Prologue
Far above the planet, a battle raged. From afar all that could be seen were flashes of light as a massive starship powered through the exosphere. Ships spilled from the planet, little larger than fighter craft, but with a deadly purpose. The grey chitin that wrapped the colossal vessel cracked and splintered as the mismatched craft fired, leaving glowing trails in their wake. The ships were dissimilar; a riot of colours and shapes that put even the brightest rainbow to shame. But for all their cutesy charm, one thing was very, very obvious: from their colourful cannons and gun-barrels, death erupted, boiling the empty void with a thunderous roar. The reason for their aggression became clear only seconds after. Small black objects began to fall from the ship’s rear decks, tumbling downward. The colourful vessels immediately turned their attention to those, blasting them apart with extreme prejudice before returning their attention to the mothership. The enormous ship groaned like a wounded beast as more of its chitinous armour was torn away and thrust into the void. Return fire from the vessel’s underbelly flashed alternating in shades of dull green and black, and the colourful fighter craft scattered. But always they returned.
With one final volley, it was done. Explosions ripped at the starship’s length as it began to break apart and the attacking ships zoomed away on a multihued trail, their mission complete. As the wreckage burned with celestial fire, the planet’s atmosphere hungrily stripping matter from its bones, consuming it in a blaze, a small red light rather like a flare zipped outwards from the rear decks. The attacking ships never saw it, so elated with their victory that they didn’t even bother to look back as this light flew far from the system, leaving it to whatever fate awaited it in the cold, black emptiness.
***
Ten Years Later
Projectiles flared crimson overhead, illuminating a young mare clad in black armour struggling to reload a smoking rifle. The red beams were hammering into the stone pillar she was taking cover behind and chipping away at the time-worn stone. The air smelled of burning as the moss around the pillar shrivelled and died, the mare’s sensitive nostrils twitching in disgust as the smoke from the continued barrage washed over her. Her hooves groped thin air desperately as she instinctively reached for a clip that she knew wasn’t there. A few seconds later her voice, cracked and made hoarse by the smoke, rang out across the moss-covered ruins.
“Quick! Throw me a clip, I’m all out!”
The pegasus mare to her right nodded. She was taking cover high above the battle, behind the top of one of the still-standing pillars, blasting away at the aliens. As the request came through she pulled back and began rummaging in her own saddlebags.
“Here! Catch!” The mare in black’s head snapped upwards as the pegasus gently tossed a glimmering white package down to her before returning to the firefight. The white ammunition pack glinted in the light, before the mare’s hoof intercepted its arc.
With a flash the package’s pale cover disintegrated, revealing three new clips. The mare’s horn sparked with an indigo aura which enveloped the new ammunition, allowing her to quickly place them in her webbing. With practised movements the unicorn mare slid one of the new clips into her rifle.
A robotic bleat from her assailants reminded her of her current situation, and the barrage upon her cover intensified. Turning to her left, she called out to the ironclad stallion who shared her cover. “Cover me,” she yelled, “I’m gonna try and get new cover. This one isn’t gonna last for much longer!”
He nodded stoically, returning his attention to the mechanised aliens at the far end of the cavern. Bringing his rifle to bear he began to release precise bursts of fire, his marksmanship taking its toll upon their enemies.
The mare levitated her rifle and quickly dove to her right, rolling beneath the intensifying barrage of prismatic bullets. Her back hit the bottom of the pillar her pegasus friend was currently occupying and she sighed with relief. As the stallion returned to his cover, magazine spent, the aliens returned their focus to their original target and she was forced to hastily yank her head back as a near miss flashed past her vision and smacked into the opposite wall. A shout from above grabbed her attention.
“Hey!” The pegasus grinned, making a shooing motion with a forehoof. “Go get your own cover, I was here first.”
“Sharing is caring!” The mare replied, mirroring the grin. The pegasus scoffed and shook her head before holstering her weapons and winding a foreleg back.
“Grenade out!”
The ensuing explosion blew several of the aliens to scrap and the pegasus hovered downwards to share a celebratory high-hoof (1).The brief moment of euphoria didn’t last though. With no way out of the cavern and a constant stream of alien adversaries to face, their weapons were beginning to run dry, and nopony wanted to think about what would happen when they did. Then a deep voice from behind them broke through their morbid thoughts.
“If you would gather your belongings, I have procured for us an egress,” spoke the stallion.
“Egress?! We can’t go anywhere! If ya haven’t noticed, we’re kinda trapped!” the pegasus rolled her eyes.
“No way out you say? I am sorry to hear that you have such little faith in me,” the stallion gestured behind him, and his friends watched in shocked surprise as a part of the encompassing wall flickered before winking from existence, revealing an exit.
They cut a hasty retreat through the new-found exit as the horde of red-eyed robots behind them thickened. The robotic beasts roared in anger as they saw their prey escaping, but there was nothing they could do to stop the wall blinking back into existence, halting their advance.
On the other side of the wall the ponies were winding down after the fight. Removing her helmet the pegasus shook her messy orange mane out and stretched, joints popping.
“Thanks for the save back there. I don’t know what we’d do without ya.”
The stallion inclined his head in response. “Think nothing of it.”
As her friends began to relax and relieve their aching muscles, the mare in black took stock of their new surroundings. They were in a massive circular chamber, ringed with mossy stone blocks. In the centre of the room stood a massive block of reddish stone, depicting a much larger version of the creatures they had just faced. The stone was lined with alien runes and metal gleamed from its exposed edges.
She stepped closer, perplexed by this eldritch statue. The metal flooring rang beneath her hoofsteps, a repeating concentric ring splaying outwards from the block of stone. She spent several seconds scrutinising the stone, seeking whatever secrets it may have to reveal, but nothing. She shrugged and turned away, removing her helmet. A spiky red mane followed, poofing outwards into a gravity-defying hairstyle. She swept her damp mane away from her cream coloured horn and let it drop, framing her violet eyes before returning to her friends.
A deep grumbling roar echoed through the air. The mare paused mid-trot and twisted her neck a full one-hundred-eighty degrees to look back at the alien statue. A low rumble echoed through the weathered halls as another tremor shook the room, pieces of debris cascading from the walls. As the room shook for a third time the mare’s balance shifted, tipping her backwards with a surprised neigh. From her prone position on the stone she had an unparalleled view of the alien statue. Where it once stood, only Darkness remained. One single crimson eye glared down upon her with cold malevolence as the statue’s silvery body shook the remainder of its shrine from its limbs and it howled a string of inane syllables.
As the machine rose, its cannons zeroing in on her diminutive shape, she sighed. Rolling back onto all fours she levitated her rifle and as her friends rushed to back her up, she smiled. Just another typical day in the life of a Guardian.
1: An Equestrian high-five.
Author's Note
For those of you who don't know Destiny:
Guardian: A being raised from the dead in service to a celestial being known as the Traveller (see below) to serve in its defence, usually ponies (though gryphon, minotaur and zebra Guardians also exist, buffalo and yaks having been wiped out) These beings are able to channel the power of 'Light', a mysterious energy brought into being by the Traveller. These 'Guardians' protect the Traveller and the remainder of ponykind from an ancient evil, called simply 'The Darkness'.
Vex: Vex are the most inscrutable of the Traveller's foes. Mechanical robots with a single red eye, Vex systems are biological in nature, allowing for a kind of hive-mind mentality between them. Able to react to threats with impossible speed, as well as tough metallic bodies, Vex can quite easily become a Guardian's executioner, if they aren't careful. Vex are also rumoured to have the ability to control time. That is, if you believe those old mare's tales.
The Traveller: The Traveller is an immense being of incredible power. Wielding the power of 'Light' it can bring light and therefore life to the darkest places (Hence the Venusian Jungles). Though the Traveller resembles a simple sphere it continues to confound the best Equestrian scientists.
I want to thank my editors: The SideKick and enti0 for being the guys (or gals, I don't really know right now) who helped me get this story off the ground. Seriously, I couldn't have done it without you.
Stay tuned, guys. More surprises are just around the bend.
Chapter One: Unpleasant Business
Chapter One
Unpleasant Business
Four Months Before…
If seen from space, Equestria hummed with life. More specifically, the Tower, home of the Guardians of Ponykind, which was ironic, since Guardians themselves were reborn from the dead. The Festival of the Lost (see below) had just ended and ponies were still trotting about wearing paper masks and laughing. Incense smoke hung heavy in the air and the wax remainders of scented candles could still be seen among the drifts of scrap paper and confetti. Robots with brooms clustered everywhere, tidying the marble surfaces of the Guardian’s home. Despite the merrymaking some nights previous there was still a steady influx of Guardians, returning from perilous missions or simply to repair gear. Life continued as normal.
Among the flight of vessels approaching the Tower was a small black craft, shaped like an arrowhead. As the ships approached the large courtyard which comprised of the Tower’s main area, it pulled away from the others and hung for a few seconds before an unused balcony, dropping its cargo, the cargo in this case being a Guardian’s transmat node. Motes of glowing essence swirled around it, forming a compact shape which landed steadily on all four hooves.
Shaking the transmat drowsiness from her head, a small unicorn mare armoured in black raised her muzzle and looked about her, confirming her position. Her movements were furtive, as if trying to hide as she wove her way between the many ponies clustering the Tower’s interior and made towards the Tower’s bar, stopping at the Bounty Master on her way. She drew curious glances from the other Guardians as she turned away from the bulletin board which held the bounties, levitating something into her saddlebags.
Conversations hushed as she drew near, some intangible energy drawing all eyes to her as she passed. She avoided direct eye contact through her visor but her sensitive ears swivelled beneath the nanofiber weave of her helm, picking out scraps of dialogue.
“…see her? She single-hoofedly…”
“…she’s not even a…”
Helmeted heads turned, ears swivelled. Gossip began to spread, as gossip does. Heh, next thing you know they’ll have heard of me in Neighpon.
“…can’t die. She can’t…”
“…tore it to shreds, wasn’t anything left…”
“…a warlock, I heard…”
A contemptuous grimace twisted her muzzle. Yes, a Warlock. I’m not proud of what I am. What I became. It seems to utterly fascinate these foals.
“…it’s the Black Gunmare…”
“…the Black Gunmare…”
“…Black Gunmare…”
Gritting her teeth, she ignored them, trotting down the final few steps to the bar. Her ears were assaulted by loud music, a pounding beat washing through the metal decking and into her, rattling her armour. Finally, a welcome distraction. I wish they’d just leave me alone.
Ponies were clustered at every table, drinking, laughing and having fun. The barkeep grinned welcomingly as she swept by him. She wasn’t here for fun, though. Her visit was decidedly more morbid, as she made a bee-line for a shadowed alcove at the back of the room. Within was a deep maroon coloured stallion, his face lined and worn with worry.
His head turned to her the moment she entered the alcove, her entry having disturbed the thick curtain covering the entrance, allowing the light from the crowded club to invade this private space. Within the alcove sound was muffled, the pounding from outside barely audible as the mare spoke.
“I have done as you requested. I raided the Hive tunnels beneath the Cosmodrome and slew all within.”
“And? What did you find?” The grey stallion’s desperate voice caused a pang of regret in the mare. His light grey coat was covered by a long black jacket, dampened by tears. Looking down at his wretched face, she sighed regretfully. I hate to be the one to bear such news, but if not me, who else?
She reached into her saddlebags, forgoing her horn. Now was not the time to seem flippant.
“I searched every inch of the caverns. The Hive presence there is still strong, but I managed to escape unscathed,” She placed a small bundle onto the table between them. “Your cousin, however, was not so lucky.” The stallion’s eyes welled with tears and a choked sob echoed through the dusty room as his eyes beheld the one thing he dreaded to see. Within the bundle lay a small metal robot, silvery in colour. The robot’s core was contained by eight points, resembling a star. But the robot’s core was dull, and its points were crumpled and broken.
The stallion’s trembling hoof reached out to touch the dead Ghost, as if to confirm that his worst fears had indeed come to pass.
“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.” The mare turned away from the stallion, allowing him to grieve in peace. As she reached the curtains his voice halted her.
“Thank you, f-for everything,” The stallion was fighting to keep back the tears, but the expression on his face was one of gratitude. “N-nopony else would go look for my cousin in those ac-accursed caves. I was going to go m-myself before you came.” His voice was thick with emotion, his words choppy as sobs wracked his frame.
She grinned mirthlessly, “My friend, I would have gone even if Crota himself was down there. I only wish I could have done more.” And with that, she took her leave.
***
As the unicorn mare stepped from the alcove and made her way to the stairs leading up to the hangar, two pairs of eyes watched her go.
“Should we follow her?” The voice was deep and slightly rough.
“Nah. I got the feeling she’s gonna come to us. Just wait.”
And as the mare left, they returned to the game of chess on the table between them. An armoured hoof moved a piece and a tooth-filled grin glinted in the dark.
“Check.”
***
Some Hours Later, in the City…
…a Hive Seeder, sent from the Moon…
…an inky black tunnel…gouged into the rock…
…a light in the darkness…
The unicorn mare rolled over in her bed, her barrel heaving. Sweat drenched the covers as her mind grappled with the only demons she was unable to combat. Memories of years past flashed in her mind, of blood on concrete, of the maw of a pit deep beneath the earth, of years spent alone. But no kindly hoof was there to wake her, to comfort her. Not since ten years ago…
***
Far away, deep beneath the earth, something stirred. The tunnels had been abandoned by the Light for many years, and now they were occupied by a very different force. The darkness moved, shadows trailing. It was a Hive Wizard, though no pointy hat or purple cloak adorned this foul creature. Its twisted body was wrapped in rags, which hung almost all the way to the floor. Levitating on an invisible pillar of dark energies its helmeted head turned this way and that, as if searching for something. It floated onwards through the darkness, twitching slightly. The loss of its Coven-Sisters had affected it deeply, on a primal level. The creature stopped at the bottom of a deep chasm, within which lay the body of a Guardian. His armour had been blackened and warped from the fall, but it was still intact.
The Wizard raised a clawed hand and the body of the Guardian began to shake as it searched. Multiple objects lifted themselves from the Guardian’s saddlebags to present themselves before the Wizard before being cast aside. The Wizard hissed in frustration, it’s lipless mouth bared in a soundless snarl, but then something caught its attention. A small egg-shaped pendant was tangled about the corpse’s throat. Lifting it for a closer look, the pendant was revealed to be made of stone. Hive glyphs adorned it and a glint of green crystal could be seen at the tip where it had been clumsily attached to a chain. With a triumphant shriek the Wizard yanked it from about the Guardian’s neck, breaking the chain.
Found you.
Author's Note
For those who don't know Destiny:
Hive: Creatures of rot and decay, the Hive took the Moon for their home when they arrived in our system. Bony and covered with chitin, the Hive use swarm tactics to annihilate their foes. Thralls are the weakest of the Hive’s organisms, skeletal in nature and with only a pair of claws to their name. Acolytes are much more fearsome, as they are usually equipped with a ‘Shredder’, a Hive projectile weapon which fires glowing purple bolts. Knights are the pinnacle of Hive ingenuity, wielding massive Cleavers as if they were twigs and endowed with the ability to create a temporary shield of shadows.
Festival of the Lost: A national holiday similar to Nightmare Night, which is held in remembrance and celebration of all who died. Since Guardians themselves are also dead, the holiday holds specific significance for them, and is celebrated with almost religious passion.
The Tower: The Tower is a mile-high precipice of white marble, overlooking the Last City on Earth. With the bulk of the Traveller looming over it, the Tower is the home of the Guardians, since some Guardians can feel ostracised and cut off from the rest of Ponykind due to their deaths. It is the one place a Guardian can feel at home, and the war against the Darkness is spearheaded from there.
Ghosts: A spark of the Traveller’s light, manifested into physical form. These diminutive robots are tasked with seeking out the spirits of the dead and resurrecting them as Guardians. Once this task is complete they will follow their chosen Guardian until death.
Transmat: An abbreviation of ‘matter transportation’. Almost anything can be trans-matted, its atoms pulled apart and reformed in another location, though some of the larger trans-mattable objects need some time to be broken down.
Thanks for your patience, guys. I really should have gotten this finished some days ago, nay, a week ago! Please forgive my transgressions, and I'll have Chapter Two out soon.
I want to give my thanks to my AWESOME editors (and advisors), without whom this story would be much worse than it already is. I give my heartfelt thanks to enti0 and to The SideKick for being really epic people and putting up with my really awful draft Chapters.
Also, as a side note, I may have some little surprises in store for those of you who are a little more 'visual' in your tastes. All thanks to another great person.
And, finally, I dedicate this story to Salina. Thank you.
