Destiny : Twilight Voidwalker

by BackroundVoice

The Fall of Sepiks Prime - Chapter 2 : The Captain

“Guardian? Are you… still alive?” I said to the mountainous pile of rubble. At first I thought it was over, that this had actually all been for naught. But then I heard it, the sound of a groaning Unicorn under the pile. “Guardian!? Guardian, are you there!?” I called out as I cut the debris with my beam tool. I heard her reply faintly, she wasn’t that far under. Five or six blocks of concrete later, and she was free. The mare was hurt really bad, but not dead.

“Am I… going to die again?” she asked, but I shook my body.

“You won’t die, but you almost did,” I told her, “When you’re a Guardian, you can take double the damage an average pony can. But it’ll only take a moment for your wounds to heal before you can walk again.” And sure enough, her shield had already recovered, indicating that she was healed.

“Sweet Celestia,” she stood up, right as rain. And when she did, she saw the hole in the building, courtesy of the trip mines. From here, we could see a great multitude of broken Tanks, Helicarriages, and burned landscapes covered in snow from the open air.

We walked out among the endless destruction around us. “One battle after another was held here,” I said, “Until they overwhelmed us.” my Guardian was somber and quiet. Likely thinking about the state of her now ruined home. “Come on, we need to keep moving,” the Guardian stood there for a moment, and wiped her tears away.

“Right!” she agreed, trotting up next to me.

There was an archway that we passed under, rusted. “How long has this place been here?” my Guardian asked.

“Seven hundred years… Give or take a few decades,” my statement put the Guardian in another slump.

She was now frowning and staring at the ground as we walked.

Eventually we reached a ledge, overseeing an even larger portion of the open space behind the facility. Battle ridden like the last one, but certainly more snow covered and white. We looked over the space and came to the conclusion that there was no Jumpship to be found here.

“Regrettably, we might have had better luck if we trotted in the opposite direction,” I said.

“Too late for that now…” the Guardian said, looking down at the ground. I doubted her. I knew there had to be something out here, even a Sparrow would be a sensible option right now.

“Come on Guardian, let’s head over to…”

“Ghost? Are you alright?” my Guardian asked, but I was very far from ‘alright’.

“Worried… Maybe…” I answered her, gazing at the sky as we both witnessed the Sun’s yellow light fade blue, as it bent.

A shock-wave rippled across the sky, revealing our Enemy.

“Fallen Ships, this close to the surface!?” I panicked, watching Jumpship’s of all kinds appeared and spread across Old Ponyville.

“We need to get moving,” I told my Guardian, retreating back into Ghost storage.

“Where should I go?”my Guardian asked.

“There’s a garage on the opposite side from us, do you see it?” the Guardian turned back and forth, hunting for the garage. Finally spotting it in the far left corner from where we stood.

“I see it!” she said, running off the edge, falling a short drop before she trotted across the snow coated ground.

The distance between us and the garage was shrinking, but it suddenly became a lot longer. A Fallen Drop ship floated just overhead, opening its blast doors, only to leave ten Fallen Dregs to guard our exit.

“Pull Back! Find cover!” I advised my Guardian, but she didn’t listen. She charged the enemy, Shotgun drawn, and ready to fight.

She came up to the first Dreg, focused her magic in her hoof, and wiped it from existence. The next one assaulted her, only to fall backward, it’s head shot off from the Shotgun. The same could be said for the next one. The Guardian reloaded, taking a bullet or three to her side. A Dreg snuck from behind, attacked but failed as the Guardian’s back hooves were planted against its chest. The last six held back and concentrated on ranged combat, which was their big mistake. Gunfire roared between the Fallen and the Guardian, the most that they could hit was her shoulders, and her limbs, but the rest was dodged gracefully. The Guardian switched out the Shotgun for the rifle, aiming with precision as she picked three of the six before receiving and barrage of bullets from the remaining half. Her shield had almost shattered, and I would have warned her, if she hadn’t already ran toward the three, blindly attacking. Rifle switched, she used the Shotgun as a Bat, smashing it into the Dreg’s face, blood wiping out as momentum carried it’s head as well as it’s body. The following Dreg stepped back out of fear, but a spread shot form the Shotgun stopped him in it’s tracks.

Finally, the battle was over.

But the Guardian had forgotten about the tenth and final Dreg.

Sneaking up from behind, the Dreg took the blade in it’s hoof and carved a bloody wound across the Guardian’s back, causing her to fall forward from pain.

She cried out, but gritted her teeth, as rage filled her eyes to focus magic one last time, spinning round to slam both hooves into the Dreg.

Shocking it back, and becoming surrounded with blue light, only to react slightly differently from the last few Fallen. Instead of disappearing from our line of sight, it exploded. Turned to ash as the Guardian was launched backwards into the garage, hitting the wall inside. She gagged as air was knocked out of her lungs. She fell on her side, breathing heavily as her wounds healed.

…

“You are Crazy… Crazy, but incredible.” I complemented her, who had now slowed her breathing.

“Yeah… I know,” she replied as she stood back up, grunting and groaning in pain.

“You’re lucky to be alive,”

“Well… It helps that I can take twice the damage” she pointed out.

“Granted it helps, but next time, let’s make a plan before you start smacking Dregs again like they're Parasprites?”

The Guardian’s shield had now finally recovered, reflecting light as it covered her body. She was well again. Thank Celestia.

The Guardian stood there, reluctant, and avoided my eye contact “What’s wrong?” I asked my somber friend.

“I… I’m sorry that I worried you… That was dumb of me to attack ten at once” The Guardian admitted.

“Your right, it was really stupid of you… You could’ve died! But that wasn’t the case, was it?” the Guardian looked at me confused.

“You’re not mad at me?”

“Oh no, believe me, I’m livid with you right now! But I am far more relieved to see you are safe.” the Guardian smiled, happy that I cared for her.

“I’m glad to see you safe too…” my Guardian said, smiling warmly as we both enjoyed our moment of peace. But we both knew it wouldn’t last. Our line of sight shifted to the hallway to the right of us. Our minds filled with hope, we continued our search for a Jumpship. We were alert from here on. My Guardian, assault rifle in magic, peered around corner after corner. Constantly anticipating a Fallen encounter at any time.

“Head down Guardian…” I whispered.

“Three Fallen, one Vandal, two Dregs… Deal with them quietly”

“Right…” the Guardian then crouched, sneaking behind old computers and broken down walls as she made her way to the first Dreg. Unknowing and lax, I doubt the Dreg felt the assault rifle crack open his head. “One down…” the Guardian said, confirming her kill. “Next… the Vandal over there…” my Guardian crept to the other side of the room, magic focused, and ready to attack, she hit the Vandal, turning it into twilight like sparkles as it faded away.

“Two down…” there was now a lone Dreg roaming the room, walking up to an old terminal, examining it, and pushing a few buttons, seeing if it would work. But it was unusable. Damaged beyond repair, and without an ounce of electricity to power it. The Dreg then turned to the screen, seeing my Guardian’s reflection.

But before he could fight back, my Guardian grabbed the back of his head, and rammed his face into the console. Buttons and pieces of plastic broke off again and again as the Dreg’s face continued to be smashed into it.

Until it went limp, Dead.

“Three down… Good job Guardian” I praised her.

And then a roar rang out from the next room, we turned toward it. But we were not surprised.

“This is it Guardian, if we don’t find a Jumpship here-"

“We’ll keep looking.” my Guardian said, interrupting me before I could assume the worst.

“Right…” I agreed with her, drifting back into Ghost storage, “And I thought I was moral support…”

“Sometimes you need more than one smiling face to lighten the mood” she said, walking down the final hallway.

We came through a doorway whose doors themselves had been broken down, revealing two very noticeable things. A gaping hole in the ceiling, moonlight beamed through like a spotlight, as it shined upon the second most noticeable thing in the room. A Jumpship. Hanging there suspended by a few ropes and chains.

“There it is!” I cried out for joy, and as I felt my own light flare up with excitement, I was yanked from where I was in the air.

“Quiet…!” my Guardian said, “It’s being guarded…” she pressed up against a wall, holding me there as well as she kept an eye on the Fallen in the room.

I must’ve overlooked them. My guardian let me go, allowing me to scout out the room. “There are six… no, seven…!” I said.

“How many Dregs and how many Vandals?” “Four Dregs… Two Shanks… And… A Captain…?”

“Shanks? Captains? What are those?” my Guardian asked.

“Shanks are just drones with a minimal intelligence, they attack in large numbers, but are merely used as cannon fodder for the Fallen”.

“And the Captain?”

“Captains are the fiercest of the Fallen hierarchy” I began.

“Distinguished by their heavy armor, twin swords, and adorned cape. Captains have a sense of nobility, and they consider Ponykind as an inferior race”

“Really? I would have never guessed they didn’t like Ponies…” my Guardian said sarcastically, smiling as if she were serious.

“Well nice or not… He’ll be tough to deal with”

The plan was to deal with the Fallen as quietly as possible.

“The dregs will be the first to go. The Shanks will make a lot of noise when we kill, so we’ll take them out at the same time that we deal with the Captain. And then we’ll be home free for the Jumpship… Think you can handle it?”

By the time I had finished explaining the plan, my Guardian had just finished reloading her guns, and had slipped her helmet back on.

She was primed and ready to get that Jumpship.

“Let’s go…” she said, crouching down low, and making her way to the right of the room. Hiding behind one of the pillars. Observing her surroundings.

“I don’t think dealing with them quietly is an option Ghost…” my Guardian said “Yeah… They're patrolling too close to the ship to lure over here. They must be aware that we’re looking for a Jumpship” “What do we do?” “How good are you with that Assault rifle?” “Good enough…”

“Then take them down, quickly” I told her, and she nodded in reply.

With a deep breath, and a sound mind, she stepped out from behind the pillar.

She aimed through the broken sight, and opened fire.

Three bullets left the gun, and three bullets hit their mark. Rupturing the heads of three Dregs as they tumbled to the ground. But before she could find her next target, the Shanks and the last remaining Dreg had hid from her line of sight.

And before she could figure out what was happening, it was already too late.

“AHH!” my Guardian cried out as a sword hit her head, knocking her back, and nearly breaking her shield and her helmet. But the impact from the wall behind her finished the job. Her shield shattered, and her helmet fell to pieces.

“Guardian!” I yelled as she fell forward, hurt, but aware of her attacker.

It was the Captain, tossing another one of his swords to end my Guardian.

But she saw it, barely managing to dodge it in time.

My Guardian looked back at the Captain, watching him take the gun on his back in hoof. Fire spitting out of its barrel, and every inch of it looking as deadly as its owner, the gun could have easily been mistaken for a ferocious dragon.

But in other, far simpler words, it was intimidating.

However, despite her half broken gun, my Guardian stared the Captain down with much tension. As blood trickled down from her forehead, she glared at her opponent, certain of herself, and willing to survive.

And like two alpha predators, they did not want to be disturbed.

A killer’s instinct could be felt in the air, and as such, it scared the remaining Fallen, as well as myself. The Dreg and two Shanks stayed back, as to not be caught in the crossfire. And I would’ve done the same, if I didn’t think my Guardian would need me. So I remained by her side.

“This one is far different from any Fallen you’ve faced… He’s going to be aggressive, wild, and determined to kill you” I told my Guardian.

“Likewise…” she said, reloading her Assault rifle, and switching it out for the Shotgun.

“Because I have rage to match his!” she said, cocking the Shotgun as she sprinted toward the Captain. And in turn, the Captain charged.

The Captain had already opened fire on my Guardian. Four ember blazed bullets were fired from his gun with every pull of the trigger.

But unfortunately for him, the rate of fire for his gun was slow and predicable. My Guardian strafed left and strafed right, each round missing her by an apples length away. It was easy for her to reach the Captain.

And when she up close, she aimed her Shotgun, and released two point blank rounds into the Captain’s torso. Knocking him back a few inches.

But this only managed to destroy his shield.

“He has a shield!?” my Guardian said, confused and surprised as the Captain punched my Guardian square in the face. And she flew backward along the water under the Jumpship. The punch left her with a bloody nose, but she had a punch of her own. The Captain rushed towards her, but she was ready.

She had enchanted her hoof, and she throw her punch at the Captain. Only to destroy the ammo compartment in the gun, rendering it to nothing more than a slab of metal. This enraged the Captain, causing him to use the gun as a club against my Guardian, but blocked it in time with her Shotgun.

After the first swing, the Captain swung two more times overhead, and both of those she blocked. But on the last swing, her Shotgun gave in, and snapped in half. It was useless, broken and useless. But of course, my Guardian realized this faster than I did. Tossing the gun aside and whipping out the Rifle, my Guardian fired from the hip, spraying bullets everywhere, several of which hitting the Captain.

Writhing in the pain from the bullets entering his body, the Captain couldn’t even hold his weapon over his head.

The gun left his hooves, and he made eye contact with my Guardian, defenseless.

…

There was a single moment of silence, as the Captain, and my Guardian looked into each other’s eyes. Both of them reflecting their feelings for the other.

And the simplest word I could think of to describe this feeling…

Was anger.

They hated each other. Almost to the point where they could continue fighting. But the Captain knew all too well that he had lost.

And as this short, peaceful moment came to an end… It was my Guardian who broke it saying “You were a worthy opponent Captain… But Ponyville is mine” and with that said, the Captain closed his eyes, as she pulled the trigger. The bullet passed straight through his head, before he laid down, for the last time.

It was strange… for a Fallen, he seemed content with his life, before he died.

With their Captain dead, the remaining Fallen fled, fearing the Unicorn’s wrath above anything else. And finally… we were alone.

Exhausted, hurt, and relieved, my Guardian sat in the cool refreshing water. She was breathing deeply. As she patiently waited for her shield to recover.

“You were right…” she finally said.

“Right about what?”

“I’m insane…” she admitted, recalling our previous conversation. But I didn’t think much of it. She tried her best, this mare had surprised me for every moment that I had spent with her. She was quick to accept that she had died, reluctant but willing to change her moral standards to survive, and she went as far as to court death to reach our goal.

And even after all that, she seemed to have retained that bit of herself that makes her who she is. An unwavering friend that I could rely on.

“Yes well… I’m always right…” I said, floating up to the one thing that would save us. It was when I went to examine the Jumpship that my Guardian noticed it over head.

“That’s it, isn’t it?” she asked, and I replied carefree and untroubled saying “Yes…”

“Will it fly?”

“I can make it work…”

Promising a working Jumpship, I evaporated, melting into the inner workings of the space craft. My illuminating glow could be seen from outside. As my Guardian watched me tamper and fiddle with it until… *VROOOM!!!* The sound of the engine roaring was probably loud enough to wake up all of Old Ponyville. No doubt the Fallen would find us after that racket. But it was necessary to get this hunk of junk working.

The engine roared again, this time the boosters ignited, and next the flickering lights outside the ship, and finally, the Anti- Gravity kicked in.

The Jumpship moved, fighting against the chains and ropes that held it in place. Eventually the Jumpship was free, and was now hovering a good twelve feet above the ground. The Guardian was struck in awe, never in her life had she seen such a magnificent combination of Pegasi engineering and Unicorn magic.

For it was truly a sight to see.

But there was no time to waste, the Jumpship was ready, and not a moment too soon. Agitated growling could be heard from the large gaping hole behind my Guardian, startling her to turn and draw her weapon.

“I’m bringing you in!”

And at the same time I teleported her into the cockpit. Showing her the intricate controls of the Jumpship. “Pull that stick back to go up!” I instructed her on how to fly as she followed. And as we took off, we looked out the window shield one last time. When we looked we saw what was following the sound of the Jumpship. Four Captains fell out of the hole. “This is unnatural…” “What is?” my Guardian asked “Captains don’t travel together, let alone four at a time” But what came after them answered that question of mine.

A hulking figure stepped out of the hole, as if it were just a door to walk through. It was easily twelve feet tall, and if it wanted to, it could have grabbed our ship out of the air. But it only stood back and watched us take off.

Letting his bodyguards attempt to shoot us down.

“You can come back for them when you’re ready. Let’s get you home” I said to my Guardian, watching her lift the Jumpship through the hole in the ceiling.

Clearing the hole just barely, we reached the outside air.

The sky was blue, the clouds were white, and the sun shined gold.

“Beautiful… Isn’t it?” my Guardian said.

“It is…” I agreed, watching as the sky zoomed by as the Jumpship’s auto drive kicked in. And we were on our way to the city.

My guardian fell back on her chair.

“Tired?” I asked, “Extremely…”

As I watched her rest, I noticed the wings that I had accidentally fused onto her body. Feeling just a little guilty about it, I decided to apologize.

“I’m sorry Guardian…”

“What for?”

“When I brought you back, there were two sets of bones from what I constructed you from. A Unicorn, and a Pegasus. I must’ve fused the both of you together. That’s why you have wings… Sorry”

I was unsure of how she would react, but after seeing her first wide eyed and confused and then laughing harder than a Hyena. It became quite clear to me that I don’t know the first thing about this mare.

“Why I are you laughing? You might have an extra set of ribs, or- “I’m pretty sure that I don’t have any extra bones anywhere Ghost, these are my wings”

I went silent… I didn’t know how to react to that.

Sensing that I wasn’t going to ask, she sat up straight, and looked me dead in the eye.

“Sorry Ghost, you must be confused… So why don’t I introduce myself. *Ahem* … My name Twilight Sparkle, I’m the forth Princess of Equestria, the Princess of Friendship… And I… Am an Alicorn”

Comments

[Alpha123]

will twilight ever see her friends again?

[dyedquartz]

7997267
They're dead

[Gear_change]

8038525
Or are Guardians...
Gotta keep positive somehow

[Blitzwing98]

My only problem is that destiny's lore says that a guardian has no memory of their past.

[BackroundVoice]

8748490
It also says that some memories are fragmented and that Osiris himself theorized that the ghosts create memories for the guardians they resurrect. And that's kinda the main point I have when people say Twilight shouldn't find it so easy to kill in this story.
Becuase to me... This isn't the same Twilight from the show. She calls herself that because she thinks she remembers who she is. Sure, its the same body of the Twilight that died during the collapse. But no, it's not Twilight Sparkle, she's Twilight Voidwalker.