Destiny : Twilight Voidwalker - The Misadventures

by BackroundVoice

The 6th - Chapter 2 : The Price for Pride

Following Rasputin's directions, we found ourselves back where we started. The launch site of our Arcadia.

"Brings back memories doesn't it Ghost?" Twilight interjected, "Who would've thought we'd find a Warp Drive here."

"If we do find one," I said, not entirely convinced that this "Rasputin" had our best interests in mind.

"Either way, worth a shot!" Apple Jack spoke up, trotting beside us as if we were going out for a picnic. "It's not very often I get to patrol like this Twilight, thanks for bringing me along." Apple Jack said sincerely. She was excited to hear that we needed help when we called her, but now that she was here, I don't think I've ever seen a pony more happy than her. Hugging Twilight with one hoof tightly as we continued on to the path to the abandoned facility.

"Likewise AJ..." Twilight smiled back, glad to see a friend as well. And if I'm being honest with myself, seeing Twilight like this makes me happy too.

There have been so many times that I forget just how close she is to Apple Jack and Rainbow Dash. Sometimes I think it's too good to be true that some of the tower's most skilled Guardians are Twilight's long lost friends. But when I take into scope just how determined and courageous they all are, I begin to understand why.

Their friendship, truly is magic.

And every day I spend with her is just another testimony of that.

"Arm yourself Guardian," I told Twilight in the midst of their giggling and small chat.

"That's right ladies, pull out the exotics!" Scarecrow, Apple Jack's Ghost spat as if that term for weapons was common.

"Scare!" Apple Jack hushed her firm voice, "Sorry Twi, Scare just doesn't know his manners."

"It's quite alright AJ," Twilight interjected with a smile, "There aren't many Guardians with a gun like mine in the Tower, but because of that, I consider my Khvostov an exotic personally!"

"Aww... How cute, she thinks it's cool..." Scarecrow whispered loudly into Apple Jack's ear. To which AJ rolled her eyes, and equipped her helmet as Twilight did.

Now entering the facility, Twilight and Apple Jack raised their weapons with the utmost cation. Cracked concrete, prodding rebar, and a stench of decay described just about everything in this part of Old Ponyville. Twilight scoured the dark corners of each room we passed through, looking for the slightest sign of the enemy. But I could tell that wasn't the only thing she was glancing at.

Apple Jack's Forth Horsemen shotgun drew her attention as well as a bug to a light. So much so that Twilight bumped into a wall gazing at it.

"You alright Twi?" Apple Jack asked in a hushed tone. Twilight nodded, embarrassed. But honestly, who could blame her, the quad barrels, the titanium iron sight, and the auto fire on a five round clip made for one nasty tool of death for anything on the other end of it's trigger.

"You should really get one of those..." I accidentally said out loud.

"What did you say?" Twilight asked, turning to me a little annoyed. But I dodged the question when we heard Fallen howling ahead.

All of us got even more focused as we neared the next room. The room we first encountered that Captain, and the room we found our Arcadia. Looking around corners, and finding good vantage points, Twilight and Apple Jack turned on their radio channel to further discuss their plan of attack. There was a lot of Fallen in there. Around eleven in total. Five Dregs, a Vandal and Captain, guarded by three shanks and a... Oh dear.

"An Archon?" Twilight asked over the radio channel.

"Exactly," AJ began, "These fellers are higher rank than even a captain, and taller too. Their like priests in a church, except instead of talking to gods, they talk to Prime Servitors, communing any information from them to the Kells of each house. And this ones a Devil... Must be pretty mad that you killed it's god."

"Oops..." Twilight grinned, but kept looking for the best moment of opportunity to strike. But as she looked, a glowing object glistened against the sun's light. A warp drive dangled by a rope along the Archon's waist.

"A warp drive!" Twilight chimed a little loud. I could see Apple Jack cringing as the Fallen looked around the room, only to spot a rusty door, squeaking on it's hinges. They paid it no mind, figuring Twilight's voice was just another tiny noise made from the door.

"Keep it down Twi!" Apple Jack insisted, "It's bad enough that a big group like this is here, let alone an Archon. We should go outside and wait for back up with this one. I'm calling up Rainbow..." But while she started to radio for Rainbow Dash, Twilight watched the Archon and the captain intently, seeing them converse with each other, gesturing to a large hole in the far wall.

"No," Twilight muttered, "Their leaving..." Apple Jack saw the same look in Twilight's eye's as I did. She was going to go for the warp drive. Apple Jack and I both started to call out for Twilight to stop, but stopped ourselves to give Twilight a chance of getting to the warp drive. Regardless we disagreed with her plan.

Twilight galloped for the Archon, and just when the captain was about to alert the room from spotting her, Apple Jack had pitched a cooking grande at him, seconds barely passed as it exploded in his face. The sound of a shield breaking and the cries of two Dregs echoing in the room, and conflict had already erupted between Apple Jack and the other Fallen. Leaving Twilight with just enough of a diversion to pull the warp drive from the Archon's belt. The Archon whipped around to see Twilight ducking for cover behind a pillar, as the strong tug at his waist left him furious and raging as he forgot about Apple Jack, and began his assault on Twilight.

"You bucking idiot!" Apple jack shouted over the radio channel.

"Lecture me later AJ, Ghost and I have the warp drive, we just need to get out of here now." Twilight said, hunkering down as blast after blast blew a chunk off the pillar she hid behind. Apple Jack couldn't get a good enough opening to fire back at the Fallen, so she surprised them, jumping out from her cover, Apple Jack switched to her assault rifle, a Shingen-E. Firing a little at the shanks, taking down two of them before rolling into more cover.

Twilight was getting uneasy as the Archon approached to the pillar. In a despite attempt to get him off her back, she formed a void grenade and tossed it on the Archon's right. Exploding into a swirling vortex, the grenade pulled at the Archon, hurting him, but he quickly moved away from it, leaving Twilight the time to bolt past him. But even with the void driving the Archon away while she sprinted through it, the Archon reached for her, gripped the back side of her neck tight, and put barrel of his shrapnel launcher against her back. Twilight tossed the warp drive to Apple Jack just as she had killed the last of the minor Fallen.

"Let her go!" Apple Jack ordered. Pointing her gun fearlessly at the Archon.

"Drive!" The Archon slurred in our language. Apple Jack looked down at the warp drive hesitantly. To her it the drive didn't matter, but to Twilight, who shook her head desperately, it wasn't worth the trade. Apple Jack slowly picked up the warp drive, gun still pointed at the Archon.

"I give you this, you drop her... Or I will unleash hell on you..." Apple Jack sternly said, and the Archon replied nodding, growling with earnest. AJ tossed him the warp drive, and as he grabbed it out of the air, the Archon narrowed his eyes. Apple Jack glared with grinding teeth, as he watched him pull the trigger on Twilight.

Twilight couldn't form any words to describe the pain that ripped through her. Large pieces of metal exited on the opposite end of her body, and her eyes rolled back as she fell.

"Twilight!" Apple Jack called out, catching her from hitting the ground, and the Archon turned to the large hole in the wall to escape. But before he could, a loud boom was heard over head, and a shining golden spark ignited as it entered through the hole in the ceiling, and blocked the entrance to the Archon's escape. Rainbow Dash hovered there, shining like pure gold, sniper rifle aimed point blank at the Archon's head. No words were exchanged, just a glare, and a loud bang.

The bullet ripped through the Archon's head, splitting it to pieces. And as the Archon fell, the warp drive rolled out of his grasp and next to Twilight and Apple Jack. Rainbow Dash descended, her golden light fading as she stepped closer to her friends, saddened expressions from both of them as they looked down on Twilight.

"Everything will fine, just fine!" I said out of desperation.

"Ghost..." Rainbow said, hoping I would hear her out for a moment, but the thought of Twilight dying out here was all I could think of.

I had already parted my nodes to resurrect Twilight, but the light I was gathering wasn't enough. I kept repeating the healing process until Apple Jack stepped closer to me, her hoof touching my core. Rainbow Dash too stepped in and joined her hoof to me, and the light that they poured into me exceeded the amount needed, and the light emitted a burst into a shower of sparks. Reforming Twilight, healed and breathing.

Rainbow Dash and Apple Jack hugged her, relieved she was alright. It was really astounding, to see the light source of Guardians at work. There would always be a scarce amount of light out here as long as the darkness ruled over it. But in this tiny room, there was an abundance. Twilight sat up, frowning as she did.

"I failed to even get past him..." she said.

"It couldn't be helped Twi," Apple Jack said, "The same thing would've happened if tried that stunt."

"So what your saying is, that it was pointless..."

AJ cringed as she heard her say that, but Rainbow picked up the warp drive, and dropped it in Twilight's lap.

"Maybe not entirely pointless," Rainbow commented, "But that should teach you to not steal from an Archon with a grudge." Twilight smiled weakly at that. Holding up the warp drive to the setting sun.

"Let's go..." I said, and Twilight nodded. Thinking of how her pride had gotten in the way of accomplishing what good she thought she could do. We then warped to our Jumpship,, setting the course to the Tower. And while we sat there in the Jumpship, Twilight looked to me with something to say.

"Once I was so worried about writing a letter to Princess Celestia, I ended up causing more trouble than there should've been,"

"This was completely different Guardian... That Archon was going to have his way no matter what." I said. But Twilight shook her head.

"There is still so much more I need to learn... I really am still just a student..." Twilight turned on her side in the cockpit, facing away from me. Her saying that was a little enraging. I felt like she didn't even listen to me. But I left her alone, out of spite. And then I heard a soft sniffling and uneasy breathing. "After everything... I haven't changed..." Twilight said, in between breaths.

I said nothing as we returned to the Tower with Rainbow Dash and Apple Jack stayed within out flight pattern. I suppose there was still a lot I need to learn too. About Twilight, and about being a Ghost.