"You aren't a goddess, but that's why you're so inspiring! It's because you're normal, but you make the best of it, and yourself."
- Wonderbolt recruitment Officer, Scootaloo, circa 1015 Post Nightmare.

Rainbow dash was a little grumpy, and very confused. Just hours ago, she had woken up, half sunken into a swamp, and feeling more hurt than any crash had bestowed upon her. That was saying a lot, considering the events of her second Wonder Bolt performance. She had to do literal weeks of community service cleaning that whole scenario up. Furthermore, the only thing she could claim to have learned was that you can actually stain marble with enough blood. No fun at all.

Her current scenario should have been slightly less annoying, but the lack of information provided to her was irritating. She wasn't being intentionally deprived of information, though. Oh no, no, 'Ghost' had been rambling about the state of the universe, and her alleged importance for hours. Just as many hours as she had been awake. The issue was that Ghost seemed to expect that she understood what things like 'Beckenstein limit' and 'Planck temperature' meant. She tried asking the robot what they were, but it just brought up more words that she didn't understand like 'entropy per space ratio and 'reduced Planck constant', and soon enough she figured it would just be better to ignore the babbling machine.

One of the things she could actually extrapolate was that she was something called a 'Guardian' now, which seemed to be a kind of military group made up of strangers found lying dead in the mud. Supposedly Guardians were specialized in designations known as Warlocks, Hunters, and Titans. Warlocks were a lot like wizards from fantasy books, Hunters were kind of like Daring Do and Hoof Solo combined, while Titans were something like a futuristic knight. Now immediately upon deciding these similarities, Rainbow liked the sound of Hunters. Daring Do was cool, but she could definitely do with a revolver.

But for whatever reason the Ghost had decided that Rainbow should be a Titan. This was why she was a little grumpy. She was now trudging through a marsh, in annoyingly bulky apparel, listening to something less intelligible than Twilight's lectures. Rainbow felt a little sting in her gut. That was the first she had thought of her friends, and it was a negative. Was she insensitive for that? Rainbow realized something very important. She wasn't with her friends, and that meant they could be in trouble. She couldn't risk their safety for anything, not even her own.

"... In turn, the Cabal opened fire. But fortunately, Na'er had invented a non-baryonic micro-fusion resistor, the first of its kind, to be embedded into his shielding systems, and the flaming power of the solar rounds was mitigated entirely, buying him time to find cover. What I'm trying to tell you is that being a Titan isn't so bad, especially considering your tendency to brashness, some excess entropic repulsor systems couldn't hurt." The Ghost rambled, as he had been absolutely without end.

"Yeah, neat. Look, Ghost, I know you want to get me to this 'city' or whatever, but I have other duties." Rainbow said, trying to not sound confrontational, and failing. "My friends might need me. If the world is as crazy as you're telling me, they could be in a lot of danger."

"Well, Titan. You're certainly very loyal, but I'm sorry to say it's unlikely your friends are alive. You've been gone for centuries." He sounded apologetic.

"You don't know that!" Rainbow barked, unwilling to accept probability. "My friends are just as worthy as me to be resurrected by a ball god in the name of good and light. I'm only returning to help that city, if you help me first." A witty proposal formed in Rainbow's mind.

The Ghost sighed. "Very well." The Ghost had a strong sense his Guardian was not the compromising type. "What do you want help with?"

"Help me find Twilight Sparkle." The Ghost stopped in its tracks. "If anyone knows where the rest of my friends are, it will be her."

"Twilight Sparkle?" The Ghost asked, and got a firm nod in response. "Princess Twilight Sparkle, the Element of Magic?" A firmer nod.

The Ghost moved directly into Rainbow's path, stopping her. It looked into her visor, and was silent for a little too long. Rainbow felt uneasy at the stare, and was about to break the silence when the Ghost asked one more question, after what seemed like a lot of thought.

"What's your name?" A simple question, with a simple answer. But it was a very important answer none the less.

"The one and only..." Rainbow prefixed, and Ghost held his pretend breath. "The fastest, the bravest..." Rainbow drew it out more for effect. "The mighty, and fearless Rainbow Dash!" She stood proud and tall at the sound of her own name.

"Oh." The Ghost looked dumbfounded, Rainbow frowned. She was looking for 'impressed.'

"Well that was unexpected." The robot continued. "I should be excited about this, but I just feel silly for not asking sooner."

"Maybe if you hadn't spent the last three hours talking about nothing." Rainbow suggested, sounding very disappointed.

"My apologies. Now, may I suggest that if one Element has been brought back, that the other five are likely to do the same?" The Ghost asked, not waiting for an answer. "Twilight, assuming you aren't delusional, will almost certainly be heading to the City herself. You can try to meet up with her there, and work from that."

"You're sure Twilight would go to that city you like so much?"

"It has a library."

"Fair enough. How do we get back? Don't answer with more walking." Rainbow demanded.

"We fly." The Ghost seemed proud of the idea.

With a whispered "Oh yeah!" Rainbow leapt out of the mud, and flapped her wings. But they passed through the air effortlessly, and failed to produce lift. When Rainbow stopped moving upward, and began moving down again, she thought Uh oh. And clumsily plunged head first into algae and leeches. She was very happy to have been wearing an air tight helmet.

After pulling her face out of the muck, she panicked. "Why can't I fly?! How heavy is this armour?"

"Whoops, my bad. I meant with a ship." The Ghost clarified his plan, albeit a little late.

"That doesn't answer my question! I need to fly, it's all I got!" Rainbow began to imagine how useless she'd feel without her wings, and the story her mind made up wasn't a good one.

"Well, the reason pegasi could fly in the first place was magic. The Darkness consumed all of that, leaving you high and dry." Rainbow was still having a meltdown, she began to move to a foetal position. "No, calm down. You can still learn to fly again. You're a Guardian, and Guardians are blessed with a natural talent to wield Light."

That didn't clarify anything to Rainbow, but she didn't look catatonic any more, so the Ghost derived some amount of satisfaction, before moving on.

"Light is a lot like magic, but instead of coming from nature, it comes from the Traveler. You just need to practice."

"I have to learn to fly all over again? Man, that sucked when I was a kid!" Rainbow explained. "I had to go to the hospital like eight times!"

"I doubt it will take that long to relearn. You only need to will yourself to fly, whereas before the power was passive. Just feel around in your mind for a spark, and ask that spark to lift you."

"What?" Rainbow was absolutely taken aback by this cult-tier explanation. "You are speaking some serious mumbo, Ghost."

"Just do it." He ordered.

So Rainbow shrugged, and gave it a try. She remembered Twilight talking about how monk ponies who lived in the mountains could learn to use magic without a horn, through meditation, which sounded kind of like what Ghost was describing. Rainbow closed her eyes, and tried to see a spark. But it was just blackness, after closing her eyelids tighter, and holding her breath, she got angry.

"Ugh!" She groaned. "It's not working!" She yelled as she through her legs up in exasperation.

"Don't force it, Rainbow. The Light is there, but it's hidden. It will only come out when you're calm." Ghost left out the stories of some Guardians who learned to wield Light with rage, because that was a very rare ability, and it would just give Rainbow ideas about skipping the effort it takes to master Light.

Rainbow grumbled, and tried again. She looked first at the inside of her eyelids, black and meaningless. But then she started to look at her thoughts, which were alive with colours and sounds. What was strange was that she couldn't see a lot of memories. Early childhood, and the more exciting bits of her adult life were there, but she couldn't remember anything recent. Whenever she tried, all she saw was Darkness. Imagining a spark, she accidentally imagined a six pointed star. Twilight's sigil. That brought something back. A memory, that seemed eager to be remembered. It started with an emotion.

Anger, it felt like. She is angry at something because... Because it hurt Twilight! In fact, it hurt all her friends. What was it? She needed to hate it, and more importantly to wreak vengeance upon it. But again all she could see was Darkness. She kept remembering, and saw Twilight.

It looks like she is casting a spell, not an odd sight. But the purple glow of her horn disappeared, and in place a blackness sprouts forth. Rainbow looks to where the lifeless shadow is projected, and sees in front of her nothing but Darkness.

No, not nothing. in her peripherals the landscape outside of Canterlot is visible. But her entire frontal view is engulfed in a black wall of inky shadow. She glances back to twilight, to see the shadow has gripped her horn, and begun dragging her toward the wall. She shouts "Twilight!" But is surprised to hear a yelp of fear coming from the other direction. To her right lies Fluttershy on her stomach. Her back hoof grabbed by a similar tendril. Rainbow grits her teeth, and assesses what she can do. Apple Jack is holding Twilight back. Rarity is backing up herself, and Pinkie's hair is going flat as her lips quiver.

Nopony is doing anything. Rainbow needs to fix that. She yells something she cannot remember and begins trampling the tendril which is dragging Fluttershy. Nopony hurts Fluttershy. It seems to have little effect, and Rainbow notices a tendril coming from her peripheral, reaching for her throat. She dodges under it at the last moment, and grabs it in her teeth. She yanks as hard as she can, and it yanks back. Now engaged in a tug of war, Rainbow uses her wings. She pulls hard, and drags the Darkness out further, her mouth going limp and cold as she continues to touch it.

Fluttershy is engulfed. Rainbow screams in anger through her gritted teeth. She pulls harder, and severs the connection between the arm and the wall of shadow. The tentacle writhes in pain for a moment, before evaporating. Rainbow stares for just a moment at the spot where Fluttershy's face was last seen. She inhales, and exhales slowly but strongly. She knows what to do.

With a dive, and a fearless visage, she willingly goes into the shadow. Her eyes feel dry, her skin cold. She can sense every muscle in her body shrinking and becoming limp. Through sheer determination she continues onward, until she sees a form in the Darkness. It looks like Fluttershy, but wrong. It's thin, almost mummified. Grey and still as stone. Rainbow circles it, to look at the face. She immediately regrets it. A sight no mare would wish to behold meets her. The face of her friend is now a skull, with dry hide pulled tight across it. No more eyes, and no expression remained on the dead pony.

Rainbow feels herself meeting the same fate. She tries to breathe, but nothing moves in or out of her lungs. She knows she should be afraid, but she only feels anger. Further in the shadow, she witnesses four more forms making their final movements, before they collapse, and dry to a husk. Rainbow failed. She couldn't save them any more, it was too late. It wasn't too late to spit a last testimony to them though. With all her might, and every ounce of will she still clings to, she demands to have breath again, and for a moment is granted her wish.

She does not know what to do with the breath. She can only speak with it, but what does she say? She hated the engulfing evil around her, even though hating is not something she has done before. She wishes death on the Darkness, and for a moment feels guilty. How could she wish death on something? Clearly, because it was wishing death on not just her, but the ponies she loves. Rainbow no longer feels guilty, she relishes the one breath she is given, tasting every last bit of its stale, lifeless form.

She uses it to roar. "I will kill you!" She promises, volume faltering toward the end of the statement, but it does not care. Her last life is drawn from her, and she hears a whisper.

"Why?"

A deafening howl spilled forth from the helmet of the newly chosen Titan, and she flared her wings. Raising them high behind her, Ghost watched as the sun shafts through the muddy swamp trees parted around the feathery silhouettes, casting him into shadow. The silvery steel faceplate of Rainbow's helmet masked her grinding teeth, and sweating brow, but anyone who beheld her would feel the visage of hatred behind the impregnable armour, as her eyes opened from a trance of memory.

Rainbow felt her breath run dry, as she reached the last bar of her scream, but where air no longer occupied her lungs, she felt fire. It did not burn her, however, the flames were nourishing, encouraging. They grew as she exhaled, reveling in the power of their host. Within those flames, at the base of her sternum, Rainbow felt something she had forgotten to care about, as well. A spark, small, but eager. It felt like it was arcing through her muscles into the earth, and she felt like if it had an appearance, it would glow with a menacing red.

Rainbow's wings fell, much faster than the planet demanded they should. But where a feeble swoosh had been heard last time Rainbow had meant to fly, now their was a deafening crack, followed by a high pitched ring, and finally a rolling rumble. The spark had taken Rainbow's wing swipe as a queue, and it had made it's way to the downy appendages. It ejected its endless wrath in servitude of Rainbow's hopes, and propelled her forth and upward, toward the sky. Leaving eels of red lightning to crawl through the earth where she stood only moments before, and it followed her through the sky. Plasma crackling and spitting behind her.

After wobbling backward in shock, luckily not literally, at the sudden display of Light, Ghost realized he should follow Rainbow. Kicking in every last ounce of propulsion he could, Ghost tried to keep up with the Titan who cast exhaust from her wings like a missile. He could have trans-matted into her systems, to speak with her while not exerting physical effort, but Ghost was logical. He knew ponies were visual animals, and she would be more likely to respond to him in her clearly distressed state if she had something to lock onto. Struggling hard, Ghost made it to her side, and attempted to contact her.

"Rainbow! Can you hear me?" Ghost knew they were not travelling above mach 1 yet, so sound travel wasn't a problem. He was worried about her mental state.

"Where are they?!" Rainbow almost screeched, her naturally raspy voice on scraping against Ghost harder with the increased volume.

"Who, the Elements?"

The next word scared Ghost. "Darkness!" Rainbow yelled blandly, obviously stating what she was looking for.

Ghost mumbled "So you were listening to me." To himself, more than anything, before continuing. "Rainbow, find yourself. You can't keep this up any longer, you'll keel over in no time." It wasn't a lie, Rainbow was expelling incredible energy, and her Light would run out soon enough.

Rainbow heard no words. She did not comprehend an utterance of what she was told, she had a target to rage against, and she would do just that. No, She did not hear a word at all, however she did feel a slight cold. Her muscles were beginning to fail, and soften. Her mouth felt dry, and she only kept propelling herself through her mental tenacity. But now even the spark which gifted her flight, in seeming adoration of her emotional vigour, began to sputter. It was tired, even though it wanted to keep going. Rainbow managed to hear the spark's exhaustion, where the voice of her Ghost was muffled.

Rainbow grasped the ridiculous nature of her outburst. She was angry at whatever that wall of evil which took her friend was, but it was not here. Her current behaviour was akin to wrestling a tree, because she couldn't find a wrestling ring. Her growled breaths began to shallow, and her rapidly stroked wings began to slow. So too did she, Ghost lagged behind her sudden deceleration a little, gaining distance before he made it up by slowing down himself.The arcs of red light driveled out of existence behind her, and Rainbow began to sink.

She let her head fall limp, and no longer resisted the planet's pull, watching the ground at least forty meters down, be drawn toward her. What was funny, was though she knew she was not in control any more, it didn't feel any different from when she was flapping her wings with all her might. It reminded her of what her father had said when she was first learning to fly. 'There's no difference between flying and falling. The difference is between landing, and crashing.' He had meant it to help her understand how to control a dive, but now Rainbow felt there was a philosophical angle to it.

She heard Ghost's voice high above her. "I wanted you to slow down, not stop entirely!" She smirked and let a wry titter out.

The ground was very close now, Rainbow would have cared a fraction of a second ago, but she had lost her spark. No ominous mass of evil and darkness to wreak vengeance on, no reason to move forward at all. Even if she did changer her mind, it was too late to slow the descent now, not without help. Rainbow decided not to change her mind, she didn't want her last thought to be a regret. She didn't close her eyes either. She was tired, but not scared.

Something flashed across the muddy earth Rainbow was about to make friends with, and soon the flash left the earth. It was moving toward Rainbow, and in only an instant, the Titan was reminded how unpleasant hoof ball was, due to the tackling. The flash collided with her side, and underbelly, and pushed against her descent. Rainbow was first put off by this, but found herself quickly understanding that the flash was a lot smarter than she had been acting. Rainbow mustered her own last bits of will, and called the spark back for one last bit of help, to push the ground away from her.

Alone Rainbow could not have saved herself. Alone the flash could not have saved Rainbow. I guess I never realized how lucky I am to work with a team I totally trust. Rainbow remembered something she wrote a long time ago, while she was slowed to a halt. I've gotten into a mess of scrapes, and without my friends those scrapes would have gotten a whole lot messier. She landed with enough force to pain her joints, but not enough to cause injury. After getting her footing, and raising to her full stance, she looked to her saviour, the flash.

The pony stood away from her already, wings tucked under a cloak, and a face hidden by a hood which was turned away from Rainbow, in part. Never underestimate the power of friends who always got your back. Rainbow swore she saw a tuft of multi-toned grey hair shooting out of the hood, and she squinted at her saviour. Rainbow still felt defeated, and useless. She wasn't really sad, but she could feel tears welling up anyway. But she choked them back, and put on her coolest face, to speak with.

"Hey, thanks and all, but why did you help me?" Rainbow received no answer. "Who even are you?" The slightest tremble in her voice betrayed her distress.

Ghost whispered to Rainbow. "Careful. She has no Light of her own, she could be anything."

"Nopony you ought'a know, kid." The stranger said with a slight nod, before the air folded around her, and she disappeared from sight.

A moment of silence held in the air, while Rainbow tried to understand what was told to her, while there was little to understand, and Ghost considered ways to ask if Rainbow was suicidal without sounding harsh or insensitive. Both of these quests were very difficult, and left the duo dumbfounded, until Rainbow started with an innocent question.

"Earlier, you said something about Light basically being new magic, right?" Ghost nodded. "Well if she didn't have any light, how come she could fly, and not me?"

"I said she didn't have her own Light. She was wearing something that powered her, it was small, probably an amulet." Ghost said calmly, before he fell into a disdainful tone "It's not rare. Random wilders will find a shard of the Traveler in some forsaken hole, and then abuse its gift to live out their lives, without ever giving back."

Rainbow couldn't suppress the feeling that the stranger had a heroic air about her, almost inspiring, really. Rainbow was immediately enthralled by the pony, and began to form theories and plans about her. She didn't like that Ghost seemed condescending to the pony who had saved her life, but she didn't bring it up. Rainbow shook off her emotional exhaustion, and pushed her worries to the back of her head. She didn't want to discuss it, so she began with the practical.

"So, how do you plan on getting a ship?" Rainbow asked, in reference to Ghost's earlier plan.

"We're in old Equestria." The Ghost said, feeling worried about Rainbow's blatant ignorance of her previous behaviour. "Not the first, but the most advanced space faring nation of the Golden Age. We're bound to find a ship somewhere, though it might be in enemy hands. I'll check some data banks, one moment." The Ghost narrated his every thought.

After only a moment, he started up again. "We are miraculously close to a road, which leads to an old launch site. Head north west, then we can follow the path."

Rainbow just shrugged, then nodded in response, and followed her holographic compass north west. They traveled for a while, through very bleak and swampy surroundings, which is hard to make interesting in a story. I will not further expand on this portion of their journey. Just know that they made it to a road, cobbled and ancient, then followed it north. All the while Rainbow struggled to to wrestle her feelings, and Ghost planned to speak about it.

Roughly an hour after they had begun on the road, the journey had so far been in contemplative silence, Ghost decided he should follow up on said plans. he lowered his expression, and glanced between the road beneath them, and Rainbow's obfuscated face, which looked ever-onward. The little robot made a sound like a deep breath, and spoke reassuringly to the Titan.

"Rainbow, I wanted to talk about earlier." His simulated expression went earnest, and troubled.

"I don't." Rainbow said calmly. Though she felt her heart race in anxiety.

"Too bad. You need to know that you did something amazing, just remembering the love you shared with your friends was enough to wield light as powerfully as a Vanguard. That's why I made you a Titan, Rainbow." Ghost said in an uplifting tone. "You are physically powerful, no doubt, but your real strength comes from your heart. Warlocks are too busy doing calculations to bother with emotions, and Hunters think it isn't 'cool' to feel strongly." Ghost stopped for a moment.

Rainbow heard what he said, and thought about it. She never was one for calculating, and she learned a long time ago that emotions are important. Even if you don't feel the need to cry, or laugh, or yell. You still need to feel, its the only thing that keeps you attached to the world. The world which Rainbow had loved.

"Titans, though. Titans are special. They don't ignore, or repress what their heart tells them. They use it to fuel the fire upon which they burn their enemies. Titans are grounded in their beliefs and wants, and they always fight for them." Ghost had begun to sound like he was making a speech. "Titan's don't give up, and fall, Rainbow."

Rainbow felt a pang of guilt. Why in Tartarus would she just give up like that? She had felt useless, and weak, but there's nothing more useless or weak than a broken corpse. Rainbow licked her lips, and clenched her jaw, unsure of what to do. She felt sorry, and wanted to apologize, but she didn't know who to apologize to. She had failed herself, it was true, but apologizing to one's self seemed silly in her mind. She had failed her friends, who would need her in times to come, she was sure. But her friends weren't there, making apologies difficult. It was just her and her Ghost.

"I'm sorry!" Rainbow started with a shout, and then sobbed a little. She sat on the road in self decided defeat, and her feelings sprouted forth, like grass growing through the cracks in her concrete demeanour. She cried, which as a younger pony she would have felt ashamed of. Ghost didn't laugh, like a schoolyard colt, he floated closer to Rainbow. He used his little form to push Rainbow's hung head upward, and he trans-matted the helmet off of her head, revealing her weary face.

She was thin, too thin. Resurrection tends to leave one looking undernourished, and Rainbow hadn't had anything to eat, or any time to rebuild her energy reserves. Cheek gaunt and sagging eyes made her look like an old, wiser pony. Tears and a tightly furrowed brow made her look like a young, confused filly. Ghost wasn't a therapist, but every one of his kind had prepared to be the one companion a Guardian could always trust, and feel strong around.

"Hey, it's going to be just fine." He said. "Your friends are all probably just getting adjusted to the world, like you, right now."

"I almost gave up on them." Rainbow murmured.

"But you didn't, and you won't. I made you a Titan because you are indomitable, determined and strong." Ghost complimented, bringing a slight smile to the mare's face. "I doubt that fall would have killed you anyway." It was said with an air of humour, but Ghost truly did believe it. Titans were incredibly resilient, Ghost recalled one of his favourite excerpts about a Titan. 'The Cabal Centurion opened up on her at point blank, and we heard the most fearsome sound.'

Rainbow let out a strange, stuttered breath. 'She was laughing.' The Ghost's mind finished, drawing an unnerving parallel. As rainbow chuckled, she wiped her face dry, and eventually let out a sigh. She stood up, and looked onward, down the road, before speaking.

"I feel better now." It was a quiet thing she said, but a good one as well.

"I do too. Shall we go?" Ghost asked, moving aside for Rainbow's gait.

From then on, Ghost did not ramble. But neither him nor Rainbow were silent. He no longer lectured the Titan on advanced optical dynamics, but he told her stories of other Titans and their heroism. Rainbow no longer rolled her eyes and ignored him, but eagerly awaited the climaxes of each story, and reveled in the conclusions. Stories of Guardians more loyal than any other, who would spend their whole life to watch a single door, because they knew only they were willing. Stories of powerful fighters, who feared no enemy, but at the end of each battle would sheathe their blades and apologize to their victims.

Rainbow no longer regretted that she was not a Hunter. She liked being quick, and clever. However, she liked being heroic and virtuous more. And, for many hours, that was the last of what changed.

--------*--------*--------*--------

Do you remember the cave? The dark one, so deep that only an inky abomination could find itself to be within. Do you remember how it only got darker, and colder, until you reached an uncanny valley? Where gold and fire warmed the deepest chamber, where the very mass of scales and spines which was an inky abomination guarded with greed, or maybe out of delusion. No matter, for there was only one object of note within the chamber. More of note than the hulking monstrosity which watched it.

There was a cerise crystal star, as you should recall. It was dust, but had become something more, the monster did not know why. Now the star's shattered companions lay there, nothing but powder, dead and forgotten. Red, blue, orange, pink, and purple remained, meticulously swept into piles of beautiful, sparkling sand. Just as the monster had wrenched its attention from the new born star, it was surprised to see the mountain of red crystal do something it was now familiar with.

First it trembled, then it collected itself. Soon it glowed with sun-like heat, and unfroze to become a molten liquid. Soon it found a shape, a body to call its own. A jagged spike, the symbol of lightning, cooled and sat on the stone, to be admired by the shadowy monster. Blood red, it aired a sense of power, and the slightest tint of anger. The stone pedestal it sat on was scorched yet again, and the monster was beginning to worry something was afoot.

It had meant to prepare, not moments ago, but now it thought to contemplate. To theorize, with its ancient knowledge, of what to do exactly. It took time to think, and kept drawing back to the notion that somehow a greedy self would become aware of its new gems, and hunt for them. He most of all feared a guardian would arrive. Guardians were not evil, but they were blunt. They had slain all of this monster's family, not that it felt much remorse at that, but it knew a Guardian would wish to slay this one as well. The monster knew what it meant to do.

With a farewell to most of its treasures, all magical weapons and trinkets. It cleaned the remaining piles of dust into vessels it would be able to carry, and put the lightning and the star into a pouch. The monster needed help, it needed guardians of its own, though they would not be Guardians. Scraping its sickly bone spines against the ceiling of the caverns, the beast had grown since it had come down here so long ago, and sending sparks across the darkened tunnels, it meant to leave for once in centuries. It knew who, or it should say 'what' to ask assistance from.

--------*--------*--------*--------

Night was just beginning to fall on Rainbow and Ghost. They had been travelling for very long now, but Ghost reassured the pegasus they were nearing their goal. Which was, of course, any where they might find a ship. The road had remained cobbled and old all the way, but the land around them had changed quite drastically. Where once was swamp and marsh, which Ghost had told her was once part of the Everfree forest, now lay dried and dead grass. The surroundings looked something like the Zebrican plains, oddly dry for the region.

Now just vaguely over the horizon, Rainbow could see the Traveler. Hundreds of kilometers away, it was still strong and visible, hanging low beside the mountain Canterlot was once built on. Rainbow remembered little of the past, but the Traveler was always doing something. Zipping around the sun, helping to build on worlds thought too hostile to house any form of life. Bringing miracles, and teaching the world of the universe. Now it was stock still, like it had been petrified. Bits of it were shattered, gone entirely. It looked sad, like a pony gravely injured. It knew it was dying, but didn't want to go.

Rainbow almost felt bad for it, even though it was effectively inanimate. As the duo traveled along the road, enthralled by the sphere of steel, a new sight came over the horizon. A small outcropping of houses, and other structures surrounded a massive tree, which had torn the road up with its grown roots. At first glance the buildings looked ruined, dead and collapsing. But Rainbow was quick to see corrugated iron sheets, and other bits of scrap holding up shambles, and sealing holes. Something, or someone, wanted these structures in tact, at least partially.

This was all interesting, but the tree which grew in the center of the collection of structures demanded attention with its godly stature. It was a good thirty meters tall, and the trunk was at least six thick. Scars and bulbous masses grew on its bark, showing that it had once been damaged, or carved. But over hundreds of years the holes had healed, leaving excess tissue. Branches grew up, ad arched over a massive area around its center, bringing most of the structures into full shade. It looked glorious, and powerful. Like trees from legends, which would have been home to a powerful spirit of the forest, like a mother of nature.

But this tree was alone, in the Sahara-like land. It stood as a single vigilante over the many buildings, and looked more like an ancient soldier than a mother. Moss hung from its limbs, and its roots were gnarled into walls of wood which arced out of, and back into the earth. Rainbow stood still in awe, to take a true look at the tree without any other action to distract her. Ghost followed suit, and for a moment they only stood to bask in the tree's appearance.

Soon Ghost dashed the moment. "Be advised, there's movement in most of the structures up ahead. It picked up when we got close."

"Are they going to be a problem?"

"Well, there's rarely Fallen activity this close to the City. It's probably just local fauna, but be on your guard. We should search the structures for any clues that might lead to a ship."

"A'ight. I'll start with the closest one, I guess." Rainbow shrugged, and made her way to the nearest building.

It had two stories, but the upper one was damaged beyond repair. The lower was held together with junk, and a crude door was held in place by a latch made from a coat hanger. Rainbow approached it at a calm pace, and kept her ears up for any sudden actions. The motion tracker on her visor was cold, but it hadn't been a few moments ago and a few meters back. So Rainbow knew to be on her guard for something. She reached out, to flick the make shift latch on the door upward, but was interrupted.

The door swung outward with violent speed, and Rainbow only just reeled her head back in time. Of course, even her very basic head gear was still a Titan's helmet, and the door would have suffered a worse fate than her face. Behind the door was a sight no mare ought to see. The bad end of a rifle barrel, pointed straight at her face, with another face just behind the weapon, squinting straight into Rainbow's visor.

Instantly, Rainbow kicked herself backward and up, a split second before the weapon could be fired. When the trigger was pulled, it was still aimed at Rainbow, but sought to hit her chest rather than her head. In mid air, she was struck with the force of ten solid kicks all in one. The wind was knocked out of her chest, and she was sent skittering backward across the earth. After she came to a rest, she glanced at her chest, to see a smoking lump of brass and lead pressed into her. It fell away, and clanked against a stone on the ground, showing naught but a dimple in her armour.

"I told you we ain't paying your damned protection fees no more!" A heavily accented voice, a lot like Apple Jack's spoke. It was that of a stallion however.

Rainbow lifted her head, causing a spike of pain to punch through her sternum. She winced, but still looked at her attacker. He was broad, and tall. Wearing bits of ruined clothing that covered his brown-maroon coat. Grey eyes, and an apparently knife-cut mane of bronze hair adorned his head and face. Finally a little bit of scruff formed on his chin in the colour of his hair. He was an earth pony, but he was wielding the rifle without touching it, like it was being levitated. Given what Ghost had told her before, she presumed he had some source of Light which allowed him to do that.

Rainbow meant to say 'What?' but she began coughing in pain before she could form any of the requisite phonemes. She writhed a little, trying to get up.

"Hold on. That helmet..." The colt who looked to be in his mid-teens trailed off in thought. "Ah, shit! You a Guardian?"

"Y--" More painful coughing wracked her chest. "Ye-s." She growled in either pain or anger.

"Damn it! Damn it, damn it!" The colt had a colourful speech pattern. "Listen, Miss Titan. I didn't mean no harm to your kind."

Rainbow was too busy struggling to her feet to grunt angrily in response.

"You aren't gonna kill me, are ye?" The Colt asked, more inquisitive than scared.

"What?" Rainbow spat. "No, idiot. Now stop pointing that thing--" She coughed again, and a bit of blood got on the inside of her visor. "--at me."

The colt chuckled, and lowered the rifle. It had only simple iron sights, and was composed of plain steel and wood. It was a hunting tool, not a weapon of war. Likely of ancient griffon make. Ponies don't hunt. The assaulter swept his mane back, and and rubbed his neck in embarrassment. He grinned with half of his face, and let the other half droop, in an awkward expression of mixed apology and ridicule.

"Well, uh, the name's Rite. Pleasure to meet you, Miss Titan!" He held his hoof out, expecting a reciprocation.

Rainbow raised her obscured eyebrow, and denied the gesture. Behind the colt, a much smaller face appeared, looking scared and helpless. The little filly was hidden in partial shadow, and frowned at Rainbow.

"Rite, who's that?" She asked her wall of a friend.

"Don't be rude, sis." Rite said. "Ask her yourself." The filly only shrunk, and Rainbow suddenly felt a little less bitter.

"The name's Rai--" She was cut off by Ghost butting her shoulder, and whispering to her.

"Don't toss your name around just yet. People will either think you're delusional, or start spreading rumours. We don't need that."

"Uh, Rae. I'm Rae." Rainbow stumbled clumsily.

"Just Rae?" Rite asked, clearly suspicious.

"Just." Rainbow assured.

This seemed to satisfy the scared little filly, and she came forth from the darkness to look up at Rainbow's armoured form. She seemed awed by her height and poise, so Rainbow thought to make herself more Equine. She asked Ghost to take her helmet off, and Ghost obliged. With a face now clearly visible, she smiled, and kneeled down to the filly's height, wrestling back the urge to wince at her chest pain.

"And what's your name, kid?"

"I'm Rivet, ma'am!" She said proudly. Ghost mumbled something about 'The R club' and Rainbow ignored him.

"That's one mighty mane you got, Rae. It's natural?" Rite asked, in reference to the stroked colours of every hue, which were Rainbow's namesake.

"You bet your ass it is." Rainbow said loudly, before remembering Rivet. "Er, your flank, I mean."

Rivet giggled, and Rite spoke. "Don't worry. She's said worse herself. Listen, I'm a might sorry about that round to the chest, is there anything I can do ya for?"

Just about now, Rainbow took notice of possibly tens of other ponies starting to poke out of structures around her, to see what had transpired. They all looked rough, and lacked the pastel colours that most of the ponies Rainbow had ever known bore. They were all suited to camouflage into the glorified scrapyards they lived in. She was the object of the whole town's curiosity, and it made her uncomfortable.

Rainbow considered the offer, and settled on something. "Can I come in? Feeling a bit exposed out here, if you catch me."

Rite got halfway through a knowing nod, but then stopped to look at something in the direction Rainbow had come from. Rite gritted his teeth, and pushed his little sister back inside, while she squeaked in protest. Furrowing his brow, and raising his rifle, he trotted toward his focus. Rainbow looked to the same direction, and saw three ponies. The two who stood in the back of the triangle formation were wearing armour a lot like Rainbow's, but spray painted black, and battered to hell. The one in the front was more interesting, he opted not to wear a helmet. This revealed a dirty mess of grey-brown mane, much too long for any practical purpose, and a menacing beard strapped across his face. His eyes were sunken into his skull, and his face was wrinkled.

The menacing stallion spoke. "So, how are you paying me this time, Rite?" Rite aimed his rifle. "I must remind you we do not accept lead as a form of currency." He growled, and threw aside his cloak, revealing a large revolver.

"We ain't puttin' up with you any longer, Zombie!" Rite pulled the trigger, and fired a round straight and true.

'Zombie' stepped aside, and one of his lackeys took the bullet instead. The lead ball lost it's speed on a plate of armour, and did no noticeable damage. Rainbow expected the menacing trio to draw and fire on Rite where he stood, but they seemed to be in a good mood today. Zombie laughed, revealing yellowed teeth.

"I like your spirit." He said. Rainbow blinked, and when she opened her eyes, thunder was rolling, a revolver floated in front of zombie, and blood was pouring out of Rite's leg. "I'll have to ask the Hive how to steal it."

Now Rainbow felt it was a good time to settle into her new role as a Guardian. What did Guardians do other than guard? Rite certainly could do with some guarding right about now, so Rainbow stepped up, and shouted at Zombie, her voice faltering only a little.

"Who in Tartarus are you supposed to be?" She narrowed her eyes, and stomped for emphasis. She glanced at Rite, who lay on the ground, clenching his teeth in pain.

"Ooh, a Guardian." Zombie started. "I used to know a lot of you guys! Didn't I?" He asked to one of his guards, who did not respond. "Yeah, they died."

Rainbow was unnerved, to say the least. Ghost put her helmet back on and warped out of existence. He spoke through her headset to her, so no one else could hear.

"This guy is a registered Guardian. Six counts of first degree murder, and a lot more second degree. All his victims were also Guardians, don't aggravate him."

Rainbow bit her lower lip, before walking over to where Rite lay, bleeding slowly. She felt scared by Zombie, but more importantly felt angry at him. Almost as if it were a magic word, at the thought of anger, Rainbow's little spark reminded her of itself. It was reaching for the rifle, it wanted to fight. Rainbow glanced between the gun and the murderer. She gave it a moment of thought, before she let her feelings take over. With a growl, she let the spark loose, and it lifted the gun. Zombie immediately fired three shots at Rainbow. One missed, and two punched into her with incredible force, leaving bruises and cracked ribs underneath her armour.

Rainbow Lifted the rifle up, and let it fire. She laughed at the pain in her side and chest, and Rite wasn't sure whether to feel relieved, or more horrified.

Author's Note

CHAPTER 3 PARTY! YAHOO!

Same stuff as always friends, critiques, comments, and corrections appreciated. Thanks for reading, and I'm still looking for a proof reader/editor. If you want to help me out, I'd be very grateful!

Who do you guys want to see introduced next, of the remaining Mane Six, that is?