The Light of Equestria

by Sinthia

Chapter 2 - The Home We Made

---

Chapter 2 - The Home We Made

“We looked to the skies and they shot us down. Nothing but a Ghost remained, and that’s gone.”
~Dylan Owens

---

The Traveler sat above the city, silent and unmoving.

It’s been generations since the spherical mass in the sky showed any signs of life.
During the Collapse, in its dying breath, the Traveler created the Ghosts, who in turn made the Guardians; the final act of defiance against the Darkness which sought to overthrow Earth.

The true nature of the Traveler has never been fully uncovered. It is speculated that it is a sentient being, a blessing of the universe sent to achieve great things for all life. While the Traveler was here, it did exactly that; ushering a Golden Age of scientific, technologic, and utterly magical wonder. Others were more concerned with what followed the Traveler, the Darkness that brought extinction before humanity, and the desperate, miserable times that followed.

Was it because of the Traveler that the Darkness came?

Did the Traveler come to prepare us?

Did the Traveler come so we could protect it?

These questions were far from being answered even as humanity continued to take the Sol System back... but they haunted the minds of all that looked to the skies and thought for too long of times gone past.

The Guardians and the people of the Last City who live for the present, and fight for the future; they look to the dormant Traveler and see hope. They feel its light, and they know there will be a time when the it must return.

---

Lexine sighed as she shifted her gaze away from the Traveler, slightly annoyed with herself for allowing her mind to drift away as it did. The pearl-white ball in the sky was a titan to the city it floated above. Even as Lexine flew several thousand miles in the atmosphere, she could see the Traveler from her ship. The lights of the Last City could be seen shimmering below it, like spotlights giving the Traveler a faint orange glow. With the backdrop of a night of infinite stars, the picture of it was mesmerizing, even though Lexine had seen it with every return back. A beautiful sight, every time, she thought, but the city was close now, and the Guardian needed to stay focused.

She gripped on the controls of her ship a bit tighter as she brought herself down to Earth, literally and figuratively. The other Warlocks called her “starry-eyed”, and she was repeatedly told by the more senior Guardians that she needed to maintain practicality, especially during such uncertain times.

“The Traveler helped us immensely, when it was here, no doubt about that,” said Lord Shaxx, when he once heard Lexine talk on a long dialogue about her faith in the Traveler. “But it is not here now, Warlock. We are here, and the enemy is out there, and there’s not a whole lot standing between us and them. Unless, of course, you’d like to count a big floating ball.

“I don’t mean to sound harsh,” he said when he noticed the fairly newborn Guardian’s discomfort, “and conviction is always good. But strength is better. Use your gifts the Traveler gave you in its final moments. Spend less time with the Speaker, and more time in the Crucible... you’ll understand what I’m trying to tell you.”

Lexine shoved the memory away and decided not to daydream any longer as she shifted the throttle. Her ship accelerated over the skies of the City and towards the Tower, home of the Guardians. She cursed herself for not going over in her mind what she was to say to the Vanguard; they would surely ask for her report formally. Hive activity on Earth, in possession of an unprecedented device, and the presence of an unknown enemy from the beyond; all more than warrants the attention of the Vanguard.

The Warlock noticed she was tapping her foot, a habit that she took on when she felt nervous.

“Oh, now you’re worried,” said Ghost. Lexine knew if he had eyes, they’d be rolling. “It didn’t seem much of a concern several hours ago.”

“Yeah, well, narrowingly surviving a firefight with a demented farm animal tends to shift one’s priorities around, if not for a few moments,” Lexine shot back. Her tapping did not cease.

“Joking, no need to get defensive,” chirped Ghost. “And besides, that creature we encountered was far from what animal we had on Earth, and was certainly no farm animal.”

“What were they called...? Horses, right?”

“Horses, ponies, zebras, asses, all members of the Equidae family. This creature was close...”

“Funny,” Lexine thought. “I swore I thought that last one meant the b-”

“...But still so much different,” Ghost continued. “Its stature and features, the abilities it displayed, the fact it spoke. Something much different. I’ll search the libraries when we return to the Tower.”

The Guardian nodded. Just one of many things that needed to be done when they landed. She gave a quick sigh of discontent; she always hated the debriefing. The last thing Lexine wanted to do after completing a challenging mission was to immediately talk about said challenging mission, in detail.

The Tower was much closer to them now. Lexine opened up her comm lines, and prepared her ship for landing.

“Tower, this is Lexine Rayner, ship Arcadia-class eleven twelve; requesting permission to land.”

She hovered near the Tower, awaiting a response.

“Copy that, eleven twelve,” replied a transmission moments later. “You’re cleared for landing. Welcome home, Guardian.”

She smiled. Despite everything, it still felt good to be back.

---

Lexine wasted no time, the Vanguard knew of her return and were awaiting her. Ghost continued to dock her ship while she was teleported down to the Tower, and she was quickly materialized on the courtyard in the Tower Watch. Even in the middle of the night, the area was active. As Lexine’s feet touched down, she was immediately noticed by a small group of guardians, one of whom greeted her with a wave. She returned the gesture with a smile, but forgot until then that her helmet was still on.

With a click, Lexine pulled off her helmet, allowing herself to feel the cool night air. She tucked the helmet between her arm and chest, but it soon flashed away, teleporting away to her ship’s storage along with her other gear.

“I’ll join up with you soon,” said Ghost within her head. “Well, I’m technically always with you, but you know what I mean.”

She gave a slight not and started towards the Tower’s Hall of Guardians, where the Vanguard waited for her. She passed a small kiosk adorned with red cloth and drapery. A man was working silently on the table, tinkering with strange devices that were foreign to Lexine. He seemed intent on his work, until he noticed the Guardian passing by.

“Ah, Warlock! You’re back,” he called to her. “Have you got anything for me from the frontier?”

“Sorry Master Rahool,” Lexine replied, “I’ve got to report to the Vanguard immediately, but I promise I’ll visit soon!”

“Very well, then! You know, I heard you were at Old Los Angeles,” Rahool started to trail off as Lexine walked on. She waved goodbye, but he didn’t seem to notice. He returned back to his work on the table. “One time a Hunter returned from there, and gave me some very interesting artifacts from an ancient cultural hub called ‘Venice Beach’. Have you ever heard of a ‘Selfie Stick?...”

Lexine grinned. The Tower Cryptarch was very skilled in decrypting useful technology such as advanced armor and and weaponry, but it also seemed Master Rahool was the only person in the Tower more interested in knick-knacks than she was.

She continued through the courtyard, passing several other fellow Guardians that greeted her along the way. She didn’t recognize any of them, but she returned the greetings with respect. Her walk descended down a flight of stairs, and she found herself nearing the Hall.

“Oh, great,” Lexine thought when she walked the final steps down. “He’s still here.”

Up ahead stood Lord Shaxx, the Crucible handler and a well-renowned Guardian. Lexine has been ignoring his requests for her to join the Crucible, a training project in which Guardians fight each other to hone their skills.

To the death.

Of course, this isn’t as bad as it seems; Guardians are essentially immortal as long as their Ghosts are there to revive them upon death. There are some exceptions, however; some places have so much Dark energy that Ghosts do not have the power to bring their Guardians back. These areas are cut off from the Traveler’s light, and referred to as ‘Darkness Zones”. Lexine has known Guardians, friends, who have perished in such places. Guardians do not fear death, and will gladly give their life in protection of Earth, but the idea of it sometimes haunts Lexine.

It was because of this that Lord Shaxx created the Crucible, to train Guardians to be better, fight harder, and in the end, live longer. Lexine knows its usefulness, but she despises the idea of killing other Guardians. Only once before, she’d accepted an invitation into a Crucible match. She and five other guardians were transported to a controlled area within Old Russia, where the objective was to simply kill each other.

The session had started, and Lexine froze up. She had killed before, countless numbers of the enemies of Earth; Hive, Fallen, Vex, Cabal... but when she encountered a fellow Guardian charging towards her in the Crucible, she failed to fire her weapon, never releasing a single bullet. The opposing Guardian, a Titan, broke into a full sprint and lunged at her with such force and fury that his fist essentially broke the sound barrier, cracking the the air and sending Lexine against the ground in a crumple.

The Titan stood above Lexine’s broken body, and crouched down, seeming to have noticed her hesitation that led to her defeat.

“You’re new,” he said to her. “Don’t worry, it gets easier. Trust me.”

He pulled out a shotgun and finished her off, quickly moving on for the next kill.

Lexine forfeited herself from the rest of the match once she was revived, and abstained from the Crucible after that, much to Lord Shaxx’s dismay. It was because of that reason that Lexine had been trying to avoid the Crucible Handler, but there was no way she could slip past him now. The corridor leading to Hall of Guardians was empty save for him and herself. Even as she stood far away, she could tell that Lord Shaxx had noticed, and recognized her. He stared at her, seeming to wait for her to pass so that they may speak. Lexine tried her best to walk forward and pretend that he was not there, and wished she still had her helmet.

“Guardian,” he said as she walked past, and Lexine winced. “You’re back. I believe the Vanguard is waiting for you ahead. Nice job on your last mission.”

Lexine turned and gave a slight bow. “Thank you, Lord Shaxx.” She could not simply ignore the Hero of Twilight Gap. His title demands respect from other Guardians, but his sheer size alone could intimidate a Titan.

As he towered over her, Lexine waited for what he would say next, hoping it would we be quick.

“Well go on then, don’t keep them waiting!” he said.

“Yes, of course!” she said, a bit too loudly for the occasion, and continued forward. She mentally thanked the Traveler for saving her from an awkward conversation.

“I’ll be here to talk when you return, Lexine,” he called from behind, and she whispered a curse.

Wanting to stall no longer, Lexine hurried through the corridor which entered into the Hall of Guardians. The Hall was a large room, which held a longtable in its depressed center. Tapestries hung from the high ceiling and reached the floor, and the opposite end of the Hall displayed a large window that viewed the outside end of the City; even at night the wilderness could be seen with all of its mysterious beauty.

During the day, the Hall was usually filled with activity, with several guardians present to consult the Vanguard in public, but tonight’s meeting was reserved for only one. Lexine gathered her thoughts and presented herself to the Vanguard. They were silently speaking amongst themselves. Ikora Rey, the Warlock Vanguard, was the first to notice Lexine’s arrival.

“Good evening, Guardian,” she turned and greeted.

“Good evening,” replied Lexine, and gave a small curtsy out of habit.

“Let’s skip the formalities and get down to business,” said Cayde-6, the Hunter Vanguard.

“Yes, we’ve gotten the preliminary reports from your Ghost,” said Commander Zavala, Titan Vanguard. “But we need to hear a first-hand account from you. What exactly happened there?”

Lexine stood at the far end of the longtable, and the three Vanguard leaned in and listened for her reply intently. With their eyes and ears fixed on her, Lexine took a breath and explained the events at the science facility.

---

Delivering her account was more exhausting than Lexine thought it was going to be. It was solid, however, and the Vanguard let her finish all the way through without interruption. When she was done, they were silent for a few moments, as if to think about their next words.

“The presence of Hive activity on Old Los Angeles will have to be carefully monitored,” said Cayde-6. “Did you spot any others during your mission?”

“No, only within the science facility, and as I said, all of them were likely destroyed in the explosion,” said Lexine.

“We’ll send notices to Guardians in patrol around the area, just in case.”

“And what of these explosions?” asked Commander Zavala. “You said the machine itself caused it?”

Lexine nodded. “It seemed to self-destruct... maybe a malfunction from the fighting?”

“Or something from the other side,” said Ikora. “The creature you fought; we have not encountered before. The footage and scans from your Ghost of both the creature and the machine it came from will help us immensely.”

The three Vanguard, as if in unison, stood up straight.

“Your actions were commendable, Guardian,” said Zavala. “The Vanguard thank you for your pursuit into the matter.”

“Come speak to us tomorrow for a reward for your efforts,” spoke Ikora. “For now, go in peace. We have many matters to attend to.”

Lexine felt confused. Was that all there was to it?

“Is there going to be some sort of follow up?” she asked instead of greeting goodbye.

Cayde-6 gave a slight chuckle, saying, “Ma’am, this was the follow-up. You’ve done your job well; the Vanguard will take care of the rest.”

“But I will be notified of any further leads in the matter, right?”

“Lexine,” said Ikora, “it’s best if you leave it to us.”

“We’ve already got a strike team to explore another possible sighting of the same anomaly,” added Zavala. Cayde-6 shot him a look, and he said no further.

“That doesn’t seem fair,” Lexine mumbled.

“Why do you think that?” asked Ikora.

“Well.. it’s just... this isn’t the first time this has happened! I’m always assigned these patrol missions... for what? Get some scans, scout some areas, collect some samples...” Lexine knew she was raising her voice, and tried to compose herself when she spoke next. “When I found traces of Rasputin in Old Russia, you handed off the assignment to another Guardian. I find this and you’re going to do the same thing again.

“It makes me feel... well...”

“Insignificant?” said Ikora.

Lexine just sighed, and that was enough of an answer.

“I hear of Guardians doing great things,” she continued. “Exploring the Black Garden, raiding the Vault of Glass, hunting down a Hive Prince on the moon... and I’ve never even been assigned on a strike team.”

Lexine hung her head as she spoke those last words. Silence reigned for a few moments. Cayde was the first to break it.

"You and I can relate, kid," he said. "Do you think I like spending all my time here in this uppity tower? I'd much rather be out there, but I know we all have our jobs to do."

"You've been with us for only several months,” said Ikora, “but you’ve achieved feats that takes other Guardians years to accomplish. The Vanguard recognizes your talents both as a Warlock but as a Guardian among the rest of us.”

“The last thing we want to do is to send a Guardian on a mission from which they may not return,” said Zavala. “You must trust us on these matters.”

“I... I do trust the Vanguard. I apologize for stepping out of line.”

Ikora approached her fellow Warlock and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“There’s no reason to feel ashamed of your ambition. It’s a good attitude, one that the Vanguard can admire. The time will come when your resolve will define your legend.”

Lexine nodded, there was nothing more to say.

“I’m sure you’re exhausted,” Ikora continued. “Get some rest, you’ve certainly earned it. We’ll have more for you in the days to come.”

“An honor,” said Lexine with a bow, and she dismissed herself from the hall.

She walked forward with many things on her mind, but she did not have the energy to sort and address them at all. The only thing Lexine could think of was returning to her quarters; Ikora was right, she needed the rest. There was just one more thing she needed to deal with first.

“Guardian,” said Lord Shaxx as she passed. “I trust your meeting went well?”

“It did,” she said, and tried her best to sport a pleasant smile. “The Vanguard have got new leads on Hive activity on Earth. One more step towards figuring out our enemy.”

“Indeed...” Shaxx shifted his weight before continuing. “Well, regardless of our circumstances, I commend your actions. It takes bravery to storm a Hive stronghold on your own, and I recognize that. This is for you.”

He picked up a weapon that was lying in wait on the desk next to him. It was what the Guardians call a Hand Cannon. Lexine had owned one before, but it was not potent enough for her to consider replacing her current favored weapon. This one, she could tell, held something special.

“I’m very grateful,” Lexine said as took the gun.

“You should be. These rewards are usually reserved for victories in the Crucible. But I see something special with you.”

“Thank you,” she said as she inspected her new weapon.

“Prove me right the next time you go out there.”

Lexine nodded and turned back towards the staircase leading to the exit. She mentally connected with Ghost as she walked.

“How nice of him,” he said. “I told you he wasn’t so bad.”

“Maybe you should be his Ghost instead, since you like him so much?”

“Why would you say such hurtful things?” said Ghost with the slightest tone of sarcasm.

“It’s because I love you so much,” Lexine returned. “Anyways, I need you to scan and transmit this new weapon to my ship’s armory. We’ll put it to good use soon.”

“Already on it.”

The weapon in Lexine’s hand began to shimmer as it was teleported away, to be stored safely within her ship. She continued past the Tower courtyard, walking quickly to avoid further distractions.

Upon finally arriving before her quarters, her fatigue became much more apparent. Her thoughts were cloudy and her movements were slow and lazy. It took great effort to remain composed before the Vanguard, but with no one around, Lexine was ready to take a break.

“I’ve been searching through the Tower’s databanks for information on our new threat, if you were interested.” chimed Ghost.

“Tomorrow, Ghost.” she said out loud in a drowsy voice. That was enough for Ghost to understand.

“Very well, then. I’ll give you some privacy.”

Lexine unlocked the door to her quarters and entered.

The lights inside turned on automatically as she did, but she wanted them off right away. She was about to turn them when she noticed a small note near the switch.

Lexine,

I heard you were coming back tonight. Wanted to surprise you but I got called to city patrol on short notice. I’ll see you when I return.

I’m glad you got back safe.

~D

Lexine smiled a genuine smile for the first time that night as she flipped off the light switch.

She approached her bed in the now dark room and almost forgot she was still clad in her armor. After a mental effort, her armor began to shimmer and fade away, it being transported to storage among her other gear.

“Thank the Traveler we’re able to do that,” Lexine thought as she dove into her bed, letting the physical and mental weight of the past several days fade away to dreams.

---

She ran but felt no ground, no wind. No destination except away.

Lexine’s legs were numb, and her lungs were burning, but she dared not stop, not look behind. She could hear the Darkness behind her. She could feel it.

“The Darkness has seen you, Guardian.”

There was no world around her, only black. She had no weapon, no armor.

“We will remember you. And we will return.”

Ahead, Lexine saw a light. A way out. She ran as hard as she could towards it, and felt hope. The light shimmered a bright blue as she approached, and she could hear a voice calling out to here.

“Come to me, my little pony! I will take you from this dark place!” Lexine was confused for a moment, but pushed her doubt aside as she got closer. A light in the dark, a way out.

Her hope was crushed when she saw what bore the light. It was an equine, very similar to the creature she encountered before.

“What? Who are you?” it said when she got close. “Where...?”

A flush of anger flared within Lexine.

“You!” she screamed, pointing at the creature. “You brought the Darkness here! It’s your fault!”

The creature did not reply, it looked confused, but Lexine did not care.

“It’s coming now, I’m going to die, we’re all going to die because you brought it here!”

A dark laughter could be heard drawing closer. Lexine’s heart sank.

She turned around and saw nothing as oblivion took hold.

---

Luna awoke with a jolt. She was shocked over what she had just experienced. A shared nightmare... it was nothing new for her to patrol the dreams of her people to ward away the bad ones. But the owner of that dream was not of Equestria... she could feel it.

Whoever this strange being was, and the things it said to her, Luna knew it was significant, but to what extent, she did not.

The door to her room opened, interrupting her thoughts. There was only one pony in Equestria who would enter without notice.

“Sister,” Luna said as Princess Celestia entered her room. “Is something the matter?”

“Luna, I hope this is a good time?”

“Yes, I was just patrolling the dreams of our subjects,” she said, trying to dismiss the nightmare.

“Very well, but I fear there are other matters that require urgent attention.”

Luna stood up and walked towards her sister.

“What is it? I am ready to assist.”

“The anomaly that you encountered near Ponyville...”

“Another one has appeared?”

“Not just one. Several. Something is coming sister, a threat to Equestria. I’ve assembled an emergency meeting with the council, and we require your attendance.”

“Of course. I will be there to join you soon.”

Celestia nodded and left the room, closing the door again. Luna thought back to what she saw in that anomaly near Ponyville, and to her nightmare she just witnessed. Celestia was right, something is certainly coming.

There was a persistent feeling within her that she knew exactly what.

---

---

NEW VANGUARD RANK REACHED
LEVEL 1

NEW WEAPON ACQUIRED - Hand Cannon
SILVERED MAVERICK MK. 41 - A well-balanced Tex Mechanica hand cannon, earned through glory in the Crucible.

Comments

[Bum]

Very well writen. I am looking forward to the bext update.

[Mkchief34]

Great job!

[Timeless Lord Slayer]

Vonderbar! Fantastic! Amazing! Awesome!