• Published 1st Sep 2015
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The Guardian's story - Lon35hadow



You know the drill: guy goes to convention dressed up, buys something, and is sent to Equestria. The difference: I became three different people

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Consumed by darkness

"Okay," I said over the radio, "we all know the drill: Transmat down to the moon, and find out what caused that magic flare, and, if it's a live pony, bring them home. Until Cybis, Rhino, or I say otherwise, you are to tell none about this mission if they weren't a part of it."

After confirmation signals came in from the twenty-two Guardians on the mission, which included myself, Cybis, Rhino, and Applejack, I said, "Then let's go." I pushed the throttle stick forward, and my jumpjet leaped forward, and the others behind me shortly after.


Canterlot-Celestia 3rd person

Celestia walked along the hallway that led to where Twilight stayed. She was late to her lesson, and she hadn't been seen in the library. Celestia wasn't worried, thinking she was just caught up in reading a new book.

"Twilight, are you there?" she asked when she made it to her student's door, only to get no response, which simply made her worry. She knocked, saying, "Twilight, this isn't funny," in a worried voice.

Still no response, so she decided to open the door, even though she didn't want to disturb Twilight. If she was there, that is.

When Celestia opened the door, she was horrified to not see any hint of the lavender unicorn, nor her Ghost. The room was as it had been the previous night, when Celestia had finished giving Twilight a lesson. The books were in their proper locations, the bed had been made. That ruled out she had been foalnapped, but simply made the one of what happened.

As the solar alicorn thought on this, she got a message from a spell she had cast years ago, one to alert her if some magic other then her's, was active on the moon. It had been made as a precaution if Nightmare should be released sooner then she had planned for, as the Elements were still three and a half years from being able to bond with new ponies, and they were the only things that could cure Luna of her insanity. She cast a second spell, one designed to create a guardian out of her sister's own magic, which would make her attacks barely effective, ensuring she wouldn't return before it was time.


Cybis' pov

As Josh, Rhino, myself, and the other Guardians made our way to the moon, Dinklebot lit up. "We have a magic spike."

"Where is it?" I asked.

"Center of the eye of the 'Mare in the moon'. Signature is a mix of Celestia's and another pony's," he said in a worried tone. Didn't think that was possible. "Might be Nightmare's, if we're thinking the same thing."

"If you mean Celestia used her own magic to use Nightmare's to make something to prevent her from returning, then yes, we are thinking the same thing," I said. "I'll let Josh and Rhino know."

Already done, Josh said through our mental connection. And Nolandroid alerted the others as to the spike.

"Which reminds me," Nolandroid said, as he, Dinklebot, and Tara Ghost were in the connection as well, "I picked up an extra Ghost, but don't recognize the signature."

"Any idea where it is?" Rhino asked.

"Applejack's ship, but I can't get through to her."

"Then we'll talk to her when we land," I said as we came up on the rim of the eye.

Once we were close, we transmatted down to the lunar surface. "So, any idea where that spike was?" I asked, referring to the first one.

"Negative," Dinklebot said. "Just in the general center, which is about ten kilometers wide."

"Great," Josh said sarcastically. For this mission, he wore Knucklehead radar, and had his Bladedancer active.

"I never did like searching over a large area," Rhino, wearing the Feedback fence and having Defender going, said.

I had purifier robes on, and, obviously, was going Sunsigner. "So what should we do?"

"Maybe have the Jumpjet's do a close in scan," Tara said. "I mean, they have the capability."

"True," Josh said as the other Guardians arrived, with Forge and Applejack in front. Just as they transmatted down, I thought I saw a shimmer behind our adoptive niece.

"So, what's the plan," Forge asked.

"Have the jumpjet's do a more close in scan of the target area so we know where to go," I said, Dinklebot having already tasked the Ketch me on that, and I assumed Tara and Nolandroid had done so as well. "Until then," I said, sitting, "we wait."

Well, as Josh said when that portal opened up, why must you hat me, universe? As soon as I said that, my tracker lit up with red all along the edges.

"CONTACTS!" Rhino yelled, getting his Suros Regime ready. "LOTS OF 'EM!!"

"Okay, seriously, why does this happen to us," Josh said, pulling out his Loner.Rebel, which had explosive rounds on it. "I mean, seriously?"

"I guess the universe just wants to make us hate our lives," I said as I got my Coiled Hiss 1919 out.

The others got their assorted weapons, ranging from Auto rifles to Hand cannons, out and got into the classic infantry square. "Where are they?" Josh asked, as our trackers showed they were in visible range. Then I noticed the shading. The red was dark.

I looked up. "Heads up, Guardians!" I yelled as I fired a burst up, hitting a dark, bat winged thing. I know it wasn't a thestral, but it looked more like a damned Ahamkara.

Which was to say a fucking dragon.

"Take 'em down!" Rhino yelled as he and the others all aimed up. As if it wasn't already bad, Dinkle came over the radio to report.

"The Extinction just picked something up."

"You guys, go," Josh yelled. "I'll buy you as much time as I can."

"But Uncle Josh," Applejack started before he cut her off.

"No, Applejack. You are going there, all of you. I'll stay here, make sure you all get there." He stopped firing, and stepped out of the square. "You forget," he said, and I was certain there was a smile on his face. "I'm a motherfuckin' Hunter," He said before a Ghallarhorn appeared in front of him. He grabbed it out of midair, and fired two rockets up at the dark horde. "COME AND GET ME!!" he yelled as his Sparrow, a legendary one from the emerald coil, appeared and he got on and boosted to maximum speed in the opposite direction, with the Ahamkara ghosts following him. I saw a few less in the group. Not much, but a few.

"We need to help him," Applejack said.

"We can't," Forge said. "He wants us to go on ahead, regardless of what happens to him. We all knew the risks, but came here anyway."

"She's right, much as I wish she wasn't," Rhino said, his voice somber, if it was possible for an exo. "Come on, we need to go before more of those things get here," he said as his Tumbler appeared. He got on as Forge, myself, and the others, all silent in honor of Josh, brought our Sparrows down. We got on them, and rushed off to the center of the eye.


Josh

As my Sparrow raced south, with the shadow dragons behind me, Nolandroid appeared next to me. "You know we won't last long, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, I do," I replied. "I'm still going to give 'em hell, though."

"Figured you would," Nolandroide said. "So, what's the plan?"

"Just keep going away from the eye, and bring as many of these things along with us, hopefully giving the others time," I said as a fog clouded my vision.

"Damn, we just passed into a darkness zone," Nolandroid said as an orb of dark fire nearly hit me. "And they somehow know it. If they hit us-"

"We're dead, yeah, I know," I said as I stopped my Sparrow, turning it to the side as it slowed. As I got off it, the dragons landed, though some were in the air above me, all circling.

"Music?" Nolandroid said.

"Something a little, I don't know, starry."

Ah, Starset. One of my favorite bands. It has begun, too. Perfect for this.

"Arc devastation," I said to Nolandroid, and my helmet was switched with Mask of the third man, my Abyss swapped for Fang, and my Gallarhorn for my Sawtooth. "Who's first?" I asked.

None responded, so I decided to make the first move. I put my Fang on my back, drew my knife, flipped it to where it was in a reverse grip, and sent Arc energy to it. "I'll go first, then," I said as I ran forward. The shadows fired their black flame orbs, but, I seemed to be protected by something, as those that should have been a direct hit and would have taken down my shields did nothing.

As I neared a shadow, I jumped, using my extra height double jump to get onto the things neck. It thrashed around, trying to get me off. I held on to a spine growing out of it's neck with my left, yelling, "YIPPE-KI-FUCKING YAY, ASSHOLE!!!," as I drove my arc blade down through it's neck. It didn't kill it, so I sent a surge of arc energy through it, and the thing stopped, then began to collapse. As it dd so, I jumped off and blinked to the next one, me facing it's open mouth. I landed in it's mouth, and the jaws snapped shut, only for them to open wide open as I did showstopper, followed by an upwards stab. "Eat it," I said as I delivered a surge of energy directly into what constituted its brain, killing it. This time, I just jumped out of the thing, landing in the middle of a large circle, my arc blade having faded as I landed.

"Solar," I said and me helmet went to Nighthawk, my Abyss appearing in place of the Fang, and Gallarhorn in place of Sawtooth.

I raised my Gallarhorn and fired off two shots, with the impact on their targets, which were in the air, killing them, the pressure wave doing the same with three each on their flanks, and the wolf pack rounds killing another five total. I didn't have time to reload it as those on the ground charged me, so I threw it on the ground and rolled out of the way, drawing my Abyss as I did so. When I came up in a kneeling position, I aimed for the closest shadow, and fired off an entire clip at it's head, which killed it. I had just enough time to get a new magazine in before I had to jump over a claw, firing at the one who had tried to hit me. As my last shot exited the rifle, I landed, and was forced to throw my auto rifle down on the ground. "Thorn," I said, and the PvP nightmare known as Thorn appeared in my hand. I fired two shots at each shadow, the devouerer killing them shortly after the second shot hit. I fired until it was empty, reloaded, and repeated until I had truly ran out of ammo for it, as I was able to easily reload it while rolling.

"Primary, Loner," I said, and Nolandroid popped a primary synthesis and my Thorn swapped for my Loner.Rebel. I brought it up and fired off head shots, the explosive rounds doing bonus damage. Just as I emptied the second clip, I was hit in the back by one of the shadows, making me drop my hand cannon. I flew from the impact, and actually heard a few ribs crack.

I rolled when I landed, stopping face up. I looked up at the sky, and saw the brilliant stars. You know, It just occurred to me: What if one of those stars was home. I know we've been here for just about ten and a half years, but still, nothing like being on the edge of death to make you think. The shadows closed in around me, but stopped, circling me, seeing if I would get back up.

I'm sorry, guys, I thought, not just to Cybis and Rhino, but Applejack, Golden, Ace, and even Applebloom, who had been born a few years back, but even my friends from before this all started, even if they'd never hear, or see, me again. I closed my eyes, waiting for them to close in and kill me, when I heard a loud crack in the air, and three bangs, followed by three explosions, and a few bodies falling down.

Before I could open my eyes, though, I felt a cold come over me, as if I had been dropped into cold water. And I heard a single, deep voice.

So, you are the Guardian of this world, it said. It matters not. My daughter Celestia may have made these to begin with, but I control them, and had them go after you and your allies. You think, just by reuniting two sisters, that you can defeat me. You truly are ignorant of the greater picture, and what it entails. At this, my eyes opened, but all I saw was pure black, like from an ink pen. And you will be MINE!

I cried out in pain as tendrils of shadow reached out from my surroundings and leeched onto me. I felt a perverse feeling come over me, wanting to murder everyone. I clenched my teeth, fighting the sickness, the disease, the darkness. It was then I realized: to fight shadows, true shadows, well.

You need to become one.

I stopped fighting, much to the voice's surprise. What? It shouldn't be possible, a Guardian allowing darkness to enter their mind and body!

"I'm not just a Guardian, jackass," I said as I stood up, my eyes glowing purple, my hands clenched. "I'm not something you can corrupt for the hell of it. I am Joshua Miller, Hunter Vanguard, and I say," I said as a purple bow appeared in my left hand, and I held it up as if I was firing an arrow from it, placed my right hand where the string ought to be, and pulled back, a single arrow appearing. "Go back to the darkness from which you came," I said, releasing the arrow, which flew ahead, vanishing. A purple light took up my vision, and I shielded my eyes and looked away.

When the light faded, I stood where I had once laid. I no longer felt the pain of cracked ribs, and a quick check using my armor systems said that they were whole, as if they were never broken.

I looked around, only to be met with an impressively scary sight. Strewn all around the area were the charred and rapidly materializing, they were made of magic, after all, bodies of the shadow dragons. But, out of all of that, the thing that got my attention was the one who had used Golden Gun.

"So, Twilight," I said, crossing my arms in a way that said "I am very pissed off, and you'd better give me a good explanation". "Care to tell me how you're here, and how you did a super?"

The lavender unicorn, a small bubble around her body, tried to shrink, but failed, and my gaze didn't let up, and she could tell this, even with my helmet on. "I'm waiting."

"I kinda snuck on Applejack's ship and asked if I could come along," Twilight said. "In her defense, she didn't know what was going on."

"And the super?"

"I asked AJ to train me, so that when I got older, I could try to get into a team with her," Twilight said with a sheepish smile, which only made me shake my head. "I guess it paid off, huh?"

"Twilight, what you did was dangerous, reckless, and, above all," I said with a pissed off look under my helmet befor eit turned into a smile, "exactly like the Hunter you apparently are."

I knelt down to her level. "But once we're done here, we are going to talk about this with Celestia, including you skipping your classes."

"Actually, I had Spike leave a note saying I didn't want to be her student anymore."

"No," Spike said, materializing. "You didn't. I thought you were going to."

"Oh, for the love of," I said with a facepalm. "Now she thinks you were foalnapped or something. I swear, what is the world coming to." I faced her. "And just what were you going to do when you do actually tell her that?"

"I was going to apply to Guardian training. I checked the documents, and there isn't an age minimum."

If there was a desk, I would have tried oh so hard to break it. With my face, no helmet.

"Nolandroid, remind me to fix that when we get back."

"Right."

"In the meantime," I said. "Twilight, stay back from the fighting, and let us take care of it," I said while my Sparrow was brought down. "Got it?"

Twilight nodded. "Then let's go," I said as I got on my Sparrow, Twilight getting on behind me. "Hold on," I said as I practically gunned the throttle.


Rhino

As I led the other Titans, as Cybis had come up with the idea for the three classes to split up, with him leading the Warlocks, Forge the Hunters(I see a pun in there), and me leading the Titans, we came across an odd village. Blaze, the leader of Fire team Obsidian and my second in command who wore the raid gear from Crota and having the load out of Word of Crota and having Swordbreaker, was the first to comment on it.

"Weird. How can a village be up here on the moon?" he asked.

"No idea," I said, "but stay alert. No telling if there's anything alive, let alone if it's hostile."

Blaze nodded. "Right." With that, the ten of us, consisting of me, all of Obsidian, the two from Disciple, and Applejack, moved in on foot.

The village seemed to be a more, how do I put it, Gothic look, and I don't mean the whole bleak and emo thing, I mean ancient Gothic, like Notre Dame. Gargoyles, that kind of shit.

So, anyway, we walked into the village, our weapons, mostly Auto rifles with some Pulse rifles and Hand cannons mixed in, at the ready. Our trackers were dark, showing no activity near us. Not sure if that's a good or bad thing, as it could also mean cloaked enemies, as advanced invisibility spells would work similar to Fallen cloaking.

"Hold up, I got something," Blaze said. "Something at my twelve, far range. Visual."

I nodded. "Right. Far Sight," I said to the sniper, a pegasus mare with the holdfast armor who had a Revelator hand cannon and a void Amplified Geo-D6, "Take a look."

"Sir," she said, and looked down her sniper scope. "Sir, I'll say this bluntly. I'm seeing two bat ponies with a build similar to ours, but wearing the old, crappy armor worn by Celestia's guards."

Okay, if I was organic, I'd try hitting on her. The reason: she is blunt with everything, right to the point, just like Josh, Cybis, and I were when we were one. That, plus she's intelligent and funny when the occasion calls for it. "Well then, what do you think we should do?"

"Well, sir, if my Equestrian history is right, those are thestrals, a sub race of ponies that were loyal exclusively to Princess Luna." We would keep the fact she was Nightmare secret from the Equestrian's and our civilians, not our Guardians. "If I remember correctly, they went missing shortly after her banishment, but remained loyal to her."

"Well, looks like we found 'em," Blaze said, "What do we do?"

"Easy," I said, walking towards the two thestrals in plain view.

"You there, halt," one yelled, pointing a sword(ha!) at me. "What are you, and what do you want?"

"Well, I'm a Guardian, and as for what I want, I want to bring Nightmare Moon back to Equestria." This got a surprised look on both their faces.

"And why would you want that," the one pointing the pointless(figuratively speaking) sword at me said.

"Because she was wronged by her sister, or however she and all of you see Celestia, and the ponies of that time, but times have changed, and ponies actually like the night, some even working during it. Or they would, if Celestia had tried to stop the lies about her," I said. "But my comrades and I, rulers of our own kingdom, as well as those that follow us, have been told the truth, and would be willing to give her chance where Celestia's ponies wouldn't."

"How do we know you aren't lying?"

"Because he isn't the only one up here," Blaze said as he walked next to me, followed by Far Sight and Applejack. "All of us are here because we want to see that wrong righted."

The guard with the sword looked at us, me especially, with a look of suspicion, before putting his sword away and saying, "Alright, but if you so much as try to harm our princess when you free her, we will kill you."

Yeah, good fucking luck with that. "We won't," I said. "Come on, guys, we need to get to where Nightmare's being held."

"Do we even know where that is," Sight said.

"Not a clue," I said. "Just that it's somewhere in the eye, and that we still don't have recon scans for the area."

"Didn't your Ghost say the center of the eye," Blaze said as we started walking.

"I guess, but who knows if the scans were being thrown off or not."

"Fair enough," Applejack said.

Just as we left the village behind, I saw a small speck on the horizon. Sight must have, too, as she looked through her sniper scope. "Looks like a castle," she said. "Probably where we need to go."

I nodded. "Agreed," I said. "Guardians, mount up," I said as I summoned my Sparrow, and Tara sent a message to Dinkle, telling him, and Cybis by extension, where we were going.

With that, the others summoned their Sparrows, and we set off.


Forge-3rd

As Forge and the other Hunters made their way to the castle Rhino just spotted, they themselves seeing it a few minutes prior, they rode past a barren landscape in silence for their fellow Hunter, not knowing Josh was alive. As the castle got closer and the message from Dinklebot came in over the radio about the castle, the Hunters heard a large roar, and stopped.

Just short of the castle, they looked and saw a large behemoth with ashen gray skin, no eyes, and where they should have been, bumpy, irritated skin, chains around it's wrists.

"What is that?" Forge said.

"No idea," one of her fellow Hunter said, "but I think it best to get away from it now!"

"Agreed," Forge said, and they boosted away from the Ogre as it slammed the ground and roared.


Cybis-1st

"Oh, fuck me," I said, recognizing that roar anywhere. Phogoth, the untamed. How in the actual hell did he get here? I mean, seriously, I doubt Celestia knows dimensional teleportation spells. On the other hand, it would explain her knowing to only send Twilight through the portal in EQG.

Cybis, you hear that? Rhino asked over them mental link.

Yeah. We need to move, now. That's where Forge and the Hunters are.

Then let's go.

With that, the Titans and Warlocks made our way to the castle, just as we neared, more Ogres appeared, and slammed the ground, causing us all to fall off our Sparrows. "Damn it," I said as I hit the ground. "How the hell are they here?"

"No idea," Rhino, who had landed next to me, said. "Current theory is Celestia ripped them from Destiny and brought them here without knowing what they are. It'd explain why they always fade when they're killed."

"Well, there's no way we can handle all of them," I said. "There's, what, a hundred of them? I didn't even know there were that many being killed at once."

"Same here, but we can still give them hell," Rhino said, getting up and firing his Suros. "After all, we Guardians don't flee."

"We fight," I said, getting up and firing my Hiss at Phogoth's stomach, his weak spot. It didn't look like it did anything, even after ten whole clips.

All of us had been forced into a square, and we were running low on ammo. I'm not kidding, I was down to half a magazine. Just as I fired off my last burst, I heard a voice over the radio I didn't think I'd hear again.

"All Defenders, pop the bubbles. Air support's coming in hot," Josh said. I didn't know what he meant by air support, but, really, I'd take it. I nodded to Rhino, and he made sure the Defenders did so. Every Guardian was under a bubble in the next second, just before a large wave of missiles streaked in from the south, with every jumpjet we had coming in behind them, with jumpjets with a design similar to Extinction or Vintage Russian Soul dropping what I could only guess were bombs on the Ogres.

Just as the dust cleared, a ship we all knew flew over and stopped between us and the Ogres, now reduced to just Phogoth and ten of his younger brothers. A shimmer indicating transmat happened, and there on the lunar surface, his Another Nit, which, if I'm right had Luck in the chamber and third eye, drawn and ready, his Invective on his back, and he also had his old Jackknife set on, the first he had ever completed, with our shader going. "So, you started the party with out me," he said. "I'm hurt."

I just chuckled as Rhino and I exited our ward of dawn to stand next to Josh. "Only because you were late," I said.

"I had to lose some assholes, sue me," Josh replied. Even in the face of death, we could still joke around.

"So, what music?" Rhino asked. Both Josh and I looked at him.

"I think you can guess," I said.

(music removed from youtube or otherwise unavailable. Song was Immigrant song by Led Zeppelin.)

As the song started, the three of us charged, the others rushing behind us. Phogoth roared, and his younger brothers fired their eye blasts at us. I jumped up and activated glide, then unleashed a shatter Nova bomb, killing three Ogres, landing in a kneeling position, while Rhino shoulder charged another, then fist of panicked the thing, killing it and those next to it. Josh summoned his Golden Gun, and fired three shots, killing one Ogre with two shots, and a second with the third, leaving three, not including Phogoth. The normal ones were taken care of quickly, and we then focused fire on Phogoth, but his eye beam kept us from being able to get a shot off on his weak point.

"You want to play hard to get," Josh said. "I can oblige," he said, charging straight towards the giant Ogre. He jumped up and brought his knees up, as if he was crouching, and brought his hands up as if he was firing a bow, only for one, with an arrow, to appear in his hands. He released the arrow, and it was sent flying towards Phogoth, and it hit its target, with a tether of void light anchring him to the ground, and preventing him from firing. Josh had his Shadow Shot. "Take him down, Guardians!" he yelled, and we all brought out our heavy weapons, myself bringing out a Thunderlord, and fired on Phogoth, and the air thundered with explosions and bullet fire. This time, he fell, and fell for good.

"So, care to explain how you got Shadow shot," Rhino asked as we walked up to Josh.

"Later. Right now," he said, looking up at the castle, "we get Nightmare out of here."

"Right," Rhino said.

"But before that, though," Josh said, turning to face Applejack. "Got something to tell us, Applejack? And don't bother lying, I already know."

"What are you talking about, Josh," Rhino said, but Josh just crossed his arms and stared at Applejack, who was acting a little jumpy, now that I look at her in a calm moment.

"Well?"

Applejack looked around, I imagine for a distraction, then let her head down and sighed. "Fine. I kinda snuck Twilight here."

"WHAT?!" Rhino and I yelled, getting the attention of the others.

"I didn't know this was gonna happen. I f I did, I wasn't going to bring her, I swear. Wait a minute, where is she," she asked in a panic, but Josh saved from a panic attack.

"Up in the Extinction. She decided to come with me when I led those shadow dragons away from you all, and pulled off a Golden Gun, and actually saved me from those things. But both you and her are going to get punished, AJ, once we get back. Got it?"

"Yeah," Applejack said, holding her head down.

"The let's go," Josh said. "Forge, Blaze, Azure, take one other Guardian and make sure nothing but us leaves or enters this place." Azure, full name being Azure Moon, was a Warlock earth pony with the Viper Spine armor set on and had the Chatterwhite shade on, with an Allfate as her primary and the Vestian dynasty as her special weapon.

"You got it," Forge said.

"The rest of you, aside from Applejack, are to go back to the Tower and make sure there are no holes in security. Nightmare's going to be weak, and we can't have somepony trying to kill her because of the legend."

Those that would be going back to the planet's surface nodded, and disappeared in transmat, while Forge, Blaze, and Aura, along with those staying behind with them, summoned their Sparrows, and set out on a patrol route.

"Twilight, you too. You're with us," he said. "Yes, I'm serious. . . Look, if you don't come down now, it'll be even worse for you. Besides, it'll be close quarters, and we'll make sure you're in the center."

I assume Twilight went with it, as she soon transmatted down, the shrunk under Rhino's gaze and mine.

"Okay, people, let's go," Josh said. "Twilight in the center."

Rhino, Applejack, and I nodded, and we made our way into the castle, Twilight in the center of our formation, looking to bring a princess back.

Author's Note:

In regards to last chapters footnote I had forgotten, the Multiple worlds theory, basically, says that for every possibility, there is a world where it is true. For example, where as you all decided to read this story, there is a world where you didn't. This basically means that there is a universe exactly like MLP. BRONIES REJOICE!