Little Light

by InfinitySlayer

Darkness Rising

GHOST MEMORY LOG 1-5
ORIGIN POINT: UNKNOWN [>10000 LIGHT YEARS OUTSIDE SOLAR SYSTEM]
RETRIEVED [DATA CORRUPTED]
ENTRY FOLLOWS, GUARDIAN ATTENTION REQUESTED:

The warm sunlight of that glorious morning was a welcome addition to the day. That bright light overpowered whatever Darkness still permeated my memory for a few short moments of bliss. I hope that it will continue to shine on upon this heavenly world as a harbinger of life and the protectorate of what remains.

I hovered beside my Guardian while we embarked on what I may most closely define as a morning stroll. What a foreign concept to any of us these days. The time for such relaxing ventures perished for all but the wealthy rulers of the Last City along with the millions who still appreciated such small things. I'm sure you haven't been on quite so many vacations yourself, Guardian. Unless, of course, you qualify performing a Raid on Venus as a "vacation".

Initially, neither my new Guardian nor I shared a word, both of us content to simply absorb the warm air of the early summer and contemplate silently to ourselves. I sensed Fluttershy's feelings as much as she was able to do so to mine. I felt no small amount of fear and confusion coursing through her mind and heart, clouding her judgement and dulling her Light. In time, I hope that I am able to come up with a truly appropriate method of explaining exactly what all of the events of the past day actually entail for her. I've got a nagging feeling that whatever bad situation we run into next will expedite that learning a little too quickly.

For the first half a kilometer or so there was nothing but lively green trees and vivid myriads of flowers to keep us company. I've never seen such an array and abundance of organic lifeforms in all my time as a Ghost. I simply can't imagine the incredible benefits we could make for the City if we somehow found a way of getting civilians out here and away from the Darkness, forever. It could be the start of a new Golden Age, or at least, the end of centuries of suffering and death. Such an achievement would make the countless lost Guardians worth something more than simply passionate inspiration for more Guardians to arrive at the same fate.

Around ten minutes into our small quest, I saw the first instance of another member of Fluttershy's species. It was at a fork in the winding dirt road, where one path deviated towards what appeared to be a small, colorful village and another into a rather foreboding forest. In the center of the fork stood a plain white bench atop a small patch of emerald grass, and sitting in a rather awkward position atop that bench was a mint green creature fitting most of Fluttershy's phenotype. Aside from the radically different shade of her coat (I assume this new creature to be a "she" as much as I assume Fluttershy to be so) and an oddly shaped horn protruding from her skull, her bodily composition and structure is nearly identical to my Guardian's. I can only wonder the actual purpose of such an odd, bony attachment to her head. Such a thing looked rather mythical and out of place, as if it belonged in the bedtimes stories City-goers reserve for their young.

I considered activating my cloak for a moment, swiftly deciding that the newly identified pony had already seen me and it would be even stranger to just pop out of existence. Besides, I have nothing to hide from these new creatures. I hope to continue to establish good relations with their kind. The last thing I want is to somehow instill some resentment of Guardians and Ghosts into them.

Fluttershy seemed to have much the same idea, projecting a warm smile at the newcomer in what I assume to be her sort of greeting. If her personality holds true to her name, then it is likely that she is significantly introverted and may dislike initiating conversation. Following suit with my new Guardian's example, I greeted the stranger with a simple "hello".

My presence didn't seem to alarm the mint green equine as she responded in kind, "Good morning, Fluttershy. Fancy meeting you here. What's that creature? A new pet?"

I almost took offense at the derogatory term, quite willing to give this stranger a crash course in Ghost trigonometric, only to be halted by my Guardian's hurried reply, "Not exactly, Lyra. His name's Blue, and he's a...what exactly are you again?"

I considered the question and the statement for a moment. For one, my name isn't actually Blue. I suppose I'll go by that alias until I find a plausible substitute. As for what I am exactly...that's not quite an easy question to answer. Even the Guardians don't quite know what we are, why we were sent by the Traveler, or what makes us tick. Beyond a basic understanding of our abilities, even us Ghosts don't know what we were made to do beyond create and assist the Guardians. I knew I needed to answer with something, so I went with the standard reply,

"I am a Ghost, born of the Traveler's Light. I was made to protect the Light from the Darkness, to protect her who I chose to be the Guardian of the world."

My answer very clearly confused both Fluttershy and Lyra alike. For a few moments, Lyra stood baffled by both my statement and, I assume, my ability to communicate freely with the sentient lifeforms of this planet.

"It...can talk? I've never seen a pet of yours that's been outright able to speak, Fluttershy."

Aha. My initial hypothesis was proven correct. This could mean that these "ponies" are the only sentient organism on this planet. Although, I use the term "sentient" flexibly. A blue jay perched in a nearby tree did eye me rather strangely.

"Yeah, Blue is pretty different from anything I've ever seen before. He's said a lot of strange things, which is why I'm taking him to see Twilight. I'm hoping she might have some information on what exactly he is."

So that was the reason she took me on this venture. I suppose it makes sense. If I were in her position, the first thing I would do is attempt to get help from someone I could trust. Still, I doubt that this "Twilight" character has any relevant information on the Last City and it's functions, as we certainly don't have any on this strange, innocent world.

"Funny you should mention that," the lime pony began, "because she just passed by here around thirty minutes ago or so. Said something about meeting with Zecora. Mentioned something about a potion that could prevent stomach aches, before she darted towards that weird shack of Zecora's."

Fluttershy nodded, giving the mint green pony a warm farewell as we changed course and headed down the path into the dense, shadowy forest.

I noticed that my Guardian's demenor sharply changed as we pushed further and further into the damp, overgrown wilderness. It was quite clear that she did not like the enclosed atmosphere, the dancing shadows, the element of uncertainty. I certainly didn't enjoy the scenery, but I was already used to far worse than this. My old Guardian and I had ventured into the depths of hell and back on little more than whim more times than I could count. Hopefully my new one would grow used to the change in decor.

I attempted some awkward small talk with Fluttershy to take her mind off the surroundings, "I'm sure you have a lot of questions regarding your situation. Ask away, and I'll try my best to explain."

Fluttershy looked off into the inky distance, replying, "I'm still just taking it all in. I suppose my biggest concern is about what exactly I'm supposed to do as a, 'Guardian'".

She stressed the last word with confused emphasis. I looked to her, "Not too much, I hope." That was at best a half truth, at worst a blatant, manipulative lie. She just looked so shaken up already. I didn't think that she had the wherewithal to be told to kill minions of Darkness and possibly die in the process.

She looked at me with those same piercing, ice blue eyes, "But those things you showed me...those horrible creatures. They won't come here, will they?"

I tore my gaze away from her, "I can't say that for certain. That's why I need to get you equipped with some useful gear as soon as I can."

I still technically had all my Guardian's old gear stored in encrypted engrams, but I would have to retrofit anything I wanted to use to properly conform to a different species' shape. Plus, I wasn't quite ready to access that gear. It's full of great memories tainted by the knowledge that they were all in vain.

Practically shaking in her hooves, Fluttershy pressed on through the ever denser forest. It occurred to me that she was significantly more emotionally frail than most people I had ever met were. I have to be sure not to push her too hard, otherwise I risk scarring her permanently. That is, unless I already have.

We continued through the black, exotic forest for another few minutes or so with little conversation. I was perhaps as confused as my Guardian regarding this interesting situation. So many questions still need answering. I certainly hope that this Twilight has some useful information.

A startling sight forced me to halt motion. Fluttershy stopped a few paces in front, observing me with a confused eye. I stared in mock terror at my motion sensor. Three dots blinked upon the circular device. One belonged to me, the other my Guardian. One more unidentified crimson dot moved swiftly towards our position.

Unable to respond to Fluttershy's concerned attempts to communicate, I activated my external sensor. After a few moments, information returned to my data frame, of which I quickly analyzed.

"Vex." The word rolled off my communicators like a chain weight into the ocean.

"What?" My Guardian's reply was masked by the sound of something swiftly approaching through the dense underbrush.

Just then, the object of my fears and grief exploded from the forest. It was triangular in shape, with multiple robotic tentacles pursuing outwards and a single crimson eye staring into my soul. A Vex Harpy unit.

I had no time to warn my Guardian before it opened fire.

END LOG

Comments

[Goofball With Internet]

That has to be the most annoying cliffhanger i have ever had the displeasure of meeting. Good story though, and i know the feeling about the old gear. I still got my year 1 thorn because i just don't have the heart to dismantle it.

[The Villain in Glasses]

7732768

Ah the douche-cannon... good times~

[primeoetgrunn]

7732768 I still have my first weapon: that Russian assault rifle you pick up in the Cosmodrome. Used it 'till Venus without switching. Still use that underpowered piece of junk in Crucible just to make 'em rage when they get killed by it. Good memories connected to that thing.

[Wolfsalvo]

7733438 ... Im going to go do the same!

update-
1st game using it, I came on top of both teams with 21K 10D... I LOVE this stupid gun! It does better in PVP than some of my higher rate auto's!

[pahnazd]

And it's happening. Too soon. Then again, the Vex are cold machines led purely by logic. They see a chance, they take it. No such thing as courtesy.
Let's see how poor Fluttershy will be able to handle herself. That won't be fun.

[Playermario]

This is pretty good so far. Can't wait for more.