraded at all. In the simplest of words, upgrades are tweaks that can be made to you gear to give you better chances at winning a fight."

"Usually it is better to get used to each upgrade before you go on to the next one. It also costs material and glimmer to upgrade," Nox-23 added in, looking over his shoulder. "...Twilight?" The mare turned her attention to the Exo. "Are you sure you want to learn to fight? You will need to kill things and, from what I see, not many besides the Guards seem to be willing to end a life."

The cockpit was silent for a while, but eventually Twilight replied. "I... I'm not sure if I could fight someone to the death, but... but those creatures, all I see are monsters. Monsters that need to be destroyed. Just teach me how to fight and I'll take it from there."

The rest of the trip was quiet. Only when they reached the Steppes was the silence broken by the Ghost announcing their arrival to Twilight. One Trasmat later and the three of them touched the ground.

The first thing Twilight noticed was the tundra like environment, second was the cold wind brushing against her exposed fur. She was thankful the armor was keeping her warm. The landscape was a mix of rusted buildings and local vegetation and Twilight was almost too caught up in her observations to notice Nox-23 handing her his Crusader I. Twilight looked at the weapon, then up at Nox-23 before taking the weapon in to her magic.

Nox-23’s Ghost disappeared from view just as the two begun to walk. "I detect Fallen In the valley not too far from here. let's start there." Both Twilight and Nox-23 nodded, taking up a slow jog to the location.

Getting close to the small valley between the Steppes and Mothyards, Nox-23 held out his hand in front of Twilight to stop her from walking past him. "We sneak up and see what they are doing, then we hit them. You ready?"

"Yes," Twilight replied with a serious tone. The scout rifle was raised, ready to fire.

Nox-23 crouched, slowly walking up to the edge of the cliff, peering over it he saw six Fallen making their way up the other side. He looked over to Twilight who was staring intently at them, her gun levitating next to her. "Twilight." The mare's ears twitched and rotated toward Nox-23 "maneuver you gun till you are looking down the scope." Twilight obeyed. The gun levitated in front of her. "See the red dot? that is where your bullet is going to end up. Aim for the head. Besides the Vex, our enemies fall easier if you shoot their helmets off." Nox-23 raised his Doctor Nope up till he too was looking down the scope. "I'm going for the leader."

"I'm aiming at the last one." Twilight replied coldly.

"Alright, fire at will and continue till there are none left."

Nox-23 got gunfire as a reply. The head of the Last Dreg walking up the cliff exploded. Firing his own gun, Nox-23 took out the leader. The surviving Dreg turned to the two Guardians and opened fire. Thanks to the distance between them, Nox-23 and Twilight were able to dodge the oncoming fire with ease and counter with their own firearms. Nox-23 dropped two with a headshot to one and a body shot to the other. Twilight killed the last two with head shots. When the Fallen collapsed, Glimmer and a green orb appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

"Looks like you can bypass recoil issues thanks to that levitation spell. Not bad." The Ghost said bringing a smile to Twilight's face. "For a beginner." The smile disappeared, replaced by a scowl directed in Nox-23’s general direction. This did not last long however as Twilight's curiosity about the strange orb became stronger then har desire to get back at the Ghost.

Twilight lifted a hoof and pointed at the object. "What is that?" She asked Nox-23."

"Let's head over there and I'll explain." Nox-23 walked a distance away from the cliff. Once he was far enough away he began running forward, jumping a he reached the cliff. Instead of falling straight down his body floated toward the other side of the valley. Twilight raised an eyebrow but it was quickly replaced with an amused expression. Her already glowing horn flashed brighter as she teleported to the other side. She waited for Nox-23 to reach her all the while wearing a grin on her face. Nox-23 landed short but nothing a power walk couldn't fix. As Nox-23 got close to the green orb it disappeared in a flash of light. Twilight's eyes widened. Her head darted from side to side in hope to find the orb. she even lifted up a foreleg and looked underneath herself. Finally, she returned her gaze back to Nox-23 who clearly seem to know what happened.

Nox-23 chuckled at the pony's reaction. "That, Twilight, was an Engram."

"En... engram?"

"Yes, it is a piece of gear that has been condensed into an orb for storage. Our enemies tend to scavenge from time to time, and when they do find something it becomes an orb before it is transported into what we consider to be a personal storage system that the enemy has on them. If your luckily enough, killing them sends a shock through that system causing Glimmer and orbs to... pop out. From there, a Ghost can teleport Orbs that the Guardian finds into their ship's storage. Then it is up to the Guardian to decide what to do with it.”

"Some orbs are encrypted to keep people from using it. In that case, we take it to the Tower to be decrypted." The Ghost added.

Twilight nodded along with the explanation. "I think I understand what you’re saying, but I’m curious on how it works." She rubbed her chin.

Nox-23 and his Ghost gave each other a sideward glance. 'I'll let Ghost tell you later. Right now, we head into the Mothyards."

Twilight stared at the Mothyards. Dozens of vehicles, that she later learned were called planes, littered the ground. Ruined machinery of an age long passed. It was sad to see so many just dumped here to rust away into nothingness. She shook her head knowing that she needed to focus. A pony could be killed if they aren't paying attention. What's more was Nox-23 was already walking on, though he seemed to be cautious about something. Twilight readied her scout rifle and trotted toward him.

Nox-23 stopped and stared down at what laid before him. The dead body of a Vandal, not too far away, more bodies of Fallen laid on the ground. The Exo barely noticed his Pony friend come up besides him. "What happened here?" Twilight spoke the words he was thinking. He squatted down and touched the body, It still had a bit of warmth to it.

"What ever happened wasn't too long ago. the body is still warm."

"I detect a lot of activity in the Skywatch." The Ghost piped in. "The big building with the large dish type thing on top." It explained to a confused alicorn.

Twilight looked at the building in the distance. "I'm guessing we are going there next?" Nox-23 nodded. "Alright, I'll teleport us there." Before Nox-23 could reply, he found himself at the entrance of the Skywatch building.

"Wow, it would have taken us a few minutes, even with a Sparrow, to get here. I must admit that your magic comes in handy; though I have to ask, how does it work?" The Ghost inquired, appearing next to Twilight.

Twilight smiled proudly, not only because of the praise but also because she was the one explaining something this time. "Once I see a place I can cast the spell that teleports me to the location, and as long as I remember what it looks like I can teleport to it if I'm within a certain range. I just recently was able to teleport long distances, but anything of a greater distance will be harder to do."

"uh, guys, I don't mean to be rude but we have some activity to investigate and I want to get there as soon as possible." Nox-23 stood near the entrance with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

Twilight blushed in embarrassment and the Ghost disappeared from view. "r-right, sorry." Twilight cantered up to Nox-23 before the two of them headed in. Running through the building, the two of them came across nothing but dead Fallen. Dregs, Shanks, Vandals and even a few captains. There were more than Nox-23 thought there should be in such a place. Closing in on the exit, gunfire could be heard; which only spurred them to run faster. They reached the exit and looked out into the open, just to see a dreg running at them. Even before they could raise their weapons, a single gunshot was heard and the Fallen fell to the ground, dead.

Nox-23 and Twilight slowly raised their heads till they spotted a the shooter on top of a shed. For the looks of the armor it was a female Hunter. She held a sniper rifle up to her helmet. upon seeing the two Guardians, she lowered her gun, staring at them as she cocked her head to the side. Twilight did the same. The Hunter's head straighten up, she propped her sniper rifle up against her leg. Both of her hands raised up onto her helmet, taking it off and revealing a human woman with shoulder length red hair.

"You look cuter than what they described."

Twilight blinked, then blinked again. "Wha?" was all she could say. Nox-23 looked down at the surprised mare, but said nothing, mostly because he wanted to see where this went.

The woman laughed jumping off the shed and walking up to the little pony. Twilight raised a leg, unsure of what to do. The woman crouched down in front of her and held out a hand. "I'm Roxanne, but you can call me Roxy for short."

Twilight looked down at the hand, then back up to Roxy's face. Hesitating just a bit, she extended her hoof and shook with Roxy's hand.

The woman stood up and turned her gaze to Nox-23 for a few seconds before looking back at Twilight. "So, big tall and metal here is your guide?"

"Name's Nox-23." The Exo held out his own hand. Roxy took it in a second.

"Pleasure to meet you. I hope you’re keeping our little visitor safe?"

Nox-23 nodded and was about to verbally comment, but was stopped by a voice from beyond. "Roxy? where are you?"

The woman in question looked back. "Be there in a sec!" she called back. "come on, you two," she motioned with her head. "Might as well see the aftermath." She jogged off, leaving the two partners a bit confused, but willing to follow.

They reached a large clearing, or what could be considered one even though the ground itself was littered with stuff. Glimmer, blue and green engrams, as well as bodies of both Fallen and Hive. Several Guardians were massing around, gathering whatever they wanted. Roxy had blinked ahead to the others. Oddly there were two Guardians standing separate from the others, not participating in the looting of goods.

"What happened here." Both Nox-23 and Twilight asked at the same time.

The two Guardians turned to face Nox-23 and Twilight. They were both male. one was a Exo and the other, a human. Nox-23 recognized the armor the Exo was wearing as titan armor. Lillyrian type 3 gauntlets, Firebreaker type 2 chest piece. Lillyrian type 1 boots and a Lillyrian type 0 helmet and a Mark of Command waistband. The Exo had white eyes and a red mouth and rectangular ear plates stuck out of his head. The human was a Warlock, notably wearing a Burgundy trench coat and a dark blue armband with what looked like a dragon on it. The man had dark brown hair, brown eyes, and a pale complexion; almost like an Awoken.

"A battle between Hive and Fallen. We came to kill the survivors and reap the benefits,” The Exo answered sternly.

"Ya, we Guardians can't resist good booty." The human added in smiling kindly at Twilight.

Nodding in understanding, Nox-23 took a quick glance at the other Guardians, who were finishing up. "You guys already finished looting?" The Exo gave a single nod and the human... was preoccupied shaking Twilight's hoof.

"My name is Ohmei and this here is Chrysto-12, I’m guessing you are Twilight Sparkle?"

Twilight nodded. "yes I am, nice to meet you." She smiled back. Twilight raised a hoof to present her Exo companion. "This is my friend Nox-23. He is the one helping me learn how to become a Guardian."

Nox-23 gave the two humanoid Guardians a quick salute. Chrysto-12 held out his hand Nox-23 did the same and the two men shook hands. Nox-23 repeated the Process with Ohmei. Suddenly, Nox-23 came up with an idea. "Hey, what would the two-"

"FUCK YOU! I have had enough of your shit!" a male voice yelled. All four of them turned to see a black colored Exo hunter walk away from the group. The Exo had red eyes and mouth and devil like horns on his head. The Exo Hunter passed them barely giving them a glace.

Roxy started to run after him but stopped. "Winter, where are you going?"

"To take a walk, what else does it look like," Winter yelled without looking back.

Roxy sighed before noticing the four Guardians watching the whole thing. Turning her frown upside down she moved to them. "I see you two have met the quiet ones."

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Quiet ones? Chrysto-12, maybe, but Ohmei has been talking to me just fine." She turned to see Ohmei shy away with a slight blush of embarrassment.

Roxy gave the warlock a mischievous grin. "So, what do you plan to do now?"

"Actually, I was going to ask if these two men would like to join Twilight and me for some patrolling around the Cosmodrome." Chrysto-12 raised his head in interest while Ohmei seemed surprised by the idea. Twilight just smiled, happy at the prospect of meeting more people.

Roxy's smile faltered. "Damn, I was hoping you guys were heading back to the tower. I need to head back to see my clan leader. Oh well, I guess I'll see you later then." Roxy's smile returned in full force. She called out for her Ghost to 'bring the ship around,' and when it arrived she waved goodbye more so to Twilight in particular then anyone else.

The three humanoid figures and one pony watched the ship fly off into the distance. "OK, that was odd-and probably a waste of time-but I digress," Nox-23's Ghost commented. "Ok, we Ghosts will link up a fire team communication." Just as he said it two More Ghost appeared.

It took the Ghosts only a few seconds to work their magic. Before they disappeared the two new Ghosts took a gander at Twilight before turning to each other. "I'll stay with her," Nox-23's Ghost stated. Satisfied with whatever matter Ghost was referring to, the Ghosts of Chrysto-12 and Ohmei disappeared from sight. Nox-23's Ghost floated down till it was hovering just above Twilight's left shoulder. It's actions left the four larger figures in a bit of confusion.

"What was that about?" Ohmei was the first to vocalize his lack of understanding.

The Ghost was happy to resolve that. "Since Twilight here doesn't have a Ghost or a helmet's common link, I will act has her means for long distance communications." The Ghost paused." If that is alright with you, Nox?"

The Exo nodded. "Yes; in fact, why don't you bring out the Ice Breaker for Twilight." In silent agreement the Ghost materialized the weapon in front of the pony, who grabbed it in her magic instantly.

Twilight examined it for a moment before coming to a conclusion to what type it was. "This is a sniper rifle... you want me to learn how to snipe?"

"A skilled Guardian learns to be proficient with every weapon, even if they prefer to use certain types over The others." The previously silent Chrysto-12 commented.

Twilight had to agree with him there. She didn't get to where she was now with just one or two spells that she used frequently, it was no different here. There was another completely unrelated problem however. "Um, what do I do with this." She waved the scout rifle around.

"Oh" was all that was said by Nox-23. His Ghost on the other hand knew what to do. The gun disappeared, returning to storage. "Twilight, there is one bit of information I forgot to mention." Twilight looked up to Nox-23 in curiosity, ready to receive said information. "Your armor has a built in System that magnetizes your weapons to it."

Quickly but quietly, Twilight lifted the weapon up and over, placing it on her back in between her wings. Once her magic grip on it was released the sniper rifle stayed where it was. "... You know, I was wondering how your shotgun was hanging off your back, I just forgot to ask with everything that has happened."

A moment of silence passed over them "And now for our next trick..." Ohmei said breaking the silence and the odd mood that had befallen them.

"Where to next?" Chrysto-12 asked.

"How about the mothyards. It’s clear of enemies so it wouldn't be a bad place to set up targets for Twilight to shoot," Ohmei suggested with a shrug.

Chrysto-12 and Nox-23 nodded. "I was teaching her with live targets, but I don't see a problem with that. Sniping is a bit different, so it would be a good idea to practice with it first. What do you say, Twilight?"

The three Guardians found the once happy mare to have taken a sulking expression. The three of them looked down at her, obfuscated. Ohmei, being the only one with eyebrows, lifted one at her action.

Taking the incentive, he squatted down to her height and put a hand on her shoulder. "What's the matter?" The mares eyes began to water. There weren't tears of sadness, but tears of joy.

"Thank you. Thank you for helping me. It's nice to meet people like you who are willing to help out of the blue."

At that moment Ohmei did something that no one else had done since her arrival on the planet. He gave her a hug.

"Hey, we Guardians need to stick together." He pointed a finger back to Chrysto-12. "Chrysto here saved my life when I was being revived by my Ghost. Thanks to him, only my right leg suffered any lasting damage." Ohmei's words surprised Twilight. Both mare and Exo looked down at the man's legs. Standing back up, the two of them finally notice something was off. His right leg was shorter the his left. While it wasn't a crippling deformation, but Ohmei would no doubt walk with a limp.

Ohmei got to his feet and patted his right leg. "Don't worry, 'sir limps-a-lot' won't hold you back."

Nox-23 was skeptical, but thinking further into it Ohmei wouldn't have been able survive as a Guardian if his deformity affected his ability to move. His thoughts on the matter were dropped when the voice of one of the Ghost spoke up. "I don't want to be rude or anything, but I think we have been here long enough. If we are going to the Mothyards, then we should go now."

The Exo, human, and pony focused their attention on Nox-23; he was the fireteam leader, after all. "Let's go." Nox-23 about-faced and began to walk to the direction in which he came. his three team members following right behind him.

Traversing the complex took only a few minutes. They even became relaxed enough to have some small talk between each other though Chrysto-12 spoke the least out of the four with simple sentences at most and one or two word response at least. Finally they reached the exit, still chatting along the way.

Out of the building and into the great outdoors Twilight absentmindedly took a glance into the sky. She was about to turn back to the conversation she was having when she noticed something in the distance that didn't fit in with the rest of the world. She stopped walking, focusing on what she was looking at. Nox-23 and the others noticed that she had stopped and followed her gaze to what she was watching. The object, still coming closer, became more familiar. Eventually a sound emitting from the object was heard, a sound that made Twilight's skin crawl and eyes shrink. It was the sound of the drop ship that attacked Equestria.

"Skiff incoming. I detect Excavation equipment on board." Twilight hardly notice the Ghost speaking. The memories of that day were coming back to her. The screaming, the violence... the death. No! Twilight shook her head violently. She shouldn't be scared anymore and she wasn't alone. She returned to her senses just in time to hear Nox-23 call to her.

"Twilight, stay here and cover us with the Ice Breaker." Nox-23 then took off down a pathway to the side catching up to Chrysto-12 and Ohmei, who had gone ahead.

Twilight levitated the Sniper Rifle off her back and held it in front of her. "How does this one work?"

“Aim with it like you did with the Scout Rifle, it has only six shots but it's ammo supply recharges on it's own so no need to reload. You can see how many shots you have by look at the bar below the scope." The Ghost spoke rapidly. Twilight lifted the scope to her eye. she jerked back immediately and blinked. "Powerful scope, isn't it?" Twilight just nodded in reply.

Through the scope Twilight could see Nox-23, Chrysto-12 and Ohmei taking cover behind a rusted crate, readying themselves. The skiff slowed down in a clearing a distance away from the three humanoid Guardians. As it hovered over the ground, four fin-like objects appeared on the ground. A fifth object appeared in the air, a beam of light shined from it. A moment later, several Dreg and one orb like thing descended to the ground. "Servitor" Twilight heard the Ghost call it.

The Fallen spread out around the excavation site, ready to defend it. They, however, weren't ready enough to deal with a sniper. Twilight picked one of the Dregs and fired. The force of the bullet exploded the head and threw the body backwards. The other Fallen looked toward the direction that Twilight was in. One of them stupidly fired it's weapon, even though the shot had no chance of reaching her before it fizzed out.

"COME ON YOU FUCKERS, SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE FRIEND AND KISS YOUR ASSES GOODBYE!" Twilight’s head jerked back at the voice of Ohmei yelling so loud that she could hear him clearly from where she was. She was more surprised by the colorful words he used. She may have lived in a peaceful world, but even she wasn't naïve enough not to know a curse word when she heard one. She returned to the scope to see Ohmei welding a machine gun, mowing down the enemy. Nox-23 with his Doctor Nope and Chrysto-12 with a Galahad B had teamed up to take down the Servitor. They had split, running in different directions. One of them would shoot the Metal orb till it turned to fire an explosive energy blast at them. The shooter would run and the other one would start firing. Soon the Servitor was showing cracks in the metal surface. Even with the three of them handling the enemy forces on their own, Twilight couldn't slouch now. She lined up the crosshairs with the Servitors eye and fired. An exploding Servitor was the result.

Twilight lowered the Ice Breaker. There were no more Fallen, and by the looks of it the excavation equipment was self-destructing for some reason, but it was a good thing nonetheless. There was something off, however. The three Guardians were looking up at up to her location. Confused, Twilight peered through the Scope of her weapon to get a better look at their faces. They were looking in her direction, that much was true, but based on the angle of their heads and eyes they were looking farther up, above the Building. Twilight turned away from her sniper rifle hoping that the Ghost could relay her question of what they were looking at. There was no need to. A loud humming sound reached her ears making them twitch from the vibration the sound was giving off. There was no doubt about it, It was another Skiff. That’s when Twilight realized that the humming was being doubled. There were two Skiffs passing over the Building.

"Two Skiffs at once? That hasn't happened before." Just as the Ghost said it, the Two Skiffs came into view for Twilight. She looked down to see her fireteam running into the planes for cover. The Two Skiffs passed over them, ignoring them completely. One of the Skiffs stopped just passed one of the ruined airplane. The other Skiff continued on for several yards before it too stopped. Unfortunately for Twilight, the crew and equipment they were dropping was done behind the cover of the large rusted machinery.

"Twilight, Nox-23 needs us to move up on top of the airplane where the Fallen landed by."

"Right." Twilight immediately used teleport spell to bring both her and the Ghost to the requested location. Chrysto-12 and Ohmei were already there firing upon the Fallen crew While Nox-23 was making a run for the one further away. Without need for instruction Twilight sprawled out on the metal surface.

"You missed, you stupid bastard." Ohmei yelled, jumping away from a Dreg trying to shank him. The moment his feet touched the ground he was in the air again, but this time his body glowed with a purple light. He swept his hand in front of him, producing a dark purple orb that flew to the enemy. On contact, it exploded, killing the Fallen. The purple light expanded and stayed. What ever it was, none of the remaining Fallen wanted to go near it. Two Vandals with swords even stopped short and backed away from it. Their lives were still forfeited by Twilight's sniper, though. Chrysto-12 was doing well on his own. mowing down Vandals, Shanks and Dreg with ease with his Tamerlane B. The Fallen were nearly wiped out. But something strange caught Twilight's eye. There appeared to be several distortions of space on ground level, and they were moving to her teammates.

"Look out!" Twilight yelled, firing at the distortion closest to her new friends. The bullet hit something solid. A second later, a dead blade-wielding Vandal fell to the ground. Twilight did not hesitate to shift her gun and fire again at another distortion, giving her a the same result. Now, with hidden enemies appearing before them, the two Guardians on the ground became even more aware of their surroundings. Chrysto-12 spotted another invisible enemy coming toward him. Firing at it with his machine gun. The Fallen twirled out of the away with only a few grazes. Those few grazes, however, were just enough to drop its invisibility, giving Twilight the chance to get a head shot. She took it.

The final Fallen collapsed on the ground. Twilight watched as the equipment self-destructed once again. She let out a sigh. It wasn't until now that she had realized that the excitement of the day had tired her out. "Nox-23 needs help." Chrysto-12 called out. Twilight Froze for a second before she shot her gaze to where Nox-23 was. Cheysto-12 was right; Nox-23 needed help, and a lot of it.

Twilight could see three shielded Captains and several Vandals going after Nox-23. He had just fired at one of the Captains with his shotgun, taking down it's shield. Instead of firing again, he backpedaled away, trying to reload his gun at the same time. Twilight looked at her gun. it had only recharged one bullet. "Ghost, I need another gun…. An... auto rifle."

Seeing the number of bullet in the Ice Breaker, the Ghost complied. It took the sniper away and gave her the Shadow Price. The moment it was in her magic, Twilight teleported closer to the battle zone. Immediately, she began firing at the enemy. She was able to take down a sword-wielding Vandal before she caught the attention of the other Fallen.

Now with Comedian fully reloaded, Nox-23 killed the unshielded captain. Nox-23 pumped the shotgun and fired again taking out another shield. Twilight saw her chance and fired on it. Gaining a quick moment she took a glance at Nox-23. He seem alright though he was favoring his left leg a bit.

A bullet flying above her head and killing a Vandal brought her back to her task. "Gotcha Bitch!" Ohmei yelled from behind her before several more shot where heard. She ran forward, firing along the way. With a click, the Shadow Price stopped firing. the magazine was empty. One of the blade-wielding Vandals saw this and decided to take the advantage by running up to her. instead of reloading, like the Ghost was telling her to do, she waited till it was almost on top of her. It jumped, swinging it's sword down at her. The blade never reached her. The vandal was caught in her levitation. A second later she sent it flying backwards. causing it to crash into another Fallen. She finished up by firing a magic bolt at the recovering enemies. The bolt hit the Vandal in the chest and exploded outward, taking the two Fallen down.

The Ghost looked at the explosion, then at Twilight. "How did you do that."

Twilight levitated a new magazine into it's slot, hesitating slightly at the Ghost's question. "Well I change the spell a bit so when the bolt hit a surface the energy would explode outward. I.. uh, got the inspiration from when you were talking about grenades and stuff. I got it right... rig- Nox, behind you!"

While the four of them had been focused on the large group of Fallen, none of them had noticed the last of the Captains sneak in behind Nox-23. It had gotten close enough for it's gun to deal a fatal blow to the Exo. Nox-23 jumped in the air, activating his glide. The Captain fired it's weapon at the escaping Guardian. most of the bullets missed, but one got Nox-23 in the right side of his torso. He let out a yelp of pain as he descended.

Twilight fired her rifle; Chrysto-12, who had been running, stopped next to Twilight and started firing his Galahad, and Ohmei, his sniper. The captain gracefully dodged out of the way and behind one of the fin objects. Nox-23 continued to retreat, albeit slower than before. Twilight readied a teleport spell to take her behind the Fallen, but a sudden roaring stopped her. Out of the blue a figure riding what she had been described to her as a Sparrow flew passed Nox-23 and toward the Captain. It leaped off the Sparrow and started glowing a light blue. Two blades formed in it's hands as it darted forward. The Captain fired at it but miss every shot. The figure reached the Fallen, slashing at it with a blade destroying the shield. The figure twirled in the air kicking the Fallen in the chest, staggering it. There was a second twirl but instead of kicking it again the figure stabbed it through the head.

The figure held the blade inside of the dead Fallen's head for few seconds before removing it. The blue aura disappeared as well as the blades in it's hands. The body of the Captain fell to the ground with a thump, a blue engram popped out from it.

Now that it had stopped moving, Twilight and the others were able to get a good look at it. Twilight gasped as she recognized it wearing Hunter armor, it was a Guardian. Her interests however shifted to Nox-23. She ran toward him as he walked slowly to the newcomer. "Nox! Nox! your hurt!" Nox-23 turned to face Twilight. "We need to get you to a hospital or something." She spoke frantically.

"Whoa, whoa; Twilight, it's ok. I'm okay. My body will fix itself in a short time. All Guardians are able to heal at a fast rate, thanks to the Ghost's. When a Guardian his hurt, they remotely activate a system that injects a substance that helps heal wounds faster. It isn't perfect, however. To many wounds, or a fatal hit, and it won't work."

"It is as he says." The newcomer said without looking at them, finding the blue engram more interesting. By the voice and build of the Guardian it was a male.

Twilight eyed Nox-23 warily, afraid that he would collapse at any second. Her right ear rotated back at the sound of footsteps behind her. Seeing Nox-23’s lack of reaction she could only assume it was Ohmei and Chrysto-12. "Thank you for the help, Winter." Twilight blinked. Not only was it Chrysto-12 who spoke, but that name belonged to the disgruntled Exo from before.

Winter watched the engram disappear, teleported by his Ghost before commenting. "I saw trouble, decided to help."

"And I'm glad you did. My name is Nox-23 and this here is Twilight."

"Hello." Twilight added with a hoof wave.

Winter nodded in return. "Service Tag B449 Winter." Winter's Ghost appeared by his right shoulder. "If there is nothing else I am leaving." He was met with silence, and though Twilight was at the edge of saying something, words never left her mouth. In a flash he transmated as a ship passed overhead. The four team members watched the ship fly off to the distance.

Nox-23 was the first to break out of the stupor. He looked down at Twilight. Somewhere deep in his mind he found it amusing to see her so intrigued. Watching her, he could see a small line of sweat around her neck. Her ears weren't as perky as they were earlier and her tail was drooping more than It should. The sun was now setting as well. Despite the near miss, the day had been productive; and while he, and probably the other Guardians, could continue all into the night, he doubted they would. “Alright guys, I think I'm calling it quits for now, how about you two?"

Twilight raised a brow at him but didn't argue. Chrysto-12 and Ohmei looked at each other, then to Nox-23 and Twilight.

"I'm going back as well." Chrysto-12 answered.

Ohmei broke eye contact with Nox-23, looked down at the ground instead. "I...uh... I'm going to stay for a bit longer and, you know... patrol a bit more." Ohmei seemed a bit nervous. He was hiding something; but what, Nox-23 did not know.

"Well, thanks for everything; I'm sure Twilight enjoyed having you with us as well," Nox-23’s Ghost piped up, reminding them that it and Twilight were still there.

Twilight nodded her head in agreement. "Yes, thank you again, and I hope I can see the two of you again soon." She tapped a hoof on her muzzle, looking up at Ohmei. "though I want to ask... Why were you cursing so much?"

Ohmei's pale cheeks reddened. "I... I'm sorry." His whole body slumped. "It’s just a habit of mine whenever I'm fighting or angry..."

Ohmei felt a hoof on his leg. Raising his head slightly, he could see Twilight patting his leg and smiling up at him. "It's okay everyone has their quirks. If you were to talk to my friend back home they would tell you that I tend to zone out when I'm reading. Kind of hard for them to get my attention sometimes." She laughed bashfully, getting Ohmei to smile a little.

"Twilight, it's time to go." Nox-23 called out. Twilight stepped away from Ohmei and trotted over to her partner. Nox-23 looked back at the other two. "If you ever need some help, just give me a call."

"Same to you," Chrysto-12 replied with Ohmei nodding in agreement.

Nox-23 looked to his Ghost, ready to give the command to go to orbit. "Already on it," The Ghost spoke before he did. The Exo and Pony gave one last wave to their new friends before the world around them changed from grass, snow and ruins to metal, lights and space.

Twilight laid down on the floor. "Today was interesting... tiring, but interesting."

Nox-23 let a laugh escape his mouth. "That’s good to hear. You did very good today. You will be a full-fledged Guardian in no time." Busy piloting the ship, Nox-23 didn't see the blush that invaded Twilight's face. "Ghost got us an apartment to live in so you have a nice place to sleep. We need to go to the tower first, since that is where we need to land the ship."

"An apartment... uh, thanks, Ghost; I don't know what to say."

"You could say I'm the most bestest Ghost in the world and you'll never want to be without me." It only got an eye roll as a response. "No? Well, it was with a try."

An hour later Nox-23, his Ghost and Twilight transmatted into Tower Watch. It was relatively empty for being early in the night. Twilight was looking around in confusion. "Hey Nox, why did we come out here and not the hanger like before?"

"Actually, this is where we usually transmit to. We just decided to bring you to the hanger the first time since we didn't know how everyone would react to you, or how you would react being dropped off right in front of everyone," The Ghost answered instead.

The Alicorn blinked a few times. "Oh... tha-"

"He's in the bar right now?" A man yelled, interrupting whatever Twilight was about to say. The three of them looked over to where the voice came from. Walking out of the Hall of Guardians were two figures; one was an Awoken male with blue skin and raven black hair, the other was a male human with brown hair and eyes, and a scar across his cheek.

"Yeah, the makeshift one near the hanger. He’s entertaining a bunch of fans." the human replied.

The Awoken bit his lip. "Damn, I need to make sure my girlfriend doesn't know that the Duelist is back." The Awoken sprinted away from his friend before anything else was said. The human shook his head in bemusement with how his friend reacted. A moment later he want rushing off as well to catch up with the Awoken.

Twilight couldn't help tilting her head in confusion, like she had been doing since she got to Earth. She turned to Nox-23 and his Ghost for answers. She stopped before she even opened her mouth. An Exo may not be able to make many facial expressions due to the whole “not having muscle and skin” thing, but every once in a while, if one was able to look at an Exo in just the right way, they would be able to see it; an expression that spoke of the Exo's feelings. For Twilight, it was a gleam in Nox-23 eye. A gleam she had not seen before. She stiffened a little as he turned to face her, his eyes wandering down to hers.

"Hey Twilight?"

"Yeah?"

"Want to meet a legend?"

Twilight Sparkle hung close to Nox-23 as they walked through the hanger. She had said yes, seeing how much Nox-23 wanted to show her this person. she didn't know what to expect, Nox-23 told her nothing more than to 'wait and see' and the Ghost gave nothing away. Quietly, they walked down the stairs that Twilight had spotted when she first entered the Tower. At the bottom was a man working on a Frame behind a table. He gave them a glance but returned to his work without a single word. Twilight drew her eyes from the man towards Nox-23. The Exo kept walking, eyes forward, looking past a short hallway to the light. Voices could be heard as well.

The two of them walked down the hallway, the voices getting clearer with each step. Eventually they reached the so called bar. To the right were two couches parallel to each other, set up by a heater. Toward the back of the room was a stand where an Exo female was giving a bottle of something to a customer. To the left were two couches and one chair with a table in the middle. Just pass it was a large map on the wall. Twilight was barely able to make out what was on the paper, thanks to a large group of people surrounding the left side. Some were sitting, a lot were standing, and there were even two girls sitting on the armrests of the chair. They all were focused on someone sitting in the chair talking to all of them.

"... and there he was, hands on the turret's controls, moving back and forth, trying to spot me, while I just danced behind him. Heck, I even did the worm which, if you didn't know does make a bit of sound when you do it on concrete. He didn't even look back! After I broke out a few more dance moves I shot him in the back and won the match." The voice from the chair spoke, retelling an event from his past. The crowd loved it, resulting in giggles, grins and snickers.

"Wow, you were so skilled," one of the girls on the armrest said, giving the person in the seat dreamy eyes.

"People keep telling me that, but right now there are two that I want to say hello to." The girl on the armrest closets to Twilight and Nox-23 leaned back. A hooded and armored head popped into view. "Hello, Nox-23 and Ms. Sparkle. why don't you join me?" The head once again retreated back to the chair. "If you guys don't mind, I would like to talk to my old friend and his partner alone."

Moans spread across the crowd, but the people dispersed. Nox-23 and Twilight stepped aside to let them pass. A few wandering eyes made their way to Twilight, but the movement of the whole group kept them from staring too long. The last to leave were the armrest girls, each bending over to give nox-23’s 'legend' a kiss and a hug. When they too had left, the sitting figure waved his hand for Nox-23 and Twilight to take a seat. The two of them did so, with both of them sitting on the couch to the left of the figure. Nox-23 sat at the end of the couch close to the figure while Twilight laid down next to him.

Now with a clear sight of him, Nox-23 took a good look at the male Hunter in the chair. The armor he wore was the familiar Dustwalker set that Nox-23 had seen him in when they first met, with the exception of the Hunter version of the Crest of Alpha Lupi; all of it in the colors of the Superblack shader. Though Nox and Twilight couldn’t see it from their sitting position next to the hunter, Nox knew that he wore the Strength of the Pack cloak, though the white fabric was traded for a more stealthy black, which also blended with the rest of his armor.

"I know a lot of people who really like my looks, but I didn't take you to be one of them," the Hunter spoke with mirth.

Nox-23 realized he had been staring. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Twilight giving him a questionable look. he shook his head. "No, I just haven't seen you in a while, is all."

The Hunter chuckled. "Sure, that’s what it is. People want me, Nox-23. You don't need to hide your feelings."

"Um, excuse me." The humanoids stopped to look at Twilight. "I don't mean to be rude or anything, but who are you? Nox-23 hasn't told me anything."

The Hunter looked back at Nox-23. "Nox," he faked a whine, "that isn't nice." No-23 rolled his eyes. "Ms. Sparkle, I am Jeremy, also known as the Duelist to some. Thanks to my skills and my incredibly good looks, I was noticed by the Vanguard, joining the ranks of legends like the Titan twins, Leroy and Jenkins, or the Warlock warrior, Desmond. Me and Nox-23 met in the Crucible." The complete confusion on Twilight's face caused Jeremy to continue with his explanation; or, rather, his Ghost.

"The Crucible is where Guardian's go to test their merit against each other in a controlled environment, and the reason he brings it up is because Jeremy loves to brag." The hunter scoffed at this.

Twilight was half listening to the newly appeared Ghost. From what Twilight saw of the Ghosts, they were mostly the same in looks and voice, but this one was different. This Ghost spoke with a female voice. "You're a female?"

A moment of silence passed over the group. It was quickly broken by Jeremy laughing and Nox-23 chuckling loudly. "Brilliant deduction, Watson." Jeremy got in between his laughter.

Jeremy's Ghost shook her body in disbelief. "Ignore them, they're boys," the Female Ghost said to the semi-confused Alicorn. "And yes, I am Female. Just because we Ghosts all have the same functions does not mean we, ourselves, are all the same. Some identify as female, others male, and there are those who do not identify as either, no matter what they sound like. Jeremy and I have come across Ghost who have taken names as well."

"Oh, ok.. I'm sorry, I just... you’re the first female Ghost I have seen." Twilight rubbed the back of her head.

"You're not the first to react the same way. Nox-23 was like that, too," Nox-23’s Ghost finally spoke up. It then floated up to Jeremy's Ghost. "It is nice to see you again. Keeping Jeremy safe must be a full-time job."

"Don't you know it?"

"Sure do."

The laughter of the two humanoid Guardians quieted down. "Hey, we aren't that bad," Jeremy complained jokingly.

His Ghost just stared at him. "I think we have gotten too far off topic. Jeremy and Nox-23 were on opposing teams.”

"We lost, of course. But after the match, Jeremy came over and told Nox-23 that he had some decent skills; from there Jeremy gave Nox-23 some tips, as well as joining his fireteam for some joint missions.

Twilight didn't like the idea of Guardians fighting each other, though she was somewhat curious as to how they did so without causing serious injury. "Isn't that dangerous?"

"You may think so, but it is actually quite safe...relatively speaking." Nox-23's Ghost took up the role of teacher once again. "Areas designated to Crucible battles have modifiers place upon them. Crucible modifiers effect weapons and abilities of our Guardians, it keeps teammates from hurting each other an as well as keeping rival Guardians from truly killing each other, though the pain is still there so it is as they say 'No pain no game'. What's more is that participating Guardians sort of have a damage limit place on them. If a Guardian is hit too many times in a certain amount of time they are 'killed,' and, depending on the type of match, they are transported to another location to start again."

Even with the Ghost explaining how safe it was, Twilight was still not into the whole idea. She understood that different cultures have different rights and rituals, but was this unnecessary. Jeremy noticed her turmoil and decided to change the topic altogether. "So, Ms. Twilight, I was wondering; how's life on your home world?

The Question generally surprised her, almost enough to make her sit up. "you are really interested in my world?" The Hunter nodded. “Where should I start?" she asked herself more than anyone else.

"Well, why don't you tell me about your life. I'm sure that would be better than starting at something random."

Twilight nodded in understanding. "Okay... well I guess I should start at my foalhood. When I was a young filly in Canterlot, I..."

Many hours passed by as Twilight told the Guardians about her life. She told them as much as she could; the Good, the Bad, and the Pinkie Pie. Both Jeremy and Nox-23 were drawn in by her and her friends adventures. They were somewhat surprised how most of the more important events ended with somepony learning an important lesson. Eventually, the tales of her past ended, leading to the present.

"...So your telling me that while this Princess Celestia and Princess Luna have longevity that gives them thousands of years of life, You and your sister-in-law, who are also Alicorns, do not?" Jeremy asked.

Twilight nodded. "Yes, I actually ended up not sleeping the night I became an Alicorn since I was afraid I was going to outlive so many other ponies. Lucky Celestia noticed my worried state and calmed me down. She and Luna were born Alicorns, so they had a long life span from the start, but since Cadance and I were born as one of the other three races we don't have that longevity. Becoming an Alicorn will gives us a few more years, but not enough to outlive our friends and family by centuries. Celestia also told me that there is a spell that could increase the longevity of non-born Alicorns, but it is up to me and Cadance if we wanted to cast it."

"Have you thought of casting it?" This time Nox-23 asked.

The Alicorn mare shook her head. "I don't think I want to live that long. I... I just... unless I need to, I’d rather not."

Sometimes biological creatures were confusing. Most of them want to live for as long as possible, taking any opportunity to do so; while there were those who had said opportunity but do not want to take it. For Exo's like him, things were different. He would live until he was destroyed, that was all there was to it.

”Nox?" Nox-23 snapped out of his thoughts to find himself being stared at. The empty feeling next to him told him Twilight was no longer there.

"Where's-"

"Told her to get herself a few drinks and to let me talk to you alone for a bit," Jeremy interrupted.

Looking past the Hunter, Nox-23 could see Twilight receiving a glass of something from the bartender. "You got her to try alcohol?"

Jeremy tilted his head. "Yea, she must have been thirsty from all that talking, so I suggest it. She took to the idea, and I her to have the bartender put it on my bill, so no problems there... Unless there is something missing and I just did something I will regret."

"No, you didn't. From the information I gathered, Equestria does have alcohol, but it isn't as big as it is here, they’re are more into salt drinks, which tend to lead to the same result," Nox-23’s Ghost answered.

Jeremy nodded his head in understanding before focusing on Nox-23. "You wouldn't have to ask if you had been paying attention... is something up?"

Nox-23 shook his head. "No, just thinking. Anyway, you wanted to talk to me."

Jeremy shrugged, "Just wanted to know how you were doing, especially when you’re acting guard for our little Princess over there." The two of them took a quick peek to find Twilight levitating a glass cup over to the other set of couches were a human male with light skin, buzzed black hair and gray eyes sat.

"So far so good," Nox-23 said bring the conversation back to them.

"At least for now. It's going to be a headache eventually," his Ghost added in.

The two Guardians and female Ghost looked at it somewhat obfuscated as to what it was referring too. Jeremy's Ghost nominated herself to ask the obvious question. "What do you mean?"

The Ghost sighed. "First, let me say that I am glad to have Twilight with us. Another Guardian is one more person to fight the darkness; but, with that said, there is one small problem with having her with us. Sooner or later we will run out of storage space on the ship. Same thing with Glimmer. Technically, she can just us our guns, but that is also a problem if Nox-23 needs a weapon that she took or vice versa. It would be much better if she got a ship of her own. Then she could store weapons she needs on it. It would increase the diversity in weapons and weapon abilities. It also wouldn't hurt for her to learn how to pilot a ship."

"That would make it easier. I guess we are going to buy that new ship." Nox-23 leaned back on the couch putting his arms on the armrest and back.

any plans Nox-23 was forming in his head ended when he heard the Hunter chuckle. "I think I can help you out with that."

Nox-23 raised his hand to stop Jeremy from going on. "No, it's alright. I have enough glim-"

"I wasn't talking about money. I was talking about actually getting a ship."

Nox-23 took his arms off the couch, placing one on his chin. "go on."

"I was informed by a friend that one of his partners found a location that is suppose to contain blueprints for jumpships. And, as we all know, ships from blueprints are free. So how about I set you up with this partner of theirs and you go retrieve those prints. I doubt they would mind you taking one or two for yourself."

"That would save us money."

Nox-23 fully agreed with his Ghost. It would be easier to buy a ship; but compared to the adventure and training for Twilight, and the number of ship blueprints that could be added to the Guardian's arsenal... well, it sounded a heck of a lot better. "Alright, send me the info tomorrow. Right now I want to relax.” Jeremy nodded in agreement. After a few minutes of silence and watching, Twilight grab another glass and Nox-23 remembered something he wanted to ask. "You know, I am surprised you Gave Twilight your real name right off the bat. You didn't tell me ‘till the third time we met up."

Jeremy couldn't help laughing a bit. "Yeah, it was fun having you call me Tim Box, but to answer your question, I look at her and just feel like I can trust her, and from her past tales I think I made the right choice."

"You also haven't hit on her yet, which is a first."

Jeremy raised his hand in the air, looking like he was offended. "What? Me? What makes you think I would hit on a girl? I'm just a humble Guardian." His Ghost rolled her eye and Nox-32 gave him a blank stare. "Okay, okay. But seriously, I don't go chasing every skirt I see; and to do so to Twilight not even a day after she got here isn't exactly a good way to show her the good of Humanity."

"You’re going to eventually, though, aren't you?" Nox-23 folded his arms over his chest.

"I'll never tell," Jeremy answered mischievously.

The two of them continued to talk for a while longer, trading stories and jokes. Eventually it was time for Nox-23 and Twilight to leave. The two Guardians rose from there seats and shook hands. "It was good to see you again, Nox-23."

"Likewise... Twilight, it's time to go." Two purple furry ears peeked up from a couch. A second later a purple head with a white mane breached the top of the couch as well. The head turned around spotting Nox-23 as the exo waved his hand toward himself, telling her to come. Slowly, the head disappeared from the top of the couch only to reappear at the side of it with a body attached. She took a quick look behind her to the man she had been sitting across from and waved her hoof. The man didn't speak, but the Ghost floating by his shoulder did, though it's voice was too low for either Jeremy or Nox-23 to hear.

Twilight made her way over them. Her body swayed a little, but she was able to keep on her hooves without any problems. Getting close to them, she raised her head up to Nox-23. Her eyes were glossy but the intelligence behind them was still there.

“How much did you drink?" Jeremy inquired.

"About nine glasses... why?"

Jeremy visibly jerked back from her answer. "Nine? Nine full glasses. That’s a bit much, isn't it."

Twilight smiled and shook her head. "No, not your alcohol. I can't be completely sure without testing, but I believe that the amount of alcohol you put into your drinks is less than we put into ours. If Applejack or Rainbow were here, they would be able to drink just as many and not feel buzzed... which I am, by the way."

Nox-23’s Ghost lowered itself to her level, giving her a once over. Twilight stepped back a bit as it came very close to her face. "Well, you do seem to be functioning pretty well despite the amount you have running through your body. I honestly thought we would be witnessing a very drunk pony, considering you don't seem the type to drink."

"PSHH. Yeah, well, maybe if I hadn't run tests on my tolerance levels a few years ago, I might have kept going; but since I calculated it, I know how many drinks I can... drink before getting hammered. I actually went over that limit with your drinks since the effects I thought would kick in didn't come around where I projected so I drank a little more."

"Alright, alright, I need to go pay the bartender now before she gets mad. I'll see you around Nox, Ms. Twilight." The hunter waved goodbye and left for the bartender, his Ghost right behind him.

Nox-23 watched him go for a few second before returning his sight to where Twilight was. She, however, was not where he last saw her. Instead, she was already making her way to the door. A little jogging and he was right by her side once again. "You okay?"

"Yeah... I'm more tired than drunk right now, so I just want to go to bed," Twilight answered without slowing down or stopping. "I tried talking with the guy I was sitting by. Couldn't get much out of him besides his name, Taine Sabri. His Ghost did talk to me, so it wasn't a completely one sided conversation."

"That's good. Also, I might want to mention it now. Jeremy knows someone who has found ship Blueprints. If we are lucky then we might be able to get you one. He is going to send me the info tomorrow."

Twilight halted, looking up at Nox-23 with a half-buzzed-half-curious expression. "You're going to get me a ship and teach me to pilot it?"

"We both will teach you," the Ghost jumped in before Nox-23 could answer. A moment of quiet passed over them. All of a sudden, Twilight grabbed Nox-23 arm and rushed up the stairs, all the while pulling him along.

"Twilight, what-"

"The sooner we get to the apartment the sooner I can get to bed thus the sooner it will be to tomorrow," Twilight interrupted, practically dragging Nox-23 along with her.

The Ghost held back for a moment to shake it's body. "Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to bring that up," the Ghost sighed before chasing after his companions into the night.

---

New Guardian: Twilight Sparkle
Subclass: Adapt
Melee: Levitation Toss- Throws enemies away from user. Bigger targets are harder to move but can be staggered if actual toss does not work.

Grenades:

Magic Pulse Grenade- Created from altering a magic bolt spell, this grenade is fired like the aforementioned bolt spell but when it comes in contact with a surface the energy will expand outwards causing damage to any enemy personal in the effective range.

Trap Grenade- When grenade is thrown onto a surface it will transform into a magical circle that will glow every once and a while. If stepped on a torrent of energy will spring from the grenade engulfing anyone nearby.

Magic Missile Grenade- Five seconds after the grenade is thrown the grenade itself will explode into a fury of mini magic bolts that will then target the enemy and surrounding area.

Super:

Overclocked- When A Guardian activates Overclocked their magic spell's power greatly increases.

Jump ability:

Humanoid Guardians will be able to glide right away. For pony guardians The teleportation spell will be the first jump ability they learn. Wink is normally the second ability learned. Teleporting is considered a better ability compared to wink due to the longer distance that it can achieve.

Author's Note:

Finally it is done. I am sorry for the wait, real life decided to keep me and my main editor busy the last few weeks.

As some of you have notice I have set up a time frame for this story. Events in the game will happen as the story goes on but I will not write not and Twilight into the game events. I want to leave it open as to not say my character was the one who did this and this while no one else did anything game story worthy. However I think I will place the two of them in the Crota raid though. What do you guys think

Looks like Twilight's life has got more chaotic...speaking of which...

spotlight OC's in this chapter belong to: Auburn-Chrysto, Explosions-Winter, Magnus117-Ohmei, and Golden Script -Jeremy

Comments

[Magnus117]

Yeah, new chapter!
*Throws confetti*

Random Thoughts:
*A Megas XLR reference! Greatest cancelled show ever! (except for that one about cowboys in space or whatever)

*Sir Limps-A-Lot (and his Ghost) and Twilight Sparkle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsGP35Vd6qQ#t=08s

*We need a working bar in the Tower (a-la Mass Effect). Get on that, Bungie! I wonder what the names of the various drinks would be?

*Aw, Ohmei didn't get to hear Twilight talk about life in Equestria at the bar ! Oh well, I'm sure she'll talk with him about it later when there aren't crowds around .

*I can only imagine what Twilight will think if she stumbles upon Xur...

*"At that moment Ohmei did something that no one else had done since her arrival on the planet. He gave her a hug." Awwwww

*Leeroy and Jenkins, huh? I see what you did there!

One last thing: Ohmei's Ghost (I'm naming it Imp), IF it ever speaks, can it have a sarcastic english accent? because, well...........gs1.wac.edgecastcdn.net/8019B6/data.tumblr.com/bbcfc3f71dba048e66ba4a7286413f6f/tumblr_n6vub3alSV1qzx7rao1_400.gif
.........reasons...........

[LakieLegion]

5460757 you... I like you!

[Magnus117]

5461046 media.giphy.com/media/atz0JA0rsd1kI/giphy.gif

[Explosions]

Okay that was awesome. I don't understand the whole IM TIRED OF YOUR SHIT IM GOING FOR A WALK FUCK YOU! Thing that my charector did. Well I understand the walk and references that you made to the personality I had set for him but why was he Angry? I don't mean to be rude as I love the way he is portrayed. Also I got my destiny hunter beanie today its awesome. Well I cant wait for the nest update.

[Magnus117]

5461802 Yeah, I was a bit confused by that outburst too.

[Explosions]

5461826 also holy shit my unread chapters box exploded today. This happening to you too?

[observer of dimensions]

5461802 the was no set reason other then someone pissing him off off screen.

[Explosions]

5462215 ima say that he was angry because there was no loot left by the time he finished. Also ima say he that he is currently angry that after all the fighting his cloak of the free runners is stained and pissed him off more.

[Explosions]

5462215 also so I don't come off as wrighting the story for you these are assumptions

[ShadowBolt96]

joining the ranks of legends like the Titan twins, Leroy and Jenkins

Brilliant!

[Golden Script]

5460757 you... I like you!

[Magnus117]

5466996 media.giphy.com/media/atz0JA0rsd1kI/giphy.gif

Whoa, deja vu...

[observer of dimensions]

5467593

[Golden Script]

5467593
weird how that works, right?

[observer of dimensions]

5462255 that does actually work out.

[demobrony]

Who's OCs have you used already? If you use someone's OC will you post their user name in the author note?

[observer of dimensions]

5472981 I haven't yet that is a good idea

[demobrony]

5473452 on a related note I have an update on my OC Erin Vaspor. My gear has changed a lot since the last time I submitted my OC. So much that it's almost like it's a different character. So here my new gear list. For my primary weapon I have the Thorn: hand cannon for my secondary weapon I have the Y-09 longbow synthesis: sniper rifle and for my heavy weapon I am now using theZombie apocalypse: a machine gun, as for my armor I have the helmet The Mask of The Third Man for gauntlet I have theDogged Cage my chest armor is the Prime Zealot Cuirass my boots are the Tireless Striders for my class item I have the Shroud of Flies and my shader is Predawn my ship is the Aries Ascendant and my sparrow is the XV0 Timebreaker

[observer of dimensions]

5474458 ok I have updated your OC's loadout

[auburn12]

yes.

[Magnus117]

Aren't the Guardians able to survive anything, even complete disintegration, as long their Ghosts aren't destroyed or they die in a Darkness Zone?

Also, I recently got Destiny for the PS4 and made my character! This is what he looks like:
lh6.googleusercontent.com/-vnG5dLoB9bY/VLBESZ2v-5I/AAAAAAAAAf4/IAWN0HRoBtw/w1538-h865-no/Destiny_20150101013115.jpg

lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Fk0gQ7qi3tc/VLBESQ_TvrI/AAAAAAAAAfs/_QAH-DF7KN0/w1538-h865-no/Destiny_20150101013210.jpg

lh3.googleusercontent.com/-R_vqqCHkwtk/VLBESdI8BwI/AAAAAAAAAfo/Vc6iAk1g9z8/w1538-h865-no/Destiny_20150101013143.jpg

lh6.googleusercontent.com/-qG8eWpaY27g/VLBETItM3DI/AAAAAAAAAfw/t5SDFi4-Mi4/w1538-h865-no/Destiny_20150101013229.jpg

Feel free to make him look like this, but could you please keep the dragon armband? Thanks!

[Magnus117]

Also, does Twilight know that all the Guardians are basically FRIGGIN' ZOMBIES!?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5699W4WnlUo

[observer of dimensions]

5484574 In the game that is how it is but I wanted to change it for story purposes

[ColvaMoon5]

Guardian name is Colva, a male human hunter gunslinger. Main weapon is his aurora exotic auto rifle(name could be wrong) and he wears a full set of angel armor. He rarely takes off his helmet, and he has a 'no one left behind' policy. He's very protective, and he has a robotic right arm, which was the result of his shielding a rookie guardian from a hallowed knight's blade. He tends to have a too positive outlook on life but, when others are in danger, he turns into a hell bent devil (figuratively). He recently started having recurring nightmares of a dark, winged unicorn leading both hive and vex forces.

[Shadow Broker]

Can't believe my character made a slight cameo XD can't wait to see more of him hopefully he does more, Keep up the good work

Btw I'm gonna make a slight change.

Uses void walker and sun singer depending on situation cause let's face it self revives are useful

Uses vex mythoclast/Atheons epilogue (got pissed at a hobgoblin and stole it lol)

Praedyths revenge

Hezen Vengence

Ghost name Sek 88 (Sek for short)
Appearance sharper looking prongs black body with red stripes on the sides of the top and bottom prongs

[observer of dimensions]

5519770 Sure I can take one more just PM me it.

[riflespin]

I see what you did there with leeroy jenkins.

[Bronzer]

In the fluff, Light is also called "magic". Dunno how often, though.

Personally, I don't think the ponies look like Earth equines. I think of them as being to Earth ponies what humans are to apes.