All light is present in the universe. It is found in all things and places. But where there is light, darkness lingers. Now it is up to one Guardian to protect the light from a darkness far from her home in a world of ponies.
3 years have passed since my rebirth. In those 3 years, I have slain gods, kings, and many armies. Now I'm tasked with seeking out new worlds by the Speaker to protect them from any threat that may be against them. Somehow this led me the edge of the light to a world of talking ponies and myths. I guess its time to get to work.
I sat in boredom as I watched two fallen dregs fight over a piece of an old ship engine. I watched the two claw and kick at each other for engine piece.
Usually, I don't care for these type of things that happen here on the moon, but today I just felt bored and lonely. My other fireteam members were doing their own things throughout the system and I was not feeling the mood to get in a crucible match.
I was flying around on my sparrow, wandering the area, until I came up to an old ship wreckage and found the two arguing. The arguing soon led to them fighting each other which led to where I am now. I've just been sitting here... alone... watching two fallen fight. God, what happened to my life.
"Is there a reason you're just sitting there watching those two fight?" my ghost said as he appeared next to me. I shrugged. I really had no answer for him.
"I don't know. Just wanted to see where this was going I guess." I replied lazily.
I saw one of the fallen manage to get a good swipe at his enemy and knock him to the ground. He quickly pulled out his ark dagger and lunged at the downed dreg. The downed dreg wasn't fast enough to react and ended up with the blade being stabbed right through his chest. He screeched in pain for only a second before falling limp, dead.
The victorious dreg pulled the blade out and sheathed it. He looked down at his prize. I couldn't see his face under his mask, but I could take a guess he was happy. I didn't really care. His happiness meant little to nothing to me. I pulled out my Hawkmoon and aimed it at the fallen. I guess he felt my presence because as soon as I pulled the hammer back on the hand cannon he looked up at me in shock. I gave him no time to react as I pulled the trigger and a audible click filled the air.
I watched in boredom as I saw the fallen's head explode. I was surprise to see the head blow off so easily. I then realized that I fired one of my lucky shots. Two random bullets in the gun are fired with increased damage and the audible click signaled I fired one of them. He fell to the ground next to the other fallen dreg. I stood up from my spot in the dirt and stowed my gun. I didn't bother to reload since I could do it at a later time.
"I'm not sure if I should feel bad for it. Is it wrong that I do?" my ghost asked, looking at the corpse with what I call a "weary" expression. I shrugged at his question.
"Hell if I know. All fallen are enemies. It's no different killing this one."
"Yea but, it seems like that no matter how many we kill, they just keep coming back." he sighed. I nodded.
"Let's go. There is nothing here for us." I said. My ghost nodded and then disappeared. I felt a familiar feeling of my body being pulled. I took one last glance at the two fallen before my vision was filled with space. I sat in the cockpit of my ship, looking down at the moon from where we flew from orbit. I leaned back in my chair, pulling down my hood and taking off my helmet, the Celestial Nighthawk. I placed on my dashboard where some of my other junk is. A few candy wrappers and some small engrams I have yet to turn in to the Cryptark.
I sighed deeply before relaxing in my chair, completely ignoring everything around me. I was in peace and quiet, that was until I heard a loud beeping coming from my control console. I cracked open an eye to see what was interrupting my quiet time. My eyes widened when I saw I was receiving a transmission. I pressed a few buttons on my console to see who it was from. I was surprised to see it was coming from the Speaker in a private signal. Its been forever since the speaker ever wanted to speak to me personally.
I pressed the answer button and waited for the Speaker to speak (*facepalm). I waited for a moment before I heard him talk.
"Hello, Ashli, are you there?" the Speaker asked. I smiled as I heard his voice for the first time in a year. For some reason, whenever I hear his voice, I feel this weird warmth. I know it's not love, but at the same time, it feels good knowing he is still up and about. I've always been with him when I first woke up. Some would say I was his "errand girl", but it wasn't that. He was the first I met when I walked through the tower. From him, I learned much about the history of the city and the traveler. Sometimes we walked out into the city and just talked or explored. He sort of was a father figure to me. Me not even knowing who my real father really was, it was important to me.
"Yea I'm here. What you need?" I asked, moving back into my chair to relax.
"Ah, it is good to hear your voice again Ashli. How have you been?" he asked. I scratched the side of my cheek, thinking about what to tell him.
"Oh, just the usual. Go from planet to planet, kill bad guys, get loot that is too weak, rinse and repeat." I said, trying not to sound as sarcastic as I can be. I heard him sigh as he picked up on my sarcasm. Dammit.
"Now Ashli, you know why we do this. Without us going out and fighting the darkness, the worlds we know would be in utter chaos and this city wouldn't stand as it does today." he chastised. I sunk into my chair, mumbling to myself about how he was right. "Anywho, I didn't call you to say hi. I need you to come back to the Tower. I have a mission for you and I want to tell you in person and get the equipment ready for you". I raised a brow.
"What equipment?' I asked.
"Just meet me in my observatory and I will tell you the details," he said. I nodded.
"I'll see you there," I said. I then cut the transmission. I turned to my ghost.
"What do you think he wants?" my ghost asked while looking up at me. I shook my head.
"Only one way to find out," I said as I punched in the coordinates for The Last City.
I lurched forward as we came out of warp. I shook my head slightly, trying to clear the small dizziness that happens when you warp. I took the handle of the ship and flew towards the Tower in The Last City. I smiled as I saw the City coming into view. I looked down into the city. I saw people living their own daily lives, completely unaware of what lurks outside of the giant wall that surrounds them. I looked above them and saw the Traveler itself. I flew around it, taking in every detail of the giant orb. Its white surface reflecting the sunlight, almost making it hard to look at.
It's kinda funny. This one thing that gave us all this power and is a beacon of hope and light o everyone is just sitting above a city for all to see. Just sitting out in the open, waiting for something to nuke it out of the sky. I bet those who live under it barely get any sunlight. I tore my eyes away from the giant orb and looked down at the Tower, the home of the Guardians. I flew my ship into the docks of the tower. I went in slow, making sure not to hit anything as I made my way inside. I landed in one of the many empty spots that occupy the docks. I lowered the ship down to the ground slowly. An aid robot stood in front of my ship to aid me, but I just ignored it since I've done this so many times. I landed on the pad softly and turned off my engines.
I opened the Cockpit on my ship and jumped out onto the hard cement floor. I passed by the bot as it gave me a salute. I walked towards the staircase that leads to the main hub of the tower.
"COME ON YOU IDIOT! WE JUST GOT THOSE!"
I looked around for that loud voice that abruptly came out of nowhere. I looked farther up the stairs and I wasn't surprised to see the one and only Amanda Holiday yelling at some bot that dropped a bunch of boxes of ship parts. I walked over to see what the problem was.
"Come on! Why did you try to take more than one at a time! Now you've just made a mess!" Amanda yelled, obviously irritated that the bot tried to show if its strength. The bot looked down in shame and began to pick up the pieces. I walked up behind Amanda slowly, crouching down slightly so she won't notice me. I switched my power to a Bladedancer and began filling my hands with electricity. I made enough to zap her but not hurt her. I was only a few feet away from my target. I reached forward, ready to grab her by the arm. I lunged forward, laughing aloud knowing I had got her. Before I knew it, she quickly turned around and caught my wrist. I one fluid motion she twisted my arm sideways and swiped a leg under my feet. I flipped on my back with a loud thud.
I groaned as I lay there completely and utterly confused. I looked up and saw Amanda staring down at me unamused. "You know, for a hunter, you're not that quiet," she said with a snarky tone. I rolled my eyes.
"Fuck off. If I wanted, you would be dead." I said hotly. She shrugged and reached out a hand. I took it and she brought me up to my feet.
"Probably, but it still feels good knowing you can't sneak up on me." she joked. I chuckled and gave her a light shove.
"Yea, whatever. At least I'm out there instead of here," I said, pointing toward the dock's door and back at the bot still cleaning up the mess. She rolled her eyes and brought up a holo-pad tucked way under her armpit.
"Anyway, your ship will be updated soon for your mission from the Speaker. He wanted me to make sure all your gear is up to date and everything is working," she said while pressing a few buttons on the holo-pad. I raised a brow at this.
"Mission? The Speaker didn't mention the mission to me yet," I said, curious as to what the Speaker has in store for me.
"Oh, he hasn't told you? I guess you should make your way to the observatory then," she said. I nodded. I gave her a pat on the shoulder in which she smiled in return. I turned around and made my way up to the hub.
I stood in front of the Cryptark, waiting for him to finish decoding the legendary engram I found earlier. He stood there, typing a few things on his holo-pad while staring at the purple engram. The engram started to glow for a second before breaking down to reveal a shotgun. I grabbed the gun and examined it.
The gun was a slug shotgun. A Suros model. I looked at its light level, 390. I looked at my light and groaned. I'm not even sure why I collect these anymore if they won't affect me. I deconstructed the gun and gathered its materials. No point in keeping a gun that won't change my 400 light level. I said goodbye to the Cryptark as I walked away. I made my way to the observatory, that was before I heard a familiar voice calling out my name.
I groaned inwardly as I recognized the voice. It belonged to the same vanguard idiot who always tried to bother me when I came here. I looked back to see Cayde running up to me with some sort of belt with a glowing blue buckle in the front and a silver metal rod in his arms. I stood there, waiting for him for to get to me.
When he finally reached me, he bent over gasping for breath. I thought that was weird since he can't breathe. He stood up and looked at me.
"Hey, Ash! Its been a while since you came by here. How've you been?" he asked in a chipper tone. I rolled my eyes. He always tried to bother me with stupid crap. He always tried to get me to do is hard jobs since I was one of the strongest hunters out there.
"What do you want Cayde? I need to go see the Speaker about something important," I said, not bothering to hide my annoyance. He shrugged.
"What? I cant see my favorite guardian?" he asked innocently. I shook my head.
"No. Usually, when you want to see me, you want me to do something for you," I said. He nodded.
"Okay, you got me there, but its good this time. Our tech guys just finished up some new blink gear," he said while motioning to the belt and rod. I raised a brow.
"Let me guess, you want me to test it?" I asked, not too excited about how this is going. He nodded.
"Yep. Its supposed to be a failsafe in case you get in a snag. The belt locks on to the position of this spear thingy", he motions towards the pole," and it blinks you right over there. You can do it as much as you want." he said. I looked at the belt and spear wearily.
"Does it work?" I asked.
"Of course it works! That's why I want you to use it."
"A field test?"
"Yep". I sighed. I took the belt and spear and transported into my inventory. "Plus, who better than the "Hawkeye" herself to test some new equipment that may or may not work". I jumped back slightly when he said that.
"But you said it did!" I exclaimed.
"Yea, we tested it on bots and objects. We don't know if it will affect a human. You get to be the lucky first contestant," he joked. I groaned. He noticed my annoyance and tried to calm me down. "Hey, hey, tell you what. You test it out a few times and I will give you something nice, sound good," he said. I rolled my eyes.
"Fine, but I'm keeping it if it works." I huffed. He nodded happily.
"I knew I could count on you, Ash." I turned around an made my way to the Speaker.
I looked up at the speaker. He stood in his little library, looking through a book, reading it silently. I let out a breath of air I didn't know I was holding and walked up the stairs to his library. I made it up the stairs and sat against the railing. I waited patiently for him to finish. I sat there for a few minutes before he closed the book suddenly. It shocked me at how forceful the close was. He walked over to a shelf and slid the book inside its respected place. Rule one for the Speakers library put the back exactly where you found it.
He looked over at me. I couldn't tell what he was feeling since I couldn't see his face. He then shrugged before walking to his desk. "One of the main characters died," he said sadly. I chuckled slightly.
"I hope you didn't call me here to tell me about the book," I said, trying my best not to crack a smile. He sighed.
"No. I called you here because I have a new mission for you." I cocked my head to the side slightly.
"What?" I asked, now very interested in what he called me here for. Its been forever since I've done a quest or mission. I hope whatever he needs me to do will be a long quest. He looks away from me toward the Traveler. He stares at it for a moment before speaking.
"The time has come where we must fight back," he said. I frowned at this.
"Haven't we've been fighting this whole time. Has everything we've done meant nothing. All those who die to protect this place," I fumed. He looked down in thought.
"We have, but we are strong now. We have grown in power and numbers. It is time we fight back. No more should we cower behind these walls which have protected us for so many years. Now we must go out and fight back the darkness," he said in his usual inspirational way. He always had a way with words and making you feel like a god. But what he's saying... it's actually not crazy. We have grown stronger these past few years. We might be able to actually fight back in a full offensive.
"That's not a bad idea, but where would we start? There are so many places that are taken over by our enemies. There is no way we can fight them all in one night, hell even in a year!" I explained. He nodded.
"I know, even though there are many of us, there is still more of them. However, I did not call you here to fight these battle to come," he said, fiddling with a piece of his robes. I looked at him expectantly.
"Where then? Where is more important than here?" I asked.
"Out there, where the light doesn't reach. At the edge of where our Guardians venture," he replied. I looked down in thought. So he wants me to go out past the light and fight the darkness. I can only imagine what could be out there. Whats new evils and enemies might lurk in the shadows past the light. I looked back up at him.
"So, you want me to go out and find new worlds and destroy the darkness that resides there?" I asked. He nodded.
"You are one of the few strongest Guardians out there Ashli. Your strength rivals the vanguard. I believe you have the strength to go out and be one of the first to fight the darkness head-on," he said, turning around to look me in the eye. I nodded.
"Thanks for the confidence. I'm guessing the stuff Amanda mentioned was long-term supplies for the journey?" I asked.
"Yes, the supplies should last you for a whole year. Food and ammunition have been stocked in your ship. All the esentials needed for the trip." I smiled.
"Thanks, I'll be on my way then," I said. I then turned around and made my way down the stairs.
"Ashlie!" he called out. I looked back. "Please be safe. I know you are capable of taking care of yourself, but please, don't too anything rash," he said seriously. I smirked.
"But that's part of the job. Doing stuff that would probably get me killed," I said as I turned back around and made my way down the stairs. I didn't bother to look back to hear if he had anything else to say.
Its been too long since I was assigned a new quest. Being able to go out and explore uncharted territory, it made me feel whole again. To say I was excited was an understatement. "Ghost," I called out. Not a moment later he popped up next to me. "Is the ship in the air?" I asked.
"It's in the air and ready for a dangerous and suicidal mission" he replied. I chuckled
"Heh, that's the spirit!" I laughed. I then felt the tugging sensation I transported into my ship.
I looked out my cockpit window as we flew away from the tower. I saw the city and the traveler get smalled by the second. I sighed and looked ahead, focusing on the task at hand. I checked my equipment that was loaded onto my ship. Let's see. A few hundred rations, some buckets of ammo, and a few nav points for backup transportation. I leaned back in my chair as I finished going over the list.
My ghost suddenly popped up next to my head. I didn't bother saying hi. We both sat in silence for a few minutes before one of us decided to break the ice.
"We're stalling aren't we?" my ghost asked. I snorted.
"Nah, Just taking in the view of open space." I said sarcastically. He rolled his one eye.
"Whatever, I'm ready if you are Guardian," he said, albeit nervously. I nodded. I pressed the warp button and felt the ship begin to move.
"Spike, can you do me a favor and put those books away," I said, trying my best to suppress a yawn. I flipped a page on the book I was reading. Ever since I moved into the library, I have been able to access a lot of books that I haven't read yet when I was being taught by Celestia. This led me to have to read a whole new set of books. I was not complaining one bit.
I heard Spike sigh as he went to do as I asked. I didn't look away from my book on basic defense spells when I heard him shuffle over to the stack of books next to me. Ever since I and my new friends defeated Nightmare Moon, I thought it would be best if I knew how to defend myself and my friends in case we ran into anything else. I was able to hold my own against her, but I knew I needed more than teleportation in a fight.
The page I was reading was on improving my shield spell. Luckily, I already knew a basic shield spell for myself. Having a brother in the military does come in handy, especially when the said brother is overprotective. I looked over at an apple that sat across the table from me. I focused my magic into a bubble and imagined it encasing the apple. I was pleased when I saw the apple being surrounded by my shield in a purple sphere. I decided to test it to make sure it was sturdy. I sat up and walked over to the apple.
I looked down at the apple in thought. How will I test this, I thought. I looked around the library for anything I could use. I then looked over at Spike. I watched him sort the books with a bored expression. Then something came up. I now had an idea. "Hey, Spike. Can you come over here for a second?", I asked. He looked over at me and placed the books he was holding on the stool he was on. He walked over to me, giving me an uncertain look.
"I need you to use your fire and try to break my shield", I told him. He looked up at me, then at the apple, then back up at me. He then shrugged and walked over to the apple. He had to stand on his toes to reach the apple. He grabbed it and held it in front of his face with his little claws. I watched with interest as he began to blow a steady flame on the apple. After a few moments, the fire began to intensify. I stood there and watched for a few minutes as he tried to break the shield. He then suddenly stopped. I looked at him and saw him panting for breath. I didn't even realize how much strain he was going through. Now I felt bad.
"Okay, thank you Spike. Sorry if that was tiring for you. You can grab a snack from the kitchen and go to sleep," I said, giving him a pat on the back. He smiled and walked upstairs. I raised a brow. I then realized what he was doing. I smiled as I deactivated the spell. He waved back, thanking me as he walked into our room. I yawned as I closed the book. "At least the spell works well, but I need something more than some tiny dragon fire to test the shield."
I grabbed the book with my levitation and moved it into its respected spot in one of the many shelves. I yawned slightly as I made my way up the stairs to my room. As I was walking to my room, I looked past the door to see the stairs to the balcony. I looked back at the door and then back at the stair. I looked at a clock the old tower clock that stood in the hallway. The time read was 10:30. I shrugged. It won't hurt to look at the stars for a few minutes, I thought. I made my way up the stairs.
I walked up onto the small platform on the top of the tree. I looked up and saw the many stars in the sky, twinkling in the darkness of the night. I sighed in peace as I took in the sight. I tore my eyes away and looked up at the moon and all its glory. When I looked up at the moon, I would see the shape of a mare on the moon. Now it's blank, as it should be. Knowing Princess Luna is back at the castle with Celestia made me feel good inside. I could only imagine what The Princess felt when her sister was gone. The way they embraced each other for the first time in forever, I knew things would get better for the both of them.
As I stared at the moon, taking note of all the visible crates on the surface, I caught something moving in the corner of my eye. I looked to the right of the moon, and what I saw took my breath away. It was a shooting star. Princess Luna must know i'm watching and is trying to put on a show for me. I smiled as I saw the star move across the sky. That was until the star glowed a bright orange and illuminated the sky around it.
I looked at the star more closely, wondering why it was doing that. I then noticed that it was actually getting bigger as it moved through the sky. It then hit me like someone slapped me in the face, that was no shooting star, it was a meteor. My inner excitement grew instantly. I 'squeed' as I saw the meteor coming closer to the ground. I rushed to my telescope on the platform and aimed it at the meteor. I looked in the lens, trying my best to contain my excitement.
The image was a bit blurry, but nothing a quick adjustment on the telescopes dials wont fix. I twisted and turned the dials, trying my best to make the image more clear. I laughed in joy as the image finally began to focus. I was able to see the meteor more clearly, but it was still a bit too small. I adjusted the distance and checked again. What I saw next made my jaw drop.
Instead of seeing a large rock like I thought I would see, I saw a orange object flying towards the ground at an alarming speed. The object kinda looked like a plane, but it looked much more advance than the ones we have here. I also noticed the plane was on fire on its right side. Sparks and smoke flew out of the damaged part of the wing. I pulled back from the lens and stared at the pane falling from the sky. I looked ahead of it to see where it would be landing. From the angle of the plane and how fast it was going, it looked like it would land... in the Everfree Forest.
"Stay here Spike, I'll be back soon!", I called out behind me as I left the library at a quick pace. Before I left I grabbed some equipment so I can examine the plane that crashed. I adjusted the heavy backpack on my shoulders to make it more comfortable. As I began to walk towards the Everfree, I heard someone yelling my name.
"Hey Twi, wait up!", Rainbow Dash yelled as she floated down to my level. I watched her descend to where she was floating in front of my. From just taking a quick glance at her, I can tell she looked like a mess, and that's just my observation without any real knowledge on fashion. She wore a tank top with a sports bra and some sport shorts. She looked like she just fell out of bed and threw something on.
"Hey Rainbow, i'm guessing you saw the plane crashing in the Everfree?" I asked, ignoring her attempts to adjusting her bra. She nodded, finally fixing the bra to fit her properly.
"Yea, I was sleeping when I heard something loud flying through the sky. I looked outside and saw the things falling towards the Everfree. It was moving pretty fast too". I nodded.
"Lets get moving then, somepony might need our help". Rainbow nodded as we began to make our way to the front of the Everfree Forest.
As me and Rainbow began to get closer to the entrance of the Forest, we saw Fluttershy's house coming into view. I wondered if she saw the plane crashing. Rainbow must have thought the same thing because we were both making our way to the cottage. Both us made it to the door in little time. I raised my hand to knock, but before I did, the door opened abruptly. I stared at Fluttershy who had a surprised expression on her face. I slowly lowered my hand, trying my best not to blush from the awkward situation.
"Oh my, I didn't know you would be coming here. Do you need anything? Wait, did you come here about the thing that crashed not too long ago?' Fluttershy asked in her usual nervous tone. I nodded.
"Yea, we actually came here to see if you saw it and if you want to come check it out". Fluttershy looked down nervously.
"Actually, I was about to go investigate if anypony was hurt. I would have left sooner, but I wasn't sure if it was a good idea to leave without company. I have some medical gear just in case", she said, motioning towards the backpack over her shoulder. I looked her over. Unlike rainbow, she seemed ready to go into the Forest. She wore a pair of lime green mud boots and had some long cargo pants. She also wore a long sleeved jacket over a blue buttoned up shirt.
I smiled. "Good, we can all go and check it out". I then heard something land next to me. I looked to my right and saw it was rainbow who was panting slightly.
"I flew up to see how far it is in the forest. Luckily it didn't seem that far from the edge. Maybe a ten minute walk. Less if we be quick. " I nodded. I didn't waste any time. I began to make my way into the Forest, my friends close behind.
"Celestia, then bugs are killing me!" Rainbow exclaimed. I looked back and saw her scratching her arms furiously. I scoffed.
"Well, maybe if you actually dressed appropriately, then you wouldn't be so itchy." I heard Rainbow groan.
"It's not my fault. I saw the plane fly by and I wanted to check it out quickly. It's not my fault I like to sleep in the nude". I winced as she revealed that tad bit of information. I looked down at myself. I didn't really try to change into anything special either. I just wore some jeans with a t-shirt that said "Best Nerd". I also just slipped on some sandals that were sitting right next to the door. I tried to contain my discomfort as I felt a few twigs make my way between my toes.
"I have some bug spray, if you want some that is?" Fluttershy said timidly, holding out a bottle of bug spray. Rainbow took the spray and began to apply it to her skin. I looked ahead and saw a light in the distance.
"Hey, guys, I think I see the plane in the distance". I began to jog, trying to get there as soon as possible. I made it to the plane, and what I saw was horrifying. The plane itself was completely destroyed. Pieces of it scattered about the crash sight. The plane was leaning against a large rock formation sticking out of the ground. Almost like a tooth of the forest. Fires were everywhere, all over the ship, covering broken trees that were damaged as it crashed. I looked past the wreckage and saw the direction it crashed from. Trees, shattered to nothing, probably for a few miles.
"How could anyone survive this?" Rainbow asked. I just stood there silent, wondering the same thing. I took of my backpack and set it beside me. I slowly began to walk towards the ship. The plane looked very advanced compared to ours. Our planes have a engine on the front with a rotary that spins a bland that allows it to go forward. This plane didn't have anything on the from except a long nose. I looked at the back and saw two large machines puffing out smoke. I had a feeling those were the engines that made it move.
I wanted to get closer, but the heat from the plane was too much. I wasn't even sure if the pony survived a crash like this. I then heard Fluttershy gasp. I looked back to see what the problem was. She looked at me, her eyes wide with fear as she covered her mouth. She was shaking like a leaf.
"Whats wrong?' I asked, raising a brow. She slowly pointed behind me, her hand trembling as it moved.
"B-behind y-you!" she cried. I slowly turned back around, my heart beginning to beat faster as moved. Somehow I didn't notice it at first. Before there was just the burning ship with fires scattered about. Now there was something about that image. Before where it was clear and warm, now there was a noticeable blur in front of me. I could still see the ship, but now it looked like I was looking through a bottle of water, the image looking warped and faint.
I heard a low growl coming from in front of me. I then realized that it wasn't my eyes playing tricks on me. The growl came from above my head. I slowly looked up, my heat beating even faster in my chest. I tried to control my breathing, but the fear in my body wouldn't allow it. I looked up and I saw them. Four glowing eyes looking down at me. Before I could react, I was grabbed by the next and hoisted up in the air.
I struggled to breath as I was hoisted in the air by my throat. I coughed and gagged as the hand tightened its grip. I looked down at the glowing eyes, staring at me with no emotion. I tried to support myself by grabbing on to anything. The only thing I could get my hands on was a blurry shape of an arm that reached out to me. Not a minute later after I was lifted in the air, the blur began to disappear, now being replaced with an actual being.
It started with the arm and went down from there, revealing what looked like a beast with horns. The horns didn't look like bone though. They looked like pieces of armor that covered parts of its body like a chest plate and gauntlets. The being had four long arms with three long fingers on each hand. Its head looked like a skull with horns poking out of its head, small tubes coming out of its mouth trailing towards its body.
I heard screams coming from behind me. I tried to turn back to see but the grip from the monster was too hard. I could hear what was coming from behind me. From the corner of my eye I could see another one had snuck up behind Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. I couldn't tell how tall this thing was as it held me, but from seeing the difference between the girls and it, I could tell it was giant. It stood at about seven feet high. Fluttershy and Rainbow were about the same at five-foot-five.
I saw rainbow try to resist the creature trying to bind her with its four arms. Apparently the creature gave up and just punched her in the face, knocking her to the ground. Fluttershy screamed in fear. I tried to break free from my captor, but it still held strong. I began to feel a bit dizzy, the lack of oxygen was probably affecting me. I heard the faint sounds of growling and hissing. I couldn't focus, my vision becoming more dark by the second. Suddenly the creature dropped me.
I landed on ground hard, falling on my shoulder making it flare in pain. I coughed and sucked in as much air as I could, trying to shake away the dizziness. The creature stepped away from me. As the monster stepped away, I heard loud footsteps coming from ahead of me. I looked up and saw the reason why the other thing had moved. It looked similar to the one that was chocking me, but this one was much bigger. Where the other ones stood at about seven feet, this was was easily taller than that. Probably about 18 feet.
The large being walked up to me slowly, taking its time. Imagining since how big it was, I doubt it would take long for him to walk to me. He was taking his time. Trying to spread fear through me. I hate to admit it but it was working. My heart was still beating madly in my chest. It took all my willpower not to scream or pass out right at that moment. The creature finally made it to me and keeled down to where I didn't have to look all the way up to its face. It stared at me for a moment before speaking.
"Where are they?" the creature asked, its voice sending a shiver through my spine. It was scary how calm it was. It sounded like some one had put a mask over someponies face. It was also kinda serpentine like, a faint hiss left its mouth as it spoke. "Where are they?!" it asked again, this time a bit more impatient. It took me a moment to realize I was laying there gaping up at the creature.
"W-who?" I said, barely containing my shivering voice. It pounded its fist into the ground and snarled.
"WHERE IS THE GUARDIAN!" it shouted. I screamed in fear as it loomed over me. I covered my head in fear, much how I used to do when I was scared of the dark and pulled my covers over my head.
"I don't know! Please don't hurt me and my friends!" I cried. The creature growled and stood up. It began yelling in a weird language I didn't know at the forest. Heard many more footsteps come from the forest. I poked my head out of my arms and saw where the footsteps were coming from. More of them emerged from the shadows of the forest, holding glowing swords and what appeared to be rifles.
The all looked different yet the same. Red cloth and markings covered their armor and each ranged to different sizes. None were as tall as the giant one that stood before me. I did notice a common theme among them. The smaller ones had little knives instead of swords and help pistols instead of rifles. The rifles and swords glowed with electricity. There were so many of them. At least a dozen came out of the forest. Were they watching us the whole time?
I then head a loud hum come out of nowhere. Before I knew it, a large ship blinked over the ship wreckage. Another hum and and a couple more started blinking over us. The ships looked like nothing the one that was burning in front of us. It was longer and thicker, it definitely was more suited for combat. Weapons and armor covered the front of the ship while it tail end had hatched running along its underside. I kinda looked like a transport ship for soldiers.
I then realized that these things were not some monsters of the Everfree. These were aliens. Aliens that were armed to the teeth and were looking for something. I then felt the large alien grab me, this time by the back of my neck. I struggled in its grip, trying my best to break free. Obviously I wasn't successful, but I had to try. The alien began to speak again, yelling out to the forest.
"Come out Guardian! Or else this one and the others will suffer a fate worse than death!" it yelled in anger. I began to cry. I couldn't stop the tears flowing from my eyes. The thought of what these things might do to us scared me to the bone. I was able to stand my ground against Nightmare Moon, but this is too much. I could never have prepared for this. It stood there waiting for a reply, holding me in its grip. The alien growled again before reaching down to grab something. I looked down and saw it pull out one of those electric swords like the smaller ones had. This one was much longer and was more jagged than a regular curved blade. It held the blade to my neck. I could feel the warmth from the blade, telling me just how much energy was stored in it.
It stood there for a solid minute, nothing happening. No sound besides the slight shuffling from the other aliens and the crackle of the fire of the ship. The aliens ships hummed as they floated above us, pointing their guns and headlights into the treeline. I cried as I heard the alien snarl.
"Fine then, have it your way" it said. It then brought the blade up to my throat. I winced as the blade began to burn my fur from energy coming from it. Then, out of nowhere, I heard bullets firing from behind us. It caught all the aliens off guard. They looked around wondering where the energy bullets were coming from. Everyone turned around and saw it. A caped figure stood on top of the rock the ship had crashed into. It held two guns in its hand. One looked very shell like and glowed a soft the green. The other looked very futuristic as it glowed a very hot red. The cap figure was much shorter than the aliens, but from where I was, it still looked pretty tall. Was this the Guardian.
The Guardian held up the glowing green gun and fired at the aliens. The giant alien that held me dropped me to the ground. I was prepared this time and fell on my butt. I looked around in shock as I saw the carnage unfold. Blue, red, and green beams of light were flying everywhere. Most of the blue blots were being fired at the caped figure, but it was moving side to side, dodging the bullets without any effort. It fired green bullets at any alien that tried to shoot at it. I saw one of the alien ships lock its guns on the hooded figure. I was about to warn them, but they already knew of the incoming attack.
It raised its arm that held the futuristic gun and aimed at the ship. The being pulled the trigger on the gun and the gun began to glow a very hot red. After a second, the gun fired a red beam at the ship. The laser went straight through the alien ship and made the front of it explode. I watched as the ship spun out of control before crashing through the trees in the distance. I tore my eyes of the caped figure and looked around for my friends.
I looked around and saw they were hiding behind a tree, bullets of green and blue hitting the tree every now and then. I sat up and ran towards them. I kept my head low, dodging the many lasers that flew above me. Before I could make it I felt a searing pain go through me leg. I screamed as I fell over in pain. I looked down and saw a large hole in my jeans. It was burned and it stung like hell. Apparently one of the aliens manage to shoot me. I heard Rainbow call out my name. I couldn't what she was saying since the pain of the wound was pushing out all of my other senses.
As I held my leg, I didn't notice a alien run up and jumped on top of me. I screamed as it tired to bite me with its large mouth and razor like teeth. It was one of the smaller aliens that manage to pin me. This one only had two arms. If it was one of the bigger ones, then I wouldn't be able to fight it as much as I am now. I managed to slip my arm from its grasp and punch it in the face. It only stunned it for a moment, but that was all I needed. I charged my horn and aimed it at the alien. I released the spell and blasted it in the chest.
The alien flew back a bit before landing on the ground a few meters away from me. It got up and shook its head slightly. It then looked at me. I stared at it as it stood up and tried to charge me. My spell only managed to slightly burn its chest. The alien leaped at me, teeth and fangs bared. I screamed in fear as it came closer. The alien never reached. me. While it flew, a green laser managed to hit it in the side and knock it away from me.
I looked at where the bullet came from. It stared at me. I never was able to see it before, but now that it face me, I could make out some of its features. It looked like a hawk or some type of bird. Its beak was a shiny gold and skin a clean white. What really stood out was its eyes. They glowed a bright gold. Like coals in a fire. It looked away from me and continued fighting.
I heard a loud explosion come from my right. I looked and saw the hawk creature shoot down another one of the aliens ships. The large alien shouted to the surviving alien. It then vanished, leaving a few sparks of light behind. I looked around and saw other aliens doing the same. After a few aliens vanished, the last ship flew up and disappeared into the night. The hawk creature was still shooting at a few aliens that were still here.
It stowed the glowing gun on its back before jumping of the rock. It shot an alien as it fell to the ground. The hawk creature landed and fired a few more shots at another alien. The gun then suddenly disappeared out of its hand and I noticed a revolver appear on its thigh.
There were five aliens standing. It sprinted towards them. It summoned a knife and threw it at one of their heads. Sparks flew out of the helmet as the knife impacted the aliens face. I ran to the alien right next to it and right hooked it. It took its hand and grabbed the knife from the dead aliens face. It took the knife and shove it into the other aliens shoulder. One of them ran towards the hawk creature and tried to stab it. The hawk creature obviously saw this coming and kicked it in the chest, sending it stumbling backwards.
The being spent no time in taking care of the stunned alien. It pulled the knife from the dead alien and threw it. The blade hit the alien right in its forehead. The last two stared in shock as they held their guns, pointed at the skilled warrior in fear. The being summoned another knife and threw it at the closest alien. This time the knife impacted it square in the chest. The alien cried in pain before falling over dead. The last alien aimed its gun at the warrior, but it was too slow. The hawk being pulled out its revolver and fired it in less than a second. The alien had no time to react as the bullet collided with its face.
Bits of blue chunks and pieces of armor blasted off the aliens face. I stared at shock as I just saw this very dangerous being kill these aliens without breaking a sweat. I looked up at the hawk creature. It stared back at me with those glowing eyes. It stowed its revolver and began to walk towards me. I couldn't move, my brain was still processing what I had just saw.
I head running footsteps come from behind me. I saw Rainbow grab a alien pistol that was laying on the ground beside me. She held it up and aimed at our savior. I tried to move to stop her, but the pain in my leg flared again.
"Stand back, I know how to use this thing!" Rainbow warned. The being paused for a second before continuing to walk.
"Rainbow, wait!" I cried out. It was too late. She pulled the trigger and fire a bullet at the one who saved us. I watched in horror as the laser collided with the chest of the hawk being. It stopped, looking down where Rainbow had shot it. I couldn't tell if it was mad or in pain. I just hoped Rainbow didn't ruin the only chance we could get out alive. The hawk being looked down for moment then back up at us. The bullet apparently did nothing. Where the bullets it fired killed the aliens in one shot, this thing didn't even flinch when being shot at close range.
I walked up to Rainbow and grabbed the gun from her hand.It stared at her for a second before summoning a knife into its hand. I gasped in fear as I thought it was going to kill her. It brought the knife up to the gun and cut one of its exposed wires. The gun instantly stopped glowing when it cut the wire. It threw the gun to the ground.
"You got some balls" it chuckled. It spoke. It actually spoke. From the tone, it sounded female. I looked over it and began putting the pieces together. The alien wore a silver chest plate with a few engravings on it and and wore some sort of padded pants. The pants hugged her frame nicely and showed how much muscle she had in her legs. She wore white armored shin guards that went to her knees. She had silver and golden gauntlets on her arms and golden pieces of armor covering her thumb pointer and middle finger.
I felt Fluttershy kneel next to me with a med pack in her hands. I ignored her as she looked over the wound.
"Who the hell are you?!" Rainbow asked, obviously trying to hide the nervousness in her voice. I already knew the answer. After hearing the large alien say it and from what transpired a minute ago, I can safely conclude who she is.
"She's the Guardian" I said. Rainbow looked at me in shock then back up at the Guardian. The Guardian looked down at me. I couldn't tell from her face, but I guess she was surprised as well.
"How did you know that?" she asked. I shrugged.
"The large alien was asking about you. He wanted to find you for some reason. I don't know why though" I said, giving my thoughts on the matter. The Guardian looked down in thought.
"That was a Kell. A Kell of Devils from what the red markings looked like. I wonder what the Fallen are doing all the way out here?" it said, apparently talking to itself. It then looked at me, more specifically my leg. "Can you walk?" she asked. I looked at Fluttershy. She looked up at me and shook her head. "Ok, how far is your town?"
I looked in the direction where we came from and pointed that way. "Over there, about a 15 minute walk."
She sighed before holding up her hand like she was about to catch a ball from dropping. Out of thin air, a small blue eye appeared with a white shell covering it. Fluttershy squeaked in surprise. I stared in fascination. "Ghost, pull out the Kings Touch sparrow." The "Ghost" nodded before vanishing. Not a moment later a large golden bike appeared next to us. "Put her on, I'll drive her there. I hope those wings aren't for show?" she asked. Rainbow shook her head, a slight frown on her face.
"Good, lead the way and I will follow." Fluttershy and Rainbow helped my climb onto the golden bike. It didn't have any wheels, how was it going to move? The guardian sat in front me me and held the two handle gears at the front of it.
"Wait, what about your ship, what were those things, what exactly are you?!" I asked, trying to emphasis how weird the situation is. She shrugged before pressing a button in front of her of the dashboard. The bike roared to life and lifted us into the air. This thing was a hover bike.
"We are too exposed here. We can talk more when we leave this place. Don't worry about my ship, I got all I need from it before it caught fire. And you can call me Ashli" she said as she twisted the throttle on the bike. The next thing I knew we were flying through the trees, following Rainbow and Fluttershy to the outside of the Forest.
"I'm telling you, if it was a quick draw between me and Saturn, I would totally win!" I exclaimed. My Ghost rolled its eye and looked up at me.
"And I told YOU that Saturn's reaction time is far faster than yours! He would beat you in a heart beat!" he chastised in a condescending tone. I rolled my eyes in return. I looked down at my Hawkmoon, admiring the luster of the silver weapon. I saw a small smudge on the side of it. I grabbed a piece of my cape and began to wipe it off.
"Saturn does have a reaction time, but he would miss the shot. I, on the other hand, would not miss even if I did draw late. Why do you think he uses the Fabian Strategy. That exo has no accuracy whats so ever". My ghost looked away from me and looked outside of the cockpit out to the void of passing space. I could tell he was a bit annoyed since he kind of had a crush on Saturn-4. Ever since we met that exo, my ghost has been obsessed with his "awesomeness". Always wanting me to check up on what he was doing and other junk.
I managed to clean the smudge spot on my gun and I placed it on my dashboard. I sat there in silence, waiting for us to reach our destination. As the time passed, I could feel my eyes getting heavier. A nap probably wouldn't hurt. I closed my eyes. A loud beeping began to fill the tiny spaced as I was about to fall asleep. I jolted awake from the alarming sound coming from the ship. I looked down at the console and saw that we were approaching the edge of the light past the Reef.
I took hold of the throttle and stick and braced to break from light speed. I counted the seconds in my head as the timer went down. 5...4...3...2...1... I lurched forward as the ship decelerated and slowed from light speed. I pulled the throttle pack and slowed down to the point we were gliding in orbit of the planet we just jumped to. I looked out the window and examined what we were working with.
To my surprise, the planet looked a lot like earth. Landmasses and large areas of water covered the planet. I looked at my ghost and saw he was examining the planet as well. I guess he would know more than me. "Ghost, think you can give me something on what we're seeing here?" I asked.
"Well, there is a lot of resemblance from earth just from looking at it. There is obviously water on the planet, and with the amount of green I can see, I can wager there is oxygen on the surface. Most likely animal life as well. I'm also sensing something... odd about the planet". This made me look at him curiously.
"Your scanners can pick up stuff from all the way out here?" I asked. He looked away from the planet to me.
"Well. I can sense two large energy signatures I have never sensed before coming from the surface. They are both pretty close together. I can definitely tell that out of the two, one is much stronger than the other. I also picked up another energy signature, but its not coming from the planet. It's actually coming from space, not too far from where we are."
I raised a brow, my interest and worry rising slowly. I turned away from him and looked out the windows, trying my best to see anything I could. All I saw was open space. I sat back in my chair, wondering where the energy is coming from.
"Uh, Ashli... you should look at this!" my ghost called out. I looked over and saw him staring out the other window. I climbed over and looked out the window he was. It took me a moment, but I saw it. I didn't know why I didn't see it as soon as we dropped out of light speed.It was massive. The giant ship dwarfed us like an ant to a shoe. There were 4 giant guns poking out of it shell like exterior. One large gun poked out from the bottom that was connected to a tail like part of the ship. The ship had red stripes and covering some parts of it and a dark red light emanated from within it.
I looked away from the giant ship and looked down at my control console. I looked down at my sonar. Before where there was nothing, I am now getting a large ping coming from the direction of the ship. Somehow the entire thing was cloaked. I then saw a couple tiny dots start moving away from the ship. I looked and, to my surprise and panic, I saw fallen ships flying at us at alarming speeds.
I quickly sat back in my seat and grabbed on to the controls. I pushed the thrusters as far as I could, making the ship accelerate quickly. "Ghost, get the jumper ready!" I yelled. My ghost began flying around quickly, trying his best to work with my flying. I felt the ship shake violently. My console lit up, telling me we we were being shot at. I cursed under my breath.
"They are shooting at us!!" "I know!" "Fly faster!!" "I know!!" "Get us out of here!" "I KNOW!!"
I looked at mirrors and saw three fallen ships chasing us. I pulled back on the thrust, making the ship slow quickly. I watched the fallen ships fly by us. I smiled and punched the forward, making the ship boost forward. I locked onto the ships with my missiles. As soon as the targeting system locked on, I pulled the trigger and fired three missiles at the ships. I cheered as all three missiles hit their target. I dodged the debris from the ships as we flew threw the explosion.
Taking a quick look at my radar, I saw more ships leaving the giant one. I growled and turned towards the planet.
"What are you doing?! We should get out of here!" my ghost yelled in my ear. I ignored him and continued my way to the surface of the planet. I was too focused on flying that i didn't notice a missile was flying at us. I cried out as the missile hit the right side of my ship. The stick was fighting me and it started moving to the right. I quickly let go of the thrust and used my two hands to try and stabilize the steering stick.
I felt the ship begin to shake again. I looked out the windows and saw we were breaking through the atmosphere. I then heard a loud explosion come from the right side of the ship. I looked and saw that the spot the missile had hit us was beginning to catch fire. I used all my strength to keep the ship from spiraling out of control.
A few minutes after we entered the atmosphere, the shaking began to stop. I tried my best to see where we were landing but the clouds we were flying past made it hard to see anything. Soon, another loud beeping came from my console. I looked down and saw it was the warning sign we were coming to close to land. I looked away from the sign and saw that we had broken through the clouds.
From where it looked, it seemed that we were about to crash in a forest. Normally I wouldn't be scared in a situation like this since I have died plenty of times to know that this was going to hurt, but for some reason my heart was pounding in my chest like I have never felt before. All I saw was us flying into trees before it all went black.
I woke feeling sore all over my body. I coughed loudly as I felt my lungs begin to burn for some reason. I looked at my surroundings and saw we were still in the ship. I looked down at myself and saw my body was covered in dirt and ash. I also noticed my vision was a bit blurry and it was a bit hard to see beyond the cockpit I was in.
I then saw a bright light was hovering over me. It took me moment for my eyes to readjust, but I was able to figure out it was my ghost hovering over me. He was exposed, his shell opened and revealing his eye. His eye was surrounded in a pulsing light that blinked every few seconds. He usually only did this when I...oh.
I sighed as I felt some of the pain begin to fade. My ghost closed his shell and looked down at me.
"Welcome back. That was some great flying by the way" he said sarcastically. I groaned and flicked him in the air. I pressed a button on my control console that opened the cockpit. The hatch opened up with a slight resistance. I stood up on my chair and looked around. I wasn't surprised to see how much damage and pieces of the ship were laying about. Fires and different armor plates were scattered amongst the wreckage.
I looked around and saw the direction we had come in from. A line of broken trees was all that was left of our entrance into the forest. The gap seemed to go on for at least a mile. As I inspected the damage, I barely noticed that my ghost was trying to get my attention. I felt him poke me in the back of my head with one of his sharp edges. I winced in pain as he used a bit too much force in the action. I looked at him in annoyance as I rubbed the spot he hit.
"I am reading movement in the trees. It wont take long for them to get here." he said. I moved down to my seat and grabbed my Celestial Nighthawk and Hawkmoon. I slid the helmet on and stowed my revolver in my thigh holster. I looked down at the radar on my HUD and, like he said, there was movement on my motion tracker. I didn't waste anytime in preparing for an attack.
"Ghost, load as much ammo and supplies into my inventory. Scrap anything I don't need right now. I also need all my weapons". My ghost nodded as he disappeared. I looked through my inventory on my HUD and saw all my weapons and ammo synths being loaded into my inventory. As my ghost finished loading the last of the equipment, I jumped off the ship and ran into some bushes. I made sure to switch to my Bladedancer Subclass so I could turn invisible when I crouched.
I sat in the bush, waiting for whatever my ghost identified to come out of the thick line of trees. I was surprised when I saw three colorful bipedal creatures walking towards the wreckage. I eyed them curiously, taking note of what they looked like. They were wearing clothing, so I could take a guess they were sentient. I was too far to hear, but I noticed they were talking to each other. One of them was purple and had a horn sticking out of their head. The other two had wings that matched their color pallet.
The purple one began to walk towards my ship, looking at it as if it was trying to analyse it. When it came closer, I noticed that the bipedal creature was female, the average sized bust on her proved evidence enough. I noticed the other two were female as well. Realizing that me sitting in the bush was wasting time, I began to move slowly.
I back away from the scene and walked away from the crash. It made me wonder though, what were those things? They were very colorful, and they obviously came from some sort of civilization. Seems like my ghost was right about there being life.
As I walked away from the crash, I felt the slight tremor of ships jumping in. When ships usually jump in from orbit, they send out a large electromagnetic pulse that scrambles my equipment for a second. I looked to my motion tracker and saw large readings coming from the ship. Realizing the fallen must've found my ship, I began to walk a bit faster.
My ghost suddenly appeared next to me. He looked at me expectantly, as if he was waiting for me to say something. "Well, are you going to help them?" he asked. I shrugged.
"If the fallen found them, they will be a long enough distraction for us to get a good distance away." My ghost looked at me wearily. "I know you've done some pretty crazy things in the past, but this is cold. I know you don't want to run. That's not the Ashli I know." I stopped in my tracks as he said those word. I closed my eyes and sighed deeply. I looked at him.
"You really know how to push my buttons."' He rolled his one eye. "Yea, I picked up a thing or two over the years."
I opened my inventory and looked though my weapons. I needed something that would kill quick and something that hits like a rocket. I found two weapons that fit those categorizes. I summoned the Necrochasm, and the Sleeper Simulant. I pulled off the sleeper from my back and held both weapons in my hands.
I turned around and made my way back to the my ship, fully aware I was about to get my hands very dirty.
30 min after battle...
I pushed open the door that led into the tree. When I first saw it, I was a bit surprised to see a library inside of a tree. I kind of found it a bit ironic and funny. I held the small purple unicorn in my arms, bridal style, as I walked inside. We talked a little bit as we rode here on my sparrow. She just told me her name and what she was. Apparently these things are anthropomorphic ponies. I guess that means I am the first to meet a new species. Cool.
When we entered the small town, I was greeted with a few ponies standing near the tree. Twilight told me they were her other friends and were probably waiting for her at her home. I simply shrugged and picked her up off the sparrow. She tried to make me let her go, but her attempts were that of a small child. Does she even work out... or run?
I set her down on the couch in the living room and let the Pegasus, Fluttershy, patch her up. The other ponies walked in after me. I could hear them talking behind my back, thinking I couldn't hear them.
"Are you sure she is on our side, dear? From the looks of it, she could destroy this whole place if she wanted to."
"She's cool, but you're not wrong about her being crazy badass. She freakin' killed more than a dozen of those alien things. You should have been there Rare's." I smiled as I heard them gossip. I walked over to a nearby chair and sat down in it, enjoying the soft cushions that pressed against my back and bottom.
I looked over at Fluttershy and at Twilight's leg. She was grazed by a ark bolt during the skirmish. Good thing I shot that dreg that was trying to kill her. I noticed them fighting when I was halfway done killing the fallen. From the looks of it, whoever shot her had decent aim. "How's it looking Fluttershy?" I asked. She shook her head and frowned slightly.
"This wound is definitely gonna need stitches. The heat from the bullet burned the wound closed, but it needs cleaning and to be treated in the hospital fro it to get any better. The best I can do is put some gauze and disinfecting spray on it." She sighed softly as she began to pull out the proper equipment. I stopped her by putting a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at me in surprise. I stood and walked over to Twilight.
I held out my hand and summoned my ghost. He appeared in my hand and looked around. The whole room fell silent as he appeared out of thin air. I looked around and saw everyone looking at me like I just summoned god. The orange one with the hat spoke up.
"What in tarnation is that thang'?" she asked in a deep county accent. I smiled. I floated my ghost over to Twilight. He looked over her leg did a quick scan.
"I'm a Ghost. I help assist my Guardian whenever she needs. That includes healing her wounds." he said as he opened his shell, revealing his light. The whole room glowed brightly for a second. Everyone looked in awe as my ghost began to heal the missing tissue of Twilight's leg. After a second of healing, he closed his shell and looked up at everyone. The were all still looking at Twilight's leg, now healed and no longer missing a chunk or flesh.
"How did you do that?" Twilight asked. My ghost looked at her.
"I used my light. It is the power than flows through me that was gifted by the traveler."
The whole group didn't seem to understand a thing he said. I chuckled. "I think you might want to elaborate since they obviously never heard of these things."
He nodded and floated to the center of the room.
"A long time ago, a great being came into our solar system and touched many planets within it. These planets were given a portion of its power, the light. This being was called the Traveler. Over the years it traveled from planet to planet, seeking out something. When the Traveler came to our world, it presented new technologies, and evolved the species hundreds of hears ahead. It was a Golden Age. However, like most Golden Ages, it soon broke apart."
"'What happened! Was there a big meanie who came and stole all the cakes?!" said the hyper pink pony as she jumped in front of my ghost mid speech. Me and my ghost looked at the pony in confusion. My ghost shook his head(eye) slowly.
"Um, no. It was the Collapse. Many creatures of darkness invaded the solar system, destroying everything we had built. It was a slaughter. The times were dark and there was little hope. But in its dying light, the Traveler used its power for one last thing. It created us, the ghost. We were born to seek out warriors to fight the darkness. We sought out to create Guardians."
The ponies looked at me in awe and surprise. I stared at them, my mind black as I heard the story the Speaker has told me so many times. So many times to where its like I was being told an old bedtime story.
"Um, do you mind if we see your face?" Fluttershy asked. I looked over at her slowly. She squeaked slightly as I looked at her. I realized that my helmet was still on. I imagine the eagle with glowing golden eyes can be a bit intimidating. I reached up and pulled down my hoodie. The group watched as I pressed the release button on my helmet. A soft puff of air was released as it opened.
I slid the helmet off, pulling it off slowly so I don't pull any hair. As I pulled the helmet off, I saw the ponies looking at me curiously. Placing the helmet under my pit, I adjusted some of my red hair that stood up from the static. I decided to break the silence with an awkward cough. "So, um, this is me."
They looked at me for a second before Rainbow spoke up.
"You look like a monkey."
I frowned. I summoned my light and brought forth a flame of fire in my hand. She instantly backed away as I held the fire in my fist and looked at her with annoyance. I heard Twilight gasp.
"How did you do that?"
I looked at my ghost, promoting him to tell her.
"That... is the power of the light gifted to us by the Traveler. The light has three different elements the Guardians can Harness: Solar, Void, and Ark. These different elements give us an edge when facing creatures like the ones you saw in the forest. They can even conjure weapons with the light." He looked at me, expecting me to show them. I shrugged and summoned...
The Gunslinger
The light flared though my body as it went aflame. I watched as the fire danced across my arms and chest. I looked down at my hand and saw the gun I was known for mastering. The HandCannon bore the biggest flame on my body, visibly showing the power coming from it. I saw everyone look at it in a mix of fear, awe, surprise, and curiosity. I felt the energy within me begin to flicker as my light slowly faded. I watched the gun, once vibrant and full of power, now dwindling like a small flame in the rain. I watched the gun disappear into ashes and felt my body's flame begin to simmer down.
I didn't want to do that since it was a waste of a super, but I can't help but show off when I get the chance. Plus their expressions were priceless. I heard the Rainbow haired Pegasus let out a loud squee'.
"THAT.WAS.SO.AWESOME!!" she practically yelled. I couldn't help but smile at her enjoyment of the small trick or many I have. I saw one of them begin to speak, but then I felt something... different. Like before when the fallen ships were landing in the forest, but this time it was much more strong. The tree house began to shake slightly as a loud vibration filled the air. I knew this feeling all to well. I pushed past the group and looked out the window. And I saw it.
Out of the morning cloud, I could see the ship. I tore through the clouds like knife butter. I felt the ponies behind me bundle up to see what was happening. I watched the ship fly towards the city, looming over the forest as it came closer and closer. I stared at the marking of the ship as it came closer. It was obviously a Devils ship with all the red.
"W-What is that?" asked Fluttershy, her voice trembling in fear. I took my helmet and slid it on.
I've known her for a long time now. She's practically family at this point. She's defiantly better company than some of my fireteam, *cough* Zavala* cough*. When I first met her, she was wandering around the Cosmodrone. I thought she was lost or something, but she walked like she had a purpose. I went up to her and offered her a ride. I asked where she was going. She told me she needed to go to an old laboratory near Rasputin's caves. I wasn't too comfortable with the idea, but I gave her the benefit of the doubt.
So, I let her hop on and we rode to this lab she spoke of. I didn't want to pry, not my style. When we got there, I was not at all surprised to see the place was a wreck. We hopped off and made our way to the entrance. The door was locked, not surprising, so we used our ghost. Or, she used her ghost. That little guy was quick. But he wasn't as good as mine. I was about to walk in, but she stopped me before I did.
She then gave me this index. She said it was to save a schematic and map of parts stored in the computer in the lab. She gave it to me and told me to go and get it. I don't know why, but I did not like how the situation turned out. I gave her a ride, and now she expects me to do her errands. I wanted to fight back, but the look in her eyes. I don't like to admit it, but they actually scared me. Me of all people. I decided to be a good sport and do the small favor. She told me i was looking for a map and schematics. I went inside to find them.
I made it into the main lab, bunch of computer everywhere. It all looked like a mess. I saw some fallen equipment laying about. I wondered if they already picked the place clean. I saw a few fallen rummaging around the scraps of computer. I made quick work of them with my Handcannon. I found the main computer and turned the thing on. I was genuinely surprised to see the damn thing actually work. It took forever to load up.
When the computer finally loaded up, It took me even longer to find the stupid files she was looking for. From the looks of the schematics, they were just armor pieces and how to construct them. They were really weird. I had no idea what she wanted pieces of a helmet for, but who am I to ask. It took a while for the whole thing to download onto the index. I was probably sitting there for an hour.
After that grueling torture, I finally was able to leave that dark, cold lab. I made my way up to the entrance. what I saw next... scared me to the core. Fire... everywhere. Where there was once open grassland was now burning fields. I looked around and saw dead fallen everywhere. All of them were shot to death, bullet holes in their heads and bodies. I even saw a few tanks laying around the area. In the center of it all, i saw her.
She looked at me, her face masked by her helmet. She held a silver handcannon I've never seen before. It glowed slightly due to the fire. At the time, I didn't know the famous weapon she was wielding. I thought it was just some fancy handcannon. She walked up to me, gun still in hand. She held out her hand and asked for the index. I gave it to her, my mind still blank from the carnage I saw before me. She walked away from the area as if everything was normal.
I respect her, but on that day... I felt nothing but fear from that woman. I couldn't see her eyes, but I could tell she was different. I wondered what she wanted the schematics for. It was only a few years ago when she revealed what her project was. That was day the "Hawkeye" was born.
