Little Light

by InfinitySlayer

Rating: teen
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Other, Science Fiction, Fluttershy, Adventure, Crossover, Human, Main 6
Length: 20201

Most Ghosts slowly perish into oblivion after their Guardian is killed in combat. One little light has broken the iron clasps of the shadows to continue the legacy of his mentor and friend in a world of unknown potential for both Light and Dark.

As vital to the Guardian as a Ghost becomes, the meld of metal and Light is little more than a trinket when alone. When such separation occurs, most slowly degrade into a crusty husk, devoid of life and Light.

When his Guardian is consumed by the Darkness, one such Ghost breaks the mold of decay to fulfill the legacy of his mentor and friend, scouring the far reaches of the galaxy with the incomprehensibly intricate technology of the Vex.

The Ghost stumbles upon a world he could not have imagined, a place untouched by both the Darkness and the Traveler's Light. Discovering a secret Vex plot which threatens to devour the innocent planet, the Little Light does the unthinkable yet again. He takes upon a second Guardian, one bestowed with the rare gift of his previous. Kindness.

Featured 10/22/16!!!
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Published 2016-10-12 23:50:01 UTC
Last updated 2017-06-07 14:31:20 UTC

Out, Out, Brief Candle

GHOST MEMORY LOG 1-1 (Attatchments: 1)
ORIGIN POINT: UNKNOWN [>10000 LIGHT YEARS OUTSIDE SOLAR SYSTEM]
RETRIEVED [DATA CORRUPTED]
ENTRY FOLLOWS, GUARDIAN ATTENTION REQUESTED:

I certainly hope this program is running correctly. The information held within is far too important for any technical errors. I've scanned my matrix a thousand times over and everything seems to be in relative operational order. Well, as close as I can manage, given the somewhat unusual circumstances.

Where do I begin? I could tell you about my birth within the heavenly sanctum of the Traveler. I could tell you about my journey to find my Guardian. I could even tell you about the time I attempted to consume cheese. For the sake of time and memory space, however, I will refrain from such data and tell you, Guardian, of the most recent developments far outside our solar system, perhaps our galaxy. Heck, for all I know, I may as well be outside the regular plane of existence. I may be far beyond the clutches of time and space itself, in some nether world of-[IRRELEVANT DATA EXPUNGED].

What? Irrelevant data expunged? Is what I have to say about the time-space continuum and cheese irrelevant, me?

I'm just going to go ahead and start logging. I'll start with my Guardian.

For the sake of privacy, I will leave her name anonymous. I will disclaim her race, however, for the Library's sake. Warlock, human.

She was a reserved and humble individual. While most Guardians were eager to, "become legend", or whatever the Lords of Iron called it, my Guardian was more than content to perform her duties both effectively and quietly. Whenever the Vanguard invited her to be showered in gear or praise or both, she hardly spoke a word beyond common courtesy. Most would assume that her personality was limited to that surface facade. However, my experience with her revealed that meekness is thousands of times stronger than pride.

She was kind even unto a fault. Most Guardians retained a slightly-above-business relationship with the Cryptarch, Quartermasters, Vanguards, etc. This is simply the natural order of things in a world torn apart by devils. Someone higher ranking asks a passerby Guardian to go on some "vital" mission, or go fetch some "vital" artifact, or scout some smouldering rock for "vital" reasons in return for "vital" gear. Neither party interacted with one another for any reasons beyond this transaction. My Guardian broke this mold.

She understood that the people of the Tower were more than a means to an end. She viewed them as tormented souls needing comforting, and likewise bestowed it generously upon every single one she met through means unknown to most. Actual conversation. She exhumed the rare ability to ascertain one's mood just by sensing, and used this gift to provide kindness. That is surely something far longer lasting than the most valuable artifact one could ever hope to discover.

I'm quite certain most would find it difficult to understand the importance of a word in passing, but she did.

That omnipresent kindness wasn't limited to other Guardians. I have collected millions of strings of data thousands of times over in the Library's databases and discovered a truth both startling and comforting. According to my research, my Guardian was the first to genuinely care for the emotional well being of their Ghosts.

Most assume that us Ghosts are little more than convenient door-opening companions begotten from a convenient all-powerful ball floating in the sky. We perform the technical duties that the average Guardian has neither the time nor the patience to complete, say a quirky remark to lift their spirits, and fade into the shadows until the Guardian has use for us again. This cycle has its benefits: it is efficient, which is a necessary attribute when defending the last bastion of Light in the universe. The Library had little to say beyond this relationship between Ghosts and Guardians, which is why, I assume, that no Ghost has ever questioned their position as trinkets.

I have often hovered awake in the twilight, gazing into the ethereal heavens, allowing the millions of bars of code translated as thought to operate within my conscience. I see the stars, twinkling so brightly against the black darkness of space. I see them and wonder why those little lights dance so proudly, even when the only thing they were able to perceive was the midnight around them.

I see them and realize that those bastions of light dance for more than themselves, even though they are the only ones they ever knew. They glow for the possibility that their light may reach another, that their tiny speck of power may influence a lost soul in a way they could not imagine.

I see them and realize that I glowed for my Guardian because my little light may have allowed hers to shine a little brighter.

I-[ERROR, SYSTEM FAILURE...ERROR CODE _nul_]

[REBOOTING MAIN CONSCIOUS DRIVE.......]

[RETRIEVING ERROR REPORT...]

drive malfunction detected...

light drives compromised...

initiating fail-safe program......

[CONSCIOUS DRIVE REBOOT...SUCCESSFUL]

[MEMORY STATUS...2% CORRUPTED]

[OPERATING POWER...15%]

[RESTARTING......]

My processors...what was that? Ah, I see the error report. Things aren't looking so good. I may only have a short time until my Light drives are compromised entirely, so I'll abbreviate the rest of the log.

My Guardian and I were operating in the Vault of Glass, Venus. It was a routine strike. The mission was simple: investigate the energy anomaly deep within the heart of a previously undiscovered Vex machine.

The Vanguard seemed more concerned than usual regarding the massive energy outputs. They swiftly released a sizable bounty to any Guardian willing to enter into the catacombs and scan the area close to what they believed to be a new piece of Vex technology. My Guardian readily took up the challenge.

For the first few levels within the Vault, everything went quite smoothly. In fact, as I consider it, everything went too smoothly. In retrospect, I should have realized that the Vex were laying a trap. Perhaps I was too distracted on the mission, on protecting my Guardian from what I could see. My needless folly came with a price I will never be able to repay.

The Darkness surrounded us, a black void of all-consuming terror. Deeper within the Vault than I ever thought possible, encircled by impossibly floating rocks and metallic structures made of death, we found the machine.

How do I describe it? Perhaps in a more stable state my processors would be able to come up with an explanation which agreed with Euclidean geometry, but at the moment, all I can say is that the structure did not follow the normal rules of the universe. Physically speaking, the machine resembled any large Vex religious spire that might be used in portal opening or worship rituals. It also didn't. Therein lies the ruse.

To say that the device shifted in and out of the physical plane of reality would be like saying that a bubble is a circle. It isn't a complete explanation, but for our intents and purposes I hope it will suffice.

The machine certainly warped reality around its zenith; similarly to how a Taken tear in reality might, only with further reaching consequences. Our visuals and sensors became distorted with swirling white light as we approached the structure, with the degradation becoming more acute the nearer we became (attached to this log is an encrypted version of more precise data collected).

I was too distracted with the unknown contraption to realize that thousands of Vex soldiers of Darkness were quickly and quietly converging on our position. Just inches away from the device, where the distortion in reality was the fiercest, my Guardian reached out an armored hand to summon me. I materialized instantly, beginning to scan the device with my blue hard-light proboscis. The data was fascinating, for the few short moments I was able to read it. Without warning, the Vex unleashed hell.

Following standard Vex battle strategy, Goblins with inflamed crimson eye drives instantaneously warped upon our position. Shocked out of her trance with the odd machine, my Guardian had little time to react before the minions of cold, black steel fired red bolts of evil power in a continuous volley.

She selected her choice weapon, the only Exotic to her name, the infamous Thorn. Created by the darkest weapon smiths of the Hive, the intricate and powerful device was perhaps the only thing of any true value to another Guardian she owned. Without hesitation, she unleashed vine green bolts of devastation into one Goblin at a time, either instantly causing the demons to either collapse instantly into a rusted heap or suffer lingering torment due to the unique properties of the hand cannon.

The Vex swiftly reinforced the assault crew with precise and deadly Hobgoblins situated on floating precipices hundreds of yards away. In order to evade the incoming Line Rifle fire, my Guardian sacrificed accuracy for mobility, propelling herself with Glide from one smoothly cut stone to the next and hurling explosive Solar grenades into the evil slaves of the Vex hive-minds.

A stray Line Rifle bolt caught her left shoulder. She fell, colliding with the hard stone ground dozens of feet below her position with a sickening crunch.

What could I do but fade into nothing while my Guardian fought for her everything?

The Vex pressed the advantage, never ceasing fire as the warped closer and closer. I felt my Light grow stiff and cold as the Darkness encroached, omnipresent.

The Guardian drew her broken frame up with all of her strengths, resting her shattered body on her knees as she hefted the Matador 64 shotgun to firing position. An explosive shot eviscerates the closest Goblin. It fells the next giant Minotaur. It is silenced by another crimson bolt of lightning erupting from the Hobgoblin's black scepter.

I watched her body die, but I felt her Light still within. It burned like an all-consuming flame. It burned with the power and passion of the Sunsinger she was.

A flash of golden light temporarily disabled my sensors, leaving me in a confused and startled daze. I realize swiftly that all hope was not yet lost. My Guardian was not so easily consumed by the omnipotent Darkness constantly pursuing her demise.

After my visuals returned, I was awestruck by her majesty as she commanded the Darkness begone. She returned death, no longer a feeble flame but a burning bonfire.

With a voice amplified by her unleashed power, she spoke to me in resonating tones,

"Ghost, get out of here! I'll do my best to destroy the device."

"Not a chance. Your fate is the same as mine."

Incoming blaster fire from dozens of Goblins cut our conversation short.

The raging power of Radiance from beyond the grave infused within her armor and weaponry, vastly improving their power and efficiency. Two well placed rounds from the Thorn fell a giant Minotaur, the bipedal monster of cold metal reeling backwards as it spewed creme hued hazardous liquid from the wounds. A stream of crimson beams from the Hobgoblins' rifles were as pebbles to a brick wall to both my Guardian's physical stature and her inner Light.

A well placed Solar Grenade incinerates a small group of Goblins until they are nothing but crackling heaps of broken metal. Afterwards, with her mobility increased, my Guardian straddled a floating rock, leaping from that precipice forwards to the next in an attempt to reach the light a few hundred feet above that signified the way out of that deathtrap. She moved with such precision and speed that most of the hundreds of energy blasts erupting from the army of Vex soldiers below either missed entirely or landed harmlessly on the floating rocks nearby.

The more elevated we became, the more elated my spirits grew. I may have been entirely helpless to avert the fate of my Guardian; however, my chance to rectify my horrible mistake rested on that little speck of light above.

The physical world all around appeared in slow motion as my Guardian's final fate was sealed. She leaped from yet another stone, reaching her outstretched hand upwards to grab hold of one of the last ledges to freedom. Without warning, that rock exploded violently, chunks of tan rock fragments tearing through my Guardian's armor. My visuals filled with static due to the sudden shift in velocity, but I firmly remember a robotic tentacle piercing the stone, seeking us.

We spiraled downwards. With nothing but air separating our fall, our descent increased velocity rapidly. My Guardian's now unconscious state was unable to react as we collided with the Vex machine a hundred feet below. The Vex halted their barrage of fire as her limp body slid down across the spire, finally landing on the hard, cold stone terrace below with a sickening crunch.

The piercing feeling of dread and helplessness once again crept into my soul. It was swiftly replaced by rage as I have never before felt as the surrounding minions of Darkness began to fire upon her void frame in victory. What could I do but remain hidden in shadows? I was, am, a trinket, good for little more than opening a door. My Guardian died that day, and there was absolutely nothing I could do to prevent it.

I have often considered how my Guardian may perish. I imagined the process to be filled with grandeur; perhaps she would fall while saving countless lives defending the Traveler, or perhaps she may trade her Light for that of another's. No, there were no famous last words. There was no great sacrifice made for the City. My Guardian succumbed to the Darkness as a small candle in a black room, blown out by an evil mastermind.

Still invisible to the minions of Darkness surrounding, I pondered my next course of action. Without my Guardian, the one true source of Light in my life, my entire existence was likely meaningless. Why should I continue to live while the one person in the entire universe who fought for me died?

I was startled out of my pondering as the Vex suddenly halted their stream of mocking fire upon my Guardian and turned as one hive mind to face the strange Vex spire. My curiosity mingled with my grief as the nearby hoard of Goblins raised their mechanical arms in the traditional worshiping stance only used to revere the greatest of their hive minds.

Simultaneously, the night black Vex machine began to radiate with ethereal white light. The sudden contrast overloaded my sensors, temporarily whiting out my visuals.

After a few agonizingly long moments, my visuals reset. I saw before me the entirety of the Vex spire, extending at least a two hundred yards upwards and 50 across. The entire structure was made of smooth black alloys, bulging outwards at certain intervals to give the tower a staggered look. The most defined feature of he device, however, were the thousands of bright, linear white lines adorning its entirety, crossing over one another like the golden strands upon a circuit board.

The white light emanating from the spire spread outwards upon the stone ground like a spiderweb, pursuing in straight lines each of the Goblins prostate in the worshiping position of the Vex. My emotions became a great froth of confusion, horror and disgust as the lines of dark light consumed every Goblin they touched, disintegrating them into basic energy to be used by the powerful device. Within moments, every single one of the hundreds of Vex warriors had given themselves to the machine.

Surging with newfound dark power , the Vex spire focused its evil energy upwards, causing the entire Vault to tremble. The earth below split into chasms and rocks above collided violently with the ground as the Vex machine prepared to unleash its fury.

The world seemed to go completely silent for a moment lost in time. My cerulean eye fixated upon the tower of darkness as it launched its deadly payload out of the tip of the spire.

At once, a perfect sphere of pulsating white light materialized above the spire, roughly one hundred feet in diameter. Within the center of the self-preserving tear in space-time was a void of consuming blackness. I felt my small spark of Light cower at the immense power and forbidden knowledge the Vex acquired to create such a dastardly device. The number of their own the Vex hive-minds must've sacrificed, the overwhelming amount of of life they must've destroyed...it terrifies me to think upon those thoughts.

Although it was supposed to only be possible in short range bursts, the Vex, according to my scanners and the empirical data of my current surroundings, have created a device possible of instantaneous transportation across unfathomable distances. Such technology has only been a wild dream of Dead Orbit, and I assume that most would therefore dismiss it as a possibility upon first discovering it.

Yet here I lay, among a dense bank of green grass and sparkling flowers, under a shimmering moon which does not bear the scars of Hive infection. The air, according to my sensors, is an almost perfect mixture of gaseous nitrogen, oxygen, carbon, and other trace elements. The current temperature is approximately 295.4 degrees Kelvin, with a relative humidity of 23 percent.

Initial scans indicate the presence of an astonishing amount of nearby organic life unlike any seen since well before the Collapse. I would investigate this astonishing find further if my movement were not inhibited by the critical damage received between the jump to...heaven? That makes me wonder...is there a place for sentient machines in whatever glory supposedly awaits?

In retrospect, the intense pain I feel across the entirety of my being probably debunks that being a possibility.

I likely don't have long until my Light drives go dry, so let me leave you with a warning, Guardian. That Vex machine was able to warp me to an undiscovered planet however many light-years away from Earth. Therefore, I'm sure you can infer the massive threat such a device poses to the city. If you are reading this, your first priority, above whatever Vanguard Strike you might be currently embarked on, is to inform the Council immediately. An action plan to destroy that Vex spire is the City's only chance for survival.

I'll have to cut this log short, Guardian. Scanners indicate an approaching organism of unknown bodily composition and unidentifiable typing through phylogeny. Should I still be around after the likely ensuing encounter, I'll relay any information regarding my current status.

Traveler's Light, Guardian.

END LOG

Ghost in the Shell

GHOST MEMORY LOG 1-2
ORIGIN POINT: UNKNOWN [>10000 LIGHT YEARS OUTSIDE SOLAR SYSTEM]
RETRIEVED [DATA CORRUPTED]
ENTRY FOLLOWS, GUARDIAN ATTENTION REQUESTED:

`"You're hurt."

The heavenly voice shocked me out of stasis. My visuals overloaded, a vivid mixture of wild greens, vibrant yellows and cerulean blues. My sensors focused; my surroundings becoming sharp and clear. The bright morning sun rose over the horizon, painting the landscape in beautiful swaths of golden light. In my immobile condition I could see only see the swaths grass surrounding, each individual blade unique and full of life. A blue flower poked out of the ground directly in front of my eye, partially obstructing my vision.

My mobility disabled to conserve energy, I was unable to react to the voice. I certainly wish I was able to; not because I wanted to flee, but because I desired to look towards the source of such a wonderful voice. The quiet and humble tones, the sincere sympathy resonating from within...I know of only one other who spoke with such serendipitous affection.

I attempted to communicate a simple greeting, only to be inhibited by the extensive damage to my outside shell. Whatever came out must've sounded like mindless mechanical garbling. In response to my pained attempt to respond, the quadrupedal creature approached further. Unable to move to face the unidentified organism, I simply lay helpless as she picked me up in two warm hoof-like appendages. As she rotated my wounded frame inquisitively, I was finally able to see the creature with my own eye.

The beautiful creature was unlike anything I have ever had the pleasure of witnessing. Most creatures with such vibrant colors are highly dangerous in some way. This one, however, was soft and visually astounding. Her overall bodily structure strongly resembled that of a small horse, despite their century-old status as extinct. Her furry coat was a warm buttery color, like the sun as it just peaks over the horizon. Her vivid mane was a soft pinkish color, much like that of a traveling cloud as the sun crosses the zenith of the horizon.

Her eyes...her powerful eyes. A bright blue, almost cerulean, just like mine.

"I've never seen anything like you before, poor thing."

Her humble tones resonated right down to my core. Why should this creature take such interest and genuine care in a cold, lifeless shell? What had I done to receive such affection?

She continued, her voice still incredibly soft yet impossibly powerful,

"I'm going to take you back to my tree, if that's okay. I'm not at all sure what you are, but I'll do whatever I can to help."

What could this being of Light possibly be thinking? What degree of innocence did she exhibit to trust that I was inherently good? If any other Guardian had found me, they would've simply recycled my Light back to the traveler by reviving me. Not so with this little quadruped.

To my utmost surprise, she unfurled wings, yes, a fully functional medium of flight for an organism never capable of it in our history, and began to hover a foot or two above the ground. Not even an insane Warlock could've imagined, much less successfully create, such an interesting and mythical organism.

With perfected elegance, she began to move southeast, gliding smoothly across the dewy fields of morning grass. Still perched on her outstretched hooves, I was able to get some semblance of my position.

The terrain resembles that of the Pre-Collapse Cosmodrone, with rolling green hills, dense forests, and naturally occurring bodies of fresh water. A young, yellow sun radiates the perfect amount of energy to allow for a vast number of terrestrial organisms to thrive, including various species of creatures incredibly similar to those found on Earth, such as ursus arctos, oryctolagus cuniculus, and odocoileus virginianus.

As I am sure you are already aware, such an abundance and concentration of life no longer exists on our planet, much less our solar system. Most importantly, my scanners have not intercepted any trace remains of the Darkness anywhere in the vicinity. If the City is somehow able to access this land, it could become the first permanent settlement outside the Cosmodrone in over a century.

` Anyway, I apologize for the tangent. Back to the log.

The unidentified organism and I continued southeast. All the while she continued to ask questions most likely intended as rhetorical, as I still am unable to communicate with my damaged translation matrix. Such questions included phrases directed to ensure my well being, such as inquiring what kind of sustenance I required to function or how to heal my gaping wounds. I am positive now that the creature does not know of the existence of Ghosts, and by extension, the City and all of its functions.

That must mean that she doesn't know of the Darkness, either. I hope that I can keep it that way. This world is far too innocent to witness the horrors we've seen, Guardian.

Interestingly enough, her rhetorical questions got me thinking: I require the Light of my Guardian to function. Without it, I should have shriveled into a crusty husk by now. What's keeping me going?

After some long minutes of moving, the creature gestured to a large structure in the distance, about one hundred feet away or so. My scanners zoomed in on the object in question, swiftly revealing that it was a large, lively tree largely resembling that of a deciduous oak.

"That's my house over the hill. A whole bunch of my furry friends live in there with me all the time. They love meeting new friends to play with, so I think you'll fit right in!"

Her sweet, joyful tones even made critically injured me a little more optimistic about whatever lay ahead.

A few more minutes and I found myself on the inside of the proud tree. The space inside was warm and welcoming, with many organisms of highly diverse and exotic typing freely roaming throughout the naturally decorated mini-ecosystem. Upon her return, the creatures appeared to be ecstatic to see the quadruped creature carrying me, quickly drawing close to greet her. She returned the affection two fold, greeting each individual creature with a heartfelt embrace. The organisms quickly noted my presence as well, looking upon my battered frame inquisitively. Holding me out in outstretched hooves to the assembled crowd of lizards, birds, and rabbits, she addressed to them,

"I'd like you all to meet...oh gosh, I suppose I don't know your name yet. I don't think you can tell me what it is, either."

My name? I guess I don't have a personal name, but we Ghosts are known by various informal titles beyond that superficial one. Once a passerby Exo even referred to me as a little light, derogatorily of course.

"I suppose I'll just have to give you one until you're well enough to tell me on your own."

She looked deeply into my eye in thought for a long moment. Then, she suddenly appeared to have a realization, saying,

"I'll call you Blue Sunrise, or Blue for short. You can call me Fluttershy. It's so very nice to meet you."

[ERROR, SYSTEM FAILURE...ERROR CODE _nul_]

[REBOOTING MAIN CONSCIOUS DRIVE.......]

[RETRIEVING ERROR REPORT...]

Light drives compromised...

Light over-flux detected...

Engaging Light buffers.....

[CONSCIOUS DRIVE REBOOT...SUCCESSFUL]

[MEMORY STATUS...1.5% CORRUPTED]

[OPERATING POWER...95%]

[SHUTTING DOWN.....]

[ALERT]

[INCOMING TRANSMISSION:]
[COMMUNICATION INTERCEPTOR RELAYS: ONLINE]
[ENCRYPTION ORIGIN: VEX]
[DECODED MESSAGE FOLLOWS:]

warp drive test successful. ghost survives initial launch with minimal damage. begin transmitting units.

Guardian of the Light

GHOST MEMORY LOG 1-3
ORIGIN POINT: UNKNOWN [>10000 LIGHT YEARS OUTSIDE SOLAR SYSTEM]
RETRIEVED [DATA CORRUPTED]
ENTRY FOLLOWS, GUARDIAN ATTENTION REQUESTED:

I felt a surge of Light, followed by an eternal period of darkness. Then, the Light returned, awakening, enlightening.

My sensors rebooted, causing an uproar of physical feeling and mental meditation instantaneously. A vivid array of spectacular color danced in my eye, such so that it took a few moments to distinguish each individual object from one another. Swiftly, however, my vision focused, everything becoming crisp and crystallized.

In the forefront of my vision was the beautiful creature, Fluttershy by name. What an odd name, a marrying of both a verb and an adjective to form one word so full of meaning. Her large eyes clearly expressed high concern as my sensor relays slowly came back online. Those wondrous pupils spoke louder than her words,

"Blue! Are you okay, can you tell me?"

At first, I dismissed the request, assuming that my communication relays were still inoperable. However, I also noticed the profound lack of that debilitating pain that indicated otherwise. I scanned my translation matrix for a suitable reply, my eye focusing into hers,

"Yes...I am okay."

Even though my poorly articulated reply was far from reassuring in my own mind, Fluttershy (I will be using her formal name in this log from now on) seemed to leap for joy. She scooped me up in her warm hooves, analyzing my frame more closely, "Your shell doesn't seem to be damaged anymore, either!"

Pure relief flowed in rivers across my consciousness matrix as my scanners indeed prove her hypothesis. My outer shell looked as it did when I first awoke within the Traveler's Light. My operating power stood at exactly 100 percent, an astounding measurement given the dire circumstances of mere hours ago.

I engaged my anti-gravity systems to discover that they too were fully functional, "Remarkable. All systems have been restored to full operational capacity."

Fluttershy's expression grew somewhat confused at my statement. Nonetheless, she still radiated a beautiful smile, an expression imbued with the same power as the sunrise.

"Thank goodness you're okay. I was starting to get worried. I'm so sorry I couldn't do more, I had no idea what to do to help. I'm just glad that you made it."

The pure, innocent kindness that constantly streams from this astounding creature never ceases to amaze me. I'm sure that a Guardian reading this log would have an even harder time understanding quite what enables anything to act with such generous hospitality. I suppose that I was blessed by the Light to witness such an ultimate example of it in the past.

"Why I don't quite know how, or much less why, I've managed to recover from my experience in the Vault, I can't thank you enough for rescuing me. Your kindness is rivaled by only one other, creature of Light."

A sincere smile exploded across her features, although her apparent nervousness still hid behind it, "T-thank you. I saw a little light in the distance on my trot home, and there I found you laying in the grass. I couldn't just leave you there, poor thing."

I almost attempted to refute that statement. Of course she could've let me rot. Any other creature, either born from the Darkness or the Light, would have, even if for different reasons. Instead, I thought it better for the City, Guardian, that I ask questions regarding the strange world on which I now reside,

"I would hate to impose, but do you mind if I ask some questions regarding the makeup and nature of this planet and its inhabitants? I would be glad to answer any questions you might have in return."

Fluttershy seemed to shrink slightly in what I assume to be nervousness, uncannily true to her name, I suppose. She hid behind a portion of her own pink mane as she quietly replied, "Of course."

Still maintaining my hovering position, I asked, "First of all, the data I have collected regarding this planet's atmospheric and geological makeup are astounding. No other planet in my solar system of origin is so full of life. Could you then explain exactly where I am.?"

A look of confusion again danced across her features, "You must really not be from around here, little guy. We're currently in Ponyville, which in itself is a part of Equestria."

Take note of the ironic naming of the places of residence, Guardian. Something tells me that his somewhat amusing tomfoolery isn't going to halt anytime soon. Not a lot of originality, but then again, we literally named our last city on Earth The Last City.

She looked at my hovering frame with two saucers for eyes, each full of true empathy. With a voice like cold water, she asked,

"Where are you from, little guy? I'm sure you must have a home somewhere, even if its not in Equestria."

Memories that I had been attempting to block out for the sake of Fluttershy's innocence came flooding back to me all at once. My Guardian. The Vault. The Vex ambush. Her fall. How much information was I willing to disclose with this yet unidentified creature? I determined it was best to keep it to a minimum, for the City's sake.

"I come from a different world. Whether or not it exists within this galaxy, or even this universe, is still up for question. All you need to know is that the world from which I was born is not a world you want too see. Perhaps it was beautiful once. No more."

I could've sworn that shimmering tears formed in her eyes as her voice quivered in response, "That sounds awful, Blue. You must've at least had a family of some kind, somepony that we could get you back too?"

The sharp pain of regret and grief tore through my matrix abruptly. I'm still not used to the unwelcome feeling. Most Ghosts only have to feel it once.

"Not any more. Whatever family I had was consumed by Darkness, the embodiment of evil bent on destroying any sources of Light in the universe. I failed to protect her, Fluttershy. What could I have done? I'm just a floating scrap of metal and widgets, after all."

I stopped myself. Was I, a mechanical Ghost, venting my feelings on an organic life-form? This was probably out of protocol in some way. Regardless, Fluttershy remained genuinely interested in my predicament, those same cool tears of empathy still hanging in her eyes,

"Now I'm sure none of that is true. I may not know what you are or where you're from, but I do know that every creature has a purpose, and is uniquely designed to fulfill that purpose."

I almost chuckled at that. I certainly hadn't fulfilled my purpose, letting my Guardian down in such a horrible fashion. Or maybe I have fulfilled my purpose as a disposable instrument, as my Guardian had in the end.

Snapping myself out of my shameful stupor, I refocused on my current purpose. While I was of little use to anything directly, I believed that I could still assist you, Guardian, and by extension, The City, by sending information on this planet's organisms and general composition. Little did I know that such a simple desire would lead to such a major discovery.

Drawing closer to the shy creature, I inquired, "Fluttershy, I hate to intrude, but would you mind if I scanned your composition and energy matrix? I am at least hoping that this data reaches my homeland. If I'm lucky, then they'll be able to act upon it."

Fluttershy seemed to blush in tender shyness as she reluctantly agreed. I suppose that it is quite unusual on this world to abruptly scan things, much more be scanned.

Readying my data receivers, I activated my primary organic scanner. A grid of green light waked over Fluttershy's nervous frame, swiftly moving in a linear motion to retrieve as much data as possible. After a few moments, my scanners automatically deactivated and a display with all relevant data rose to the forefront of my vision. Most of it was relatively monotonous and expected. Molecular composition is very similar to a humans: carbon based and reliant on a strong presence of water. However, two significant readings caught my attention.

One: this creature, and most likely the rest of her kind, possess a magic not yet identified by even the most powerful Warlocks of the City. I'll leave y'all an attachment with the exact readings. Try to make as much sense out of it as you can.

Two: the Light concentration readings are off the charts. It's definitely the Traveler's Light, no question. Along with that, the frequency of that Light exactly matches the frequency of the Light occurring within myself. This type of reading only occurs between one form of bond.

The bond between a Guardian and her Ghost.

It took a few moments for it all to settle in. I hovered in silence, pondering the significance of this data. Either my scanners were going haywire, or this innocent creature was a Guardian, more importantly, my Guardian, imbued with the same Light all Guardians share. This should be physically impossible, as I am sure you are aware. We aren't even in any close proximity to the Traveler, whose Light can only extend so far outside the solar system. More than that, a Ghost selects its Guardian from the dead, not the living. Such an event has never occurred in documented history.

Even more, no Ghost has ever taken on more than one Guardian. I should have disintigrated into basic Light long ago. This bond between Fluttershy, my Guardian, as it seems, must be the thing keeping me alive.

I felt a surge of emotion suddenly crash through me. No person could ever replace my old Guardian, not even this pure creature. The bond I forged with her was eternal, inseparable, even unto death. I thought I would be swiftly joining her in the Halls of Iron. What right does this Fluttershy have to abolish that bond and replace it? She is still a stranger to me, an unknown creature in an unknown world!

I forced myself to calm down. My rapid, shaking movements and long period of silence were negatively effecting the poor, innocent creature quivering before my eye. She didn't-doesn't deserve any mistreatment. She doesn't deserve the iron weight and curse that comes with Guardianship. She doesn't deserve to face the Darkness. She doesn't deserve to perish in the same fate as my old Guardian.

No, I thought. This world doesn't deserve it. No world deserves the fate the Darkness brought to the billions who perished in fire and death. Yet, here I am. Judging from the intercepted Vex transmission, it seems that my attempt to disable the device has failed. The Darkness will inevitably follow me into this world of Light and corrupt it just like mine.

A scene, a memory, flashes before my consciousness. I hover next to my Guardian, above the dead bodies of five courageous souls who had fallen to the Darkness. The brutish, bulging frames of hundreds of perished Cabal war mongerers lay scattered upon the rust red dust of the dead plains of Mars. A strong wind kicks up the loose, blood coated soil, quickly spreading over the fallen Guardians, burying them into oblivion.

I turn to my Guardian. Her resolve is iron, and her outward countenance shows it. Deep down, however, I know that she feels as broken as I.

"It's times like these that make me forget the grand illusions of the City," I said dryly.

She nodded in recognition, "Indeed. The lives of these Guardians forever will be remembered, but for what were they truly worth?"

"I'm not sure I can tell you. All I know is that they died fighting for a cause much bigger then them. I hope they found peace in that."

My Guardian removes her helmet, revealing her beautiful and strong facial structure. Her eyes are a shimmering blue, like the ice of the Arctic tundra. She looks directly into my sad blue eye and says,

"The cause is much bigger than any of us. The cause is the heartbeat of every soul residing in the City. The cause is the hundreds and thousands of millions who surrendered their lives for those of others. The cause is the hope of a better tomorrow, a belief that one day, the Light, however small, will break through the Darkness."

I returned to reality. Fluttershy stood confused and slightly alarmed. I looked directly into her ice blue eyes, and said,

"I am your Ghost, and you are my Guardian. Fate ordained that we should be the protectorates of this world, shining beacons against the Darkness that will otherwise consume it. Where you go, there I will follow. What you do, that I will perform. Your Light shall be mine, and my Light shall be yours."

"Wait-my what will be yours? Slow down Blue, what are you talking about?"

I shook myself, "Sorry, Fluttershy. I got caught in the heat of the moment. I'm sure what I just said didn't make much sense, so let me start from the beginning."

END LOG

Ice Blue Eyes

GHOST MEMORY LOG 1-4
ORIGIN POINT: UNKNOWN [>10000 LIGHT YEARS OUTSIDE SOLAR SYSTEM]
RETRIEVED [DATA CORRUPTED]
ENTRY FOLLOWS, GUARDIAN ATTENTION REQUESTED:

Intermingled with pure Light, I felt fear. I felt uncertainty. I felt confusion. While all these emotions danced within myself, they boiled like a red hot pot within my new Guardian. I could feel her anxiety, Guardian, begotten from a fear of the unknown and an honest lack of information regarding her current situation. I was able to feel the emotions of my prior Guardian in this way as well. I suppose it comes with the bond between a Guardian and her Ghost, which I thought to be one and eternal. Today has been a simply fascinating adventure for everyone.

Fluttershy stared intently and intensely into my eye with a clear expression of nervousness upon her features. For a few moments, I stared back, unsure of what to say and myself convinced that I was somehow wrong. There was no way this could actually be happening. I died hours ago, in the Vault of Glass, with my Guardian. No, apparently not. If this is what lies afterward, than I want no part in it. I must accept the facts: I continue to live without my Guardian. Her bond was broken and soon replaced by this outsider. Don't get me wrong, Fluttershy is a beautiful, innocent, and genuine creature, but so was her. I fought beside my old Guardian for years. She sacrificed herself countless times, not only for me, but for every soul she met and didn't meet. Ironically, her death was the thing that mattered the least in the scope of her affect on the City.

I returned to reality, prompted by numerous nervous attempts to communicate with me by Fluttershy, "I can see that you're nervous. I can sense that you're confused. Try to calm down as much as you can while I explain the facts."

She nodded slowly and methodically, coming to a pony's equivalent of a seated position upon the carpeted wood floor. Her various and numerous exotic animals, which I assume to be pets of a sort, watched on from a concerned distance. I hovered myself lower to meet her eye level, and said as calmly as I could,

"I'm sure that you feel different, a little weird, perhaps, as if someone injected pure sunlight into your veins. Lighter, brighter, more powerful, and yet the same. You've felt this way since the moment we came into contact too, but you've been in too much shock to quite comprehend the new feelings. Is my prognosis accurate?"

Slowly, Fluttershy nodded as she seemed to search within herself, confirming those facts to hold true.

"With that said, I come from another world, a solar system devastated by war and decay for millennia. Various evil alien races, from the bloodthirsty, war mongering Cabal to the once-proud scavenging ravagers of the Fallen are bent on destroying the Traveler's Light wherever it exists. The Light from this mysterious wandering being was the source of our rise and our fall. "

"When the Traveler was permanently crippled while defending the last bastion of the free Human, Exo and Awoken men and women, it released the Ghosts to appoint among the rubble Guardians who would continue its legacy and prevent the Darkness from consuming all. Since then, the Guardians have been the only thing preventing the death of however many millions of us remain."

Using my holographic projector, I displayed in the middle of the room a low quality clip of pro-Guardian propaganda frequently shown to the civilians inhabiting the City. It contained a two minute representation of the common activities of a Guardian, such as the destruction of a Fallen fleet, the obliteration of a Vex assault force, and various heroic poses of numerous Guardians, primarily Lord Shaxx and his gang. Afterwards, I analyzed the dumbfounded expression of my new Guardian, awaiting any sort of reply from her stunned features,

"I see...as horrible as all of this is, what does it have to do with me, with Equestria?"

I sighed as I explained, "This is where things get a little tricky for you and I. Through a complex series of circumstances I still don't fully comprehend, I managed to enter your world, and you found me. I still don't know whether or not it's a simple coincidence or if the Traveler somehow had a hand in it, but regardless, Light entered you and bonded to mine. Ghosts and Guardians are the only two things in the universe that share this mysterious bond."

She shook her head in both denial and confusion, "I still don't understand what any of this means, Blue. I'm quite concerned, and honestly, a little bit scared." She visibly began to quiver slightly and back away.

"You have every right to be scared, Fluttershy. However, as difficult as they are to accept, I must, we must, accept the facts. The Light coursing within you exists for a purpose, a cause larger than anything you have yet to imagine. The Traveler has selected you, either by accident or purposefully, to protect whatever little light remains in this universe. You have been given the call. You are a Guardian."

Fluttershy began to noticeably break down further, her voice shaky as she responded, "But I barely even know what a Guardian is. I'm a pony, Bearer of the Element of Kindness and friend to all creatures..."

"You're all of those things and more, Guardian. Believe me, I'm having as difficult of a time as you are in coming to terms with this. Plus, I'm sure you're still wondering what all of this even practically means. I can't say what that is for sure. All I know is that wherever Light exists, Darkness is sure to follow."

Composing herself as much as she could, garnering the fragile situation, Fluttershy asked, "You mean that those horrible monsters from that thing you showed me...they'll follow me wherever I go?"

That question rocked my internal drives significantly. What an innocent question, a statement a small child might make of the creatures that she believes reside within the shadows. I've said it before and I'll say it again: she does not deserve this call to Guardianship. This planet doesn't deserve to be shadowed by Darkness. Yet, here I am, and here she is. I must do whatever it takes, therefore, to prevent the Darkness from overtaking this untouched world. It all hinges upon the only source of Light within it, for only a Guardian has truly been able to stand up to the evil creatures of the darkest depths and win.

"Unfortunately, yes. Light cannot accept the existence of Darkness as much as the Darkness cannot accept the existence of the Light. That is why we are constantly at war, why so much blood has been shed over seemingly rudimentary things."

Crystal tears formed in the pupils of Fluttershy's ice blue eyes as she said, "I still don't understand any of this. I've only just met you, and now you're saying that my world, my friends are going to be hurt by evil monsters?"

I shook myself in a Ghost's equivalent of a no, "That's not at all what I'm saying. Where there is Light, there is hope. You are the embodiment of that Light, the only creature on this planet gifted with the special task and talent of defending your friends. That is what it means to be a Guardian. It means to protect your friends."

My use of her own diction regarding her friends (of which I am still anticipating to meet-I am curious to say the least) seemed to have a strong effect on her. She straightened, rising up to a standing position on all four buttery hooves. Her expression resolved into one of internal strengths mingled with both honest determination and downright fear. Her ice blue eyes, so full of hidden power, focused on mine as she proclaimed,

"While I may still be pretty confused about what exactly is going on, I do believe in my friends, and I do believe that I'll do everything I can to protect them. Tell me everything I need to know; teach me everything I need to learn, Blue. I've come too far on my journey of friendship to give up now."

If I could have outwardly smiled, I sure would have. I was beyond impressed with her sudden resolve and courage. Perhaps the Traveler's Light within her was influencing her emotion in some fashion. At any rate, I'm glad to see that she'll be accepting her role as Guardian. Many have downright refused the call, and I don't blame them for it.

"Fluttershy, by accepting the call to Guardianship, you have proved yourself more courageous than thousands of those who have come before you. I am your Ghost, your faithful companion, and though I have only known you for some obscure hours, I will do everything in my power to defend this world by your side."

She seemed to shrink slightly as she inquired, "Oh goodness, whatever we're going to do, we've got to do with my friends hoof in hoof. I don't know where I'd be today without them, and I'm sure I won't get very far into tomorrow without them, either."

Take note, Guardian. The inhabitants of this world seem to put a very high value on the price of friendship. I'm not talking the comradeship that exists between a simple Strike-team either, but true, lasting friendships. I know that most of us tend to avoid those, as they are easily destroyed by the Darkness.

I gazed into her ice blue eyes, once again astounded by the resolve mingled with nervousness and doubt that existed within this creature. She is driven by a simple desire to do good, to be kind to others by any means necessary, much like my prior Guardian. In fact, as I think about it, there are numerous similarities between her and my Guardian. I'm not sure if the universe loves me or is trying to mock me.

"No Guardian has ever succeeded alone, Fluttershy. We'll need all the allies we can get to prepare for the likely occurrence of a Vex invasion. I'd be happy to meet you friends, if you'd be so kind as to introduce me."

She smiled slightly, but also replied with increasingly nervous tones, "Wait, a what invasion? I've never heard of whatever that is, but it doesn't sound good."

"It sure isn't, Fluttershy. The Vex are responsible for the destruction of both Mars and Venus, two planets that used to be full of life and activity. Many Guardians have even theorized that they're only attacking us as part of some grand testing project for some greater motive."

Once again, those ice blue eyes hardened in a resolve that exists in few Guardians, a resolve that is tested by the flames of fear, not blind ignorance. "Then we don't have much time to lose, Blue. It may be early, but I hope that my friends don't mind being woken up early. I really hope they don't mind, I'd hate to interrupt Rarity's beauty sleep, or Twilight's 'smarty sleep', or Rainbow Dash's refueling sleep..."

She droned on with an odd list of various sleeping ideas for some time, after which she stopped herself and looked into my eye,

"Are you sure about all of this, Blue? After all, I can only trust that what you're saying is true."

I nodded a Ghost's nod, which looks to the viewer as more of a slight vertical dip than anything else, "You're right of course. You have only my word to go on, but its the word of a Ghost, and a Ghost never tells a lie."

Smiling to hide apparent nervousness, she nodded in swift reply as she motioned towards the door, the portal to a world I have yet to fully discover.

END LOG

Darkness Rising

Darkness Rising

GHOST MEMORY LOG 1-5
ORIGIN POINT: UNKNOWN [>10000 LIGHT YEARS OUTSIDE SOLAR SYSTEM]
RETRIEVED [DATA CORRUPTED]
ENTRY FOLLOWS, GUARDIAN ATTENTION REQUESTED:

The warm sunlight of that glorious morning was a welcome addition to the day. That bright light overpowered whatever Darkness still permeated my memory for a few short moments of bliss. I hope that it will continue to shine on upon this heavenly world as a harbinger of life and the protectorate of what remains.

I hovered beside my Guardian while we embarked on what I may most closely define as a morning stroll. What a foreign concept to any of us these days. The time for such relaxing ventures perished for all but the wealthy rulers of the Last City along with the millions who still appreciated such small things. I'm sure you haven't been on quite so many vacations yourself, Guardian. Unless, of course, you qualify performing a Raid on Venus as a "vacation".

Initially, neither my new Guardian nor I shared a word, both of us content to simply absorb the warm air of the early summer and contemplate silently to ourselves. I sensed Fluttershy's feelings as much as she was able to do so to mine. I felt no small amount of fear and confusion coursing through her mind and heart, clouding her judgement and dulling her Light. In time, I hope that I am able to come up with a truly appropriate method of explaining exactly what all of the events of the past day actually entail for her. I've got a nagging feeling that whatever bad situation we run into next will expedite that learning a little too quickly.

For the first half a kilometer or so there was nothing but lively green trees and vivid myriads of flowers to keep us company. I've never seen such an array and abundance of organic lifeforms in all my time as a Ghost. I simply can't imagine the incredible benefits we could make for the City if we somehow found a way of getting civilians out here and away from the Darkness, forever. It could be the start of a new Golden Age, or at least, the end of centuries of suffering and death. Such an achievement would make the countless lost Guardians worth something more than simply passionate inspiration for more Guardians to arrive at the same fate.

Around ten minutes into our small quest, I saw the first instance of another member of Fluttershy's species. It was at a fork in the winding dirt road, where one path deviated towards what appeared to be a small, colorful village and another into a rather foreboding forest. In the center of the fork stood a plain white bench atop a small patch of emerald grass, and sitting in a rather awkward position atop that bench was a mint green creature fitting most of Fluttershy's phenotype. Aside from the radically different shade of her coat (I assume this new creature to be a "she" as much as I assume Fluttershy to be so) and an oddly shaped horn protruding from her skull, her bodily composition and structure is nearly identical to my Guardian's. I can only wonder the actual purpose of such an odd, bony attachment to her head. Such a thing looked rather mythical and out of place, as if it belonged in the bedtimes stories City-goers reserve for their young.

I considered activating my cloak for a moment, swiftly deciding that the newly identified pony had already seen me and it would be even stranger to just pop out of existence. Besides, I have nothing to hide from these new creatures. I hope to continue to establish good relations with their kind. The last thing I want is to somehow instill some resentment of Guardians and Ghosts into them.

Fluttershy seemed to have much the same idea, projecting a warm smile at the newcomer in what I assume to be her sort of greeting. If her personality holds true to her name, then it is likely that she is significantly introverted and may dislike initiating conversation. Following suit with my new Guardian's example, I greeted the stranger with a simple "hello".

My presence didn't seem to alarm the mint green equine as she responded in kind, "Good morning, Fluttershy. Fancy meeting you here. What's that creature? A new pet?"

I almost took offense at the derogatory term, quite willing to give this stranger a crash course in Ghost trigonometric, only to be halted by my Guardian's hurried reply, "Not exactly, Lyra. His name's Blue, and he's a...what exactly are you again?"

I considered the question and the statement for a moment. For one, my name isn't actually Blue. I suppose I'll go by that alias until I find a plausible substitute. As for what I am exactly...that's not quite an easy question to answer. Even the Guardians don't quite know what we are, why we were sent by the Traveler, or what makes us tick. Beyond a basic understanding of our abilities, even us Ghosts don't know what we were made to do beyond create and assist the Guardians. I knew I needed to answer with something, so I went with the standard reply,

"I am a Ghost, born of the Traveler's Light. I was made to protect the Light from the Darkness, to protect her who I chose to be the Guardian of the world."

My answer very clearly confused both Fluttershy and Lyra alike. For a few moments, Lyra stood baffled by both my statement and, I assume, my ability to communicate freely with the sentient lifeforms of this planet.

"It...can talk? I've never seen a pet of yours that's been outright able to speak, Fluttershy."

Aha. My initial hypothesis was proven correct. This could mean that these "ponies" are the only sentient organism on this planet. Although, I use the term "sentient" flexibly. A blue jay perched in a nearby tree did eye me rather strangely.

"Yeah, Blue is pretty different from anything I've ever seen before. He's said a lot of strange things, which is why I'm taking him to see Twilight. I'm hoping she might have some information on what exactly he is."

So that was the reason she took me on this venture. I suppose it makes sense. If I were in her position, the first thing I would do is attempt to get help from someone I could trust. Still, I doubt that this "Twilight" character has any relevant information on the Last City and it's functions, as we certainly don't have any on this strange, innocent world.

"Funny you should mention that," the lime pony began, "because she just passed by here around thirty minutes ago or so. Said something about meeting with Zecora. Mentioned something about a potion that could prevent stomach aches, before she darted towards that weird shack of Zecora's."

Fluttershy nodded, giving the mint green pony a warm farewell as we changed course and headed down the path into the dense, shadowy forest.

I noticed that my Guardian's demenor sharply changed as we pushed further and further into the damp, overgrown wilderness. It was quite clear that she did not like the enclosed atmosphere, the dancing shadows, the element of uncertainty. I certainly didn't enjoy the scenery, but I was already used to far worse than this. My old Guardian and I had ventured into the depths of hell and back on little more than whim more times than I could count. Hopefully my new one would grow used to the change in decor.

I attempted some awkward small talk with Fluttershy to take her mind off the surroundings, "I'm sure you have a lot of questions regarding your situation. Ask away, and I'll try my best to explain."

Fluttershy looked off into the inky distance, replying, "I'm still just taking it all in. I suppose my biggest concern is about what exactly I'm supposed to do as a, 'Guardian'".

She stressed the last word with confused emphasis. I looked to her, "Not too much, I hope." That was at best a half truth, at worst a blatant, manipulative lie. She just looked so shaken up already. I didn't think that she had the wherewithal to be told to kill minions of Darkness and possibly die in the process.

She looked at me with those same piercing, ice blue eyes, "But those things you showed me...those horrible creatures. They won't come here, will they?"

I tore my gaze away from her, "I can't say that for certain. That's why I need to get you equipped with some useful gear as soon as I can."

I still technically had all my Guardian's old gear stored in encrypted engrams, but I would have to retrofit anything I wanted to use to properly conform to a different species' shape. Plus, I wasn't quite ready to access that gear. It's full of great memories tainted by the knowledge that they were all in vain.

Practically shaking in her hooves, Fluttershy pressed on through the ever denser forest. It occurred to me that she was significantly more emotionally frail than most people I had ever met were. I have to be sure not to push her too hard, otherwise I risk scarring her permanently. That is, unless I already have.

We continued through the black, exotic forest for another few minutes or so with little conversation. I was perhaps as confused as my Guardian regarding this interesting situation. So many questions still need answering. I certainly hope that this Twilight has some useful information.

A startling sight forced me to halt motion. Fluttershy stopped a few paces in front, observing me with a confused eye. I stared in mock terror at my motion sensor. Three dots blinked upon the circular device. One belonged to me, the other my Guardian. One more unidentified crimson dot moved swiftly towards our position.

Unable to respond to Fluttershy's concerned attempts to communicate, I activated my external sensor. After a few moments, information returned to my data frame, of which I quickly analyzed.

"Vex." The word rolled off my communicators like a chain weight into the ocean.

"What?" My Guardian's reply was masked by the sound of something swiftly approaching through the dense underbrush.

Just then, the object of my fears and grief exploded from the forest. It was triangular in shape, with multiple robotic tentacles pursuing outwards and a single crimson eye staring into my soul. A Vex Harpy unit.

I had no time to warn my Guardian before it opened fire.

END LOG

Vex

They are watching.

Crimson eyes pierce the shadows wherever I look. Have you seen them? Have you felt that venomous gaze on your shoulder? I have.

They are moving.

The sound of mechanized metal on hard stone echoes through the empty halls on every side. Have you heard it? Have you listened to the cold fury resonating in each heavy step? I have.

They are screaming.

The screeching cacophony of electrified battle cries causes blood to freeze. Have you experienced it? Have you found yourself paralyzed by fear you didn't know existed? I have.

They are killing.

Crimson bolts of death fell the strongest Guardian. Have you died? Have you entered the void?

I have.

GHOST MEMORY LOG 1-6
ORIGIN POINT: UNKNOWN [>10000 LIGHT YEARS OUTSIDE SOLAR SYSTEM]
RETRIEVED [DATA CORRUPTED]
ENTRY FOLLOWS, GUARDIAN ATTENTION REQUESTED:

For most organic organisms, interpreting and containing one's own feelings is a daunting task on its own. Imagine having to not only amplify those emotions, but share them with another soul. Like a tether pulling both ways, the emotional link is unstable and easily broken when put under stress. It never truly breaks, however. Even death itself cannot cut the bonds between a Guardian and her Ghost. At least, that was the way everyone assumed it worked.

I cannot even begin to understand the Traveler's reasons and means for tying my sacred Guardian link to another, an outsider, one who came from the land of the few living and not from the billions asleep in their dark graves. Perhaps it is some divine predestination, perhaps it is mere coincidence, but regardless, the bond between a Guardian and Ghost has been forged between me and this Fluttershy. As kindhearted as she is, as selfless as I've seen her be towards those she loves, this creature has one inherent flaw that drove thousands of Guardians into the Darkness.

Fear. Of course, we all feel fear at one point or another. However, the fear within her heart is something else, something far more controlling, concentrated, born from a lifetime of shyness and self-inflicted isolation from true terror. It is a fear of the unknown, of what lies just out of sight, in the shadows of the mind and of reality.

When that beast of metal and Darkness leaped from the shadows of the dark forest, that fear manifested as an icy freeze. He heart skipped a beat, her muscles contracted and paralyzed themselves, and her pupils dilated noticeably. As the Harpy extended its metal tentacles in attack formation, ready to blast my new Guardian with crimson bolts which would certainly disintegrate her unprotected body, she stood perfectly still, not even breathing, not even blinking.

Without thinking, I made a decision that most would claim was fool-hearty at best, suicidal at worst.

I threw my rather small metal frame at the Harpy, positioning the awkward strike in the center of the crimson eye module. Just before the Harpy opened fire, I collided with the Vex machine. Stunned and confused by my attack, the Harpy stumbled backwards slightly, screeching the metallic ear piercing battle-cry that marks the Vex.

With the few spare moments the Harpy was disoriented, I called out to my Guardian, "Use this!"

Transmuting my old Guardian's Thorn into physical existence in front of Fluttershy's stoic face. Her eyes suddenly fixated on the weapon as her breathing returned in short bursts. For a second or two she considered the device, then as the Harpy reoriented itself, she awkwardly held the weapon in both hooves.

My servos ran cold as I realized the obvious error in my decision. The Thorn was designed for bipedal organisms, not for four legged horses. There was no physical way that she could-

BANG

The sound of the radioactive charge propelled by the Thorn rang out in my sound receptors. A streak of black and green light slammed into the stunned Harpy with incredible force, causing the evil machine of Darkness to fly backwards a full meter. A rippling layer of green toxic light spread across its body, causing continual residual damage until the entire machine was engulfed in an orange flame, exploding with a shrill cry.

For a long moment, there was only the silence that follows battle. A silence of the soul, a quietness that doesn't seem like it should be there. Adrenaline pumped through the veins of my Guardian as she stood perfectly still, the Thorn pointed at the empty space the Harpy once inhabited.

"I just killed something." Fluttershy's words spoke daggers into my heart. I had been hoping to preserve her innocence a little longer, to delay the inevitable until a future time arrived. Now was that time.

"Yes." I couldn't lie to her. The Vex machines do live, perhaps not in a colloquial sense, but they are at least partially sentient, if guided by a hive-mind.

"But you killed a minion of the Darkness, a foul being that only knows how to kill and destroy. By destroying that thing, you just saved the lives of your friends." I went back to the motif of her friends in an attempt to motivate her out of her frozen stupor. Still she stood still, silent for a few moments, pondering quietly, adrenaline sill pumping.

"That doesn't matter. I killed a living thing. I stole its life."

A single tear streamed down her buttery cheek. Within that crystalline fluid was whatever innocence she tried to maintain, lost to the ground below her hooves.

"Being a Guardian is more than just a title and fancy gear, Fluttershy. The role of Guardianship comes with an inherent call to protect the innocent, by any means necessary. We don't kill other things just because we feel like it. We do it because if we don't, no one will, and when no one does...they'll kill us without a moment's hesitation."

The Thorn fell from her hooves and landed on the mossy ground with a thud. Fluttershy examined her now empty hooves with a sickened gaze, as if she was disgusted by the act they just committed on reflex.

"No. There has to be some other way. Haven't you tried-"

"Reasoning with them? Fluttershy, we did nothing to provoke their actions, yet for centuries have they slaughtered billions of men, women, and children for reasons not even we can grasp. That's why we call them the Darkness. They only exist to quench the Light, nothing more, nothing less."

Her cheeks suddenly flared in anger as she growled, "Well, if I went around killing things that don't like me willy-nilly, then there's quite a few new friends that I never would've known!"

I stared into her cerulean eyes for a long moment. In them I saw fear, guilt, and most of all, pity.

"Listen, Fluttershy. My prior Guardian, whom I loved dearly, was killed by those same machines you're saying are redeemable. Do you know how mercilessly she was killed, Fluttershy? Did you watch helplessly while thousands of Vex bastards tore her limb from limb with streams of crimson death? Have you seen the Darkness take everything you ever loved? I have!"

I could conceal my anger no longer. My infuriated tone seemed to resonate. More tears streamed down her cheek, dropping to the ground like raindrops upon the forest.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know that, Blue." Her calm voice caused my anger to fade away, giving way instead to shame. I felt horrible for yelling at her like that. Then, my new Guardian did something I could not have expected.

Taking my slightly trembling frame in her hooves, she held me to her chest in a pony's equivalent of a hug. I felt the negative emotions bottled up for so long trickle out of my being. Upon that mossy, dirty ground, with who knows how many insects crawling across the floor, we simply sat and hugged. I didn't object.

I turned off my audio transmitters for a long time. I couldn't let her hear my sobs.

END LOG

INCOMING TRANSMISSION

INCOMING TRANSMISSION

ORIGIN POINT: DEEP SPACE

RECEIVED AT 14:33 XX-XX-XXXX

DECRYPTING DATA...

........

DATA SUCCESSFULLY DECRYPTED

WARNING: CONTAINS CLASSIFIED INFORMATION

REPORT TO VANGUARD IMMEDIATELY

The perplexed Guardian eyed the report with no small amount of wonder. A routine scan on a random Vex spire had never produced information like this before. Reaching out his hand, he summoned his Ghost into physical existence. From the looks of it, the Ghost looked just as confused as he did.

"Ghost, you make anything of this?" The Guardian asked, scanning his humid surroundings for any sign of enemies.

The Ghost shook in its equivalent of a no, "Even if I could, it's encrypted with passwords that only the Vanguard has access to."

The Guardian read over the data again. It was rare to come across something that didn't fit into a routine out here in the jungle ruins of Venus. Hefting his Auto Rifle into his arms, he began to walk towards a nearby concrete structure overgrown with vines and decay.

"Then whatever this is, it's bigger than us."

Upon his command, the Ghost transported the Guardian and his equipment directly into orbit. They immediately activated their ship's warp drives and imputed the Tower's coordinates into the NAV console.

o./0.o

"Well, this is at least number three on the 'craziest situations I've ever been in' list."

The masculine, robotic voice rang out in the Vanguard Headquarters, alerting the passerby Guardians to an event they probably didn't want to be around to hear, and sequentially be recruited for. As famed and revered as the three Vanguards were, the missions they sent their own classes of Guardians on often ended in either wild goose chases or repeated death, with little room in between.

The Vanguard HQ room itself was rather small and uninteresting in comparison with the rest of the Tower. An steel, oval table adorned took up most of the space, mostly clean aside from some of the Vanguards' clutter in little piles towards the edges. The four walls of the room were decorated with ornate banners with the Vanguard coat-of-arms. Various attendants skirted this way and that, generally maintaining distance from the three interesting Vanguards.

One Vanguard in particular, the more-or-less official leader of the Warlock class of Guardians, smiled in reply to the statement of her Exo Vanguard counterpart, Cayde-6.

"You have a list? I thought you'd been in far too many 'crazy' situations to properly count them."

Cayde-6 smirked at Ikora's reply, "Of course I have a list. How else would I brag to you stuck-ups?"

Cayde continued his lighthearted rant, "Number two on the list is of course the time I watched a Ghost try to eat a block of cheese. Not pretty. The other time, of course, was when-"

"I fail to see the importance of this conversation in light of the information we have just been given." Commander Zavala's deep, respectful tone interrupted Cayde's story, a frown forming on the Exo's metallic jawline.

"We'll have to take a rain check on number one, Rey. Commander killjoy here has something 'more important' to mention."

Commander Zavala's face curled in offended indignation, "You and I both know how vital it is we address this new info as soon as possible. The fate of The Last City may depend on it."

Cayde raised a dismissing hand, "There you go again with that melodramatic lingo. How many times has it been now that something has 'hung in the balance' of some mysterious thing?"

Zavala slammed his fists upon the steel table, mildly startling the two other Vanguards. "While I understand the importance of some hearty banter from time to time, now is not that time, Hunter."

Cayde backed down with a wave of his hands, "All right, I get it. What exactly are we up against, Zavala?"

The Commander seemed to like the change of pace, immediately replying to Cayde's serious question, "It's not what we're up against, but who. "

Cayde and Ikora shared confused glances as Zavala placed a high quality holographic projector on the center of the table. Immediately, it displayed a large manuscript, written in informal text.

"A Ghost memory log. Don't see a lot of those, nowadays. What does this have to do with anything?"

Caydes question was followed by pictures of a serene landscape, of quadruped, colorful creatures that vaguely represented horses, and of places full of life. Ikora studied the presentation carefully, "It looks beautiful. Were these pictures attached with the Ghost's logs?"

"They were. While not going into too much detail, the Ghost apparently was instantaneously transported to this location by an unknown Vex device. His Guardian was killed in combat while coming into contact with the machine."

Ikora raised here hand inquisitively, "If the Ghost's Guardian was killed before it reached this new land, how is the Ghost still functional?"

Zavala smiled at her question. "That's the thing, Warlock. The Ghost bonded with a second Guardian, and not even one of the three core races."

Both Ikora's and Cayde's eyes rose in surprise. "That's never occurred in my memory, and I don't think the Library has anything on it either. But what are you saying, Zavala? That Ghosts can have more than one Guardian?"

Zavala shook his head at Cayde's question, "I think that this is a special occurrence, brought about by the unique circumstances of this particular venture. Nonetheless, I believe that we should take action upon it."

The holographic image shifted to detailed plans and statistics displaying ordinance and assets. "I am prepared to send in a team of my most skilled Titans to break through the Vex defenses and secure the device. I believe that a great gains may be made for the City, perhaps some we cannot yet even fathom, should we acquire this machine."

Cayde raised a defensive metal hand, "Now hold on, commander. I see no other intel on this aside from the backless logs of a perhaps insane Ghost, and you're expecting to throw a team of twelve Guardians into the wind?"

Ikora continued Cayde's sentiment, "As much as it pains me, I'd have to agree with Cayde. I see what we could gain from this mission, but putting twelve Guardians' lives on the line for little more than a hope seems reckless at best."

"I thought you might say that. There's more on the line than just new technology, Ikora. Watch."

Her eyes fell upon the projector, which was now displaying a rather poor quality video of the Ghost's first person view of the world. A scene of a forest was shown, followed by the last thing they wanted to see. A swift battle with a Vex Harpy, followed by the static that represented the end of the log.

Cayde was the first to speak after a long moment of silence, "So you're telling me that the Vex are already there?"

"It seems so. This carries with it huge implications. Not only are the lives of whatever sentient creatures inhabit that world at risk, but if the Vex manage to take the lush planet, it could become a factory of millions of more troops to be used in the war against us."

The room fell quiet for a moment of pondering. Cayde rested his hand upon his chin, contemplating the risk-benefit scenario of sending a team in to investigate. Ikora remained largely stoic as she continued to look through the data presented on the projector. Zavala finally broke the silence with a thunderous voice,

"I think we all know what needs to be done. If we are agreed, I'll send for the team immediately."

Cayde sighed a long breath, finally admitting, "You already know how rarely I say this, but I think you're right, Zavala. You've got my vote."

All eyes fell upon Ikora, who glanced at both of the Vanguards nervously, "As much as I dislike it, I think we're going to have to act upon this whim. I agree with your plan, commander."

Zavala smiled and replied with a serious tone, "Then I'll send word to the team. Whatever comes of this journey is on our hands now. The die is cast, we have crossed the Rubicon."

Zavala extended his muscular hand into the center of the room. Cayde followed with his own, grasping the wrist of his fellow Vanguard, "May the Light guide us, or whatever."

After a short pause, Ikora grasped the wrists of her counterparts,

"May the Light be with us all."

Becoming Legend

GHOST MEMORY LOG 1-7
ORIGIN POINT: UNKNOWN [>10000 LIGHT YEARS OUTSIDE SOLAR SYSTEM]
RETRIEVED [DATA CORRUPTED]
ENTRY FOLLOWS, GUARDIAN ATTENTION REQUESTED:

The sky seemed much darker. Perhaps that was just because of the amount of time we spent in the forest, but the darkness I felt was more than just the absence of light. It was the presence of something actively creating darkness from nothing, something malicious, calculating, and most terrifying of all, patient.

That's probably the worst part about the Vex. They don't fit into any of the stereotypes the Guardians came up for the other minions of the Darkness. The Fallen were the once majestic Elinski race, torn down by greed and division within their own ranks. The uncompromisingly loyal Cabal are led by a totalitarian dictator commanding destruction from light years away. The Hive are malicious beings who do nothing but worship death.

But the Vex...they're something else entirely. While the motives of the other branches of the Darkness can be easily traced, from greed to religion, no Guardian knows why the Vex antagonize the Traveler so ferociously. Of course, there are theories, some that make a small degree of sense and others that defy reason as we know it. Some wise Warlocks even claim that the Vex invasion of the Solar System is nothing more than a test of their combat capabilities. That particular idea scares me the most. I can handle the clear cut goals of the Fallen, but the concept that our struggle against the Vex is nothing more than a game to them infuriates me. My Guardian didn't perish as part of some wicked experiment, did she?

I shook myself away from those thoughts. Garnering the tender situation, loosing whatever was left of my mind to an endless rabbit hole of questions wasn't a viable option.

I turned to face my Guardian. The feeble creature trembled violently under the dark shadows of the dense forest. Her eyes were clearly bloodshot, her complexion, pale, her expression, void by terror. The Thorn still lay on the moist soil. The weapon's sinister design and dark origins seemed to blend into the surroundings perfectly.

I racked my consciousness for a solution to the current situational problem. There was no easy way to move forwards. I certainly couldn't just pretend the event didn't really occur; I couldn't simply force Fluttershy to get on her hooves and keep moving. Both events would result in short and long term consequences, yet what else was there to do?

A thought danced in my mind, followed swiftly by words even I still do not fully understand,

"There's an old adage used by the Guardians of the City. I'm sure you've never heard of it, but it goes something like this: 'heroes are remembered, but legends never die'".

"When Guardians honor the death of one of their own, they reference this saying often with proud words like, 'she's become legend', or 'his memory will live on', or some other vague yet uplifting term. I never thought much of this, as most of our science points to an absence of anything beyond death, only Darkness and Light."

"But as I think about it, I realize that the saying is much more metaphorical than I thought. I realize that you are the legend my old Guardian left behind, you are the memory that will live on, you are what now exists beyond. Whatever brought me here brought me to you, and I intend to make the most of this situation."

"They say there's nothing more dangerous than a man who's lost everything. I've got nothing to lose, Fluttershy, and you've got a world to save."

Fluttershy stared at me with wide, tearful eyes. She rose slowly and gently to her hooves, finally speaking with a frail voice, "I-I understand your pain, Blue. Truly, I do. But...but I can't do what you're asking me. I can't be the pony you want me to be. I can't-"

"Let me stop you right there. Whether you think you can or can't be a Guardian doesn't matter. What does matter is the simple fact that the lives of your family, your friends, your world, rely on each decision you make from now on."

"You are the only chance this world has for survival. You are the only bearer of the Light that stands against the oncoming Darkness. None of your friends have been given this gift. Use it wisely."

The sky darkened further. The melody of the nearby song birds halted abruptly. The thousands of points of movement from the crawling insects and scurrying mammals ceased. The warm summer breeze died away, and a blanket of cold air spread its tendrils across the forest. Despite an absence of a formal spinal cord, a chill ran down my back. I could tell that Fluttershy felt the change as well.

"When the Darkness grows stronger, Light and life fade away. We have to get moving. I recommend we find a way out of this forest."

Fluttershy's eyes instantly shot forwards as she proclaimed, "We can't leave without Twilight and Zecora! If those horrible monsters return...I can't bear to think about what might happen to them."

My initial thought was to reject this suggestion altogether. From a tactical point of view, risking her own life in a Vex infested forest to find couple of friends was not worth the danger that lurked in the shadows. However, I thought of how often and how vehemently Fluttershy voiced concern and love for her friends. Although I have not yet met them, I can tell that they are of paramount importance to her. With a sigh, I replied to my Guardian,

"Very well, Fluttershy. You're the Guardian, lead the way."

A few moments passed before she took her first small step, followed by another, then another. I returned the Thorn to my Glimmer hard-drive inventory and engaged my cloaking system, following my Guardian into the consuming darkness ahead.

As we walked in silence, I scanned my old Guardian's various pieces of gear for signs of wear. Her armor was more practical than flashy, quite unlike the elaborate, knight-like plates of Titans and the stealthy, smooth cloaks of Hunters. Her Warlock gear was colored using the Electric Aquarius armor shader, painting the long robes and sleek helmet in a black coat that resembled the night itself.

Her primary weapon, the Thorn, had been acquired through a long and arduous Exotic Weapon bounty. I still shudder every time I see an Ogre staring purple bolts of death from its grotesque face at us. Her secondary weapon of choice, the Matador 64, is an efficient Void-based shotgun perfectly capable of felling the largest of foes. Finally, I checked the status of her old heavy weapon, The Ash Factory, an Arc rocket launcher with an incredible blast radius. All of her gear is in operating order, but I'm still not completely sure how I'm going to retrofit the weapons, much less the armor, to Fluttershy's anatomical dimensions.

I retrieved a three dimensional blueprint of Fluttershy's physical frame I acquired while scanning her earlier that day and made measurements to compare the existing gear with her size and scale. I then retrieved all available Glimmer and ran calculations based on body mass and density in contrast to the armor's, retrieving a report detailing how much Glimmer it took to transmute the existing gear into workable tools for a quadruped horse...thing.

As we turned down the path into an area of the forest that seemed to consume what little light remained poking through the enveloping leaves, I thought about an important factor in creating usable gear for my Guardian,

"Have you felt anything...different inside you? Not just the presence of Light within you, but perhaps a dissociation of it within your innermost soul?"

Fluttershy shook her head in a mix of both fear and confusion, "Not really. I feel a little warm, if that means anything. I'm just having a hard time thinking about all of this..."

She trailed off, staring directly ahead into that devouring forest of darkness. I squinted my lone eye in thought. As a rule, most Guardians are born with two defining features that govern their development and combat effectiveness, their Class and Subclass. My old Guardian, of course, was of the Warlock order, choosing by volition the Sunsinger Subclass. By now, Fluttershy should've had at least an inkling on what hers was, especially after combating that Vex Harpy. I decided not to attempt to strain her Light and emotions any further by pressing her into choosing one involuntarily as I asked,

"How much further to this, Zecora's house?"

Fluttershy scanned her surroundings as she replied weakly, "Shouldn't be too much further. In fact, we should already be here by now."

As she said those words, I detected a distinct drop in temperature in both the air and her body. A chill went through my cold frame as I replied,

"What do you mean, Guardian?"

Her heartbeat rose steadily as she replied in a panicked voice, "I mean that we should've gotten their already! We've walked too far, and there's no way we could've missed it."

I lowered my tone in reply, "Calm down, Fluttershy. I'm sure we just took a wrong turn. Can you retrace-"

"Look at that tree, Blue. Haven't we passed it already?"

The paranoia in her voice was obvious. I initially assumed it to just be a simple product of the multitudes of stress converging at once on her already weary state. Noticing, however, that no level of reason would calm her down at this point, I activated my scanners and said,

"I highly doubt that we've already passed that tree, as we've been traveling in a roughly northeasterly direction for the past half an hour. But just to be safe, I'll scan it to see if it registers in my system."

A swift few moments later and I compiled the data on that tree to see if it matched its biological description.

"No, no, this can't be right," As I scanned through the data, the discovery that came with it shocked me to denial.

"Something's up, Fluttershy. This can't be possible under normal circumstances, but that tree does indeed match the genome of the tree we already passed."

Darkness devoured whatever light remained. A strange, black smoke began to materialize all around the shadowed flora. Realization came down on me like a hammer as the panic in my voice became obvious,

"We've been played, Fluttershy! The Vex have trapped us in a time loop."

Fluttershy's eyes went wide with terror as she responded, "Why would they do that?"

Blue light like lightening darted in and out of the consuming black smoke as I replied, "Most likely so they could keep us out of the game while they gathered enough troops to end us."

My Guardian began to shake violently as she weakly asked, "What do we do, Blue?"

I transmuted the Thorn into reality and strapped it to her right hoof with a hastily created plasteel bond, "I've modified the weapon to suit your biology. This armor should give you some protection as well."

Although I would have liked more time to finish the details on the armor, the Warlock helmet, robes, and leg armor attachments fit to her frame quite nicely. As the light within the shadowed smoke grew fiercer, I shouted to Fluttershy,

"I can't help you win this fight. Whether we live or die is on you. Eyes up, Guardian."

Screams that curdled blood marked their arrival.

Instantly, we found ourselves completely surrounded by Vex Goblins. Each one hefted their standard weapon, converging on our position through the dark trees like specters of death. Directed by a distant prevailing mind, they opened fire simultaneously.

Their aim proved true as a majority of the bolts struck my Guardian's frame, her shields quickly evaporating under the stress. I watched in horror as my Guardian stood frozen as the crimson daggers tore her armor to pieces and burned significant portions of her once beautiful mane.

"Move, Fluttershy! Fight for your life, for the lives of your friends! They're counting on you..."

My words faded away as a shot from a Line Rifle slammed into her head.

_.o0o._

Where am I? It's so dark. I'm scared.

Why can't I feel my legs? Why can't I feel anything? I'm so scared.

What happened? Where's Blue, where are my friends, where's home?

Wherever I am, at least I'm away from those horrible monsters. They terrify me so. Their screams...

They scare Blue too. Where is he? Where am I? I'm scared.

What's that in the distance? A little light? Where is it coming from? I'll move closer for a look...

It's a ball of fire. How strange. Why is it here? Why am I here? I'm so scared.

It's talking to me. It wants me to reach out and touch it. That doesn't sound very safe. Then again, there isn't much else to do.

My friends need me. I'll do whatever I can to help them.

Fireborn

From ashes, the world began. In the heat and pressure of time and space did the first heroes crawl from the mud, awaiting their destiny. They became legend and returned to dust.

From the Darkness did the first villains crawl from the shadows. The heroes of their time performed their calling and banished them back.

As time progressed, the shadows grew longer and the ashes grew thicker. Darkness devoured both heroes and would-be heroes mercilessly. Light diminished.

The world became ashes. From ashes, the world began.

GHOST MEMORY LOG 1-7
ORIGIN POINT: UNKNOWN [>10000 LIGHT YEARS OUTSIDE SOLAR SYSTEM]
RETRIEVED [DATA CORRUPTED]
ENTRY FOLLOWS, GUARDIAN ATTENTION REQUESTED:

Have you felt true perfection? Tranquility? Peace? Neither have I.

Every good memory I recall about my old Guardian's life is falsified by the ultimate vanity of her death. I had been hoping to create new memories, untainted by the weight of my grief, with my new Guardian. As I hovered a foot above her lifeless body, however, all potential of that slipped away.

I felt nothing but an empty void within my soul. That was worse than anything else I could've felt. Some essence of an emotion would've signaled that inside I remained alive, but nothing was left but emptiness. I had no more emotions left to give.

I waited for death as the Vex Goblins closed in.

Then, light.

I could see nothing but pure, unadulterated Light. It is impossible to describe exactly what that experience is like. It's an extrasensory event, and even recalling it exactly is difficult. Imagine heaven, then forget about it because it doesn't even come close to what that was like.

I do remember one thing clearly, perhaps the three most important words I have ever heard in all my years of fighting. A voice, echoing from far beyond infinity, like the sound of rippling water in a dark cavern,

"I'm here, Ghost."

The Light faded, and I found myself back in that forest of Darkness. However, a light shone through the shadows, bursting from all directions like the very sunrise. This time the light wasn't one of pure, unstained perfection, but the orange-red glow of passion. Fire set trees ablaze in an instant, flickering like candles in the blackness. Patches of brush and weeds were incinerated almost immediately, crumpling into piles of dirty ash. The Vex minions staggered backwards, protecting their ocular drives from the intense light and heat. I was blinded momentarily yet again for a few short moments until the light dimmed slightly, allowing me to see the beauty in the epicenter.

There she stood, the most powerful thing in existence in that moment in time and space. Fire blazed around her armored frame, yet she was not at all burned. Wings like those of the phoenix of legend shone over her physical ones, extending them in a regal and deadly fashion. The fire blazed especially around those eyes...those ice blue eyes. No longer were they filled with fear and pain. Now they burned with the passion of a Guardian who has tasted death and lived to tell the tail. The flames blazed with all the emotions of one who has lost much, yet has so much more to gain.

These were flames that not even the Darkness could extinguish. This was the passion of a Sunsinger reborn in fire. This was the power of the Fireborn.

My new Guardian commanded the element of fire with mastery. Extending her hoof forwards lightning fast, an orange orb of dense fire-energy formed on the end of her outstretched appendage. Like hurling a stone into a brook did Fluttershy release her power so elegant, yet so destructive. The Fusion Grenade attached to a nearby Goblin, quite startled and confused by the change in events. The demon had little time to react before being obliterated in a flash of fire.

The Vex minions retaliated ferociously; however, their crimson bolts of death simply dissipated in the intense Light of my Guardian's supercharged aura. She did not relent her assault, hurling grenade after grenade at the next nearby Goblin or Hobgoblin, each one exploding in a blazing spectacle. Groups of clustered minions found themselves on fire themselves from the sheer heat of the grenades. The passion in my Guardian's eyes never waned. It was almost terrifying, seeing those calm blue eyes which had seen the nurturing of so many so full of rage and destruction. I almost felt bad for the Vex. They had awakened something far more dangerous than any mere king. They had awakened the fury of a Guardian, reversed the scales of her reason to passion.

Before long, the remaining Vex soldiers engaged their long range teleports and fled. Most assume the minions of the Darkness to be unfeeling, unmerciful, but I know the truth. On rare occasions, they can feel fear. When they do, you know that you should as well.

For a few moments, there was little noise beyond the crackling of nearby trees burning with impossible power. My Guardian stood still, her breath coming in short, raspy gasps. Her eyes were darkened by the shadows dancing across the forest. The passion in those eyes retreated slowly, becoming replaced by shock.

I disabled my cloaking ability and materialized next to my Guardian's stunned frame. Looking into those darkened eyes, I lightheartedly said,

"Something tells me that those Vex Goblins won't be coming back for a while. You did well, Guardian."

I stopped my banter instantly as a glistening tear rolled down the side of her muzzle and onto the wet ground. I moved closer to comfort her, beginning to speak before being cut off by her resolved voice,

"That's the last one."

Perplexed, I replied, "The last what?"

She looked up and directly at my eye with her own. No longer were they filled with terror; no more were they hiding innocent fear. They were hardened with a steel resolve that I only saw in a select few Guardians, my old one being among their number. The Lords of Iron described it as the "Glare of the Wolf", the look of calm rage.

"The last tear I'll shed until my friends are safe. I can't let my own cowardly emotions get the better of me anymore. I nearly died, Blue. The pain I would've caused them...no, I won't think about it. Not until they're all safe."

She lifted the Thorn attached hastily to her right hoof to her muzzle, analyzing it closely.

"Teach me how to use this, Blue. While it hurts me more than you will ever understand to take the life of another living thing, I know what needs to be done. Help me learn to use whatever power I just unleashed on those vile things. I am your Guardian, and you are my Ghost. Teach me."

I engaged my holo-projector and displayed an three dimensional image of a sphere made of fire suspended in front of my Guardian,

"You are a Warlock, it seems. More specifically, you belong to the subclass of the Sunsinger, the ones who wield the flames that not even the Darkness can extinguish. Ironic, my old Guardian belonged to this class and subclass as well.

I can teach you how to bear the fire, Fluttershy, as much as my old Guardian learned it for herself. I'll teach you to use your weapons as well as I can. However, much of that responsibility falls to you, Guardian."

She nodded swiflty, trotting forwards suddenly down the path. She beckoned me to follow and said,

"Before we do any of that, we must make sure that Twilight and Zecora are safe."

"Indeed. My sensors indicate that the Vex time loop has naturally disintegrated, so we should be back in our own continuous timeline. I'll follow your lead, Guardian."

Without another word, we walked past the dwindling flames and piles of ash and steel, cutting deeper into that sinister forest.

END LOG

[ALERT]

[INCOMING TRANSMISSION:]
[COMMUNICATION INTERCEPTOR RELAYS: ONLINE]
[ENCRYPTION ORIGIN: VEX]
[DECODED MESSAGE FOLLOWS:]

request for reinforcements approved. the divine Omnipresent Mind will arrive shortly.

The Play's the Thing

GHOST MEMORY LOG 1-8
ORIGIN POINT: UNKNOWN [>10000 LIGHT YEARS OUTSIDE SOLAR SYSTEM]
RETRIEVED [DATA CORRUPTED]
ENTRY FOLLOWS, GUARDIAN ATTENTION REQUESTED:

What is magic? Most arcane scholars of the Warlock order claim that it's a mixture of highly complex scientific principles and the reality altering effects of the Traveler's Light. Walls upon walls of nearly indecipherable mathematical script in the Library's Alchemic section support these claims. The average Guardian rarely spends much time pondering how their immense power is derived, instead practicing on how to most efficiently use it. If a City-dweller were to question a passerby Titan how they materialized a flaming hammer out of nothing, they might reply with something along the lines of, 'the Traveler's Light', or some other vague answer.

As I traveled deeper into the "Everfree Forest", as my Guardian calls it, I reconsidered everything I knew about "magic". She seemed to be connected with a very different form of it, not begotten of the Light. I find it difficult to articulate exactly what it is that she constantly exhibits, but it appears to have something to do with positive emotions and friendly partnership with fellow members of her species. Her "magic" is not physically powerful in a colloquial sense, but rather has strong effects of the mental and emotional well-being of various creatures. Her ability to successfully overcome this world's force of gravity and fly using her strange wings probably has something to do with that form of magic as well. I must look into this matter further. Who knows how it might benefit the City if we figure out how to harness it?

Even more interesting is how the Traveler's Light and her "magic" interact within her soul. I'm still obviously in the early stages of research, but according to my findings, the two have no opposition to one another. In fact, it appears that the presence of one amplifies the power of the other in a sort of alternating current. In terms of psychological effects, the Traveler's Light seems to, how do I say, galvanize her to a level of fearless action once not possible for her relatively frail emotional state. I'm quite certain that the ascension to Guardianship will continue to have these positive effects on her personality as time progresses. I'm impressed by her focused calm in the light of her most recent battle against Vex units and her strong-willed determination to push forwards into this oppressive forest.

As we turned into a bend in the road and into a section of forest particularly overrun by small thorn bushes, my Guardian turned her visor to ask a valid question,

"That fire magic I was using earlier... how exactly was I doing that?"

I pondered for a moment, then slowly replied, "All Guardians are imbued with the Traveler's Light, you being no exception. Putting it simply, that Light more or less fuels your special arcane abilities as a Sunsinger. Interestingly, what you unleashed back there was your 'supercharged' ability, with the resurrection buff, no less. That's a maneuver that generally takes Guardians a long time to master."

Fluttershy continued to trot forwards at a steady pace, her determined expression concealed under her Warlock helmet.

"I see. How might I use that again, or was it a one-time thing?"

I raised a nonexistent eyebrow. For a creature that just a few hours ago dreaded the idea of injuring something, she sure seemed interested in learning how to become a lethal fire-wielding horse thing.

"My prior Guardian kind of just figured it out, I guess. I never really asked her how she did it, I was along for the ride. I've read that it has something to do with focused will-power and concentration, along with a steady amount of practice. Try tapping into those same emotions you felt while battling the Vex assault force, it may help."

We pushed through the prickly, dark green brush and into an area of the forest where the trees thinned considerably. Despite the fact that it was about midday, the surrounding fauna was smothered in a ghostly array of shifting shadows. Strange, colorful insects with far too many legs for my taste crawled across the decaying leaves.

In the center of the clearing was a squat wooden structure of intriguing design. According to my database, the intricate patterns and architecture correlate to old African models. Initial scans on the building revealed numerous objects displaying "magical" properties.

"Is that the house you mentioned, Fluttershy?"

My Guardian gestured towards the structure with her hoof,

"That's Zecora's house, all right. Something still feels off, though. Like we're being watched."

There was no quantifiable data to support her claim; however, I understood from past experience that a Guardian's intuition was correct more often than not. I increased power to my short range scanners and moved with my Guardian towards the odd building.

Each meter we covered seemed to amplify the ominous feeling in my soul. The thick leaf cover overhead threw swirling shadows onto the deep green forest floor like an ocean of dirt and decay. As we crossed a small brook dividing the small clearing, I got a better view of the squat structure.

I felt the cold feeling of dread as my visual analyzers picked up on dark blast points dotted along the frail wooden structure. Various chunks of wood and earthen material were scattered across the area surrounding the house, some sections still emitting black smoke. My Guardian quickly saw the evidence as well, increasing her approach speed towards the severely damaged building.

After closing the distance to a few meters, she halted, a look of terror spreading across her features. From this closer vantage point, I proactively scanned a cluster of blast marks. Within a few moments, I vocalized the unfortunate prognosis to my Guardian,

“According to my analysis, the damage appears to be Vex in origin. The number of blast points suggests a substantial force was present. Scanning the area for life signs...”

I could only watch my wide-eyed Guardian as I discovered no signs of life in the vicinity. Without saying a word, Fluttershy entered the building through what was a door frame, now a gaping, blackened aperture.

The situation inside the structure wasn’t very different from the outside. Various items lay strewn about the wooden floor, jars of strange liquid substances cracked and leaking. A cast iron cauldron lay haphazardly on the ground, sections shattered under its own weight.

I turned to face my Guardian, observing her unveiled face. Her expression was clearly full of sadness as she said,

“I won’t cry. I made a promise.”

My heart fell further as I attempted to reassure her,

“The lack of corpses strongly suggests that the Vex took your friends alive, Fluttershy. I can only speculate why. However, given the smoldering status of the building, they were most likely captured in the past hour. If we hurry, we might be able to track them down.”

Her sadness swiftly gave way to anger as she replied,

“You think my friends would just get captured so easily? They’re out there fighting now, I just know it! We’re going to save them Blue. I don’t care what it takes.”

I eyed my Guardian cautiously. My life scanners were picking up what many Guardians knew colloquially as a Light Rage. Contrary to its title, a Light Rage is an emotional ‘supercharge’ of sorts that sometimes occurs when an inexperienced Guardian is put under high emotional duress. While it can amplify the Guardian’s magical abilities, its unstable nature often drives many novices to insanity. Therefore, one of the first lessons taught in the Tower is how to understand and control negative emotions in order to avoid their harmful effects.

In an attempt to diffuse the situation, I quietly replied,

“Calm down, Fluttershy. I understand what you’re feeling now, I really do, but we have to keep a clear mindset if we are to have any chance of rescuing your friends. While your gut feelings can be your greatest asset, they can just as easily become your worst enemy, if you allow them to.”

Fluttershy’s hyperventilated breathing gradually slowed as I felt her mind begin to clear. After a few moments, she suddenly turned around and moved decisively towards the exit as she said coldly,

“I care about my friends more than you may ever be able to understand, Blue. They’ve been there for me through every bad time and every good moment. I’m going to repay the mountain of favors they’ve given, and I need your help to do so. I know you’ve been through a lot, and I hate to ask more from you... but, I’m asking you as a friend, please help me find them.”

I teleported beside my Guardian, following her through the forest as I replied warmly,

“I am your Ghost. Regardless of my feelings, I exist to serve my Guardian. More importantly, I exist to serve you, Fluttershy. Your cares are intertwined with mine, they are one and the same. I’ll help you find your friends, and I’ll do everything in my power to help you rescue them and repel this Vex invasion. Let’s get moving. We can’t know when the Vex will launch their main offensive.”

No more words needed to pass between us as we silently followed metal imprints in the soft soil deep into the forest, determined to rescue the innocent beings abducted by darkness.

END LOG

Jagged Lance

"Jumper, what's the status on that Gate?"

The masculine voice spoke quietly over the internal communications systems, alerting the strike team to the ominous structure fifty meters downrange. An Exo in ornate Titan armor painted with gold and white patterns trained his sniper rifle steadily on the stone Gate.

"Twenty or so Goblins patrolling a few meters west, reinforced by snipers on the high rise. Five by my count. Wait, Minotaur spotted behind the formation. Might be a Precursor. What do you make of it, Squad Lead?"

The squad leader readied his auto rifle, checking and double-checking external components to ensure their proper function.

"Nothing we can't handle. Fireteam Delta, are you in position?"

Approximately half a kilometer southwest of the Gate, a team of three Titans readied their menacing sniper rifles, finding cover behind jagged rocks and ancient buildings. The center most Titan leading the fireteam readied her intercom, responding swiftly to the squad leader's question,

"This is Havoc. We're in position. Waiting on your mark."

The squad leader made a gesture with his right hand, moving from behind a suntanned wall to a large, oddly designed support column a few meters to the right. Two of his fellow fireteam members followed closely behind, scanning the foreign surroundings with the weapons at the ready position. Now just forty meters from the Vex patrol team, the Titan observed the alternating patterns that the metallic creatures employed, quickly deciding upon an action plan.

"Listen up, squad. I want Fireteam Charlie and Bravo to perform a pincer maneuver from the east and northwest. Cut off their means of escape. My team will punch straight up the middle. Delta, you have permission to engage."

The three snipers trained their sights on the Vex Hobgoblins positioned strategically on top of various columns and support beams. Aiming directly into the crimson eye drive glowing in the center of the strange mechanism, the snipers flicked a switch on their rifles, notifying the others that they were in position to fire. Seconds later, all lights went green. The Titans released their payloads into the unsuspecting Hobgoblins simultaneously. The irradiated bolts tore through the metal beings easily, causing them to collapse in crackling heaps of broken parts.

"Go!"

In response to the squad leader's command, all three fireteams rushed forwards at once, medium ranged weapons in hand. The various Vex units, now alerted to the Guardian's presence, concentrated their forces in front of the gate to the Vault of Glass. The well-positioned snipers continued to provide supporting fire upon the flabbergasted Goblins, each piercing round disintegrating an unsuspecting machine. In a few moments, Fireteam Charlie collided with the Vex forces from the west, each Titan wielding a powerful shotgun. Ill prepared for the assault, the Goblins could do little but be decimated by the short range weaponry.

Fireteam Bravo flanked the Vex defensive positions from the east, unleashing a hailstorm of bullets at five Goblins and two Hobgoblins positioned on an elevated position. They retaliated in force, firing upon the fireteam of three Titans with red bolts of death. The blasts that connected with the Guardian's armor were absorbed, doing little to slow their steady advance. Screaming a metallic battle cry, one particularly ambitious Hobgoblin landed a critical hit on a stubborn Defender Titan known by his alias, Twos.

His shields compromised, the Guardian did what any rational person might do, hurling himself at the Hobgoblin in question. Ignoring the pain of incoming blaster fire, the Titan in blue and gold plated armor struck the startled Vex machine in the center of its eye drive with a Barrier Melee, reducing it to little more than broken hinges and rusted screws.

"Twos, you never fail to amaze me!" The encouraging statement had been made by Twos' most trusted ally and fellow wing-man, an Awoken Titan known as Lights.

Continuing to rush forwards towards a group of frightened Goblins, Twos replied slyly, "No kidding, it's just me doing all the work out here. Remind me, why did we bring you along again?"

As Fireteams Charlie and Bravo executed the pincer maneuver, the gap between themselves swiftly grew narrower. In response to the threat approaching on two fronts, the remaining ten or so Goblins and the reserve Precursor Minotaur grew close together, creating the bottleneck the squad leader had intended for.

"Alpha, ready Gjallarhorns!"

Distracted by the two fireteams approaching from the east and northwest, the remaining Vex forces were all to unaware of the last three Titans left to engage. As they charged up a steep incline leading to where most of the enemy soldiers held their ground, they each readied the weapon that the Darkness fears above all others. It is the rocket launcher that the strongest Guardians covet, capable of decimating entire legions of Cabal warriors.

The three Titans cleared the hill, coming face to face with the entire Vex defense force. Simultaneously, they released the power held within their Gjallarhorns at the surprised minions of Darkness.

An explosion reverberated for kilometers around, felt by every crawling beast and winged animal in the nearby vicinity. One flash of fierce orange light later and there was little left of the Vex but three gigantic craters in the stone and piles of sooty ash raining from the sky.

In a few moments, Fireteams Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie gathered outside the circular gate to the Vault of Glass, followed swiftly by Fireteam Delta by utilizing short range teleportation systems. The twelve Titans admired their handiwork, speaking to one another in excited, proud voices. The leader of the squad smiled under his golden helmet. As expected, the First Titan Squadron, known affectionately by City-dwellers as the Disciples of Death, produced outstanding results. With the Vex defensive perimeter guarding the Vault of Glass shattered, the strike team's chances of successfully pulling off the operation increased dramatically.

A voice filled with static entered the ears of the squad leader, "Squad lead, this is Cayde. How's it goin' down there?"

"Assault on the entrance to the Vault of Glass went without complications. Breaching the door now."

A small chuckle erupted on the long-range communicator, "I didn't expect anything less. Get to it, Guardian. The sooner we secure that Vex machine, the sooner we get to the bottom of whatever they're planning."

The squad leader took heavy steps across the blackened stone, approaching the now opened doorway. An ancient path winded down the Vault and into inky blackness. Turning to face his team, he said loudly, "Most of you are already familiar with what lies deep within the Vault. Nonetheless, keep your guard up, Titans. The successful completion of Operation Jagged Lance is absolutely vital to the City's security. I want Fireteam Charlie to take point, Fireteams Bravo and Alpha will assume support positions. Fireteam Delta, provide strategic cover from the rear. Let's move, Guardians."

The veteran team acted swiftly and professionally, following their leader's orders without hesitation. The three Titans of Fireteam Charlie approached the Vault first with shotguns at the ready position, scanning the nearby surroundings for a few moments before giving an all clear signal and entering the gate. Alpha and Bravo followed close behind with a wide assortment of Scout, Auto, and Pulse rifles scanning the dark catacombs. Delta kept a safe distance behind, slowly approaching with sniper rifles ready to level anything that moved.

For the first few minutes of their descent, the squad encountered little resistance beyond the stray Harpy or Goblin. Squad Lead kept eyes on his HUD, directing the rest of his team towards the appropriate path to follow. The light began to fade as they twelve Titans pushed deeper into the Vault, causing their Ghosts to engage their flashlights.

A chill running down her spine, the Striker Titan known as Havoc spoke into her short range communicator,

"I don't like this. If whatever they're protecting down there is so important, then why haven't we encountered more resistance?"

"Dunno, maybe they got scared or somethin'." Twos' hasty reply was more or less dismissed by the rest of his squad members as banter.

"Most unlikely. Feels more like we are walking into trap." The reply came from a voice heavily laced with the old Russian accent of a Scorch Titan known simply as KG.

The squad leader held up his right hand, halting the Titans' steady advance. He stood in a dark metal doorway, blocking the rest of the squad's view to whatever lay beyond the dark stairway.

"What is it, Lead?" Jumper's question came as the squad leader tentatively stepped through the doorway, beckoning the rest of his team to follow closely. After a few moments, they stood in an unbelievably expansive room, more than a football field's length high and four across. Most of the room was a featureless plateau of stone, with no signs of Vex units or tech nearby, save the gigantic glowing spire extending to the top of the catacomb.

"I've seen a lot of things in my day, but that's pretty cool." The statement came from a rather young Scorch Titan who stood gaping at the incredible Vex structure.

"Cayde, are you getting this?" The squad leader activated his visual feed to link with the Tower.

"Guardian, I'm certainly seeing what's there, but whether or not I'm believing it is another question entirely. See if you can get a closer look, but take caution."

The squad lead turned to address his team, "Keep your guard up, Titans. We don't know what that thing is, but it's almost certainly Vex tech. Stay behind me."

The team did as they were ordered, retaining combat formation as they grew close the mysterious Vex machine. The closed the gap with no sign of Vex resistance, swiftly coming within ten meters of the device before their visuals and radar became distorted.

A banging sound startled the team, causing all of them to turn around to face the source of the noise.

A thousand crimson eyes peered from the darkness on all sides, each one accompanied by a blood chilling screech. As soon as they identified the threat, the Vex forces teleported into attack position, thousands upon thousands of Goblins, Hobgoblins, Minotaurs, Harpies, and Hydras converging upon the lone twelve Titans clustered just in front of the machine.

"Squad lead, what's the plan? I don't mind me some killin, but I think now might be the time for a different course of action!"

The leader pondered his options with concerned sweat dripping down his face. He didn't doubt his team's combat capabilities, but he did understand that perhaps literal thousands of menacing Vex soldiers might outlast them in a firefight. The only viable exit to the room was already sealed off by the quickly approaching minions of Darkness with their weapons raised and ready to decimate the team. There was only one course of action that remained.

"Squad, we're going to use the machine to get out of here. Follow my lead."

Hardened veterans as they were, to say that they were a little bit perplexed by their commander's decision would be a vast understatement. The other eleven Titans watched in silent horror as their leader put his hand on the massive Vex spire, vanishing in a flash of white light.

"Ya'll sure bout' this? I've done a lot of crazy stuff in my time, but I'm not so positive about this one..." Scorch Titan Nooner said, his old southern American accent full of apprehension.

Havoc approached the Vex machine, her gold and black armor glistening in the otherworldly white light. "If that's where squad lead wants us to go, then we go."

She entered the portal, dispersing as her leader did.

The Vex forces opened fire, a barrage of red death slamming into the team. With little else in the form of a plan, they made up their minds with a swift nod to one another, entering the portal into whatever unknown lay before the veteran Titan squad.