The Guardians of the Last City and the Traveler make contact with the distant world of Equis, drawing the Equestrians into the war between the Light and the Darkness. Should both worlds fall...it will mean the end of everything.
The Realm of Equestria, on the Planet Equis, has enjoyed peace for over one thousand years. Under the rule of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, their nation has prospered, and with the help of the Elements of Harmony, kept their home safe from the clutches of evil.
However, as all of Canterlot prepares for Princess Twilight Sparkle's upcoming Festival of Friendship, a malevolent villian, the Storm King, and his army prepare to attack Equestria to steal the magic of all four Alicorns and take over the realm.
The Storm King and his lieutenant, Tempest Shadow, have planned for every possible outcome, and his fleet is ready to attack at a moment's notice.
Except what the Storm King doesn't know is that there are others who are on their way to stand against them. The Guardians of the Traveler, Earth, and the Sol System, along with their allies in the Eliksni House of Light and the Cabal Deserters, are prepared to intervene against this threat.
The Storm King thinks himself a god, one above all others. The Guardians, who have slain gods, intend to prove him wrong.
A new age is coming to Equestria, and there is not one who is prepared for it. ==== EDIT 9-19-2021-Republished due to going off Hiatus. Destiny crossover (slight AU) with content from Destiny 2, set during the MLP Movie and after the Age of Triumph. Roster of Guardians can be found here.
As the sun started to rise over Equestria, as it was bidden to by Princess Celestia, in a ornately decorated train that was approaching Canterlot, Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends, the Elements of Harmony, could hardly contain their excitement.
Because, at long last, Twilight's meticulously planned Festival of Friendship was to occur at eleven o'clock sharp. All of Equestria had been waiting for this moment ever since Twilight first became a Princess, and she had drawn up the initial plans for the event several months ago.
"Well, today's gonna be totally awesome, that's for sure." Rainbow Dash said, looking out the window at the city on the mountainside.
"No kiddin'" Applejack nodded in agreement, as she spun her stetson hat around her hoof to pass the time. "I'd reckon all of Canterlot is gonna be swarming here as soon as the festival opens."
"And not to mention what's going to happen during the Festival!" Rarity said with glee. "A concert by Songbird Serenade, countless games and delights, everything's going to be just perfect!"
"I'd agree, but you have to remember, it's not for another five hours." Fluttershy said. "You never know what could happen during that time."
"Come on, why would you say that, 'Shy?" Pinkie Pie said, putting a hood around Fluttershy's shoulders. "Don’t jinx it! Everything's going to be fine!"
"She has a point." Twilight Sparkle said, drawing the attention of everypony else. "I mean, remember what happened at my brother's wedding? Everything was supposed to be perfect then, and you know what happened."
"That is true." Applejack acknowledged. "I guess we really can't be sure. I guess if something bad does happen, we'll deal with it!"
"I guess so." Twilight sighed. "I'm sorry I've been so distant, girls, I've been so busy setting up this Festival, writing nonstop letters, arranging for concessions, crowd control, music, decorations, et cetera…"
"It's just fine, Twilight." Rarity smiled. "We're all here, and we understand completely."
Twilight gave her friends a relieved smile, and as the train came to a stop at the station, Twilight and her friends were soon greeted and escorted by Solar Guards to the palace.
However, had they stayed and looked to the north-eastern horizon, they would've seen pitch-gray storm clouds beginning to gather on the horizon. Or, had they looked up at the mountain's face, they would've seen a faint flash of white light appear from a cave near the base of Canterlot…
====
Inside that cave, hidden behind a canopy of rock that masked the entrance from view, a lone figure perched at the entrance peered through the scope of a Vanguard-Issue Sniper Rifle at various points inside the city below. The figure was equipped with a set of Kali-GNT Hunter Armor, modified to its wearer’s specifications, and colored with the Bloodpact Shader.
His Sniper Rifle was not aimed at anything in particular, and as he scanned over the surrounding area, his eyes turned northwest, and he glanced at the wayward storm clouds gathering on the distant horizon.
"Is something wrong?" a voice asked through his mind, a voice the figure recognized as his Ghost, named Evs.
"Just some storm clouds gathering to the northwest of the city." the figure, a Hunter and Guardian of the Last City, named James Mendoza, shrugged as he shouldered his Sniper Rifle and unloaded the magazine. "Doesn't look good to me. They might be coming our way at some point."
"Well, I'll alert Cayde, but is the weather concerning you, James? That's a little strange." Evs replied. "We only just made it to this planet, and through a Vex Portal Gate I might add. It might be natural to this planet."
"Or it might not be. You never know." James replied, as he stood up and headed back into the cave, towards the center of the mountain. "Can you just keep an eye on it, Evs?"
"Sure thing, Guardian."
As James entered a large cavern that lay partially open to the sky due to a fissure in the roof, he stopped for a second to glance at a massive Vex portal buried in the rock of the mountain. James and his fellow Guardians in fireteam Horizon, along with Fireteam Tradewind, had been scouting through the ruins of the Ishtar Academy of Venus to retrieve data as an errand for the Vanguard. For a while, the Guardians' efforts had turned up nothing but corrupted data, and what wasn't corrupted was unreadable.
However, they soon stumbled upon a Vex Gateway being constructed deep in the Ishtar Archives, defended by Precursor Vex. It was a rare sight, as Precursors were rarely seen outside of the Vault of Glass. Their presence meant something big was going on, right in front of them.
It was an opportunity the Guardians jumped on, and they engaged the Vex. After defeating its Gate Lord protector, and then a Vex Mind, the six Guardians journeyed through the gateway to this planet. The six of them soon found out that this world was inhabited and seemingly untouched by the Darkness.
After several hasty discussions with Commander Zavala and Ikora Rey, the Tower dispatched Cayde-6 and the six Guardians already there to prepare for a first contact proceeding, a task unheard of since the Collapse.
Now, both Fireteams and the Hunter Vanguard took seats around the central area of their modest campsite. Calling it a "campsite" was too kind, as the sudden nature of the operation meant the Guardians lacked a few necessities, such as lodgings and a satellite array for their Sparrows.
"Alrighty then," Cayde-6 said as James settled in, the last to arrive. "What've we got?"
"Well, the locals appear to be setting up a party or celebration of some kind." Anubis-13, the leader of Fireteam Horizon, said, reviewing some photos his Ghost took on a datapad. "And from what I can tell, it's going to be big."
"Big enough that we'll be found out?" Rainea Thoren asked.
"That's what worries me." said Seahawk-8, the leader of Fireteam Tradewind. "We're going to have to introduce ourselves sooner or later. And how we do that is going to make all the difference."
"Plus...we're still under orders from Zavala to keep a low profile." David Paulson sighed, placing a hand to his chin in thought. "We can't just walk on into that event and say "hello, we're here in peace". The reactions might not be good."
"Good point." said Adrianne Titus, who was looking at her Crucible-Issue Scout Rifle.. "And seeing as we've brought enough firepower to stop a Cabal detachment...weapons might not be a good play here. We don't know what the locals are capable of, either."
"So, keeping all that in mind, what's the plan here, Cayde?" asked Seahawk-8. Cayde gave a huff and walked over to the cave entrance, before turning back to the Guardians.
"Let's watch and wait, I guess." Cayde said quietly. "if something goes wrong on the locals' end, we'll intervene accordingly. But for now, let's get some rest. I think it'll do us all some good."
The Guardians nodded, and Anubis-13 turned off a central lamp, dimming the light in the cave significantly. As the others settled into a set of sleeping bags, James walked back over to the cave exit, and took out his Sniper rifle.
"What's up?" Evs asked.
"Just a gut feeling." he replied. "That there might be some trouble on the way. Those storm clouds to the northeast are getting bigger, and they're coming closer."
"Then I'll tell Cayde you'll be keeping watch for now." Evs said. "Be careful, James."
James shrugged and adjusted the zoom on his scope.
"Princess, where should I have these speakers delivered to?"
"The caterers for the end portion of the festival have arrived! They need a signature on their receipt!"
"We've got a storm incoming. Should I alert the weather teams?"
Twilight Sparkle gave a sigh as she turned to the three Solar Guards that had entered the conference room where she was taking a much-needed break from her organizational duties.
It had been four hours already since her arrival, and Twilight now felt she should have left earlier. Though Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Prince Shining Armor, and Princess Cadance had rendered whatever help they could at whatever times they could spare, Twilight had still felt the overwhelming feeling of stress grow greater with everything that happened.
"Alright," she sighed before turning to face the Guards. "First, the speakers go by the concert area, the stage-workers there should be able to set them up. Next, I'll sign for the caterers in a moment. And what's this about a storm?"
The third Guardspony motioned to the window, and Twilight saw the aforementioned storm clouds approaching fast, crackling with lightning.
"Those aren't natural storm clouds or pegasi-made," She murmured to herself. "I can sense magic coming off of them…"
She took in a breath, and told the Guardsponies to set up a security perimeter outside the city and to alert the palace staff to have lodgings ready in case the festival needed to move inside for a period of time.
The Guardsponies nodded and departed. Twilight then exhaled in a stress-induced manner and collapsed into her chair with a groan.
"Twilight? Are you there?"
She looked up with a weak smile at hearing the voice of her sister-in-law, Princess Cadance. As the pink alicorn approached and wrapped a hoof around Twilight's shoulder, Twilight asked what the matter was.
"I just thought you could use some familial support." Cadance smiled. "I can tell you're overworked, stressed out, and in need of a break."
"What gave that away?" Twilight asked with a weak attempt at a convincing grin.
"Your wings are clenched at the sides, your eyes aren't looking good, and you've been working nonstop for four hours now." Cadance said, using a spell to create a mirror that Twilight looked into, and promptly began to chuckle at Cadance's accurate description.
"I guess so." She mused. "I've been waiting for this day for so long, and now that it's here, I just want everything to be perfect."
"As perfect as my wedding was supposed to be?" Cadance asked rhetorically. "Twilight, even if something goes wrong, remember, it'll all turn out alright. And again, going back to my wedding day as an example, that was the most special and one of the worst days of my life combined, each for different reasons."
"So please, Twilight, don't burn yourself out for the sake of this Festival. Take a good long break, get something to eat and drink, and then we'll wrap things up, okay?"
"Okay." Twilight gave a grateful smile, and she gave her sister-in-law a hug, which Cadance gladly returned, and Twilight exhaled deeply.
"Come on, let's go." Cadance nodded. "I believe the pizza stand should be up and running by now."
"Pizza does sound good." Twilight admitted as they exited the room and headed towards the Festival grounds.
====
At the same time, in the cave above Canterlot plaza, James Mendoza and Evs continued to monitor the storm clouds on the horizon, which had roughly doubled in size in only a few hours.
"Hey, Evs?" James asked with a raised eyebrow. "Do a sensor scan of those clouds. Check for all possible signatures."
"Well, alright, but what are you thinking?" his Ghost replied. "Is something wrong?"
"I think something's hiding in those clouds, and using them as cover." James said, adjusting his scope's zoom. "I think I saw an airship of kind enter those clouds earlier."
"And you're sure about that?" Evs asked, surprised.
"Yeah, I'm sure. Scan away."
Evs did so, and after a few minutes, the Hunter's Ghost recoiled as if flinching, and began muttering quielty.
"What is it?" James asked. "...Evs?"
His Ghost composed himself and spoke in a hurried manner.
"We've got a big problem after all." Evs said. "You were right, James. There's at least fifteen large airships, fully loaded with biological signatures, hiding in those clouds. And here's the kicker, they're all armed."
"With guns?" James asked, hoping for the best but fearing for the worst at the same time.
"No guns, just spears and shields for the most part. There's also a high concentration of an unknown energy field in the center of that storm wall." Evs said. "And I don't think the inhabitants of that city know they're being threatened."
"Get Cayde and everyone else on the line, right now." James said with a snarl, drawing a Crucible-Issue Scout Rifle and loading a fresh magazine. "Tell them we've got presumed hostiles inbound. Push your scans to them as well."
"Already on it, Guardian. Cayde's getting everyone prepped for action and alerting the Tower that we've got company. Let's get down there."
As James watched Evs dematerialize and merge with him, the veteran Hunter slid down the mountainside towards a garden at the base of the city's plaza. He activated his stealth camo systems, which had served the Hunter well when he stole Hive Essence from the Ascendant Realm in the middle of the Taken War, during a Death Ceremony for Crota.
After that operation, and the death of Oryx following after that, James had spent quite some time in one of the workshops in the Tower fixing the camo. Even though it was developed by the Warmind Rasputin, it wasn't designed entirely for Guardian usage.
But for now. it would suffice, as long as he remained undetected by the locals.
James made his way to an elevated position and readied his Sniper Rifle, his camo slowly dissipating. As he watched with a furrowed eye, the locals stopped and stared in fear and shock as one of the airships descended from the storm wall.
A small, grey and blue creature stepped forward and planted a flag in the stone, as the rest of the Guardians stacked up behind James, each of them having their weapons ready and their Light burning in their fists. Cayde-6 slid a fresh clip into Ace of Spades as the rest of the airships revealed themselves. Thankfully, none of the locals noticed the Guardians, as they were too focused on what was in front of them.
A maroon local with a clearly broken horn stepped forward, wearing black and blue armor. The smaller creature then proclaimed loudly, echoing for all to hear.
Nopony moved, or said a word as the unicorn called "Tempest Shadow", walked towards Princess Twilight with a confident smirk on her face. A smaller creature, the one that had planted the flag, stayed close to her side.
Twilight could see that the unicorn's horn was broken, suggesting a previous injury or magical overload of some kind had happened to her. However, that was the least of Twilight’s concerns at the moment.
"What is it you want?" Twilight asked cautiously, slowly charging her horn as Princess Celestia, Luna, and Cadance moved to stand beside her.
"My lord, the Storm King, demands your alicorn magic." Tempest Shadow replied. “He’s not one to be trifled with, mind you.”
"We would rather die.” Princess Luna retorted. “If you desire it so much, then you are welcome to try and take it!”
The other Alicorns then voiced their affirmation to the Lunar Alicorn’s statement. Tempest Shadow, after a few moments, began to laugh quietly, and drew a small obsidian orb out of a pouch on her armor.
"Oh, that can be arranged!" she chuckled, before hurling the orb at the Solar and Lunar Princesses. As Cadance and Twilight dove to the side, Celestia and Luna lit up their horns to defend themselves…
Only, the orb never made it half-way to its intended targets. A loud crack akin to thunder sounded, and the orb exploded in mid-air, leaving only dust behind.
Tempest snarled, and hurled another orb, only to have the same result. Twilight could've sworn that she saw a pair of faint vapor trails pass by her on each crack, but she shrugged it off.
Tempest Shadow, the small blue and gray creature, along with the other, larger members of the Storm King’s army, stood aghast. Those petrification orbs were made by the Storm King himself. Nothing in Equestria could shatter them like that.
"Who dares interfere! Show yourself!" Tempest demanded, scouring the crowd and surrounding area. "I demand it!"
There were a few moments of silence, before a voice spoke loudly, drawing the attention of all present. It was masculine, rather upbeat, and almost sounded as if it was like a robot speaking from one of Spike's sci-fi comics, Twilight would later note to herself.
"So, you "demand" that we show ourselves? Is that what you want? We aren’t exactly the type that you should mess around with, just so you know.”
"Enough talk! Show yourselves right now!" Tempest retorted bitterly. The male voice laughed, before uttering words that made Tempest pause in her tracks.
"Alright then. Just don't say we didn't warn you."
The crowd split as steps came from the plaza behind them, almost like a sea parting from an unrelenting gale. Through the split in the crowd came seven figures, Each was tall, bipedal, and of varying size, though they walked with purpose and confidence, a feeling that made Tempest pause.
The objects they carried on their backs and hips were of an unknown nature and of differing size and shape, but Twilight guessed they were most likely weapons of some kind at first glance as they passed.
Two of them wore long robes, both stylized in a variety of colors, with an armband on their left shoulder. The first figure's robes were colored purple, two shades of tan, and white, while the other wore two shades of blue, black, and gray.
Three wore rogue's leathers, with a long cloak to match. One was orange with a coyote's head, another gray and silver with a red eagle in flight, and the last was a dark brown and red pattern. The first one was tan, red, and white, the second was gray, black, and pale blue, and the last one was mostly brown, with some black and gray.
The last two were tall and broad, with both wearing a waist-sash of some kind. One bore the image of a tiger, the other a twin-winged bird. One wore black, blue, and a pale tan, the other wore crimson red, black, and white.
As the seven figures walked past the alicorns without a word, and stood in a horizontal line in front of Tempest Shadow and her forces, the one who had first spoken came forward slightly, and cocked his head to the left in a questioning manner.
"Who are you?" Tempest Shadow asked with a raised eyebrow. "And what are you doing here?"
"We were just in the neighborhood, saw you all march in, figured we'd see what was going on." the lead figure said. "And just so you know…"
"You might want to leave, otherwise this’ll get ugly.”
Tempest Shadow laughed, and the rest of the Storm King's troops laughed with her. Realizing that a fight was imminent, the four Princesses and the Royal Guards that were present quickly began ushering the attendees inside.
"Do you really think you can take us all on?" Tempest retorted after she finished laughing. "I have an entire army at my back, and there's seven of you! What chance do you possibly stand?"
"Quality over quantity, I'd say." the figure replied with a snarking tone. "Do you want to find out why?"
Then, there was a crack of sound followed by the roaring of flame, and the jaws of all present hit the floor. The lead figure was now completely wreathed in vibrant orange, burning energy, and in his hand, a small object appeared in his hand with a blazing flash.
"This is why." the figure smiled, and three jets of flames soared through the air towards three of the surrounding airships. Tempest spun around as she saw each bolt slam into the prow of one of the three leading airships.
The airships then exploded into three spectacular, roaring fireballs, and crashed to the ground in a tangled heap of molten metal and scorched wood. Tempest's jaw went slack, around with all of her soldiers. As she slowly faced the seven beings again, the leader stared at her with cold eyes that pierced her confident facade.
"This is your last chance to leave peacefully." the lead being said in a clear, commanding tone.
Tempest Shadow grimaced in anger, and screamed for her troops to charge. As the four Alicorns slammed the doors to the Palace shut and sealed them up with their magic, the last thing Twilight saw of the carnage outside was the seven beings standing fast, with weapons at the ready.
====
"Take 'em down fast!" Cayde-6 ordered as he unloaded the Ace of Spades into a group of opposing soldiers. One of them leaped upwards to tackle him, but Cayde skillfully slid out from underneath, and one of his Hunter knives went across the soldiers' throat for good measure.
Cayde-6 may have been confined to the Tower for quite some time after taking up the Vanguard Dare, but that time had done nothing to hamper his combat skills as a Hunter. He was one of the finest martial artists in the Vanguard, and he often sparred with newer Hunters to help them develop their own hand-to-hand combat skills.
The other six Guardians unloaded their own weapons at the charging Storm soldiers, before unleashing their Light upon those who survived the initial volley of bullets. The entire plaza was soon completely filled with flashes of Arc lightning, scorching Solar flames, and blasts of Void Energy. Soldier after soldier fell to the ground, and Upon seeing many of their allies being completely disintegrated in front of them, the remaining soldiers turned tail and fled as fast as their legs could carry them.
"Is that all you got?" Cayde-6 called out, but he soon noticed that Tempest Shadow was charging forward at the Hunter Vanguard, her horn ablaze with volatile magic. She had intended to get in close and fire a concentrated blast at her opponent, but Cayde easily double-jumped away and out of reach.
Before Tempest could change targets or even fathom how a being could jump off of the air itself, one of the heavily armored beings delivered a punch straight into her side. Slamming straight into a nearby wall, she groaned loudly, her vision blurred by the pain from the impact.
The being then approached her slowly, and Tempest gasped as a small object with a single blue eye appeared before her. There was a flash of white light, and the pain went away before Tempest then slipped into a deep sleep.
====
David's Ghost then returned to his side, and as he rejoined his fellow Guardians, a final airship set itself down in front of them. A being that could only be the Storm King emerged, holding a jagged, purple and red colored staff. The remaining Storm soldiers did an about-face and stood close to the new arrival, albeit with their legs shaking.
"I do not care who or what you are, but now, you shall die!" the Storm King bellowed, and he raised his staff, which began to glow vibrantly. He then fired a beam of magenta energy straight at the Guardians, which enveloped all of them. The Guardians turned to each other, not sure if what their adversary had just done was affecting them.
The Storm King was eager to proclaim that their powers were now his...only he stopped upon not sensing anything flow into the staff. He looked down at the staff, and then his opponents, with fear starting to register on his face.
“Wait, what’s going on here?” He called out. “Your magic should’ve been absorbed into the Staff of Sacanas! Why didn’t it work?”
Cayde-6 laughed loudly at this, causing the Storm King to look at him in astonishment.
“Let me tell you one really interesting fun fact, big guy…this isn’t magic.”
The Storm King’s eyes widened in fright, and then furrowed in anger. He lunged at Cayde with a primal roar, intending to crush him with his bare hands.
Only the other Guardians unloaded their weapons again, tearing through the Storm King’s armor. The remaining Storm Soldiers wisely chose to flee on their last intact airship as their leader collapsed before them. The storm clouds soon parted, leaving the sky clear as could be. Cayde’s Ghost, Sundance, moved towards the staff, and began to scan it.
“Well, that’s interesting.” Sundance told her Guardian. “This staff seems to soak up various forms of energy like a sponge, and is then able to channel that energy back through the wielder. I’m not surprised it didn’t work on us, as the Light is a Paracausal force, and thus, can’t be absorbed.”
“Maybe there’s some use for it still.” Cayde said, before turning to his fellow Guardians. “Nice work, everyone.” He smirked. “So, what happens now?”
“I think we must’ve interrupted something important, Cayde.” Anubis-13 replied. “However, judging by our surroundings…there’s some major cleanup work to do on someone’s part. I don’t think the locals are going to be happy with us.”
The Guardians surveyed the area, and saw that their use of guns and their Light abilities had wrecked a good amount of the area, from scorch marks on the bricks beneath them to upturned and downright destroyed carnival booths.
“Well, damn.” Seahawk-8 cursed. “Well, there’s no sense in delaying it any longer. Let’s go talk to the locals…if they’re interested in talking at all.”
As they approached the doors, Cayde-6 turned to the other Guardians with an apprehensive air about him. David Paulson then remembered the one he had knocked unconscious was still in the open, and after picking her up shepherd-style, he rejoined his fellow Guardians.
"So...how do you want to handle this?" He asked. "Seeing as we likely messed up a first contact in multiple ways...I don't think the locals are going to be interested in talking to us."
"You never know until you try." Anubis-13 replied, shouldering and then stowing his Vanguard-issue Machine Gun with the help of his Ghost. "Seeing as you're the only Vanguard representative here, Cayde...this is on you.."
"Oh, fine." Cayde-6 shrugged as he knocked on the door, and then spoke up loudly enough that those on the other side could hear them.
"Uh, hey there, It's safe to come out...and we’re really sorry about the mess. We'd like to talk with whoever’s in charge around here, if that’s possible?”
There was silence for at least two minutes, and the doors opened slowly. The four winged-and-horned locals walked out tentatively, alongside eight others wearing armor and brandishing spears that were pointed directly at the Guardians.
"So...I guess I should ask who's in charge around here?" Cayde-6 asked as he holstered the Ace of Spades, and motioned for the six other Guardians to stand down.
"That would be my sister and I." the alabaster-white one replied. “I am Princess Celestia, Ruler of Equestria, Alicorn of the Sun. My sister, Princess Luna, Alicorn of the Moon. My niece, Princess Cadance, Alicorn of Love, and Twilight Sparkle, Alicorn of Magic. Who, exactly, are you supposed to be?"
"Name's Cayde-6, I’m the Hunter Vanguard, and official representative of the Last City of Humanity." Cayde replied. "On my left is Guardian Fireteam Horizon, and Fireteam Tradewind on the right. I guess I should clarify things and say that unlike your recent arrivals, we're not here to cause any kind of trouble."
"If those soldiers were a recent arrival…How long have you been here, then?" Princess Luna asked, an eyebrow raised in suspicion.
"A few days. Mostly just observing, figuring out things on our end." Cayde replied. "Look, we're more than happy to answer any questions you have for us, I promise yout that. Just...give us a moment to contact the rest of the Vanguard. There's a lot they need to hear from me regarding what happened.."
"You may, but under our supervision." Celestia replied. "How long should that take?"
“Not too long, hopefully.” Cayde said as he stepped aside, Sundance appeared next to him, surprising the Equestrians. Sundance pulsed with white light several times, and Cayde began speaking quietly. The Equestrians could only catch snippets of what was being said on both sides, but from what they could gather, whoever Cayde was speaking to wasn’t happy wiht him.
“Yeah, Zavala, I know. Those things attacked us first, we responded to defend ourselves and the locals, and we’ve got a start on first contact. Just…hold up. I can understand them completely, they’re open to negotiations. Just cut me some slack, I can fix this. Really? Okay. Look I’ll give the Warlock halls a once-over with a mop, is that good enough? Okay…Deal. See you in a bit.”
As Sundance disappeared into blue particles, Cayde came forward and looked at Princess Celestia with a sigh.
“Is something wrong?” She asked, confused.
“Not really. The Vanguard gave us permission to proceed with FIrst contact and all that goes with it, I just have a bunch of things to do when we get back. God, the paperwork on this is gonna be a bi…tough to get through.” Cayde-6 sighed. “Mind if we come inside, do this in a more private location?”
"Alright then…" Celestia motioned to the Equestrians by the door, and they opened it for the Guardians. The Equestrians that were armed with spears took the unconscious unicorn off of David's hands, and presumably began rendering first aid. The locals that were sheltering inside whispered and stared as they walked past, and towards the deeper sections of the Palace.
Cayde-6 was used to being gawked at. He was the Hunter Vanguard, a celebrity among those who knew of him, and it was a rare event to see him outside the Tower. Guardians were always held in high regard among the people of the Last City, and being the Hunter Vanguard came with even more perks that only applied outside the Tower, or while on…”unofficial business”.
This time, however, due to Cayde and the other Guardians now being stared at and whispered about by multicolored ponies of all things, this sort of attention was being handled differently on the Hunter Vanguard’s end.
Normally, he would be inclined a bit more into showing off…but as he and the Guardians with him were strangers in a strange world, and about to meet with their ruling monarchs…Cayde was being more uptight and focused on the task at hand.
The other Guardians were also receiving the same treatment, albeit to varying degrees. The Titans got the most of it, as their forms took up the most space. The Hunters and Warlocks weren’t openly stared at as the Titans were. In any case, they were the subject of many murmurs and hushed words as the Guardians passed.
Thankfully, the whispers were not of a hostile nature. Rainea Thoren could even hear a few Equestrians talking in a hushed voice of admiration or gratitude, which was likely a result of their actions in defending their city.
The seven Guardians were eventually led to a large conference room, a good distance away from the crowd. The Solar Guards sealed the doors to prevent eavesdropping, and Princesses Celestia, Luna, Cadance, and Twilight Sparkle took their seats.
They then asked the Guardians if they wanted to do the same, and when Cayde-6 sat down, the others followed suit with some small hesitation.
“Where do you want to start?” The Hunter Vanguard asked, straightening his cape to look a little more presentable.
“From the beginning.” Celestia replied. “I want to hear about everything you see fit to discuss. Just remember…I personally do not regard you all as enemies, nor do I see you as friends. The more you can do to relieve my concerns, the better."
“That’s just fine with me.” Cayde nodded as Sundance materialized a datapad onto the table. “Would you mind if I get someone else on the line? She knows our history better than anyone else.”
At that, a hologram of the Warlock Vanguard, Ikora Rey, appeared from the datapad. She introduced herself and then Commander Zavala, who also appeared from a second projected hologram that formed next to Ikora's.
Cayde then motioned for the Guardians to step outside, before quietly adding “Go make some friends, the Vanguard will handle the talking from here.”
Though the Guardians weren’t entirely sure what that would mean, each of them nodded and headed for an open-air balcony next to the meeting room. Their Ghosts materialized next to them, and eventually, they settled into a half-circle as they began maintenance work on their weapons and armor.
“So…what do you think will happen now?” James wondered out loud, as he cleaned the barrel of his Vanguard-Issue sniper rifle. “The locals don’t seem to be in a talkative mood right now. I guess I can see why that is, though.”
“That is their choice, James. We can't force them to interact with us. It wouldn't be proper." Adrianne said, and James nodded back, seeing her logic. "Besides, we did engage in an open firefight with that “Storm King” and his troops right in the middle of their home. They're likely scared of us, for good reason."
“At least they’re open to talking.” David added, as he stood up to stretch, with his Ghost briefly dematerializing his battle-scratched gauntlets as he did so. Once he sat back down, his armor reappeared, now in a much more clean and proper-looking state. "Still, I think they'll come around at some point."
Then, a feminine voice cleared her throat before calling out "Hello!" to them. The Guardians turned to see five of the locals had approached, and one wearing a stetson hat came forward, and sighed nervously before speaking.
“We just wanted to thank you folks.” She said with a distinct southern accent. “I mean, without your help, we would've been straight out of luck."
“It's not a problem.” Anubis-13 replied. He offered a hand to the local, who shook it, tipped her hat, and introduced herself and her friends as Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie, as five of the six Elements of Harmony.
“It's a pleasure to meet you.” Anubis-13 replied, introducing his fellow Guardians. “I suppose you’ve got questions for us?”
“Almost too many to keep track of." Fluttershy replied. “So…who wants to go first?”
“I will, and I must say, your choice of color on your armor is simply fantastic!” Rarity exclaimed with passion. “Does all of your attire come like that?”
"Not quite. It's a little tough to explain, but I'll do my best." David replied. "Every piece of armor issued to Guardians, along with our weapons, can be equipped with shaders. A shader is just a pattern of colors and textures that is overlaid onto our gear."
"They're easily made, although some are harder to come by than others. Guardians usually purchase their shaders from those who are authorized to make them, such as developers in the City or official vendors in the Tower."
"Fascinating!" Rarity breathed. "You said they were interchangeable, however. How do you do that?"
"Simple. Our Ghosts do it for us." David said. "Parker, would you mind?"
"Not at all." David's Ghost replied, as Parker changed his Guardian's shader from Feud Unfading to Chanson de Geste. Rarity’s eyes were full of stars as his armor shifted colors from its original state, to a palette of battered blue, neon green, gray, and black.
“Simply marvelous!” Rarity beamed, jotting down something in a notebook she had pulled from her sidebag.
“It is cool, I have to admit.” David nodded. “We Guardians are always trying to look our best, even when we're out fighting the Darkness. Customizing our gear is just one of the many things Guardians enjoy in our downtime.”
“I think Rarity's gonna pass out.” Rainbow Dash giggled, seeing her friend's awestruck expression and rapid pace of breathing.
“You might be right.” Rarity said lightly, now feeling rather overwhelmed. “Excuse me, please…”
As she carefully made her way inside to calm down, Rainea chuckled amusedly, drawing the attention of everyone there.
“Is she always like that when it comes to matters relating to fashion?” The Warlock asked the other Elements, who responded in the affirmative.
"Good to know." Rainea sighed. "What do you want to know next?"
"Are there any interesting animals where you come from?" Fluttershy quietly ventured.
"That's a good question." Anubis-13 replied. "We do have pigeons and other birds that live in the Last City, but outside the walls, it's a different story. Some Guardians have pets like cats and dogs, but they're a pretty rare sight. Many of the animals that inhabited Earth even before the Golden Age…didn't survive the Collapse or the Dark Ages that followed."
"But there are those who survived." Anubis-13 clarified, as he saw Fluttershy start to look a little downcast. "For example, Saladin Forge, the last of the Iron Lords, keeps a pack of seven gray wolves as his companions. Some Guardians call them his mascots, but they're far from that.”
“Are they friendly?” Fluttershy asked.
“They are, but mostly to Lord Saladin and other Guardians. I’m honestly not sure how they’d react to your kind. No offense.” Rainea replied.
“None taken.” Fluttershy nodded.
“Anyway…” Rainbow Dash cut in. “Can any of you Guardians fly?”
“In a jumpship, yes. On our own, that’s a no.” James replied. “I take it you’re pretty fast?”
“I’m the fastest flier in Ponyville, maybe in Equestria.” Rainbow Dash boasted.
“That is impressive,” he replied. “But you have to understand that even though we fly in jumpships, we can still go faster than you can by far.”
“Why’s that?” Rainbow Dash sounded quite offended. “How fast can you go then, huh?”
“Fast enough to travel between the planets in our System in less than a minute on average.” James replied. “Amanda Holldiay, the Tower’s top shipwright, once told me that they go about three to six times the speed of light, depending on the type of jumpship.”
“And I don’t think you can imagine how fast that is.”
“Is that fast enough to break the sound barrier?” Rainbow asked. “Like I usually can?”
“Times about…over one million and change.” Evs, James’s Ghost, replied. “Breaking the sound barrier is impressive without the use of technology, but we’ve just gone far faster.”
“I apologize if it seems blunt…and I don’t mean to diminish your record.” Evs added at Rainbow’s expression of shock.
“It’s cool, I guess.” She nodded, offering James a hoof-bump. “I mean, it’s still awesome that you can go that fast.”
“Remind me to take you on an FTL flight sometime.” James said, accepting the gesture. “Any other questions?”
Applejack was about to speak, when Cayde-6 poked his head out from inside, and motioned for them to follow.
"Uh, Guardians? We've got our first contact, but…Celestia wants us to assure her citizens that we aren't a threat, and I'm not the best at speeches."
"I'll do it, I suppose." Anubis-13 replied as the Guardians' Ghosts packed up their equipment, and they headed back inside, The Elements were following behind them, and soon, Twilight, Princess Luna, and Princess Cadance joined them.
"So, how'd it go?" James asked Cayde.
"Not too bad." the Hunter Vanguard replied. "Zavala, Ikora, and I managed to hammer out a temporary agreement between the Vanguard and the Equestrian Diarchy. The Consensus still has to fully look it over, and when the time comes, some Equestrians will be returning with us back to the City."
"Our only problem is that one Equestrian, Tempest Shadow. Princess Celestia told us she wasn't sure what to do with her, and I told her I have a few ideas. Other than that, everything went fine."
"What exactly are you thinking in terms of ideas, Cayde?" Adrianne raised an eyebrow. "The last time you did something without Vanguard approval, we ended up crashing Eris Morn's ship into the Dreadnaught."
"Which, if I recall correctly, ended up getting us a transmat zone and a secure operations point." Caydereplied. "Just don't remind me about Eris's ship though, I'll deal with that when we get back to the Tower."
As the Guardians entered the Day Court chambers, the assembled ponies who had come for the festival quickly and quietly found a place to sit. The atmosphere had calmed significantly, and the Guardsponies had managed to bring whatever food and drink they could find inside for the attendees.
As Anubis-13 stepped forward to the podium, and took off his helmet, there were some gasps of surprise from the crowd at seeing his face. Anubis-13 understood their surprise, as Exos and Awoken were counted amongst humanity back home, and thus, weren't seen as different or out of the ordinary.
The Equestrians, Anubis-13 had to remind himself, were a different case. They'd likely never been beyond their planet before, or ever come into contact with being such as Guardians, or a paracausal power like the Light.
Anubis cleared his throat, and began to speak.
"Well, I must admit to you all, I'm not as skilled in public speaking as some other Guardians, so I will have to wing this as best I can. There are many things I can tell you, though, and I first want to assure you all that we are here in peace."
"Now, the question of "who are we?", is a very long and very complicated story." he continued. "I will do my best to tell you, though, I must warn you all, some parts will be difficult to hear."
"For countless generations, humanity developed and grew on the world of Earth, in the Sol System of the Milky Way Galaxy. We had reached out to the stars before, but we never seemed to get very far. On one fateful day, the four astronauts of Aries One, landed on the planet Mars, and encountered the entity known as the Traveler. That single meeting began what we know as Humanity's Golden Age."
"The Traveler is best described as a god, imbued with the full scale of the paracausal force known as the Light. the Traveler chose humanity to receive its gifts, and using its powers, the Traveler terraformed planets en masse for humans to settle and prosper on."
"Mercury, the closest planet to our Sun, once a scorched and lifeless rock, became a tropical planet of gardens and jungles. The once-poisonous atmosphere of Venus was swept away, and many of the great scientific minds of this time formed the Ishtar Collective there. Their wondrous works of science and technology were rivaled only by Clovis Bray, whose headquarters on the planet Mars fueled the development of the city of Freehold."
"Our home planet of Earth turned into a place of grand prosperity and rapid development, and Earth's moon became the site of several small research colonies. Even with all this, we sent the Exodus colony ships into the outer planets, such as Titan, a moon of the planet Saturn, and others out in the reaches of space."
"Humanity must've been in awe of itself, of what they had become." Anubis-13 said. "But I suppose it can be said that all good things must come to an end."
The attendees, who had been quietly enraptured with Anubis's words, began to murmur in confusion.
"The Darkness, a paracausal force like the Light, came to the Sol System." Anubis-13 continued. "Whereas the Light sought to create life, the Darkness aimed to erase all that we had created, and bring death and destruction the likes of which we had never seen before."
"The arrival of the Darkness began the Collapse of the Golden Age. With it, four alien races came to Sol. First among them are the Fallen. Their home planet was once visited by the Traveler, but it left them and their home was destroyed in an event known as the Whirlwind."
"The Fallen houses came to Sol to reclaim the Traveler, or the Great Machine, as they know it as, for their own. They are excellent machinists and engineers, and I have to give them credit, they are quite crafty. I've faced many Fallen creations in battle that I do not wish to see again."
"Next, are the Vex. The Vex are a machine-race, advanced enough to exert a good degree of control over time and space. There is only one Guardian that I know of that is capable of understanding the true scale and power the Vex possess. When they came to Sol, they transformed the planet Mercury into another cog in their endless Collective in only a few days. A world that was once vibrant with biological beings was made into a cold, unfeeling metal expanse."
"Then, there is the Cabal. The Cabal are conquerors, capable of destroying planets and moons for simply getting in their way. Now, we've never seen them actually destroy a planet or moon before, but I digress. The Cabal ransacked the city of Freehold, and buried it beneath the martian sands. From what we understand of their culture, without total victory, they are forbidden to return to their home planet. We aren't entirely certain what made the Cabal wage war against humanity, but we do know it will end one way or another."
"Finally, there is the Hive. Their race is sworn to serve the Darkness, and they worship death, very much like how we serve the Light. The Hive are relentless, and Earth's moon was transformed into one of their spawning grounds during the Collapse. Their pantheon of gods demand an endless blood tithe, and the only way the Hive can fulfill that demand is through destruction."
"Against all odds, humanity survived the Collapse. The Traveler summoned all of its power and drove the Darkness away, saving our race from extinction. In its last waking moments, the Traveler sent out countless numbers of Ghosts, in order to choose beings who were worthy of wielding its Light to defend humanity. These chosen ones were first called the Risen, and are now known as the Guardians."
"Guardians such as myself and my friends here, are immortal, for as long as the Light is with us, we cannot be killed. We can wield the Light in one of three elements, as burning Solar flames, roaring Arc lightning, or all-consuming Void energy."
"The Risen, for a time, ruled as warlords, and subjugated what remained of humanity that lay under them. These Warlords were soon defeated, and over the years, the Risen shepherded what remained of humanity to a vast plateau underneath the Traveler."
"What began as a patchwork of campfires and wooden huts, over hundreds of years, soon became the Last City of Humanity. The walls of the City have endured many threats and battles, from Six Fronts to Twilight Gap."
Dusty them appeared beside Anubis, and projected a hologram of the Last City into the crowd, whose gasps and exclamations of wonder could be heard by all the Guardians present.
"We Guardians stand together against the Darkness, and all those who would threaten humanity. We have triumphed over countless foes, whether they be Fallen, Vex, Cabal, or Hive. I and the Guardians that stand before you now have even managed to slay gods, and that is not an exaggeration."
"First, was the Heart of the Black Garden. Its death, along with its Vex attendants, allowed the Traveler to begin to heal from the injuries it sustained during its battle with the Darkness."
"Then, it was Crota, the Worldbreaker, and the son of Oryx. Crota and his Hive spawn were responsible for over three hundred Guardians dying their final deaths during the campaign to retake the moon, in a single battle known as the Great Disaster. We entered the Hive Ascendant Realm,and I, using Crota's own sword, slew him."
"Next, was Skolas, the Kell of the Fallen House of Wolves. He sought to unite all the Fallen houses under his banner, and crown himself the Kell of Kells. He was captured, and soon met his end in the Awoken Prison of Elders."
Then, Oryx, the God of the Hive, the Taken King and father of Crota, came to Sol to destroy those who had slain his son. His flagship, the Dreadnaught, a fleet of Hive warships, and an endless army of stolen souls, the Taken, threatened to destroy all we had left, including the Traveler. My fellow Guardians and I boarded Oryx's flagship, and in a brutal battle, banished him to the Hive Ascendant Realm, where he was later killed."
"Finally, there was the Archon Prime of the Devil Splicers, Aksis. Using a Golden Age technology known as SIVA, which was responsible for killing all but one of the Iron Lords, who were the ones that brought the Warlords to heel. My friends and I smashed through the Splicer's defenses of their last bastion, and Aksis too, was destroyed."
"Now, we Guardians stand at the ready to face whatever threat may come next. There are still terrible things born out in the Darkness, and every moment brings them closer. It matters not what they will be...we shall face them all the same." Anubis-13 finished. "Our Light still holds strong, and some who have once called us their enemies, are now our allies."
"After the death of Aksis, a Baron named Mithrax formed a new Fallen House, the House of Light, and promised those that joined him a peaceful existence under the Great Machine. Kell Mithrax soon came to the Vanguard and asked for sanctuary under the Traveler, offering his and his house's service to us in reply."
"The Vanguard and the Consensus, the government of the Last City, accepted Mithrax's offer after a bitter debate, and the House of Light soon made camps inside and outside our walls. These Eliksni, as they preferred to be called the name of their own race, instead of "Fallen", soon proved their worth. They have reinforced our walls with their best troops, Fallen Ketches and Skiffs joined our aerial forces, and their Walker tanks now patrol outside the walls of the CIty."
"Then, a message came to us from the planet Mars, originating from Cabal territory. A growing faction of Cabal, known as the Deserters, asked for terms of surrender to humanity. Their leader, Aventus Cua'lan, promised us his forces and all that came with them, in exchange for safety from the other Cabal Legions on Mars. The Guardians intervened, and the Deserters soon joined the forces of the Last City. The Deserters, now called the White Guard, and like the House of Light, aided us by adding Cabal fortifications to the City's still-expanding defenses, and their soldiers now patrol alongside Eliksni and human forces."
"After a formal signing of peace between the House of Light, the White Guard, and the Vanguard, the Coalition was established by the Consensus." Anubis-13 finished. "Our battle against the Darkness may not be over, but with our allies at our side, hope remains that we will triumph."
Anubis-13 then looked to his Ghost, and then to Cayde-6, who nodded back in response. Then, Anubis turned to Princess Celestia, who stepped forward as Anubis approached her.
"Princess Celestia, on behalf of the Consensus, the Vanguard, and the Last City, we formally extend an offer to you and your people to join the Coalition."
Celestia dropped her jaw slightly as Cayde-6 offered her a datapad and stylus. Celestia cleared her throat, and after taking the stylus with her magic, signed her name onto the datapad, which was followed by Princess Luna, Princess Cadance, and then Princess Twilight.
"As I and my sister, the two Royal Sisters of Equestria, have signed this, we accept your offer, Guardian." Celestia said confidently. "I believe there will be time to hammer out the finer details,, but for now, I now decree that we may resume our Festival of Friendship, and I invite the Guardians to attend as my guests, as a sign of unity and solidarity."
There was silence from the crowd, but a mighty roar of applause soon filled the hall. As the attendees hastily made their way back outside while the sun began to shine once more.
"So…what happens now?" Cayde-6 asked Celestia, who simply sighed and motioned to the open doors.
"Now, we may celebrate. Not as friends, but as allies." she replied. "Shall we?"
"Lead the way." Cayde affirmed, giving a bright smile as the Guardians followed the Equestrians out into the sunlight, as a new future awaited them.
