Titan's Arcology

by pushi

Epilogue: Whispers

The sun was setting over the hospital room in the Tower. A cool breeze caused the window curtains to flutter gently, through which the great Traveler looked over them. It was a rather small room, as Guardians rarely needed treatment for their injuries. This, however, was an exception. The two ponies sat at Rainbow’s bedside, not talking, only gazing at the unconscious mare.

Applejack had taken the news of her lover’s injury the hardest, as Twilight knew she would. The moment she had been told, she had sprinted towards the hospital room, the rare sight of tears upon her face. It had been close. There was but the tiniest ounce of Light left in Rainbow’s body. A few more seconds in the crystal, and she would never have been able to come back to life again. It was going to take time, but eventually, that single drop of Light would grow itself into a river, which would flow Rainbow’s life back to her.

“Zavala knew,” Twilight spoke at last. “He knew about the powers the Hive had on Titan. That's why he didn't want anyone going after those he had sent. He didn't want to lose more Guardians.” Applejack nodded silently.

“It's a good thing we did go, though,” she continued. “Who knows what the Hive could have summoned. Even if Rainbow-”

She stopped suddenly, glancing at Applejack, worried she had said something to upset, but the reassuring smile from the orange mare told her otherwise.

“It's alright, Twi.” she replied. “I know this kind of thing happens all the time. Just think of the others.” Applejack said softly, still staring at Rainbow’s closed eyes. “All those lives, lost to the Hive. How many did you say it was, again?”

“Thirteen,” replied Twilight.

“Thirteen. God.” Applejack repeated. “It's a miracle y’all got out of there alive. And stopping that ritual - I should have been there.”

Twilight sighed.

“You would have been a great help. We might even have been able to save some of them. But there wasn't any time. We had only just found out Zavala tried to cover it up when they had already been gone eight hours, and by then, you and the others were already off. I forgot to ask,” Twilight paused. “How did your mission go?”

“‘Bout as well as roundin’ up sheep with a chihuahua. We were chasin’ Zahn ‘round the old ironwork facilities, but he lost us in that damned forest.” A shudder passed over Applejack. “Place gives me the creeps. Rainbow would have felt right at home, though,” she said, smiling at her marefriend. “That's where she really belongs. Out there in the wilds, hunting and exploring. You don't send two Titans and a Warlock to do a Hunter’s job. Not when the best one alive is right there in front of you.”

"Cayde might disagree with that." Twilight chuckled.

She sat there and watched for few more minutes, before deciding to leave Applejack and Rainbow in peace.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” she spoke from the doorway to the hospital as she shut the door, and began the walk through the Tower back to her room, Spike floating along beside her.

“Would you say that’s the closest we’ve came?” he asked her.

“To dying?” Twilight asked. Spike nodded. Twilight considered for a moment before answering.

“It isn’t.” she said finally. Spike snorted.

“I’d have to disagree there. I’d never been grabbed by one of those horrible Thrall before. Thought I was done for the moment it got hold of me.”

Twilight rubbed his top affectionately with an outstretched hoof.

“Don’t you worry, now. I promise you I won’t ever let that happen again.”

They reached the door to Twilight’s study, and she was just about to pull it open and get some rest when she suddenly remembered something.

“Spike, I’ve got to go and do something.” she said, whirling around and sprinting back along the corridor. “You go to sleep!” she called back over her shoulder, ignoring his protests.

Once Twilight was sure she was out of sight, she sunk into the shadows between two buildings. She reached her hoof into her tattered robes and pulled something small and sharp out of a pocket. Her heart skipped a beat as she surveyed it in the dim glow of the sunset. A piece of the Wizard had survived her Nova Bomb. A single, tiny bone had fallen to the ground after its obliteration, and Twilight had snatched it up without even thinking. Now, she was examining every last inch of its ancient and jagged form, reading it, gathering from it the information she sought. Each crack - each line carved into the bone told her something different. One told her the Wizard’s name had been Necra. The word meant ‘conductor’ in the Hive language.

That made sense. Twilight thought. She carried out the Shrieker’s song.

The next one, however, gave her the blurred and dim image of something tall stood - no - floating in blackness, somehow an even darker shade of black than its surroundings. A surge of pain pulsed through her head and she shut her eyes, wincing.

Silver horns. Poison-dripping teeth. Arms like metal sticks that ended in four, dagger-like claws. Burning blue eyes in the shape of diamonds and ragged, moth-like wings. The tiniest sound caught in Twilight’s mind, and eyes shot open in panic. Her heart was racing, and sweat was forming on her brow. She looked down at her hooves, and saw the bone clutched there. Immediately she dropped it, backing away, eyes wide. Then came to her the terrifying truth. The object laying on the stone floor was not a bone. How could it have been? What bones held such secrets and survived blasts with the power of an exploding star? Twilight had stared into the depths of the shard, and something tall - something horned - something wicked, had stared back.

In that moment, Twilight understood. It all fit together. Necra. The Shrieker. The Song and the ritual. Even the presence of the hellish Taken on Io.

And a whisper, just a whisper, of the name Savathûn.